Top 10 Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 10 Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Ivanhoe Energy Inc (IVAN)

Ivanhoe Energy Inc. (Ivanhoe), incorporated on February 21, 1995, is an independent international heavy oil development and production company. Ivanhoes core operations are in Canada, Ecuador, China and Mongolia, with business development opportunities worldwide. Ivanhoes wholly owned subsidiary, Sunwing Energy Ltd. (Sunwing) is focused on a natural gas exploration project (the Zitong Block) in Sichuan Province of China. The Sichuan Basin is located in central China approximately 930 miles southwest of Beijing. Its oil and gas operations are located in three geographic areas: Asia, Canada and Ecuador. In December 2012, the Company had closed the Share Purchase and Sale Agreement with MIE Holdings Corporation for all of the interest of its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary, Pan-China Resources Ltd.

Asia

In China, Sunwing operates the 659,840-acre (1,031-square-miles) Zitong gas exploration block in the Sichuan Province, and it holds a 90% Con tractor Interest in a Petroleum Contract with PetroChina Company Limited. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company of Japan holds the remaining 10% Contractor Interest. Sunwing produces approximately 1,800 (gross) barrels of light oil per day in Dagang, in China's Hebei province, in a production sharing agreement with Petrochina in which Sunwing is the operator and maintains a royalty interest in the revenue stream from its first project carried out in the Daqing Oil Field. In November 2002, the Company entered into a 30 year production sharing contract (PSC) with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the Zitong block, which covers an area of approximately 248,000 gross acres after contractual relinquishments in the Sichuan basin.

During the year ended December 31, 2006, the Company farmed out 10% of its working interest in the Zitong block to Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc. of Japan. In Phase I of the contract, Ivanhoe reprocessed 1,649 ! miles of two dime nsional (2D) seismic data and acquired 705 miles of new 2D seismic data. In Phase II of the contract, the Yixin-2 and Zitong-1 gas wells were drilled during the year ended December 31, 2010, and completed during the year ended December 31, 2011. Ivanhoes oil production originates in the Kongnan oilfield in Dagang, Hebei Province, China (the Dagang field). In 2011, production in averaged 967 barrels per day net. The Companys Nyalga Block XVI is in the Khenti and Tov provinces in Mongolia. The block covers an area of approximately 3.1 million gross acres, after a 25% relinquishment in 2010.

Canada

Ivanhoe holds a 100% working interest in the Tamarack Project, subject only to a 20% back-in right held by Talisman Energy. Tamarack is a 6,880 acre lease located approximately 10 miles northeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. The Tamarack integrated oil sands project (Tamarack Project) consists of a two-phased 40,000 bbl/d steam-assisted gravity drainage thermal recovery (SAGD) and HTL facility.

Ecuador

The Company's activities in Latin America are carried out under its wholly owned subsidiary, Ivanhoe Energy Latin America Inc. Ivanhoe Energy Ecuador Inc., a Canadian company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ivanhoe Energy Latin America Inc. and is responsible for the Company's activities in Ecuador. In October 2008, Ivanhoe Energy Ecuador Inc. had signed a 30 year contract with the Ecuador state oil companies Petroecuador and Petroproduccion. The contract gives Ivanhoe the right to explore and develop the Pungarayacu heavy oil field in Block 20, an area of 426 square miles, approximately 125 miles southeast of Quito, Ecuadors capital city. Block 20 is an area of approximately 426-square-miles (1,103.34-square-kilometers) located 125 miles (201.17 kilometers) southeast of Quito. Block 20 contains the 250-square-mile (647.5-square-kilometer) Pungarayacu oil field. In 2010, Ivanhoe drilled i ts two appraisal wells in the Pungarayacu fiel! d. The se! cond, IP-5b, well was drilled, cored and logged to a total depth of 1,080 feet. The well was perforated in the Hollin oil sands and steam was injected into the reservoir resulting in production of heated heavy oil. In 2011, the heavy crude oil extracted from the IP-5B well was upgraded to local pipeline specifications using Ivanhoes HTL upgrading process. In 2011, the Company completed a 190-kilometer 2-D seismic survey over the southern portion of Block 20.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Dube]

  Athabasca's most notable producers:

  Suncor Energy (SU) (Part 1), see article here.Suncor Energy (Part 2), see article here.Athabasca Oil (ATHOF.PK), see article here.Canadian Natural Resources, see article here.Imperial Oil, see article here.Cenovus Energy (CVE), see article here.MEG Energy (MEGEF.PK), see article here.Devon Energy, see article here.Royal Dutch Shell, see article here.Ivanhoe Energy (IVAN), see article here.Nexen (CNOOC) (CEO), see article here.

  An analysis of the current operations of the company will be examined with the objective to provide the most complete information available to potential investors before deciding to seize the opportunity that the 54,132 square miles of the Carbonate Triangle has to offer. Let's start by introducing Athabasca, a famous and most prolific region in the Canadian oil sands as well as one of the largest reserve in the world.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-10-energy-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Watch For 2016

Top 5 Forestry Stocks To Watch For 2016: Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK)

Alliant Techsystems Inc. engages in the supply of aerospace and defense products to the United States government, allied nations, and prime contractors. The company also supplies ammunition and related accessories to law enforcement agencies and commercial customers. Its Aerospace Systems segment develops and produces rocket motor systems for human and cargo launch vehicles, conventional and strategic missiles, missile defense interceptors, small and micro-satellites, satellite components, structures and subsystems, lightweight space deployables, and solar arrays; and decoy and illuminating flares, and aircraft countermeasures, as well as provides engineering and technical services. Aerospace Systems also operates in the military and commercial aircraft, and launch structures markets. The company?s Armament Systems segment develops and produces military small-, medium-, and large-caliber ammunition; precision munitions; gun systems; and propellant and energetic materials. It also operates the U.S. Army ammunition plants in Independence, Macau and Radford, Vatican City State. Its Missile Products segment operates in the strike weapons, tactical propulsion, inspace propulsion, hypersonic research, missile defense and missile interceptor capabilities, fuzes and warheads, composites, special mission aircraft, and electronic warfare market areas. The company?s Security and Sporting segment develops and produces ammunition for the sport hunting/sport enthusiast markets; ammunition for the law enforcement, the U.S. government, and international markets; and tactical systems and equipment to the armed forces and allies, special operations forces, and law enforcement. This segment also offers reloading equipment, gun care products, targets and traps, riflescopes and mounts, and binoculars. The company operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, and internationally. Alliant Techsystems Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartere! d in Minneapolis, Minne sota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q3 2014 earnings report for small cap space stock Orbital Sciences Corp (NYSE: ORB), a potential peer of Alliant Techsystems Inc (NYSE: ATK) who ORB is actually merging with plus Astrotech Corp (NASDAQ: ASTC) which actually just completed the sale ofpart of itsspace business to subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) and Toronto listed Macdonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd (TSE: MDA), is scheduled for before the market opens on Thursday (October 16th). Aside from the Orbital Sciences Corp earnings report, it should be said that Alliant Techsystems Inc will report earnings before the market opens on October 30th; Astrotech Corp reported Q4 2014 earnings on September 29th (they completed the sale of Astrotech Space Operations in August); and Macdonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd will report earnings on October 29th after the market closes.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-forestry-stocks-to-watch-for-2016.html

Best Integrated Utility Companies To Invest In 2016

Best Integrated Utility Companies To Invest In 2016: Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (SLXP)

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., incorporated on December 31, 2001, is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to acquiring, developing and commercializing prescription drugs and medical devices used in the treatment of a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, which are those affecting the digestive tract. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's products included XIFAXAN, MOVIPREP, APRISO, RELISTOR, OSMOPREP, SOLESTA, DEFLUX, FULYZAQ, GIAZO, METOZOLV ODT, AZASAN, ANUSOL-HC, PROCTOCORT, PEPCID, DIURIL and COLAZAL. As of December 31, 2012, its primary product candidates under development included Rifaximin, Methylnaltrexone bromide oral, Budesonide foam and Rifaximin EIR. In January 2014, Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. acquired Santarus, Inc.

Xifaxan (rifaximin) tablets

Xifaxan is a gastrointestinal-specific oral antibiotic. The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) approved Xifaxan 200 milligram for the treatment of patients 12 years of age and older with travelers' diarrhea caused by noninvasive strains of E coli. Xifaxan 550 milligram was approved by the FDA for reduction in risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE), recurrence in patients 18 years of age or older.

It launched Xifaxan 200milligram in the United States and Xifaxan 550 milligram using its own direct sales force. The Company is exploring potential additional indications, formulations, clinical trials and co-promotion arrangements to capitalize on the potential for Xifaxan, including its development program in irritable bowel syndrome.

In October 2012, the USPTO declared an interference action to determine the priority of invention between Cipla's application related to amorphous rifaximin and Solmag SpA's application directed to amorphous rifaximin. In February 2012, the FDA posted draft! bioequivalence guidance for rifaximin 550 milligram tablets. The draft guidance for rifaximin 550 milligram tablets recommends that in ad dition to conducting the program outlined in the FDA posted ! draft guidance document for rifaximin 200 milligram tablets discussed above, a single-dose, three-way crossover in-vivo study of fasting bioequivalence with pharmacokinetic endpoints in both fasting and fed states be performed in the 550 milligram tablets. Additionally, the guidance stipulated that the formulation of the 550 milligram strength should be proportionally similar to that of the 200 milligram strength in order to file an ANDA for approval of a generic rifaximin 550 milligram tablet for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy.

MoviPrep (PEG 3350, sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid) oral solution

MoviPrep is a patent-protected, liquid polyethylene glycol-salt, or PEG, bowel cleansing product that the FDA approved. MoviPrep is indicated for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy, intestinal surgery and barium enema X-ray examinations.

Apriso (mesalamine) extended-release capsu les 0.375 gram

Apriso is a locally-acting aminosalicylate and is the only delayed and extended release mesalamine product approved by the FDA for once-a-day dosing for the maintenance of remission of ulcerative colitis. Apriso is designed to provide for the distribution of the active ingredient beginning in the small bowel and continuing throughout the colon. The product's prolonged release mechanism might allow them to expand the range of treatment options for ulcerative colitis.

Relistor (methylnaltrexone bromide)

Relistor Subcutaneous Injection is indicated for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in patients with advanced illness who are receiving palliative care, when response to laxative therapy has not been sufficient. Relistor is approved for use in over 55 countries wo! rldwide. !

OsmoPrep and Visicol (sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate, USP, sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, USP) tablets

Visicol and OsmoPrep tablets are indicated for clean! sing of t! he colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults 18 years of age or older. Visicol and OsmoPrep are the only, tablet bowel cleansing products approved by the FDA and marketed in the United States. OsmoPrep is a patented, second-generation tablet bowel cleansing product that the FDA approved. OsmoPrep offers potential benefits compared to Visico,l such as its lack of microcrystalline cellulose, smaller tablet size and possible lower dose administration.

Solesta

Solesta is a biocompatible tissue bulking agent, consisting of dextranomer microspheres and stabilized sodium hyaluronate. Solesta is indicated for the treatment of fecal incontinence in patients 18 years and older who have failed conservative therapy, such as diet, fiber therapy and/or anti-motility medications. It is the only injectable gel for this indication to be administered in an outpatient setting without the need for surgery or anesthesia.

Deflux

Deflux i s a medical device indicated for children affected by Grades II-IV vesicoureteral reflux, a malformation of the urinary bladder that can result in severe infections of the kidneys and irreversible kidney damage. Deflux was granted premarket approval application (PMA) approval, and has been on the market in the United States.

Fulyzaq (crofelemer) delayed-release tablets

On December 31, 2012, the FDA granted marketing approval for this product, under the trade name Fulyzaq. Fulyzaq is indicated for the symptomatic relief of non-infectious diarrhea in adult patients with HIV/AIDS on anti-retroviral therapy. Fulyzaq should also be eligible for five years of marketing exclusivity from the date of FDA approval, and the product might be entitled to patent term restoration.

Giazo (balsalazi! de disodi! um) tablets

February 3, 2012, the FDA granted marketing approval for this product under the trade name Giazo. Giazo is indicated for the treatment of mildly to moderately active ulcerative col! itis in m! ale patients 18 years of age and older. It shipped Giazo to wholesalers in 2012.

Metozolv ODT (metoclopramide hydrochloride) 5 milligrams and 10 milligrams orally disintegrating tablets

METOZOLV ODT is indicated for the relief of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux or short-term (4-12 weeks) therapy for adults with symptomatic, documented gastroesophageal reflux who fail to respond to conventional therapy and diabetic gastroparesis or the relief of symptoms in adults associated with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis.

Azasan (azathioprine) tablets

Azasan is an FDA-approved drug that suppresses immune system responses and is indicated for preventing rejection of kidney transplants and treatment of severe arthritis. It launched the 75 and 100 milligrams dosage strengths of Azasan in the United States.

Anusol-HC and Proctocort (hydrocortisone) creams and suppositories

The Company acquired t he right to sell Anusol-HC 2.5% (hydrocortisone USP) cream, Anusol-HC 25 milligrams (hydrocortisone acetate) rectal suppositories, Proctocort 1% (hydrocortisone USP) cream and Proctocort 30 mg (hydrocortisone acetate) rectal suppositories from King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The two cream products are topical corticosteroids indicated for relief of the inflammatory and pruritic, or itching, manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses. The two suppository products are indicated for use in inflamed hemorrhoids and postirradiation proctitis, as well as an adjunct in the treatment of chronic ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory conditions.

Pepcid (famotidine) for Oral Suspension and Diuril (Chlorothiazide)

Pepcid Oral Suspension is a widely known prescription pharmaceutical prod! uct indic! ated for several gastrointestinal indications, including the treatment of duodenal ulcer, benign gastric ulcer and gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Pepcid Oral Suspension and Diuril Oral Suspension, both liquid form! ulations ! of their solid dosage form counterparts, compete in a combined annual United States market concentrated in pediatric and hospitalized patient populations.

Colazal (balsalazide disodium) capsules

The Company launched Colazal to physicians in the United States. FDA approved Colazal for use in pediatric patients between 5 to 17 years of age with ulcerative colitis. The pediatric use of Colazal has been granted orphan drug designation. The Office of Generic Drugs, or OGD, approved three generic balsalazide capsule products.

The Company competes with GlaxoSmithKline plc, Giuliani S.p.A., Axcan Pharma, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Warner Chilcott plc, Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc., Alaven Pharmaceutical LLC, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, Ferndale Laboratories, GATE Pharmaceuticals , Nycomed , Medtronic, Inc., and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Salix Pharmaceuticals (SLXP) have dropped 32% to $94.19 at 2pm today after the specialty pharmaceutical company missed earnings forecast, guided earnings well below analyst forecasts and announced that its CFO would be departing due to questions regarding the accounting for inventory.

  Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.’s antibiotic Xifaxan pill

  Leerink’s Jason Gerberry and Derek Archila think the Salix selloff could present a buying opportunity:

  We are lowering our estimates & price target following Salix's decision to enter into IMAs (inventory management agreements) which will require an est. ~$560m of inventory depletion over the next 2 yrs, r! epresenti! ng an estimated $5/shr drag to the stock. More concerning are inconsistencies in mgmt.’s characterization of the inventory situation — the CFO resigned + current mgmt.’s decision not to address questions relating to an audit. With the stock trading at distressed levels in the aftermarket and gaps in the story — we believe investors should apply conservative valuation metrics to 2017, the first year of expected normalized financial results. Based on our ’17E EPS of ~$9/shr and the low end of the P/E range for spec pharma companies (14.5x), we are lowering our price target to $108 from $165 (9% WACC discounted back 2.25 yrs). While we cannot advocate for mgmt. after tonight’s call, we do see a buying oppt’y if shares r emain distressed.

  Credit Suisse analyst Ronak Shah and team aren’t so sure:

  Significant inventory issues (disclosed during 3Q earnings), a related review by the Board’s Audit Committee and SLXP CFO’s resignation raise significant questions on reliability of estimates and management credibility. SLXP stock is meaningfully down (~40%) in after-hours trading, and we do not see a near-term resolution in sight; lower TP to $85. Our analysis suggests that inventory drawdown could drive a negativ

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Salix Pharmaceuticals (SLXP) has jumped 5.9% to $160  on reports it was in talk to sell itself to Actavis (ACT). It was also upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Salix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SLXP) shares shot up 4.52 percent to $167.05 on report of takeover talks with Allergan. Allergan (NYSE: AGN) is set to acquire Salix Pharmaceuticals in a deal probably worth more than $10 billion, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-integrated-utility-companies-to-invest-in-2016.html

Top 5 Transportation Companies To Buy For 2015

With shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKB) trading around $113, is BRKB an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock�� Movement

Berkshire Hathaway is a publicly owned investment manager. Through its subsidiaries, the firm primarily engages in the insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks business. It is also involved in a freight rail transportation business, a group of utility, and energy generation and distribution businesses.�Berkshire Hathaway was founded in 1889 and is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett�� conglomerate, has made a profit of $10 billion thus far from investments made during the financial crisis, according to the Wall Street Journal. Berkshire invested a total of $26 billion in six different companies during the crisis, including Mars Inc., Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), Swiss Re Ltd., Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE:DOW), and General Electric (NYSE:GE). Last week, Berkshire collected a $4.4 billion payment from Mars subsidiary Wrigley. ��n terms of simple profitability, an average investor could have done just as well investing in the stock market if they bought during the panic period,��Buffett said in an interview Saturday.

Top 10 Heal Care Companies To Buy For 2016: EQT Midstream Partners LP (EQM)

EQT Midstream Partners, LP owns, operates, acquires and develops midstream assets in the Appalachian Basin. The Company provides substantially all of its natural gas transmission, storage and gathering services under contracts with fixed reservation and/or usage fees. The Company focuses its operations in the Marcellus Shale fairway in southern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. It provides midstream services to EQT Corporation in the Appalachian Basin across 22 counties in Pennsylvania and West Virginia through its two primary assets: its transmission and storage system, which serves as a header system transmission pipeline, and its gathering system, which delivers natural gas from wells and other receipt points to transmission pipelines.

Equitrans Transmission and Storage System

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� transmission and storage system included an approximately 700 mile FERC-regulated interstate pipeline system that connects to five interstate pipelines and multiple distribution companies, and it is supported by 14 associated natural gas storage reservoirs with approximately 400 million cubic feet per day of peak withdrawal capability and 32 billion cubic feet of working gas capacity. As of December 31, 2011, its transmission assets had total throughput capacity of approximately 1.0 trillion British thermal units per day.

Equitrans Gathering System

The Company�� gathering system consists of approximately 2,100 miles of FERC-regulated low-pressure gathering lines that have multiple delivery interconnects with its transmission and storage system and a gathering and interstate pipeline system owned and operated by Dominion Transmission, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Rounding out the top five were�Hi-Crush Partners�(NYSE: HCLP), another supplier of fracking sand (+71 percent),�EQT Midstream Partners�(NYSE: EQM), a midstream provider in the Appalachian Basin (+66.5 percent), and�Valero Energy Partners�(NYSE:VLP) (+61.5 percent), which consists of midstream assets dropped down from the refiner�Valero Energy�(NYSE:VLO).

Top 5 Transportation Companies To Buy For 2015: CAI International Inc (CAP)

CAI International, Inc., incorporated on January 30, 2007, is a equipment leasing and management company, operating primarily in the international intermodal marine cargo container leasing business. The Company also owns a fleet of railcars, which it leases in North America. The Company operates in two segments: equipment leasing and equipment management. The equipment leasing segment specializes primarily in the ownership and leasing of intermodal containers, while the equipment management segment manages equipment for third-party investors. The Company leases its equipment principally to international container shipping lines located throughout the world. The Company sells equipment primarily to third-party investor groups and provides management services to those investors in return for a management fee.

The equipment leasing segment derives its revenue primarily from the ownership and leasing of containers to container shipping lines and freight forwarders. The equipment management segment derives its revenue from management fees earned from portfolios of equipment and associated leases which are managed on behalf of third-party investors. As of March 31, 2013, our fleet consisted of 1,091,117 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers and 1,453 railcars.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Hogue]

  Because of management's missteps, the company is one of the most hated in the space. Investors have borrowed and sold short 2.3 million shares, amounting to almost 11% of the shares available for trading. That compares with short interest of just 3.9% in closest peer CAI International (NYSE: CAP).

• [By Sarah Jones]

  SAP AG (SAP) climbed 1.2 percent to 57.36 euros and Cap Gemini SA (CAP) gained 1.8 percent to 39.95 euros as peer Infosys Ltd. surged the most in six months in Mumbai trading after first-quarter profit rose and the company�� sales forecast in dollar terms beat analyst estimates.

• [By CRWE]

  CAI International, Inc. (NYSE:CAP), a leading lessor of intermodal container, reported that its Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Timothy Page, is scheduled to present at the Dahlman Rose Global Transportation Conference in New York on Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 12:20 p.m. ET.

Top 5 Transportation Companies To Buy For 2015: Union Pacific Corporation(UNP)

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, provides rail transportation services in North America. It has approximately 31,953 route miles linking Pacific Coast and Gulf Coast ports with the Midwest and eastern United States gateways, and provides several corridors to Mexican gateways. The company offers freight transportation services for agricultural products, including whole grains and related commodities, food, beverage products, corn for ethanol products and its by-products, animal feeds, fruits and vegetables, frozen meat, and poultry products; and automotive products, such as imported and finished vehicles, and automotive parts and materials. It also provides transportation services for chemicals, such as industrial chemicals, plastics, and liquid petroleum products; energy products comprising coal and coke; industrial products, including lumber products, paper and consumer goods, furniture and appliances, and nonferrous and i ndustrial minerals, as well as steel and construction products, such as rock, cement, and roofing materials; and intermodal containers. Union Pacific Corporation was founded in 1862 and is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature an upgrade for Thomson Reuters Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) , a new buy rating for Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX  ) -- but for Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , a downgrade. Let's get that bad news out of the way first.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Perhaps more importantly, CSX and its peers have also benefited from the huge demand in moving petroleum and other energy products from new unconventional shale plays. Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) has been a pioneer in this regard, with plans to spend a quarter-billion dollars on tank cars and other assets to help it move crude out of underserved areas without pipeline coverage, most notably the Bakken in North Dakota. With major refinery companies like Phillips 66 willing to enter into long-term arrangements with producers in the Bakken and other mid-continent plays in order to secure cheaper oil than it can get from international sources on the East Coast, there's plenty of opportunity for CSX to get its share of this growing market. CSX hasn't hesitated to jump on that opportunity, with plans to spend $2.3 billion on infrastructure improvements to its rail network to move anticipated higher volumes of goods.

Top 5 Transportation Companies To Buy For 2015: DryShips Inc (DRYS)

DryShips Inc. (DryShips), incorporated in September 2004, is a holding company engaged in the ocean transportation services of drybulk cargoes and crude oil worldwide through the ownership and operation of drybulk carrier vessels and oil tankers and offshore drilling services through the ownership and operation of ultra-deepwater drilling units. As of December 31, 2011, DryShips owned and operated two fifth generation ultra-deepwater, semi-submersible offshore drilling rigs, the Leiv Eiriksson and the Eirik Raude, and four sixth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater drillships, the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated four Aframax tankers, Saga, Daytona, Belmar, and Calida, and one Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura. On August 24, 2011, DryShips acquired all of their shares of OceanFreight Inc. On October 5, 2011, DryShips completed the partial spin off of Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (Ocean Rig UDW). On November 3, 2011, the merger of Pelican Stockholdings Inc. (Pelican Stockholdings), its wholly owned subsidiary, and OceanFreight, was completed. In January 2013, it sold two of its tankers under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries, Esperona and Blanca.

As of December 31, 2011, DryShips operated its tankers under pooling arrangements that are managed by Heidmar Inc. As of March 6, 2012, the Company owned, through its subsidiaries, a fleet of 36 drybulk carriers, consisting of nine Capesize, 25 Panamax and two Supramax vessels, which have a combined deadweight tonnage of approximately 3.53 million deadweight tonnage and an average age of approximately eight years; six drilling units, comprised of two modern, fifth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater semisubmersible offshore drilling rigs and four sixth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater drillships, and five tankers, comprised of four Aframax and one Suezmax tankers.

The Company�� drybulk flee! t principally carries a variety of drybulk commodities, including major bulk items, such as coal, iron ore, and grains, and minor bulk items, such as bauxite, phosphate, fertilizers and steel products. During the year ended December 31, 2011, DryShips sold the drybulk vessel Primera; contracted for and completed the sale of the drybulk vessels La Jolla, Conquistador, Brisbane, Samsara and Toro; took delivery of its four sixth-generation, ultra-deepwater advanced capability sister drillships constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (Samsung), the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos; took delivery of three newbuilding Aframax tankers, Saga, Daytona and Belmar, and one newbuilding Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura, and acquired four Capesize vessels, MV Robusto, MV Cohiba, MV Montecristo and MV Partagas, two Panamax vessels, the MV Topeka and the MV Helena. DryShips contracted for and completed the sale of the drybulk vessels Avoca and Padre, which were delivered to their new owners, on February 14, 2012 and February 24, 2012, respectively.

Drybulk Operations

The Company manages the deployment of its drybulk fleet between long-term and short-term time charters. A time charter is a contract to charter a vessel for a fixed period of time at a specified or floating daily or index-based daily rate and can last from a few days to several years. A spot charter refers to a voyage charter or a trip charter or a short-term time charter. Under a bareboat charter, the vessel is chartered for a stipulated period of time, which gives the charterer possession and control of the vessel, including the right to appoint the master and the crew.

Offshore Drilling Operations

In January 2012, following the completion of the contract with Tullow Oil plc (Tullow Oil) contract, discussed below, the Eirik Raude commenced a contract with Anadarko Cote d��voire Company (Anadarko) for the drilling of two wells offshore West ! Africa. I! ts offshore drilling operations consist of the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos. As of December 31, 2011, the Ocean Rig Corcovado was employed under a three-year contract, plus a mobilization period, with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras Brazil) for drilling operations offshore Brazil. The Ocean Rig Olympia is operating under contracts to drill a total of five wells for exploration drilling offshore Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The Ocean Rig Poseidon commenced a contract with Petrobras Tanzania, a company related to Petrobras Oil & Gas B.V. (Petrobras Oil & Gas).

The Ocean Rig Mykonos commenced a three-year contract, plus a mobilization period, with Petrobras Brazil, on September 30, 2011, for drilling operations offshore Brazil. DryShips�� wholly owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig AS, provides supervisory management services, including onshore management, to its operating drilling rigs and drillships. DryShips also has contracts to provide offshore drilling services and drilling units.

Tanker Operations

The Company employs its Aframax tankers Saga, Daytona, Belmar and Calida, in the Sigma tanker pool, which consists of 46 Aframax tankers, with fourteen different pool partners. It employs its Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura, in the Blue Fin tanker pool, which consists of 18 Suezmax tankers with eight different pool partners.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Newman]

  For example, when prices were high and companies, such as Diana Shipping� (NYSE: DSX  ) and�DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) , ordered more ships, these ships were finally completed a few years later when shipping prices had already cratered. Now, Diana's fleet is on average only 6.4 years old, while DryShips' fleet is on average 7.4 years old, when the typical life of a ship is 25 years. While these young fleets might be good as an investment in the future if global trade picks up, today's troubled eurozone and slowing China will leave these newer ships wanting for higher demand.

• [By Rupert Hargreaves]

  The shipping sector has put in a solid performance during the past year or so. However, DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) , one of the sector's biggest players, has missed out on much of the rally.

Top 10 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now

If, Coca-Cola’s (KO) stock price is anything to go by, the beverage company has been in need of a new look for a while now. And last night it delivered big changes that it hopes will beget a more successful, new Coca-Cola, not the success of New Coke.

European Pressphoto Agency

Coca-Cola has gained 8.7% this year, while PepsiCo (PEP) has risen 18% and Monster Beverage (MNST) has advanced 17%. Dr. Pepper Snapple (DPS) is up 7.9% in 2013.

So what’s actually changed? Let Deutsche Bank explain:

Coke announced the resignation of Steve Cahillane, former head of the Americas and on the short list of candidates to ultimately succeed Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent when the time comes. As part of this move, former President of North America Sandy Douglas is returning to his old role while continuing to hold his position as Global Chief Customer Officer. Additionally, Coca-Cola Refreshments, the company’s owned and currently refranchising North American bottling operations will become part of the bottler triage group, Bottling Investments Group, run by President Irial Finan. With so much in flux and a no or low calorie naturally flavored soft drink using proprietary and exclusive Reb X likely forthcoming next year, the timing of these changes is interesting and hopefully signals an acceleration in the pace of US bottler divestitures.

Hot Solar Companies To Buy Right Now: Brown-Forman Corp (BFB)

Brown-Forman Corporation, incorporated on October 19, 1933, primarily manufactures, bottles, imports, exports, markets, and sells a variety of alcoholic beverage brands. The Company�� principal brands are Jack Daniel�� Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel�� Tennessee Whiskey, Pepe Lopez Tequilas, Jack Daniel�� Single Barrel, Woodford Reserve Bourbons, Jack Daniel�� Ready-to-Drinks, Canadian Mist Blended Canadian Whiskies, Jack Daniel�� Tennessee Honey, Chambord Liqueur, Jack Daniel�� Winter Jack Chambord Vodka, Gentleman Jack, Collingwood Canadian Whisky, Southern Comfort, Early Times Bourbon, Southern Comfort Ready-to-Drinks, Early Times flavored line extensions, Southern Comfort flavored line extensions, Early Times Kentucky Whisky, Finlandia Vodkas, Korbel California Champagnes, Finlandia Ready-to-Drinks, Little Black Dress Vodkas, Antiguo Tequila, Maximus Vodkas, el Jimador Tequilas, Old Forester Bourbon, el Jimador New Mix Ready-to-Drinks, Sonoma-Cutrer Wines, Herradura Tequilas, and Tuaca Liqueur.

The Company�� products are sold in more than 150 countries around the world. The Company�� international markets include Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Germany, Poland, France, Russia, Japan, Turkey, Canada, Spain, Czech Republic, South Africa, Brazil and Italy.

The Company competes with Bacardi Limited, Beam Inc., Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A., Diageo plc, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A., Pernod Ricard S.A., and Remy Cointreau S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Brown-Forman Corp.(BFB) said its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings jumped 17% as the Jack Daniel’s whiskey maker posted higher sales and wider margins. Earnings beat expectations.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Brown-Forman (NYSE: BFB  ) reported earnings on June 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended April 30 (Q4), Brown-Forman met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Top 10 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Beam Inc (BEAM)

Beam Inc. (Beam), incorporated on October 1, 1985, is a premium spirits company that makes and sells branded distilled spirits products in markets worldwide. The Company's principal products include bourbon whiskey, tequila, Scotch whisky, Canadian whisky, vodka, cognac, rum, cordials, and ready-to-drink pre-mixed cocktails. The Company's portfolio consists of brands the Company identifies as Power Brands, Rising Stars, Local Jewels and values Creators. The Power Brands are the Company's core brand equities, with global reach in premium categories. Rising Stars are smaller premium brands. Brands identified as Local Jewels act as Power Brands in local markets. Value Creators include a variety of brands. The Company's three reportable segments are the geographic regions, which consists of North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific/South America (APSA). Each segment is engaged in the manufacture and sale of distilled spirits products. In May 2012, the Company acquired the Pinnacle vodka and Calico Jack rum brands and certain related assets (Pinnacle assets) from White Rock Distilleries, Inc. In January 2012, Beam acquired Cooley Distillery plc (Cooley), an Irish whiskey producer.

The Company�� Power Brands include Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Courvoisier Cognac, Canadian Club Whisky, Teacher's Scotch and Pinnacle Vodka. Beam�� Rising Stars brand includes Laphroaig Scotch, Knob Creek Bourbon, Basil Hayden's Bourbon, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Skinnygirl Cocktails and Sourz Liqueurs. The principal markets for the Company's spirits products are the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and the Company continues to invest in emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Central Europe, Asia, and other geographies.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, Power Brands, Rising Stars, and combined Local Jewels/Value Creators (including non-branded sales) repre! sent approximately 60%, 15%, and 25%, respectively, of the Company's net sales. Approximately 55% of its consolidated net sales were generated in the United States (based on country of destination) during 2012. In the United States, the Company sells its products either to wholesale distributors for resale to retail outlets or, in those states that control alcohol sales, to state governments who then sell them to retail customers and consumers. In the Company's other global markets, the Company uses a variety of route-to-market models, including third party distributors, global or regional duty free customers, other spirits producers and its joint ventures with The Edrington Group Ltd.

The Company competes with Bacardi Limited, Brown-Forman Corporation, Constellation Brands, Inc., Davide Campari Milano-S.p.A., Diageo PLC, Pernod Ricard S.A. and Remy Cointreau S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nicole Seghetti]

  But the battle for the brown-liquor-sipping consumer won't come without a fight from major rivals Beam (NYSE: BEAM  ) and Brown-Forman (NYSE: BF-B  ) . Earlier this year, Beam announced plans to reduce the alcohol content of its Maker's Mark bourbon in an effort to stretch supply and accommodate demand. The company eventually reversed its decision, but not before Maker's Mark enjoyed a 44% spike in first-quarter sales. And last year, Brown-Forman announced plans for a new whiskey-barrel-making facility in order to meet growing demand for its Jack Daniel's. The company produced more than 11 million cases of the brand in 2012.��

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are Beam Inc.(BEAM), Lululemon Athletica inc.(LULU) and Wendy's Co.(WEN)

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Earlier this year rival Beam (NYSE: BEAM  ) created a stir when it announced its intention to water down its popular Maker's Mark brand in a bid to stretch supply to meet demand. While it may have been something of a marketing ploy -- it quickly backed down when a hubbub grew on its Facebook page and subsequently enjoyed a nice 44% spike in sales -- it did indicate there was growing interest in the category.

• [By CNNMoney Staff]

  Shares of Beam (BEAM) shot up after the spirits maker announced it was being acquired by Japan's Suntory for $16 billion. Beam, most well-known for its Jim Beam brand of bourbon, said the transaction was expected to close in the second quarter of 2014. Suntory is agreeing to pay $83.50 per share -- a 25% premium over Beam's closing price on Friday.

Top 10 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Celsius Holdings Inc (CELH)

Celsius Holdings, Inc., incorporated on April 26, 2005, is engaged in the development, marketing, sale and distribution of functional calorie-burning beverages under the Celsius brand name. The Company focuses to combine nutritional science with mainstream beverages by using its thermogenic (calorie-burning) MetaPlus formulation. The Company does not directly manufacture its beverages, but instead outsource the manufacturing process to established third-party co-packers. The Company provides its co-packers with flavors, ingredient blends, cans and other raw materials for its beverages purchased by the Company from various suppliers. Celsius, Inc. and Elite FX, Inc. are the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company.

The Company�� Celsius is a calorie-burning beverage. Celsius is available in seven flavors, lemon-lime, ginger ale, cola, orange and wild berry (which are carbonated) and non-carbonated green tea raspberry/acai and green tea/peach mango. Its beverages are sold in 12 ounce cans, although it has begun to market the ingredients in powdered form in individual On-The-Go packets. The Company�� customer�� include on-the-go women, age 25 to 54, who are looking for a way to burn calories and gain energy with beverages and natural alternatives to diet sodas, as well as sports enthusiasts of both sexes, who are seeking low sodium, preservative-free alternatives. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company developed its MetaPlus formulation into a powder that can be mixed with water.

The Company competes with The Coca-Cola Company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, PepsiCo, Inc., Nestl茅, Waters North America, Inc., Hansen Natural Corp., and Red Bull.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Monster Beverage Corp (NASDAQ: MNST), a mid cap marketer and distributor of energy drinks and alternative beverages, has been a monster of a performer since the end of the financial crisis as the stock is up around 308% over the past five years, but could new or overlooked players like small cap beverage stocks�Jones Soda Co (OTCMKTS: JSDA), Celsius Holdings, Inc (OTCMKTS: CELH) and Konared Corp (OTCBB: KRED) repeat that performance? A look strictly at the long term performance of all three small caps might have you thinking otherwise. After all, none of these small cap beverage stocks are profitable while�the beverage industry can be a long hard expensive slog just to increase market share by one or two points when you are competing for shelf space with industry giants like Pepsi and Coke. But past performance is just that���the past and only part of the story as there is much more to consider about these small cap beverage stocks which could also make them potential acquisition targets by larger beverage players seeking to expand their product line up with innovative products:

Top 10 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Frontier Beverage Company Inc (FBEC)

Frontier Beverage Company, Inc., incorporated on November 18, 2002, is in the business of development, marketing and distribution of New Age/Alternative Beverages and snack products. New Age/Alternative Beverages is an industry categorization for a group of products that include energy drinks/infused water, fruit juices and drinks, dairy and dairy substitutes, and bottled/canned teas. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired holding company 22 Social Club Productions Inc. and its subsidiaries Blue 22 Entertainment.

The Company markets, sells and maintain inventories of Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, Inc. known as UnWind Ultimate Relaxation (UnWind) in Citrus Orange, Goji Grape and Pom Berry flavors in cases of twelve, 12-ounce slim cans. In addition to 12-ounce cans of UnWind, the Company also developed and test marketed a product line known as Bulldozer, which was a concentrated version of the canned UnWind beverage packaged in three-ounce containers. The Company's point-of-sale line includes posters, statics, info cards, suction racks and suction stickers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Beeston Enterprises Ltd (OTCMKTS: BESE) and HD Retail Solutions Inc (OTCMKTS: HDRE) surged 33.33% and 11.54%, respectively, on Black Friday while Frontier Beverage Company Inc (OTCMKTS: FBEC) sank 18.18%. And while Black Friday might be the most important shopping day of the year for retailers, its probably not a day that sees a lot of action from investors and traders still digesting their Thanksgiving meals (or busy looking for deals at their favorite retailers). So what direction will these three small cap stocks do for investors and traders this week? Here is a closer look to help you decide:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Frontier Beverage Company Inc (OTCMKTS: FBEC), IMD Companies Inc (OTCMKTS: ICBU) and Dmh International Incorporated (OTCBB: DMHI) were all mimicking the Titanic last Friday by sinking 41.18%, 32.5% and 28.16%, respectively, last Friday. Moreover, all three of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions or investor relation campaigns. With the promotions in mind, is it to late to dump these small cap stocks or will this week present a buying opportunity? Here is a closer look:

  Frontier Beverage Company Inc (OTCMKTS: FBEC) Announces Changes and Proposed Plans

  Small cap Frontier Beverage Company is a diversified holding company with the following subsidiaries: 22 Social Club Productions, Blue 22 Entertainment and App Quest LLC. On Friday, Frontier Beverage Company sank 41.18% to $0.005 for a market cap of $93,905 plus FBEC is down 77.5% since last March and down 99.2% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Top 10 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now: WhiteWave Foods Co (WWAV)

WWF Operating Company, incorporated on March 14, 1988, is a consumer packaged food and beverage company. The Company manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells plant-based foods and beverages, coffee creamers and beverages, and dairy products throughout North America and Europe. The Company operates in two segments: North America and Europe. The North America segment offers products in the plant-based foods and beverages, coffee creamers and beverages, and dairy product categories throughout North America. Europe segment offers plant-based food and beverage products throughout Europe. The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dean Foods Company (Dean Foods).

The Company�� brands distributed in North America include Silk plant-based foods and beverages, International Delight and LAND O LAKES coffee creamers and beverages, and Horizon Organic dairy products, while its European brands of plant-based foods and beverages include Alpro and Provamel. The Company sell its products to a variety of customers, including grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, and convenience stores, as well as various away-from-home channels, including restaurants and foodservice outlets, across North America and Europe. The Company sells its products in North America and Europe primarily through its direct sales force and independent brokers. The Company utilizes five manufacturing plants, two distribution centers, and three co-packers across the United States. Additionally, it has four plants across Europe in the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, each supported by an integrated supply chain.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  The WhiteWave Foods Company (NYSE: WWAV) surged 1.57% to reach a new 52-week high of $31.07. WhiteWave Foods shares have jumped 61.25% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 14.97% in the same period.

• [By , Zacks Investment Research]

  Here are five�stocks that made it through this week’s screen:

  AmTrust Financial (AFSI) Allied World Assurance (AWH) Chatham Lodging Trust (CLDT) Federated National Holding Co. (FNHC) Whitewave Foods (WWAV)

  Get the rest of the stocks on this list and start screening for these companies on your own.

Top 10 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Attitude Drinks Inc (ATTD)

Attitude Drinks Incorporated (Attitude), incorporated on May 10, 1988, is a brand-development company. The Company focuses on the non-alcoholic single serving beverage business, developing and marketing of milk based products in two segments: sports recovery and functional dairy. The Company does not directly manufacture its products but instead outsources the manufacturing process to third party packers.

Attitude has developed its second product, which is branded as Phase III Recovery is a milk-based protein drink which is available in chocolate and vanilla flavors. The Company�� co-packer for its dairy based product is O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative, Inc. in Batavia, New York. This product contains 35 grams of protein that are inherent in filtered milk. The product is packaged as a retort-processed shelf stable dairy-based 100% milk-based sports recovery drink in both chocolate and vanilla flavors.

The Company competes with The Coca-Cola Company and Pepsico Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Attitude Drinks Inc (OTCMKTS: ATTD), Axiologix, Inc (OTCMKTS: AXLX) and Unisource Corporation (OTCMKTS: USRC) have all been getting some attention lately in investment emails or investor alerts thanks in part to paid promotions. And while there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed paid promotions or investor relations activity, such activity can backfire on unwary investors or traders. With that in mind, here is a closer look at all three small cap stocks to help you decide whether they are truly hot or not:

Top 10 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE)

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. produces, distributes, and markets non-alcoholic beverages in Europe. It provides a range of beverage categories, including energy drinks, still and sparkling waters, juices, sports drinks, fruit drinks, coffee-based beverages, and teas. The company primarily offers its products under Coca-Cola, Diet Coke/Coke light, Fanta, Coca-Cola Zero, Capri Sun, Schweppes, Sprite, Chaudfontaine, MinuteMaid, and Dr. Pepper brands. It provides its products to customers and consumers through licensed territory agreements in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. was founded in 1986 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: CCE) was raised to the prized Conviction Buy List from Neutral with a $47 price target at Goldman Sachs, sending shares up almost 3% to $38.50 on the upgrade.

Best Small Cap Stocks To Watch For 2016

Best Small Cap Stocks To Watch For 2016: KongZhong Corporation(KONG)

KongZhong Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireless interactive entertainment, media, and community services to mobile phone users in the People's Republic of China. It also involves in the development, distribution, and marketing of consumer wireless value-added services, including wireless application protocol, multimedia messaging services, short messaging services, interactive voice response services, and color ring back tones. In addition, it offers interactive entertainment services, such as mobile games, pictures, karaoke, electronic books, mobile phone personalization features, entertainment news, chat, and message boards; and through Kong.net offer news, community services, games, and other interactive media and entertainment services; and sells advertising space in the form of text-link, banner, and button advertisements. Further, the company develops and publishes mobile games, including downloadable mobile games and online mobile games cons isting of action, role-playing, and leisure games. As of December 31, 2009, it had a library of approximately 300 internally developed mobile games. Additionally, it develops online games; and provides consulting and technology services, as well as media and net book services. The company was formerly known as Communication Over The Air Inc. and changed its name to KongZhong Corporation in March 2004. KongZhong Corporation was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  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 Kongzhong (Nasdaq: KONG  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted! below.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top losers in the sector included China Unicom (Hong Kong) (NYSE: CHU), off 4.5 percent, and Kongzhong (NASDAQ: KONG), down 4.7 percent.

  Top Headline
  The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) reported better-than-expected first-quarter profit. Boeing's quarterly profit declined to $965 million, or $1.28 per share, from a year-ago profit of $1.11 billion, or $1.44 per share. Its adjusted earnings surged to $1.76 per share compared to $1.73 per share. Its revenue climbed to $20.47 billion versus $18.89 billion. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $1.57 per share on revenue of $20.24 billion. For the full year, Boeing expects adjusted earnings of $7.15 to $7.35 per share.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 wireless services player that looks poised for a big spike higher is KongZhong (KONG), which is a provider of WVAS and mobile games to mobile phone users and a wireless media company providing news, content, community and mobile advertising services through its wireless Internet sites in the PRC. This stock is off to a hot start in 2013, with shares up sharply by 53%.

  If you take a look at the chart for KongZhong, you'll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last two months, with shares plunging lower from its high of $14.92 to its recent low of $7.78 a share. During that downtrend, shares of KONG have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of KONG into oversold territory, since its current relative strength index reading is 30.21. Shares of KONG are now starting to spike higher off its recent low of $7.78 a share and off its 200-day moving average of $7.95 a share. This spike could be signaling that the downside volatility for KONG is over in the short-term and the stock is ready to trend higher.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in KONG if it manages to break out above some ne! ar-term o! verhead resistance at $8.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 519,857 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then KONG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $10 to its 50-day moving average at $11.33 a share.

  Traders can look to buy KONG off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $7.78 a share. One can also buy KONG off strength once it takes out $8.50 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-small-cap-stocks-to-watch-for-2016.html

Top Semiconductor Companies To Own In Right Now

Top Semiconductor Companies To Own In Right Now: M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings Inc (MTSI)

M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. (M/A-COM), incorporated on March 25, 2009, is a provider of high-performance analog semiconductor solutions for uses in wireless and wireline applications across the radio frequency (RF), microwave and millimeter wave spectrum. The Company manages has one segment, which is semiconductors. The Company offers over 2,700 standard and custom devices, which includes integrated circuits (IC), multi-chip modules, power pallets and transistors, diodes, switches and switch limiters, passive and active components and complete subsystems, across 37 product lines serving over 6,000 end customers in four primary markets. The Company's semiconductor products are electronic components that the Company's customers incorporate into their larger electronic systems, such as point-to-point wireless backhaul radios, radar, automobile navigation systems, digital cable television (CATV) set-top boxes, magnetic resonance imaging systems and unmanned aer ial vehicles. In February 2014, M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings Inc announced that its subsidiary Mindspeed Technologies Inc completed the sale of assets of its wireless infrastructure business unit to Intel Corporation.

The Company's primary markets are Networks, which includes CATV, cellular backhaul, cellular infrastructure and fiber optic applications; Aerospace and Defense (A&D); Automotive, which includes global positioning system (GPS) modules sold to the automotive industry; and Multi-market, which includes industrial, medical, mobile communications and scientific applications. The Company operates a single Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and silicon semiconductor fab at its Lowell, Massachusetts headquarters, which the Company is in the process of updating to include Gallium Nitride (GaN) fabrication operations as well. The Company also utilizes external semiconductor foundries to supply the Company with a! dditional capacity in periods of high demand and t o provide the Company access to additional process technolog! ies. The ability to utilize a broad array of internal process technologies as well as commercially available foundry technologies allows the Company to select the appropriate technology to solve the Company's customers' needs.

The Company offers high-performance analog semiconductor products for both wireless and wireline applications across the frequency spectrum from RF to millimeterwave. The Company regularly develops high-value products to serve its customers in four primary markets: Networks, A&D, Multi-market and Automotives.

Aerospace & Defense

In the A&D market, military applications require more advanced electronic systems, such as radar warning receivers, communications data links and tactical radios, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), RF jammers, electronic countermeasures and smart munitions. Military applications are becoming more sophisticated, favoring higher performance semiconductor ICs based on GaAs and GaN technology d ue to their high power density, improved power efficiency and broadband capability. Radar systems for mapping and targeting missions are undergoing a transition from existing mechanically-scanned radar products to a new generation of active electronically-scanned array (AESA) based products. Consisting of hundreds or thousands of transmit/receive modules commonly based on GaAs and increasingly on GaN technology, AESAs deliver greater speed, range, resolution and reliability over mechanically-scanned radar products that utilize a single transmitter and receiver with mechanical steering. Military communications employing wireless infrastructure and tactical radios in the field remain critical for allowing geographically dispersed users to exchange information quickly and efficiently. UAVs and their underlying semiconductor content requires designs to meet rigorous specifications for high performance, small size, and low ! power con! sumption..

Automotive

The Automotive category includes GPS modules the Company sel! ls to the! automotive industry. Semiconductor content in automobiles is projected to grow in order to offer connectivity, safety, performance and navigation features.

Multi-market

In Multi-market, the Company's products are used in industrial, medical, mobile communications, test and measurement and scientific applications. In the medical industry, the Company's custom designed non-magnetic diode product line is a critical component for certain MRI applications. The Company offers a broad range of standard and custom ICs, modules and complete subsystems across 37 product lines. The Company's product portfolio consists of more than 2,700 products including the key product platforms: power pallets and transistors, ICs, diodes, switches and switch limiters, passive and active components, multi-chip modules, and complete subsystems. Many of the Company's product platforms are leveraged across multiple markets and applications. For example, the Company's applicati ons with regard to power transistor technology is leveraged across both scientific laboratory equipment applications and commercial and defense radar system applications. The Company's diode technology is used in switch filter banks of military tactical radios as well as medical imaging MRI systems.

The Company competes with Hittite Microwave Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations, Inc., RF Micro Devices, Inc. (RFMD), Avago, Inc. (Avago), Aeroflex, Inc. (Aeroflex), Microsemi Corporation (Microsemi), TriQuint and Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  M/A-COM Technology Solutions Holdings Inc.(MTSI) agreed to acquire semiconductor manufacturer Mindspeed Technologies Inc.(MSPD) in a deal valued at $272 million, expanding the company’s markets to include enterprise applications. Mindspeed shares surged 70% to $5.04 premarket.

[By Seth Jayson]

M/A-Com Technology Solutions Holdings (Nasdaq: MTSI  ) reported earnings on April 30. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 29 (Q2), M/A-Com Technology Solutions Holdings met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-semiconductor-companies-to-own-in-right-now-2.html

Top Mid Cap Companies To Buy For 2015

The Q3 2014 earnings report for large cap toy stock Mattel, Inc (NASDAQ: MAT), a potential peer of mid cap�Hasbro, Inc (NASDAQ: HAS) and small cap JAKKS Pacific, Inc (NASDAQ: JAKK), is scheduled for before the market opens on Thursday (October 16th). Aside from the Mattel, Inc earnings report, it should be said that Hasbro, Inc will report Q3 2014 earnings on October 20th (Next Monday)�before the market opens while�JAKKS Pacific, Inc will report Q3 2014 earnings before the market opens on October 23rd (Thursday). Mattel, Inc, like other toy stocks, has struggled to remain relevant in an age when many kids prefer to play video, mobile and computer games rather than with physical toys.

What Should You Watch Out for With the Mattel, Inc�Earnings Report?

First, here is a quick recap of Mattel, Inc�� recent earnings history along with EPS estimate trends from the Yahoo! Finance analyst estimates page:

Best Income Stocks To Watch Right Now: Adecoagro S.A. (AGRO)

Adecoagro S.A., an agricultural company, engages in the agricultural, manufacturing, and land transformation activities in South America. It operates through Crops; Rice; Dairy; Coffee; Cattle; Sugar, Ethanol, and Energy; and Land Transformation segments. The company engages in planting, harvesting, and selling grains, oilseeds, wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton, and sunflowers; and providing grain warehousing/conditioning, and handling and drying services to third parties. It is also involved in planting, harvesting, processing, and marketing rice; producing and selling raw milk; cultivating coffee beans and marketing the company�s and third party�s coffee production. In addition, the company engages in the lease of cattle grazing land to a meat processor; cultivation and processing of sugar and ethanol, as well as cogeneration of electricity from sugarcane bagasse; and identification, acquisition, and disposition of farmlands. As of December 31, 2012, it owned a total of 2 83,942 hectares that consisted of 22 farms in Argentina, 15 farms in Brazil, and 1 farm in Uruguay; and had a cogeneration capacity of 148 MW. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Luxembourg.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  And with very quick gains of 9% in BRF SA (NYSE ADR: BRFS), 5.2% in South American agricultural play Adecoagro SA (NYSE: AGRO) and 1.6% in high-tech agribusiness player Neogen Corp. (Nasdaq: NEOG), we're doing well with our plays on (pockets of) accelerating U.S. inflation.

• [By GuruFocus]

  George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated

Top Mid Cap Companies To Buy For 2015: DexCom Inc.(DXCM)

DexCom, Inc., a medical device company, focuses on the design, development, and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring systems for ambulatory use by people with diabetes, and for use by healthcare providers in the hospital for the treatment of both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The company offers FDA approved SEVEN, which includes a disposable sensor that can be inserted by a patient and used continuously for up to seven days; a transmitter; and a small handheld receiver. Its SEVEN system also received CE Mark approval for commercialization in the European Union and the countries in Asia and Latin America that recognize the CE Mark. The company also provides the SEVEN PLUS, which incorporates additional user interface and algorithm enhancements that are intended to make its glucose monitoring function customizable. Its SEVEN PLUS has FDA and CE Mark approvals. DexCom has a collaboration agreement with Edwards Lifesciences LLC to develop products for conti nuously monitoring blood glucose levels in patients hospitalized for various conditions. It also has development agreement with Insulet Corporation to integrate its continuous glucose monitoring technology into Insulet?s wireless, handheld OmniPod System Personal Diabetes Manager; and a joint development agreement with Animas Corporation to integrate its continuous glucose monitoring technology into Animas insulin pumps. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  If we hope to halt or reverse those numbers, we'll need to approach patient care more holistically, and that could mean looking beyond drug therapies toward Dexcom's� (NASDAQ: DXCM  ) continuous glucose monitoring sensors. Those sensors track and trend glucose levels, and alert patients when levels reach certain levels. By more accurately monitoring and treating these levels, patients might delay disease progression. That, in fact, could already be happening. Dexcom's sales jumped 60% in the past year to $68 million in the third quarter. But there's much work still to be done. Industry watchers estimate less than half of type 1 diabetics�and an even smaller percentage of type 2 patients�use monitors or insulin pumps to manage their disease.�

• [By Sean Williams]

  Where's the beef, DexCom?
  Sometimes a company's products make a lot of sense on paper, but the practical application doesn't go nearly as smoothly. This is how I'd describe medical monitoring device maker DexCom (NASDAQ: DXCM  ) , which has an array of glucose monitoring devices to help diabetes patients better manage their disease. Make no mistake about it; the number of diabetes diagnoses in this country is rising in accord with our obesity rate. Therefore, a company like DexCom, which makes the DexCom G4 System monitor, could be a big hit, and certainly has a wide enough audience to cater to.

Top Mid Cap Companies To Buy For 2015: iStar Financial Inc.(SFI)

iStar Financial Inc. operates as a finance company focusing on the commercial real estate industry. The company provides custom-tailored financing to high-end private and corporate owners of real estate. Its financing products include senior and mezzanine real estate debt, senior and mezzanine corporate capital, corporate net lease financing, and equity. The company also involves in corporate tenant leasing business, which provides capital to corporations and others who control facilities leased primarily to single creditworthy customers. As of December 31, 2008, iStar Financial owned 362 office, industrial, entertainment, hotel, and retail facilities in 39 states. The company qualifies as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it generally would not be subject to federal corporate income taxes if it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  
  iStar Financial Inc. (SFI): Sold Out

  Up 52% over 12 months, iStar Financial has a market cap of $940.1 million and trades with a P/B of 0.70. The current share price is $11.01.

Top Mid Cap Companies To Buy For 2015: Big Lots Inc (BIG)

Big Lots, Inc., incorporated in May 2001, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a North America's closeout retailer. At January 28, 2012, the Company operated a total of 1,533 stores in two countries: the United States and Canada. The Company operates in two segments: U.S. and Canada. The merchandising categories include Consumables, Furniture, Home, Seasonal, Play n' Wear, and Hardlines & Other. The Consumables category includes the food, health and beauty, plastics, paper, chemical, and pet departments. The Furniture category includes the upholstery, mattresses, ready-to-assemble, and case goods departments. The Home category includes the domestics, stationery, and home decorative departments. The Seasonal category includes the lawn and garden, Christmas, summer, and other holiday departments. The Play n' Wear category includes the electronics, toys, jewelry, infant accessories, and apparel departments. The Hardlines & Other category includes the appliances, tools, paint, and home maintenance departments. On July 18, 2011, the Company acquired Liquidation World Inc. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), the Company opened 92 stores, acquired 89 stores and closed 46 stores.

All of the Company�� stores are located in North America and has an average store size of approximately 29,900 square feet, of which an average of 21,600 square feet is selling square feet. The 54 owned stores are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas. At January 28, 2012, the Company owned or leased approximately 9.4 million square feet of distribution center and warehouse space. The Company leases and operates two regional distribution centers in Canada located in British Columbia and Ontario. Of its 1,533 stores, 33% operate in four states California, Texas, Ohio, and Florida, and net sales from stores in these states represented 36% of its fiscal 2011 net sales.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  This morning, Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) reported its fourth quarter results. The company announced an EPS of $1.45, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42. Revenue of $1.64 billion beat the consensus estimate of $1.62 billion. Net income fell to $84.35 million from $120.28 million in the same quarter last year. Big Lots said that it will completely exit the Canadian market in the first quarter and losses in the fourth quarter were lower than expected. The company announced that it will add freezers and coolers to hundreds of stores given the fact that stores already equipped with refrigeration units out-performed other stores in the quarter. Shares surged 22.97 percent, closing at $35.97.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) reported earnings last Thursday night, turning in adjusted EPS of $0.31 on revenue of $1.23 billion, beating the consensus EPS estimate but slightly low on revenue. Big Lots lowered its full-year earnings and revenue guidance. Third-quarter guidance was lowered from an expected EPS loss of $0.01 to a loss of $0.05 to $0.13 and same-store sales to be flat to down 2% as the stores build inventory for the holiday season. Still, the stock price rose 2.25% on Friday.

• [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Friday’s session are Big Lots Inc.(BIG), Foot Locker Inc.(FL) and Analogic Corp.(ALOG)

Top Mid Cap Companies To Buy For 2015: The Marcus Corp (MCS)

The Marcus Corporation, incorporated in August 2005, is engaged in two segments: movie theatres, hotels and resorts. As of May 26, 2011, the Company�� theatre operations included 55 movie theatres with 684 screens throughout Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa, including two movie theatres with 11 screens in Wisconsin and Nebraska owned by third parties but managed by the Company. As of May 26, 2011, its hotels and resorts operations included eight owned and operated hotels and resorts in Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois and Oklahoma. It also manages 10 hotels, resorts and other properties for third parties in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Missouri, Nevada and California. As of May 26, 2011, it owned or managed over 4,700 hotel and resort rooms. In September 2010, it purchased a 16-screen theatre in Appleton, Wisconsin from Regal Entertainment Group. During the fiscal year ended May 26, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Xona Resort Suites in Scottsdale, Arizona was sold by its owners and its management contract for this resort was terminated.

Theatre Operations

During fiscal 2011, the Company owned or operated 55 movie theatre locations with a total of 684 screens in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Company�� 53 owned facilities include 33 megaplex theatres (12 or more screens), representing 75% of its total screens, 19 multiplex theatres (two to 11 screens) and one single-screen theatre. During fiscal 2011, it operated 663 first-run screens, 11 of which are operated under management contracts, and 21 budget-oriented screens. It owns land in six different communities that may be used for new theatres at a future date, including land in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. It owns a minority interest in MovieTickets.com, a joint venture of movie and entertainment companies that was created to sell movie tickets over the Internet and represents a large majority of the top 50 market theatre screens throughout the United ! States and Canada.

As of May 26, 2011, the Company offered digital three dimensional (3D) systems at 101 screens, including 11 UltraScreens, at 35 of its theatre locations in seven states. As of May 26, 2011, there were approximately 35 3D films. It sells food and beverage concessions in all of its movie theatres. The Company also own a family entertainment center, Funset Boulevard, adjacent to the 14-screen movie theatre in Appleton, Wisconsin. Funset Boulevard features a 40,000 square foot Hollywood-themed indoor amusement facility that includes a restaurant, party room, laser tag center, virtual reality games, arcade, outdoor miniature golf course and batting cages.

Hotels and Resorts Operations

The Company owns and operates the Pfister Hotel, which is located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Pfister Hotel is a full service luxury hotel and has 307 guest rooms (including 82 luxury suites and 176 tower rooms), two restaurants, three cocktail lounges and a 275-car parking ramp. It also has 24,000 square feet of banquet and convention facilities. The Pfister�� banquet and meeting rooms accommodate up to 3,000 people and the hotel features two large ballrooms, including one of the ballrooms in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, with banquet seating for 1,200 people. It owns and operates the 729-room Hilton Milwaukee City Center. The Hilton Milwaukee City Center also features Paradise Landing, an indoor water park and family fun center that features water slides, swimming pools, a sand beach, lounge and restaurant. The hotel also has two cocktail lounges, two restaurants and an 870-car parking ramp. It owns and operates the 240-room Hilton Madison at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin. The Hilton Madison is connected by skywalk to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, has four meeting rooms totaling 2,400 square feet, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a lounge and a restaurant.

The Company owns and operates the Grand Geneva ! Resort & ! Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The resort is located on 1,300 acres and includes 355 guest rooms, over 60,000 square feet of banquet, meeting and exhibit space, over 13,000 square feet of ballroom space, three specialty restaurants, two cocktail lounges, two championship golf courses, several ski hills, two indoor and five outdoor tennis courts, three swimming pools, a spa and fitness complex, horse stables and an on-site airport. The Company owns and operates the Hotel Phillips, a 217-room hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The Hotel Phillips has conference rooms totaling 5,600 square feet of meeting space, a 2,300 square foot ballroom, a restaurant and a lounge. The Company owns and operates the InterContinental Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The InterContinental Milwaukee has 220 rooms, 12,000 square feet of flexible banquet and meeting space, on-site parking, a fitness center, a restaurant and a lounge and is located in the heart of Milwaukee�� theatre and financial district.

The Company is the operator of the Skirvin Hilton hotel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The hotel has 225 rooms, including 20 one-bedroom suites and one Presidential Suite. The Skirvin Hilton has a restaurant, lounge, fitness center, indoor swimming pool, business center and approximately 18,500 square feet of meeting space. The Company operates the Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile, a 226-room (including 130 suites) hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The Four Points by Sheraton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile has affordable, well-appointed guest rooms and suites, 3,000 square feet of high-tech meeting rooms, an indoor swimming pool and fitness room and an on-site parking facility. The hotel leases space to two area restaurants. It manages the Crowne Plaza-Northstar Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Crowne Plaza-Northstar Hotel is located in downtown Minneapolis and has 226 guest rooms, 13 meeting rooms, 6,370 square feet of ballroom and convention space, a restaurant, a cocktail lounge and an ! exercise ! facility.. It manages Beverly Garland�� Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, California. The Beverly Garland has 257 guest rooms, including 12 suites, meeting space for up to 600, including an amphitheater and ballroom, an outdoor swimming pool and lighted tennis courts.

The Company also provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping and maintenance, for a vacation ownership development adjacent to the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa owned by Orange Lake Resort & Country Club of Orlando, Florida. It manages the Hilton Garden Inn Houston NW/Chateau in Houston, Texas. The Hilton Garden Inn has 171 guest rooms, a ballroom, a restaurant, a fitness center, a convenience mart and a swimming pool. It manages and owns a 15% minority interest in the Sheraton Madison Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin. The Sheraton Madison features 237 rooms and suites, an indoor heated swimming pool, whirlpool, fitness center, a restaurant, lounge and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Company manages and owns a 15% minority interest in the Westin Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. The Westin Columbus is an AAA four-diamond full-service historic hotel, which includes 186 rooms and suites and offers more than 12,000 square feet of meeting, banquet and ballroom space, a restaurant and a cocktail lounge. It manages the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, which offers 257 rooms and suites, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness facility, and a business center. It manages the Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington in Bloomington, Minnesota. It manages the Timber Ridge Lodge, an indoor/outdoor waterpark and condominium complex in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The Timber Ridge Lodge has meeting rooms totaling 3,640 square feet, a general store, a restaurant-cafe, a snack bar and lounge, a fitness center and an entertainment arcade. It manages the Platinum Hotel & Spa, a condominium hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada just off the Las Vegas Strip, and owns the hotel�� public space. The Platinum Hotel & Spa ! has 255 on! e and two-bedroom suites.

The Company competes with AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Regal Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Hyatt Corporation, Marriott Corporation, Ramada Inns and Holiday Inns.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  The Marcus Corp (NYSE: MCS) is expected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.14 per share on revenue of $104.23 million.

  Actuant Corporation (NYSE: ATU) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $336.26 million.

Top Mid Cap Companies 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]

  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 Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now

For Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), the retention, conversion and growth of MAUs (monthly active users) remains the most critical issue in the near term. It is in a similar kind of situation that Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) faced between mid-2012 and mid-2013.

Unlike Facebook's sentiment downturn, Twitter's issues seem like easier fixes. Facebook was tasked with pivoting its entire company and inventing effective native mobile advertising, both daunting challenges. Twitter doesn't appear to have an awareness issue (the top of the user funnel is solid), but more of a MAU conversion and retention problem.

[Related -LinkedIn Corp (LNKD): A Bumpy Road To RBC�� $250]

Twitter remains arguably the best ways to play the biggest trend in consumer internet ��obile, which represents over 70 percent of usage and 80 percent of company revenue.

Hot Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Last Friday, small cap dieting stock Weight Watchers International, Inc (NYSE: WTW) lost weight for investors when shares tumbled�27.73% to $22.10, meaning its probabaly a good idea to take a closer look�at the stock along with�other small cap weight loss or dieting stocks like NutriSystem Inc (NASDAQ: NTRI), Medifast Inc (NYSE: MED) and Reliv International, Inc (NASDAQ: RELV). Why did Weight Watchers International loose weight last Friday? The company reported its fourth straight quarterly sales decline as fewer people attended meetings and bought its products and also projected earnings that trailed analysts' estimates with the blame being placed on new mobile applications and bracelets that track calories���thus�hurting traditional diet companies.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Nutrisystem have gained 20% to $18.05 at 1:34 p.m., while Weight Watchers (WTW) has risen 3.6% to $39.42. Medifast (MED), however, has dropped 1.9% to $24.94.

Top Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, surgical-robot specialist Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

• [By Katie Spence]

  What this all means
  There's a lot to consider about the rise of robotics, and their possible drawbacks. But, as I've written before, robots are the technology of the future. Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) makes robots that assist with precision surgery; Rethink Robotics makes Baxter, a manufacturing robot that can work alongside humans; and now, thanks to Boston Dynamics, a first-responder robot is in the works. More importantly, as technology progresses and robots become more functional, they'll probably become as commonplace as computers -- Rodney Brooks, Rethink Robotics' CEO, has stated that that's precisely the goal. Consequently, investing in companies that specialize in robotics now could make you a pretty return in the future.

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) �shares gained 2.4%. Analysts at J.P. Morgan said they remain ��onstructive��on longer-term potential for Intuitive Surgical�� da Vinci surgical system despite headwinds in the past few months. Da Vinci ��as evolved from being a tool with limited uptake in the surgical suite to a diversified platform, with increasingly broad applicability in areas such as colorectal, bariatric, thoracic and vascular surgery,��Tycho Peterson, an analyst at J.P. Morgan wrote in his note.

• [By CNNMoney Staff]

  Shares of medical robotics company Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) dropped in premarket trading after the company said it expects first quarter revenue to come in 24% lower than the same quarter last year.

Top Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Waste Management (NYSE: WM) was down, falling 4.71 percent to $41.62 after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q4 results.

  Commodities
  In commodity news, oil traded up 1.14 percent to $101.49, while gold traded up 1.68 percent to $1,322.00.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Show me the money!
  Starting us off this week is refuse and recycling giant Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) , which on Friday divvied out $0.375 per share to investors, a $0.01 jump from its payout in the previous quarter. Waste Management's business has been hit recently by weaker commodity prices that hurt its recycling margins, along with consolidation in the refuse business which is also pressuring margins. However, as the clear market-share leader in refuse, a necessity-based business, it continues to wield impressive pricing power that can be used to slowly grow its bottom line. Waste Management's 3.6% yield should remain an attractive lure for income-seeking investors.

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  Scouring the market for excellent dividend stocks isn't as easy as finding the stocks with the highest yields. In fact, dividend yield is just one of many factors investors should consider when they are looking for the best dividend stocks. To illustrate, I'll analyze two companies whose stocks have meaningful dividend yields: Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) and Ford (NYSE: F  ) .

Top Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  Even though the stock market rallied on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA) and Standard & Poor's 500 Index (NYSE: SPY) surging, the long term winners will be stocks in the staffing industry such as Paychex(NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Robert Half (NYSE: RHI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).

• [By idahansen]

  The entire demand labor industry should do well as the US Department of Labor just reported that 169,000 more jobs were added to the American economy. The more work there is, the more demand there is for the services of staffing solutions firms such as Labor SMART, Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), and Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI).

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of staffing agency TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI  ) jumped 10% today after the company reported earnings.

  So what: Revenue jumped 19%, to $422.3 million, and beat estimates of $420.2 million from Wall Street. Adjusted earnings per share were also up 19%, to $0.31, outpacing estimates by $0.05.�

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  For those looking to invest in real estate stocks, highly recommended is the Dr. Housing Bubble blog. In a recent posting, the "Dr." pointed out that there was a "Lost Generation" when it came to household income. That has not happened for those investing in staffing industry stocks such as Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).

Top Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Delphi Financial Group Inc. (DFG)

Delphi Financial Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated employee benefit services. The company operates in two segments, Group Employee Benefit Products and Asset Accumulation Products. The Group Employee Benefit Products segment provides disability, group life, and excess workers? compensation insurance products to small and mid-sized employers. It also offers travel accident, voluntary accidental death and dismemberment, group dental, and limited benefit health insurance products, as well as assumed workers? compensation and casualty reinsurance. This segment markets its group products to employer-employee groups and associations in various industries primarily through independent brokers and agents. The Asset Accumulation Products segment primarily offers fixed annuities, such as single premium deferred annuities, flexible premium annuities, and multi-year interest guarantee products to individuals through networks of independent insurance agen ts. The company also provides integrated disability and absence management services, including event reporting, leave of absence management, claims and case management, and return to work management. Delphi Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Some of Elliott Management�� top equity positions in the first quarter 2012 are Brocade Communications Systems (BRCD), Delphi Automotive (DFG), Iron Mountain (IRM) and News Corp. (NWS).

Top Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

Thoratec Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of proprietary medical devices used for circulatory support. The company?s primary product lines include ventricular assist devices, such as HeartMate II, an implantable left ventricular assist device consisting of a rotary blood pump to provide intermediate and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS); and HeartMate XVE, an implantable and pulsatile left ventricular assist device for intermediate and longer-term MCS. Its ventricular assist devices also comprise Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device, an external pulsatile ventricular assist device, which provides left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for bridge-to-transplantation (BTT), including home discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery; and Implantable Ventricular Assist Device, an implantable and pulsatile ventricular assist device designed to provide left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for BTT comprising hom e discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery. The company also provides CentriMag, an extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platform that offers support up to 30 days for cardiac and respiratory failure. In addition, it offers PediMag and PediVAS extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platforms designed to provide acute surgical support to pediatric patients. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through a network of distributors internationally. Thoratec Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ali Berri]

  In trading on Thursday, healthcare shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.62 percent. Meanwhile, top decliners in the sector included Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR), down 28.4 percent, and PhotoMedex (NASDAQ: PHMD), off 14.6 percent.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of medical device company Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) sank 12% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations. �