Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2015

Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Watch For 2015: PC-Tel Inc.(PCTI)

PCTEL, Inc. provides propagation and optimization solutions for the wireless industry. It designs and develops software-based radios (scanning receivers) for wireless network optimization; and develops and distributes antenna solutions. The company?s scanning receivers, receiver-based products, and interference management solutions are used to measure, monitor, and optimize cellular networks. It offers various antenna products for worldwide interoperability for microwave access antennas, land mobile radio antennas, and precision global positioning systems antennas that serve applications in telemetry, radio frequency identification, WiFi, fleet management, and mesh networks. The company?s antenna solutions address public safety, military, and government applications; supervisory control and data acquisition, health care, energy, smart grid, and agricultural applications; and indoor wireless, wireless backhaul, and cellular applications. PCTEL, Inc. supplies its products to public and private carriers, wireless infrastructure providers, wireless equipment distributors, value added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers through distributors and direct sales force. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Bloomingdale, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]

  I'm perfectly happy recycling past investment ideas, and PCTEL (PCTI) treated me quite well indeed when I owned the stock about a decade ago. Since that time, though, the company has gone through a significant transformation and is really only the same in name only. Different isn't always better, but I do believe that PCTEL now operates a collection of businesses with interesting growth and margin potential. PCTEL does not appear to be tremendously undervalued today on a cash flow basis, but with almost $3 per share in cash on the balance sheet further acquisitions could improve its growth prospec! ts further.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  PCTEL (PCTI) designs and develops software-based radios for wireless network optimization and develops and distributes innovative antenna solutions. This stock closed up 1.1% to $9.83 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $9.70-$9.85
  
  52-Week Range: $5.65-$10.00
  
  Thursday's Volume: 77,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 80,200

  From a technical perspective, PCTI bounced modestly higher here right above some near-term support at $9.50 with decent upside volume. This stock has been trending sideways in a consolidation pattern for the last month, with shares moving between $9.08 on the downside and $10 on the upside. Shares of PCTI are now quickly moving within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PCTI manages to take out its 52-week high at $10 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PCTI as long as it's trending above near-term support at $9.50 or above $9.08 and then once it sustains a move or close above $10 with volume that hits near or above 80,200 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PCTI will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $12 to $13.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-electric-utility-companies-to-watch-for-2015.html

Taco Bell May Have the Waffle Taco, but Popeyes Has Chicken Waffle Tenders

As the fast-food wars heat up, restaurants are getting more creative with their menu items. One item that is getting a lot of attention is the waffle. Two restaurant chains that have introduced their own variations of the waffle are Taco Bell, owned by Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM  )  and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (NASDAQ: PLKI  ) . Taco Bell has made the Waffle Taco a centerpiece of its new breakfast menu. Meanwhile, Popeyes is bringing back its popular Chicken Waffle Tenders. Could the waffle be the answer and boost same-store sales for these restaurants? If it is the answer, expect to see more variations of the waffle on many more menu boards.

Source: Popeyes

What are Chicken Waffle Tenders and what's Popeyes' strategy?
Chicken Waffle Tenders are not chicken and waffles. They are tender white chicken breast strips marinated in Popeyes' Louisiana seasonings and then dipped in waffle batter. Chicken Waffle Tenders come with Sweet Honey Maple dipping sauce, French fries, and a biscuit for $4.99. They went on sale at Popeyes on May 26 and will be on sale until June 29.

Source: Popeyes

Popeyes is using limited time offers (LTOs) like Chicken Waffle Tenders to help boost sales. Popeyes' strategy is to use up to nine LTO promotions every year with each one lasting about three to four weeks. Chicken Waffle Tenders are returning to the menu board after they were first introduced last August as an LTO.

The LTO promotion allows Popeyes to gauge a particular item's success and determine if an item should become a permanent addition to the menu. In January, Popeyes introduced Bayou Buffalo Wicked Chicken as a limited time offer. This promotion was designed to appeal to NFL fans during the playoffs and the Super Bowl. In February, Popeyes added spicy and blackened chicken tenders to its menu after successfully promoting the items as a limited time offer. 

Source: Popeyes

What's all the excitement over Waffle Tacos?
The Waffle Taco is part of Taco Bell's effort to capture business from McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) . Besides the Waffle Taco, Taco Bell's breakfast menu includes Cinnabon Delights, a Breakfast Burrito, A.M. Crunchwrap, and the A.M. Grilled Taco. These items came from the imagination of Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed, who is moving up to become the new CEO of Yum! Brands this January.

Source: Taco Bell

To help boost awareness, Taco Bell has embarked on an aggressive media campaign with the aim of shaking up the breakfast time slot. Taco Bell could use the boost. Its system sales were flat in the first quarter, and same-store sales fell 1%. Taco Bell is hoping that its marketing campaign and breakfast will pay off in the current quarter.

Popeyes continues to post impressive results at the expense of KFC
In the first quarter, Popeyes' U.S. same-store sales rose 4.3%, and international same-store sales increased 5.8%. Popeyes' share of the U.S. chicken fast-food market rose from 20.2% last year to 22.3%. Total revenue increased 16%, and the company expanded with 19 new restaurants in the U.S. and eight internationally.

Source: KFC

KFC's results were not as good as Popeyes'. KFC's U.S. same-store sales declined 3%. The bright spot was in China, where same-store sales increased 11% for KFC. To turn things around in the U.S., Yum! Brands is looking at a number of options. These include bringing back the Double Down at KFC and launching a new chicken concept called Super Chix. While it's too early to tell if these initiatives will work, it's a sign that Popeyes is gaining market share at the expense of KFC.

How do shares compare?

 

Market Cap

Forward P/E

EV/EBITDA

Operating Margin

1 Year Return

Popeyes	$906.71M	19.73	14.54	28.40%	7.09%
Yum! Brands	$33.96B	18.19	12.32	16.07%	12.16%
McDonald's	$100.13B	16.21	11.06	30.23%	4.36%

Source: Yahoo! Finance

Foolish final thoughts
One thing is for sure: Popeyes is certainly doing something right. It's posting better sales numbers than Taco Bell, KFC, or McDonald's. Popeyes is proving that a fast-food chain can succeed, even in a tough environment. It all comes down to quality menu items at an affordable price.

Popeyes' limited time offer strategy is working as well, and it's not making its menu board too complicated for customers. This is something that McDonald's in particular needs to work on. Hopefully, Waffle Tacos can help make Taco Bell more of a formidable player in breakfast. Either way, this is one Fool who likes seeing variations of the waffle on the menu board and hopes more waffle items are on the way.

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Wal-Mart fights back at proxy firm

NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, fired back at a prominent proxy advisory firm that critiqued the company's executive pay plan and how it handled an overseas bribery probe.

Institutional Shareholder Services earlier this week urged shareholders to vote against Wal-Mart's executive compensation package and asked them to back a resolution for the appointment of an independent chairman.

It also recommended shareholders vote against the re-election of board members Robson Walton, the company's chairman, and Mike Duke, recently Wal-Mart's CEO. The ISS cited the failure of the board to provide more information to shareholders about specific findings of an investigation into bribery outside of the United States.

Those issues go to a vote at the company's shareholder meeting June 6. The meeting will be held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, about 30 miles from the company's headquarters in Bentonville.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday, Wal-Mart said that the ISS analysis "misconstrues the nature and operation of Wal-Mart's executive compensation program."

Wal-Mart said the ISS analysis is based on information provided by CtW Investment Group, a union-backed organization that has a long history of opposition to Wal-Mart.

ISS cited changes that it believes have diminished the consistency of performance goals set for company executives.

Wal-Mart said its pay structure emphasizes performance and is "intended to closely align the interests of our named executive officers with the interests of our shareholders."

Wal-Mart pointed out that because the company's fiscal 2014 performance was worse than expected, Duke, who stepped down as CEO earlier this year, was paid about $1.5 million less. It also said that the bonus paid to Doug McMillon, who succeeded Duke, was nearly $520,000 less.

Best China Stocks To Watch Right Now

W! al-Mart said that ISS's request for disclosure of "specific findings" in regard to possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which can include bribery, is "contrary to the best interests of the company" because such a disclosure could interfere with the ongoing investigations.

Wal-Mart said that that type of disclosure could also "adversely affect the company's position in any current or future legal proceedings."

Allegations first surfaced two years ago that Wal-Mart failed to notify law enforcement that company officials authorized millions of dollars in bribes in Mexico to speed up building permits and gain other favors. Wal-Mart has been working with government officials in the U.S. and Mexico on that investigation.

With the shareholders meeting a week away, a union-backed group called OUR Wal-Mart, which started three years ago and includes former and current members of Wal-Mart, will stage protests at 20 cities around the country. The protesters will be Wal-Mart workers who are pushing for higher pay and protesting what it calls retaliation against employees who speak out against the company.

Follow Anne D'Innocenzio on Twitter @adinnocenzio

Hot Gas Utility Companies To Buy Right Now

Hot Gas Utility Companies To Buy Right Now: Allstate Corp (ALL)

The Allstate Corporation (Allstate), November 5, 1992, is a holding company for Allstate Insurance Company. The Companys business is conducted principally through Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Life Insurance Company and their affiliates. It is engaged, principally in the United States, in the property-liability insurance, life insurance, retirement and investment product business. Allstate's primary business is the sale of private passenger auto and homeowners insurance. The Company also sells several other personal property and casualty insurance products, select commercial property and casualty coverages, life insurance, annuities, voluntary accident and health insurance and funding agreements. Allstate primarily distributes its products through exclusive agencies, financial specialists, independent agencies, call centers and the Internet. It conducts its business primarily in the United States. Allstate has four business segments: Allstate Protection, Allstate Financial, Discontinued Lines and Coverages and Corporate and Other. The Company is a personal lines insurer in the United States. Customers can access Allstate products and services, such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through nearly 12,000 exclusive Allstate agencies and financial representatives in the United States and Canada. In October 2011, the Company acquired Esurance and Answer Financial from White Mountains Insurance Group.

ALLSTATE PROTECTION SEGMENT

In this segment, the Company principally sells private passenger auto and homeowners insurance through agencies and directly through call centers and the Internet. These products are marketed under the Allstate, Encompass and Esurance brand names. The Allstate Protection segment also includes a separate organization called Emerging Businesses, which comprises Business Insurance (commercial products for small business owners), Consumer Household (specialty products i! ncluding moto rcycle, boat, renters and condominium insurance policies), A! llstate Dealer Services (insurance and non-insurance products sold primarily to auto dealers), Allstate Roadside Services (retail and wholesale roadside assistance products) and Ivantage (insurance agency). The Company also participates in the involuntary or shared private passenger auto insurance business in order to maintain its licenses to do business in many states. In some states, Allstate exclusive agencies offer non-proprietary property insurance products. Allstate brand auto and homeowners insurance products are sold primarily through Allstate exclusive agencies and serve customers who prefer local personal advice and service and are brand-sensitive. In most states, customers can also purchase certain Allstate brand personal insurance products, and obtain service, directly through call centers and the Internet.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, total Allstate Protection premiums written were $25.98 billion. Its broad-based network of approximately 10,000 Allstate exclusive agencies in approximately 9,700 locations in the United States produced approximately 86% of the Allstate Protection segment's written premiums in 2011. It provides personal property and casualty insurance products through independent agencies in the United States. Additionally, Allstate distribution, through brokering arrangements, offers non-proprietary products to consumers when an Allstate product is not available.

ALLSTATE FINANCIAL SEGMENT

Allstate Financial segment provides life insurance, retirement and investment products, and voluntary accident and health insurance products. Its principal products are interest-sensitive, traditional and variable life insurance; fixed annuities, including deferred and immediate; and voluntary accident and health insurance. Its institutional products consist of funding agreements sold to unaffiliated trusts that use them to back medium-term notes issued to insti! tutional ! and individ ual investors. Banking products and services were offered to! customer! s through the Allstate Bank through September 2011. In 2011, after receiving regulatory approval to voluntarily dissolve, Allstate Bank ceased operations.

The Company sells Allstate Financial products to individuals through multiple intermediary distribution channels, including Allstate exclusive agencies and exclusive financial specialists, independent agents, specialized structured settlement brokers and directly through call centers and the Internet. The Company sells products through independent agents affiliated with approximately 125 master brokerage agencies. Independent workplace enrolling agents and Allstate exclusive agencies also sell its voluntary accident and health insurance products primarily to employees of unaffiliated businesses. Its mortgage loan portfolio, which is primarily held in the Allstate Financial portfolio, totaled $7.14 billion as of December 31, 2011

Allstate Financial, through several companies, is authorized to sell life insurance and retirement products in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States, Virgin Islands and Guam. Allstate Financial distributes its products to individuals through multiple distribution channels, including Allstate exclusive agencies and exclusive financial specialists, independent agents (including master brokerage agencies and workplace enrolling agents), specialized structured settlement brokers and directly through call centers and the Internet.

OTHER BUSINESS SEGMENTS

The Companys Corporate and Other segment consistsof holding company activities and certain non-insurance operations. Its Discontinued Lines and Coverages segment includes results from insurance coverage that it no longer writes and results for certain commercial and other businesses in run-off. Its exposure to asbestos, environmental and other discontinued lines claims is presented in the segment. The segmen! t also in! cludes the hist orical results of the commercial and reinsurance businesses ! sold in 1! 996.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Brugger]

  In a continuing effort to "reduce its exposure to spread-based business," Allstate (NYSE: ALL  ) has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Lincoln Benefit Life (LBL) business to Resolution Life, a subsidiary of U.K.-based The Resolution Group, for $600 million, Allstate announced.

• [By Jessica Alling]

  After Monday's tornado in Oklahoma, Allstate (NYSE: ALL  ) , Progressive Insurance (NYSE: PGR  ) , andTraveler's Companies (NYSE: TRV  ) all fell in the market. Along with AIG (NYSE: AIG  ) , these insurance companies represent four of the top 10 providers for property and casualty insurance in the U.S. But when disaster strikes, should investors flee, or hunker down and wait it out?

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Wednesday

  Earnings Expected: Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK), Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR), Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) Economic Releases Expected: German trade balance, Italian unemployment, eurozone retail sales, eurozone unemployment rate, Irish retail sales, US crude oil inventories, US FOMC minutes, Chinese CPI, Chinese PPI

  Thursday

• [By Jared Cummans]

  Allstate (ALL) received welcome news today as a Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in the insurance company’s favor in a fraud case.

  The ruling favored Allstate as it battled the fraudulent billing processes and behaviors by those unlicensed in the medical field. Specifically, the suit targeted a chiropractic firm that submitted nearly 400 claims that were falsely generated and did not meet the actual needs of the patients.

  The judge ruled that the firm will pay $3.8 million in assessments and $3.9 m! illion in! penalties to Allstate, making for a grand total of $7.7 million. Allstate noted that it is dedicated to fighting fraud around the country as well as protecting its customers and its customers’ money.

  Allstate shares were down 26 cents, or 0.5%, at Thursday’s close. The stock is up more than 27% this year.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/hot-gas-utility-companies-to-buy-right-now.html

3 Stocks Under $10 to Watch

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- At Stockpickr, we track daily portfolios of stocks that are the biggest percentage gainers and the biggest percentage losers.

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

Stocks that are making large moves like these are favorites among short-term traders because they can jump into these names and try to capture some of that massive volatility. Stocks that are making big-percentage moves either up or down are usually in play because their sector is becoming attractive or they have a major fundamental catalyst such as a recent earnings release. Sometimes stocks making big moves have been hit with an analyst upgrade or an analyst downgrade.

Regardless of the reason behind it, when a stock makes a large-percentage move, it is often just the start of a new major trend -- a trend that can lead to huge profits. If you time your trade correctly, combining technical indicators with fundamental trends, discipline and sound money management, you will be well on your way to investment success.

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy for Short-Week Gains

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at a several stocks under $10 that are making large moves to the upside.

Raptor Pharmaceuticals

Raptor Pharmaceuticals (RPTP), a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing life-altering therapeutics that treat debilitating and often fatal diseases. This stock closed up 4.1% to $8.84 a share in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $8.46-$8.85

52-Week Range: $6.69-$17.72

Tuesday's Volume: 723,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 1.05 million

From a technical perspective, RPTP spiked notably higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $8.80 with lighter-than-average volume. This spike higher on Tuesday is quickly pushing shares of RPTP within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if RPTP manages to take out Tuesday's intraday high of $8.85 to some more key overhead resistance levels at $9 to $9.09 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in RPTP as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $8.46 or above more near-term support at $8.30 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 1.05 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then RPTP will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $10.50 to $11.50.

Onconova Therapeutics

Onconova Therapeutics (ONTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering and developing small molecule drug candidates to treat cancer. This stock closed up 6.5% to $4.87 a share in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $4.58-$4.94

52-Week Range: $4.49-$31.13

Tuesday's Volume: 118,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 266,502

From a technical perspective, ONTX ripped sharply higher here right above its 52-week low of $4.49 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last three months and change, with shares moving lower from hits high of $9.34 to its 52-week low of $4.49. During that downtrend, shares of ONTX have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of ONTX are now starting to bounce off its 52-week low and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ONTX manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $5 to $5.16 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ONTX as long as it's trending above its 52-week low of $4.49 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 266,502 shares. If that breakout starts soon, then ONTX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.83 to $6.27. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give ONTX a chance to tag $7.

Halcon Resources

Halcon Resources (HK), an independent energy company, is engaged in the acquisition, production, exploration, and development of onshore oil and natural gas properties in the U.S. This stock closed up 4.6% to $5.83 a share in Tuesday's trading session.

Tuesday's Range: $5.51-$5.87

52-Week Range: $3.16-$6.44

Tuesday's Volume: 4.87 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 5.63 million

From a technical perspective, HK bounced sharply higher here right off some near-term support at $5.50 with lighter-than-average volume. This bounce higher on Tuesday is quickly pushing shares of HK within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if HK manages to take out Tuesday's intraday high of $5.87 to some more near-term overhead resistance levels at $6 to $6.04 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HK as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $5.51 or above more near-term support levels at $5.23 to $5 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 5.63 million shares. If that breakout starts soon, then HK will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high of $6.44 to some more past resistance at $6.75 to $7.

Top 5 Machinery Companies For 2015

To see more stocks that are making notable moves higher, check out the Stocks Under $10 Moving Higher portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>4 Big Stocks to Trade (or Not)

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com.

You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

ADP: Private Sector Adds 176,000 Jobs in August

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images NEW YORK -- U.S. private employers added 176,000 jobs in August, nearly matching economist expectations for the month, a report by a payrolls processor showed Thursday. Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 180,000 jobs. July's private payrolls gains were revised to 198,000 from the previously reported 200,000. The report is jointly developed with Moody's Analytics. The ADP data comes one day before the U.S. government's report on August nonfarm payrolls, which investors will scour in hopes of divining the U.S. Federal Reserve's future direction on its massive asset-buying program. The Fed is now weighing when to pull back on its purchases of $85 billion per month in Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities. Views that the Fed could slow its buying pace as soon as its Sept. 17-18 meeting sent Treasuries yields to two-year highs recently. But policymakers say their decisions will depend on data showing the health of the world's biggest economy. Policymakers want to see the unemployment rate closer to 6.5 percent from its current 7.4 percent. Economists in a Reuters poll, however, see the August unemployment rate remaining flat.

LoJack names its 10 most stolen cars

Honda Accord ranks as the most stolen and most recovered car for the fifth year among vehicles equipped with a LoJack tracking-device, the maker says.

LoJack says that after Accord comes:

2. Honda Civic

3. Toyota Camry

4. Toyota Corolla

5. Chevrolet Silverado.

6. Acura Integra

7. Cadillac Escalade

8. Ford F-350

9. Nissan Altima

10. Chevrolet Tahoe

Most of the cars on the list are among the best-selling cars on the road, but a few are surprises. Acura Integra remains on the list of most stolen and recovered cars even though it was last available in the U.S. as a sedan or coupe for the 2001 model year.

Also, F-150 is the nation's best-selling pickup truck, but it's the heavy-duty F-350 that makes the most-stolen list.

The oldest Lojack-equipped car recovered last year was a 1963 Cadillac convertible. The priciest was a 2011 Porsche Panamera valued at $103,400. The most common color of stolen cars was black, which is one of the most common car colors, while the least common color was turquoise.

Smaller U.S. Private Foundations Thrived in 2013

Private foundations with less than $50 million in assets saw their endowments grow in 2013 for the second consecutive year, Foundation Source, a service provider, reported Wednesday.

The growth in foundation endowments was the product of both a 14.7% increase in investment returns and a 7.9% rise in new contributions by funders.

Foundation assets grew even though charitable distributions exceeded the 5% minimum by nearly 50%, according to the report.

“These foundations have demonstrated time and time again that compliance with the 5% minimum distribution requirement is not what drives their philanthropy,” the report’s author Andrew Schulz said in a statement.

Foundation Source focused its report on smaller foundations in contrast to “mega foundations,” which make up just 2% of all foundations, yet represent some 70% of foundation assets.

It said that extrapolating data from these huge entities to the larger community could lead to significant misunderstandings about the overall sector.

The new report was based on the transactions of 714 Foundation Source clients, collected over the course of 2013. The data represented actual foundation transactions recorded by Foundation Source (not opinion surveys or estimates) as it processed grants and paid expenses on behalf of its U.S. clients and recorded investment information.

Researchers found that aggregate assets held by foundations sampled in the report grew from $2.4 billion at the end of 2012 to $2.7 billion at the end of last year, a 14.1% increase. Thirty-five percent of the foundations studied distributed 10% or more.

Smaller foundations have exceeded the 5% minimum distribution every year since the onset of the recession in 2008, according to Foundation Source.

The report found that despite sizeable disbursements, aggregate giving in real dollars was down by 2.5% in 2013 from a year earlier, suggesting that some of the foundations in the report had been in “rebuilding” mode.

This year’s report gave the lie to a notion that foundations rarely provide general operating support to grant recipients.

Foundations with less than $10 million in assets awarded almost as much in general support grants as they paid out in grants for specific projects.

However, the grant-making focus was different for larger groups. The report noted that foundations with $10 million to $50 million gave much more in specific purpose grants than general support grants by a ratio of 3 to 1.

This suggests that foundations gravitate toward project funding as their assets increase, Foundation Source said.

Organizations for education and ones for human services accounted for 46% of all grant dollars awarded by the foundations in the study. In 2013, these foundations awarded $42.8 million in grants to education groups and $25.7 million to human services organizations.

 ---

Check out Endowments and Foundations Confident About Economy, Markets on ThinkAdvisor.

The World Is Full Of Small Conspiracies

Many people are fascinated by the belief – or at least the prospect – of world dominating conspiracies. The Illuminati seems to regularly have a pronounced position in such fantasies. We should also pay due homage to the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, and the Bilderberg Group. Of course, there are others. When it comes to world domination, of equal substance is Spectre, K.A.O.S, and, topping the list, Hydra.

Back to the real world… when it comes to world domination, however, no one, no group, no grand conspiracy has ever been successful. Simply put, there's no one in charge. Complicating any search for a grand conspiracy is the fact that at the core of so many secret organizations is the exotic and even the arcane.

The esoteric with promises of majesty (sometimes even immortality) can make the imagination soar. It can be intoxicating and motivating. Unfortunately, as Umberto Eco exemplifies in has literary masterpiece, Foucault's Pendulum, the most powerful secret – the true underpinnings of these grand conspiracies – is "a secret without content."

The lack of world dominating conspiracy in no way discounts the existence of conspiracies. It's just that these grand conspiracies for a plethora of reasons, such as the unquestionable inability to effectively run such an extensive and influential bureaucracy secretly, do not exist. Instead, what are pervasive in society are small conspiracies. From illegal conclusion among technology companies to insider trading rings, and from corporate and political payoffs to organized crime syndicates working cooperatively, the world is littered with small conspiracies.

Small conspiracies are rampant inside and between some organizations and sometimes common in the financial services arena. There are leadership substitutions and a broad range of governmental and corporate espionage. You can no doubt come up with a multitude of examples, and if you're having trouble, just turn on the news.

Now, if the malicious element – the illegality and injurious nature – that defines, in part, a conspiracy was stripped away, we have some brilliant networking resulting in collaborative business at its finest. It's this superb networking that's foundational and critical to success of any small conspiracy.

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own Right Now

Taking a step back… in critically examining the way self-made millionaires and some accomplished professional criminals build social networks to achieve their agendas, there's actually a high correlation in the nature of the strategic thinking and processes they employ. So, if you're looking to excel, creating and managing a non-malevolent conspiracy (i.e., a legal and ethically sound conspiracy) might very well get you the professional outcomes you're looking for.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015

U.S. Steel (NYSE: X  ) will release its quarterly report on Tuesday, and investors have hoped that the worst could be over for the steel industry. Yet even as rivals Nucor (NYSE: NUE  ) and ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT  ) have seen some signs of relative strength, U.S. Steel recently had some bad news that could force it to play catch-up to participate in a long-awaited steel recovery.

U.S. Steel is just one of the companies that have gotten hit hard by the fall in global construction and infrastructure activity, with slowdowns in growth among emerging-market countries playing an especially big role in the drop in steel demand. Yet a big gain in sales of cars and trucks, along with a potential end to the recession in Europe, could give U.S. Steel avenues for greater sales growth. Yet can U.S. Steel ever regain the importance it once had and overshadow global industry giant ArcelorMittal and mini-mill specialist Nucor? Let's take an early look at what's been happening with U.S. Steel over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its report.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: Stanley Furniture Company Inc.(STLY)

Stanley Furniture Company, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and imports wood furniture products for the residential market. It offers a line of adult furniture products comprising dining, bedroom, home office, home entertainment, and accent items under the Stanley Furniture brand name; and children?s furniture product line under the brand name of Young America. The company provides its products under various design categories, including traditional, continental, contemporary, transitional, and cottage designs. Stanley Furniture Company, Inc. sells its furniture products through independent sales representatives to independent furniture stores, interior designers, smaller specialty retailers, regional furniture chains, buying clubs, and e-tailers in the United States. Stanley Furniture Company, Inc. was founded in 1924 and is based in High Point, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Stanley Furniture Co.(STLY) said it will close a North Carolina factory that manufactures its Young America brand, shifting operations to its growing Stanley line. The move will delay the company’s first-quarter report until after the market closes on April 30 as the company evaluates restructuring charges. Shares dropped 4.8% to $2.60 premarket.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras SA (PETR3)

Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (Petrobras) is a Brazil-based integrated oil and gas company. The Company divides its activities into seven segments: Exploration and Production; Refining, Transportation and Marketing; Gas and Power; Biofuel; Distribution and International. Directly or through its subsidiaries, Petrobras is engaged in the research, extraction, refining, processing, trade and transport of oil from wells, shale and other rocks, its derivatives, natural gas and other liquid hydrocarbons, as well as in activities related to energy, development, production, transport, distribution and commercialization of energy. The Company's offering comprises road transportation products such as Automotive Gasoline, Diesel Fuel, Natural Vehicular Gas, Lubrax; agriculture and cattle raising products such as Sunflower Meal, among others; Industrial products such as Solvents and Paraffins, among others. The Company provides its services both for individual and business clients. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Julia Leite]

  Brazil�� Ibovespa rose 1.2 percent, reversing a decline of as much as 0.9 percent, as Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR3), Brazil�� state-run crude producer, surged. The real added 1.5 percent.

• [By Maria Levitov]

  Brazil�� Ibovespa advanced amid speculation that a three-session slump for Brazil�� benchmark equity index was excessive. Usiminas, as Usinas de Minas Gerais is known, rose 7.5 percent, while oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR3) contributed the most to the gauge�� advance.

Top Defensive Stocks To Own For 2015: LiveDeal Inc.(LIVE)

LiveDeal, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, delivers local customer acquisition services for small and medium-sized businesses. It provides online marketing Internet directory services. The company offers InstantProfile, which distributes small businesses? key contact and service information to Internet destinations, including the search engines, Internet directories, and social media networks that enable advertisers to manage their business information in one location and enhance their reach to various destinations a consumer may search for local business services. It also provides online listing services. The company was formerly known as YP Corp. and changed its name to LiveDeal, Inc. in August 2007. LiveDeal, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  To be completely fair, investors and consumers alike may understandably roll their eyes regarding any news from, or about, any online-coupon "daily deals" site. We've been down that road before, with names like Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ:GRPN) and LivingSocial. While both sites were interesting and had their day in the sun, it didn't take long for either to lose their luster. And for GRPN, it didn't take long for its early investors to lose a lot of their money. The daily deals premise never really went away, though. It's just been morphing - and right-sizing - into something that's a win for all the parties involved. That's why Groupon and LivingSocial are still around, even if they're just limping by... the premise itself basically works. What if, however, there was a daily deals site that wasn't too far down the wrong digital-coupon path? Enter LiveDeal Inc. (NASDAQ:LIVE).

• [By John Udovich]

  Coupons.Com Inc (NYSE: COUP) is the most recent small cap digital coupon or daily deal stock to emerge in a spectacular IPO to challenge existing players like mid cap Groupon Inc (NASDAQ: GRPN) and small caps LiveDeal Inc (NASDAQ: LIVE) and RetailMeNot Inc (NASDAQ: SALE). However and since the recent IPO, small cap Coupons.Com has been a relatively flat deal for investors.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: Lorillard Inc(LO)

Lorillard, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States. The company offers 43 different product offerings under the Newport, Kent, True, Maverick, and Old Gold brand names. Lorillard, Inc. sells its products primarily to wholesale distributors, who in turn service retail outlets, chain store organizations, and government agencies, including the United States? Armed Forces. The company was founded in 1760 and is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Some see Altria threatened by growth in electronic cigarettes ("e-cigs"), in which companies such as Lorillard (NYSE: LO  ) specialize, but Altria has billions in annual cash flow and could still become a significant player there. E-cigs seem more a threat to nicotine gum purveyors such as Johnson & Johnson�and GlaxoSmithKline. Star Scientific�would also have been considered a bit of a threat not so long ago, with its smokeless-tobacco products, but it has been shifting its focus toward health supplements.

• [By Rupert Hargreaves]

  As it turns out, many e-cig start-ups and even tobacco industry giant Lorillard (NYSE: LO  ) �have infringed on these patents, possibly due to their rush getting e-cig products to market. So, six months on from closing the deal with Dragonite, Fontem Ventures, backed by Imperial Tobacco, has filed nine lawsuits in a federal court, asking the court to rule that the patents infringed were valid, and the defendants should pay as-of-yet unspecified damages. The companies Imperial is taking to court are Lorillard, NJOY, Vapor Corp., VMR Products LLC, Ballantyne Brands LLC, CB Distributors, Spark Industries LLC, Logic Technology Development LLC, FIN Branding Group LLC, Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (NASDAQOTH: ECIG  ) , and DR Distributors LLC. So, it would seem as if Imperial is intending to kill off the majority of its competition before many of them can even get much of a foothold in the market.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Stocks moving in the Premarket included:

  Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) gained 0.79 percent in premarket trade after falling 2.60 percent last week. Lorillard Inc�(NYSE: LO) was up 0.75 percent in premarket trade after gaining 1.67 percent on Friday. Carnival Corp�(NYSE: CCL) rose 0.73 percent in premarket trade after choppy trading took the stock down 2.73 percent over the past five days. JP Morgan Chase and Co�(NYSE: JPM) was down 0.09 percent in premarket trade after losing 4.38 percent last week. Earnings

  Notable earnings releases expected on Monday include:

• [By gurujx]

  Lorillard (LO): Executive VP and CFO David Taylor Sold 250,069 Shares

  Executive VP and CFO David Taylor sold 250,069 shares of LO stock on Oct. 25 at the average price of $49.44. David H. Taylor owns at least 97,296 shares after this. The price of the stock has increased by 3.94% since.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND)

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated operates as a biotechnology company. It principally engages in the development and acquisition of royalty revenue generating assets. The company engages in the research, milestone, and royalty revenue activities resulting from its collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. The collaborations primarily include ongoing clinical programs at Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck & Co., Cephalon, Inc, and Celgene. These partnered product candidates are being studied for the treatment of indications, such as thrombocytopenia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, and Alzheimer?s disease. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated receives royalties principally on sales of Avinza from Pfizer, Promacta from GlaxoSmithKline, and Viviant /Conbriza from Pfizer. The company through its subsidiary, CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., offers four marketed products, as well as has one approved product, a portfolio of partnered drug development programs, an internal pipeline of proprietary drugs, and the Captisol drug formulation platform technology. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated was formerly known as Progenx Inc. and changed its name in 1989. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in La Jolla, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  QCOR is a strong buy at the current price.

  Biotech Stocks to Buy: Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND)

  Ligand Pharmacuticals (LGND) is a biotech company that focuses on acquisition and development of royalty revenue generating assets in the United States. Ligand has relationships with most of the leading drug companies including GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Merck (MRK), Bristol-Myers (BMY), Eli Lilly (LLY) and others.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  For the second stock that looks interesting, Jim Jubak agrees with Jim Oberweis, Jr., editor of The Oberweis Report. Oberweis thinks that the healthcare sector, in particular, Ligand (LGND), is set to boom in the coming year.

• [By James Oberweis]

  Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) has a business model that is focused on drug discovery and partnering with pharmaceutical companies at an early development stage.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Workday Inc. (WDAY) jumped 9.3 percent in early New York trading after predicting quarterly revenue that surpassed estimates. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (LGND) advanced 3 percent after the market close yesterday as S&P said the company will replace SHFL Entertainment Inc. in its index tracking smaller companies. Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN) tumbled 7.5 percent in Germany after forecasting full-year sales that missed analysts��projections.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: CBRE Group Inc (CBG)

CBRE Group, Inc., incorporated on February 20, 2001, is a holding company that conducts all of its operations through its indirect subsidiaries. The Company is a commercial real estate services firm. The Company offers a range of services to occupiers, owners, lenders and investors in office, retail, industrial, multi-family and other types of commercial real estate. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 300 offices worldwide, providing commercial real estate services under the CBRE brand name, investment management services under the CBRE Global Investors brand name and development services under the Trammell Crow brand name. CBRE Services, Inc., its direct wholly owned subsidiary, is also a holding company and is the primary obligor or issuer with respect to most of its long-term indebtedness. The Company operates in five segments: Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific, Global Investment Management and Development Services. In March 2014, the Company acquired VALTEQ Gesellschaft mbH and its subsidiaries.

The Americas

The Americas segment consisted of operations throughout the United States and Canada, as well as markets in Latin America. Its operations are wholly owned, but also include independent affiliated offices, which license the use of the CBRE and CB Richard Ellis names in their local markets in return for payments of annual royalty fees to the Company and an agreement to cross-refer business between the Company and the affiliate. Its advisory services businesses offer occupier/tenant and investor/owner services that meet the full spectrum of marketplace needs, including real estate services, capital markets and valuation. Within advisory services, its service lines are Real Estate Services, Capital Markets and Valuation.

The Company provides strategic advice and execution to owners, investors and occupiers of real estate in connection with leasing, disposition and acquisition of property. It generates revenue from ! existing United States real estate sales and leasing clients in 2011. This includes referrals from its contractual fee-for-services businesses, such as facilities and property management, mortgage loan servicing and investment management provided by CBRE Global Investors. The Company offers clients integrated investment sales and debt/equity financing services under the CBRE Capital Markets brand. The Company provides valuation services that include market value appraisals, litigation support, discounted cash flow analyses and feasibility and fairness opinions.

Outsourcing commercial real estate services is a long-term trend in its industry, with corporations, institutions, public sector entities, health care providers and others. Its outsourcing services primarily include two business lines that seek to capitalize on this trend: corporate services and asset services. The Company provides a suite of services to corporate users of real estate, including transaction management, project management, facilities management, strategic consulting, portfolio management and other services. Its clients are global corporations, health care providers and public sector entities with geographically-diverse real estate portfolios. Project management services are typically provided on a portfolio-wide or programmatic basis. Facilities management involves the day-to-day management of client-occupied space and includes headquarter buildings, regional offices, administrative offices and manufacturing and distribution facilities. The Company provides property management, construction management, marketing, leasing, accounting and financial services on a contractual basis for income-producing office, industrial and retail properties owned by local, regional and institutional investors. It provides these services through a network of real estate experts in markets throughout the United States.

Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

The Company�� Europe, Middle East and Africa, segment, ! operates ! in 44 countries with operations primarily conducted through a number of indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. The operations are located in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom. Its operations in these countries generally provide a range of services to the commercial property sector. Additionally, it provides some residential property services, primarily in France, Spain and the United Kingdom. Within EMEA, its services are organized along the same lines as in the Americas, including brokerage, investment properties, corporate services, valuation/appraisal services, asset management services and facilities management, among others.

In France, it has operations in Aix in Provence, Bagnolet, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montreuil, Montrouge, Neuilly Sur Seine, Saint Denis and Toulouse. Its German operations are located in Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart. Its presence in Italy includes operations in Milan, Modena, Rome and Turin. Its operations in the Netherlands are located in Amsterdam, Almere, the Hague, Hoofddorp and Rotterdam. Itsoperations in Russia consist of an office in Moscow. In Spain, it provides full-service coverage through its offices in Barcelona, Madrid, Marbella, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia. The Company is a commercial real estate services company in the United Kingdom. In London, it provides a range of commercial property real estate services to investment and corporate clients.

The Company has affiliated offices that provide commercial real estate services under its brand name in several countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Its agreements with these independent offices include licenses to use the CBRE and CB Richard Ellis names in the relevant territory in return for payments of annual royalty fees to the Company. In addition, these agreements also include business cross-referral arrangements between the Company and its affiliates.

Asia Pacific!

The Company�� Asia Pacific segment operates in 13 countries with operations primarily conducted through a number of indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. It is a provider a range of real estate services to corporations throughout the region, similar to the range of services provided by its Americas and EMEA segments. Its principal operations in Asia are located in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. In addition, it has agreements with affiliate offices in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia that generate royalty fees and support cross-referral arrangements similar to its EMEA segment.

Global Investment Management

The Company�� operations in Global Investment Management segment are conducted through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary CBRE Global Investors, LLC and its global affiliates, which it also refers to as CBRE Global Investors. CBRE Global Investors provides investment management services to pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments and other institutional investors seeking to generate returns and diversification through investment in real estate. It sponsors investment programs that span the risk/return spectrum across three continents: North America, Europe and Asia. CBRE Global Investors��investment programs are organized into four primary categories, which include direct real estate investments through separate accounts and sponsored equity and debt funds, as well as indirect real estate investments through listed securities and multi manager funds of funds. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio of consolidated real estate held for investment consisted of one industrial property and three multi-family/residential properties, all located in the United States.

Development Services

The Company�� operations in Development Services segment are conducted through its indirect wholly owned subsidiaries Trammell Crow Company, Trammell Crow S! ervices, ! Inc. (both of which merged into Trammell Crow Company, LLC effective January 1, 2012) and certain of its subsidiaries, providing development services primarily in the United States to users of and investors in commercial real estate, as well as for its own account. Trammell Crow Company pursues opportunistic, risk-mitigated development and investment in commercial real estate across a wide spectrum of property types, including industrial, office and retail properties; healthcare facilities of all types (medical office buildings, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers); higher education facilities (primarily student housing); and residential/mixed-use projects.

Trammell Crow Company acts as the manager of development projects, providing services that are in all stages of the process, including site identification, due diligence and acquisition; evaluating project feasibility, budgeting, scheduling and cash flow analysis; procurement of approvals and permits, including zoning and other entitlements; project finance advisory services; coordination of project design and engineering; construction bidding and management as well as tenant finish coordination; and project close-out and tenant move coordination. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio of consolidated real estate consisted of land, industrial, office and retail properties and mixed-use projects.

The Company competes with Cushman & Wakefield, Jones Lang LaSalle and Grubb & Ellis.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Midcaps CBRE Group Inc (NYSE: CBG) and Jones Lang LaSalle Inc (NYSE: JLL) are probably the better known real estate services stocks with the latter surging 12.36% yesterday on impressive earnings, but small cap stocks Kennedy-Wilson Holdings Inc (NYSE: KW) and FirstService Corporation (NASDAQ: FSRV) are also important real estate services providers that you may have overlooked. After all, real estate services stocks like the following would offer exposure to real estate by being invested in property as well as generating revenue from transactions, property management and other services: ��

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  CBRE Group, Inc. (CBG)'s shares performed well in the fourth quarter and appreciated approximately 32% in 2013. We recently attended CBRE Group, Inc.'s annual investor day, which served to solidify our view that the company is well-positioned to benefit from the continued rebound in commercial real estate and the broader economy. As the world's leading global commercial real estate firm, we believe the company will benefit from a rebound in its leasing, investment sales, property management, and investment management businesses.We believe the company may increase its earnings in the next four years to more than $2.50 per share in 2017. If the company maintains its current valuation multiple of 16 times earnings (versus its historical peak multiple of 20 times earnings), its shares could reach $40 in the next three years or approximately 50% upside from the current price of $26 per share.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Among stocks in the S&P 500, CBRE Group (CBG) has dropped 5.5% to $23.05 after it reported a profit of 30 cents a share, missing forecasts for 33 cents. Aflac (AFL), meanwhile, has fallen 3% to $65 after it reported a profit of $1.47, missing estimates for $1.48 on weakness in Japan. Plum Creek Timber (PCL) has dropped 1.3% to $45.76 after announcing that it would sell 12.1 million shares of stock at $45.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  CBRE Group (NYSE: CBG  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on April 25. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict CBRE Group's revenues will grow 7.8% and EPS will grow 28.6%.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd (ENH)

Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. underwrites specialty lines of personal and commercial property and casualty insurance and reinsurance worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Insurance segment provides agriculture insurance covering traditional multi-peril crop insurance, crop hail, livestock risk protection, and other agriculture risk management products; and professional lines of insurance products, including directors� and officers� liability, errors and omissions, employment practices liability, environmental liability, and pension trust liability insurance. This segment also offers casualty and other specialty insurance products for third party liability; hospital medical professional liability; contract and commercial surety; and workers� compensation, as well as property insurance primarily for earthquake and flood coverage. The Reinsurance segment provides catastrophe reinsurance for catastrophic perils primarily for pro perty and workers� compensation business; property reinsurance for property insurance policies; and casualty reinsurance for third party liability exposures, such as automobile, professional, directors� and officers�, and umbrella liabilities, as well as for workers� compensation. This segment also offers aerospace reinsurance covering hull, aircraft liability, and aircraft products; marine reinsurance of bluewater and brownwater hull, and cargo risks; surety reinsurance for contract and commercial surety, and fidelity insurers; agriculture reinsurance for risks associated with the production of food and fiber; and personal accident and terrorism reinsurance products. The company distributes its products through independent agents, and insurance and reinsurance brokers. Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Aspen Insurance Holdings (NYSE: AHL) shares shot up 11.05 percent to $43.72 after Endurance Specialty Holdings (NYSE: ENH) offered to buy Aspen Insurance for $47.50 per share in a cash and stock deal.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: Atossa Genetics Inc (ATOS)

Atossa Genetics Inc., incorporated on April 30, 2009, is a development-stage healthcare company focused on the prevention of breast cancer through the commercialization of diagnostic tests that can detect precursors to breast cancer, and through the research, development, and ultimate commercialization of treatments for pre-cancerous lesions. The Company�� diagnostic tests consist of medical devices cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which can collect fluid samples from the breast milk ducts, where over 95% of breast cancers arise. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012, the tests that the Company offered and that are in development consist of ForeCYTE, ArgusCYTE, FullCYTE and NextCYTE. In September 2012, the Company acquired all of the assets of Acueity.

The ForeCYTE Breast Health Test provides personalized information about the 10-year and lifetime risk of breast cancer for women between ages 18 and 73. The ArgusCYTE Breast Health Test provides information to help inform breast cancer treatment options and to help monitor potential recurrence. The FullCYTE Breast Health Test is designed to assess the individual breast ducts for pre-cancerous changes in women previously identified to be at high risk for breast cancer. The NextCYTE Breast Cancer Test is designed to profile breast cancer specimens for prediction of treatment outcomes and distant recurrence in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. MASCT, Oxy-MASCT, and its name and logo are the trademarks. ForeCYTE, FullCYTE, NextCYTE, and ArgusCYTE are its service marks.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One stock that's starting to push within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Apple (ATOS), which is involved in the prevention of breast cancer through the commercialization of diagnostic medical devices and laboratory developed tests that can detect precursors to breast cancer. This stock is off to a decent start in 2013, with shares up 24%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Atossa Genetics, you'll notice that this stock has been starting to uptrend over the last month, with shares moving higher from its low of $4.22 to its recent high of $5.08 a share. During that uptrend, shares of ATOS have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of ATOS within range of triggering a big breakout trade above a key downtrend line that dates back to May.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ATOS if it manages to break out above some key overhead resistance levels at $5.08 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 74,575 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ATOS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.60 to $6.23 a share. Any high-volume move above $6.23 will then put $7 to $7.50 into range for shares of ATOS.

  Traders can look to buy ATOS off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $4.42 or at $4.22 a share. One could also buy ATOS off strength once it takes out $5.08 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By John Kell]

  Atossa Genetics Inc.(ATOS) is planning to offer shares and warrants to raise proceeds for general corporate purposes including the development of the company’s breast health testing products. Shares slumped 20% to $2.56 premarket.

Hot Net Payout Yield Companies To Invest In 2015: Vivo Participacoes S.A.(VIV)

Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides fixed-line telecommunications services to residential and commercial customers in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Its services include local voice services, such as activation, monthly subscription, measured service, and public telephones; intraregional, interregional, and international long-distance voice services; data services comprising broadband services; pay TV services through direct to home satellite technology and land based wireless technology multichannel multipoint distribution service; and network services, such as interconnection and rental of facilities, as well as other services consisting of extended maintenance, caller identification, voice mail, cell phone blockers, computer support, and antivirus for Internet service subscribers. The company also offers multimedia communication services, such as audio, data, voice and other sounds, images, and texts and other information. In addition, it provides interc onnection services to cellular service providers and other fixed telecommunications companies through the use of its network. Further, the company offers telecommunications solutions and IT support designed to address the needs and requirements of companies operating various types of industries, including retail, manufacturing, services, financial institutions, and government. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP provides its products and services through person-to-person sales, telesales, indirect channels, Internet, and door-to-door sales. As of December 31, 2010, its telephone network included 11.3 million fixed lines in service, including residential, commercial, and public telephone lines; 3.3 million broadband clients; and 0.5 million pay TV clients. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo S.A.-TELESP is a subsidiary of Telefonica S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend]

  Here are the top yielding stocks from the screening results:
  
  Telefonica Brasil (VIV) has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion. The company employs 19,614 people, generates revenue of $15.201 billion and has a net income of $1.994 billion. Telefonica Brasil�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $5.198 billion. The EBITDA margin is 34.20 percent (the operating margin is 21.26 percent and the net profit margin 13.12 percent).

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Telefonica Brasil, S.A. (NYSE: VIV) is one of the top telecom and communications players in Brazil. At $20.10, its 52-week range is $17.91 to $27.71.

• [By Vanina Egea] rket share reduce to 25.13% in March from 25.28% in February, Telefonica Brasil�� share grew from 28.62% to 28.68% in the same period. Furthermore, while average revenue per user in the mobile sector has fallen for five consecutive years, the firm�� mobile unit Vivo was the only carrier to generate ARPU growth in 2013.

  On the fixed-line side, although total revenue fell 3.7% year over year, the company expects to resume growth in this segment through the expansion of video, broadband Internet and Pay-TV services. To this aim, the firm launched its IPTV platform in late 2013 and is growing its FTTH footprint. Along these lines, it will invest 18% to 19% of its revenue in deploying high-speed fiber optic cable in the state of Sao Paulo in order to cover 2.5 households in 2014. Thus, the company will be better positioned to compete with giants like cable operator Net Servicos de Comunicacao SA (NETC), which also offers bundled services and has aggressively expanded its Internet and TV subscriber base in the state.

  Investing for Long-term Growth

  Looking forward, Telef贸nica Brasil is investing in technology and network expansion to further empower its competitive position. The firm is expanding its 3G network based on CDMA EV-DO and HSPA technologies, which provide a great advantage over its peers. Further, it expects to benefit from the growth opportunities in the 4G market. Consequently, it has signed a deal with Ceragon Networks Ltd. (CRNT) to deploy the superfast 4G network nationwide.

  A Valuable Stock

  Telef贸nica Brasil has a healthy balance sheet with strong cash flow generation (up to 9,576 million in 2013 from 3,488 million in 2011) and reasonable debt levels. Its net debt-to-EBITDA ratio is of 0.17 times and it has a debt- to-equity ratio of 0.2 against its peers��average of 0.9. Its financial strength and a robust dividend have attracted investment gurus like Charles Brandes (Trades, Portfolio) and David Dreman (Trades,

Fitting Alts into Client Portfolios

Given the outsize performance of the U.S. stock market over the past few years, it may be tempting to cut back or omit alternative investments in portfolios.

But Tom Karsten, CFP and president of Karsten Advisors, makes sure his clients have between 5% and 7% of qualified clients’ assets in venture capital (VC) and private-equity (PE) investments.

The goals of specific alternative investments vary.

A growth-oriented VC fund managed by Raleigh, N.C.-based Hatteras Funds, for instance, has positions in roughly 20 tech companies and returns no income to investors.

In contrast, a PE investment with New York-based GPB Holdings focuses on car dealerships and has an 8% current distribution rate.

Karsten admits that the level of due diligence required to evaluate PE and VC offerings can be daunting. He addresses that by attending conferences about the industries he’s considering and by conducting in-depth research on prospective investments.

Top 10 Forestry Stocks To Watch For 2015

“We look at reports and due diligence reports from the law firms,” he said in an interview with ThinkAdvisor.

“As kind of a final step for me, I physically visit the fund sponsor myself,” the Fort Worth-based advisor explained “So we will not go into those funds unless we have gone to their offices personally to go through the process ourselves. It’s more time consuming, of course, but it gives me the comfort level to be able to then place clients into it.”

The due diligence has paid off so far, he adds: The income-alternatives are producing higher income than that available from bond portfolios or income-oriented equity portfolios.

For growth investments, Karsten aims for total returns in the high teens" and the funds are producing those results. “That’s what we would be targeting and on an average basis with the fun; that’s where we have seen those returns,” he says.

“Some of them are better than others over the years, but that’s where we typically feel we need to be to justify what is in many cases a little bit higher risk profile,” the advisor stressed.

In 2013, the Bloomberg Hedge Funds Aggregate Index returned an average of 7.4% in 2013. As for private equity, distressed-asset funds were up 18% in 2013, and buyout funds generated a 16% return, according to Bain & Company.

Is Another Great Williams-Sonoma (WSM) Earnings Report Coming? BBBY, PIR & RH

The Q1 2014 earning report for furniture retailer Williams-Sonoma, Inc (NYSE: WSM), a peer of stocks like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ: BBBY), Pier 1 Imports Inc (NYSE: PIR) and Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (NYSE: RH), is scheduled for after the market closes on Wednesday. Aside from the Williams-Sonoma's earnings report, it should be said that Bed Bath & Beyond Inc reported Q4 2013 earnings on April 9 and will report Q1 2014 earnings on June 23rd; Pier 1 Imports Inc reported Q4 2014 earnings on April 10 and will report Q1 2014 earnings around June 16th; and Restoration Hardware Holdings reported Q4 2013 earnings on March 27 and will report Q1 2014 earnings on June 2nd. However and unlike many other retailers, Williams-Sonoma is going into the first quarter after having a great holiday season.

What Should You Watch Out for With the Williams-Sonoma, Inc Earnings Report?

First, here is a quick recap of Williams-Sonoma's recent earnings history from Yahoo! Finance:

Earnings HistoryApr 13Jul 13Oct 13Jan 14

EPS Est	0.37	0.47	0.55	1.35
EPS Actual	0.41	0.49	0.58	1.38
Difference	0.04	0.02	0.03	0.03
Surprise %	10.80%	4.30%	5.50%	2.20%

Top 10 Logistics Stocks For 2015

 

In mid March, Williams-Sonoma made a double digit jump to an all time high after reporting earnings that beat expectations. Q4 2013 net revenues grew to $1.466 billion versus $1.406 billion for the same period last year with comparable brand revenue growth of 10.4%. Excluding the additional week in Q4 2012, EPS increased 8.7% to $1.38. The CEO commented:

"We believe that our lifestyle merchandising approach, together with our high-touch service model, separates us from commoditized offerings as we help our customers decorate, entertain, and create the homes of their dreams. Our multi-channel marketing, built from decades of data analytics experience, enables us to reach our customers and attract new ones in increasingly relevant ways. Our e-commerce business, which represented 44% of our net revenues in fiscal 2013, is growing rapidly, allowing us to capture even greater market share as more consumers transition to online shopping in our categories. Our vertically integrated supply chain is enabling us to deliver exceptional quality and value to our customers."

In addition, Williams-Sonoma authorized a 6% increase to the quarterly cash dividend to $0.33 while during Q4 13, the company repurchased 402,810 shares of common stock for a total of 4.3 million shares or $239 million for FY 2013. As of February 2, 2014, $511 million remained under a three-year $750 million stock repurchase program.

Kate McShane of Citi Investment Research commented after the earnings report was releases that the strong earnings and same-store sales results give her more confidence that Williams-Sonoma can navigate its way through tough conditions given how it dealt with rough winter weather and a very competitive and promotional holiday season during the fourth quarter. She also believes fiscal 2014 guidance is conservative. Meanwhile, William Blair's Daniel Hofkin believes Williams-Sonoma could benefit even more in the future from an improving housing market, a continued shift toward the direct channel, ongoing improvement at its namesake brand and international expansion opportunities.

This time around and according to the Yahoo! Finance analyst estimates page, the consensus expects revenues of $941.88M and EPS of $0.44 - down from a consensus EPS of $0.46 expected ninety days ago. However, it should be noted that on Monday, it was noticed that Williams-Sonoma June call option implied volatility is at 29, August is at 23 and January is at 22 verses its 26-week average of 23 according. This suggests large near term price movement into earnings.

What do the Williams-Sonoma, Inc Charts Say?

The latest technical chart for Williams-Sonoma shows bullish along with a bearish trend line:

However and over the long term, Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc, Pier 1 Imports Inc and Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc have all put in good performances that appears to have leveled off over the past year:

The technical charts for Bed Bath & Beyond and Pier 1 Imports also look rather bearish while Restoration Hardware Holdings' technical chart is mixed:

What Should Be Your Next Move?

I don't see any reason for Williams-Sonoma business model to have suddenly stalled during the first quarter. The problem for investors and traders alike is the tendency of great performing stocks to get ahead of themselves in terms of valuation and expectations plus there is all of the options volatility heading into earnings.

Fly the 'Allergy-Friendly' Skies: Airline Aims to Ground Allergens

Swiss.com Relief is on the way for travelers with food intolerances and allergies. Beginning in May, Swiss International Air Lines is instituting an "allergy-friendly" policy. "We have seen a steady increase over the past few years in our customers' need for an air travel environment that pays due regard to any allergic conditions," said Frank Maier, Swiss's head of product and services. "So we've been working with [the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation] to provide a concrete response to these demands to make everyone's air travel experience as pleasant and problem-free as possible." The changes -- which make it the world's first airline to get a seal of approval from the foundation -- address environmental allergens and food intolerances, but not food allergies. Gentle Soaps Added, Air Fresheners Removed Changes will include making available gluten- and lactose-free snacks and drinks in flight and "allergy-friendly" foods in Swiss lounges in Switzerland. Passengers with food intolerances will be able to order special meals in all seating classes during long flights, but only in business class within Europe. Requests for special meals must be made at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled departure. In addition, changes will be made to the cabin environment, such as air filtering, gentle soaps in the lavatories and pillows stuffed with synthetic materials rather than down as an option in first and business classes. Further, the cabins will no longer have fresh flowers or air fresheners. Cabin crew members are trained to respond to allergic emergencies. Clifford Bassett, an allergist and fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, applauds the airline's efforts in addressing the growing population of individuals with food intolerances as well as those with environmental allergies and asthma. He notes the airline is not yet addressing the needs of the up to 5 percent of adults have food allergies. These passengers need to make an action plan with their allergist and travel with foods that are safe for them to eat, as well as two to four epinephrine auto-injectors. Passengers with airborne food allergies should request a barrier of 10 to 15 rows in front and behind their seat to reduce exposure, although ideally there would be no food allergens, he says.