Best Long Term Companies For 2014

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about natural gas prices, so this seems like a good time to update the picture. This is a sneak preview �of a more comprehensive report that will appear in next week�� Energy Strategist.

Over the last 18 months my thesis has been that natural gas prices would have to move higher over the long term. But in December 2011, with natural gas prices above $3/million Btu (MMBtu), I predicted lower natural gas prices for 2012. The unusually warm winter that followed reduced demand even as shale production added to the supply glut, and the price fell below $2/MMBtu by April 2012. The average price for natural gas in 2012 was $2.75/MMBtu, the lowest in 13 years.

I did not feel that this low price could be sustained, so I began to recommend natural gas producers to investors. I wasn�� sure how long they would have to wait, but felt pretty certain that gas prices had to go up. We began adding natural gas producers to the various Energy Strategist portfolios.

5 Best Freight Stocks To Buy Right Now: China Telecom Corp Ltd (CHA)

China Telecom Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireline and mobile telecommunications services in the People's Republic of China. The company?s services include wireline voice, mobile voice, Internet, managed data and leased line, value-added services, integrated information application services, and other related services, as well as prepaid calling cards. Its wireline voice services include local wireline services, domestic long distance wireline services, and international long distance wireline services. The company's mobile voice services comprise local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, inter-provincial roaming, and international roaming. Its Internet access services consist of wireline Internet access services, including dial-up and broadband services, and wireless Internet access services. The company's integrated information application services include Best Tone services, which provide customers with phone number storage, enquiry, and call transfer services; and information technology-based integrated solutions, such as system integration, outsourcing, special advisory, information application, knowledge services, and software development. Its managed data and leased line services consist of services relating to optic fiber and circuits, such as optic fiber and circuit leasing, virtual private network, and bandwidth leasing. The company also offers other services, such as sales, rental, repairs, and maintenance of equipment; and provides consulting services, and e-commerce and booking services, as well as in the sale of telecommunications terminals. It serves government, enterprise, and residential customers. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China Telecom Corporation Limited is a subsidiary of China Telecommunications Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Goldman]

  Until now, Apple had sold the iPhone there through China Mobile's much-smaller competitors, China Unicom (CHU)and China Telecom (CHA), which have about 425 million subscribers between them.

• [By Doug Young]

  I've been writing about the VNO development for awhile now, as it's really quite exciting with the potential to instantly triple the number of telecoms service providers in the market from the current three to a new field of 8-9 operators. Equally important, most of those new operators, which would lease network capacity from the existing three telcos, are private sector firms. That means they should be much more nimble and innovative than the current monopoly of three big state-run companies, China Mobile, China Unicom (CHU) and China Telecom (CHA).

Best Long Term Companies For 2014: PowerShares International Dividend Achievers Portfolio (PID)

PowerShares International Dividend Achievers Portfolio (the Fund) seeks to replicate, before fees and expenses, the International Dividend Achievers Index (the Index). The Fund invests in sectors, including financials, utilities, consumer staples, commercial banks, insurance, utilities and information technology. PowerShares Capital Management LLC is the adviser of the Fund.

The Index seeks to identify an international group of American Depository Receipts that have qualified as International Dividend Achievers. The Index is designed to track the performance of dividend paying American Depository Receipts and non-United States common or ordinary stocks trading on the NYSE, NADDAQ or AMEX.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Carlton Delfeld]

  Second, add to the mix, one of my long-time favorite ETFs, the PowerShares International Dividend Achievers (PID).

  To get into this exclusive basket, companies have to have a record of increasing dividends for five consecutive years. The United Kingdom and Canada make up 50% of its holdings with the US at only 6%.

• [By Editor , DividendChannel.com]

  According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Enbridge stock is an underlying holding representing 1.97% of the Powershares International Dividend Achievers ETF (PID), which holds $20,709,837 worth of ENB shares.

Best Long Term Companies For 2014: TiVo Inc.(TIVO)

TiVo Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides technology and services for television solutions, including digital video recorders (DVRs) and connected televisions in the United States and internationally. The company offers subscription-based TiVo service, which enhances home entertainment by providing consumers with a way to record, watch, and control live television, as well as to receive videos, pictures, and movies from cable, broadcast, and broadband sources in one interface. It also provides a platform for advertising and audience research measurement services. TiVo Inc. distributes the TiVo DVR through consumer electronics retailers and its online store at TiVo.com, as well as the TiVo service through agreements with satellite and cable television service providers; and broadcasting companies. As of January 31, 2011, it had approximately 1.5 million subscriptions to the TiVo service. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Alviso, California. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  It's an extension of what set TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO  ) apart in the early days. Your channel-surfing taught TiVo's digital recording boxes a lot about your viewing habits, which allowed the box to present a list of recommended content. That guidance is arguably more valuable than the simple ability to record TV shows without worrying about VHS tapes, and is the foundation of TiVo's strategy even today.

• [By Sally Jones] ng>P/E: 5.40

  Up 24% over 12 months, Tivo Inc., the pay television company, has a market cap of $1.5 billion; its shares were traded at around $12.33. TIVO trades with a P/B of 2.80.

  Guru Action: As of the second quarter of 2013, George Soros holds 1,000,000 shares valued at around $11.05 million.

  TIVO is a new holding for Soros who has bought and sold out twice since the second quarter of 2008. His most recent new buy of 1,000,000 shares was made in the second quarter of 2013; he bought shares at an average price of $11.80, for a gain of 4.5%.

  Track historical pricing, revenue and net income since 1999:

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  Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ)

  P/E: 6.94

  Up 77% over 12 months, Constellation Brands Inc., the winery and beverage company, has a market cap of $11.93 billion; its shares were traded at around $62.99. STZ trades with a P/B of 4.00.

  Guru Action: As of the second quarter of 2013, George Soros holds 2,437,000 shares valued at around $127.01 million, representing a portfolio weight of 1.4%.

  Soros has held STZ for seven quarters of gains. Across his trading history, he has averaged a gain of 80% on 2,512,000 shares bought at an average price of $35.00 per share.

  Selling, he gained 25% on 75,000 shares sold in the second quarter of 2013. He sold them at an average price of $50.40 per share.

  Track historical pricing, revenue and net income:

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  CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF)

  P/E: 7.17

  Down 2% over 12 months, CF Industries Holdings Inc., an agricultural company, has a market cap of $11.72 billion; its shares were traded at around $204.55. CF trades with a P/B of 2.50.

  Guru Action: As of the second quarter of 2013, George Soros holds 34,308 shares valued at around $5.88 million.

  CF is another new holding for Soros who has been trading since the third quarter of 2009 for five quarters of triple-digit gains. In the second quar

• [By Tim Beyers]

  TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO  ) fell 19% after announcing a deal to retire outstanding litigation with Google and Cisco, among others. The $500 million payment was less than investors had expected, and it comes at a time when TiVo's own product development efforts are failing to break new ground.

• [By Rex Moore]

  Second screen technology -- also known as "couch commerce" -- is still in its infancy. There are some obvious companies benefiting from this growing trend, such as Disney's (NYSE: DIS  ) ESPN and TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO  ) , both of which use the technology to gain (or hold onto) viewers.

Best Long Term Companies For 2014: Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO)

Cisco Systems, Inc., incorporated on December 10, 1984, designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol (IP)-based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology (IT) industry and provide services associated with these products and their use. The Company provides a line of products for transporting data, voice, and video within buildings, across campuses, and around the world. Its products are designed to transform how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Its products are installed at enterprise businesses, public institutions, telecommunications companies, commercial businesses, and personal residences. The Company has five segments: United States and Canada, European Markets, Emerging Markets, Asia Pacific, and Japan. The Emerging Markets theater consists of Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In July 30, 2012, it acquired NDS Group Ltd. In October 2012, it acquired virtual networking company, vCider. In August 2011, the Company acquired Versly. In November 2011, it acquired BNI Video. In March 2012, the Company acquired Lightwire, Inc. In May 2012, the Company acquired ClearAccess. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cloupia. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cariden Technologies Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Meraki, Inc.

The Company�� product offerings fall into three categories: its core technologies, routing and switching; advanced technologies, and other products. In addition to its product offerings, the Company provides a range of service offerings, technical support services and advanced services. The advanced services program supports networking devices, applications, solutions, and complete infrastructures.

Routing

The Company offers a range of routers, from core network infrastructure for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at ho! me. Key products within its routing category are the Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco 1000, 5000, and 9000 Cisco Aggregation Services Routers (ASR), as well as the Cisco ASR 800, 1900, 2900 and 3900 Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR):; Cisco CRS-1, 7600 and Cisco CRS-3 Cisco Carrier Routing Systems (CRS). During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010 (fiscal 2010), Cisco introduced the Cisco CRS-3 Carrier Routing System (CRS-3) and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Service Provider Video

The Company�� end-to-end, digital video distribution systems and digital interactive set-top boxes enable service providers and content originators to deliver entertainment, information, and communication services to consumers and businesses around the world. Key product areas within its Service Provider Video category are: Set-Top Boxes, IP set-top boxes (both High-Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD)); Digital cable set-top boxes (both HD and SD); Cable Modem CPE (Data, EMTA, and Gateways); Videoscape Software Products and Headend Equipment (Encoders, Decoders, and Transcoders).

Switching

The Company�� switching products offer many forms of connectivity to end users, workstations, IP phones, access points, and servers, and also function as aggregators on local-area networks (LANs), metropolitan-area networks (MANs), and wide-area networks (WANs). Its switching systems employ several widely used technologies, including Ethernet, Power over Ethernet, Fibre Channel over Ethernet, Packet over Synchronous Optical Network, and Multiprotocol Label Switching. Many of its switches are designed to support an integrated set of advanced services, allowing organizations to be more efficient by using one switch for multiple networking functions rather than multiple switches to accomplish the same functions.

Cisco offers a family of Ethernet switching solutions from fixed-configuration switches for small and medium-sized businesses to modular switches for enterprise! s and ser! vice providers. Its fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. Key products within its switching category are the Cisco Catalyst 2960, 3560, 3750, 4500 and 6500 Series; the Cisco Nexus 2000, 3000, 5000 and 7000 Series switches; and MDS Series: MDS 9000.

Fixed-configuration switches are designed to cover a range of deployments in small and medium-sized businesses. It fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. They range from small, standalone switches to stackable models that function as a single, scalable switching unit. Modular switches are typically utilized by enterprise and service provider customers. Fixed-configuration and modular switches also include products such as optics modules which are shared across multiple product platforms.

NGN Routing

Routing technology is fundamental to the Internet, and this technology interconnects public and private IP networks for mobile, data, voice, and video applications. The Company's NGN Routing products are designed to enhance the intelligence, security, reliability, scalability, and level of performance in the transmission of information and media-rich applications. It offers a broad range of routers, from core network infrastructure and mobile Internet network for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at home. Key product areas within its NGN Routing category are, Cisco Aggregation Services Routers: Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco ASR 1000, Cisco ASR 5000 and Cisco ASR 9000. Cisco Integrated Services Routers: Cisco ISR 800, Cisco ISR 1900, Cisco ISR 2900 and Cisco ISR 3900. Cisco Carrier Routing Systems: Cisco CRS-1, Cisco CRS-3 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Security

Cisco security solutions deliver identity, network and content security solutions designed to enable customers to reduce the ! impact of! threats and realize the benefits of a mobile, collaborative, and cloud-enabled business. The products in this category span firewall, intrusion prevention, remote access, virtual private networks (VPNs), unified clients, network admission control, Web gateways, and email gateways. Its AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client solution enables users to access networks with their mobile device of choice, including laptops and smartphone-based mobile devices, while allowing organizations to manage the security risks of networks. Its cloud-based Web security service is designed to provide real-time threat protection and to prevent malware from reaching corporate networks, including roaming or mobile users. It focuses on a proactive, layered approach to counter both existing and emerging security threats. During the fiscal year ended July 28, 2012, it introduced the Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Midrange Security Appliance, Cisco Security Manager 4.3, the IPS 4500 Series, and Prime Security Manager.

Wireless

The Cisco Unified Wireless Network aims to harness the network to solve business problems, uniting high-performance wireless access across campus, branch, remote and outdoor environments. Its offerings include wireless access points (including the Cisco Aironet product family), controllers, antennas, and integrated management. The Company�� offerings provide users with simplified management and mobile device troubleshooting features which are designed to reduce operational cost and maximize flexibility and reliability. It is also investing in custom chipsets to deliver functions such as CleanAir proactive spectrum intelligence, ClientLink acceleration for mobile devices and VideoStream multicast optimization technology.

Data Center

The Company�� data center product category has been its major product category for the past two fiscal years. Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and Server Access Virtualization form the core of the Data Center product category.! Key prod! uct areas within its Data Center product category are: Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers and Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects.

Other Products

The Company�� other products category primarily consists of Linksys home networking products, certain emerging technologies, and other networking products. In addition to its product offerings, it provide a range of service offerings, including technical support services and advanced services.

The Company competes with Alcatel-Lucent; ARRIS Group, Inc.; Aruba Networks, Inc.; Avaya Inc.; Belden Inc.; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems, Inc.; D-Link Corporation; LM Ericsson Telephone Company; Extreme Networks, Inc.; F5 Networks, Inc.; Force10 Networks, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; International Business Machines Corporation; Juniper Networks, Inc.; LogMeIn, Inc.; Meru Networks, Inc.; Microsoft Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; NETGEAR, Inc.; Polycom, Inc.; Riverbed Technology, Inc.; and Symantec Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  November 14, 2013: U.S. equity markets opened mixed Thursday morning as the Nasdaq Composite was weighed down by a weak earnings report after markets closed last night from Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO). The weekly report on new unemployment benefits claims was slightly worse than expected, the U.S. trade deficit was wider than expected, and labor productivity was down. But investors were paying more attention to the confirmation hearing of Janet Yellen as the new Fed chair.

Best Long Term Companies For 2014: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roadmap2Retire]

  Investing in AT&T bolsters my portfolio with more exposure to the telecom sector - which I am bullish on. The company is the leader in the telecom world, but the current environment provides for some interesting points. Some of the factors that contributed in my decision to initiate this position.

  Dividend income - AT&T provides great current income with prospects of dividend growth in the future. Dogs of the Dow - Some people use this investing strategy to beat the market. While my main goal is not to beat the market, this strategy provides some visibility into the under-to-fairly valued stocks in the DJIA. The strategy, for those unfamiliar, is simply to invest in the highest yielders of the DJIA called the Dogs of the Dow. AT&T is the currently the highest yielder in DJIA. Solid revenue growth & EPS growth: After minimal gains from 2009-2012 in revenue, and a dip in diluted EPS from 2010 to 2011, AT&T has turned the ship around and the current trend is pointing upward. DirecTV (DTV) acquisition - AT&T announced that it intends to acquire DTV, which could provide with considerable amount of revenue growth in the future. Possibility of REIT spinoff - The recent news of Windstream (WIN) spinning off a publicly traded REIT resulted in speculation that other telecom providers would follow suit. If AT&T follows in the footsteps of WIN, that would result in unlocking a lot of value for shareholders. In-Car 4G LTE - AT&T has been at the forefront in this field having secured deals with car manufacturers such as Audi, Tesla (TSLA), General Motors (GM) etc. AT&T could potentially add millions of new subscribers to their customer base as the current and future generation of cars come with a 4G LTE-capability.

  The bottom line is that the companies that control the data pipes in an ever-connected and integrated digital world will command the marketplace. Telecom service providers (alongside cable service providers) will be able to

Best Long Term Companies For 2014: Capex SA (CAPX)

Capex SA is an Argentina-based company primarily engaged in the energy sector. The Company�� main activities include the generation and sale of electric energy; the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas, and the production, distribution and marketing of propane, butane and gasoline. The Company operates a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant which is located in the province of Neuquen. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned such subsidiaries as Hychico SA and Servicios Buproneu SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Avg. High Yield Price 2. 20-Year DCF Price 3. Avg. P/E Price 4. Graham Number CVX is trading at a discount to only 3.) above. The stock is trading at a 44.9% premium to its calculated fair value of $82.00. CVX did not earn any Stars in this section. Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Free Cash Flow Payout 2. Debt To Total Capital 3. Key Metrics 4. Dividend Growth Rate 5. Years of Div. Growth 6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15% CVX earned two Stars in this section for 2.) and 3.) above. The stock earned a Star as a result of its most recent Debt to Total Capital being less than 45%. CVX earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1912 and has increased its dividend payments for 27 consecutive years. Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. NPV MMA Diff. 2. Years to > MMA The NPV MMA Diff. of the $256 is below the $800 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as CVX has. The stock's current yield of 3.37% exceeds the 3.31% estimated 20-year average MMA rate. Memberships and Peers: CVX is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: BP plc (BP) with a 4.7% yield, Exxon Mobil

Best Long Term Companies For 2014: Ishares Trust Dow Jones Select Dividend (DVY)

iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of a selected group of equity securities issued by companies that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis over time. The Index stocks are screened by dividend-per-share growth rate, dividend payout percentage and average daily dollar trading volume, and are selected based on dividend yield.

The Index consists of 100 of the highest dividend-yielding securities (excluding real estate investment trusts) in the Dow Jones U.S. Total Market Index, an index representative of the total market for United States equity securities. To be included in the Index, the securities must have had a flat to positive dividend-per-share growth rate for each of the last five years; must have an average five-year dividend payout ratio of 60% or less, and must have a minimum three-month average trading volume of 200,000 shares a day. The Index is reconstituted annually. The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy in seeking to track the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Because of low bond yields, many retirees have turned to dividend-paying stocks for yield, but by doing so, they've also increased the risk that the 4% retirement rule won't work. Dividend ETFs Vanguard High Dividend Yield (NYSEMKT: VYM  ) and iShares Select Dividend (NYSEMKT: DVY  ) both offer yields between 3% and 4%, but the average earnings multiples of the stocks they own have gotten fairly pricey recently, trading at around 16 and 19 times earnings respectively. Even the more conservative dividend ETF Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) , which looks more at historical dividend growth rather than current yield in choosing stocks, has a multiple of 16 -- higher than you'd want from the slower-growth companies that often end up being the best dividend payers.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Which dividend stocks are getting hit hardest?
  So far, we've seen some evidence that dividend-paying stocks are doing worse than the overall market since the latest pullback began. Going back to the end of April, the iShares DJ Select Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT: DVY  ) , which has a high concentration of strong dividend payers, has fallen about 4%, compared to a more-or-less flat performance from the S&P 500 and other broader benchmarks.

• [By Jim Pyke]

  If you recall my previous article that looked at iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend Index (DVY) and SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY), there is an interesting comparison. While both SDY and DVY were underweight in Energy-Oils by substantial margin, both VIG and VYM are overweight in this sector. VIG has a 13.2% of its assets and VYM is at 13.0% relative to the market at 10.5%.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Investing in dividend stocks is easy. Exchange-traded funds Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEMKT: VIG  ) , iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend (NYSEMKT: DVY  ) , and SPDR S&P Dividend (NYSEMKT: SDY  ) give you low-cost access to dozens or even hundreds of dividend-paying stocks, all within a single investment vehicle. If you prefer, you can also buy individual stocks, either through a broker or through direct investment plans. Blue-chip companies General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) are just two of the hundreds of stocks that offer shares through direct plans and allow you to reinvest dividends automatically in additional shares at no fee.