South Carolina: Union jobs aren't welcome here

GREENVILLE, S.C. — South Carolina loves its manufacturing jobs from BMW, Michelin and Boeing and wants more.

But Gov. Nikki Haley says they're not welcome if they're bringing a unionized workforce.

COLUMN: UAW failed to make case in Tennessee
STORY: VW's Tennessee workers reject union

"It's not something we want to see happen," she said after an appearance at an automotive conference in downtown. "We discourage any companies that have unions from wanting to come to South Carolina because we don't want to taint the water."

In a recent vote at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., the company remained neutral about bringing in the United Auto Workers. VW had said it favors the creation of a German-style "works council," which gives workers a voice on a variety of products and other decisions.

U.S. law requires a union to represent employees for a company to form a works council.

State Sen. Vincent Sheheen, Haley's Democratic opponent in this year's gubernatorial race, said he thinks South Carolina should remain a right-to-work state where workers are free to decide whether to join unions.

"But I also think that if Ford Motor Co. wanted to bring 10,000 jobs to South Carolina, we would welcome them with open arms," Sheheen said.

"We need good, high-paying jobs in South Carolina," he said. "Part of leadership is putting ideology and partisanship to the side when there's something that could be good for South Carolina."

Haley isn't the first South Carolina Republican to reflect the South's traditional anti-union bias, but she's been especially outspoken against unions inserting themselves as mediators between workers and their employers.

“We discourage any companies that have unions from wanting to come to South Carolina because we don't want to taint the water.”

— Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina

GOP animosity toward unions grew red-hot in South Carolina during Haley's first year as governor after the National Labor Re! lations Board went to court to block the Boeing Co. from making its Dreamliner jet at a new factory in North Charleston.

The NLRB argued that Boeing had built the plant in right-to-work South Carolina in retaliation for past union strikes at the company's Puget Sound operations but ultimately dropped the complaint.

Haley has continued to remind voters of what the agency tried to do and did it again Wednesday while appearing here at the South Carolina Automotive Summit, an annual conference for the state's auto industry.

The governor urged more than 200 people at the conference, many of them auto industry executives, to keep up their guard against unions.

"They're coming into South Carolina. They're trying," Haley warned. "We're hearing it. The good news is it's not working."

Haley promised to keep fighting against union penetration.

"You've heard me say many times I wear heels. It's not for a fashion statement," she said. "It's because we're kicking them every day, and we'll continue to kick them."

State Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said he couldn't recall the last time a company with a unionized workforce approached his agency about establishing a new plant in South Carolina.

"Companies that are traditional union companies don't seem to come looking for an operation in South Carolina," said Hitt, a former BMW executive whom Haley appointed. "I think our brand and our image precedes us in that regard."

Commerce officials inquire about an economic development prospect's labor traditions, he said.

"But we've never told someone outright no," Hitt said. "I think we've never gotten to that."

President Lewis Gossett of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, which has organized the automotive conference here the past three years, said he thinks Haley is "dead on" about unions.

"Organized labor has no place down here," Gossett said. "We don't need them. We don't need them to replicate what they've done in the Midwest and the Northea! st. The g! overnor gets that. And she's taken some very strong stands about it, and we love it."

However, Erin McKee, president of the South Carolina chapter of the AFL-CIO, said she doesn't think Haley is helping.

South Carolinians "have the right to have good jobs, and if those are union jobs, they're union jobs," McKee said. "And to keep jobs from coming here because they're union, I don't think she's representing the people."

3 Stocks for the Credit Card Revolution – PAY, IFNNY, NXPI

Target (TGT) may be in hot seat because of the recent data breach of more than 100 million of its customers, but it has plenty of company when it comes to using outdated technology that weakens security—especially among retailers in the U.S.

Six years ago, a similar type breach happened to 90 million NA customers, and 130 million card numbers were stolen—the largest in history—from Heartland Payment Systems in 2009.

The common denominator among all of the above breaches is the continued use of credit and debit cards with magnetic strips. Europe and 80 other countries worldwide upgraded to 21st-century EMV chip cards years ago.

However, stubborn retailers in the US opt to stick with old school magnetic-stripe technology—do, at least in part, to the costs of switching. But it could cost you and me a lot more.

The benefits of EMV cards

Here are the differences: Magnetic strips allow hackers to extract credit card numbers and expiration dates and make counterfeit cards. EMV cards, on the other hand, make it much more difficult because information is embedded inside a chip.

Plus, unlike the cards we're using now that use the same unencrypted PIN numbers for each transaction, EMV cards generate a unique security code each time they're used. So, a hacker can steal it, but won't be able to use it. Another difference is that you swipe a card with a magnetic strip, but EMV cards enter a terminal, at which point you enter a PIN or sign your name.

At least there is some motivation to adopting the new practice. If retailers don't employ the EMV technology by October 2015, the responsibility for fraudulent transactions will shift to the least-security party—the stores themselves. In the meantime, hackers have plenty of opportunity to become repeat offenders.

This latest exploitation against Target, however, has a lot of consumers and banks—who often end up footing the bill—riled up. I'd expect for some government agency to come along and light a fire under the retail industry.

The technology is out there, available and needed more than ever. Here are three companies more than willing to help.

NXP Semiconductors

Chipmaker NXP Semiconductors  (NXPI) makes specialized chips for credit cards. According to analyst Vijay Rakesh, "With around 80% share of contact-less EMV cards worldwide, NXP should be a beneficiary of a potential 2014-15 EMV wave in the U.S."

NXP also has an 11% share of the Chinese market for semiconductors, according to Financial Times; and a partnership with China Unicom Pay, the only domestic bankcard organization in China operating under approval of the People's Bank of China, for EMV cards. Smart chips are the basis of the technical standard behind more than 1.24 billion payment cards and 15.4 million POS terminals. Shares of the $11 billion company rose 78% in 2013.

Verifone

Top 10 Up And Coming Companies For 2015

While NXPI makes the actual chips for EMV cards, VeriFone (PAY) designs point-of-sale electronic payment devices, security and encryption software. According to Value Line Research, the company works with 70% of the top 1,000 retailers in America and 83% of the top 200.

Verifone reported better-than-expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter, although it represented a 12% decline from a year ago. Its payments as a service unit accounted for 40% of VeriFone's total revenue in that quarter. It also partnered with American Express (AXP) to launch a new service earlier this year that allows New York City taxi passengers to pay cab fares using their mobile devices, which process more than 200,000 payments in NYC alone. Although the stock was beaten down earlier in the year, it finished 2013 up 54%.

Infineon Technologies

Infineon Technologies AG  (IFNNY) is a Germany-based company developing semiconductors and system solutions for automotive and industrial electronics and chip cards, as well as security applications. The company supplies security chips for the world's first electronic passports, using the Supplemental Access Control (SAC) protocol, an enhancement against unauthorized access and possible abuse of personal data. The passports, issued by the Republic of Kosovo, contain Infineon security chips.

Electronic passports will become mandatory within the EU as of December 2014. As the first European country to comply with the new requirement, the Republic of Kosovo will issue 800,000 electronic passports. According to current estimates from market research firm IHS, roughly 192 million electronic passports are in circulation in Europe. The $11 billion company is currently trading around $11 per share and gained 28% in 2013.

 

ON THE MARKET - Danger lurks - Bullish sentiment perking to multi year highs*

Pre-market – Monday 12-2-2013

"The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit."

~ Milton Friedman ~

Dr. John L. Faessel

ON THE MARKET

Commentary and Insights

Quotes of the day

Lawless

"The law is applied according to whim, which means there is no law."

~ Mark Steyn ~

&

"U.S. power is growing weaker every year"

~ Brigadier General Hossein Salami ~

Lieutenant Commander of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

***

ALERT

Consensus Index of BULLISH sentiment was up tonewcycle and multi-year highs of 77% from last week's posting of 75%. These new cycle highs in Bullishness of 77% matched the post of 7-months ago and that matched the top tick of 77% Bullish posted on 10/11/2007. *

Last weeks sentiment alert >

The Citigroup "Panic / Euphoria" Model moved well into the Euphoria Zone at a plus 0.52. Last week's post was in high Neutral at plus 0.42. These weeks post is the highest since January 2001. *

MARKET

A quiet but positive week for the major stock markets on declining and well below average volume in the holiday shortened week. "Price" remains extended and is very close to the maximum distance above the 50-day moving average where pull-backs occur - yet the McClellan Oscillator is in neutral at a plus 40 - so the market is not overbought and more upside could be 'absorbed.' Bullish / bearish sentiment overview* is showing a building froth - well above a simmer - so beware - we are now in the land of the lightheaded and giddy market sentiment. There is "no fear" in the market.

Be aware

The debt ceiling is 5-weeks away and that 'it' won't flow thru congress / administration well. The Market will twitch at every "to-and-fro" of the political play out… Be prepared for a market retrench soon.

Hello? Ck this 1929 analog chart from McClellan -

Nobel Prize economist Robert Shiller warns of U.S. stock market bubble

An American who won this year's Nobel Prize for economics believes sharp rises in equity and property prices could lead to a dangerous financial bubble and may end badly, "I am most worried about the boom in the U.S. stock market. Also because our economy is still weak and vulnerable," Shiller said, describing the financial and technology sectors as "overvalued." Link Reuter's story here.

Some Sanity in the Middle East?

The Egyptian authorities have begun revoking the citizenship of Hamas leaders, according to reports in Palestinian and Egyptian media outlets. Link Jerusalem Post article here

Must read!

Free fall: How government policies brought down the housing market

"In less than twenty-five years, affordable housing" and other housing policies have turned a healthy (housing) market into a financial ruin. In 1989, for example, only 1 in 230 homebuyers made a down payment of 3% or less; by 2007, it was 1 in 3. Meanwhile, average home equity plunged from 45% to 7%. The policies that caused the financial crisis are still in force. Until they and the government's role in housing are eliminated, the US housing market will not return to health."

Peter J. Wallison, Edward J. Pinto | American Enterprise Institute

Link the American Enterprise Institute report here

S&P 500

The S&P 500 (SPX) closed Friday at 1805.81 The prior Friday it was 1804.76

The 50-day moving average support is 1742

Short term 'Price' support is at 1801 / 1802 /1799/

The a bit further out 1762 / 1746 / 1740 / 1716 / 1646 and 1627

The 200-day moving average support is at 1650

The top trend line of the channel that goes back 2009 to at (SPX) 1762 is now support ('that' previous resistance was breached on October 22nd.)

Channel and trend line support of (November 2012) is at 1713

Then deep channel and trend line support of (October 2011) is at 1602

Then the deepest channel and trend line support of (March 2009) is at 1420

* This Week's Investor Sentiment

The Bullishness / Bearishness complex overview mixed, but alarmingly high.

(High BULLISH readings in the Investor Sentiment Readings usually are signs of Market tops; low ones, market bottoms.)

Consensus Index of BULLISH sentiment was up to cycle and multi-year highs of 77% from last week's posting of 75%. These new cycle highs in Bullishness of 77% were posted 7-months ago and that matched the top tick of 77% Bullish posted on 10/11/2007.

The Citigroup "Panic / Euphoria" Model registered a plus 0.49 in the Euphoria Zone. Last week's post was a plus 0.52, the highest since January 2001. In early 2000 it ticked its all-time high at plus 0.72. At the end of June, 2011 it ticked cycle lows of minus0.31 in the Panic mode.

The American Association of Individual Investors [AAII]Investor Sentiment Survey of BULLISHNESS jumped to 47.3% from 34.4% the prior week.

The "Bullish" survey posted recent highs of 52.3% 9-months ago. It posted cycle lows of 22.2% on 7/23/2012 the lowest percentile since August 2010. Long-Term Average: Bullish: 39.0%

The American Association of Individual Investors [AAII] Investor Survey of BEARISHNESS lost a few percentile to 28.3 from last week's 29.5% - three weeks before that it was 21.8 -- 8- weeks ago it registered the lowest read since 1/12/2012 at 17.6%. Cycle highs of Bearishness of 54.5% were posted 16 weeks ago. Long-Term Average: Bearish: 30.5%

The Market Vane (Market Letter Survey) up a percentile to 67% from last week's 66%. In October 2007 it topped at 70% bullish.

More bogus Obamacare lies – a new compilation

Ck this link to IBD' detail here

Again - the Truth According to the Congressional Budget Office [CBO] re the number of uninsured

Of the "46 million uninsured" 71% were without insurance for a year or less. Only about 16% were uninsured for two or more years. More than 9 million of those counted among the uninsured were not citizens. Another 6 million who said they were without insurance actually were signed up with Medicaid, and 4 million more were eligible for Medicaid but had failed to enroll. The true number of uninsured individuals was closer to 15 million (5 million of whom were young, single adults). The CBO estimates that even ifObamaCare were fully implemented and worked smoothly, the number of uninsured Americans in 2023 would be, drumroll please, 30 million. Link here

Isolated bits of relevance

Friday's key indicators and metrics:

Cycle highs or lows are in red

·McClellan Oscillator is in Neutral at plus 40

·3-month $ LIBOR was 0.23910%. The prior Friday new lows of 0.23660% were posted.

·CBOE Put / Call Volume Ratio – 0.81

·VIX – 14.70

·Swiss Franc – 1.1028

·US Dollar Index – 80.66

·Euro – 1.3587

·Japanese Yen – 0.9761 (new 7-months lows) and close to lowest lows of 0.955 posted in May.

·Canadian Dollar – 0.9407 collapsing to at multi-year lows

·Aussie Dollar –0.9092

·Crude oil (NYMEX) 92.72

·Brent crude 109.60

·Copper – 3.2050

·Gold (COMEX) – 1250.6

·Natural Gas (Globex) – 3.954

·The Treasury 5-year yield – 1.36%

·The Treasury 10-year yield – 2.74% - cycle high was on 9/10/2013 at 2.98%

·The 30-year Treasury – 3.81% - cycle high was on August 22nd at 3.93%

·Silver (COMEX) – 19.981

·Platinum 1368.8

·Palladium 719.65

·Lumber (CME) – 364.80

.

Top 5 Wireless Telecom Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 Wireless Telecom Companies To Invest In Right Now: CalAmp Corp (CAMP)

CalAmp Corp. (CalAmp) develops and markets wireless technology solutions that deliver data, voice and video for critical networked communications and other applications. The Company has two business segments: Wireless DataCom, which serves commercial, industrial and government customers, and Satellite, which focuses on the North American Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) market. In May 2012, CalAmp Corp announced that it has entered into a five-year supply agreement to provide fleet tracking products to Navman Wireless. As part of the transaction, CalAmp has acquired certain products and technologies from Navman Wireless and established a research and development center in Auckland, New Zealand. The assets acquired by CalAmp include technology for Mobile Display Terminals (MDT) and an MDT product line marketed to telematics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) globally. In March 2013, it completed the acquisition of the operations of Wireless Matrix Corporation.

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Wireless DataCom

The Wireless DataCom segment provides wireless technology, products and services for industrial Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Mobile Resource Management (MRM) market segments for a range of applications, including optimizing and automating electricity distribution and ancillary utility functions; facilitating communication and coordination among emergency first-responders; increasing productivity and optimizing activities of mobile workforces; improving management control over valuable remote and mobile assets, and enabling emerging applications in a wirelessly connected world.

The Company's Wireless DataCom segment is comprised of a Wireless Networks business and an MRM business. CalAmp's Wireless Networks business provides products, systems and services to industrial, utility, energy and transportation enterprises and state and local governmental entities for deployment where the ability to communi! cate with mobile personnel o r to command and control remote assets is crucial. Utilities! , oil and gas, mining, railroad and security companies rely on CalAmp products for wireless data communications to and from outlying locations, permitting real-time monitoring, activation and control of remote equipment. Applications include remotely measuring freshwater and wastewater flows, pipeline flow monitoring for oil and gas transport, automated utility meter reading, remote Internet access and perimeter monitoring. CalAmp is among the leaders in the application of wireless communications technology to Smart Grid power distribution automation for electric utilities.

MRM wireless solutions include global positioning system (GPS) location, cellular data modems and programmable events-based notification firmware as key components, allowing customers to know where and how their assets are performing, no matter where those mobile assets are located. Commercial organizations, vehicle finance providers, city and county governments, and a range of other enterpri ses rely on CalAmp products and systems to optimize delivery of services and protect valuable assets. Applications include fleet management, asset tracking, student and school bus tracking and route optimization, stolen vehicle recovery, remote asset security, remote vehicle start, and machine-to-machine communications. In addition to functioning as an OEM supplier of location and communications hardware for MRM applications, CalAmp is a total solutions provider of turn-key systems incorporating location and communications hardware, cellular airtime and Web-based remote asset management tools and interfaces.

The Company competes with Motorola Solutions, GE-MDS, Freewave, Sierra Wireless, GenX, Spireon, Novatel Wireless-Enfora and Xirgo.

Satellite

The Satellite segment develops, manufactures and sells DBS outdoor customer premise equipment and whole home video networking devices for digital and high def! inition s! atellite television (TV) r eception. CalAmp's satellite products are sold primarily to ! EchoStar,! an affiliate of Dish Network.

The Company's DBS reception products are installed at subscriber premises to receive television programming signals transmitted from orbiting satellites. These DBS reception products consist principally of outdoor electronics that receive, process, amplify and switch satellite television signals for distribution over coaxial cable to multiple set-top boxes inside the home that can acquire, recognize and process the signal to create a picture.

The Company competes with Sharp, Wistron NeWeb Corporation, Microelectronics Technology, Pro Brand and Global Invacom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Shares of CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) tumbled 7% on Tuesday after the company issued a downbeat outlook for the fourth quarter. Analysts at First Analysis also downgraded the stock from Overweight to Equal-Weight. CalAmp shares closed at $25.63 on Tuesday.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  [Related -CalAmp (CAMP) To Supply Mobile Data Network For City Ff Buffalo Emergency Services]

  CalAmp develops and markets wireless technology solutions that deliver data, voice and video for critical networked communications and other applications. The Company has two business segments: Wireless DataCom, which serves commercial, industrial and government customers, and Satellite, which focuses on the North American Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) market.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) reported upbeat fiscal second-quarter results. CalAmp shares jumped 9.90% to $20.54 in the after-hours trading session.

  Analysts expect Xyratex (NASDAQ: XRTX) to post its Q3 earnings at $0.05 per share on revenue of $209.31 million. Xyratex shares gained 0.18% to close at $11.16 yesterday.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekp! ennystock! s.com/top-5-wireless-telecom-companies-to-invest-in-right-now-2.html

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now

Expedia (EXPE), an online travel company in the United States and internationally announced the acquisition of Wotif Group on July 6, 2014. This article discusses the acquisition, the positives from the acquisition and the other growth triggers for Expedia, which make the company an attractive long-term investment option.

Acquisition of Wotif Group

On June 6, 2014, Expedia announced the acquisition of Wotif Group for a consideration of $658 million or $3.09 per share. The acquisition is a positive step by Expedia and is likely to bring significant long-term benefits.

Wotif Group is an Australian-based online travel company with Asia-Pacific region with a portfolio of leading travel brands. Wotif Group operates online travel brands in the Asia-Pacific region including, Wotif.com, lastminute.com.au, travel.com.au, Asia Web Direct, LateStays.com, GoDo.com.au and Arnold Travel Technology. The company�� multi-product portfolio focuses primarily on hotel and air, offering consumers more than 29,000 bookable properties in destinations around the world.

5 Best Canadian Stocks For 2015: Banro Corp (BAA)

Banro Corporation (Banro) is a Canada-based gold exploration company. The Company holds, through four wholly owned subsidiaries, a 100% interest in four gold properties, which are known as Twangiza, Namoya, Lugushwa and Kamituga. These properties are covered by a total of 13 exploitation permits and are found along the 210 kilometer-long Twangiza-Namoya gold belt in the South Kivu and Maniema Provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Company also holds 14 exploration permits covering an aggregate of 2,638 square kilometers. Its 10 of the permits are located in the vicinity of the Company's Twangiza property and four are located in the vicinity of the Company's Namoya property. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company was engaged in the construction of the Company�� Twangiza Phase I oxide mine, and continued its exploration activities at its Twangiza, Namoya and Lugushwa properties. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Looking for a couple of long (bullish) trading ideas on a day when the market is dragging pretty much everything lower? There are two names that fit the bill...CombiMatrix Corp. (NASDAQ:CBMX) and Banro Corporation (NYSEMKT:BAA). CBMX is an "almost" small cap stock that deserves a place on your watchlist while we wait for it to do one more thing. Meanwhile, BAA is something worth going ahead and taking a swing on now, not despite the market's tumble, but because of it.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Wright Medical Group Inc.(WMGI)

Wright Medical Group, Inc., an orthopedic medical device company, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of devices and biologic products for the extremity, hip, and knee repair and reconstruction. The company also provides surgical solutions for the foot and ankle market. The reconstructive devices are used to replace knee, hip, and other joints and bones that are deteriorated or damaged through disease or injury; and biologics are used to replace damaged or diseased bone to stimulate bone growth and to provide other biological solutions for surgeons and their patients. Wright Medical Group, Inc. offers products in the extremity reconstruction, biologics, knee reconstruction, and hip reconstruction market sectors. It sells its products primarily through a network of employee sales representatives and independent sales representatives in the United States, as well as through a combination of employee sales representatives, independent sales representatives, and stocking distributors in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Australia, and Canada. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Arlington, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Basic guidelines
  In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Wright Medical Group (Nasdaq: WMGI  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Wright Medical Group doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, pretty well. Trailing-12-month revenue decreased 5.3%, and inventory decreased 10.1%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue shrank 5.0%, and inventory shrank 10.1%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks OK but not great. Revenue dropped 2.5%, and inventory grew 0.4%.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: CDI Corporation(CDI)

CDI Corp. provides engineering and information technology project outsourcing solutions and professional staffing services primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It operates in four segments: ES, MRI, Anders, and ITS. The ES segment provides engineering, design, project management, staffing, and outsourcing solutions to oil, gas, refining, alternative energy, power generation and energy transmission, chemicals, and heavy manufacturing industries; engineering, design, logistics, and staffing services to the defense industry, primarily in marine design, systems development, and military aviation support; engineering, design, project management, staffing, and facility start-up services to pharmaceutical, bio-pharmaceutical, and regulated medical services industries; and architecture, civil and environmental engineering, communication technology, and consulting services to governmental, educational, and private industry customers. The MRI segment opera tes as a global franchisor that does business as MRINetwork and provides the use of its trademarks, business systems, and training and support services to its franchisees who engage in the search and recruitment of executive, technical, professional, and managerial personnel for employment by their customers. It also provides training, implementation services, and back-office services to enable franchisees to pursue staffing opportunities. The Anders segment provides contract and permanent placement candidates to customers in the areas of architecture, building services, rail, commercial and industrial construction, consulting engineering, facilities management, interior design, surveying, and town planning. The ITS segment offers various information technology related services, which include staffing augmentation, permanent placement, outsourcing, and consulting. The company was founded in 1950 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Philadelphia-based CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI  ) has won a $36 million contract to provide watercraft engineering and marine services to the U.S. Navy.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: MOCON Inc.(MOCO)

MOCON, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and services measurement, analytical, and monitoring products to detect, measure, and analyze gases and other chemical compounds; and provides related consulting services. It offers permeation products, including systems and services that measure the rate at which various gases and vapors transmit through various materials for the manufacturers of packaging materials comprising papers, plastic films, coatings, and containers, as well as users of such packaging materials, such as food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and consumer product industries; and laboratory testing services. The company also provides gas analyzer instruments, sensors, and detectors for use in industrial hygiene and safety, hydrocarbon gas analysis for oil and gas exploration, contaminant detection in the manufacture of specialty gases, environmental monitoring, and homeland security applications under the BEVALERT, PETROALERT, and piD-TECH names. In addition, it offers packaging products and services, including headspace analyzers to analyze the amount and type of gas present in the headspace of flexible and rigid packages for the packagers of foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals; and leak detection equipment to detect leaks in sterile medical trays, food pouches, blister packs, and other packages. Further, the company provides consulting and analytical services for foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, plastics, chemicals, electronics, and personal care products manufacturers; gas chromatography analyzer products and services for food, beverage, petroleum, chemical, and petrochemical manufacturers; and weighing and pharmaceutical products and services to determine the weight of pharmaceutical capsules and tablets. It sells its products through its direct sales force and independent sales representatives in the United States, Canada, Germany, China, and internationally. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Minneapo lis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By victorselva]

  On Nov. 21, Mario Gabelli bought Mocon Inc. (MOCO), a company which makes equipment to test packages and packaging material, and performs consulting and analytical services.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Simpson Manufacturing Company Inc.(SSD)

Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, engineering, manufacture, and sale of building products. It offers wood-to-wood, wood-to-concrete, and wood-to-masonry connectors; screw fastening systems and collated screws; stainless steel fasteners; pre-fabricated shear walls and moment-frames; truss plates; and a range of adhesives, chemicals, mechanical anchors, carbide drill bits, and powder-actuated tools for concrete, masonry, and steel markets, as well as a range of concrete repair products and engineered materials for the repair, strengthening, and restoration of asphalt and masonry construction. The company markets its products to the residential construction, light industrial and commercial construction, remodeling, and do-it-yourself markets primarily in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. was founded in 1956 and is based in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Margins matter. The more Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE: SSD  ) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why we check up on margins at least once a quarter in this series. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, so I can compare them to current and potential competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Simpson Manufacturing's competitive position could be.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Trico Bancshares (TCBK)

TriCo Bancshares (TriCo), incorporated on October 13, 1981, is a bank holding company that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Tri Counties Bank (the Bank). The Bank conducts a commercial banking business, including accepting demand, savings and time deposits, and making commercial, real estate and consumer loans. It also offers installment note collection, issues cashier's checks, sells travelers checks, and provides safe deposit boxes and other customary banking services. Brokerage services are provided at the Bank's offices by the Bank's association with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., an independent financial services provider and broker-dealer. The Bank does not offer trust services or international banking services. Tri Counties Bank, TriCo Capital Trust I and TriCo Capital Trust II are the subsidiaries of the Bank. On September 23, 2011, the Bank acquired Bank of Northern California.

The Company is engaged in the banking business through 68 offices in 23 counties in Northern and Central California including ten offices in Shasta County, nine in Butte County, seven in Sacramento and Nevada Counties, six in Placer County, four in Stanislaus County, three each in Siskiyou, Sutter and Kern Counties, two each in Glenn and Yolo Counties, and one each in Contra Costa, Del Norte, Fresno, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mendocino, Merced, Napa, Tehama, Tulare, and Yuba Counties. The Bank�� 76 automated teller machines (ATMs) are linked to several national and regional networks, such as CIRRUS and STAR. In addition, banking by telephone on a around-the-clock toll-free number is available to all customers. This service allows a customer to obtain account balances and most recent transactions, transfer moneys between accounts, make loan payments and obtain interest rate information. The Bank emphasizes on retail banking. Most of the Bank's customers are retail customers and small to medium-sized businesses. The Bank emphasizes serving the needs of local businesses, farmers and ranche! rs, retired individuals and wage earners.

Lending activities

The Bank conducts a commercial banking business, including accepting demand, savings and time deposits and making commercial, real estate, and consumer loans. It also offers installment note collection, issues cashier�� checks, sells travelers checks and provides safe deposit boxes and other customary banking services. Brokerage services are provided at the Bank�� offices by the Bank�� association with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., an independent financial services provider and broker-dealer. The Bank concentrates its lending activities in four principal areas: real estate mortgage loans (residential and commercial loans), consumer loans, commercial loans (including agricultural loans), and real estate construction loans. The majority of the Bank�� loans are direct loans made to individuals, farmers and local businesses.

As of December 31, 2011 loans, including net deferred loan costs, totaled $1,551,032,000. As of December 31, 2011, total Real estate mortgage loans net deferred loan costs, were $ 965,922,000; total consumer loans were $ 406,330,000; total commercial loans were $ 139,131,000, and real estate construction loans were $ 39,649.

Investment Activities

The Bank classifies its investments as available for sale (AFS). As of December 31, 2011, investments consisted of corporate debt and debt securities of the United States government. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank�� securities portfolio consisted of obligations of the United States Government corporations and agencies, obligations of states and political subdivisions, and corporate bonds.

Sources of Funds

Most of the Bank's deposits are attracted from individuals and business-related sources. The various types of deposits offered by the Bank include non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing demand deposits, savings deposits, time certificates of $100,000 and o! ver, and ! other time certificates. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank�� deposits totaled $ 2,190,536. The Bank participates in a deposit program offered by the State of California whereby the State may make deposits at the Bank�� request subject to collateral and creditworthiness constraints.

The Company had $8,527,000 of other collateralized borrowings as of December 31, 2011. The Company maintains a collateralized line of credit with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. Other collateralized borrowings are generally overnight maturity borrowings from non-financial institutions that are collateralized by securities owned by the Company. The Bank had available unused correspondent banking lines of credit from commercial banks totaling $5,000,000 for federal funds transactions as of December 31, 2011.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  California-based�TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ: TCBK  ) announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.11 per share, a 22% increase over the $0.09 per share payout it made last quarter.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: STR Holdings Inc(STRI)

STR Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells encapsulants for the solar industry worldwide. Its encapsulants protect the embedded semiconductor circuits of solar panels. The company sells its products to crystalline silicon and thin-film solar module manufacturers. STR Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Enfield, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

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

Top 10 Up And Coming Stocks To Watch For 2015

Top 10 Up And Coming Stocks To Watch For 2015: Concho Resources Inc. (CXO)

Concho Resources Inc., an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, development, and exploration of producing oil and natural gas properties in the United States. Its operations are focused in the Permian Basin of Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The company also has acreage positions in the Bakken/Three Forks play in North Dakota. As of December 31, 2010, Concho Resources had estimated proved reserves of 323.5 million barrel of oil equivalent. The company is headquartered in Midland, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  Concho Resources, Inc. (CXO) is an independent E&P company focused on the Permian Basin in West Texas. Concho shares rose in the first quarter as the company provided greater detail about a significant increase in its oil and gas resource potential across its acreage position in the Permian and particularly in the Delaware sub-basin. The combination of the increase in the company's drilling inventory, strong initial well results and a faster than expected acceleration in its drilling inventory bode well for Concho's production growth outlook and for improvements in its net asset value. (James Stone)

• [By Russ Krull]

  Concho Resources (NYSE: CXO  ) reopened an issue from last August and sold $850 million of 10-year, 5.5% paper. Concho got a better deal on this round, selling the paper at 103.75% of par, compared with even par last August. About $320 million of the new money is funding a tender offer for some higher-rate 2017 paper. The rest of the money goes toward paying down a credit facility and for general corporate purposes.

• [By ovenerio]

  The company has a current ROE of 12.69% which is higher than the industry median and the ones exhibit by Encana (ECA), Crescent Point Energy (CPG), Concho Resources (CXO) and EQT (EQT! ). In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. It is very important to understand this metric before investing and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over time.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  Having done about all it could to increase US crude exports, by granting export licenses to Canada (permitted under the current system), I think the Obama administration is likely to move to grant new export licenses to countries other than Canada in 2014. That policy change would turn US oil producers into a rare bright spot in an energy sector that is looking at stable or falling global oil prices in 2014. Stocks I'd take a look at are Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), Concho Resources (CXO) and Targa Resources Partners (NGLS). Pioneer Natural Resources is a member of my Jubak Picks 50 long-term portfolio. Targa Resources Partners is a member of my Jubak's Picks 12-18 month portfolio

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-up-and-coming-stocks-to-watch-for-2015.html

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now

Social-media job recruiter, LinkedIn (NYSE: LNKD  ) is reporting results later today. While the Street is still sifting through Apple's earnings report and eagerly awaiting results from LinkedIn's social-media brethren, Facebook� (NASDAQ: FB  ) , could investors be overlooking an opportunity with LinkedIn? What should LinkedIn investors know, and what can LinkedIn learn from Facebook?

Amazing revenue growth must continue
S&P's Capital IQ consensus estimates project LinkedIn to report revenue of $385.5 million, an amazing 53% higher than last year's quarter. Revenue growth is extremely important and will be watched closely; investors have been extremely bullish on LinkedIn's prospects and have bid the company up from a price-to-sales ratio of 12 to its current ratio of nearly 23. If LinkedIn doesn't hit this ambitious goal, it's possible we could see a large selloff.

Guidance is important too
In addition to reporting phenomenal revenue for this quarter, LinkedIn must provide positive guidance for next quarter and the upcoming year. While the current consensus revenue estimate is receiving the most attention, lost is the fact that analysts are expecting LinkedIn to increase this quarter's revenue by over 40% in the September 2014 quarter by reporting $544.8 million.

Hot Oil Companies To Invest In 2015: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)

Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  The cable-television M&A chatter is making its rounds again, this time with Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC), and Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) pegged as the three points of the ever-changing parties of a never-ending love triangle. The buzz is, well, was that CHTR was first in line to nab TWC. Today, however, it's starting to look like CMCSA is more seriously interested in Time Warner Cable than first thought. TWC shares jumped on the doubly-good news that it may well become the prize in a bidding war between Charter Communications and Comcast Corporation. Meanwhile, CMCSA shares have jumped (albeit not quite as firmly) on the prospect of its ownership of TWC. What's interesting - and perhaps telling - is the fact that not only have CHTR shares not soared in the wake of what would normally be viewed as good news, but Charter shares have actually stumbled heading into the possible bidding war. Might this be an omen of what's actually in store for Charter Communications?

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Discovery Communications Inc(DISCA)

Discovery Communications, Inc. operates as a non fiction media and entertainment company worldwide. The company provides original and purchased programming across various distribution platforms. Its content covers science, exploration, survival, natural history, sustainability of the environment, technology, docu-series, anthropology, paleontology, history, space, archaeology, health and wellness, engineering, adventure, lifestyles, forensics, civilization, and current events. The company owns and operates nine national television networks in the United States, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Fit & Health, and Velocity. Discovery Communications also has interests in Oprah Winfrey Network, a pay-television network and Web site; The Hub that features original programming, game shows, and live-action series and specials; and 3net, a three-dimensional network. In addition, it o ffers network branded Web sites, and mobile and video-on-demand services; and distributes various national and pan-regional television networks. Further, the company develops and sells curriculum-based products and services to public and private K-12 schools, such as access to an online VOD service that includes curriculum-based tools, professional development services, and student assessment and publication of hardcopy curriculum-based content; and postproduction audio services to motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies, and interactive producers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 150 distribution feeds in 40 languages. The company is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake Mann]

  In 2015, I will be paying close attention the media sector...I have highlighted several stocks in 2014 that I thought were winners in the sector going forward with AMC Networks Inc (NASDAQ: AMCX), Discovery Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA), Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA), and Crown Media Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CRWN) the ones I like best.

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Still, BCE has a strong brand and substantial financial resources, as well as a top-notch network that reaches more than 70% of Canadians. BCE also has the advantage of owning premium content, with rights to programming for Discovery (DISCA) and Viacom’s (VIAB) MTV. Its prospects also look bright with concern to mobile, where the company has invested heavily in its payments solutions.

• [By Vera Yuan]

  Dear Fellow Shareholder: The U.S. economy continues to gradually expand, building on the 5+ year recovery from the Great Recession. Employment levels are improving, though progress has been slower than expected. Inflation, for now, remains subdued. As signaled and on cue, the Fed has been weaning the economy (and investors) off of the extraordinary ��uantitative easing��stimulus. Investors have generally shrugged off world events that might otherwise cause high anxiety (ISIS and the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine, etc.). As attention now turns to when the Fed will raise short-term interest rates, it seems plausible that volatility may intensify as the stimulus security blanket is removed. In the meantime, companies are taking advantage of the artificially low interest rate environment and sanguine investor sentiment. Merger activity remains robust, fueled by cheap and readily available credit. The IPO market has been very active, headlined by the successful Alibaba offering in September. Corporate treasurers continue to issue loads of debt on attractive terms, locking in generationally low interest rates for long terms. While these conditions will not last forever, they have helped opportunistic managers accelerate equity value growth at many companies.Investment Commentary and Outlook After three years of seemingly non-stop gains, the stock market took a pause in the third quarter. While most large cap indices eked out modest positive returns, the broader investing waters were far less placid. Small cap stocks sold off as the Russell 2000 declined more than 7% during the quarter. Energy stocks, both large and small, fell materially as investors worried about too much oil and gas supply coming online in North America (what a difference a decade makes). High yield bonds wobbled briefly in July, then again in September. Increasingly, investors are not treating all securities the same, and as stock pickers we welcome this development. Our equity funds��resu

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Nathaniel E. Bell/APA scene from Netflix's "House of Cards," starring Kevin Spacey and Jackie Sharp. NEW YORK -- Americans are turning away from live TV on the tube and tuning in to streaming services, a Nielsen report says. That's bad news for cable and satellite TV providers. Americans are increasingly watching TV shows and movies on Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Amazon.com (AMZN) streaming and other services. CBS (CBS) and HBO (TWX) have announced standalone streaming services as well. About 45 percent of Americans stream television shows at least once a month, according to research firm eMarketer. That number is expected to increase to 53 percent or 175 million people by 2018, it says. According to the Nielsen report, which came out Wednesday, the average daily time spent watching live TV fell 12 minutes in the third quarter to four hours and 32 minutes. That means it dropped nearly 4 percent to 141 hours a month. Meanwhile, time spent watching streaming services jumped 60 percent to nearly 11 hours each month. That's still a small amount compared with live TV, but it is growing quickly. "Content is still king, but consumers are shaping their own content-discovery experience, and the evolving media landscape has not lessened consumer demand for quality, professionally produced content," Dounia Turrill, senior vice president of insights at Nielsen, said in a statement. "What has changed is the number and reliability of new media available to viewers." Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. More from The Associated Press
  •Takata: Evidence Doesn't Support National Air Bag Recall •Market Wrap: Energy Stocks Lead an Advance on Wall Street •Hershey Explores Removing High-Fructose Corn Syrup

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The App Store and Amazon�� Appstore also boast the only paid games in their respective top five from publicly traded companies: Heads Up! from the Warner Bros. division of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) at the App Store and Scribblenauts Remix, also from Warner Bros., at the Appstore. Temple Run: Oz, from The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is the fourth most popular paid app at the Appstore.

Top 5 Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  If other cable companies — like Charter Communications (CHTR), Cablevision (CVC) and Cox Communications — decide to merge in order to keep pace with Comcast, content providers could be under the gun once more.

Top 5 Low Price Stocks To Buy Right Now

The following video is from Thursday's Investor Beat, in which host Chris Hill and analysts Andy Cross and Matt Koppenheffer dissect the hardest-hitting investing stories of the day.

Shares of Costco (NASDAQ: COST  ) hit an all-time high on Thursday, after the retailer reported a 19% increase in third-quarter profits. Costco racked up strong sales in both its domestic and international stores. What's behind Costco's success? Will the retailer continue to be a big hit with investors? In this installment of Investor Beat, Andy and Matt discuss the future of Costco.

Costco's low prices haven't just benefited customers -- shares have walloped the market, returning 11,000% over the past two decades. However, with prices at all-time highs, is the ride over for Costco investors? To answer that and more, The Motley Fool's compiled a premium research report with in-depth analysis on Costco.�Simply click here now to gain instant access to this valuable investor's resource.

Best US Companies For 2015: EveryWare Global Inc (EVRY)

EveryWare Global, Inc., formerly ROI Acquisition Corp., incorporated on September 19, 2011, is the designer and seller of tabletop and food preparation products for the consumer and foodservice markets. The Company�� global platform allows the Company to market and distribute internationally its total portfolio of products, including flatware, dinnerware, crystal stemware, glassware, serveware, cutlery, buffetware, candle glass, floral glass, spirit bottles, kitchen tools and gadgets and kitchen accessories. On June 18, 2013, the Company acquired the George Wilkinson and Samuel Groves business units of Metalrax Housewares, a maker and provider of metal bakeware, cooking utensils and catering supplies.

The Company also licenses the trademarks and distributes the Stolzle, Schonwald, Strata and BuffetEuro branded products in its Consumer, Foodservice and International segments. The Company operates in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  On Wednesday, small cap kitchen stock Everyware Global Inc (NASDAQ: EVRY) surged 52.94% after announcing an amendment to extend its forbearance agreement with lenders until July 15 that could give the company�time to find a long-term financing solution���meanings its worth taking as closer look at the stock along with potential peers Libbey Inc (NYSEMKT: LBY) and Lifetime Brands Inc (NASDAQ: LCUT).

Top 5 Low Price Stocks To Buy Right Now: Insulet Corporation(PODD)

Insulet Corporation, a medical device company, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of insulin infusion systems for people with insulin-dependent diabetes in the United States. The company offers OmniPod Insulin Management System (OmniPod System), which consists of the OmniPod disposable insulin infusion device and the handheld wireless personal diabetes manager to provide diabetes management solution for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. It is also involved in the distribution of durable medical equipment, including blood glucose testing supplies, insulin pumps, pump supplies, pharmaceuticals, and other products for the management and treatment of diabetes. The company sells its OmniPod System directly to patients through referrals from healthcare professionals and through patient leads, as well as through third-party distributors; and delivers durable medical equipment to endocrinologists, insurers, and clients. Insulet Corporation was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature a pair of downgrades for document storage company Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM  ) and insulin treatments-equipment maker Insulet (NASDAQ: PODD  ) . But the headlines aren't all bad, so before we break the bad news to you, let's start off on a bright note about...

• [By James Brumley]

  And just for the record, theme-based buyout speculation doesn’t improve your chances of picking an acquisition target. Back in 2012 after Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) bought Amylin for control of its diabetes pipeline following the purchase of Neighborhood Diabetes by Insulet (PODD), pundits were sure it would spark a wave of other diabetes-driven acquisitions. Those other M&A candidates began getting bid up, but as it turns out, no more meaningful buyouts materialized in the diabetes space.

Top 5 Low Price Stocks To Buy Right Now: TNT Express NV (TNTE)

TNT Express NV is the Netherlands-based express delivery company. It collects, transports and delivers documents, parcels and freight on a time-certain or day-definite basis. The Company operates worldwide with domestic, regional and intercontinental delivery. It has own operations in more than 60 countries and can deliver to more than 200 countries through own operations, subcontractors and agents. Its customers are international companies, as well as small and medium enterprises. The Company serves industries such as technology, automotive, industrial, healthcare and lifestyle, as well as financial institutions and governments. The Company operates interconnected international air and road networks. The air network consists of a central air hub in Liege, Belgium, and a fleet of more than 50 aircrafts. The road networks are operated in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and South America. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Wall]

  One of the country�� largest employers with more than 150,000 staff, Royal Mail has shifted away from letters to more lucrative package shipping, competing with TNT Express NV (TNTE) of the Netherlands and Deutsche Post AG (DPW)�� DHL Express.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  TNT Express NV (TNTE) lost 4.3 percent to 6.33 euros, its lowest price in four months. PostNL NV, the Dutch mail service with operations in the U.K. and Germany, said it will sell about half of its 29.8 percent stake in the Dutch package-delivery company to reduce debt. The 15 percent stake up for sale is valued at about 540 million euros ($738 million), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. PostNL gained 1.8 percent to 4.17 euros.

Top 5 Low Price Stocks To Buy Right Now: Boise Cascade Co (BCC)

Boise Cascade Company, formerly Boise Cascade, L.L.C., incorporated on July 26, 2004, is a vertically-integrated wood products manufacturer and building materials distributor with operations throughout the United States and Canada. The Company operates in two segments: wood products segment and our building materials distribution segment. The Company manufactures engineered wood products, plywood, lumber, and particleboard and distributes a line of building materials, including wood products manufactured by the Company�� wood products division. The Company�� products are used primarily in new residential construction, residential repair and remodeling projects, light commercial construction and industrial applications. In September 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Wood Resources LLC's Southeast Operations, which include Chester Wood Products LLC and Moncure Plywood LLC.

Wood Products

The Company�� wood products segment is a manufacturer of engineered wood products (EWP) and plywood in North America. It manufactures LVL, I-joists and laminated beams and also produces plywood, studs, particleboard and ponderosa pine lumber, a lumber grade sold primarily to manufacturers of specialty wood windows, moldings and doors. Most of its wood products are sold to wholesalers, including its building materials distribution segment, home improvement centers, retail lumberyards and industrial converters.

Building Materials Distribution

The Company is a wholesale distributor of building materials in the United States. Its nationwide network of 31 strategically-located distribution facilities sells a line of building materials, including EWP, oriented strand board OSB), plywood, lumber and general line items, such as framing accessories, composite decking, roofing, siding and insulation. It also operates a truss manufacturing plant located in Maine. Its products are used in the construction of new residential housing,! including single-family, multi-family and manufactured homes, repair and remodeling projects and the construction of light industrial and commercial buildings.

The Company markets its products primarily to retail lumberyards and home improvement centers that then sell the products to end customers, who are typically professional builders, independent contractors and homeowners engaged in residential construction projects. It also markets its products to industrial converters, which use its products to assemble windows, doors, agricultural bins and other products used in industrial and repair and remodel applications. The Company has more than 4,500 customers, which includes a diverse mix of wholesalers, home improvement centers, retail lumberyards and industrial converters. The Company supplies its customers through 49 located facilities (consisting of 18 manufacturing facilities and 31 distribution facilities).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Blake Bos]

  Yesterday, Blake Bos answered a few key questions about Boise Cascade (NYSE: BCC  ) and determined that it could have the right stuff to qualify as a superior investment for a housing rebound. In today's video segment, Blake breaks down the company further and comes to a conclusion on whether Boise provides investors ample opportunity for capitalizing on a housing rebound.

10 Best Recreation Stocks For 2014

Though they've been lumped into the same category as Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA) and Tranzbyte Corp. (OTCMKTS:ERBB), names like Nuvilex Inc. (OTCMKTS:NVLX) and Growlife Inc. (OTCBB:PHOT) aren't actually marijuana stocks. Granted, PHOT and ERBB shareholders will benefit from the advent of legalized marijuana (and hemp) as much as shareholders of ERBB - a grower and dispenser - and MJNA shareholders will. But, in some way they're safer and more stable because they're not directly in the line of fire of potential regulation... or better-enforced regulation at the federal level. Indeed, there are several stocks that are circumventing the risk inherent with marijuana stocks, because they're not marijuana stocks at all. They are, in no particular order....

Hemp, Inc.

It's important to understand that hemp and marijuana are two different things. Oh, there's certainly a relationship, and the boundary between the two can get fuzzy at times [broadly speaking, whenever hemp is in focus for industrial/non-high uses, medical and recreational marijuana doesn't seem to be too far away]. But, hemp is its own category, and its hemp's industrial applications that Hemp, Inc. (OTCMKTS:HEMP) is working to develop and capitalize on.

Hot Retail Companies To Own In Right Now: Life Time Fitness Inc (LTM)

Life Time Fitness, Inc., incorporated on October 15, 1990, operates multi-use sports and athletic, professional fitness, family recreation and spa centers in a resort-like environment. As of February 28, 2013, the Company operated 105 centers under the LIFE TIME FITNESS and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC SM brands primarily in suburban locations in 28 major markets in the United States and Canada. The Company�� model centers target 7,500 to 11,000 memberships by offering, on average, 114,000 square feet of multi-use sports and athletic, professional fitness, family recreation, spa amenities and programs and services in a resort-like environment. Life Time programs include a range of interest areas, such as group fitness, yoga, swimming, running, racquetball, squash, tennis, Pilates, martial arts, kids activities and camps, adult activities and leagues, rock climbing, cycling, basketball, personal training, weight loss and nutrition initiatives, spa, medi-spa and chiropractic services. Life Time program offerings may vary by location. Effective August 28, 2012, MGC Diagnostics Corporation sold the assets of its New Leaf business to the Company.

The Company's offerings also include the Company's line of nutritional products and supplements, and its magazine, Experience Life. The Company also has an Athletic Events division, which offers more than 100 events each year, including running, cycling and triathlon events from entry-level to ultra-endurance. Additionally, the Company offers a portfolio of health assessments to its members at its centers, as well as employees at corporate clients, along with partnerships with health insurance companies. The Company offers different types of membership plans for individuals, couples and families. The Company's memberships include the primary member's children under the age of 12 at a modest per child monthly cost. The Company provides the majority of its members with a variety of services with their membership, including group fitness classes and fitness asse! ssments, towel and locker service and an online subscription to its magazine, Experience Life. The Company's membership plans include initial 14-day money back guarantees and are month-to-month, cancelable by giving up to 60 days advance notice. The Company's ancillary businesses include media, athletic events and related services, health promotion programs and training and certification programs.

The Company offers one-on-one sessions and small group sessions for individual member and a group of two to four members. The Company offers large group (typically eight to 12 members) programs under its T.E.A.M. platform. The Company's T.E.A.M. Weight Loss program focuses on exercise, education and nutrition and provides the resources and support toward long-term weight loss. The T.E.A.M. Fitness program combines cardio exercise with strength training. The Company's endurance program focuses on training in the proper heart rate zones, for the proper duration of time and at the proper frequency to burn fat more efficiently while improving overall health and fitness. The Company's T.E.A.M. Boot Camp enables members to test their strength, agility and stamina. From time to time, the Company also offers other weight loss and nutrition programs, such as the Life Time 90-Day Weight Loss Challenge, as an opportunity for members to receive education, training and motivation. The Company's centers offer fitness programs, including group fitness classes and health and fitness training seminars on subjects ranging from metabolism to personal nutrition. On average, the Company offers 85 group fitness classes per week at each current model center, including studio cycling, step workout, dance classes, circuit training and fitness yoga classes.

The Company's large format centers feature a Life Cafe, which offers fresh and healthy made-to-order and pre-prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner items, including sandwiches, salads, snacks, shakes and more. The Company's Life Cafes offer customers the cho! ice of di! ning indoors, ordering their meals and snacks to go or, in each of the Company's model centers and certain of its other large format centers, dining outdoors at the poolside bistro. Life Cafes also typically offer the Life Time line of nutritional products and supplements, third-party nutritional products, exercise accessories and personal care products. The Company's LifeSpa is a salon and spa. Each in-center LifeSpa offers hair, body, skin care and massage therapy services, customized to each client's individual needs. The Company also offers medi-spa services in select locations. LifeClinic Chiropractic services are provided by licensed chiropractors. LifeClinic Chiropractic offers non-invasive form of soft tissue and joint treatment. The Company's centers offer on-site child centers for children from three months through 11 years of age as part of a monthly fee per child. All of the Company's large format centers offer a variety of additional programs for children, which may include birthday parties, school break camps, parents' night out, sports and fitness classes and swimming lessons. For adults, the Company offers a variety of sports leagues and interest-driven clubs.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company produced over 100 events, serving over 90,000 participants. The Company's events range from entry level to ultra endurance events and draw from local, regional, national and international markets. The Company's larger events include triathlons such as the Life Time Tri Minneapolis and Life Time Tri Chicago, as well as the iconic Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race Across the Sky. The Company produces events primarily in markets in which the Company operates centers, including themed runs such as the Torchlight 5K Run and Turkey Day 5K. The Company offers a line of nutritional products, including Men's and Women 's Performance Multivitamins, Omega-3 Fish oils, Joint Maintenance Formulation, LeanSource Soft Gels, VeganMax, Whey Protein, and FastFuel Complete, its me! al replac! ement product.

The Company competes with 4 Hour Fitness Worldwide, Inc., Equinox Holdings, Inc., LA Fitness International, LLC, Town Sports International, Inc. and Gold's Gym.

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 Life Time Fitness (NYSE: LTM  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By John Udovich]

  On Thursday, small cap fitness club owner Life Time Fitness, Inc (NYSE: LTM) lost some weight for investors as analysts gave the stock a workout after its Analyst Day failed to ease their concerns, meanings its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of Town Sports International Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CLUB)�and Steiner Leisure Ltd (NASDAQ: STNR).

10 Best Recreation Stocks For 2014: Manchester United PLC (MANU)

Manchester United plc, formerly Manchester United Ltd., incorporated on April 30, 2012, is engaged in the operations of professional sports team. It provides manchester united a platform to generate revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and matchday. The Company had three principal sectors: Commercial, Broadcasting and Matchday.

Commercial

Within the Commercial revenue sector, the Company had three revenue streams which include sponsorship revenue; retail, merchandising, apparel and product licensing revenue; and new media and mobile revenue. Retail, Merchandising, Apparel and Product Licensing, it markets and sells sports apparel, training and leisure wear and other clothing featuring the Manchester United brand on a global basis. In addition, it also sells other licensed products, from coffee mugs to bed spreads, featuring the Manchester United brand and trademarks. These products are distributed through Manchester United branded retail centers and e-commerce platforms, as well as its partners' wholesale distribution channels.

The Company retails, merchandizes, apparel & product licensing business is managed by Nike, who pays it a minimum guaranteed amount and a share of the business' cumulative profits. It has formed mobile telecom partnerships in 44 countries. In addition, it markets content directly to its followers through its Website, www.manutd.com, and associated mobile properties.

Broadcasting

The Company generates revenue from distribution and broadcasting of live football content. Broadcasting revenue is derived from the global television rights relating to the Premier League, Champions League and other competitions. In addition, its global television channel, MUTV, delivers Manchester United programming to 54 countries around the world. Broadcasting includes all revenue covering domestic and international television and radio rights. Broadc! asting revenue including, in some cases, prize money received by it in respect of the various competitions.

Matchday

The Company generates revenue during the matchday from the Old Trafford, a sports venue.

Other Matchday revenue includes matchday catering, event parking, program sales as well as membership and travel, Manchester United Museum revenue and a share of the ticket revenue from away matches in domestic cup competitions. Matchday revenue also includes revenue from other events hosted at Old Trafford, including other sporting events (including football matches as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the annual Rugby Super League Grand Final), music concerts and entertainment events.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Manchester United (NYSE: MANU  ) will have to make its way forward with a new manager. Sir Alex Ferguson announced that he will retire at the end of the current season, vacating his position after the celebrated English football (soccer) club's match with West Bromwich Albion on May 19.

• [By Trista Kelley]

  Science in Sport was created by cycling enthusiast Tim Lawson in a kitchen in 1992 and was bought by Provexis two years ago. About 60 percent of sales come from cyclists, though the brand has been raising its profile among other athletes with help from the London Olympics last year and from Wimbledon champion and Go gel user Andy Murray. SiS has also widened its appeal to soccer fans, supplying products to Manchester United Plc (MANU) players, Moon said.

10 Best Recreation Stocks For 2014: IMAX Corp (IMAX)

IMAX Corporation, incorporated on January 1, 2002, together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, is an entertainment technology companies, specializing in motion picture technologies and presentations. The Company�� customers who purchase lease or otherwise acquire the IMAX theatre systems are theatre exhibitors, which operate commercial theatres, museums, science centers, and destination entertainment sites. IMAX theatre systems combine the Company�� digital re-mastering movie conversion technology (IMAX DMR), projectors with equipment and automated theatre control systems, sound system components, screens, theatre geometry, and theatre acoustics.

The Company�� principal business is the design, manufacture and delivery of theater systems (IMAX theater systems). The Company�� customers who purchase, lease or otherwise acquire the IMAX theater systems through joint revenue sharing arrangements are theater exhibitors that operate commercial theaters (particularly multiplexes), museums, science centers, or destination entertainment sites. The Company does not own IMAX theaters, but licenses the use of its trademarks along with the sale, lease or contribution of the IMAX theater system.

IMAX Systems, Theater System Maintenance and Joint Revenue Sharing Arrangements

The Company provides IMAX theater systems to customers on a sales or long-term lease basis with an initial 10-year term. These agreements consist of initial fees and ongoing fees (which can include a fixed minimum amount per annum and contingent fees in excess of the minimum payments) and maintenance and extended warranty fees. The initial fees vary depending on the system configuration and location of the theater and generally are paid to the Company in installments between the time of system signing and the time of system installation. Ongoing fees are paid over the term of the contract, commencing after the theater system has been installed and are generally equal to the greater of a fixed minimu! m amount per annum or a percentage of boxoffice receipts. The Company also provides IMAX theater systems to customers under joint revenue sharing arrangements, pursuant to which the Company provides the IMAX theater system in return for a portion of the customer�� IMAX box-office receipts, and in some cases concession revenues and/or a small upfront or initial payment. As at December 31, 2012, the Company had 316 theaters in operation under joint revenue sharing arrangements.

Production and Digital Re-Mastering (IMAX DMR)

The Company�� technology digitally re-masters Hollywood films into IMAX digital cinema package format or 15/70-format film. IMAX DMR digitally enhances the image resolution of motion picture films for projection on IMAX screens while maintaining or enhancing the visual clarity and sound quality to levels for which The IMAX Experience is known. This technology enabled the IMAX theater network to release Hollywood films simultaneously with domestic release. In a typical IMAX DMR film arrangement, the Company will receive a percentage of net box-office receipts of any commercial films released in the IMAX network, which is generally 10-15%, from a film studio for the conversion of the film to the IMAX DMR format and access to its distribution platform. During the year ended December 31, 2012, 35 films converted through the IMAX DMR process were released to theaters within the IMAX network. As of December 31, 2012, the Company released 23 IMAX DMR titles to theaters within the IMAX network. During 2012, five local language IMAX DMR films were released, including one French film, Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami: The IMAX Experience and four Chinese IMAX DMR titles: Tai Chi 0: An IMAX 3D Experience, Tai Chi Hero: An IMAX 3D Experience, Back to 1942: The IMAX Experience and CZ12: The IMAX Experience.

Film Distribution and Post-Production

The Company is also a distributor of large-format films, primarily catering to its institution! al theate! r partners. The Company generally distributes films, which it produces or for which it has acquired distribution rights from independent producers. The Company generally receives a percentage of the theater box-office receipts as a distribution fee. Films produced by the Company are typically financed through third parties, whereby the Company will generally receive a film production fee in exchange for producing the film and a distribution fee for distributing the film. The Company utilizes third-party funding for the majority of original films it produces and distributes. In 2012, the Company, along with Warner Bros. Pictures (WB) and MacGillivray Freeman Films (MFF) released an original title, To the Artic 3D: An IMAX 3D Experience.

The Company derives a small portion of its revenues from other sources. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had four owned and operated theaters. In addition, the Company has a commercial arrangement with one theater resulting in the sharing of profits and losses and provides management services to two theaters. The Company also rents its two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) large-format film and digital cameras to third party production companies. The Company maintains cameras and other film equipment and also offers production advice and technical assistance to both documentary and Hollywood filmmakers. Additionally, the Company generates revenues from the sale of after-market parts and 3D glasses. As of December 31, 2012, approximately 54.2% of IMAX systems in operation were located in the United States and Canada. As at December 31, 2012, approximately 45.8% of IMAX systems in operation were located within international markets (other than the United States and Canada).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  On Monday, Mississauga, Ontario-based IMAX (NYSE: IMAX  ) announced that it has signed an agreement to install five IMAX theatres at existing Mexican multiplexes operated by Cinepolis. The agreement, once implemented, will give IMAX a total of 12 Cinepolis locations in Mexico, in addition to the one now operating in Brazil.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  IMAX (NYSE: IMAX  ) announced a deal on Monday to add 35 new screens to China and South Korea. It's a smart move, especially with RealD (NYSE: RLD  ) taking a hit last week after announcing a sequential decline in ticket sales for June.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The main rival that RealD faces is IMAX (NYSE: IMAX  ) , and the biggest challenge IMAX poses for RealD is that IMAX and its huge-screen theaters give viewers an impressive experience even with 2-D films. That flexibility has been a key component driving IMAX's growth, with a global footprint extending to hundreds of theaters in more than 50 countries worldwide. RealD has tried to match that with its precision white-screen technology, but RealD can't make theater-operators install the huge screens to match up to IMAX.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Iron Man 3 is a huge hit everywhere, especially in China, where IMAX (NYSE: IMAX  ) booked $1.8 million in gross receipts -- a new record -- as Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) set a high watermark of its own.

10 Best Recreation Stocks For 2014: Performance Sports Group Ltd (PSG)

Performance Sports Group Ltd, formerly Bauer Performance Sports Ltd., designs, develops, manufactures and sells performance sports equipment and accessories for ice hockey, roller hockey, lacrosse, baseball and softball, as well as related apparel, including soccer apparel. Its products are marketed under the BAUER, MISSION, MAVERIK, CASCADE, COMBAT and INARIA brand names. The ice hockey products include skates, skate blades, protective gear, sticks, team apparel and accessories. The roller hockey products include skates, protective gear and accessories. Its products are available in over 45 countries through a network of more than 3,700 distributors. The Company has associations with many of the hockey, lacrosse, baseball and softball organizations, including the NHL, CHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, IIHF, NCAA, Ivy League, Big East Conference, US Lacrosse, International Lacrosse Federation, USSSA, ASA, NPF, NSA Canada, Softball USA, Softball Canada, USA Baseball, ISA and ISF. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q3 2014 earnings report for small cap golf stock Callaway Golf Co (NYSE: ELY), a potential peer of sporting goods or sporting equipment stocks like Toronto listed�Performance Sports Group Ltd (NYSE: PSG) and Johnson Outdoors Inc (NASDAQ: JOUT), is scheduled for after the market closes on Thursday (October 23rd). Aside from the Callaway Golf earnings report, it should be said that Performance Sports Group Ltd reported Q1 2015 on October 9th (revenues were up 28% to $197.1 million) while the estimated release date for the Q4 2014 Johnson Outdoors Inc earnings report is�October 31st. However, Callaway Golf is the last publicly traded�pure play golf equipment stock�giving investors direct exposure to the game���especially since Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE: DKS)�recently took a $20.4 million pretax golf restructuring charge and plans to focus more attention on other sports.

10 Best Recreation Stocks For 2014: Dover Motorsports Inc (DVD)

Dover Motorsports, Inc. is a marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owned and operated Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware and Nashville Superspeedway near Nashville, Tennessee. During the year ended 2011, the Company�� facilities promoted 10 events under the auspices of the sanctioning body, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). During 2011, the Company promoted 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, 4 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, 3 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, and 1 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event.. On January 31, 2011, the Company sold its Memphis Motorsports Park facility.

Dover International Speedway

The Company has promoted NASCAR-sanctioned racing events at Dover International Speedway. As of December 31, 2011, it promoted six NASCAR-sanctioned events at the facility annually. Two races are in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series professional stock car racing circuit, two races are in the NASCAR Nationwide Series racing circuit, one race is in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing circuit and one race is in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East racing circuit. Each of the NASCAR Nationwide Series events and the Camping World Truck Series event at Dover International Speedway are conducted on the days before a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. Dover International Speedway is one of only seven speedways in North America that presents two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events and two NASCAR Nationwide Series events each year. Additionally, it is one of only five tracks to host three NASCAR events at one facility on the same weekend.

Dover International Speedway, known as the Monster Mile, is a high-banked, one-mile, concrete superspeedway with permanent seating capacity of approximately 132,000. The superspeedway facility also features the Monster Bridge. The climate controlled bridge spans across the width of the superspeedway at a height of 29 feet ! and houses 50-luxury seats, a refreshment bar and other amenities.

Nashville Superspeedway

Nashville Superspeedway (Nashville) is a motorsports complex approximately 35 miles from downtown Nashville in Wilson County, Tennessee. The 1.33-mile concrete superspeedway has 25,000 permanent grandstand seats with an infrastructure in place to expand to 150,000 seats as demand requires. Additionally, construction included lights at the superspeedway to allow for nighttime racing and the foundation work for a dirt track, short track and drag strip. Nashville Superspeedway promoted two NASCAR Nationwide Series events and two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event, during 2011. The facility also hosted other regional and national touring events, as well as track rentals.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE:DVD) Board of Directors today declared an annual cash dividend on both classes of common stock of $.04 per share. The dividend will be payable on December 10, 2012 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 10, 2012. Due to the seasonal nature of our business, we will evaluate dividends annually.

10 Best Recreation Stocks For 2014: Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Inc (DJRT)

Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure, Inc., incorporated on November 24, 1998, offers entertainment based oval driving schools and events. The Company owns several National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) type racecars. These classes are conducted at various racetracks throughout the country. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 15 racecars, and had purchased six additional racecars for its Las Vegas hub. These racecars are classified as stock cars and are equipped for oval or round tracks only.

The Company offers five types of ride or drive programs for individuals and corporations. The Qualifier is a three lap ride with a professional driver, which lasts about five minutes, depending on the length of the track. The Season Opener is a half day training class culminating in the student driving 10 laps. The Rookie Adventure and Happy Hour are also half day driving classes with the students driving 20 or 30 laps, respectively. The Advanced Stock Car Adventure is a full day 60 lap class. The main purpose of each event is the thrill of actually driving the race car. It owns a Miller Semi Tractor Trailer to haul the cars from track to track. The Company also offers a range of add-on sale items, including compact disks (CDs) from its adventure cam located in the car, clothing, souvenirs and photography.

The Company competes with Richard Petty Driving Experience.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Alliance Creative Group Inc (OTCMKTS: ACGX), Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Inc (OTCMKTS: DJRT), Inscor Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA) and Solar Thin Films Inc (OTCMKTS: SLTZ) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and it should come as no surprise that two out of four of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions ��which tend to benefit traders. However, two out of four of these stocks also have pretty good financials for being small cap OTC stocks and that might make them attractive to investors with a long term time horizon. So which of these stocks might make traders some profits in the short term and investors some profits over the longer term? Here is a closer look to help you decide:

10 Best Recreation Stocks For 2014: 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 Monica Wolfe] the past week there have been several insider buys. The insiders making buys thus far are Interim CFO and VP Duane Geiger, Director Philip Cooley, Director Sardar Biglari and Director Kenneth Cooper. These insiders bought a total of 5,318 shares at a price of $265 per share.
• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Cracker Barrel have gained 0.9% to $113.29 and�Biglari Holdings (BH), Sandar Biglari’s holding company, has fallen 0.4% to $516.96, on a day when DineEquity has advanced 1% to $85.03, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (RRGB) has risen 0.5% to $76.64 and Denny’s (DENN) is up 0.7% at $7.45.

• [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.