5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks To Buy Right Now

5 Best Industrial Disributor Stocks To Buy Right Now: NiSource Inc (NI)

NiSource Inc. (NiSource), incorporated on March 29, 2000, is an energy holding company whose subsidiaries provide natural gas, electricity and other products and services to approximately 3.8 million customers located within a corridor that runs from the Gulf Coast through the Midwest to New England. NiSource operates in three business segments: Gas Distribution Operations; Gas Transmission and Storage Operations, and Electric Operations. NiSource's principal subsidiaries include Columbia Energy Group (Columbia), a vertically-integrated natural gas distribution, transmission and storage holding company whose subsidiaries provide service to customers in the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast; Northern Indiana Public Service Company (Northern Indiana), a vertically-integrated gas and electric company providing service to customers in northern Indiana, and Bay State Gas Company (Columbia of Massachusetts), a natural gas distribution company serving customers in Mas sachusetts.

NiSource Finance Corporation (NiSource Finance) is a 100% owned, consolidated finance subsidiary of NiSource. NiSource Finance engages in financing activities to raise funds for the business operations of NiSource and its subsidiaries.

Gas Distribution Operations

NiSource's natural gas distribution operations serve more than 3.3 million customers in seven states and operate approximately 58 thousand miles of pipeline. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Columbia, NiSource owns five distribution subsidiaries that provide natural gas to approximately 2.2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland. NiSource also distributes natural gas to approximately 795 thousand customers in northern Indiana. Additionally, NiSource's subsidiary,! Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, distributes natural gas to approximately 298 thousand customers in Massachusetts.

< p>Gas Transmission and Storage Operations

NiSou! rce's Gas Transmission and Storage Operations subsidiaries own and operate approximately 15,000 miles of pipeline and operate a natural gas storage system capable of storing approximately 639 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Through its subsidiaries, Columbia Gas Transmission L.L.C. (Columbia Transmission), Columbia Gulf Transmission Company (Columbia Gulf) and Crossroads Pipeline Company (Crossroads Pipeline), NiSource owns and operates an interstate pipeline network extending from the Gulf of Mexico to New York and the eastern seaboard. Together, these companies serve customers in 16 northeastern, mid-Atlantic, midwestern and southern states and the District of Columbia. NiSource Midstream Services is an unregulated business that is a provider of midstream services, including gathering, treating, conditioning, processing, compression and liquids handling, as well as managing mineral rights positions in the Marcellus and Utica shale areas.

The Gas Transmiss ion and Storage Operations subsidiaries are also engaged in two joint ventures, Millennium Pipeline Company, L.L.C. (Millennium) and Hardy Storage Company, L.L.C. (Hardy Storage). Millennium Pipeline, which includes 252 miles of 30-inch-diameter pipe across New York's Southern Tier and lower Hudson Valley, has the capability to transport up to 525,400 dekatherm per day of natural gas to markets along its route, as well as to the New York City markets through its pipeline interconnections. Millennium is jointly owned by affiliates of NiSource, DTE Energy and National Grid. Hardy Storage, which consists of underground natural gas storage facilities in West Virginia, has a working storage capacity of 12 billion cubic feet and the ability to deliver 176,000 dekatherm of natural gas per day. Hardy Storage is a joint venture of subsidiaries of Colum! bia Trans! mission and Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. (Piedmont).

Electric Operations

NiSource generates , transmits and distributes electricity through its subsidia! ry Northe! rn Indiana Public Service Company (Northern Indiana) to approximately 458 thousand customers in 20 counties in the northern part of Indiana and engages in electric wholesale and transmission transactions. Northern Indiana operates three coal-fired electric generating stations. The three operating facilities have a net capability of 2,574 megawatts. Northern Indiana also owns and operates Sugar Creek, a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant with a 535 megawatts capacity rating, four gas-fired generating units located at Northern Indiana's coal-fired electric generating stations with a net capability of 203 megawatts and two hydroelectric generating plants with a net capability of 10 megawatts. These facilities provide for a total system operating net capability of 3,322 megawatts. Northern Indiana's transmission system, with voltages from 69,000 to 345,000 volts, consists of 2,797 circuit miles. Northern Indiana is interconnected with five neighboring electric utilities .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Answer: I like Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU), Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners LP (TSX: BEP-U, NYSE: BEP), Pembina Pipeline Corp (TSX: PPL, NYSE: PBA), Xcel Energy Inc (NYSE: XEL) and NiSource Inc (NYSE: NI).

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  NiSource Inc.(NI) said its fourth-quarter profit rose 13% as all three of the utility company’s segments posted revenue growth. But the top line missed estimates.

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-industrial-disributor-stocks-to-buy-right-now.html

Hot Freight Stocks To Own For 2014

Duncan Chard/Bloomberg via Getty Images DUBAI -- Boeing expects to make a decision on where to build a new version of its 777 passenger jet within 2-3 months, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney said Monday. "We will be announcing within next 2-3 months very specifically plans for manufacturing," he told reporters at the Dubai Airshow. "We have a number of alternatives and we are in the process of considering them." Boeing (BA) won orders worth some $100 billion as it launched a revamped long-haul jet previously known as 777X at the show. McNerney dismissed concerns that big orders from three Gulf airlines could result in too much capacity coming into the Middle East as airlines compete for the same business. "This region is for real and we are just gratified that we could be part of it," McNerney said. "From time to time people wonder if the investment in infrastructure here is sustainable and my observation is that it is. As I watch as an industry participant, I see them opening routes and performing and filling planes." The 406-seat twin-engined 777-9 model is smaller than the 467-seat 747-8 but is widely expected to compete with the larger four-engined plane on fuel efficiency. "There is no question that the 777 puts pressure on bigger planes and our concept all along has been that there is a role for the 747 as a niche passenger plane and as a freighter," McNerney said. "Our numbers have taken that into account and both remain viable business propositions." McNerney said Boeing was entering a period of cash generation as it winds down some major developments and enters a phase of higher production, but declined to predict how this would affect the company's dividend policy. He said the company was "riding a little low" compared to the historical average for its payout ratio, but declined to say how this might affect its dividend policy, on which he expected some clues as it gives guidance for next year. The U.S. manufacturer will firm up the configuration of the new version of the 777 aircraft in 2015 and plans to have a detailed design by 2016.

5 Best Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: PostNL NV (PNL)

PostNL NV is a Netherlands-based Company active in delivery sector. The Company is engaged in the delivery of documents, small packages and standard parcels. The Company�� business is organized into three segments: Mail in the Netherlands, responsible for mail services in the Netherland, documents management, direct marketing and fulfillment services, and operating over 2,600 shop-in-shop post offices; Parcels, providing parcel services in the Netherlands and Belgium for both domestic and cross-border parcel distribution, and International, operating in the postal markets of the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, and focusing on domestic addressed mail services. The Company also provides marketing and communication services, fulfillment solutions and e-commerce related solutions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  PostNL (PNL) sank 11 percent to 2.48 euros, the biggest decline since Jan. 14. The Amsterdam-based company said sales in the second-quarter were 1.03 billion euros ($1.37 billion), falling short of the 1.04 billion euros predicted by analysts on average. PostNL forecast addressed mail volume in 2013 will drop as much as 11 percent, greater than its previous forecast of no more than 10 percent.

Hot Freight Stocks To Own For 2014: Agility Public Warehousing Co KSC (AGLTY)

Agility Public Warehousing Company KSC is a Kuwait-based company engaged, along with its subsidiaries, in the provision of global integrated logistics solutions. The Company is organized into two business segments: the Logistic and Related services segment provides logistics offering to its clients, including freight forwarding, transportation, contract logistics, project logistics and fairs and events logistics, and the Infrastructure segment provides other services, which include industrial real estate airport and airplane ground handling and cleaning services, customs consulting, private equity and waste recycling. The Company operates under the brand name of Agility. The Company�� subsidiaries include Global Express Transport Co. WLL, PWC Transport Company WLL, Agility DGS Logistics Services KSCC and Gulf Catering Company for General, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Fiona MacDonald]

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

Hot Freight Stocks To Own For 2014: Con-way Inc (CNW)

Con-way Inc. (Con-way), incorporated in 1958, provides transportation, logistics and supply-chain management services for a wide range of manufacturing, industrial and retail customers. Con-way�� business units operate in regional and transcontinental less-than-truckload and full-truckload freight transportation, contract logistics and supply-chain management, multimodal freight brokerage, and trailer manufacturing. Con-way is divided into four segments: Freight, Logistics, Truckload, and Other. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Freight operated 286 freight service centers, of which 144 were owned and 142 were leased. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Freight owned and operated approximately 9,200 tractors and 26,400 trailers, including tractors held under capital lease agreements.

Freight

The Freight segment consists of the operating results of the Con-way Freight business unit. Con-way Freight is a less-than-truckload (LTL) motor carrier that utilizes a network of freight service centers to provide day-definite regional, inter-regional and transcontinental less-than-truckload freight services throughout North America. LTL carriers transport shipments from multiple shippers utilizing a network of freight service centers combined with a fleet of line-haul and pickup-and-delivery tractors and trailers. Freight is picked up from customers and consolidated for shipment at the originating service center. Freight is consolidated for transportation to the destination service centers or freight assembly centers. At Freight assembly centers, freight from various service centers can be reconsolidated for transportation to other freight assembly centers or destination service centers. From the destination service center, the freight is delivered to the customer. Typically, LTL shipments weigh between 100 and 15,000 pounds. In 2011, Con-way Freight�� average weight per shipment was 1,305 pounds.

Logistics

The Logistics segment consists of the operating results o! f the Menlo Worldwide Logistics business unit. Menlo Worldwide Logistics develops contract-logistics solutions, which can include managing complex distribution networks, and providing supply-chain engineering and consulting, and multimodal freight brokerage services. Menlo Worldwide Logistics��supply-chain management offerings are primarily related to transportation-management and contract-warehousing services. Transportation management refers to the management of asset-based carriers and third-party transportation providers for customers��inbound and outbound supply-chain needs through the use of logistics management systems to consolidate, book and track shipments. Contract warehousing refers to the optimization and operation of warehouses for customers using technology and warehouse-management systems to reduce inventory carrying costs and supply-chain cycle times. For several customers, contract-warehousing operations include light assembly or kitting operations.

Menlo Worldwide Logistics provides its services using a customer- or project-based approach when the supply-chain solution requires customer-specific transportation management, single-client warehouses, and/or single-customer technological solutions. However, Menlo Worldwide Logistics also utilizes a shared-resource, process-based approach that leverages a centralized transportation-management group, multi-client warehouses and technology to provide scalable solutions to multiple customers. Additionally, Menlo Worldwide Logistics segments its business based on customer type. At December 31, 2011, Menlo Worldwide Logistics operated 76 warehouses in North America, of which 55 were leased by Menlo Worldwide Logistics and 21 were leased or owned by clients of Menlo Worldwide Logistics. Outside of North America, Menlo Worldwide Logistics operated an additional 63 warehouses, of which 48 were leased by Menlo Worldwide Logistics and 15 were leased or owned by clients. Menlo Worldwide Logistics owns and operates a small fleet of tr! actors an! d trailers to support its operations, but primarily utilizes third-party transportation providers for the movement of customer shipments.

Truckload

The Truckload segment consists of the operating results of the Con-way Truckload business unit. Con-way Truckload is a full-truckload motor carrier that utilizes a fleet of tractors and trailers to provide short- and long-haul, asset-based transportation services throughout North America. Con-way Truckload provides dry-van transportation services to manufacturing, industrial and retail customers while using single drivers as well as two-person driver teams over long-haul routes, with each trailer containing only one customer�� goods. This origin-to-destination freight movement limits intermediate handling and is not dependent on the same network of locations utilized by LTL carriers. On average, Con-way Truckload transports shipments more than 800 miles from origin to destination. Under its regional service offering, Con-way Truckload transports truckload shipments of less than 600 miles, including local-area service for truckload shipments of less than 100 miles.

Con-way Truckload offers through-trailer service into and out of Mexico through all major gateways in Texas, Arizona and California. For a shipment with an origin or destination in Mexico, Con-way Truckload provides transportation for the domestic portion of the freight move, and a Mexican carrier provides the pick-up, linehaul and delivery services within Mexico. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Truckload operated five owned terminals with bulk fuel, tractor and trailer parking, and in some cases, equipment maintenance and washing facilities. In addition, Con-way Truckload also utilizes various drop yards for temporary trailer storage throughout the United States. At December 31, 2011, Con-way Truckload owned and operated approximately 2,700 tractors and 8,000 trailers, including tractors held under capital lease agreements.

Other

! The Other! reporting segment consists of the operating results of Road Systems, a trailer manufacturer, and certain corporate activities for which the related income or expense has not been allocated to other reporting segments, including results related to corporate re-insurance activities and corporate properties. Road Systems primarily manufactures and refurbishes trailers for Con-way Freight and Con-way Truckload.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Wunderlich’s Nicholas Bender thinks FedEx’s results bode well for Old Dominion (ODFL), Con-way (CNW) and Saia (SAIA):

  We expect all less-than-truckload carriers to benefit in 2Q14 from the same trends that carried FedEx Freight to a banner 4Q14. This includes Hold-rated Old Dominion, which will continue to grow at well above market rates, and Buy-rated Con-way, which we believe can leverage a strong 2Q14 to prime the pump on margin enhancement efforts. Our favorite name in the space remains Saia (SAIA-$42.92, Buy), which will once again see accelerating tonnage growth in 2Q14. Though tonnage growth will moderate in� 2H14 due to steeper comps, there remains considerable potential for the company to boost yield and continue winning incremental business with new accounts.

Hot Freight Stocks To Own For 2014: Echo Global Logistics Inc (ECHO)

Echo Global Logistics, Inc. (Echo) is a provider of technology enabled transportation and supply chain management services. Its Web-based technology platform compiles and analyzes data from its network of over 24,000 transportation providers to serve its clients' shipping and freight management needs. Its technology platform, composed of Web-based software applications and a database, enables it to identify excess transportation capacity, obtain competitive rates, and execute thousands of shipments every day. It focuses on arranging transportation across truckload (TL) and less than truck load (LTL), and it also offers small parcel, inter-modal (which involves moving a shipment by rail and truck), domestic air, expedited and international transportation services. Its logistics services include rate negotiation, shipment execution and tracking, carrier management, routing compliance, freight bill audit and payment and performance management reporting, including executive dashboard tools. Effective January 1, 2011, the Company acquired Nationwide Traffic Services, LLC. (Nationwide) Effective July 1, 2011, the Company acquired Advantage Transport, Inc. (Advantage). Effective December 1, 2011, the Company acquired the stock of Trailer Transport Systems (TTS). In June 2012, the Company acquired Plum Logistics, LLC. In July 2012, it acquired all of the assets of Shipper Direct Logistics, Inc. In October 2012, the Company acquired Sharp Freight Systems, Inc.

The Company�� clients fall into two categories, enterprise and transactional. Its enterprise clients outsource their transportation management function to Echo. It enters into multi-year contracts with its enterprise clients. As part of its value proposition, it also provides core logistics services to these clients, including the management of both freight expenditures and logistical issues surrounding freight to be transported. It provides transportation and logistics services to its transactional clients on a shipment-by-shipment basis.! It is a non-asset-based provider of technology enabled transportation and logistics services. Through its carrier network, it provides transportation services using a range of modes of transportation.

Transportation Services

The Company provides Truckload (TL) services across all TL segments, including dry vans, temperature-controlled units and flatbeds. Using its LaneIQ technology, it provide advanced dispatch, communication and data collection tools and capacity information to its clients on a real-time basis. The Company provides less than truckload (LTL) services involving the shipment of single or multiple pallets of freight. Using its RateIQ 2.0 technology, it obtains real-time pricing and transit time information for every LTL shipment from its database of LTL carriers. It provides small parcel services for packages of all sizes. Using its EchoPak technology, it delivers cost saving opportunities to its clients. Inter-modal transportation is the shipping of freight by multiple modes, using a container that is transferred between ships, railcars or trucks. It offers inter-modal transportation services for its clients, which utilizes both trucks and rail. The Company provides domestic air and expedited shipment services for its clients when traditional LTL services do not meet delivery requirements. It uses ETM track and trace tools for up to date information to its clients through EchoTrak. The Company provides air and ocean transportation services for its clients, offering a comprehensive international delivery option to its clients.

Logistics Services

In addition to arranging for transportation, the Company provides logistics services, either on-site (in the case of some enterprise clients) or off-site, to manage the flow of those goods from origin to destination. Its core logistics services include rate negotiation; procurement of transportation, both contractually and in the spot market; shipment execution and tracking; carrier management, ! reporting! and compliance; executive dashboard presentations and detailed shipment reports; freight bill audit and payment; claims processing and service refund management; design and management of inbound client freight programs; individually configured Web portals and self-service data warehouses; enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration with transactional shipment data, and integration of shipping applications into client e-commerce sites. Customers communicate their freight needs, typically on a shipment-by-shipment basis, to the individual or team responsible for their account. Customers communicate with it by means of telephone, fax, Internet, e-mail, or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Technology Platform

The Company�� ETM technology platform allows it to analyze its clients' transportation requirements and provide customized shipping recommendations. It collects and store pricing and market capacity data in its ETM database from each interaction with carriers, and its database expands as a result of these interactions. It has also developed data acquisition tools, which retrieve information from both private and public transportation databases, including subscription-based sources and public transportation rate boards, and incorporate that information into the ETM database. Its clients communicate their transportation needs to it electronically through its EchoTrak web portal, other computer protocols, or by phone. ETM generates pricing and carrier information for its clients by accessing pre-negotiated rates with preferred carriers or using present or historical pricing and capacity information contained in its database. If a client enters its own shipment, ETM automatically alerts the appropriate account executive. After the carrier is selected, either by it or the client, its account executives use its ETM technology platform to manage all aspects of the shipping process.

The Company�� FastLane is an Internet-based Web portal, which allows its carriers! to view ! shipments available for tender, update equipment availability and preferred lanes, check on the status of all unpaid invoices, unbilled shipments, shipments in transit and other information used to resolve any billing discrepancies. There is also a mobile FastLane application, which allows carriers to view similar information remotely. eConnect is a set of tools, which allows the Company�� clients and carriers to interact directly with ETM electronically through any of several computer protocols, including EDI, extensible markup language (XML) and file transfer protocol (FTP). The eConnect tools serve as an electronic bridge between the other elements of its ETM technology platform and its clients' enterprise resource planning (ERP), billing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, order management, back office and e-commerce systems. Through eConnect, its clients are able to request shipping services and receive financial and tracking data using their existing systems.

EchoTrak is an Internet-based Web portal, which connects and integrates its clients with ETM. By entering a username and password, its clients are able to enter orders, display historical and active shipments in the ETM system using configurable data entry screens sorted by carrier, price, delivery date, destination and other relevant specifications. EchoTrak also generates automatic alerts to ensure that shipments are moving in accordance with the client specifications and timeline. There is also a mobile EchoTrak application, which allows customers to perform similar functions remotely. RateIQ2.0 is a pricing engine, which manages LTL tariffs and generates rate quotes and transit times for LTL shipments. RateIQ2.0 also provides integrated tools to manage dispatch, communications, data collection and management functions relating to LTL shipments. LaneIQ is a pricing engine, which generates rate quotes for TL shipments. LaneIQ also provides integrated tools to manage dispatch, communications, headhaul and backhaul data col! lection a! nd management functions relating to TL shipments. EchoPak is a small parcel pricing and audit engine. For each small parcel shipped, EchoPak audits carrier compliance with on-time delivery requirements and pricing tariffs. In addition, EchoPak tracks information for each parcel and is able to aggregate and analyze that data for clients. For instance, clients are able to view shipments by date, business unit, product line and location, and clients can access information regarding service levels and pricing.

The Company�� Shipment Tracking stores shipment information en-route and after final delivery. The shipment data is acquired through its carrier EDI integration, allowing its clients to track the location and status of all shipments on one screen, regardless of mode or carrier. Final delivery information is permanently archived, allowing it to provide its clients with carrier performance reporting by comparing actual delivery times with the published transit time standards.

Document Imaging allows the Company to store digital images of all shipping documents, including bills of lading and delivery receipts. CAS (Cost Allocation System) automatically audits carrier invoices against its rating engine and accounts payable accrual system. If the amounts match, the invoice is automatically released for payment. If the amounts do not match, the invoice is sent to various administrative personnel for manual processing and resolution. CAS also integrates to its general ledger, accounts receivable and accounts payable systems. Accounting includes its general ledger, accounts receivable and accounts payable functions. Accounting is integrated with CAS and EchoIQ. EchoIQ stores internally and externally generated data to support its reporting and analytic functions and integrate all of its core applications with ETM. ETM supports its logistics services, which it provides to its clients as part of its value proposition. Its ETM technology platform is able to track individual shipments ! and provi! de customized data and reports throughout the lifecycle of the shipment, allowing it to manage the entire shipping process for its clients. It also market Flex TMS.

The Company competes with C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Total Quality Logistics, UPS, FedEx, Schneider, Conway, JB Hunt and ABF.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Without further adieu, here are my five best stocks for the next 20 years:

  Best Stocks #1 (Small Cap): Echo Global Logistics (ECHO)
  

  Echo Global Logistics (ECHO) uses web-based proprietary technology to provide business process outsourcing to the transportation industry. Founded in 2005, ECHO serves more than 28,500 small- and midsize customers who use its technology to access the best shipping prices from a network of 24,000 carriers in a matter of seconds.

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

Best Growth Companies To Buy Right Now

Best Growth Companies To Buy Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy You can never know in advance all the news that will move the market in a given week, but some things you can see coming. From the release of a new video game console to an earnings report out of the world's largest retailer, here are some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- Host in the Machine: Most Internet users take web-hosting for granted, but leading websites and apps wouldn't be available if it wasn't for the growing fleet of servers manned by companies specializing in getting websites up and running. Rackspace (RAX) is a market darling among web hosts, and on Monday it will serve up its latest financials. This has become a competitive market as providers aim to host websites and cloud computing solutions. The end result is that analysts see Rackspace growing its revenue by a hearty 15 percent, but they also see profitability declining during the quarter. Tuesday -- KFC in! China: Yum! Brands (YUM) is the parent company behind the fast food team of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. A surprisingly large portion of Yum! Brands' business in recent years has come from expanding its chicken chain in China. But the market has been challenging lately. Same-store sales for Chinese KFC locations plunged 14 percent in its latest quarter. As a result of its poor performance in the world's most populous nation, Yum! Brands is temporarily offering monthly same-store sales updates. It will offer an update on how October went on Tuesday after the market close. Wednesday -- Panic at the Cisco: It may seem like a long time ago, but there was a brief moment in time -- just before the dot-com bubble popped -- that Cisco (CSCO) commanded the largest market capitalization in the country. The Internet was all the rage with investors, and Cisco was the leading provider of routers, switches, and other networking gear that kept the whole web connected. The past few years have been volatile for Cisco, with the tech bellwet

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) shares were also up, gaining 13.53 percent to $69.73 as the company reported upbeat first-quarter results. Nordstrom posted a quarterly profit of $0.72 per share on revenue of $2.93 billion. However, analysts were expecting a profit of $0.68 per share on revenue of $2.86 billion. Analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded Nordstrom from Neutral to Outperform.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Another major company that wont be opening its 261 stores on Thanksgiving is Nordstroms Inc. (NYSE: JWN). Nordstroms big annual sales event comes in July and it is a bigger profit-maker for the store than is Black Friday. Staying open would likely add little to the companys coffers and the backlash from consumers is probably just not worth the aggravation to Nordstroms. The stores upscale image would also likely take a hit from being one of the mob open on the holiday.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-growth-companies-to-buy-right-now.html

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014

David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images WASHINGTON -- Average U.S. rates for fixed mortgages barely changed this week, hovering near historically low levels. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average for the 30-year loan slipped to 4.51 percent from 4.53 percent last week. The average for the 15-year loan edged up to 3.56 percent from 3.55 percent. Mortgage rates have risen more than a full percentage point since hitting record lows a year ago. The increase was driven by speculation that the Federal Reserve would reduce its $85 billion a month in bond purchases. Last month, the Fed determined the economy was strong enough to start cutting those monthly purchases by $10 billion. The bond purchases have kept long-term interest rates low. The rise in mortgage rates has slowed home sales, which have fallen for three straight months. But overall, 2013 represented the best year for the housing market since the financial crisis. Sales of existing homes should reach 5.1 million for last year, the National Association of Realtors forecasts. That would be up 10 percent from the previous year and the most since 2006. It's still below the 5.5 million generally associated with healthy housing markets. Most economists expect sales and prices to keep rising this year, but at a slower pace. They forecast sales and prices will likely rise around 5 percent, down from double-digit gains in 2013.

Top 5 Mid Cap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Track Data Corp (TRAC)

Track Data Corporation is a financial services company that provides real-time financial market data, fundamental research, charting and analytical services to institutional and individual investors through telecommunication lines and the Internet. The Company also disseminates news and third-party database information from approximately 100 sources worldwide. The Company operates in three segments: professional market, which provides market data services and trading, including electronic communications network (ECN) services, to the institutional professional investment community; non-professional market, which includes Internet-based online trading and market data services to the non-professional individual investor community, and arbitrage trading. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Track Data Securities Corp. (TDSC) is a registered securities broker-dealer. Track Data provides an integrated Internet-based online trading and market data system, proTrack, for the professional institutional traders, and myTrack and myTrack Edge, for the individual trader. It operates Track ECN, an ECN that enables traders to display and match limit orders for stocks.

Professional Market

MarkeTrack provides domestic and international market information, updating quotelines, options and futures displays, real-time spreadsheets, tick-by-tick updating graphics, news services and third-party databases, user-defined screen layouts, access to back-office order and execution services. The solution allows users to calculate theoretical values of options and determine the most beneficial investment strategy through calculating returns on alternative investments, including options and futures. MarkeTrack serves approximately 700 customers in trading and institutional investment management positions. Customers include floor traders, block traders, market makers, over the counter (OTC) traders, options specialists, head traders, arbitrageurs and hedge fund managers.

The Company offers proTrack ! as a direct access trading system for the professional market. Among the trading features offered by proTrack are point and click equities and options trading, direct access to market makers and ECNs, hot keys, smart order routing, reserve book, quick modification of existing orders, multiple order types and a variety of market data and news. proTrack offers trading through TDSC and clearing through Penson Financial Services, Inc. It is also available for use by other broker dealers under a service bureau arrangement.

TDSC operates an ECN that enables traders to display and match limit orders for stocks. The ECN allows trading of National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (Nasdaq) Global Market, Nasdaq Capital Market, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and American Stock Exchange (AMEX) listed securities, and exchange-listed securities on its platform. Track ECN displays orders on the National Stock Exchange (NSX). Track Data Corporation's NewsWatch service includes a consolidated news ticker, including database with text indexing and access to a variety of third-party databases.

The Company competes with Bloomberg Financial, Thomson/Reuters Group, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Inc., Lava, Inc., Acquire Media, NYSE, Nasdaq, DirectEdge and BATS.

Non-Professional Market

Track Data offers Internet-based online trading and market data services through its myTrack and myTrack Edge products. myTrack and myTrack Edge offer trading of United States-based stocks, options and mutual funds, as well as stock index-based futures. For those traders who are the most active and engage in day trading, the myTrack Pro contains multi windows-based features and enhancements that are designed to satisfy the needs of the trader community. myTrack Edge provides access to information on stocks, options, indices, and news, including bid and ask prices, charts, research and other information for any listed or Nasdaq-traded stock and numerous over-the-counte! r bulleti! n board (OTC-BB) stocks, as well as the ability to establish and track securities, cash, margin and buying power positions on a real-time basis. Real-time quotes, news, charting and technical analysis are available in various pay packages. Volume trading can result in rebates equivalent to the service plan charges.

The Company also offers AIQ Systems and Dial/Data Service. AIQ Systems develops and markets artificial intelligence (AI) based stock market analysis and charting software for personal computers. By simulating the reasoning of top market technicians, AIQ's Expert Systems delivers trading signals and market insight, as well as advanced technical charting and screening capabilities. Dial/Data is an Internet-based service that provides historical and end-of-day pricing data for United States, Canadian and European exchange-traded equities and related instruments, futures, equity options, futures options, mutual funds, bonds, government issues, money markets and indexes.

The Company competes with E*Trade Group, Inc., Trade Station Group, Inc., Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Options Express, TD Ameritrade, Inc., e-Signal, DTN, AT Financial, Data Corp., The Dow Jones Retrieval Service, Compuserve, Telescan, Commodity Systems, Inc., Equis International, Windows on Wall Street and Omega.

Arbitrage Trading

The Company engages in arbitrage trading activity. Its trading strategy consists principally of establishing hedged positions consisting of stocks and options. The Company also engages in options trading. The Company's trading strategy consists of selling short deep out-of-the-money calls and puts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bill Smith]

  FDS operates in a highly competitive industry, some with more resources. Their competitors include:
  Thomson Reuters Corp. (TRI)BloombergInteractive (IDC)MSCI Inc. (MXB)Morningstar Inc. (MORN)Track Data Corp. (TRAC)Edgar Online (EDGR)McGraw-Hill (MHP )

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: Puget Technologies Inc (PUGE)

PUGET TECHNOLOGIES, INC., incorporated on March 17, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the distribution of luxury wool bedding sets produced in Germany. The Company�� product includes Lama Wool, Camel Wool, Cashmere Wool and Merino Wool.

The Company�� Lama Wool is consists of 50% Lama Wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Camel wool is consists of 50% Camel wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Cashmere wool is blended with Merino wool.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Inscor, Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA), Puget Technologies Inc (OTCBB: PUGE) and PTA Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: PTAH) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters or investor alerts. However, two of these small caps have been the subject of paid promotions while the third is getting attention largely because its in the growing marijuana or cannabis business. With that in mind, are these stocks really all that hot or not? Here is a quick reality check:

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: Bri-Chem Corp (BRY)

Bri-Chem Corp. is a North American distributor, blender, and manufacturer of drilling fluids and steel pipe for the oil and gas industry in North America. The Company operates in three segments: Fluids, Steel Distribution and Steel Manufacturing. Its Fluids segment includes the sale of fluids and chemical additives to the resource and industrial markets. The Steel Distribution segment includes the sale of tubular steel products to the resource, industrial and construction industries. The Steel Manufacturing segment produces seamless steel pipe through a thermal expansion process for sale to steel pipe distributors in North America. On May 31, 2011, it acquired all membership interest in Bri-Chem Supply Corp, LLC (BSU) and Stryker Transportation Ltd. (Stryker). In September 2013, Bri-Chem Corp acquired the cement blending business assets of Sun Coast Materials Co. and certain additional transportation assets from its affiliate Acme Trucking, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  We got numerous questions about Linn Energy (Nasdaq: LINE) in the chat. I commented on this in last week’s MLP Investing Insider, but it bears repeating here as there is obviously still a lot of interest. Igor’s answer to this question was “I expect the merger to close by year’s end, but I think Linn has some structural issues that go beyond [pending merger partner Berry Petroleum (NYSE: BRY)] with its debt load and past acquisition quality, so I’m steering clear. There are better upstream MLPs in our portfolios.”

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  It really is the same thing as when LINN goes out and makes another deal. As a growth by acquisition company, LINN has no choice but to tap the capital markets to get deals done. That's why you saw the $4.3 billion purchase of Berry Petroleum (NYSE: BRY  ) in conjunction with its affiliate LinnCo (NASDAQ: LNCO  ) earlier this year as a stock-for-stock deal. Even when LINN makes a cash deal, like its two deals with BP (NYSE: BP  ) last year, its getting that cash from investors not from cash flow. For example, when LINN�announced�the �$1.2 billion purchase of BP's Hugoton assets, it announced�a debt offering to pay for it. Because of LINN's business model, the company will continually need to tap the capital markets to grow.�

Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Stocks To Own For 2014: Quality Systems Inc.(QSII)

Quality Systems, Inc. engages in the development and marketing of healthcare information systems in the United States. The company operates through three divisions: QSI Dental, NextGen, and Practice Solutions. The QSI Dental division develops, markets, and supports software suites for dental and medical practices, as well as supports medical clients that utilize its UNIX based medical practice management software product and Software as a Service based NextDDS financial and clinical software. It also develops, markets, and manages electronic data interchange(EDI)/connectivity applications, as well as QSInet application service provider solutions. The NextGen division offers NextGen ambulatory product suite comprising electronic health records and enterprise practice management solutions; and NextGen inpatient products, including NextGen Clinicals for work efficiency and communication, as well as NextGen Financials, a financial and administrative system. It also offers comm unity connectivity solutions, such as health information exchange, patient portal, and health quality measures; and EDI, hosting, data protection, consulting, and physician resources services. The Practice Solutions division provides technology solutions and consulting services in the areas of revenue cycle management services, including billing and collection services for medical practices. The company?s solutions automate various aspects of medical and dental practices, as well as networks of practices, such as physician hospital organizations and management service organizations, ambulatory care centers, community health centers, and medical and dental schools. Quality Systems was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Quality Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:QSII) reported that its management will host a conference call to review results of its fiscal 2013 second quarter ended September 30, 2012, on Friday, October 26, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET (7:00 AM PT).

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  For instance, Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII  ) stock made huge moves in the aughts. The company designed systems to help doctors and dentists transition their record-keeping services to one easy-to-use electronic database. The move helped bring down costs for doctors, and certainly rewarded investors between 2000 and 2010.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  In our view, [Athenahealth] possesses the strongest position to harvest opportunities arising from the invariable chaos created by ICD-10 [a revamp of the World Health Organization's disease codes. Ed.] in October. In a recent investor call with the AC Group…CEO Mark Anderson estimated that of the 1.1MM billable healthcare providers (active physicians and nurse practitioners) in the U.S., 20-25% will be transitioned to an outsourced billing service following the implementation of ICD-10 in October 2014. To put his point into perspective, we are modeling for 10,400 new physicians to go live on Collector in 2014. Mr. Anderson was quite vocal about the superiority of athenaCollector to ambulatory RCM services provided by eCW (private), Quality Systems (QSII), and CareCloud (private). We continue to believe Athena has the “mouse trap” technology for outsourced billing services to hospital-owned and independent practices.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Cerner's recent stock performance trounces that of other publicly traded companies, including Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX  ) , Greenway Medical (NYSE: GWAY  ) , and Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII  ) . Only athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN  ) gives Cerner a run for its money over the past year.

Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now

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

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

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

Best Penny Companies To Watch For 2015: Remy International Inc (REMY)

Remy International, Inc. (Remy), incorporated on November 22, 1993, is a global vehicular parts designer, manufacturer, remanufacturer, marketer and distributor of aftermarket and original equipment electrical components for automobiles, light trucks, heavy-duty trucks and other vehicles. Remy sells its products worldwide primarily under the Delco Remy, Remy, and World Wide Automotive brand names. The Company�� products include light-duty and heavy-duty starters and alternators for both the original equipment and the remanufactured markets, and hybrid power technology. These products are principally sold or distributed to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for both original equipment manufacture and aftermarket operations, as well as to warehouse distributors and retail automotive parts chains. The Company sells its products principally in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. In January 2014, Remy International, Inc. acquired all assets of USA Industries.

The Company�� original equipment division consists of three primary channels: automotive, heavy-duty vehicles and electric motors for electric and hybrid applications. Remy is a supplier for such original equipment manufacturers as General Motors, DaimlerChrylser, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai/Kia. The Company is a supplier of original equipment and aftermarket starters and alternators for heavy-duty vehicles in North America. Remy is an independent production electric motor supplier and in many aspects of hybrid and electric vehicle technology, including the patented hairpin stator technology. Its original equipment (OE) business has operations in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, China and Korea.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  On Monday, auto parts maker Remy International (NASDAQ: REMY  ) announced that it is taking 100% control of its Remy Hubei Electric Co. (REH) joint venture, buying out partner Hubei Super Electric Auto Motor Company's 49% interest in the JV.

Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Neste Oil Corp (NES1V)

Neste Oil Corp is a Finland-based company engaged in the refining and marketing of petroleum and petroleum products. The Company has two business areas and four reporting segments. The business areas are: Oil Products & Renewables and Oil Retail. The reporting segments are: Oil Products, Renewable Fuels, Oil Retail and Others. The Oil Products & Renewables area produces and sells petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation and bunker fuel, heating oil, heavy fuel oil, base oil, gasoline components, specialty fuels, fuels, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and bitumen as well as renewable diesel and aviation fuel under the brand name NExBTL. The Oil Retail area operates a network of 1,136 stations in Finland, the Russian Federations, the Baltic states and Poland, selling own products as well as lubricants and chemicals. The Company owns fuel refineries and production plants in Finland, Singapore and the Netherlands. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Neste Oil Oyj (NES1V) declined 9.1 percent to 14.25 euros after Citigroups Inc. cut Finland�� only oil refiner to sell from neutral, citing a deterioration in key profitability drivers for both renewables and refining divisions.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Neste Oil Oyj (NES1V) gained 4.8 percent to 12.04 euros. CA Cheuvreux SA upgraded Finland�� only refiner to outperform, the equivalent of a buy recommendation, from underperform, saying it expects it to report resilient first-quarter results this month.

Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Winthrop Realty Trust (FUR)

Winthrop Realty Trust (WRT) is a diversified real estate investment trust (REIT). WRT conducts its business through its wholly owned operating partnership, WRT Realty L.P., (the Operating Partnership).The Company is engaged in the business of owning real property and real estate related assets. The Company operates in three segments: operating properties; loan assets; and REIT securities. In June 2013, Winthrop Realty Trust sold its medical office building property located in Deer Valley, Arizona. In November 2013, Winthrop Realty Trust closed on its acquisition of four newly constructed class A luxury apartment buildings.

On May 23, 2012, the Company acquired a first mortgage loan secured by a 326,000 square foot commercial building located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida consisted of approximately 47,000 square feet of retail and 279,000 square feet of office space that was 74.4% leased. In February 2012, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation along with WRT formed a joint venture that acquired a senior mezzanine loan position of a 1.7 million-square-foot class A portfolio in Stamford, Conn. In April 2012, it acquired a 320 unit, class A, multifamily property, situated on 27.9 acres in the Germantown/Collierville submarket of Memphis, Tennessee. On February 3, 2012, the Company acquired through its venture with Elad Canada Inc. the first mortgage loan secured by Sullivan Center, Chicago. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it acquired one investment property located in New York. On November 4, 2011, Socal Office Portfolio Loan LLC acquired first mortgage encumbering a 4,500,000 square foot, 31 property portfolios of office properties situated throughout southern California. On June 3, 2011 LW SOFI LLC acquired from Concord 100% of the economic rights and obligations in mezzanine loan collateralized by an interest in the Sofitel hotel in New York City. On June 1, 2011 it acquired, from Concord Debt Holdings LLC (Concord), senior mezzanine loan totaling 2,106 units located in Orlando, Sarasota, Bra! denton and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. On March 22, 2011 the Company purchased through a 50/50 joint venture, two non-performing first mortgage loan. On February 23, 2011, it acquired first mortgage secured by a lien on a 26-story, 66 room limited service boutique hotel located in New York, New York through a 50/50 joint venture. On June 1, 2011 the Company sold to its partner, Marc Realty, its interest in three properties in its Marc Realty Portfolio, which included eight South Michigan, 11 East Adams and 29 East Madison.

Loan Assets

Loan assets segments includes the Company�� activities related to the origination and acquisition of senior loans, mezzanine loans and debt securities secured directly or indirectly by commercial and multi-family real property. The Company�� investment in Concord Debt Holdings LLC and CDH CDO LLC, which it refers to as the Company�� Concord investment platform, is held as an interest investment.

Operating Properties

The Company invested in a portfolio transaction, which it refers to as the Vintage portfolio. Vintage portfolio which has 25 multifamily and senior housing properties consist of 4,167 units located primarily in the Pacific Northwest and California. The average occupancy of its consolidated properties was approximately 75.1%, during 2011. As of December 31, 2011 WRT�� consolidated properties were approximately 74.2% leased. Occupancy at its Lisle, Illinois property known as 550-560 Corporetum was 61% occupied, as of December 31, 2011. At WRT�� other Lisle, Illinois property, referred to as 701 Arboretum, its major tenant, which occupied approximately 53% of the building vacated their space at the expiration of their lease term, on May 31, 2011. In addition, another tenant who occupied approximately 15% of the building vacated at the expiration of their lease, in August 2011. As a result, this property is 17% occupied, as of December 31, 2011. The Company�� 82,000 square foot Deer Valley Profes! sional Bu! ilding, located in Phoenix, Arizona was 95.6% leased, as of December 31, 2011. WRT�� Crossroads I and II buildings, which consisted of approximately 236,000 square feet, were 72.4% leased, as of December 31, 2011.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had two tenants, Spectra Energy and Siemens Real Estate, which represented approximately 21.8% and 9.8%, respectively, of its annualized base rental revenues from consolidated commercial operating properties. As of December 31, 2011 it held interests in three real estate ventures with Sealy & Co. which had an aggregate of approximately 2,097,000 rentable square feet consisted of 18 office flex buildings and 13 light distribution and service center properties. Two of the investment properties are located in Atlanta, Georgia, (Northwest Business Park and Newmarket), which had occupancies of 77% and 52% respectively, as of December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2011, WRT held interests in nine properties with Marc Realty, which consisted of an aggregate of approximately 1,407,000 rentable square feet of office and retail space, which was 78.5% occupied. Of the properties, in which the Company held an interest, as of December 31, 2011, two downtown Chicago properties consisted of approximately 389,000 rentable square feet of the aggregate Marc Realty portfolio. These two properties had a combined occupancy of 79.1% at December 31, 2011.

REIT Securities

The REIT securities segment includes all of the Company�� activities related the ownership of interest and debt securities in other real estate investment trusts (REITs). During 2011, it began investing again in REIT common shares, particularly in Cedar Realty Trust Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  Fugro NV (FUR) slumped 5.8 percent to 43.90 euros, the worst performance on the Stoxx 600. The world�� biggest deepwater-oilfield surveyor said first-half earnings before interest and taxes amounted to 133 million euros, compared with 154 million euros a year earlier. Fugro said that

Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Transdigm Group Incorporated(TDG)

TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies engineered aircraft components for use on commercial and military aircraft principally in the United States. The company?s products include mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, AC/DC electric motors and generators, NiCad batteries and chargers, engineered latching and locking devices, rods and locking devices, engineered connectors and elastomers, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, aircraft audio systems, lavatory components, engineered interior surfaces, and lighting and control technology. Its customers comprise distributors of aerospace components; commercial airlines, including national and regional airlines; commercial transport and regional and business aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); various armed forces of the United States and foreign governments; defense OEMs; system suppliers; and various other industrial customers. TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  TransDigm Group (TDG)

  Fournier maintains his largest position in TransDigm Group where he holds 2,152,710 shares. His position in TransDigm represents 4.30% of the company�� shares outstanding and 6.3% of his total portfolio.

• [By Brendan Mathews]

  We asked which current CEOs fit the�Outsiders�mold. Thorndike reeled off a short list of names, but he started with Michael Pearson of�Valeant Pharmaceuticals� (NYSE: VRX  ) . He went on to mention Nicholas Howley of�TransDigm Group� (NYSE: TDG  ) , and Rich Kinder of�Kinder Morgan� (NYSE: KMI  ) .�

• [By Eric Volkman]

  TransDigm (NYSE: TDG  ) is rewarding its shareholders mightily with an extraordinary payout. The company has declared a special dividend of $22.00 per share, which will be paid on July 25 to shareholders of record as of July 15.

Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Singapore Airlines Ltd (SINGY)

Singapore Airlines Limited is a passenger air transportation company. The Company, together with its subsidiaries, is engaged in passenger and cargo air transportation, engineering services, training of pilots, air charters and tour wholesaling and related activities. The Company consists of 101 aircrafts. The Company operates in four segments: airline operations, cargo operations, engineering services and others. The Company's subsidiaries are SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC), SIA Cargo and SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited (SilkAir). Effective December 24, 2013, Singapore Airlines Ltd, a unit of Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd, raised its interest to 40.004% from 32.67% by acquiring a 7.334% interest in Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd from Dahlia Investments Ptye Ltd and Aranda Investments Pte Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bruce Kennedy]

  Business travel columnist Joe Brancatelli reports the world's longest non-stop commercial route, the Singapore Airlines (OTC: SINGY) 18-hour, business class-only flight between Newark, N.J. and Singapore, will end on Saturday. The airline also retired the world's second-longest non-stop flight, Los Angeles-to-Singapore, last month.

Top High Tech Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Generale de Sante SA (GDS)

Generale de Sante SA, (also GDS), is a France-based provider of private hospital healthcare services. The Company offers a range of hospital services and, in partnership with independent medical specialists, delivers a spectrum of care services. Generale de Sante SA also provides services in the areas of mental health; oncology and radiation therapy; care for alcohol abuse and obesity; rehabilitation, such as cardiac rehabilitation and orthopedic and neurological reeducation, and diagnostics, such as medical imaging and analysis. It operates through one wholly owned subsidiary, CGS (Compagnie Generale de Sante). As of March 31, 2011, Sante Developpement Europe held a 54.47% stake in the Company�� shareholdings. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By stanh30]

  It does not matter if it�� a penny stock, all that matters is whether or not my reasoning is correct. However, in June the Global Depositary Shares (GDS) will undergo a 60:1 reverse split (pending shareholder approval) and the stock will no longer be a penny stock. Unfortunately the reverse split will occur after the June 12, 2014 record date for determining the persons and/or entities liable to the Depositary for the annual fee of $0.02 per Global Depositary shares for depositary services. This is an enormous fee for GDS shares, but one that I will pay due to the extreme undervaluation. Just remember that if you purchase the GDS shares on or before June 12th you are effectively paying an extra $0.02 per share.

Hot Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2014

Demonstrators protesting outside a Walmart in Paramount, Calif. are arrested during a 2012 Black Friday protest. Protesters took to the streets near a number of Walmart locations again this year.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) In a tradition that's becoming as much a part of Black Friday as the shopping, protesters gathered outside a number of Wal-Mart locations Friday calling for higher wages at the country's largest private retailer.

Ten people were arrested on misdemeanor charges Friday at a protest near a Wal-Mart in Ontario, Calif., after they moved into an intersection and failed to disperse, Ontario Police Department Sgt. David McBride said.

McBride called the incident "peaceful," and estimated that between 100 and 150 people had attended the rally. It was unclear how many of those were actual Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) workers.

10 Best Up And Coming Stocks To Watch Right Now: Societe Libanaise des Ciments Blancs SAL (CBN)

Societe Libanaise des Ciments Blancs SAL is a Lebanon-based joint stock company that operates in the construction materials industry sector. The Company is engaged in the production and sale of white cement. The Company is a 65.99% owned by Holcim (Liban) SAL. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CanadianValue]

  Nigeria�� reformed banking system has provided many foreigners with an attractive means to invest in the fast-growing domestic economy. The banking industry is important, not only because of the rise of microfinance, but because of the move by banks into consumer banking. Until recently, banks were mainly financing large businesses or the government through bond purchases. Following a banking crisis in 2008, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) conducted an audit of the commercial banking sector. All banks that failed the audit had their CEOs replaced. The state-owned Asset Management Corporation (AMCON) was created to purchase non-performing loans and recapitalize the unhealthy banks. A recent review of the country�� banks by the IMF showed a dramatic increase in profits for the industry in 2012, while the capital adequacy ratio was above the minimum requirement of 10% and non-performing loans were below the mandated threshold of 5%5.

Hot Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2014: Holcim Ltd (HOLN)

Holcim Ltd (Holcim) is a Switzerland-based holding company that specializes in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of building materials. The Company operates four business segments, including Cement, Aggregates, Other construction materials and services, and Corporate. The Cement segment is engaged in the development of cement and comprises clinker and other cementitious materials, among others. The Aggregates business segment includes crushed stone, gravel and sand. The Other construction materials and services business segment comprises ready-mix concrete, concrete products, asphalt, construction and paving, and trading, among others. Additionally, other construction materials and services segment provides environmental services, including waste management, among others. The Corporate segment is engaged in holding activities and general management. It operates through subsidiaries in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, North America, Africa and Middle East regions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Holcim Ltd. (HOLN) lost 0.9 percent to 68.15 francs in Zurich. Bank of America Corp.�� Merrill Lynch unit cut its rating on the world�� largest cement maker to underperform, similar to a sell recommendation, from neutral. Merrill Lynch cited the company�� exposure to emerging markets.

Hot Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2014: Amcol International Corp (ACO)

AMCOL International Corporation (AMCOL), incorporated on December 3, 1959, is focused on the development and application of minerals and technology products and services to various industrial and consumer markets. It operates in five segments: performance materials, construction technologies, energy services, transportation and corporate. Its performance materials segment previously referred to as its minerals and materials segment is a supplier of bentonite related products. Its construction technologies segment previously referred to as its environmental segment provides products for non-residential construction, environmental and infrastructure projects worldwide. Its energy services segment previously referred to as its oilfield services segment offers a range of patented technologies, products and services for both upstream and downstream oil and gas production. Its transportation segment serves domestic subsidiaries, as well as third parties, is a dry van and flatbed carrier and freight brokerage service provider.

Performance Materials Segment

The Company supplies chromite and leonardite, and operates more than 25 mining or production facilities worldwide. It mines chromite, an iron chromium oxide, from open cast mines in South Africa and transport it to our nearby processing facility. Its primary uses include metalcasting, drilling fluid additive, and agricultural applications. Its performance materials segment conducts its business through wholly owned subsidiaries and investments in affiliates and joint ventures throughout the world. It consists of four product lines: metalcasting; specialty materials; basic minerals, and pet products. Its principal products are marketed under various registered trade names, including VOLCLAY, PANTHER CREEK, PREMIUM GEL, ADDITROL, ENERSOL, and Hevi-Sand.

The Company�� metalcasting products include blended mineral binders containing sodium and calcium bentonite and organic additives sold under the trade name ADDITROL. I! n the ferrous casting market, the Company specializes in blending bentonite of various grades by themselves or with mineral binders containing sodium bentonite, calcium bentonite, seacoal and other ingredients. It also has a line of formulated additives that introduce silicon and carbon in the melt phase of the casting process. In the steel alloy casting market, it sells a chromite product with a particle size distribution specific to a customer�� needs.

The Company�� specialty materials products contain bentonite and synthetic additives offering solutions for consumer and industrial applications. It also offers products for bio-agricultural applications. The markets and applications of its specialty materials products include fabric care, personal care, basic materials and pet products. It supply high-grade, agglomerated bentonite and other mineral additives used in fabric care products. It manufactures adsorbent polymers and purified grades of bentonite for sale to manufacturers of personal skin care products. The adsorbent polymers are used to deliver high-value actives in skin-care products. Microsponge and Poly-Pore are the principal trade names under which these products are sold. Its basic minerals product line supplies minerals to a variety of markets and industrial applications, including drilling fluid additives, ferro alloys and other industrial.

The Company�� pet products include sodium bentonite-based scoopable (clumping), traditional and alternative cat litters, as well as specialty pet products sold to grocery and drug stores, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs and pet specialty stores throughout the United States. It is primarily a private-label producer of cat litter, and its products are marketed under various trade names. These products are sold solely in the United States from three principal sites from which it package and distribute finished goods. Its transportation segment provides logistics services and is a component of its capability in supplyi! ng custom! ers on a national basis.

Construction Technologies Segment

The Company�� construction technologies segment serves customers engaged in a range of construction projects, including site remediation, concrete waterproofing for underground structures, liquid containment on projects ranging from landfills to flood control, and drilling applications including foundation, slurry wall, tunneling, water well and horizontal drilling. Its construction technologies segment conducts its business through wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures throughout the world. This segment consists of four product lines: building materials; contracting services; drilling products, and lining technologies.

The Company sells lining and other products for a variety of applications, most of which are directed to preserving or remediating environmental issues. It helps customers protect ground water and soil through the sale of geosynthetic clay liner products containing bentonite. It market these products under the BENTOMAT and CLAYMAX trade names principally for lining and capping landfills, mine waste disposal sites, water and wastewater lagoons, secondary containments in tank farms, and other contaminated sites. It also provides associated geosynthetic materials for these applications, including geotextiles and drainage geocomposites.

The Company�� lining technologies product line also includes specialized technologies to mitigate vapor intrusion in new building construction. It also provides reactive capping technologies and solutions to contain residual contamination, reduce costs associated with ex-situ remedies, and aid in environmental protection. Products offered include Liquid Boot, a liquid applied vapor barrier system; REACTIVE CORE-MAT, an in-situ sediment capping material; ORGANOCLAY, which absorbs organic containments, and QUIK-SOLID, a super absorbent media.

The Company offer a variety of active and passive waterproofing and greenroof technolog! ies for u! se in protecting the building envelope of non-residential constructions, including buildings, subways, and parkway systems. Its products include VOLTEX, a waterproofing composite comprised of two polypropylene geotextiles filled with sodium bentonite; ULTRASEAL, an advanced membrane using a active polymer core, and COREFLEX, featuring heat-welded seams for protection of critical infrastructure. In addition to these membrane materials, it also provides roofing products and a variety of sealants and other accessories required to create a functional waterproofing system.

The Company drilling products are used in environmental and geotechnical drilling applications, horizontal directional drilling, mineral exploration and foundation construction. The products are used to install monitoring wells, facilitate horizontal and water well drilling, and seal abandoned exploration drill holes. VOLCLAY GROUT, HYDRAUL-EZ, BENTOGROUT and VOLCLAY TABLETS are among the trade names for products used in these applications. It also offer a range of drilling products used in the excavation of foundations for large buildings, bridges and dams; these products include SHORE PAC and PREMIUM GEL. Contracting services, which involve installation of products, are occasionally offered to customers for select projects.

Energy Services Segment

The Company�� energy services segment provides services to improve the production, costs, compliance, and environmental impact of activities performed in the oil and gas industry. Operating as CETCO Energy Services, it offer a range of patented technologies, products and services for all phases of oil and gas production, transportation, refining, and storage throughout the world. It provide both land-based and offshore water treatment, well testing, pipeline separation, nitrogen, coil tubing and other services to the oil and gas industry. The Company provides its services through subsidiaries located in Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Nigeria, the United Ki! ngdom, an! d the United States, principally in the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding on-shore area. Its principal services include water treatment, coil tubing, well testing, nitrogen services and pipeline. The Company helps customers comply with regulatory requirements by providing equipment, technologies, personnel and filtration media to treat waste water generated during oil production.

The Company's coil tubing services utilize metal piping, which comes spooled on a large reel. It provide both equipment and operating personnel to perform services ranging from acid stimulation, reverse circulation, cementing, pressure control, nitrogen injection, and other operations that involve pumping fluids into a well. Horizontal wells and shale completions are a large component of its operations. It provide equipment and personnel to help customers control well production, as well as to clean up, unload, separate, measure component flow, and dispose of fluids from oil and gas wells. Nitrogen services are provided in jetting wells that are loaded with fluid; stimulating wells, including fracturizing and acidizing; displacing completion fluids prior to perforating; inflating flotation devices for offshore installations, and pressure testing and other maintenance activities.

Transportation Segment

The Company operates a long-haul trucking business through Ameri-Co Carriers, Inc., and a freight brokerage business through Ameri-Co Logistics, Inc. primarily for delivery of finished products throughout the continental United States. These services are provided to its subsidiaries, as well as third-party customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Friday, Basic Materials shares were relative leaders, up on the day by 0.78 percent. Top gainer in the sector was AMCOL International (NYSE: ACO), up 9 percent.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  AMCOL International (NYSE: ACO  ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on July 26. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict AMCOL International's revenues will grow 1.6% and EPS will wither -16.9%.

Hot Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2014: Boral Ltd (BLD)

Boral Limited (Boral), is engaged in the manufacture and supply of building and construction materials in Australia, the United States and Asia. The Company�� operating segments include Construction Materials & Cement, Building Products, Boral Gypsum, and Boral USA. The Construction Materials & Cement is engaged in quarries, concrete, asphalt, transport, landfill, property, cement and concrete placing. The Building Products segment is engaged in Australian bricks, roof tiles, masonry, timber products and windows. The Boral Gypsum involves Australian and Asian plasterboard. The Boral USA is engaged in Bricks, cultured stone, roof tiles, fly ash, concrete and quarries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Ballard Power (BLD), which designs and manufactures hydrogen fuel cells, slumped 15 percent to C$1.42, the biggest decline since March. The company yesterday said it will sell about 9 million units at $1.40 a unit for proceeds of about $12.6 million. The cash generated will be used to fund working capital, support growth and general corporate purposes, the company said.

Hot Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2014: Texas Industries Inc (TXI)

Texas Industries, Inc., incorporated on April 19, 1951, is a supplier of construction materials in the southwestern United States. The Company operates in three segments: cement, aggregates and consumer products. Its cement segment produces gray portland cement and specialty cements. The Company�� cement production and distribution facilities are concentrated primarily in Texas and California. Its aggregates segment produces natural aggregates, including sand, gravel and crushed limestone. The Company�� consumer products segment produces ready-mix concrete. It is also a supplier of natural aggregates and ready-mix concrete in Texas and northern Louisiana and in Oklahoma and Arkansas. As of May 31, 2013, the Company had 123 manufacturing facilities in five states.

Cement Segment

The Company produces specialty cements, such as masonry and oil well cements. Its cement production facilities are located at Midlothian, Texas, south of Dallas/Fort Worth, Hunter, Texas, between Austin and San Antonio, and Oro Grande, California, near Los Angeles. It also operates a cement terminal and packaging facility at its Crestmore plant near Riverside, California, and the Company operates its gray portland cement grinding facility on an as needed basis. During the fiscal year ended May 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013), it produced approximately 4.3 million tons of finished cement. The Company shipped approximately 4.4 million tons during fiscal 2013, of which 3.8 million tons were shipped to outside trade customers.

Aggregates Segment

The Company�� operations are conducted from facilities primarily serving the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin areas in Texas; the southern Oklahoma area, and the Alexandria and Monroe areas in Louisiana. The Company produced approximately 14.2 million tons of natural aggregates during fiscal 2013. It shipped approximately 14.8 million tons of natural aggregates during fiscal 2013, of which 11.3 million tons were shipped to outside trade customers! . The Company shipped approximately 1.0 million cubic yards of lightweight aggregates during fiscal 2013, of which approximately 0.9 million cubic yards were shipped to outside trade customers.

Consumer Products Segment

The Company�� ready-mix concrete operations are situated in three areas in Texas (the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton area of north Texas, the Austin area of central Texas and from Beaumont to Texarkana in east Texas), in north and central Louisiana, and in southwestern Arkansas. It is also a 40% partner in a joint venture that has ready mix concrete operations in the northern part of central Texas area centered around Waco, Texas. It shipped approximately 2.8 million cubic yards of ready-mix concrete during fiscal 2013. The Company manufacture and supply a substantial amount of the cement and aggregates raw materials used by our ready-mix plants. The Company also marketed its Maximizer packaged concrete mixes in southern California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Texas Industries (NYSE: TXI) is expected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.01 per share on revenue of $233.63 million.

  National American University Holdings (NASDAQ: NAUH) is projected to post a Q1 loss at $0.01 per share on revenue of $30.58 million.

• [By Ben Fox Rubin]

  Building materials company Texas Industries Inc.(TXI) is considering a sale, Bloomberg News reported, citing three people familiar with knowledge of the matter. Shares of the company jumped 12% premarket to $65.50.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Competitively advantaged holdings continued to demonstrate the value of moats at FedEx (FDX), Melco, and Texas Industries (TXI). These holdings were among our largest contributors to performance, and they exemplify activity prevalent across most of our holdings throughout the year.

Hot Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2014: Ply Gem Holdings Inc (PGEM)

Ply Gem Holdings, Inc. (Ply Gem Holdings), incorporated on January 23, 2004, is a manufacturer of residential exterior building products in North America. The Company operates in two segments: Siding, Fencing, and Stone and Windows and Doors. These two segments produce a product line of vinyl siding, designer accents, cellular polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim, vinyl fencing, vinyl and composite railing, stone veneer and vinyl windows and doors used in both new construction and home repair and remodeling in the United States and Western Canada. It also manufactures vinyl and aluminum soffit and siding accessories, aluminum trim coil, wood windows, aluminum windows, vinyl and aluminum-clad windows and steel and fiberglass doors, enabling it to bundle complementary and color-matched products and accessories with its core products. The Company�� subsidiaries includes including Ply Gem Industries, MWM Holding, AWC Holding Company, MHE, and Pacific Windows. On July 30, 2012, Ply Gem acquired substantially all of the assets of Greendeck Products, LLC.

Siding, Fencing, and Stone Segment

In the Siding, Fencing, and Stone segment, its principal products include vinyl siding and skirting, vinyl and aluminum soffit, aluminum trim coil, J-channels, wide crown molding, window and door trim, F-channels, H-molds, fascia, undersill trims, outside/inside corner posts, rain removal systems, injection molded designer accents, such as shakes, shingles, scallops, shutters, vents and mounts, vinyl fence, vinyl and composite railing, and stone veneer. It sells its siding and accessories under its Variform, Napco, Mastic Home Exteriors, and Cellwood brand names and under the Georgia-Pacific brand name through a private label program. It also sells its Providence line of vinyl siding and accessories to Lowe�� under its Durabuilt private label brand name. Its vinyl and vinyl-composite fencing and railing products are sold under its Kroy and Kroy Express brand names. Ply Gem Holdings stone veneer produ! cts are sold under its United Stone Veneer brand name.

The Company sells the siding and accessories to specialty distributors (one-step distribution) and to wholesale distributors (two-step distribution). Its specialty distributors sell directly to remodeling contractors and builders. Its wholesale distributors sell to retail home centers and lumberyards who, in turn, sell to remodeling contractors, builders and consumers. In the specialty channel, it has developed a network of approximately 800 independent distributors, serving over 22,000 contractors and builders nationwide.

Windows and Doors Segment

In the Windows and Doors segment, its principal products include vinyl, aluminum, wood and clad-wood windows and patio doors, and steel, wood, and fiberglass entry doors that serve both the new home construction and the repair and remodeling sectors in the United States and Western Canada. Its products in its Windows and Doors segment are sold under the Ply Gem Windows, Great Lakes Mastic by Ply Gem, and Ply Gem Canada brands.

The Company competes with Alsco, Gentek, U.S. Fence, Homeland, Westech, Bufftech, Royal, Azek., Eldorado Stone, Coronado Stone, Jeld-Wen, Simonton, Pella and Andersen, MI Home Products, Atrium, Weathershield, Milgard, Jeld-Wen, Gienow, All Weather and Loewen.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Ply Gem Holdings (NYSE: PGEM) shares reached a new 52-week low of $11.48 after the company reported wider-than-expected Q4 loss and issued a weak Q1 revenue forecast.

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  Installed Building Products��debut follows mixed performance from shares of some newly public building-products companies. Through Tuesday, siding manufacturer Ply Gem Holdings Inc.(PGEM)�� shares were down 39% from the offer price in its $381 May debut. Wood-products maker Boise Cascade Co.(BCC) was up 46% from its $284 million February IPO.

• [By Traders Reserve]

  There hasn�� been a January effect rally in shares of Ply Gem (PGEM). In fact, it has been quite the opposite. Shares are down a whopping 25% during the month. For a stock I rated as on of the Top 10 Sizzling Stocks, such a move is painful, but not disastrous. Sizzling Stocks are meant to be held for the duration of the year and we have 11 months to go. Small-cap stocks like Ply Gem can move sharply one direction or the other.

Hot Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2014: CEMEX SAB de CV (CX)

CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CEMEX), incorporated on January 20, 1931, is a global cement manufacturer with operations in North America, Europe, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The Company is a holding company engaged through the operating subsidiaries in the production, distribution, marketing and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and clinker. As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� cement production facilities were located in Mexico, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Latvia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Egypt, the Philippines and Thailand.

The Company manufactures cement through a closely controlled chemical process, which begins with the mining and crushing of limestone and clay, and, in some instances, other raw materials. The clay and limestone are then pre-homogenized, a process which consists of combining different types of clay and limestone. The mix is typically dried, then fed into a grinder, which grinds the various materials in preparation for the kiln. The raw materials are calcined, or processed, at a very high temperature in a kiln, to produce clinker. Clinker is the intermediate product used in the manufacture of cement.

Ready-mix concrete is a combination of cement, fine and coarse aggregates, admixtures (which control properties of the concrete including plasticity, pumpability, freeze-thaw resistance, strength and setting time), and water. The Company is a supplier of aggregates primarily the crushed stone, sand and gravel, used in virtually all forms of construction.

Mexican Operations

During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Mexican operations represented approximately 21% of the Company�� net sales. CEMEX Mexico is a direct subsidiary of CEMEX and is both a holding company for some of the operating companies in Mexico and an operating company involved in the manufacturing and ma! rketing of cement, plaster, gypsum, groundstone and other construction materials and cement by-products in Mexico. CEMEX Mexico, indirectly, is also the holding company for the international operations. The Company owns Tolteca, Monterrey, Maya, Anahuac, Campana, Gallo, and Centenario brands in Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, the Company owned 100% of CEMEX Mexico.

The Company competes with Holcim Ltd., Sociedad Cooperativa Cruz Azul, Cementos Moctezuma, Grupo Cementos Chihuahua and Lafarge Cementos in Mexico.

U.S. Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� operations in the United States represented approximately 19% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX, Inc. As of December 31, 2009, CEMEX had a cement manufacturing capacity of approximately 17.9 million tons per year in the United States operations. As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 14 cement plants located in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. As of December 31, 2009, it also had 48 rails or water served active cement distribution terminals in the United States. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had 336 ready-mix concrete plants located in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington and aggregates facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Spanish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the operations in Spain represented approximately 5% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held approximately 99.8% of CEMEX Espana, the main operating subsidiary in Spain. The cement activities in Spain are conducted by CEMEX Espana. The ready-mix concrete activities in Spain are conducted by Hormicemex, S.A., a subsidiary of CEMEX Espana, and the aggregates activities in Spain ar! e conduct! ed by Aricemex S.A., also a subsidiary of CEMEX Espana.

U.K. Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� operations in the United Kingdom represented approximately 8% of the Company�� net sales. As of December 31, 2009, it held 100% of CEMEX Investments Limited, the holding subsidiary in the United Kingdom. The Company is a provider of building materials in the United Kingdom with vertically integrated cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and asphalt operations. It is also a provider of concrete and precast materials solutions, such as concrete blocks, concrete block paving, roof tiles, flooring systems and sleepers for rail infrastructure.

The Company competes with Lafarge, Heidelberg, Tarmac, and Aggregate Industries in the United Kingdom.

German Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the operations in the Rest of Europe consisted of the operations in Germany, France, Ireland, Poland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria and Hungary, as well as the other European assets. The Company is a provider of building materials in Germany, with vertically integrated cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and concrete products operations (consisting mainly of prefabricated concrete ceilings and walls). It maintains a network for ready-mix concrete and aggregates in Germany. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Deutschland AG, the holding subsidiary in Germany.

The Company competes with Heidelberg, Dyckerhoff, Lafarge, Holcim and Schwenk in Germany.

French Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX France Gestion (S.A.S.), the holding subsidiary in France. It is a ready-mix concrete producer and aggregate producer in France. As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 239 ready-mix concrete plants in France, one maritime cement terminal located in LeHavre, on the northern coast of France, 20 land distribution centers and 42 aggregates quarries.

The Company competes with Lafarge, Holcim, Italcementi, Vicat, Lafarge, Italcementi, Colas (Bouygues) and Eurovia (Vinci) in France.

Irish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held approximately 61.2% of Readymix Plc, the operating subsidiary in the Republic of Ireland. The operations in Ireland produce and supply sand, stone and gravel, as well as ready-mix concrete, mortar and concrete blocks. As of December 31, 2009, we operated 43 ready-mix concrete plants, 27 aggregates quarries and 15 block plants located in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. The Company imports and distributes cement in the Isle of Man.

The Company competes with CRH, the Lagan Group and Kilsaran in the Republic of Ireland.

Polish Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Polska Sp. z.o.o. (CEMEX Polska), the holding subsidiary in Poland. It is a provider of building materials in Poland serving the cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates markets. As of December 31, 2009, CEMEX operated two cement plants and one grinding mill in Poland, with a total installed cement capacity of three million tons per year. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated 39 ready-mix concrete plants and nine aggregates quarries in Poland. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated 10 land distribution centers and two maritime terminals in Poland.

The Company competes with Heidelberg, Lafarge, CRH and Dyckerhoff in Poland.

Southeast European Operations

As of December 31, 2009, the Company held 100% of CEMEX Hrvatska d.d. (Hrvatska), the operating subsidiary in Croatia. As of December 31, 2009, it operated three cement plants in Croatia, with an installed capacity of 2.4 million tons per year. As of December 31, 2009, the Company also operated ten land distribution centers, three maritime cement terminals, eight ready-mix concrete facilities and one aggregates quarry! in Croat! ia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Vulcan have gained 7.6%, and given a lift to other cement makers today, including Martin Marietta Materials (MLM), which has risen 4.9% and reports earnings on Thursday, Cemex (CX), which has advanced 1.5%, and Texas Industries (TXI), which is up 4.9%.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Cemex SAB de CV (CX)

  As of the close of the third quarter there were nine guru owners of Cemex. These gurus held a combined weighting of 5.30%. During the third quarter, there were three gurus making buys and nine making sells of their stake in CX.