USA Auto Insurance: May 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. Earnings: Can the Stock Keep Soaring?

On Tuesday, Smith & Wesson Holding (NASDAQ: SWHC ) will release its quarterly report, and shareholders have been pleased to see continued share-price gains from the gunmaker. Yet along with rival Sturm, Ruger (NYSE: RGR ) , Smith & Wesson is in danger of seeing earnings top out, and many investors wonder whether the good times for the gun industry will last or whether the recent move from Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK ) to spin off its firearms and sporting segment marks a high-water mark for Smith & Wesson and other gun manufacturers.

Smith & Wesson has been the ultimate contrarian investing play, as many people expected that tougher gun regulation would hurt sales and bring Smith & Wesson, Sturm, Ruger, and other gunmakers to their knees. Yet in many ways, the opposite has been true, as the threat of tighter gun regulation has led to higher short-term sales. Still, even the gun companies themselves have warned that short-term effects could eventually give way to slower growth, and the question is whether that time has come or whether further growth opportunities still exist. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Smith & Wesson over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its report.

Source: Smith & Wesson.

Stats on Smith & Wesson

Analyst EPS Estimate	$0.39
Change From Year-Ago EPS	(11.4%)
Revenue Estimate	$163.55 million
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	(8.5%)
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	3

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will Smith & Wesson earnings start shrinking?
In recent months, analysts have boosted their views on Smith & Wesson earnings, raising April-quarter estimates by $0.02 per share and increasing their fiscal 2015 projections by about 4%. The stock has kept soaring, with gains of 37% since late February.

Most of Smith & Wesson's gains came early in the quarter, when the gunmaker announced its earnings for the January quarter. Sales jumped more than 7% from the year-ago quarter despite the loss of revenue from Smith & Wesson's arrangement with Walther Arms, and net income from continuing operations rose nearly 35% on a roughly 30% rise in handgun sales. Moreover, Smith & Wesson gave positive guidance for the April quarter, boosting estimates for the full fiscal year as well.

Source: Smith & Wesson.

What was particularly impressive about Smith & Wesson's results is that investors were so much more pleased with them than they were with what rival Sturm, Ruger posted. For its part, Sturm Ruger saw a 33% jump in earnings per share, but shareholders weren't satisfied with that performance and sold off the shares accordingly. Investors have clearly gotten spoiled from such high demand last year that Sturm Ruger wasn't able to keep up, but they nevertheless appear to be concerned about what might be the looming end of the current strength in gun sales, as background-check volume has plunged in recent quarters and sporting-goods retailers have seen weaker sales as well. That might also be part of the justification for Alliant Techsystems choosing to spin off its Savage Arms and other sporting-goods brands into a separate entity.

Still, Smith & Wesson appears to be holding up well. Earlier this month, one analyst firm upgraded the company's stock, arguing that Smith & Wesson's new handgun launches are faring well, especially in jurisdictions that allow concealed handguns. If Smith & Wesson can demonstrate its superiority over Sturm Ruger in the eyes of consumers, then it might be a long-term winner even if gun demand returns to more normal levels.

In the Smith & Wesson earnings report, watch to see what comments the company's management has about the future trends in gun sales. Given how long skeptics have been calling for weaker sales, it wouldn't be surprising if Smith & Wesson could forestall the long-awaited setback for at least one more quarter.

You can't afford to miss this
"Made in China" -- an all too familiar phrase. But not for much longer: There's a radical new technology out there, one that's already being employed by everyone from the U.S. Air Force to BMW. Respected publications like The Economist have compared this disruptive invention to the steam engine and the printing press; Business Insider calls it "the next trillion-dollar industry." Watch The Motley Fool's shocking video presentation to learn about the next great wave of technological innovation, one that will bring an end to "Made In China" for good. Click here!

Click here to add Smith & Wesson to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

No, after you: Getting drinking water from waste

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A technology for extracting drinkable water from manure is on its way to commercial application this year, Michigan State University says.

The technology is particularly useful for animal operations in dry regions where water is at a premium, the school said this week.

The McLanahan Nutrient Separation System is an add-on to an anaerobic digester, which extracts energy and chemicals from manure. The system adds ultrafiltration, air stripping and a reverse osmosis system to produce water that's clean enough for cattle to drink.

The system has value both in conserving resources and protecting the environment, said Steve Safferman, an associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering who is working on the project.

"If you have 1,000 cows on your operation, they produce about 10 million gallons of manure a year," Safferman said in a statement. "Here in Michigan we have a tendency to take water for granted," said Safferman. "But out west, for example, where drought remains an issue, the accessibility of clean water could make the difference between a farm remaining viable or going out of business."

Manure also "contains large amounts of nutrients, carbon and pathogens that can have an environmental impact if not properly managed," said Safferman.

A particular issue is ammonia "that would otherwise be lost in the atmosphere," said Jim Wallace, a former Michigan State student now employed by McLanahan Corp., which is working to develop the technology. "Ammonia is a negative from an air-quality standpoint."

About 90 percent of manure is water. The system now extracts about 50 gallons of water from each 100 gallons of manure, and Wallace said developers are aiming at raising that to 65 gallons.

Friday, May 30, 2014

EMC: This Stock Can Help You Profit from Enterprise Cloud Growth

EMC (EMC) is one of the leading companies in data storage solutions. It also extends its hands at various other solutions such as data warehousing, business intelligent, and virtualization. It was surprised to see that some of its products like EMC Atmos, Vblock, Mozy and Syncplicity have gained enough traction in the market while the business moving to cloud of late.

Solid Performance

EMC has displayed a decent performance in the second-quarter as it revenue surged 6% to $5.61 billion year-on-year basis. Also it was good to notice that EMC's domestic revenue rose 4% to $3 billion that contributes approximately 53% of the total revenue. EMC also attained 8% growth in international revenue that came in at $2.7 billion, driven by its information infrastructure business, pivotal and VMware (VMW).

VMware is a pioneer in virtualization software and a subsidiary of EMC. EMC holds around 80% stake of VMware. VMware registered revenue growth of 11% in its latest quarter from the year ago period and posted an income of $244 million, a 28% jump. This strong growth has indeed contributed generously to the top and bottom line of EMC.

Growth Prospects

Later, a new company, Pivotal, was established as an amalgamation of various divisions and products from EMC and VMware. Pivotal's product portfolio will have Pivotal Labs, Cloud Foundry, Greenplum, Gem Fire, Cetas, Greenplum and Vfabix Suit (product of VMware). This strategic move was initiated so that EMC can concentrate on emerging market opportunities such as cloud application, security applications system and large scale data management system, which are its core business areas.

Also the investment of $105 million in Pivotal by General Electric (GE) made the stock more attractive to pick as this strategic investment will certainly boost its growth in the future and increase shareholder's value as EMC is recording steady growth in global market. Its revenue grew 12% in Asia Pacific and Latin America, while North America revenue was up by 4% and significant 6% rise was observed in the EMEA regions. Also EMC's revenue grew 18% in the BRIC nations.

Fundamentals

EMC projects total revenue of $23.5 billion for fiscal 2013 and is expecting a rise of 25.5% rise in non-GAAP operating margin. Also, Non-GAAP net income of $4 billion is expected for fiscal 2013. It expects cash flow of $6.8 billion from operating activities, and the free cash flow target is $5.5 billion.

EMC is determined to repurchase a total of $6 billion worth of shares by 2015 and this should have a positive effect on the EPS. Also Looking at the growth trajectory of EMC, the company should be able to at least match its estimates going forward. Moreover, its strategic investment in businesses such as XtremIO, ViPR and Pivotal should also help EMC in attaining its targets and increase its profitability in the coming years.

Competition

Its potential peer like NetApp (NTAP) that specializes in IT-enabled business solutions such as data security, cloud solutions, and data management systems posted weak performance in the recently declared quarter. Also its growth prospects do not look very enticing as it registered net revenue of $1.71 billion, a marginal increase of 0.8% from the previous quarter.

Also its operating expense increased 7.7% to $827.8 million from the year-ago quarter, which had an impact on its earnings that dipped 7.7% to $204.4 million. In addition to this, NetApp's operating margin also declined to 11.9% as compared to 13% in the year ago quarter.

Also, NetApp is very expensive at current levels. The company trades at a price-to-earnings multiple of almost 29x, while in comparison, EMC trades at a trailing P/E of 20. With quarterly revenue growth slowing down and earnings dropping, the valuation looks rich and investors are advised to stay away from NetApp.

Brocade Communications (BRCD) is another company that provides solutions similar to EMC, but it is a smaller player. Brocade earns 50% of its total revenue from its core service of storage area networks (SAN). However, it faced a 7% decline in revenue in the second quarter from the prior year period. This can be concerning for investors. With major players like Cisco (CSCO), Brocade faces fierce competition for its core business and the company might be in for tough times.

It looks like the company's management is aware of this and that's why they have been selling shares. Wall Tyler, a vice president at Brocade, recently sold around 97,000 shares. Given the recent revenue decline and probability of stiff competition, it is not surprising that an insider sold shares.

Conclusion

EMC's stake in VMware and the constant adoption of the cloud are expected to drive its growth in the future. Moreover, as seen above, the company is cheaper than peers such as NetApp and has a lucrative share repurchase plan in place. So, investors should consider putting their money in this stock if they are looking for a play on the cloud.

Currently 0.00/512345

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

Subscribe via Email RSS Feeds

Subscribe RSS Comments Please leave your comment:
More GuruFocus Links

Latest Guru Picks	Value Strategies
Warren Buffett Portfolio	Ben Graham Net-Net
Real Time Picks	Buffett-Munger Screener
Aggregated Portfolio	Undervalued Predictable
ETFs, Options	Low P/S Companies
Insider Trends	10-Year Financials
52-Week Lows	Interactive Charts
Model Portfolios	DCF Calculator
RSS Feed	Monthly Newsletters
The All-In-One Screener	Portfolio Tracking Tool

Diamond Offshore: If It Can’t Get Worse…

There’s almost no middle ground with the offshore drillers these days–you either love ‘em or hate ‘em. Unless you’re Morgan Stanley, who hates Diamond Offshore Drilling a bit less today.

Bloomberg

Today, Morgan Stanley analysts Ole Slorer and Jacob Ng upgraded shares of Diamond Offshore to Equal Weight from Underweight. They explain why:

Our Underweight thesis based on significant negative earnings revisions has largely played out. We also believe that the cycle is turning and that floater availability has peaked. At this point, Diamond Offshore enjoys attractive yield support coupled with significant upside optionality, in our view…

We expect trading to be driven increasingly by the reduction of floater availability through a pickup in fixtures rather than the confirmation of negative data points on dayrates. We see negative sentiment on the group reversing to the extent that ballooning floater availability is absorbed from upcoming contract announcements.

The upgrade hasn’t just lifted Diamond Offshore Drilling, but has given a boost to offshore drillers like like Transocean (RIG), Atwood Oceanics (ATW), Noble (NE) and Ensco (ESV) as well.

Shares of Diamond Offshore Drilling have jumped 1.3% to $50.85 at 10:29 a.m., while Transocean has advanced 0.7% to $42.32, Atwood Oceanics has risen 0.9% to $48.76, Noble has gained 0.6% to $30.67 and Ensco is up 0.4% at $51.60.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

It’s All About the Pipeline: Up Goes Biogen, Down Goes Celgene

JPMorgan changed its ratings on Biogen Idec (BIIB) and Celgene (CELG) today, with the former going up, and the latter coming down.

JPMorgan’s Geoff Meacham and team explain why they upgraded Biogen Idec to Overweight from Neutral…

Recently, the conversation on Biogen shares has shifted to the mid/late-stage pipeline, which is not a surprise given multiple catalysts over the next 12-18 months. While we acknowledge that the pipeline is high risk / high reward, the sheer number of later stage assets with ISIS-SMNRx, anti-LINGO, and Tysabri in SPMS is impressive, which in aggregate could ultimately add ~$160 in share value. These three assets do not fully represent the breadth of the mid-stage pipeline; these opportunities are largely not reflected in Street models, and Biogen shares could see significant upside, if even only one or two of these programs move to late-stage development. In terms of major multiple expanding, de-risking events, Biogen has quite a few in the near term…

…and cut Celgene’s rating to Neutral from Overweight:

The change isn't reflective of a new fundamental concern; indeed, Celgene's growth rate is expected to be robust over the next few years. That said, with a favorable Markman opinion issued this week, the focus should turn back to the P&L and we note that the upside drivers to near- (2014) or long-term (2017) guidance are widely known and largely accounted for. Indeed, the growth drivers for the key assets (Revlimid / Pomalyst / Abraxane / Otezla) are already assumed in guidance / Street models. In addition, the pipeline has many impressive partnered assets (Agios' AG-221, Acceleron's ACE-536, Morphosys' MOR202 among others) and GED0301 has blockbuster potential in Crohn's, but these aren't likely to be multiple expanding and won't impact the P&L until after 2017.

Shares of Celgene have dropped 1% to $152.63 at 11:19 a.m., while Biogen Idec has gained 3.1% to $318.47.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Apple buying Beats for $3 billion

Dr. Dre, who co-founded Beats, will join Apple.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Apple is officially buying Beats for $3 billion, just shy of the rumored price leaked a few weeks ago, the companies announced Wednesday.

Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) will pay $2.6 billion up front, plus another $400 million over time. Apple's getting stylish hardware from Beats Electronics and a streaming service with Beats Music.

The deal is chump change for Apple, which is sitting on a giant mountain of cash: $159 billion as of last year.

Related story: Why I broke up with Apple

Still, many think Apple is wasting its time with Beats. The music streaming service has an estimated 500,000 customers, puny compared to Spotify's 4 million subscribers. Pandora (P), which is valued by investors at $5.2 billion, has more than 250 million active accounts. Apple could buy 30 Pandoras right now.

But on Wednesday, CEO Tim Cook made his case. In a statement, he said the deal brings together "extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world."

Apple expects the deal to close in late summer or early fall.

Apple has its mojo back

The winners of the deal are Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, both successful music producers who launched the company back in 2006 and quickly grew it via celebrity endorsements.

For his part, Dre is already calling himself "the first billionaire in hip hop." His stake in Beats, estimated at 20% to 25%, is expected to push his net worth of $550 million close to that number. But it's too early to tell if Dre is a billi! onaire just yet. Meanwhile, Iovine described the deal as a match made in heaven. He said the whole Beats concept was inspired by Apple's perfect blend of culture and technology.

"I've always known in my heart that Beats belonged with Apple," Iovine said in a statement.

Dre and Iovine are also joining Apple, so Iovine is stepping down from his perch as CEO of the record company Interscope Geffen A&M.

Must-See Charts: 5 Large-Cap Trades for All-Time Highs

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- When it comes to investing, a rising tide lifts all boats -- and the tide is finally rising at the end of May.

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

After spending close to three months churning sideways, the S&P 500 index finally broke out above the top of its range in yesterday's session, clearing the way for materially higher stock prices this summer. Even though most of the attention has been on the S&P's move above 1,900 earlier this week, yesterday's breakout in the big index is the real factor in higher share prices early in this morning's session.

And with that, we're seeing similar bullish price action in the big individual names this week. That's why we're taking a technical look at trading setups in five of Wall Street's biggest stocks today.

If you're new to technical analysis, here's the executive summary.

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy for Short-Week Gains

Technicals are a study of the market itself. Since the market is ultimately the only mechanism that determines a stock's price, technical analysis is a valuable tool even in the roughest of trading conditions. Technical charts are used every day by proprietary trading floors, Wall Street's biggest financial firms, and individual investors to get an edge on the market. And research shows that skilled technical traders can bank gains as much as 90% of the time.

Every week, I take an in-depth look at big names that are telling important technical stories. Here's this week's look at five high-volume stocks to trade this week.

Wells Fargo

First up is big bank Wells Fargo (WFC), a name that I'm already a fan of this week thanks to its Rocket Stock status. But the technical picture in Wells looks equally compelling this week. And now we're getting a big buy signal for shares of this $266 billion banking stock.

>>5 Toxic Stocks to Sell Now

Wells Fargo is currently forming an ascending triangle pattern, a bullish price setup that's formed by a horizontal resistance level above shares (in this case at $50), and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as WFC bounces in between those two technically significant price levels, it's been getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above that $50 price ceiling. We got that buy signal confirmed in yesterday's session.

Relative strength adds some important backup for a buy signal in WFC. That performance indicator has been in an uptrend since last summer, a signal that this stock is continually outperforming the S&P in good times and in bad ones.

If you decide to jump into WFC here, I'd recommend keeping a protective stop at 50-day moving average.

PPG Industries

PPG Industries (PPG) is another breakout trade to watch out for this week. Unlike the Wells Fargo trade, PPG hasn't actually broken out yet -- but it's encouragingly close at the start of the session today. Here's how to trade this $27 billion paint and coatings maker.

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

PPG is currently forming a "rounding bottom" pattern, a price setup that indicates a gradual transition in control from sellers to buyers. The pattern's name is a pretty good description of how it looks on a chart. Even though PPG's rounding bottom came in at the top of its recent price range (not the bottom), the trading implications are just the same. The buy signal triggers on a move through our $200 price ceiling.

The side-indicator to look at in PPG is momentum, measured by 14-day RSI. Our momentum gauge has been making higher lows all the while this stock's share price has remained constrained below $200. That's a good indication that buyers are gaining steam behind the scenes.

Wait for $200 to get taken out before you jump in. Going long PPG doesn't become a high-probability trade until then.

BorgWarner

While the big indices have struggled to climb higher in 2014, upside hasn't been as much of an issue in auto parts maker BorgWarner (BWA). Shares of the $15 billion auto supplier are up more than 11% since the calendar flipped to January. That means that BWA is beating the S&P by a factor of three right now. Never mind the fact that shares have remained mostly sideways since March; that consolidation is the exact thing that makes BWA tradable from here.

>>5 Big Stocks to Trade for Flat-Market Gains

BorgWarner is forming a rectangle pattern, a price setup that's formed by a pair of horizontal resistance and support levels that basically "box in" shares between $64 and $59. Rectangles are "if/then patterns": If BWA breaks out through resistance at $64, then traders have a buy signal. Otherwise, if the stock violates support at $59, then the high-probability trade is a sell. Since BWA's price action leading up to the rectangle was an uptrend, it favors a move to the upside through $64.

Why all of that significance at $64? It all comes down to buyers and sellers. Price patterns are a good quick way to identify what's going on in the price action, but they're not the actual reason a stock is tradable. Instead, the "why" comes down to basic supply and demand for BorgWarner's stock.

The $64 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a spot at which sellers have previously been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above $64 so significant -- the move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

Wait for shares to catch a bid above resistance before you buy it.

United Technologies

You don't have to be an expert technical analyst to figure out what's going on in shares of industrial conglomerate United Technologies (UTX) -- a quick glance at the chart will do. UTX is bouncing higher in a textbook uptrending channel, a setup that's about as simple as they get.

So what do you do from here? Buy the bounce.

When it comes to price channels, up is good and down is bad -- it's really just as simple as that. UTX's channel is bounded by resistance above shares and trend line support below them; those two parallel trend lines provide a high probability range for shares of this stock to trade between. So with shares of the firm moving down to test support for a fifth time since September, it makes sense to buy the next bounce off of trend line support.

If you decide to buy on the next leg up, I'd recommend keeping a protective stop right under UTX's previous swing low at $113. If shares were to break down below that price level, the uptrend is broken, and you automatically won't want to own this trade anymore.

American Electric Power Company

Last up is American Electric Power Company (AEP), a $26 billion utility holding stock that just happens to be showing us the exact same setup as the one in United Technologies right now. Like with UTX, it makes sense to buy AEP on a bounce off of trend line support. That makes shares look very buyable today.

Holding out for this week's big bounce off of support is crucial for two big reasons: it's the spot where shares have the furthest to move up before they hit resistance, and it's the spot where the risk is the least (because shares have the least room to move lower before you know you're wrong). Remember, all trend lines do eventually break, but by actually waiting for the bounce to happen first, you're ensuring AEP can actually still catch a bid along that line before you put your money on shares.

The 50-day moving average has been a stellar proxy for support going back to last fall. If you decide to be a buyer here, I'd recommend putting a protective stop below the 50-day.

To see this week's trades in action, check out the Must-See Charts portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Forget The Dot-Com Boom -- Profit From The Next Internet Revolution

I'll never forget the dot-com boom. It was an unbelievable time to be involved in the financial markets. Tiny companies with only a dream and a sketchy business plan were able to raise millions if their name included the dot-com suffix.

Things became so crazy that a close friend confided to me that he felt embarrassed to be making so much money in such a quick and easy fashion by getting in on Internet IPOs. Once a hyped Internet company's stock debuted, shares would often move 2 to 5 points higher. If you were investing during this time, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

The Internet has truly revolutionized the way we live. Not only has it enriched investors untold amounts, but it has empowered everyone in ways never thought possible.

If you missed out on the lucrative Internet revolution, a second revolution has started to emerge. This revolution will dwarf the first one in terms of magnitude, personal impact -- and investment potential.

Now, I am not talking about a new company with a new unproven technology like was seen during the first revolution. This isn't something like the overhyped Segway transporter or a new way to sell pet food. This revolution will be built on the backs of established technology companies that have already started to develop tools and techniques to exploit the pending sea change.

In fact, many people are already using rudimentary aspects of the world-changing technological shift. The first Internet revolution connected billions of people to one another through social networks. It provided easy access to knowledge and products that had been previously nearly inaccessible.

The pending revolution will connect everything on the planet. Now, before you think I have lost my mind by watching too much "X-Files" or "Star Trek," let me explain.

Many of you have experienced the first ripples of this revolution. Some of you even use it on a daily basis. Prime examples include the E-ZPass for toll roads, ATMs and gas pumps. These tools are all connected to the Internet through machine-to-machine interfaces.

Soon, nearly everything will be connected. This revolution is called the "Internet of Everything," or IoE for short. It is forecast to produce profits of $613 billion in 2013 and has the potential to become a $14 trillion market.

It is estimated that by 2020, 50 billion connections will exist between everyday objects, people, and devices. The Internet of everything will connect everything from digital remote health monitoring to smart factories and virtual assistants.

Everyday objects will be able to "talk" to keep owners informed and up to date. For example, imagine running low on milk. A throwaway tag will sense this fact and automatically place an order using your virtual assistant to deliver another gallon to your refrigerator.



	(Click to enlarge)
	The Internet of Everything is truly a world-changing revolution that will forever alter the way we live, work and play.

The potential is mind-blowing. The Internet of Everything is truly a world-changing revolution that will forever alter the way we live, work and play.

Sounds fascinating, but how can we profit?

The No. 1 company on the forefront of designing and profiting from this trend is Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO).

The company is developing routing technologies to help manage this revolution. It's a high-end routing device consisting of 1.5 million lines of code and 4 billion transistors and is expected to cost $250 million. This application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) will create the technology needed for the Internet of Everything to become a reality. Cisco developers expect this chip to be available by the end of this year.

In addition, Cisco's Insieme Networks is working on the convergence of switching, routing, storage and computing on a common platform. The purpose of this device is that it allows the architecture to spread to the edge of the network providing the brains to the Internet of Everything.

A look at the financial health of the company shows Cisco reported decent results for the fourth quarter of its 2013 fiscal year. Earnings per share (EPS) increased by 11% year over year, to $0.52 a share, while revenue followed suit with a 6% gain.

"Our fourth quarter was a record on many fronts with record revenue, and record non-GAAP income, net income and EPS. We also generated $4 billion in operating cash flow, another record," Cisco CEO John Chambers said.

While things appear to be strong, the company just announced it is slashing of 4,000 jobs (5% of its workforce) in a cost-reduction effort. In addition, 2014 guidance was in line with analysts' expectations, but certainly nothing to get excited about.

Taking a technical look, shares have pulled back from hitting resistance at the high of $26.50. Price broke through the 50-day simple moving average on the downside and may find support in the $23 range. The 200-day simple moving average in the $22 area is the next solid technical support level.

Risks to Consider: The Internet of Everything is an exciting idea, and Cisco appears to be the company best poised to profit from its growth. However, it remains unclear how consumers, businesses and governments will accept the concept at the projected scope. In addition, all the standard stock market risks are in play despite the huge projections. Always use stops and position size correctly when investing.

Action to Take --> The recent lackluster projections by Cisco has knocked the shares down into my value buy zone. Buying now, with a stop at $23 with a 12-month target of $33, makes solid sense right now. Investors interested in the Internet of everything should also look at General Electric (NYSE: GE) as an alternative way to profit in this space.

P.S. -- When you get in on the ground floor of a potentially revolutionary new trend like the Internet of Everything, the profits that can follow can change your life forever. Andy Obermueller's Game-Changing Stocks is entirely devoted to finding the next big, life-changing investing idea. See his latest report for more groundbreaking investment plays.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015

Anite� (LSE: AIE ) -- a leading provider of software solutions to the international wireless and leisure travel industries -- released a trading update today, ahead of its final results, due on July 2, 2013.

The company says that trading in the final quarter was strong -- slightly ahead of predictions in its Q3 interim management statement -- and that it now anticipates pre-tax profit for the full-year at the top end of market expectations.

And while revenue will still be below expectations, Anite said that margins across all of its businesses continue to follow the positive trends seen in the first half of the year. Anite's share price is currently up over 5%.

Commenting on the update, Anite's chief executive, Christopher Humphrey, said:

The Group has capitalized on its growing pipeline of opportunities, resulting in a strong finish to the year. This has enabled us to achieve our full year target and I am pleased with the progress we have made throughout the year.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: Hemis Corp (HMSO)

Hemis Corporation, incorporated on February 9, 2005, is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties. The Company carries out exploration activities in Mexico through its wholly subsidiary, Hemis Gold SA de CV. It is engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in Sonora, Mexico; British Columbia, Canada; and Alaska, United States. The Company is an exploration stage company.

The Company has 67.5% interest in mining rights in El Tigre Property and Porvenir Property. On November 5, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement granting Monte Cristo Gold Corporation the option to purchase either 49% or 60% of its interest in these properties from it. On November 16, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement, which became effective on November 23, 2007 granting Condor Gold Corporation, the option to purchase either 49% or 60% of its interest in the Anchor Point Gold Project from it.

The Company�� interest in the Wolfe Creek and Covenant mining concessions consists of an option agreement it signed with Stacs GmbH on March 13, 2007, whereby it has an option to acquire a 100% interest to mineral rights on two properties: Wolfe Creek and Covenant, in British Columbia, Canada. The Company intends to primarily explore for gold and molybdenum, but if it discovers that any of its mineral properties hold potential for other minerals, then it intends to explore for those other minerals.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Sarah Jones]
Land Securities gained 1.5 percent to 902 pence, British Land Co., the U.K.�� second largest REIT, advanced 2.1 percent to 595.5 pence and Hammerson Plc (HMSO) rose 2.1 percent to 507 pence.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: ABB Ltd(ABB)

ABB Ltd. provides power and automation technologies for utility and industrial customers worldwide. The company?s Power Products division manufactures and sells high- and medium-voltage switchgear and apparatus, circuit breakers, power and distribution transformers, and sensors. ABB?s Power Systems division provides integrated power and automation solutions for power generation plants; alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) transmission systems; and flexible alternating current systems technologies. It also offers land and submarine cables, as well as accessories and services for medium- to high-voltage AC and DC systems; air- and gas-insulated substations; and network management solutions to help manage power networks. In addition, this division offers support agreements and retrofits to spare parts, service, consulting, and training; and undertakes analyses and design of new transmission and distribution systems. The company?s Discrete Automation and Motion div ision manufactures and sells motors, generators, variable speed drives, programmable logic controllers, rectifiers, excitation systems, robotics, and related services for a range of applications in factory automation, process industries, and utilities. Its Low Voltage Products division provides protection, control, and measurement for electrical installations, enclosures, switchboards, electronics, and electromechanical devices for industrial machines, plants, and related services. It also makes building control systems for home and building automation. The company?s Process Automation division offers integrated process control and instrumentation systems, plant electrification systems, information management systems, and industry-specific application knowledge for industries, such as pulp and paper, minerals and mining, metals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, turbocharging, power, and marine. ABB Ltd. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerla nd.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Tim Brugger]
The boards of Switzerland-based ABB (NYSE: ABB ) and U.S.-based Power-One (NASDAQ: PWER.DL ) have come to terms on an agreement in which ABB will pay $6.35 per outstanding share of Power-One stock to acquire the company, valuing the deal at approximately $1 billion, the companies announced today.
[By Rich Smith]
Zurich-based industrialist ABB Ltd. (NYSE: ABB ) has bought Los Gatos Research of Mountain View, Calif., ABB announced Friday.

Nineteen-year-old LGR, as its new acquisition is referred to, produces a line of high-performance, laser-based gas analyzers used to measure trace gases and isotopes for research and environmental monitoring. ABB intends to incorporate LGR's 40-employee team into its own Measurement Products business unit, within the ABB Process Automation Division.
[By Cheryl Kaften]
To remain relevant and competitive, current smart grid vendors -- among them ABB (NYSE: ABB ) , General Electric (NYSE: GE ) �, IBM� (NYSE: IBM ) , �and�Siemens� (NYSE: SI ) --�may have to make market adjustments, including partnerships, acquisitions, and advances of their own.
[By Scott Levine]
As�the photovoltaic and wind markets mature in the United States and around the world, attention is shifting toward the next step in the market's evolution: battery storage. Gaining some exposure recently, battery storage conversations swirled through the media with news of Tesla Motors' (NASDAQ: TSLA ) Gigafactory; however, the applications for battery storage greatly transcend those pertaining to electric vehicles.

Utility applications
According to a research report published by IHS, grid-connected energy storage is bound to experience substantial growth over the next few years. Approximately 340 MW of grid-connected energy storage was installed in 2012 and 2013; however,�IHS�solar research manager Sam Wilkinson�and report co-author Abigail Ward suggest that the annual rate of installations will grow to more than 6GW by 2017 and more than 40 GW by 2022.�Perhaps this is an underestimate. California alone has set a lofty target. The California Public Utilities Commission has an energy storage target of 1.325 GW by 2020 for its three largest utilities.

Where will these and other utilities look in order to meet these targets? One company is The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES ) . Located in the United States and South America, AES has more than 200 MW of storage-based resources in operation and construction, and it has more than 1,000 MW in development. Last week, AES revealed its Advancion storage offering, which the company characterizes as "a complete battery-based grid resource -- delivering the services expected from peaking power plants, with added benefits." Supplying AES with the power conversion system for Advancion is Parker Hannifin. The two companies have previously worked together on other storage projects, namely on the AES Laurel Mountain Storage Array, a 64 MW advanced battery-based resource, which helps a 98 MW wind farm to supply grid stability services.

Closer to home
Energy storage isn't just a

Best Mid Cap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Dominion Resources Inc. (D)

Dominion Resources, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in producing and transporting energy in the United States. It operates in three segments: DVP, Dominion Generation, and Dominion Energy. The DVP segment includes regulated electric transmission and distribution operations that serve residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina. This segment also involves in non regulated retail energy marketing of electricity and natural gas. The Dominion Generation segment includes the electricity generation through coal, nuclear, gas, oil, and renewables; and related energy supply operations. It also comprises generation operations of the company?s merchant fleet and energy marketing, and price risk management activities for these assets. The Dominion Energy segment includes the company?s Ohio and West Virginia regulated natural gas distribution companies, regulated gas transmission pipeline and storage operations, natural gas gathering and by-products extraction activities, and regulated LNG import and storage operations. It also provides producer services, which aggregates natural gas supply; engages in natural gas trading and marketing activities; and involves in natural gas supply management. The company?s portfolio of assets includes approximately 27,615 MW of generation; 6,100 miles of electric transmission lines; 56,800 miles of electric distribution lines; 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering, and storage pipeline; and 21,800 miles of gas distribution pipeline. Dominion Resources, Inc. also owns approximately 947 bcf of storage capacity of natural gas and serves retail energy customers in 14 states. In addition, it sells electricity at wholesale prices to rural electric cooperatives, municipalities, and into wholesale electricity markets. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Shauna O'Brien]
JP Morgan reported on Friday that it has raised its rating on energy producer Dominion Resources, Inc. (D).

The firm has upgraded D from “Neutal” to “Overweight,” and has given the company a $68 price target. This price target suggests a 12% increase from Thursday’s closing price of $59.78.

Analysts see midstream growth and its MLP formation adding value to existing assets.

Dominion Resources shares were up $1.02, or 1.71%, during pre-market trading Friday. The stock is up 15% YTD.
[By Justin Loiseau]
Raising rates
Dominion (NYSE: D ) requested a fuel rate increase for its Virginia operations, citing higher fuel costs and increased demand as primary reasons for its ask. Its first request in two years, a fuel rate increase is meant to cover costs, but not increase profits. The total ask reflects a 2.1% increase in the average customer's monthly bill, considerably less than TECO Energy's (NYSE: TE ) 10% ask in April. According to Dominion and TECO, both their requests keep their customers' bills below national averages. If Virginia's regulatory body approves the request, Dominion's new rates will rise in July.
[By Matt DiLallo]
Outside of MarkWest, Dominion Resources (NYSE: D ) , through its Blue Racer Midstream joint venture, is investing heavily to provide infrastructure to the play. The company is adding to its high-pressure gathering system which will have handling capacity of up to 2 billion cubic feet per day. The venture is also adding up to 2 billion cubic feet of incremental processing capacity in the region. As production grows the venture can be expanded further to take advantage of those opportunities.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: Spdr Dj Wilshire Small Cap Value Etf (SLYV)

SPDR DJ Wilshire Small Cap Value (ETF) seeks to replicate, as closely as possible, the performance of the Dow Jones Wilshire Small Cap Value Index (the Index). The Index represents the small-cap portion of the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index (the Composite Index). The Composite Index tracks all the United States common stocks regularly traded on the NYSE, the AMEX and the NASDAQ National Market.

The Index includes the components of the Composite Index ranked 751 to 2,500 by full market capitalization and that are classified as value based on analysis that accounts for six factors. The six factors are projected price-to-earnings ratio (P/E), projected earnings growth, price-to-book ratio, dividend yield, trailing revenue growth and trailing earnings growth. The Fund uses a passive management strategy designed to track the total return performance of the float-adjusted Index.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Tom Lydon]
The following ETFs are some of the top-ranked small-cap ETFs by Zacks. SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Value ETF (SLYV) is up 5.8% over the past three months, and up 20.6% in 2013. The financial and industrial sectors are top weightings. Vanguard S&P Small Cap 600 Value ETF (VIOV) is up 6.4% and has gathered 21.5% year-to-date. Similar to SLYV, VIOV is heavy on the financial and industrial sectors.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: UniSource Energy Corporation(UNS)

UniSource Energy Corporation engages in the electric generation and energy delivery businesses. The company?s TEP segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 403,000 retail electric customers, including residential, commercial, industrial, and public sector customers in southeastern Arizona. It also sells electricity to other utilities and power marketing entities. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned or leased 2,245 MW of net generating capacity, as well as owned or participated in electric transmission and distribution system consisting of 512 circuit-miles of 500-kV lines; 1,087 circuit-miles of 345-kV lines; 379 circuit-miles of 138-kV lines; 478 circuit-miles of 46-kV lines; and 2,621 circuit-miles of lower voltage primary lines. TEP segment generates electricity from coal, gas, oil, and solar sources. The company?s UNS Gas segment distributes gas to approximately 146,500 retail customers in Mohave, Yavapai, Coconino, and Navajo c ounties in northern Arizona, as well as Santa Cruz County in southeastern Arizona. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s transmission and distribution system consisted of approximately 30 miles of steel transmission mains, 4,211 miles of steel and plastic distribution piping, and 136,439 customer service lines. The company?s UNS Electric segment transmits and distributes electricity to approximately 91,000 retail customers consisting of residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Mohave and Santa Cruz counties. As of December 31, 2010, UNS Electric?s transmission and distribution system consisted of approximately 56 circuit-miles of 115-kV transmission lines, 271 circuit-miles of 69-kV transmission lines, and 3,599 circuit-miles of underground and overhead distribution lines. This segment also owns the 65 MW Valencia plant, as well as 39 substations having an installed capacity of 1,788,050 kilovolt amperes. The company was founded in 1902 and is based in Tucson, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lauren Pollock]
Fortis Inc.(FTS.T) agreed to acquire UNS Energy Corp.(UNS) for about $2.5 billion, as the Canadian utility moves to boost exposure within the U.S. by acquiring a firm with a presence in the U.S. southwest. Shares of UNS jumped 30% to $59.02 premarket.
[By David Dittman]
And with its December 2013 offer to buy Arizona-based UNS Energy Corp (NYSE: UNS) for $2.5 billion in cash St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador-based Fortis Inc (TSX: FTS, OTC: FRTSF), making its second foray in the US in two years, signaled its interest in regulated utility assets in states with favorable population and economic trends as a means of driving its growth going forward.
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
UNS Energy (NYSE: UNS) shot up 27.75 percent to $58.56 after the company agreed to be acquired by Fortis Utility Group for $60.25 per share in cash.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: Vanguard Large Cap Etf (VV)

Vanguard Large-Cap ETF, formerly known as Vanguard Large-Cap VIPERs, is an exchange-traded share class that seeks to track the investment performance of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) US Prime Market 750 Index (Index). The Fund employs an indexing approach to provide exposure to predominantly large-cap companies in the United States, diversified across growth and value styles.

The Index represents the universe of predominantly large-capitalization companies in the United States equity market. Using full replication, the Fund invests in all of the Index stocks, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Selena Maranjian]
Exchange-traded funds offer a convenient way to invest in sectors or niches that interest you. If you'd like to add some large-cap stocks to your portfolio but don't have the time or expertise to hand-pick a few, the Vanguard Large-Cap ETF (NYSEMKT: VV ) could save you a lot of trouble. Instead of trying to figure out which large-cap stocks will perform best, you can use this ETF to invest in lots of them simultaneously.

The basics
ETFs often sport lower expense ratios than their mutual-fund cousins. This ETF, focused on large-cap stocks, sports a relatively low expense ratio -- an annual fee -- of 0.1%. It yields about 2%.

This ETF has performed reasonably, but it's also very young, with just a few years on the books. It underperformed the S&P 500 in 2008 and 2010, though it beat it substantially in 2007 and 2009. As with most investments, of course, we can't expect outstanding performances in every quarter or year. Investors with conviction need to wait for their holdings to deliver.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: Songbird Estates PLC (SBEPF.PK)

Songbird Estates plc is engaged in management of its investment in its main subsidiary, Canary Wharf Group plc (Canary Wharf Group), which is the holding company. Canary Wharf Group is engaged in integrated property development, investment and management focusing primarily on the Estate. In London, Canary Wharf Group is engaged through joint ventures in the redevelopment of 20 Fenchurch Street and the Shell Centre. Canary Wharf Group�� investment property portfolio consists of 16 completed properties (out of the approximately 35constructed on the Estate) totaling approximately seven meter square feet of net internal area (NIA). In July 2013, Songbird Estates plc's Canary Wharf Group plc completed the acquisition from Gort Limited (in administration) and Hibernia (2005) Limited (in administration), of 15 Westferry Circus at Canary Wharf. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Mike Arnold]
Brookfield's public assets include a 21% stake (and potentially more given certain warrants held by Brookfield) in General Growth Properties (GGP), a 51% stake in Brookfield Office Properties (BPO), a 36% stake (again, more if certain warrants are exercised) in Rouse Properties (RSE) and 21% stake in Canary Wharf Group Plc, which is majority owned by Songbird Estates Plc (SBEPF.PK).

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: Cohu Inc.(COHU)

Cohu, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, sale, and servicing of test handling and burn-in related equipment, and thermal sub-systems for the semiconductor industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Semiconductor Equipment, Microwave Communication Systems, and Video Cameras. The Semiconductor Equipment segment develops, manufactures, and sells pick-and-place semiconductor test handlers, burn-in related equipment, and thermal sub-systems to semiconductor manufacturers and semiconductor test subcontractors. It also develops, manufactures, and sells gravity-feed and test-in-strip semiconductor test handling equipment used in final test operations. The Microwave Communication Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells microwave communications equipment, antenna systems, and associated equipment, which are used in the transmission of video, audio, and telemetry. These products have applications in unmanned aerial vehicles, law enforcement, secu rity and surveillance, and electronic news gathering. Its customers include government agencies, law enforcement and public safety organizations, unmanned air vehicle program contractors, television broadcasters, entertainment companies, professional sports teams, and other commercial entities. The Video Cameras segment develops, manufactures, and sells closed circuit video or CCTV cameras, equipment, and systems for security, surveillance, and traffic monitoring. It also offers accessories, which include monitors, lenses, and camera test equipment. This segment serves end-users, government agencies, original equipment manufacturers, contractors, and value-added resellers. Cohu, Inc. markets its products through direct sales force and independent sales representatives. The company was formerly known as Cohu Electronics, Inc. and changed its name to Cohu, Inc. in 1972. Cohu, Inc. was founded in 1947 and is based in Poway, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By John Udovich]
Small cap stocks Vimicro International Corporation (NASDAQ: VIMC), Cohu, Inc (NASDAQ: COHU) and View Systems Inc (OTCBB: VSYM) are also surveillance and security stocks because they�also offer products that can be used to keep an eye on us��for better or for worst. After all and go to any public space (whether its a shopping mall, entertainment venue or even a street corner), you will probably see (or maybe not see) some sort of security or surveillance equipment. With that in mind, here is a look at three small cap surveillance and security stocks you may have overlooked:

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp (NVIV)

InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp., formerly Design Source, Inc., incorporated on April 2, 2003, is a development-stage company. The Company is developing and commercializing technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. The Company develops biopolymer scaffolding devices for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. The biopolymer devices are designed to protect the damaged spinal cord from further secondary injury and promote neuroplasticity, a process where functional recovery can occur through the rerouting of signalling pathways to the spared healthy tissue.

The Company�� biopolymer-based devices are surgically implanted or injected into the lesion created during traumatic injury, or the primary injury. Additional applications of its platform technologies include the treatment for, spinal cord injury following tumor removal, peripheral nerve damage, and postsurgical treatment of any transected nerve. Its biocompatible scaffolding device for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury, is regulated as a Class III medical device by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Company's biocompatible hydrogel is used for the local release of methylprednisolone to treat acute spinal cord injuries and the biocompatible polymer scaffolding device seeded with autologous human neural stem cells.

The Company�� porous biopolymer scaffold consists of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and-polylysine. PLGA is a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, which is used for applications, such as surgical sutures (Dolphin sutures and Ethicon sutures), drug delivery (Lupron Depot and Sandostatin LAR Depot), and tissue engineering (Dermagraft). The PLGA-polylysine biopolymer scaffolding device is biocompatible and biodegradable and degrades naturally inside the body without requiring subsequent removal.

The Company focuses to develop an injectable hydrogel designed to counteract the inflammatory environment that results during a secondary injury from a closed-wound spi! nal cord injury where further cell death occurs. It focuses to counteract the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury by replacing lost cells of the spinal cord and activating endogenous regenerative processes, such as the formation of new synapses and axonal sprouting based on molecules the stem cells produce.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Bryan Murphy]
I came close to pointing this out yesterday, but didn't pull the trigger. Though delaying didn't cost you or me more than a few cents, I don't want to tarry any longer... Invivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (OTCBB:NVIV) is a buy.

Top 10 International Companies To Buy For 2015: Chatham Lodging Trust (CLDT)

Chatham Lodging Trust is a hotel investment company. The Company was formed to invest in extended-stay, select-service and full-service hotels. The Company focuses on investing in select-service hotels, such as Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn and Suites. In addition, Chatham Lodging Trust focuses on investing in branded full-service hotels. In October 2011, the Company and affiliates of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., acquired 64 hotels from affiliates of Innkeepers USA Trust. In June 2013, Chatham Lodging Trust announced that has completed its acquisition of the 178-room Hyatt Place Pittsburgh/North Shore in Pittsburgh, Pa. Effective August 13, 2013, Chatham Lodging Trust acquired Hampton Inn & Suites, an owner and operator of hotels. In October 2013, Chatham Lodging Trust acquired Hilton Garden Inn Denver Tech Center. In November 2013, Chatham Lodging Trust acquired the 231-room Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Bellevue/Downtown. In December 2013, Chatham Lodging Trust acquired the 160-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott Savannah Downtown/Historic District.

The Company focuses on investing primarily in hotels in the metropolitan markets in the United States. The Company has not entered into any contracts to acquire hotel properties or other assets.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Duprey]
Luxury, extended-stay hotel operator�Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE: CLDT ) announced this morning�its dividend for the month of June of $0.07 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past five months after switching over to a monthly payment schedule.�

How to Save Money on Family Travel

The cost of traveling with kids can add up quickly. I know because I have three children. But over the years as we have traveled to numerous spots across the U.S. and even overseas, I've learned several ways to keep costs under control. So the next time you take a trip with your family, here's how you can save on accommodations, flights, meals and entertainment:

SEE ALSO: Ways to Save Money at Walt Disney World Accommodations

Consider a vacation rental property. Renting a condo, apartment or home when traveling typically will give you more space than a hotel at a lower price. For example, the average nightly rate for a vacation rental in New York City listed on Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO.com) is about $219; whereas, the average nightly rate for a hotel is $350. Plus, you'll have access to a kitchen where you can cook your own meals to keep food costs down while on vacation. To learn more, see How to Save Money on Vacation Rental Properties.

Get the best deal on a hotel. With so many travel sites that can help you find a deal and a variety of discounts you might be able to take advantage of, there's no reason to pay full price for a hotel room. For example, the recently launched Last Minute Travel app offers travelers access to wholesale prices for hotels in more than 150 countries. We found that the prices of hotels in several cities we checked typically were lower -- by at least $10 but as much as $100 or more -- on the LMT app than on Hotels.com, Expedia and Priceline. Or you might be able to take advantage of discounts offered by hotels if you book directly through them. Many hotel chains, such as Marriott, offer discounts to government employees and members of the military. A AAA or AARP membership can also get you hotel discounts.

Join a loyalty program or use a rewards credit card. If you're loyal to a particular hotel chain, sign up for its loyalty program or get its branded credit card to rack up points for free hotel stays. Usually you can accrue points faster with a hotel-branded card because you get them for everyday purchases, not just hotel stays. In the year since I got the Citi Hilton HHonors Visa, I've scored four free nights for my family. See our picks for the top hotel rewards cards.

Flights

Score free flights. Airlines, like hotels, have branded credit cards that let you earn points when you make purchases and redeem them for free flights. However, if you're not a frequent flier, you'll earn points faster through a travel rewards card that isn't tied to a particular airline, according to a recent study by MileCards.com. That's because travel rewards cards attach a higher point value to most purchases than the airline-branded cards do.

To learn more, see How to Choose the Best Travel Rewards Card for You.

Avoid baggage fees. When booking a flight, consider whether the airline charges for checked bags. Most airlines other than JetBlue and Southwest charge $25 for the first checked bag. Even if you find cheaper flights on airlines other than those two, your savings could be wiped out if you have to pay $100 to check bags for a family of four.

For more ways to save money when you fly, see When to Book flights to Get the Lowest Fares and 9 Ways to Avoid Airline Fees.

Meals

Bring your own food. The best way to save money on food is to pack sandwiches, snacks and drinks for road trips or flights so you don't have to buy pricey meals at the airport. To make it fun for kids, you can buy a few trinkets at the dollar store and put them in bags along with their food to replicate kids meals from fast food restaurants.

Dine (or stay) where kids eat free. You can save money when dining out by taking advantage of kids-eat-free deals. Visit KidsMealDeals.com to find restaurants where kids eat free or check restaurants' Facebook pages for special offers. Several hotel chains offer free meals for kids -- and for adults. For example, up to four children ages 12 and younger can eat for free at Holiday Inn restaurants.

For more tips, see 10 Secrets to Saving Money When Dining Out With Kids. Entertainment

Take advantage of freebies. Many museums waive admission fees on certain days of the week, so visit the Web sites of those you plan to visit beforehand to see if you can get in for free. Some credit cards can help you score free admission to attractions. For example, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch cardholders receive free admission to 150 museums in 85 cities on the first weekend of the month. And American Express membership rewards can be redeemed for concert, theater and sporting event tickets, as well as Universal Studios Hollywood tickets.

Cash in on memberships. In addition to hotel discounts, AAA membership entitles you to discounts on tickets to sporting events, museums, attractions and theme parks such as Legoland. Southwest Rapid Rewards members get a 20% discount at Sea World. Hilton HHonors members can use points for free admission to Busch Gardens, Sea World, Aquatica, Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. More than 160 zoos and aquariums participate in a reciprocal program that entitles their members to get free or discounted admission to the other zoos and aquariums participating in the program. Check to see what perks your memberships offers.

Score discounts. Daily deal sites such as Groupon aren't just a great way to get deals at fancy restaurants (to which you'd never take your kids). They are a great source for savings of up to 50% on attractions and activities. Also check supermarkets in the area you're visiting because many sell discounted passes to attractions. If you're visiting a big city, you can save up to 50% on the cost of admission to several top attractions by purchasing a CityPASS. Many attractions offer discounts or free admission for members of the military and their families. And some offer discounts for educators. For example, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago offers one free pass to educators from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Teachers from other states can receive $3 off admission by showing a school ID or paystub.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now

LONDON -- Next week sees more FTSE 100 companies going ex-dividend. If you want to be eligible for a firm's payment, or if you're hoping the shares might drop disproportionately when the time has passed, you need to be aware of the crucial dates.

Here are three FTSE 100 companies going ex-dividend next Wednesday, April 24. None is offering a massive payment, but they're all on the rise.

Old Mutual (LSE: OML )
Old Mutual is set to go ex-dividend with respect to its final dividend. The payment of 5.25 pence per share was announced on March 1 and takes the life insurance company's total annual payout to 7 pence per share, which is 23% ahead of the 5 pence paid for 2011.

On the current share price of 199 pence, that represents a dividend yield of 3.5%. The latest forecasts suggest respective yields of 4% and 4.5% for the next two years, with the shares on a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 10.

Rexam (LSE: REX )
Packaging-maker Rexam goes ex-dividend on the same day, and again it's a final dividend. This time there's a payout of 10.2 pence per share due, lifting the full-year total by 6% to 15.2 pence -- the firm paid 14.4 pence per share in 2011.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Aflac Incorporated(AFL)

Aflac Incorporated, through its subsidiary, American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac), provides supplemental health and life insurance. The company offers various voluntary supplemental insurance products, including cancer plans, general medical indemnity plans, medical/sickness riders, care plans, living benefit life plans, ordinary life insurance plans, and annuities in Japan. It also provides loss-of-income products, such as life and short-term disability plans; and products designed to protect individuals from depletion of assets, which comprise hospital indemnity, fixed-benefit dental, vision care, accident, cancer, critical illness/critical care, and hospital intensive care plans in the United States. The company sells its products through sales associates and brokers, affiliated corporate agencies, independent corporate agencies, and individual agencies. Aflac Incorporated was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Columbus, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Russ Krull]
Aflac (NYSE: AFL ) sold $700 million in 10-year notes. The money will go toward redeeming two yen-denominated notes with a principal value of about $340 million due in 2014 and $300 million in U.S. dollar-denominated notes due in 2015. Any money left over goes toward "general corporate purposes," including capital contributions to subsidiaries, if needed. With Japan's Central Bank aggressively easing, it's curious that Aflac chose to borrow dollars to pay back yen-denominated notes.
[By Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson]
In this segment of The Motley Fool's financials-focused show, Where the Money Is, banking analysts David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer rank insurance stocks. The stocks ranked include: Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A ) (NYSE: BRK-B ) , Markel (NYSE: MKL ) , AIG (NYSE: AIG ) , and Aflac (NYSE: AFL ) . Berkshire Hathaway may be No.1 in the guy's hearts, but it is it also the top pick in their rankings?
[By John Kell]
Aflac Inc.'s(AFL) fourth-quarter earnings rose 16% but a weaker yen and dollar exchange rate continued to weigh on the company’s core operations in Japan. Shares edged down 2.4% to $60 premarket.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Old Republic International Corporation(ORI)

Old Republic International Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides various insurance and mortgage guaranty products in North America. The company operates in three segments: General Insurance, Mortgage Guaranty, and Title Insurance. The General Insurance segment provides liability insurance coverages to businesses, government, and other institutions in commercial construction, forest products, energy, general manufacturing, and financial services industries; and transportation, including trucking and general aviation industries. It provides various insurance products, such as automobile extended warranty, aviation, commercial automobile insurance, general liability, home warranty, inland marine, travel accident, and workers? compensation, as well as liability coverage for claims arising from the acts of owners or employees, and protection for the physical assets of businesses. This segment also offers financial indemnity products, such as consumer credit indemnity , errors and omissions/directors and officers, guaranteed asset protection, and surety, as well as bonds that cover the exposures for losses of monies, or debt and equity securities due to acts of employee dishonesty. The Mortgage Guaranty segment insures first mortgage loans, primarily on residential properties incorporating one-to-four family dwelling units to mortgage bankers, brokers, commercial banks, and savings institutions. The Title Insurance segment provides lenders' and owners' title insurance policies to real estate purchasers and investors based upon searches of the public records. It also provides escrow closing and construction disbursement services; and real estate information products, national default management services, and services related to real estate transfers and loan transactions. Old Republic International Corporation markets its products directly, as well as through insurance agents and brokers. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Chi cago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Marc Bastow]
Insurance underwriting company Old Republic (ORI) raised its quarterly dividend 5.8% to 18 cents per share, payable on Dec. 16 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 4.
ORI Dividend Yield: 4.28%

Top 10 Consumer Service Companies To Watch In Right Now: PartnerRe Ltd (PRE)

PartnerRe Ltd. (PartnerRe), incorporated in August 24, 1993, is the ultimate holding company for its international reinsurance group. The Company provides reinsurance on a global basis through its wholly owned subsidiaries, including Partner Reinsurance Company Ltd. (PartnerRe Bermuda), Partner Reinsurance Europe plc (PartnerRe Europe) and Partner Reinsurance Company of the U.S. (PartnerRe U.S.). Its risks reinsured include property, casualty, motor, agriculture, aviation/space, catastrophe, credit/surety, engineering, energy, marine, specialty property, specialty casualty, multiline and other lines and mortality, longevity and health. The Company also offers alternative risk products, which include weather and credit protection to financial, industrial and service companies on a global basis. In January 2013, the Company acquired Presidio Reinsurance Group, a United States-based specialty accident and health reinsurance and insurance writer. In March 2013, the Company announced the formation of Lorenz Re Ltd.

The Company provides reinsurance for its clients in approximately 150 countries globally. Through its branches and subsidiaries, the Company provides reinsurance of non-life and life risks to ceding companies (primary insurers, cedants or reinsureds) on either a proportional or non-proportional basis through treaties or facultative reinsurance. The Company operates in three segments: Non-life, Life and Corporate and Other. Its Corporate and Other segment is consisted of the capital markets and investment related activities of the Company, including principal finance transactions, insurance-linked securities and strategic investments, and its corporate activities, including other operating expenses.

Non-life Segment

The Non-life segment is divided into four sub-segments, North America, Global (Non-the United States) Property and Casualty (Global (Non-the United States) P&C), Global (Non-the United States) Specialty and Catastrophe. The North America sub-seg! ment includes agriculture, casualty, motor, multiline, property, surety and other risks generally originating in the United States. The Global (Non-the United States) P&C sub-segment includes casualty, motor and property business generally originating outside of the United States. The Global (Non-the United States) Specialty sub-segment business include agriculture, aviation/space, credit/surety, energy, engineering, marine, specialty casualty, specialty property and other lines. The Catastrophe sub-segment is consisted of the Company�� catastrophe line of business. The Company reinsures, primarily on a proportional basis, agricultural yield and price/revenue risks related to flood, drought, hail and disease related to crops, livestock and aquaculture. The Company provides specialized reinsurance protection for airline, general aviation and space insurance business on a proportional basis and through facultative arrangements.

The Company�� space business relates to coverages for satellite assembly, launch and operation for commercial space programs. Its casualty business includes third party liability, employers��liability, workers��compensation and personal accident coverages written on both a proportional and non-proportional basis, including structured reinsurance of casualty risks. The Company provides property catastrophe reinsurance protection, written on a non-proportional basis, against the accumulation of losses caused by windstorm, earthquake, tornado, tropical cyclone, flood or by any other natural hazard, which is covered under a property policy. Credit reinsurance, written on a proportional basis, provides coverage to commercial credit insurers, and the surety line relates to bonds and other forms of security written by specialized surety insurers. The Company provides reinsurance coverage for the onshore oil and gas industry, mining, power generation and pharmaceutical operations on a proportional basis and through facultative arrangements.

The Company p! rovides r! einsurance for engineering projects globally, predominantly on a proportional treaty basis and through facultative arrangements. The Company provides reinsurance protection and technical services relating to marine hull, cargo, transit and offshore oil and gas operations on a proportional or non-proportional basis. The Company�� motor business includes reinsurance coverages for third party liability and property damage risks arising from both passenger and commercial fleet automobile coverages written by cedants. This business is written predominantly on a proportional basis.

The Company�� multiline business provides both property and casualty reinsurance coverages written on both a proportional and non-proportional basis. Property business provides reinsurance coverage to insurers for property damage or business interruption losses resulting from fires, catastrophes and other perils covered in industrial, commercial property and homeowners��policies, and are written on both a proportional and non-proportional basis. The Company�� predominant exposure under these property coverage is to property damage. The Company�� property reinsurance treaties exclude certain risks, such as war, nuclear, biological and chemical contamination, radiation and environmental pollution.

The Company provides specialized reinsurance protection for non-the United States casualty business. This reinsurance protection is offered on a proportional, non-proportional or facultative basis. The Company provides specialized reinsurance protection for non-the United States property business. This reinsurance protection is offered on a proportional, non-proportional or facultative basis. The Company�� Non-life business is produced both through brokers and through direct relationships with insurance companies. In North America, business is written through brokers, while globally, the business is written on both a direct and broker basis.

Life Segment

The Company�� Life ! segment i! ncludes the mortality, longevity and health lines of business written primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. The Company provides reinsurance coverage to life insurers and pension funds to against individual and group mortality and disability risks. Mortality business is written on a proportional basis through treaty agreements. Mortality business is subdivided into death and disability covers (with various riders) written in Continental Europe, term assurance and critical illness (TCI) written in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and guaranteed minimum death benefit (GMDB) written in Continental Europe. The Company also writes certain treaties on a non-proportional basis in France.

The Company provides reinsurance coverage to employer sponsored pension schemes and life insurers who issue annuity contracts offering long-term retirement benefits to consumers, who seek protection against outliving their financial resources. The Company�� longevity portfolio is subdivided into standard and non-standard annuities. The non-standard annuities are annuities sold to consumers with aggravated health conditions and are underwritten on an individual basis. The Company provides reinsurance coverage to life insurers with respect to individual and group health risks. The Company�� Life business is produced both through brokers and through direct relationships with insurance companies. During the year ended December 31, 2011, one cedant accounted for 13% of the Life segment�� total gross premiums written and one broker, the Aon Group (including the Benfield Group), accounted for 16% of the Life segment�� total gross premiums written.

The Company competes with Munich Re, Swiss Re, Everest Re, Hannover Re, SCOR, Transatlantic, Arch Capital, Axis Capital and XL Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Marc Bastow]
International insurance holding company PartnerRe Ltd. (PRE) raised its quarterly dividend 5% to 67 cents per share, payable on Feb. 28 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 18.
PRE Dividend Yield: 2.72%

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Mapfre SA (MAP)

Mapfre SA is a Spain-based holding company active in the insurance industry. It provides insurance services to businesses, professionals and individuals. The range of the Company�� products and services includes insurance policies of direct life, property and casualty, health, automotive and third party liability, among others. In addition, Mapfre SA is active in the management of pension funds, retirement plans and investment funds, as well as the provision of healthcare services in Spain. The Company is a parent of Grupo Mapfre, which comprises a number of entities active in the insurance, reinsurance, financial and real estate sectors with operations established worldwide. The Company operates such subsidiaries as Mapfre Familiar, Mapfre Vida, Mapfre Emperesas, MSG Portugal, Mapfre America, Mapfre Internatcional, Mapfre Re, Mapfre Global Risks and Mapfre Asistencia, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ruth David]
Bankia, a Valencia-based bank that took state aid, did the third-biggest placing last quarter, when it dumped a 979 million-euro stake in Mapfre (MAP), Spain�� largest insurer. Bankia said the sale was a step in implementing its parent company�� strategy for the three years through 2015.
[By Tom Stoukas]
Mapfre SA (MAP) slid 3.1 percent to 2.67 euros. Bankia SA sold a 12 percent stake, or 369.6 million shares, in Spain�� biggest insurer.
Centrica Slides
Centrica Plc (CNA), the largest energy supplier to U.K. homes, lost 2.3 percent to 366.9 pence. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded the shares to neutral from overweight, citing proposals from Britain�� Labour Party to freeze energy bills and break up the country�� six biggest power suppliers.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Allstate Corp (ALL)

The Allstate Corporation (Allstate), November 5, 1992, is a holding company for Allstate Insurance Company. The Company�� business is conducted principally through Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Life Insurance Company and their affiliates. It is engaged, principally in the United States, in the property-liability insurance, life insurance, retirement and investment product business. Allstate's primary business is the sale of private passenger auto and homeowners insurance. The Company also sells several other personal property and casualty insurance products, select commercial property and casualty coverages, life insurance, annuities, voluntary accident and health insurance and funding agreements. Allstate primarily distributes its products through exclusive agencies, financial specialists, independent agencies, call centers and the Internet. It conducts its business primarily in the United States. Allstate has four business segments: Allstate Protection, Allstate Financial, Discontinued Lines and Coverages and Corporate and Other. The Company is a personal lines insurer in the United States. Customers can access Allstate products and services, such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through nearly 12,000 exclusive Allstate agencies and financial representatives in the United States and Canada. In October 2011, the Company acquired Esurance and Answer Financial from White Mountains Insurance Group.

ALLSTATE PROTECTION SEGMENT

In this segment, the Company principally sells private passenger auto and homeowners insurance through agencies and directly through call centers and the Internet. These products are marketed under the Allstate, Encompass and Esurance brand names. The Allstate Protection segment also includes a separate organization called Emerging Businesses, which comprises Business Insurance (commercial products for small business owners), Consumer Household (specialty products including motorcycle, boat, renters and condominium insurance policies), A! llstate Dealer Services (insurance and non-insurance products sold primarily to auto dealers), Allstate Roadside Services (retail and wholesale roadside assistance products) and Ivantage (insurance agency). The Company also participates in the involuntary or shared private passenger auto insurance business in order to maintain its licenses to do business in many states. In some states, Allstate exclusive agencies offer non-proprietary property insurance products. Allstate brand auto and homeowners insurance products are sold primarily through Allstate exclusive agencies and serve customers who prefer local personal advice and service and are brand-sensitive. In most states, customers can also purchase certain Allstate brand personal insurance products, and obtain service, directly through call centers and the Internet.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, total Allstate Protection premiums written were $25.98 billion. Its broad-based network of approximately 10,000 Allstate exclusive agencies in approximately 9,700 locations in the United States produced approximately 86% of the Allstate Protection segment's written premiums in 2011. It provides personal property and casualty insurance products through independent agencies in the United States. Additionally, Allstate distribution, through brokering arrangements, offers non-proprietary products to consumers when an Allstate product is not available.

ALLSTATE FINANCIAL SEGMENT

Allstate Financial segment provides life insurance, retirement and investment products, and voluntary accident and health insurance products. Its principal products are interest-sensitive, traditional and variable life insurance; fixed annuities, including deferred and immediate; and voluntary accident and health insurance. Its institutional products consist of funding agreements sold to unaffiliated trusts that use them to back medium-term notes issued to institutional and individual investors. Banking products and services were offered to! customer! s through the Allstate Bank through September 2011. In 2011, after receiving regulatory approval to voluntarily dissolve, Allstate Bank ceased operations.

The Company sells Allstate Financial products to individuals through multiple intermediary distribution channels, including Allstate exclusive agencies and exclusive financial specialists, independent agents, specialized structured settlement brokers and directly through call centers and the Internet. The Company sells products through independent agents affiliated with approximately 125 master brokerage agencies. Independent workplace enrolling agents and Allstate exclusive agencies also sell its voluntary accident and health insurance products primarily to employees of unaffiliated businesses. Its mortgage loan portfolio, which is primarily held in the Allstate Financial portfolio, totaled $7.14 billion as of December 31, 2011

Allstate Financial, through several companies, is authorized to sell life insurance and retirement products in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States, Virgin Islands and Guam. Allstate Financial distributes its products to individuals through multiple distribution channels, including Allstate exclusive agencies and exclusive financial specialists, independent agents (including master brokerage agencies and workplace enrolling agents), specialized structured settlement brokers and directly through call centers and the Internet.

OTHER BUSINESS SEGMENTS

The Company�� Corporate and Other segment consistsof holding company activities and certain non-insurance operations. It�� Discontinued Lines and Coverages segment includes results from insurance coverage that it no longer writes and results for certain commercial and other businesses in run-off. Its exposure to asbestos, environmental and other discontinued lines claims is presented in the segment. The segment also includes the historical results of the commercial and reinsurance businesses ! sold in 1! 996.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Laura Brodbeck]
Wednesday
Earnings Expected: Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK), Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR), Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) Economic Releases Expected: German trade balance, Italian unemployment, eurozone retail sales, eurozone unemployment rate, Irish retail sales, US crude oil inventories, US FOMC minutes, Chinese CPI, Chinese PPI
Thursday
[By Shauna O'Brien]
Credit Suisse reported on Thursday that it has raised its estimates on insurance company The Allstate Corporation (ALL).

The firm has raised its price target on ALL to $62. This price target suggests a 16% upside from the stock’s current price of $52.23. Analysts currently have an “Outperform” rating on ALL.

Credit Suisse has also boosted estimates on ALL as its management is increasing returns.

Allstate shares were up 32 cents, or 0.62%, during Thursday morning trading. The stock is up 30% YTD.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Helvetia Holding AG (HELN)

Helvetia Holding AG is a Switzerland-based holding company of the Helvetia Group, an internationally active, all-lines insurance service group. The Company divides its activities into country markets Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Other insurance units, which include Austria, France and the global reinsurance business, as well as the Corporate segment, which includes all the Helvetia Group activities, as well as financing companies and the Company. Helvetia Holding AG classifies its activities as life business, non-life business and other activities. The life business offers life insurance, pension plans and annuities, among others. The non-life business includes property, motor vehicle, liability and transport policies, as well as health and accidental insurance coverage. The reinsurance business, among others, is included in Other activities business. The Company operates through its branch offices and subsidiaries. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Tom Stoukas]
Helvetia Holding AG (HELN) added 3.3 percent to 412 Swiss francs. Switzerland�� fourth-biggest insurer said first-half profit rose because of increased life-insurance sales and an acquisition in France. Net income climbed to 179.5 million Swiss francs ($192 million) in the six months through June, beating the average analyst estimate of 164.4 million francs.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: NMI Holdings Inc (NMIHZ)

NMI Holdings, Inc. (NMIH), incorporated on May 19, 2011, is a development-stage company. The Company through its subsidiaries provides private mortgage insurance in the United States. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiaries include National Mortgage Insurance Corporation and National Mortgage Reinsurance Inc One.

On April 24, 2012, NMI Holdings, Inc. (NMI) closed an agreement with MAC Financial Ltd. to acquire MAC Financial Holdings Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries. On September 30, 2013, the Company merged MAC Financial Holding Corporation into NMIH, with NMIH surviving the merger, and it merged NMRI Two into NMIC, with NMIC surviving the merger.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Zachary Tracer]
NMI Holdings Inc. (NMIHZ), a mortgage insurer backed by funds tied to Carlyle Group LP (CG) and Kyle Bass, filed to sell shares in an initial public offering as investors bet on a housing-market rebound.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Prudential Financial Inc.(PRU)

Prudential Financial, Inc., through its subsidiaries, offers various financial products and services in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The company operates through three divisions: The U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management, The U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance, and The International Insurance and Investments. The U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division provides individual variable and fixed annuity products, as well as offers retirement investment and income products and services to retirement plan sponsors in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. This division also provides investment management and advisory services to the public and private marketplace. The U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division offers individual variable life, term life, and universal life insurance products; and group life, long-term and short-term group disability, long-term care, and group corporate-, bank-and trus t-owned life insurance products to institutional clients. This division also sells accidental death and dismemberment, and other ancillary coverages, as well as provides plan administrative services; and offers preferred provider and indemnity dental coverage plans to clients. The International Insurance and Investments division provides international individual life insurance products in Japan, Korea, and other foreign countries; and offers proprietary and non-proprietary asset management, investment advice, and services to retail and institutional clients internationally. In addition, the company engages in real estate brokerage franchise business, which involves marketing its franchises to the real estate companies. Further, it provides institutional clients and government agencies with various services in connection with the relocation of their employees. Prudential Financial, Inc. was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Dan Caplinger]
Beyond mortgage insurance, not everything has gone well at Genworth. Its long-term care insurance business continues to struggle, with operating profits having fallen by more than 40% as Genworth struggles to get regulators to allow it to increase rates enough to make the business economically viable. Major competitors MetLife (NYSE: MET ) and Prudential (NYSE: PRU ) have already pulled back from long-term care, and Genworth might have to follow suit if it can't find other ways to make money from the segment. In addition, Genworth joined other insurers in settling claims that it and others failed to pay policy benefits to life-insurance customers, serving as a reminder that litigation risks continue to exist throughout the financial industry.
[By Sean Williams]
Finally, to round out the theme of earnings-based pops, insurance and investment management firm Prudential (NYSE: PRU ) popped 7% after reporting its first-quarter results. Aside from a slew of one-time charges related to foreign currency translations and investment losses, Prudential reported an adjusted EPS profit of $2.28, as revenue increased 13%, to $11.83 billion. The Street expected only a $1.87 per-share profit, but had been looking for $12.4 billion in revenue. Prudential noted that all of its operating segments demonstrated growth during the quarter, and it ended with $1.06 trillion in assets under management. The charges were certainly an unwelcome surprise, but Prudential, at seven times forward earnings, still looks incredibly cheap.
[By Jessica Alling]
AIG (NYSE: AIG ) , General Electric's (NYSE: GE ) GE Capital, and Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU ) we all notified Monday that they had been designated as "systemically important financial institutions," with tougher rules on the way. Does this kill any opportunities for investors?
[By Amanda Alix]
MetLife chief takes his case to the public
The potential designation as a SIFI is the reason for an ongoing battle between MetLife and federal regulators, who are also looking at fellow big insurance companies AIG (NYSE: AIG ) and Prudential (NYSE: PRU ) �-- as well as GE Capital -- with a newly discerning eye under Dodd-Frank. The freshly created Financial Stability Oversight Council has been charged with rooting out companies that might cause economic chaos if they fail, and all three insurers were notified last fall that they had entered the third stage of scrutiny in this process.

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: AIA Group Ltd (AAIGF.PK)

AIA Group Limited is an investment holding company. The Company and its subsidiaries are engaged in provision of products and services to individuals and businesses for their insurance, protection, savings, investment and retirement needs. The Company operates life insurance business, providing life, pensions, and accident and health products to customers in its local market, and distributes related investment and other financial services products. The Company serves more than 100,000 corporate clients with more than 13 million group insurance scheme members. It has operations in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Australia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Macau and Brunei. As of November 30, 2012, its subsidiaries included American International Assurance Company, Limited (AIA Co.), American International Assurance Company (Bermuda) Limited (AIA-B), AIA Australia Limited and PT AIA Financial, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

[By Holly LaFon]
Berkowitz�� top holdings continue to be: American International Group Inc. (AIG), AIA Group Ltd. (AAIGF.PK), Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD), Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B) and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (BAM).

Best Insurance Stocks To Own Right Now: Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd (AHL)

Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited (Aspen Holdings), incorporated on May 23, 2002, is a holding company. The Company conducts insurance and reinsurance business through its subsidiaries in three jurisdictions: Aspen Insurance UK Limited (Aspen U.K.) and Aspen Underwriting Limited (AUL), corporate member of Syndicate 4711 at Lloyd�� of London (United Kingdom), Aspen Bermuda Limited (Aspen Bermuda) and Aspen Specialty Insurance Company (Aspen Specialty) and Aspen American Insurance Company (AAIC). Aspen U.K. also has branches in Paris (France), Zurich (Switzerland), Dublin (Ireland), Cologne (Germany), Singapore, Australia and Canada. It operates in the global markets for property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. It manages its insurance and reinsurance businesses as two distinct underwriting segments, Aspen Insurance and Aspen Reinsurance (Aspen Re), to serve its global customer base. Its insurance segment is consisted of property, casualty, marine, energy and transportation insurance and financial and professional lines insurance. Its reinsurance segment is consisted of property reinsurance (catastrophe and other), casualty reinsurance and specialty reinsurance. In April 2013, the reinsurance segment of the Company announced the formation of a new division, Aspen Capital Markets.

In the Company�� insurance segment, property, casualty and financial and professional lines insurance business is written in the London Market through Aspen U.K. and in the United States through Aspen Specialty and AAIC. Its marine, energy and transportation insurance business is written through Aspen U.K. and AUL, which is the corporate member of Syndicate 4711 at Lloyd�� of London (Lloyd��), managed by Aspen Managing Agency Limited (AMAL). It also writes casualty business through AUL. In reinsurance, property reinsurance business is assumed by Aspen Bermuda and Aspen U.K. The property reinsurance business written in the United States is written by Aspen Re America and ARA-CA as reinsurance intermed! iaries with offices in Connecticut, Illinois, Florida, New York, Georgia and California. The business written in the United States is produced by Aspen Re America.

Reinsurance

The Company�� reinsurance segment consists of property catastrophe reinsurance, other property reinsurance (risk excess, pro rata, risk solutions and facultative), casualty reinsurance (the United States treaty, international treaty and global facultative) and specialty reinsurance (credit and surety, structured, agriculture and specialty). Property catastrophe reinsurance is written on a treaty excess of loss basis where it provides protection to an insurer for an agreed portion of the total losses from a single event in excess of a specified loss amount. In the event of a loss, contracts provide for coverage of a second occurrence following the payment of a premium to reinstate the coverage under the contract, which is referred to as a reinstatement premium. The coverage provided under excess of loss reinsurance contracts may be on a global basis or limited in scope to selected regions or geographical areas.

Other property reinsurance includes risk excess of loss and proportional treaty reinsurance, facultative or single risk reinsurance and its risk solutions business. Risk excess of loss reinsurance provides coverage to a reinsured where it experiences a loss in excess of its retention level on a single risk basis. Proportional contracts involve close client relationships, including regular audits of the cedants��data. Its risk solutions business writes property insurance risks for a select group of the United States program managers. Casualty reinsurance is written on an excess of loss, proportional and facultative basis and consists of the United States treaty, international treaty and casualty facultative. Its United States treaty business consists of exposures to workers��compensation (including catastrophe), medical malpractice, general liability, auto liability, professional l! iability ! and excess liability, including umbrella liability. Its international treaty business reinsures exposures respect to general liability, auto liability, professional liability, workers��compensation and excess liability.

Specialty reinsurance is written on an excess of loss and proportional basis and consists of credit and surety reinsurance, structured risks, agriculture reinsurance and other specialty lines. Its credit and surety reinsurance business consists of trade credit reinsurance, international surety reinsurance (mainly European, Japanese and Latin American risks and excluding the United States) and a political risks portfolio. Its agricultural reinsurance business is written on a treaty basis covering crop and multi-peril business. Other specialty lines include reinsurance treaties and some insurance policies covering policyholders��interests in marine, energy, liability aviation, space, contingency, terrorism, nuclear, personal accident and crop reinsurance. A percentage of the property reinsurance contracts it writes exclude coverage for losses arising from the peril of terrorism. These contracts exclude coverage protecting against nuclear, biological or chemical attack.

The Company competes Arch Capital Group Ltd., Axis Capital Holdings Limited (Axis), Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. (Endurance), Everest Re Group Limited, Lancashire Holdings Limited, Montpelier Re Holdings Limited, PartnerRe Ltd., Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd., Renaissance Re Holdings Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., XL Capital Ltd. (XL) and various Lloyd�� syndicates.

Insurance

The Company�� insurance segment consists of property insurance, casualty insurance, marine, energy and transportation insurance and financial and professional lines insurance. Its property insurance line comprises the United Kingdom commercial property and construction business and the United States property business. Property insurance provides physical damage and business interruption! coverage! for losses arising from weather, fire, theft and other causes. The United States commercial property team covers mercantile, manufacturing, municipal and commercial real estate business. The United States property also includes its program business, which writes property insurance risks for a select group of the United States program managers. The United Kingdom commercial team�� client base is predominantly the United Kingdom institutional property owners, middle market corporates and public sector clients.

The Company�� casualty insurance line comprises commercial liability, global excess casualty, the United States casualty insurance and environmental liability, written on a primary, quota share and facultative basis. Commercial liability is written in the United Kingdom and provides employers��liability coverage and public liability coverage for insureds domiciled in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The global excess casualty line comprises risk-managed insureds globally and covers risks at points, including general liability, commercial and residential construction liability, life science, railroads, trucking, product and public liability and associated types of cover found in general liability policies in the global insurance market. The United States casualty account consists of lines written within the general liability and umbrella liability insurance sectors. Coverage on its general liability line is offered on those risks that are miscellaneous, products liability, contractors (general contractors and artisans), real estate and retail risks and other general liability business. The United States environmental account provides contractors��pollution liability and pollution legal liability across industry segments that have environmental regulatory drivers and contractual requirements for coverage, including real estate and public entities, contractors and engineers, energy contractors and environmental contractors and consultants. The business is written in both the primar! y and exc! ess insurance markets.

The Company�� marine, energy and transportation insurance line comprises marine, energy and construction (M.E.C.) liability, energy physical damage, marine hull, specie, inland marine and ocean risks and aviation, written on a primary, quota share and facultative basis. The M.E.C. liability business includes marine liability cover related to the liabilities of ship-owners and port operators, including reinsurance of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (P&I Clubs). It also provides liability cover for companies in the oil and gas sector, both onshore and offshore and in the power generation and the United States commercial construction sectors. Energy physical damage provides insurance cover against physical damage losses in addition to Operators Extra Expenses (OEE) for companies operating in the oil and gas exploration and production sector. The marine hull team insures physical damage for ships (including war and associated perils) and related marine assets. The specie business line focuses on the insurance of property items on an all risks basis, including fine art, general and bank related specie, jewelers��block and armored car. The inland marine and ocean cargo team writes business covering builders��construction risk, contractors��equipment, transportation and ocean cargo risks in addition to exhibition, fine arts and museums insurance.

The aviation team writes physical damage insurance on hulls and spares (including war and associated perils) and comprehensive legal liability for airlines, smaller operators of airline equipment, airports and associated business and non-critical component part manufacturers. It also provides aviation hull deductible cover. Its financial and professional lines comprise financial institutions, professional liability (including management and technology liability), financial and political risks and the United States surety risks, written on a primary, quota share and facultative basis. Its financial institutions ! business ! is written on both a primary and excess of loss basis and consists of professional liability, crime insurance and directors��and officers��(D&O) cover. It covers financial institutions, including commercial and investment banks, asset managers, insurance companies, stockbrokers and insureds with hybrid business models. Its professional liability business is written out of the United States (including Errors and Omissions (E&O)), the United Kingdom and Switzerland and is written on both a primary and excess of loss basis.

The Company insures a range of professions, including lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers. Its management and technology liability teams write on both a primary and excess basis D&O insurance, technology-related policies in the areas of network privacy, misuse of data and cyber liability and warranty and indemnity insurance in connection with, or to facilitate, corporate transactions. The financial and political risks team writes business covering the credit/default risk on a range of project and trade transactions, as well as political risks, terrorism (including multi-year war on land cover), piracy and kidnap and ransom (K&R). It writes financial and political risks globally but with concentrations in a range of countries, such as Russia, China, Brazil, the Netherlands and United States. Its surety team writes commercial surety risks, admiralty bonds and similar maritime undertakings, including federal and public official bonds, license and permits and fiduciary and miscellaneous bonds and privately owned companies in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Aspen Insurance Holdings (NYSE: AHL) shares shot up 11.05 percent to $43.72 after Endurance Specialty Holdings (NYSE: ENH) offered to buy Aspen Insurance for $47.50 per share in a cash and stock deal.
[By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
Aspen Insurance Holdings (NYSE: AHL) shares shot up 11.33 percent to $43.83 after Endurance Specialty Holdings (NYSE: ENH) offered to buy Aspen Insurance for $47.50 per share in a cash and stock deal.
[By Sally Jones] % over 12 months, Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd. has a market cap of $2.63 billion; its shares were traded at around $40.06 with a P/E ratio of 13.50. The dividend yield is 1.80%.
The GuruFocus analysis for AHL shows six warning signs.
Track historical share pricing, revenue and net income:
[ Enlarge Image ]
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, Arnold Schneider reduced his position by 89.42%, selling 109,081 shares at an average price of $36.77, for a gain of 8.9%.
Over five quarters, Schneider has averaged a 28% gain on 166,209 shares bought at an average price of $31.34 per share. He gained 8% selling 153,305 shares at an average price of $37.03 per share.
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, Jim Simons increased his position by 387.47%, buying 501,000 shares at an average price of $36.77, for a gain of 8.9%. His current shares are 630,300.
Over five years, Simons has sold out three times. He has averaged a 15% gain on 876,900 shares bought at an average price of $34.82 per share. He gained 13% on 246,600 shares sold at an average price of $35.35 per share.
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, Steven Cohen increased his position by 190.15%, buying 15,037 shares at an average price of $36.77, for a gain of 8.9%. His current shares are 22,945.
Cohen has averaged an 18% gain on 36,658 shares bought at an average price of $33.98 per share. He gained 22% on 13,713 shares sold at an average price of $32.85 per share.
Guru Action: As of Sept. 30, 2013, top guru stakeholder David Einhorn reduced his position by 36.93%, selling 1,451,581 shares at an average price of $36.77, for a gain of 8.6%. This trade impacts his portfolio by -1%. His current shares are 2,478,935 or 3.67% of shares outstanding.
Over five years, Einhorn has averaged a 67% gain on 5,700,182 shares bought at an average price of $23.88 per share. He gained 15% on 3,221,247 shares sold at an average price of $34.57 per share.
Here�