Top 10 Recreation Companies To Watch In Right Now

Vienna, the home of Mozart and Freud, has held on to its title as the city with the highest quality of life, according to the 2014 rankings of the best places to live and work by management consultancy Mercer.

Vienna was followed by Zurich and Auckland, New Zealand. In fourth place was Munich while Vancouver, Canada, placed fifth -- the highest-ranked city in North America. Germany's Dusseldorf and Frankfurt take sixth and seventh place.

Mercer's annual survey is conducted to help employers work out what to pay and compensate their employees when placing them on international assignments.

"European cities enjoy a high overall quality of living compared to those in other regions," wrote Slagin Parakatil, a senior researcher at Mercer.

"Healthcare, infrastructure, and recreational facilities are generally of a very high standard. Political stability and relatively low crime levels enable expatriates to feel safe and secure in most locations."

Hot High Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Drew Industries Inc (DW)

Drew Industries Incorporated, incorporated on March 20, 1984, is a supplier of components for recreational vehicle (RVs) and manufactured housing. The Company operates in two segments: the RV products segment (RV Segment), and the manufactured housing products segment (MH Segment). The Company�� operations are conducted through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Lippert Components, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Lippert) and Kinro, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Kinro), each of which has operations in both the RV Segment and the MH Segment. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the RV Segment accounted for 87% of net sales and the MH segment accounted for 13% of net sales. On February 21, 2012, the Company acquired the business and certain assets of the United States RV entry door operation of Euramax International, Inc. In February 2014, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Lippert Components, Inc has acquired Innovative Design Solutions, Inc. (IDS).

RV Segment

The Company through its wholly owned subsidiaries manufactures and markets a variety of products used in the production of RVs, including steel chassis for towable RVs, axles and suspension solutions for towable RVs, slide-out mechanisms and solutions, thermoformed bath, kitchen and other products, manual, electric and hydraulic stabilizer and lifting systems, aluminum windows and screens, chassis components, furniture and mattresses, entry, baggage, patio and ramp doors, entry steps, awnings, and other accessories. The Company also supplies certain of these products to the RV aftermarket, and to adjacent industries, including manufacturers of truck caps, buses and trailers used to haul boats, livestock, equipment and other cargo. Operations of the Company's RV Segment consist primarily of fabricating, welding, painting and assembling components into finished products. The Company's RV Segment operations are conducted at 23 manufacturing and warehouse facilities throughout the United States, located in proximity to the cus! tomers they serve. Of these facilities, six also conduct operations in the Company's MH Segment. It markets extruded aluminum parts to manufacturers in other industries. The Company's RV Segment products are sold primarily to manufacturers of RVs such as Thor Industries Forest River (a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, and other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and to distributors of aftermarket products.

MH Segment

The Company through its wholly owned subsidiaries manufactures and markets a variety of products used in the production of manufactured homes and to modular housing and mobile office units, including vinyl and aluminum windows and screens, steel chassis, steel chassis parts, axles, thermoformed bath and kitchen products, steel and fiberglass entry doors, and aluminum and vinyl patio doors. The Company also supplies windows, doors, and thermoformed bath products as replacement parts to the manufactured housing aftermarket, and to adjacent industries. MH Segment customers manufacture both manufactured homes and modular homes, and certain of the products manufactured by the Company are suitable for both types of homes. Operations of the Company's MH Segment consist primarily of fabricating, welding, thermoforming, painting and assembling components into finished products. The Company's MH Segment operations are conducted at 13 manufacturing and warehouse facilities throughout the United States, located in proximity to the customers they serve. Of these facilities, six also conduct operations in the Company's RV Segment. The Company's manufactured housing products are sold primarily to producers of manufactured homes such as Clayton Homes, Cavco Industries, Inc., Champion Home Builders, Inc., Skyline Corporation, and other OEMs, and to distributors of aftermarket products.

The Company competes with Kober Corporation and Dexter Axle Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Shares of Winnebago have gained 4.4% to $28.47 today at 3pm. Thor Industries (THO), which also makes recreational vehicles, has ticked up 0.1% to $57.56, Drew Industries (DW) has risen 0.3% to $48.74, Arctic Cat (ACAT) has advanced 1% to $59.87 and Polaris Industries (PII) has fallen 0.3% to $132.08.

• [By John Udovich]

  The CEO of recreation vehicle (RV) stock Winnebago Industries, Inc (NYSE: WGO) recently appeared on CNBC to say that the economy is improving for RV makers, meaning its time to take a closer look at the stock plus take a look at the performance of other small cap RV stocks like Drew Industries, Inc (NYSE: DW), Skyline Corporation (NYSEMKT: SKY) and Thor Industries, Inc (NYSE: THO).

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Watch In Right Now: Nikon Corp (NINOY)

NIKON CORPORATION is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of optical products. The Company is active in four business segments. The Precision Apparatus segment offers semiconductor exposure apparatus and liquid crystal (LC) exposure apparatus. The image segment provides digital cameras, film cameras and interchangeable lens. The Instruments segment offers microscopes, measuring machines and semiconductor inspection equipment. The Others segment provides glass materials, telescopes, glasses and survey airplanes.

As of August 19, 2009, the Company held a 92.17% stake in Metis NV. The Company has 65 subsidiaries and 10 associated companies in the country and overseas markets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Unfortunately, the yen's impact on stocks has blurred the lines on investments. Look no further than down-on-its-luck camera maker Nikon (NASDAQOTH: NINOY  ) . Nikon's shares gained more than 8% over the past week due to the yen's weakness, as the company rakes in more than a quarter of its sales in Europe. Still, the stock's lost more than 43% year to date.

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Watch In Right Now: TripAdvisor Inc (TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. (TripAdvisor), incorporated on July 20, 2011, is an online travel research company, enabling users to plan and have a trip. TripAdvisor features reviews and advice on hotels, resorts, flights, vacation rentals, vacation packages and travel guides. TripAdvisor�� travel research platform features reviews and opinions from its community of travelers about destinations, accommodations (hotels, bed and breakfasts, specialty lodging and vacation rentals), restaurants and activities worldwide, through its TripAdvisor brand. TripAdvisor Websites include tripadvisor.com in the United States and versions of the Website in 30 countries, including in China under the brand daodao.com. TripAdvisor Websites also include links to the Websites of its travel advertisers allowing travelers to directly book their travel arrangements. In addition to the TripAdvisor brand, TripAdvisor, Inc. manages and operates Websites under 18 other travel media brands, providing travel planning resources across the travel sector. On December 20, 2011, Expedia, Inc. (Expedia) completed the spin-off of TripAdvisor, Inc. (TripAdvisor) to Expedia stockholders. TripAdvisor consists of the domestic and international operations previously associated with Expedia�� TripAdvisor Media Group. In October 2012, it acquired Wanderfly. In March 2013, it acquired Tiny Post (tinypost.co). In April 2013, the Company acquired Jetsetter.com and Gilt Travel Inc. In May 2013, TripAdvisor Inc acquired key technology and talent from CruiseWise Inc. In May 2013, TripAdvisor Inc acquired Guia de Apartamentos Niumba SL. In June 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired GateGuru.

TripAdvisor provides access worldwide to online travel agencies, including Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, hotels.com, Priceline and Booking.com. TripAdvisor Media Group offers travel suppliers graphical advertising and cost-per-click marketing platforms. TripAdvisor operates sites in 30 countries and in 21 languages, including sites in the United S! tates (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the United Kingdom (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp), Portugal and Brazil (http://www.tripadvisor.com.br), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se), The Netherlands (http://www.tripadvisor.nl), Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca), Denmark (http://www.tripadvisor.dk), Turkey (http://www.tripadvisor.com.tr), Mexico (http://www.tripadvisor.com.mx), Norway (http://no.tripadvisor.com), Poland (http://pl.tripadvisor.com), Australia (http://www.tripadvisor.com.au), Singapore (http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg), Thailand (http://th.tripadvisor.com), Russia (http://www.tripadvisor.ru), Greece (http://www.tripadvisor.com.gr), Indonesia(http://www.tripadvisor.co.id), Argentina (www.tripadvisor.co.ar), Taiwan (www.tripadvisor.tw),Malaysia(http://www.tripadvisor.com.my), and Egypt (http://www.tripadvisor.com.eg). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com) and Kuxun.cn (http://www.kuxun.cn).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Expedia Inc. (EXPE) is one of the world's largest online travel services companies. Businesses include Expedia, Hotels.com and Hotwire. In December 2011, Expedia spun off TripAdvisor (TRIP) as a publicly traded company.

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Watch In Right Now: Thomas Cook Group plc (TCG)

Thomas Cook Group plc is a United Kingdom-based leisure travel company. The Company operates in 19 source markets and operates under brands, including Thomas Cook, Neckermann, Condor, Jet tours, Ving, Spies and Tja reborg. Thomas Cook directly or indirectly controls a number of subsidiaries. The Company also has investments in other companies. It operates a combined fleet of 87 aircraft. The Company�� operating structure comprises four segments which are principally organized according to the location of the customer�� origin. These are United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Northern Europe and Airlines Germany. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Rio Tinto Group climbed 2.9 percent after saying it will cost $3 billion less than projected to increase iron ore output capacity. Boliden AB (BOL) added 3.1 percent as Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the stock. Thomas Cook Group Plc (TCG) rose 13 percent after the travel operator posted a 49 percent increase in full-year earnings. British tobacco companies slipped following a report that after a U.K. minister announced the review of cigarette packaging.

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Thomas Cook (TCG) lost 6.6 percent to 145.3 pence, its biggest decline since Sept. 5. The tour operator said winter bookings started more slowly than last year across most markets due to geopolitical events and warm weather in Europe.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Thomas Cook Group Plc (TCG) dropped 7.7 percent to 116.1 pence. The tour operator admitted new shares to its listing this week. The company last month announced plans to raise 425 million pounds in a rights offer and share placement.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Thomas Cook Group Plc (TCG) tumbled 9.9 percent for the biggest drop in five months. UBS AG removed the 172-year-old U.K. tour operator from its list of preferred stocks, citing the ��igh-profile media coverage��of the violence in Egypt.

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Watch In Right Now: Biglari Holdings Inc (BH)

Biglari Holdings Inc. is a holding company engaged in a range of diverse business activities. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in investment management and the franchising/operating of restaurants. The Company's wholly owned subsidiaries include Steak n Shake Operations, Inc. (Steak n Shake), Western Sizzlin Corporation (Western) and Biglari Capital Corp. (Biglari Capital). Biglari Holdings, as a capital allocating vehicle, is also in the business of owning other businesses in whole and in part. In February 2014, Biglari Holdings Inc and Alpha Media Group announced that the wholly owned subsidiary of Biglari Holdings has acquired MAXIM.

On April 30, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of Biglari Capital Corp. (Biglari Capital). On March 30, 2010, the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Grill Acquisition Corporation, completed the acquisition of Western.

Steak n Shake

The Company is engaged in the ownership, operation, and franchising of Steak n Shake restaurants. Steak n Shake is a American brand serving burgers and milk shakes. Steak n Shake offers its patrons full-service dining with counter and dining room seating, as well as drive-thru and carry-out service. During the fiscal year ended September 29, 2010 (fiscal 2010), counter and dining room sales represented approximately 60% of the sales mix, while sales for off-premises dining represent approximately 40% of the sales mix.

Western Sizzlin

The Company is engaged in the franchising of restaurants. Western Sizzlin offers full service dining of signature steak dishes, as well as other classic American menu items. Western Sizzlin also operates other concepts, Great American Steak & Buffet, and Wood Grill Buffet consisting of hot and cold food buffet style dining.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ali Berri]

  Cyclical consumer goods & services shares dropped by 0.51 percent in today’s trading. Meanwhile, top decliners in the sector included Biglari Holdings (NYSE: BH), down 3 percent, and Dillard's (NYSE: DDS), off 6.3 percent.

• [By Michael Lewis]

  The stellar report has the stock trading at its record highs, even in the face of some serious allegations from activist investor and QSR wizard Sardar Biglari of Biglari Holdings (NYSE: BH  ) . Does Biglari's argument still hold water in the face of the vastly improved Cracker Barrel?

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  But there are other businesses like that. Some great businesses have almost no good choices for additional investment within their own circle of competence. The best owner for these kinds of businesses would be someone like Berkshire, Teledyne, Biglari Holdings (BH), etc. Or a private individual who does the same thing by investing in different industries, regions, etc.

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Watch In Right Now: SeaWorld Entertainment Inc (SEAS)

SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., incorporated on October 2, 2009, is a theme park and entertainment company. The Company is engaged in delivering personal, interactive and educational experiences that blend imagination with nature and enable its customers to celebrate, connect with and care for the natural world. The Company own or license a portfolio of globally recognized brands including SeaWorld, Shamu and Busch Gardens. The Company has built a diversified portfolio of 11 destination and regional theme parks that are grouped in key markets across the United States. Its theme parks feature a diverse array of rides, shows and other attractions with broad demographic appeal which deliver memorable experiences and a strong value proposition for its guests. In addition to its theme parks, it has recently begun to leverage its brands into media, entertainment and consumer products.

The Company generates revenue primarily from selling admission to its theme parks and from purchases of food, merchandise and other spending. During the year ended December 31, 2012, it hosted more than 24 million guests in its theme parks, including approximately 3.5 million international guests from over 55 countries and six continents. In 2012, the Company opened new attractions in seven of its theme parks. In November 2012, the Company acquired Knott�� Soak City, a standalone Southern California water park, from an affiliate of Cedar Fair L.P. The Company�� products and services include Admission Tickets, Theme Park Operations, Culinary Offerings , Merchandise , Licensing and Consumer Products , Group Events and Conventions and Corporate Sponsorships and Strategic Alliances.

Admission Tickets, which generate most of its revenue from selling admission to its theme parks. The Company also offers a Fun Card at select theme parks that allows additional visits throughout that calendar year. In addition, visitors can purchase vacation packages with preferred hotels, behind-the-scenes tours, specialt! y dining packages and front of the line access to enhance their experience. Theme Park Operations delivers a level of service, safety and security at its theme parks. It comprised of rides, shows and attractions operations, safety, security, environmental, water park and guest arrival services (including parking, tolls, admissions, guest relations, entry and exit), the theme park operations team manages the planning and execution of the overall theme park experience on a daily basis.

Culinary Offerings delivers a variety of high quality, creative and memorable culinary experiences to its guests. Culinary operations are strategically organized into five key guest-oriented disciplines designed to drive in-park per capita spending: restaurants, catering, carts and kiosks, specialty snacks and vending. The Company�� culinary team focuses on providing creative menu offerings that appeal to our diverse guest base. Merchandise offers guests the opportunity to capture memories through its products and services, including through traditional retail shops, game venues and customized photos and videos. It focuses on effort to leverage the emotional connection of the theme park experiences, capitalize on trends and optimize brand alignment with its merchandise product offerings.

Licensing and Consumer Products capitalize on its brands, it has begun to leverage its intellectual property and content through media and consumer strategic licensing arrangements. It extended the reach of its brands through outbound media licensing in areas such as films, television programs and digital e-books, as well as its first-ever multi-platform mobile app game, TurtleTrek, which launched on iTunes in November 2012. Group Events and Conventions host a variety of different group events, meetings and conventions at its theme parks both during the day and at night. Its venues offer indoor and outdoor space for meetings, special events, entertainment shows, picnics, teambuilding events, group tours and spec! ial group! ticket packages. Park buy-outs allow groups to enjoy exclusive itineraries, including meetings and shows, up-close encounters with animals and behind the scenes tours. Corporate Sponsorships and Strategic Alliances seek to secure long-term corporate sponsorships and strategic alliances with companies and brands that share its core values, deliver brand marketing value and influence and drive mutual business gains. Its current corporate sponsors include, among others, Southwest Airlines, which has been a sponsor for over 20 years, and The Coca-Cola Company.

SeaWorld.

SeaWorld is recognized as the marine-life theme park brand in the world. Its SeaWorld theme parks, located in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego, each rank among the most highly attended theme parks in the industry and offer up-close interactive experiences and a variety of live performances, including shows featuring Shamu in specially designed amphitheaters. It offers its guests numerous animal encounters, including the opportunity to work with trainers and feed marine animals, as well as themed thrill rides and theatrical shows that creatively incorporate its animal collection.

Busch Gardens

Its Busch Gardens theme parks are family-oriented destinations designed to immerse guests in foreign geographic settings. They are renowned for their beauty and landscaping and gardens and allow its guests to discover the natural side of fun by offering a family experience featuring a range of attractions and rollercoasters in a richly-themed environment. Busch Gardens Tampa presents its collection of animals from Africa, Asia and Australia.

Aquatica

Its Aquatica branded water parks are premium, family-oriented destinations that are based in a South Seas-themed tropical setting. Aquatica water parks build on the aquatic theme of its SeaWorld brand and feature high-energy rides, water attractions, white-sand beaches ande entertaining presentation of marine and terrestrial an! imals. Th! e Company positions its Aquatica water parks as companion water parks to its SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando and San Diego and it has an Aquatica water park situated within its SeaWorld San Antonio theme park.

Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove is a reservations only, all-inclusive, marine-life day resort adjacent to SeaWorld Orlando. Discovery Cove offers guests personal, signature experiences, including the opportunity to swim and interact with dolphins, take an underwater walking reef tour and enjoy pristine white-sand beaches and landscaped private cabanas. Discovery Cove presently limits its attendance to approximately 1,300 guests per day and features premium culinary offerings in order to provide guests with a more relaxed, intimate and high-end luxury resort experience.

Sesame Place

Sesame Place is the only United States theme park based entirely on the television show Sesame Street. It is located between Philadelphia and New York City, Sesame Place is a destination where parents and children can share in the spirit of imagination and experience Sesame Street together through whirling rides, water slides, colorful shows and furry friends. In addition, it has introduced Sesame Street brands in its other theme parks through Sesame Street-themed rides, shows, children�� play areas and merchandise.

The Company competes with The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Merlin Entertainments and Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sue Chang]

  SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (SEAS) �is expected to post a loss of 15 cents a share in the fourth quarter.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  Earnings Expected From: AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVEO), Kirkland��, Inc (NASDAQ: KIRK), Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG), Stein Mart, Inc. (SMRT: NASDAQ), Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MRFM), SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS), Vaalco Energy Inc (NYSE: EGY) Economic Releases Expected: Chinese retail sales, French CPI, Brazilian retail sales, US retail sales, Japanese industrial production

  Friday

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (SEAS) �shares declined 0.4% to $31.40 on light volume after the marine park operator reported a fourth-quarter loss of 15 cents a share on revenue of $272 million, in-line with analyst estimates.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Need a reason to invest in stocks? How about the beginning of a new year. To help you find solid stock ideas we asked Fool.com contributors covering technology and consumer goods stocks to talk about top stocks for 2015. Read on to see what they had to say about Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM  ) , Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) , SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS  ) , WhiteWave Foods (NYSE: WWAV  ) , Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) (NASDAQ: GOOGL  ) , Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM  ) , and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) .

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Watch In Right Now: Medina International Holdings Inc (MIHI)

Medina International Holdings, Inc. (Medina), incorporated on June 23, 1998, manufactures products and services to assist emergency and defense organizations and personnel. The Company, through its two wholly owned subsidiaries, Harbor Guard Boats, Inc. (HGB) and Medina Marine, Inc. manufactures and sells recreational and commercial boats. The products are manufactured by HGB, which designs, manufactures, and markets hand-laid fiberglass and aluminum commercial boats ranging from 15 feet to 37 feet, which are utilized by fire, search and rescue, emergency, patrol, military and defense organizations. It manufactures commercial and recreational watercrafts.

As of April 30, 2012, HGB had nine models of commercial and recreational watercrafts. The Company�� products consist of commercial boats and recreational boats. As of April 30, 2012, Medina had seven commercial watercraft models, ranging from 15 feet to 37 feet in length. Its other watercraft includes 15 feet interceptor, which is used for rescue and fiber glass; 20-feet interceptor, which is used for fire rescue, rescue and fiber glass; 21 feet firecat, which is used for fire rescue, rescue and fiber glass; 24 feet firecat/denfender, which is used for fire rescue, rescue, aluminum and fiber glass; 26 feet firecat/denfender, which is used for fire rescue, rescue, aluminum and fiber glass; 30 feet firecat/denfender, which is used for fire rescue, rescue, aluminum and fiber glass, and 37 feet firecat/denfender, which is used for fire rescue, rescue, aluminum and fiber glass. As of April 30, 2012, the Company had two recreational watercraft models. Its watercraft products are made out of fiberglass and aluminum materials.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Last Friday, small cap Digital Brand Media & Marketing Group Inc (OTCMKTS: DBMM) surged 22.22% while Blue Water Global Group Inc (OTCBB: BLUU) sank 18.42% and Medina International Holdings, Inc (OTCMKTS: MIHI) sank 50%. However, one of these small caps (Blue Water Global Group) appears to be reversing course in early morning trading today. So with it and the rest of these small cap stocks either sink or swim in trading this week? Here is a closer look to help you decide on an investing or trading strategy:

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Dominant online music streaming service�Pandora� (NYSE: P  ) recently announced a new "Pandora Premieres" station, which promises to allow users to listen to new albums before they go on sale. That includes both paying subscribers and ad-supported (free) users.

The move could be a possible defensive play at differentiating Pandora's service, seeing as how�Google� (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) just launched its own Play Music All Access streaming service. Furthermore,�Apple� (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) is also expected to jump in with some type of "iRadio" service once it gets the licensing deals worked out with record labels.

In the video below, Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, talks about how much danger Pandora is in.

Five enter, one leaves
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Best Restaurant Companies To Own In Right Now: Extra Space Storage Inc (EXR)

Extra Space Storage, Inc. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States. It engages in property management and development activities that include acquiring, managing, developing, and selling, as well as the rental of self-storage facilities. As of December 31, 2006, Extra Space Storage owned interests in 567 properties located in 32 states and Washington, D.C., as well as managed 74 properties owned by franchisees or third parties. As a REIT, the company would not be subject to federal corporate income taxes if it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1977 and is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Up first is Extra Space Storage (EXR), a $5 billion self-storage facility owner. EXR has posted strong performance for 2013, rallying close to 19% since the calendar flipped over to January. That's more or less on par with the performance of the S&P, but it's a whole lot stronger than most REITs. That outsized relative strength looks ready to carry over to the second half of the year.

  That's because EXR is currently forming an ascending triangle pattern, a price setup that's formed by a horizontal resistance level to the upside and uptrending support to the downside. Essentially, as shares of EXR bounce in between those two technical levels, they're getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above resistance -- at $45 in this case. When that breakout happens, traders have a buy signal in shares.

  EXR's pattern isn't exactly textbook, but that doesn't change the trading implications in this stock. Momentum adds some extra confidence to EXR's ability to break out; 14-day RSI turned bullish just last week. After EXR clears $45, keep a tight protective stop in place.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  The exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracks 36 different REITs … including all of the ones on this list. REZ also includes exposure to the various public storage REITs like Extra Space Storage (EXR). Those firms have also been seeing huge demand as renters need additional space for all of their stuff … especially if they��e downsized from previous homeownership.

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Below are several companies confident and secure enough in their business to increase their cash dividends:Deere & Company (DE) manufactures and distributes agriculture and turf, and construction and forestry equipment worldwide. May 28, the company increased its quarterly dividend 17.6% to $0.60 per share. The dividend is payable Aug. 1, 2014 to stockholders of record on June 30, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.6%.Questar Corporation (STR) operates as an integrated natural gas company in the United States. May 23, the company increased its quarterly dividend 5.6% to $0.19 per share. The dividend is payable June 23, 2014 to stockholders of record on June 6, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.2%.Extra Space Storage Inc. (EXR) operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States. May 23, the company increased its quarterly dividend 17.5% to $0.47 per share. The dividend is payable June 30, 2014 to stockholders of record on June 13, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.6%.The Williams Companies Inc. (WMB) operates as an energy infrastructure company. May 22, the company increased its quarterly dividend 6.7% to $0.xx per share. The dividend is payable June 30, 2014 to stockholders of record on June 13, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.6%. Selecting stocks with increasing dividends is critical for an income growth strategy. The above list contains stocks that recently raised their dividends; it is not a list of recommend buys. As always, due diligence should be performed before buying or selling any stock. For a list of stocks with a long string of consecutive cash dividend increases, see this list.Full Disclosure: No position in the aforementioned securities. See a list of all my dividend growth holdings here.Related Posts - 6 Healthcare Stocks With Growing Dividends Yielding In Excess of 2% - Why We Are Dividend Growth Investors - 6 Dividend Growth Stocks With Very Little Debt - What Determines A Divid

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Real estate investment trust�Extra Space Storage (NYSE: EXR  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.40 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after raising the payout 60%, from $0.25 per share.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Medallion Financial Corp.(TAXI)

Medallion Financial Corp., through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty finance company in the United States. The company engages in originating, acquiring, and servicing loans that finance taxicab medallions and various types of commercial businesses. It offers commercial loans to finance the purchase of the equipment and related assets necessary to open a new business, or the purchase or improvement of an existing business; asset-based loans to small businesses; and secured mezzanine loans to businesses in various industries, including manufacturing and various service providers. The company also raises deposits; originates consumer loans for the purchase of recreational vehicles, boats, motorcycles, trailers, and hearing aids; and conducts other banking activities. In addition, it provides other debt, mezzanine, and equity investment capital to companies in various industries. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  That�� the case with Medallion Financial Corporation (TAXI). This neat little company is primarily focused on the financing of taxi cab licenses in major cities like New York. It does other specialty lending as well — such as asset-backed loans for luxury vehicles like boats and art. But its bread and butter has been the taxi business.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: One Liberty Properties Inc.(OLP)

One Liberty Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of commercial real estate properties in the United States. The company�?s property portfolio includes retail furniture stores, as well as industrial, office, flex, health and fitness, and other properties. As of March 31, 2008, it owned 67 properties; holds a 50% tenancy in common interest in 1 property; and owns 4 properties through joint ventures. The company has elected to be treated as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. One Liberty Properties was founded in 1982 and is based in Great Neck, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Retail, industrial, health and fitness and flex-office real estate investment trust (REIT) One Liberty Properties (OLP) raised its quarterly dividend 5.7% to 37 cents per share, payable on Jan. 3 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 27.
  OLP Dividend Yield: 7.21%

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, commercial REIT One Liberty Properties (NYSE: OLP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: City National Corporation (CYN)

City National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for City National Bank that provides various banking, investing, and trust services to small to mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, professionals, and affluent individuals. Its deposit products include demand and interest checking deposits, savings deposits, and money market accounts. The company�s loan portfolio comprises commercial loans, including lease financing; residential mortgage loans; commercial real estate mortgages; real estate construction loans; equity lines of credit; and installment loans. It also offers cash management, international banking, equipment financing, and other products and services. In addition, the company provides investment management, advisory, and brokerage services, including portfolio management, securities trading, and asset management; personal and business trust and investment services comprising employee benefit trust services, and 401(k) and defined benefit plans; and estate and financial planning, and custodial services. Further, it offers various asset classes and investment styles, including fixed-income instruments, mutual funds, domestic and international equities, and alternative investments, such as hedge funds. City National Corporation provides its services through 79 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers in Southern California; the San Francisco Bay area; Nevada; New York City; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia. The company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  Given that you clicked on this article, it seems safe to assume you either own stock in City National Corp. (NYSE: CYN  ) or are considering buying shares in the near future. If so, then you've come to the right place. The table below reveals the nine most critical numbers that investors need to know about City National stock before deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold it.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc (AHT)

Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. is a publicly owned real estate investment trust. The firm engages in investment and management of properties in the hospitality industry. It invests in the real estate markets of the United States. The firm primarily invests in hotels with a focus on the ownership of upper-upscale and upscale full-service and select service hotels in primary, secondary and resort markets. It also invests in mid-scale and luxury hotels. The firm invests across all segments and at all levels of the capital structure, including direct hotel investments, first mortgages, mezzanine loans, construction loans, and sale-leaseback transactions. It primarily concentrates among Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and Starwood brands. Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  A classic example was the preferred shares of Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) during the financial crisis. The D series, for example, fell under $7. An astute investor would have recognized the company was in far better shape than its peers, bought the preferred stocks at that price and seen a huge capital gain appreciation.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  It seems there are two price points that win in this world: high and low. Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) came to the conclusion that its revenue per available room (RevPAR) of $102 was primarily from middle-of-the-road hotels. Nice, but generally inexpensive. The eight hotels it rolled into Ashford Hospitality Prime (AHP) are of a higher price point, averaging a RevPAR of $145 — double the national average. Investors would easily see the difference between the two portfolios, making both stocks more attractive.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Aircastle Ltd (AYR)

Aircastle Limited (Aircastle), incorporated on October 29, 2004, is a global company that acquires, leases, and sells high-utility commercial jet aircraft to customers throughout the world. As of December 31, 2012, the Company's aircraft portfolio consisted of 159 aircraft that were leased to 69 lessees located in 36 countries. The Company manages its fleet through offices in the United States, Ireland and Singapore. The Company invests in aircraft that the Company places on operating or finances leases. The Company also makes investments in other aviation assets, including debt investments secured by commercial jet aircraft. The Company operates in single segment being Aircraft leases. The Company owned 133 passenger aircraft, representing approximately 71% of the net book value of flight equipment, while its 26 freighter aircraft account for 29% of its portfolio value. Effective July 12, 2013, Marubeni Corp acquired a 15.25% interest in the Company.

The Company leases its aircraft on an operating lease basis. Under an operating lease, the Company retains the benefit, and bear the risk, of re-leasing and of the residual values of the aircraft upon expiration or early termination of the lease. Under the Company's leases, the lessees agree to lease the aircraft for a fixed term, although certain of its operating leases allow the lessee the option to extend the lease for an additional term or, in rare cases, terminate the lease prior to its expiration. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company's three customers, Martinair , including its affiliates, KLM, Transavia and Transavia France, U.S. Airways, Inc., and Hainan Airlines Company, accounted for 9%, 6% and 6% of the Company�� revenues.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had 19 aircraft having scheduled lease expirations in 2013 and the Company has lease or leases extension commitments for two of these aircraft. The remaining 17 aircraft with scheduled expiries in 2013. The Company entered into early termination! agreements for two Boeing Model 737-700 aircraft, one Airbus model A330-200 aircraft, one Boeing Model 767-300ER aircraft and one Airbus Model A319-100 aircraft, which the Company is marketing for sale or leases.

The Company competes with GE Commercial Aviation Services, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), AerCap Holdings NV, Air Lease Corporation, Aviation Capital Group, CIT Aerospace, AWAS, SMBC Aviation Capital (formerly RBS Aviation Capital), BOC Aviation, FLY Leasing, Ltd., Avolon, Guggenheim Aviation Partners, Volito, Deucalion, Oak Hill Aviation and AerSale

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Shahida Humayun]

  Air Lease's fleet has a weighted average age of 3.5 years, compared to 10.7 years for Aircastle (NYSE: AYR  ) and 5.1 years for AerCap Holdings (NYSE: AER  ) . As a result of this advantage, Air Lease is currently trading at a price-to-book value (P/BV) of 1.17, compared to 0.8 and 0.95 for Aircastle and AerCap Holdings, respectively.

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday around midday,�Netherlands based aviation leasing stock�AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER) began surging on rumors and closed up 11.6%, meaning its probably time to take a closer look at those rumors along with aviation leasing peers like small caps or mid caps�Aircastle Limited (NYSE: AYR), Air Lease Corp (NYSE: AL), Fly Leasing Ltd (NYSE: FLY) and AeroCentury Corp (NYSEMKT: ACY).

• [By David Sterman]

  As a result, many recent insider purchases are now "underwater." That spells opportunity. If these stocks are even cheaper than the levels in which insiders found them to be appealing, then we may witness even deeper insider buying in coming weeks, further validating this "buy" signal. Here's a look at six examples.

  1. Aircastle (NYSE: AYR) In early June, this aircraft leasing firm agreed to sell a 15% stake in itself to Japan's Marubeni Corp. The two firms aim to leverage each other's global transport divisions, cross-selling services and equipment to each other's customer base.

  Marubeni began buying shares in subsequent weeks, and by early August, already qualified as an insider as its ownership stake moved above 5%. Throughout the past month, Marubeni has kept on buying, even as shares moved past the $17 mark. Yet in recent days, the market turmoil has pushed shares down close to $16. Look for Marubeni to keep buying until it hits the 15% ownership threshold. Meanwhile, analysts have yet to project the benefits of these two firms' partnership, as forward earnings estimates have remained largely static over the past 90 days.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2014

Shareholders of Palo Alto Networks (PANW) have seen solid returns into, and immediately after, the release of the company's fourth-quarter earnings report.

Despite the impressive results, I remain on the sidelines on valuation motives, and the use of excessive non-GAAP stock-based compensation.

Yet I acknowledge the potential of the firm and will refrain from taking a short position given the promising industry prospects, the limited float, and the possibility for a take-out by an established technology player.

I remain on the sidelines.

Fourth-Quarter Results

Palo Alto Networks generated fourth quarter revenues of $112.4 million, up 49% on the year before. Revenues came in ahead of consensus estimates of $108.9 million.

GAAP net losses more than tripled from $4.6 million to $15.8 million, as losses per share increased by four cents to $0.22 per share.

Non-GAAP earnings doubled to $0.06 compared to the year before, in line with consensus estimates.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Own For 2015: Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc (ANW)

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc., incorporated on June 6, 2005, is an independent physical supplier and marketer of refined marine fuel from refineries, major oil producers and other sources and resell and deliver these fuels using its bunkering vessels to a broad base of end users, including oil tankers, container ships, drybulk carriers, cruise ships, reefers, LNG/LPG carriers, car carriers, ferries, marine fuel traders, brokers and other users. The Company serves Greece, Gibraltar, the United Arab Emirates, or UAE, Jamaica, Singapore, Northern Europe, Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam (ARA), Portland, United Kingdom, West Africa, Vancouver, Montreal, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Morocco, Cape Verde and Panama. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of the United States East Coast bunkering business of Hess Corp.

The Company provides its customers with a service that requires sophisticated logistical operations designed to meet their strict fuel quality and delivery scheduling needs. The Company owns a double hull Aframax tanker, the Leader, with cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 84,000 deadweight ton (dwt), which operates as a floating storage facility in the United Arab Emirates. The Company also operates a barge, the Mediterranean, with a cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 19,900 dwt, and one single hull bunkering barge, the Tapuit, with a cargo-carrying capacity of approximately 2,500 dwt, which the Company uses as floating storage facilities in Greece and Northern Europe, respectively. In addition, the Company owns and operates one special purpose vessel, the Orion, a 550 dwt tanker, which is based in its Greek market. The Company operates land-based storage facilities in Panama, Tangiers, Las Palmas, and the United Kingdom, where it stores marine fuel in terminals with storage capacity of approximately 27,000, 218,000, 65,000 and 40,000 cubic meters, respectively.

The Company competes with World ! Fuel Services Corporation, Chemoil Corporation, BP Marine, Shell Marine Products, ExxonMobil Marine Fuel, CESPA (Gibraltar) Ltd., Eko Abee., Sekavin S.A., Seka S.A., Jet Oil S.A., Eteka S.A., Nova Bunkers S.A., Vemaoil Company Ltd., Bominflot of Gibraltar Ltd., and Peninsula Petroleum Ltd., ENOC Bunkering (Fujairah) LLC, Akron Trade and Transport, International Supply, and Oil Marketing & Trading Inc., Global Energy Trading Pte. Ltd., Alliance Oil Trading, Searights Maritime Services Pte. Ltd., Equatorial Marine Fuel, Sentek Marine & Trading, Brightoil Petroleum, OW Bunkering, Addax Bunkering Services, Stena Oil, S.K. Shipping, WFS (Falmouth), Marine Petrobulk Ltd., Shell Canada, and Petro Canada and Fujairah National Bunkering Co. LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of marine fueling company Aegean Marine Petroleum Network (NYSE: ANW  ) jumped 12% today after the company was upgraded by an analyst.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2014: Google Inc.(GOOG)

Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  )
  Though high-tech stocks are not typically considered risk-averse, Google could be the one stock in the market that goes against this conventional wisdom. As if its dominant position in online search and advertising isn't enough to fortify its already strong competitive position, the company has a whole spectrum of frequently used products -- like YouTube, Gmail, and Google Maps -- to deepen its relationship with users and expand the distribution of its ads.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2014: Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation(RL)

Ralph Lauren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of lifestyle products. The company offers men?s, women?s, and children?s clothing; and accessories comprising footwear, eyewear, watches, jewelry, hats, and belts, as well as leather goods, including handbags and luggage. It also provides products for homes, including bedding and bath products, furniture, fabric and wallpaper, paint, tabletop, and giftware; and fragrance products for women men. In addition, the company licenses its products, such as men?s sportswear, men?s tailored clothing, men?s underwear and sleepwear, eyewear, fragrances, cosmetics, and color and skin care products. It offers its products under the Polo by Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Women?s Collection, Black Label, Blue Label, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, RRL, RLX, Rugby, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, American Living, Chaps, and Club Monaco brand names. Ralph Lauren sells its products to department stores, specialty stores, and golf and pro shops; full-price retail stores, factory retail stores, and concessions-based shop-within-shops; and online through RalphLauren.com and Rugby.com. As of April 3, 2010, it operated 179 full-price retail stores and 171 factory stores worldwide, as well as 281 concessions-based shop-within-shops and 2 e-commerce Websites. The company was formerly known as Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation and changed its name to Ralph Lauren Corporation in August 2011. Ralph Lauren Corporation was founded in 1967 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  For investors, there are three reasons to be bullish about luxury item stocks, ranging from well-known brands such as Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) and Coach (NYSE: COH), to promising small caps like Premier Opportunities Group (OTC: PPBL).

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE: RL  ) gained 1.5% in early Wednesday trading after Wells Fargo upgraded the designer apparel company from market perform to outperform.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2014: Mistras Group Inc (MG)

Mistras Group, Inc. provides technology-enabled asset protection solutions to evaluate the structural integrity and reliability of critical energy, industrial, and public infrastructure worldwide. It provides traditional non-destructive testing (NDT) services; advanced NDT services; and mechanical integrity services. The company also offers software solutions, including Plant Condition Monitoring Software and Systems, an enterprise software that allows its customers for the warehousing and analysis of data. In addition, it provides Advanced Data Analysis Pattern Recognition and Neural Networks software, which enables acoustic emission (AE) experts to develop automated remote monitoring systems; AE Software Platform, a windows based real time application software; Loose Parts Monitoring Software program for monitoring, detecting, and evaluating metallic loose parts in nuclear reactor coolant systems; and Automated UT and Imaging Analysis Software for analyzing ultrasonic in spection data, and visualizing and identifying the location and size of flaws. Further, the company�s technology packages include TANKPAC for tank inspections; POWERPAC for monitoring discharges in critical power grid transformers; and Acoustic Combustion Turbine Monitoring System, an on-line system to detect stator blade cracks in gas turbines. Additionally, it offers digital radiographic systems to solve specific industrial problems; AE sensors, instruments, and turn-key systems, as well as leak monitoring and detection systems; ultrasonic equipment; vibration sensing products; and on-line monitoring services. Mistras Group, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Princeton Junction, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Stock in Mistras Group Inc. (MG) �rose 6.9% to $23.99 on light volume after the company raised its revenue outlook for the year to a range of $590 million to $615 million. Analysts expected $592.1 million.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Mistras Group (NYSE: MG) is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.12 per share on revenue of $130.10 million.

  Posted-In: Earnings scheduleEarnings News Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Mistras Group (NYSE: MG) shares tumbled 3.97 percent to $21.30 after the company reported downbeat Q3 earnings and lowered its FY14 EBITDA forecast.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2014: Syngenta AG(SYT)

Syngenta AG, an agribusiness company, engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of a range of products designed to enhance crop yields and food quality worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Crop Protection, Seeds, and Business Development. The Crop Protection segment offers herbicides for corn, cereals, soybean, and rice; fungicides for corn, cereals, fruits, grapes, rice, soybean, and vegetables; insecticides for fruits, vegetables, and field crops; seed care for corn, soybean, cereals, and cotton; and professional products, such as products for public health, and turf and ornamentals. This segment markets its products through independent distributors and dealers, agricultural consultants, and growers. The Seeds segment develops, produces, and markets seeds and plants based on advanced genetics and related technologies. This segment provides approximately 200 product lines and approximately 6,800 varieties of proprietary genetics, incl uding vegetables, flowers, corn, soybean, sugar beet, and sunflower primarily under the NK, Golden Harvest, Garst, HILLESH�, S&G, Rogers, Zeraim Gedera, and Fischer brand names. The Business Development segment engages in the development of enzymes and traits to enhance agronomic, nutritional, and biofuel properties of plants. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Just as Monsanto is enjoying a surge in sales of Roundup, pesticide makers are witnessing greater sales of pesticides to combat these superbugs. Revenues at Sygenta (NYSE: SYT  ) rose 1.5% to $4.2 billion, FMC's (NYSE: FMC  ) sales were 5% higher, and American Vanguard's (NYSE: AVD  ) surged 39% last quarter. The three companies account for three-quarters of all ground pesticides sold in the United States.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Is this the beginning of the end for biotechnology seed companies Monsanto (NYSE: MON  ) , Syngenta (NYSE: SYT  ) , and DuPont (NYSE: DD  ) ? I know this doesn't help the recent string of negative publicity, but it actually isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. In fact, the world's agriculture industry is doing remarkably well at the 1 billion acre mark, compared with the early doomsday predictions of the critics. This is nowhere near a global epidemic, either: The resistance problem is isolated to localized regions. Luckily, the industry has already come up with a solution that will reverse its spread and minimize future occurrences.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of energy crop developer Ceres (NASDAQ: CERE  ) surged more than 100% from the opening bell Monday to early trading on Thursday. In fact, over one-third of the total outstanding shares traded hands on Thursday. Even with the move the company is trading for "only" $100 million. With some of the biggest names in industrial biotech on its side -- such as Syngenta (NYSE: SYT  ) , Petrobras, Amyris, Valero, Novozymes, Gruppo M&G, and Mascoma, to name a few -- this must be a good buy right? Not so fast.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  What it's after is protecting its intellectual property, which drives profits. These court rulings help it maintain control over the commercial seed world which, when combined with DuPont and Syngenta (NYSE: SYT  ) , is 53% according to the CFS. Further, when you consider that around 93% of soybeans and north of 85% of corn in the United States comes from genetically modified seeds, you can understand just how vast the market is for its products. For Monsanto it represents about $2 billion in free cash flow each year.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2014: Reliv' International Inc.(RELV)

Reliv? International, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets nutritional supplements. Its basic nutrition supplements include Reliv Classic and Reliv NOW, a blend of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and herbs; NOW for Kids, which provides a balanced nutritional supplement for a child?s diet; and Reliv Delight, a powdered nutritional supplement marketed as a milk replacement. The company?s specific wellness supplements comprise ReversAge, a nutritional supplement to slow down the effects of the aging process; SoySentials for use by women; CardioSentials that promotes heart health; Arthaffect, which supports healthy joint function; FibRestore that contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and herbs; GlucAffect, which assists in healthy blood sugar management and support weight loss; and 24K, a ready-to-drink nutritional supplement that enhances the body?s natural vitality. Its weight management supplements consist of Slimplicity meal replacement and accelerator capsules; Reliv Ultrim-Plus, a meal replacement product; and Cellebrate, a weight loss aid. The company?s sports nutrition supplements include Innergize!, a sports supplement containing vitamins and minerals for performance enhancement; and ProVantage to enhance muscle recovery, muscle mass, and function, as well as to reduce fatigue and burn excess body fat for extra energy. It also offers Relivables product line, which comprises skin care products, marketed as the ?r? skin care collection, as well as food products, such as Relivables All-Natural Sweetener, Relivables Fortified Soy Milk, Relivables Soy Nuts, and Relivables Healthy Snack Bars. Reliv? International markets and sells its products through a network of independent distributors in the United States, Australia, Austria, Brunei, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Chesterf ield, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Last Friday, small cap dieting stock Weight Watchers International, Inc (NYSE: WTW) lost weight for investors when shares tumbled�27.73% to $22.10, meaning its probabaly a good idea to take a closer look�at the stock along with�other small cap weight loss or dieting stocks like NutriSystem Inc (NASDAQ: NTRI), Medifast Inc (NYSE: MED) and Reliv International, Inc (NASDAQ: RELV). Why did Weight Watchers International loose weight last Friday? The company reported its fourth straight quarterly sales decline as fewer people attended meetings and bought its products and also projected earnings that trailed analysts' estimates with the blame being placed on new mobile applications and bracelets that track calories���thus�hurting traditional diet companies.

Top 10 Promising Stocks To Buy For 2014: Active Control Techn (ACTV)

The Active Network, Inc. provides organization-based cloud computing applications services to business customers in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers ActiveWorks, an organization-based cloud computing platform, which transforms the way organizers record, track, manage, and share information regarding activities and events. Its ActiveWorks back-office system pulls customers� participant management, operational reporting, volunteer management, and service and payment processing functions into one hosted system. The company also provides consulting services, which consist primarily of business mapping, project management services, and guidance on best practices in using its services; and implementation services, including system set-up and configuration, and data conversion, as well as develops customized training and education programs relating to both the use and administration of its services. It serves a range of customers, including communit y and sports organizations, large corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, educational institutions, federal and state government agencies, non-profit organizations, and other related entities. The company was formerly known as Racegate.com, Inc. and changed its name to The Active Network, Inc. in May 2001. The Active Network, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Active Network (NYSE: ACTV  ) is on the hunt for a new chief executive following the resignation of Matthew Landa. His place will be taken, on an interim basis, by Jon Belmonte. The appointment is effective immediately. Belmonte is the firm's former chief media officer and COO.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  The Active Network (NYSE: ACTV) shot up 25.66 percent to $14.32 after the company agreed to be taken private by Vista Equity Partners for $1.05 billion.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Lethargic networks
  As Home Depot rose in value over the past year, Active Network (NYSE: ACTV  ) , an online event-management service, has been going in the opposite direction, suffering a yearlong decline that's resulted in the loss of 70% of the company's value. Yesterday, though, it went in the other direction, jumping more than 10% after announcing that it will soon be reporting its earnings.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  The Active Network (NYSE: ACTV) closed up 25.53 percent to $14.31 after the company agreed to be taken private by Vista Equity Partners for $1.05 billion.

GM recalls 1.3M vehicles to fix power steering

General Motors announced another whopping recall Monday on the eve of its CEO's testimony to Congress over safety lapses. This one covers more than 1.3 million vehicles in the U.S. that may experience a sudden power steering loss.

GM says drivers will instantly know if the electric power steering system fails because a chime and dashboard message will appear. The car can be steered without power assist, but it can require a lot more muscle to turn the wheel, especially at low speeds. Because of the difficulty, the car could be more susceptible to a crash.

The recall adds to the number of Chevrolet Cobalts that were included in a 2010 steering recall. Chevrolet HHR and Saturn Ion, which are included the new recall, use the same power steering system.

In addition, the new recall includes the Saturn Aura, Chevy Malibu and Malibu Maxx and Pontiac G6 that were the subject of a 2012 recall in Canada over steering problems.

GM says it will replace, depending on what's needed — the power steering motor, steering column, or both.

There was even a recall of a recall. The latest recall also includes "service parts installed into certain vehicles before May 31, 2010 under a previous safety recall."

MORE:GM CEO Mary Barra apologizes to families

The Cobalt, HHR and Ion all are also part of GM's ignition switch recall, blamed for 12 deaths in the U.S. and one in Canada, that will the subject of a House subcommittee hearing Tuesday where CEO Mary Barra is scheduled to testify. GM says drivers may need to make a separate visit to dealerships if they have cars covered by both the power steering and ignition switch recalls.

Cars included in the new recall:

Chevrolet Malibu: All from model year 2004 and 2005, and some from model year 2006, 2008 and 2009.Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. All model year 2004 and 2005, and some from 2006.Chevrolet HHR: Some non-turbocharged models from 2009 and 2010.Chevrolet Cobalt: Some model year 2010 vehicles.Saturn Aura: Some model year 2008 an! d 2009 vehicles.Saturn Ion: All model year 2004 to 2007 vehicles.Pontiac G6: All model year 2005, and some model year 2006, 2008 and 2009 vehicles.

Top Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now

I'm window shopping for shares again, and there are plenty of goodies for sale. Should I pop Petrofac� (LSE: PFC  ) into my basket?

Just the 'facs
These are tough times for oil stocks, with Brent crude falling below $100 a barrel on fears of a China and U.S. slowdown and weak demand from Europe. Oil services company Petrofac looked cheap last month, when you could buy it for around 拢15. Today, you would pay just 拢13.40. Is this a great time to buy?

Petrofac's share price is now down a meaty 20% over the last three months, despite signing a couple of lucrative contracts in April. Last week, it announced it had won the lion's share of a $3.7 billion deal to develop oil fields for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. That followed a $500 million contract from the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company. My suspicions that Petrofac is being unfairly punished by a wider market sell-off were confirmed by its recent full-year results, which revealed a 17% rise in profits, neatly matched with a 17% dividend hike.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Watch Right Now: Gerdau SA (GGB)

Gerdau S.A. (Gerdau), incorporated on November 20, 1961, is a producer of long rolled steel. Gerdau operates steel mills that produce steel by direct iron-ore reduction (DRI) in blast furnaces and in electric arc furnaces (EAF). In Brazil, the Company operates four integrated steel mills, including its mill, Acominas mill, an integrated steel mill located in the state of Minas Gerais. It has a total of 60 steel producing units globally, including joint ventures and associate companies. The joint ventures include a unit located in the United States for the production of flat rolled steel and another unit in India. The associate companies are Aceros Corsa in Mexico; Corporacion Centroamericana del Acero in Guatemala, and Industrias Nacionales (INCA) in the Dominican Republic. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, the Company also engages in other activities related to the production and sale of steel products, including reforestation, electric power generation projects; coking coal, iron ore and pig iron production, as well as fab shops and downstream operations. On August 12, 2010, Gerdau acquired the remaining 49.1% interest in the Cleary Holdings Corp. On October 21, 2010, Gerdau, through its wholly owned subsidiary Gerdau Ameristeel acquired TAMCO Steel.

Gerdau offers a range of steel products, which are manufactured according to a variety of customer specifications. Its product mix includes crude steel (slabs, blooms and billets) sold to rolling mills, finished products for the construction industry, such as rods and structural bars, finished products for industry, such as commercial rolled steel bars and machine wire and products for farming and agriculture, such as poles, smooth wire and barbed wire. The Company also produces specialty steel products utilizing technology and normally with a certain degree of customization for the manufacture of tools and machinery, chains, locks and springs, for the automotive and mechanical industries. As of December 31, 2010, the Company operat! ed 19 steel production units in the United States and Canada through its principal entity, Gerdau Ameristeel Corporation. Gerdau operates in four business segments: Brazil (Brazil Business Operation), includes Brazil�� operations, except specialty steel; North America (North America Business Operation), includes all North American operations, except Mexico and specialty steel; Latin America (Latin America Business Operation), includes all Latin American operations, except for Brazil, and Specialty Steel (Specialty Steel Business Operation), includes the specialty steel operations in Brazil, Spain and the United States.

Crude Steel (Billets, Blooms and Slabs)

Crude steel products include billets, blooms and slabs. Billets are bars from square sections of long steel that serve as inputs for the production of wire rod, rebars and merchant bars. They are the main product of the Acominas mill. Blooms are used to manufacture products, such as springs, forged parts, heavy structural shapes and seamless tubes. Slabs are used in the steel industry for the rolling of a range of flat rolled products. Slabs are mainly used to produce hot and cold rolled coils, heavy slabs and profiles. Crude steel products are produced using either the continuous casting or conventional process.

Common Long Rolled Products

Common long rolled products represent a major portion of the Company�� production. The Company�� main long rolled products include rebars, merchant bars and profiles, which are used mainly by the construction and manufacturing industries.

Drawn Products

Drawn products include barbed and barbless fence wire, galvanized wire, fences, concrete reinforcing wire mesh, nails and clamps. These products are not exported and are sold to the manufacturing, construction and agricultural industries.

Specialty Steel Products

Gerdau produces specialty and stainless steel used in tools and machinery, chains, fasteners! , railroa! d spikes and special coil steel at its Acos Villares and Piratini units in Brazil, at Corporacion Sidenor units in Spain and at the MacSteel units in the United States. In the United States, Gerdau Ameristeel produces special sections, such as grader blades, smelter bars, light rails, super light I-beams, elevator guide rails and other products that are made on demand for the Company�� clients, which are mainly manufacturers. It is a joint venture with the Kalyani Group in India, in which Gerdau has a 73.2% interest in the joint venture.

Flat Products

Gerdau�� Acominas mill produces slabs, which are rolled into flat products, such as hot and cold steel coils, heavy plates and profiles. In addition, the Company�� distribution subsidiary, Comercial Gerdau, resells flat steel products manufactured by other Brazilian steel producers. Gerdau Ameristeel also supplies flat steel to its customers through its joint venture Gallatin located in Kentucky. Gallatin is a joint venture with ArcelorMittal, Canada, a flat steel producer, and has nominal installed capacity of 1.4 million tons of flat steel per year.

The Company competes with Commercial Metals Company, Nucor Corporation, Steel Dynamics Inc., ArcelorMittal Inc., ArcelorMittal Brasil, Usiminas Group and CSN.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

   

  Up first is Brazilian steel stock Gerdau (GGB) a name that's been one of the NYSE's worst large-cap performers this year. Since the start of January, Gerdau is down more than 29%. Truth be told, GGB has been looking bearish for a while now. If you'd sold it the last time it looked toxic, you'd have spared yourself close to 11% losses.

  But shares look primed for another leg lower from here -- and Gerdau is worth an updated look today.

  GGB spent most of 2014 forming a bearish descending triangle pattern. The descending triangle is a price pattern that's formed by horizontal support below shares (in this case at $5.75) and downtrending resistance to the topside. As GGB bounced in between those two technically important levels, it was getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakdown below that $5.75 price floor. That sell trigger happened on Tuesday.

  That means that if you own GGB, it's time to unload this stock.

  That bearish bet is being confirmed by relative strength in GGB. This stock's relative strength line has been downtrend all year long, an indication that Gerdau is underperforming the rest of the market. That's a big red flag to heed in shares this week.

  Read More: 3 Stocks Spiking on Big Volume

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Gerdau (GGB) is one of the best ways to play this trend if you believe in a commodities shift. The Brazilian steel company trades for a forward P/E of about 5, and a price/sales of just a bit more than 0.7. That�� an incredible valuation.

• [By Victor Selva] -largest producer in the sector.

  Why Not No. 1?

  Brazil-based Gerdau has three main advantages. Size ��though it�� a strong pro ��is not necessarily one of them. To start with, Gerdau is a highly integrated company, with annual iron ore production capacity totaling 11.5 million metric tons, enabling it to be over 80% and 40% self-sufficient in Brazil and the U.S., respectively, and thus hedging itself from volatility in raw material prices.

  Second, the company has a relatively modern fleet of furnaces, mainly composed of electric arc furnaces (EAFs), which are more energy-efficient than traditional blast furnaces and should result on a more flexible supply.

  Last, the location is also a positive factor: with a high geographical diversification, Gerdau has still managed to maintain a strong leadership in the markets where it operates (particularly in Brazil and the U.S.). This allows it, on the one hand, to supply many different markets and therefore reduce risks of local economic underperformances and, on the other hand, to profit from low-cost labor in Brazil. In addition, the upcoming sporting events ��2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics ��are expected to generate a strong inflow of investments in infrastructure in the country, with Gerdau as a potential beneficiary of this.

  In spite of being the biggest worldwide, I believe that ArcelorMittal doesn�� count with these characteristics. Further, as players in the industry are so atomized, being the No. 1 producer implies having only 6% of the global market share, which doesn�� give ArcelorMittal a superior bargain power than its peers. And though it�� still a very diversified and vertically integrated group, its costs will tend to be higher than those of Gerdau, since its furnaces are primarily blast furnaces and its labor expenses are higher as the company is based in Europe.

  US Steel will also have to deal with an old and inefficient fleet of furnaces, w

Top Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Box Ships Inc.(TEU)

Box Ships Inc. owns and operates containerships. As of August 16, 2011, it operated a fleet of 7 containerships with a total carrying capacity of 33,237 twenty-foot equivalent units. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Athens, Greece.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ABN]

  TAL International Group (TAL) is one of the world's largest lessors of intermodal freight containers for the shipping business with 17 offices in 11 countries and approximately 230 third-party container depot facilities in 40 countries. TAL's fleet consists of approximately 1,238,000 containers and 2,031,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).

• [By Eric Volkman]

  TearLab (NYSE: TEU  ) is looking to widen its capital base by more than $32 million in an underwritten public offering of its common stock. The company is floating 2.6 million shares at a price of $13.50 apiece. Additionally, the company's underwriters have been granted a 30-day purchase option for up to an additional 15% of the total number of shares to cover overallotments.

Top Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Yandex N.V.(YNDX)

Yandex N.V., an Internet and technology company, operates an Internet search engine in Russia and internationally. It offers access to a range of information available online; localized homepages for specific geographic markets; and personalized and email services. The company also provides specialized search services comprising news aggregation and information services; and price comparison services, such as product information, price comparisons, and consumer-generated reviews of products and online retailers, as well as other specialized search services, including search services for images, videos, music, theatres, televisions, weather, jobs, transportation, cars, and real estate. In addition, it offers desktop applications consisting of specialized toolbar for Web browsers, Russian-to-English and English-to-Russian keyboard layout switcher, and customized browser versions; and server applications for indexing and searching files in various formats. Further, the compan y provides text-based advertising and display advertising services for advertisers on its Websites and Yandex ad network member Websites; and Yandex.Market, a price comparison service, which offers a platform for retailers to reach consumers in a targeted manner. Additionally, it provides services and tools for businesses comprising Yandex.Webmaster that allows Webmasters to control how their Website is seen by its search engine; Yandex.Metrica, a Web statistics analysis tool; Yandex Site Search, a search tool for Webmasters and Website owners; Yandex.Mail for Domain Owners that allows users to create email accounts with their own domain names; Yandex APIs and Widgets that enable developers to use its technologies in their own businesses; and Yandex.Money, an online payment system. Yandex N.V. was incorporated in 2004 and is based in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  To say the last three months have been tough ones for Russian search engine company Yandex NV (NASDAQ:YNDX) would be an understatement. Since the January the January 9th peak of $45.42, YNDX has fallen more than 50%, hitting a low of $21.70 today. Ouch.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Yandex (YNDX) is an Internet company that offers access to its search engine through personal computers, mobile phones, tablets and navigation and other digital devices. This stock closed up 1.5% at $33.70 in Wednesday's trading session.

  Wednesday's Volume: 3.40 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 2.46 million
  
  Volume % Change: 80%

  From a technical perspective, YNDX spiked modestly higher here into new 52-week high territory with decent upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last three months and change, with shares soaring higher from its low of $19.93 to its intraday high of $34.79. During that move, shares of YNDX have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in YNDX as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $32 or above $31.92, and then once it sustains a move or close above Wednesday's high and its new 52-week high at $34.79 with volume that's near or above 2.46 million shares. If we get that move soon, then YNDX will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are its next major overhead resistance levels at $39.67 to its all-time high at $42.01.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  With that in mind, the four main Russian tech leaders investors should know about are:

  VimpelCom Ltd. (ADR) (Nasdaq: VIP), a broad telecom play. The company provides both fixed and wireless web access, as well as mobile communications and services. The company has a number of subsidiaries that, taken together, have something like 215 million subscribers. Mobile Telesystems OJSC (ADR) (NYSE: MBT), a straight-up mobile play that operates in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Armenia. Plus, it has a strategic relationship with one of Europe's major players, Vodafone Group Plc (ADR) (Nasdaq: VOD). Qiwi PLC (Nasdaq: QIWI), a leader in electronic payments through kiosks, the web, and mobile platforms. It's Russia's version of PayPal - so we better not tell Carl Icahn... he might start a campaign to break up that company, too. And Yandex NV (Nasdaq: YNDX), which is the "Google of Russia." Yandex operates the world's fourth-ranked search engine and enjoys a 60% market share in its home country. Google, with about a quarter of the market, is a very distant second there.

  That's a great rundown on Russia's tech leaders. Are there any worth buying at this level? And why?

• [By James Brumley]

  With that as the backdrop, are U.S. investors right to be eyeing the Google of Russia — search engine Yandex�(YNDX) — as the next big search opportunity? Let’s take a look.

Top Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hi Crush Partners LP (HCLP)

Hi Crush Partners LP, formerly Hi-Crush Partners LP, is a domestic producer of monocrystalline sand, a specialized mineral that is used as a proppant to enhance the recovery rates of hydrocarbons from oil and natural gas wells. The Company reserves consist of Northern White sand, a resource existing in Wisconsin and limited portions of the upper Midwest region of the United States. It owns, operates and develops sand reserves and related excavation and processing facilities and will seek to acquire or develop additional facilities. The Company's 561-acre facility with integrated rail infrastructure, located near Wyeville, Wisconsin, enables it to process and deliver approximately 1,600,000 tons of frac sand per year. In June 2013, Hi Crush Partners LP announced the completion of its acquisition of D&I Silica, LLC (D&I).

The Company�� frac sand production is sold to investment grade-rated pressure pumping service providers under long-term, contracts that require its customers to pay a specified price for a specified volume of frac sand each month. The Company owns and operates the Wyeville facility, which is located in Monroe County, Wisconsin and, as of December 31, 2011, contained 48.4 million tons of proven recoverable sand reserves of mesh sizes it has contracted to sell. From the Wyeville in-service date to March 31, 2012, it had processed and sold 555,250 tons of frac sand.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier and Igor Greenwald]

  Some MLPs have experienced huge capital appreciation. Three–Icahn Enterprises (Nasdaq: IEP), Hi-Crush Partners (NYSE: HCLP), and The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX)–gained over 100 percent in 2013. A fourth, American Midstream Partners (NYSE: AMID) gained 96 percent for the year.

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday, small cap fracking stock CARBO Ceramics Inc (NYSE: CRR) surged 28.32% after reporting earnings while fracking peer U.S. Silica Holdings Inc (NYSE: SLCA) jumped 9.50% and Hi-Crush Partners LP (NYSE: HCLP) rose 3.20%���no doubt on positive sentiment. However, are investors missing anything with CARBO Ceramics and�is it too late to get in on the action there?

• [By Dan Burrows]

  It sounds like a soft-drink company, but Hi-Crush Partners (HCLP) is racking up profits through the revolution in oil extraction.

  This tiny company with a market cap of just $917 million makes the sand used in fracking — and as anyone in an oil-boom state like North Dakota can tell you, business is good.

Top Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Canadian Mining Co Inc (CNG)

Canadian Mining Company Inc. (Canadian Mining) is engaged in the evaluation, acquisition, exploration, development and operation of mineral properties in British Columbia, Arizona, the United States and Sonora, Mexico. The Company�� projects include Bullard Pass Property, and Raquel 3 Concession. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company had interests in two mineral properties located in British Columbia: Sun Group and Bromley Creek. In British Columbia, the Company�� principal property interest is its Bromley Creek zeolite project, which consists of a total of one mineral lease and six mineral claims. The Company has contiguous claim, number 305975, located in the Similkameen Mining District of British Columbia. The total claim area includes 843.468 hectares. During fiscal 2012, Canadian Mining completed phase one of a drilling program in Bullard Pass Gold Property. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Laundon]

  It has a vision of building America's Natural Gas Highway. The project consists of a compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel-station network connecting 48 states.

Top Oil Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: KB Home (KBH)

KB Home is a homebuilding company. The Company constructs and sells homes through its operating divisions under the name KB Home. The Company operates in nine states and 32 markets, including California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. The Company organizes its homebuilding operations into four segments: West Coast, Southwest, Central and Southeast. In July 2012, it acquired land within the Elworthy Ranch property in the town of Danville. In September 2012, it acquired Mason Ranch, which is a 330-acre land asset in Cedar Park/Leander West, submarkets in metropolitan Austin. In December 2012, the Company acquired 65 lots in Fuquay-Varina, N.C.

Homebuilding

The Company�� homebuilding operations offers a variety of homes designed primarily for first-time, move-up and active adult homebuyers, including attached and detached single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums. It offers homes in development communities, at urban in-fill locations and as part of mixed-use projects. During the fiscal year ended, November 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Company, through its homebuilding segment, delivered 5,812 homes. During fiscal 2011, homebuilding operations accounted for 99.2% of the total revenues.

Financial Services

The financial services segment provides title and insurance services to its homebuyers. This segment also provided mortgage banking services to the Company�� homebuyers indirectly through KBA Mortgage, LLC (KBA Mortgage), a former unconsolidated joint venture of a subsidiary of ours and a subsidiary of Bank of America, N.A., from the venture�� formation until June 30, 2011, when it ceased offering mortgage banking services. Effective June 27, 2011, it entered into a marketing services agreement with MetLife Home Loans, a division of MetLife Bank, N.A. Under the agreement, MetLife Home Loans��personnel, located on site at several of its new home communities, can offer financing options and re! sidential consumer mortgage loan products to its homebuyers, and originate residential consumer mortgage loans for homebuyers who elect to use MetLife Home Loans. The Company�� homebuyers may also elect to use other providers of mortgage banking services. Its financial services operations accounted for 0.8% of the Company�� total revenues in fiscal 2011.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  And, even if Twitter does continue to grow at its rapid pace, with the market’s expectations as high as they are, there’s no margin for error or shortcomings.

  Stocks to Avoid #3: KB Home (KBH)

  While the home construction industry continues to heal as a whole, it’s still a somewhat uneven recovery. The far-western part of the United States, for instance, isn’t experiencing the same real estate rebound most of the rest of the country is enjoying.

Top Low Price Companies To Watch For 2014

With shares of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) trading around $386, is AMZN an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Amazon serves its customers through its retail websites and focus on selection, price, and convenience. The company also manufactures and sells Kindle devices. Amazon offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on the company�� websites, including the sellers��own branded websites, and fulfill orders through them. Amazon also provides platforms that allow authors, musicians, filmmakers, app developers, and others to publish and sell content. Online commerce has been on the rise because of the convenience, efficiency, and relatively low prices offered.

While the e-retailer already offers its own brand of batteries, keyboards, and bedding, Amazon is looking to expand its private-label products to grocery store shelves. AllThingsD reports that recent job listings indicate that Amazon is making the push into supermarkets. The possibilities range from groceries to health and personal care to baby products; the AmazonFresh grocery delivery operation is also a part of the division, according to the news outlet.

Best Specialty Retail Companies To Invest In Right Now: M/I Homes Inc. (MHO)

M/I Homes, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, primarily operates as a builder of single-family homes in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Homebuilding and Financial Services. The Homebuilding segment designs, constructs, markets, and sells single-family homes, attached townhomes, and condominiums to first-time, move-up, empty-nester, and luxury buyers in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and southern regions. It markets its finished homes through company-employed sales consultants under the M/I Homes, Showcase Homes, and TriStone Homes trade names. This segment also purchases undeveloped land to develop into finished lots for the construction of single-family homes and for sale to others. As of December 31, 2011, it had 3,041 developed lots and 625 lots under development in inventory, as well as owned raw land expected to be developed into approximately 3,491 lots. The Financial Services segment is involved in originating and selling mortgages, and colle cting fees for title insurance and closing services. This segment serves as a title insurance agent by providing title insurance policies, and examination and closing services to purchasers of its homes. M/I Homes, Inc. was founded in 1973 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of M/I Homes (NYSE: MHO  ) fell as much as 10% today after the company released earnings.

  So what: Revenue jumped 37%, to $234.6 million, in the second quarter, and net income nearly doubled, to $6.05 million, or $0.25 per share. But analysts were expecting $258 million in revenue, and earnings of $0.36 per share, so results were still behind estimates.�

Top Low Price Companies To Watch For 2014: MFS Special Value Trust (MFV)

MFS Special Value Trust (the fund) is a closed-end fund and maintains a portfolio that includes investments in fixed income and equity securities. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2007, the MFS Special Value Trust provided a total return of 5.11%, at net asset value. The fund's investment objective is to seek high current income, but may also consider capital appreciation.

MFS Special Value Trust normally invests the fund's assets primarily in debt instruments. MFS Special Value Trust normally invests the fund's assets in United States Government securities, foreign government securities, mortgage backed and other asset-backed securities of United States and foreign issuers, corporate bonds of United States and foreign issuers, debt instruments of issuers located in emerging market countries, and equity securities. MFS Special Value Trust�� investment advisor is Massachusetts Financial Services Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  According to a Gabelli Funds report, managed distribution policies offer several advantages, including:1. Lower difference between the fund�� market price and its NAV per share.2. Provides support during periods when the stock market is in a decline.3. Provides a measurable performance target for the investment adviser.Below are several high-yield funds from CEFA that have a managed distribution policy (yields as of December 16):Aberdeen Australia Eqty (IAF)- Distribution Yield: 10.4%- Income Yield: 3.46%Bexil Advisers LLC� (DNI)- Distribution Yield: 11.1%- Income Yield: 3.56%BlackRock En Capital&Inc (CII)- Distribution Yield: 8.78%- Income Yield: 2.34%Cornerstone Strat Value (CLM)- Distribution Yield: 18.77%- Income Yield: 1.83%Cornerstone Total Return (CRF)- Distribution Yield: 19.10%- Income Yield: 0.85%Delaware Inv Div & Inc (DDF)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 5.26%Gabelli Equity Trust (GAB)- Distribution Yield: 7.58%- Income Yield: 1.54%Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT)- Distribution Yield: 9.45%- Income Yield: 2.84%MFS Special Value Trust (MFV)- Distribution Yield: 9.60%- Income Yield: 5.73%Nuveen Tx-Adv TR Strat (JTA)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 3.12%TCW Strategic Income (TSI)- Distribution Yield: 10.54%- Income Yield: 7.88%Zweig Total Return (ZTR)- Distribution Yield: 7.27%- Income Yield: 1.95%As noted in the Gabelli report, a managed distribution policy may create confusion regarding the true current yield since the reported yield includes the return of capital portion. You can see the disparity above between the income yield and the distribution (reported) yield.If you are looking for a sustainable and growing dividend, you may want to consider some blue-chip dividend stocks such as these with a Free Cash Flow Payout less than 50%, 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases and a 2%+ yield:3M Co. (MMM) is a diversified global company provides enhanced product functionality in electronics, health care, industrial, consumer

Top Low Price Companies To Watch For 2014: Daily Mail and General Trust PLC (DMGT)

Daily Mail and General Trust PLC (DMGT) is a United kingdom-based multi-media and information company. The Company�� business activities are split into seven operating segments: RMS, business information, events, Euromoney, national media, local media and radio. Its dmg information is a business information division, providing business to business (B2B) information to the property, financial, energy and educational recruitment markets. As of October 2, 2011, dmg events, its business-to-business (B2B) exhibition and conferences division, operated 27 exhibitions and two conference businesses. Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC is a B2B media group. Associated Newspapers is its newspaper division. In September 2012, it sold its remaining 50% interest in DMG Radio Australia to Illyria. In July 2013, Daily Mail and General Trust PLC announced that Rothermere Continuation Limited has a holding 89.2% of interest of the Company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Daily Mail & General Trust Plc (DMGT) climbed 2.4 percent to 861 pence. The company said contribution from national newspapers to the group�� revenue dropped to 36 percent this year from 43 percent in 2012 and will fall further. The publisher of Britain�� second-biggest U.K. daily newspaper forecast full-year revenue will be 1.8 billion pounds, matching analysts�� estimates.

Top Low Price Companies To Watch For 2014: Buhler Industries Inc (BIIAF.PK)

Buhler Industries Inc. is a manufacturer of a range of agricultural equipment marketed throughout North America under three primary brand names Versatile, Allied, and Farm King. The Company�� principal products are tractors, self-propelled and pull-type sprayers, frontend loaders, grain augers, snow blowers, tillers, finishing mowers, feed processing equipment, seeding and tillage equipment and hay and forage equipment. The Company�� factories include the Winnipeg (Clarence) factory, the Morden, Manitoba factory, the Winnipeg (Regent) factory, the Bradley Steel Processors��factory, the Fargo factory, the Salem factory, the Willmar factory and the Vegreville factory. The Company�� subsidiaries include John Buhler Inc., Progressive Manufacturing Ltd., Amarillo Service & Supply Inc., Haskett Properties Inc., Buhler Versatile Inc, Haskett Investments Ltd., Buhler Finance Inc. and Buhler Ezee-On, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Barkett]

  Buhler Industries Inc. (BIIAF.PK) is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company was established in 1932 as an agricultural equipment manufacturer. It was purchased by John Buhler in 1969 and in 2007, Combine Factory Rostselmash Ltd. acquired 80% of the company's stock. Through steady expansion, new products and distribution channels, and acquisitions, Buhler has experienced impressive growth. With seven manufacturing plants across Canada and the United States as well as a great collection of brands like Farm King, Allied, Inland, and Versatile, this vertically-integrated manufacturer is an excellent way to invest in the global agricultural boom.

Top Low Price Companies To Watch For 2014: Turkish Investment Fund Inc (TKF)

The Turkish Investment Fund, Inc. (the Fund), incorporated on September 27, 1988, is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund�� investment objective is long-term capital appreciation through investments primarily in equity securities of Turkish corporations. Its portfolio includes Turkish common stocks and short-term investments.

The Fund invests in industries, such as automobiles, beverages, commercial banks, construction materials, diversified financial services, real estate and wireless telecommunication services. The Fund�� investment advisor and administrator is Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Liquidity can be an even bigger concern among alternatives to ETFs. The closed-end Turkish Investment Fund (NYSE: TKF  ) has been even more volatile than the Turkish stock market, as the limited availability of closed-end fund shares produces even greater disparities between net asset value and share price. Yesterday, the Turkish closed-end traded at a 13% discount to net asset value, but that discount has moved in a wide range between 6% and 15% at various points during the past year, with some of the biggest discounts coming on days of heightened activity among protesters.

Top Low Price Companies To Watch 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 Monica Gerson]

  Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $1.20 per share on revenue of $11.49 billion.

  Danaher (NYSE: DHR) is estimated to report its Q2 earnings at $0.96 per share.

• [By David Smith]

  Big and not so big at your service
  In the services sector, perhaps the most difficult to comprehend of the sub-sectors, you likely have a good handle on the kingpin, Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) . The company, with a $100 billion market cap, operates in about 85 countries, through the efforts of more than 100,000 employees. Its services include everything from soup to nuts, or seismic to production assistance. So, if you're looking for an ideal company to constitute a single proxy for the services contingent, Schlumberger's a good bet.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Schlumberger (SLB) was a top performer during the quarter, continuing its strong performance since the summer of 2012. Since late June 2012 (6/22) through mid-颅��April 2014, the stock (a holding since late September 2011) is up approximately 60% -颅��nearly double the S&P 500 Index's gain of 36%. Schlumberger continues to do what it does best ��dominate their respective industry and generate industry-颅��leading growth and cash flow generation. The Company is a leading global provider of oil services. At the risk of repeating an oil service industry clich茅, "the easy oil has been found." The technological development being brought to bear to the extremes and complexities in the exploration and development of hydrocarbon energy is relentless. The Company's depth and breadth of their integrated products and services has been at the forefront of the unceasing progress of energy services for decades. Indeed, according to the Company, over the past decade, total E&P capital expenditures have increased by 400%, yet global oil production is up only a scant 15%. Furthermore, in just the last three years, the upstream E&P industry has spent on average $600 billion per year yielding only a net increase in global oil production coming from the shale deposits in North American. Due to the significant advancements in horizontal drilling and multistage fracking natural gas prices are generally one-颅��hird of what they are in Europe or Asia. This differential has had 2 profound implications, for instance in the U.S. chemical industry. Chevron Phillips just this month broke ground on a $6 billion ethane cracker plant in Texas ��the first petrochemical refinery built in the U.S. in twenty-颅��ive years. Circa-颅��014 finds the Company at the cutting edge in the continued search for unconventional oil and gas, plus in the environmentally challenging area in offshore and deepwater. The Company continues to enhance their capabilities, scale and integra

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  For investors, oil stocks are certainly shining this earnings season. OXY and BP, as well previous reports by Schlumberger (SLB) and Halliburton (HAL), are proving that fact.