Best Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2015: May 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Best International Stocks To Invest In 2015

Best International Stocks To Invest In 2015: Brooks Macdonald Group PLC (BRK)

Brooks Macdonald Group plc is an integrated wealth management group, consists of three principal companies: Brooks Macdonald Asset Management Limited; Brooks Macdonald Financial Consulting Limited, which provides a bespoke, fee based, investment management service to private high net worth individuals, charities and trusts, and also provides in-house custody, nominee and dealing services; Brooks Macdonald Funds Limited, which provides fee-based, independent advice to high net worth individuals, families and businesses, and Brooks Macdonald Financial Consulting Limited, which acts as fund manager to its regulated open ended investment Companies, under the name Brooks Macdonald Funds, as well as providing specialist funds in the property and structured return sectors. It also manages property assets on behalf of the funds and other clients. Its segments include investment management, financial planning, and fund and property management. On July 1, 2012, it acquired JPAM Limited . Advisors' Opinion:

[By Bob Bogda]
The track record of the annual list is equally as impressive. Since the inaugural edition in 2003, "top stocks" have beaten the market 7 out of 10 years (the jury is still out on the current year). That beats the performance of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK) by one year during the same span.
[By David Sterman]
Insurance companies are some of the best deals on the market right now, as many of them still trade below tangible book value. And considering that book value will rise more quickly as interest rates (and interest income) move higher in coming years, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK) could afford to pay up to 1.25 times book value and still garner excellent long-term returns. Here's a quick list of insurers that fit the bill:

source from Top Penny Stoc! ks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-international-stocks-to-invest-in-2015.html

Friday, May 30, 2014

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top 10 Railroad Companies To Invest In Right Now: Akbank TAS (AKBNK)

Akbank TAS (Akbank) is a Turkey-based commercial bank. The Bank operates in five segments: the Retail banking segment offers a range of retail services, such as deposit accounts, consumer loans, commercial installment loans, credit cards, insurance products and asset management services; the Corporate and Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SME) banking segment provides financial solutions and banking services to large, medium and small size corporate and commercial customers; the Treasury Activities segment conducts regional and foreign currency spot and forward transactions, treasury bonds, government bonds, Eurobond and private sector bond transactions, as well as derivative trading activities; the Private banking segment offers banking and investment transactions for upper-income groups, and the International banking segment provides services for foreign trade financing, foreign currency and Turkish Lira (TL) clearances, and money transfers through agent financial institut ions. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Julia Leite]
Turkey's equity benchmark rallied as Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS and Akbank TAS (AKBNK) advanced at least 5.4 percent. The lira gained for the fourth day.
[By Anuchit Nguyen]
The Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index capped the longest slide since July 26 as Akbank TAS (AKBNK) and Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS dropped at least 2.9 percent.
[By Harry Suhartono]
The Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index jumped 3.7 percent, the most among major emerging-market gauges, as Akbank TAS (AKBNK) and Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS (HALKB) rallied. Benchmark measures in Poland and the Czech Republic added at least 0.5 percent, while Hungarian shares retreated for a fourth day.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-railroad-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Top 5 Construction Companies To Watch For 2015

Top 5 Construction Companies To Watch For 2015: Ply Gem Holdings Inc (PGEM)

Ply Gem Holdings, Inc. (Ply Gem Holdings), incorporated on January 23, 2004, is a manufacturer of residential exterior building products in North America. The Company operates in two segments: Siding, Fencing, and Stone and Windows and Doors. These two segments produce a product line of vinyl siding, designer accents, cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim, vinyl fencing, vinyl and composite railing, stone veneer and vinyl windows and doors used in both new construction and home repair and remodeling in the United States and Western Canada. It also manufactures vinyl and aluminum soffit and siding accessories, aluminum trim coil, wood windows, aluminum windows, vinyl and aluminum-clad windows and steel and fiberglass doors, enabling it to bundle complementary and color-matched products and accessories with its core products. The Company's subsidiaries includes including Ply Gem Industries, MWM Holding, AWC Holding Company, MHE, and Pacific Windows. On July 30, 2012, Ply Gem acquired substantially all of the assets of Greendeck Products, LLC.

Siding, Fencing, and Stone Segment

In the Siding, Fencing, and Stone segment, its principal products include vinyl siding and skirting, vinyl and aluminum soffit, aluminum trim coil, J-channels, wide crown molding, window and door trim, F-channels, H-molds, fascia, undersill trims, outside/inside corner posts, rain removal systems, injection molded designer accents, such as shakes, shingles, scallops, shutters, vents and mounts, vinyl fence, vinyl and composite railing, and stone veneer. It sells its siding and accessories under its Variform, Napco, Mastic Home Exteriors, and Cellwood brand names and under the Georgia-Pacific brand name through a private label program. It also sells its Providence line of vinyl siding and accessories to Lowe's under its D! urabuilt private label brand name. Its vinyl and vinyl-composite fencing and railing products are sold under its Kroy and K roy Express brand names. Ply Gem Holdings stone veneer produ! cts are sold under its United Stone Veneer brand name.

The Company sells the siding and accessories to specialty distributors (one-step distribution) and to wholesale distributors (two-step distribution). Its specialty distributors sell directly to remodeling contractors and builders. Its wholesale distributors sell to retail home centers and lumberyards who, in turn, sell to remodeling contractors, builders and consumers. In the specialty channel, it has developed a network of approximately 800 independent distributors, serving over 22,000 contractors and builders nationwide.

Windows and Doors Segment

In the Windows and Doors segment, its principal products include vinyl, aluminum, wood and clad-wood windows and patio doors, and steel, wood, and fiberglass entry doors that serve both the new home construction and the repair and remodeling sectors in the United States and Western Canada. Its products in its Windows and Doors segment are sold under the Ply Gem Windows, Great Lakes Mastic by Ply Gem, and Ply Gem Canada brands.

The Company competes with Alsco, Gentek, U.S. Fence, Homeland, Westech, Bufftech, Royal, Azek., Eldorado Stone, Coronado Stone, Jeld-Wen, Simonton, Pella and Andersen, MI Home Products, Atrium, Weathershield, Milgard, Jeld-Wen, Gienow, All Weather and Loewen.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lisa Levin]
Ply Gem Holdings (NYSE: PGEM) shares reached a new 52-week low of $11.48 after the company reported wider-than-expected Q4 loss and issued a weak Q1 revenue forecast.
[By Matt Jarzemsky]
Installed Building Products' debut follows mixed performance from shares of some newly public building-products companies. Through Tuesday, siding manufacturer Ply Gem Holdings Inc.(PGEM)'s shares were down 39% ! from the ! offer price in its $381 May debut. Wood-products maker Boise Cascade Co.(BCC) was up 46% from its $284 million February IPO.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-construction-companies-to-watch-for-2015.html

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015

If you're long tech stocks, you now have a powerful market phenomenon on your side... As we reminded you two weeks ago, many of the world's dominant tech companies – like Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, and Intel – are trading for cheap valuations right now, especially once you take their big cash hoards into consideration. And over the past few weeks, the market phenomenon known as "acting well" has come into play... When we say an asset is "acting well," we mean that it's advancing – rather than declining – in the face of bad news. When a beaten-down asset can advance in the face of bad (or at least "not good") news, it's a sign that the worst is over for that market... sellers are exhausted... and prices are ready to rise. It's a sign that powerful bullish forces are working in the asset's favor.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: Whole Foods Market Inc.(WFM)

Whole Foods Market, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of natural and organic food supermarkets. The company offers produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, coffee and tea, nutritional supplements, and vitamins. It also provides specialty products, such as beer, wine, and cheese; body care and educational products, such as books; and floral, pet, and household products. As of February 9, 2011, the company operated 302 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
That growth places the company firmly in between Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM ) , which is growing comparable sales at 7%, and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT ) , with its 1.4% decline last quarter. Still, Kroger is valued cheaper than both of these retailers. At just under 12 times earnings, shares are a deal compared with Wal-Mart's 15 P/E, or Whole Foods' 37.
[By Steve Symington]
Following a brief uproar�less than�two weeks ago regarding its language policy, organic grocery specialist Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM ) Friday officially softened the previous "English-only" stance outlined in its employee handbook.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Kohl?s Corporation operates department stores in the United States. The company?s stores offer private and exclusive, as well as national branded apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men, and children; soft home products, such as sheets and pillows; and housewares primarily to middle-income customers. As of January 29, 2011, it operated 1,089 stores in 49 states. The company also offers on-line shopping on its Web site at Kohls.com. Kohl?s Corporation was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Dan Moskowitz]
When it comes to investing in department stores, most people would opt for Macy's (NYSE: M ) or Kohl's (NYSE: KSS ) over J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP ) or Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD ) .
[By Paul Ausick]
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Macy�� Inc. (NYSE: M), Kohl�� Corp. (NYSE: KSS), and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) have all already reported poor quarterly results that barely met expectations in most cases. There�� no reason to expect anything substantially different this week, except perhaps from Home Depot, which has history of being cautious with its estimates.
[By Steve Mauzy]
Retailing also allows any investor to easily kick the tires. When I walk into Sears, I see an antiquated retailing concept. When I walk into Sears' subsidiary, K-Mart, I see dilapidation. J.C. Penney, to me, is a poor imitation of Kohl's (KSS).

10 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In 2015: Global Payments Inc.(GPN)

Global Payments Inc. provides electronic transaction processing services for merchants, independent sales organizations (ISO), financial institutions, government agencies, and multi-national corporations located in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. It offers a comprehensive line of processing solutions for credit and debit cards; business-to-business purchasing cards; gift cards; and electronic check conversion and check guarantee, verification, and recovery, including electronic check services, as well as terminal management. The company also offers proprietary software products to establish revolving check cashing limits for the casinos? customers in the gaming industry. In addition, it sells, installs, and services automated teller machine and point of sale terminals; and provides card issuing services, including card management and card personalization. The company markets its products directly, as well as through ISOs, retail outlets, tra de associations, alliance bank relationships, and financial institutions. Global Payments Inc. has a joint venture with La Caixa Group to provide merchant acquiring services to merchants in Spain. Global Payments Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Global Payments�(GPN) has gained 6.8% to $54.12 in pre-open trading after the payment processing company reported a profit of $1 a share, beating analyst forecasts of 95 cents. It also said it would buy back stock.
[By Wallace Witkowski]
Shares of Global Payments Inc. (GPN) �advanced 4.8% to $67.50 on moderate volume after the company raised its earnings outlook for the year to a range of $4.03 to $4.10 a share. Analysts were forecasting $4.04 a share.
[By Monica Gerson]
Global Payments (NYSE: GPN) reported upbeat fiscal first-quarter results and raised its annual forecast. Global Payments named Jeffrey S. Sloan as its new chief executive and announced its plans to buy back up to $100 million of its common stock. Global Payments shares surged 6.80% to $54.15 in the after-hours trading session.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: AeroVironment Inc.(AVAV)

AeroVironment, Inc. designs, develops, produces, and supports unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and efficient energy systems for various industries and governmental agencies. Its UAS provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, including real-time tactical reconnaissance, tracking, combat assessment, and geographic data to the small tactical unit or individual war fighter. The UAS wirelessly transmit critical live video and other information generated by their payload of electro-optical or infrared sensors directly to a hand-held ground control system, enabling the operator to view and capture images during the day or at night on a hand-held ground control unit. AeroVironment also provides spare equipment, alternative payload modules, batteries, chargers, repair services, and customer support for the UAS. In addition, the company produces industrial productivity and clean transportation solutions for commercial and government customers, develops potential clean t ransportation solutions, and performs contract engineering services; offers PosiCharge electric vehicle charging systems for industrial electric material handling fleets, electric vehicle charging systems for passenger and fleet vehicles, and power cycling and test systems for developers and manufacturers of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as battery packs, electric motors, and fuel cells; and supplies power cycling and test systems to research and development organizations that focus on developing electric propulsion systems, electric generation systems, and electricity storage systems. It supplies its UAS primarily to the organizations within the United States department of defense. AeroVironment, Inc. was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Monrovia, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, unmanned aerial vehicle specialist AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
[By Blake Bos]
In the video below, Blake observes how smaller companies like iRobot� (NASDAQ: IRBT ) and AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV ) , as well as huge defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin� (NYSE: LMT ) and Northrop Grumman� (NYSE: NOC ) , are positioned to benefit from this trend.
[By Alex Planes]
Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV ) fit the bill? Let's look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.
[By Rich Smith]
AlamyA US Navy X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System aircraft is towed into the hanger bay aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush -- the first aircraft carrier to successfully catapult launch an unmanned aircraft from its flight deck. With a fiscal 2013 defense budget of nearly $614 billion, the United States is widely known to be a big spender on defense. By some estimates, U.S. defense spending accounts for nearly 60 percent of the $1.19 trillion the top 10 military powers spent on defense in 2011. In fact, our country allocates more than five times more money to defense than does its closest spending rival, China. And that's not the half of it. In the cutting-edge field of military unmanned aerial vehicles, the United States has such a huge lead over its rivals that it makes their combined UAV fleets look like a rounding error in a world that's essentially 100 percent dominated by U.S. drones. Pax Americana As The Wall Street Journal recently reported, the U.S. military commands a fleet of 429 "large drone" aircraft such as the General Atomics Predator and Northrop Grumman (NOC) Global Hawk. Meanwhile, America's smaller drones, built by everyone from Boeing (BA) to Textron (TXT) to tiny AeroVironment (AVAV), maker of the ubiquitous Raven man-portable UAV, number in the thousands. In contrast, the military of the United Kingdom, not even a U.S. rival but a close ally, boasts a fleet of precisely 10 large drones, most of which we built for them, and the rest imported from Israel. Italy has nine, France, four, and Germany has three. As a result, when allied forces need a drone to "put eyes" on a target, more often than not, they have to ring up the U.S. military to get one. Who You Gonna Call? For allied nations, that has to be embarrassing -- but it's a situation unlikely to change soon. As the Journal reports, European defense giant European Aeronautic Defence & Space (EADSY), the parent company of Airbus, is only just now beginning to test a

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: Oracle Corporation(ORCL)

Oracle Corporation, an enterprise software company, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and services database and middleware software, applications software, and hardware systems worldwide. It licenses of database and middleware software, including database management software, application server software, service-oriented architecture and business process management software, data integration software, business intelligence software, identity and access management software, content management software, portals and user interaction software, development tools, and Java; and applications software comprising enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, enterprise performance management, supply chain management, business intelligence applications, enterprise portfolio project management, Web commerce, and industry-specific applications software. The company also offers customers with rights to unspecified software product upgrades and maintenance releases; Internet access to technical content; and Internet and telephone access to technical support personnel. In addition, its hardware systems products consist of computer server and hardware-related software, including the Oracle Solaris Operating System; and storage products, such as tape, disk and networking solutions for open systems and mainframe server environments. Its hardware systems support solutions include software updates for the software components. Further, the company offers consulting solutions in business and IT strategy alignment, enterprise architecture planning and design, initial product implementation and integration, and ongoing product enhancements and upgrades; cloud services, including Oracle Cloud Services and Advanced Customer Services; and education solutions comprising instructor-led, media-based, and Internet-based training in the use of its software and hardware products. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Redwood Ci ty, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Tim Brugger]
The good news for SAP (NYSE: SAP ) and Oracle (NYSE: ORCL ) , Nos. 1 and 2 on Gartner's list with $2.9 billion and $1.95 billion in revenues, respectively, each retained their top positions. The downside, and especially troubling for Oracle CEO Larry Ellison considering his desire to grow cloud and related revenues, is that Oracle saw a mere 2% improvement from the prior year and 2012 BI sales were essentially flat for SAP.
[By Chuck Carnevale]
Oracle (ORCL) offers several lessons on how to calculate the returns from your common stock investments. First of all, we see a strong correlation between earnings and stock price for most of the 15-year time frame. However, we also see the extreme and unwarranted overvaluation that occurred during the irrationally exuberant technology bubble of the late 1990s.
[By Anders Bylund]
salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM ) was started by former Oracle (NYSE: ORCL ) vice president Marc Benioff, and the two companies have been fierce rivals in a very vocal way ever since. So when Oracle promised that it would share a "startling announcement" regarding Salesforce this week, the company wasn't kidding.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc.(FCX)

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. engages in the exploration, mining, and production of mineral resources. The company primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and cobalt. It holds interests in various properties, located in North and South America; the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; and the Tenke Fungurume minerals district in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s consolidated recoverable proven and probable reserves totaled 120.5 billion pounds of copper, 35.5 million ounces of gold, 3.39 billion pounds of molybdenum, 325.0 million ounces of silver, and 0.75 billion pounds of cobalt. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Paul Ausick]
The country�� two largest copper miners, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) and Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) have refused to pay the new tax claiming that it violates their existing contracts. The government backed off a bit last week, saying that it would ��onsider reducing the duty for miners who are ��erious��about smelting their mineral concentrates in the country before shipping the metals to buyers abroad,��according to report in The Wall Street Journal.
[By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, global mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.
[By Taylor Muckerman]
The market has not been kind to gold miners or gold investors in 2013. With prices finally crossing back above $1,300 per ounce this week, will the miners' quarterly reports add to the momentum? Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX ) will kick things off on Tuesday, July 23, followed by much larger gold-producing peers Goldcorp (NYSE: GG ) and Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM ) .

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: The Travelers Companies Inc.(TRV)

The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Business Insurance; Financial, Professional, and International Insurance; and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment offers property and casualty products and services, such as commercial multi-peril, property, general liability, commercial auto, and workers? compensation insurance. It operates in six groups: Select Accounts, which serves small businesses; Commercial Accounts that serves mid-sized businesses; National Accounts, which serves large companies; Industry-Focused Underwriting that serves targeted industries; Target Risk Underwriting, which serves commercial businesses requiring specialized product underwriting, claims handling, and risk management services; and Special ized Distribution that offers products to customers through licensed wholesale, general, and program agents. The Financial, Professional, and International Insurance segment provides surety and financial liability coverage, which uses a credit-based underwriting process; and property and casualty products primarily in the United States., the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. The Personal Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance covering personal risks, primarily automobile and homeowners insurance to individuals. It distributes its products through independent agents, sponsoring organizations, joint marketing arrangements with other insurers, and direct marketing. The company was founded in 1853 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Dan Caplinger]
Travelers (NYSE: TRV )
For insurance giant Travelers, all it took for a big beat was for the company to avoid a major catastrophic event. The company reported an 11% jump in earnings and a record operating profit, beating expectations by $0.29 per share and boosting its dividend.
[By John Maxfield]
On the individual stock front, shares of Travelers Companies (NYSE: TRV ) are leading the Dow higher this afternoon, up by 2.3% at the time of writing. Given that it's an insurance company, the fact that the jobs report wasn't outright awful probably has a lot to do with Travelers' ascent today. The better the economy is doing, the sooner long-term interest rates will increase. And the sooner long-term rates increase, the sooner Travelers' bottom line will pick up to full steam.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Mark Morelli]
Positive trends have Silicon Valley tech giants Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) , Facebook (NASDAQ: FB ) , and the century-old�International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM ) �poised for future success in each of their diverse, but somewhat interrelated, businesses.�
[By Dan Caplinger]
One of Accenture's biggest areas of growth has been in technology-related consulting, with the company having become the No. 2 IT consulting company in the world, trailing only rival IBM (NYSE: IBM ) . Accenture's ability to take advantage of diversity in its employee ranks comes from its lack of a physical corporate headquarters, allowing employees to work in their home countries, and thereby attracting the most talented workers available in a given area. In particular, Accenture has focused much of its attention on India, with more than a quarter of its employees hailing from the subcontinent.
[By Jeff Reeves]
Continued softness in competitors like Oracle (ORCL) and IBM (IBM) hints that the enterprise IT business is suffering, and CSCO�� outlook confirms that. So investors better be prepared for a bumpy ride over the next several months — particularly if the market experiences a broad selloff.
[By Charley Blaine]
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) shares were at $172.71, right on their 52-week low of $172.56. IBM was the only Dow stock to decline in 2013, falling 2.1%. The shares are off about 8% this year. Investors have been frustrated with slow growth rates. The consensus price target is $192.67, which would be a 12% gain from current levels

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated provides healthcare services in the United States. Its Health Benefits segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; and non-employer based insurance options for purchase by individuals. It also provides health and well-being services for individuals aged 50 and older; and for services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals, as well as health plans for the beneficiaries of acute and long-term care Medicaid plans. This segment offers its services through a network of 730,000 physicians and other health care professionals, and 5,300 hospitals. Its OptumHealth segment provides health, financial, and ancillary services and products that assist consumers through personalized health management solutions; benefit administration, and clinical and network management; health-based financi al services; behavioral solutions; and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life, critical illness, short-term disability, and stop-loss product offerings. The company?s Ingenix segment offers database and data management services, software products, publications, consulting and actuarial services, business process outsourcing services, and pharmaceutical data consulting and research services. Its Prescription Solutions segment provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services comprising retail network pharmacy contracting and management, claims processing, mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy, benefit design consultation, rebate contracting and management, drug utilization review, formulary management programs, disease therapy management, and adherence programs to employer groups, union trusts, managed care organizations, Medicare-contracted plans, Medicaid plans, and third party administrators. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Minne tonka, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Laura Brodbeck]
Thursday
Earnings Expected From: United Health Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH), Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT), General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB), Philip Morris Inc (NYSE: PM), Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG), American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) Economic Releases Expected: �German PPI, Canadian CPI, Chinese house price data
Friday
[By Travis Hoium]
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH ) was up 6.8% this week to lead the Dow. On Monday, an analyst projected that United Health would be able to grow Medicare Advantage enrollment despite reimbursement cuts. After concerns about government cuts hit health-care companies in early 2013, there's now growing understanding that Obamacare or cuts to Medicare won't slash profits. One of the reasons is the insurance lobby, which has been able to bend policy to make sure companies like UnitedHealth are still posting solid profits. ��
[By Jeremy Bowman]
Elsewhere, UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH ) shares got a bump after Deutsche Bank raised its price target on the insurance giant from $60 to $63 and maintained its hold rating. Deutsche Bank recently met with UnitedHealth's CEO and VP of Investor Relations, and said it believed the insurance giant had a strong long-term position. UnitedHealth finished up 2% and hit a 52-week high on the news. Considering that the insurance company was downgraded yesterday to a hold by Standpoint Research, the two items seem to be a wash.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In 2015: S&P GSCI(GD)

General Dynamics Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions; military and commercial shipbuilding; and communications and information technology products and services worldwide. Its Aerospace group designs, manufactures, and outfits various large and mid-cabin business-jet aircraft; provides maintenance, repair work, fixed-based operations, and aircraft management services; and performs aircraft completions for aircraft. The company?s Combat Systems group offers tracked and wheeled military vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions. Its product lines include wheeled combat and tactical vehicles; battle tanks and infantry vehicles; munitions and propellant; rockets and gun systems; and axle and drivetrain components and aftermarket parts. This group also manufactures and supplies engineered axles, suspensions, and brakes for heavy-load vehicles for military and commercial customers. The company Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Smith]
According to the DSCA, contractors General Dynamics (NYSE: GD ) , Boeing (NYSE: BA ) , and Wyle Laboratories are in line to perform avionics software upgrades and engine component improvements and to sell ground support equipment, spare parts, technical documentation, and other "technical and logistics support services" to Kuwait for an estimated $200 million.
[By Paul Ausick]
Although no other defense or aerospace contractors had announced any layoffs or furloughs due to the government shutdown, the Aerospace Industries Association said last Friday that “tens of thousands” of employees at member companies would have to be furloughed if the shutdown continued. The group includes defense firms Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC), Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) and General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) among its membership. None of these firms had announced plans to idle workers.
[By Dividends4Life]
Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of General Dynamics (GD). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis: Company Description: General Dynamics is the world's fourth largest military contractor and also one of the world's biggest makers of corporate jets.
[By Jon C. Ogg]
General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) is down the least of defense stocks with a late-Tuesday drop of 1.4% at $83.08 against a 52-week trading range of $61.70 to $87.85. According to Thomson Reuters, its consensus analyst target is $95.80.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Is VeriFone A Buy?

Provider of electronic payment solutions, VeriFone Systems (PAY), lit up the Street with its first-quarter results by beating analysts' expectations. Investors were overwhelmed by the company's surprising performance, sending shares higher.

Delving deeper...

Both revenue and earnings per share were ahead of estimates, as they increased 2% and 36%, respectively. VeriFone managed to increase its revenue by having an installed base of 20 million terminals across 150 countries. However, the company has a list of issues which are yet to be resolved.

The hurdles faced

The biggest problem for VeriFone has been a lack of research and development efforts which led to bigger problems such as lack of product certifications and loss of customers. As a result, it lost market share in most of the markets despite decreasing product prices. Moreover, loss of a U.S. petroleum deal will be affecting revenue from the region even more.

Against industry players

In an environment where innovation is the key to a successful business, the electronic payment company has been lagging behind. Hence, VeriFone faces stiff competition from its industry peers who have been continuously making the right moves.

One of its strongest rivals, NCR Corporation (NCR), has been getting some great contracts to deliver its technology. Its expansion in China looks interesting with China Eastern Airlines expanding NCR check-in kiosks for its domestic airports.

NCR's expansion has been remarkable as it will also be delivering its technology solutions to shopping malls in China. The company has been very active and has been investing in a number of payment technologies. Its new orders to supply ATMs in China and other deals highlight the growth of this company.

Even Square is an important player with its best move being in mobile payments. The launch of its mobile payment platform set the market on fire, especially when coffee retailer Starbucks (SBUX) invested its money to adopt the new technology. Starbucks announced that all its transactions will be processed by Square.

Square's innovation enabled the coffee maker to attract customers in hordes since this technology provided a convenient way of paying for their coffee. Starbucks has been reaping the benefit which is evident from its move to ramp up its mobile payment system. The retailer also announced that 10% of its transactions are done through smartphones, signifying the success story of both Square and Starbucks.

On the other hand, VeriFone was a laggard with negligible efforts to innovate. However, there have been some improvements during the last quarter that are worth noting.

Interesting moves

It has made two new acquisitions, EFTPOS New Zealand Ltd. and Sektor, which will help in revenue growth. It has been focussing on payment-as-a-service segment in regions such as New Zealand, Australia and the U.S. since the segment is growing at a rate of 11% to 13%.

VeriFone also launched the taxi payment application called Way2ride which might prove to be fruitful for the company's prospects.

Its other moves such as making various applications available for tablets, such as GlobalBay Merchant and renewing existing contracts might help the company to stage a comeback.

Additionally, VeriFone has been performing well in its Services segment, which grew 17% during the quarter. This segment continues to perform well with growth in revenue during each quarter. Moreover, the company has been increasing its investments in R&D and paid off $160 million of debt during the quarter.

The bottom line

The company has been making a lot of effort to improve its performance. With increasing revenue and a stock price surge of 25.9%, VeriFone seems like an interesting investment. However, it faces stiff competition from its peers. Though the competition has been tough the payment solutions provider has started making some moves. Hence, investors should give this company a thought.

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Monday, May 26, 2014

Cut your cooling costs by 30% or more

Having a technician service your central-air system every year or two could help you save up to 10% on your electric bills.

(Money Magazine) With electric rates predicted to climb 10% by summer, cranking up your air conditioner could cost you big this year. But that doesn't have to mean living in a sweat lodge.

Below, a few simple steps to trim your bill 30% or more.

SAVE UP TO 10%

Clear the condenser: Prune back shrubs and ground covers at least a foot away from your outdoor air-conditioning equipment, says Charles Cormany of Beanstalk Energy, a Sonoma, Calif., residential energy efficiency contractor. Then use a blower to remove leaves and debris from in and around the case for maximum airflow.

Get a checkup: Have a technician service your central-air system every year or two.

For $100 or $200, he'll charge the refrigerant, adjust the settings to maximize efficiency, and check the insulation on the coolant pipes, says David Kyle, owner of an AC service and installation company in Lorton, Va.

SAVE UP TO 20%

5 Best Integrated Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Replace filters: Install new filters at least twice a year, says Cormany. "Forget fancy, antimicrobial filters," he says. "Go for the cheapest."

They should cost less than $10 each. For window units, hand-wash and dry filters monthly.

Installing a $3.2B thermostat

Plant a tree: You'll pay $200 to $500 to have a landscaper or nursery plant a 10-foot tree on the south or west side of your home (going leafless in winter lets you benefit from solar heat).

Tighten ducts: Hire an energy efficiency contractor to seal and insulate attic ducts, says Max Sherman of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. You'll spend $500 to $2,000.

SAVE UP TO 30%

Install ceiling fans: Not surprisingly, a breeze makes your home feel cooler. For about $200 to $600 each (including installation) you can hang ceiling fans in the rooms where you spend the most time, allowing you to turn down the AC by two degrees without an! y loss of comfort.

Upgrade: If your AC is more than 10 years old and you're in a hot climate, replacement will pay for itself quickly. Expect to spend $2,000 to $10,000 for a new central-air system, says Kyle. Upgrading window units typically costs $100 to $300.

Beware: A high-BTU unit can jack up operating costs, with less effective results. Stick with about 20 BTUs per square foot.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Sears Holdings Throws Another Shovel's Worth of Dirt on Its Grave

Spin as he might to put some life back into Sears Holdings' (NASDAQ: SHLD ) first-quarter results, chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert can't mask the pallor of the retailer's true state of health. With sales down another 7% as it closed 185 stores over the past year and Sears Canada -- which it just announced it would spinoff -- continuing to decline, Sears remains on a downward spiral that not even the singularity of positive comparable sales at its domestic namesake stores can alter.

Where Lampert intones that "Sears is undergoing a significant transformation, and we fundamentally are changing the way we do business," you'll be forgiven for thinking that's a way to describe how to run a retailer on widespread losses, which worsened to $402 million, or $3.79 per share, compared to the $279 million, or $2.63 per share, it lost last year. Part of the explanation, though, lies in the greater emphasis being placed on the Shop Your Way program.

The customer-loyalty program now accounts for three quarters of eligible sales, up from 68% a year ago, but it also serves as a drain on profits with gross margins tumbling $328 million to $1.8 billion, a good portion of which was due to Lampert spinning off Lands' End, but also because the promotional environment the Shop Your Way program contributes to affected Sears' margin rate, which declined by 220 basis points.

Much of the mess was caused by Sears reliance on electronic goods that served to drag down by the Sears stores themselves, as well as Kmart. Comps at Sears domestic stores were down 1% overall, but 2.2% at Kmart and 0.2% higher at its eponymous stores. If you removed consumer electronics from the equation, however, Sears' comps would have been up 0.4% and Kmart's decline would have been a more tolerable 0.4%.

Source: Sears Holdings SEC filings

So, just like that, Lampert will no longer focus on electronics but, as he detailed on the conference call, will instead concentrate on some concept called "connected living" that will tie together fitness equipment, electronics, appliances, home services, and auto services. Yeah, that should work out well; it's done wonders for Best Buy, no?

Rather, what we're likely to see is the continued dismantling of Sears Holding. Lampert underscored he's in the process of closing 80 more stores this year, but that number could go even higher. And the sale or spinoff of its automotive division remains on the table as a number of third parties have been engaged in discussions about its future. From Orchard Supply to Sears Hometown & Outlet, Sears Canada to Lands' End, the slow-motion deconstruction of the once venerable retailer is nearly complete. Beyond auto services, there aren't too many more aces Lampert has in the hole: Craftsman tools, Diehard batteries, and Kenmore appliances are all that's available before he's empty. By that point the retailer's burial will be complete.

Yet the markets apparently liked Sears Holdings earnings report yesterday, causing its stock to rise by more than 4% on the news, but the euphoria should be short lived as the reality the retailer is still a zombie will once again sink in. I wouldn't be surprised if investors will once again hang black crepe and go into mourning over what was once a vital retail outlet.

Warren Buffett just bought nearly 9 million shares of this company
Imagine a company that rents a very specific and valuable piece of machinery for $41,000... per hour (that's almost as much as the average American makes in a year!). And Warren Buffett is so confident in this company's can't-live-without-it business model, he just loaded up on 8.8 million shares. An exclusive, brand-new Motley Fool report details this company that already has over 50% market share. Just click HERE to discover more about this industry-leading stock... and join Buffett in his quest for a veritable landslide of profits!

Best Electric Utility Stocks For 2015

Friday, May 23, 2014

Finding The Next Warren Buffett: Marcus Eder

If you think Marcus Eder might be this generation's Warren Buffett, sign up to follow his track record and receive more information with our monthly Performance Insights, emailed to you at the end of each month.

If you don't think so, there are still 397 Marketocracy managers and 61 mutual fund mangers to review, all of whom passed our first cut by outperforming the S&P 500 by at least 600 basis points, or 6%, per year for the last 5 years.

The first article in this series is "Finding The Next Warren Buffett."

Connect with Ken Kam on LinkedIN.

Disclosure: I am the portfolio manager for mutual and hedge funds advised by Marketocracy Capital Management, an SEC registered investment advisor. Before relying on the opinions expressed in this article, you should assume that Marketocracy, its affiliates, clients, and I have material financial interests in these stocks and may hold or trade them contrary to these opinions when, in our view, market conditions change.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Good news for Alibaba: Rival JD pops in IPO

JD Shares are off to a bullish start in their debut on the Nasdaq.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Shares in JD.com, a giant Chinese e-commerce company, surged more than 10% in their market debut Thursday. That appears to be a good sign for Alibaba, the online retailing leader often referred to as the eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500)and Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) of China.

The initial public offering of JD.com is the latest in a series of companies that are choosing to list in the United States. JD raised just under $1.8 billion in the stock sale. At its most recent price, the company was worth around $30 billion.

JD.com (JD) shares began trading on the Nasdaq Thursday under the ticker "JD" and priced at $19 a share. They were initially set to sell for between $16 and $18, demonstrating a high demand for the stock.

With just under 36 million active accounts and 212 million orders last year, the company said it had 45% of the Chinese direct retail market in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. And while it draws comparisons to Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500), JD.com is a far smaller company when compared to Amazon's $135.8 billion market cap.

But JD.com is the second-biggest Chinese online retailer behind Alibaba, whose shares are expected to debut in the U.S. sometime during the next few months. Alibaba could raise more than the $16 billion Facebook (FB, Fortune 500) raised in its IPO.

JD.com is the latest in a number of big Chinese tech IPOs this year. But several of them have fizzled after hot starts. Weibo (WB), the Twitter-like social media site owned by Sina (SINA), is down nearly 10% from where it began trading last month. Jumei International Holding (JMEI), a cosmetics website that debuted last week, is now barely above its IPO price.

Still, a quick look at JD.com's financials shows why investors were so excited Thursday. It had $6.8 billion in sales in 2012, nearly double what it was doing the year before. The first nine months of last year brought in $8 billion.

But the company isn't profitable. It lost $542 million in 2012, a bigger loss than in 2011. JD.com said it lost $343 million in the first three quarters of 2013.

Tencent, the large Chinese company which owns the popular WeChat messaging app and is considered a rival to Alibaba, has a 15% stake in JD.com. Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia also owns a big chunk of shares. Both high-profile shareholders add to the appeal of JD.com.

Now investors have to sit back and wait for more details from Alibaba. It's still not clear what exchange it will list on, ! what its ticker symbol will be, what it will price its offering at or when it will begin trading. But if the reception for JD is any indication, demand should be very strong for the online empire created by Jack Ma. That could be good news for Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) as well. It owns a more than 20% stake in Alibaba.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

First Look: Surface Pro 3 tablet targets laptops

NEW YORK — The burning question facing Satya Nadella during his early — and so far highly praised — reign as Microsoft's chief executive was how he would manage the company's hardware business, notably the Surface tablets that to date haven't posed any meaningful threat against Apple's still-dominant iPad.

With Tuesday's launch of the Surface Pro 3 tablet, we have an answer: a slate that Microsoft insists is a viable replacement for your laptop. On the surface anyway — I need to spend more time testing — it appears that Microsoft might just be able to pull it off.

Microsoft defied some of the speculation leading up to Tuesday's event: that it would go small and compete against the iPad mini — a battle that in all likelihood would leave Microsoft bloodied and beaten. Instead, Microsoft is fighting on a productivity-based playing field. Microsoft still expects to compete against Apple, of course, and not just against the iPad but against the company's popular MacBook Air notebook. Analyst Avi Greengart thinks it will also be competing against Windows-based Ultrabooks.

"Microsoft has rightly decided its future is not at the low end of consumer tablets, where ultra-thin margins and highly competitive vendors from the Far East have and will continue to dominate," says analyst Jack Gold. "Instead, it has concentrated on its key strength, business users who look at tablets as extensions and/or replacements for full laptop capability."

Surface Pro 3, which Microsoft takes preorders on starting Wednesday, will cost $799 on up, with the first units available June 20. The new slate has an impressive-looking 12.1-inch full HD display that is larger than the 10.6-inch display on current Surface Pro models. It runs off Windows 8.1 software and fourth-generation Intel Core processors and appears to have enough oomph to handle powerful third-party software such as Adobe Photoshop. Microsoft says you'll get up to nine hours of battery life while surfing the web.

The magnesium ! machine is light (1.76 pounds) and thin, and it has a single USB 3.0 port, micro SD card slot and a mini HDMI port. There will be an optional docking station available at $199.99 that will add ports and connectors and give you more of a desktop PC experience.

Surface Pro 3 has a more flexible kickstand than prior models, even letting you lower the angle to use as a canvas you might draw on.

Indeed, Microsoft is also putting heavy emphasis on the pressure-sensitive pen that the company claims is as natural and personal as writing with real pen on paper (quickie impression, it is better). As you might imagine, there are close ties to Microsoft's OneNote program, which is free and will be preloaded. You'll have to subscribe to Office 365 for other Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint or purchase them separately.

Plus, you'll have to buy an optional $129.99 Surface Type Cover to add a keyboard and an improved trackpad.

Microsoft executive Panos Panay actually dropped the tablet intentionally on stage, and it came through unscathed, though Microsoft isn't making any formal durability claims.

"You've been told to buy a tablet, but you know you need a laptop," says Panos.

For now, Microsoft is still selling the prior Surface models, including those based on a flavor of Windows called Windows RT that will not run older PC software, though it does come preinstalled with Office. It remains to be seen what kind of future RT continues to have, especially if Microsoft does deliver on a smaller tablet.

In the meantime, stay tuned for a more complete review of Surface Pro 3.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Abbott to buy Chile's CFR Pharma for $2.9B

Abbott Laboratories said Friday it agreed to buy CFR Pharmaceuticals for $2.9 billion to expand its business in the fast-growing Latin American markets.

Abbott will acquire the holding company that indirectly owns about 73% of Santiago, Chile-based CFR and will conduct a public cash offer for all outstanding shares of CFR. Abbott will also assume CFR's debt of about $430 million.

Shares of Abbott fell 0.5% Friday to $39.06.

The transaction, which more than doubles Abbott's Latin American branded generics business, will make the company among the top 10 drug companies in the region. In branded generics manufacturing arrangements, a company makes a drug that is equivalent to the original product but is marketed under another company's brand.

CFR operates in 15 Latin American countries, with more than 1,000 products that match Abbott's current focus areas in women's health, central nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. With about 7,000 employees, CFR runs R&D and manufacturing facilities in Chile, Colombia, Peru and Argentina.

"This acquisition will significantly enhance and broaden Abbott's Latin American footprint, and is well aligned with our long-term strategy and commitment to fast-growing markets," said Abbott CEO Miles D. White, in a statement.

The deal will add about $900 million to Abbott's sales in 2015, and the company expects "double-digit" sales growth in the next several years.

The pharmaceutical market in Latin America is projected to reach $73 billion in sales this year and grow to $124 billion by 2018, Abbott said.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now

Popular Posts: Drill Deep With These 5 Dividend Stocks4 Overpriced Energy Stocks To SellXOM Stock: Is Exxon Regaining Its ‘Oily’ Mojo? Recent Posts: Petrobras – Is PBR Stock Finally a Buy? XOM Stock: Is Exxon Regaining Its ‘Oily’ Mojo? California Droughts Pose Major Threat to OXY Stock View All Posts

It may finally be time for investors to grab a PBR. And no I�� not talking about the hipster beer of choice. I�� talking about one of the largest foreign integrated energy stocks — Brazil�� Petrobras (PBR).

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: CVR Partners LP(UAN)

CVR Partners, LP engages in the production of nitrogen fertilizers including ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Sugar Land, Texas. CVR Partners, LP operates as a subsidiary of CVR Energy, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Robert Rapier]
4. CVR Partners
CVR Partners (NYSE: UAN) is a fertilizer MLP that suffered from the same declining margins and weak fertilizer prices that hurt Rentech Nitrogen Partners. The partnership’s price declined 36 percent in 2013. The annualized yield based on the past four quarters of distributions is 11.7 percent, but that is expected to decline when the next distribution is announced.

5. Terra Nitrogen Company

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Rudolph Technologies Inc.(RTEC)

Rudolph Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells process control defect inspection, metrology, and process control software systems to microelectronics device manufacturers. The company provides yield management solutions for use in wafer processing and final manufacturing through a range of standalone systems for macro-defect inspection, test systems, and transparent and opaque thin film measurements. It also offers a range of process control software solutions for semiconductor, solar, and LED manufacturing. It provides products for various applications in the areas of macro-defect detection and classification, diffusion, etch, lithography, CVD, PVD, and CMP. The company sells its products and solutions to logic, memory, data storage, and application-specific integrated circuit device manufacturers. It sells its products in the United States, Taiwan, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Europe. The company was founded in 1940 and is based in Fla nders, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Axler]
In the table below, we've listed a sample of small-cap semiconductor capital equipment stocks such as Entegris (ENTG), Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS), ATMI Inc. (ATMI), MKS Instruments (MKSI), Photronics Inc. (PLAB), Rudolph Technologies (RTEC),FormFactor (FORM) and Mattson Technology (MTSN). The peers trade at approximately 1.0x and 15.5x 2014E revenues and EPS, respectively. Furthermore, the average peer trades at 2.1x tangible book value. However, these multiples are based on average 2014E industry revenue and earnings growth of 18% and 119%, respectively. Axcelis is poised to grow at a rate substantially above the industry average.
[By Seth Jayson]
Basic guidelines
In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at Rudolph Technologies (Nasdaq: RTEC ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is Rudolph Technologies doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, not so great. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 17.6%, and inventory increased 32.2%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks potentially problematic. Revenue dropped 8.9%, and inventory grew 32.2%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks worrisome. Revenue dropped 23.3%, and inventory grew 10.8%.

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch Right Now: Seattle Genetics Inc.(SGEN)

Seattle Genetics, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company, focuses on the development and commercialization of monoclonal antibody-based therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases in the United States. Its lead product, SGN-35 is in pivotal trial stage used for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory hodgkin lymphoma. The company?s other product candidates in various stages of clinical trials include SGN-75, which is in Phase I clinical trials for metastatic renal cell carcinoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma; ASG-5ME, a preclinical antibody-drug conjugate product candidate for the treatment of solid tumors; dacetuzumab (SGN-40), a humanized anti-CD40 antibody; SGN-70, a humanized anti-CD70 antibody for the treatment of autoimmune diseases; and SGN-19A, a preclinical antibody-drug conjugate product candidate for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. It has collaborations with Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Celldex Therapeutics, Inc .; Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.; Genentech, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline LLC; Millennium; and PSMA Development Company LLC. The company also has an antibody-drug conjugates co-development agreement with Agensys, Inc.; and Genmab A/S. Seattle Genetics, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Bothell, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sean Williams]
These might not be household names in the U.S., but they do brandish global licensing partnerships with companies that might be more familiar to you. Takeda, for example, has licensing agreements in place with Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OREX ) , which recently filed a New Drug Application for its chronic weight management (i.e., anti-obesity) pill, Contrave, in the U.S. Takeda owns the right to Contrave outside of North America. In addition, Takeda is a collaborative partner of antibody-drug conjugate developer Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: SGEN ) with regard to FDA-approved Hodgkin lymphoma drug Adcetris.�

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.(JOSB)

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. engages in designing, manufacturing, retailing, and direct marketing men?s tailored and casual clothing and accessories in the United States. The company?s product offerings include tuxedos, suits, shirts, vests, ties, sport coats, pants, sportswear, overcoats, sweaters, belts and braces, socks, and underwear. It sells its products primarily under the Jos. A. Bank label through its own and franchised stores, and catalogs, as well as the Internet at josbank.com. The company also sells branded shoes from various vendors. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 515 retail stores, which consists of 489 company-owned full-line stores, 12 company-owned outlet and factory stores, and 14 stores owned and operated by franchisees in 42 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1905 and is based in Hampstead, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Reuters]
Alamy Jos. A. Bank Clothiers' offered to buy bigger rival Men's Wearhouse for about $2.3 billion to create a men's apparel heavyweight with more than 1,700 stores -- a proposal that Men's Wearhouse swiftly rejected. The offer of $48 a share in cash is a 36 percent premium to the closing price of Men's Wearhouse shares on Tuesday. Men's Wearhouse (MW) shares opened at $43.35 on the New York Stock Exchange, after hitting $47 before the bell. Jos. A. Bank's (JOSB) shares were up 5.4 percent at $43.90 on the Nasdaq. The offer, which comes at a time of intense competition in the men's suit market, would be funded by a combination of cash-on-hand, debt and new equity, including a $250 million investment by Golden Gate Capital, Jos. A. Bank said. However, Men's Wearhouse said the non-binding offer undervalued the company and could raise anti-trust issues. The "highly opportunistic" proposal also didn't reflect the company's growth strategy and upside potential, Bill Sechrest, lead director of the Men's Wearhouse board, said in a statement. "The challenging second quarter results led to a 12 percent decline in Men's Wearhouse's stock price, which Men's Wearhouse believes doesn't fairly reflect the intrinsic value of Men's Wearhouse shares," the company said. Men's Wearhouse shares, which hit a year-high of $41.02 in August, last traded above the offer price exactly six years ago. The Fremont, Calif.-based clothier had a market value of about $1.68 billion, compared with Jos. A. Bank's $1.17 billion, as of Tuesday's close. The company sells discount suits through 1,137 stores, its website shows. Jos. A. Bank, with more than 600 stores, is a century-old seller of men's tailored and casual clothing, according to its website. 'I Guarantee It' Men's Wearhouse was founded in 1973 by George Zimmer, known to U.S. TV audiences for his advertising catchphrase "you're gonna like the way you look -- I guarantee it". The company fired Zimmer in June, saying he had pushed

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: U.S. Dollar Index(DX)

Dynex Capital, Inc. operates as a mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT). It invests in residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation, non-agency mortgage-backed securities, and securitized mortgage loans, as well as unsecuritized single-family and commercial mortgage loans. The company finances its investments through a combination of repurchase agreements, and non-recourse collateralized financing, such as securitization financing Dynex Capital, Inc. has qualified as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax, provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Eric Volkman]
Dynex Capital (NYSE: DX ) is maintaining its dividend. The company on Thursday declared a Q2 common stock distribution of $0.29 per share to be paid on July 31 to shareholders of record as of June 28.
[By Jon C. Ogg]
Dynex Capital Inc. (NYSE: DX) is rated as Buy, with a price target of $9.00, versus a recent price of $8.02. The book value was $8.94 at the end of last quarter and was projected to be $8.91 by the end of August.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Susser Holdings Corporation(SUSS)

Susser Holdings Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates convenience stores in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The company operates in two segments, Retail and Wholesale. The Retail segment operates convenience stores that offer merchandise, food service, and motor fuel, as well as provides other services, including car washes, lottery, ATM, money orders, prepaid phone cards and wireless services, and movie rentals. As of January 1, 2012, it operated 541 convenience stores under the Stripes brand name. The Wholesale segment distributes motor fuel to its retail convenience stores, contracted independent operators of convenience stores, unbranded convenience stores, unattended fueling facilities, and other end users in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The company also offers environmental, maintenance, and construction management services to the petroleum industry; and sells and installs motor fuel dispensers and tanks, as well as provides a range of environmental consulting services, such as hydrocarbon remediation, and Phase I and II site assessments for its stores and outside customers. Susser Holdings Corporation is based in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

[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 Susser Holdings (NYSE: SUSS ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Susser Holdings (NYSE: SUSS) shares shot up 35.74 percent to $77.41 after Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) announced its plans to acquire Susser Holdings in a deal valued at around $1.8 billion.
[By Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are AstraZeneca(AZN.LN) PLC,�Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Susser Holdings Corp.(SUSS)
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Susser Holdings (NYSE: SUSS) shares shot up 36.36 percent to $77.76 after Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) announced its plans to acquire Susser Holdings in a deal valued at around $1.8 billion.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: BlackRock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund Inc (FRA)

BlackRock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund, Inc. is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Fund seeks current income and preservation of capital. It utilizes leverage through borrowings.

BlackRock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund, Inc. invests in a diversified, leveraged portfolio consisting primarily of floating-rate debt securities and instruments. BlackRock Advisors, LLC. is the manager of the Fund. The Fund invests in floating rate loans, which are generally non-investment grade, made by banks, other financial institutions, and privately and publicly offered corporations. The portfolio of the BlackRock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund, Inc. comprises floating rate loan interests (76%), corporate bonds (22%) and common stocks (2%) as of February 29, 2008.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Dowdee]
The following 10 funds satisfied all of these conditions:
BlackRock Float Rate Strategies (FRA). This CEF sells at a discount of 3%, which is low compared to an average premium of 2% over the past year. The distribution has been managed at 6.1% and a small amount (less than 10%) has been return of capital (ROC). However, this has not negatively affected net asset value (NAV) so has not been destructive. The fund holds 447 securities, with 90% in floating rate loans. FRA utilizes 27% leverage and has an expense ratio of 1.7%, including interest payments. Eaton Vance Floating Rate (EFR). This CEF sells at a 1% premium, which is low compared to an average premium of 5% over the past year. The distribution is 6.2%, none of which was ROC. The fund holds 800 securities, with 90% in floating rate loans. About 85% of the securities are from U.S. companies. EFR utilizes 35% leverage and has an expense ratio of 1.8% including interest payments. ING Prime Rate Trust (PPR). This CEF sells for a premium of 2%, which is below the average premium of 5%. It has a distribution of 6.8%, none of which was ROC. The fund has 350 holdings, virtually all in senior loans and from US companies. PPR utilizes 29% leverage and has a high expense ratio of 2.1%, including interest payments. Invesco VK Dynamic Credit Opportunities (VTA). This CEF sells for a discount of 5%, which is below the average discount of 1%. It has a distribution of 7.1%, none of which was ROC. The fund has 495 holdings, with 76% in floating rate loans. About 25% of the loans are from non-US companies. VTA utilizes a relatively low 20% leverage but still has a high expense ratio of 2.1%, including interest payments. Invesco VK Senior Income (VVR). This CEF sells for a discount of 1%, which is below the average premium of 3%. It has a distribution of 7.1%, none of which was ROC. The fund has over 500 holdings, with 89% in floating rate loans. Almost all (95%) securities are from US companies. VVR ut

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Nortel Inversora SA ADR(NTL)

Nortel Inversora S.A., through its subsidiary, Telecom Argentina S.A., provides telecommunication services in Argentina and Paraguay. It offers voice, data, and Internet services that include local area, national long-distance, and international communications; supplementary services comprising call waiting, itemized invoicing, and voicemail; interconnection with other operators; data transmission consisting of private networks, point-to-point traffic, radio, and TV signal transmission; outsourcing of IT solutions; and Internet services. The company also provides wireless services, including high-speed wireless, videoconferencing, full track download, multimedia messaging, online streaming, corporate mailing, and BlackBerry solutions over various networks; and involves in the sale of wireless communication devices, such as cellular phones, 3G modems, 3G hotspots, wireless Internet, and netbooks. Nortel Inversora S.A. was founded in 1990 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argent ina.

Advisors' Opinion:

[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 Nortel Inversora (NYSE: NTL ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
[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 Nortel Inversora (NYSE: NTL ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: Metabolix Inc.(MBLX)

Metabolix, Inc., a bioscience company, develops and commercializes technologies for the production of polymers and chemicals in plants and in microbes. It offers a proprietary microbial fermentation system to produce a family of polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates under the Mirel brand. Mirel holds biodegradability characteristics; and would be used in a range of commercial applications, including products used in agriculture and horticulture, compost and organic waste diversion bags, marine and aquatic applications, consumer products, business equipment and durable goods, and general packaging materials. The company also develops a proprietary platform technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals, and energy from crops, such as switchgrass, oilseeds, and sugarcane. It has a strategic alliance with ADM Polymer Corporation. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By James E. Brumley]
If you'd rather spend your hard-earned dollars on some bargain-priced stocks rather than face the Black Friday mania at the malls (wise choice, by the way), then you've come to the right place. And, you may want to start you bargain hunt with Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBLX) and Unwired Planet Inc. (NASDAQ:UPIP). Both names have been unduly beaten up in recent weeks, and better still, it looks like UPIP and MBLX, are ready to recover... in spades. That's an important detail, as a bargain is only a bargain if it's something actually worth owning. Take a look.

Top 10 Electric Utility Stocks To Buy Right Now: News Corporation(NWS)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Holly LaFon]
A good example of knowing the investment universe would be News Corporation (NWS). Several years ago we had a big position in Liberty Media which itself was a large shareholder of News Corporation, so we studied the company thoroughly. In 2008 News Corp�� shares fell with the decline in the market and the media sector got hit especially hard. We took the opportunity to establish a position in the shares when the price became attractive. As we like to say at the firm, ��t�� almost all about the price.��/p>
[By Brett Gold]
The most coveted time period on TV has unquestionably become the post-Super Bowl time slot. Over the past two decades, it's seen everything from established series to promising new ones, each time drawing a huge crowd. In 1999, Fox (a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS ) ) gave its post-Super Bowl bump to a pair of animated shows -- one a fan favorite and the other a promising up-and-comer titled Family Guy. Fifteen years and one amazing story later, the show has grown into a proven money-making empire that still hits a chord with audiences.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

General Motors: Oh No, Not Again

Yes, again, as General Motors (GM) has announced more recalls. RBC Capital Markets’ Joseph Spak and team explain the impact:

This morning, General Motors announced five new safety recalls which covers ~2.7mm vehicles in the US. The company expects to take a charge of $200mm (~$0.07/share) in 2Q14 primarily for the cost of recall-related repairs from these actions. This is separate, and in addition to, the previously announced and well publicized recalls (primarily ignition switch) that resulted in a $1.3bn 1Q14 charge…

Though the charge (similar to 1Q14 $1.3bn charge) isn't recurring and thus results won't be representative of "core underlying profitability", we believe all OEMs [auto manufacturers like Ford Motor (F), General Motors and Toyota Motor (TM). ed.] should expect a more intense focus on quality and recalls (perhaps General Motors more than most). So even if a recall charge can't be considered part of the run-rate, in our view, it seems likely that warranty accruals may have to be raised negatively impacting future margins. As far as the stock, we believe General Motors was gaining some interest off of very low sentiment. This headline won't help. General Motors is perhaps even more of a 2015 story at this point (with some easier comps now as well).

10 Best Retail Stocks To Buy For 2015

Shares of General Motors have dropped 1.5% to $34.43, while Ford Motor has fallen 0.5% to $15.66 and Toyota Motor is off 0.8% at $109.60.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs

Related STKL Morning Market Movers SunOpta Outlines Details for Added Expansion of Aseptic Processing, Packaging Capabilities Related CXDC Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs Morning Market Movers

SunOpta (NASDAQ: STKL) shares reached a new 52-week high of $12.76 after the company reported upbeat Q1 earnings.

China XD Plastics Company (NASDAQ: CXDC) shares rose 6.34% to touch a new 52-week high of $8.39 after the company reported its Q1 earnings of $0.34 per share.

Windstream Holdings (NASDAQ: WIN) shares gained 0.43% to touch a new 52-week high of $9.24. Windstream's trailing-twelve-month ROE is 22.79%.

The WhiteWave Foods Company (NYSE: WWAV) surged 1.57% to reach a new 52-week high of $31.07. WhiteWave Foods shares have jumped 61.25% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 14.97% in the same period.

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Watch In Right Now

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

Most Popular 5 Companies Apple Could Buy Instead Of Beats JPMorgan Comments on J.C. Penney In The Run-Up To Q1 Earnings Report 7 Stocks For Your Retirement Portfolio British American Tobacco Looks At Possible M&A Deals With Reynolds, Lorillard Breaking Biotech: Gilead's Phase 2 Study Results Sources Say Deal Between AT&T, DirecTV Could Get Done at $105/Share Related Articles (STKL + CXDC) Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs Morning Market Movers Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs SunOpta Outlines Details for Added Expansion of Aseptic Processing, Packaging Capabilities Is SunOpta's (STKL) Run to $10 Just the Beginning? - Tale of the Tape Morning Market Movers Around the Web, We're Loving... Yahoo Buys Mobile 'Self-Destruct' Messaging App Blink Lightspeed Trading Presents: Effective Scalping with Rifle Charts on the Lightspeed Trader Platform

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Zillow Inc (Z) Q1 Earnings Preview: Investing For Tomorrow, but Beat Up Today?

Zillow Inc (NASDAQ:Z) will release first quarter 2014 earnings after the market closes on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. One the same day, management will discuss financial results via a live audio Webcast beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT / 2:00 p.m. PDT.

Wall Street anticipates that internet information provider will lose $0.08 per share for the quarter, which is $0.09 less than last year's profit of $0.01 per share. iStock expects Zillow to top Wall Street's consensus number. The iEstimate is -$0.06, two cents more than expected.

Sales, unlike earnings, are expected to increase, skyrocketing 62.2% year-over-year (YoY). Z's consensus revenue estimate for Q1 is $63.2 million, more than last year's $38.9 million.

[Related -Can Twitter Inc (TWTR) Fix The MAU Issue?]

Zillow provides real estate and home-related information. Zillow provides products and services to help consumers through every stage of homeownership, such as buying, selling, renting, borrowing and remodeling. The Company makes home-related decisions and enables homeowners, buyers, sellers and renters to find and connect with local professionals. Individuals and businesses that use Zillow have updated information on more than 37 million homes and have added nearly 100 million home photos.

In its limited public life, Zillow has made mincemeat out of Wall Street's consensus estimate. The online real-estate showcase has exceeded the street's view eight of the last nine quarters by an average of 270% more than forecasted. Typically, Z made $0.05 more than predicted for all nine.

[Related -Zillow Inc (Z) Q3 Earnings Preview: Another Huge Surprise In The House?]

One would suspect that such solid results would lead to a strong reaction from investors. That was the case for six of the last nine quarterly checkups as the stock climbed from 0.6% to 25.10% while averaging a gain of 11.15% in the three days surrounding the earnings announcements. However, the stock backpedaled two of the last three profit outings and three of the last five, falling -3% last quarter, 10% three quarters back, and -31.30% five quarters ago.

Fortunately, Zillow is an online-based business, which allows us to check a few resources to see how online traffic did during Q1. From the looks of things, traffic for Zillow.com was strong for the first three months of 2014.

Google Trends for the keyword "Zillow" are at an all-time high, Quantcast.com shows a sharp rebound in visitors compared to Q4 2013, and Alex.com's web traffic graph shows the site moving from the 475th ranked website in Q1 2013 to number 202 today. That's a huge shift.

At this point, you might be wondering, sales are expected to jump aggressively, and traffic trend are through the roof, so what gives with earnings?

Simple answer, Z's costs and expenses are rising faster than sales in real terms and as a percent of revenue. In 2013, costs were up 93.15% while the top-line grew at 69.06%. However, cost and expenses were 108.58% of revenue in 2013 i.e. a loss, versus 95.04% in 2012.

But it is not all bad news, the vast majority of the money is being spent on sales and marketing, and Technology and development; both of which iStock sees more as investments than costs. At the same time, cost of revenue only increased 33.95%, which is much slower than sales.

Overall: There is a considerable chance that Zillow Inc (NASDAQ:Z) surpasses Wall Street's top and bottom line expectations based on our traffic checks and Zillow's history. However, if costs continue to increase, the street may not like management's investments today but could pay up for them down the line.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

M&A frenzy as Pfizer amasses AstraZeneca critics

LONDON — Fears that a proposed $106 billion takeover of British pharmaceuticals firm AstraZeneca by Pfizer, its New York-based rival that makes the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, would lead to job losses and tax sidestepping is ruffling political feathers on both sides of the Atlantic even as merger activity in the pharma sector hits record levels.

Since the start of the year, the value of deal-making maneuvers in the global pharmaceutical sector has hit nearly $240 billion, making 2014 the busiest year ever, according to Thomson Reuters data.

"What the Pfizer bid for AstraZeneca has done is to highlight that the next cycle in the bio-pharmaceutical business is M&A," says Basil Petrides, an analyst at Beaufort Securities, a London-based wealth management company.

"There are always synergies to be had in terms of minimizing overlap, but the deals we have seen recently are not necessarily all about cost-cutting either," he says. "Intellectual property rights on drugs only last for a certain amount of years and after that they are opened up to other manufacturers. Pfizer has been circling this deal for a long time. Its pipeline of drugs is slowly eroding and the easiest way to get value for shareholders is to take over companies that have 'pipe' and proven technology."

In addition to Pfizer's spurned cash and stock bid for AstraZeneca on May 2 — worth a bit less after shares in Britain's second-largest drugs firm closed down 2.4% Friday — Germany's Bayer agreed to purchase New Jersey-headquartered Merck's consumer care business on May 6 for $14.2 billion.

On April 22, activist investor Bill Ackman teamed up with Canada's Valeant Pharmaceuticals for a $47 billion bid for Allergen, the maker of Botox. That same day, Novartis of Switzerland and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline said they would swap assets and combine units in a deal valued at around $16 billion.

Pfizer's so-far rebuffed interest in AstraZeneca is confronting particularly intensive scrutiny in Britain th! ough. The pharmaceutical industry is thought of, by Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government and key by opposition parties, as a "jewel in Britain's scientific and industrial crown," as the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has put it.

The ABPI, whose current president is Pfizer's managing director in Britain, declined to comment on the proposed deal, but did provide data showing that the pharmaceutical industry directly employs 73,000 people in Britain and as a sector "represents 25% of all expenditure on R&D in U.K. businesses" — a figure that fell to about $29 billion in 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Critics of the deal say losing AstraZeneca, which employs around 6,700 workers in Britain and makes a sizable contribution to its R&D efforts, would weaken Britain's claim to being a major global player in science and technology. Foes of the proposal, including the opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband, accuse Cameron of being a "cheerleader" for the takeover, arguing that Pfizer has failed to provide sufficient assurances that it won't shed jobs or gut a planned research center AstraZeneca is building in the technology hub of Cambridge.

''Let me be absolutely clear — I'm not satisfied. I want more. But the way to get more is to engage," Cameron has said, responding to allegations he has been too supportive of the proposal.

Others, including some from the prime minister's Conservative Party, have voiced suspicions that Pfizer is concerned chiefly with lowering its tax liabilities by shifting its domicile to the United Kingdom, where the corporate tax rate is lower, and have called for a public interest test.

"If such a test were applied in this case, then I believe Pfizer's bid would fail. It doesn't have a great track record in honoring its undertakings and the suspicion remains it is primarily interested in reducing its tax bill," David Davis, a senior Conservative politician, told the Times of Lo! ndon.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Ian Read, Pfizer's Scottish-born CEO, and Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca's French boss, will appear before two separate panels of British lawmakers to face questioning about the deal's potential impact.

One relatively recent test case that may arise is U.S. foods company Kraft's 2010 takeover of British chocolate maker Cadbury. "Kraft implied it was going to keep staff on at Cadbury, but as soon as the deal was done it didn't," says Petrides, the Beaufort analyst. A factory that was slated to remain open was also closed.

Anders Borg, Sweden's foreign minister, already warned this week that Pfizer failed to live up to pledges it made over keeping jobs in that country following its acquisition of drug maker Pharmacia in 2002.

"Our experience shows that their track record is not very convincing and I think one should take these kind of promises not only with a pinch of salt but a sack full of salt," Borg said, speaking on British radio.

Capitol Hill is paying attention, too. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich, said Thursday he would push for legislation aimed at closing a loophole that permits companies to re-incorporate in overseas territories with lower tax bases.

"Companies that exploit this loophole benefit from the protections and services the federal government provides, including patent protection, research and development tax credits, national security and more," said Levin. Senate Finance Committee chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., supports Levin's initiative.

Also Thursday, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley sent a letter to Pfizer's Read, expressing concern over how a deal with the British drug maker may affect the 5,700 workers in their states.

"Our states have invested substantially to make AstraZeneca a success in our communities. Elected officials and the public have a right to know Pfizer's intentions with respect to the key U.S. operations of AstraZeneca and the thousands of employees in our states whose jobs may b! e jeopard! ized by Pfizer's desire to reduce its tax liabilities," they wrote.

In a video posted on Pfizer's website over the weekend, Read shot back at critics who have called into doubt his firm's motives, saying the deal would be a "win-win" for society and investors. He has previously written to Cameron, confirming a commitment to Britain's science sector.

Read said Saturday that gaining access to AstraZeneca's R&D was a key motivation for the bid. "When we looked at AstraZeneca, we liked their science. We liked where their science is being done, which is in the U.K., and we know we have good science in the U.K. in Cambridge, Oxford, London and other universities," he said. No new pledges were made.

Since rejecting Pfizer's bid as "inadequate" and subsequent comments from Soriot that shareholders have been "supportive" of that move, AstraZeneca has made few public comments.

Follow Kim Hjelmgaard on Twitter @khjelmgaard