Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Own For 2014

Ford Motor Company (F) announced on Wednesday the addition of two new board members.

The automaker named James P. Hackett and John C. Lechleiter as the newest members of the company’s board of directors. Hackett’s new role will begin immediately, while Lechlieter will officially join on October 1, 2013.

Hackett is currently the CEO of Steelcase, Inc–a furniture maker–and also serves on the board of Fifth Third Bancorp, the National Center for Arts and Technology, and the��Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Life Sciences Institute at University of Michigan. Lechlieter is the President and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in the world, and also serves on the board of Nike, Inc, United Way�Worldwide, Xavier University, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and the Life Sciences Foundation.

5 Best Media Stocks To Watch Right Now: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated provides healthcare services in the United States. Its Health Benefits segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; and non-employer based insurance options for purchase by individuals. It also provides health and well-being services for individuals aged 50 and older; and for services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals, as well as health plans for the beneficiaries of acute and long-term care Medicaid plans. This segment offers its services through a network of 730,000 physicians and other health care professionals, and 5,300 hospitals. Its OptumHealth segment provides health, financial, and ancillary services and products that assist consumers through personalized health management solutions; benefit administration, and clinical and network management; health-based financi al services; behavioral solutions; and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life, critical illness, short-term disability, and stop-loss product offerings. The company?s Ingenix segment offers database and data management services, software products, publications, consulting and actuarial services, business process outsourcing services, and pharmaceutical data consulting and research services. Its Prescription Solutions segment provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services comprising retail network pharmacy contracting and management, claims processing, mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy, benefit design consultation, rebate contracting and management, drug utilization review, formulary management programs, disease therapy management, and adherence programs to employer groups, union trusts, managed care organizations, Medicare-contracted plans, Medicaid plans, and third party administrators. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Minne tonka, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Finally, it should be mentioned that what really sent BioTelemetry�� shares skyrocketing last summer was�an announcement that health insurer UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, part of the�UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH), would be�covering its heart monitoring devices with the three year agreement�covering�UnitedHealth-affiliated companies, including Medicare and Medicaid plans UnitedHealth manages. That was great news because UnitedHealthcare presently covers over 70 million Americans while many of the monitoring devices are used by�Medicare beneficiaries as�Medicare covers part of the cost of the devices.

• [By John Divine]

  Lastly, shares of America's largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH  ) , were off 1.4% Tuesday. Health insurers like UnitedHealth will have to pay about half a billion in premium rebates as a result of the Affordable Care Act, a fact that was made public last week. Today's fall may not be directly related, because news of the payments isn't fresh off the wire; but with the health-care sector already in the doldrums today, that looming payout sure didn't entice investors.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Quality Software Services, which is owned by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH  ) , was the contractor to which Campbell alluded. However, a key link in the component that Quality Software Services developed came from Oracle (NYSE: ORCL  ) . Early finger-pointing suggested that the Oracle Identity Manager was a cause of the major technical problems. That prompted Oracle to strongly deny that its software wasn't working.

Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Own For 2014: Vitamin Blue Inc (VTMB)

Vitamin Blue, Inc. (Vitamin Blue), incorporated on May 25, 1999, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and distributing surf wear board shorts, t-shirts and fleece jackets) and surfing accessories (surf boards bags, roof rack pad and surf backpacks). The Company focuses on four types of retail outlets: surfboard manufacturers, surf shops, specialty stores and department stores. Vitamin Blue distributes the majority of its products through surfboard manufacturers and surf shops. The primary focus of Vitamin Blue is surf wear and surfing accessories. The Company�� primary distribution focuses on retail outlets in North America (the United States, Canada and Mexico). Vitamin Blue manufactures most of its surfing accessories and all of its surfwear in-house.

Surfboard Manufacturers

The Company�� surfboard manufactures retail outlet generally consists of single shops, where surfboards are designed, manufactured and marketed. It is the source for surfing accessories. This distribution channel focuses on the core surf market. The Company has relationships with manufacturers, such as Hap Jacobs, Bing Surfboards, Bark Boards and Ron House Shapes, Dewey Weber, Stewart Surfboards. Vitamin Blue surfing accessories are sold through this channel.

Surf Shops

The Company�� surf shops are generally single to multiple shops located in or near beach cities, focused on the central surf market. It tends to be privately owned. Surf shops also focus on the core surf market and provide an authentic retail source for complete lines of surfwear and surfing accessory products. The Company has relationships with manufacturers, such as Freeline Design (Santa Cruz, California), The Frog House (Newport Beach, California), Infinity Surfboards (Dana Point, California), Legends Surf (Carlsbad, California), Hi-Tech Surf Sports (Maui, Hawaii), Second Wind Sail and Surf (Maui, Hawaii), Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport (Maui, Hawaii) Kennedy Surfboards (Woodland Hills, California),! Malibu Surf Shack, (Malibu, California), E.T. Surf (Hermosa Beach, California), Spyder (Hermosa Beach, California), Costa Azul (Laguna Beach, California), Icons of Surf (San Clemente, California), Encinitas Surfboards (Encinitas, California), Nor Easter Surf Shop (Scituate, Massachusetts), Air & Speed Surf Shop (Montauk, New York), Xtreme Surf & Sport (East Northport, New York) and Marsh�� Surf Shop (Atlantic Beach, North Carolina). The complete line of Vitamin Blue products (surfwear and surfing accessories) is distributed through this channel.

Specialty Stores

The Company�� specialty stores type of retail outlet generally consists of single, regional and nationwide stores, and tends to be located in or near beach or resort communities, shopping centers, and shopping malls. Specialty stores distributing surf products primarily include tourist/vacation shops, sporting good stores (including Sports Chalet, Inc. - SPCHB), and regional and national retail stores (including Pacific Sunwear of California-PSUN and Zumiez, Inc.-ZUMZ). Vitamin Blue intends to use this type of retail outlet to distribute its surfwear.

Department Stores

The Company�� department stores type of retail outlet generally has stores located nationwide. It is located in shopping malls, such as Bloomingdale��, Macy��, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Vitamin Blue intends to use this type of retail outlet to distribute its surfwear.

Vitamin Blue�� surfing accessories include surfboard travel bags, which offer surfboard protection and can be used daily or for long distance surf trips; surf gear travel bags, which are duffle bags used to carry surfing essentials on surf trips; surf backpacks, which are specially, designed wet bag backpacks for wetsuit storage, and roof-rack pads, which is used on existing car roof racks for surfboard protection and security on daily surf outings.

The Company competes with Quicksilver, Inc., Billabong Intl, Hurley and! Volcom I! nc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap marijuana stocks Smart Ventures Inc (OTCMKTS: SMVR) and Vitamin Blue Inc (OTCMKTS: VTMB) jumped 40.28% and 38.6%, respectively, while hemp stock Astika Holdings Inc (OTCBB: ASKH) fell 13.75% on Friday. Moreover, only one of these small cap stocks seems to have been the subject of a few paid promotions or investor relations types of activities. So will all three of these marijuana or hemp stocks keep producing highs or lows for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Green Endeavors Inc (OTCMKTS: GRNE), Global Links Corporation (OTCMKTS: GLCO) and Vitamin Blue Inc (OTCBB: VTMB) were all making noticeable moves at the end of last week. On Friday, Green Endeavors Inc rose 8.11% and Global Links Corporation rose 13.96% while Vitamin Blue Inc fell 10%. Of course, small cap OTC stocks making large single digit or double digit moves in either direction aren�� all that unusual. Moreover, all of these small caps have been the subject of paid promotions. With that in mind, here is a closer look at all three to help you decide on an investing or trading strategy:

Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Own For 2014: Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp (AQN)

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (APUC) is engaged in ownership of power generation facilities and water, gas and energy utilities, through investments in securities of subsidiaries, including companies, limited partnerships and trusts. It operates in two segments: APCo, which owns or has interests in renewable energy facilities and thermal energy facilities, and Liberty Utilities, which owns and operates utilities in the United States of America providing water, wastewater and local electric distribution services. In February 2013, it acquired the regulated water distribution utility assets located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas from United Waterworks Inc. Effective December 20, 2013, Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. announced that, Liberty Utilities, APUC's regulated distribution utility, acquired the Massachusetts natural gas distribution utility assets (New England Gas Assets) of Southern Union Company, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (AQN) increased 3.7 percent to C$6.94 after Sean Steuart, analyst with TD Securities, raised his rating for the stock to buy from hold. Algonquin owns and invests in renewable power assets across North America.

Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Own For 2014: Husky Energy Inc (HUSKF.PK)

Husky Energy Inc. (Husky), incorporated on June 21, 2000, is an international integrated energy company. The Company operates in two segments: Upstream and Downstream. Upstream includes exploration for, development and production of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas and natural gas liquids and other producers��crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, sulphur and petroleum coke, pipeline transportation and processing of heavy crude oil and natural gas, storage of crude oil, diluents and natural gas and cogeneration of electrical and thermal energy (infrastructure and marketing). Downstream includes upgrading of heavy crude oil feedstock into synthetic crude oil (upgrading), refining in Canada of crude oil and marketing of refined petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, ethanol blended fuels, asphalt and ancillary products, and production of ethanol (Canadian refined products) and refining in the United States of crude oil to produce and market gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuels that meet United States clean fuels standards (United States refining and marketing).

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company had 512 retail locations in its light refined products operations, which consisted of 361 owned or leased locations (husky controlled) and 151 independent retailer locations. The Company is continually monitoring the owned and leased locations for environmental protection or to address regulatory compliance requirements, such as reporting.

Upstream Operations

Husky�� portfolio of Upstream assets includes properties with reserves of light crude oil (30掳 API and lighter), medium crude oil (between 20掳 and 30掳 API), heavy crude oil (liquid between 20掳 API and 10掳 API), bitumen (solid or semi-solid with a viscosity greater than 10,000 centipoise at original temperature in the deposit and atmospheric pressure), NGL, natural gas and sulphur. The Wenchang field is located in the western Pearl River Mouth Basin, approximately 400 kilometers ! south of Hong Kong and 100 kilometers east of Hainan Island. The Wenchang 13-1 and 13-2 oil fields are producing from 32 wells in 100 meters of water into an FPSO vessel stationed between fixed platforms located in each of the two fields. In December 2012, Husky signed a joint venture contract with CPC Corporation, Taiwan for an exploration block in the South China Sea. The exploration block is located 100 kilometers southwest of the island of Taiwan and covers approximately 10,300 square kilometers.

Husky has a 40% interest in approximately 621,700 acres (2,516 square kilometers) of the Madura Strait block, located offshore East Java, south of Madura Island, Indonesia. Husky�� two partners are CNOOC which is the operator and has a 40% working interest, and Samudra Energy Ltd., which holds the remaining 20% interest through its affiliate, SMS Development Ltd. Husky�� offshore East Coast Canada exploration and development program is focused on the Jeanne d��rc Basin on the Grand Banks, which contains the Hibernia and Terra Nova fields, as well as the White Rose field and satellite extensions including the North Amethyst, West White Rose and the South White Rose extensions. The White Rose oil field is located 354 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and approximately 48 kilometers east of the Hibernia oil field on the eastern section of the Jeanne d��rc Basin. Husky is the operator of the White Rose field and satellite tiebacks, including the North Amethyst, West White Rose and South White Rose extensions. The Terra Nova oil field is located approximately 350 kilometers southeast of St. John��, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Terra Nova oil field is divided into three distinct areas, known as the Graben, the East Flank and the Far East. As of January 16, 2013, Husky held a working interest in 17 Exploration Licences (ELs) offshore Newfoundland, Labrador and Greenland. Husky is the operator of 13 of these ELs and has working interests ranging from 35% to 100%.

Hus! ky is the operator of two ELs offshore the west coast of Disko Island, Greenland. Tucker is an in-situ SAGD oil sands project located 30 kilometers northwest of Cold Lake, Alberta. Husky holds in excess of 550,000 acres in undeveloped oil sands leases and has a 100% working interest in all leases except in Athabasca South in which it has a 50% working interest. Husky�� heavy oil assets are primarily concentrated in a large producing region in the Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan area. The Company maintains a land position of approximately two million gross acres within this area. Over 90% of Husky�� proved reserves in the region are contained in the heavy crude oil producing areas of Pikes Peak, Edam, Tangleflags, Celtic, Bolney, Paradise Hill, Westhazel, Big Gully, Mervin, Marwayne, Lashburn, Gully Lake, Vermilion, Swimming, Morgan, Lindbergh, Aberfeldy, Marsden, Epping, Furness and Rush Lake, and in the medium gravity crude oil producing fields of Wildmere and Wainwright. As of December 31, 2012, the Company produces from oil and gas wells ranging in depth from 450 meters to 650 meters and holds a 100% working interest in the majority of these wells. In the Lloydminster area, the Company owns and operates 21 oil treating facilities which are tied into the Husky heavy oil pipeline systems. Husky operates 67 facilities in the area. Husky is the operator of a number of properties in southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan. The Foothills Northwest Plains area is located in western and northern Alberta and British Columbia. The area is made up of five distinct districts: Rainbow Lake, Northern Alberta, Northern Alberta & British Columbia Plains, Ansell-Galloway and Foothills.

Husky provides heavy crude oil feedstock to its Upgrader and its asphalt refinery, which are located at Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan. The combined dry crude feedstock requirements of the Upgrader and asphalt refinery are approximately equal to Husky�� heavy crude oil production from the Lloydminster area.! Husky al! so purchases third party volumes. Husky markets heavy crude oil production directly to refiners located in the mid-west and eastern United States and Canada. Husky markets its light and synthetic crude oil production to third-party refiners in Canada, the United States and Asia in addition to Husky�� Lima Refinery. NGL are sold to local petrochemical end users, retail and wholesale distributors and refiners in North America.

The Company holds a 50% interest in a 90 megawatts natural gas fired cogeneration facility adjacent to Husky�� Rainbow Lake processing plant. The cogeneration facility produces electricity for the Power Pool of Alberta and thermal energy (steam) for the Rainbow Lake processing plant. It provides power directly to the Power Pool of Alberta under an agreement with the Alberta Electric System Operator to provide additional electricity generating capacity and system stability for northwestern Alberta. The Company also operates and has a 50% interest in a natural gas storage facility at East Cantuar near Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

Downstream Operations

The Lima Refinery, located in Ohio between Toledo and Dayton, has an atmospheric crude throughput capacity of 160 thousand of barrels/day. The refinery produces gasoline, gasoline blend stocks, diesel, jet fuel, petrochemical feedstock and other by-products. The feedstock is received via the Mid-Valley and Marathon Pipelines and the refined products are transported via the Buckeye and Inland pipeline systems and by rail car to primary markets in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and southern Michigan. During 2012, crude oil feedstock throughput at the Lima Refinery averaged 150 thousand of barrels/day. Production of gasoline averaged 77 thousand of barrels/day, total distillates averaged 56 thousand of barrels/day and total butanes averaged 17 thousand of barrels/day. The BP-Husky Toledo Refinery, in which Husky holds a 50% interest, has an atmospheric crude throughput capacity of 160 thousand of barrels/day. Pr! oducts in! clude low sulphur gasoline, ultra low sulphur diesel, aviation fuels, propane, kerosene and asphalt. The refinery is located in one of the highest energy consumption regions in the United States. Husky owns and operates the Husky Lloydminster Upgrader, a heavy oil upgrading facility located in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. The Upgrader is designed to process blended heavy crude oil feedstock into high quality, low sulphur synthetic crude oil. Production at the Upgrader averaged 61 thousand of barrels/day of synthetic crude oil, 13 thousand of barrels/day of diluent and 4 thousand of barrels/day of low sulphur diesel in 2012.

Husky�� Canadian Refined Products operations include refining of light crude oil, manufacturing of fuel and fuel grade ethanol, manufacturing of asphalt products from heavy crude oil and acquisition by purchase and exchange of refined petroleum products. Husky�� retail distribution network includes the wholesale, commercial and retail marketing of refined petroleum products and provides a platform for non-fuel related convenience product businesses. Husky�� Pounder Emulsions division has a market share in Western Canada for road application emulsion products. Additional non-asphalt based road maintenance products are also marketed and distributed through Pounder Emulsions. Husky�� asphalt distribution network consists of emulsion plants and asphalt terminals located at Kamloops, British Columbia, Edmonton and Lethbridge, Alberta, Yorkton, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, Manitoba and three emulsion plants located at Watson Lake, Yukon and Lloydminster and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Husky�� ethanol production supports its ethanol-blended gasoline marketing program. When added to gasoline, ethanol promotes more complete fuel combustion, prevents fuel line freezing and reduces carbon monoxide emissions, ozone precursors and net emissions of greenhouse gases.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caiman Valores]

  But as highlighted earlier Whitecap's Canadian light sweet crude is not as heavily discounted as Canadian heavy oil or bitumen. This does not leave it exposed to the same price risks and volatility as those companies that have a significant portion of their production made up by Canadian heavy oil and Bitumen, such as Husky Energy (HUSKF.PK), Suncor (SU), Imperial Oil (IMO) and Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ).

Hot High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now

NEW YORK (AP) -- The National Retail Federation on Tuesday urged a federal judge to reject a proposed $7.2 billion settlement with Visa (NYSE: V  ) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) over alleged fee-fixing.

Retailers had until Tuesday to opt out of the agreement, if they wished to pursue future legal action. Retailers who didn't opt out by the deadline were automatically be considered to have accepted the settlement.

Last week, Macy's (NYSE: M  ) , Target (NYSE: TGT  ) , and other major retailers rejected the settlement and filed their own lawsuit.

In its brief filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., the National Retail Federation called the settlement a "surrender" that doesn't address price fixing by the credit card processing companies and their banks.

Visa, MasterCard, and other card companies agreed in July to settle a lawsuit brought by retailers in 2005 that claimed card issuers conspired to fix the fees they charge stores for accepting credit cards.

Hot Low Price Companies To Buy Right Now: Lexmark International Inc.(LXK)

Lexmark International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and supply of printing, imaging, document workflow, and content management solutions for offices in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Rim, and the Caribbean. It offers monochrome and color laser printers, laser multifunction products, inkjet all-in-one devices, dot matrix printers, and cartridges and other supplies; and services and solutions, including maintenance, consulting, and systems integration, as well as managed print services, such as asset lifecycle management, implementation and decommissioning services, consumables management, optimization services, and utilization management. The company also provides enterprise content management (ECM) software products, including ImageNow document management, document imaging, and workflow suite that allows users to capture, process, and collaborate on important documents and inform ation, protect data integrity throughout its lifecycle, and access precise content; and industry specific workflow solutions for the healthcare, higher education, government, and financial services industries, as well as for back office functions, including accounting, human resources, contracts, and records. Its software modules include Retention Policy Manager to manage the complete lifecycle of content from creation to destruction or disposition; Business Insight, which integrates IBM Cognos to provide industry and business process dashboards, operational and ad-hoc reporting, and report design tools; workflow software that automates processing steps, simplifies work tasks, and provides real-time monitoring; and eForms module, which enables the online entry and collection of raw data in electronic forms that are accessible from Web sites and portals. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sara Ashley O'Brien]

  Fischer and Lexington Mayor Jim Gray founded the Bluegrass Economic Advancement Movement in 2011 to unite their cities around advanced manufacturing and support businesses like GE (GE), Toyota (TM) and Lexmark (LXK), which has helped fuel the state's overall economy.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Lexmark International (NYSE: LXK) shares tumbled 11.19 percent to $41.53 after the company reported Q1 adjusted earnings of $0.92 per share on revenue of $877.70 million.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Lexmark International (NYSE: LXK) shares dipped 9.86% to $42.16 after the company reported Q1 adjusted earnings of $0.92 per share on revenue of $877.70 million.

Hot High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Automatic Data Processing Inc.(ADP)

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. provides technology-based outsourcing solutions to employers, and vehicle retailers and manufacturers worldwide. It operates in three segments: Employer Services, Professional Employer Organization Services, and Dealer Services. The Employer Services segment offers a range of human resource (HR)information, payroll processing, and tax and benefits administration solutions and services, including traditional and Web-based outsourcing solutions. Its solutions enable employers to staff, manage, pay, and retain their employees. The Professional Employer Organization Services segment provides employment administration outsourcing solutions, including payroll, payroll tax filing, HR guidance, 401(k) plan administration, benefits administration, compliance services, health and workers? compensation coverage, and other supplemental benefits for employees. The Dealer Services segment offers integrated dealer management systems (DMS) and other busines s management solutions to automotive, truck, motorcycle, marine, recreational vehicle, and heavy machinery retailers. This segment also provides a suite of additional integrated applications to address department and functional area of the dealership, including customer relationship management applications, front-end sales and marketing/advertising solutions, and an IP Telephony phone system integrated into the DMS to help dealerships drive sales processes and business development initiatives, as well as offers computer hardware, hardware maintenance services, software support, system design, and network consulting services. In addition, it designs, establishes, and maintains communications networks for its dealership clients that allow interactive communications among various site locations, as well as links between franchised dealers and their vehicle manufacturer franchisors. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuters]

  LM Otero/AP U.S. private employers added 175,000 jobs in January, the smallest gain since August as wintry weather kept a lid on hiring, a report by a payrolls processor showed Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 180,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from a low of 125,000 to a high of 210,000. December's increase in jobs was revised down to 227,000 from the initially reported 238,000. The report is jointly developed with Moody's Analytics. Small businesses, defined as having fewer than 50 employees, showed the largest growth by business size, with 75,000 jobs added. Medium businesses, with between 50 and 499 workers, added 66,000, while large companies, with more than 500 staff members, added 34,000 positions, the report showed. By sector, the services sector added 160,000 jobs, down from an upwardly revised 177,000 in December, led by strength in the professional and business services group, which added 49,000. Goods-producing companies added just 16,000 positions after an increase of 50,000 the month before. Manufacturers cut jobs, with a decline of 12,000 after adding 16,000 positions in December. "Cold and stormy winter weather continued to weigh on the job numbers," Moody's Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi said in a statement accompanying the report. "Underlying job growth, abstracting from the weather, remains sturdy. Gains are broad based across industries and company sizes, the biggest exception being manufacturing, which shed jobs, but that is not expected to continue." The ADP (ADP) report comes two days ahead of the government's nonfarm payroll report, a measure of the labor market that is more comprehensive and includes both public- and private-sector employment. December's initial reading from ADP failed to foreshadow accurately the Labor Department's report, which showed that just 74,000 jobs were created in December. That was the lowest job creation total in

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Automatic Data Processing (Nasdaq: ADP  ) reported earnings on May 3. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q3), Automatic Data Processing met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Hot High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: J.C. Penney Company Inc. Holding Company(JCP)

J. C. Penney Company, Inc., through its subsidiary, J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc., operates department stores in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company sells family apparel and footwear, accessories, fine and fashion jewelry, beauty products, and home furnishings. It also provides various services, such as styling salon, optical, portrait photography, and custom decorating. The company also sells its products through its Internet Web site, jcp.com. J. C. Penney Company, Inc. has strategic alliance with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. As of December 7, 2011, it operated approximately 1,100 department stores. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in Plano, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP  ) , short position: 55.5% of float and 25.6% of outstanding shares
  This retailer's recent travails are well known, as J.C. Penney tried and failed to transform itself from a coupon-driven discount retailer to a more attractive destination for shoppers. With the Ron Johnson experiment having backfired, the company has recently started to move back toward its original focus, albeit trying to hang onto some of the progress it has made with store renovations and in-store specialty shops. Despite recent news that George Soros has taken a substantial position in the stock, short-sellers think that the retailer is doomed to eventual failure as its competitors have already taken advantage of its weakness.

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Sure, there are some battered players out there on the cheap like JCPenney (JCP) … but buying a cheap stock like JCP that is circling the drain is not the same as buying a low-priced company at a bargain.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Long-struggling retailer J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP  ) saw its stock soar today as reports surfaced that the company may be looking to use its real-estate assets to raise capital. As of 1:50 p.m. EDT, the stock is up 6%. J.C. Penney's move would be part of a broader strategy to maximize its available cash. The retailer borrowed $850 million from its credit line yesterday and is working with advisors to raise at least $1 billion to put toward completing its reorganization efforts.

Hot High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Horsehead Holding Corp.(ZINC)

Horsehead Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty zinc and zinc-based products in North America. The company?s products include PW zinc metal, which is used to provide a protective coating to various fabricated products, including pipe and guard rails, heat exchangers, and telecommunications towers, as well as for the production of brass; and SSHG zinc metal that is used as feed for the manufacture of high-purity zinc powder and zinc alloys. It also offers zinc oxide for the production of tire and rubber products, chemicals, ceramics, plastics, paints, lubricating oils, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the company recycles electric arc furnace dust, a hazardous waste generated by steel mini-mills. Further, it provides special zinc powders, which are used in general chemical and metallurgical applications, as well as in friction applications, such as brake linings for automobiles; battery grade zinc powders that are used in alkaline, me rcuric oxide, silver oxide, and zinc-air batteries; and copper-based powders, including brass, bronze, and nickel-silver powders, which are used in various applications comprising brazing, infiltrating, and powdered metallurgical hardware, such as lock bodies, valves, and gears. Additionally, the company offers short-line railroad service for the movement of materials. It primarily serves galvanizers and brass producers; alkaline battery industries; and manufacturers of tire and rubber products, lubricating oils, chemicals, paints, ceramics, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Basic materials shares jumped about 1.72 percent in Monday's trading. Leading the sector was strength from Century Aluminum Co (NASDAQ: CENX) and Horsehead Holding (NASDAQ: ZINC). In trading on Monday, utilities shares dropped by 0.13 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Basic materials shares jumped about 1.72 percent in Monday's trading. Leading the sector was strength from Century Aluminum Co (NASDAQ: CENX) and Horsehead Holding (NASDAQ: ZINC). In trading on Monday, utilities shares dropped by 0.13 percent.

Hot High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: BYD Co Ltd (BYDDF)

BYD COMPANY LIMITED is principally engaged in the research, development, manufacture and distribution of automobiles, secondary rechargeable batteries and mobile phone components. The Company operates its businesses primarily through secondary rechargeable battery business, which provides lithium-ion batteries and nickel batteries, which are applied in mobile phones, digital cameras, electric tools, electric toys and other portable electronic devices; mobile phone components and assembly businesses, which offers casings, keypads, liquid crystal display (LCD) modules, cameras, flexible circuit boards, chargers, and mobile phone design and assembly services, as well as automobile business, which provides automobiles, including G6, S6 and other series. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Isidore]

  Shares of Tesla (TSLA) shot up as high as $196, before easing off those highs later in the day. That topped the previous record set Sept. 30 Shares of Chinese electric carmaker BYD (BYDDF), in which Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA, Fortune 500) has taken a stake, were also higher in trading in China and the United States.

Hot High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: AmTrust Financial Services Inc (AFSI)

Amtrust Financial Services, Inc., incorporated on November 7, 1990, is a holding company. The Company is a multinational specialty property and casualty insurer focused on generating consistent underwriting profits. The Company operates in four business segments: small commercial business, specialty program and personal lines reinsurance. The Company transacts business through 11 insurance company subsidiaries: Technology Insurance Company, Inc. (TIC), Rochdale Insurance Company (RIC), Wesco Insurance Company (WIC), Associated Industries Insurance Company, Inc. (AIIC), Milwaukee Casualty Insurance Company (MCIC), Security National Insurance Company (SNIC), AmTrust Insurance Company of Kansas, Inc. (AICK) and AmTrust Lloyd�� Insurance Company of Texas (ALIC). In January 2013, the Company acquired First Nonprofit Companies, Inc. In February 2013, the Company's subsidiary acquired Car Care Plan (Holdings) Limited (CCPH) from Ally Insurance Holdings, Inc.

Small Commercial Business

Small Commercial Business segment provides workers��compensation to small businesses that operate in low and medium hazard classes, such as restaurants, retail stores, physicians and other professional offices, and commercial package and other property and casualty insurance products to small businesses. The Company is authorized to write its Small Commercial Business products in all 50 states. The Company distributes its policies through a network of over 8,100 select retail and wholesale agents who are paid commissions based on the annual policy premiums written. Commercial package products provide a range of insurance to small businesses, including commercial property, general liability, inland marine, automobile, workers��compensation, and umbrella coverage.

The Company maintains Small Commercial Business property and casualty claims operations in several of its domestic offices and the commercial package claims operation is separated into four processing units: casualty, propert! y, cost-containment/recovery and a fast-track physical damage unit. As of December 31, 2012, its Small Commercial Business property and casualty claims were approximately 61% automobile and 13% property and inland marine with the remaining 26% involving general liability and umbrella losses.

Specialty Risk and Extended Warranty

The Company��Specialty Risk and Extended Warranty segment provides coverage for consumer and commercial goods and custom designed coverages, such as accidental damage plans and payment protection plans offered in connection with the sale of consumer and commercial goods in the United States and Europe, and certain niche property, casualty and specialty liability risks in the United States and Europe, including general liability, employers��liability and professional and medical liability. specialty risk business primarily covers, such as legal expenses in the event of unsuccessful litigation; property damage for residential properties; home emergency repairs caused by incidents affecting systems, such as plumbing, wiring or central heating; latent defects that materialize on real property after building or completion; payment protection to insureds if they become unable to meet financial obligations under finance contracts; guaranteed asset protection (GAP) to cover the difference between an insurer�� settlement and the asset value in the event of a total loss, and general liability, employers��liability, public liability, negligence of advisors and liability of health care providers and medical facilities.

The Company's extended warranty business covers selected consumer and commercial goods and other risks, including personal computers; consumer electronics, such as televisions and home theater components; consumer appliances, such as refrigerators and washing machines; automobiles (excluding liability coverage); furniture, and heavy equipment. The Company also serve as a third party administrator to provide claims handling and ca! ll center! services to the consumer products and automotive industries in the United States and Canada. It underwrites the specialty risk coverage on a coverage plan-level basis, which involves substantial data collection and actuarial analysis, as well as analysis of applicable laws governing policy coverage language and exclusions.

Specialty Program

The Company�� Specialty Program segment provides workers��compensation, package products, general liability, commercial auto liability, excess and surplus lines programs and other specialty commercial property and casualty insurance to a narrowly defined, homogeneous group of small and middle market companies. The type of risk covered by this segment is similar to the type of risk in Small Commercial Business but also covers, to a small extent, certain higher risk businesses. The coverage is offered through accounts with various agents to multiple insureds. Policyholders in this segment primarily include industries, such as retail, wholesale, service operations, artisan contracting, trucking, light and medium manufacturing, habitational and professional employer organizations. As of December 31, 2012, the Company underwrote 77 programs through 44 independent wholesale and managing general agents. Workers��compensation insurance consists approximately 33% of this business during the year ended December 31, 2012.

Personal Lines Reinsurance

The Company�� Personal Lines Reinsurance Segment has a 20% participation in the Personal Lines Quota Share, by which it receive 10% of the net premiums of the personal lines business. The Personal Lines Quota Share provides that the reinsurers, severally, in accordance with their participation percentages, will receive 50% of the net premium of the GMACI Insurers and assume 50% of the related net losses.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  For the past several years, Berkshire has contrasted its own cost-free float provided by profitable underwriting against the industry�� (unimpressive) tendency to lose money on underwriting while generating net returns from investment income. So far, so good. Less edifying, though, is the repeated contrast of Berkshire�� track record of profitability to State Farm��…even though, as a mutual company, State Farm�� profitability goals are inherently different from for-profit insurers like Berkshire. It�� true that through year-end 2013, Berkshire�� underwriters have ��ow operated at an underwriting profit for eleven consecutive years,��but so have ACE (ACE), American Financial (AFG),� AmTrust Financial (AFSI), Arch Capital (ACGL), Chubb (CB), HCC (HCC), Progressive (PGR), RLI (RLI), and W.R. Berkley (WRB), any or all of whom provide a more meaningful comparison than contrasting Berkshire�� results to a company that�� not out to produce a profit in the first place.

5 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now

On Wednesday, Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

More than most businesses, Arctic Cat depends on the weather to provide enough winter snow to drive sales of its snowmobiles. After some difficult seasons in past year, the company has hoped to rebound with a return to more normal conditions. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Arctic Cat over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.

Stats on Arctic Cat

Analyst EPS Estimate

($0.40)

10 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Monster Beverage Corp (MNST)

Monster Beverage Corporation, formerly Hansen Natural Corporation, incorporated on April 25, 1990,is a holding company. The Company develops, markets, sells and distributes alternative beverage. The alternative beverage category combines non-carbonated ready-to-drink iced teas, lemonades, juice cocktails, single-serve juices and fruit beverages, ready-to-drink dairy and coffee drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, and single-serve still water (flavored, unflavored and enhanced) with new age beverages, including sodas that are considered natural, sparkling juices and flavored sparkling beverages. It has two reportable segments, namely Direct Store Delivery (DSD), whose principal products comprise energy drinks, and Warehouse (Warehouse), whose principal products comprise juice-based and soda beverages. The DSD segment develops, markets and sells products primarily through an exclusive distributor network, whereas the Warehouse segment develops, markets and sells products primarily directly to retailers. Corporate and unallocated amounts that do not relate to the DSD or Warehouse segments specifically, have been allocated to Corporate and Unallocated.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, it continued to expand its existing product lines and flavors and further develop its distribution markets. In particular, it continued to focus on developing and marketing beverages that fall within the category generally described as the alternative beverage category. During the year ended December 31, 2012, it introduced a number of new products, including Monster Rehab Tea + Orangeade + Energy, a non-carbonated energy drink with electrolytes, Monster Energy Zero Ultra, a carbonated energy drink which contains zero calories and zero sugar, bermonster Energy Brew, a non-alcoholic energy drink, manufactured using a brewed fermentation process, Hansen�� Coconut Water, in original and tropical flavors, packaged in re-sealable Tetra Prisma boxes, Peace Tea Cranberry, Pink Lemonade and Texas-Style Sweet ! Tea, ready-to-drink iced teas, Monster Cuba-Lima, a carbonated lime flavored non-alcoholic energy drink, Monster Energy Dub Edition Baller�� Blend, a carbonated punch + energy drink and Monster Energy Dub Edition Mad Dog, a carbonated punch + energy drink.

DSD Segment

Monster Energy Drinks offers products under the Monster Energy drink product line: Monster Energy, Lo-Carb Monster Energy, Monster Energy Assault, Monster Khaos, Monster M-80 (named Ripper in certain countries), Monster MIXXD, Monster Energy Absolutely Zero, Monster Energy Import and Import Light, Monster Energy Dub Edition Baller�� Blend, Monster Energy Dub Edition Mad Dog, M3 Monster Energy Super Concentrate energy drinks, bermonster Energy Brew, Monster Energy Zero Ultra and Monster Cuba-Lima.

Java Monster Coffee + Energy Drinks - A line of non-carbonated dairy based coffee + energy drinks. It offers products under the Java Monster product line: Java Monster Kona Blend, Java Monster Loca Moca, Java Monster Mean Bean, Java Monster Vanilla Light, Java Monster Irish Blend and Java Monster Toffee. Monster Energy Extra Strength Nitrous Technology Energy Drinks - A line of carbonated energy drinks containing nitrous oxide. It offer products under the Monster Energy Extra Strength Nitrous Technology product line: Super Dry, Anti Gravity and Black Ice.

-Presso Monster Coffee + Energy Drinks - A line of non-carbonated dairy based coffee + energy drinks. It offers products under the X-Presso Monster coffee + energy drinks product line: X-Presso Monster Hammer and X-Presso Monster Midnite.

Monster Rehab Tea + Energy Drinks - A line of non-carbonated energy drinks with electrolytes. It offers products under the Monster Rehab drink line: Monster Rehab Tea + Lemonade + Energy, Monster Rehab Rojo Tea + Energy, Monster Rehab Green Tea + Energy, Monster Rehab Protean + Energy and Monster Rehab Tea + Orangeade + Energy.

Worx Energy Energy Shots - A line of energy suppleme! nts which! contains zero calories and zero sugar. It offers products under the Worx Energy energy shot product line: Original Formula and Extra Strength.

Peace Tea Iced Teas - A line of ready-to-drink iced teas. It offers products under the Peace Tea product line: green tea, imported Ceylon tea, sweet lemon tea, razzleberry tea, cranberry tea, pink lemonade tea, Texas-style sweet tea and Caddy Shack tea + lemonade.

Warehouse Segment

Hansen�� brand sodas have been a natural soda brand on the West Coast of the United States for more than 30 years and are made with natural flavors. Hansen�� brand sodas, sweetened with cane sugar, and Hansen�� Diet Sodas, sweetened with Splenda no calorie sweetener and Acesulfame-K, contain no preservatives, sodium, caffeine or artificial colorings. It offers sodas under the Hansen�� brand name: Hansen�� Sodas, Hansen�� Diet Sodas and Hansen�� Natural Mixers, as well as Hansen�� Sparkling Waters, in a variety of flavors.

Its Blue Sky products contain no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, caffeine (other than its Blue Sky energy drinks) or artificial coloring and are made with sugar and natural flavors. It offers products under the Blue Sky product line: Blue Sky Natural Soda, Blue Sky Zero Calorie Sodas (sweetened with Truvia brand stevia extract, an all natural sweetener), Blue Sky Premium Sodas, Blue Sky Organic Natural Sodas, Blue Sky Seltzer Waters, Blue Sky Blue Energy drinks, Blue Sky Zero Calorie Blue Energy drinks, Blue Sky Caf Energy drinks and Blue Sky Recover Energy drinks.

Its original Hansen�� energy drinks compete in the functional beverage category, namely, beverages that provide a benefit in addition to simply delivering refreshment. It offers products under the Hansen�� energy drink product line: Hansen�� Natural Energy Pro, Hansen�� Energy Diet Red and Hansen�� Natural Stamina Pro.

Its fruit juice product line includes Hansen�� Natural Apple Juice, Ha! nsen�� ! Natural Grape Juice, White Grape Juice, Pineapple Juice, Apple Grape Juice, Apple Strawberry Juice, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Cranberry-Apple Juice, Cranberry-Grape Juice, Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, and Organic Apple Juice. In March 2012, it added Hansen�� Natural Apple Orange Pineapple Juice which contains 100% juice as well as 120% of the United States Recommended Daily Allowances (the USRDA) for vitamin C. It also offer Hansen�� Natural Lo-Cal juice cocktails, a line of all natural, low-calorie cocktails in four flavors. The Lo-Cal juice cocktails are sweetened with Truvia sweetener. Hansen�� juice products compete in the shelf-stable juice category.

It offers a number of aseptically packed boxed juice products, including its dual-branded multi-vitamin 100% juice line, which itsell in conjunction with Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) through Costco stores. It offers its Hansen�� Natural line of multi-vitamin 100% juices to other customers. These multi-vitamin juices contain eleven essential vitamins and six essential minerals and are available in a variety of flavors. In February 2012, it added Hansen�� Natural Organic Apple Juice, a 100% USDA Certified Organic Apple Juice with 100% of the USRDA for vitamin C.

Its Hansen�� Junior Juice product line is a 100% juice line targeted at toddlers and preschoolers. These juices have added calcium and all flavors contain 100% of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C. It also offers organic juices as well as Hansen�� Organic Junior Water, a lightly flavored reduced calorie beverage, both of which contain 100% of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C. In addition, it offers Junior Juice Coconut Water Twist, a line of fruit and coconut water juices containing 100% of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin C.

Its Hubert�� Lemonade is a line of premium ready-to-drink lemonades. Hubert�� Lemonade is sweetened with cane sugar and Truvia sweetener. Hubert�� Lemonade i! s all nat! ural and contains no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, or artificial colorings. It offers products under the Hubert�� Lemonade product line: Strawberry Lemonade, Limeade, Mango Lemonade, Honey Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade and Original Lemonade. It added Cherry Limeade and Blackberry Lemonade flavors to the product line in February 2012 and October 2012, respectively. In July 2012, it introduced 4-count multi-packs of select flavors.

Hubert�� Half & Half is sweetened with cane sugar and Truvia sweetener, and contains no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or artificial colorings. Its Fruit and Tea Stix product line is an all-natural, low-calorie powder drink mix line, sweetened naturally with Truvia sweetener. Its Angeleno Aguas Frescas is a line of premium ready-to-drink aguas frescas. Angeleno Aguas Frescas are sweetened with cane sugar and real fruit juice and contain no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, or artificial colorings. It offers flavors under the Angeleno Aguas Frescas product line: Mango, Melon, Pineapple, Jamaica (Hibiscus) and Tamarindo. Its Hansen�� Natural PRE products include a line of prebiotic and probiotic digestive wellness ready-to-drink beverages and powder drink mixes, containing specially formulated blends by Jarrow Formulas. PRE prebiotic ready-to-drink beverages are sweetened with either cane sugar or stevia. PRE probiotic powder drink mixes are sweetened with cane sugar and stevia. In March 2012, it introduced Hansen�� Natural Coconut Water, a line of premium 100% Coconut Waters available in Pure and Tropical flavors.

The Company competes with TCCC, PepsiCo, Inc. (PepsiCo), The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (the DPS Group), Red Bull Gmbh, Kraft Foods, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Nestle Beverage Company, Tree Top Inc. (Tree Top), Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. (Ocean Spray), Red Bull, Rockstar, Full Throttle, No Fear, Amp, Adrenaline Rush, NOS, Venom, Redline, 180, Red Devil, Rip It, Xenergy, 5-Hour Energy ! Shots, Mi! O Energy, Stacker 2, VPX Redline Energy Shots, Red Bull, Rockstar, Burn, V-Energy, Lucozade, Adrenaline Rush, Power Play, Mother, Hell, Shock, Tiger, Boost, Gladiator, TNT, Shark, Hot 6, Nalu, Battery, Bullit, Flash Up, Black, Non-Stop, Bomba, Semtex, Starbucks Frappuccino, Starbucks Double Shot, Starbucks Double Shot Energy Plus Coffee , other Starbucks coffee drinks, Rockstar Roasted, Seattle�� Best, illy issimo coffee, Full Throttle Coffee, Arizona, Lipton, Snapple, Nestea, Xing Tea, Honest Tea, Gold Peak Tea, Fuze Tea, the DPS Group, Cott Corporation and National Beverage Corporation, Jones Soda Co., Crystal Geyser, J.M. Smucker Company, Reeds, Inc., Zevia, Tree Top, Mott��, Martinelli��, Welch��, Ocean Spray, Tropicana, Minute Maid, Langers, Apple , Eve, Seneca, Northland, Juicy Juice, Old Orchard, Calypso, Simply Lemonade, Minute Maid, Cabana, Tropicana, Newman�� Own, Vita Coco, ZICO and O.N.E.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Monster has strong margins, quality debt management, consistently improving revenue and earnings on an annual basis, and huge international potential. However, there is no sustainable momentum in the stock right now. There are too many risks related to negative press (fair or unfair) that could lead to a gap down.

• [By John Divine]

  Shares of Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST  ) shed 4.4% Friday, as the American Medical Association prepares to discuss the endorsement of a ban on energy drinks to children. The group of physicians has an understandably large influence on health policy in the United States, and a move to suggest an age requirement for the high-caffeine beverages that are Monster's specialty poses a serious threat to its business.

5 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: ONEOK Partners L.P.(OKS)

ONEOK Partners, L.P. engages in the gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas in the United States. The company?s Natural Gas Gathering and Processing segment gathers and processes natural gas produced from crude oil and natural gas wells located in the Mid-Continent region; and gathers natural gas in the Williston Basin, which spans portions of Montana and North Dakota, and the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. Its Natural Gas Pipelines segment primarily owns and operates regulated natural gas transmission pipelines, natural gas storage facilities, and natural gas gathering systems for non-processed gas. It also provides interstate natural gas transportation and storage services. This segment?s interstate natural gas pipeline assets transport natural gas through FERC-regulated interstate natural gas pipelines in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. In addition, it transports intra state natural gas through its assets in Oklahoma; and owns underground natural gas storage facilities in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. Its Natural Gas Liquids segment gathers, fractionates, and treats natural gas liquids (NGLs), as well as stores NGL products primarily in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. This segment owns FERC-regulated natural gas liquids gathering and distribution pipelines in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Wyoming, and Colorado; terminal and storage facilities in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois; and FERC-regulated natural gas liquids distribution and refined petroleum products pipelines in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana that connect its Mid-Continent assets with Midwest markets, including Chicago, Illinois. ONEOK Partners GP serves as the general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as Northern Border Partners, L.P. and changed its name to ONEOK Partners, L.P. in May 2006. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Oneok Partners LP(OKS) issued guidance for 2014 that surpasses its estimate for the current year, citing growth in natural-gas volumes.

  QEP Resources Inc.(QEP) plans to separate its midstream business, QEP Field Services Co., into a separate entity, including its interest in QEP Midstream Partners LP(QEPM).

5 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: CSX Corporation (CSX)

CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides rail-based transportation services. The company offers traditional rail service, and the transport of intermodal containers and trailers. It transports crushed stone, sand and gravel, metal, phosphate, fertilizer, food, consumer, agricultural, automotive, paper, and chemical products; and utility, industrial, and export coal to electricity-generating power plants, steel manufacturers, industrial plants, and deep-water port facilities. The company also provides intermodal transportation services through a network of approximately 50 terminals transporting manufactured consumer goods in containers in the eastern United States, as well as performs drayage services and trucking dispatch operations. In addition, it operates distribution centers and storage locations; connects non-rail served customers to the benefits of rail by transferring products, such as ethanol and minerals, from rail to trucks; engages in the real estate sale, leasing, acquisition, and management and development activities. CSX Corporation operates approximately 21,000 route mile rail network, which serves various population centers in 23 states east of the Mississippi River, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, as well as operates approximately 4,000 locomotives. It also serves production and distribution facilities through track connections to approximately 240 short-line and regional railroads. CSX Corporation was founded in 1978 and is based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup, sending shares down 2%.

  Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was reiterated as Buy and the price target was raised to $58 (versus a $49.18 close), now that the Instagram monetization will begin before year-end, according to Sterne Agee.

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  The iPIG portfolio's two-for-one railroad special of CSX� (NYSE: CSX  ) and Union Pacific� (NYSE: UNP  ) also reported earnings in the last week. The news there was decidedly positive, as both companies showed growth overall, in spite of continued weakness in coal, a key commodity moved around by the railroad industry. Boding well for the iPIG's strategy of looking for dividend growth possibilities, CSX also increased its dividend by a penny, to $0.15 per quarter.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  CSX (NYSE: CSX  ) has undergone a huge transformation over the past decade, as the steep spike in energy prices sent railroads from being nearly obsolescent modes of transportation to being a key mover of goods during the commodity boom. Even after that boom paused during the 2008 financial crisis, CSX stock rebounded sharply from its declines and has recently approached all-time-record highs.

• [By , DividendChannel.com]

  CSX Corp. (CSX) has been named as the ”Top Dividend Stock of the Dow Transports”, according to Dividend Channel, which published its most recent ”DividendRank” report.

5 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch Right Now: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Robson]

  LONDON -- In the latest edition of this long-running story, it has been suggested that�Vodafone� (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) could use a substantial amount of the money it would receive from selling its stake in Verizon Wireless to fund a takeover of�Liberty Global� (NASDAQ: LBTYA  ) .

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In 2014

We're still years away from commercial scale LNG exports, but that hasn't stopped Dominion Resources (NYSE: D  ) or Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP  ) from making plans to drop down their facilities into a master limited partnership. In this video, Fool contributor Aimee Duffy discusses why MLPs could be a good fit for LNG and how Cheniere Energy (NYSEMKT: LNG  ) has already done this with its existing MLP, Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSEMKT: CQP  ) .

More opportunity in energy
Imagine a company that rents a very specific and valuable piece of machinery for $41,000... per hour (that's almost as much as the average American makes in a year!). And Warren Buffett is so confident in this company's can't-live-without-it business model, he just loaded up on 8.8�million shares. An exclusive, brand-new Motley Fool report reveals the company we're calling OPEC's Worst Nightmare. Just click HERE to uncover the name of this industry-leading stock... and join Buffett in his quest for a veritable LANDSLIDE of profits!

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Nabors Industries Ltd (NBI)

Nabors Industries Ltd. (Nabors), incorporated on December 11, 2001, is the land drilling contractor and land well-servicing and workover contractors in the United States and Canada. The Company markets approximately 474 land drilling rigs for oils and gas land drilling operations in the United States Lower 48 states, Alaska, Canada and over 20 other countries globally. The Company actively markets approximately 442 rigs for land well-servicing and workover work in the United States and approximately 106 rigs for land well-servicing and workover work in Canada. In 2012, the Company sold its remaining wholly-owned oil and gas business in Colombia and sold additional wholly owned assets in the United States. In April 2012, TransForce Inc. acquired through its subsidiary, I.E. Miller Services, Inc, certain assets of Peak USA Energy Services, Ltd., subsidiary of Nabors Industries Ltd. In December 2012, the Company sold its 49.7% ownership interest in NFR Energy LLC (NFR Energy).

The Company is a provider of offshore platform workover and drilling rigs, and actively markets 36 platform, 12 jackup and four barge rigs in the United States, including the Gulf of Mexico, and multiple international markets.The Company provides completion and production services, including hydraulic fracturing, cementing, nitrogen and acid pressures pumping services with over 805,000 hydraulic horsepower in United States and Canada. The Company offers a range of ancillary well-site services, including engineering, transportation and disposal, construction, maintenance, well logging, directional drilling, rigs instrumentation, data collection and other support services in select United States and international markets. The Company manufactures and lease or sell drives for a ranges of drilling applications, directional drilling systems, rig instrumentation and data collection equipment, pipeline handling equipment and rig reporting software. The Company has a 51% ownership interest in a joint venture in Saudi Arabia, w! hich owns and actively markets nine rigs in addition to the rigs the Company leases to the joint venture.

A land-based drilling rig generally consists of engines, a drawworks, a mast (or derrick), pumps to circulate drilling fluid under various pressures, blowout preventers, drill string and related equipment. Special-purpose drilling rigs used to perform workover services consist of a mobile carrier, which includes an engine, drawworks and a mast, together with other standard drilling accessories and specialized equipment for servicing wells. These rigs are specially designed for repairs and modifications of oil and gas wells, including standard drilling functions. Land-based drilling rigs are moved between well sites and among geographic areas using the Company's fleet of cranes, loaders and transport vehicles or those of third-party service providers.

Platform rigs provide offshore workover, drilling and re-entry services. The Company's platform rigs have drilling and/or well-servicing or workover equipment and machinery arranged in modular packages that are transported to, and assembled and installed on, fixed offshore platforms owned by the customer. Jackup rigs are mobile, self-elevating drilling and workover platforms equipped with legs that can be lowered to the ocean floor until a foundation is established to support the hull, which contains the drilling and/or workover equipment, jacking system, crew quarters, loading and unloading facilities, storage areas for bulk and liquid materials, helicopter landing deck and other related equipment. The Company also own two workover inland barge rigs. These barges are designed to perform plugging and abandonment, well-service or workover services in shallow inland, coastal or offshore waters.

The Company provides a range of wellsite solutions to oil and natural gases companies, consisting primarily of technical pumping services, including hydraulic fracturing, a process sometimes used in the completion of oil and g! as wells ! whereby water, sand and chemicals are injected under pressure into subsurface formations to stimulate gas and oil production, and down-hole surveying services. Other technical services include completion, production and rental tool services. In addition, the Company provides fluid logistics services, including those related to the transportation, storage and disposal of fluids that is used in the drilling, development and production of hydrocarbons.

The Company provides maintenance services on the mechanical apparatus used to pump or lift oils from producing wells. These services include, among other activities, repairing and replacing pumps, sucker rods and tubing. They also occasionally include drilling services. The Company provides the rigs, equipment and crews for these tasks, which are performed on both oil and natural gas wells, but which are more commonly required on oil wells. Producing oil and natural gas wells occasionally require repairs or modifications, called workovers. The Company can also provide other specialized services, including onsite temporary fluid storage; the supply, removal and disposal of specialized fluids used during certain completion and workover operations, and the removal and disposal of salt water that often accompanies the production of oil and natural gas.

Through various subsidiaries, the Company manufactures top drives and catwalks, which is installed on both onshore and offshore drilling rigs. The Company provides heavy equipment to move drilling rigs, water, other fluids and construction materials as well as the means to moves such equipment. The Company offers specialized drilling technologies, including patented steering systems and rigs instrumentation software systems, including ROCKITTM directional drilling system, which is used to provide data collection services to oil and gas exploration and service companies, and RIGWATCHTM software, which is computerized software and equipment that monitors a rig's real-time performance and da! ily repor! ting for drilling operations, making this data available through the Internet.

The Company competes with Helmerich and Payne, Inc., Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc., Basic Energy Services, Inc., Key Energy Services, Inc., Superior Energy Services, Inc., Forbes Energy Services Ltd., Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Weatherford International Ltd., Schlumberger Limited, FTS International Services LLC, C&J Energy Services, Inc. and RPC, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anora Mahmudova]

  The Nasdaq Composite (COMP) �dropped 129.79 points, or 3.1%, its worst one-day percentage decline since November 2011. The Nasdaq Biotech index (NBI) � as well as iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) � dropped 5.6%.

• [By Anora Mahmudova]

  The Nasdaq Composite (COMP) �added 39.91 points, or 1%, to 4,161.46, recording the sixth consecutive session of gains, helped by a 6% rally in Netflix, Inc. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies also jumped. Both the Nasdaq Biotechnology index (NBI) � and the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) � rose 3.2%.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In 2014: Sangamo BioSciences Inc.(SGMO)

Sangamo Biosciences, Inc. engages in the research, development, and commercialization of zinc finger DNA-binding proteins (ZFPs) for gene regulation and gene modification in the United States. Its ZFPs could be engineered to make ZFP transcription factors (ZFP TFs), proteins that could be used to turn genes on or off; and ZFP nucleases (ZFNs), proteins that enable to modify DNA sequences in various ways. The company?s principal ZFP therapeutic include SB-509, a plasmid formulation of a ZFP TF activator of the vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) gene that is in a Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of severe diabetic neuropathy; and in a Phase 2 clinical trial in for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as in preclinical animal studies for spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. It is also developing SB-728-T, a ZFN-modified T-cell product, which is in Phase 1/2 clinical trial and two Phase 1 trials for the treatment of HI V/AIDS. In addition, the company develops SB-313xTZ, a ZFN-based therapeutic that is in Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer. Further, it has preclinical development programs of ZFP therapeutics in the areas of Parkinson?s disease, hemophilia B, and neuropathic pain; and neuroregenerative programs in spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. Additionally, the company has research stage programs in the areas of monogenic diseases and genetic conditions that result from a defect in a single gene, including hemophilia and other hemoglobinopathies, and immunodeficiencies. It has collaboration agreements with Sigma-Aldrich Corporation; Dow AgroSciences LLC; Pfizer Inc.; Genentech, Inc.; Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc.; and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Richmond, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  That's not always the case. I watched as one well-known blogger on The Street sabotaged Antares Pharma (Nasdaq: ATRS) right after FDA approval for a new rheumatoid arthritis delivery system a few months ago, and it's taken a long time for ATRS to finally recover. A similar thing happened to Sangamo Biosciences (Nasdaq: SGMO), which stopped my subscribers out of the stock. I advised them to buy right back into it, and we currently just exited with a 73.4% return on it.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Sangamo Biosciences (NASDAQ: SGMO) shot up 29.01 percent to $17.61 after the company and Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced the global collaboration to develop treatments for hemoglobinopathies.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cbeyond Inc.(CBEY)

Cbeyond, Inc. provides managed information technology (IT) and communications services to small businesses in the United States. Its services include local and long-distance voice, broadband Internet, mobile services, broadband laptop access, voicemail, email, Web hosting, fax-to-email, data backup, file-sharing, virtual private networking, and cloud servers; and cloud applications, data center infrastructure as a service, cloud private branch exchange phone systems, metro Ethernet, multi-protocol label switching, information security, administration management, and professional services to migrate and manage customer environments. It sells its products and services through direct sales; value-added resellers, local area network consultants, and other IT and communications consultants; and managed services providers, systems integrators, and software vendors. The company was formerly known as Cbeyond Communications, Inc. and changed its name to Cbeyond, Inc. in July 2006. Cbeyond, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Cbeyond (NASDAQ: CBEY) shares gained 38.56% to touch a new 52-week high of $9.81 after the company agreed to be acquired by Birch Communications in all-cash transaction valued at $323 million.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Cbeyond (NASDAQ: CBEY) shares reached a new 52-week low of $6.07. Cbeyond's PEG ratio is -1.19.

  Swisher Hygiene (NASDAQ: SWSH) shares touched a new 52-week low of $0.732. Swisher Hygiene appointed William Pierce as its new president and CEO.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Cbeyond (NASDAQ: CBEY) soared 6.29% to $6.76 in the pre-market trading. Cbeyond shares have dropped 10.67% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 26.42% in the same period.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In 2014: Energy Transfer Equity L.P. (ETE)

Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., through its direct and indirect investments in the limited partner and general partner interests in Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., engages in midstream, intrastate, and interstate transportation of natural gas, as well as in storage of natural gas in the United States. The company?s Intrastate Transportation and Storage segment engages in the ownership and operation of natural gas transportation pipelines and natural gas storage facilities. As of December 31, 2009, it owned and operated approximately 7,800 miles of natural gas transportation pipelines and 3 natural gas storage facilities. This segment sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution companies, industrial end-users, and other marketing companies on the Houston pipeline system. Its Interstate Transportation segment involves owns and operates interstate natural gas pipeline. It owned and operates approximately 2,700 miles of interstate natura l gas pipeline with an additional 180 miles under construction. The company?s Midstream segment engages in the ownership and operation of in service natural gas gathering pipelines, natural gas processing plants, natural gas treating facilities, and natural gas conditioning facilities. This segment owned and operated approximately 7,000 miles of in service natural gas gathering pipelines, 3 natural gas processing plants, 11 natural gas treating facilities, and 11 natural gas conditioning facilities. Its Retail Propane segment operates a retail distribution network consisting of approximately 440 customer service locations in approximately 40 states. The company was formerly known as La Grange Energy, L.P. Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. was founded in 2002 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  The purchases will be financed with debt and the issuance of Regency units worth nearly $700 million, roughly 13 percent of the current market capitalization, with general partner Energy Transfer Equity (NYSE: ETE) buying $400 million.

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

  Midstream energy company Targa Resources Corp.(TRGP) said it had terminated “high-level preliminary discussions” on a potential merger with Energy Transfer Equity LP(ETE). Targa shares dropped 9.7% to $136 premarket.

• [By Paul Quintaro]

  Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE) and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ETP) (collectively, ��nergy Transfer�� and BG Group announced today that they have entered into a project development agreement (PDA) to jointly develop the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project at the existing Trunkline LNG import terminal in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

• [By codyeustice1@google] global banking and financial service company with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. The bank offers financial products, and services, brokerage, insurance, asset management, shipping finance, leasing and factoring markets. It was founded by Swiss banker Jean-Gabriel Eynard and George Starvros in 1841 as a commerical bank. From its inception until the establishment of the Bank of Greece in 1928, it had the right to issue banknotes. The bank listed on the Athens Stock Exchange right after its founding in the 1880s.

  Company History & Operations

  National Bank of Greece was formed in 1841 in Athens, making it the oldest bank in the country. It wasn't government owned from its inception, but had the right of note issue, which it lost in 1928 when Greece established its own central bank. The bank in 1899 aquired the Privileged Bank of Epirus and Thessaly.

  At the beginning of the 20th century the bank began its international expansion. In 1956 the bank aquired the Bank of Athens, which was at the time the second largest bank in Greece. The bank in 1965 aquired the Greek Tapeza Epagelmatikis Pristis (Professional Credit Bank). In 1966 bank governor Georgios Mavros founded the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation. Since the 1999 the bank has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In banking it sold all its operations in Canada to the Bank of Nova Scotia in 2005. The next year the bank sold its U.S. arm, Altantic Bank of New York, to New York Community Bancorp for $400 million (EUR 331 million) in cash. It used the proceeds from these sells to finance aquisitions in Southern Europe.

  The National Bank of Greece has suffered since the the Greek government debt crisis. It had to write off more then $19 billion in debt. The bank has over 500 branches in Greece, Australia, Egypt and the UK. It has banking subidiaries in Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, South Africa, Turkey, etc.

  Finances

  The bank has an 8% of capital adequacy ra

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In 2014: Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc.(HMIN)

Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. develops, leases, operates, franchises, and manages a chain of economy hotels in the People?s Republic of China. The company operates its hotels under the Home Inn brand name. As of April 28, 2011, it had approximately 800 Home Inns in operation and 1,000 Home Inns sealed in franchise agreements. The company was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Home Inns & Hotels Management (NASDAQ: HMIN) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $2.18 per share on revenue of $1.54 billion.

  Qiwi plc (NASDAQ: QIWI) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $50.00 million.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  The New York traded ADRs of China's Home Inns and Hotels Management (HMIN) have climbed 15.5% from September 24 to the close on October 11.

  Part of the reason is a October 10 recommendation from Goldman Sachs that added the ADRs to its top pick list. And part of the reason is a huge surge in domestic travel during China's recently concluded National Day holiday week. (Home Inns and Hotels Management is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.)

• [By Belinda Cao]

  The Bloomberg China-US Equity Index (CH55BN) of the most-traded Chinese companies in the U.S. slumped 3.4 percent last week to a seven-month low of 89.04. The gauge traded at 13.5 times estimated earnings, 3.6 percent below the S&P�� valuation, data compiled by Bloomberg show. China Southern Airlines Co. (ZNH) and China Eastern Airlines Corp. (CEA) lost more than 6 percent April 5, while Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (HMIN) tumbled 16 percent in the week.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Home Inns & Hotels Management (Nasdaq: HMIN  ) reported earnings on May 13. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Home Inns & Hotels Management missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In 2014: Chindex International Inc.(CHDX)

Chindex International, Inc. engages in the provision of healthcare services; and sale of medical equipment, instrumentation, and products. The company operates in two segments, Healthcare Services and Medical Products. The Healthcare Services segment owns and operates the United Family Healthcare network of private hospitals and clinics in the Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou markets. This segment also operates a managed clinic in the city of Wuxi, south of Shanghai. It offers a range of family healthcare services, including 24/7 emergency rooms, intensive care units, and neonatal intensive care units, operating rooms, clinical laboratory, radiology, and blood banking services for men, women, and children. The Medical Products segment markets, distributes, and sells medical capital equipment, instrumentation, and other medical products for use in hospitals in China and Hong Kong. It offers diagnostic color ultrasound imaging devices, robotic surgical systems and instrument ation, mammography and breast biopsy devices, and lasers for cosmetic surgery. This segment sells its products through its direct sales force. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Tuesday morning, the healthcare sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Healthcare stocks surged 1% in today's trading. Leading the sector was strength from Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) and Chindex International (NASDAQ: CHDX) on acquisition news.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading the sector was strength from Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) and Chindex International (NASDAQ: CHDX) on acquisition news. In trading on Tuesday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by 0.2%.

• [By Anna Prior]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are Citigroup Inc.(C), JA Solar Holdings(JASO) Co and Chindex International Inc.(CHDX)

Hot Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In 2014: Barnes & Noble Inc (BKS)

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (Barnes & Noble), incorporated on November 19, 1986, is a bookseller. The Company is a content, commerce and technology company that provides customers access to books, magazines, newspapers and other content across its multi-channel distribution platform. As of April 27, 2013, it operated 1,361 bookstores in 50 states, 686 bookstores on college campuses, and operates one of the Web eCommerce sites, and develops digital content products and software. Barnes & Noble operates in three segments: B&N Retail, B&N College and NOOK. The Company�� principal business is the sale of trade books (generally hardcover and paperback consumer titles), mass market paperbacks (such as mystery, romance, science fiction and other popular fiction), children�� books, eBooks and other digital content, NOOK and related accessories, bargain books, magazines, gifts, cafe products and services, educational toys & games, music and movies direct to customers through its bookstores or on barnesandnoble.com.

Of the Company�� 1,361 bookstores, 675 operate primarily under the Barnes & Noble Booksellers trade name. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC (B&N College), a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, operates 686 college bookstores at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble Retail (B&N Retail) operates the 675 retail bookstores. Retail also includes the Company�� eCommerce site and Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. (Sterling or Sterling Publishing), a leader in general trade book publishing.

B&N Retail

This segment includes 675 bookstores as of April 27, 2013, primarily under the Barnes & Noble Booksellers trade name. These stores generally offer a dedicated NOOK area, a comprehensive trade book title base, a cafe, and departments dedicated to Juvenile, Toys & Games, DVDs, Music, Gift, Magazine and Bargain products. The stores also offer a calendar of ongoing events, including author appearances and children�� activities. The B&! N Retail segment also includes the Company�� eCommerce website, barnesandnoble.com, and its publishing operation, Sterling Publishing. Barnes & Noble stores range in size from 3,000 to 60,000 square feet depending upon market size, with an overall average store size of 26,000 square feet. During the fiscal year ended April 27, 2013 (fiscal), the Company reduced the Barnes & Noble store base by 0.3 million square feet, bringing the total square footage to 17.7 million square feet. The Company�� B&N Retail segment purchases physical books on a regular basis from over 800 publishers and over 50 wholesalers or distributors. As of April 27, 2013, Barnes & Noble had stores in 162 of the total 210 Designated Market Area markets.

Sterling Publishing is a publisher of non-fiction trade titles. It is a range of non-fiction and illustrated books and kits across a range of imprints, in categories, such as health and wellness, music and culture, food and wine, crafts and photography, puzzles and games, history and current affairs, as well as a children�� books.

B&N College

B&N College sells new and used textbooks in campus bookstores and online. As of April 27, 2013, B&N College operated 686 stores nationwide. The Company�� customer base, which is mainly consisted of students and faculty, can purchase various items from their campus stores, including textbooks and course-related materials, emblematic apparel and gifts, trade books, computer products, NOOK products and related accessories, school and dorm supplies, convenience and cafe items.

As of April 27, 2013, B&N College operates 651 traditional college bookstores and 35 academic superstores, which are generally larger in size, offer cafes and provide a sense of community that engages the surrounding campus and local communities in college activities and culture. The traditional bookstores range in size from 500 to 48,000 square feet. The academic superstores range in size from 8,000 to 75,000 square feet. B&! N College! �� three customer constituencies are students, faculty members and campus administrators.

NOOK

This segment includes the Company�� digital business, which includes the Company�� eBookstore, digital newsstand and sales of NOOK devices and accessories to third party distribution partners, as well as to B&N Retail and B&N College. Barnes & Noble�� NOOK digital bookstore and Reading Apps provide customers the ability to purchase and read their digital content and access to their Lifetime Library on a range of digital platforms, including Windows 8 PCs and tablets, iPad, iPhone , Android smartphones and tablets, PC and Mac. Barnes & Noble has implemented features on its digital platform to ensure that customers can access their NOOK content from almost all of today�� most popular devices.

The Company competes with Target, Books-A-Million, Waldenbooks, Amazon.com, Apple, Wal-Mart and Costco.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  4. Throwing the book at the Nook tablet
  After nearly three years, Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS  ) has had enough of its money-losing foray into tablets.

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now

Traditional brick and mortar retailers seem to face more intense online competition every year. Given the challenging consumer spending environment��articularly during the highly promotional holiday shopping period��013 was an especially tough year for many.

The weak holiday sales have resulted in numerous downgrades of retail stocks. Among them was PetSmart (PETM), the leading retailer of pet products and services in North America, which was downgraded by several analysts last month, citing weaker holiday traffic trends and expectations for increased online competition ahead.

However, PETM has been fairly unscathed by the growing dominance of online retailers over the years. The simple reason for this is the fact that no one has been able to stay in the business of selling 50 pound bags of dog food at a discount while also providing free shipping for very long. Additionally, demand for its products tends to be fairly inelastic and less affected by consumer spending trends.

Hot Growth Companies To Buy For 2015: Asta Funding Inc.(ASFI)

Asta Funding, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in purchasing, managing, and servicing distressed consumer receivables in the United States. Its principal portfolio includes charged-off receivables consisting of accounts that have been written-off by the originators and might have been previously serviced by collection agencies; semi-performing receivables, including accounts where the debtor is currently making partial or irregular monthly payments, but the accounts might have been written-off by the originators; performing receivables comprising accounts where the debtor is making regular monthly payments that might or might not have been delinquent in the past; and distressed consumer receivables, such as the unpaid debts of individuals to banks, finance companies, and other credit and service providers. The company?s distressed consumer receivables consist of MasterCard, Visa, and other credit card accounts, which were charged-off by the issuers or provide rs for non-payment. Asta Funding, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  There a lot of moving parts to Asta Funding (ASFI), but there appears to be a great deal of value that isn�� reflected in the current stock price. ASFI stock is trading at less than 65% of book value, but several of its debt collection assets are carried at zero cost basis and yet may have substantial value. The balance sheet is strong with more than $90 million in cash. ASFI has been moving into other businesses including disability claims to increase its growth opportunities over the next few years. It�� a fairly complex business, but it is very cheap — and the first sign of good news could send the shares a lot higher.

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now: EXACT Sciences Corporation(EXAS)

Exact Sciences Corporation, a molecular diagnostics company, focuses on developing a molecular diagnostic technology for the early detection and prevention of colorectal pre-cancer and cancer. The company develops the Cologuard, a non-invasive stool-based DNA colorectal cancer screening test that is designed to detect each of the four stages of colorectal cancer, as well as pre-cancerous lesions. Its test includes proprietary and patented methods, which isolate and analyze the trace amounts of human DNA that are shed into stool every day from the exfoliation of cells that line the colon. The company?s Cologuard test is also used to detect blood in stool, utilizing an antibody-based fecal immunochemical test. It has a strategic alliance agreement with LabCorp under which it licenses its patents and patent applications relating to the stool-based colorectal cancer screening technology to LabCorp; a collaboration, license, and purchase agreement with Genzyme Corporation to d eliver intellectual property improvements through licenses; and a license agreement with MAYO Foundation for medical education and research. Exact Sciences Corporation was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS) were down throughout Tuesday's session, falling 11.10 percent to $10.01, possibly linked to this being the first week its options are tradable.

• [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 a pair of optimistic notes urging investors to buy shares of Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: EXAS  ) and Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) . Before we get to those two, however, a few words are in order on why...

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now: Energen Corporation (EGN)

Energen Corporation, an energy holding company, engages in the development, acquisition, exploration, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the continental United States. The company is also involved in the purchase, distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as to other end-users of natural gas in central and north Alabama. In addition, it provides gas transportation services to industrial and commercial customers located on its distribution system. As of December 31, 2012, the company had approximately 750 million barrels of oil-equivalent proved, probable, and possible reserves. Energen Corporation was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Oil and gas energy holding company Energen (EGN) raised its quarterly dividend 3.4% to 15 cents per share, payable on Mar. 3 to shareholder of record as of Feb. 14.
  EGN Dividend Yield: 0.86%

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Energen Corp.(EGN) said it expects last month’s severe weather in West Texas to weigh on results from the oil-and-gas production company’s Permian Basin operations.

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now: Oberbank AG (OBV)

Oberbank AG is an Austria-based commercial regional bank. The Company provides products and services for individual customers, as well as for corporate customers. It divides its operations into four segments: Corporate Customers, Private Customers, Financial Markets and Others. The Company offers credit and debit cards, current and saving accounts, investment services, electronic banking services, as well as financing, leasing, investment and real estate services. It operates through numerous offices in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. The Company�� major shareholder is CABO Beteiligungsgesellschafts mbH with a stake of 32.54%. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Aspray]

  The US market has not been immune to China shocks in 2013 as a plunge in the Japanese market on May 24 was a reaction in part to more weak manufacturing data out of China. But just a month later, the correction in the US market was over as it was no longer overbought (see chart). The weekly on-balance volume (OBV) on the bottom of the chart has continued to make higher highs, line a, since early in 2012.

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now: Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals Inc (TTPH)

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated on July 7, 2006, is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company�� product candidate, eravacycline, is a fully synthetic tetracycline derivative that the Company are developing as a broad-spectrum intravenous and oral antibiotic for use as a first-line empiric monotherapy for the treatment of multi-drug resistant infections, including multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infections. The Company�� frequently used products, such as Zyvox and Cubicin, are limited to Gram-positive bacteria and thus are rarely used as a first-line empiric monotherapy if broad bacterial coverage is required. During the year ended December 31, 2012, completed a Phase 2 clinical trial of eravacycline with intravenous administration for the treatment of patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections, or cIAI, and are finalizing its pivotal Phase 3 program for eravacycline. In 2012, in vitro experiments, eravacycline has demonstrated the ability to cover a variety of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative, Gram-positive, anaerobic and atypical bacteria, including multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, the species of Gram-negative bacteria that killed seven patients at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health.

Gram-positive bacteria that have developed resistance to existing drugs include: Streptococcus pneumoniae that cause pneumonia, ear infections, bloodstream infections and meningitis; Staphylococcus aureus that cause skin, bone, lung and bloodstream infections, and Enterococci that are responsible for infections transmitted in healthcare settings. Gram-negative bacteria that have developed resistance to existing drugs include: Escherichia coli that cause urinary tract, skin and bloodstream infections; Salmonella and Escherichia coli that cause foodborne infections, and Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella spp.

In addition, other antibiotics that have been used as first-line empiric monothe! rapies, such as Levaquin, piperacillin/tazobactam, which is marketed by Pfizer as Zosyn, carbapenems, such as Merrem, and imipenem/cilastatin, which is marketed by Merck as Primaxin, have seen their utility as first-line empiric monotherapies diminished as the number of bacterial strains resistant to these therapies has increased. In addition to developing an intravenous formulation of eravacycline, the Company is also developing an oral formulation. A number of previous tetracyclines have been available in both intravenous and oral dosage forms. Infections that are resistant to existing oral drugs are increasingly common, and the Company believe that an intravenous-to-oral step-down therapy in which patients are started on the intravenous formulation of eravacycline and then stepped down to an oral formulation of eravacycline could reduce the length of a patient�� hospital stay or help avoid hospital admission altogether, lowering the overall cost of care for these patients.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another under-$10 biopharmaceutical player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals (TTPH), which using its proprietary chemistry technology creates novel antibiotics for serious and life-threatening multi-drug resistant infections. This stock is off to a strong start in 2013, with shares up 19.4%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, you'll notice that this stock has just started to trend back above its 50-day moving average of $7.76 a share with decent upside volume flows. That move is quickly pushing shares of TTPH within range of breaking out above some key near-term overhead resistance levels that have acted as a ceiling for the stock for the last three months.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in TTPH if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $8.30 to $8.40 a share and then once it takes out more resistance at $8.50 to $9 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that registers near or above its three-month average volume of 62,234 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then TTPH will set up to re-test or possibly take out its all-time high at $9.66 a share. Any high-volume move above that level will then push TTPH into new all-time high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $12 to $13 a share.

  Traders can look to buy TTPH off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day at $7.76 a share, or below more key near-term support levels at $7.37 to $7.02 a share. One can also buy TTPH off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now: WisdomTree International Dividend Ex Financial Fund (DOO)

WisdomTree International Dividend Top 100 Fund (The Fund) is a non-diversified fund. It seeks investment results that closely correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree International Dividend Top 100 Index (The Index). The fund is managed by WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.

The Index measures the performance of the 100 highest dividend-yielding companies in the WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index. The Index is created by selecting the top 100 companies ranked by highest dividend yield from the WisdomTree International LargeCap Dividend Index.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  ��ompanies that come to market are coming from sectors that work,��said Brian Huen, managing partner at Red Sky Capital Management Ltd. in Toronto. He helps manage C$220 million with the firm, and participated in the offerings for Choice Properties, Information Services Corp., and Ski-Doo maker BRP Inc. (DOO) ��eople certainly aren�� bringing any gold IPOs to market. So investors are focusing on buying deals in the right markets, as opposed to the wider market which has exposure to resources.��

Top Shipping Companies To Buy Right Now: Adept Technology Inc.(ADEP)

Adept Technology, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides intelligent robotics systems and services for packaging, solar, medical, disk drive/electronics, machine tool automation, and automotive electronics markets. Its product range includes application software, integrated real-time vision and multi-axis motion controls, machine vision systems and software, autonomous navigation software and controls, industrial robots and grippers, autonomous service robots, intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and advanced vision-based flexible parts feeders. The company offers 4-axis Cobra family of robots, which are designed for assembly and material handling tasks; Adept Quattro parallel robots for high-speed packaging, assembly, and loading/unloading applications; Adept Viper 6-axis articulated robots for high-speed precision assembly; Modular Adept Python single axis robot mechanisms; and mobile robots, including autonomous service robots and intelligent AGVs. It a lso provides support services to customers, including spare parts for and/or remanufacture of robot mechanisms; information regarding the use of its automation equipment; ongoing support for installed systems; consulting services for applications; and training courses ranging from system operation and maintenance to programming for manufacturing engineers, who design and implement automation lines. The company markets its products through its direct sales force, as well as through systems integrators, sales representatives, distributors, and original equipment manufacturers primarily in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Adept Technology, Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Spruce Point Capital Management, LLC has released a research report about small cap robotics stock iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ: IRBT) entitled ��bout to Short Circuit,��meaning investors should take a closer look at the report, the�stock�and the performance of�robotics peer Adept Technology Inc (NASDAQ: ADEP) and�the Robo-Stox Global Robotics & Automation ETF (NASDAQ: ROBO). I should mention that we used to have both Adept Technology and iRobot Corporation in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio�because we see the�robotics subsector improving as companies aim to reduce overhead and improve efficiencies through machine to machine (M2M) automation.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  Michael's pick for 2014 was Adept Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: ADEP), a play on the red-hot robotics sector whose stock he predicted could zoom 50% to 100% because of improving finances and the potential for a takeover.

• [By CRWE]

  Adept Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADEP), a leading provider of intelligent robots and autonomous mobile solutions and services, reported the appointment of Cornerstone Technical Group (CTG) as its regional distributor covering the southeastern United States.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap robotics stocks Adept Technology Inc (NASDAQ: ADEP) and iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ: IRBT) have both been putting in a great performance for investors, but which is the better robotics stock for�investors? I should mention that we have had Adept Technology in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio since mid-September and we are already sitting on a 71.38% return so far plus we have just added iRobot Corporation to our portfolio because we see the�robotics subsector improving as companies aim to reduce overhead and improve efficiencies through machine to machine (M2M) automation.