Monday, May 26, 2014

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015

LONDON -- I'm looking at some of your favorite FTSE 100 companies and examining how each will deliver its dividend. Today, I'm putting supermarket J Sainsbury (LSE: SBRY  ) (NASDAQOTH: JSAIY  ) under the microscope.

Annus horribilis
A long-term decline in Sainsbury's competitive position came to a head during its financial year ended March 2005. Underlying earnings per share plummeted 62%, and the dividend was slashed in half from 15.6 pence to 7.8 pence.

Despite the cleaving of the dividend, management said, "The dividend cover is still quite low at around 1.2 times and our objective, in the medium term, is to restore it to at least 1.5 times."

"Making Sainsbury's Great Again"
The board implemented a "Making Sainsbury's Great Again" recovery plan, which gained traction. By 2007 the company was reporting a 9.75 pence dividend, covered 1.5 times by EPS, in line with the previously stated objective. Management said, "Going forward we expect dividend cover to range between 1.5 and 1.75 times."

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: Opt-Sciences Corp (OPST)

Opt-Sciences Corporation, incorporated on November 1956, conducts its business through its wholly owned subsidiary, O and S Research, Inc. The Company deposits anti-glare and/or transparent conductive optical coatings on glass used primarily to cover instrument panels in aircraft cockpits. It also provides full glass cutting, grinding and painting operations, which augment its optical coating capabilities. Its products are designed to enable pilots to read aircraft instruments in direct sunlight or at night or in covert situations using appropriate night vision filters or to protect the instruments from electromagnetic interference. The Company�� business is dependent on a robust commercial, business, and regional aircraft market and to a lesser degree the military aircraft market. It generally has a four to twelve week delivery cycle depending on product complexity, available plant capacity and required lead time for specialty raw materials, such as polarizers or filter glass.

The Company�� offers incorporate an optical coating of some type. Its primary coatings are for aircraft cockpit display applications and consist of its anti-reflection coating used for glare reduction and its transparent conductive coating used for electromagnetic interference shielding. In addition, it also offers a full range of other specialty instrument glass, including night vision filter glass, circular polarizers, touchpads, glass sandwiches for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) as well as other custom designed specialty glass components and assemblies. It uses its technology to apply a micro thin optical non-glare and/or conductive coating to the glass. Both processes utilize the deposit of a thin film of metal or metal oxide on the surface of the glass. The process takes place in a heated vacuum chamber. It heats the deposited material to over 1800 degrees Centigrade causing it to evaporate.

The Company competes with JDSU, Mod A Can, Dontech, Schott Glass and Hoya Optics

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon] ng>Micropac

    Micropac is 76% owned by Heinz-Werner Hempel. He�� a German businessman. You can see the German company he founded here. He�� had control of Micropac for a long-time. I don�� have an exact number in front of me. But I would guess it�� been something like 25 years.

    ADDvantage

    ADDvantage Technologies is controlled by the Chymiak brothers. See the company�� April 4 press release explaining their decision to turn over the CEO position to an outsider. Regardless, the Chymiaks still control 47% of the company. Ken Chymiak is now chairman. And David Chymiak is still a director and now the company�� chief technology officer. Clearly, it�� still their company.

    By the way, the name ADDvantage Technologies has nothing to do with the Chymiaks. Today�� AEY really traces its roots to a private company called Tulsat. The Chymiak brothers acquired that company about 27 years ago. So, effectively, when you buy shares of AEY you are buying into a 27-year-old family-controlled company.

    That�� pretty typical in the world of net-nets.

    Solitron

    Solitron Devices is 29% owned by Shevach Saraf. He has been the CEO for 20 years. The post-bankruptcy Solitron has never known another CEO. Before the bankruptcy, Solitron was a much bigger, much different company. So even though we are not talking about the founder here ��and even though 70% of the company�� shares are not held by the CEO ��we��e still talking about a company where one person has a lot of control. Solitron only has three directors. Saraf is the chairman, CEO, president, CFO and treasurer. Neither of the other two directors joined the board within the last 15 years. So, we aren�� talking about a lot of tumult at the top.

    In fact, profitable net-nets seem to be especially common candidates for abandoning the responsibilities of a public company without actually getting taken private.

    OPT-Sciences

    This company is controlled by Arthu

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: NextStage Inc (NXT)

NextStage, Inc. is a holding company. The Company is engaged in the management of its investments in shares of stocks of its subsidiaries. The Company�� subsidiaries include Mondex Philippines Inc. (MXP), Infinit-e Asia Inc. (Infinit-e Asia) and Technology Support Services, Inc. (TSSI). MXP operates a multi-application smart card system in Philippines. Infinit-e Asia is a software development company specializing on smart card and e-commerce solutions tailored to enhance the business of its clients. Infinit-e Asia develops smart card solutions for both real and online applications and on both contact and contactless platform. Infinit-e Asia�� spectrum of products and applications are classified as payments, data capture and security. TSSI is engaged in the business of business process outsourcing (BPO), applications service providers (ASP) and managed service providers (MSP). Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

    HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA), Europe�� largest bank, slid 2.1 percent. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) declined 2 percent as it canceled some of its flights following a disruption caused by one of its planes at Heathrow airport. Next Plc (NXT) retreated 2.4 percent as Morgan Stanley cut its recommendation on the shares.

Top High Dividend Companies To Own In Right Now: Copart Inc. (CPRT)

Copart, Inc. provides online auctions and vehicle remarketing services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company offers a range of services for processing and selling vehicles over the Internet through its Virtual Bidding Second Generation Internet auction-style sales technology, to vehicle sellers, primarily insurance companies, banks and financial institutions, charities, car dealerships, fleet operators, and vehicle rental companies. Its services include online seller access, salvage estimation services, estimating services, end-of-life vehicle processing, virtual insured exchange, transportation services, vehicle inspection stations, on-demand reporting, DMV processing, flexible vehicle processing programs, member network, sales process, dealer services, direct services, and u-pull-it services, as well as CoPartfinder, an Internet-based used vehicle parts locator that provides vehicle dismantlers with resale opportunities for their purchases. Th e company sells its products to licensed vehicle dismantlers, rebuilders, repair licensees, used vehicle dealers, and exporters, as well as the general public. Copart, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Fairfield, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon] facility. They have to either buy somebody out (in which case you might not penalize them in free cash flow) or buy and develop a new salvage yard from scratch (in which case, almost all FCF calculations will punish them for this cap-ex).

    But, if you really believe that Copart can achieve anything like a 27% return on net tangible assets (my estimate of what they��e done in the past) ��should you be penalizing them at all?

    Isn�� a $1 increase in inventory, receivables, and/or land that is going to earn 27 cents a year worth every bit as much as if it was paid out to you (or was sitting in cash at a bank)?

    So, aren�� earnings for a company that earns a 20%+ return on tangible investment clearly worth every bit as much as free cash flow?

    I would say yes. If and only if you believe the future return on the earnings retained by the business today (the marginal return) is in a sense comparable to the average return in the past.

    Don�� confuse how fast a car is moving at this instant with how much distance it�� covered in the past hour.

    The past average is just the past average. It is not the same as what the company will earn on the next dollar of capital it puts into the business.

    But it can be used as a guide. Especially for wide moat businesses.

    Like any rough guide ��you want to leave a big margin of safety. So, if you think you can make 10% on the money in your brokerage account and the company you are investing in has an average unleveraged return on tangible net assets of 12% - that�� pretty much a wash. I can�� say that money is better off with the company than it is with you. And I think ��absent tax concerns ��it would make perfect sense to hope the company paid that cash out to you.

    At a 20% unleveraged return on tangible net assets I�� feel differently. The evidence points to the company having a better chance to earn more on the capital inside the business than you�� be able to ea

  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Car auctioneer Copart Inc.'s(CPRT) reported a weaker-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter profit because of higher expenses. While revenue growth topped analysts’ expectations, the bottom line surprisingly fell 8% from a year ago as Copart’s expenses–including yard operation and vehicle sale costs–jumped from the prior year.

  • [By Geoff Gannon] s thousands of acres of land around the U.S. Some of it is quite valuable. It�� carried on the balance sheet at $343 million. That number excludes buildings and improvements (which had an original cost of another $384 million).

    Some of that land ��for example, some of the earliest properties they still own in California ��are worth much, much more than they are carried for.

    But that fact actually isn�� that important. Why not?

    Because Copart earns very high returns on its net tangible assets. We��e talking about probably 20% to 30% returns on tangible investment. You don�� normally earn 20% on land. So, the value of land is not very high outside of Copart�� operations relative to what it is worth inside Copart�� operations.

    And, yes, the land is critical to Copart�� operations. They don�� necessarily have to own it ��a major competitor leases almost all of its land ��but they do have to control it.

    Now, if something were ever to happen to Copart�� business where you had a long-term deterioration in the car salvage business that land might become very important to an analysis of Copart.

    Let�� assume that tomorrow there is some high tech crash avoidance system. For example, cars are navigated remotely rather than being driven by someone inside the car.

    Under those circumstances, Copart�� business would be forever changed. The volume of wrecks would decline. And Copart�� invested assets ��like its big salvage yards ��would become much less valuable inside Copart�� business.

    That means the market value of the land would now be a lot higher relative to the value Copart could get from using the land to store cars. This would change the analysis entirely. And suddenly Copart�� balance sheet would be worth careful analysis.

    While this sounds farfetched, it�� actually the kind of thing that happens at net-nets and other stocks that are valuable on a liquidation basis. They start

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: E*TRADE Financial Corporation(ETFC)

E*TRADE Financial Corporation, a financial services company, provides online brokerage and related products and services primarily to individual retail investors under the E*TRADE Financial brand in the United States. It offers trading products and services, including automated order placement and execution of the U.S. equities, futures, options, exchange-traded funds, and bond orders; sweep deposit accounts; access to E*TRADE Mobile Pro to trade stocks and transfer funds between accounts, as well as to monitor real-time investment, market, and account information; access to Power E*TRADE Pro, a desktop trading software for active traders; an open applications programming interface for third-party and independent software developers; margin accounts; cross boarder trading; access to international equities; research and trade idea generation tools; and E*TRADE Community that utilizes social media to offer a platform to customers. The company also provides access to the inve stor resource center that provides an aggregated view of its investing tools, market insights, independent research, education, and other investing resources; advisory services through Online Advisor; fixed income tools to identify, evaluate, and implement fixed income investment strategies; access to Retirement QuickPlan calculator that provides action plan on personal retirement savings; one-on-one portfolio recommendations and personalized plans; managed investment portfolio advisory services; unified managed account advisory services; individual retirement accounts; access to non-proprietary exchange-traded funds and mutual funds; investing and trading educational services through online videos, Web seminars, and Web tutorials; and deposit accounts, including checking, savings, and money market accounts. In addition, it provides software and services for managing equity compensation plans for corporate customers. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Ne w York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Shares of E*Trade Financial (ETFC) have fallen today following a report that Finra is looking into whether customers got the best fills on its G1 Execution service.

    Getty Images

    Sandler O’Neill’s Richard Repetto and Mike Adams do not believe the Finra investigation of E*Trade Financial “is new news.” They explain why:

    While the NY Post article on ETFC�� order routing practices implies a FINRA investigation is new (disclosed in recently filed 2013 10-K), we do not believe it is new news at all. First, ETFC disclosed that FINRA initiated an investigation on July 11, 2013 both in its 2Q13 10-Q (filed August 6, 2013) and 3Q13 10-Q (filed November 7, 2013). Even the recent disclosure in the 2013 10-K was filed 2 months ago on February 25, 2014.

    Shares of E*Trade Financial have fallen 3.1% to $21.69 at 3:05 p.m.–and it’s not the only online broker getting hit today. Charles Schwab (SCHW) has declined 2.1% to $26.29, while TD Ameritrade (AMTD) has dropped 2.5% to $31.66 despite getting an upgrade from Bernstein Research. Interactive Brokers (IBKR), however, has gained 0.3% to $23.77.

    Bernstein’s Brad Hintz and team explain why they upgraded TD Ameritrade:

    The evidence that the retail investor has returned to the markets has become undisputable. The most recent confirmation was TD Ameritrade’s strong Q1 2014 earnings report last week. The client trading and engagement statistics were compelling, as were those at Schwab in its Q1 earnings the week before. But valuation on AMTD has been the countervailing factor. The stock was the best performer in our coverage group in 2013, and has maintained a 20+ forward P/E multiple for almost a year. However, the recent HFT-related pullback, thanks to Michael Lewis’s Flash Boys, combined with accelerating retail activity, provides an entry window. The HFT pullback is overdone, and the risk related to payment for order flow (PFOF) is limite

  • [By Alexis Xydias]

    Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW), TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (AMTD) and E*Trade Financial Corp. (ETFC) have climbed 38 percent on average in 2013, beating the S&P 500 by 23 percentage points and eclipsing returns in financial shares from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to Bank of America Corp. (BAC), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The last times that happened, equity mutual funds received about $91 billion, 24 percent more than the annual average in the two decades before the financial crisis, the data show.

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO)

Cisco Systems, Inc., incorporated on December 10, 1984, designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol (IP)-based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology (IT) industry and provide services associated with these products and their use. The Company provides a line of products for transporting data, voice, and video within buildings, across campuses, and around the world. Its products are designed to transform how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Its products are installed at enterprise businesses, public institutions, telecommunications companies, commercial businesses, and personal residences. The Company has five segments: United States and Canada, European Markets, Emerging Markets, Asia Pacific, and Japan. The Emerging Markets theater consists of Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In July 30, 2012, it acquired NDS Group Ltd. In October 2012, it acquired virtual networking company, vCider. In August 2011, the Company acquired Versly. In November 2011, it acquired BNI Video. In March 2012, the Company acquired Lightwire, Inc. In May 2012, the Company acquired ClearAccess. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cloupia. In December 2012, the Company acquired Cariden Technologies Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Meraki, Inc.

The Company�� product offerings fall into three categories: its core technologies, routing and switching; advanced technologies, and other products. In addition to its product offerings, the Company provides a range of service offerings, technical support services and advanced services. The advanced services program supports networking devices, applications, solutions, and complete infrastructures.

Routing

The Company offers a range of routers, from core network infrastructure for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at ho! me. Key products within its routing category are the Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco 1000, 5000, and 9000 Cisco Aggregation Services Routers (ASR), as well as the Cisco ASR 800, 1900, 2900 and 3900 Cisco Integrated Services Routers (ISR):; Cisco CRS-1, 7600 and Cisco CRS-3 Cisco Carrier Routing Systems (CRS). During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010 (fiscal 2010), Cisco introduced the Cisco CRS-3 Carrier Routing System (CRS-3) and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Service Provider Video

The Company�� end-to-end, digital video distribution systems and digital interactive set-top boxes enable service providers and content originators to deliver entertainment, information, and communication services to consumers and businesses around the world. Key product areas within its Service Provider Video category are: Set-Top Boxes, IP set-top boxes (both High-Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD)); Digital cable set-top boxes (both HD and SD); Cable Modem CPE (Data, EMTA, and Gateways); Videoscape Software Products and Headend Equipment (Encoders, Decoders, and Transcoders).

Switching

The Company�� switching products offer many forms of connectivity to end users, workstations, IP phones, access points, and servers, and also function as aggregators on local-area networks (LANs), metropolitan-area networks (MANs), and wide-area networks (WANs). Its switching systems employ several widely used technologies, including Ethernet, Power over Ethernet, Fibre Channel over Ethernet, Packet over Synchronous Optical Network, and Multiprotocol Label Switching. Many of its switches are designed to support an integrated set of advanced services, allowing organizations to be more efficient by using one switch for multiple networking functions rather than multiple switches to accomplish the same functions.

Cisco offers a family of Ethernet switching solutions from fixed-configuration switches for small and medium-sized businesses to modular switches for enterprise! s and ser! vice providers. Its fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. Key products within its switching category are the Cisco Catalyst 2960, 3560, 3750, 4500 and 6500 Series; the Cisco Nexus 2000, 3000, 5000 and 7000 Series switches; and MDS Series: MDS 9000.

Fixed-configuration switches are designed to cover a range of deployments in small and medium-sized businesses. It fixed-configuration switches are designed to provide a foundation for converged data, voice, and video services. They range from small, standalone switches to stackable models that function as a single, scalable switching unit. Modular switches are typically utilized by enterprise and service provider customers. Fixed-configuration and modular switches also include products such as optics modules which are shared across multiple product platforms.

NGN Routing

Routing technology is fundamental to the Internet, and this technology interconnects public and private IP networks for mobile, data, voice, and video applications. The Company's NGN Routing products are designed to enhance the intelligence, security, reliability, scalability, and level of performance in the transmission of information and media-rich applications. It offers a broad range of routers, from core network infrastructure and mobile Internet network for service providers and enterprises to access routers for branch offices and for telecommuters and consumers at home. Key product areas within its NGN Routing category are, Cisco Aggregation Services Routers: Cisco ASR 901/903, Cisco ASR 1000, Cisco ASR 5000 and Cisco ASR 9000. Cisco Integrated Services Routers: Cisco ISR 800, Cisco ISR 1900, Cisco ISR 2900 and Cisco ISR 3900. Cisco Carrier Routing Systems: Cisco CRS-1, Cisco CRS-3 and Cisco 7600 Series Routers.

Security

Cisco security solutions deliver identity, network and content security solutions designed to enable customers to reduce the ! impact of! threats and realize the benefits of a mobile, collaborative, and cloud-enabled business. The products in this category span firewall, intrusion prevention, remote access, virtual private networks (VPNs), unified clients, network admission control, Web gateways, and email gateways. Its AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client solution enables users to access networks with their mobile device of choice, including laptops and smartphone-based mobile devices, while allowing organizations to manage the security risks of networks. Its cloud-based Web security service is designed to provide real-time threat protection and to prevent malware from reaching corporate networks, including roaming or mobile users. It focuses on a proactive, layered approach to counter both existing and emerging security threats. During the fiscal year ended July 28, 2012, it introduced the Cisco ASA 5500-X Series Midrange Security Appliance, Cisco Security Manager 4.3, the IPS 4500 Series, and Prime Security Manager.

Wireless

The Cisco Unified Wireless Network aims to harness the network to solve business problems, uniting high-performance wireless access across campus, branch, remote and outdoor environments. Its offerings include wireless access points (including the Cisco Aironet product family), controllers, antennas, and integrated management. The Company�� offerings provide users with simplified management and mobile device troubleshooting features which are designed to reduce operational cost and maximize flexibility and reliability. It is also investing in custom chipsets to deliver functions such as CleanAir proactive spectrum intelligence, ClientLink acceleration for mobile devices and VideoStream multicast optimization technology.

Data Center

The Company�� data center product category has been its major product category for the past two fiscal years. Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and Server Access Virtualization form the core of the Data Center product category.! Key prod! uct areas within its Data Center product category are: Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers, Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers and Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects.

Other Products

The Company�� other products category primarily consists of Linksys home networking products, certain emerging technologies, and other networking products. In addition to its product offerings, it provide a range of service offerings, including technical support services and advanced services.

The Company competes with Alcatel-Lucent; ARRIS Group, Inc.; Aruba Networks, Inc.; Avaya Inc.; Belden Inc.; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems, Inc.; D-Link Corporation; LM Ericsson Telephone Company; Extreme Networks, Inc.; F5 Networks, Inc.; Force10 Networks, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Company; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; International Business Machines Corporation; Juniper Networks, Inc.; LogMeIn, Inc.; Meru Networks, Inc.; Microsoft Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; NETGEAR, Inc.; Polycom, Inc.; Riverbed Technology, Inc.; and Symantec Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Benjamin Pimentel]

    Cisco shares (CSCO) �shed 0.5% to close at $22.99 on Wednesday after J.P. Morgan analyst Rod Hall reiterated an underweight rating on the stock saying he continues to ��xpect the negative macro backdrop in major emerging markets,��which represent roughly 8% of the networking giant�� revenues.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Highlighting the continued importance of data virtualization, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO  ) announced this morning it would acquire privately held Composite Software, a�data virtualization software and services specialist, for�approximately $180 million in cash and retention-based incentives.

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: Transportadora de Gas del Sur SA (TGS)

Transportadora de Gas del Sur S.A. (TGS) is engaged in the transportation of natural gas and production and commercialization of natural gas liquids (NGL). TGS�� pipeline system connects major gas fields in southern and western Argentina with gas distributors and industries in those areas and in the greater Buenos Aires area. The Company also renders midstream services, which consist of gas treatment, removal of impurities from the natural gas stream, gas compression, wellhead gas gathering and pipeline construction, operation, and maintenance services. The Company operates in three segments: natural gas transportation services through its pipeline system; NGL production and commercialization, and other services, which include midstream and telecommunication services.

During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company�� gas transportation represented approximately 42% of total net revenues. During 2009, its NGL production and commercialization segment accounted for 50% of the total revenues of the Company. During 2009, its other services segment accounted for 8% of total revenues of the Company. Its other services segment consists of midstream and telecommunications services. Through midstream services, TGS provides integral solutions related to natural gas from wellhead up to the transportation systems. The services consists of gas gathering, compression and treatment, as well as construction, operation and maintenance of pipelines, which are generally rendered to natural gas and oil producers at wellhead. The customers��portfolio also includes distribution companies, industrial users, power plants and refineries.

During 2009, the Company provided a range of technical services to different customers. The services consisted of connections to the transportation system, engineering inspections, project management and professional technical counseling. Telecommunication services are provided through Telcosur S.A. (Telcosur), who renders services both as an independent c! arrier of carriers and to corporate clients within its area. Telcosur has a digital land radio connection system.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dividend]

    Transportadora de Gas Del Sur S.A. (TGS) has a market capitalization of $308.26 million. The company employs 829 people, generates revenue of $466.44 million and has a net income of $43.33 million. Transportadora de Gas Del Sur�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $170.33 million. The EBITDA margin is 36.52 percent (the operating margin is 27.41 percent and the net profit margin 9.29 percent).

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: Southwestern Energy Company(SWN)

Southwestern Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas and crude oil in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Exploration and Production, and Midstream Services. The Exploration and Production segment involves in the development of an unconventional gas reservoir located on the Arkansas side of the Arkoma Basin, as well as exploration and production activities in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. This segment also conducts conventional drilling programs in the Arkoma Basin; and development drilling and exploration programs in the Oklahoma portion of the Arkoma Basin, as well as in Texas and Pennsylvania. In addition, it operates drilling rigs in the Fayetteville Shale play, as well as in other operating areas; and explores for natural gas and crude oil under 32 licenses in New Brunswick, Canada. The Midstream Services segment engages in gathering, marketing, and transportin g natural gas in Arkansas, Texas, and Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s estimated proved natural gas and oil reserves were approximately 4,937 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent. Southwestern Energy Company was founded in 1929 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Southwestern Energy Co. (NYSE: SWN) was started with a Buy rating and a $50 price target, which implies potential upside of 36% or so if it all pans out. Canaccord believes that the Marcellus will drive future growth here.

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: Horsehead Holding Corp.(ZINC)

Horsehead Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells specialty zinc and zinc-based products in North America. The company?s products include PW zinc metal, which is used to provide a protective coating to various fabricated products, including pipe and guard rails, heat exchangers, and telecommunications towers, as well as for the production of brass; and SSHG zinc metal that is used as feed for the manufacture of high-purity zinc powder and zinc alloys. It also offers zinc oxide for the production of tire and rubber products, chemicals, ceramics, plastics, paints, lubricating oils, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the company recycles electric arc furnace dust, a hazardous waste generated by steel mini-mills. Further, it provides special zinc powders, which are used in general chemical and metallurgical applications, as well as in friction applications, such as brake linings for automobiles; battery grade zinc powders that are used in alkaline, me rcuric oxide, silver oxide, and zinc-air batteries; and copper-based powders, including brass, bronze, and nickel-silver powders, which are used in various applications comprising brazing, infiltrating, and powdered metallurgical hardware, such as lock bodies, valves, and gears. Additionally, the company offers short-line railroad service for the movement of materials. It primarily serves galvanizers and brass producers; alkaline battery industries; and manufacturers of tire and rubber products, lubricating oils, chemicals, paints, ceramics, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

    Leading and Lagging Sectors
    Basic materials shares jumped about 1.72 percent in Monday's trading. Leading the sector was strength from Century Aluminum Co (NASDAQ: CENX) and Horsehead Holding (NASDAQ: ZINC). In trading on Monday, utilities shares dropped by 0.13 percent.

Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: Illinois Tool Works Inc.(ITW)

Illinois Tool Works Inc. manufactures a range of industrial products and equipment worldwide. The company?s Transportation segment offers metal and plastic components, fasteners, and assemblies; fluids and polymers; fillers and putties; polyester coatings, and patch and repair products; and truck remanufacturing and related parts and service. Its Industrial Packaging segment offers steel and plastic strapping and related tools and equipment; plastic stretch film and related equipment; paper and plastic products that protect goods in transit; and metal jacketing products. The company?s Food Equipment segment provides warewashing, cooking, refrigeration, and food processing equipment; and kitchen exhaust, ventilation, and pollution control systems. Its Power Systems & Electronics segment provides arc welding equipment; metal arc welding consumables; metal solder materials for PC board fabrication; equipment and services for microelectronics assembly; electronic components an d component packaging; and airport ground support equipment. The company?s Construction Products segment offers anchors, fasteners, and related fastening tools for wood, metal, and concrete applications; metal plate truss components, and related equipment and software; and packaged hardware and other products for retail. Its Polymers & Fluids segment provides adhesives, chemical fluids, epoxy and resin-based coating products, hand wipes and cleaners, and pressure-sensitive adhesives and components. The company?s Decorative Surfaces segment offers laminate for furniture, office and retail space, and countertops; and laminate flooring and worktops. In addition, the company offers plastic reclosable packages and bags, and consumables; plastic and metal fasteners, and components; foil and film products; product coding and marking, paint spray, and static and contamination control equipment; and swabs and mats. The company was founded in 1912 and is based in Glenview, Illinois. Advisors' Opinion:

  • [By Nicole Seghetti]

    1. Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW  ) This industrial goods manufacturer is a card-carrying member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, an elite group of blue chip companies that have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Amazingly, Illinois Tool Works has increased its dividend for 49 straight years.�

  • [By Nicole Seghetti]

    3. Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW  )
    This maker of industrial products and equipment like fasteners, coatings, and plastic stretch films has increased its dividend for 49 consecutive years. Even though the stock suffered badly in 2008 when the construction and transportation industries it depends on were hit hard, Illinois Tool Works is greatly benefiting from the current economic recovery.

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