Top Railroad Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top Railroad Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Enersis S A(ENI)

Enersis S.A., an electric utility company, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. It owns and operates hydroelectric, thermal, and wind power plants. As of December 31, 2010, it had 14,833 megawatts of installed capacity with 195 power plants; and 13.3 million distribution customers covering approximately 50 million inhabitants. The company was formerly known as Compania Chilena Metropolitana de Distribucion Electrica S.A and changed its name to Enersis S.A. in August 1988. Enersis S.A. was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile. Enersis S.A. is a subsidiary of Endesa Latinoamerica S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  European stocks were little changed at a one-week high as companies from Eni SpA (ENI) to Volkswagen AG posted profit that exceeded estimates, while a gauge of telecommunications companies retreated.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-railroad-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-2.html

Hot Building Product Companies To Watch For 2014

Do you honestly want to invest in stocks right now? It sure looks like the bull market is at least on spring break, if not over. But, if you are interested in putting some money to work just in case the pivot higher is right around the corner, then two firms say buy Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).

Cantor Fitzgerald and Pivotal Research upgraded the social site leader to "Buy" from "Hold" recommendations. Both research teams set a price-target of $72, which is not a coincidence as they are both written by the same guy.

For the few who may not know, Facebook, Inc. (Facebook) is engaged in building products to create utility for users, developers, and advertisers. People use Facebook to stay connected with their friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world around them, and to share and express what matters to them to the people they care about. Developers can use the Facebook Platform to build applications and Websites that integrate with Facebook to reach its global network of users and to build personalized and social products. It offers advertisers a combination of reach, relevance, social context and engagement.

Top 5 Blue Chip Companies For 2015: Callaway Golf Co (ELY)

Callaway Golf Company, incorporated on May 7, 1999, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures and sells golf clubs (drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters) and golf balls, and also sells golf accessories (such as golf bags, golf gloves, headwear, towels, umbrellas and travel gear) under the Callaway Golf and Odyssey brand names. The Company sells pre-owned golf products through its Website, www.callawaygolfpreowned.com. In addition, it sells Callaway Golf and Odyssey products direct to consumers online through its Websites shop.callawaygolf.com and www.odysseygolf.com. The Company also licenses its trademarks and service marks in exchange for a royalty fee to third parties for use on golf related accessories, including apparel, footwear, eyewear, rangefinders and practice aids. Its products are sold in the United States and in approximately 100 countries around the world.

The Company designs, manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and designs and sells golf accessories. The Company�� products are designed for golfers of all skill levels, both amateur and professional. The Company�� principal products include Drivers, Fairway Woods and Hybrids; Irons; Putters; Golf Balls, and Accessories, Softgoods and Other. Drivers, Fairway Woods and Hybrids product category includes sales of the Company�� drivers, fairway woods and hybrid products, which are sold under the Callaway Golf brand. Irons include sales of the Company�� irons and wedges, which are sold under the Callaway Golf brand. Putters include sales of the Company�� putters, which are sold under the Odyssey brand. Golf Balls includes sales of the Company�� golf balls, which are sold under the Callaway Golf and Strata brands. Accessories, Softgoods and Other includes sales of golf bags, golf gloves, golf footwear, rangefinders, golf apparel, packaged club sets, headwear, towels, umbrellas, eyewear and other accessories, as well as sales of pre-owned products through www.callawaygolfpre! owned.com. Additionally, this product category includes royalties from licensing of the Company�� trademarks and service marks on products such as golf apparel, golf footwear, rangefinders and practice aids.

The Company competes with TaylorMade, Ping, Acushnet, Puma, SRI Sports Limited, Mizuno, Bridgestone, and Nike.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Callaway Golf (NYSE: ELY) was down as well, dropping 9.70 percent to $7.54 after the Dick's Sporting goods earnings report unveiled a weakness in the golf market which traders applied to Callaway, using it as a catalyst to push the shares lower.

Hot Building Product Companies To Watch For 2014: Synergetics USA Inc.(SURG)

Synergetics USA, Inc., a medical device company, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of microsurgical instruments and consumables primarily for ophthalmology and neurosurgery markets in the United States and internationally. The company?s product lines focus upon precision engineered, microsurgical, handheld devices, and the microscopic delivery of laser energy, ultrasound, electrosurgery, aspiration, illumination and irrigation that are delivered in multiple combinations. It offers retinal surgical items, including handheld disposable and reusable forceps and scissors, fiberoptics for illumination and photocoagulation, cannulas, scrapers, and other reusable and disposable surgical devices. The company also provides bipolar electrosurgical generators; lesion generators used for minimally invasive pain treatment; and directional laser probes, as well as offers gauge instrumentation to the vitreoretinal surgical market. It sells its products through direct sale s employees, distributors, and independent sales representatives. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in O?Fallon, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Synergetics USA (SURG) has dropped 4.8% to $4.75 after the medical device company said it earned 6 cents a share, in line with analyst forecasts.

  Team Inc.�(TISI) has dropped 11% after the company missed its earnings forecast and lowered guidance.

Hot Building Product Companies To Watch For 2014: Wendel SA (MF)

Wendel SA is a France-based investor for the long-term as the majority or leading shareholder in listed or unlisted companies, taking the lead in order to accelerate the growth and development. The Firm takes part in the definition and implementation of ambitious strategies and provides the funding necessary. The investment strategy and development of the Firm takes place via close interaction with the management teams of the companies in which the Firm is a shareholder. This partnership is at the heart of the value creation process. The Firm offers active and constant support, sharing the risks and providing expertise as well as financial and technical skills. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John McCamant]

  Incyte Pharmaceuticals (INCY) recently held their quarterly conference call. Importantly, sales for Jakafi��n advanced compound used for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF)��et or exceeded Wall Street's expectations.

Hot Building Product Companies To Watch For 2014: Corinthian Colleges Inc (COCO)

Corinthian Colleges, Inc., incorporated on July 24, 1996, is a post-secondary education company in the United States and Canada. As of June 30, 2013, the Company had a student enrollment of 81,284 and operated 97 schools in 25 states, and 14 schools in the province of Ontario, Canada. It offers a variety of diploma programs and associate, bachelor's and master's degrees. The Company�� training program areas include healthcare, criminal justice, business, mechanical, trades, and information technology. The Company�� diploma curricula includes medical assisting, medical insurance billing and coding, massage therapy, dental assisting, pharmacy technician, medical administrative assisting, surgical technology, automotive and diesel technology, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, electrical, and licensed practical nursing. Its core degree curriculum includes business administration, accounting, paralegal, criminal justice, medical assisting, and registered nursing.

Diploma programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 8-12 months, depending on the course of study. Associate degree programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 24-28 months, bachelor's degree programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 48 months and master's degree programs are generally designed to have duration of approximately 21 months. As of June 30, 2013, approximately 39% of its students were enrolled in diploma programs, approximately 55% of students were enrolled in associate programs, approximately 5% of students were in bachelor's programs and approximately 1% of students were in master's programs.

The Company�� career services departments assist students in preparing resumes, help them to develop a professional demeanor and other soft skills that are important in the workplace, conduct practice interview sessions, and identify prospective employers for graduates. At the Company�� Everest locations in Florida, ! Phoenix, AZ, Mesa, AZ, Springfield, MO and Ontario Metro, CA, some of its associate degree programs also articulate into a bachelor's degree in the same course of study. Master's degrees are also offered at Everest Florida in business administration and criminal justice. As of June 30, 2013, 94 out of 111 schools were operating under the Everest brand, five schools were operating under the WyoTech brand, and 12 schools were operating under the Heald brand.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- S&P Dow Jones Indices said late Friday that J.C. Penney (JCP) would be leaving the S&P 500 (SPX) upon the close of trading Nov. 29 after its market cap no longer made it suitable for the large-cap index of stocks. It will be replaced by Allegion, a soon-to-be-public spinoff of Ingersoll-Rand (IR) , which will remain in the S&P 500. J. C. Penney will replace A茅ropostale Inc. (ARO) in the S&P MidCap 400, which in turn will replace Corinthian Colleges (COCO) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Even including an 18% recovery in price this month, J.C. Penney shares have dropped 55% this year, leaving it with a market cap of $2.7 billion. The lowest market cap stock on the index Friday was Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) . J.C. Penney shares fell 1% after hours.

Hot Building Product Companies To Watch For 2014: Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (REFG.PK)

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions, incorporated on December 1, 2005, is a provider of integrated supply and distribution technology. The Company�� Seed-to-Sale (S2S) integrated solution is a management and compliance technology for growers, caregivers and dispensaries in the market. The Company also works with public officials and government agencies to expand the acceptance of medicinal cannabis, and the adoption of a legal framework where maximum market expansion is possible. The Company solves the fragmentation problem by identifying tools that are important to dispensaries, and customizing those tools specifically catered to the industry. The Company's solutions include Spark, Ghost and S2S.

Spark

The Company�� SPARK Hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provides customers with enterprise-class hosted phone systems customized to fit customers��needs. SPARK's service is a fully-managed, cloud-based system. The Company offers the convenience of an online Internet Protocol (IP)-based telecommunications system while still delivering substantial savings to customers bottom line.

Ghost

By offering customers a customized, tailored mobile solution, the Company's Ghost Mobile Apps give a marketing tool with a texting and e-mail solution, keeping customers in constant contact with patients and clients. The Company creates an optimized experience in context to each device or screen size.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alan Brochstein]

  Not too surprisingly, supply is starting to increase. We have seen some companies enter the space by expanding their own businesses, but there have been some reverse mergers lately too. I had mentioned Refill Energy (REFG.PK) recently (soon to be Medical Cannabis Financial Group), but earlier this month Promap (PMAP.OB) acquired 94% of Advanced Cannabis Solutions (link to 8-K). As an aside, I think that this company is worth considering given the management team and the business model. Investors should keep in the back of their mind that there are many companies that are quietly developing their business models and could become public over time, especially as the regulatory and legal landscapes improve.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now

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 Orthofix International (NASDAQ: OFIX  ) , a medical device company specializing in spinal and orthopedic applications, shed as much as 21% of their value after the company reported its first-quarter results and received four analyst downgrades.

So what: For the quarter, Orthofix saw sales drop 14% to $100.3 million from the year-ago period as EPS declined by 66% to just $0.23. Its spine segment delivered a sales decline of 12% compared to a 17% decline from its orthopedics division with both experiencing significant weakness from international markets (e.g., Europe and Brazil). The Street had been expecting a profit of $0.66 per share on revenue of roughly $111 million in sales, so its results weren't even in the ballpark. Orthofix did authorize a $50 million share repurchase program, but that hardly made a dent with Mizuho, JMP Securities, Janney Capital, and Lazard Capital�all downgrading the company. Looking ahead, Orthofix is forecasting second-quarter revenue of $104 million to $107 million, which is well below the $119.7 million that the Street had been projecting.

Top 5 Machinery Companies To Invest In Right Now: Nielsen Holdings NV (NLSN)

Nielsen Holdings N.V., incorporated on May 17, 2006, is a global information and measurement company. The Company delivers media and marketing information, and analytics on a global and local basis. It operates in three segments: Buy segment, Watch segment and Expositions segment. The Company�� Buy segment provides retail transactional measurement data, consumer behavior information and analytics primarily to businesses in the consumer packaged goods industry. Its Watch segment provides viewership data and analytics primarily to the media and advertising industries across television, online and mobile screens. The Company�� Expositions segment operates business-to-business trade shows and conference events in the United States. The Company�� clients include The Coca-Cola Company, NBC Universal, Nestle S.A., News Corp., The Procter & Gamble Company and the Unilever Group. In May 2011, it acquired NeuroFocus Inc. In August 2011, the Company acquired Marketing Analytics, Inc. In June 2013, Onex Corp announced that it has completed the acquisition of Nielsen Expositions from its parent, an affiliate of Nielsen Holdings NV (Nielsen).

What Consumers Buy

The Company�� Buy segment provides retail transactional measurement data, consumer behavior information and analytics primarily to businesses in the consumer packaged goods industry. This segment is organized into two areas: Information, which provides retail scanner and consumer panel-based measurement, and Insights, which provides a range of analytics. The Company�� consumer panels collect data from approximately 240,000 household panelists across 26 countries that use in-home scanners to record purchases from each shopping trip. Its analytical services are organized into seven primary categories: growth and demand strategy, market structure and segmentation, brand and portfolio management, product innovation services, pricing and sales modeling, retail marketing strategies and marketing return-on-investment (ROI) strate! gies.

What Consumers Watch

The Company�� Watch segment provides viewership data and analytics primarily to the media and advertising industries across television, online and mobile devices. It is engaged in the television audience measurement. The Company provides two principal television ratings services in the United States: measurement of national television audiences and measurement of local television audiences in all 210 designated local television markets. It measures television viewing in 28 countries outside the United States, including Australia, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico and South Korea. The Company is a global provider of Internet media and market research, audience analytics and social media measurement. Its online measurement service has a presence in 46 countries, including the United States, France, South Korea and Brazil. The Company provides critical advertising metrics, such as audience demographics, page and ad views, and time spent.

The Company provides independent measurement and consumer research for telecom and media companies in the mobile telecommunications industry. The Company offers mobile measurement services in 10 countries worldwide, including the United States. The Company develops advanced measurement techniques of the three principal screens: television, online and mobile devices. Its cross-platform measurement solution provides information about simultaneous usage of more than one screen, unduplicated reach, cause and effect analysis and program viewing behavior. It also provides advertising effectiveness research across multiple platforms. It also integrates data from its Buy segment with these measurement platforms.

The Company competes with GfK, Ipsos, Canoe Ventures, Dish Networks, WPP, Rentrak, TiVo, Mediametrie, Coremetrics, Google, Omniture, WebTrends, BuzzLogic, Cymfony and Umbria.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend]

  Big names on the Buyback side were Pfizer (PFE), AbbVie, Canadian National Railway (CNI), Parker Hannfin (PH), Nielsen (NLSN) and CarMax (KMX).

  In total, 27 stocks announced a new, additional or increased share buyback program. The total buyback volume for the future is over USD $25 billion.

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Marketing. PEP remains on the cutting edge for marketing as well. Just recall the company�� “Crash the Super Bowl” campaign, which allowed fans to develop their own ads. For the 2013 game, the winning ad was ranked No. 1 for “most liked” and “most memorable” according to Nielsen (NLSN) ratings.�PEP is also aggressive with celebrity and athlete endorsements, as well as deals with organizations like the National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Hockey League. Beyonce at the Super Bowl, anyone? Retailers are more likely to carry PEP products because of these brand associations.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Getty Images By Juliette Fairley In the pursuit of the Hollywood dream at age 25, Shequeta Smith moved from North Carolina to Los Angeles in 2004. She rented a room from a friend and began visualizing a place to call her own. "I wrote down exactly what I wanted on a piece of paper, and I still have that paper," Smith told MainStreet. The screenwriter and director imagined paying only $600 for a rental with a parking spot in Sherman Oaks, one of the wealthier enclaves in the sprawling city. But now a decade later she is looking to relocate to become a homeowner. Smith is one of the 48 percent of millennials who plan to move so they can own in the next five years, according to a study by The Demand Institute. "Most millennials want to own a home," said Louise Keely, president of TDI and senior vice president with Nielsen (NLSN). "But those who are currently renting may have trouble saving money for a down payment, because apartment rents have increased more quickly than their income." "It's hard to save money for a down payment, because of the cost of living," Smith said. "But once I make it in the film industry, I will buy a house outright in Charlotte and travel back and forth to Los Angeles for filmmaking." The Dream of Homeownership with a Twist TDI's "Millennials and Their Homes: Still Seeking the American Dream" found that the average millennial has $5,000 in debt and only $3,000 in savings outside of retirement. "Their net debt doesn't look like they are in a position to put a sizable down payment on a house, so saving money is an issue for millennials," Keely told MainStreet. As a result, more millennials are looking to alternative approaches to home ownership, with 69 percent saying they'd consider lease-to-own as one way. "Many are open to alternative approaches to housing finance, including single-family rentals and hybrid contracts such as lease-to-own," said Jeremy Burbank, vice president with TDI and Nielsen. A Different Job Market That's

Top Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: CC Media Holdings Inc (CCMO)

CC Media Holdings, Inc., incorporated May 2007, is a diversified media and entertainment company. The Company provides radio, digital, out-of-home, mobile and on-demand entertainment, and information services for audiences and local communities, and providing opportunities for advertisers. The Company operates in three segments: Media and Entertainment (CCME, formerly Radio), Americas outdoor advertising (Americas outdoor) and International outdoor advertising (International outdoor). On April 29, 2011, the Company acquired the traffic business of Westwood One, Inc. (the Traffic acquisition). The Company, during 2011, also purchased a cloud-based music technology business. During 2011, the Company also acquired Brouwer & Partners, a street furniture business. During 2011, the Company divested and exchanged its 27 radio stations.

CCME

The CCME segments operations include radio broadcasting, online and mobile services and products, program syndication, entertainment, traffic data distribution and music research services. The Company�� radio stations and content can be heard on amplitude modulation (AM) / frequency modulation (FM) stations, high definition (HD) radio stations, satellite radio, the Internet at iHeartRadio.com, and the Company�� radio stations Websites, through the Company�� iHeartRadio mobile application on iPads and smart phones, and via navigation systems. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 866 radio stations, including 249 AM and 617 FM servicing approximately 150 the United States markets.

The Company operates premiere networks (Premiere), a national radio network that produces, distributes or represents approximately 90 syndicated radio programs, and serves approximately 5,800 radio station affiliates. The Company�� syndicated radio programs include Rush Limbaugh, Jim Rome, Steve Harvey, Ryan Seacrest, Elvis Duran and Delilah. It also delivers real-time traffic information via navigation systems, radio and television broadcast m! edia and wireless and Internet-based services through the Company�� traffic business, total traffic network. During 2011, the CCME segment generated 48% of the Company�� revenues. The primary source of revenue in the CCME segment is the sale of commercials on the Company�� radio stations for local, regional and national advertising. The Company�� advertisers include consumer services, retailers, entertainment, health and beauty products, telecommunications, automotive and media.

Americas Outdoor Advertising

The Americas outdoor advertising segment operates in the markets of the United States, Canada and Latin America. It consists of billboards, street furniture and transit displays, airport displays, mall displays, and wall scapes, and other spectaculars, which the Company owns or operates under lease management agreements. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated approximately 125,000 display structures in its Americas outdoor advertising segment with operations in the United States. The Americas outdoor advertising segment generated 21% of the Company�� revenues during 2011. Americas outdoor revenue is derived from the sale of advertising copy placed on the Company�� digital displays and traditional displays. The Company�� display inventory consists primarily of billboards, street furniture displays and transit displays.

The street furniture displays of the Company include advertising surfaces on bus shelters, information kiosks, freestanding units and other public structures. The transit displays advertise on various types of vehicles or within transit systems, including on the interior and exterior sides of buses, trains, trams, and in the common areas of rail stations and airports. The other display inventories consist of spectaculars, wall scapes and mall displays.

International Outdoor Advertising

The International outdoor business segment includes the Company�� operations in Asia, Australia and E! urope, wi! th approximately 34% of its revenue in this segment derived from France and the United Kingdom during 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned or operated approximately 630,000 displays across 30 countries. The International outdoor segment generated 27% of the Company�� revenues during 2011. International outdoor advertising revenue is derived from the sale of traditional advertising copy placed on the Company�� display inventory and electronic displays, which are part of the Company�� network of digital displays. The International outdoor display inventory consists primarily of street furniture displays, billboards, transit displays and other out-of-home advertising displays, such as neon displays.

The Company competes with JCDecaux, CBS and Lamar Advertising Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, CCMO remained (0.00%) +0.000 at $4.90 at the close (ref. google finance August 9, 2013 ��Close).

  CC Media Holdings, Inc. previously reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2013.

  Revenue grew 1% to $1.6 billion, excluding foreign exchange and divestitures
  OIBDAN1 declined 5% year over year to $505 million, excluding foreign exchange and divestitures; OIBDAN margin of 31%
  Extended $5.0 billion of term loans to 2019 from 2016, and exchanged senior notes due 2016 for senior notes due 2021

Top Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Actelion Ltd (ATLN.VX)

Actelion Ltd is a Swiss biopharmaceutical holding company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drugs. The Company has four approved drugs on the market: Tracleer, an oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist; Veletri, a prostanoid vasodilator; Ventavis, an inhaled formulation of iloprost, and Zavesca, an oral treatment for type 1 Gaucher disease. Furthermore, the Company has a number of compounds various stages of development. The Company operates through a number of worldwide subsidiaries, including Actelion Registration Ltd, which holds marketing authorizations for products marketed in the European Union; Actelion Clinical Research, Inc, engaged in clinical development on behalf of the Company's group; Actelion Re SA, providing insurance solutions for the Company's group and Actelion US Holding Company, engaged in the holding activities of the Company's United States-based units. In September 2013, it acquired Ceptaris Therapeutics, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Forest Laboratories has a current ratio of 2.69% which is higher than the ones registered by Endo International Plc (ENDP), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST). For investors looking for a higher ROE, Allergan Inc. (AGN) and Actelion Ltd. (ATLN.VX) are good options.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Scientific Games Corp (SGMS)

Scientific Games Corporation (Scientific Games), incorporated on July 2, 1984, is a global supplier of solutions to lottery and gaming organizations worldwide. The Company�� products and services include instant lottery games, lottery gaming systems, terminals and services, and Internet applications, as well as server-based interactive gaming machines and associated gaming control systems. The Company reports its operations in three segments: Printed Products Group, Lottery Systems Group and Diversified Gaming Group. Printed Products Group is a provider of instant lottery tickets in the world. The Company�� Lottery Systems Group is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. Its Diversified Gaming Group provides services and systems to private and public operators in the wide area gaming industry, including server-based gaming machines and sports betting systems and services. On September 23, 2011, the Company acquired Barcrest Group Limited. During 2011, the Company launched MDI Interactive, a content services powerhouse dedicated to delivering gaming solutions for the Internet, mobile and all digital things. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of WMS Industries Inc.

Printed Products

Printed Products segment is primarily consists of instant ticket lottery business. The Company generates revenue from the manufacturing and sale of instant tickets, as well as the provision of value-added services, such as game design, sales and marketing support, specialty games and promotions, inventory management and warehousing and fulfillment services. It also provides lotteries with cooperative service programs (CSPs), to help them manage and support their operations. The Company also provides licensed games, promotional entertainment and Internet-based services to the lottery industry. It operates six instant ticket printing facilities across five continents.

!

The Company provides lotteries with access to some entertainment brands on lottery products through its subsidiary MDI Entertainment LLC (MDI). The Company�� licensed entertainment brands include Harley-Davidson, Major League Baseball, Monopoly, National Basketball Association, The Price is Right, Wheel-of-Fortune and World Poker Tour. It also provides branded merchandise prizes, advertising, promotional support, turnkey drawing management services and prize fulfillment programs. In addition, it offers lotteries a Web-based platform called Properties Plus, which features players clubs, reward programs, second chance promotional websites, interactive games and, subject to applicable law, a subscription system that enables players to purchase lottery games securely over the Internet. The Company owns 20% interests in LNS ad Northstar, and 49% in CSG.

Lottery Systems

The Company is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. In the United States, the Company typically provides the necessary equipment, software and maintenance services pursuant to long-term facilities. Internationally, it typically sells terminals and/or computer software to lottery authorities and may provide ongoing fee-based systems and software support services. The Company�� lottery systems business includes the supply of transaction-processing software, draw lottery games, keno, point-of-sale terminals, central site computers and communication platforms as well as ongoing operational support and maintenance services. The Company is the instant ticket validation network provider to the China Sports Lottery.

The Company has lottery systems operating in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition, it provides video lottery central monitoring, and control systems and networks primarily to lotteries an! d gaming ! regulators. It also provides software, hardware and support for sports wagering systems. The Company has 50% interest in Guard Libang, a provider of instant ticket activation and validation and inventory management systems and services.

Gaming

The Company is a provider of server-based gaming machines and systems and other products and services to operators in the gaming industry. The Company�� Gaming segment includes The Global Draw Limited (Global Draw), a supplier of server-based gaming machines and systems, and game content primarily to bookmakers that operate licensed betting offices (LBOs) in the United Kingdom, and to gaming operators outside the United Kingdom. The Gaming segment also includes Barcrest Group Limited (Barcrest) and Games Media Limited (Games Media), suppliers of gaming machines, systems and game content to pubs, bingo halls and arcades in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.

The Company provides its Gaming customers with gaming machines, remote management of game content and management information, central computer systems, secure data communication and field support services. It develops its own game content, and supplements its offering with content from third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company installed approximately 23,100 LBO gaming machines in the United Kingdom, which included approximately 8,000 LBO gaming. As of December 31, 2011, it had an installed base of approximately 6,100 gaming machines in its United Kingdom pub, bingo hall and arcade business, and installed approximately 6,500 gaming machines outside of the United Kingdom. During 2011, the Company owned a 50% interest in Sciplay, a joint venture with Playtech Services (Cyprus) Limited. It also owns 29.4% interests in RCN, and 20% in Sportech.

The Compnay competes with Pollard Banknote Limited, GTECH, BI Worldwide Ltd., Alchemy3, LLC, ePrize, LLC, GTECH, Pollard, Intralot Technologies, Inc., International Lottery and Totalizator Systems, Inc.! , Inspire! d Gaming Group Limited, Danoptra Ltd, Sceptre Leisure plc, Games Warehouse Limited, International Game Technology, Lottomatica, Bally Technologies, Inc., Inspired, Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Novomatic AG, Multimedia Games, Inc., WMS Industries Inc., Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., Amaya Gaming Group, Inc., Cryptologic Ltd., IGT, Microgaming Software Systems Ltd., Net Entertainment NE AB, NYX Gaming Group, OpenBet Technology Ltd. and Playtech Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stock Maelstrom]

  We are likely approaching the last time I will be reporting on WMS Industries (WMS), the former Williams Electronics. It has agreed to be acquired by Scientific Games (SGMS) for $26 per share, plus the assumption of WMS' modest debt. The deal is scheduled to close by the end of this year. On its own, WMS is having a dismal fiscal year, which ends June 30. For this year, the company, no doubt with distracted management, earnings are likely to end at about $0.90 per share, compared with fiscal 2012's $1.31 per share. Helping drive earnings lower are additional measures the company is taking to drive up revenues, which remain well below last decade's peak. WMS' stock has flat lined the past few months at within three percent of the $26 price. There is virtually no upside, though there is downside if the deal collapses. I see no reason to get invested in WMS.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Barclays PLC(BCS)

Barclays PLC provides various financial products and services in Europe, the United States, Africa, and Asia. It offers retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services. The company?s products include current account and savings products, Woolwich branded mortgages, unsecured loans, protection products, general insurance, credit cards, Sharia-compliant products, installment finance and commercial property finance, commercial loans, and personal loans. It also offers money transmission, international and private banking, investment management, fiduciary, and brokerage services, as well as payment solutions and mobile banking services. In addition, the company provides fixed income, currency and commodities, foreign exchange, emerging markets, money markets, and credit services; equities, which include cash and equity derivatives and prime services; investment banking products and services that comprise fi nancial advisory, and equity and debt underwriting; and advisory services. It serves individual, commercial, corporate, institutional, retail, and mass affluent customers. The company was formerly known as Barclays Bank Limited and changed its name to Barclays PLC in January 1985. Barclays PLC was founded in 1896 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sara Sjolin]

  Banks posted some of the biggest gains in London, with Barclays PLC (UK:BARC) � (BCS) �up 1.6%, Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (UK:RBS) � (RBS) �rising 1.1% and sector heavyweight HSBC Holdings PLC (UK:HSBA) � (HBC) � (HK:5) �0.7% higher.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Kid Brands Inc (KID)

Kid Brands, Inc., incorporated on June 1966, is a designer, importer, marketer and distributor of branded infant and juvenile consumer products. The Company through its wholly owned operating subsidiaries: Kids Line, LLC (Kids Line); LaJobi, Inc. (LaJobi); Sassy, Inc. (Sassy), and CoCaLo, Inc. (CoCaLo) designs and markets branded infant and juvenile products in a number of categories, including, among others: infant bedding and related nursery accessories and decor, nursery appliances, bath/spa products and diaper bags (Kids Line and CoCaLo); nursery furniture and related products (LaJobi), and developmental toys and feeding, bath and baby care items with features that address the various stages of an infant�� early years, including Kokopax line of baby gear (Sassy). In addition to its branded products, it also markets certain categories of products under various licenses, including Carter��, Disney, Graco and Serta.

The Company�� products are sold primarily to large, national retail accounts and independent retailers (including toy, specialty, food, drug, apparel and other retailers). The Company maintains relationships with international distributors to service certain retail customers in several foreign countries, as well as with several independent representatives to service select domestic and foreign retail customers. The Company�� infant and juvenile product line consists of approximately 7,400 products that principally focus on newborn to three year old children. It also caters to the age range between three through seven, including toddler bedding and beds, as well as kitchen products. Kids Line products, which are marketed primarily under the Kids Line, Carter�� and Disney brands, and CoCaLo products, which are marketed primarily under the CoCaLo Baby, CoCaLo Couture, and CoCaLo Naturals brands, each consist primarily of infant bedding and related nursery accessories and decor, such as blankets, rugs, mobiles, nightlights, hampers, lamps and wall art, as well as nurser! y appliances, diaper bags and spa/bath products. LaJobi products, which are marketed primarily under the Babi Italia, Europa Baby, Bonavita, Graco and Serta brands, consist primarily of cribs, mattresses and other nursery furniture. Sassy products, which are marketed primarily under the Sassy, Carter��, Garanimals and Kokopax brands, consist primarily of developmental toys and feeding, bath and baby care items and baby gear with features that address the various stages of an infant�� early years. The Company has five product categories: Hard Good Basics, Soft Good Basics, Toys and Entertainment, Accessories and Decor, and Other. Hard Good Basics includes cribs and other nursery furniture, feeding, food preparation and kitchen products, baby gear and organizers. Soft Good Basics includes bedding, blankets and mattresses. Toys and Entertainment includes developmental toys, bath toys and mobiles. Accessories and Decor includes hampers, lamps, rugs and decor. Other includes all other products that do not fit in the above four categories.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Kid Brands (NYSE: KID  ) has put a new individual in the CEO chair. The man formerly occupying that position, Guy Paglinco, will depart in order to, as the company put it, "pursue other activities." His replacement is James Christl, who will also serve as senior vice president. The transition is effective immediately, although Paglinco will remain a full-time employee of Kid Brands until July 5. Following that, he will make himself available in an advisory capacity for a further six months.

5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Watch For 2015

5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Watch For 2015: Courier Corporation(CRRC)

Courier Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in printing, publishing, and selling books. It operates in two segments, Book Manufacturing and Specialty Book Publishing. The Book Manufacturing segment produces hard and softcover books, as well as offers related services involved in managing the process of creating and distributing these products for publishers, religious organizations, and other information providers. The Specialty Book Publishing segment publishes books in approximately 30 specialty categories, including fine and commercial arts, children?s books, crafts, music scores, graphic design, mathematics, physics and other areas of science, puzzles, games, social science, stationery items, and classics of literature for juvenile and adult markets in the United States. This segment also publishes approximately 900 test preparation and study guide titles for teachers and other consumers; and 130 titles comprising books on home decoration, design, and improvement, as well as gardening and landscaping for the home and garden retail book market. This segment sells its products through its specialty catalogs and through the Internet at doverpublications.com, REA.com, and creativehomeowner.com; and maintains DoverDirect.com, which is a business-to-business site for its retailers and distributors. This segment also sells its products through bookstore chains, independent booksellers, mass merchandisers, children?s stores, craft stores, gift shops, college bookstores, teachers? supply stores, and home and garden centers, as well as through a range of distributors in the United States and internationally. The company was founded in 1824 and is headquartered in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  CPLP reaffirmed its commitment to paying the dividend! of 93 cents per share going forward, and at that level the shares yield 8.65%. The F score is 7, so conditions are improving for the company and the stock is actually trading at a more than a 35% discount to its Graham number valuation of $16.

  Courier Corporation (CRRC)

  Courier Corporation (CRRC) publishes and prints books that are distributed through a variety of retail outlets. It publishes books on things like landscaping, gardening and home improvement that are found in many of the leading home and garden stores. Courier also publishes more than 700 test preparation and study guides for teachers and students as well books for religious institutions.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-clean-energy-stocks-to-watch-for-2015-2.html

Is Chesapeake Headed in the Right Direction?

With shares of Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) trading at around $19.25, is CHK an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock's Movement

Chesapeake is the second-largest natural gas producer in the United States. If natural gas prices continue to increase, then Chesapeake will benefit in a big way. More than 65 percent of Chesapeake's production mix is natural gas.

Currently, Chesapeake has two focuses, which are increased production at Eagle Ford and the reducing debt. New CEO Steve Dixon is highly confident that Chesapeake won't outspend its planned drilling budget of $6 billion. Below is a quick overview of some positives and negatives for Chesapeake.

NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW!

Positives:

Several large insider purchases over the past six months 1.80 percent yield (higher than peers) Carl Icahn has placed a large bet Improved oil production Reducing long-term debt through divestments Knows how to cut out middleman Increased rig transfer speed

Negatives:

Majority of analysts recommend Hold Revenue decline in 2012 Weak margins Subpar cash flow Increased expenses Awful stock performance in 2008 (lack of resiliency) Weak performance in bull market since 2009 Debt is a concern (but a plan is in place)

Now let's take a look at some comparative numbers. The chart below compares fundamentals for Chesapeake, Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), and SandRidge Energy (NYSE:SD). Chesapeake has a market cap of $12.42 billion, Anadarko has a market cap of $41.97 billion, and SandRidge has a market cap of $2.37 billion.

	CHK	APC	SD
Trailing   P/E	N/A	17.69	26.26
Forward   P/E	10.41	16.37	N/A
Profit   Margin	-6.24%	17.97%	5.18%
ROE	-3.31%	11.97%	7.69%
Operating   Cash Flow	$2.84 Billion	$8.34 Billion	$783.16 Million
Dividend   Yield	1.80%	0.40%	N/A
Short   Position	N/A	1.50%	16.90%

 

Let's take a look at some more important numbers prior to forming an opinion on this stock.

E = Equity to Debt Ratio Is Normal          

The debt-to-equity ratio for Chesapeake is weaker than the industry average, but it still qualifies as normal. Chesapeake is working hard to reduce long-term debt.

	Debt-To-Equity	Cash	Long-Term Debt
CHK	0.72	$291.00 Million	$12.85 Billion
APC	0.66	$2.47 Billion	$14.46 Billion
SD	1.11	$309.77 Million	$4.30 Billion

 

NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW!

T = Technicals Are Mixed

Chesapeake has been all over the map when it comes to stock performance, but the bottom line is that without a CEO change, there wouldn't be much to brag about.

	1 Month	Year-To-Date	1 Year	3 Year
CHK	-5.83%	16.94%	10.68%	-14.85%
APC	-5.54%	12.95%	14.18%	21.50%
SD	-7.08%	-21.42%	-33.82%	-33.91%

 

At $19.25, Chesapeake is trading below its 50-day SMA, but above its 100-day SMA and 200-day SMA.

50-Day   SMA	20.12
100-Day   SMA	19.05
200-Day   SMA	19.01

 

E = Earnings Have Been Inconsistent                             

Earnings might remind dedicated baseball fans of the Brett Saberhagen trend. For those who aren't familiar with this trend, he was terrible one year and great the next. This pattern continued throughout the majority of his career. Chesapeake seems to be following a similar path. Since earnings are so inconsistent, we have to look at revenue for a better idea of the company's progress. Revenue had improved in 2010 and 2011, but there was a setback in 2012. This is a somewhat common trend throughout the broader market. However, unlike most companies throughout the broader market, Chesapeake hasn't managed to exceed its 2008 revenue, which is a sign of weakness.

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Revenue   ($)in   billions	15.16	9.00	10.98	13.97	13.41
Diluted   EPS ($)	6.91	-0.28	1.52	-5.32	4.74

 

When we look at the previous quarter on a year-over-year basis, we see a decline in revenue and an increase in earnings. However, revenue and earnings have both improved on a sequential basis.

	12/2011	3/2012	6/2012	9/2012	12/2012
Revenue   ($)in   billions	3.84	3.45	3.22	3.33	3.41
Diluted   EPS ($)	-0.72	4.28	-0.18	0.24	0.40

 

Now let's take a look at the next page for the Trends and Conclusion. Is this stock an OUTPERFORM, a WAIT AND SEE, or a STAY AWAY?

T = Trends Might Support the Industry

Many low-cost producers are still waiting for natural gas prices to increase before increasing production. Will this take place prior to deleveraging and what can be defined as deflation in the United States? If the future is likely to present such an environment, is Chesapeake a safe place to be?

NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW!

Conclusion

Chesapeake is definitely on the correct path. However, it might be too little too late. If the global economy continues to weaken, then Chesapeake will have to fight hard just to break even. In the current economic environment, the majors like Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) are safer alternatives.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2014

In a previous article we saw the 13-F's holdings of Absolute Return Investors. Here, let麓s analyze one of them, Chevron Corporation (CVX), and see if it is appropriate to be in that long portfolio. The firm does not need too much introduction. The company�� upstream operations include exploring, developing and producing crude oil and natural gas, and processing, liquefaction, transportation and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas. The company�� downstream operations include refining crude oil into petroleum products, and manufactures and markets commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses and fuel and lubricant additives. The firm's largest competitors include BP Plc (BP) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM).

Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, let's take a look at the intrinsic value of this company and try to explain to investors the reasons why it is a good buy or not.

Valuation

In stock valuation models, dividend discount models (DDM) define cash flow as the dividends to be received by the shareholders. Extending the period indefinitely, the fundamental value of the stock is the present value of an infinite stream of dividends according to John Burr Williams.

Top 5 Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: EP Energy Corp (EPE)

EP Energy Corporation, incorporated on August 8, 2013, is an independent exploration and production company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition and development of unconventional onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States. The Company is focused on creating shareholder value through the development of its low-risk drilling inventory located in four core areas: the Eagle Ford Shale (South Texas), the Wolfcamp Shale (Permian Basin in West Texas), the Altamont field in the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah and the Haynesville Shale (North Louisiana). In its core areas, it has identified approximately 5,200 drilling locations (including 916 drilling locations to which it has attributed proved undeveloped reserves as of September 30, 2013), of which approximately 96% are oil wells. As of September 30, 2013, it had proved reserves of 513 million barrels of oil equivalent (54% oil and 67% liquids) and for the three months ended September 30, 2013, it had average net daily production of 88,149 barrels of oil equivalent per day (45% oil and 54% liquids). During the year ending September 31, 2013, it sold certain of its natural gas properties, including CBM properties located in the Raton, Black Warrior and Arkoma basins, the majority of its Arklatex natural gas properties and its natural gas properties in South Texas. In May 2014, the Company acquired certain producing properties and undeveloped acreage directly offsetting existing Wolfcamp operating areas in Reagan and Crockett Counties in the Southern Midland Basin.

Eagle Ford Shale

The Eagle Ford Shale, located in South Texas, is the unconventional oil plays in the United States. The Eagle Ford formation in La Salle County has up to 125 feet of net thickness, making it some of the prolific acreage in the area. Due to its high carbonate content, the Eagle Ford is also brittle, and delivers high productivity when fractured, with initial 30-day oil equivalent production rates up to 1,100 barrels of oil equivalent! per day.. The Company as of september 30, 2013, has 97,689 net acres in the Eagle Ford, where it has identified 983 drilling locations. As of September 30, 2013, it had six rigs running and it plan to drill 126 wells in 2013 (of which 100 have been drilled through September 30, 2013), representing 58% of its total wells planned in 2013.

Wolfcamp Shale

The Wolfcamp Shale is located in the Permian Basin, which has produced more than 29 billion barrels of oil and 75 trillion cubic feet of gas over the past 90 years and is estimated by industry experts to contain recoverable oil and natural gas reserves exceeding what has already been produced. With oil production of over 880 one thousand barrels per day from over 80,000 wells during the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Permian Basin represented 51% of the crude oil produced in the State of Texas and approximately 17% of the crude oil and condensate produced onshore in the lower 48 United States. As of September 30, 2013, it had three rigs running and it plans to drill 65 wells in 2013 (of which 48 have been drilled through September 30, 2013), representing 30% of its total wells planned in 2013.

Altamont

The Altamont field is located in the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah. Its operations are primarily focused on developing the Altamont Field Complex (comprised of the Altamont, Bluebell and Cedar Rim fields). It owns 170,523 net (315,272 gross) acres in Duchesne and Uinta Counties, making it the ease owner in the Altamont Field Complex. Its activity is mainly focused on the development of its vertical inventory on 160-acre spacing. The Company has identified an inventory of 1,135 drilling locations (781 vertical and 354 horizontal). The industry is piloting 80-acre vertical downspacing programs in the Wasatch and Green River formations and horizontal development programs in the multiple shale and tight sand intervals. As of September 30, 2013, it had two rigs running and it plans to drill 26 wells in ! 2013 (of w! hich 20 have been drilled through September 30, 2013), representing 12% of its total wells planned in 2013.

Haynesville Shale

Haynesville Shale is located in East Texas and Northern Louisiana. its operations are concentrated primarily in Desoto Parish, Louisiana in the Holly Field. This area is within the core of the Haynesville Shale with net thickness of 114 feet (210 feet gross), resulting in initial 30-day gas equivalent production rates up to 18 million cubic feet per day. As of September 30, 2013, it has identified 190 drilling locations.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Jarzemsky var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Rice Energy Inc.(RICE) has rallied 44% since its $1.1 billion January IPO through Thursday. RSP Permian Inc.(RSPP) has gained 42% since debuting the same month. This year�� other E&P IPO, EP Energy Corp.(EPE), is off 1.9% since it went public in January.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2014: Cobalt International Energy Inc (CIE)

Cobalt International Energy, Inc., incorporated on August 27, 2009, independent, oil-focused exploration and production company with a salt prospect inventory in the deepwater of the United States Gulf of Mexico and offshore Angola and Gabon in West Africa. The Company operates its business in two geographic segments: the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. The Company�� oil-focused exploration efforts target subsalt Miocene and Inboard Lower Tertiary horizons in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2012, it drilled as operator four exploratory wells in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico (North Platte #1, Ligurian #1 and #2, and Criollo #1) and participated as a non-operator in three exploratory wells (Heidelberg #1, Shenandoah #1 and Firefox #1) and three appraisal wells (Heidelberg #2, Heidelberg #3, and Shenandoah #2R). The Company�� oil-focused exploration efforts target pre-salt horizons on Blocks 9, 20 and 21 offshore Angola and the Diaba Block offshore Gabon.

U.S. Gulf of Mexico Segment

The Company�� oil-focused exploration efforts target subsalt Miocene and Inboard Lower Tertiary horizons in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. It also has licensed approximately 78,000 line miles (125,530 kilometers) of 2-D pre-stack depth-migrated seismic data in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2012, it owned working interests in 246 blocks within the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, representing approximately 1.4 million gross (0.7 million net) undeveloped acres. Most of its U.S. Gulf of Mexico blocks have a 10-year primary term.

The Ardennes #1 exploratory well will target a 3-way structure located in both Miocene and Inboard Lower Tertiary horizons located in Green Canyon blocks 895, 896 and 939, where it named operator and owns a 42% working interest. The Aegean #1 exploratory well will target a 3-way structure in Inboard Lower Tertiary horizons located in Keathley Canyon blocks 162, 163 and 207, where it named operator and ow! n a 37.5% working interest. It has 24% working interest in the Racer prospect and its partners include BHP Billiton Petroleum (Americas) Inc. (60%) and Total (16%). South Platte is a 3-way prospect targeting Inboard Lower Tertiary horizons located in Garden Banks blocks 1003 and 1004 and Keathley Canyon blocks 35 and 36, and owns 60% working interest. Its Baffin Bay is a 4-way prospect targeting Inboard Lower Tertiary horizons located in Garden Banks blocks 956 and 957, and owns 60% working interest.

The Company has one drilling rig, the Ensco 8503, that is performing drilling operations on its operated prospect portfolio in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. It has one drilling rig, the Ensco 8503, that is performing drilling operations on its operated prospect portfolio in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. On December 5, 2012, it announced an oil discovery at its North Platte prospect on Garden Banks block 959 in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The North Platte #1 exploratory well is located in approximately 4,400 feet of water and was drilled to a total depth of approximately 34,500 feet. It is a operator of North Platte and own a 60% working interest. Its Heidelberg #1 exploratory well is located in approximately 5,200 feet of water in Green Canyon block 859 within the Tahiti Basin Miocene trend. The Company�� Shenandoah #1 is located in approximately 5,750 feet of water in Walker Ridge block 52, was drilled to approximately 30,000 feet. On February 26, 2013, it announced that the Shenandoah #2R appraisal well had been drilled to a total depth of 31,400 feet in approximately 5,800 feet of water and 1.3 miles southwest of the Shenandoah #1 exploratory well.

West Africa Segment

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had drilled as operator one exploratory well on Block 21 offshore Angola (Cameia #1) and one appraisal well on Block 21 offshore Angola (Cameia #2). As of December 31, 2012, its working interests in Blocks 9, 20 and 21 offshore Angola and the Diab! a Block o! ffshore Gabon consisted of an aggregate 5,652,687 gross (1,840,581 net) undeveloped acres. It has a pre-salt prospect inventory offshore West Africa. This inventory includes dozens of prospects in various states of maturation on Blocks 9, 20 and 21 offshore Angola and the Diaba Block offshore Gabon. The Mavinga #1 exploratory well will target pre-salt horizons in Block 21 offshore Angola, where it named operator with a 40% working interest. The Lontra #1 exploratory well will target pre-salt horizons in Block 20, and owns 40% working interest. The Bicuar #1 exploratory well will target pre-salt horizons in Block 21 offshore Angola, and owns 40% working interest. The Idared #1 exploratory well will target pre-salt horizons in Block 20 offshore Angola. The Baleia #1 exploratory well will target pre-salt horizons in Block 20 offshore Angola, and owns 40% working interest. The Loengo #1 exploratory well will target pre-salt horizons in Block 9 offshore Angola. Its Diaman #1 exploratory well owns 21.25% working interest. Its Diamon South #1 exploratory well will test pre-salt horizons on the Diaba block offshore Gabon, where Total Gabon is the named operator and we own a 21.25% working interest. The Company has two drilling rigs under contract to support its pre-salt exploratory drilling campaign offshore Angola: the Diamond Ocean Confidence and the Petroserv SSV Catarina. It has the right to use the Ocean Confidence to complete the DST on the lower reservoir penetrated by the Cameia #2 appraisal well and drill two additional wells, which will include its Mavinga #1 exploratory well and one additional well.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Cobalt International Energy Inc. (NYSE: CIE) is down 14.3% at $25.18. The independent oil & gas company reported a dry hole in one of its Gulf of Mexico wells.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Cobalt Energy (NYSE: CIE) provided an update on its Gulf of Mexico drilling operations. The company announced that its Aegean #1 exploratory well in Keathley Canyon Block 163 did not encounter commercial hydrocarbons and operations are underway to plug and abandon the wellbore. Shares hit new 52 week lows of $13.75 before closing at $14.84, down 5.24 percent.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Offering both promise and fortune, Africa is certainly one of the last frontiers in investing. But it can be a pretty cruel mistress as well. Investors in independent oil and gas producer Cobalt International Energy, (CIE) are finding that out the hard way.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

   

   

  Cobalt International Energy (CIE), on the other hand, hasn't had such a good run in 2014. Shares of this oil exploration company are down 38% since the start of the year, sold off along with the rest of the energy sector as commodity prices have cratered. But long-suffering shareholders could be in store for a reprieve in CIE this fall. Here's how to trade it:

   

  CIE is forming a double bottom pattern, a bullish reversal setup that looks just like it sounds. The buy signal comes on a push through the peak that separates the two bottoms in CIE, up at the $12 level. In other words, if CIE can close above $12, then buying it becomes a high-probability trade again.

   

   

10 Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2014: Etablissements Maurel et Prom SA (MAU)

Etablissements Maurel et Prom SA is a France-based company engaged in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons (oil and gas), and in oil drilling activities. Its main activities comprise geological surveys, seismic acquisition and processing, geophysical interpretation and drilling. The Company pursues its activities mainly in Africa and Latin America, but it also has its businesses in Gabon, Senegal, Congo, Mozambique, Syria, Tanzania, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, France and Italy. Maurel & Prom SA operates through its direct and indirect subsidiaries, including M&P Venezuela SAS, Prestoil Kouilou, Maurel & Prom Peru Holdings, Maurel & Prom Tanzanie Ltd and Panther Eureka SRL, among others. In December, 2013, the Company the acquisition of all of the shares of Caroil SAS (excluding the South American business of Caroil) from Tuscany International Drilling Inc. and has sold all of its 109,000,000 common shares of Tuscany to an entity incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Riddhi Kharkia]

  Since I have touched the topic of metrics, it is worthwhile to note that Twitter�� monthly active users (MAU) number stands at 57 million as compared to approximately 1.23 billion MAUs for Facebook. Monthly active user growth ticked up just 6% for Twitter on a sequential basis, while monthly active users fell 8% year over year. Even in terms of quarterly results, Facebook was miles ahead of Twitter, which was also a factor behind the sell-off in Twitter stock.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2014: Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras SA (PETR3)

Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (Petrobras) is a Brazil-based integrated oil and gas company. The Company divides its activities into seven segments: Exploration and Production; Refining, Transportation and Marketing; Gas and Power; Biofuel; Distribution and International. Directly or through its subsidiaries, Petrobras is engaged in the research, extraction, refining, processing, trade and transport of oil from wells, shale and other rocks, its derivatives, natural gas and other liquid hydrocarbons, as well as in activities related to energy, development, production, transport, distribution and commercialization of energy. The Company's offering comprises road transportation products such as Automotive Gasoline, Diesel Fuel, Natural Vehicular Gas, Lubrax; agriculture and cattle raising products such as Sunflower Meal, among others; Industrial products such as Solvents and Paraffins, among others. The Company provides its services both for individual and business clients. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Julia Leite]

  Brazil�� Ibovespa rose 1.2 percent, reversing a decline of as much as 0.9 percent, as Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR3), Brazil�� state-run crude producer, surged. The real added 1.5 percent.

• [By Maria Levitov]

  Brazil�� Ibovespa advanced amid speculation that a three-session slump for Brazil�� benchmark equity index was excessive. Usiminas, as Usinas de Minas Gerais is known, rose 7.5 percent, while oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR3) contributed the most to the gauge�� advance.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2014: CVR Refining LP (CVRR)

CVR Refining, LP, incorporated on September 17, 2012, is an energy limited partnership with refining and related logistics assets that operates in the mid-continent region. As of January 8, 2013, the Company owned two of only seven refineries in the underserved Group 3 of the PADD II region of the United States. It owns and operates a 115,000 barrels per day (bpd) coking medium-sour crude oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas and a 70,000 bpd medium complexity crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma capable of processing 20,000 bpd of light sour crude oils (within its 70,000 bpd capacity). In addition, it also controls and operates supporting logistics assets, including approximately 350 miles of owned pipelines, over 125 owned crude oil transports, a network of strategically located crude oil gathering tank farms, and over six million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity. On December 15, 2011, the Company�� subsidiary Coffeyville Resources, LLC (Coffeyville Resources) acquired Wynnewood Energy Company, LLC, formerly Gary-Williams Energy Corporation.

The Company�� Coffeyville and Wynnewood refineries are located approximately 100 miles and 130 miles from the crude oil hub at Cushing, Oklahoma. As of January 8, 2013, the Company gathered approximately 50,000 bpd of price-advantaged crudes from its gathering area, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. The Company also has 35,000 bpd of contracted capacity on the Keystone and Spearhead pipelines that allows it to supply price-advantaged Canadian and Bakken crudes to its refineries. As of January 8, 2013, the Company had 145,000 bpd pipeline system that transports crude oil from its Broome Station tank farm to its Coffeyville refinery, as well as a total of 6 million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity, including approximately 6% of the total crude oil storage capacity at Cushing.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  For refiners, though, that spread in price led to very lucrative refining margins. As that spread has narrowed, so too has margins for refiners.

  Refining Margins Q4 2012� Q2 2013 Valero (NYSE: VLO  ) $12.27 $9.26 Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX  ) � $13.67 $9.88 HollyFrontier (NYSE: HFC  ) $24.00 $20.28 CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) $28.08 $20.30

  Source: Company Earnings releases

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  But this too is starting to shift. If you look at the most-recent IPOs on the New York Stock Exchange, you'll find many corners of the energy industry represented:

  Tallgrass Energy Partners�-- Natural gas midstream, debuted May 14 KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP  ) -- Shuttle tankers, debuted April 10 SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP  ) -- Coal/coke making, debuted Jan. 18 CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR  ) -- Mid-continent refining, debuted Jan. 17

  There have also been a few MLP-related funds to hit the market this year, including Global X Junior MLP ETF�and Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund.

• [By Robert Rapier] There were a half a dozen initial public offerings (IPOs) by master limited partnerships in the first half of the year, and all but one are now in the green while one has nearly doubled in value.
  
  The first MLP IPO of 2013 debuted on Jan. 15. USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC), which I mentioned in last week’s issue, provides compression services for the oil and gas industry. Units have advanced 36 percent since the IPO, and at the current price yield 7.3 percent.
  
  The day after the USA Compression Partners IPO, CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) made its debut.  CVRR was spun off from CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), and both companies remain majority-owned by Carl Icahn. CVR Refining’s primary assets are two refineries located in Kansas and Oklahoma with a combined processing capacity of approximately 185,000 barrels per day (bpd). These refineries are strategically located near the major Cushing, Oklahoma shipment and storage hub, with easy access to discounted feedstock from the nearby Permian basin, as well as the Bakken shale and Canadian oil sands.
  
  But refiners have struggled with diminished margins in 2013 because of a much lower Brent-WTI differential. After the recently concluded second quarter, CVRR declared a distribution of $1.35 per unit, bringing its per-unit distributions for the first half of the year to $2.93. At the same time, CVR Refining lowered its annual distribution target to a range of $4.10 to $4.80 per unit. This was lower than the outlook issued in March, when it foresaw annual distributions of $5.50 to $6.50. CVRR units slid on the news, and are presently trading slightly below the $25 IPO price. The lower end of the revised forecast implies distributions of $1.17 per unit in the second half of the year, for a forward annualized yield of 10 percent based on the recent $23.50 unit price.
  
  SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP) was the third IPO to debut during a very busy third week of January. SXCP is the first M

10 Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2014: Mechel Steel Group OAO (MTL)

Mechel OAO, together with its subsidiaries, engages in mining and steel businesses in the Russian Federation, other CIS countries, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Mining, Steel, Ferroalloys, and Power. The Mining segment engages in the production and sale of metallurgical and steam coal, coke, iron ore, and limestone, as well as chemical products, such as coal tar, naphthalene, and other compounds. The Steel segment produces and sells semi-finished steel products, carbon and special long products, and carbon and stainless flat products, as well as metal products, including wire products, forgings, and stampings. The Ferroalloys segment is involved in the production and sale of nickel ore, low-ferrous ferronickel, ferrochrome, and ferrosilicon. The Power segment engages in the generation and sale of electricity and heat energy from steam coal; and power distribution activities. The company, f ormerly known as Mechel Steel Group OAO, was founded in 2003 and is based in Moscow, the Russian Federation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  The coffers of Mechel (NYSE: MTL  ) are now much fuller. The company has signed an agreement for a 40 billion ruble ($1.3 billion) loan from VTB Bank, a lender based in Mechel's home base of Russia. Of the total, roughly 25 billion ($802 million) will go toward the servicing of short-term facilities coming due in 2013. It also aims to refinance other debt obligations with the monies.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of Russian coal miner Mechel (NYSE: MTL  ) fell as much as 10% today after the company announced fiscal-fourth-quarter earnings.

• [By Fede Zaldua]

  According Citigroup's analysts its about time to start accumulating Mechel's (MTL) shares. The reason for the sharp upgrade (from sell to buy) was Mechel's recent deal with some of its creditors to ease part of the company's huge debt burden. More specifically, the Russian metals and mining company managed to seal a deal with the state controlled VTB Group through which it managed to get covenant holidays and a debt restructuring. That said, I don�� think Mechel is out from the woods and I do not think its time to buy the company's shares, even when the are down by 67% year-to-date (ytd).

10 Best Oil Stocks To Invest In 2014: PBF Energy Inc (PBF)

PBF Energy Inc. (PBF Energy), incorporated on November 7, 2011, is an independent petroleum refiners and suppliers of unbranded transportation fuels, heating oils, petrochemical feedstocks, lubricants and other petroleum products in the United States. The Company produces a range of products at each of its refineries, including gasoline, ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD), heating oil, jet fuel, lubricants, petrochemicals and asphalt. The Company sells its products throughout the Northeast and Midwest of the United States, as well as in other regions of the United States and Canada, and are able to ship products to other international destinations. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated three domestic oil refineries and related assets. The Company's refineries have a combined processing capacity of approximately 540,000 thousand barrels per day. The Company's three refineries are located in Toledo, Ohio, Delaware City, Delaware and Paulsboro, New Jersey.

The Company's Midcontinent refinery at Toledo processes light, sweet crude, has a throughput capacity of 170,000 thousand barrels per day and a Nelson Complexity Index of 9.2. Toledo's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) based crude is delivered through pipelines, which originate in both Canada and the United States. The Company's East Coast refineries at Delaware City and Paulsboro have a combined refining capacity of 370,000 thousand barrels per day and Nelson Complexity Indices of 11.3 and 13.2, respectively. These refineries process medium and heavy and sour crudes.

Delaware City Refinery

The Delaware City refinery is located on a 5,000-acre site, with access to waterborne cargoes and a distribution network of pipelines, barges and tankers, truck and rail. Delaware City is a fully integrated operation, which receives crude through rail at the crude unloading facility, or ship or barge at its docks located on the Delaware River. The crude and other feedstocks are transported, through pipes, to a tank! farm where they are stored until processing. In addition, there is a 17-bay, 50,000 thousand barrels per day capacity truck loading rack located adjacent to the refinery and a 23-mile interstate pipeline that are used to distribute clean products.

The Delaware City refinery has a throughput capacity of 190,000 thousand barrels per day and a Nelson Complexity Index of 11.3. The Delaware City refinery processes a range of medium to heavy, sour crude oils. The refinery has conversion capacity with its 82,000 thousand barrels per day fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, 47,000 thousand barrels per day fluid coking unit (FCU) and 18,000 thousand barrels per day hydro cracking unit with vacuum distillation. Hydrogen is provided through the refinery's steam methane reformer and continuous catalytic reformer. The Delaware City refinery has total storage capacity of approximately 10 million barrels.

Paulsboro Refinery

Paulsboro has a throughput capacity of 180,000 thousand barrels per day and a Nelson Complexity Index of 13.2. The Paulsboro refinery is located on approximately 950 acres on the Delaware River in Paulsboro, New Jersey, just south of Philadelphia and approximately 30 miles away from Delaware City. Paulsboro receives crude and feedstocks through its marine terminal on the Delaware River. Paulsboro is one of two operating refineries on the East Coast with coking capacity, the other being Delaware City. Units at the Paulsboro refinery include crude distillation units, vacuum distillation units, an FCC unit, a delayed coking unit, a lube oil processing unit and a propane de-asphalting unit. The Paulsboro refinery processes a range of medium and heavy, sour crude oils. The Paulsboro refinery produces gasoline, heating oil and jet fuel and also manufactures Group I base oils or lubricants. In addition to its finished clean products slate, Paulsboro produces asphalt and petroleum coke. In addition, separate from the Company's agreement with Statoil the Company ha! s a long-! term contract with Saudi Aramco. The Paulsboro refinery has total storage capacity of approximately 7.5 million barrels. Of the total, approximately 2.1 million barrels are dedicated to crude oil storage with the remaining 5.4 million barrels allocated to finished products, intermediates and other products.

Toledo Refinery

Toledo has a throughput capacity of approximately 170,000 thousand barrels per day and a Nelson Complexity Index of 9.2. Toledo processes a slate of light, sweet crudes from Canada, the Midcontinent, the Bakken region and the United States Gulf Coast. Toledo produces a high percentage of finished products, including gasoline and ULSD, in addition to a range of petrochemicals, including nonene, xylene, tetramer and toluene. The Toledo refinery is located on a 282-acre site near Toledo, Ohio, approximately 60 miles from Detroit. Units at the Toledo refinery include an FCC unit, a hydrocracker, an alkylation unit and a UDEX unit. Crude is delivered to the Toledo refinery through three primary pipelines: Enbridge from the north, Capline from the south and Mid-Valley from the south. Crude is also delivered to a nearby terminal by rail and from local sources by truck to a truck unloading facility within the refinery.

Toledo is connected through pipelines, to a distribution network throughout Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The finished products are transported on pipelines owned by Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. and Buckeye Partners.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  PBF Energy (NYSE: PBF) tumbled 5.85 percent to $28.16 after the company priced secondary offering of 15 million shares at $28 per share. Gulfport Energy (NASDAQ: GPOR) was down, falling 6 percent to $55.66 after the company reported 2013 exit rate of 27,780 barrels of oil equivalent per day. RBC Capital downgraded Gulfport Energy from Outperform to Sector Perform and cut the price target from $64.00 to $61.00.

5 Best Freight Stocks To Own For 2015

5 Best Freight Stocks To Own For 2015: TNT Express NV (TNTE)

TNT Express NV is the Netherlands-based express delivery company. It collects, transports and delivers documents, parcels and freight on a time-certain or day-definite basis. The Company operates worldwide with domestic, regional and intercontinental delivery. It has own operations in more than 60 countries and can deliver to more than 200 countries through own operations, subcontractors and agents. Its customers are international companies, as well as small and medium enterprises. The Company serves industries such as technology, automotive, industrial, healthcare and lifestyle, as well as financial institutions and governments. The Company operates interconnected international air and road networks. The air network consists of a central air hub in Liege, Belgium, and a fleet of more than 50 aircrafts. The road networks are operated in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and South America. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Wall]

  One of the countrys largest employers with more than 150,000 staff, Royal Mail has shifted away from letters to more lucrative package shipping, competing with TNT Express NV (TNTE) of the Netherlands and Deutsche Post AG (DPW)s DHL Express.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  TNT Express NV (TNTE) lost 4.3 percent to 6.33 euros, its lowest price in four months. PostNL NV, the Dutch mail service with operations in the U.K. and Germany, said it will sell about half of its 29.8 percent stake in the Dutch package-delivery company to reduce debt. The 15 percent stake up for sale is valued at about 540 million euros ($738 million), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. PostNL gained 1.8 percent to 4.17 euros.

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

Best Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now

Best Bank Companies To Watch In Right Now: Societe Generale (GLE)

Societe Generale SA is a financial services company. The Company offers advisory and other services to individual customers, companies and institutions. The Company operates in five divisions: French Networks, International Retail Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, Specialised Financial Services and Insurance, and Private Banking, Global Investment Management and Services. It operates Retail Banking in France under the Societe Generale, Credit du Nord and Boursorama brands. Its International Retail Banking is present in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, the Mediterranean Basin, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and in the French Overseas territories. Private Banking, Global Investment Management and Services consist of four activities: Private Banking, Asset Management, Societe Generale Securities Services and Brokers. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  BNP Paribas SA (BNP), Societe Generale SA (GLE) and Credit Agricole SA (ACA), Frances largest banks by market value, reported second-quarter profit that exceeded analysts estimates. Paris-based Societe Generale, which said income more than doubled from a year earlier, trades at 10.8 times projected earnings, 64 percent below its 2009 high. Credit Agricole trades at 8.6 times projected profit and BNP Paribas at 10.7 times, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

• [By Alexis Xydias]

  Banks led the rally over the past four months, with Paris-based Societe Generale SA (GLE) and UniCredit SpA (UCG), Italys biggest lender, surging more than 45 percent.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/best-bank-companies-to-watch-in-right-now.html

BlackBerry Has a Lot to Prove Tomorrow

Tomorrow won't be easy for BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) .

The struggling smartphone pioneer will host its annual shareholder meeting, and executives have to be braced for a whole lot of bellyaching from its battered investors.

The stock has lost 34% of its value in the past five trading days since posting brutally disappointing quarterly results.

The shares have shed nearly half of their value since peaking in January on hopes that BlackBerry's BB10 mobile operating system update would save the out-of-favor handset maker.

It didn't.

BlackBerry stunned investors two Fridays ago by revealing that just 2.7 million of the mere 6.8 million smartphones shipped in its latest quarter were the Z10 and Q10 devices powered by the new platform. If the early adopters didn't hop on the BB10 buzz when the handsets hit the market earlier this year, it's highly unlikely that mainstream BlackBerry users will follow suit.

Despite throwing more than $4 million at developers to port their apps for BlackBerry's new devices and the aggressive marketing push through wireless carriers worldwide, BlackBerry is toast as a mobile platform in a world where Apple has the high end of the market cornered and Google has turned into the choice of the masses.

Investors probably didn't have to wait until last month's quarterly report to know that BlackBerry was in trouble. Earlier in the month, market tracker comScore reported that BlackBerry's share of the U.S. smartphone market had fallen from 5.9% in January to 5.1% in April. When you consider that the BB10 devices were introduced in that span of time, yet BlackBerry's market share still suffered a steep slide, the shocking quarterly report probably wasn't all that shocking.

Apple's iOS and Google's Android, on the other hand, saw their combined market share in this country grow from 90.1% to 91.2% in just three months. BlackBerry's rollout didn't do anything to make anyone believe that there will ever be room for more than two major mobile operating systems, and it's not as if life is even all that good at the top. Apple's shares and Asian makers of Android handsets have been struggling lately.

Things won't get any easier for BlackBerry, which followed up its disappointing fiscal results by warning that the current quarter will be saddled with another operating loss.

The good news for BlackBerry investors is that the company closed out its latest period with more than $3.1 billion in cash and equivalents. A desperate BlackBerry could also raise shareholder value by spinning off either its hardware or software and services businesses.

It's a safe bet that the splitting up its business will come up at some point on Tuesday morning during the meeting. Investors may not like the answer they get, but BlackBerry executives aren't going to be happy with the questions that they get, either.

Tech is all about creative destruction
Apple has a history of cranking out revolutionary products... and then creatively destroying them with something better. Read about the future of Apple in the free report, "Apple Will Destroy Its Greatest Product." Can Apple really disrupt its own iPhones and iPads? Find out by clicking here.

Hot Bank Stocks To Own For 2015

Hot Bank Stocks To Own For 2015: Washington Federal Inc (WAFD)

Washington Federal, Inc., incorporated on November 15, 1994, is a bank holding company, which conducts its operations through a federally-insured savings association subsidiary, Washington Federal (Bank). The Bank is a federal savings association. The business of the Bank consists of attracting deposits from the general public and investing these funds in loans of various types, including first lien mortgages on single-family dwellings, construction loans, land acquisition and development loans, loans on multi-family and other income producing properties, home equity loans and business loans. It also invests in United States government and agency obligations and other investments permitted by applicable laws and regulations. As of September 30, 2013, Washington Federal had 182 full service branches located in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Through its subsidiaries, the Company is also engaged in real estate investment and insurance brokerage activities. The principal sources of funds for the Company's activities are retained earnings, loan repayments (including prepayments), net deposit inflows, repayments and sales of investments and borrowings. Washington Federal's principal sources of revenue are interest on loans and interest and dividends on investments. Its principal expenses are interest paid on deposits, credit costs, general and administrative expenses, interest on borrowings and income taxes. On October 31, 2012, South Valley Bancorp, Inc. merged with and into the Company, followed by the merger of South Valley's wholly owned subsidiary, South Valley Bank & Trust, into the Bank.

Lending Activities

As of September 30, 2013, the Company's net portfolio of loans totaled $7.5 billion representing approximately 58% of its total assets. The Company concentrates its lending acti! vities on the origination of 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loans, which are neither insured nor gu aranteed by agencies of the United States government. Washin! gton Federal's lending activity is concentrated on the origination of loans secured by real estate, including long-term fixed-rate mortgage loans, adjustable-rate construction loans, adjustable-rate land development loans, fixed-rate multi-family loans and business loans.

The Company's lending activity is the origination of real estate mortgage loans to purchase or refinance single-family residences. The Company also originates a range of construction and land development loans, along with multi-family residential and commercial loans. As of September 30, 2013, single-family residential loans totaled $5.4 billion, or 67.2% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; construction- speculative loans totaled$131 million, or 1.6% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; construction - custom loans totaled $303 million, or 3.8% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; land acquisition and development loans totaled $82 million, or 1.0% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; la nd - consumer lot loans totaled $125 million, or 1.6% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; multi-family loans totaled $836 million, or 10.5% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; commercial real estate loans totaled $625 million, or 7.8% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; commercial and industrial loans totaled $326 million, or 4.1% of the Company's gross loan portfolio; home equity line of credit (HELOC) loans totaled $134 million, or 1.7% of the Company's gross loan portfolio and consumer loans totaled $55 million, or 0.7% of the Company's gross loan portfolio.

The Company originates 30 year fixed-rate loans secured by single-family residences. The Company originates construction loans to finance construction of single-family and multi-family residences, as well as commercial properties. Loans made to individuals for construction of their home general! ly are 30! year fixed rate loans. Multi-family residential (five or more dwelling units) loans are secure d by multi-family rental properties, such as apartment build! ings.

!

The Company makes various types of business loans to customers in its market area for working capital, acquiring real estate, equipment or other business purposes, such as acquisitions. The terms of these loans range from less than one year to a maximum of 10 years. Consumer loans are home improvement loans made through third party originators that bear interest at rates of 10% and higher.

Investment Activities

As a federal association, the Bank is obligated to maintain adequate liquidity and does so by holding cash and cash equivalents and by investing in securities. These investments include, among other things, certain certificates of deposit, repurchase agreements, bankers' acceptances, loans to financial institutions whose deposits are federally-insured, federal funds, United States government and agency obligations and mortgage-backed securities.

Sources of Funds

Deposits are the source of the Company's funds for use in lending and other general business purposes. In addition to deposits, Washington Federal derives funds from loan repayments, advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) and other borrowings and from investment repayments and sales. The Company's deposits are obtained from residents of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. The Company obtains advances from the FHLB upon the security of the FHLB capital stock it owns and certain of its loans, provided certain standards related to credit worthiness have been met. The Company also uses reverse repurchase agreements as a form of borrowing. Under reverse repurchase agreements, the Company sells an investment security to a dealer for a period of time and agrees to buy back that security at the end of the period and pay the dealer a stated interest rate for the use! of the d! ealer's funds. The Company also offers two forms of repurchase agreements to its customers. One form has an interest rate, which floats like that of a money market d! eposit ac! count. The other form has a fixed rate and is offered in a minimum denomination of $100,000. Both forms are fully collateralized by securities. As of September 30, 2013, the Company had $46.1 million of such agreements outstanding.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Washington Federal (NASDAQ: WAFD  ) is keeping its dividend level even as it effects a corporate transformation by the end of next month. The company has declared a quarterly distribution of $0.09 per share, to be paid on July 19 to shareholders of record as of July 5. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution, which was paid in April. Prior to that, it handed out a penny less at $0.08 per share.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of financial holding company Washington Federal (NASDAQ: WAFD  ) climbed as high as 10% today after its quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations. 

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-bank-stocks-to-own-for-2015-2.html