Freddie Mac yearly profit quadruples over 2012

WASHINGTON — Mortgage giant Freddie Mac posted net income of $8.6 billion for the October through December period, its ninth straight profitable quarter. Earnings were boosted by the continued rise in home prices, which reduced the amounts the company had to set aside to cover losses on mortgages.

Freddie's fourth-quarter profit reported Thursday nearly doubled from $4.5 billion in the last three months of 2012.

McLean, Va.-based Freddie said it will pay a dividend of $10.4 billion to the U.S. Treasury next month. Freddie already had repaid its full government bailout of $71.3 billion after paying its third-quarter dividend.

The government rescued Freddie and larger sibling Fannie Mae at the height of the financial crisis in September 2008. Together the companies received taxpayer aid totaling $187 billion.

Freddie said its full-year profit of $48.7 billion for 2013 benefited from the increase in home prices as well as the company having capitalized on the tax benefits of the sour loans it absorbed during the crisis. By applying the tax credits it had saved from its losses on delinquent loans in the third quarter, Freddie reduced what it owed the government and boosted its bottom line by $23.3 billion for 2013.

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The 2013 earnings rose sharply from $11 billion in 2012.

However, Freddie said Thursday that its recent strong level of earnings "is not sustainable over the long term" because the rise in home prices has begun to slow and the use of its tax benefits was an unusual event. Freddie also gained billions of dollars last year from a number of settlements with major banks over soured mortgage securities it bought from them before the crisis.

As the housing market has gradually recovered and made Fannie and Freddie profitable again, they have repaid their government loans as dividends each quarter. Those repayments have help! ed make last year's federal budget deficit the smallest in five years.

Under a federal policy, Fannie and Freddie must turn over their entire net worth above $2.4 billion in each quarter to the Treasury. Freddie said its net worth in the fourth quarter was $12.8 billion.

Washington-based Fannie reported last week that it earned $6.5 billion in the fourth quarter, its eighth straight profitable quarter. Fannie will have repaid its full government bailout of $116 billion after paying its fourth-quarter dividend.

Fannie and Freddie own or guarantee about half of all U.S. mortgages, worth about $5 trillion. Along with other federal agencies, they back roughly 90% of new mortgages.

The two companies don't directly make loans to borrowers. They buy mortgages from lenders, package them as bonds, guarantee them against default and sell them to investors. That helps make loans available.

President Barack Obama has proposed a broad overhaul of the U.S. mortgage finance system — including winding down Fannie and Freddie. The goal is to replace them with a system that would put the private sector, not the government, primarily at risk for the loans.

Jos. A. Bank rejects new Men's Wearhouse offer

Jos. A. Bank didn't like the latest takeover offer from Men's Wearhouse — its board of directors guaranteed it.

The company said Friday that the $57.50-a-share tender offer announced Jan. 6 by rival Men's Wearhouse was too low and recommended that stockholders reject the offer. The proposal, sweetened from an offer late last year, valued Jos. A. Bank at roughly $1.61 billion.

"Our board of directors firmly believes that the Men's Wearhouse offer is inadequate and significantly undervalues Jos. A. Bank and its near- and long-term potential," Chairman Robert Wildrick said in a statement announcing the decision.

"At this time, the company has a well-developed strategy in place to continue to increase revenue, substantially improve margins and deliver enhanced return to stockholders. The Jos. A. Bank Board strongly urges stockholders to reject the offer and not tender their shares."

Men's Wearhouse issued a statement that called the rejection unfortunate and said Jos. A. Bank shareholders should question what it said was its rival's repeated refusal to open discussions on the tender offer.

"Accordingly, we call on the independent directors of Jos. A. Bank to promptly form a Special Committee that will objectively evaluate our offer and sit down with us to begin discussions," said the Men's Wearhouse statement.

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Despite the latest rejection in the on-and-off courtship dance, many analysts have argued that the rivals should join forces because such a deal would create operating synergies and cut costs and ultimately benefit consumers.

But Hampstead, Md. based Jos. A. Bank said its financial advisor, investment bank Goldman Sachs, concluded that the shareholder proposal "was inadequate from a financial point of view to such holders."

Calling the tender offer "opportunistic," the company said the ! bid "does not reflect the significant progress the company has made in recent quarters and its improved financial performance and results of operations."

Jos. A. Bank is continuing to explore acquisitions and other strategic alternatives that the company said would "maximize stockholder value."

"The board believes that its and management's deep industry experience, core competencies and track record enable it to identify and execute acquisition transactions that will create value in excess of the offer price."

Fremont, Calif.-based Men's Wearhouse said it would continue a plan to nominate two independent director candidates for election to Jos. A. Bank's board of directors at the company's 2014 annual meeting.

"Jos. A. Bank shareholders can send a powerful message to their board of directors" by voting for those candidates, said Men's Wearhouse.

Jos. A. Bank shares were down one cent at $56.48 in after-hours trading Friday. Men's Wearhouse shares were down 45 cents at $50.00.

Pedestrians walk by a Men's Wearhouse retail store in San Francisco.(Photo: Justin Sullivan. Getty Images)

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015

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This week, these ten stocks have the worst year-to-date performance. Each of these also rates an “F” (“strong sell”) on Portfolio Grader. Since the beginning of the year, the Nasdaq increased 10.9%, the Dow is up 13.2%, and the S&P has increased 12.1%.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: OncoSec Medical Inc (ONCS)

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, incorporated on February 8, 2008, is an emerging drug-medical device company. The Company focused on designing, developing and commercializing medical approaches for the treatment of solid cancers. In March 2011, the Company acquired from Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Inovio) certain assets related to the use of drug-medical device combination products for the treatment of different cancers.

The Company�� acquired assets relate to certain non-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccine technology and property relating to selective tumor ablation technologies, which it refers to as the OncoSec Medical System (OMS), a therapy which uses an electroporation device to facilitate delivery of chemotherapy agents, or nucleic acids encoding cytokines, into tumors and/or surrounding tissue for the treatment and diagnosis of various cancers. As of January 24, 2012, the Company had not generated any revenue from operations.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bio-Wire]

  Another company that has benefitted from Inovio�� newfound attention is OncoSec Medical (OTC: ONCS) ��a newer ��ffshoot�� company that uses a similar but distinctly different electroporation device known as the OncoSec Medical System (OMS) that is based on Inovio�� technology. The specific amplitude and frequency of the OMS electroporation is calibrated such that plasmid delivery into solid tumor masses is fully optimized, while CELLECTRA electroporation is less specialized and focus more on the vaccination of skin cells. The cross-license agreement made between Inovio and Oncosec also covers the two devices for their distinctly different applications.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  How does the old saying go? Beggars can't be choosers? Two weeks ago, yours truly penned some bullish comments regarding OncoSec Medical Inc. (OTCMKTS:ONCS). The long and short of it was, if ONCS could clear a technical ceiling around $0.36, then life would get much easier for the bulls.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Biogen Idec Inc(BIIB)

Biogen Idec Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hemophilia, and autoimmune disorders in the United States and internationally. Its marketed products include the AVONEX for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS); RITUXAN for treating relapsed or refractory, CD20-positive, and B-cell Non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma (NHL); TYSABRI to treat relapsing MS; FUMADERM for the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients; and FAMPYRA, an oral compound for the improvement of walking in adult patients with MS with walking disability. Biogen Idec Inc.?s products under Phase III consist of PEGylated interferon beta-1a designed to prolong the effects and reduce the dosing frequency of interferon beta-1a; BG-12 for the treatment of MS; Daclizumab, a monoclonal antibody in relapsing MS; Long-lasting factor IX and VIII fusion protein for the treatment of hemophilia B; GA101, a monoclonal antibody for t he treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and NHL; and Dexpramipexole, an orally administered small molecule for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The company?s Phase I clinical trial products include Anti-LINGO for use in multiple sclerosis, Neublastin for use in neuropathic pain, CD40L for use in systemic lupus erythematosus, ANTI-TWAEK humanized monoclonal antibody for TWEAK, and BIIB037 for use in Alzheimer's disease; and Phase II clinical trial product comprises OCRELIZUMAB, a humanized monoclonal antibody for treating CD20. It has collaboration agreements with Genentech, Inc.; Elan Pharma International, Ltd; Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB; Abbott Biotherapeutics Corp; and Vernalis plc. The company was formerly known as IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation and changed its name to Biogen Idec Inc. in November 2003. Biogen Idec Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Weston, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Credit Suisse analyst�Ravi Mehrotra�and team raised Celgene to�Outperform from Neutral, putting it on par with Outperform rated Biogen Idec (BIIB) and�Gilead�(GILD) and a notch above Neutral-rated Amgen (AMGN).�

Top High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc(SVNT)

Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing KRYSTEXXA, a biologic PEGylated uricase in the United States. The KRYSTEXXA is being developed as a treatment for chronic gout in patients refractory to conventional therapy. The company also sells and distributes branded and generic versions of oxandrolone, a drug used to promote weight gain following involuntary weight loss. It sells its products directly to drug wholesalers. The company, formerly known as Bio-Technology General Corp. and changed its name to Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in June 2003. Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  It's still too soon to say Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:SVNT) is off and running. In fact, the stock's decidedly NOT off and running yet. But, it's not too soon to put SVNT on your watchlist of potential breakout candidates, as it's much closer to a breakout than most anyone can see.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Celgene Corp (CELG.O)

Celgene Corporation is a global biopharmaceutical company primarily engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies designed to treat cancer and immune-inflammatory related diseases. The Company is engaged in the research and development, which is designed to bring new therapies to market, and is engaged in research in several scientific areas that may deliver therapies, focusing areas, such as intracellular signaling pathways in cancer and immune cells, immunomodulation in cancer and autoimmune diseases, and therapeutic application of cell therapies. The Company�� primary commercial stage products include REVLIMID, VIDAZA, THALOMID, ABRAXANE and ISTODAX. Additional sources of revenue include a licensing agreement with Novartis, which entitles it to royalties on FOCALIN XR and the entire RITALIN family of drugs, the sale of services through its Cellular Therapeutics subsidiary and other miscellaneous licensing agreements. In March 2012, it acq uired Avila Therapeutics.

The Company invests in research and development, and the drug candidates in its pipeline at various stages of preclinical and clinical development. These candidates include pomalidomide and apremilast, its oral anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents, PDA-001, its cellular therapy, oral azacitidine, CC-223 and CC-115 for hematological and solid tumor malignancies, CC-122, its anti-cancer pleiotropic pathway modifier, and ACE-011 and ACE-536 biological products for anemia in several clinical settings of unmet need. Celgene product candidates include Pomalidomide (CC-4047), Oral Anti-Inflammatory: Apremilast (CC-10004), CC-11050, Kinase Inhibitors:Tanzisertib (CC-930), Cellular Therapies: PDA-001, Activin Biology: Sotatercept (ACE-011) ACE-536, and Anti-tumor Agents: CC-22, CC-115, CC-122 and Oral Azacitidine. It owns and operates a manufacturing facility in Zofingen, Switzerland. The Company also owns and operates a drug product manufac turing facility in Boudry, Switzerland.

Comme! rc! ial Stage Products

REVLIMID (lenalidomide) is an oral immunomodulatory drug marketed in the United States and many international markets, in combination with dexamethasone, for treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. It is also marketed in the United States and certain international markets for the treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia due to low- or intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with a deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality with or without additional cytogenetic abnormalities. REVLIMID is distributed in the United States through contracted pharmacies under the RevAssist program, which is a risk-management distribution program. Internationally, REVLIMID is distributed under mandatory risk-management distribution programs.

REVLIMID continues to be evaluated in numerous clinical trials worldwide either alone or in combination with one or more other therapies in the tre atment of a range of hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MDS) various lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) other cancers and other diseases. VIDAZA (azacitidine for injection) is a pyrimidine nucleoside. VIDAZA is a Category 1 recommended treatment for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS and is marketed in the United States for the treatment of all subtypes of MDS. In Europe, VIDAZA is marketed for the treatment of intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 30% blasts and has been granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of MDS and AML.

THALOMID (thalidomide) is marketed for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and for the acute treatment of the cutaneous manifestations of moderate to severe erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) an inflammatory complication of leprosy and as maintenance therapy for prevention and suppression of the cutaneous manifestation of ENL recurrence. THALOMID is distributed in the United States under its ! Syste! m ! for Tha! lidomide Education and Prescribing Safety (S.T.E.P.S.) program. Internationally, THALOMID is also distributed under mandatory risk-management distribution programs. ABRAXANE (paclitaxel albumin-bound particles for injectable suspension) is a solvent-free chemotherapy treatment option for metastatic breast cancer, which was developed using its nab technology platform. This protein-bound chemotherapy agent combines paclitaxel with albumin. As of December 31, 2011, ABRAXANE was in various stages of investigation for the treatment of expanded applications for metastatic breast; non-small cell lung; malignant melanoma; pancreatic; bladder and ovarian.

ISTODAX (romidepsin) has received orphan drug designation for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's T-cell lymphomas, which includes CTCL and PTCL. The Company has licensed the worldwide rights (excluding Canada) regarding certain chirally pure forms of methylphenidate for FOCALIN and FOCALIN XR to Novartis. It also licensed t o Novartis the rights related to long-acting formulations of methylphenidate and dex-methylphenidate products which are used in FOCALIN XR and RITALIN LA.

Preclinical and Clinical-Stage Pipeline

The product candidates in the Company�� pipeline are at various stages of preclinical and clinical development. Pomalidomide is a small molecule that is orally available and modulates the immune system and other biologically important targets. Pomalidomide is being evaluated in a phase III clinical trial for the treatment of myelofibrosis and a phase III clinical trial evaluating pomalidomide as a treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma is accruing patients.

The Company is developing a product, ORAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS, which is orally available small molecules that target PDE4, an intracellular enzyme that modulates the production of multiple pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, including interleukin -2 (IL-2), IL-10, IL-12, IL-23, INF-gamma, TNF-a,! leukotri! en! es, and n! itric oxide synthase. Its investigational drug, apremilast (CC-10004), is used for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis and is being evaluated in a phase II trial for rheumatoid arthritis and six phase III multi-center international clinical trials. In addition, it is investigating its oral PDE4 inhibitor, CC-11050, which is an anti-inflammatory compound that treat a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE).

The Company�� oral kinase inhibitor platform includes inhibitors of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) mTOR kinase, spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) c-fms tyrosine kinase (c-FMS) and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNAPK). Its oral Syk, c-FMS and DNAPK kinase inhibitors are being investigated in pre-clinical studies. The Company�� new second generation JNK inhibitor, tanzisertib (CC-930), is being evaluated in a phase II trial for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosi s and a phase II trial for the treatment of discoid lupus is accruing patients. Amrubicin is a third-generation fully synthetic anthracycline molecule with potent topoisomerase II inhibition.

At Celgene Cellular Therapeutics (CCT), it is researching stem cells derived from the human placenta, as well as from the umbilical cord. CCT is the Company�� research and development division. Stem cell based therapies provide disease-modifying outcomes for serious diseases, which lack adequate therapy. It has developed technology for collecting, processing and storing placental stem cells with broad therapeutic applications in cancer, auto-immune diseases, including Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders, including stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), graft-versus-host disease, and other immunological / anti-inflammatory, rheumatologic and bone disorders.

The Company has collaborated with Acceleron Pharma, Inc. (Acceleron) to develop sotatercept. Two phase I clinical s! tudies ha! ve been! complete! d. An additional phase II clinical study has been initiated and is ongoing related to treatments for end-stage renal anemia and to evaluate effects on red blood cell mass and plasma volume.

The Company competes with Abbott Laboratories, Amgen Inc. (Amgen), AstraZeneca PLC., Biogen Idec Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Eisai Co., Ltd., F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, Merck and Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Takeda).

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Gentium SpA(GENT)

Gentium S.p.A., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and manufacture of its primary product candidate, defibrotide, an investigational drug based on a mixture of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA extracted from pig intestines. It develops defibrotide for the treatment and prevention of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), a condition that occurs when veins in the liver are blocked as a result of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation, that are administered prior to stem cell transplantation. The company has completed a Phase III clinical trial of defibrotide for the treatment of severe VOD in the United States, Canada, and Israel; and a Phase II/III pediatric trial in Europe for the prevention of VOD. It also offers sulglicotide that is developed from swine duodenum, and has ulcer healing and gastrointestinal protective properties in South Korea; and urokinase, which is made from human urine to treat various vascular disorders, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. The company was formerly known as Pharma Research S.r.L. and changed its name to Gentium S.p.A. in July 2001. Gentium S.p.A. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Villa Guardia, Italy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Oberweis]

  Gentium Spa (GENT) is focused on the development and commercialization of its leading product, defibrotide, to treat certain complications arising from chemotherapy, and bone marrow and stem cell transplantation therapy.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals Public Limited Company (NASDAQ: JAZZ) got a boost, shooting up 7.77 percent to $123.65 after the company announced its plans to buy Gentium SpA (NASDAQ: GENT) for around $1 billion.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Merck & Company Inc.(MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. provides various health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. The company?s Pharmaceutical segment provides human health pharmaceutical products, such as therapeutic and preventive agents for the treatment of human disorders in the areas of bone, respiratory, immunology, dermatology, cardiovascular, diabetes and obesity, infectious diseases, neurosciences and ophthalmology, oncology, vaccines, and women's health and endocrine. This segment also offers human health vaccines, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines. Its Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets animal health products. This segment offers antibiotics, anti-inflammatory products, vaccines, products for the treatment of fertility disorders, and parasiticides for cattle, swine, horses, poultry, dogs, cats, salmons, and fish. The Consumer Care segment develops, manufac tures, and markets over-the-counter, foot care, and sun care products. Its over-the-counter product line includes non-drowsy antihistamines; treatment for occasional constipation; decongestant-free cold/flu medicine for people with high blood pressure; nasal decongestant spray; and treatment for frequent heartburn. This segment?s foot care products comprise topical antifungal, and foot and sneaker odor/wetness products; and sun care products include sun care lotions, sprays and dry oils; and sunburn relief products. The company serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies, physicians, physician distributors, veterinarians, animal producers, and managed health care providers, as well as food chain and mass merchandiser outlets in the United States and Canada. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Pharmaceutical giant�Merck� (NYSE: MRK  ) �doesn't have the goods for what ails you this quarter. First-quarter earnings came up short of top-line consensus estimates by Capital IQ analysts, even as it beat on the bottom line. Even so, it had to lower guidance for the full year as competition from generic drugs continue to sap its strength.

• [By Sean Williams]

  The next step in lung cancer care treatment may come from the likes of Bristol-Myers Squibb's�nivolumab or Merck's (NYSE: MRK  ) lambrolizumab. Both of these drugs are known as PD-1 inhibitors which have shown reasonably high overall response rates in clinical trials ��40% for nivolumab and 38% for lambrolizumab ��and could represent the next treatment pathway for lung cancer patients. Nivolumab is currently in six in late-stage trials, including the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer, while Merck's lambrolizumab has received the rare breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA, which could help streamline its approval if it continues to provide a huge statistical benefit in trials over existing treatments.�

• [By John Kell]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Aramark Holdings Corp.(ARMK), C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.(CHRW) and Merck(MRK) & Co.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Provectus Pharmaceuticals Inc (PVCT)

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., incorporated on May 1, 1978, is a development-stage pharmaceutical company that is primarily engaged in developing ethical pharmaceuticals for oncology and dermatology indications. The Company develops and focuses to license or market and sells its two prescription drug candidates, PV-10 and PH-10. The Company has transferred all its intellectual property related to over the counter (OTC) products and non-core technologies to its subsidiaries and designated, such subsidiaries as non-core to its primary business of developing its oncology and dermatology prescription drug candidates. The Company focuses on developing its prescription drug candidates PV-10 and PH-10. The Company is developing PV-10 for treatment of several life threatening cancers, including metastatic melanoma, liver cancer, and breast cancer. The Company is developing PH-10 to provide minimally invasive treatment of chronic severe skin afflictions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema. All of the Company's prescription drug candidates are in either the pre-clinical or clinical trial stage.

PV-10

As of December 31, 2011, the Company is developing PV-10, a sterile injectible form of rose bengal disodium (Rose Bengal), for direct injection into tumors. Its PV-10 is retained in diseased or damaged tissue but dissipates from healthy tissue. The Company had conducted Phase I and Phase IIstudies of PV-10 for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, and Phase I studies of PV-10 for the treatment of liver and breast cancers.

PH-10

The Company�� prescription drug candidate PH-10 is an aqueous hydrogel formulation of Rose Bengal for topical administration to the skin. The Company is developing PH-10 for the treatment of cutaneous skin disorders, specifically psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. In August 2011, the Company completed follow-up of all Phase IIc patients.

Over-the-Counter Pharmaceuticals

The Company had desi! gnated its subsidiary that holds its OTC products, GloveAid and Pure-ific, Pure-Stick, Pure N Clear as non-core. The Company�� GloveAid is a hand cream with both antiperspirant and antibacterial properties, for the comfort of users��hands during and after the wearing of disposable gloves. Its Pure-ific line of products includes two quick-drying sprays, Pure-ific and Pure-ific Kids, that immediately kill up to 99.9% of germs on skin and prevent regrowth for six hours. Pure-ific products prevent the spread of germs and thus complement its other OTC products designed to treat irritated skin or skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, dandruff and fungal infections. Its Pure-ific sprays have been designed with convenience in mind and are targeted towards mothers, travelers, and anyone concerned about the spread of sickness-causing germs.

The Company�� acne products Pure-Stick and Pure N Clear work by decreasing the production of fats, oils and sweat that create an environment conducive to unchecked growth of bacteria. Secondly, the products also act to reduce the number bacteria already present. The Pure-Stick and Pure N Clear are applied topically to affected areas there are no safety concerns with healthy skin.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: EntreMed Inc (ENMD)

EntreMed, Inc. (EntreMed), incorporated in 1991, is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company. EntreMed's drug candidate is ENMD-2076, an Aurora A and angiogenic kinase inhibitor for the treatment of cancer. ENMD-2076 has completed Phase I studies in patients with advanced solid tumors, multiple myeloma and leukemia and is completing data for a multi-center Phase II study in patients with platinum resistant ovarian cancer. The Company�� other product candidates have includes MKC-1, ENMD-1198 and 2-methoxyestrdiol (2ME2, Panzem) for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

ENMD-2076 is a novel orally-active, Aurora A/angiogenic kinase inhibitor with potent activity against Aurora A and multiple tyrosine kinases linked to cancer and inflammatory diseases. ENMD-2076 is relatively selective for the Aurora A isoform in comparison to Aurora B. Aurora kinases are key regulators of the process of mitosis, or cell division, and are often over-expressed in human cancers. ENMD-2076 exerts its effects through multiple mechanisms of action, including anti-proliferative activity and the inhibition of angiogenesis. ENMD-2076 has demonstrated significant, dose-dependent preclinical activity as a single agent, including tumor regression, in multiple xenograft models (such as breast, colon, leukemia), as well as activity towards ex vivo-treated human leukemia patient cells.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: ViroPharma Incorporated(VPHM)

ViroPharma Incorporated, a biotechnology company, develops and commercializes therapeutic products that address serious diseases in the United States and internationally. It focuses on developing products used by physician specialists or in hospital settings. The company markets and sells Cinryze, a C1 esterase inhibitor therapy for the routine prophylaxis against angioedema attacks in adolescent and adult patients with hereditary angioedema, a life-threatening genetic disorder; and Vancocin HCl capsule, an oral capsule formulation for the treatment of C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) and to treat enterocolitis caused by staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant strains. It also offers Plenadren, an orphan drug for treatment of adrenal insufficiency in adults; Buccolam, a oromucosal solution for treatment of prolonged, acute, and convulsive seizures in infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents; and maribavir, an antiviral compound for the treatment o f CMV disease through a license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline. The company?s primary development programs include Cinryze, a C1 esterase inhibitor for management of hereditary angioedema; and VP 20621, a non-toxigenic strain of C. difficile. Its clinical stage drug candidate comprises VP-20629 for the treatment of Friedreich?s Ataxia. The company sells its products directly to wholesale drug distributors and specialty pharmacies/distributors. ViroPharma Incorporated was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Williamson and Alison Southwick]

  In this segment from Monday's episode, health-care analyst David Williamson discusses Shire (NASDAQ: SHPG  ) , a biopharmaceutical company focusing on rare diseases, that just beat out several rivals with its bid of $4.2 billion to acquire ViroPharma (NASDAQ: VPHM  ) . ViroPharma sells the successful hereditary angioedema drug Cinryze, which is used in prophylactic treatment of the disease. Shire sees this as an immediately complementary fit with its drug Firazyr, which is for patients already suffering from the active disease.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: NeoStem Inc (NBS)

NeoStem, Inc., incorporated on September 18, 1980, operates in cellular therapy industry. Cellular therapy addresses the process by which new cells are introduced into a tissue to prevent or treat disease, or regenerate damaged or aged tissue, and consists of a separate therapeutic technology platform in addition to pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices. The Company�� business model includes the development of novel cell therapy products, as well as operating a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing services to others in the regenerative medicine industry. Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC, the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary (PCT), is a CDMO in the cellular therapy industry. PCT has provided pre-clinical and clinical current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) development and manufacturing services to over 100 clients advancing regenerative medicine product candidates through rigorous quality standards all the way through to human testing.

PCT has two cGMP, cell therapy research, development, and manufacturing facilities in New Jersey and California, serving the cell therapy community with integrated and regulatory compliant distribution capabilities. Its core competencies in the cellular therapy industry include manufacturing of cell therapy-based products, product and process development, cell and tissue processing, regulatory support, storage, distribution and delivery and consulting services. The Company�� wholly-owned subsidiary, Amorcyte, LLC (Amorcyte) is developing its own cell therapy, AMR-001, for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. AMR-001 represents its clinically advanced therapeutic product candidate and enrollment for its Phase II PreSERVE clinical trial to investigate AMR-001's safety and efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack in a particular type of post Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) patients.

Through the Company�� subsidiary, Athelos Corporation (Athelos), the Company is collaborating w! ith Becton-Dickinson in early stage clinical development of a therapy utilizing T-cells, collaborating for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, including but not limited to, graft vs. host disease, type 1 diabetes, steroid resistant asthma, lupus, multiple sclerosis and solid organ transplant rejection. The Company�� pre-clinical assets include its Very Small Embryonic Like (VSEL) Technology platform. The Company has basic research and development capabilities, manufacturing facilities on both the east and west coast of the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  From stem cell burgers to earnings reports, the stem cell industry and small cap players in it like NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX) have been producing some news lately that has probably been overlooked by investors and traders alike given its August. Nevertheless, you might want to pay attention to the following stem cell news:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  NeoStem (NYSE: NBS) priced an underwritten public offering of 5,000,000 shares of common stock at an offering price of $7.00 per share. NeoStem shares dipped 9.44% to $7.10 in after-hours trading.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Prima BioMed Ltd (PRR)

Prima BioMed Ltd is a biotechnology company is engaged in the development and commercialization of medical therapies with a focus on oncology. Its product candidates in development include Cvac, an autologous dendritic cell vaccine for ovarian cancer, monoclonal antibodies for multiple tumour types, and an oral formulation for the human papilloma virus (HPV), vaccine. Its product candidate Cvac is a dendritic cell therapy, for which it is conducting a Phase IIb trial for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Cvac is designed to target the tumour antigen mucin-1, which is expressed at high levels on different tumour types. It also has two preclinical product development programs. In May 2011, Prima BioMed GmbH, a 100 % owned subsidiary of Prima BioMed Ltd, was incorporated in Germany. In May 2011, Prima BioMed Middle East FZLLC, a 100 % owned subsidiary of Prima BioMed Ltd, was incorporated in the United Arab Emirates.

10 Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2015: Organovo Holdings Inc (ONVO.PK)

Organovo Holdings, Inc. (Organovo), formerly Real Estate Restoration & Rental, Inc., incorporated in 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company has developed and is commercializing a platform technology for the generation of three-dimensional (3D) human tissues that can be employed in drug discovery and development, biological research, and as therapeutic implants for the treatment of damaged or degenerating tissues and organs. On December 28, 2011, Real Estate Restoration and Rental, Inc.�� (RERR) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which RERR merged with its, wholly owned subsidiary, Organovo (Merger Sub). On February 8, 2012, the Company merged with and into Organovo Acquisition Corp. (Acquisition Corp.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Organovo, with the Company surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Organovo Holdings (the Merger). As a result of the Merger, Organovo acquired the business of Organovo, Inc.

The C ompany has collaborative research agreements with Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer) and United Therapeutic Corporation (Unither). As of March 31, 2012, it has five federal grants, including Small Business Innovation Research grants and developed the NovoGen MMX Bioprinter (its first-generation 3D bioprinter). The Company is engaged in the development of specific 3D human tissues to aid Pfizer in discovery of therapies in two areas of interest. In addition, in October 2011, it entered into a research agreement with Unither to establish and conduct a research program to discover treatments for pulmonary hypertension using its NovoGen MMX Bioprinter technology. Additionally, under the research agreement with Unither, the Company granted Unither an option to acquire from the Company a worldwide, royalty-bearing license in certain intellectual property created under the research agreement solely for use in the treatment or prevention of pulmonary hypertension and all other lung diseases.

The Company�� NovoGen MMX Bioprinter is an aut! om! ated device that enables the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) living tissues comprised of mammalian cells. A custom graphic user interface (GUI) facilitates the 3D design and execution of scripts that direct precision movement of the dispensing heads to deposit cellular building blocks (bio-ink) or supporting hydrogel. The Company is using a third party manufacturer, Invetech Pty., of Melbourne, Australia, to manufacture its NovoGen MMX Bioprinter. Its bioprinting technology and surrounding intellectual property and commercial rights serve as a platform for product generation across multiple markets that employ cell- and tissue-based products and services.

The Company competes with Organogenesis, Advanced BioHealing, Tengion, Genzyme, HumaCyte and Cytograft Tissue Engineering.

Evening Traders Rejoice! Nadex Adds Nighttime Intraday Nikkei 225 Contracts

The Nadex exchange has just recently added additional binary expirations for the underlying international Indice Nikkei 225. This is great news for evening traders!  Also, if you have a day-time job and are looking for a low-risk way to trade in the evening, this may be a solution for you.

Most markets are known for being pretty flat in the evening, but the Nikkei isn't like other markets. It has great volatility and great trends and reversals. On average, the Nikkei moves approximately 100 ticks per hour! This would be very intimidating to trade the futures markets due to risk of margin calls on big fast moves, but with Nadex spread and binary contracts, all contracts have capped risk.

Related: Using Nadex Spreads To Help You Trade The Australian Dollar CPI News

Here is a chart of the Nikkei 225 over the past week. To ensure you are looking at the correct chart when making trading decisions, it is important you look at the Nikkei 225 at the Singapore exchange (SGX) and not the CME Nikkei 225 listed futures.

As you can see above, the Nikkei 225 is known for having large moves and provides a great opportunity for night-time traders to trade with capped risk. Previously on Nikkei 225, Nadex Japan 225 binaries only had 1 expiration time per day and 1 weekly expiration, but now they have added five additional expiration times in the evening. This makes it even easier to find a binary contract that is right for your trade. The additional intraday binary contracts added by Nadex have the following expirations: Intraday: 7-9 P.M., 8-10 P.M., 9-11 P.M., 10 P.M.-12 A.M., and 11 P.M.-1 A.M, all US Eastern Time.  The Japan 225 binary contracts are a derivative of the Nikkei 225 on the SGX exchange.  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.

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

You could buy a strike above the price risking $5.00 to make $95. Or risking $500 to make $9500.

Examples Of Nadex Trades

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

Learn More About Nadex Binaries

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

If you would like to learn more about trading Nadex binaries, check out this 16 video course, absolutely for free, on Marketfy.

 

Posted-In: NK SGX Nikke 225 NadexBinary Options Education News E

Friday's Top Upgrades (and Downgrades)

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 upgrades for mini-industrialist Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS  )  and for remote computer access specialist LogMeIn (NASDAQ: LOGM  ) but a downgrade for publicly traded soccer club Manchester United (NYSE: MANU  ) . Let's take them one at a time, beginning with...

A seesawing upgrade for Stratasys
Investment banker William Blair's upgrade of Stratasys this morning to market perform starts out sounding pretty optimistic, with allusions to new product launches and business partnerships, "continuing strength in the core business, successful integration of Objet, [and] potential upside to revenue expectations for MakerBot."

It goes down swiftly from there.

Quoted on StreetInsider.com this morning, Blair predicts 20% earnings-per-share growth at Stratasys over the next several years, starting high at 25% in 2014 and tapering afterwards. But the problem with Stratasys remains the stock's valuation. A growth of 20% or 25% implies that a fair valuation for the stock might be somewhere in the mid-20s for P/E as well. But as Blair points out, "[At] $118, shares of Stratasys trade at 54 times our 2014 adjusted EPS estimate of $2.20."

This alone should warn you that the valuation is too rich. By the time Blair reaches its warning that "30 to 35 times [is the] average multiple associated with technology companies that we perceive to have growth, margin, and return profiles similar to Stratasys," it should be clear that 54 times is too high a price to pay. When you further consider that Stratasys is not currently generating any free cash flow whatsoever -- that it's been burning cash for two years straight in fact -- the only question that remains is why William Blair decided to upgrade the stock at all.

Time to LogMe (back) In?
A similarly optimistic write-up for LogMeIn suffers from a similar logic gap. Yes, LogMeIn reported an earnings beat yesterday, topping consensus estimates for Q4 earnings by a penny. Yes, management says that earnings and revenues will exceed expectations in Q1 2014, and for the full-year 2014 as well. But does all of this justify the 26% spike in share price we're seeing today or the upgrade to buy that Needham & Co. just assigned to LogMeIn?

I don't think so, and I'll tell you why not.

LogMeIn's earnings news yesterday has the company losing nearly $8 million for fiscal 2013. Things should improve in the New Year, of course. And already, LogMeIn is generating positive free cash flow at the rate of $19 million annually.

One problem here, though, is that after today's stock surge, LogMeIn shares sell for the Stratasys-like valuation of 53 times free cash flow. (Lacking GAAP profits, LogMeIn has no "P/E.") Given that LogMeIn's projected earnings growth rate isn't any higher than Stratasys's (it's actually about a percentage point lower, according to Yahoo! Finance data), the logical conclusion is that if Stratasys is overvalued, then LogMeIn must be, too.

Needless to say, Needham disagrees with this assessment. Arguing that LogMeIn's forward guidance is "conservative," Needham thinks there's another $6 -- or 14% worth of profits -- left in the stock, and has a $48 price target on LogMeIn shares. However, given the outrage voiced by the company's customers last month over a ham-handed demand that users of its Ignition software pay license fees within seven days or get kicked off the service, and the continued availability of free alternatives for logging into computers remotely, I'm not as optimistic that the company will succeed in its attempt to monetize its software. I'm certainly not optimistic about the stock's valuation -- and won't be following Needham's advice to buy the shares.

Manchester United -- rejected!
British football club Manchester United reported a small earnings beat on Wednesday, earning 12 British pence in its fiscal second quarter. That was flat against year-ago earnings but a penny ahead of estimates and on much stronger revenues as well.

Regardless, the team's inability to improve earnings despite strong revenue growth appears to have discouraged Raymond James. This morning, the investment banker removed its price target from the stock and downgraded Man-U to market perform. Is that the right call?

It's hard to say. Valued on GAAP earnings Manchester United shares sell for less than 12 times earnings, which hardly seems a high price to pay. The real problem with Manchester United, though, is that it's producing exceedingly weak cash profits. Free cash flow for the past 12 months came to just $84 million -- quite a bit less than is claimed on the income statement. Also, the company's ability to grow earnings is very much in question. It didn't grow at all last quarter, after all. Yahoo! Finance estimates suggest earnings might not grow much at all over the next five years, either.

If there's any upside to be found in this story, it's the fact that analysts quoted on S&P Capital IQ see a significantly brighter future for the soccer club, and predict rapid earnings growth of 28% annually on average, over the next five years. If they're right, the stock's still a bargain at today's price. If they're wrong, though, then the stock's a dud -- and Raymond James is right to downgrade.

Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned, and doesn't always agree with his fellow Fools. Case in point: The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Stratasys.

Can Lenovo Find the Answer Google Couldn't for Motorola?

Top Warren Buffett Companies To Watch In Right Now

Alamy Late last month, Chinese hardware giant Lenovo (LNVGY) was the subject of many headlines -- not all of them complimentary -- when it signed a high-profile deal to buy the Motorola Mobility smartphone unit from Google (GOOG). The Asian firm is ponying up a cool $2.9 billion to acquire the business, which is monstrously unprofitable to the tune of a $645 million operating loss in the first nine months of 2013. The market didn't appreciate this. Disturbed by the idea of gallons of red ink spilling from Motorola Mobility onto Lenovo's results, investors traded down the firm's stock by as much as 14 percent after the deal was made public. This might have been compounded by the firm's previous announcement, made only days earlier, that it was spending $2.3 billion to purchase IBM's (IBM) x86 -- read: lower-end -- line of servers. Was such a sell-off, in reaction to either or both, justified? At Home Abroad Lenovo is one of those companies that likes to expand by acquisition. Few Westerners had ever heard of the IT manufacturer in 2005 when it closed its first big buy -- the personal computing division of IBM, for total consideration of around $1.75 billion. The purchase seemed a counterintuitive move when everyone knew that a future stuffed with wireless Internet and portable computing was just around the corner. But guess what? Lenovo not only sold plenty of notebooks and desktops, it managed to grow into the top PC manufacturer in the world. According to figures from Gartner (IT), in Q4 2013 the company was the clear market leader in terms of PC vendor unit shipments. It moved nearly 15 million PCs during the quarter, a figure 6.6 percent higher than in the same period the previous year. This was particularly impressive considering that total shipments for the industry dropped by almost 7 percent over that time frame. Lenovo was able to do this because, for most of its life, it's made big strides in less affluent markets and is continuing to do so. In its most recent quarter, for example, it hit the double digits in Latin America PC market share for the first time in its history. In another first, it climbed to the No. 1 position in big, populous Brazil. Meanwhile, in the Europe/Middle East/Africa region, much of which is populated by emerging economies, Lenovo notched its highest-ever market share. This came in at just under 15 percent, with the company's PC volume up 17 percent on a year-over-year basis. Considering those results, it was a natural next step for the company to advance up the PC food chain to cheap servers. After all, if various up-and-coming markets are still hungry for computers, it follows that they'll also eventually need the servers delivering local websites. But sooner or later, the computer market is inevitably going to dry up in those parts of the world too. And the company is very well aware of this. Hence its new push into the smartphone space. Calling on New Markets As with computers, which Lenovo was selling (largely to the Chinese market) long before the IBM buy, the company has been an active cellphone manufacturer for years. And, as with everything it does, it's put a lot of effort and capital into clawing out market share. In 2012, the company broke ground on a nearly $800 million research/production factory in the Chinese city of Wuhan that can produce 30 million to 40 million smartphones a year. The timing wasn't accidental: 2012 was the year the company began selling handsets outside of China. Size is power, and over the next year Lenovo vaulted into the top three in terms of global vendor sales, climbing over Asian rivals Huawei and LG Electronics to get there. No. 3 ain't a bad place to be, and it's an accomplishment to advance that far. However, given the dominance of the two leads -- Samsung (SSNLF) and Apple (AAPL) -- it was a distant third; Lenovo had a market share of just over 5 percent, less than half of Apple's 12 percent and nowhere in sight of Samsung's commanding 32 percent. Lenovo is determined, and it wants to win. Absorbing Motorola Mobility buys it not only precious percentage points of market share, it also brings it a host of patents along with the fresh technology it'll need to make handsets that can compete with iPhones and Galaxys. Product Shift Shelling out a few billion dollars for its shiny new asset is only the beginning for Lenovo. It's going to have to fight hard to increase that market share, and even harder to break through the Samsung/Apple duopoly. There's a sense of urgency here; its shipments of computers will eventually fall, as they have for the company's main competitors. And they're still too heavy an ingredient in the Lenovo product mix, being responsible for nearly 80 percent of revenue in the most recent quarter (breaking it down, the split was roughly two-thirds notebooks to one-third desktop PCs). But if an investor were to gamble today on Lenovo's chances, the bet would be a rather good one. The company is scrappy, determined, and has proven that it can gain market share in crowded segments and maintain its position. We shouldn't be surprised if it repeats this feat with smartphones.

6 killed in GM cars with faulty ignition switches

At least six people have died because of accidents involving faulty ignition switches in General Motors compacts, prompting the big automaker to recall 778,562 of its 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5 compacts in North America.

Recalls rarely involve flaws that kill people; many are linked with no accidents or injuries.

But some notable recalls in recent years have been connected with deaths, including a Jeep recall last year, Toyota's "sudden acceleration" recalls in 2010 that were blamed in part on driver error and a Honda multiyear recall for faulty airbags.

This recall is for switches that can shut off the car if jarred and the remedy is to replace the switch. It will be difficult to get done because the cars are old enough to be in the hands of second, or even third owners. Industry and safety officials' experience shows that many subsequent owners don't register with automakers, so it's tougher to find them with notice of a recall.

"GM is going to spend a considerable amount of time, money and effort locating and fixing the defective cars," says Kaitlin Wowak, University of Notre Dame assistant professor of management, who specializes in supply chain risks.

GM said it knows of at least 22 accidents linked to the ignition switches in the nearly identical Cobalt and G5. The cars were discontinued years ago but still can be found as cheap used vehicles for low-budget shoppers.

The recall is a black eye for GM, just as it is rebuilding its image now that the government no longer owns any of its stock and its new CEO is the first woman to head a big automaker.

"GM will be dealing with the repercussions for an extended period of time," Wowak says.

In addition to jarring events, heavily loaded key rings and can pull the switch mechanism out of the "run" position into "accessory" or "off," GM says, causing the cars to stall and lose power assist for steering and brakes. In some cases, it also can prevent the airbags from deploying.

GM says the switches may not have met its specifications.

"This latest GM recall involves 22 crashes and six fatalities tied directly to a design issue. Those are the numbers reported thus far, but with over 750,000 affected vehicles it's possible more related incidents will be discovered now that it's a widely reported problem," says Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book:

GM knows of five front-impact crashes and six fatalities in crashes where the front airbags did not deploy, though it said all were high-speed crashes where the probability of serious or fatal injuries was high in any case, the company told Reuters. It also said that alcohol use and not wearing seat belts figured in some of the fatalities.

GM says dealers will replace the ignition switch to remedy the problem. GM is urging owners to take non-essential items off of their key ring until the switch is replaced.

Western Union (WU) Rises Despite Fourth-Quarter Profit Decline

5 Best Casino Stocks To Watch Right Now

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Western Union  (WU) defied typical market trends on Wednesday, rising 2.83% to $16.33 despite the world's largest money-transfer company posting a 27% drop in fourth-quarter profit thanks to larger compliance costs.

The company also announced a $500 million share buyback.

Net income fell to $173.4 million, or 31 cents a share, from $237.9 million, or 40 cents a share, in the same quarter a year earlier. Analysts expected earnings of 32 cents a share in the latest quarter. Revenue declined slightly to $1.42 billion.

The company also said it expects earnings per share of $1.40 to $1.50 for fiscal year 2014, matching reduced expectations from the company's third-quarter report. Must Read: Western Union Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year Results TheStreet Ratings team rates WESTERN UNION CO as a "buy" with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate WESTERN UNION CO (WU) a BUY. This is driven by some important positives, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its expanding profit margins, increase in stock price during the past year and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat weak growth in earnings per share." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Despite the weak revenue results, WU has outperformed against the industry average of 20.5%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 0.9%. The declining revenue appears to have seeped down to the company's bottom line, decreasing earnings per share. 47.11% is the gross profit margin for WESTERN UNION CO which we consider to be strong. Regardless of WU's high profit margin, it has managed to decrease from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of 15.21% trails the industry average. Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the IT Services industry and the overall market, WESTERN UNION CO's return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500. In its most recent trading session, WU has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year. WESTERN UNION CO's earnings per share declined by 13.3% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. Earnings per share have declined over the last year. We anticipate that this should continue in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, WESTERN UNION CO reported lower earnings of $1.69 versus $1.84 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 15.4% in earnings ($1.43 versus $1.69). You can view the full analysis from the report here: WU Ratings Report

Stock quotes in this article: WU 

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- After imploding by more than half from the start of the year, buying J.C. Penney (JCP) may feel like stepping out on railroad tracks and stopping a freight train with your hand.

If you're too early, your account can get trampled faster than you can say "margin call," as many have found out. That's the reason why I've been critical of J.C. Penney, especially after they blindsided investors with a 38% share dilution that sent shares falling to multi-year lows. But as the facts change, so must our opinion.

The financial situation is the same, not much has materially improved, but instead of paying over $10 a share, we can now buy the retailer for under $8.50. In fact, I will show you how you can lower your risk to under $7 a share while leaving room of a possible 10% gain in about three months.

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: Goconnect Ltd (GCN)

GoConnect Limited is engaged in the development of Free WiFi Marketing Platform incorporating uctv.fm Internet Protocol television (IPTV); music production and artist management; Selling of advertising space on the Company�� own online properties, third party websites and multiple Free WiFi incorporating IPTV platforms operated by the Company, and exploring avenues for the provision of technical services on Free WiFi IPTV platforms, The Business Show, and online music talent competitions. The Company�� subsidiaries include GoConnect Australia Pty Ltd, GoTrek Pty Ltd, Undercover Network Pty Ltd, Uctv.fm Pty Ltd, PLW Entertainment Pty Ltd and Asia IPTV Pty Ltd. On June 5, 2012, the Company acquired a 51% interest in First Mongolian Marketing Ltd. In January 2013, the Company acquired a 50% interest in EcoConnect Australia Pty Ltd.

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: Synutra International Inc.(SYUT)

Synutra International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, marketing, and distribution of dairy based nutritional products primarily in the People?s Republic of China. The company offers powdered infant and adult formula products for adults and children under the Super, U-Smart, My Angel, Mingshan, and Helanruniu brand names; prepared baby food for babies and children under the Huiliduo brand name; and nutritional ingredients and supplements, such as chondroitin sulfate, microencapsulated Docosahexanoic Acid, and Arachidonic Acid. It also sells milk powder, whey protein, and raw milk to industrial customers. The company markets its products under Shengyuan or Synutra brands. It sells its products through sales and distribution network covering 30 provinces and provincial-level municipalities in China. Synutra International, Inc. is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Synutra International (Nasdaq: SYUT  ) reported earnings on June 13. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Synutra International missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Synutra International (Nasdaq: SYUT  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on June 13. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Synutra International's revenues will contract -9.1% and EPS will decrease -84.6%.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Platinum Asset Management Ltd(PTM.AX)

Platinum Asset Management is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm launches and manages equity mutual funds and hedge funds for its clients. It invests in public equity markets across the globe. The firm employs a combination of in-house and external research to make its investments. Platinum Asset Management was founded in 1994 and is based in Sydney, Australia.

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: Boise Inc (BZ)

Boise Inc., incorporated on February 1, 2007, is a manufacturer of packaging and paper products, including corrugated containers and sheets, containerboard, protective packaging products, imaging papers for the office and home, printing and converting papers, label and release papers, newsprint and market pulp. The Company operates in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Canada. The Company operates in three segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. The Company�� newsprint is sold primarily to newspaper publishers in the southern and southwestern the United States. During the year ended December 31, 2012, approximately 38% of the Company�� uncoated freesheet paper was sold to OfficeMax Incorporated, its customer.

Packaging

In the Packaging segment, the Company manufactures and sells linerboard, containerboard, corrugated containers and sheets, protective packaging products, and newsprint. Linerboard is a paperboard, which when combined with corrugating medium is used in the manufacture of corrugated sheets and containers. Corrugated sheets are containerboard sheets that are sold primarily to converters that produce a variety of corrugated products. Corrugated containers are corrugated sheets that have been fed through converting machines to create containers, which are used in the packaging of fresh fruit and vegetables, processed food, beverages, and other industrial and consumer products. Stock boxes are corrugated containers manufactured to pre-set dimensions.

Protective packaging products include multi-material customized packaging solutions, which may utilize kraft paper-based honeycomb corrugated packaging, foamed plastics, and air pocket packing materials Newsprint is a paper commonly used for printing newspapers, other publications, and advertising material. During the year ended December 31, 2012, its Packaging segment produced approximately 613,000 short tons of linerboard, and its Paper segment produced approximately 135,000 short tons! of corrugating medium. It manufactures linerboard and newsprint on two machines at its mill in DeRidder, Louisiana. It also manufactures corrugated containers and sheets and protective packaging products at 26 plants located in North America and Europe.

Paper

In its Paper segment, the Company manufactures and sells three general categories of products: communication-based papers; packaging-based papers, and market pulp. Its communication-based papers include cut-size office papers, and printing and converting papers. Its Packaging-Demand-Driven Papers include Label and release papers, Flexible packaging papers, and Corrugating medium. Printing and converting papers are used by commercial printers or converters to manufacture envelopes, forms, and other commercial paper products.

Its packaging-based papers include label and release papers and corrugating medium. The Label and release papers include label facestocks, as well as release liners. The coated and uncoated papers sold to customers create packaging products for food and nonfood applications. Market pulp is sold to customers in the open market for use in the manufacture of paper products. The Company manufactures its Paper segment products at three mills, all located in the United States.

Corporate and Other

The Company�� Corporate and Other segment includes transportation assets, such as rail cars and trucks, which it uses to transport its products from its manufacturing sites. The Company provides transportation services not only to its own facilities but also, on a limited basis, to third parties. Rail cars and trucks are typically leased.

The Company competes with International Paper Company, Rock-Tenn Company, Georgia-Pacific LLC, Packaging Corporation of America, Longview Fibre Paper, Packaging, Inc, Green Bay Packaging Inc., KapStone Paper, TexCorr, L.P., Resolute Forest Product, SP Newsprint Co. and Domtar Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Sterman]

  That was precisely the rationale behind Packaging Corp. of America's (NYSE: PKG) just-announced $2 billion (in cash and assumed debt) acquisition of rival Boise (NYSE: BZ). The deal will create a $6 billion (in sales) behemoth in the cardboard box industry.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Packaging Corp. of America�(PKG) has jumped 6.3% to $57.99 after it said it would buy Boise (BZ) for $1.28 billion. Boise has gained 26% to $12.55.

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: Tinka Resources Limited (TK.V)

Tinka Resources Limited, a junior mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of precious metals or mineral properties in Peru. The company primarily explores for silver, lead, zinc, and copper deposits. It focuses on the Colquipucro silver-lead-zinc project that consists of 46 contiguous mineral tenements covering an area of 10,234.85 hectares and is located in the Department of Cerro de Pasco. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: Green Bankshares Inc.(GRNB)

Green Bankshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for GreenBank that provides commercial banking services primarily in Tennessee. The company offers a range of deposit products, including non-interest bearing and interest-bearing demand deposits, savings deposits, brokered deposits, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, interest-bearing checking accounts, and retirement savings plans. It also provides a portfolio of loan products comprising commercial real estate loans; residential real estate loans, such as one-to-four family, owner-occupied residential mortgage loans; commercial loans for various business purposes consisting of working capital, inventory and equipment, and capital expansion; and consumer loans for personal, family, or household purposes. In addition, the company, through its other subsidiaries, offers consumer finance, sub-prime automobile lending, and title insurance services. As of December 31, 2010, it had 63 Tennessee-based full-s ervice banking offices located in Greene, Blount, Cocke, Hamblen, Hawkins, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe, Sullivan, Washington, Davidson, Lawrence, Macon, Montgomery, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, and Williamson Counties; and 2 full service branches located in Madison County, North Carolina; and Bristol, Virginia, as well as a mortgage banking location in Knox County, Tennessee. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: Snap-On Incorporated(SNA)

Snap-on Incorporated provides tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information, and systems solutions for professional users. Its products include hand tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, ratchets, saws and cutting tools, pruning tools, and torque measuring instruments; power tools, including pneumatic, hydraulic, cordless, and corded tools; and tool storage products comprising tool chests, roll cabinets, and tool control systems. The company?s diagnostics and repair information products include handheld and PC-based diagnostics products, service and repair information products, diagnostic software solutions, electronic parts catalogs, business management systems, business services, point-of-sale systems, integrated systems for vehicle service shops, original equipment manufacturer purchasing facilitation services, and warranty management systems and analytics to manage and track performance. Snap-on Incorporated?s equipment products comprise solutions for the diagnosis and service of automotive and industrial equipment, such as wheel alignment, collision repair, air conditioning service, brake service, fluid exchange, transmission troubleshooting, and safety testing equipment, as well as wheel balancers, tire changers, vehicle lifts, test lane systems, battery chargers, and hoists. The company also provides financial services, including business loans and vehicle leases to franchisees; loans to the franchisees? customers; and loans to its industrial and other customers for the purchase of tools, equipment, and diagnostics products. Snap-on Incorporated sells its products and services through mobile vans, franchisees, company-direct sales, distributors, and the Internet in approximately 130 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Argentina, China, and Brazil. Snap-on Incorporated was founded in 1920 and is based in Kenosh a, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Snap-on (NYSE: SNA  ) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 30 (Q1), Snap-on met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Matt Thalman]

  Another player that operates heavily within this industry, but in a slightly different fashion, announced earnings today. Shares of tool company�Snap-On (NYSE: SNA  ) �rose 7.76% today after beating estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue came in at $797.5 million for the quarter, a 5.9% increase from last year and higher than the $779.5 million analysts were looking for. Earnings per share hit $1.60, again higher than the $1.56 that was expected. One of the areas that management would like to focus on moving forward is expanding its vehicle repair garage, which again would make sense given the average age of vehicles on the road today.�

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Snap-on (NYSE: SNA) shares gained 0.60% to create a new 52-week high of $106.62. Snap-on's PEG ratio is 1.78.

  Posted-In: 52-Week HighsNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: (TORNTPHAR.NS)

Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited engages in the manufacture and sale of branded and unbranded generic pharmaceutical products in India. The company focuses on the cardiovascular, central nervous system, gastro-intestinal, diabetology, anti-infective, and pain management areas. It offers tablets, capsules, and parenterals. The company?s principal products include insulin, lamotrigine, and citalopram. Its active pharmaceutical ingredients comprise nicorandil, risperidone, venlafaxine hydrochloride, ropinarole hydrochloride, duloxetine hydrochloride, ormeloxifen hydrochloride, nebivolol hydrochloride, sertraline hydrochloride, and clopidogrel bisulphate; and Level 1 area products include atomoxatine hydrochloride, rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate, and esomeprazole sodium. The company also involves in the contract manufacture of human insulin for other companies. It exports its products to approximately 50 countries worldwide. The company was formerly known as Trinity Laboratorie s and changed its name to Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited in 1971. Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited was founded in 1959 and is based in Ahmedabad, India.

Best Freight Companies To Invest In 2015: Bigair Group Ltd (BGL.AX)

BigAir Group Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed wireless broadband solutions for businesses and campus environments in Australia. The company owns and operates the fixed wireless Ethernet broadband network that covers Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Darwin cities. It also provides private data links for a wide area network to multi-site businesses, including retailers and national organizations; and high-speed Internet access services. In addition, the company offers outsourced managed Internet services in the tertiary student accommodation market. It provides broadband and data services primarily through its channel partners comprising ISPs, carriers, and other IT service companies. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Surry Hills, Australia.

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Plans for a Bitcoin trading platform sent WPCS International's shares up 20% last night. Beta version released

Contrarian investment strategies for 2014. Emerging markets, TIPS, commodities

Morningstar's stock market outlook points to a thinner crop of opportunities in the year ahead, but sees more room for markets to run. Don't try to time this market

Top 5 Low Price Stocks To Invest In 2015

Pimco's El-Erian warns against getting too excited about the Fed's tapering program. Artificially-inflated asset prices

Britain will be Europe's largest economy in 15 years, but it will still be overtaken by India and Brazil, according a new study. The growth could be even faster if Britain left the European Union

Brace yourself for the Obamacare taxes that will add insult to injury in 2014. Taxed at the plan level and beyond

Delta Airlines plans to honor tickets sold yesterday at accidentally-low fares. Round trip to Hawaii for $6.90

Kudos to companies that got social media right in 2013. Taco Bell does Snapchat

3 Reasons Dr Pepper Snapple Group Will Narrow the Gap with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in 2014

Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS  ) often gets short shrift from observers of the beverage industry. It is a distant third in the cola wars, with Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO  ) and PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP  ) combining for a 70% share of the market compared to Dr Pepper Snapple's 17% share. However, the latter's recent initiatives may enable it to close the gap in 2014.

Dr Pepper Snapple is gaining on Coca-Cola and PepsiCo
Carbonated soft drinks, or CSDs, have been linked to obesity and other unhealthy conditions. At issue is the copious amount of sugar and artificial sweeteners found in the drinks. This has resulted in weak CSD sales volume in 2013 and an uncertain future for the industry in the United States.

Dr Pepper Snapple, however, is convinced that its line of low-calorie beverages -- namely, TEN -- is the answer to the company's woes. The TEN platform consists of 10-calorie versions of its most popular brands, including Dr Pepper, 7UP, and Sunkist. The drinks have the full flavor of the regular drinks and fewer calories.

Although TEN includes artificial sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup and aspartame, it appeals to consumers that fled diet drinks because of their poor aftertaste. A little over half of TEN sales are made to consumers who used to drink diet soda but stopped. This suggests that the TEN platform is a noticeable improvement over traditional diet sodas and a possible avenue for market share growth.

PepsiCo, on the other hand, has struggled to retain its market share amid a challenging environment; its share of the CSD market fell from 31.1% in 2007 to 28.1% in 2012. Coca-Cola also lost market share over this period, falling from 42.8% to 42% according to Beverage Digest. Meanwhile, Dr Pepper Snapple's market share grew from 15% in 2007 to 16.8% in 2012, although the bulk of those gains came in 2009.

Source: Beverage Digest

If the TEN platform can draw drinkers of Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, and Diet Mountain Dew, then Dr Pepper Snapple is in position to narrow the gap between the company and its larger rivals.

Dr Pepper Snapple institutes Rapid Continuous Improvement
There is only so much Dr Pepper Snapple can do about its revenue, but it has significant control over its cost structure. In February 2011, the company began implementing a program called Rapid Continuous Improvement, or RCI. The point of the program is to streamline Dr Pepper Snapple's operations and eliminate waste.

In addition to optimizing distribution logistics, RCI enhances inventory management by syncing production and distribution with customer traffic patterns. Customer traffic fluctuates in more-or-less predictable patterns throughout the month based on when people receive their paychecks and other factors. Traditionally, merchandisers had not accounted for these fluctuations, but now Dr Pepper Snapple is accounting for them. As a result of these efforts, the company has tuned production to a level where it can meet demand without carrying excessive inventory.

Source: Morningstar, SEC Filings, author's calculations

If RCI continues to increase efficiencies at Dr Pepper Snapple, the company will generate more free cash flow to support a more aggressive balance sheet.

Latin America and beyond present long-term growth opportunity
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo own global brands with worldwide distribution systems. Dr Pepper Snapple, on the other hand, has only dipped its toe into international waters. The company's Latin America segment represented just 7.6% of its overall sales through the first three quarters of 2013, but that was up from 6.9% in 2012.

The Latin America segment includes Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. It is fully integrated, meaning Dr Pepper Snapple manufactures, bottles, and distributes most of its products in the region. An integrated model can be advantageous once the distribution network reaches scale, but it is a capital-intensive endeavor that takes time to develop.

It cost $157 million to build the company's two wholly owned bottling facilities in Mexico -- that is more than one-third of the segment's total sales. After you add the distribution centers and fleet of delivery vehicles, it comes out to a lot of capital required to operate the system.

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Own Right Now

Despite the low returns on capital, Dr Pepper Snapple's determination to build its own bottling and distribution system will help wean the company off of third-party distribution systems, namely those of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The two soft drink giants account for half of Dr Pepper Snapple's net sales in the beverage concentrates segment, or about 10% of its total sales. The company also partners with local entrepreneurs that build the system outside of the company, reducing Dr Pepper Snapple's capital outlay.

Regardless of how Dr Pepper Snapple chooses to expand, its brands have global potential similar to those of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, so it has a long runway for growth beyond its current markets.

Bottom line
Dr Pepper Snapple is doing well in a poor environment. It will always play third wheel to Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, but product innovation, cost reductions, and future growth put the company on a path to narrow the gap.

1 stock will dominate in 2014
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Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now

In the following video, Motley Fool energy analysts Joel South and Taylor Muckerman discuss another solid quarter for U.S. pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD  ) , in which the company increased its distributions for the 35th straight quarter. Joel gives investors several metrics to show not only that the company can continue to support strong dividend growth, but also that its solid backlog and low financing costs mean great prospects for continued, strong growth. He then discusses why Enterprise is a buy, even a better one than some of its high-growth pipeline contemporaries.

The growing production of natural gas from hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling is flooding the North American market and resulting in record-low prices for natural gas. Enterprise Products Partners, with its superior integrated asset base, can profit from the massive bottlenecks in takeaway capacity by taking on large-scale projects. To help investors decide whether Enterprise Products Partners is a buy or a sell today, click here now to check out The Motley Fool's brand-new premium research report on the company.

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: JAKKS Pacific Inc.(JAKK)

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. designs, produces, markets, and distributes toys and consumer products worldwide. The company offers traditional toys and electronics, such as action figures and accessories, including licensed characters under Pokemon name; toy vehicles and accessories under Road Champs, Fly Wheels, and MXS names; electronics products under EyeClops Bionic Eye, Laser Challenge, and Plug It In & Play TV Games names; dolls and accessories, including small and large dolls, fashion dolls, and baby dolls under Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cabbage Patch Kids, Taylor Swift, Fancy Nancy, Hello Kitty, Graco, and Fisher Price names; private label products; pet products, including toys, consumables, and accessories under American Kennel Club and The Cat Fanciers? Association; and vehicles, play sets, plush products, construction toys, and infant and pre-school toys. It also offers role play, novelty, and seasonal toys, including food play and activity kits under Girl Gourmet, Creepy Crawlers, and BloPens names; role-play, dress-up, pretend play, and novelty products for boys and girls under Black & Decker, McDonald?s, Dirt Devil, Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Barbie, and Dora the Explorer names; indoor and outdoor kids? furniture, activity trays, tables and room d Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  JAKKS Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK  ) shares, for instance, were massacred last week after it lowered its full-year sales guidance by more than 10%, revised its full-year forecast from a modest profit to a hefty loss, and suspended its quarterly dividend indefinitely. Without its Pokemon licensing, JAKKS is struggling to find new sources of revenue growth.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One under-$10 toy player that's trending very close to triggering a major breakout trade is Jakks Pacific (JAKK), which is a producer and marketer of children's toys and other consumer products. This stock has been destroyed by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 60%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Jakks Pacific, you'll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last two months and change, with shares plunging from its high of $11.75 to its recent low of $4.82 a share. During that downtrend, shares of JAKK have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of JAKK look like they might be ready to see an end to its downside volatility in the short-term if the recent lows can hold. I believe this due to the fact that JAKK has started to move sideways and trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in JAKK if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $5.08 to $5.27 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 695,817 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then JAKK will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.68 to its 50-day moving average at $6.07 a share. Any high-volume move above its 50-day will then put $7 to $8 into range for shares of JAKK.

  Traders can look to buy JAKK off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $4.87 to $4.82 a share. One can also buy JAKK off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Chandan Dubey]

  Background: Jakks Pacific (JAKK) is a company which I started following after it was suggested as a special situation by Adib Motiwala [gurufocus]. Oaktree Capital approached Jakks with an interest to acquire it at $20 a share. The company was trading at around $15 at that time. In September 2011, Oaktree went public with the offer but Jakks management adopted poison pill in an attempt to rebuff the plan [bloomberg]. The company now trades at $5 and change. The question is, is it cheap enough to buy?

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc.(JAKK) posted better-than-expected results, including revenue not falling as much as feared and profit surprisingly rising. Shares surged 22% to $6.03 premarket.

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd.(RNR)

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States and internationally. The company offers property catastrophe reinsurance products, including catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance, excess of loss retrocessional reinsurance, and insurance-linked securities; and specialty reinsurance products, such as catastrophe exposed workers? compensation, surety, terrorism, energy, aviation, crop, political risk, trade credit, financial, mortgage guarantee, catastrophe-exposed personal lines property, casualty clash, other casualty lines, and other specialty lines of reinsurance. It also provides various insurance products consisting of commercial property, including catastrophe-exposed commercial property products; commercial multi-line comprising commercial property and liability coverage, such as general liability, automobile liability and physical damage, building and contents, and professional liability; and personal lines property, including homeowners personal lines property coverage and catastrophe exposed personal lines property coverage. The company offers its products and services primarily through intermediaries. RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Sterman]

  Lastly, conservative investors may want to check out Renaissance Reinsurance (NYSE: RNR) which has been buying back shares for seven straight years, reducing the share count by 30% in that time. The newly announced buyback plan, which could absorb up to 13% of the additional share count, is a primary focus now. But when share buybacks are no longer the focus, then robust dividend growth will likely be the norm as this company can afford to support a $4.50 a share dividend (equating to a 5% yield) while still keeping the payout ratio below 50%.

Best Growth Stocks To Buy For 2015: AGCO Corporation (AGCO)

AGCO Corporation manufactures and distributes agricultural equipment and related replacement parts worldwide. The company provides tractors, including compact tractors for small farms and specialty agricultural industries comprising dairies, landscaping, and residential areas; utility tractors, such as two-wheel and all-wheel drive versions for small and medium-sized farms, and specialty agricultural industries consist of dairy, livestock, orchards, and vineyards; and horsepower tractors for large farms and on cattle ranches for hay production. It also offers application equipment, which includes self-propelled, three and four-wheeled vehicles, and related equipment for use in the application of liquid and dry fertilizers, and crop protection chemicals; chemical sprayer equipment for planting crops; and related equipment that comprises vehicles for waste application, as well as provides combines. In addition, the company offers hay tools and forage equipment consisting rou nd and rectangular balers, self-propelled windrowers, disc mowers, spreaders and mower conditioners for harvesting and packaging vegetative feeds; and engines, such as diesel engines, gears, and generating sets. Further, it provides implements, including disc harrows for improving field performance; heavy tillage to break up soil and mix crop residue; and field cultivators for preparing smooth seed bed and destroy weeds, as well as offers tractor-pulled planters and loaders. Additionally, the company provides precision farming technologies to enhance productivity and profitability on the farm; and other advanced technology precision farming products to gather information, such as yield data, as well as offers wholesale financing and retail financing. It markets its products under the Challenger, Fendt, Massey Ferguson, and Valtra brand names through a network of independent dealers and distributors. AGCO Corporation was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mike the PhD]

  Historically the stock prices of Deere (DE) and other agricultural equipment firms and retailers like Case-New Holland (CNH), Titan Machinery (TITN), AGCO (AGCO), Tractor Supply (TSCO), Valmont (VAL), and Lindsay (LNN) have tended to closely track the price of corn. When corn prices go up, farmers tend to make more money, and they spend that money on new equipment from Deere and other firms. This relationship is especially strong for Deere and Corn, but it holds true for all of the stocks above to some extent. (Correlation coefficients between all of the stock prices above and corn are statistically significant to at least the 5% level, see my blog here for more details.)

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Visteon Corporation(VC)

Visteon Corporation supplies automotive systems, modules, and components to automotive original equipment manufacturers worldwide. The company offers a range of electronics products, including audio/infotainment systems and components, such as base radio/CD head units, infotainment head units, audiophile systems and amplifiers, rear seat family entertainment systems, digital and satellite radios, HD and DAB broadcast tuners, MACH voice link technology, and connectivity solutions for portable devices; driver information systems comprising instrument clusters and displays to assist driving; and powertrain and feature control modules, including controllers for fuel pumps, transfer cases, tuning valves, and security and voltage regulation systems. It also provides electronic climate controls, such as single zone manual electronic and automatic multiple zone modules, as well as integrated audio and climate control assemblies; and lighting products consisting of headlamps, stop lamps, and fog lamps. In addition, the company offers integrated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, which include evaporators, condensers, heater cores, climate controls, compressors, air handling cases, and fluid transport systems; and components and modules that provide cooling and thermal management for the vehicle?s engine and transmission, as well as for batteries and power electronics on hybrid and electric vehicles. Further, it provides interior products, including cockpit modules, which incorporate structural, electronic, climate control, mechanical, and safety components; door panels/modules and interior trim products; and console modules, which deliver storage options. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Van Buren Township, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Visteon (NYSE: VC  ) reported earnings on May 9. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Visteon beat expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

• [By David Sterman]

  Auto parts maker Visteon (NYSE: VC) clearly embodies the new thinking about share buybacks. The company announced plans last month to sell its $1.5 billion stake in a joint venture with a Chinese partner. Visteon could have looked to pay down debt or make an acquisition, or simply keep the ($1.2 billion after-tax) proceeds. Instead, almost all of the money will go toward a share buyback that might reduce shares outstanding by 25%.

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: M Health Ltd(MHL.AX)

Orca Energy Limited engages in the exploration and evaluation of minerals, oil and gas, and uranium opportunities in Australia and Kyrgyzstan. The company holds a 22.5% interest in the East Kokmoinok Uranium license in the Kyrgyz Republic; and 100% interest in three petroleum licenses covering an area of approximately 6,000 square kilometers located in the Kyrgyz Republic. It also holds licenses in the onshore Cooper Basin, South Australia. The company was formerly known as Monitor Energy Limited and changed its name Orca Energy Limited in August 2011. Orca Energy Limited was incorporated in 1985 and is based in West Perth, Australia.

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: (RELIANCE.NS)

Reliance Industries Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in India and internationally. It also produces and markets petrochemical products, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, poly butadiene rubber, polyester yarn, polyester fiber, purified terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, olefins, aromatics, linear alkyl benzene, butadiene, acrylonitrile, caustic soda, and polyethylene terephthalate. In addition, the company involves in refining petroleum products, including liquefied petroleum gas, propylene, naphtha, gasoline, jet/aviation turbine fuel, kerosene, high speed diesel, sulphur, and petroleum coke, as well as engages in lubricants and petroleum retail business. Further, it offers chemicals, such as linear alkyl benzene; and polyester and fiber intermediates, such as paraxylene, purified terephthalic acid, and mono ethylene glycol, as well as staple fiber filament yarns, texturi sed yarns, twisted/dyed yarns, stretch yarns, cotton yarns, hollow fibers, secondary reinforcement products, and polyethylene terephthalate. Additionally, the company produces textiles, such as suitings, shirtings, readymade garments, as well as ready-to-stitch, take away fabrics. It also operates retail stores, including food and grocery specialty stores; mini hypermarkets; hypermarkets; electronics specialty stores; Apple stores; apparel specialty stores; health, wellness, and pharma specialty stores; footwear specialty stores; jewelry specialty stores; convenience shopping; books, music, toys, gifts, kitchen solutions, furniture, furnishing and home ware, and automotive services and products specialty stores, as well as offers transportation fuels, fleet management services, highway hospitality services, and vehicle care services. In addition, the company focuses on SEZ development and telecom/broadband businesses. Reliance Industries Limited was founded in 1966 and is ba sed in Mumbai, India.

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: American Realty Capital Properties Inc (ARCP)

American Realty Capital Properties, Inc., incorporated on December 2, 2010, is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company owns and acquires single-tenant, freestanding commercial real estate primarily subject to medium-term net leases with credit quality tenants. The Company is externally managed by ARC Properties Advisors, LLC. In February 2013, it announced the closing of the transaction to acquire American Realty Capital Trust III, Inc. In March 2013, it announced that it purchased a TD Bank office building in Falmouth, Maine. In April 2013, it closed lease acquisitions, including nine properties located in four states plus Puerto Rico with approximately 200,000 total rentable square feet. In April 2013, it closed an additional single tenant net lease acquisitions, including six properties leased to four investment grade or credit-worthy tenants, including CVS, Family Dollar, Hy-Vee and Advance Auto. In November 2013, American Realty Capital Properties, Inc acquired CapLease, Inc. Effective January 3, 2014, American Realty Capital Properties Inc, , through its Thunder Acquisition LLC unit, acquired the entire share capital of American Realty Capital Trust IV Inc (ARCT).

As of December 31, 2012, rental revenues derived from investment grade tenants. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned 146 properties, which consists of 2.4 million square feet and located in 26 states, excluding one vacant property classified as held for sale. The Company is holder of 95.9% of the interest in the ARC Properties Operating Partnership, L.P.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Net-lease property REIT American Realty Capital Properties� (NASDAQ: ARCP  ) says that with Capital Lease Funding (NYSE: LSE  ) announcing the expiration of its 40-day "go shop" period and no other buyers being found, it plans to buy its rival sooner than originally intended.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In order to emphasize its successful industrial business, GE has tried to shrink its once-dominant GE Capital unit. Yet the division is so large that it's hard to find viable buyers, and its $50 billion portfolio of credit card loans raises concerns that a buyer would have such a large stranglehold over the industry that it would create systemic risk. GE did manage to sell off some of its net-lease properties to American Realty Capital (NASDAQ: ARCP  ) late in the quarter, as American Realty has been going through a string of acquisitions with the aim of growing its overall business. But with the deal coming out to less than $800 million, GE will have to work harder to divest itself of GE Capital assets if it truly wants to de-emphasize that part of its business.

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Ark Therapeutics Group(AKT.L)

Ark Therapeutics Group plc engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of products in areas of specialist medicine with primary focus on vascular disease and cancer in the United Kingdom and Finland. The company?s late-stage clinical products comprise Cerepro, a novel gene-based product for the treatment of patients with operable high grade glioma, a type of malignant brain tumour. It also develops Trinam (taberminogene vadenovec), a treatment to prevent blocking of blood vessels after surgery. In addition, its gene therapeutics products in clinical development include EG011, which is in Phase I/II clinical study for refractory angina, and EG016 that is Phase I clinical study for peripheral vascular disease in collaboration with the AIV Institute, as well as developing EG013, a preclinical stage product for foetal growth restriction; and EG014, a preclinical stage product for the treatment of cancer. Further, it is developing Neuropilin-1 (NP-1) antagonis t for cancer therapy, as well as other small molecule therapeutics in vascular biology. Ark Therapeutics Group plc was founded in 1997 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

Hot Low Price Companies To Invest In Right Now: Great Southern Bancorp Inc.(GSBC)

Great Southern Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Great Southern Bank that offers various banking products and services in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Arkansas. Its deposit products include regular savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, fixed-interest rate certificates with varying maturities, certificates of deposit, brokered certificates, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises residential and commercial real estate loans, construction loans, and commercial business loans, as well as secured consumer loans, including automobile loans, boat loans, home equity loans, loans secured by savings deposits, home improvement loans, guaranteed student loans, and unsecured consumer loans. It also offers general property, casualty, and life insurance agency services; personal, commercial, and group travel services; and investment and related services. As of April 26, 2011, it operated 75 banking c enters and approximately 200 automated teller machines. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.