Top Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2015

We are strong believers in making buy, sell or hold investing decisions predicated on the fundamentals of the business that the common stock represents. On the other hand, we also acknowledge the undeniable reality that ��r. Market��does not always price a company according to its intrinsic value based on earnings and cash flows. However, we would further argue that Mr. Market�� shenanigans are more apt to apply over the shorter run than they are over the longer run. To summarize, earnings determine market price in the long run, but investor psychology can play havoc with sound fundamental values over shorter periods of time.

With this article we��e going to take an in-depth look at McDonald's Corp. (MCD) based on its fundamental value by the numbers. There are two primary reasons for writing this particular article at this particular time, both of which were instigated by reader comments and suggestions.

First of all, we��e seen a running debate regarding whether McDonald's (MCD) is fairly valued or overvalued at today�� valuation levels. Second, we��e been challenged to write articles that were depicting full value or overvaluation because we have typically only written articles on undervalued selections. We believe that because McDonald's had such a strong run in calendar year 2011, many people believe that it now must be overvalued after rising so much.

Top 5 Gold Stocks For 2016: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Where growth will come from
    One area that Newell Rubbermaid still has to tap fully is emerging markets. The company has done a good job of expanding overseas, with 17% annual growth in Latin America. But with barely a quarter of its sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada, the company has a lot further to go. Storage rival Tupperware (NYSE: TUP  ) gets fully 60% of its total revenue from emerging markets, and it too has seen impressive gains in South America as well as the Asia-Pacific region.

  • [By James Brumley]

    CSCO stock might be one of the market’s dark-horse stories of 2014; the dividend yield is the icing on the cake.

    Dividend Stocks to Buy: Tupperware Brands (TUP)

    Dividend Yield: 3.2%

  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.03 per share on revenue of $623.34 million.

    Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.12 per share on revenue of $779.02 million.

Top Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2015: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

    David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Like millions of Americans, Darnel Ware needs to save money, even if it's 40 cents on a bag of flour. He searches for those savings during his daily visits to the Family Dollar Store near his home in Fraser, Michigan, sometimes stopping by as many as 10 times a week "if there are things I need," said the 51-year-old home care provider. "I buy a lot of everything; merchandise and food products." He said he typically spends about $30 a trip on items such as the soft drinks, paper cups and cookies he bought on a recent afternoon at the small store in a strip mall alongside other discount retailers and small factories five miles from Detroit. The small but frequent purchases of low-income customers such as Ware add up: Family Dollar Stores (FDO), which operates about 8,200 stores in mainly urban sections of the U.S., is the target of an $9 billion cash takeover offer from rival Dollar General and an $8.5 billion cash and stock offer from Dollar Tree. Both competitors are betting not only on the health of the deep discount retail sector but also on the intractability of poverty in America. Mid-market retailers such as Walmart Stores (WMT), Macy's (M) and J.C. Penney (JCP) have been struggling in recent years as consumers have been slow to return to their pre-recession, freer spending ways. On Wednesday, Target (TGT) said it was cutting its full-year earnings and slashing prices. But the popularity of so-called dollar stores is growing. Shopping by the 46.5 million Americans living below the poverty line poor helped boost the annual U.S. market for deep discount stores by 45.7 percent to $48.2 billion between 2008 and 2013, according to London-based market researcher Euromonitor International. The firm projects the sector to grow to $57 billion in 2018. The U.S. Census sets the poverty line at $24,000 a year or less for a family of four. Such forecasts help explain the battle over Family Dollar, the number-two de

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Big Earnings Movers: Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) is down 3.5% at $64.19. Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) is down 2.9% at $59.93 on a wider loss and tepid outlook. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) is up 14.1% at $70.57 indicating that investors liked the results posted after markets closed on Wednesday. Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) is down 4.5% at $56.28. Abercrombie & Fitch Inc. (NYSE: ANF) is down 0.1% at $34.97.

Top Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2015: 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 inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Arjun Sreekumar]

    Opportunities for oilfield services firms
    Not surprisingly, Halliburton and other major energy companies view Chinese shale gas development as a significant opportunity for future growth. Many of them, including Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI  ) , ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) , and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , have already developed strategic relationships with Chinese firms to better evaluate the nation's shale gas potential.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    But with two agencies seemingly giving the procedure a green light to continue, the Justice Department is stepping in to investigate supposed anticompetitive practices. Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) , the favorite whipping post of environmental activists, is the industry leader, with an estimated 29% share of the pressure pumping market, while Baker Hughes had a 4% share.�Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , which is the second biggest services provider with a 21% share, hasn't said whether it's received any inquiries from the government.

Top Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2015: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rupert Hargreaves]

    Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) and Joy Global (NYSE: JOY  ) have a problem: China. No, I'm not talking about the Chinese economy here, I am in fact talking about the quality of mining equipment being manufactured within China, which has drastically improved in recent years.

Top 5 Semiconductor Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 5 Semiconductor Stocks To Watch Right Now: On Track Innovations Ltd (OTIV)

On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTI) designs, develops and markets solutions based on its secure contactless microprocessor-based smart card technology to address the needs of a range of markets. The Companys products combine the benefits of both microprocessors and contactless cards. In addition to contactless microprocessor-based smart cards, it also sells products that are based on other card technologies. The Company has focused on the development of its technologies and its products based on its technological platform that consists of smart cards, smart card readers, software tools and secure communication technology. As of December 31, 2012, it offers three lines of solutions, each of which constitutes a complete system, as well as components (such as smart cards and readers) that we sell to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), for incorporation into their own products. OTIs three vertical markets include Payment Solutions, Petroleum Systems and SmartID Solutions. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Markman Advisors]

    Public companies leveraging their patent portfolios, (aka "patent plays"), are getting the market's attention. Companies such as Vringo (VRNG), ParkerVision (PRKR), MGT Capital (MGT), Worlds Inc. (WDDD.OB) and others have presented trading opportunities due to their volatility while retaining the chance for a big payoff to those investors who stay the course. Yet there exist viable patent plays that are still undiscovered. Some of these so called "plays," which are not getting enough attention, are actually real companies making and selling real products or services in contrast to pure patent monetization companies. Some known examples are Single Touch Interactive (SITO.OB) and Blue Calypso (BCYP.OB). This article is focused on another one of these patent plays, On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTIV).

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

     

     

    One under-$10 technology player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade is On Track Innovations (OTIV), which designs, develops and markets contactless microprocessor-based smart card solutions to customers in Africa, Europe, the Far East, the Americas and Israel. This stock has been red hot over the last three months, with shares up a whopping 134%.

    If you take a look at the chart for On Track Innovations, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways and consolidating over the last month and change, with shares moving between $2.70 on the downside and $3.74 on the upside. Shares of OTIV have now started to spike higher off some near-term support at $3 a share and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in OTIV if it manages to break out above its 52-week high at $3.74 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 626,538 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then OTIV will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $4.50 to $5.50 a share.

    Traders can look to buy OTIV off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits just below some key near-term support levels at $3.20 or at $3 a share. One can also buy OTIV off strength once it starts to clear its 52-week high at $3.74 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

  • source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-semiconductor-stocks-to-watch-right-now-2.html

Best Supermarket Stocks To Buy For 2015

Natural and organics food stock United Natural Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: UNFI) fell 8.09% after reporting earnings, meaning its worth taking a closer look at those earnings as well as the performance of Whole Foods Market, Inc (NASDAQ: WFM), The Hain Celestial Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HAIN) and�Annies Inc (NYSE: BNNY) as stocks in the sector have been trending down lately while competition in the space has increased.

What is United Natural Foods, Inc?

United Natural Foods is the leading independent national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods and related products including nutritional supplements, personal care items and organic produce ��carrying and distributing�more than 65,000 products to more than 31,000 customer locations throughout the United States and Canada. The company serves a wide variety of retail formats including conventional supermarket chains, natural product superstores, independent retail operators and the food service channel.

Top 5 Cheap Companies To Buy For 2016: Acxiom Corporation(ACXM)

Acxiom Corporation provides marketing technology and services that enable marketers to manage audience, personalize consumer experiences, and create customer relationships. It operates in two segments, Information Services and Information Products. The Information Services segment offers customer data integration, multichannel marketing services, infrastructure management services, and consulting services. This segment also develops, sells, and delivers industry-tailored solutions, including the design and creation of marketing databases and data warehouses; data integration and customer-recognition systems; marketing applications; list processing; and information technology services. The Information Products segment develops and sells various data products, including segmentation products and domestic fraud and risk mitigation products, as well as online advertising products. This segment provides InfoBase-Xa, a customer-centric foundation for various marketing needs with a collection of the United States consumer information available in one source; PersonicXa, a household segmentation and visualization system; and Acxiom Relevance-Xa, an online advertising network that lets marketers reach the consumers interested in their particular product or service. The company serves clients in financial services, insurance, information services, direct marketing, media, retail, consumer packaged goods, technology, automotive, healthcare, travel, and telecommunications industries. It offers its products and services in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sally Jones]


    Acxiom Corporation (ACXM): Reduced

    Up 47% over 12 months, Acxiom Corporation has a market cap of $1.84 billion; its shares were traded at around $24.98 with a P/E ratio of 33.40 and a P/B of 3.00.

Best Supermarket Stocks To Buy For 2015: Alcoa Inc.(AA)

Alcoa, Inc. engages in the production and management of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina. The company operates in four segments: Alumina, Primary Metals, Flat-Rolled Products, and Engineered Products and Solutions. The Alumina segment engages in mining of bauxite, which is then refined into alumina. The Primary Metals segment produces aluminum. The Flat-Rolled Products segment engages in the production and sale of aluminum plate, sheet, and foil. The Engineered Products and Solutions segment produces and sells titanium, aluminum, and super alloy investment castings, hard alloy extrusions, forgings and fasteners, aluminum wheels, integrated aluminum structural systems, and architectural extrusions. Its products are used in aircraft, automobiles, commercial transportation, packaging, building and construction, oil and gas, defense, consumer electronics, and industrial applications. The company holds interests in bauxite mining activities. The company has op erations primarily in the United States, Australia, Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands, Norway, France, the Russian Federation, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom, China, and Germany. Alcoa, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

    An analyst at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) has raised its price target on Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) from $12 to $15, a jump of about 36% from the stock�� trading price of around $11 and change late Tuesday afternoon. The research note is cited a Barron��:

  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

    Shorts aren�� shorting this stock because they think it�� going BK. They��e shorting the stock because they don�� think it�� the right environment for Alcoa. While shorting a stock like Alcoa isn�� recommended, the shorts are correct in regards to their analysis. Simply put, Alcoa performs well when the economy is beginning to strengthen and demand is on the rise. That isn�� the case at this point in time.

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    Alcoa (NYSE: AA  ) was another poor performer, falling 2.2% as aluminum prices hovered near three-year lows. Still, prices were rising today in response to a decision by the Chinese state aluminum producer Chalco to temporarily cut capacity by 380,000 tons, or 10% of total output. Alcoa also recently saw itself downgraded to junk status by Moody's.

Best Supermarket Stocks To Buy For 2015: Evoke Pharma Inc (EVOK)

Evoke Pharma, Inc., incorporated on January 29, 2007, is a specialty pharmaceutical company. The Company is focused primarily on the development of drugs to treat gastrointestinal (GI), disorders and diseases. The Company is developing EVK-001, a metoclopramide nasal spray for the relief of symptoms associated with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis in women with diabetes mellitus. The Company�� lead product candidate, EVK-001, is in late stage clinical testing. EVK-001 is a formulation of this drug, designed to provide systemic delivery of metoclopramide through intranasal administration.

Gastroparesis is a condition of delayed gastric emptying in the absence of mechanical obstruction. Gastroparesis results in food remaining in the stomach for a longer time than normal, yielding a variety of symptoms. Gastroparesis is a common problem in individuals with diabetes, but also is observed in patients with prior gastric surgery, a preceding infectious illness, pseudo-obstruction, collagen vascular disorders and anorexia nervosa. EVK-001 is designed to effectively bypass the digestive system and allow for more predictable drug administration of its nasal spray formulation across the thin mucosa in the nasal cavity.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

    The first, Evoke Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: EVOK), will release data from a phase 3 trial of its experimental drug EVK-001, a potential treatment for women with recurrent diabetic gastroparesis. The data follows successful results from a previous phase 2 study of the drug.

Best Supermarket Stocks To Buy For 2015: Global Eagle Entertainment Inc (ENT)

Global Eagle Entertainment Inc., formerly Global Eagle Acquisition Corp., incorporated on February 2, 2011, is the full service platform offering both content and connectivity for the worldwide airline industry. Through its combined content, distribution and technology platforms, the Company provides airlines and the millions of travelers they serve with the offering of in-flight video content, e-commerce and information services. Through its Row 44 subsidiary, the Company utilizes Ku-band satellite technology to provide airline passengers with Internet access, live television, shopping and travel-related information. As of February 1, 2013, the Company installed on more than 450 aircraft, Row 44 has the fleet of connected entertainment platforms operating over land and sea globally. In addition, through its AIA division, the Company provides film and television content, games and applications to more than 130 airlines worldwide. In July 2013, the Company announced the acquisition of Post Modern Group, LLC. In October 2013, Global Eagle Entertainment Inc announced that it has acquired Travel Entertainment Group Equity Limited, the United Kingdom-based parent company of IFE Services Limited (IFE Services) from GCP Capital Partners LLP.

The Company�� Row 44 subsidiary provides satellite-based broadband service to the global airline industry. The Company�� Advanced Inflight Alliance (AIA) business is the provider of content services, products and solutions for the global inflight entertainment market. AIA also serves as the exclusive representative in sourcing Hollywood content for 60 airline customers and is the exclusive distributor of content from select Hollywood studios and independent producers to the airline market. In addition, AIA is the airline distributor of Asian, Bollywood, European, Latin American and Middle Eastern content.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Richard Stavros]

    This was particularly the view of Leo Denault, CEO of Entergy Corp (NYSE: ENT). Mr. Denault and his fellow panelist, James Robo, CEO of NextEra Energy Inc (NYSE: NEE), offered rather refreshing perspectives on the industry’s challenges, as they are pursuing strategies that are directionally opposed.

Best Supermarket Stocks To Buy For 2015: ModusLink Global Solutions Inc(MLNK)

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

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    ModusLink Global Solutions (NASDAQ: MLNK) fell 6.95% to $4.55 in pre-market trading after the company announced a proposed $75 million convertible senior notes offering.

Best Supermarket Stocks To Buy For 2015: PureSafe Water Systems Inc (PSWS)

PureSafe Water Systems, Inc., incorporated on March 9, 1987, is engaged in the design and development of its technology to be used in the manufacture and sale of water purification systems both in and outside the United States. The Company�� PureSafe First Response Water System (PureSafe FRWS) is self-contained and purifies most types of contaminated fresh or service water, including seawater that may be found at a first response emergency site. This system is mobile, by helicopter or transported by truck.

The PureSafe FRWS utilizes its technology which consists of water extraction boom that extracts water from the ocean, streams, ponds, pools of floodwater or a failed municipal distribution system. The extracted water is then treated by the application of advanced water treatment technologies which employ multiple stage filtration, multiple stage sanitation (including ozone, chlorine and ultraviolet purification techniques), reverse osmosis membranes, mineralization and final polishing to meet the standard drinking water requirements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA). Its 2nd prototype (FRWS unit) unit can produce EPA compliant drinking from contaminated fresh or surface water at the rate of 30,000 gallons per day, to provide drinking water to 45,000 people. The unit has a built in generator and water bagging capability at the rate of 30,000 and a half liters bags of water per day

The Company competes with GE, Siemens, Severn Trent, Ecospheres Technology, Lenntech, Testa/Viwa, Lifekeeper, Mobile MaxPure, Bi Pure Water, Rodi, Global Water Group, Nirosoft, LifeStream, and Aquapura Tempest.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap Sodastream International Ltd (NASDAQ: SODA), an Israeli based developer, manufacturer and marketer of�home beverage carbonation systems, has attracted its share of hype over both its products and its stock, but could other small cap water stocks like Primo Water Corporation (NASDAQ: PRMW), Puresafe Water Systems Inc (OTCMKTS: PSWS) and Alkaline Water Company Inc (OTCBB: WTER) attract a similar following? After all, Sodastream International has managed to create a significant amount of buzz from consumers, investors and even short sellers because it�� the�world's largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of home carbonation systems as its�brands are sold in over 60,000 retail stores in 45 countries. Sodastream International is also up 45.7% since the start of the year, up 70.2% over the past year and up 99.3% since November 2010, but shares did spike up to the $75 level in the middle of 2011 and now trade at the $63 level.

5 Best Long Term Stocks To Watch For 2015

Last week we held the monthly joint web chat for subscribers of The Energy Strategist (TES) and MLP Profits. The chat is conducted by Igor Greenwald, who is managing editor for TES and chief investment strategist for MLP Profits, and myself.

We got to most of the questions during this session, but there were a few that required an extended answer, or a bit more research. Of the remaining questions, there were about twice as many specific to MLPs versus those that pertained to conventional energy sector corporations. Below I will address most of the remaining MLP questions from the chat. For questions that weren’t MLP-specific, see this week’s issue of The Energy Letter.

Q: Are the general partner units always the best to hold for long term gains and MLP units for current income?

This question really piqued my interest. Intuitively, I felt like it was probably true, but I didn’t want to answer the question until I could dig into it a bit more. I thought it would be interesting to have a look at the historical performance of a few publicly-traded general partners versus their limited partner to find out if that hypothesis is supported.

Best Income Stocks To Watch Right Now: Westpac Banking Corp (WBK)

Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac), incorporated on August 23, 2002, is a banking organization. Westpac provides a range of banking and financial services, including retail, business and institutional banking, and wealth management services. It operates through three divisions: Australian Financial Services (AFS), Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB) and Westpac New Zealand. AFS encompasses Westpac�� retail and business banking operations in Australia, and includes the businesses of Westpac Retail & Business Banking, St.George Banking Group and BT Financial Group Australia (BFTG). Westpac RBB is responsible for sales and service for Westpac�� consumer, small-to-medium enterprise customers and commercial customers in Australia under the Westpac brands. St.George is responsible for sales, and service for its consumer, business and corporate customers in Australia under the St.George, BankSA, Bank of Melbourne and RAMS brands. BTFG is Westpac�� Australian wealth management division. WIB delivers a range of financial services to commercial, corporate, institutional and government customers with connections to Australia and New Zealand. Westpac New Zealand is responsible for the sales and service of banking, wealth and insurance products for consumers, business and institutional customers in New Zealand. In January 2014, the Company completed the acquisition of Lloyds Banking Group Plc�� Australian asset finance business, Capital Finance Australia Limited, and its Australian corporate loan portfolio, BOS International (Australia) Ltd.

Westpac RBB

Westpac RBB�� activities are conducted through its network of branches and business banking centers, home finance managers (HFMs) and specialized consumer and business relationship managers, with the support of cash flow, financial markets and wealth specialists, customer service centers, automated teller machines (ATMs) and Internet channels.

St.George

Consumer activities are conducted through a networ! k of branches, third party distributors, call centers, automated teller machines (ATMs), electronic funds transfer point-of-sale (EFTPOS) terminals and Internet banking services. Business and corporate customers are provided with a range of banking and financial products and services, including specialist advice for cash flow finance, trade finance, automotive and equipment finance, property finance, transaction banking and treasury services. Sales and service activities for business and corporate customers are conducted by relationship managers through business banking centers, Internet and customer service centre channels.

BTFG

BTFG�� funds management operations include the manufacturing and distribution of investment, superannuation and retirement products; investment platforms, such as Wrap and Master Trusts, and private banking and financial planning. Its Insurance solutions cover the manufacturing and distribution of life, general and lenders mortgage insurance. BTFG�� brands include Advance Asset Management, Ascalon, Asgard, BT, BT Investment Management (64.5% owned by Westpac), BT Select, Licensee Select, Magnitude, Securitor and the advice, private banking and insurance operations of Bank of Melbourne, BankSA, St.George and Westpac.

Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB)

WIB operates through industry relationship and specialist product teams, with knowledge in transactional banking, financial and debt capital markets, specialised capital, margin lending, broking and alternative investment solutions. Customers are supported through branches and subsidiaries located in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, United Kingdom and Asia.

Westpac New Zealand

Westpac conducts its New Zealand banking business through two banks in New Zealand; Westpac New Zealand

Limited, and Westpac Banking Corporation. Westpac New Zealand operates through network of branches and ATMs across both the North and South Islands. Business an! d institu! tional customers are served through relationship and specialist products teams. Banking products are provided under the Westpac and WIB brands, while insurance and wealth products are provided under Westpac Life and BT brands.

Westpac�� other business divisions includes Pacific Banking, which provides banking services for retail and business customers in seven Pacific countries. Branches, ATMs, telephone banking and Internet banking channels are used to deliver its business activities in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Samoa. Pacific Banking�� financial products include personal savings accounts, business transactional accounts, personal and business lending products, business services and a range of international products; Group Services which include technology, banking operations, legal and property services; Treasury which focuses on management of the Group�� interest rate risk and funding requirements, and Core Support which include functions performed centrally including finance, risk and human resources.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bryan Perry]

    Lloyds has several catalysts working in its favor. The bank has been busily disposing of assets that it views as non-core — the latest being a $1.45 billion ($1.37 billion U.S.) disposition of Australian operations to Aussie banking giant Westpac (WBK). In addition, Lloyds said it hopes to pay out as much as 70% of earnings as a dividend by 2016, which as a high-yield editor, has my full attention. This puts shares on a prospective yield for 2016 of more than 7% if earnings come in as projected.

  • [By Fede Zaldua]

    Most Australian banks seem to comply with (1) and (2). On the other hand, Australian banks have a loan to deposit ratio of 120% and around 9% of their funding is short term foreign funding. This means that their results shall be severely damaged by a steep depreciation of the local currency. A good example of a bank that is easy to short from the US (since it trades in the New York Stock Exchange) is the Westpac Banking Corporation (WBK). Westpac generates 90% of its revenues domestically and sells for 2014 13.1 times earnings and 2.1 times its 2014 expected book value. That said, there is one problem that you will find when you short Westpac's shares: The bank pays a +5% cash dividend yield.

5 Best Long Term Stocks To Watch For 2015: John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc.(JBSS)

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. engages in the processing and marketing of tree nuts and peanuts in the United States. It offers raw and processed nuts, including peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, pistachios, filberts, cashews, English walnuts, black walnuts, pine nuts, and macadamia nuts. The company provides nut products in various styles and seasonings, such as natural, blanched, oil roasted, dry roasted, unsalted, honey roasted, flavored, spicy, butter toffee, praline, and cinnamon toasted. It also offers peanut butter; food and snack products comprising snack mixes, salad toppings, natural snacks, trail mixes, dried fruit, and chocolate and yogurt coated products; baking ingredients; bulk food products; sunflower seeds, almond butter, sesame sticks, and other sesame snack products; and toppings for ice cream and yogurt. The company provides its products under various private labels, as well as under the Fisher, Orchard Valley Harvest, and Sunshine Country brand na mes. John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. markets its products through its own sales department, a network of independent brokers, and various independent distributors and suppliers to retailers and wholesalers, as well as to industrial, food service, and contract packaging customers. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Elgin, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares rose by 0.04 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included John B Sanfilippo & Son (NASDAQ: JBSS), up 3.3 percent, and Blyth (NYSE: BTH), up 3.1 percent.

5 Best Long Term Stocks To Watch For 2015: KongZhong Corp (HOA)

KongZhong Corporation, incorporated on May 6, 2002, is a provider of digital entertainment services for consumers in the People�� Republic of China. The Company operates in three main business units: Wireless Value-Added Services (WVAS), mobile games and Internet games. In addition to developing and operating its self-developed Internet games, such as Loong, Demon Code and Kung Fu Hero, it is an operator of the World of Tanks game for the People�� Republic of China Internet games market. In addition, it is also the licensee in the People�� Republic of China for the Guild Wars 2 game developed by ArenaNet, Offensive Combat game developed by U4iA Games and Hawken game developed by Meteor Entertainment.

The Company conducts substantially all of its business in the People�� Republic of China through its wholly owned subsidiaries KongZhong Beijing, KongZhong China and Simlife Beijing. It operates WVAS, mobile games and Internet games through Beijing AirInbox, Beijing WINT, Beijing Chengxitong, BJXR, Mailifang, Xinreli and Dacheng, all of which are based in the People�� Republic of China.

Wireless Value-Added Services (WVAS) Business

The Company provides interactive entertainment, media and other interactive services to mobile phone users in China through various second generation (2G) standard, technology platforms, including short message services (SMS), Interactive Voice Response services (IVR) and color ring back tone (CRBT), and through various second and a half generation standard (2.5G), technology and operating platforms, including wireless application protocol (WAP) and multimedia messaging services (MMS), which offer graphics, richer content and more interactivity than 2G wireless services. Its WVAS are tailored to the technical or other requirements of its telecommunications operator partners, through whom it deliver most of its WVAS, and to various billing systems for WVAS. Its WVAS are also delivered and marketed through various media partners, i! ncluding handset manufacturers, television stations, radio stations, print media and Internet sites. Its WVAS revenues accounted for 41.7% of its total revenues during the year ended December 31, 2012.

The Company offers a variety of WVAS, such as mobile games, pictures, karaoke, electronic books, mobile phone personalization features, entertainment news, chat and message boards. It provides its services mainly pursuant to its cooperation arrangements with the telecommunications operators and their provincial subsidiaries, the terms of which are generally for one year or less.

Mobile Games Business

The Company is a developer and publisher of mobile games for mobile phone users in the People�� Republic of China (PRC). The mobile games it develops include action, role-playing and leisure games. During 2012, it acquired Noumena, a developer of cross-platform smartphone mobile game engines.

Internet Games Business

The Company develops Internet games internally based mainly on its technologies, which include its game engine (Dazzler three dimension (3D)), game development platforms and online game billing system, all developed by its internal team. In particular, its Dazzler 3D game engine enables the Company to create 3D graphics and visual effects, and provides the technical foundation for creating features in its games. Its game development platforms give the Company the capacity to develop Internet games within approximately six to 24 months and to update Its Internet games frequently in response to players��preferences.

The Company uses an item-based revenue model for its games, whether internally developed or licensed, under which players can play its games on the Internet free of charge, but have to pay for purchases of in-game virtual items, such as in-game currencies, performance-enhancing clothing, weapons, accessories and pets. It distributes its electronic prepaid game cards and game points, which can be used to pur! chase in-! game virtual items, to players through multiple payment channels.

The Company competes with Sina Corporation, Sohu.com Inc., TOM Online Inc., Phoenix New Media Limited, Wireless Arts, Perfect World Co. Ltd, Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited, Netease.com, Inc., Changyou.com Limited, Giant Interactive Group Inc. and Tencent Holdings Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Konrad Kuhn]

    The company also has a minority interest in the privately-held Hooters of America (HOA), the operator and franchisor of over 430 Hooters restaurants; HOTR's CEO Mike Pruitt is a member of the HOA Board of Directors.

5 Best Long Term Stocks To Watch For 2015: Financial Engines Inc.(FNGN)

Financial Engines, Inc. and its subsidiaries provide independent, technology-enabled portfolio management services, investment advice, and retirement income services to participants in employer-sponsored defined contribution plans. The company helps investors plan for retirement by offering personalized plans for saving and investing, as well as by providing assessments of retirement income needs and readiness. Its services include Professional Management, a discretionary managed account service designed for plan participants who want personalized and professional portfolio management services, investment advice, and retirement income services from an independent investment advisor; Online Advice, an Internet-based non-discretionary service that offers personalized advice to plan participants who manage their portfolios directly; and Retirement Evaluation, a retirement readiness assessment provided to plan participants upon plan rollout. The company delivers its services t o plan sponsors and plan participants primarily through connections to eight retirement plan providers in the United States. Financial Engines, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By GURUFOCUS]

    Our biggest contributor this quarter was Financial Engines, Inc. (FNGN), which provides personalized independent investment management and advice to employees for their retirement plans. The stock rose 26.0%. Revenues grew an impressive 29% in the first quarter, driven by additional corporate clients, more employee participation and stock market appreciation. The company recently introduced "Income Plus" an alternative to "target date" fund offerings, which is being well received and opens up potential new growth opportunities.

Top 5 Insurance Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 Insurance Companies To Invest In Right Now: Aviva PLC (AVV)

Aviva plc (Aviva) is an insurance group engaged in provision of products and services, such as long-term insurance and savings, fund management and general insurance. Aviva provides long-term insurance and savings, general and health insurance, and fund management products and services. Its business is managed on four geographic regions: United Kingdom, Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. The four regions, together with Aviva Investors, function as six operating segments. The UK region is split into the UK Life and UK General Insurance segments, which undertake long-term insurance and savings business and general insurance, respectively. In April 2013, it transferred its holding in Spanish joint venture Aseval to Bankia. In October 2013, Aviva sold Aviva USA Corporation to Athene Holding Ltd. Effective December 12, 2013, Redefine International Plc, a unit of Redefine Properties Ltd, acquired Weston Favell Shopping Centre from Aviva Commercial Finance Ltd, a unit of Aviva plc. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

    Kabel Deutschland Holding AG rose to a record after getting an offer from Liberty Global Plc. Aveva Group Plc (AVV) jumped 5.4 percent as Citigroup Inc. upgraded the shares. Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE) dropped 6.1 percent after Denmarks financial regulator ordered it to increase its risk-weighted assets. Royal Imtech NV fell to the lowest price since 2004 after posting a first-quarter loss on costs relating to a fraud investigation.

  • source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-insurance-companies-to-invest-in-right-now-3.html