Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now

After extensive research, number-crunching, sorting, and filtering, the results are in. Here are your three most humongous performers in the world of health-care this week.

Breathing easier
Array BioPharma (NASDAQ: ARRY  ) shares climbed nearly 18% this week. The company announced positive results from a phase 2 study of its experimental asthma drug ARRY-502.

The study included 184 patients with mild-to-moderate persistent allergic asthma. ARRY-502 met the study's primary endpoint of significant improvement in a key measure of lung function. Several secondary endpoints were also successfully met, including statistically significant improvement in asthma control and symptom-free days during treatment.

Piper Jaffray bumped its price target for Array up from $7 to $10 after the good results were announced. That represents more than a 50% upside potential from the stock's current price. Array says that it's now looking for an "appropriate partner" to help complete development and potentially market ARRY-502.

Top Food Companies To Buy Right Now: Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc (LL)

Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. (Lumber Liquidators) is retailer of hardwood flooring, and hardwood flooring enhancements and accessories. The Company offers an assortment of wood flooring, which includes prefinished domestic and exotic hardwoods, engineered hardwoods, unfinished hardwoods, bamboo, cork and laminates, as well as resilient flooring. Its flooring enhancements and accessories include moldings, noise-reducing underlay and adhesives. Lumber Liquidators and Bellawood are it brands. Its hardwood flooring products are available in various widths and lengths. It offers approximately 350 different flooring product stock-keeping units. In September 2011, it acquired certain assets of Sequoia Floorings Inc. (Sequoia) relating to Sequoia�� quality control and assurance, product development and logistics operations in China.

In June 2013, Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc announced that the Company has opened its 300th store, located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company opened 40 stores. As of February 20, 2012, the Company operated 266 stores located in 46 states and Canada. During 2011, Lumber Liquidators opened its first stores in Canada. It operates a central distribution center located in Hampton, Virginia, supplemented by its facilities in Toano, Virginia. In addition, it operates a facility in Toronto, Canada, with both a store front and a small warehouse serving that metropolitan market. In 2011, Lumber Liquidators finished approximately 79% of its Bellawood products at its finishing facility in Toano, Virginia.

Solid Hardwood

The Company�� solid hardwood products are milled from one thick piece of wood, which can be sanded and refinished numerous times. It offers flooring products made from more than 25 wood species, including both domestic woods, such as ash, beech, birch, hickory, northern hard maple, northern red oak, pine and American walnut, and exotic woods, such as bloodwood, cherry, cypress, e! bony, koa, mesquite, mahogany, rosewood and teak. Lumber Liquidators sells these products either prefinished or unfinished.

Engineered Hardwood

The Company�� engineered hardwood products are produced by bonding a layer of hardwood to a plywood or fiber board backing. Its engineered hardwood floors are offered in domestic and exotic wood species, and in either glue down or floating application. All of its engineered hardwood products are prefinished. Engineered flooring is designed primarily to be installed in areas where hardwood is not conducive, such as slab construction, basements and areas where moisture may be a factor.

Laminates

Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.�� laminate flooring is constructed with a fiber board core, inserted between a melamine laminate backing and photographic paper displaying an image of wood and a ceramic finish, abrasion-resistant laminate top. Its laminate flooring brands allow for easy-click installation, and some include a pre-glued undersurface, moisture repellent, soundproofing, single-strip format or a handscraped textured finish.

Moldings and Accessories

Lumber Liquidators offer a variety of wood flooring moldings and accessories. It sells stair treads and risers in both finished and unfinished versions. Accessories include underlayments that are placed between the new floor and the sub-floor, insulating sound and cushioning the floors. In addition, it sells installation supplies, such as sealers, adhesives and trowels, floor cleaning supplies, and butcher-block kitchen countertops.

Bamboo and Cork

The Company�� bamboo products, harvested from the bamboo plant, are offered as a prefinished, natural or stained, solid or engineered floor. Its cork flooring is produced by harvesting the outer bark of the cork oak tree.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Hill]

  Definitely not hard times in hardwood
  Home Depot and Lowe's both strive to provide everything the homeowner needs to complete a wide range of home projects.� Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL  ) has a different but equally effective approach: to be the largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring.

• [By John Udovich]

  The shorts appear to be trying to crack small cap Tile Shop Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: TTS)���meaning it might be worth taking a realistic look at the stock and any potential problems surrounding it plus the performance of other home improvement retailers or peers like Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc (NYSE: LL), which is not into tiles, and The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) and Lowe's Companies, Inc (NYSE: LOW) which would be into tiles.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Lumber Liquidators (LL) plunged 9.5% to $102.62. A report by the AP says the hardwood company’s offices have been searched by federal authorities, yet no word on why or when this took place.

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cardinal Health Inc. (CAH)

Cardinal Health, Inc. operates as a healthcare solutions company that provides health care products and services. The company operates in two segments, Pharmaceutical and Medical. The Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, over-the-counter healthcare, specialty pharmaceutical, and consumer products to retail customers, hospitals, and alternate care providers in the United States and Puerto Rico. This segment also operates nuclear pharmacies and cyclotron facilities that prepare and deliver radiopharmaceuticals for use in nuclear imaging and other procedures in hospitals and clinics; offers third-party logistics support services; franchises retail pharmacies under the Medicine Shoppe and Medicap brands; and provides pharmacy and pharmaceutical repackaging services, as well as other services comprising distribution, inventory management, data/reporting, new product launch support, and contract and chargeback administration. The Medical segment distributes a range of medical, surgical, and laboratory products to hospitals, surgery centers, laboratories, physician offices, and other healthcare providers. This segment also develops, manufactures, and sources medical and surgical products, including sterile and non-sterile procedure kits; single-use surgical drapes, gowns, and apparel; exam and surgical gloves; and fluid suction and collection systems. Its medical and surgical products are sold directly or through third-party distributors in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and the Asia/Pacific region. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend King]

  Earnings per share for the last 12 months are $2.59, and these are expected to reach $2.81 in its next fiscal year (ending September 2012). These numbers place the shares on a trailing P/E ratio of 15.43, and a forward multiple of 12.30. Comparing the forward ratio to that of direct competitors Cardinal Health (CAH) and McKesson (MCK) Amerisource trades on a slightly higher rating, though not markedly so. Cardinal Health�� forward multiple is 11.99 and McKesson�� is 11.22.

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

  Company Description: Cardinal Health Inc. is one of the leading wholesale distributors of pharmaceuticals, medical/surgical supplies and related products to a broad range of health care customers.

• [By Sure Dividend]

  Health care will be necessary until we find a cure for everything. There is a less than infinitesimal chance of us finding a cure for everything in the next several decades. The following companies are Dividend Aristocrats whose revenue is generated primarily in the health care sector:

  HCP, Inc. (HCP) AbbVie (ABBV) Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Walgreen (WAG) Medtronic (MDT) Becton Dickinson (BDX) Cardinal Health (CAH) C.R. Bard (BCR)

  Not to be outdone by the food and beverage industry (or perhaps due to negative health effects from the food and beverage industry), the health care industry counts nine Dividend Aristocrats in its ranks. They operate in more diverse lines of business than the food companies. HCP is a REIT that focuses on health care properties. C.R. Bard, Medtronic, and Becton Dickinson manufacture and distribute health care devices and supplies. Abbott Laboratories and Johnson & Johnson (and to a lesser extent, Cardinal Health) are well-diversified health care businesses. AbbVie was recently spun-off from Abbott Laboratories (notice the vaguely similar names), and is a pharmaceutical company.

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Datalink Corporation(DTLK)

Datalink Corporation data center solutions and services to mid and large-size companies in the United States. It engages in assessing, designing, deploying, and supporting infrastructures, such as servers, storage, and networks; and reselling hardware and software from original equipment manufacturers. The company?s portfolio of solutions and services comprise consolidation and virtualization services; data storage and protection services, including local and remote backup, disaster recovery, archive, and compliance services; advanced network infrastructure services that includes assessment, design, and deployment of network infrastructures; and business continuity and disaster recovery solutions. It also offers a suite of practice-specific consulting, analysis, design, implementation, management, and support services. Datalink Corporation was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tess Stynes var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(fu]

  Data-center infrastructure and services provide Datalink Corp.(DTLK) posted results for the first three months of the year that badly missed expectations and also provided an outlook for the current quarter below consensus. Shares fell 21% to $10 premarket.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Datalink Corp.(DTLK), a provider of data-center infrastructure and service, boosted its fourth-quarter earnings outlook amid expectations that its revenue will be stronger than previously anticipated. Shares surged 31% to $14.20 premarket.

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Home Properties Inc. (HME)

Home Properties, Inc. is an independent real estate investment trust. The firm invests in the real estate markets of the United States. It is engaged in the ownership, management, acquisition, rehabilitation and development of residential apartment communities. The firm also invests in townhomes and offices. Home Properties, Inc. was founded in November 1993 and is based in Rochester, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Apartment community real estate investment trust (REIT) Home Properties (HME) raised its quarterly dividend 4.3% to 73 cents per share, payable on Feb. 25 to shareholders of record as of February 13. At a 5% yield, HME is the highest yielder of this week’s list of dividend stocks increasing payouts.
  HME Dividend Yield: 5.00%

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Invest In Right Now

The CEO of recreation vehicle (RV) stock Winnebago Industries, Inc (NYSE: WGO) recently appeared on CNBC to say that the economy is improving for RV makers, meaning its time to take a closer look at the stock plus take a look at the performance of other small cap RV stocks like Drew Industries, Inc (NYSE: DW), Skyline Corporation (NYSEMKT: SKY) and Thor Industries, Inc (NYSE: THO).

What is Winnebago Industries, Inc?

Incorporated under the laws of the state of Iowa on February 12, 1958, small cap Winnebago Industries is a manufacturer of RVs, which are used primarily in leisure travel and outdoor recreation activities. Specifically, the company builds�motor homes, travel trailers and fifth wheel products under the Winnebago庐, Itasca庐, Winnebago Touring Coach�� SunnyBrook庐, and Metro��brand names and then�markets these recreational vehicles on a wholesale basis to a diversified dealer organization located throughout the US and Canada. Other products manufactured by the company�consists of�original equipment manufacturing (OEM) parts, including extruded aluminum and other component products for other manufacturers and commercial vehicles.

Hot Supermarket Stocks To Watch Right Now: Digital Cinema Destinations Corp (DCIN)

Digital Cinema Destinations Corp., incorporated on July 29, 2010, operates eight theatres and 73 screens located in Westfield, New Jersey (Rialto), Cranford, New Jersey (Cranford), Bloomfield, Connecticut (the Bloomfield 8) and five theatres located in central Pennsylvania (Cinema Centers). During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company operates eight theatres, two in New Jersey, with a total of 11 screens, one in Connecticut, with a total of 8 screens and five in central Pennsylvania, with a total of 54 screens. In March 2014, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of a seven screen theater in Churchville, MD from Flagship Cinemas.

The Rialto is a six-screen theatre located in downtown Westfield, New Jersey, which has a population of approximately 30,000 people. The Bloomfield 8 is an eight-screen theatre located at the Wintonbury Mall in the town of Bloomfield, Connecticut, which is a New England town of over 20,000 people that is home to many sites that are on the National Register of Historic Places and is approximately 5.5 miles from downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Cinema Centers consists of a chain of five theatres with 54 screens located throughout central Pennsylvania. All of the Cinema Centers theatres are in free zones. The 11-screen Cinema Center of Bloomsburg theatre is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Bloomsburg, a college town of approximately 13,000 people, is located midway between Wilkes Barre and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The 12-screen Cinema Center of Camp Hill theatre is located in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Harrisburg is the state capital of Pennsylvania with a population of approximately 50,000 people.

The 10-screen Cinema Center at Fairgrounds Square Mall is located in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Company�� Cinema Centers, had one digital projector, RealD 3D enabled. The 12-screen Cinema Center at Selinsgrove is located in Selinsgove, Pennsylvania. Selinsgrove is ! a historic town located on the Susquehanna River with a population of approximately 27,000 people located within five miles of the theatre. The nine-screen Cinema Center of Williamsport is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The Company competes with Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Entertainment Inc., Clearview and Cinemark USA, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Erin McCarthy]

  Carmike Cinemas Inc.(CKEC), the nation’s fourth-largest movie theater chain, said Thursday it is acquiring Digital Cinema Destinations Corp.(DCIN), a smaller rival that does business as Digiplex.

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Life Time Fitness Inc (LTM)

Life Time Fitness, Inc., incorporated on October 15, 1990, operates multi-use sports and athletic, professional fitness, family recreation and spa centers in a resort-like environment. As of February 28, 2013, the Company operated 105 centers under the LIFE TIME FITNESS and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC SM brands primarily in suburban locations in 28 major markets in the United States and Canada. The Company�� model centers target 7,500 to 11,000 memberships by offering, on average, 114,000 square feet of multi-use sports and athletic, professional fitness, family recreation, spa amenities and programs and services in a resort-like environment. Life Time programs include a range of interest areas, such as group fitness, yoga, swimming, running, racquetball, squash, tennis, Pilates, martial arts, kids activities and camps, adult activities and leagues, rock climbing, cycling, basketball, personal training, weight loss and nutrition initiatives, spa, medi-spa and chiropractic services. Life Time program offerings may vary by location. Effective August 28, 2012, MGC Diagnostics Corporation sold the assets of its New Leaf business to the Company.

The Company's offerings also include the Company's line of nutritional products and supplements, and its magazine, Experience Life. The Company also has an Athletic Events division, which offers more than 100 events each year, including running, cycling and triathlon events from entry-level to ultra-endurance. Additionally, the Company offers a portfolio of health assessments to its members at its centers, as well as employees at corporate clients, along with partnerships with health insurance companies. The Company offers different types of membership plans for individuals, couples and families. The Company's memberships include the primary member's children under the age of 12 at a modest per child monthly cost. The Company provides the majority of its members with a variety of services with their membership, including group fitness classes and fitness asse! ssments, towel and locker service and an online subscription to its magazine, Experience Life. The Company's membership plans include initial 14-day money back guarantees and are month-to-month, cancelable by giving up to 60 days advance notice. The Company's ancillary businesses include media, athletic events and related services, health promotion programs and training and certification programs.

The Company offers one-on-one sessions and small group sessions for individual member and a group of two to four members. The Company offers large group (typically eight to 12 members) programs under its T.E.A.M. platform. The Company's T.E.A.M. Weight Loss program focuses on exercise, education and nutrition and provides the resources and support toward long-term weight loss. The T.E.A.M. Fitness program combines cardio exercise with strength training. The Company's endurance program focuses on training in the proper heart rate zones, for the proper duration of time and at the proper frequency to burn fat more efficiently while improving overall health and fitness. The Company's T.E.A.M. Boot Camp enables members to test their strength, agility and stamina. From time to time, the Company also offers other weight loss and nutrition programs, such as the Life Time 90-Day Weight Loss Challenge, as an opportunity for members to receive education, training and motivation. The Company's centers offer fitness programs, including group fitness classes and health and fitness training seminars on subjects ranging from metabolism to personal nutrition. On average, the Company offers 85 group fitness classes per week at each current model center, including studio cycling, step workout, dance classes, circuit training and fitness yoga classes.

The Company's large format centers feature a Life Cafe, which offers fresh and healthy made-to-order and pre-prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner items, including sandwiches, salads, snacks, shakes and more. The Company's Life Cafes offer customers the cho! ice of di! ning indoors, ordering their meals and snacks to go or, in each of the Company's model centers and certain of its other large format centers, dining outdoors at the poolside bistro. Life Cafes also typically offer the Life Time line of nutritional products and supplements, third-party nutritional products, exercise accessories and personal care products. The Company's LifeSpa is a salon and spa. Each in-center LifeSpa offers hair, body, skin care and massage therapy services, customized to each client's individual needs. The Company also offers medi-spa services in select locations. LifeClinic Chiropractic services are provided by licensed chiropractors. LifeClinic Chiropractic offers non-invasive form of soft tissue and joint treatment. The Company's centers offer on-site child centers for children from three months through 11 years of age as part of a monthly fee per child. All of the Company's large format centers offer a variety of additional programs for children, which may include birthday parties, school break camps, parents' night out, sports and fitness classes and swimming lessons. For adults, the Company offers a variety of sports leagues and interest-driven clubs.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company produced over 100 events, serving over 90,000 participants. The Company's events range from entry level to ultra endurance events and draw from local, regional, national and international markets. The Company's larger events include triathlons such as the Life Time Tri Minneapolis and Life Time Tri Chicago, as well as the iconic Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race Across the Sky. The Company produces events primarily in markets in which the Company operates centers, including themed runs such as the Torchlight 5K Run and Turkey Day 5K. The Company offers a line of nutritional products, including Men's and Women 's Performance Multivitamins, Omega-3 Fish oils, Joint Maintenance Formulation, LeanSource Soft Gels, VeganMax, Whey Protein, and FastFuel Complete, its me! al replac! ement product.

The Company competes with 4 Hour Fitness Worldwide, Inc., Equinox Holdings, Inc., LA Fitness International, LLC, Town Sports International, Inc. and Gold's Gym.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By John Udovich]

  On Thursday, small cap fitness club owner Life Time Fitness, Inc (NYSE: LTM) lost some weight for investors as analysts gave the stock a workout after its Analyst Day failed to ease their concerns, meanings its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of Town Sports International Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CLUB)�and Steiner Leisure Ltd (NASDAQ: STNR).

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Callaway Golf Co (ELY)

Callaway Golf Company, incorporated on May 7, 1999, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures and sells golf clubs (drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters) and golf balls, and also sells golf accessories (such as golf bags, golf gloves, headwear, towels, umbrellas and travel gear) under the Callaway Golf and Odyssey brand names. The Company sells pre-owned golf products through its Website, www.callawaygolfpreowned.com. In addition, it sells Callaway Golf and Odyssey products direct to consumers online through its Websites shop.callawaygolf.com and www.odysseygolf.com. The Company also licenses its trademarks and service marks in exchange for a royalty fee to third parties for use on golf related accessories, including apparel, footwear, eyewear, rangefinders and practice aids. Its products are sold in the United States and in approximately 100 countries around the world.

The Company designs, manufactures and sells golf clubs and golf balls, and designs and sells golf accessories. The Company�� products are designed for golfers of all skill levels, both amateur and professional. The Company�� principal products include Drivers, Fairway Woods and Hybrids; Irons; Putters; Golf Balls, and Accessories, Softgoods and Other. Drivers, Fairway Woods and Hybrids product category includes sales of the Company�� drivers, fairway woods and hybrid products, which are sold under the Callaway Golf brand. Irons include sales of the Company�� irons and wedges, which are sold under the Callaway Golf brand. Putters include sales of the Company�� putters, which are sold under the Odyssey brand. Golf Balls includes sales of the Company�� golf balls, which are sold under the Callaway Golf and Strata brands. Accessories, Softgoods and Other includes sales of golf bags, golf gloves, golf footwear, rangefinders, golf apparel, packaged club sets, headwear, towels, umbrellas, eyewear and other accessories, as well as sales of pre-owned products through www.callawaygolfpre! owned.com. Additionally, this product category includes royalties from licensing of the Company�� trademarks and service marks on products such as golf apparel, golf footwear, rangefinders and practice aids.

The Company competes with TaylorMade, Ping, Acushnet, Puma, SRI Sports Limited, Mizuno, Bridgestone, and Nike.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q3 2014 earnings report for small cap golf stock Callaway Golf Co (NYSE: ELY), a potential peer of sporting goods or sporting equipment stocks like Toronto listed�Performance Sports Group Ltd (NYSE: PSG) and Johnson Outdoors Inc (NASDAQ: JOUT), is scheduled for after the market closes on Thursday (October 23rd). Aside from the Callaway Golf earnings report, it should be said that Performance Sports Group Ltd reported Q1 2015 on October 9th (revenues were up 28% to $197.1 million) while the estimated release date for the Q4 2014 Johnson Outdoors Inc earnings report is�October 31st. However, Callaway Golf is the last publicly traded�pure play golf equipment stock�giving investors direct exposure to the game���especially since Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE: DKS)�recently took a $20.4 million pretax golf restructuring charge and plans to focus more attention on other sports.

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Marine Products Corp (MPX)

Marine Products Corporation (Marine Products), incorporated on August 31, 2000, designs, manufactures and sells recreational fiberglass powerboats in the sportboat, deckboat, cruiser, sport yacht and sport fishing markets. The Company sells its products to a network of 135 domestic and 69 international independent authorized dealers. The Company focuses to remain a manufacturer of recreational powerboats for sale to a range of consumers globally. The Company manufactures Chaparral sterndrive and inboard-powered pleasure boats including H2O Sport and Fish & Ski boats, SSi and SSX Sportboats, Sunesta Sportdecks and Xtreme Tow boats, Signature Cruisers, Premiere Sport Yachts and Robalo outboard sport fishing boats. The Company offers a range of products to the family recreational, cruiser and sport yacht markets through its Chaparral brand, and to the sport fishing market through its Robalo brand.

The Company's products include Chaparral - H2O Sport Series, which is a fiberglass multipurpose runabouts; Chaparral - SSi Wide tech, which is a fiberglass closed deck runabouts; Chaparral - SSX Sportdecks, which is a fiberglass bowrider crossover sportboats; Chaparral - Sunesta Xtreme Tow Boats, which is a fiberglass pleasure boats; Chaparral - Signature Cruisers, which is a fiberglass, accommodation-focused cruisers; Chaparral - Premiere Sport Yacht, which is a fiberglass sport yacht, and Robalo - Sport Fishing Boats, which is a sport fishing boats for freshwater lakes or saltwater use. Domestic sales are made through approximately 74 Chaparral dealers, 16 Robalo dealers and 45 dealers that sell both brands located in markets throughout the United States. Marine Products also has 69 international dealers.

The Company competes with Sea Hunt, Sea Fox, Grady-White, Boston Whaler, Everglades and Parker.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Sean Williams]

  Sink or swim
  Sometimes the best short-sale opportunities are small, under-the-radar companies. One that I feel fits the bill perfectly is fiberglass boat maker Marine Products (NYSE: MPX  ) .

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now

CLEVELAND, OH -- Today we celebrate another edition of Frugal Food Friday's on Save of the Day. And in my attempts to save you time and money, we stretch your dollar for dinner.

You don't need me to tell you that soups, stews and chili are a tremendous way to fill-up on a budget. The ingredients, however, can get very expensive - especially with the rising cost of food prices. While many store-bought soups and canned chili are cheap, they are full of sodium, preservatives and other ingredients you might now want to eat on a regular basis.

Watch the video above for more information on these "souper" deals!

Want more deals? Follow @MattGranite on Twitter.

We do not receive any financial compensation for mentioning any company or deal. The only purpose of this segment is to save you money.

Top International Companies For 2015: AeroVironment Inc.(AVAV)

AeroVironment, Inc. designs, develops, produces, and supports unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and efficient energy systems for various industries and governmental agencies. Its UAS provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, including real-time tactical reconnaissance, tracking, combat assessment, and geographic data to the small tactical unit or individual war fighter. The UAS wirelessly transmit critical live video and other information generated by their payload of electro-optical or infrared sensors directly to a hand-held ground control system, enabling the operator to view and capture images during the day or at night on a hand-held ground control unit. AeroVironment also provides spare equipment, alternative payload modules, batteries, chargers, repair services, and customer support for the UAS. In addition, the company produces industrial productivity and clean transportation solutions for commercial and government customers, develops potential clean t ransportation solutions, and performs contract engineering services; offers PosiCharge electric vehicle charging systems for industrial electric material handling fleets, electric vehicle charging systems for passenger and fleet vehicles, and power cycling and test systems for developers and manufacturers of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as battery packs, electric motors, and fuel cells; and supplies power cycling and test systems to research and development organizations that focus on developing electric propulsion systems, electric generation systems, and electricity storage systems. It supplies its UAS primarily to the organizations within the United States department of defense. AeroVironment, Inc. was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Monrovia, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  AlamyA US Navy X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System aircraft is towed into the hanger bay aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush -- the first aircraft carrier to successfully catapult launch an unmanned aircraft from its flight deck. With a fiscal 2013 defense budget of nearly $614 billion, the United States is widely known to be a big spender on defense. By some estimates, U.S. defense spending accounts for nearly 60 percent of the $1.19 trillion the top 10 military powers spent on defense in 2011. In fact, our country allocates more than five times more money to defense than does its closest spending rival, China. And that's not the half of it. In the cutting-edge field of military unmanned aerial vehicles, the United States has such a huge lead over its rivals that it makes their combined UAV fleets look like a rounding error in a world that's essentially 100 percent dominated by U.S. drones. Pax Americana As The Wall Street Journal recently reported, the U.S. military commands a fleet of 429 "large drone" aircraft such as the General Atomics Predator and Northrop Grumman (NOC) Global Hawk. Meanwhile, America's smaller drones, built by everyone from Boeing (BA) to Textron (TXT) to tiny AeroVironment (AVAV), maker of the ubiquitous Raven man-portable UAV, number in the thousands. In contrast, the military of the United Kingdom, not even a U.S. rival but a close ally, boasts a fleet of precisely 10 large drones, most of which we built for them, and the rest imported from Israel. Italy has nine, France, four, and Germany has three. As a result, when allied forces need a drone to "put eyes" on a target, more often than not, they have to ring up the U.S. military to get one. Who You Gonna Call? For allied nations, that has to be embarrassing -- but it's a situation unlikely to change soon. As the Journal reports, European defense giant European Aeronautic Defence & Space (EADSY), the parent company of Airbus, is only just now beginning to test a

• [By Blake Bos]

  In the video below, Blake observes how smaller companies like iRobot� (NASDAQ: IRBT  ) and AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV  ) , as well as huge defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin� (NYSE: LMT  ) and Northrop Grumman� (NYSE: NOC  ) , are positioned to benefit from this trend.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Lionbridge Technologies Inc.(LIOX)

Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. provides language, development, and testing services. Its Global Language and Content segment provides product localization services, such as creating foreign language versions of its clients? products and software applications, including the user interface, online help systems, and documentation; and content translation services, such as translating and maintaining clients? Web-based content, eLearning courseware and training materials, technical support, and sales and marketing information. It also offers technical authoring, eLearning courseware development, and production and integration of content; and global language and content services delivery. The company?s Global Development and Testing segment develops and maintains on-premise, SaaS, and smart phone and tablet applications, as well as provides Web production services. This segment also offers various testing services under the VeriTest brand, including managed test teams, test proc ess design, test automation, functional testing, performance testing, globalization testing, and product certification. In addition, it provides specialized search relevance, online content editorial, keyword optimization, and related services. Its Interpretation segment offers interpretation services for government business and healthcare organizations that require experienced linguists to facilitate communication. It provides interpretation communication services, such as onsite interpretation, over-the-phone interpretation and interpreter testing, training, and assessment services in approximately 360 languages and dialects. The company serves the technology, mobile and telecommunications, Internet and media, life sciences, government, manufacturing, automotive, retail, and aerospace sectors in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Lionbridge (LIOX) is the kind of cheap, small-cap stock that investors love. This player has soared 60% in the last three months thanks to nice earnings and improving investor sentiment.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Whole Foods Market Inc.(WFM)

Whole Foods Market, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of natural and organic food supermarkets. The company offers produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, coffee and tea, nutritional supplements, and vitamins. It also provides specialty products, such as beer, wine, and cheese; body care and educational products, such as books; and floral, pet, and household products. As of February 9, 2011, the company operated 302 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Once again, that leaves KR stock vulnerable on valuation, with shares fetching a 24% premium to their own five-year average by forward earnings, according to Thomson Reuters Stock Reports. At the same time, operationally, everyone is gunning for KR. Private equity firm Cerberus is buying Safeway (SWY) and already owns Albertsons. That’s a formidable rival. And Whole Foods (WFM) is rethinking prices after a poor quarterly showing.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Partner Communications Company Ltd.(PTNR)

Partner Communications Company Ltd. provides various telecommunications services in Israel. It offers cellular telephony services on GSM/GPRS and UMTS/HSDPA networks. The company also provides basic services, including domestic mobile calls, international dialing, roaming, voice mail, short message services, intelligent network services, content based on its cellular portal, data and fax transmission, and other services. In addition, it offers Internet services provider services that provides access to the Internet, as well as home WiFi networks; value added services, such as anti-virus and anti-spam filtering; and transmission services; and Web video on demand services, music tracks, and games. Further, the company provides voice over broadband and primary rate interface fixed-line telephone services; and data capacity services. Additionally, it offers content services comprising voice mail, text, and multimedia messaging, as well as downloadable wireless data application s, including ring tones, music, games, and other informational content; and sells handsets, phones, routers, and related equipment. The company markets its products through its sales centers, business sales representatives, traditional networks of specialized dealers, and non-traditional networks of retail chains and stores under the Orange brand name. Partner Communications Company Ltd. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Rosh Ha-ayin, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another under-$10 wireless telecom player that's starting to move within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Partner Communications (PTNR), a telecommunications company, provides cellular and fixed-line telecommunication services in Israel. This stock is off to a strong start in 2013, with shares up sharply by 29%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Partner Communications, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways for the last month, with shares moving between $7.28 on the downside and $7.96 on the upside. Shares of PTRN are bucking the overall market weakness today as the stock starts to move within range of triggering a breakout trade above the upper-end of its sideways trading chart pattern.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in PTNR if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $7.80 to $7.85 a share and then once it clears its 52-week high at $7.96 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that registers near or above its three-month average volume of 107,303 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PTNR will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $10 to $12.20 a share.

  Traders can look to buy PTNR off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $7.38 to $7.28, or below its 50-day at $6.97 a share. One can also buy PTNR off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ford Motor Credit Company(F)

Ford Motor Company primarily develops, manufactures, distributes, and services vehicles and parts worldwide. It operates in two sectors, Automotive and Financial Services. The Automotive sector offers vehicles primarily under the Ford and Lincoln brand names. This sector markets cars, trucks, and parts through retail dealers in North America, and through distributors and dealers outside of North America. It also sells cars and trucks to dealers for sale to fleet customers, including daily rental car companies, commercial fleet customers, leasing companies, and governments. In addition, this sector provides retail customers with a range of after-sale vehicle services and products in the areas, such as maintenance and light repair, heavy repair, collision repair, vehicle accessories, and extended service contracts under the Ford Service, Lincoln Service, Ford Custom Accessories, Ford Extended Service Plan, and Motorcraft brand names. The Financial Services sector offers vari ous automotive financing products to and through automotive dealers. It offers retail financing, which includes retail installment contracts for new and used vehicles; direct financing leases; wholesale financing products that comprise loans to dealers to finance the purchase of vehicle inventory; loans to dealers to finance working capital, purchase real estate dealership, and/or make improvements to dealership facilities; and other financing products, as well as provides insurance services. Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 and is based in Dearborn, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images DETROIT -- General Motors (GM) reported a much lower second-quarter profit Thursday due to numerous recalls and the expected cost of at least $400 million for a compensation fund for those killed or injured by a defective ignition switch linked to at least 13 deaths. GM also reiterated that it expected a moderately improved operating profit this year and that its future recall costs would be slightly higher than historic rates. "We're on or ahead of the plan we shared in January," Chief Financial Officer Chuck Stevens told reporters. "Our expectation is that the second half of the year will be better than the first half." Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said strong vehicle pricing in North America "saves the quarter." GM earlier this year recalled 2.6 million cars for the faulty ignition switches, which can cause engine stalls and stop power steering and power brakes from operating and air bags from deploying. The company is under investigation by U.S. safety regulators, Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice over its failure to detect the problems for more than a decade. Net income in the quarter fell to $190 million, or 11 cents a share, from $1.2 billion, or 75 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, GM earned 58 cents a share, just below the 59 cents analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S had expected. The company's shares fell 2.9 percent to $36.34 in morning trading. Also Thursday, GM's smaller U.S. rival, Ford Motor (F), posted a higher-than-expected profit on strong results in North America and Europe. One-time items for GM included the charge for establishing the victims' compensation fund, which the company said could still rise by about $200 million, as well as an $874 million charge for a change in how the company will account for recalls in the future. GM previously took charges as recalls occurred, but now it will account for potential future liabilities as the cars

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  In recent years, Toyota (NYSE: TM  ) has been incredibly successful in the U.S. car market, with models like the Camry, Corolla, and Prius all becoming best-sellers. However, Toyota has had trouble competing with the likes of�Ford (NYSE: F  ) and�General Motors (NYSE: GM  ) in the full-size-truck market. Truck buyers tend to be very loyal to their favorite brands, which makes it hard for competitors to unseat Ford and GM.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Hewlett-Packard Company(HPQ)

Hewlett-Packard Company and its subsidiaries provide products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), as well as to the government, health, and education sectors worldwide. Its Personal Systems Group segment offers commercial personal computers (PCs), consumer PCs, workstations, calculators and other related accessories, and software and services for the commercial and consumer markets. The company?s Services segment provides consulting, outsourcing, and technology services to infrastructure, applications, and business process domains. Its Imaging and Printing Group segment provides consumer and commercial printer hardware, supplies, media, and scanning devices, such as inkjet and Web solutions, laser jet and enterprise solutions, managed enterprise solutions, graphics solutions, and printer supplies. The company?s Enterprise Servers, Storage, and Networking segment offers industry standard s ervers, business critical systems, storage platforms, and networking products, including switches, routers, wireless LAN, and TippingPoint network security products. Its HP Software segment provides enterprise IT management software, information management solutions, and security intelligence/risk management solutions. The company?s HP Financial Services segment offers leasing, financing, utility programs, and asset recovery services; and financial asset management services for enterprise customers, as well as specialized financial services to SMBs, and educational and governmental entities. Hewlett-Packard Company also provides business intelligence solutions that enable businesses to standardize on consistent data management schemes, connect and share data across the enterprise, and apply analytics, as well as licenses its specific technology to third parties. The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Getty Images SAN FRANCISCO -- Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) plans to cut as many as 16,000 more jobs in a major ramp-up of CEO Meg Whitman's years-long effort to turn around the personal computer-maker and relieve pressure on its profit margins. Whitman said the turnaround remained on track and her raised target reflected how HP continued to find areas to streamline across its broad portfolio, which encompasses computing, networking, storage and software. But some analysts wondered whether it signaled a worsening outlook for the coming year, or if more jobs may be cut. "The rationale makes sense," said RBC analyst Amit Daryanani. But "you do worry if there's a finality to this process, or if it's an ongoing thing that may affect morale at the end of the day. So far the trend has been worrisome." HP, whose sprawling global operations employ more than 250,000, estimated about three years ago when it first hatched its sweeping overhaul that it would need to shed 27,000 jobs. That number rose to 34,000 last year. On Thursday, it estimated another 11,000 to 16,000 more jobs needed to go, scattered across different countries and business areas. That took the grand total under Whitman's restructuring to 50,000. The Silicon Valley company is trying to reduce its reliance on PCs and move toward computing equipment and networking gear for enterprises, part of Whitman's effort to curtail revenue declines and return the world's No. 1 PC maker to growth. But that goal remains elusive. The company posted a disappointing 1 percent drop in quarterly revenue, as it struggled to maintain its grip on the shrinking personal computer market and weak corporate tech spending. That marked its 11th consecutive quarterly sales decline. Shares in HP closed down 2.3 percent at $31.78, after the company inadvertently posted the results on its website more than half an hour before the closing bell. A Pivotal Division Research jobs, which are vital for innovation and long-term growth,

• [By John Maxfield]

  Alternatively, the worst-performing stock on the blue-chip index is Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) , shares in which are off by 3.3% in mid-afternoon trading. As my colleague Dan Carroll observed earlier, the technology giant is struggling today despite the announcement of its new Android-based tablet, the SlateBook x2. "It's an innovative twist for HP," noted Dan, "which is looking to follow up on its Slate 7 tablet ... as well as a sign that the company's genuinely pushing to be competitive in the mobile industry as its PC sales nosedive."

• [By Damian Illia]

  The dynamic environment and competitive market of security software manufacturing puts companies in a difficult position regarding innovation and investment. Given the decline in the PC market, and increase usage of mobile devices, Symantec is seeking to develop cloud and mobile products, and provide add new solutions and functions to their current products. However, the new product diversification positions the company in direct competition with big firms such as Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Intel Corporation (INTC)�� McAfee Inc., EMC Corporation (EMC), Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ), IBM Corp. (IBM), and VMware Inc. (VMW), among others.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Think specifically of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL  ) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) , both of which offer SSD machines but whose customers are more price sensitive, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following video. Having access to Western Digital's higher-capacity drives should allow them to cater to budget-savvy customers that are still hungry for high performance, Tim says.

10 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Aegon NV(AEG)

AEGON N.V. provides life insurance, pensions, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company?s life insurance products include traditional, term, universal, whole, and other life insurance products sold as part of defined benefit pension plans, endowment policies, post-retirement annuity products, and group risk products; supplemental health insurance products comprise accidental death, other injury, critical illness, hospital indemnity, medicare supplement, and student health; specialty lines consists of travel, membership, and creditor products; and long term care insurance products for policyholders who require care due to a chronic illness or cognitive impairment. It also offers a range of savings and retirement products and services, including mutual funds, and fixed and variable annuities, savings accounts and investment contracts, segregated funds, guaranteed investment accounts, and single premium immediate annuities, as well as investment advice to individuals. In addition, the company offers employer solutions and pensions, such as retirement plans, pension plans, and pension-related products and services; investment products, including onshore and offshore bonds, and trusts; reinsurance products and solutions to life insurance and financial services companies; general insurance products comprising house, car, and fire insurance; and asset management products and services, including general account assets, unit-linked funds, and third party activities. AEGON N.V. markets its products through independent and career agents, financial planners, registered representatives, independent marketing organizations, banks, broker-dealers, benefit consulting firms, wirehouses, affinity groups, institutional partners, independent managing general agencies, and specialized financial advisors, as well as through online, direct, and worksite marketing. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherl ands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Assuming it delivers on its outlook for 2014, its current free cash flow yield is a very enticing 20%. This isn�� a growth stock, but its brands still possess hidden value. As cheap stocks go, it�� very attractive.

  Cheap Stocks to Buy: Aegon (AEG)

  It�� not often that you can buy a $19 billion market cap for under 10 bucks. Aegon�� a Dutch insurance company that�� had a rough ride over the past few years, and its stock�� suffered as a result. In the late ’90s AEG stock traded around $60 — it hasn�� been anywhere close since. However, it�� got some good assets that should bear fruit in the years to come. Aegon has 12,000 employees in the Americas doing business primarily under the Transamerica brand, which has been a part of AEG since 1999.

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2014

American/Hungerford Building Products, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Masco Corporation (MAS) recently announced its plans to expand into Rochester, N.Y.

American/Hungerford is a part of Masco Contractor Services and offers various forms of insulation installations such as popular batt, gutter installation and gutter protection services and blow applications. The company serves both homebuilders and homeowners. Expansion in the New York area will further broaden the company�� client base.

Recently, other Masco Contractor Services units, Williams Insulation and Red Lion Insulation also announced their expansion plans. Williams Insulation plans to expand into Lake Charles, La. while Red Lion Insulation plans to expand into Farmingdale, N.J. Both the companies offer various forms of insulation installations such as fiberglass batt, blown fiberglass, spray foam and cellulose.

Masco manufactures, sells and installs home improvement and building products.It is scheduled to report its second quarter 2013 earnings results on Jul 30, 2013. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter stands at 19 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 is 69 cents while that for fiscal 2014 is $1.02 per share.

Top 5 Consumer Service Stocks To Buy For 2015: Aon Corporation(AON)

Aon Corporation provides risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resource consulting and outsourcing services primarily in the United States, the Americas, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company?s Risk Solutions segment offers retail brokerage products and services, including affinity products, general underwriting management services, placement services, and captive management services; and advisory services to technology, financial services, agribusiness, aviation, construction, health care, and energy industries, as well as facilitates various risk management solutions for property liability, general liability, professional liability, directors' and officers' liability, workers' compensation, and various healthcare products. This segment also provides risk consulting services comprising captive management; eSolutions products that enable clients to manage risks, policies, claims, and safet y concerns through an integrated technology platform; reinsurance brokerage services, such as actuarial, enterprise risk management, catastrophe management, and rating agency advisory services; property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines, which include professional liability, medical malpractice, accident, life, and health, as well as capital management transaction and advisory services. Its HR Solutions segment offers human capital services in the areas of health and benefits, retirement, compensation, and strategic human capital; and benefits administration and human resource business process outsourcing services. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuters]

  Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images NEW YORK -- Walgreen is moving 120,000 employees to a private health insurance exchange from coverage provided directly from carriers, the company will announce Wednesday. The pharmacy chain will join 17 other large employers on the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange as part of a growing movement to offer employees fixed dollar amounts to purchase their own plans on such exchanges. The end-cost to employees depends on the plan chosen, but they typically get more options than under traditional arrangements. Private exchanges mimic the coverage mandated as part of the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in the public exchanges starts Oct. 1. "What happens to employer contributions over time? Will they put in as much as they put in the past? These are unanswered questions but potential negatives," says Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The benefit to Walgreen and other employers is unknown at this point, as their cost-savings aren't clear. Of the 180,000 Walgreen (WAG) employees eligible for health care insurance, 120,000 opted for coverage for themselves and 40,000 family members. Another 60,000 employees, many of them working part-time, weren't eligible for health insurance. Aon Hewitt (AON) says other participants in its program include retailer Sears Holding (SHLD) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). These new additions raise enrollment to 330,000 from 100,000 last year, and Aon Hewitt estimates enrollment will jump to 600,000 next year, a fivefold increase from 2012. By 2017, nearly 20 percent of employees nationwide could get their health insurance through a private exchange, according to Accenture Research (ACN). A recent report by the National Business Group on Health said that 30 percent of large employers are considering moving active employees to exchanges by 2015. Other major providers of private exchanges include Mercer, a division of Marsh & Mc

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Manchester United (NYSE: MANU  ) footballers will soon be wearing Aon's (NYSE: AON  ) name on their jerseys, after the two companies completed a long-term expansion to their sponsorship deal. Starting from July 1, the club's training facility is to be renamed the Aon Training Complex, and its distinctive jerseys will carry the Aon logo.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Risk manager�Aon� (NYSE: AON  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.175 per share, the same rate it paid last quarter after raising the payout 11%, from $0.1575 per share.

• [By Sean Williams]

  It's been a banner year for private-platform health insurers, as some very large enterprises including�Walgreen, IBM, Time Warner,�and Home Depot�have shifted at least some of their employee base to a privatized exchange. The two names here that should benefit are Aon (NYSE: AON  ) , which runs the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange and had landed 18 clients with 5,000 or more employees as of last month, and Xerox (NYSE: XRX  ) , whose subsidiary Buck Consultants built RightOpt, an employer-based privatized exchange aimed primarily at retirees who are getting the boot from their corporate health benefits plan.

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2014: Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH)

Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH) is a real estate investment trust (REIT). As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 369 properties located in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Its portfolio includes 249 senior living communities with 29,678 living units / beds and two rehabilitation hospitals with 364 licensed beds; 108 properties leased to medical providers or medical related businesses, clinics and biotech laboratory tenants (MOBs), and 10 wellness centers with approximately 812,000 square feet of interior space plus outdoor developed facilities. The first operating segment provides short term and long term residential care communities that offer dining for residents. Properties in this segment include leased and managed independent living communities, assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation hospitals. The second operating segment provides properties where medical related activities occur but where residential overnight stays or dining services are not provided. Properties in this segment include those leased to medical providers or medical related businesses, MOBs. On December 31, 2013, the Company sold two rehabilitation hospitals to a joint venture consisted of affiliates of The Sanders Trust, LLC and Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company made the following acquisitions: six properties containing 737,000 square feet, and one MOB with 84,474 square feet located in Mendota Heights, Minnesota (January); one MOB with 49,809 square feet located in Shoreview, Minnesota, and one senior living community located in Rockford, Illinois with 73 assisted living units (May); three MOBs with 125,990 square feet located in Alachua, Florida, and 14 communities (June); three communities (July); one community and 47 acres of land (August); 13 MOBs located in eight states (September); two MOBs with 45,645 square feet located in Richmond, Virginia (November), and eight communities, one senior living community! located in Walnut Creek, California with 57 assisted living units, and one MOB with 94,238 square feet located in Greenwood, Indiana (December). In May and June 2011, the Company sold seven properties, including four skilled nursing facilities, one assisted living community and two MOBs. In February 2012, it acquired one senior living community located in Priceville, Alabama with 92 assisted living units.

Independent living communities, or congregate care communities, provides privacy to residents. Assisted living communities have one bedroom units, which include private bathrooms and kitchens. Services bundled within one charge usually include three meals per day in a central dining room, housekeeping, laundry, medical reminders and around-the-clock availability of assistance with the activities of daily living, such as dressing and bathing. Professional nursing and healthcare services are usually available at the property on call or at regularly scheduled times. Nursing homes generally provides nursing and healthcare services. A typical purpose built nursing home includes mostly rooms with one or two beds, a separate bathroom and shared dining facilities. Licensed nursing professionals staff nursing homes around-the-clock per day.

Rehabilitation hospitals, also known as inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), provide intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology services. Patients in IRFs generally receive a minimum of three hours of rehabilitation services daily. IRFs often also provide outpatient services to patients who do not remain overnight. Its two rehabilitation hospitals have beds available for inpatient services and provide outpatient services from the hospitals' premises, such as rehabilitation services for amputees, brain injury, cardio-pulmonary conditions, orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injury, stroke and neurorehabilitation. The MOBs are office or commercial buildings constructed for use or operated as medical office s! pace for ! physicians and other health personnel, and other businesses in medical related fields, including clinics and laboratory uses. Wellness centers typically have gymnasiums, strength and cardiovascular equipment areas, tennis and racquet sports facilities, pools, spas and children's centers. Professional sport training and therapist services are often available.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Senior Housing Properties Trust sa(SNH)id it plans to offer 12 million shares, and expects to use the proceeds to repay amounts outstanding on its revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes. Senior Housing Properties Trust recently had 188.2 million shares outstanding, according to FactSet. Shares fell 4.8% to $21.68 premarket.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, you need to consider going where services you want are offered. For instance, health-care real-estate investment trusts Senior Housing Properties (NYSE: SNH  ) , LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC  ) , and Health Care REIT (NYSE: HCN  ) , which recently acquired Sunrise Senior Living, all offer facilities in various places across the nation to provide for retirees who need health-care assistance in their living arrangements. But if your particular medical needs require specialists that are concentrated in particular cities, it's far more important for your health to be close to those specialists -- even if it means paying more in taxes.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Because of the requirement to pay out the vast majority of their income, REITs often have extremely high dividend payouts. Mortgage REITs ARMOUR Residential (NYSE: ARR  ) and Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM  ) use leveraged strategies to produce yields well in excess of 10%, while Omega Healthcare (NYSE: OHI  ) and Senior Housing Properties Trust (NYSE: SNH  ) , which specialize in long-term care facilities and other properties catering to older residents, both have yields between 5% and 6%.

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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.

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Invest In 2014: QEP Midstream Partners LP (QEPM)

QEP Midstream Partners, LP (QEP), incorporated on April 19, 2013, is a limited partnership formed by QEP Resources, Inc. to owns, operates, acquires and develops midstream energy assets. The Company�� primary assets consist of ownership interests in four gathering systems and two Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-regulated pipelines, through which it provides natural gas and crude oil gathering and transportation services. The Company�� assets are located in, or are within close proximity to, the Green River Basin located in Wyoming and Colorado, the Uinta Basin located in eastern Utah, and the portion of the Williston Basin located in North Dakota. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� gathering systems had 1,475 miles of pipeline and an average gross throughput of 1.8 million british thermal units per hour of natural gas and 18,224 barrels of crude oil.

Green River System

The Company�� Green River System, located in western Wyoming, consists of three complimentary systems owned by Green River Gathering, Rendezvous Gas and Rendezvous Pipeline and gathers natural gas production from the Pinedale, Jonah and Moxa Arch fields. In addition to gathering natural gas, the system also gathers and stabilizes crude oil production from the Pinedale Field, transports the stabilized crude oil to an interstate pipeline interconnect, and gathers and handles produced and flowback water associated with well completion activities in the Pinedale Field. The Green River Gathering assets are comprised of 405 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, 61 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines, 81 miles of water gathering pipelines and a 60-mile, FERC-regulated crude oil pipeline located in the Green River Basin. The Rendezvous Gas assets consist of three parallel, 103-mile high-pressure natural gas pipelines, with 1,032 million cubic feet per day of throughput capacity and 7,800 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression. Rendezvous Pipeline�� sole asset is a 21-mile, FERC-regu! lated natural gas transmission pipeline that provides gas transportation services from QEP�� Blacks Fork processing complex in southwest Wyoming to an interconnect with the Kern River Pipeline.

Vermillion Gathering System

The Vermillion Gathering System consists of gas gathering and compression assets located in southern Wyoming, northwest Colorado and northeast Utah, which, when combined, include 454 miles of low-pressure, gas gathering pipelines and 23,197 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression. The Vermillion Gathering System is primarily supported by life-of-reserves and long-term, fee-based gas gathering agreements with minimum volume commitments, which are designed to ensure that it will generate a certain amount of revenue over the life of the gathering agreement by collecting either gathering fees for actual throughput or payments to cover any shortfall. The primary customers on our Vermillion Gathering System include Questar, Samson Resources Corporation (Samson Resources), QEP and Chevron USA, Inc. (Chevron).

Three Rivers Gathering System

Three Rivers Gathering is a joint venture between QEP and Ute Energy Midstream Holdings, LLC (Ute Energy) that was formed to transport natural gas gathered by Uintah Basin Field Services, L.L.C., an indirectly owned subsidiary of QEP (Uintah Basin Field Services), and other third-party volumes to gas processing facilities owned by QEP and third parties. The Three Rivers Gathering System consists of gas gathering assets located in the Uinta Basin in northeast Utah, including approximately 50 miles of gathering pipeline and 4,735 basic hydrogen peroxide of gas compression.

Williston Gathering System

The Williston Gathering System is a crude oil and natural gas gathering system located in the Williston Basin in McLean County, North Dakota. The Williston Gathering System includes 17 miles of gas gathering pipelines, 17 miles of oil gathering pipelines 239 basic hydrogen peroxide o! f gas com! pression, and a crude oil and natural gas handling facility, located primarily on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

The Company competes with Enterprise Products Partners, L.P., Western Gas and The Williams Companies, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  QEP Resources Inc.(QEP) plans to separate its midstream business, QEP Field Services Co., into a separate entity, including its interest in QEP Midstream Partners LP(QEPM).

Google searching for cancer cure

  Eric Schmidt's artificial intelligence prediction NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Google is searching for a cancer cure.

The company announced Tuesday that it is experimenting with designing nanoparticles that would detect cancer and other diseases before their onset.

Andrew Conrad, head of Google (GOOG) Life Sciences division, said it would be to the body what an oil change is to a car.

"Can you imagine changing your oil when the engine is broken?" said Conrad, who made the announcement at the Wall Street Journal Digital conference.

Conrad said it's time for healthcare to become more proactive than reactive.

Google is working on a wearable device that would detect changes by monitoring nanoparticles in a person's body. That way, they could detect minor swings in tumor cells and other diseases before it becomes a problem, Conrad said.

This would not be Google's first foray into healthcare.

Google has partnered with Alcon and Novartis (NVS) to make a smart contact lens that measures the glucose levels in diabetics' tears.

The company's research lab is already in the midst of a study involving 10,000 people for its nanoparticle platform, but is looking for partners to help scale it.

Google's announcement was certainly opposite of Apple's.

On Monday, Apple (AAPL, Tech30) CEO Tim Cook told the same audience: "I don't see Apple getting into cancer research ...That's well beyond our expertise."

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) has close to $50 billion in cash and cash equivalents. As this hoard continues to accumulate, many shareholders are impatient for a dividend. Will Google authorize a dividend? Who knows? But one thing is certain: Google has both the cash and the cash flow to make it happen.�

Tech and dividends
Tech and growth were once interchangeable terms. Tech stocks needed every dollar they generated to reinvest into the business. But those days are over. Dividends in the tech sector seem to be the new norm. In 2009, Oracle initiated a dividend, followed by Cisco Systems in 2011 and Dell in 2012. Finally, even Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) joined the Tech Dividend Stocks Club in 2012.

Why are many tech stocks paying out dividends today? It's simple: As their growth trajectories slow, these companies are still raking in loads of cash -- Google included. Just look at the percentage of sales these tech companies are converting to free cash flow:

Top 5 Prefered Companies To Watch In Right Now: Triumph Group Inc.(TGI)

Triumph Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, engineering, manufacture, repair, overhaul, and distribution of aircraft components. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace Systems and Aftermarket Services. The Aerospace Systems segment provides mechanical and electromechanical controls, such as hydraulic systems and components, main engine gearbox assemblies, and accumulators and mechanical control cables. It also involves in stretch forming, die forming, milling, bonding, machining, welding, and assembling and fabricating various structural components used in aircraft wings, fuselages, and other assemblies. In addition, this segment provides composite assemblies for floor panels, environmental control system ducts, non-structural cockpit components, and thermal acoustic insulation systems. The Aftermarket Services segment provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for commercial and military markets. This segment offers its services on auxiliary power units, and air frame and engine accessories, including constant-speed drives, cabin compressors, starters and generators, and pneumatic drive units; and on thrust reversers, nacelle components, and flight control surfaces, as well as supplies spare parts of cockpit instruments and gauges for a range of commercial airlines. The company serves the aerospace industry, including original equipment manufacturers of commercial, regional, business, and military aircraft and components, as well as commercial airlines, air cargo carriers, and military customers. Triumph Group, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: Smith & Nephew SNATS Inc.(SNN)

Smith & Nephew plc develops, manufactures, markets, and sells medical devices in the orthopaedics, endoscopy, and advanced wound management sectors worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Orthopaedics, Endoscopy, and Advanced Wound Management. The Orthopaedics segment offers reconstruction implants, including hip, knee, and shoulder joints, as well as ancillary products, such as bone cement and mixing systems used in cemented reconstruction joint surgery. This segment also provides trauma fixation products consisting of internal and external devices, and other products, including shoulder fixation and orthobiological materials used in the stabilization of fractures and deformity correction procedures; and clinical therapies products comprising bone growth stimulation, joint fluid therapies, and outpatient spine products. The Endoscopy segment develops and commercializes minimally invasive surgery techniques, educational programs, and value-added services for sur geons to treat and repair soft tissue and articulating joints. It offers specialized devices and fixation systems to repair damaged tissues; fluid management equipment for surgical access; digital cameras, digital image capture, scopes, light sources, and monitors to assist with visualisation; radiofrequency wands, electromechanical and mechanical blades, and hand instruments for resecting damaged tissues. The Advanced Wound Management segment provides initial wound bed preparation and full wound closure products. This segment?s products are targeted at chronic wounds associated with the older population, such as pressure sores and venous leg ulcers; and products for the treatment of wounds, including burns and invasive surgery. The company serves medical and surgical service providers. Smith & Nephew plc was founded in 1856 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  All that being said, while St. Jude Medical might have never been known as a device pioneer, the acquisitions of Nanostim and Endosense have given STJ stock holders some exposure to pacemakers without pesky leads (where the “pulse” is created), and exposure to atrial fibrillation treatment without the use of drugs. This year might mark a serious upgrade for the company’s product lines.

  Medical Devices: Smith & Nephew plc (SNN)

  Priced at a trailing P/E of 24 and a forward-looking P/E of 17, it’s not like you can call Smith & Nephew plc (SNN) a screaming value. It’s a reliable growth machine, however, in terms of earnings as well as revenue.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: PPL Corporation(PPL)

PPL Corporation, an energy and utility holding company, generates and sells electricity; and delivers natural gas to approximately 5.3 million utility customers primarily in the northeastern and northwestern U.S. The company operates in four segments: Kentucky Regulated, International Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated, and Supply. The Kentucky Regulated segment engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity; and the distribution and sale of natural gas to approximately 1.3 million customers in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. The International Regulated segment owns and operates electricity distribution businesses in the United Kingdom that deliver electricity to 7.7 million customers. The Pennsylvania Regulated segment delivers electricity to approximately 1.4 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania. The Supply segment owns and operates power plants to generate electricity using coal, uranium, natural gas, oil, and water res ources; markets and trades electricity and other purchased power to wholesale and retail markets; and acquires and develops domestic generation projects. It controls or owns a portfolio of generation assets of approximately 11,000 megawatts in Montana and Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s distribution system included 649 substations with a capacity of 25 million kVA, 28,838 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 24,131 cable miles of underground conductors in the United Kingdom. It also operated 377 substations with a capacity of 31 million kVA, 33,122 circuit miles of overhead lines, and 7,368 cable miles of underground conductors in Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Bucks from the Brits
  PPL (NYSE: PPL  ) managed to wow investors in 2011 when the company beat analyst estimates for four straight quarters. When it did it again in 2012, it was really only a matter of time until its shares hit a new 52-week high, now up 17.7�% in the last year. With 85% of 2013 earnings per share (EPS) originating from regulated business, the utility has taken a tried-and-true page out of Ameren's book. PPL boasts a friendly and diverse regulatory environment across three states and the United Kingdom, and its 4.7% yield is above average for utilities dividend stocks.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  PPL pilots new energy reduction program
  Across the pond, PPL's (NYSE: PPL  ) British utility Western Power Distribution is trying to get its commercial customers to cut consumption. The company announced this week that it will be offering 15 businesses financial incentives to reduce their overall electricity use and/or shift use to non-peak hours. While reduced demand might seem backwards for any business model, an electricity use reduction would allow PPL to forgo costly upgrades to its current electricity system. And, as the utility's energy efficiency project manager points out, carbon emission targets provide an additional reason to increase efficiencies where possible.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Wednesday, utilities shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.61 percent. Top gainers in the sector included PPL (NYSE: PPL), Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte SA (NYSE: EDN), and Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG). Telecommunications services sector was the top decliner in the US market on Wednesday.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: Himax Technologies Inc.(HIMX)

Himax Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, and markets semiconductors for flat panel displays. Its products include display drivers and timing controllers for various thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) panels, which are used in desktop monitors, notebook computers, televisions, and mobile handsets, as well as consumer electronics products comprising netbook computers, digital cameras, mobile gaming devices, portable DVD players, digital photo frame, and car navigation displays; and TFT-LCD television and monitor semiconductor solutions. The company also provides liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) products for palm-size mobile projectors; power management integrated circuits, which include drivers, amplifiers, DC to DC converters and other semiconductors; complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors for camera-equipped mobile devices, such as mobile phones and notebook computers with a focus on lowlight image and video quality; and wafer level optics products. It serves TFT-LCD panel manufacturers, mobile device module manufacturers, and television makers. Himax Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By jaggom]

  Himax Technologies (HIMX) has touched new highs and was trading impressively on the stock market as a result of news that it will be supplying LCOS micro displays to Google. But the stock had run ahead of its fundamentals, and investors were buying more shares under the belief that Google Glass will lead Himax to new highs. Despite a slowdown in revenue and a string of bad quarterly results, Himax shares shone. But the scene has changed now.

• [By mitu77]

  Himax Technologies(HIMX) is gradually and relentlessly turning around after a woeful time in the recent past. Himax is seeing growth in every last bit of its product sections, including little and medium driver ICs, large board driver ICs, and non-driver ICs. One of the factors for the organization's development is solid interest from its Korean end client. The organization as of late was downsized by Bank of America. The liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) business of the organization, which was mostly reliant on Google Glass project, influenced the Bank�� update as the Google Glass launch was deferred. Anyhow investors ought to be hopeful about Himax's development as its products are ingredients of various gadgets & devices that are in high demand. In a long run, such updates (Bank of America pertinent to Google Glass) should not make a big deal in performance of the company.

• [By shash63]

  Himax (HIMX) is a company with a strong product portfolio. Despite the stock being beaten down massively in the recent past, the product portfolio of Himax could lead to growth as they are used in various gadgets like smartphones, LED drivers, lighting, and consumer electronics. The market for these products is rising. This opens up opportunity for Himax to drive revenue growth. Since the revenue of Himax is from diversified areas, it also offsets the decline, if witnessed from any individual segment.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: TotalFinaElf S.A.(TOT)

TOTAL S.A., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated oil and gas company worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemicals. The Upstream segment engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. It also involves in the transportation, trade, and marketing of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as in LNG re-gasification and natural gas storage operations. In addition, this segment engages in the shipping and trade of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); power generation from gas-fired power plants, nuclear, or renewable energies; production, trade, and marketing of coal, as well as in solar power systems and technology operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had combined proved reserves of 10,695 Mboe of oil and gas. The Downstream segment involves in refining, marketing, trading, and shipping crude oil and petroleum products. It also produces a range of specialty products, s uch as lubricants, LPG, jet fuel, special fluids, bitumen, marine fuels, and petrochemical feedstock. This segment holds interests in 24 refineries located in Europe, the United States, the French West Indies, Africa, and China, as well as operates a network of 17,490 service stations. The Chemicals segment produces base chemicals, including petrochemicals and fertilizers, as well as engages in rubber processing, resins, adhesives, and electroplating activities. TOTAL S.A. was founded in 1924 and is based in Paris, France.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  At the same time, this is what makes Cheniere Energy such a difficult investment in 2014, it is still not generating any revenue from these ventures yet. Sure, the company receives some contract royalties from Total (NYSE: TOT  ) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) from when its facilities were geared for LNG import, but in no way do they cover the capital expenditures necessary to get these facilities up and running.�

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  But as each process is implemented, so too does the cost to extract oil increase. Today, every country in the Middle East is implementing some form of EOR to their oil fields. For some of the smaller countires, it has been in practice for years. Total (NYSE: TOT  ) has been using gas flooding in Abu Dhabi for more than 20 years. This is a telltale sign that the cost of extracting oil is getting more expensive for all players in the region.�

• [By Sara Sjolin]

  Shares of oil giant Total SA (FR:FP) � (TOT) �dropped 1.3%.

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alyce Lomax]

  These figures are particularly impressive, given difficulties in the industry. Take former parent McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) , which reported results that analysts and investors found disappointing yesterday. The fast-food giant's comps increased an anemic 1%, and management disclosed "weak sales trends" with the warning that the rest of the year could remain difficult for its business.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Alamy McDonald's (MCD) is not in a good place these days, with sales slumping, quality concerns rising, and activists pushing for it to start paying its employees a living wage. It's against this backdrop of McDespair that a radical tech-fueled test may be the ticket to giving customers and some -- but not all -- employees what they want. The world's largest burger chain is expanding a test that started in two stores in California's Orange County where patrons could build customized gourmet burgers using tablets -- but still heading to the cashier to ring up the sale. The test is expanding this month in geography -- to two stores in San Diego -- and in scope. According to U-T San Diego, the new experience is upscale and convenient. Customers use the touch-screen devices to assemble gourmet burgers with 20 toppings like guacamole and garlic aioli and two roll choices (artisan or brioche). The cost? $5.49 plus tax. "Bacon, the only extra that costs extra, adds 80 cents," U-T San Diego reported. But, wait, there's more: The tablets now allow customers to scan credit and debit cards so orders are processed right away. Guests don't have to wait by the counter. Employees bring orders to the table on metal baskets. Employees bus the table afterward. In short, this tablet test finds McDonald's behaving more like a fast-casual chain or gourmet burger shop than the struggling fast-food behemoth that it is today. Take Two Tablets and Call Me in the Morning Folks who want to order meals outside of the custom-built upscale sandwiches still have to hit up a cashier. However, it's not much of a stretch to see these tablets eventually being able to handle the entire menu. A single person troubleshooting questions or tech issues can replace an army of cashiers. If McDonald's is able to run efficiently with fewer employees, couldn't it take these savings and give "Fight for $15" activists what they want: better wages for the folks whom they do keep around? In its present

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The following look as though they will be the top five Dogs of the Dow for 2014: AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX).

• [By Marc Bastow]

  The qualifications for being a purple chip are basically a screen for stability and performance: smooth earnings profiles, including seven years of consecutive EPS growth, and market caps north of $1 billion. Not surprisingly, you’ll find Procter & Gamble (PG), McDonald’s (MCD) and IBM (IBM) on Macke’s list of what I’d call the “usual suspects.”

Top 10 Dividend Companies To Own For 2014: First Security Group Inc.(FSGI)

First Security Group, Inc. operates as the holding company for FSGBank that provides banking and financial products and services to various communities in eastern and middle Tennessee and northern Georgia. The company offers various deposit services, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It offers commercial loans, including loans to smaller business ventures, credit lines for working capital, short-term seasonal or inventory financing, and letters of credit; real estate?construction and development loans to residential and commercial contractors and developers; and consumer loans to individuals for personal, family, and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment and term loans. The company also offers commercial mortgage loans to finance the purchase of real property; commercial leasing for new and used equipment, fixtures, and furnishings to owner-managed businesses; and leasing for forklifts, heavy equipment, and other machinery to owner-managed businesses primarily in the trucking and construction industries. It also provides trust and investment management, mortgage banking, financial planning, and electronic banking services, such as Internet banking, online bill payment, cash management, ACH originations, wire transfers, direct deposit, traveler?s checks, safe deposit boxes, United States savings bonds, and remote deposit capture, as well as equipment leasing. The company operates 38 full-service banking offices and 1 loan and lease production office. Its market areas include in Bradley, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe, Putnam, and Union counties, Tennessee; and Catoosa and Whitfield counties, Georgia. First Security Group was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ning Jia]

  The case for First Security Group (FSGI) is interesting. It is bank holding company that is obscure, cheap and unloved. As the company completed the recapitalization earlier this year, I think the market has been under-appreciating its potential to return to growth and profitability as a result of the much-needed recapitalization.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  First Security Group (FSGI) operates as the holding company for FSGBank, which provides banking products and services to various communities in Tennessee and Georgia. This stock closed up 6.5% to $2.29 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $2.16-$2.30
  
  52-Week Range: $1.30-$7.45
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 80,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 509,606

  From a technical perspective, FSGI ripped higher here right above some near-term support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 with lighter-than-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of FSGI within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if FSGI manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.38 to $2.52 and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $2.80 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in FSGI as long as it's trending above some key support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 509,606 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then FSGI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from June that started at $5.08.