Monday, March 31, 2014

Hot Casino Companies To Watch In Right Now

Hot Casino Companies To Watch In Right Now: MGM Resorts International(MGM)

MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jayson Derrick]

    Analysts at Ascendiant Capital initiated coverage of MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) with a Buy rating and $33 price target. Shares hit new 52 week highs of $28.74 before reversing gains and closing the day at $28.31, down 0.28 percent.

  • [By Vanina Egea]

    Sand Corp's successful resort operations have not only assigned it a narrow moat rating, but also positively positions the firm to receive casino licenses in countries like Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, where gambling will be legalized in the near future. In fact, the company benefits from its market share in the Singapore duopoly, through the Marina Bay Sands resort venue. With 34% gaming taxes, compared to Macao's 39%, the Singapore operation is the company's fastest growing business segment, and will continue to drive excessive EBITDA margins of 53.6% until 2018, when the casino license expires. Additionally, the firm's market share in ! Asia sets it apart from competitors like MGM Resorts International (MGM) or Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. (MCRI)

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    In the U.S., casinos with significant exposure to Macau are also taking a hit. Las Vegas Sands is down the least, at about 1.3% at the noon hour Tuesday. MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is down nearly 2%, Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) is down about 2.6%, and Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL) is down about 4.5%.

  • [By Jayson Derrick]

    How to invest
    Several key international players have legitimate shots of receiving gaming licences in Japan. Las Vegas Sands would be the top pick along with Melco Crown. (NASDAQ: MPEL  )  Meanwhile MGM Resorts  (NYSE: MGM  )  is unlikely to emerge a winner.

  • source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-casino-companies-to-watch-in-right-now.html

Sunday, March 30, 2014

A "Dividend Vault" Stock That's Raised Payments 50% In 3 Months

This is the perfect example of why everyone should be investing in the "Dividend Vault"...

For those of you who don't know, the Dividend Vault is an idea coined by StreetAuthority co-founder Paul Tracy. He's been telling investors for months about how corporate America has been stockpiling billions of dollars -- more than $1.7 trillion total -- since the Great Recession, and now that the economy has stabilized, many companies are about to start spending this cash. 

This is a big deal. $1.7 trillion is more money than the gross domestic product of 180 countries. It's also enough money to give every retiree in the United States a check for $42,500. 

Some companies might pour cash into capital improvements or purchases, while others may be looking to spend on research and development. But a handful of companies will be using their cash to make payments directly to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks.

Fortunately, it's not too late to get in on this big giveaway.

Let me explain... 

Dividend stocks are back in style, and companies are starting to realize that many investors won't even consider buying a stock unless it pays a dividend. That's why 2012 set a record for dividend payments, and 2013 is forecast to break that record. 

By investing in companies with large cash hoards, or "Dividend Vaults," you're buying solid companies with the ability to grow their dividend, buy back shares and pay special dividends. 

Today, I'm going to reveal one of our favorite "Dividend Vault" stocks. It's a perfect example of a stock that could pay you huge amounts of cash today and for many years to come.

Since StreetAuthority Daily first mentioned the "Dividend Vault" idea back in late January, one stock from our list of 13 has already paid two dividends and returned 8.86%... and that's in just a little more than three months. On top of that, analysts at Oppenheimer said last week that they expect this stock to jump another 26% this year. 

The company I'm talking about is none other than petroleum refiner HollyFrontier Corp. (NYSE: HFC). 

What makes HollyFrontier so special? For starters, its refineries sit right on the edge of some of the largest, newly found oil-producing regions throughout the country. 

You see, with the advent of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), oil drillers are tapping resources that were previously unattainable. 

For the last few years these oil hot spots have been pumping out growing amounts of oil. In 2012, North Dakota increased ! its daily oil production by more than 250,000 barrels to a current 720,000 barrels per day, while Texas increased its output by about 500,000 barrels to a current 2.1 million barrels per day.

But with this growth has come with some unintended consequences. These midcontinent states have produced so much oil that they've actually created an oversupply in the middle of the country.

Of course, HollyFrontier has taken full advantage of this -- the abundance of oil and natural gas has helped the company post outstanding profits in recent years.

Today, HollyFrontier is one of the largest petroleum refiners in the United States. The Texas-based company's five refineries -- located in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Utah, and Wyoming -- combine to refine around 443,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Thanks to higher production, the company is able to buy crude at below-average prices, refine it, and then sell it at a significantly higher price. As a result, it's enjoying unprecedented success.

In 2012 it hit new records in total net income and earnings per share for its fourth year in a row. Most important, in the fourth quarter of 2012, its refinery gross margin was up to $24 a barrel, up 57% from the previous year's quarter.

On top of that, HollyFrontier has a $1.8 billion "Dividend Vault" and has shown a commitment to returning a large portion of it to shareholders. It paid four special dividends -- totaling $2 per share in 2012 -- to add to the quarterly dividend it also paid. 

And so far this year, it has raised its quarterly dividend 50%, from 20 cents to 30 cents per share, and has already paid a 50-cent special dividend. 

If you were to buy shares at today's price (at around $51), and the company pays a 50 cent per-share special dividend four times along with its normal quarterly dividends (as it has done since 2011), you would be collecting a yield of 6.2% on your shares by this time next year. 

With such a ! large &qu! ot;Dividend Vault," the company can easily afford it -- the company's chief executive, Mike Jennings, recently said he expects HollyFrontier "to continue to pay both regular and special dividends" going forward. 

Of course, nothing in investing is 100% certain. If U.S. oil production drops significantly, it would probably reduce HollyFrontier's margin advantage. This could cause profit margins to shrink and cause investors to punish the share price.

But with the shale revolution in full swing, oil production is only expected to rise over the next decade.

Action to Take --> I'll continue to keep my eye on HollyFrontier as well as the rest of the 13 "Dividend Vault" stocks. Together, these companies are expected to pay $30.9 billion in dividends this year alone, and I think investors who get in on this now will profit handsomely for years to come. To learn how to start collecting your share of the "Dividend Vault" today, click here.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

MF Global sues PwC for "flatly erroneous" advice

NEW YORK — MF Global Holdings is suing PricewaterhouseCoopers, seeking more than $2 billion from the accounting giant over "flatly erroneous" advice that allegedly contributed to the brokerage's 2011 bankruptcy implosion.

The civil action filed Friday in Manhattan federal court charges the accounting firm "negligently" advised MF Global to account for fateful investments in European debt as sales, and book revenue up to 21 months before the money was actually received.

"But for PwC's erroneous accounting advice, MF Global Holdings could not have — and would not have — invested heavily in European sovereign debt to generate immediate revenues and would not have suffered the massive damages that befell the company in 2011," charged lawyers for the brokerage's bankruptcy plan administrator.

The complaint also alleged that the financial damages that caused MF Global's collapse were "a direct and proximate result of PwC's negligence and malpractice."

Top 5 Industrial Disributor Companies To Buy Right Now

A PwC statement issued by spokesman Chris Atkins said the accounting advice in question "has been examined by trustees, regulators and a Congressional committee. None of them has found that the accounting for these transactions was incorrect."

"PwC is disappointed that this meritless claim has been brought," the company added.

The case is unrelated to legal battling over MF Global's use of segregated customer funds as the brokerage teetered toward bankruptcy.

The collapse, Wall Street's largest since the 2008 failure of Lehman Bros., was triggered in part by $6 billion in ill-timed bets on debt of Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and other European nations. The investments were part of a financial strategy in which then-CEO Jon Corzine, a former U.S. senator, New Jersey governor and Goldman Sachs chief executive, hoped to transform MF Global into an i! nvestment bank.

But as the European economy weakened, MF Global was beset by margin calls and credit downgrades by rating agencies concerned about the New York City-based brokerage's increasing debts. MF Global officials used more than $1.6 billion in customer funds to cover liquidity shortfalls in a failed attempt to head off the bankruptcy filing that came in October 2011.

A November 2013 order by Manhattan federal court Judge Victor Marrero required MF Global to pay $1.2 billion in restitution to customers who lost money in the collapse. The order also required the brokerage to pay a $100 million civil penalty.

Separate litigation against Corzine is continuing.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Microsoft announces Office for iPad

See Microsoft's new Office for iPad   See Microsoft's new Office for iPad NEW YORK (CNNMoney) After years of speculation, Microsoft Office is finally on the iPad.

In his first public appearance since being named Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) new CEO, Satya Nadella unveiled the next evolution of Office. The ubiquitous productivity suite, which includes apps such as Office and Excel, has been optimized for use with touch screens and fingers.

Microsoft had done some work on Office 2013 to make it more finger friendly, but with Office for iPad, it's a full-fledged step forward. The look of Office isn't radically changed, but many features have been subtly streamlined to make things less painful.

The biggest difference is that Microsoft isn't trying to push every formatting option in front of your face, instead identifying the most essential features, and using that screen space to make those icons bigger.

Microsoft Word, for example, closely resembles Word 2013, but the interface has been simplified to highlight just the most important formatting options. Text and images can easily be highlighted and manipulated with the finger--as is the case most iPad word processors.

Microsoft Excel is able to interpret what type of data you're working with and automatically suggest formatting options to save time digging through menus for a specific type of graph.

Powerpoint has been the most straightforward and tablet-ready product of the bunch, but on the iPad its as touch-optimized as you'd expect, allowing users to build presentations with a few taps and swipes.

Also notable is the more pronounced integration of Microsoft OneDrive into Office. All documents are automatically backed up and synced to Microsoft's Cloud, with an easy-to-use interface. Multi-user collaboration has also been integrated deeper into the experience.

That the tablet-optimized version of Office launched on Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPad first, and not a Windows or Android tablet, is a testament to the influence of the iPad in the tablet space.

But while all of what Microsoft showed off looks and sounds fine, it doesn't seem to solve the problem of productivity apps on touch devices as much as it just makes them more tolerable to use.

Of course, the larger question is whether it matters that Office is now available for the iPad. For years, there have been scores of productivity apps available! in the app store, including Google (GOOAV) Drive and Apple's own iWork suite, both of which are free. There have also been third-party apps, such as the word processor Writer Pro and the spreadsheet app Grid, which are helping to evolve or even reinvent the entire concept of what productivity software.

But do enough people care that much about productivity and file compatibility on a tablet to make the leap to Office for iPad? That's a big, unanswered question.

Office for iPad will be available in the iTunes App Store on Thursday afternoon for free. But only reading documents will be free. Those wanting to create and edit content will have to purchase an Office 365 subscription, starting at $70 a year. To top of page

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Best China Companies For 2014

Making the decision to invest in one particular stock can seem daunting, but today, Royston Wild of The Motley Fool UK, weighs the investment options for you.

Today, I am looking at ARM Holdings (LN:ARM) (NASDAQ:ARMH), and considering whether the company knows the passcode to deliver strong returns.

Question marks rumble over future royalties

ARM Holdings announced last month that revenues jumped an impressive 27% in the first six months of 2013, to 拢341.5m, pushing pre-tax profit 37% higher to 拢176m. Encouragingly, the company also upped its licensing guidance to $80m from $75m, although it modestly slashed its royalty projections.

However, doubts abound as to whether the firm can maintain the strength which has seen the share price rocket in recent years. Liberum Capital argues that although licensing levels remain high, this may not necessarily translate into juicy royalties for the company.

In particular, dozens of small start-up companies in China have been established recently in the smartphone and tablet PC space. These firms are chasing the same product categories and thus creating market fragmentation, the broker says.

Best China Companies For 2014: Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc.(HMIN)

Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. develops, leases, operates, franchises, and manages a chain of economy hotels in the People?s Republic of China. The company operates its hotels under the Home Inn brand name. As of April 28, 2011, it had approximately 800 Home Inns in operation and 1,000 Home Inns sealed in franchise agreements. The company was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Home Inns & Hotels Management (NASDAQ: HMIN) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $2.18 per share on revenue of $1.54 billion.

    Qiwi plc (NASDAQ: QIWI) is expected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.28 per share on revenue of $50.00 million.

Best China Companies For 2014: Suntech Power Holdings Co. LTD.(STP)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a solar energy company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products. The company also provides engineering, procurement, and construction services to building solar power systems for certain related party and third party customers. Its products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon PV cells; PV modules; and building-integrated photovoltaics products. In addition, the company provides PV system integration services, including designing, installing, and testing PV systems used in lighting for outdoor urban public facilities, as well as in farms, villages, and commercial buildings; and project development services. Its products are used to provide electric power for residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility applications. The company sells its products through value-added resellers, such as distributors and system integrators; and to end users, such as project develo pers primarily in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Benelux, Greece, the United States, Canada, China, the Middle East, Australia, and Japan. Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Wuxi, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Travis Hoium]

    Case and point is the accounting fiasco that's brought Suntech Power (NYSE: STP  ) to its knees. The company's investment in Global Solar Fund S.C.A. unraveled last year and the company suddenly disclosed hundreds of millions of dollars in liabilities that investors weren't expecting. The stock has plunged, Suntech has missed debt payments, and the company's largest subsidiary is now in bankruptcy.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: China Telecom Corp Ltd (CHA)

China Telecom Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireline and mobile telecommunications services in the People's Republic of China. The company?s services include wireline voice, mobile voice, Internet, managed data and leased line, value-added services, integrated information application services, and other related services, as well as prepaid calling cards. Its wireline voice services include local wireline services, domestic long distance wireline services, and international long distance wireline services. The company's mobile voice services comprise local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, inter-provincial roaming, and international roaming. Its Internet access services consist of wireline Internet access services, including dial-up and broadband services, and wireless Internet access services. The company's integrated information application services include Best Tone services, which provide customers with phone number storage, enquiry, and call transfer services; and information technology-based integrated solutions, such as system integration, outsourcing, special advisory, information application, knowledge services, and software development. Its managed data and leased line services consist of services relating to optic fiber and circuits, such as optic fiber and circuit leasing, virtual private network, and bandwidth leasing. The company also offers other services, such as sales, rental, repairs, and maintenance of equipment; and provides consulting services, and e-commerce and booking services, as well as in the sale of telecommunications terminals. It serves government, enterprise, and residential customers. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China Telecom Corporation Limited is a subsidiary of China Telecommunications Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dividend]

    China Telecom (CHA) has a market capitalization of $42.51 billion. The company employs 305,676 people, generates revenue of $46.253 billion and has a net income of $2.457 billion. China Telecom�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $12.171 billion. The EBITDA margin is 26.32 percent (the operating margin is 7.48 percent and the net profit margin 5.31 percent).

  • [By Evan Niu, CFA]

    While China Mobile has never officially offered the device, the two smaller carriers do. China Unicom (NYSE: CHU  ) was the first Chinese iPhone carrier in 2009, and China Telecom (NYSE: CHA  ) followed suit in 2012. China Unicom and China Telecom have been consistently chipping away at China Mobile's lead in the lucrative market for 3G subscribers, a trend that has widely been attributable in part to the iPhone.

  • [By Jim Jubak]

    In the longer run, China's move to 4G��rom the current homegrown 3G and 2G standards��ill lead to a huge increase in highly lucrative data-heavy traffic for China Mobile (CHL), China's biggest operator, with 740 million subscribers, and, to a lesser degree, for smaller rivals China Unicom (CHU) and China Telecom (CHA). But that growth in traffic will come only after China Mobile spends heavily��31 billion in 2014��o upgrade its network. That's about what China Mobile will spend in 2013, and a 50% increase in capital spending over its five-year average.

  • [By Jim Woods]

    China Telecom (CHA) has seen its shares fall more than 16% over the past year, with much of that coming in 2014. China Unicom (CHU) stock has slumped 9% in the past 52 weeks, thanks to a 12% decline year-to-date.

Best China Companies For 2014: KongZhong Corporation(KONG)

KongZhong Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireless interactive entertainment, media, and community services to mobile phone users in the People's Republic of China. It also involves in the development, distribution, and marketing of consumer wireless value-added services, including wireless application protocol, multimedia messaging services, short messaging services, interactive voice response services, and color ring back tones. In addition, it offers interactive entertainment services, such as mobile games, pictures, karaoke, electronic books, mobile phone personalization features, entertainment news, chat, and message boards; and through Kong.net offer news, community services, games, and other interactive media and entertainment services; and sells advertising space in the form of text-link, banner, and button advertisements. Further, the company develops and publishes mobile games, including downloadable mobile games and online mobile games cons isting of action, role-playing, and leisure games. As of December 31, 2009, it had a library of approximately 300 internally developed mobile games. Additionally, it develops online games; and provides consulting and technology services, as well as media and net book services. The company was formerly known as Communication Over The Air Inc. and changed its name to KongZhong Corporation in March 2004. KongZhong Corporation was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China

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 Kongzhong (Nasdaq: KONG  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One under-$10 wireless services player that looks poised for a big spike higher is KongZhong (KONG), which is a provider of WVAS and mobile games to mobile phone users and a wireless media company providing news, content, community and mobile advertising services through its wireless Internet sites in the PRC. This stock is off to a hot start in 2013, with shares up sharply by 53%.

    If you take a look at the chart for KongZhong, you'll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last two months, with shares plunging lower from its high of $14.92 to its recent low of $7.78 a share. During that downtrend, shares of KONG have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of KONG into oversold territory, since its current relative strength index reading is 30.21. Shares of KONG are now starting to spike higher off its recent low of $7.78 a share and off its 200-day moving average of $7.95 a share. This spike could be signaling that the downside volatility for KONG is over in the short-term and the stock is ready to trend higher.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in KONG if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $8.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 519,857 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then KONG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $10 to its 50-day moving average at $11.33 a share.

    Traders can look to buy KONG off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $7.78 a share. One can also buy KONG off strength once it takes out $8.50 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Best China Companies For 2014: China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited(CHOP)

China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited engages in the manufacture and sale of cold-rolled narrow strip steel products in the People's Republic of China. The company converts steel manufactured by third parties into thin steel sheets and strips. It sells its products directly to its customers in a range of industries, including food and industrial packaging, construction and household decorations materials, electrical appliances, and telecommunications wires and cables industries. The company was formerly known as Golden Green Enterprises Limited and changed its name to China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited in December 2009. China Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited is based in Zhengzhou, China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    On Tuesday, the basic materials sector proved to be a source of strength for the US market after Yellen statement. Huntsman (NYSE: HUN) shares surged 2.62 percent after reporting strong quarterly earnings, while China Gerui Advanced Materials Group (NASDAQ: CHOP) gained around 2.5 percent.

Best China Companies For 2014: Baidu Inc.(BIDU)

Baidu, Inc. provides Chinese and Japanese language Internet search services. Its search services enable users to find relevant information online, including Web pages, news, images, multimedia files, and blogs through the links provided on its Websites. The company also offers online community-based products and entertainment platforms; an instant messaging service; and a consumer-oriented e-commerce platform. In addition, it designs and delivers online marketing services and auction-based P4P services that enable its customers to reach users who search for information related to their products or services. The company serves online marketing customers consisting of small and medium sized enterprises, large domestic corporations, and Chinese divisions or subsidiaries of multinational corporations primarily operating in the medical, machinery, education, franchising, electronic products, e-commerce, ticketing, tourism, information technology, consumer products, real estate, entertainment, and financial services industries. It sells its online marketing services directly, as well as through its distribution network. The company was formerly known as Baidu.com, Inc. and changed its name to Baidu, Inc. in December 2008. Baidu, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Kevin Chen]

    Baidu� (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) has acquired PPS, an Internet video provider, for $370 million.

    The deal is expected to close during the second quarter of 2013. Once completed, Baidu will consolidate the PPS online video business into Baidu's financial statements. Baidu will also merge the PPS video library with iQiyi, Baidu's video platform. PPS will operate as a sub-brand of iQiyi. Combined, the merger will make Baidu China's largest online video provider by number of mobile users and total viewing time.�

  • [By Kevin Chen]

    One of the best buys in tech today is Baidu� (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) , and that's for good reason. Baidu does have a lot going for it: The company trades at a lower valuation than Google� (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) , yet commands a greater percentage of its domestic search market. And given the growth trends in China and the government's favoritism for domestic companies, Baidu seems like a sure-fire investment ready to pop.�

  • [By Robert Martin]

    Top holdings include internet companies Qihoo 360 Technology (QIHU) and Baidu (BIDU) — both about 8% — as well as Chinese media giant Sina (SINA) at 6.6%. More than half of PGJ is dedicated to tech stocks, with another 20% allocated in consumer discretionary. This makes a good play for China�� burgeoning tech industry, with a side dish of consumer stocks for the country�� enormous population.

  • [By Selena Maranjian]

    The biggest new holdings include MeadWestvaco�and Brocade Communications Systems. Other new holdings of interest include Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) and Cheniere Energy (NYSEMKT: LNG  ) . Baidu has seen its stock fall about 17% over the past year, partly due to China's economic growth slowing. Baidu's last earnings report was disappointing (despite many impressive numbers), but its long-term prospects remain solid, as much of China and Asia has yet to get online. Still, it does have serious competition. One of the company's latest moves is expanding into video.

Best China Companies For 2014: 51job Inc.(JOBS)

51job, Inc. provides integrated human resource services primarily in the People?s Republic of China. . The company provides recruitment related advertising services, including print advertising services through 51job Weekly, which is a city-specific recruitment advertising publication that is published once a week and is distributed as an insert in local newspapers and/or on a stand-alone basis; and online recruitment services through its Website, www.51job.com. It also offers other human resource related services, such as business process outsourcing, which consist of social insurance and welfare payment processing, regulatory compliance, and payroll processing; and executive search services, as well as conducts training seminars in the areas of business management, leadership, sales and marketing, human resource, negotiation skills, financial planning and analysis, public administration, manufacturing, secretarial, and other skills for the general public and corporate cl ients. In addition, the company provides campus recruitment services; conducts salary, employee retention, and other human resource related surveys; organize and host annual human resource conferences and events, which include lectures, seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities for human resource professionals; and provides assessment tools to assist human resource departments in evaluating capabilities and dispositions of job candidates and existing employees, aiding employee placement, and allocating employee resources, as well as hiring and support services to employers on select recruitment projects. It provides recruitment and other human resource related services to employers through its sales offices, as well as through its sales and customer service call center. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Rooney]

    51job (JOBS), an online job search website similar to Monster.com (MWW), has surged more 60% this year.

    But there is one notable Chinese dot-com stock that's sitting out the big rally. Shares of Renren (RENN), the social network known as China's Facebook (FB, Fortune 500), are down 3% for the year.

Best China Companies For 2014: Changyou.com Limited(CYOU)

Changyou.com Limited develops and operates online games in the People?s Republic of China. It involves in the development, operation, and licensing of massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs), which are interactive online games that might be played simultaneously by various game players. The company operates seven MMORPGs that include its in house developed Tian Long Ba Bu; and licensed Blade Online, Blade Hero 2, Da Hua Shui Hu, Zhong Hua Ying Xiong, Immortal Faith, and San Jie Qi Yuan. As of December 31, 2010, Changyou?s games in China had approximately 111.4 million aggregate registered accounts; 1.0 million aggregate peak concurrent users; and 2.7 million aggregate active paying accounts. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China. Changyou.com Limited is a subsidiary of Sohu.com Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Yiannis Mostrous]

    Changyou.com (CYOU)

    A subsidiary of Internet portal Sohu.com, video game developer Changyou.com specializes in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG).

  • [By Damian Illia]

    In the video game industry no one is playing games. Users are seeking entertainment on all kinds of devices, and companies strive hard to stand out and profit in this shifting field. Competition might be stiff, but it�� a highly profitable business for those that make it to the next level. Electronic Arts (EA), Changyou.com (CYOU) and Activision Blizzard (ATVI) are three game developers with different, but interesting, prospects ahead. Let�� take a closer look at them and see if you��e up for play:

Best China Companies For 2014: Arotech Corporation(ARTX)

Arotech Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides defense and security products. It operates in three divisions: Training and Simulation, Battery and Power Systems, and Armor. The Training and Simulation division develops, manufactures, and markets multimedia and interactive digital solutions for use-of-force training and driving training of military, law enforcement, security, and other personnel; provides simulators, systems engineering, and software products to the United States military, government, and private industry; and offers specialized use of force training for police, security personnel, and the military. The Battery and Power Systems division manufactures and sells lithium and zinc-air batteries for defense and security products and other military applications; and develops and sells rechargeable and primary lithium batteries and smart chargers to the military and to private defense industry. This division also develops, manufactures, and markets primary zinc-air batteries, rechargeable batteries, and battery chargers for the military; and produces water-activated lifejacket lights for commercial aviation and marine applications. The Armor Division manufactures military and paramilitary armored vehicles, and employs sophisticated lightweight materials to produce aviation armor; and uses engineering concepts to produce combat armored military vehicles and up-armor civilian commercial vehicles. This division also uses lightweight armoring materials and advanced engineering processes to provide ballistic armor kits for rotary and fixed wing aircraft. Arotech sells its products primarily in the United States, Israel, Taiwan, Canada, England, Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, India, Spain, Singapore, and Japan. The company was formerly known as Electric Fuel Corporation and changed its name to Arotech Corporation in September 2003. Arotech Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One stock that's quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Arotech (ARTX), which is a defense and security products and services company. This stock is off to a booming start in 2013, with shares up big by 82%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Arotech, you'll notice that this stock has just started to trend back above its 50-day moving average of $1.86 a share with strong upside volume. Volume so far today has already registered over 600,000 shares, which is well above its three-month average action of 226,678 shares. This spike back above the 50-day is starting to push shares of ARTX within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ARTX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.97 to $2.24 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 226,678 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ARTX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $2.71 a share. Any high-volume move above $2.71 will then give ARTX a chance to trend north of $3 a share.

    Traders can look to buy ARTX off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $1.74 a share. One can also buy ARTX off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    The great part about trading is the same thing that can make it a miserable game to play... nothing lasts forever. If you can spot the points in time when the winds blowing a stock are about to change, you can make or save a fortune. If you miss those subtle clues, however, you can lose... big-time. Enter Arotech Corporation (NASDAQ:ARTX) and Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA). Both have been well-watched stocks of late, and for food reason - both are big movers, in one direction or the other. Now, however, both ARIA and ARTX� are poised to move in a new direction - opposite directions - and traders looking for a good opportunity may want to take a closer look at both [which is what you're about to do].

Best China Companies For 2014: China Lodging Group Limited (HTHT)

China Lodging Group, Limited, together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and manages a chain of hotels in the People?s Republic of China. It operates HanTing Express Hotel that targets knowledge workers and value-conscious travelers; HanTing Seasons Hotel, which targets mid-level corporate managers and owners of small and medium enterprises; and HanTing Hi Inn for budget-constrained travelers. As of March 31, 2011, the company had 473 hotels consisting of 259 leased-and-operated hotels and 214 franchised-and-managed hotels; and 162 hotels under development, including 74 leased-and-operated hotels and 88 franchised-and-managed hotels. China Lodging Group, Limited was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

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 China Lodging Group (Nasdaq: HTHT  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [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 China Lodging Group (Nasdaq: HTHT  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Facebook to snap up virtual-reality start-up…

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook continue its billion-dollar buying binge Tuesday, forking over $2 billion for Oculus, a fledgling start-up in virtual-reality technology.

The deal calls for $400 million in cash and 23.1 million shares of Facebook common stock worth about $1.6 billion. The accord includes another $300 million in cash and stock based on incentives.

"Our mission is to make the world more open and connected," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook profile page. "Oculus's mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences."

Best Undervalued Stocks To Buy For 2014

The head-gear-mounted technology, a hit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, is the brainchild of Palmer Luckey. He was 21 at the time of CES.

Brendan Iribe is CEO and co-founder.

"We believe virtual reality will be heavily defined by social experiences that connect people in magical, new ways," Iribe said in a statement. "It is a transformative and disruptive technology, that enables the world to experience the impossible, and it's only just the beginning."

Oculus is Facebook's second multibillion-dollar purchase this year. In February, it announced plans to acquire messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion.

Having focused solely on the software side of the industry, Facebook's plunge into a hardware business like Oculus is surprising, says Gartner analyst Brian Blau.

"They've talked about not wanting to be a hardware company," Blau says. "They want to do software and infrastructure, and they're clearly focused on social. Virtual reality isn't any of those things."

Monday, March 24, 2014

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now

 Some critics of our current monetary system will tell you that it tends to make speculators out of everyone...   After all, our current monetary system allows the Federal Reserve to "bail out" folks who make terrible lending and borrowing decisions... And the argument goes, if you can't trust the government to maintain a sound currency, you're less likely to park your savings in that currency. You're more likely to make risky bets on stocks, real estate, and bonds. Less sophisticated people are more likely to gamble with their money in lotteries and casinos.   That's the theory... But let's consult the market to see if it's working in real life...   Let's look at the Market Vectors Gaming Fund (NYSE: BJK). This fund is a broad bet on the world's largest casino and gambling stocks. Its largest holding is mega-casino-operator Las Vegas Sands.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: NanoTech Entertainment Inc (NTEK)

NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. (NanoTech), formerly Aldar Group, Inc., is a provider of gaming technology for the coin-op arcade, casino gaming and consumer gaming markets. The Company operates as a manufacturer, developing technology and games, and then licensing them to third parties for manufacturing and distribution. As of June 30, 2009, the Company�� products included MultiPin, Xtreme Rally Racing, NanoNET Online System, Pinball Wizard, Mot-Ion Adapter, Opti-Gun Adapter and Retr-IO Adapter. In April 2009, the Company acquired NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. In July 2013, NanoTech Entertainment Inc completed the acquisition of Clear Memories, Inc. of Napa California. Effective August 9, 2013, NanoTech Entertainment Inc acquired Worldwide Global Entertainment, a developer of prepackaged software.

The Company�� physics engine and motion sensors allow MultiPin to accurately recreate the experience of a mechanical pinball machine, while providing players with a variety of classic and modern pinball games to choose from. Xtreme Rally Racing is a driving machine that features three modes of game play: Xtreme Off-Road-Race Head to Head against other players and the computer to checkpoints while driving anywhere on the map with no preset course; Timed Rally Stages-Classic Rally Racing on real world courses. Players will be able to race in five different countries on real world rally courses, and Xtreme Stadium Racing-Custom Stadiums designed for Xtreme racing, including a figure eight multi-lap course with huge jumps. NanoNET Online System is remote operator control of machines, including diagnostics, accounting reports, and automatic software updates and enhancements downloaded over the net.

The Company has created the input device designed to give the pinball players a way to experience real pinball controls on their personal computer. Based on the technology developed for the MultiPin product it has built a controller that lets people play pinball using traditional controls and! the ability to shake and nudge the table. The Mot-Ion adapter is a universal serial bus (USB) adapter that allows do it yourself Pinball enthusiasts to build their own cabinet using real pinball controls providing analog inputs for nudging and bumping. The OptiGun adapter is a USB adapter that allows players to connect Arcade Light Guns to any USB based system. The Retr-IO adapters provide a standard JAMMA interface for USB based systems.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Bryan Murphy]

    Call them hunches (because that's all they are), but now would be a great time to get out of a NanoTech Entertainment, Inc. (OTCMKTS:NTEK) position and/or get into an ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD). NTEK looks like its reached its maximum potential - for the time being - while ACAD looks like it's ready to start rolling higher again.

  • [By Peter Graham]

    Nyxio Technologies Corp (OTCMKTS: NYXO), COREwafer Industries Inc (OTCMKTS: WAFR) and NanoTech Entertainment, Inc (OTCMKTS: NTEK) are three small cap stocks in some very diverse industries. In fact, one of these stocks just bought a 3D ice sculpture business. So will investors see their investment melt with that small cap stock�along with the other two? Here is a closer look to help you decide for yourself:��

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: William Hill PLC (WMH)

William Hill PLC is a United Kingdom-based gambling company. The Company�� business is to provide its customers with a range of sports betting and gaming opportunities. It is a bookmaker providing fixed odds sports betting. It also offers gaming opportunities. The Company�� segments include Retail distribution channel, which includes activity undertaken in LBOs, including gaming machines; Online segment, which includes activity undertaken online, including an online sportsbook, online casino, online poker sites and other gaming products; Telephone segment, which includes its telephone betting services; US segment, comprises all activity undertaken in the United States; Other activities include on-course betting and greyhound stadia operations. In April 2013, it acquired the remaining 29% stake in William Hill Online from its joint venture partner Playtech Ltd. Effective September 2, 2013, William Hill PLC acquired Miapuesta.es, a provider of gaming and sports betting services. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Inyoung Hwang]

    Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc sank 3.3 percent after reporting results and naming the head of its U.K. consumer unit as chief executive officer. William Hill Plc (WMH) dropped the most in four years after the bookmaker posted earnings that missed analysts��projections. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) rose to a five-year high as the parent of British Airways reported an operating profit in the second quarter.

Best Penny Stocks To Watch For 2014: MGM Resorts International(MGM)

MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Smith]

    On Friday, Amazon announced that its European LOVEFiLM subsidiary is teaming up with MGM (NYSE: MGM  ) Television to bring the hit new History Channel television show VIKINGS to viewers in the U.K., and Germany as well. Beginning May 24, LOVEFiLM will be the only service offering streaming video of all nine episodes of Vikings' first season to viewers in the U.K. and Germany. (Season 2 is scheduled to arrive in 2014). Additionally, Amazon points out that it will be streaming the show through LOVEFiLM before Vikings even goes into broadcast in Europe.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    U.S.-based casino operators Las Vegas Sands Inc. (NYSE: LVS), Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN), and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) already operate resorts and casinos in Macau and these companies would be much smaller without them.

  • [By Lisa Abramowicz]

    ��t�� allowed companies such as ourselves to continue to access the capital markets,��Dan D��rrigo, the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Las Vegas-based casino company MGM Resorts International (MGM), said in a Sept. 17 telephone interview. During the crisis, ��e still had access but at much more costly rates to our company,��he said.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Caesars Entertainment Corp (CZR)

Caesars Entertainment Corporation, incorporated on November 2, 1989, is a diversified casino-entertainment provider. The Company�� business is primarily conducted through a wholly owned subsidiary, Caesars Entertainment Operating Company, Inc. (CEOC), although certain material properties are not owned by CEOC. As of December 31, 2012, it owned, operated, or managed, through various subsidiaries, 52 casinos in 13 United States states and seven countries. The majority of these casinos operate in the United States, primarily under the Caesars, Harrah��, and Horseshoe brand names, and in England. In November 2012, the Company sold its Harrah's St. Louis casino to Penn National Gaming, Inc. In December 2012, the Company purchased all of the net assets of Buffalo Studios, LLC, a social and mobile games developer and owner of Bingo Blitz.

The Company�� casino entertainment facilities include 33 land-based casinos, 11 riverboat or dockside casinos, three managed casinos on Indian lands in the United States, one managed casino in Cleveland, Ohio, one managed casino in Canada, one casino combined with a greyhound racetrack, one casino combined with a thoroughbred racetrack, and one casino combined with a harness racetrack. The Company�� land-based casinos include nine in England, two in Egypt, one in Scotland, one in South Africa and one in Uruguay. As of December 31, 2012, its facilities had an aggregate of approximately three million square feet of gaming space and approximately 43,000 hotel rooms. In southern Nevada, Caesars Palace, Harrah�� Las Vegas, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Bally�� Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, The Quad Resort & Casino (formerly the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino), Bill�� Gamblin��Hall & Saloon, and Hot Spot Oasis are located in Las Vegas and draw customers from throughout the United States. Harrah�� Laughlin is located near both the Arizona and California borders and draws customers primarily from! the southern California and Phoenix metropolitan areas and, to a lesser extent, from throughout the United States through charter aircraft. In northern Nevada, Harrah�� Lake Tahoe and Harveys Resort & Casino are located near Lake Tahoe and Harrah�� Reno is located in downtown Reno. These facilities draw customers primarily from northern California, the Pacific Northwest, and Canada.

The Company�� Atlantic City casinos, Harrah�� Resort Atlantic City, Showboat Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, and Bally�� Atlantic City, draw customers primarily from the Philadelphia metropolitan area, New York, and New Jersey. Harrah�� Philadelphia (formerly Harrah's Chester) is a combination harness racetrack and casino located approximately six miles south of Philadelphia International Airport and draws customers primarily from the Philadelphia metropolitan area and Delaware. The Company�� Chicagoland dockside casinos, Harrah�� Joliet in Joliet, Illinois, and Horseshoe Hammond in Hammond, Indiana, draw customers primarily from the greater Chicago metropolitan area. In southern Indiana, it owns Horseshoe Southern Indiana, a dockside casino complex located in Elizabeth, Indiana, which draws customers primarily from northern Kentucky, including the Louisville metropolitan area, and southern Indiana, including Indianapolis. In Louisiana, the Company owns Harrah�� New Orleans, a land-based casino located in downtown New Orleans, which attracts customers primarily from the New Orleans metropolitan area. In northwest Louisiana, Horseshoe Bossier City, a dockside casino, and Harrah�� Louisiana Downs, a thoroughbred racetrack with slot machines, both located in Bossier City, cater to customers in northwestern Louisiana.

The Company owns the Grand Casino Biloxi, located in Biloxi, Mississippi, which caters to customers in southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and northern Florida. Harrah�� North Kansas City dockside casino draws customers from the Kansas City metropolitan ar! ea. Harra! h�� Metropolis is a dockside casino located in Metropolis, Illinois, on the Ohio River, drawing customers from southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and central Tennessee. Horseshoe Tunica, Harrah�� Tunica, and Tunica Roadhouse Hotel & Casino, dockside casino complexes located in Tunica, Mississippi, are approximately 30 miles from Memphis, Tennessee and draw customers primarily from the Memphis area and, to a lesser extent, from throughout the United States through charter aircraft. Horseshoe Casino and Bluffs Run Greyhound Park, a land-based casino and pari-mutuel facility, and Harrah�� Council Bluffs Casino & Hotel, a dockside casino facility, are located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska. At Horseshoe Casino and Bluffs Run Greyhound Park, the Company owns the assets other than gaming equipment, and leases these assets to the Iowa West Racing Association (IWRA), a nonprofit corporation, and it manages the facility for the IWRA under a management agreement expiring in October 2024. The license to operate Harrah�� Council Bluffs Casino & Hotel is held jointly with IWRA, the qualified sponsoring organization.

The Conrad Resort & Casino located in Punta Del Este, Uruguay (the Conrad), draws customers primarily from Argentina and Uruguay. In November 2012, the Company announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Enjoy S.A. (Enjoy) to form a strategic relationship in Latin America. Under the terms of the agreement, Enjoy will acquire 45% of Baluma S.A., its subsidiary, which owns and operates the Conrad, and the Company will become a 10% shareholder in Enjoy upon consummation of the agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, which is subject to certain conditions, including the receipt of all regulatory and governmental approvals, Enjoy will assume primary responsibility for management of the Conrad. Enjoy will have the option to acquire the remaining stake in Baluma S.A. between years three and five following closing. The cl! osing of ! the transaction remains subject to a number of conditions, including regulatory and governmental approvals in both Uruguay and Chile.

The Company owns four casinos in London: the Sportsman, the Golden Nugget, The Playboy Club London, and The Casino at the Empire. Its casinos in London draw customers primarily from the London metropolitan area, as well as international visitors. The Company also owns Alea Nottingham, Alea Glasgow, Alea Leeds, Manchester 235, Rendezvous Brighton, and Rendezvous Southend-on-Sea in the provinces of the United Kingdom, which primarily draw customers from their local areas. Pursuant to a concession agreement, it also operates two casinos in Cairo, Egypt, The London Club Cairo (which is located at the Ramses Hilton) and Caesars Cairo (which is located at the Four Seasons Cairo), which draw customers primarily from other countries in the Middle East. Emerald Safari, located in the province of Gauteng in South Africa, draws customers primarily from South Africa. It owsn and operates Bluegrass Downs, a harness racetrack located in Paducah, Kentucky.

The Company owns three casinos for Indian tribes: Harrah�� Phoenix Ak-Chin, located near Phoenix, Arizona, Harrah�� Cherokee Casino and Hotel, and Harrah�� Rincon Casino and Resort, located near San Diego, California. The Company manages Caesars Windsor, located in Windsor, Ontario, which draws customers primarily from the Detroit metropolitan area, Horseshoe Cleveland casino in Ohio, which it manages for Rock Ohio Caesars LLC (ROC), a venture with Rock Ohio Ventures, LLC (Rock Gaming), in which it has a 20% equity interest, and the Horseshoe Cincinnati casino in Ohio for ROC for a fee under a management agreement that will expire in March 2033. It also has a minority interest in Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, LLC (Suffolk Downs), which owns a horse-racing track in Boston, Massachusetts, and the right to manage a future gaming facility. The Company also owns ans operates a golf course on 175 acres of prime real! estate t! hrough a land concession on the Cotai strip in Macau.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Wallace Witkowski]

    Shares of Caesars Entertainment Corp. (CZR) �fell 1.5% to $25.20 on light volume after the casino operator�� fourth-quarter loss widened.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Wynn Resorts Limited(WYNN)

Wynn Resorts, Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, ownership, and operation of destination casino resorts. The company owns and operates Wynn Las Vegas casino resort in Las Vegas, which includes approximately 22 food and beverage outlets comprising 5 dining restaurants; 2 nightclubs; 1 spa and salon; 1 Ferrari and Maserati automobile dealership; wedding chapels; an 18-hole golf course; meeting space; and foot retail promenade featuring boutiques. Wynn Las Vegas casino resort also features approximately 147 table games, 1 baccarat salon, private VIP gaming rooms, 1 poker room, 1,842 slot machines, and 1 race and sports book. It also owns and operates an Encore at Wynn Las Vegas resort, a destination casino resort located adjacent to Wynn Las Vegas that features a 2,034 all-suite hotel, as well as a casino with 95 table games, 1 sky casino, 1 baccarat salon, private VIP gaming rooms, and 778 slot machines. In addition, the company operates Wyn n Macau casino resort located in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People?s Republic of China. Wynn Macau casino resort features approximately 595 hotel rooms and suites, 410 table games, 935 slot machines, 1 poker room, 1 sky casino, 6 restaurants, 1 spa and salon, lounges, meeting facilities, and retail space featuring boutiques. Further, it operates Encore at Wynn Macau resort located adjacent to Wynn Macau. Encore at Wynn Macau resort features approximately 410 luxury suites and 4 villas, as well as casino gaming space, including a sky casino consisting of 60 table games and 80 slot machines, 2 restaurants, 1 luxury spa, and retail space. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Matt Thalman]

    While Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN  ) are both major players in Macau, MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM  ) is making a big push to grow its base in the Chinese gambling mecca, while it also has a massive footprint in Las Vegas, and the other two have a much lower room count. MGM owns a good portion of the Las Vegas Strip, and as we continue to see average daily hotel room rates rise for the city and increased gaming revenue for the strip, we will see MGM greatly benefit from a recovering American tourist industry and a stronger Las Vegas.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PLC (BPTY)

bwin.party digital entertainment plc (bwin.party) is a holding company. The Company is an online gaming company. It operates in five segments: sports betting, casino & games, poker, bingo; and other (including network services, World Poker Tour, InterTrader.com, WIN.com, software services and the payment services business). Its sport betting segment includes bwin, betoto, Gamebookers, Gioco Digitale and PartyBets. It�� Casino & games segment includes PartyCasino, bwin and GD Casino. Its poker segment includes PartyPoker, bwin and GD Casino. Its Bingo segment includes Foxy Bingo, Cheeky Bingo, Gioco Digitale and Binguez. The Company�� subsidiaries include BES SAS, bwin Argentina SA, bwin Italia S.r.l., bwin.party Games AB and Cashcade Limited. Its subsidiaries are engaged in management and information technology (IT) services, marketing services, online gaming, transaction services, customer support services, marketing support services and Land-based poker events. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

    Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Plc (BPTY) plunged 14 percent to 110 pence, the biggest drop since April 2011, after the online gaming company said 2013 sales will be 14 percent to 17 percent lower than last year�� figures. Analysts on average had forecast a sales drop of 9.2 percent.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: PhilWeb Corp (WEB)

PhilWeb Corporation is a Philippines-based Internet gaming company. The Company focused its activities on building its Internet-based products and services. The Company is engaged in providing products and services within a particular economic environment. It operates in two geographical segments: domestic operations and foreign operations. Its subsidiaries include BigGame, Inc., operates Internet casino station operations; Premayo sa Resibo, Inc., develops and markets computer systems, applications, programs and operates gaming platforms; PhilWeb Casino Corporation, develops, engages and maintains gaming systems and applications for all types of casino operations; e-Magine Gaming Corporation, develops technology, and PhilWeb Leisure & Tourism Corporation, establishes, operates and maintains leisure and tourism-oriented activities. Effective December 13, 2013, ePLDT Inc, a wholly owned unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co acquired a 27.283% interest in Philweb Corp. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon]

    Always touchable money is cash. For individuals, there's little reason for it not to be a simple bank account, money market fund, etc. For most investors, you can just let this stock sit in your brokerage account. Many brokers will sweep unused cash into a money market account ��or other form of savings ��where it can earn a tiny amount of interest for you while staying totally liquid. One advantage of keeping cash in this form is that you can look at your cash and stock positions on the same (web)page any time you want. So, for example, if you know you want to keep 10% of your portfolio in cash ��you can see that you have $12,000 in cash as part of your $120,000 brokerage account and that means you are right on target with your liquidity goal.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Caribbean International Holdings Inc (CIHN)

Caribbean International Holdings Inc., formerly Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corporation, incorporated on February 12, 2009, is focused in the gaming and entertainment company. The Company has a gaming casino, located in the city of Sousa, in the Dominican Republic. In April 2012, it acquired exclusive rights to distribute Bionic Products' Energy Drinks throughout the Caribbean, South and Central America.

The Sosua Bay Grand Casino provides the gaming and entertainment experience to the Domincan Republic. It is equipped with a state of the art lighting and sound system.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap stocks Caribbean International Holdings (OTCMKTS: CIHN), Blue Water Global Group Inc (OTCBB: BLUU) and Metrospaces Inc (OTCMKTS: MSPC) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and all three have focused their activities in the Caribbean or South America. However, all three have been the subject of paid promotions which have helped to get them mentions in various investment newsletters. With that in mind, will bets on the Caribbean or South America pay off big for these three small cap stocks and their investors? Here is a quick reality check:

    Caribbean International Holdings (OTCMKTS: CIHN) is All About Wings, Mechanical Bulls and Stem Cells

    Formerly known as Caribbean Casino & Gaming Corp, small cap Caribbean International Holdings operates as a holding company. On Friday, Caribbean International Holdings rose 8.39% to $0.0369 for a market cap of $315,400 plus CIHN is up 985.3% over the past year and up 7,280% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sands China Ltd (SCHYF)

Sands China Ltd. (Sands China) is an investment holding company. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the development and operation of integrated resorts in Macao, which contain not only gaming areas, but also meeting space, convention and exhibition halls, retail and dining areas and entertainment venues. The Company operates in five segments: The Venetian Macao, Sands Macao, The Plaza Macao, Sands Cotai Central and ferry and other operations. The Venetian Macao, the Plaza Macao and Other developments derive their revenue primarily from casino, hotel, food and beverage, mall, convention, retail and others sources. Ferry and other operations derive their revenue from the sale of ferry tickets for transportation between Hong Kong and Macau. As of December 31, 2011, its properties included 3,554 hotel rooms and suites, 74 restaurants, 1.2 million square feet of retail, 1.2 million square feet of meeting space, two permanent theaters, a 15,000-seat arena and the casino. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By MARKETWATCH]

    HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks rose early Wednesday, with the Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) up 0.2% at 22,587.72. Hong Kong properties advanced, as the city's major developer Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. (HK:16) (SUHJY) rose 0.7%, after the company launched new luxury Riva project and saw the first batch of 64 flats sold out on the first day of sale. Sino Land Co. (HK:83) (SNLAF) rose 1.1%, Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. gained 0.9%, and Henderson Land Development Co. (HK:12) (BACHY) edged up 0.2%. Chinese auto maker Dongfeng Motor Group Co. (HK:489) resumed trading and fell 0.9%, after the company said it signed an agreement with French joint-venture partner PSA Peugeot Citroen to invest 800 million euros ($1.1 billion) for a stake in the company. Most Casino stocks were lower, after reports said Macau planned to cut the duration of operators' licenses to 5 years. Shares of MGM China Holdings Ltd. (HK:2282) (MCHVF) declined 1.6%, SJM Holdings Ltd. (HK:880) lost 1%, and Sands China Ltds. (HK:1928) (SCHYF) dropped 0.8%. On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index (CN:SHCOMP) traded flat at 2,119.77.

  • [By MARKETWATCH]

    HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks sold off early Thursday after the Federal Reserve decided to further taper stimulus, and after a final reading of China's manufacturing PMI contracted. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) sank 1.5% to 21,815.04 in holiday-shortened trading. Tech stocks retreated, as Chinese PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd. (HK:992) (LNVGF) dropped 5.3%, failing to get a lift from news that it plans to acquire the Motorola handset business from Google Inc. (GOOG) for $2.91 billion as Lenovo aims for a bigger presence in the U.S. market. Software developer Kingsoft Corp. (HK:3888) (KSFTF) fell 1.9% and Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. (HK:700) (TCTZF) dropped 1.5%. Casino stocks also declined. Sands China Ltds. (HK:1928) (SCHYF) , the Hong Kong-listed unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) , slipped 0.2%, despite financial results that showed Sands China's net income increased 40% year-on-year to $467 million in the fourth quarter. Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (HK:6883) (MPEL) slumped 3.2%, and both Wynn Macau Ltd. (HK:1128) (WYNMF) and MGM China Holdings Ltd. (HK:2282)

Top 10 Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc (DDE)

Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc., incorporated in December of 2001, is a premier gaming and entertainment resorts. The Company�� operations consist of: Dover Downs Casino, a 165,000-square foot casino complex featuring table games, including craps, roulette and card games, such as blackjack, Spanish 21, baccarat, 3-card and pai gow poker, the latest in slot machine offerings, multi-player electronic table games, the Crown Royal poker room, a Race & Sports Book operation, the Dover Downs' Fire & Ice Lounge, the Festival Buffet, Doc Magrogan's Oyster House, Frankie's Italian restaurant, as well as several bars, restaurants and four retail outlets; Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center, a 500 room AAA Four Diamond hotel with a full-service spa/salon, conference, banquet, ballroom and concert hall facilities, and Dover Downs Raceway, a harness racing track with pari-mutuel wagering on live and simulcast horse races. All of its operations are located at its entertainment complex in Dover. Its two wholly owned subsidiaries include Dover Downs, Inc. and Dover Downs Gaming Management Corp.

Dover Downs Casino

The Company's casino had approximately 2,539 slot machines as of December 31, 2011. It is open for business around the clock. During the year ended December 31, 2011, that the facility was visited by approximately 2.6 million patrons. Its slot machines range from penny machines to $100 machines in the Premium Slots area and include games found in the country's major gaming jurisdictions. The Company operates with 40 tables, including blackjack, craps and roulette tables. The Crown Royal poker room has 12 poker tables. It has its Race and Sports Book operation featuring parlay sports wagering on NFL games and pari-mutuel wagering on live and simulcast horse races. Dover Downs, Inc. is authorized to conduct video lottery, sports wagering and table game operations. The Company's Capital Club, a slots players club and tracking system, allows it to identify customers and t! o reward their level of play through various marketing programs.

Dover Downs Hotel

The Company's luxury hotel facility, the Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center, connects to the Company's casino. The facility includes 500 rooms, including 11 luxury spa suites, a multi-purpose ballroom/concert hall, a fine dining restaurant, swimming pool and a luxurious 6,000 square-foot full-service spa. It offers a range of entertainment options to its patrons, including concerts featuring prominent entertainers, live boxing, gourmet dining, spa facilities, trade shows and conferences. During 2011, hotel occupancy averaged 90%.

Dover Downs Raceway

The Company�� Dover Downs Raceway conducts live harness races from November until April and is simulcast to more than 300 tracks and other off-track betting locations across North America on each of the Company's more than 120 live race dates. The Company's harness racing track is a 5/8-mile track that is located on DVD's property and is on the inside of its one-mile motorsports superspeedway. Additional amenities include the Winners Circle Restaurant overlooking the horse racing track. Within the Company's Race & Sports Book operation is the simulcast parlor where the patrons can wager on harness and thoroughbred races received by satellite into its facility year round from numerous tracks across North America. Television monitors throughout the area provide views of all races simultaneously and the betting windows are connected to a central computer allowing bets to be received on all races from all tracks.

The Company has an agreement with the Delaware Standardbred Owner's Association, Inc. (DSOA) effective September 1, 2010 and continuing through August 31, 2014. DSOA's membership consists of owners, trainers and drivers of harness horses participating in harness race meetings at its facilities and elsewhere in the United States and Canada. Under the DSOA agreement, the Company is required to distrib! ute as pu! rses for races conducted at its facilities a percentage of its retained share of pari-mutuel revenues.

The Company competes with Harrington Raceway and Delaware Park.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

    The REIT is expected to spend as much as $500 million in acquisitions in 2014, according to Barron��, and some potential acquisition targets include Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLE) which has a market cap of around $323 million or Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: DDE) with a market cap of around $47 million.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    Stocks on the move: Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ: VOD) is up 8.1% at $31.80 on reports of discussions with Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) that would result in the sale of Vodafone�� 45% stake in Verizon Wireless to the controlling shareholder. Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: DDE) is up 10.8% at $1.54 after Wednesday�� launch of its online casino games that will soon be available to state residents to play for real money.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Six Key Earnings to Watch This Week: Adobe, Hertz, Oracle, FedEx, Nike, Tiffany

Earnings season has all but wound down, but some of the off-calendar quarterly earnings reports are still coming out. 24/7 Wall St. has tracked only six earnings of critical importance to watch this week. That will likely make these reports stand out even more than they would have otherwise. Earnings estimates come from Thomson Reuters, and color has been provided for each.

Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) reports on Tuesday afternoon after the close. The software player is down only $3 from its 52-week high and estimates call for earnings per share (EPS) of $0.25 and $973.1 million in revenue. Estimates for the coming quarter are $0.27 EPS and $990.3 million in revenue.

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) reports earnings on Tuesday morning. The car rental giant has risen on hope of a spin-off in the equipment rental unit. Earnings estimates are $0.32 EPS and $2.62 billion in revenue. The coming quarter’s estimates are $0.19 in EPS and $2.59 billion in revenue. The spin-off report had Hertz shares up 5% at $27.28 on Monday, against a 52-week range of $19.73 to $29.81.

Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) finally has traded back up above a range from a series of earnings disappointments. Will that last? The enterprise software leader is expected to report earnings of $0.70 per share and $9.36 billion in revenue. For the next quarter, those estimates are $0.96 EPS and $11.5 billion in sales. By the way, it has now been a while since Oracle made a major acquisition, and its 2014 revenue growth is expected to be only 3.5%, followed by almost 5% growth in 2015. Will Larry Ellison telegraph any deals ahead? Oracle trades at only 12 times next year’s EPS estimates, based on 9.5% earnings growth.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) reports on Wednesday morning, and we were already braced for lower numbers after the holidays and after storm after storm. At almost $138, its 52-week trading range is $90.61 to $144.39. Estimates are $1.51 EPS and $11.46 billion in revenues, and estimates for the quarter-end ahead are $2.32 EPS and $11.71 billion in revenue. FedEx trades at about 15.5 times next year’s expected earnings.

Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) is set to report earnings on Thursday after the close of trading. Nike may only be $1 or so shy of a high, but $80 has been a hurdle now twice in the past four months or so. Estimates are $0.72 EPS and $6.7 billion in revenues. Next quarter estimates are $0.81 EPS and $7.52 billion in revenue. Nike shares are not cheap, particularly for a DJIA component, at 22.5 times next year’s earnings expectations, based on 11% earnings growth and almost 9% sales growth.

Top Biotech Companies To Own For 2014

Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) might not seem like a systemic stock on the surface, but Tiffany offers a clean insight into luxury spending that can translate into spending trends of so many other luxury spending. Estimates are $1.52 EPS and $1.31 billion for the period that includes Christmas. Estimates for the coming quarter are $0.80 EPS and $954.9 million in revenue. Shares are currently about $2.50 shy of its 52-week high of $94.88. Tiffany’s jewelry trades at a premium against peers, and its stock trades at a peer to most retail brands — at 21.5 times next year’s earnings estimates based on 14% earnings growth and 7.5% revenue growth.

McDonald's new menu item hints at new strategy

McDonald's (MCD) is slowly moving toward becoming a coffee shop. This might sound ludicrous to those who grew up while eating burgers and fries at McDonald's, but any company that wants to succeed will implement initiatives that match industry trends or find itself dying a slow and painful death.

This doesn't mean McDonald's will stop serving burgers and fries. That has yet to be established, and even if it did do this, it would likely occur many years down the road. However, one thing is certain: because of the rise of the health-conscious consumer, burgers and fries will not be the company's growth catalyst.

McDonald's recently launched a test menu item in the San Diego area. It's not surprising that this was a breakfast menu item. Coffee and breakfast go hand-in-hand. If McDonald's can add appealing items to its breakfast menu -- items that would go well with coffee at its McCafe -- then McDonald's could find a new avenue for growth domestically.

Petite Breakfast Pastries

If you get your coffee from McDonald's, then you might be inclined to try Petite Breakfast Pastries as a complement to your drink -- assuming that the restaurant makes them available systemwide in the future. If you order Petite Breakfast Pastries with coffee, then the Petite Breakfast Pastries will only cost you $1.29. If you order Petite Breakfast Pastries without coffee, they will cost you $1.99.

The Petite Breakfast Pastries come in Raspberry and Cinnamon Cream Cheese flavors. According to the Los Angeles Times, the early reviews on Twitter have been strong. This is a positive sign. While it's only a small step (potentially) to add a high-demand item to the menu, it's a step in the right direction. Considering recent comps performance for McDonald's, something needs to be done.

In February, McDonald's domestic comps slipped 1.4%, which was primarily blamed on the weather. In Europe, comps declined 0.6%, which was primarily blamed on Germany. In APMEA, comps slid 2.6%, with Japan taking most of ! the blame. While excuses are sometimes justifiable, a restaurant chain that sells high-demand items can stand up to inclement weather.

McDonald's might be the largest restaurant in the world, but it still needs growth catalysts. On several occasions, McDonald's has hinted that it wants to expand its reach in the breakfast market. It's the current leader for breakfast, but it must continue to innovate in order to maintain this lead.

An interesting aspect of this story is that the primary competitors for McDonald's won't be Wendy's and Burger King, they will be Dunkin' Brands (DNKN) and Starbucks (SBUX) .

Expanding breakfast

Dunkin' Donuts now offers the Eggs Benedict Breakfast Sandwich, the Turkey Breakfast Sandwich, and a Whole Wheat Bagel. The Turkey Breakfast Sandwich is served on multigrain flatbread, but it is also available as a wrap. The Whole Wheat Bagel can be ordered with reduced fat cream cheese spreads.

It's clear that Dunkin' Donuts is targeting the health-conscious consumer, which is a positive. Actually, Dunkin' Brands (Dunkin' Donuts plus Baskin-Robbins) seems to be doing a lot right. It has delivered 45 consecutive quarters of comps growth in a challenging consumer environment.

Hot Net Payout Yield Stocks To Buy Right Now

Going forward, Dunkin' Brands aims to drive comps and profitability by offering high-margin and differentiated products. For fiscal-year 2014, Dunkin' Brands expects comps growth of 3.4%.

Meanwhile, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz once stated that he didn't lose any sleep over Dunkin' Donuts being a threat to his business. On one hand this makes sense, primarily because Starbucks restaurants are often situated in higher-income areas and they attract a more affluent consumer. Dunkin' Donuts aims for the middle-income consumer. On the other hand, there's no question that overlaps exist, and some consumers might choose one brand over! the othe! r because of its menu offerings. McDonald's also plays a role here.

Starbucks' breakfast menu now includes: Bacon & Gouda Breakfast Sandwich, Classic Whole-Grain Oatmeal, Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich, Ham & Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich, Hearty Blueberry Whole-Grain Oatmeal, Reduced Fat Turkey-Bacon Breakfast Sandwich, Sausage & Cheddar Breakfast Cheddar Sandwich, Slow-Roasted Ham & Swiss Breakfast Sandwich, Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap, and Vegetable & Fontiago Breakfast Sandwich.

The point of listing all of those items is to show that Starbucks is also making a strong push for the breakfast market, so today's health-conscious consumer has several options. As far as overall comps performance goes, Starbucks delivered 5% growth, primarily because of a 4% increase in traffic. Therefore, demand is still high for Starbucks.

The takeaway

It's very possible that McDonald's key competitors down the road will be Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks, not Wendy's and Burger King. If this ends up coming to fruition, then McDonald's must continue to innovate and test new breakfast menu items in order to maximize its market share potential. The Petite Breakfast Pastries are a step in the right direction.

At the moment, McDonald's is a mature company struggling to find growth avenues. Investors shouldn't expect to see significant stock appreciation in the near future, but strong cash flow generation allows for a generous 3.4% dividend yield and resiliency to difficult economic times. Please do your own research prior to making any investment decisions.

The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.


<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1'SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N4538.USAToday/B2304017.8;abr=!ie;sz=550x300;ord=[timestamp]?"></SCRIPT&a! mp;amp;am! p;gt;<NOSCRIPT><AHREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N4538.USAToday/B2304017.8;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=550x300;ord=[timestamp]?"><IMGSRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N4538.USAToday/B2304017.8;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=550x300;ord=[timestamp]?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=550 HEIGHT=300ALT="Advertisement"></A></NOSCRIPT>

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Zac Efron Lists Former Hollywood Hills Party Pad For $2.85 Million

Zac Efron is shedding the last piece of his former life as a young Hollywood bad boy.

After two stints in rehab, the reformed actor is selling his former Hollywood Hills party pad for $2,849,000. Following a tumultuous time period in his life, where he privately struggled with addiction, Efron is seeking more Zen in his life, and he's starting at home. He moved out of this place after buying a 'majestic Zen Contemporary' property in Los Feliz in October 2013,  paying close to $4 million for the new home. The fresh start it provided him? Priceless!

Now that Efron's out of the house that was the backdrop to a darker period in his life, he's selling the place.

The home is a gorgeous gem and steeped in history. With 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, Efron's former home embodies the ideal California lifestyle in a primo location.

Zac1

Whole walls of glass open in every room for seamless indoor/outdoor flow and beautiful natural light. Situated up a gated drive on a flat lush lot, this home features heated concrete floors, a unique infinity pool with an ozone system and an open kitchen with a Wolf range and sub-zero appliances.Offering coveted seclusion and style, the home is the perfect celebrity hideaway.

Efron paid $2,350,000 for the home on December 3, 2008

Kathrin Nicholson of The Agency represents the listing.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Chevron Corporation(CVX)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Paul Ausick]

    The sales big spender was Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) which posted 16 high bids, totaling just over $321 million. Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) offered six high bids, tota! ling $106 million, followed by Murphy Oil Corp. (NYSE: MUR) with 16 high bids, totaling nearly $50 million, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE: RDS-A) with four high bids, totaling more than $45 million.

  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) is down some 7.4% so far year to date, but it is down 10.2% from its 52-week high of $127.83. It is trading at $114.60, and the consensus target of $129.56 implies upside of just over 13% for the oil giant. While Exxon was barely behind this one, Chevron does at least have that higher 3.5% dividend yield, and that dividend is likely to rise yet again. The company’s capex and drilling outlook failed to excite Wall Street, but that happens sometimes, and vast fields are getting harder to find at economical levels.

  • [By Paul Ausick]

    After falling nearly 1.2% yesterday after announcing that production would be falling and capex spending would be lower, Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) trades up 0.96% today at $115.61 in its 52-week range of $109.27 to $127.83 shortly before the closing bell. Trading volume for Chevron's shares was about 12% below the daily average of around 6.5 million shares.

  • source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-blue-chip-stocks-to-watch-right-now-2.html

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Top 5 Canadian Companies For 2014

Top 5 Canadian Companies For 2014: American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AXL)

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, engineering, design, and validation of driveline and drivetrain systems, and related components and chassis modules for automotive industry in the United States. The company?s driveline and drivetrain systems comprise components that transfer power from the transmission and deliver it to the drive wheels. These products include axles, chassis modules, driveshafts, power transfer units, transfer cases, chassis and steering components, driving heads, crankshafts, transmission parts, and metal-formed products. It offers products for light trucks, sport utility vehicles, passenger cars, crossover vehicles, and commercial vehicles. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sue Chang]

    American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AXL)  is projected to report earnings of 56 cents a share in the third quarter.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB) has gained 1% to $24.86 today, but its trading more on whether investors expect its acquisition by Apollo Tyres to be completed. Car-part companies, however, are also exhibiting weakness today. TRW Automotive (TRW) has fallen 0.8% to $77.91, Lear (LEA) has dipped 0.4% to $74.78 and American Axel and Manufacturing (AXL) is off 0.5% to $18.99.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings (NYSE: AXL  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 3. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  • source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topst! ocksblog.com/top-5-canadian-companies-for-2014.html

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Hot Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now

Hot Biotech Stocks To Own Right Now: Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc (ELTP)

Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Elite), incorporated on October 1, 1997, is a specialty pharmaceutical company principally engaged in the development and manufactures of oral, controlled-release products, using technology and the development and manufacture of generic pharmaceuticals. Elite has four products: Phentermine 37.5 milligram tablets, Methadone 10 milligram tablets, Lodrane D Immediate Release capsules and Hydromorphone Hydrochloride 8 milligram tablets. During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2012 (Fiscal 2011), the Company manufactured and sold Lodrane 24 and Lodrane 24D (the Lodrane Extended Release Products).

The Company has a pipeline of additional generic drug candidates under active development, including, without limitation, ELI-154, a once-a-day oxycodone product and ELI-216, an abuse resistant oxycodone product which utilizes the Company's propriety formulation for abuse resistant products utilizing the pharmacological approach (Elite's A buse Resistant Technology). ECR Pharmaceuticals (ECR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hi-Tech Pharmacal, Inc. and the owner and marketer of the Lodrane Extended Release Products. Elite also purchased from Mikah Pharma LLC, an approved Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Naltrexone 50 milligram tablets.

For ELI-154, Elite has developed a once-daily oxycodone formulation using its technology. An investigational new drug application (IND) has been filed and Elite has completed two pharmacokinetic studies in healthy subjects that compared blood levels of oxycodone from dosing ELI-154 and the twice-a-day product that is on the market, OxyContin marketed in the United States by Purdue Pharma LP. ELI-216 utilizes the Company's abuse-deterrent technology that is based on a pharmacological approach. ELI-216 is a combination of a narcotic agonist, oxycodone hydr! ochloride, in a sustained-release formulation intended for use in patients with moderate to severe chronic pain, and an antagonist, naltrexone hydrochloride, formulat! ed to deter abuse of the drug. Products utilizing the pharmacological approach to deter abuse such as Suboxone, a product marketed in the United States by Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Embeda, a product marketed in the United States by Pfizer, have been approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA). ELI-216 demonstrates a euphoria-blocking effect when the product is crushed. Elite has developed ELI-154 and ELI-216 and retains the rights to these products.

The Company competes with Collegium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Purdue Pharma LP, Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Durect Corporation, Mylan Laboratories, Inc., Par Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Alkermes, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., Aptalis Pharma, Impax Laboratories, Inc., and Watson Pharmaceuticals.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Judging from the company it's keeping Green Automotive Co. (OTCMKTS:GACR) may have just made its way into the upper echelon of small cap stock opportunities. The electric car company joins Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:ELTP), Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:AMBS), and only three other companies as Wall-Street.com's "Best 6 Stocks" for January of 2014. As one of the top information resources for investors - particularly in terms of information regarding small and micro cap stocks - being named among the site's top pick is an accolade for AMBS, ELTP, and GACR. Even more impressive is that Green Automotive Co. was the only consumer-goods name among those six. Amarantus Bioscience Holdings and Elite Pharmaceuticals are biotechnology names... an industry that can and often does attract a lot of attention just by the nature of the business. The other three names making the "Best 6" list were an energy explorer, a power-management technology manufacturer, and presc! ription! /medical food producer. For an electric car manufacturer to make the list speaks quite highly of GACR.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Exactly one month ago today I penned some bullish thoughts on Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB:ELTP). If you're familiar with the company - or a regular reader of this site - then you may know why that sounds a little "off." See, at the time, ELTP shares were falling rather quickly, giving up all the gains they had made just a few days before. Almost needless to say, my premise was not a well received one. Let's just say I received some "colorful disagreements" by being optimistic about the biopharma company.

  • [By CRWE]

    Today, ELTP has shed (-8.01%) down -0.009 at $.101 with 4,629,899 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 1:00PM EDT September 16, 2013).

    Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. previously reported the first quarter of fiscal year 2014 ended June 30, 2013. Manufacturing and profit split revenues comprised almost all of Elite’s quarterly revenues and totaled $717k for the quarter, an increase of 41% from the prior year. This growth is attributed to the launch of two new products during the quarter, Phentermine 15mg and 30mg capsules, combined with strong year-on-year growth of the Elite’s Hydromorphone 8mg tablets and contract manufactured Methadone 10mg product lines.

  • source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-biotech-stocks-to-own-right-now.html