Best Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014

For Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) , cable companies are more "frenemy" than enemy. New deals bring HBO GO and WatchESPN to all Apple TV users who have cable plans that include access to those channels.

Viewers also gain access to SkyNews for coverage of breaking news in the U.K. and Ireland, Crunchyroll for Japanese Anime, and Qello for on-demand streaming for concerts and music documentaries.

Promotional video for HBO GO on Apple TV. Sources: HBO, YouTube.

"HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, in a press release. �

Viewers benefit by getting access to a better interface for live sports programming and HBO's full library of content, while cable companies preserve their connections to subscribers. Everyone wins, right? For now, yes. Just don't mistake Apple for anything other than a disruptor.

Hot Japanese Companies To Invest In 2015: MGE Energy Inc (MGEE)

MGE Energy, Inc. (MGE Energy), incorporated on December 31, 2001, is a holding company and conducts all of its business operations through its subsidiaries. Madison Gas and Electric Company (MGE) is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGE Energy. The Company operates in five segments: Regulated electric utility operations, which is engaged in generating, purchasing, and distributing electricity through MGE; Regulated gas utility operations, which is engaged in purchasing and distributing natural gas through MGE; Nonregulated energy operations, which is engaged in constructing, owning, and leasing electric generating capacity that assists MGE through MGE Energy's wholly owned subsidiaries MGE Power Elm Road and MGE Power West Campus; Transmission investments, which is representing its investment in American Transmission Company LLC, and All other, which is investing in companies and property that relate to the regulated operations and financing the regulated operations, through its wholly owned subsidiaries MAGAEL and CWDC, and Corporate functions.

Electric Utility Operations

MGE distributes electricity in a service area covering a 316 square-mile area of Dane County, Wisconsin. The service area includes the city of Madison, Wisconsin. It owns or leases ownership interests in electric generation facilities located in Wisconsin and Iowa. As of December 31, 2012, MGE supplied electric service to approximately 140,000 customers, with approximately 90% located in the cities of Fitchburg, Madison, Middleton, and Monona and 10% in adjacent areas. Electric operations accounted for approximately 73.7% as of December 31, 2012. MGE is registered with two Regional Entities, The Midwest Reliability Organization and Reliability First Corporation. MGE and two other utilities jointly own Columbia, a coal-fired generating facility.

MGE owns gas fired combustion turbines. These turbines are primarily located in Madison and Marinette, Wisconsin, and have a total of 155 megawatts of net su! mmer rated capacity. MGE also owns the Blount Generating Facility located in Madison, Wisconsin, which is fueled by gas and other alternative renewable sources. MGE owns 30 megawatts, consisting of 18 turbines, in a wind-powered electric generating facility in Worth County, Iowa. MGE also owns 11 megawatts, consisting of 17 turbines, in a wind-powered electric generating facility in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin.

Gas Utility Operations

MGE transports and distributes natural gas in a service area covering 1,631 square miles in seven south-central Wisconsin counties. The service area includes the city of Madison, Wisconsin and surrounding areas. As of December 31, 2012, MGE supplied natural gas service to approximately 145,000 customers in the cities of Elroy, Fitchburg, Lodi, Madison, Middleton, Monona, Prairie du Chien, Verona, and Viroqua; 24 villages, and all or parts of 45 townships.

Nonregulated Energy Operations

MGE Energy, through its subsidiaries, has developed generation sources that assist MGE in meeting the electricity needs of its customers. MGE Power Elm Road and two other owners own undivided interests in the coal-fired Elm Road Units in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Unit I and Unit II have the capacity to produce 615 megawatts of electricity. Wisconsin Energy Corporation owns approximately 83% of the Elm Road Units and is the operator for those units. MGE Power Elm Road owns an 8.33% ownership interest in both units.

MGE Power West Campus and the University of Wisconsin at Madison (UW) jointly own undivided interests in a natural gas-fired cogeneration facility on the UW campus. The facility has the capacity to produce 20,000 tons of chilled water, 500,000 pounds per hour of steam, and approximately 150 megawatts of electricity. The UW owns 45% of the facility, which represents its interest in the chilled-water and steam assets. MGE leases the electric generating assets owned by MGE Power West Campus and is responsible for operating the! entire f! acility.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  MGE Energy Inc. (MGEE) operates as a public utility holding company in Wisconsin. Aug. 16, the company increased its quarterly dividend 3.2% to $0.4076 per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable Sept. 15, 2013 to shareholders of record Sept. 1, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.0%.

Best Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Penford Corporation(PENX)

Penford Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of specialty natural-based ingredient systems for food and industrial ingredient applications primarily in the United States. It develops and manufactures ingredients with starch as a base. The starch products are manufactured primarily from corn and potatoes, and are used as binders and coatings in paper and food production, as well as an ingredient in fuel. The company?s Industrial Ingredients segment provides specialty starches to the paper and packaging industries in ethylated, oxidized, and cationic forms. Its ethylated and oxidized starches are used in coatings and as binders, providing printability to fine white, magazine, and catalog paper; and cationic and other liquid starches are used in the paper forming process in paper production, providing the bonding of paper fibers and other ingredients. This segment also produces and sells fuel grade ethanol. The company?s Food Ingredients segmen t offers specialty starches and dextrins to the food manufacturing and food service industries. Its specialty starches are used in coatings for various products, such as French fries sold in restaurants, as well as used as moisture binders in a range of foods, including canned products, sauces, whole and processed meats, dry powdered mixes, and other food and bakery products. Penford Corporation sells its products through a direct sales force, as well as through distributor agreements to manufacturers and processors. The company was founded in 1894 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Murray Close, Warner Bros./AP From a major banking institution kicking off the new earnings season to the most-anticipated theme park debut of the year staging its grand opening, here are some things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- Food for Thought The market's going to get off to a slow start on the news front. That's not a surprise given that it was closed Friday for Independence Day. One company that will be in the news on Monday is food and industrial products maker Penford (PENX). Penford's wide range of products include food ingredients, pet and animal products, sustainable bioproducts, starches for paper and packaging products and biofuels. Analysts see Penford earning 21 cents a share, but keep in mind that it has come up short against Wall Street expectations in each of the three previous quarters. Tuesday -- Harry Potter Central Florida will be a bit busier than usual on Tuesday when Comcast's (CMCSK) Universal Orlando has its grand opening of the new Diagon Alley expansion to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's been a rough start. July 8 wasn't the opening date that the park originally wanted, judging by the fact that it had "The Tonight Show" and "Today" run weeklong tie-ins a few weeks ago. Conveniently for Comcast, it owns both the Universal theme parks and NBC. However, with the expansion's indoor coaster proving unreliable -- and even Universal pass holders being denied early access to attractions outside of the new Hogwarts Express train ride -- it could be an interesting debut. The crowds should be huge, the expectations lofty. Wednesday -- Mopping Up WD-40 (WDFC) reports on Wednesday afternoon. This is the company behind the multi-use lubricant. It also offers industrial cleaners, toilet sanitizers and other compounds. WD-40 didn't work out for its shareholders last time out. It posted better than expected 9 percent growth in revenue, but earnings fell just short of expectations. WD-4

Best Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Integrated Device Technology Inc. (IDTI)

Integrated Device Technology, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a range of integrated circuits for communications, computing, and consumer industries worldwide. It operates in two segments, Communications, and Computing and Consumer. The Communications segment offers communication clocks, digital logic products, first in and first out memories, serial RapidIO solutions for wireless base station infrastructure applications, integrated communications processors, static random access memory products, radio frequency products, and telecommunications semiconductor products. This segment markets its products to the enterprise, data center, and wireless markets. The Computing and Consumer segment provides timing products, PCI Express switching and bridging solutions, high-performance server memory interfaces, multi-port products, touch controllers, signal integrity products, and PC audio and video products. This segment?s computing products are designed for deskto p, notebook, sub-notebook, storage, and server applications; and consumer products are optimized primarily for gaming consoles, set-top boxes, digital TV, and smart phones. The company markets its products primarily to original equipment manufacturers through various channels, including a direct sales force, distributors, electronic manufacturing suppliers, and independent sales representatives. Integrated Device Technology, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  
  Integrated Device Technology (IDTI): Interim President and CEO Jeffrey Stephen McCreary Bought 60,000 Shares

  Interim President and CEO of Integrated Device Technology (IDTI) Jeffrey Stephen McCreary bought 60,000 shares during the past week at an average price of $8.72. Integrated Device Technology was incorporated in California in 1980 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1987. Integrated Device Technology has a market cap of $1.31 billion; its shares were traded at around $8.72 with a P/E ratio of 39.00 and P/S ratio of 2.66.

Best Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Pioneer Floating Rate Trust(PHD)

Pioneer Floating Rate Trust is closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Pioneer Investment Management, Inc. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund primarily invests in senior secured floating-rate loans. It invests in fixed income securities with average credit quality of B. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index. Pioneer Floating Rate Trust was formed on October 6, 2004 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Dowdee]

  The following 10 funds satisfied all of these conditions:

  BlackRock Float Rate Strategies (FRA). This CEF sells at a discount of 3%, which is low compared to an average premium of 2% over the past year. The distribution has been managed at 6.1% and a small amount (less than 10%) has been return of capital (ROC). However, this has not negatively affected net asset value (NAV) so has not been destructive. The fund holds 447 securities, with 90% in floating rate loans. FRA utilizes 27% leverage and has an expense ratio of 1.7%, including interest payments. Eaton Vance Floating Rate (EFR). This CEF sells at a 1% premium, which is low compared to an average premium of 5% over the past year. The distribution is 6.2%, none of which was ROC. The fund holds 800 securities, with 90% in floating rate loans. About 85% of the securities are from U.S. companies. EFR utilizes 35% leverage and has an expense ratio of 1.8% including interest payments. ING Prime Rate Trust (PPR). This CEF sells for a premium of 2%, which is below the average premium of 5%. It has a distribution of 6.8%, none of which was ROC. The fund has 350 holdings, virtually all in senior loans and from US companies. PPR utilizes 29% leverage and has a high expense ratio of 2.1%, including interest payments. Invesco VK Dynamic Credit Opportunities (VTA). This CEF sells for a discount of 5%, which is below the average discount of 1%. It has a distribution of 7.1%, none of which was ROC. The fund has 495 holdings, with 76% in floating rate loans. About 25% of the loans are from non-US companies. VTA utilizes a relatively low 20% leverage but still has a high expense ratio of 2.1%, including interest payments. Invesco VK Senior Income (VVR). This CEF sells for a discount of 1%, which is below the average premium of 3%. It has a distribution of 7.1%, none of which was ROC. The fund has over 500 holdings, with 89% in floating rate loans. Almost all (95%) securities are from US companies. VVR ut

Best Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Nielsen Holdings NV (NLSN)

Nielsen Holdings N.V., incorporated on May 17, 2006, is a global information and measurement company. The Company delivers media and marketing information, and analytics on a global and local basis. It operates in three segments: Buy segment, Watch segment and Expositions segment. The Company�� Buy segment provides retail transactional measurement data, consumer behavior information and analytics primarily to businesses in the consumer packaged goods industry. Its Watch segment provides viewership data and analytics primarily to the media and advertising industries across television, online and mobile screens. The Company�� Expositions segment operates business-to-business trade shows and conference events in the United States. The Company�� clients include The Coca-Cola Company, NBC Universal, Nestle S.A., News Corp., The Procter & Gamble Company and the Unilever Group. In May 2011, it acquired NeuroFocus Inc. In August 2011, the Company acquired Marketing Analytics, Inc. In June 2013, Onex Corp announced that it has completed the acquisition of Nielsen Expositions from its parent, an affiliate of Nielsen Holdings NV (Nielsen).

What Consumers Buy

The Company�� Buy segment provides retail transactional measurement data, consumer behavior information and analytics primarily to businesses in the consumer packaged goods industry. This segment is organized into two areas: Information, which provides retail scanner and consumer panel-based measurement, and Insights, which provides a range of analytics. The Company�� consumer panels collect data from approximately 240,000 household panelists across 26 countries that use in-home scanners to record purchases from each shopping trip. Its analytical services are organized into seven primary categories: growth and demand strategy, market structure and segmentation, brand and portfolio management, product innovation services, pricing and sales modeling, retail marketing strategies and marketing return-on-investment (ROI) strate! gies.

What Consumers Watch

The Company�� Watch segment provides viewership data and analytics primarily to the media and advertising industries across television, online and mobile devices. It is engaged in the television audience measurement. The Company provides two principal television ratings services in the United States: measurement of national television audiences and measurement of local television audiences in all 210 designated local television markets. It measures television viewing in 28 countries outside the United States, including Australia, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico and South Korea. The Company is a global provider of Internet media and market research, audience analytics and social media measurement. Its online measurement service has a presence in 46 countries, including the United States, France, South Korea and Brazil. The Company provides critical advertising metrics, such as audience demographics, page and ad views, and time spent.

The Company provides independent measurement and consumer research for telecom and media companies in the mobile telecommunications industry. The Company offers mobile measurement services in 10 countries worldwide, including the United States. The Company develops advanced measurement techniques of the three principal screens: television, online and mobile devices. Its cross-platform measurement solution provides information about simultaneous usage of more than one screen, unduplicated reach, cause and effect analysis and program viewing behavior. It also provides advertising effectiveness research across multiple platforms. It also integrates data from its Buy segment with these measurement platforms.

The Company competes with GfK, Ipsos, Canoe Ventures, Dish Networks, WPP, Rentrak, TiVo, Mediametrie, Coremetrics, Google, Omniture, WebTrends, BuzzLogic, Cymfony and Umbria.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  McGraw-Hill's S&P Dow Jones Indices has made a change in one of its iconic products. After the close of trading on July 8, the S&P 500 will be home to media research conglomerate Nielsen Holdings (NYSE: NLSN  ) . The stock replaces big telecom operator Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) .

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Marketing. PEP remains on the cutting edge for marketing as well. Just recall the company�� “Crash the Super Bowl” campaign, which allowed fans to develop their own ads. For the 2013 game, the winning ad was ranked No. 1 for “most liked” and “most memorable” according to Nielsen (NLSN) ratings.�PEP is also aggressive with celebrity and athlete endorsements, as well as deals with organizations like the National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Hockey League. Beyonce at the Super Bowl, anyone? Retailers are more likely to carry PEP products because of these brand associations.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN  ) has been asking Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) to add tracking codes to YouTube videos for years, but Google has refused. Why wouldn't you just trust YouTube's own viewing numbers?

Best Japanese Companies To Invest In 2014: Dragonwave Inc(DRWI)

Dragonwave Inc. provides wireless Ethernet equipment for emerging Internet protocol networks worldwide. It designs, develops, markets, and sells carrier-grade microwave radio frequency networking equipment that wirelessly transmit broadband voice, video, and other data between two points. The company?s products have application in the backhaul function in a wireless communications network, as well as in point-to-point transport in private networks, including municipal and enterprise applications. It markets its wireless carrier-Ethernet links under the Horizon trade name. The company also offers service delivery unit solution products based on pseudowire technology. It markets its products to communications service providers comprising cellular service providers and broadband wireless access service providers; wireless extension of fixed-line networks to directly connect high-bandwidth end-customers to the core network; and private networks of large multi-site organizatio ns directly, as well as through distributors and regional value-added resellers. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  The third quarter 2014�earnings report for network communication platform maker�Ubiquiti Networks Inc (NASDAQ: UBNT), a peer of small cap stocks�Aviat Networks Inc (NASDAQ: AVNW), Ceragon Networks Ltd (NASDAQ: CRNT) and�DragonWave, Inc (NASDAQ: DRWI), is due out after the market closes on Thursday with shares already trending upwards as they closed 4.08% higher on Tuesday. Aside from the Ubiquiti Networks earnings report, it should be said that Aviat Networks Inc reported earnings yesterday after the market closed (shares were sinking hard in after hours trading); Ceragon Networks Ltd will report earnings before the market opens on Thursday; and DragonWave, Inc is scheduled to report after the market closes next Wednesday. So it�� a busy week for network communications stocks.