Top 5 Internet Companies To Own For 2014

You may have heard some Internet buzz over the years about secret specialty drinks pop up at Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX  ) but are nowhere on the menu. What a cool factor, if you can get your hands on one -- most of us love the feeling of being a first adopter who's "in the know." However, lots of baristas hate these secret drinks.

Baristas' negative opinion of the drinks has nothing to do with the drinks themselves, which sound delicious as well as clever. With autumn upon us, they could conceivably include seasonal stealth offerings such as Candy Corn, Fall Mashup, and Perfect Pumpkin Frappuccino. Names like Cap'n Crunch and Oreo, not to mention favorite tastes Red Velvet and Cake Batter�, sound fun and delicious. What about some of the treats people love, like Samoa Frappuccino, Kit Kat Frappuccino, and -- wait for it, hazelnut addicts -- the Nutella.

A site called Starbucks Secret Menu offers up the skinny on a whole slew of cool beverages like those. However, such revelation sites may actually be tantalizing us with the cool factor while doing baristas a disservice. In August, Buzzfeed named quite a list of Starbucks' secret offerings, but its structure was an Internet quiz asking "How many have you tried�?"

Best Prefered Stocks To Own For 2015: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)

Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kevin Chen]

  Just after acquiring two startups, Yahoo!� (NASDAQ: YHOO  ) has picked up another one. This time, Loki Studios is Yahoo!'s choice for further building out its mobile team.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  Munster said he'd rather see Apple spend its copious cash on something in the Internet services space such as Yelp Inc. (Nasdaq: YELP), Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR), Square, or Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO).

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Yahoo is an Internet bellwether that provides a multitude of services to consumers and companies worldwide. Marissa Mayer latest decision to discharge the company�� second in command, chief operating officer Henrique de Castro�will be costly as his�severance package could be worth as much as $42.1 million. The stock has been moving higher in recent quarters, but is now trading sideways. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been mixed, which has produced conflicting feelings among investors. Relative to its peers and sector, Yahoo has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Yahoo to OUTPERFORM.

• [By DAILYFINANCE]
  Yelp shares jumped Monday after reports that it is working with Yahoo. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Yahoo will incorporate Yelp's listings and reviews of local businesses into Yahoo's search listings. The report, citing a person the Journal didn't name who attended a company meeting at which the partnership was unveiled, said that the new feature will be made available in the coming weeks. Yelp declined to comment on the matter. Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Shares of San Francisco-based Yelp (YELP) increased $3.69, a 4 percent increase, to $93.10 by midmorning. The value of its stock has grown more than four-fold in the past 12 months. Yahoo (YHOO) shares rose 24 cents to $37.47, roughly in line with broader market trends. Company: Oracle Cash compensation: $5.5 million Stock and options: $90.7 million Total compensation 1-year change: 24% Despite his $1 salary, Ellison is not only the highest paid tech CEO this year, but the highest paid of all CEOs.

Top 5 Internet Companies To Own For 2014: CYNK Technology Corp (CYNK)

Cynk Technology Corp., formerly Introbuzz, Inc., is a development stage-company. The Company intends to develop a social network business. Social networks are Web based services that allow individuals to post a profile and link their profile to other friends and organizations.

The Company intends to develop a database of professional and other business persons, as well as other interested persons in providing and utilizing contacts. As of November 14, 2012, the Company had not generated any revenue.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  CYNK Technology (CYNK), the mysterious over-the-counter stock that at one point broke a $6 billion market cap, dropped roughly 80 percent in its first trades after a Securities and Exchange Commission halt. The SEC halted CYNK for two weeks following a massive rise in the stock's value -- it had been worth only a few cents per share in June, but it jumped above $21 on July 10. The Belize-based CYNK Technology supposedly operates a social networking site, but filings indicate it only has one employee and virtually no assets. Experts told CNBC the week of the SEC halt that they expected CYNK to fall precipitously after reopening, and its first day of trading is proving those predictions correct. When it was halted, the stock was worth just less than $14 per share, and is now below $3 a share after briefly hovering around $5 earlier Friday morning. An OTC Markets spokeswoman told Reuters that CYNK's shares were not trading on its platform, but were occurring over the phone. Earlier this week Reuters reported that OTC's CEO did not expect CYNK to trade on its platform at all after reopening, as no brokerages would file the required paperwork for the stock to trade on their exchanges. An SEC spokesman said that the organization cannot comment on the status of a company after a suspension period ends, citing an online explanation of the process. That document notes that broker-dealers may not solicit investors to trade the previously suspended OTC stock until they satisfy several regulatory requirements. The SEC warned, however, that "unsolicited" trading may occur after a reopening -- as CYNK is now seeing -- but "even though such trading is allowed, it can be very risky for investors without current and reliable information about the company."

Top 5 Internet Companies To Own For 2014: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)

Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Judith Collins/Alamy WASHINGTON - Home improvement retailer Home Depot (HD) has been in contact with the U.S. Secret Service about an alleged major breach of customer and credit card data that came to light this week, a law enforcement source told Reuters on Thursday. Any investigation by the Secret Service appears to be at a very early stage, the source said. The Secret Service, which declined comment, usually is the lead agency in federal criminal investigations into complex breaches of credit card and other consumer data. Another law enforcement source said the FBI, which also sometimes participates in such investigations, doesn't appear to be involved. It is unclear whether the U.S. Department of Justice is playing any role. Customer data could have been stolen from nearly all of Home Depot's 2,200 stores in the United States, according to information released Wednesday by security blog Krebs on Security. Home Depot hasn't confirmed that a breach occurred and it remains unclear whether or how many customers were impacted. If confirmed, the Home Depot incident could be among the most widespread in the string of security breaches at U.S. retailers in the recent past. Spokeswoman Paula Drake said Wednesday that the retailer is working with IT security firms, including Symantec (SYMC) and FishNet Security, to investigate whether there has been a data breach. A Symantec spokeswoman confirmed that Symantec was assisting with the investigation but didn't elaborate. Home Depot sought to comfort its consumers, promising free identity-protection services, including credit monitoring, to any potentially impacted customers and reassuring that the retailer or the banks that issued the cards will be responsible for any fraudulent charges. Home Depot shares were up 1.6 percent at $90.39 Thursday morning on the New York Stock Exchange. Concerns about a potential Home Depot data theft follow a major breach at retailer Target (TGT), where hackers late last yea

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Symantec Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMC) reported second fiscal quarter 2014 results after markets closed on Wednesday. For the quarter, the network security software maker posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.50 on revenues of $1.64 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.45 on revenues of $1.7 billion. Second-quarter results compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.44 and $1.69 billion in revenues.

Top 5 Internet Companies To Own For 2014: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA)

Alibaba Group Holding Limited, incorporated on June 28, 1999, is an online and mobile commerce company. The Company operates its ecosystem as a platform for third parties. The Company operates Taobao Marketplace, China�� online shopping destination, Tmall, China�� third-party platform for brands and retailers and Juhuasuan, China�� group buying marketplace. In addition to its three China retail marketplaces, the Company operates Alibaba.com, China�� global online wholesale marketplace, 1688.com, its China wholesale marketplace, and AliExpress, its global consumer marketplace, as well as provides cloud computing services. As a platform, the Company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with consumers and businesses. Effective August 01, 2014, Alibaba Investment Ltd, a unit of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, acquired a 10.193% interest n Singapore Post Ltd.

The buyers and sellers discover, select and transact with each other on the Company�� platform. Third-party service providers add value to its platform through service offerings that make it easier for buyers and sellers to do business. The third-party participants in its ecosystem include a payment services provider, logistics providers, retail operational partners, marketing affiliates, independent software vendors and various professional service providers. The Company has developed policies and procedures that maintain the health and sustainability of its marketplaces, including consumer protection programs, marketplace rules, qualification standards for merchants and buyer and seller rating systems. As its ecosystem expands, new jobs are created.

Taobao Affiliate Network is powered by Alimama, its online marketing technology platform. Through this platform, sellers place marketing displays on its marketing affiliates��websites and mobile apps, and sellers pay a performance-b! ased marketing fee primarily based on cost-per-click (CPC), and cost-per-sale (CPS), models. Through China Smart Logistics, the Company provides real-time information to its logistics partners, including key operating metrics, such as distribution center utilization rates, route planning data and order volume forecasts. Independent software vendors (ISVs) provide software tools, as well as systems integration services to sellers.

Tmall is an online platform featuring brands and retailers with each seller having an identifiable online storefront. Users may access Tmall anytime, anywhere through the Tmall Website and the mobile apps and mobile-optimized websites provided by Taobao Marketplace and Tmall. The physical product categories on Tmall include apparel and accessories, electronics and appliances, home furnishings, home appliances, maternity and baby products. Juhuasuan is an online group buying marketplace in China. Juhuasuan offers quality products at discounted prices by aggregating demand from numerous consumers. Juhuasuan mainly does this through flash sales, which make products available at discounted prices for a limited period of time. Juhuasuan offers group buying channels featuring branded and private label products, products made to custom specifications and local services.

AliExpress is a consumer marketplace enables consumers from around the world to buy directly from wholesalers and manufacturers in China. On AliExpress, consumers have access to a variety of products. In addition to the global English-language site, AliExpress operates two local language sites in Russia and Brazil. The product categories on AliExpress.com include apparel and accessories, phones and communications products, beauty and health, computer networking, jewelry and watches. Alibaba.com is an online commerce platform. Sellers on Alibaba.com may pay for an annual Gold Supplier membership to host a premium storefront with product listings on the marketplace.

The Company��! marketin! g technology platform, Alimama, offers sellers on its marketplaces marketing services for both personal computer and mobile devices, which include P4P marketing service and display marketing. Alimama also offers its sellers these marketing services through third parties through the Taobao Affiliate Network. The Taobao Ad Network and Exchange (TANX) automates the buying and selling of billions of advertising impressions on a daily basis by third parties. The Company also offer a data management platform (DMP), connected to TANX. Its DMP allows participants on TANX to evaluate and select online advertising inventory using both behavioral data they provide, as well as data from browsing behavior and shopping history. Its Cloud Computing supports its commerce ecosystem by providing a distributed computing infrastructure to handle the large volume of traffic and data generated on its online marketplaces. Its cloud computing platform offers service offerings, including elastic computing, database services and storage and large scale computing services.

The company offer search functions on all of its Web pages, mobile apps and many of its marketing affiliates��websites and apps to make it easy for buyers to find products and services within its marketplaces. The Company offers Aliwangwang, a personal computer-based instant messenger that supports text, audio and video communication. The Company developed Aliwangwang to facilitate open communication between buyers and sellers on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall. Buyers and sellers use it as a tool for a range of tasks, including negotiation of prices, customer services and delivery notification, in addition to the basic messaging functions. It offer Qianniu , an integrated platform for communication and productivity tools which allows sellers on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall to manage their operations more efficiently.

Alipay, the Company�� related company, provides payment and escrow services for transactions on Taobao Marketplace, Tm! all, 1688! .com and certain of its other sites, as well as to third parties in China. The Company�� small and medium enterprise (SME) loan business provides micro loans to sellers on its wholesale and retail marketplaces through lending vehicles licensed by the local government.

The company competes with Tencent and Baidu.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Brean Capital initiated coverage of Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) with a price target raised to $13 from a previous $11. Shares lost 1.06 percent, closing at $87.91.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  And with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA) - China's No. 1 e-commerce player - scheduled to go public soon, investors are suddenly seeing the potential of the country's online marketplace.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Alibaba's (NYSE: BABA) CEO Jack Ma said he is willing to cooperate with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) on a mobile payment system. Shares of Alibaba hit new 52-week highs of $100.67 before closing the day at $99.68, while shares of Apple gained 1.51 percent, closing at $106.70.

10 Best US Stocks To Invest In Right Now

NEW YORK (MainStreet) Maybe Millennials should be asking for a refund on those student loans. Less than one-quarter (24%) of young adults can correctly answer four or five questions in a simple five-question quiz covering financial basics. And among the freshest crop of young adults -- those aged 18 to 26 -- only 18% were able to answer four or five questions correctly.

A new study by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation reveals a startling lack of awareness for financial fundamentals that could further frustrate a generation that has faced unemployment and a dismal economy since entering the workforce.

"Many Millennials began their adult lives in the midst of the worst economic downturn in generations, and our survey reveals just how deeply and broadly the Great Recession has marked the financial lives of this generation of Americans," says FINRA Foundation President Gerri Walsh. "Unfortunately, far too many Millennials trying to cope with these economic conditions have low levels of financial literacy and are wrestling with concerns about their debt."

Best High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2015: Cintas Corp (CTAS)

Cintas Corporation (Cintas), incorporated November 13, 1986, provides specialized products and services to businesses of all types throughout the North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The Company operates in four segments: Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products, Uniform Direct Sales, First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services, and Document Management Services. As of May 31, 2013, the Company provided products and services to over one million businesses. As of May 31, 2013, Cintas had approximately 8,200 local delivery routes, 446 operational facilities and eight distribution centers.

The Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment consists of the rental and servicing of uniforms and other garments including flame resistant clothing, mats, mops and shop towels and other ancillary items. In addition to these rental items, restroom cleaning services and supplies and carpet and tile cleaning services are also provided within this operating segment. The Uniform Direct Sales operating segment consists of the direct sale of uniforms and related items and branded promotional products. The First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segment consists of first aid, safety and fire protection products and services. The Document Management Services operating segment consists of document destruction, document imaging and document retention services.

Within the Rental Uniforms and Ancillary Products operating segment, Cintas provides its products and services to customers via local delivery routes originating from rental processing plants and branches. Within the Uniform Direct Sales and First Aid, Safety and Fire Protection Services operating segments, Cintas provides its products and services via its distribution network and local delivery routes or local representatives. Within the Document Management Services operating segment, Cintas provides its services via local service routes originating from document management branches and document retent! ion facilities. The Company operates five manufacturing facilities, which provide for standard uniform needs.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Cintas (NASDAQ: CTAS) shares jumped 5.96% to touch a new 52-week high of $69.88 after the company reported upbeat fiscal first-quarter earnings and issued a strong fiscal 2015 earnings outlook. The company also reported it is evaluating strategic options for Document Storage and Imaging unit.

10 Best US Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Siemens AG (SI)

Siemens AG (Siemens), incorporated on August 28, 1996, is a globally operating technology company with core activities in the fields of energy, healthcare, industry and infrastructure. Siemens business activities focus on four sectors, Energy, Healthcare, Industry and Infrastructure & Cities. These sectors form four of Siemens reportable segments. In addition to the four sectors, Siemens has two additional reportable segments: Equity Investments and Siemens Financial Services (SFS). The Energy sector comprises four divisions: Power Generation, Wind Power, Power Transmission and Energy Service. The Healthcare Sector includes four divisions: Imaging & Therapy Systems, Clinical Products, Diagnostics and Customer Solutions; and one sector-led Business Unit, Audiology Solutions. The Industry sector consists of three divisions: Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services; and one sector-led Business Unit, Metals Technologies. The Infrastructure & Cities sector consists of five divisions: Rail Systems, Mobility and Logistics, Low and Medium Voltage, Smart Grid, and Building Technologies. In July 2013 Siemens sold its stake in the Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) joint venture to Nokia and OSRAM Licht AG was spun off from Siemens.

Industry

The Industry Sector offers a broad spectrum of products, solutions and services that help customers use resources and energy. The Sector�� integrated technologies and holistic solutions primarily address industrial customers, particularly those in the process and manufacturing industries. The portfolio spans industry automation, industrial software, drive products and services, system integration, and solutions for industrial plant businesses. The Industry Sector consists of three Divisions: Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services. The Sector also includes a sector-led Business Unit, Metals Technologies. In addition to its Sector-level financial results, Industry also breaks out financial results for the Indust! ry Automation Division and the Drive Technologies Division. The Industry Automation Division offers a range of standard products and system solutions for automation technologies used in the manufacturing and process industries. The Division�� offerings include automation systems and software, motor controls, machine-to- machine communication products, sensors, product and production lifecycle management products, and software for simulating and testing mechatronic systems. The Drive Technologies Division offers products and comprehensive systems across the entire drive train. These offerings are customized to the respective application and include numerical control systems, inverters, converters, motors (geared and gearless), drives and couplings. In addition, Drive Technologies supplies integrated automation systems for machine tools and production machines. The Division also offers integrated lifecycle solutions and services for industries such as shipbuilding, cement, mining, and pulp and paper. The Customer Services Division offers a comprehensive portfolio of services and supports industrial customers.

Energy

The Energy Sector offers a spectrum of products, solutions and services for generating and transmitting power, and for extracting, converting and transporting oil and gas. The Fossil Power Generation Division offers products and solutions for fossil-based power generation. The Division concentrates on products and solutions for gas and steam turbines, turbo generators, heat recovery steam generators including control systems, with an emphasis on combined-cycle power plants. It also develops solutions for instrumentation and control systems for all types of power plants and for use in power generation. The Wind Power Division manufactures wind turbines for onshore and offshore applications, including both geared turbines and direct drive machines. The product portfolio is based on four product platforms, two for each of the onshore and offshore applications. The Oil ! & Gas Div! ision has a comprehensive portfolio of rotating machinery (gas turbines, steam turbines, compressors with associated equipment) and electrical, instrumentation and telecommunication (EIT) solutions. The Power Transmission Division provides customers with turnkey power transmission solutions as well as discrete products, systems and related engineering and services. It covers high-voltage transmission solutions, power and distribution transformers, high-voltage switching and non-switching products and systems, and alternating and direct current transmission systems. The Energy Service Division offers comprehensive services for products, solutions and technologies, covering performance enhancements, maintenance services, customer trainings and consulting services for the Divisions Fossil Power Generation, Wind Power and Oil & Gas. The Wind Power Division is active in both the onshore and the offshore market segments globally. Power Transmission Division is expanding infrastructure in emerging countries, equipment replacement and modernization in mature economies, and integration of renewable energies.

Healthcare

The Healthcare Sector offers customers a comprehensive portfolio of medical solutions across the treatment chain-ranging from medical imaging to in-vitro diagnostics to interventional systems and clinical information technology systems-all from a single source. In addition, the Sector provides technical maintenance, professional and consulting services, and, together with Financial Services (SFS), financing to assist customers in purchasing the Sector�� products. The Healthcare Sector includes four Divisions: Imaging & Therapy Systems, Clinical Products, Diagnostics and Customer Solutions. The Sector also includes one sector-led Business Unit, Audiology Solutions. In addition to its Sector-level financial results, Healthcare also separately breaks out financial results for the Diagnostics Division.

The Imaging & Therapy Systems Division provides large-scale! medical ! devices for diagnostic imaging and for image-guided therapies. Imaging equipment includes computed tomographs, magnetic resonance imaging equipment, angiography systems for diagnostics, and positron emission tomography. The Clinical Products Division mainly comprises the business with ultrasound and X-ray equipment including mammography. The Diagnostics Division offers products and services in the area of in-vitro diagnostics. The Division�� product portfolio represents a comprehensive range of diagnostic testing systems and consumables, including offerings for clinical chemistry and immunodiagnostics, molecular diagnostics, hematology, hemostasis, microbiology, point-of-care testing and clinical laboratory automation solutions. The Customer Solutions Division provides healthcare information technology (HIT) systems. It is responsible for the Sector�� service business and customer relationship management on a global level.

Equity Investments

The Equity Investments comprises equity stakes held by Siemens that are accounted for by the equity method, at cost or as current available-for-sale financial assets and for strategic reasons are not allocated to a Sector, SFS, Centrally managed portfolio activities, Siemens Real Estate (SRE), Corporate items or Corporate Treasury. Its main investments within Equity Investments are its stake of 50% in BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgerate GmbH (BSH), its stake of 17% in OSRAM Licht AG (OSRAM) as well as its 49% stake in Enterprise Networks Holdings B.V. (EN).

Financial Services

Financial Services provides a variety of financial services and products to other Siemens units and their customers and to third parties. SFS has three strategic pillars: supporting Siemens units with finance solutions for their customers, managing financial risks of Siemens and offering third-party finance services and products. SFS��business can be divided into capital business and fee business. The Commercial Finance Business Unit offers! a compre! hensive range of solutions for equipment financing, leasing, rental and related financing for equipment supplied by Siemens or third-party providers. The Venture Capital Business Segment�� main task, together with Siemens��Sectors, is to identify and finance young companies worldwide. The Treasury Business Unit operates the global Corporate Treasury of the Siemens Group, with SFS employee�� thereby managing liquidity, cash and financial risks (interest, foreign exchange, commodities) on behalf of Corporate Treasury. The Financing & Investment Management Business Unit manages fee-based receivables and offers investment management services. The Insurance Business Unit acts primarily as an insurance broker for Siemens and external customers.

Infrastructure & Cities

The Infrastructure & Cities Sector offers a range of technologies for the sustainability of metropolitan centers and urban infrastructures worldwide, such as integrated mobility solutions, building and security systems, power distribution equipment, smart grid applications and low and medium-voltage products. The Sector consists of five Divisions: Rail Systems; Mobility and Logistics; Low and Medium Voltage; Smart Grid; and Building Technologies. The Rail Systems Division comprises Siemens��rail vehicle business, encompassing the entire spectrum of rolling stock-including high-speed trains, commuter trains, passenger coaches, metros, people movers, light rail vehicles, locomotives, bogies, traction systems and rail-related services. The Mobility and Logistics Division primarily provides products, solutions (including IT solutions) and services for rail transportation operating systems, such as central control systems, interlockings and automated controls. The Division also provides offerings for road traffic, including traffic detection, information and guidance systems.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Brugger]

  When the rumors started swirling a couple of weeks ago that Siemens (NYSE: SI  ) was shopping around its 50% ownership stake in Nokia Siemens Networks, the profitable joint venture it has with Nokia (NYSE: NOK  ) , fans of the Finnish smartphone maker couldn't help but wonder how it would impact Nokia's turnaround efforts. It became clear when Nokia reported its fiscal 2013 Q1 earnings that NSN's fourth straight quarter of profitability was driving Nokia's surprisingly positive financial results.

• [By MONEY.CNN.COM]

  In January 2001, I bought the Siemens (SI) transmission product line and started doing manufacturing work. But then we had the dotcom bust and 9/11. A lot of my customers who sold long-distance merged, went bankrupt, or disappeared. I changed my business model several times, trying to diversify the business and customer base.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  For Germany's economy, the ongoing swamp of the eurozone will weigh on the nation's exports -- and export-reliant companies -- as it has already. That's no easy hurdle to jump for such a trade-reliant economy as this, and for Germany's top international businesses like industrial conglomerate Siemens (NYSE: SI  ) , European business will grow all the more troubling.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Nokia (NYSE: NOK  ) just made a rather curious move. The Finnish smartphone maker recently announced that it would be acquiring Siemens' (NYSE: SI  ) 50% stake of the pair's Nokia Siemens Networks, or NSN, joint venture. The total price tag is expected to be 1.7 billion euros and should close this quarter. That will make it a wholly owned subsidiary.

10 Best US Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mani]

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

10 Best US Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Powershares Golden Dragon (PGJ)

PowerShares Golden Dragon Halter USX China Portfolio is based on the Halter USX China Index. The Index is comprised of the United States listed securities of companies, which derive a majority of their revenue from the People's Republic of China. The fund was incepted on December 9, 2004.

The sectors covered by the investment include consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, healthcare, industrials, information technology, materials, telecommunications and utilities. PowerShares Capital Management LLC provides investment management to the Fund.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Martin]

  With that in mind, here are four of the best emerging market ETF picks: A China ETF, an India ETF, and two other ETFs that track broad indices like the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

  PowerShares Gold Dragon Halter USX China Portfolio (PGJ)

  Expense Ratio: 0.7%

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  PowerShares Golden Dragon China Portfolio (NYSE: PGJ) has a position in more than 70 companies, and its holdings are all U.S.-listed companies that generate most of their revenue in China. For that reason, Alibaba is the perfect candidate to join PGJ's holdings once it starts trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

10 Best US Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Pimco Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund (PTY)

PIMCO Corporate Opportunity Fund (the Fund) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Fund�� investment objective is to seek maximum total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation in a diversified portfolio of United States dollar-denominated corporate debt obligations of varying maturities and other income producing securities. The Fund will normally focus on corporate debt obligations rated in the lowest investment-grade category (Baa or BBB) and in the highest non-investment-grade category (Ba or BB). Its portfolio includes corporate bonds and notes, the United States Government agency securities, sovereign debt obligations, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and short-term investments.

The Fund invests in residual interest municipal bonds and residual interest tax exempt bonds (inverse floaters), whose interest rates bear an inverse relationship to the interest rate on another security or the value of an index. PIMCO Corporate Opportunity Fund may purchase and write (sell) put and call options. The Fund may sell options on the United States Treasury futures and other fixed-income instruments. PIMCO Corporate Opportunity Fund invests in various industries, including airlines, banking, energy, financial services, food and beverage, hotels/gaming, oil and gas, paper/paper products, telecommunications and utilities. The Fund's investment manager is Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC, which is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Global Investors of America L.P. PIMCO Corporate Opportunity Fund's sub-advisor is Pacific Investment Management Company LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Lesson 1: Income is king.
  A look at the four funds trading at the highest premiums to net asset value reveals a common thread: They're all focused on maximizing income. What's interesting, though, is that they use different methods to reach the same ends. Among the three PIMCO funds, PIMCO High Income (NYSE: PHK  ) looks largely to the high-yield bond market for its holdings, while PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunities (NYSE: PTY  ) has a somewhat lower distribution rate but has a sizable allocation to investment-grade debt. The fund with the highest premium, PIMCO Global StocksPLUS, uses futures contracts to add stock exposure to its portfolio of income-producing bonds. Finally, BlackRock Virginia Municipal Bond rounds out the top four with its tax-free bond portfolio.

10 Best US Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Archer-Daniels-Midland Company(ADM)

Archer Daniels Midland Company procures, transports, stores, processes, and merchandises agricultural commodities and products in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Oilseeds Processing, Corn Processing, and Agricultural Services. The Oilseeds Processing segment engages in originating, merchandising, crushing, and processing oilseeds, such as soybeans, cottonseed, sunflower seeds, canola, rapeseed, peanuts, flaxseed, and palm into vegetable oils and protein meals. This segment also produces edible soy protein products, including soy flour, soy grits, soy protein concentrates, soy isoflavones, and soy isolates that are used in processed meats, baked foods, nutritional products, snacks, and dairy and meat analogs. The Corn Processing segment involves in corn wet milling and dry milling activities; and produces alcohol, amino acids, and other specialty food and animal feed ingredients, as well as ethyl alcohol. This segment also produces citr ic and lactic acids, lactates, sorbitol, xanthan gum, and glycols that are used in various food and industrial products, as well as astaxanthin, a product used in aquaculture to enhance flesh coloration. The Agricultural Services segment buys, stores, cleans, and transports agricultural commodities, such as oilseeds, corn, wheat, milo, oats, rice, and barley, as well as resells these commodities as food and feed ingredients for the agricultural processing industry. This segment also processes and distributes edible beans, formula feeds, and animal health and nutrition products. In addition, the company engages in milling wheat, corn, and milo into flour, as well as produces bakery products and mixes, wheat starch, gluten, and cocoa products that are sold to the baking industry; and involves in financial activities related to private equity fund investments, and futures commission merchant activities. Archer Daniels Midland Company was founded in 1898 and is based in Decatur, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Vigna]

  Archer Daniels Midland Co.(ADM) said its third-quarter earnings rose 60% led by operating profit growth in agricultural-services and corn-processing units.

• [By Dividends4Life]

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• [By Ari Charney]

  In a blow for one of Australian Edge’s original “Eight Income Wonders from Down Under,” late last week the Australian government decided to reject Archer Daniels Midland Co’s (NYSE: ADM) AUD3.2 billion bid to acquire GrainCorp Ltd (ASX: GNC, OTC: GRCLF). The deal had included an offer of AUD12.20 per share plus AUD1 per share in a one-time special dividend.

10 Best US Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Powershares Dynamic Media Portfolio (PBS)

PowerShares Dynamic Media Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dynamic Media Intellidex Index (the Media Intellidex). The Media Intellidex consists of stocks of 30 United States media companies. These are companies that are principally engaged in the development, production, sale and distribution of goods or services used in the media industry. These companies may include advertising, marketing and public relations companies; companies that own, operate or broadcast free or pay television, radio or cable stations; theaters; film studios; publishers or sellers of newspapers, magazines, books or video products; printing, cable television and video companies and equipment providers; pay-per-view television companies; companies involved in emerging technologies for the broadcast and media industries; cellular communications companies; companies involved in the development, syndication and transmission of television, movie programming, advertising and cellular communications; companies that distribute data-based information, and other companies involved in the ownership, operation or development of media products or services. Stocks are selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by the AMEX (the Intellidex Provider) pursuant to its Intellidex methodology.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of media companies. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Media Intellidex. The Media Intellidex is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Media Intellidex. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  On Monday, shares of small cap�Rocket Fuel Inc (NASDAQ: FUEL) took off like a rocket by surging 18.96% after plunging about 20% on Friday after earnings���meaning it might be time to take a closer look at the stock as well as benchmark it with the performance of�the Global X Social Media Index ETF (NASDAQ: SOCL) and the PowerShares Dynamic Media Portfolio ETF (NYSEARCA: PBS).

5 Best Safest Stocks For 2015

5 Best Safest Stocks For 2015: Glatfelter (GLT)

P. H. Glatfelter Company manufactures and sells specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials in the United States and internationally. It offers carbonless and forms papers for credit card receipts, multi-part forms, security papers, and other end-user applications; book publishing papers for the production of hardbound books and other book publishing needs; envelope and converting papers for the direct mail market, shopping bags, and other converting applications; and engineered products for digital imaging, transfer, casting, release, postal, playing card, and other niche specialty applications. The company also provides food and beverage paper used for tea bags and single serve coffee products; metallized products used in the labeling of beer bottles, innerliners, gift wrap, self-adhesive labels, and other consumer products applications; and composite laminates papers used in production of decorative laminates, furniture, and flooring applications, as well as a line of paper products used in batteries, medical masks, and other engineered applications. In addition, it offers airlaid non-woven fabric-like materials used in feminine hygiene products, adult incontinence products, cleaning pads and wipes, food pads, napkins and tablecloths, and baby wipes. The company markets its products directly, as well as through wholesale paper merchants, brokers, and agents. P. H. Glatfelter Company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in York, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Glatfelter (NYSE:GLT) reported that the previously announced presentation by Dante C. Parrini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, at the Deutsche Bank Global Industrials and Basic Materials Conference on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 will be available via a live web cast.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/5-best-safest-stocks-for! -2015-2.html

What to Watch For in Tomorrow's Microsoft Earnings

On Thursday, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever surprises inevitably arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed, knee-jerk reaction that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Microsoft has the highest market capitalization of the tech stocks within the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) , but it has struggled to regain its dominance of the 1990s and early 2000s as PC era has given way to the mobile revolution. Still, Microsoft continues to work hard to try to return to its former glory. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Microsoft over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.

Stats on Microsoft

Analyst EPS Estimate	$0.68
Change From Year-Ago EPS	13.3%
Revenue Estimate	$20.68 billion
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	18.8%
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	3

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will Microsoft get the job done this quarter?
Analysts are far from optimistic about Microsoft's earnings. In recent months, they've cut their calls on the just-ended quarter by a full dime per share, and they've reduced their full-year fiscal 2013 earnings-per-share estimates by $0.12. Yet the stock has held up reasonably well, rising almost 10% since early January.

Given all the bad press that Microsoft has gotten lately, it's no surprise that analysts aren't expecting much from the tech giant. Its Surface tablet, which it hoped would match up to the top tablets in the market, has failed to make a major impression, with sales of just 1.5 million units in its first five months. Meanwhile, Windows 8, which was heralded as a potential renaissance for the ailing PC industry, is now being blamed for actually slowing down computer sales.

But despite its reputation as having missed out on technological innovation, Microsoft is aiming a lot higher. The company is working hard to bolster the size of its app store, which current lags badly behind those of Apple and Google. Moreover, its coming Xbox 720 seeks not only to reawaken demand for high-end video-game consoles but also to boost the presence of the overall Xbox ecosystem to encompass all the devices it has released or plans to release in the future.

Moreover, Microsoft is going up against competitors in some promising new areas. Just yesterday, the company released its Windows Azure Infrastructure cloud-services platform to the general public, firing back at Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) and its cloud-services business by matching Amazon's pricing for commodity cloud services. Amazon has fended off competitors before, though, making the success of Microsoft's foray far from assured.

Perhaps the best news comes from Microsoft's partnership with Nokia (NYSE: NOK  ) . Although U.S. smartphone sales are still dominated by Apple and Android devices, Nokia's Windows-based Lumia phones have captured much better smartphone market share in international markets. China in particular has seen substantial Lumia sales, giving investors hope that Microsoft's phone platform will find customers throughout the world.

In Microsoft's earnings report, look closely to see how CEO Steve Ballmer responds to the disappointing news on some of the initiatives he expected to do the best. Without strong leadership, even decent numbers aren't likely to push Microsoft markedly higher in the near future.

Top 5 Rising Companies For 2015

After years of frustration, investors deserve a break from Microsoft's run of bad news. Will it finally come this quarter? In this brand-new premium report on Microsoft, our analyst explains just how the company may be able to work its way out of its long-suffering malaise. He's also providing regular updates as key events occur, so be sure to claim a copy of this report now by clicking here.

Click here to add Microsoft to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

Top Promising Stocks To Watch For 2015

Top Promising Stocks To Watch For 2015: OBA Financial Services Inc.(OBAF)

OBA Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for OBA Bank that provides financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. The company offers various deposit accounts, including statement savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, commercial and regular checking accounts, and individual retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises one- to four-family residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, commercial business loans, construction loans, and consumer loans. The company provides its services through a main office and four full-service branches located in Montgomery County and Howard County, Maryland; and Washington, D.C. OBA Financial Services, Inc. was founded in 1861 and is headquartered in Germantown, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  NWBI stock trades at 1.12 times book value and serves a very attractive market. It would be a great acquisition for a bank looking to expand into the region, which includes part of the Marcellus Shale fields. Investors get paid to wait for good things to happen, as the dividend yield is currently 3.65%.

  OmniAmerican Bancorp(OBAF)

  It is very surprising to me that OmniAmerican Bancorp(OBAF) hasn’t yet been bought out by another bank in the red-hot Texas banking market. The bank has 15 branches located in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex region and total assets of about$385 million of assets. It has held onto its capital, and the equity-to-asset ratio is more than 16. Non-performing assets are just 0.18% of total assets, so this is another financially solid bank.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Mr. Seidman also announced an increased stake in OBA Financial (OBAF) in Germantown, Md. He now owns a little over 8% of the six-branch bank and has publicly called for the sale OBAF. He was pretty bl! unt about his assessment of the bank in a letter to the board, which read:

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-promising-stocks-to-watch-for-2015-4.html

Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Own For 2014

With 45 million cat owners and 56 million dog owners in the U.S., pet food and needs is big business forecast to account for over $55 billion of spending in 2013 by American Pet Products Association.

PetSmart Inc. (PETM) is the largest specialty retailer for the needs of pets. The company employs approximately 52,000 associates and operates more than 1,289 pet stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, over 196 in-store dog and cat boarding facilities, and is a leading online provider of pet supplies and pet care information.

[ Enlarge Image ]

Revenues and earnings have grown strongly over the past four years as pet numbers have increased and as pet owners have increased spend. Key to this is a positive instore experience and better product range than general retailers and online suppliers. PetSmart achieves this by being constantly on the prowl for innovative new products and ensuring all its stores are stocked with more than 10,000 products, all available at everyday low prices. Including thousands of products exclusive to PetSmart.

Best Airline Stocks To Buy Right Now: Vitacost.com Inc (VITC)

Vitacost.com, Inc. (Vitacost), incorporated in May 20, 1994, is an online retailer of health and wellness products, including dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids and metabolites, as well as cosmetics, natural personal care products, pet products, sports nutrition and health foods. The Company sells these products directly to consumers primarily through its Website, www.vitacost.com. It offers its customers the selection of healthy living products. It offers its customers a selection of approximately 40,000 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs), from over 2,000 third-party brands, such as New Chapter, Nature�� Way, Twinlab, Source Naturals, Jarrow Formulas, Jason, Desert Essence, Atkins, Bob�� Red Mill, BSN, Optimum Nutrition, USP Labs and MuscleTech in addition to its own brands: Vitacost, Cosmeceutical Sciences Institute (CSI), Best of All, and Smart Basics. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had approximately 2.1 million customers.

The Company offers products in a range of potency levels and dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, vegi-capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids and powders. It offers products that encompass four main categories: Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs and Supplements; Sports Nutrition; Beauty; and Natural and Organic Food.

Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs and Supplements (VMHS)

VMHS products are taken to maintain or improve health and address specific health conditions. In its dietary supplements category, the Company offers its offer its Vitacost branded products as well as third-party brands such as Nature�� Way, Twinlab, Jarrow, Carlson and Rainbow Light. Vitamin and mineral products include multi-vitamins, lettered vitamins, such as Vitamin A, C, D, E and B-complex, along with minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chromium and zinc.

Herbal products include whole herbs, standardized extracts, herb combination formulas and teas. Supplements include essential fatty acids, probiotics, anti-o! xidants, phytonutrients and condition-specific formulas.

Sports Nutrition

Sports nutrition products are used in conjunction with cardiovascular conditioning, weight training and sports activities. Major categories in sports nutrition include protein and weight gain powders, meal replacements, nutrition bars, sport drinks and pre and post-workout supplements. The Company offers bodybuilding and sports products from third parties, such as Optimum Nutrition, CytoSport and BSN as well as our Vitacost branded sports nutrition products.

Beauty

Natural care products consist of a variety of natural products for skin, body, hair and oral health. The Company offers hundreds of natural personal-care products from companies, such as JASON, and Kiss My Face, as well as its CSI-branded products. These products appeal to allergen-conscious and environmentally-conscious consumers seeking products that are made without harsh chemicals and additives.

Natural and Organic Food

Natural and organic food products consist of organic and specialty products such as organic peanut butter, gluten free foods and low mercury tuna and salmon. The Company offers third-party brands, such as Kashi, Eden Foods and Amy�� Organic, as well as its Best of All natural food products.

Under its Vitacost brand, the Company offers over 900 products including multivitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, anti-oxidants and others. Under its CSI brand, it markets and sells health and beauty products such as facial cleanser, facial and body moisturizing creams and lotions, and other beauty and skincare products. Under its Best of All brand, it markets and sells organic food products such as banana chips, trail mix, almonds, cashews and more. Under its Smart Basics brand, it markets and sells organic fruit juices and extracts and related dietary supplements. Under its Walker Diet brand, it markets and sells low carb powders used to assist in weight loss and ! managemen! t.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Barnes & Noble Inc (BKS)

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (Barnes & Noble), incorporated on November 19, 1986, is a bookseller. The Company is a content, commerce and technology company that provides customers access to books, magazines, newspapers and other content across its multi-channel distribution platform. As of April 27, 2013, it operated 1,361 bookstores in 50 states, 686 bookstores on college campuses, and operates one of the Web eCommerce sites, and develops digital content products and software. Barnes & Noble operates in three segments: B&N Retail, B&N College and NOOK. The Company�� principal business is the sale of trade books (generally hardcover and paperback consumer titles), mass market paperbacks (such as mystery, romance, science fiction and other popular fiction), children�� books, eBooks and other digital content, NOOK and related accessories, bargain books, magazines, gifts, cafe products and services, educational toys & games, music and movies direct to customers through its bookstores or on barnesandnoble.com.

Of the Company�� 1,361 bookstores, 675 operate primarily under the Barnes & Noble Booksellers trade name. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC (B&N College), a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, operates 686 college bookstores at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble Retail (B&N Retail) operates the 675 retail bookstores. Retail also includes the Company�� eCommerce site and Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. (Sterling or Sterling Publishing), a leader in general trade book publishing.

B&N Retail

This segment includes 675 bookstores as of April 27, 2013, primarily under the Barnes & Noble Booksellers trade name. These stores generally offer a dedicated NOOK area, a comprehensive trade book title base, a cafe, and departments dedicated to Juvenile, Toys & Games, DVDs, Music, Gift, Magazine and Bargain products. The stores also offer a calendar of ongoing events, including author appearances and children�� activities. The B&! N Retail segment also includes the Company�� eCommerce website, barnesandnoble.com, and its publishing operation, Sterling Publishing. Barnes & Noble stores range in size from 3,000 to 60,000 square feet depending upon market size, with an overall average store size of 26,000 square feet. During the fiscal year ended April 27, 2013 (fiscal), the Company reduced the Barnes & Noble store base by 0.3 million square feet, bringing the total square footage to 17.7 million square feet. The Company�� B&N Retail segment purchases physical books on a regular basis from over 800 publishers and over 50 wholesalers or distributors. As of April 27, 2013, Barnes & Noble had stores in 162 of the total 210 Designated Market Area markets.

Sterling Publishing is a publisher of non-fiction trade titles. It is a range of non-fiction and illustrated books and kits across a range of imprints, in categories, such as health and wellness, music and culture, food and wine, crafts and photography, puzzles and games, history and current affairs, as well as a children�� books.

B&N College

B&N College sells new and used textbooks in campus bookstores and online. As of April 27, 2013, B&N College operated 686 stores nationwide. The Company�� customer base, which is mainly consisted of students and faculty, can purchase various items from their campus stores, including textbooks and course-related materials, emblematic apparel and gifts, trade books, computer products, NOOK products and related accessories, school and dorm supplies, convenience and cafe items.

As of April 27, 2013, B&N College operates 651 traditional college bookstores and 35 academic superstores, which are generally larger in size, offer cafes and provide a sense of community that engages the surrounding campus and local communities in college activities and culture. The traditional bookstores range in size from 500 to 48,000 square feet. The academic superstores range in size from 8,000 to 75,000 square feet. B&! N College! �� three customer constituencies are students, faculty members and campus administrators.

NOOK

This segment includes the Company�� digital business, which includes the Company�� eBookstore, digital newsstand and sales of NOOK devices and accessories to third party distribution partners, as well as to B&N Retail and B&N College. Barnes & Noble�� NOOK digital bookstore and Reading Apps provide customers the ability to purchase and read their digital content and access to their Lifetime Library on a range of digital platforms, including Windows 8 PCs and tablets, iPad, iPhone , Android smartphones and tablets, PC and Mac. Barnes & Noble has implemented features on its digital platform to ensure that customers can access their NOOK content from almost all of today�� most popular devices.

The Company competes with Target, Books-A-Million, Waldenbooks, Amazon.com, Apple, Wal-Mart and Costco.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Barnes & Noble is the last remaining nationwide bookseller but has faced problems with increased online competition. The stock has experienced a lot of volatility in recent years and seems to be struggling at current prices due to negative earnings releases. In the past four quarters, investors in the company have expected more as earnings have been mixed and revenues decreasing. Relative to its peers and sector, Barnes & Noble has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Barnes & Noble does in coming quarters.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  AP/Jae C. Hong Companies can make brilliant moves, but there are also times when things don't work out quite as planned. From a book lover's tablet continuing to fade in the marketplace to a strong year for satellite radio, here's a rundown of the week's best and worst in the business world. Nook -- Loser Barnes & Noble (BKS) has seen the popularity of its Nook line of e-readers and tablets fade in recent quarters, but things have never slipped so sharply as they did during the holiday season. The bookseller is reporting a 60.5 percent plunge in Nook sales for the nine weeks ending Dec. 28. In short, there weren't a lot of Nooks in Santa's sleigh this year. The news is grim on the hardware end with devices and accessories off a steep 66.7 percent, but even digital sales fell a disappointing 27.3 percent. The Nook was supposed to be Barnes & Noble's catalyst for growth in a future in which consumers have tired of hardcovers and paperbacks. But now it's making up just 11 percent of the superstore chain's sales -- and falling fast. Something tells me there won't be a storybook ending for the Nook. Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) -- Winner Sirius XM Radio began the week moving higher after receiving an offer over the weekend to be acquired by majority investor Liberty Media (LMCA). It wasn't much of a premium, but that's what can happen when a company owns more than 51 percent of another. Then the satellite radio provider announced that it closed out 2013 with a better than expected 25.56 million subscribers. Sirius XM's previous outlook was to close out the year with 1.6 million net additions. It wound up adding 1.66 million net subscribers in 2013. Michael Bay -- Loser There are many opinions out there on the winners and losers during this week's CES expo as consumer tech companies introduce their latest gadgetry, but it's hard to beat Samsung's presentation where Hollywood director Michael Bay abandoned the stage when the teleprompter stopped working. "

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  I lost money when I was long Barnes & Noble (BKS). But if you shorted the stock when I bought it ��you would��e lost more than 25% by now, and a lot of time (when the market was rising), and shorting isn�� free. So, it would��e gone very, very badly for you unless you really had the timing right.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Outside the Dow, Barnes & Noble's (NYSE: BKS  ) shares tumbled 4.9% after hours following CEO William Lynch's resignation, effective immediately, after a disappointing quarter for Nook sales. The board didn't name a successor, but the news underscores the strong headwinds the venerable bookseller faces. The Nook was once seen as the company's savior, but now it seems to have become an albatross equal to the company's bricks-and-mortar real estate.

Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: West Marine Inc (WMAR)

West Marine, Inc., incorporated in September 1993, is a specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories. The Company offers an assortment of merchandise for the boat and for the boater. It operates in three segments: Stores, Port Supply and Direct-to-Customer. The Company sells to both retail and wholesale customers in its Stores segment. In addition, the Company has three franchised stores in Turkey. The Company�� Port Supply segment is its wholesale segment. The Company�� Direct-to-Customer, which includes e-commerce, catalog and call center transactions. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Stores segment generated approximately 90% of its net revenues. During 2011, products shipped to Port Supply customers directly from its warehouses represented approximately 4% of its net revenues.

During 2011, its Direct Sales segment offered customers around the world more than 75,000 products and accounted for the remaining 6% of its net revenues. Private label products, which the Company sells under the West Marine, Black Tip, Third Reef, Pure Oceans, Lifesling, SeaVolt and Seafit brand names, usually are manufactured in Asia, the United States and Europe.

Stores Segment

During 2011, the Company opened six stores while closing 14 stores. In December 2011, it opened its Fort Lauderdale Boating Superstore, a 50,000 square foot flagship. Its flagship stores ranging in size from 21,000 to 50,000 square feet, offering an array of merchandise typically about 16,000 items, as well as displays designed to help customers make informed product selections. It also operates large format stores, standard-sized stores and smaller Express stores. Its large format stores range from 13,000 to 19,000 square feet and carry about 11,000 items. The standard-sized stores typically range from 6,000 to 12,000 square feet and carry over 6,000 items. Express stores typically range from 2,500 to 3,000 square feet and carry over 4,000 items, mainly hardware and other supplies needed! for day-to-day boat maintenance and repairs.

Port Supply Segment

Port Supply customers include businesses involved in boat sales, boat building, boat commissioning and repair, yacht chartering, marina operations and other boating-related activities. In addition, Port Supply sells to government and industrial customers who use its products for boating and non-boating purposes. Port Supply, the Company�� wholesale segment, serves wholesale customers seeking convenience and a larger assortment of products than those carried by typical distributors.

Direct-to-Customer Segment

The Company�� e-commerce Website provides its customers with access to a selection of approximately 75,000 products, product advisor tips and technical information, over 450 product videos and customer-submitted product reviews. This segment also provides customers with access to knowledgeable technical advisors who can assist its customers in understanding the various uses and applications of the products it sell. It operates a virtual call center from which its associates assist its customers by taking calls from their homes or from its support center in Watsonville, California. Its virtual call center supports sales generated through its e-commerce Website, catalogs and stores and provides customer service offerings.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Interactive Buyside]

  West Marine (Nasdaq: WMAR) is an undervalued retailer.  The company is going through a change in focus from a bricks and mortar boat product retailer to a fully integrated retail and wholesale business through bricks and clicks, targeting the boating and water enthusiast customer.   Recent results have been affected by a severe rainy and cool spring which hurt boat usage and delayed the start of the season.  The company has accelerated cash investments to build larger more productive stores and expand its ecommerce abilities, consequently affecting free cash flow short term.  The stock lacks sponsorship as there is only one research report written on the company by a small boutique firm.  The stock trades at only book value despite the company being the leading industry player with a solid balance sheet and significant net cash position. 

Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: FTD Companies Inc (FTD)

FTD Companies, Inc. (FTD), incorporated on April 25, 2008, is a floral and gifting company. The Company provides floral, gift and related products and services to consumers and retail florists, as well as to other retail locations offering floral and gift products primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. The Company operates in one segment, which includes floral and related products and services. Its business uses the FTD and Interflora brands, both supported by the Mercury Man logo. The Company�� portfolio of brands also includes Flying Flowers, Flowers Direct, and Drake Algar in the United Kingdom. On November 1, 2013, United Online, Inc. (United Online) completed the separation of United Online into two independent, publicly traded companies: FTD Companies, Inc. and United Online, Inc.

The Company�� products revenues are derived primarily from selling floral, gift and related products to consumers and the related shipping and service fees. Products revenues also include revenues generated from sales of hard goods, software and hardware systems, cut flowers, packaging and promotional products, and a range of other floral-related supplies to floral network members. Its services revenues related to orders sent through the floral network are variable based on either the number of orders or on the value of orders and are recognized in the period in which the orders.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  BlueOrange Studio/Shutterstock One day out of 365, we pay homage to our sainted mothers. Those of us who are members of this long-suffering, uncomplaining, self-sacrificing class may get some soggy French toast in bed, (don't worry, kids; mom will clean up the kitchen), a chance to read in peace, or perhaps time to indulge in a long, hot bath. Bringing Home the Bacon If you really want to pay back mom for all she's done, get ready to pony up big. A card and some carnations (the official flower of Mother's Day, who knew?) just won't cut it. The cost of replacing mom as nurturer, nurse, cleaner and cook -- according to Insure.com's 2014 Mother's Day salary index -- would run you $62,985 a year, up from $59,862 in 2013. Breaking down the price of having someone else handle her various duties: Cooking and cleaning, $12,230 Child care, $21,736 Homework help, $7,290 Chauffeur, $5,672 Shopping, yard work, party and activity planning, finances, etc., $15,019 And my personal favorite, finding out what the kids are up to (paid in the equivalent value of a private detective), $1,036. Salary.com placed a higher value on moms in its 2014 Mother's Day salary survey, concluding that stay-at-home moms were worth $118,905 and working moms worth $70,107 (this does not include any paid salary from their job), with both groups putting more than 56 hours of overtime at home. These numbers are all up from last year's survey. Cooking It Up in a Pan Mom helps to pay for other things, too. Thanks to the Department of Agriculture, you can see what it costs to raise a child in the U.S. to 18. As of August 2013, the average cost is $241,080. This does not cover college, and hopefully dear old dad is contributing. In 2012, there were 10.3 million single U.S. mothers with children under 18, and one-third of women who gave birth in 2012 were single moms. By becoming moms, women give up time to do other things, what economists call an "opportunity cost." Particularly if your mother st

• [By John Udovich]

  As we head towards Black Friday, small cap specialty retail stocks United Online, Inc (NASDAQ: UNTD), TravelCenters of America LLC (NYSE: TA) and MarineMax, Inc (NYSE: HZO) have the distinction of being the best performing small cap�specialty retail stocks for this year (according to Finviz.com) with gains of 181.2%, 123.8% and 71.8%, respectively. With those returns in mind, what are these small cap specialty retail stocks doing right and will the performance last through the all important holiday season? Here is what new and existing investors and traders alike need to know or consider:

  United Online, Inc.�A provider of consumer products and services over the Internet, United Online�� Content & Media segment services are online nostalgia (Memory Lane) and online loyalty marketing (MyPoints) while its�primary Communications segment services are Internet access and email (NetZero and Juno). The reason United Online is among the�best performing specialty retail stocks for this year in various stock screening tools like Finviz.com�is actually misleading as the company has just completed the spin off�of subsidiary FTD Companies, a floral and gifts products company acquired in August 2008 for $441 million, as�FTD Companies Inc (NASDAQ: FTD) where United Online shareholders received one share of FTD common stock for every five shares of United Online common stock they hold. In addition, United Online completed�a�one-for-seven reverse stock split of United Online shares.�On Tuesday, small cap United Online, Inc fell 1.01% to $15.72 (UNTD has a 52 week trading range of $11.65 to $62.30 a share) for a market cap of $207.79 million plus the stock is up 181.2% since the start of the year and up 182.2% over the past five years. Meanwhile, the FTD Companies Inc�now has a�market cap of $611.60 and the stock is up almost 6% since October.

3 Things United Technologies Corporation's New CEO Wants You to Know

It's a new year, investors, and what better way to start off a new year than with a new CEO?

That, at least, appears to be the thinking at United Technologies (NYSE: UTX  ) , where the board of directors recently replaced CEO Louis Chenevert after his abrupt retirement, promoting CFO Gregory Hayes to take his place. And so far, so good.

Congratulations, shareholders. You've got a new CEO. Photo source: United Technologies.

Last month, Hayes stepped up to the mic to tell investors 2014 is still looking like "a solid year." Furthermore, the new CEO promises that "with strong backlog and orders momentum exiting the year, we anticipate continued organic sales growth in 2015 across each of our businesses."

"Despite a slow-growth global economy," said Hayes, the company remains on target for 4% organic sales growth in 2014, with companywide sales approximating $65 billion. Earnings will fall in the middle of UTC's previously promised range -- $6.80 per share.

This was Hayes' first, and probably most important, big reveal in his big new job: The old CEO didn't depart because UTC is falling apart, so investors can relax -- as of today, everything's steady as she goes.

Happy new year?
What may worry investors more is what happens in 2015. On one hand, Hayes says per-share profits will range between $7 and $7.20, for 3% to 6% total growth. (That's unlikely to inspire any New Year's celebrations, given that 2014 earnings growth was about 9%.) On the other hand, Hayes noted that 2015 sales will rise to between $66 billion and $67 billion.

But here's the thing: While Hayes says sales growth will include 3% to 5% organic growth, the projected rise from $65 billion to $66 billion or $67 billion implies only 1.5% to 3.1% growth in total revenues.

That's curious. Ordinarily, companies ossify with age, posting slower "organic" growth in core operations, and supplementing that with revenue from new acquisitions -- "inorganic growth." But at UTC, the reverse seems to be happening. Somehow, the company expects to grow faster organically than it grows overall.

Growing by shrinking?
The only way this makes sense is if Hayes is planning to sell off bits and pieces of United Technologies. That way, core revenues can grow at 3% to 5% even as overall revenues don't ... because subsidiaries and their revenue streams are being sold off. Indeed, according to The Wall Street Journal, Hayes is reviewing his company's "myriad businesses" for potential sales. (He even joked that he'd sell off something as key as Otis elevators "at the right price.")

Currently, "major" sales aren't planned, but there could be some minor tweaks. These might include, one imagines, such business lines as Taylor Company, which makes frozen yogurt machines, or Kidde, which sells residential smoke alarms and related equipment. Such minor divestitures could shave a percent or two off total revenue growth, without giving up much organic growth in the company's core aerospace and building systems businesses.

Meanwhile, longer term, the Journal notes that Hayes is still "hunting for a major acquisition" to replace revenues lost via small divestitures, and continue the company's march toward a promised "$100 billion in revenues" by 2020.

So to sum up? If you're a UTC shareholder, the three big things your new CEO wants you to know are:

The ship is not sinking. Profits for this year remain intact. Tweaks to the business are in the works. Up to and including one very major acquisition, that could transform the business and get United Technologies stock (which is currently lagging the S&P badly) growing once again.

1 great stock to buy for 2015 and beyond
Next year is shaping up to be another great one for stocks. But if you want to make sure that 2015 is your best investing year ever, you need to know where to start. That's why The Motley Fool's chief investment officer just published a brand-new research report that reveals his top stock for the year ahead. To get the full story on this year's stock -- completely free -- simply click here.

Qualcomm: The New Acquisition Show Stopper

Top 5 Gas Utility Companies To Buy For 2015

As we had earlier discussed on several occasions, businesses across the globe are riding high on acquisitions, and reports are doing the rounds of yet another acquisition. A point to be noted is that of all the acquisitions, most are happening in the technology sector. These acquisition sprees are suggesting the start of another trend in quest of innovation.

The traditional practice has been to search for new skills through recruitment of new talents and encouraging the R&D department. But the new trend is first find out what the market is looking for, and then acquire a start-up or a smaller company working on that topic and release their product with the big brand name. This is a relatively smart decision, as it saves time and money invested in talent hunts, and also does away the probability of wrong recruitments and failed experiments. Let us find out the new star in the acquisition arena.

The Qualcomm Acquisition

CSR (CSRE), which recently rejected a $2.5 billion takeover offer from Microchip Technology (MCHP), has just been bagged by Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) for $2.5 billion.

CSR is a U.K.-based company engaged into designing chipsets and components used in mobile phones and satellite navigation systems. The company is also designing components for hands-free driving headsets and Bluetooth technology, which connects one device with another without any physical connection. The offer made by Qualcomm for CSR stands at 40% higher than its current trading prices before the news of the acquisition was declared. In a press release, Qualcomm acknowledged the acquisition of CSR's expertise in the Internet-of-Things and automobile infotainment.

This acquisition will certainly add more depth and variety in Qualcomm's current offerings by adding products, channels, and customers in the important growth categories of Internet of Everything (IoE) and automotive infotainment. This move will bolster Qualcomm's desire to take leadership in this business domain and allow it a strong foothold in this niche sector. This opportunity is in line with Qualcomm's strategic priorities in these rapidly growing business areas.

What's in and what's out in this acquisition

Last week, Microchip had pressed the panic button setting of the alarm about an industry correction in semiconductors market. They had made a bid to acquire CSR last August, but CSR reportedly turned down their offer stating that their offer was too low to be considered; however, the reason for the rejection going by market speculation and street analysts seem to be different. The buzz is that Microchip was motivated to make CSR party to a tax inversion deal, allowing Microchip to house income in the U.K.'s lower tax jurisdiction. Now that Qualcomm has bagged CSR and the reports have been confirmed by Qualcomm officially the Microchip deal stands null and void.

Qualcomm manufactures digital communications products based on CDMA, OFDMA and other technologies for use in voice and data communications, networking, application processing, multimedia and global positioning systems. The company earns revenue from the sale of integrated circuit products and licensing of its patents, software and other intellectual property. For the quarter ended June 29, 2014, Qualcomm reported revenue of $6.8 billion, up by 9% from the same period last year. Net income of $2.2 billion was up 42% year-over-year.

The recent surge in demand for the latest range of smartphones has put Qualcomm into the leaders' throne in the sector; its chips can be found in Apple's (AAPL) iPhone 6, Samsung's (SSNLF) Galaxy Note 4 and BlackBerry (BBRY) Passport and a range of latest smartphones and tablets. With a market capitalization of $120 billion the company trades at 16 times forward earnings. CSR's expertise in designing and manufacturing chipsets and components customized for the Internet-of-Things would enhance the product spread of Qualcomm in the niche sector of Integrated Chipset designing and manufacturing. Thus placing Qualcomm in the fast lane among its peer group competitors.

The Crux of this Acquisition

Qualcomm's $2.5 billion acquisition of CSR has severed a massive blow on its arch rival Microchip; Microchip was also in the run to woo CSR but failed to make the relation work, and Qualcomm swept away the CSR deal. Both CSR and Qualcomm would benefit from the ongoing mammoth upswing in smartphone market demand and the corporate frenzy that is going around Internet-of-Things.

Though Qualcomm stock prices at current levels might seem on the downside, this dip is not exclusive to the chipmaker, but a result of the ongoing market corrections which is bound to rebound ones the correction phase is over. Going by the fundamentals of the company's business line and the kind of product mix it has to offer which is in perfect harmony with the ongoing market fanfare of smartphones and mobile communication devices, the company is bound to see brighter days in the near future. I would strongly recommend a buy at the current oversold levels and hold till the market correction phase is over post which time would be rip to encash the positions taken now.

About the author:reports.droyWe are a group of analysts exploring and analyzing different domains of business and writing reviews based on information available in public domain web portals. We do not hold a

Top 10 Undervalued Companies For 2014

Nokia (NOK) jumped 4% in heavy volume after-hours trading on Wednesday night (6/19/13) after the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft (MSFT) had been in talks to acquire Nokia's phone business as recently as this month. Coming the day after Huawei's reported interest in Nokia (later half-heartedly retracted), I believe this represents fantastic news for Nokia shareholders and here's why. Just by these reports circulating, the market will start waking up to the true underlying value of Nokia's assets and start to re-adjust its valuation upwards accordingly. In this article, I give a review of Nokia's assets and just what may have happened between Nokia, Microsoft and Huawei in the past month.

Nokia Is Undervalued

Most Seeking Alpha readers I believe recognize that Nokia is significantly undervalued with strong potential for upside. It is this which attracted me and I believe many others to Nokia over the last year. However with EPS hovering a few cents either side of zero for the last two quarters, it is difficult to come up with a standard P/E ratio estimate for Nokia. Instead of that, I have done a sum-of-parts valuation for the company starting with NSN.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Own For 2015: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  As a convenience store, it doesn’t have direct competition from�Dollar Tree (DLTR) or Family Dollar (FDO) because these dollar stores aren�� exclusively focused on food (and they have no gasoline or cigarette sales), and they��e targeted at the folks who are trying to save money over convenience, not vice versa. The convenience angle is another reason why�Walmart (WMT) and Costco (COST)�aren’t competitors, since those behemoths are about a total shopping experience.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Family Dollar (FDO) became a must-have after Carl Icahn announced a 9.4% stake in the bargain retailer–and so did competitors like Dollar General (DG) and Dollar Tree (DLTR).

• [By Victor Reklaitis]

  Today�� movers & shakers: Retailers have dropped in the wake of disappointing quarterly results or outlooks. Target Corp. (TGT) �was down 4% after posting weaker margins and earnings at its U.S. business, while Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR) �dropped 4% after its earnings fell in the third quarter. Read more in the Movers & Shakers column.

Top 10 Undervalued Companies For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe and Aimee Duffy]

  About 1% of all drilling operations are powered by natural gas. By shifting all drilling operations over to natural gas, the industry could save as much as $1.6 billion a year. The idea has such appeal that both Haliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) have said that they would be willing to test sites with Apache for free. In this video, Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe talks about how the industry could convert to natural-gas-powered operations, and highlights companies to look out for that could benefit from this movement.

Top 10 Undervalued Companies For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, household products company Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Tupperware Brands (NYSE: TUP  ) is reaching into its corporate bowl for a fresh payout to shareholders. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share. This will be paid on July 8 to stockholders of record as of June 19. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution, which was paid in early April. Prior to that, Tupperware Brands was rather less generous, handing out $0.36 per share.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Where growth will come from
  One area that Newell Rubbermaid still has to tap fully is emerging markets. The company has done a good job of expanding overseas, with 17% annual growth in Latin America. But with barely a quarter of its sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada, the company has a lot further to go. Storage rival Tupperware (NYSE: TUP  ) gets fully 60% of its total revenue from emerging markets, and it too has seen impressive gains in South America as well as the Asia-Pacific region.

• [By Oliver Pursche]

  European large-cap pharmaceuticals like Novartis (NVS) �and Bristol Meyers Squibb (BMY) �count amongst some of our favorite stocks right now, as do U.S. multinationals that are growing revenue and margins in Asia ��Tupperware (TUP) �is a shining example. Stay away from utilities and energy stocks, as they are likely to be the laggards over the next year.

Top 10 Undervalued Companies For 2014: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Neha Chamaria]

  While I usually take analyst estimates with a grain of salt, investors may have a reason to worry here, especially after Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) recently reported dismal mining-equipment sales numbers. Is it time to short Joy Global?

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) shares are down about 1.4% today, and like Alcoa, this is one stock that will take a hit from economic problems across the Pacific. Growing infrastructure construction once made Caterpillar's future in China look rosy, but with China's economic slowing and the country's credit crunch making lending a costly proposition, manufacturing has taken a blow. Caterpillar's not in so bad a position as Alcoa due to its retention of the top space in such a cyclical industry, but China's rash of problems will exacerbate the manufacturing sector's sluggishness and lengthen the time it takes for Caterpillar and its rivals to bounce back.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Investors waiting for Caterpillar (CAT) to turn into a butterfly will have to wait a while longer.

  The maker of heavy machinery said profits fell 44% during the third quarter, while earnings-per share dropped to $1.45, well below forecasts for $1.68. Caterpillar also slashed its guidance for full-year earnings to $5.50, down from $6.50.

  It’s fair to say investors were expecting more. In the days ahead of the report, share of Caterpillar had traded up to the top-end of the range they’d been trading in for the last six months. Instead, Caterpillar’s stock has fallen 6.2% to $83.69 at 12:43 p.m. today, bringing it back towards the low end of the range.

  Caterpillar also had the misfortune to report on a day when investors are concerned that China could take steps tighten credit. And with Caterpillar’s exposure to emerging markets, that’s likely hitting shares as well.

  Caterpillar’s dismal report is weighing on other stocks machinery companies.�Terex�(TEX) has fallen 2.5% to $34.37, Joy Global (JOY) has dropped 1.1% to $53.91 and Manitowoc (MTW) is off 1.9% at $19.36.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  On the Dow today, Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) led all comers, finishing up 1.2% after announcing it will buy back $1 billion of its shares from French bank Societe Generale, most of which it will purchase immediately. With the global mining industry in a down cycle, Caterpillar has struggled this year, falling last week after a forgettable earnings report that included a guidance cut. The share repurchase announcement would seem to indicate that management sees the stock as undervalued.