10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy Right Now

10 Best Bank Stocks To Buy Right Now: M&T Bank Corporation (MTB)

M&T Bank Corporation operates as the holding company for M&T Bank and M&T Bank, National Association that provide commercial and retail banking services to individuals, corporations and other businesses, and institutions. It offers business loans and leases; business credit cards; deposit products, such as demand, savings, and time accounts; and financial services, including cash management, payroll and direct deposit, merchant credit card, and letters of credit. The company also provides residential real estate loans; multifamily commercial real estate loans; commercial real estate loans; one-to-four family residential mortgage loans; investment and trading securities; short-term and long-term borrowed funds; brokered certificates of deposit and interest rate swap agreements related thereto; and branch deposits. In addition, it offers foreign exchange, as well as asset management services. Further, the company provides consumer loans, and commercial loans and leases; cred it life, and accident and health reinsurance; and securities brokerage, investment advisory, and insurance agency services. As of December 31, 2009, it had 738 banking offices in New York State, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia; a commercial banking office in Ontario, Canada; and an office in George Town, Cayman Islands. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Buffalo, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  The most-hated name on our list today is M&T Bank (MTB), the $16 billion regional banking stock that tips the scales as one of the 20 largest banks in the country (and is one of Warren Buffett's favorite stocks). With a short interest ratio of 27.22, it would take more than five weeks of buying pressure for short sellers to exit their b! ets at current volume levels. That means that just about any catalyst could trigger a short squeeze right now.

  M&T Bank was one of the well-run regional names that actually fared well in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. By actually sticking to retail and commercial banking and maintaining better underwriting standards, MTB ended up with a loan book that was high enough quality to make it through the lean years. Like other banking names, MTB sought to grow its business by acquiring smaller banking names -- and that's one of the big black clouds that investors are fixating on right now. Shares are seeing high short interest thanks to a regulatory edits to improve risk management and a pending acquisition of Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK) that's been a debacle.

  All of that negative sentiment has been piling up for the last two years (meanwhile, net margins are consistently above 25% and shares have actually managed to rally more than 62% over that stretch). The sheet amount of event risk surrounding earnings and the Hudson City merger make the prospect of being short here pretty scary. As soon as shorts start covering, expect a chain reaction.

  Read More: 12 Stocks Warren Buffett Loves in 2014

• [By John Maxfield]

  They are Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) , U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB  ) , and M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB  ) . As you can see in the preceding table, all three of these banks perform at or near the top of their peer group in at least two out of the three variables.

• [By , DividendChannel.com]

  Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on May 28, First Financial Bancorp (FFBC), Goldman Sachs (GS) and M & T Bank Corp. (MTB) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. First Financial Bancorp will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.15 on July 1, Goldman Sachs will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.55 on June 27 and M & T Bank will pay its quarterly divid! end of $0! .70 on June 30.

• [By Mike Deane]

  M&T Bank (MTB) announced its fourth quarter and full year earnings before the bell on Friday, with quarterly GAAP earnings falling from last year’s Q4 while full year earnings rose 11%.

  MTB Earnings in Brief

  M&T Bank reported quarterly net income of $245.72 million, which was down from last year’s Q4 net income of $296.19 million. The company’s diluted EPS came in at $1.79 for the quarter, down from the $2.23 per diluted common share reported in last year’s Q4 results. MTB missed analysts’ estimates of $1.92 EPS. For the full year, MTB reported EPS of $8.38, marking an 11% increase from last year’s EPS of $7.54

  CFO Commentary

  Rene F. Jones, CFO and executive VP, had the following comments about the company’s earnings: “While expenses were elevated by investments in our infrastructure during 2013, M&T achieved a net operating return on average tangible common shareholders’ equity of 18.17% for the full year.  Our core capital position strengthened, as the Tier 1 common ratio grew to 9.25% at the 2013 year-end, up 17 basis points from September 30 and 168 basis points higher than at December 31, 2012.  We are also pleased with the continued improvement in credit quality.  M&T’s liquidity and risk profile was enhanced during the year through several actions, including replacing less liquid investment securities with Ginnie Mae securities and the securitization of loans held in the loan portfolio.  During the final two quarters of 2013 we invested heavily in several key areas, including risk management, capital planning and stress testing, regulatory compliance, and other operational and technology initiatives.  Those investments will better position M&T for the future.”

  No Dividend Change

  MTB did not announce a change to its quarterly dividend, and has not raised its dividend since 2007. It should be noted that MTB did no! t cut its! dividend

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-bank-stocks-to-buy-right-now-4.html

Top 5 Paper Stocks To Buy For 2016

Top 5 Paper Stocks To Buy For 2016: Rock-Tenn Co (RKT)

Rock-Tenn Company (RockTenn), incorporated on September 20, 1985, is a North America's integrated manufacturer of corrugated and consumer packaging. The Company operates locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico and China. The Company operates in three segments: Corrugated Packaging, consisting of its containerboard mills and its corrugated converting operations; Consumer Packaging, consisting of its coated and uncoated paperboard mills, consumer packaging converting operations and merchandising display facilities, and Recycling, which consists of its recycled fiber brokerage and collection operations. On June 22, 2012, the Company acquired Mid South Packaging LLC. On October 28, 2011, the Company acquired four entities doing business as GMI Group.

Corrugated Packaging Segment

The Company is a producer of linerboard and corrugated medium (containerboard) measured by tons produced and a producer of graphics pre- printed linerboard in North America. It operates an integrated system, which manufactures containerboard, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging and preprinted linerboard for sale to industrial and consumer products manufacturers and corrugated box manufacturers. It produces a range of corrugated containers designed to protect, ship, store and display products made to its customers' merchandising and distribution specifications. It also converts corrugated sheets into corrugated products ranging from one-color protective cartons to point-of-purchase packaging. Corrugated packaging is used to provide protective packaging for shipment and distribution of food, paper, health and beauty and other household, consumer, commercial and industrial products and in the case of graphically enhanced corrugated packaging for retail sale, particularly in club store locations and retail sale. It also ! provides structural and graphic design, engineering services, and custom and standard auto mated packaging machines, offering customers turn-key instal! lation, automation, line integration and packaging solutions. It feeds linerboard and corrugated medium into corrugators, which flutes the medium to specified sizes, glues the linerboard and fluted medium together and slits and cuts the resulting corrugated paperboard into sheets to customer specifications. Its container board mills and corrugated container operations are integrated with its containerboard production used internally by its corrugated container operations. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), sales of corrugated packaging products to external customers accounted for 65.7% of its net sales.

Consumer Packaging Segment

The Company operates an integrated system of coated recycled mills and a bleached paperboard mill, which produces paperboard for its folding carton operations and third parties. The Company is a manufacturer of folding cartons in North America measured by net sales. Its folding cartons are used t o package food, paper, health and beauty and other household consumer, commercial and industrial products for retail sale. It also manufactures express mail envelopes for the overnight courier industry. Folding cartons protect customers' products during shipment and distribution and employ graphics to promote them at retail. It manufactures folding cartons from recycled and virgin paperboard, laminated paperboard and substrates with specialty characteristics, such as grease masking and microwaveability. It prints, coats, die-cuts and glues the cartons to customer specifications. It ships finished cartons to customers for assembling, filling and sealing. It employs a range of offset, flexographic, gravure, backside printing, and coating and finishing technologies. It supports its customers with package development, innovation and design services and package testing services.

!

The Company manufactures temporary and permanent point-of-purchase displays. The Compan y designs, manufactures and packs temporary displays for sal! e to cons! umer products companies. These displays are used as marketing tools to support new product introductions and specific product promotions in mass merchandising stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, home improvement stores and other retail locations. It also designs, manufactures and pre-assemble permanent displays for the same categories of customers. It makes temporary displays from corrugated paperboard. It provides contract packing services, such as multi-product promotional packing and product manipulation, such as multipacks and onpacks. The Company manufactures lithographic laminated packaging for sale to its customers, which require packaging with graphics and strength characteristics.

The Company operates an integrated system of specialty recycled paperboard mills, which includes its Seven Hills Paperboard LLC (Seven Hills) joint venture. Its specialty recycled paperboard mills, excluding Seven Hills, produce paperboard for its solid fiber interior pa ckaging converting operations and third parties, and its Seven Hills joint venture manufactures gypsum paperboard liner for sale to its joint venture partner. It sells its specialty recycled paperboard to manufacturers of solid fiber interior packaging, tubes and cores, and other paperboard products. It also converts specialty paperboard into book covers and other products. Its 65% owned subsidiary, RTS, designs and manufactures solid fiber and corrugated partitions and die-cut paperboard components. It manufactures and sells its solid fiber and corrugated partitions principally to glass container manufacturers and producers of beer, food, wine, spirits, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and to the automotive industry. During fiscal 2012, sales of consumer packaging products to external customers accounted for 27.5% of its net sales.

Recycling Segment

The C! ompany's recycled fiber brokerage and collection operations provide a strategic advantage to its mills. Its recycling operations procure recovered paper (or! recycled! fiber) for its paper mills, as well as for third parties from factories, warehouses, commercial printers, office complexes, grocery and retail stores, document storage facilities, paper converters and other wastepaper collectors. It handles a range of grades of recovered paper, including old corrugated containers, office paper, box clippings, newspaper and print shop scraps. It operates recycling facilities, which collects, sorts, grades and bales recovered paper and after sorting and baling, it transfer recovered paper to its paperboard mills for processing, or sell it to the United States manufacturers of paperboard, as well as manufacturers of tissue, newsprint, roofing products and insulation and to export markets. It also collects aluminum and plastics for resale to manufacturers of these products. Its waste reduction services extract additional recyclables from the waste stream by working with customers. In addition, it operates a nationwide fiber marketing and broker age system, which serves regional and national accounts, as well as its recycled paperboard and containerboard mills and sells scrap materials from its converting businesses and mills. Brokerage contracts provide bulk purchasing. Its recycling facilities are located close to its recycled paperboard and containerboard mills, ensuring availability of supply with reduced shipping costs. During fiscal 2012, sales to external customers accounted for 6.8% of its net sales.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By BLOGS.BARRONS.COM]

  Ng writes that MLP creation could produce 30% to 50% gains in three stocks: International Paper (IP), Packaging Corp. of America (PKG) and Rock-Tenn Co. (RKT).  International Paper shares are up 2% this morning to 47.67; Packaging Corp. is 2% higher at 63.69 and Rock-Tenn is up 1.5% to 47. He continues:

• [By ! Ben Levis! ohn]

  Shares of MeadWestvaco have jumped 4.6% to $37.29 today at 3:36 p.m. Other paper packaging companies, however, aren’t getting a boost from the news or from Merrill’s upgrade. Shares of Rock-Tenn (RKT) have dipped 0.1% to $100.34, International Paper (IP) has ticked up 0.1% to $48.74and Packaging Corp. of America (PKG) is little changed at $65.40.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-paper-stocks-to-buy-for-2016.html

Top Railroad Stocks To Invest In 2016

Top Railroad Stocks To Invest In 2016: Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp (IART)

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (Integra), incorporated on June 19, 1989, is an integrated medical technology company. Integra offers solutions in orthopedic extremity surgery, neurosurgery, spine surgery, and reconstructive and general surgery. The Company has developed numerous product lines for applications ranging from burn and deep tissue wounds to regeneration of dura mater in the brain and repair of nerve and tendon. It operates in five business segments: U.S. Neurosurgery, U.S. Extremities, U.S. Instruments, U.S. Spine and Other, and International. The International segment sells similar products to Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Central/South America, Asia-Pacific and Canada. On April 29, 2013, the Company launched the Integra Compact Cranial Closure System, which provides titanium implants for non-loadbearing (non-facial) operative cranial neurosurgical procedures. On April 30, 2013, it released its Hollywood VI intervertebral body fusion device (I BD) system. In January 2014, Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp completed the acquisition of DuraSeal product lines from Covidien. In January 2014, Covidien PLC completed the sale of its Confluent Surgical product line to Integra LifeSciences Corporation.

U.S. Neurosurgery

The Company's U.S. Neurosurgery sales organization sells a full line of products for neurosurgery and neuro critical care. It has products for each step of a cranial procedure and the care of the patient after surgery. Its key products include dural repair products, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) management devices, tissue ablation equipment, intracranial monitoring equipment and cranial stabilization equipment. The Company sells equipment used in the neurosurgery operating room and neurosurgery intensive care unit (NICU).

U.S. Extremities

Extremity reconstruction includes the repair of soft tissue and the orthopedic reconstruction of bone in the foot, an kle and leg below the knee (Lower Extremity), and the hand, ! wrist, elbow and shoulder (Upper Extremity). Its key products include bone and joint fixation devices, implants and instruments for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, wrist arthroplasty, carpel tunnel syndrome, and cubital tunnel syndrome. Other key products include its regenerative medicine devices for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds, peripheral nerve repair and protection and tendon repair, and bone graft substitutes.

U.S. Instruments

Integra's U.S. Instruments business is a surgical instrument suppliers in the United States. Its portfolio includes over 60,000 instrument patterns and surgical products sold a range of users, including hospitals, surgery centers, and physician, dental and veterinary offices. In addition to selling hand-held instruments, it sells surgical headlight systems and table-mounted retractors. The Company's brands include Jarit, Miltex, Padgett, Ruggles, Luxtec and Omni-Tract.

U.S. Spine and Oth er

Integra's U.S. Spine and Other segment offer spinal fusion technologies that surgeons use along the full length of the spine, as well as a range of related orthobiologics. During the year ended December 31, 2012, its Spine business launched multiple new implants into the integrated interbody fusion device market and the deformity market. Its key spinal hardware products include integrated interbody fusion devices, minimally invasive solutions, and deformity correction. It markets and sells a complete line of orthobiologics, including demineralized bone products, collagen ceramic matrices and pure synthetic bone grafting solutions, to neurosurgeons, and spine, orthopedic, trauma, and foot and ankle surgeons. Integra sells its products through specialty distributors focused on its spine and orthopedic surgeon customers, as well as thro! ugh some ! direct sales representatives. This segment also includes private-label sales of a set of its regenerative medicine te chnologies. Its customers are other large medical technology! companie! s that sell to end markets primarily in orthopedics and wound care.

The Company competes with Johnson & Johnson, Synthes, Inc., Stryker Corporation, Tornier, Inc., Wright Medical Group, Inc., Zimmer, Inc., Small Bone Innovations, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., Globus Medical Inc., NuVasive, Inc., Orthofix, Alphatec Spine, Inc., B. Braun Medical Inc., CareFusion and Symmetry Medical.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Align have surged 24% to $57 at 12:37 p.m. Sirona Dental Systems (SIRO) has risen 0.8% to $69.61, Dentsply International (XRAY) is up 0.1% at $45.44, Integra Lifesciences (IART) has  gained 0.4% to $44.23 and Danaher (DHR) has fallen 0.3% to $72.13.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Integra LifeSciences (NASDAQ: IART  ) , a manufacturer of surgical instruments and medical implants, fell as much as 13% after the company announced a voluntary recall of certain products at its Anyasco manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Recall recoil
  Medical instrument maker Integra LifeSciences (NASDAQ: IART  ) shares dropped 11% this week. The stock's fall stemmed from a product recall announced on Wednesday. 

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Basic guidelines
  In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Integra LifeSciences Holdings (Nasdaq: IART  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Integra LifeSciences Holdings doing by this quick checkup? A! t first g! lance, OK, it seems. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 4.5%, and inventory increased 4.1%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue expanded 0.2%, and inventory increased 4.1%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks worrisome. Revenue dropped 8.3%, and inventory grew 4.5%.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-railroad-stocks-to-invest-in-2016.html

Best Chemical Companies To Watch For 2016

Best Chemical Companies To Watch For 2016: Zoltek Companies Inc (ZOLT)

Zoltek Companies, Inc. is a holding company, which operates through wholly owned subsidiaries, Zoltek Corporation, Zoltek Zrt., Zoltek de Mexico SA de CV, Zoltek de Occidente SA de CV, Engineering Technology Corporation (Entec Composite Machines), Zoltek Properties, Inc., and Zoltek Automotive, LLC. Zoltek Corporation (Zoltek) develops, manufactures and markets carbon fibers and technical fibers in the United States. The Company is an applied technology and advanced materials company. It commercialization of carbon fiber through composites used in a range of commercial products, which it sells under the Panex trade name. In addition to manufacturing carbon fiber, it produces an intermediate product, a stabilized and oxidized acrylic fiber used in flame- and heat-resistant applications, which it sells under the Pyron trade name. During fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), its net sales to Vestas Wind Systems, a wind turbine manufacturer represented % of its n et sales. In October 2011, Zoltek purchased a building in St. Peters, Missouri to house its prepreg operations.

Zoltek Zrt. is a Hungarian subsidiary that manufactures and markets carbon fibers and technical fibers and manufactures acrylic fiber precursor raw material used in production of carbon fibers and technical fibers. Zoltek de Mexico SA de CV and Zoltek de Occidente SA de CV are Mexican subsidiaries that manufacture carbon fiber and precursor raw material. Entec Composite Machines manufactures and markets filament winding and pultrusion equipment used in the production composite parts. The Company's sales markets are in Europe and the United States. The Company has manufacturing plants in Nyergesujfalu, Hungary, Guadalajara, Mexico, Abilene, Texas and St. Charles, Missouri. Its Texas plant houses carbon fiber manufacturing lines and value-ad! ded processing capabilities. Its Missouri plant is engaged in the production of technical fibers for aircraft bra ke and other friction applications and also produces limited! amounts of carbon fibers. In addition, it has facilities in Salt Lake City, Utah where it designs and builds composite manufacturing equipment and produce resin pre-impregnated carbon fibers, called prepregs. It performs certain downstream processing, such as weaving, knitting, blending with other fibers, chopping and milling and preparation of pre-form, pre-cut stacks of fabric. In addition, its Salt Lake City-based Entec Composite Machines subsidiary designs and builds composite manufacturing equipment and markets the equipment along with manufacturing technology and materials. It also provides composite design and engineering for development of applications for carbon fiber reinforced composites.

The Company competes with Hexcel Corporation, Cytec Industries, Toray Group, Toho Tenax, Mitsubishi Chemical and SGL Carbon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  3. Zoltek (NASDAQ: ZOLT  )
  Zoltek was an interesting investment at the beginning of the year for futurist investors. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of carbon fiber in the world. In fact, its lightweight and high-strength carbon fiber is used almost exclusively in the largest wind turbine blades around the world and played a major role in America's 20-fold improvement in breezy energy capacity since 2000. This material of the future has many other uses and potential uses as well, but Zoltek has never really gained the confidence of the market in any big way: Its market cap was hovering near $300 million at the start of the year.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of world-leading carbon fiber manufacturer Zoltek  (NASDAQ: ZOLT  )  have been pushed to new highs after a frantic attempt by Quinpario Partners to acquire a large position in the company. Despite being turned awa! y by mana! gement, the fund does make valid points about the company's general lack of progress given its global scope and potential. Investors in this business built around a game-changing material may be worrying whether shares are about to fall back to earth. In the following video, Fool.com contributor Maxx Chatsko gives at least one reason for investors to think that shares can hold their current levels -- or even trek higher.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Toray Industries Inc.(3402.TO), the global market leader in carbon fiber, agreed to buy smaller rival Zoltek Cos.(ZOLT) in a deal valued at $584 million. The Japanese synthetic-fiber maker offered $16.75 a share, a 9.5% discount to Thurday’s close. Zoltek has struggled amid what it has called a cyclical downturn in the wind energy market. Zoltek shares dropped 10% to $16.58 in light premarket trading.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-chemical-companies-to-watch-for-2016.html

The 5 Dumbest Things on Wall Street This Week: Sept. 13

Carl's Not-So Sour Grapes

Excuse us for chuckling, Dumbest fans, but we simply cannot suppress our amusement over Carl Icahn's joke of a Tom Joad impression following his so-called Dell (DELL) defeat.

The billionaire activist investor announced on Monday he will discontinue his bid to derail Dell's near-$25 billion takeover by company founder Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, after a string of legal rulings and decisions by Dell's special committee tasked with selling the struggling PC-maker turned against his competing proposals. Icahn's decision to throw in the towel essentially cements Michael Dell's and Silver Lake's takeover of the PC-maker, in what stands to be the biggest leveraged buyout since the financial crisis.

"I realize that some stockholders will be disappointed that we do not fight on. However, over the last decade, mainly through 'activism,' we have enhanced stockholder value in many companies by billions of dollars. We did not accomplish this by waging battles that we thought we would lose," wrote Icahn in a letter to Dell shareholders. Cut the crap, Carl. You didn't lose at all and you know it. The fruit of your Dell wrath is over $70 million smackers, according to the WSJ. So don't try and act like you are slurping sour grapes when everybody knows you're sucking down pricey champagne. As for your snide remark that you intend to call Michael Dell to wish him good luck because "he may need it," well, that certainly belies your stab at nobility. Or at the very least, it comes off as less than caring considering all the jobs soon to be shed at the struggling company you ostensibly were leading a charge to save. Ah, who are we trying to protect Carl? Let's be honest since you won't be. You didn't want to own Dell. You wanted a higher price without getting your hands dirty and that's exactly what you got when Michael bumped up his price to $13.75 a share and added that special 13-cent dividend. So please spare us the heartfelt concession speech. In fact, you wanted to own Dell as much as you wanted to own Yahoo! (YHOO) when you similarly stampeded into that humbled tech giant. Or, in other words, not one darned bit. We all know your tricks, Carl, and operating a company in earnest is not one of them. The only difference is that your dustup with Michael Dell ultimately took root and blossomed into lovely, verdant greenmail (albeit through a circuitous route via a Delaware court), while your battle with Jerry Yang turned out as dry as an Oklahoma dust storm when he refused your wish to sell the company to Microsoft (MSFT). Which brings us to our favorite line in Carl's farewell to Dell note, the one that harkens back to John Steinbeck's tale of itinerant woe. "If you are incensed by the actions of the Dell Board as much as I am, I hope you will choose to follow me on Twitter where from time to time I give my investment insights. I also intend to point out what I consider to be unconscionable actions by boards and discuss what remedies shareholders may take to change the situation," pronounced Icahn. Take heed, all you ordinary Americans out there, driving in your beaten-down cars across this hard land from sea to shining sea, Carl Icahn is there for you. Like the fictional, yet all-too-real migrant worker Tom Joad who vowed to fight social injustice "wherever you can look -- wherever there's a fight... wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy," Carl Icahn will be there, too. He'll be standing by yours and Tom's side wherever a corporate board hoards cash and whenever a CEO attempts to take a company private with a lowball bid. Lest we forget Herbalife (HLF), his most wrathful pursuit of all. Yes, fellow citizens, Carl Icahn will be there for you wherever Bill Ackman is on the other side of the trade.

First Solar Stupidity

Remember the radio program where Paul Harvey would famously tell listeners "the rest of the story"?

Here's a 5 Dumbest version featuring our friends at First Solar (FSLR).

Back on Sept. 21, 2011, shares of the solar energy systems provider plummeted 7% after select analysts covering the company were informed it would not seek a $1.9 billion federal loan for its 550-megawatt Topaz project, one of the largest solar projects ever to be constructed. First Solar stock fell an additional 6% the following day, after it confirmed through a press release that the Topaz project would not receive a government loan guarantee. Because the institutions were able to act on the Topaz information prior to the general public, TheStreet reporter Eric Rosenbaum alertly asked the question on that second day of the selloff of whether First Solar had violated the Securities and Exchange Commission's Fair Disclosure Regulation, known on Wall Street as Reg FD, which stipulates that an officer or director of a company cannot make any disclosure of a material nature about its business on a selective basis. "Solar market insiders say that as many as five analysts were called on Wednesday by the head of First Solar investor relations, Larry Pollizotto, and told beginning Wednesday morning that First Solar might not get Topaz, but they felt good about the other two projects receiving loan guarantees," wrote Rosenbaum on Sept. 22, 2011, in a column titled "Did First Solar Just Walk a Fine Reg FD Line?" So what happened to First Solar in the two years since TheStreet broke the news that First Solar was keeping ordinary investors in the dark? That is, other than the stock going on a rollercoaster ride from $80 to $12 to $40? Well, last Friday the SEC charged Polizzotto, who is no longer with the company, with violating Reg FD on the matter. (For the record, Rosenbaum is no longer with TheStreet either.) Polizzotto agreed to pay $50,000 to settle the SEC's charges, without admitting or denying the findings. The SEC did not bring an enforcement action against First Solar because of "the company's extraordinary cooperation with the investigation among several other factors." (Also for the record, that's a load of crap.) "Polizzotto offered previously undisclosed information to select analysts and institutional investors and left the rest of First Solar's investors in the dark," Michele Wein Layne, director of the SEC's Los Angeles Office, said in a statement. "All investors, regardless of their size or relationship with the company, are entitled to the same information at the same time." And now you know the rest of a very, very dumb story.

5 Best Valued Stocks To Buy For 2016

Rick's Appeal

If you ask us, Rick's Cabaret (RICK) CEO Eric Langan ought to walk a mile in one of his dancers' 4-inch stilettos before whining about paying them minimum wage.

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that exotic dancers at Rick's midtown Manhattan strip club should be paid a minimum wage, proclaiming that the club unfairly classified Rick's dancers as independent contractors as opposed to club employees. A group of Rick's finest sued a subsidiary of the company in a class action in 2009, saying they received "performance fees" of $20 a pop for lap dances instead of salaries, despite adhering to the strict guidelines set by the company.

The ruling follows a string of similar decisions regarding the rights of topless talent and opens the door for 1,900 current and former Rick's Cabaret dancers to seek back wages from the club. Rick's is appealing the decision and moving that the class be decertified. Shares of Rick's, which owns and operates over 40 jiggle joints and restaurants across the country, sank nearly 2% Wednesday. "Unlike shoe-shine employees at an airport, topless dancers are the 'main attraction' at a topless nightclub and obviously very important to the business of the nightclub," wrote U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, adding that Rick's draconian rules forbade chewing gum, "bad attitudes" and body glitter. We heartily agree, your honor. And we can only imagine the difficulty you faced in visualizing this case, especially when you were forced to examine exhibits A through double D. Rick's legal team contended that the cash earned for lap dances counted as wages. Langan also argued that dancers who can stuff up to $1,000 dollars in their pockets, er, panties on a good night are too well compensated to deserve the minimum wage. Engelmayer, however, didn't buy Rick's wage argument and he actually cited Langan's own pretrial deposition statement that "the most important thing to the Rick's Cabaret brand is that it has entertainers" in his decision. "Without the girls, we're just selling overpriced beers at a sports bar with bad TVs," said Langan in his testimony. Nice going, Eric, way to sink your own case. Here's a tip for you: Pay the money and let it go. You've already changed your corporate labor practices so this type of occurrence won't happen again. And as you mentioned in your press release, this verdict affects a subsidiary of yours, not the parent company. The only thing you are doing by pushing this case any further is directing attention to yourself and not your company's asses, er, assets.

Ova And Out

Note to the geniuses at OvaScience (OVAS): Overlooking the FDA when launching a new drug is generally not a keen idea. In fact, it's overwhelmingly dumb.

The biotech company's stock was overrun by sellers Wednesday, sinking over 21% to $11 after the company said federal regulators are inquiring about the status of its fertility treatment Augment. The FDA instructed OvaScience to file an investigational new drug application for the product, which would require additional rounds of testing and will likely keep Augment off the U.S. market for years.

In a press release, OvaScience announced it was suspending enrollment of Augment trials in the U.S. while it has further discussions with the FDA. In the meantime, the company said it is moving forward with plans for enrollment outside of the country. Put simply, OvaScience believed Augment was a cellular- and tissue-based product, also known as a 361 HCT/P, and, as such, could be marketed commercially without FDA oversight or review as drug. As a result, the company -- knowingly or unknowingly -- neglected to ask the FDA if it agreed with its characterization of Augment and proceeded until the FDA shut it down. Or, in even simpler terms, OvaScience tried an end-around, but its FDA overlords put an end to it. Worst of all, the company's stock was in overdrive prior to its being sucked under. OvaScience shares closed Tuesday at $14.28, up more than 70% for the year. Also, just last week Wedbush analyst Zarak Khurshid initiated coverage of the company with an "outperform" rating and a $20 target. That very same day, the company's CEO Dr. Michelle Dipp triumphantly rang the opening bell at the Nasdaq. We have a feeling that Khurshid is thinking that OvaScience outperform over right now. Don't you think?

This weekend is the fifth anniversary of Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy. To mark the less-than-auspicious occasion, we are reprinting the Lehman entry from our Sept. 19, 2008 list. Enjoy the trip down Dumbest lane! Lamenting Lehman

"It's a tragedy ... Bobbie (Lehman) is spinning in his grave."

That's what long-time Lehman Brothers partner Herman Kahn said following the firm's sale to Shearson/Amex in 1984, according to Greed and Glory on Wall Street: The Fall of the House of Lehman by Ken Auletta. If he was rolling over then, one can only imagine what Bobbie's doing now. He should be haunting former CEO Dick Fuld for driving the 158-year-old firm into the ground. With so much stupidity still swirling around Lehman's sudden demise, the Five Dumbest Lab selected a few items too good to pass up before saying our final goodbyes: Leaving on Top: Institutional Investor awarded Lehman Brothers the top spot this week in its annual All-America Fixed Income Research Team rankings, defending its title for the ninth straight year. Bove's Bungle: "I still believe that this is one of the best companies on Wall Street and that it has value well beyond its current stock price. Therefore, the stock remains a buy," said Ladenburg Thalmann analyst Dick Bove on Sept. 11 with the stock's price at $7.25 and sinking. Asleep at the Board: What's especially revealing about Lehman's demise is the average age of its 10-member board: 74.3 years. Their backgrounds are even more revealing. Counted among the board are such business bastions as a theater producer and a Navy admiral. Anyone still wondering why things fell apart? We won't even ask if anyone believes they earned the $360,000 in average compensation they received. Waxman Pathetic: "Our hearings will examine what went wrong and who should be held to account," Henry Waxman, the Democratic congressman from Los Angeles, said Wednesday when he announced hearings that will include Dick Fuld and former AIG (AIG) CEOs Robert Willumstad and Maurice "Hank" Greenberg. That's the kind of decisive response we've come to expect from Congress. Fuld's Farewell: "The past several months have been extraordinarily challenging. For some of you, the firm has been your home for decades. For others, less than a year. For all of us, it has been far more than a place of employment. It has been a source of pride." Email from Richard Fuld, CEO of Lehman Brothers, 1994-2008. Yes, Dick, you've got plenty to be proud of. -- Written by Gregg Greenberg in New York Follow @5gsonthestreet

Disclosure: TheStreet's editorial policy prohibits staff editors and reporters from holding positions in any individual stocks.

Top 10 Construction Material Stocks To Invest In 2016

Top 10 Construction Material Stocks To Invest In 2016: Boral Ltd (BLD)

Boral Limited (Boral), is engaged in the manufacture and supply of building and construction materials in Australia, the United States and Asia. The Company's operating segments include Construction Materials & Cement, Building Products, Boral Gypsum, and Boral USA. The Construction Materials & Cement is engaged in quarries, concrete, asphalt, transport, landfill, property, cement and concrete placing. The Building Products segment is engaged in Australian bricks, roof tiles, masonry, timber products and windows. The Boral Gypsum involves Australian and Asian plasterboard. The Boral USA is engaged in Bricks, cultured stone, roof tiles, fly ash, concrete and quarries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Ballard Power (BLD), which designs and manufactures hydrogen fuel cells, slumped 15 percent to C$1.42, the biggest decline since March. The company yesterday said it will sell about 9 million units at $1.40 a unit for proceeds of about $12.6 million. The cash generated will be used to fund working capital, support growth and general corporate purposes, the company said.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-construction-material-stocks-to-invest-in-2016.html

Best Long Term Companies To Buy For 2016

Best Long Term Companies To Buy For 2016: PTC Therapeutics Inc (PTCT)

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:

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

  PTC Therapeutics Inc.(PTCT) said the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a negative opinion on the biopharmaceutical company’s marketing authorization application for its muscular dystrophy treatment. Shares slumped 21% to $20.60 in premarket trading.

  s! ource from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-long-term-companies-to-buy-for-2016.html

Top 5 Consumer Stocks For 2015

Extreme winter weather hobbled economic growth across much of the nation in January and early February, with a third of Federal Reserve bank districts reporting weakening or unchanged activity, the Fed said Wednesday.

The Fed's Beige Book, named for the color of its cover, appears to support many economists' suspicion that cold and stormy weather has been a significant reason for an early-year slowdown in job growth, retail sales, manufacturing and housing.

That suggests economic growth could bounce back sharply in coming months as consumers unleash pent-up demand for everything from new homes to apparel. Some economists have suggested other factors such as increased mortgage rates may also be at play, a theory that would cast doubt on the strength of an economic recovery that's generally expected to gain momentum this year.

Best Sliver Companies To Watch In Right Now: SABMiller PLC (SBMRY)

SABMiller plc, incorporated on March 17, 1998, is a holding company, which has brewing and beverage interests across six continents. The Company together with its subsidiaries is engaged in the manufacture, distribution and sale of beverages. The Company is a brewer with more than 200 beer brands. The Company�� portfolio of brands includes international beers, such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Grolsch, as well as local brands, such as Aguila, Castle, Miller Lite, Snow, Tyskie and Victoria Bitter. It is a bottler for the Coca-Cola Company in Africa and Central America. It operates in Latin America, Europe, North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, and South Africa.

Latin America

The Company�� primary brewing and beverage operations cover six countries across South and Central America (Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Peru). The Company is brewer in Argentina, and it exports to Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay. It bottles soft drinks for The Coca-Cola Company in El Salvador and Honduras, and for Pepsico International in Panama.

Europe

The Company�� primary brewing operations cover eight countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain (Canary Islands) and the Netherlands. A further 16 countries, including Russia, Turkey and the Ukraine are covered in a strategic alliance with Anadolu Efes through brewing, soft drinks or export operations. The Company exports volumes to a further seven European markets, of which the largest are the United Kingdom and Germany.

North America

The Company�� North America segment includes its 58% owned MillerCoors and 100% of Miller Brewing International and the its North American holding companies. The Company�� wholly owned Miller Brewing International business is based in Milwaukee, the United States and exports its brands to Canada and Mexico and throughout the Americas.

Africa

The Compa! ny�� brewing and beverage operations in Africa cover 15 countries. A further 21 are covered through a strategic alliance with the Castel group and it also has an associated undertaking in Zimbabwe. The Company bottles soft drinks for The Coca-Cola Company in 20 of its African markets (in alliance with Castel in 14 of these markets).

Asia Pacific

The Company�� partners with China Resources Enterprise, Limited in China. The Company is engaged in brewing business in India. The Company has operation in Vietnam and it exports to various markets, including South Korea and Singapore.

South Africa

The Company�� South African Breweries (Pty) Ltd (SAB) is South Africa�� producer and distributor of lager and soft drinks. It also exports brands for distribution across Namibia. Its soft drinks division is bottler of products for The Coca-Cola Company. The Company has hotel and gaming interests through its associate, Tsogo Sun Holdings Ltd, a hotel and gaming group in South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Mitchell]

  "No one wants to annoy the consumer," Bill Bean, director of trade�insight at SAB Miller (NASDAQOTH: SBMRY  ) , told the New York Times.�"However, there are many annoying ads that sell products, and it's very difficult to tell what annoys one consumer and what pleases another."�

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  At current valuations, STZ stock is not attractive relative to its larger and better diversified megabrewer rivals — all of which have better exposure to emerging markets. As long-term holdings, I see better value in Heinken, Anheuser-Busch InBev and SAB Miller (SBMRY).

• [By Tony Reading]

  I'm less familiar with South African-based SABMiller (LSE: SAB  ) (NASDAQOTH: SBMRY  ) , though its market cap is slightly larger than Diageo after its shares are up 50% over the year. I think of it as expensive, but a quick check on my data provider shows the two shares equally rated with prospective price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios of 19.7 and yields of 2.3% for Diageo and 2.2% for SABMiller. So maybe it's time to do a little portfolio rebalancing.

• [By Brianna Valleskey]

  As Theron pointed out, many companies that are big global players also have South African roots, including SABMiller (OTC: SBMRY), Compagnie Financière Richemont (OTC: CFRUY) and BHP Billiton Limited (NYSE: BHP).

Top 5 Consumer Stocks For 2015: Oxford Industries Inc.(OXM)

Oxford Industries, Inc. engages in designing, sourcing, and marketing apparel products primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company?s apparel products comprise a portfolio of company-owned lifestyle brands, as well as company-owned and licensed brands of tailored clothing and golf apparel. Its owned and licensed brands include Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Ben Sherman, Billy London, Oxford Golf, Nickelson, and Arnold Brant. The company also holds licenses to produce and sell various categories of apparel products under the Kenneth Cole, Dockers, and Geoffrey Beene brand names. Its primary product line includes the Tommy Bahama brand men's and women's sportswear and related products for affluent men and women with age of 35 and older; the Lilly Pulitzer brand women's and girl's dresses, sportswear, and other products for young women, young mothers and their daughters, and women; the Ben Sherman brand men's sportswear and related products for men ages 25 to 40; and branded and private label men's suits, sport coats, suit separates, and dress slacks. In addition, the company licenses its Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, and Ben Sherman brand names for various products categories, including apparel, accessories, footwear, watches, jewelry, luggage, rugs, wall coverings, fragrances and toiletries, shampoos and soaps, gift products, furniture, ceiling fans, stationery, bedding and home fashions, and table top accessories. Further, it operates restaurants under the Tommy Bahama brand name. It distributes company-owned lifestyle branded products through department stores, specialty stores, company-owned and licensed retail stores, and its e-commerce Websites; and branded and private label tailored clothing products through department stores, specialty stores, national chains, specialty catalogs, mass merchants, and Internet retailers. Oxford Industries, Inc. was founded in 1942 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Oxford Industries Inc.'s(OXM) fiscal third-quarter earnings fell 70% despite continued sales growth at the apparel company’s Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer brands.

Top 5 Consumer Stocks For 2015: Church & Dwight Co Inc (CHD)

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. develops, manufactures and markets a range of household, personal care and specialty products. The Company�� brands include ARM & HAMMER, (used in multiple product categories, such as baking soda, carpet deodorization and laundry detergent), TROJAN Condoms, XTRA laundry detergent, OXICLEAN pre-wash laundry additive, NAIR depilatories, FIRST RESPONSE home pregnancy and ovulation test kits, ORAJEL oral analgesics and SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes. The Company operates in three segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products segments represented approximately 72%, 19% and 9%, respectively, of the Company�� net sales. On June 28, 2011, the Company acquired the BATISTE dry shampoo brand from Vivalis, Limited. The BATISTE brand is managed principally within the Consumer International segment. On September 22, 2011, the Company, together with FMC Corporation and TATA Chemicals, formed an operating joint venture, Natronx Technologies LLC. In October 2012, it acquired Avid Health, Inc. (Avid).

The Consumer Domestic segment includes eight brands and other household and personal care products, such as SCRUB FREE, KABOOM and ORANGE GLO cleaning products, ANSWER home pregnancy and ovulation test kits, ARRID antiperspirant, and CLOSE-UP and AIM toothpastes. The Consumer International segment primarily sells a range of personal care products, some of which use the same brands as its domestic product lines, in international markets, including Canada, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and China. The Specialty Products segment is a producer of sodium bicarbonate, which it sells together with other specialty inorganic chemicals for a variety of industrial, institutional, medical and food applications. This segment also sells a range of animal nutrition and specialty cleaning products.

Consumer Domes! tic

The Company specializes in baking soda-based products, as well as other products. In addition, this segment includes other deodorizing and household cleaning products, as well as laundry and personal care products. The Company�� household products include ARM & HAMMER Pure Baking Soda, ARM & HAMMER and XTRA Powder and Liquid Laundry Detergents, ARM & HAMMER Carpet & Room Deodorizers, ARM & HAMMER Cat Litter Deodorizer, ARM & HAMMER Clumping Cat Litters, ARM & HAMMER, FRESH�� SOFT Fabric Softeners, ARM & HAMMER Total 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths, ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda, SCRUB FREE Bathroom Cleaners, CLEAN SHOWER Daily Shower Cleaner, CAMEO Aluminum & Stainless Steel Cleaner, SNO BOL Toilet Bowl Cleaner, XTRA and NICE�� FLUFFY Fabric Softeners and FELINE PINE Cat Litter. The Company�� personal care products include ARM & HAMMER Toothpastes, SPINBRUSH Battery-operated Toothbrushes, MENTADENT Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, AIM Toothpaste, PEPSODENT Toothpaste, CLOSE-UP Toothpaste, RIGIDENT Denture Adhesive, ARM & HAMMER Deodorants & Antiperspirants, ARRID Antiperspirants, LADY�� CHOICE Antiperspirants, TROJAN Condoms and Vibrating Products, FIRST RESPONSE Home Pregnancy and Ovulation Test Kits, ANSWER Home Pregnancy and Ovulation Test Kits, NAIR Depilatories, Lotions, Creams and Waxes and ORAJEL Oral Analgesics.

In 2011, household products constituted approximately 65% of the Company�� Domestic Consumer sales and approximately 47% of the Company�� total sales. The Company markets its ARM & HAMMER brand laundry detergents, in both powder and liquid forms. The Company markets its XTRA laundry detergent in both powder and liquid. The Company also markets XTRA SCENTSATIONS, a concentrated liquid laundry detergent, and OXICLEAN pre-wash laundry additive. The Company markets ARM & HAMMER Power Gel Laundry Detergent and ARM & HAMMER plus OXICLEAN liquid and powder laundry detergents. In 2011 the Company launched the scented liquid detergent clinically tested safe for sensiti! ve skin u! nder the ARM & HAMMER name. The Company�� laundry products also include fabric softener sheets.

The Company markets ARM & HAMMER FRESH �� SOFT liquid fabric softener and offers another liquid fabric softener, NICE�� FLUFFY. The Company markets ARM & HAMMER Total 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths, a fabric softener sheet used in the clothes dryer. The Company also markets a line of cat litter products, including ARM & HAMMER Super Scoop clumping cat litter. Line extensions of Super Scoop include ARM & HAMMER Multi-Cat cat litter, designed for households with more than one cat, ARM & HAMMER Odor Alert cat litter, with crystals that change color when activated, ARM & HAMMER Essentials clumping cat litter, a corn-based scoopable litter, and ARM & HAMMER Double Duty cat litter, which eliminates both urine and feces odors on contact. In addition, the Company markets a line of household cleaning products, including CLEAN SHOWER daily shower cleaner, SCRUB FREE bathroom cleaners and SNO BOL toilet bowl cleaner. The Company also markets KABOOM bathroom cleaner and ORANGE GLO household cleaning products.

In 2011, Personal Care Products constituted approximately 35% of the Company�� Consumer Domestic sales and approximately 25% of the Company�� total sales. ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda, when used as a dentifrice, whitens and polishes teeth. The Company also manufactures in the United States and markets in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada, CLOSE-UP, PEPSODENT and AIM toothpastes, and the MENTADENT brand of toothpaste and toothbrushes. The Company markets ORAJEL oral analgesics, which includes products for adults, as well as Baby ORAJEL Cooling Cucumber Teething Gel and Baby ORAJEL Tooth and Gum Cleanser. The Company markets SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes in the United States (including Puerto Rico), the United Kingdom, Canada, China and Australia. The Company also markets SPINBRUSH Pro-Select toothbrushes; SPINBRUSH Pro-Recharge, a rechargeable toothbrush offering up ! to one we! ek of power brushes between charges, and SPINBRUSH Sonic. The Company�� deodorant and antiperspirant products are marketed under the ARM & HAMMER, ARRID and LADY�� CHOICE brand names.

TROJAN is the Company�� condom brand. Its other brands in this category include ECSTASY, TROJAN Ultra Thin condoms and TROJAN Fire and Ice Condoms. The Company also markets a series of vibrating products under the TROJAN name. The Company also markets ANSWER in the home pregnancy and ovulation test kit market. The Company also markets a home female fertility test under the FIRST RESPONSE brand name. The Company offers a range of depilatory products for women, men and teens under the NAIR brand name. In 2011 and 2012, new NAIR variants were launched. These included Cool Gel, Roll-On Milk and Honey, and Brazilian Spa Clay products. The Company markets the SIMPLY SALINE brand of nasal saline moisturizers in Europe and other parts of the world.

Consumer International

The Consumer International segment markets a variety of personal care products, household and over-the-counter products in international markets, including Canada, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil and China. Total Consumer International net sales represented approximately 19% of the Company�� consolidated net sales in 2011. Net sales of the subsidiaries located in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia accounted for 36%, 17%, 17% and 12%, respectively, of the Company�� 2011 international net sales in this segment. The Company markets depilatories and waxes, home pregnancy and ovulation test kits and oral care products in most of its international markets. The Company markets waxes and depilatory products in international locations, and TROJAN condoms in Canada and Mexico. The Company also markets SPINBRUSH battery-operated toothbrushes, primarily in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, China and Australia, and OXICLEAN, KABOOM and ORANGE GLO products primarily in Mexico and Canada. T! he Compan! y sells PEARL DROPS products in Europe, Canada and Australia, STERIMAR nasal hygiene products in a number of markets in Europe, Latin America, China and Australia, and BATISTE dry shampoo principally in the United Kingdom.

Specialty Products

The Company�� Specialty Products (SPD) segment focuses on sales to businesses and participates in three product areas: Specialty Chemicals, Animal Nutrition and Specialty Cleaners. The Company�� 99.2%-owned Brazilian subsidiary, Quimica Geral do Nordeste (QGN), is a provider of sodium bicarbonate. The Company and Occidental Petroleum Corporation are equal partners in a joint venture, Armand Products Company, which manufactures and markets potassium carbonate and potassium bicarbonate for sale in domestic and international markets. The potassium-based products are used in a range of applications, including agricultural products, specialty glass and ceramics, and potassium silicates. Armand Products also manufactures for the Company a potassium carbonate-based animal feed additive for sale in the dairy industry. A special grade of sodium bicarbonate, as well as sodium sesquicarbonate, is sold to the animal feed market as a feed additive for use by the dairy industry as a buffer, or antacid, for dairy cattle. The Company also markets DCAD Plus feed grade potassium carbonate, which is manufactured by the Armand Products Company as a feed additive into the animal feed market.

The Company markets MEGALAC rumen bypass fat, a nutritional supplement made from natural oils. The Company also markets BIO-CHLOR and FERMENTEN, a range of specialty feed ingredients for dairy cows. The Company also provides a line of cleaning and deodorizing products for use in commercial and industrial applications, such as office buildings, hotels, restaurants and other facilities. The Company and Safety-Kleen Corporation are equal partners in a joint venture. In North America, this joint venture distributes the Company�� product line of aqueous clea! ners alon! g with the Company�� ARMEX blast media line, which is designed for the removal of a variety of surface coatings.

The Company competes with The Procter & Gamble Company, Sun Products Corporation, The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, Johnson & Johnson, Ansell Limited and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD  ) fit the bill? Let's look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

Top 5 Consumer Stocks For 2015: Neutra Corp (NTRR)

Neutra Corp. incorporated on January 11, 2011, is a development-stage company. The Company�� business and registered office is located in Sarasota, Florida. The Company�� intended private label products consists of aging, cognitive support, antioxidants/flavonoids, circulatory support, detoxification support, endocrine support, essential fatty acids, gastrointestinal support, immune support, men�� health, minerals, mood/sleep support, multiples, musculoskeletal support, neurological support, proteins/amino acids, vitamins, women�� health and veterinary products. The Company�� product focuses to research and development in a range of areas, such as weight-loss, detox, men�� health, acid-alkali pH balance, anti-aging, sleep disorders, autism, pain management with the use of medical cannabis products, and air space sanitation derived by nutraceutical technology.

The Company focuses to market and sell nutraceutical supplement products to health practitioners. It focuses direct marketing and sales towards Members of the American Association for Health Freedom (American Association for Health Freedom has merged with Alliance for Natural Health) www.anh-usa.org; American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, www.naturopathic.org; American Association of Oriental Medicine, www.aaom.org, and American College for Advancement in Medicine, www.acamnet.org. It also focuses direct marketing and sales towards American Holistic Medical Association, www.holisticmedicine.org; American Dietetic Association, www.eatright.org, and American Herbalist Guild, www.americanherbalistsguild.com.

The Company competes with Thone Research, The Vitamin Company, Nutraceutical International Corporation, Protocol For Life, Medagenics and Standard Process.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, NTRR has shed (-5.26%) down -0.020 at $.360 with 14,150 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 10:46AM EDT July 3, 2013), but don�� let this get you down.

  Neutra Corp. through a key new partnership with an innovative cannabis delivery systems provider in the medical marijuana industry, is poised to make an impact in the lucrative $52 billion pain management market.

  With partner Field of View Technologies, LLC, exploring new technology in cannabis delivery systems, NTRR is ready to provide much-needed smokeless delivery systems to those most in need: patients forced to live with debilitating pain.

  A recent study by Columbia University found that smoke-free cannabinoid medication was effective in treating pain. Smokeless delivery systems can be administered orally, by injection or topically, giving the patient the choice of treatment method as NTRR and Field of View set the pace in the potentially lucrative pain management market.

• [By CRWE]

  Today, NTRR surged (+19.45%) up +0.068 at $.420 with 22,114 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:17AM EDT July 11, 2013).

  As Neutra Corp. works to deliver new innovations to the U.S. medical marijuana industry, the market for those innovations continues to grow. Last week, lawmakers passed a bill to make New Hampshire the 19th state to approve medical marijuana (MMJ) prescriptions for patients with chronic or terminal illnesses.

  The legislation will make New Hampshire the 19th state to legalize MMJ, in addition to the District of Columbia. Five more states have legislation pending to legalize prescriptions, according to ProCon.org.

Hot Sliver Companies To Watch In Right Now

Hot Sliver Companies To Watch In Right Now: Ralcorp Holdings Inc.(RAH)

Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. engages in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing private-brand food products, ready-to-eat cereal products, and other regional and value-brand food products. Its products include ready-to-eat and hot cereals; nutritional and cereal bars; snack mixes, corn-based chips, and extruded corn snack products; crackers and cookies; snack nuts; chocolate candy; salad dressings; mayonnaise; peanut butter; jams and jellies; syrups; sauces; frozen griddle products, including pancakes, waffles, and French toast; frozen biscuits and other frozen pre-baked products, such as breads and rolls; frozen and refrigerated doughs; and dry pasta. The company offers its products under various brands, including Post, Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles, Post Selects, Great Grains, Spoon Size, Grape-Nuts, Honeycomb, 3 Minute Brand, Ralston, Parco, Lofthouse, Krusteaz, Panne Provincio, Major Peters?, Medallion, Ry Krisp, Champagne, Monet, Rippin? Good, Hoody?s, Linette, JERO, Fl avor House, Nutcracker, Pennsylvania Dutch, Heartland, Golden Grain, Anthony?s, Pasta Lensi, Ronco, and Mueller?s. It also develops, manufactures, and markets emulations of various types of branded food products to retailers, mass merchandisers, and drug stores to sell under their own store brands or under value-brands. Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. sells its products to retail chains, mass merchandisers, grocery wholesalers, warehouse club stores, drugstores, restaurant chains, and foodservice distributors in the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe, and southeast Asia. It offers its products through a broker network, internal sales staff, independent sales agency, a network of third party warehouses, and independent truck lines. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier! ]

  A $15.5 billion business that employs 34,800 worldwide, ConAgra is the fourth largest player in the Processed & Packaged Goods industry. In early 2013, ConAgra completed its buyout of Ralcorp Holdings (RAH) making the combined company one of the largest packaged food players on the continent.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Post’s debt has risen substantially since its separation from Ralcorp (RAH) in February 2012. Including its $370 million acquisition of the Dakota Growers Pasta Company announced Sept. 16, Post has spent $717 million moving into other areas of the food industry beyond cereal.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-sliver-companies-to-watch-in-right-now-3.html

Top Growth Stocks To Own Right Now

Top Growth Stocks To Own Right Now: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ovenerio]

  But the firm must continu! e working hard because growth remains below management's expectations from a few years ago. Competition includes Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (CKP), R-pac International Corporation, and SML Group Limited.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP) surged 17.73% to $14.21. The volume of Checkpoint Systems shares traded was 525% higher than normal. Checkpoint announced its intent to extend the filing date of its annual report.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-growth-stocks-to-own-right-now-4.html

Top 5 Shipping Stocks To Watch Right Now

Mr. Softy is buzzing these days. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) stock hit a new five-year high earlier this month, and it moved higher this past week on positive developments with its Windows 8.1 update for its flagship operating system.

However, we can't kid ourselves. Microsoft still has a lot of problems. We were reminded on Friday, when Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty slashed her forecast for the PC market this year. She now sees a 10% decline in PC units shipping this quarter, revised lower from her earlier prediction of a mere 5% decline.�

Yes, she did consider the generally well-received Windows 8 update from earlier in the week. Folks just aren't buying desktops and laptops the way they used to, and that shines a brighter light on Microsoft's shortcomings in the areas that are growing.

Tablets and smartphones are the computing gadgets that are growing these days, and Microsoft trails Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) iOS and Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) Android badly on both fronts.�

Top 5 Penny Companies To Watch For 2016: United Bankshares Inc.(UBSI)

United Bankshares, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking services and products in the United States. Its deposit products include checking, savings, time, and money market deposit accounts; demand deposits, statement and special savings, and NOW accounts; and variable and fixed-term money market accounts and certificates of deposit. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises personal, commercial, floor plan, and student loans; construction and real estate loans; and consumer loans, including credit card and home equity loans. It also offers individual retirement accounts, safe deposit boxes, wire transfers, credit card, and other banking products and services. In addition, the company offers trust services; and services to correspondent banks, such as check clearing, safekeeping, and the buying and selling of federal funds. The company?s nonbank subsidiaries engage in other community banking services, such as asset management, real p roperty title insurance, investment banking, financial planning, and brokerage services. United Bankshares operates 112 full service offices in West Virginia, Virginia, Northern Virginia, Maryland, southeastern Ohio, and Washington, D.C. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Fredrik Arnold]

  Ten Champion dogs that promised the biggest dividend yields into July included firms representing five of nine market sectors. The top stocks were three of five from the financial sector: Universal Health Realty Trust (UHT); Mercury General Corp. (MCY); Old Republic Int'l (ORI). The other two financial firms, HCP Inc., and United Bankshares Inc. (UBSI), placed sixth and eighth.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  United Bancshares� (NASDAQ: UBSI  ) �announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.31 per share, the same rate it's paid for the last six quarters.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Charleston, West Virginia-based bank holding company United Bancshares (UBSI) raised its quarterly dividend 3.2% to 32 cents per share, payable April 1 to shareholders of record as of March 14. The increase represents the 40th consecutive annual dividend increase by UBSI.
  UBSI Dividend Yield: 4.30%

Top 5 Shipping Stocks To Watch Right Now: American Heritage International Inc (AHII)

American Heritage International Inc., formerly Cumberland Hills Ltd., incorporated on January 19, 2010, intends to focus on electronic cigarette. The Company�� product includes American Heritage, American One, American Freedom, American Nights, American Standard and Smoking Alternative Gums and Mints.

The Company�� initial and primary line will be the American Heritage line. American One is a disposable Electronic Cigarette, good for over 500 draws, about the equivalent of over two packs of traditional cigarettes. American Freedom will be the brand name for its Nicotine-Free line of Electronic Cigarettes. American Nights will be a product line targeted to the young adult market of social smokers. Smoking Alternative products will include gums, and mints.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Enter American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII). No, it's not marijuana play. It's also not a maker of marijuana vending machines. It's an electronic cigarette maker still in its initial expansion phase, and seeing the potential of vending machines (but without the risk and potential legal hurdles of marijuana vending machines), the company announced this morning it has inked a deal with a major operator of vending machines to sell its e-cigs.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Fans and investors of American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII) - not to mention frenemies Vapor Corp. (OTCMKTS:VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (OTCMKTS:ECIG) - can all breathe a sigh of relief today. As it turns out, while the electronic cigarette industry is more than likely be regulated by the FDA, it's going to be regulated in such a way that tends to favor the likes of AHII, ECIG, and VPCO.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Lorillard Inc. (NYSE:LO), Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO), and the rest of the big tobacco names may want to take notice. For that matter, anyone with a presence in the electronic cigarette market (which still includes the aforementioned Altria and Lorillard, but many other small payers too) may want to pay attention as well.... e-cig newcomer American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII) has just added two states to the number where its premium product can be purchased. The young company promised it was going to expand after jumping into the game on a small scale in - and this isn't a misprint - January of this year. With today's addition of Nevada and Illinois, AHII is now giving MO and LO a run for their money in eleven states. Thirty-nine more to go.

Top 5 Shipping Stocks To Watch Right Now: Tourism Urbanization Co SAE (TOUR)

Tourism Urbanization Co SAE is an Egypt-based public shareholding company that operates in the tourism and entertainment industry. The Company owns MOVENPICK Resort Cairo-Pyramids hotel located in Giza, which features 234 Rooms, including Superior and Standard rooms, Garden Suite, Business Suite and Family Suite; Bars and Restaurants offering a range of local and international cuisines, namely Orangerie, Il Giardino, Bua Khao, Lobby Bar, Le Gourmet, Palm Cafe and Roof Cafe; Sport and Leisure offers swimming pool (heated in winter), fitness centre, mini golf, sauna and massage, chargeable jacuzzi, and children's playground, and Banqueting and Conference facilities, such as Joy Club. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� major shareholders included Egypt Company for Tourism and El Montazah Tourism & Investment Co., among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  This industry declined 2.64% by 11:50 am, with Tuniu (NASDAQ: TOUR) moving down 3.6%. Tuniu is expected to report Q3 financial results on November 11, 2014.

Top 5 Shipping Stocks To Watch Right Now: Fisher Communications Inc.(FSCI)

Fisher Communications, Inc., an integrated media company, through its subsidiaries, engages in television and radio broadcasting businesses. The company owns and operates network-affiliated television stations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California, as well as engages in Internet business; and radio stations and managed radio stations in Washington and Montana. It also owns and operates Fisher Plaza, a commercial building that includes a data center designed to enable companies to distribute analog and digital media content through various distribution channels, including broadcast, satellite, cable, Internet, broadband, and other wired and wireless communication systems, as well as houses various companies, including media and communications companies. The company owns and operates 13 full power television stations, 7 low power television stations, and 10 owned and managed radio stations in the Western United States. Its television stations reach 4.2 million househo lds. The company was formerly known as Fisher Companies, Inc. and changed its name in March 2001. Fisher Communications, Inc. was founded in 1910 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  In the latest of a string of acquisitions, Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI  ) is to buy Fisher Communications (NASDAQ: FSCI  ) . The merger transaction will cost the former roughly $373 million. Fisher stockholders are to receive a cash payout of $41.00 per share, which, according to Sinclair, is a 44% premium to the stock's recent closing price.

Bear of the Day: Deere (DE) - Bear of the Day

Deere & CO (DE) is seeing estimates for 2014 slide deeper and as a result it is a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). It is the Bear of the Day.A Few Recent DowngradesOver the last few weeks, a few brokerages may lowered their ratings on DE. The most recent was Piper Jaffray, which lowered their rating from Overweight to Neutral during the second week of July. That followed an even bigger call from JP Morgan in late June. The brokerage lowered their rating from Neutral to Underweight on the stock.Company DescriptionDeere makes agriculture and turf equipment, and construction and forestry equipment. Its Agriculture and Turf segment provides agriculture and turf equipment, and related service parts, including tractors; loaders; combines, corn pickers, cotton and sugarcane harvesters. Deere was founded in 1837 and is headquartered in Moline, Illinois. Earnings HistoryThe company has a relatively good history of beating the number. In each of the last two quarters they were able to post a positive earnings surprise. The two quarters preceding those were another story. Two straight misses, including one with a negative earnings surprise of more than 14% takes the luster off the two recent beats.Earnings Estimates Stuck In The MudEstimates for DE have declined of late. The 2013 estimates are moving lower, but not by that much. Peaking at $8.59 in April they have ticked lower to $8.52. But that is not where the real pessimism is. The 2014 Zacks Consensus Estimate has moved lower in each month since it reached a high of $8.93 in February. The number dipped to $8.67 in May and is now down to $8.53.The question becomes when will estimates stop falling?ValuationThe valuation picture for DE is a little mixed... with a good PE valuation and a concern over the price to book. At 10x, the multiple for both trailing and forward PE, DE compares favorably to the industry average of 14x. The 4x price to book multiple, however, is much higher than the 2.5x industry average. Price to sales is in! line with the industry average. When looking at growth rates, investors would likely be concerned by a -2.5% top line growth rate in 2013 and a 0.2% increase for 2014. Similarly, EPS growth expectations of 0.2% for 2014 do not compare favorably with the 12% industry average.The Chart The price and consensus chart really shows the story of a stock that had been a darling of Wall Street over the last few years but has recently run into trouble. The colored lines represent different years earnings estimates, and the nice 45 degree angle has not only flattened out, it has turned around. If estimates continue to decrease, the stock price will likely follow the estimates lower. Brian Bolan is a Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. He is the Editor in charge of the Zacks Home Run Investor service, a Buy and Hold service where he recommends the stocks in the portfolio.Brian is also the editor of Breakout Growth Trader a trading service that focuses on small cap stocks and also carries a risk limiting strategy. Subscribers get daily emails along with buy, and sell alerts.Follow Brian Bolan on twitter at @BBolan1Like Brian Bolan on Facebook

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on SurModics (Nasdaq: SRDX  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top Sliver Stocks To Buy Right Now: Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL)

Eutelsat Communications SA is a France-based holding company that provides fixed satellite services. It provides four types of services, including broadcast services, such as direct-to-home and professional broadcasting; broadband services, comprising broadband Internet access; telecoms and data services to ensure permanent communications links from all points of the globe, establish or restore communications in an emergency and multicast content; as well as mobile and maritime communications, such as fleet management and on- and off-shore broadband maritime communications. It operates a fleet of satellites covering Europe, the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of Asia and the Americas. In January 2014, it acquired Satelites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. and together with SES SA have completed the sale to EchoStar Corp. of Solaris Mobile Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL) declined 6.2 percent to 21.02 euros after predicting sales will grow by more than 2.5 percent for the year 2013 to 2014. The company, which operates 31 satellites, forecast growth of more than 5 percent for the following two years through June 2016. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its price target for the stock to 24 euros from 33 euros, saying analysts��will probably reduce their estimates following the company�� revised guidance.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Lumos Networks Corp (LMOS)

Lumos Networks Corp. is a fiber-based service provider in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Company provides data, broadband, voice and Internet protocol (IP) services over fiber optic network. The Company offers a range of data and voice products supported by approximately 5,800 fiber-route miles in Virginia, West Virginia, and portions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Kentucky. Its products and services include metro Ethernet, IP services, business advantage bundle, managed router service, broadband, voice services and Web hosting. On October 14, 2011, NTELOS Holdings Corp. announced a distribution date of October 31, 2011, for the spin-off of Lumos Networks Corp.

The Company�� broadband services include Business DSL, Dedicated Business Service, Managed Router Services, Business Broadband XL, Business PC Services and Web Hosting. Its IP services include Integrated Access, IP Trunking, IP Centrex and IP Phones. Its voice service include Business Voice, Business Advantage Bundle, nTouch, Intelligent Messaging, Simultaneous Ring, Conference Calling and Long Distance. Its data services include Metro Ethernet and Quality of Service. Lumos Networks Business DSL provides up to six megabits per second downstream and one megabit per second upstream. Its managed router support service equipment includes staging, installation, configuration, and maintenance while support provides around-the-clock monitoring, management and trouble resolution and direct access to networking experts. Its Business Broadband XL offers a selection of high download speeds. Lumos Networks' Integrated Access solution can integrate local voice, long distance, voicemail, and broadband Internet access. Lumos Networks nTouch brings voicemail linking IP Centrex and nTelos Wireless phone.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), off 5.8 percent, and Lumos Networks (NASDAQ: LMOS), down 2.9 percent.

  Top Headline
  Citigroup (NYSE: C) reported better-than-expected first-quarter results. Citigroup's quarterly profit surged to $3.94 billion, versus a year-ago profit of $3.81 billion. On a per-share basis, it earned $1.23. Excluding one-time items, its earnings rose to $1.30 versus $1.29. Its revenue declined to $20.12 billion. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $1.14 per share on revenue of $19.37 billion.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Rewards Nexus Inc (ERNI)

Rewards Nexus Inc., formerly NIS Holdings Corp., incorporated on June 21, 2004, through its subsidiaries, operates in the loyalty/rewards industry. The Company has launched the Earn IQ rewards program, a consumer loyalty platform-coupled with marketing and advertising services for various industries.

The Company provides consumers with opportunities to interact and engage with online and mobile products. It primarily focuses on various business sectors, including the customer loyalty management market, the gift card industry, the online food ordering industry, and the marketing consulting industry

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Rewards Nexus Inc (OTCMKTS: ERNI), MyEcheck Inc (OTCMKTS: MYEC) and ITonis Inc (OTCMKTS: ITNS) fell 29.6%, 18.92% and 9.09%, respectively, last Friday. Moreover, some of these small cap stocks are already making big moves again this morning - perhaps in part because they have all been the subject of recent paid promotions. So where are these small cap heading this week and for the long term? Here is a quick reality check:

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Vodafone Group PLC (VOD)

Vodafone Group Plc (Vodafone), incorporated in 1984, is a mobile communications company operating across the globe providing a range of communications services. The Company offers a range of products and services, including voice, messaging, data and fixed-line solutions and devices to assist customers in meeting their total communications needs. Vodafone has a global presence, with equity interests in over 30 countries and over 40 partner markets worldwide. It operates in three geographic regions: Europe, Africa and Central Europe; Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, and has an investment in Verizon Wireless in the United States. In October 2010, Vodafone Global Enterprise, the business within Vodafone, announced the acquisition of two telecom expense management (TEM) companies, Quickcomm and TnT Expense Management. In November 2011, the Company sold 24.4% interest in Polkomtel in Poland. In March 2012, Verizon Wireless, which is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone, purchased the operating assets of Cellular One of Northeast Pennsylvania from the Company. In April 2012, its Netherlands-based division, Vodafone Libertel BV, acquired Telespectrum-DJ. On October 31, 2012, the Company acquired TelstraClear Limited. In May 2013, Vodafone Group Plc announced launch of its carrier services business unit.

In Europe, the Company�� mobile subsidiaries and joint venture operate under the brand name Vodafone. Its associate in France operates as SFR and Neuf Cegetel, and its fixed-line communication businesses operate as Vodafone, Arcor, Tele2 and TeleTu. Vodafone�� subsidiaries in Africa and Central Europe operate under the Vodafone brand, or in the case of Vodacom and its mobile subsidiaries, the Vodacom and Gateway brands. Its joint venture in Poland operates as Polkomtel and its associate in Kenya operates as Safaricom. The Company�� subsidiaries and joint venture in Fiji operate under the Vodafone brand, and its joint venture in Australia operates under the brands V! odafone and 3. The Company�� associate in the United States operates under the brand Verizon Wireless.

Vodafone has an international customer base with 370 million mobile customers across the world as of March 31, 2011. Vodafone also caters to all business segments ranging from small-office-home-office (SoHo) and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to corporates and multinational corporations. Through its subsidiaries, Vodafone directly owns and manages approximately 2,200 stores around the world. The Company also has around 10,300 Vodafone-branded stores run through franchise and exclusive dealer arrangements.

The Company�� range of handsets covers all its customer segments and price points, and is available in a variety of designs. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), 14 new handsets were released under its own brand and it shipped 5.8 million. In addition to handsets, it supplies a range of connected smart devices. It supplies the iPhone in 19 markets. During fiscal 2011, the Company launched its USB stick based on 4G/LTE technology in Germany and Verizon Wireless launched in the United States.; Vodafone WebBox; a smartphone roaming data plan that allows the European customers to use their home data plan abroad for only 2 a day to access the Internet, emails and applications; the Android-powered Vodafone 845 and 945 devices; Vodafone TV services; Vodafone 252, which comes pre-loaded with Vodafone M-Pesa for mobile payment services and a prepaid balance indicator that helps customers to keep track of their phone credit to avoid overspending; Vodafone M-Pesa in South Africa, Qatar and Fiji; 3G services in India, and LTE services by acquiring LTE spectrum in Germany.

The Company is a carrier of mobile voice traffic in the world providing domestic, international and roaming voice services to more than 370 million customers. Its networks sent and received over 292 billion text, picture, music and video messages during fiscal 2011. The Company ! serves mo! re than 75 million customers with data services, which allow access to the Internet, email and applications on their phones, tablets, laptops and netbooks. The Company provides a range of data products, including Machine-to-machine (��2M�� connections, which allow devices to communicate with one another via built-in mobile SIM cards; Third party billing; Financial services; Near field communication (��FC��, and Mobile advertising. The Company, as of March 31, 2011, served 5.3 million M2M connections around the world. NFC allows communication between devices when they are touched together or brought within a few centimetres of each other. The Company has mobile advertising business in 18 countries with a range of capabilities. Over six million customers use its fixed broadband services in 13 markets to meet their total communications needs. In addition, through Gateway, it provides wholesale carrier services to more than 40 African countries. Other service revenue includes business managed services, such as secure remote network access, and revenue from mobile virtual network operators generated from selling access to its network at the wholesale level. The Company�� enterprise customers range from small-office-home-office (��oHo�� businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (��MEs��, through to domestic and multinational companies. The Company has 34 million enterprise customers accounting for around 9% of all customers and around 23% of service revenue. The Company focuses on SoHos and SMEs to provide customers with integrated fixed and mobile communications solutions. Vodafone Global Enterprise manages the communication needs of over 560 of the multinational corporate customers. It provides a range of managed services, such as Central Ordering, Device Manager, Spend Manager Solutions, Invoice Manager, Vodafone Neverfail and Telecoms management. The Company offers a range of total communications applications, as well as services for enterprise and consumer customers. Vodafone Alw! ays Best ! Connected software enables customers to stay connected to the Internet on the available connection wherever they are by automatically managing the switching between connection types including mobile broadband, Wi-Fi and LAN. Vodafone PC Backup is an online back-up and restores service that enables users to remotely store data securely and automatically via their Internet connection.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Harvey Jones]

  LONDON -- If you look at recent Fool articles about�Vodafone� (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) , it's all dividends, dividends, dividends. That's hardly surprising, given that the mobile communications giant yields 5.2%, more than 10 times Bank of England base rate. Only a handful of FTSE 100 companies yield more, and they're mostly troubled insurers such as�Resolution,�RSA Insurance, and�Aviva. So yes, Vodafone is a happy, honking dividend machine, and hooray for that. But is that all?

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  As discussions intensify over the joint ownership of Verizon Wireless by both Vodafone (NASDAQ: VOD  ) and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ  ) , and the potential buyout by Verizon Communications, the specifics of the deal continue to garner attention. While the complete takeover would make Verizon the largest phone carrier in the United States, beating out current leader AT&T (NYSE: T  ) , there are issues for the company that are important for investors to consider. To complete the deal, Verizon will need to raise debt capital and must contend with a premium price.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Sprint Corp (S&LS)

Sprint Corporation, incorporated on May 10, 2012, offers a range of wireless and wireline communications services to consumers, businesses and government users. On July 10, 2013, the Company, SoftBank Corp. and Sprint Nextel Corporation (Sprint Nextel) completed the merger. In the Merger, Sprint Corporation was merged into Sprint Nextel, New Sprint became the parent company of Sprint Nextel, with Sprint Nextel becoming its direct wholly owned subsidiary, and Sprint Nextel changed its name to Sprint Communications, Inc.

The Company develops, engineers and deploys technologies, including the first wireless fourth generation (4G) service from a national carrier in the United States; offering mobile data services, prepaid brands, including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities, and a global Tier 1 Internet Service. The Company also offers unlimited data services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Since Wilmers & Co. took over M&T Bank in 1983 the bank has acquired 23 banks and Savings and Loans (S&Ls) ��expanding from a single state to seven ��and assets have grown from $2 billion to $110 billion. M&T's branch count has grown from 60 to over 870. The bank currently boasts a customer base of over 2 million retail household customers and nearly 220,000 commercial customers.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Ruckus Wireless Inc (RKUS)

Ruckus Wireless, Inc (Ruckus), incorporated August 19, 2002, is a provider of Wi-Fi solutions. The Company�� solutions, which it calls Smart Wi-Fi, are used by service providers and enterprises to solve network challenges. The Company�� products include gateways, controllers and access points. These products incorporate its technologies, including Smart Radio, Smart QoS, Smart Mesh, SmartCell and Smart Scaling. The Company sells its products to service providers and enterprises globally, and as of December 31, 2012, had sold its products to over 21,700 end-customers worldwide. During 2012, the Company added over 10,100 new end-customers. The Company�� enterprise end-customers are typically mid-sized organizations in a variety of industries, including hospitality, education, healthcare, warehousing and logistics, corporate enterprise, retail, state and local government and public venues, such as stadiums, convention centers, airports and outdoor public areas. Effective July 23, 2013, Ruckus Wireless Inc acquired YFind Technologies Pte Ltd.

The Company sells directly and indirectly to a range of service providers, including mobile operators, cable companies, wholesale operators and fixed-line carriers. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had over 65 service provider end-customers, including Bright House Networks, The Cloud (a BSkyB Company), KDDI, Tikona Digital Networks, Time Warner Cable and Towerstream. The Company�� Smart Wi-Fi solutions are marketed under the SmartCell, ZoneDirector, ZoneFlex and FlexMaster brands and include a range of indoor and outdoor access points (APs), long range point-to-point and point-to-multipoint bridges, wireless local area network (LAN), controllers, network management software and gateway systems with integrated advanced wireless software.

The Company�� core Smart Wi-Fi technologies include Smart Radio, Smart QoS, Smart Mesh, SmartCell and Smart Scaling. Smart Radio is a set of advanced hardware and software capabilities that auto! matically adjust Wi-Fi signals to changes in environmental conditions. A primary component of Smart Radio technology is BeamFlex, a smart antenna system that makes Wi-Fi signals stronger by focusing them only where they are needed and dynamically steering them in directions that yield the highest throughput for each receiving device. Another component is ChannelFly, a performance optimization capability that automatically determines, which radio frequencies or channels deliver the network throughput based on actual observed capacity, a key benefit for high-density, noisy Wi-Fi environments.

Smart QoS is a software technology that manages traffic load to enhance the user experience. Smart QoS was developed to handle the increasing volumes of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and streaming video traffic. Smart QoS offers automatic prioritization of different traffic types through intelligent analytics that classify, prioritize and schedule traffic for transmission. Smart QoS employs advanced queuing techniques and dedicated software queues on a per device basis to ensure fairness and optimize overall system performance. Smart QoS includes its band steering, rate limiting, client load balancing and airtime fairness techniques.

Smart Mesh is software technology that uses advanced self-organizing network principles to create Wi-Fi backbone links between access points. Smart Mesh automatically establishes wireless connections between individual access points using patented smart antenna technology and self-heals in the event of a failed link.

SmartCell is a key technology behind the Company�� SmartCell Gateway platform that integrates software and specialized hardware deployed at the edge of service provider networks to facilitate the integration of Wi-Fi and cellular infrastructures. SmartCell includes a set of modular software components ,as well as standard network interfaces into the mobile core that enable Wi-Fi to become a standard access mechanism for service ! providers! . Management components provide configuration, user management, analytics, accounting and other operational and maintenance functions.

Smart Scaling uses advanced database management techniques to enable the support of hundreds of thousands to millions of client devices across the Wi-Fi network. Smart Scaling employs intelligent data distribution techniques to extend client information, statistics and other vital user information across any number of nodes within the system without a single point of failure and with linear scalability. Smart Scaling is incorporated in its purpose-built hardware and software, making it capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of access points and user session workloads at the scale required by service providers.

SmartCell Gateway is a platform that integrates software and specialized hardware deployed at the edge of service provider networks to facilitate the integration of Wi-Fi and cellular infrastructures. The Company�� SmartCell Gateway is designed to be vendor-agnostic and can control third-party APs. SmartCell Gateway provides standard-based interfaces into existing and future mobile networks to simplify integration.

SmartCell access point addresses the capacity and density needs of service providers deploying networks within urban environments. SmartCell APs employ modular multimode architecture to enable service providers to deploy Wi-Fi, 3G/4G small cell cellular technology and Wi-Fi mesh backhaul within a single device. This provides operators with the ability to enhance and extend their macro networks, injecting much needed capacity into high traffic user environments with the flexibility to deploy Wi-Fi with Smart Mesh backhaul and upgrade to Wi-Fi with 3G/LTE when and where desired without any mounting or backhaul changes.

The Company�� ZoneDirector Smart WLAN controllers use a intuitive Web user interface to make configuration and administration extremely simple. This software includes a variety of ! advanced ! capabilities such as adaptive meshing, integrated client performance tools, authentication support, simplified guest access and user policy, wireless intrusion prevention, automatic traffic redirection, integrated Wi-Fi client performance tools and robust network management. ZoneFlex access points incorporate BeamFlex adaptive antenna array technology to deliver robust Wi-Fi performance, reliability and capacity. These devices support multiple virtual wireless LANs, Wi-Fi encryption and advanced traffic handling. The Company�� ZoneFlex outdoor Smart Wi-Fi access points and point-to-point and multipoint bridges can be deployed as stand-alone APs or be centrally managed.

In addition to the Company�� hardware products, the Company also sells software products. FlexMaster is a Linux-based Wi-Fi management service platform used by enterprises and service providers to monitor and administrate networks. FlexMaster provides configuration, fault detection, audit, performance management and optimization of remote Ruckus access points or wireless LAN controllers. It offers a single point for management and a number of automated and customized facilities such as an intuitive dashboard. FlexMaster is designed to operate with existing operational support system and features tiered administration to provide managed wireless LAN or cloud-based wireless services.

The Company competes with Cisco Systems, Ericsson; Hewlett-Packard, Motorola and Aruba Networks.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Toward the end of trading Friday, the Dow traded down 0.60 percent to 16,947.43 while the NASDAQ declined 0.75 percent to 4,557.59. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.83 percent to 1,980.97.

  Leading and Lagging Sectors Cyclical consumer goods & services shares fell by just 0.50 percent in trading on Friday. Top gainers in the sector included ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance NASDAQ: (ULTA), up 17.5 percent, and 1-800-Flowers.com (NASDAQ: FLWS), up 4.5 percent. In trading on Friday, utilities shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 1.89 percent. Meanwhile, top decliners in the sector included Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais - CEMIG (NYSE: CIG), down 4.7 percent, and CPFL Energia SA (NYSE: CPL), off 4.3 percent. Top Headline Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) reported better-than-expected fiscal first quarter earnings. The Orlando, Florida-based company reported a quarterly loss of $19.3 million, or $0.14 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $42.2 million, or $0.32 per share. Excluding non-recurring items, the company earned $0.32 per share. Its sales surged to $1.6 billion versus $1.53 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.30 per share on revenue of $1.6 billion. Equities Trading UP Conversant (NASDAQ: CNVR) shares shot up 30.25 percent to $34.79 after Alliance Data Systems (NYSE: ADS) announced its plans to buy Conversant for $35 per share. Shares of ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance (NASDAQ: ULTA) got a boost, shooting up 17.69 percent to $114.72 after the company reported upbeat second-quarter results and raised its outlook. The company also unveiled a five-year plan for impressive growth. Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings (NASDAQ: SPWH) shares were also up, gaining 15.89 percent to $7.00 after the company reported stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter results. Equities Trading DOWN Shares of Ruckus Wireless (NASDAQ: RKUS) were down 5.19 percent to $14.35. Buckingham
• [By gurujx]

  Ruckus Wireless (RKUS): CFO Seamus Hennessy Sold 50,000 Shares

  CFO Seamus Hennessy sold 50,000 shares of RKUS stock on Sept. 6 at the average price of $15.12. The price of the stock has increased by 1.19% since.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Shares of Ruckus Wireless (NYSE: RKUS) were down 4.4 percent to $14.46. Buckingham Research downgraded Ruckus Wireless from Buy to Neutral and raised the price target from $15.00 to $16.00.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Monday
  The market kicks off a new trading week with Ruckus Wireless (NYSE: RKUS  ) reporting quarterly results on Monday. The provider of wireless systems for the mobile Internet infrastructure market went public in November at $15. It moved lower initially, but the stock has crept into the high teens ahead of Monday's report.

Top 10 Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Intelsat SA (I)

Intelsat S.A., incorporated on July 18, 2011, is a satellite services business, providing a layer in the global communications infrastructure. The Company operates satellite capacity, holds orbital location rights, contract backlog, serve commercial customers and deliver services. It provides diversified communications services to the world�� media companies, fixed and wireless telecommunications operators, data networking service providers for enterprise and mobile applications, multinational corporations and Internet service providers (ISPs). It is also the provider of commercial satellite capacity to the United States government and other select military organizations and their contractors.

The Company has a satellite fleet comprised of more than 50 satellites, covering 99% of the Earth�� populated regions. Its fleet, combined with the IntelsatOne terrestrial fiber network and a collection of teleports, form a singular unmatched global infrastructure to meet any communications requirement. As the provider of satellite services, the Company provides mission critical communication services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By The Specialist]

  Subject to ongoing evaluation and analysis, the Reporting Person may consider certain plans or proposals to increase shareholders' value that may relate to or may result in (I) a change in the present board of directors or management of the Issuer, including any plans or proposals to change the number or term of directors or to fill any existing vacancies on the board; and/or (ii) a material change in the present dividend policy of the Issuer