Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now

LONDON -- The FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE  ) perked up a bit yesterday to end the day on 6,558 points, but it has turned tail again today to fall 95 points, or 1.44%, to 6,464 by 9:30 a.m. EDT. Despite the apparent lessening of fears concerning the possible end of economic stimulus measures, a weak session in Asian markets led to a bearish opening in London. Until we get concrete updates on American and European monetary policies, the market looks likely to continue in this uncertain manner.

So which companies are leading the FTSE down? Here are three names that are slipping and look set to lag the index today.

Tesco
Tesco shares have fallen 4.6% after the U.K.'s biggest supermarket chain revealed a fall in like-for-like sales in its first-quarter update.�In the U.K., we saw a 1% fall, but in other markets things were worse, down 3.8% in Asia and down a scary 5.5% in Europe (all excluding petrol sales). Total group sales were actually up 2.7%, but in like-for-like terms that translated to a fall of 2.2%.

Top Prefered Companies For 2016: Powershares Water Resource Portfolio (PHO)

PowerShares Water Resources Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Palisades Water Index (the Index). The Palisades Water Index includes water companies drawn from sectors, which include water utilities, treatment, analytical and monitoring, infrastructure and distribution, water resource management, and conglomerate water companies. The Index includes companies that focus on the provision of potable water, the treatment of water and the technology and services that are directly related to water consumption. The Palisades Water Index was created by Hydrogen Ventures, LLC.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in American depositary receipts (ADRs) and common stocks of companies in the water industry. For purposes of this 80% policy, a company will be considered to be in the water industry if at least 50% of its revenues come from water-related activities. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in ADRs and common stocks that comprise the Index. The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Index. The Fund generally will invest in the stocks comprising the Index in proportion to their weightings in the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Given just how many different water stocks there are, investors may be better suited in a broad portfolio. With nearly $1 billion in assets, the PowerShares Water Resources (PHO) is the largest exchange-traded fund (ETF) that covers the sector.

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  Unusual volume (at least 5X ADV): iShares Utilities ETF (NYSE: IDU), First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (NYSE: FXU), iShares MSCI Germany Small Cap ETF (NYSE: EWGS), iShares MSCI USA ETF (NYSE: EUSA), SPDR S&P Emerging Europe ETF (NYSE: GUR), PowerShares Water Resources (NYSE: PHO) and the Vanguard Industrials ETF (NYSE: VIS).

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: PTC Therapeutics Inc (PTCT)

PTC Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on March 31, 1998 , is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of orally administered, small-molecule drugs that target post-transcriptional control processes. The Company�� lead product candidate includes ataluren, which is used for the treatment of patients with genetic disorders that arise from a type of genetic mutation known as a nonsense mutation. Ataluren is in late stage clinical development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy caused by nonsense mutations (nmDMD) and cystic fibrosis caused by nonsense mutations (nmCF).

Ataluren is orally administered small-molecule compound that targets nonsense mutations. The Company is engaged in the development of ataluren for the treatment of genetic disorders in, which a nonsense mutation is the cause of the disease. Genetic tests are available for many genetic disorders, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis, to determine if the underlying cause is a nonsense mutation. The EMA has designated ataluren as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of nmDMD and nmCF. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Phase III clinical trial completed. The Company�� Ataluren clinical trials in patients with nonsense mutation genetic disorders include Ataluren for nmDMD: Phase 2b clinical trial complete; Confirmatory Phase III clinical trial initiated, and Ataluren for nmCF: Phase III trial completed.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
  Records fell on Wall Street Friday as another solid report on housing lifted the market for the second day in a row. There's a three-day weekend coming up -- something that often prompts investor caution -- but the gains were broad-based even though volume was fairly light. The VIX, which measures volatility, fell to its lowest level this year. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) gained 63 points, the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) rose 31, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) added 8, topping the record high set last week. The Dow Transportation average also raced to an all-time high, lifted by airline stocks. United (UAL) soared more than 4 percent; Delta (DAL) gained more than 1 percent and Southwest (LUV) gained 2 percent. Southwest is at an all-time high, up 79 percent from a year ago. New home sales bounced back with a better than expected 6.4 percent increase last month. Lennar (LEN) and D.R. Horton (DHI) both rose 4 percent. Pulte (PHM), Beazer (BZH) and Hovnanian (HOV) also solid posted gains. Earnings continue to drive retail stocks. Gap (GPS) edged higher even though net fell. Foot Locker (FL) gained 1½ percent after topping expectations. GameStop (GME) rose 4 percent. Its net rose, helped by the rollout last year of new Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Zumiez (ZUMZ) rose 5½ percent on an earnings beat. But Aeropostale (ARO) tumbled 24 percent. Its loss widened and sales declined. The retailer continues to struggle with teen fashion trends. Also on the earnings front, TiVo (TIVO) rose 2 percent as it swung to a profit from a year ago loss. It also reported an increase in the number of subscribers. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) rose 6 percent on news the company plans to eliminate up to 16,000 additional workers in an effort to cut costs. And several stocks extended big moves from yesterday. Best Buy (BBY) rose more than 3 percent for the second straight day after earnings beat expectations. Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS) jumped
• [By John Kell]

  PTC Therapeutics Inc.(PTCT) said the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a negative opinion on the biopharmaceutical company’s marketing authorization application for its muscular dystrophy treatment. Shares slumped 21% to $20.60 in premarket trading.

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: Guggenheim CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar Trust (FXC)

Guggenheim CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar Trust, formerly CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar Trust, is a grantor trust. The Trust issues shares (the Shares) in blocks of 50,000 (a Basket) in exchange for deposits of Canadian dollars and distributes Canadian dollars in connection with the redemption of Baskets. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price of Canadian Dollars. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the Trustee. The Trust�� sponsor is Rydex Specialized Products LLC, which is doing business as Rydex Investments.

The Shares are focused on offering investors an opportunity to participate in the market for the Canadian Dollar through an investment in securities. The Shares are backed by the assets of the Trust, which does not hold or use derivative products. The Trust�� each outstanding Share represents a proportional interest in the Canadian dollars held by the Trust. The Trust�� assets primarily consist of Canadian dollars on demand deposit in two deposit accounts maintained by JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. (the Depository): a primary deposit account, which may earn interest, and a secondary deposit account that does not earn interest.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Bellamy McNulty]

  The Bank of Canada (BOC) interest rate decision Wednesday precipitated much positioning in the USDCAD (FXC) Tuesday. As soon as traders were in from their Memorial Day holiday, they started selling CAD. This resulted in the currency being one of the worst performers against the USD, losing 0.56% by the close.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One of the primary worries that would-be Bitcoin users have about digital currency is that its existence relies on computer networks beyond their control. By contrast, existing currency and commodity ETFs can in many cases point to actual physical assets. SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) and iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV  ) , for instance, publish lists of physical bullion bars to support the underlying value of their shares. Currency ETFs CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar (NYSEMKT: FXC  ) and CurrencyShares Japanese Yen (NYSEMKT: FXY  ) usually turn to short-term investments denominated in their respective currencies.�

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: Triangle Capital Corporation (TCAP)

Triangle Capital Corporation is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, ESOPs, change of control transactions, acquisition financings, growth financing, and recapitalizations in lower middle market companies. The firm prefers to make investments in many business sectors including manufacturing, distribution, transportation, energy, communications, health services, restaurants, media, and others. It primarily invests in companies located throughout the United States, with an emphasis on the Southeast and Midatlantic. The firm typically invests between $5 million and $20 million per transaction, in companies having annual revenues between $10 million and $200 million and an EBITDA between $3 million and $20 million and can also co-invest. It primarily invests in senior subordinated debt securities secured by second lien security interests in portfolio company assets, coupled with equity interests. The firm also invests in senior debt securities secured by first lien security interests in portfolio companies. Triangle Capital Corporation was founded in 2002 and is based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Helix Investment Research]

  Much has been made over Keating Capital's fee structure, and suggestions that company executives are using it as a "personal ATM" to funnel shareholder money to Keating Investments, Keating Capital's investment adviser (Keating Capital is an externally managed business development company). However, Keating's fees are not exorbitant, at least in comparison to the industry average. Per data sourced from Triangle Capital (TCAP), the average externally managed BDC has a management fee of 1.75%-2% of gross assets, and an incentive fee of 20%. Keating Capital's fee structure includes a 2% management fee, and a 20% incentive fee, in line with the industry average. The formula below represents Keating Capital's incentive fee:

Best Promising Companies To Own In Right Now

Best Promising Companies To Own In Right Now: DiamondRock Hospitality Co (DRH)

DiamondRock Hospitality Company, incorporated on May 6, 2004, is a lodging-focused Maryland corporation operating as a real estate investment trust (REIT). It owns a portfolio of 27 premium hotels and resorts that contain 11,590 guest rooms. It also holds the senior note on a mortgage loan secured by an additional hotel and has the right to acquire, upon completion, a hotel under development. Its portfolio is concentrated in key gateway cities and destination resorts. Each of its hotels is managed by a third party and are operated under a brand owned by one of the global lodging brand companies (Marriott International, Inc. (Marriott), Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (Starwood) or Hilton Worldwide (Hilton)). In November 2013, the Company sold the Torrance Marriott South Bay.

The Company conducts its business through an umbrella partnership REIT (UPREIT), in which its hotel properties are owned by its operating partnership, DiamondRock Hospitality Lim ited Partnership, or subsidiaries of its operating partnership. Its properties are concentrated in key gateway cities (primarily New York City, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles) and in destination resort locations , such as the United States Virgin Islands and Vail, Colorado.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, it acquired five new hotels and sold four non-core hotels located in the markets: Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts ; Burlington, Vermont; Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago, Illinois ; Denver, Colorado ; Fort Worth, Texas; Los Angeles, California ; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York, New York ; Oak Brook, Illinois; Orlando, Florida; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Sonoma, California; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Vail, Colorado and Washington, D.C. It also owns a senior mortgage loan secured by a 443-room hotel located in Chicago, Illinois and have the right to acquire, u! pon completion, a 282-room hote l under development in New York City.

On July 12, 2012, it acquired a portfolio of four hotels from affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI. The portfolio consists of the Hilton Boston Downtown, Westin Washington D.C. City Center, Westin San Diego and Hilton Burlington. The portfolio consists of the 362-room Hilton Boston Downtown, the 406-room Westin Washington, D.C. City Center, the 436-room Westin San Diego and the 258-room Hilton Burlington. On November 9, 2012, it acquired the 94-room Hotel Rex located in San Francisco, California. On March 23, 2012, it completed the sale of a three-hotel portfolio. The portfolio consisted of the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort and Spa, the Renaissance Waverly, and the Renaissance Austin. On October 3, 2012, it completed the sale of the Atlanta Westin North at Perimeter.

The Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort, the Orlando Airport Marriott and the Hilton Garden Inn Chelsea/New York City each failed its perf ormance test at the end of 2012. The Bethesda Marriott Suites hotel is subject to a ground lease. The Courtyard Manhattan/Fifth Avenue is subject to a ground lease. The Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown is subject to two ground leases: one ground lease covers the land under the hotel and the other ground lease covers the portion of the hotel that extends into the City Creek Center. The Westin Boston Waterfront is subject to a ground lease. The Hilton Minneapolis is subject to a ground lease. In addition, the golf course that is part of the Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort is subject to a ground lease covering approximately 110 acres. A portion of the parking garage relating to the Renaissance Worthington is subject to three ground leases that cover, contiguously with each other, approximately 1/4 of the land on which the parking garage is constructed. Furthermore, these ground leases generally require them to obtain and maintain insurance covering the subject property.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Laura Brodbeck]

Monday

Earnings Releases Expected: McKesson(NYSE: MCK), Concho Resources (NYSE: CXO), Diamondrock Hospitality (NYSE: DRH) Economic Releases Expected: US Federal budget balance, Indian industrial production

Tuesday

[By Marc Bastow]

Lodging-focused real estate investment trust (REIT) DiamondRock (DRH) raised its dividend 21% to 10.25 cents per share, payable April 10 to shareholders of record as of March 31. Yielding more than 3%, DRH stock has the highest yield of this week’s dividend stocks increasing payouts.
DRH Dividend Yield: 3.38%

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-promising-companies-to-own-in-right-now-2.html

Top Paper Companies To Watch In Right Now

The agency that tallies newspaper circulation figures used by advertisers has changed its methodology to account for the increasingly diverse array of digital distribution channels, making USA TODAY once again the national leader in total circulation.

USA TODAY's five-weekday average circulation totaled 2.88 million for the six month period ending September, up from 1.71 million a year ago, according to the latest circulation report released Thursday by the Alliance for Audited Media.

The big jump was largely attributable to 1.48 million counted in the paper's "digital nonreplica" category, which primarily refers to mobile and tablet apps. USA TODAY's apps and their content are free. "Newspapers can count free digital editions if they are accessed (by users) once every 30 days," says AAM spokeswoman Susan Kantor.

Top 5 Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2016: UPM-Kymmene Corporation (UPM1V)

UPM-Kymmene Corporation is a Finland-based paper and forest products company. The Company operates, along with its subsidiaries, in three segments: the Energy and Pulp segment is divided into three units: Energy, which includes the Company�� hydropower plant and shares in energy companies; Pulp, which includes the Company�� pulp mills, and Foster and Timber, which includes forests, wood procurement, sawmills and further processing; the Paper segment includes the Company�� paper mills, producing magazine paper, newsprint, fine papers, and specialty papers, and the Engineered materials segment is structured into two units: Label, which includes label-stock factories and slitting, and distribution terminals, and Plywood, which includes plywood mills. The Company�� other operations include the wood plastic composite unit, development units and logistic services. On October 2, 2013, it completed the sale of the wood processing mill in Aigrefeuille d'Aunis, to Groupe FP Bois. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  UPM-Kymmene Oyj (UPM1V) fell 3.9 percent to 12.18 euros. UBS AG lowered Europe�� second-largest papermaker to sell from neutral. The brokerage said that demand for the company�� product will not recover in Europe and that the industry will probably reduce its capacity next year.

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  UPM-Kymmene (UPM1V), a rival maker of paper, dropped 1.9 percent to 10.23 euros.

  Aryzta surged 4 percent to 60.45 Swiss francs, the biggest gain since March 28. The owner of bakery brands including Delice de France and Otis Spunkmeyer posted full-year revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($6.1 billion), beating analysts��estimates of 4.43 billion euros. The company also forecast a double-digit percentage gain in 2014 earnings.

Top Paper Companies To Watch In Right Now: Crown Holdings Inc (CCK)

Crown Holdings, Inc., incorporated on February 7, 2003, is engaged in designing, manufacturing and sale of packaging products for consumer goods. Its business is organized within three divisions: Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Its segments within the Americas Division are Americas Beverage and North America Food. Its segments within the European Division are European Beverage and European Food. Americas Beverage includes beverage can operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Mexico. North America Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in the United States and Canada. European Beverage includes beverage can operations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. European Food includes food can and metal vacuum closure operations in Europe and Africa. Its Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage and non-beverage can operations, primarily food cans and specialty packaging. As of December 31, 2012, it acquired Superior Multi-Packaging Ltd.

The Company supplies beverage cans and ends and other packaging products to a range of beverage and beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Cott Beverages, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Heineken, National Beverage and Pepsi-Cola, among others. The Company manufactures a range of food cans and ends, including two-and three-piece cans in numerous shapes and sizes, and sells food cans to food marketers, such as Bonduelle, Cecab, ConAgra, Continentale, Mars, Simmons Foods, Nestle, Princes Group and Stockmeyer, among others.

The Company offers a range of metal vacuum closures and sealing equipment. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others. The Company�� customers for aerosol cans and ends include manufacturers of personal care, food, household and industrial products, including Colgate Palmolive, Procte! r & Gamble, SC Johnson and Unilever, among others.

Americas Division

The Americas Division includes operations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Colombia and Mexico. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The Americas Beverage segment manufactures aluminum beverage cans and ends and steel crowns, referred to as bottle caps. The North America Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends and metal vacuum closures.

European Division

The European Division includes operations in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. These operations manufacture beverage, food and aerosol cans and ends, specialty packaging and metal vacuum closures and caps. The European Beverage segment manufactures steel and aluminum beverage cans and ends. The European Food segment manufactures steel and aluminum food cans and ends, and metal vacuum closures.

Asia Pacific division

The Company's Asia Pacific Division consists of beverage can operations in Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and non-beverage can operations, primarily including food cans and specialty packaging in China, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As of December 31, 2012, the division operated 32 plants in six countries.

The Company competes with Ardagh Group, Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Can-Pack S.A., Metal Container Corporation, Mivisa Envases S.A.U., Rexam PLC and Silgan Holdings Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Crown Holdings Inc.(CCK) cut its third-quarter earnings guidance on lower end-user demand in some of the food-and-beverage packaging company’s markets, including European food cans and North American beverage cans.

Top Paper Companies To Watch In Right Now: CenturyLink Inc.(CTL)

CenturyLink, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated communications company. The company provides a range of communications services, including voice, Internet, data, and video services in the continental United States. Its services include local exchange and long distance voice telephone services, as well as enhanced voice services, such as call forwarding, caller identification, conference calling, voicemail, selective call ringing, and call waiting; wholesale local network access services; and data services, including high-speed Internet access services, data transmission services over special circuits and private lines, and switched digital television services, as well as special access and private line services. The company also offers fiber transport, competitive local exchange carrier, security monitoring, and other communications, as well as professional and business information services. In addition, it provides other related services, such as leasing, selling, installing, and maintaining customer premise telecommunications equipment and wiring; payphone services; and network database services, as well as participates in the publication of local telephone directories. Further, the company offers printing, direct mail services, and cable television services; and wireless broadband Internet access services and satellite television services. As of December 31, 2010, it operated approximately 6.5 million telephone access lines. CenturyLink, Inc was founded in 1968 and is based in Monroe, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  You can find many examples of this phenomenon recently:

  Late last month, Pitney Bowes (NYSE: PBI  ) cut its dividend in half after announcing worse-than-expected sales and income. The stock had suffered from weakness in Pitney Bowes' core mailing and enterprise business solutions segments, and the company chose to sacrifice its former double-digit yield in order to shore up its financial condition. Even after the cut, the stock still yields a fairly high 5%. In February, CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL  ) cut its dividend by about 25%, again after reporting weak guidance for its earnings for the remainder of 2013. Even though the rural telecom company chose simply to put cash previously earmarked to pay its former yield of 7% toward share buybacks instead, the stock plunged more than 20% in response to the move, although it has rebounded significantly since then as investors recognized the fundamental benefits to the company from the capital reallocation. Until three months ago, Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF  ) had a high dividend yield approaching 7% despite terrible conditions in its iron-ore and metallurgical-coal businesses. After announcing earnings in mid-February, the company cut its dividend by more than three-quarters in a move that will conserve cash for the ailing producer of raw materials for steel production. Now, the stock yields just 2.6%.

  That's not to say that all of the highest dividend paying stocks are doomed to reduce their payouts. Businesses that are designed to focus on maximizing cash flow rather than seeking growth can often sustain very high yields for years. Vanguard High Dividend Yield (NYSEMKT: VYM  ) and other dividend ETFs use a combination of factors beyond simple yield to choose stocks with sustainable high payouts.

Top Paper Companies To Watch In Right Now: Weyerhaeuser Company(WY)

Weyerhaeuser Company, a forest products company, grows and harvests trees, builds homes, and manufactures forest products worldwide. It grows and harvests trees for use as lumber, other wood and building products, and pulp and paper. The company manages 6.4 million acres of private commercial forestland; and has long-term licenses on 13.9 million acres of forestland. It also offers timber; minerals, such as rock, sand, and gravel, as well as oil and gas to construction and energy markets; logs; timberland tracts; and seed and seedlings, poles, plywood, and hardwood lumber products. In addition, the company provides structural lumber products for structural framing; engineered lumber products for floor and roof joists, and headers and beams; structural panels for structural sheathing, subflooring, and stair treading for wood products dealers, do-it-yourself retailers, builders, and industrial users. Further, it offers building products comprising cedar, decking, siding, ins ulation, rebar, and engineered lumber connectors. Additionally, the company offers fluff pulp for use in sanitary disposable products; papergrade pulp for printing and writing papers, and tissues; specialty chemical cellulose pulp for use in textiles, absorbent products, specialty packaging, and high-bulking fibers; liquid packaging board converted into containers; and slush and wet lap pulp for manufacturing paper products. It also constructs single-family houses, as well as develops residential lots and land for construction and sale; and master-planned communities with mixed-use property. The company sells its cellulose fibers products through direct sales network, and liquid packaging products directly to carton and food product packaging converters; and wood products through sales organizations and distribution facilities. Weyerhaeuser Company has been elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Federal Way, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Editor , ETFChannel.com]

  Weyerhaeuser (WY) has been named a Top 25 Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel, signifying a stock with above-average ”DividendRank” statistics including a strong 3.1% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria.

• [By Chad Fraser] Christmas is a time for good cheer, reflection and spending time with friends and family. Here are four stocks that reflect the season, ranging from Christmas tree providers to toymakers and beyond:
  
  Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY): Some little-known Christmas tree facts: there are 25 million to 30 million sold in the U.S. every year, with about 350 million currently growing in the country. It takes an average of seven years to grow a Christmas tree to its proper height.
  
  Most Christmas tree farms are privately owned, but they need to get good seedlings from somewhere, so many turn to timber company Weyerhaeuser, which grows the most popular species—including balsam fir, Douglas fir, Scotch pine and white pine.
  
  Weyerhaeuser controls about 6 million acres of timberland, with about a third of that in the Pacific Northwest, which is America’s most prolific lumber-producing region thanks to its cool, damp climate and considerable rainfall.
  
  “The fact that it’s the largest timber producer in the Pacific Northwest makes Weyerhaeuser extremely attractive, because the company’s location gives it easy export access to China,” wrote Investing Daily analyst Benjamin Shepherd in a December 13 article. “This location also leaves it well-placed to pick up the supply slack created by lower production caps in Canada, which is typically a key Chinese supplier.”
  
  Mattel (NYSE: MAT) is proving that the most traditional toys you can think of—dolls—still have a place under the tree, even in the digital age. As we reported on October 16, Mattel’s doll lineup was the main reason why its third-quarter earnings surged past Wall Street estimates.
  
  The company’s strength is centered on its ability to come up with popular new dolls while reimagining the tried-and-true. Right now, its Monster High franchise, which it rolled out in 2010, is stealing the show: the brand’s p

Top Paper Companies To Watch In Right Now: Berry Plastics Group Inc (BERY)

Berry Plastics Group, Inc. (Berry), incorporated on November 18, 2005, is a provider of plastic consumer packaging and engineered materials. Berry owns 100% interest of Berry Plastics Corporation. Berry sells its solutions predominantly into end markets, such as food and beverage, healthcare and personal care. The Company operates in three segments: Rigid Packaging, Engineered Materials and Flexible Packaging. As of September 19, 2012, the Company supplied its customers through 82 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States (68 locations) and select international locations (14 locations). In June 2012, the Company acquired 100% interest of Frans Nooren Beheer B.V. and its operating companies (Stopaq). In September 2011, the Company acquired 100% interests of Rexam Closures Kentucky Inc., Rexam Delta Inc., Rexam Closures LLC, Rexam Closure Systems LLC, Rexam de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Rexam Singapore PTE Ltd., Rexam Participacoes Ltda. and Rexam Plasticos do Brasil Ltda. (collectively, Rexam SBC). In August 2011, Berry acquired 100% interest of LINPAC Packaging Filmco, Inc.

Rigid Packaging

The Company�� Rigid Packaging business consists of containers, foodservice items, house wares, closures, over caps, bottles, prescription vials, and tubes. The end uses for these products are consumer-oriented end markets, such as food and beverage, retail mass marketers, healthcare, personal care and household chemical. The Company manufactures a collection of container products. The Company produces 32 ounce or thermoformed polypropylene (PP) drink cups and offers a product line with sizes ranging from 12 to 52 ounces. The Company�� products of house wares market is focused on producing semi-disposable plastic home and party and plastic garden products. The Company produces closures and over caps across several of its product lines, including continuous-thread and child-resistant closures, as well as aerosol over caps. The Company also provides a range of custom closure ! solutions including fitments and plugs for medical applications, cups and spouts for liquid laundry detergent, and dropper bulb assemblies for medical and personal care applications.

The Company competes with Airlite, Letica, Polytainers, Silgan, Aptar Group and Reynolds.

Engineered Materials

Berry�� Engineered Materials business primarily consists of pipeline corrosion protection solutions, specialty tapes and adhesives, polyethylene-based film products, and can liners served to a variety of end markets including oil, water and gas infrastructure, industrial and consumer-oriented end markets. The Company produces anti-corrosion products to infrastructure, rehabilitation and pipeline projects throughout the world. Products include heat-shrinkable coatings, single- and multi-layer sleeves, pipeline coating tapes, anode systems for cathodic protection and epoxy coatings. These products are used in oil, gas and water supply and construction applications.

Berry is the manufacturer of cloth and foil tape products. Other tape products include range of splicing and laminating tapes, flame-retardant tapes, vinyl-coated and carton sealing tapes, electrical, double-faced cloth, masking, mounting, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) medical and specialty tapes. These products are sold under the National, Nashua and Polyken brands in the United States. The Company manufactures and sells a portfolio of PE-based film products to end users in the retail markets. These products are sold under brands, such as Ruffies and Film-Gard. Its products include drop cloths and retail trash bags. The Company manufactures customized PP-based, woven and sewn containers for the transportation and storage of raw materials, such as seeds, titanium dioxide, clay and resin pellets.

The Company offers range of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) meat film and agricultural film. Berry�� products are used primarily to wrap fresh meats, poultry and produce for supermarket applic! ations. I! n addition, the Company offers a line of boxed products for food service and retail sales. Berry sells trash-can liners and food bags for offices, restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels, municipalities and manufacturing facilities. The Company also sells products under the Big City, Hospi-Tuff, Plas-Tuff, Rhino-X and Steel-Flex brands. The Company produces both hand and machine-wrap stretch films, which are used by end users to wrap products and packages for storage and shipping. It sells stretch film products to distributors and retail and industrial end users under the MaxTech and PalleTech brands.

The Company competes with AEP, Sigma and 3M.

Flexible Packaging

The Company�� Flexible Packaging business consists of barrier, multilayer film products, as well as finished flexible packages, such as printed bags and pouches. Berry manufactures and sells a range of film products ranging from mono layer to coextruded films having up to nine layers, lamination films sold primarily to flexible packaging converters and used for peelable lid stock, stand-up pouches, pillow pouches and other flexible packaging formats. The Company also manufactures barrier films used for cereal, cookie, cracker and dry mix packages that are sold directly to food manufacturers like Kraft and Pepsico. It also manufactures films for industrial applications ranging from lamination film for carpet padding to films used in solar panel construction.

The Company supplies component and packaging films used for personal care applications. Berry is a converter of printed bags, pouches and roll stock. Its manufacturing base includes integrated extrusion that combines with printing, laminating, bagmaking, Innolok and laser-score converting processes. The Company is a supplier of printed film products for the fresh bakery, tortilla and frozen vegetable markets with brands, such as SteamQuick Film, Freshview bags and Billboard. The Company manufactures specialty coated and laminated produ! cts for a! range of packaging applications. Its products are sold under the MarvelGuard and MarvelSeal brands and are sold to converters who transform them into finished goods.

The Company competes with Printpak, Tredegar and Bemis.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  One of the most famous scenes in the cult classic, the Graduate, was when Mr. McGuire�took Dustin Hoffman�� character aside and said�"Ben, I want to say one word to you, just one word: Plastics"; but what about the Berry Plastics Group Inc (NYSE: BERY) and its performance verses that of the�iShares S&P 500 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: IVV), iShares Russell Midcap Index Fund ETF (NYSEARCA: IWR) and iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: IJR)? I should mention that plastics and the Berry Plastics Group was not the place to be yesterday as the stock took a tumble on reduced guidance.

Best Investments In 2015

Carl Icahn came out swinging on Tuesday in the latest round of the fight for control of Dell�(NASDAQ:DELL). The billionaire activist investor believes that the Dell board is significantly undervaluing the company at $13.65 per share as it moves to take the company private. While the drama between Icahn and Dell has made financial headlines recently, is there any value in owning the underlying stock? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalysts for the Stock�� Movement

The battle between Icahn and Dell for control of the company has fueled much of the recent trading volume. While Dell�� quarterly results in May missed earnings projections, the stock has risen 32 percent since the beginning of the year. Clearly, the catalyst for this uptrend is not revenue growth, which has been less than satisfactory over the past year. Investors should expect the stock to approach $13.65 (Dell�� proposed buyout price) just before the July 18 meeting.

Hot Sliver Companies To Invest In 2016: Douglas Dynamics Inc.(PLOW)

Douglas Dynamics, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells snow and ice control equipment for light trucks in North America. It principally offers snowplows, sand and salt spreaders, and related parts and accessories. The company sells its products under the WESTERN, FISHER, and BLIZZARD brands. Douglas Dynamics sells its products through a distributor network primarily to professional snowplowers. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Douglas Dynamics (NYSE: PLOW) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $0.25 per share on revenue of $57.68 million.

  SIGA Technologies (NASDAQ: SIGA) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.62 per share on revenue of $47.00 million.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Milwaukee-based Douglas Dynamics (NYSE: PLOW  ) is bulking up its snow control business.

  The maker of Western, Fisher, and Blizzard-brand snowplows, sand and salt spreaders, and related accessories announced Monday that it has acquired "substantially all" assets of truck-mounted salt and sand spreader manufacturer TrynEx, which owns the SnowEx brand.

Best Investments In 2015: Uroplasty Inc (UPI)

Uroplasty, Inc., incorporated in January 1992, is a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets products for the treatment of voiding dysfunctions. The Company�� primary focus is on two products: the Urgent PC Neuromodulation system and Macroplastique Implants. The Urgent PC system is a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved minimally invasive, office-based neuromodulation therapy for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) and associated symptoms of urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and urge incontinence; and Macroplastique Implants a urethral bulking agent for the treatment of adult female stress urinary incontinence primarily due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD). Outside of the United States, the Company�� Urgent PC is also approved for treatment of fecal incontinence, and Macroplastique is also approved for treatment of male stress incontinence and vesicoureteral reflux.

Urgent PC Neuromodulation System

Using a small-gauge needle electrode inserted above the ankle, the Urgent PC System delivers electrical impulses to the tibial nerve that travel to the sacral nerve plexus, a control center for pelvic floor and bladder function. Components of the Urgent PC system include a hair-width needle electrode, a lead set, and an external, handheld, battery-powered stimulator. For each 30-minute, office-based therapy session, the physician or other qualified healthcare provider inserts the needle electrode in the patient�� lower leg and connects the electrode to the stimulator. Typically, a patient undergoes 12 consecutive weekly treatment sessions, with follow-up maintenance treatments as required to sustain the therapeutic effect. The Company has received regulatory clearances for sale of the Urgent PC system in the United States, Canada and Europe. It also has launched its second generation Urgent PC system.

Macroplastique

Macroplastique is designed to restore the patient�� urinary contine! nce immediately following treatment. Macroplastique is a soft-textured, permanent implant injected, under endoscopic visualization, around the urethra distal to the bladder neck. It is a composition of heat vulcanized, solid, soft, irregularly shaped polydimethylsiloxane (solid silicone elastomer) implants suspended in a biocompatible excretable carrier gel. Macroplastique does not degrade, is not absorbed into surrounding tissues and does not migrate from the implant site. The Company has sold Macroplastique for several urological indications in over 40 countries outside the United States.

Other Uroplasty Products

The Company markets outside of the United States minimally invasive products to address fecal incontinence. Its PTQ Implants offer minimally invasive, soft-textured permanent implant for treatment of fecal incontinence. The PTQ Implants are implanted circumferentially into the submucosa of the anal canal, creating a bulking and supportive effect similar to that of Macroplastique injection for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The PTQ is Conformite Europeenne (CE) marked and is sold outside the United States in various international markets. The Urgent PC is also CE marked and sold outside of the United States for the treatment of fecal incontinence. In addition to urological applications, the Company markets its tissue bulking material outside the United States for otolaryngology vocal cord rehabilitation applications under the trade name VOX Implants. In the Netherlands and the United Kingdom only, the Company distributes certain wound care products in accordance with a distributor agreement.

The Company competes with Pfizer Inc., Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Allergan, GlaxoSmithKline, Carbon Medical Technologies, BioForm, Inc., Q-Med AB and Contura.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Uroplasty (NASDAQ: UPI) shares reached a new 52-week high of $5.22 after the company reported strong Q3 results.

  Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR) shares gained 8.23% to touch a new 52-week high of $28.15 after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Barclays upgraded the stock from Equalweight to Overweight and lifted the price target from $29.00 to $34.00.

Best Investments In 2015: Mobile Mini Inc.(MINI)

Mobile Mini, Inc. provides portable storage solutions in North America, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. It offers a range of portable storage products in varying lengths and widths with various features, such as its patented locking systems, premium doors, and electrical wiring and shelving. The company?s products include remanufactured and modified steel storage containers, steel security office/storage combination and security office units, wood mobile office units, and steel records storage containers, as well as non-core storage units consisting of van trailers and other manufactured storage products. Mobile Mini also provides its products on lease basis to its customers. Its customers use its products for a range of storage applications, including retail and manufacturing supplies, inventory and maintenance supplies, temporary offices, construction materials and equipment, documents and records, and household goods. The company serves large and small retaile rs, construction companies, medical centers, schools, utilities, manufacturers and distributors, the United States and the United Kingdom military, government agencies, hotels, restaurants, entertainment complexes, and households. As of December 31, 2011, it operated a lease fleet of approximately 237,600 portable storage units through 109 branches in the United States, 4 branches in Canada, 19 branches in the United Kingdom, and 1 branch in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of portable storage specialist Mobile Mini (NASDAQ: MINI  ) climbed 10% today after its quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations.

Best Investments In 2015: Toshiba Corp (TOSBF)

TOSHIBA CORPORATION is a Japan-based manufacturer that operates in five business segments. The Digital Product segment manufactures and sells cellular phones, hard disc devices, optical disc devices, televisions among others. The Electronic Device segment provides general logic integrated circuits (ICs), optical semiconductors, power devices, large-scale integrated (LSI) circuits, among others. The Social Infrastructure segment manufactures and sells various generators, power distribution systems, water and sewer systems, transportation systems and station automation systems, among others. The Home Appliance segment provides refrigerators, drying machines, washing machines, cooking utensils, cleaners and lighting equipment, among others. The Others segment is involved in the provision of logistics services. In January 2014, Toshiba Corp purchased substantially all assets of OCZ Technology Group, and launched new subsidiary, OCZ Storage Solutions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bruce Kennedy]

  On Monday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced indictments against five officers in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) for ��erious cybersecurity breaches��against six American firms: Westinghouse Electric, a division of Toshiba (OTC: TOSBF) , Alcoa (NYSE: AA),�Allegheny Technologies (NYSE: ATI), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), the United Steelworkers Union and SolarWorld (OTC: SRWRY).

5 Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Buy Right Now

5 Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Buy Right Now: Vapor Corp (VPCO)

Vapor Corp (Vapor), incorporated in 1987, is engaged in designing, marketing and distributing electronic cigarettes and accessories under the Fifty-One, Krave, VaporX, EZ Smoker, Green Puffer, Americig, Fumre Hookah Stix and Smoke Star brands. Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered products that enable users to inhale nicotine vapor without smoke, tar, ash, or carbon monoxide. Electronic cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes and consists of three functional components: a mouthpiece, which is a small plastic cartridge that contains a liquid nicotine solution; a heating element that vaporizes the liquid nicotine so that it can be inhaled; and the electronics, which include: a lithium-ion battery, an airflow sensor, a microchip controller and an light emitting diode (LED), which illuminates to indicate use. When a user draws air through the electronic cigarette, the air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes th e solution stored in the mouthpiece/cartridge, the solution is then vaporized and it is this vapor that is inhaled by the user. The cartridge contains either a nicotine solution or a nicotine free solution, either of which may be flavored. The Company offers rechargeable and disposable electronic cigarettes in two varieties: a two-piece unit, which the Company markets under its DUO product line; and a three-piece unit, which the Company markets under its TRIO product line.

The DUO

The DUO's 2-part construction (battery component and cartridge) features a disposable all-in-one atomized cartridge (also known as a cartomizer). This cartomizer is replaced when the nicotine or nicotine free solution is depleted from use. The all-in-one configuration eliminates the need for maintenance of a separate atomizer and maintains consistent performance of the e-cigarette over time.

The TRIO

The TRIO's 3-part construc! tion (battery compone nt, atomizer, and filter cartridge) features a separate atom! izer from the cartridge; the atomizer is reused and requires separate maintenance over its useful life. Replacement atomizers are available for sale and are easily serviceable by the user. In the TRIO, the only component that needs to be routinely replaced is the refill cartridge (either with or without nicotine).

The Company's electronic cigarettes are sold in kits. In addition to kits the Company sells replacement batteries, replacement mouthpieces that contain the liquid solution and atomizer, for its two-piece configurations as well as mouthpieces with the liquid solution and separate atomizers for its three-piece units. In addition to the Company's electronic cigarette products the Company sells an assortment of accessories, including chargers and simple and fashionable cases. The Company also offers refill cartridges and accessories for its electronic cigarettes. The Company's refill cartridges consist of assorted flavors and nicotine levels (including car tridges without nicotine).

The Company competes with Altria Group, Inc. and Reynolds American Inc.,

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Last week, I talked about small cap electronic cigarette stocks Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO) and Hop-On Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN) as being among the last of the e-Cigstocks not controlled by Big Tobacco, but Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp (OTCMKTS: ECIG), mCig Inc (OTCBB: MCIG) and American Heritage International (OTCBB: AHII)are alsopositioning themselves or their technology to exploit opportunities in the e-Cig market or even inmarijuana or cannabis. Last year, industry experts were already saying thatUS retail sales of e-cigarettes could reach $1 billion for the yearfor roughly1% of the country's cigarette market. That number might appear small, but its more than double 2012 salesas sales increasinglymove off the Internet and into more mainstream retailers thanks to thei! r positio! ning as ahealthier alternative to smoking.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Fans and investors of American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII) - not to mention frenemies Vapor Corp. (OTCMKTS:VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (OTCMKTS:ECIG) - can all breathe a sigh of relief today. As it turns out, while the electronic cigarette industry is more than likely be regulated by the FDA, it's going to be regulated in such a way that tends to favor the likes of AHII, ECIG, and VPCO.

• [By John Udovich]

  While there is anew study out claimingthatelectronic cigarettes, or so-called e-cigarettes or e-cigs, may contain a comparable level of carcinogens to regular cigarettes,speculative investors might still want to take a look atsmall cap electronic cigarette stocks likeHop-on, Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN), Smokefree Innotec (OTCMKTS: SFIO), Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp (OTCMKTS: ECIG) as these appear to be the major publicly traded small cap stocks left in the sector. I should note thatall of themajor big tobacco stocks have entered the electronic cigarette market (see Who Are the Big Tobacco Electronic Cigarette Stocks? MO, LO & RAI) through acquisitions or their own R&D initiatives, which mightmeanthat an acquisition by big tobacco is off the table as anexit strategy for investors. Moreover and as I previously noted, there are concerns about the safety of electronic cigarettes as their popularity growswhil e the Wall Street Journal recently reported that the FDA has been in discussions with the e-cigarette industry about a possible online-sales ban of the product.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap electronic cigarette stocks Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO), Smokefree Innotec(OTCMKTS: SFIO), Hop-On Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN) and American Heritage International Inc (OTCBB: AHII) are whats left of the e-Cig market not controlled by Big Tobacco and at least one of these stocks is positioning itself or its technology to e! xploit op! portunities in marijuana or cannabis. Last year, industry experts were saying thatUS retail sales of e-cigarettes could reach $1 billion for the year or1% of the country's cigarette market but twice that of 2012as sales go off the Internet and into more mainstream retailers. Moreover, they are being positioned as a healthier alternative to smoking (albeit some places have already extended their smoking bans to cover the devices). It should be stated that electronic cigarettes look just like traditional cigarettes and are usually comprised of three functional components:

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

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Gluten-free products are the growth engine for Boulder Brands (BDBD). Certain consumers require gluten-free products for medical reasons, but Boulder Brands believes that the potential for gluten-free products is much wider. Bulls argue that the benefits of gluten-free foods extend to the broader population and consumers will gravitate toward gluten-free over time. Bears argue that only a small segment of the population really requires gluten-free food and the much hyped gluten-free diet (for the broader population) is a fad. In the near term, the company has the potential to benefit from new gluten-free labeling as well as broader distribution and an expanded product offering. With the company trading at a high valuation, after a nice rally, is the optimism about gluten-free already priced-in or is there more upside?

Background

The company started as a SPAC in 2005. In 2007 it acquired GFA brands, which was known for the Smart Balance spreads and adopted the Smart Balance name following the acquisition.

Best Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: Medical Care Technologies Inc (MDCE)

Medical Care Technologies Inc., formerly AM Oil Resources & Technology Inc., incorporated on February 27, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the development and maintenance of secure medical information systems used by healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. The Company operates in three business segments: Medical Management Software Systems, Medi-Clinics and Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Products.

Medical Management Software Systems

The Company produces a range of medical management software systems, which could be used in a range of healthcare settings to electronically connect the healthcare industry with the consumer. It includes healthcare monitoring devices for glucose monitoring and cardiovascular monitoring and solutions, among others. The primary customers served by the software systems are hospitals and clinics, physicians��office practices, consumers and retail pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers.

The Company have developed the Med-Suite Professional Practice Management information system. The Med-Suite is geared for usage by healthcare providers, such as physicians and nurses in hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. The e-management solution addresses the needs of healthcare providers to manage and communicate administrative and clinical data.

The second information systems product developed by the Company is the Tele-Health Suite. Tele-Health functions similarly to a hospital or doctor�� chart and is an interactive record to communicate patient data between healthcare providers and, healthcare providers and patients for treatment support, management and monitoring of the patient�� health.

The CareBox concept is a product designed for persons needing Tele-Health but who do not have access to the necessary computer hardware. The CareBox is a personal Internet communication de! vice that functions as the interface to the subscriber based network. The Company�� network would provide users access to telecommunication, tele-medicine applications and product access. The CareBox is engaged in the development of healthcare service delivery to the individual subscriber.

The CareBox system offers remote, real-time, audio-visual communication between patient and healthcare personnel. It offers a complete medical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment from a remote location. The CareBox processes on-site collections of physiological measurements and provides bi-directional audio-video communication.

The CareBox Bluetooth software requirements installed to mobile computing devices. It is compatible with iPhone, BlackBerry and other mobile cellular phone protocols. It enables wireless upload of personal medical information from medical and wellness monitoring devices.

Using the online facility, healthcare providers (doctors, nurses) could admit and assess patients, and subsequently create and revise individual healthcare plans. Attachments could be made to the CareBox, for monitoring blood-oxygen levels, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, as well as blood glucose levels. If readings are outside normal limits, the system would initiate a pre-programmed response and instruction for client intervention would be given. The system provides continuous monitoring at home for the clients, which serves to lengthen the period of time a person could live independently, while reducing the number of re-admissions to care facilities.

Retail Pharmacies and Retail Medical Clinics

The Company focuses to open professional, and convenience retail pharmacies and also retail medical clinics. Within the pharmacies, it focuses to have over the counter (OTC) drugs, nutritional supplements, herbal products, personal care products, family care products, as well as products, including consumable, seasonal and promotional items. The customers woul! d also ha! ve access to the medical software and hardware systems. It plans to open retail medical clinics, with a specific view to treating patients with telemedicine as well as a traditional treatment format.

Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Products

The Company plans to develop or source and sell pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, and a range of other merchandise, including over-the-counter medicines, herbal products, personal care products, family care products in the planned Medi-Clinics, through the Website, retail pharmacies and through established sales and distribution channels in the People�� Republic of China. It would also offer private label products. Med-Suite, in concert with a person�� secure personal health record, would allow the medical professional to communicate pharmaceutical, administrative, clinical data in a cost-effective manner. The Company plans to use Med-Suite to provide marketing tools for pharmaceutical sales automation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  What�� the Catch With Timios National Corp? According to various disclosures, at least one promoter expects to be compensated up to $140k to talk about Timios National Corp. However, Timios National Corp itself has been fairly quiet with news for the past several months except for financial filings. Probably the most recent relevant filing dates from September and is about an Asset Purchase Agreement with Adobe Title, LLC, whereby HOMS acquired all of the assets and properties of, and assumed certain liabilities, from the latter in consideration of $500,000 plus an earn-out equal to 7.25% of the Gross Revenue up to a maximum of $3,500,000 starting approximately six months from the date of the Agreement and ending on the forty-eighth monthly anniversary of such start date. A quick look at Timios National Corp�� financials reveals revenues of $6,810k (most recent reported quarter), $8,519k, $7,355k and $6,866k for the past four reported quarters along with a net loss of $120k (most recent reported quarter), net income of $329k and $66, and a net loss of $2,073k. At the end of September, Timios National Corp had $776k in cash to cover $3,661k in current liabilities and $6,700k in total liabilities. So its hard to explain the sudden share price decline last Friday.

  Medical Care Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS: MDCE) Says Its Well Positioned to Profit From Health Care in Hong Kong

  Small cap Medical Care Technologies Inc, through joint ventures or Chinese subsidiaries, develops a network of family and children's health facilities in the larger urban areas throughout China. Services are geared towards the advancing economic middle-class Chinese families. On Friday, Medical Care Technologies Inc sank 25% to $0.0012 for a market cap of $2,060 plus MDCE is up 1,100% over the past year and up 20% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Intrexon Corp (XON)

Intrexon Corporation, incorporated on April 19, 2004, is engaged in the business of synthetic biology. Using the Company�� suite of complementary technologies, it design, build and regulate gene programs, or sequences of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that control cellular function, and cellular systems, or activities that take place within a cell and the interaction of those systems in the greater cellular environment, to enable the development of new and improved products and manufacturing processes across a variety of end markets, including healthcare, food, energy and environmental sciences. Its technologies include the UltraVector gene design and fabrication platform; Cell Systems Informatics; LEAP-cell identification and selection, and mAbLogix-antibody discovery.

The Company�� LEAP technology facilitates the automated identification of an individual cell with the highest levels of expression, quality and potency from a population of over 100,000 cells. Its mAbLogix platform complements UltraVector with a library of human antibodies that exceeds 500 million. By immortalizing human tonsils, which consists of lymphatic tissue containing B-cells, its mAbLogix platform creates a B-cell library that can generate antibodies against an almost infinite number of new antigens.

The UltraVector gene design and fabrication platform

The Company�� gene program design platform, which it refer to as UltraVector, is an integrated suite of tools comprising advanced DNA construction technology and components, cellular and protein engineering tools, computational models and statistical methods which facilitate the rapid design, build and testing of complex systems. The UltraVector platform allows the Company to translate gene programs into standard components that can be designed, manufactured and tested in an automated format. This technology enables it to engineer at the cellular level from biological sources.

UltraVector DNA design is computer-automated and ! utilizes a set of defined construction rules to assemble components that are stored in its DNA library. In addition to the number of gene components in its UltraVector library, it is designing and creating enzymatic and regulatory components that provide control over genome integration and gene regulation. Its RheoSwitch Therapeutic System is a three-component transcriptional regulator that provides inducible gene expression. The RheoSwitch Therapeutic System provides the ability to not only express proteins/enzymes of interest, but also the ability to control the level and timing of expression to achieve a biological outcome. Other ongoing programs include its Attsite recombinases, which mediate predictable gene exchange into host cells thereby eliminating many of the difficulties seen with traditional gene insertion.

Cell Systems Informatics

The Company�� Cell systems informatics permits design, as well as testing and learning about new gene targets or product pathways. Its bioinformatics software and database systems for mapping cellular pathways when combined with its genome-scale modeling and experimental data, including, gene expression profiling and protein engineering, enable the Company to optimize selection and development of gene programs and cellular systems for its collaborators. Its computational modeling and simulation platform enables the development of predictive computer models of organisms, from microbes to humans. This platform builds virtual cells from their basic molecular components, and can simulate the activity of the cell�� complete reaction network.

The Company is designing proteins with post-translational modifications. It is also working to develop enzyme inhibitors and fusion proteins for a variety of applications in human and animal therapeutics. Its protein engineering may utilize one or more of its technologies to obtain catalysis activitiesits component library, the generation of component variants sequence, evolutionary analy! sis and s! tructure-based sequence alignment, computer-aided drug discovery, de novo, or synthesized or generated, and comparative protein modeling, molecular dynamics simulation and free energy analysis, antibody design and humanization, antigenicity prediction, protein pharmacokinetics optimization, and/or in silico support of enzyme engineeringand quantitative structure-function relationships with machine learning algorithms to optimize, facilitate and prioritize protein variant libraries for the advancement of its collaborators.

LEAP-cell identification and selection

The Company�� Laser-Enabled Analysis and Processing technology (LEAP), is an instrument that merges semiconductor manufacturing technologies for cell processing applications to provide high levels of control and scale to cell purification and stem cell culture management. The LEAP platform can identify and purify cells of interest from large libraries of cells created by its UltraVector and bioinformatics technologies using a laser-based purification process, thereby providing a mechanism of testing the degree of protein expression in genetically modified cells, as well as means to learn from the genetic building process.

mAbLogix- antibody discovery

The Company�� mAbLogix antibody discovery platform, or mAbLogix platform, enables production of B-cell libraries for discovery of antibodies. The mAbLogix platform permits antigen targeting using fully human monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Its mAbLogix antibody discovery process consists of two major activities: the build of human B-cell libraries expressing a large number of antibodies, and the testing of these libraries based on an analysis of B-cells that express antibodies in response to a chosen antigen.

The Company competes with AbD SeroTec, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., XOMA Corporation, Genmab US, Inc., MorphoSys AG, NovImmune SA, Societe Des Systemes Biologiques, Adimab, LLC, ProMab Biotechnologies, Inc., Abpro, Inc.,! AIIM The! rapeutics and Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Overvalued companies include MWI Veterinary (MWIV) and�Stericycle (SRCL), while companies with attractive valuations include Cardinal Health (CAH), Selected Medical (SEM). He’s not a fan of Intrexon (XON) but calls�Aratana (PETX) a “hidden gem.”

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Intrexon Corp. (NYSE: XON) was started as Buy at Mizuho Securities, started as Equal Weight at Barclays and started as Overweight at J.P. Morgan.

  Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) was raised to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank, raised to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse and
  Canaccord Genuity raised its price target to $5.50 from $3.30.

• [By John Udovich]

  Bubble talk, biotech IPO setbacks plus news�about small cap biotechs like Intrexon Corp (NYSE: XON) and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) have dominated biotech news this week or in recent weeks. Just consider the following news:

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Bio-Reference Laboratories Inc.(BRLI)

Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. provides clinical laboratory testing services for the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring, and treatment of diseases primarily in the greater New York metropolitan area. It offers various chemical diagnostic tests, including blood and urine analysis, blood chemistry, hematology services, serology, radio-immuno analysis, toxicology, pap smears, tissue pathology, and other tissue analysis. The company also operates a clinical knowledge management service unit, which uses customer data from laboratory results, pharmaceutical data, claims data, and other data sources to provide administrative and clinical decision support systems. In addition, it operates a Web-based connectivity portal solution for laboratories and physicians to provide laboratory ordering and results to physician customers. The company provides its services directly to physicians, geneticists, hospitals, clinics, and correctional and other health facilities. Bio-Refe rence Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  As a result, LabCorp has dropped 11% to $87.79 and has helped drag down competitors like Quest Diagnostics (DGX), and BioReference Laboratories (BRLI).

• [By GuruFocus]

  An example here is Bio Reference Lab (BRLI). This is a company with a simple business, strong balance sheet and the Predictability Rank of 5-Star. At the price of $19, BRLI was in the top of the Buffett-Munger Screener. But the stock price quickly dropped to below $12 in November 2011. At that point, the company announced a share buyback. The CEO, CFO and COO also bought shares in December at $14 a share. Since then the stock price has doubled.

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  But if you can definitely hold a company through a tough market that lasts a few years ��then you can look for a wonderful business to buy and hold at any time. In any market. I found some lovely businesses around the time of the 2000 market peak. They just weren�� big caps, dot coms, etc. They were smaller more mundane businesses. In at least one case ��Bio-Reference Labs (BRLI) ��I made some money (it seemed like a scary big amount at the time) holding the stock for about 2 years but I would��e made a whole lot more if I had just held that one stock through till today. And even now BRLI seems a fine stock to keep holding. So, you see I could��e saved myself a lot of trouble by holding something for more than 10 years. And it wouldn�� have hurt my performance at all. In fact, BRLI has beaten the market by a lot for a very long time. And, yes, the price I paid for BRLI happens to be the most I ever paid for a stock relative to its record earnings. So, I paid a very high price ��for a value investor like me ��for a stock that promptly went on to return around 20% a year for the next 10 years and is now back at almost the exact same P/E ratio where I first bought it.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CareFusion Corp (CFN)

CareFusion Corporation (CareFusion), incorporated on January 14, 2009, is a global medical technology company. The Company operates in two segments: Medical Systems and Procedural Solutions. The Medical Systems segment is organized around its medical equipment businesses. The Company�� Medical Systems segment�� business units and product lines include Infusion Systems, Dispensing Technologies, and Respiratory Technologies. The Procedural Solutions segment is organized around the Company�� disposable products and reusable surgical instruments businesses. The Company�� Procedural Solutions segment�� business units and product lines include Infection Prevention, Medical Specialties and Specialty Disposables. In August 2011, the Company acquired Rowa. In June 2012, the Company acquired U.K. Medical Limited. In July 2012, Natus Medical, Inc. acquired the Nicolet neurodiagnostic business from CareFusion. Effective December 31, 2013, CareFusion Corp acquired Vital Signs Inc from GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Co.

Medical Systems Segment

The Company�� develops, manufactures and markets capital equipment and related supplies for medication management, which includes its infusion and medication dispensing technologies, supply dispensing technologies and respiratory technologies. Its products are designed to enable healthcare professionals to improve patient safety by reducing medication errors and improving administrative controls, while simultaneously improving workflow and increasing operational efficiency. The Company sells these products primarily through its direct sales force, but use third-party distributors as well, particularly outside the United States. Many of its products in this segment are integrated with other information systems within the hospital, including financial and business systems that support patient admissions, discharges and transfers, operational systems that include inventory management and clinical systems that include pharmacy inf! ormation and electronic medical records.

The Company offers value-added services and programs, software technical services and clinical education, which are designed to enhance its customers��utilization of its medical equipment products. The Company�� project management, field service organization and customer call centers support its customers before, during and after product installation. The Company�� project management teams assist customers with the development of project implementation plans, which are designed to ensure rapid, seamless implementation of its products. The Company�� field service organization provides on-site expertise to resolve customers��service issues. The Company�� customer call centers provide additional support to its customers.

The Company is engaged in designing, developing and marketing of IV infusion systems that deliver medications and other fluids directly into a patient�� veins in precise, measured quantities over a range of infusion rates. The Company is provider of point-of-care systems that automate the dispensing of medications and supplies in hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the United States. The Company develops, manufactures, markets and services mechanical ventilators and associated consumables for patients with respiratory disorders.

The Company competes with Baxter International, B. Braun, Fresenius Kabi, Hospira, Omnicell, McKesson; Drager, and MAQUET.

Procedural Solutions Segment

The Procedural Solutions segment is organized around its disposable products and reusable surgical instruments businesses. In its Procedural Solutions segment, the Company develops, manufactures and markets single-use skin antiseptic and other patient-preparation products, non-dedicated IV infusion administration sets and accessories, reusable surgical instruments and non-dedicated ventilator circuits and other disposables used for providing respiratory therapy. The products in this segm! ent are u! sed in the operating room, interventional suites, and in the critical care departments of hospitals. The Company sells these products and services through a combination of direct sales representatives and third-party distributors.

The Company�� Infection Prevention business unit consists mainly of single-use medical products used in surgical and vascular access procedures, including skin preparation products and disposable IV infusion administration sets and accessories. The Company�� Medical Specialties business unit consists mainly of specialty medical devices used in delivering interventional care and reusable surgical instrumentation products. The Company�� Specialty Disposables business unit focuses on providing clinicians with respiratory consumable products that work either independently or in conjunction with its range of ventilators.

The Company competes with 3M, ICU Medical, Becton, Dickinson, Baxter International, B. Braun; Hospira; Smiths Medical; CR Bard, Integra Life Sciences, and Teleflex.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Heading notably higher as well, up 5.5%, was medical-products supplier CareFusion (NYSE: CFN  ) which is said to be in talks as a possible acquirer of Britain-based Smiths Group's medical division. Although neither company would comment on a potential sale it would clearly be a positive for CareFusion since its revenue growth has stagnated in recent years. We should hopefully know more about these developments over the coming weeks.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: International Stem Cell Corp (ISCO)

International Stem Cell Corporation, incorporated on June 7, 2005 is a developmental-stage biotechnology company. The Company focused on therapeutic and biomedical product development. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology, LLC (LCT) develops, manufactures and commercializes over 130 human cell culture products, including frozen human primary cells and the reagents (media) needed to grow, maintain and differentiate the cells, in order to address this market opportunity. The Company�� scientists have used a technology called basal medium optimization to systematically produce optimized products designed to culture specific human cell types and to elicit specific cellular behaviors. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care, Inc. (LSC) develops, manufactures and markets cosmetic skin care products using an extract derived from its pluripotent stem cells.

Therapeutic Product Candidates

Using the Company's technologies and know-how, the Company is exploring and creating a range of cell types that is useful in therapeutic treatments, which include Liver cells (hepatocytes) that may be used to treat a range of congenital and acquired liver diseases. Neuronal cells for potential treatment of Parkinson's disease and other central nervous system disorders, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke and Alzheimer�� disease. Three-dimensional eye structures to treat degenerative retinal diseases, corneal blindness, and to accelerate corneal healing.

Skin Care Products

The Company�� research scientists developed two skin care products, Defensive Day Serum and Recovery Night Serum, using an extract derived from human parthenogenic stem cells. Defensive Serum contains sunscreen, along with stem cell-derived ingredients. The day serum not only protects the skin from the aging effects of harsh light, but it continues to nurture the skin�� collagen and fibroblasts to give noticeably firmer, smoother, younger-looking ! skin. The Recovery Night Serum is a nighttime therapy that complements the Defensive Day Serum. The night serum nurtures the skin�� collagen and elastin and contains ingredients to defend against damaging free radicals, to help build firmer, smoother, younger and healthier-looking skin.

Research Products

The Company�� Lifeline subsidiary produces and sells over 250 human cell culture products. These products include frozen human cells and stem cells and the reagents needed to grow, maintain and differentiate the cells. These human cell-based products are used domestically and internationally by research scientists in pharmaceutical, academic and government research organizations to study human disease and basic cell biology.

The Company competes with Genzyme Corporation, StemCell, Advanced Cell Technology Inc., Aastrom Biosciences, ViaCyte, Obagi, SkinCeuticals, SkinMedica, Murad, Lonza, Chemicon, Life Technologies, StemCell Technologies, Merck, BioTime and Specialty Media.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  The results of a recent Pew Center Poll regarding attitudes towards abortion and various forms of stem cell research could be a good sign for the stem cell industry along with small cap stem cell stocks like StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM), NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR),�International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX). Basically, Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue with 49% of American adults believing abortion is morally wrong, 23%�view it not as a moral issue and and 15% view it as morally acceptable. However and when Americans were asked about issues surrounding�human embryos, such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization, as a matter of morality, their views were different.

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Greenfield Farms Food Inc (OTCMKTS: GRAS), International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and Redpoint Bio Corporation (OTCMKTS: RPBC) have all been getting some extra attention lately in various investment newsletters. However, none of these small cap stocks appear to have been the subject or paid promotions or investor relations activities. So does that make any of them good bets for traders and investors alike? Here is a quick look and a reality check:

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sunshine Heart Inc (SSH)

Sunshine Heart, Inc., incorporated on August 22, 2002, is an early-stage medical device company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing its C-Pulse Heart Assist System for treatment of Class III and ambulatory Class IV heart failure. The C-Pulse Heart Assist System utilizes the scientific principles of intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation applied in an extra-aortic approach to assist the left ventricle by reducing the workload required to pump blood throughout the body, while increasing blood flow to the coronary arteries. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was in the process of obtaining regulatory approvals necessary to sell its product.

The Company has developed tools to allow the C-Pulse to be implanted through a small pacemaker-like incision between the patient�� ribs and sternum rather than a sternotomy. Patients implanted through its minimally invasive procedure require a hospital stay of four to seven days in connection with implantation of the C-Pulse System, after which they return home. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company completed enrollment and implantation of 20 patients in the North American feasibility phase of its trial. In April 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expansion protocol to allow the Company to implant up to 20 additional patients and add two additional centers to its feasibility study.

The Company competes with Thoratec Corporation, HeartWare International Inc., CircuLite, Inc., CardioKinetix, Inc., AbioMed, Inc., Jarvik Heart, Inc., MicroMed Technology, Inc., SynCardia Systems, Inc., Terumo Heart, Inc., WorldHeart Corporation in the United States and Europe, and Berlin Heart GmbH in Europe.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap heart stocks Sunshine Heart Inc (NASDAQ: SSH), Abiomed, Inc (NASDAQ: ABMD) and AtriCure Inc (NASDAQ: ATRC) each find different ways go to the heart of the problem for cardiac�patients and have all been good performers for investors this year. After all and according to statistics collected by the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women as about 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year���accounting�for 1 in every 4 deaths. Moreover, roughly 715,000 Americans have a heart attack every year and�ff these, 525,000 are a first heart attack and 190,000 happen to people who have already had one. In other words, there is a big market for the following small cap heart stocks to address:

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Discount Dental Materials Inc (DDOO)

Discount Dental Materials, Inc. (DDM), incorporated on December 18, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses on selling disposable dental supply products at discount prices over the Internet. As of November 30, 2011, the Company had not generated any revenues.

The Company focuses on selling a limited number of products including burs (modern dental drills that can rotate at up to 800,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and generally use hard metal rotary files). Dental burs come in a variety of shapes designed for specific applications. They are often made of steel with a tungsten carbide coating or of tungsten carbide entirely. The bur may also have a diamond coating), bearings, turbines and sterilization pouches. The Company uses a facility in Burbank, California to store and ship products.

The Company competes with Henry Schein and Patterson Dental.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, DDOO remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $1.00 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 10:12AM EDT�June 25, 2013).

  Bond Laboratories, Inc. previously reported NDS launched two exciting new products at the annual GNC庐 Global Franchise Convention.

  Cerebain Biotech Corp. a subsidiary of Discount Dental Materials, Inc. previously reported the appointment of Dr. Surinder Saini as Chairman of its Scientific Advisory Board. The advisory board provides key clinical insight into the company�� efforts to develop and commercialize a novel approach to the treatment for patients suffering from Alzheimer�� disease. Dr. Saini is the lead scientist behind the development of the world’s first medical device specifically designed for the treatment of Alzheimer�� disease utilizing the Omentum

Top Tech Stocks For 2015

Ahead of Tim Cook's congressional testimony tomorrow about Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) tax policies, the company has released a 17-page statement (link opens PDF) outlining its tax policy.

In the statement outlining the testimony it will give, the company points out that it employs tens of thousands of Americans, makes products that benefit tens of millions of Americans, and pays billions of dollars in corporate income and payroll taxes to the Treasury each year.

The company also "welcomes an objective examination" of the U.S. corporate tax system, which Apple believes "has not kept pace with" the rapidly evolving technologies and the economy. Apple says it encourages a comprehensive tax reform to promote growth and allow American multinationals to remain competitive.

Top 5 Trucking Stocks To Watch Right Now: Silicom Ltd(SILC)

Silicom Ltd. engages in the design, manufacture, marketing, and support of connectivity solutions for a range of servers and server based systems in the North America, Europe, and internationally. The company primarily offers high-end server networking cards with and without bypass that are known as server adapters. Its server adapters are used in various applications that include security appliances, wide area network optimization appliances, load balancing and traffic management appliances, network-attached storage, video on demand servers, content delivery servers, Internet service providers/Web hosting, and high end computing. Silicom Ltd. also offers intelligent and programmable cards, such as encryption acceleration cards and redirector cards; intelligent stand alone bypass units; 10 Gbps products with and without bypass; and server to appliance converters. It markets its products through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and resellers. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Kfar Sava, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Silicom (NASDAQ: SILC) shares reached a new 52-week high of $60.71 as the company announced upbeat quarterly results.

  Posted-In: 52-Week HighsNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

Top Tech Stocks For 2015: Solera Holdings Inc.(SLH)

Solera Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing industry. The company offers estimating and workflow software to manage the overall claims process, estimate the cost to repair a damaged vehicle, and calculate the pre-collision fair market value of a vehicle; and salvage, salvage disposition, and recycling software that manages inventories in order to facilitate the location, sale, and exchange of vehicle parts for use in the repair of a damaged vehicle. It also provides business intelligence and consulting services that enable insurance companies to monitor and assess their performance through customized data, reports, and analyses; and leases hardware products for use with its software, training, and call center technical support services. In addition, the company offers various services that allow its customers to access operational and technical support in times of high demand following natural disasters; and used vehicle validation, fraud detection software and services, and disposition of salvage vehicles. Further, it provides products and services for accessing information on the United Kingdom registered vehicles to private car buyers, car dealers, finance houses, and the insurance industry; data analytics to insurance companies and brokers in the Netherlands; and an electronic exchange for the purchase and sale of vehicle replacement parts in Brazil and Mexico. The company primarily serves insurance companies, collision repair facilities, independent assessors, and automotive recyclers in North America, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Netherlands. Solera Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Westlake, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  The firm is currently Zacks Rank # 3 - Hold, and it also has a longer-term recommendation of ��utperfom�� For investors looking for a Zacks Rank # 1 ��Strong Buy, Dealertrack Technologies Inc (TRAK), Open Text Corporation (OTEX), Pegasystems Inc. (PEGA) Solera Holdings (SLH) or Ultimate Software Group Inc. (ULTI) could be the options.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Westlake, Texas-based Solera Holdings (NYSE: SLH  ) describes its business strategy as "Leverage, Diversify, and Disrupt." That sounds like a noisy strategy, but so far, the maker of software for the automotive insurance industry is keeping quiet as a mouse about the details.

Top Tech Stocks For 2015: Sigma Designs Inc.(SIGM)

Sigma Designs, Inc. provides integrated system-on-chip solutions (SoC) for the Internet protocol television (IPTV), media processor, connected home and media player, prosumer and industrial audio/video, high definition television, and PC-based add-in markets. The company offers semiconductors with a suite of real-time software that enables synchronous processing of video, audio, and graphics streams for various applications. Its media processor product line represents a family of SoC solutions that are a component of multiple consumer applications, which process digital video and audio content comprising IPTV, connected media players, and portable media players. The company?s home networking product line consists of wired networking solutions based on HomePNA, HomePlug AV, and G.hn standards, as well as wireless connectivity solutions based on Ultra-wideband technology. Its standards are used for transferring Internet protocol content across coaxial cables, phone lines, a nd power lines to enable service providers to deliver IPTV solutions and other media-rich applications. The company?s video image processor product line comprises of semiconductors that provide video output for professional and prosumer applications. Its home control and energy management automation product line includes wireless transceiver devices along with a mesh networking protocol. The company offers its home connectivity products under the CopperGate; wireless connectivity solutions under the CoAir; video image processors under the VXP; and wireless transceiver devices under the Z-Wave brands. It also provides software elements, such as multimedia library, security management software, and porting adaptations. In addition, the company offers PC-based solutions. It sells its products through direct sales force, manufacturer representatives, and independent distributors primarily in Asia, Europe, and North America. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered i n Milpitas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  According to GuruFocus Insider Data, these are the largest CEO buys during the past week. The overall trend of CEOs is illustrated in the chart below:

  Sigma Designs, Inc. (SIGM): President & CEO Thinh Q Tran Bought 454,546 Shares

  President & CEO of Sigma Designs, Inc. (SIGM) Thinh Q Tran bought 454,546 shares on 12/20/2013 at an average price of $4.65. Sigma Designs, Inc., a California corporation was incorporated in January 1982. Sigma Designs, Inc. has a market cap of $160.902 million; its shares were traded at around $4.65 with and P/S ratio of 0.77.

• [By John Udovich]

  We have recently added small cap video chip stock Pixelworks, Inc (NASDAQ: PXLW) to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO)�as it stands to benefit from the growth in connecting HD quality video across all mobile device platforms, as well as Smart TVs; but Silicon Image, Inc (NASDAQ: SIMG) and Sigma Designs, Inc (NASDAQ: SIGM) are also providing chips for the video or entertainment markets. Moreover, all three of these small cap stocks have recently reported earnings that might leave you feeling even more bullish.

Top Tech Stocks For 2015: Violin Memory Inc (VMEM)

Violin Memory, Inc., incorporated on March 9, 2005, is pioneering a new class of flash-based storage systems that are designed to bring storage performance in-line with high-speed applications, servers and networks. The Company�� Flash Memory Arrays are specifically designed at each level of the system architecture starting with memory and optimized through the array to leverage the inherent capabilities of flash memory and meet the sustained requirements of business-critical applications, virtualized environments and Big Data solutions in enterprise data centers. The Company�� Velocity Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), Flash Memory Cards leverage its persistent memory-based architecture in servers and are optimized for applications that require continuous access to quantities of low latency persistent memory located directly in servers.

The Company�� storage systems are based on a four-layer hardware architecture, which is integrated with its Violin Memory Operating System (vMOS), software stack to optimize the management of flash memory at each level of its system architecture. The Company�� Velocity PCIe Flash Memory Cards leverage its expertise in persistent memory-based storage and controller design, as well as its vMOS software stack, to offer a differentiated architecture in a deployable PCIe form factor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  On Monday, small cap storage stock Violin Memory Inc (NYSE: VMEM) surged 21.56% after booting out its CEO in the wake of disappointing earnings and IPO, meaning its time to take a closer look at the stock along with the performance of potential or better known storage peers like large caps SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) and Western Digital Corp (NASDAQ: WDC) plus small cap Dot Hill Systems Corp (NASDAQ: HILL).

Top Tech Stocks For 2015: Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW)

Palo Alto Networks, Inc., incorporated in March 2005, offers a network security platform that allows enterprises, service providers, and government entities to secure their networks. The core of its platform is the Company�� firewall that delivers natively integrated application, user, and content visibility and control through its operating system, hardware, and software architecture. The Company primarily sells its products and services to end-customers through distributors, resellers, and partners, and directly to end-customers (collectively partners), who are supported by its sales and marketing organization, in the Americas, in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and in Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC). Its products and services can address a range of its end-customers��network security requirements, from the data center to the network perimeter, as well as the distributed enterprise, which includes branch offices and a number of mobile devices. It introduced PA-5000 Series and GlobalProtect subscription service in March 2011 and the PA-200 and WildFire subscription service in November 2011.

The Company�� platform is delivered in an appliance form factor and includes a suite of subscription services, as well as support and maintenance. Its subscription services can be activated on any of its appliances. All of the Company�� appliances incorporate its PAN-OS operating system and are based on its identification technologies, App-ID, User-ID, and Content-ID, which allow security policies to be defined within the context of applications, users, and content. It delivers these capabilities through a single-pass parallel processing architecture that simultaneously performs multiple identification, security and networking functions. The Company serves the enterprise network security market, which consists of Firewall/ Virtual Private Network (VPN), Unified Threat Management (UTM), Web Gateway, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDP/IPS), and VPN technologies. The Company deriv! ed 62% of its total revenue from the Americas, 27% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and 11% from Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC) as of January 31, 2012.

The Company derives revenue from sales of its products and services, which together comprise its platform. Product revenue is primarily generated from sales of its Firewall. The Company�� Threat Prevention, universal resource locator (URL) Filtering, and GlobalProtect subscriptions provide its end-customers with real-time access to the antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web filtering, and malware protection capabilities across fixed and mobile devices. The Company�� application classification engine, called App-ID, uses multiple identification techniques to determine the exact identity of applications traversing the network. App-ID is the foundational classification engine that provides the core traffic classification to all other functions in its platform. The App-ID classification is used to invoke other security functions.

App-ID uses a series of classification techniques to identify an application. App-ID classifies all network traffic, including business applications, consumer applications, and network protocols, across all ports. User-ID integrates its platform with a range of enterprise user directories and technologies, including Active Directory, eDirectory, Open LDAP, Citrix Terminal Server, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Terminal Server, and ZENworks. Content-ID is a collection of technologies that enables its subscription services. Content-ID combines a real-time threat prevention engine, cloud-based analysis service, and a URL categorization database to limit unauthorized data and file transfers, detect and block a range of threats, and control non-work related Web surfing. Its WildFire, cloud-based analysis service provides a real-time analysis engine for detecting previously unseen malware. Its URL filtering database consists of millions of URLs across many categories and is designed to monitor a! nd contro! l employee Web surfing activities. Single-Pass Parallel Processing Architecture (SP3) has two elements: single-pass software and parallel processing hardware.

The PAN-OS Operating System operating system provides the foundation for its network security platform and contains App-ID, User-ID, and Content-ID. PAN-OS performs the core functions of its platform, while also providing the networking, security, and management functions needed for implementation. The PAN-OS networking functions include dynamic routing, switching, high availability, and VPN support, which enables deployment into a range of networking environments. PAN-OS also includes attack protection capabilities, such as blocking invalid or malformed packets, IP defragmentation, TCP reassembly, and network traffic normalization. The Company also offers, such as application traffic management, solution design and planning, configuration, and firewall migration. Its education services provide classroom-style training and are primarily delivered through its partners.

The Company competes with Cisco, Juniper, Intel, IBM, HP, Check Point Software, Fortinet and Sourcefire.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Nichols]

  The growth of security
  If Cisco were to make a splash by acquiring Juniper, it would obtain a declining security business, which might have good synergies with Cisco's own security segment. However, Cisco is not losing market share to Juniper in this segment. Instead, tech giant Oracle and smaller rival�Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW  ) are hindering Cisco's performance.