Top 5 Paper Companies To Own In Right Now

Top 5 Paper Companies To Own In Right Now: Rock-Tenn Co (RKT)

Rock-Tenn Company (RockTenn), incorporated on September 20, 1985, is a North America's integrated manufacturer of corrugated and consumer packaging. The Company operates locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico and China. The Company operates in three segments: Corrugated Packaging, consisting of its containerboard mills and its corrugated converting operations; Consumer Packaging, consisting of its coated and uncoated paperboard mills, consumer packaging converting operations and merchandising display facilities, and Recycling, which consists of its recycled fiber brokerage and collection operations. On June 22, 2012, the Company acquired Mid South Packaging LLC. On October 28, 2011, the Company acquired four entities doing business as GMI Group.

Corrugated Packaging Segment

The Company is a producer of linerboard and corrugated medium (containerboard) measured by tons produced and a producer of graphics pre- printed linerboard in North America. It operates an integrated system, which manufactures containerboard, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging and preprinted linerboard for sale to industrial and consumer products manufacturers and corrugated box manufacturers. It produces a range of corrugated containers designed to protect, ship, store and display products made to its customers' merchandising and distribution specifications. It also converts corrugated sheets into corrugated products ranging from one-color protective cartons to point-of-purchase packaging. Corrugated packaging is used to provide protective packaging for shipment and distribution of food, paper, health and beauty and other household, consumer, commercial and industrial products and in the case of graphically enhanced corrugated packaging for retail sale, particularly in club store locations and retail ! sale. It also provides structural and graphic design, engineering services, and custom and standard auto mated packaging machines, offering customers turn-key instal! lation, automation, line integration and packaging solutions. It feeds linerboard and corrugated medium into corrugators, which flutes the medium to specified sizes, glues the linerboard and fluted medium together and slits and cuts the resulting corrugated paperboard into sheets to customer specifications. Its container board mills and corrugated container operations are integrated with its containerboard production used internally by its corrugated container operations. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), sales of corrugated packaging products to external customers accounted for 65.7% of its net sales.

Consumer Packaging Segment

The Company operates an integrated system of coated recycled mills and a bleached paperboard mill, which produces paperboard for its folding carton operations and third parties. The Company is a manufacturer of folding cartons in North America measured by net sales. Its folding cartons are used t o package food, paper, health and beauty and other household consumer, commercial and industrial products for retail sale. It also manufactures express mail envelopes for the overnight courier industry. Folding cartons protect customers' products during shipment and distribution and employ graphics to promote them at retail. It manufactures folding cartons from recycled and virgin paperboard, laminated paperboard and substrates with specialty characteristics, such as grease masking and microwaveability. It prints, coats, die-cuts and glues the cartons to customer specifications. It ships finished cartons to customers for assembling, filling and sealing. It employs a range of offset, flexographic, gravure, backside printing, and coating and finishing technologies. It supports its customers with package development, innovation and design services and package testing! services! .

The Company manufactures temporary and permanent point-of-purchase displays. The Compan y designs, manufactures and packs temporary displays for sal! e to cons! umer products companies. These displays are used as marketing tools to support new product introductions and specific product promotions in mass merchandising stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, home improvement stores and other retail locations. It also designs, manufactures and pre-assemble permanent displays for the same categories of customers. It makes temporary displays from corrugated paperboard. It provides contract packing services, such as multi-product promotional packing and product manipulation, such as multipacks and onpacks. The Company manufactures lithographic laminated packaging for sale to its customers, which require packaging with graphics and strength characteristics.

The Company operates an integrated system of specialty recycled paperboard mills, which includes its Seven Hills Paperboard LLC (Seven Hills) joint venture. Its specialty recycled paperboard mills, excluding Seven Hills, produce paperboard for its solid fiber interior pa ckaging converting operations and third parties, and its Seven Hills joint venture manufactures gypsum paperboard liner for sale to its joint venture partner. It sells its specialty recycled paperboard to manufacturers of solid fiber interior packaging, tubes and cores, and other paperboard products. It also converts specialty paperboard into book covers and other products. Its 65% owned subsidiary, RTS, designs and manufactures solid fiber and corrugated partitions and die-cut paperboard components. It manufactures and sells its solid fiber and corrugated partitions principally to glass container manufacturers and producers of beer, food, wine, spirits, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and to the automotive industry. During fiscal 2012, sales of consumer packaging products to external customers accounted for 27.5% of its net sales.

Recycling Seg! ment

The Company's recycled fiber brokerage and collection operations provide a strategic advantage to its mills. Its recycling operations procure recovered paper (or! recycled! fiber) for its paper mills, as well as for third parties from factories, warehouses, commercial printers, office complexes, grocery and retail stores, document storage facilities, paper converters and other wastepaper collectors. It handles a range of grades of recovered paper, including old corrugated containers, office paper, box clippings, newspaper and print shop scraps. It operates recycling facilities, which collects, sorts, grades and bales recovered paper and after sorting and baling, it transfer recovered paper to its paperboard mills for processing, or sell it to the United States manufacturers of paperboard, as well as manufacturers of tissue, newsprint, roofing products and insulation and to export markets. It also collects aluminum and plastics for resale to manufacturers of these products. Its waste reduction services extract additional recyclables from the waste stream by working with customers. In addition, it operates a nationwide fiber marketing and broker age system, which serves regional and national accounts, as well as its recycled paperboard and containerboard mills and sells scrap materials from its converting businesses and mills. Brokerage contracts provide bulk purchasing. Its recycling facilities are located close to its recycled paperboard and containerboard mills, ensuring availability of supply with reduced shipping costs. During fiscal 2012, sales to external customers accounted for 6.8% of its net sales.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By BLOGS.BARRONS.COM]

  Ng writes that MLP creation could produce 30% to 50% gains in three stocks: International Paper (IP), Packaging Corp. of America (PKG) and Rock-Tenn Co. (RKT).  International Paper shares are up 2% this morning to 47.67; Packaging Corp. is 2% higher at 63.69 and Rock-Tenn is up 1.5% to 47. He continues:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of MeadWestvaco have jumped 4.6% to $37.29 today at 3:36 p.m. Other paper packaging companies, however, aren’t getting a boost from the news or from Merrill’s upgrade. Shares of Rock-Tenn (RKT) have dipped 0.1% to $100.34, International Paper (IP) has ticked up 0.1% to $48.74and Packaging Corp. of America (PKG) is little changed at $65.40.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Boring doesn't always mean "buy"
  You may have heard me mention recently that boring industries can often make the most profitable industries. That is generally true, but it's not a rule! This is why packaging products maker Rock-Tenn (NYSE: RKT  ) has found its way onto my "sell-now" radar.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  After rocking EPS expectations for its Q2 earlier this week, RockTenn (NYSE: RKT  ) is celebrating with a higher dividend. The company has declared a payout of $0.30 per share of its class A common stock, to be distributed on May 20 to shareholders of record as of May 7.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-paper-companies-to-own-in-right-now-3.html

Let BlackBerry Go

Watching BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) stumble over the last few quarters has been a depressing sight, to say the least. Last quarter came in below expectations, and the company pre-announced a massive miss for the current quarter: $1.6 billion in expected sales against a sell-side consensus of $3.06 billion. As a result, the shares cratered before climbing back up slightly on the announcement that a consortium led by Prem Watsa's Fairfax Capital would be scooping up the company for $9 per share. Of course, the question on everyone's minds is whether it's worth speculating on a higher bid at this point?

BlackBerry's handset division seems largely worthless
BlackBerry has been evaluating "strategic alternatives" for several months now, and only after an abysmal quarter did an offer finally materialize. It doesn't seem as though buyers were exactly knocking on BlackBerry's door to pick up a business that is in very clear -- and apparently accelerating -- decline.

The problem here is that BlackBerry is very much a technology company playing in a very fiercely competitive industry. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) continually innovates across many sectors (software, hardware, and marketing) and the Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) Android ecosystem that helps to power competitors that are even giving Apple a margin headache certainly isn't sitting still (and some would even claim that even broader/deeper innovation is happening over there than at Apple).

I'd go so far as to claim that BlackBerry's handset division is worthless, something that even former BlackBerry bull, Peter Misek, now appears to believe. There's very little room in this market for yet another operating system, particularly as iOS and Android are very good platforms with excellent -- and growing -- suites of applications. Against many of the players in this space, BlackBerry has neither the scale nor the in-sourcing of critical components that tends to allow for good cost structures across the board. (Samsung is the master of this.)

How about enterprise services?
The only business that seems to be worth anything here is BlackBerry Enterprise Services. But even this business isn't exactly on the upswing, since BlackBerry's device market share, even in enterprise, continues to erode. That being said, the company recently announced that it would be offering its enterprise services on both Android and iOS via Secure Work Space. If BlackBerry can transform itself into a platform-agnostic services-oriented business, cut away most of the fat from its devices division (this might mean more layoffs), and essentially turn services into a cash-cow, then the Prem Watsa-led consortium might be getting a good deal.

What's the bottom line?
At the end of the day, I'm not expecting a higher bid from anybody else, which means that I'm not so confident that investors should be piling in on the hopes for one. The most likely case is that the deal just goes through, and if you buy today you're maybe looking at $0.20 per share in upside (and it'll be months before the deal actually closes). The best case is that somebody comes in with a higher bid, but it's unlikely. Just as equally unlikely is that the bid actually falls through, as Prem Watsa seems bent on saving this investment one way or another.

The BlackBerry saga is over, and the real takeaway here is that in the world of high-tech, consumer-oriented products, if you're not on the cutting-edge then you're not in the game. BlackBerry put up a good fight at the end of its life as a public company, but it was simply too little, too late, and the big boys are now going to try to milk it for all it's worth in the hopes of recouping what looks to be a very substantial and risky investment.

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Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2016

Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2016: InterOil Corp (IOC)

InterOil Corporation (InterOil), incorporated on August 24, 2007, is an integrated energy company operating in Papua New Guinea and the surrounding Southwest Pacific region. InterOil operates in four segments: upstream, midstream, downstream and corporate. The upstream segment explores, appraises and develops crude oil and natural gas structures in Papua New Guinea. This segment also manages its construction business, which services the development projects underway in Papua New Guinea. The midstream segment produces refined petroleum products at Napa Napa in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea for the domestic market and for export. It is developing liquefaction and associated facilities in Papua New Guinea for the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The downstream segment markets and distributes refined products domestically in Papua New Guinea on a wholesale and retail basis.

During 2012, it sold approximately 13% of its refined petroleum products to Pacific Energy Aviation (PNG) Ltd for aviation refueling at Papua New Guinea's international airport in Port Moresby. The corporate segment provides support to the other business segments by engaging in business development and improvement activities and providing general and administrative services and management, undertakes financing and treasury activities, and is responsible for government and investor relations. This segment also manages the Company's shipping business, which operates two vessels transporting petroleum products for it's and external customers, both within PNG and for export in the South Pacific region.

Upstream - Exploration and Production

InterOil's upstream business segment focuses on the development program for the Elk, Antelope and Triceratops fields. The Elk and Antelope fields are onshore gas fields with contingent resource! s. As at December 31, 2012, it had interests in three PPLs and one PRL in Papua New Guinea covering 3,996,453 gross acres, all of which were operated by the Co! mpany. PPLs 236, 237 and 238 and PRL 15 are located onshore in the Eastern Papuan Basin, northwest of Port Moresby. It undertook exploration activities in its three exploration licenses, PPL 236, PPL 237 and PPL 238. These exploration activities involved a regional airborne geophysical survey, various seismic surveys across a number of prospects and preparation for drilling of its next appraisal well, Triceratops 2, which was spudded in mid-January 2012.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 236. The license consists of 53 graticular blocks covering an area of 4,502 square kilometers or 1,112,464 acres. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 237. The license consists of 34 graticular blocks covering an area of 3,238 square kilometers or 715,648 acres. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had a 100% working interest in PPL 238. The license consists of 94 graticular blocks covering an area of 7,92 2 square kilometers or 1,978,565 acres.

Midstream

The Company's refinery is located across the harbor from Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea. Its refinery is the sole refiner of hydrocarbons located in Papua New Guinea. Jet fuel, diesel and gasoline are the primary products that the Company produces for the domestic market. The refining process also results in the production of two Naphtha grades and low sulfur waxy residue. Papua New Guinea is its principal market for the products its refinery produces, other than Naphtha and LSWR. Its refinery is fully certified to manufacture and market Jet A-1 fuel to international specifications and markets this product to both domestic Papua New Guinea and overseas airlines.

Downstream - Wholesale and Retail Distribution

The Company has the wholesale and retai! l petrole! um product distribution base in Papua New Guinea. This business includes bulk storage, transporta tion distribution, aviation, wholesale and retail facilities! for refi! ned petroleum products. Its downstream business supplies petroleum products nationally in Papua New Guinea through a portfolio of retail service stations and commercial customers. As of December 31, 2012, InterOil provided petroleum products to 53 retail service stations with 43 operating under the InterOil brand name and the remaining 10 operating under their own independent brand. Of the 53 service stations that the Company supplies, 16 are either owned by or head leased to it, which it then sublease to company-approved operators. The remaining 37 service stations are independently owned and operated. It also provides fuel pumps and related infrastructure to the operators of the majority of these retail service stations that are not owned or leased by the Company under cover of equipment loan agreement. Its retail business accounted for approximately 15% of its total downstream sales during 2012. Its retail and wholesale distribution business distributes diesel, jet fuel, avgas, gasoline, kerosene and fuel oil, as well as branded commercial and industrial lubricants, such as engine and hydraulic oils.

The Company competes with ExxonMobil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  InterOil (NYSE: IOC) shares reached a new 52-week low of $50.60. InterOil's PEG ratio is -2.01.

  Linktone (NASDAQ: LTON) shares touched a new 52-week low of $1.30. Linktone's trailing-twelve-month operating margin is -20.15%.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  InterOil Corporation (NYSE: IOC) advertises itself as an integrated energy company operating in Papua New Guinea and the surrounding region. The company has four segments: upstream, midstream, downstream and corporate. The upstream segment explores, appraises and develops crude oil and natural gas structures in Papua New Guinea.

sour! ce from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-shipping-stocks-to-watch-for-2016-2.html

10 Best Shipping Stocks To Own Right Now

10 Best Shipping Stocks To Own Right Now: Trinseo S.A. (TSE)

Trinseo S.A. (Trinseo), incorporated on June 3, 2010, is a materials company engaged in the manufacture and marketing of specialty and customized emulsion polymers and plastics. The Company develops products for global, diversified end markets, including coated paper and packaging board, carpet and artificial turf backing, automotive applications, including tires, food service packaging, appliances, consumer electronics and construction applications, among others. The Company operates under two principal business units: Emulsion Polymers business unit, which includes an Synthetic Rubber (SB) Latex segment and a SB segment, and Plastics business unit, which includes Styrenics segment and an Engineered Polymers segment. Trinseo's major products include styrene-butadiene latex (SB latex), styrene-acrylate latex (SA latex), solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR), lithium polybutadiene rubber (Li-PBR), emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (ESBR), nickel polybutadiene rubber (N i-PBR), polystyrene, expandable polystyrene (EPS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), ignition resistant polystyrene, polycarbonate resins (PC), compounds and blends, and polypropylene compounds.

Synthetic Rubber (SB) Latex Segment

The Company produce SB latex primarily for coated paper used in advertising and magazines, packaging board coatings, carpet and artificial turf backings, as well as a number of performance latex applications. It operates in various countries, such as North America, Europe and Asia.

Synthetic Rubber Segment

The Company is a producer of styrene-butadiene and polybutadiene-based rubber products. The Company has synthetic rubber technology and product portfolios, which focuses on specialty products, such as SSBR and Li-PBR, while also producing core products, such! as ESBR and Ni-PBR. Its Synthetic Rubber products are extensively used in tires, with additional appl ications, including polymer modification and technical rubbe! r goods.

Styrenics Segment

The Company's Styrenics segment includes polystyrene, ABS, SAN, and EPS products, as well as its internal production and sourcing of styrene monomer, a raw material common in SB latex, synthetic rubber and styrenics products. It is a producer of polystyrene and mass ABS (mABS). Trinseo focuses its marketing efforts on applications, such as appliances and consumer electronics. The Styrenics segment also serves the packaging and construction end-use markets.

Engineered Polymers Segment

The Company is a producer of engineered polymers. Its products are used in automotive, consumer electronics, and construction and sheet end markets. Trinseo focuses on differentiated products, which it produces in its compounds and blends manufacturing facilities located across Europe, Asia, North America and Brazil. Its Engineered Polymers segment also compounds and blends its polycarbonate resins and mABS plas tics into differentiated products within these sectors.

The Company competes with BASF, Nippon Zeon, LG Chemicals and Bayer.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vanina Egea]

  Gary Dickerson is following a similar acquisitions strategy to the one it had used at Varian Semiconductor in 2012. The company is currently on the process (presumably closed by second mid-term of 2014) of merging with Tokyo Electron Device Ltd. (TSE) (11% of the market share), one of the three big names in the industry. This will create a new company worth $29 billion. Combined with the 14% market share of Applied Materials, this new company would capture the biggest slice of the market share, and the broad product portfolio of both companies ensures the coverage of many segments of the market. The new company would use Tokyo Electron's material supplies to improve! its cost! s.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-shipping-stocks-to-own-right-now-4.html

Top 5 Cheapest Stocks For 2016

Top 5 Cheapest Stocks For 2016: PPJ Enterprise (PPJE)

PPJ Enterprise, Inc. (PPJ), incorporated on May 02, 2000, is a healthcare finance company. The Company is engaged in automated healthcare reimbursement cycle software, online health information digital-systems software and practice information management digital-system software. The Company's flagship product is its medical billing software system. The Company has developed through its subsidiary Automated Software Corp., a medical billing software system named AutoMed.

The Company's principal activity is serving as a medical reimbursement consulting firm. The Company's medical billing system is comprised of both hardware and software. The system uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR)/ Initial Margin Requirement (IMR) scanning technology to allow physicians to bill their medical insurance claims at the point of service without data entry, coding or billing personnel. The Company offers the Automated Biller on a customized basis for medical practices th roughout the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  While small cap green or renewable energy type of stocks have been the flavor of the month for many stock promoters (and sometimes still are), small cap health care stocks like PPJ Enterprise (OTCMKTS: PPJE), Plantation Development Corp (OTCMKTS: BRMA) and MedCAREERS Group Inc (OTCMKTS: MCGI) have also started to get some notice lately – perhaps because Obamacare has been topping the news lately. However, are these small cap health care stocks a better bet for investors or for their promoters? Here is a quick reality check and a checkup:

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-cheapest-stocks-for-2016.html

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now

Here are today's top news headlines from��Fool.com. Check back throughout the day as this list is updated, and follow us on Twitter at��TMFBreaking.

Dow Chemical Keeps Dividend Level

Dole Food Launches New Share Buyback Program

Pentagon Awards 10 Contracts Thursday

Waste Management Declares Quarterly Dividend

Initial Jobless Claims Hit New Recovery Low

Bernanke Says Fed Increasing Financial Monitoring

Nokia Launches Lumia 620 on AT&T's Aio Wireless

Yahoo! Acquires 2 More Mobile Start-Ups

YouTube to Charge for Some Channels

Corporate Executive Board Keeps Dividend Steady

Chicago Bridge & Iron Maintains Nickel Dividend

Reynolds American Increases Dividend 6.8%

KeyCorp to Acquire Commercial Mortgage Assets From Bank of America

Strawberry Pepsi? New Fountain Machine in Test

Greek Anti-Austerity Strike Threatens School Exams

Shareholder Lays Out Case Against Sprint-Clearwire Merger

Best Building Product Stocks To Watch Right Now: Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC)

Wisconsin Energy Corporation engages in the generation, distribution, and sale of electric energy and steam. The company also involves in the purchase, distribution, and sale of natural gas to retail customers, as well as in the transportation of customer-owned natural gas in Wisconsin. It generates electricity from coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro sources. The company offers its services under ?We Energies? name. It serves approximately 1,120,200 electric customers in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; approximately 1,064,500 gas customers in Wisconsin; and approximately 460 steam customers in metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, the company invests and develops in real estate properties, including business parks and other commercial real estate projects primarily in southeastern Wisconsin. It provides electric utility service to industries, such as mining, paper, foundry, food products, and machinery production, as well as to retail chains. The c ompany was founded in 1981 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Utilities sector was the only gainer in the US market on Friday. Leading the sector was strength from FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) and Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC). Technology shares declined around 1.53 percent in Friday's trading.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Integrys Energy Group (NYSE: TEG) shares shot up 12.90 percent to $68.81 after Wisconsin Energy (NYSE: WEC) announced its plans to acquire Integrys Energy Group in a deal valued at $9.1 billion.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Microchip Technology Incorporated(MCHP)

Microchip Technology Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor products for various embedded control applications. It offers a family of microcontroller products that include 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers; and 16-bit dsPIC digital signal controllers, which feature on-board flash memory technology. The company also provides a set of application development tools that enable system designers to program a PIC microcontroller and dsPIC DSC for specific applications. In addition, it offers analog and interface products, which consist of various families with approximately 600 power management, linear, mixed-signal, thermal management, safety and security, and interface products. Further, the company provides memory products comprising serial electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. Its products are used in various applications in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, and industrial contr ol markets. Microchip Technology Incorporated markets its products primarily through a network of direct sales personnel and distributors in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in Chandler, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Microchip Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ:MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, reported that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 35.1 cents per share.

• [By Riddhi Kharkia]

  The semiconductor maker had it pretty bad on Friday as most of the stocks fell after the warning from Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP). Though it might have looked like an overreaction yet, the investors of semiconductor stocks had to face a reasonable depreciation in their investment value because Microchip cut its sales outlook and warned investors that the industry could face a downturn pretty soon. Well, this is a thing of the past and what is done cannot be undone but the important thing to worry about is future. Intel (INTC), the chip giant which has been gaining momentum and has performed better than expectations in the year, is all set to post its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Friday’s selling was particularly disturbing. Twice today the market sold off, only to battle back into the black. Then the selling really started to pick up, as the S&P 500 closed down 1.2%, the Russell 2000 finished off 1.4% and the Nasdaq Composite got hammered to the tune of 2.3%. Worse still, there was no catalyst for the selling, save for the meltdown in chip stocks after Microchip Technology (MCHP) warned of an industry slowdown.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Public Storage(PSA)

Public Storage operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). It engages in the acquisition, development, ownership, and operation of self-storage facilities in the United States and Europe. The company?s self-storage facilities offer storage spaces for lease on a month-to-month basis for personal and business use. Public Storage also has interests in commercial properties containing commercial and industrial rental space; facilities that lease storage containers; and ancillary operations, which include reinsurance of policies against losses to goods stored by its self-storage tenants, retail operations comprising merchandise sales and truck rental operations. As of December 31, 2008, the company had interests in 2,012 self-storage facilities with approximately 127 million net rentable square feet in 38 states; and 181 self-storage facilities with approximately 10 million net rentable square feet in 7 western European nations. It also had direct and indirect equity int erests in approximately 21 million net rentable square feet of commercial space located in 11 states in the U.S. As a REIT, the company would not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. Public Storage was founded in 1971 and is based in Glendale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Friday

  Earnings Expected From: Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX), OM Group, Inc. (NYSE: OMG), Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) Economic Releases Expected: �US ISM manufacturing index, Canadian manufacturing PMI, British manufacturing PMI, Norwegian unemployment rate

  Posted-In: Bank Of England Federal ReserveNews Eurozone Commodities Previews Global Economics Federal Reserve After-Hours Center Markets Trading Ideas Best of Benzinga

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Lexington Realty Trust (LXP)

Lexington Corporate Properties Trust operates as a self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). The company acquires, owns, and manages a portfolio of office, industrial, and retail properties net-leased to corporate tenants in the United States. It also provides investment advisory and asset management services to institutional investors in the net lease area. As of June 30, 2005, the company operated 185 properties and managed 2 properties. Lexington Corporate Properties Trust has elected to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be taxed on the portion of its income, which is distributed to shareholders, provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in New York City.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE: LXP  ) is acting like a relaxed landlord that doesn't want or need to modify the rent. The company is maintaining its dividend policy by declaring a $0.15-per-share distribution for its current quarter, to be paid on or about July 15 to shareholders of record as of June 28. That amount matches the firm's previous three distributions, the most recent of which was paid in April. Prior to that, the real estate investment trust dispensed $0.125 per share.

• [By Brad Thomas]

  Compared with the public REIT peers, I believe that Chambers Street will compare favorably to W.P. Carey (WPC) and Lexington Realty Trust (LXP). Both of these REITs own larger box assets and they both have conservative and well-positioned balance sheets. Here is a snapshot of Chambers Street's capitalization:

• [By CRWE]

  Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE:LXP), a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on single-tenant real estate investments, reported that it would release its third quarter 2012 results the morning of Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Lexington will conduct a teleconference that same day at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time.

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Invest In 2016

Top 10 Recreation Companies To Invest In 2016: Bowl America Inc (BWL.A)

Bowl America Incorporated, incorporated in July 22, 1958, is engaged in the entertainment business. The Company operates in one segment. Its principal source of revenue consists of fees charged for the use of bowling lanes and other facilities and from the sale of food and beverages for consumption on the premises. Merchandise sales, including food and beverages, were approximately 30% of operating revenues. The balance of operating revenues (approximately 70%) represents fees for bowling and related services. During the fiscal year ended July, 1 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries operated 19 bowling centers. These 19 bowling centers contain a total of 756 lanes. As of September 1, 2012 the Company and its subsidiaries operated 10 bowling centers in the greater metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., one bowling center in the metropolitan area of Baltimore, Maryland, one bowling center in Orlando, Florida, three bowling centers in the metropol itan area of Jacksonville, Florida, and four bowling centers in the metropolitan area of Richmond, Virginia.

These establishments are air-conditioned with facilities for service of food and beverages, game rooms, rental lockers, and meeting room facilities. All centers provide shoes for rental, and bowling balls are provided free. In addition, each center retails bowling accessories. Most locations are equipped for glow-in-the-dark bowling, popular for parties and non-league bowling. The bowling equipment essential for the Company's operation is readily available. Two of the Company's bowling centers are located in leased premises, and the remaining seventeen centers are owned by the Company.

The Company competes with Brunswick Corporation and AMF Bowling Worldwide, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Fredrik Arnold]

  The balance of the top ten included one technology firm, AT&T Inc. (T) in fourth place; one consumer goods, Altria Group Inc. (MO), placed fifth; Bowl America Class A (BWL.A) in seventh place was the lone service dog. Two utilities, Northwest Natural Gas (NWN), and Consolidated Edison (ED), in ninth and tenth places completed the representation of market sectors in the champions index.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-recreation-companies-to-invest-in-2016-3.html

Top Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top Media Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Harold L. Vogel]

  For cable networks and distributors, first admire the long-term pricing power for cable services (shown in the chart below). Price increases have far exceeded the rate of gain of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for decades and thereby supported the stock prices and earnings growth of the entire industry (even though some companies such as Charter (CHTR) stumbled into bankruptcy even with this pricing wind at their backs).

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-media-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-3.html

10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks For 2016

10 Best Healthcare Equipment Stocks For 2016: Caplease Funding Inc (LSE)

CapLease, Inc. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT), focused on financing and investing in commercial real estate that is net leased primarily to single tenants with investment grade or near investment grade credit ratings. It provides private and corporate owners of net lease real estate with equity, debt, and mezzanine financing options. The company is organized to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and accordingly it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its stockholders. Capital Lease is based in New York City.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Berkeley Group Holdings Plc (BKG) surged 8.3 percent after saying first-half profit rose 22 percent. London Stock Exchange Group Plc (LSE) climbed 2.4 percent after Bank of America Corp.'s Merrill Lynch unit recommended buying the stock. Givaudan SA (GIVN) lost 1.3 percent after Nestle SA said it will sell $1.27 billion of shares in the world's largest flavorings maker.

• [By Brian Louis]

  Schorsch's company had about $15 billion in pending acquisitions at the end of last month, including Phoenix-based Cole, according to Bloomberg Industries. American Realty agreed in May to purchase CapLease Inc. (LSE) for about $2 billion, and in July said it would acquire American Realty Capital Trust IV in a transaction it values at $3.1 billion. The deal for New York-based CapLease is scheduled to be completed this week.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-healthcare-equipment-stocks-for-2016.html

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now

Top Oil Companies To Invest In Right Now: Marquee Energy Ltd (MQL)

Marquee Energy Ltd. (Marquee), formerly Marquee Petroleum Ltd., is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of petroleum and natural gas reserves in Western Canada. The Company is focused on the Cardium play of West Central Alberta in the Wilesden Green, Carrot Creek and South Pembina areas. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a total of approximately 174,420 gross acres (147,875 net acres) of oil and natural gas leases. In December 2013, it acquired all of the Western Canadian assets of Sonde Resources Corp. (Sonde), including all of its Southern Alberta properties. The Assets are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. In March 2014, Marquee Energy Ltd completed the acquisition of strategic assets in its oil focused Michichi core area. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]
  Sonde Resources Corp. An oil and gas exploration and production company based in Calgary, Alberta, Sonde Resources Corp held a global portfolio of high potential energy assets including producing oil and natural gas assets in Western Canada and offshore exploration property in North Africa. Specifically, Sonde Resources Corp had 226,119 gross undeveloped acres in Western Canada and 750,000 acres in a Libya/Tunisia offshore licence. However and last November, an agreement between Sonde Resources Corp and Marquee Energy Ltd (CVE: MQL) was announced whereby the latter will acquire substantially all of the former's Western Canadian assets, including all of its Southern Alberta properties. These assets are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta, immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. Under the deal which concluded at the end of last year, Sonde Resources Corp ! received 21,182,492 common shares of Marquee Energy Ltd plus $15 million c ash with the shares being distributed to Sonde Resources Corp's shareholders and Sonde itself retaining the cash received. In addition, Sonde Resources Corp will retain ownership of about 100,000 net acres of Western Canada exploration assets, split approximately equally between its Eaglesham area Wabamun play and west central Alberta Duvernay play. Moreover, the company will continue to seek strategic alternatives for this Western Canada exploration acreage, including cash sales, farm-outs, other forms of merger, or other options. Otherwise, Sonde Resources Corp's business will focus on the development of the Zarat field and exploration of the Joint Oil Block in North Africa. On Tuesday, small cap Sonde Resources Corp fell 1.83% to $0.530 (SOQ has a 52 week trading range of $0.51 to $2.11 a share) for a market cap of $29.72 million plus the stock is down 70.5% over the past year and down 55.8% over the past five years.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-oil-companies-to-invest-in-right-now-5.html

5 Best Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2016

5 Best Chemical Stocks To Watch For 2016: Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APD)

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, equipment, and services worldwide. The company?s Merchant Gases segment sells atmospheric gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, including hydrogen and helium; and medical and specialty gases for the metal, glass, chemical processing, food processing, healthcare, steel, general manufacturing, and petroleum and natural gas industries. This segment also offers respiratory therapies, home medical equipment, and infusion services primarily in Europe. Its Tonnage Gases segment provides hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, oxygen, and syngas to the energy production and refining, chemical, and metallurgical industries; and produces dinitrotoluene used in the manufacture of a precursor of polyurethane foam. The company?s Electronics and Performance Materials segment offers nitrogen trifluoride, silane, arsine, phosphine, white ammonia, silicon tetra fluoride, carbon tetrafluoride, hexafluoromethane, critical etch gases, and tungsten hexafluoride; and tonnage gases, specialty chemicals, and services and equipment for the manufacture of silicon and compound semiconductors, thin film transistor liquid crystal displays, and photovoltaic devices. This segment also provides performance materials for a range of products, including coatings, inks, adhesives, civil engineering, personal care, institutional and industrial cleaning, mining, oil refining, and polyurethanes. Its Equipment and Energy segment designs and manufactures cryogenic equipment for air separation, hydrocarbon recovery and purification, natural gas liquefaction, and helium distribution; and offers plant design, engineering, procurement, and construction management services for the chemical and petrochemical manufacturing, oil and gas recover! y and processing, and steel and primary metals processing industries. The company was founded in 1940 and is based in Al l entown, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By BLOGS.BARRONS.COM]

  Air Products & Chemicals: Activist investor Bill Ackman, whose Pershing Square has a 10% stake in the industrial gas producer, said in February that with the right CEO Air Products (APD) could nearly double. Davidson thinks CEO Seifi Ghasemi, who was appointed in June, is a perfect fit to squeeze more out of a company that already has good assets in a stable industry. "He's not going to have to transform the business," says Davidson, "he's just going to have to run it better." Davidson says the dividend, now at 2.38%, could be 60% higher in five years time.

• [By Tom Rojas and Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

  Air Products & Chemicals Inc.(APD) said its fiscal third-quarter profit rose 8.9% on stronger revenue, boosted by higher volumes across all business segments. The company also narrowed its earnings outlook for the fiscal year. Shares were inactive premarket.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-chemical-stocks-to-watch-for-2016.html

10 golden money rules that can make you a millionaire

In my experience, lack of financial literacy has been the main reason why people have not made the best use of their money. Their potential to become millionaires has, therefore, unfortunately remained unrealised. Worse, they have repeatedly fallen prey to fraudulent schemes. If you want financial success, this has to change. You have to become more vigilant about your financial matters.

For your convenience I have listed below 10 Golden Money Rules that are the catalyst to your millionaire-aspirations.

1. Invest in financial lessons before investing in financial assets

You don't drive without learning driving and getting a license. Do you? Similarly, you need to first learn how to acquire good assets and manage them appropriately.

2. Have a detailed Financial Roadmap

Without one you could easily get lost in the financial maze and may not reach your goals. Get yourself a financial GPS.

3. You are unique. Hence, do what suits you

Blindly copying others is not a good idea. Your assets, liabilities, needs, desires, time-frame, risk-appetite are different from your friends, neighbours, colleagues, relatives. So naturally, your investment pattern too has to be different from them.

4. Keep things simple

A simple term plan, a simple mutual fund, a simple medical insurance plan, etc. will work well in most cases. Don�t be under the false impression that complicated products give better returns.

5. Start early, invest regularly and stay invested

Time makes money. Even Einstein was impressed by the power of compounding. Assets are merely the tools, which Time employs to make money for you.

6. Always pay your credit card bills before the due date

This will not only save you lots of avoidable interest charges, but also prevent splurging. It will ensure that you buy only what you really need.

7. Avoid Leveraging

A millionaire with debt is a fake millionaire. I am sure you wouldn't want to be one.

8. Avoid exotic products and derivatives

They have been rightly termed as Weapons of Mass Financial Destruction. Look what happened even to the mighty USA. 

9. Seek guidance from professional financial advisors

Right directions will save you a lot in terms of time, efforts and money.

10. Beware of scams and scheming agents

If anything sounds too good to be true, it usually isn't true. Don't trust anyone. Triple-check every deal offered to you. Internet is a great tool to get right information.

This list should, however, be your starting point, not end-point. Educate yourself. Books, internet, seminars . . . you have so many avenues to choose from. After all it is your hard-earned money. So please do take good care of it.

In fact, I would go to the extent of saying that if you just follow one rule - KEEP THINGS SIMPLE - you will not go wrong with your financial decisions. (The financial lessons will be easy, the roadmap would be simple, you will not need any experts, you will avoid scams and exotic products, you will keep away from debt, you will not have any problems in paying your bills on time, etc.)

Sanjay Matai is a personal finance advisor ( www.wealtharchitects.in ) and author. �Millionaires don�t eat cakes�they make them� is his latest publication.

Top 10 Valued Companies For 2016

Top 10 Valued Companies For 2016: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Roberts]

  Shares of Dollar Tree (DLTR) were substantially lower this morning after the company reported third-quarter earnings. Dollar Tree earnings tallied 59 cents per diluted share of DLTR stock, which missed analyst estimates by two pennies.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-10-valued-companies-for-2016.html

Hot New Companies To Own For 2016

Hot New Companies To Own For 2016: Zinco Do Brasil Inc (ZNBR)

Zinco do Brasil Inc., formerly TurkPower Corporation, incorporated on November 4, 2004, has been a Turkish-American consulting and service operations firm and junior mining company. TurkPower offered its domestic and international clients consulting services and plans to act as a full service operator for wind, hydro, solar, coal and geothermal energy parks in Turkey.

In November 2011, the Company ceased all operations in Turkey. During the fiscal year ended May 31, 2012 (fiscal 2012) the Company impaired its entire mining company investment.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap mining stocks Discovery Minerals Ltd (OTCMKTS: DSCR), Zinco Do Brasil Inc (OTCMKTS: ZNBR) and Amalgamated Gold and Silver Inc (OTCMKTS: BCHS) have been getting some extra attention lately as one stock surged last Friday while the other two are or have been in the past, the subject of paid promotions. It goes without saying though that small cap mining stocks tend to be riskier than your average stock. But do these three small cap mining stocks have what it takes to produce a mother lode for investors? Here is a deeper dig into all three:

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/hot-new-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

How to Handle Stock Ideas

Someone emailed me asking how to do a stock analysis. What are the different parts? What is most important? It's a good topic. And I intended to answer it today – after explaining in my last article that a good write-up is not the same thing as a good investment. But I realized I had to deal with another topic first: how to handle stock ideas.

Before you can write-up a stock for your own purposes – and that's what we're talking about here, not doing analysis for someone else – you need to have a stock in my mind. How do you get a stock idea?

There are probably about 10,000 stocks to choose from in the U.S. There are at least that many – probably more – available to you in the rest of the world. If you limit yourself to big stocks – say $100 million or $200 in market cap or higher – you probably cut that number in half. But even if – like many investors – you ignore microcaps entirely, you're still talking about thousands and thousands of stocks to choose from. Even an investor who ignores all micro caps and all non-U.S. stocks will still have a few thousand stocks to choose from.

So stock ideas are plentiful. Good stock ideas may not be. I mentioned in a previous article that I ran a backtest – looking back 15 years, my idea of a truly long-term investment – and found about 700 American stocks that more than met my requirements for good returns in both relative and absolute terms. That's a backward looking test. You can only tell in retrospect that about 700 American stocks performed well enough from 1998 through 2013 to be labeled – in hindsight – good stock ideas. It does, however, give you some idea of just how many good ideas there are. In that case, more than 1 out of 20 stocks (in fact, closer to 1 out of 10 stocks) performed adequately in both relative and absolute terms. This was a bad time period for U.S. stocks generally. That made relative comparisons easy. But it made absolute returns hard to come by.

I don't think you can ca! ll a stock idea a good one unless you expect it to return at least 10% a year over the time you hold it – and it outperforms your benchmark. So, for many investors reading this, that means you're looking for a stock that can return 10% a year and beat the S&P 500.

That will be tough going forward, because I doubt the S&P 500 will return 10% a year in the future. It may return that this year, next year, and the year after that. But if – as I like to do – we think in terms of something like three years forward at the shortest and 15 years forward at the longest – returns of 10% a year from here seem very unlikely. This is due to high prices. They may be justified by low interest rates. But, will interest rates be as low in three to 15 years?

Probably not.

So the absolute return odds are stacked against us. In fact, it doesn't look like a much more opportune time to be picking stocks in the U.S. than it was back in 1998. Still, if we remember my backtest, hundreds and hundreds of stocks performed well enough over the last 15 years to be labeled "good stock ideas" in retrospect.

We'd expect at least an equal number of good ideas to be out there now. While I'm not optimistic about the future for U.S. stocks – because they're overpriced right now – I'm no more pessimistic than I would be if presented with 1998 prices. So I'm sure there are at least as many good ideas out there now as there were in 1998. Maybe more.

In ballpark numbers, we are probably looking for the best 1 idea out of 10. How hard is that to find?

For a new investor – and a wide diversifier – it's very hard. But there are some things you can do immediately to improve your odds of zeroing in on good stock ideas.

Read these books:

· Joel Greenblatt's "You Can Be a Stock Market Genius"

· Peter Lynch's "One Up On Wall Street" and "Beating the Street"

· Ben Graham's "The Intelligent Investor"

· "There's Always So! mething t! o Do"

· "Hidden Champions of the 21st Century"

· "The Outsiders"

The last two books will introduce you to two categories of stock ideas you might not have considered before. The other books are more personal – and more practical.

The best way to get good stock ideas is very simple – and very hard for most investors reading this to do. Basically, you have a group of other investors – a network of sorts – you know and trust. You meet with them from time to time, you chat on the phone, you trade emails, etc. This is by far the best way to get good stock ideas. It's how many of the best ideas I've ever gotten came to me – someone else (someone who knew me) suggested them.

Even Phil Fisher admitted that – in retrospect – his best ideas did not come from CEOs or scientists. They came from other investors. They especially came from people who knew him.

This last part is critical. Stock ideas come in different flavors. It is no good giving a Ben Graham idea to a Phil Fisher investor. It is no good suggesting a microcap to someone who has no experience investing in them. I've tried talking to otherwise intelligent investors about net-nets or foreign stocks or other things they've never sampled – there's no point. It's not the idea that matters. It's the connection between the idea and the investor.

You could try to get me to go to a great horror movie. You could do a great job pitching it. It could be a great movie. It wouldn't matter. I'm so extraordinarily unlikely to be interested – there's really no point in trying to pitch me something that far out of the kind of movie I enjoy.

It sounds silly, but investing works exactly the same way. We may prize ourselves on being open minded. But, generally, we're just fooling ourselves. Until you have some experience that bumps up against the kind of interesting idea you've just run into – it's not going to click with you. It may be an interesting idea. But you ! won't r! ecognize it as such.

So you can't leap genres entirely. You can't try to find the best net-net ideas if you've never explored that area of investing. What can you do?

You can stop reading general interest financial news, watching CNBC, Bloomberg, etc. This time is better spent focusing on a few specific areas.

One, start reading value investing blogs.

Two, focus on negative news and other short-term worries. I am not a contrarian investor. I like quality companies. But the best ideas are rarely those stocks that are in favor now.

Look for stocks that are being spun-off, that have hit temporary difficulties, etc. Think like a contrarian.

Don't look for bad businesses. Sometimes bad businesses will be so cheap they will be worth buying. But that's not what I'm suggesting when I say you should be a bit of a contrarian.

Look for stocks where the business, industry, and stock has perhaps performed poorly for the last one year, three years or five years. Not 10 or 15 years. There's a difference.

Spin-offs are a good example of this. They – since they're kind of the opposite of IPOs – often have performed worse, grown less and gotten less interest from analysts and investors in the last three years or so. Not always much beyond that.

Remember the quote from Horace that Ben Graham used. Companies aren't in favor or out of favor forever. They are seen as good for one decade, then bad the next. Sometimes the underlying business has changed a lot. More often, perspective has changed even more.

Doing all this – reading those books, trading all your general financial news reading for value blog reading, and taking a contrary mindset – will probably only get you to the point where you can pick maybe the best idea out of three. You can probably see which of three stocks is – at a glance – likely to be most interesting.

I have a very fast – and very, very effective – shortcut for you. Put much of your effort into histo! rically p! rofitable companies – a good test is 10 straight years of profits – trading at reasonable multiples. Anything above 8 times EBITDA is not reasonable. It might be justified. But it can only be justified by quality.

In tough times for stock, you'll be able to find plenty of stocks – often unglamorous, but still consistently profitable – hovering at closer to 5 times EBITDA than 8. At times like now – expensive times for stocks – it's hard enough finding consistently profitable companies trading around 8 times EBITDA.

Why 8 times EBITDA?

Here's a very quick rule of thumb. Take a stock's EV/EBITDA. Double it. The normalized P/E ratio will be less than that. It's not a perfect rule. But it's a very good tool to use. If you see a stock trading at 7 times EBITDA, that's probably a stock trading at no more than 14 times its normal earnings – adjusted for leverage.

Because financial stocks, utilities, railroads, etc. use leverage – this rule won't help you with them. It will help you with industrial stocks. It'll help you with most simple businesses – that you don't want to reward for added leverage – around the world.

You can also use a similar tool to approximate return on capital. I use a simple rule of thumb for calculating net tangible assets and a company's unleveraged ROE. Remember, I care about owner earnings – not reported earnings under GAAP – that's why I'm using EBITDA and NTA.

I take a stock's inventory and receivables and PP&E. Then I subtract that stock's accounts payable and accrued expenses. The resulting difference – usually, but not always positive – is a pretty good idea of the net tangible assets the business uses.

Take EBITDA. Divide by NTA. Then divide that number by 2. It's a pretty good bet the normalized return on equity – after-tax – of the business will be greater than that number.

For example, a stock with EBITDA of $2 a share and NTA (inventory plus receivables plus PP&E! minus ac! counts payable and accrued expenses) of $5 a share will have a normal return on equity of at least 20%. Basically, the unleveraged return on equity will often be 20% or higher.

What about cash, debt, etc? You can cover that later in your analysis. At this point, you want to know what the business earns – not what the corporation earns. They are too different questions. The more permanent issue is the economics of the business. The way the corporation is financed matters too – but it's not the first thing you need to check.

Why mention these two rules?

I use them all the time. They cut to two of the most important questions you want to answer with any stock.

How cheap is it? And how much does it return on the equity it uses?

What other questions matter?

Generally, growth and capital allocation. But their relationship is usually too hard to resolve when you first spot a stock idea. A stock can be a good investment purely on its dividend yield. It can be a good investment purely on its stock buyback. And it can be a good investment purely on its growth. If growth is high enough – you don't need the other two (though you do need return on capital).

Is return on equity always important?

Almost always. It's not important if the company redirects the capital. This is extraordinarily rare in the wild. Read "The Outsiders" for examples – like Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Teledyne – where this happened. It's important to recognize these situations when you see them. But they are so rare that if you buy a low ROE stock and hold it for the long term, your results will tend to deteriorate – on an annualized basis – over time because the company will reinvest too much in the business.

Companies almost always choose to grow more than what would actually serve shareholders best. Your best defense against this is a high ROE. Another good defense is excellent capital allocation.

At this point – after we've checked the EV/EBITDA an! d gotten ! some idea of the company's ROE – we have really transitioned into the start of our analysis.

Everyone has their own analytical checklist. Mine tends to focus on seven worries:

1. Understanding

2. Durability

3. Moat

4. Quality

5. Capital Allocation

6. Value

7. Growth

Should you use the same process?

It depends on how similar you are to me as an investor and how similar the stocks you analyze are to the ones I analyze.

A lot of people put value and growth near the top of their checklist. For me, they are at the bottom. I've basically ranked my analytical concerns from quickest way to kill and idea (No. 1 I don't understand it) to least likely to kill an investment idea (No. 8 it's not going to grow at all).

I'm not going to buy something I don't understand. Given the right circumstances, I'm totally fine buying a company that doesn't grow.

I'll explain why when I run through the seven points of my analytical checklist in the next article.

As far as handling the stock idea – and deciding whether or not to move on to analysis – there are four questions you should always ask (and a zero question I find very helpful):

0. Who referred the idea to you?

1. Did the idea "click" with you?

2. Has the company been consistently profitable?

3. Is the EV/EBITDA reasonable?

4. Is the ROE (EBITDA/NTA) adequate?

If you like the answers to those questions, move on to analyzing the stock. If the stock already falls flat in this first stage – it'll be very hard to come up with convincing reasons to buy it anyway. At least as a long-term investment.

Personally, I would scrap a stock idea that fails on these four points.

Talk to Geoff about How to Handle a Stock Idea

Top Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2016

Top Biotech Stocks To Invest In 2016: Sanofi(SNY)

sanofi-aventis engages in the discovery, development, and distribution of therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone. The company offers a range of healthcare assets, including a broad-based product portfolio in prescription drugs, OTC/OTX, generics, vaccines, and animal health. It has a strategic alliance with Regulus Therapeutics Inc. to discover, develop, and commercialize micro-RNA therapeutics, initially in fibrosis. The company was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi (SNY) is another stock that's been in a downtrending channel since the start of the summer. Even though health care stocks (especially biotechs) have posted standout numbers in 2013, Sanofi is only 6.8% higher than it was at the beginning of the year. Sure, that might be a decent return on a typical year, but when equity indices are seeing gains in the low 20% range, Sanofi's performance is horrific.

  Just like Coke, Sanofi is testing trendline resistance this week. That means that it makes sense to sell the bounce lower off of that price ceiling. Selling the bounce makes sense for two key reasons: First, it's the place where the risk is the least (because you'll know you're wrong soonest if SNY moves through resistance), and it's also the spot with the most downside to trendline support for short sellers.

  Buyers should stay away from SNY in October. There are plenty of better names in the healthcare space right now. Focus on relative strength winners instead.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Eylea isn't the only feather in Regeneron's cap, though. The company partnered with Sanofi (NYSE: SNY  ) on colorectal cancer drug Zaltrap, which gained FDA approval last August. While sales were sluggish initially, a steep price cut for the drug to make it more competitive should help.

• [B! y Johanna Bennett]

  Regeneron (REGN) climbed 3.2% after its partner Sanofi (SNY) said an experimental asthma drug produced good results in clinical trials. Sanofi climbed 1.9%.

• [By Daniel Kline]

  While Netflix has had success making its shows feel like events, other networks have struggled to gain attention for theirs. Amazon, for example, has gotten a little notice for its Alpha House series thanks to star John Goodman and creator Garry Trudeau (of Doonesbury fame), but its other comedy series,Betas, has mostly gone unnoticed. Yahoo! is also entering a crowded field that's about to get even more crowded as Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) has announced plans for at least six original series for its Xbox One platform and Sony (NYSE: SNY  ) is launching at least one show on its PlayStation Network, Bloomberg reported.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/top-biotech-stocks-to-invest-in-2016.html

Top 5 International Stocks For 2015

Popular Posts: 5 Biotechnology Stocks to Buy Now5 Tech Services Stocks to Buy Now5 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now Recent Posts: 5 Metals and Mining Stocks to Sell Now 5 Stocks With Awful Sales Growth ��HTS MITT MNKD UEC IDIX 5 Stocks With Great Sales Growth ��PCYC HTH INSY CREG GV View All Posts

This week, these five stocks have the best ratings in Operating Margin Growth, one of the eight Fundamental Categories on Portfolio Grader.

Old Republic International Corporation () is an insurance holding company whose subsidiaries market, underwrite, and provide risk management services. ORI also gets A’s in Earnings Momentum, Analyst Earnings Revisions, Earnings Surprises and Cash Flow. .

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: Marvell Technology Group Ltd.(MRVL)

Marvell Technology Group Ltd. designs, develops, and markets analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing, and embedded and standalone ARM-based microprocessor integrated circuits. It offers mobile and wireless products, including communications processors, applications processors, and standalone wireless products, as well as combination devices, which incorporate wireless, Bluetooth, and FM radio capability. The company also provides storage products comprising tape drive controllers, read channel, hard disk controllers, solid-state drive controllers, hybrid drive controllers, and storage-system products for hard disk drives, tape drive electronics, optical disk drives, solid-state flash drives, hybrid drives, and storage subsystems technology. In addition, it offers networking, such as switching products that enable voice, video, and data traffic to be carried through the network for the enterprise networking, carrier access, and small office/home office/residential n etworking markets; communications controller and embedded processor products; and enterprise transceiver and Ethernet connectivity products. Further, the company provides printing ASIC products; digital video processing products; and power management and green technology products, such as DSP switcher integrated regulators, analog switching regulators, and mixed-signal light-emitting diode drivers. It operates in the United States, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ashraf Eassa]

  On what was a nice day for the Nasdaq, which gained 1.05%, shares of Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL  ) plummeted 4.99% on what was seemingly no material news. However, interestingly enough, the company filed its form 10-Q today, which contained a bunch of new lawsuits that the company will have to deal with. Given the overhang from the Carnegie Mellon patent infringement suit, investors may be uneasy due to the new lawsuits that have appeared since the form 10-K was filed on March 27.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ: MRVL) was also up, gaining 4.58 percent to $14.39 after KKR & Co LLP reported a 6.8% stake in the company.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  For his second choice, Jubak turns to Paul McWilliams, editor of Next Inning, who featured Marvell (MRVL) as one of his three 2014 Top Stock Picks.

• [By Rich Smith]

  At Bermuda-incorporated semiconductor firm Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL  ) , the family that designs and markets computer chips together, stays together.

Top 5 International Stocks For 2015: City National Corporation (CYN)

City National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for City National Bank that provides various banking, investing, and trust services to small to mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, professionals, and affluent individuals. Its deposit products include demand and interest checking deposits, savings deposits, and money market accounts. The company�s loan portfolio comprises commercial loans, including lease financing; residential mortgage loans; commercial real estate mortgages; real estate construction loans; equity lines of credit; and installment loans. It also offers cash management, international banking, equipment financing, and other products and services. In addition, the company provides investment management, advisory, and brokerage services, including portfolio management, securities trading, and asset management; personal and business trust and investment services comprising employee benefit trust services, and 401(k) and defined benefit plans; and estate and financial planning, and custodial services. Further, it offers various asset classes and investment styles, including fixed-income instruments, mutual funds, domestic and international equities, and alternative investments, such as hedge funds. City National Corporation provides its services through 79 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers in Southern California; the San Francisco Bay area; Nevada; New York City; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia. The company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  Given that you clicked on this article, it seems safe to assume you either own stock in City National Corp. (NYSE: CYN  ) or are considering buying shares in the near future. If so, then you've come to the right place. The table below reveals the nine most critical numbers that investors need to know about City National stock before deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold it.

Top 5 International Stocks For 2015: Pernod Ricard SA (PDRDY)

Pernod Ricard SA is a France-based producer and distributor of spirits and wines. The Company offers such products as whiskies, aniseed spirits, liqueurs, cognacs and brandies, white spirits and rums, bitters, champagnes and wines. Its business is divided into three segments: Top 14 Spirits & Champagne, Priority Premium Wines and 18 key local spirits brands. Pernod Ricard SA�� flagship brands include ABSOLUT, Ricard, Havana Club, Ballantine��, Malibu, The Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, Beefeater, Kahlua, Martell, Royal Salute, Mumm, Perrier-Jouet and Jameson, among others. The wine category includes, Jacob�� Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Graffigna. It operates as a holding company, with the structure divided between brand owner subsidiaries, such as The Absolut Company, Havana Club International and Chivas Brothers and regional distribution subsidiaries, such as Pernod Ricard Europe, Pernod Ricard Americas and Pernod Ricard Asia, distribute local brands. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  But its current valuation��t trades at 31 times earnings��akes me pause. At that price, you are implicitly expecting one of two things to happen:

  The American whiskey boom continues unabated for years��nd isn�� replaced by something new and trendy. Brown-Forman will be acquired by a larger competitor (think Diageo or Pernod-Ricard (PDRDY)).

  The first assumption is one I�� be hesitant to make given the whims of fashion. And the second is even less likely. Brown-Forman is family controlled, and in the past the company has very adamant about preserving its independence.

Top 5 International Stocks For 2015: TriQuint Semiconductor Inc.(TQNT)

TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. provides radio frequency (RF) solutions and technology for communications, defense, and aerospace companies worldwide. The company designs, develops, and manufactures RF solutions with gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride, bipolar high electron mobility transistor, surface acoustic wave (SAW), temperature compensated surface acoustic wave, bulk acoustic wave (BAW), copper flip, and wafer level packaging technologies. The company offers an array of filtering, switching, and amplification products for RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave applications. It sells electronic components for mobile phones, including transmit modules, RF filters, power amplifiers and power amplifier modules, duplexers, switches, other RF devices, and integrated products to mobile device manufacturers. The company also offers signal amplification and filtering products, including a portfolio of GaAs microwave monolithic integrated circuits and transistors, and SAW and BAW filter components that support the transfer of voice, data, and video across wireless or wired infrastructure. Its network products comprise millimeter wave power amplifiers, frequency converters, and voltage controlled oscillators. In addition, the company provides defense and aerospace devices, including packaged products, die-level integrated circuits (ICs), microwave monolithic ICs, and multi-chip modules to military contractors serving the U.S. government for use in various communications and phased array radar programs, such as ship-based, airborne, and battlefield systems, as well as sat-com, electronic warfare, and guidance applications. Further, TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. offers foundry services. The company sells its products through independent manufacturers? representatives, independent distributors, and direct sales staff. TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  TriQuint Semiconductor (Nasdaq: TQNT  ) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 30 (Q1), TriQuint Semiconductor met expectations on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.

Former PPL CEO Joins AES Board

Power company AES (NYSE: AES  )   has added James Miller, former CEO and Chairman of PPL, to its board of directors.

"Jim brings to AES' Board substantial experience in the energy industry, both in the U.S. and internationally, including in regulated utilities and competitive power markets," said AES Chairman Charles Rossotti in a statement today. "AES will benefit from Jim's strategic insight, track record of operational improvements and disciplined capital allocation."

According to the company's press release, Miller has more than 35 years of experience in the energy industry. He previously worked for Delmarva Power & Light, ABB Group, and USEC before joining PPL in 2001. In 2006, Miller was appointed as PPL's Chairman and CEO, positions he held until his retirement in March 2012.

With operations in both the United Kingdom and the U.S., Miller's past experience with PPL may lend itself to AES' diverse international portfolio. Under Miller's watch, PPL acquired two major Kentucky utilities and the United Kingdom's second-largest electric distribution business.

link

Top 5 Restaurant Companies To Buy Right Now

Top 5 Restaurant Companies To Buy Right Now: Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc (ARCO)

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc., incorporated on December 9, 2010, is a McDonalds franchisee. As of December 31, 2010, the Company operated or franchised 1,755 McDonalds-branded restaurants, which represented 6.7% of McDonalds total franchised restaurants globally. It operates McDonalds-branded restaurants under two different operating formats, Company-operated restaurants and franchised restaurants. As of December 31, 2010, of its 1,755 McDonalds-branded restaurants in the territories, 1,292 (or 74%) were Company-operated restaurants and 463 (or 26%) were franchised restaurants. It generates revenues from two sources: sales by Company-operated restaurants and revenues from franchised restaurants, which consist of rental income, which is based on the greater of a flat fee or a percentage of sales reported by franchised restaurants. As of December 31, 2010, it owned the land for 510 of its restaurants (totaling approximately 1.2 million square meters) and the bui ldings for all but 12 of its restaurants. It divides its operations into four geographical divisions: Brazil; the Caribbean division, consisting of Aruba, Curacao, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands of St. Croix and St. Thomas; North Latin America division (NOLAD), consisting of Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama, and South Latin America division (SLAD), consisting of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. As of December 31, 2010, 35.1% of its restaurants were located in Brazil, 29.7% in SLAD, 27.1% in NOLAD and 8.1% in the Caribbean division. The Company conducts its business through its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary Arcos Dorados B.V.

Company-Operated and Franchised Restaurants

The Company operates its McDonalds-branded restaurants under two basic structures: Company-operated restaurants operated by the Company and franchised restaurants operated by fra! nchisees.. Und er both operating alternatives the real estate location may either be owned or leased by the Company. It owns, fully manages and operates the Company-operated restaurants and retains any operating profits generated by such restaurants, after paying operating expenses and the franchise and other fees owed to McDonalds under the Master Franchise Agreements (MFAs). In Company-operated restaurants, it assumes the capital expenditures for the building and equipment of the restaurant and, if it owns the real estate location, for the land as well. Under its franchise arrangements, franchisees provide a portion of the capital required by initially investing in the equipment, signs, seating and decor of their restaurants, and by reinvesting in the business over time. It is required by the MFAs to own the real estate or to secure long-term leases for franchised restaurant sites. It subsequently leases or subleases the property to franchisees.

In exchange for the lease and services, franchisees pay a monthly rent to the Company, based on the greater of a fixed rent or a certain percentage of gross sales. In addition to this monthly rent, it collects the monthly continuing franchise fee, which generally is 5% of the United States dollar equivalent of the restaurants gross sales, and pays these fees to McDonalds pursuant to the MFAs. However, if a franchisee fails to pay its monthly continuing franchise fee, it remains liable for payment in full of these fees to McDonalds. As of December 31, 2010, it was engaged in several joint ventures, which collectively owned 24 restaurants, in Argentina, Chile and Colombia.

Restaurant Categories

The Company classifies its restaurants into one of four categories: freestanding, food court, in-store and mall stores. Freestanding restaurants are the type of restaurant, which have ample indoor seating and include a drive-through area. Food court restaurants are located in malls and consist of a front counter and kitchen an! d do not h! ave their own seating area. In-store restaurants are part of a larger building and resemble freestanding restaurants, except for the lack of a drive-through area. Mall stores are located in malls like food court restaurants, but have their own seating areas. As of December 31, 2010, 808 (or 46.2%) of its restaurants were freestanding, 359 (or 20.5%) were food court, 265 (or 15.1%) were in-stores and 319 (or 18.2%) were mall stores. In addition, it has four non-traditional stores, such as food carts.

Reimaging

As of December 31, 2010, the Company had completed the reimaging of 308 of 1,569 restaurants. Many of the reimaging projects include the addition of McCafe locations to the restaurant. It has developed system-wide guidelines for the interior and exterior design of reimaged restaurants.

McCafe Locations and Dessert Centers

McCafe locations are stylish, sep arate areas within restaurants where customers can purchase a range of customizable beverages, including lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, hot and iced premium coffees and hot chocolate. As of December 31, 2010, there were 267 McCafe locations in the Territories, of which 12% were operated by franchisees. Argentina, with 71 locations, has McCafe locations, followed by Brazil, with 67 locations. In addition to McCafe locations, it has Dessert Centers. Dessert Centers operate from existing restaurants, but depend on them for supplies and operational support. As of December 31, 2010, there were 1,306 Dessert Centers in the Territories.

Product Offerings

The Companys menus feature three tiers of products: affordable entry-level options, such as its Big Pleasures, Small Prices or Combo del Dia (Daily Extra Value Meal) offerings, core menu options, such as the Big Mac, Happy Meal and Quarter Pounder, and premium options, such as Big Tasty or Angus premium hamburgers and chicken sandwiches and low-calorie or low-sodium products, which are marketed through common platforms rat! her than ! as individual items. These platforms can be based on the type of products, such as beef, chicken, salads or desserts, or on the type of customer targeted, such as the childrens menu.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Arcos Dorados (ARCO) operates and franchises McDonald's restaurants in Latin America. This stock closed up 7.7% to $13.33 in Wednesday's trading session.

  Wednesday's Volume: 3.81 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 856,761
  
  Volume % Change: 333%

  From a technical perspective, ARCO soared higher here back above both its 50-day moving average at $12.31 and its 200-day moving average at $12.86 with heavy upside volume. This move has now taken shares of ARCO out of its downtrend and the stock closed strong near the highs of the day. Shares of ARCO are now moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ARCO manages to take out its intraday high of $13.42 and then once it clears more resistance at $14.35 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ARCO as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $12.86 or its 50-day at $12.31 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 856,761 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ARCO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $15.52 to its 52-week high at $16. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give ARCO a chance to tag $18 to $19.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-restaurant-companies-to-buy-right-now-2.html

Top 5 Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2016

Top 5 Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2016: Firstin Wireless Technology Inc (FINW)

Firstin Wireless Technology, Inc., formerly Passionate Pet, Inc., incorporated on September 30, 2010, is a mobile service provider. The Company is a software-based mobile service provider that enables enterprises and business users to make affordable and business-quality international long distance and roaming calls over its hybrid mobile VoIP (HY-mVoIPTM) technology. Its service does not replace a users existing wireless service, it augments it with global communication capabilities. The Company's application is free to download, and is available on Apple iPhone, Blackberry and Android smartphones.

The Company provides international long distance and roaming services to enterprises and business travelers over smartphones. Business users need to download the Firstin application onto their smartphones to allow them to place and receive international long distance and roaming calls from anywhere in the world for a fixed monthly fee and unlimited usage. The Co mpany intends to revolutionize business mobile communications by spearheading the enterprise mobile VoIP revolution allowing for anywhere, anytime, business-quality and low-cost voice and data communications over smartphones.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  A look at SofTech, Incs financials reveals revenues of $1,375k (most recent reported quarter), $1,558k, $1,458k and $1,772k for the past four quarters along with net losses of $266k (most recent reported quarter), $51k and $14k and net income of $252k. At the end of August, SofTech, Inc had $828k in cash to cover $2,717k in current liabilities and $5,445k in total liabilities. Given the recent Asset Purchase Agreement and the deal with lenders, it would be good to wait for some more financials to see how SofTech, Incs balance sheet has improved.

  Firstin Wireless Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: FINW) Has Been Quiet Since February

  Small cap F! irstin Wireless Technology is a mobile communications company that is leading the shift to the enterprise mobile VoIP revolution through its mobile telephony platform and apps, including a flagship Firstin solution that allows for anywhere, anytime mobile communications at significant cost reductions. On Friday, Firstin Wireless Technology closed at $0.255 for a market cap of $8.57 million plus FINW is down 3,087.5% over the past year and down 78.7% since August 2011 according to Google Finance.

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Bonamour Inc (OTCBB: BONI), Firstin Wireless Technology Inc (OTCMKTS: FINW) and Microchannel Technologies Corp (OTCBB: MCTC) have been attracting attention from variosu investment newsletters lately with at least two of these stocks being the subject of paid promotions. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed paid promotions or investor relation types of activities as its up to investors and traders alike to do their due diligence. So how hot are these small cap stocks? Here is a quick reality check that might cool your appetite:

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-5-clean-energy-companies-to-own-for-2016.html

5 American Cities With a Booming Manufacturing Industry

It's a fairly well-accepted narrative that manufacturing in America is all but dead. Over 3 million manufacturing jobs were lost during the Great Recession, and what's left will eventually be outsourced -- or so the thinking goes.

But a closer look at the numbers shows that there are a number of big cities across the United States that are enjoying a healthy revival of manufacturing jobs. Below are the top five, as compiled by Forbes, and why they're doing so well.

5. Troy, Mich.

Source: troymi.gov. 

The auto industry was one of the toughest hit during the Great Recession, with both Chrysler and General Motors (NYSE: GM  ) needing massive bailouts from the U.S. government. But from the depths of the Recession, Troy is experiencing a comeback.

As part of what's known as the "Automotive Alley," Troy is home to 41 of the state's 330 research and development facilities -- providing support for GM, Chrysler, and Ford  (NYSE: F  ) . The greater Troy area has experienced a remarkable run of 26% growth in manufacturing jobs per year since 2009.   (NYSE: F  )

Top 10 Construction Material Companies For 2016

Of course, part of that is because there was nowhere to go but up, but that kind of growth is good news no matter how you look at it. Manufacturing jobs now account for 143,000 jobs in the greater Troy area. 

4. Oklahoma City

Source: Daniel Mayer, via Wikimedia Commons. 

If you follow the natural gas industry, and its boom over the past decade, you know that Oklahoma City is its epicenter. Led by Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK  ) , which is the nation's second-largest natural gas extractor, energy companies have been attracting manufacturing jobs to the city in droves. 

While Chesapeake and other energy companies may not provide all the actual manufacturing jobs, they attract peripheral companies to the city. For instance, British drilling manufacturer Centek recently opened a new plant in Oklahoma City because there are nearly 700 rigs within a 200-mile radius. 

Back in 2009, there were about 23,000 manufacturing jobs in Oklahoma City. In just three short years, that number has jumped to 35,600 -- that's an annual growth rate of 15.7%. And if natural gas continues to catch on as an alternative fuel, it's likely that the growth of manufacturing jobs in the city won't be ending anytime soon.

3. Seattle

Source: Daniel Schwen, via Wikimedia Commons. 

Seattle is known for a lot of things -- the birth of the coffee movement, high-tech jobs, and a comfortable standard of living -- but manufacturing usually isn't one of them. That's somewhat because many believe that when Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) moved its corporate headquarters to Chicago more than a decade ago, all the jobs left with it.

That simply isn't the case. Currently, Boeing employs over 80,000 people in the state of Washington altogether. In the greater Seattle area, the number of manufacturing jobs tops out at almost 170,000. The city has seen its manufacturing base increase payrolls by 12.9% per year since 2009.

2. Louisville, Ky.

Source: David Harpe, via Wikimedia Commons. 

Louisville's manufacturing jobs grew from 48,000 in 2009 to more than 72,000 in 2012. That type of growth -- 14.7% per year -- can largely be credited to two major factors. The first is that one of Ford's largest plants is located in the greater Louisville area. The plant produces the company's Super Duty line of trucks, which are the best-selling in America.

The second factor centers around GE (NYSE: GE  ) . For years, the company's appliances plant had been bleeding out manufacturing jobs. But in 2012, GE opened a brand-new plant for the manufacture of a new line of GeoSpring hybrid water heaters.

1. Houston

Source: Spacecaptain, via Wikimedia Commons. 

Like Oklahoma City, Houston benefits from being home to some of the largest energy companies in America. Metal fabrication has been a particular area of growth in the city, as energy companies look for the necessary tools to extract oil and gas from below the Earth's surface.

Houston's overall manufacturing base is enormous, almost twice as large as that of the next highest city on this list, with just under 250,000 individuals employed. That number was a much smaller 165,000 back in 2009, but thanks to yearly growth of 14.8% since then, lots of Houstonians are now employed in manufacturing.

The future of manufacturing
With the U.S. relying on the rest of the world for such a large percentage of our goods, many investors are ready for the end of the "made in China" era. Well, it may be here. Read all about the biggest industry disrupters since the personal computer in "3 Stocks to Own for the New Industrial Revolution." Just click here to learn more.