Best Growth Companies To Own In Right Now

Some wish that we were tougher on Wall Street in 2008. AIG (NYSE: AIG  ) shareholders were almost wiped out. AIG bondholders didn't get touched. That was dangerous. Bondholders should have taken a hit, they say.

Others counter that making bondholders take a hit would cause a virtual bank run on the financial system. Indeed, there's good precedent for that after Lehman Brothers went bankrupt.

I asked Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel prize-winning economist, to reconcile the two opinions. Here's what he had to say (transcript follows).

Morgan Housel: When I think back to 2008, one example I think of is the Reserve Primary Money Market Fund. It owned some Lehman Brothers' debt. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, and it caused a run on the money market fund, as Reserve Primary broke the book, which instantly overnight caused the corporate credit paper market to freeze up, which had real-world impacts on growth restorers and automakers. So it does seem like 2008 did give us examples of a bank run on debt that had real-world consequences.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Nutrisystem have gained 20% to $18.05 at 1:34 p.m., while Weight Watchers (WTW) has risen 3.6% to $39.42. Medifast (MED), however, has dropped 1.9% to $24.94.

Best Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: Delphi Financial Group Inc. (DFG)

Delphi Financial Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated employee benefit services. The company operates in two segments, Group Employee Benefit Products and Asset Accumulation Products. The Group Employee Benefit Products segment provides disability, group life, and excess workers? compensation insurance products to small and mid-sized employers. It also offers travel accident, voluntary accidental death and dismemberment, group dental, and limited benefit health insurance products, as well as assumed workers? compensation and casualty reinsurance. This segment markets its group products to employer-employee groups and associations in various industries primarily through independent brokers and agents. The Asset Accumulation Products segment primarily offers fixed annuities, such as single premium deferred annuities, flexible premium annuities, and multi-year interest guarantee products to individuals through networks of independent insurance agen ts. The company also provides integrated disability and absence management services, including event reporting, leave of absence management, claims and case management, and return to work management. Delphi Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Wilmington, Delaware.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Some of Elliott Management�� top equity positions in the first quarter 2012 are Brocade Communications Systems (BRCD), Delphi Automotive (DFG), Iron Mountain (IRM) and News Corp. (NWS).

Best Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The day’s winners include Nordstrom (JWN), which gained 3.4% to $60.79 and is scheduled to report earnings on Thursday, and Mosaic (MOS), which jumped 3.2% to $43.85 and continued its strong showing following a Friday upgrade.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  They also drove up the share prices of its suppliers and department store rivals. Nordstrom (JWN) and Kohl�� Corp. (KSS ), both reporting Thursday, rose more than 2% each. Its suppliers Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL) and Calvin Klein parent PVH Corp. (PVH) saw their shares up 2% and 4% each.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Not that the actual service Kmart is providing is unique, mind you. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT  ) offers a free ship-to-store feature, as do J.C. Penney,�Radio Shack, Toys R Us,�Nordstrom� (NYSE: JWN  ) , and a number of other retailers. Actually, so committed to customer service is Nordstrom that it's even had employees drive items to a customer's house at no charge to ensure they get it.�

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Nordstrom (JWN) gained 15% this week after beating earnings and announcing that it would try to sell its credit card receivables, while Fossil Group (FOSL) plunged 7.8% to $101.90 after offering disappointing guidance, making it the benchmark’s biggest loser. Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR) gained 5.5% after Coca-Cola (KO) upped its stake in the company.

Best Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  JPMorgan Chase (JPM) dropped 7.5% to $55.30 this week–making it the Dow’s big loser–after missing earnings forecasts, while Pfizer (PFE) dropped 7.2% to $29.86. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) plummeted 13% to $439.63 after it said it miss first-quarter revenue forecasts. AbbVie (ABBV), meanwhile, plunged 11% to $46.46 after Merck’s (MRK) competing hepatitis C drug worked well in a trial. Merck fell 0.4% to $55.92 this week.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Providing disappointing numbers before the fact can be a good strategy as long as a company does a good job of setting the right expectations. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) clearly didn’t.

Best Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rustic Nomad]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), a Minneapolis-based restaurant chain, recently declared its fourth-quarter financial results and they were not impressive. Amid tough competition from its rivals such as Dine Equity (DIN) and McDonald�� (MCD), analysts were expecting better financial results, which the company failed to provide.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, restaurant operator Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking. �

Hot Defense Companies To Own For 2014

While financial planning for same-sex couples living in a state that recognizes their marriage just got easier with the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act Wednesday, advisors and attorneys say lots of same-sex planning issues remain unresolved.

The benefit of the Supreme Court striking down DOMA “is still pretty narrow,” says Anna Pfaehler, a CFP and advisor at Palisades Hudson Financial Group in Scarsdale, N.Y., who advises same-sex couples.

While the high court’s striking down of DOMA gives same-sex couples who marry the same federal benefits as straight couples, the ruling also preserved individual state laws on the issue, Pfaehler notes.

“For some very basic cases” the Supreme Court’s decision “makes financial planning easier,” but “it didn’t solve a lot of the problems [involved] with more difficult” same-sex planning cases, Pfaehler says. Planning for same-sex couples is “still kind of a mess.”

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Watch In Right Now: Implant Sciences Corp (IMSC)

Implant Sciences Corporation (Implant Sciences), incorporated in August 31,1984, develops, manufactures and sells sensors and systems for the security, safety and defense (SS&D) industries. Its technologies are used worldwide in security and inspection applications. Implant Sciences has developed technologies used in explosives trace detection (ETD), and and narcotics trace detection (NTD) applications and market and sell handheld ETD and benchtop ETD and NTD systems that use its technologies. The systems are used by private companies and Government agencies to screen baggage, cargo, vehicles, other objects and people for the detection of trace amounts of explosives. Implant Sciences have developed explosives detection systems designed for use in aviation and transportation security, high threat facilities and infrastructure, military installations, customs and border protection, and mail and cargo screening. The systems use the Quantum Sniffer technologies, including photon-based, non-radioactive ion source in combination with ion mobility spectrometry, a detection tool sensitive to the speeds with which ions of various substances move through the air to electronically detect minute quantities of explosives vapor and particles.

Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 Portable Explosives Detector

The Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 Portable Explosives Detector employs a vortex collector for the simultaneous detection of explosives particulates and vapors with or without physical contact and in real-time. The QS-HS150 can detect vapors and nanogram quantities of explosives particulates for explosives substances considered to be threats. The substances include military and commercial explosives, improvised and homemade explosives, and propellants and taggants.

The QS-H150 has automatic and continuous self-calibration. It monitors its environment, senses changes that would affect its accuracy, and re-calibrates accordingly. The system requires no user intervention and no calibration cons! umables. The detection process begins with the collection of a sample with its vortex collector. After collection, the sample is ionized photonically and analyzed using ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) technology. The presence of a threat substance is indicated by a visible and audible alarms. The threat substance is then identified and displayed on the integrated liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. When detecting a threat substance, the QS-H150 rapidly alarms. This real-time detection limits equipment contamination and allows for fast clear-down.

Quantum Sniffer QS-B220 Benchtop Explosives and Narcotics Detector

QS-B220 Benchtop Explosives and Narcotics Detector uses dual IMS with non-radioactive ionization for the detection and identification of a range of military, commercial, and improvised explosives as well as narcotics. The QS-B220 uses a sample trap which is wiped on the surface to be interrogated for explosives or narcotics particles.

The QS-B220 has automatic and continuous self-calibration. It monitors its environment, senses changes that would affect its accuracy, and re-calibrates accordingly.

Quantum Sniffer TM QS-Hx Portable Explosives Detector

The Company is focusing in developing a next-generation handheld detector that will use dual IMS non-radioactive ionization for the detection and identification of a range of military, commercial and improvised explosives, as well as narcotics. The QS-Hx will have automatic and continuous self-calibration, multi-level password-protected data security and will include a data management interface with data export to a network for recordkeeping, providing a link with the central command centers and logistics systems used by carriers.

Miniature Mass Spectrometer

The Company�� acquisition of Ion Metrics enabled it to obtain miniaturized quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) detector technology. The QMS detector is roughly the size of an AA battery and has low manufactur! ing costs! . When used in conjunction with an IMS, the QMS detector senses the molecular weight of the chemical species resulting in an orthogonal detection method in which a more fundamental characteristic of a substance is measured. It is developing interfaces for integrating the QMS detector into its future products.

Hyphenated Detectors

Depending on the application and the number of interfering background chemicals, it may be necessary to incorporate additional orthogonal detection methods. The combination of multiple sensors in series is known as employing hyphenated methods. By measuring different properties of the same species, interferents are separated from target species for a deterministic detection and identification and have minimum rates of false alarms. It is developing hyphenated systems employing conventional ion mobility, differential mobility and quadrupole mass spectrometry. As of June 30, 2012, it has one patent issued in real-time trace detection by IMS and QMS and two hyphenated system patents pending.

The Company competes with Morpho Detection, Inc., NucTech Company Limited and Smiths Detection, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  It's not an uncompetitive market. Names like Implant Sciences Corporation (OTCMKTS:IMSC) and NXT-ID (OTCBB:NXTD) are battling in the security and facility-defense arena as well; IMSC makes explosives-detection and drug-detection hardware, while NXTD designs 3D image-rendering software that caters to the unique needs of prison security personnel, though the same technology has been proven in more traditional functions like building-security systems that keep certain people out rather than in. Neither Implant Sciences nor NXT-ID compete directly head-to-head with View Systems, however ... fortunately for them. See, VSYM is considered by some to be the best in the industry.

Hot Defense Companies To Own For 2014: Bulova Technologies Group Inc (BTGI)

Bulova Technologies Group, Inc. (BLVT), incorporated in 1979, operates as a Government contractor in the United States. BLVT�� operating facilities are located in Mayo, Florida. As of September 30, 2011, the Company is focused on Department of Defense contracting. As of September 30, 2011, BLVT operated corporate and administrative offices in two leased facilities, one in Clearwater, Florida, approximating 2,400 square feet, and the other in Brandon, Florida, approximating 5,000 square feet. The Company�� Government contracting business is located on 261 acres owned by the Company in Mayo, Florida, where it operates a load, assembly, and pack facility specializing in fuzes, safe and arming devices and explosive simulators. There are more than 38 buildings on the property consisting of warehouses, storage, and manufacturing facilities. In March 31, 2011, the Company disposed of its subsidiary BT Manufacturing Company LLC. In October 2012, the Company sold Bulova Technologies Ordnance Systems LLC.

Bulova Technologies Ordnance Systems LLC is a load, assembly, and pack facility specializing in fuzes, safe and arming devices and explosive simulators. Bulova Technologies Ordnance Systems LLC produces a range of pyrotechnic devices, ammunition and other energetic materials for the United States Government and other allied Governments worldwide. Bulova Technologies (Europe) LLC is developing a mortar exchange program to facilitate the needs of NATO member countries.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  A quick look at Hybrid Coating Technologies��financials reveals revenues of $48k (most recent reported quarter), $5k, $3k and $53k for the past four reported quarters along with net losses of $821k (most recent reported quarter), $1,571k, $774k and $510. At the end of September, Hybrid Coating Technologies had no cash to cover $4,037k in current liabilities and $1,279k in long term debt. So while the global industrial and specialty coatings market might be worth $35 billion, Hybrid Coating Technologies has yet to grab enough of it.

  Bulova Technologies Group, Inc (OTCMKTS: BTGI) Recently Did a Reverse Split

  Small cap Bulova Technologies Group has an extensive history of large scale Defense Contracts for munitions, weapons systems and combat systems. On Friday, Bulova Technologies Group fell 13.04% to $0.0300 for a market cap of $663,789 plus BTGI is up 29,900% over the past year and down 66.7% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Hot Defense Companies To Own For 2014: Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RYCEY)

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, formerly Rolls-Royce Group plc is a provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air. The Company operates in four segments: civil aerospace, defense aerospace, marine and energy. The civil aerospace is engaged in development, manufacture, marketing and sales of commercial aero engines and aftermarket services. The defense aerospace is engaged in development, manufacture, marketing and sales of military aero engines and aftermarket services. The marine segment is engaged in development, manufacture, marketing and sales of marine propulsion systems and aftermarket services. The energy segment is engaged in development, manufacture, marketing and sales of power systems for the offshore oil and gas industry and electrical power generation and aftermarket services. In January 2013, the Company bought PKMJ Technical Services. In January 2013, Alstom SA acquired Tidal Generation Limited from the Company.

During the year ended December 31, 2010, it acquired ODIM ASA. In June 2011, Daimler AG and Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC had secured around 94% interest in Tognum AG-DJ. In September 2011, the Company acquired R Brooks Associates.

Civil aerospace

The Company�� civil aerospace business provides the powers for 30 different types of commercial aircraft in a range of markets, such as widebody, narrowbody, corporate and regional aircraft. As of December 31, 2010, it had over 13,000 engines in service with 650 airlines, freight operators and lessors and 4,000 corporate operators. Its civil aerospace products include large aircraft engines, small aircraft engines and helicopter engines. The Company�� Trent 700 is an engine on the Airbus A330. The Trent 1000 is powering the Boeing 787 on the aircraft�� flight test schedule. It provides a range of services, such as TotalCare, CorporateCare, helicopters services, financial services, training and technical publications.

Defence Aerospace

The Compan! y is a provider of defence aero-engine products and services, with 18,000 engines in service for 160 customers in 103 countries. It is also the supplier of engines for transport aircraft globally, powering fleets, such as the C-130, C-130J, Spartan C-27 and Osprey V-22. It is also involved in research projects, such as Adoptive Versatile Engine Technology (ADVENT), which is designed to reduce fuel consumption. Its engines power aircraft in all sectors, such as transport, combat, reconnaissance, training, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. The defense aerospace segment of the Company provides engines power aircraft in all sectors, such as transport, combat, reconnaissance, training, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Its products include combat jets, helicopters, transporters, trainers, tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and distributed generation systems. It provides a range of services, such as training, technical publications and service locations.

Marine

The Company focuses on power, propulsion and motion control solutions and serves over 2,500 customers and has equipment installed on 30,000 vessels operating worldwide. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had 650 designed and equipped vessels operating in the offshore oil and gas sector. As of December 31, 2010, it had more than 2,500 marine customers and has equipment installed on over 30,000 vessels worldwide, including those of 70 navies. The energy business supplies gas turbines, compressors and diesel power units. Its products include automation and control, bearings and seals, deck machinery, electrical power systems, engines, gears, propulsors, ship design, shiplifts and submarine equipment. It provides a range of services, such as global support network, spares and tools, field shop services, technical support, training, tailored solutions and upgrading.

Energy

The Company is a provider of gas turbines for onshore and offshore applications. The Company�� energy busi! ness is e! ngaged in two activities: supply power to the oil and gas sector, and the provision of power generation products and services. Its products include gas engines, gas turbine engines, gas compression, diesel engines, fuel cells, and automation and control systems. Its services consist of long term service agreements, component supply and technical support, distributed generation systems and training. During the year ended December 31, 2010, it conducted a range of a tidal power turbine, anchored on the sea bed off the coast of Scotland. During 2010, this had generated 500 kilo-watt at full power and has been successfully linked into the national grid.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  According to the DSCA, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT  ) will be the prime contractor on this sale, which is valued at $588 million. It would involve not only the sale of the planes per se, but also eight Rolls Royce (NASDAQOTH: RYCEY  ) AE 2100D3 engines for the four-engine planes, and two spare engines, plus modifications to be made on the planes, radio equipment and other accessories, technical documentation, three years of training, and related logistics services.

• [By Rich Smith]

  The Department of Defense ended the week with a bang (if you'll pardon the expression) on Friday, awarding no fewer than 29 separate contracts worth more than $951 million in aggregate. Publicly traded companies securing contracts included:

• [By Alan Oscroft]

  Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR  ) (NASDAQOTH: RYCEY  )
  Having reached 1,148 pence this morning to set a new 52-week high, Rolls-Royce Holdings shares are now up 40% since this time last year. That was partly due to a strong 2012, which saw a 22% rise in earnings per share and an 11% rise in the dividend -- albeit with a modest yield of 2.2% on the year-end price.

Hot Defense Companies To Own For 2014: Thales SA (HO)

Thales SA is a France-based provider of integrated solutions and equipment of security systems primarily to the aerospace and defense markets. The Company operates in numerous countries through its divisions, including Aerospace, specialized in onboard equipment, electronics and systems for the civil and military markets; Space, offering solutions combining space and terrestrial technologies; Defence, which designs and delivers systems for all four environments: air, land, sea and space; Security, which offer the emergence of new types of threats from terrorism and organized crime to drug trafficking, mass immigration and cyber attacks; and Transportation, which offers a range of railways signaling solutions and integrated transportation systems, to ensure safe and secure transportation of operators, freight and passengers. In November 2013, it acquired XPI Simulation Ltd. In February 2014, it created a new business line called Critical Information Systems and Cybersecurity. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By USATODAY 8 a.m. EST February 15]

  Alex Pettyfer about to take the wheel of the Maserati Gran Turismo for a joyride with co-star Dayo Okeniyi.(Photo: HO)

  Pettyfer and Okeniyi's character end up joyriding in the car along with Gabriella Wilde, who plays the rich girl falling in love with Pettyfer.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014

The Boeing 777 is one of the safest planes on earth, and the Malaysia Airlines crash Friday should do nothing to tarnish that record -- or that of parent company Boeing -- unless a flaw is found in this incident, business analysts said.

"This is the best international plane ever built yet -- it's got an impeccable track record after 20 years and over 1,200 deliveries," said Richard Aboulafia, vice president for analysis with the Teal Group in Virginia. "It's typically used on international routes and it's established a new standard for international safety."

The crash in the South China Sea with 239 people aboard is Malaysia Airlines' first crash in nearly 20 years.

The Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash that killed three people last July also involved a 777, which struck a seawall and broke apart at San Francisco's airport. But National Transportation Safety Board investigators have focused their attention on pilot training and confusion in that incident.

Best Gas Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Ashland Inc. (ASH)

Ashland Inc. operates as a specialty chemicals company in the United States and internationally. Its Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients segment produces cellulose ethers; and specialty additives and functional ingredients. Its products offer functionality, such as thickening and rheology control; water retention; adhesive strength; binding power; film formation; protective colloid, suspending, and emulsifying action; foam control; and pH stability. The company?s Ashland Hercules Water Technologies segment manufactures papermaking chemicals and supplies specialty chemicals. It offers sizing agents, wet/dry strength additives, and crepe and release additives for tissue manufacturing; and deposit control agents, defoamers, biocides, and other process additives. This segment also provides specialized chemicals and consulting services for the utility water treatment; and performance-based feed and control systems; and monitoring devices and remote system surveillance. Its A shland Performance Materials segment manufactures and supplies specialty chemicals and customized services to the building and construction, transportation, metal casting, packaging and converting, and marine markets. It also offers unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins, and gelcoats; adhesives and specialty resins; and metal casting consumables and design services. The company?s Ashland Consumer Markets segment produces and markets packaged automotive lubricants, chemicals, appearance products, antifreeze, and filters to the private passenger car, light truck, and heavy duty markets. It also operates a quick-lube franchise under the name of Valvoline Instant Oil Change. The company was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Covington, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva] ow such a promising comeback, and the drop in revenue during 2012 was anticipated by investor Jean-Marie Eveillard (Trades, Portfolio), who sold out his 3.9 million share position by the third quarter of that year.

  Another industry giant, Huntsman Corporation (HUN) did show more promising results, and less volatile revenues during these last years. This, of course, has led to a high price to earnings ratio discouraging investors as we see later.

  Geographically Diversified

  On 2012, almost 50% of Eastman sales were generated in North America, while more than 25% were in Asia and 20% in Europe, Middle East and Africa. This diversification is to be taken into account since it guarantees long-term revenue, even if cigarette consumption decreases in some specific region (for instance, American sales declined �in recent years), which would stabilize acetate tow demands worldwide.

  Industrial Background and Gurus��Preference

  Eastman�� earnings per share growth was significantly higher than industry median (46.9% vs. 5.2%) but so was Huntsman��, at 46.5%. The critical difference between these two industry giants stands out by looking at their price to earnings: Eastman�� is below median (16.4 vs. 19.1) while Huntsman rose up to 130.1, thus entailing a significant price premium relative to industry peers��average.

  Although Ashland does have an inferior price to earnings ratio than Eastman�� (11.5), there�� a significant difference in their earnings per share growth: 27%, probably caused by a decline in revenue.

  This might have been one of the reasons that motivated investors David Dreman (Trades, Portfolio) and Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) to significantly reduce their stake in Huntsman (both of them by more than 80% margin). In contrast, Leon Cooperman (Trades, Portfolio) and Scott Black (Trades, Portfolio), reinforced their positions in Eastman. Most notably, Ray Dalio (Trades, Portfolio)

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By GuruFocus]

  George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Jefferies reported on Thursday that it has cut its rating on chemical company Ashland Inc. (ASH).

  The firm has downgraded ASH from “Buy” to “Hold,” and has lowered the company’s price target from $104 to $97. This price target suggests a 9% upside from the stock’s current price of $88.47.

  Analyst Laurence Alexander commented: “Investor confidence in the asset shuffling thesis may not withstand 2-3 more rounds of downward revisions to EPS and FCF forecasts for 2014E-2016E.”

  “Pension headwinds, incentive comp, Valvoline marketing expenses, sluggish end markets: in our view, it all adds up, and makes further multiple expansion more difficult.”

  Looking ahead, the firm has reduced estimates for the fourth quarter from $1.70 to $1.59 per share. For FY2013, earnings estimates have been lowered from $6.25 to $6.15 per share. FY2014 estimates have been cut from $7.45 to $6.75 per share.

  Ashland shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Thursday. The stock is up 10% YTD

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Equifax Inc. (EFX)

Equifax Inc. collects, organizes, and manages various financial, demographic, employment, and marketing information solutions for businesses and consumers. The company�s U.S. Consumer Information Solutions segment provides consumer information services, such as credit information, credit scoring, credit modeling, locate, fraud detection and prevention, identity verification, and other consulting services; mortgage loan origination information, appraisal, title, and closing services; consumer financial marketing services; and identity management services. Its International segment provides information services products, which include consumer and commercial services, such as credit and financial information, and credit scoring and modeling services; and credit and other marketing products and services. The company�s Workforce Solutions segment offers employment, income, and social security number verification services, as well as employment tax and talent management servi ces. Its North America Personal Solutions segment sells credit information, credit monitoring, and identity theft protection products directly to consumers through the Internet and hard-copy formats. The company�s North America Commercial Solutions segment offers commercial products and services comprising business credit and demographic information, credit scores, and portfolio analytics, which are derived from its databases of business credit, financial, and demographic information. It serves customers in financial services, mortgage, human resources, consumer, commercial, telecommunications, retail, automotive, utilities, brokerage, healthcare, and insurance industries; and state and federal governments. The company has operations in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, the United States, and the Republic of Ireland. Equifax Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Atla nta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By U.S. News]

  Alamy Everyone makes mistakes and credit bureaus are no exception. In fact, a Federal Trade Commission study last year found that one in four consumer credit reports contain errors -- these include everything from minor mistakes to outrageous oversights. It's important to know what to look for when you're checking for mistakes in your credit reports. There are three types: identity errors, incorrect account details and fraudulent accounts. 1. Identity errors. The three major credit bureaus are Equifax (EFX), Experian and TransUnion. Each bureau maintains its own database of consumer data, including personal information, account information and payment history. This information is included in your credit reports. From time to time, a credit bureau -- or all three -- will get some information wrong. Some of these errors are minor. For instance, one bureau might have your street address incorrect. It's annoying, but it won't hurt your credit. Other times, it's a more serious error: Your name could become mixed up with someone else's, and you could begin seeing some of his accounts on your credit report. This will affect your credit either positively or negatively, depending on his payment history. 2. Incorrect account details. Sometimes the bank or lender providing information about your accounts to the credit bureaus gets things wrong. On the other hand, the credit bureau could incorrectly process the information provided. For instance, your credit card could be displaying the wrong credit limit, your mortgage might have the incorrect origination date or your auto loan could show as "open" when it's clearly been closed. 3. Fraudulent accounts. This is the most serious error out there, since it means someone has used your identity -- including your name, Social Security number and other personal data -- to open and begin using an account. If there's a line of credit on your credit report that you didn't open, you'll want to move quickly to ensure that th

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Reklaitis]

  Today�� movers & shakers: Retailers have dropped in the wake of disappointing quarterly results or outlooks. Target Corp. (TGT) �was down 4% after posting weaker margins and earnings at its U.S. business, while Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR) �dropped 4% after its earnings fell in the third quarter. Read more in the Movers & Shakers column.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Rowan Companies Inc.(RDC)

Rowan Companies, Inc. provides onshore and offshore oil and gas contract drilling services in the United States and internationally. The company offers its contract drilling services through its fleet of 28 self-elevating mobile offshore drilling platforms and 30 deep-well land drilling rigs. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Offshore drillers like Ensco (ESV), Seadrill (SDRL) and Rowan (RDC) are sinking today, but shares of Transocean (RIG) have managed to stay afloat.

  AFP

  Transocean has gained 0.9% to $41.85 at 1:22 p.m. today, even as Ensco has fallen 1.3% to $50.89, Seadrill has plunged 3.1% to $34.87 and Rowan has dipped 0.8% to $30.89.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Consider the losses: Noble Corp (NE) has plunged 19% so far this year,�while Transocean (RIG) has plummeted 16%, Rowan (RDC) has slid 15%, Ensco (ESV) has dropped 13% and Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) has fallen 12%.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Among energy stocks rising today: Producers of gas and gas liquids were higherm, including Devon (DVN) and�Consol Energy (CNX) rose about 2% each, while drillers�Nabors Industries (NBR) and�Rowan Companies (RDC) jumped more than 3% apiece. Oilfield services names Halliburton (HAL) and Baker Hughes (BHI) each rose nearly 2%.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Peregrine Semiconductor Corp (PSMI)

Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (Peregrine), incorporated in February 1990, is engaged in the design, manufacturing and marketing radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets. The Company is provider of RFICs. Its products include RF switches-antenna, RFswitches-broadband and general purpose, digital attenuators, synthesizers, mixers/upconverters, prescalers, variable gain amplifiers, digitally tunable capacitors, DC-DC converters and power amplifiers. Its UltraCMOS technology enables the design, manufacture, and integration of multiple radio frequency (RF), mixed signal, and digital functions on a single chip. Its solutions target a range of applications in the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets.

As of December 25, 2010, The Company offers a portfolio of more than 120 RFICs, including switches, digital attenuators, mixers/upconverters, and prescalers, and it is developing power amplifiers (Pas), digitally tunable capacitors (DTCs), and DC-DC converters. During the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, its products were sold to more than 1,400 module manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), contract manufacturers, and other customers, including such companies as Amalfi Semiconductor, Inc., The Boeing Company, EPCOS AG, Ericsson AB, Hitachi Media Electronics Company, Ltd., Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Humax Co., Ltd., Itron, Inc., LG Innotek Co., Ltd., Mini-Circuits, Inc., Motorola, Inc., Murata Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Planet Technology Corp., Rockwell Collins, Inc., Rohde & Schwarz, Inc., SIPAT Co., Ltd., Skyworks Solutions, Inc., Sony Corporation, Source Photonics, Inc., and Thales Alenia Space.

RF switches-antenna

RF Switches are utilized in the RF section of mobile devices to route RF signals between! the antenna and the handset core, through one or more signal paths. For mobile handsets, its switch products offer up to 10 RF signal paths with integrated digital bus support and onboard voltage regulation.

RFswitches-broadband and general purpose

The Company�� broadband and general purpose RF switches deliver combination of broadband linearity, settling time, and isolation while routing RF signals to their respective transmit or receive paths. Its attributes are being used by the OEMs of LED and plasma digital televisions (DTVs), set top box, cable infrastructure, test and measurement devices

Digital Attenuators

The Company provides digital step attenuators that are used to control the amplitude of an RF or analog signal. The products include digital control circuitry integrated with an RF attenuator core and are used in third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) cellular base stations, repeaters, and point-to-point nodes.

Synthesizers

The Company�� frequency synthesizers provide an electronic system for generating any of a range of frequencies from a single fixed timebase or oscillator. Its synthesizers provide low-power, ultra-low phase noise, programmable frequency synthesis for defense, broadband, industrial, and wireless infrastructure markets.

Mixers/Upconverters

The Company�� mixers/upconverters are used to translate encoded voice/data signals from one frequency to another to enable radio transmission. Its mixers / upconverters are incorporated into mixer modules and provide industry linearity, which is a metric to maximizing wireless data transmission rates. These attributes are critical in 3G and 4G cellular base station designs.

Prescalers

The Company�� prescalers operate in the C, X, and Ku bands to divide the frequency of a wireless signal in order to extend the operating range of a synthesizer beyond its base capability. Its prescalers complem! ent its f! requency synthesizer line, providing its customers with design.

Variable Gain Amplifiers

The Company�� Variable Gain Amplifiers (VGAs) are used in both the receiving and transmitting path of a radio system to maintain a signal�� strength at a level necessary for other circuits to operate optimally. Its DVGA is the monolithic integrated circuit (IC) to integrate three functional blocks, including digital attenuators, RF/IF amplifiers and a common serial interface onto a single IC.

DC-DC Converters

The Company�� frequency-configurable DC-DC converters efficiently perform voltage conversion using a high frequency switching technique that minimizes system noise. Its DC-DC converters are designed to enable a distributed power management architecture designed for satellite applications, replacing inefficient drop out regulators and central converters.

Power Amplifiers

The Company�� PAs amplify RF signals in order to generate the necessary power required to establish a radio link between a base station and a mobile device. With its UltraCMOS technology the Company has the ability to integrate its PAs on a single chip with other RF, mixed signal, and digital components.

The Company competes with Hittite, M/A-COM, NEC, Renesas, RFMD, Skyworks, Sony, Toshiba and TriQuint Semiconductor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: PSMI) is a lesser known name that is a top stock to buy at Deutsche Bank. The company recently released a new radio frequency (RF) switch specifically designed for broadband cable systems. With HD content exploding, this could be a huge home run for the company. Deutsche Bank has a $14 price target for the stock, the same as the consensus target.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: AVEO Pharmaceuticals Inc.(AVEO)

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery and development of cancer therapeutics. The company?s lead product candidate, Tivozanib (AV-951), is a novel, highly potent and selective oral inhibitor of the vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, receptors 1, 2, and 3. It is also leading the clinical development of AV-299, which includes conducting multiple Phase I clinical trials and preparing for the conduct of multiple Phase II clinical trials. The company?s product candidate in preclinical development is AV-203, a potent ErbB3 antibody that has demonstrated efficacy in vivo. It has strategic partnerships with OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck, and Biogen Idec, Inc. AVEO Pharmaceuticals was formerly known as GenPath Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in March 2005. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Looks out Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ:SNTA), and AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVEO), you're on notice too. Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (NASDAQ:CORT) is nipping at your heels, and better still, shares of the company looks like they're about to dole out a sizeable reward to investors who see the writing on the wall.

• [By David Williamson]

  In this video, health-care analyst David Williamson walks investors through today's Aveo Pharmaceuticals� (NASDAQ: AVEO  ) bloodbath. Shares are down 50% as an FDA advisory committee voted overwhelmingly against its drug candidate tivozanib. Find out why the decision shook out like it did, and if Aveo is a bad news buy after today's extreme plunge.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Finally, clinical-stage cancer drug developer AVEO Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AVEO  ) certainly shook things up this week by announcing it will be laying off 140 employees or 62% of its staff to cut its expenses and extend its existing cash balance for another two years. Furthermore, AVEO outlined its plan to focus on developing its lead cancer drug, Tivozanib, for breast and colorectal cancer, but not for renal cell carcinoma. Management noted that it doesn't believe the FDA would approve Tivozanib for RCC without the need for additional testing that it isn't prepared to do right now, with Astellas Pharma having backed out of their development partnership.�

• [By Sean Williams]

  AVEO Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AVEO  ) shareholders would just assume bury their heads in the sand following an FDA panel meeting that delivered a 13-to-1 vote against recommending metastatic renal cell carcinoma drug Tivozanib for approval. If you recall, Tivozanib delivered statistically better progression-free survival results in a late-stage head-to-head against Onyx Pharmaceuticals'�and Bayer's Nexavar, but its median overall survival slightly lagged Nexavar. For AVEO to justify the benefits of Tivozanib, another trial seems all but inevitable. AVEO shares fell a whopping 67% on the week.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp (PEGFF.PK)

Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (Pacific Rubiales) is a producerand seller of natural gas and heavy crude oil. The Company also purchases crude oil from third parties to be used as diluents and for trading purposes. The Company owns Meta Petroleum Corp. (Meta), an oil branch which operates the Rubiales/Piriri and Quifa oil fields in the Llanos Basin in association with Ecopetrol; and Pacific Stratus Energy Colombia Corp. (Pacific Stratus), which operates the wholly owned La Creciente gas field in the northern part of Colombia and other light and medium oil fields. In addition to its production assets, it has investment in oil pipelines in Colombia, including the Oleoducto de los Llanos S.A. Pipeline and the new Oleoducto Bicentenario de Colombia pipeline, under construction. In November 2013, Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp acquired Petrominerales Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Value Digger]

  Apart from the momentum traders, the growth seekers have to check it out too. Manitok Energy is another growth company with a non-existent coverage from the online publications, although it has been growing by leaps and bounds during the last couple of years. I really enjoy uncovering such companies. In fact, by discovering under-followed growth companies with very attractive valuations is how I started my articles with SeekingAlpha one year ago. It was when I uncovered C&C Energia. I recommended this debt-free South American producer at ~$5.7 in August 2012. C&C Energia was bought out by Pacific Rubiales (PEGFF.PK) a couple of months later at $9.81. My article is here.

• [By Value Digger]

  C&C Energia was acquired by Pacific Rubiales (PEGFF.PK) for $9.5 (including the shares for Platino Energy), three months later. Nobody else had ever written an online article about C&C Energia.

Best Food Stocks To Own Right Now

Burger King's third-quarter income soared and the fast food chain raised its dividend as the company reported an 111% net restaurant growth Monday.

Company shares rose nearly 5.5% to $20.84 shortly after U.S. financial markets opened.

The Miami-based hamburger giant reported earnings of $68.2 million for the three months ending at Sept. 30. That was up sharply from the $6.6 million the company reported for the same period last year.

MERCK: Reports profit drop

Adjusted diluted earnings per share were 23 cents. That topped the 21 cents per share forecast by analysts reported by Thomson
Financial Network.

The company reported net restaurant growth of 133 locations, up sharply from the same period last year.

System-wide comparable sales growth rose 0.9% for company-owned and franchise locations open at least one year. The measure is viewed as a key indicator of a restaurant business' financial health.

Hot India Companies For 2015: Prestige Brand Holdings Inc.(PBH)

Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, selling, and distributing over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products primarily in North America. The company?s Over-The-Counter Healthcare segment offers a portfolio of OTC products under nine core OTC brands, including Chloraseptic sore throat remedies, Clear Eyes eye drops, Compound W wart removers, Dramamine motion sickness products, Efferdent and Effergrip denture products, Little Remedies pediatric healthcare products, Luden's cough drops, PediaCare pediatric healthcare products, and The Doctor?s brand of oral care products. This segment also provides other significant brands that include Dermoplast first-aid products, Murine eye and ear care products, NasalCrom allergy relief product, New-Skin liquid bandage, and Wartner wart removers. Its Household Cleaning segment markets household cleaning products, such as abrasive and non-abrasive tub and tile cleaner, scrubb ing pads and sponges, dilutables, anti-bacterial hard surface spray for counter tops, and glass cleaners under the Comet, Chore Boy, and Spic and Span brands. Prestige Brands Holdings distributes its products through various retail channels, including drug, food, dollar, and club stores, as well as supermarkets and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Irvington, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Prestige Brands (NYSE: PBH  ) , a marketer of over-the-counter health care and household cleaning products, jumped as much as 14% after it announced the acquisition of Australia's Care Pharmaceuticals.

Best Food Stocks To Own Right Now: Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ)

Mondelez International, Inc. (Mondelez International), formerly Kraft Foods Inc., incorporated on December 7, 2000, is a maker of chocolate, biscuits, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages. The Company consists of the global snacking and food brands. Mondelez International's portfolio includes several brands, such as Cadbury and Milka chocolate, Jacobs coffee, LU, Nabisco and Oreo biscuits, Tang powdered beverages and Trident gums. The Company�� products include chocolates, cookies, gums, beverages and crackers. Alpen Gold is a chocolate brand in Russia. Alpen Gold is available in chocolate bars, boxed chocolates and creamy, mouth-watering pralines. Its markets include Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Bubbaloo is a gum brand sold in more than 25 countries and three different continents, including India, Mexico, Portugal and Spain. Belvita are breakfast biscuits made with wholegrain, cereals and fiber. It is sold in Belgium, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Cadbury Creme Egg brand is available annually from New Year�� Day to Easter Day. It is sold in Australia, Canada, New Zealand the United Kingdom and the United States. Carte Noire is the coffee brand in France. It is sold in France, Ireland, Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Chips Ahoy! cookies are chocolate chip cookies packed with chocolate chips. It is sold in Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, the United States and Venezuela. Club Social is a cracker in Brazil and Latin America. The newest addition to the Club Social family is Club Social chips in Argentina, available in original, parmesano, and cream and onion flavors. Cote d'Or is a chocolate brand sold in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Middle East, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Cadbury Dairy Milk is a milk chocolate bar sold in 33 countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and available in more than! 23 varieties, like fruit and nut, WholeNut, Snack, Caramello and Breakaway. Dentyne is a gum to aid in oral hygiene sold in Canada and the United States.

Cadbury Flake is chocolate bars sold in Australia, Egypt, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Gevalia brand offers more than 50 varieties of coffee and 20 choices of tea, and sold in the United States, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the United States. Grand Mere coffee brand is sold at France. Green & Black�� is a chocolate brand and also includes gift chocolates, ice cream, biscuits and hot beverages. Halls is sold as a cold relief product. Halls is used as a refreshing candy. Halls products are available in more than 26 flavors.

Hollywood gum is a chewing gum in France. Jacobs coffee is sold throughout Europe and the Middle East, and in Austria, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. Jacobs is available in roast and ground, whole beans, soluble crystals, coffee pods and flavored mixes. Kenco coffee is a coffee brand sold in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Lacta is a chocolate in Brazil. It also includes Bis chocolate wafers, Sonho de Valsa pralines and Lacta white chocolate.

LU biscuits are available in 100 countries. Other international brands under the LU name include Petit Dejuener, Mikado, Pepito (Mini Stars), Cracotte, Ourson and Tuc. Milka is a European chocolate. Marabou is a chocolate brand in Sweden. Nabisco�� brands include cookies and crackers. Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs includes 12 varieties, such as Chips Ahoy! Thin Crisps, Oreo Thin Crisps, Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookie Crisps, Ritz Snack Mix, Planters Peanut Butter Cookie Crisps, Kraft Cheese Nips Thin Crisps, Wheat Thins Multigrain Chips, Ritz Chips, Honey Maid Cinnamon Thin Crisps, Mini Teddy Grahams Cinnamon Cubs, Alpha-Bits Mini Cookies and Barnum�� Animals Choco Crackers.

Nutter Butter are sandwich cookies sold in the United States. Nilla wafers include original, reduced-fat and mini wafers. Newtons! are whol! esome snack made with real fruit. It also offers Newtons Fruit Thins and Fruit Crisps. The Natural Confectionery Company is a candy product. Onko offers coffee mixes in cappuccino flavors.

Oreo is a milk favorite cookie. Oreo is available in many flavors and varieties, such as chocolate covered, wafers, pie crusts and soft snack cakes. Premium saltine crackers come in six varieties, including unsalted tops, original, fat-free, low-sodium, soup and oyster and multi-grain. Prince biscuits are available in more than eight countries, including Algeria, Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain. Prince biscuits come in creme-filled sandwiches, rolls and chocolate-covered varieties.

Stimorol is a chewing gum brand in Northern Europe, as well as 40 other markets from Greenland to Fiji. Simmenthal is a canned meat in jelly. Simmenthal�� products include beef in jelly with chili and chicken in jelly with curry. Tang is available in more than 30 countries and is a powdered beverage. Tassimo is a hot beverage system, which helps in making coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cappuccino, espresso and lattes. Toblerone is a Swiss chocolate bar made with honey and almond nougat. Trakinas is a creme-filled sandwich cookie.

Trident is a chewing gum brand in the world. Triscuit varieties include original, reduced fat, cheddar, cracked pepper and olive oil, fire roasted tomato and olive oil, garden herb, deli-style rye, roasted garlic, thin crisps, and rosemary and olive oil. Wheat Thins are wheat crackers in a variety of flavors, including sundried tomato and basil, multigrain and parmesan basil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Newman]

  But is it worth the potential sugar crash?
  Hershey's solid profit margins, capital investments, and strong sales performance make it a quality company, but you have to pay up for that quality. A competitor like�Mondelez� (NASDAQ: MDLZ  ) has lower margins, with lower return on assets and equity, but is a little more than half as expensive based a variety of valuations:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
  
  1. Avg. High Yield Price
  2. 20-Year DCF Price
  3. Avg. P/E Price
  4. Graham Number
  
  HRL is trading at a premium to all four valuations above. The stock is trading at a 27.6% premium to its calculated fair value of $35.92. HRL did not earn any Stars in this section.
  
  Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
  
  1. Free Cash Flow Payout
  2. Debt To Total Capital
  3. Key Metrics
  4. Dividend Growth Rate
  5. Years of Div. Growth
  6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15%
  
  HRL earned one Star in this section for 2.) above. The stock earned a Star as a result of its most recent Debt to Total Capital being less than 45%. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1928 and has increased its dividend payments for 48 consecutive years.
  
  Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
  
  1. NPV MMA Diff.
  2. Years to > MMA
  
  HRL earned a Star in this section for its NPV MMA Diff. of the $984. This amount is in excess of the $500 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as HRL has. If HRL grows its dividend at 13.2% per year, it will take 7 years to equal a MMA yielding an estimated 20-year average rate of 3.68%.
  
  Memberships and Peers: HRL is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achiever

Best Food Stocks To Own Right Now: ForeverGreen Worldwide Corp (FVRG)

ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation, incorporated on March 18, 1999, is a holding company that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, ForeverGreen International, LLC. The Company's product philosophy is to develop, manufacture and market the science and nature through formulations as the Company produces and manufacture a wide arrays of whole foods, nutritional supplements, personal care products and essential oils. The Company provides health answers, not only through exclusive nutritional whole food beverages, but also by providing a broad product lines of delicious whole foods that can be eaten for every meal, instead of the processed, fatty and preservative-laden synthetic meals prevalent in society.

The Company provides the every-meal answer with a variety of appetizing healthy food products that allow its Members and customers to eat healthy for every meal and snack throughout the day. In addition, the Company provides healthy personal care products as an alternative to the chemical-laden and synthetic products in the marketplace that may potentially negatively impacts its health. The Company's products, along with a distinct and fresh corporate philosophy and message of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health through service to community and others, attract consumers as well as Members who wish to own a home-based business selling the Company's products and spreading its health message.

The Company's primary product is FrequenSea, a whole-food beverage consisting of a blend of marine phytoplankton, ionic sea minerals, frankincense, rose, ginger and aloe vera in a base of blueberry, cranberry and lime juice concentrate. soluble. FrequenSea is sold as a single bottle, in individual single-serving packets or even in four-bottle packs. The marine phytoplankton in FrequenSea contains more than 200 different sea algae that are all processed through patent-pending harvesting processes. Azul is a rich-in-antioxidant, delicious powdered blend of 24 raw whole foo! d and fruit ingredients and probiotics that are naturally dried and blended to preserve their natural integrity.The Company's whole food offerings consist of a variety of healthy, natural food products that are made onsite in the Company's whole-food manufacturing facility. Versativa Pulse based with hemp seed, consists of 17 different nuts, seeds, fruits, grains and other whole foods. Pulse is offered in various flavors, either loose in bags or in snack bars, and may be used as a snack or a meal replacement.

The Company competes with NuSkin, Neways, Young Living Essential Oils, Amway Corporation, Herbalife and NuSkin Enterprises.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, FVRG had shed (-15.38%) down -0.100 at $.550 with 20,050 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance August 16, 2013 ��Close).

  ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation previously reported that sales are continuing to flourish. Sales for July 2013 increased to in excess of $1.44 million compared to $1.04 million during July 2012, an increase of 38.1%. Sequentially, sales increased 12.3% compared to June 2013.

• [By CRWE]

  Today, FVRG remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.780 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 10:06AM EDT August 12, 2013).

  ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation previously reported that sales are continuing to flourish. Sales for July 2013 increased to in excess of $1.44 million compared to $1.04 million during July 2012, an increase of 38.1%. Sequentially, sales increased 12.3% compared to June 2013.

Best Food Stocks To Own Right Now: BRF SA (BRFS)

BRF - Brasil Foods S.A. (BRF), incorporated on August 18, 1934, is a food company, which focuses on the production and sale of poultry, pork, beef cuts, milk, dairy products and processed food products under several brands. The Company�� processed products include marinated, frozen, whole and cut Chester rooster and turkey meats, specialty meats, frozen processed meats, frozen prepared entrees, portioned products and sliced products. It also sells margarine, juices, soy products, animal feed, fresh pasta, sweet specialties and sandwiches. During the year ended December 31, 2010, it launched 333 new products, including Meu Menu (My Menu) portfolio, which is targeted at single people.

Poultry

The Company produces frozen whole and cut poultries, partridges and quail. During 2010, it sold 1,895 thousand tons of frozen chicken and other poultry products. During 2010, it produced 1,694 million day-old chicks, including chickens, Chester roosters, turkeys, partridge and quail. It hatches these eggs in its 25 hatcheries. As of December 31, 2010, it had a fully automated slaughtering capacity of 31.2 million heads of poultry per week.

Pork and Beef

The Company produces frozen pork and beef cuts, such as loins and ribs, and whole carcasses. During 2010, it sold 427 thousand tons of pork and beef cuts. Iits sales of pork cuts are to its export markets. As of December 31, 2010, it had a beef slaughtering capacity of 1,797 heads per week.

Milk

The Company produces pasteurized and ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk, which it sells in its domestic market. During 2010, it sold 873 thousand tons of pasteurized and UHT milk. It produces dairy products in 15 plants. It receives milk from a network of over 11,000 milk producers in more than 553 cities.

Processed Food Products

The Company produces processed foods, such as marinated, frozen chicken, Chester rooster and turkey meat, specialty meats, frozen processed foo! ds, frozen prepared entrees, dairy products, portioned products and sliced products. During 2010, it sold 2,472 thousand tons of processed foods. It processes pork to produce specialty meats, such as sausages, ham products, bologna, frankfurters, salamis, bacon and cold meats. It also processes chicken and other poultry to produce specialty meats, such as chicken sausages, chicken hot dogs and chicken bologna. It produces a range of frozen processed poultry, beef and pork products, including hamburgers, steaks, breaded meat products, kibes, meatballs and ready-to-eat snacks. It also produces soy-based vegetarian products, such as hamburgers and breaded products. It produces marinated and seasoned chickens, roosters and turkeys.

The Company produces several varieties of lasagna and pizza. It produces the meat used in these products and buys other raw materials in the domestic market, except for the durum flour used to make the noodles for the lasagna, which it imports. It sells a range of frozen vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, peas, French beans, French fries and cassava fries, through its Escolha Saudavel line of products. It produces a range of pies and pastries, such as chicken and heart-of-palm pies and lime pies. It produces the meat, sauces and toppings used in its pies and pastries, and it purchases other raw materials, such as heart-of-palm, lime and other fillings from third parties.

Other

The Company produces animal feed mainly to feed poultry and hogs raised by it. It also sells a portion of its animal feed production to its integrated outgrowers or to unaffiliated customers. It produces a range of soy-based products, including soy meal and refined soy flour.

The Company competes with Sadia, Aurora, Marfig, Danone, Nestle, Paulista, Frangosul, Plamplona and Aurora.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  And with very quick gains of 9% in BRF SA (NYSE ADR: BRFS), 5.2% in South American agricultural play Adecoagro SA (NYSE: AGRO) and 1.6% in high-tech agribusiness player Neogen Corp. (Nasdaq: NEOG), we're doing well with our plays on (pockets of) accelerating U.S. inflation.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  BRF S.A. (NYSE: BRFS) should be safe on the surface as a meat-producing and dairy giant. Apparently being defensive doesn’t help either. At $18.50, its 52-week range is $18.34 to $26.35. This ADR is down just over 10% so far in 2014.

Top 5 Airline Companies To Invest In 2014

Boeing's 737 MAX. Photo Credit: Boeing.

Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) continues to make improvements on its 737 MAX, with engineers today confirming another a 1-percentage-point fuel-efficiency upgrade. That may not sound like a lot, but that's in addition to the already promised 13% fuel improvement to customers.

Boeing is comparing the updated 737 MAX's fuel efficiency to today's most efficient single-aisle airplanes.

"This recent fuel-efficiency gain will widen the performance gap in the single-aisle market, reinforcing the 737 MAX's position as the value leader," Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager for the 737 MAX program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a press release.

Boeing expects to begin delivering the 737 MAX in 2017. While airline customers will cheer the fuel improvement, travelers might applaud new 737 MAX systems intended to improve management of maintenance information -- essentially meaning faster maintenance and less aircraft down time.

10 Best Construction Material Stocks To Buy Right Now: Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA (GOL)

Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. (GoL) is a low-cost, low-fare airline in the world providing service on routes connecting all of Brazil�� cities and from Brazil to cities in South America and select touristic destinations in the Caribbean. As of March 31, 2010, GoL offered approximately 800 daily flights per day to 61 destinations connecting cities in Brazil, as well as destinations in Argentina, Bolivia, Curacao, Aruba, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. GoL is a holding company, which owns directly or indirectly shares of five subsidiaries: VRG Linhas Aereas S.A. (VRG) and four offshore finance subsidiaries, Gol Finance Cayman and GAC Inc., which owns Sky Finance and Sky Finance II. VRG is the Company�� operating subsidiary, under which it conducts its business. Gol Finance, GAC Inc., Sky Finance and Sky Finance II are off-shore companies established for the purpose of facilitating cross-border general and aircraft financing transactions.

GoL�� passenger transportation services include ticketless travel; online sales, check-in, seat assignment and flight change and cancellation services; online flight status service; Web-enabled cell phone ticket sales and check-in; self check-in at kiosks at designated airports; designated female lavatories; friendly and efficient in-flight service; modern aircraft interiors; quick turnaround times at airport gates; free or discounted shuttle services between airports and drop-off zones on certain routes; buy on board services on certain flights; mobile check-in and boarding pass (100% paperless boarding), and iPhone application for check-in, electronic boarding pass and Smiles account management. On December 31, 2009, the Company had an operational fleet of 108 operational aircraft and a total fleet of 127. As of March 31, 2010, one of its Boeing 767 aircrafts was subleased to a charter company in the United States, one is under final formalization process for a wet lease to a Brazilian company for flights connecting Brazil to! Angola and three are under final stages of negotiation to be chartered to operate intercontinental flights. At December 31, 2009, GoL had a total of 127 aircraft, 94 of which were under operating leases and 33 were under finance leases.

The Company competes with TAM Linhas Aereas S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One airline player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes (GOL), through its subsidiaries, engages in the air transportation of passengers, cargo, and mailbags in Latin America. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off by 42%.

  If you look at the chart for Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months, with shares moving higher from its low of $2.74 to its recent high of $3.83 a share. During that uptrend, shares of GOL have been mostly making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of GOL just recently formed a double bottom above its 50-day moving average at $3.57 to $3.55 a share. Shares of GOL are now starting to spike higher above those support levels and move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GOL if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.83 to $4.14 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 2.19 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then GOL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance level at its 200-day moving average of $5.30 a share to $6 a share.

  Traders can look to buy GOL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $3.46 a share. One can also buy GOL off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes (NYSE: GOL) was down, falling 6.31 percent to $4.0850 after the company posted a loss in the third quarter.

  Commodities
  In commodity news, oil traded up 1.33 percent to $94.28, while gold traded up 0.28 percent to $1,274.70.

Top 5 Airline Companies To Invest In 2014: United Continental Holdings Inc.(UAL)

United Continental Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of passenger and cargo air transportation services. As of February 24, 2011, it operated a total of approximately 5,675 flights a day to 372 airports on 6 continents from their hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo, as well as in Washington, D.C. The company was formerly known as UAL Corporation and changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc. on October 1, 2010. United Continental Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By DAILYFINANCE]

  John Mone/APSouthwest Airlines aircraft technicians install newer, skinnier seats on a 737 at the carrier's headquarters in Dallas. It's not your imagination. There really is a tighter squeeze on many planes these days. The big U.S. airlines are taking out old, bulky seats in favor of so-called slimline models that take up less space from front to back, allowing for five or six more seats on each plane. The changes, covering some of the most common planes flown on domestic and international routes, give the airlines two of their favorite things: More paying passengers, and a smaller fuel bill because the seats are slightly lighter. It's part of a trend among the airlines to view seats as money-makers, not just pieces of furniture. Add a few inches of legroom and airlines can charge more for tickets. Take away a few inches and they can fit more seats on the plane. Some passengers seem to mind the tighter squeeze more than others. The new seats generally have thinner padding. And new layouts on some planes have made the aisles slightly narrower, meaning the dreaded beverage cart bump to the shoulder happens more often. And this is all going on in coach at a time when airlines are spending heavily to add better premium seats in the front of the plane. Whether the new seats are really closer together depends on how you measure. By the usual measure, called "pitch," the new ones are generally an inch closer together from front to back as measured at the armrest. Airlines say you won't notice. And the new seats are designed to minimize this problem. The seats going onto Southwest's 737s have thinner seatback magazine pockets. Passengers on Alaska Airlines (ALK) will find slightly smaller tray tables. United's new seats put the magazine pocket above the tray table, getting it away from passengers' knees. And seat-makers saved some space with lighter-weight frames and padding. This allows airlines to claim that passengers have as much above-the-knee "personal sp

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Airline stocks–from American Airlines (AAL) and United Continental (UAL) to Southewest Airlines (LUV) and Delta Air Lines (DAL)–have shown little of the weakness that has dragged down the stock market this year. Can they keep heading higher?

Top 5 Airline Companies To Invest In 2014: Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA)

Deutsche Lufthansa AG is a Germany-based aviation company with global operations and a total of more than 400 subsidiaries and associated companies. The Company is engaged in passenger transport, airfreight and airline services. The Lufthansa Group operates in five major business segments: scheduled passenger air traffic (Passenger Airline Group) consists of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Lufthansa CityLine GmbH, Swiss International Air Lines AG, Austrian Airlines AG, Air Dolomiti S.p.A., Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG and Germanwings GmbH; scheduled airfreight services (Logistics) consists of the Lufthansa Cargo group; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) consists of the Lufthansa Technik group; information technology (IT Services) consists of the Lufthansa Systems group, and catering (Catering) consists of the LSG Lufthansa Sky Chefs group. On April 20, 2012, the Company announced the divestiture of British Midland Ltd. (bmi) to International Consolidated Airlines Group SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  German stocks were little changed, as declines in utilities and banks offset gains in Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) and Deutsche Boerse AG.

  RWE AG (RWE), Germany�� second-largest utility, slipped 2.4 percent after RBC Capital Markets cut its recommendation on the stock. Lufthansa followed its European peers higher, recovering some of its Aug. 2 selloff. Xing AG (O1BC), the business social network, jumped the most since October as Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) upgraded its rating on the shares.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA), Europe�� largest airline by sales, advanced 3.1 percent to 15.52 euros as a gauge of travel and leisure companies posted the biggest gain of the 19 industry groups in the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. EasyJet Plc rallied after saying its fiscal third-quarter revenue climbed.

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) and Allianz SE (ALV) led airlines and insurers lower, retreating at least 1.5 percent. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) slid 1.6 percent. Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) rose after JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its recommendation on the shares. Gildemeister AG (GIL) added 3.4 percent after Deutsche Bank upgraded the maker of cutting tools.

Top 5 Airline Companies To Invest In 2014: Gogo Inc (GOGO)

Gogo Inc incorporated on December 14, 2009, is a holding company. The Company operates through its two operating subsidiaries, Gogo LLC and Aircell Business Aviation Services LLC. The Company provides in-flight connectivity and wireless in-cabin digital entertainment solutions. It provide turnkey solutions for passengers to extend their connected lifestyles to the aircraft cabin. It operates in two segments: commercial aviation (CA) and business aviation (BA). Its CA business provides in-flight connectivity and digital entertainment solutions to commercial airline passengers through their personal Wi-Fi enabled devices.

The Company provides Gogo Connectivity to passengers to nine North American airlines that provide Internet connectivity to their passengers. It provide Gogo Connectivity to passengers on Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines, US Airways, Frontier Airlines and Air Tran Airways. It also provide Gogo Connectivity to passengers on a small number of aircraft operated by United Airlines and Air Canada. As of September 30, 2011, the Company had equipped 1,177 commercial aircraft, representing approximately 85% of Internet-enabled North American commercial aircraft, which were operated on more than 4,200 daily flights.

The Company�� BA segment sells equipment and provides services for in-flight Internet connectivity and other voice and data communications under its Gogo Biz and Aircell branded products and services. BA�� customers include original equipment manufacturers of private jet aircraft such as Gulfstream, Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, NetJets, Flexjets, Flight Options and CitationAir. It sells equipment for three of the primary connectivity network options in the business aviation market: Gogo Biz, through which it delivers broadband Internet connectivity over its (air-to-ground )ATG network, and the Iridium and Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satellite networks. As of September 30, 2011, the Company had m! ore than 700 Gogo Biz systems in operation and more than 4,600 aircraft with Iridium satellite communications systems in operation, and it has sold more than 100 Inmarsat SwiftBroadband systems. It provides in-flight broadband connectivity across the contiguous United States and portions of Alaska through 3 MHz of FCC-licensed ATG spectrum and its network of cell sites.

Through its Gogo platform, the Company provides passengers with a convenient and easy way to access the Internet, view video content, send and receive email and instant messages, and access corporate VPNs on Gogo-equipped commercial aircraft. It provides Internet access through Gogo Connectivity, on-demand streaming video offerings through Gogo Vision and access to a variety of free entertainment and service offerings, customized for each airline, through Gogo Signature Services.

The Company competes with Panasonic Avionics, Row 44, OnAir, LiveTV and Thales.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO) shares jumped 8.46% to $25.90 in pre-market trading after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results.

  Posted-In: PreMarket GainersNews Pre-Market Outlook Markets Movers

Top 5 Construction Material Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Entergy (NYSE: ETR  ) announced today that its Gulf States Louisiana business has successfully won a contract with Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE  ) to power its proposed LNG export facility.

Sempra first announced plans to build a natural gas export hub in Hackberry, La., in 2012 and expects to start construction on the project in 2014. Sempra currently operates an LNG receipt terminal in the same location, to which Entergy has been an electricity provider. Entergy plans to upgrade its electric transmission system.to meet Sempra's increase in energy demand.

Although no monetary figures were included in the release, the contract will provide Sempra with up to 200 MW of power for 30 years. The initial contract term is 10 years, to be followed by five-year terms thereafter.

"We are pleased we can further extend our relationship with Entergy to provide electric power to the new liquefaction facility," said Sempra LNG President Octavio Simoes in a statement today. "Entergy is a staunch supporter of economic development in Southwest Louisiana and understands the benefits our project brings to the region."

Best Food Companies To Own For 2015: Societe Libanaise des Ciments Blancs SAL (CBN)

Societe Libanaise des Ciments Blancs SAL is a Lebanon-based joint stock company that operates in the construction materials industry sector. The Company is engaged in the production and sale of white cement. The Company is a 65.99% owned by Holcim (Liban) SAL. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CanadianValue]

  Nigeria�� reformed banking system has provided many foreigners with an attractive means to invest in the fast-growing domestic economy. The banking industry is important, not only because of the rise of microfinance, but because of the move by banks into consumer banking. Until recently, banks were mainly financing large businesses or the government through bond purchases. Following a banking crisis in 2008, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) conducted an audit of the commercial banking sector. All banks that failed the audit had their CEOs replaced. The state-owned Asset Management Corporation (AMCON) was created to purchase non-performing loans and recapitalize the unhealthy banks. A recent review of the country�� banks by the IMF showed a dramatic increase in profits for the industry in 2012, while the capital adequacy ratio was above the minimum requirement of 10% and non-performing loans were below the mandated threshold of 5%5.

Top 5 Construction Material Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Eagle Materials Inc (EXP)

Eagle Materials Inc., incorporated on January 27, 1994, manufactures and distributes gypsum wallboard and also manufactures and sells cement. Gypsum wallboard is distributed throughout the United States with particular emphasis in the geographic markets nearest to its production facilities. The Company sells cement in six regional markets, including northern Nevada and California, the greater Chicago area, the Rocky Mountain region, the Central Plains region and Texas. Its gypsum wallboard business is supported by its recycled paperboard business, while its cement business is supported by its concrete and aggregates business. The Company operates in Cement and Concrete and Aggregates, and Gypsum Wallboard and Recycled Paperboard segments. As of March 31, 2013, the Company operated six cement plants (one of which belongs to its joint venture company), five gypsum wallboard plants, one recycled paperboard plant, seventeen concrete batching plants and four aggregates facilities. The Company�� products are used in the construction and renovation of houses, roads, bridges, commercial and industrial buildings and other, newer generation structures like wind farms.

Cement, Concrete and Aggregates Operations

The Company�� cement production facilities are located in or near Buda, Texas; LaSalle, Illinois; Laramie, Wyoming; Sugar Creek, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma and Fernley, Nevada. The Company�� cement subsidiaries are wholly-owned except the Buda, Texas plant, which is owned by Texas Lehigh Cement Company LP, a limited partnership joint venture owned 50% by the Company and 50% by Lehigh Cement Company LLC, a subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement AG. Its LaSalle, Illinois plant operates under the name of Illinois Cement Company; the Laramie, Wyoming plant operates under the name of Mountain Cement Company; the Fernley, Nevada plant operates under the name of Nevada Cement Company and its Sugar Creek, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma plants operate under the name Central Plains Cement Com! pany. The Company produces and distributes ready-mix concrete from Company-owned sites north of Sacramento, California; Austin, Texas and the greater Kansas City area. The Company�� activities in its frac sand business are in the Utica, Illinois area and in south Texas. The Company sells aggregates to building contractors and other customers engaged in a variety of construction activities.

Gypsum Wallboard and Recycled Paperboard Operations

The Company owns five gypsum wallboard manufacturing facilities. As of March 31, 2013, the Company�� gypsum wallboard production totaled 1,950 million square feet. Total gypsum wallboard sales were 1,909 million square feet during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013). The Company also manufactures alternative products, including containerboard grades (such as linerboard and medium) and lightweight packaging grades (such as bag liner). In addition, recycled industrial paperboard grades (tube/core stock and protective angle board stock) are produced to maximize manufacturing efficiencies. The Company�� manufactured recycled paperboard products are sold to gypsum wallboard manufacturers and other industrial users.

The Company competes with USG Corporation, National Gypsum Company and Koch Industries.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top decliners in the sector included Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM), off 6.3 percent, and Eagle Materials (NYSE: EXP), down 4.3 percent.

  Top Headline
  Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) announced its plans to buy Furiex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: FURX) for up to $1.46 billion. Forest will pay around $95 per share, or around $1.1 billion in cash. Forest Labs will also pay up to $30 per share, or around $360 million in a contingent value right. The deal is projected to close in the second or third quarter of 2014.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Tomorrow, Eagle Materials (NYSE: EXP  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Top 5 Construction Material Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Texas Industries Inc (TXI)

Texas Industries, Inc., incorporated on April 19, 1951, is a supplier of construction materials in the southwestern United States. The Company operates in three segments: cement, aggregates and consumer products. Its cement segment produces gray portland cement and specialty cements. The Company�� cement production and distribution facilities are concentrated primarily in Texas and California. Its aggregates segment produces natural aggregates, including sand, gravel and crushed limestone. The Company�� consumer products segment produces ready-mix concrete. It is also a supplier of natural aggregates and ready-mix concrete in Texas and northern Louisiana and in Oklahoma and Arkansas. As of May 31, 2013, the Company had 123 manufacturing facilities in five states.

Cement Segment

The Company produces specialty cements, such as masonry and oil well cements. Its cement production facilities are located at Midlothian, Texas, south of Dallas/Fort Worth, Hunter, Texas, between Austin and San Antonio, and Oro Grande, California, near Los Angeles. It also operates a cement terminal and packaging facility at its Crestmore plant near Riverside, California, and the Company operates its gray portland cement grinding facility on an as needed basis. During the fiscal year ended May 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013), it produced approximately 4.3 million tons of finished cement. The Company shipped approximately 4.4 million tons during fiscal 2013, of which 3.8 million tons were shipped to outside trade customers.

Aggregates Segment

The Company�� operations are conducted from facilities primarily serving the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin areas in Texas; the southern Oklahoma area, and the Alexandria and Monroe areas in Louisiana. The Company produced approximately 14.2 million tons of natural aggregates during fiscal 2013. It shipped approximately 14.8 million tons of natural aggregates during fiscal 2013, of which 11.3 million tons were shipped to outside trade customers! . The Company shipped approximately 1.0 million cubic yards of lightweight aggregates during fiscal 2013, of which approximately 0.9 million cubic yards were shipped to outside trade customers.

Consumer Products Segment

The Company�� ready-mix concrete operations are situated in three areas in Texas (the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton area of north Texas, the Austin area of central Texas and from Beaumont to Texarkana in east Texas), in north and central Louisiana, and in southwestern Arkansas. It is also a 40% partner in a joint venture that has ready mix concrete operations in the northern part of central Texas area centered around Waco, Texas. It shipped approximately 2.8 million cubic yards of ready-mix concrete during fiscal 2013. The Company manufacture and supply a substantial amount of the cement and aggregates raw materials used by our ready-mix plants. The Company also marketed its Maximizer packaged concrete mixes in southern California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Competitively advantaged holdings continued to demonstrate the value of moats at FedEx (FDX), Melco, and Texas Industries (TXI). These holdings were among our largest contributors to performance, and they exemplify activity prevalent across most of our holdings throughout the year.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Texas Industries (NYSE: TXI) is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $233.63 million.

  National American University Holdings (NASDAQ: NAUH) is projected to post a Q1 loss at $0.01 per share on revenue of $30.58 million.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Texas Industries (NYSE: TXI) was down, falling 4.36 percent to $65.78 after Longbow Research downgraded the stock from buy to neutral.

  Commodities
  In commodity news, oil traded down 1.37 percent to $97.07, while gold traded up 1.73 percent to $1,223.10. Silver traded up 3.69 percent Thursday to $20.09, while copper fell 0.34 percent to $3.39.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Analysts expect Texas Industries (NYSE: TXI) to post its Q1 earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $233.63 million. Texas Industries shares gained 1.82% to close at $67.52 yesterday.

Top 5 Construction Material Stocks To Invest In Right Now: CEMEX SAB de CV (CX)

CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CEMEX), incorporated on January 20, 1931, is a global cement manufacturer with operations in North America, Europe, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The Company is a holding company engaged through the operating subsidiaries in the production, distribution, marketing and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and clinker. As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� cement production facilities were located in Mexico, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Latvia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Egypt, the Philippines and Thailand.

The Company manufactures cement through a closely controlled chemical process, which begins with the mining and crushing of limestone and clay, and, in some instances, other raw materials. The clay and limestone are then pre-homogenized, a process which consists of combining different types of clay and limestone. The mix is typically dried, then fed into a grinder, which grinds the various materials in preparation for the kiln. The raw materials are calcined, or processed, at a very high temperature in a kiln, to produce clinker. Clinker is the intermediate product used in the manufacture of cement.

Ready-mix concrete is a combination of cement, fine and coarse aggregates, admixtures (which control properties of the concrete including plasticity, pumpability, freeze-thaw resistance, strength and setting time), and water. The Company is a supplier of aggregates primarily the crushed stone, sand and gravel, used in virtually all forms of construction.

Mexican Operations

During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Mexican operations represented approximately 21% of the Company�� net sales. CEMEX Mexico is a direct subsidiary of CEMEX and is both a holding company for some of the operating companies in Mexico and an operating company involved in the manufacturing and ma! rketing of cement, plaster, gypsum, groundstone and other construction materials and cement by-products in Mexico. CEMEX Mexico, indirectly, is also the holding company for the international operations. The Company owns Tolteca, Monterrey, Maya, Anahuac, Campana, Gallo, and Centenario brands in Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, the Company owned 100% of CEMEX Mexico.

The Company competes with Holcim Ltd., Sociedad Cooperativa Cruz Azul, Cementos Moctezuma, Grupo Cementos Chihuahua and Lafarge Cementos in Mexico.

U.S. Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� operations in the United States represented approximately 19% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX, Inc. As of December 31, 2009, CEMEX had a cement manufacturing capacity of approximately 17.9 million tons per year in the United States operations. As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 14 cement plants located in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. As of December 31, 2009, it also had 48 rails or water served active cement distribution terminals in the United States. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had 336 ready-mix concrete plants located in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington and aggregates facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Spanish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the operations in Spain represented approximately 5% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held approximately 99.8% of CEMEX Espana, the main operating subsidiary in Spain. The cement activities in Spain are conducted by CEMEX Espana. The ready-mix concrete activities in Spain are conducted by Hormicemex, S.A., a subsidiary of CEMEX Espana, and the aggregates activities in Spain ar! e conduct! ed by Aricemex S.A., also a subsidiary of CEMEX Espana.

U.K. Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� operations in the United Kingdom represented approximately 8% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, it held 100% of CEMEX Investments Limited, the holding subsidiary in the United Kingdom. The Company is a provider of building materials in the United Kingdom with vertically integrated cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and asphalt operations. It is also a provider of concrete and precast materials solutions, such as concrete blocks, concrete block paving, roof tiles, flooring systems and sleepers for rail infrastructure.

The Company competes with Lafarge, Heidelberg, Tarmac, and Aggregate Industries in the United Kingdom.

German Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the operations in the Rest of Europe consisted of the operations in Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria and Hungary, as well as the other European assets. The Company is a provider of building materials in Germany, with vertically integrated cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and concrete products operations (consisting mainly of prefabricated concrete ceilings and walls). It maintains a network for ready-mix concrete and aggregates in Germany. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Deutschland AG, the holding subsidiary in Germany.

The Company competes with Heidelberg, Dyckerhoff, Lafarge, Holcim and Schwenk in Germany.

French Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX France Gestion (S.A.S.), the holding subsidiary in France. It is a ready-mix concrete producer and aggregate producer in France. As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 239 ready-mix concrete plants in France, one maritime cement terminal located in LeHavre, on the northern coast of France, 20 land distribution centers and 42 aggregates quarries.

The Company competes with Lafarge, Holcim, Italcementi, Vicat, Lafarge, Italcementi, Colas (Bouygues) and Eurovia (Vinci) in France.

Irish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held approximately 61.2% of Readymix Plc, the operating subsidiary in the Republic of Ireland. The operations in Ireland produce and supply sand, stone and gravel, as well as ready-mix concrete, mortar and concrete blocks. As of December 31, 2009, we operated 43 ready-mix concrete plants, 27 aggregates quarries and 15 block plants located in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. The Company imports and distributes cement in the Isle of Man.

The Company competes with CRH, the Lagan Group and Kilsaran in the Republic of Ireland.

Polish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Polska Sp. z.o.o. (CEMEX Polska), the holding subsidiary in Poland. It is a provider of building materials in Poland serving the cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates markets. As of December 31, 2009, CEMEX operated two cement plants and one grinding mill in Poland, with a total installed cement capacity of three million tons per year. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated 39 ready-mix concrete plants and nine aggregates quarries in Poland. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated 10 land distribution centers and two maritime terminals in Poland.

The Company competes with Heidelberg, Lafarge, CRH and Dyckerhoff in Poland.

Southeast European Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Hrvatska d.d. (Hrvatska), the operating subsidiary in Croatia. As of December 31, 2009, it operated three cement plants in Croatia, with an installed capacity of 2.4 million tons per year. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated ten land distribution centers, three maritime cement terminals, eight ready-mix concrete facilities and one aggregates quarry! in Croat! ia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Vulcan have gained 7.6%, and given a lift to other cement makers today, including Martin Marietta Materials (MLM), which has risen 4.9% and reports earnings on Thursday, Cemex (CX), which has advanced 1.5%, and Texas Industries (TXI), which is up 4.9%.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Even now, though, it's far from clear whether the recent rebound has staying power. Earlier this month, peer Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC  ) reported 5% lower shipments of aggregates, although rising prices helped offset the impact, and the company noted double-digit-percentage increases in shipments to hot housing areas including Arizona, California, and Florida. Similarly, Cemex (NYSE: CX  ) posted a substantial loss for its March quarter on with 5% lower revenue, but the Mexican company pointed to strength in the U.S. and Asian markets as offsetting weakness in Mexico, Europe, and Latin America.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Cemex SAB de CV (CX)

  As of the close of the third quarter there were nine guru owners of Cemex. These gurus held a combined weighting of 5.30%. During the third quarter, there were three gurus making buys and nine making sells of their stake in CX.

• [By GuruFocus]

  George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated