Friday, January 23, 2015

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014

Fiserv Inc (FISV) recently signed a contract with Community Bank - Wheaton / Glen Ellyn. The community bank, a subsidiary of Community Financial Shares, Inc. (CFIS), chose Fiserv�� DNA account processing platform to upgrade its banking infrastructure.

The community bank serves Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and surrounding communities in DuPage County, Ill. and has more than 29K customers. It manages assets worth $355.0 million. The bank selected DNA due to its closely integrated complementary solutions, customer friendly approach and strong business intelligence tools.

The DNA account processing solution has gained significant momentum in recent times. Recently, Fiserv won contracts from three leading credit unions namely Greater Nevada, MIDFLORIDA and Navigant, which on a combined basis have more than 302K members.

DNA banking platform was the primary reason behind Fiserv�� acquisition of Open Solutions early this year. The acquisition of the DNA platform is expected to expand Fiserv�� customer base going forward. Most of the DNA contracts are long term in nature, which is significant. These will add a recurring revenue source to Fiserv�� top line.

Top 5 Insurance Companies To Invest In Right Now: Adobe Systems Inc (ADBE)

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe), incorporated on October 5, 1983, is a diversified software company. The Company offers a line of software and services used by professionals, marketers, knowledge workers, application developers, enterprises and consumers for creating, managing, delivering, measuring and engaging with content and experiences across multiple operating systems, devices and media. The Company markets and licenses its software directly to enterprise customers through its sales force and to end users through application stores and its Website at www.adobe.com. Adobe also distributes its products through a network of distributors, value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators, independent software vendors (ISVs), retailers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In addition, Adobe licenses its technology to hardware manufacturers, software developers and service providers for use in their products and solutions. It offers some of its products via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model (also known as a hosted model or cloud-based model), as well as through term subscription and pay-per-use models. The Company�� software runs on personal computers (PCs) and server-based computers, as well as on smartphones, tablets and other devices, depending on the product. It has operations in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia. On January 13, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Efficient Frontier. In January 2011, the Company acquired Demdex. In July 2011, the Company acquired EchoSign. In October 2011, the Company acquired Typekit Inc. In November 2011, it acquired Auditude Inc. In January 2012, the Company acquired Efficient Frontier. In December 2012, the Company acquired Behance. In May 2013, Adobe Systems Inc acquired Ideacodes LLC. In July 2013, Adobe Systems Inc announced the completion of acquisition of privately held Neolane.

Digital Media

The Digital Media segment provides tools and solutions that enable individuals, small! businesses and enterprises to create, publish, promote and monetize their content anywhere. Its customers include content creators, Web application developers and digital media professionals, as well as their management in marketing departments and agencies, companies and publishers. The flagship of the Company�� Digital Media business is its Creative Suite family of products. Consisting of 13 individual products and five suites that contain different configurations of these products, the Company focuses on the needs of professional customers, which include graphic designers, production artists, Web designers and developers, user interface designers, writers, videographers, motion graphic artists, prepress professionals, video game developers, mobile application developers, students and administrators. They use and rely on its solutions for publishing, Web design and development, video and animation production, mobile applications and gaming development and, document creation and collaboration. They work in businesses ranging from publishers, media companies and global enterprises, to design agencies, small and medium-sized businesses, and individual freelancers. Its Creative Suite family of products is used by creative professionals to create the printed and online information people see, read and interact with every day, including newspapers, magazines, websites, mobile applications, catalogs, advertisements, brochures, product documentation, books, memos, reports and banners. Its tools are also used to create content, including video, animation and mobile content, that is created by multimedia, film, television, audio and video producers who work in advertising, Web design, music, entertainment, corporate and marketing communications, product design, user interface design, sales training, printing, architecture and fine arts. Knowledge workers, educators and hobbyists also use its creative products to create and deliver content.

Adobe Digital Publishing solution is an online, hosted p! ublishing! solution that enables magazine and newspaper publishers to deliver engaging, reading experiences of their publications to an array of mobile and tablet devices. Its Digital Publishing solution utilizes E-commerce models to sell single issues and subscriptions directly to consumers through mobile marketplaces, and analytics capabilities based on its Adobe Digital Marketing Suite. The Company�� Digital Media-Creative products include Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium, Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard, Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection, Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium, Adobe Creative Suite Web Premium, CS Live Services, Adobe Digital Publishing solution, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Edge, Adobe Encore, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Flash Professional, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InCopy, Adobe InDesign, Adobe InDesign Server, Adobe Muse, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Express, Adobe Photoshop Express Mobile, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Photoshop Extended, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Premiere Elements, Adobe Premiere Express, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Soundbooth, Adobe Story, Adobe Visual Communicator, Business Catalyst and TypeKit. Its Digital Media-Touch App Products include Adobe Revel, Adobe Collage, Adobe Debut, Adobe Ideas, Adobe Kuler, Adobe Photoshop Touch and Adobe Proto. Its Developer and Platform products include Adobe AIR, Adobe Flash Builder, Adobe Flash Catalyst, Adobe Flash Lite, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Flash Platform Services, Adobe Flex and PhoneGap Build. The Company�� Adobe Media Server products include Adobe Flash Access, Adobe Media Interactive Server, Adobe Media Enterprise Server, Adobe Media Live Encoder, Adobe Media Playback, Adobe Media Streaming Server, Adobe Video Streaming Service, Adobe Pass, Auditude, HTTP Dynamic Streaming, Digital Media, Adobe Acrobat Standard, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe Acrobat Suite, Adobe CreatePDF, Adobe SendNow and EchoSign.

The Company competes with Apple, Aviar! y, Avid, ! Corel, Microsoft, Quark, ACDsee, Mediascape, Xara, Bare Bones Software, FlashDevelop, JetBrains, Panic, MacRabbit, MacroMates, Oracle, Micro Focus, IBM, Amazon, Aquafada, Google, Texterity, Zinio, ACD Systems, AI Soft (Japan), ArcSoft, Corel, i4 (Japan), Kodak, Nova Development, Magix, Microsoft, Rovi, Sony, Canon, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Nikon, Phase One, Autodesk, Broderbund and Grass Valley.

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing segment provides solutions and services for how digital advertising and marketing are created, managed, executed, measured and optimized. Its customers include digital marketers, advertisers, publishers, merchandisers, Web analysts, chief marketing officers and chief revenue officers. The Company�� Digital Marketing Business unit provides solutions that include Web analytics, online business optimization and Web experience management products, solutions and services. It delivers these capabilities through its Digital Marketing Suite, which includes its Day CQ5 WEM offerings, as well as the offerings gained through its acquisition of Efficient Frontier. The Company�� products include Adobe SearchCenter, Adobe AudienceManager, Context Optional Social Marketing Suite, Adobe CQ, Adobe Merchandising, Adobe Publish, Adobe Recommendations, Adobe Scene7 On-Demand, Adobe Search&Promote, Adobe SiteSearch, Adobe Test&Target, Adobe Discover, Adobe SiteCatalyst, Adobe SocialAnalytics, Adobe Survey, Adobe Tag Manager, Adobe Insight, Adobe Insight for Retail, Adobe CRX, Adobe DataWarehouse and Adobe Genesis.

The Company�� Digital Enterprise Products include Adobe Connect, Adobe LiveCycle Collaboration Service, Adobe LiveCycle Connectors for ECM, Adobe LiveCycle Content Services, Adobe LiveCycle Mosaic, Adobe LiveCycle Data Services, Adobe LiveCycle Forms, Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions, Adobe LiveCycle Output, Adobe LiveCycle PDF Generator, Adobe LiveCycle Production Print, Adobe LiveCycle Digital Signatures, Adobe LiveCycle Rights Management, A! dobe Live! Cycle Process Management, Adobe LiveCycle Business Activity Monitoring, Adobe LiveCycle Managed Services, Adobe Central Pro Output Server, Adobe LiveCycle Designer, Adobe Output Designer, Adobe Output Pak for mySAP.com and Adobe Web Output Pak.

The Company competes with Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, HP, salesforce.com, AdXpose, WebTrends, Infor, Nielsen Company, SAS Institute, Microsoft Advertising, WPP, Truviso, Clickfox, QlikTech, Teradata, Accenture, Acxiom Digital, [x + 1], Celebros, SLI Systems, Nextopia Software, Fredhopper. EMC, OpenText, Alfresco, CoreMedia, Percussion, SDL, Cisco WebEx, IBM Lotus Sametime, Citrix GoToMeeting, PegaSystems, Nuance and Ultimus.

Print and Publishing

The Company�� Print and Publishing business segment contains products and services that address market opportunities, including eLearning solutions, technical document publishing, Web application development and high-end printing. Its ColdFusion offering provides ways to build and deploy Internet applications. Developers can extend or integrate ColdFusion with Java or .NET applications, connect to enterprise data and applications, create and interact via Web services, or interface with short messaging service (SMS) on mobile devices or instant messaging clients. Its Print and Publishing products include Adobe Authorware, Adobe Captivate, Adobe ColdFusion, Adobe Contribute, Adobe Director, Adobe eLearning Suite, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe FrameMaker Server, Adobe Font Folio, Adobe JRun, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe PDF Print Engine, Adobe PostScript, Adobe RoboHelp, Adobe Shockwave Player, Adobe Technical Communication Suite, Adobe Type Classics for Learning, Adobe Type Sets and FreeHand MX.

The Company competes with Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Oracle.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Fusion Research]

    Technology heavyweight, Adobe Systems (ADBE) also has web fonts of its own. Typekit was a pioneer in web font technology when it launched it in 2009. However, Adobe acquired Typekit in 2011. This acquisition allowed Adobe to have its own Typekit Web Fonts library consisting of 1200 web fonts. This Typekit library has become a vital part of Adobe Creative Cloud. With this acquisition, Adobe could have been a threat for Monotype Imaging. Strangely, Adobe is Monotype Imaging's largest client. Adobe entered a partnership last year with Monotype Imaging that adds over 1,000 Monotype Imaging fonts to Adobe's typekit service. Hence, Adobe Creative Cloud now also offers Monotype Imaging fonts.

  • [By Lee Jackson]

    Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) makes the list this year. With the release of fourth-quarter results this week, the company once again reported faster-than-expected adoption of subscription licenses for its Creative Cloud (CC) business, as more of its clients chose enterprise term licensing agreements. Adobe expects to have nearly 3 million paid CC individual and team subscriptions by the end of fiscal 2014. Merrill Lynch has a $67 price target, and the consensus estimate is $63. Adobe closed Thursday at $58.13.

  • [By Anders Bylund]

    Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE  ) is leaving permanent software licenses behind, and will deliver its creative tools exclusively via its cloud-based subscription hub. The company hailed this move as an "accelerated shift to the cloud."

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Hastings Entertainment Inc.(HAST)

Hastings Entertainment, Inc. operates as a multimedia entertainment retailer. It operates entertainment superstores that buy, sell, trade, and rent various home entertainment products, including books, music, software, periodicals, movies on DVD and Blu-Ray, video games, video game consoles and consumer electronics. The company?s stores also provide consumables and trends products, such as apparel, t-shirts, action figures, posters, greeting cards, and seasonal merchandise. As of March 31, 2011, it operated 145 superstores in medium-sized markets located in 20 states, primarily in the western and midwestern United States. The company also operates a concept store, Sun Adventure Sports that sells a range of bicycles and related accessories, skateboards, other athletic equipment, apparel, and shoes, as well as offers bicycle repair services and cycling classes. In addition, it operates a multimedia entertainment e-commerce Web site, which offers a range of books, software, video games, movies on DVDs and Blu-Ray, music, trends, and electronics. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Amarillo, Texas.

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

    At first glance it would be easy to assume the recent bullishness from Hastings Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAST) was nothing more than a little volatility, as is common for many small cap stocks. After all, HAST shares have been beaten down pretty well since the middle of last year, and a little bit of "up" relief is likely in the cards. As it turns out, however, the current reversal we're seeing from this stock may be a far bigger - and a far longer lasting - turnaround than traders may realize with just a quick look.

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Panera Bread Company(PNRA)

Panera Bread Company, together with its subsidiaries, owns, operates, and franchises retail bakery-cafes in the United States and Canada. Its bakery-cafes offer fresh baked goods, sandwiches, soups, salads, custom roasted coffees, and other complementary products, as well as provide catering services. The company also manufactures and supplies dough and other products to company-owned and franchise-operated bakery-cafes. As of March 29, 2011, it owned and franchised 1,467 bakery-cafes under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co., and Paradise Bakery & Cafe names. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Panera Bread (Nasdaq: PNRA  ) reported earnings on April 23. Here are the numbers you need to know.

    The 10-second takeaway
    For the quarter ended March 26 (Q1), Panera Bread met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

  • [By Asit Sharma]

    But within the opportunity lies a conundrum: There is no other pure retail coffee competitor anywhere near the size of Starbucks to which it can be compared. The company competes with quick service restaurants like McDonald's� (NYSE: MCD  ) at breakfast, fast-casual restaurants such as Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA  ) at lunch, and local coffee chains and independent coffee houses during other dayparts.�

  • [By BubbleBustInvesting]

    Three popular franchises, Panera Bread (PNRA), Dunkin' Brands (DNKN), and Starbucks (SBUX) are reporting Q1 earnings this week. Analysts expect Panera Bread to report earnings in the range of $1.68 to $1.58; Dunkin Brands in the range of 0.32 50 0.28; and Starbucks in the range of 0.52 to 0.47.

  • [By Michael Lewis]

    Not alone
    Chipotle and Noodles are just two examples of the QSR craze. Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA  ) trades at 23 times forward earnings. While not as unreasonably priced as the other two, it's still got a hefty price tag for a company that has already gone through its biggest growth phase.

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: ITT Industries Inc.(ITT)

ITT Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells a range of engineered products, and provides related services worldwide. Its Defense & Information Solutions segment develops tactical communications equipment, electronic warfare and force protection equipment, radar systems, integrated structures equipment, and imaging and sensor equipment, including night vision goggles, as well as weather, location, surveillance, and other related technologies for military and government agencies. It also provides services comprising air traffic management, information and cyber solutions, large-scale systems engineering, and integration and defense technologies; satellite-based imaging payloads for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions; and high-resolution commercial imaging systems with earth and space science applications, climate and environmental monitoring sensors and systems, and GPS navigation and software applications designed for image and data processing and dissemination. The company?s Fluid Technology segment provides water transport and wastewater treatment systems, pumps and related technologies, and other water and fluid control products with municipal, residential, commercial, and industrial applications. Its Motion & Flow Control segment manufactures shock absorbers and brake friction materials for the transportation industry; switch applications for the industrial and aerospace industries; electrical connectors used in telecommunications, computers, aerospace, medical, and industrial applications; and a range of pumps and tailored products for marine, food and beverage, and general industrial markets. The company was formerly known as ITT Industries, Inc. and changed its name to ITT Corporation in July 2006. ITT Corporation was founded in 1920 and is based in White Plains, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By MONEYMORNING]

    This 85-year-old forest products company operates as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) after being first acquired, then later spun off, by ITT Corp. (NYSE: ITT).

  • [By Aaron Levitt]

    Spun-off from industrial giant ITT (ITT) a few years ago, Xylem (XYL) could be a great starting point for investors looking at water stocks. Aside from its cool and appropriate name, XYL provides host of equipment — pumps, controllers and filtration devices — for wastewater treatment plants across the globe.

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    What: Shares of ITT Educational Services (NYSE: ITT  ) were flying higher today, gaining as much 34% after smashing analyst estimates in its quarterly report.

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Questar Corporation(STR)

Questar Corporation operates as an integrated natural gas holding company. The company develops and produces natural gas and crude oil from its properties located in the Rocky Mountain region, primarily in the Pinedale, Moxa Arch, Vermillion, and Uinta producing areas. It also provides interstate natural gas-transportation and underground-storage services in Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado; and wellhead automation and measurement services for Rockies oil and gas producers. The company owns and operates approximately 2,568 miles of interstate pipeline with total firm-capacity commitments of 4,983 Mdth per day transporting natural gas from Rocky Mountain producing areas to other pipeline systems, distribution systems, and other utility systems; the Overthrust Pipeline in southwestern Wyoming and the eastern segment of Southern Trails Pipeline, a 487-mile line that extends from the Blanco hub in the San Juan Basin to just inside the California state line near the Arizona border; the White River Hub facilities that connect with 6 interstate-pipeline systems and a processing plant near Meeker, Colorado; the Clay Basin storage facility, an underground-storage reservoir in the Rocky Mountain region; and gathering lines and processing facilities, which provide gas-processing services for third parties near Price, Utah. In addition, it distributes natural gas as a public utility in Utah, southwestern Wyoming, and a small portion of southeastern Idaho. Questar Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jason Hall]

    If you think natural gas prices could wreak havoc on companies like Clean Energy Fuels� (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) �and�Questar's� (NYSE: STR  ) refueling division, you probably don't understand how it all adds up "at the pump."

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

    We're seeing the exact same price setup in shares of mid-cap natural gas company Questar (STR), even if the chart looks a little different at first glance. Like REGN, Questar is currently forming a downtrending channel, but in this case, the channel is bounded to the downside by two extra support levels. Don't expect support to provide a reprieve from selling, though – the trend is clearly down from here.

    STR is sitting up near trendline resistance right now, which provides an optimal time to exit a position in shares. This stock has gotten swatted down on each of the last three attempts to push through the top of the channel, and with shares slipping for a fourth time, the message is pretty clear that the trendline isn't going to break this time around either.

    Enstar is currently forming a descending triangle pattern, a bearish price setup that's formed by a horizontal resistance level below shares and downtrending support pressing to the upside. Basically, as shares of ESGR bounce in between those two technical price levels, they're getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakdown below support at $133. A move through that $133 price level is the signal to sell (or short) this name.

    Relative strength is showing no signs of improvement in ESGR right now, which means that even after shedding almost 10% from its highs, this stock is still failing to keep up with the S&P's performance. Keep a close eye on this name while shares remain within reach of $133.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Questar (NYSE: STR  ) is opening its financial taps a little wider to return money to shareholders. The company has declared a dividend of $0.18 per share of its common stock, to be paid on June 10 to shareholders of record as of May 24. That amount is $0.01, or 6%, higher than the company's previous payout of $0.17. This was distributed in March.

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Southwest Gas Corporation(SWX)

Southwest Gas Corporation engages in the purchase, distribution, and transportation of natural gas in Arizona, Nevada, and California. As of March 31, 2011, it had 1,844,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and other natural gas customers, including 996,000 customers in Arizona; 665,000 in Nevada; and 183,000 in California. The company also operates as an underground piping contractor that provides utility companies with trenching and installation, replacement, and maintenance services for energy distribution systems. Southwest Gas Corporation was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

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

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Own For 2014: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Katie Spence]

    What this all means
    There's a lot to consider about the rise of robotics, and their possible drawbacks. But, as I've written before, robots are the technology of the future. Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) makes robots that assist with precision surgery; Rethink Robotics makes Baxter, a manufacturing robot that can work alongside humans; and now, thanks to Boston Dynamics, a first-responder robot is in the works. More importantly, as technology progresses and robots become more functional, they'll probably become as commonplace as computers -- Rodney Brooks, Rethink Robotics' CEO, has stated that that's precisely the goal. Consequently, investing in companies that specialize in robotics now could make you a pretty return in the future.

No comments:

Post a Comment