SCANA: Formula for Superior Returns

Capital spending, plus regulatory support, equals rising earnings, dividends, and share prices: That's the formula for superior total returns in utility stocks, says Roger Conrad, editor of Utility Forecaster.

And it's what SCANA Corp. (SCG) is locked-in to deliver, at least to the end of the decade. The company's biggest project is constructing two 1,117-mega-watt nuclear reactors using Toshiba-Westinghouse's AP 1000 model.

Constructed on the Summer site in South Carolina, the plant will boost nuclear to 31% of SCANA's total generation, up from 19% now. And it will restore reserve margins that are expected to otherwise go negative by late decade.

Delays in securing federal permits and equipment early on in the process have pushed back startup of the first reactor to late 2017, and the second to early 2018—from an initial estimate of March 2017.

That's still well within the 18-month window set in the law that guarantees recovery of costs as incurred.

The company has also avoided cost overruns so far and the project still enjoys regulatory support, demonstrated by the rate increase granted in mid-September.

Both are huge differences from the last construction cycle, when SCANA and other builders had to wait until startup to request rate hikes to cover costs.

When the company first announced new nukes in 2007, it reduced dividend growth by half to conserve capital. Last year, it began to ramp it up again, a sure sign of growing confidence in Summer cost recovery.

Accelerating customer growth, solid results at the Georgia retail marketing unit (5% of earnings), and capital expenditure (CAPEX) recovery spurred solid third quarter results, prompting management to reaffirm projected annual growth of 3 to 6% for the next five years.

And with just $36 million in debt maturities through October 2018, faster dividend growth appears assured.

Ironically, investors' fear of high capital spending levels and nuclear construction in particular, has pushed SCANA shares to a discount to other utilities. That's an opportunity that won't last forever. The stock is a new addition to our conservative income portfolio.

Subscribe to Conrad's Utility Investor here…

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As Congress Debates, Food Stamp Cuts Kick In

5 Best Casino Stocks To Watch Right Now

Dinesh Ramde/AP WASHINGTON -- More than 47 million Americans who receive food stamps will see their benefits go down starting Friday, just as Congress begins negotiations on further cuts to the program. Beginning in November, a temporary benefit from the 2009 economic stimulus that boosts food stamp dollars will no longer be available. According to the Agriculture Department, that means a family of four receiving food stamps will start receiving $36 less a month. The benefits, which go to 1 in 7 Americans, fluctuate based on factors that include food prices, inflation and income. The rolls have swelled as the economy has struggled in recent years, with the stimulus providing higher benefits and many people signing up for the first time. As a result, the program has more than doubled in cost since 2008, now costing almost $80 billion a year. That large increase in spending has turned the program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, into a target for House Republicans looking to reduce spending. Negotiations on a wide-ranging farm bill, including cuts to the SNAP program, began Wednesday. Farm bills passed by both the House and the Senate would cut food stamps, reductions that would come on top of those that go into effect Friday. But the two chambers are far apart on the amounts. Legislation passed by the GOP-controlled House would cut food stamps by an additional $4 billion annually and change eligibility and work requirements. The Senate farm bill would cut a tenth of that amount, with Democrats and President Barack Obama opposing major cuts. Farm-state lawmakers have been pushing the farm bill for more than two years, and the conference negotiations represented the opening round in final talks. If the bill isn't passed by the end of the year and current farm law is not extended, certain dairy supports would expire that could raise the price of milk. Farmers would start to feel more effects next spring. "It took us years to get here but we are here," House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said. "Let's not take years to get it done." The biggest obstacle to a final bill is how far apart the two parties are on food stamps. Lucas said at the conference meeting that he was hoping to find common ground on the issue, but House GOP leaders such Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., have insisted on higher cuts, saying the program should be targeted to the neediest people. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., sent out a statement as the meeting opened that said food stamp recipients "deserve swift action from Congress to pass a bill that provides the much-needed nutritional support for our children, our seniors, our veterans and our communities." As Congress debates the cuts to the program, charities say they are preparing for the farm bill reductions as well as the scheduled cuts taking place Friday. "Charities cannot fill the gap for the cuts being proposed to SNAP," said Maura Daly of Feeding America, a network of the nation's food banks. "We are very concerned about the impact on the charitable system." Daly says food banks may have to as much as double their current levels of distribution if the House cuts were enacted. The Congressional Budget Office says as many as 3.8 million people could lose their benefits in 2014 if the House bill became law.

Union Pacific vs. CSX - Which Is The Better Ride for 2014?

In the world of investing, there are literally thousands of companies, and dozens of industries, which qualify as great investments. Many of these may not have the same prestige as that of some other companies, and some may go entirely unknown to the public.

Railroad companies exemplify this perfectly, as they compose an entire industry that has very little name recognition by the general public.

Despite this handicap, railroad stocks have been excellent investment vehicles for years -- even Bill Gates is a major shareholder in a railroad. Let's take a look at how the stocks of two publicly traded railroad companies performed in 2013: Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) and CSX (NYSE: CSX).

Union Pacific began 2013 trading at around $128 per share. The company had been on a serious upswing at the time, with the sock having gained over $60 per share in 2012. 2013 would see continued upward momentum for the stock.

Tracking a more or less steady climb upwards, Union Pacific ended 2013 on yearly highs of $168. Investors who held the stock through the entire year saw gains of 31 percent, just about in line with the S&P for the year, and slightly ahead of the Dow. Going into 2014 the stock has continued to gain, and is currently trading around $170 per share.

Related: H&R Block or TurboTax (Intuit): Which is the Better Bet?

CSX stock has had a bumpy ride over the past few years. But after starting 2013 at $20, the stock began to gain steam. CSX was able to pull above $26 per share thorough the spring, before pulling back under $23 in June. The stock did regain its footing, however, and moved higher to finish the year at $28.77, just under its yearly high. Despite the volatility, CSX stock was able to put together a 44 percent increase for the year.

Though CSX had the bumpier ride for the year, the company’s stock greatly out-gained that of Union Pacific in 2013. In 2014, the fates of both of these railroad stocks will be intimately tied to the U.S. economy. Simply put, the better the economy, the more people buy things that are shipped through these carriers, and the more companies make use of its services in order to ship supplies.

While it is still too early to predict exactly how the markets, and the economy in general, will develop in 2014, it is likely that the fates of these two companies will be tied to these factors.

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Posted-In: Railroads U.S. EconomyMarkets Best of Benzinga

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

  Most Popular Earnings Expectations For The Week Of January 27: Facebook, Google, Apple And More Apple Earnings Preview: A Return To Earnings Growth? Why Icahn Is Wrong On Apple Weekly Highlights: Gmail Crashed, iPhone XL Hype, Galaxy S5 Tease And More #PreMarket Primer: Monday, January 27: Markets Open The Week On Edge 5 Ways To Play The Hottest Trend In Cannabis Related Articles (CSX + UNP) Union Pacific vs. CSX - Which Is The Better Ride for 2014? Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs UPDATE: Union Pacific Posts Higher Q4 Profit Earnings Scheduled For January 23, 2014 Are Railroad Stocks The Best Way To Benefit From The Remodeling Boom In The United States? UPDATE: Stifel Downgrades CSX Around the Web, We're Loving... Lightspeed Trading Presents: Thunder and Tubleweeds: Trading Techniques for the New Market Enviroment Pope Francis Rips 'Trickle-Down' Economics Come See How the Pro's Trade in this Exclusive Webinar Wynn, MGM, Other Casino Giants Vying For U.S. Turf What Should You Know About AMZN?

Apple Suffers a Downgrade on Uncertainty (AAPL)

Apple (AAPL) may have reported record sales with its latest iPhone device today, but that did not stop Societe Generale from downgrading the stock.

An analyst with Societe Generale moved Apple’s stock to a “Hold” from a “Buy,” though the analyst still maintained a price target of $500. It was noted that while sales for the newest device have been strong, margins may be set to decline in the coming months. It was noted that this downgrade was based on the very near term.

Should demand for the new Apple devices stay strong, the company may very well be able to maintain or increase margins, especially with the Chinese market opening up.

Apple’s stock cared little of the downgrade as it soared more than $23.23, or 4.73%, by Monday’s close. The stock is still down over 7% this year.

Investors Grow Bullish on Stocks, Spurn Bonds, BofA Says

Investors have raised equity allocations to the highest level in 2 1/2 years after turning skeptical of bonds, and prefer euro-area shares to American stocks, a Bank of America Corp. survey showed.

A net 60 percent of 172 global fund managers, who together oversee about $518 billion, were overweight on stocks, the highest level since February 2011, according to the survey. Three out of four investors said they believed bond yields will be higher in 12 months.

"This is much more about investors being fearful about bonds than them lacking faith in equities," John Bilton, European investment strategist at Merrill Lynch, said at a press conference in London today. Exposure to bonds fell to its lowest level since April 2006, with 68 percent of investors underweight, the survey found.

"Our whole theme of the great rotation suggests that we are in multi-quarter, if not multi-year, move from bonds to stocks," Bilton said. "Equity-risk premium, the valuation assumptions about equities generally, the gradually improving economy and clearly the pickup in inflation expectations which are at two and a half year highs would tend to favor the equity complex over the bond complex."

U.S., Europe

Allocations to U.S. equities fell sharply to the lowest level in seven months, retreating to 9 percent overweight from 32 percent in August, the BofA survey found.

"In our view, tapering fears have spurred on the September rotation from U.S. to the euro zone and U.K.," Michael Hartnett, the New York-based chief investment strategist at Bank of America's Merrill Lynch unit, wrote in the report to investors today.

Investor exposure to U.K. equities has increased to 12 percent overweight, the highest level in almost 11 years, the survey found. "The U.K. is a lower beta market and viewed as a quality or defensive play in Europe," Hartnett wrote.

Allocations to euro-zone stocks rose to 36 percent overweight, the highest level since September 2007, with euro-zone equities becoming the most preferred region globally for the first time in six years, according to the BofA survey.

The global survey was conducted from September 6 to September 12.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now

Biotech's the biggest boom-or-bust business on the market, with regulatory approvals and clinical trial results routinely sending stocks hurtling up or down by significant amounts. The industry had a comparatively slow week as a whole, with the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index gaining less than 0.4% over the past five days. But in an industry like this, there are always big gainers and big losers every week -- and this was no exception.

From one firm's FDA roadblock to a big win in a phase 2 study, let's check out the stories biotech investors need to know from the week.

Array's phase 2 study pays off big
It's tough to find a stock anywhere on the market that had as good a week as Array BioPharma (NASDAQ: ARRY  ) . Shares of the biotech picked up nearly 17.8% on the week, part of a 63.5% gain year-to-date. The company's developmental drug to treat persistent allergic asthma, ARRY-502, hit the right marks in improving patient lung function in phase 2 trial results. Even better for investors, Array CEO said several other health companies have shown interest to help the company in development of ARRY-502.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: ModusLink Global Solutions Inc(MLNK)

ModusLink Global Solutions, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides supply chain business process management solutions worldwide. Its services and solutions cover forward supply chain, aftermarket service requirements, and e-business processes. The company?s services include sourcing and supply base management, manufacturing and product configuration, fulfillment and distribution, e-business, and aftermarket services, such as returns management and asset disposition; and consumer-electronics repair and reverse logistics services. Its clients include hardware manufacturers, software publishers, telecommunications carriers, broadband and wireless service providers, and consumer electronics companies. In addition, the company, through its venture capital business, invests in early-stage technology companies. ModusLink Global Solutions, Inc., formerly known as CMGI, Inc., was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: Measurement Specialties Inc.(MEAS)

Measurement Specialties, Inc. engages in the design, development, and manufacture of sensors and sensor-based systems for original equipment manufacturers and end users. Its sensor products include pressure sensors and transducers, pressure and temperature scanning instrumentation, linear/rotary position sensors, piezoelectric polymer film sensors, custom microstructures, load cells, accelerometers, optical sensors, and hydrostatic pressure transducers, as well as humidity, temperature, and fluid property sensors. The company?s technologies comprise piezo-resistive silicon sensors, application-specific integrated circuits, micro-electromechanical systems, piezoelectric polymers, foil strain gauges, force balance systems, fluid capacitive devices, linear and rotational variable differential transformers, electromagnetic displacement sensors, hygroscopic capacitive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, optical sensors, negative thermal coefficient ceramic sensors, torque sensors, me chanical resonators, and submersible hydrostatic level sensors. Its sensors are used for engine and vehicle, medical, general industrial, consumer and home appliance, military/aerospace, water monitoring, and test and measurement applications. The company offers its products under the MEAS brand name. It sells its products through regional sales managers, distributors, and outside sales representatives in the United States, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and China. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Hampton, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Measurement Specialties (Nasdaq: MEAS  ) reported earnings on June 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Measurement Specialties met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Hot Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now: Singtel 100 (Z78.SI)

Singapore Telecommunications Limited engages in the operation and provision of telecommunication systems and services primarily in Singapore and Australia. The company also provides facilities management, consultancy, Internet access, and information technology (IT) services; technical, business, and management consultancy services; financial, data communication, telecommunications, mobile phone, narrowband portal content, equipment rental, interactive television, broadcasting, and IT disaster recovery services; and handset insurance and related services. In addition, it engages in the research and development, products and services development, and business partnership activities; venture capital investment holding; operation and provision of cellular mobile telecommunications systems and services; resale of fixed line and broadband services; provision of satellite capacity for telecommunications and video broadcasting services; ownership and chartering of barges; provisi on of storage facilities for submarine cables and related equipment; development and management of online Internet portal; and sale and maintenance of telecommunications equipment, as well as operates as a C1 Satellite contracting party. Further, the company distributes specialized telecommunications and data communication products; invests in telecommunications network infrastructure; distributes prepaid mobile products; operates and maintains fibre optic network between Brisbane and Cairns; manages, provides, and operates a call centre; provides information technology training, communication engineering, system integration, engineering and marketing, and general liaison and support services. Additionally, it develops and resells software; provides infotainment products and services; and operates as a trustee for superannuation scheme. The company is headquartered in Singapore. Singapore Telecommunications Limited is a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: F5 Networks Inc.(FFIV)

F5 Networks, Inc. provides application delivery networking technology that optimizes the delivery of network-based applications, and the security, performance, and availability of servers, data storage devices, and other network resources in the Americas, EMEA, Japan, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers BIG-IP, an application delivery controller; VIPRION, a chassis-based application delivery controller; and FirePass, an appliance that provides SSL VPN access for remote users of Internet protocol networks, and applications connected to the networks from Web browser on any device. It also offers Application Security Manager, an application firewall; WebAccelerator that speeds Web transactions by optimizing individual network object requests, connections, and end-to-end transactions from browser to databases; WAN Optimization Manager, which integrates application delivery with WAN optimization technologies; Access Policy Manager that provides secure, granular, and contex t-aware control of access to applications; Edge Gateway, a remote access product, which offers context-aware, policy controlled, and remote access to applications at LAN speed; Enterprise Manager that allows customers to discover and view company?s products in a single window; and ARX product family, a series of high performance and enterprise-class intelligent file virtualization devices. In addition, F5 Networks provides Data Manager, a software product, which interfaces with file storage devices; iControl, an application programming interface that allows customers to control their products in the network; iRules, a programming language embedded in TMOS architecture; and consulting, training, maintenance, and other technical support services. The company sells its products to enterprise customers and service providers through various channels, including distributors, value-added resellers, and systems integrators. F5 Networks, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mani]

  F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:FFIV) is seeing significant traction for its application delivery platforms, which are playing an increasingly relevant role in handling core datacenter infrastructure functions.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: JDA Software Group Inc.(JDAS)

JDA Software Group, Inc. provides enterprise software solutions to enable planning, optimization, and execution of merchandising and supply chain processes primarily in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers various planning and optimization solutions comprising demand management solutions that enable companies to plan demand for products and other resources, such as labor; allocation, replenishment, and fulfillment solutions to meet the requirements of the demand plan; merchandise planning solutions; assortment management solutions; and space and category management solutions. It also provides price optimization and revenue management, transportation planning, supply and manufacturing, network and inventory optimization, supplier relationship management, and workforce planning solutions. In addition, the company offers transaction systems consisting of merchandise operations systems that enable retailers to manage their inventory, product mix, pric ing, and promotional execution; transportation and logistics management solutions to manage transportation and logistics; contract manufacturing solutions for manufacturers of aerospace and defense products, including order management, repair management, and financial management; and store systems that provide retailers with point-of-sale, labor management, and back office applications. Further, it provides consulting services comprising implementation, strategic business, performance engineering, training, and managed services, as well as maintenance services. JDA Software Group serves manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors, retailers, government, and aerospace defense contractors, as well as to customers in service industries, such as travel, transportation, hospitality, media, and telecommunications. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: Changyou.com Limited(CYOU)

Changyou.com Limited develops and operates online games in the People?s Republic of China. It involves in the development, operation, and licensing of massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs), which are interactive online games that might be played simultaneously by various game players. The company operates seven MMORPGs that include its in house developed Tian Long Ba Bu; and licensed Blade Online, Blade Hero 2, Da Hua Shui Hu, Zhong Hua Ying Xiong, Immortal Faith, and San Jie Qi Yuan. As of December 31, 2010, Changyou?s games in China had approximately 111.4 million aggregate registered accounts; 1.0 million aggregate peak concurrent users; and 2.7 million aggregate active paying accounts. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. Changyou.com Limited is a subsidiary of Sohu.com Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Damian Illia]

  In the video game industry no one is playing games. Users are seeking entertainment on all kinds of devices, and companies strive hard to stand out and profit in this shifting field. Competition might be stiff, but it�� a highly profitable business for those that make it to the next level. Electronic Arts (EA), Changyou.com (CYOU) and Activision Blizzard (ATVI) are three game developers with different, but interesting, prospects ahead. Let�� take a closer look at them and see if you��e up for play:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Changyou.com (Nasdaq: CYOU  ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 29. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Changyou.com's revenues will increase 24.3% and EPS will expand 1.5%.

• [By Kevin Chen]

  To be fair, these revenues come from their stake in game company Changyou (NASDAQ: CYOU  ) . Because Sohu owns a majority stake in Changyou, Sohu must consolidate all financials into its statements -- even as Changyou is independently listed on stock exchanges. Whatever the case, Sohu actually created Changyou -- it started as a business unit in 2003, then was spun out in 2007. In any case, Sohu should do some serious soul-searching.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: Fusion-io Inc (FIO)

Fusion-io Inc (Fusion) is a provider of datacenter solutions that accelerate databases, virtualization, cloud computing, big data, and the applications that help drive business from the smallest e-tailers to some of the largest data centers, social media leaders, and Fortune Global 500 businesses. The Company's integrated hardware and software platform enables the decentralization of data from legacy architectures and specialized hardware. The Company sells its solutions through a global direct sales force, original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, including Cisco, Dell, HP, and IBM, and other channel partners. In August 2011, the Company acquired IO Turbine, Inc.,. Effective March 18, 2013, the Company acquired ID7.

Fusion-io's ioMemory hardware is a sub-system connecting a large array of industry-standard NAND Flash memory through the Company's data-path controller and its virtual storage layer, or VSL, software to create a high capacity memory tier that natively attaches to a server's PCI-Express peripheral bus (PCIe).

The Company's portfolio of storage memory products incorporates the Company's ioMemory hardware combined with its virtual storage layer (VSL) and caching software into its family of ioDrive, ioFX, and ioCache enterprise grade products. The Company's ioDrive products work in conjunction with the Company's directCache data-tiering software, ioTurbine virtualization software, ioSphere management system, and ION Data Accelerator software. The Company's latest ioDrive, ioFX, and ioCache product families are a line of PCIe standard form-factor storage memory platforms that combine one or more ioMemory sub-systems with the Company's VSL software.

The Company's directCache software extends the Company's ioMemory based platforms and permits interoperability with traditional direct-attached, network-attached, storage area network attached, and appliance attached backend storage systems. The Company's ioTurbine virtualization software extends the Company! 's ioMemory platform and permits host-based data acceleration to specifically address the demand for high-density, high-performance server, and desktop virtualization.

ioSphere is a suite of management software purpose-built for the Company's storage memory infrastructure and designed around its application acceleration platform. ioSphere software is accessible through a graphical user interface that enables datacenter administrators to centrally configure, monitor, manage, and tune all distributed ioMemory devices throughout the datacenter. In addition, this software offers real-time, predictive, and historical reporting of ioMemory's performance and wear.

The Company's ION Data Accelerator software transforms server platforms into application acceleration appliances that share Fusion ioMemory across applications. ION Data Accelerator delivers Fusion-io performance on open server platforms with software-defined storage, or SDS, for applications such as Oracle RAC, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and SAP HANA, along with other applications where shared storage aids deployment. The Company's original equipment manufacturer�� (OEMs), including Cisco, Dell, HP, and IBM, sell branded storage memory solutions based on the Company's standard products as well as custom form-factor versions to fit specific applications.

The Company competes with EMC Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P, Texas Memory Systems, Oracle, Adaptec, Inc., LSI Corporation, Sandisk, Corp, IBM, CA, Inc, Nagios Enterprises, LLC., Hitachi Data, Huawei Technologies, Co., Intel Corp., LSI Corporation, Marvell Semiconductor, Inc., Micron Technology, Inc., OCZ Technology Group, Inc., Samsung Electronics, Inc., SanDisk, Corp., Seagate Technology, STEC, Inc., Toshiba Corp., and Western Digital Corp.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Christopher F. Davis]

  Fusion IO (FIO) got absolutely obliterated yesterday (May 8th), down by as much as 27% to touch $13.13, after the company announced a major change in management. On Wall Street, it is common place for unexpected major management shifts to be an event that causes selling immediately, with questions asked later. On Wednesday, the stock closed down 18.9% on volume 15 times the average of 3 million shares that normally trade in a given day.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Fusion-io (NYSE: FIO  ) also rallied more than 20% after crushing revenue and profit targets. More importantly, CFO Dennis Wolf says customers are once more increasing order sizes.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Fusion-io (NYSE: FIO  ) got destroyed today, down by as much as 27% after the company announced a management shakeup.

  So what: CEO and co-founder David Flynn has abruptly stepped down alongside his fellow co-founder Rick White in order to "pursue entrepreneurial investing activities." Both Flynn and White will remain on the board of directors as advisors for the next 12 months.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: Points International Ltd (PCOM)

Points International Ltd. provides a range of e-commerce and technology services to loyalty program operators using. These services consist of a range of e-commerce services (referred as its Loyalty Currency Services) that enable the sale of loyalty currencies (such as frequent flyer miles, hotel points and credit card points), both retail and wholesale. The Company also offers a reward management Website referred to as Points.com. The majority of the Company�� loyalty program partners operate in the United States. It also has a European customer base. It has three wholly owned direct subsidiaries: Points.com Inc., Points International (UK) Limited, and Points International (U.S.) Ltd. The Company�� services are generally delivered through Web-enabled e-commerce solutions. Points.com offers members of multiple loyalty programs the ability to track and manage their loyalty currencies.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: Diebold Inc (DBD)

Diebold, Incorporated, incorporated in August 1876, is engaged in providing integrated self-service delivery and security systems and services to the financial, commercial, government and retail markets. Sales of systems and equipment are made directly to customers by the Company�� sales personnel, manufacturers��representatives and distributors globally. The sales and support organizations work closely with customers and their consultants to analyze and fulfill the customers��needs. The Company has two lines of business: Self-Service Solutions and Security Solutions. The Company�� segments are consisted of two sales channels: Diebold North America (DNA) and Diebold International (DI). In September 2012, it acquired GAS Tecnologia (GAS).

The DNA segment sells and services financial and retail systems in the United States and Canada. The DI segment sells and services financial and retail systems over the remainder of the globe through wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and independent distributors in countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and in the Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan and Korea.

Self-Service Solutions

The Company offers an integrated line of self-service technologies and services, including comprehensive automated teller machine (ATM) outsourcing, ATM security, deposit and payment terminals and software. The Company is a global supplier of ATMs and related services. The Company offers a range of self-service solutions. Self-service products include a range of ATMs and teller automation, including deposit automation technology, such as check-cashing machines, bulk cash recyclers and bulk check deposit. The Company offers software solutions consisting of multiple applications, which process events and transactions. These solutions are delivered on the appropriate platform. From analysis and consulting to monitoring and repair, the Company provides value and support to its customers every step of the way. ! Services include installation and ongoing maintenance of its products, OpteView remote services, branch transformation and distribution channel consulting. Outsourced and managed services include remote monitoring, troubleshooting for self-service customers, transaction processing, currency management, maintenance services and full support through person to person or online communication.

Security Solutions

The Company provides its customers with the technological advances to protect their assets. The Company provides physical and electronic security systems, as well as facility transaction products, which integrate security, software and assisted-service transactions, providing total security systems solutions to financial, retail, commercial and government markets. The Company provides security solutions and facility products, including in-store bank branches, pneumatic tube systems for drive-up lanes, vaults, safes, depositories, bullet-resistive items and undercounter equipment. The Company provides a range of electronic security products, including digital surveillance, access control systems, biometric technologies, alarms and remote monitoring and diagnostics. The Company provides security monitoring solutions, including fire, managed access control, energy management, remote video management and storage, as well as logical security.

Integrated Solutions

The Company provides end-to-end outsourcing solutions with a single point of contact for customer�� self-service channel. Its solution includes hardware, software, services or a combination of all three components. The Company provides value to its customers by offering a range of integrated services and support. The Company�� service organization provides analysis and planning of new systems, systems integration, architectural engineering, consulting and project management, which encompass all facets of a financial self-service implementation. The Company also provides design, products, ser! vice, ins! tallation, project management and monitoring of electronic security products to financial, government, retail and commercial customers.

Election Systems

The Company is a provider of voting equipment and related products and services in Brazil. The Company provides elections equipment, networking, tabulation and diagnostic software development, training, support and maintenance.

The Company competes with NCR Corporation, Wincor-Nixdorf, Grg Equipment Co., Nautilus Hyosung, Itautec and Perto.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By The Part-time Investor]

  The following stocks met the criteria in January of 2008 and were put into the initial portfolio:

  Abbot Labs (ABT)Advanced data processing (ADP)Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC)Bank of America (BAC)BB&T Corp. (BBT)Bemis Company (BMS)Anheuser Busch (BUD)The Chubb Corporation (CB)Clorox (CLX)Comerica Inc. (CMA)Diebold Inc. (DBD)Emerson Electronics (EMR)First Dollar Corp. (FDO)First Third BanCorp. (FITB)Gannett Co, Inc. (GCI)General Electric (GE)Hershey (HSY)Illinois Tools Works (ITW)Johnson and Johnson (JNJ)Leggett and Platt (LEG)Eli Lilly (LLY)La-Z-Boy (LZB)McDonald's (MCD)Marsh and Ilsley (MI)M&T Bancorp (MTB)PepsiCo (PEP)Pfizer (PFE)Procter & Gamble (PG)Pentair Ltd. (PNR)Regions Financial Corp. (RF)Rohm and Haas (ROH)RPM International (RPM)Sherwin Williams (SHW)Sysco Corp. (SYY)UDR Inc. (UDR)

  Historical quotes were taken from Yahoo Finance. $10,000 was put into each position, to the nearest whole share, so a total of $349,262.89 was invested. From 1/15/08 through 5/16/13 all dividends were reinvested back into the stock that paid them. If a dividend cut was announced, that stock was sold on the ex-div date of the new, lower dividend.

Top Tech Companies To Invest In Right Now: Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O)

Cisco Systems, Inc., incorporated on December 10, 1984, designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol (IP)-based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology (IT) industry and provide services associated with these products and their use. The Company provides a line of products for transporting data, voice, and video within buildings, across campuses, and around the world. Its products are designed to transform how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Its products are installed at enterprise businesses, public institutions, telecommunications companies, commercial businesses, and personal residences. The Company has five segments: United States and Canada, European Markets, Emerging Markets, Asia Pacific, and Japan. The Emerging Markets theater consists of Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In July 30, 2012, it acquired NDS Group Ltd. In October 2012, it acquired virtual networking company, vCider. In August 2011, the Company acquired Versly. In November 2011, it acquired BNI Video. In March 2012, the Company acquired Lightwire, Inc. In May 2012, the Company acquired ClearAccess. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cloupia. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cariden Technologies Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Meraki, Inc.

The Company�� product offerings fall into three categories: its core technologies, routing and switching; advanced technologies, and other products. In addition to its product offerings, the Company provides a range of service offerings, technical support services and advanced services. The advanced services program supports networking devices, applications, solutions, and complete infrastructures.

Routing

The Company offers a range of routers, from core network infrastructure for service providers and enterprises to access route rs for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers a! t! home. Key products within its routing category are the Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco 1000, 5000, and 9000 Cisco Aggregation Services Routers (ASR), as well as the Cisco ASR 800, 1900, 2900 and 3900 Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR):; Cisco CRS-1, 7600 and Cisco CRS-3 Cisco Carrier Routing Systems (CRS). During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010 (fiscal 2010), Cisco introduced the Cisco CRS-3 Carrier Routing System (CRS-3) and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Service Provider Video

The Company�� end-to-end, digital video distribution systems and digital interactive set-top boxes enable service providers and content originators to deliver entertainment, information, and communication services to consumers and businesses around the world. Key product areas within its Service Provider Video category are: Set-Top Boxes, IP set-top boxes (both High-Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD)); Digital cable set-top boxes (both HD and SD); Cable Modem CP E (Data, EMTA, and Gateways); Videoscape Software Products and Headend Equipment (Encoders, Decoders, and Transcoders).

Switching

The Company�� switching products offer many forms of connectivity to end users, workstations, IP phones, access points, and servers, and also function as aggregators on local-area networks (LANs), metropolitan-area networks (MANs), and wide-area networks (WANs). Its switching systems employ several widely used technologies, including Ethernet, Power over Ethernet, Fibre Channel over Ethernet, Packet over Synchronous Optical Network, and Multiprotocol Label Switching. Many of its switches are designed to support an integrated set of advanced services, allowing organizations to be more efficient by using one switch for multiple networking functions rather than multiple switches to accomplish the same functions.

Cisco offers a family of Ethernet switching solutions from fixed-configuration switches for small and medium-sized businesses to modular switches for ente! rpr! ises! and ! service providers. Its fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. Key products within its switching category are the Cisco Catalyst 2960, 3560, 3750, 4500 and 6500 Series; the Cisco Nexus 2000, 3000, 5000 and 7000 Series switches; and MDS Series: MDS 9000.

Fixed-configuration switches are designed to cover a range of deployments in small and medium-sized businesses. It fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. They range from small, standalone switches to stackable models that function as a single, scalable switching unit. Modular switches are typically utilized by enterprise and service provider customers. Fixed-configuration and modular switches also include products such as optics modules which are shared across multiple product platforms.

NGN Routing

Routing technology is fundamental to the Internet, and this technology interconnects public and private IP networks for mobile, data, voice, and video applications. The Company's NGN Routing products are designed to enhance the intelligence, security, reliability, scalability, and level of performance in the transmission of information and media-rich applications. It offers a broad range of routers, from core network infrastructure and mobile Internet network for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at home. Key product areas within its NGN Routing category are, Cisco Aggregation Services Routers: Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco ASR 1000, Cisco ASR 5000 and Cisco ASR 9000. Cisco Integrated Services Routers: Cisco ISR 800, Cisco ISR 1900, Cisco ISR 2900 and Cisco ISR 3900. Cisco Carrier Routing Systems: Cisco CRS-1, Cisco CRS-3 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Security

Cisco security solutions deliver identity, network and content security solutions designed to enable customers to r! educe t! ! he impact! of threats and realize the benefits of a mobile, collaborative, and cloud-enabled business. The products in this category span firewall, intrusion prevention, remote access, virtual private networks (VPNs), unified clients, network admission control, Web gateways, and email gateways. Its AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client solution enables users to access networks with their mobile device of choice, including laptops and smartphone-based mobile devices, while allowing organizations to manage the security risks of networks. Its cloud-based Web security service is designed to provide real-time threat protection and to prevent malware from reaching corporate networks, including roaming or mobile users. It focuses on a proactive, layered approach to counter both existing and emerging security threats. During the fiscal year ended July 28, 2012, it introduced the Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Midrange Security Appliance, Cisco Security Manager 4.3, the IPS 4500 Series, and Prime Securit y Manager.

Wireless

The Cisco Unified Wireless Network aims to harness the network to solve business problems, uniting high-performance wireless access across campus, branch, remote and outdoor environments. Its offerings include wireless access points (including the Cisco Aironet product family), controllers, antennas, and integrated management. The Company�� offerings provide users with simplified management and mobile device troubleshooting features which are designed to reduce operational cost and maximize flexibility and reliability. It is also investing in custom chipsets to deliver functions such as CleanAir proactive spectrum intelligence, ClientLink acceleration for mobile devices and VideoStream multicast optimization technology.

Data Center

The Company�� data center product category has been its major product category for the past two fiscal years. Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and Server Access Vi rtualization form the core of the Data Center pr! oduct cat! ego! ry. Key p! roduct areas within its Data Center product category are: Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers and Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects.

Other Products

The Company�� other products category primarily consists of Linksys home networking products, certain emerging technologies, and other networking products. In addition to its product offerings, it provide a range of service offerings, including technical support services and advanced services.

The Company competes with Alcatel-Lucent; ARRIS Group, Inc.; Aruba Networks, Inc.; Avaya Inc.; Belden Inc.; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems, Inc.; D-Link Corporation; LM Ericsson Telephone Company; Extreme Networks, Inc.; F5 Networks, Inc.; Force10 Networks, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; International Business Machines Corporation; Juniper Networks, Inc.; LogMeIn, Inc.; Meru Networks, Inc.; Microsoft Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; NETGEAR, Inc.; Polycom, Inc.; Riverbed Technology, Inc.; and Symantec Corporation.

Earnings Scheduled For January 21, 2014

Hot Value Companies To Watch In Right Now

Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.61 per share on revenue of $5.68 billion.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $1.20 per share on revenue of $17.95 billion.

Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $31.02 billion.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.63 per share on revenue of $9.03 billion.

Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.03 per share on revenue of $827.25 million.

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.81 per share on revenue of $4.22 billion.

Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.46 per share on revenue of $2.99 billion.

Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $7.55 billion.

OMNOVA Solutions (NYSE: OMN) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.12 per share on revenue of $226.00 million.

CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.71 per share on revenue of $1.13 billion.

Xilinx (NASDAQ: XLNX) is estimated to post its Q3 earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $600.61 million.

Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.94 per share on revenue of $1.07 billion.

Cree (NASDAQ: CREE) is expected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.39 per share on revenue of $412.36 million.

Woodward (NASDAQ: WWD) is projected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.71 per share on revenue of $548.45 million.

TD Ameritrade Holding (NYSE: AMTD) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $0.33 per share on revenue of $735.85 million.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ: WTFC) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.70 per share on revenue of $196.07 million.

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $5.99 per share on revenue of $28.25 billion.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $1.54 billion.

Regions Financial (NYSE: RF) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.20 per share on revenue of $1.31 billion.

Unilever plc (NYSE: UL) is estimated to report its Q4 results.

PetMed Express (NASDAQ: PETS) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.23 per share on revenue of $52.06 million.

Posted-In: Earnings scheduleEarnings News Pre-Market Outlook Markets

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Obama on Tuition: An Educated Consumer Is the Best Customer

Top Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2014

Mike Groll/AP If Obama's long-term plan to transform higher education in America ultimately passes Congress, it may fundamentally change the relationship between universities and the federal government. But in the short-term, he's using a method that should be familiar to observers of his administration: he's attempting to educate the market -- and allow it to make its own decisions.

Usually you invest for your long-term financial goals, then forget and never look at those investments. This mistake can prove costly particularly in case of equity investments. You expect certain mutual fund scheme or equity shares to grow after certain years, which may or may not happen. What happens generally is that either it would have out performed or would have under performed. The time when you would have planned and invested, your financial situation would be different than what it is today. So, either your goal would have altered or your priority towards the goal would have changed. What have you done to know whether your investments and goals are not derailed? Have you ever seen and reviewed your investment portfolio and financial goals?
If not, then it is important to do it now and after that a periodic intervals.

Why should you review your financial plan and investments?

Performance of investment:

Certain funds in which you have invested would have performed well in the past, but it is not necessary that they perform well in the future too. You should check the performance of the assets with its peers and the benchmark index. The fund manager of the mutual fund scheme you might have invested would have changed or may be the fund house itself would have merged with some other AMC. These kind of changes can affect your investment. Therefore, it is very important to track the performance of your funds/ investments. 

Asset Allocation:

It is very important to analyze your investment portfolio periodically. The asset allocation ratio changes on a day-to-day basis, depending on the performance and proportion of the assets in the portfolio. Certain assets out perform as compared to the expected returns while certain assets under perform. In this case you should rebalance the portfolio as per the proportion. You also need to change the asset allocation when your goal is closer.  Suppose if you are only 2-3 years away from your retirement, you need to shift your portfolio from equity to debt systematically.

Reprioritize and/or alteration of goal:

Sometimes your financial situation may take a diversion, which may be positive or may be negative too.  You may have to alter and/or reprioritize your certain goals depending upon the situation. For example, if you and your spouse both are working and the regular investments are earmarked considering the income of both; and if spouse quits working to take care of the child, then you may have to reprioritize and alter your goal accordingly. Say you were planning to buy a house after 3 years, but suddenly you received   lump sum amount through inheritance, in this case you can pre-pone your decision of buying your new house, assuming investments for other goals suffice.

Top Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now

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Nabors Anticipates Low 2Q Income - Analyst Blog

Hot Value Companies To Watch In Right Now

Land drilling contractor Nabors Industries Ltd. (NBR), anticipates that its operating results for the second quarter of 2013 will fail to meet expectations.

According to Nabors, unsatisfactory performance from its 'Rig Services' and 'Completion and Production Services' units will lead to this lower-than-expected return. Decline in sales of capital tools along with decreased rig services and rental activities impair Nabors' Rig Services segment.

On the other hand, the Completion and Production Services unit was affected by a tough competitive environment and severe weather conditions. The company projects its operating income for second-quarter 2013 to be between $88.0 million to $91.0 million. However, Nabors has significantly lowered its gross debt by roughly $300.0 million in this quarter.

Nabors believes that the results will improve from the later quarters. The company is expected to release its second-quarter results after the closing bell on 23 Jul, 2013. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share for the quarter stands at 15 cents.

Barbados-based Nabors' high natural gas exposure raises its sensitivity to gas price fluctuations. The company remains particularly exposed to this situation since its North American business is heavily biased to gas drilling.

Moreover, an imbalance in the demand-supply of rigs in the U.S. land drilling market presents considerable risk for the company. Additionally, the challenging near-to-intermediate term outlook for Nabors' international business will likely hamper its profitability.

Nabors currently retains a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), implying that it is expected to underperform the broader U.S. equity market over the next 1 to 3 months.

However, three firms in the energy sector with a favorable Zacks Rank are InterOil Corporation (IOC), PetroQuest Ene! rgy Inc. (PQ) and Ferrellgas Partners LP (FGP). All the stocks currently retain a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Whirlpool Jumps On Earnings Beat: Should You Own Its Stock?

10 Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014

Whirlpool's (NYSE:WHR) Q2 adjusted earnings were better than expected sending its stock up more than 8% in heavy trading July 19. If you currently own its stock you might be wondering if you should take some profits given it's almost doubled in the past year. Others, who don't own, might be encouraged to get on board. Read on and I'll tell you what you should do in both cases.

Excellent Returns
Since Whirlpool hit a five-year low of $19.19 in March 2009, its stock's achieved an annualized total return of 59%, more than double the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY), which gained 26% over those same 52 months. Believers of reversion to the mean will definitely see this as a danger sign. In their minds it's gone too far too fast and will need a cooling-off period. But that's just one point of view.

Gross-Profit-to-Assets
In the July 17 issue of the Globe and Mail, Ian McGugan looks at the concept of gross-profit-to-assets (GPA). He references a couple of people familiar with this relatively unknown method for selecting stocks. One of them, Robert Novy-Marx, is an associate professor of finance at the University of Rochester and believes that GPA, when compared to industry peers, is a better way of finding winning stocks than metrics like earnings or cash flow. Using the following criteria: (1) GPA ratio higher than peers, (2) gross profit increase over the past year, and (3) a positive change in the consensus analyst estimate over the past 90 days, McGugan came up with a list of 25 stocks. Whirlpool wasn't on it or any of its peers. Not to worry. In the table below I'll compare it to three of its nearest competitors based on market cap. This should provide a good indication whether Whirlpool's got more gas in the tank or not.

Whirlpool and Peers

Company	Gross-profit-to-Assets	% Change Gross Profit Past Year	Positive Earnings Revision Past 90 Days
Whirlpool	0.19	12.3%	Yes
Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK)	0.23	-2.4%	No
Parker-Hannafin (NYSE:PH)	0.29	7.8%	No
Textron (NYSE:TXT)	0.17	12.8%	Yes

Granted this is a small sample but the figures above send both positive and negative signals. In terms of GPA, Whirlpool delivers a gross-profit-to-assets ratio of 19%, 400 basis points lower than the average of its three peers. On the other hand, it grew its gross profit by 12.3% in 2012, 620 basis points better than the average of its peers.

Now, if we compare the four companies over the past five years, we get a slightly different picture. Whirlpool's average gross-profit-to-assets ratio over the past five years was 17%, 200 basis points lower than in 2012. Its peers also did better in 2012 with a GPA ratio 300 basis points higher than their average over the past five years.

Over the past four years, Whirlpool increased its gross profit by a cumulative 14.6%. Meanwhile, thanks to Textron falling out of bed, its peers averaged a cumulative decline of 2.7%, considerably worse than Whirlpool. However, if you take Textron out of the mix, Stanley Black & Decker and Parker-Hannafin grew by a cumulative 14.2%, only 60 basis points less than Whirlpool.

What Does It Mean?
It means that Whirlpool's 87% gain over the past 52 weeks is the market's way of rewarding the company for a job well done. Its Q2 results indicate it's a company on the rise. It now expects earnings per share as high as $10 in 2013, something it's never done. With a PEG ratio of 0.6 and a forward P/E ratio of 9.0, Whirlpool has PEG payback of just 5.2 years. This means that it will take just a little over five years to earn $128.91 per share. Any time you can do that you're in a great position.

Bottom Line
There's no doubt Whirlpool's on the rise. It fought hard through the recession and housing crisis and has come out the other side in great shape. If it can get operating margins above 6%, like they were a decade ago, $200 a share is well within reach by this time next summer.

If you already own its stock, you might consider taking some profits although I'd continue to maintain a position. If you can pick up some shares on future weakness at $110 or below--you should. If you don't own already, I'd buy some now with the intention of buying more on weakness below $110. You might consider a third now, another third should it fall below $110 and a final third below $100. I'm not sure if all that will come to pass but if so, I think you can still make money even though you're late to the party.

Investors Cheer Boston Beer’s Q2

Happy hour started early today for brewer Boston Beer (SAM), which bubbled 15% higher in afternoon trading after the company's second-quarter earnings report from yesterday smashed expectations.

For the period ended, June 29, the craft beer brewer reported earnings of $19.7 million, or $1.45 a share, up from $14.4 million, or $1.06 a share a year prior. Boston Beer reported revenue of $181.3 million.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters forecasted earnings of $1.34 a share on revenue of $175 million.

In a press release on the company's website, Founder and Chairman Jim Koch credited some of the company's success to the popularity of several brews including the company's seasonal beers and the Samuel Adams Boston Lager brand.

5 Best Heal Care Stocks To Invest In 2014

"We were also delighted to learn, that for the fifth year in a row, our wholesalers ranked us the number one beer supplier in the industry, in the annual poll of beer wholesalers conducted by Tamarron Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in the alcohol beverage distribution industry," said Koch.

We'll say 'cheers!' to that!

How Google Impacts the Premium Smartphone Market

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) recently  cut prices on its flagship MotoX to $399. The question investors should ask is, what affect will this have on the smartphone business?

Wood behind the arrow 
The MotoX is sold only in North and South America and, by volume, sells far fewer units than either Samsung (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF  )  or Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) . In fact, as of mid-November, MotoX stood at a disappointing 500,000 . This number pales to Apple's 33.8 million iPhone's sold last quarter, so why would the company think cutting the price of a poorly selling smartphone could have a potentially dramatic impact on the world's most enviable smartphone makers, Apple and Samsung?

First, Google's has spent a considerable sum to market the MotoX. Google has the ability to put a lot of wood behind this arrow, and has chosen to do so. Furthermore, while there is no doubt that Google would have loved to sell 30 million MotoX units at premium prices, it suits Google's long-term interests to forego margins and near-term profits in exchange for market share. Why?

Ecosystem
Google doesn't necessarily need to make money on its hardware. Google is content to get users into its Android ecosystem, where the company will reap increasingly valuable data that helps support the moat around its search engine as it learns the preferences of individual users.

How important is this data to Google? To paraphrase a Google exec, "We don't necessarily have the best algorithms, we simply have the most data." This statement explains the fruit Google derives from giving away software for free. That's in addition to getting users in the habit of using apps like Gmail and Maps, and eventually Google docs, as its assault on Microsoft Windows and Office continues.

Carriers subsidies ending?
The perception is that, in terms of quality, the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy are the best phones on the market. As carriers have traditionally subsidized phone upgrades every two years, it made sense for consumers to do so only when they became eligible.

Enter T-Mobile, which announced that it would offer no subsidies, instead making the cost of your monthly plan cheaper. Where before, most of the newer phones cost consumers (a subsidized) $200 at most, it was a no-brainer to choose whatever was perceived to be the best phone available, when in fact the "subsidy" is priced into mobile contracts.

Last quarter, only 21% of smartphones sold by T-Mobile were iPhones. In contrast, 51% of Verizon's smartphone activations were Apple devices. While part of the explanation for this is that T-Mobile got the iPhone long after the other carriers, and therefore already has an entrenched Android user base, there is no doubt that price sensitivity exists when consumers must foot the whole bill for a new phone.

With rumblings of ending subsidies at both AT&T and Verizon, this suddenly makes a lower-priced flagship phone like the MotoX much more attractive.

Cutthroat 
This will undoubtedly negatively impact sales for both Samsung and Apple. Google can, and will, operate at much lower margins in exchange for data and extra sales via their ecosystem.

More negativity
Google will have a more dramatic impact on Samsung sales. Google bought Motorola not only for its patents, but also to obtain more competitive leverage over Samsung, which was believed to be wielding too much power as the dominant profit-maker from Android phones.

Further, there will always be die-hard Apple loyalists who demand the Apple experience. However, Apple refuses to license iOS to other handset manufacturers. One Apple product begets another, as they function seamlessly and in unison. Customer satisfaction scores are off the charts.

The Android experience on a Samsung is largely the same  as other phones, less the poorly functioning bloat-ware Samsung adds to its phones. As the MotoX catches up in specs and added capabilities, there becomes little reason to pay substantially higher prices for a Galaxy.

Bottom line
Google's foray into producing and marketing proprietary hardware, then selling those devices for much lower margins, combined with the possibility of carrier subsidies disappearing could have a significantly greater negative impact for Samsung than for Apple.

Samsung, despite its enormous resources, will probably not be successful in developing its own ecosystem, as the company is simply light years behind both Apple and Google, and even Microsoft. I remain bullish on Google, although its P/E of 30 is a bit rich for a normal company, its search engine is as wide as can be, and it funds its moonshot projects (driver-less cars, robotics, etc.), which may end up revolutionizing the world.

Profiting from the next technology revolution
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Top Growth Companies For 2014

On Jul 11, we downgraded global life and property-casualty (P&C) insurer and reinsurer ��PartnerRe Ltd. (PRE) ��to Neutral based on its weak investment portfolio and high competition. While the Presidio acquisition diversifies the company�� product profile, it brings in additional costs that will weigh on margins at least for some time.

Why the Downgrade?

Estimates for PartnerRe witnessed modest corrections after the company reported its first-quarter 2013 results on Apr 29, wherein earnings stood at $3.39 per share. Earnings per share outpaced both the Zacks Consensus Estimate and year-ago number of $2.47 and $2.76, respectively. Overall, PartnerRe delivered positive earnings surprises in all of the last 4 quarters with an average beat of 151.1%.

However, total revenue edged down 2.6% year over year to $1.3 billion and was almost in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Growth from premiums written was more than offset by lower investment income.

Top Growth Companies For 2014: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

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

• [By Jonathan Yates]

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

• [By idahansen]

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

Top Growth Companies For 2014: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Among holdings in which Viking Global increased its stake was Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) , a specialist in robotic surgical equipment. The company has had a bumpy year, thanks to bearish comments from a research firm and questions about the efficacy of its systems. Some legal worries were eased recently, with a victory in court. While some wonder whether the company's growth prospects are slowing down, others love Intuitive's competitive advantages and dominance in its promising market. It has been posting double-digit revenue and earnings growth rates for quite a while and has a forward P/E ratio near 23, which is not exactly nosebleed territory.

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

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

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) shares dropped 6.8% to $372.11 on moderate volume as the surgical robot maker reported third-quarter revenue that slipped below Wall Street expectations and said it faces pressure from soft hospital spending.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  All hands are on deck at Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) after the market's most prominent robotic surgical stock plunged by double digits in after-hours trading on Thursday. Intuitive released earnings, and the company's latest financial report dazzled no one, a sharp contrast to the stellar performance investors have gotten used to from this innovative health-care star.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Invest In 2014: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By AnnaLisa Kraft]

  A chicken-wing upstart
  But with success comes competition.�McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) is debuting its own Mighty Wings nationally, chicken wings seasoned similarly to Popeye's New Orleans style with cayenne and chili pepper. The huge quantity of wings that McDonald's will need likely driving up prices from $1.44 a pound most recently will of course, affect the entire space including Yum! Brands, AFCE, and chicken focused Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) ��

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines focus on the restaurant sector, where one analyst has just downgraded shares of Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) , while a second analyst has initiated coverage on... just about everybody else. Let's dig right into the details, beginning with the new coverage.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  )
  Just because consumers refuse to give up their ability to take a vacation doesn't mean they aren't looking for other creative ways to save a dollar. Unless you're staying with family, you don't have much choice when it comes to food -- you have to eat out. I'm going out on a limb and projecting that Buffalo Wild Wings will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of consumers who dine out this summer. If you've kept up with the company's rapid expansion, you'd notice that it's moving into warmer, hot-spot vacation destinations within the United States. In addition, it's been adding new menu items that are reasonably priced and won't break a family of four's bank. With BWW's big sports-bar appeal and NCAA sponsorship, getting traffic into its restaurants this summer shouldn't be difficult. As long as chicken prices cooperate, I expect a sizable upside surprise from BWW in the coming quarters.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD) shares jumped 8.86% to $140.98 in pre-market trading after the company reported upbeat third-quarter results.

  Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) shares gained 7.80% to $171.85 in the pre-market session after the company reported higher Q3 profit. Brean Capital upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy.

Top Growth Companies For 2014: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP  ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.

Top Growth Companies For 2014: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Department store operator Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN  ) will pay a second-quarter dividend of $0.30 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after it increased it 11% from $0.27 per share, the company announced yesterday.

Top Growth Companies For 2014: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Helix Investment Research]

  We note that Keating Capital's co-investors in many of its portfolio companies are not simply other venture capital or existing investors, but strategic investors as well. Examples include Agilyx, where Waste Management (WM) is a co-investor, BrightSource, where Chevron (CVX) and BP (BP) are co-investors, Kabam, where Google (GOOG) and Intel (INTC) are co-investors, or Tremor Video (TRMR), where Time Warner (TWX) is a co-investor. As of the end of Q2 2013, 9 (excluding Jumptap) of Keating Capital's portfolio companies had unrealized gains, with an average gain of 25.6% (again excluding Jumptap, which had unrealized gains of 8% as of the end of Q2 2013). The remaining 6 companies had an average loss of 44.46%. However, on an overall basis, Keating Capital's portfolio currently has an average unrealized gain of 2.15%. While this is not a large gain, we note that the bulk of Keating Capital's profits are realized upon exiting an investment in conjunction with the portfolio company's IPO or sale. Furthermore, portions of Keating Capital's portfolio are defended by structurally protected appreciation clauses that the company has struck with its portfolio companies, clauses that are not reflected on its balance sheet. These clauses, which are negotiated between Keating Capital and its portfolio companies, allow the company to receive shares in the portfolio company's IPO at a discount, or grant it warrants to purchase additional shares in an IPO for a nominal price. Since inception, Keating Capital has negotiated structurally protected appreciation clauses in 11 of the 20 companies it has invested in. As of the end of Q2 2013, 6 of Keating Capital's 15 portfolio companies were protected by structurally protected appreciation clauses, representing $22 million in total capital (almost 43% of the company's invested capital), thereby entitling Keating Capital to a weighted-average aggregate value of 1.9x its investment at the time of an IPO.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Today, I plan to introduce the first of 10 selections to the Basic Needs Portfolio: Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) .

  How it fits in with our theme
  Waste Management fits the theme of the portfolio in actually more ways than one. Obviously, trash collection is a basic necessity that's needed regardless of whether the economy is booming or in a recession. The amount of trash we generate may fluctuate slightly based on the health of the economy, but hauling it away remains a basic need that creates consistent cash flow for Waste Management.

• [By Thomas Scarlett]

  Disposing of garbage may not be the most glamorous industry, but it can be a source of steady profits for investors.  Waste Management Inc. (NYSE: WM) has been the U.S. leader in this field for many years, and it remains that today.

Top Growth Companies For 2014: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Campbell]

  Competing for heart pump market share
  Abiomed's products provide circulatory support for up to six hours and are designed for use in cardiac cath labs or during heart surgery, but competitors Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) and Heartware (NASDAQ: HTWR  ) target the intermediate- and long-term-use market instead.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

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

Top Growth Companies For 2014: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.