Mid cap networking solutions company Brocade Communications Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: BRCD) has pretty much been a sleeper for investors since the dot.com bust, but that has changed over the past year���meaning its worth revisiting the stock along with potential performance benchmarks�like QLogic Corporation (NASDAQ: QLGC), Emulex Corporation (NYSE: ELX) and iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF (NYSEARCA: IGN). I should mention that we have recently Brocade Communications Systems to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio because the company has successfully transitioned from being a hardware company to supporting virtual networks via software and it continues to offer best-of-breed technology.
What is Brocade Communications Systems, Inc?Mid cap Brocade Communications Systems is an industry leader in providing reliable, high-performance network solutions that help the world�� leading organizations transition smoothly to a virtualized world where applications and information reside anywhere. With a complete family of Ethernet, storage, and converged networking solutions, Brocade Communications Systems helps organizations achieve their most critical business objectives through:
Best Healthcare Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: Chesapeake Utilities Corp (CPK)
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (Chesapeake), incorporated in 1947, is a utility company engaged in energy and other businesses. The Company operates in three segments: Regulated Energy, Unregulated Energy and Other. The Company operates regulated energy businesses through its natural gas distribution divisions in Delaware, Maryland and Florida, natural gas and electric distribution operations in Florida through Florida Public Utilities Company (FPU), and natural gas transmission operations on the Delmarva Peninsula and Florida through its subsidiaries, Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company (Eastern Shore) and Peninsula Pipeline Company, Inc. (Peninsula Pipeline), respectively. Its unregulated businesses include its natural gas marketing operation through Peninsula Energy Services Company, Inc. (PESCO); propane distribution operations through Sharp Energy, Inc. and its subsidiary Sharpgas, Inc. (collectively Sharp) and FPU�� propane distribution subsidiary, Flo-Gas Corporation; and its propane wholesale marketing operation through Xeron, Inc. (Xeron). It also has an advanced information services subsidiary, BravePoint, Inc. (BravePoint). In February 2013, Florida Public Utilities Company, a a subsidiary of the Company announced that its propane subsidiary, Flo-Gas Corporation, purchased the propane operating assets of Glades Gas Company. In June 2013, the Company acquired Eastern Shore Gas Company (ESG) and Eastern Shore Propane Company (ESP). In June 2013, Chesapeake Utilities Corp announced that it has acquired the operating assets of Austin Cox Home Services, Inc.
Regulated Energy
The Company�� regulated energy segment provides natural gas distribution service in Delaware, Maryland and Florida, electric distribution service in Florida and natural gas transmission service in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida. As of December 31, 2011, its Delaware and Maryland natural gas distribution divisions serve 53,851 residential and commercial customers and 97 industrial ! customers in central and southern Delaware and on Maryland�� eastern shore. Its Florida natural gas distribution operation consists of Chesapeake�� Florida division and FPU�� natural gas operation. As of December 31, 2011, its Florida electric distribution operation distributed electricity to 30,986 customers in four counties in northeast and northwest Florida. Eastern Shore operates a 402-mile interstate pipeline system, which transports natural gas from various points in Pennsylvania to its Delaware and Maryland natural gas distribution divisions, as well as to other utilities and industrial customers in southern Pennsylvania, Delaware and on the eastern shore of Maryland. Eastern Shore also provides swing transportation service and contract storage services. Peninsula Pipeline provides natural gas transportation service to a customer for a period of 20 years. This service is provided at a fixed monthly charge, through Peninsula Pipeline�� eight-mile pipeline located in Suwanee County, Florida.
The Company�� Delaware and Maryland natural gas distribution divisions have both firm and interruptible transportation service contracts with five interstate open access pipeline companies, including the Eastern Shore pipeline. These divisions are directly interconnected with the Eastern Shore pipeline, and have contracts with interstate pipelines upstream of Eastern Shore, including Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company LLC (Transco), Columbia Gas Transmission LLC (Columbia), Columbia Gulf Transmission Company (Gulf) and Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (TETLP). The Transco, Columbia and TETLP pipelines are directly interconnected with the Eastern Shore pipeline. The Gulf pipeline is directly interconnected with the Columbia pipeline and indirectly interconnected with the Eastern Shore pipeline.
Chesapeake�� Florida natural gas distribution division has firm transportation service contracts with Florida Gas Transmission Company (FGT) and Gulfstream Natural Gas System, LLC ! (Gulfstre! am). Eastern Shore has three contracts with Transco for a total of 7,292 dekatherms of firm peak day storage entitlements and total storage capacity of 288,003 dekatherms. Its electric distribution operation through FPU purchases all of its wholesale electricity from two suppliers: Gulf Power Company (Gulf Power) and JEA (formerly known as Jacksonville Electric Authority). The JEA contract provides generation, transmission and distribution service to northeast Florida. The Gulf Power contract provides generation, transmission and distribution service to northwest Florida.
Unregulated Energy
The Company�� unregulated energy segment provides natural gas marketing, propane distribution and propane wholesale marketing services to customers. As of December 31, 2011, its natural gas marketing subsidiary, PESCO, provided natural gas supply and supply management services to 3,080 customers in Florida and 16 customers on the Delmarva Peninsula. The gas, which PESCO sells, is delivered to retail customers through affiliated and non-affiliated local distribution company systems and transmission pipelines. PESCO bills its customers through the billing services of the regulated utilities that deliver the gas, or directly, through its own billing capabilities. As of December 31, 2011, Sharp, its propane distribution subsidiary, served 34,317 customers throughout Delaware, the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia, and southeastern Pennsylvania. Its Florida propane distribution subsidiary provides propane distribution service to 14,507 customers in parts of Florida. Xeron, its propane wholesale marketing subsidiary, markets propane to petrochemical companies, resellers and retail propane companies in the southeastern United States. Its propane distribution operations purchase propane from suppliers, including oil companies, independent producers of natural gas liquids and from Xeron. In current markets, supplies of propane from these and other sources are readily available for purchase. It! s propane! distribution operations use trucks and railroad cars to transport propane from refineries, natural gas processing plants or pipeline terminals to its bulk storage facilities.
Other
The other segment consists of its advanced information services subsidiary, other unregulated subsidiaries, which own real estate leased to Chesapeake and its subsidiaries. Its advanced information services subsidiary, BravePoint, provides domestic and a range of international clients with information technology services and solutions for both enterprise and e-business applications. Skipjack, Inc. and Eastern Shore Real Estate, Inc. own and lease office buildings in Delaware and Maryland to affiliates of Chesapeake. Chesapeake Investment Company is an affiliated investment company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE: CPK) announced a three-for-two stock split of its outstanding common stock. Chesapeake Utilities shares fell 2.18% to close at $70.91 yesterday.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Chesapeake Utilities� (NYSE: CPK ) �has declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.385 per share, a 5.5% increase over its previous payout of $0.365 per share. The dividend will be paid on July 5 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 17.�The increase raises the annualized dividend�$0.08�per share, from�$1.46, to�$1.54�per share.
Top 10 Mid Cap Companies To Invest In 2014: Mdu Res Group Inc (MDU)
MDU Resources Group, Inc. operates as a diversified natural resource company in the United States. The company�s Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. As of December 31, 2012, this segment provided its electric services to approximately 131,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in 177 communities and adjacent rural areas. Its Natural Gas Distribution segment distributes natural gas in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, as well as in Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. This segment served approximately 859,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 334 communities and adjacent rural areas. The company�s Pipeline and Energy Services segment provides natural gas transportation, underground storage, processing, and gathering services, as well as oil gathering through regulated and nonregulated pipeline systems primarily in the Rocky Mountain and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. This segment also provides cathodic protection and other energy-related services. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the Rocky Mountain and Mid-Continent regions of the United States and in and around the Gulf of Mexico. The company�s Construction Materials and Contracting segment mines, aggregates, and markets crushed stone, sand, gravel, and related construction materials, including ready-mixed concrete, cement, asphalt, liquid asphalt, and other value-added products. This segment also provides utility excavation services and inside electrical wiring, cabling, and mechanical services; sells and distributes electrical materials; and manufactures and distributes specialty equipment. MDU Resources Group, Inc. was founded in 1924 and is based in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Stavros]
Created with YCharts
In addition to beating the market since the beginning of the year, diversified energy utilities, such as MDU Resources Group Inc (NYSE: MDU), Dominion Resources Inc (NYSE: D) and Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), significantly outperformed pure-play or predominantly all-electric utilities, such as Duke Energy Corp (NYSE: DUK) and Entergy Corp (NYSE: ETR), by as much as several percentage points (See Chart B).
Interestingly, among top performers, there was no dominant strategy for exploiting natural gas demand, as these firms were involved in all aspects of the value chain–from exploration and production to distribution and storage. These companies have not only been benefiting from a natural gas surplus, but also from the pressing need to expand US energy infrastructure to deliver this newfound bounty to businesses and households.Chart B: Diversified Energy Utilities Outperformed Electric-Only Peers
Top 10 Mid Cap Companies To Invest In 2014: Noble Energy Inc. (NBL)
Noble Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States, West Africa, Eastern Mediterranean, the North Sea, and internationally. Its principal projects include the Central DJ Basin properties in the onshore US; Galapagos and Gunflint projects in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico; Tamar project in the offshore Israel; Aseng, Alen, and Diega/Carmen projects in the offshore Equatorial Guinea; and West Africa gas projects located in the offshore Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. The company was founded in 1932 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Arif’s top picks include Anadarko Petroleum (APC), EQT Corp. (EQT), and Noble Energy (NBL), though Newfield Exploration could be enticing for investors seeking “value turnaround stories.”
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Anadarko have underperformed peers like EOG Resources�(EOG),Noble Energy�(NBL),�Apache�(APA) and Occidental Petroleum�(OXY) during the past six months as the litigation risk held back the stock, and it looks like it’s going to take a while before its settled once and for all.
- [By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South]
Whether its the Q10 pumps, which can operate on either liquefied or compressed natural gas in lieu of gasoline or diesel, or the solar powered SandCastle PS-2500 sand storage and delivery system, Halliburton has efficiency and the environment on its mind. A Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL ) vice president even publicly praised the operations and its ability to minimize the company's "footprint both physically and with emissions".
Top 10 Mid Cap Companies To Invest In 2014: Ecopetrol S.A.(EC)
Ecopetrol S.A. operates as an integrated oil company in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and the U.S. Gulf Coast. The company engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas. As of December 31, 2010, its proved reserves of crude oil and natural gas consisted of 1,714.0 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company also transports crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil, and other refined products, as well as mixture of diesel and palm oil. It owns transportation network consisting of 3,003 kilometers of crude oil pipeline directly, as well as an additional 2,178 kilometers of crude oil pipeline with its business partners; and 3,017 kilometers of multi-purpose pipelines for transportation of refined products from refinery to wholesale distribution points. As of the above date, Ecopetrol S.A. owned 58 stations with a nominal storage capacity of 19 million barrels of crude oil and 6 million barrels of refined products. In addition, the company owns and o perates refineries that produce a range of refined products, including gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, aviation fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, sulfur, heavy fuel oils, motor fuels, and petrochemicals, including paraffin waxes, lube base oils, low-density polyethylene, aromatics, asphalts, alkylates, cyclohexane and aliphatic solvents, and refinery grade propylene, as well as provides industrial services to third parties. Further, it markets various refined and feed stock products, including regular and high octane gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, natural gas, and petrochemical products. The company was formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos and changed its name to Ecopetrol S.A. in June 2003. Ecopetrol S.A. was founded in 1948 and is based in Bogota, Colombia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
Energy services shares dropped around 0.63 percent in the US market on Tuesday. Top decliners in the sector included Ecopetrol SA (NYSE: EC), down 4 percent, and Petróleo Brasileiro Petrobras SA (NYSE: PBR), off 2.28 percent.
- [By Matt Smith]
What are some of the best bargains?
Growing resource nationalism, continuing government interference in the energy sector, falling crude prices and the pessimistic economic outlook has seen investors shy away from investing in Latin American energy companies. This has seen many of the region's major energy companies including Colombian government controlled Ecopetrol (NYSE: EC ) , Brazilian government controlled Petrobras and Argentine government controlled YPF fall to new 52 week lows. - [By Dividend]
Ecopetrol (EC) has a market capitalization of $94.96 billion. The company employs 8,087 people, generates revenue of $35.317 billion and has a net income of $7.863 billion. Ecopetrol�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $15.070 billion. The EBITDA margin is 42.67 percent (the operating margin is 35.23 percent and the net profit margin 22.26 percent).
Top 10 Mid Cap Companies To Invest In 2014: Allstate Corp (ALS)
The Allstate Corporation (Allstate), November 5, 1992, is a holding company for Allstate Insurance Company. The Company�� business is conducted principally through Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Life Insurance Company and their affiliates. It is engaged, principally in the United States, in the property-liability insurance, life insurance, retirement and investment product business. Allstate's primary business is the sale of private passenger auto and homeowners insurance. The Company also sells several other personal property and casualty insurance products, select commercial property and casualty coverages, life insurance, annuities, voluntary accident and health insurance and funding agreements. Allstate primarily distributes its products through exclusive agencies, financial specialists, independent agencies, call centers and the Internet. It conducts its business primarily in the United States. Allstate has four business segments: Allstate Protection, Allstate Financial, Discontinued Lines and Coverages and Corporate and Other. The Company is a personal lines insurer in the United States. Customers can access Allstate products and services, such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through nearly 12,000 exclusive Allstate agencies and financial representatives in the United States and Canada. In October 2011, the Company acquired Esurance and Answer Financial from White Mountains Insurance Group.
ALLSTATE PROTECTION SEGMENT
In this segment, the Company principally sells private passenger auto and homeowners insurance through agencies and directly through call centers and the Internet. These products are marketed under the Allstate, Encompass and Esurance brand names. The Allstate Protection segment also includes a separate organization called Emerging Businesses, which comprises Business Insurance (commercial products for small business owners), Consumer Household (specialty products including motorcycle, boat, renters and condominium insurance policies), A! llstate Dealer Services (insurance and non-insurance products sold primarily to auto dealers), Allstate Roadside Services (retail and wholesale roadside assistance products) and Ivantage (insurance agency). The Company also participates in the involuntary or shared private passenger auto insurance business in order to maintain its licenses to do business in many states. In some states, Allstate exclusive agencies offer non-proprietary property insurance products. Allstate brand auto and homeowners insurance products are sold primarily through Allstate exclusive agencies and serve customers who prefer local personal advice and service and are brand-sensitive. In most states, customers can also purchase certain Allstate brand personal insurance products, and obtain service, directly through call centers and the Internet.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, total Allstate Protection premiums written were $25.98 billion. Its broad-based network of approximately 10,000 Allstate exclusive agencies in approximately 9,700 locations in the United States produced approximately 86% of the Allstate Protection segment's written premiums in 2011. It provides personal property and casualty insurance products through independent agencies in the United States. Additionally, Allstate distribution, through brokering arrangements, offers non-proprietary products to consumers when an Allstate product is not available.
ALLSTATE FINANCIAL SEGMENT
Allstate Financial segment provides life insurance, retirement and investment products, and voluntary accident and health insurance products. Its principal products are interest-sensitive, traditional and variable life insurance; fixed annuities, including deferred and immediate; and voluntary accident and health insurance. Its institutional products consist of funding agreements sold to unaffiliated trusts that use them to back medium-term notes issued to institutional and individual investors. Banking products and services were offered to! customer! s through the Allstate Bank through September 2011. In 2011, after receiving regulatory approval to voluntarily dissolve, Allstate Bank ceased operations.
The Company sells Allstate Financial products to individuals through multiple intermediary distribution channels, including Allstate exclusive agencies and exclusive financial specialists, independent agents, specialized structured settlement brokers and directly through call centers and the Internet. The Company sells products through independent agents affiliated with approximately 125 master brokerage agencies. Independent workplace enrolling agents and Allstate exclusive agencies also sell its voluntary accident and health insurance products primarily to employees of unaffiliated businesses. Its mortgage loan portfolio, which is primarily held in the Allstate Financial portfolio, totaled $7.14 billion as of December 31, 2011
Allstate Financial, through several companies, is authorized to sell life insurance and retirement products in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States, Virgin Islands and Guam. Allstate Financial distributes its products to individuals through multiple distribution channels, including Allstate exclusive agencies and exclusive financial specialists, independent agents (including master brokerage agencies and workplace enrolling agents), specialized structured settlement brokers and directly through call centers and the Internet.
OTHER BUSINESS SEGMENTS
The Company�� Corporate and Other segment consistsof holding company activities and certain non-insurance operations. It�� Discontinued Lines and Coverages segment includes results from insurance coverage that it no longer writes and results for certain commercial and other businesses in run-off. Its exposure to asbestos, environmental and other discontinued lines claims is presented in the segment. The segment also includes the historical results of the commercial and reinsurance businesses ! sold in 1! 996.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Adrian Day]
Adrian Day: Yes, yes, I like the concept of looking up the secondary plays. I mean, you know we own Altius (ALS) for example, rather than Alderon (ADV). Altius owns 30% of Alderon, that is more diversified, has a better balance sheet. If Alderon succeeds, Atius will succeed.
Top 10 Mid Cap Companies To Invest In 2014: Vantiv Inc (VNTV)
Vantiv, Inc., formerly Advent-Kong Blocker Corp., incorporated on March 25, 2009, is a holding company that conducts its operations through its majority-owned subsidiaries, Vantiv Holding, LLC (Vantiv Holding) and Transactive Ecommerce Solutions Inc. (Transactive). The Company held 50.9% interest in the subsidiaries. The Company operates in two segments: Merchant Services and Financial Institution Services. The Company provides electronic payment processing services to merchants and financial institutions throughout the United States of America. The Company markets its services through diverse distribution channels, including a direct sales force, relationships with a range of independent sales organizations (ISOs), merchant banks, value-added resellers and trade associations as well as arrangements with core processors. In December 2012, the Company acquired Litle & Co.
The Company provides small and mid-sized clients with the solutions. In addition, it takes a consultative approach to providing services that help its clients enhance their payments-related services. The Company is also providing payment solutions for markets, such as prepaid, ecommerce and mobile payment offerings, because it processes payment transactions across the entire payment processing value chain on a single platform. The Company distributes its services through direct and indirect distribution channels. Its direct channel includes a national sales force that targets financial institutions and national merchants, regional and mid-market sales teams that sell solutions to merchants and third-party reseller clients and a telesales operation that targets small and mid-sized merchants. Its indirect channel to merchants includes relationships with a range of ISOs, merchant banks, value-added resellers and trade associations that target merchants, including small and mid-sized merchants. Its indirect channel to financial institutions includes relationships with third-party resellers and core processors.
M! erchant Services
The Company provides a suite of payment processing services, including acquiring and processing transactions, value-added services and merchant services for banks and credit unions. The Company authorizes, clears, settles and provides reporting for electronic payment transactions for its merchant services clients. Its client base includes over 400,000 merchant locations. The Company enables merchants of all sizes to accept and process credit, debit and prepaid payments and provide them supporting services, such as information solutions, interchange management and fraud management, as well as vertical-specific solutions in sectors, such as grocery, pharmacy, retail, petroleum and restaurants, including, quick service restaurants (QSRs).
The Company competes with Bank of America Merchant Services, Chase Paymentech Solutions, Elavon Inc., First Data Corporation, Global Payments, Inc., Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. and WorldPay US, Inc.
Financial Institution Services
The Company provides integrated card issuer processing, payment network processing and value-added services to financial institutions. Its services include a suite of transaction processing capabilities, including fraud protection, card production, prepaid cards and automated teller machine (ATM) driving and allow financial institutions to offer electronic payments solutions to their customers on a technology platform. The Company serves a diverse set of financial institutions, including regional banks, community banks, credit unions and regional personal identification number (PIN) debit networks. The Company focuses on small to mid-sized institutions. It provides a turnkey solution to such institutions to enable them to offer payment processing solutions. Its client base includes over 1,300 financial institutions. Its bank clients include Capital One Bank, Fifth Third Bank and First Niagara.
The Company competes with Fidelity National Information Services, ! Inc., Fir! st Data Corporation, Fiserv, Inc., Total System Services, Inc. and Visa Debit Processing Service.
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 Vantiv (NYSE: VNTV ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top 10 Mid Cap Companies To Invest In 2014: Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. (BIO)
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. manufactures and supplies the life science research, healthcare, analytical chemistry, and other markets worldwide with a range of products and systems used to separate complex chemical and biological materials and to identify, analyze, and purify their components. It operates in two segments, Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, sells, and services reagents, apparatus, and instruments used for biological research. This segment sells its products to university and medical school laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, food testing laboratories, and government and industrial research facilities. The Clinical Diagnostics segment develops, manufactures, sells, and services automated test systems, informatics systems, test kits, and specialized quality controls for the healthcare market. This segment sells its products to reference laboratories, hospital laboratories, screening faci lities, physicians? office laboratories, transfusion laboratories, and insurance and forensic testing laboratories. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Hercules, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Victor Selva]
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. (BIO) is a manufacturer and distributor of its own life science research and clinical diagnostics products. The company has two primary segments: Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The company sells its products and services to a diverse client base comprised of scientific research, healthcare, education and government customers.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE: BIO ) reported earnings on May 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Bio-Rad Laboratories met expectations on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.
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