Why Antero Resources (AR) Stock Finished Higher On Monday

NEW YORK (TheStreet) --Shares of Antero Resources Corp. (AR) finished higher 2.47% to $64.27 on Monday after the company's rating was re-initiated as a "buy" at UBS (UBS).

The firm said its rating was the result of the independent oil and natural gas company's production having been in line with estimates, and that pricing post hedging has been stronger than its previous forecast. 

Must Read: Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Growth Stocks 

STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.  AR data by YCharts
STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet's Stocks Under $10 has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12-months.Learn more.

Top 5 Paper Stocks To Own For 2015

Stock quotes in this article: AR 

1 Simple Secret to Marvel’s Success

Have you ever wondered why Marvel's more recent films have done so well? I mean, really, how could Iron Man 3 earn $1.2 billion for Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) , almost twice as much as the $637 million Man of Steel produced for Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) ?

Critical reception may account for some of the difference. (Only 56% of critics tracked by Rotten Tomatoes liked Man of Steel, versus 78% for Iron Man 3.) Robert Downey Jr.'s undisputed appeal in the role of Tony Stark and Iron Man might also be a factor.

If so, I suspect it's because fans see in Downey Jr. a nod to the comics they've grown up reading. Look at who Marvel hires to make its films. Many of them were comic book fans before they took on the task of creating a comic book film.

Actor Jon Favreau took particular care to appeal to fans (like yours truly) in making the 2008 breakout hit Iron Man. Joss Whedon is a longtime comics fan and one of the principal backers of Comic-Con: Episode IV -- A Fan's Hope, Morgan Spurlock's documentary love letter to fans of the medium. Next to the join the list: Anthony and Joe Russo, co-directors of next April's Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

"We keep saying this, but this is the best job we've ever had," Joe said during Marvel Studios' main hall presentation at San Diego Comic-Con. "I started collecting comic books when I was 10, so to be able to come and present this footage at Hall H is like a dream come true for us."

Concept art for Captain America: The Winter Soldier from Comic-Con. Source: Marvel Entertainment.

Will the Russos' love both for the "Winter Soldier" storyline from the comics and the overall medium translate into big screen success? For his part, writer Ed Brubaker, the man responsible for the film's source material, has said the script he read was "fantastic" and represented "the best Marvel movie."

We'll have to wait to find out whether Brubaker's high praise is deserved. But he isn't the only one involved with the film who's excited by its prospects.

"It would really be a problem if the franchise you were stuck with wasn't making good products. But it turns out Marvel knows what they're doing, so that every time you put the suit back on you get really excited and you can't wait to see what they're going to do," actor Chris Evans told the Comic-Con crowd. Winter Soldier is his third big-screen go at playing Captain America.

To be fair, DC and Time Warner also have plenty of fans behind the making of their films. Director Zack Snyder talked fondly of the medium in making Man of Steel and the film has done well, if not at the same level as Iron Man 3. Director Martin Campbell didn't bring the same enthusiasm to Green Lantern, and it showed both in reviews and at the box office.

Therein is the lesson for investors. If Disney and Marvel look great right now, it's largely because they're hiring people who know how to keep core fans happy because they're fans, too.

On the other hand, you needn't be a comic book fan to seek out superhero stocks. The Motley Fool's chief investment officer believes he's found one, and he's ready to give you the scoop right now. Find out more in the special free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." Just click here and we'll tell you the secret identity of this under-the-radar company.

Shares Of Growlife Down 50 Percent After Two-Week Halt

Related PHOT A Look At 2014's Leading Cannabis Stocks (Part II) Marketfy to Host the 1st Annual Cannabis Investor Conference

Shares of Growlife (OTC: PHOT) on April 10 were halted by the SEC for a period of two weeks due to "questions that have been raised about the accuracy and adequacy of information in the marketplace and potentially manipulative transactions in PHOT's common stock."

Since April 3, Growlife's Executive Vice President Robert Hunt has sold more than 500,000 shares of Growlife according to OTCMarkets.com.

A total of 7.7 million shares have been sold by insiders over the last six months compared to only 2.22 million shares bought.

Shares of GrowLife rose from just over $0.10 in the beginning of 2014, reaching a 52-week high of $0.78 on March 17.

It was not immediately known why shares were halted, as the SEC is not obligated to provide information to the company or shareholders. Many investors assumed that the insider selling activity following the large run-up in share price may prove to be the culprit.

Related: AnythingIT CEO Explains The Move Into The Marijuana Space

A press release issued by GrowLife on April 14 stated that the company does not know why shares were halted and that it is "actively engaged in outreach to the SEC in an effort to first understand and then address the concerns."

The press release further added, "all that said, GrowLife has no knowledge of any irregularities that may warrant a suspension of trading in our securities and the fact remains that the SEC ordered a trading halt."

The timing of the halt couldn't have come at a worse time as shares of Advanced Cannabis Solutions (OTC: CANN) were halted just two weeks earlier due to concerns "regarding whether certain undisclosed affiliates and shareholders of Advanced Cannabis common stock engaged in an unlawful public distribution of securities."

One day following GrowLife's suspension in trading, RXNB, a company that "possess proprietary, cutting-edge systems in the field of agriculture, applicable to medical marijuana," notified the board of directors of GrowLife that it plans to terminate its business relationship.

GrowLife has shown a willingness to address any shareholder concerns stemming from the halt. The company revealed on Thursday it has created shareholder hotlines and an email communication system to address shareholder questions.

"While information is still greatly limited, we want to have more resources available as more information emerges," said GrowLife CEO Sterling Scott. "Investors should also understand that our support staff has no additional information beyond what we have provided to the market via our recent shareholder letter and cannot opine as to future valuations of GrowLife's share price."

Benzinga has inquiries in to several brokerage houses for commentary on how the stock is trading.

Shares of GrowLife resumed trading on Friday at $0.12 and traded as low as $0.10 and as high as $0.28.

Shareholders are invited to use the following to contact GrowLife directly:

Shareholder Support Hotline: (866) 632-3111
Email: shareholdersupport@growlifeinc.com

Posted-In: Advanced Cannabis Solutions GrowLife Pot Stocks RXNB SEC Sterling Scott Trading HaltNews Markets Best of Benzinga

© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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This Could Be a Game Changer for Buffalo Wild Wings

With the craft beer movement in full swing, is the world ready to embrace yet another delicious brew?

Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) investors sure hope so, because Monday marked the official debut of the company's new "Game Changer Ale," which was created with the help of the folks at Redhook Brewery.

Image source: Buffalo Wild Wings (cropped for size)

For those of you keeping track, remember that Redhook has stood proud as a part of Craft Brew Alliance since it merged with Widmer Brothers Brewing in 2008.

So how did this all come about? According to a recent Today interview with Patrick Kirk, who maintains the completely awesome title from B-Wild as "director of beverage innovations," the company has "always talked about creating a Buffalo Wild Wings beer, and as we pursued it, we realized we needed someone to work with."

Then, when B-Wild figured out Redhook was already working on creating a "sports bar-friendly brew," it was a match made in heaven.

After all, considering Buffalo Wild Wings serves more draft beer than any other restaurant chain in America, who would know better how to help Redhook realize what works great with sports bar food?

That said, while the brewery isn't obligated to make the beer exclusive to Buffalo Wild Wings, Redhook representatives were kind enough to state "Given the role Buffalo Wild Wings had in the process, we'll be giving the majority of resources to them."

Not the first of its kind
Of course, this isn't the first time specialty beer has assimilated more closely into larger restaurant chains.

Remember, last year Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (NASDAQ: RRGB  ) partnered with Boston Beer Company to eliminate the need for diners to choose between beer and a shake with their Sam Adams Oktoberfest Milkshake. Putting aside the potential negative post-dinner repercussions of mixing beer with a shake -- oof, I'm breathing heavy just thinking about it -- this was still a pretty fun collaborative idea which meshed well with Red Robin's atmosphere.

That said, while it's safe to say the Oktoberfest Milkshake was a relative success for both Red Robin and Boston Beer (at least from a public relations perspective, anyway), I can't imagine the product had any significant long-term positive effects from a financial standpoint.

More closely aligned with B-Wild's new efforts, however, are the folks at BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ: BJRI  ) , who just so happen to integrate their very own enviable list of more than a dozen of BJ's award-winning, handcrafted brews on tap at each of their restaurants. All told, craft brews have served as a centerpiece of BJ's business so far, helping the up-and-coming company to grow to 132 locations in 15 states as of the end of last quarter.

Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Watch Right Now

In all, that leaves plenty of room for BJ's restaurants to grow en route to management's goals of eventually having as many as 425 domestic locations.

Here's why Game Changer Ale could be huge
The thing is, Buffalo Wild Wings already has a sticky business model with which hungry consumers tend to resonate, and adding its own specialty brew to the ranks of the dozens of beers it already serves should only help diners love the popular chain even more than they do now.

This, in turn, should help Buffalo Wild Wings accelerate its pursuit of new restaurant growth, even with 923 current total locations in 49 states and in Canada. When all is said and done, remember B-Wild management hopes to eventually operate as many as 1,700 total locations between the U.S. and Canada alone.

Foolish takeaway
Of course, this growth potential is one of the very things which makes Buffalo Wild Wings so enticing from an investment standpoint in the first place. If the company can simply continue steadily growing its restaurant base, while simultaneously doing what it does so well in delighting its patrons, there's every reason to believe patient shareholders should be rewarded handsomely over the long run.

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WD-40 Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

WD-40 (Nasdaq: WDFC  ) reported earnings on July 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended May 31 (Q3), WD-40 beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew. GAAP earnings per share grew significantly.

Margins expanded across the board.

Revenue details
WD-40 reported revenue of $93.1 million. The two analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected to see revenue of $91.0 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 7.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $87.0 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.66. The three earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.55 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.66 for Q3 were 16% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.57 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 51.3%, 180 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 16.1%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.0%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $86.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.49.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $356.6 million. The average EPS estimate is $2.45.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 166 members out of 181 rating the stock outperform, and 15 members rating it underperform. Among 69 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 65 give WD-40 a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on WD-40 is hold, with an average price target of $51.00.

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Add WD-40 to My Watchlist.

Fidelity Slashes Yahoo Stake Ahead of Alibaba IPO

Several Fidelity mutual funds cut their positions in Yahoo Inc.(YHOO) in February, before Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. decided to start the process of listing on a U.S. stock exchange, according to the most recent data provided by Morningstar.

Yahoo owns a 24% stake in the fast-growing Chinese e-commerce giant, accounting for more than half of Yahoo’s market value, analysts have estimated. Much of the run-up in Yahoo’s stock price during CEO Marissa Mayer‘s nearly two-year tenure has been tied to investor excitement about Alibaba’s prospects. An Alibaba IPO, expected later this year, could raise about $15 billion from investors.

Fidelity’s Contrafund sold 4.1 million Yahoo shares from Jan. 31 through Feb. 28, Morningstar data show. The move cut its Yahoo position by 11%. A total of 11 Fidelity funds sold more than 13 million Yahoo shares over that time frame, or a little more than 1% of the company’s total shares outstanding.

A Fidelity spokesman declined comment, saying the fund company doesn’t speak about specific stocks. A Yahoo spokesperson wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Yahoo shares recently dropped 0.2% to $36.32. The stock is up 55% over the past 12 months. It peaked in January at $41.72 before tumbling into the mid $30s in early February. Shares have largely fluctuated between $35 and $40 ever since.

Alibaba said March 16 that it was moving to begin the process of listing on an exchange in New York, in what could be one of the largest Internet initial public offerings in history. In a brief statement posted in its website, Alibaba said a U.S. IPO would “make us a more global company and enhance the company’s transparency.”

Last Wednesday the stock jumped 6.3% after Yahoo reported its revenue, minus commission paid to partners for Web traffic, rose 1% in the first quarter after four straight quarters without growth. Investor optimism was buoyed by better-than-expected results at Alibaba Group. Yahoo said Alibaba’s revenue jumped 66%, a figure that allayed investor concerns about potentially slowing growth at Alibaba.

After getting a glimpse into Alibaba’s quarterly figures, Bernstein Research slapped a $245 billion valuation on the company. Such a figure would make Alibaba the ninth biggest U.S.-listed company in the S&P 500.

Carnival Stock May Make You Seasick

Carnival (NYSE: CCL  ) share certificates should probably come with a dose of Dramamine these days.

Carnival stock is trading closer to its 52-week low than its high, and the same can't be said of rivals Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL  ) and NCL (NYSE: NCL  ) . 

It's against this backdrop that the world's largest cruise line is set to report quarterly results on Tuesday. Carnival stock could use a boost, especially if its guidance for the seasonally potent summer quarter is encouraging.

In this video, longtime Fool contributor takes a landlubber's look at the various moving parts of Carnival heading into the report.

Come sail away
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10 FTSE 100 Shares Trading Near 52-Week Lows

LONDON -- I've just trawled the market to find FTSE 100 shares trading at no more than 8% above their lowest price of the 12 months -- and found 14 names.

Here are the 10 largest and my thoughts on five of them.

Company

Price (pence)

Market Cap (million pounds)

% vs. 52-Wk. Low

P/E (forecast)

Yield (%, forecast)

Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSB  )	2,187	138,086	4.5	8.1	5.5
BHP Billiton	1,833	97,554	7.3	11.5	4.1
Rio Tinto	2,808	51,890	6.0	7.9	4.1
Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT  )	2,346	22,888	5.5	11.2	4.9
Anglo American	1,463	20,391	2.3	11.0	3.7
Carnival (LSE: CCL  )	2,147	16,651	6.5	20.4	3.3
Tullow Oil	1,004	9,117	7.8	21.5	1.2
Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO  )	922	9,090	7.3	13.1	2.7
Wm. Morrison Supermarkets (LSE: MRW  )	263	6,111	6.3	10.2	4.8
Aggreko	1,658	4,453	7.1	17.7	1.6
Petrofac	1,301	4,429	3.8	10.5	3.3
G4S	245	3,432	3.1	11.3	3.8
Amec	1,000	2,970	7.7	11.3	3.9
EVRAZ	128	1,708	0.6	60.5	2.5

Royal Dutch Shell
Titan blue chip Shell has trailed the market in the last 12 months. While the FTSE 100 is 18% up during that period, Shell has risen just 3%.

Shell, however, pays a substantial dividend. The total payout for 2012 was $1.72 per share, which supports a 5.1% yield at today's price. The average FTSE 100 share yields just 3%.

There has been a little weakness in the price of crude oil this year. A barrel of brent crude costs 2% less than it did at the start of the year and is 4% cheaper than it was three months ago.

Shell is forecast to earn $4.21 per share this year. That's a P/E of 8.1 at today's price.

Antofagasta
Resources companies need favorable changes in the metal markets to help grow their revenues. So, although Antofagasta's recent Q1 results confirmed its copper and gold volumes were up, the fall in realized prices led to a 15% sales decline.

Fears over a slowdown in the Chinese economy are being blamed for the hit to metal prices and the shares of resources companies in general. The effect of lower prices on profits is clear from Antofagasta's last announcement: A 20% fall in the price of copper, combined with an increase in costs, produced a 30% decline in EBITDA.

This performance leaves forecast earnings per share for the year of $1.10 looking unlikely. If the outlook for metal prices does not improve then Antofagasta shares will likely fall further in 2013.

Imperial Tobacco
Cigarette companies are finding it increasingly difficult to market and sell cigarettes in their long-standing markets. Plain-pack cigarettes are expected to be mandated in Ireland in the New Year, while Canada is monitoring the effectiveness of plain-pack legislation in countries where it has already been introduced. I expect the U.K. government is doing likewise.

If you believe that Big Tobacco can sidestep this legislation by selling to emerging markets, then think again. Anti-tobacco laws are catching on fast. Jamaica is moving toward a ban on smoking in public places, while lawmakers in Botswana and Tanzania are taking steps to protect the public from the risks of tobacco consumption.

Imperial shares trade on a P/E of 11.2 times forecast earnings for the year.

Wm. Morrison Supermarkets
News that Morrisons has moved into online and convenience sales has not provided the fillip to the share price that I had expected. With the shares today back down at around 260 pence, they are showing attractive value characteristics again.

Morrisons' shares are currently priced at 10.2 times forecast earnings for the year. They also come with the prospect of a 4.8% dividend yield.

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The supermarket's proposed online and convenience operations will help revenues, and bring Morrisons' offering to the same channels as its competitors.

However, Aldi and Lidl are still taking sales from Morrisons at the cheap end of the market. Meanwhile, J Sainsbury and Waitrose are doing likewise at the top. Those trends will have to be arrested for Morrisons' shares to rise significantly from here.

Carnival
Shares in cruise operator Carnival have fallen 15% in the last three months alone. Unfortunately for shareholders, the shares don't look attractive value yet.

According to the available forecasts, Carnival shares are today priced at 17.1 times last year's earnings and 20.4 times the forecasts for 2013. The decline in profitability is forecast to be followed by large growth next year, putting the shares on a 2014 P/E of 14.4 times the average estimate.

The forecast dividend yield for Carnival is 3.3%, close to average for a FTSE 100 share.

Noises from the company will have to improve to prevent further falls. Meeting the 2014 estimate I feel is key to this share's current valuation.

Investing in out-of-favor shares can yield big returns if their fortunes improve.

Our team of expert analysts here at The Motley Fool have drawn together a collection of additional strategies that could help accelerate your wealth in their free report "10 Steps to Making a Million in the Market." Their research is totally free and will be delivered to your inbox immediately. Just click here to get your copy today.

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Top 5 Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now

Retailers are increasingly worried about the holiday spending season. And so is Wall Street.

But investors ��whether they��e been naughty or nice ��can reap profits in the retail sector even if holiday spending is sluggish.

Wall Street is once again clueless when it comes to gauging the spending of American consumers. During the Great Recession they missed the birth of a new spending pattern ��I call it ���he New Frugal�����and they are about to do it again.

This new spending pattern means Americans, whether spending less, more�or the same as last year,�are diverting their�spending to buy fewer items of higher quality for the gift season. They��l buy quality brands and items from Apple (AAPL), Coach (COH), Ralph Lauren (RL) and Williams Sonoma (WSM).� These retailers will benefit.

There is too much money to be made when cognitive dissonance on Wall Street creates opportunities for those who invest ��literally ��and shop with their eyes open.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Actavis Inc (ACT)

Actavis, Inc., formerly Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated on February 1, 1985, is a integrated global specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing, sale and distribution of generic, branded generic, brand, biosimilar and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products. The Company also develops and out-licenses generic pharmaceutical products primarily in Europe through its Medis third-party business. The Company operates in three segments: Actavis Pharma, Actavis Specialty Brands and Anda Distribution. On January 23, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of Uteron Pharma SA. On October 29, 2012, the Company sold its Rugby OTC pharmaceutical products and trademarks to The Harvard Drug Group, L.L.C. On January 24, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Ascent Pharmahealth Ltd.

Actavis Pharma Segment

Actavis Pharma Segment is engaged in the development, manufacturing and sale of generic, branded generic and OTC pharmaceutical products. The Company�� portfolio of generic products includes products it has developed internally and products licensed from and distributed for third parties. The Company sells its generic prescription products primarily under the Watson Laboratories, Watson Pharma and Actavis Pharma labels, and its over-the-counter generic products under private label.

Actavis Specialty Brands Segment

The Company markets a number of branded products to physicians, hospitals, and other markets that it serves. The Company classifies these trademarked products as its brand pharmaceutical products. In April 2012, it launched Gelnique 3% (oxybutynin), a clear, odorless topical gel. Gelnique 3% was obtained through an exclusive licensing agreement with Antares. The Company�� promoted products are Rapaflo, Gelnique, Trelstar, Androderm, Generess Fe and Crinone. The Company�� Actavis Specialty Brands segment also receives other revenues consisting of co-promotion revenue and royaltie! s.

Anda Distribution Segment

The Company Anda Distribution business primarily distributes generic and selected brand pharmaceutical products, vaccines, injectables and over-the-counter medicines to independent pharmacies, alternate care providers (hospitals, nursing homes and mail order pharmacies), pharmacy chains and physicians��offices. In addition, it sells to members of buying groups, which are independent pharmacies that join together to enhance their buying power. As of December 31, 2012, the Company distributes products from its facilities in Weston, Florida, Groveport, Ohio, and Olive Branch, Mississippi, as well as a small volume of product from Puerto Rico.

The Company competes with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., Mylan Inc., Sandoz, Inc, McKesson Corporation, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc.,

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) shot up 29.85 percent to $92.70 after Actavis (NYSE: ACT) announced its plans to buy Forest Labs for $25 billion. Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded Forest Labs from Equal-Weight to Overweight.

• [By Victor Selva]

  Lastly, Actavis PLC (ACT) occupied the third place in Apex's portfolio by the end of the quarter. The firm is a $32 billion market cap specialty pharmaceutical company. This stock was added to the fund麓s portfolio in the last quarter, and is Apex's largest new buy of the period. Its shares are currently valued at $52.1 million.

• [By Steve Sears]

  New stocks in what Goldman calls the “Hedge Fund VIP list,”�include Actavis (ACT), Baidu (BIDU), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Crown Castle International (CCI), Entergy Louisiana (ELB), �Equinix (EQIX), Facebook (FB), Fleetcor Technologies (FLT), W.R. Grace (GRA), MetLife (MET), Macquarie Infrastructure (MIC), Micron (MU), Time Warner Cable (TWC), and Time Warner (TWX).

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  Most of that value has come from a few large transactions, notably Valeant Pharmaceutical Intl Inc.'s (NYSE: VRX) $8.7 billion acquisition of Bausch + Lomb, and Actavis PLC's (NYSE: ACT) $8.5 billion purchase of Warner Chillcott PLC.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Endesa SA (ELE.MC)

Endesa SA is a Spain-based holding company engaged in the energy sector. The Company is primarily involved in the generation, distribution and supply of energy from different sources, such as gas, cogeneration and renewables. It also generates, distributes and supplies electricity. The Company is also engaged in real estate operations as well as coal mining. Its business is divided into four lines: Electricity, Gas, Cogeneration and renewables; as well Other activities. The Company operates in such countries as Spain, Portugal, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Morocco and China, among others. The Company operates a number of subsidiaries worldwide. The Company is a member of Enel Group. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Cheniere Energy Inc.(LNG) said Spanish energy company Endesa SA(ELE.MC) agreed to purchase about 1.5 million tons a year of liquified natural gas from the Houston-based company’s planned Corpus Christi export operations. The agreement is for 20 years from the first commercial delivery, which is expected to start as soon as 2018. Shares edged up 2.4% to $58.99 premarket.

Hot Solar Stocks To Own Right Now: China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited(CNTF)

China Techfaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an original developed products provider that is focused on the original design and sale of mobile phones in the People's Republic of China and internationally. Its original developed products include multimedia phones, and dual mode dual card handsets of multiple wireless technology combinations; Windows-based smartphones and Pocket PC phones; and handsets with interactive online gaming and professional game terminals with phone functionality. The company also provides gaming content to the motion, mobile, and online PC gaming markets through its Web sites. In addition, it develops Middleware Application MMI/UI software packages on 2G/2.5G, 3G, and 3.5G communication technologies. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  When traders think of exciting story stocks, China Techfaith Wireless Comm. Tech. Ltd (NASDAQ:CNTF) probably doesn't show up on anybody's list. The maker of mobile handsets doesn't exactly have the same kind of market share that, say an Apple (AAPL) or a Samsung might enjoy, and probably won't anytime soon. Yet, there's something about CNTF that's compelling enough to merit taking a shot on heading into 2014.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: Simplicity Bancorp Inc (SMPL)

Simplicity Bancorp Inc., formerly K-Fed Bancorp, is a federally-chartered stock holding company. K-Fed Bancorp is a wholly owned subsidiary of K-Fed Mutual Holding Company (the MHC), a federally-chartered mutual holding company. K-Fed Bancorp operates through its subsidiary, Kaiser Federal Bank (the Bank), a federally chartered stock savings bank, which provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals and business customers from its nine branch and financial service center locations throughout California. The Bank is a community-oriented financial institution offering a variety of financial services. The Bank�� principal business activity consists of attracting retail deposits from the general public and originating primarily loans secured by first mortgages on owner-occupied one-to-four family residences and multi-family residences located in its market area and, to a lesser extent, automobile and other consumer loans. Its revenues are derived principally from interest on loans and mortgage-backed and related securities. It also generates revenue from service charges and other income. The Bank offers a variety of deposit accounts having a range of interest rates and terms, which generally include savings accounts, money market accounts, demand deposit accounts and certificate of deposit accounts with varied terms ranging from 90 days to 5 years.

Lending Activities

The Bank originates consumer loans, primarily automobile loans. As of June 30, 2010, its net loan portfolio totaled $758 million, which constituted 87.4% of its total assets. As of June 30, 2010, the Bank�� first lien one-to-four family residential mortgage loans totaled $335.6 million, or 43.5%, of its gross loan portfolio. It originates one-to-four family mortgage loans on a fixed rate and adjustable rate basis. As of June 30, 2010, the Bank�� one-to-four family adjustable rate mortgage loan portfolio totaled $58.6 million, or 7.6% of its gross loan portfolio. As of June 30, 2010, the fixed r! ate one-to-four family mortgage loan portfolio totaled $276.9 million, or 35.9% of its gross loan portfolio. Included in non-accrual loans at June 30, 2010, were $2.9 million in adjustable rate one-to-four family mortgage loans and $21.9 million in fixed rate one-to-four family mortgage loans.

The Bank also offers multi-family residential real estate loans. These loans are secured by real estate located in its primary market areas, within the state of California. As of June 30, 2010, multi-family residential loans totaled $278.4 million, or 36.1%, of its gross loan portfolio, and consists of 415 loans outstanding with an average loan balance of approximately $670,000. It offers a variety of secured consumer loans, including home equity lines of credit, new and used automobile loans, and loans secured by savings deposits. It also offers a limited amount of unsecured loans. At June 30, 2010, the Bank�� consumer loan portfolio, exclusive of automobile loans, totaled $13.8 million, or 1.8%, of its gross loan portfolio.

Investment Activities

The Bank is authorized to invest in various types of liquid assets, including the United States Treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies, certain certificates of deposit of insured banks and savings institutions, certain bankers��acceptances, repurchase agreements and federal funds. At June 30, 2010, the Bank�� investment portfolio totaled $6 million and consisted principally of investment grade collateralized mortgage obligations and mortgage-backed securities. It invests in mortgage-backed securities insured or guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae). As of June 30, 2010, it also had an investment in an affordable housing fund totaling $1.2 million.

Sources of Funds

The Bank�� sources of funds are deposits, payment of principal and interest ! on loans,! interest earned on or maturity of investment securities, borrowings, and funds provided from operations. It offers a variety of deposit accounts to consumers with a range of interest rates and terms. Its deposits consist of time deposit accounts, savings, money market and demand deposit accounts. The Bank�� borrowings consist of advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. It may obtain advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco upon the security of its mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities. As of June 30, 2010, the Bank had $137 million in Federal Home Loan Bank advances outstanding. At June 30, 2010, it had available additional advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of San Francisco in the amount of $219.1 million.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  HBCP stock is trading at 94% of book value and is very attractive at the current price.

  Simplicity Bancorp (SMPL)

  Simplicity Bancorp (SMPL) in Covina, Calif., started out decades ago as a credit union for employees of the Kaiser Foundation Hospital. It has since grown to a nine-branch bank with $834 million in assets. SMPL had its conversion IPO back in 2010, and is an extremely attractive takeover target right now. The bank’s equity-to-asset ratio is 16, and nonperforming assets are less than 2% of the total, so that’s a solid financial condition to be in.

Top 5 Quality Companies To Watch In Right Now: LG Display Co Ltd (LPL)

LG Display Co., Ltd. (LG Display), incorporated in 1985, manufactures thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels in a range of sizes and specifications primarily for use in televisions, notebook computers and desktop monitors, and the Company is a suppliers of high-definition television panels. The Company also manufactures TFT-LCDs for other application products, such as mobile phones, certain types of tablet personal computers and industrial and other applications, including entertainment systems, automotives, portable navigation devices, e-books, digital photo displays and medical diagnostic equipment. During the year ended December 31, 2010, LG Display sold a total of 160.4 million large-size (nine-inch or larger) TFT-LCD panels. In addition to TFT-LCD panels, the Company also manufactures organic light-emitting diode (OLEDs) and flexible displays. As of March 31, 2011, the Company held a total of 15,049 patents, including 6,724 in Korea and 8,325 in other countries, including in the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain and Taiwan.

In May 2010, the Company purchased the liquid crystal display module division of LG Innotek Co., Ltd. (LG Innotek), a subsidiary of LG Electronics. In June 2010, the Company entered into a joint venture agreement with Iriver Ltd. to establish L&I Electronic Technology (Dongguan) Ltd. in Dongguan, China. In August 2010, the Company entered into a joint venture agreement with Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. and AmTRAN Technology Co., Ltd., to establish Eralite Optoelectronics (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd.

As of December 31, 2010, the Company operated 12 panel fabrication facilities (five in Paju, Korea and seven in Gumi, Korea, and including expansions of certain facilities) and a total of nine module facilities (three in Nanjing, China, two in Guangzhou, China and one each in Gumi and Paju, Korea, Yantai, China and Wroclaw, Poland). In 2010, its display panels were included in products sold by LG Electronics, Appl! e, Toshiba, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Philips Electronics.

Televisions

The Company�� television panels range from 15 inches to 72-inch wide-format in size. The Company�� product portfolio includes panels of various sizes, such as 17-inch, 19-inch, 20-inch, 22-inch, 26-inch, 32-inch, 37-inch, 42-inch, 47-inch and 55-inch panels.As of december 31, 2010, 32-inch, 37-inch, 42-inch and 47-inch wide-format panels consists of principal products in this category in terms of sales revenue and sales volume.

Desktop Monitors

The Company�� desktop monitor display panels range from 15 inches to 30-inch wide-format in size in a variety of display resolutions and formats. In 2010, 19-inch and 21.5-inch display panels were its principal products in terms of sales revenue and sales volume in this category.

Notebook Computers

The Company�� display panels for notebook computers range from seven inches to 20.1-inch wide-format in size in a variety of display formats. In 2010, 15.6-inch, 9.7-inch and 14-inch panels were its principal products in this category.

Mobile and Other Applications

The Company�� product portfolio also includes panels for mobile and other applications, which utilize a wide array of display panel sizes, including mobile phones, certain types of tablet personal computers and industrial and other applications, including entertainment systems, automotives, portable navigation devices, e-books, digital photo displays and medical diagnostic equipment. TFT-LCD panels that are nine inches and smaller are referred to as small and medium-size panels, with those smaller than four inches being considered small-size panels. In 2010, sales of small-size panels constituted a significant majority in terms of both sales revenue and sales volume in the mobile and other applications category. Some of the panels the Company produces for industrial products, such as medical diagnostic equipment.

T! he Compan! y competes with Samsung Electronics, Samsung Mobile Display and Hydis Technologies, AU Optronics, Chimei Innolux, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, HannStar, Sharp, Hitachi, TMDisplay, Mitsubishi, IPS-Alpha, SAVIC, Infovision and BOE-OT.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  Another long-term licensing deal
  Next,�I think it's safe to assume a similar long-term deal will be signed in 2014 with LG Display (NYSE: LPL  ) .

• [By Simon Erickson]

  Organic LED televisions were one of the hottest topics at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week. LG (NYSE: LPL  ) gave a sneak peek of its three new OLED sets that will hit the market in 2014 -- coming with screen sizes of 55, 65, and even 77 inches! OLED televisions are brighter, thinner, and more cost-efficient than other technologies. Watching movies at home might never be the same.

Want to Buy Apple? Think Again

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Calling all value investors, your beloved Apple (AAPL) is in trouble technically here. Big trouble.

By now, everyone knows the bullish case for shares of the iPhone and iPad maker. The company has over $160 billion in cash on its balance sheet and trades at a very cheap valuation at just 12 times trailing price-to-earnings and 11 times forward price-to-earnings. Apple is rumored to be set to release its new iPhone 6 later this year, and a new product, possibly the iWatch, is on the docket for later this year. Those attractive fundamentals just don't matter right now, since shares of AAPL are breaking down big time from a technical standpoint.

I know that's hard to stomach for fundamental investors who are in love with Apple. They don't want to believe that such a cheap stock with so much cash for acquisitions and dividend increases can be in trouble here. But supply and demand is what moves stocks, and those dynamics can be driven by a variety of reasons.

One reason is the technical shape of a stock. Technicals are often a leading indicator to the future fundamentals of a company. What I mean is that the way a stock acts technically often front runs the coming fundamental news. Could it be possible that AAPL has some fundamental news on the horizon that the market isn't going to like? If you're not considering this, then you're just ignoring how bad AAPL is acting from a technical standpoint right now. Apple is due to report earnings on April 23 after the market close. Considering how shares of AAPL are acting right now, I would say it's a strong possibility that somebody knows the company is going to report a weak quarter.

If you take a look at the chart for Apple, you'll notice that this stock formed a double top in late March at $551 to $549 a share. Following that top, shares of AAPL have started to trend lower with the stock recently breaking below its 50-day moving average. That was the first warning sign from a technical standpoint that shares of AAPL were in trouble. After breaking its 50-day, AAPL tried to rally a few times back above that key technical level, but each rally has failed and the stock is now trending well below its 50-day. Shares of APPL then broke another key technical support level at $523 a share and the stock has continued to slide lower.

During the entire slide lower from the double top set in March, shares of AAPL have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. This shows that as of right now the bears are in full control of AAPL and any short-term rally is being sold into as the stock continues to slide lower. This is not a great time to be attempting to pick a bottom in shares of AAPL, since the stock is literally showing not a single sign that the bulls are willing to defend the stock.

Another major problem for shares of AAPL here is that the stock is now breaking another major support level at $515.60 a share on an intraday basis. Shares of AAPL have touched an intraday low today of $511.72 a share. As you can see, this stock has sliced below that February support level at $515.60 a share with conviction. A close below that $515.60 today would not be a good sign from a technical perspective for shares of AAPL and would likely be signaling that much more downside is on the way.

How much more downside could be in store for AAPL? I would suggest that at the very minimum, shares of AAPL are setting up to re-test its 200-day moving average of $505.43 a share. All trends point to that happening very quickly if AAPL closed below $515.60 a share today. If AAPL's 200-day gets broken with heavy volume, then this stock looks destined to re-test its next major support levels at $490 a share to $475 to $450 a share. Do not take those targets lightly, they could very well be tested or even broken if AAPL reports a weak quarter next week.

 

The bottom line: AAPL is not in the control of the bulls and shares look likely to trend much lower in the near-term and possibly after its earnings report. If you're savvy enough and inclined, shorting AAPL is the right side of the trade right now. If you're bullish on AAPL and looking for an entry point, then it's best to step aside and wait for the stock find support and trend sideways for a bit. There should be no rush to catch the falling knife that is Apple's stock right now. Wait for better days ahead, or short if you know how to do that.

 

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

 

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Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

 

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.
Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Citigroup's Q1 earnings beat estimates

NEW YORK — Citigroup beat Wall Street expectations Monday, announcing $3.9 billion in first-quarter earnings, or $1.23 a share, on revenues of $20.1 billion.

On an adjusted basis, the global bank's earnings were $4.1 billion, or $1.30 a share.

Analysts polled separately by Thomson Financial Research and FactSet had expected earnings per share of $1.14.

"Despite a quarter that was difficult for our company, we delivered strong results," said City CEO Michael Corbat in a statement announcing the earnings results. "Both our consumer and institutional businesses performed well and we grew both loans and deposits while holding the line on our expenses."

Citigroup shares were up more than 3.7% at $47.40 In U.S. financial market trading shortly after 10 a.m. EDT.

Despite the generally upbeat financial news, Citigroup's $20.1 billion in revenues represents a 1% decline from the first quarter of 2013. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in fixed income markets revenues in the bank's Institutional Clients Group and lower U.S. mortgage refinancing activity. The bank said the declines were partially offset by higher Citi Holdings revenues.

The net results also included an estimated $235 million net fraud loss in Mexico the bank reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission in February. In that disclosure, the bank said an internal review had found an apparent $400 million gap owed to its Mexican unit by a Mexican oil-services company called Oceanografia SA de CV.

However, the overall earnings results marked a contrasted with news in March that Citigroup was one of four banks the Federal Reserve blocked from boosting stockholder dividend payments and increasing stock buybacks. That announcement was part of the Fed's breakdown of its annual bank "stress tests" in March.

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Citigroup h! ad planned to raise its quarterly dividend to 5 cents per share and repurchase $6.4 billion of the bank's stock. But the central bank action only allowed Citigroup to continue its previous 1-cent-per share dividend and $1.2 billion in stock repurchases.

The Fed said Citigroup had made progress improving its risk management and control practices in recent years. But the bank's capital plan included "a number of deficiencies" the Fed said, including Citigroup's ability to project revenue and losses "for material parts of the firm's global operations" in a sharp economic downturn."

The stress test outcome "subdued prospects for any meaningful capital return in 2015," said brokerage firm Sterne Agee in an April 3 note, adding that "slowing earnings growth only serve to keep the company's valuation in check and limit the potential upside."

Six apps that might make parenting easier

Parents wear a lot of hats when it comes to their kids, including being the timekeeper, the money giver and the behavior police.

Do you have a child who is always up before everyone else? There's an app for that. How about keeping track of multiple allowances? Yes, an app can make it easy. Want reinforcements for wrangling kids at bedtime, teaching them potty training, explaining screen time restrictions and modeling good behavior? Storybook apps have you covered. Here's a list of clever apps that are designed to make your parenting job easier.

Sleepasaurus - Dinosaur Sleep Trainer for Kids

(Wee Taps, best for ages 2-6, $1.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; 4 out of 4)

Does your toddler or preschooler frequently get up way before the crack of dawn? "Sleepasaurus" might be just want you need. Kids choose one from seven baby dinosaurs and then sprinkle magic sleeping dust over it just before bedtime. Once the dinosaur is asleep, it can't be awakened until a time set by the parents. The idea is that the dinosaur becomes your child's sleeping buddy. If your child wakes up too early, the app trains your early riser to go back to sleep until such time as the dinosaur is awake and can roar when touched. Parents also have the option of setting the app to play bedtime music for going to sleep as well as music to wake up your child. This is a clever app that doubles as a nightlight if plugged in; and it operates masterfully.

The Adventures of Ash & Ollie: ScreenTime - A Fingerprint Network App (also on Android)

(Fingerprint, best for ages 3-6, $2.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android; 4 out of 4)

Two little brothers, Ash and Ollie, really like playing on their tablets and video game players. But their parents have taught them the importance of balancing screen time with other forms of play. By having your kids read this story about how another family imposes rules around screen times, it just might make it easier for you to do the same.

Tico Timer - your fun timer f! or children!

(Ricardo Fonseca, best for ages 3-8, $.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; 4 out of 4)

For children who can't yet tell time, this app presents the passage of time in a visual manner. The app has 11 different visuals, from colored circles slowly disappearing off the screen to a shrinking circle eventually vanishing. Parents can use the app to let kids know that they have ten more minutes until bedtime, 30 minutes of screen time left or two minutes for brushing of teeth. The easy-to-set timer screen can be accompanied by one of seven musical tracks.

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Kiddie: positive parenting toddlers 2-5 years: reading, reward charts and fun songs

(Kiddie App, best for ages 2-5, Free, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; 4 out of 4)

This free app presents an adorable story about a bear-like character named Kiddie who is getting ready for bed. Using funny made-up rhyming phrases such as "Wopsie Dopdie Deeth, Wash your hands and brush your teeth," this app draws kids into the process of getting Kiddie to bed. Your child will tap on Kiddie's blanket to draw it up and turn on Kiddie's iPad so that his parent can read him a bedtime story. The tale also contains a cute song. Most importantly, the story introduces Kiddie's Reward Chart for going to bed easily and then lets parents create one for your child too.

For $2.99 each, parents can buy additional interactive stories about Kiddie: learning to use a potty, exploring foods at dinner time and discovering how to be sweet. If you want to purchase all three, the cost is $5.99. Each delivers a strong message about proper behavior and lets you set up a reward chart for your child — just like Kiddie's. I would recommend buying all three since they are so well done.

Achieve It With Sesame Street (also on Android)

(Sesame Street, best for ages 3-5, Free, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android; 4 out o! f 4)

Elmo monster presents a series of financially based challenges for you and your child to do, away from the device. For example, the challenge might be to sort coins, hand money to a cashier or checkout an ATM machine. For each challenge, Elmo asks that you take a photo during the challenge (or you can select one of the Sesame Street monsters instead). Completion is rewarded with a sticker or the unlocking of a special Sesame Street video about a financial topic. By playing through these challenges together with your child, you will have lots of opportunities to discuss the difference between what we want and what we need, that people work to earn money and that there are three parts to saving money: for spending, for sharing, and for long term savings.

PiggyBot

(BancVue, Ltd, best for ages 5-14, Free, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; 3.5 stars)

"PiggyBot" makes keeping track of your kid's allowance a piece of cake. It also introduces your child to the concept that saving should have three parts: spending, sharing with others, and saving. The app permits you set up profiles for multiple children and keeps all the record-keeping in one place. It also lets your kids set goals, so that they can see how to save for something they want.

Jinny Gudmundsen is the Editor of www.TechwithKids.com and author of iPad Apps for Kids, a For Dummies book. Contact her at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her @JinnyGudmundsen.

Why Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras (PBR) Stock Is Up Today

Top 10 Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras (PBR) was gaining 1.8% to $13.95 on news that it expects to receive the first or eight new pipe laying support vessels (PLSVs) this month.

The ships should help Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras boost crude oil production by allowing it to connect new wells to existing platforms more quickly. The company expects crude oil output to increase by 7.5% in 2014, up from 1.93 million bbl/day in 2013.

Must read: Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Growth Stocks

STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more. TheStreet Ratings team rates PETROBRAS-PETROLEO BRASILIER as a Hold with a ratings score of C. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate PETROBRAS-PETROLEO BRASILIER (PBR) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed ? some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its attractive valuation levels, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and notable return on equity. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including poor profit margins, weak operating cash flow and a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Regardless of the drop in revenue, the company managed to outperform against the industry average of 7.8%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 0.2%. Weakness in the company's revenue seems to have hurt the bottom line, decreasing earnings per share. PBR's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76 is somewhat low overall, but it is high when compared to the industry average, implying that the management of the debt levels should be evaluated further. Regardless of the somewhat mixed results with the debt-to-equity ratio, the company's quick ratio of 0.98 is weak. Net operating cash flow has decreased to $4,734.00 million or 16.58% when compared to the same quarter last year. Despite a decrease in cash flow of 16.58%, PETROBRAS-PETROLEO BRASILIER is in line with the industry average cash flow growth rate of -23.34%. The gross profit margin for PETROBRAS-PETROLEO BRASILIER is currently lower than what is desirable, coming in at 28.99%. It has decreased from the same quarter the previous year. Regardless of the weak results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of 7.75% is above that of the industry average. You can view the full analysis from the report here: PBR Ratings Report STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Stock quotes in this article: PBR 

'Heartbleed' cybersecurity threat looms over advisers and clients

Getty Images

Advisers and financial services firms are scrambling this week to avert any potential damage from the “Heartbleed” cybersecurity bug that has recently come to light and threatens millions of web users.

Encrypted channels for online communication that were thought to be secure have now been identified as being at risk due to a flaw in a piece of code in the OpenSSL — an open-source cryptographic library — said Arthur Bierer, chief technology officer at online lead-generation startup Vestorly Inc.

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The compromised code is shared by many programs and can be found in many different products, which makes the threat so widespread, said Mr. Bierer, who previously worked on the engineering team at Microsoft and helped implement SSL on Internet Explorer.

Applied Materials Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT  ) reported earnings on May 16. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended April 28 (Q2), Applied Materials beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue contracted significantly. Non-GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly. GAAP earnings per share dropped to a loss.

Gross margins increased, operating margins contracted, net margins dropped.

Revenue details
Applied Materials logged revenue of $1.97 billion. The 15 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see net sales of $1.92 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 22% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.54 billion.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.16. The 17 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.13 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.16 for Q2 were 41% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.27 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.11 for Q2 against $0.22 per share for the prior-year quarter.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 41.0%, 120 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 11.2%, 660 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -6.5%, much worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $2.05 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.19.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $7.81 billion. The average EPS estimate is $0.64.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,001 members out of 2,117 rating the stock outperform, and 116 members rating it underperform. Among 435 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 417 give Applied Materials a green thumbs-up, and 18 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Applied Materials is outperform, with an average price target of $14.58.

Can your portfolio provide you with enough income to last through retirement? You'll need more than Applied Materials. Learn how to maximize your investment income and "Secure Your Future With 9 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks." Click here for instant access to this free report.

Add Applied Materials to My Watchlist.

Top 5 Undervalued Companies For 2014

Top 5 Undervalued Companies For 2014: 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 integration, and inven! tory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vanina Egea]

  To explore and produce, a great investment is required in tools, and one of the leading equipment suppliers is Schlumberger (SLB). A key to remaining on top of the industry is innovation, and of that the company has a whole load. Throughout 2014 alone, the firm has introduced a microseismic surface acquisition system, a new fracturing technique for unconventional reserves, launched a degradable alloy technology to improve well productivity, a multilayer bed boundary detection service for clastic and carbonate fields, and a rotary steerable system that increases directional control and drilling efficiency. These product introductions have been done during the first quarter of 2014, making a strong statement about the company's research and development pipeline. Gurus, however, mostly dropped the stock during the end of 2013. Let us see whether you can take advantage of the dumping and take a large position with long-term prospects.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) is a top mega cap oil field services stock rated as an Overweight at Baird. Strong offshore drilling activity combined with a seasonal rebound in western Canadian activity have driven Schlumberger’s recent growth. The company said it expects double-digit earnings growth for the rest of the year when it reported earnings recently. For 2014 and beyond, Schlumberger sees five markets providing strong growth: Russia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, China and Australia. Shareholders are paid a 1.8% dividend. The consensus price target is $110.83. Schlumberger closed Thursday at $91.11.

• [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 ear! nings 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).

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

Moviegoers "Unchain" Themselves Outside the Theaters

Breaking free with its second week in release, the movie Django Unchained was the most-rented DVD and Blu-ray movie in the week ending April 28, and it also nabbed the top spot in sales, according to the latest statistics released by media tracking firm Rentrak.

Distributed by Anchor Bay and Starz  (NASDAQ: LSTZA  ) , Django took the top spot in sales by beating out Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) Gangster Squad and General Electric's (NYSE: GE  ) Universal Studios effort A Haunted House.

On the rental front, the Quentin Tarantino splatter-fest shot up the charts and put in the cold, hard ground GE's This Is 40, which had limited distribution, and Life of Pi from News Corp.'s  (NASDAQ: FOX  )  20th Century Fox subsidiary.

Since its release on Christmas Day, Django enjoyed $162.8 million in domestic box office sales and more than $258 million internationally, for a worldwide box office haul of almost $421 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Not bad for a movie with a $100 million production budget.

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Rentrak's Retail Essentials measures weekly consumer sales activity on standard DVD and Blu-ray disc titles in the U.S. brick-and-mortar channel, while Home Video Essentials is a proprietary rental point-of-sale tracking system, which calculates the performance of more than 65,000 DVD and video game titles in the bricks‑and‑mortar, by-mail and online subscription, and kiosk channels across North America.

Multimedia Games Holding Beats on Both Top and Bottom Lines

Multimedia Games Holding (Nasdaq: MGAM  ) reported earnings on April 30. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q2), Multimedia Games Holding beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly. GAAP earnings per share increased significantly.

Gross margins contracted, operating margins increased, net margins grew.

Revenue details
Multimedia Games Holding recorded revenue of $46.6 million. The three analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ foresaw revenue of $42.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 18% higher than the prior-year quarter's $39.5 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.31. The three earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.19 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.31 for Q2 were 29% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.24 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 81.4%, 250 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 29.9%, much better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 20.1%, 290 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $44.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.20.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $176.8 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.82.

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Investor sentiment

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Multimedia Games Holding is buy, with an average price target of $22.17.

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BHP Billiton Looks to Clean House

Nickel West Australia. Source: BHP Billiton

BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP  ) wants to do some spring cleaning. Instead of having mining and energy assets stacked up around the world, BHP believes sorting them out into just five neat piles -- iron ore, copper, coal, petroleum, and potash -- will increase shareholder value. But just as the task of cleaning out my garage becomes an enormously complicated task because of my odd collection of interests that make it difficult to sift through the morass, investors may find simplifying BHP's portfolio is not a simple weekend project, either.

Left on the discard pile would be assets such as nickel, manganese, and aluminum, whose underperformance has undermined the strength of the whole. After reporting $7.8 billion in net profits over the second half of 2013, as iron ore production advanced at a record clip and both it and metallurgical coal are expected to hit the miner's ambitious full-year guidance, it's clear the unloved assets are dragging the rest down.

Operating profits by commodity. Source: BHP Billiton.

Spinning off the assets, which some analysts suggest could be worth as much as $20 billion Australian, gives BHP the chance to shave off those less profitable businesses that it might otherwise have a difficult time selling into a depressed market for those commodities. Rival Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO  ) has pulled several businesses off the market after hanging out a shingle saying it was willing to sell them, because of a lack of buyers wanting to pay up for what the miner thought they were worth.

Not that BHP isn't willing to sell assets if necessary. It already sold its diamond business along with some coal, copper, petroleum, and uranium assets in recent years, including $6.5 billion worth announced or completed in the past year.

But the remaining non-core assets that would be available for disposition have largely been depressed, meaning they wouldn't command as high a price on the market. The miner has attempted to create shareholder value by pursuing several large takeovers, such as its failed bids for both Rio Tinto iron ore assets in 2010 and PotashCorp (NYSE: POT  ) , both of which ran into governmental opposition. It was the failure to merge with the latter that led to BHP's acquiring the massive Jansen deposit in Saskatchewan that created the miner's potential fifth pillar.

Some analysts see a dilemma in BHP's choice for divesting the unwanted assets. If it spins them off, investors might not realize value since the markets for the minerals, other than nickel, which has benefited from India's export ban, is still depressed. An IPO might similarly not fare well, as it's uncertain whether there would be an appetite for new mining shares. And as I discussed, selling the assets might not garner the valuation anticipated and would take longer to achieve, meaning performance would still be dragged down as if it kept operating them.

Cleaning house is usually a worthwhile endeavor, but when you're standing hip deep in the detritus created from sorting out the piles from your efforts, it can seem an overwhelming task with no perfect solution. BHP Billiton has been signaling that it wants to straighten things up, and investors would be likely to benefit from the fresh start.

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Factory Activity Picks Up, More Gains Eyed as Winter Fades

Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- U.S. factory activity rose in March, with production posting its biggest increase since the recession ended in the latest indication the economy was regaining its footing after a brutal winter. An unusually cold and snowy winter chilled activity early in the year and signs of a thaw should boost hopes of a strong bounce back in economic growth in the second quarter. "Winter is over. The economy is looking more positive today and overall business conditions continue to show improvement," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York. The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday its index of national factory activity rose to 53.7 last month from a reading of 53.2 in February. Though it was below economists' forecast for a 54 reading, March marked the second month of gains. Readings above 50 indicate expansion in the sector, which accounts for about 12 percent of the economy. Activity was buoyed by a 7.7 percentage point rebound in the production index after it showed contraction in February. The increase was the largest since June 2009, just as the recession was ending. The forward-looking new orders index rose to 55.1 from 54.5 in February. There was also a surge in order backlogs and export orders. Fourteen of the 18 manufacturing industries reported growth. "The broad-based nature of the gains among industries underscores the extent of the rebound as the sector continues to dig itself out of the weather-induced slump earlier this year," said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York. "It offers an upbeat assessment on manufacturing." Stocks on Wall Street pushed higher on the factory report, with the Standard & Poor's 500 index hitting a record high. Prices for U.S. Treasury debt fell and the dollar was marginally weaker against a basket of currencies. Even as the sector begins to break out of the cold spell, factory activity remains weaker than during the second half of last year. Warehouses are bulging with massive stocks of unsold goods accumulated in the second half of 2013, leaving businesses with little incentive to place large orders with manufacturers. Customer Inventories Down The ISM survey found a sharp drop in customers' inventories, though manufacturers' inventories were unchanged from February. A desire to reduce inventory and the harsh weather are expected to hold the economy to an annualized growth pace below 2 percent in the first quarter. That would be a step back from the fourth-quarter's 2.6 percent rate. A separate factory gauge from data firm Markit slipped in March, but stayed in positive territory, as ebbing overseas demand clipped orders. While manufacturing appears to shaking off winter's chill, construction activity continued to be held back in February. The Commerce Department said construction spending edged up 0.1 percent after slipping 0.2 percent in January. Construction spending was curbed by a 0.8 percent drop in private residential construction projects, which was the largest fall since July. But a surge in spending on nonresidential construction, such as factories and power plants, lifted overall private outlays to their highest level since December 2008. "Given housing's recent disappointing numbers, this sector's cyclical turnaround comes at a good time," said Stephanie Karol, an economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "Real construction spending should contract in the first quarter. This is an inauspicious beginning to 2014, but we expect conditions to improve later in the year." The decline in private residential construction was led by a 1.1 percent drop in single-family home building. Public construction spending nudged up 0.1 percent in February, with a jump in federal outlays offsetting a fall in state and local government spending. -.