You Won't Like Next Month's Jobs Report

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Beware of November's jobs report.

While economists, investment analysts and traders cheered the surprising 204,000 jobs added in October, many of them cautioned that the government shutdown could have a lagging effect on the labor market.

"It sort of proves the case, given the revisions, that we had strength heading into the shutdown," Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, said in a phone interview. "It may be a little too soon to say there was no effect from the shutdown, because we'll have to see what happens next month."

Economists were expecting nonfarm payrolls to rise just 120,000 in October and for the unemployment rate to gain to 7.3%. The rate rose to that level as expected, but the topline jobs number beat forecasts as economists may have overestimated the immediate effects of the 16-day shutdown. A deeper dive into the numbers revealed some weak spots in the report. The U-6 measure -- total unemployed, plus people marginally attached to the workforce, long-term unemployed and part time -- ticked higher to 13.8%, from 13.6%. The labor force participation rate declined to 62.8% from 63.2% -- a drop that actually may have prevented the unemployment rate from rising half a percentage point, said Darrell Cronk, regional chief investment officer. Republicans and conservatives have been among the most vocal critics of the steadily lowering participation rate, and have said it suggests that the protracted slow economic regrowth in the United States has left workers looking for work discouraged. While the GOP has used the indicator as a political tool, economists of varying disciplines generally agree the decline has been alarming. Still, the labor force participation rate can't be cited as the main culprit. BlackRock Chief Investment Strategist Russ Koesterich said the participation rate has been falling for 13 years, and while the current economic circumstances are contributing to it, there are changes in how long people go to school, and an ageing population. It's not just what happens month to month, there are longer-term structural forces at work, Koesterich said.

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As for Friday's jobs data, managers on the ground said they weren't surprised by the big data beat and warn that a pullback could come in November's headline number, set to be released next month.

Mike Starich, president of Orion International, which is the largest military recruiting firm in the United States, said August and the first half of September were strong interview months, which were followed by hires in October -- in other words, there's a lag between the interview and the start date of employees. Starich said he saw activity sharply contract heading into October.

"All the folks that we had in the interview pipelines, everything started to change [ as October approached]," said Starich. "Everything just sort of iced over, and now it's releasing ever since the [debt ceiling] was resolved - the ice is breaking."

Employment gains in leisure and hospitality (53,000) and retail (44,000), outpaced professional and technical services (21,000) and manufacturing (19,000). "This is a 2% economy," said Steve Blitz, chief economist at ITG Investment Research, referring to the slow, steady rising trend in gross domestic product. "We're seeing numbers that give us growth in employment, but not growth in high quality employment in terms of higher wage jobs." This continues to be the case with employment reports month-to-month: We see growth in payrolls, a dip in participation and little change to the unemployment rate. It's a new normal for Americans, most of whom have never experienced half a decade straight of 7%-plus unemployment. But the labor and economic recovery won't be fully realized until next year, said Shang-Kin Wei, director of the Chazen Institute of Business at the Columbia University Business School. Weo said businesses are reasonably optimistic about the next 10 years, and that the slow growth of sub 3% GDP may be behind us in three years. In fact, Thursday's upward GDP revision to 2.8% may have hinted at a turn, though economists were worried by the weak consumer spending rate in the report. Fundamentally, the jobs reports are positive and show that the United States is moving in the correct direction since the financial crisis. Whatever the case may be, analysts seemed content with Friday's jobs report. But those celebrations came with a disclaimer that the government shutdown effects will enter the data by the next report. The positive print suggested the Federal Reserve could begin to taper sooner than expected, but the central bank will have the advantage of getting one more set of monthly labor data to determine if this was a one-hit wonder, or the beginning of a robust trend. -- Written by Joe Deaux in New York. >Contact by Email. Follow @JoeDeaux

U.S. Consumers Continue to Pay More for Milk and Beef

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its preliminary report on March farm prices Friday afternoon. The all-products price index rose by 5 points month-over-month (4.7%) to 111, with the crop index up 2.2% and the livestock index up 5%. The preliminary March all-products index is up 0.9% year-over-year. The index uses prices from 2011 as its base value (100).

The USDA noted that March's higher prices for broilers, hogs, corn and cattle offset lower prices for eggs, grapefruit, and sunflowers. Prices paid by farmers in the month remained flat at 107 for the second consecutive month, but are up 1 point compared with March 2013.

Both corn and wheat prices are significantly lower than they were a year ago. The big increases in farm prices have come in dairy and meat, both of which are sharply higher than they were a year ago. Dairy prices rose 1.6% in March and are now 33% higher than they were a year ago. Prices for pork and beef are up 5% month-over-month and 21% compared with March 2013.

Milk prices continue to rise the most. The March price of $25.40 per hundredweight is up $6.30, or nearly 33%, compared with the price in March 2013. The price is also up $0.50 month-over-month.

Prices for fed cattle posted a record high of $152.26 per hundredweight on Thursday, up $2.16 in a week and $24.50, or 19%, in a year. The short version of the story is that demand for beef is simply outstripping supply. Partly that's due to exports and partly that's due to the impact of the herd culling that went on a year or so ago.

The pig population has been hit with virus that could reduce the crop by as much as 3%, sending pork prices even higher than sky-high beef prices.

Here is how some agriculture-related ETFs are closed the week:

The Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (NYSEMKT: MOO) closed the week up 1.8%. Shares closed on Friday up 0.77% at $53.93 in a 52-week range of $48.75 to $55.29.

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The PowerShares DB Agriculture fund (NYSEMKT: DBA) traded up 2.17% for the week and closed on Friday at $28.43, in a 52-week range of $24.04 to $28.95. Shares posted an intraday high of $28.95 on March 13.

The Teucrium Corn Fund (NYSEMKT: CORN) closed Friday down 0.97% for the day but up about 1.5% for the week. The fund's 52-week range of $29.50 to $43.00. That high price set last June and the trend on corn prices was down through the rest of last year and are down 17.7% over the past 12 months. Prices began to trend upward in January and are now up 10% year-to-date

The Teucrium Wheat Fund (NYSEMKT: WEAT) closed down 2.43% on Friday to finish the week at $16.47. For the week the fund was up 0.8%. The 52-week range is $13.31 to $19.50. Like corn, the price is up more than 12% since the beginning of the year and down 10.5% over the past 12 months. This fund trades averages just 41,000 shares traded in a day, but nearly tripled that on Friday, when wheat prices fell more than 2% on the CBOT to close at $6.955 a bushel.

 

Why Parametric Sound (PAMT) Stock Is Up In Aftermarket Trading

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Parametric Sound Corp.  (PAMT) was up 4.8% to $12.50 in aftermarket trading on Thursday, nearly erasing the 6.21%, 79 cent decline to 11.93, it suffered during market trading.

The aftermarket jump comes after the audio solutions company revealed the details of its planned amendment to its SEC Form 8-K in a conference call Thursday afternoon.

The original Form 8-K was filed on January 16, 2014, but did not include audited financial statements from Turtle Beach whose acquisition was finalized on January 15, 2014.

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STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more. Turtle Beach -- which makes audio devices for video game consoles -- had a down year in 2013 due to the transition Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's Plastation franchises experienced to their fourth generation consoles. 

"The gaming industry experienced a cyclical event last year as Microsoft and Sony each introduced new consoles for the first time in eight years," said CEO Juergen Stark. "The consumer response to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has been overwhelmingly positive creating a rapidly growing installed base which we estimate to be over 10 million units already. As the leader in gaming headsets we are well positioned to benefit from the anticipated growth in the segment as consumers purchase new consoles over the next three years and beyond," he added.

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Stock quotes in this article: PAMT 

Canada’s Inflation Finally Heats Up

Last October, the Bank of Canada (BoC) abandoned its rate-hike bias due to concerns about the country's persistent disinflation. Those fears seemed to be borne out by subsequent showings of Canada's consumer price index (CPI), whose readings for each month of the fourth quarter either equaled economists' gloomy predictions or were actually slightly worse.

But more recent results suggest that Canada's inflation could finally be heating up. In January, the country's CPI increased 0.3 percent month over month, exceeding the consensus forecast by a substantial two-tenths of a percentage point.

The core CPI, which excludes volatile components such as food and energy, rose 0.2 percent, beating expectations by a tenth of a point. On a year-over year basis, prices rose 1.5 percent.

And now with Statistics Canada's release of the latest numbers, we can see that February's results were even better on a trend basis, with the CPI climbing 0.8 percent month over month, two-tenths of a point better than projected.

Meanwhile, the core CPI rose 0.7 percent, also two-tenths of a point higher than forecast. On a year-over year basis, prices were up 1.1 percent. That's a deceleration from January's figure, though still a tenth of a point better than predicted.

These strong numbers make it increasingly unlikely that policymakers will lower short-term rates again. The central bank's overnight rate has stood at 1 percent since late 2010, the longest such pause in its history.

The BoC's primary mandate is to keep total CPI inflation at the 2 percent midpoint of a target range of 1 percent to 3 percent over the medium term.

Whenever inflation deviates from its 2 percent target, the bank adjusts the overnight rate with the hope of achieving the target within about two years, which is the time it typically takes for changes in monetary policy to flow through the economy. To that end,! economists with CIBC World Markets expect inflation to be near the bank's 2 percent target by year-end.

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In response to the CPI as well as stronger-than-expected retail sales, the Canadian dollar rallied off its four-year low of USD0.8894, which it hit last Thursday. Since then, the loonie has climbed 0.8 percent, to USD0.8962. For those keeping score of its longer-term moves, the currency is down about 15.5 percent from this cycle's high in mid-2011.

In fact, the loonie's slide has likely been a key factor in shaking off the country's disinflation, though a 1.4 percent increase in an alcohol, beverages and tobacco tax also contributed to the latest headline number.

Since most commodities are priced in US dollars, Canadians are now paying higher prices on natural gas and gasoline, as well as for some food products, many of which are imported.

While a lower exchange rate will be helpful to Canada's export sector, some economists are worried that it could undermine business investment, since a significant amount of machinery and equipment is imported. In addition to achieving its inflation mandate, the BoC also hopes a weak Canadian dollar will spur exports and boost business investment.

Although private-sector economists believe Canada's economy will grow by 2.2 percent this year, much of that growth will occur during the second half. Despite some of the rosier economic data that have been released recently, a colder-than-normal winter is expected to weigh heavily on first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP).

The consensus forecast is for GDP to grow just 1.6 percent during the first quarter, which would be the slowest pace since late 2012. Of course, numerous economic data have had stronger-than-expected showings this winter, so it's still entirely possible that the broad economy could deliver its own upside surpri! se for th! e first quarter.

Subscribers to Canadian Edge get to read the full update, which includes our latest analysis of a company whose shares currently yield 5.2 percent and whose earnings per share are expected to jump 71 percent this year.

Dish and DirecTV surge on merger reports

The government blocked a proposed merger of Dish and DirecTV back in 2002.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Shares of Dish Network and DirecTV soared higher Wednesday following reports that the two satellite television companies are considering a merger.

Bloomberg broke the news, reporting that Dish chairman Charlie Ergen recently reached out to DirecTV CEO Mike White. Dish (DISH, Fortune 500) shares surged 9% following the report, while DirecTV (DTV, Fortune 500) rose 7.5%.

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Dish and DirecTV declined to comment.

The news follows Comcast's announcement last month that it had agreed to buy Time Warner Cable (TWC, Fortune 500) for $45 billion in a deal that would combine the two biggest cable companies in the United States. The firms will likely face antitrust scrutiny from regulators, who could block the deal.

Bloomberg said Ergen approached White and Time Warner Cable in response to the Comcast (CMCSA, Fortune 500) deal. White, the news service added, "is reluctant to push forward with formal talks out of concern regulators may block the deal because the two companies directly compete with each other."

There's precedent for that concern -- the government blocked a proposed merger of the two companies back in 2002.

EPA Wins in Coal Mine Dispute: Is Keystone XL Next?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last year invalidated a 2007 permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers to a subsidiary of Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE: ACI) allowing the company to build — or rather dig up — a mountaintop mine in West Virginia. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling in favor of the EPA, implying that the agency’s authority under the Clean Water Act can be used to invalidate any permit, no matter when it was granted.

The EPA has been a consistent critic of the U.S. State Department’s environmental impact studies related to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. One objection the EPA raised to Keystone XL in 2013 was its potential impact on the Ogallala Aquifer. The pipeline has been rerouted around the aquifer, but the threat to groundwater supplies has not been entirely mitigated, and the EPA could conceivably invoke its newly strengthened authority to stop the Keystone XL regardless of how the State Department rules on the pipeline’s construction.

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Industry trade groups and coal-mining states worked to get the EPA’s ruling reversed, claiming that the agency had overstepped its regulatory authority. In this particular case, the petitioners claimed that EPA’s authority under the Clean Water Act does not in any way give the agency the power retroactively to invalidate a permit that already had been granted.

Monday’s Supreme Court ruling adds even more interest to the drama surrounding the proposed 830,000-barrel per day Keystone XL pipeline. It is not hard to imagine a scenario in which the State Department okays the pipeline only to have the EPA squelch it. A remote possibility, perhaps, but real nonetheless.

Small retirement plan fiduciaries drowning in new fee disclosures

PhelanRiessen via Compfight cc

As the Labor Department prepares to ask small retirement plan fiduciaries about their experience with fee disclosures, advisers are confirming one of the agency’s major suspicions: They are still too long.

Earlier this week, the Labor Department proposed new regulation that would require service providers to give plan fiduciaries a guide to help them navigate mandated plan fee disclosures, provided those disclosures are in multiple or lengthy documents. It’s an addendum to a 2012 rule that required retirement service providers to spell out their fees to plan sponsors and fiduciaries. A similar rule that went into effect that year also provided plan participants with fee disclosures.

DOL also announced it will conduct focus groups of small retirement plan fiduciaries to ask them about the mandated plan fee disclosures they’ve been receiving: Are they able to find information regarding the services? Do they understand the disclosures? Do their service providers furnish a guide to help them find specific information in the disclosures?

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In theory, the DOL’s fee disclosure regulation is supposed to clarify much of the mystery around the duties and fees of service providers in a given retirement plan. In practice, service providers are giving plan sponsors the information, but much of it is buried.

“What we've seen is more than just a couple of lengthy, complex disclosures,” Phyllis Borzi, assistant labor secretary for the Employee Benefit Security Administration, said on a call with reporters on Tuesday. “Some are filled with legalese,” she added. “Some have information that's split between multiple documents.”

When DOL officials venture into the field to talk with small plan fiduciaries, they’re likely to find the fiduciaries have had similar experiences, advisers said.

“I’m amazed by some of the larger providers. The fee disclosure will say, ‘Please refer back to the service agreement,’” said Jania Stout, vice president and retirement plan consultant for the Fiduciary Consulting Group at PSA Financial Services Inc. “This wasn’t the intent of [the fee disclosure regulation], and it’s not helping the plan sponsors.”

Many of the disclosures from service providers have been 10 to 20 pages long, advisers say. Ms. Stout noted that with some of the 10-page fee disclosures, much of what is included will point the plan sponsor back to the original service agreement, thus not providing further clarification on the fees. After pushing back against one service provider with documents that were less than helpful, Ms. Stout was told that the service provider’s legal department had reviewed the disclosures and that — even with the length — they comply with the letter of the disclosure law.

Advisers themselves contend with their own disclosures, which start off at two to three pages, but blo! at out to 10 pages because of additional legal language. “Ours are two to three pages of essentials, describing the services,” said John Wilcox, an adviser with Mayflower Advisors, which is part of Wells Fargo & Co.’s independent brokerage arm, FiNet. “Then there are seven additional pages — the legalese that goes with it.”

“This extraneous effort is becoming more of a nuisance than anything else,” he added.

Lengthy disclosure forms from a bevy of service providers has left plan advisers responsible for consolidating the information and making it bite-sized for plan sponsors.

It’s a time- and labor-intensive task, many said.

“We do a summary disclosure for the client, otherwise you’re back at the problem of having to quantify costs and you have all these different fee disclosures,” Ms. Stout said. “We felt it was important to consolidate them, especially for clients with multiple plans and multiple providers.”

In other cases, the disclosures are sometimes so general that they information “may” apply to a given client. It’s up to the adviser to shake out whether this is the case for that retirement plan.

“What really bogs us down is if we have to take a lengthy 15- to 20-page disclosure, condense it, go back to the provider and find out if these things that ‘may apply’ actually do,” said Joe Connell, president of Retirement Plan Partners Inc.

That process is further complicated when working with a new client relationship: Vendors won’t be as willing to share the information with the adviser if the plan in question is only a prospect, he noted.

One positive outcome out of advisers’ experience with wrangling disclosures is that some of them, particularly those who have more flexibility because they are not tied to a larger firm, have made sure to keep their own disclosures brief and easy to read.

“This is literally a two-page disclosure, maybe ! three wit! h charts,” said Ms. Stout of her own disclosures. “It says we’re taking a fiduciary position and it shows our fee, but it’s way simpler than the providers’ disclosures.”

Come Behind the Scenes of Tech Pioneer Cisco, Part 2

The following is part 2 of a two-part series.  Click here for Part 1, which was published Friday.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Cisco (CSCO) is basically everywhere. In addition to Cisco products and services being everywhere, the company is leading the charge in new growth areas, such as smart cities.

Bringing me behind the scenes at Cisco was Patrick Finn, senior vice president of Cisco's U.S. Public Sector Organization. The bonus points in this two-part series: Insights on leadership.

Question #5 Cisco is obviously a tech giant and veteran, making it a prime target for start-up nation. From your experience in sales and amongst your team, how much time is reserved for studying competitors and how to thwart their initiatives? I feel as though businesses large and small do not pay attention to the upstarts nipping at their heels until it's too late. Cisco holds a firm place as a leader in technology around the world. Part of that leadership is acknowledging our competitors, but "thwarting" initiatives might not be the most accurate way to describe how we spend our time. Quite often, start-ups identify an area of opportunity that the technology community feels is worth dedicating more time to.

Rarely are these start-ups taking advantage of an opportunity that Cisco has not already recognized and started work to develop, and if they have, then we need to assess whether it's something we compete with directly, or if there is greater opportunity in working with a company that has proven its capability. With Cisco's home in Silicon Valley for nearly 30 years, we've seen many businesses, large and small, work to gain market share in all sectors of technology. We are fortunate to have so many of the best engineers and business leaders to guide our development in all sectors of IT, and we are always looking to acquire new talent and push to drive innovation where it makes the most sense. As I have said, I have a great team and critical parts of my team are the systems engineers that work with our customers. They see these start-ups and the problems that they are trying to solve. Further to this point, Cisco also sees start-ups as advantageous for our overall business and growth strategy. Our approach is centered on build, buy and partner, which fuel the company's innovative culture. Oftentimes, Cisco expands into new disruptive markets by either building internal incubator programs, and buying or partnering with companies large and small. A combination of a good strategy and exceptional leadership inside the business allows Cisco to aggressively seek out opportunities in the market and stay competitive.

Stock quotes in this article: CSCO, PEP, IBM 

Some problems that a customer may face will require us to present a solution that has been put together by an ecosystem of partners. Many parts of these solutions are built by start-ups that enhance Cisco products and technologies. Again, we don't automatically assume that a start-up means a competitor because they might be critical in solving a customer's problem. The focus is on what are we doing to help a customer solve a problem.

Question #6

Cisco has become legendary, or at least in my finance circle, for the use of its technology to make meetings more efficient. Help us all with a few tips on getting us in and out of meetings quicker!

Virtual meetings today are so different now than they were in previous decades, and the capability is increasing all the time. The move from audio-only to a fully interactive meeting experience with video, desktop sharing, real-time editing, and the ability to do everything from any device and from any location is an important change for those of us who participate in meetings for the majority of our days. It also works to keep teams connected and engaged, regardless of where their desk maybe located.

Being able to make eye contact and interact in real-time allows us to appreciate real people, and not just a voice at the other end of the line. We're more inclined to work together and align with that "one team, one fight mindset" mentioned earlier if we are seeing peoples reaction to our dialogue or having the ability to determine if "Yes" means I hear you or if "Yes" means I agree. Video eliminates these barriers to communication, which often leads to longer meetings. In terms of tips for making meetings more efficient, utilizing the full suite of features available with meeting technology is the best way to get things done quickly. Always share video so you can respond to verbal and nonverbal cues, record a meeting so you can go back and reference the materials, and share materials via real-time instant messaging and screen sharing so that you can collaborate without relying on a huge email chain.

Cisco's WebEx Meetings technology offers these features and has seriously streamlined my workdays, about 70% of which are occupied by meetings. I often present to a live and a virtual audience and I always try to include the virtual audience into the discussion. I often ask questions to the live and virtual audience to engage in the topic. Keeping things lively and moving is critical. Question #7 Unfortunately, market conditions continue to be challenging in the U.S. Even though the Americas division has been a top performer for Cisco in recent years, an interesting development seems to have occurred: more discounts and rebates needed to drive a sale. When is the right time for a business owner to offer a discount, and is there a smart way to do it as to make it financially impactful? The focus on price occurs for many reasons, some that you have mentioned. It is hard to agree with your generalized comments on discount and rebates given the breath of our products (hardware and software), solutions and services. Our "go-to-market" includes dealing with our partners and often contracts where if we did not ensure that the customer did not understand the value of the acquisition we would be focused primarily on price, discounts and rebates.

Stock quotes in this article: CSCO, PEP, IBM 

What is the goal of the technology? Where is the technology in its lifecycle? Is a customer buying components, an architecture or a system? How critical is the technology or the end-users needs? What is the technical capability of the customer and is other services required for success? What is the risk profile of the customer in a particular situation for a particular solution? When a customer evaluates an acquisition is he/she also taking into account the cost to maintain, to operate, to hire knowledgeable, quality engineers? I can build you a usable communication system with barbed wire, string and a few tin cups, but is that what you want in a hospital, or being used by first responders or in our classrooms?

Our goal is to provide competitively priced solutions that address our customer's needs that allow them to operate into the future. Lasting relationships are never developed on the price of a product or a solution but what happens when that product and solution is in production. We stand by our customers and ensure we support their needs. You can't put a price, a discount or a rebate on that type of approach. To reiterate, we provide competitive solutions focused on customer needs. I believe that solving customer problems creates the financial impact that is required.

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Question #8

Cisco has acquired a good number of businesses through the years. On day 1, 30, and 90 from new people arriving at Cisco, how do you seek to integrate them into the Cisco culture and measure their performance?

Our main goal when we acquire a company is to let the individuals who created and have mastered their technologies before joining Cisco continue to do what they do best. One great example of working with an acquired company is Cisco-Meraki. We acquired Meraki, a San Francisco-based maker of Wi-Fi, security and mobile device management for medium-sized businesses, in December 2012. The tight-knit, young, do-it-yourself culture of Meraki was something that we wanted to preserve while integrating the 300 plus employees into our organization.

As part of that process, we created an innovation-friendly workspace in San Francisco for Cisco-Meraki employees that felt similar to their old office. Earlier, I mentioned the importance of inclusion, and that means creating a work environment that respects and appreciates differences, including diverse perspectives, work experiences, life styles and cultures. These differences are sources and drivers of innovation. Earlier, we talked about leaders being responsible for the vision and the mission. At Cisco, we make sure that our new employees are clear on the "road map" that our leaders have established. We then have to trust that this person has demonstrated their ability to do great things, and we have to give them the freedom to do what they do well in their own way.

It is important that we create this culture for new, acquired and tenured employees to ensure we have a healthy environment. We measure everything at Cisco but we focus our measurements on execution and outcomes. Many of our acquisition do the same thing. As we work through the integration process, we are aware of the "People, Process and Technology" that needs to be considered in order to create success.

Stock quotes in this article: CSCO, PEP, IBM 

Acquiring does not mean we kill the people, process and technology of the company that is joining Cisco. Actually, we try to understand it and often focus on scaling it through our "Go-to-Market" strategy. We can create synergy and scale if we understand each company and how they operate around "People, Process and Technology."

Around the Horn

In all of these executive exclusives, we try and end with a fun "around the horn" session. A couple of quick questions I had (answer in one or two sentences): Prior to Cisco, you were at Pepsi Cola International. How did you make the transition from a consumer company to Cisco?

Easy. Both companies focused on the customer. I received my training at IBM (IBM) and then went to Pepsi (PEP) to understand the challenges of being a customer. I believe Pepsi taught me how technology can be a differentiator and an enabler for customers. You work with a lot of high-profile professionals across government and other public and state entities. How does Pat Finn preserve his sanity while dealing with such high-caliber individuals? Keep it real. The greatest people keep a perspective on things and don't take themselves too seriously. I laugh at myself and see the humor in every situation. I never get lost in a title or a position or a job. I practice being authentic. Long-time, legendary Cisco CEO John Chambers -- what are the three things you have learned from him? I've learned to ask good questions, be prepared and be approachable by perfecting the art of listening. You were very much part of the Sept. 11, 2011 events, leading a team to support New York City customers who were affected. How did you inspire your team at the time to help in the wake of this event? Sad days...I don't tend to talk about those days. There were many great leaders involved in Cisco's response at that time and I was honored to be a member of the team. A very important secret about inspiration: Leaders are inspired by the people around them. If you were aware of what some amazing people accomplished during that time, you would know that they inspired me and they still do every day. Ingrained in Cisco's culture is giving back not just in times of turmoil but every day. You are highly committed to a great not-for-profit called Inwood House. How have you sought to inspire the teens you are in contact with, and what are your broad observations on the next generation of potential leaders? Through my work with Inwood House, STEM, U.S. military and through students I have interacted with, I believe our country is in good hands with the next generation of young men and women. I see a group of motivated, high-energy, articulate, focused, committed, loyal and smart men and women who are not being defined by where they are at today, but where they are going.

I am proud of what organizations, such as Inwood House, are doing to give inner city youth a chance for a complete education in the 21st century and give them a shot at success by providing a foundation. If you thanked a young man or woman in uniform for their service to our freedom and our country, you will see that foundation that I am talking about. -- By Brian Sozzi CEO of Belus Capital Advisors, analyst to TheStreet. This article represents the opinion of a contributor and not necessarily that of TheStreet or its editorial staff.

Stock quotes in this article: CSCO, PEP, IBM  At the time of publication, Sozzi held no position in the stocks mentioned.

Wendy's rolls out mobile payment app

NEW YORK — Wendy's is rolling out a program that lets customers pay using their smartphones, following a similar plans unveiled by Burger King this week.

Wendy's, based in Dublin, Ohio, has been testing the mobile payment option over the past year and said the majority of its roughly 5,800 U.S. locations are now ready to accept the payments.

The move reflects a push by fast-food chains to court younger customers by tapping into the attachment they have to their phones.

"If they want to come in and give us business, we want to allow them to pay the way they want to pay," Craig Bahner, chief marketing officer for Wendy's, said in a phone interview.

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Burger King Worldwide Inc. also said this week it would introduce a mobile payment program at its U.S. restaurants in April.

McDonald's, meanwhile, has acknowledged the importance of mobile payments but is still in a testing phase after hiring its first chief digital officer this past October.

The company, based in Oak Brook, Ill., is known in the industry for its meticulous planning of any changes. But at a recent investor conference, Chief Financial Officer Pete Bensen noted it would have to do things that were "a little bit unnatural for McDonald's" to stay on top of digital trends.

"We're going to have to put some things out there that we know are not 100 percent perfect. But if you wait in this space until everything is 100% figured out, then you're going to miss the whole opportunity," he said.

McDonald's isn't alone in still figuring out exactly how it wants to approach mobile payments and loyalty programs. Chipotle is still experimenting with the options as well.

In the meantime, Starbucks is pushing to get more customers to sign up for its app and loyalty program and says 14 percent of all purchases now come from mobile payments. Executives at the coffee chain say customers who sign up for the app tend to visit more often.

"You look at the ! numbers that Starbucks puts out, and it's pretty amazing," said Brandon Rhoten, vice president of digital at Wendy's.

It's not clear whether the impact Starbucks sees in mobile would translate to fast-food chains, since coffee is more of a daily fix. But Rhoten said Wendy's saw promising trends in tests, including increased visits.

The rollout comes as Wendy's works to revamp its image to be more in line with chains like Panera Bread, which charge a little more than traditional fast-food chains like McDonald's and Burger King. That push has included remodeling of its restaurants to have a more inviting feel, as well as the addition of menu items such as the Pretzel Bacon Burger that command higher prices.

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Buy Right Now

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Buy Right Now: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integr! ation, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  But it just doesn't seem to matter for Schlumberger (SLB). Schlumberger is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.

  On January 17, the oil services and technology company reported fourth quarter earnings of $1.35 a share, beating Wall Street estimates by two cents a share. Earnings grew by 29.8% year over year.

• [By Editor , DividendChannel.com]

  ENB operates in the Oil & Gas Equipment & Services sector, among companies like Schlumberger (SLB), and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD).

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  With a variety of oil stocks reporting full-year 2013 earnings, unconventional assets are the gifts that keep on giving for the oil service trio of Halliburton (HAL), Baker Hughes (BHI) and Schlumberger (SLB).

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Oilfield services giant Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) saw short interest rise 12.5% to 14 million shares, about 1% of Schlumberger's float. The largest oilfield services company reported fourth-quarter results last week and posted higher EPS and revenues than it did a year ago.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-undervalued-companies-to-buy-right-now.html

Top Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Xcel Energy Inc.(XEL)

Xcel Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, as well as to public authorities in the United States. The company generates electricity using coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydro, wood, diesel, and wind energy. It also engages in the purchase, transportation, distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company serves customers in portions of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. As of December 31, 2010, it provided electricity services to 3,391,611 customers; and natural gas services to 1,893,250 customers. Xcel Energy, through its joint venture interests in WYCO Development LLC, develops and leases natural gas pipeline, storage, and compression facilities. The company was founded in 1909 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Answer: It’s too soon to say what the financial impact of the Winnipeg incident will have on TransCanada. The impact for its customers, including Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) and Great Plains Energy (NYSE: GXP), may be more acute in the short term. TransCanada will definitely be under increased regulatory scrutiny.
  I’m a fan of TransCanada for the long term. It has a solid, diverse and growing presence in North American energy infrastructure. It’s about much more than Keystone XL.

• [By Richard Stavros]

  In fact, investment opportunities in this niche could soon be on the rise. Several utilities have been considering creating standalone transmission companies this year, including Xcel Energy Inc (NYSE: XEL). But whether it’s a standalone company or the sale of transm! ission assets to a transmission company, regulatory approval will still be key. For instance, regulators declined Entergy Corp’s (NYSE: ETR) sale of its transmission assets to transmission company ITC Holdings Corp (NYSE: ITC) in 2013.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-dividend-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

Top 5 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Reinsurance Group of America Inc (RGA)

Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (RGA) is an insurance holding company. RGA is engaged in the reinsurance of individual and group coverages for traditional life and health, longevity, disability income, annuity and critical illness products, and financial reinsurance. During the year ended December 31, 2011, approximately 65.8% of the Company's net premiums were from its operations in North America, represented by its United States and Canada segments. Its subsidiaries include RGA Reinsurance Company (RGA Reinsurance), Reinsurance Company of Missouri, Incorporated (RCM), RGA Reinsurance Company (Barbados) Ltd. (RGA Barbados), RGA Americas Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (RGA Americas), RGA Atlantic Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (RGA Atlantic), RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada (RGA Canada), RGA Reinsurance Company of Australia, Limited (RGA Australia) and RGA International Reinsurance Company (RGA International). The Company has five geographic-based operational seg ments: United States, Canada, Europe & South Africa, Asia Pacific and Corporate and Other. On January 1, 2012, it dissolved its United Kingdom reinsurance subsidiary and transferred its business to RGA International, the Company's Ireland-based subsidiary, to better manage capital resources.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company has operation in Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, People's Republic of China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The Company provides reinsurance products to the life insurance companies worldwide. The Company obtains its revenues through reinsurance agreements, which cover a portfolio of life and health insurance products, includin! g term life, credit life, universal life, whole life, group life and health, joint and last survivor insurance, critical illness, disability income, as well as annuities and financial reinsurance.

!

United States Operations

During 2011, the United States operations represented 54.4% of the Company's net premiums. The United States operations market traditional life and health reinsurance, reinsurance of asset-intensive products, and financial reinsurance, primarily to the United States life insurance companies. The United States Traditional sub-segment provides life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a range of products through yearly renewable term agreements, coinsurance, and modified coinsurance. Premiums vary for smokers and non-smokers, males and females, and may include a preferred underwriting class discount. Reinsurance premiums are paid in accordance with the treaty. Automatic reinsurance treaty provides that the ceding company will cede risks to a reinsurer on specified blocks of policies where the underlying policies meet the ceding company's underwriting criteria. The United States facultative reinsurance operation invo lves the assessment of the risks inherent in multiple impairments, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes; cases involving policy face amounts, and financial risk cases, which include cases involving policies disproportionately in relation to the financial characteristics of the proposed insured. During 2011, approximately 20.4% of the United States gross premiums were written on a facultative basis.

Canada Operations

During 2011, the Canada operations represented 11.4% of the Company's net premiums. During 2011, approximately 85.2% of the recurring new business was written on an automatic basis. The Company operates in Canada through RGA Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary. RGA Canada is a life reinsurer in Canada, based on new individual life insurance production. It assists clients wi! th capita! l management and mortality and morbidity risk management and is primarily engaged in traditional individual life reinsurance, as well as c reditor, group life and health, critical illness, and longev! ity reins! urance. Creditor insurance covers the outstanding balance on personal, mortgage or commercial loans in the event of death, disability or critical illness and is shorter in duration than traditional life insurance. Clients include the life insurers in Canada.

Europe & South Africa Operations

During 2011, the Europe & South Africa operations represented 16.3% of the Company's net premiums. This segment serves clients from subsidiaries, licensed branch offices and/or representative offices located in France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. These offices operate primarily through the Company's subsidiaries RGA International and RGA South Africa. The principal types of reinsurance for this segment include life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, the reinsurance of critical illness coverage, which provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness and the reinsurance of longevity risk related to payout annuities. The reinsurance agreements of critical illness coverage may be either facultative or automatic agreements. Premiums earned from critical illness coverage represented 20.5% of the total net premiums for this segment during 2011. During 2011, the United Kingdom operations generated approximately 62.9% of the segment's gross premiums.

Asia Pacific Operations

During 2011, the Asia Pacific operations represented 17.8% of the Company's net premiums. The Company has a presence in the Asia Pacific region with licensed branch offices and/or representative offices in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Labuan (Malaysia) and the People's Republic o! f China. ! The principal types of reinsurance for this segment include life, critical illness, health, disability income, superannuation, and financial reinsur ance. Superannuation is the Australian government mandated c! ompulsory! retirement savings program. Superannuation funds accumulate retirement funds for employees, and in addition, offer life and disability insurance coverage. Reinsurance agreements may be either facultative or automatic agreements covering primarily individual risks and, in some markets, group risks. During 2011, the Australian operations generated approximately 52.3% of the total gross premiums for the Asia Pacific operations. The Hong Kong, Labuan, Japan, Taiwan, China and South Korea offices provide full reinsurance services and are supported by the Company's United States and International Division Sydney office.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and Other operations include investment income from invested assets not allocated to support segment operations and undeployed proceeds from the Company's capital raising efforts, in addition to unallocated investment related gains or losses. Corporate expenses consist of the offset to capital charges al located to the operating segments within the policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses line item, unallocated overhead and executive costs, and interest expense related to debt. In additionally, Corporate and Other includes results from, among others, RGA Technology Partners, Inc. (RTP), a wholly owned subsidiary that develops and markets technology solutions for the insurance industry and the investment income and expense associated with the Company's collateral finance facilities.

The Company competes with Munich Re, Swiss Re, Hannover Re, SCOR Global Re, Berkshire Hathaway and Generali.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  The biggest new holdings are Philip Morris International and Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA  ) . Other new ! holdings ! of interest include Radian Group (NYSE: RDN  ) . To say that mortgage insurer Radian had a good past year would be an understatement, as the stock more than tripled. That's partly due to expectations of a boom in business as the housing market picks up, with tighter lending rules probably leading to greater need for the coverage. The stock recently got an upgrade, with an analyst expecting a possibly bumpy 2013 because of a high level of delinquent loans, but much smoother sailing in following years.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, life and health reinsurer Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of life and health reinsurer Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA  ) sank 10% today after its quarterly results disappointed Wall Street.

• [By David Sterman]

   

  2. Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA) I've been singing the praises of insurance stocks throughout 2013, and though they have started to make solid upward moves, they are still quite undervalued. As long as their balance sheets are worth more than the public market value of their stocks, then you should pounce.

  This reinsurer (which insures the insurance companies against catastrophic payouts) is a perfect example. At the end of the second quarter, tangible book value stood at $82.97 a share. That's roughly 24% above the current stock price. And RGA is doing what any "below book" stock should do: buying back shares. The current buyback will be fueled by a $400 investment that should shrink shares outstanding by more than 5%.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-performing-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Best Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now

Best Medical Stocks To Buy Right Now: Durata Therapeutics Inc (DRTX)

Durata Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on November 4, 2009, is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for patients with infectious diseases and acute illnesses. The Company enroll and dose patients in two global Phase III clinical trials with its product candidate, dalbavancin, for the treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (abSSSI). Dalbavancin is an intravenous antibiotic product candidate designed for once-weekly dosing. In addition to abSSSI, the Company focuses on the development of dalbavancin for additional indications, including osteomyelitis, diabetic foot infection and pneumonia.

As of December 31, 2011, Dalbavancin had already completed three Phase III clinical trials, in which more than 1,000 patients in total received dalbavancin. Dalbavancin achieved its primary efficacy endpoint of non-inferiority in each of these three completed Phase III clinical trials when compared to linezolid, cefazolin or vancomycin, three of the standard-of-care agents for uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections (uSSSI), and complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). Its two ongoing Phase III clinical trials are designed to compare dalbavancin to vancomycin, with an option to switch to oral linezolid, under the new FDA draft guidance.

The Company competes with Pfizer, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Theravance, Inc., Forest Laboratories, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis Ltd., The Medicines Company, Trius Therapeutics, Inc., Cempra, Inc., Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Nabriva Therapeutics AG, Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bob's Stocks]

  Durata Therapeutics (DRTX) is developing Dalbavancin, a once a week, intrav! enous antibiotic product candidate, for the treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, or ABSSSI. The company is expected to file a NDA (New Drug Application) at any moment and MAA (Marketing Authorization Application) at the end of 2013.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-medical-stocks-to-buy-right-now-3.html

Best High Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014

Best High Dividend Companies To Buy For 2014: Aircastle Ltd (AYR)

Aircastle Limited (Aircastle), incorporated on October 29, 2004, is a global company that acquires, leases, and sells high-utility commercial jet aircraft to customers throughout the world. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's aircraft portfolio consisted of 159 aircraft that were leased to 69 lessees located in 36 countries. The Company manages its fleet through offices in the United States, Ireland and Singapore. The Company invests in aircraft that the Company places on operating or finances leases The Company also makes investments in other aviation assets, including debt investments secured by commercial jet aircraft. The Company operates in single segment being Aircraft leases. The Company owned 133 passenger aircraft, representing approximately 71% of the net book value of flight equipment, while its 26 freighter aircraft account for 29% of its portfolio value. Effective July 12, 2013, Marubeni Corp acquired a 15.25% interest in the Company.

The Comp any leases its aircraft on an operating lease basis. Under an operating lease, the Company retains the benefit, and bear the risk, of re-leasing and of the residual values of the aircraft upon expiration or early termination of the lease. Under the Company's leases, the lessees agree to lease the aircraft for a fixed term, although certain of its operating leases allow the lessee the option to extend the lease for an additional term or, in rare cases, terminate the lease prior to its expiration. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company's three customers, Martinair , including its affiliates, KLM, Transavia and Transavia France, U.S. Airways, Inc., and Hainan Airlines Company, accounted for 9%, 6% and 6% of the Company's revenues.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had 19 aircraft having scheduled lease expirations in 2013 and the Company ! has lease or leases extension commitments for two of these aircraft. The remaining 17 aircraft with scheduled expiries in 2013. The Company entered into early termination! agreements for two Boeing Model 737-700 aircraft, one Airbus model A330-200 aircraft, one Boeing Model 767-300ER aircraft and one Airbus Model A319-100 aircraft, which the Company is marketing for sale or leases.

The Company competes with GE Commercial Aviation Services, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), AerCap Holdings NV, Air Lease Corporation, Aviation Capital Group, CIT Aerospace, AWAS, SMBC Aviation Capital (formerly RBS Aviation Capital), BOC Aviation, FLY Leasing, Ltd., Avolon, Guggenheim Aviation Partners, Volito, Deucalion, Oak Hill Aviation and AerSale

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One commercial leasing player that insiders are active in here is Aircastle (AYR), which acquires, leases and sells high-utility commercial jet aircraft to passenger and cargo airlines throughout the world. Insiders are buying this stock into notable strength, since shares are up sharply by 52% in 2013.

  Aircastle has a market cap of $1.5 billion and an enterprise value of $4.8 billion. This stock trades at a premium valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 124.68. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $238.15 million and its total debt is $3.48 billion. This stock currently sports a dividend yield of 4.2%.

  A director just bought 30,000 shares, or about $563,000 worth of stock, at $18.79 per share.

  From a technical perspective, AYR is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last five months, with shares moving higher from its low of $15.84 to its recent high of $19.50 a share. During that uptrend, shares of AYR have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical pri! ce action! . That move has now pushed shares of AYR within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

  If you're bullish on AYR, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 50-day at $18.67 or above more support near $18, and then once it breaks out above its 52-week high at $19.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 430,032 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AYR will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $25 to $30 a share.

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday around midday, Netherlands based aviation leasing stock AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER) began surging on rumors and closed up 11.6%, meaning its probably time to take a closer look at those rumors along with aviation leasing peers like small caps or mid caps Aircastle Limited (NYSE: AYR), Air Lease Corp (NYSE: AL), Fly Leasing Ltd (NYSE: FLY) and AeroCentury Corp (NYSEMKT: ACY).

• [By Shahida Humayun]

  Air Lease's fleet has a weighted average age of 3.5 years, compared to 10.7 years for Aircastle (NYSE: AYR  ) and 5.1 years for AerCap Holdings (NYSE: AER  ) . As a result of this advantage, Air Lease is currently trading at a price-to-book value (P/BV) of 1.17, compared to 0.8 and 0.95 for Aircastle and AerCap Holdings, respectively.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Aircastle LTD (NYSE: AYR  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

source from Top Stocks! Blog! :http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-high-dividend-companies-to-buy-for-2014.html

Top Chemical Stocks For 2014

Top Chemical Stocks For 2014: Akzo Nobel NV (AKZA)

Akzo Nobel NV is a manufacturer of paints, coatings and specialty chemicals based in the Netherlands. The Company operates within four segments. Within Buildings and Infrastructure segment, it manufactures decorative paints, protective, powder and coil coatings, and wood finishes for construction industry. Transportation segment offers specialty and powder coatings for automotive parts, peroxides, metal alkyls, and automotive, marine, yacht and aerospace coatings. Consumer Goods segment supplies finishes, adhesives and powder coatings for wood, specialty finishes for electronics, packaging coatings, surfactants, polymers and amines used in manufacture of soap, personal products and detergents. Within Industrial segment, it produces bulk chemicals, specialty chemicals, pulp and paper. In October 2013, it divested its Building Adhesives business; and acquired 50% stake and management control of Sadolin Paints Oman SAOC through joint venture agreement with Omar Zawawi Establishm ent LLC. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Akzo Nobel NV (AKZA) tumbled 8 percent to 43.52 euros, the biggest slide since 2008. Europe's largest paintmaker reported a 14 percent decline in second-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to 474 million euros. Sales fell 4 percent to 3.87 billion euros. Analysts had predicted 3.9 billion euros in revenue on average, based on estimates collated by Bloomberg.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-chemical-stocks-for-2014-2.html

Top 5 Gold Stocks For 2014

Top 5 Gold Stocks For 2014: CME Group Inc.(CME)

CME Group Inc. operates the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX regulatory exchanges worldwide. The company provides a range of products available across various asset classes, including futures and options on interest rates, equity indexes, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, foreign exchange, weather, and real estate. It offers various products that provide a means of hedging, speculation, and asset allocation relating to the risks associated with interest rate sensitive instruments, equity ownership, changes in the value of foreign currency, credit risk, and changes in the prices of commodities. CME Group owns and operates clearing house, CME Clearing, which provides clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts and counter derivatives transactions; and also engages in real estate operations. Its primary trade execution facilities consist of its CME Globex electronic trading platform and open outcry trading floors, as well as privately negotiated transact ions that are cleared and settled through its clearing house. In addition, the company offers market data services comprising live quotes, delayed quotes, market reports, and historical data services, as well as involves in index services business. CME Group?s customer base includes professional traders, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, corporations, manufacturers, producers, and governments. It has strategic partnerships with BM&FBOVESPA S.A., Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, Singapore Exchange Limited, Green Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, S.A.B. de C.V., as well as joint venture agreement with Dow Jones & Company. The company was formerly known as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and changed its name to CME Group Inc. in July 2007. CME Group was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illino! is.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives trader CME Group (CME) raised its quarterly dividend 4% to 47 cents per share, payable on Mar. 25 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 10.
  CME Dividend Yield: 2.47%

• [By Anora Mahmudova]

  CME Group Inc. (CME)  shares rose slightly after the exchange operator posted fourth-quarter earnings that were below expectations.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Insurers such as Aflac Inc. (AFL) , Allstate Corp. (ALL) , Aetna Inc. (AET) , Cigna Corp. (CI)  and Prudential Financial Inc. (PRU)  will also report, along with exchange operators Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ)  and CME Group Inc. (CME) . 

• [By Matthew Leising]

  The study, commissioned by CME Group Inc. (CME), the Futures Industry Association, the Institute for Financial Markets and the National Futures Association, surveyed private insurance companies to gauge their interest in providing protection to customers if their futures broker goes bankrupt, according to a statement released today.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-gold-stocks-for-2014.html

Cut Money, Time, Frustration When Filing Your Taxes

Getty Images As the deadline for filing federal income taxes nears, have you thought about how you can cut money, time or frustration in how you file your return? The Internal Revenue Service's Free File allows for a no-cost federal return if your household's 2013 adjusted gross income was $58,000 or less. You can use its online fillable forms or brand-name tax software by selecting a service provider to file listed on the site. Depending on which state you live in, you may need to pay for your state return. Some "e-file partner" companies provide free state returns; check the company's website. Regardless of whether you meet the $58,000 limit, these providers offer many free federal filing options. 1040EZ forms are offered for free preparation and filing by e-Smart Tax and TaxSlayer. TaxACT has a variety of IRS tax forms and schedules for free preparation and filing. Basic IRS forms can be prepared and filed for free with TurboTax, which will import W-2 information, so tax filing requires less time to complete. State returns may have a fee to file, and more complex federal forms can bring additional costs. IRS-certified volunteers offer free help for taxpayers who qualify. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance covers electronic filing for those who meet the $52,000 or less threshold. People 60 years old and older can get help with taxes -- and issues related to pension and retirement -- through the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program. Active duty members of the military can use TaxSlayer's free federal version.

Why Apple Could Squash Pandora, But Won't

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Can Pandora (P) fend off iTunes Radio?

That's the headline of an article I read Tuesday evening.

There's no use linking to it because it's representative of nearly every other thing you've read or heard on the subject. Ever since I started covering Internet radio, the media -- be it scribes who rely on intuition or TV types who live and die by sensationalism -- has been several steps behind on the matter. Scratching at the surface only intensified when Apple (AAPL) entered the game.

Let's get something straight ... Competition between huge companies that happen to have some type of Internet radio service and the smaller companies who have made streaming music their core mission and lone source of revenue does not exist in any meaningful way. Of course, on some level, Apple feigns competitive salvos at Pandora. But, ultimately, the turf Pandora occupies is just too small for Apple to aggressively pursue. Because, let's face it, if Apple wanted to, it could do any number of things to wipe Pandora off the face of the Earth. It could buy Pandora or spend a tiny fraction of its cash to challenge Pandora in areas it should dominate by now. You have to attempt to move away from the drug the media feeds of you. These guys turn everything into a dichotomy. Us versus them. Either/or. Black and white. They dilute multi-faceted issues into binary mindlessness. So it's not a question of can Pandora "fend off" iTunes Radio. Instead, it's a question of can Apple drive hardware sales via its massive ecosystem, of which iTunes Radio plays a small, but still meaningful part. Apple would love to have exclusive access to digital releases ... it would love to see its iTunes Festival overshadow Pandora's Discovery Den at SXSW ... it would love to ding Pandora in any number of ways. However, that's not the goal. The goal is to sell hardware. Doing radio and hawking music downloads is merely one means to that end. Any drama that involves Pandora along the way is merely that. The same applies to Amazon.com (AMZN). Some way, somehow it will enter the space. There will be drama. The media will make sure of it. But Amazon's music service will be just another means to the end of extending Amazon Prime and driving core e-commerce. Pandora, as a pure play, doesn't concern itself with selling hardware and building an e-commerce business. Instead, it's hyper-focused on taking advertising dollars away from broadcast radio. While that's fantastic in some respects, I'm concerned ... Because I reckon most everybody's mired in talking about Internet radio like we're living in 2013. It's 2014. And the space continues to rapidly morph into one where it's not as much about the music or doing radio as it is about what you do with your data. As in, how do you monetize your data. That's the multi-million -- and maybe even billion -- dollar industry that will make or break Pandora and the other players who did not come into this thing with already successful and long-established foci. I get into where Pandora should look when it has its head down in Sell Pandora: It's About to Become a Thing of the Past. Speaking of selling Pandora, the stock has begun its descent, up just 1% over the last month, but down 14% in the last five days. I suspect investors understand that the phase of growth that took Pandora to $40 isn't being replaced, at the moment, by an equally-as-formidable subsequent driver. Pandora bulls are calling Uber, but, sadly, there are no cars driving around this bad neighborhood.  Follow @rocco_thestreet --Written by Rocco Pendola in Santa Monica, Calif.

Stock quotes in this article: AAPL, P 

Buffett bashes Bitcoin, wary of minimum pay hike

Investor Warren Buffett discussed topics ranging from the state of the U.S. economy to rail car safety, the proposed Keystone gas pipeline and extreme weather swings during a three-hour appearance on CNBC. Here are a few other topics he addressed:

• The chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway said it's very unlikely regulators will consider his conglomerate "too big to fail" because of its financial strength and because its relatively small portfolio of derivative contracts is winding down. He said regulators haven't contacted Berkshire.

Best Rising Stocks To Watch For 2015

• Buffett says he's not interested in owning Bitcoins because they don't store value or provide a durable means of exchange. Bitcoin is billed as a virtual currency that has grown in popularity since its 2009 creation as a way to make transactions across borders without third parties such as banks.

"It's not a currency," Buffett said. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's not around in 10 or 20 years."

STOCKS MONDAY: How markets are doing

• Berkshire Hathaway is a major shareholder in Coca-Cola Co. and Buffett says he drinks five Cokes a day. Buffett said Coca-Cola has wonderful brands that account for roughly 3% of all liquids consumed globally.

"It's under a lot more pressure than it was 10 or 15 years ago, particularly in the United States," Buffett said. "But their sales went up last year just as they've gone up nearly every year."

• Buffett said increasing the minimum wage is likely to reduce the number of jobs somewhat. He said expanding the earned income tax credit would be a more effective way to reduce income inequality.

• The 83-year-old Buffett said the conglomerate will be in good hands once he is gone. The company plans to split his job into separate investment management, CEO and chairman roles. Berkshire's two newest investment managers — Ted Weschler and Todd Combs — ! joined Buffett for part of the interview.

Buffett said both men and have added a substantial amount to Berkshire's profits in recent years. Buffett also praised Tracy Britt Cool, who serves as chairwoman of four Berkshire subsidiaries in her role as the billionaire's financial assistant.

Penn Virginia is For Lovers (of Price-Target Increases)

Virginia might be for lovers, but analysts love Penn Virginia (PVA).

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

The independent oil & gas explorer reported earnings last week, and promptly surged 11%. Now analysts are coming out with reports about why Penn Virginia can head even higher.

Imperial Capital’s Kim Pacanovsky, for instance, raised her price target on Penn Virginia to $18 from $13 today. She explains why:

Top 5 European Companies To Own For 2015

We believe [Penn Virginia's] Eagle Ford position has been nearly fully derisked, and with 1,125 locations in the play, consistently improving IP rates, and decreasing costs per stage, we believe the company is in an excellent position to continue to grow earnings, EBITDA, and cash flow as well as to continue to improve debt metrics.

Howard Weil’s Brian Corales, meanwhile, lifted his price target to $23 from $16 with a Sector Outperform rating. He explains why:

[Penn Virginia] continues to deliver very impressive well results, and we are starting to see that translate into production and cash flows. The most recently drilled wells have 30 day rates that average greater than 1 MBoepd, much higher than our current type curve. Additionally, the impressive reserve results in 2013, along with the continued increase in acreage, significantly boosts our NAV. Even on a cash flow basis, [Penn Virginia] continues to trade at a discount to Eagle Ford and Small-Cap peers.  The balance sheet is more stretched than most peers, but there is a clear line of sight to improve the debt metrics. The Company has already sold the EF gas gathering and processing, bringing in $94MM and is planning to sell some non-core E&P assets to offset the cash flow outspend. We have the balance sheet steadily improving as production and cash flows continue to grow.  [Penn Virginia] has really just started accelerating drilling plans, and the 80,000 net acre position could grow relatively quickly. Finally, the upper Eagle Ford looks encouraging, and we do not give any value for this potential. If successful as a separate reservoir, the upper Eagle Ford could provide another increase to the existing location count.

These positive comments came on top of those made by SunTrust Robinson Humphrey on Feb. 20, and KLR Group’s Gail Nicholson, who raised her price target to $26 from $16 on Feb. 21, while noting that Penn Virginia trades at a 15% discount to peers even after gaining about 50% so far this year.

Shares of Penn Virginia have gained 6.2% to $15.02 today at 3:03. p.m., while Sanchez Energy (SN) has risen 5.6% to $30.92, EQT Corp (EQT) has advanced 1.1% to $101.94 and EOG Resources (EOG) is up 1.7% at $180.99.

REIT firm KBS battling Schorsch's American Realty Capital over claim of trade secret theft

Nicholas Schorsch, chief executive of American Realty Capital Advisors

Two major sponsors of nontraded REITs, American Realty Capital Advisors and KBS Capital Advisors, have been locked in a legal battle for the past several years over the alleged lifting of proprietary information and trade secrets, including contact information for registered representatives.

The most recent iteration of that fight was a KBS lawsuit filed in January in state court in Orange County, Calif., in which it alleges a “misappropriation of trade secrets” by ARC Advisors.

Being heard both in California state court and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. arbitration, the dispute goes back to 2009, just as Nicholas Schorsch, chief executive of ARC, was launching his company.

That was when KBS Capital Markets Group, the wholesaling broker-dealer for the KBS REITs, first began a Finra arbitration case against Realty Capital Securities, the wholesaling broker-dealer for Mr. Schorsch's ARC REITs..

That complaint alleged that three former KBS broker-dealer employees misappropriated trade secrets and committed a breach of contract arising from the downloading and use of KBS information to aid ARC's broker-dealer, Realty Capital Securities, in its competition against KBS.

Top Financial Companies To Buy Right Now

(Related: Schorsch: RCS Capital is the next Merrill or Raymond James)

In 2011, KBS filed a complaint in Orange County.

ARC's broker-dealer wasn't named in the suit, and KBS eventually dropped nine of the original 13 claims against ARC, according to ARC spokesman Tony DeFazio.

“KBS filed this Orange County action in 2011 as a means of circumventing the Finra dispute resolution process,” he said. “[ARC] believes the few remaining claims are also without merit and is vigorously defending this action.”

A KBS response, provided by spokesman Mike Besack, said that it and its affiliates commenced their action against ARC Advisors and American Realty Capital II, a nontraded real estate investment trust, in Orange County court “to ensure that KBS entities could recover complete economic relief based on the ARC business enterprise's unjust enrichments as a result of ARC/Realty Capital Securities unlawful conduct, but which flowed through entities other than” the broker-dealer.

Nine of the 13 claims were dropped, not because of lack of merit, but because the court indicated that they were already included as part of the other existing claims, according to the statement from KBS counsel.

"We are looking forward to presenting our cases in both the Finra arbitration and Orange County action,” said KBS chief executive Charl! es Schreiber.

ARC and KBS are both major players in the industry for nontraded REITs, which are sold almost exclusively through independent broker-dealers. Since 2006, KBS has formed five nontraded REITs, which have acquired over $11 billion in real estate and real estate-related assets.

ARC was the leading seller of nontraded REITs last year and sponsors five nontraded REITS.

(More: Inland's tale of two troubled REITs)

ARC and KBS have both dug their heels in over the dispute. The Finra arbitration involving the two broker-dealers and the separate California lawsuit involving other businesses related to the wholesaling broker-dealers are continuing.

Allegations in the KBS complaint “are not uncommon,” said Robert Milligan, a partner with Seyfarth Shaw.

“It's becoming more and more competitive in the REIT space," he said. "It's a relationship-driven business, and those people can be highly valuable.”

KBS would need to show ARC is using the information to prove its claim, Mr. Milligan said.

“The definition of trade secret is information that has independent economic value as a result of its secrecy,” he said.

“You have to show the information is secret. If it's on the Internet or in a government filing, that makes it challenging to maintain a trade secret claim," Mr. Milligan said.

The KBS claim centers on three former employees, James Frank, Jeff Kinney and Steven Williams, who left the company in 2009 and joined Realty Capital Securities.

Those three “worked in concert with” ARC Advisors and ARC II and “engaged in an unethical and disloyal conspiracy with which [they] stole KBS Holdings, KBS Advisors and [KBS broker-dealer's] confidential, proprietary and trade secret information for the benefit of” ARC Advisors and ARC II, according to the California complaint.

KBS “believes that this conspiracy was formulated in advance of the resignations of the former employees, and carried out in a deliberate! manner t! o cause significant damages to KBS' business,” according to the complaint.

On the day he resigned in June 2009, Mr. Frank allegedly sent a large spreadsheet containing a record of all KBS' sales via e-mail to a Realty Capital Securities employee.

In July 2009, both Mr. Kinney and Mr. Williams downloaded confidential information from KBS' proprietary sales database, including contact information for registered reps who sold the company's REITs, according to the complaint.

The two allegedly used that information as employees of Realty Capital Securities, according to the complaint.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015

There's been rumblings that Nokia (NYSE: NOK  ) was preparing to go bigger with wireless carrier Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) . In March, rumors surfaced that the top domestic carrier was preparing to launch a high-end Lumia model, following the mid-range Lumia 822 that was released late last year.

Bloomberg is now chiming in corroborating the reports with its own unnamed "people familiar with the plan." The Lumia 928 is expected to be similar to the flagship Lumia 920 that was launched last year, but will receive a physical makeover and a high-quality metal casing.

It would be slightly different than the Lumia 920 that rival AT&T�scored an exclusive lock on. The other pertinent specs are largely the same, such as display size, camera, and wireless charging.

The March report suggested that the Lumia 928 would launch in April, but now the April report pegs release in May. Either way, the device should make its way to market fairly soon, and will be the first high-end Lumia on Big Red's network running Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) Windows Phone 8.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: Harman International Industries Incorporated (HAR)

Harman International Industries, Incorporated designs, develops, manufactures, and markets audio products, lighting solutions, and electronic systems, as well as digitally integrated audio and infotainment systems for the automotive industry worldwide. Its Infotainment segment offers infotainment systems for vehicle applications to be installed primarily as original equipment by automotive manufacturers. The company�s Lifestyle segment provides automotive audio systems for vehicle applications; and a range of mid-to high-end loudspeaker and electronics for home, multimedia, and mobile applications. It also offers home audio and theater systems, and distributed systems for home applications; a range of accessories, such as earbuds and noise cancelling headphones for multimedia applications; transducers and built-in speakers for notebook computers; audio systems for personal computers; and aftermarket mobile products, including speakers, amplifiers, and digital signal proce ssors that deliver in-car audio. This segment markets its products under the JBL, AKG, Harman/Kardon, Infinity, Mark Levinson, Revel, Logic 7, Lexicon, and Selenium brand names. Its Professional segment provides a range of loudspeakers, power amplifiers, digital signal processors, microphones, headphones, mixing consoles, and IDX information delivery systems for concert halls, stadiums, airports, houses of worship, and other public spaces; products to the sound reinforcement, music instrument support, and broadcast and recording segments of the professional audio market; systems solutions for professional installations and users; and lighting solutions to the entertainment, architectural, and commercial sectors. This segment markets its products under the JBL Professional, AKG, Crown, Soundcraft, Lexicon, DigiTech, dbx, BSS, Studer, Martin, and Selenium brand names. Harman International Industries, Incorporated was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticu t.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Julia Leite]

  South African miners rallied after a recovery in gold prices. The FTSE/JSE Africa All-Share Index climbed 1.5 percent in Johannesburg, with Harmony Gold Mining Co. (HAR) and AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG) adding at least 5.2 percent.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  More to the point, Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE: HAR) has moved beyond its audio roots and now ranks as a bona fide tech powerhouse.

• [By Ian Wyatt, Publisher & Chief Investment Strategist, Wyatt Investment Research]

  Alexander Roepers, of Atlantic Investment Management, has returned 19.2% annually to his clients for the last 21 years—an enviable track record. He recommends Baker Hughes (BHI) and Harman International (HAR), with 25% to 50% share price upside potential.

• [By Double Dividend Stocks]

  Options Opportunities: 2 stocks jumped out in the above group as still being undervalued on a PEG basis - STX and Harman Industries, (HAR).

  (click to enlarge)

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: MeetMe Inc (MEET)

MeetMe, Inc. (MeetMe), incorporated on April 17, 2011, is a social network for meeting new people in the United States and the public market for social discovery. MeetMe makes meeting new people fun through social games and apps, monetized by both advertising and virtual currency. The Company has 60% customers coming from mobile. MeetMe is the social gathering place for the mobile generation. The Company operates MeetMe.com and MeetMe apps on iPhone, iPad, and android in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

The Company provides advertising facilities through MeetMe Ads and Social Theater. MeetMe Ads had over two billion page views monthly, over 78 million registered users across the world and approximately 50% of activity on mobile, as of November 17, 2012. Social Theater consists of traditional marketing and social networking.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  It's not been easy to be a fan of MeetMe Inc. (NYSEMKT:MEET) since July of last year. In fact, sometimes it's been downright painful to keep holding MEET. But, it was also worth it. With today's big move, MeetMe shares have cleared a key hurdle, and they've done so for all the right reasons. Investors who've been cautiously waiting on the sidelines may want start wading in now.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  It took several months to get there, but shares of MeetMe Inc. (NYSEMKT:MEET) are finally living up to their potential hinted at back in July. Better still, today's bullish move from MEET isn't just some fortunate volatility. Friday's surge has taken the stock past a key line in the sand, and in so doing, has cleared the deck for more buying ahead.

Top 10 Stocks For 2015: Arrow Electronics Inc. (ARW)

Arrow Electronics, Inc. provides products, services, and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions worldwide. It operates in two segments, Global Components and Global Enterprise Computing Solutions. The Global Components segment distributes electronic components and related services to original equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers. This segment provides online catalogs for electronic components; cloud-based design tools that expedite product development cycles; factory-direct end-of-life product inventory; reverse logistics; and electronics asset disposition solutions to redeploy, remarket, and recycle technology assets. Its products and services include semiconductor products and related services; passive, electro-mechanical, and interconnect products consisting primarily of capacitors, resistors, potentiometers, power supplies, relays, switches, and connectors; computing and memory; and other p roducts and services. The Global Enterprise Computing Solutions segment provides enterprise and midrange computing products, services, and solutions to value-added resellers; and unified communications products and related services, as well as cloud computing, security, and networking services. It also offers a suite of online supply chain tools. The company�s customers include manufacturers of consumer and industrial equipment, telecommunications products, automotive and transportation, aerospace and defense, scientific and medical devices, and computer and office products, as well as value-added resellers of enterprise computing solutions. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Arrow Electronics (NYSE: ARW  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Arrow Electronics Inc (ARW)

  FPA Capital's third largest stock holding is in Arrow Electronics. The guru holds on to a total of 1,515,500 shares of Arrow, representing 1.51% of the company�� shares outstanding and 9.2% of his total portfolio.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: Cabot Microelectronics Corporation(CCMP)

Cabot Microelectronics Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) consumables to the semiconductor industry primarily in the United States, Asia, and Europe. CMP is a polishing process used by integrated circuit (IC) device manufacturers to planarize or flatten the multiple layers of material that are deposited upon silicon wafers in the production of advanced ICs. The company offers CMP slurries, which are liquid solutions composed of high-purity deionized water, proprietary chemical additives, and engineered abrasives that chemically and mechanically interact with the surface material of the IC device at an atomic level; and CMP polishing pads that are engineered polymeric materials designed to distribute and transport the slurry to the surface of the wafer and distribute it evenly across the wafer. Its CMP slurries are used for various polishing applications, including materials that conduct electrical signal s, such as tungsten, copper, tantalum, and aluminum; the dielectric insulating materials that separate conductive layers within logic and memory IC devices; and the disk substrates and magnetic heads used in hard disk drives. The company also designs and produces precision polishing and metrology systems to attain shape and surface finish on various optical components, such as mirrors, lenses, and prisms. It serves producers of logic IC devices and memory IC devices, as well as IC foundries. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nikolaj Gammeltoft]

  Not all of Granville�� best calls were in the distant past. On March 11, 2000, the day after the Nasdaq Composite Index (CCMP) jumped to a record 5048.62, Granville wrote that investors in technology stocks ��ill soon be burned.��The index, heavy on computer-related companies, tumbled about 78 percent before bottoming on Oct. 9, 2002.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: Demandware Inc (DWRE)

Demandware, Inc. (Demandware), incorporated in February 2004, is a provider of software-as-a-service e-commerce solutions that enable companies to design, implement and manage their own customized e-commerce sites, including Websites, mobile applications and other digital storefronts. The Company sells subscriptions to its on-demand software and related services through both a direct sales force and indirect channels. Its customers consist of retailers and branded consumer product manufacturers that operate principally in the vertical markets, including apparel, general merchandise, health and beauty, home and garden, sporting goods and other vertical categories. The Company derives most of its revenue from subscriptions to its on-demand platform and related services. The Company derives its services revenue from the implementation of its customers��e-commerce sites, which includes the integration of complementary technologies and adaptation to back-end systems and/or business processes and the configuration and deployment of the site. In January 2014, Demandware Inc acquired privately-held Mainstreet Commerce, a provider of cloud-based order management solutions.

The Company physically hosts its on-demand solutions for its customers in 11 secure data center facilities located in North America and Europe. It contracts for use of these data center facilities from Equinix Operating Co. and NaviSite, Inc. The Company engineers and architects the actual computer, storage and network systems upon which its platform operates, which the Company calls its grid computing points of delivery (PODs), and deploy them to the data center facilities, which provide physical security, including manned security round the clock. The Company provides system security, including firewalls and encryption technology, and it conducts regular system tests and vulnerability assessments.

Demandware Commerce Platform

The Company�� platform uses a Web-based interface to provide one centra! l location for its customers to control and manage their e-commerce sites from products to pricing to placement to content. It provides security and built-in disaster recovery through its network of data centers. Using its Demandware Commerce platform, customers can easily deploy e-commerce sites without the need to install or integrate their own hardware and software infrastructure.

The Company offers on-demand e-commerce platform, a network of alliance partners that extends the value of the platform, and a business model designed for customer revenue growth. The Company delivers its solutions on-demand to its customers who can access and can manage it over the Internet using a standard Web browser. The Company has built its solutions using a single code base and a multi-tenant, multi-user architecture that it hosts. Demandware Commerce provides a single platform that its customers can use to manage consumer interactions across all digital touch points worldwide. Its reference applications are based on e-commerce can be customized to individual needs, with access to a sophisticated cross-channel merchandising engine and open development environment. Its applications include Web Storefront Applications, Call Center Application and Mobile Application. With Demandware Commerce, a customer can build a e-commerce site from scratch or leverage its pre-built storefront, called Site Genesis.

The Company�� call center application allows its customers��call center agents to quickly access order, consumer and product information through a single Web-based interface, enabling a more efficient and engaging experience for the consumer. Using this application, agents are able to easily search for products using advanced search techniques and guided navigation. In addition to providing improved customer service, agents can use this software to gain a single view into a consumer�� entire order history and recommend products using rules established by its merchandising tools. The Compan! y�� mob! ile application offers a customizable mobile storefront with the functionality its customers need to create a compelling shopping experience for consumers on their mobile devices. Its Demandware Commerce platform provides a unified development environment between the mobile storefront and its customers��other e-commerce sites for ease of customization and site management. Its mobile application is compatible with browsers and with smart phones, such as the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.

Demandware Commerce Center is a centralized application for control and management of all consumer e-commerce experiences across multiple sites and channels. In addition, users are able to create customized dashboards to display the commonly used activities. Active Merchandising, which is a metrics-driven online selling engine that controls merchandising interactions across search, personalization, analytics, promotions and catalog according to rules created by each of its customers. Products and Catalogs, which enables merchants to manage seasonal, branded and future product offerings across categories, catalogs and sites. Promotions, which consists of multiple configuration options for creating and controlling product promotions. A/B Testing, which allows merchants to perform comparison tests to determine, which merchandise is selected. Searchandising, which consists of rules that can easily be configured by the merchant to feature products in search results that deliver the inventory turn, conversion rates and average order size. Order Management, which provides users the ability to access, modify and cancel orders. Customer Targeting, which provides the capability to create rules that include and exclude conditions for triggering different merchandising offers, promotions and products.

Merchants and developers, through Demandware LINK, have access to an extensive library of integrations to third-party applications. These applications include campaign management, dynamic product imaging, ! order man! agement, payment management, personalization, social commerce and ratings and reviews. The Company supports its partners in the development of third-party integrations and undertake an approval process before the application is made available for downloading on Demandware LINK. Through Demandware Commerce developers can build, customize, test, debug, deploy, integrate and extend their e-commerce sites, all on-demand. Its development platform includes access to an extensive library of pre-built business processes and contains all the necessary tools to edit them.

The Demandware Commerce Cloud is comprised of its network of data centers, as well as its cloud-based architecture. Its on-demand platform allows the Company to increase the processing capacity of the environment, in which its customers��e-commerce sites operate to meet surges in demand. Through its Commerce Cloud, it also provides high uptime, security and built-in disaster recovery.

E-Commerce Retail Practice

The Company has developed a customer success program as a key component of its operational model, which is designed to enable its customers to achieve customer revenue growth and is delivered within the context of a shared business relationship. In this program, it assigns to customers an e-commerce strategist, who works hand-in-hand with its customers��executives to maximize the value of their investment. These e-commerce strategists are focused on growing its customers��revenue by taking the merchandising features and functionality of Demandware Commerce and an understanding of industry practices in site design, merchandising, analytics, interactive marketing, personalization and multi-channel integration. The Company also provides customer support engineers. Periodic system maintenance and continuous feature additions are also included in product support agreement coverage, which is included in the subscription fee. It offers support in multiple languages and through multiple channels, incl! uding glo! bal support coverage available round the clock.

Client Services

The Company�� customer enablement methodology includes document templates and processes to help project teams focus on the key tactical and strategic areas to maximize returns on its customers��online investments and minimize business risk. Its customer enablement methodology guides its tactical process to build and deploy an e-commerce site utilizing its Demandware Commerce platform. In addition, it offers a range of training classes to educate all individuals-e-commerce managers, Web developers, application developers and information technology (IT) professionals, who are part of its customers��implementation, maintenance and optimization teams.

The Company competes with IBM, Oracle/ATG, eBay/Magento, hybris, Digital River and eBay/GSI Commerce.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Demandware (DWRE)

  During the second quarter, Columbia Wanger increased their holdings in Demandware by 162.49%. The fund added 948,503 shares to their stake in the company at an average price of $30.30. Since this buy, the price per share has increased 46.2%.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Demandware Inc. (NYSE: DWRE) posted strong second-quarter earnings yesterday. Subscription revenue in the second quarter was $20.8 million, a 37% increase over $15.2 million in the second quarter of 2012. The Deutsche Bank target for the stock is $42 and should go up after the beat. The consensus price target is lower at $39.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: St. Jude Medical Inc.(STJ)

St. Jude Medical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and distributes cardiovascular and implantable neurostimulation medical devices worldwide. It operates in four segments: Cardiac Rhythm Management, Cardiovascular, Atrial Fibrillation, and Neuromodulation. The Cardiac Rhythm Management segment offers products for cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heart beats. Its products include tachycardia implantable cardioverter defibrillator systems to provide therapy to patients suffering from lethal heart conditions, such as sudden cardiac arrest; cardiac resynchronization therapy devices to treat heart failure patients; pacemakers to help people whose hearts beat too slowly or who suffer from other cardiac arrhythmias; and leads, which connect devices to the heart and carry the electrical impulses to the heart and information from the heart to the device. The Cardiovascular segment offers mechanical and tissue replacement heart valves, as well as heart valve repair products. It also pr ovides disposable interventional devices, including vascular closure devices, compression assist devices, percutaneous catheter introducers, diagnostic guidewires, and temporary bipolar pacing catheters, as well as diagnostic coronary imaging technology. The Atrial Fibrillation segment offers a system of products for access, diagnosis, visualization, and ablation that assist physicians in diagnosing and treating various irregular heart rhythms used in the electrophysiology lab and cardiac surgery. It provides electrophysiology introducers and catheters, cardiac mapping, navigation and recording systems, and ablation systems. The Neuromodulation segment offers a range of neurostimulation systems, such as rechargeable implantable pulse generators, primary cell implantable pulse generators, and radio frequency powered systems. St. Jude Medical markets its products through a direct sales force and independent distributors. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  The Food and Drug Administration has approved�St. Jude Medical's (NYSE: STJ  ) new Ellipse implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and its Assura cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D), high-voltage devices with new safety features.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  St. Jude Medical (NYSE: STJ  ) has been under fire recently from sales losses in its cardiology divisions, but renal denervation could be a life-saver for this beleaguered company. The firm earned CE Mark approval for its EnligHTN renal denervation system back in 2012, and it launched a clinical study in February to study the system's benefits in preventing conditions such as heart attack or stroke. The EnligHTN isn't approved in the U.S. yet, but St. Jude's European approval puts this company on the fast track to becoming a major player in renal denervation.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  It's safe to say medical-device maker St. Jude Medical (NYSE: STJ  ) has had a big year. This stock's jumped more than 50% year to date as part of health care's rise in 2013. However, as shares have risen, St. Jude's sales and earnings haven't taken the same path higher.

• [By Peter Stephens]

  Still, guidance does seem to matter, as seen in the recent jump of St. Jude Medical's (NYSE: STJ  ) share price, which recently went from $66 to $68 in the space of a few hours.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: STEC Inc.(STEC)

STEC, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets enterprise-class flash solid-state drives (SSDs) for use in high-performance storage and server systems. Its solid-state drive products include ZeusIOPS SSDs, which provide enterprise-class data storage solutions; and MACH-class SSDs that are small form factor storage solutions for mission-critical systems in various industries. The company?s flash cards and flash module products comprise ATA PC Cards for equipment requiring standard form factors and moderate capacities, such as data recorders, avionics systems, and telecommunication applications; CompactFlash products, which provide interoperability with systems based on the PC Card ATA standard by using a passive adapter; flash modules; secure digital memory cards; USB flash drives; and single chip drives. It also offers dynamic random access memory (DRAM) products, which include dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), small-outline DIMMs, mini-registered DIMMs, very low profile registered DIMMs, and fully-buffered DIMMs for computing, communications, and industrial applications. In addition, the company provides integrated circuit tower stacked components for thin small outline package and ball grid array semiconductor packages for use on memory modules and within high capacity flash products; DRAM modules with stacked components for use primarily in high-performance servers, workstations, switches and routers, and other custom systems; and flash products with stacked components. It sells its products through direct sales force and original equipment manufacturer distributors in the United States and internationally. STEC, Inc. was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Brugger]

  HGST, a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC  ) , has entered into an agreement whereby HGST will acquire a 100% ownership stake in sTec (NASDAQ: STEC  ) in an all-cash transaction valued at $340 million, equal to $6.85 a share, the companies announced today.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: Accor SA (AC)

Accor SA is a France-based hotel operator. The Hotels division manages more than 531,000 bedrooms in more than 4,200 hotels across 90 countries. Accor's portfolio consists of such hotel brands as Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, Suite Novotel, Adagio, ibis Styles, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1, hotelF1, Studio 6 and Motel 6, and its related activities, Thalassa sea & spa and Lenotre that provide an offer ranging from luxury to budget class. It operates through a number of subsidiaries, including SH Danton Michelet, Ste De Constructiondes Holets Suites, SIET, The Newgen Hotels, Chammans, Profid, SPFH, IBL, Soluxury HMC and SNC SH 61 QG; LA THERMALE DE FRANCE, PIH and HOTEXCO, among others. On July 30, 2012, it divested its stake in Ascendas Australia Hospitality Fund and Beijing Sanyuan Novotel and Ibis. In February 2013, it sold the Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg. In August 2013, it opened a new hotel in Thailand. In September 2013, it opened new resort in Dubai. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Accor (AC) dropped 3.9 percent to 32.27 euros, its biggest decline since Aug. 28. Europe�� largest hotel operator said it will reorganize its business into two separate units. The HotelServices unit will operate about 460,000 hotel rooms under 14 brands. The HotelInvest unit will act as the owner and investor in hotels.

10 Best Quality Stocks For 2015: WesBanco Inc.(WSBC)

WesBanco, Inc. operates as a holding company for WesBanco Bank, Inc. that provides various financial products and services. It engages in generating deposits and originating loans. The company?s deposit products include interest bearing demand deposits, money market accounts, savings deposits, and certificate of deposits. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans; commercial and industrial loans; residential real estate loans that consist of loans to purchase, construct, or refinance personal residences, including one-to-four family rental properties; home equity lines of credit; and consumer loans comprising of installment loans to finance purchases of automobiles, motorcycles, boats, and other recreational vehicles, and lines of credit. The company, through its other subsidiaries, also offers property, casualty, and life insurance, as well as benefit plan sales and administration for personal and commercial clients; and discount brokerage and asset manag ement services. In addition, it provides trust services and various investment products, including mutual funds, as well as engages in leasing commercial real estate properties. As of February 26, 2010, the company operated 114 branch locations and 138 automated teller machines in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  WesBanco Inc. (WSBC) operates as a holding company for WesBanco Bank Inc. that provides retail banking, corporate banking, personal and corporate trust services, and mortgage banking and insurance services. Aug. 22, the company increased its quarterly dividend 5.3% to $0.20 per share. The dividend is payable Oct. 1, 2013 to shareholders of record on Sept. 13, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.6%.