Top Wireless Telecom Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Wireless Telecom Stocks To Own Right Now: T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS)

T-Mobile US, Inc., formerly MetroPCS Communications, Inc., incorporated on March 10, 2004, is a wireless telecommunications carrier, which offers wireless broadband mobile services primarily in metropolitan areas in the United States, including the Atlanta, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando/Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Tampa/Sarasota metropolitan areas. Its flagship brands include T-Mobile and MetroPCS. As of December 31, 2012, it held licenses for wireless spectrum suitable for wireless broadband mobile services covering a total population of 144 million people in and around many of the metropolitan areas in the United States. It provides its services using code division multiple accesses (CDMA) networks using 1xRTT technology and evolution data optimized (EVDO) and fourth generation long term evolution (4G LTE).

The Company has roaming agreements with other wireless broadband mob ile carriers that allow them to offer its customers service in many areas when they are outside its service area. These roaming agreements, together with the area it serve with its own networks, allows its customers to receive service in an area covering over 280 million in total population under the Metro USA brand. The Company sells products and services to customers through its Company-owned retail stores, as well as indirectly through relationships with independent retailers and third party dealers. Its service allows its customers to place unlimited local calls from within its local service area and to receive unlimited calls from any area while in its service area, for a flat-rate monthly service fee. For additional usage fees, it also provide certain other value-added services. All of these plans require payment in advance for one month of service. If no payment is made in advance for month of service, service is suspended at the end of the month ! that was paid for by the customer and, if the customer does not pay within 30 day! s, the customer is terminated. It believes its service plans differentiate them from the more complex plans and long-term contract requirements of traditional wireless carriers.

The Company voice services allow customers to place voice calls to, and receive calls from, any telephone in the world, including local, domestic long distance, and international calls. Its voice services also allow customers to receive and make calls while they are located in areas served by its networks and in those geographic areas served by the networks of certain other wireless broadband mobile carriers with whom it has roaming arrangements. The Companys data services include text messaging services (domestic and international); multimedia messaging services; mobile Internet access; mobile instant messaging; location-based services; social networking services; push e-mail; multimedia streaming and downloads; and services provided, depending on the network and locale, through the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, or BREW, Blackberry, Windows, and the Android platforms, such as ringtones, ring back tones, games, content, and applications.

The Companys Custom calling features offers custom calling features, including caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling and voicemail. Its Advanced handsets sells a variety of feature phones, and increasingly, smartphones, predominately manufactured by nationally recognized manufacturers for use on its network, including models that have cameras, include HTML browsers, play music, play streaming audio, display streaming video and downloaded video, and have other features facilitating digital data. It sells a variety of handsets using vendor or handset specific operating systems, such as BREW, Blackberry, Windows, and the Android operating system.

The Company provides its wireless broadband mobile services using paired personal communications services (PCS), ! spectrum ! and advanced wireless services, or AWS, spectrum. In addition, it holds a! license ! for 12 MHz of paired 700 MHz Lower Band A spectrum in the Boston-Worcester, MA/NH/RI/VT basic economic area (BEA), which, unless it receives a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), of the four year construction requirements, it plans to construct in the first half of 2013. In each of its metropolitan areas where irt provides service. As of December 31, 2012, it holds between 10 mega hertz (MHz) and 60 MHz of paired spectrum and on average it has approximately 22 MHz of paired spectrum in the metropolitan areas it serves. In the aggregate, as of December 31, 2012, it offers wireless broadband mobile services using its own network.

The Company operates 1xRTT CDMA networks in all of the metropolitan areas it serves and it has upgraded its networks to 4G LTE in all of metropolitan areas. It also has deployed EVDO at selected high use sites in its CDMA network to increase network data capacity to meet the growing data needs of iy customers. Its net work includes a mobile switching center (for CDMA), enhanced packet core (for 4G LTE), and IP core. These serve several purposes, including routing traffic, managing call handoffs, and managing access to the public switched telephone network (for CDMA) or the Internet (CDMA and 4G LTE). These network elements also provide access to voicemail and other value-added services, base stations (for CDMA) or eNodeBs (for 4G LTE), cell sites or distributed antenna system (DAS), nodes, and backhaul facilities, which carry traffic to and from its cell sites and its switching or enhanced packet core facilities, consisting of a combination of dedicated circuits, cable, fiber, and microwave facilities.

Its cell sites in the network are co-located, meaning its equipment is located on leased facilities that are owned by third parties who retain the right to lease the locations to additional carriers and in many cases other wireless broadband mobi! le servic! e providers already hav e facilities at such locations. The switching centers and na! tional op! erations center provide around-the-clock monitoring of its network. Its switches connect to the public switched telephone network through fiber rings leased from third-parties, which transmit originating and terminating traffic between its equipment and local exchange and long distance carriers. It also has negotiated interconnection agreements with relevant local exchange carriers, or LECs, in its service areas. It uses third-party providers for domestic and international long distance services, international SMS interconnection with the public switched network and other carriers, roaming services, and the majority of its backhaul services.

The Company competes with AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA , Deutsche Telekom, Clearwire, Dish Network , Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox Communications, Cricket Communications, Leap Wireless International and Google.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Rooney]

  Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) have also been offering customers the chance to get more data without paying more.

  As smartphones become more sophisticated, consumers have been demanding more data to increase their ability to send photos, download music and watch videos.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government has sued AT&T, alleging the No. 2 U.S. wireless carrier sold consumers unlimited data plans but would reduce their Internet speeds once they exceeded a certain amount of data. The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that this throttling of Internet feeds was deceptive and that in some cases data speeds were slowed by nearly 90 percent. FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said that AT&T (T) wanted to retain longtime customers and so allowed them to buy unlimited data plans, in some cases after new customers were no longer offered unlimited plans. Then! they uni! laterally changed the terms, she said. "They stopped providing the service that customers understood they had purchased when they entered into their contract," she said. "Customers would be subject to an early termination fee if they wanted to get out of their existing contract." AT&T called the allegations "baseless" and said the practice was needed to manage network resources. "We have been completely transparent with customers since the very beginning," said Wayne Watts, AT&T's general counsel. "This program has affected only about 3 percent of our customers, and before any customer is affected, they are also notified by text message." More than 3.5 million customers with legacy unlimited data plans had their Internet speeds slowed more than 25 million times by AT&T's practice, which began in October 2011, the FTC said. AT&T says on its support website that people with certain plans can experience data slowdowns once they exceed certain limits. Customers with a 3G smartphone will experience slowdowns after using 3 gigabytes of data in a month, while those with 4G LTE smartphones can use 5 gigabytes before potential slowdowns. Those who dislike the throttling can use Wi-Fi or switch to a different plan, AT&T says on its website. AT&T closed up 0.6 percent at $34.33 a share. Federal Communica

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Andrew Burton/Getty Images Most of us couldn't imagine life without our cable or satellite TV, high-speed Internet access and wireless communications. They've become basic utilities, and we pay handsomely for them. Yet, we aren't very satisfied with the service we get. According to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, customer satisfaction with subscription TV (cable, satellite and fiber optic service) and Internet service providers continues to decline. Satisfaction with pay TV fell 4.4 percent, to an ACSI score of 65 (on a 100-point scale), while ISPs -- which include many of the same companies -- dropped 3.1 perce! nt to 63.! These are the lowest scores of all 43 industries tracked by ACSI. "Customers question the value proposition of both, as consumers pay for more than they need in terms of subscription TV, and get less than they want in terms of Internet speeds and reliability," said Claes Fornell, ACSI chairman and founder. The survey finds that customers are much more dissatisfied with cable TV than with fiber-optic and satellite service. Dish Network (DISH) at 67, the lowest-scoring satellite TV company, still rates higher than the best cable company, Cox Communications, with 63. Comcast (CMCSA) (parent company of CNBC) at 60 and Time Warner Cable (TWC) with 56 have the most dissatisfied customers. ACSI Managing Director David VanAmburg noted that for the last decade or so, the price of these communications services has been rising much faster than inflation. Some households, especially people living in an apartment, now pay more for TV and Internet service each month than they do for gas and electric. Another complaint: When there is a service issue, the customer service experience isn't very good. "These are not companies that do a very good job of providing good call center customer care or good face-to-face customer care," VanAmburg said. Wireless Service and a New Cellphone Favorite Americans aren't exactly thrilled with their

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-wireless-telecom-stocks-to-own-right-now-3.html

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) ��Technology stocks were mostly in the red Wednesday as the federal government shutdown entered its second day, but the sector got a boost from some social media and chip stocks.

The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) �shed 0.2% to 3,811, while the Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) �and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) �were each off a fraction.

Reuters BlackBerry slides after it says it expects even bigger restructuring charges.

IBM Corp (IBM) �was down 0.5%, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) �was off 0.3% and Intel Corp. (INTC) �gave up 0.2%.

10 Best Logistics Stocks To Buy Right Now: Ishares Ftse Kld 400 Social Index Fund (DSI)

iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social Index Fund (the Fund), formerly iShares FTSE KLD 400 Social Index Fund, seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the MSCI KLD 400 Social Index (the Index). The Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure the equity performance of the United States companies. The Index consists of approximately 400 companies identified by MSCI from the universe of companies included in the MSCI USA IMI Index, which consists of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ Stock Market LLC listed United States equities. The Fund�� investment advisor is BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Editor , ETFChannel.com]

  According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, Weyerhaeuser Co. is a member of the iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social Index Fund ETF (DSI), making up 0.25% of the underlying holdings of the fund, which owns $861,262 worth of WY shares.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  Efficiency measures at Schlumberger have included faster maintenance, better transportation set ups, and increases in asset turns. The company reduced Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)—a measure of how long it takes to get paid after a sale—to 91 in the quarter, from 96 in the first quarter of 2013. Days Sales of Inventory (DSI)—a measure of how much inventory a company carries to support its sales activities—fell to 55 days from 57 days. That helped produce operating cash flow of $10 billion for Schlumberger in 2013, a record for the company.

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Skechers U.S.A. Inc.(SKX)

Skechers U.S.A., Inc. engages in the design, development, marketing, and distribution of footwear for men, women, and children in the United States and internationally. The company offers various products comprising casuals, such as boots, shoes, and sandals for men, as well as slip-ons, lug outsole and fashion boots, and casual sandals for women; dress casuals; relaxed fit for men; sandals; and casual fusion under the Skechers USA brand name. It also provides a line of sport footwear for men and women, including men?s lifestyle athletic footwear, lightweight women?s sneakers, and sport sandals under the Skechers Sport brand name. In addition, the company offers men?s and women?s casuals, field boots, hikers, and athletic shoes under the Skechers Work brand name; and a range of infants, toddlers, boys, and girls? boots, shoes, and sneakers under the Skechers Kids brand name. Further, its product line includes Skechers Active products, such as casual everyday and sport fusi on sneakers for females; Tone-ups and Tone-ups Fitness products comprising casual and athletic-inspired sandals for women, as well as sneakers; Shape-ups toning footwear for men and women; and Skechers Resistance Runner technical shoes for runners. Skechers U.S.A. markets its products through department and specialty stores, athletic and independent retailers, and boutiques, catalog and Internet retailers, as well as through own e-commerce Website and retail stores. As of February 15, 2011, it operated 105 concept stores, 99 factory outlet stores, and 40 warehouse outlet stores in the United States, as well as 28 concept stores and 16 factory outlets internationally. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  It�� been a rough week for the footwear market. Finish Line�� results added to fear fueled earlier this week when Skechers (SKX) dropped almost 10% after analysts suggested that sales were slowing.

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  Skechers (NYSE: SKX  ) has is up 65% year-to-date, outperforming Brown Shoe (NYSE: BWS  ) , Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW  ) , Deckers Outdoor (NASDAQ: DECK  ) , and Nike (NYSE: NKE  ) , which have appreciated 26%, 39%, 62%, and 43%, respectively. Skechers' upside move is justifiable based on the company's recent performance. At the same time, this doesn't mean Skechers will offer the best long-term investment opportunity in this group.

• [By John Kell var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(func]

  Skechers USA Inc.'s(SKX) first-quarter profit soared as the footwear company reported broad sales growth in the U.S. and abroad, while also striking a bullish tone about demand later this year. The latest period’s results easily topped Wall Street’s expectations. Shares climbed 12% to $41.38 premarket.

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Intergrative Stem Cell Holdings Inc (YFRM)

Intergrative Stem Cell Holdings Inc., formerly YaFarm Technologies, Inc., incorporated on June 16, 2006, is a Web development and Web hosting company. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, YaFarm Group, LLC, offers a range of business-class Website development and Web hosting products and services for small and medium-sized businesses. The Company offers Web solutions for small- and medium- sized companies, including Web development, Web hosting, Web maintenance and business image consulting services.

The Company offers Web solution packages to small and medium-sized businesses, which includes Bronze Small Business Package, Silver Medium-Sized Business Package and Gold E-Commerce Package. The Company did not generate any revenues.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  What�� the Catch With Caribbean International Holdings? According to various disclosures, transactions of $1.5k, $2k, $3k, $3.5k, $4k, $7k, $15k and $16k have or will occur to mention Caribbean International Holdings in various investment newsletters. At the beginning of last week, Caribbean International Holdings announced that it was in the final stages of construction of a new Winghouse and Entertainment Center facility on the strip in Sosua, Dominican Republic, that feature its signature wings complemented by a variety of sauce and spice choices plus a mechanical bull. Caribbean International Holdings also recently announced it will offer Winghouse restaurant franchises (for 25,000 dollars plus a percentage of gross revenues) throughout the Caribbean as well as Central and South America. Winghouse restaurants offer 18 flavor choices with four varieties of spicy heat in a country setting with mechanical bulls as the centerpiece. Finally and last May, Caribbean International Holdings announced that ��fter three months of silence,��the merger documents between YaFarm Technologies, Inc (OTCMKTS: YFRM) and the Integrated Stem Cell Institute in Cancun, Mexico, have been signed and that CIHN now has a 12.5% stake in a company that�� been a favorite of stock promoters. However, the most updated financials that I see for Caribbean International Holdings date from June of last year on Yahoo! Finance ��and A LOT can happen within a year��

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Textainer Group Holdings Limited(TGH)

Textainer Group Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, ownership, management, leasing, and resale of a fleet of marine cargo containers worldwide. The company leases dry freight containers, as well as special-purpose containers to shipping lines, freight forwarding companies, and the United States military; manages a fleet of containers for and on behalf of the owners; and buys and resells used containers. It operates a fleet of approximately 1.6 million containers. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Textainer Group Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of Halco Holdings Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ong Kang Wei]

  Another example of such a company is Textainer Group Holdings (TGH). Besides having a great container leasing service that is needed by shipping companies, like Digital Realty, it is the undisputed leader in its industry. Being the largest of its kind in the world, the company has a significant economies of scale benefit. This means that Textainer will get the lion's share of the profits, which is proven by the company's outsized profit margin of 42.10%.

• [By Joseph Hogue]

  There is one particular shipping company of which investors are being especially fearful, to the point of hating it. I'm talking about Textainer Group Holdings (NYSE: TGH), a container leasing company with 2.6 million 20-foot equivalent containers, the largest fleet among its peers.

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Raytheon Company(RTN)

Raytheon Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides electronics, mission systems integration, and other capabilities in the areas of sensing, effects, and command, control, communications, and intelligence systems, as well as mission support services in the United States and internationally. It operates in six segments: Integrated Defense Systems, Intelligence and Information Systems, Missile Systems, Network Centric Systems, Space and Airborne Systems, and Technical Services. The Integrated Defense Systems segment provides integrated naval, air, and missile defense and civil security response solutions. The Intelligence and Information Systems segment offers intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, advanced cyber solutions, weather and environmental solutions, and information-based solutions for law enforcement and homeland security. The Missile Systems segment develops and produces weapon systems, including missiles, smart munitions, close-in weapon systems, projectiles, kinetic kill vehicles, and directed energy effectors for the armed forces of the U.S. and other allied nations. The Network Centric Systems segment provides net-centric mission solutions, including integrated communications systems, command and control systems, combat systems, and operations and precision components for the U.S. federal, state, and local government customers, as well as civil customers. The Space and Airborne Systems segment designs and develops integrated systems and solutions for missions, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; precision engagement; unmanned aerial operations; and space. The Technical Services segment provides training, logistics, engineering, product support, and operational support services for the mission support, homeland security, space, civil aviation, counterproliferation, and counterterrorism markets. Raytheon Company was founded in 1922 and is based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  Raytheon (NYSE: RTN  ) has completed a successful series of flights for control test vehicles (CTV) in the Accelerated Improved Intercept Initiative, aka AI3, the company announced this week.

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.(ACTC)

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on the development and commercialization of human embryonic and adult stem cell technology in the field of regenerative medicine. Its embryonic stem cell research programs include cellular reprogramming, reduced complexity program, and stem cell differentiation research programs. The company?s cellular reprogramming involves in the development of therapies based on the use of genetically identical pluripotent stem cells generated by its cellular reprogramming technologies. Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. also generates stable cell lines with particular focus on blood lineage and vascular epithelial cell lines from hemangioblast cells. In addition, it is developing an autologous myoblast transplantation therapy to restore cardiac function in patients with advanced heart disease. The company?s stem cell-based therapy would provide treatment for a range of acute and chronic degenerative diseases. Further, it deve lops adult stem cell-based products that are specifically targeted at therapies for heart and other cardiovascular diseases. The company is headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, ACTC has shed (-1.05%) down -0.0008 at $.0751 with 2,338,132 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:55AM EDT July 22, 2013), but don�� let this get you down.

  Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. previously reported the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), an independent group of medical experts closely monitoring the company�� three ongoing clinical trials, has authorized the company to move forward with enrollment and treatment of remaining two patients in the third cohort of each of the three clinical trials. The decision follows an interim review by the DSMB six weeks after the first patient was treated in the third cohort of each trial. ACT will proceed with screening and enrollment for the patients who, in keeping with trial protocol, will be injected with 150,000 retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

Top 5 Valued Stocks To Own For 2014

Volterra Semiconductor Corp. (1.2%) (VLTR - $23.00 - NASDAQ)(VLTR) is a California based designer of power management semiconductors for the computing, storage and networking sector. On August 15, 2013, the company received a $23.00 cash tender offer from nearby competitor Maxim Integrated Products Inc., a producer of integrated circuits for various industrial applications with greater scale and presence in the industry. The tender, which commenced on August 30, is expected to close on October 1 of this year. October 4, 2013.

�

From�Mario Gabelli's�third quarter 2013 commentary.

Also check out: Mario Gabelli Undervalued Stocks Mario Gabelli Top Growth Companies Mario Gabelli High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Mario Gabelli keeps buying

Currently 5.00/512345

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote)

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Own For 2015: 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 James Brumley]

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

  Dividend Stocks to Buy: Tupperware Brands (TUP)

  Dividend Yield: 3.2%

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  Multilevel marketing (MLM) groups such as Herbalife operate through independent sales representatives, who earn money both through the sales of product and by recruiting other people to join their team. This business model — which is used by scores of companies, including�Pampered Chef, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Tupperware (TUP) and Mary Kay Cosmetics — is legal provided that actual products are sold.

• [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).

Top 5 Valued Stocks To Own For 2014: 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 Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Manitowoc have gained 33% so far in 2014, easily besting Caterpillar’s (CAT) 6.6% rise, Deere’s (DE) 3.1% drop, Joy Global’s (JOY) 3.1% fall and Terex’s (TEX) 2.3% advance.

• [By Chris Hill]

  Pepsi's (NYSE: PEP  ) �second-quarter profits rise 35%. Shares of Ford (NYSE: F  ) hit a two-year high. Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) lowers guidance in the wake of a bad quarter. And Panera's (NASDAQ: PNRA  ) �second-quarter profits come in lower than expected. In this installment of Investor Beat, Motley Fool analysts Matt Koppenheffer and Jason Moser discuss four stocks making moves on Tuesday.

• [By John Divine]

  Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) stock refused to lose -- as it had in the previous four trading sessions -- and added 1.2% after announcing a $1 billion share buyback plan. The shares in particular will be bought back from a French bank. With a market cap around $54 billion, the repurchase agreement will materially reduce the number of shares outstanding, spreading the company's earnings among a smaller pool of shareholders. Caterpillar seems to think its stock is pretty cheap right now. It also bought back $1 billion of its stock in June.�

• [By E. Michael Greenberg]

  Blue Sphere is a small company with a big future and that future starts now. Over the last two weeks Blue Sphere Corp. (OTCQB: BLSP) has announced commitments for over $25 million dollars of financing for their Charlotte, North Carolina based 5.2 Mega Watt (Mw) anaerobic digestion facility. Blue Sphere, in two press releases, announced a commitment for $17.785 million in debt financing from Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, the financial services arm of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and $7.5 million in an equity commitment from a leading environmental finance fund.

Top 5 Valued Stocks To Own For 2014: 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 MONEYMORNING.COM]

  Retail Stocks to Watch No. 4: Family Dollar Stores Inc. (Nasdaq: FDO)
  One-year retail sales growth: 11.4%
  Total 2013 U.S. sales: $10.4 billion
  The poor economy has been good to Family Dollar, which has gained customers seeking the lowest possible prices. To accommodate such demand, FDO added 1,000 new items, many of them groceries. It also added 506 new stores to bring its total to 7,916. Although it has agreed to sell itself to Dollar Tree Inc. (Nasdaq: DLTR) for $8.5 billion, Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) keeps making new offers. FDO is up 36.8% over the past three months as a result. FDO closed at $80.22.

• [By Mani]

  Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLTR) is one of the companies that are set to exploit the ongoing trend of consumers' increasing focus on value with significant opportunity to grow its store base, and expand margins.

• [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

Top 5 Valued Stocks To Own For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

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

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Oilfield services giant Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) saw short interest rise 12.5% to 14 million shares, about 1% of Schlumberger�� float. The largest oilfield services company reported fourth-quarter results last week and posted higher EPS and revenues than it did a year ago.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Buy Right Now

After suffering through one of the most trying periods in its history, US automakers have emerged financially stronger and stand to benefit from a number of tailwinds in the domestic market, observes Elliott Gue, editor of Capitalist Times.

At the end of 2012, the median age of passenger vehicles still on the road in the US touched a record high of 11.4 years; the rising age of the US auto fleet implies that many of these cars will need to be replaced in coming years.

Credit availability and affordability have also improved dramatically, which should continue to fuel sales of new cars. Although interest rates have ticked up slightly this year, the cost of financing the purchase of a new vehicle remains near a record-low.

The only major US automaker to avoid bankruptcy during the Great Recession, Ford Motor Company (F) boasts the best-positioned product lineup to take advantage of improving automobile sales in the US, and long-term demand growth in China, and other emerging markets.

Best US Stocks To Own For 2015: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  Earlier this year, Legere, who has a reputation as a maverick, said he was open to potential combinations with Dish Network (DISH) and Sprint, though it chided its larger rival for the slow rollout of its 4G LTE Network. T-Mobile, though, can afford to be cocky. During the most recent quarter, T-Mobile added more than 1 million customers, the most in the industry, thanks to clever marketing ideas such as the “Un-carrier” , which offers consumers more flexible options such as no-contract service, and the ability to upgrade phones more frequently.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) have skyrocketed today by as much as 18% after DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) made an unsolicited offer to acquire the wireless carrier.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: News Corporation(NWSA)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q3 2014 earnings report for mid cap�online real estate information stock Zillow Inc (NASDAQ: Z), a peer of small cap�Move Inc (NASDAQ: MOVE) which News Corp (NASDAQ: NWSA) is acquiring and small cap�Trulia Inc (NYSE: TRLA) which Zillow is also acquiring, is scheduled for after the market's close on Wednesday (November 5th). Aside from the Zillow Inc earnings report, it should be said that Move Inc reported Q2 2014 earnings on July 29th (revenue rose 7% to $61.3M, average monthly unique users of realtor.com庐's web and mobile sites grew 18% to 31.2M and Non-GAAP Loss Per Share was $0.03 per diluted share verses Non-GAAP Earnings Per Share of $0.11) and Trulia Inc reported Q3 2014 earnings on October 29th (total revenue rose 67% to $67.1M along with an adjusted net loss of $2.8 million, or $0.08 per share on a basic and diluted basis, compared with adjusted net income of $9.1 million, or $0.26 and $0.24 per share on a basic and diluted basis, respectively). The acquisition of Move Inc and Trulia Inc though (assuming the Federal Trade Commission approves the deal)�really leaves Zillow Inc as the main publicly traded online real estate information.�

Top 5 Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CNBC]

  Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Time Warner Cable's flirtation with potential merger suitors may include Comcast, which is seeking advice on possible regulatory hurdles if it should pursue a bid, sources told CNBC on Friday. Comcast (CMCSA) (CMCSK), the parent company of CNBC, is not in active discussions on deal terms with Time Warner Cable (TWC), these sources say, but is asking for guidance on antitrust and telecommunications-related issues. According to people familiar with the matter, TWC has made it clear that if it should sell itself, Comcast would be its preferred buyer. These people add that Comcast has been quietly mulling a merger with TWC for some time. The cable operator is on the verge of a bid from Charter Communications (CHTR), according to The Wall Street Journal, which said Charter is near an agreement with banks for the funds to make that offer. Analysts, however, say Time Warner's needs may be better suited with Comcast. "The synergies are very real, and Comcast would be a better fit," said Craig Moffett, founder and senior analyst at MoffettNathanson. He said that while the Department of Justice's anti-trust requirements may not pose an insurmountable challenge, the more stringent litmus test might come from the Federal Communications Commission.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Barclays maintained an Equal-weight rating on Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) with a price target lowered to $127 from a previous $133. Separately, analysts at Northland Securities upgraded shares to Outperform from Market Perform with a $146 price target. Shares gained 0.16 percent, closing at $126.84.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)

Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Reese]

  Regional cable TV and Internet provider Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC) on Friday announced better-than-expected third quarter earnings results, reversing a year-ago loss.

  Cablevision’s Q3 Earnings in Brief
  - Net income totaled $294.6 million, or $1.10 per share, reversing last year’s loss of $3.79 million, or -1 penny per share.
  - Revenue rose 1.8% from last year to $1.57 billion.
  - Analysts expected much lower earnings of just 11 cents per share, on matching revenue.

  Latest Dividend Reiterated; Yield Surpasses Peers
  In its earnings release, Cablevision announced it would continue its dividend payout of 15 cents per share. The latest dividend will be paid on Dec. 13 with an ex-dividend date of Nov. 20. The company has not raised its dividend payout since May of 2011.

  Despite the lack of dividend raise, CVC’s dividend yield of 3.84% compares favorably with other stocks in its industry. Time Warner Cable (TWC) offers a yield of 2.2%, while Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) yields just 1.65%. The average dividend yield for S&P 500 companies is around 2.5%, so Cablevision’s yield is well above both its industry average as well as the wider market average. Still, its lofty yield has come more as a result of poor price performance, rather than dividend increases.

  Shares Rise, but Still Tail Indexes
  Cablevision shares rose more than 2% in early trading on Friday, but the company’s stock performance has lagged the wider markets for quite some time. Year-to-date, CVC has gained about 6%, compared with a 24% gain in the benchmark S&P 500 index. The stock was trading around the $38 level as recently as early 2011, so its dividend yield has risen significantly as its stock price plunged to around $16.

Best Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now

BALTIMORE ( Stockpickr) -- When it comes to the stock market, looks can be deceiving.

Must Read: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks

For instance, even though the S&P 500 is up more than 10% since the beginning of 2014, nearly one-in-three S&P components is actually down on the year. Ditto for the Dow. Move down the scale to small-caps, and even though the Russell 2000 index is up slightly year-to-date, more than half of the stocks in the index are down. Put simply, stock selection still matters in this market.

I'm not just talking about picking the right stocks -- avoiding the wrong stocks is just as important. And the stats show that it's been easy to pick the wrong stocks this year. But that doesn't mean you need to keep them...

Today, we're taking a closer technical look at five new charts that are looking "toxic" this fall...

Just to be clear, the companies I'm talking about today aren't exactly junk. By that, I mean they're not next up in line at bankruptcy court. But that's frankly irrelevant; from a technical analysis standpoint, sellers are shoving around these toxic stocks right now. For that reason, fundamental investors need to decide how long they're willing to take the pain if they want to hold onto these firms in the weeks and months ahead. And for investors looking to buy one of these positions, it makes sense to wait for more favorable technical conditions (and a lower share price) before piling in.

Top High Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Ellington Financial LLC (EFC)

Ellington Financial LLC (EFC) is a specialty finance company, which specializes in acquiring and managing mortgage-related assets. As of December 31, 2011, its targeted assets included residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), backed by prime jumbo, Alternative A-paper (Alt-A), manufactured housing and subprime residential mortgage loans (non-Agency RMBS); RMBS for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a United States Government agency or a United States Government-sponsored entity (Agency RMBS); mortgage-related derivatives; commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), commercial mortgage loans and other commercial real estate debt, and corporate debt and equity securities and derivatives. It also acquires and manages other types of mortgage-related assets and financial assets, such as residential whole mortgage loans, asset-backed securities (ABS), backed by consumer and commercial assets, non-mortgage-related derivatives and real property.

Non-Agency RMBS

The Company acquires non-Agency RMBS backed by prime jumbo, Alt-A, manufactured housing and subprime residential mortgage loans. Its non-Agency RMBS holdings include investment-grade and non-investment grade classes. Non-Agency RMBS are debt obligations issued by private originators of or investors in residential mortgage loans. Non-Agency RMBS are issued as CMOs and are backed by pools of whole mortgage loans or by mortgage pass-through certificates. Non-Agency RMBS are securitized in senior/subordinated structures, or in excess spread/over-collateralization structures. In senior/subordinated structures, the subordinated tranches absorb all losses on the underlying mortgage loans before any losses are borne by the senior tranches.

Agency RMBS

The Company�� assets in this asset class consist of whole pool pass-through certificates, the principal and interest of which are guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Cor! poration (Freddie Mac), or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), and which are backed by adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs), hybrid ARMs or fixed-rate mortgages. Mortgage pass-through certificates are securities representing undivided interests in pools of mortgage loans secured by real property where payments of both interest and principal, plus pre-paid principal, on the securities are made monthly to holders of the security, in effect passing through monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on the mortgage loans that underlie the securities, net of fees paid to the issuer/guarantor and servicers of the securities. Whole pool pass-through certificates are mortgage pass-through certificates that represent the entire ownership of a pool of mortgage loans.

In addition to investing in specific pools of Agency RMBS, the Company utilizes forward-settling purchases and sales of Agency RMBS where the underlying pools of mortgage loans are to be announced mortgage-backed securities (MBS) (TBAs). Pursuant to these TBA transactions, it agrees to purchase or sell, for future delivery, Agency RMBS with certain principal and interest terms and certain types of underlying collateral. It uses TBAs for hedging purposes. It engages in TBA transactions for purposes of managing certain risks associated with its long Agency RMBS and its non-Agency RMBS.

Mortgage-Related Derivatives

The Company takes long and short positions in various mortgage-related derivative instruments, including credit default swaps. A credit default swap is a credit derivative contract in which one party (the protection buyer) pays an ongoing periodic premium (and often an upfront payment as well) to another party (the protection seller) in return for compensation for default (or similar credit event) by a reference entity. In this case, the reference entity can be an individual MBS or an index of several MBS, such as an ABX Index, PrimeX or a CMBX Index.

CMBS

CMBS ar! e mortgage-backed securities collateralized by loans on commercial properties. CMBS issued are fixed rate securities backed by fixed rate loans made to multiple borrowers on a range of property types, though single-borrower CMBS and floating-rate CMBS have also been issued. Commercial mortgage loans are loans secured by liens on commercial properties, including retail, office, industrial, hotel and multifamily properties. Commercial real estate loans may also be structured into more complicated senior/subordinate structures, including those providing for multiple B-Note or multiple mezzanine loan senior/subordinate components.

Corporate Debt and Equity Securities and Derivatives

For hedging purposes, the Company takes short positions in corporate debt and equity (including indices on corporate debt and equity) by entering into derivative contracts, such as credit default swaps, total return swaps and options. These hedges reference corporations (such as financial institutions that have substantial mortgage-related exposure) or indices whose performance has a degree of correlation with the performance of its portfolio. Given this correlation, a short position with respect to such corporations or indices provides a hedge to its portfolio of MBS as a whole.

Other Assets

The Company from time to time acquires other mortgage-related and financial assets, which include residential whole mortgage loans, ABS backed by consumer and commercial assets and real property. It also acquires real property interests, such as single family and multifamily residential properties.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Ellington Financial LLC (NYSE: EFC) was down, falling 4.4 percent to $23.53 after the company priced 8 million shares at $23.92 per share.

  Commodities

  Although equities have been flat, the same cannot be said for the commodity market. Crude futures shot higher Wednesday, following yesterday’s sharp sell off. At last check, WTI futures were up 2.7 percent to $95.37 and Brent futures gained 2.1 percent to $102.45.

Best Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC)

Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited is financing by way of loans for the purchase or construction of residential houses, commercial real estate and certain other purposes in India. The Company has a network of approximately 330 offices (which includes 83 offices of its wholly owned distribution company HDFC Sales Private Limited) catering to over 2,400 towns & cities spread across the country. It also has offices in Dubai, London and Singapore and service associates in the Middle East region, to provide housing loans and property advisory services to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). Its product range includes loans for purchase and construction of a residential unit, purchase of plot, home improvement loans, home extension loans, non-residential premises loans for professionals and loan against property, while its flexible repayment options include Step Up Repayment Facility (SURF) and Flexible Loan Installment Plan (FLIP). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  Vanguard favors India with investments in Infosys Ltd. (NSE: INFY), Reliance Industries Ltd. (NSE: RELIANCE), and Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd. (NSE: HDFC) ranking among its top 20.

Best Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Simmons First National Corp (SFNC)

Simmons First National Corporation is a multi-bank financial holding company. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had total loans of $1.7 billion, deposits of $2.7 billion and equity capital of $408 million. As of December 31, 2011, it owned eight community banks, which are located throughout Arkansas and conduct its operations through 88 offices, of which 84 are branches, or financial centers, located in 47 communities in Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas. Its community banks are supported by its subsidiary bank, Simmons First National Bank (SFNB or lead bank), which allows its community banks to provide products and services, such as a bank-issued credit card. As of December 31, 2011, SFNB had total loans of $0.9 billion and total deposits of $1.5 billion. Simmons First Trust Company N.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of SFNB, performs the trust and fiduciary business operations for SFNB and for the Company. Simmons First Investment Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SFNB, is a broker-dealer and performs the broker-dealer operations for SFNB. Its subsidiary banks provide complete banking services to individuals and businesses throughout the market areas they serve. These banks offer consumer (credit card and other consumer), real estate (construction, single family residential and other commercial) and commercial (commercial, agriculture and financial institutions) loans, checking, savings and time deposits, trust and investment management services and securities and investment services. In September 2012, through its wholly owned bank subsidiary, Simmons First National Bank (SFNB), it acquired assets of Truman Bank of St. Louis from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC). In October 2012, SFNB acquired Excel Bank of Sedalia from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. In November 2013, the Company acquired Metropolitan National Bank. Efffective November 25, 2013, the Company acquired Rogers Bancshares Inc.

Lending Activities

During the year ended December! 31, 2011, the Company�� loan portfolio, excluding loans covered by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) loss share arrangements, averaged $1.621 billion. As of December 31, 2011, total loans, excluding loans covered by FDIC loss share arrangements, were $1.580 billion. The components of the loan portfolio were loans to businesses (commercial loans, commercial real estate loans and agricultural loans) and individuals (consumer loans, credit card loans and single-family residential real estate loans).

Consumer loans consist of credit card loans, student loans and other consumer loans. As of December 31, 2011, consumer loans were $346.6 million or 21.9% of total loans. As of December 31, 2011, the student loan portfolio balance was $47.4 million. As of December 31, 2011, student loans were 3% of total loans. Real estate loans consist of construction loans, single family residential loans and commercial loans. As of December 31, 2011, real estate loans were $1.001 billion or 63.4% of total loans. As of December 31, 2011, its construction and development (C&D) loans represent 7% of its loan portfolio and commercial real estate (CRE) loans (excluding C&D) represent 34% of its loan portfolio. Commercial loans consist of commercial loans and agricultural loans. As of December 31, 2011, commercial loans were $227.2 million or 14.4% of total loans.

Investment Activities

Securities within the portfolio are classified as either held-to-maturity, available-for-sale or trading. Held-to-maturity securities include any security for which management has the positive intent and ability to hold until maturity, are carried at historical cost, adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. As of December 31, 2011, held-to-maturity and available-for-sale investment securities were $525.4 million and $172.2 million. As of December 31, 2011, $312.8 million, or 59.5%, of the held-to-maturity securities were invested in United States Treasury securities and o! bligation! s of the United States government agencies, 60.0% of which will mature in less than five years. In the available-for-sale securities, $153.6 million, or 89.2%, were in the United States Treasury and the United States government agency securities.

Sources of Fund

Deposits are the Company�� source of funding for earning assets and are developed through its network of 84 financial centers. It offers a range of products designed to attract and retain customers with a continuing focus on developing core deposits. Its core deposits consist of all deposits excluding time deposits of $100,000 or more and brokered deposits. As of December 31, 2011, core deposits comprised 86.5% of its total deposits. As of December 31, 2011, its total deposits were $2.65 billion. As of December 31, 2011, non-interest bearing transaction accounts were $532.3 million. As of December 31, 2011, interest bearing transaction and savings accounts were $1.240 billion. As of December 31, 2011, it had $20.6 million of brokered deposits.

As of December 31, 2011, Federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreements to repurchase were $114.8 million. As of December 31, 2011, its other short-term borrowings, consisting of the United States Treasury Tax and Loan (TT&L) Notes and short-term Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) borrowings were $272,000. As of December 31, 2011, its long-term debt was $120.8 million. As of December 31, 2011, the outstanding long-term debt balance includes $89.9 million in FHLB long-term advances and $30.9 million of trust preferred securities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Simmons First National Corporation (Nasdaq:SFNC) reported, through its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Simmons First National Bank (“SFNB”), that it has expanded into the St. Louis, Missouri market by acquiring approximately $282 million in assets of Truman Bank of St. Louis from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”).

Best Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: KS Bancorp Inc (KSBI)

KS Bancorp, Inc. serves as the holding company for KS Bank, Inc. (the Bank). The Bank is a community financial institution, which is locally owned and operated. The Bank offers a range of traditional deposit and loan products for consumers and businesses. The Bank offers a range of loans that include Personal Loans, Fixed Rate and Adjustable Rate Home Mortgage Loans, Consumer Loans, Reverse Mortgages, Home Construction Loans, Auto Loans, Boat Loans and Education Loans.

The Bank focuses on attracting retail deposits and using such deposits to make mortgage loans, construction loans, business loans, consumer loans and equity line loans. KS Bank conducts its operations through eight full service retail offices located in Johnston, Wake, Wilson, and Wayne counties in North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, KSBI previously surged (+6.67%) up +0.50 at $8.00 with 235 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance July 26, 2013 ��Close).

  KS Bancorp, Inc. previously reported unaudited net income available to common shareholders of $200,000, or $.15 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2013, compared to a net income available to common shareholders of $86,000, or $.07 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2012. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $325,000, or $.25 per diluted share, compared to $314,000, or $.24 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2012

• [By CRWE]

  Today, KSBI remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.50 thus far (ref. google finance 9:49AM EDT July 23, 2013).

  KS Bancorp, Inc. previously reported unaudited net income available to common shareholders of $200,000, or $.15 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2013, compared to a net income available to common shareholders of $86,000, or $.07 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2012. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $325,000, or $.25 per diluted share, compared to $314,000, or $.24 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2012

Best Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: BancorpSouth Inc (BXS)

BancorpSouth, Inc., incorporated on February 17, 1982, is a financial holding company. Through its principal bank subsidiary, BancorpSouth Bank (the Bank), the Company conducts commercial banking and financial services operations in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri and Illinois. As of December 31, 2012, the Company and its subsidiaries had total deposits of $11.1 billion. The Bank conducts a general commercial banking, trust and insurance business through 284 offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri and Illinois. The Bank and its subsidiaries provide a range of financial services to individuals and small-to-medium size businesses. On July 2, 2012, the Company purchased certain assets of The Securance Group, Inc.

The Bank operates investment services and insurance agency subsidiaries, which engage in investment brokerage services and sales of other insurance products. The Bank�� trust department offers a range of services, including personal trust and estate services, certain employee benefit accounts and plans, including individual retirement accounts, and limited corporate trust functions.

Lending Activities

The Bank�� lending activities include both commercial and consumer loans. The Bank offers a range of commercial loan services including term loans, lines of credit, equipment and receivable financing and agricultural loans. A range of short-to-medium term commercial loans, both secured and unsecured, are made available to businesses for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion (including acquisition and development of real estate and improvements), and the purchase of equipment and machinery. The Bank also makes construction loans to real estate developers for the acquisition, development and construction of residential subdivisions.

The Bank�� lending activities consists of the origination of fixed and adjustable! rate residential mortgage loans secured by owner-occupied property located in the Bank�� primary market areas. In addition, the Bank offers construction loans, second mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit. The Bank finances the construction of individual, owner-occupied houses on the basis of written underwriting and construction loan management guidelines.

The Bank makes residential construction loans to individuals who intend to erect owner-occupied housing on a purchased parcel of real estate. The Bank sells its mortgage loans with terms of 15 years or more in the secondary market and either retains or releases the right to service those loans. Non-residential consumer loans made by the Bank include loans for automobiles, recreation vehicles, boats, personal (secured and unsecured) and deposit account secured loans. The Bank also issues credit cards.

Investment Activities

As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� held-to-maturity and available-for-sale securities included the United States Government agency securities, taxable obligations of states and political subdivisions, tax-exempt obligations of states and political subdivisions, government agency issued residential mortgage-backed securities, government agency issued commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations and other securities. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� available-for-sale securities totaled $ 2.4 billion. Investments in tax-exempt securities totaled $455.1 million as of December 31, 2012.

Source of Funds

Deposits originating within the communities served by the Bank are the primary source of funding. As of December 31, 2012, the Company and its subsidiaries had total deposits of $ 11.1 million. The Bank offered deposits, such as noninterest bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand deposits, savings deposits and other time deposits. The Company had federal funds purchased and securities sold under agreement to repurc! hase of $! 414.6 million as of December 31, 2012.

Subsidiary Activities

The Bank�� insurance service subsidiary serves as an agent in the sale of title insurance, commercial lines of insurance and a full line of property and casualty, life, health and employee benefits products and services and operates in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri and Illinois. The Bank�� investment services subsidiary provides brokerage, investment advisory and asset management services and operates in certain communities in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Campbell]

  Now, thanks to rebounding home prices, those same banks are back in growth mode again, suggesting an investment opportunity in market share leaders, such as BancorpSouth, Inc. (BXS).

• [By Vera Yuan]

  As we mentioned earlier, stock selection in the financial sector was the primary cause of our relative underperformance during the quarter. Two of the Fund's top five detractors, Genworth (GNW) and BancorpSouth Inc. (BXS) were in the financial sector. Genworth (GNW) declined over 24 percent and cost the Fund 38 basis points of performance during the quarter. The company announced a sizeable addition to reserves for purposes of covering potential loss exposure to long-term care insurance provided to its earliest customers. This was not an unknown risk to us as we did factor this into our thinking when we established our position. However, while the reserve build was in-line with our projections, it was still a negative surprise to the street. Our view with respect to long-term care is that States will allow for premium increases, sometimes sizeable, as GNW (and others providing this insurance) are last line defenses to patients who would otherwise likely end up in Medicaid and exacerbate state budget situations. Unfortunately, a mismatch in timing occurs as claims rise first, then reserves are lifted followed by a request for premium increases. Ultimately, we feel GNW is very cheap and is in a good position to seek premium relief even as the company continues to restructure its business in both long-term care and mortgage insurance.

• [By Vera Yuan]

  BancorpSouth (BXS) fell over 18 percent and cost the portfolio 31 basis points of performance. The company announced plans to delay several announced acquisitions as increased scrutiny by the Federal Reserve and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) concerning BSA/AML (Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering) is ongoing and the reviews will need to be completed before the acquisitions are allowed to proceed. This caused earnings reductions due to delayed deal accretion. We have seen this issue pop up at several other institutions and while it's unfortunate, we feel this is not a specific issue germane to only BXS but rather the result of increased scrutiny from Washington DC regulators concerned with money laundering. Management is complying with all policy and procedural change requests and hopes to have the matter resolved in the near future.From John Keeley (Trades, Portfolio)�� KEELEY All Cap Value Fund Q3 2014 Commentary.Also check out: John Keeley Undervalued Stocks John Keeley Top Growth Companies John Keeley High Yield stocks, and Stocks that John Keeley keeps buying Currently 0.00/512345

  Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

Best Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB)

National Australia Bank Limited provides products, advice and services. In Australia, it operates through National Australia Bank, MLC and UBank. In the United Kingdom, it operates through Clydesdale Bank. In New Zealand, it operates through Bank of New Zealand. In the United States, it operates through Great Western Bank. Segments include Business Banking, Personal Banking, Wholesale Banking, UK Banking and NZ Banking, MLC and NAB and Great Western Ban. As of April 5, 2012, the Company and its associated entities ceased to be a substantial holder in BlueScope Steel Limited. On May 17, 2012, it ceased to be a substantial holder in Spark Infrastructure Group and Sandfire Resources NL. As of August 24, 2012, the Company and its associated entities ceased to be holder in Tabcorp Holdings Limited. In September 2012, the Company and its associated entities have ceased to be a substantial holder in Incitec Pivot Limited, as of August 30, 2012. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Yoshiaki Nohara]

  Alacer Gold Corp. sank 4.1 percent in Sydney as the price of the precious metal declined. Honda Motor Co. (7267) lost 0.6 percent after Japan�� third-largest carmaker reported second-quarter profit that missed analysts��estimates amid slowing motorcycle sales in Southeast Asia. National Australia Bank Ltd. (NAB) retreated 2.3 percent as expenses climbed at the country�� largest lender by assets.

Hot Healthcare Equipment Companies For 2014

LONDON -- Shares in�Vodafone� (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) jumped up to over 195 pence in early trade, after yesterday's positive trading update from�Verizon Communications� (NYSE: VZ  ) supplemented the U.K.-based telecoms company's recent price.�

Management at Verizon played down the significance of Vodafone incurring a huge capital gains tax bill from the potential sale of its 45% interest in joint-venture Verizon Wireless, with chief financial officer Francis Shammo commenting:�"We are extremely confident that such a transaction could be accomplished in a manner that is very tax efficient and would not result in a tax on the gain in that stake."

The statement came�after Verizon revealed in an interim management statement that profits in its wireless business were higher-than-expected during the first quarter, a 16% increase year on year aided by lower costs and continued growth, as�Verizon Wireless added 677,000 retail subscribers in the first quarter against previous expectations of approximately 634,000.

10 Best Low Price Stocks To Own For 2015: Hickory Tech Corporation (HTCO)

Hickory Tech Corporation provides integrated communications services to business and residential customers in the Midwest. The company operates in two segments, Business Sector and Telecom Sector. The Business Sector segment offers integrated data services, such as fiber, data and Internet, voice and voice over Internet protocol, managed and hosted, data center, equipment, and total care support services. This segment also distributes telecommunications and data processing equipment, as well as provides network and equipment monitoring, maintenance, and equipment consulting services; and offers fiber-based transport for regional and national telecommunications carriers, wireless carriers, and other providers. It serves businesses primarily in the upper Midwest. The Telecom Sector segment offers network access services; and broadband services, such as residential and business DSL access, high-speed Internet, digital TV, and business Ethernet services. It also provides local telephone, long distance, and calling features services; and directory assistance, operator service, and long distance private lines. In addition, this segment offers directory publishing, customer premise equipment sales, bill processing, and add/move/change services. It owns and operates approximately 900 mile fiber optic network and facilities in Minnesota. Hickory Tech Corporation was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Hickory Tech (HTCO), a communications provider in several Midwest states, announced a 3% dividend increase to 15 cents per share, payable Dec. 5 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 15.
  HTCO Dividend Yield: 5.5%

Hot Healthcare Equipment Companies For 2014: Enphase Energy Inc (ENPH)

Enphase Energy, Inc. (Enphase), incorporated in March 20, 2006, designs, develops and sells microinverter systems for the solar photovoltaic industry. The Company sells its microinverter systems primarily to distributors who resell them to solar installers. It also sells directly to installers, as well as through original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The Company�� microinverter system consists of three components: Enphase microinverter, Envoy communications gateway and Enlighten Web-based software.

Enphase Microinverter

The Company�� Enphase microinverter delivers power conversion at the individual solar module level by introducing a digital architecture that incorporates custom application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) power electronics devices and an embedded software subsystem. A residential solar installation consists of 5 to 50 microinverters; a small commercial solar installation consists of 50 to 500 microinverters, and medium or larger commercial solar installation consists of 500 to 10,000 microinverters, or more.

Envoy Communications Gateway

The Company�� Envoy communications gateway is installed in the system owner�� home or business and serves as a networking hub that collects data from the microinverter array and sends the information to its hosted data center. One Envoy is typically sold with each solar installation and can support up to 500 Enphase microinverters.

Enlighten Software

The Company�� Enlighten Web-based software collects and analyzes this information to enable system owners to monitor and realize the performance of their solar photovoltaics (PV) system and also provides an online portal designed for installers to enable them to track and manage all of their Enphase enabled projects and monitor and analyze the performance of their installed systems.

The Company competes with SMA Solar Technology AG, Fronius International GmbH, Power-One, Inc., SunPower Corp.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  There's no foolproof way to know the future for Enphase Energy (Nasdaq: ENPH  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

• [By Zacks]

  Other stocks from the sector worth considering are Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) and Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL).  All these stocks currently carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). 

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH) shares moved up 21.73% to $11.81. The volume of Enphase Energy shares traded was 749% higher than normal. Enphase Energy reported a Q2 loss of $0.01 per share.

Hot Healthcare Equipment Companies For 2014: MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation (MX)

MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation designs and manufactures analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products for high-volume consumer applications. It operates in three segments: Display Solutions, Power Solutions, and Semiconductor Manufacturing Services. The Display Solutions segment offers source and gate drivers, and timing controllers that cover a range of flat panel displays used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), 3D and organic light emitting diode televisions and displays, notebooks, and mobile communications and entertainment devices. The Power Solutions segment develop, manufactures, and markets power management solutions, including metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors, power modules, analog switches, LED drivers, DC-DC converters, voice coil motor drivers, and linear regulators. This segment offers its products for a range of devices, including LCD, LED, 3D televisions, smartphones, mobile phones, desktop PCs, notebooks , tablet PCs, and other consumer electronics, as well as for industrial applications, such as power suppliers, LED lighting, and home appliances. The Semiconductor Manufacturing Services segment manufactures various products comprising display drivers, LED drivers, audio encoding and decoding devices, microcontrollers, touch screen controllers, RF switches, park distance control sensors for automotives, electronic tag memories, and power management semiconductors. This segment offers semiconductor manufacturing services to fabless analog and mixed-signal semiconductor companies. MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation provides its products and services to consumer electronics OEMs, subsystem designers, and contract manufacturers through a direct sales force, as well as through a network of authorized agents and distributors in the United States, Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of MagnaChip Semiconductor Corp. (MX) �fell 13% to $12.50 on moderate volume after the company said it incorrectly stated revenue and has to restate its financial statements going back to 2011. Also, the company withdrew its guidance for the fourth quarter.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, consumer gadget chip maker MagnaChip Semiconductor (NYSE: MX  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

Hot Healthcare Equipment Companies For 2014: Gold Fields Ltd (GFI)

Gold Fields Limited (Gold Fields) is a holding company. Gold Fields is engaged in gold mining and related activities, including exploration, extraction, processing and smelting. Gold Fields is a producer of gold and holder of gold reserves in South Africa, Ghana, Australia and Peru. In Peru, Gold Fields also produces copper. Gold Fields is primarily involved in underground and surface gold and copper mining and related activities. Gold Fields also has an interest in a platinum group metal exploration project in Finland. Gold bullion is its principal product, which is produced in South Africa, Ghana and Australia and sold in South Africa and internationally. In addition, Gold Fields has gold and other precious metal exploration activities and interests in Africa, Eurasia, Australasia and the Americas. The Company holds 34.9% interest in Rand Refinery Limited.

On June 22, 2011, Gold Fields acquired the 18.9% interest of IAMGold Corporation (IAMGold), which increased Gold Fields��interest in each of the Tarkwa and Damang gold mines from 71.1% to 90.0%. On April 15, 2011, it acquired further interest in Gold Fields La Cima S.A.A. (La Cima). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired a 21.8% interest in Timpetra Resources Limited.

KDC Operation

The KDC mine is located in the Gauteng Province of South Africa in the Far West Rand mining district, some 60 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg. KDC is consists of the Driefontein and Kloof mines. In 2011, KDC produced 1.1 million ounces of gold. KDC is consists of 13 producing shaft systems that mine different contributions from pillars and open ground, five gold plants of which two process mainly underground ore and three process mainly surface material. The KDC operation is engaged in both underground and rock dump mining. In total, during 2011, there were 13 fatalities at KDC. Of these, five were due to seismic related falls of ground, five resulted from gravity related falls of ground, two related! to tramming operations and one related to a person falling from height.

Beatrix Operation

The Beatrix operation is located in the Free State Province of South Africa, some 240 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg, near Welkom and Virginia, and consists of the Beatrix mine. Beatrix operates under mining rights covering a total area of approximately 16,800 hectares. Beatrix is an underground only operation. Beatrix has four shaft systems, with five ventilation shafts to provide additional up-cast and down-cast ventilation capacity and is serviced by two metallurgical plants. It is a shallow to intermediate-depth mining operation, at depths between 700 meters and 2,200 meters below surface. In 2011, Beatrix produced 0.347 million ounces of gold. Beatrix is managed as three operational sections: the North Section, the South Section and the West Section. The Beatrix mine is engaged in underground and surface mining. It had five fatalities at Beatrix, in 2011.

South Deep Operation

South Deep is situated adjacent to KDC, in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. South Deep is a capital project and remains a developing mine. South Deep is engaged in underground mining and is consists of one metallurgical plant and two operating shaft systems, the older South Shaft complex and the newer Twin Shaft complex. The South Shaft complex includes a main shaft and three sub-vertical (SV) shafts, two of which are operational. The Twin Shaft complex consists of a single-barrel shaft and an adjacent bratticed ventilation shaft, or the Twins Main Ventilation Shaft. While the Twin Shaft complex forms the center of production and capital development activities, opening up, equipping and diamond drilling operations are being conducted in the South Shaft area in order to access new mining areas.

The South Shaft complex operates to a depth of 2,650 meters below surface and the Twin Shaft complex operates to a depth of 2,995 meters below surface. In 2011, South Deep! produced! 0.273 million ounces of gold. During 2011, the South Deep plant treated an average of 0.2 million tons per month (excluding Kloof mine toll treatment) consisted of an average of 167,000 tons per month of underground material and 31,000 tons per month of surface material from South Deep.

Ghana Operations

Gold Fields Ghana Limited (Gold Fields Ghana), which holds the interest in the Tarkwa mine. The Tarkwa mine is located in southwestern Ghana, about 300 kilometers by road west of Accra. The Tarkwa mine consists of several open pit operations on the original Tarkwa property and the adjacent southern portion of the property, together with a heap leach facility, referred to as the North Plant Heap Leach Facility. The capacity of the facility is 3.3 million tons per annum. The total treatment capacity including the North Plant, the High Pressure Grinding Roll Facility and the carbon in leach (CIL) Plant is estimated to be 24 million tons per annum. The Tarkwa mine operates under mining leases with a total area of approximately 20,800 hectares, the entirety of which are surface operations. In 2011, Tarkwa produced 0.717 million ounces of gold, of which 0.576 million ounces were attributable to Gold Fields.

Abosso Goldfields Limited (Abosso), which owns the interest in the Damang mine. The Damang deposits are located in the Wassa West District in southwestern Ghana approximately 330 kilometers by road west of Accra and approximately 30 kilometers by road northeast of the Tarkwa mine. The Damang mine consists of an open pit operation with a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill and CIL processing plant. Damang operates under a mining lease with a total area of approximately 8,100 hectares. In 2011, the Damang mine produced 0.218 million ounces of gold, of which 0.175 million ounces.

Australia Operations

Gold Fields owns the St. Ives and Agnew gold mining operations in Australia. St. Ives is located 80 kilometers south of Kalgoorlie and 20 kilometer! s south o! f Kambalda, straddling Lake Lefroy in Western Australia. It holds exploration licenses, prospecting licenses and mining leases covering a total area of approximately 97,700 hectares. St. Ives is both a surface and underground operation, with a number of open pits, four operating underground mines, a metallurgical carbon in pulp (CIP) plant and a heap leach facility. In 2011, St. Ives produced 0.465 million ounces of gold. St. Ives sources production from a variety of underground and surface operations. Exploration activities are continuing with a view to extending the life of the mine.

Production at the Argo underground mine continued throughout, during 2011. Greater Revenge Complex operation utilizes open pit and lake sediment mining methods. Cutbacks of the Agamemnon and Mars Minotaur Link pits were mined, during 2011. The Belleisle deposit lies in the Greater Revenge Area adjacent to the depleted Mars open pit. The final 20,000 ounces were mined from Belleisle, in 2011 and the mine was closed, in May 2011. Cave Rocks is located approximately six kilometers to the west of the Kambalda West township. The Leviathan open pit is based on the expansion of a pre-existing open pit located approximately two kilometers southeast of the Lefroy processing plant. The mine utilizes conventional truck and shovel mining practices.

Construction at the Athena mine reached commercial levels of production, in July 2011. The first ore extraction from Hamlet occurred, in November 2011. As of December 31, 2011, Athena ahd a life of mine of four years and Hamlet had a life of seven years with prospects of extensions to those lives. Underground mining activities at Belleisle, Cave Rocks and Argo were undertaken under an agreement with Carlowen Proprietary Ltd, which trades as GBF Underground Mining (GBF). Leighton Contractors Proprietary Limited (Leighton) performs the surface mining at St. Ives under an alliance agreement. Leighton provides employees and equipment for mining ore and waste from the! open pit! mines. Agnew is located 23 kilometers west of Leinster, approximately 375 kilometers north of Kalgoorlie and 630 kilometers northwest of Perth, Western Australia.

The Company holds exploration licenses, prospecting licenses and mining leases covering a total area of approximately 54,000 hectares. Agnew operated both an underground and the Songvang open pit, in 2011. Underground mining is conducted from the Waroonga Underground Complex which consists of multiple ore zones. Agnew has one metallurgical plant. Agnew is serviced by sealed road infrastructure to the mine gate. In 2011, the operation produced 0.194 million ounces of gold. The principal production source, in 2011, at Agnew was the Waroonga underground mining complex. The northern cutback of the Songvang open pit commenced, in 2011. The Waroonga Underground Complex includes underground mining of the Kim South, Rajah and Main Lode ore bodies. The mining method involves longhole open stoping with paste filling. Waroonga underground performance averaged 52,000 tons per month, in 2011.

Peru Operation

Gold Fields owns 98.5% economic interest in the Cerro Corona mine through its shareholding in La Cima. Cerro Corona mine forms part of a porphyry copper-gold deposit situated within the Hualgayoc Mining District in northern Peru. It is located in the part of the Western Cordillera of the Andes, in northern Peru, close to the headwaters of the Atlantic continental basin. Cerro Corona is located approximately 80 kilometers by road north of the City of Cajamarca. Cerro Corona holds mining leases covering a total area of approximately 1,600 hectares and the project was developed over an area of 940 hectares. In 2011, the operation produced 0.161 million ounces of gold and 38,641 tons of copper for a total of 0.383 million gold equivalent ounces, of which 0.159 million ounces of gold and 38,061 tons of copper for a total of 0.377 million gold equivalent ounces were attributable to Gold Fields.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon] ham, who usually eschews gold stocks, bought four gold miners in the fourth quarter, the largest of which is Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI). In 2010, Grantham stated his Buffett-like position on gold in his quarterly letter, saying, ��veryone asks about gold. This is the irony: just as Jim Grant tells us (correctly) that we all have faith-based paper currencies backed by nothing, it is equally fair to say that gold is a faith-based metal. It pays no dividend, cannot be eaten, and is mostly used for nothing more useful than jewelry. I would say that anything of which 75% sits idly and expensively in bank vaults is, as a measure of value, only one step up from the Polynesian islands that attached value to certain well-known large rocks that were traded. But only one step up. I own some personally, but really more for amusement and speculation than for serious investing. It may well work and it may not. In the longer run, I believe that resources in the ground, forestry, agriculture, common stocks, and even real estate are more certain to resist any inflation or paper currency crisis than is gold.��/p>

  Gold Fields is a New Zealand-based miner with 76.7 million ounces of reserves, free cash flow of $346 million in the third quarter, a net debt to EBITDA ratio of 0.42 times, with one of the highest dividend yields in the sector. It is also unhedged and offers full exposure to the price of gold.

  Gold Fields is aiming to increase its international diversification. In 2008, 62% of its production came from South Africa, and by 2015 it hopes to reduce that to 40%. South American production is helping take its place, growing from 2% in 2008, and projected to reach 20% by 2015. Australian production made up 18% of its total in 2008, and is projected to grow to 20% in 2015. According to Maplecroft�� Resource Nationalism Index 2012, five of the ten highest-risk countries for mining are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and nationalism has been named as one of the top ten risks in min

• [By Daniel Putnam]

  First, and most important, earnings estimates are stabilizing. In the past sixty days, 2013 estimates for the major gold miners have begun to tick up. In most cases, the increase is very modest. For instance, Goldcorp‘s (GG) EPS estimates have climbed from $0.91 to $0.95, while Barrick Gold‘s (ABX) have inched up from $2.57 to $2.64. Newmont Mining (NEM), Anglogold Ashanti (AU), and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) have shown similar gains. This positive rate of change marks a significant departure from the steady stream of bad news investors have had to endure in recent years.

Hot Healthcare Equipment Companies For 2014: Kaman Corporation (KAMN)

Kaman Corporation operates in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets. The company?s Industrial Distribution segment distributes products, including bearings, mechanical and electrical power transmission, fluid power, motion control, and materials handling components. The segment offers its products through approximately 200 branches, distribution centers, and call centers in the United States, including Puerto Rico, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Its Aerospace segment produces and/or markets proprietary aircraft bearings and components; and complex metallic and composite aerostructures for commercial, military, and general aviation fixed and rotary wing aircraft. This segment also provides safing and arming solutions for missile and bomb systems for the U.S. and allied militaries; support for its maritime helicopters and medium-to-heavy lift helicopters; and offers engineering design, analysis, and certification services, as well as subcontracts helicopter wor k. Kaman Corporation also operates in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Bloomfield, Conn.-based Kaman Corporation (NYSE: KAMN  ) will have a new Chief Financial Officer soon.

  On Thursday, the aircraft parts-maker announced that when current CFO William C. Denninger retires on June 30, he will quickly be succeeded (the very next day, in fact) by newly promoted Senior Vice President and CFO Robert D. Starr.