Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014

The headline numbers for the second quarter look pretty outstanding for Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) . Net revenue increased 25.6%, to $3.24 billion, hold-adjusted property EBITDA was up 29%, to $1.17 billion, and net income was up 42.1%, to $597.6 million. But a deeper dive into the numbers show at least a little disappointment in the quarter.�

The good and bad in Macau
Macau was a different story depending on where you looked. Sands Cotai Central is finally starting to generate the gaming volume Sheldon Adelson envisioned, but ran into bad luck; The Venetian Macau saw mass market play jump, and had good luck with high rollers, and Sands Macau continues to slowly fall victim to Cotai.

The best way to analyze the numbers is to look at rolling chip volume (high roller play), non-rolling chip volume (mass market table games), and slot handle at the company's casinos. For some perspective on the growth each component displayed, remember that Sands Cotai Central wasn't fully open, so a better gauge than growth there is comparing figures to The Venetian Macau, and Macau's overall revenue was up 15.8% in the quarter.

10 Best Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PLC (BPTY)

bwin.party digital entertainment plc (bwin.party) is a holding company. The Company is an online gaming company. It operates in five segments: sports betting, casino & games, poker, bingo; and other (including network services, World Poker Tour, InterTrader.com, WIN.com, software services and the payment services business). Its sport betting segment includes bwin, betoto, Gamebookers, Gioco Digitale and PartyBets. It�� Casino & games segment includes PartyCasino, bwin and GD Casino. Its poker segment includes PartyPoker, bwin and GD Casino. Its Bingo segment includes Foxy Bingo, Cheeky Bingo, Gioco Digitale and Binguez. The Company�� subsidiaries include BES SAS, bwin Argentina SA, bwin Italia S.r.l., bwin.party Games AB and Cashcade Limited. Its subsidiaries are engaged in management and information technology (IT) services, marketing services, online gaming, transaction services, customer support services, marketing support services and Land-based poker events. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Plc (BPTY) plunged 14 percent to 110 pence, the biggest drop since April 2011, after the online gaming company said 2013 sales will be 14 percent to 17 percent lower than last year�� figures. Analysts on average had forecast a sales drop of 9.2 percent.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014: Caribbean International Holdings Inc (CIHN)

Caribbean International Holdings Inc., formerly Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corporation, incorporated on February 12, 2009, is focused in the gaming and entertainment company. The Company has a gaming casino, located in the city of Sousa, in the Dominican Republic. In April 2012, it acquired exclusive rights to distribute Bionic Products' Energy Drinks throughout the Caribbean, South and Central America.

The Sosua Bay Grand Casino provides the gaming and entertainment experience to the Domincan Republic. It is equipped with a state of the art lighting and sound system.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Caribbean International Holdings (OTCMKTS: CIHN), Blue Water Global Group Inc (OTCBB: BLUU) and Metrospaces Inc (OTCMKTS: MSPC) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and all three have focused their activities in the Caribbean or South America. However, all three have been the subject of paid promotions which have helped to get them mentions in various investment newsletters. With that in mind, will bets on the Caribbean or South America pay off big for these three small cap stocks and their investors? Here is a quick reality check:

  Caribbean International Holdings (OTCMKTS: CIHN) is All About Wings, Mechanical Bulls and Stem Cells

  Formerly known as Caribbean Casino & Gaming Corp, small cap Caribbean International Holdings operates as a holding company. On Friday, Caribbean International Holdings rose 8.39% to $0.0369 for a market cap of $315,400 plus CIHN is up 985.3% over the past year and up 7,280% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014: Wynn Macau Ltd (WYNMF)

Wynn Macau, Limited is a holding company. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is a developer, owner and operator of destination casino gaming and entertainment resort facilities in Macau. Its operating subsidiary, Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A. (WRM), owns and operates destination casino resort Wynn Macau in Macau. As of December 31, 2011, it had 265,000 square feet of casino space, offering 24-hour gaming with a range of games, and two luxury hotel towers with 1,008 spacious rooms and suites. It also offers eight casual and fine dining restaurants, 54200 square feet of stores and boutiques, such as Bvlgari, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Hermes, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Piaget, Prada, Rolex, Tiffany, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Versace, Vertu and others, two health clubs and spas, a salon, a pool, and lounges and meeting facilities. As of December 31, 2011, its subsidiaries included Wynn Resorts International, Ltd., Wynn Resorts (Macau) Holdings, Ltd. and others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks sold off early Thursday after the Federal Reserve decided to further taper stimulus, and after a final reading of China's manufacturing PMI contracted. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) sank 1.5% to 21,815.04 in holiday-shortened trading. Tech stocks retreated, as Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd. (HK:992) (LNVGF) dropped 5.3%, failing to get a lift from news that it plans to acquire the Motorola handset business from Google Inc. (GOOG) for $2.91 billion as Lenovo aims for a bigger presence in the U.S. market. Software developer Kingsoft Corp. (HK:3888) (KSFTF) fell 1.9% and Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. (HK:700) (TCTZF) dropped 1.5%. Casino stocks also declined. Sands China Ltds. (HK:1928) (SCHYF) , the Hong Kong-listed unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) , slipped 0.2%, despite financial results that showed Sands China's net income increased 40% year-on-year to $467 million in the fourth quarter. Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (HK:6883) (MPEL) slumped 3.2%, and both Wynn Macau Ltd. (HK:1128) (WYNMF) and MGM China Holdings Ltd. (HK:2282)

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014: Penn National Gaming Inc.(PENN)

Penn National Gaming, Inc. and its subsidiaries own and manage gaming and pari-mutuel properties in the United States. It operates approximately 27,000 gaming machines; 500 table games; and 2,000 hotel rooms in 23 facilities in 16 jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. The company was formerly known as PNRC Corp. and changed its name to Penn National Gaming, Inc. in 1994. Penn National Gaming, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe] the measures taken to balance out revenue in case of headwinds.

  Valuation and Contracts

  One factor that plays in this firm�� favor is NASCAR�� long-term contracts with major TV networks and radio stations. The most recent deal is set to launch in 2015, and will bind the motorsport brand for 10 years to NBC and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (FOX), for a total of $8.2 billion (45% annual increase over the current contract). Although a more stable economic scenario may reignite concessionary spending among customers, and cause the motorsport segment to gain popularity again, the non-existent switching costs and alternative leisure choices could be detrimental to this company. Also, ISCA�� current $87.9 million cash flow will likely be stagnated by the new Daytona Ring Project, which is expected to cost $400 million over the next five years.

  Furthermore, concerns remain regarding the company�� growth metrics, especially given their downward trend. For the fourth quarter in 2013, revenue showed negative growth of 0.5%, a downfall which ISCA has not been able to stall since 2007. Operating margins have also fallen by 9% in the past two years (currently at 12.8%), in addition to the below average (2.02%) dividend yield of 0.70%. Added to a premium P/E value of 33.00x trailing earnings, compared to the industry average of 22.40x, I feel bearish about this motorsports giant�� near-term profitability and see some uncertainty in the long-term future.

  Disclosure: Patricio Kehoe holds no position in any stocks mentioned.

  About the author:Patricio KehoeA fundamental analyst at Lone Tree Analytics
• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Finally, another cluster buy following earnings weakness and a share slump occurred at Penn National Gaming (PENN). Three top executives including CEO Timothy Wilmott, who bought 50,000 shares for $522,700 and COO Jay Snowden, who bought 11,500 shares for $118,900 participated. Also joining them was CFO Saul Reibstein, who bought 2,500 shares for $25,400. InsiderScore notes that Wilmott and Snowden bought at similar levels in May.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Famed investor Leon Cooperman sold his position in Penn National Gaming (PENN) in the fourth quarter of 2013, replacing it with a 2.2 million shares of GLPI, the real estate spinoff the casino operator took public through a 1-for-1 share distribution last November. Its first acquisition came one month later when it paid $140 million for a casino in East St. Louis. Pure-play REITs come in all shapes and sizes, but never before has there been one in the casino business.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014: PhilWeb Corp (WEB)

PhilWeb Corporation is a Philippines-based Internet gaming company. The Company focused its activities on building its Internet-based products and services. The Company is engaged in providing products and services within a particular economic environment. It operates in two geographical segments: domestic operations and foreign operations. Its subsidiaries include BigGame, Inc., operates Internet casino station operations; Premayo sa Resibo, Inc., develops and markets computer systems, applications, programs and operates gaming platforms; PhilWeb Casino Corporation, develops, engages and maintains gaming systems and applications for all types of casino operations; e-Magine Gaming Corporation, develops technology, and PhilWeb Leisure & Tourism Corporation, establishes, operates and maintains leisure and tourism-oriented activities. Effective December 13, 2013, ePLDT Inc, a wholly owned unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co acquired a 27.283% interest in Philweb Corp. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  Always touchable money is cash. For individuals, there's little reason for it not to be a simple bank account, money market fund, etc. For most investors, you can just let this stock sit in your brokerage account. Many brokers will sweep unused cash into a money market account ��or other form of savings ��where it can earn a tiny amount of interest for you while staying totally liquid. One advantage of keeping cash in this form is that you can look at your cash and stock positions on the same (web)page any time you want. So, for example, if you know you want to keep 10% of your portfolio in cash ��you can see that you have $12,000 in cash as part of your $120,000 brokerage account and that means you are right on target with your liquidity goal.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014: NanoTech Entertainment Inc (NTEK)

NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. (NanoTech), formerly Aldar Group, Inc., is a provider of gaming technology for the coin-op arcade, casino gaming and consumer gaming markets. The Company operates as a manufacturer, developing technology and games, and then licensing them to third parties for manufacturing and distribution. As of June 30, 2009, the Company�� products included MultiPin, Xtreme Rally Racing, NanoNET Online System, Pinball Wizard, Mot-Ion Adapter, Opti-Gun Adapter and Retr-IO Adapter. In April 2009, the Company acquired NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. In July 2013, NanoTech Entertainment Inc completed the acquisition of Clear Memories, Inc. of Napa California. Effective August 9, 2013, NanoTech Entertainment Inc acquired Worldwide Global Entertainment, a developer of prepackaged software.

The Company�� physics engine and motion sensors allow MultiPin to accurately recreate the experience of a mechanical pinball machine, while providing players with a variety of classic and modern pinball games to choose from. Xtreme Rally Racing is a driving machine that features three modes of game play: Xtreme Off-Road-Race Head to Head against other players and the computer to checkpoints while driving anywhere on the map with no preset course; Timed Rally Stages-Classic Rally Racing on real world courses. Players will be able to race in five different countries on real world rally courses, and Xtreme Stadium Racing-Custom Stadiums designed for Xtreme racing, including a figure eight multi-lap course with huge jumps. NanoNET Online System is remote operator control of machines, including diagnostics, accounting reports, and automatic software updates and enhancements downloaded over the net.

The Company has created the input device designed to give the pinball players a way to experience real pinball controls on their personal computer. Based on the technology developed for the MultiPin product it has built a controller that lets people play pinball using traditional controls and! the ability to shake and nudge the table. The Mot-Ion adapter is a universal serial bus (USB) adapter that allows do it yourself Pinball enthusiasts to build their own cabinet using real pinball controls providing analog inputs for nudging and bumping. The OptiGun adapter is a USB adapter that allows players to connect Arcade Light Guns to any USB based system. The Retr-IO adapters provide a standard JAMMA interface for USB based systems.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Nyxio Technologies Corp (OTCMKTS: NYXO), COREwafer Industries Inc (OTCMKTS: WAFR) and NanoTech Entertainment, Inc (OTCMKTS: NTEK) are three small cap stocks in some very diverse industries. In fact, one of these stocks just bought a 3D ice sculpture business. So will investors see their investment melt with that small cap stock�along with the other two? Here is a closer look to help you decide for yourself:��

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Call them hunches (because that's all they are), but now would be a great time to get out of a NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. (OTCMKTS:NTEK) position and/or get into an ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD). NTEK looks like its reached its maximum potential - for the time being - while ACAD looks like it's ready to start rolling higher again.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Looking for a couple of near-term trades that have a decent shot at rallying even if the broad market feels like it might pull back? Then take a look at Liquidmetal Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:LQMT) and NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. (OTCMKTS:NTEK). Although both LQMT and NTEK will be dismissed by some traders simply because they're OTC-listed stocks, for those traders willing to look past the exchange and appreciate the opportunity, the risk-versus-reward ratio is actually quite compelling.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014: William Hill PLC (WMH)

William Hill PLC is a United Kingdom-based gambling company. The Company�� business is to provide its customers with a range of sports betting and gaming opportunities. It is a bookmaker providing fixed odds sports betting. It also offers gaming opportunities. The Company�� segments include Retail distribution channel, which includes activity undertaken in LBOs, including gaming machines; Online segment, which includes activity undertaken online, including an online sportsbook, online casino, online poker sites and other gaming products; Telephone segment, which includes its telephone betting services; US segment, comprises all activity undertaken in the United States; Other activities include on-course betting and greyhound stadia operations. In April 2013, it acquired the remaining 29% stake in William Hill Online from its joint venture partner Playtech Ltd. Effective September 2, 2013, William Hill PLC acquired Miapuesta.es, a provider of gaming and sports betting services. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc sank 3.3 percent after reporting results and naming the head of its U.K. consumer unit as chief executive officer. William Hill Plc (WMH) dropped the most in four years after the bookmaker posted earnings that missed analysts��projections. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) rose to a five-year high as the parent of British Airways reported an operating profit in the second quarter.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Prudential Plc (PRU), which generated 32 percent of its operating income from Asia last year, climbed to its highest price since at least 1988. William Hill (WMH) Plc lost 3.2 percent after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its rating on the bookmaker. Anglo American Plc (AAL) declined 1.4 percent after saying that production at its Kumba (KIO) Iron Ore Ltd. unit fell.

10 Best Retail Stocks To Own Right Now

The deals are good enough and promotions aggressive enough that the millions of Americans who are supposed�to shop on Thanksgiving and Black Friday will. However, retailers face the same puzzle they do every year. Are the sales�made on this�holiday weekend�increases in overall sales for the entire�season between the start of November and the end of December? �Or, are they sales which steal from the purchasing that might happen in the three weeks before Christmas? If the latter is true, even the most conservative of estimates about industry revenue improvement won’t be true.

The two most important forecasts issued by the National Retail Federation for 2013�cover 1) overall holiday sales and 2), the Thanksgiving weekend’s activity:

NRF expects sales in the months of November and December to marginally increase 3.9 percent to $602.1 billion, over 2012�� actual 3.5 percent holiday season sales growth. The forecast is higher than the 10-year average holiday sales growth of 3.3 percent.

Best Supermarket Stocks To Own Right Now: Express Scripts Holding Co (ESRX)

Express Scripts Holding Company, incorporated in 2011, provides healthcare management and administration services on behalf of its clients, which include health maintenance organizations (HMOs), health insurers, third-party administrators, employers, union-sponsored benefit plans, workers compensation plans, and government health programs. The Company operates in two segments: Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) and Emerging Markets (EM). PBM services include network claims processing, home delivery services, patient care and direct specialty and fertility home delivery to patients, benefit plan design consultation, drug utilization review, formulary management, drug data analysis services, distribution of injectable drugs to patients homes and physicians offices, bio-pharma services, and fulfillment of prescriptions to low-income patients through manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs. EM segment provides distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to providers and clinics, healthcare account administration and implementation of consumer-directed healthcare solutions. In September 2013, it announced the acquisition of the SmartD Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP).

On July 20, 2011, Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) entered into a merger agreement (the Merger Agreement) with Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (Medco). During the year ended December 31, 2011, it reorganized its FreedomFP line of business from its EM segment into its PBM segment. On April 2, 2012, the Company completed the Merger Agreement, and after which ESI and Medco became the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. The Company�� customers include HMOs, health insurers, third-party administrators, employers, union-sponsored benefit plans, government health programs, office-based oncologists, renal dialysis clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, primary care physicians, retina specialists and others.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon] ss Scripts is a pharmacy benefit manager that generates revenue through delivering prescription drugs through its network of contracted retail pharmacies, specialty pharmacy services, home delivery and EM services.

  Express Scripts��stock tumbled to a 52-week low of $34.37 at the end of the third quarter, from a high of $60.89. Cooperman bought 719,000 shares of the company at an average of $43 per share. He previously owned shares of Express Scripts in 2007 when the price was about $23 per share, and sold over the next several quarters as the stock climbed to $34 in the second quarter of 2008, when he closed his position.

  Express Scripts Inc. has a market cap of $24.76 billion; its shares were traded at around $50.17 with a P/E ratio of 17.8 and P/S ratio of 0.5. Express Scripts Inc. had an annual average earnings growth of 28.6% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Express Scripts Inc. the business predictability rank of 5-star.

  Over the past decade, Express Scripts has generated strong and growing free cash flow, which grew from $1.6 billion in 2009 to a record of almost $2 billion in 2010.

  In October, the company had to lower its earnings per share guidance from the previously expected $3.15 to $3.25, to a range of $2.95 to $3.05. The decrease was due to multiple factors: a greater shortfall in claims versus expectations, a stagnant economy impacting claims volumes, additional expenses, including accelerating spending on projects in preparation for the integration of Medco Health Solutions Inc., expenses to support clients and members as they transfer from Walgreen�� pharmacies and to comply with new regulations. The company is also facing heightened competition.

  Later, on October 25, the company announced that it expects 95% of its clients��prescription volume to continue after it loses Walgreens as a network supplier in 2012. It also expects that the merger with Medco, another PBM, will be slightly accretive to EPS in

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Strong results, modest outlook
  Rite Aid's profit was driven by three major one-time or short-term impacts. First, the company gained a number of new customers from Walgreen's dispute with pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX  ) . Walgreen's stores rejoined the Express Scripts network as of Sept. 15, and customers are beginning to trickle back, but Rite Aid still saw a significant benefit from the dispute in fiscal year 2013. On Rite Aid's Thursday morning conference call, executives estimated the full-year benefit at $70 million�-- more than half of the company's fiscal year 2013 profit.

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  1. World Acceptance (WRLD)
  2. Express Scripts (ESRX)
  3. Walgreen (WAG)
  4. Humana (HUM)
  5. McDonald's (MCD)

  Those are the kinds of companies a younger ��and poorer ��Warren Buffett might buy. Actually, a few of those companies are big enough for Warren Buffett to buy today.

10 Best Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Office Depot Inc.(ODP)

Office Depot, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies office products and services. Its North American Retail division sells an assortment of merchandise, such as general office supplies, computer supplies, business machines and related supplies, and office furniture under various labels, including Office Depot, Viking Office Products, Foray, Ativa, Break Escapes, Niceday, and Worklife through its chain of office supply stores. It also provides printing, reproduction, mailing, shipping, and other services, as well as personal computer support and network installation service. As of December 25, 2010, this division operated 1,147 office supply stores in the United States and Canada. The company?s North American Business Solutions division sells nationally branded and private brand office supplies, technology products, furniture, and services to small- to medium-sized customers through a dedicated sales force, catalogs, and Internet. Its International division sells o ffice products and services through direct mail catalogs, contract sales forces, Internet sites, and retail stores using a mix of company-owned operations, joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, alliances, and other arrangements. As of December 25, 2010, it sold its office products to customers in 53 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This division operated, through wholly-owned or majority-owned entities, 97 retail stores in France, Hungary, South Korea, and Sweden; and participates under licensing and merchandise arrangements in South Korea, Thailand, India, Israel, Japan, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charley Blaine]

  Shares of Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) got a boost, shooting up 3.5 percent to $5.79 after the Federal Trade Commission closed a probe of the company's proposed merger with OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX).

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Office supply retailers have long seen their market eroded by online rivals, notably Amazon (AMZN). That’s why Office Depot (ODP) merged with OfficeMax�last year.

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Next Page

  Best Stocks to Buy for Around $5: Office Depot (ODP)

  While the office supply game surely isn�� what it used to be thanks to e-commerce and online orders, there is hope for fallen giant Office Depot (ODP).

• [By Michael Lewis]

  Foolish bottom line
  Though I was not a fan of brick-and-mortar Staples, I am inclined to take a deeper look at its slimmer self. The company seems to be shifting to a more asset-light, high-ROIC, low-capex model that resembles that of growth companies -- tech in particular. The company is planning to pay down nearly $870 million in debt this year, and still has $1.4 billion in cash and equivalents. A year-end enterprise value of roughly $10 billion (an approximation) implies an EV/FCF ratio of 11.1 times. For comparison, Office Depot (NYSE: ODP  ) expects $10�million to $20 million in free cash flow for the year, implying an EV/EBITDA of 64 times to 128 times. On an EV/EBITDA basis, however, the two look nearly identical.

10 Best Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Natural Grocers By Vitamin Cottage Inc (NGVC)

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc., incorporated on April 9, 2012, is a specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries and dietary supplements. The Company operates within the natural products retail industry. The Company offers products and brands, including a selection of natural and organic food, dietary supplements, body care products, pet care products and books.

The Company offers its customers an average of approximately 18,000 store-keeping units (SKUs) of natural and organic products per store, including an average of approximately 7,000 SKU of dietary supplements. As of June 30, 2012, the Company operated 55 stores in 11 states, including Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as a bulk food repackaging facility and distribution center in Colorado. The size of its stores varies from 5,000 selling square feet to 14,500 selling square feet, and a new store averages 9,500 selling square feet.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Large cap natural and organic foods supermarket giant Whole Foods Market, Inc (NASDAQ: WFM), otherwise known as ��hole Wallet��r ��hole Paycheck,��is not the only player in the natural or organics supermarket space for consumers and investors alike as mid cap Sprouts Farmers Market Inc (NASDAQ: SFM) and small caps Fairway Group Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: FWM) and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc (NYSE: NGVC) are also players in the space. It should be mentioned that Whole Foods Market is down 15.7% since the start of the year and has a downward trending technical chart, but�shares are�still up 13% over the past year, up 426.3% over the past five years and up 3,108.6% since January 1992.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  Much has been made recently about new entrants into the organic/natural food space in America. While Sprouts Farmers Market� (NASDAQ: SFM  ) , The Fresh Market (NASDAQ: TFM  ) , and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage� (NYSE: NGVC  ) attempt to use Whole Foods' blueprint, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT  ) is teaming up with Wild Oats to offer more organic goods in its discount stores.

10 Best Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: Zale Corp (ZLC)

Zale Corporation, incorporated on April 26, 1991, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a retailer of fine jewelry in North America. The Company operates in three segments: fine jewelry, kiosk jewelry and all other. As of July 31, 2012, the Company operated 1,124 specialty retail jewelry stores and 654 kiosks located mainly in shopping malls throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Company�� fine jewelry segment consists of five brands: Zales Jewelers, Peoples Jewellers, Zales Outlet, Mappins Jewellers, and Gordon's Jewelers The Company�� kiosk jewelry operates under the brand names Piercing Pagoda, Plumb Gold, and Silver and Gold Connection (collectively, Piercing Pagoda) through mall-based kiosks. The Company provides insurance and reinsurance services for various types of insurance coverage, which is marketed primarily to its private label credit card guests, through Zale Indemnity Company, Zale Life Insurance Company and Jewel Re-Insurance Ltd.

Fine Jewelry

Each brand specializes in fine jewelry and watches, with merchandise and marketing emphasis focused on diamond products. Zales Jewelers is the Company's national brand in the United States providing moderately priced jewelry to a range of guests. Zales Outlet operates in outlet malls and neighborhood power centers and capitalizes on Zales Jewelers' national advertising and brand recognition. Gordon's Jewelers is a value-oriented regional jeweler. Peoples Jewellers, Canada's fine jewelry retailer, provides guests with shopping experience. Mappins Jewellers offers Canadian guests a selection of merchandise from engagement rings to fashionable and contemporary fine jewelry.

The Company has extended its reach of certain brands through the use of its Webstores, mobile devices and social media to provide its guests access to its brands wherever and whenever they choose. In addition, the Company offers its guests the option to purchase warranty coverage on substantially all of its mercha! ndise in Fine Jewelry. The Company also offers repair services to guests who do not purchase warranty coverage. Zales Jewelers (Zales), the Company's United States based flagship, is a brand name in jewelry retailing in the United States, operating 639 stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico with an average store size of 1,681 square feet. Gordon's Jewelers (Gordon's) operates 147 stores in 27 states and Puerto Rico with an average store size of 1,534 square feet.

The Company�� Zales brand is positioned as the Diamond Store emphasizing on diamond jewelry, especially in the bridal and fashion segments. Zales and Gordon's combined revenues accounted for 60% of the Company's total revenues during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2012 (fiscal 2012). Both brands operate as multi-channel retailers and serve Internet guests through the e-commerce sites www.zales.com and www.gordonsjewelers.com, which accounted for approximately 5% of the Company's total revenues in fiscal 2012.

In Canada, the Company operates 206stores in nine provinces. The Company's Canadian operations consist of two brands, Peoples Jewellers (Peoples) and Mappins Jewellers (Mappins), and accounted for 17% of the Company's total revenues in fiscal 2012. The average store size is 1,605 square feet with an average transaction value of $332 in fiscal year 2012. Peoples serves Internet guests through the e-commerce site, www.peoplesjewellers.com. The Company operates 132 Zales Outlet (Outlet) stores in 35 states and Puerto Rico, sales from which accounted for 10% of its total revenues in fiscal 2012. The average store size is 2,362 square feet in fiscal 2012.

Kiosk Jewelry

The Company�� kiosk jewelry segment is focused on the opening price point jewelry guest. The Company's presence in Kiosk Jewelry has been expanded through the e-commerce site, www.pagoda.com. The Company also offers its guests the option to purchase warranty coverage on certain products. As of July 31, 2012, Piercing Pagoda op! erated 65! 4 locations in 41 states and Puerto Rico, sales from which accounted for 13% of the Company's total revenues in fiscal. Piercing Pagoda offers collection of bracelets, earrings, charms, rings, non-precious metal products and 14 karat and 10 karat gold chains, as well as a selection of silver and diamond jewelry, all in basic styles at moderate prices. Kiosk locations average 188 square feet in size in fiscal 2012.

All Other

The Company insurance companies are the insurers (either through direct written or reinsurance contracts) of the Company's guests' credit insurance coverage. In addition to providing merchandise replacement coverage for certain perils, credit insurance coverage provides protection to the creditor and cardholder for losses associated with the disability, involuntary unemployment, leave of absence or death of the cardholder. Zale Life Insurance Company also provides group life insurance coverage for the Company's eligible employees. In fiscal year 2012, 36% of the Company's private label credit card purchasers purchased some form of credit insurance. In fiscal year 2012, all other accounted for approximately 1% of the Company's total revenues.

The Company competes with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., .C. Penney Company, Inc., Signet Jewelers Limited, and QVC, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Big earnings movers: Tivo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO) is up 5.6% at $11.58 following an earnings beat and improved guidance. Specialty retailer Express Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPR) is up 6.5% at $21.09 following results that met expectations (a rarity in retailing this quarter). Joy Global Inc. (NYSE: JOY) is down 4.7% at $48.89 after the mining equipment maker reported inline earnings and maintained a soft forecast. Zale Corp. (NYSE: ZLC) is up 29.8% at $11.63 after beating estimates and setting a new high of $11.69.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Zale Corp.'s(ZLC) fiscal first-quarter loss narrowed as the jewelry retailer reported higher same-store sales across nearly all stores it operates and overall margin growth.

10 Best Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: AutoZone Inc.(AZO)

AutoZone, Inc. retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company?s stores offer various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Its automotive hard parts product line includes A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, belts and hoses, carburetors, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition, lighting, mufflers, starters and alternators, water pumps, radiators, and thermostats. The company?s maintenance items include antifreeze and windshield washer fluid; brake drums, rotors, shoes, and pads; chemicals, including brake and power; steering fluid, oil, and fuel additives; oil and transmission fluids; oil, air, fuel, and transmission filters; oxygen sensors; paint and accessories; refrigerant and accessories; shock absorbers and struts; spark plugs and wires; and windshield wiper s. Its discretionary product line comprises air fresheners, cell phone accessories, drinks and snacks, floor mats and seat covers, mirrors, performance products, protectants and cleaners, sealants and adhesives, steering wheel covers, stereos and radios, tools, and wash and wax products. The company also offers commercial sales program that provides the delivery of parts and other products to local, regional, and national repair garages, dealers, service stations, and public sector accounts. In addition, it sells the ALLDATA brand automotive diagnostic and repair software through the Website, alldata.com; and automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through the Website, autozone.com. As of May 7, 2011, the company operated 4,467 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, and 261 stores in Mexico. AutoZone, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  CVX stock throws off anywhere between $8 billion and $15 billion in free cash flow each year.� That kind of FCF makes CVX very well-positioned for the next 30 years.� The bottom line: CVX stock is a no-brainer when it comes to stocks to buy.

  Stocks to Buy: AutoZone�(AZO)

  AutoZone (AZO) may not be a name that you expect. But think about just how many cars are on the road and how many new and used cars get purchased every year. Then think about complex these machines are, and how many parts there are in each car.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) reported a gain in its fiscal second-quarter profit. AutoZone's quarterly profit surged to $192.8 million, or $5.63 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $176.2 million, or $4.78 per share. Its net sales rose to $1.99 billion versus $1.86 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $5.57 per share on sales of $1.98 billion. AutoZone's US same-store sales jumped 4.3% in the quarter.

• [By David Trainer]

  
  AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) is one of the stocks that earn my Very Attractive rating. AZO has grown after-tax profit (NOPAT) by 8% compounded annually over the past decade. Going with my theme of increasingly intelligent capital allocation, AZO has also increased its ROIC from 20% to 25% over the past five years. At its current valuation of ~$500/share, AZO stands out with a price to economic book value ratio of only 1, which implies that the company will never grow NOPAT from its current level. Given AZO’s strong track record of profitability and growth, I believe the market is significantly undervaluing this company. I expect strong short-term and long-term performance from AZO.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) reported a 15% rise in its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings. AutoZone's quarterly profit surged to $371.2 million, or $10.42 per share, from $323.7 million, or $8.46 per share, in the year-ago period. Its adjusted earnings came in at $9.76 per share. Its net sales climbed 12% to $3.1 billion, while sales at stores open at least one year jumped 1%.

10 Best Retail Stocks To Own 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 Teresa Rivas]

  Investors seem enthusiastic about the news that Home Depot (HD) executive�Marvin Ellison�will take over as chief executive of J.C.Penney�(JCP) next year, succeeding the retailer�� current CEO�Myron E. Ullman III.�The shares were up nearly 3% at noon on Monday.

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  J.C. Penney (JCP) ended lower despite reports that CIT had lifted its credit restrictions, while Weight Watchers (WTW) sank on its disappointing guidance and the departure of its CEO.

• [By James Brumley]

  So if price does matter to you, here are 10 of the best sub-$20 stocks to buy as we get ready to usher out the old year and ring in the new one.

  JCPenney (JCP)

  12/2 Price: $10.10

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  $JCP: J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) �shares edged up 0.2%. The retailer is slated to release third-quarter results on Wednesday. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect Penney to report a loss of $1.70 a share amid signs of recovery at the struggling department store chain.

10 Best Retail Stocks To Own Right Now: The Pantry Inc.(PTRY)

The Pantry, Inc. operates a chain of convenience stores in the southeastern United States. The company?s stores offer a selection of merchandise, fuel, and ancillary products and services. Its merchandise products include cigarettes, grocery and other tobacco products, packaged beverages, beer, and wine. The company operates stores under various selected banners, which primarily include Kangaroo Express. As of September 29, 2011, it operated 1,649 convenience stores located in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana, and Missouri; and 233 quick service restaurants. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Much of the same can be said about The Pantry (NASDAQ: PTRY  ) , a predominantly Southeastern U.S. convenience store chain that operates under the Kangaroo Express name. Food inflation has been minimal, the weather hasn't been as cooperative, and consumer traffic fell 4.6% in its most recent quarter. But where other investors see weakness, I see an opportunity.

Top 5 High Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now

Related RSH Stock Market Sell-Off Making This Sector an Attractive Buy? Sozzi's Retail Roundup: Radio Shack Abuzz After Super Bowl, But Still Struggling

Posted-In: News Options Markets Movers

(c) 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Top Semiconductor Companies For 2015: Panasonic Corporation(PC)

Panasonic Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells electronic products worldwide. The company offers video and audio equipment, and information and communications equipment; imaging equipment, such as flat-panel TVs and LCDs; digital AVC network equipment, including blu-ray disc recorders, digital cameras, and digital camcorders; business-use audiovisual (AV) equipment; notebook PCs; printers; security-related products comprising network cameras and POS system solutions; mobile phones; motors; car navigation systems, cameras, and digital terrestrial tuners. It also provides home appliances consisting of refrigerators, room air conditioners, washing machines and clothes dryers, and vacuum cleaners; and lighting and environmental systems, as well as components and devices for use in various products ranging from digital AV equipment, and information and communication devices to home appliances and industrial equipment; and offers electronic-parts-mounting machines, indu strial robots, and industrial equipment. In addition, the company provides solar photovoltaic systems and rechargeable batteries; electrical supplies, electric products, and building materials and equipment; personal care products, such as massage sofa, men?s shavers, hair dryers, and vibration toothbrushes; EV relays, and back and corner sensors; living station modular kitchen systems; home appliance- and communications-use relays and printed circuit board materials, and factory-automation -related products; and solar power generation systems and all-electric home design fixtures. It serves consumer, industrial and business corporations, governments, and other institutions, such as electric and electronic equipment manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, and various machinery makers. The company was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Panasonic Corporation in October 2008. Panasonic Corporation is founded in 1918 and is based in Kadoma-shi, Japan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kyle Woodley]

  The short, sucky answer? A lot:

  Plans for a ��igafactory��meant to produce millions of electric-car batteries ginned up excitement, but also raised eyebrows. The Wall Street Journal reported on skepticism in the space — including from heads at Volkswagen (VLKAY) and battery maker Highpower International (HPJ). Now, even planned investment partner Panasonic (PC) now sounds iffy on the project, with company Kazuhiro Tsuga saying “the investment risk is definitely larger.” Not good. There also was Tesla�� direct sales snafu. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie huffed and puffed and (on March 11) successfully blew down Tesla�� direct sales model, with the Motor Vehicle Commission approving a measure to enforce an already-existing ban on direct sales. On the flip side, Tesla has scored victories in New York and Ohio in the past month, and is making progress in Arizona (which has a little incentive on the board). Production of the Model X has been pushed further back, to 2015. Musk’s reasons — mostly having to do with focusing on bolstering Model S sales — are valid, but that doesn�� really soften the blow of a longer wait for the much-anticipated addition to Tesla�� line. To address the issue of battery fires in the Model S, TSLA added titanium shields and aluminum deflector plates to new vehicles and offered to install them for free in all its existing cars. Tesla�� margins are excellent, and there�� no hard number on the cost impact of the fix, but titanium ain�� cheap. This definitely isn�� going to add to Tesla�� bottom line. What Now?

  I won�� belabor you with my bullish position on TSLA stock, but if you want, you can see it here. In short, Musk is a genius; Tesla products are quality and appeal to (and are priced for) the all-important luxury segment; and just given size and scale, TSLA has oh-so-much room to grow.

Top 5 High Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: AKB Mosoblbank OAO (MOBB)

AKB MOSOBLBANK OAO (AKB MOSOBLBANK OJSC) is a Russia-based commercial bank. The Company focuses on the provision of various types of banking services to both individual and corporate clients. The Bank offers its services through the network of 400 offices and automated teller machines (ATM), located across the Russian Federation. In addition, it has 23 branches in such cities as: Rostov na Donu, Samara, Astrakhan, Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Tyumen, Yakutsk, Grozny, Kemerovo and Vladivostok, among others. As of May 25, 2012, the Company�� major shareholder was Respublikanskaya Finansovaya Korporatsiya OAO with a stake of 74.19%. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  UBS, Switzerland�� largest bank, rallied to a two-year high. Philips, the Dutch maker of light bulbs and electric toothbrushes, gained for an eighth day. Portugal�� PSI-20 Index (PSI20) advanced 2.3 percent as President Anibal Cavaco Silva affirmed that he doesn�� want to call early elections. Mobistar (MOBB) SA slumped the most on record after the Belgian mobile-phone company cut profit forecasts and suspended its dividend.

Top 5 High Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Carbo Ceramics Inc. (CRR)

CARBO Ceramics Inc. manufactures and supplies resin-coated ceramic and resin-coated sand proppants primarily used in the hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and oil wells in the United States and internationally. The company offers proppants, including CARBOHSP and CARBOPROP designed for use in deep gas wells; CARBOLITE used in medium depth oil and gas wells; CARBOECONOPROP; CARBOHYDROPROP used to enhance performance in slickwater fracture treatments; CARBOBOND LITE for oil and natural gas wells that are subject to the risk of proppant flow-back; and CARBOBOND RCS, a conductivity proppant. It also provides fracture simulation software, as well as offers fracture design, engineering, and consulting services to oil and natural gas companies. In addition, the company provides a range of technologies for spill prevention, containment, countermeasures, and geotechnical monitoring, as well as offers monitoring systems and services for bridges, buildings, tunnels, dams, slopes, e mbankments, volcanoes, landslides, mines, and construction projects primarily for customers in auto racing teams, surveyors, experimental physicists, radio astronomers, and naval architects markets. It principally sells its products and services to operators of oil and natural gas wells, and oilfield service companies. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Amber Hestla]

  On July 18, I recommended readers sell puts on Carbo Ceramics (NYSE: CRR), a company heavily involved in hydraulic facturing, or fracking, a process used to extract oil and gas from rock formations.

Top 5 High Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: McKesson Corp (MCK)

McKesson Corporation, incorporated on July 7, 1994, delivers pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and healthcare information technologies. The Company operates in two segments: McKesson Distribution Solutions segment and McKesson Technology Solutions segment. The McKesson Distribution Solutions segment distributes drugs, medical-surgical supplies and equipment and health and beauty care products throughout North America. The McKesson Technology Solutions segment delivers enterprise clinical, patient care, financial, supply chain, strategic management software solutions, pharmacy automation for hospitals, as well as connectivity, outsourcing and other services, including remote hosting and managed services, to healthcare organizations. In February 2013, the Company completed acquisition of Pss World Medical Inc. In February 2014, McKesson Corporation announced that its ownership in Celesio AG exceeds 75% interest.

Distribution Solutions

McKesson Distribution Solutions consists of the businesses, which include United States Pharmaceutical Distribution, McKesson Canada, Medical-Surgical Distribution, McKesson Specialty Health and McKesson Pharmacy Systems and Automation. United States Pharmaceutical Distribution business supplies pharmaceuticals and/or other healthcare-related products to customers in three primary customer channels: retail national accounts (including national and regional chains, food/drug combinations, mail order pharmacies and mass merchandisers); independent retail pharmacies, and institutional healthcare providers (including hospitals, health systems, integrated delivery networks, clinics and alternate site providers). This business also provides solutions and services to pharmaceutical manufacturers. This business sources materials and products from a range of different suppliers, including the production of certain generic pharmaceutical drugs through a contract-manufacturing program.

The Company�� United States pharmaceutical distribution b! usiness operates and serves thousands of customer locations through a network of 28 distribution centers, as well as a primary redistribution center, a strategic redistribution center and two repackaging facilities, serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. It invests in technology and other systems at all of its distribution centers to enhance safety and reliability and provide the product availability for its customers. In addition, it offers Mobile ManagerSM, which integrates portable handheld technology with Acumax Plus to give customers complete ordering and inventory control. The Company also offers McKesson ConnectSM, an Internet-based ordering system that provides item lookup and real-time inventory availability, as well as ordering, purchasing, third-party reconciliation and account management functionality. Together, these features help ensure customers have the right products at the right time for their facilities and patients.

The offerings of the McKesson United States Pharmaceutical Distribution business by customer group can be categorized as retail national accounts, independent retail pharmacies and institutional healthcare providers. Retail National Accounts is a business solutions that help national account customers increase revenues and profitability. Solutions include Central Fill, Redistribution Centers, EnterpriseRx, RxPak, Inventory Management, McKesson OneStop Generics and ExpressRx Track.

Independent Retail Pharmacies is a solutions for managed care contracting, branding and advertising, merchandising, purchasing, operational efficiency and automation that help independent pharmacists focus on patient care while improving profitability. Solutions include Health Mart, AccessHealth, McKesson Reimbursement Advantage, McKesson OneStop Generics, EnterpriseRx, Sunmark, FrontEdge and McKesson Sponsored Clinical Services (SCS) Network. Institutional Healthcare Providers is a electronic ordering/purchasing and supply chain management systems that help customers ! improve f! inancial performance, increase operational efficiencies and deliver better patient care. Solutions include McKesson Pharmacy Optimization, Fulfill-Rx, Asset Management, SKY Packaging, McKesson Plasma and BioLogics, McKesson OneStop Generics and McKesson 340B Solution Suite and Macro Helix.

Medical-Surgical Distribution business provides medical-surgical supply distribution, equipment, logistics and other services to healthcare providers including physicians' offices, surgery centers, extended care facilities, homecare and occupational health sites through a network of distribution centers within the United States. This business is a provider of supplies to the full range of alternate-site healthcare facilities, including physicians' offices, clinics and surgery centers (primary care), long-term care, occupational health facilities and homecare sites (extended care). McKesson Specialty Health business provides solutions for oncology and other specialty practices operating in communities across the country, as well as for pharmaceutical and biotech suppliers who manufacture specialty drugs and vaccines.

The Company provides direct-to-physician specialty distribution services, ensuring supply chain safety and delivery of specialty drugs in manufacturer recommended conditions. Third party logistics (3PL), are offered primarily for vaccine distribution, including its exclusive distributor relationship in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Vaccines for Children program. The Company also offer its industry Lynx integrated technologies, the iKnowMed Electronic Health Record, and clinical and practice management tools, all of which help community practices improve inventory management, practice workflow and reimbursement processes, as well as deliver business efficiencies and clinical-decision support. McKesson Specialty Health works with manufacturers across all phases of the product development and commercialization lifecycle, including clinical research, to optim! ize deliv! ery of complex medication to patients.

McKesson Pharmacy Systems and Automation business supplies integrated pharmacy management systems, automated dispensing systems and related services to retail, outpatient, central fill, specialty and mail order pharmacies. Its primary approach is to provide the customer with a pharmacy management system that suits the particular needs of their business operation.

Technology Solutions

The Company�� Technology Solutions segment provides a portfolio of software, automation, support and services to help healthcare organizations. This segment also includes its InterQual clinical criteria solution, claims payment solutions and network performance tools. Technology Solutions markets its products and services to integrated delivery networks, hospitals, physician practices, home healthcare providers, retail pharmacies and payers. The product portfolio for the Technology Solutions segment is designed to address a range of healthcare clinical and business performance needs ranging from medication safety and information access to revenue cycle management, resource utilization and physician adoption of electronic health records (EHR). Technology Solutions consists of businesses, which include McKesson Health Solutions, Enterprise Medical Imaging and Ancillary Solutions, RelayHealth, Revenue Management Solutions, Enterprise Information Solutions, Hospital Automation and International Technology.

McKesson Health Solutions services and software products is designed to manage the cost and quality of care for payers, providers, hospitals and government organizations. Solution sets include InterQual Criteria for clinical decision support and utilization management; Claims payment solutions to facilitate accurate and efficient medical claim payments; Business intelligence tools for measuring, reporting and improving clinical and financial performance; Network management tools to enable health plans to transform the performance of ! their net! works, and RelayHealth financial solutions to facilitate communication between healthcare providers and patient aggregate data for claims management and trend analysis, and optimize revenue cycle management processes.

The Company offers medical imaging and information management systems for healthcare enterprises, including a picture archiving communications system, a radiology information system and a cardiovascular information system. The Company�� enterprise approach to medical imaging enables organizations to take advantage of specialty-specific workstations, while building an integrated image repository that manages all of the images and information captured throughout the care continuum. Through its vendor-neutral RelayHealth and its intelligent network, the Company provides health information exchange solutions that streamline clinical and administrative communication between patients, providers, payers, pharmacies, manufacturers, government and financial institutions. RelayHealth helps to accelerate the delivery of care and improve financial performance through online consultation of physicians by patients, electronic prescribing by physicians, and point-of-service resolution of pharmacy claims by payers.

The Company help providers focus their resources on delivering healthcare while managing their revenue cycle operations and information technology through a suite of managed services. Services include full and partial revenue cycle outsourcing, remote hosting and business office administration. The Company also provides a solution for physician practices of all sizes, whether they are independent or employed, that includes software, revenue cycle outsourcing and connectivity services. Software solutions include practice management and EHR software for physicians of every size and specialty. The Company provides clinical and financial information systems for hospitals and health systems of all sizes. These systems are designed to improve the safety and quality of pati! ent care ! and improve clinical, financial and operational performance. Clinical functionality includes a data repository, care planning, physician order entry and documentation, nursing documentation with bar-coded medication administration, pharmacy, surgical management, emergency department and ambulatory EHR systems, and a Web-based physician portal. Automation solutions include technologies that help hospitals re-engineer and improve their medication use processes. The Company provides patient administration systems and clinical products to health and social care systems of all sizes in the United Kingdom and other European countries.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang , Saumya Vaishampayan]

  McKesson (MCK) �shares rose 3.6%. The drug distributor is in talks to buy rival Celesio AG for more than $5 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. If the negotiations progress, McKesson could announce a bid as early as this month, the newspaper said.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Campbell comes to AmEx from McKesson (NYSE: MCK  ) , where he served as executive vice president and CFO. He joined McKesson in 2003. His former employer said in a press release that it will replace him on an interim basis with its Vice President and Controller, Nigel Rees.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks For 2014

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Forget about earnings season. M&A season is providing a far more exciting ride this summer.

2014 has been a big year for mergers and acquisitions so far. Year-to-date, deal volume is up 72% to $2.5 trillion. In the U.S., where equity markets have been on fire for the last two years now, M&A volumes are up a whopping 85.3% since the calendar flipped to January. A lot of that huge transaction volume has to do with the fact that suitors don't have many options to deploy their cash right now.

Even though the broad market has rallied hard in the last year, there are still pockets of value, particularly in some individual small-cap stocks. Likewise, with low interest rates and more cash than ever before parked on corporate balance sheets, large companies are in search of ways to earn meaningful ROI on that $1.25 trillion mountain of corporate cash.

Read More: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks

So as management teams come to the realization that they need to either put money to work or hand it back to investors, acquisitions are looking a whole lot more appealing again. Mergers and acquisitions can provide amazing value for purchasing firms' balance sheets -- and they can provide instant gratification for shareholders in the target firm.

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy Right Now: Cheniere Energy Partners LP (CQP)

Citigroup Funding Inc. offers debt instruments that include commercial papers, medium-term notes and structured equity-linked and credit-linked notes. Citigroup Funding, Inc. is based in United States. Citigroup Funding Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Citigroup, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  What went wrong�
  Cheniere's management attributes the widening losses to several things:

  LNG terminal and pipeline development expenses for the Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSEMKT: CQP  ) liquefaction facility at Sabine Pass LNG terminal and pipeline development expenses for the proposed liquefaction facility at Corpus Christi Losses on interest rate derivatives purchased in August 2012 in connection with its senior secured credit facility Increases in general and administrative expenses, attributed to awards doled out as part of the company's long-term incentive plan at its Sabine Pass facility

  In other words, rising expenses -- some the company can control and some it cannot -- really hurt Cheniere this quarter. Operating costs were up 91% year over year. The loss on derivatives also increased significantly, from $836,000 in 2012 to $17.5 million this year.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSEMKT: CQP  ) is keeping its payout level for now. The partnership has declared a distribution of $0.425 per common unit, to be paid on August 14 to holders of record as of August 1. That amount is in line with nearly all of Cheniere Energy Partners' previous distributions stretching back to August 2007. The only exception is its first payout of $0.028, which was handed out in May 2007.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Although it is the first of the first movers in this space, I think Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG) is fairly deep into speculative territory at this point. In 2012 Cheniere became the first to obtain approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to export LNG to countries that lack a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. The non-FTA designation is important, because it covers many of the most lucrative LNG markets. Cheniere is the only company to have received the required approvals from both FERC and the US Department of Energy (DOE).  

  In 2007 Cheniere created the Cheniere Energy Partners (NYSE: CQP) master limited partnership to own assets such as its Sabine Pass LNG export terminal under construction on the Louisiana/Texas border, as well as another LNG terminal in Corpus Christi. Cheniere has signed up a number of customers in Asia and in Europe.  
  

  But the stock is surfing huge expectations that are already factored into the share price. While I believe there is money to be made in exporting natural gas, natural gas producers are lower-risk plays, followed by LNG tanker companies and gas infrastructure builders. LNG export backers are more aggressive and riskier options.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks For 2014: Journal Communications Inc. (JRN)

Journal Communications, Inc. operates as a media company in the United States. Its Broadcasting segment operates approximately 34 radio stations and 15 television stations in 12 states; and 1 television station under marketing agreement. Its television and radio stations provide targeted and relevant local programming to serve listeners, viewers, and advertisers. The company�s Publishing segment publishes Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which serves as the daily newspaper for the Milwaukee metropolitan area; and various community newspapers and shoppers in Wisconsin. Its Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper is distributed through independent contract carriers and agents. The company also operates various Websites, including JSOnline.com and Milwaukeemoms.com, and the MyCommunityNOW family of 26 community Websites that provide editorial and advertising content. In addition, it publishes niche publications for advertisers and readers in the agricultural market; and offers comme rcial printing services, including cold-Web printing, sheet-fed printing, electronic prepress, mailing, bindery, and inserting for other weekly and monthly publications. Journal Communications, Inc. was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Journal Communications (NYSE: JRN) shares were also up, gaining 24.66 percent to $10.92. The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) and Journal Communications have agreed to merge their broadcasting operations and spin off their newspapers businesses into a separate publicly held company.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) and Journal Communications (NYSE: JRN) announced that the two companies will merge their broadcast operations and plan to spin off the new entity as a new publicly-traded company. In addition, the newspaper businesses will combine to form a new company called Journal Media Group. Shares of E.W. Scripps hit new 52-week highs of $22.66 before closing the day at $21.68 while shares of Journal Communications also hit new 52-week highs of $11.37 before closing the day at $10.88, up 24.20 percent.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks For 2014: Apartment Investment and Management Co (AIV)

Apartment Investment and Management Company (Aimco), incorporated on January 10, 1994, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company is engaged in the ownership and operation of a portfolio of apartment properties. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, AIMCO-GP, Inc. and AIMCO-LP Trust, it owns majority interests in AIMCO Properties, L.P., which it refers to as the Aimco Operating Partnership. The Company conducts substantially all of its business and owns substantially all of its assets through the Aimco Operating Partnership. As of December 31, 2011, Aimco�� portfolio of owned and/or managed properties consisted of 518 properties with 93,694 apartment units.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired limited partnership interests in 12 real estate partnerships that owned 15 properties and in which its affiliates served as general partner. During 2011, it acquired a vacant, 126-unit property located in Marin County, north of San Francisco, California. During 2011, it acquired 50% interest in entities that owned four contiguous properties with 142 units located in La Jolla, California. During 2011, it sold 67 consolidated properties. During 2011, the Company owned general and limited partner interests in real estate partnerships that owned approximately 123 properties.

Property Operations

The Company�� owned real estate portfolio consists of two business components: conventional and affordable property operations. Its conventional property operations consist of market-rate apartments with rents paid by the resident and included 198 properties with 62,834 units in which it held an average interest of 93% as of December 31, 2011. The Company�� affordable property operations consist of apartments with rents that are generally paid, in whole or part, by a government agency and consisted of 172 properties with 20,612 units in which it held an average interest of 59% as of December 31, 2011. The Compa! ny�� property operations are organized into two geographic areas, the West and East.

Portfolio Management

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� affordable portfolio included 172 properties with 20,612 units. As of December 31, 2011, its conventional portfolio included 198 properties with 62,834 units in 33 markets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

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

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Residential apartments real estate investment trust (REIT) Apartment Management and Investment Company (AIV) raised its quarterly dividend 8% to 26 cents per share, payable on Feb. 28 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 14.
  AVI Dividend Yield: 3.74%

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks For 2014: Telecom Argentina SA (TEO)

Telecom Argentina SA (Telecom) is an Argentina-based company primarily engaged in the provision of national fixed-line telecommunication services, international long-distance service, data transmission and Internet services and mobile telephony. The Company also offers such solutions as online business and Web hosting, virtual private network (VPN), mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft and Blackberry, toll-free telephone numbers, call centers and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) line, as well as other services mainly aimed at corporate clients. The Company�� subsidiaries are structured in two business segments: Fixed Telephony, comprising Telecom Argentina USA Inc and Micro Sistemas Sociedad Anonima, and Mobile Services, including Telecom Personal SA, Nucleo SA and Springville SA. As of December 31, 2010, the Company�� majority shareholder was Nortel SA, 54.74% of its interest.

Voice, Data and Internet

Telecom Argentina owns a local telephone line network, public long-distance telephone transmission facilities and a data transmission network in the Northern Region. Telecom Argentina also owns a network in the Southern Region. Voice, data and Internet services consists of basic telephone services, international long-distance services, data transmission and internet services, information and communication technology services and other basic telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides basic telephone services, including local and domestic long-distance telephone services and public telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides international telecommunications service in Argentina, including voice and data services and international point-to-point leased circuits.

Telecom Argentina provides data transmission and Internet connectivity services, including traditional dial-up and broadband connections, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) dedicated lines, private networks, national and international broadcasting signal transport and videoconfe! rencing services. Telecom Argentina provides Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services and value-added solutions. Other services provided by Telecom Argentina include supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller identification (ID), voice mail, video calls and itemized billing, and telecommunications consulting and telecommunications equipment and maintenance services.

Telecom Argentina is a provider of Basic telephone services in the Northern Region and provides Basic telephone services in the Southern Region. Telecom Argentina�� fixed-line telephone network includes installed telephones and switchboards, a network of access lines connecting customers to exchanges and trunk lines connecting exchanges and long-distance transmission equipment.

The Company competes with Grupo Telmex Argentina, Telephone2, Impsat, IPlan, Comsat, Telecentro, Telefonica, Netizen, Gigared, UOL, Ertach, Telecentro and Cablevision.

Wireless Telecommunication

Telecom Argentina provides wireless services through its subsidiaries in Argentina and Paraguay. Its subsidiary Telecom Personal S.A. (Telecom Personal) provides wireless telephone service throughout Argentina via cellular and personal communications service (PCS) networks. Telecom Personal�� service offerings include global system for mobile communications (GSM) and 3G wireless communication over universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)/high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) networks (including general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data for GSM evolution (EDGE) and HSDPA high-speed wireless, videoconferencing, full track download, multimedia messaging, online streaming, corporate mailing and BlackBerry solutions) and sale of wireless communication devices (cellular phones, 3G modems, 3G hotspots, wireless Internet and netbooks). The Company also provides cellular and PCS services in Paraguay through Nucleo S.A., a subsidiary of Telecom Pers! onal.

The Company competes with Telecom Personal, Telefonica Moviles, America Movil, Telefonica Celular del Paraguay S.A. and Hola Paraguay S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Reese, Founder and CEO, Validea.com And Validea Capital Management]

  As you might imagine, the portfolio will tread into areas of the market others ignore, because of its contrarian bent. Right now, its holdings include some very unloved firms, including several financials, emerging market stocks, and much-maligned BP. Here's a look at five of the stock in our Dreman portfolio:

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM)
  
  BP Plc (BP)
  
  Telecom Argentina SA (TEO)
  
  China Mobile Limited (CHL)
  
  Vale SA (VALE)
  
  

  Subscribe to Validea here��/P>

• [By Garrett Cook]

  In trading on Monday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.48 percent. Top losers in the sector included Telecom Argentina SA (NYSE: TEO), down 6.57 percent, and NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 6.69 percent.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  In trading on Monday, telecommunications services shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.48 percent. Top losers in the sector included Telecom Argentina SA (NYSE: TEO), down 6.1 percent, and NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 6.8 percent.

5 Best International Stocks For 2014

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This week, these five stocks have the worst ratings in Operating Margin Growth, one of the eight Fundamental Categories on Portfolio Grader.

City Telecom (H.K.) Ltd. () provides fixed telecommunications networks and international telecommunications services for residential and corporate customers. CTEL also gets F’s in Earnings Growth and Sales Growth. .

10 Best Stocks To Invest In 2015: Hudson Global Inc (HSON)

Hudson Global, Inc. (Hudson) incorporated on January 1, 2003, provides specialized professional-level recruitment and related talent solutions worldwide. The Company's Core service offerings include Permanent Recruitment, Contract Consulting, Legal eDiscovery, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and Talent Management solutions. As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated in 20 countries with three geographic business segments: Hudson Americas, Hudson Asia Pacific, and Hudson Europe. The Company's core service offerings include Permanent Recruitment, Contract Consulting, Legal eDiscovery,RPO and Talent Management Solutions.

The Company's Permanent Recruitment services leverage the firm's more than 1,200 consultants, supported by the Company's psychologists and other scientific specialists in the development and delivery of its methods to identify, select and engage the best-fit talent for critical client roles. In Contract Consulting, Hudson provides a range of project management, interim management and professional contract staffing services. Hudson's Legal eDiscovery services consists of eDiscovery solutions, managed document review including logistical deployment, project management, process design and productivity management, and contract attorney staffing. Hudson's RPO delivers outsourced recruitment solutions tailored to the individual needs of mid- to large-cap multinational companies. Hudson RPO services include complete recruitment outsourcing, project-based outsourcing, contingent workforce solutions and recruitment consulting. Hudson's Talent Management Solutions capability encompasses services such as talent assessment, interview training, executive coaching, employee development and outplacement.

The Company's clients include small to large-sized corporations and government agencies. As of December 31, 2012 , there were approximately 460 Hudson Americas clients, 1,200 Hudson Asia Pacific clients and 2,700 Hudson Europe clients.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  The government's closely watched jobs report today is expected to show that nonfarm payrolls increased by 218,000 positions and may have finally returned employment to its pre-recession level, but executive search or staffing stocks like Hudson Global Inc (NASDAQ: HSON), Robert Half International Inc (NYSE: RHI) and up and coming Staffing 360 Solutions Inc (OTCBB: STAF) have already made investors winners since the official end of the recession:

• [By John Udovich]

  Staffing 360 Solutions Inc. Having a consolidation strategy that is well suited for the highly fragmented temporary staffing industry, small cap Staffing 360 Solutions intends to become a major international publicly-held staffing organization with diversified staffing services by engaging in a targeted accretive acquisition strategy. Staffing 360 Solutions has already developed a significant pipeline of acquisition targets in the IT, financial, accounting, healthcare and banking industries. Moreover, its executive chairman Brendan Flood spent seven years at Hudson Global Inc (NASDAQ: HSON) in various roles in Europe and the United States, culminating with him leading the company's IPO and listing of its common stock on the Nasdaq National Market in 2003. During 2004 and 2005 he was the CFO/COO for Hudson North America (returning the business to profitability after several loss-making years) while�prior to the IPO, it should be noted that Hudson was part of what is now Monster Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: MWW). CEO Matt Briand also has 17 years of staffing industry experience from various recruitment, sales, management and executive roles. On Wednesday, Staffing 360 Solutions issued an updated forecast for the next three fiscal quarters is as follows: $24.1 million for the quarter ending May 31, 2014, $30.2 million for the quarter ending August 31, 2014, and $32.1 million for the quarter ending November 30, 2014. Staffing 360 Solutions has also recently completed the acquisition of�PeopleSERVE, which�provides IT professional and management consultants on a contract and direct hire basis to state and local government, multinational and regional businesses and entrepreneurial firms throughout the greater Boston area.�On Wednesday, Staffing 360 Solutions fell 0.50% to $1.99 (STAF has a 52 week trading range of $0.55 to $2.10 a share) for a market cap of $60.98 million plus the stock is down 0.5% since the start of the year, up 20.6% over the past year and up 165.3% ove

5 Best International Stocks For 2014: Diamond Foods Inc.(DMND)

Diamond Foods, Inc., a packaged food company, engages in processing, marketing, and distributing snack products, as well as culinary, in-shell, and ingredient nuts. Its snack products include glazed nuts, roasted and mixed nuts, breakfast trail mix products, microwave popcorn products, and potato and tortilla chips. The company?s culinary nuts comprise shelled nuts, pegboard nuts, and harvest reserve premium nuts. Its in-shell nuts consist of uncracked nuts and mixed nuts; and ingredient/food service products include shelled and processed nuts, and custom-processed nuts. The company offers its products under the Emerald, Pop Secret, Kettle, and Diamond of California brand names. It markets its culinary nuts to individuals, who prepare meals or baked goods at home; and ingredient and food service nuts to food processors, restaurants, bakeries, and food service companies and their suppliers. Diamond Foods, Inc. sells its products directly to retailers, such as national groce ry stores, club stores, mass merchandisers, and drug store chains; and indirectly through wholesale distributors, who serve independent and small regional retail grocery store chains and convenience stores. The company offers its products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Canada, South Korea, Turkey, and Japan. Diamond Foods, Inc. was founded in 1912 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Diamond Foods (NASDAQ: DMND) posted a FQ4 loss of $147.1 million, or $6.71 per share, versus a year-ago loss of $32.9 million, or $1.52 per share. Its revenue dropped 11% to $199.8 million from $224 million. Excluding one-time items, it earned $0.09 per share. However, analysts expected the company to break even on revenue of $194 million. Diamond Foods shares tumbled 7.77% to $21.72 in the after-hours trading session.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Diamond Foods (NASDAQ: DMND  ) advanced 17%, posting a surprising gain instead of an expected loss in its last quarter. Some have worried about a drop in nut sales, and view the company as a possible acquisition target, while others think the company might want to do some shopping of its own. Diamond is also recovering from accounting-related troubles, and a new possible worry is the FDA looking into why salmonella has been turning up in nuts�recently.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares fell 0.45 percent on Tuesday. Top losers in the sector included Diamond Foods (NASDAQ: DMND), down 3.4 percent, and Xueda Education Group (NYSE: XUE), off 2.6 percent.

5 Best International Stocks For 2014: ProShares Trust II (YCS)

ProShares Trust II (the Trust) is a statutory trust organized into separate series. The Trust offers seven Funds. The Trust offers beneficial interest in each of its 24 series. The 24 separate series include ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Commodity, ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Commodity, ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Crude Oil, ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Crude Oil, ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Natural Gas, ProShares Short DJ-UBS Natural Gas, ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Natural Gas, ProShares Short Gold, ProShares Ultra Gold, ProShares UltraShort Gold, ProShares Ultra Silver, ProShares UltraShort Silver, ProShares Ultra Euro, ProShares UltraShort Euro, ProShares Ultra Yen ProShares UltraShort Yen, ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF, ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF, ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF, ProShares UltraShort VIX Short-Term Futures ETF, ProShares Ultra VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF, ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF, ProShares Short VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF and ProShares UltraShort VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF.

The Funds offer investors the opportunity to obtain leveraged, inverse or inverse leveraged exposure to a particular benchmark. The Funds include funds linked to futures-based commodity indexes (the Commodity Index Funds), particular commodities (the Commodity Funds) or particular currencies (the Currency Funds). ProShare Capital Management LLC serves as the Trust�� Sponsor, commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor. Wilmington Trust Company is the sole Trustee of the Trust.

Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index

ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Commodity and ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Commodity are designed to track a multiple or an inverse multiple of the daily performance of the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity IndexSM. The Dow Jones-UBS Commodity IndexSM (the Dow Jones-UBS) is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. It focuses to reflect the overall commodity sector by measuring the performance of commodity fu! tures contracts. The Dow Jones-UBS is a rolling index, which means that the Dow Jones-UBS does not take actual physical possession of any commodities; rather, it tracks a rolling futures position. An investor with a rolling futures position is able to avoid delivering (or taking delivery of) underlying physical commodities while maintaining exposure to those commodities. The roll for each Index component occurs over a period of five Dow Jones-UBS business days in certain months according to a pre-determined schedule. The exact roll methodology differs between certain commodities. The Index will reflect the performance of its underlying commodities, including roll costs, without regard to income earned on cash positions. The Dow Jones-UBS is consisted of eight different commodity sectors, such as petroleum, natural gas, livestock, grains, industrial metals, precious metals, softs and vegetable oils. These eight sectors track futures contracts prices of 19 specific commodities, such as natural gas, crude oil, unleaded gasoline, heating oil, live cattle, lean hogs, wheat, corn, soybeans, soybean oil, aluminum, copper, zinc, nickel, gold, silver, sugar, cotton and coffee. The Dow Jones-UBS is consisted of commodities traded on the United States exchanges, with the exception of aluminum, nickel and zinc, which trade on the London Metal Exchange.

Dow Jones-UBS Natural Gas Subindex

ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Natural Gas and ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Natural Gas are designed to track twice (2x) or twice the inverse (-2x) of the daily performance of the Dow Jones-UBS Natural Gas SubindexSM, respectively The Dow Jones-UBS Natural Gas SubindexSM is intended to reflect the performance of a rolling position in natural gas futures contracts traded on the NYMEX without regard to income earned on cash positions. An investment in natural gas futures contracts may often perform very differently than the price of physical natural gas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew McCall]

  An ETF that takes advantage of a weak yen is the ProShares UltraShort Yen ETF (NYSE: YCS). The ETF returns two times the daily inverse of the value of the yen. For example, if the yen declines by 0.5 percent, theoretically YCS should be up 1.0 percent and vice versa. The leveraged aspect of the ETF makes it too risky for most investors and it should only be considered a short-term trading vehicle.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The euro has dropped about 0.8% against the dollar, while the CurrencyShares Euro Trust ETF (FXE) has dropped 0.7% to $136.71 and the Currency Shares Japanese Yen Trust ETF (FXY) has fallen 1%. The ProShares UltrasShort Euro ETF (EUO) has gained 1.3% to $16.77, while the ProShares UltraShort Yen (YCS) has gained 1.9% to $66.58.

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  As always, use common sense when trading. You can be ��ight��about a short and still lose a lot of money if you get caught on the wrong side of a short squeeze. An ETF option to consider in lieu of shorting the yen directly would be the ProShares Ultrashort Yen (YCS).

• [By Anthony Mirhaydari]

  Today, the yen carry trade, as represented by the ProShares UltraShort Yen (YCS) , is collapsing below both its lower Bollinger Band and its 50-day moving average ��the most significant downtrend initiation since June. The scramble to cover positions funded by yen carry trades is why the selling is so frantic.

5 Best International Stocks For 2014: Mesabi Trust (MSB)

Mesabi Trust operates as a royalty trust in the United States. The company produces iron ore pellets. It holds interest in the Peter Mitchell mine located in the Mesabi Iron Range near Babbitt, Minnesota. The company holds various agreements with the Northshore Mining Company that mines iron ore, which is in the form of taconite, crushes it, separates the iron particles from the non-metallic, and forms the resulting concentrate into pellets that are shipped for use in steel-producing blast furnaces of customers of CCI, a mining company that produces iron pellets in North America. Mesabi Trust was founded in 1919 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Patience, Grasshopper
  For starters, imagine that you invested in Mesabi Trust (NYSE: MSB  ) about a year ago and you're down some 20% on your investment. Your holding might be looking to you like an answer to the question, "What is investment panic, Alex?" But don't be so hasty. Ask yourself why you bought it. Mesabi Trust is a royalty trust that receives and then pays out to shareholders a portion of the proceeds from iron mined by a�Cliffs Natural Resources�subsidiary. Some might avoid it because royalty trusts often have expiration dates, but it's worth noting that Mesabi's is rather�far away. But slowdown in demand�for ore is a concern, one that has been�an issue for Cliffs, too.

Top 5 India Companies To Own In Right Now

South Korean stocks rose, driving the benchmark index to a five-week high, after the Bank of Korea joined central banks in Australia, Europe and India in cutting interest rates this month to boost growth.

GS Engineering & Construction Corp. (006360) climbed 6.8 percent, leading building companies higher. Mirae Asset Securities Co. advanced 2.2 percent. Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. paced gains among the nation�� shipyards, rising 7.6 percent amid speculation the company�� earnings will improve in the second half of the year.

The Kospi index rose 1.2 percent to 1,979.45 at the close on the Korea Exchange, the highest since April 3. The central bank lowered the benchmark seven-day repurchase rate to 2.5 percent from 2.75 percent, a move that was predicted by six of 20 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Ruling New Frontier Party floor leader Lee Hahn Koo yesterday urged a ��ore active role��for the bank, adding to political pressure for a cut.

��he market has been waiting for the cut for a long time, and it seems the central bank and the government are now working on policy coordination, which is a positive signal,��Kim Jae Dong, a fund manager at Baring Asset Management Korea Ltd. in Seoul, said by phone today. ��he reduction would improve domestic consumption.��

Top 5 Gas Utility Companies To Buy Right Now: Stewart Information Services Corporation(STC)

Stewart Information Services Corporation provides title insurance and related information services required for settlement by the real estate and mortgage industries. It operates in two segments, Title Insurance-Related Services and Real Estate Information. The Title Insurance-Related Services segment offers services that include searching for and examining documents, such as deeds, mortgages, wills, divorce decrees, court judgments, liens, paving assessments, and tax records, as well as provides titles insurance for residential and commercial properties, undeveloped acreage, farms, ranches, and water rights. This segment serves attorneys, builders, developers, home buyers and home sellers, lenders, and real estate brokers. The Real Estate Information segment offers products and services, which primarily include lender services, title technology, foreign and domestic government services, mapping, title information, Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 tax-deferred property e xchanges, pre-employment services, and online filing and transaction management. Its customers include mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, mortgage investors, government entities, commercial and residential real estate agents, land developers, builders, title insurance agencies, and others interested in obtaining property information, as well as accountants, attorneys, investors, and employers. The company has operations primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, central Europe, Mexico, central America, and Australia. Stewart Information Services Corporation was founded in 1893 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Tower Group has dropped 40% to $4.43 today, and some other small insurers are also getting dinged this morning. HCI Group (HCI) has fallen 1.8% to $39.36, Stewart Information Services (STC) has declined 0.7% to $31.36 and the Navigators Group (NAVG) has ticked down 0.4% to $56.10.

Top 5 India Companies To Own In Right Now: Infosys Technologies Limited(INFY)

Infosys Ltd. provides information technology (IT) and consulting services worldwide. It offers IT services, such as application, architecture, independent validation and testing, information management, infrastructure, packaged application, SOA, systems integration, and knowledge services; product engineering services, manufacturing process and plant solutions, and product lifecycle management services; and consulting services in the areas of information and technology strategies, product innovation, next generation commerce, process excellence, and learning and complex change. The company also provides business process outsourcing solutions in the areas of business platforms, customer service outsourcing, finance and accounting, human resources outsourcing, legal services, sales and fulfillment, and sourcing and procurement outsourcing. In addition, it offers collaborative analytics solutions; digital consumer platform; Finacle universal banking solution; iProwe, a Web ac cessibility assessment product; mConnect, a real-time enterprise middleware; and research and analytical support services. Further, the company offers unified communications and collaboration solution that streamlines business processes between employees, customers, and suppliers; iTransform that helps healthcare organizations accelerate transition to new platforms; and supply chain visibility and collaboration product suite. It serves aerospace and defense, airlines, automotive, banking, capital markets, communication services, consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, education, energy, healthcare, high technology, hospitality and leisure, insurance, life sciences, logistics and distribution, publishing, resources, utilities, and retail industries. Infosys Ltd. has a strategic partnership with Alstom SA. The company was formerly known as Infosys Technologies Limited and changed its name to Infosys Ltd. on June 16, 2011. Infosys Ltd. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered i n Bengaluru, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Shares of Infosys Ltd (INFY) spiked in pre-market trading on Friday after the software company posted second quarter earnings and revenues that beat Wall Street expectations.

  The India-based company posted a second quarter net income of $383 million, or 67 cents per share, down from $431 million, or 75 cents per share, posted in the same period last year.

  The company’s earnings per American Depository Share, or ADR, came in at 73 cents per share. According to analysts at Thomson Reuters, the company was expected to earn 70 cents per share in the quarter.

  Infosys’ quarterly revenues came in at $2.066 billion, up from the $1.797 billion posted in the same quarter last year. On average, analysts were expecting the company to see $2.01 billion in revenues.

  “During the quarter we witnessed broad-based volume growth, robust client additions, five large deal wins and increased sales momentum of our big data and cloud offerings. This growth is a result of our focus on execution, which helps our clients achieve their objectives.” said S. D. Shibulal, CEO and Managing Director.

  “We will continue with planned investments and initiatives to explore new avenues of growth. We remain watchful of the sustainability of improving global economic fundamentals”, he added.

  Looking ahead, the company sees revenues growing between 9% and 10% in fiscal 2014.

  Infosys shares were up $2.72, or 5.41%, during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 18.87% year-to-date.

Top 5 India Companies To Own In Right Now: Sify Technologies Limited(SIFY)

Sify Technologies Limited provides enterprise and consumer Internet services primarily in India. The company offers various corporate network/data services comprising e-commerce and network connectivity solutions, such as end-to-end services network, application, and security services; voice origination and termination services; co-location and managed hosting services; and system integration services for data centre build, hardware distribution, security solutions, and turnkey projects. It also provides application services, including SLEMS and Microsoft Exchange messaging platforms; I-test for online assessment and LiveWire, which enable management of training processes across the organization; document management system for the management of documents electronically; and Forum, a forward supply chain solution. In addition, the company operates e-Ports that offer browsing, chat, email, gaming, utility bill payment, travel ticketing, hotel booking, mobile recharge, Intern et telephony, and online share trading services; and portals, which provide news, views, reviews, interactions, and services in the areas of movies, sports, finance, food, videos, astrology, online games, shopping, and travel, as well as offers content offerings and broadband services. Further, it provides infrastructure management services, such as network management, datacenter and helpdesk outsourcing, desktop and storage outsourcing, IT security outsourcing, LAN and WAN outsourcing, database and telecom outsourcing, and application monitoring and management services to automotive, chemical, media, and financial enterprises; and virtualization design, integration, and deployment services for servers, storage, networks, and end user clients. Sify has approximately 1,278 e-Ports in 200 towns and cities; and serves 1,06,000 broadband subscribers through 1500 cable TV Operators. The company, formerly known as Sify Limited, was founded in 1995 and is based in Chennai, India. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology stocks gained Tuesday, with Ku6 Media Co (NASDAQ: KUTV) leading advancers. Among leading tech stocks, gains came from Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN), Bitauto Holdings (NYSE: BITA) and Sify Technologies (NASDAQ: SIFY).

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology stocks gained Tuesday, with Ku6 Media Co (NASDAQ: KUTV) leading advancers. Among leading tech stocks, gains came from Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ: RBCN), Bitauto Holdings (NYSE: BITA) and Sify Technologies (NASDAQ: SIFY). Utilities shares dropped by 0.11 percent in the US market today.

Top 5 India Companies To Own In Right Now: Tata Motors Ltd(TTM)

Tata Motors Limited, an automobile company, engages in the manufacture and sale of commercial and passenger vehicles primarily in India. The company offers cars, utility vehicles, trucks, buses and coaches, and defense vehicles, as well as develops electric and hybrid vehicles for personal and public transportation. It also involves in distributing and marketing cars; and financing the vehicles sold by the company. In addition, the company engages in the provision of engineering and automotive solutions, as well as machine tools and factory automation solutions; construction equipment manufacturing; automotive vehicle components manufacturing and supply chain activities; tooling and plastic and electronic components for automotive and computer applications; and automotive retailing and service operations. It offers its products and services through its dealership, sales, services, and spare parts network. The company also markets its commercial and passenger vehicles in Eu rope, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia, and South America. The company was formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited and changed its name to Tata Motors Limited in July 2003. Tata Motors Limited was founded in 1945 and is based in Mumbai, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CFA Institute Contributors]

  Tata Motors (TTM)

  Damodaran doesn't use standard regression betas. Instead, he uses an average of all the betas in a given industry. In this case, the law of large numbers is on the analyst's side. The standard error in a regression beta is typically too large to make any individual beta meaningful. In the case of Tata Motors, using an average of 111 publicly traded companies in the auto industry reduces the standard error of the beta by 90%, he said.

• [By Sophia Yan]

  Shares of Tata Motors (TTM) tumbled almost 5% in morning trading in Mumbai as investors reacted to news of Slym's death. Tata Motors also owns Jaguar and Land Rover brands.