Monday, June 29, 2015

How To Profit From The Most Hated Pipeline In America

The proposed expansion of the Keystone pipeline is probably the most hated energy project in America.

The project has become a rallying cry for environmentalists who claim the harvesting of oil sands in Alberta poses unacceptable risks to the ecosystem.

Last week, The New Yorker published an extensive article describing how Tom Steyer, a California billionaire and former hedge-fund manager, is spending millions of his own fortune to defeat the measure.  

That's interesting, especially considering that Steyer's hedge-fund, Farallon, invested in fossil-fuel companies. From the New Yorker:

"After being criticized by some Republicans for holding some investments in the fossil-fuel industry, including stock in Kinder Morgan, which has proposed extending a rival pipeline to Keystone, Steyer said that he would fully divest his portfolio of its "dirty energy" holdings within a year."

The pipeline has also become a political issue. During last year's presidential race, President Barack Obama refrained from taking a strong stand on the project despite heavy pressure from the left, while Mitt Romney claimed that if forced to do so he would, "build it myself."

But what much of the commentary on the topic fails to mention is that most of the Keystone pipeline has already been built and is currently in operation.

The existing line runs east from Alberta and then cuts south through the Dakotas and Nebraska. It then splits into two directions, with one route heading east toward refineries in Illinois and the other running south to Cushing, Okla.

The current controversy is really over a pipeline extension known as Keystone XL, which would create a more direct route from Alberta to Nebraska and from Oklahoma to the Gulf. If approved, the Keystone XL would increase Canada's oil exports to the U.S. by as much as 830,000 barrels a day.

So, the question for investors is this: If Keystone XL is approved, which companies stand to profit?

The most obvious is TransCanada (NYSE: TRP), the company that has submitted the proposal for the expansion. 

TransCanada's cash flow is derived from natural gas (62%), oil/liquids (16%), and energy (22%), which includes natural gas storage.

     
   
  Copyright © 2013 TransCanada Corporation  
  TransCanada's natural gas pipeline business is already one of the largest on the continent, with more than 35,000 miles of pipe transporting 15 billion cubic feet a day.  

TransCanada's natural gas pipeline business is already one of the largest on the continent, with more than 35,000 miles of pipe transporting 15 billion cubic feet a day. The company currently transports approximately 20% of North America's natural gas.

Analysts expect earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to increase from CA$700 million (about $679 million) in 2012 to more than CA$1.7 billion in 2017. This estimate would mean a mouth-watering 20% increase in the company's compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

However, if the XL pipeline is delayed, that growth rate could be cut in half.

Some analysts have postulated that the crude could be shipped by rail. But Greg Gentry, Valero Energy's (NYSE: VLO) general manager in Port Arthur, Texas, disagrees, saying Canadian producers "would have to drop the price of their crude" if they were to ship by rail, according to the New Yorker article.

If he's right and the threat of rail competition is not economically viable, this bodes well for TransCanada.

Furthermore, with all the hoopla in the press about Keystone XL, a big new development for TransCanada has largely gone unnoticed.

In August, TransCanada announced plans to begin building its CA$12 billion, 1.1 million-barrel-per-day Energy East Pipeline project from Alberta to the Atlantic coast at Saint John, New Brunswick. The project is being supported by the Canadian government to the tune of CA$5 billion over 20 years.

So whether U.S. environmentalists like it or not, Alberta's oil sands will be harvested and sold. How they are shipped, and to whom, are the only real questions.

While not exactly dirt cheap, TransCanada's share prices have fallen 7% this year, and the stock is trading 11% below its 52-week high.

At a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18 and a current price-to-book (P/B) ratio of 2, shares of TransCanada are trading slightly below industry averages. I believe shares are fairly valued at today's prices.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy Right Now

The current 4% yield is backed by a 90% payout ratio, which is higher than I would like to see. But to its credit, the company has been raising its dividend each year since 2008.

TransCanada is not the only company that stands to profit from the possible Keystone XL approval. Refiners such as Valero and LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE: LYB), as well as construction companies Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) and Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR) all stand to gain if Keystone XL gets the green light.

Risks to Consider: Of course, if the pipeline extension is not approved, TransCanada will have to write off its investment in the project. As mentioned, the current dividend payout ratio of 90% is high, and the dividend may have to be cut in the future if profits decline.

Action to Take --> No doubt, this investment is a bit of a gamble. But investors who are willing to take the risk and invest now should see share prices soar if Keystone XL approval is granted. And even if the project isn't approved, all is not lost. TransCanada's existing pipelines already have long-term contracts at sold-out capacity that will provide steady income for at least the next 10 to 15 years.

Solid current income from "wide-moat" pipelines, combined with the potential boon from the Energy East project, should make TransCanada a long-term winner either way. For speculative investors, TransCanada rates a buy at today's prices.

P.S. -- If events break TransCanada's way on the Keystone XL project, TRP investors will be sitting pretty. However, there's another group of securities that have a wide moat, pay world-class dividends and buy back huge amounts of stock. These are securities solid enough to buy, forget about and hold -- forever. To learn more about these "Forever Stocks," click here.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Stocks For 2016

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Stocks For 2016: Civeo Corp (CVEO)

Civeo Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil States International, Inc. The Company operates in active oil, coal, natural gas and iron ore producing regions, including Canada, Australia and the United States. The Company is engaged in providing an integrated service offering to its customers, which include independent oil and natural gas companies, mining companies and oilfield and mining service companies. The Companys premium accommodations services allow its customers to outsource their accommodations needs to a single supplier, maintaining employee welfare and satisfaction while focusing their investment on their core resource development efforts. In June 2014, Oil States International Inc completed spin-off of the Company.

The Companys primary focus is on providing premium accommodations to natural resource companies at its properties, which the Company refers to as lodges in Canada and villages in Australia. The Company has 17 lodges and v illages in operation, with an aggregate of more than 20,000 rooms. In addition, in the United States and Canada, the Company has eleven smaller open camp properties, as well as a fleet of mobile accommodation assets.

The Company competes with ATCO Structures & Logistics Ltd., Black Diamond Group Limited, Horizon North Logistics Inc., Clean Harbors, Inc., Aramark Corporation, Ausco Modular (a subsidiary of Algeco Scotsman), Fleetwood Corporation, Sodexo, Compass Group PLC, Stallion Oilfield Holdings, Inc. and Target Logistics Management LLC (a subsidiary of Algeco Scotsman Global S.a.r.l.).

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    In corporate news, Civeo (CVEO) tumbled 55.2% to close at $3.92 after the company said it would slash spending and suspend its quarterly dividend amid the slide in oil prices.

  • [By Teresa Rivas]

    Shares of Civeo (CVEO) were down nearly 25% in after hours trading Monday, follow! ing the firms disappointing 2015 guidance and news it is suspending its dividend.

    The firm, which provides accommodations for energy workers, said it expects 2015 revenues between $540 million and $600 million, well below the $815 million analysts were expecting. Its first quarter revenue guidance, a range of $160 million to $175 million, also came in far short of expectations of $228 million.

    The company blamed a slowdown in oil sands projects in Canada amid an environment of low oil prices for the shortfall, while also noting that low coal prices in Australia are also hurting sales.

    In response to a “potentially protracted period of lower prices”Civeo said it would adjust its cost structure (after already cutting 30% and 45% of its Canadian and U.S. employees) and would limit its capital expenditures going forwardto a range of $75 million to $85 million, from $260 million to $280 million this year including suspending its dividend.

    The plunge comes after Civeo hit a 52-week low of $6.81 Dec. 17, a fall of more than 75% from its June highs.

    Update: As of 5:15 the shares were off more than 28%. Also,D.E. Shaw & Co disclosed 5.1% passive stake in the firm.

  • source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-healthcare-equipment-stocks-for-2016.html

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Top 5 Construction Material Companies To Buy For 2015

After a disappointing close yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is headed higher early in trading, with a 67-point gain as of 11:40 a.m. EDT. Some positive news on the economic front and a rally from the financial district may be the fuel the index needs to keep its momentum.

Sentiment is high
New data on consumer sentiment for May shows that it's reached its highest level in almost six years. Upper-income households carried the data, as families continued to feel better about economic conditions and financial outlooks. The index from Reuters and the University of Michigan noted the rise to 83.7 from 76.4 in April, which topped analyst expectations of 78. Consumer spending attitudes were notably improved as the index showed a big rise in shopping plans for durable goods�from 137 to 148.

Top Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Eagle Materials Inc (EXP)

Eagle Materials Inc., incorporated on January 27, 1994, manufactures and distributes gypsum wallboard and also manufactures and sells cement. Gypsum wallboard is distributed throughout the United States with particular emphasis in the geographic markets nearest to its production facilities. The Company sells cement in six regional markets, including northern Nevada and California, the greater Chicago area, the Rocky Mountain region, the Central Plains region and Texas. Its gypsum wallboard business is supported by its recycled paperboard business, while its cement business is supported by its concrete and aggregates business. The Company operates in Cement and Concrete and Aggregates, and Gypsum Wallboard and Recycled Paperboard segments. As of March 31, 2013, the Company operated six cement plants (one of which belongs to its joint venture company), five gypsum wallboard plants, one recycled paperboard plant, seventeen concrete batching plants and four aggregates facilities. The Company�� products are used in the construction and renovation of houses, roads, bridges, commercial and industrial buildings and other, newer generation structures like wind farms.

Cement, Concrete and Aggregates Operations

The Company�� cement production facilities are located in or near Buda, Texas; LaSalle, Illinois; Laramie, Wyoming; Sugar Creek, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Fernley, Nevada. The Company�� cement subsidiaries are wholly-owned except the Buda, Texas plant, which is owned by Texas Lehigh Cement Company LP, a limited partnership joint venture owned 50% by the Company and 50% by Lehigh Cement Company LLC, a subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement AG. Its LaSalle, Illinois plant operates under the name of Illinois Cement Company; the Laramie, Wyoming plant operates under the name of Mountain Cement Company; the Fernley, Nevada plant operates under the name of Nevada Cement Company and its Sugar Creek, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma plants operate under the name Central Plains Cement Com! pany. The Company produces and distributes ready-mix concrete from Company-owned sites north of Sacramento, California; Austin, Texas and the greater Kansas City area. The Company�� activities in its frac sand business are in the Utica, Illinois area and in south Texas. The Company sells aggregates to building contractors and other customers engaged in a variety of construction activities.

Gypsum Wallboard and Recycled Paperboard Operations

The Company owns five gypsum wallboard manufacturing facilities. As of March 31, 2013, the Company�� gypsum wallboard production totaled 1,950 million square feet. Total gypsum wallboard sales were 1,909 million square feet during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013). The Company also manufactures alternative products, including containerboard grades (such as linerboard and medium) and lightweight packaging grades (such as bag liner). In addition, recycled industrial paperboard grades (tube/core stock and protective angle board stock) are produced to maximize manufacturing efficiencies. The Company�� manufactured recycled paperboard products are sold to gypsum wallboard manufacturers and other industrial users.

The Company competes with USG Corporation, National Gypsum Company and Koch Industries.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Cement and building materials maker�Eagle Materials� (NYSE: EXP  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.10 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2008.

Top 5 Construction Material Companies To Buy For 2015: CEMEX SAB de CV (CX)

CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CEMEX), incorporated on January 20, 1931, is a global cement manufacturer with operations in North America, Europe, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The Company is a holding company engaged through the operating subsidiaries in the production, distribution, marketing and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and clinker. As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� cement production facilities were located in Mexico, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Latvia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Egypt, the Philippines and Thailand.

The Company manufactures cement through a closely controlled chemical process, which begins with the mining and crushing of limestone and clay, and, in some instances, other raw materials. The clay and limestone are then pre-homogenized, a process which consists of combining different types of clay and limestone. The mix is typically dried, then fed into a grinder, which grinds the various materials in preparation for the kiln. The raw materials are calcined, or processed, at a very high temperature in a kiln, to produce clinker. Clinker is the intermediate product used in the manufacture of cement.

Ready-mix concrete is a combination of cement, fine and coarse aggregates, admixtures (which control properties of the concrete including plasticity, pumpability, freeze-thaw resistance, strength and setting time), and water. The Company is a supplier of aggregates primarily the crushed stone, sand and gravel, used in virtually all forms of construction.

Mexican Operations

During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Mexican operations represented approximately 21% of the Company�� net sales. CEMEX Mexico is a direct subsidiary of CEMEX and is both a holding company for some of the operating companies in Mexico and an operating company involved in the manufacturing and ma! rketing of cement, plaster, gypsum, groundstone and other construction materials and cement by-products in Mexico. CEMEX Mexico, indirectly, is also the holding company for the international operations. The Company owns Tolteca, Monterrey, Maya, Anahuac, Campana, Gallo, and Centenario brands in Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, the Company owned 100% of CEMEX Mexico.

The Company competes with Holcim Ltd., Sociedad Cooperativa Cruz Azul, Cementos Moctezuma, Grupo Cementos Chihuahua and Lafarge Cementos in Mexico.

U.S. Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� operations in the United States represented approximately 19% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX, Inc. As of December 31, 2009, CEMEX had a cement manufacturing capacity of approximately 17.9 million tons per year in the United States operations. As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 14 cement plants located in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. As of December 31, 2009, it also had 48 rails or water served active cement distribution terminals in the United States. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had 336 ready-mix concrete plants located in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington and aggregates facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Spanish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the operations in Spain represented approximately 5% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held approximately 99.8% of CEMEX Espana, the main operating subsidiary in Spain. The cement activities in Spain are conducted by CEMEX Espana. The ready-mix concrete activities in Spain are conducted by Hormicemex, S.A., a subsidiary of CEMEX Espana, and the aggregates activities in Spain ar! e conduct! ed by Aricemex S.A., also a subsidiary of CEMEX Espana.

U.K. Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� operations in the United Kingdom represented approximately 8% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, it held 100% of CEMEX Investments Limited, the holding subsidiary in the United Kingdom. The Company is a provider of building materials in the United Kingdom with vertically integrated cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and asphalt operations. It is also a provider of concrete and precast materials solutions, such as concrete blocks, concrete block paving, roof tiles, flooring systems and sleepers for rail infrastructure.

The Company competes with Lafarge, Heidelberg, Tarmac, and Aggregate Industries in the United Kingdom.

German Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the operations in the Rest of Europe consisted of the operations in Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria and Hungary, as well as the other European assets. The Company is a provider of building materials in Germany, with vertically integrated cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and concrete products operations (consisting mainly of prefabricated concrete ceilings and walls). It maintains a network for ready-mix concrete and aggregates in Germany. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Deutschland AG, the holding subsidiary in Germany.

The Company competes with Heidelberg, Dyckerhoff, Lafarge, Holcim and Schwenk in Germany.

French Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX France Gestion (S.A.S.), the holding subsidiary in France. It is a ready-mix concrete producer and aggregate producer in France. As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 239 ready-mix concrete plants in France, one maritime cement terminal located in LeHavre, on the northern coast of France, 20 land distribution centers and 42 aggregates quarries.

The Company competes with Lafarge, Holcim, Italcementi, Vicat, Lafarge, Italcementi, Colas (Bouygues) and Eurovia (Vinci) in France.

Irish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held approximately 61.2% of Readymix Plc, the operating subsidiary in the Republic of Ireland. The operations in Ireland produce and supply sand, stone and gravel, as well as ready-mix concrete, mortar and concrete blocks. As of December 31, 2009, we operated 43 ready-mix concrete plants, 27 aggregates quarries and 15 block plants located in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. The Company imports and distributes cement in the Isle of Man.

The Company competes with CRH, the Lagan Group and Kilsaran in the Republic of Ireland.

Polish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Polska Sp. z.o.o. (CEMEX Polska), the holding subsidiary in Poland. It is a provider of building materials in Poland serving the cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates markets. As of December 31, 2009, CEMEX operated two cement plants and one grinding mill in Poland, with a total installed cement capacity of three million tons per year. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated 39 ready-mix concrete plants and nine aggregates quarries in Poland. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated 10 land distribution centers and two maritime terminals in Poland.

The Company competes with Heidelberg, Lafarge, CRH and Dyckerhoff in Poland.

Southeast European Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Hrvatska d.d. (Hrvatska), the operating subsidiary in Croatia. As of December 31, 2009, it operated three cement plants in Croatia, with an installed capacity of 2.4 million tons per year. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated ten land distribution centers, three maritime cement terminals, eight ready-mix concrete facilities and one aggregates quarry! in Croat! ia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By GuruFocus]

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

  • [By Monica Wolfe]

    Cemex SAB de CV (CX)

    As of the close of the third quarter there were nine guru owners of Cemex. These gurus held a combined weighting of 5.30%. During the third quarter, there were three gurus making buys and nine making sells of their stake in CX.

Top 5 Construction Material Companies To Buy For 2015: Ply Gem Holdings Inc (PGEM)

Ply Gem Holdings, Inc. (Ply Gem Holdings), incorporated on January 23, 2004, is a manufacturer of residential exterior building products in North America. The Company operates in two segments: Siding, Fencing, and Stone and Windows and Doors. These two segments produce a product line of vinyl siding, designer accents, cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim, vinyl fencing, vinyl and composite railing, stone veneer and vinyl windows and doors used in both new construction and home repair and remodeling in the United States and Western Canada. It also manufactures vinyl and aluminum soffit and siding accessories, aluminum trim coil, wood windows, aluminum windows, vinyl and aluminum-clad windows and steel and fiberglass doors, enabling it to bundle complementary and color-matched products and accessories with its core products. The Company�� subsidiaries includes including Ply Gem Industries, MWM Holding, AWC Holding Company, MHE, and Pacific Windows. On July 30, 2012, Ply Gem acquired substantially all of the assets of Greendeck Products, LLC.

Siding, Fencing, and Stone Segment

In the Siding, Fencing, and Stone segment, its principal products include vinyl siding and skirting, vinyl and aluminum soffit, aluminum trim coil, J-channels, wide crown molding, window and door trim, F-channels, H-molds, fascia, undersill trims, outside/inside corner posts, rain removal systems, injection molded designer accents, such as shakes, shingles, scallops, shutters, vents and mounts, vinyl fence, vinyl and composite railing, and stone veneer. It sells its siding and accessories under its Variform, Napco, Mastic Home Exteriors, and Cellwood brand names and under the Georgia-Pacific brand name through a private label program. It also sells its Providence line of vinyl siding and accessories to Lowe�� under its Durabuilt private label brand name. Its vinyl and vinyl-composite fencing and railing products are sold under its Kroy and Kroy Express brand names. Ply Gem Holdings stone veneer produ! cts are sold under its United Stone Veneer brand name.

The Company sells the siding and accessories to specialty distributors (one-step distribution) and to wholesale distributors (two-step distribution). Its specialty distributors sell directly to remodeling contractors and builders. Its wholesale distributors sell to retail home centers and lumberyards who, in turn, sell to remodeling contractors, builders and consumers. In the specialty channel, it has developed a network of approximately 800 independent distributors, serving over 22,000 contractors and builders nationwide.

Windows and Doors Segment

In the Windows and Doors segment, its principal products include vinyl, aluminum, wood and clad-wood windows and patio doors, and steel, wood, and fiberglass entry doors that serve both the new home construction and the repair and remodeling sectors in the United States and Western Canada. Its products in its Windows and Doors segment are sold under the Ply Gem Windows, Great Lakes Mastic by Ply Gem, and Ply Gem Canada brands.

The Company competes with Alsco, Gentek, U.S. Fence, Homeland, Westech, Bufftech, Royal, Azek., Eldorado Stone, Coronado Stone, Jeld-Wen, Simonton, Pella and Andersen, MI Home Products, Atrium, Weathershield, Milgard, Jeld-Wen, Gienow, All Weather and Loewen.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Matt Jarzemsky]

    Installed Building Products��debut follows mixed performance from shares of some newly public building-products companies. Through Tuesday, siding manufacturer Ply Gem Holdings Inc.(PGEM)�� shares were down 39% from the offer price in its $381 May debut. Wood-products maker Boise Cascade Co.(BCC) was up 46% from its $284 million February IPO.

  • [By Traders Reserve]

    There hasn�� been a January effect rally in shares of Ply Gem (PGEM). In fact, it has been quite the opposite. Shares are down a whopping 25% during the month. For a stock I rated as on of the Top 10 Sizzling Stocks, such a move is painful, but not disastrous. Sizzling Stocks are meant to be held for the duration of the year and we have 11 months to go. Small-cap stocks like Ply Gem can move sharply one direction or the other.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Ply Gem Holdings (NYSE: PGEM) shares reached a new 52-week low of $11.48 after the company reported wider-than-expected Q4 loss and issued a weak Q1 revenue forecast.

Top 5 Construction Material Companies To Buy For 2015: Boral Ltd (BLD)

Boral Limited (Boral), is engaged in the manufacture and supply of building and construction materials in Australia, the United States and Asia. The Company�� operating segments include Construction Materials & Cement, Building Products, Boral Gypsum, and Boral USA. The Construction Materials & Cement is engaged in quarries, concrete, asphalt, transport, landfill, property, cement and concrete placing. The Building Products segment is engaged in Australian bricks, roof tiles, masonry, timber products and windows. The Boral Gypsum involves Australian and Asian plasterboard. The Boral USA is engaged in Bricks, cultured stone, roof tiles, fly ash, concrete and quarries. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Lam]

    Ballard Power (BLD), which designs and manufactures hydrogen fuel cells, slumped 15 percent to C$1.42, the biggest decline since March. The company yesterday said it will sell about 9 million units at $1.40 a unit for proceeds of about $12.6 million. The cash generated will be used to fund working capital, support growth and general corporate purposes, the company said.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Own For 2016

5 Best Biotech Stocks To Own For 2016: KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Inc (KBIO)

KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a United States-based company, which develops protein therapeutics. The Company develops and engineers antibodies and protein therapeutics. Its monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) technology that is being used for reengineering antibodies with products being developed in the areas of infectious disease, autoimmunity, and oncology. Its suite of technologies can also be used for discovery and engineering of other proteins, industrial enzymes and small molecule drugs. It conducts three clinical development programs in leukemia, infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KBIO) shares fell 64.48% to $0.65 in pre-market trading after the company reported top-line data from phase 2 study of KB001-A.

  • source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/5-best-biotech-stocks-to-own-for-2016.html

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Hot Casino Stocks To Buy For 2015

DOVER, Del. ��Delaware became the first state Thursday to launch what officials call a full suite of Internet gambling, an effort the governor and casino operators hope will revive revenues from an industry hit hard because of competition from border states.

Twenty-five to 75 players who have registered online at sites maintained by Delaware's three racetrack casinos will be permitted to play during a week of testing of the system.

STORY: N.J. to start Internet gambling Nov. 26
STORY: Nev. opens online gambling door with poker

By Nov. 8, anybody registered and physically in Delaware will be able to play blackjack, poker, roulette and slots for money, officials said. In recent weeks, people have been allowed to play for fun, with no money exchanged, and can continue doing so.

Best Railroad Companies To Watch In Right Now: 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 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 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 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.

Hot Casino Stocks To Buy For 2015: Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.(PNK)

Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. owns, develops, and operates casinos, and related hospitality and entertainment facilities in the United States. It operates casinos, such as L'Auberge du Lac in Lake Charles, Louisiana; River City Casino and Lumiere Place in St. Louis, Missouri; Boomtown New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana; Belterra Casino Resort in Vevay, Indiana; Boomtown Bossier City in Bossier City, Louisiana; and Boomtown Reno in Reno, Nevada. The company also operates River Downs racetrack in southeast Cincinnati, Ohio. As of May 26, 2011, it operated seven casinos and one racetrack. The company was formerly known as Hollywood Park, Inc. and changed its name to Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. in February 2000. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 1935 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    Time to make the switch
    If I could name a sector that I'd certainly tread lightly around considering that consumers are tightening their wallets, it would be the casino sector. Casino companies rely on loose wallets and vacations to drive profits. This is why I feel it could be the time to say goodbye to casino and race track operator Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK  ) near its 52-week high.

  • [By Grace L. Williams]

    First up is Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK). CEO Anthony Michaal Sanfilippo bought 23,000 shares of the Las Vegas-based gaming company for $505,800. InsiderScore notes this is his first purchase in nearly two years and writes, ��fter shares retreated more than 15% from a six-year high and with an activist hedge fund pushing the casino operator to spin off its real estate into a REIT, Sanfilippo stepped up with his first purchase. [He put] a fresh $500,000 into the stock at a price two times his cost basis of previous buys.��/p>

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    What: Shares of Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA  ) and Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK  ) fell as much as 11% today after the government brought into question the merger of the two companies.

  • [By Dan Radovsky]

    Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK  ) has reached an agreement in principle with the Bureau of Competition of the Federal Trade Commission that would allow the company to complete its proposed acquisition of Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA  ) , Pinnacle announced today.

Hot Casino Stocks To Buy For 2015: MGM Resorts International(MGM)

MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ruben Ramirez]

    The group's annual G2E Global Gaming Expo is being held this week at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. The study, done by Oxford Economics, took into account everything from wagers by gamblers doubling-down to tourists buying gas, meals or tickets to a show. The numbers didn't surprise David Schwartz, director of the Gaming Research Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "I think it's an important part of telling the whole story," he said. That story, he said, includes not only casino gambling but the industry's impact as hoteliers, retailers and others. What got the gambling industry to this point isn't going to keep it thriving, though, said Geoff Freeman, the association's president. With growing competition, Freeman said the industry needs to seek regulatory changes that can help make the business more efficient and free up companies to be more innovative, he said. The industry has suffered particularly in Atlantic City, where four casinos have closed this year leaving 8,000 people out of work. Oxford Economics looked at regulatory data, federal labor statistics and surveyed casinos for the study. It included spending and revenue in the report that might be linked but not directly connected to a casino. James Murren, CEO and chairman of MGM Resorts International (MGM) , told a G2E conference crowd that 70 percent of his company's Las Vegas revenue comes from non-gambling sources, including 7 million tickets sold for entertainment performances last year. "Non-gaming has exploded for us," he said. G2E is a trade show and conference where new slot machine designs, wagering technology, and food and beverage concepts often debut. The show has attracted 26,000 attendees in past years.

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    Las Vegas is on a comeback and MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM  ) will benefit from its growth, but this isn't the only opportunity for the company. A new resort on Cotai and the potential for online gaming in the U.S. make this an attractive stock in the gaming market. Gaming analyst Travis Hoium goes over the company's biggest opportunities in the video below.�

  • [By Monica Wolfe]

    MGM Resorts International (MGM)

    Paulson�� fifth largest position is in MGM Resorts International. The guru holds on to 34 million shares of the company�� stock, representing 3.5% of his total portfolio and 6.94% of the company�� shares outstanding.

Hot Casino Stocks To Buy For 2015: 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.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Hot Biotech Companies To Invest In 2016

Hot Biotech Companies To Invest In 2016: Cannabis Science Inc (CBIS)

Cannabis Science, Inc., incorporated on May 4, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treats disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance. On February 9, 2012, the Company acquired GGECO University, Inc. (GGECO). On March 21, 2012, the Company acquired Cannabis Consulting Inc. (CCI Group).

The Company is engaged in medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Burrows]

    But it doesn’t end there. Investors should run away from all OTC marijuana stocks, including Medical Marijuana (MJNA), Cannabis Science (CBIS), CannaVest (CANV), MediSwipe (MWIP) and GreenGro Technologies (GRNH). As the SEC warns:

  • [By John Udovich]

    The SEC has halted trading of small cap marijuana stock Growlife Inc (OTCMKTS: PHOT) after a relatively brief trading halt for Advanced Cannabis Solutions, Inc (OTCMKTS: CANN), but Tranzbyte Corp (OTCMKTS: ERBB), Cannabis Science Inc (OTCMKTS: CBIS) and Medical Marijuana Inc (OTCMKTS: MJNA) are still very much alive. However and as I have noted (repeatedly) in the past (see here), Medical Marijuana Inc has a former CEO who has been indicted for a multi-state mortgage fraud scam/ponzi scheme while Medbox Inc (OTCMKTS: MDBX) is another marijuana stock with some "issues" that were summed up nicely in a Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation article cleverly entitled: Tinkerer, Lawyer, Hustler, Lies: One Man's Path to a Dope Fortune. Obviously, invest! ing in marijuana stocks is not for conservative. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of good or bad news for investors in the marijuana sector to inhale, including the following:

  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    Much like Nuvilex, Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCMKTS:CBIS) appears to simply be another conventional biotech outfit. And, truth be told, that's what CBIS is. It just happens to be developing two drugs based on cannabinoids... one to reat HIV/AIDS, and the other to treat cancer. Both drugs are in preclinical trials right now, so an actual marketable product is still years down the road for Cannabis Science Inc. But, as a legitimate biotechnology that isn't aiming to simply fuel tokers' needs, it's not going to hit any regulatory or law-enforcement roadblocks.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-biotech-companies-to-invest-in-2016.html

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Best Beverage Stocks To Watch For 2015

Coca-Cola (KO) takes a 17% stake in Monster Beverage Corp (MNST), causing MNST shares to jump nearly 30%. This seems like a very smart strategic play by KO, conservatively entering into the energy drink market while limiting MNST expansion into the non-energy drink market. This helps KO develop a new revenue stream, testing the waters before diving completely in.

Overall I think it's a good deal for Coke and would be interesting to see how they'll incorporate Monster into the fold, whether they'll increase their stake by buying the company or maintaining the same ownership level. Coke is diversifying and trying to get exposure to the energy drink space with one of the most recognized energy drinks available. MNST is a direct competitor with Pepsi's (PEP) AMP energy drink. KO will now be able to appeal to the action sports market, something PEP has been doing with their PepsiMax commercials.

Top 10 Media Companies For 2016: Remy Cointreau SA (RCO)

Remy Cointreau SA is a France-based company engaged in the production and distribution of wines and spirits. The Company's activities are divided into two segments. Cognac, which offers a range of products under the Remy Martin brand and Liqueurs and Spirits, distributing liquors under the Cointreau, Izarra and Passoa brand names, as well as spirits under such brand names as Mount Gay (rum), St Remy (brandy), Ponche Kuna (rum) and Metaxa (brandy). The Company is a sole distributor of the Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck brands, as well as Piper Sonoma (the sparkling wine brand). The Company's subsidiaries include production companies, such as E. Remy Martin & Cie, and distribution companies, such as Remy Cointreau USA Inc. In August 2013, it completed the sale of Larsen Cognac to the Finnish group Altia. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Inyoung Hwang]

    EasyJet Plc and International Consolidated Airlines Group SA climbed as oil prices fell after the U.S. and Russia agreed on a plan to destroy Syrian chemical weapons. Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMB) advanced to a three-year high after sales topped estimates. Remy Cointreau SA (RCO) soared the most in almost four years as Chinese cognac shipments increased.

  • [By Jonathan Morgan]

    European stocks dropped, following a two-day gain, as Remy Cointreau SA (RCO) and Pernod Ricard SA dragged food-and-beverage makers lower. U.S. index futures and Asian shares were little changed.

  • [By Inyoung Hwang]

    Remy Cointreau SA (RCO) jumped 6 percent, the most since January. Chinese cognac shipments increased 20.5 percent in August, rising for the first time since January, according to UBS AG, citing from BNIC, a trade association of cognac makers.

Best Beverage Stocks To Watch For 2015: California Grapes International Inc (CAGR)

California Grapes International, Inc., formerly China Food Services, Corp., incorporated in 1992, conducts its primary business operations as an importer, exporter and distributor of staple, organic, specialty, and gourmet foods and beverages, catering to the Asian Pacific Rim. The Company owns and operates Golden Dragon Food & Beverage Import & Export Company of Hong Kong, Ltd. (GDHK) in central Hong Kong and Beijing Flying Golden Dragon International Trading Co., Ltd. in China (BFGD). Golden Dragon Holdings, Inc. has agreements with the United State food manufacturers. It acts as a buying agent for GDHK, negotiating vendor contracts and services with the United States food and beverage industry partners.

The Company focuses to offer wholesale food distribution to grocery chains and independent food stores throughout China. The Company focuses on purchasing goods directly from manufactures in the United States, Latin America and Europe, and distributes these products to distributors, grocery stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets throughout China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Omar Venerio]

    As we can see in the next chart, the stock price has an upward trend in the five-year period. If you had invested $10,000 five years ago, today you could have $36,431, which represents a 29.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Best Beverage Stocks To Watch For 2015: Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd (CCLAF)

Coca-Cola Amatil Limited (CCA) with its subsidiaries is engaged in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of carbonated soft drinks, still and mineral waters, fruit juices, coffee and other alcohol-free beverages. CCA operates in four business segments: The Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and Indonesia and PNG segments. CCA is also engaged in the processing and marketing of fruits, vegetables and other food products, and the manufacture and distribution of alcohol ready-to-drink products, and the distribution of premium spirits and beer brands. The Company�� principal operations are in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). On January 13, 2012, the sale of CCA�� 50% interest in Pacific Beverages to SABMiller was completed. On February 21, 2011, the Company acquired Vending business, a non-alcohol beverage in Australia. On September 7, 2012, CCA acquired an 89.6% shareholding in Paradise Beverages (Fiji) Ltd (Paradise Beverages). Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By MARKETWATCH]

    LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks seesawed in early Monday trade, with gains for miners and energy names helping support the market, as the S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) sat 0.1% higher at 5,325.90 after changing direction several times. Official Chinese data showing manufacturing holding its growth rate in October appeared to help some miners, as did gains for some commodity prices. Shares of Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.5%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) added 0.7%, Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) advanced 1%, and Whitehaven Coal Ltd. (AU:WHC) improved by 1.9%. Likewise, an advance for gold futures sent Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) rallying 3.4%, and Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) up 2.9%. Energy shares also traded higher, with Oil Search Ltd. (AU:OSH) (OISHF) up 1.3%, and Karoon Gas Australia Ltd. (AU:KAR) (KRNGF) adding 1.7%. On the downside, retailers were mostly lower, with David Jones Ltd. (AU:DJS) (DVDJF)

  • [By Daniel Inman]

    Also in Sydney, Coca-Cola Amatil (AU:CCL) � (CCLAF) �dropped 4.7% after warning that its fiscal 2014 operating profit was likely to fall 5% to 7% on the previous year.

Best Beverage Stocks To Watch For 2015: Monster Beverage Corp (MNST)

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

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

DSD Segment

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

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

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

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

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

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

Warehouse Segment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Smith]

    Scary day for Monster Beverage
    Missed earnings estimates�and renewed reports of health concerns about its energy drinks translated into a downgrade for shares of Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST  ) Thursday. Analysts at Gabelli & Co. cited slowing U.S. energy drink sales, losses on business abroad, and negative publicity as all being factors contributing to their decision to cut Monster's rating from "buy" to "hold."

  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    Barry Lewis/Alamy A flat soda is bad, but for Coca-Cola (KO) investors, a flat stock chart is even worse. The world's largest beverage company's stock is trading marginally higher in 2014, and while that's enough to keep an impressive streak alive -- six consecutive years of higher closing prices -- it's undeniable that Coca-Cola's business is in a funk. Sluggish soda sales that are being barely offset by growth initiatives in new beverage lines are taking a toll on Coca-Cola. Revenue and gross profit declined through the first nine months of 2014, and the former market darling is now cutting costs to keep its profitability on track. Coca-Cola will be laying off as many as 2,000 employees in the coming weeks, sources are telling the Wall Street Journal. The days of shuttling execs around in fancy limos and springing for lavish Wall Street parties are being set aside for now. The stock may be on a six-year winning streak, but Coca-Cola's going to have to bounce back if it wants to stretch that record to seven in 2015. Taking Names We're not drinking soda in this country the way we used to, and that's a problem for more than just Coca-Cola. Industry watcher Beverage Digest has been reporting shrinking consumption in the U.S. for nine consecutive years. An occasional gimmicky rollout blurs the trend. For Coca-Cola, we saw that earlier this year with its "Share a Coke" campaign, which featured cans bearing names or terms of endearment. However, even with that kind of spike, we saw Coca-Cola's case volume shrink 1 percent in this country during the third quarter relative to the same period a year earlier. Coca-Cola may consider itself lucky. Rival PepsiCo (PEP) saw its carbonated-soft-drink volume slip 1.5 percent in North America in its latest quarter. A couple of years ago the concern could've been that folks were bypassing soda in bottles and cans to make carbonated beverages at home, but no one's making that argument now that SodaStream (SODA) is getting

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited(CP)

Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a transcontinental railway providing freight transportation services, logistics solutions, and supply chain expertise in Canada and the United States. It transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, sulphur, and fertilizers; merchandise freight; finished vehicles and automotive parts; forest products, which include wood pulp, paper, paperboard, newsprint, lumber, panel, and oriented strand board; and industrial and consumer products comprising chemicals, energy, and plastics, as well as mine, metals, and aggregates. The company provides rail and intermodal transportation services over a network of approximately 14,700 miles serving the principal business centers of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, British Columbia; and the Midwest and Northeast regions of the United States. Canadian Pacific Railway Limited was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Earlier this week, CSX (NYSE: CSX  ) saw its stock soar by 10% as news emerged that North American peer Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP  ) had reportedly approached CSX with a possible merger deal. Yet even as investors speculated about the possible implications of a merger on the short-term value of their holdings, CSX's earnings the following afternoon gave the railroad's shareholders plenty of reasons not to want to give Canadian Pacific the chance to buy them out at what could prove to have been a bargain price.

  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Shares of CSX (NYSE: CSX) got a boost, shooting up 7.79 percent to $32.27. Canadian Pacific Railway (NYSE: CP) has reportedly approached CSX about a potential merger, that would create a $62 billion North American rail! way powerhouse, according to sources, as reported by WSJ. The approach made in the past week, was rebuffed by CSX, according to people familiar with the matter.

  • source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-transportation-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-5.html

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Top 5 Logistics Companies To Invest In Right Now

The implementation of a fully-operational oil pipeline in Fujairah, writes April Yee, of The National, provides more flexibility and an increase of storage space.

A pipeline connecting a major oil products terminal with the Port of Fujairah is now operational, allowing the emirate to further expand its oil logistics industry.

Last week, Vopak Horizon Fujairah inaugurated a set of pipelines that connect oil product storage tanks to extra berths at the port.

That allows the joint venture of a Dutch company and Emirates National Oil Company to offload products onto 11 tankers at once, four more than by just using its on-site jetty.

��his project was really for us to connect to the port to give us more flexibility to use the infrastructure in the port,��said Yusr Hussain Sultan Al Junaidy, the chief executive of Horizon Terminals, the oil products storage company that Emirates National Oil Company owns.

The pipeline connection is the latest development along Fujairah's rapidly-expanding coastline, where construction cranes and hard hats line a narrow stretch of land between the mountains and the sea.

Best Electric Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: rue21 inc.(RUE)

rue21, inc. operates as a specialty apparel retailer in the United States. It provides fashion apparel and accessories for girls and guys, including graphic T-shirts, denim, dresses, shirts, hoodies, belts, jewelry, handbags, footwear, intimate apparel, and other accessories. The company sells its apparel and accessories under the brand names of rue21, rue21 etc!, tarea by rue21, Carbon and CJ Black, and Carbon Elements; and fragrances under the rue by rue21, revert eco rue21, CJ Black, sparkle rue21, Pink Ice by rue21, MetroBlack rue21, tarea by rue21, twentyone black, runway21 by rue21, Carbon Elements, Intense by rue21, and rue21 etc! brand names. As of January 28, 2012, it operated 755 stores in 713 cities in 46 states. rue21, inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    What: Shares of rue21 (NASDAQ: RUE) surged 23% today after private equity firm Apax Partners agreed to acquire the specialty apparel retailer for $1.1 billion.

  • [By John Del, Vecchio,]

    Teen apparel retailer�rue21� (NASDAQ: RUE  ) recently announced its intention to be acquired by Apax Partners in a buyout valued at $1.1 billion, or $42 a share. Apax already owns 30% of rue21, but the announcement delighted investors and the stock shot up nearly 23% to just under the target acquisition price.

Top 5 Logistics Companies To Invest In Right Now: Sovereign Lithium Inc (SLCO)

Sovereign Lithium, Inc., formerly Great American Energy Inc., incorporated on February 22, 2007, is a mineral exploration and development company focused on supporting clean energy and clean technology industries. The Company is engaged in identifying, acquiring and developing mineral assets in the United States and surrounding countries. The Company�� portfolio of projects primarily targets lithium production with a sub-focus on rare earth elements (REE).

The Company�� project includes Big Smoky Valley lithium project and Bear Creek REE project. Big Smoky Valley lithium project is located in Esmeralda Country in Nevada. It represents 48 unpatented placer mining claims consisting of 7,680 acres (3,108 hectares) in and around Esmeralda Country, Nevada. Bear Creek REE project consists of 10 mining claims totaling 7,311 acres (2,959 hectares) in British Columbia, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap OTC stocks Sovereign Lithium Inc (OTCMKTS: SLCO), Life Stem Genetics Inc (OTCMKTS: LIFS), Nevada Gold Corp (OTCMKTS: NVGC), Guar Global Ltd (OTCMKTS: GGBL) and Makism 3D Corp (OTCMKTS: MDDD) all saw their trading halted late last year by the SEC, but now all of these stocks are trading again. So what's going on and why the sudden crackdown? First, here is a quick look at what happened to the following five small cap stocks:

Top 5 Logistics Companies To Invest In Right Now: CVR Refining LP (CVRR)

CVR Refining, LP, incorporated on September 17, 2012, is an energy limited partnership with refining and related logistics assets that operates in the mid-continent region. As of January 8, 2013, the Company owned two of only seven refineries in the underserved Group 3 of the PADD II region of the United States. It owns and operates a 115,000 barrels per day (bpd) coking medium-sour crude oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas and a 70,000 bpd medium complexity crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma capable of processing 20,000 bpd of light sour crude oils (within its 70,000 bpd capacity). In addition, it also controls and operates supporting logistics assets, including approximately 350 miles of owned pipelines, over 125 owned crude oil transports, a network of strategically located crude oil gathering tank farms, and over six million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity. On December 15, 2011, the Company�� subsidiary Coffeyville Resources, LLC (Coffeyville Resources) acquired Wynnewood Energy Company, LLC, formerly Gary-Williams Energy Corporation.

The Company�� Coffeyville and Wynnewood refineries are located approximately 100 miles and 130 miles from the crude oil hub at Cushing, Oklahoma. As of January 8, 2013, the Company gathered approximately 50,000 bpd of price-advantaged crudes from its gathering area, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. The Company also has 35,000 bpd of contracted capacity on the Keystone and Spearhead pipelines that allows it to supply price-advantaged Canadian and Bakken crudes to its refineries. As of January 8, 2013, the Company had 145,000 bpd pipeline system that transports crude oil from its Broome Station tank farm to its Coffeyville refinery, as well as a total of 6 million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity, including approximately 6% of the total crude oil storage capacity at Cushing.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Aimee Duffy]

    But this too is starting to shift. If you look at the most-recent IPOs on the New York Stock Exchange, you'll find many corners of the energy industry represented:

    Tallgrass Energy Partners�-- Natural gas midstream, debuted May 14 KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP  ) -- Shuttle tankers, debuted April 10 SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP  ) -- Coal/coke making, debuted Jan. 18 CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) -- Mid-continent refining, debuted Jan. 17

    There have also been a few MLP-related funds to hit the market this year, including Global X Junior MLP ETF�and Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund.

  • [By Aimee Duffy]

    1. CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) -- 22.5% yield
    As its name suggests, CVR Refining is a downstream master limited partnership in the CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI  ) family. It controls two refineries, one in Kansas and one in Oklahoma, as well as a pipeline and storage network.

Top 5 Logistics Companies To Invest In Right Now: Nesscap Energy Inc (NCE)

Nesscap Energy Inc. is engaged in developing, manufacturing and marketing of products (ultracapacitors) that store energy for power delivery systems, which are used in transportation, industrial power, renewable energy and other consumer industries. Ultracapacitors are used as energy storage devices for high power applications and are characterized by high power density, long operational lifetime and quick charging and discharging capability. The Company�� range of products, from single-cell ultracapacitor products to multi-cell modules, is designed for reliable energy storage and power platforms. The Company�� offers multi-cell modules with operating voltages of five volt, 16 volt, 48 volt, 64 volt, 86 volts, and 125 volt. The Company�� small-sized EDLC cells range from 3 frequency-50 frequency in capacitance with operating voltages ranging from 2.3 volt to 2.7 volt. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John McCamant]

    Phase III trials for NKTR-102 for breast cancer, are due by year-end. NKTR-181 is a new chemical entity (NCE) painkiller developed by NKTR that does not result in the high often associated with addictive and life-threatening chronic opioid use.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Was "Arrested Development" Worth the Investment?

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) shares fell more than 6% on Tuesday, which was the first trading day after the extended Memorial Day weekend -- and after Netflix's debut of Arrested Development, Season 4.

Investors are reacting to a mixed bag of Arrested reviews. The cult hit came into the weekend on a full head of buzz, but not everyone loved the return of the Bluth family. This was supposed to be universally loved, top-shelf material. Anything less feels like missing an earnings estimate. That's why Netflix shares are back to prices not seen since, oh, about three weeks ago.

NFLX Chart

NFLX data by YCharts.

But that didn't stop Arrested fans from enjoying the new content in droves.

The launch had "a noticeable effect on network traffic" across networks with Netflix customers, according to network analytics specialist Procera. The show accounted for 2% to 7% of all Netflix traffic this weekend, depending on which network you're looking at. In one extreme case, 36% of the unnamed DSL network's broadband customers came looking for frozen bananas at some point during the weekend.

To put that last number into context, the most active network around the House of Cards launch saw just 11% of its subscribers catching some of that show in the first weekend, again according to Procera. And HoC was declared a universal success.

So is there any money for Netflix in this famous banana stand? It's too early to tell. I suspect we'll get some clues on Thursday, when Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos is scheduled to speak at analyst firm Nomura's telecom and media conference. He'll have to dodge questions like a Olympic-grade dodgeball pro in order not to spill any beans on Arrested Development's success (or lack thereof).

In the meantime, let's consider what metrics Netflix is likely to care about.

Content by the numbers
A traffic spike in the first week doesn't mean much. This could be an influx of Bluth fans with one-month free trials in tow, primed for conversion into loyal Netflix customers. Or they could be existing Netflix customers shifting their eyeballs from some other piece of content to Arrested Development for a while. So pure traffic figures aren't all that important.

Netflix is built on word-of-mouth marketing and voluntary customer loyalty. CEO Reed Hastings is proud of how easy it is to leave the service, for example -- no two-year contracts here, you're supposed to stick around (or come back after canceling) if you like the service. So content quality matters a lot. Critics and consumers don't always see eye to eye, and even Twitter recaps don't count as a statistical sample of real-world opinions. Procera might be able to follow up with viewership numbers a few weeks or months down the road, and strong figures there would definitely mean something. Otherwise, we'll just have to wait for some bread crumbs from Netflix's management, or significant changes to its subscriber numbers in coming quarters.

And Netflix does aim high with all of its in-house productions. House of Cards and Hemlock Grove are high-quality productions with big names both behind and in front of the camera. Arrested came with a built-in fan base and correspondingly high expectations. The company is likely to bet big on each of its hand-picked projects, which Sarandos recently said might double in 2014 from this year's four original shows -- and perhaps with direct ownership to replace the current licensing model.

That's an important distinction, like the shift from partnerships to full project ownership that made Marvel a powerhouse, and worthy of Walt Disney 's (NYSE: DIS  ) attention. The House of Mouse is now reaping the benefits of Marvel's big content bet, as the entire profit streams from megahits like The Avengers and Iron Man 3 now flow into Disney's coffers rather than being shared with distribution partners. Marvel proved that the model works; Netflix is dipping its toes into the production waters to see if the all-in model is right for its online distribution model. This could be yet another game-changer for the red-envelope-slinger.

Sniper vs. shotgun-slinger
Compare and contrast Netflix's big-budget bets with the shotgun approach at Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) . The e-tailer giant wants to get into the original content game as well, but it doesn't have the viewer data and the industry contacts that Netflix is basing its choices on, so Amazon launched a plethora of series pilots instead. Only the winners from that batch will see entire seasons produced. Remember that Netflix produces and publishes everything at once, skipping the whole pilot-production game.

Sometimes you get exactly what you pay for. Netflix is arming itself with a plethora of high-quality shows, while Amazon already gave up on some seemingly surefire hit concepts whose pilots didn't get the budgets and attention they deserved.

Did Netflix miss the mark with Arrested Development? Only time will tell. I haven't seen the new content yet, and was never a Bluth fan to begin with, so I'm not exactly the target audience here. Let the binge viewers get their fill, followed by a lemming trail of less fanatical fans. It's the much larger second group that matters, and what they tell their friends about this new Netflix thing.

Can Netflix fend off its burgeoning competition, and will its international growth aspirations really pay off? These are must-know issues for investors, which is why The Motley Fool has released a premium report on Netflix. Inside, you'll learn about the key opportunities and risks facing the company, as well as reasons to buy or sell the stock. The report includes a full year of updates to cover critical new developments, so make sure to click here and claim a copy today.

Top 10 Forestry Companies To Own For 2016

Top 10 Forestry Companies To Own For 2016: Medifirst Solutions Inc (MFST)

Medifirst Solutions, Inc. (MSI), incorporated in November 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in business planning activities, including researching the industry, identifying target markets for its products, developing its Medifirst Solutions, Inc. models and financial forecasts. The Company has diverse product line, including both consumer products and digital media. The Company intends to launch Florida Health Community as an on-line healthcare directory and social media site geared towards both professionals and consumers. MSI also intends to produce a tabloid size newsletter with healthcare industry related news and events. Its products include Miracle-cig and Florida Health Community Website and newsletter. In February 2014, the Company announced that it has acquired Consumer Resources Consultants Inc., a provider of online remote technical support to PC users.

The Florida Health Community Website is designed to be a medical direc tory with a social media component for users. The Miracle-cig is a name for its brand of disposable electronic cigarette. It is sold online at www.miraclecig.com. It intends to offer the Miracle-cig through retail outlets and convenience stores throughout the United States. It intends to add an electronic cigarette that is packaged and marketed to consumers 21 to 25 years old. The Miracle-cig will be sold at a suggested retail price of $9.95 per unit. It purchases the Miracle-cig directly from the manufacturer in China. Florida Health Community.com (FHC) is a Website currently under construction.

The Company competes with Green Smoke, NJOY. Eco and Blu.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    The marijuana field keeps sprouting small cap marijuana stocks like Primco Management Inc (OTCBB: PMCM), Medifirst Solutions Inc (OTCMKTS: MFST) and Modern Mobility Aids, Inc! (OTCMKTS: MDRM) which are all trying to seek a high by playing up their connections (no matter how tenuous) to what many consider to be the next high flying sector. But are these small cap marijuana stocks just blowing smoke at investors? Here is a quick reality check:

  • source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-forestry-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

Monday, June 8, 2015

Top Railroad Stocks For 2015

The transportation industry is one of the most exposed to oil prices increments. Fixed way transport however, is also especially affected by weather. There is no clearer example than Canadian railroad companies today. There is a record wheat harvest to be carried, but the impossibility to pick up the rails and relocate them away from bad weather, continue to slow grain arrivals. Most importantly, some oil is being transported through rails increasing demand for cars. The situation prompted the intervention of government authorities and drafting of a bill to regulate rail transportation. Responses to the initiative have not been uniform, and while railroad operators bashed the project, terminal lifters have supported it. Last, some traffic will be deviated south, through the US in order to meet stipulated transported quotas. Did gurus anticipate the move? Can it explain the reason for heavy investing on Norfolk Southern (NSC)?

Keeping the Train Going

In an effort to continue profiting from otherwise sitting capital, but also attracting public back to a downtrodden mode of transport, Norfolk Southern announced a new service Tri-County Mountaineer. The ex-Southern Railway 2-8-0 #630 steam locomotive, has been refurbished to cruise a 72-mile round trip every Saturday and Sunday. Such tourist attraction is expected to have a small impact in overall revenue, but an important social impact. In other words, the project intents to caught the attention of the American public, and remind them the train remains an option for travelling and shipping goods.

Hot Services Stocks To Buy For 2016: Hertz Global Holdings Inc(HTZ)

Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the car and equipment rental businesses worldwide. It operates in two segments, Car Rental and Equipment Rental. The Car Rental segment engages in the ownership and lease of cars. This segment operates car rental locations at or near airports, as well as in central business districts and suburban areas of cities in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Brazil. It also operates retail used car sales locations in the United States and France. The Equipment Rental segment rents earthmoving equipment, material handling equipment, aerial and electrical equipment, air compressors, generators, pumps, small tools, compaction equipment, and construction-related trucks. In addition, this segment sells new equipment, and consumables, such as gloves and ha rdhats. The company also offers claim administration services, such as investigating, evaluating, negotiating, and disposing of various claims, including third-party, first-party, bodily injury, property damage, general liability, and product liability. Hertz Global serves various industries, such as construction, petrochemical, automobile manufacturing, railroad, power generation, and shipbuilding. The company was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Park Ridge, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Joseph Gacinga]

    Leading car rental companies Hertz (NYSE: HTZ  ) and�Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR  ) �survived the unprecedented spate of consolidations in the industry that we witnessed last year. The other big player in the space is privately held�Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    Mark Lennihan/AP There were plenty of winners and losers this week, with a car rental giant revealing that it will fall short of its earlier expectations and the leading Mexican fast food chain raising the stakes in the battle for hungry bargain seekers. Here's a rundown of the week's best and worst. Hertz (HTZ) -- Loser Renting cars isn't an easy gig these days. Auto rental giant Hertz announced that it will fall well short of earlier expectations, laying the blame on everything from weak demand for its equipment business to recalls getting in the way of its car supply. A couple of analysts lowered their ratings on the stock following the news. The shares started to bounce back after billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn revealed that he has taken a stake in the company, but his intentions are sometimes radical. Hertz was already trying to split its business in two, suffering from the restatements and delayed financials accompanying the move. The last thing Hertz needs is another distraction. GameStop (GME) -- Winner The video game industry is showing a lot of life these days, and GameStop, the dominant retailer, posted blowout quarterly results after Thursday's market close. Sales soared 25 percent relative to last year, fueled by a 21.9 percent spike in comparable-store sales. Hardware sales were naturally strong. The Xbox One and PS4 weren't out a year ago. Even new software sales -- something that's been sluggish for years -- came through with a double-digit increase. That's huge, since software carries much higher margins than consoles. Analysts were seemingly aggressive in expecting earnings per share to double for the period, but profits per share soared 144 percent. Game on, Wall Street. Bank of America (BAC) -- Loser Bank of America continues to pay the price for the misdeeds of Merrill Lynch and Countrywide, which helped trigger the subprime lending crisis that led to a global economic setback. The "too big to fail" bank is apparently not

  • [By Johanna Bennett]

    Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ) fell 4.58% after announcing Friday it would restate its results for 2012 and 2013 as the company continues investigating its financial statements dating back to 2011. The company previously said it would restate results for 2011 and revise results for 2012 and 2013. Hertz also announced changes to its rental-car fleet strategy and unveiled a $100 million cost-cutting plan.

Top Railroad Stocks For 2015: Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD)

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (Enterprise), incorporated on April 9, 1998, owns and operates natural gas liquids (NGLs) related businesses of Enterprise Products Company (EPCO). The Company is a North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and certain petrochemicals. Its midstream energy asset network links producers of natural gas, NGLs and crude oil from supply basins in the United States, Canada and the Gulf of Mexico with domestic consumers and international markets. Its midstream energy operations include natural gas gathering, treating, processing, transportation and storage; NGL transportation, fractionation, storage, and import and export terminals; crude oil gathering and transportation, storage and terminals; offshore production platforms; petrochemical and refined products transportation and services; and a marine transportation business that operates on the United States inland and Intracoastal Waterway systems and in the Gulf of Mexico. Its assets include approximately 50,000 miles of onshore and offshore pipelines; 200 million barrels of storage capacity for NGLs, petrochemicals, refined products and crude oil; and 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity. In addition, its asset portfolio includes 24 natural gas processing plants, 21 NGL and propylene fractionators, six offshore hub platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico, a butane isomerization complex, NGL import and export terminals, and octane isobutylene production facilities. The Company operates in five business segments: NGL Pipelines & Services; Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services; Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services; Offshore Pipelines & Services, and Petrochemical & Refined Products Services.

NGL Pipelines & Services

The Company�� NGL Pipelines & Services business segment includes its natural gas processing plants and related NGL marketing activities; approximately 16,700 miles of NGL pipel! ines; NGL and related product storage facilities; and 14 NGL fractionators. This segment also includes its import and export terminal operations. At the core of its natural gas processing business are 24 processing plants located across Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. Natural gas produced at the wellhead (especially in association with crude oil) contains varying amounts of NGLs. Once the mixed component NGLs are extracted by a natural gas processing plant, they are transported to a centralized fractionation facility for separation into purity NGL products. Once processed, this natural gas is available for sale through its natural gas marketing activities. Its NGL marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of NGLs it takes title to through its natural gas processing activities and open market and contract purchases from third parties. Its NGL marketing activities utilize a fleet of approximately 670 railcars, the majority of which are leased from third parties.

The Company�� NGL pipelines transport mixed NGLs and other hydrocarbons from natural gas processing facilities, refineries and import terminals to fractionation plants and storage facilities; distribute and collect NGL products to and from fractionation plants, storage and terminal facilities, petrochemical plants, export facilities and refineries, and deliver propane to customers along the Dixie Pipeline and certain sections of the Mid-America Pipeline System. Revenues from its NGL pipeline transportation agreements are based upon a fixed fee per gallon of liquids transported multiplied by the volume delivered. Certain of its NGL pipelines offer firm capacity reservation services. It collects storage revenues under its NGL and related product storage contracts based on the number of days a customer has volumes in storage multiplied by a storage fee. In addition, it charges customers throughput fees based on volumes delivered into and subsequently withdrawn from storage. Its ! principal! NGL pipelines include Mid-America Pipeline System, South Texas NGL Pipeline System, Seminole Pipeline, Dixie Pipeline, Chaparral NGL System, Louisiana Pipeline System, Skelly-Belvieu Pipeline, Promix NGL Gathering System, Houston Ship Channel pipeline, Rio Grande Pipeline, Panola Pipeline and Lou-Tex NGL Pipeline. It operates its NGL pipelines with the exception of the Tri-States pipeline.

The Company�� NGL operations include import and export facilities located on the Houston Ship Channel in southeast Texas. It owns an import and export facility located on land it leases from Oiltanking Houston LP. Its import facility can offload NGLs from tanker vessels at rates up to 14,000 barrels per hour depending on the product. During the year ended December 31, 2012, its average combined NGL import and export volumes were 132 thousand barrels per day. In addition to its Houston Ship Channel import/export terminal, it owns a barge dock also located on the Houston Ship Channel, which can load or offload two barges of NGLs or other products simultaneously at rates up to 5,000 barrels per hour.

The Company owns or have interests in 14 NGL fractionators located in Texas and Louisiana. NGL fractionators separate mixed NGL streams into purity NGL products. The primary sources of mixed NGLs fractionated in the United States are domestic natural gas processing plants, crude oil refineries and imports of butane and propane mixtures. Mixed NGLs sourced from domestic natural gas processing plants and crude oil refineries are transported by NGL pipelines and by railcar and truck to NGL fractionation facilities.

The Company�� NGL fractionation facilities process mixed NGL streams for third party customers and support its NGL marketing activities. It earns revenues from NGL fractionation under fee-based arrangements, including a level of demand-based fees. At its Norco facility in Louisiana, it performs fractionation services for certain customers under percent-of-liquids co! ntracts. ! Its fee-based fractionation customers retain title to the NGLs, which it processes for them. Its NGL fractionators include Mont Belvieu fractionator, Shoup and Armstrong fractionator, Hobbs NGL fractionator, Norco NGL fractionator, Promix NGL fractionators and BRF fractionators.

Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services

The Company�� Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 19,900 miles of onshore natural gas pipeline systems, which provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming. It leases salt dome natural gas storage facilities located in Texas and Louisiana and own a salt dome storage cavern in Texas, which are integral to its pipeline operations. This segment also includes its related natural gas marketing activities.

The Company�� onshore natural gas pipeline systems and storage facilities provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas from producing regions, such as the San Juan, Barnett Shale, Permian, Piceance, Greater Green River, Haynesville Shale and Eagle Ford Shale supply basins in the western United States. In addition, these systems receive natural gas production from the Gulf of Mexico through coastal pipeline interconnects with offshore pipelines. Its onshore natural gas pipelines receive natural gas from producers, other pipelines or shippers at the wellhead or through system interconnects and redeliver the natural gas to processing facilities, local gas distribution companies, industrial or municipal customers, storage facilities or to other onshore pipelines.

Its onshore natural gas pipelines generates revenues from transportation agreements under which shippers are billed a fee per unit of volume transported multiplied by the volume gathered or delivered. Its onshore natural gas pipelines offer firm capacity reservation services whereby the shipper pays a contractually stated fee based on the level of through! put capac! ity reserved in its pipelines whether or not the shipper actually utilizes such capacity. Under its natural gas storage contracts, there are typically two components of revenues monthly demand payments, which are associated with a customer�� storage capacity reservation and paid regardless of actual usage, and storage fees per unit of volume stored at its facilities. The Company�� natural gas marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of natural gas obtained from third party well-head purchases, regional natural gas processing plants and the open market.

Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services

The Company�� Onshore Crude Oil Pipelines & Services business segment includes approximately 5,100 miles of onshore crude oil pipelines, crude oil storage terminals located in Oklahoma and Texas, and its crude oil marketing activities. Its onshore crude oil pipeline systems gather and transport crude oil in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas to refineries, centralized storage terminals and connecting pipelines. Revenue from crude oil transportation is based upon a fixed fee per barrel transported multiplied by the volume delivered.

The Company owns crude oil terminal facilities in Cushing, Oklahoma and Midland, Texas, which are used to store crude oil volumes for it and its customers. Under its crude oil terminaling agreements, it charges customers for crude oil storage based on the number of days a customer has volumes in storage multiplied by a contractual storage fee. With respect to storage capacity reservation agreements, it collects a fee for reserving storage capacity for customers at its terminals. In addition, it charges its customers throughput (or pumpover) fees based on volumes withdrawn from its terminals. It provides fee-based trade documentation services whereby it documents the transfer of title for crude oil volumes transacted between buyers and sellers at its terminals. The Company�� crude oil marketing activities generate revenues! from the! sale and delivery of crude oil obtained from producers or on the open market.

Offshore Pipelines & Services

The Company�� Offshore Pipelines & Services business segment serves active drilling and development regions, including deepwater production fields, in the northern Gulf of Mexico offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. This segment includes approximately 2,300 miles of offshore natural gas and crude oil pipelines and six offshore hub platforms. Its offshore Gulf of Mexico pipelines provide for the gathering and transportation of natural gas or crude oil. Revenue from its offshore pipelines is derived from fee-based agreements whereby the customer is charged a fee per unit of volume gathered or transported multiplied by the volume delivered. Poseidon Oil Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Poseidon), in which it has a 36% equity method investment, purchases crude oil from producers and shippers at a receipt point (at a fixed or index-based price less a location differential) and then sells quantities of crude oil at onshore Louisiana locations (at the same fixed or index-based price, as applicable).

The Company�� offshore platforms are components of its pipeline operations. Platforms are used to interconnect the offshore pipeline network; provide means to perform pipeline maintenance; locate compression, separation and production handling equipment and similar assets, and conduct drilling operations during the initial development phase of an oil and natural gas property. Revenues from offshore platform services consist of demand fees and commodity charges. Revenue from commodity charges is based on a fixed-fee per unit of volume delivered to the platform multiplied by the total volume of each product delivered.

Petrochemical & Refined Products Services

The Company�� Petrochemical & Refined Products Services business segment consists of propylene fractionation plants, pipelines and related marketing activities; a butane isom! erization! facility and related pipeline system; octane enhancement and isobutylene production facilities; refined products pipelines, including its Products Pipeline System, and related marketing activities, and marine transportation and other services.

The Company�� propylene fractionation and related activities consist of seven propylene fractionation plants (six located in Mont Belvieu, Texas and a seventh in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), propylene pipeline systems aggregating approximately 680 miles in length and related petrochemical marketing activities. This business includes an export facility and associated above-ground polymer grade propylene storage spheres located in Seabrook, Texas. Results of operations for its polymer grade propylene plants are dependent upon toll processing arrangements and petrochemical marketing activities. The toll processing arrangements include a base-processing fee per gallon (or other unit of measurement). Its petrochemical marketing activities include the purchase and fractionation of refinery grade propylene obtained in the open market and generate revenues from the sale and delivery of products obtained through propylene fractionation. The revenues from its propylene pipelines are based upon a transportation fee per unit of volume multiplied by the volume delivered to the customer. As part of its petrochemical marketing activities, it has refinery grade propylene purchase and polymer grade propylene sales agreements. Its butane isomerization business includes three butamer reactor units and eight associated deisobutanizer units located in Mont Belvieu, Texas, which comprise the commercial isomerization facility in the United States.

The Company�� commercial isomerization units convert normal butane into mixed butane, which is fractionated into isobutane, isobutane and residual normal butane. The uses of isobutane are for the production of propylene oxide, isooctane, isobutylene and alkylate for motor gasoline. These processing arrangements inclu! de a base! -processing fee per gallon (or other unit of measurement). Its isomerization business also generates revenues from the sale of natural gasoline created as a by-product of the isomerization process. The Company owns and operates an octane enhancement production facility located in Mont Belvieu, Texas, which produces isooctane, isobutylene and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). The products produced by this facility are used in reformulated motor gasoline blends. The isobutane feedstocks consumed in the production of these products are supplied by its isomerization units. The Company owns a facility located on the Houston Ship Channel, which produces high purity isobutylene (HPIB). The feedstock for this plant is produced by its octane enhancement facility located at its Mont Belvieu complex. HPIB is used in the production of alkylated phenols used as antioxidants, lube oil additives, butyl rubber and resins.

Refined products pipelines and related activities consist of its Products Pipeline System, equity method investment in Centennial Pipeline LLC (Centennial) and refined products marketing activities. The Products Pipeline System transports refined products, and petrochemicals, such as ethylene and propylene and NGLs, such as propane and normal butane. These refined products are produced by refineries and include gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, kerosene, distillates and heating oil. Refined products also include blend stocks, such as raffinate and naphtha. Blend stocks are used to produce gasoline or as a feedstock for certain petrochemicals. The Centennial Pipeline intersects its Products Pipeline System near Creal Springs, Illinois, and loops the Products Pipeline System between Beaumont, Texas and south Illinois. In addition, it has refined products terminals located at Aberdeen, Mississippi and Boligee, Alabama adjacent to the Tombigbee River and on the Houston Ship Channel in Pasadena, Texas. Its related marketing activities generate revenues from the sale and delivery of refin! ed produc! ts obtained from third parties on the open market.

The Company�� marine transportation business consists of tow boats and tank barges, which are used to transport refined products, crude oil, asphalt, condensate, heavy fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas and other petroleum products along inland and intracoastal the United States waterways. Its marine transportation assets service refinery and storage terminal customers along the Mississippi River, the intracoastal waterway between Texas and Florida and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway system. It owns a shipyard and repair facility located in Houma, Louisiana and marine fleeting facilities in Bourg, Louisiana and Channelview, Texas. Other services consist of the distribution of lubrication oils and specialty chemicals and the bulk transportation of fuels by truck, in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and the Rocky Mountain region of the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Matt DiLallo]

    You have probably never heard of 31 year old Scott Duncan. That's likely because he's not behind the latest tech wonder that everyone is talking about. That doesn't change the fact that he is worth $7 billion after inheriting a quarter of his father's share of boring energy pipeline business Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE: EPD  ) . That makes him the fourth youngest�billionaire�under 40 in America.�In fact, if it wasn't for Facebook's (NASDAQ: FB  ) �surging stock price, which is behind the wealth of Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, and Jan Koum, Scott just might have been the richest billionaire under 40 in America. It goes to show that being a tech geek isn't the only path to wealth these days. �

Top Railroad Stocks For 2015: Digital Realty Trust Inc.(DLR)

Digital Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), through its controlling interest in Digital Realty Trust, L.P., engages in the ownership, acquisition, development, redevelopment, and management of technology-related real estate. It focuses on strategically located properties containing applications and operations critical to the day-to-day operations of technology industry tenants and corporate enterprise datacenter users, including the information technology departments of Fortune 1000 companies, and financial services companies. The company?s property portfolio consists of Internet gateway properties, corporate datacenter properties, technology manufacturing properties, and regional or national offices of technology companies. As of December 31, 2008, Digital Realty?s portfolio consisted of 75 properties, including 62 located in North America and 13 located in Europe. Digital Realty Trust has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purpo ses and would not be subject to income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Northern Virginia, and Phoenix, as well as in Dublin, London, and Paris.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dividend Mantra]

    Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR) recently gave shareholders a raise on the order of 6.4%, with a new quarterly dividend payout of $0.83 per share over the old rate of $0.78. This is a rather stout raise considering that DLR shares now yield 6.2% based on the new payout. I purchased shares in DLR as it continued to slide last year, reaching new low after new low. But I was confident in the REIT back then, and I remain so now. This is now 10 years of consecutive dividend growth for the trust, and I see no real reason this won't continue for the foreseeable future. However, as a tech play on demand for cloud computing I'd like for my position in DLR to remain relatively small.

  • [By Bill Stoller]

    The first half of 2014 has been particularly successful for shareholders of both industry giant $7.9 billion Digital Reality Trust (NYSE: DLR  ) and its much smaller rival QTS, which currently sports a market cap of just $837 million. At first I was a bit stunned that Digital Realty didn't snag this deal. Digital has an extensive global footprint similar to both Atos and McGraw Hill.

  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    Friday
    Things are usually quiet on Fridays, but that won't stop Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR  ) from reporting.

    The REIT specializing in data center properties came under attack two months ago, when Highfields Capital Management argued that Digital Realty's model and its dividends aren't sustainable. The REIT fought back, but the shares continue to trade for less than they did at the time of the bearish comments from the hedge fund.

  • [By Brad Thomas]

    REITs mentioned: (VTR), (OHI), (O), (DLR), (HCP), (HTA), (KIM), (FRT), (SPG), and (SKT).

    Note: This article is intended to provide information to interested parties. As I have no knowledge of individual investor circumstances, goals, and/or portfolio concentration or diversification, readers are expected to complete their own due diligence before purchasing any stocks mentioned or recommended.

Top Railroad Stocks For 2015: Springleaf Holdings Inc (LEAF)

Springleaf Holdings, Inc. (Springleaf), incorporated on May 8, 2013, is a consumer finance company providing loan products to customers through it's nationwide branch network and through iLoan, it's Internet lending division. The Company originates consumer loans through it's network of 834 branch offices in 26 states and on a centralized basis as part of it's iLoan division. As of June 30, 2013, the Company�� segments include: Consumer, Insurance, Portfolio Acquisitions, and Real Estate.

Consumer

Springleaf originate and service personal loans (secured and unsecured) through two business divisions: branch operations and it's iLoan division. Branch operations primarily conduct business in 26 states, which are it's core operating states. The iLoan division processes and underwrites loan applications that it receives through an Internet portal. If the applicant is located near an existing branch, it's iLoan division makes the credit decision regarding the application and then refers the customer to a nearby branch for closing, funding and servicing. If the applicant is not located near a branch, it's iLoan division originates the loan.

Insurance

Springleaf offer credit insurance (life, accident and health insurance, and involuntary unemployment insurance), non-credit insurance, and ancillary products, such as warranty protection. The Company also require credit-related property and casualty insurance, when needed, to protect it's interest in the property pledged as collateral.

Portfolio Acquisitions

Springleaf acquired the SpringCastle Portfolio. This SpringCastle Portfolio was acquired from HSBC through a newly-formed joint venture in which it owns a 47% equity interest and which it consolidates in it's financial statements. The loans in the SpringCastle Portfolio vary in form and substance from it's typical branch serviced loans.

Real Estate

Springleaf service and hold real estate loans secured by! first or second mortgages on residential real estate. Real estate loans previously originated through it's branch offices are either serviced by it's branch personnel or by it's centralized servicing operation. Real estate loans previously acquired or originated through centralized distribution channels are serviced by one of it's indirect wholly owned subsidiaries, MorEquity, all of which are subserviced by Nationstar, except for certain securitized real estate loans, which are serviced and subserviced by third parties.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap installment loan and consumer finance�stock World Acceptance Corp (NASDAQ: WRLD), a potential peer of small cap Regional Management Corp (NYSE: RM) and�mid cap�Springleaf Holdings Inc (NYSE: LEAF), has elevated short interest of 38.72% according to Highshortinterest.com. However, World Acceptance Corp got on the radar of the shorts when the company disclosed that its being investigated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau�for its lending practices. ��