5 Best Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now

In this article, we will look at the first part of the Buffett partnership letter covering 1957.

My examination of the 1957 partnership letter will be broken up into two different articles (or parts). This first article (Part 1) deals with ��The General Stock Market Picture in 1957.�� The second article (Part 2) will deal with the partnership��s activities and results for 1957.

For your reference, all indented/italicized text below is a direct quote from the 1957 partnership letter.

With that out of the way, let��s get started.

The General Stock Market Picture in 1957

In last year's letter to partners, I said the following:

My view of the general market level is that it is priced above intrinsic value. This view relates to blue-chip securities. This view, if accurate, carries with it the possibility of a substantial decline in all stock prices, both undervalued and otherwise. In any event I think the probability is very slight that current market levels will be thought of as cheap five years from now. Even a full-scale bear market, however, should not hurt the market value of our work-outs substantially.

Top 10 Small Cap Companies To Buy For 2016: 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 Teresa Rivas]

  As for companies with the most upside, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) tops the list, with 63.6%, followed by Autodesk (ADSK), Ventas (VTR), salesforce.com (CRM) and American Tower (AMT). Outside the top five, the list also includes big names like Schlumberger (SLB), Halliburton (HAL), Expedia (EXPE) and General Motors (GM).

5 Best Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: 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 Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, household products company Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Corporate earnings took a back seat today to the Fed��s latest policy decision. Still, quarterly financial results, and other news sent shares of McCormick & Co. (MKC) and Tupperware (TUP), falling during regular market hours�Here��s a rundown of several of today��s moves:

• [By Arie Goren]

  After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

• [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.

5 Best Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: 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 Charley Blaine]

  Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT): Tuesday close: $107.15. RSI: 71.

  Caterpillar is up 18 percent for the year and up 24.3 percent since early February.

• [By DAILYFINANCE]

  Stan Honda, AFP/Getty ImagesPassersby in front of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Christmas Eve. NEW YORK -- Stocks rose in a holiday-shortened trading day Tuesday, helped by a report that showed American companies were investing in their businesses at the fastest pace since January. Markets were open for just half a day ahead of the Christmas holiday, and trading volume was extremely light. Roughly 1.3 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, a third of what is traded on a regular day. It was the slowest day of the year. Materials and industrial stocks rose more than the rest of the market after the government reported that orders for long-lasting manufactured products rose 3.5 percent in November, more than economists expected. Core capital goods, a category that tracks business investment, jumped 4.5 percent, the biggest gain since January. DuPont (DD) rose $1.09, or 2 percent, to $63.83 and construction equipment maker Caterpillar (CAT) gained 95 cents, or 1 percent, to $90.91. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) rose 62.94 points, or 0.4 percent, to 16,357.55. The Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) rose 5.33 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,833.32 and the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) rose 6.51 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,155.42. Stocks have been rising steadily since last Wednesday, when the Federal Reserve surprised investors by announcing it was cutting back its bond-buying program, citing an improving economy. The Fed said it will reduce its bond purchases to $75 billion a month beginning in January, down from $85 billion. The last five days of gains have added to what has been a historic year for stock market investors. The S&P 500 index is up 28.6 percent for 2013, or 30.9 when dividends are included, its best year since 1997. With four trading days left in the year, many traders expect stocks to continue higher until New Year's Eve. "Nothing has derailed this market this year, even with all the bad headlin

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  The S&P 500 Index climbed 0.57 points, or 0.03%, to 1,978.91 on Monday, the fourth rise in the past five trading days. The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 22.02 points or 0.13% to 16,982.59, snapping a three-day losing streak. Among the Dow’s laggards: Caterpillar (CAT), Visa (V), Microsoft (MSFT)�and Coca-Cola (KO). Dow transports were down 1.13% on the day.

5 Best Valued Stocks To Watch Right Now: 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 Jon C. Ogg]

  Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) was maintained as a Buy but was removed from the prized Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs.

  Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $79 price target at Argus.

• [By Rising Dividend Investing]

  Falling Stock Correlation: What It Says About Consumer Spending

  As we mentioned in the Take Aways from the August 26th Investment Policy Committee meeting, the correlation index has been steadily declining. In 2008-09, macroeconomic events drove nearly every stock downwards. Specific sectors and stocks moved in tandem with one another. Today, stocks and sub-industries within each sector are performing very differently – which indicates a return to a more normal stock market environment.
  The Consumer Discretionary (also known as Consumer Cyclicals) sector is an example of an industry that has been rewarded for its fundamental success over the past 12 months. As a whole, the sector grew sales 6.1% and earnings 9.2% in the second quarter - much better than the 1.4% sales and 3.3% earnings growth of the S&P 500. While the overall sector did well in the second quarter, the table below shows how differently the 5 sub-categories of Consumer Discretionary performed:
  
  (click to enlarge)
  As we drill down even further, sub-categories of sub-sectors differ even more dramatically. Below is a snapshot of the Retailing sub-sector and its notable components:
  
  (click to enlarge)
  Specific stocks within each sub-category are varying in performance as well. General Merchandise retailers were significantly differentiated in the second quarter. Target’s (TGT) adjusted EPS were up 6.1% from 2012, while Dollar General (DG) and Dollar Tree’s (DLTR) earnings were up nearly 12% and 9%, respectively.
  The differences in sales and earnings growth amongst these different industries tell a story. The economy is not improving enough that people feel like they can let go and spend money on pure pleasures, but it is improving enough that they can afford to replace their cars and fix the doors on their houses. As these items wear out and need to be replaced, we expect the pent up demand will drive increased economic activity from cons
• [By Melvin Backman]

  3. Dollar store drama and coffee surge: Shares in Dollar General (DG) are down more than 7% after CEO Rick Dreiling announced that he was retiring in 2015. Activist investor Carl Icahn has a 9.4% stake in Family Dollar (FDO), which many suspect he wants to merge with Dollar General. Family Dollar stock is down 2%. Related company Dollar Tree (DLTR) is slightly negative as well.

• [By Ethan Roberts]

  Shares of Dollar Tree (DLTR) were substantially lower this morning after the company reported third-quarter earnings. Dollar Tree earnings tallied 59 cents per diluted share of DLTR stock, which missed analyst estimates by two pennies.

Best Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now

SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY  ) , the solar power utility venture backed by billionaire tech investor Elon Musk, has found itself a new financial backer with even more wealth at its disposal: Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) .

On Thursday, SolarCity announced that Goldman has agreed to finance more than $500 million worth of new solar power projects for SolarCity, giving the company enough money to move forward with the construction of some 110 megawatts (MW) worth of electric generation capacity.

Having this money in its possession up front will permit SolarCity to install solar panels for homeowners, businesses, and government agencies with no upfront payment required of the customers -- because Goldman has already paid for the equipment and installation. As a result, SolarCity can proceed right to generating solar power, and charging customers below-market rates for this phase of its business plan.

Hot Medical Companies To Buy For 2016: EMCORE Corporation(EMKR)

EMCORE Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides compound semiconductor-based products for the broadband, fiber optics, satellite, and solar power markets. The company operates in two segments, Fiber Optics and Photovoltaics. The Fiber Optics segment offers broadband products, including cable television, fiber-to-the-premises, satellite communication, video transport, and defense and homeland security products; and digital products comprising telecom optical, enterprise, laser/photodetector component, parallel optical transceiver and cable, and fiber channel transceiver products. This segment?s products enable information that is encoded on light signals to be transmitted, routed, and received in communication systems and networks. The Photovoltaics segment provides gallium arsenide (GaAs) multi-junction solar cells, covered interconnected cells, and solar panels for satellite applications; and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) power systems for commercial and utility scale solar applications, as well as GaAs solar cells and integrated CPV components for use in other solar power concentrator systems. The company markets its products through its direct sales force, external sales representatives and distributors, and application engineers worldwide. EMCORE Corporation was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  EMCORE (EMKR), together with its subsidiaries, provides compound semiconductor-based products for the broadband, fiber optics, satellite, and solar power markets. This stock closed up 1% to $4.09 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $4.00-$4.14
  52-Week Range: $3.50-$5.62
  Tuesday's Volume: 187,000
  Three-Month Average Volume: 103,744

  From a technical perspective, EMKR trended modestly higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $4.03 with above-average volume. This stock has been making higher lows over the last three months each time it has pulled back, which is a bullish technical sign. This spike to the upside on Tuesday is starting to push shares of EMKR within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if EMRK manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.16 to $4.20 and then above $4.22 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in EMKR as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $3.90 to $3.86 or above more support at $3.78 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 103,744 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then EMKR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4.53 to its 200-day moving average of $4.65, or even $5 to $5.30.

• [By CRWE]

  EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq:EMKR), a leading provider of compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optic and solar power markets, reported that it is ramping production and shipping the Opticomm-EMCORE NEXTGEN OTP-1DVI2A1SU insert cards for the Optiva platform.

Best Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now: LDK Solar Co. Ltd.(LDK)

LDK Solar Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products; and development of power plant projects. It offers solar-grade and semiconductor-grade polysilicon; and multicrystalline and monocrystalline solar wafers to the manufacturers of solar cells and solar modules. The company also provides wafer processing services to monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell and module manufacturers; and sells silicon materials, such as ingots and polysilicon scraps. In addition, it engages in the production and sale of solar cells and modules to developers, distributors, and system integrators; and design and development of solar power projects in Europe, the United States, and China, as well as provides engineering, procurement, and construction services. LDK Solar Co., Ltd. operates in Europe, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Xinyu City, t he People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: After a two-day run-up in solar stocks, the party ended quickly, and every stock in the industry is dropping like a rock. Suntech Power (NYSE: STP  ) led the declines by falling 23%, and LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) , Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) , and JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO  ) all dropped at least 15%.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 name that's starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is LDK Solar (LDK), a vertically integrated manufacturer of PV products for polysilicon, wafers, cells, modules, systems, power projects and solutions. This stock is off to a decent start in 2013, with shares up 13.1%.

  If you take a look at the chart for LDK Solar, you'll notice that this stock has been trending range bound and consolidating for the last month and change, with shares moving between $1.42 on the downside and $2 a share on the upside. Shares of LDK have just started to trend back above its 50-day moving average at $1.55 a share with decent upside volume flows. That move is quickly pushing shares of LDK within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above a key downtrend line that has acted as resistance for a few months.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in LDK if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.78 to $1.83 a share and then once it clears more resistance at $2 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.97 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then LDK will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2.17 to its 52-week high at $2.32 a share. Any high-volume move above $2.32 to $2.36 will then give LDK a chance to tag $3 to $3.50 a share.

  Traders can look to buy LDK off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at its 200-day moving average of $1.46 or at $1.42 a share. One can also buy LDK off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  AP Photo/Burger King Companies can make brilliant moves, but there are also times when things don't work out quite as planned. From a Japanese gaming pioneer finally cutting prices on its poor selling devices to a burger chain introducing a burger for a buck, here's a rundown of the week's smartest moves and biggest blunders in the business world. Walmart (WMT) -- Winner The country's biggest retailer was singled out in this column last week for the way that it's bringing back its layaway plan for the holiday shopping season. And this week it earns another shout out. In a memo to its associates this week, Walmart revealed that its health insurance policies for 2014 will cover "any spouse or domestic partner" regardless of gender. Walmart knows that this is still a polarizing topic. However, by opening up health coverage to domestic partners -- gay or straight -- Walmart is likely to score points with many who have been critical of the company's practices in the past. Sure, we can lament that just half of Walmart's 1.3 million associates have elected health coverage through the company. No one's saying the giant discounter is perfect. However, this move will help improve its image with a lot of its detractors. Burger King (BKW) -- Loser Burger chains are bucking the trend these days, beefing up their dollar menus at a time when the economy is showing signs of life. There's a reason for that. Customers are moving up to higher quality "fast casual" establishments that offer better food at slightly higher price points with the convenience of counter service. Burger King's latest push was announced this week. It will add a French fry-topped hamburger -- for a buck -- to its menu in September. There's nothing inherently wrong with the new sandwich. Who hasn't placed fries inside their burger from time to time? However, this seems like a bad play for franchisees: They may see fry sales slip at the hands of penny-pinching diners believing that they can knock of

• [By Travis Hoium]

  In China, LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) and Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) are trying to grow in systems but with billions of dollars in debt and extremely low margins they can't compete with First Solar. So, even their higher-efficiency modules put them behind the curve.

Best Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now: Canadian Solar Inc.(CSIQ)

Canadian Solar Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of solar power products in Canada and internationally. The company offers solar cell and solar module products that convert sunlight into electricity for various uses. Its products include a range of standard solar modules for use in a range of residential, commercial, and industrial solar power generation systems. The company also designs and produces specialty solar modules and products consisting of customized modules that its customers incorporate into their products, such as solar-powered bus stop lighting; and specialty products, such as portable solar home systems and solar-powered car battery chargers. In addition, it sells solar system kits, a package consisting of solar modules produced by it and third party supplied components, such as inverters, racking system, and other accessories, as well as implements solar power development projects. The company sells its products under the Canad ian Solar brand name. Canadian Solar Inc. offers its standard solar modules through a direct sales force and sales agents primarily to distributors, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturer customers, as well as to solar projects; and specialty solar modules and products to the automotive, telecommunications, and light-emitting diode lighting sectors. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Kitchener, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mani]

  Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar power companies, is expected to report its fourth quarter and full year 2013 financial results on�March 5, 2014. The company will hold a conference call on the same day at�8:00 a.m.�Eastern Standard Time to discuss the results and its business outlook.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, beyond the Dow, several Chinese solar stocks jumped considerably today, with Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE  ) posting double-digit percentage gains and Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) finishing up about 8%. With news that the Chinese government will spur demand with projects designed to help struggling solar stocks to return to profitability, investors in Yingli, Canadian Solar, and other Chinese solar companies concluded that they could benefit from the potential windfall. In the long run, though, even the Chinese government's best efforts could prove insufficient to do more than simply keep these companies from facing tough decisions that they'll eventually have to make.

• [By Harry Boxer]

  HARRY:  I think it could be double or triple in the next you know year or two.  The lower priced ones that I like are Canadian Solar (CSIQ), SUNE that’s SunEdison, and I also SolarPower (SPWY), SunPower excuse me.

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q1 2014 earnings report for Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ: CSIQ), sort of a peer of other North America based solar stocks like SolarCity Corp (NASDAQ: SCTY), First Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR) and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR), is scheduled for before the market opens on Friday. Aside from the Canadian Solar's earnings report, it should be said that SunPower Corporation reported Q1 2014 earnings on April 24 (reporting a quarterly profit verses a year ago loss plus they noted ��trong demand��for rooftop solar business); First Solar, Inc reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 6 (they beat expectations and gave a higher guidance); and SolarCity Corp reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 7 (included deeper-than-expected losses with even deeper losses to come but they also gave a higher rooftop installation forecast that sent shares upward).

Best Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now: JinkoSolar Holding Company Limited(JKS)

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of solar power products in China and internationally. The company provides solar modules, silicon wafers and ingots, and solar cells, as well as processing services, including silicon wafer tolling services. It sells its products under the JinkoSolar brand name. The company?s customers include distributors, project developers, and system integrators. It trades its products under short-term contracts and by spot market sales. The company also produces accessory materials for solar power products, such as solar aluminum frame, solar junction box, aluminum materials windows, and other metal component parts. JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in 2006 and is based in Shangrao, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS  ) �and Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) have slightly better balance sheets and they're focusing on expanding into systems, which will smooth out demand. JinkoSolar has a $1 billion financing deal with the China Development Bank to build projects, not just manufacturing capacity, which will help demand. Canadian Solar has built a huge systems business in Canada, including a $310 million, 130 MW project last month, and signed 18 MW of deals in South Carolina last week. The systems business generates stable demand and allows companies to compete more than on price alone, which helps margins.�

• [By Sid Riggs]

  Companies such as Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: CSIQ), SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), Trina Solar Limited (ADR) (NYSE: TSL), JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd (NYSE: JKS), and Yingli Green Energy Hold. Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE) have seen their shares explode 1,181%, 755%, 637%, 628%, and 420%, respectively, over the same time frame.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  JinkoSolar Holding (NYSE: JKS  ) reported earnings on June 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), JinkoSolar Holding beat expectations on revenues and exceeded expectations on earnings per share.

Best Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ascent Solar Technologies Inc.(ASTI)

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a development stage company, focuses on commercializing flexible photovoltaic (PV) modules using its proprietary technology. The company intends to manufacture roll-format PV modules that use copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) on a plastic substrate. Its proprietary manufacturing process deposits multiple layers of materials, including a thin-film of CIGS semiconductor material on a plastic substrate and laser patterns the layers to create interconnected PV cells or PV modules through monolithic integration process. The company would serve the building applied photovoltaic (BAPV) and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) market, as well as specialty markets, such as defense, portable power, transportation, electronic integrated photovoltaic, and space and near-space. It has a strategic relationship with Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS to access customers in the BIPV/BAPV markets worldwide. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was founded in 200 5 and is based in Thornton, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Solar stocks have not exactly given buy and hold investors a smooth ride, but small cap�GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) could be an interesting materials play on the solar sector���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with potential peers like Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: ASTI) and STR Holdings, Inc (NYSE: STRI) plus solar ETF Guggenheim Solar ETF (NYSEARCA: TAN). I should mention that just last week, we added GT Advanced Technologies to our�SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio for both�fundamentals and technical reasons and we are already up almost 9%.

Best Solar Stocks To Watch Right Now: First Solar Inc.(FSLR)

First Solar, Inc. manufactures and sells solar modules using a thin-film semiconductor technology. It also designs, constructs, and sells photovoltaic solar power systems. The company?s solar modules employ a thin layer of semiconductor material to convert sunlight into electricity. Its integrated solar power systems activities include the project development; engineering, procurement, and construction services; operating and maintenance services; and project finance. The company sells solar modules to project developers, system integrators, and operators of renewable energy projects; and solar power systems to investor owned utilities, independent power developers and producers, and commercial and industrial companies, as well as other system owners. It operates in the United States, Germany, France, Canada, and internationally. The company was formerly known as First Solar Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to First Solar, Inc. in 2006. First Solar was founded in 1999 a nd is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The case for alternative energy and renewable energy�is growing handily here each day. This might not drive those small-cap stocks 10,000% higher, but it builds a base for the ones with a proven model.�The argument for renewables and alternative energy might not just be for the sake of carbon emissions either. If oil prices remain high or rise, alternative energy projects will simply be driven more and more by economics. First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) just announced new record-breaking efficiency, which drives down the cost.

• [By Richard Stavros]

  Although these developments bode well for the sector, there is still concern that it is overvalued. First Solar Inc (NSDQ: FSLR), SunEdison Inc (NYSE: SUNE), and even electric car company Tesla Motors Inc (NSDQ: TSLA), to name a few, have seen stellar appreciation in their stock values.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Solar stocks have mounted quite the comeback over the past year as both First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) and SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) are up well over triple digits. As an investor who is interested in making green as so many are going green, it's easy to wonder if there is still time to buy stock in First Solar, or fear that the future is too cloudy. Let's take a look at a couple of reasons why investors would want to buy the stock, as well as a big reason to beware.

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  First Solar (FSLR) Inc. tumbled 13 percent to $40.47 for the biggest loss in the S&P 500. The largest U.S. solar-panel manufacturer said yesterday profit fell short of analysts��estimates as revenue from its current project pipeline slumped. Today�� share-price drop was the steepest in five months.

Top 10 Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now

Top 10 Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Hampden Bancorp Inc.(HBNK)

Hampden Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Hampden Bank that provides banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in Hampden county, Massachusetts. The company?s deposit products include checking, regular savings, and money market deposits, as well as time deposits, including certificate of deposit accounts and individual retirement accounts. Its lending portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans secured by one-to-four-family residences, residential and commercial construction loans, commercial and industrial loans, home equity lines-of-credit, fixed rate home equity loans, and other personal consumer loans. The company also engages in buying, selling, holding, and dealing in securities. It offers its services through nine offices located in Hampden county, Massachusetts, as well as through Internet. Hampden Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  This industry tumbled 3.15% by 11:50 am. The worst stock within the industry was Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB), which fell 3.9%. erkshire Hills Bancorp and Hampden Bancorp (NASDAQ: HBNK) have signed a definitive merger agreement under which Berkshire will acquire Hampden and its subsidiary, Hampden Bank, in an all-stock transaction valued at around $109 million.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-promising-companies-to-watch-in-right-now-3.html

Top Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Semiconductor Stocks To Own Right Now: Texas Instruments Incorporated(TXN)

Texas Instruments Incorporated engages in the design and sale of semiconductors to electronics designers and manufacturers worldwide. The company?s Analog segment offers high-performance analog products comprising standard analog semiconductors, such as amplifiers, data converters, and interface semiconductors; high-volume analog and logic products; and power management semiconductors and line-powered systems. Its Embedded Processing segment includes DSPs that perform mathematical computations to process and enhance digital data; and microcontrollers, which are designed to control a set of specific tasks for electronic equipment. The company?s Wireless segment designs, manufactures, and sells application processors and connectivity products. Its Other segment offers smaller semiconductor products, which include DLP products that are primarily used in projectors to create high-definition images; and application-specific integrated circuits. This segment also provides handhe ld graphing and scientific calculators, as well as licenses technologies to other electronic companies. The company serves the communications, computing, industrial, consumer electronics, automotive, and education sectors. Texas Instruments Incorporated sells its products through a direct sales force, distributors, and third-party sales representatives. It has collaboration agreements with PLX Technology Inc.; Neonode, Inc.; and Ubiquisys Ltd. The company was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bob Ciura]

  It's been an up-and-down year for semiconductor stock Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN  ) . Its stock price fell significantly in September after a warning from one of its peers in the chip industry. However, Texas Instruments' stock price has recovered from that and th! en some, because its underlying business has sailed through 2014 unscathed. Texas Instruments is growing -- and rewarding its shareholders with lots of cash flow through billions of dollars in share buybacks and dividend payments

• [By Myra Ramdenbourg]

  Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN): Sr. Vice President and CFO Kevin P. March sold 318,750 shares

  On 11/03/2014, Sr. Vice President and CFO Kevin P. March sold 318,750 shares at an average price of $50.01. The price of the stock has increased by 1.78% since. Texas Instruments Inc. has a market cap of $53.77 billion and its shares were traded at around $50.90. The company has a P/E ratio of 22.30 and P/S ratio of 4.33 with a dividend yield of 2.44%. Over the past 10 years, Texas Instruments Inc had an annual average earnings growth of 4.50%. GuruFocus rated Texas Instruments Inc the business predictability rank of 3-star.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-semiconductor-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html

Best Railroad Stocks For 2016

Best Railroad Stocks For 2016: 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's 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's 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's ! one-to-four family adjustable rate mortgage loan portfolio totaled $58.6 million, or 7.6% o f 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's consumer loan portfolio, exclusive of automobile loans, tot aled $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's 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 f! und totaling $1.2 million.

Sources of Funds

The Bank's sourc es 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's 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.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-railroad-stocks-for-2016.html

Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In 2016

Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In 2016: Oshkosh Truck Corporation(OSK)

Oshkosh Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets a range of specialty vehicles, and vehicle bodies worldwide. Its Defense segment manufactures severe-duty, heavy, and medium-payload tactical trucks for the Department of Defense, including hauling tanks, missile systems, ammunition, fuel, and troops and cargo for combat units. The company?s Access Equipment segment offers aerial work platforms and telehandlers used in a range of construction, agricultural, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications. This segment also manufactures towing and recovery equipment and related parts; and leases equipments for short-term to rental companies. The company?s Fire and Emergency segment provides custom and commercial fire apparatus, and emergency vehicles, including pumpers, aerial and ladder trucks, tankers, rescue vehicles, wildland rough terrain response vehicles, mobile command and control centers, bomb squad vehicles, hazardous materials control vehicl e s, and other emergency response vehicles. This segment also offers snow removal vehicles in airports; custom ambulances for private and public transporters, and fire departments; mobile medical trailers for medical centers and service providers; mobile command and control centers and simulation units; and vehicles for broadcasters, TV stations, broadcast production, and radio stations. Oshkosh Corporation?s Commercial segment manufactures refuse collection vehicles for the waste services industry; front and rear discharge concrete mixers, and portable and stationary concrete batch plants for the concrete ready-mix industry; and field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes for the construction, equipment dealer, building supply, utility, tire service, and mining industries. The company was formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation and changed its name to Oshkosh Corporation in February 2008. Oshkosh Corporation was founded in 1917 and is bas! ed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The Department of Defense issued some 22 separate contract awards Thursday, totaling just under $1 billion in combined value. Not all of them went to publicly traded defense contractors, of course, but enough of them did to be worth mentioning. Here are a few of the lucky winners:

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-consumer-service-stocks-to-invest-in-2016.html

Top 5 Defense Companies To Buy For 2016

Top 5 Defense Companies To Buy For 2016: Air Industries Group Inc (AIRI)

Air Industries Group, Inc. (AIRI), incorporated on January 13, 2006, is an aerospace and defense company. The Company designs and manufactures structural parts and assemblies that focus on flight safety, including landing gear, arresting gear, engine mounts, flight controls, throttle quadrants and other components. It also provides sheet metal fabrication of aerostructures, tube bending and welding services. AIRIs products are deployed on a range of military and commercial aircraft, including Sikorsky's UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Northrop Grumman's E2D Hawkeye, Boeing's 777, Airbus' 380 commercial airliners, and the US Navy F-18 and USAF F-16 fighter aircraft. On July 1, 2013, Air Industries Group Inc announced that it has acquired certain assets and the business of Decimal Industries (Decimal) of Copiague, Long Island, New York. On June 20, 2012, the Company, through a newly created subsidiary, Nassau Tool Works, Inc. (NTW) , acquired from an unrelated company formerly known as Nassau Tool Works, Inc. (Old Nassau Tool) and its shareholders (the NTW Sellers) all of the assets of Old Nassau Tool. In November 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired Miller Stuart Inc of Hauppauge, Long Island, New York.

Air Industries Machining Corp.

AIM manufactures aircraft structural parts and assemblies principally for prime defense contractors in the defense/aerospace industry, including, Boeing, Goodrich Landing Gear, Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. During the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 90% of AIM's revenues were derived from sales of parts and assemblies for military applications. AIM's parts are installed onboard Sikorsky's U/MH - 60M/S Helicopters, known as The BlackHawk, Lockheeds F35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Northrop Grummans E2-C/D Hawkeye, the Airbus A-380 Super Jumbo airliner, and the C-17 Globemaster.

AIM is a lso a manufacturer of mechanical and electro-mechanical subassemblies and an engineering integrator. As of December 31, 2012, AIM produced over 2,400 individual products (SKU's) that are assembled into electromechanical devices, mixer (primary flight control) assemblies, rotor-hub components for Blackhawk helicopters, arresting gear for the E2C/D Hawkeye, C2A Greyhound and United States Navy Fighters, vibration absorbing assemblies for Sikorsky helicopters, landing gear components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), and many other subassembly packages.

Welding Metallurgy, Inc.

Welding Metallurgy, Inc. (WMI) provides specialty welding services and metal fabrications to the defense and commercial aerospace industry. Its customers include GKN Corporation, Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. WMIs product and service offerings include tube bending and metal fabrications of aircraft structures. WMIs services and products are principally provided to prime contractors, aerospace engine manufacturers and to other subcontractors to aerospace manufacturers throughout the United States. Welding Metallurgy is a primary supplier on the Northrop Grumman E-2 C/D Hawkeye Program producing approximately 300 different parts annually. During 2012, nearly 100% of WMIs revenues were derived from sales of parts and assemblies for military applications. WMI produces the inlet housing and the auxiliary long and short beams for the Sikorsky BlackHawk helicopter and various welded door and panel assemblies for the Boeing CH-47 Chinook Helicopter. WMI also provides environmental tubing to Lockheed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Nassau Tool Works, Inc.

NTWs principal business is the fabrication and assembly of landing gear components and complete landing gear for fighter aircraft for the United States and foreign governments. NTW also performs sub-contract machining for other aeros pace manufacturers, including Air Industries. NTW ! is a manu! facturer of complete landing gear and landing gear components for the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-18 Hornet aircraft of the United States Air Force and Navy. In addition NTW specializes in deep hole gun-drilling and trepanning and performs sub-contract machining services for prime contractors in the defense and aerospace industries.

The Company competes with Sterling Machine, Stellex Aerospace, Triumph Aerospace Group, Heroux Aerospace and Magellan Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Diane Alter]

  Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September

  Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) announced a 14.8%, or $0.12 per share, increase to its semiannual dividend. The management consulting firm will now pay a semiannual dividend of $0.93. Shares yield 2.53%. Agruim Inc. (NYSE: AGU) boosted its dividend by $1.00 per share to a total dividend of $3.00 on an annualized basis. Shares of the global retailer of agricultural products now sprout a 3.54% yield. Air Industries Group Inc. (NYSE: AIRI) doubled its dividend to $0.125 per share. The maker of airplane and helicopter parts now floats a lofty yield of 6.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) upped its dividend 4.6% to $0.68 per quarter for a yield of 4.21%. Banner Corp. (Nasdaq: BANR) boosted its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.15 per share. The parent company of Banner and Islander Bank serves the Pacific Northwest region. Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) lifted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.78 per share. It was the 28th straight dividend increase from the identification solutions company. Shares yield 2.57%. Campbell Soup Co. (NSE: CPB) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, up from $0.29. The company last raised its dividend in November 2010. Shares yield a hearty 3.06%. CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) raised its quarterly dividend 26% to $0.17 per share. It's the largest percentage increase from the Tennessee-based diversified marketer of mobile filtration and packagi! ng produc! ts in the last 20 years, and it continues the company's consecutive streak of increasing dividends for the last 30 years. Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) boosted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.10 per share. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: FRS) increased its quarterly dividend 12.5% to $0.18. Shares yield 3.10% The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), in a move that suggests good times are ahead, reinstated its dividend at $0.05 per share. Good

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-defense-companies-to-buy-for-2016.html

Top 5 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now

Top 5 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: StealthGas Inc.(GASS)

StealthGas Inc., a ship-owning company, through its subsidiaries, provides international seaborne transportation services worldwide. The company transports petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene, and vinyl chloride monomer. It also transports refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, crude oil, fuel oil, jet fuel, edible oils, and chemicals. As of January 9, 2012, the company had a fleet of 33 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers with a total capacity of 153,088 cubic meters, 3 medium range product tankers, and 1 Aframax oil tanker. It serves LPG producers comprising national and independent energy companies, energy traders, and industrial users. StealthGas Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  StealthGas (NASDAQ: GASS  ) has ambitions to raise $100 million from the capital markets. The company put a price tag on its upcoming public share flotation, and upped the volume in the process -- 10 million shares are to be sold, as opposed to the originally planned 8 million, and they will be priced at $10.00 apiece.

• [By Sally Jones]

  StealthGas Inc. (GASS) - Yield 0.00%

  StealthGas Inc. is up 38% over 12 months. The current share price is around $9.40, down 11% since John Keeley made a new buy as of June 30, 2013.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Several shipping stocks have already started to move higher this year, but in a fashion that will be typical of the volatility in the sector, we saw an opportunity created this week. StealthGas (GASS) reported earnings that fell well short of analyst expectations, and the stock plummeted by almost 8 percent for the week.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-supermarket-companies-to-buy-right-now-3.html

SIFMA Pushes for Higher Muni Trading Standard

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association on Friday shared details on its proposed execution-with-diligence standard for municipal trading.

The proposal follows the industry group’s initial proposal to the self-regulatory organization Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) in June 2013 that an execution-with-diligence standard be applied to trades in municipal securities, which is a higher standard for dealers to meet than what is currently in place, according to SIFMA.

A working group of SIFMA members developed the standard following the release of the 165-page July 2012 SEC Report on the Municipal Securities Market. The industry group says an “overwhelming majority of members of SIFMA’s Municipal Securities Division” approved it.  

“SIFMA’s proposal moves the industry forward in a robust way that further enhances standards so that customers receive fair and reasonable prices,” said David Cohen, managing director and associate general counsel of the industry group, in a statement. “The proposal recognizes the unique characteristics of the municipal market and would strengthen regulation in a manner consistent with the way the market operates.”

Because muni bonds are not traded on a central exchange and do not have a central aggregator of quotes, the execution standard in the municipal market “cannot mirror that for equities,” SIFMA says. “The municipal securities market also has fundamental differences from other debt markets, including its diverse and fragmented nature, small securities trade sizes and far less frequent trading than corporate bonds."

In general, SIFMA says that it supports efforts that would improve trade-execution standards. Since there is not one path for dealers to take for execution with diligence, the industry group says, its members have proposed a principles-based rule. 

The SIFMA proposal resembles the approach taken by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, an independent regulatory body, to corporate fixed-income securities. It seeks to define the muni bond market as one that includes brokers, dealers and municipal securities dealers known to trade particular securities, and it would require periodic review of trading counterparties, a new regulatory requirement.

For the proposal, SIFMA says it is encouraging the MSRB to amend its Rule G-18 to reflect an “execution-with-diligence” concept of execution.  The industry group also is asking the MSRB to consider “the short-term and long-term costs and potential benefit of any rulemaking before formally proposing any changes.”

According to the MSRB’s website, its board of directors  met this Wednesday through Friday to discuss the proposed consolidation of Rules G-18 and G-30 to create one new rule on fair pricing and other issues.

At the meeting, the MSRB board says it agreed to take "a two-step approach" to clarifying, and potentially expanding, the fair pricing obligations of dealers.

"First, it agreed to consolidate into a new rule municipal securities dealers’ obligations related to fair pricing outlined in a number of existing rules and interpretations," the organization explained in a press release issued Friday. Also, the board will seek public comment "on condensing relevant requirements described in MSRB Rule G-30 on fair pricing, MSRB Rule G-18 on agency transactions and interpretations to MSRB Rule G-17 on fair dealing."

The groups adds that it is going to publish "a concept release on the merits of requiring municipal securities dealers to take specific steps to obtain the best price for investors buying and selling municipal securities."

In addition, the MSRB plans to seek public comment "on whether such a standard is necessary for the municipal market, the benefits that would be attained, as well as on the costs of establishing a more structured approach for documenting how dealers satisfy their existing obligation to obtain a fair price for investors."

“Although there appears to be growing acceptance to applying certain best execution-like principles to our market, the Board looks forward to gathering broad public input in order to be as fully informed as possible before making any specific recommendations,” MSRB Chair Jay Goldstone said in a statement.

Last month, the MSRB warned investors to be aware of the terms of certain types of direct-pay municipal bonds to better understand if they are affected by the federal budget sequestration. It also alerted broker-dealers and municipal securities dealers of their customer protection obligations under MSRB rules in connection with customer transactions relating to direct-pay bonds.

 

Hot Managed Healthcare Companies To Invest In 2016

Hot Managed Healthcare Companies To Invest In 2016: Digital Ally Inc.(DGLY)

Digital Ally, Inc. engages in the production and sale of digital video imaging, audio/video recording, storage, and other products for use in law enforcement and security applications. Its digital audio/video recording and storage product line comprises an in-car digital audio/video system that is integrated into a rear view mirror; an all-weather mobile digital audio/video system designed for motorcycle, ATV, and boat uses; a miniature body-worn digital audio/video camera; a hand-held speed detection system based on light detection and ranging (LIDAR); a hand-held thermal imaging camera used for improved night vision; and a digital audio/video system, which is integrated into a law-enforcement style flashlight. The company?s products make self-contained video and audio recordings onto flash memory cards that are incorporated in the body of the digital video rear view mirror, officer-worn video, and audio system and flashlight. Digital Ally, Inc. sells its products to law enforcement agencies and other security organizations, as well as for consumer and commercial applications through direct sales and third-party distributors. The company is based in Overland Park, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Digital Ally (NASDAQ: DGLY) said that a police department in Tennessee placed an order for the company's wearable cameras, in-car systems, motorcycle video systems and VuLink connectivity devices. Shares gained 8.79 percent, closing at $12.50.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Back on August 29th, I had the unfortunate job of explaining that the Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ:DGLY) rally had likely run most - if not all - of its course, and DGLY shares were poised to move lower..... soon, and a lot. It wasn't a particularly popular idea to float to the investing public, many of whom had just purchased Digital Ally on the way up, in the wake of the St. Louis riots! . That social unrest put the spotlight on the need for security tools like the ones supplied by DGLY, and once thrust into the limelight, the sky was the limit with new-found notoriety. Anyone who even suggested the stock could do anything but go up from there was clearly a lunatic.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  There's no denying Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has been one of year's top investment stories, with shares running up from less than $40 to more than $194 in just a few short months. But, as one might imagine, that 385% runup from TSLA creates something of a disconnect between the company and its share price. Time to head for the exit. Instead, a better use of that now-considerably-greater capital is a position in Digital Ally, Inc. (NASDAQ:DGLY) ... a stock that's also had a pretty good 2014, but has suffered more than a small setback since mid-September. Specifically, DGLY has pulled back from a peak price of $17.47 to a low of $9.88 as of Friday. But, it looks like that correction may have already come to an end.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-managed-healthcare-companies-to-invest-in-2016.html

Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now

Top 10 Defensive Companies To Watch In Right Now: Air Methods Corporation(AIRM)

Air Methods Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides air medical emergency transport services and systems in the United States. It transports persons requiring intensive medical care from either the scene of accident or general care hospitals to highly skilled trauma centers or tertiary care centers. The company operates through three segments: Community-Based Services, Hospital-Based Services, and United Rotorcraft. The Community-Based Services segment provides air medical transportation services, including aircraft operation and maintenance, medical care, dispatch and communications, and medical billing and collection services. This segment operates 201 helicopters and 15 fixed wing aircraft in 29 states. The Hospital-Based Services segment offers air medical transportation services, and medically equipped helicopters and airplanes for hospitals. It operates 212 helicopters and 6 fixed wing aircraft in 34 states. The United Rotorcraft segment designs, manufa ctures, installs, and certifies modular medical interiors, multi-mission interiors, and other aerospace and medical transport products for domestic and international customers, as well as provides quality assurance and certification services. Air Methods Corporation was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ali Berri]

  Shares of Air Methods (NASDAQ: AIRM) got a boost, shooting up 8.91 percent to $57.93 on upbeat quarterly results.

  NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares were also up, gaining 7.62 percent to $18.79 after the company posted higher Q2 earnings and issued a strong revenue forecast for the current quarter.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-10-defensive-companies-to-watch-in-right-now.html

Q2 Earnings: 3 Answers From Under Armour

Shares of Under Armour  (NYSE: UA  ) are currently up more than 12% today after the apparel specialist announced its second-quarter earnings results.

Coincidentally, just a few days ago I posed three questions for Under Armour going into the report, so here's what it had to say:

On making it to lucky 13
First, considering Q1 marked Under Armour's 12th consecutive quarter of achieving at least 20% top-line growth, I wondered whether Under Armour would be able to keep up the pace to hit lucky number 13.

Sure enough, Under Armour made it look easy as net revenue rose a respectable 23% in the second quarter to $455 million.

In fact, growth in each of Under Armour's business segments exceeded 20% last quarter, including a 21% increase in footwear to $82 million, 30% growth in accessories to $51 million, and apparel net revenue growth of 23% to $310 million, thanks largely to expansion of the company's Storm and Charged Cotton product lines. Meanwhile, higher-margin direct-to-consumer net revenue made up 30% of total sales last quarter after growing 29%.

As a result, net income increased a whopping 163% to $18 million, while diluted earnings per share nearly tripled to $0.16 from $0.06 per share in the same year-ago period.

On keeping inventory in check
Next, remembering Under Armour's growing pains in years' past have resulted in uncomfortably high inventory levels, I wanted to know whether Under Armour has managed not only to continue keeping its inventory in check but also maintain a healthy balance sheet.

Once again, Under Armour increased its cash and equivalents by an impressive 57% year over year to $224 million, while at the same time decreasing its debt to $55 million -- that's down from $60 million last quarter and $74 million in the same year-ago period.

Curiously enough, Under Armour boosted its inventory by 29% year over year to $491 million this time around. However, this increase is perfectly acceptable given Under Armour's sustained growth.

What's more, given their current visibility, management also raised the company's full-year guidance by telling investors they now expect sales in the range of $2.23 to $2.25 billion, representing growth of 22% to 23% over 2012, and 2013 operating income between $258 million to $260 million, good for growth of 24% to 25% over last year.

For those of you keeping track, remember Under Armour's previous guidance called for sales of $2.21 to $2.23 billion and operating income between $256 to $258 million.

On international growth
Finally, given the fact domestic sales comprised 93% of Under Armour's business last quarter, I wanted to know whether the rest of the world is beginning to embrace Under Armour as the company increasingly pushes its global ambitions.

Remember, as I noted last week, Under Armour's gigantic competitor in Nike (NYSE: NKE  )  boasted an incredible $3.26 billion in international sales just last quarter, which was good for nearly 55% of Nike's total revenue. In addition, Nike most recently grew its own sales by 9% from the year-ago period (excluding the negative impact of foreign currency changes), showing there's still plenty of potential for growth on a worldwide scale for athletic apparel companies.

If Under Armour, like Nike, can even partially translate the success of its brand overseas as it has here in the U.S., then, it'll mean big things for shareholders going forward.

Thankfully, Under Armour's international revenue grew 24.8% to $25.7 million last quarter. Even so, that still only represents around 6% of the company's total revenue, showing domestic growth continues to outpace Under Armour's international segment. Of course, this also shows Under Armour is nowhere near permeating the market here in the U.S., so I suppose it's an enviable problem for any company to have.

Down the road, then, shareholders should sleep well knowing Under Armour should be able to keep expanding for years to come.

Foolish takeaway
All things considered, I certainly can't blame the market for pushing shares of Under Armour up so far today as the company appears to be firing on all cylinders with no end in sight to its incredible momentum.

Of course, we should also remember Under Armour's not the only American company making waves overseas. Profiting from our increasingly global economy can be as easy as investing in your own backyard. The Motley Fool's free report "3 American Companies Set to Dominate the World" shows you how. Click here to get your free copy before it's gone.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Kudos to McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) for recognizing it has problems and then working to solve them. Unfortunately, a big chunk of the problems it thinks it has aren't the problems it actually has, making its solutions mostly off-target. MCD need not get too excited about the turnaround effort.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  David Duprey/AP As people express distaste for food they think is overly processed, fast food chains like McDonald's (MCD) are trying to shed their reputation for serving reheated meals that are loaded with chemicals. That includes rethinking the use of artificial preservatives and other ingredients customers find objectionable. "This demand for fresh and real is on the rise," said Greg Creed, CEO of Yum Brands (YUM), which owns Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. During the presentation for analysts and investors last month, Creed said the company needs to be more transparent about ingredients and use fewer preservatives. Recasting fast-food as "fresh" and "real" will be tricky, in large part because it's so universally regarded as cheap and greasy. Another problem is that terms like "fresh," ''real" and "healthy" have nebulous meanings, making it hard for companies to pin down how to approach transformation. Would You Like Brominated ! Vegetable Oil With That?

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-blue-chip-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-5.html

5 Best Recreation Stocks To Buy Right Now

5 Best Recreation Stocks To Buy Right Now: Vitamin Blue Inc (VTMB)

Vitamin Blue, Inc. (Vitamin Blue), incorporated on May 25, 1999, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and distributing surf wear board shorts, t-shirts and fleece jackets) and surfing accessories (surf boards bags, roof rack pad and surf backpacks). The Company focuses on four types of retail outlets: surfboard manufacturers, surf shops, specialty stores and department stores. Vitamin Blue distributes the majority of its products through surfboard manufacturers and surf shops. The primary focus of Vitamin Blue is surf wear and surfing accessories. The Companys primary distribution focuses on retail outlets in North America (the United States, Canada and Mexico). Vitamin Blue manufactures most of its surfing accessories and all of its surfwear in-house.

Surfboard Manufacturers

The Companys surfboard manufactures retail outlet generally consists of single shops, where surfboards are designed, manufactured and marketed. It is the source for surfing accessories. This distribution channel focuses on the core surf market. The Company has relationships with manufacturers, such as Hap Jacobs, Bing Surfboards, Bark Boards and Ron House Shapes, Dewey Weber, Stewart Surfboards. Vitamin Blue surfing accessories are sold through this channel.

Surf Shops

The Companys surf shops are generally single to multiple shops located in or near beach cities, focused on the central surf market. It tends to be privately owned. Surf shops also focus on the core surf market and provide an authentic retail source for complete lines of surfwear and surfing accessory products. The Company has relationships with manufacturers, such as Freeline Design (Santa Cruz, California), The Frog House (Newport Beach, California), Infinity Surfboards (Dana Point, California), Legends Surf (Carlsbad, California), Hi-Tech Surf Sports (Maui, Hawaii), Second Wind Sail and Surf (Maui, Hawaii), Hawaiian Island Surf and! Sport (Ma ui, Hawaii) Kennedy Surfboards (Woodland Hills, California),! Malibu Surf Shack, (Malibu, California), E.T. Surf (Hermosa Beach, California), Spyder (Hermosa Beach, California), Costa Azul (Laguna Beach, California), Icons of Surf (San Clemente, California), Encinitas Surfboards (Encinitas, California), Nor Easter Surf Shop (Scituate, Massachusetts), Air & Speed Surf Shop (Montauk, New York), Xtreme Surf & Sport (East Northport, New York) and Marshs Surf Shop (Atlantic Beach, North Carolina). The complete line of Vitamin Blue products (surfwear and surfing accessories) is distributed through this channel.

Specialty Stores

The Companys specialty stores type of retail outlet generally consists of single, regional and nationwide stores, and tends to be located in or near beach or resort communities, shopping centers, and shopping malls. Specialty stores distributing surf products primarily include tourist/vacation shops, sporting good stores (including Sports Chalet, Inc. - SPCHB), and regional and nation al retail stores (including Pacific Sunwear of California-PSUN and Zumiez, Inc.-ZUMZ). Vitamin Blue intends to use this type of retail outlet to distribute its surfwear.

Department Stores

The Companys department stores type of retail outlet generally has stores located nationwide. It is located in shopping malls, such as Bloomingdales, Macys, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Vitamin Blue intends to use this type of retail outlet to distribute its surfwear.

Vitamin Blues surfing accessories include surfboard travel bags, which offer surfboard protection and can be used daily or for long distance surf trips; surf gear travel bags, which are duffle bags used to carry surfing essentials on surf trips; surf backpacks, which are specially, designed wet bag backpacks for wetsuit storage, and roof-rack pads, which is used on existing car roof racks for surfboard protection and security on daily surf outings.

The Company ! compete! s with Quicksilver, Inc., Billabong Intl, Hurley and! Volcom I! nc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Green Endeavors Inc (OTCMKTS: GRNE), Global Links Corporation (OTCMKTS: GLCO) and Vitamin Blue Inc (OTCBB: VTMB) were all making noticeable moves at the end of last week. On Friday, Green Endeavors Inc rose 8.11% and Global Links Corporation rose 13.96% while Vitamin Blue Inc fell 10%. Of course, small cap OTC stocks making large single digit or double digit moves in either direction arent all that unusual. Moreover, all of these small caps have been the subject of paid promotions. With that in mind, here is a closer look at all three to help you decide on an investing or trading strategy:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap marijuana stocks Smart Ventures Inc (OTCMKTS: SMVR) and Vitamin Blue Inc (OTCMKTS: VTMB) jumped 40.28% and 38.6%, respectively, while hemp stock Astika Holdings Inc (OTCBB: ASKH) fell 13.75% on Friday. Moreover, only one of these small cap stocks seems to have been the subject of a few paid promotions or investor relations types of activities. So will all three of these marijuana or hemp stocks keep producing highs or lows for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/5-best-recreation-stocks-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Top 10 Income Stocks To Own Right Now

Top 10 Income Stocks To Own Right Now: Omnicom Group Inc.(OMC)

Omnicom Group Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides advertising, marketing, and corporate communications services. It offers services in traditional media advertising, customer relationship management, public relations, and specialty communications groups. The company?s services include advertising, brand consultancy, corporate social responsibility consulting, crisis communications, custom publishing, database management, digital and interactive marketing, direct marketing, directory advertising, entertainment marketing, environmental design, experiential marketing, field marketing, financial/corporate business-to-business advertising, graphic arts, healthcare communications, and instore design. Omnicom Group also offers investor relations, marketing research, media planning and buying, mobile marketing services, multi-cultural marketing, non-profit marketing, organizational communications, package design, product placement, promotional marketing, public affairs, public relations, recruitment communications, reputation consulting, retail marketing, search engine marketing, and sports and event marketing services. It offers its services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The company was founded in 1944 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  I suppose I could lay out the same sorts of iffy arguments for stocks Ive bought. Omnicom (OMC) and IMS Health were bought during a stock market panic. And a panic can explain anything. Advertising was going to be weak for a couple years in a global recession. People thought this wasnt the time to buy an advertising company. IMS Health was a healthcare company while healthcare reform was being discussed. Some Senators brought up things they didnt like about IMS Health in regards to patient privacy. And one state actually passed legislation that couldve harmed IMS Health. But none! of this seemed all that material to the stock. And its kind of hard to see how people would actually believe it was material to the companys business. Its not like they were debating the fees IMS Health could charge (the way credit card companies, banks, etc., were being discussed).

• [By Geoff Gannon] of course Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)(BRK.B). There is nothing wrong with owning huge stocks. There is something wrong with spending a lot of time picking them.

  The best way to own huge stocks is to own an index fund. You only need one. So go with the S&P 500. Mutual funds are mostly a waste of time. There are a couple like Fairholme that really do make big, concentrated bets that dont mirror index funds. And there are some other funds like Hussman Strategic Growth and Third Avenue Focused Credit that are structured to do something other than chase an index. Im not sure those funds will perform well. I am sure they will give you diversity. Theyll actually add something to your account beyond most mutual funds.

  The biggest problem for most investors is bad timing. They are greedy when others are greedy and fearful when others are fearful. Thats a problem no matter what you invest in. Its a problem in an index fund. Its a problem in a mutual fund. And its a problem in a stock. The biggest challenge for most investors is getting over that. If you can be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy you can make money in index funds, mutual funds and individual stocks. If not, you will always underperform the assets you invest in.

  Can you do any better than that though? Can you actually improve on an indexs performance through stock picking?

  Sure. And its not that hard. There are many strategies that outperform indexes. Ive mentioned a few before. I will once again mention an insanely simple one that will tend to work over time.

  Rule #1: Never pay more than 8 times EBITDA for a stock.

  Rule #2: Never buy a stock that has lo! st money ! in any of the last 10 years.

  Rule #3: Never sell a stock within the first year of buying it.

  Rule #4: Hold 10 stocks.

  Rule #5: Hold the stocks with the longest history of consistent profit s.

  This is a ve

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $0.80 per share on revenue of $3.48 billion.

  Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR) is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.34 per share on revenue of $336.48 million.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-income-stocks-to-own-right-now-3.html

Best European Stocks To Watch For 2016

Best European Stocks To Watch For 2016: Telefonica SA(TEF)

Telefonica, S.A. provides fixed and mobile telephony services primarily in Spain, rest of Europe, and Latin America. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone; local, domestic, and international long distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; video telephony; supplementary and business-oriented value-added services; network services; leasing and sale of handset equipment; and telephony information services. The company?s Internet and broadband multimedia services comprise Internet service provider service; portal and network services; retail and wholesale broadband access; narrowband switched access to Internet; naked ADSL, a broadband connection; residential-oriented value-added services; companies-oriented value-added services; television services, such as IPTV, cable television, and satellite television; and Fiber to the Home, a service for high speed Internet access and digital video recording. Its data and business-solutions services principally include leased lines; virtual private network services; fiber optics services; the provision of hosting and application; outsourcing and consultancy services; desktop services; and system integration and professional services. The company?s wholesale services for telecommunication operators primarily comprise domestic interconnection services; international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators? network deployment; local loop leasing under the unbundled local loop regulation framework; and bit stream services. It also offers various mobile and related services and products that include mobile voice services, value added services, mobile data and Internet services, wholesale services, corporate services, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. The company has a strategic alliance with China Unic! om (Hong Kong) Limited. Telefonica, S.A. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spai n.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ID Analysts]

  I continue to watch U.S.-based Verizon (NYSE:VZ); more updates later. I don't currently recommend Spain-based Telefónica (NYSE:TEF), as Robert outlines below.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) announced it is in talks to acquire an un-named Mexican rival for as much as 3 billion euros. Shares gained 1.22 percent, closing at $16.63.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-european-stocks-to-watch-for-2016.html

Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Buy For 2016

Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Buy For 2016: Thermon Group Holdings Inc.(THR)

Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. offers heat tracing solutions for process industries worldwide. The company?s solutions provide an external heat source to pipes, vessels, and instruments for the purposes of freeze protection, temperature and flow maintenance, environmental monitoring, and surface snow and ice melting. Its products comprise a range of electric heat tracing cables, steam tracing components, and tubing bundles. The company also offers instrument and control products, including self-regulating and power limiting heating cables; mineral insulated cables; heat traced tube bundles for environmental gas sampling systems; heat transfer compounds and steam tracers for steam tracing solutions; control and monitoring systems for electric tracing of pipes, tanks, hoppers, and instrument sampling systems; and hopper heating modules. In addition, it provides various turnkey solutions for heat tracing, such as design, front-end optimization, product supply, engineering deli verables, system integration, installation, commissioning, and maintenance services. The company offers its solutions to the energy, chemical processing, power generation, and industrial and commercial infrastructure, as well as engineering, procurement, and construction companies. It serves customers through a network of sales and service professionals, and distributors in approximately 30 countries. The company is headquartered in San Marcos, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Thermon Group Holdings (NYSE: THR  ) reported earnings on June 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Thermon Group Holdings missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-! 10-healthcare-equipment-companies-to-buy-for-2016.html

Top 5 Oil Companies To Own For 2016

Top 5 Oil Companies To Own For 2016: Neste Oil Corp (NES1V)

Neste Oil Corp is a Finland-based company engaged in the refining and marketing of petroleum and petroleum products. The Company has two business areas and four reporting segments. The business areas are: Oil Products & Renewables and Oil Retail. The reporting segments are: Oil Products, Renewable Fuels, Oil Retail and Others. The Oil Products & Renewables area produces and sells petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation and bunker fuel, heating oil, heavy fuel oil, base oil, gasoline components, specialty fuels, fuels, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and bitumen as well as renewable diesel and aviation fuel under the brand name NExBTL. The Oil Retail area operates a network of 1,136 stations in Finland, the Russian Federations, the Baltic states and Poland, selling own products as well as lubricants and chemicals. The Company owns fuel refineries and production plants in Finland, Singapore and the Netherlands. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Neste Oil Oyj (NES1V) declined 9.1 percent to 14.25 euros after Citigroups Inc. cut Finlands only oil refiner to sell from neutral, citing a deterioration in key profitability drivers for both renewables and refining divisions.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Neste Oil Oyj (NES1V) gained 4.8 percent to 12.04 euros. CA Cheuvreux SA upgraded Finlands only refiner to outperform, the equivalent of a buy recommendation, from underperform, saying it expects it to report resilient first-quarter results this month.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-oil-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2015

Shares of Kimberly-Clark (KMB) were rising 1.4% just after 3 on Tuesday, while Avon Products (AVP) was down 1.4%, a neat symmetry that reflects BMO Capital Markets��take on the two companies.

Analysts Connie Maneaty and Patrick Trucchio upgraded Kimberly to Outperform today, while downgraded Avon to Underperform.

First, the good news: Maneaty and Trucchio write that they see Kimberly-Clark�� gross margin widening by 280 basis points in the second half of next year, thanks to lower commodity costs. This leads them to raise their earnings per share estimates by 25 cents and 30 cents for 2015 and 2016, respectively, and they also boosted their target price by $9 to $125.

Highlights from the note:

We think KMB will be perceived as the safest of the multinationals. Its sales outside the US are about 55% of total; this compares to 65%-70% for Procter & Gamble (PG) and Coty (COTY) and 80%-90% for Colgate (CL), Avon and Tupperware (TUP). In general, its risk to the most volatile currencies is below average (its exposure to Eastern Europe is less than 2% of sales), though it is still translating results in Venezuela (about 3% of sales and profit) at the official rate of 6.3 VEF/$ (the parallel rate just hit 175 VEF/$) and Argentina (also 3% of sales) may devalue again. The cost of important raw materials has started to weaken; as they follow oil�� decline they could boost gross margins in 2H15. Of note, polypropylene and natural gas are off 17% 4Q-to-date; pulp prices, while not declining much, seem manageable.

Hot Machinery Companies To Invest In Right Now: Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc (ELTP)

Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Elite), incorporated on October 1, 1997, is a specialty pharmaceutical company principally engaged in the development and manufactures of oral, controlled-release products, using technology and the development and manufacture of generic pharmaceuticals. Elite has four products: Phentermine 37.5 milligram tablets, Methadone 10 milligram tablets, Lodrane D Immediate Release capsules and Hydromorphone Hydrochloride 8 milligram tablets. During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2012 (Fiscal 2011), the Company manufactured and sold Lodrane 24 and Lodrane 24D (the Lodrane Extended Release Products).

The Company has a pipeline of additional generic drug candidates under active development, including, without limitation, ELI-154, a once-a-day oxycodone product and ELI-216, an abuse resistant oxycodone product which utilizes the Company�� propriety formulation for abuse resistant products utilizing the pharmacological approach (Elite�� Abuse Resistant Technology). ECR Pharmaceuticals (ECR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hi-Tech Pharmacal, Inc. and the owner and marketer of the Lodrane Extended Release Products. Elite also purchased from Mikah Pharma LLC, an approved Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Naltrexone 50 milligram tablets.

For ELI-154, Elite has developed a once-daily oxycodone formulation using its technology. An investigational new drug application (IND) has been filed and Elite has completed two pharmacokinetic studies in healthy subjects that compared blood levels of oxycodone from dosing ELI-154 and the twice-a-day product that is on the market, OxyContin marketed in the United States by Purdue Pharma LP. ELI-216 utilizes the Company's abuse-deterrent technology that is based on a pharmacological approach. ELI-216 is a combination of a narcotic agonist, oxycodone hydrochloride, in a sustained-release formulation intended for use in patients with moderate to severe chronic pain, and an antagonist, naltrexone hydrochloride, formulat! ed to deter abuse of the drug. Products utilizing the pharmacological approach to deter abuse such as Suboxone, a product marketed in the United States by Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Embeda, a product marketed in the United States by Pfizer, have been approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA). ELI-216 demonstrates a euphoria-blocking effect when the product is crushed. Elite has developed ELI-154 and ELI-216 and retains the rights to these products.

The Company competes with Collegium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Purdue Pharma LP, Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Durect Corporation, Mylan Laboratories, Inc., Par Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Alkermes, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., Aptalis Pharma, Impax Laboratories, Inc., and Watson Pharmaceuticals.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, ELTP has shed (-8.01%) down -0.009 at $.101 with 4,629,899 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 1:00PM EDT September 16, 2013).

  Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. previously reported the first quarter of fiscal year 2014 ended June 30, 2013. Manufacturing and profit split revenues comprised almost all of Elite’s quarterly revenues and totaled $717k for the quarter, an increase of 41% from the prior year. This growth is attributed to the launch of two new products during the quarter, Phentermine 15mg and 30mg capsules, combined with strong year-on-year growth of the Elite’s Hydromorphone 8mg tablets and contract manufactured Methadone 10mg product lines.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Exactly one month ago today I penned some bullish thoughts on Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:ELTP). If you're familiar with the company - or a regular reader of this site - then you may know why that sounds a little "off." See, at the time, ELTP shares were falling rather quickly, giving up all the gains they had made just a few days before. Almost needless to say, my premise was not a well received one. Let's just say I received some "colorful disagreements" by being optimistic about the biopharma company.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Judging from the company it's keeping Green Automotive Co. (OTCMKTS:GACR) may have just made its way into the upper echelon of small cap stock opportunities. The electric car company joins Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:ELTP), Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:AMBS), and only three other companies as Wall-Street.com's "Best 6 Stocks" for January of 2014. As one of the top information resources for investors - particularly in terms of information regarding small and micro cap stocks - being named among the site's top pick is an accolade for AMBS, ELTP, and GACR. Even more impressive is that Green Automotive Co. was the only consumer-goods name among those six. Amarantus Bioscience Holdings and Elite Pharmaceuticals are biotechnology names... an industry that can and often does attract a lot of attention just by the nature of the business. The other three names making the "Best 6" list were an energy explorer, a power-management technology manufacturer, and prescription/medical food producer. For an electric car manufacturer to make the list speaks quite highly of GACR.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2015: WageWorks Inc (WAGE)

WageWorks, Inc., incorporated on January 28, 2000, is an on-demand provider of tax-advantaged programs for consumer-directed health, commuter and other employee spending account benefits (CDBs), in the United States. The Company administers and operates a broad array of CDBs, including spending account management programs such as health and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), and commuter benefits, such as transit and parking programs. The Company delivers its CDB programs through a scalable delivery model that employer clients and their employee participants may access through a standard Web browser on any Internet-enabled device, including computers, smart phones and other mobile devices such as tablet computers. In January 2013, the Company acquired Benefit Concepts, Inc.

The Company focuses on providing CDB programs to employer clients of any size. It provides marketing programs that are designed to maxmize employee participation in its employer clients��CDB offerings. The Company markets and sells its CDB programs through multiple channels, including direct sales to enterprises, direct sales and through brokers to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and direct sales to industry purchasing and affiliate groups and through channel partners.

Its SMB distribution channel complements its enterprise sales channel and consists of third party advisors, including insurance agents and benefits consultants who typically have two to three enterprise clients and several hundred smaller employer clients, and institutional resellers, including regional and national insurance carriers, health plans, payroll providers, commercial banks and third-party administrators (TPAs). The Company also sells its programs through group purchasing organizations in which the Company negotiate a standard service contract with group purchasing organizations that are formed by industry specific employers to cov! er their members.

The Company competes with TASC, Inc, Aetna, UHC, Aon Hewitt, ADP, Ceridian, CDBs and Bank of America.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  On Wednesday, small cap employee flexible spending account facilitator Wageworks Inc (NYSE: WAGE) rose 12.22% despite a secondary offering that effectively rewarded insiders plus the stock has tripled since last March. However, Wageworks��CEO recently said in a�conference call last week that he believes the�private health care exchanges related to Obamacare are expanding�the company���market plus WAGE also raised its forecast for full-year growth. So�does that make this small cap a buy?�

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Tuesday

  Earnings Expected From: Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR), GSI Group, Inc. (GSIG), Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), WageWorks, Inc. (NYSE: WAGE), DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) Economic Releases Expected: �Australian trade balance, New Zealand�� unemployment rate, Canadian trade balance, eurozone PPI, British services PMI

  Wednesday

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2015: National-Oilwell Inc.(NOV)

National Oilwell Varco, Inc. designs, constructs, manufactures, and sells systems, components, and products used in oil and gas drilling and production; provides oilfield services and supplies; and distributes products, and provides supply chain integration services to the upstream oil and gas industry worldwide. Its Rig Technology segment offers offshore and onshore drilling rigs; derricks; pipe lifting, racking, rotating, and assembly systems; rig instrumentation systems; coiled tubing equipment and pressure pumping units; well workover rigs; wireline winches; wireline trucks; cranes; and turret mooring systems and other products for floating production, storage and offloading vessels, and other offshore vessels and terminals. The company?s Petroleum Services & Supplies segment provides various consumable goods and services to drill, complete, remediate, and workover oil and gas wells and service pipelines, flowlines, and other oilfield tubular goods. It also manufacture s, rents, and sells products and equipment for drilling operations, including drill pipe, wired drill pipe, transfer pumps, solids control systems, drilling motors, drilling fluids, drill bits, reamers and other downhole tools, and mud pump consumables. In addition, this segment provides oilfield tubular services comprising the provision of inspection and internal coating services; equipment for drill pipe, line pipe, tubing, casing, and pipelines; and coiled tubing pipes and composite pipes. Its Distribution Services segment sells maintenance, repair and operating supplies, and spare parts to drill site and production locations. The company primarily serves drilling contractors, shipyards and other rig fabricators, well servicing companies, pressure pumping companies, oil and gas companies, supply stores, and pipe-running service providers. National Oilwell Varco, Inc. was founded in 1862 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Jefferies reported on Monday that it has lifted its price target on National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NOV).

  The firm has reaffirmed a “Buy” rating on NOV, and has raised the company’s price target from $84 to $91. This price target suggests a 14% increase from the stock’s current price of $78.24.

  Analyst Brad Handler noted that NOV’s weak margin will likely rebound in 2014 and the chances of a dividend increase are high.

  Looking forward, the firm has lifted its order estimates for FY2013 from $10.8 billion to $11.3 billion. FY2014 earnings estimates have been raised from $6.40 to $6.50 per share and FY2015 estimates have been increased from $7.65 to $7.95 per share.

  National-Oilwell Varco shares were up 76 cents, or 0.97% during pre-market trading Monday. The stock is up 14% YTD.

• [By John Divine]

  Of course, when the demand for energy is in question, companies that supply drilling equipment, like National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV  ) , suffer, as well. Shares lost 1.7% today as a result of the declining price of oil. The more oil exploration companies ��like EOG Resources ��can get for a barrel of their wares, the more they'll need the equipment needed to extract those extra profits from the ground. Although these businesses will always be somewhat beholden to global energy markets, you still have to excel at what you do to grow sales by 36%, as National Oilwell Varco did in 2012.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  National Oilwell Varco provides equipment and components for oil and gas drilling and production; oilfield services; and supply chain integration services to the upstream oil and gas industry worldwide. The company�announced that it would begin to explore the possibility of spinning off its distribution business from the rest of its operations. The stock has been surging higher in recent quarters and is currently trading near highs. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenue figures have been rising, which has left investors with conflicting feelings about earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector,�National Oilwell Varco has been an average performer year-to-date. Look for�National Oilwell Varco to OUTPERFORM.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2015: Repros Therapeutics Inc.(RPRX)

Repros Therapeutics Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development of new drugs to treat hormonal and reproductive system disorders. It is developing Androxal, an oral therapy that normalizes testicular function for the treatment of low testosterone due to secondary hypogonadism. The company is also conducting a phase 2 study of the use of Androxal in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in hypogonadal men. In addition, it is developing Proellex, an orally administered selective blocker of the progesterone receptor in women for the treatment of uterine fibroids and endometriosis; and phentolamine-based product candidate VASOMAX for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction. The company was formerly known as Zonagen, Inc. and changed its name to Repros Therapeutics, Inc. in May 2006. Repros Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in The Woodlands, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  On Friday, small cap pharma stock Apricus Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: APRI) jumped just over 10% and not only�did the stock hold onto those gains, it made�another 10% jumps on Monday���meaning its time to take a closer look at the stock along with the performance of other potential benchmarks in the sexual health or reproductive health spaces like The Female Health Company (NASDAQ: FHCO) and Repros Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: RPRX).

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  In the movie business, they call this foreshadowing. You would have made a killing if you did nothing else but ride piggy-back when Repros Therapeutics Inc.'s (RPRX) Ms. Katherine A. Anderson opened the checkbook. She might not be a big buyer, but whoa, it's no doubt that the CPA and Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Secretary knows how to work the numbers.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Repros Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RPRX) shares climbed 13.42% to $27.05. The volume of Repros Therapeutics shares traded was 319% higher than normal. Repros shares have jumped 54.77% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.68% in the same period.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Repros Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RPRX) shot up 29.82 percent to $27.60 after the company announced topline results from both the second pivotal efficacy study as well as the 6 month safety study of Androxal庐. Shares of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: KYTH) got a boost, shooting up 26.04 percent to $42.26 after the company reported positive ATX-101 top line phase III trial results for the reduction of submental fat. Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) was also up, gaining 16.75 percent to $10.05 after private equity firm Sycamore Partners reported that it had bought a 7.96 percent stake in the company.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2015: Dj Wilshire Reit Etf (RWR)

SPDR DJ Wilshire REIT (the Fund), formerly DJ Wilshire REIT ETF, seeks to replicate as closely as possible the performance of the Dow Jones Wilshire REIT Index (the Index). The Fund utilizes a passive or indexing approach, and attempts to approximate the investment performance of its Index, by investing in a portfolio of stocks to replicate the Index. The Index seeks to provide an effective representation of the United States real estate investment trust (REIT) market.

The Index consists of companies whose charters are the equity ownership and operation of commercial real estate, and which operate under the REIT Act of 1960. The Index is generally rebalanced monthly. Companies are chosen based upon market capitalization, source of revenue and liquidity. Each REIT in the Index is weighted by its float-adjusted market capitalization. The Fund�� investment manager is SSgA Funds Management, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Saletta]

  Where to invest?
  There are countless possibilities for building your retirement portfolio to cover Social Security's gap, depending on your personal risk tolerance, timeline, and need for cash. Here are decent index-style ETFs across various asset types to consider when building your plan:

  Domestic stocks. The Vanguard Total Market (NYSEMKT: VTI  ) ETF is a one-stop-shop that gives you access to around 99.5% by market cap of the publicly held U.S. stocks traded on major exchanges. A mere 3% turnover and microscopically low 0.05% expense ratio makes this a low-cost way to invest in the overall stock market. Investment-grade bonds. The iShares iBoxx $Invest Grade Corp Bond � (NYSEMKT: LQD  ) ETF owns nearly $24 billion worth of investment-grade corporate bonds. A small 4% turnover and low 0.15% expense ratio make this a low-cost way to get bond exposure. Real estate. The SPDR Dow Jones REIT (NYSEMKT: RWR  ) ETF has a bit over $2 billion invested in real estate investment trusts, attempting to match the Dow Jones Select REIT index. With a reasonable 7% turnover and a still pretty low 0.25% expense ratio, this is a reasonable way to get real estate exposure without turning yourself into a landlord. Foreign stocks. Vanguard's Total International Stock Index (NASDAQ: VXUS  ) ETF has nearly $90 billion in foreign stocks under its control, owning pieces of more than 6,100 stocks from 45 countries. With a mere 3% turnover and low 0.16% expense ratio, it's one of the lowest-cost ways to get your hands on foreign companies without being an international accounting expert. Inflation-protected government bonds. The iShares Barclays TIPS Bond (NYSEMKT: TIP  ) ETF has around $20 billion invested in U.S. Treasury inflation-protected bonds. With a low expense ratio of 0.2% and a reasonable 10% turnover rate, it's a decent way to get exposure to inflation-protected bonds. Note, though, that
• [By Hilary Kramer]

   

  2. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) The REIT is another alternative vehicle that's gone mainstream in recent years. Hundreds of broad-based and specialized real estate companies and ETFs are available, and after a correction a few months ago, many are on the cheap side. Like any other alternative, this should be a seasoning for your portfolio and not the sauce itself. For most retail investors, a stake in an indexed fund like the SPDR Dow Jones REIT (NYSE: RWR) should be more than adequate, or look into the companies that provide services to the REIT industry like HFF (NYSE: HF) and Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL).

   

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2015: Community Health Systems Inc (CYH)

Community Health Systems, Inc., incorporated on June 6, 1996, is an operator of hospitals in the United States. The Company provides healthcare services through the hospitals that it owns and operates in non-urban and selected urban markets throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned or leased 135 hospitals, Consisting of 131 general acute care hospitals and four standalone rehabilitation or psychiatric hospitals. These hospitals are geographically diversified across 29 states, with an aggregate of 20,334 licensed beds. The Company provides a range of general and specialized hospital healthcare services and other outpatient services to patients in the communities in which the Company are located. Services provided through its hospitals and affiliated businesses include general acute care, emergency room, general and specialty surgery, critical care, internal medicine, obstetrics, diagnostic, psychiatric and rehabilitation services. On March 1, 2012, the Company acquired MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, Illinois. On July 1, 2012, the Company�� subsidiaries acquired all of the assets of Memorial Health Systems in York, Pennsylvania.

Effective January 1, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Moses Taylor Healthcare System based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which is a healthcare system comprised of two acute care hospitals and other healthcare providers. This healthcare system includes Moses Taylor Hospital (217 licensed beds) located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Mid-Valley Hospital (25 licensed beds) located in Peckville, Pennsylvania. Effective March 5, 2012, the Company completed a merger with Diagnostic Clinic of Longview, P.A., which is a multi-specialty clinic serving residents of Longview, Texas and surrounding East Texas communities. This healthcare system includes Memorial Hospital (100 licensed beds), the Surgical Center of York, and other outpatient and ancillary services.

The Company provides outpatient services at urg! ent care centers, occupational medicine clinics, imaging centers, cancer centers, ambulatory surgery centers and home health and hospice agencies. In addition to its hospitals and related businesses, the Company also own and operate 64 licensed home care agencies and 31 licensed hospice agencies, located primarily in markets where the Company also operate a hospital. Also, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Quorum Health Resources, LLC, or QHR, the Company provides management and consulting services to non-affiliated general acute care hospitals located throughout the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Meanwhile, the second-largest hospital chain, Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH  ) , saw its shares rise nearly 4%. This increase translates to a higher market cap of more than $150 million.

• [By Keith Speights]

  The stock market clearly agreed. Immediately after the Supreme Court decision, hospital stocks surged. Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH  ) jumped 8%. Health Management Associates (NYSE: HMA  ) shares rose 7%. The largest private hospital chain, HCA Holdings (NYSE: HCA  ) , soared by 10%.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Health Management’s new board urged shareholders to approve the hospital operator’s roughly $3.9 billion deal to be acquired by peer Community Health Systems Inc.(CYH) after completing a review, and the company also reported swinging to a third-quarter loss.

• [By Keith Speights]

  If we were to draw two columns -- one for winners from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, and another for losers -- the word "hospitals" would probably be listed near the top in the winner's column. Large hospital chains Health Management Association (NYSE: HMA  ) and Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC  ) , have seen their stocks more than double over the past year, while Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH  ) is up around 75%.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2015: Berkshire Bancorp Inc.(BERK)

Berkshire Bancorp Inc. operates as the bank holding company for The Berkshire Bank that provides community banking services to businesses, professionals, and retail customers primarily in New York City metropolitan area and the Villages of Goshen and Harriman. The company offers various deposit products, including statement savings accounts, NOW accounts, money market deposits accounts, checking accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial mortgage loans secured by office buildings, retail establishments, multi-family residential real estate, and other types of commercial property; commercial loans to businesses for inventory financing, working capital, machinery and equipment purchases, expansion, and other business purposes; and residential mortgage loans secured by first liens on one-to-four family owner-occupied or rental residential real estate, as well as residential single family construction, home equity, and short-t erm fixed-rate consumer loans. Berkshire Bancorp Inc. also offers title insurance agency services. The company operates seven deposit-taking offices in New York City; four deposit-taking offices in Orange and Sullivan Counties, New York; one deposit taking office in Ridgefield, New Jersey; and one deposit taking office in Teaneck, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  One interesting bank that is seeing insider buying activity is Berkshire Bancorp (BERK). The company has recently switched from the Nasdaq to OTC markets, but that has not stopped director Moses Marx from consistently buying BERK stock. Berkshire does business in the already overbanked New York and New Jersey markets, and the stock is very cheap at just 82% of book value. Insiders won more than 60% of the bank, so investors are on the same side of the table as management.