5 Reasons You Don’t Get More Referrals

As a financial advisor, rep, broker, agent, or planner, without generating referral-based business, you will fail. It’s as simple as that. Of course there are exceptions, but not many.

So what is it that gets in the way of getting more referrals. Or any referrals, for that matter?

It’s the pressure, man. The pressure of writing more cases, dropping more tickets, getting more accounts, selling more products, accumulating more assets, and being in front of more people.

With all the pressure to hit your numbers and generate commission, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. And what is important? If I had to guess, I would say relationships. But here’s the thing: It’s easy to forget about the importance of relationships when you’re simply looking to hit your numbers. And without focusing on relationships, it makes it very difficult to make a sale, grow your book, and ultimately help people. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

(Related: 33 Cold Call Truths You Need to Know: Bill Good)

Here are five things that may be preventing you from doing all of the above.

It’s just semantics, but a referral is whatever you want it to be. If you want a referral to simply be the name of someone to cold call then so be it. If that’s your expectation, then that’s what ye shall receive. Here’s a quick example. Many years ago, I attended weekly meetings at a networking group. This was the type of group that only allows one of each type of profession as a member — one financial advisor, one residential realtor, and so on. In this group, the realtor would request FSBOs (For Sale By Owner) contacts as “referrals.” The FSBOs weren’t necessarily in the market for a realtor, but that was the request and therefore the result. The guy got lots of FSBOs, but not a lot of closed business. As a financial advisor, if you’re in the market for anyone that doesn’t already have an advisor, that’s what you’ll get. Then, you’ll have to work really hard to “sell them.”

So what’s my definition of a referral? An introduction to a specific individual that’s already in the market for what I’m offering. Again, ask and ye shall receive.

Do you even have a target market? A target market should represent whom you serve best and therefore wish to serve most. In short, your target market is where you do your best work. The more specific you are about describing your target marketplace, the more gravity (opportunities coming to you) you will create.

By the way, small businesses, high net worth individuals, the affluent marketplace, pre-retirees, families, and “everyone needs what I do” are not good examples of a target market. Each of the segments I described is much too broad. Pick one or two (no more!) markets and try to be more specific. For example, what type of ‘small businesses’? What industry, profession, market segment, niche, geography, demographic, etc.? As soon as you can get down to the specifics, it’s much easier to figure out (from a networking mindset) where you might go, what you might say, and with whom you might want to meet. It makes your marketing so much easier. That is, if you’re into that sort of thing.


A networking mindset is all about looking to establish better relationships with those that you know and like, as well as those you meet. Networking is creating a WE dynamic with the people you interact with most. How can WE help one another? How can WE refer each other business? Rinse, repeat! And if you’re a true networker, you’re always looking to meet new people and add to your network.

Consider who your target market might be. If you’re not sure, see the previous page. Once you have that figured out, think about the professions that come in contact with your target market, or even better, sell to your target market without competing with you. Where do you need to go to meet these folks? Maybe it’s time to have a WE conversation.

If you can be specific about the type of business you want, you have a Call to Action. If you can’t, you may have challenges getting more and better referrals. Without having a refined target market, it may be difficult to forge a strong Call to Action.

Since my target market is the financial services industry (wire houses, broker dealers, insurance carriers, mutual fund/annuity companies, independent marketing organizations, banks, etc.), it makes it easy for me to present a Call to Action.

“I’m always looking to meet or be introduced to managers for companies like [fill in the blank]. Any advice on how to make these types of connections would be very helpful to me!”

Remember, don’t forget about the WE dynamic. If you help others with their Call to Action, they’ll help you right back. That’s how it works.

I’m not quite sure if it’s a good thing or bad thing, but not everyone you meet will like you. Harsh but true. Accept it and move on! Focus on those that share your values, most of your opinions, your vision and, most importantly, people that you truly like. You don’t have to root for the same sports teams, but if you feel a connection toward them, it’s very likely they will have a feel for you. If not, don’t force it.

Establishing likeability and common ground (chemistry) is the first phase in making a true connection. Without chemistry, nothing else matters.

-- Related ThinkAdvisor stories:

Finally — new VW Golf hits U.S showrooms

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now

Volkswagen finally put its seventh-generation Golf on sale in the U.S., starting with the high-performance GTI.

VW announced the arrival of the GTI at dealerships Friday, but conceded that the first sales probably were over Memorial Day weekend.

The Gen-7 Golf has been sold overseas since late 2012. VW said it delyed a U.S. launch until it could shift production of the car from Germany to VW's Puebla, Mexico, factory, where it also makes the Jetta and Beetle for the U.S. and overseas markets.

Starting with a niche model, the GTI, means that the automaker's new Golf assembly operation in Puebla initially can run slower to work out any bugs, if VW chooses to do that.

The Gen-7 Golf is a little bigger than its predecessor, but weighs as much as 79 pounds less. Engines are more powerful, but mileage is better.

The GTI starts at $25,215, for the two-door, manual transmission model with 2-liter, 210-horsepower turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engine. Power rises to 220 hp with the $1,495 Performance Package of features that also includes a limited-slip front differential and bigger brakes.

The standard Golf starts at $18,815. That's a so-called "Launch Edition." Like the basic Golf, it's a two-door with manual and 1.8-liter, 170-hp, turbo four-cylinder. It's $1,000 less than what will become the base Golf, called "S," once sales are rolling.

To keep the price down, Launch gets steel wheels instead of alloys, cloth seats instead of VW's V-Tex leatherette (vinyl) and lacks the Golf S Car-Net telematic system.

Golf TDI (VW's designation for its diesel) will start at $22,815, and is available only as a four-door. The diesel engine is a new design, though its specifications are similar to the TDI it replaces. It gets a 10-ho boost, to 150 hp, and has the same 236 lbs.-ft. of torque as the current version

The Golf is VW's best-selling car worldwide, but is a mid-pack seller among VW models in the U.S.

The 2015 Golf is 2.1 inches longer than the the previous model, 0.5 of an in. wider and the roof sits 1.1 in. lower. The 2015 lineup is as much as 79 pounds lighter than the cars being replaced.

Front wheels are 1.7 in, further forward as VW moves toward a "cab rearward" look that marks larger, premium cars, as well as recently designed mainstreamers such as Mazda6.

Mileage:

GTI is rated by the government at 25 mpg in the city, 34 (33 with automatic transmission) on the highway, 28 in combined city/highway driving. That's up from ratings of 21/31/25 for the 2014 manual and 24/32/27 for the automatic.1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline turbo in most models is rated by VW at 26/37 with manual gearbox, 26/36 with automatic. VW gives no combined city/highway rating, and the government hasn't yet rated the Golf's new engine. It replaces the 2.5-liter five-cylinder which has a government rating of 23/30./26.2-liter diesel is rated by VW at 31/42 with manual, and isn't yet rated by the automaker with automatic transmission. No government rating yet. The diesel it replaces is rated by the government at 30/42/34.

Retailers: Fear Built In, Sector Still Not a Buy, Sterne Agee Says

Pain. That one word just about sums up how investors felt about retailing stocks after second-quarter earnings. Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF)? Down 22% during the past month. Aeropostale (ARO)? Off 30%. Urban Outfitters (URBN)? Down 3.4%.

Bloomberg News

Those big drops were the result of disappointing earnings that have caused analysts to slash their forecasts across the board. It’s still not enough to make Sterne Agee analysts Ike Boruchow and Tom Nikic want to buy the entire sector wholesale. They explain:

Comparing today’s 2H Street estimates to forecasts made prior to Q2 earnings, one can see the fear that has been built into the group, as comp estimates have been cut by 150bp on average (to 2-3%) and OMs have been lowered by 120bps (to 14.6% - vs. 15.2% LY). 70% of retailers saw their 2H margin outlook cut by the Street -as there is low confidence in their ability to drive full-price selling into year end. The lowered bar likely presents a more-balanced risk-reward environment, but we continue to urge investors to stay selective…

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now

Their recommendations: Buy Fifth & Pacific (FNP), L Brands (LTD), Urban Outfitters, Ross Stores (ROST) and the TJX Companies (TJX).

Fifth & Pacific has gained 0.6% to $24.98, L Brands has risen 1% to $59.56, Urban Outfitters has ticked up 0.1% to $34.82, Ross Stores has advanced 0.3% to $71.09 and the TJX Companies have gained 0.8% to $55.72.

Top 10 Specialty Retail Stocks To Watch For 2015

Top 10 Specialty Retail Stocks To Watch For 2015: Natural Grocers By Vitamin Cottage Inc (NGVC)

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc., incorporated on April 9, 2012, is a specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries and dietary supplements. The Company operates within the natural products retail industry. The Company offers products and brands, including a selection of natural and organic food, dietary supplements, body care products, pet care products and books.

The Company offers its customers an average of approximately 18,000 store-keeping units (SKUs) of natural and organic products per store, including an average of approximately 7,000 SKU of dietary supplements. As of June 30, 2012, the Company operated 55 stores in 11 states, including Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as a bulk food repackaging facility and distribution center in Colorado. The size of its stores varies from 5,000 selling square feet to 14,500 selling square feet, and a new store averages 9,500 selling square feet.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Mamos]

  The Fresh Market Inc. (Nasdaq: TFM), Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. (NYSE: NGVC), and privately held Trader Joe's are others crowding into the field.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NYSE: NGVC) and mid cap Sprouts Farmers Market Inc (NASDAQ: SFM) are taking aim at natural and organic foods supermarket giant Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM), but do either of these stocks have what it takes to take on the the king of organic retailing? Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin way back in 1978 by atwenty-five year old college dropout and a twenty-one year oldat a time when there were only a handful of natural or organicsupermarkets in the country. Today, Whole Foods Markethas 364 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom which are sometimes referred to as Whol! e Walletor Whole Paycheck given how much it costs to shop there.

• [By John Udovich]

  Large cap natural and organic foods supermarket giant Whole Foods Market, Inc (NASDAQ: WFM), otherwise known as Whole Walletor Whole Paycheck, is not the only player in the natural or organics supermarket space for consumers and investors alike as mid cap Sprouts Farmers Market Inc (NASDAQ: SFM) and small caps Fairway Group Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: FWM) and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc (NYSE: NGVC) are also players in the space. It should be mentioned that Whole Foods Market is down 15.7% since the start of the year and has a downward trending technical chart, butshares arestill up 13% over the past year, up 426.3% over the past five years and up 3,108.6% since January 1992.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-specialty-retail-stocks-to-watch-for-2015.html

Top 5 Income Companies To Own In Right Now

Top 5 Income Companies To Own In Right Now: Elecsys Corporation(ESYS)

Elecsys Corporation provides data acquisition systems, machine to machine (M2M) communication technology solutions, and custom electronic equipment for critical industrial applications in the United States and internationally. The company designs and manufactures wireless remote monitoring and telemetry solutions to the energy infrastructure sector, as well as other industrial markets under the Pipeline Watchdog and NTG brand names. It also provides process monitoring, data communication, and cyber security solutions under the SensorCast, Director, and zONeGUARD brand names; smart asset tagging solutions based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, which include custom tags, readers, and software under the brand name of eXtremeTAG; custom electronic design and manufacturing services (EDMS) under the DCI brand name; and ultra-rugged handheld computing solutions, as well as handheld computers, printers, peripherals, and application software under the brand na me of Radix. In addition, the company designs, manufactures, and tests a range of electronic assemblies, including circuit boards, high-frequency electronic modules, microelectronic assemblies, and turn-key products; and provides liquid crystal displays (LCDs) devices and modules, and hardware and software design services to its original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) partners, as well as offers integrated data collection and reporting solutions. It primarily serves energy infrastructure, safety and security systems, industrial controls, irrigation and water management, transportation, military, and aerospace markets. Elecsys Corporation was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Olathe, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap machine-to-machine (M2M) stock Elecsys Corp (NASDAQ: ESYS) jumped 8.99% yesterday and is up 254% over the past year, meaning it might be time to take a closer look at the stock a! nd its performance verses other small cap M2M stocks like Digi International Inc (NASDAQ: DGII), Numerex Corp (NASDAQ: NMRX) and Sierra Wireless, Inc (NASDAQ: SWIR). First of all though, I should mention that machine-to-machine (M2M) broadly refers to technologies that allow both wireless and wired systems to communicate with other devices of the same type and this can be through any type of technology ranging from instruments to networks to applications that create connections between devices.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-5-income-companies-to-own-in-right-now.html

Markets next week: Into 2013’s home stretch

With October in the rear view, the countdown to year-end has officially begun: T-minus 40 sessions and counting until portfolio managers throughout the world wipe their slates clean and start chasing performance anew.

Just as markets that are strong all day (with 2:1 positive breadth of advancers vs. decliners, or better) tend to end that way, the bulls are betting markets that have been strong all year — with 92.2% of the S&P 29% higher on average — will follow a similar script. Past performance is no guarantee of future return, but while history doesn't always repeat, it often rhymes.

Sir Isaac Newton once determined that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Federal Reserve is trying to disprove that law of motion, asserting it will avoid massive losses by never selling the mortgage-backed securities on its $2.84 trillion balance sheet. Cue Mel Brooks in History of the World: "It's good to be the king!"

There are several hot-button issues emerging — the prevailing direction of social mood (see my story "Why Kim Kardashian Matters to Social Mood" below) and increasingly strained foreign relations, among them — but they've seemingly been drowned out by a flood of profits. And as we know, politicians view the stock market as the world's largest thermometer.

Twitter opens for trading on Thursday — presumably in 140 characters or less — which will highlight a busy week for financial markets. Monday is the deadline for Fairfax Financial to buy BlackBerry, the ECB will announce its rate decision (and perhaps further market operations on Thursday), and October non-farm payrolls will be released on Friday, complete with an asterisk for the government shutdown.

More from Minyanville:

Why Kim Kardashian matters to the stock market

So much for story stocks? What a Tesla top could mean for all stocks

Hey buddy, can you spare a market pullback?

Tim Cook Is dreaming of an iPad Christmas

Bulls and Bears still batt! ling over stock market treats

This story was originally published on Minyanville. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Crude Oil Supply Build Tempers Sharp Price Increases

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. U.S. commercial crude inventories increased by 3 million barrels last week, maintaining a total U.S. commercial crude inventory to 362 million barrels, and remaining near the upper limit of the five-year range for this time of the year.

Total gasoline inventories decreased by 600,000 barrels last week, and remain in the upper half of the five-year average range. Total motor gasoline supplied (the EIA's measure of consumption) averaged 9.2 million barrels a day over the past four weeks — up by 1% from the same period a year ago.

Distillate inventories fell by 300,000 barrels last week and remain near the lower limit of the average range. Distillate product supplied averaged more than 3.7 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, up by 3.1% when compared with the same period last year. Distillate production totaled about 4.9 million barrels a day last week.

The American Petroleum Institute last night reported that crude inventories rose by 2.5 million barrels last week, together with a decline of 1.1 million barrels in gasoline supplies and a rise of 1.8 barrels in distillate supplies. Platts estimated a drop of 250,000 barrels in crude inventories, a drop of 1.5 million barrels in gasoline inventories and an increase of 3,000 barrels in distillate inventories.

Top Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2015

Crude prices were trading higher before the EIA report at around $109.90 a barrel and fell slightly to around $109.70 shortly after the report was released.

For the past week, crude imports averaged about 8.4 million barrels a day, up about 423,000 barrels a day from the previous week. Refineries were running at 91.3% of capacity, with daily input of 15.8 million barrels a day. That was about 71,000 barrels a day more than the previous week.

The crude oil stockpile finally broke an eight-week string of declines. The strong build in crude is overshadowed by recent events involving Syria, however. Crude prices have jumped about $5 a barrel since last week as oil traders try to figure out the impact that military intervention in Syria may have on supplies. Syria itself produces only about 300,000 barrels of oil a day, but the political consequences of any military action in the country are believed to be more significant than that small number of barrels.

Gasoline prices have reversed their decline this week. According to the AAA Fuel Gauge report, a gallon of regular gasoline costs about $3.55 today, compared with about $3.53 a week ago. Last month the price was $3.63 a gallon and one year ago the price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.76.

The United States Oil ETF (NYSEMKT: USO) is up 1.18%, at $39.33 in a 52-week range of $30.79 to $39.37. The high was posted earlier Wednesday morning.

The United States Gasoline ETF (NYSEMKT: UGA) is up about 0.9%, at $62.75 in a 52-week range of $53.35 to $65.86.

The United States Brent Oil ETF (NYSEMKT: BNO) is up 1.5%, at $89.43 in a 52-week range of $73.76 to $89.43. The annual high also was set today.

Time Magazine Cover Ad a Harbinger of Journalism Shift

In a culture where print ads show up on everything from eggs to pediatrician exam tables and video ad screens are in elevators and in the back seat of cabs, it's no surprise that Time Warner  (NYSE: TWX  )  has permitted advertising on the front cover of its flagship publication, Time. Small, one-line ads for Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) appear on the bottom of the address label in a tiny grayed-out strip on Time this week for the first time and are scheduled to debut on the cover of Sports Illustrated soon.

According to the Pew Research State of the News Media 2014, news magazines account for only half of one percent of the total $63.6 billion news revenue market (chart below). More than half of news revenue – 63.2% – is generated by newspapers, which began ad placements on the front page on a wide scale beginning in the early 1990s.

Obviously this is not lost on Time, which is seeking to get in on this revenue stream. With revenue down by over half in the last decade, newspapers certainly adopted a front-page ad strategy to survive. Time posted flat revenues of $390 million in the first quarter and has the fight all print mediums face with growing online news competition. In contrast Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) – not classified as a news organization in the Pew study – offers news coverage and the platform that leads the way to many online news sites. Google dwarfs Time with  $15.4 billion in first quarter gross revenue.

Curation challenges traditional journalism model

While the obvious reason for Time's decision would seem to be money, there is a much bigger story here.

The move signals yet another indication of the decline in the traditional independent journalism model. In an article titled "Why Curation Will Replace Mainstream Media," Cooper McGoodin, a public relations executive, writes: "Mainstream reporters mistakenly believe they are producing original and superior content, but increasingly they are merely curating ideas and sentiments that originate in the blogosphere."

The Macmillan online dictionary defines news curation as "the process of analyzing and sorting Web content and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme." There are a growing number of apps and other tools for curation. New York Times   (NYSE: NYT  ) just had a nearly 100-page internal memo recently leaked to Internet sites that speaks extensively to the rising function of curation within news and journalism. The NYT memo states, "We can be both a daily newsletter and a library – offering news every day, as well as providing context, relevance and timeless works of journalism."

Journalists are under tremendous pressure to change with the times. For the first time the Pew study measured the number of full-time journalists at nearly 500 digital news outlets at 5,000. While the study says the vast amount of "original reporting" is still conducted by newspapers, the number of print journalism jobs declined by 6.4% in 2012 with another decline expected in 2013.

Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) and the Tribune Co. (NASDAQOTH: TRBAA  ) , two companies that publish daily newspapers, have announced combined layoffs of 1,000 positions (not all in the newsroom). News magazines are feeling the same pinch. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 9% of adults get their news from print sources, with news magazines scoring the lowest. The Pew news study as early as 2010 listed online news as the primary source for 39% of adults.  One of Time's biggest competitors, Newsweek, ended its paper publication in early 2013 in favor of an online edition only.

Ultimately, readers will  decide

Change fostered by technology and economics always invites cultural shift. With two-thirds of total news revenue generated by advertising (Pew), Time's decision to open up the front page is predictable

The Verizon ad placements on the covers of Time and Sports Illustrated are tiny, just a toe-dip in the water at this point. But if the advertisers deem the cover expense successful and the ads don't put off subscribers, the news magazine cover ads are no doubt here to stay. Other news magazine titles will follow suit and the ads will no doubt get bigger. To what extent?

"No one wants to annoy the consumer," Bill Bean, director of trade insight at SAB Miller (NASDAQOTH: SBMRY  ) , told the New York Times. "However, there are many annoying ads that sell products, and it's very difficult to tell what annoys one consumer and what pleases another." 

Protecting 'The fourth estate'

The big picture question is, will the move to place ads on the cover of news magazines diminish public confidence in the mainstream news media?

According to a recent Gallup Poll, this confidence level hit an all-time low in 2012 and has just started to recover in 2013. The news media's success to act as the "fourth estate" – the watchdog over the Executive, Judicial and Legislative Branches of our democratic system of government – relies on its ability to act freely and independently.

If this can continue to be accomplished with a few cover ads, then the tradeoff is worth it. After all, no one thinks twice about an ad on the homepage of an online news site. However, what remains to be seen is, will Time and other news magazines (and sites) wear their journalism hat or their advertising hat when the day invariably comes there is negative news about a cover advertiser?

Are you ready to profit from this $14.4 trillion revolution?

Let's face it, every investor wants to get in on revolutionary ideas before they hit it big. Like buying PC-maker Dell in the late 1980s, before the consumer computing boom. Or purchasing stock in e-commerce pioneer Amazon.com in the late 1990s, when it was nothing more than an upstart online bookstore. The problem is, most investors don't understand the key to investing in hyper-growth markets. The real trick is to find a small-cap "pure-play" and then watch as it grows in EXPLOSIVE lockstep with its industry. Our expert team of equity analysts has identified one stock that's poised to produce rocket-ship returns with the next $14.4 TRILLION industry. Click here to get the full story in this eye-opening report.

4 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves

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

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

American Apparel

 

American Apparel (APP), designs, manufactures, distributes, retails and sells branded fashion basic apparel products, and clothing and accessories for women, men, children, and babies. This stock closed up 6.3% to 65 cents per share in Thursday's trading session.

 

Thursday's Range: $0.57-$0.66

52-Week Range: $0.46-$2.17

Thursday's Volume: 2.12 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 2.65 million

 

From a technical perspective, APP bounced sharply higher here right off its 50-day moving average of 61 cents per share with decent upside volume. This stock recently pulled back from 75 cents per share to Thursday's low of 57 cents per share with light downside volume. Market players should now look for a continuation move higher in the short-term if APP manages to take out Thursday's intraday high of 66 cents per share with high volume.

 

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in APP as long as it's trending above its 50-day at 61 cents per share and then once it sustains a move or close above 66 cents per share with volume that hits near or above 2.65 million shares. If that move kicks off soon, then APP will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at 75 to 82 cents per share.

 

Oi

 

Oi (OIBR) provides integrated telecommunication services for residential customers, companies and governmental agencies in Brazil. This stock closed up 2.5% to 85 cents per share in Thursday's trading session.

 

Thursday's Range: $0.82-$0.86

52-Week Range: $0.76-$2.34

Thursday's Volume: 22.83 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 14.72 million

 

From a technical perspective, OIBR jumped modestly higher here right above some near-term support at 80 cents per share with heavy upside volume. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last five months, with shares sliding lower from its high of $1.97 to its recent 52-week low of 76 cents per share. During that downtrend, shares of OBIR have been making mostly lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of OIBR now look ready to rebound and potentially trigger a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if OIBR manages to take out Thursday's intraday high of 86 cents to more near-term overhead resistance at 90 cents per share with high volume.

 

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in OIBR as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at 80 cents to 76 cents per share and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 14.72 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then OIBR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $1.02 to $1.08 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give OIBR a chance to tag its 50-day moving average of $1.18 to more resistance at $1.27.

 

Endocyte

 

Endocyte (ECYT), a biopharmaceutical company, develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases in the U.S. This stock closed up 2.2% to $6.45 a share in Thursday's trading session.

 

Thursday's Range: $6.14-$6.48

52-Week Range: $6.01-$33.70

Thursday's Volume: 893,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 1.91 million

 

From a technical perspective, ECYT jumped higher here right above its recent 52-week low of $6.01 with lighter-than-average volume. This move higher on Thursday is starting to push shares of ECYT within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if ECYT manages to clear some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.82 to $7.30 with high volume.

5 Best Long Term Stocks To Watch Right Now

 

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ECYT as long as it's trending above its 52-week low of $6.01 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 1.91 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ECYT will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from earlier this month that started above $17.50.

 

Ciber

 

Ciber (CBR) operates as an information technology company. This stock closed up 6.8 % to $4.50 a share in Thursday's trading session.

 

Thursday's Range: $4.21-$4.54

52-Week Range: $3.08-$4.91

Thursday's Volume: 787,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 221,444

 

From a technical perspective, CBR bounced sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $4.13 and back above its 50-day moving average of $4.41 with heavy upside volume flows. This bounce higher on Thursday is quickly pushing shares of CBR within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if CBR manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.64 to $4.73 and then once it takes out its 52-week high of $4.91 with high volume.

 

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CBR as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $4.13 or at $4.10 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 221,444 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then CBR will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory above $4.91, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $5.50 to $6.

 

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:

 

>>5 Dividend Stocks Ready to Pay You More

 

>>A Horrible Chart to Trade for Wonderful Gains

 

>>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.

Matador Resources: Now That’s One Way to Derail a Stock

Now that’s one way to kill a stock’s upward progress.

Getty Images

Heading into today, Matador Resources (MTDR) had gained 40% so far this year, as the competitor to Anadarko Petroleum (APC) and EOG Resources (EOG) has boosted oil & gas revenue and oil production. Make that 32% after Matador Resources announced a secondary offering.

Wunderlich’s Irene Haas doesn’t understand what the big deal is:

Matador Resources Company announced on May 22, 2014 after the market close that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of 7.5 million of its common stock. This will enable Matador to keep a second rig in the Permian Basin for the rest of 2014, while keeping a 2-rig program in the Eagle Ford shale play. Part of the proceeds will be used for acreage acquisition and participation in non-operated wells in the Haynesville trend. In the interim, Matador intends to repay outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facility. While the deal is slightly dilutive to NAV, earnings and cash flow, it enables the company to operate for the rest of 2014 without having to raise additional money while keeping the balance sheet clean. We reiterate our Buy rating on Matador.

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Shares of Matador have dropped 5.9% to $24.62 at 2:08 p.m., while Anadarko Petroleum has dipped 0.2% to $101.36 and EOG Resources has gained 0.8% to $104.50.

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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL  ) were sliding again today, falling as much as 10% after the company posted another disappointing earnings report.

So what: The children's publishing house said revenue slid 25%, to $506.9 million, as sales fell off from the hit trilogy The Hunger Games, a major revenue stream since it debuted. Earnings per share from continuing operations, meanwhile, came in at $0.76 per share, down from $1.86 a year ago. Both results were below the mark set by the one analyst covering Scholastic. The company, which once had a lock on children's education and media, has been struggling to shift into the digital age, as investments in e-books and other online portals has weighed on profits.

Now what: Like the publishing industry in general, Scholastic is struggling to maintain its relevance, as the advent of electronic media has turned the industry upside down. The company can't count on blockbusters like The Hunger Games every year, but management said it expects to improve profitability in the next fiscal year with the introduction of a number of education technology products, and projects an EPS from continuing operations between $1.40 and $1.80, excluding items. Those numbers aren't terrible, but I'd wait to see consistent revenue and profits before getting on board.

Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Web.com Group Inc(WWWW)

Web.com Group, Inc. provides Internet services for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in North America, South America, and the United Kingdom. It provides .com, .net, .co, .org, and .info domains, as well as domain services, including domain name registration, domain name transfers, domain name renewal, domain expiration protection, and domain privacy services; develops and supports a subscription Web service package that includes the tools and functionality necessary for a business to create and maintain online presence, as well as provide tutorials and tools for customers to edit and manage their sites. The company?s primary Do It For Me subscription offering comprise eWorks! XL, which provides domain name registration, initial site design, technical support, Webmail, online Web tools, and Internet scorecard; custom Website design services comprising map and directions pages, external links pages, Website statistics, database applications, password security, and e mail services; and social media and call center services. It also provides various Do-It-Yourself Website building and marketing solutions for SMBs, such as hosting services, Website design tools, email marketing tools, and LogoYes design and brand building tools. In addition, the company offers online marketing services, including search engine optimization, local and national search engine marketing, subscription-based services, budget-based search engine marketing, and click search engine marketing services; lead generation services consisting of Leads by Web.com to contractors, homebuilders, and remodeling professionals; and eCommerce merchant services. Web.com Group, Inc. markets its products and services through outbound and inbound telesales, online channel, affiliate network and private label partners, distribution partners, resellers, and direct sales. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW), a leading provider of internet services and online marketing solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses, will report its third quarter results for the fiscal period ended September 30, 2012 after the U.S. financial markets close on October 25, 2012.

Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Permian Basin Royalty Trust (PBT)

Permian Basin Royalty Trust (the Trust), incorporated in 1980, is an express trust. The Trust's principal assets are net overriding royalties conveyed to the Trust, including a 75% net overriding royalty carved out of Southland Royalty�� fee mineral interests in the Waddell Ranch in Crane County, Texas (the Waddell Ranch properties), and a 95% net overriding royalty carved out of Southland Royalty�� major producing royalty interests in Texas (the Texas Royalty properties). Bank of America, N.A. is the Trustee for the Trust.

Waddell Ranch Properties

The mineral interests in the Waddell Ranch, from which such net royalty interests are carved, vary from 37.5% (Trust net interest) to 50% (Trust net interest) in 78,715 gross (34,205 net) producing acres. A majority of the proved reserves are attributable to six fields: Dune, Sand Hills (Judkins), Sand Hills (McKnight), Sand Hills (Tubb), University-Waddell (Devonian) and Waddell. At December 31, 2012, the Waddell Ranch properties contained 889 gross (400 net) productive oil wells, 64 gross (30 net) productive gas wells and 177 gross (506 net) injection wells.

Burlington Oil & Gas Company LP (BROG) is the operator of the Waddell Ranch properties. As of December 31, 2012, six major fields on the Waddell Ranch properties account for more than 80% of the total production. In the six fields, there are 12 producing zones ranging in depth from 2,800 to 10,600 feet. Most prolific of these zones are the Grayburg and San Andres, which produce from depths between 2,800 and 3,400 feet. Also productive from the San Andres are the Sand Hills (Judkins) gas field and the Sand Hills (McKnight) oil field, the Dune (Grayburg/San Andres) oil field, and the Waddell (Grayburg/San Andres) oil field.

The Dune and Waddell oil fields are productive from both the Grayburg and San Andres formations. The Sand Hills (Tubb) oil fields produce from the Tubb formation at depths averaging 4,300 feet, and the University Waddell (Devo! nian) oil field is productive from the Devonian formation between 8,400 and 9,200 feet. The Waddell Ranch properties are producing properties, and all of the major oil fields are being waterflooded for the purpose of facilitating enhanced recovery. As of December 31, 2012, there were no drill wells and 13 workovers in progress on the Waddell Ranch properties.

Texas Royalty Properties

The Texas Royalty properties consist of royalty interests in mature producing oil fields, such as Yates, Wasson, Sand Hills, East Texas, Kelly-Snyder, Panhandle Regular, N. Cowden, Todd, Keystone, Kermit, McElroy, Howard-Glasscock, Seminole and others located in 33 counties across Texas. The Texas Royalty properties consist of approximately 125 separate royalty interests containing approximately 303,000 gross (approximately 51,000 net) producing acres.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Permian Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE: PBT  ) is also flowing more freely with its distributions. The trust's new rate of $0.088488 per unit may seem to be a numerical stretch, but it's a healthy 45% pop from its prior monthly payout. Increased oil production and higher oil prices helped the company generate more money that it passes on to its investors.

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  Permian Basin Royalty Trust (PBT) is a royalty trust, meaning it pools together royalty rights for various energy-producing properties. �I prefer trusts that are widely diversified.� In this case, Permian holds a 75% net overriding royalty interest in six properties in Crane County, Texas; and a 95% net overriding royalty interest in fields spread across 33 other counties in Texas.� In total, we��e talking 400 oil wells, 30 gas wells, and 500 injection wells. �That�� plenty diversified.� Yeehaw for its 8.3% yield!

Best Energy Companies To Invest In Right Now: SeaChange International Inc.(SEAC)

SeaChange International, Inc. provides multi-screen video products and services that facilitate the aggregation, licensing, management, and distribution of video, television programming, and advertising content to cable system operators, telecommunications companies, broadcast television companies, and mobile communications providers worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Software and Media Services. The Software segment offers back-office products, including SeaChange Axiom, an on-demand back office software that allow operators to centralize video distribution systems, as well as video streamers; advertising product solutions, such as video-on-demand, digital video recorders, and over-the-top services; and home gateway product solutions, which include Nucleus, a hybrid gateway software product that provides control over channel changes, VOD/DVR playback, and trick mode set-top box functionalities. This segment also provides professional services, installation, training, project management, product maintenance, technical support, and software development related services. The Media Services segment offers content for video-on-demand and pay-per-view platforms; and marketing, promotional, and production services to cable operators and telecommunications providers. This segment also sources, acquires, packages, and markets video-on-demand services by providing access to content from local and Hollywood studio providers in various formats, including music videos, television programs, and feature length movies. The company sells and markets its products and services through a direct sales organization, independent agents, and distributors. SeaChange International, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Acton, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to SeaChange International (Nasdaq: SEAC  ) .

• [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 SeaChange International (Nasdaq: SEAC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Bovie Medical Corporation (BVX)

Bovie Medical Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical products and devices with an emphasis on electrosurgical generators and electrosurgical disposables primarily in the United States. Its electrosurgery product line comprises desiccators, generators, electrodes, electrosurgical pencils, and various ancillary disposable products used in surgical procedures in gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, dermatology, veterinary, and other surgical markets for the cutting and coagulation of tissue. The company offers Aaron 900 and Aaron 940, which are high frequency desiccators designed primarily for dermatology and family practice physicians for removing small skin lesions and growths, as well as for office based coagulation. It also provides Aaron 950, a high frequency desiccator with cut capacity for outpatient surgical procedures; Aaron 1250U, a 120-watt multipurpose electrosurgery generator; and Aaron 2250/3250 and IDS 200/300/400 multipurpose digital electros urgery generators. In addition, the company offers ICON GI, ICON GP, and ICON VS specialty electrosurgical generators; Resistick II, a coating that is applied to stainless steel, which resists eschar during surgery; disposable laparoscopic instruments; and ICON GS (J-Plasma), a plasma system. Further, it provides battery operated cauteries used for sculpting woven grafts in bypass surgery, vasectomies, and evacuation of subungual hematoma, as well as for arresting bleeding in various types of surgeries; battery operated medical lights that act as specialty lighting instruments for use in ophthalmology as well as specialty lighting instruments for general surgery, hip replacement surgery, and for the placement of endotracheal tubes in emergency and surgical procedures; and nerve locator stimulators used for identifying motor nerves in hand and facial reconstructive surgery. Bovie Medical Corporation was founded in 1982 and is based in Melville, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Stephan]

  The J-Plasma surgical technology from Bovie Medical Corporation (BVX) has recently begun to hit the market. Although it is anticipated sales will start out slowly due to the time involved in building and deploying a sales force specific to J-Plasma and in hospital capital equipment purchasing decisions, revenues from J-Plasma are expected to become very strong in 2014, leading to a correspondingly large upward move in the share price.

Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Invest In Right Now: Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (TDY)

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated provides instrumentation, digital imaging products and software, aerospace and defense electronics, and engineered systems in the United States and internationally. The company?s Instrumentation segment provides monitoring and control instruments for marine, environmental, scientific, industrial, and defense applications, as well as harsh environmental interconnect products. Its Digital Imaging segment includes sponsored and centralized research laboratories benefiting government programs and businesses, as well as development efforts for innovative digital imaging products for government and space applications. It also includes infrared detectors, cameras, and optomechanical assemblies. Teledyne Technologies? Aerospace and Defense Electronics segment provides electronic components and subsystems and communications products, including defense electronics, data acquisition, and communications equipment for air transport and business aircra ft and components and subsystems for wireless and satellite communications, as well as general aviation batteries. The company?s Engineered Systems segment provides systems engineering and integration, advanced technology application, software development, and manufacturing solutions to space, military, environmental, energy, chemical, biological and nuclear systems, and missile defense requirements. This segment also designs and manufactures hydrogen generators, thermoelectric and fuel-cell based power sources, and small turbine engines. Teledyne Technologies? customers include government agencies, aerospace prime contractors, energy exploration and production companies, industrial companies, and airlines. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Teledyne Technologies (TDY), which gets 80 percent of its revenue from the U.S., raised its 2013 per-share earnings projections last week. The Thousand Oaks, California-based aerospace and defense electronics provider, up 39 percent for the year, exceeded analyst projections by 8.1 percent last quarter, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Hot Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now

Hot Canadian Stocks To Own Right Now: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company(DD)

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company operates as a science and technology company worldwide. It operates in seven segments: Agriculture & Nutrition, Electronics & Communications, Performance Chemicals, Performance Coatings, Performance Materials, Safety & Protection, and Pharmaceuticals. The Agriculture & Nutrition segment provides hybrid seed corn and soybean seed, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, value enhanced grains, and soy protein under the Pioneer brand name. The Electronics & Communications segment supplies materials and systems for photovoltaic products, consumer electronics, displays, and advanced printing. The Performance Chemicals segment offers fluorochemicals, fluoropolymers, specialty and industrial chemicals, and white pigments for various markets, such as plastics and coatings, textiles, mining, pulp and paper, water treatment, and healthcare. The Performance Coatings segment supplies high performance liquid and powder coatings for motor vehicle origi nal equipment manufacturers (OEM); the motor vehicle after-market; and general industrial applications, such as such as coatings for heavy equipment, pipes and appliances, and electrical insulation. The Performance Materials segment provides polymers, elastomers, films, parts, and systems and solutions for the automotive OEM and associated after-market industries, as well as electrical, electronics, packaging, construction, oil, photovoltaics, aerospace, chemical processing, and consumer durable goods. The Safety & Protection segment primarily offers nonwovens, aramids, and solid surfaces for the construction, transportation, communications, industrial chemicals, oil and gas, electric utilities, automotive, manufacturing, defense, homeland security, and safety consulting industries. The Pharmaceuticals segment represents its interest in the collaboration relatin! g to Cozaar/Hyzaar antihypertensive drugs. The company was founded in 1802 and is headquartered in Wilmington, Del a ware.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  DuPont (DD) slipped on Thursday after its first quarter missed analysts' estimates.

  The conglomerate said it earned $1.44 billion or $1.54 a share; excluding one-time items, per-share earnings were $1.58 a share, up two cents from the year-ago period but a penny below the $1.59 consensus.

  Revenue slipped 2.7% to $10.1 billion, also below the $10.45 analysts were expecting.

  The company noted that the extraordinarily harsh winter in many parts of the country hurt the results, to the tune of seven cents a share, as farmers delayed buying seeds and other agricultural products. Political uncertainty also disrupted sales in Ukraine, one of the world's largest corn and wheat exporters.

  S&P Capital IQ's Christopher Muir was downbeat about the prospect of DuPont's outlook improving in the near term, lowering his rating on the stock to Sell from Hold, and lowered his target price by $1 to $64. "We negatively view the 3.4% year-over-year drop in sales, though the drop was more than offset by strong cost control efforts. Q1 recurring EPS of $1.58, vs. $1.56, missed our $1.76 estimate and the $1.59 Capital IQ consensus. The shares are yielding 2.7%.

  By contrast, Citigroup's P.J. Juvekar reiterated a Buy rating and $78 price target, noting that the company executes as well as could be expected in poor weather conditions, and that its full-year guidance and share repurchase plan are positives: "DD reported 1Q14 EPS of $1.58 vs. our $1.56 and consensus of $1.58. The company explicitly called out a 7c/share impact from adverse weather conditions in 1Q, reflecting a combination of higher operating costs and lost sales. 2014 EPS guidance of $4.20-$4.45 was reaffirmed, with an estimated 70% of FY14 EPS expected in 1H. DD repurchased ~$1B of stock in 1Q, more than we anticipated! , and is ! well-positioned to complete the targeted $2B of stock this year. The Perf Chemicals separation is on track for mid-2015, with physical separation o

• [By Monica Gerson]

  E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE: DD) is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $1.58 per share on revenue of $10.45 billion.

  AutoNation (NYSE: AN) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $4.32 billion.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE: DD) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $1.58 per share on revenue of $10.45 billion. DuPont shares gained 1.23% to close at $67.72 yesterday.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-canadian-stocks-to-own-right-now-3.html

Home Depot Shares Limp After Earnings Disappoint

Like many retailers, Home Depot Home Depot cited winter weather as one culprit for earnings that didn't measure up to expectations Tuesday.

The home improvement chain recorded net earnings of $1.4 billion, on sales that rose 2.9% to $19.7 billion. Earnings per share of $1.00 were up 20.5% from 83 cents a year ago, but 96 cents when excluding a net gain tied ot selling a piece of the company's stake in HD Supply HD Supply Holdings. The latter figure was shy of the consensus Wall Street call for earnings of 99 cents per share.

"The first quarter was impacted by a slow start to the spring selling season," Chairman and CEO Frank Blake said in Home Depot's earnings release. "But we had solid results in non-weather impact markets and expect our sales for the year to grow in line with the guidance we previously provided."

That guidance calls for fiscal 2014 sales to grow 4.8% from a year earlier. Home Depot also hiked its earnings per share guidance to $4.42 for the year, 17.6% higher than the prior fiscal year and inclusive of $3.75 billion in share repurchases intended for the balance of 2014.

Citi analyst Kate McShane called the retailer's comparable store sales growth, which came in at 2.6% and 3.3% for U.S. stores, "softer than anticipated" in a note Tuesday morning, but said the results were not as weak as feared given quarter's harsh winter weather.

"The reaffirmation of guidance gives us some comfort that spring related sales may have been deferred…and were not lost entirely," McShane added.

Canaccord Genuity analyst Laura Champine expressed similar confidence that the weather impact will only hurt Home Depot in the short term, but warned that the stock is also lacking some of the tailwinds that helped it rally sharply in the past few years.

"Shares are not receiving the strong push from housing market recovery that they had from 2012 to 2013," Champine wrote Tuesday morning. "Recent housing market data suggest momentum is decelerating, including total turnover down for three straight months and home prices declining or flat on a sequential basis for four consecutive months after a year of gains."

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Shares of Home Depot fell 1.3% Tuesday morning. Rival Lowe's Cos Lowe's Cos, which is set to report earnings Wednesday, was down 1.1% in pre-market trading. Both stocks have lost more than 8% in 2014.

HD data by YCharts

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Urban Outfitters, Campbell, Valspar are stocks to watch

Bloomberg/file 2012 Enlarge Image Campbell Soup is forecast to post earnings of 39 cents a share.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch)—Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Monday's session are Urban Outfitters Inc., Campbell Soup Co., and Valspar Corp.

/quotes/zigman/55244/delayed/quotes/nls/urbn URBN 36.21, +0.85, +2.40% Urban Outfitters Inc.

Urban Outfitters (URBN)  is projected to report first-quarter earnings of 27 cents a share, according to a consensus survey by FactSet. "While the Urban Outfitters division has struggled recently, we continue to believe hope exists as the weather turns. Most notably, we believe the ample amount of compelling spring fashion should be able to release some pent-up demand for spring merchandise as the temperatures rise," Howard Tubin at RBC Capital Markets said in a report.

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Campbell Soup (CPB)  is forecast to post third-quarter earnings of 59 cents a share. Analysts at Deutsche Bank on Thursday lowered the stock's price target to $41 from $42 due to a tough market environment and weakness in certain categories.

Valspar Corp. (VAL)  is expected to report earnings of $1.04 a share.

3 Preferred Stocks Yielding More Than 8%

Popular Posts: 3 Preferred Stocks Yielding More Than 8%3 Covered Calls for a Cool $1,000 in Income3 Cash Cow Stocks to Buy: Timeshare Stocks Recent Posts: 3 Preferred Stocks Yielding More Than 8% Hail This Taxi Dividend Stock for a 6.9% Yield   3 Covered Calls for a Cool $1,000 in Income View All Posts

My always astute, if occasionally irritating, editor Kyle hit me with a question regarding preferred stocks. "What's the case for owning individual preferred stocks over an ETF? Wouldn't it only be to get a higher dividend yield?"

It's a good question, but that doesn't make ol' Kyle any less irritating.

There's nothing wrong with owning something like iShares US Preferred Stock (PFF) which offers a dividend yield of 6.6%. It's a little dicey in that it isn't terribly diversified, with 65% of its holdings coming from the financial sector. But then again, most preferred offerings come from financials anyway. The problem with a non-diversified ETF like this is that if the financial sector comes under pressure, the whole ETF may get taken down.

With individual issues, they may or may not get taken down, even if in the same sector. If the individual name has strong underlying fundamentals, it may get spared. On the other hand, if it doesn’t — if it gets caught up in the tsunami — you may find yourself with a generational buying opportunity. If your preferred stock's underlying company is solid and is being shot down because it happens to be in the same sector, there's an excuse to just buy more.

A classic example was the preferred shares of Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) during the financial crisis. The D series, for example, fell under $7. An astute investor would have recognized the company was in far better shape than its peers, bought the preferred stocks at that price and seen a huge capital gain appreciation.

Let's move on to today's preferred picks.

Next Page

Preferred Stocks: New York Mortgage Trust (NYMT)

Dividend Yield: 8.2%

New York Mortgage Trust (NYMT) is a mortgage real estate investment trust, or mREIT, that acquires, invests in, finances and manages mortgage related securities. These mREITs are very much tied to interest rates, so while rates are low, the stocks will do well. NYMT common stock, in fact, yields more than 14%. Yet that's why I would choose the New York Mortgage Trust 7.75% Preferred Series B (NYMTP).

As preferred stocks go, it is less volatile than the underlying and trades about 6% below par, thus giving it a dividend yield of 8.2%.

Next Page

Preferred Stocks: Montpelier RE Holdings (MRH)

Dividend Yield: 8.2%

Montpelier RE Holdings (MRH) has an 8.875% Series A Preferred, currently trading at $27 — about 8.5% above par and callable in two years. Its dividend yield is thus 8.2%.

What I like about this issue is that Montpelier is a specialty insurer, with a large part of its business being re-insurance. That means when an insurance company gets hit with massive claims from things like airline crashes, war, political unrest or space aliens, the insurance company will pay out some big claims, but it will have purchased insurance for its own insurance payouts.

Montpelier is a stable business, with even more stable preferred stock, and it would take a hell of a lot of disasters in a row to put it under.

Next Page

Preferred Stocks: Stag Industrial (STAG)

Dividend Yield: 8.1%

Finally, we have Stag Industrial (STAG) and it's 9% Series A Preferred issue. STAG preferred stock focuses on single-tenant industrial properties. The advantage here is that a well-run REIT like Stag will carefully choose its tenants, selecting companies that are recession-proof, or at least have ample liquidity to pay rents. Occupancy is at 94%, and recent earnings came in with sizable growth across the board. The preferred stock trades almost 10% above par, and thus the dividend yield is 8.1%.

Like what you see? Sign up for our Dividend Insights e-letter and get income investment advice delivered to your inbox every Friday!

Lawrence Meyers owns shares of AHT and AHT Preferred D. He is president of Asymmetrical Media Strategies, a crisis PR firm, and PDL Broker, Inc., which brokers financing, strategic investments and distressed asset purchases between private equity firms and businesses. He also has written two books and blogs about public policy, journalistic integrity, popular culture, and world affairs. Contact him at pdlcapital66@gmail.com and follow his tweets at @ichabodscranium.

Stocks: Waiting on Wal-Mart earnings

Click chart for in-depth premarket data.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Wall Street has been looking closely at quarterly results from big retailers, especially Wal-Mart. And they don't like what they see.

Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) , the world's largest retailer, reported first-quarter earnings and sales, and second-quarter forecasts that fell short of estimates. Shares of the Dow component slipped in premarket trading.

The company blamed several factors, including bad weather and a delay in tax refunds caused by last fall's government shutdown.

Retailer Kohl's (KSS, Fortune 500) will also report before the open, while J.C. Penney (JCP, Fortune 500) and Nordstrom (JWN, Fortune 500) will report after the close.

U.S. stock futures were vacillating between small gains and losses Thursday morning.

The main premarket mover was Cisco Systems (CSCO, Fortune 500). Shares were spiking by roughly 7% after the firm reported earnings that beat expectations.

The fast-food industry is also in the spotlight Thursday as workers plan demonstrations in 150 cities around the world to protest low wages.

On the economic front, the U.S. government will publish weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its latest consumer price index information.

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Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen will be speaking about small business and the economy during a talk in Washington this evening.

U.S. stocks closed lower Wednesday. The Dow tumbled about 100 points, backing away from three consecutive record closes. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also closed firmly in the red.

European markets were edging down in midday trading after mixed economic data from the eurozone.

Asian markets had a mixed day. The Shanghai Composite index was the biggest mover among the main global indexes, dropping by 1.1%.

Investors in Japan pushed the Nikkei lower, shrugging off an impressive report on strong economic growth in the first quarter.

10 Myths About Momentum Investing: AQR Capital

A new research paper by quant hedge fund manager Clifford Asness and colleagues at his AQR Capital Management seeks to lend intellectual respectability to oft-derided momentum investing, which is often seen as a high-risk trader’s game rather than a legitimate portfolio strategy.

The University of Chicago’s Tobias Moskowitz joined Asness and his AQR colleagues Andrea Frazzini and Ronen Israel in authoring the paper titled “Fact, Fiction and Momentum Investing.”

Momentum investors seeking to purchase securities that have performed well relative to peers and shun (or short) relative underperformers. The authors aim to refute 10 myths questioning the efficacy of this approach. Here is a “Cliff’s Notes” version of the 26-page paper.

Myth #1: Momentum returns are too “small and sporadic.”

The authors note that momentum’s return premium is evident over 212 years of U.S. market data and can be seen in studies covering 40 other countries and more than a dozen other asset classes (e.g., bonds, currencies, commodities).

Over the 86 years between 1927 and 2013, for example, the spread of recent winners over recent losers averaged 8.3% a year.

They show there are many ways to slice and dice momentum, but they conclude:

“It’s undeniable that far from being ‘small,’ momentum returns are large, large after basic risk adjustment (Sharpe ratio), and larger than other major factors, even those occasionally being promoted by the exact same crowd calling momentum ‘small and sporadic.’”

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Myth #2: Momentum cannot be captured by long-only investors as “momentum can only be exploited on the short side.”

Using Kenneth French’s data, the authors show that almost half of momentum’s premium comes from the long side. Under a particular momentum investing approach, the authors find that the long side even contributed most of the returns. They cite one comprehensive study finding that both long and short sides of momentum investing were equally profitable over 86 years in the U.S., 40 years of international data covering equities and five other asset classes.

Myth #3: Momentum is much stronger among small-cap stocks than large-caps.

The paper’s authors find that momentum investing’s premium is significant among large-cap stocks — an effect only slightly less in magnitude than found in small-cap stocks.

Given that this charge is often lobbed by value investors, the authors find it ironic that it is in the realm of value investing that the value premium disappears among large-cap stocks.

Myth #4: Momentum does not survive, or is seriously limited by, trading costs.

While one might intuitively think momentum, because of its higher turnover, is costlier to implement, the authors, citing a study using a unique AQR Capital data set containing more than $1 trillion of live trades from 1998 to 2013, say this is not so. The reason stems from the fact that careful institutional traders know how to reduce trading costs, whereas some academic papers reference the cost estimates bearing on average investors, which are 10 times larger.

Myth #5: Momentum does not work for a taxable investor.

Similarly, the idea that higher turnover translates to greater tax effects makes some initial intuitive sense. Yet they find the tax burden to be similar—even potentially lower—than that of value.

One reason for this is that momentum, by holding onto winners and selling losers, is “biased to be tax advantageous” since it favors long-term capital gains, avoids short-term capital gains and realizes short-term capital losses.

In contrast, value strategies have high exposure to tax-inefficient dividend income.

“Since the premium for momentum is quite a bit higher than for value, yet they face similar tax rates, the after-tax returns to momentum are also higher than for value,” the authors write.

Myth #6: Momentum is best used with screens rather than as a direct factor.

Some critics of momentum, who demean the approach as a “hot potato,” nevertheless want to first select securities based on value criteria, and only then allow momentum as a secondary screen. The authors call this “an attempt to have your cake but denounce it too!”

The paper argues that such an approach is a backhanded, but suboptimal, way to acknowledge the validity of long-term data establishing the success of momentum investing.

Myth #7: One should be particularly worried about momentum’s returns disappearing.

Any strategy has its seasons of relative success and failure; 1999-2000 was a tough time for value investing. That critics would therefore challenge only “momentum is odd to say the least, especially given the strength and stability of momentum’s historical record”—across time, geography, security type and given the strategy’s large return premium.

Myth #8: Momentum is too volatile to rely on.

Again, every strategy has its “dark times,” and the paper’s authors note the late 1990s were tough for value investors. So too was 2009 (when a plunging market suddenly reversed itself) difficult for momentum investors (especially those who relied solely on momentum in contrast to the authors’ oft-stated preference for combining momentum and value factors).

The authors analyze Sharpe ratios to show that momentum is a superior strategy specifically on a risk-return basis. They also note the imperative of investing for the long term in a diversified portfolio as a means of getting through the dark periods.

They write: “Of course, any decent researcher knows far better than to point to one bad period for a factor with long-term success (success that, again, includes that bad period) and impugn it while letting other factors have a free pass regarding events in their own histories."

Myth #9: Different measures of momentum can give different results over a given period.

The authors raise the by now familiar objection that the different-measures charge can be used with any strategy. One can measure value through earnings-to-price, cash-flow-to-price or book-to-market value.

Myth #10: There is no theory behind momentum.

The paper’s authors again note that a multiplicity of theories — usually falling under the risk-based or behavioral categories — is debated with respect to size and value premiums as well.

While the theories are debatable, the data is undeniable. “We discovered the world wasn’t flat before we understood and agreed why,” the authors quip.

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Check out these related stories on ThinkAdvisor:

America's most unusual public companies

Being publicly traded allows companies to fund expansions, compensate employees and bring attention to their products and services. It also places obligations on companies to be transparent, produce consistent returns and serve a broader set of investors.

Many of the most prominent publicly traded companies have familiar business models. They operate stores, provide financial services, produce and distribute energy, and drive innovation in technology, medicine and other fields. There are others, however, that operate unique, even bizarre, businesses, with few or even no publicly traded competitors.

Unusual companies operate niche businesses because they perceive opportunities for growth and — in the long-run — substantial profit. Oftentimes, this includes providing products and services in an underdeveloped sector of an established industry. For example, Clean Energy Fuels operates natural gas fueling stations throughout the United States and Canada, a unique business within the massive energy industry. GW Pharmaceuticals is the only publicly traded pharmaceutical company focusing on cannabinoid-based medications.

Other companies operate businesses that are usually privately held and closely guarded. Madison Square Garden owns NBA, NHL, WNBA and other sports franchises, as well as the television networks that broadcast most of their games. It also owns the arena in which the teams play. Similarly, Rick's Cabaret operates adult clubs, venues that are typically privately owned.

MORE: America's most (and least) common jobs

Still, there are some businesses that are truly one of a kind. RPX Corp. specializes in pooling customer funds to buy patents, helping to protect its subscribers from aggressive patent litigation. Odyssey Marine searches the ocean floor for shipwrecks, acting as a publicly traded treasure hunter.

Unique companies can also range wildly in size. World Wrestling Entertainment operates a global wrestling empire watched by hundreds of millions of viewer! s worldwide. It has a market capitalization of approximately $1.3 billion. Madison Square Garden, with a market capitalization of $3.8 billion, is even larger. Premier Exhibitions, which operates exhibitions such as Bodies: The Exhibition and Titanic: The Experience, is considerably smaller than both — with a market capitalization of only $43 million.

These are the most unusual public companies.

1. Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

> Business: Gas station
> Market cap: $812 million

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker CLNE) is not your run-of-the-mill gas station company. Rather than diesel or gasoline, the company's gas stations only provide natural gas transportation fuels. The company aims to be the destination for a nationwide fleet of natural gas and compressed natural gas-run trucks. Clean Energy has close ties to billionaire and energy guru T. Boone Pickens, who serves on its board of directors and owns 24% of the company. It claims to deliver more natural gas transportation fuel than any other company in the United States. Clean Energy also claims that it fuels more than 35,000 vehicles each day at approximately 500 fueling stations in the U.S. and Canada. The company's top line has grown, reaching $352 million in 2013. Analysts expect sales will grow to almost $500 million by the end of 2015.

MORE: America's most popular stores

2. GW Pharmaceuticals

> Business: Biotech
> Market cap: $1.1 billion

With marijuana now legalized in two states and decriminalized or medically available in many more, this is a hot area. While U.K.-based GW Pharmaceuticals PLC (NASDAQ: GWPH) does not provide what is commonly referred to as medical marijuana, its products include cannabis ingredients. GW can therefore be seen as a medical marijuana play. More accurately, though, the U.S.-listed company is a biotech outfit developing cannabinoid medicines. Its Sativex drug, which targets multiple sclerosis spasticity — stiffness and i! nvoluntar! y muscle spasms — has already been launched in 11 countries and approved in 13 more, although not yet in the United States. The company is also looking to target cancer pain with Sativex, and its drug pipeline includes Epidiolex, a potential treatment for childhood epilepsy.

MORE: The best selling products of all time

3. World Wrestling Entertainment

> Business: Pro wrestling
> Market cap: $1.3 billion

Vince McMahon has built World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: WWE) into global wrestling empire over the years. The company recently launched the WWE Network. The network, which had 667,000 as of April, seems well on its way to reaching its stated goal of 1 million subscribers by the end of this year. Despite some concerns about a shift to online viewing and away from live events and pay-per-view, WWE has managed to steadily grow its revenues. Sales were $508 million in 2013, versus $478 million in 2010. The WWE Network is expected to grow revenues to $581 million in 2014 and to nearly $800 million in 2015. In addition to the network, WWE also hosts Wrestlemania — the professional wrestling's equivalent of the Super Bowl. Its investors currently receive a 2.8% dividend yield.

4. RPX

> Business: Patent risk management solutions
> Market cap: $85 million

RPX Corp. (NASDAQ: RPXC) provides patent risk management solutions. This means the company acquires patents for the express purpose of protecting its customers, who pay an annual subscription fee, from patent litigation. RPX was founded in 2008 and has been publicly traded since 2011. In addition to defensive buying, the company advises clients on patent acquisition, provides market research and even litigation insurance. Sales have risen consistently in recent years, up from $33 million in 2009 to $238 million in 2013. The handful of analysts covering RPX see sales growing to more than $292 million by the end of 2015.

MORE: Companies with the best (and worst) reputations

5. C! ollectors! Universe

> Business: Collectible evaluation
> Market cap: $199 million

Collectors Universe Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT) is unique to the field of sports collectibles, serving as a grader and authentication service for collectors of sports cards, autographs, memorabilia and coins. It claims to have certified more than 50 million collectibles to date. Revenue in its latest fiscal year totaled $49 million, and net income was $5.73 million. Collectors Universe has competition in sports card grading and in other aspects of its business, but it is unique in that it is publicly traded. In the company's most recent nine months, its service revenue increased by 26% from the same period last year to nearly $44 million, a company record. Currently, the stock has a dividend yield north of 5%. The company is very small, with a market capitalization of less than $200 million.

24/7 WALL ST.: See the rest of the Top 10

24/7 Wall St. is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2015

Popular Posts: 7 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now17 Oil and Gas Stocks to Sell Now4 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 5 Worst Sectors to Avoid This Week 5 Stocks With Ugly Earnings Growth ��KWK GNK SOL CRK LM 3 Building Products Stocks to Buy Now View All Posts

This week, the Computer and Personal Electronics, Energy Services, Computer and Personal Electronics, Oil and Gas, and Marine sectors look weak according to Portfolio Grader.

With 78% of its stocks (74 out of 95) rated “sell,” the Metals and Mining sector is struggling this week. Out of the Metals and Mining stocks, Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:), Walter Energy (NYSE:), and Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. (NYSE:) are near the bottom with F’s. Over the last 12 months, Walter Energy is the worst performer in this sector, with a 74.6% decline.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2015: Caribbean International Holdings Inc (CIHN)

Caribbean International Holdings Inc., formerly Caribbean Casino and Gaming Corporation, incorporated on February 12, 2009, is focused in the gaming and entertainment company. The Company has a gaming casino, located in the city of Sousa, in the Dominican Republic. In April 2012, it acquired exclusive rights to distribute Bionic Products' Energy Drinks throughout the Caribbean, South and Central America.

The Sosua Bay Grand Casino provides the gaming and entertainment experience to the Domincan Republic. It is equipped with a state of the art lighting and sound system.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Caribbean International Holdings (OTCMKTS: CIHN), Blue Water Global Group Inc (OTCBB: BLUU) and Metrospaces Inc (OTCMKTS: MSPC) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and all three have focused their activities in the Caribbean or South America. However, all three have been the subject of paid promotions which have helped to get them mentions in various investment newsletters. With that in mind, will bets on the Caribbean or South America pay off big for these three small cap stocks and their investors? Here is a quick reality check:

  Caribbean International Holdings (OTCMKTS: CIHN) is All About Wings, Mechanical Bulls and Stem Cells

  Formerly known as Caribbean Casino & Gaming Corp, small cap Caribbean International Holdings operates as a holding company. On Friday, Caribbean International Holdings rose 8.39% to $0.0369 for a market cap of $315,400 plus CIHN is up 985.3% over the past year and up 7,280% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2015: Honda Motor Company Ltd. (HMC)

Honda Motor Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and distribution of motorcycles, automobiles, and power products primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. Its motorcycle line consists of business and commuter models, as well as sports models, including trial and moto-cross racing; all?terrain vehicles; personal watercrafts; and multi utility vehicles. The company also produces various automobile products, including passenger cars, minivans, multi-wagons, sport utility vehicles, and mini cars; and power products comprising tillers, portable generators, general-purpose engines, grass cutters, outboard marine engines, water pumps, snow throwers, power carriers, power sprayers, lawn mowers and lawn tractors, home-use cogeneration units, and thin film solar cells for home, public, and industrial uses. In addition, it sells spare parts and provides after sales services are through retail dealers, as well as offers retail lendin g and leasing to customers, and wholesale financing to dealers. The company was founded in 1946 and is based in Tokyo, Japan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Rosevear]

  Luxury cars are huge in China, where Volkswagen's (NASDAQOTH: VLKAY  ) Audi brand rules the market, a market that is expected to grow rapidly for years to come. A bunch of big global automakers, including both General Motors (NYSE: GM  ) and Ford (NYSE: F  ) , are angling for a share of this rich pie -- and now, Honda (NYSE: HMC  ) is throwing its hat into the ring.

• [By CNBC]

  Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images Speculation over the launch of an Apple iCar has excited the tech industry for some time, and now it looks as if the wait is finally over. On Monday, the tech giant unveiled an application that will enable drivers to integrate their iPhone and car entertainment system. The app, called CarPlay, will be rolled out by Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo in Geneva this week. "iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing. Through use of the app, drivers will be able to make calls, use the Google Maps function, listen to music and access messages through use of voice or touch. Users can control the application from the car's native interface or push and hold the voice control button on the steering wheel to activate Siri -- the voice activation software. According to Apple (AAPL), once a driver's iPhone is connected to a vehicle with CarPlay integration, Siri will enable drivers to access their contacts, make calls, return missed calls or listen to voicemails without using their hands. Drivers will be able to dictate responses to messages, or simply make a call. Apple said the app will also anticipate a driver's destination based on recent trips, via contacts, emails or texts and will provide routing instructions, traffic conditions and an estimated time of arrival. Apple CarPlay is available as an update to iOS 7 and works with Lightning-enabled iPhones, including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5. BMW Group, Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Hyundai Motor, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor (TM) are also set to offer CarPlay in the future. CarPlay will be available in select cars shipping in 2014. Information on Apple's "iOS in the Car" software w

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Competing Japanese automaker Honda (NYSE: HMC  ) isn't quite on GM's and Toyota's level, but the company's going after the latter's Camry hybrid sedan for Japanese sales. Honda's now preparing to sell a new hybrid version of the Accord slated to boast the highest fuel economy in its class, offering nearly seven kilometers per liter more fuel efficiency than the Camry hybrid. The Accord's performed exceptionally in the U.S., ranking as the nation's top-selling car in April and growing sales by 26% this year alone. Honda's overall sales are still lagging Toyota, but this firm's winning in U.S. sales growth in the midsize category.

Hot Defense Stocks To Own For 2015: LSI Logic Corporation (LSI)

LSI Corporation designs, develops, and markets storage and networking semiconductors worldwide. It offers integrated circuits for hard disk and tape drive solutions, which are used to store and retrieve data in personal computers, corporate network servers, archive/back-up devices, and consumer electronics products. The company�s storage electronics products include systems-on-a-chip, read channels, pre-amplifiers, serial physical interfaces, and hard disk controllers, as well as custom firmware required to read, write, and protect data. It also offers pre-amplifiers, which are used to amplify the initial signal to and from the drive disk heads; and solutions that transmit data between a host computer and storage peripheral devices. In addition, the company provides custom and standard networking solutions that include chips, such as network processors, digital signal processors, content-inspection processors, traffic shaping devices, and physical layer devices, as well a s software, evaluation systems, and reference designs for office, home office, and small-to-medium business applications; flash storage processors; server storage semiconductor products, and server RAID adapters and software; and high-speed interface intellectual property that combine with customers� intellectual property to provide a connection to the SAN, memory systems, and host buses. Further, it offers networking solutions include communication processors, network processors, media processors, content-inspection processors, and physical layer devices, as well as software tools and segment specific applications, evaluation systems, and reference designs. The company was formerly known as LSI Logic Corporation and changed its name to LSI Corporation in April 2007. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Milpitas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  Finally, I always like to see one of the most important financial ratios applying to stockholders, the best measure of performance for a firm's management: the return on equity. With a ROE of -7.19% is below the industry mean of 5.06%. Other more attractive option in terms of this ratio is LSI Corporation (LSI) with a ROE of 8.68%.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  LSI Corp. (NASDAQ: LSI) supplies Cisco with application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) for a variety of high-end gear,�and also indirectly sells into its Scientific Atlanta division by supplying chips for disk drives that end up in DVRs. The consensus price objective for the stock is $9. Investors are paid a 1.7% dividend.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2015: Wyndham Worldwide Corp(WYN)

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides various hospitality products and services to individual consumers and business customers in the United States and internationally. It offers its products and services under the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Wyndham Rewards, Wingate by Wyndham, Microtel, RCI, The Registry Collection, ResortQuest, Landal GreenParks, Novasol, Hoseasons, cottages4you, James Villa Holidays, Wyndham Vacation Resorts, and WorldMark by Wyndham brand names. The company?s Lodging segment franchises hotels in the upscale, midscale, economy, and extended stay markets of the lodging industry, as well as provides hotel management services for full-service hotels. Its Vacation Exchange and Rentals segment provides vacation exchange products and services, as well as access to distribution systems and networks to resort developers and owners of intervals of vacation ownership interests (VOIs); a nd markets vacation rental properties primarily on behalf of independent owners, vacation ownership developers, and other hospitality providers. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation?s Vacation Ownership segment develops and markets VOIs to individual consumers; and provides consumer financing in connection with the sale of VOIs, as well as offers property management services at resorts. The company is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Stocks moving in the pre-market included:

  Wyndham Worldwide Corp (NYSE: WYN) gained 2.65 percent in pre-market trade, adding to its 4.02 percent rise over the past five days. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) gained 1.42 percent in pre-market trade after falling 0.95 percent on Wednesday. Perrigo Co (NYSE: PRGO) gained 0.66 percent in pre-market trade after losing 1.96 percent in the past week. U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) lost 0.61 percent in pre-market trade after gaining 0.80 percent over the past five days.

  Earnings

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap hotel stock La Quinta Holdings Inc (NYSE: LQ) just had its IPO to raise a lower than expected $650 million after being priced below its expected range, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock which�is focused on the�mid-priced hotel market along with the performance of potential benchmarks like hotel stocks Marriott International Inc (NASDAQ: MAR), Choice Hotels International Inc (NYSE: CHH) and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN).

• [By Zacks Investment Research]

  But what if that company has put together a hot streak of earnings beats? What if a company has beaten not just two or three quarters in a row, but 20 quarters in a row - or 5 years - without a miss? Apple (AAPL) had put together just such an impressive earnings surprise streak until it finally missed in late 2011. In the 6 quarters since the miss, it has missed another 3 times. Share price, however, peaked in between the second and third miss.

  But during its earnings surprise streak, investors were handsomely rewarded. Perfection Isn't Easy Even with all of the unknowns in investing, I'd rather buy a company that is on an earnings hot streak, than one that is dead cold. Companies with a perfect earnings track record for the last 5 years are a small select group. It's incredibly difficult to keep beating for 5 years through all the ups and downs in the economy. Management has to manage expectations very, very well. There's little room for error. That takes skill (and maybe some luck.) These three companies haven't missed in 5 years. I featured two of these companies last quarter and they came through with another earnings beat. Of course, an earnings beat doesn't necessarily mean a stock will rise afterwards. Being light on guidance or an earnings/sales warning, for instance, could put the damper on an earnings beat. But I still like my chances with an earnings beat versus an earnings miss. Will their streaks continue this earnings season? 3 Companies With Perfect Earnings Surprise Track Records1. Wyndham Worldwide (WYN)Wyndham is one of the largest hospitality companies in the world. It operates about 630,000 hotel rooms worldwide and operates vacation rentals and exchanges with over 106,000 vacation properties in 100 countries. It also operates a network of 190 timeshare properties with about 915,000 owners.Forward P/E = 15.4Expected 2013 earnings growth = 15%Zacks Rank #3 (Hold)Reporting second quarter results on July 24 2. Jarden Corporation (JAH)Jarde

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2015: Liberty Media Corp (LMCA)

Liberty Media Corporation, formerly Liberty Spinco, Inc., incorporated on August 10, 2012, focuses on the media, communications and entertainment industries through its ownership of interests in subsidiaries and other companies. Its businesses and assets include consolidated subsidiaries, Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc. and TruePosition, Inc., its equity affiliates Sirius XM Radio Inc. and Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and minority investments in public companies such as Barnes & Noble, Inc., Time Warner Inc., Time Warner Cable, Inc., Viacom Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corporation. On January 11, 2013, Liberty Media Corporation and Starz announced the completion of the spin-off of Liberty from Starz. In connection with the spin-off, Liberty changed its name from Liberty Spinco, Inc. to Liberty Media Corporation. In January 2013, the Company announced that it held approximately 50.7% interest of Sirius XM Radio Inc. In May 2013, Liberty Media Corp acquired a 27.38% stake in Charter Communications Inc.

Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc., or ANLBC, a wholly owned subsidiary, owns and operates the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise and five minor league baseball clubs (the Gwinnett Braves, the Mississippi Braves, the Rome Braves, the Danville Braves and the GCL Braves). TruePosition is a wholly owned subsidiary that develops and markets technology for locating wireless phones and other wireless devices enabling wireless carriers, application providers and other enterprises to provide E-911 services domestically and other location-based services to mobile users both domestically and worldwide. Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Sirius) broadcasts its music, sports, entertainment, comedy, talk, news, traffic and weather channels in the United States on a subscription fee basis through its two satellite radio systems. Subscribers can also receive certain of its music and other channels over the Internet, including through applications for mobile devices.

Sir! ius XM Radio Inc. satellite radios are primarily distributed through automakers (OEMs), retail locations nationwide, and through its Website. Sirius offers a dynamic programming lineup of commercial-free music, sports, entertainment, talk, news, traffic and weather. The channel line-ups for its services vary in certain respects and are available at siriusxm.com. Sirius offers a selection of music genres, ranging from rock, pop and hip-hop to country, dance, jazz, Latin and classical. Within each genre it offers a range of formats, styles and recordings. Sirius offers a range of national, international and financial news, including news from BBC World Service News, Bloomberg Radio, CNBC, CNN, FOX News, HLN, MSNBC, NPR and World Radio Network. Barnes & Noble, Inc., is a content, commerce and technology company providing customers easy and convenient access to books, magazines, newspapers and other content across its multi-channel distribution platform. As of April 28, 2012, Barnes & Noble operated 1,338 bookstores in 50 states, including 647 bookstores on college campuses, operates one of the Internet's e-Commerce sites and develops digital content products and software.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Shake it up
  Liberty Media (NASDAQ: LMCA  ) is doing some more boardroom touchup work. Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei is now taking over as Sirius XM's chairman.

Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2015: Fuel Systems Solutions Inc.(FSYS)

Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, and supply of alternative fuel components and systems for use in the transportation, industrial, and power generation markets worldwide. Its components and systems control the pressure and flow of gaseous alternative fuels, such as propane and natural gas used in internal combustion engines. The company offers a range of fuel delivery components, including pressure regulators, fuel injectors, flow control valves, and other components to control the pressure, flow, and/or metering of gaseous fuels; electronic controls comprising solid-state components and proprietary software that monitor and optimize fuel pressure and flow for engine requirements; and gaseous fueled internal combustion engines that are integrated with its fuel delivery and electronic controls. It also provides systems integration support and engineering services to integrate the gaseous fuel storage, fuel delivery, and/or electronic control c omponents and sub-systems; auxiliary power systems for truck and diesel locomotives; and natural gas compressors and refueling systems for light and heavy duty refueling applications. In addition, the company designs, assembles, and markets ancillary components for systems operation on alternative fuels. It sells its transportation products primarily to automobile manufacturers, taxi companies, transit and shuttle bus companies, and delivery fleets; and industrial products principally to manufacturers of industrial mobile equipment and stationary engines through a network of distributors and dealers, as well as through a sales force that develops sales with distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and end-users. Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc. was founded in 1958 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Fuel Systems Solutions (NASDAQ: FSYS) shares reached a new 52-week low of $10.735 after the company reported downbeat Q4 results.

  China Ceramics Co (NASDAQ: CCCL) shares fell 2.40% to touch a new 52-week low of $1.63. China Ceramics shares have dropped 35.27% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 19.70% in the same period.

• [By David Goodboy]

  Another top company in the alternative-to-gasoline space is Fuel Systems Solutions (Nasdaq: FSYS).  

  Fuel Systems specializes in components and system controls that manage the pressure of fuels such as propane and natural gas. Launched in 1958, the New York-based company is far from a startup. It boasts a $400 million plus market cap, a price-to-sales ratio of 1.0 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.3.