Hot Forestry Stocks To Own For 2014

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Vishay Precision Group (NYSE: VPG  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best Long Term Stocks To Own For 2015: UBS AG (UBSN)

UBS AG, incorporated on February 28, 1978, is a client-focused financial services company that offers a combination of wealth management, asset management and investment banking services on a global and regional basis. UBS AG is the parent company of the UBS Group (Group).The operational structure of the Company consists of the Corporate Center and four business divisions: Wealth Management & Swiss Bank, Wealth Management Americas, Global Asset Management and the Investment Bank. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated about 877 business and banking locations worldwide, of which about 42% were in Switzerland, 42% in the Americas, 11% in the rest of Europe, Middle East and Africa, and 5% in Asia-Pacific. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it completed acquisitions in Global Asset Management and in the equities business of the Investment Bank. In November 2011, investment management responsibility for a private equity fund of funds was transferred to Global Asset Management from Wealth Management & Swiss Bank. In October 2011, Global Asset Management acquired ING Investment Management Limited business in Australia. In July 2011, the infrastructure and private equity fund of funds businesses were transferred from its alternative and quantitative investment area to its infrastructure investment area. In January 2011, investment management responsibility for a multi-manager alternative fund was transferred to Global Asset Management from Wealth Management & Swiss Bank.

Wealth Management

Wealth Management provides wealthy private clients with financial advice, products and tools to fit their individual needs. As of December 31, 2011, Wealth Management had presence in over 40 countries and approximately 200 wealth management and representative offices, half of which are outside Switzerland, mostly in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. During 2011, the Company had CHF 750 billion of invested assets. The Company offers products and services to private! clients, focusing in particular on the ultra-high-net-worth (clients with investable assets of more than CHF 50 million) and high-net-worth client segments (clients with investable assets between CHF 2 million and CHF 50 million). In addition, it also provides wealth management solutions, products and services to financial intermediaries. Wealth Management has a presence in over 40 countries and approximately 200 wealth management and representative offices, half of which are outside Switzerland, mostly in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.

The Company�� Global Financial Intermediaries (Global FIM) business serves approximately 1,700 asset managers. It provides its clients with the financial advice, products and tools. The Company�� clients can trade a range of financial instruments from single securities, such as equities and bonds, to various investment funds, structured products and alternative investments. Additionally, it offers structured lending, corporate finance and wealth planning advice on client needs, such as funding for education, inheritance and succession. For its ultra high net worth clients, it offers institutional-like servicing that provides access to its Investment Bank and Global Asset Management offerings. Wealth Management also gives clients access to the knowledge, and product and service offerings from Global Asset Management and the Investment Bank, complemented by an open product platform providing access to an array of products from third-party providers.

The Company competes with Credit Suisse, Julius Bar, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Citigroup, Barclays and Unicredit.

Retail & Corporate

The Company delivers financial products and services to its retail, corporate and institutional clients. The Retail & Corporate unit is a core element of UBS Switzerland�� universal bank delivery model. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had a network of around 300 branches, 1,250 automated teller machines! , self-se! rvice terminals and customer service centers, alongside e-banking and mobile banking. The Company�� retail clients have access to offering, including cash accounts, payments, savings and retirement solutions, investment fund products, residential mortgages, as well as life insurance and advisory services. It provides financing solutions to its corporate clients, offering access to capital markets (equity and debt capital), syndicated and structured credit, private placements, leasing and traditional financing. The Company�� transaction banking offers solutions for payments and cash management services, trade and export finance, receivable finance, as well as global custody solutions to institutional clients.

The Company competes with Credit Suisse, Raiffeisen and PostFinance.

Wealth Management Americas

Wealth Management Americas provides advice-based relationships through its financial advisors, who deliver a range of wealth management solutions. On December 31, 2011, the business division had CHF 709 billion in invested assets. Wealth Management Americas consisted of branch networks in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, with 6,967 financial advisors as of 31 December 2011. Most corporate and operational functions of the business division are located in the home office in Weehawken, New Jersey. In the United States and Puerto Rico, Wealth Management Americas operates through direct and indirect subsidiaries of UBS AG. Securities and operations activities are conducted primarily through two broker-dealers, UBS Financial Services Inc. and UBS Financial Services Incorporated of Puerto Rico. Its banking services in the United States include those conducted through the UBS AG branches and UBS Bank USA, a federally regulated Utah bank, which provides Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured deposit accounts. It includes the domestic US business, the domestic Canadian business and international business booked in the United States.

Ca! nadian we! alth management and banking operations are conducted through UBS Bank (Canada). The Company�� include wealth accumulation and preservation, income generation and portfolio diversification. The Company�� advisors work closely with internal consultants in areas, such as wealth planning, portfolio strategy, retirement and annuities, alternative investments, managed structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income accounts, structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income retirement and annuities, alternative investments, managed accounts, structured products, banking and lending, equities, and fixed income. It also offers lending and cash management services, such as securities-backed lending, the resource management account, FDIC-insured deposits, mortgages and credit cards. For corporate and institutional clients, it offers a range of solutions, including equity compensation, administration, investment consulting, defined benefit and contribution programs and cash management services. It offers a range of equity and fixed income instruments.

The Company competes with Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

Global Asset Management

The Company serves third-party institutional and wholesale clients and the clients of UBS�� wealth management businesses. The Company�� fund services unit, a global fund administration business, provides professional services, including legal fund set-up, accounting and reporting. Invested assets totaled CHF 574 billion and assets under administration were CHF 375 billion on December 31, 2011. Global Asset Management serves third-party institutional and wholesale clients, and the clients of UBS�� wealth management businesses. Global Asset Management�� business lines include traditional investments (equities, fixed income and global investment solutions); alternative and quantitative investments; global real estate; infrastructure and private equity, and fund services.

Global ! investment solutions offer asset allocation, currency, multi-manager, structured solutions, risk advisory and strategic investment advisory services. Alternative and quantitative investments has two primary business lines-Alternative Investment Solutions (AIS) and O��onnor. AIS offers a range of hedge fund solutions and advisory services, including multi-manager strategies. O��onnor is a provider of single-manager global hedge funds. Global real estate manages real estate investments globally and regionally within Asia, Europe, Switzerland and the United States. Infrastructure and private equity manages direct infrastructure investment and multi-manager infrastructure and private equity strategies for both institutional and high net worth investors. Infrastructure asset management manages direct investments in core infrastructure assets worldwide. Fund services, the global fund administration business, provides professional services, including legal set-up, reporting and accounting for retail and institutional investment funds, hedge funds and other alternative products.

The Company competes with Fidelity Investments, AllianceBernstein Investments, BlackRock, JP Morgan Asset Management and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Investment Bank

The Investment Bank provides a range of products and services in equities, fixed income, foreign exchange and commodities to corporate and institutional clients, sovereign and government bodies, financial intermediaries, alternative asset managers and UBS�� wealth management clients. The Investment Bank has three business areas: equities, fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC), and the investment banking department. The Company operates through branches and subsidiaries of UBS AG. Securities activities in the United States are conducted through UBS Securities LLC, a broker-dealer. Securities research provides investment analysis across a range of asset classes of more than 3,400 companies worldwide.

The ! Company p! articipates in the primary and secondary markets for cash equity and equity-related products, including listed options, structured products, equity-linked securities, swaps, futures and over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts. Cash equities provide clients with liquidity, investment advisory, trade execution and related consultancy services. It offers trade execution for single stocks and portfolios, including capital commitment, block trading, small-cap execution and commission management services. In addition, it also provides clients with a range of electronic trading algorithms and analytical tools. Derivatives and equity-linked provides a range of flow, structured, synthetic and equity-linked products with worldwide access to primary and secondary markets.

Prime services offer brokerage business, including clearing and custody, capital consultancy, financing, securities lending and equity swaps execution. The FICC business area delivers products and solutions to corporate, institutional and public-sector clients in all markets, as well as to private clients via targeted intermediaries. Macro consists of the foreign exchange, money market and interest rate sales and trading businesses, as well as cash and collateral trading. It provides a range of foreign exchange, precious metals, treasury, and liquidity management solutions to institutional and private clients via targeted intermediaries. Credit sales and trading consists of the origination, underwriting, trading and distribution of cash and synthetic products across the credit spectrum - bonds, derivatives, notes and loans.

The investment banking department provides advice and a range of capital markets execution services to corporate clients, financial institutions, financial sponsors, sovereign clients and hedge funds. The Company also provides liquidity in local markets across foreign exchange, credit, rates and structured products. The advisory group assists in acquisitions and sale processes, and also advises on! reviews ! and corporate restructuring solutions. Global capital markets is a joint venture with the securities business. It offers financing and advisory services that cover all forms of capital raising, as well as risk management solutions. Global leveraged finance provides event-driven (acquisition, leveraged buyout) loans, and bond and mezzanine leveraged finance to corporate clients and financial sponsors.

The Company competes with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bloomberg News]

  UBS AG (UBSN)�� China venture plans to offer more computerized-trading services as it bets on a surge in demand from institutional money managers in the biggest emerging market.

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Scania AB (SCVB), the Swedish truckmaker that reported worse-than-estimated earnings last week, fell 5.3 percent to 134.10 kronor, the most since October 2011. UBS (UBSN) cut the stock to sell from neutral and lowered its earnings forecasts, saying truck demand in Brazil will probably fall sharply from current levels.

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  BP posted its best week in 23 months after the oil producer increased its dividend. Alcatel-Lucent rallied 18 percent after predicting it will beat its cost-cutting targets this year and reporting a narrower-than-forecast quarterly loss. UBS AG (UBSN) dropped the most in almost two years after saying it may fail to reach its profitability goal until at least 2016.

• [By Robert Wall]

  Bookrunners for the sale are Goldman Sachs Group Inc., UBS AG (UBSN), Barclays Plc (BARC) and Merrill Lynch & Co., with Investec Ltd., Nomura Bank International Plc and RBC Europe Ltd. lead managers, said the government, which is being advised by Lazard Ltd. (LAZ)

Hot Forestry Stocks To Own For 2014: GNC Acquisition Holdings Inc. (GNC)

GNC Holdings, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of health and wellness products. It operates through three segments: Retail, Franchise, and Manufacturing/Wholesale. The company�s products include vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplement products, as well as sports nutrition products, diet products, and other wellness products. It also manufactures its branded products for various third parties. The company sells its products under GNC proprietary brands, including Mega Men, Ultra Mega, Total Lean, Pro Performance, and Pro Performance AMP, as well as under third-party brands. As of March 31, 2013, it had approximately 8,200 locations, including 6,200 retail locations in the United States; and franchise operations in 55 countries. The company sells its products through company-owned domestic retail stores, domestic and international franchise activities, third-party contract manufacturing, e-commerce, and corporate partnerships. It also offers its products at GNC.com, LuckyVitamin.com, and drugstore.com. GNC Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian O'Connell]

  Right now, there seem to be two schools of thought on General Nutrition Centers, the health and wellness retailer. CNBC�� Jim ��ad Money��Cramer came out this week with a strong ��uy��signal on GNC (NYSE: GNC). ��he stock is down big and I think business is about to turn,��said Cramer. ��’m a buyer.��br>
  But last Monday, Credit Suisse stepped in and slashed its call on GNC from ��utperform��to ��eutral.��Retail analyst Gary Balter cited ��ow visibility��on the company�� same-store sales for the reminder of 2014. Calling the stock ��luggish�� he downgraded GNC�� target price to $51 per share.
  
  I�� with Cramer, but more on that in a minute. According to the company�� web site, GNC Holdings, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of health and wellness products. The firm operates through three segments: retail, franchise, and manufacturing/wholesale. Its products include vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements, sports nutrition products, diet products, and other wellness products, and offers its own line of health and nutrition products, including Mega Men, Ultra Mega, Total Lean, Pro Performance, Pro Performance AMP, and Beyond Raw. GNC has 8,500 locations operating in the United States and internationally.
  
  GNC�� stock currently trades at $45 per share, but its share price has declined by $7 in the past two months, mostly on profit concerns. So why do I see GNC as a buy? I just don�� see profits as a problem with GNC. Revenues are strong, earnings per share is healthy, net income is rising, and franchise owners are clamoring to get their name on another GNC store.
  
  Revenues were up 8.6% in the last quarter (at $613 million), on a year-to-year comparison basis, and that figure clocks in well ahead of the industry average of 7.3%. Earnings per share is also well up on a year-to-year basis, with earnings at $2.72 prior to $2.29. The company estimates earnings to rise to $3.23 in 2014.
  
  In

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Fundamentally, the company is in the middle of an industry that's gaining in importance, as people pay more attention to the obesity epidemic. Weight-specialists Weight Watchers�and NutriSystem�come at the industry from a slightly different angle, with more specialization on weight specifically, without the diverse personal-care and other products that Herbalife offers, and they've faced some challenges in producing growth. GNC Holdings (NYSE: GNC  ) , which is arguably a more direct competitor that resembles Herbalife more closely, reported earnings earlier today that rose by 18% from the previous year, sending its stock up nearly 11% in today's trading.

Hot Forestry Stocks To Own For 2014: Community Health Systems Inc (CYH)

Community Health Systems, Inc., incorporated on June 6, 1996, is an operator of hospitals in the United States. The Company provides healthcare services through the hospitals that it owns and operates in non-urban and selected urban markets throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned or leased 135 hospitals, Consisting of 131 general acute care hospitals and four standalone rehabilitation or psychiatric hospitals. These hospitals are geographically diversified across 29 states, with an aggregate of 20,334 licensed beds. The Company provides a range of general and specialized hospital healthcare services and other outpatient services to patients in the communities in which the Company are located. Services provided through its hospitals and affiliated businesses include general acute care, emergency room, general and specialty surgery, critical care, internal medicine, obstetrics, diagnostic, psychiatric and rehabilitation services. On March 1, 2012, the Company acquired MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, Illinois. On July 1, 2012, the Company�� subsidiaries acquired all of the assets of Memorial Health Systems in York, Pennsylvania.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Moses Taylor Healthcare System based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which is a healthcare system comprised of two acute care hospitals and other healthcare providers. This healthcare system includes Moses Taylor Hospital (217 licensed beds) located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Mid-Valley Hospital (25 licensed beds) located in Peckville, Pennsylvania. Effective March 5, 2012, the Company completed a merger with Diagnostic Clinic of Longview, P.A., which is a multi-specialty clinic serving residents of Longview, Texas and surrounding East Texas communities. This healthcare system includes Memorial Hospital (100 licensed beds), the Surgical Center of York, and other outpatient and ancillary services.

The Company provides outpatient services at urg! ent care centers, occupational medicine clinics, imaging centers, cancer centers, ambulatory surgery centers and home health and hospice agencies. In addition to its hospitals and related businesses, the Company also own and operate 64 licensed home care agencies and 31 licensed hospice agencies, located primarily in markets where the Company also operate a hospital. Also, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Quorum Health Resources, LLC, or QHR, the Company provides management and consulting services to non-affiliated general acute care hospitals located throughout the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Community Health Systems� (NYSE: CYH  ) operates eight hospitals in the state. Health Management Associates (NYSE: HMA  ) also operates a couple of Arkansas hospitals. These hospitals could benefit with fewer uninsured patients.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Health Management Associates Inc.(HMA) said its newly constituted board is evaluating its $3.9 billion deal to be acquired by fellow hospital operator Community Health Systems Inc.(CYH) The review comes about a month after hedge fund Glenview Capital Management LLC gained shareholder approval to replace the hospital operator’s entire board. But its agreement earlier this year to be acquired by rival Community Health didn’t appease Glenview, which also is the top shareholder in Community Health.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Meanwhile, the second-largest hospital chain, Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH  ) , saw its shares rise nearly 4%. This increase translates to a higher market cap of more than $150 million.

• [By Tom Lydon]

  Top holdings based on the index include Acadia Healthcare Companies (ACHC), Amsurg Corporation (AMSG), Brookdale Senior Living (BKD), Clarcor (CLC) and Community Health Systems (CYH).

Hot Forestry Stocks To Own For 2014: San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Ltd (MBR)

San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Limited is a Hong Kong-based company engaged in the manufacture and distribution of bottled, canned and draught beers. The Company operates in two segments: The Hong Kong operation mainly represents the manufacture and distribution of own brewed beer products and distribution of imported beer products in Hong Kong and overseas, and the mainland China operation mainly represents the manufacture and distribution of own brewed beer products in the southern part of the People�� Republic of China and overseas. Its subsidiaries include Best Investments International Inc., Hongkong Brewery Limited, Ravelin Limited, San Miguel (Guangdong) Limited, Guangzhou San Miguel Brewery Company Limited, San Miguel Shunde Holdings Limited and San Miguel (Guangdong) Brewery Company Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoffrey Seiler]

  This was a solid quarter from Aetna, highlighted by much stronger-than-expected results from its Commercial and Medicaid segments. The rebound in the Medicaid medical benefits ratio (MBR) was particularly notable.

Hot Forestry Stocks To Own For 2014: Monarch Casino & Resort Inc (MCRI)

Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (Monarch), incorporated in 1993, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Golden Road Motor Inn, Inc. (Golden Road), owns and operates the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa(the Atlantis), a hotel/casino facility in Reno, Nevada. Monarch�� other wholly owned subsidiaries, High Desert Sunshine, Inc. (High Desert) and Golden North, Inc. (Golden North), each own separate parcels of land located adjacent to the Atlantis. The Company owns and operates the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, which is located approximately three miles south of downtown in the area of Reno, Nevada. The Atlantis features approximately 61,000 square feet of casino space; a hotel with 824 guest rooms and suites; ten food outlets; an enclosed year-round pool with waterfall; an outdoor pool; a health spa; two retail outlets offering clothing and resort gift shop merchandise; a full service salon for men and women; an 8,000 square-foot family entertainment center; and approximately 52,000 square feet of banquet, convention and meeting room space. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired 1.5 acre parcel of developable land contiguous to the Riviera Black Hawk Casino.

In April 2012, it acquired Riviera Black Hawk, Inc.

The Atlantis Casino offers approximately 1,450 slot and video poker machines; approximately 39 table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette and others; a race and sports book; keno and a poker room. The Atlantis includes three contiguous high-rise hotel towers with 824 rooms and suites. The Atlantis includes three contiguous high-rise hotel towers with a total of 824 rooms and suites. The first of the three hotel towers contains 160 rooms and suites in 13 stories. The 19-story second hotel tower contains 278 rooms and suites. The third tower contains 386 rooms and suites in 28 stories.

The Atlantis hotel rooms feature designs and furnishings consistent with the Northern Nevada market, as well as nine-foot ceilings (most standard hotel rooms have eig! ht-foot ceilings), which create an open and spacious feel. The third hotel tower features a four-story waterfall with an adjacent year-round swimming pool in a climate controlled, five-story glass enclosure, which shares an outdoor third floor pool deck with a seasonal outdoor swimming pool and year round whirlpool. A full-service salon (the Salon at Atlantis) overlooks the third floor sundeck and outdoor seasonal swimming pool and offers salon-grade products and treatments for hair, nails, skincare and body services for both men and women. A health spa is located adjacent to the swimming areas, which offers treatments and amenities. The hotel rooms on the spa floor are designated as spa rooms and feature decor that is themed consistent with the spa. Certain spa treatments are also available in spa floor hotel rooms. The hotel also features glass elevators rising the full 19 and 28 stories, of the respective towers providing views of the Reno area and the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The Atlantis has eight restaurants, two gourmet coffee bars and one snack bar. It includes 160-seat Atlantis Steakhouse gourmet restaurant; the 200-seat upscale Bistro Napa featuring a centrally located wine cellar; the Oyster Bar restaurant in the Sky Terrace offering fresh seafood, soups and bisques made to order; the Sushi Bar, also in the Sky Terrace, offering a variety of fresh raw and cooked sushi specialties, including all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner selections. The Oyster Bar and Sushi Bar can accommodate up to 139 guests; The 178-seat 24-hour Purple Parrot coffee shop; the 122-seat Cafe Alfresco restaurant serving a full menu, pizzas prepared in a wood-fired, brick oven and a variety of gelato deserts; the 170-seat Manhattan Deli restaurant specializing in piled-high sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts; two gourmet coffee bars, offering specialty coffee drinks, pastries and desserts made fresh daily in the Atlantis bakery; a snack bar and soda fountain serving ice cream and arcade-style refreshmen! ts.

The Sky Terrace is a structure with a diamond-shaped, blue glass body suspended approximately 55 feet, and spanning 160 feet across, South Virginia Street. The Sky Terrace connects the Atlantis with additional parking on its 16-acre site across South Virginia Street from the Atlantis. The structure rests at each end on two 100-foot tall Grecian columns with no intermediate support pillars. The interior of the Sky Terrace contains the Oyster Bar, the Sushi Bar, a video poker bar, banks of slot machines and a lounge area with oversized leather sofas and chairs.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vanina Egea] ong>Risks and Valuation

  Although the Chinese government will maintain its gambling restrictions in the mainland over the next decade, Sand Corp�� market share and leverage in fixed costs will continue to riel in strong revenue growth from this region. Fiscal 2013 marked a 24.80% revenue increase ($13.8 billion) and operating margins continue to expand at the same pace. Despite the inherent risk of an economic slowdown in Asia or a recession in the U.S., which could put a halt to leisure spending, the company is well prepared to balance out any short-term losses. The casino operator�� EBITDA growth of 65.30%, for example, is an impressive result when compared to the industry�� average of 4.90%.

  Looking forward, earnings per share are expected to continue their fast-paced upward trend, having jumped from $1.56 in 2011 to $2.79 at the end of fiscal 2013. The 21.6% return on equity, as well as 1.80% dividend yield should also be attractive to shareholders and future investors. Although Las Vegas Sand Corp is currently trading at a 24% price premium relative to the industry average of 22.60x trailing earnings, I feel very bullish about this firm�� long term profitability, given its strong market position in Asia.

  Disclosure: Vanina Egea holds no position in any stocks mentioned.

  
  Also check out: Andreas Halvorsen Undervalued Stocks Andreas Halvorsen Top Growth Companies Andreas Halvorsen High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Andreas Halvorsen keeps buying
  About the author:Vanina EgeaA fundamental analyst at Lone Tree Analytics

  Visit Vanina Egea's Website

Hot Forestry Stocks To Own For 2014: Rosetta Resources Inc.(ROSE)

Rosetta Resources Inc., an independent exploration and production company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of onshore oil and gas resources in the United States. It owns producing and non-producing oil and gas properties located primarily in South Texas, including the Eagle Ford, and in the Southern Alberta Basin in Northwest Montana. As of December 31, 2011, the company had an estimated 965 billion cubic feet equivalent of proved reserves, including 36,370 million barrels of oil, 50,219 million barrels of natural gas liquids, and 446 billion cubic feet of natural gas, as well as drilled 53 net wells. Rosetta Resources Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vera Yuan]

  ��il and gas exploration and production company Rosetta Resources, Inc. (ROSE) rose in anticipation of an ease in regulations on the exportation of condensate, an ultra-light oil that undergoes minimal processing. This could allow the condensate to be exported at higher prices, alleviating a potential condensate glut in the U.S. and benefitting Rosetta.

• [By Value Digger]

  It is clear that these key metrics match the metrics of a heavily natural gas weighted company that also carries significant debt. To prove this, let's check out Comstock Resources (CRK). Comstock sold some assets recently to Rosetta Resources (ROSE) to reduce its long term debt which still remains high though.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Who's doing it the best?
  It can be pretty handy to evaluate the entire industry on how efficiently it's replacing reserves, but reserve replacement costs can be more effective in evaluating individual companies. The lower the costs, the better it is. According to Ernst & Young, the most effective company at controlling reserve replacement costs is private company�Antero Resources, with a three-year average reserve replacement cost of about $2.88 per barrel of oil equivalent. Antero, and four of the other top five companies on Ernst & Young's list, are almost pure natural gas plays. If we've learned one thing over the past couple of years, it's that oil reserves and natural gas reserves are two totally different things when it comes to value. The five following companies have more than 50% liquids on�their�reserves and had the lowest reserve replacement costs for 2012.

  Company % Liquids in�Portfolio Oil Production Replacement Rate (3 Years) Reserve Replacement Costs (3-Year Average) Per boe Rosetta Resources� (NASDAQ: ROSE  ) 57% 846% $6.99 Continental Resources� (NYSE: CLR  ) 72% 827% $12.61 Laredo Petroleum� (NYSE: LPI  ) 52% 1,042% $13.51 SM Energy� (NYSE: SM  ) 53% 392% $14.67 SandRidge Energy� (NYSE: SD  ) 58% 704% $14.85

  Sources: Ernst & Young and S&P Capital IQ; author's calculations.

Hot Forestry Stocks To Own For 2014: Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc.(KERX)

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, together with its subsidiaries, focuses on the acquisition, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment cancer and renal disease. The company?s products under development include KRX-0401 (perifosine), an oral anti-cancer agent that inhibits Akt activation in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, as well as affects other pathways associated with programmed cell death, cell growth, cell differentiation, and cell survival. Its KRX-0401 is in Phase III clinical development stage for the treatment of refractory advanced colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma, as well as in Phase I and Phase II clinical development stages for the treatment of other tumor types. The company is also developing Zerenex (ferric citrate), an oral, ferric iron-based compound that is in Phase III clinical development for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with end-stage renal disease o n dialysis. Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. has commercial license agreements with Zentaris AG for the development of KRX-0401; Panion & BF Biotech, Inc. for the development and marketing of Zerenex; and Japan Tobacco Inc. and Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the development and commercialization of Zerenex in Japan. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Healthcare sector moved up 0.39 percent, with Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KERX) moving up 15 percent to gain the top spot. Top gainers in the sector included China Biologic Products (NASDAQ: CBPO), with shares up 7.4 percent, and Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH), with shares up 5.5 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Healthcare sector moved up 0.39 percent, with Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KERX) moving up 15 percent to gain the top spot. Top gainers in the sector included China Biologic Products (NASDAQ: CBPO), with shares up 7.4 percent, and Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH), with shares up 5.5 percent.

Top 10 Telecom Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top 10 Telecom Companies To Invest In Right Now: Partner Communications Company Ltd.(PTNR)

Partner Communications Company Ltd. provides various telecommunications services in Israel. It offers cellular telephony services on GSM/GPRS and UMTS/HSDPA networks. The company also provides basic services, including domestic mobile calls, international dialing, roaming, voice mail, short message services, intelligent network services, content based on its cellular portal, data and fax transmission, and other services. In addition, it offers Internet services provider services that provides access to the Internet, as well as home WiFi networks; value added services, such as anti-virus and anti-spam filtering; and transmission services; and Web video on demand services, music tracks, and games. Further, the company provides voice over broadband and primary rate interface fixed-line telephone services; and data capacity services. Additionally, it offers content services comprising voice mail, text, and multimedia messaging, as well as downloadable wireless data application s, including ring tones, music, games, and other informational content; and sells handsets, phones, routers, and related equipment. The company markets its products through its sales centers, business sales representatives, traditional networks of specialized dealers, and non-traditional networks of retail chains and stores under the Orange brand name. Partner Communications Company Ltd. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Rosh Ha-ayin, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eddie Staley]

  Telecommunications services shares jumped around 1.19 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), China Unicom (Hong Kong) (NYSE: CHU), and Partner Communications Company (NASDAQ: PTNR).

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Telecommunications services shares jump! ed around 1.19 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), China Unicom (Hong Kong) (NYSE: CHU), and Partner Communications Company (NASDAQ: PTNR).

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-telecom-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Top 5 Tech Companies To Own For 2015

Top 5 Tech Companies To Own For 2015: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Think about it. Everyone knows that smartphones and tablets are eating into the traditional PC market, but have you ever wondered why that's even possible? Have you wondered why Microsoft's mobile operating system hasn't been as dominant as what Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) have been cooking?

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  One of the biggest criticisms of Samsung's mobile device lineup is the company's continued use of plastic casings. At a time when rivals likeApple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) andotherGoogle (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) Android OEMs are focusing heavily on materials selection and build quality, Samsung has been sticking to plastic. Recent rumors suggest th! at Samsung may be preparing to up the game in build quality and materials.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Depending on how you measure success, you may have already considered the iPhone to be Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) greatest product. The device revolutionized the smartphone industry, and has grown to comprise over half of the business with $86.7 billion in trailing-12-month sales. The iPod fell by the wayside in terms of revenue long ago, an inevitable victim to self-cannibalization.

• [By John Maxfield]

  Blue-chip stocks are lower today after mixed earnings results from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) competed with a report that new-home sales came in above expectations for the month of June. With roughly an hour left in the trading session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is down by 41 points, or 0.26%.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-tech-companies-to-own-for-2015-2.html

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now

John Chen turned around at Sybase, and he's trying to do the same at BlackBerry. He stands to gain millions if he succeeds.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Anyone willing to attempt the turnaround of long-struggling BlackBerry is a brave soul indeed. But the man tasked with the job could wind up being compensated very handsomely for his efforts.

BlackBerry's new executive chairman John Chen -- who is also serving as the company's interim CEO -- will receive a $1 million annual salary and a performance bonus of $2 million, according to regulatory documents filed recently.

But Chen's real chance to make big bucks comes in the form of 13 million restricted shares of BlackBerry, worth about $84.4 million as of Monday's closing price. And that's a very depressed price. Shares are down 45% this year. If Chen actually rescues BlackBerry, these restricted shares could be worth a lot more.

Best Biotech Companies To Watch In Right Now: CalAmp Corp (CAMP)

CalAmp Corp. (CalAmp) develops and markets wireless technology solutions that deliver data, voice and video for critical networked communications and other applications. The Company has two business segments: Wireless DataCom, which serves commercial, industrial and government customers, and Satellite, which focuses on the North American Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) market. In May 2012, CalAmp Corp announced that it has entered into a five-year supply agreement to provide fleet tracking products to Navman Wireless. As part of the transaction, CalAmp has acquired certain products and technologies from Navman Wireless and established a research and development center in Auckland, New Zealand. The assets acquired by CalAmp include technology for Mobile Display Terminals (MDT) and an MDT product line marketed to telematics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) globally. In March 2013, it completed the acquisition of the operations of Wireless Matrix Corporation.

Wireless DataCom

The Wireless DataCom segment provides wireless technology, products and services for industrial Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Mobile Resource Management (MRM) market segments for a range of applications, including optimizing and automating electricity distribution and ancillary utility functions; facilitating communication and coordination among emergency first-responders; increasing productivity and optimizing activities of mobile workforces; improving management control over valuable remote and mobile assets, and enabling emerging applications in a wirelessly connected world.

The Company's Wireless DataCom segment is comprised of a Wireless Networks business and an MRM business. CalAmp's Wireless Networks business provides products, systems and services to industrial, utility, energy and transportation enterprises and state and local governmental entities for deployment where the ability to communicate with mobile personnel or to command and control remote assets is crucial. Utilities! , oil and gas, mining, railroad and security companies rely on CalAmp products for wireless data communications to and from outlying locations, permitting real-time monitoring, activation and control of remote equipment. Applications include remotely measuring freshwater and wastewater flows, pipeline flow monitoring for oil and gas transport, automated utility meter reading, remote Internet access and perimeter monitoring. CalAmp is among the leaders in the application of wireless communications technology to Smart Grid power distribution automation for electric utilities.

MRM wireless solutions include global positioning system (GPS) location, cellular data modems and programmable events-based notification firmware as key components, allowing customers to know where and how their assets are performing, no matter where those mobile assets are located. Commercial organizations, vehicle finance providers, city and county governments, and a range of other enterprises rely on CalAmp products and systems to optimize delivery of services and protect valuable assets. Applications include fleet management, asset tracking, student and school bus tracking and route optimization, stolen vehicle recovery, remote asset security, remote vehicle start, and machine-to-machine communications. In addition to functioning as an OEM supplier of location and communications hardware for MRM applications, CalAmp is a total solutions provider of turn-key systems incorporating location and communications hardware, cellular airtime and Web-based remote asset management tools and interfaces.

The Company competes with Motorola Solutions, GE-MDS, Freewave, Sierra Wireless, GenX, Spireon, Novatel Wireless-Enfora and Xirgo.

Satellite

The Satellite segment develops, manufactures and sells DBS outdoor customer premise equipment and whole home video networking devices for digital and high definition satellite television (TV) reception. CalAmp's satellite products are sold primarily to ! EchoStar,! an affiliate of Dish Network.

The Company's DBS reception products are installed at subscriber premises to receive television programming signals transmitted from orbiting satellites. These DBS reception products consist principally of outdoor electronics that receive, process, amplify and switch satellite television signals for distribution over coaxial cable to multiple set-top boxes inside the home that can acquire, recognize and process the signal to create a picture.

The Company competes with Sharp, Wistron NeWeb Corporation, Microelectronics Technology, Pro Brand and Global Invacom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) issued a downbeat outlook for the fourth quarter. CalAmp shares dipped 8.35% to $25.26 in the after-hours trading session.

  Anworth Mortgage Asset (NYSE: ANH) announced an additional 5 million share repurchase program. Anworth Mortgage shares rose 0.97% to $4.18 in after-hours trading.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) is estimated to post its Q2 earnings at $0.16 per share on revenue of $54.82 million.

  Texas Industries (NYSE: TXI) is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $233.63 million.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  [Related -CalAmp (CAMP) To Supply Mobile Data Network For City Ff Buffalo Emergency Services]

  CalAmp develops and markets wireless technology solutions that deliver data, voice and video for critical networked communications and other applications. The Company has two business segments: Wireless DataCom, which serves commercial, industrial and government customers, and Satellite, which focuses on the North American Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) market.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Intelsat SA (I)

Intelsat S.A., incorporated on July 18, 2011, is a satellite services business, providing a layer in the global communications infrastructure. The Company operates satellite capacity, holds orbital location rights, contract backlog, serve commercial customers and deliver services. It provides diversified communications services to the world�� media companies, fixed and wireless telecommunications operators, data networking service providers for enterprise and mobile applications, multinational corporations and Internet service providers (ISPs). It is also the provider of commercial satellite capacity to the United States government and other select military organizations and their contractors.

The Company has a satellite fleet comprised of more than 50 satellites, covering 99% of the Earth�� populated regions. Its fleet, combined with the IntelsatOne terrestrial fiber network and a collection of teleports, form a singular unmatched global infrastructure to meet any communications requirement. As the provider of satellite services, the Company provides mission critical communication services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Satellite services provider Intelsat (NYSE: I  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.71875 per share on its 5.75% Series A mandatory convertible junior non-voting preferred stock, which trades on the NYSE under the symbol I.PRA.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL)

Eutelsat Communications SA is a France-based holding company that provides fixed satellite services. It provides four types of services, including broadcast services, such as direct-to-home and professional broadcasting; broadband services, comprising broadband Internet access; telecoms and data services to ensure permanent communications links from all points of the globe, establish or restore communications in an emergency and multicast content; as well as mobile and maritime communications, such as fleet management and on- and off-shore broadband maritime communications. It operates a fleet of satellites covering Europe, the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of Asia and the Americas. In January 2014, it acquired Satelites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. and together with SES SA have completed the sale to EchoStar Corp. of Solaris Mobile Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL) declined 6.2 percent to 21.02 euros after predicting sales will grow by more than 2.5 percent for the year 2013 to 2014. The company, which operates 31 satellites, forecast growth of more than 5 percent for the following two years through June 2016. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its price target for the stock to 24 euros from 33 euros, saying analysts��will probably reduce their estimates following the company�� revised guidance.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS)

T-Mobile US, Inc., formerly MetroPCS Communications, Inc., incorporated on March 10, 2004, is a wireless telecommunications carrier, which offers wireless broadband mobile services primarily in metropolitan areas in the United States, including the Atlanta, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando/Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Tampa/Sarasota metropolitan areas. Its flagship brands include T-Mobile and MetroPCS. As of December 31, 2012, it held licenses for wireless spectrum suitable for wireless broadband mobile services covering a total population of 144 million people in and around many of the metropolitan areas in the United States. It provides its services using code division multiple accesses (CDMA) networks using 1xRTT technology and evolution data optimized (EVDO) and fourth generation long term evolution (4G LTE).

The Company has roaming agreements with other wireless broadband mobile carriers that allow them to offer its customers service in many areas when they are outside its service area. These roaming agreements, together with the area it serve with its own networks, allows its customers to receive service in an area covering over 280 million in total population under the Metro USA brand. The Company sells products and services to customers through its Company-owned retail stores, as well as indirectly through relationships with independent retailers and third party dealers. Its service allows its customers to place unlimited local calls from within its local service area and to receive unlimited calls from any area while in its service area, for a flat-rate monthly service fee. For additional usage fees, it also provide certain other value-added services. All of these plans require payment in advance for one month of service. If no payment is made in advance for month of service, service is suspended at the end of the month that was paid for by the customer and, if the customer does not pay within 30 day! s, the customer is terminated. It believes its service plans differentiate them from the more complex plans and long-term contract requirements of traditional wireless carriers.

The Company voice services allow customers to place voice calls to, and receive calls from, any telephone in the world, including local, domestic long distance, and international calls. Its voice services also allow customers to receive and make calls while they are located in areas served by its networks and in those geographic areas served by the networks of certain other wireless broadband mobile carriers with whom it has roaming arrangements. The Company�� data services include text messaging services (domestic and international); multimedia messaging services; mobile Internet access; mobile instant messaging; location-based services; social networking services; push e-mail; multimedia streaming and downloads; and services provided, depending on the network and locale, through the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, or BREW, Blackberry, Windows, and the Android platforms, such as ringtones, ring back tones, games, content, and applications.

The Company�� Custom calling features offers custom calling features, including caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling and voicemail. Its Advanced handsets sells a variety of feature phones, and increasingly, smartphones, predominately manufactured by nationally recognized manufacturers for use on its network, including models that have cameras, include HTML browsers, play music, play streaming audio, display streaming video and downloaded video, and have other features facilitating digital data. It sells a variety of handsets using vendor or handset specific operating systems, such as BREW, Blackberry, Windows, and the Android operating system.

The Company provides its wireless broadband mobile services using paired personal communications services (PCS), spectrum and advanced wireless services, or AWS, spectrum. In addition, it holds a! license ! for 12 MHz of paired 700 MHz Lower Band A spectrum in the Boston-Worcester, MA/NH/RI/VT basic economic area (BEA), which, unless it receives a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), of the four year construction requirements, it plans to construct in the first half of 2013. In each of its metropolitan areas where irt provides service. As of December 31, 2012, it holds between 10 mega hertz (MHz) and 60 MHz of paired spectrum and on average it has approximately 22 MHz of paired spectrum in the metropolitan areas it serves. In the aggregate, as of December 31, 2012, it offers wireless broadband mobile services using its own network.

The Company operates 1xRTT CDMA networks in all of the metropolitan areas it serves and it has upgraded its networks to 4G LTE in all of metropolitan areas. It also has deployed EVDO at selected high use sites in its CDMA network to increase network data capacity to meet the growing data needs of iy customers. Its network includes a mobile switching center (for CDMA), enhanced packet core (for 4G LTE), and IP core. These serve several purposes, including routing traffic, managing call handoffs, and managing access to the public switched telephone network (for CDMA) or the Internet (CDMA and 4G LTE). These network elements also provide access to voicemail and other value-added services, base stations (for CDMA) or eNodeBs (for 4G LTE), cell sites or distributed antenna system (DAS), nodes, and backhaul facilities, which carry traffic to and from its cell sites and its switching or enhanced packet core facilities, consisting of a combination of dedicated circuits, cable, fiber, and microwave facilities.

Its cell sites in the network are co-located, meaning its equipment is located on leased facilities that are owned by third parties who retain the right to lease the locations to additional carriers and in many cases other wireless broadband mobile service providers already have facilities at such locations. The switching centers and na! tional op! erations center provide around-the-clock monitoring of its network. Its switches connect to the public switched telephone network through fiber rings leased from third-parties, which transmit originating and terminating traffic between its equipment and local exchange and long distance carriers. It also has negotiated interconnection agreements with relevant local exchange carriers, or LECs, in its service areas. It uses third-party providers for domestic and international long distance services, international SMS interconnection with the public switched network and other carriers, roaming services, and the majority of its backhaul services.

The Company competes with AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA , Deutsche Telekom, Clearwire, Dish Network , Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox Communications, Cricket Communications, Leap Wireless International and Google.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  Last weeks vote of approval by MetroPCS (NYSE: TMUS  ) shareholders for the sale of their company to T-Mobile USA�will give the fourth- and fifth-largest U.S. mobile carriers a combined 40 million-plus subscriber base and a potentially large 4G LTE footprint in major markets.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  This industry moved down 2.47% by 11:00 am, with Sprint (NYSE: S) moving down 17.6%. Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint was abandoning its efforts to acquire T-Mobile US (NYSE: TMUS), citing regulatory issues. Sprint named Marcelo Claure as its President and CEO.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  The most interesting news out of T stock recently is that it�� slashing prices — again — as its price war with T-Mobile U.S. (TMUS) heats up. AT&T customers can sign up for a 2-gigabyte data plan for $65 per month, down from $80. And adding a second phone lifts the total to $90, down from $105. As much as the price war might help T’s market share, it doesn’t help the share price. T stock is down 8% so far this year.

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  Shares of Sprint (S) and T-Mobile US (TMUS), which have been also-rans in the U.S. wireless market for as long as most people can remember, enjoyed spectacular 2013 returns as investors bet that the third- and fourth-largest players would combine forces to take on larger rivals Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T).

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sprint Corp (S&LS)

Sprint Corporation, incorporated on May 10, 2012, offers a range of wireless and wireline communications services to consumers, businesses and government users. On July 10, 2013, the Company, SoftBank Corp. and Sprint Nextel Corporation (Sprint Nextel) completed the merger. In the Merger, Sprint Corporation was merged into Sprint Nextel, New Sprint became the parent company of Sprint Nextel, with Sprint Nextel becoming its direct wholly owned subsidiary, and Sprint Nextel changed its name to Sprint Communications, Inc.

The Company develops, engineers and deploys technologies, including the first wireless fourth generation (4G) service from a national carrier in the United States; offering mobile data services, prepaid brands, including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities, and a global Tier 1 Internet Service. The Company also offers unlimited data services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Since Wilmers & Co. took over M&T Bank in 1983 the bank has acquired 23 banks and Savings and Loans (S&Ls) ��expanding from a single state to seven ��and assets have grown from $2 billion to $110 billion. M&T's branch count has grown from 60 to over 870. The bank currently boasts a customer base of over 2 million retail household customers and nearly 220,000 commercial customers.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Stream Group Ltd (SGO)

Stream Group Limited, formerly LongReach Group Limited, is an Australia-based company operating in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The Company is engaged in the design, integration, installation and maintenance of integrated information and communications technology based products and services to the defense, public safety and security sectors, as well as for government, telecommunications and corporate customers, both locally and internationally. The Company together with its subsidiaries is also engaged in the provision of consulting services to certain key defense organizations. In January 2013, the Company sold its C4i business. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Saint-Gobain (SGO) dropped 3.7 percent to 36.87 euros. Morgan Stanley cut its rating on the stock to underweight, similar to a sell recommendation, from equal weight, saying it doesn�� see a recovery yet in the European building industry and the contribution from emerging markets will slow.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: KongZhong Corp (HOA)

KongZhong Corporation, incorporated on May 6, 2002, is a provider of digital entertainment services for consumers in the People�� Republic of China. The Company operates in three main business units: Wireless Value-Added Services (WVAS), mobile games and Internet games. In addition to developing and operating its self-developed Internet games, such as Loong, Demon Code and Kung Fu Hero, it is an operator of the World of Tanks game for the People�� Republic of China Internet games market. In addition, it is also the licensee in the People�� Republic of China for the Guild Wars 2 game developed by ArenaNet, Offensive Combat game developed by U4iA Games and Hawken game developed by Meteor Entertainment.

The Company conducts substantially all of its business in the People�� Republic of China through its wholly owned subsidiaries KongZhong Beijing, KongZhong China and Simlife Beijing. It operates WVAS, mobile games and Internet games through Beijing AirInbox, Beijing WINT, Beijing Chengxitong, BJXR, Mailifang, Xinreli and Dacheng, all of which are based in the People�� Republic of China.

Wireless Value-Added Services (WVAS) Business

The Company provides interactive entertainment, media and other interactive services to mobile phone users in China through various second generation (2G) standard, technology platforms, including short message services (SMS), Interactive Voice Response services (IVR) and color ring back tone (CRBT), and through various second and a half generation standard (2.5G), technology and operating platforms, including wireless application protocol (WAP) and multimedia messaging services (MMS), which offer graphics, richer content and more interactivity than 2G wireless services. Its WVAS are tailored to the technical or other requirements of its telecommunications operator partners, through whom it deliver most of its WVAS, and to various billing systems for WVAS. Its WVAS are also delivered and marketed through various media partners, i! ncluding handset manufacturers, television stations, radio stations, print media and Internet sites. Its WVAS revenues accounted for 41.7% of its total revenues during the year ended December 31, 2012.

The Company offers a variety of WVAS, such as mobile games, pictures, karaoke, electronic books, mobile phone personalization features, entertainment news, chat and message boards. It provides its services mainly pursuant to its cooperation arrangements with the telecommunications operators and their provincial subsidiaries, the terms of which are generally for one year or less.

Mobile Games Business

The Company is a developer and publisher of mobile games for mobile phone users in the People�� Republic of China (PRC). The mobile games it develops include action, role-playing and leisure games. During 2012, it acquired Noumena, a developer of cross-platform smartphone mobile game engines.

Internet Games Business

The Company develops Internet games internally based mainly on its technologies, which include its game engine (Dazzler three dimension (3D)), game development platforms and online game billing system, all developed by its internal team. In particular, its Dazzler 3D game engine enables the Company to create 3D graphics and visual effects, and provides the technical foundation for creating features in its games. Its game development platforms give the Company the capacity to develop Internet games within approximately six to 24 months and to update Its Internet games frequently in response to players��preferences.

The Company uses an item-based revenue model for its games, whether internally developed or licensed, under which players can play its games on the Internet free of charge, but have to pay for purchases of in-game virtual items, such as in-game currencies, performance-enhancing clothing, weapons, accessories and pets. It distributes its electronic prepaid game cards and game points, which can be used to pur! chase in-! game virtual items, to players through multiple payment channels.

The Company competes with Sina Corporation, Sohu.com Inc., TOM Online Inc., Phoenix New Media Limited, Wireless Arts, Perfect World Co. Ltd, Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited, Netease.com, Inc., Changyou.com Limited, Giant Interactive Group Inc. and Tencent Holdings Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Konrad Kuhn]

  The company also has a minority interest in the privately-held Hooters of America (HOA), the operator and franchisor of over 430 Hooters restaurants; HOTR's CEO Mike Pruitt is a member of the HOA Board of Directors.

Best Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now

Laparoscopic surgery or minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a type of surgical technique where�operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions while small cap stocks ArthroCare Corporation (NASDAQ: ARTC), EDAP TMS S.A. (NASDAQ: EDAP), SafeStitch Medical Inc (OTCBB: SFES) and Arch Therapeutics Inc (OTCBB: ARTH) are all in some way focused on aiding minimally invasive procedures. According to a 2012 report produced by MedMarket Diligence, LLC, approximately 114 million surgical and procedure-based wounds occur annually worldwide,�including�36 million in the US, and perhaps�up to a quarter of these procedures can be described as laparoscopic in nature.�Moreover,�use of the technique is bound to increase�as�it reduces�pain and hemorrhaging plus leads to a�shorter recovery time.

Top 5 Asian Stocks To Watch For 2015: Alcatel Lucent SA (ALU)

Alcatel Lucent, incorporated on June 18, 1898, is engaged in mobile, fixed, Internet Protocol (IP) and Optics technologies, applications and services. The Company is a partner of service providers, enterprises, industries and governments worldwide. Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs centres of research in communications technology. Its operations are in more than 130 countries. The Company operates in three business segments: networks, applications, and services. On December 31, 2010, the Company completed the sale of its Vacuum pump solutions and instruments business to Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG. In September 2010, the Company acquired OpenPlug, a mobile software and applications development tools vendor. In June 29, 2010, the Company acquired ProgrammableWeb.

During 2010, the Company launched the Digital Media Store, a multicontent digital storefront that allows service providers to deliver content to end-users. Launched during 2010, Optism is a permission-based mobile marketing solution. During 2010, it launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Mobile Wallet Service (MWS), which allows the mobile operator to leverage its secure network to deliver a mobile payment capability through a mobile handset. During 2010, it also launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Application Exposure Suite to facilitate the development of new services by third-party application developers and content providers.

Networks Segment

The Networks segment supplies a portfolio of products and offerings used by fixed, wireless and converged service providers, as well as enterprises and governments for their business communications. The Company�� IP portfolio consists of four product families that deliver multiple services, including broadband triple play for residential customers; Ethernet and IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) services for Enterprise customers, and wireless second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G) and long term evolution (LTE) broadband services for mobile operators. The main product fami! lies include Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers, Carrier Ethernet service switche, Multi-service wide-area-network (or MS WAN) switches and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances.

Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers direct traffic within and between carriers��national and international networks to enable delivery of a range of IP-based services (including Internet access, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), Voice over IP (VoIP), mobile phone and data, and managed Enterprise VPN services) on a single common network infrastructure with superior performance, with application intelligence, and with scalability (such as the simultaneous support of many diverse types of traffic and customers); Carrier Ethernet service switches. Carrier Ethernet service switches enable carriers to deliver residential, business and wireless services, and these products are mainly used in metropolitan area networks; Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches. Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches enable fixed line and wireless carriers to transition their existing networks to support newer technologies and services, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances. Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances distribute and cache (store) Web and video content.

The Company�� Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) and Carrier Ethernet products are designed to facilitate the development and availability of applications for the more participatory and interactive Web 2.0 business and consumer services. Its service routers are particularly well suited to deliver complex services to business, residential and mobile end-users. Its IP/MPLS service routers and Carrier Ethernet service switches are often used in conjunction with its DSL and Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) access products to deliver these newer triple-play services, or with its wireless access products to deliver LTE solutions, or w! ith its D! ense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and optical switching products to deliver converged backbone transformation solutions for optimizing IP transport. Its Optics division designs and markets equipment for the long distance transportation of data over fiber optic connections via land (terrestrial) and under sea (submarine), as well as for short distances in metropolitan and regional areas.

The Company�� transport portfolio also includes the microwave wireless transmission equipment. Its terrestrial optical products offer a portfolio designed to seamlessly support service growth from the metro to the network core. With its products, carriers manage voice, data and video traffic patterns based on different applications or platforms and can introduce a range of managed data services, including multiple service quality capabilities, variable service rates and traffic congestion management. These products allow carriers to leverage their existing network infrastructure to offer these new services. Its submarine cable networks can connect continents (using optical amplification required over long distances), a mainland and an island, several islands together, or many points along a coast. It offers a portfolio of point-to-point microwave radio products meeting both European telecommunications standards (ETSI) and American standards-based (ANSI) requirements.

The Company�� Wireless All Around message developed during 2010 is a combination of wireless and IP products. The version of CDMA technology, known as 1X EV-DO Revision A, enables operators to offer two-way, real-time, high-speed data applications, such as VoIP, mobile video, push-to-talk and push-to-multimedia. The introduction of High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and HSPA+ (the latest evolutions of W-CDMA technology) on networks and devices has led to increases in data speeds available to broadband devices. The Company develops mobile radio products for the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile communications (GS! M) standa! rd, including General Packet Radio Service / Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (GPRS/EDGE) technology upgrades to that standard.

LTE offers service providers a compelling evolution path from all existing networks (GSM, W-CDMA, CDMA or WiMAX) by simplifying the radio access network and converging on a common IP base. RFS designs and sells cable, antenna, tower systems and their related electronic components, providing an end-to-end suite of radio frequency products. RFS serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, system integrators, network operators and installers in the broadcast, wireless communications, microwave and defense sectors. Specific applications for RFS products include cellular sites, in-tunnel and in-building radio coverage, microwave links, television and radio. The Company offers products that extend from legacy switching systems to IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) solutions for fixed, mobile, and converged operators. It has deployed its next-generation network (NGN) products in more than 170 fixed NGN networks, and it has provided the core network for more than 66 full IMS fixed and mobile networks. Its fixed access solutions allow carriers to offer triple-play services over a single access line. Its carrier customers are offering both residential and business customers multiple services, such as a number of broadcast channels, video on demand, high definition television (HDTV), VoIP, high speed Internet, and business access services.

Applications Segment

The Applications segment develops software-based applications and solutions that contribute to the personal communications for users. The Applications group is divided into two businesses: Enterprise Applications and Network Applications. The Enterprise Applications business includes its IP-based communications and collaboration applications for enterprises, including the Genesys contact center business. The Network Applications business develops applications used by service pr! oviders t! o deliver a range of services to their customers, and also includes Motive, which provides software for service providers to remotely manage their customers��at-home networks, networked devices and broadband and mobile data services. During the year ended December 31, 2010, its Applications segment accounted 12% of its total revenue.

The Applications segment is investing resources in next generation collaboration and communications systems offered by its Enterprise Applications division; customer contact, customer engagement and service management areas addressed by its Genesys and Motive businesses; carrier applications, such as communication and messaging, next-generation telephony, digital media and multi-screen delivery of content and personalized advertising, device agnostic location based address book services, and technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), and Application Enablement.

Services Segment

The Services segment is focused in helping the service provider and customers realize the potential of media, information technology (IT) and telecommunications services and technologies. These services address the lifecycle of its customers��networks and operations, and encompass business consulting, systems design and integration, maintenance and managed services. The service offerings are organized around four areas: network and system integration, managed and outsourcing solutions, multi-vendor maintenance, and product-attached services.

The Company competes with Avaya, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Huawei, ZTE and Nokia Siemens Networks.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  In the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world of big tech, fortunes come and go quickly. One such example is the fallen star of French telecom equipment, Alcatel颅-Lucent (NYSE: ALU  ) . The company's been through the wringer since its merger several years ago. With its shares having skyrocketed over the past several months, investors are hoping the company has finally regained its mojo after struggling through a harrowing turnaround process. However, it might not be that simple, as our tech and telecom analyst shows in the following video.

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  The last six months have seen spectacular returns for investors in French-American telecom equipment giant�Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU  )

Best Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc.(CNSL)

Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services to residential and business customers in Illinois, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Its telecommunications services include local and long-distance services, high-speed broadband Internet access, standard and high-definition digital television, digital telephone services, custom calling features, private line services, carrier access services, network capacity services over its regional fiber optic network, and competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) services. The company also offers telephone directory publishing services, wholesale transport services on its fiber-optic network in Texas, billing and collection services, inside wiring services, and maintenance services. In addition, it provides automated calling services for correctional facilities; and sells and supports telecommunications equipment, such as key, private branch exchange, and IP-based telephone system s to business customers in Texas and Illinois. The company serves residential customers, and universities and hospitals, as well as retail, commercial, light manufacturing, and service industry accounts in Illinois; manufacturing and retail industries, hospitals, local governments, and school districts in Texas; and small to mid-sized businesses, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities in Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2011, it had 227,992 local access lines, 110,913 digital subscriber lines, 34,356 Internet protocol digital television subscribers, 9,199 voice over Internet protocol, and 89,774 CLEC access line equivalents. The company was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Mattoon, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  In trading on Tuesday, telecommunications services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.88 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR), up 14.81 percent, and Consolidated Communications Holdings (NASDAQ: CNSL), up 7.6 percent.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Consolidated Communications Holdings (Nasdaq: CNSL  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 9. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

Best Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL SERVICES INC. (AMP)

Ameriprise Financial Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company�s Advice and Wealth Management segment offers financial planning and advice, as well as brokerage and banking services primarily to retail clients through its financial advisors. The Asset Management segment provides investment advice and investment products to retail and institutional clients. The Annuities segment offers variable and fixed annuity products to retail customers through affiliated and unaffiliated advisors, and financial institutions. The Protection segment provides various protection products through financial advisors to address the protection and risk management needs of retail clients, including life, disability income, and property-casualty insurance. The company was formerly known as American Express Financial Corporation and changed its name to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. in September 2005. Ame riprise Financial Inc. was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By U.S. News]

  Getty Images Recently, a client came to me with a difficult dilemma. He was retired and living comfortably but didn't have much room in his budget for additional expenses. His son was a high-ranking executive with a midsize company. He was married, with three children, all of whom were in private school in New York City. The son lost his job as a consequence of restructuring. He was having difficulty finding another position at anything close to his prior income. He had been looking without success for more than six months. He was at a point where he could no longer meet his substantial monthly expenses. He asked my client to provide the funds necessary to maintain his lifestyle and the education of his children, until he was able to "land on his feet." My client could afford to make these payments for a limited period of time but his retirement plans would be jeopardized if the time period was prolonged and if his son did not pay him back. He asked for my advice. For many Americans, the goal of helping children and grandchildren pay for their education and preserving wealth to leave to their children is an important goal. Unfortunately, the 2008 recession reduced the confidence of investors in their ability to meet those goals. According to a report prepared by Ameriprise Financial (AMP), only 24 percent of those surveyed in 2012 were "very confident" they could help with education and only 16 percent had confidence in their ability to leave an inheritance to their children. What is more troubling is the finding that only one-third of those surveyed felt very confident in their ability to provide adequately for themselves and their family. My client had never discussed his finances with his children. He is not alone. More than one-third of the parents of boomers believe they haven't adequately discussed finances with their children, according to the Ameriprise study. Their children were often reluctant to engage in these discussions with aging parents b

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shanker and Stefano also note that American International Group isn’t the only insurance stock getting pounded recently, as Ameriprise Financial (AMP), MetLife (MET) and Prudential Financial (PRU) have also been dumped by investors recently. They explain why:

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Apartment Invest & Management (AIV)
  Ameriprise (AMP)
  Edison International (EIX)
  Host Hotels & Resorts (HST)
  Kimco Realty (KIM)
  Kroger (KR)
  Lincoln National (LNC)
  Newfield Exploration (NFX)
  Republic Services (RSG)
  UnitedHealth (UNH)
  Verizon (VZ)
  Wells Fargo (WFC)
  WellPoint (WLP)
  Wyndham Worldwide (WYN)
  Xcel Energy Utilities (XEL)

• [By Ian Katz]

  ��he consumer is still in a holding pattern, still waiting for better employment prospects,��said Russell Price, senior economist at Ameriprise Financial Inc. (AMP) in Detroit.

Best Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: Covance Inc. (CVD)

Covance Inc., a drug development services company, provides various early-stage and late-stage product development services primarily to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries worldwide. Its early development services include preclinical services, such as toxicology, pharmaceutical and nutritional chemistry, polyclonal and monoclonal antibody, immunology and antibody, metabolism studies and pharmacokinetic screening, and bioanalytical testing services; and clinical pharmacology services comprising first-in-human trials of new pharmaceuticals. The company�s late-stage development services include central laboratory services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers; and clinical development services, such as the full management of Phase II through IV clinical studies, study design and modeling, co-ordination of study activities, trial logistics, monitoring of study site performance, clinical data management and biostatistical analysis, medical writing and regulatory services, and periapproval services. It also offers market access services, including reimbursement and healthcare economics consulting services, which comprise outcomes and pharmacoeconomic studies, reimbursement planning, reimbursement advocacy programs, risk evaluation and mitigation strategy services, registry services, and specialty pharmacy services; and clinical trial support services, such as cardiac safety services, and interactive voice and Web response services. In addition, Covance Inc. offers laboratory testing services to the chemical, agrochemical, and food industries. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  LabCorp (NYSE: LH) has agreed to acquire Covance (NYSE: CVD) for $5.6 billion in cash and stock. Shares of LabCorp lost 7.37 percent, closing at $101.23 while shares of Covance surged 25.87 percent, closing at $100.57.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015

It's been more than three years since the spill at the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, and day by day the prospects for oil exploration there seem to get better. A recent report by Wood MacKenzie shows that production in the Gulf went up 6% last year, and another 4% is expected this year. By 2018, the research group�believes�that the Gulf will be back to its pre-Macondo-spill high in�production�of 2 million barrels per day. �

For this to happen, though, exploration and production companies will need to spend a pretty penny. Between now and 2015, E&P companies are expected to spend somewhere around $20 billion. In this video, fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe looks at what this could mean for oil services companies that specialize in offshore regions such as the Gulf.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: Neste Oil Corp (NES1V)

Neste Oil Corp is a Finland-based company engaged in the refining and marketing of petroleum and petroleum products. The Company has two business areas and four reporting segments. The business areas are: Oil Products & Renewables and Oil Retail. The reporting segments are: Oil Products, Renewable Fuels, Oil Retail and Others. The Oil Products & Renewables area produces and sells petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation and bunker fuel, heating oil, heavy fuel oil, base oil, gasoline components, specialty fuels, fuels, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and bitumen as well as renewable diesel and aviation fuel under the brand name NExBTL. The Oil Retail area operates a network of 1,136 stations in Finland, the Russian Federations, the Baltic states and Poland, selling own products as well as lubricants and chemicals. The Company owns fuel refineries and production plants in Finland, Singapore and the Netherlands. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Neste Oil Oyj (NES1V) gained 4.8 percent to 12.04 euros. CA Cheuvreux SA upgraded Finland�� only refiner to outperform, the equivalent of a buy recommendation, from underperform, saying it expects it to report resilient first-quarter results this month.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: Konica Minolta Inc (KNCAY)

Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. is a Japanese manufacturer. The Company's operating segments include Business Technologies, engaged in the manufacture of copy machines and printers; Optics, engaged in the production of optical devices and electronic materials, Photo Imaging, manufacturing photographic film and materials, ink-jet products and cameras, Medical and Graphic Imaging, engaged in the production of x-ray or graphic film and equipment for medical or graphic use, and Sensing, engaged in the manufacture of industrial or medical measurement instruments. The Others segment is engaged in the provision of business support services, the warehouse and delivery businesses, the management of real estate, the construction of facilities, the development of systems and the manufacture, sale and installation of planetariums, among others.

In March 2006, a portion of the camera production assets related to the development, design and production of digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras was transferred to Sony Corporation. As a result, the Company ceased camera-related operations at the end of March 2006. In addition, minilab business activities were also discontinued in March 2006.

The Company competes with Canon, Xerox, Ricoh and HP.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  As we can see, the firm has a higher ROE than it peers: Ricoh Ltd. (RICOY), Konica Minolta Inc. (KNCAY), Canon�Inc. (CAJ); but is lower than the one registered by Pitney Bowes (PBI).

Top Value Stocks To Own For 2015: MOCON Inc.(MOCO)

MOCON, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and services measurement, analytical, and monitoring products to detect, measure, and analyze gases and other chemical compounds; and provides related consulting services. It offers permeation products, including systems and services that measure the rate at which various gases and vapors transmit through various materials for the manufacturers of packaging materials comprising papers, plastic films, coatings, and containers, as well as users of such packaging materials, such as food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and consumer product industries; and laboratory testing services. The company also provides gas analyzer instruments, sensors, and detectors for use in industrial hygiene and safety, hydrocarbon gas analysis for oil and gas exploration, contaminant detection in the manufacture of specialty gases, environmental monitoring, and homeland security applications under the BEVALERT, PETROALERT, and piD-TECH names. In addition, it offers packaging products and services, including headspace analyzers to analyze the amount and type of gas present in the headspace of flexible and rigid packages for the packagers of foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals; and leak detection equipment to detect leaks in sterile medical trays, food pouches, blister packs, and other packages. Further, the company provides consulting and analytical services for foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, plastics, chemicals, electronics, and personal care products manufacturers; gas chromatography analyzer products and services for food, beverage, petroleum, chemical, and petrochemical manufacturers; and weighing and pharmaceutical products and services to determine the weight of pharmaceutical capsules and tablets. It sells its products through its direct sales force and independent sales representatives in the United States, Canada, Germany, China, and internationally. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Minneapo lis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By victorselva]

  On Nov. 21, Mario Gabelli bought Mocon Inc. (MOCO), a company which makes equipment to test packages and packaging material, and performs consulting and analytical services.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: Bayer AG (BAYN)

Bayer AG is a German management holding company with core competencies in the field of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. It's business operations are organized into three subgroups: HealthCare, involved in the research, development and manufacture of health products for people and animals, CropScience, engaged in the crop protection and non-agricultural pest control, and MaterialScience, that provides polymers, and develops solution for a range of applications, supported by the service companies Bayer Business Services, Bayer Technology Services and Currenta. It operates through numerous subsidiaries, affiliated companies as well as joint ventures located in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, North America as well as the Asia/Pacific region, such as Bayer Chemicals AG in Germany, Cotton Growers Services Pty. Limited in Australia and Bayer Israel Ltd in Israel, among others. In July 2013, it acquired Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk GmbH. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  German stocks declined the most in more than two months as a report showed that Germany�� auto market plummeted last month, while Bayer AG (BAYN) and BASF SE (BAS) fell.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Bayer AG (BAYN) and BASF SE gained, following their European peers higher. Commerzbank AG (CBK), the country�� second-biggest lender, slid 3.7 percent. Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) dropped the most in more than a month after JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded the shares.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMB)

iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Fund (the Fund) is a non-diversified fund. The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of a specified benchmark index (the Underlying Index) representing a segment of emerging countries bond markets. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in fixed-income securities that comprise the Underlying Index. The Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed. The adverse performance of a security in the Fund�� portfolio will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security from the Fund�� portfolio. The Fund is managed by Barclays Global Fund Advisors (BGFA), a subsidiary of iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Fund (BGI).

The Fund generally will invest at least 90% if its assets in the securities of its Underlying Index. However, the Fund may at times invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BGFA, as well as in high-yield corporate bonds not included in its Underlying Index. iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in the United States-denominated bonds issued by sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities of emerging market countries. The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Saumya Vaishampayan]

  The iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Exchange-Traded Fund (EMB) fell 0.6% to end at $107.55. �

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, beyond the Dow, the real damage is happening not in stocks but in other markets, especially bonds. PIMCO Total Return ETF (NYSEMKT: BOND  ) is down 1.3%, proving to investors seeking safety that bond investments are far from a secure place to put your money these days. Emerging-market bond investments are taking even more damage, with iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond (NYSEMKT: EMB  ) plunging 3.5%. When investors try to reduce their risk, the first place they look is in the more aggressive areas where they've put their money. The exodus from emerging markets in both stocks and bonds shows the fear that's rising among U.S. investors -- but that fear is motivated less by the prospects in those countries than by investors' desire to preserve hard-won profits dating back to 2009.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: SunCoke Energy Inc (SXC)

SunCoke Energy, Inc. (SunCoke), incorporated on December 8, 2010, is an independent producer of coke, a principal raw material in the integrated steelmaking process. The Company has United States cokemaking operations in Virginia, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. Outside the United States, SunCoke has cokemaking operations in Vitoria, Brazil and Odisha, India. The Company�� coal mining operations, which have more than 110 million tons of proven and probable reserves, are located in Virginia and West Virginia. In January 2012, SunCoke Energy, Inc. was spun off from Sunoco, Inc.

The Company has designed, developed and built, and owned and operated five cokemaking facilities in the United States (U.S.) and designed and operate one cokemaking facility in Brazil under licensing and operating agreements on behalf of its customer. The cokemaking facility operated in Brazil has cokemaking capacity of approximately 1.7 million tons of coke per year. As of December 31, 2012, its mining area consisted of 13 active underground mines and two active surface and highwall mine in Russell and Buchanan Counties in Virginia and McDowell County, West Virginia. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� coal mining production was 1.5 million ton.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned approximately 66 acres in Vansant (Buchanan County), Virginia, on which the Jewell coke making facility is located, along with an additional 2,550 acres. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned approximately 250 acres in Russell County, Virginia owned by the HKCC Companies. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned approximately 400 acres in Franklin Furnace (Scioto County), Ohio. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned approximately 41 acres in Granite City (Madison County), Illinois, adjacent to the U.S. Steel Granite City Works facility. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned approximately 250 acres in Middletown (Butler County), Ohio near AK Steel�� Middletown Works facility. The Company leas! ed approximately 88 acres of land located in East Chicago (Lake County), Indiana. As of December 31, 2012, the Company leased approximately 22 acres of land located in Buchanan County, Virginia The Company owns and operates coal mining operations in Virginia and West Virginia that sold approximately 1.3 million tons of metallurgical coal (including internal sales to its cokemaking operations) and 0.2 million tons of thermal coal in 2012. During the year ended December 31, 2012, 69% of the coal the Company sold was used at its Jewell cokemaking facility and 8% was used at its other domestic cokemaking facilities. In addition, through its Jewell coal affiliates and the HKCC Companies, the Company lease small parcels of land, mineral rights and coal mining rights for approximately 127 thousand acres of land in Buchanan and Russell Counties, Virginia and McDowell County, West Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Each month, Credit Suisse’s small-cap strategists ask the firm’s analyst to name their favorite small- and mid-cap stocks. This month, six new stocks made the list: RPM International (RPM), SunCoke Energy (SXC), Zions Bancorp (ZION), Signature Bank (SBNY), Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and�Rexnord (RXN).

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: Comcast Corporation(CMCSK)

Comcast Corporation provides entertainment, information, and communications products and services in the United States and internationally. The company?s Cable Communications segment provides video, high-speed Internet, and voice services to residential and business customers. As of December 31, 2011, its cable systems served 22.3 million video, 18.1 million high-speed Internet, and 9.3 million voice customers. Its Cable Networks segment operates cable entertainment networks, such as USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Cloo, and Universal HD; cable news and information networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and CNBC World; cable sports networks comprising Golf Channel and NBC Sports Network; regional sports and news networks; international cable networks, such as CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia, and its Universal Networks International networks; cable television production studio; and digital media properties primarily comprising brand-aligned and other Websites, s uch as DailyCandy, Fandango, and iVillage. The company?s Broadcast Television segment primarily operates NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks; NBC and Telemundo owned local television stations; broadcast television production operations; and related digital media properties, which primarily include brand-aligned Websites. Its Filmed Entertainment segment operates Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets, and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television, and other distribution platforms. The company?s Theme Parks segment operates Universal theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood. Comcast Corporation also operates the Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center, a multipurpose arena in Philadelphia; provides facilities management services; and offers food services for sporting events, concerts, and other events. The company was founded in 1969 and is based in Philadelphia, Penn sylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Bradley C. Bower/Bloomberg/Getty Images Your modem router's loyalty may be conflicted. In a move that is either beautifully brilliant or brazenly boneheaded, Comcast (CMCSK) is turning leased residential routers into Wi-Fi hotspots that are accessible to nearby Xfinity customers.

  Comcast has a lousy reputation even before this head-turning move.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  John Raoux/AP This promises to be a big summer for tourism in Central Florida. Disney (DIS) just opened the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster at the Magic Kingdom. Later this month, it will be Comcast's (CMCSK) Universal Studios Florida that gets a chance to woo travelers with its Harry Potter-themed expansion that includes a Hogwarts Express train ride and an indoor roller coaster in a richly themed London setting. Disney's new family-friendly attraction -- the final achievement of the New Fantasyland expansion that began to open to the public in late 2012 -- officially opened shortly after Memorial Day. It is now the centerpiece of Disney World's television marketing campaign. The initial wave of reviews hasn't been kind. Many complain that the ride is too short and lacks the thrills befitting a roller coaster. Enthusiast site Disboards.com has an active thread that is now 300-plus posts and 21 pages deep with folks chiming in. The consensus seems to be that it's a fun and gentle ride, but not the roller coaster ride that many were expecting. That's fine for most guests. There's a reason why they are at Disney World instead of a Six Flags (SIX) park closer to home. However, there's clearly an opportunity here to expand its audience. Disney just prefers to keep its focus on young families. It's a Small World After All Disney has never sold itself as a thrill haven. The largest roller coaster in its four Florida parks -- Expedition Everest -- has an 80-foot drop and maxes out at 50 miles per hour. There are a couple of coasters in the country that go more than twice as fast and have drops five times higher. This doesn't mean that Disney's cutting corners. Expedition Everest was tapped by Guinness World Records as the world's most expensive coaster. The final tab for rich theming and cutting-edge ride systems reportedly came in at $100 million when accounting for the surrounding area, four times as much as Cedar Fair (FUN) has ever spent on one of its famed

• [By Reuters]

  cinz/Flickr Apple (AAPL) is in talks with Comcast to enter into a deal for a streaming-television service that would allow Apple set-top boxes to bypass congestion on the Web, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions are in early stages and there are a lot of hurdles to be crossed before a definitive agreement could be reached, the Journal said. Apple, which wants its TV service's traffic to be separated from public internet traffic over the "last mile" for faster transmission, is looking for special treatment from Comcast's (CMCSA) (CMCSK) cables to bypass congestion, the report said. Comcast and Apple declined to comment on the report. Apple has been in talks for a faster TV set-top box with Time Warner Cable (TWC), which recently agreed to be bought by Comcast. Apple's $99 TV box competes with similar streaming devices from Roku and Google (GOOG). Netflix agreed last month to pay Comcast for faster speeds, throwing open the possibility that more content companies will have to shell out for better service.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: Computer Sciences Corporation(CSC)

Computer Sciences Corporation provides information technology (IT) and professional services to governments and commercial enterprises. The company?s IT outsourcing services comprise operating customer?s technology infrastructure, including systems analysis, applications development, network operations, desktop computing, and data center management services; business process outsourcing; managing transactional business functions for clients, such as procurement and supply chain, call centers and customer relationship management, credit services, claims processing and logistics. It also offers cloud computing and cyber security protection services. In addition, the company provides range of services in the areas of infrastructure as a service, software as a service (SaaS), business process as a service, platform as a service, and other technologies. Further, its IT and professional services consist of systems integration, including designing, developing, implementing, and i ntegrating information systems; and management consulting, technology consulting, and other professional services, consist of advising clients on the strategic acquisition and utilization of IT and on business strategy, security, modeling, simulation, engineering, operations, change management, and business process reengineering. Additionally, the company licenses software systems, including SaaS offerings for the financial services and other industry-specific markets; and provides a range of end-to-end business solutions. It has its operations primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company was founded in 1959 and is based in Falls Church, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Damian Illia]

  Results for third-quarter 2013 were above estimations regarding earnings, but below average in revenue. The challenges presented by the European market, plus the inactive IT spending have affected the firm�� revenues. A restructuring plan is on track, with the recent divestment of Changepoint, Professional Services and Uniface business units for $112.0 million in cash to M4 Global Solutions Holding B.V. during Jan 2014. These efforts are directed towards enhancing the core business over the long run, developing an innovative product pipeline at reduced costs to boost profitability. Nevertheless, the company faces intense competition from peers such as International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), BMC Software, Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ), Accenture plc (ACN), and Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC).

• [By Rich Smith]

  Among the larger contracts awarded was a $157.3 million maximum cost-plus-fixed-fee contract hiring Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC  ) subsidiary DynPort Vaccine Company LLC to develop a "prophylactic and medical countermeasure to prevent the effects of organophosphorus nerve agents" -- essentially, an antidote to nerve gas.

• [By CRWE]

  CSC (NYSE:CSC) reported that it has signed a contract with the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) to deliver SystmOne data extracts as part of the General Practice Extraction Service (GPES).

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Innovation: Innovation is a major priority at AT&T. And so far, it looks like the company is making savvy moves, particularly with its push into the cloud. To this end, AT&T has rolled out NetBond, which involves alliances with top providers like IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), CSC (CSC) and Equinix (EQIX). But perhaps the most interesting growth initiative is Digital Life, which allows customers to use their smartphones as remote control devices with homes and cars. All in all, the opportunity could be huge, adding another nice revenue stream — AT&T already has agreements with companies like GM (GM), Ford (F), Nissan, Audi, BMW and Tesla (TSLA)

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: Qantas Airways Ltd (QUBSF)

Qantas Airways Limited is engaged in the operation of international and domestic air transportation services, the provision of freight services and the operation of a Frequent Flyer loyalty program. The Company�� main business is the transportation of customers using two complementary airline brands: Qantas and Jetstar. It also operates subsidiary businesses, including other airlines, and businesses in specialist markets, such as Q Catering. The Company operates in four segments: Qantas Domestic, Qantas International, Qantas Loyalty and Qantas Freight. Qantas Domestic includes Australian domestic passenger flying business of Qantas Brands. Qantas International includes the International passenger flying business of Qantas Brands. Qantas Loyalty Operates the Qantas customer loyalty program. In April 2014, Qantas Airways Ltd announced that Westpac Banking Corporation and its associated companies ceased to be a substantial share holder of the Company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Stocks in Australia fell early Thursday, pressured by a drop in the country's currency to a three-month low below 90 U.S. cents, and by losses on Wall Street overnight on concerns about tapering of monetary stimulus. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) fell 28 points, or 0.5%, to 5,246, led by losses in the heavily weighted financial sector. There, shares of Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) lost 1.2%, National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) declined 1%, and Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) shed 0.7%. Shares of Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) sank 14% after the company warned it expects to post an underlying loss before tax of $250 million to $300 million for the six months ending Dec. 31. The carrier said trading conditions saw a marked deterioration, particularly in November with both passenger loads and yields "below the already negative trends for the year to date."

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks lost hold of early gains Monday. Retailer shares traded mostly weaker, but an advance for miners limited the losses after many base-metals futures rose on the back of better-than-expected U.S. jobs data. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) slipped 0.1% to 5,182.40 after opening higher. In early moves, Myer Holdings Ltd. (AU:MYR) fell 0.7%, David Jones Ltd. (AU:DJS) (DVDJF) lost 1.1%, and Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. (AU:HVN) (HNORY) traded 1% lower. In the mining space, BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) added 0.5%, Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.7%, Alumina Ltd. (AU:AWC) (AWCMF) improved by 1%, and Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) jumped 2.2%. Shares of Qantas Airways Ltd. (AU:QAN) (QUBSF) rose briefly but then moved the flat line, holding firm after sharp losses last week. Chris Bowen, who serves as the Labor Party's shadow treasurer, said the struggling airline was "effectively" too big to fail. Meanwhile, shares of QBE Insurance Group Ltd. (AU:QBE)

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: ACI Worldwide Inc (ACIW)

ACI Worldwide, Inc.(ACI), incorporated on November 2, 1993, develops, markets, installs and supports a line of software products and services primarily focused on facilitating electronic payments. In addition to its own products, it distributes, or acts as a sales agent for software developed by third parties. These products and services are used principally by financial institutions, retailers and electronic payment processors, both in domestic and international markets. Its products are sold and supported through distribution networks covering three geographic regions the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) and Asia/Pacific. Each distribution network has its own sales force that it supplements with independent reseller and/or distributor networks. Its products are marketed under the ACI Worldwide and ACI Payment Systems brands. In March 2013, it completed the acquisition of Online Resources Corp. In November 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Official Payments Holdings, Inc, a provider of electronic bill payment solutions.

The Company�� software products and hosted services deliver a broad range of solutions for payments processing, card and merchant management, online banking, mobile, branch and voice banking, fraud detection and trade finance. Trusted by more than 1,650 organizations globally, ACI serves three primary market audiences: Financial institutions, including national, regional and global banks, community banks and credit unions , Processors and Retailers. Its products cover several different domains within the payments and banking marketplace, which includes Online Banking and Cash Management ,includes the payments and cash flows across accounts globally through the online or mobile channel , Branch , includes the management and processing of monetary, non monetary, sales and account origination financial transactions, Trade Finance, includes the management of all trade related transaction types, both traditional trade and open acc! ount instruments with the ability for end users to view and track those transactions through the online channel, Community Financial Services, includes the online and mobile banking and payment systems, and security solutions that service community banks and credit unions , Retail Banking Payments provides the software to support in house issuance of payment instruments and the management of a consumer payment from transaction acquiring all through the lifecycle within the banking system to settlement; which it split into Payments Processing, and Card and Merchant Management , Wholesale Banking Payments , includes the management of primarily corporate payments and messages through their lifecycle including RTGS payments, ACH payments, and SWIFT transactions , Merchant Retail , includes the management of a consumer payment within a merchant retailer and supporting services such as the management of store and gift card and loyalty programs , Payment Fraud Management, includes securing of payments against fraud and money laundering and Payment Infrastructure, includes the tools and infrastructure to operate and optimize the payments system .

Online Banking and Cash Management, Branch and Trade Finance

Online Banking and Cash Management, Branch & Trade domain offers ACI Enterprise Banker is a comprehensive Internet-based business banking product for financial institutions including banks, brokerage firms and credit unions and can be flexibly packaged for small, medium and business customers. This product provides these customers with electronic payment initiation capability, information reporting, and numerous other payment related services that allow the business customer to manage all its banking needs via the Internet. ACI Global Banker provides single-window access to corporate cash management, trade finance, FXservices, reporting and data exchange. Global Banker supports single-window, Single Sign-On access to a bank�� corporate Internet banking platform. ACI Universal Onl! ine Banke! r is a comprehensive Internet-based banking product for financial institutions including banks, brokerage firms and credit unions and can be flexibly packaged for small, medium and business customers as well as individual consumers. This product provides these customers with electronic payment initiation capability, information reporting, and numerous other cash management services that allow the business customer to manage all its banking needs via the Internet as well as mobile channels.

InterACT Universal Banker is a multi-channel product suite which supports the processing of monetary, non-monetary, sales and account origination transactions across multiple channels including branch, call center and back office, as well as delivering extended branch support for browser based employees , such as relationship managers or calling officers. track their entire trade portfolio of traditional trade and open account instrument over the Internet. This product is also utilized in the wholesale domain. ACI Mobile Channel Manager allows organizations to provide consumers, business and corporate customers with mobile access to functions across the banking and payments spectrum. When used with ACI banking products and payment engines, Mobile Channel Manager enables mobile functions which might include account management, balance inquiries, transfers, bill payments, person-to-person (P2P) payments (including PayPal), pre-paid purchases, remote deposit capture, ATM/branch locator, SMS notifications. This solution is also utilized in the retail domain.

Community Financial Services

Online and Mobile Banking solutions for Community Banks and Credit Unions offers a full-featured self-service banking solution including online banking, voice banking and mobile banking for consumer and small-to-mid-size businesses, all from a single hosted platform. The WebFederal suite provides credit unions with online banking, business solutions, mobile banking, CRM Marketing, and Creative and ! Web Desig! n services. ACI Defense is a full-service security solutions for community banks and credit unions. The ACI Defense suite of solutions helps U.S. financial institutions address security compliance obligations with firewall and intrusion prevention services, security assessments, vulnerability testing, endpoint and mobile protection, email security and encryption and identity theft/anti-phishing services. Online Bill Payment and Presentment provides full-service bill payment solutions for community banks and credit unions, including pay-anyone functionality, online bill presentment, P2P and A2A payments and express pay services.

Retail Banking Payments Payments Processing

The Company's retail payments processing products are designed to acquire electronic payment transactions from transaction generators and route them to acquiring institutions so that they can be authorized for payment. The software often interfaces with regional or national switches to access the account-holding financial institution or card issuer for approval or denial of the transactions (authorization). The software returns messages to the original transaction generator (e.g. an ATM), thereby completing the transactions. Depending on how the software is configured, it can perform all of the functions necessary to authenticate, authorize, route and settle an electronic payment transaction, or it can interact with other systems to ensure that these functions are performed. Payments processing software may be required to interact with dozens of devices, switch interchanges and communication protocols around the world.

BASE24-eps is an integrated electronic payments processing product marketed to customers operating electronic payment networks in the retail banking and retail industries. The modular, open architecture of the product enables customers to select the application and system components that are required to operate their networks. BASE24-eps offers a broad range of features and function! s for ele! ctronic payment processing. BASE24-eps is licensed as a standalone electronic payments solution for financial institutions, retailers and electronic payment processors. BASE24-eps, which operates on International Business Machines��(IBM) System z, IBM System p, Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) NonStop, and Oracle Solaris servers, provides flexible integration points to other applications and data within enterprises to support 24-hour per day access to money, services and information. On the HP NonStop platform, BASE24-eps uses NET24-XPNET, an ACI developed message oriented middleware solution. ACI continues to support and maintain a number of other retail payments engines which are no longer actively marketed to new customers.

BASE24 is an integrated family of software products previously marketed to customers operating electronic payment networks in the retail banking and retail industries. A substantial portion of ACI�� revenues are derived from licensing the BASE24 family of products and providing related services and maintenance as it has been the core of the ACI business since the Company�� inception. The BASE24 product line operates exclusively on HP NonStop servers. The HP NonStop parallel-processing environment offers fault-tolerance, linear expandability and distributed processing capabilities. The combination of features offered by BASE24 and the HP NonStop technology are important characteristics in high volume, 24-hour per day electronic payment systems. BASE24 makes use of NET24-XPNET, an ACI developed message oriented middleware solution.

Postilion is an integrated electronic payments processing system. It authenticates, authorizes, routes and switches transactions generated at ATMs and merchant POS sites as well as provides flexible infrastructure to handle key aspects of the back office functions. The product is used widely across the world, with a particular emphasis in Africa. This product is also used in the merchant retail domain.

Retail Ban! king Paym! ents Card and Merchant Management

ACI Card and Merchant Management solutions are card issuing and merchant management products, which have been successfully used by the payments industry for many years. These products run on IBM System z, and various Unix and Microsoft Windows servers. ACI Issuer is a modern card and account management system. It has been developed to support national, international, and global financial institutions. The system has full multi-currency, multi-product, multi-institution and multi-language capabilities. It manages card portfolios in different countries and for different issuers on a single platform and has been built to fully comply with EMV standards. ACI Acquirer supports the full lifecycle of merchant portfolio management, including merchant onboarding, transaction acquisition, interchange fee qualification, settlement and statement generation. The system is enabled with the flexibility acquirers require to manage complex merchant portfolios.

ACI Interchange is the central monetary transaction manager, processing all incoming customer transactions and maintaining a central transactions database. ACI Interchange also manages the clearing and settlement communication with the international payment schemes, ensuring compliance with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, China Union Pay and JCB. The module can easily be adapted to manage clearing and settlement with additional networks such as domestic payment schemes. ACI Token Manager consists of a suite of products from ACI�� partner Bell Identification B.V. The Smart Card & Application Management System provides for central lifecycle management of smart cards and other tokens as well as the management of the applications activated within the scheme. The Key Management System facilitates the implementation of security concepts based on the generation, storage, recovery, import and distribution of cryptographic keys. The keys are used for encryption and decryption of data and for verific! ation and! authorization of trusted parties using digital certificates. ACI Token Manager for Mobile enables the delivery of payment tokens, such as wallets, to mobile phones.

ACI Payments Manager is an integrated, modular software solution that automates the processing, settlement and reconciliation of electronic transactions, as well as provides plastic card issuance and account management. This product is primarily marketed in North America. ACI Automated Dispute Manager enables issuers, acquirers, processors and payment networks to streamline and automate the dispute management process through workflow-based software components.

Wholesale Banking Payments

The Company�� wholesale banking solutions are focused on global, super-regional and regional financial institutions that provide treasury management services to corporations and correspondent banks. In addition, the market includes non-bank financial institutions with the need to conduct their own internal treasury management activities. ACI Money Transfer System provides high value payments processing, bulk payments processing and SWIFT financial messaging. The high value payments processing function, which produces the majority of revenues for the ACI Money Transfer System, is used to generate, authorize, enrich, route and settle high value wire transfer transactions in domestic and international environments. The ACI Money Transfer System product operates on IBM System p servers using the AIX operating system.

Merchant Retail

ACI Retail Commerce Server is a solution for retailers, is an integrated suite of electronic payments products that facilitate a broad range of capabilities. These capabilities include prepaid, debit and credit card processing, ACH processing, electronic benefits transfer, card issuance and management, check authorization, customer loyalty programs and returned check collection. The Retail Commerce Server product line operates on open systems technologies such as! Microsof! t Windows, UNIX and Linux, with the current installations deployed on the Microsoft Windows platform. ACI In-store Solution supports retailers and drives the retailer�� payment portion of the customer�� in-store purchase experience. The In-store solution prompts the consumer and gathers the necessary card payment details to process the payment request. Importantly, the solution helps retailers control the costs and risk of key regulatory issues such as PCI compliance and data theft at the point of sale.

Payment Fraud Management

ACI Proactive Risk Management is a payment fraud detection system designed to help card issuers, merchants, merchant acquirers and financial institutions combat fraud schemes. The system combines the pattern recognition capability of neural-network transaction scoring with custom risk models of rules-based strategies and advanced client/server account management software. The real time capability enables fraud assessment to be part of the authorization process preventing fraud from occurring. Proactive Risk Management operates on IBM System z, HP NonStop, Oracle Solaris and Microsoft Windows servers. This product offers customers the flexibility to automate activities and processes across the complete lifecycle of a case related to fraud. Cases are created when fraud officers checking an alert within Proactive Risk Manager identify fraud or money laundering. The solution is a basic framework that defines processes for researching and resolving cases, including investigation resources, timeframes, escalation paths and alerts.

Payments Infrastructure

The Payments Infrastructure products provide specific technology extensions to augment the business services provided in the business service domains. ACI Communication Services provides a range of communication services to enable message exchange on multiple platforms in particular enabling applications to support legacy protocols, such as SNA and X.25, running over TCP/IP net! works. It! also supports hybrid networking environments such as IBM�� HPR/IP. This set of products runs on HP NonStop, IBM System z and Unix platforms. ACI Enterprise Security Services is a suite of security solutions that secure access to systems and resources. These products run on the HP NonStop platform and are designed to take advantage of HP NonStop fundamentals.

ACI Web Access Services allows HP NonStop users to securely expose existing applications to peer systems as well as PC clients and Web browsers. Web Access Services supports new GUI client development, standard 6530 and 3270E terminal emulation or automated data stream transformation to give users a range of options for integrating NonStop services across the enterprise. ACI Payment Testing (ASSET) is a simulation and testing tool that allows companies involved in electronic payments to simulate devices and transactions, and perform application testing. ASSET is available for use with BASE24, BASE24-eps, Postilion, and ACI Proactive Risk Manager.

Prognosis is available for use with BASE24, BASE24-eps, Postilion, ACI Proactive Risk Manager, and ACI Money Transfer System. ACI Mobile Alerting powered by Spectrum MoneyGuard offers fraud or service alert options in near real-time with SMS messages to their mobile phones of events affecting their banking transactions. When used for fraud alerting, customers have the option of responding via text (two-way communication) and requesting a block of the card and a confirmation is sent.

Services

It offers its customers a wide range of professional services, including analysis, design, development, implementation, integration and training. It has service professionals within each of its three geographic regions who generally perform the majority of the work associated with installing and integrating its software products, rather than relying on third-party systems integrators. It utilizes a standard methodology to deliver customer project implementations ! across al! l products lines. Within the process, it provides customers with a variety of services, including on-site solution scoping reviews, project planning, training, site preparation, installation, product configuration, product customization, testing and go-live support, and project management throughout the project lifecycle. Product-support-funded services are available to customers after a solution has been installed and are based on the relevant product support category. A team of support analysts and an appointed customer manager are available to assist customers. Technical services are provided to customers who have licensed one or more of its software products. Services offered include programming and programming support, day-to-day systems operations, network operations, help desk staffing, problem resolution, system design, and performance planning and review. Technical services are typically priced according to the level of technical expertise required. ACI�� education courses provide students with knowledge at all levels, to enhance and improve their understanding of ACI products. ACI also provides further, more in-depth technical courses that allow students to use practical labs to enhance what they have learned in the classroom. The ACI trainers��ability to understand customers��systems means ACI can also provide tailored course materials for individual customers.

ACI�� testing services team works within the ACI customer base to establish testing practices and build a standard testing environment that meets an organization�� current needs, and is easily extensible for future requirements. It is important that any testing environment encompasses all aspects of the testing lifecycle (i.e., functional, acceptance, regression and stress testing), as well as allowing ease of use by the appropriate staff. ACI�� testing services can provide this environment as either a stand-alone deliverable or as a fully managed service.

ACI is committed to providing cons! ulting se! rvices to its customer base. In order to do this, it has assembled a team of technicians with many decades of experience, not only with ACI solutions, but also in the payments industry in general. Trusted globally, these consultants are available to provide technical assistance to ACI�� customers across the full range of the ACI portfolio. The consultants��knowledge and understanding of ACI�� customers allow them to define, design and build appropriate technical solutions. This in turn provides an enhanced business offering to customers, ultimately enabling a greater competitive advantage and increased satisfaction. It offers facilities management services whereby it operates a customer�� electronic payments system for multi-year periods. Pricing and payment terms for facilities management services vary on a case-by-case basis giving consideration to the complexity of the facility or system to be managed, the level and quantity of technical services required, and other factors relevant to the facilities management agreement.

The Company competes with Clear2Pay NV/SA (Clear2Pay), Intuit Corporation, Bottomline Technologies, ARGO, FIS, Fundtech Ltd, First Data Corporation, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc, Fiserv, Inc., China Systems, CSI, Misys, CGI, Clear2Pay, Computer Sciences Corporation, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., Pegasystems Inc., OpenWay Group, Total System Services, Inc. (TSYS), Alaric Technology Inc., BPC Banking Technologies, PayEx Solutions AS, Financial Software and Systems, CR2, Lusis Payments Ltd., Opus Software Solutions Private Limited, Atos Origin S.A., Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., First Data Corporation, SiNSYS, TSYS, VISA, MasterCard, Dovetail Software, IBM, Logica Plc, Tieto Corporation, AJB Software Design, Inc., Retalix, Heartland Payment Systems, Inc., Servebase Computers Ltd, Tender Retail Inc., VeriFone Systems, Inc, Actimize, Inc., Fair Isaac Corporation, BAE Systems Detica, ReD, Memento Inc., Norkom Techn! ologies, ! and SAS Institute, Inc., CA Technologies, HP and Oracle USA, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  ACI Worldwide (ACIW) develops, markets, installs and supports a line of software products and services primarily focused on facilitating electronic payments. This stock closed up 5.6% at $51.50 in Monday's trading session.

  Monday's Volume: 922,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 252,148
  
  Volume % Change: 241%

  From a technical perspective, ACIW jumped higher here and broke out above some near-term overhead resistance at $49.941 with heavy upside volume. This move is coming after shares of ACIW recently dipped from $49.91 to $46 with heavy downside volume. Shares of ACIW are now trending within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if ACIW manages to take out its 52-week and Monday's intraday high of $51.88 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ACIW as long as it's trending above that first breakout level of $49.91 or above more near-term support at $48 and then once it sustains a move or close above $51.88 with volume that's near or above 252,148 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ACIW will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $55 to $60.