Top Stocks To Buy For 2015: 10/12/14

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now

Amazon.com� (NASDAQ: AMZN ) can't seem to stay out of the news this week. In its latest push for world domination, the e-tailer is expanding its fresh grocery business outside of its hometown Seattle. AmazonFresh, as it's called, will soon offer same-day or next-day delivery of groceries in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area, according to Reuters. However, will the low-margin business of food actually hurt Amazon stock in the long run?

Playing it smart
Amazon seems to be spreading itself thin these days. From its digital streaming service and endless e-commerce sites to its cloud-computing business, the world's largest online retailer covers a lot of ground. Now the company is adding fresh produce and meat to its offerings. Yet if Amazon hopes to make real profits in this category it will need to sell more than mere groceries.

This is a lesson that other retailers including Wal-Mart and Target�know well. Target expanded into groceries behind Wal-Mart, as a way to position its store as a one-stop shop. This works for Target because the thinner margins of fresh produce are often offset by other purchases customers make when they're in a Target store.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Barclays PLC (JO)

Barclays PLC (Barclays) is a global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. The Company�� operations include its overseas offices, subsidiaries and associates. The Company operates in eight segments: UK Retail and Business Banking (UK RBB), Europe Retail and Business Banking (Europe RBB), Africa Retail and Business Banking (Africa RBB), Barclaycard, Barclays Investment Bank, Barclays Corporate Banking, Wealth and Investment Management, and Head Office and Other Operations. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sean Williams]
Time for a cup of joe
Two years ago I slapped a CAPScall of underperform on the iPath DJ AIG Coffee ETF (NYSEMKT: JO ) following what looked like a rampant speculative run higher. Coffee stockpiles weren't particularly low back then and there didn't appear to be any weather-related production concerns, so the run-up in coffee futures looked unwarranted. Sure enough, two years later that CAPScall is up nearly 90 points. Now, I'm going to turn that frown upside down and suggest it's the perfect time to consider buying this ETF that closely tracks coffee futures!

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund (DEM)

WisdomTree Emerging Markets High-Yielding Equity Fund (the Fund) seeks to track the performance of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets High-Yielding Equity Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of emerging market stocks with relatively high dividend yields. The Index is created by selecting the top 30% of Index constituents ranked by dividend yield from the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index. Companies eligible for inclusion in the Index must be incorporated in and have their shares listed on a major stock exchange in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or Turkey. Companies must have paid at least $5 million in cash dividends on their common stock in the 12 months prior to the most recent Index measurement date. Companies are weighted in the Index based on regular cash dividends paid. The Index includes large-capitalization, mid-capitalization and small-capitalization securities.

The Fund employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Index. The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index. The Fund generally uses a representative sampling strategy to track the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Genia Turanova]
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income ETF (DEM) is designed to track the performance of the high-yielding subset of the dividend paying segment of 18 emerging-markets nations.
[By Carlton Delfeld]
Finally, to get more Asia and emerging market exposure, add a dash of the WisdomTree Emerging Market Equity Income ETF (DEM).

DEM has 20% exposure to Taiwan, as well as 20% to Brazil. Telecom companies make up a majority of the companies in the basket and you can expect it to distribute dividend income in the area of 5% annually.
[By TopYields]
1. WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income (DEM)
This ETF tracks the price and yield performance of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Equity Income Index, a fundamentally-weighted index that measures the performance of the dividend-yielding securities in the top 30% by dividend yield of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Index. The stocks in the Index are weighted based on annual cash dividends paid.

Top 5 Cheapest Stocks To Own For 2015: NextStage Inc (NXT)

NextStage, Inc. is a holding company. The Company is engaged in the management of its investments in shares of stocks of its subsidiaries. The Company�� subsidiaries include Mondex Philippines Inc. (MXP), Infinit-e Asia Inc. (Infinit-e Asia) and Technology Support Services, Inc. (TSSI). MXP operates a multi-application smart card system in Philippines. Infinit-e Asia is a software development company specializing on smart card and e-commerce solutions tailored to enhance the business of its clients. Infinit-e Asia develops smart card solutions for both real and online applications and on both contact and contactless platform. Infinit-e Asia�� spectrum of products and applications are classified as payments, data capture and security. TSSI is engaged in the business of business process outsourcing (BPO), applications service providers (ASP) and managed service providers (MSP). Advisors' Opinion:

[By Namitha Jagadeesh]
HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA), Europe�� largest bank, slid 2.1 percent. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) declined 2 percent as it canceled some of its flights following a disruption caused by one of its planes at Heathrow airport. Next Plc (NXT) retreated 2.4 percent as Morgan Stanley cut its recommendation on the shares.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Ultratech Inc.(UTEK)

Ultratech, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets photolithography and laser thermal processing equipment. It supplies step-and-repeat photolithography systems based on one-to-one imaging technology to semiconductor device manufacturers for applications involving line geometries of 0.75 microns or greater and to nanotechnology manufacturers. The company?s steppers are also used to manufacture semiconductors that are used in various applications, such as telecommunications, automotive control systems, power systems, and consumer electronics. It also supplies 1X photolithography systems to thin film head manufacturers; and offers LSA100, a laser-based thermal annealing tool used by the semiconductor industry for various process steps, including activation of implanted impurities, dielectric film formation, formation of silicides, and stabilization of copper grain structures. Ultratech, Inc. sells its systems to semiconductor, advanced packaging, high-brightness light emit ting diodes, thin film head, and various other nanotechnology manufacturers in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Stephen Simpson, CFA]
Fellow Seeking Alpha contributor Ashraf Eassa and I have both written previously about Ultratech (UTEK), a semiconductor equipment company that we both like for its innovative positions in laser spike annealing (LSA) and advanced packaging lithography ("flip chips"), as well as the potential of its steppers in LED manufacturing. In particular, we have both made the case that advanced annealing technologies are likely to be a critical factor in the move to sub-20nm processes.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Ancestry.com Inc.(ACOM)

Ancestry.com Inc. operates as an online family history resource for subscribers worldwide. The company?s subscribers use Web-based services and content collection to research their family histories, build their family trees, collaborate with other subscribers, upload their own records, and publish and share their stories. Its subscribers can search through its collection of various records that cover birth records, marriage and death records, census records, immigration documents, photographs, maps, military records, personal narratives, and newspapers. As of December 31, 2011, the company had 1.7 million paying subscribers. Ancestry.com Inc. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Provo, Utah.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By CRWE]
Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOM) will release financial results for its third quarter 2012 on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at approximately 2:00 p.m. MT (4:00 p.m. ET). Following the release, the Company will host a conference call with analysts and investors at 3:00 p.m. MT (5:00 p.m. ET).

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Accelrys Inc.(ACCL)

Accelrys, Inc. develops and commercializes scientific business intelligence software and solutions in the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers Pipeline Pilot, Accelrys enterprise R&D platform, which allows users to aggregate, integrate, and mine structured and unstructured scientific data, such as chemical structures, biological sequences, and complex digital images; and filters, normalizes, and performs statistical analysis on the scientific data and provides visual reports to scientists and scientific managers. It also provides computer aided design modeling and simulation software that allows scientists to perform computations of chemical, biological, and materials properties to simulate, visualize, and analyze chemical and biological systems, as well as communicate the results to other scientists; and data management and informatics software to capture, store, manage, and mine scientific data information. In addition, the company offers Enter prise Lab Notebook, which provides a digital environment to plan, execute, record, store, back-up, and share daily research activities; lab execution systems; and content databases to support research activities through a collection of factual databases and reference works. Further, it provides software wrappers that allows customers to run their own algorithms on the company?s R&D platform; enterprise-wide informatics systems, which integrate customers? internal systems with software from various vendors; contract research services; onsite training and implementation, Web-based training, and data migration services; and support services. The company serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, energy, chemicals, aerospace, consumer packaged goods, and industrial product industries, as well as government and academic entities through direct sales force, telesales, and distributors. Accelrys, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

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 Accelrys (Nasdaq: ACCL ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
[By Alex Planes]
What: Shares of Accelrys (NASDAQ: ACCL ) are down by over 20% today after the company took a big, ugly swing and a miss on its first-quarter earnings and upcoming guidance.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Udovich]
Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.
[By Rich Smith]
Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.
[By ovenerio]
But the firm must continue working hard because growth remains below management's expectations from a few years ago. Competition includes Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (CKP), R-pac International Corporation, and SML Group Limited.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: AEterna Zentaris Inc.(AEZS)

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. operates as a late-stage drug development company specialized in oncology and endocrine therapy. Its lead oncology compounds include perifosine, a PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor that is in Phase 3 registration trial for refractory advanced colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma; and AEZS-108, a doxorubicin-targeted conjugate in Phase II for the treatment of ovarian, endometrial, castration refractory prostate, and refractory bladder cancer. The company?s lead endocrinology compound, AEZS-130, is an oral ghrelin antagonist in Phase III trial as a diagnostic test for adult growth hormone deficiency. Its pipeline also includes earlier-stage compounds, such as AEZS-112 that is in a Phase I trial in advanced solid tumors and lymphoma, as well as AEZS-120, an anti-cancer vaccine in pre-clinical development. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Eric Volkman]
Aeterna Zentaris (NASDAQ: AEZS ) has made a significant change in its executive suite and boardroom. David Dodd is now the company's chief executive and a member of its board of directors. He succeeds Juergen Engel. The firm did not provide the reasons for the succession.
[By Sean Williams]
What's coming down the pipeline
As we saw with the current treatment options, the endometrial cancer pipeline isn't filled with a lot of choices, but they are at least more encouraging than the standard care treatments we've seen over the past three decades.
Avastin: Surprise: It's Roche's (NASDAQOTH: RHHBY ) wonder drug yet again! Roche's Avastin is in the process of being tested as a treatment for recurrent endometrial cancer and demonstrated promising results in a mid-stage trial according to the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Avastin, which is an angiogenesis inhibitor (a fancy way of saying it inhibits blood vessel growth), was tested on 52 evaluable patients and delivered a progression-free survival of at least six months for 21 of them. Overall median PFS was 4.2 months, and median overall survival came in at 10.5 months. Don't be surprised if Roche decides to pursue further studies of Avastin in recurrent endometrial cancer with these results.� AEZS-108: Currently in late-stage development by Aeterna Zentaris (NASDAQ: AEZS ) , a holding in my own portfolio, AEZS-108 is an intravenous treatment composed of a synthetic peptide carrier and doxorubicin that targets Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone-receptor expressing tumors. That series of scientific jargon simply means it targets cancer cells with minimal healthy cell death relative to the current standards of treatment. In mid-stage trials, AEZS-108 delivered an overall response rate of 30.8% and a clinical benefit rate of 74.4%. These figures were enough to get AEZS-108 a special protocol assessment (SPA), which should streamline its approval if these results stay consistent in late-stage studies.
Your best investment
With very few investable options to choose from, since many of these treatments are off patent as they're decades old, I'm going to split my decision this week between Roche and Aeterna Zentaris for obvious reasons.
[By Roberto Pedone]
Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS), a specialty biopharmaceutical company, is focused on developing and commercializing novel treatments in oncology and endocrinology. This stock closed up 5% to $1.25 in Thursday's trading session.

Thursday's Range: $1.19-$1.26
52-Week Range: $0.99-$1.75
Thursday's Volume: 1.32 million
Three-Month Average Volume: 646,050

From a technical perspective, AEZS ripped sharply higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $1.17 and back above its 200-day moving average of $1.22 with strong upside volume flows. This sharp spike higher on Thursday also pushed shares of AEZS into breakout territory, since the stock took out some more near-term overhead resistance at $1.23. This move is starting to push shares of AEZS within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if AEZS manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels at $1.28 to $1.35 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AEZS as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $1.22 or above Thursday's intraday low of $1.19 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 646,050 shares. If that breakout begins soon, then AEZS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.52 to $1.62.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Kulicke and Soffa Industries Inc.(KLIC)

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells capital equipment and expendable tools used to assemble semiconductor devices, including integrated circuits, high and low powered discrete devices, light-emitting diodes, and power modules. It also services, maintains, repairs, and upgrades its equipment. The company operates in two segments, Equipment and Expendable Tools. The Equipment segment manufactures and sells a line of ball bonders, heavy wire wedge bonders, stud bumpers, and die bonders. Its Ball bonders are used to connect very fine wires, primarily made of gold or copper, between the bond pads of the semiconductor device or die, and the leads on its package; Heavy wire wedge bonders are used in the power semiconductor and automotive power module markets; and Die bonders are used to attach a die to the substrate or lead frame, which will house the semiconductor device. This segment?s Stud bumpers mechanically apply bumps to die, while still in the wafer format, for some variants of the flip chip assembly process. The Expendable Tools segment manufactures and sells various expendable tools for a range of semiconductor packaging applications. Its products include capillaries, bonding wedges, and saw blades. The company?s customers primarily comprise semiconductor device manufacturers, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers, other electronics manufacturers, and automotive electronics suppliers in the United States and the Asia/Pacific region. Kulicke and Soffa Industries sells its products through manufacturers? representatives and distributors. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Singapore.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, chip equipment maker Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC) shares shot up 8.95 percent to $13.76 after the company reported upbeat Q2 earnings and issued a strong Q3 revenue forecast.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Symmetry Medical Inc (SMA)

Symmetry Medical Inc. designs, develops, and produces implants and related surgical instruments and cases to orthopedic device manufacturers worldwide. It offers orthopedic implants that are used in reconstructive surgeries to replace or repair hips, knees, and other joints, such as shoulders, ankles, and elbows; trauma implant systems, which are used primarily to reattach or stabilize damaged bone or tissue while the body heals; and spinal implant systems, including plates and screws used by orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons in the treatment of degenerative diseases, deformities, and injuries in various regions of the spine. The company also provides surgical instruments, such as knee cutting blocks, osteotome revision systems, reamers, and retractors used in hip, knee, and shoulder reconstruction procedures, as well as in spinal, trauma, and other implant procedures. In addition, it produces a range of plastic, metal, and hybrid orthopedic cases to store, transport, and arrange surgical instruments and related implant systems, and other medical devices for orthopedic device manufacturers; endoscopy cases for endoscope sterilization; dental cases used in dental implant and general dental procedures; sterilization containers for the sterilization of various surgical instruments; and other cases for arthroscopy, osteobiologic, cardiovascular, ophthalmology, and diagnostic imaging, as well as ear, nose, and throat procedures. Further, the company engages in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of aerospace products comprising net shaped aerofoils and non-rotating aircraft engine forgings produced for the aerospace customers; and offers aerospace machining capabilities. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana.

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 Symmetry Medical (NYSE: SMA ) , 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 Symmetry Medical (NYSE: SMA ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
[By Sean Williams]
What: Shares of Symmetry Medical (NYSE: SMA ) , a medical device and surgical instruments maker, fell as much as 19% following a double miss in its first-quarter earnings results.

Top Services Stocks For 2015

Insider buying sagged last week with just 46 companies reporting records of buyers. Considering all the worry about trading near a top, it's not surprising to see boardroom buyers back off the buying.

Ahh, but any worries over price levels didn't stop multiple insiders at Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services (NYSEMKT:LTS) from continuing their buying spree. For the last two years, insiders have been gobbling up shares of the broker.

Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services provides brokerage and advisory, investment banking, equity research, institutional sales and trading, asset management, and trust services. The company operates through two segments, Independent Brokerage and Advisory Services, and Ladenburg.

[Related -Top Insider Buy Stocks: OPK, LTS, NTS, ZTR]

Top Services Stocks For 2015: BJ's Restaurants Inc.(BJRI)

BJ?s Restaurants, Inc. owns and operates casual dining restaurants in the Unites States. The company operates restaurants under the BJ?s Restaurant & Brewery, BJ?s Restaurant & Brewhouse, BJ?s Pizza & Grill, or BJ?s Grill names, which offer deep-dish pizzas, handcrafted beers, appetizers, entrees, pastas, sandwiches, specialty salads, desserts, non-alcoholic beverages, wine, other craft beers, and spirits. As of February 27, 2012, it owned and operated 116 restaurants comprising 10 BJ?s Restaurant & Brewery restaurants, 98 BJ?s Restaurant & Brewhouse restaurants, 7 BJ?s Pizza & Grill restaurants, and 1 BJ?s Grill. The company operates restaurants in California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, and Washington. BJ?s Restaurants, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Huntington Beach, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Meetu Anand]
Brinker International (NYSE: EAT ) has been no exception to the trend of falling comps, while BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ: BJRI ) and Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI ) have also followed along�.
[By John Kell]
BJ's Restaurants Inc.(BJRI) issued muted preliminary fourth-quarter results, as the company said it was hurt by weaker traffic and higher promotions. Shares dropped 12% to $26.75 premarket.
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Sangamo Biosciences (NASDAQ: SGMO) shot up 16.32 percent to $22.81 announced the publication in the NEJM of the first-in-man study of genome editing using its ZFN technology. Shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AGIO) got a boost, shooting up 27.72 percent to $40.41 after the company reported quarterly results. BJ's (NASDAQ: BJRI) was also up, gaining 21.04 percent to $33.48 after the company was upgraded toa Buy rating at Buckingham research.
[By Steve Symington]
More closely aligned with B-Wild's new efforts, however, are the folks at BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ: BJRI ) , who just so happen to integrate their very own enviable list of more than a dozen of BJ's award-winning, handcrafted brews on tap at each of their restaurants. All told, craft brews have served as a centerpiece of BJ's business so far, helping the up-and-coming company to grow to 132 locations in 15 states as of the end of last quarter.

Top Services Stocks For 2015: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sam Robson]
LONDON -- Vodafone� (LSE: VOD ) (NASDAQ: VOD ) �is believed to have increased its offer for Kabel Deutschland following a rival bid from�Liberty Global� (NASDAQ: LBTYA ) .
[By Vera Yuan]
Dear Fellow Shareholder: The U.S. economy continues to gradually expand, building on the 5+ year recovery from the Great Recession. Employment levels are improving, though progress has been slower than expected. Inflation, for now, remains subdued. As signaled and on cue, the Fed has been weaning the economy (and investors) off of the extraordinary ��uantitative easing��stimulus. Investors have generally shrugged off world events that might otherwise cause high anxiety (ISIS and the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine, etc.). As attention now turns to when the Fed will raise short-term interest rates, it seems plausible that volatility may intensify as the stimulus security blanket is removed. In the meantime, companies are taking advantage of the artificially low interest rate environment and sanguine investor sentiment. Merger activity remains robust, fueled by cheap and readily available credit. The IPO market has been very active, headlined by the successful Alibaba offering in September. Corporate treasurers continue to issue loads of debt on attractive terms, locking in generationally low interest rates for long terms. While these conditions will not last forever, they have helped opportunistic managers accelerate equity value growth at many companies.Investment Commentary and Outlook After three years of seemingly non-stop gains, the stock market took a pause in the third quarter. While most large cap indices eked out modest positive returns, the broader investing waters were far less placid. Small cap stocks sold off as the Russell 2000 declined more than 7% during the quarter. Energy stocks, both large and small, fell materially as investors worried about too much oil and gas supply coming online in North America (what a difference a decade makes). High yield bonds wobbled briefly in July, then again in September. Increasingly, investors are not treating all securities the same, and as stock pickers we welcome this development. Our equity funds��resu
[By Sam Robson]
LONDON -- In the latest edition of this long-running story, it has been suggested that�Vodafone� (LSE: VOD ) (NASDAQ: VOD ) could use a substantial amount of the money it would receive from selling its stake in Verizon Wireless to fund a takeover of�Liberty Global� (NASDAQ: LBTYA ) .
[By Vera Yuan]
In other portfolio activity we added to Liberty Global (LBTYA) after a helpful meeting with management, topped up our Valeant (VRX) position when the stock weakened during the summer, and modestly trimmed Iconix (ICON) shares with the stock in the $40��. We also sold Target (TGT) at a healthy gain as new management works through several operational challenges against a tough competitive backdrop. On balance we were net buyers, with residual cash declining from 28% to 24% of net assets at quarter end.

Top 5 China Companies To Invest In 2015: Proto Labs Inc (PRLB)

Proto Labs, Inc. (Proto Labs), incorporated in 1999, is an online and technology-enabled quick-turn manufacturer of custom parts for prototyping and short-run production. Proto Labs provides Real Parts, Really Fast to product developers worldwide. The Company utilizes computer numerical control (CNC), machining and injection molding to manufacture custom parts for its customers. The Company focuses its services to the millions of product developers who use three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD), software to design products across a diverse range of end-markets. The Company has established its operations in the United States, Europe and Japan, three of the geographic markets where these product developers are located. Its manufacturing services include CNC machining and plastic injection molding. In August 2013, Proto Labs, Inc. purchased the Plymouth Industrial Building at 2600 Niagara Lane, Plymouth, MN.

Proto Labs has developed software and advanced manufacturing processes that automate much of the skilled labor conventionally required in quoting, production engineering and manufacturing custom parts. The Company�� Firstcut and Protomold services offer many product developers the ability to outsource their low-volume, quick-turn custom parts manufacturing. Its Firstcut service uses commercially-available CNC machines to cut blocks of material into one or more custom parts based on the 3D CAD model uploaded by the product developer. The Firstcut service is well suited to produce small quantities, typically in the range of one to ten parts. Its Protomold service uses its 3D CAD-to-CNC machining technology for the automated design and manufacture of aluminum injection molds, which are then used to produce custom injection-molded plastic parts on commercially-available equipment. Its Protomold service is used for both prototype and short-run production.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Harry Boxer]
HARRY: It is. More than 10 years, I visited 3-D systems and saw a demo, and it was like whoa. They weren’t even public then. Of late, SSYS (Stratasys), Proto Labs (PRLB), EX1; those are the four big ones in the industry. There is a little buy-out tech company called Orvganovo (ONVO) that is now bio-printing organs for testing.
[By Paul Ausick]
We have tracked the key short interest changes as of September 13 in the following 3D printer and services companies: 3D Systems Inc. (NYSE: DDD), Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS), The ExOne Co. (NASDAQ: XONE) and Proto Labs Inc. (NYSE: PRLB).

Top Services Stocks For 2015: IN Media Corp (IMDC)

IN Media Corporation, formerly Tres Estrellas Enterprises, Inc., incorporated on March 5, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses on providing integrated Internet protocol television (IPTV) services for platform providers for any device from large screen televisions to handheld mobile phones. It provides a combination of hardware, software, manufacturing and content services for platform providers to either complete their offerings or provide an all-in-one solution. On October 16, 2009, the Company executed an agreement between In-Media Corporation (In-Media) and the Company, subsequent to which In-Media was merged into the Company.

The Company�� partnerships with platform providers, such as Comcast, AT&T, DirecTV, provide an installed base of customers, as well as allowing platform providers to be the billing and service interface to customers. The Company is focusing on its first implementation in China through its Chinese distributor, which will include provision of set top boxes (STB)-related system support, reference platforms and technology, and access to over 4,000 titles of Hollywood and Bollywood movies.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Peter Graham]
Small cap stocks IN Media Corp (OTCMKTS: IMDC), Epazz Inc (OTCMKTS: EPAZ) and Polaris International Holdings (OTCMKTS: PIHN) have been busy developing new devices/products or making acquisitions. Moreover, at least two of these small cap stocks have been the subject of paid promotions or investor relations types of activities. Keeping that in mind, will new devices/products or acquisitions help these small caps along with their investors or traders? Here is a closer look:

Top Services Stocks For 2015: Research Frontiers Incorporated(REFR)

Research Frontiers Incorporated engages in the development, licensing, and marketing of technology and devices to control the flow of light. The company licenses its suspended particle device (SPD-Smart) light-control technology to companies that manufacture and market the SPD-smart chemical emulsion, light-control film made from chemical emulsion, lamination services, and electronics to power end-products incorporating the film; and end-products, such as windows, skylights, and sunroofs. The SPD-Smart light-control technology is used for various applications, such as windows, skylights, partitions, doors, and sunshades for the architectural, aircraft, marine, automotive, and appliance industries; variable light transmission sunglasses, goggles, visors, and other eyewear; variable light transmission automotive sunroofs, sunvisors, and rear-view mirrors; and flat panel information displays for use in billboards, scoreboards, point-of-purchase advertising displays, traffic s igns, computers, telephones, PDAs, and other electronic instruments. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Woodbury, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Friday, cyclical consumer goods & services shares gained 0.61 percent. Top gainers in the sector included Nike (NYSE: NKE), up 10 percent, and Research Frontiers (NASDAQ: REFR), up 5.6 percent.

Top Services Stocks For 2015: Re/Max Holdings Inc (RMAX)

Re/Max Holdings, Inc., incorporated on June 25, 2013, is a franchisor of real estate brokerage services. Its business is to recruit and retain agents and sell franchises. The Company operates in two business segments: Real Estate Franchise Services, and Brokerage and Other. The Company operates in the real estate brokerage franchise industry in more than 90 countries, including the United States and Canada. Effective December 31, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of RE/MAX of Texas. Effective November 30, 2012, the Company sold substantially all of the assets of owned and operated regional franchising operations located in Eastern Australia and New Zealand and entered into regional franchising agreements with new independent owners of these regions.

The Real Estate Franchise Services reportable segment comprises the operations of its owned and independent global franchising operations. The Brokerage and Other reportable segment contains the operations of its 21 owned brokerage offices in the U.S. which represent less than 1% of RE/MAX brokerages in the U.S., the results of operations of a mortgage brokerage company in which the Company owns a non-controlling interest, the elimination of intersegment revenue and other consolidation entities, as well as corporate and professional services expenses.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Eric Volkman]
Getty Images/Cultura As more than a few finance industry professionals will happily brag, 2013 was a banner year for initial public offerings with 156 new stocks coming to market -- the most since 2007 -- collectively reaping the issuers aggregate proceeds of more than $38 billion. We went over the most recognizable members of this year's rookie class in "The 5 Most Unfortgettable IPOs of 2013." But in a big pool of 156 companies, there are bound to be at least a few struggling fish. Here, then, is a selection of five from the class of 2013 that are getting seriously lapped by their peers. 1. Prosensa (RNA) This Dutch clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm had a strong debut when it listed on the Nasdaq in late June. The stock's offer price of $13 zoomed to close at over $19 on the first day of trading. But bad news was waiting around the corner; less than three months later, the shares tanked by more than 70 percent after the company announced that the muscular dystrophy treatment (drisapersen) it was developing in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GLAXF), did not hit its primary endpoint in late-stage trials. That one-day free fall saw the stock swoon from $24 per share to barely over $7. Since then, shares have slipped even further, and can currently be had for less than $5. 2. Violin Memory (VMEM) As a provider of high-speed data storage solutions, this company should be well in tune with current IT needs. But it fell flat from the beginning -- on its first day of trading the stock closed slightly over $7 a share, after pricing at $9. Worse was to come when the firm reported its first quarterly results as a publicly traded entity. While revenue advanced nearly 40 percent on a year-over-year basis, that couldn't cover the gaping hole of a bottom line loss totaling $34 million (a figure, by the way, significantly higher than the top line number of $28 million). The already-sinking shares continued to dive, bottoming at just over $2.50 per share. The re
[By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Re/Max Holdings (RMAX) have surged out of the gate as investors scoop up shares following the real-estate brokers IPO.
Reuters
Shares of Re/Max priced at $22, above the range of $19-$21 it had been seeking. The Associated Press has the details:

Re/Max Holdings Inc. has raised $220 million in an initial public offering of its common stock.

Re/Max is giving the underwriters a 30-day option to buy up to an additional 1.5 million shares to cover any excess demand.

The company anticipates about $194.2 million in net proceeds, after underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. Re/Max plans to use the proceeds to reacquire regional Re/Max franchise rights in some markets, redeem preferred membership interests and buy back ownership stakes from existing shareholders.
�Re/Max shares have jumped 21% to $26.67 at 10:32 a.m. Investors might want to reconsider jumping in, however. Here’s what I wrote about IPOs�back in 2011 and it still stands today.
The IPO game is notoriously dicey for retail investors. That’s because most of the shares sold at the low offering price go to institutions; only about 20% go to individuals, according to Jay Ritter, a finance professor at the University of Florida.

That means most people must settle for buying new shares during their first few days of trading��rom the bigger investors who are selling. This scenario proved disastrous for investors who bought hot Internet companies near the end of the dot-com boom, just before they crashed.

Most IPOs, in fact, fail to pan out for small investors. Excluding the first day of trading, the average IPO underperforms similarly sized companies by 3.4 percentage points a year during its first five years of trading, according to Prof. Ritter’s data.

The IPO has a mixed impact on other real-estate related companies.�Realogy (RLGY) has fallen 0.2% to $43.62, while Vector Group (VGR), wh
[By Sue Chang]
RE/MAX Holdings Inc. (RMAX) �is likely to report earnings of 26 cents a share in the first quarter.

Top Services Stocks For 2015: WESCO International Inc. (WCC)

WESCO International, Inc. engages in the distribution of electrical, industrial, and communications maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products; and original equipment manufacturers products and construction materials. It also provides supply chain management and logistics services. The company offers general and industrial supplies, such as wiring devices, fuses, terminals, connectors, boxes, enclosures, fittings, lugs, terminations, tapes, splicing and marking equipment, tools and testers, safety and security, personal protection, abrasives, cutting tools, consumables, fasteners, janitorial, and other MRO supplies. It also provides wires, cables, raceway, and metallic and non-metallic conduits; and communications products, such as structured cabling systems, broadband products, low voltage specialty systems, specialty wire and cable products, equipment racks and cabinets, access controls, alarms, cameras, and paging and voice solutions. In addition, the company off ers power distribution equipment, such as circuit breakers, transformers, switchboards, panel boards, metering products, and busway products; lighting and controls, including lamps, fixtures, ballasts, and lighting control products; and motor control devices, drives, surge and power protection, relays, timers, pushbuttons, operator interfaces, switches, sensors, and interconnects. Further, it provides value added services in the areas of construction, e-business, energy, engineering services, green and sustainability, production support, safety and security, supply chain optimization, training, and working capital. The company serves industrial and commercial businesses, contractors, governmental agencies, institutions, telecommunications providers, and utilities. It operates in North America and internationally. WESCO International, Inc. was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Citigroup’s Deane Dray and team took a long hard look at the U.S. economy and the their ratings on diversified industrial like United Technologies (UTX), Honeywell (HON), Tyco (TYC) and Wesco International (WCC) and decided it was time to makes some changes.
[By Rich Smith]
Instead, the winners who will compete among themselves to fulfill the $45 million firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract include privately held Bluewater Communications Group LLC, small-cap Globecomm Systems (NASDAQ: GCOM ) , and TVC Communications LLC, of Annville, Penn., a small subsidiary of larger electronics distributor WESCO International (NYSE: WCC ) . All three will now be competing against each other to win the Pentagon's business on individual task orders for the Cisco and other HD equipment on order.
[By Seth Jayson]
WESCO International (NYSE: WCC ) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), WESCO International met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Top Services Stocks For 2015: Group 1 Automotive Inc. (GPI)

Group 1 Automotive, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing and sale of automotive products and services. It sells new and used cars, light trucks, and vehicle parts. The company also provides vehicle financing services; service and insurance contract services; and automotive maintenance and repair services. The company has operations located in metropolitan areas in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas in the United States; and in the towns of Brighton, Hailsham, and Worthing in the United Kingdom. As of October 25, 2012, it owned and operated 121 automotive dealerships, 158 franchises, and 30 collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom that offer 32 brands of automobiles. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ning Jia]
In 2001, Advance Auto Parts acquires Carport Auto Parts, a regional retail chain with 29 stores in Alabama and Mississippi. The combination of Advance and Carport locations establishes Advance Auto Parts as the market leader in Alabama and Mississippi. In November of 2011, Advance acquires 671 Discount Auto Parts, Inc., a regional auto parts chain in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana. The acquisition strengthens the company's position as the market leader in Florida. Upon completion of this merger, Advance Auto Parts becomes a publicly traded company, listed as a common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AAP. After the Company went public in 2001, AAP continued to expand both organically and through acquisition. On October 16th 2013, Advance Auto Parts entered into a definitive agreement to acquire General Parts International, Inc. (GPI), a leading privately held distributor and supplier of original equipment and aftermarket replacement products for commercial markets operating under the CARQUEST and WORLDPAC brands, in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of $2.04 billion. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors for both companies. The deal creates the largest automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, with annual sales of more than $9.2 billion and more than 70,000 employees.

Top Services Stocks For 2015: The Pantry Inc.(PTRY)

The Pantry, Inc. operates a chain of convenience stores in the southeastern United States. The company?s stores offer a selection of merchandise, fuel, and ancillary products and services. Its merchandise products include cigarettes, grocery and other tobacco products, packaged beverages, beer, and wine. The company operates stores under various selected banners, which primarily include Kangaroo Express. As of September 29, 2011, it operated 1,649 convenience stores located in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana, and Missouri; and 233 quick service restaurants. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sean Williams]
Much of the same can be said about The Pantry (NASDAQ: PTRY ) , a predominantly Southeastern U.S. convenience store chain that operates under the Kangaroo Express name. Food inflation has been minimal, the weather hasn't been as cooperative, and consumer traffic fell 4.6% in its most recent quarter. But where other investors see weakness, I see an opportunity.

Top Services Stocks For 2015: QEP Midstream Partners LP (QEPM)

QEP Midstream Partners, LP (QEP), incorporated on April 19, 2013, is a limited partnership formed by QEP Resources, Inc. to owns, operates, acquires and develops midstream energy assets. The Company�� primary assets consist of ownership interests in four gathering systems and two Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-regulated pipelines, through which it provides natural gas and crude oil gathering and transportation services. The Company�� assets are located in, or are within close proximity to, the Green River Basin located in Wyoming and Colorado, the Uinta Basin located in eastern Utah, and the portion of the Williston Basin located in North Dakota. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� gathering systems had 1,475 miles of pipeline and an average gross throughput of 1.8 million british thermal units per hour of natural gas and 18,224 barrels of crude oil.

Green River System

The Company�� Green River System, located in western Wyoming, consists of three complimentary systems owned by Green River Gathering, Rendezvous Gas and Rendezvous Pipeline and gathers natural gas production from the Pinedale, Jonah and Moxa Arch fields. In addition to gathering natural gas, the system also gathers and stabilizes crude oil production from the Pinedale Field, transports the stabilized crude oil to an interstate pipeline interconnect, and gathers and handles produced and flowback water associated with well completion activities in the Pinedale Field. The Green River Gathering assets are comprised of 405 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, 61 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines, 81 miles of water gathering pipelines and a 60-mile, FERC-regulated crude oil pipeline located in the Green River Basin. The Rendezvous Gas assets consist of three parallel, 103-mile high-pressure natural gas pipelines, with 1,032 million cubic feet per day of throughput capacity and 7,800 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression. Rendezvous Pipeline�� sole asset is a 21-mile, FERC-regu! lated natural gas transmission pipeline that provides gas transportation services from QEP�� Blacks Fork processing complex in southwest Wyoming to an interconnect with the Kern River Pipeline.

Vermillion Gathering System

The Vermillion Gathering System consists of gas gathering and compression assets located in southern Wyoming, northwest Colorado and northeast Utah, which, when combined, include 454 miles of low-pressure, gas gathering pipelines and 23,197 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression. The Vermillion Gathering System is primarily supported by life-of-reserves and long-term, fee-based gas gathering agreements with minimum volume commitments, which are designed to ensure that it will generate a certain amount of revenue over the life of the gathering agreement by collecting either gathering fees for actual throughput or payments to cover any shortfall. The primary customers on our Vermillion Gathering System include Questar, Samson Resources Corporation (Samson Resources), QEP and Chevron USA, Inc. (Chevron).

Three Rivers Gathering System

Three Rivers Gathering is a joint venture between QEP and Ute Energy Midstream Holdings, LLC (Ute Energy) that was formed to transport natural gas gathered by Uintah Basin Field Services, L.L.C., an indirectly owned subsidiary of QEP (Uintah Basin Field Services), and other third-party volumes to gas processing facilities owned by QEP and third parties. The Three Rivers Gathering System consists of gas gathering assets located in the Uinta Basin in northeast Utah, including approximately 50 miles of gathering pipeline and 4,735 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression.

Williston Gathering System

The Williston Gathering System is a crude oil and natural gas gathering system located in the Williston Basin in McLean County, North Dakota. The Williston Gathering System includes 17 miles of gas gathering pipelines, 17 miles of oil gathering pipelines 239 basic hydrogen peroxide o! f gas com! pression, and a crude oil and natural gas handling facility, located primarily on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

The Company competes with Enterprise Products Partners, L.P., Western Gas and The Williams Companies, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Dimitra DeFotis]
But things aren’t all bad. A spate of initial public offerings traded at nice prices Friday. Among them was QEP Midstream Partners (QEPM), an energy master limited partnership. (Press release here). More on IPOs from Bloomberg here.
[By Jon C. Ogg]
QEP Midstream Partners L.P. (NYSE: QEPM) was started as Buy at Janney Capital, and note that four other firms started coverage earlier this week.

ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE: NOW) was started as Buy with a $55 price target at Canaccord Genuity.
[By Lauren Pollock]
QEP Resources Inc.(QEP) plans to separate its midstream business, QEP Field Services Co., into a separate entity, including its interest in QEP Midstream Partners LP(QEPM).

Friday, October 17, 2014

Top Life Sciences Stocks To Buy For 2014

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Plexus (NASDAQ: PLXS ) have jumped today by as much as 13% after the company reported earnings results.

So what: Revenue in the fiscal third quarter totaled $571.9 million, well ahead of the Street consensus of $565 million. Earnings per share were $0.68, similarly topping expectations of just $0.58 per share. CEO Dean Foate said the strong results were driven by the networking and communications as well as the health care and life sciences sectors.

Now what: Guidance for the coming quarter was also strong, with sales forecast to $545 million to $575 million. Adjusted earnings per share should be in the range of $0.60 to $0.66. Investors would have been happy with just $0.57 per share in adjusted profit next quarter. The company also repurchased $14.5 milion worth of shares during the quarter.

Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Invest In 2015: Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKB)

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire), incorporated on June 16, 1998, is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities. The Company is engaged in the insurance businesses conducted on both a primary basis and a reinsurance basis, a freight rail transportation business and a group of utility, and energy generation and distribution businesses. Berkshire also owns and operates a number of other businesses engaged in a variety of activities. In October 2012, HomeServices acquired a 66.7% interest in the residential real estate brokerage franchise network in the United States. In May 2013, Berkshire acquired the remaining 20% stake in IMC International Metalworking Companies BV.

Insurance and Reinsurance Businesses

Berkshire�� insurance and reinsurance business activities are conducted through numerous domestic and foreign-based insurance entities. Berkshire�� insurance businesses provide insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks worldwide and also reinsure life, accident and health risks worldwide. The Company�� insurance underwriting operations are consisted of the sub-groups, including GEICO and its subsidiaries, General Re and its subsidiaries, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. GEICO insurance subsidiaries include Government Employees Insurance Company, GEICO General Insurance Company, GEICO Indemnity Company, GEICO Casualty Company, GEICO Advantage Insurance Company, GEICO Choice Insurance Company and GEICO Secure Insurance Company. These companies primarily offers private passenger automobile insurance to individuals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, GEICO insures motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, recreational vehicles and small commercial fleets and acts as an agent for other insurers who offer homeowners, boat and life insurance to individuals. GEICO markets its policies primarily through direct response methods in which applications for insura! nce are submitted directly to the companies via the Internet or by telephone.

General Re Corporation (General Re) is the holding company of General Reinsurance Corporation (GRC) and its subsidiaries and affiliates. GRC�� subsidiaries include General Reinsurance AG, an international reinsurer based in Germany. General Re subsidiaries conduct business activities globally in 51 cities and provide insurance and reinsurance coverages throughout the world. General Re provides property/casualty insurance and reinsurance, life/health reinsurance and other reinsurance intermediary and risk management, underwriting management and investment management services.

Property/Casualty Reinsurance

General Re�� property/casualty reinsurance business in North America is conducted through GRC. Property/casualty operations in North America are also conducted through 16 branch offices in the United States and Canada. Reinsurance activities are marketed directly to clients without involving a broker or intermediary. General Re�� property/casualty business in North America also includes specialty insurers (primarily the General Star and Genesis companies). These specialty insurers underwrite primarily liability and workers��compensation coverages on an excess and surplus basis and excess insurance for self-insured programs. General Re�� international property/casualty reinsurance business operations are conducted through internationally-based subsidiaries on a direct basis (through General Reinsurance AG, as well as several other General Re subsidiaries in 23 countries) and through brokers (primarily through Faraday, which owns the managing agent of Syndicate 435 at Lloyd�� of London and provides capacity and participates in 100% of the results of Syndicate 435).

Life/Health Reinsurance

General Re�� North American and international life, health, long-term care and disability reinsurance coverages are written on an individual and group basis. Most! of this ! business is written on a proportional treaty basis, with the exception of the United States group health and disability business, which is predominately written on an excess treaty basis. Lesser amounts of life and disability business are written on a facultative basis. The life/health business is marketed on a direct basis.

The Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group (BHRG) operates from offices located in Stamford, Connecticut. Business activities are conducted through a group of subsidiary companies, led by National Indemnity Company (NICO) and Columbia Insurance Company (Columbia). BHRG provides principally excess and quota-share reinsurance to other property and casualty insurers and reinsurers. BHRG�� underwriting activities also include life reinsurance and life annuity business written through Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska and financial guaranty insurance written through Berkshire Hathaway Assurance Corporation.

BHRG writes catastrophe excess-of-loss treaty reinsurance contracts. BHRG also writes individual policies for primarily large or otherwise unusual discrete risks on both an excess direct and facultative reinsurance basis, referred to as individual risk, which includes policies covering terrorism, natural catastrophe and aviation risks. A catastrophe excess policy provides protection to the counterparty from the accumulation of primarily property losses arising from a single loss event or series of related events. Catastrophe and individual risk policies may provide amounts of indemnification per contract and a single loss event may produce losses under a number of contracts. BHRG also underwrites traditional non-catastrophe insurance and reinsurance coverages, referred to as multi-line property/casualty business.

The Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group is a collection of primary insurance operations that provide a range of insurance coverages to insureds located principally in the United States. NICO and certain affiliates underw! rite moto! r vehicle and general liability insurance to commercial enterprises on both an admitted and excess and surplus basis. This business is written nationwide primarily through insurance agents and brokers and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. U.S. Investment Corporation (USIC), through its four subsidiaries led by United States Liability Insurance Company, is a specialty insurer that underwrites commercial, professional and personal lines of insurance on an admitted and excess and surplus basis. Policies are marketed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through wholesale and retail insurance agents. USIC companies underwrite and market 110 distinct specialty property and casualty insurance products. Medical Protective Corporation (MedPro) is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. MedPro offers products and solutions through its subsidiaries, The Medical Protective Company and Princeton Insurance Company and is a primary healthcare malpractice insurance coverage and patient safety solutions to physicians, dentists, other healthcare providers and healthcare facilities. Other insurance operations include the Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (BHHC), a group of six insurance companies that primarily offers standalone workers��compensation, commercial auto and commercial property coverages.

Railroad Business

Through Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (BNSF) Railway, BNSF operates a railroad network in North America with approximately BNSF operates a railroad network in North America with approximately 32,500 route miles of track (excluding multiple main tracks, yard tracks and sidings) in 28 states and two Canadian provinces as of December 31, 2012. BNSF owns approximately 23,000 route miles, including easements, and operates on approximately 9,500 route miles of trackage rights that permit BNSF to operate its trains with its crews over other railroads��tracks. As of December 31, 2012, the total BNSF Railway system, including single and multiple main tracks, yard tracks and sidings,! consiste! d of approximately 50,500 operated miles of track, all of which are owned by or held under easement by BNSF except for approximately 10,500 miles operated under trackage rights.

BNSF is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and through BNSF Railway Company operates railroad systems in North America. In serving the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Western, Southwestern and Southeastern regions and ports of the country, BNSF transports a range of products and commodities derived from manufacturing, agricultural and natural resource industries. Over half of the freight revenues of BNSF are covered by contractual agreements of varying durations. BNSF�� primary routes, including trackage rights, allow it to access major cities and ports in the western and southern United States, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico.

Utilities and Energy Businesses

MidAmerican�� businesses are managed as separate operating units. MidAmerican�� domestic regulated energy interests are consisted of two regulated utility companies serving more than three million retail customers, two interstate natural gas pipeline companies with approximately 16,600 miles of pipeline and a design capacity of approximately 7.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and a 50% interest in electric transmission businesses. Its Great Britain electricity distribution subsidiaries serve about 3.9 million electricity end-users. In addition, MidAmerican�� interests include a diversified portfolio of domestic independent power projects, a hydroelectric facility in the Philippines, the residential real estate brokerage firm in the United States and the residential real estate brokerage franchise network in the United States.

PacifiCorp is a regulated electric utility company, serving regulated retail electric customers in portions of Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, Idaho and California. The combined service territory�� diverse regional economy ranges from rural, agricultural and mining areas to urban,! manufact! uring and government service centers. As a vertically integrated electric utility, PacifiCorp owns approximately 10,600 net megawatts (MW) of generation capacity.

MidAmerican Energy Company (MEC) is a regulated electric and natural gas utility company, serving regulated retail electric and natural gas customers primarily in Iowa and also in portions of Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska. MEC has a diverse customer base consisting of urban and rural residential customers and a range of commercial and industrial customers. In addition to retail sales and natural gas transportation, MEC sells regulated electricity principally to markets operated by regional transmission organizations and regulated natural gas to other utilities and market participants on a wholesale basis and sells non-regulated electricity and natural gas services in deregulated markets. As a vertically integrated electric and gas utility, MEC owns approximately 7,400 net megawatts of generation capacity.

The natural gas pipelines consist of Northern Natural Gas Company (Northern Natural) and Kern River Gas Transmission Company (Kern River). Northern Natural is based in Nebraska and owns interstate natural gas pipeline system in the United States reaching from southern Texas to Michigan�� Upper Peninsula. Northern Natural�� pipeline system consists of approximately 14,900 miles of natural gas pipelines. Northern Natural also operates three underground natural gas storage facilities and two liquefied natural gas storage peaking units.

Kern River is based in Utah and owns an interstate natural gas pipeline system that consists of approximately 1,700 miles and extends from supply areas in the Rocky Mountains to consuming markets in Utah, Nevada and California. Kern River transports natural gas for electric utilities and natural gas distribution utilities, major oil and natural gas companies or affiliates of such companies, electricity generating companies, energy marketing and trading companies, a! nd financ! ial institutions. The Great Britain utilities consist of Northern Powergrid (Northeast) Limited (Northern Powergrid (Northeast)) and Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire) plc (Northern Powergrid (Yorkshire)), which own a substantial Great Britain electricity distribution network that delivers electricity to end-users in northeast England in an area covering approximately 10,000 square miles. The distribution companies primarily charge supply companies regulated tariffs for the use of electrical infrastructure. MidAmerican also owns HomeServices of America, Inc. (HomeServices), a full-service residential real estate brokerage firm in the United States. HomeServices offers integrated real estate services, including mortgage originations and mortgage banking primarily through joint ventures, title and closing services, property and casualty insurance, home warranties, relocation services and other home-related services. It operates under 27 residential real estate brand names with over 16,000 sales agents and in nearly 375 brokerage offices in 21 states.

Manufacturing, Service and Retailing Businesses

Berkshire�� numerous and diverse manufacturing, service and retailing businesses. Marmon Holdings, Inc. (Marmon) consists of approximately 140 manufacturing and service businesses that operate independently within 11 diverse business sectors. These sectors are distribution services, electrical and plumbing products, industrial products, crane services, engineered wire and cable, transportation services and engineered products, food service equipment, highway technologies, retail home improvement products, retail store fixtures, and water treatment.

Distribution Services supplies specialty metal pipe and tubing, bar and sheet products to markets, including construction, industrial, aerospace and many others. Electrical and Plumbing Products is engaged in the distribution, supplying electrical building wire primarily for residential and commercial construction, and copper tube for th! e plumbin! g, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration and industrial markets, through the wholesale channel. Industrial Products consists of metal fasteners and fastener coatings for the construction, industrial and other markets, gloves for industrial markets, portable lighting equipment for mining and safety markets, overhead electrification equipment for mass transit systems, custom-machined aluminum and brass forgings for the construction, energy, recreation and other industries, brass fittings and valves for commercial and industrial applications, and drawn aluminum tubing and extruded aluminum shapes for the construction, automotive, appliance, medical and other markets.

Crane Services is engaged in providing the leasing and operation of mobile cranes primarily to the energy, mining and petrochemical markets. Engineered Wire and Cable is engaged in supplying electrical and electronic wire and cable for energy related markets and other industries. Transportation Services and Engineered Products includes manufacturing, leasing and maintenance of railroad tank cars, leasing of intermodal tank containers, in-plant rail services, manufacturing of bi-modal railcar movers, wheel, axle and gear sets for light rail transit and gear products for locomotives, manufacturing of steel tank heads, and services, equipment and technology for processing and distributing sulfur.

Food Service Equipment is engaged in supplying commercial food preparation equipment for restaurants and shopping carts for retail stores. Highway Technologies primarily serve the heavy-duty highway transportation industry with trailers, fifth wheel coupling devices and undercarriage products, such as brake parts and suspension systems, and also serving the light vehicle aftermarket with clutches and related products. Retail Home Improvement Products is engaged in supplying electrical and plumbing products through the home center channel. Retail Store Fixtures provides shelving systems, other merchandising di! splays an! d related services for retail stores, as well as work and garden gloves sold at retail. Water Treatment includes residential water softening, purification and refrigeration filtration systems, treatment systems for industrial markets including power generation, oil and gas, chemical, and pulp and paper, gear drives for irrigation systems and cooling towers, and air-cooled heat exchangers.

McLane Company, Inc. (McLane) provides wholesale distribution and logistics services in all 50 states and internationally in Brazil to customers that include convenience stores, discount retailers, wholesale clubs, drug stores, military bases, quick service restaurants and casual dining restaurants. Operations include grocery distribution, foodservice distribution, beverage distribution, international logistics and software development. McLane�� foodservice distribution unit, based in Carrollton, Texas, focuses on serving the quick service restaurant industry. Operations are conducted through 18 facilities in 16 states. The foodservice distribution unit services more than 19,000 chain restaurants nationwide.

Other Manufacturing, Other Service and Retailing Businesses

Berkshire�� apparel manufacturing businesses include manufacturers of a range of clothing and footwear. Businesses engaged in the manufacture and distribution of clothing products include Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (Fruit), Russell Brands, LLC (Russell), Vanity Fair Brands, LP (VFB), Garan and Fechheimer Brothers. Berkshire�� footwear businesses include H.H. Brown Shoe Group, Justin Brands and Brooks Sports. Fruit, Russell and VFB (together FOL) is primarily a vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of basic apparel, underwear and athletic apparel and products. Products, under the Fruit of the Loom and JERZEES labels are primarily sold in the mass merchandise and wholesale markets. In the VFB product line, Vassarette, Bestform and Curvation are sold in the mass merchandise market, while Vanity Fair and! Lily of ! France products are sold in the mid-tier chains and department stores. FOL also markets and sells athletic uniforms, apparel, sports equipment and balls to team dealers; college licensed tee shirts and fleecewear to college bookstores and mid-tier merchants; and athletic apparel, sports equipment and balls to sporting goods retailers under the Russell Athletic and Spalding brands. Additionally, Spalding markets and sells balls in the mass merchandise market and dollar store channels.

Garan designs, manufactures, imports and sells apparel primarily for children, including boys, girls, toddlers and infants. Products are sold under its own trademark Garanimals and private labels of its customers. Garan also licenses its registered trademark Garanimals to independent third parties. Garan conducts its business through operating subsidiaries located in the United States, Central America and Asia. Fechheimer Brothers manufactures, distributes and sells uniforms, principally for the public service and safety markets, including police, fire, postal and military markets. Fechheimer Brothers is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Justin Brands and H.H. Brown Shoe Group manufacture and distribute work, rugged outdoor and casual shoes and western-style footwear under a number of brand names, including Justin, Tony Lama, Nocona, Chippewa, Carolina, Sofft, Double-H Boots, Eurosoft, and Softspots. Acme Building Brands (Acme) manufactures and distributes clay bricks (Acme Brick and Jenkins Brick), concrete block (Featherlite) and cut limestone (Texas Quarries). In addition, Acme distributes a range of other building products of other manufacturers, including glass block, floor and wall tile, wood flooring and other masonry products. Acme also sells ceramic floor and wall tile, as well as marble, granite and other stones through its subsidiary, American Tile and Stone. Benjamin Moore & Co. (Benjamin Moore) is a formulator, manufacturer and retailer of a range of architectural coatings, available principa! lly in th! e United States and Canada. Products include water-thinnable and solvent-thinnable general purpose coatings (paints, stains and clear finishes) for use by the general public, contractors and industrial and commercial users. Products are marketed under various registered brand names, including Regal, Super Spec, MoorGard, Aura, Nattura, ben, Coronado, Insl-x and Lenmar.

Johns Manville (JM) is a manufacturer and marketer of products for building insulation, mechanical insulation, commercial roofing and roof insulation, as well as fibers and nonwovens for commercial, industrial and residential applications. JM serves markets that include aerospace, automotive and transportation, air handling, appliance, HVAC, pipe insulation, filtration, waterproofing, building, flooring, interiors and wind energy. The Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) is a carpet manufacturer based on both revenue and volume of production. Shaw designs and manufactures over 3,000 styles of tufted carpet, tufted and woven rugs, laminate and wood flooring for residential and commercial use under about 30 brand and trade names and under certain private labels. Shaw also provides installation services and sells ceramic and vinyl tile along with sheet vinyl. Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is a manufacturer of recreational vehicles, utility, cargo and office trailers, buses and pontoon boats. Albecca Inc. (Albecca) does business primarily under the Larson-Juhl name. Albecca designs, manufactures and distributes a range of products, including wood and metal molding, matboard, foamboard, glass, equipment and other framing supplies in the United States, Canada and 15 countries outside of North America.

FlightSafety International Inc. (FSI) is engaged in professional aviation training services to individuals, businesses (including certain commercial aviation companies) and the United States. Government. FSI primarily provides training to pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, flight attendants and dispatchers who op! erate and! support a range of business, commercial and military aircraft. NetJets Inc. (NJ) is a provider of fractional ownership programs for general aviation aircraft. TTI, Inc. (TTI) is a specialty distributor of passive, interconnect, electromechanical and discrete components used by customers in the manufacturing and assembling of electronic products. TTI�� customer base includes original equipment manufacturers, electronic manufacturing services, original design manufacturers, military and commercial customers, as well as design and system engineers. TTI services a range of industries, including telecommunications, medical devices, computers and office equipment, aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics.

Finance and Financial Products

The Company�� finance and financial products businesses include manufactured housing and finance (Clayton Homes), transportation equipment leasing (XTRA), furniture leasing (CORT), as well as various miscellaneous financing activities. Clayton Homes, Inc. (Clayton) is a vertically integrated manufactured housing company. As of December 31, 2012, Clayton operated 34 manufacturing plants in 12 states. Clayton�� homes are marketed in 48 states through a network of 1,441 retailers, including 323 company-owned home centers. XTRA is a transportation equipment lessor operating under the XTRA Lease brand name. XTRA manages a diverse fleet of approximately 82,000 units located at 58 facilities throughout the United States and two facilities in Canada. The fleet includes over-the-road and storage trailers, chassis, temperature controlled vans and flatbed trailers. CORT Business Services Corporation is a provider of rental relocation services, including rental furniture, accessories and related services in the rent-to-rent segment of the furniture rental industry.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
Berkshire Hathaway is an investment manager with a variety of investments in a number of industries. It is being reported that the company made significant gains from investments during the Financial Crisis. The stock has been flying higher in recent years and is now consolidating near all time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been rising. Relative to its peers and sector, Berkshire Hathaway �has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Berkshire Hathaway to OUTPERFORM.
[By Tiernan Ray]
Berkshire Hathaway�(BRKB) this afternoon reported Q2 operating earnings per Class-A share of $2,384, up 6% from the year-earlier period, and topping a consensus for $2,163 according to FactSet.

The company’s book value per share rose 7.6% from the beginning of the year to $122,900.

The company saw a $322 million gain on investments, better than the prior-year’s $81 million gain, and a $300 million gain on derivatives, versus a year-earlier $693 million loss.

Total revenue for the company from all its holdings was up 16% at $44.69 billion.

Total assets rose to $446.56 billion from $427.45 billion a year earlier.

The full federal filing for the quarter is available on the company’s Web site.

In the filing,�Warren Buffett and his team outlined gains in the underwriting business, railroads, and energy, with a “mixed” bag of results for manufacturing, services and retail:

Our insurance businesses generated significant underwriting gains in the first six months of 2013 and 2012. Our railroad and utilities and energy businesses continued to generate significant earnings in 2013. Earnings from our manufacturing, service and retailing businesses in 2013 were mixed, but as indicated in the table above earnings from these businesses increased about 4.8% during the second quarter and 7.4% during the first six months [...] Premiums written [by Geico] in the second quarter and first six months of 2013 were $4,548 million and $9,389 million, respectively, representing increases of 11.7% and 11.5%, respectively, compared to the corresponding 2012 periods. Premiums earned in the second quarter and first six months of 2013 increased $465 million (11.3%) and $848 million (10.4%), respectively, compared to premiums earned in the corresponding 2012 periods. The growth in premiums earned for voluntary auto was 10.4%, reflecting an increase in policies-in-force of 8.2% over the past year, and to a lesser d
[By Brian Stelter]
DirecTV's largest shareholder, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB), seemed pleased by the deal.

"This is a terrific transaction for all involved: Enhanced choice for consumers coupled with increased value for both AT&T and DirecTV shareholders -- a natural," said Berkshire investment managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler in a joint statement. Berkshire also disclosed last week that it just acquired a stake in Verizon as well.
[By Teresa Rivas]
This could eventually cut the number of North American Class Is in half, something that the regulators will take under very serious consideration before giving their blessings on the first merger. If a CP-CSX union occurs, Norfolk Southern (NSC) would be the next target, in our opinion, as Canadian National Railway (CNI), Union Pacific (UNP), and [Berkshire Hathaway�� (BRKB)] BNSF could each contemplate forming their own transcontinental railway. CP�� reported offer to merge with CSX could boost the latter�� stock price on Monday, while CP shares may underperform the group.

Top Life Sciences Stocks To Buy For 2014: PTC Therapeutics Inc (PTCT)

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Kell]
PTC Therapeutics Inc.(PTCT) said the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a negative opinion on the biopharmaceutical company’s marketing authorization application for its muscular dystrophy treatment. Shares slumped 21% to $20.60 in premarket trading.
[By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Records fell on Wall Street Friday as another solid report on housing lifted the market for the second day in a row. There's a three-day weekend coming up -- something that often prompts investor caution -- but the gains were broad-based even though volume was fairly light. The VIX, which measures volatility, fell to its lowest level this year. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) gained 63 points, the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) rose 31, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) added 8, topping the record high set last week. The Dow Transportation average also raced to an all-time high, lifted by airline stocks. United (UAL) soared more than 4 percent; Delta (DAL) gained more than 1 percent and Southwest (LUV) gained 2 percent. Southwest is at an all-time high, up 79 percent from a year ago. New home sales bounced back with a better than expected 6.4 percent increase last month. Lennar (LEN) and D.R. Horton (DHI) both rose 4 percent. Pulte (PHM), Beazer (BZH) and Hovnanian (HOV) also solid posted gains. Earnings continue to drive retail stocks. Gap (GPS) edged higher even though net fell. Foot Locker (FL) gained 1½ percent after topping expectations. GameStop (GME) rose 4 percent. Its net rose, helped by the rollout last year of new Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Zumiez (ZUMZ) rose 5½ percent on an earnings beat. But Aeropostale (ARO) tumbled 24 percent. Its loss widened and sales declined. The retailer continues to struggle with teen fashion trends. Also on the earnings front, TiVo (TIVO) rose 2 percent as it swung to a profit from a year ago loss. It also reported an increase in the number of subscribers. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) rose 6 percent on news the company plans to eliminate up to 16,000 additional workers in an effort to cut costs. And several stocks extended big moves from yesterday. Best Buy (BBY) rose more than 3 percent for the second straight day after earnings beat expectations. Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS) jumped

Top Life Sciences Stocks To Buy For 2014: Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS)

Universal Health Services, Inc., through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals, behavioral health centers, surgical hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and radiation oncology centers. The company�s hospitals offer various services comprising general and specialty surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic care, coronary care, pediatric services, pharmacy services, and/or behavioral health services. As of February 24, 2012, it owned and/or operated 25 acute care hospitals and 198 behavioral health centers located in 36 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as Washington, D.C. The company also operates six surgical hospitals, and surgery and radiation oncology centers located in four states and Puerto Rico. Universal Health Services, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Tenets plunge has helped drag other healthcare stocks lower.�Community Health (CYH) has dropped 3.6% to $42.21,�HCA Holdings (HCA) has fallen 2.1% to $46.72 and�Universal Health Services�(UHS) is off 1% at $80.59.
[By Asit Sharma]
Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS )
King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services�operates acute-care hospitals and behavioral health centers in the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands.The company books more than $7 billion in annual revenue, and has grown its quarterly earnings more than 220% over the last five years.�
[By Jeff Reeves]
UnitedHealth�(UNH), Aetna�(AET) and WellPoint�(WLP) — the three largest managed-care insurers, as measured by market capitalization — are all up more than 30% year-to-date to outperform the S&P 500. And hospital operators like Health Management Associates (HMA) and Universal Health Services (UHS) are up big this year, too.
[By Lee Jackson]
Universal Health Services Inc. (NYSE: UHS) is well liked at J.P. Morgan, as coverage expansion under reform provides a substantial boost in 2014. The company’s focus is on behavioral health, which is in a comparatively more attractive position over acute care, the differentiating degree of diversification with behavioral health providers and its market leadership within acute care facilities in high-growth areas. The bottom line is mental health is a growing field. The J.P. Morgan target is raised from $74 to $86.

Top Life Sciences Stocks To Buy For 2014: Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ACHN)

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of treatments for infectious diseases. The company focuses on the development of antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C; and the development of antibacterials for the treatment of resistant bacterial infections. Its drug candidates for the treatment of chronic HCV include ACH-1625, a protease inhibitor, which is in phase IIa clinical trial for the treatment of chronic HCV; ACH-2684, a pangenotypic protease inhibitor, which is in phase I clinical trial for the treatment of chronic HCV infection; and NS5A inhibitors for the treatment of chronic HCV infection, including ACH-2928, which is to enter a phase I clinical trial, as well as various additional NS5A inhibitors in preclinical development. Its pipeline of product candidates also includes ACH-702 and ACH-2881 for drug resistant bacterial infections; elvucitabine for HIV infection; and AC H-1095 for HCV infection. The company was founded in 1998 and is based in New Haven, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Bottom line from the Gilead standpoint for us is the�Johnson & Johnson for Alios transaction is particularly interesting for 1) its RSV candidate to watch, 2) longer-term Alios has two nukes going into the clinic. 3) whether this has any read-through into companies that still might be interested in Achillion’s (ACHN) Phase I nuke program which will have data this fall and investors expect that to be acquired too since there were multiple bidders for Idenix Pharmaceuticals (IDIX). 4) This may also suggest if�Johnson & Johnson continues development of these nukes that there is still a long tail for HCV if they want to invest in this for a drug that would be on the market out in 2018.
[By Ben Levisohn]
Stocks finished mix today, though it’s probably more fair to say they hardly moved at all.�Intel�(INTC), Facebook (FB) and�Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN) gained, while�CR Bard�(BCR) and eHealth (EHTH) fell.
[By Jon C. Ogg]
Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN) is getting destroyed on poor hep-C test results, and shares are down about 50%. Bank of America�Merrill Lynch downgraded it to Underperform from Buy after the news.
[By Dan Carroll]
Few biotechs were hit as hard as Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACHN ) this week, however. Achillion makes up around 2% of the weight of the SPDR Biotech ETF, and its 7.5% loss this week was a major reason for the fund's fall. This stock has failed to capitalize on the markets' surge this year, losing 10% year-to-date. The company only recently named a new CEO, lifting its former R&D head and chief science officer to the top job. Achillion's still in the developmental stage of its life and thus produces no revenue, and the company's cash burn makes it seem likely that more share dilution is on its way as the company looks to advance its hepatitis-C pipeline over the coming years. Until Achillion produces some meaningful results from that pipeline, this stock will remain a risky play in an already risky space.

Top Life Sciences Stocks To Buy For 2014: Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA (AEDU3)

Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA, formerly Mehir Holdings SA, is a Brazil-based holding company engaged in the education sector. The Company provides higher graduate and postgraduate education through full time and distance learning programs. It is also engaged in the provision of preparatory courses for public competition and other specialization courses. The Company offers the academic programs, such as full time graduate, distance graduate and post-graduate courses. Additionally, the Company provides selected courses through the methodology of distance learning, including graduate, post-graduate and continuous education courses. Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA offers its services for working adults and operates in approximately 71 campuses and around 500 learning centers located throughout each of around the 26 Brazilian states. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ney Hayashi]
Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA (AEDU3) tumbled after Brazil�� antitrust regulator signaled it may limit the education company�� merger with competitor Kroton Educacional SA. (KROT3) Lojas Renner SA (LREN3) led retailers higher after a report showed Brazil�� industrial production expanded faster than expected in October, easing concern that growth is faltering.

Top Life Sciences Stocks To Buy For 2014: MELA Sciences Inc(MELA)

MELA Sciences, Inc., a medical device company, focuses on the design and development of a non-invasive, point-of-care instrument to assist in the detection of early melanoma. The company?s principal product, MelaFind, features a hand-held imaging device that emits multiple wavelengths of light to capture images of suspicious pigmented skin lesions and extract data. This product uses automatic image analysis and statistical pattern recognition to help identify lesions to be considered for biopsy to rule out melanoma. It consists of hand-held imaging device, which employs high precision optics and multi-spectral illumination; database of pigmented skin lesions; and lesion classifiers, which are mathematical algorithms that extract lesion feature information and classify lesions. MELA Sciences submitted the MelaFind pre-market approval application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2009 and is under review at the FDA. The company was formerly known as E lectro-Optical Sciences, Inc. and changed its name MELA Sciences, Inc. in April 2010. MELA Sciences, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is based in Irvington, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lisa Levin]
MELA Sciences (NASDAQ: MELA) shares reached a new 52-week low of $0.303 after the company approved a one-for-ten reverse stock split of the common stock.