Saturday, September 20, 2014

Top 10 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2014

While Congressional Republicans continued to put up at least a symbolic fight against the Affordable Care Act (ACA) last year, it did little to dent the health care sector’s performance. Health care was the only traditionally defensive sector to outperform the broader market in 2013.

We strongly suspect that health care’s outperformance was due to the market perception that Republicans were tilting at windmills. Investors tuned out the political noise and priced in the effect of more than 50 million new patients accessing the health care system. That also likely means that much of the potential positive impact of the ACA is already being priced into most health care stocks.

This dynamic makes stock picking in the sector much more difficult, because rising valuations have made slam-dunk opportunities tougher to find.

Nonetheless, at least one terrific—if somewhat contrarian—income play is still available in health care.

Top 5 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: LCY Chemical Corp (1704.TW)

LCY Chemical Corporation is principally engaged in the manufacture and distribution of polypropylene (PP), solvents and other chemical products. The Company provides methanol products, including methanol, formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde and dimethyl ether, among others; solvents, including ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol and methyl isobutyl ketone, as well as electronic chemical products, PP related products, thermoplastic rubber and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Its products are applied in the manufacture of resins, agricultural pesticides, catalysts, medicines, paintings, inks, artificial leather products, shoes, industrial products, electronic components, toys and electrical appliances, among others. On June 23, 2014, it acquired a certain shares of TECHNOLOGY CORP. After that, it holds 86.65% stake of LCY TECHNOLOGY CORP. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Anna Prior]

    Kraton Performance Polymers Inc.'s(KRA) board is no longer pushing for the company’s stockholders to approve its plans to combine with LCY Chemical Corp.'s(1704.TW) styrenic block copolymer operations.

Top 10 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2014: Oaktree Capital Group LLC (OAK)

Oaktree Capital Group, LLC (Oaktree) is a global investment management firm focused on alternative markets. Oaktree manages funds in investment strategies that fall into the six asset classes, which include distressed debt, corporate debt, control investing, convertible securities, real estate and listed equities. As of June 30, 2011, the Company�� assets under management (AUM) totaled $79.5 billion. The Company�� manager is Oaktree Capital Group Holdings GP, LLC. The Company manages assets on behalf of other institutional investors in the world, including 70 of the 100 United States pension plans, 37 states in the United States, over 350 corporations, over 300 university and charitable endowments and foundations, and over 150 non-United States institutional investors, including six of the top 10 sovereign wealth fund nations.

Funds managed by Oaktree include both separate accounts and commingled funds. The commingled funds include open-end and closed-end limited partnerships for which the Company or a subsidiary serves as the general partner or, in certain limited cases, co-general partner. Oaktree makes principal investments in these funds.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dividend]

    Oaktree Capital (OAK) has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion. The company employs 750 people, generates revenue of $144.98 million and has a net income of $6,672.42 million. Oaktree Capital�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $-638.22 million. The EBITDA margin is -440.21 percent (the operating margin is -445.31 percent and the net profit margin 4,602.21 percent).

Top 10 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2014: Teekay Lng Partners L.P.(TGP)

Teekay LNG Partners L.P. provides marine transportation services for liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and crude oil worldwide. It transports liquid petroleum gases, including propane, butane, and methane; petrochemical gases comprising ethylene, propylene, and butadiene; and ammonia. The company provides its services through a time-charter or bareboat charter contract basis. As of August 16, 2011, it operated a fleet of 21 LNG carriers, including 1 LNG regasification unit; 5 LPG/multigas carriers; and 11 conventional tankers. Teekay GP L.L.C. serves as the general partner of Teekay LNG Partners L.P. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Teekay LNG Partners L.P. is a subsidiary of Teekay Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Robert Rapier]

    The third and most speculative category of MLP that should benefit from expanding US natural gas production is engaged in building and operating LNG export terminals, or in the operation of ships that carry LNG. As US LNG exports ramp up in the years ahead, partnerships that own fleets of special LNG carriers, like�GasLog Partners�(NYSE: GLOP),�Teekay LNG Partners�(NYSE: TGP) and�Golar LNG�(Nasdaq: GLNG) should flourish.

  • [By Tyler Crowe]

    Another element to consider as well is a sustained period where the Suez Canal is shut down. If this were the case, it could be a temporary boost for tanker fleets. LNG carriers like�Teekay LNG Partners� (NYSE: TGP  ) , the third-largest liquefied natural gas fleet, would be well positioned to benefit from the increased ship times. Day rates for LNG carriers are about $100,000 per day, and the extra eight to 15 days of shipping time could be a nice pad to revenue.

  • [By STANSBERRYRESEARCH]

    There are few things in life I know with certainty... But I know this: Barring the end of the world, the price of oil is going to fall and the price of natural gas is going to rise. In my mind, you ought to buy all the natural gas you can afford because these energy resources will not be cheap forever.

       There were other signs that natural gas was at a very significant low. First and foremost, Wall Street had gone from being massively long natural gas in 2005 and 2006 to being almost uniformly short. Trading volume on natural gas futures had soared – up 31% in a year, with almost all the financial firms being short.    But the most important factor in my analysis was that from a physical, arbitrage perspective, natural gas couldn't get any cheaper. Natural gas is just one form of energy. In theory, as an energy source, it's totally interchangeable with other fossil fuels. Think of it this way: A barrel of oil has 5.825 million British thermal units (Btu) of energy. One thousand cubic feet of gas contains just a little more than 1 million Btu of energy.   Thus, on an energy-equivalent basis, you might expect natural gas to trade for one-sixth the price of oil. That doesn't actually happen very often, though... In the real world, oil has vastly more utility. It's far more widely used in transportation, and it's much easier to transport. (It doesn't have to be frozen first, like natural gas does.)   So in the real world, historically, oil has carried a 10x premium in price to natural gas on an energy equivalent basis. But last April... the price of oil was trading at over a 50x multiple to the price of natural gas. This enormous premium simply couldn't last – it was impossible.    That's why I was telling you to be a pig in natural gas. First, I had studied the investment carefully for a long period of time.   Second, I knew that Wall Str
  • [By Varun Chandan, Arora]

    However, just as the wider shipping industry is seeing a recovery, the LNG tanker market has entered a downturn. Indeed, LNG charter rates have more than halved compared to last year. Despite this scenario, Teekay LNG Partners L.P. (NYSE: TGP  ) is an attractive proposition as the partnership is largely protected from short-term volatility in LNG freight rates and is well positioned to capitalize on growth in the LNG market in the long term.

Top 10 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2014: Universal Forest Products Inc (UFPI)

Universal Forest Products, Inc., incorporated on February 9, 1955, is a holding company that provides capital, management and administrative resources to c and market wood and wood-alternative products for retail building home centers and other retailers, structural lumber and other products for the manufactured housing industry, engineered wood components for the residential construction market, and specialty wood packaging and components and packing materials for various industries. Its operating segments consist of the Eastern, Western, Site-Built, Consumer Products and Distribution divisions. The Company�� subsidiaries also provide framing services for the residential market and forming products for concrete construction. The Company's consumer products operations offer a portfolio of outdoor living products, including wood composite decking, decorative balusters, post caps and plastic lattice. Its lawn and garden group offers an array of products, such as trellises and arches, to retailers nationwide. In January 2013, the Company�� subsidiary acquired Custom Caseworks, Inc.

In Retail Building Materials Market the Company offers composite wood and plastic products. The Company also sells engineered wood products to this market, which include roof trusses, wall panels and engineered floor systems. In Residential and Commercial Construction Markets, the Company supplies builders engaged in multi-family and commercial construction. It supplies wood forms and related products to set or form concrete for various structures, including garages, stadiums and bridges. The Company also provides framing services. In Manufactured Housing Market the Company distributes certain products, such as siding, electrical and plumbing to manufactured housing and RV customers. The Company define its industrial market as industrial manufacturers and agricultural customers who use pallets, specialty crates and wooden boxes for packaging, shipping and material handling purposes.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    Universal Forest Products (NASDAQ: UFPI) is projected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $625.77 million.

    Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.38 per share on revenue of $2.82 billion.

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    What: Shares of Universal Forest Products (NASDAQ: UFPI  ) jumped as much as 10% today after reporting earnings.

    So what: Revenue rose 24% to $738.4 million and was well ahead of the $714.8 million analysts expected. Earnings per share fell 10% from a year ago, but at $0.79 was still $0.12 ahead of expectations. �

  • [By Victor Selva]

    Universal Forest Products Inc. (UFPI) is a holding company that provides capital, management and administrative resources to subsidiaries that design, manufacture and market wood and wood-alternative products. It currently consumes about 7 percent of North American softwood lumber production per year.

Top 10 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2014: BIOLASE Inc (BIOL)

BIOLASE, Inc., formerly BIOLASE Technology, Inc., incorporated in 1987, is a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets lasers, and markets and distributes dental imaging equipment and other related products designed for applications and procedures in dentistry and medicine. The Company's dental laser systems allow dentists, periodontists, endodontists, oral surgeons, and other specialists to perform a range of dental procedures, including cosmetic and complex surgical applications in a minimally invasive manner. The Company also manufactures and sells disposable products and accessories for its laser systems. The Company's Waterlase and Diode systems use disposable laser tips of differing sizes and shapes depending on the procedures being performed. The Company also markets flexible fibers and hands pieces. For the Company's ezlase system, the Company sells tooth whitening gel kits. In April 2012, it purchased 159 Waterlase MD Turbo laser systems from Henry Schein, Inc.

The Company's Waterlase Dentistry consists of two product lines Waterlase systems and Diode systems. In July 2011, the Company introduced the Biolase DaVinci Imaging line of imaging products, which enabled the Company to offer digital diagnostic solutions to complement the minimally invasive dental treatment solutions offered by its Waterlase and Diode dental systems. The Company added the distribution of the NewTom cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), to its imaging product line. The integration of the Company's laser products with imaging offers dental professionals the Total Technology Solution, which provides imaging capabilities for early diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment with its Waterlase iPlus and iLase laser technologies.

The Company's all-tissueWaterlase dental laser systems consist of the Waterlase iPlus, the Waterlase MD Turbo, and the Waterlase MDX 300 and 450, both introduced in February 2012. Each of these systems is designed around the Company's yttrium scandi! um gallium garnet (YSGG) laser technology that refers to the laser crystal used in the Waterlase system, which contains the elements erbium, chromium and yttrium, scandium, gallium and garnet. This crystal laser produces energy with specific absorption and tissue interaction characteristics optimized for dental applications. HydroPhotonics refers to the interaction of YSGG lasers with water to produce energy to cut tissue. It is minimally invasive and can cut hard tissue, such as bone and teeth, and soft tissue, such as gums or skin, without the heat, vibration, or pressure associated with traditional dental treatments. By eliminating heat, vibration, and pressure, the Company's Waterlase systems eliminate the need for anesthesia.

The Waterlase systems incorporate an ergonomic handpiece and a control panel located on the front of the system with precise preset functionality to control the mix of laser energy, air, and water, as well as the pulse rate. The Waterlase iPlus incorporates the iLase wireless diode laser that can be utilized for unexpected soft-tissue cases in an adjacent treatment room, controlling bleeding, and temporary pain relief.

The Company's Diode laser systems in dentistry consist of the ezlase and iLase, semiconductor diode lasers to perform soft tissue, hygiene, cosmetic procedures, teeth whitening, and temporary pain relief. The Company's ezlase system serves the markets of general, cosmetic, orthodontic and hygienic procedures. It features a pulse mode, ComfortPulse, which allows the tissue to cool between pulses and reduces the need for anesthesia for many common procedures. Other features include a wireless foot pedal control, disposable single-use tips, color touch screen activation with up to fifteen procedure based pre-sets, a whitening hand piece, a rechargeable battery pack, and a wall mount.

The Company's imaging systems include the Company's design and distribution of extra-oral and intra-oral dental digital imaging devices. The Co! mpany's e! xpansion into digital imaging systems enables the Company to offer diagnostic solutions to complement the minimally invasive dental treatment solutions offered by the Company's Waterlase and Diode dental systems. The Company provides both high-precision intuitive diagnosis and treatment planning solutions. The Company's Biolase DaVinci Imaging systems include the D3D, a three dimensional (3D) CBCT, and portable digital x-ray and intra-oral camera devices.

The NewTom VGi is a small-footprint CBCT system that offers medical grade imaging technology. In addition to producing up to image resolution with medical grade rotating anode technology, SafeBeam technology automatically adjusts radiation dosage. The Company's Medical systems include the Diolase 10 Diode Laser. As of December 31, 2011, the Company has sold approximately 8,700 Waterlase systems, including over 4,700 Waterlase MD and iPlus systems, and more than 19,000 laser systems in total in over 60 countries. As of decembe31, 2011, the Company�� other products under development address ophthalmology, dermatology, orthopedics, podiatry, and other medical and consumer markets.

The Company competes with Lares Dental Research, Fotona d.d., KaVo Dental GmbH, Lambda SpA, J Morita Manufacturing Corp., Syneron Medical Ltd, Deka Laser Technologies, Inc. Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc., Dentsply, Inc., Royal Philips Electronics and Sirona Dental Systems, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One health care player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Biolase (BIOL), which is a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets laser systems for dental and medical applications. This stock is off to a decent start in 2013, with shares up 12%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Biolase, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months, with shares moving between $1.64 on the downside and $2.24 on the upside. Shares of BIOL have now started to spike higher right off its 200-day moving average of $1.87 a share. That spike is quickly pushing shares of BIOL within range of triggering a major breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BIOL if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.15 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 627,655 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then BIOL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.50 to $4 a share.

    Traders can look to buy BIOL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $1.85 to $1.80 a share. One can also buy BIOL 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 James E. Brumley]

    Looking for a quick, high-odds bullish trade? Then look for further than BIOLASE Inc. (NASDAQ:BIOL). This small medical equipment company has had nothing less than a miserable 2013, falling from a peak above $6.00 in April to a multi-year low of $1.16 on Wednesday. But, the size and scope of that plunge from BIOL has also dropped all the tell-tale hints that a rebound is nigh.

  • [By Anna Prior]

    Biolase Inc.(BIOL) swung to a fourth quarter loss as the dental lasers manufacturer and distributor’s revenue fell, and the company said it was exploring strategic alternatives. Revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations. Shares dropped 7.7% to $2.98 in light premarket trading.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Yesterday, small cap dental stock BIOLASE Inc (NASDAQ: BIOL) surged 17.69% after announcing it had received a license from the Health Canada-Medical Device Bureau to sell its EPIC dental soft-tissue diode laser systems throughout Canada, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of mid cap dental stocks like Sirona Dental Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: SIRO), DENTSPLY International Inc (NASDAQ: XRAY) and Align Technology, Inc (NASDAQ: ALGN).

Top 10 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2014: HopFed Bancorp Inc.(HFBC)

HopFed Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Heritage Bank that provides various banking products and services primarily in western Kentucky, and middle and western Tennessee. The company offers a range of deposit products, including demand deposits, time deposits, money market accounts, passbook savings accounts, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises one-to-four family residential loans, multifamily residential loans, construction loans, nonresidential loans, commercial real estate loans, and land and land development loans, as well as loans secured by deposits, other consumer loans, and commercial loans. The company, through its subsidiary, Fall and Fall Insurance Agency, sells life and casualty insurance products to individuals and businesses. HopFed Bancorp offers its products and services through its branch offices located in Hopkinsville, Murray, Cadiz, Elkton, Fulton, Calvert City, and Benton, Kentucky; and in Clarksville, Pleasant View, Ashland City, Kingston Springs, and Erin, Tennessee. The company was founded in 1879 and is headquartered in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Louis Navellier]

    HopFed Bancorp (HFBC), at $85 million in market cap, operates 18 branches in middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky and can be thought of as poster child for what is going on in the small banking sector. An activist investor took a stake in the bank and opposed an ill-advised acquisition. Instead, he suggested HopFed management get its own house in order. Management went along and canceled the deal, instituted a stock buyback plan and doubled the dividend. HFBC was upgraded to an “A” back in May and still is a “strong buy” right now.

Top 10 Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2014: Harte-Hanks Inc. (HHS)

Harte-Hanks, Inc., a direct and targeted marketing company, provides multichannel direct and digital marketing services, and shopper advertising opportunities to a range of local, regional, national, and international consumer and business-to-business marketers in the United States and other countries. It offers integrated, multichannel, and data-driven solutions for various brands to retail, high-tech/telecom, financial services, and pharmaceutical/healthcare markets. The company provides agency and digital services, including Website development and design, digital strategy, social media marketing and monitoring, email marketing, and ecommerce and interactive relationship management services; database marketing solutions that enable organizations to build and manage customer communication strategies; and Trillium Software System, a global locator geocoding product, as well as associated data governance services. It also offers direct mail and fulfillment, and business-to -business lead generation services, as well as operates teleservice workstations that provide advanced contact center solutions. The company has a strategic partnership with GX Software. Harte-Hanks, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Luke Jacobi]

    Harte-Hanks (NYSE: HHS) shot up 6.76 percent to $8.53 after BMO Capital upgraded the stock from Market Perform to Outperform.

    Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) gained 3.78 percent to $51.04. Facebook's Instagram reported that it will introduce advertisements in the coming months. Sterne Agee raised the price target on the stock from $50.00 to $58.00.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    There will soon be a new moniker on the CEO nameplate at Harte-Hanks (NYSE: HHS  ) . The company has picked Robert Philpott to replace outgoing Chief Executive Larry Franklin, who will retire on June 30. Philpott, who was selected following a global search led by a board of directors committee, will also assume Franklin's role as president of the company.

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