"Sir, upon your flight's arrival, text me, and my people will coordinate their pickup of you," he says. "We will determine our rendezvous point."
Two hours later, after a circuitous journey from Memphis, I encounter McAfee sitting on the back porch of a remote farmhouse nestled deep in Tennessee's Blue Ridge Mountains. He is chain-smoking in a semicircle of weapons. McAfee travels with 10 guns ��a Beretta .40 is hidden in the small of his back and a Ruger .380 is in his right front pocket. Often, he cradles a rapid-fire Kel-Tec shotgun as one would a newborn. A pitbull patrols the 40-acre spread, always keen to strangers.
Best Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2015: Steel Excel Inc (SXCL)
Steel Excel Inc., formerly ADPT Corp., incorporated in 1981, is primarily focused on capital redeployment and identification of new business operations. The identification of new business operations includes, but is not limited to, the oilfield servicing, sports, training, education, entertainment and lifestyle businesses. The Company operates in two segments: oilfield servicing and sports-related segment. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired two sports-related businesses and one oilfield servicing business. On June 27, 2011, the Company acquired Baseball Heaven LLC and Baseball Cafe, Inc. On August 15, 2011, the Company acquired The Show, LLC. On December 7, 2011, the Company acquired Rogue Pressure Services, LLC. On February 9, 2012, the Company acquired Eagle Well Services, Inc. In May 2012, the Company acquired Sun Well Service, Inc. Effective December 16, 2013, Steel Excel Inc acquired Black Hawk Energy Services Inc, a provider of oil and gas field services.
The Company�� oilfield servicing segment provides services in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Services include snubbing services (controlled installation and removal of all tubulars - drill strings and production strings) in and out of the wellbore with the well under full pressure, flowtesting, and hydraulic work over/simultaneous operations (allows customers to perform multiple tasks on multiple wells on one pad at the same time). The Company�� sports-related services segment provides services related to marketing and providing baseball facility services, including training camps, summer camps, leagues and tournaments, concession and catering events and other events and related Websites. In addition, the Company outfit little league baseball and softball players and coaches in official major league baseball uniforms.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Geoff Gannon]
1. Steel Excel (SXCL)
2. FormFactor (FORM)
3. Imation (IMN)
4. Tuesday Morning (TUES)
5. Pacific Biosciences (PACB)
6. Maxygen (MAXY)
7. Westell (WSTL)
8. Volt Information Sciences (VISI)
9. Yasheng Group (YHGG)
Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: Blount International Inc (BLT)
Blount International, Inc. (Blount) is a global industrial company. The Company designs, manufactures, and markets equipment, replacement and component parts, and accessories for professionals and consumers. The Company operates in two segments: Forestry, Lawn, and Garden (FLAG) segment and Farm, Ranch, and Agriculture (FRAG). It also manufactures and markets such items to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) under private label brand names. The Company specializes in manufacturing cutting parts and equipment used in forestry, lawn and garden; farming, ranching, and agricultural, and construction applications. Blount also purchases products manufactured by other suppliers that are aligned with the markets it serves and markets them, under one of its brands, through its global sales and distribution network. Its products are sold in over 115 countries and approximately 63% of the Company�� sales were made outside of the United States during the year ended December 31, 2011. It has manufacturing operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, China, France, and Mexico. In addition, it operates marketing, sales, and distribution centers in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
On March 1, 2011, through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary Blount Netherlands B.V. (Blount B.V.), the Company acquired KOX GmbH and related companies (collectively KOX), a Germany-based direct-to-customer distributor of forestry-related replacement parts and accessories, primarily serving professional loggers and consumers in Europe. On August 5, 2011, through Blount Holdings France SAS, it acquired Finalame SA, which included PBL SAS and related companies (collectively PBL). On September 7, 2011, through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary SP Companies, Inc., the Company acquired GenWoods HoldCo, LLC and its wholly owned subsidiary, Woods Equipment Company (collectively Woods/TISCO). Woods/TISCO is a manufacturer and marketer of tractor attachments, implements, and replacement parts, primarily for! the agriculture, ground maintenance, and construction end markets.
Forestry, Lawn, and Garden Segment
The FLAG segment, manufactures and markets cutting chain, guide bars, and drive sprockets for chain saw use, and lawnmower and edger blades for outdoor power equipment. The FLAG segment also purchases replacement parts and accessories from other manufacturers and markets them, primarily under its brands, to its FLAG customers through the Company�� global sales and distribution network. The FLAG segment includes the operations of the Company that has served the forestry, lawn, and garden markets, as well as Carlton, KOX, and a portion of the PBL business. Its Forestry Products are sold under the Oregon, Carlton, KOX, Tiger, and Windsor brands, as well as under private labels for some of its OEM customers. Manufactured product lines include a range of cutting chain, chain saw guide bars, and cutting chain drive sprockets used on portable gasoline and electric chain saws and on mechanical timber harvesting equipment. The Company also purchases and markets replacement parts and other accessories for the forestry market, including small chain saw engine replacement parts, safety equipment and clothing, lubricants, maintenance tools, hand tools, and other accessories used in forestry applications. In 2011, the Company marketed a line of cordless electric chain saws under the Oregon PowerNow brand.
Blount�� lawn and garden products are sold under the Oregon and PBL brand names, as well as private labels for some of its OEM customers. Manufactured product lines include lawnmower and edger cutting blades designed to fit a variety of machines and cutting conditions. It also purchases and markets various cutting attachments, replacement parts, and accessories for the lawn and garden market, such as cutting line for line trimmers, air filters, spark plugs, lubricants, wheels, belts, grass bags, maintenance tools, hand tools, and accessories to service the lawn and garde! n equipme! nt industry. Its FLAG products are sold under both its own brands and private labels to OEMs for use on new chain saws and lawn and garden equipment, and to professionals and consumers as replacement parts through distributors, dealers, direct sales companies, and mass merchants. During 2011, approximately 21% of the FLAG segment�� sales were to OEMs, with the remainder sold into the replacement market.
The Company competes with Ariens, Briggs & Stratton, Fisher Barton, Husqvarna, Jaekel, John Deere, MTD, Northern Tool, Rotary, Stens, Stihl and TriLink.
Farm, Ranch, and Agriculture Segment
The Company�� FRAG segment manufactures and markets attachments and implements for tractors in a variety of mowing, cutting, clearing, material handling, landscaping and grounds maintenance applications, as well as log splitters, post-hole diggers, self-propelled lawnmowers, attachments for off-highway construction equipment applications, and other general purpose tractor attachments. In addition, the FRAG segment manufactures a variety of attachment cutting blade parts. The FRAG segment also purchases replacement parts and accessories from other manufacturers that the Company markets to its FRAG customers through its sales and distribution network. The FRAG segment includes the operations of SpeeCo, Woods/TISCO, and a portion of the PBL business.
Its equipment and tractor attachment products are sold under the Alitec, CF, Gannon, Oregon, PowerPro, SpeeCo, WainRoy, and Woods brand names, as well as under private labels for some of its OEM and retail customers. Product lines include attachments for tractors in a variety of mowing, cutting, clearing, material handling, landscaping and grounds maintenance applications, as well as log splitters, post-hole diggers, self-propelled lawnmowers, snow blowers, attachments for off-highway construction equipment applications, and other general purpose tractor attachments. OEM and aftermarket parts are sold under the PBL, Sp! eeCo, TIS! CO, Tru-Power, Vintage Iron, and WoodsCare brand names, as well as under private labels for some of its OEM customers. The FRAG segment manufactures a variety of attachment cutting blade component parts sold to OEM customers for inclusion in original equipment, and as replacement parts. The FRAG segment also markets replacement parts and accessories purchased from other manufacturers, including tractor linkage, electrical, engine and hydraulic replacement parts, and other accessories used in the agriculture and construction equipment markets.
The Company competes with Alamo Group, Champion, Doosan, Dover, Great Plains, Hope Haven, John Deere, Koch Industries, MTD, Swisher, A&I, Herschel, Kondex, Rasspe, SMA and Sparex.
Concrete Cutting and Finishing Products
The Company operates a business in the specialized concrete cutting and finishing market. These products are sold primarily under the ICS brand. The principal product is a diamond-segmented chain, which is used on gasoline and hydraulic powered concrete cutting saws and equipment. It also markets and distributes gasoline and hydraulic powered concrete cutting chain saws to its customers, which include contactors, rental equipment companies, and construction equipment dealers primarily in the United States and Europe. The power heads for these saws are manufactured by a third party.
The Company competes with Husqvarna and Stihl.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Stoukas]
A gauge of basic-resources shares was the second-worst performer on the Stoxx 600. Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton Ltd. (BLT), the world�� largest mining companies, lost 4.5 percent to 2,674.5 pence and 4.6 percent to 1,728.5 pence, respectively.
Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: Armco Metals Holdings Inc (AMCO)
Armco Metals Holdings, Inc., formerly China Armco Metals, Inc., incorporated on April 25, 2007, is engaged in metal ore trading and distribution and scrap metal recycling. The Company�� s operations are conducted primarily in the People's Republic of China (PRC). In the Company's metal ore trading and distribution business, the Company imports, sells and distributes to the metal refinery industry in the PRC a range of metal ore which includes iron, chrome, nickel, copper and manganese ore, as well as non-ferrous metals, and coal. The Company obtains these raw materials from global suppliers primarily in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Ukraine and the United States and distributes them in the PRC. In addition, it provides sourcing and pricing services for various metals to its network of customers.
The Company�� scrap metal recycling business, it recycles scrap metal at its recycling facility and sell the recycled product to steel mills in China for use in the production of recycled steel. The Company sells processed and non-ferrous ore to end-users, such as specialty steelmakers, foundries, aluminum sheets and ingot manufacturers, copper refineries and smelters, brass and bronze ingot manufacturers, wire and cable producers, utilities and telephone networks. The Company recycles scrap metals at the Facility using both heavy equipment and manual labors. Recycling scrap metal consists of a variety of steps, including collecting, inspecting, sorting, stripping, shearing, cutting, shredding and bailing.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James E. Brumley]
It's still too soon to put it in your portfolio, but Armco Metals Holdings Inc. (NYSE:AMCO) most definitely deserves a place on your watchlist. This Chinese metal stock is poised for a breakout move. It just needs the right nudge, and a little help on a certain front to let AMCO take flight.
Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: Heartland Payment Systems Inc. (HPY)
Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. provides bankcard payment processing services in the United States and Canada. It facilitates the exchange of information and funds between merchants and cardholder�s financial institutions; and offers end-to-end electronic payment processing services, including merchant set-up and training, transaction authorization and electronic draft capture, clearing and settlement, merchant accounting, merchant assistance and support, and risk management to merchants. The company also provides other merchant services comprising payroll processing, gift and loyalty programs, and prepaid and stored-value solutions; paper check processing; payroll and related tax filing services; and secure point-of-sale solutions, as well as sells and rents point-of-sale devices and supplies. In addition, it develops, manufactures, sells, services, and maintains computer software to facilitate accounting and management functions of food service operations of K to 12 sch ools. The company markets its bankcard payment processing services directly to small and mid-sized merchants, and national and mid-tier merchants. Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY ) is set to be an enthusiastic buyer of its own shares. The company's board has authorized a fresh stock repurchase program to the tune of $75 million. The move is effective immediately, and its term is open-ended.
Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: CommunityOne Bancorp (COB)
CommunityOne Bancorp , formerly FNB United Corp., incorporated in 1984, is a bank holding company. The Company has two banking subsidiaries: CommunityOne Bank, N.A. (CommunityOne), a national banking association, and through Bank of Granite Corporation (Granite Corp.), Bank of Granite (Granite), a state-chartered bank headquartered in Granite Falls, North Carolina. As of December 31, 2011, CommunityOne had 45 branches, $843.9 million in loans and $1.4 billion in deposits. As of December 31, 2011, Granite had 18 branches, $373.9 million in loans and $688.5 million in deposits. Through its banking subsidiaries, it offers a line of consumer, mortgage and business banking services, including loan, deposit, cash management, investment management and trust services, to individual and business customers through operations located in Alamance, Alexander, Ashe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Chatham, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Randolph, Richmond, Rowan, Scotland, Watauga and Wilkes counties in North Carolina. On October 21, 2011, it acquired Granite Corp., through the merger of a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, Gamma Merger Corporation, merging into Granite Corp, with Granite Corp. continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. On June 8, 2013, CommunityOne Bank, N.A., the principal bank subsidiary of FNB United Corp. announced that it had completed the merger of its sister bank, Bank of Granite, into CommunityOne.
Lending Activities
The Company's loan portfolio segments are commercial and agricultural, real estate - construction, real estate - mortgage, and consumer loans. The commercial and agricultural portfolio includes owner occupied and non-owner occupied. The real estate - construction portfolio includes retail properties, multi-family, industrial and warehouse, and other commercial real estate. The real estate - mortgage portfolio includes one-to four-family residential and commercial and othe! r. As of December 31, 2011, its total loan portfolio totaled $1.2 billion.
Investment Activities
The Company�� available-for-sale investment securities portfolio includes obligations of the United Sates treasury and government agencies, obligations of the United Sates government sponsored agencies, obligations of states and political subdivisions, residential mortgage-backed securities- (government-sponsored enterprise (GSE)), residential mortgage-backed securities-(Private), and corporate notes. As of December 31, 2011, it no longer had securities in the held-to-maturity portfolio.
Sources of Funds
Traditional deposit accounts are the primary source of funds for the Company. As of December 31, 2011, deposits totaled $2.1 billion, consisting of approximately $234.6 million of non-interest-bearing demand deposits, $349 million of interest-bearing demand deposits, $68 million of savings deposits, approximately $431.7 million of money market deposits, $112 million of brokered deposits, $538 million of time deposits less than $100,000, and $398 million of time deposits $100,000 or more. As of December 31, 2011, it had $8.8 million of total short-term borrowings. As of December 31, 2011, its long-term debt included $58 million of Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) advances and $56 million of junior subordinated debt. Funds are borrowed on an overnight basis through retail repurchase agreements with bank customers and federal funds purchased from other financial institutions. Retail repurchase agreement borrowings are collateralized by securities of the United Sates Treasury and the United Sates Government agencies and corporations. As of December 31, 2011, CommunityOne and Granite had no lines of credit at the Federal Reserve Bank. As of December 31, 2011, CommunityOne had an available line of credit of $80.5 million with the FHLB and Granite had no line of credit with the FHLB.
Subsidiary Activity
CommunityOne owns three subsidiari! es, which! include Dover Mortgage Company (Dover), First National Investor Services, Inc. and Premier Investment Services, Inc. (Premier). Dover ceased operations during the year ended December 31, 2011, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 15, 2012. First National Investor Services, Inc. holds deeds of trust for CommunityOne. Premier is inactive. Through Granite Corp., it also own Granite Mortgage, Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 15, 2012. FNB also owns FNB United Statutory Trust I, FNB United Statutory Trust II, and Catawba Valley Capital Trust II, which were formed to facilitate the issuance of trust preferred securities.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sofia Horta e Costa]
Cobham Plc (COB), the world�� largest maker of airborne refueling kits, tumbled 4.6 percent to 272.9 pence. An investor, who was not named, was sold 39.1 million shares at 273.5 pence to market price, according to terms obtained by Bloomberg News.
- [By Namitha Jagadeesh]
Cobham Plc (COB) retreated 4.6 percent to 272.9 pence, the biggest drop in six months. A shareholder of the world�� largest maker of airborne-refueling kit is selling 39.1 million shares in the company, terms obtained by Bloomberg News show.
Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSM)
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a Taiwan-based company principally engaged in the research, development, manufacture and distribution of integrated circuit (IC) related products. The Company operates its businesses through wafer manufacture, mask production, wafer testing and packaging components. The Company also involves in the provision of production management, customer services and design services. Its products and services are applied in the manufacture of personal computers and peripheral products, information related products, wire and wireless communication systems, automobile and industrial equipment, as well as consumer electronic products, such as digital disk players, digital televisions (TVs), game consoles, digital cameras, among others. Its customers include Altera, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Analog Devices, Freescale, NXP and Texas Instruments, among others. In July 2010, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. acquired mechanical and engineering equipment from ASML HONG KONG LTD. In September 2010, the Company acquired a set of equipments from ASML HONG KONG LTD. In December 2010, the Company acquired a set of equipment from TOKYO ELECTRON LTD., KLA-TENCOR CORP. and NOVELLUS SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL,B.V. In January 2011, the Company announced that it had acquired a set of equipment from KLA-TENCOR CORP., a set of equipment and facility, and another set of equipment from VARIAN SEMI. EQUIP. ASSOCIATES GmbH. In March 2011, the Company acquired a set of equipments from Rudolph Technologies, Inc.In March 2011, the Company acquired a set of equipments from Rudolph Technologies, Inc. In May 2011, it acquired a set of equipments form APPLIED MATERIALS SOUTH EAST ASIA PACIFIC LTD., Hamatech APE Gmbh and CO. KG, TOKYO ELECTRON LTD., DAINIPPON SCREEN MFG. CO., LTD., and VARIAN SEMI. EQUIP. ASSOCIATES GMBH.
TSMC's customers include semiconductor companies, ranging from fabless semiconductor and systems companies, such as Advanced Micro Devices, In! c., Altera Corporation, Broadcom Corporation, Marvell Semiconductor Inc., MediaTek Inc., nVidia Corporation and Qualcomm Incorporated, to integrated device manufacturers, such as LSI Corporation, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments Inc. Fabless semiconductor and system companies accounted for approximately 80%, and integrated device manufacturers accounted for approximately 20% of its net sales as of December 31, 2009.
The Company manufactures semiconductors using CMOS and BiCMOS processes. The BiCMOS process combines the speed of the bipolar circuitry and the power consumption and density of the CMOS circuitry. It uses the CMOS process to manufacture logic semiconductors, memory semiconductors, including static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, mixed-signal/ radio frequency (RF) semiconductors, which combine analog and digital circuitry in a single semiconductor, micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS), which combines micrometer featured mechanical parts, analog and digital circuitry in a single semiconductor, and embedded memory semiconductors, which combine logic and memory in a single semiconductor. The BiCMOS process is used to make high-end mixed-signal and other types of semiconductors.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ashraf Eassa]
We can reasonably assume that Intel spends about $2.5 billion/year on developing its leading-edge manufacturing technologies. To put this into perspective, TSMC (NYSE: TSM ) �-- the world's leading independent semiconductor contract manufacturer -- has spent about $1.64 billion on R&D during the last 12 months, with that run rate more than�double the amount the company spent in 2010. Developing leading-edge manufacturing technology is getting harder and more expensive.
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