Top Stocks To Buy 2017: February 2014

Friday, February 21, 2014

Jim Cramer's 6 Stocks in 60 Seconds: DECK PXD NUS AA DDS PPG (Update 1)

Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now

Check out Jim Cramer's latest trading recommendations on "Action Alerts Plus".

(Updates from 10:45 a.m. ET with closing information.)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Here's what Jim Cramer had to say on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Friday.

Piper Jaffray and Sterne Agee seem to be taking turns defending Deckers Outdoor (DECK), Cramer said. But "who the heck knows" what's going on with the stock because there seems to be a big seller in the market, he added. DECK closed down nearly 1% to $75.02.

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) to buy from hold. "This stock has just been a horrendous performer," Cramer said. He thinks it still has access to a lot of oil in the Permian basin. PXD was 82 cents lower at $174.70.

Cramer's "hearing more regulatory action in China" regarding Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS). He thanked TheStreet's Herb Greenberg for warning investors about the possible red flags about the company. NUS dropped 6.3% to $79.47. Alcoa (AA) initially traded lower after reporting earnings but is now higher. "Have some vision, people!" Cramer declared. Higher aluminum demand from Ford (F) as well as some plant closures will help Alcoa. AA rose 2.9% to $11.36. Bank of America/Merrill Lynch reiterated Dillard's (DDS) as a buy. Cramer thought the call was interesting because "it's a department store that's actually liked." DDS was up 49 cents to $90.65. R.W. Baird raised its price target on PPG Industries (PPG) to $215 from $200. Although some investors thought it was a bad quarter, Cramer argued the company provided an "unbelievable forecast" and said CEO Charles Bunch is great. PPG rose 1% to $189.48. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter, with all of his latest articles and videos, please click here.
-- Written by Bret Kenwell in Petoskey, Mich. Follow @BretKenwell

Stock quotes in this article: DECK, PXD, NUS, AA, F, DDS, PPG

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015

True to a Seinfeld episode, bad news means rising stock prices in today's bizarre trading environment.

The reason for the modest upside in the broad-based S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC ) today came from June's U.S. retail sales figures, which, including and excluding autos,�came in worse than expected (0.4% with, 0.1% excluding). Under normal circumstances, and using logic, lower retail sales are a bad thing! Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70% of U.S. GDP, and weaker retail sales figures would signify that consumers are holstering more of their disposable income.

The reason the market perceives this as good news is that it gives the Federal Reserve little impetus to scale back its monetary easing program known as QE3. This goes back to the vicious catch-22 that I alluded to weeks ago whereby we're darned if we do, darned if we don't,depending on what the Fed does next.

Despite what I feel are clear and present long-term concerns, the S&P 500 edged higher by 2.31 points (0.14%), to close at yet another new record, 1,682.50 ��the S&P 500's eighth straight up day, and its 12th in the past 14 trading sessions.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Sealed Air Corporation(SEE)

Sealed Air Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides food safety and security, facility hygiene, and product protection solutions worldwide. Its Food Packaging segment provides shrink bags and vacuum packaging products; packaging materials for cook-in applications; laminated and coextruded rollstock packaging materials used in thermoforming and form, fill, and seal applications; and associated packaging equipment and systems, including bag loaders, dispensers, and vacuum chamber systems. The company?s Food Solutions segment offers case-ready packaging offerings; ready meals packaging technologies; vertical pouch packaging solutions for packaging flowable food products; foam and plastic trays; absorbent products for food packaging; and related packaging equipment, including vacuum chamber systems. Its Protective Packaging segment provides air cellular packaging materials; polyolefin performance shrink films for product display; shrink packaging equipment systems; pol yurethane foam packaging systems that provide protective packaging; lightweight and tear-resistant mailers and bags; inflatable packaging systems; paper cushioning systems that include recycled paper and automated dispensing equipment; paper packaging products; and suspension and retention packaging products. The company?s Diversey Segment offers a range of products and services, such as kitchen cleaning products; food and beverage and manufacturing and processing products; floor care products and systems; restroom care and other housekeeping products; and laundry products, as well as consulting services. Sealed Air Corporation also provides specialty materials products to fabricators and manufacturers; and medical applications products and solutions to medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. The company markets its products primarily under the Bubble Wrap, Cryovac, and Diversey brands. Sealed Air Corporation was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in El mwood Park, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
On the upside, Sealed Air (SEE) has gained 8.4% to $30.90 after it said it earned 39 cents share, beating forecasts for 34 cents, and offered strong guidance. Gilead Sciences (GILD) has risen 4.3% to $72.50 after it reported a profit of 52 cents, beating forecasts for 48 cents.
[By Lee Jackson]
Basic Materials: Sealed Air Corp. (NYSE: SEE) is top pick at other firms that we cover on Wall Street as well. Credit Suisse believes that following the recent (October) management change at the company, Sealed Air will significantly improve its profitability and cash flows while also deleveraging its sizable debt load, with both of these things driving significant shareholder value. The price target for the stock is posted at $36. The Thomson/First Call estimate is at $33. Investors are paid a 1.9% dividend. Credit Suisse is the high target on Wall Street and would represent a 31% gain for investors. The stock closed Tuesday at $27.48.
[By Ben Levisohn]
Sealed Air�(SEE) has fallen 0.7% to $28.35 after the food-safety company was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at�Barclays.

Towers Watson�(TW) has dropped 0.5% to $102.49 after it was cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan. It was also upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Tufco Technologies Inc.(TFCO)

Tufco Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated manufacturing services in the United States. The company offers contract manufacturing and specialty printing services. Its services include wet and dry-wipe converting, wide web flexographic printing, hot melt adhesive laminating, folding, integrated downstream packaging, and quality and microbiological process management. The company involved in the contract manufacture of products from various materials, such as polyethylene films, nonwovens, papers, and tissues. Its products comprise disposable wet and dry wipes for home, personal/baby/medical care use, flexible packaging, and disposable table covers. The company also manufactures and distributes business imaging paper products. It converts a range of paper products, including specialty and fine printing papers, thermal papers, inkjet papers, and coated products for use in retail, convenience store, restaurant, dry cleaning, and bank applicat ions. In addition, the company provides business forms products in laser cut sheets and multi-part forms; wide format rolls for drafting and architectural applications; printed and unprinted paper products used in business imaging equipment in market segments comprising architectural and engineering design, high speed data processing, point of sale, automatic teller machines, and office equipment; and various products for the restaurant market, such as children?s placemats, crayons, and guest checks. It markets its products and services through its sales and customer service employees, manufacturer?s representatives, and distributors to multinational consumer products companies, and dealers and distributors of business imaging papers. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Top 5 Quality Stocks To Watch Right Now: Peet's Coffee & Tea Inc.(PEET)

Peet?s Coffee & Tea, Inc. operates as a specialty coffee roaster and marketer of fresh roasted whole bean coffee and tea in the United States. It offers whole bean coffee and related products consisting of products for home brewing, tea, and packaged foods; and beverages and pastries. The company also provides brewing equipment for coffee and tea; paper filters and brewing accessories; and branded and non-branded cups, saucers, travel mugs, and serve ware. Peet?s sells its products through various channels of distribution, including grocery stores; home delivery, office, restaurant, and foodservice accounts; and company-owned and operated stores. As of January 2, 2011, it operated 192 retail stores in California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Washington. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Emeryville, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Chris Hill]
In 2012, the Germany-based�Benckiser Group�spent $1.3B to buy Peet's Coffee & Tea, as well as Caribou Coffee. On Friday, Benckiser announced that it's buying European coffee maker Master Blenders for�around�$10 billion. In the United States, Benckiser is closing 15% of Caribou locations, and�converting 20% of the stores into Peet's (NASDAQ: PEET ) . In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts discuss whether Benckiser's big bet on coffee poses a threat to Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX ) .

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Movado Group Inc. (MOV)

Movado Group, Inc. designs, sources, markets, and distributes fine watches. It operates in two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The company offers its watches under the Coach, Concord, Ebel, ESQ, Scuderia Ferrari, HUGO BOSS, Juicy Couture, Lacoste, Movado, and Tommy Hilfiger brands to jewelry store chains, department stores, independent regional jewelers, licensed partner retail stores, and a network of independent distributors. It is also involved in the after-sales service activities and shipping. In addition, Movado Group, Inc. operates retail outlet stores. As of January 31, 2013, the company operated 34 outlet stores. It operates principally in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The company was formerly known as North American Watch Corporation and changed its name to Movado Group, Inc. in 1996. Movado Group, Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sean Williams]
The most obvious choice is through Movado Group (NYSE: MOV ) , which uses a combination of electronic and mechanical movements through its collection. With an average price point of $300 through upwards of $2,000 per timepiece, Movado delivers to consumers the perception of a higher-end watch and delivers the sleek statement styling that many upper-income earners are looking for. Not surprisingly, Movado has blown Wall Street's EPS estimates out of the water in each of the past four quarters and attributed its 6% sales growth in the first quarter primarily to increased sales in its "accessible luxury category." Not to be forgotten, Movado also has greater than $5 per share in cash and is debt-free, giving shareholders quite the safety net and allowing Movado the luxury of boosting its dividend should it choose to do so.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Summer Infant Inc.(SUMR)

Summer Infant, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of branded juvenile health, safety, and wellness products primarily in North America and the United Kingdom. It offers products in various product categories, including nursery audio/video monitors, safety gates, durable bath products, bed rails, nursery products, booster and potty seats, bouncers, travel accessories, high chairs, swings, feeding products, car seats, and nursery furniture, as well as infant thermometers, related health and safety products, cribs, baby gear, swaddling blankets, and bottles. The company sells its products principally under the Summer Infant, Carter?s, and Disney brand names through mass merchant retailers and specialty retailers, as well as directly to consumers. Summer Infant, Inc. is headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Gildan Activewear Com Npv (GIL.TO)

Gildan Activewear Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of apparel products primarily in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It sells T-shirts, fleece, and sport shirts to wholesale distributors under the Gildan brand name. The company also provides its activewear products for work and school uniforms and athletic team wear, and other purposes to convey individual, group, and team identity. In addition, it offers apparel, which includes socks, underwear, and activewear products primarily to U.S. retailers; and athletic, casual, and dress socks for U.S. retailers. Further, the company holds contractual licensing relationships for the Under Armour and New Balance brands for socks; and manufactures and distributes activewear products for consumer brands, including T-shirts and sport shirts under the Anvil brand. It markets its sock products under the various brands, including Gold Toe, PowerSox, SilverToe, Auro, All Pro, GT, and Gildan brands. The company was formerly k nown as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Panasonic Corporation(PC)

Panasonic Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells electronic products worldwide. The company offers video and audio equipment, and information and communications equipment; imaging equipment, such as flat-panel TVs and LCDs; digital AVC network equipment, including blu-ray disc recorders, digital cameras, and digital camcorders; business-use audiovisual (AV) equipment; notebook PCs; printers; security-related products comprising network cameras and POS system solutions; mobile phones; motors; car navigation systems, cameras, and digital terrestrial tuners. It also provides home appliances consisting of refrigerators, room air conditioners, washing machines and clothes dryers, and vacuum cleaners; and lighting and environmental systems, as well as components and devices for use in various products ranging from digital AV equipment, and information and communication devices to home appliances and industrial equipment; and offers electronic-parts-mounting machines, indu strial robots, and industrial equipment. In addition, the company provides solar photovoltaic systems and rechargeable batteries; electrical supplies, electric products, and building materials and equipment; personal care products, such as massage sofa, men?s shavers, hair dryers, and vibration toothbrushes; EV relays, and back and corner sensors; living station modular kitchen systems; home appliance- and communications-use relays and printed circuit board materials, and factory-automation -related products; and solar power generation systems and all-electric home design fixtures. It serves consumer, industrial and business corporations, governments, and other institutions, such as electric and electronic equipment manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, and various machinery makers. The company was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Panasonic Corporation in October 2008. Panasonic Corporation is founded in 1918 and is based in Kadoma-shi, Japan.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: PAR Technology Corporation(PAR)

PAR Technology Corporation provides technology solutions to organizations and businesses in the hospitality industry worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Hospitality and Government. The Hospitality segment provides integrated solutions, including hardware and software applications for restaurants, hotels, resorts, and spas to the hospitality industry. It also offers customer support, including field service, installation, 24 hour telephone support, and depot repair. The Government segment performs complex technical studies, analysis, and experiments; develops solutions, and provides on-site engineering in support of advanced defense, security, and aerospace systems. The company, through its subsidiary, PAR Springer-Miller Systems, Inc, provides guest-centric property management solutions to hotels, resorts, spas, casinos, and other hospitality properties. PAR Technology Corporation was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in New Hartford, New York.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Columbia Sportswear Company(COLM)

Columbia Sportswear Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, sourcing, marketing, and distribution of outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment in the United States, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Canada. It provides apparel, accessories, and equipment for men, women, and youth under Columbia and Mountain Hardwear brands used during outdoor activities, such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, camping, hunting, fishing, trail running, water sports, and adventure travel. The company also offers footwear products, including lightweight hiking boots, trail running shoes, rugged cold weather boots, sandals, and casual shoes for men and women under Columbia, Sorel, and Montrail brands, as well as for youth under the Columbia and Sorel brands. Columbia Sportswear Company sells its products through wholesale distribution channels, independent distributors, direct-to-consum er channels, and licensees, as well as online to independent distributors and consumers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 43 outlet retail stores and 8 branded retail stores in the United States; 7 outlet retail stores and 3 branded retail stores in various locations in western Europe; and 2 outlet retail stores in Canada, as well as 111 and 236 dealer-operated, branded, outlet, and shop-in-shop locations in Japan and Korea. Columbia Sportswear Company was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Dan Caplinger]
The other big prospect for high-margin sales is the action-outdoor space, where VF has a nice lead in terms of financial performance. Columbia Sportswear (NASDAQ: COLM ) has much lower margins but also has a well-known brand presence that will pose a threat to VF in the long run. Bigger competitors such as Under Armour (NYSE: UA ) will also bear watching, especially if Under Armour decides to do what it's done in the past with footwear and expand into new markets with particularly promising profit potential.
[By Anh HOANG]
Another peer, Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM ) has also spent a lot of money on a major marketing campaign for its Omni-Freeze ZERO fabric. This fabric uses the industry's leading cooling technology and provides prolonged cooling for its users. This could be considered an important new franchise to complement the existing franchise innovations portfolio of Columbia Sportswear. Its fall 2014 product lines have been structured so that they were more reasonably priced to drive sales growth for the company.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Strayer Education Inc (STRA.O)

Strayer Education, Inc. provides post-secondary education services. The Company offers a range of academic programs through its wholly owned subsidiary Strayer University, Inc. (the University), both in classroom courses and online via the Internet. Strayer University is an institution of higher learning that offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, accounting, information technology, education, health care, public administration and criminal justice at 92 physical campuses in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C., and online. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had opened 78 of its campuses. The Company has also developed a robust online education program.

Strayer University offers business, information te chnology and professional-oriented curricula to equip students with specialized and practical knowledge and skills for careers in business, industry and Government. Its Academic School Deans and Program Curriculum Committees regularly review and revise the University�� course offerings to improve the educational programs and respond to changes in job markets. Strayer University offers graduate programs in Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.); Jack Welch Executive Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Degree; Master of Education (M.Ed.) Degree;Master of Health Services Administration (M.H.S.A.) Degree; Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) Degree; Master of Science (M.S.) Degree (Information Systems, Accounting, Human Resource Management and Management), and Executive Graduate Certificate Programs (Business Administration, Information Systems and Accounting).

Strayer University�� undergraduate programs include Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree ( Accounting, Information Systems, Economics and Criminal Ju! st! ice); Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) Degree;Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree (Accounting, Acquisition and Contract Management, Business Administration, Information Systems, Economics, Marketing and Criminal Justice); Diploma Programs (Accounting, Acquisition and Contract Management, and Information System), and Undergraduate Certificate Programs (Accounting, Business Administration and Information Systems). Each undergraduate degree program includes courses in oral and written communication skills, as well as mathematics and a range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. In addition to its degree, diploma and certificate programs, it offers classes to non-degree and non-program students wishing to take courses for personal or professional enrichment. Strayer University students may enroll in courses at more than one campus and take courses online.

Students can take classes online using either a synchronous (real time) or asynchronous (on demand) format. Students may take all of their courses online or may take online courses as a supplement to traditional, classroom-based courses. Tuition for online courses is the same as for campus courses. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Strayer University had over 32,000 students who took classes solely online.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Invest In 2015: Dairy Crest Grp(DCG.L)

Dairy Crest Group plc, a dairy foods company, processes and sells fresh milk and branded dairy products in the United Kingdom and rest of Europe. The company offers various cheese products, including cheddar cheese under Cathedral City and Davidstow brands; butters and spreads under the Country Life, Clover, and St Hubert brands; conventional, organic, and flavored milk in retailer own brand bottles or Country Life brand; milk in bags; potted creams; and retail products and ingredients, such as milk powders, butter, and stabilized cream for the food industry. Its brands also include FRijj, Chedds, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite, and Willow. Dairy Crest Group also provides a range of catering and retail convenience essentials, and dairy products to catering, hotel, restaurant, cafe and coffee shop, school and university, hospital and care-home, and retail convenience store customers. The company was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Esher, the United Kingdom.

Monday, February 17, 2014

IndyFilmCorp Hire Speaks Volumes About What's Coming (DIS, SIX, IFLM)

It's been a while since investors have heard anything from Independent Film Development Corporation (OTCMKTS:IFLM), but like many of the horror films the company is now aiming to recreate in theme park form, the market can expect news and announcements from IFLM when it least expects it. And, though this morning's news from IndyFilmCorp wasn't exactly earth-shattering, it does push the organization one step closer to taking on - and even beating - the likes of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Six Flags Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:SIX) at their own game... theme parks.

In simplest terms, Independent Film Development Corporation is in the planning stages of the word's freshest-concept, relevant amusement park. No, "relevant" isn't a word that gets theme-park-goers' adrenaline flowing. And, it's certainly not a word that was likely often heard when Walt Disney was planning to build the theme parks that The Walt Disney Company is so well-known for now. Ditto for Six Flags Entertainment. DIS was apt to be most concerned with recreating its famous movies in amusement park ride form, while SIX was just flat-out trying to assemble the optimal mix of rides to attract the biggest crowd when it was planning its portfolio of amusement parks. From a businessman's standpoint though, "relevant" is crucial to a theme park's survival when there are more choices and forms of entertainment than we've ever seen before.

So how is Independent Film Development Corporation going to be relevant? By offering what interests most people most of the time in this era.

Even to the infrequent TV watcher, there's no doubt that television-programming tastes have changed. Indeed, pop literature and pop culture have changed; TV programs are only a reflection of those evolving preferences. That change has been, simply, a migration to entertainment that's edgier, a little more serious, a lot more mysterious, and seriously scarier.

Top Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now

As proof of that idea, one only has to look at some of televisions' most popular programs. They include The Walking Dead, Ancient Aliens, Sleepy Hollow, Ghost Hunters. It's evident in film too. The Twiight and Underworld film series were both box office hits, and both about vampires and werewolves. You get the idea. These are all shows and movies that 20 years ago would have prompted a watcher-response of "I don't get it", and that's if they were able to even get aired. Twenty years ago, it was The Walt Disney Company dominating the film industry with titles like Toy Story and the Lion King. And, though its television efforts at the time were less meaningful than the company's films, The Disney Channel was becoming a huge success as it outgrew its premium-channel confines and made its way to basic cable in 1997.

As they say, however, things change... and they did. Disney is no longer the go-to choice for entertainment - not even for kids. Access to the internet and the sheer volume of content choices in addition to the ongoing desensitization of what's scary or unacceptable has largely meant Walt Disney's brand of bubble gum entertainment is losing its luster. What people want is the edgier stuff, which is where Independent Film Development Corporation.

In the Catskills, New York, IFLM is developing a new kind of resort/theme park - one that brings the scary things we see on the big and small screens to life. Imagine a water flume ride that instead of carrying you through a briar patch full of animated bears carries you down the River Styx, ending with a splashy narrow escape from Hades. Or, rather than a photo opportunity with a fumy-talking mouse, visitors of this theme park may catch a glimpse of Bigfoot lurking around the park's trees. There's no laughing, always-hungry talking dog getting lost in a artificially-haunted mansion here. At the IndyFilmCorp, the haunted houses are going to actually look and feel haunted, and visitors are going to love every minute of it.

In any case, while investors haven't heard much on the park-development front in a while, this morning's modest news may well be an omen of much bigger news on the way. David Pugh has been named the company's chief communications officer. It's a new position, and suggests there's going to be a lot more to communicate in 2014. As veteran investors of developmental companies know, it's news that makes the stock worth owning before that first dollar of operating revenue is generated.

Bottom line? At the very least, small cap fans and enthusiast should put IFLM on their watchlists. While it's not going to become the next Disney or the next Six Flags Entertainment in the foreseeable future, it doesn't have to get that big to reward investors nicely.

For a better description and a conceptual drawing of the park/resort, go here.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Top 10 cities with the highest tax rates

Although a little late this year, due largely to the federal government's 17-day shutdown in 2013, tax season is here. And, according to a new report, what you owe in taxes could be largely determined by where you live.

The report, released by the Office of Revenue Analysis of the government of the District of Columbia, reviewed the estimated property, sales, auto and income taxes for a hypothetical family at various income levels in 2012 in the largest city within each state. City tax burdens vary widely. A family of three earning $75,000 in Cheyenne, Wyo., paid just $3,475, or 4.6% of its income, in state and local taxes. In Bridgeport, Conn., a family of three earning $75,000 paid $16,333, or 21.8% of its income — a total that does not even include federal taxes.

Not surprisingly, tax rates influence overall tax burdens significantly. This is especially true for property taxes. Seven of the cities with the highest tax burdens also had among the 10-highest property tax rates, according to the Office of Revenue Analysis. Homeowners in Columbus, Ohio, which had the fifth-highest tax burden in the nation, paid an effective rate of $3.57 for every $100 in home value, the highest such rate in the U.S.

Lori Metcalf, fiscal analyst at the Office of Revenue Analysis, noted in an interview with 24/7 Wall St. that property taxes tended to comprise a higher share of state and local tax burdens. Because of this, "the trend that you see in the property tax should be reflected in the overall burden."

Another tax that is often important in determining overall tax burden is the income tax. This is especially true for cities with the lowest tax burdens, seven of which are located in states that do not have an income tax. Only one of the five cities with the lowest tax burdens, Billings, Mont., is not located in a state that has no income tax.

Yet the relationship between income taxes and higher tax burdens is not as straightforward. To highlight this, Metcalf noted that higher incomes fa! milies usually live in higher-value homes. "This means that when you pay income taxes you'll have a larger deduction because you'll have a larger property tax based on a more expensive home and a larger mortgage interest deduction," Metcalf explained. As a result of this deduction, homeowners' income tax burdens are often reduced, obscuring the relationship between income taxes and overall tax burdens.

Several factors not reviewed by the Office of Revenue Analysis, whose study focused primarily on the characteristics of tax systems, may play a role in determining tax burdens. One such potential factor is unemployment. In many cities with low tax burdens, the unemployment rate was also very low. Sioux Falls, S.D., and Billings, Mont., had among the lowest unemployment rates in the nation in 2012. At the other end of the spectrum, Detroit, Mich., and Providence, R.I., had both hefty tax burdens and high unemployment.

A number of the cities with the lowest tax burdens were located in states that are considerably less densely populated, such as Alaska, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Even some of the cities themselves are in less densely populated metro areas. Birmingham, Ala., had one of the lowest tax burdens in the U.S. and was located in the the least densely populated metro area of any reviewed. By comparison, many of the cities with high tax burdens are located in more densely populated parts of the country, such as the Northeast.

While this falls outside the scope of the report, it is possible that the reason areas with low population density have lower tax burdens is because the cost of running these cities is less. Local governments with fewer residents can spend less on government services. As a result, the government does not have to make as much in taxes.

Several low tax burden cities were also located in states that had a relative abundance of fossil fuels, including oil, natural gas, and coal. Houston, Tex., is located in the nation's top state for oil and natural gas produc! tion. Che! yenne is the largest city in Wyoming, which accounts for a large portion of the nation's coal output. A 2012 study by the National Conference of State Legislators found that Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming, all of which have cities with low tax burdens, relied on taxing oil and gas activity for much of their revenue.

Based on the Office of Revenue Analysis' report: "Tax Rates and Tax Burdens in the District of Columbia — A Nationwide Comparison," 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the cities where a hypothetical family of three in different income brackets had the highest and the lowest combined tax burdens. To calculate tax burden, the report identified four different types of taxes: income, property, automobile, and sales. The report examined tax systems in the largest city in each state, as well as in Washington, D.C. All estimates are for the 2012 fiscal year. Median housing value and median income data used by the report to determine property value are for metro areas. When two cities were located within the same metro area, county level data was used. 24/7 Wall St. also reviewed income figures for these areas from the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as area unemployment rates as of 2012 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These are the cities with the highest taxes:

10. Wilmington, Del.

• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $2,296 (2nd lowest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $20,332 (9th highest)
• Unemployment rate: 8.6%

Delaware is one of only five states in the U.S. that does not impose a sales tax. The state, including Wilmington, however, makes up for the lack of sales tax in other ways, such as property taxes. A hypothetical family of three earning $150,000 paid $14,701 in property taxes in 2012, more than most cities reviewed. The high property tax burden in Wilmington is likely the result of high property values, rather than taxes, in the city as of 2012. A family of three earning $150,000 that year was assumed to live in a home valued at $831,784, more expen! sive than! in all but three other large cities. In fact, local properties were taxed $1.77 per $100 of property value, on par with much of the country.

9. Detroit, Mich.

• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $3,421 (18th highest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $19,145 (12th highest)
• Unemployment rate: 10.5%

Detroit taxpayers faced a particularly high income tax burden. A hypothetical family of three earning just $25,000 in 2012 paid $446 in state and local income taxes, or 1.8% of its income, more than residents of all but a few other cities. Likely causing this high tax burden on lower-income families is the flat income tax rates both the state of Michigan and Detroit have, while a majority states have increasing tax rates for higher income levels. Additionally, few cities had higher property taxes than Detroit, where the effective tax rate was almost 3%. Property tax burdens would likely be higher if area homes were more valuable. However, Detroit's home were among the least valuable in the nation.

8. Louisville, Ky.
• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $3,118 (23rd lowest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $20,524 (8th highest)
• Unemployment rate: 8.3%

Kentucky uses a graduated income tax system, where residents earning higher incomes paid higher incomes taxes. Local tax rates, however, did not rise with income. Income tax burdens on a hypothetical families earning $25,000 annually were among the highest compared with other large American cities. Property tax burdens were also among the highest in the nation for families in most tax brackets that year. On the other hand, state gas taxes were relatively low, at just 16.4 cents per gallon, less than in the vast majority of cities considered. Tax revenue should also increase if the city's population continues to grow. Louisville's population more than doubled — growing by more than 136% — in the 10 years prior to 2012.

7. Portland, Maine
• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $2,! 788 (12th! lowest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $22,463 (5th highest)
• Unemployment rate: 5.9%

Taxes in Portland are actually quite favorable to lower-income residents. A family of three earning $25,000 had no income tax burden and paid just $568 in the state sales taxes. At the other end of the spectrum, however, wealthier families faced especially high tax burdens. A hypothetical family earning $150,000 spent $22,463, or 15%, of their income on state and local taxes. In 2011, Governor Paul LePage lowered the state's' highest income tax rate and eliminated state income taxes for many low-income Mainers. Maine indexes both its tax brackets and tax exemption for inflation in order to account for price changes. However, higher than average property and gas tax burdens drive up tax burdens for Portland residents. Despite the recent tax reforms, the tax burdens of Portland residents remained relatively high due to high tax burdens on real estate and cars.

6. Providence, R.I.
• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $3,381 (21st highest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $21,294 (7th highest)
• Unemployment rate: 10.3%

Providence's unemployment rate was 10.3% in 2012, third worst out of all cities reviewed. Families of three earning lower incomes can receive a state earned income tax credit. For those families earning $25,000 per year, the income tax burden in Providence was negative. Providence families paid more in automobile taxes and fees than their counterparts in any other large city reviewed. Rhode Island residents were taxed more than 30 cents by the state per gallon of gas in 2012, ninth-highest of any city.

5. Columbus, Ohio
• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $2,953 (17th lowest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $22,333 (6th highest)
• Unemployment rate: 6.1%

A family of three earning $25,000 a year in Columbus faced only an 11.8% tax burden, lower than more than half of all cities reviewed. However, tax burdens for fam! ilies wit! h higher earnings were among the highest in the nation. This is due in large part to the city's real estate taxes. Although the housing values in the city were not especially high, lower than the average for cities reviewed, residents faced especially high property taxes. At 3.57%, Columbus had the highest effective property tax rate of any city.

4. Baltimore, Md.
• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $2,950 (16th lowest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $24,747 (4th highest)
• Unemployment rate: 7.2%

Baltimore area residents are fairly well-off compared with most of the country — median household income was nearly $67,000 in 2012, among the nation's highest. Baltimore's property tax burden is especially high. Families of three earning $150,000 paid $13,772 in property taxes in 2012. Families earning $25,000 had no income tax burden, but those earning $150,000 paid more than 5% of their income in state and local income taxes alone, the sixth-highest percentage of any city reviewed.

3. Milwaukee, Wisc.

• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $3,245 (26th highest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $26,296 (2nd highest)
• Unemployment rate: 7.4%

Like a number of other cities with high tax load, Milwaukee residents faced especially high property tax burdens. The effective property tax rate in the city was 3%, higher than all but a few regions reviewed. Also driving up taxes were the especially high income tax burdens in the city. The state used a graduated income tax system, meaning tax rates are higher for families that earn more, although Milwaukee had no local income taxes.In 2013, the state reformed its tax code, lowering the highest rate as well as the number of overall tax brackets. Governor Scott Walker recently pushed the state assembly to cut both property taxes and and the income tax rate for the state's lowest tax bracket.

2. Philadelphia, Pa.
• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $3,794 (7th highest)
• Taxes for fa! mily earn! ing $150,000: $25,317 (3rd highest)
• Unemployment rate: 8.6%

Philadelphia's poorer families were subject to a much higher tax burden than those in most other large cities. A family of three earning $25,000 in 2012 paid $788 in income taxes that year, more than all but one other large city. The city's property tax burden was also considerably high for most income levels that year. A family whose earnings fell into the $100,000 tax bracket, for example, paid more than $11,806 in property taxes in 2012, second-most among large cities. After a new property tax valuation system was implemented and some residents' tax assessments more than tripled, the city introduced a "gentrification relief program" at the end of 2013. Fuel was also heavily taxed in 2012, with gasoline costing an additional 31 cents per gallon due to state taxes, which were among the highest in the U.S.

1. Bridgeport, Conn.
• Taxes for family earning $25,000: $4,001 (4th highest)
• Taxes for family earning $150,000: $33,208 (the highest)
• Unemployment rate: 7.8%

No large U.S. city had a higher tax burden than Bridgeport, where a family of three earning $150,000 a year paid more than 22% of its income in state and local taxes. However, the metro area, which includes affluent Fairfield County, is wealthier than much of the U.S. and was used to calculate home values and property burdens by the Office of Revenue Analysis. More than 20% of households had an annual income of at least $200,000, more than any other metro area reviewed. The city's high tax burden was due in large part to property taxes, as the area had both high home values and high effective property tax rates. Also propelling the city to the top of the list were Connecticut's relatively high income tax burden of 5.2% on families earning $150,000 per year as well a high tax burden for car owners.

MORE: Top 10 cities with the lowest tax rates

MORE: The 10 richest U.S. presidents

MORE: What stocks does Warren Buffett ow! n now?

24/7 Wall St. is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Companies That Give Shareholders a Raise

Top 5 Penny Stocks For 2015

As a dividend growth investor, one of the primary objectives I seek is passive dividend income from my investments that increases over the rate of inflation, annually. It's always wonderful news when companies decide to reward loyal long-term shareholders with a dividend raise. Dividend raises typically mean operations are doing well and management is confident enough about cash flows to give shareholders a raise. All in all, it's a good sign.

I try to keep my eyes peeled for dividend raises from companies I'm invested in, as well as companies on my watch list. Some recent dividend increases include:

PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) just boosted its quarterly dividend from $0.5675 per share to $0.655. This amounts to a 15.4% raise for shareholders, which is fantastic. Pepsi now has 42 years of dividend growth under its belt, and with a healthy payout ratio of 61.5% there should be plenty of dividend raises in the future. Shares now yield 3.29%, which is rather attractive in this market from a high quality company like Pepsi. The company also announced plans to increase its share buyback program to nearly $5 billion in 2014. Overall, not much to dislike here from Pepsi. I continue to view this company as a core holding for me.

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR) recently gave shareholders a raise on the order of 6.4%, with a new quarterly dividend payout of $0.83 per share over the old rate of $0.78. This is a rather stout raise considering that DLR shares now yield 6.2% based on the new payout. I purchased shares in DLR as it continued to slide last year, reaching new low after new low. But I was confident in the REIT back then, and I remain so now. This is now 10 years of consecutive dividend growth for the trust, and I see no real reason this won't continue for the foreseeable future. However, as a tech play on demand for cloud computing I'd like for my position in DLR to remain re! latively small.

Stryker Corporation (SYK) increased its quarterly per share dividend by 15.1%, now paying out $0.3050. This represents an increase of $0.04 over the old dividend of $0.2650. Another very solid increase here, and SYK has increased its dividend for 21 consecutive years. The yield on the new payout is 1.47%. I've never taken a good look at Stryker because its yield is usually too low for me to consider it as a potential investment based on my income requirements, but the company continues to reward shareholders very well and I do quite like the business model of medical equipment. This is definitely a company I'd like to take a look at.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) upped its quarterly dividend to $0.19 per share, an increase of 11.7% over the old dividend payout of $0.17 per share. This is the 4th dividend increase for Cisco since it initiated a dividend back in 2011. Although the yield on shares is now an attractive 3.4%, after getting burned by Intel's recent lack of dividend growth and clarity after years of strong raises I'm a bit leery of tech plays like Cisco. However, Cisco does appear to be setting a precedent here with consistent dividend growth, so this is definitely one to watch. The company will have to remain on the cutting edge to make sure cash flow can continue to support a rising dividend, and tech can be quite fickle.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) just gave shareholders a great boost in income by raising its quarterly per share dividend by $0.08, which represents a 12.5% increase. The new dividend is now $0.72 per share, over the old rate of $0.64. I remain heavily allocated to energy, so I haven't yet taken a good look at OXY yet. I took a quick peek at the company a year ago or so and was concerned about executive compensation and haven't revisited this idea since. The company now has 12 years of dividend growth and continues to grow the dividend at a robust rate. The yield on the new dividend payout is 3.12%, and the dividend appears to be wel! l covered! with a payout ratio of 50%.

Own a piece of any of the above companies? Happy with the dividend raises?

Full Disclosure: Long PEP, DLR

Thanks for reading.

About the author:Dividend MantraTrying to retire by 40 by investing in dividend growth stocks and living frugally, valuing time over money.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Lorillard Inc. Q4 Profits Dip, EPS Remains Flat; Misses Estimates (LO)

Shares of Lorillard Inc. (LO) dipped on Wednesday morning after the company reported earnings below analysts’ estimates.

LO’s Earnings in Brief

LO posted Q4 earnings of $293 million, down from $309 million a year ago. On a per share basis, earnings remained flat at 80 cents due to less shares outstanding in the most recent quarter. Excluding special items, earnings were 82 cents per share, up from 79 cents per share last year. On average, analysts expected LO to report earnings of 86 cents per share. Sales for the quarter rose to $1.74 billion from $1.70 billion in the same quarter last year. Analysts expected to see sales of $1.31 billion.

CEO Commentary

LO’s chairman, president, and CEO, Murray S. Kessler, said in a statement: ”Lorillard delivered industry leading double digit EPS growth and its eleventh consecutive year of market share growth in 2013 while the Company concurrently made investments in electronic cigarettes, new cigarette products, and made process changes to smooth wholesale inventory fluctuations in the fourth quarter. These investments, combined with the remarkable strength and loyalty of the core Newport brand, give us confidence in our ability to deliver on our stated goal of a double digit total shareholder return as measured by EPS growth and the dividend yield once again in 2014 and for many years to come.”

LO’s Dividend

LO did not mention its next quarterly dividend, but we expect the company to make a dividend announcement sometime in February. The company made its last dividend payment of 55 cents on December 10.

Stock Performance

Lorillard shares were down 94 cents, or 1.88%, during pre-market trading Wednesday. The stock is down 1.44% YTD.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015

With shares of Boeing (NYSE:BA) trading around $119, is BA an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Boeing is an aerospace company. It focuses primarily on engineering, information technology, research and development, test and evaluation, technology strategy development, environmental remediation management, and intellectual property management. The company operates in five segments: Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Military Aircraft, Network & Space Systems, Global Services & Support, and Boeing Capital Corporation.

Boeing received an $11 billion order for 34 of its 777-9X planes from Deutsche Lufthansa. The German carrier also ordered 25 A350-900 jets worth $8 billion from Boeing�� European rival, Airbus, according to a Reuters report. The new Boeing and Airbus jets will reduce Lufthansa�� fuel costs by 25 percent to help the company better compete with rivals on routes to Asia.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: Imperial Tobacco Grp(IMT.L)

Imperial Tobacco Group PLC engages in the manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of tobacco and tobacco-related products worldwide. Its products include cigarettes, fine cut tobacco, cigars, snus, tubes, filters, and rolling paper products, as well as roll your own, make your own, and pipe tobaccos. The company sells its products under various brand names, such as Davidoff, Gauloises Blondes, West, JPS, Fortuna, Redline, JPS Red, Ducados Rubio, Nobel Style, Rave, USA Gold, Sonoma, Route 66, Cohiba, Montecristo, JPS Silver, Windsor Blue, Knox, Skruf, Davidoff, Gauloises Blondes, Backwoods, Lambert & Butler, Golden Virginia, and Gold Leaf. Imperial Tobacco Group PLC also provides logistics services for tobacco product manufacturers, as well as to various customers in the convenience, telecommunications, transportation, pharmaceutical, publishing, and lottery sectors. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Bristol, the United Kingdom.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: Caiterra International Energy Corp (CTI.V)

CaiTerra International Energy Corporation (Caiterra), formerly Cyterra Capital Corp., is a Canada-based company is engaged in the exploration and development of oil and gas properties. The Company�� project includes Faust, Amadou and Lac La Biche. On March 9, 2012, the Company completed its qualifying transaction with West Pacific Petroleum Inc. (WPP), pursuant to which the Company acquired all of WPP�� working interests in certain petroleum and natural gas leases and an oil sand lease in the Lac La Biche and Amadou Projects located in Alberta, Canada and certain other assets (the QT Oil and Gas Properties) from West Pacific Petroleum Inc. (WPP). On December 17, 2012 the Company acquired the Faust Property located just north of the Swan Hills oil field and south of the Town of Slave Lake.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: D.R. Horton Inc.(DHI)

D.R. Horton, Inc. operates as a homebuilding company in the United States. The company?s Homebuilding segment engages in the acquisition and development of land, and construction and sale of residential homes on the land in 26 states and 72 markets in the United States primarily under the name of D.R. Horton and America?s Builder. This segment also builds traditional single-family detached homes, as well as attached homes, such as town homes, duplexes, triplexes and condominiums, which share common walls and roofs. Its Financial Services segment involves in originating and selling mortgages, as well as provides title insurance policies, examination, and closing services to homebuyers. The company markets and sells its homes through commissioned employees and independent real estate brokers. The company was founded in 1978 and is based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Maxfield]
One would have assumed that homebuilders' stocks would have been hammered, as they were last week. Yet, precisely the opposite has occurred. D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI ) is up by 8%,�PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM ) by 7.5%, and Lennar (NYSE: LEN ) by 8.2%.
[By Paul Ausick]
Big Earnings Movers: Hanwha SolarOne Co. (NASDAQ: HSOL) is down 13.9% at $4.36. D.R. Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI) is up 4.7% at $18.91 on good earnings boosted by land sales.
[By John Maxfield]
The reason homebuilders like D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI ) and Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL ) are taking it on the chin, in turn, has to do with the trend in prices. To wit, the median price of a new home fell in June by nearly 5% from $262,800 in May to $249,700. And just like Apple's experience with falling iPhone sales, if this trend continues it will put pressure on these companies' margins, and thus their bottom lines.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: Victory Resources Corporation (VR.V)

Victory Resources Corporation, a junior mineral exploration company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of mineral resource properties in British Columbia, Canada and Sinaloa, Mexico. The company explores for silver, copper, lead, zinc, and gold ores. It primarily holds a 70% undivided interest in the Reforma property consisting of concessions that cover a total area of 7,226 hectares, located in Sinaloa, west central Mexico. The company was formerly known as 1st Anyox Resources Limited and changed its name to Victory Resources Corporation in February 2005. Victory Resources Corporation was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Surrey, Canada.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jonas Elmerraji]
It's been a solid year for Thompson Reuters (TRI); since the calendar flipped over to January, this $30 billion financial media firm has rallied more than 22%. But don't worry if you've missed out on the move -- TRI looks well-positioned for higher levels thanks to the pattern that's been setting up in shares.

Thompson Reuters is currently forming an ascending triangle pattern, a bullish setup that's formed by horizontal resistance above shares at the $35.50 level and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as TRI bounces in between those two technically-important price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a confirmed breakout above that $35.50 price level. When the breakout happens, it's time to be a buyer.

TRI closed above the $35.50 level in yesterday's session, but it's a little early to call it a breakout just yet. If shares can hold above that breakout level all through today's session, then the buy signal is worth heeding.
[By Bill Smith]
FDS operates in a highly competitive industry, some with more resources. Their competitors include:
Thomson Reuters Corp. (TRI)BloombergInteractive (IDC)MSCI Inc. (MXB)Morningstar Inc. (MORN)Track Data Corp. (TRAC)Edgar Online (EDGR)McGraw-Hill (MHP )
[By Rich Smith]
This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature an upgrade for Thomson Reuters Reuters (NYSE: TRI ) , a new buy rating for Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX ) -- but for Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP ) , a downgrade. Let's get that bad news out of the way first.
[By Rich Smith]
Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI ) has acquired Canadian trademark search, monitoring, and screening firm Onscope, Thomson announced Tuesday.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: CBIZ Inc (CBZ)

CBIZ, Inc. (CBIZ) provides professional business services, products and solutions. These services are provided to businesses of various sizes, as well as individuals, governmental entities and not-for-profit enterprises throughout the United States and parts of Canada. CBIZ delivers its services through four practice groups: Financial Services, Employee Services, and National Practices. Its Financial Services group includes accounting, tax, financial advisory, valuation, litigation support, internal audit, family office services, fraud detection and real estate advisory. Its Employee Services group provides group health, property and casualty, retirement planning, payroll services, life insurance, human capital management, compensation consulting, recruiting and actuarial services. MMP group includes coding and billing, accounts receivable management and full practice management services. National Practices group includes managed networking and hardware services, health care consulting, and mergers and acquisitions. Effective July 1, 2012, the Company acquired the assets of Stoltz and Company, LTD., L.L.P. In October 2012, it acquired the assets of ProMedical, Inc. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired the non-attest assets of PHBV Partners, L.L.P. Effective May 1, 2013, it announced that it has acquired Associated Insurance Agents. In September 2013, CBIZ, Inc completed the sale of its Medical Management Professionals (MMP) business to Zotec Partners, LLC.

On January 1, 2011, CBIZ sold its individual wealth management business. Effective November 1, 2011, the Company acquired the defined benefit actuarial consulting practice of PSA Insurance and Financial Services of Hunt Valley, Maryland. During the year ended December 31, 2011, CBIZ acquired four businesses: Thompson Dunavant PLC, Gresham Smith LLC, Multiple Benefit Services, Inc. and Atlantic MDR, LLC (d/b/a Advantage Benefit Planning). On January 1, 2012, the Company acquired Meridian Insurance Group, LLC.

Financial! Services

The Financial Services practice is divided into a Financial Services division, representing the United States, and a National Services division consisting of those units that provide their services nationwide. CBIZ and its subsidiaries maintain joint-referral relationships and administrative service agreements (ASAs) with independent licensed Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firms under which audit and attest services may be provided to CBIZ�� clients by such CPA firms. Under these ASAs, CBIZ provides a range of services to the CPA firms, including (but not limited to) administrative functions, such as office management, bookkeeping, and accounting, preparing marketing and promotion materials, providing office space, computer equipment, and systems support, and leasing administrative and professional staff. As of December 31, 2011, CBIZ maintained ASAs with four CPA firms.

Employee Services

The business units that comprise CBIZ�� Employee Services group are organized between Retail and National Services. The Retail offices provide services within their geographic area. The National group includes a number of specialty operations that provide services on a national scale. CBIZ�� Employee Services group maintains relationships with different insurance carriers. Some of these carriers have compensation arrangements.

National Practices

The National Practices group offers technology, health care consulting, and merger and acquisition services. The units within the National Practices group each have a Business Unit President.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Seth Jayson]
CBIZ (NYSE: CBZ ) reported earnings on July 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), CBIZ whiffed on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: Domino's Pizza Inc(DPZ)

Domino?s Pizza, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a pizza delivery company in the United States and internationally. The company sells and delivers pizzas under the Domino?s Pizza brand name. As of January 1, 2012, it operated through a network of 9,742 stores, including 394 company-owned stores and 9,348 franchise stores located in the 50 states and approximately 70 international markets. Domino?s Pizza, Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Alex Planes]
What do Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ) and Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ ) have in common? Both companies will now deliver food to your door in Seattle and Los Angeles, after the former company expanded its AmazonFresh grocery deliveries to only its second metropolitan area. Beyond that, there isn't much similarity between the two companies -- yet. However, in a few years, the men and women who schlep the hot pizza or cold produce to your door in hopes of a decent tip might just be replaced by unmanned drone helicopters.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: ENDEAVOUR INTL CORP COM STK USD0.001(ENDV.L)

Endeavour International Corporation, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the acquisition, development, exploration, and production of crude oil and natural gas. The company holds interest in the Alba, Bittern, and Enoch producing fields, as well as focuses on developing the Bacchus, Rochelle, and Columbus fields in the United Kingdom. It also has interests in various resource plays, including established areas, such as the Haynesville and Marcellus; and developing areas comprising Heath Shale oil play located in Montana, the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the company had estimated proved reserves of 22.7 million barrels of oil equivalent. Endeavour International Corporation was founded in 2000 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Top 5 Information Technology Companies To Own For 2015: Apricus Biosciences Inc(APRI)

Apricus Biosciences, Inc. engages in the design and development of pharmaceutical products and product candidates based on its patented NexACT drug delivery technology. The NexACT drug delivery technology is designed to enhance the delivery of an active drug to improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce systemic side effects that accompany existing oral and injectable medications. The company?s pipeline includes Vitaros, approved in Canada for the treatment of erectile dysfunction; and Totect approved in the U.S. for the treatment of anthracycline extravasation, as well as compounds in development from pre-clinical through pre-registration, focused on sexual dysfunction, oncology, dermatology, autoimmune, pain, anti-infectives, diabetes, and consumer healthcare. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jon C. Ogg]
Apricus Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: APRI) was initiated with a Hold rating and a $2 price target at Cantor Fitzgerald. Be advised that $2 is almost 10% under the prior close of $2.18, against a 52-week range of $1.89 to $3.49.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Dividends in Focus: Intel Corporation (INTC)

Computer processing giant Intel Corporation (INTC) had a but of a stumble midway through 2013, but it was able to fight its way back for gains of approximately 20% this year. Let’s examine the company’s current dividend policy and what lies in store for the stock in 2014 from a dividend perspective.

Intel Corp ‘s Current Dividend Policy

Intel makes quarterly dividend distributions to its investors and is currently offering a yield around 3.6%. The stock’s quarterly payout of $0.23/share has held steady for the last six quarters, meaning that this will be the first year since 2003 that the company has not increased its dividend (though its payout on an annualized basis is still up from last year). Its current payout ratio sits around 48% for 2013, which will hold steady in 2014, based on analyst estimates that earnings will remain unchanged.

Dividend.com DARS Ratings for Intel Corp Overall Rating:Neutral (3.3/5)

Metric Rating Explanation

Relative Strength		Stock is performing in-line with the market or better.
Overall Yield Attractiveness		Stock’s dividend yield is above average.
Dividend Reliability		This rating is related to the length and consistency of a company’s dividend payouts, as well as our opinion on how likely the company is to continue payouts in the future.
Dividend Uptrend		Dividend payouts are consistent, but increases small.
Earnings Growth		Earnings estimates have been cut slightly.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Hilton checks back into Wall Street with IPO

Hilton set the price for its initial public offering Wednesday, making the hotel chain the latest company to check back into Wall Street amid a raging 2013 stock market rally and powerful comeback in IPOs.

The company, one of the most recognized brands in the hotel business with more than 670,000 rooms worldwide, sold shares in its initial public offering late Wednesday at $20 a share. The pricing indicated strong demand for the IPO, given that 112.8 million shares were initially expected to be sold between $18 and $21 a share. Shares are expected to start trading on Thursday.

The deal's reception indicates strong interest by investors to get back into the hospitality industry, which had been pummeled during the recession. Investors are hopeful the industry can benefit from the fact demand for hotel rooms has improved along with the economy, but at the same time, hotel operators have resisted adding many new rooms. That combination is a potential winner for the industry in terms of pushing up room rates and increasing occupancy rates, analysts say.

"The (hotel) industry looks good right now," says Greg Leffert, analyst at IPO research firm Renaissance Capital. "Hilton going public is a good sign. It indicates solid supply and demand fundamentals," says John Staszak, analyst at Argus Research.

Investors are interested in Hilton's IPO for a number of reasons including:

• Stable hotel growth forecasted. Hotels are expected to see 5.5% growth in the revenue they collect per available rooms in 2014, says Chad Mollman, equity analyst at Morningstar. Add to that expected 1% room growth and investors are looking at an industry slated to grow by 6.5% in 2014 and again in 2015, he says. The muted room growth is attractive to investors since that means hotels should be able to increase room rates in 2014, says Esther Kwon of S&P Capital IQ. "You'll see rates tick up along with occupancy," she says.

• New business model for the industry. Hotel operators, including Hilton a! nd Marriott, have been aggressively pushing a new "asset light" business model. Rather than tying up billions of dollars owning hotel buildings, the big hotel chains are finding it more lucrative to let someone else own the property and instead collect license fees or management fees to hire staff and operate the property, Mollman says. Hilton owns just 60% of hotels bearing its brand names, a percentage that will decrease over time and make the company more profitable as a result, Mollman says.

• Changes at Hilton following its buyout. Hilton is going public again following its October 2007 buyout by private investor group Blackstone. Shortly after the buyout, the industry was hammered by the recession with revenue per available room falling 15% and the stocks dropping 75% industrywide, Mollman says. Since then, as a private company Hilton has rebuilt itself. Its number of open rooms is up 36% since the 2007 buyout and the number of room in the pipeline -- to be developed but not being built yet -- is up 60% to 185,699 rooms. The deal left Hilton with a hefty load of debt, $14.3 billion. It's not too concerning, though, as cash flow exceeds interest payments by three times and there are no major maturities until 2018, Mollman says.

• IPOs are hot. Investors' appetite for IPOs seems insatiable this year, and Hilton is likely to benefit. Companies have raised $49.9 billion in U.S. IPOs this year, up 19% from the same point last year and the best year for deals in more than a decade, Renaissance says. And the FTSE Renaissance US IPO index, which tracks the stock performance of deals, is up 54% this year vs. 25% for the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

There certainly are risks with the Hilton IPO. Hilton shares are worth just $16 apiece, Mollman says, making the IPO too rich for most individuals at the IPO price. The new business model could depreciate the brand if not managed carefully, S&P Kwon says. And there's always the risk of a political or health event that could curb tra! vel, The! "primary risk in our view would be a downtick in the expected rate of growth for the U.S. economy or, as always, external events like terrorism (or) disease," says Smedes Rose, analyst at Evercore.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Time Warner net income falls

NEW YORK — Time Warner said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter net income dropped 12%, as investments in programming and other costs offset revenue growth.

But the New York-based media and entertainment company's adjusted profit beat Wall Street predictions. Its shares edged higher in premarket trading.

Time Warner also said that it still expects to complete the spinoff of its Time Inc. publishing division into a separate company in the second quarter.

Time Warner earned $983 million, or $1.06 per share, compared with $1.11 billion, or $1.15 per share, in the same quarter the year before.

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Excluding one-time items, the company posted an adjusted profit of $1.17 per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $1.15 per share.

Revenue rose 5% to $8.57 billion from $8.16 billion. Analysts expected $8.38 billion in revenue.

For the full year 2013, Time Warner earned $3.69 billion, or $3.92 per share, up from $2.93 billion, or $3 per share, in 2012. Revenue rose to $29.8 billion from $28.73 billion.

Excluding Time Inc., the company said it expects its 2014 adjusted earnings per share to rise by the "low-double-digits" from their 2013 level.

The company also said that its board approved a 10% increase to its quarterly cash dividend, boosting it to 31.75 cents.

In premarket trading, Time Warner shares rose 85 cents to $63.25 about two hours ahead of the market open.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

4 Big Stocks on Traders' Radars

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.

Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.

>>Where's the S&P Headed From Here? Higher!

These "most active" names are the most heavily-traded names on the market -- and often, uber-active names have some sort of a technical or fundamental catalyst driving investors' attention on shares. That's especially true now that earnings season is officially underway. And when there's a big catalyst, there's often a trading opportunity.

Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

Ford

Nearest Resistance: $15 
Nearest Support: $13 
Catalyst: January Sales Miss

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Shares of Detroit automaker Ford (F) are off more than 3% on high volume this afternoon, the reaction from a January sales miss that registered 7% lower vs. last year's particularly strong reading. Ford attributed the miss to inclement weather in the brand's biggest sales regions.

One silver lining came from Lincoln, the premium brand that's been struggling to find its way in recent years. Lincoln saw its strongest sales in four years.

Still, Ford looks bearish overall today. More significantly, today's 3% selloff is pushing shares through an important support level at $15. With buyers unable to keep up with supply of shares at that level, look out below for more downside in Ford in February.

AT&T

Nearest Resistance: $33.50 
Nearest Support: $32.25 
Catalyst: Price Cuts

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Telecom giant AT&T (T) is another name that's down more than 3% this afternoon, in this case because of an escalating war between the firm and its ultra-competitive rivals. AT&T announced that it was cutting the monthly fee for family data plans on Saturday, a move that could spur rival carriers into reacting with cuts in kind. While the move was designed to retain customers amid commoditized service offerings, it's also going to negatively impact AT&T's margins in 2014.

The technical story in AT&T isn't far off from Ford's setup. Shares of T are testing a key support level at $32.35 in today's session, a support level that, if broken, spells a lot more downside ahead. AT&T's chart has been broken for a while now, but it's getting worse. Don't buy the dip in this communications giant.

Radio Shack

Nearest Resistance: $2.70 
Nearest Support: $2.40 
Catalyst: Super Bowl Ad

Electronics retailer Radio Shack (RSH) is moving higher on abnormal volume after -- of all things -- a funny Super Bowl ad. I wish I were making that up. Indeed, RSH is more than 4% higher on today's session thanks to the ad, which lampooned the store for its '80s vibes -- and reintroduced the new Radio Shack store concept.

Part of the move higher this afternoon comes from a stock that started off with pretty attractive technicals to begin with. RSH has been looking "bottomy" lately, with an inverse head and shoulders setup forming in shares since December. The buy signal comes on a push through the $2.70 level.

Verizon

Nearest Resistance: $47 
Nearest Support: $45.50 
Catalyst: AT&T Price Cuts

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Last up is Verizon (VZ), a name that's off 2.7% this afternoon because of AT&T's decision to cut prices. Investors are selling shares on fears that AT&T just ignited a race to the bottom on data charges, a change that would be great for consumers -- and horrific for VZ's bottom line. Whatever the outcome, Verizon's technical story looks sketchy right now.

Shares are pushing through support at $47 this afternoon. If the breakdown holds into today's close, the next-closest support level is down at $45.50. It makes sense to stay away from VZ unless it can catch some semblance of support again.

To see these stocks in action, check out the at Most-Active Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.  

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Stocks to Watch: US Ecology, Akamai, Dow Chemical

Among the stocks to watch in Monday’s session are US Ecology Inc.(ECOL), Akamai, and Dow Chemical Co.(DOW)

US Ecology again raised its earnings guidance for the year, pointing to strong volumes and accelerated project shipments, but warned its results for next year may take a hit as a result. The company, which provides waste- management and recycling services, also outlined plans to offer about $100 million in stock. Shares dropped 10% to $34.51 premarket.

Dow Chemical said it is exploring a possible sale or spinoff of its commodity chemicals businesses, in a continuation of the chemical company’s push to refocus its efforts. The assets include about 40 manufacturing facilities at 11 sites and nearly 2,000 employees, accounting for up to $5 billion in annual revenue. Shares edged up 1.3% to $39.55 premarket.

Akamai Technologies Inc.(AKAM) agreed to buy Prolexic Technologies Inc. for about $370 million in cash, expanding its cybersecurity offerings. Prolexic, a provider of cloud-based security services for protecting data centers and Internet Protocol applications from distributed denial of service attacks, will be added to Akamai’s services for defending Web sites and Web applications.

With Cyber Monday sales kicking off, observers will be looking for indications about how well Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN) does in fending off increased online competition from its traditionally brick-and-mortar rivals.

Meanwhile, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(WMT) said it had its “most successful” Black Friday yet, a day after it had experienced technical issues on its website Thursday due to high volume. Rival Target Corp. also reported strong traffic.

Bank of America Corp.(BAC) said it reached a settlement with Freddie Mac(FMCC) to resolve claims stemming from residential mortgage loans the bank sold to Freddie. The bank plans to pay Freddie Mac about $404 million to resolve all outstanding and potential mortgage repurchase and other claims related to loans sold to Freddie from 2000 to 2009.

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Biogen Idec Inc.(BIIB) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pushed back the date for potential approval of its treatment for hemophilia B by three months to allow more time to review information the regulator had requested regarding a manufacturing step. The investigational treatment — called Alprolix — is a long-lasting clotting factor in late-stage clinical development.

Calpine Corp.(CPN) agreed to buy a gas-fired, 1,050-megawatt power plant in Texas for $625 million, as part of the wholesale power company’s effort to increase its presence in the Texas market. Calpine is purchasing the plant from MinnTex Power Holdings LLC, a portfolio company owned by a private investment fund managed by Wayzata Investment Partners LLC.

Giant Interactive Group Inc.(GA) named three of its directors to a special committee intended to review a nonbinding proposal to take the online-game company private. Last week, investors including former chief executive Chairman Yuzhu Shi and Baring Private Equity Asia offered to acquire the stake they don’t already own for $11.75 a share.

Hess Corp.(HES) agreed to sell its Indonesian interests for $1.3 billion in cash to fund its share-repurchase program, the latest in the company’s plan to shed assets. The oil and gas company is selling its Pangkah and Natuna A assets — which produced a combined 15,000 barrels of oil a day in the first three quarters of this year — to Indonesian oil companies PT Pertamina (Persero) and PTT Exploration & Production Co.(PTTEP.TH)

Osiris Therapeutics Inc.(OSIR) said Friday a proposed ruling from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services won’t immediately affect reimbursements for its Grafix stem-cell product. The regenerative medicine company said Grafix will maintain its current reimbursement status — also called transitional pass-through status — potentially through late 2015.

Activist investor Starboard Value L.P. nominated its own slate of six candidates to TriQuint Semiconductor Inc.'s(TQNT) board, claiming significant changes are needed to turn around the chip maker’s “prolonged underperformance.”

UnitedHealth Group Inc.(UNH) projected 2014 earnings and revenue below analysts expectations ahead of its annual investor conference in New York. The managed-care provider in October had said the planned reductions in government funding for Medicare Advantage and other provisions of the health law would affect its 2014 earnings.