Why I Won't Buy Microsoft Stock

Although tempting, a stock like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) may not be your best use of capital. The company has yet to meaningfully capitalize on the mobile computing revolution, which has taken a nasty bite out of PC sales. Last quarter, IDC found that PC sales declined by 13.9% year over year, primarily driven by poor reception of Windows 8, coupled with the continued assault from tablet computing. Given these factors, Microsoft's stock price remains entrenched in a "lost decade," lacking the necessary catalysts for investors to justify a higher valuation.

Ahead of its time
Windows 8 is a touch-friendly operating system that borrows successful elements from the tablet experience. Things like the Start Menu have been replaced with a home screen that resembles a tablet user interface. To fully benefit from all that Windows 8 has to offer, it requires a PC with a touch screen. The issue with the preposition is that touch-enabled PC devices have either remained in constrained supply or command a premium over conventional PC designs. Additionally, Microsoft has done a poor job educating consumers why touch is essential to the Windows 8 experience. In this context, it's easy to why Windows 8 sales are off to a worse start than Windows Vista, and why Microsoft's stock hasn't done much of anything since Windows 8's debut.

Unnecessary confusion
Aside from an absurd writedown, Windows RT could quite possibly be the worst direction Microsoft has gone in recent years. Windows RT is powered by ARM designs, meaning it is not compatible with legacy Windows applications, which run on Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) x86-powered designs. This fundamental difference has led to confusion between Windows 8 and Windows RT, resulting in the less-than-stellar reception of Windows RT. Ultimately, I believe that Microsoft will have little reason to keep Windows RT in its stable once Intel delivers compelling tablet processors. The prospect of Intel in a $200 to $300 Bay Trail-powered tablet running the full version of Windows 8 could resonate quite well with consumers and potentially provide a catalyst to Microsoft's stock price.

Just a hobby
Having ended the year with less than a 3% share of the smartphone market, the Windows Phone franchise remains a hobby that will likely have little impact on Microsoft's stock price for the time being. However, this hasn't stopped Microsoft and Nokia (NYSE: NOK  ) from pursuing growth in emerging markets, where smartphone saturation remains low. Currently, Nokia accounts for nearly 75% of Windows Phone devices worldwide, indicating the importance of Nokia's success for Microsoft's smartphone ambitions.

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A Window with a view
The deeper Microsoft can unify the smartphone, tablet, and PC experience, the greater the likelihood it can sell the value of choosing Windows to consumers. Microsoft could theoretically embrace Intel's processors across the computing gamut, ultimately creating a "one Windows" solution. This approach would likely invite more interest from consumers since it would give them access to the world's largest ecosystem, no matter their device. Until then, I don't believe Microsoft's stock currently possesses enough positive characteristics to make its way into my portfolio.

It's been a frustrating path for Microsoft investors, who've watched the company fail to capitalize on the incredible growth in mobile over the past decade. However, with the release of its own tablet, along with the widely anticipated Windows 8 operating system, the company is looking to make a splash in this booming market. In this brand-new premium report on Microsoft, our analyst explains that while the opportunity is huge, the challenges are many. He's also providing regular updates as key events occur, so make sure to claim a copy of this report now by clicking here.

How to Copy Hedge Funds (and Collect Some Big Dividends)

Exchange-traded funds offer a convenient way to invest in sectors or niches that interest you. If you'd like to add some stocks that are popular with hedge-fund managers to your portfolio, the Global X Top Guru Holdings Index ETF (NYSEMKT: GURU) could save you a lot of trouble. Instead of trying to figure out which companies will perform best, you can use this ETF to invest in lots of them simultaneously.

The basics
ETFs often sport lower expense ratios than their mutual fund cousins. The Global X ETF's expense ratio -- its annual fee -- is 0.75 %. It's also very tiny, so if you're thinking of buying, beware of possibly large spreads between its bid and ask prices. Consider using a limit order if you want to buy in.

This ETF is way too new to have a sufficient track record to assess. As with most investments, of course, we can't expect outstanding performances in every quarter or year. Investors with conviction need to wait for their holdings to deliver. The ETF aims to hold the stocks owned by a select group of hedge funds with an equity focus and relatively long holding periods, and it focuses on those funds' strongest-conviction holdings.

Why Gurus?
If you're interested in hedge fund investing, know that it's not for most of us. You typically have to be a rather wealthy sort, and if you're able to invest in such funds, they typically take 2% of your total asset value every year, plus 20% of your annual profits. This ETF, though, simply takes less than 1% of your investment each year.

More than a handful of Guru-approved companies had strong performances over the past year. Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE: HIG  ) and Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI  ) each surged 31%. Hartford has been shifting its focus from annuities, retirement planning, and life insurance toward property and casualty insurance. It has been tackling its significant debt, and its fourth-quarter earnings exceeded expectations. The stock has exhibited volatility, but some see it as undervalued now, with a forward P/E ratio of just 8.

Motorola Solutions delivers communication infrastructure, devices, software, and services to governments and businesses globally. One offering, for example, is public safety radio systems. It recently hit a 52-week high and its fourth-quarter report featured double-digit earnings gains and revenue up 6% as well. Some worry about R&D cutbacks, while others like that it's borrowing money to buy back shares. (That's not always smart, if shares are not undervalued, though. And Motorola Solutions has recently been trading at a forward P/E of 14.6%.)

Mortgage REIT Annaly Capital Management (NYSE: NLY  ) gained 15%, and has many investors drooling over its 11.3% dividend yield. But it has also lost some fans, due to worries about rising interest rates hurting the company or its adding more risk by expanding beyond agency-backed securities. Some even worry about nepotism in the company and outsized compensation.

Other companies didn't do as well last year, but could see their fortunes change in the coming years. Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (NASDAQ: MDRX  ) , which delivers electronic health records (EHR) products and services, slid 20%. The company has been lagging its peers, it was a poor performer in 2012, and its latest earnings report wasn't too impressive. On the plus side, some of its insiders have been buying shares.

The big picture
A well-chosen ETF can grant you instant diversification across any industry or group of companies -- and make investing in and profiting from it that much easier.

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There's no question Annaly Capital's double-digit dividend is eye-catching. But can investors count on that payout sticking around? With the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates at historically low levels, Annaly has had to scramble to defend its bottom line. In The Motley Fool's premium research report on Annaly, senior analysts Ilan Moscovitz and Matt Koppenheffer uncover the key challenges the company faces and divulge three reasons investors may consider buying it. Simply click here now to claim your copy today!

Ford boosts CEO pay 11% to $23.2 million

Ford CEO Alan Mulally is credited with turning the company around.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) After posting a strong year, Ford rewarded its CEO Alan Mulally with a pay raise of 11%.

Mulally was paid $23.2 million in 2013, up from about $21 million the previous year, Ford (F, Fortune 500) said in a regulatory filing.

For 2013, the automaker's earnings rose 26% to $7.2 billion. The company also shared its strong performance with its hourly factory workers with a record profit-sharing bonus of about $8,800 each.

Mulally became Ford's CEO in 2006 and is credited with turning the automaker around, allowing it to avoid the bankruptcy and federal bailout that rivals General Motors and Chrysler Group required during the recession.

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Mulally is also highly regarded in the corporate world and rumors circulated earlier this year that he would be tapped by Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) to replace retiring CEO Steve Balmer. But Mulally put those rumors to bed in January and said he would stay with Ford at least through 2014.

Ford is paying Mulally more than what GM (GM, Fortune 500) paid former CEO Dan Akerson in 2013. Akerson retired in January and was replaced by Mary Barra, whose pay package totals $14.4 million.

Mulally's base salary remains the same at $2 million. His raise comes from a bigger bonus and increase in stock awards.

Nadex Expansion Continues To Grow, Rapidly

The Nadex Exchange has announced that it will be adding additional night time and afternoon intraday binary strikes and expirations for the EUR/JPY, staring on April 7th.

It recently added more binary expirations for the AUD/USD, GBP/USD and Nikkei 225. These changes allow more opportunities for evening traders to trade the Forex markets with defined risk, neutral and directional trades.

With these additions, Nadex now offers more than 2,400 binary option contracts on 24 markets -- with over 25 expirations a day depending on the market, with 3 to 21 binary strikes per expiration.  The binary contracts on Nadex can be opened and closed before expiration, allowing traders to trade trend, swing, and neutral strategies all with defined risk.

Related: What Is A Nadex Binary Option? Here is a chart of the EUR/JPY during the day, showing this is a market with plenty of volatility.  This shows nearly 100 pips just in the past 24 hours, making it a great candidate for trading Nadex.    

All Nadex binaries are based on Reuters Forex Spot Quotes.  They are not based on the Forex future or the Forex ETF contracts.

The new EUR/JPY Nadex binary contracts will be available for trading during the following hours effective April 7, 2014: 

6:00-8:00 pm, 7:00-9:00 pm, 8:00-10:00 pm, 9:00-11:00 pm, 10:00-11:00 pm, 11:00 PM-12:00 am, 12:00-2:00 am, 1:00-3:00 am, 2:00-4:00 am, 3:00-5:00 am, 4:00-6:00 am, 5:00-7:00 am, 6:00-8:00 am, 7:00-9:00 am, 2:00-4:00 pm, Sunday to Friday and 3:00-5:00 pm (Monday to Thursday).

In addition, they have 10:00 am, 11:00 am and 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm two-hour expirations already in place.  

The Intraday contracts begin trading at 6:00 pm ET Sunday, with the first expiration at 8:00 pm ET, and the final intraday expiration at 5:00 pm ET the following day through Friday. On Friday, there is not a 5:00 pm intraday expiration.

The Weekly contracts begin trading at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday and expire at 3:00 pm ET on Friday. They are open for trading from 6:00 pm ET Sunday to 3:00 pm ET Friday. (Closed between 5:00 pm ET and 6:00 pm ET Monday through Thursday).

The Daily contracts begin trading 23 hours before expiration. Daily expirations are at 7:00 pm, 11:00 pm, 3:00 am, 7:00 am, 11:00 am and 3:00 pm ET. There is not a 7:00 pm or 11:00 pm expiration on Friday. There is not a 7:00 pm expiration on Sunday.

Who is Nadex?

The North American Derivatives Exchange is based out of Chicago and is regulated by the U.S. Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Nadex allows traders to trade binaries and spreads on foreign exchange (forex) markets, U.S. and International Stock Indices, and Commodities, like gold and oil. Trades can be opened and closed before expiration and NADEX is not trading against you.

How Can Nadex Binary Contracts Be Used?

These contracts can be used to trade strangles on JPY news, directionally, range bound and premium collection.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Watch In Right Now

For example, you could buy a strike under the price. If the market moves up, stays flat or even moves down some, you can profit.

You could buy a strike above the price risking $5 to make $95, or risk $500 to make $9500.

Learn More About Nadex Binaries

On Nadex, the markets are open from as early as 6:00 pm ET to as late as 5:00 pm. the next day, giving the ability to trade day and/or night on intraday, daily and weekly contracts. 

To see examples of trading on Nadex binaries and spreads, see articles posted on Benzinga, click here.

Top Penny Companies For 2014

Top Penny Co mpanies For 2014: Select Comfort Corporation(SCSS)

Select Comfort Corporation develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes adjustable-firmness beds and other sleep-related accessory products in the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Australia. It offers its mattresses under the Sleep Number brand name. The company also provides a line of accessory bedding products, including specialty pillows, mattress pads, comforters, sheets, and leg options. Select Comfort Corporation distributes its products through retail, direct marketing, and e-commerce channels. As of January 2, 2010, it had 403 company-owned stores and 146 retail partner doors. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tess Stynes]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are Hhgregg Inc.(HGG), Select Comfort Corp.(SCSS) and Walgreen Co.(WAG)

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Select Comfort (NASDAQ: SCSS) were down 18.74 percent to $17.35 on weak Q4 guidance.

  Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT) tumbled 11.94 percent to $18.00 after Citigroup downgraded the stock from Neutral to Sell.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Others, however, gave back six months of gains in one week. That was the case for Select Comfort (SCSS), which plunged 29% to $18.60 this week after missing earnings forecasts and cutting guidance for the second time in 2013. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK), meanwhile, fell 15% to $77.16 after it beat earnings but lowered its guidance. It blamed weak margins in its security business, emerging markets and…wait for it…the government shutdown.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-penny-companies-for-2014.html

Box Files For $250M IPO

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The hotly anticipated initial public offering of cloud storage startup Box has finally become real for investors as the company officially filed for its debut on the New York Stock Exchange with the preliminary goal of raising $250 million in proceeds. The lead underwriters for the transaction are Morgan Stanley (MS), Credit Suisse (CS), and J.P. Morgan (JPM).

The Class A common stock will be listed as "BOX" on the Big Board.

The S-1 filing revealed Monday that the company has experienced significant growth since its incorporation in 2005. The company noted it has intense competition in the same, listing Citrix (CTXS), Dropbox, EMC (EMC), Google (GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT) as its closest competitors." With the introduction of new technologies and market entrants, we expect competition to continue to intensify in the future," the company noted in the filing. 

For the 12 months ended Jan. 31, 2014, Jan. 31, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2011, the Aaron Levie-led company company's revenue was $124.2 million, $58.8 million and $21.1 million, respectively, representing year-over-year growth of 111% and 179%. However, the company losses grew during the same time as well, as the company continues to invest heavily in its business. "We have invested and continue to invest heavily in our business to capitalize on our large market opportunity," the company added. As a result, Box incurred net losses of $50.3 million, $112.6 million and $168.6 million for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, 2011, Jan. 31, 2013 and Jan. 31, 2014, respectively. What's driving those operating losses is the company's heavy spending on sales and marketing. For the year ending Jan. 31, 2013, Box spent $99.2 million on sales and marketing, only to see that increase to $171 million for the year ending Jan. 31, 2014. The company continues to hire at a frenetic pace, noting it had 972 employees at the end of fiscal 2014. Billings increased 103% in the year ended Jan. 31, 2014 over the year ended Jan. 31, 2013, and 182% in the year ended Jan. 31, 2013 over the year ended Dec. 31, 2011. The increase in billings was primarily driven by the addition of new customers with larger initial deployments and expansion with respect to the number of users within existing customer base. Box's top investors currently include Draper Fisher Jurvetson (25.5%), U.S. Venture Partners (13%), General Atlantic (8.4 %) and Scale Venture Partners (7.4%) and Bessemer Venture Partners (5.6%). -- Written by Andrea Tse in New York Follow @atwtse >Contact by Email

Stock quotes in this article: CTXS, EMC 

Devon Energy Turnaround Spared by Activists

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Updated from 3:40 p.m. ET to include Third Avenue Management comments and closing share prices.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It took Devon Energy (DVN) about a decade to grow from a bit player into the biggest independent energy producer in the United States. Now, it may take nearly as long for the driller to prove it can dismantle that sprawling empire.

Devon's woes are similar to those of Chesapeake Energy (CHK), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), and Hess (HES) who over-expanded during the 2000's and found themselves short on cash in the years after the financial crisis. Unlike its competitors, Devon hasn't faced the pressure of an activist investor as it restructures. That speaks to the change underway at Devon and, possibly, the scale of the company's issues.

Devon sold its Gulf of Mexico assets to BP (BP) and Apache (APA) for a total of $8.3 billion in 2010, exceeding the company's initial guidance to shareholders. Devon also impressed in February when it sold some of its businesses in Canada for about $2.8 billion, consolidating the company's international footprint to the Alberta oil sands and the Horn River.

This March, Devon completed a merger of its midstream business with Crosstex Energy. The combined company was then spun into general partner and master limited partnership securities, respectively - EnLink Midstream LLC (ENLC) and EnLink Midstream LP (ENLK) -- that will be controlled by Devon. Generally, Devon has exceeded expectations on its sale and spinoff of non-core business lines. "We believe this will help unlock value for the company and highlight the value of these assets," Third Avenue Management, a Devon shareholder wrote in October of the spinoff. Devon contributed its midstream assets to the spinoff entities at a valuation of eleven times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), nearly double the company's value of six times EBITDA at the time, Third Avenue added. Third Avenue Management is among Devon's top-20 shareholders, according to Bloomberg data as of Dec. 31, 2013, and stands out as one of just a few hedge fund investors in the company.

A Push Onshore To replace those divested businesses, Devon has redoubled its commitment to onshore projects in North America. After acquiring GeoSouthern Energy's assets in the Eagle Ford shale for $6 billion last year, Devon's core assets will consist of the Permian Basin, the Eagle Ford, Alberta oil sands and other onshore assets such as the Mississippi Lime. Perhaps the restructuring is complete. Devon may now be in a position to grow its oil production significantly and plug cash flow deficits that have stretched into the billions since 2010, according to Goldman Sachs. In that time span, Devon shares have underperformed the SIG Oil Exploration & Production Index by about 25% when factoring in dividends.

Devon shares have gained 3.3% year-to-date, closing Monday trading at $63.91. Goldman now forecasts Devon to grow its oil production by 50% to 330,000 barrels per day by 2016. That rising oil production could help Devon mitigate its exposure to oversupplied natural gas markets and finance any continued cost overruns.

Weak drilling results in the Utica Shale, the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale and the Cline Shale, however, raise concern about Devon's execution. Goldman analyst Brian Singer initiated Devon with a 'neutral' rating on March 18. The analyst said Devon is valued at a lower-multiple than restructuring industry peers; however, there is greater investor unease about the company's ability to meet capex guidance and execute on its drilling program. If Devon succeeds in unwinding a mistimed expansion completed by former chief executive and current chairman Larry Nichols, it will be a rare energy industry turnaround orchestrated without the hand of an activist investor.

Three years of restructuring may also be the foundation from which an activist may emerge. -- Written by Antoine Gara in New York

Stock quotes in this article: DVN, CHK 

Shrimp Costs Land Red Lobster in Hot Water

Top Information Technology Stocks For 2014

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images ORLANDO, Fla. -- A spike in shrimp costs is causing yet more trouble for Red Lobster. The seafood chain's parent company Darden Restaurants (DRI) on Friday reported a lower quarterly profit in line with its previously announced estimates. Sales at its struggling Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains dropped by 5.4 percent and 8.8 percent respectively, as reported on March 3. The Orlando-based company has been fighting to win back customers at its flagship chains and has said it will spin off or sell Red Lobster to focus its attention on fixing Olive Garden with a revamped menu and marketing. Both chains have been losing customers as more affordable alternatives such as Chipotle have gained in popularity. But in recent months, another factor weighing on Red Lobster was higher shrimp costs. Executives said that costs in the quarter rose about 30 percent because a "production issues in Asia." They said don't expect relief until the early part of its fiscal 2015 year. On an annual basis, Chief Financial Officer Brad Richmond said the company is facing a $30 million increase in shrimp costs. For the quarter ended Feb. 23, Darden posted a profit of $109.7 million, or 82 cents a share, matching its guidance. That was down almost 23 percent from year-ago earnings of $134.4 million, or $1.02 a share. Analysts expected earnings of 85 cents a share. Revenue of $2.23 billion was down 1 percent, below the $2.26 billion analysts expected. Darden also said it still expects its fiscal 2014 earnings to be down between 15 percent and 20 percent from last year. Revenue at stores open at least a year, a key sales metric, is expected to fall 5.5 percent. The results come a day after Starboard Value LP, which owns about 5.5 percent of Darden's stock, submitted a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking to call a special shareholders meeting. Darden has urged its shareholders to reject the proposal. At issue are Darden's plans for its business. Starboard wants Darden to separate all of its large brands, including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, from its smaller, better-performing ones such as Bahama Breeze and The Capital Grille.

Wall Street's March Madness: What To Know About Bank Stress Tests

March is an important month for big banks and their investors as annual stress test results are revealed.

The Federal Reserve will announce first of two test results for the banking world later today. The Dodd-Frank Act stress test (DFAST) measures how banks hold up under hypothetical economic conditions–banks are given a pass or fail grade. On March 26, the Fed is back again with results from the arguably more important Comprehensive Capital Analysis & Review (CCAR).

The stress tests were created after the 2008 financial crisis when banks were found to be overleveraged and overexposed to a bubbling real estate market. "The tests are now to used to check whether the system as whole can handle an economic shock," says Viral Acharaya, professor of economics at New York University's Sterns School of Business. "Regulators are asking if banks are going to be safe in adverse scenarios like a 50% stock market drop and an 11% unemployment rate," he adds.

The nation's biggest banks including Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley will be put to the test.

What's the difference between DFAST and CCAR? In short, the difference involves capital action plans–what banks do with their capital for shareholders, like offer dividends or buyback stock, etc.

DFAST tests whether banks sufficient capital to absorb losses and support operations during adverse economic conditions (think housing crash, unemployment increase, severe GDP drop, stock market crashes) while using  a standardized set of capital action assumptions. (The assumptions keep each bank's current dividend and do no include share repurchase plans.)

This year's DFAST  scenario features a severe recession in which the unemployment rate hits 11.25%, real GDP declines nearly 4.75%, the stockmarket drops 50%, house prices decline 25% and commercial real estate prices decline nearly 35%.

The latter exam, CCAR,  tests banks under similar adverse economic scenarios but the capital action plans in play are submitted by each bank. Under CCAR, a bank submits its proposed capital plan for the next four quarters (dividend hikes, share buybacks), and the Fed assesses whether that bank would be able to meet required capital ratios under with the proposed action plan with shaky economic conditions. Put simply, can the bank afford to give those dividends to shareholders if the economy starts to falter? If the answer is yes, banks then announce their capital plans to the public.

Acharaya says he expects all banks to pass tomorrow's stress test but says the real results to watch for will be CCAR. "Some banks like Wells Fargo are likely to come out strong, while others will be in a grey area and might see their dividends capped," he says.

Barclays analysts expects strong results from a good number of banks in play.

"We expect the amount of dividend increases and level of share repurchase activity to vary by a fair amount depending on the bank. We anticipate those that were active in 2013 will generally remain so in 2014 and believe at the very least [State Street, Goldman Sachs, Key Bank, Comerica, Northern Trust, Capital One Financial, Fifth Third, BNY Mellon, and US Bancorp] will return over 70% of their expected net income to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buyback," Barclays analysts said in a note this week.

The Dodd-Frank stress test results are out at 4pm on March 20, and CCAR results will follow on March 26 at 4pm EST.

 

Toy company settles suit against Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys may be rocking, but it looks like the GoldieBlox toy company is rolling.

The Oakland-based toy company, which makes engineering-type toys that target young girls, has settled a lawsuit against the Beastie Boys, the New York hip-hop band first formed in the 1980s that went on to huge success, over its parody of their song, Girls, in a promotional video that went viral.

An agreement to dismiss the claim was filed Monday in U.S. District Court, according to a report in the Oakland Tribune. No details of the settlement were released.

GoldieBlox seemingly came out of nowhere to national fame early this year when its 30-second TV commercial featuring girls tossing away their dolls in favor of engineering toys appeared on the Super Bowl.

The toy maker didn't pay for air time, but won a small business contest for the free Super Bowl ad sponsored by Intuit.

The company's stated goal is to "disrupt the pink aisle" in the toy store with toys that introduce girls to engineering at an early age. More than 87% of engineers are male vs. 13% females, according to the National Science Foundation.

GoldiebBlox filed suit in November, seeking to pre-empt any possible claims of copyright infringement over the repurposed song.

The video, which shows young girls singing about science and engineering, was viewed millions of times before it was removed from YouTube.

The Beastie Boys countersued GoldieBlox in December. The newspaper says it was not immediately clear if Monday's settlement would have any effect on that claim.

The hip-hop group has a blanket ban on using their songs in advertisements.

Contributing: Associated Press

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014: CVS Corporation(CVS)

CVS Caremark Corporation operates as a pharmacy services company in the United States. The company?s Pharmacy Services segment provides a range of pharmacy benefit management services, including mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy services, plan design and administration, formulary management, and claims processing; and drug benefits to eligible beneficiaries under the Federal Government?s Medicare Part D program. This segment primarily serves employers, insurance companies, unions, government employee groups, managed care organizations and other sponsors of health benefit plans, and individuals. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 44 retail specialty pharmacy stores, 18 specialty mail order pharmacies, and 4 mail service pharmacies located in 25 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. This segment operates business under the CVS Caremark Pharmacy Services, Caremark, CVS Caremark, CarePlus CVS/pharmacy, CarePlus, RxAmerica, Accordant, and TheraCom names. The company?s Retail Pharmacy segment sells prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods through its pharmacy retail stores and online, as well as offers film and photo finishing, and health care services. This segment operated 7,182 retail drugstores located in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia; and 560 retail health care clinics in 26 states and the District of Columbia under the MinuteClinic name. It has a strategic alliance with Alere, L.L.C. for the management of disease management program offerings that cover chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease. CVS Caremark Corporation was founded in 1892 and is based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bloomberg]

  Matthew Staver/Bloomberg via Getty Images Cerberus Capital Management's $9 billion deal to merge Safeway (SWY) with Albertsons is a bet that a larger supermarket chain can better fend off an attack on the grocery business by big-box stores and online retailers. Safeway, the No. 2 grocery-store operator in the U.S., agreed Thursday to be acquired by Cerberus's Albertsons for about $40 a share. The deal will unite two chains with locations across the country -- especially in the West -- and narrow Kroger's (KR) lead as the nation's top supermarket company. Cerberus, a private-equity firm that has spent years investing in the supermarket industry, will use the new company's heft to combat a growing array of threats. Big-box retailers such as Walmart Stores (WMT) and warehouse clubs are increasingly targeting grocery customers, using their size and breadth of products to attract shoppers. Online food sellers and delivery services, including Amazon.com (AMZN), also have made neighborhood supermarkets less essential than before. "This merger will improve our competitive position," Safeway Chief Executive Officer Robert Edwards, who will be in charge of the combined company, said Thursday on a conference call. "Our customers will benefit from significant cost saving synergies and a stronger management team." Safeway shares fell as much as 6.3 percent to $37 in extended trading, reflecting concerns the deal may not close at the current price. The shares had increased 21 percent this year through the close of regular trading Thursday, outpacing the 1.6 percent gain of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Blackhawk Network As part of the agreement, investors will get $32.50 a share in cash, plus stock in Safeway's gift-card unit Blackhawk Network Holdings (HAWK), according to a statement Thursday. Safeway, based in Pleasanton, Calif., had said last month that it was in talks about a sale of the company. Assuming a diluted share count of about 235 million shares,

• [By GURUFOCUS] Health! care stocks in the Fund had a strong fourth quarter and year. CVS (CVS)'s 26% performance for the quarter is reflective of the fact that 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day and will for the next 15 years. Businesses that are able to serve this growing segment with improving service, innovation, technology, product quality and value should continue to win.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  CVS Caremark (CVS) has found the perfect prescription for stock market gains after reporting earnings results this morning.

  Associated Press

  For the quarter ended Dec. 31, CVS reported adjusted EPS of $1.12, up from 96 cents a year ago and ahead of analyst expectations of $1.11. Revenue rose to $32.8 billion from $31.4 a year prior and forecasts for sales of $32.6 billion. CVS also disclosed that it opened 60 new retail drugstores and closed one during the period.

  Last week, CVS made headlines on the announcement that it would end tobacco sales and the market reacted accordingly. In a Barron's Take, Teresa Rivas wrote, "With the number of U.S. smokers on the decline and regulation on the rise, CVS will likely more than make up for lost sales with public goodwill and a boost to its health-care brand. It also gets first mover advantage on a ban that may eventually have been forced on it."

  Raymond James analyst John Ransom notes that CVS has a healthy future:

  First-quarter 2014 adjusted EPS guidance was actually raised to $1.03-$1.06 (up seven cents at the midpoint), suggesting better-than-expected near-term trends versus prior outlook. Net-net, fourth quarter capped another solid year out of CVS, with today's stock price reaction likely less tied to the report itself and more focused on the…tobacco headwind offsets as well as initial comments with regard to the 2015 selling season and the retail competitive landscape (promotional activity high?).

  Shares of CVS have advanced 2.7% to $68.74 at 3:0 p.m., trailing Walgreen’s (WAG) 5.3% rise to $63.87 ! but besti! ng Rite Aid’s (RAD) 1.5% gain to $5.72.

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  CVS Caremark Corp. (CVS)  shares fell 0.9%. CVS said it would stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products in stores by Oct. 1. The change is estimated to cost the company $2 billion in annual revenues or 17 cents a share, but CVS said it won't affect its 2014 per-share earnings guidance.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-cheap-companies-to-invest-in-2014.html

J.P. Morgan’s Top Applied and Emerging Technology Stocks to Buy

Technology continues to be a top sector to buy at the major Wall Street firms that we cover at 24/7 Wall Street. One of the top areas that could show strong upside this year is the applied and emerging technology subsector. While many of the names are well known, and leaders in their respective categories, they often seem to be overshadowed by the mega-cap technology names.

In a new report from J.P. Morgan, the analysts focus on the stocks that have groundbreaking technology and applications. These are companies that may have the ability to grow earnings and margins far faster than some of their mega-cap brethren. They are also the companies that some of the huge players may have their eye on. Here are some of the top applied and emerging technology stocks to buy at J.P. Morgan with strong upside potential.

Cubic Corp. (NYSE: CUB) makes the list at J.P. Morgan. It has three major business segments. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions. Cubic Defense Systems is a leading provider of realistic combat training systems and secure communications. Mission Support Services is a leading provider of training, operations, maintenance, technical and other support services for the United States and allied nations. Investors are paid a small 0.5% dividend. The J.P. Morgan price target is $57. The Thomson/First Call estimate is $56.20. The stock closed Tuesday at $52.51.

NCR Corp. (NYSE: NCR) is an old-school name with new world technology. The company is the global leader in consumer transaction technologies, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, NCR enables more than 485 million transactions daily across retail, financial, travel, hospitality, telecom and technology and small business. NCR solutions run the everyday transactions that make life easier. The J.P. Morgan price target for the stock is a large $48, and the consensus target is $42.60. NCR closed Tuesday at $34.47.

NICE Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) is the worldwide leading provider of software solutions that enable organizations to take the next best action in order to improve customer experience and business results, ensure compliance, fight financial crime and safeguard people and assets. NICE’s solutions empower organizations to capture, analyze and apply, in real time, insights from both structured and unstructured Big Data. Investors are paid a 1.3% dividend. J.P. Morgan has a $46 price target, while the consensus sits at $44. The stock closed Tuesday at $42.20 a share.

Plantronics Inc. (NYSE: PLT) is a global leader in audio communications for businesses and consumers. It has pioneered new trends in audio technology, creating innovative products that allow people to simply communicate. From unified communication to Bluetooth headsets to gaming solutions, it delivers uncompromising quality, an ideal experience and extraordinary service. Plantronics is used by every company in the Fortune 100, as well as 911 dispatch, air traffic control and various mission critical applications for those on the frontline. Investors are paid a small 0.9% dividend. The J.P. Morgan target price is $49, and the consensus is set higher at $54.14. Plantronics closed Tuesday at $45.79.

TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) is on a growth path, having reported double-digit revenue increases for eight quarters in a row. The company claims to produce “the world’s safest and most effective weapons” that are becoming popular with the U.S. police departments. TASER’s stun guns practically have no serious competition. J.P. Morgan has a $20 target, and the consensus target is $20.33. TASER closed Tuesday at $18.50.

Trimble Navigation Ltd. (NASDAQ: TRMB) applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location — including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. The J.P. Morgan price target is $43, and consensus target is at $39.29. Trimble closed Tuesday at $38.87.

Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: VRNT) is a global leader in actionable intelligence solutions. Its portfolio of Enterprise Intelligence Solutions and Security Intelligence Solutions helps organizations make Big Data actionable through the ability to capture, analyze and act on large volumes of rich, complex and often underused information sources — such as voice, video and unstructured text. With Verint solutions and value-added services, organizations of all sizes can make more timely and effective decisions. More than 10,000 organizations in over 150 countries, including more than 80% of the Fortune 100, count on Verint solutions to improve enterprise performance. The J.P. Morgan price target is $51, and consensus estimate is inline at $51.29. Verint closed Tuesday at $47.12.

The common thread with all these top names to buy is that most of the top Fortune 100 companies around the world use their products and have for years. Investors looking for top technology stocks that will not go in-and-out of style on consumer whims should take a long look at these top names.

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own For 2014

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own For 2014: Fujitsu Ltd (FJTSY)

Fujitsu Limited (Fujitsu), incorporated on June 20, 1935, is engaged in providing solutions in the field of information and communication technology. Along with multifaceted services provision, its business consists of the development, manufacture, sales and maintenance of the high-quality products and electronic devices that make these services possible. The Company operates in three segments: technology solutions, ubiquitous products solutions and device solutions. On June 4, 2009, Fujitsu introduced the docomo PRIME series F-09A mobile handset. On July 15, 2009, Fujitsu announces acquisition of shares in information technology (IT) subsidiary of AUTOBACS SEVEN. In October 2010, the Company and Toshiba Corporation announced that they have completed the merger of their mobile phone businesses. Effective August 15, 2013, Intel Corp acquired Fujitsu Semiconductor Wireless Products Inc, from Fujitsu Semiconductor Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd.

Te chnology solutions

Fujitsu provides solutions/system integration services focused on information system consulting and integration, and infrastructure services centered on outsourcing services (complete information system operation and management). Fujitsu offers system products, such as servers and storage systems, which form the backbone of information systems, along with network products, such as mobile phone base stations, optical transmission systems and other communications infrastructures. Its services include system integration (system construction), consulting, front-end technologies (automated teller machines (ATMs)), outsourcing services (datacenters, IT operation/management, software as a service (SaaS), application operation/management and business process outsourcing), network services (business networks, distribution of Internet/mobile content), sy! stem support services (maintenance and surveillance services for information systems and networks) an d security solutions (installation of information systems an! d networks).

Ubiquitous products solutions

Fujitsu offers the personal computers (PCs), mobile phones and other products indispensable for realizing the emerging ubiquitous networked society. In PCs, along with more conventional desktop and notebook models, the Company develops netbooks and products with security features, providing a global lineup that allows customers to choose the product for their application. In mobile phones, it provide a variety of products that include high-performance models featuring specs and water resistance, separable mobile phone handset, and products created from collaborations with brands. Its products include PCs, mobile phones and optical transceiver modules.

Device solutions

LSI devices and electronic components comprise Fujitsu's Device Solutions. Fujitsu Semiconductor, the Fujitsu operating company in semiconductors, provides LSI devices found in products, such as digital home appli ances, automobiles, mobile phones and servers. The Company's subsidiaries Shinko Electric Industries Co., Ltd. and Fujitsu Component Limited, along with FDK Corporation, provide semiconductor packages and other electronic components, as well as structural components, such as batteries, relays and connectors. Its products include LSI devices, electronic components (semiconductor packages), batteries and structural components (relays and connectors).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks weakened in early Thursday trading as the yen rose and Wall Street ended mixed, with the Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) falling 1.2% to 15,929.74 after a 1.9% advance a day earlier. With the yen (USDJPY) ! sl! ightly firmer than in the previous session, some investors sold currency-sensitive exporters, with Fanuc Corp. (JP:6954) (FANUF) down 2%, Kyocera Corp. (JP:6971) (KYOCF) off 1.9%, and Fujitsu Ltd. (JP:6702) (FJTSY) losing 2.3%. News that China would lift a ban on some sales of videogame consoles had sent shares of Nintendo Co. (JP:7974) (NTDOF) shooting 11% higher on Wednesday, but apparent profit-taking sent the stock down 4.2% in early Thursday action. Shares of rival Sony Corp. (JP:6758) (SNE) , however, followed with a 4% rise, also possibly buoyed by a Nikkei Asian Review report that it was planning a "smartphone offensive" in the U.S. and China. Canon Inc. (JP:7751) (CAJ) fell 2% on a separate Nikkei report that the company's 2013 operating profit would miss forecasts. Toshiba Corp. (JP:6502) (TOSYY)

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- A rising Japanese yen and weak results from Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) overnight sent Tokyo-listed shares lower in early Thursday trade, with the Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) falling 0.4% to 14,363.59, while the Topix also lost 0.4%. With the U.S. dollar remaining below the 98-yen level amid concerns about the hea! lth of Ch! ina's largest banks, some currency-sensitive shares extended their losses after driving the Nikkei Average down 2% in the previous session. Among them, trading house Mitsui & Co. (JP:8031) (MITSY) fell 1.3%, retail major J. Front Retailing Co. (JP:3086) lost 1.2%, auto maker Nissan Motor Co. (JP:7201) (NSANY) retreated 0.6%, and Fujitsu Ltd. (JP:6702) (FJTSY) traded 1% lower. The below-forecast quarterly results and outlook cut from U.S. construction-equipment maker Caterpillar sent its Japanese rivals tumbling, with Komatsu Ltd. (JP:6301) (KMTUF) dropping 3.5% and Hitachi Construction Macheriny Co. (JP:6305) (HTCMF) falling 3.1%. On the upside, Hitachi Ltd. (JP:6501) (HTHIF) soared 5.4% after raising its profit and revenue guidance for the fiscal first hal

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks rose in early Monday trading, with weaker-than-expected trade data pushing the yen lower, which in turn helped some export stocks. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) added 1% to 14,704.36, with the broader Topix up 0.8%, also enjoying support from gains Friday in the U.S. After data showing exports grew less than analysts had projected, the dollar (USDJPY) mo! ved back ! above the 98-yen level, sending some exporters climbing, with a 2.2% rise for Fujitsu Ltd. (JP:6702) (FJTSY) , a 1.2% improvement for Alps Electric Co. (JP:6770) , and a 1% bump for Toyota Motor Corp. (JP:7203) (TM) . Shares of Suzuki Motor Corp. (JP:7269) (SZKMF) added 2.9% after a Nikkei report saying the company would record its highest-ever operating profit for the April-September half. Retailers were also a strong spot Monday, with J. Front Retailing Co. (JP:3086) up 2%, online marketplace Rakuten Inc. (JP:4755) (RKUNF) adding 2.4%, and 7-Eleven operator Seven & I Holdings Co. (JP:3382) (SVNDF) ahead by 1.4%.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-heal-care-companies-to-own-for-2014.html

401k Rollovers: FAQs from Readers

Top 10 Stocks To Buy For 2014

We continually encourage interaction with our readers. Among the most common sources of consternation expressed by retirement savers is the 401k "rollover."

Below is a compendium of frequently asked questions regarding this important retirement investing topic, along with our answers.

What's a 401k rollover?

This is the process of transferring your 401k savings into another plan, such as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Rolling over to an IRA is the most common choice for employees who leave a company and want to maintain their savings in a tax-deferred account, because it’s the most widely available option.

Do I have other rollover choices, besides an IRA?

You might be able to transfer your 401k money into your new employer's 401k plan, where it can continue to enjoy tax-advantaged status and grow over the years. However, your employer's 401k plan may not allow you to do so; check with your HR administrator to see how much leeway you have.

If I leave my job, should I simply cash out of my 401k?

No! Resist the temptation. According to a study by Hewitt Associates, roughly half of US workers cash out their 401k when they leave one job for another. That's almost never a good idea.

In addition to paying income tax on the money, you'll get socked with a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty if you're under age 59 ½. And then there's the "opportunity cost" of not reinvesting the money.

Can I choose the same types of investments with an IRA that I once had in my 401k?

Typically, yes. In most cases, the investment choices available in IRAs mirror the stock mutual funds, bonds, etc. that are available in 401k plans.

What if I'm a non-spouse beneficiary and I inherit a 401k plan?

Non-spouse bene! ficiaries can roll over all or part of an inherited employer-sponsored retirement plan into an IRA.

Should I follow the same investment strategy in an IRA that I once did in my 401k?

Yes. Keep in mind, many investors who roll their 401k into an IRA short-change themselves by being more timid than they were in their 401k.

There's no investment that beats the returns of stocks over the long term—and an IRA represents long-term money. So, why shoot yourself in the foot by playing it too safe?

According to IRS statistics, about three-fourths of self-directed IRA monies are in money-market funds, government bonds or other fixed-income securities. That defies common sense.

A common "risk-averse" mistake is to put rolled-over IRA money into tax-exempt investments, such as annuities, municipal bonds and tax-exempt money-market funds. These investments already are tax-exempt, so there's no tax advantage to putting them in a tax-favored IRA.

And there's a double whammy: The tax exempt income is bestowed in return for a lower yield, so you do yourself a disservice on the potential returns as well.

IRAs are still worth it for high-income savers. Deductible or not, any money you deposit accumulates free of taxes as long as it stays there. This means it can grow and compound without having a big chunk sliced off for current taxes, as would be the case with an ordinary investment. The result is that your pool of money grows faster. And tax-deferred compounding gets sweeter the longer it lasts.

But to make an IRA really worth it, you've got to stay with stocks. If you're an older person nearing retirement and all you're going to do is invest in cash or fixed-income investments, you're far better off in an annuity. The bottom line: Money that doesn't go into ! stocks sh! ouldn't go into your IRA.

What are the withdrawal rules for IRAs?

Of course, you'll have to pay taxes on any IRA withdrawals if made before age 59 ½. The IRS imposes a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty on the taxable portion of your early IRA withdrawal. For tax-deferred IRAs, this is the entire amount. For Roth IRAs, the 10 percent penalty applies only to the early withdrawal of earnings. This is a one-time penalty paid in the year of the early distribution.

What happens if I have a 401k loan at work but then leave my job without paying back the loan?

First of all, we strongly advise against taking loans against your 401k plan. But if circumstances force you to do so and you leave with a balance remaining, check with your HR department as to whether you can continue making payments after you depart the company, or whether you must pay off the balance of your loan before you can roll over the remainder.

Can I first take the money out of my 401k plan and pick a course of action later?

Technically, yes. But that's a bad idea. Weigh your options and reach a decision before you take out the money. If you take money out of your 401k plan in the form of a check payable directly to you, 20 percent of the original balance will be withheld for federal income taxes even before you receive the check.

You can still rollover the money into an IRA, or your new company 401k plan if allowed, but you must do so within 60 days.

If you don’t deposit the withheld amount to the new IRA or 401k plan, it will be tacked onto your ordinary, taxable income.

Will I incur taxes on my 401k rollover?

Typically you will not owe taxes on your rollover if you roll over your money directly from your company plan into an IRA or 401k.

Am I required to report a rollover on my tax return?

Yes. You must fill out IRS Form 1099R, reporting that you took a distribution from your former employer’s plan, and IRS Form 5498, reporting that you m! ade a rol! lover contribution to your IRA.

John Persinos is editorial director of Personal Finance and its parent website, Investing Daily.

Stock Talk

We encourage you to engage with our analysts and your fellow subscribers on our website. To ask a question or post a comment related to a particular article, please do so in the Stock Talk field at the bottom of that article.

Or to ask a general question, please go to the main Stock Talk page found under the Resources menu for each publication.

Best Cheapest Stocks To Watch For 2014

Best Cheapest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)

The Bank of Nova Scotia (the Bank) is a diversified financial institution. As of October 31, 2011, the Bank offered a range of products and services, including retail, commercial, corporate and investment banking to more than 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world. The Bank has four business lines: Canadian Banking, International Banking, Scotia Capital and Global Wealth Management. In January 2012, the Company closed its acquisition of 51% of Banco Colpatria. In April 2012, the Company through Scotia Capital Inc. acquired Howard Weil Incorporated. In April 2013, Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a 50% interest in Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Horizonte SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mike Deane]

  Before the opening bell today, The Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) announced its fourth quarter earnings, posting higher net income than last year’s same quarter. 

  BNS Earnings in Brief

  -BNS reported Q4 net income of $1.7 billion, up 12% from last year’s Q4 net income of $1.52 billion.
  -Adjusted diluted EPS came in at $1.31, up from last year’s Q4 EPS of $1.20.
  -The company’s EPS matched analysts’ EPS estimates.
  -For the full year, BNS reported net income of $6.7 billion, and EPS per diluted share of $5.15.

  CEO Commentary

  Brian Porter, Scotiabank President and CEO, had the following to say about the company’s fiscal year: “Scotiabank experienced another year of solid performance with underlying earnings growing 15%. The Bank’s enterprise strategy and diversified business model continue to differentiate us from our competitors in Canada and internationally and once again have enabled us to deliver strong results.”

  Dividend Declared

  BNS declared a quarterly dividend of 62 cents, which will be paid on J! anuary 29, 2014 to all shareholders of record on January 7, 2014. The stock goes ex-dividend on January 3. BNS most recently its dividend in October this year, where the dividend increased from 60 to 62 cents.

  Stock Performance

  BNS stock was inactive in pre-market trading. YTD, the stock is up just 2.06%, lagging the broader market.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  TD Rating: 7.5

  Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)

  Dividend Yield: 3.9%

  The last of the major Canadian banks is Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS). Not known for its Canadian retail banking, its biggest calling cards are its businesses outside of Canada in Latin America and Asia. Analysts expect it to deliver a 9.1% increase in adjusted net income in the fourth quarter to C$1.6 billion, 47% of which will come from outside of Canada.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Friday

  Earnings Expected From: Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG), Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS), American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) Economic Releases Expected: French trade balance, Swiss CPI, US non-farm payrolls, US unemployment rate

  Posted-In: Bank Of England European Central Bank Mario DraghiEurozone Commodities Previews Economics Federal Reserve Pre-Market Outlook Markets Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, Canadian banking giant Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.  

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-cheapest-stocks-to-watch-for-2014.html

Stock futures flat in pre-market trading

U.S. stock futures were struggling to eke out gains Friday following Wall Street's big selloff in the prior session amid ongoing angst over tensions in Ukraine and economic weakness in China.

Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average index futures were unchanged. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures rose 0.1% and Nasdaq index futures added a similar amount.

The Dow has finished lower every day this week and is trying to avoid its first five-day weekly decline since May 2012.

Wall Street is also watching to see if the S&P 500 can regain the key 1850 level, which gave way in Thursday's 1.2% rout.

Asian stocks declined on lingering concerns about a slowdown in China and tensions in Ukraine ahead of a vote Sunday that could lead to Crimea breaking away from Ukraine and likely economic sanctions imposed against Russia.

"There seems to be a real trend toward reducing risk in the market right now, as more and more uncertainty surrounds the Ukraine situation and China's economic growth outlook," noted Schaeffer Investment Research's senior equity analyst Joe Bell. "In a natural rotation, we are seeing investors trade out of U.S. equities while cash flow moves into gold and bonds."

Money has been pouring back into U.S. government bonds this week. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which moves in the opposite direction of price, dipped to 2.65% Thursday, down from 2.79% at the end of last week.

Japan's Nikkei 225 tumbled nearly 3.3% to 14,327.66. China's Shanghai composite index fell 0.7% to 1,996.25. European bourses declined. Britain's FTSE 100 index fell 0.3% and Germany's DAX 100 index dipped 0.5%.

On Wall Street on Thursday, the Dow slid 1.4% to 16,108.89. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% to close at 1,846.34. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5% to 4,260.42.

THURSDAY: Stocks fall on Ukraine tensions, China outlook

Oil prices edged higher. Benchmark crude for April delivery was down 1 cent to $98.19 a barrel in electronic trading on the Ne! w York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 21 cents to close at $98.20 on Thursday.

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now

Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  That means you should go with either Altria Group (MO) or Philip Morris International (PM). And if you’re only interested in buying one, I think I'd select MO stock. It pays a slightly better divided (5.2% vs. 4.7%).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Lorillard have jumped 4.6% to $51.29 at 1:32 p.m. today, while Reynolds American has gained 2.5% to $52.12 and British American Tobacco has dropped 1.1% to $107.62. Altria Group (MO), meanwhile, has risen 0.4% to $36.43 and Philip Morris International (PM) has declined 0.9% to $80.21.

• [By Kelley Wright]

  Tobacco is a controversial business; but for Philip Morris International (PM), it's a market basically unaffected by economic slowdowns or rising commodity prices, which means it is stable and defensive; a combination we can live with. We also like the $3.76 dividend, outstand! ing growth, and a five-year average return on equity of over 160.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-blue-chip-stocks-to-own-right-now-2.html

Best Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Best Canadian Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Piper Jaffray Companies(PJC)

Piper Jaffray Companies provides investment banking, institutional brokerage, asset management, and related financial services to corporations, private equity groups, public entities, non-profit entities, and institutional investors in the United States, Asia, and Europe. The company raises capital through equity financings; provides advisory services, primarily relating to mergers and acquisitions for its corporate clients; underwrites debt issuances; and offers financial advisory and interest rate risk management services. Its public finance investment banking capabilities focus on state and local governments, as well as healthcare, higher education, housing, hospitality, transportation, and commercial real estate industries, as well as operates in business and financial services, clean technology and renewables, consumer, and industrial growth, as well as media, telecommunications, and technology industries. The company also offers equity and fixed income advisory and t rade execution services for institutional investors, and government and non-profit entities; and is involved in proprietary trading, as well as has equity sales and trading relationships with institutional investors. In addition, it provides asset management services to separately managed accounts, private funds or partnerships, and open-end and closed-end registered investment companies or funds; and offers an array of investment products comprising small and mid-cap value equity, and master limited partnerships focused on the energy industry, as well as fixed income. Further, the company engages in merchant banking activities, which comprises proprietary debt or equity investments in late stage private companies, and investments in private equity and venture capital funds, as well as other firm investments and forfeiture of stock-based compensation. Piper J! affray Companies was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Investment banker Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC  ) expanded its municipal debt business Wednesday, when it purchased Seattle-Northwest Securities in a transaction valued at approximately $21 million.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Piper Jaffray Companies (NYSE: PJC) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.52 per share on revenue of $117.55 million.

  W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $3.03 per share on revenue of $2.42 billion.

• [By EXPstocktrader]

  3) Piper Jaffray (PJC): Recent weakness is unwarranted as the landscape for Acthar remains favorable: OVERWEIGHT (BUY) rating and $74 PT

  4) CRT Capital: BUY rating and $79 PT.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of investment banking and asset management firm Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC  ) sank as much as 11% after reporting disappointing second-quarter earnings results.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-canadian-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Prosecutor: Madoff workers knew about fraud

NEW YORK — The outcome of the fraud trial against five former Bernard Madoff employees hinges on "knowledge and intent," a federal prosecutor said Wednesday, arguing that they realized their boss ran a massive Ponzi scheme and willingly participated.

The signs were "obvious," argued Assistant U.S. Attorney John Zach. Decades of fictitious, backdated investment trades. Changing versions of company records. Fake trading profits in the staffers' accounts. And a litany of lies told to regulators and auditors.

"They had to understand a fraud was going on to do their day-to-day tasks," said Zach, continuing a more than day-long prosecution closing argument as the trial that began in October moved toward conclusion.

Defense closing statements were scheduled to begin Thursday in the first criminal case linked to the Madoff fraud to be weighed by a jury. The disgraced financier pleaded guilty without standing trial to charges he masterminded a scam that stole an estimated $20 billion from thousands of investors worldwide before it collapsed in December 2008.

The former co-workers have argued throughout the trial that they, too, were unknowingly hoodwinked by Madoff.

But Zach spent hours directing the attention of Manhattan federal court jurors to prosecution testimony he said incriminated each of the five defendants:

• A handwritten note by then-Madoff operations manager Daniel Bonventre gave instructions to place a nearly $400,000 profit for a backdated and non-existent 2003 trade in Lucent stock into his investment account. The purported transaction was among three that enabled him to buy a New Jersey oceanfront vacation home, trial evidence showed.

"It's fake. It's fraudulent. It's obvious," argued Zach, who highlighted prosecution evidence that appeared to show Bonventre knew there were no real trades taking place because he regularly reconciled the bank account for Madoff's investment division.

• Handwritten notes by longtime Madoff assistant Annette Bon! giorno referred to similarly profitable purported trades placed in her account as she oversaw the investment division. They included a phony 2008 sale of stock in Lehman Brothers stock the month before the investment bank collapsed in bankruptcy.

Bongiorno testified during the trial that she didn't know about the bank failure that accelerated the national financial crisis and only followed Madoff's instructions on that transaction and countless others.

But Zach told jurors that U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain's legal instructions specified "you can't just say you were following orders."

• He argued that former Madoff financial manager JoAnn Crupi had to know about the fraud because trial evidence showed she kept daily track on millions of dollars in customer funds flowing in and out of the investment division bank account.

Prosecution trial evidence also showed that Crupi, joined by Madoff computer programmers Jerome O'Hara and George Perez, helped produce reams of falsified customer records used to bamboozle Securities and Exchange Commission investigators and bank auditors.

• Zach highlighted several samples of computer code notes in which O'Hara and Perez signaled their awareness that customer record changes carried out by those codes were specifically prepared for audits.

"They know there's an audit," said Zach, who added that the evidence showed the programmers also knew that the records had been "filled with random numbers."

Wells Fargo: Financial Stocks Disappoint, Blame the Yield Curve

Financial stocks may be outperforming the broader market this year, but that's not good enough for Wells Fargo(WFC), which is downgrading its rating on the sector.

Financial companies in the S&P 500 are up about 2% year to date, beating out the broader market index by about 0.6 percentage point. The bank had expected stronger outperformance by now, but says the flattening in the Treasury yield curve, turmoil in emerging markets and reduced optimism over earnings have led to more modest gains.

"Our optimistic view of financials has simply become more mixed as of late," writes the bank, cutting its rating on the sector to market weight from overweight.

The bank in particular highlights the stubbornness of the yield curve as a pothole for financial institutions. Many had expected long-term interest rates to rise more steeply in relation to shorter-term rates—a "steeper" yield curve, in market parlance. That was expected to be a boon for financial companies, which make money on the difference between their long- and short-term investments.

That hasn’t happened. After leaping to more than 3% late last year, the 10-year Treasury yield is now hovering closer to 2.8%, leading to a "flatter" curve.

"At the beginning of the year, most forecasters (ourselves included) were forecasting a steeper yield curve in 2014, driven by a continuation of the sell-off in the longer end of the curve with the Fed’s tapering," writes the bank. "Yields have failed to comply thus far."

It still favors commercial finance and consumer banks, and holds an outperform view on a few stocks within the sector, including SunTrust Banks Inc. and Capital One Financial Corp.

"We will watch for renewed momentum in rates, as well as price and earnings momentum as the keys to our outlook for financials."

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015

Reporters love a good controversy.

Readers are partially to blame, as they are much more attracted to stories that tell them the sky is falling than ones that claim that everything is just fine.

This might be acceptable for everyday mainstream news, but it can be a serious problem for investors when real money -- and real companies -- are at stake.

"It seems like what the press tries to do is rattle investors or strike fear in investors," Greg Makowski, founder and managing member of CFS Investment Advisory Services, L.L.C., told Benzinga.

Makowski immediately pointed to the claims that investors should stop buying municipal bonds because they are bad and are about to blow up.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Finally, cable operator Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) trudged higher by another 2.7% as ongoing rumors continue to swirl about a potential buyout offer from Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR  ) . These rumors became even more intriguing when Charter announced yesterday that it had amended credit agreements on $4.8 billion worth of its debt, presumably to give it more room should it decide to make an acquisition. The broadcasting space is certainly ripe for acquisition, but I also wouldn't suggest foolishly chasing names in this space higher on rumors.�

• [By Sue Chang]

  On Friday, Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) �is slated to report quarterly results. Analysts project the company to post fourth-quarter earnings of 26 cents a share.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR  ) were on fire today, climbing up as much as 31% after DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) raised its bid for the 4G network provider from $3.30 to $4.40 a share, topping Sprint Nextel's (NYSE: S  ) bid by $1.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Outside the Dow, the big news came from Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) , which soared more than 13% after DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) made a competing bid for the company. The $25.5 billion DISH deal would involve Sprint shareholders getting $7 per share in compensation, with more than two-thirds of it coming in cash. Yet Sprint's stock soared above the $7 level, suggesting that investors expect a bidding war between DISH and previous bidder Softbank. Whether such a bidding war will materialize, of course, remains to be seen -- especially if adverse market conditions start to weigh on the overall mergers and acquisitions environment.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Of course, Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) still owns the bulk of Clearwire. The proposed $20.1 billion deal with Japan's Softbank for a 70% stake is still on the table. DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) made an unsolicited $25.5 billion offer for Sprint just today, while DISH has been slowing building up its own spectrum holdings in preparation for entering the wireless sector. DISH outlined numerous ways that it believes its offer is superior to Softbank's.

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) announced two weeks ago that it, too, wanted to buy Sprint, offering $25.5 billion compared to the $20.1 billion SoftBank bid. SoftBank's challenge will be to convince the Sprint shareholders that the DISH offer is less than what it seems.

10 Best Wireless Telecom Stocks To Watch Right Now: News Corporation(NWSA)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  News Corp. will not only engage in the publishing business as it has announced a spinoff of the entertainment side of the business. The stock was on a strong run towards higher prices. However, its stock price has been cut in half yesterday. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenue figures have been on the rise which has pleased investors in the company. Relative to its peers and sector, News Corp. has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what News Corp. does in coming quarters.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  While Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) solution to cable has been a huge success in the limited markets in which it has been introduced, questions remain as to whether it can compete with the major cable companies like Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) . Where Google Fiber may represent what cable should be, there is a significant barrier that may prevent it from breaking through and becoming dominant.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) reported a 12% drop in its fourth-quarter profit. Time Warner's quarterly profit fell to $983 million, or $1.06 per share, from a year-ago profit of $1.11 billion, or $1.15 per share. Excluding one-time items, its earnings climbed to $1.17 per share from $1.16 per share. Its revenue climbed 4.9% to $8.57 billion. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $1.15 per share on revenue of $8.39 billion.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: CBS Corporation(CBS)

CBS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mass media company in the United States and internationally. The company?s Entertainment segment distributes a schedule of news and public affairs broadcasts, sports, and entertainment programming; produces, acquires, and distributes programming, including series, specials, news, and public affairs; produces and distributes theatrical motion pictures across various genres; and operates online content networks for information and entertainment. Its Cable Networks segment owns and operates multiplexed channels that offers subscription program services, including recently released theatrical feature films, original series, documentaries, boxing, mixed martial arts and other sports-related programming, and special events; and CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour cable program service related to college sports. This segment also owns and manages Smithsonian Networks, which operates Smithsonian Channel, a basic cab le service in the United States. The company?s Publishing segment publishes and distributes adult and children?s consumer books in printed, audio, and digital formats. Its Local Broadcasting segment owns 29 broadcast television stations; owns and operates 130 radio stations in 28 U.S. markets and related online properties; and owns local Websites that combine television and radio local media brands online to provide the latest news, traffic, weather, and sports information, as well as local discounts, directories, and reviews. The company?s Outdoor segment sells advertising space on various media, including billboards, transit shelters and other street furniture, buses, rail systems, mall kiosks, stadium signage, and in retail stores. CBS Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) owns HBO. While it is smaller than Starz by subscriber count, the network has a near-flawless record in its recent original productions. Titles such as Game of Thrones, Girls, and True Blood have been tremendous successes in attracting and retaining subscribers. Time Warner trades at 14.12 times forward earnings, but includes many other factors -- from film studio Warner Brothers to theme parks. Showtime parent CBS (NYSE: CBS  ) trades at just over 15 times earnings. All three networks have attractive economics as they have pushed original content that, though costly up front, creates better margins over time and saves the company from some difficult negotiations with other content providers. Recently, the company ended its contract with both Netflix and Disney, startling some investors and analysts but ultimately proving a wise decision as it freed up cash to put toward in-house production.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Consumer Discretionary: CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS)�beat earnings estimates by a solid 5.3%. The company is still locked in a dispute with Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC)�over fees, and the problem seems to have no end in sight. With the NFL season quickly approaching, it seems that cooler heads may want to prevail. The Thomson/First call price target for the network ratings leader is $63. Investors receive a 0.9% dividend.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Comcast Corporation(CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications products and services in the United States and internationally. Its Cable Communications segment provides video, high-speed Internet, and phone services to residential and business customers. As of June 30, 2011, its cable systems served approximately 22.5 million video customers, 17.5 million high-speed Internet customers, and 9.1 million phone customers. The company?s Cable Networks segment operates cable entertainment networks, such as USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Sleuth, and Universal HD; news and information networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and CNBC World; cable sports networks comprising Golf Channel and VERSUS; regional sports and news networks; international entertainment, and news and information networks, such as CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia, and Universal Networks International portfolio of networks; cable television production oper ations; and digital media properties consisting primarily of brand-aligned Websites and other Websites, such as DailyCandy, Fandango, and iVillage. Its Broadcast Television segment operates the U.S. broadcast networks, NBC and Telemundo; 10 NBC and 15 Telemundo owned local television stations; broadcast television productions; and related digital media properties. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment operates Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets, and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television, and other distribution platforms. Its Theme Parks segment operates Universal Studios Hollywood park and Wet ?n Wild water park, as well as licenses intellectual properties and provides services to third parties that own and operate Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore. Comcast Corporation was founded in 1963 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Investors appear to agree. Shares of Disney have gained 2.1% to $68.54 at 2:02 p.m., joining a strong-performing group of stocks today. CBS Corp (CBS) has advanced 2.3% to$58.20, Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA) has risen 2.9% to $33.75 and Comcast (CMCSA) is up 1.7% at $48.06.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) are reported to be considering a joint bid for Time Warner Cable�(NYSE: TWC). Comcast gained 4.36 percent, closing at $49.52. Charter Communications gained 6.06 percent, closing at $134.66. Time Warner Cable was the biggest winner of the group, gaining 9.92 percent, closing at $132.85.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)

Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Both Bow Tie and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC  ) , which owned the Clearview chain, announced yesterday they had completed the transfer of ownership of the theaters, which was first announced in April, though financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed. As the oldest cinema company in the U.S.,�Bow Tie says it now has the largest number of theater locations in the New York metropolitan area,�and operates 63 movie theaters with 388 screens in seven states.

• [By Harold L. Vogel]

  *Includes AMC (AMCX), Cablevision (CVC), Charter, Comcast Cable (CMCSA) and networks, Discovery (DISCA), Disney (DIS) cable networks, Time Warner Cable (TWC) and cable networks, Viacom (VIAB) networks.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  SNL Kagan noted that cable outfits like Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Cablevision Corp. (NYSE: CVC) saw subscriber losses double to 607,000. Cable�� share of the pay TV market has now fallen to 55.3%.

• [By Tom Reese]

  Regional cable TV and Internet provider Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC) on Friday announced better-than-expected third quarter earnings results, reversing a year-ago loss.

  Cablevision’s Q3 Earnings in Brief
  - Net income totaled $294.6 million, or $1.10 per share, reversing last year’s loss of $3.79 million, or -1 penny per share.
  - Revenue rose 1.8% from last year to $1.57 billion.
  - Analysts expected much lower earnings of just 11 cents per share, on matching revenue.

  Latest Dividend Reiterated; Yield Surpasses Peers
  In its earnings release, Cablevision announced it would continue its dividend payout of 15 cents per share. The latest dividend will be paid on Dec. 13 with an ex-dividend date of Nov. 20. The company has not raised its dividend payout since May of 2011.

  Despite the lack of dividend raise, CVC’s dividend yield of 3.84% compares favorably with other stocks in its industry. Time Warner Cable (TWC) offers a yield of 2.2%, while Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) yields just 1.65%. The average dividend yield for S&P 500 companies is around 2.5%, so Cablevision’s yield is well above both its industry average as well as the wider market average. Still, its lofty yield has come more as a result of poor price performance, rather than dividend increases.

  Shares Rise, but Still Tail Indexes
  Cablevision shares rose more than 2% in early trading on Friday, but the company’s stock performance has lagged the wider markets for quite some time. Year-to-date, CVC has gained about 6%, compared with a 24% gain in the benchmark S&P 500 index. The stock was trading around the $38 level as recently as early 2011, so its dividend yield has risen significantly as its stock price plunged to around $16.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States and internationally. Its Publishing segment publishes 83 U.S. daily newspapers with affiliated online sites, including USA TODAY, a national, general-interest daily newspaper; USATODAY.com; USA WEEKEND, a magazine supplement for newspapers; Clipper Magazine, a direct mail advertising magazine; bi-weekly Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek periodicals; and military and defense newspapers. This segment also includes 17 paid-for daily newspapers; approximately 200 weekly newspapers, magazines, and trade publications; and approximately 600 non-daily publications, as well as involves in commercial printing, newswire, marketing, and data services operations. The company?s Digital segment owns and operates CareerBuilder, an employment Web site, which offers online recruitment and career advancement services for employers, employees, recruiters, and job seekers; ShopLocal, which provides multicha nnel shopping and advertising services; Planet Discover, which offers hosted search and advertising services; PointRoll, which provides digital marketing services and technology; and Schedule Star, which offers scheduling solution for high school athletic departments. Its Broadcasting segment operates 23 television stations and affiliated Web sites, which produce local programming, such as news, sports, and entertainment programming. This segment also includes Captivate Network, a national news and entertainment network that delivers programming and full-motion video advertising on video screens located in elevators of office towers and select hotel lobbies in North America. The company has strategic business relationships with online affiliates, including Classified Ventures, ShopLocal.com, Topix, and Metromix LLC, as well as strategic marketing agreement with Microsoft. Gannett Co., Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) will release its quarterly report next Monday, and investors are unusually enthusiastic about the company's prospects. Although a big acquisition raised awareness of Gannett's businesses outside the struggling newspaper industry, it's still unclear how much of a boost it will produce for Gannett earnings growth in the future.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Here's something no one ever said: We don't see enough daily sports coverage, so we need a new website dedicated to cover it.�Yet USA Today, the�Gannett� (NYSE: GCI  ) newspaper dedicated to giving you national news in bite-size snippets and graphics, is launching a new website dedicated to just that. Calling it "For The Win," it expects the new division to attract fans inside and out of sports.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) reported earnings on July 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Gannett (GCI) rose 3.6% to $26.67 after Belo (BLC) shareholders approved a merger of the two companies. Belo’s stock fell 0.6% to $13.72.

  Carnival (CCL) fell 5.3% to $32.70 today, a day after falling nearly 8% on disappointing earnings. Barron’s says it’s time to buy.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Discovery Communications Inc(DISCA)

Discovery Communications, Inc. operates as a non fiction media and entertainment company worldwide. The company provides original and purchased programming across various distribution platforms. Its content covers science, exploration, survival, natural history, sustainability of the environment, technology, docu-series, anthropology, paleontology, history, space, archaeology, health and wellness, engineering, adventure, lifestyles, forensics, civilization, and current events. The company owns and operates nine national television networks in the United States, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Fit & Health, and Velocity. Discovery Communications also has interests in Oprah Winfrey Network, a pay-television network and Web site; The Hub that features original programming, game shows, and live-action series and specials; and 3net, a three-dimensional network. In addition, it o ffers network branded Web sites, and mobile and video-on-demand services; and distributes various national and pan-regional television networks. Further, the company develops and sells curriculum-based products and services to public and private K-12 schools, such as access to an online VOD service that includes curriculum-based tools, professional development services, and student assessment and publication of hardcopy curriculum-based content; and postproduction audio services to motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies, and interactive producers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 150 distribution feeds in 40 languages. The company is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Discover Communications operates as a non-fiction media company worldwide.�The company recently released earning that left investors happy.�The stock has been trending higher over the last couple of years and is currently trading at highs for the year.Earnings and revenue figures have been steadily growing so investors have been very satisfied. Relative to its peers and sector, Discover Communications has been an under-performer leader, year-to-date. Look for Discover Communications to continue to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Julianne Pepitone]

  At $45 a share, Wieser pointed out, Twitter's valuation isn't too far below more established media companies like CBS (CBS, Fortune 500), Discovery Communications (DISCA) and Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Discovery Communications (DISCA) has gained 4.9% to $88.48 after the company reported a profit of 80 cents a share, beating forecasts for 72 cents.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch 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 Associated Press]

  Ron Brown, head of Elektron Analytics, a Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) unit that sells news feeds that computers can read, said that the words "explosions" or "Obama" alone wouldn't have triggered selling. But add "White House," and it's a combination even the slowest computer couldn't miss.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) has acquired Canadian trademark search, monitoring, and screening firm Onscope, Thomson announced Tuesday.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Thomson Reuters (TRI)

  On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

• [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.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)

Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Time Warner Cable provides entertainment, voice, and high-speed data services to a growing customer base in the United States. The company lost 215,000 video subscribers in the fourth quarter. The stock has been pulling back in recent times and is currently trading sideways. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been rising which has produced conflicting feelings among investors. Relative to its peers and sector, Time Warner Cable has been an average year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Time Warner Cable does this quarter.

• [By David Dittman]

  And so will be the proposed $45.2 billion engagement of Comcast Corp (NSDQ: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable Inc (NYSE: TWC) before they can be joined as one.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is reported to be preparing an offer to acquire larger competitor Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) at a price below $135 a share. Time Warner has reportedly indicated that it would likely accept an offer north of $150 a share, so if Charter comes in with its low-ball (a bear hug) offer the primary reason is that it wants to get the ball rolling.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Reese]

  Indeed, in 2013, the Greenblatt-based portfolio has bounced back strong, returning more than 50%. Below is a look at its current holdings.

  EBIX, Inc. (EBIX)
  
  Western Refining (WNR)
  
  DirecTV (DTV)
  
  ITT Educational Services (ESI)
  
  Science Applications International (SAIC)
  
  Weight Watchers International (WTW)
  
  ConocoPhillips (COP)
  
  AmSurg Corp. (AMSG)
  
  PDL BioPharma (PDLI)
  
  AFC Enterprises (AFCE)
  
  

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Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2015: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Having completed its $24 billion acquisition of Virgin Media, cable operator Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA  ) said its board of directors had authorized a $3.5 billion stock repurchase program that it intended to complete over the next two years.