4/30/2014

Top 5 Forestry Companies To Own In Right Now

Fans of HBO's Game of Thrones who are still recovering from last week's action-packed penultimate episode still get one more episode before the season closes out. The season finale of Game of Thrones airs tonight on HBO, closing out a season that's been not only a smashing critical success, but also a commercial one.�

The reactions from fans after last week's shocking episode -- and the coverage across the media -- shows what a cultural phenomenon Game of Thrones has become. Figures released from HBO put Game of Thrones as having the second largest total audience among all of its original programming, behind only The Sopranos, a show that The Writers Guild of America has honored as being the best written television show ever.�

With Game of Thrones wrapping up another triumphant season, let's review the smashing success of the series and what it says about the direction television is headed.�

HBO's next great success story.

Top 5 Forestry Companies To Own In Right Now: RealPage Inc.(RP)

RealPage, Inc. provides on demand software solutions for the rental housing industry in North America. It offers property management systems, including OneSite to manage leasing and rents, facilities, purchasing, accounting, budgeting, and living of multi-family, housing and urban development (HUD), tax credit, privatized military housing, and student housing; and Propertyware for accounting, maintenance and work order management, marketing spend management, and portal services, as well as screening, renter?s insurance, and payment solutions. The company also provides on premise property management systems that include RentRoll for small conventional apartment communities; HUD Manager for small HUD, rural housing services, and tax credit subsidized apartment communities; Tenant Pro for small conventional properties; Spectra, an apartment and commercial modular property management system; and i-CAM and Management Plus property management software that automates and streaml ines rental activities. In addition, it offers software-enabled value-added services, such as LeaseStar, a system that manage marketing and leasing operations and enable owners and managers to originate, capture, track, manage, and close leads; YieldStar, a scientific yield management system, which enables owners and managers to optimize rents; LeasingDesk, a risk mitigation system to reduce delinquency, liability, and property damage risk; and Velocity that offers billing and utility management services; OpsTechnology that offers spend management systems that enable owners and managers to control costs; shared cloud services, which are integrated with property management systems and software-enabled valued added services; and RealPage Senior Living, an integrated care management, community management, and marketing management platform. The company sells its software and services directly through its sales force. RealPage, Inc. is headquartered in Carrollton, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    For this week's round of "Better Know a Stock," I'm going to take a closer look at RealPage (NASDAQ: RP  ) .

    What RealPage does
    RealPage is a software-as-a-service applications provider to apartment communities and single-family housing developments. The company has a portfolio of cloud-based software products that allow apartment communities to automate leasing, renting, management, and accounting activities. It also provides software capable of helping apartments originate and find new leads, as well as optimize rent yields.

  • [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 RealPage (Nasdaq: RP  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Alex Planes]

    What: Shares of RealPage (NASDAQ: RP  ) have been rising since an early morning plunge that shaved more than 11% off their value, and now seem to have stabilized at a loss of about 4% from the previous trading day. Investors seem somewhat displeased that the company's financial results and forward guidance were all so average.

  • [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 RealPage (Nasdaq: RP  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 5 Forestry Companies To Own In Right Now: AU Optronics Corp (AUO)

AU Optronics Corp. engages in the design, development, manufacture, assembly, and marketing of thin film transistor liquid crystal displays and other flat panel displays. The company operates in two segments, Display and Solar. It offers a range of display panels for use in mobile PCs, such as notebooks and tablets; desktop monitors; consumer electronics products consisting of mobile phones, digital still cameras, portable navigation displays, digital camcorders, automobile displays, amusement and printer displays, and portable gaming consoles; and LCD televisions. The company sells its panels to original equipment manufacturing service providers who manufacture products on a contract basis for brand companies; and to brand companies on a direct shipment basis. It also manufactures upstream and midstream products, such as polysilicons, ingots, wafers, and solar cells; designs, develops, and manufactures solar photovoltaic (PV) modules; produces solar PV systems; and provid es various value-added services for solar PV systems projects. AU Optronics Corp. operates in the People�s Republic of China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Acer Display Technology, Inc. and changed its name to AU Optronics Corp. in May 2001. AU Optronics Corp. was founded in 1996 and is based in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    AU Optronics (NYSE: AUO) shares reached a new 52-week low of $3.06. AU Optronics' PEG ratio is 2.34.

    CBL & Associates Properties (NYSE: CBL) shares fell 5.20% to reach a new 52-week low of $18.43 after the company reported Q3 results.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Basic guidelines
    In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at AU Optronics (NYSE: AUO  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is AU Optronics doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, pretty well. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 6.5%, and inventory decreased 13.1%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue increased 14.9%, and inventory contracted 13.1%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks worrisome. Revenue dropped 7.7%, and inventory grew 7.7%.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks For 2015: Spdr Kbw Regional Banking (KRE)

SPDR KBW Regional Banking ETF (the Fund), formerly KBW Regional Banking ETF, is a non-diversified investment company. The Fund seeks to replicate as closely as possible the performance of the KBW Regional Banking Index (the Index). The Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement with SSgA Funds Management, Inc.

The Regional Banking Index is an equal weighted index of geographically diverse companies representing regional banking institutions listed on the United States stock markets. It is created and maintained by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By L.A. Little]

    A slightly different kind of set-up is exhibited by the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) � which has exhibited a strong continuation move of a prior leg up with good volume and the break of multiple swing points on the same time frame.

  • [By Charley Blaine]

    The Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSE: XLF) exchange-traded fund is up 4.86%, tops among ETFs that mimic the sectors of the S&P 500. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (NYSE: KRE) is up 7.1 percent this month.

  • [By Fiona MacDonald]

    The Kuwait SE Price Index rose for a sixth day, climbing 0.5 percent to 6,851.17 at the close. Kuwait Real Estate Co. (KRE) climbed to the highest level in a month. Agility (AGLTY) advanced 1.7 percent after winning a $190 million UN contract in Sudan�� Darfur region. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which tracks the biggest 200 companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, fell 0.1 percent.

Top 5 Forestry Companies To Own In Right Now: Higher One Holdings Inc.(ONE)

Higher One Holdings, Inc. provides technology and payment services in the United States. It offers a suite of disbursement and payment solutions for higher education institutions and their students. The company provides OneDisburse Refund Management product that offers higher education institutional clients with a technology service for streamlining the student refund disbursement process. It also offers CASHNet Payment suite that includes software-as-a-service products and services, such as ePayment to securely accept online payments for tuition, charges, and fees from students through credit card, pinless debit, and ACH; eBill to automate payer billing and processing functions; MyPaymentPlan to personalize students? payment plans; eMarket that allows academic, athletic, and other departments to take alumni donations, sell event tickets and other merchandise, and accept payments of event and conference registration fees; and Cashiering to operate and manage cashiering fu nctions, back office payments, and campus-wide departmental deposits. In addition, the company provides OneDisburse ID, which offers an option to combine the company?s debit card with the institution?s ID cards; OneDisburse Payroll to distribute payroll and other employee-related payments; OneDisburse PLUS product to distribute Parent PLUS loan refunds to parents on behalf of the school; and Financial Intelligence to students with an online class. Further, it provides student-oriented banking services to campus communities. Additionally, the company offers OneAccount product for students, as well as faculty, staff, and alumni, with an FDIC-insured online checking account and a debit MasterCard ATM card. Higher One Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    One under-$10 business services player that looks poised for a run higher is Higher One (ONE), which provides technology-based refund disbursement, payment processing and data analytics services to higher education institutions and students. It also provides banking services to campus communities. This stock has been hit hard by the bears so far in 2013, with shares down by 26%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Higher One, you'll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last three months, with shares plunging from its high of $11.93 to its recent low of $6.97 a share. During that downtrend, shares of ONE were consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of ONE have recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $7.05 to $6.97 a share. This stock has now started to rebound sharply off that double bottom and move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ONE if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $7.85 a share and then once it clears its 50-day moving average at $8.11 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 196,360 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ONE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $9 to its 200-day moving average of $9.77 a share. This stock could even tag $11 a share if that 200-day gets taken out with volume.

    Traders can look to buy ONE off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support at $7.39 a share, or below $7 a share. One can also buy ONE off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

  • [By 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 Higher One Holdings (NYSE: ONE  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

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

Top 5 Forestry Companies To Own In Right Now: ePlus Inc.(PLUS)

ePlus inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in selling, leasing, financing, and managing information technology (IT) and other assets in the United States. Its Technology Sales segment involves in the direct marketing of IT equipment and third-party software solutions of Cisco Systems, HP, VMWare, NetApp, IBM, and Microsoft; and the provision of proprietary software for enterprise supply management, including order-entry and order-management, procurement, spend management, asset management, document management, distribution, and electronic catalog content management software and services. This segment also provides professional technology services in the areas of data center, storage, security, cloud enablement, and IT infrastructure that cover Internet telephony and communications, collaboration, cloud computing, virtual desktop infrastructure, network design and implementation, storage, security, virtualization, business continuity, visual communications, audio/visual technologies, maintenance, and implementation services. The company?s Financing segment offers a range of leasing and financing options for IT and capital assets, such as computers, associated accessories and software, communication-related equipment, medical equipment, industrial machinery and equipment, office furniture and general office equipment, transportation equipment, and other general business equipment. It also leases and finances equipment, as well as supplies software and services directly and through relationships with vendors and equipment manufacturers. ePlus sells its products primarily through direct sales force, inside sales representatives, and business development associates to commercial customers; federal, state, and local governments; K-12 schools; and higher education institutions. The company was formerly known as MLC Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to ePlus inc. in 1999. ePlus was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

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

5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Short-sellers hate being caught short a stock that reports a blowout quarter. When this happens, we often see a tradable short squeeze develop as the bears rush to cover their positions to avoid big losses. Even the best short-sellers know that it's never a great idea to stay short once a bullish earnings report sparks a big short-covering rally.

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy for May Gains

This is why I scan the market for heavily shorted stocks that are about to report earnings. You only need to find a few of these stocks in a year to help enhance your portfolio returns -- the gains become so outsized in such a short time frame that your profits add up quickly.

That said, let's not forget that stocks are heavily shorted for a reason, so you have to use trading discipline and sound money management when playing earnings short-squeeze candidates. It's important that you don't go betting the farm on these plays and that you manage your risk accordingly. Sometimes the best play is to wait for the stock to break out following the report before you jump in to profit off a short squeeze. This way, you're letting the trend emerge after the market has digested all of the news.

Of course, sometimes the stock is going to be in such high demand that you risk missing a lot of the move by waiting. That's why it can be worth betting prior to the report -- but only if the stock is acting technically very bullish and you have a very strong conviction that it is going to rip higher. Just remember that even when you have that conviction and have done your due diligence, the stock can still get hammered if The Street doesn't like the numbers or guidance.

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

If you do decide to bet ahead of a quarter, then you might want to use options to limit your capital exposure. Heavily shorted stocks are usually the names that make the biggest post-earnings moves and have the most volatility. I personally prefer to wait until all the earnings-related news is out for a heavily shorted stock and then jump in and trade the prevailing trend.

With that in mind, here's a look at several stocks that could experience big short squeezes when they report earnings this week.

InvenSense

My first earnings short-squeeze trade idea is semiconductor player InvenSense (INVN), which is set to release numbers on Thursday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect InvenSense to report revenue of $57.42 million on earnings of 10 cents per share.

>>4 Big Stocks Getting Big Attention

Just recently, Pacific Crest increased its price target on InvenSense to $27 from $20, as the firm believes the launch of the iWatch and iPhone 6 by Apple (AAPL) could enable InvenSense to finally obtain a deal from the tech giant. The firm reiterated its outperform rating on the stock.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for InvenSense is extremely high at 35%. That means that out of the 73.41 million shares in the tradable float, 24.97 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 3.9%, or by about 963,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a bullish quarter, then shares of INVN could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the bears jump to cover some of their positions.

From a technical perspective, INVN is currently trending above its 200-day moving average and just below its 50-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock recently formed a triple bottom chart pattern at $20.10, $20.19 and $20.08 a share. Following that bottom, shares of INVN are now starting to spike higher and move within range of triggering a major breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're bullish on INVN, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $22.50 to its all-time high at $24.34 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 2.67 million shares. If that breakout starts post-earnings, then INVN will set up to enter new all-time-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $30 to $35 a share.

I would simply avoid INVN or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $20.08 to its 200-day moving average of $18.96 a share high volume. If we get that move, then INVN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $17.76 to $16 a share.

Energy XXI

Another potential earnings short-squeeze play is oil and gas exploration player Energy XXI (EXXI), which is set to release its numbers on Thursday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Energy XXI to report revenue $285.80 million on earnings of 31 cents per share.

>>5 Toxic Stocks to Watch Out For

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Energy XXI is extremely high at 28%. That means that out of the 61.58 million shares in the tradable float, 17.37 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 14.9%, or by about 2.24 million shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of EXXI could easily soar sharply higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

From a technical perspective, EXXI is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last three months, with shares moving between $21.32 on the downside and $24.59 on the upside. Shares of EXXI are now starting to bounce off its 50-day moving average and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above the upper-end of its sideways trading chart pattern.

If you're in the bull camp on EXXI, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $24.26 to $24.59 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.18 million shares. If that breakout hits, then EXXI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $27.66 to $28.50 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give EXXI a chance tag $30 to $32 a share.

I would simply avoid EXXI or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below its 50-day moving average of $23.34 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then EXXI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $22.07 to its 52-week low of $20.40 a share. Any move below $20.40 will then push shares of EXXI into new 52-week-low territory, which is bearish technical price action.

Weight Watchers

Another potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is global-branded consumer weight management services provider Weight Watchers (WTW), which is set to release numbers on Wednesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Weight Watchers to report revenue of $399.20 million on earnings of 9 cents per share.

>>3 Stocks Spiking on Big Volume

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Weight Watchers is extremely high a 38%. That means that out of the 27.55 million shares in the tradable float, 10.77 million shares are sold short by the bears. This is a stock with a monster short interest and a very low tradable float. Any bullish earnings news could easily send shares of WTW soaring higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their positions.

From a technical perspective, WTW is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and well below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months and change, with shares moving between $19.50 on the downside and $22.16 on the upside. Any high-volume move above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern could trigger a major breakout trade for shares of WTW post-earnings.

If you're bullish on WTW, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $21.64 to $22.16 a share and then once it takes out its gap-down-day high of $23.18 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.25 million shares. If that breakout materializes after earnings, then WTW will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap-down-day zone from February that started at $31.40 a share.

I would avoid WTW or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some near-term support levels at $20.27 to its 52-week low of $19.50 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then WTW will set up to enter new 52-week-low territory, which is bearish technical price action.

Outerwall

Another earnings short-squeeze prospect is automated retail solutions provider Outerwall (OUTR), which is set to release numbers on Thursday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Outerwall to report revenue of $586.65 million on earnings of 95 cents per share.

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

Just recently, Wedbush Securities wrote in a note to investors that they're maintaining their outperform rating on OUTR and a 12-month price target of $82 per share. That price target reflects just over 11 times their 2014 EPS estimate of $7.34, which is a discount to its historical valuation and reflects recent rental demand declines and uneven profitability.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Outerwall is extremely high at 34%. That means that out of the 19.35 million shares in the tradable float, 8.06 million shares are sold short by the bears. This is a stock that currently sports a gigantic short interest and an extremely low tradable float. If the bulls get the earnings news they're looking for, then shares of OUTR could explode to the upside as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

From a technical perspective, OUTR is currently trending below its 50-day moving average and above its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock recently pulled back to its 200-day moving average, and subsequently has rebounded in a V-shaped pattern back to around its 50-day moving average. This move is starting to push shares of OUTR within range of triggering a major breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're bullish on OUTR, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $72 to $73.25 a share and then once it clears its 52-week high at $74.30 a share with strong volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 916,340 shares. If that breakout gets underway post-earnings, then OUTR will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off breakout are $85 to $90 a share, or even $95 a share.

I would simply avoid OUTR or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $67 to $66 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then OUTR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at its 200-day moving average of $64.60 to $62.60 a share. Any high-volume move below those levels will then give OUTR a chance to tag $57 to $55 a share.

Blucora

My final earnings short-squeeze play is online solutions provider Blucora (BCOR), which is set to release numbers on Thursday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Blucora to report revenue of $216.98 million on earnings of $1.03 per share.

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The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Blucora is very high at 17.8%. That means that out of the 40.09 million shares in the tradable float, 7.10 million shares are sold short by the bears. This stock sports a large short interest with a relatively low tradable float. If this company can deliver the earnings news the bulls are looking for, then shares of BCOR could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

From a technical perspective, BCOR is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been consolidating and trending sideways for the last two months, with shares moving between $18.06 on the downside and $20.65 on the upside. Any high-volume move above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading pattern post-earnings could easily push shares of BCOR into breakout territory.

If you're in the bull camp on BCOR, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $19.60 to $19.90 a share and then once it takes out more resistance at $20.65 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 894,050 shares. If that breakout triggers after earnings, then BCOR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $22.11 to its 200-day moving average of $23.36 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give BCOR a chance to tag $25 to $26 a share.

I would avoid BCOR or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout, and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $18.30 to $18.06 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then BOCR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week low at $14.52 a share.

To see more potential earnings short squeeze plays, check out the Earnings Short-Squeeze Plays portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.


RELATED LINKS:



>>3 Big-Volume Stocks to Trade for Breakouts



>>4 Stocks Under $10 Making Big Moves



>>5 Health Care Stocks Hedge Funds Love

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.


4/28/2014

FINRA OKs RCAP’s Cetera Deal; Schorsch Group May Buy NorthStar Realty

Click to enlarge. The BD holdings of RCAP. Source: RCAPRCS Capital (RCAP) said early Monday that FINRA has approved its $1.15 billion purchase of Cetera Financial’s broker-dealer operations, which include about 6,600 independent financial advisors.

Meanwhile, RCAP affiliate American Realty Capital Properties (ARCP) reportedly is in talks to buy NorthStar Realty Finance Corp., according to Bloomberg. NorthStar is a loan originator and manager of commercial real estate debt.

ARCP, led by Nicholas Schorsch, bought Cole Real Estate Investments last year. Schorsch also is executive chairman of RCAP. (Schorsch is named in the IA 25 for 2014.)

Realty Capital announced its deal with Cetera in January and says it “expects to close the Cetera acquisition in the coming days in accordance with the merger agreement.”

The company is also buying Investor’s Capital (ICH), J.P. Turner and Summit Brokerage Services—giving it about 9,000 reps and roughly $200 billion in assets. 

“This creates one of the most powerful capital accumulation machines on the globe,” Schorsch said, when the Cetera deal was announced earlier this year. “It will attract the best and brightest financial advisors, and with $3.1 billion in revenue brings us close to LPL Financial (LPLA) and puts us ahead of others in the business.”

Cetera was formed in 2010 following the sale of three ING broker-dealers; it includes four platforms — Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Financial Institutions and Cetera Financial — and is led by CEO and President Valerie Brown.

In June 2013, RCAP Holdings shared the news that it was buying First Allied Securities and the Legend Group from Lovell Minnick Partners. (RCAP Holdings owns Realty Capital Securities, which is the wholesale broker-dealer and affiliate of American Realty Capital Properties.) 

A request for a statement on the two deals was declined by RCAP and ARCP. 

Is BlackBerry Undervalued?

Z10

With shares of BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) trading around $10, is BBRY an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our Cheat Sheet investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

BlackBerry is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software, and services, it provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to information, including email, voice, instant messaging, SMS, Internet, and intranet-based applications and browsing.  Its portfolio of products, services, and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations and millions of consumers around the world and include the BlackBerry wireless solution, the Research In Motion Wireless Handheld product line, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, software development tools, and other software and hardware. Several economies around the world are growing and adopting the technologies into their daily lives. The company has also recently rebranded its products, which may offer a boost to their bottom line. However, a recent negative earnings report has the stock hurting.

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart are Weak

BlackBerry stock has been part of a disastrous decline during most of the past few years. The stock on Friday wiped out its year-to-date gains after a negative earnings report. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages: 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below (source: Thinkorswim), BlackBerry is trading below its key averages, which signal neutral to bearish price action in the near term.

BBRY

Taking a look at the implied volatility and implied volatility skew levels of BlackBerry options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

Implied Volatility (IV)

30-Day IV Percentile

90-Day IV Percentile

BlackBerry Options

66.05%

33%

30%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a small amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the past 30 and 90 trading days.

Put IV Skew

Call IV Skew

July Options

Steep

Average

August Options

Steep

Average

As of Friday, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and high demand by put buyers or low demand by put sellers, all neutral to bearish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a small amount of call and put option contracts, and are leaning neutral to bearish over the next two months.

E = Earnings Are Decreasing Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. The last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions also help gauge investor sentiment on BlackBerry’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and year-over-year revenue growth figures for BlackBerry look like and, more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

2013 Q1

2012 Q4

2012 Q3

2012 Q2

Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)

86.87%

-78.23%

-96.08%

-171.43%

Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)

9.13%

-41.26%

-47.21%

-31.07%

Earnings Reaction

-25.20%

-0.89%

-22.73%

5.04%

BlackBerry has seen decreasing earnings and revenue figures in the past four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have not been very happy with BlackBerry’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Poor Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has BlackBerry stock done relative to its peers – Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc.(NASDAQ:GOOG), and Nokia Corp. (NYSE:NOK) — and sector?

BlackBerry

Apple

Google

Nokia

Sector

Year-to-Date Return

-8.80%

-25.41%

24.22%

-5.32%

4.26%

BlackBerry has been a weak relative performer, year-to-date.

Conclusion

BlackBerry enables consumers and companies worldwide to communicate through its products. However, the company has lost traction to competitors in recent years. The stock has been trading lower for several years now and looks poised to continue this path. Over the last four quarters, investors in the company have not been pleased as earnings and revenue figures have been decreasing. Relative to its peers and sector, BlackBerry has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what BlackBerry does in coming quarters.

4/27/2014

3 Natural Gas Stocks to Buy Now

Twitter Logo Google Plus Logo RSS Logo Aaron Levitt Popular Posts: 5 Energy Stocks to Power Your PortfolioShould I Buy XOM? 3 Pros, 3 ConsThe 4 Best ETFs for Young Investors Recent Posts: 3 Natural Gas Stocks to Buy Now 5 Energy Stocks to Power Your Portfolio Should I Buy XOM? 3 Pros, 3 Cons View All Posts

Light bulbs energy stocksNow is a great time to be an investor in energy stocks: North America's shale oil and natural gas revolution keeps on rolling. Hydraulic fracturing has simply changed the game for the energy industry. And as the E&P sector continues to use fracking and other advanced drilling techniques, production numbers and reserves keep climbing.

All of that activity has been a big boon to natural gas stocks.

Various utilities are switching over from "dirty" coal to the cheaper, cleaner-burning fuel, and with consumers — both residential and commercial — increasing their demand, consumption of natural gas continues to spike. Meanwhile, the promises of liquefied natural gas exports and natural gas-fueled vehicles only heightened the potential boom for natural gas companies even further.

Overall, the Energy Information Administration projects that natural gas demand in the United States could be 26.55 trillion cubic feet by the year 2035 — a 16% increase since the hydraulic fracturing boom took off in 2009.

Simply put, natural gas stocks could be the energy stocks with biggest potential. Here are three prime natural gas stocks to buy now:

Southwestern Energy

SouthwesternEnergy185Southwestern Energy (SWN) is well-positioned to benefit from rising gas demand. The natural gas stock is one of the biggest players in some of the most prolific shale fields in the country. Those fields include Pennsylvania's mammoth Marcellus and roughly 915,000 acres in the Fayetteville shale of Oklahoma and Arkansas.

While the focus on dry gas has hindered many other natural gas stocks, SWN has benefited due to its drilling efficiencies and low cost structure. Southwestern’s finding and development costs have averaged below $1.50 per millions of cubic feet of natural gas equivalent over the last three years. Only a small handful of natural gas companies — including Range Resources (RRC) — have beaten SWN in that regard.

Those low capex costs have helped the firm see huge returns in the earnings department.

The natural gas stock reported a 34.2% jump in profits and a 25.5% increase revenues vs. the year-ago quarter. That follows SWN's massive 108% profit gain reported in the second quarter. With Southwestern deciding to hike its 2013 capital spending plan to $2.25 billion, analysts estimate that the boost in output should help profits grow even further into 2014.

SWN shares currently trade for a forward P/E of 17.

Cabot Oil & Gas

Cabot Oil & Gas COGFirst mover status is vitally important when it comes to selecting energy stocks — just ask Cabot Oil & Gas (COG). The firm is one of the first and largest players in the Marcellus, where COG has seen the biggest production gains — to the tune of a 61% rise in the third quarter.

However, those gains are set to continue as COG just finished a massive capex spending plan. And like SWN, Cabot's costs remain one of the lowest in the industry — $1.20 per Mcf. The company plans on spending $1.475 billion on future drilling and well completion, which should help move the needle on cash flows and profits at the natural gas company.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs (GS) estimate that COG should produce pre-tax profits of $515 million in 2013 and jump to $800 million next year. That implies a $48 price target for the energy stock — $14 higher than today.

Ultra Petroleum

UPLFor those investors looking for natural gas companies with a bit more "oomph,” energy stock Ultra Petroleum (UPL) could be the prime portfolio play. As of the end of 2012, UPL's mix of production included about 96% dry natural gas. While that seems awfully scary given just how much prices for the fuel have swayed, Ultra is a low-cost leader … just like both SWN and COG.

In fact, UPL's finding and development costs are a little more than $1 per McfE, and it only needs natural gas to be at $2.88 to "break even" on its wells. Other natural gas companies — like kingpin Chesapeake (CHK) — need prices to be around $4 to make a profit.

Now, UPL has recently made moves to purchase more oil reserves and boost its overall product mix. The firm paid $650 million for acreage in Utah’s Uinta Basin, which features many of the same operating dynamics and low costs as UPL's current mix of shale assets. Ultimately, those oilier acres should help smooth out earnings for the stock and help produce higher cash flows. But much of Ultra's future production will still be tied to natural gas, making it one of the best natural gas stocks to buy if you want to play rising demand.

As of this writing, Aaron Levitt did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

4/26/2014

Now We Know Why Hasbro Was Doing Backflips

Hasbro's (NASDAQ: HAS  ) $112 million deal for a majority stake in small yet profitable mobile games developer Backflip Studios became clearer after the country's second-largest toy maker posted disappointing quarterly results.

Hasbro's 35% drop in toys for boys may explain why it's expanding its licensing deal with Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) for more Marvel and Star Wars playthings, but it also helps explain the push for digital downloads. Kids are moving away from traditional toys, and if that wasn't evident when Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT  ) posted a 12% drop in Barbie sales last week, it is now.

In this video, longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz discusses the mad scramble to gain dot-com relevance with young and potentially jaded gamers.

Toys may not be hot, but these retailers are doing just fine
The retail space is in the midst of the biggest paradigm shift since mail order took off at the turn of last century. Only those most forward-looking and capable companies will survive, and they'll handsomely reward those investors who understand the landscape. You can read about the 3 Companies Ready to Rule Retail in The Motley Fool's special report. Uncovering these top picks is free today; just click here to read more.

4/25/2014

NVR Whiffs on Earnings

NVR (NYSE: NVR  ) reported earnings on July 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), NVR met expectations on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased significantly. GAAP earnings per share expanded.

Gross margins contracted, operating margins expanded, net margins shrank.

Revenue details
NVR recorded revenue of $1.01 billion. The seven analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted sales of $1.02 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 31% higher than the prior-year quarter's $771.1 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $10.11. The eight earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $12.14 per share. GAAP EPS of $10.11 for Q2 were 13% higher than the prior-year quarter's $8.97 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 16.6%, 130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.4%, 10 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 5.0%, 110 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $1.09 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $14.80.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $4.08 billion. The average EPS estimate is $50.54.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 250 members out of 518 rating the stock outperform, and 268 members rating it underperform. Among 161 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 83 give NVR a green thumbs-up, and 78 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on NVR is hold, with an average price target of $959.43.

Looking for alternatives to NVR? It takes more than great companies to build a fortune for the future. Learn the basic financial habits of millionaires next door and get focused stock ideas in our free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich." Click here for instant access to this free report.

Add NVR to My Watchlist.

Stocks Slide as Ukraine Tensions Rise; Pandora, Ford Disappoint

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- U.S. markets traded lower Friday amid rising tension in Ukraine, while companies from Pandora (P) to Ford (F) disappointed on the earnings front. Consumer sentiment beat expectations, though service sector growth slowed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.81% to 16,361.78, while the S&P 500 lost 0.81% to 1,863.41. The Nasdaq tumbled 1.75% to 4,075.56. The Dow, S&P and Nasdaq for the entire trading week declined 0.29%, 0.08% and 0.49%, respectively. Amazon (AMZN) lost nearly 10% after reporting first-quarter revenue of $19.74 billion, a 22.8% increase from the year-earlier quarter. Amazon forecast an operating loss for the second quarter as it continues to invest heavily both internationally and at home. Ford was down 3.13% after missing first-quarter earnings estimates by 6 cents at 25 cents a share. Visa was off 4.4% after it expressed caution about a slowdown in revenue growth in the current quarter. Domestic economic reports were mixed. The U.S. services sector expanded at a slower rate in April, with Markit announcing its flash services PMI hit 54.2, down from March's reading of 55.3. Consumer sentiment beat expectations to rise to 84.1 in April from a March level of 80, according to the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters. It was the highest reading since last July. Ukraine is making the headlines following fatalities that resulted from a clash between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia protestors. The surge in violence triggered concerns about Russia intervention, as Russia responded with new military exercises near the Ukrainian border shortly after the deadly clash. Simultaneously, the U.S. reasserted the possibility of carrying out harsher sanctions on Russia. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services slashed its rating on Russia to one notch above junk, factoring in large capital outflows in the first quarter. Russia's central bank hiked interest rates to 7.5% Friday as it faces heightened inflation risks. In other news, the U.S. and Japan failed to make a deal on free trade. Microsoft (MSFT) rose 0.13% after reporting better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter earnings and in-line revenue amid a surge in Azure, Office 365 and Surface sales. Starbucks (SBUX) climbed 0.51% after posting in-line fiscal second-quarter earnings on Thursday, helped by lower coffee costs, but revenue fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Colgate-Palmolive (CL) said first-quarter earnings fell 16% as an exchange rate charge offset a slight lift in sales. Colgate shares were 0.29% lower. Stock losers included Masco (MAS) and Pandora (P) which fell 7.4% and 16.6%, respectively. Masco, an installer of home insulation, reported first-quarter earnings which missed estimates by a wide margin. Pandora's profit forecast also fell short of expectations after the company said it would bolster spending on marketing. In international markets the Hang Seng closed 1.50% lower while the Nikkei gained 0.17%. Germany's DAX dropped 1.54% while the U.K. FTSE was 0.25% lower.

-- By Jane Searle, Andrea Tse and Joe Deaux in New York

Stock quotes in this article: ^DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC, F, V, MSFT, AMZN, SBUX, CL 

Which Snack Maker Are You Looking For?

Food industry is one of the safest options to invest in since food can never be out of vogue. Moreover, even snack making industry is quite a lucrative one with some of the prominent players being Kellogg (K), Mondelez International (MDLZ) and J&J Snack Foods (JJSF). However, it is important to understand which among these will be the best pick for any investor.

Stock price comparison of industry players

When stock price performance is compared for all the three players, J&J Snack Foods proves to be the best performer, providing the highest return to its investors.

With a stock price appreciation of 28.6%, J&J has outpaced its peers. Mondelez, too, has performed well with a return of 10.2% in the last one year. The company has not been able to live up to investors' expectations in its last quarter, missing on the top line estimates. This is mainly because of decrease in coffee prices, which hampered the retailer's sales. Also, it has been witnessing lower demand for gum in the developing nations. However, coffee prices are expected to increase in the future, which should lead to higher revenue.

Mondelez has been taking measures to boost its results. For example, its new biscuit facility in Mexico is expected to lower costs and expand margins. Also, it plans to put up new manufacturing lines for its Oreo brand which will cut costs. Additionally, cocoa price is expected to decrease, which should prove to be beneficial.

Kellogg has been the worst performer with almost flat returns in the last one year. This is mainly because of its dependence on sale of cereals. Demand for cereals has been decreasing because of a number of new breakfast options such as Greek yogurts and smoothies.

Nonetheless, Kellogg is taking initiatives to attract customers. It plans to launch a number of new products in order to lure customers. New introductions include Pringles Tortilla chips in various flavours, Cheez it Grooves, and three new varieties of cereals. The retailer is also focused on breakfast items such as SpecialK breakfast sandwich, Kashi and Quinoa burger which are made with organic ingredients. It will be interesting to see how these new products help Kellogg provide stiff competition to other industry players.

Additionally, if we consider profit margin of these companies, on a trailing twelve month basis, Kellogg looks better. It has a profit margin of 12.2% whereas J&J Snack Foods and Mondelez have a profit margin of 7.6% and 11.1%, respectively. However, J&J Snack Foods has been expanding its margins by increasing product prices and keeping its costs under check at the same time. In fact, Kellogg also provides the highest return on equity of 59.4% as against the return of 13.2% and 7.2% of J&J Snack Foods and Mondelez, respectively. Although Kellogg's stock price performance has been dismal, it is providing highest returns to its equity investors.

Final thoughts

J&J Snack Foods has been able to put up a great show mainly because of its acquisition strategy. Acquisition of businesses such as New York Pretzel has strengthened J&J Snack's business, enabling it to outperform its peers. However, Mondelez and Kellogg too are making a number of efforts to perform better. In fact, they look better when profit margins are concerned, with Kellogg providing the highest margin. Therefore, investing in J&J will give better returns whereas Kellogg gives better margins. If returns are what you are looking for, do not look beyond J&J Snack Foods.

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4/24/2014

Why Tesla Is Poised to Keep Pulling Back

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA  ) has received the dreaded one-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Tesla and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Tesla facts

Headquarters (founded)

Palo Alto, Calif. (2003)

Market Cap

$13.5 billion

Industry

Automobile manufacturers

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$944.9 million

Management

Co-Founder/Chairman/CEO Elon Musk

CFO Deepak Ahuja

Return on Capital (average, past 3 years)

(47%)

Cash/Debt

$214.4 million / $455.5 million

Competitors

General Motors

Pininfarina

Toyota Motor

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 43% of the 472 All-Star members who have rated Tesla believe the stock will underperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just last week, one of those Fools, patatepoil6, wrote that the Tesla bear case all boiled down to price:

Overbought. ... This company is impressive, and might change the world. Musk has done an incredible job and no doubt he is a visionary. But people tend to exaggerate the impact of technology (here, electric cars) in the short term. The real large-scale profitability for electric cars might be 10-20 years away, and by this time, there should be a lot of competition. That said, I hope Tesla will succeed, I would just not invest in it today at this price.

While you can certainly make quick gains in the hottest new technologies, the best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich" names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of. Click here now to keep reading.

4/23/2014

Stocks to Watch: AT&T, Boeing, Delta

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are AT&T Inc.(T), Boeing Co.(BA) and Delta Air Lines Inc.(DAL)

Amgen Inc.(AMGN) said its first-quarter earnings fell 25% on higher costs that masked the biopharmaceutical company’s revenue growth. Shares dropped 2.6%to $116.15 premarket.

AT&T sales rose to start the year, as the carrier added more subscribers and increasingly sold mobile devices like the iPhone at full price. But profit declined due to higher taxes. Shares declined 2.5% to $35.38 premarket.

Boeing said its first-quarter earnings fell 13% as costs tied to changes to its retirement plans masked the continued strong demand for its jetliners. Shares edged up 2.3% to $130.50 premarket as the results beat expectations and the company raised its earnings guidance.

Cree Inc.(CREE) said its fiscal third-quarter earnings climbed 27% on higher sales of its lighting bulbs. Shares declined 7.4% to $53.75 premarket as the company’s outlook was mostly below views.

Delta said first-quarter earnings surged, with higher revenue and passenger demand. The big U.S. airline’s financial improvement came despite the fact it cancelled more than 17,000 flights due to severe weather in January and February. Earnings beat expectations, pushing shares up 5.6% to $36.89 premarket.

Dow Chemical Co.(DOW) said first-quarter earnings rose 65% on modest revenue growth and a boost from lower costs. Earnings beat expectations, and shares edged up 2% to $49.90 premarket.

Gilead Sciences Inc.(GILD) reported nearly $2.3 billion in first-quarter sales for its new hepatitis C treatment Sovaldi in what is believed to be the best-selling prescription drug launch in history. Shares climbed 3.6% to $75.45 premarket.

Illumina Inc.(ILMN) swung to a first-quarter profit, as the gene-sequencing company recorded a sharp increase in revenue. The company also raised its outlook for the year, pushing shares up 7.4% to $158.93 premarket.

Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG) said its first-quarter earnings fell 77% on a steep decline in sales of its da Vinci robotic-surgery systems. Shares dropped 8.9% to $384.69 premarket.

Shares of Sanmina Corp.(SANM) jumped in after-hours trading Tuesday as the electronics manufacturer posted better-than-expected results for the fiscal second quarter. Sanmina also issued rosy outlook targets for the current quarter, pushing shares up 9.5% to $20 premarket.

Skechers USA Inc.'s(SKX) first-quarter profit soared as the footwear company reported broad sales growth in the U.S. and abroad, while also striking a bullish tone about demand later this year. The latest period’s results easily topped Wall Street’s expectations. Shares climbed 12% to $41.38 premarket.

Skyworks Solutions Inc.'s(SWKS) shares rose Tuesday after the wireless-chip supplier reported better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter profit and revenue growth. Shares climbed 8.8% to $41.30 premarket.

Shares of Super Micro Computer Inc.(SMCI) jumped 17% to $22.09 premarket after the servers maker reported better-than-expected profit and sales growth for the fiscal third-quarter. Super Micro also issued a rosy outlook for the fiscal fourth quarter.

Yum Brands Inc.'s(YUM) first-quarter profit rose 18%, as the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut recorded improved sales in China. Yum’s earnings topped Wall Street’s expectations, pushing shares up 2.9% to $79.72 premarket.

Amazon adding HBO shows to Instant Video

Add HBO to the growing selection of programming available on Amazon's streaming service Instant Video.

The company announced a multi-year deal with HBO to host several former television series, including The Sopranos, The Wire and Deadwood. Earlier seasons of current shows such as Girls, Veep and The Newsroom will also be available, although HBO's biggest hit, Game of Thrones, is absent.

The first HBO programs will appear on Instant Video on May 21.

"HBO original content is some of the most-popular across Amazon Instant Video — our customers love watching these shows," says Brad Beale, Amazon's director of content acquisition, in a statement.

Amazon also announced its newly-revealed Fire TV set-top box will add the HBO Go app later this year.

Amazon has a similar content arrangement with Showtime, featuring older series such as The Tudors and The L Word.

The Instant Video library is available to customers with a subscription to Amazon Prime. The company recently raised prices on the service from $79 a year to $99.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @bam923.

Today in Business History: Beer, Patents, and Doughnuts

On this day in economic and business history ...

Two of the world's largest brewers agreed to become Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD  ) on July 13, 2008 in a $52 billion deal, bringing an occasionally acrimonious month-long takeover battle to a close. The drama had started in mid-June, when InBev -- which had become the world's largest brewer when it was created in a megamerger four years earlier -- made a $46 billion offer to buy Anheuser-Busch. This unsolicited offer was rebuffed two weeks later, and InBev began legal wrangling and shareholder cajoling to tilt the deal to its side. In the end, raising the all-cash offer to $70 a share from the previous level of $65 was enough to bring everyone to the table to get the deal done.

Five years after the $52 billion deal process began, AB InBev made another big splash in the acquisition market by purchasing Mexico's Grupo Modelo for $20.1 billion. That deal enhanced AB InBev's already-dominant stature in the global beer market, creating a super-brewer that accounts for more than 20% of all beer sales around the world. No other company claimed more than 10% of the market at the time.

The first (numbered) patent
The United States has been granting patents almost from the day it gained its independence, but during the early decades of U.S. history, none of these patents were numbered. That changed on July 13, 1836, when the patent office granted Patent No. 1 to John Ruggles for an improved steam locomotive wheel design. Ruggles' position as first in line was no accident -- as a senator from Maine, Ruggles chaired the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office, and his legislative efforts to modernize the patent system earned him the moniker "Father of the U.S. Patent Office."

Ruggles' first numbered patent also managed to hold on to its number because of a fire that would sweep through the Patent Office in the winter of 1836, destroying many of the unnumbered patents and thus preventing anyone from going back and putting them all in proper numeric order. Those unnumbered patents, numbering nearly 10,000 (the exact total was lost in the fire), were later known as the X-Patents and had covered such historically important inventions as Eli Whitney's cotton gin and Samuel Colt's revolver. After nearly 180 years of numbering patents, the U.S. Patent Office has processed more than 9 million of them, including nearly 700,000 design patents and more than 23,000 plant patents. Nearly 600,000 patent applications are now filed each year, resulting in nearly 300,000 new patents.

Patents over the airwaves
Another important patent was granted on July 13: Guiglielmo Marconi was awarded the first U.S. patent that would define radio technology on July 13, 1897. This invention, popularly called the "wireless telegraph" in its early days, would earn Marconi the Nobel Prize in 1909, after years of increasingly ambitious tests proved that the only limit to radio's transmission range would be the technology used to send and receive its signals.

Marconi established the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company a week later in Britain, and this company soon expanded its reach across the Atlantic. World War I pushed Marconi out of the American market, when government agents seized his corporate assets and patents for wartime use. Rather than return the patents to an Italian inventor, the U.S. government decided to transfer ownership to an American company created by General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) : the Radio Corporation of America, or RCA. RCA eventually became more powerful than Marconi had ever been, which forced the government to cleave it off from GE after helping to create it in the first place.

Mmm, doughnuts
The first Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD  ) opened its doors in Winston-Salem, N.C., on July 13, 1937. It was one of the first doughnut stores to make inroads in the American South, and it was also one of the earliest such stores to use a mechanical production line. The first Krispy Kreme was built on such a shoestring budget that founder Vernon Rudolph had to cajole a local grocer into lending him the necessary ingredients for his first batch. The Krispy Kreme business model that's familiar to its fans was in evidence at this first location -- Rudolph focused on selling large amounts of doughnuts wholesale to nearby grocery stores, but he also made sure to entice customers by giving them a clear view of the production process as the doughnut machinery did its work. The sugary glazed donuts that came out of that bakery conveyor belt quickly caught on with North Carolinians, and then with the rest of the world. Today there are nearly 800 Krispy Kreme stores worldwide.

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4/22/2014

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) has ticked up more than 15.6% since the end of the second quarter, topping the major indexes. And, according to a report released by SNL Financial on Tuesday, the investor’s stakes in U.S financial services firms has a lot to do with this stellar performance.

From July 1 to Nov. 21, for instance, the value of Berkshire’s U.S. financial services portfolio was $42.7 billion, an increase of about $5.8 billion, or 15.6%, since the end of the second quarter. Year to date, Berkshire Hathaway has improved about 30%.

That puts its 2013 performance just slightly below that of its new holdings in Goldman Sachs (GS) and slightly above its older interest in Wells Fargo (WFC). And Berkshire, GS and WFC are outperforming both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones so far this year.

That performance is somewhat ironic given the latest earnings news. In the third quarter, Goldman Sachs’ net income was basically flat, ticking up just 1% to $1.52 billion, or $2.88 a share, vs. $1.51 billion, or $2.85, a year ago. These results beat estimates, but net revenue fell way short of expectations.

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: MagneGas Corp (MNGA)

MagneGas Corporation, incorporated on December 09, 2005, is an alternative energy company that creates and produces hydrogen based alternative fuel through the gasification of liquid waste. The Company has developed a process which transforms various types of liquid waste through a plasma arc machine. The result of the product is to carbonize the waste for normal disposal. A byproduct of this process is to produce an alternative to natural gas sold in the metalworking market. The Company produces gas bottled in cylinders for the purpose of distribution to the metalworking markets as an alternative to acetylene. In addition, the Company markets, for sale or licensure, its plasma arc technology. Through the course of the Company's business development, the Company has established a retail and wholesale platforms to sell its fuel for use in the metalworking and manufacturing industries. In August 2012, the Company purchased a 3.5 acre site in Tarpon Springs, FL.

The Company focuses on producing and selling fuels and equipment for the metalworking fuel market. The Company has distributors in Pennsylvania, Alabama, Michigan and Florida. The Company also has a retail operation in Florida selling fuel directly to end users. The Company has obtained approval from the Department of Transportation to deliver fuel in Florida and has several customers purchasing fuel directly. The Company has two products: the fuel called MagneGas and the machines that produce that gas known as Plasma Arc Flow refineries. The Company produces MagneGas for the metalworking market from a feedstock of virgin ethylene glycol (automotive anti-freeze) which is purchased in bulk from outside suppliers. The fuel is hydrogen based and can be used to replace natural gas. It is sold as a replacement for acetylene in the metalworking market. The Plasma Arc Flow technology can gasify many forms of liquid waste such as ethylene glycol, sewage and sludge. Plasma Arc Flow refineries are configured in various sizes ranging from 50kil! owatts (KW) to 500KW depending on the application.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    If the names Axxess Unlimited Inc. (OTCMKTS:AXXU) and MagneGas Corporation (NASDAQ:MNGA) ring a bell, it might be because yours truly posted some bullish thoughts on both names earlier this week. Although neither small cap stock had done everything they needed to do in order become a fully bullish trade at the time, both MNGA and AXXU have cleared those hurdles in the meantime. So, in case you forgot (or in case you missed the first look), an updated review of Axxess Unlimited and MagneGas is merited.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Truth be told, had MagneGas Corporation (NASDAQ:MNGA) shares not surged 400% - and subsequently tumbled - in early January, it might not even be worth looking at now. MNGA did surge then, however, so what we've seen unfurl over the past few days can't be ignored now... as it suggests this small hydrogen supplier stock is about to take flight in a more controlled and longer-lasting way than it did at the beginning of the year.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    You're welcome. Back on March 12th when yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on MagneGas Corporation (NASDAQ:MNGA), nobody cared, largely because nobody had heard of the company, and there was no particular reason anybody had to find MNGA. Now less than a full week later, this once-obscure name is all the rage; no less than 21 different market-centric websites have made mention of the stock's explosive growth over the past few days. MagneGas has been proverbially put on the map, with shares surging 90% (as of right now) since the first exploration last Wednesday. So, like I said, you're welcome.... if you got in on the 12th, or even more realistically, got in on the 14th when MNGA finally crossed above the ceiling at $0.94 I was talking about a little less than a week ago.

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: Gevo Inc (GEVO)

Gevo, Inc., incorporated in June 2005, is a renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company. The Company is focused on the development and commercialization of alternatives to petroleum-based products. The Company operates in two segments: Gevo, Inc. Segment and Gevo Development/Agri-Energy Segment. Gevo, Inc. Segment is responsible for all research and development activities related to the future production of isobutanol, maintaining and protecting its intellectual property portfolio, developing future markets for its isobutanol and providing corporate oversight services. Its Gevo Development/Agri-Energy Segment is responsible for the production of ethanol and related products. In September 2010, the Company acquired a 22 MGPY ethanol production facility in Luverne, Minnesota that the Company intends to retrofit to produce isobutanol.

The Company�� isobutanol can also be converted by its customers into a range of hydrocarbons, which form the basis for the production of many products, including plastics, fibers, rubber and other polymers and hydrocarbon fuels, including jet and diesel fuel. Its technology platform consists of biocatalysts and a isobutanol separation unit. Together these technologies form the Gevo Integrated Fermentation Technology (GIFT). GIFT is designed to allow relatively low capital expenditure retrofits of existing ethanol facilities, enabling isobutanol production from a range of renewable feedstocks. The Company�� biocatalysts are microorganisms that have been designed to metabolize sugars to produce isobutanol.

GIFT consists of two components, biocatalysts which convert sugars derived from multiple renewable feedstocks into isobutanol through fermentation, and a separation unit which is designed to continuously separate isobutanol from water during the fermentation process. The Company developed its technology platform to be compatible with the existing approximately 20 BGPY of global operating ethanol production capacity, as estimated by the R! enewable Fuels Association (RFA).

The Company competes with Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC (Butamax), BP p.l.c. (BP), E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Butalco GmbH, Cathay Industrial Biotech Ltd., METabolic EXplorer S.A., TetraVitae Bioscience, Inc., Cobalt Technologies, Inc., Green Biologics Ltd. Shell Oil Products US (Shell Oil), BP, DuPont-Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC, Abengoa Bioenergy, S.A., POET, LLC, ICM, Mascoma, Range Fuels, Inbicon A/S, INEOS New Planet BioEnergy LLC, Coskata, Archer Daniels Midland Company, BlueFire Ethanol, Inc., KL Energy Corporation, ZeaChem Inc., Iogen Corporation, Qteros, Inc., and AE Biofuels, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Maxx Chatsko]

    Dozens of companies with the capacity to produce next-generation renewable fuel -- fuels may or may not be the primary focus of each -- have answered the call. The latest comes from industrial biotech company Gevo (NASDAQ: GEVO  ) , which has begun supplying the U.S. Coast Guard with initial quantities of renewable isobutanol-blended gasoline for maritime vessels. This comes after an earlier collaboration with the U.S. Air Force in 2011, an extension of which calls for an additional 45,000 gallons of isobutanol-derived jet fuel to be supplied by the end of October. What do these partnerships with Uncle Sam mean for the future of the company?

  • [By Alyce Lomax]

    Solazyme is more than a biofuels play like fellow biofuels upstarts like Amyris (NASDAQ: AMRS  ) and Gevo (NASDAQ: GEVO  ) . I purchased shares of Solazyme for the Prosocial Portfolio (I hold shares in my personal portfolio, too) not only for its impressive foray into a nascent field, but also because it had already inked some impressive partnerships. Meanwhile, its alternative oils go much further than simply trying to provide alternatives to fossil fuels. Its microalgae-derived oils can also be used in skin care and food.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap biofuel or synthetic fuel stocks Gevo, Inc (NASDAQ: GEVO), KiOR Inc (NASDAQ: KIOR), Solazyme Inc (NASDAQ: SZYM) and Syntroleum Corp (NASDAQ: SYNM) all seem to have been seeing some trading action in recent days���meaning its worth taking a closer look at all four�before taking a look at their rather dismal�long term performance while noting that none are yet profitable:

  • [By Robert Rapier]

    KiOR (Nasdaq: KIOR) is one of three advanced biofuel companies that venture capitalist Vinod Khosla took public in 2011. The other two were Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) and Gevo (Nasdaq: GEVO). Each of these companies has seen its share price drop sharply since the IPO. While KiOR is one of the few companies to have produced advanced biofuel for sale, the volumes have consistently come in below company guidance, and I expect production costs to remain above the sales price for the foreseeable future.

Best Long Term Stocks To Buy Right Now: Ceres Inc (CERE)

Ceres, Inc. (Ceres), incorporated in March 1996, is an agricultural biotechnology company selling seeds to produce renewable biomass feedstocks that can enable the large-scale replacement of petroleum and other fossil fuels. The Company�� large-scale commercial products are sweet sorghum varieties that can be used as a drop-in feedstock to extend the operating season of Brazilian sugarcane-to-ethanol mills. Its products include sweet sorghum, high biomass sorghum, switchgrass, miscanthus and row crops. Its energy crops can also be used for the production of second-generation biofuels and bio-based chemicals, including cellulosic ethanol, butanol, jet fuel, diesel-like molecules and gasoline-like molecules, from non-food biomass. Baseload utility scale electric power can also be generated from the biomass feedstocks grown from its seeds. Ceres has started marketing sweet sorghum seeds in Brazil and has sold switchgrass and high biomass sorghum seeds in the United States under its brand, Blade Energy Crops (Blade). In January 2010, the Company incorporated a subsidiary, Ceres Sementes do Brasil Ltda.

The Company generates its revenues from government grants, research and development collaboration agreements and from product sales. Product sales primarily consists of sales of seeds. Collaborative research revenues consist of payments for research and development activities for specific projects. Government grant revenues consist of payments from government entities. Ceres markets its seeds and traits directly to ethanol mills, utilities, independent power producers, cellulosic biofuel companies, individual growers and grower cooperatives. It also works with technology providers and other market participants, such as equipment manufacturers and enzyme or fermentation technology companies. The Company markets its products to biorefineries and biopower facilities.

Ceres�� activities in cellulosic biofuels encompass a range of activities, including field trials, co-evolution agr! eements, and commercial sales. Its products have been tested in the conversion processes of EdeniQ, Inc., Choren USA LLC, Gruppo M&G, ICM, Inc., and UOP, LLC (a Honeywell company), among others. The Company has also conducted joint trials with, or sold seed to, AGCO Corporation, EdeniQ, Inc. and Hawai�� BioEnergy, LLC, among others. It has begun collaboration with Valero Services, Inc. to further evaluate feedstock supply strategies with energy crops. Ceres also works with refining technology companies to optimize feedstock for their refining processes. These collaborators include Novozymes North America, Inc. and ThermoChem Recovery International, Inc.

Drop-in Products

The Company�� products are drop-in solutions as they can be planted, harvested and processed using existing agricultural equipment with little or no modification and are being developed to be drop-in for all conversion technologies using sugarcane or biomass feedstocks, facilitating their rapid adoption. In collaboration with Boa Vista/Nova Fronteira, which is a joint venture of ethanol producers Grupo Sao Martinho, S.A. and Petrobras Biofuels, the Company has completed a commercial-scale trial on approximately 250 hectares of its sweet sorghum, which was planted and harvested using existing planting and harvesting equipment, fermented into ethanol without retrofitting or altering the existing mill and the remaining biomass combusted for electricity production, using existing boilers. It has also conducted smaller trials using its other energy crops with numerous industry participants engaged in cellulosic biofuels and biopower production. The Company�� products have been tested in the conversion processes of Amyris Biotechnologies, Inc., Choren USA LLC, EdeniQ, Inc., Gruppo M&G, ICM, Inc., Novozymes North America, Inc., ThermoChem Recovery International, Inc. and UOP, LLC (a Honeywell company), among others. DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) also plans to validate the Company�� products in th! eir conve! rsion process.

Sweet Sorghum

Sweet sorghum is a type of sorghum that accumulates free sugars in its stalk. It is sown by seed, and requires less water and nitrogen fertilizer to grow to harvestable maturity. Sweet sorghum plants can be harvested in 90 to 140 days after sowing. Because sweet sorghum is an annual crop, multiple harvests or crop rotations may be possible during the season.

High Biomass Sorghum

High biomass sorghum is a type of sorghum, which is primarily developed for biomass yield. As such, high biomass sorghum is suited for the generation of renewable electric power and the creation of cellulosic biofuels. High biomass types are seed propagated, and requires less water and nitrogen fertilizer. As an annual crop, sorghum is harvested the year it is planted. This provides bioenergy facilities with a growing and flexible source of biomass, and a complementary feedstock to perennials, such as sugarcane or switchgrass. The Company�� ES 5200 and ES 5201 products contains its Skyscraper trait. These hybrids, developed through its partnership with Texas A&M University, are designed for single-cut production systems.

Switchgrass

Switchgrass is a perennial grass indigenous to North America that offers high biomass yield potential. It requires less water and nitrogen fertilizer, and can grow under semi-arid conditions. Switchgrass is seed propagated. As a perennial, switchgrass is not harvested for sale during the first year when the crop is being established. A properly managed stand of switchgrass may persist for a decade. During the year ended December 31, 2010, it introduced three products: EG 1101, EG 1102 and EG 2101. These high-yielding varieties is developed through its partnership with The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

Miscanthus

Miscanthus x giganteus is a tall perennial grass that grows well in cooler climates. It is vegetatively propagated. It has been used as an energy crop on ! a small s! cale across Europe. The Miscanthus genus includes several perennial species that has energy crops. The variety adopted in the United States and Europe, miscanthus x giganteus, is a sterile hybrid of M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus. This miscanthus hybrid requires about the same water as corn, but up to two-thirds less nitrogen depending on crop management practices. As a perennial crop, miscanthus is not harvested for sale during the first year when the crop is being established. Ceres is also working on extending the region of adaptation. To these ends, the Company is collaborating with the Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences of Aberystwyth University in Wales, the United Kingdom.

The Company competes with Advanta India Limited, The Dow Chemical Company, Monsanto Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred (DuPont), KWS and Syngenta.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Maxx Chatsko]

    Shares of energy crop developer Ceres (NASDAQ: CERE  ) surged more than 100% from the opening bell Monday to early trading on Thursday. In fact, over one-third of the total outstanding shares traded hands on Thursday. Even with the move the company is trading for "only" $100 million. With some of the biggest names in industrial biotech on its side -- such as Syngenta (NYSE: SYT  ) , Petrobras, Amyris, Valero, Novozymes, Gruppo M&G, and Mascoma, to name a few -- this must be a good buy right? Not so fast.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Despite the fact that markets are right around breakeven levels for Wednesday, there are relatively few stocks that are up today, and even fewer that are up on strong volume. For the NYSE, 54% of its listed equities are in the red this morning, and 58% of the total volume seen so far has been bearish volume. That's what makes Ceres Inc. (NASDAQ:CERE) so interesting early Wednesday. As one of the few tickers that's not only up, but up on higher volume, CERE is a standout worth a closer look. And, that closer look reveals something even more compelling about the way things are coming together for this small cap stock.

  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Another renewable energy player that looks ready to trigger a big breakout trade is Ceres (CERE), which sells seeds to produce renewable biomass feedstocks that can enable the large-scale replacement of petroleum and other fossil fuels. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 66%.

    If you take a look at the chart for Ceres, you'll notice that this stock has just started to trend back above its 50-day moving average of $1.45 a share with heavy upside volume flows. Volume so far today has already registered over 1.15 million shares, which is well above its three-month average action of 670,538 shares. This spike back above its 50-day is now quickly pushing shares of CERE within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CERE if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.67 to $1.68 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 670,538 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CERE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2 to $2.50 a share. Shares of CERE could even tag $3 if this breakout triggers with strong volume.

    Traders can look to buy CERE off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below $1.40 a share. One could also buy CERE off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: SunPower Corp (SPWR)

SunPower Corporation, incorporated in April 1985, is a vertically integrated solar products and services company that designs, manufactures and delivers solar electric systems worldwide for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power plant customers. The Company operates in two business segments: the Utility and Power Plants (UPP) Segment and the Residential and Commercial (R&C) Segment. The UPP Segment refers to its solar products and systems business, which includes power plant project development and project sales, turn-key engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for power plant construction, and power plant operations and maintenance (O&M) services. UPP Segment also sells components, including huge volume of sales of solar panels and mounting systems to third parties, sometimes on a multi-year, firm commitment basis. The R&C Segment focuses on solar equipment sales into the residential and small commercial market through its third-party global dealer network, as well as direct sales and EPC and O&M services in the United States and Europe for rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems for the new homes, commercial and public sectors. In May 2012, K Road Power Holdings, LLC (K Road) and SunPower Corp announced that K Road acquired the 25-megawatt (AC) McHenry Solar Project, which the Company designed. In January 2013, the Company MidAmerican Solar acquired the 579-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Projects (AVSP), two co-located projects in Kern and Los Angeles Counties in Calif from SunPower.

In January 2012, the Company completed its acquisition of the wholly owned Total SA subsidiary Tenesol SA, a global solar provider. In September 2011, NRG Energy Inc. acquired 250 megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) project from SunPower. In June 2011, the Company introduced SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20) series. The Company�� customers in its UPP Segment include investors, financial institutions, project developers, electric utilities, and independent po! wer producers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In its R&C Segment, the Company primarily sells its products to commercial and governmental entities, production home builders, and its third-party global dealer network serving residential owners and small commercial building owners.

Solar Cells

The A-300 solar cell is a silicon solar cell with a specified power value of 3.1 watts and a conversion efficiency averaging between 20.0% and 21.5%. The Company�� A-330 solar cell delivers 3.3 watts with a conversion efficiency of up to 22.7%.

Solar Panels

The Company�� SunPower solar panel series include solutions, such as SunPower E18 Series Solar Panel (E18), SunPower E19 Series Solar Panel (E19), and SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20). Available in a 72-cell configuration, the E18 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers a total panel conversion of 18.1% to 18.5%. Available in a 72, 96, and 128-cell configuration, the E19 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of 19.3% to 19.7%. Available in a 96-cell configuration, the E20 series panel uses its A-330 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of up to 20.1%.

Inverters

The Company sells a line of SunPower branded inverters. The inverters are manufactured by third parties.

Roof Mounted Products

The roof mounted products include SunPower T-5 Solar Roof Tile System (T-5), SunPower T-10 Commercial Solar Roof Tiles (T-10), PowerGuard Roof System (PowerGuard) and SunTile Roof Integrated System (SunTile). Tilted at a 5-degree angle, the T-5 roof tile is a non-penetrating photovoltaic rooftop product that combines solar panel, frame, and mounting system. The T-5 solar roof tile systems are primarily sold through its R&C Segment.

Tilted at a 10-degree angle, the T-10 commercial solar roof tiles is a non-penetrating panel interlock system! . Dependi! ng on geographical location and local climate conditions, this can allow for the generation of up to 10% more annual energy output than traditional flat roof-mounted systems. The T-10 commercial solar roof tile is primarily sold through its R&C Segment.

PowerGuard is a non-penetrating roof-mounted solar panel that delivers electricity while insulating and protecting the roof membrane from ultraviolet rays and thermal degradation. The PowerGuard roof system is primarily sold through its R&C Segment. SunTile solar shingles are designed to replace multiple types of roof panels, including the common concrete flat, low and high profile S tile and composition shingles. The SunTile roof system is also sold through its R&C Segment.

Ground Mounted Products

The ground mounted products include SunPower T-0 Tracker (T-0) & SunPower T-20 Tracker (T-20), SunPower Oasis Power Plant (SunPower Oasis), SunPower C-7 Tracker (C-7), and Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for Parking Structures. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are single-axis tracking systems that automatically pivot solar panels to track the sun's movement throughout the day. This tracking feature increases the amount of sunlight that is captured and converted into energy by up to 30% over flat or fixed-tilt systems, depending on geographic location and local climate conditions. A single motor and drive mechanism can control 10 to 20 rows, or more than 200 kilo watts of solar panels. The T-0 and T-20 trackers have been installed in a range of geographical markets principally in the United States, Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and Spain. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.

The Oasis is a solar power block that scales from 1 mega watts distributed installations to central station power plants. Oasis provides a way to deploy utility-scale solar power systems, streaming the development and construction process while optimizing the use of available land. The SunPow! er Oasis ! is sold through its UPP Segment. The C-7 combines a horizontal single-axis tracker with rows of parabolic mirrors, reflecting light onto linear arrays of its solar cells. The C-7 tracker is sold through its UPP Segment. SunPower has developed designs for solar power systems for parking structures in multiple configurations. These dual-use systems typically incorporate solar panels into the roof of a carport or similar structure to deliver onsite solar power while providing shade and protection. They are suited for parking lots adjacent to facilities. Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for parking structures are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.

Other System Offerings

SunPower�� metal roof system is designed for sloped-metal roof buildings, which are used in some winery and warehouse applications. This solar power system is designed for rapid installation. It also offers other architectural products, such as day lighting with translucent solar panels.

Balance of System Components

Balance of system components are components of a solar power system other than the solar panels. It includes SunPower branded inverters, mounting structures, charge controllers, grid interconnection equipment, and other devices depending on the specific requirements of a particular system and project.

The Company competes with Canadian Solar Inc., JA Solar Holdings Co., Kyocera Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Q-Cells AG, Sanyo Corporation, Sharp Corporation, SolarCity Corporation, SolarWorld AG, Sungevity, Inc., SunRun, Inc., Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., Trina Solar Ltd., Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd., Abengoa Solar S.A., Acconia Energia S.A., AES Solar Energy Ltd., Chevron Energy Solutions, EDF Energy plc, First Solar Inc., NextEra Energy, Inc., OPDE Group, NRG Energy, Inc., Recurrent Energy, Sempra Energy, Skyline Solar, Inc., Solargen Energy, Inc., Solaria Corporation, SolFocus, Inc., SunEdison and Tenaska, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Travis Hoium]

    What: Shares of First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR  ) dropped as much as 10% today, dragging the rest of the industry down with it. SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY  ) dropped as much as 11% and SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) fell 7% in early trading.

  • [By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South]

    Following the announcement that the United States installed 832 mega watts (MW) in the second quarter, it is clear that solar energy will continue to carve its place into our energy landscape. Given its integrated position with high efficiency panels, SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) has a great chance of succeeding no matter which sector of the solar industry wins out. Unfortunately for its less diverse peers, the same can't be said. Tune in below for more details.�

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: Building Turbines Inc (BLDW)

Building Turbines Inc (BTI), incorporated on November 17, 1997, is engaged in the designing and manufacturing rooftop mounted wind turbines. The patented BTI�� design is ideal for commercial applications and creates reliable, cost-effective, clean and on-site renewable electricity. The Company offers a different, patented wind turbine product that can bring the dream of clean, affordable wind energy to a reality. The turbine is mounted on a steel frame, it has a low profile, low maintenance needs, and creates almost no noise or vibration.

The Company�� design possesses these exemplary and robust structural, mechanical and electrical characteristics that are particularly important when mounting a renewable energy system onto a building's roof. The turbine can help office buildings, schools, warehouses, distribution centers, airports, hotels, and a variety of other buildings offset electricity purchased from the grid by creating it on-site from the wind. The turbine creates reliable, cost-effective and clean renewable electricity with little building modification required.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap green stocks Building Turbines Inc (OTCMKTS: BLDW), Virtual Sourcing, Inc (OTCMKTS: PGCX) and Unseen Solar, Inc (OTCMKTS: PCWT) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters in part because some ��reen�� is being paid out in the form of paid promotions or investor relation activity. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed paid promotions, but you do need to remember that small cap stocks (especially those in new ��reen�� industries) already come with risk. With that in mind, here is a quick reality check about these three green small cap stocks and whether you can expect to see some green in the form of profits:

    Building Turbines Inc (OTCMKTS: BLDW) Has Secured a $5 Million Line of Credit

    Small cap Building Turbines Inc is focused on the design and manufacture of patented rooftop wind turbines as well as vertically integrating them into other renewable energy solutions to complete a total ��reen Energy Solution��for any urban environment. Building Turbines Inc�� subsidiary, Green City Planet, is also a premier provider of LED lighting and environmentally sound industrial solutions. On Friday, Building Turbines Inc fell 9.76% to $0.0370 for a market cap of $8.71 million plus BLDW is up 51% over the past year and down 87.2% since June 2011 according to Google Finance.

  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap green stocks Essential Innovations Technology Corp (OTCBB: ESIV), Building Turbines Inc (OTCMKTS: BLDW) and Kleangas Energy Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS: KGET) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters ��either because they were sinking, because of paid promotions or a combination of both. However, there aren�� many green stocks out there that have actually produced some green for investors in the form of profits. With that in mind, here is a quick reality check about all three green small cap stocks to help you decide whether any have the potential for long-term success:

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: Ameresco Inc (AMRC)

Ameresco, Inc. incorporated in April 2000, is a provider of energy efficiency solutions for facilities throughout North America. The Company�� services include upgrades to a facility's energy infrastructure and the construction and operation of small-scale renewable energy plants. Its principal service is the development, design, engineering and installation of projects that reduce the energy and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of its customers' facilities. These projects include a variety of measures customized for the facility and designed to improve the efficiency of major building systems, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems. It also serves certain customers by developing and building small-scale renewable energy plants located at or close to a customer's site. Ameresco, Inc. provides its services primarily to governmental, educational, utility, healthcare and other institutional, commercial and industrial entities. The Company operates in four segments: U.S. federal, central U.S. region, other U.S. regions and Canada. In August 2011, the Company acquired APS Energy Services Company, Inc. from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation. In December 2011, it acquired the xChange Point and energy projects businesses, including automated demand response, of Energy and Power Solutions, Inc. In August 2012, the Company acquired FAME Facility Software Solutions Inc. In February 2013, it purchased all of the assets of Ennovate Corporation. In June 2013, Ameresco Inc acquired ESP, an energy management consulting company consisting of the Energy Services Partnership and ESP Response, located in Castleford, United Kingdom.

Ameresco, Inc. offers a set of services that includes the design and installation of upgrades to a facility�� energy infrastructure, the design and construction of renewable energy plants, the sale of other renewable energy products and the arranging of financing for customer projects. In September 2010, the Company acquired Quantum Engineer! ing and Development, Inc. In July 2011, the Company acquired Applied Energy Group.

Energy Efficiency Services

The Company�� services includes the design, engineering and installation of, and the arranging of financing for, equipment to improve the efficiency, and control the operation, of a building�� heating, ventilation, cooling and lighting systems. In certain projects, it also designs and constructs a central plant or cogeneration system providing power, heat and/or cooling to a building. Its projects generally range in size and scope from a one-month project to design and retrofit a lighting system to a more complex 30-month project to design and install a central plant or cogeneration system.

Renewable Energy Projects and Products

The Company�� services offering includes the development, construction and operation of, and the arrangement of financing for, small-scale renewable energy plants, as well as the sale and integration of solar energy products and systems. It has constructed and is designing and constructing a range of renewable energy plants using landfill gas (LFG), wastewater treatment biogas, solar, wind, biomass, food waste, animal waste and hydro sources of energy. As part of its renewable energy offering, it also distributes and integrates solar energy products manufactured by several vendors. Ameresco, Inc. is a distributor of photovoltaic (PV) panels, solar regulators, solar charge controllers, inverters, solar powered lighting systems, solar powered water pumps, solar panel mounting hardware and other system components. It also integrates its PV products and system components into solar solutions designed specifically for customers. It provides solar energy solutions for both on- grid applications where the solar power is used in a building connected to a utility distribution system, and for off-grid applications where the power is used directly in the device using the electricity, such as traffic signs.

Amere! sco, Inc.! also designs and constructs renewable energy plants based on wind power. In many parts of the country, available wind resources, utility net metering and local incentives can make on-site wind generation a viable solution for meeting a portion of customers' energy needs. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had completed two projects that included a wind turbine. In addition, it has constructed and was constructing, small-scale renewable energy plants based on biomass.

As of December 31, 2010, Ameresco, Inc. had constructed more than 28 renewable energy projects, and owned and operated 22 small-scale renewable energy plants. Of the owned plants, 19 are renewable LFG plants, two are waste water biogas plants and one is a solar PV installation. These 22 small-scale renewable energy plants have the capacity to generate electricity or deliver LFG producing an aggregate of 106 megawatts (MW) or megawatt-equivalents (MWE). As of December 31, 2010, the Company had signed contracts for the construction, operation and ownership of an additional six LFG plants, two biomass power and cogeneration plants and five biomass boiler projects.

The Company competes with Chevron Energy Solutions, Constellation Energy, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Siemens Building Technologies and TAC Energy Solutions.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, energy efficiency technologist Ameresco (NYSE: AMRC  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

  • [By Sara Murphy]

    Ameresco (NYSE: AMRC  ) is one of the few large, independent energy efficiency service providers. The company's principal service is the development, design, engineering and installation of projects that reduce the energy and operations and maintenance costs of its customers' facilities. Ameresco has seen declining revenues recently because of unusually long lag times in getting its projects funded, but this seems a temporary setback.

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: OriginOil Inc (OOIL)

OriginOil, Inc., incorporated on June 1, 2007, is a technology company. The Company is primarily involved in research and development activities, and sales of pilot and demonstration equipment. The Company has developed an energy production process for harvesting algae and cleaning up oil and gas water. To develop the energy and ancillary markets, the Company sells smaller-scale equipment, such as the Algae Appliance. The Company�� process, CLEAN-FRAC, represents a generation of water treatment that is chemical free. The Company's water cleanup technology, Electro Water Separation (EWS), is a chemical-free process that extracts organic contaminants from large quantities of water. Its products include EWS Algae, EWS Algae A4, EWS Algae A60, EWS Algae A200, EWS Petro P160, and EWS Aqua Q60.

The Company intends to embed its technology into larger systems through licensing and joint ventures. The Company is in the process of pursuing secondary licensing opportunities outside of energy, including aquaculture. EWS Algae A4 is an entry-level algae harvester designed to make it easier and faster for producers and researchers to try and buy the Company's harvesting technology. EWS Algae A60 is a pilot scale algae harvester providing a low energy, chemical-free, continuous flow wet harvest system to dewater and concentrate the microalgae. EWS Petro Model 160 is designed to remove organics, such as crude oil, and suspended solids and bacteria from process water, such as produced or frac flowback water at a continuous flow rate of one barrel per minute or 160 liters per minute in continuous, chemical free operation. EWS Aqua Q60 is a commercial fish farming pond water treatment system, designed to clean pond water of ammonia, bacteria and aquatic animal pathogens in a continuous loop.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Today, OOIL�has shed (-3.12%) down -0.01 at $.31 with 95,929 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 2:04PM�EDT October 15, 2013).

    OriginOil, Inc. previously reported it has signed its first pay-per-barrel agreement with Industrial Systems, Inc. (ISI) for a water treatment system integrating OriginOil�� process as the first stage of treatment.

    Delta, Colorado-based ISI has agreed that it will operate the Model P160 as part of its overall frac flowback water cleanup service, and pay OriginOil a fee for each barrel processed.

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: Extreme Biodiesel Inc (XTRM)

Extreme Biodiesel Inc., formerly Book Merge Technology, Inc., incorporated on February 28, 2008, is engaged in manufacturing of home biodiesel processors. The Company focuses to produce alternative fuel. The Company has a bio diesel refinery and factory for refining diesel oil and manufacturing bio diesel processors. On October 11, 2010, the Company acquired a 51% interest in EGT. on October 11, 2010, the reverse acquisition was effected. On March 31, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of EGT.

The Company�� products include standard extractor, extreme extractor, extreme mini-refinery, extreme purification system, titration kit, dispensing pump with meter and oil collection pump. The standard extractor is a biodiesel processor, which requires a water-wash process to purify the biodiesel. Extreme extractor is a waterless purification system. The Mini Refinery is the waterless system, which can make 600 gallons of quality biodiesel per day.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap resource or green stocks Paradigm Resource Management Corp (OTCMKTS: PRDC), Extreme Biodiesel Inc (OTCMKTS: XTRM) and Pan Global Corp (OTCMKTS: PGLO) have all been getting some attention lately thanks in part to a few paid stock promotions. However, two of these small cap appear to be the subject of minimal paid promotion activity, but even a small paid promotion or investor relations campaign can increase a stock�� volatility. So do these three small cap resource or green stocks have what it takes to deliver some Christmas cheer for investors and traders alike? Here is a quick reality check:

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: Solar Thin Films Inc (SLTZ)

Solar Thin Films, Inc. is engaged in the business of designing, manufacturing and installation of thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si) photovoltaic manufacturing equipment. The equipment is used in plants that produce photovoltaic thin-film a-Si solar panels or modules. The Company operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kraft Elektronikai Zrt (Kraft). Kraft is engaged in the design, development, manufacture, and installation of a-Si photovoltaic manufacturing equipment. The primary buyers of photovoltaic thin-film manufacturing equipment are businesses, as well as investment partnerships, engaged in the production of photovoltaic thin-film modules. In May 2010, the Company acquired Atlantis Solar LLC. In May 2013, Solar Thin Films Inc acquired Quality Resource Technologies Inc. In October 2013, Solar Thin Films Inc announced the sale of all of its ownership stake of Hungarian subsidiary, Kraft, R.t. (Kraft), to GJR Collectibles LLC.

Kraft has been providing equipment that is incorporated into a single manufacturing line capable of manufacturing a-Si solar modules that produce approximately 5megawatt (MW) of solar power annually. The Company focuses, directly and through joint ventures or alliances with other companies or governmental agencies, to sell equipment for and participate financially in solar power facilities using thin film a-Si solar modules or metallurgical and other crystalline solar modules as the power source to provide electricity to municipalities, businesses and consumers.

The Company competes with Applied Materials and Oerlikon.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    Small cap stocks Alliance Creative Group Inc (OTCMKTS: ACGX), Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Inc (OTCMKTS: DJRT), Inscor Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA) and Solar Thin Films Inc (OTCMKTS: SLTZ) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and it should come as no surprise that two out of four of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions ��which tend to benefit traders. However, two out of four of these stocks also have pretty good financials for being small cap OTC stocks and that might make them attractive to investors with a long term time horizon. So which of these stocks might make traders some profits in the short term and investors some profits over the longer term? Here is a closer look to help you decide:

Hot New Companies To Own For 2015: Green Technology Solutions Inc (GTSO)

Green Technology Solutions Inc (GTSO), incorporated on February 22, 1991, is in the business of identifying and acquiring rights in early stage, green technologies, with the plan to develop these technologies into marketable products. The Company has identified several technology endeavors.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company has identified the advancement of mining technologies, with an emphasis on rare earth and precious metals mining applications, the development of additional markets for existing paint products that are being marketed in the United States, and smart grid technology. GTSO has also identified additional joint venture in China and South America.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Today, GTSO has shed (-5.66%) down -0.0018 at $.0300 with�22,150 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 11:34AM EDT July 3, 2013), but don�� let this get you down.

    Previously after forging a new joint venture, Green Technology Solutions, Inc. and Chilerecicla are already hard at work identifying new Latin American companies and locales ideally suited to the partnership�� ambitious expansion plans.

    The partnership has targeted Latin America for expansion because it�� a key emerging market in the booming global e-waste recycling and reuse services industry, which Transparency Market Research predicts accounted for more than $9 billion in 2012. The firm expects the worldwide e-waste market to reach $18 billion in 2017, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 13.2 percent from 2012 to 2017.

  • [By CRWE]

    Today, GTSO surged (+0.32%) up +0.0001 at $.0309 with 12,300 shares in movement thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 10:31AM EDT June 20, 2013).

    Green Technology Solutions, Inc. previously reported it has finalized a joint venture agreement with leading Latin American e-waste recycler Chilerecicla.

    Latin America is a key emerging market in the booming the global e-waste recycling and reuse services industry, which Transparency Market Research predicts accounted for more than $9 billion in 2012. The firm expects the worldwide e-waste market to reach $18 billion in 2017, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 13.2 percent from 2012 to 2017.

  • [By CRWE]

    Today, GTSO surged (+10.29%) up +0.0035 at $.0375 with�55,329 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 12:20PM EDT August 27, 2013).

    Green Technology Solutions, Inc. is negotiating a potentially lucrative spot transaction with joint venture partner Chilerecicla to export a large quantity of e-waste to one of the largest smelters in the world.

    According to the terms of the spot transaction, GTSO joint venture partner Chilerecicla will collect several metric tons of e-waste from suppliers based in Bolivia and Chile, and then ship materials to a smelter overseas. The buyers consist of the world�� largest smelter, who has meticulously screened Chilerecicla to become one of its suppliers. The smelter has noted that its capacity to purchase e-waste from Chilerecicla exceeds our partner�� current e-waste forecast for the near and present future.

  • [By CRWE]

    Today, GTSO has shed (-10.51%) -0.0041 at $.0349 with 1,304,937 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 2:03PM EDT August 13, 2013).

    Green Technology Solutions, Inc. and its partner, Chilerecicla, are preparing to expand recycling operations into Bolivia.

    One of South America�� top recyclers of e-waste, Chilerecicla operates the first e-waste recycling plant in Southern Chile and maintains crucial relationships with overseas smelters, with the right to sell them as many recovered metals and minerals as GTSO and Chilerecicla can provide. With a feasibility study on the region now complete, the joint venture has targeted Bolivia as an ideal territory for growth.