Starbucks Corporation Beats Analysts’ Earnings Views; Posts 37% EPS Increase; Raises Dividend (SBUX)

After the bell on Wednesday, Starbucks (SBUX) announced its fourth quarter earnings, beating analysts’ EPS estimates, and raised its quarterly dividend 24%.

SBUX Earnings in Brief

-Starbucks reported revenues of $3.8 billion, which were up 13%.
-Operating income for the quarter came in at $668.9 million, a 29% increase from last year’s Q4 figure of $519.6 million.
-EPS was reported at 63 cents, up 37% from last year’s Q4 EPS of 46 cents.
-The company beat analysts’ EPS estimates of 60 cents per share, but came slightly under the revenue estimate of $3.81 billion.
-Starbucks announced earnings guidance for 2014 of $2.55-$2.65 per share, which is slightly below analysts’ views of $2.67.

Hot Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now

CEO Commentary

Chairman, president and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, had the following to say about the company’s impressive earnings: "The fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 capped off by far the best year in Starbucks 42-year-history. Our results were driven by disciplined, ongoing efforts to elevate the value and relevance of the Starbucks brand, continued innovation and the success of our efforts to deepen our connection to customers and communities around the world."

Dividend Raise

Starbucks announced a quarterly cash dividend of 26 cents per share, which is a 24% increase from its previous quarterly payout of 21 cents. The dividend is payable on November 29 to all shareholders on record as of November 14.

Stock Performance

Though Starbucks stock was up $1.21, or 1.52%, on the day, it was dropping lower in after hours trading. YTD, the stock is up nearly 45%.

Aiming for more than bupkis on the budget

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) The 29 lawmakers chosen to negotiate a way out of another budget stalemate and government shutdown will meet officially -- and publicly -- for the first time on Wednesday.

Known as the bipartisan budget-conference committee, the group of senators and House members has a deadline of December 13. Their mission: reach a mutually agreeable deal to ensure the federal government is funded through the rest of fiscal year 2014.

Sounds simple, but it won't be. The discussion could get stuck in a ditch over how to replace the across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester.

The sequester will reduce deficits by more than $1 trillion over a decade. It was designed to be so distasteful to both parties that it would force lawmakers to come up with a smarter package of fiscal restraint.

But they failed to do so, which is why last March, the first set of cuts went into effect.

If the budget-conference committee fails again at the most basic task of Congress, the spending reductions of 2013 will be locked in. Plus, another $20 billion in cuts must be made for the rest of fiscal year 2014, which began October 1.

From 2015 through 2021, discretionary spending will grow slowly from the lower levels of 2014.

Many budget experts are predicting the budget-conference committee may produce nothing at all, given the persistent divide between the parties over the sequester.

Take defense spending. At first glance it appears that Senate Democrats and House Republicans might actually agree. Both of their proposed 2014 budgets call for discretionary defense spending levels of $552 billion in 2014. That's $54 billion above the sequester-dictated level of $498 billion.

But they disagree on how to make up for that difference.

House Republicans have proposed making even more cuts to domestic programs, which Senate Democrats oppose.

The Democrats don't explicitly make up for the difference, but propose nearly $2 trillion in deficit reduction over a decade through a mix of longer-term spending cuts and tax increases, the latter of which House Republicans oppose.

That doesn't mean agreement is entirely out of the question. But if they do find it, it's only likely to yield "a small-bore deal," as William G. Hoagland puts it.

Hoagland, a senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center who was a top staffer for years on the Senate bud! get committee, thinks elements of a mini-deal could include increases in both defense and non-defense spending to their pre-sequester levels. Lawmakers might agree to pay for that in several ways, including a reduction in farm subsidies and some form of means-testing for Medicare so high-income people pay more.

  More budget cuts loom at Pentagon

He also thinks both parties might agree to claim war savings from the military drawdown in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If both parties can also agree to some revenue to help reduce deficits, they might turn to boosting user fees, said Marc Goldwein, senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. An example are fees paid by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or customs or spectrum user fees.

In any case, don't expect many details to be discussed on Wednesday morning. All 29 members will be given the opportunity to make an opening statement. Those can last up to five minutes apiece. Before you know it, it'll be time for lunch.

Top China Stocks To Own For 2014

The stock market is slipping after the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development cut its outlook for global growth. As of 1:25 p.m. EDT the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is down 123 points, or 0.8%, to 15,287. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is down 0.78% to 1,647.

There were no U.S. economic releases today. The OECD now believes global growth will be 3.1% in 2013, down from its earlier forecast of 3.4%. It revised its 2014 growth forecast downward from 4.2% to 4%. The biggest reasons for the drop are the eurozone and Chinese economies. The OECD now expects the eurozone to shrink by 0.6% in 2013, worse than its previous prediction of a 0.1% contraction. In China, the OECD expects the economy to grow just 7.8% this year, down from a previous projection of an 8.5% gain. As many U.S. companies now get nearly 50% of their revenue from abroad, the effects of slower global growth are quickly felt, which is why the stock market is down today.

Top China Stocks To Own For 2014: Universal Travel Group(UTA)

Universal Travel Group, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a travel service provider offering air ticketing and hotel booking services, as well as domestic and international packaged tourism services via the Internet, customer representatives, and kiosks in the People?s Republic of China. It also provides technological solutions to travel reservations, and tour planning and tour guide services. In addition, the company operates TRIPEASY Kiosks, which are placed in hotels, office buildings, banks, shopping malls, and MTR stations for travel booking with credit cards or bank debit cards. Universal Travel Group is headquartered in Shenzhen, the People?s Republic of China.

Top China Stocks To Own For 2014: BHP Billiton Limited(BHP)

BHP Billiton Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified natural resources company worldwide. The company engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas; mining and refining of bauxite into alumina, and smelting of alumina into aluminum metal; and mining of copper, silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, gold, diamonds, and titanium minerals, as well as development of potash deposits. It also involves in the mining and production of nickel products, manganese ore, and manganese metal and alloys, as well as in the mining of iron ore, metallurgical coal, and thermal coal. BHP Billiton Limited sells its copper, lead, and zinc concentrates, and alumina to smelters; copper cathodes to wire rod mills, brass mills, and casting plants; uranium oxide to electricity generating utilities; rough diamonds to diamond buyers and diamond manufacturers; nickel products to stainless steel, specialty alloy, foundry, chemicals, and refractory ma terial industries; metallurgical coal to steel producers; and energy coal to power stations, power generators, and industrial users. The company, formerly known as BHP Limited, was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Billiton's beginnings
  Tin was first discovered on the Sumatran island of Billiton (Belitung�) on June 28, 1851. Nine years later, a company of the same name was formed in the Netherlands to exploit the resource-rich island. For over a century, Billiton dominated the mining industry of the Indonesian archipelago, and eventually would expand its reach and business range throughout the world. Billiton�merged with Australian metals leader BHP (Broken Hill Proprietary) in 2001 to form BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP  ) (NYSE: BBL  ) , which is now the largest mining company in the world.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Rio Tinto Group, the world�� biggest mining companies, fell at least 3 percent. Whitbread Plc (WTB) dropped 2.8 percent after UBS AG downgraded the owner of the Costa Coffee chain. British Land Co., the U.K.�� second-largest real estate investment trust, advanced 1.2 percent after saying it bought commercial property in London for 470 million pounds ($707 million).

5 Best Safest Stocks To Watch Right Now: 3SBio Inc.(SSRX)

3SBio Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in the People?s Republic of China. Its products include EPIAO, an injectable recombinant human erythropoietin to stimulate the production of red blood cells in patients with anemia and to reduce the need for blood transfusions; and TPIAO, a recombinant human thrombopoietin to treat chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. The company also offers Intefen, a recombinant interferon alpha-2a product for the treatment of carcinoma of the lymphatic or hematopoietic system and viral infectious diseases; Inleusin, a recombinant human IL-2 product to treat renal cell carcinoma, metastatic melanoma, and thoratic fluid build-up caused by cancer and tuberculosis; and Iron Sucrose Supplement for treating anemia associated with iron deficiency, as well as for patients with end-stage renal disease requiring iron replacement therapy. In addition, its product pi peline comprises a high dosage EPIAO; NuPIAO, a second-generation EPIAO; TPIAO to treat idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura; NuLeusin for metastatic melanoma and metastatic renal cell carcinoma; human papilloma virus vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer; and an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody product candidate for treating rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and other inflammatory diseases. Further, the company?s product pipeline includes Feraheme, an in-licensed intravenous iron replacement therapeutic agent used to treat iron deficiency anemia in chronic kidney disease patients and in patients requiring hemodialysis; and Nephoxil, an iron-based phosphate binder for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with ESRD. It sells its products directly, as well as through its network of distributors to various healthcare providers, including hospitals, clinics, and dialysis centers. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Shenyang, the People?s Republic of China.

Top China Stocks To Own For 2014: ChinaEdu Corporation(CEDU)

ChinaEdu Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides educational services to the online degree programs of universities in the People?s Republic of China. It also offers online tutoring services to primary and secondary school students; operates primary and secondary schools; and markets international English language curriculum programs to established learning institutions, as well as international polytechnic programs to vocational schools in China. The company?s online degree programs offer associate and bachelor?s degree programs, including accounting, marketing, finance, business administration, international business, law, civil engineering, education, computer science, literature, project management, marketing, and administrative management. These online degree programs primarily target working adults. Its services also include academic program development, technology services, enrollment marketing, recruiting, student support services, and finance operati ons. The company provides technical, recruiting, and other services for the online degree programs of 27 universities; and technology support services to 7 additional universities that are awaiting regulatory approval to launch their online degree programs. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 311,000 online degree programs students, as well as approximately 51,450 students in other businesses. ChinaEdu Corporation was founded in 1999 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Top China Stocks To Own For 2014: Suntech Power Holdings Co. LTD.(STP)

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a solar energy company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products. The company also provides engineering, procurement, and construction services to building solar power systems for certain related party and third party customers. Its products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon PV cells; PV modules; and building-integrated photovoltaics products. In addition, the company provides PV system integration services, including designing, installing, and testing PV systems used in lighting for outdoor urban public facilities, as well as in farms, villages, and commercial buildings; and project development services. Its products are used to provide electric power for residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility applications. The company sells its products through value-added resellers, such as distributors and system integrators; and to end users, such as project develo pers primarily in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Benelux, Greece, the United States, Canada, China, the Middle East, Australia, and Japan. Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Wuxi, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Suntech is still alive ... sort of
  The strange news of the week was another forbearance agreement on Suntech Power's (NYSE: STP  ) debt. The company will delay payment of $541 million of notes originally due in March until Aug. 30, the second extension of forbearance. It's unclear exactly how many bondholders agreed to the delay or what Suntech will do in the meantime, but it's supposedly working with creditors to keep the company alive. �

Crude Oil Inventories up 1.4%, Gasoline Supplies Down 0.8%

U.S. crude oil supplies increased 5.2 million barrels (1.4%) for the week ending Oct. 18, according to an Energy Information Administration report (link opens a pdf) released today.

After increasing 4 million barrels the previous week, oil inventories have now been on the rise for five straight weeks. Although imports dropped off 348,000 barrels per day, refinery inputs continue to show similarly low demand to the previous week. Overall inventories have expanded 1.3% in the past 12 months. 

Source: eia.gov 

Gasoline inventories tapered off 1.8 million barrels (0.8%) after dropping 2.6 million barrels the week before. Demand for motor gasoline over the last four-week period is up a seasonally adjusted 2.3%. In the last year, supplies have expanded 8.5%. 

In the past year, retail gasoline pump prices have dropped $0.33 per gallon.

Source: eia.gov 

Distillates supplies, which include diesel and heating oil, expanded 1.5 million barrels (1.3%) following five weeks of declines. Distillates demand for the last four weeks is down a seasonally adjusted 3.9%. In the past year, distillates inventories have increased 6.6%. 

Source: eia.gov 

link

World’s most popular car color not shades of gray

No drum roll needed. The most popular car in the world for the 2013 model year was white. Again.

One in four new-car buyers chose white -- and that's up 3% from last year, according to data from PPG Industries, the largest supplier of transportation coatings.

Silver and black tied for second at 18% each, according to the annual date on vehicles built data, followed by gray, red, natural hues, blue and green which stayed the course from 2012.

In North America, white remained the most popular "color" at 21% followed by equally sedate black (19%), gray (17%) and silver (15%).

But some Americans are showing more daring. There is a growing appetite for red and blue, especially on sporty models and blue could move up the ranks in 2014.

10 Best Casino Stocks To Invest In 2014

And when it comes to minivans, American want gold and beige.

There are global regional differences. Silver reigns in South America, accounting for a third of all new purchases.

The good news for white lovers is that there will be more choices. "We see growth in the variety of whites being offered to consumers," said Jane Harrington, PPG manager of color styling.

"Car manufacturers are seeking ways to create variations of white, silver, black and gray that are specific to their brands and that complement different vehicle types," using different micas, glass flakes and pigments, she said.

More than 60 new colors will be introduced for the 2016 and 2017 model years.

PPG has 23 color experts who focus on auto, architectural, aerospace and consumer products to analyze design trends and consumer preferences that will influence future color choices.

3 Catalysts Behind My Decision To Remain Bullish On Shares Of Kodiak Oil & Gas

On Friday, October 18, Hedge fund manager John Paulson noted that Kodiak Oil & Gas (KOG) could be seen as a potential takeover target, and as direct a result of his comments shares closed the day almost 5% higher. In the wake of Mr. Paulson's belief that the company is a potential takeover target, I wanted to highlight a number of key catalysts behind my decision to remain bullish on shares of this particular oil and gas play.

Catalyst #1 - Recent Performance and Trend Status

On Friday shares of KOG, which currently possess a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.49, a forward P/E ratio of 13.64, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a profit margin of 17.30%, settled at a price of $13.50/share.

Based on their closing price of $13.50/share, shares of KOG are trading 10.71% above their 20-day simple moving average, 22.46% above their 50-day simple moving average, and 43.23% above their 200-day simple moving average. These numbers indicate a short-term, mid-term and long-term uptrend for the stock which generally translates into a moderate buying mode for both near-term traders and long-term investors.

(click to enlarge)

Catalyst #2 - A Conservative Financial Strategy

Kodiak Oil & Gas strives to maintain a conservative balance sheet that preserves financial flexibility and includes a very active commodity-based hedging program. When it comes to the company's financial flexibility Kodiak intends on reducing its long-term debt/EBITDA towards a ratio that is under 2.0.

(click to enlarge)

(Source: Company Presentation)

If the company can continue to demonstrate significant EBITDA growth as was the case in Q2 '13 when it demonstrated E! BITDA growth of 94%, I see no reason why the company would fail to meet its intended goal. When it comes to the company's hedging program it should be noted that there are no near-term debt maturities (the earliest is 2018) and the program is designed to protect cash flows while supporting its fixed cost coverage and capital programs.

Catalyst #3 - Solid Acreage and Proven Reserves in the Williston Basin

As of June 30, 2013, Kodiak Oil & Gas held a position of 196,000 net acres that were located throughout the Williston Basin of North Dakota. This acreage is broken down into three sub-sectors with the first consisting of 112,000 net acres (Polar, Koala, Ursid, and Smokey), the second consisting of 50,000 net acres (Wildrose and Grizzly) and the third consisting of 34,000 net acres (Dunn County).

(click to enlarge)

(Source: Company Presentation)

In my opinion, Kodiak's acreage has certainly demonstrated some very nice returns as its Proved Developed Producing Reserves have yielded 123.9 MMbbls of oil and 120.7 Bcf of natural gas as of June 30. If the company can continue to demonstrate even stronger production (an increase of roughly 10%-15%) when compared to the first six months of 2013, I see no reason why investors should balk at the opportunity of establishing a position at current price levels.

Risk Factors to Consider

According to Kodiak's most recent 10-K (February 2013) there are a number of risk factors all investors should consider. These factors include but are not limited to the company's vulnerability to risks associated with operating in one major geographic area, the company's substantial indebtedness, which may increase in the future, and lastly the indentures governing the company's Senior Notes which contain operating and financial restrictions that may impact not only Kodiak's busi! ness but ! any future financing-related activities.

Conclusion

For those of you who may be considering a position in Kodiak Oil & Gas, I'd keep a watchful eye on a number of catalysts over the next 12-24 months as they could each contribute to the company's long-term growth. These catalysts include but are not limited to the company's ability to maintain and further enhance its oil and natural gas production levels within its Williston acreage, as well as its ability to maintain considerable EBITDA growth over the next 24-48 months.

Source: 3 Catalysts Behind My Decision To Remain Bullish On Shares Of Kodiak Oil & Gas

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in KOG over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Hot Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now

The eurozone's economy continues to improve gradually, observes Yiannis Mostrous; in the Capitalist Times, he highlights four favorite stocks to bet on a continued recovery.

Netherlands-based ING Groep (IM:INGA) (OTC:ING) was formed in 1991 by the merger of Nationale-Nederlanden and NMB Postbank Group.

The financial conglomerate continues to deliver on a restructuring plan that aims to simplify its operations and refocus on the company's core strengths. The effort began four years ago, when the company announced plans to dispose of its sprawling insurance operations.

ING Groep's net interest margins have improved steadily in recent quarters, a trend that should continue to support earnings growth.

Credit quality remains a concern, but as long as unemployment remains in check, ING Groep should be able to keep its nonperforming loans to manageable levels. Buy ING Groeop's American depositary receipt (ADR) up to US$15.

With more than 6,000 branches and a 20% share of its domestic market, Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP:IM) (OTC:ISNPY) is one of Italy's largest banks.

Hot Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Peabody Energy Corporation(BTU)

Peabody Energy Corporation engages in the mining of coal. It mines, prepares, and sells thermal coal to electric utilities and metallurgical coal to industrial customers. The company owns interests in 30 coal mining operations located in the United States and Australia, as well as owns joint venture interest in a Venezuela mine. It is also involved in marketing, brokering, and trading coal. In addition, the company develops a mine-mouth coal-fueled generating plant; and Btu Conversion projects that are designed to convert coal to natural gas or transportation fuels; and clean coal technologies. As of December 31, 2011, it had 9 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves. The company was founded in 1883 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Kinder Morgan is filling a vital role for companies like Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI  ) and Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU  ) . Both companies have signed long-term export deals with the company. These export deals represent the quickest and least-expensive options for coal producers as it saves them millions in up-front capital expenditures.

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Wall Street wasn't aiming high with this corporation. Sales are down a seasonally adjusted 8.5%, while adjusted EPS plummeted 50% as mining companies continually find themselves between a rock and a hard place. But considering Cliff's newest report and Peabody Energy's (NYSE: BTU  ) earnings win earlier this week, it seems that mining companies aren't out of steam yet. Yesterday's report coincided with a new International Energy Outlook report predicting a 56% uptick in global energy use over the next three decades. Mining companies' share prices have trailed the Dow over the past 12 months, with Peabody down 37% and Cliffs lagging a whopping 78%.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Alpha Natural Resources�(ANR) and�James River Coal�(JRCC) each rose nearly 12%. The largecap U.S. coal players also rallied: Arch Coal�(ACI) was up 10%,�Peabody Energy�(BTU) jumped nearly 9% . �

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Coal stocks have been bludgeoned again this week, after President Obama gave little indication he was going to give the industry leeway in new environmental regulations. Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI  ) , Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR  ) , and Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU  ) are all facing long-term challenges finding demand for thermal coal, and they're not dissipating any time soon. In the following video, Fool contributor Travis Hoium covers why he thinks coal stocks are a bad buy.�

Hot Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: New York & Company Inc.(NWY)

New York & Company, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of women's fashion apparel and accessories in the United States. The company offers a range of wear-to-work, and casual apparel and accessories, including pants, jackets, knit tops, blouses, sweaters, denim, T-shirts, activewear, handbags, and jewelry. It sells its products under the New York & Company, Lerner, Lerner New York, New York Style, City Stretch, City Style, and NY&C brand names. The company sells its branded merchandise through its network of retail stores and E-commerce store at nyandcompany.com. As of March 15, 2012, it operated 532 stores in 43 states. The company, formerly known as NY & Co. Group, Inc., was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of New York & Company (NYSE: NWY  ) were looking sharp, gaining as much as 10% two market days after reporting earnings, as Janney Montgomery Scott today reaffirmed its buy rating and upped its price target by 50% to $6.

Best Penny Stocks To Watch For 2014: Prestige Brand Holdings Inc.(PBH)

Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, selling, and distributing over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products primarily in North America. The company?s Over-The-Counter Healthcare segment offers a portfolio of OTC products under nine core OTC brands, including Chloraseptic sore throat remedies, Clear Eyes eye drops, Compound W wart removers, Dramamine motion sickness products, Efferdent and Effergrip denture products, Little Remedies pediatric healthcare products, Luden's cough drops, PediaCare pediatric healthcare products, and The Doctor?s brand of oral care products. This segment also provides other significant brands that include Dermoplast first-aid products, Murine eye and ear care products, NasalCrom allergy relief product, New-Skin liquid bandage, and Wartner wart removers. Its Household Cleaning segment markets household cleaning products, such as abrasive and non-abrasive tub and tile cleaner, scrubb ing pads and sponges, dilutables, anti-bacterial hard surface spray for counter tops, and glass cleaners under the Comet, Chore Boy, and Spic and Span brands. Prestige Brands Holdings distributes its products through various retail channels, including drug, food, dollar, and club stores, as well as supermarkets and mass merchandisers. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Irvington, New York.

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 Prestige Brands Holdings (NYSE: PBH  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Prestige Brands (NYSE: PBH  ) is reaching to the other side of the world for its latest acquisition. The company announced that it has purchased the privately held Care Pharmaceuticals, based in New South Wales, Australia. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Prestige Brands did admit that it would be funded by monies drawn from an existing credit facility combined with cash on hand.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Castor believes the cash has disappeared into working capital, which has grown from 23% to more than 50% since 2008. Comparable company Prestige�Brand (PBH) uses 11%; Unilever�(UL) and Colgate-Palmolive�(CL) far less.

Hot Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: BlackRock Municipal Income Trust (BFK)

BlackRock Municipal Income Trust is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc. It is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. The fund invests in fixed income markets. It invests in companies operating across industrial and pollution control, hospital, tobacco, housing, transportation, education, water and sewer, and power industries. BlackRock Municipal Income Trust was formed on July 31, 2001 and is domiciled in United States.

Hot Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Smiths Group(SMIN.L)

Smiths Group plc engages in the development, manufacture, sale, and support of products and services for the threat and contraband detection, energy, medical devices, communications, and engineered components markets worldwide. The company offers security equipment, including trace detection, millimetre-wave, infrared, biological detection, and diagnostics that detect and identify explosives, narcotics, weapons, chemical agents, biohazards, nuclear and radioactive material, and contraband. It also provides mechanical seals, seal support systems, engineered bearings, power transmission couplings, specialist filtration systems, and other hardware products for the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, and mining sectors. In addition, the company offers medical devices aligned to specific therapies, primarily airway, pain and temperature management, infusion, needle protection, critical care monitoring, and vascular access. Further, it provides electronic and radio frequency products that connect, protect, and control critical systems for the wireless telecommunications, aerospace, defense, space, medical, rail, test, and industrial markets; and engineered components comprising ducting, hose assemblies, and heating elements that move and heat fluids and gases for the aerospace, medical, industrial, construction, and domestic markets. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

Bank on Wells Fargo

Our latest recommendation is the fourth-largest bank in the US by assets, and the largest bank by market cap; it is also the second-largest bank in deposits, home mortgage servicing, and debit cards, notes Richard Stavros in the Inflation Survival Letter.

The firm's strong balance sheet and overall financial performance, particularly since the 2008 financial crisis, makes this bank a standout as an inflationary hedge.

The bank's robust mortgage lending exposure—though presently in a temporary lull—and large bank depositors, would help the firm access high-quality and diverse lenders, which, in turn, would allow the bank to pass through rate or fee increases in response to increases in the price level.

Securities markets would be adversely impacted by an inflationary period. However, we believe the overall trend of Baby Boomers retiring and the need for investment advice, as well as the size of the bank's brokerage advisory, would, to a great extent, offset negative impacts from declining stock and bond markets.

The bank's low exposure to investment banking, at only 5% of fees, would also insulate the firm from financial losses, as compared to other banks, as business activity declines.

Wells Fargo (WFC) has a unique designation as a value investment; and we know Warren Buffett, the world's foremost value investor, has long had Wells Fargo in the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) portfolio.

The performance of the company in the last few years does bear out Mr. Buffett's confidence in the stock. Wells Fargo, according to its annual report, delivered net income of $18.9 billion in 2012, up 19% from 2011.

This was the fourth consecutive year of record profit. The firm grew its loans and deposits, despite an uneven economic recovery, and grew revenue in a low interest rate environment that had pressured the bank's margins.

Wells Fargo continues to show all of the hallmarks of what value investors seek. The bank boasts a price-to-earnings-to-growth ratio (PEG) of under one (which means it is fairly valued), while also sporting a dividend of 2.79% and low payout ratio of 57%, indicating the dividend has room to grow.

Finally, the bank has continuously looked after its investors, returning earnings-per-share, diluted quarterly, year-over-year. Growth of 19.51%.

As one of the strongest retail banks in America, with little exposure to potentially problematic investment banking, Wells Fargo is the newest addition to our Thrive Portfolio as a buy up to $45.

Subscribe to Inflation Survival Letter here...

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Too easy for brokers to clean records, lawyers say

Brokers who are the subject of investor arbitration cases can clear their record of any wrongdoing too easily, according to a lawyers' group that represents plaintiffs.

A study released on Wednesday by the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association shows that so-called expungement was granted in at least 90% of the time in the 1,625 cases in which it was mentioned between 2007 and 2011.

the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association shows that so-called expungement was granted in at least 90% of the time in the 1,625 cases in which it was mentioned between 2007 and 2011.

Between January 2007 and May 2009, expungement was granted 89% of the time in cases resolved by stipulated awards or settlement and 96.9% of the time between May 2009 and December 2011.

From 2007 through 2011, a total of 17,635 cases were filed at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc., which conducts arbitration proceedings. Brokers can request expungement from Finra arbitrators, who must find and document that their cases meet certain criteria for false claims. If expungement is granted, the claim is removed from the broker profile in Finra's BrokerCheck system.

Originally established to protect brokers who are the targets of false claims, removing any evidence of a claim from a broker's record is now becoming a routine part of broker settlements with investors, the plaintiffs' organization asserted in a media conference call.

“Investors who rely on public records of stockbrokers are unlikely to be getting a clear picture,” PIABA president Scott Ilgenfritz said. “Finra is allowing the disclosure information in the regulatory record to be for sale. Regulators need to step in and crack down on expungement, particularly in settled cases.”

PIABA recommends that Finra strengthen training of its 6,462 arbitrators regarding the expungement process, approve a rule preventing expungement from being part of settlements and scrutinize expungement requests more closely.

“Finra needs to take more action to protect investors,” said Jason Doss, the incoming PIABA president. “We have the hard data to prove that point.”

Finra attributed the recent increase in expungement requests to a 2009 change in U4 and U5 forms that increased the number of claims against brokers. The regulator noted that Finra granted 838 expungements following court orders between 2007 and 2011, or less than 5% of the cases filed during that time.

“In addition to the steps it is taking to provide additional guidance and training to arbitrators, Finra is reviewing it! s rules and interpretations, and will consider changes to provide clarity as to what actions in connection with conditions on settlements violate conduct rules,” the organization said in a statement.

On Monday, the broker-dealer regulator posted expungement guidance on its website reminding arbitrators that the process should occur “only under appropriate circumstances,” including instances in which “the claim, allegation or information is factually impossible or clearly erroneous ... or false.” A broker who was involved in a sales practice violation or the theft of investor funds is not eligible for expungement.

The Finra guidance emphasized that expungement is an “extraordinary remedy.” It directed arbitrators to gather information they believe is relevant to the expungement request, review the broker’s BrokerCheck report and consider whether the investor participated in the expungement hearing.

Bryan Ward, a partner at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, said the Finra guidance goes too far.

“I find it disconcerting that Finra is trying to add to and amend the expungement rule without going through the rulemaking process,” Mr. Ward said.

He also said that arbitrators should not delve into the details of the settlement process.

“It’s irrelevant, it’s confidential and it’s often outside the knowledge of the broker, who may not have been involved at all in the settlement negotiations,” Mr. Ward said.

A major problem with the expungement process is that investors don’t pay attention because they’ve already got an award in the settlement.

“Claimants still have no real incentive to show up at these hearings for expungement,” said Robert Banks Jr., owner of Banks Law Office PC. “The only solution is to get rid of expungement. An inaccurate [BrokerCheck] report is worse than having no report at all because it gives investors a false sense of security.”

Mr. Ilgenfritz sa! id that F! inra should be more forceful in preventing expungement.

“Finra needs to take a more active role in the front end of the expungement process,” he said.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014

When looking for the best dividend stocks, it's usually best to not chase the highest dividend. Looking for quality dividend stocks with decent yields is usually a better recipe for large overall returns. Capital appreciation combined with a dividend can produce outsized returns.

Here are my top two picks for big pharma dividend stocks.

An oldie, but goodie
Technically,�Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) isn't a pure pharma since it also sells medical devices and consumer health products, but it's that diversity that makes it such a stable dividend stock.

The company has a history of raising its dividend for more than half a decade. In April, Johnson & Johnson announced an 8.2% increase of its dividend, the 51st�consecutive increase.

AbbVie (NYSE: ABT  ) is the only pure pharma in the Dividend Aristocrats club, which requires 25 consecutive years of dividend increases. The six-month-old company is in the index because it spun out of Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT  ) , which was in the index before the split. Even Abbott technically cut its dividend because it lost a substantial amount of its cash flow from AbbVie's drug. Still, I think the S&P let them stay in the index�simply because there are so few health care companies in the Dividend Aristocrats.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cross(A.T.)

A.T. Cross Company engages in the design and marketing of personal and business accessories. It operates in two segments, Cross Accessory Division (CAD) and Cross Optical Group (COG). The CAD segment manufactures and markets writing instruments under the Cross brand, including ball-point pens, fountain pens, selectip rolling ball pens, mechanical pencils, and writing instrument accessories, such as refills and desk sets. It also provides various personal and business accessories, including leather goods, reading glasses, watches, desk sets, cufflinks, and stationery. This segment sells its products through direct sales force and manufacturers' agents or representatives to approximately 2,400 retail and wholesale accounts; and directly to consumers through its Web site, cross.com, and the Cross retail stores in the United States, as well as through distributors and retailers worldwide. The COG segment designs, manufactures, and markets polarized sunglasses and goggles under the Costa and Native brnads in the United States. This segment sells its products through employee representatives and manufacturers? agents to optical and sunglass specialty shops, department stores, and sporting goods retailers in the United States. A.T. Cross Company was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch 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.

Top 5 Oil Companies To Buy Right Now: Lexington Realty Trust (LXP)

Lexington Corporate Properties Trust operates as a self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). The company acquires, owns, and manages a portfolio of office, industrial, and retail properties net-leased to corporate tenants in the United States. It also provides investment advisory and asset management services to institutional investors in the net lease area. As of June 30, 2005, the company operated 185 properties and managed 2 properties. Lexington Corporate Properties Trust has elected to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be taxed on the portion of its income, which is distributed to shareholders, provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in New York City.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE: LXP  ) is acting like a relaxed landlord that doesn't want or need to modify the rent. The company is maintaining its dividend policy by declaring a $0.15-per-share distribution for its current quarter, to be paid on or about July 15 to shareholders of record as of June 28. That amount matches the firm's previous three distributions, the most recent of which was paid in April. Prior to that, the real estate investment trust dispensed $0.125 per share.

• [By Brad Thomas]

  Compared with the public REIT peers, I believe that Chambers Street will compare favorably to W.P. Carey (WPC) and Lexington Realty Trust (LXP). Both of these REITs own larger box assets and they both have conservative and well-positioned balance sheets. Here is a snapshot of Chambers Street's capitalization:

• [By CRWE]

  Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE:LXP), a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on single-tenant real estate investments, reported that it would release its third quarter 2012 results the morning of Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Lexington will conduct a teleconference that same day at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time.

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Seadrill Limited(SDRL)

Seadrill Limited, an offshore drilling contractor, provides offshore drilling services to the oil and gas industries worldwide. It also offers platform drilling, well intervention, and engineering services. As of March 31, 2011 the company owned and operated 54 offshore drilling units, which consist of drillships, jack-up rigs, semisubmersible rigs, and tender rigs for operations in shallow and deepwater areas, as well as in benign and harsh environments. Seadrill Limited was founded in 1972 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By guruek]

  Weekly 52-week high companies: Cigna Corp (CI), Seadrill Ltd (SDRL), Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG), Life Technologies Corp. (LIFE), and Vodafone Group PLC (VOD).

Top 5 Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014: Leggett & Platt Incorporated(LEG)

Leggett & Platt, Incorporated designs and produces various engineered components and products worldwide. Its Residential Furnishings segment offers bedding components, such as innersprings and wire forms; furniture components, including steel mechanisms, springs, seat suspensions, steel tubular seat frames, bed frames, ornamental beds, and power foundations; and structural fabrics, carpet underlay materials, and geo components. This segment serves manufacturers of finished bedding products or upholstered furniture. The company?s Commercial Fixturing & Components segment provides shelving, counters, showcases, and garment racks; standardized shelvings; point-of-purchase displays; and bases, columns, back rests, casters, and frames. This segment offers its products to retail chains and specialty shops; brand name marketers; distributors of consumer products; and office, institutional, and commercial furniture manufacturers. Its Industrial Materials segment provides steel rod s, drawn wires, steel billets, fabricated wire products, welded steel tubing, and fabricated tube components to bedding and furniture, and mechanical spring makers; automotive seating, and lawn and garden equipment manufacturers; and waste recyclers, waste removal businesses, and medical supply businesses. The company?s Specialized Products segment offers manual and power lumbar support and massage systems; seat suspension systems; automotive control cables; low voltage motors; actuation assemblies; formed metal and wire components; quilting machines; machines for shaping wire into springs; industrial sewing/finishing machines; van interiors; and docking stations, as well as specialty trailers for telephone, cable, and utility companies. It serves bedding and automobile seating manufacturers. The company sells its products through its sales representatives and distributors. Leggett & Platt, Incorporated was founded in 1883 and is based in Carthage, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Leggett & Platt (LEG) is a leading manufacturer of engineered products and components. As the pioneer of steel coil springs found in mattresses and furniture, the company continues to supply a variety of components to bedding and furniture manufacturers. Additionally, Leggett & Platt's broader product line includes retail store fixtures, office furniture components, automotive seating components and industrial steel wire and tubing. Customers choose Leggett & Platt as a supplier because the company's manufacturing scale and processes result in lower costs than customers can produce themselves. We believe earnings should grow based on the contribution of new products, cost reduction efforts and the improving housing market. Moreover, future dividend growth appears likely based on a 42-year record of dividend increases. We believe Leggett & Platt is an attractive investment based on its 3.8% dividend yield and positive growth outlook.

• [By Arie Goren]

  After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

Rieder: Keeping the pundits honest

If ever anything called for close scrutiny, it's those high-decibel, often inflammatory assertions that are so prevalent in the cable TV pundit wars or over the angry airwaves of talk radio.

Outrageous claims masked as facts are a staple in our deeply divided political culture, offered up not just by politicians but also by talking heads, bloggers and columnists. And all too often, there's no one to check them out and call them out.

Until now.

In early November, PolitiFact, which evaluates the claims of pols for a living, will launch PunditFact. Its mission is to assess the validity of the pundits' pronouncements. And that's a very welcome development.

The advent of the fact-checking movement has been a real plus for democracy. With so much misinformation cavalierly and cynically tossed around, it's really important to investigate in an objective, non-partisan way and help voters separate the facts from the nonsense.

FactCheck.org, an initiative of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, pioneered the practice when it was founded in 2003. While FactCheck and PolitiFact are the major players in the field, many other news outlets have embraced vetting politicians' claims rather than settling for the dispiriting he-said, she-said approach to reporting.

RIEDER: Why fact-checking politicians' claims is vital

Neil Brown, editor of the Tampa Bay Times, which launched PolitiFact in 2007, says he's "really pumped up" about the new venture.

Pundits "fling stuff left and right," he says. "Ever since we started, we knew there was a gap in our coverage.," After all, most voters get their political information not directly from candidates and officeholders but filtered through the media.

But there was that nagging question of resources. Owned by the nonprofit Poynter Institute, which describes itself as is "a school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders," the Tampa Bay Times is one of the nation's top reg! ional dailies. But it has hardly been immune to the financial challenges that have engulfed all newspapers as they confront the digital era.

So when he saw in 2012 that the Ford Foundation, in an unusual move, was giving money to for-profit newspapers The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, Brown pounced.

PunditFact, which will have its own website (punditfact.com), is funded by $625,000 in grants over two years from Ford and from the Democracy Fund. It received seed money from craigconnects, a philanthropic venture by craigslist founder Craig Newmark.

"Creating broad and nuanced media coverage of complex social issues is all the more difficult when the facts are often disregarded or ignored," Jonathan Barzilay, director of the Freedom of Expression Unit at the Ford Foundation, said in a statement. "PunditFact is poised to play a critical part in reaffirming the role of facts in our civic dialogue."

Brown emphasizes that he's cool with pundits expressing their opinions or even voicing their hunches. That's their game. But when they state things as a matter of fact, they are fair game for scrutiny.

Like its older sibling, PolitiFact, PunditFact will subject the pundits' facts and "facts" to the truth-o-meter, which awards grades including "true," "mostly true," "half true," "mostly false," "false" and the dreaded "pants on fire."

PunditFact will be led by Aaron Sharockman, who has been the Times' deputy government and politics editor, and will have two other staffers. A 10-year Times veteran, Sharockman believes that Punditworld is ripe for exploration

In a telephone interview, his enthusiasm about his new mission crackled over the phone line. "Everyone needs to be fact-checked ," he says. "On talk radio, on cable, on blogs, there's so much they say, and so little accountability."

Many pundits, he points out, gain fame and fortune by making extreme, inflammatory statements. Nuance and shades of gray are not highly valued on many, if not most, cable ! and talk ! radio outposts. Says Sharockman, "They take rhetorical flourishes right past rhetorical flourishes to misleading statements,."

Given the vast amount of terrain it will be patrolling, PunditFact won't be able to police everything. Brown says the focus will be on declarations that are "outrageous, provocative." Sharockman says one point of emphasis will be the Sunday morning shows such as Meet the Press and Face the Nation, since they so often make news.

But while they love the mission, Brown and Sharockman know well that it's fraught with peril. When you are critiquing other media outlets, you better be right. Otherwise, be prepared for a barrage of blowback. And Sharockman is anticipating plenty of return fire.

"The pundits we are checking have big microphones, too," he says. That raises the stakes for the pundit-watchers.

In fact, PolitiFact has received its most withering criticism from a pundit, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. Maddow was so incensed by a couple of PolitiFact's conclusions that she declared it "shockingly, shockingly bad" and ordered it to close up shop and go away. (While Maddow may have gone too far in calling for the death penalty, her criticism in the cases she cited was on target.)

Given the intense glare of attention PunditFact will face, Sharockman says it's vital that it be totally transparent, laying out in great detail all of the information on which it bases its verdicts.

But despite the potential pitfalls, the PunditFact leadership is energized by the huge upside.

"From a consumer standpoint," says Brown, "if we do this right, this can't miss."

Top Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now

The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement Friday outlining a proposal to fine Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) $2.75 million for the airplane manufacturer's alleged failure to maintain its quality control systems.

The root of the dispute stems to September 2008, when Boeing revealed that its 777 fastener components didn't conform to the FAA's standards. From October onward, Boeing and the FAA began a back-and-forth investigation correspondence. The FAA alleges that Boeing continually submitted action plans but failed to follow through by agreed-upon deadlines. Only in November 2010 did the company fully address the issue.

"Safety is our top priority, and a robust quality control system is a vital part of maintaining the world's safest air transportation system," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement. "Airplane manufacturers must take prompt and thorough steps to correct safety and compliance problems once they become aware of them."

Top Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now: Fluor Corporation(FLR)

Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Its Oil & Gas segment offers design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining, chemicals, and petrochemicals industries. This segment also provides consulting services comprising feasibility studies, process assessment, and project finance structuring and studies. The company?s Industrial & Infrastructure segment offers design, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the transportation, wind power, mining and metals, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial and institutional, telecommunications, microelectronics, and healthcare sectors. Its Government segment provides engineering, construction, logistics support, contingency response, management, and operations services to the United States government focusing on the Departme nt of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. The company?s Global Services segment offers operations and maintenance, small capital project engineering and execution, site equipment and tool services, industrial fleet services, plant turnaround services, temporary staffing services, and supply chain solutions. Its Power segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, program management, start-up and commissioning, and operations and maintenance services to the gas fueled, solid fueled, plant betterment, renewables, nuclear, and power services markets. The company also offers unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Fluor Corporation (FLR) is one of the world�� leading heavy construction and engineering firms. I don’t want to imply that this is a bad company because it is actually a very good one. However, Fluor has divisions including Oil & Gas, Industrial Infrastructure, Government, Global Services and Power. Virtually all of them are seeing limited spending as a result of the global slowdown and reduced government spending around the world. The stock is up more than 23% this year, but earnings are actually down on flat revenues. Analysts have been lowering their estimates for the rest of this year as well as 2014, and the stock is currently rated as a by Portfolio Grader. When the economy recovers, I expect will see this company’s fundamentals improve substantially … but until that happens investors should avoid the stock.

• [By The Energy Report]

  JH: One of the areas where the U.S. for decades has been the leading technological power is in small nuclear reactors. We've used them on our aircraft carriers and on our nuclear submarines safely and efficiently. The U.S. has an advantage in understanding small modular nuclear reactors. One of the companies that we have followed for a long time that's working on that is Babcock & Wilcox Co. (BWC). There's also Fluor Corp. (FLR), which is working on small modular nuclear reactors. President Obama and the Department of Energy are funding research on the implementation of small modular nuclear reactors.

Top Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras(PBR)

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. primarily engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses. The company?s Exploration and Production segment involves in the exploration, production, development, and production of oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas in Brazil. This segment supplies its products to the refineries in Brazil, as well as sells surplus petroleum and byproducts in domestic and foreign markets. Its Supply segment engages in the refining, logistics, transportation, and trade of oil and oil products; export of ethanol; and extraction and processing of schist, as well as holds interests in companies of the petrochemical sector in Brazil. The Gas and Energy segment involves in the transportation and trade of natural gas produced in or imported into Brazil; transportation and trade of LNG; and generation and trade of electric power. In addition, the segment has interests in natural gas transportation and d istribution companies; and thermoelectric power stations in Brazil, as well engages in fertilizer business. The Distribution segment distributes oil products, ethanol, and compressed natural gas in Brazil. The International segment involves in the exploration and production of oil and gas, as well as in supplying, gas and energy, and distribution operations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Further, the company involves in biofuel production business. Petroleo Brasileiro was founded in 1953 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  But there is one company that straddles the fence of NOC and investment opportunity and could be a major player in this surging oil trend: Petrobras (NYSE: PBR  ) . The state-run oil company of Brazil is required to have a 30% operator stake in every well drilled in offshore Brazil. This could be a huge benefit for a region that some estimate to have as many as 50 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Petrobras doesn't seem to be wasting any time taking advantage of its leader position for offshore exploration, either. The company plans to spend $237 billion in the next four years to make this happen. If the company can deliver on these lofty production goals both on time and within budget -- two major issues that have plagued the company in the past -- its position in Brazil offshore could mean promising times ahead for this stock.��

• [By Tyler Crowe and Aimee Duffy]

  Brazil's oil production numbers are up, but the 3.8% jump in April over the previous month doesn't sound as pretty when compared to year-over-year production, which is still down 4.9%. With Petrobras (NYSE: PBR  ) bringing several of its aging offshore rigs back on line after maintenance, the renaissance of Brazil's oil business will not be found in its production numbers... not yet.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Under Armour Inc.(UA)

Under Armour, Inc. develops, markets, and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth primarily in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers products made from moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics designed to regulate body temperature and enhance performance regardless of weather conditions. The company provides its products in three fit types: compression (tight fitting), fitted (athletic cut), and loose (relaxed) extending across the sporting goods, outdoor, and active lifestyle markets. Its footwear offerings comprise football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and soccer cleats; slides; performance training footwear; and running footwear. The company also provides baseball batting, football, golf, and running gloves, as well as licenses bags, socks, headwear, custom-molded mouth guards, and eyewear that are designed to be used and worn before, during, and after competition. Under Armour sells its products through retai l stores, as well as directly to consumers through its own retail outlets and specialty stores, Website, and catalogs. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  Safeway (SWY) was up nearly 4% after an upgrade to Outperform at Credit Suisse, which also upgraded lululemon (LULU), sending shares up 1%, and downgraded Under Armour (UA)��hares were down 1.6%.

Top Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Vonage Rises on Acquisition Amid Huge Market Rally

Toward the end of trading Thursday, the Dow traded up 1.95 percent to 15,093.07 while the NASDAQ surged 2.23 percent to 3,759.22. The S&P also rose, gaining 2.02 percent to 1,689.14.

Top Headline

Yesterday, Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) lowered its forecast for the third quarter. The company projects adjusted earnings of $0.68 to $0.69 per share on revenue of $710 million to $712 million. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.73 per share on revenue of $737 million.

Equities Trading UP
Vonage Holdings (NYSE: VG) was up early on in Thursday's session, gaining 15.74 percent to $3.53 after news broke that the company would acquire Vocalocity for $130 million.

Shares of Questcor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: QCOR) got a boost, shooting up 9.41 percent to $59.74 after the company lifted its quarterly dividend by 20%.

iGATE (NASDAQ: IGTE) was also up, gaining 10.51 percent to $30.49 after the company reported upbeat Q3 results.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) were down 11.69 percent to $58.87 after the company lowered its forecast for the third quarter.

Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARIA) shares tumbled 6.52 percent to $5.45 Barclays downgraded the stock from Overweight to Underweight and lowered the target price from $25 to $4. Bank of America also downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral. 

Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) was also down, falling 6.71 percent to $55.57 after a report came out that management turnover at the company is increasing. 

Commodities

In commodity news, oil traded up 1.26 percent to $102.89, while gold traded down1.06 percent to $1,293.80. Silver traded down 0.01 percent Thursday to $21.87, while copper rose 0.53 percent to $3.24.

Eurozone
European shares were higher today. The Spanish Ibex Index rose 2.24 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index surged 1.36 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 1.96 percent and the French CAC 40 climbed 2.21 percent while U.K. shares gained 1.37 percent.

Economics
US jobless claims rose 66,000 to 374,000 for the week ended October 5. However, economists were projecting claims to increase to 312,000, versus an unrevised 308,000 in the earlier week.

The Bloomberg Consumer Confidence index declined to -29.70 for the week ended for October 6, versus a prior reading of -29.40. Natural gas supplies climbed 90 billion cubic feet for the week ended October 4, the US Energy Information Administration reported.

However, analysts were expecting a gain of 93 billion cubic feet to 97 billion cubic feet.

The Treasury is set to auction 30-year bonds. Data on money supply will be released at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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Five-Star Safety For Tesla Shareholders

Shares of Tesla Moters Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) took a hit Wednesday after a video surfaced of Tesla Model S engulfed in flames after a collision. This video came to light on the heels of Tesla's downgrade by Robert W. Baird. For Tesla shareholders looking to add some downside protection in the wake of these events, below is a way to do so.

This was the optimal collar, as of this Wednesday's close, to hedge 200 shares of TSLA against a greater-than-20% drop over the next several months, for an investor willing to cap his potential upside at 20% over the same time frame:

As you can see at the bottom of the screen capture below, the net cost of this optimal collar was negative, meaning you would have gotten paid to hedge in this case.

Note that, to be conservative, Portfolio Armor calculated the cost of this hedge by using the bid price of the call leg and the ask price of the put leg. In practice, you can often sell calls for more (at some price between the bid and ask) and buy puts for less (again, at some price between the bid and ask), so, in actuality, an investor opening the optimal collar above would likely have netted more than $50 to do so.

*Optimal collars are the ones that will give you the level of protection you want at the lowest net cost, while not limiting your potential upside by more than you specify. Portfolio Armor's algorithm to scan for optimal collars was developed in conjunction with a post-doctoral fellow in the financial engineering department at Princeton University. The screen captures above come from the Portfolio Armor iOS app

The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.

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Risk For Income Investors

Market expert Jack Ablin discusses the risks faced by income investors and where he thinks they should be looking in today's environment.

SPEAKER ONE:  My guest today is Jack Ablin and we are talking about income.  Hi Jack, how are you doing?

JACK ABLIN:  Fine, how are you? 

SPEAKER ONE: Good, good to see you again.  Investors have sort of been on the fence with this whole income thing.  We have had a pretty good run with dividend stocks and the REITs did very well for a while and then started pulling back.  Bonds have been up and down.  Where do you think investors should look for income now? 

JACK ABLIN:  Well, I think that it has been a long journey here with bonds and I think no longer now we can rely on bonds for their steadiness, at least not bonds that have maturities beyond five years or so, so with that said, we have to look for other places.  In looking for income, there are really three sources of risk that you can take to get income; one is interest rate risk and that doesn’t seem like a good way to go.  The other is credit risk, and you know what, credit risk isn’t bad.  Credit spreads the incremental yield that investors require to lend to lower quality companies has come down, but I still think that credit qualities is reasonable; we are not seeing the delinquencies and defaults that we would see at the bottom of a cycle, and that is probably the best place to draw income.  I would say credit risk and if you want to hedge the interest rate risk there are certainly ways to short the treasury market or buy inverse ETFs. 

Top 5 Canadian Companies To Buy Right Now

SPEAKER ONE:  What about the dividend paying stocks?

JACK ABLIN:  Not a bad place to be.  Over long periods of times, dividends have proven to be a great way to stay ahead of inflation as companies are able to raise prices and raise dividends along with costs. 

SPEAKER ONE:  Now we see a lot of technology stock paying dividends.  I read an article recently that the reason to buy Apple would be for its dividends, I’m like oh my gosh, I’m in a dividend world. 

JACK ABLIN:  You know the funny thing is you’ve got these technology companies with a huge free cash flow yields, among the highest free cash flow yields of all the sectors, and yet they are not reinvesting, they are not expanding, they may have stranded cash in other parts of the world as Apple has risen, but it’s a great way to give that cash back to the investors, especially if they don’t see any expansion opportunities. 

SPEAKER ONE:  Wonderful, well thanks for joining me. 

JACK ABLIN:  Thank you.

SPEAKER ONE:  Thanks for joining us at the moneyshow.com video network.     

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now

With just 10 days to go before your tax returns are due, procrastinating taxpayers are truly coming down to the last minute. But just because you're late to the game doesn't mean you should pay even a penny more in tax than you absolutely need to.

As a guide for late filers everywhere, here are five absolute last-minute things to keep in mind as you scurry to meet the April 15 deadline.

1. Attach only what you need to attach to your return.
Usually, the only forms you'll attach with your return are W-2s from your work, and other forms that include amounts of tax that were withheld. Most other supporting documentation shouldn't be attached, although you should make sure you retain them in your own records in case you're audited.

2. Should you itemize or take the standard deduction?
Once you've calculated your total income, most taxpayers are allowed to take either a standard deduction, or to itemize specific deductible items. What's important to remember is that you have a choice between those two options, and you can pick whichever one will save you the most. Making the wrong choice can cost you.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Sparton Corporation(SPA)

Sparton Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, offers electronic manufacturing services primarily for medical device, defense and security systems, and electronic manufacturing services industries worldwide. The company?s Medical segment engages in the contract development, design, production, and distribution of medical related electromechanical devices for the medical OEM and ET customers primarily in the vitro diagnostic and therapeutic device areas. Its EMS segment involves in the contract manufacturing, assembly, design, preproduction, prototyping, and/or box building assemblies, such as flight control systems and fuel control systems for the aerospace, medical diagnostics systems, security systems, detection systems, lighting, and defense. The company?s DSS segment engages in the design, development, and production of electromechanical equipment, such as sonobuoys, an anti-submarine warfare device used by the United States Navy and foreign governments; and perf orms an engineering development function for the United States military and prime defense contractors on advanced technologies for defense products, and replacement of current systems. It also offers non-sonobuoy related manufacturing and services. Sparton Corporation was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois.

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 Sparton (NYSE: SPA  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Emma O��rien]

  Futures (SPA) on the Standard & Poor�� 500 Index fell and the yen climbed against the dollar as U.S. lawmakers continued to scrap over raising the debt limit and the government shutdown. Crude oil declined while gold rallied.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Pinnacle Airlines Corp.(PNCL)

Pinnacle Airlines Corp., through its subsidiaries, operates as an independent regional airline company in the United States. It operates an all-regional jet fleet under two capacity purchase agreements (CPA) with Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta), providing regional airline capacity to Delta from Delta?s hub airports in Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis, New York City, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The company also operates an all-turboprop fleet under a regional airline CPA with United Continental Holdings, Inc., Continental Airlines, Inc., and United Airlines, Inc. (United); and under revenue pro-rate agreements with United and US Airways Group, Inc. primarily in the northeastern United States and in Texas. As of December 31, 2010, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. offered scheduled passenger service with approximately 1,400 total daily departures to a 317 destinations with an aircraft fleet of 202 regional jet aircrafts and 81 turboprop aircrafts. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquart ered in Memphis, Tennessee.

Top 10 Low Price Stocks To Watch Right Now: Edac Technologies Corporation(EDAC)

EDAC Technologies Corporation provides design, manufacturing, and other services to the aerospace and industrial markets. The company produces low pressure turbine cases, hubs, rings, disks, and other complex and close tolerance components for various aircraft engine and ground turbine manufacturers. It also offers rotating components, such as disks, rings, and shafts; provides precision assembly services, including the assembly of jet engine sync rings, aircraft welding and riveting, post-assembly machining, and sutton barrel finishing; and engages in precision machining for the maintenance and repair of components in the aircraft engine industry. In addition, the company designs and manufactures fixtures, precision gauges, close tolerance plastic injection molds, and precision component molds for composite parts and specialized machinery. Further, it designs, manufactures, and repairs various types of precision grinders, as well as precision rolling element bearing spind les, including hydrostatic and other precision rotary devices for machine tool manufacturers, special machine tool builders and integrators, industrial end-users, and powertrain machinery manufacturers and end-users in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. The company serves a range of industries in areas, such as special tooling, equipment and gauges, and components used in the manufacture, assembly, and inspection of jet engines. EDAC Technologies Corporation was founded in 1946 and is based in Farmington, Connecticut.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Ever-Glory International Group Inc.(EVK)

Ever-Glory International Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of apparel for women, men, and children. Its products include coats, jackets, slacks, skirts, shirts, trousers, vests, skiwear, down jackets, knitwear, and jeans. The company offers its products to the casual wear, sportswear, and outerwear brands, as well as retailers, such as department stores, flagship stores, stores-within-a-store, and specialty stores primarily in Europe, the United States, Japan, and the People?s Republic of China. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 293 retail stores in the People?s Republic of China. The company is based in West Covina, California.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Midway Gold Corporation(MDW)

Midway Gold Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in North America. Its principal properties include the Spring Valley, Midway, Pan, and Gold Rock gold and silver mineral properties located in Nevada; and the Golden Eagle gold mineral property located in Washington. The company was formerly known as Red Emerald Resource Corp. and changed its name to Midway Gold Corp. in July 2002. Midway Gold Corp. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: IRIDEX Corporation(IRIX)

IRIDEX Corporation provides therapeutic based laser systems, delivery devices, and consumable instrumentation to treat eye diseases in ophthalmology, and skin conditions in dermatology in the United States and internationally. It offers various ophthalmic products, such as infrared photocoagulator consoles, visible (green) and visible (yellow) photocoagulator consoles, and multi-wavelength laser system configurations; and ophthalmic delivery devices comprising TruFocus laser indirect ophthalmoscopes, slit lamp adapters, operating microscope adapters, EndoProbes, G-Probes, and DioPexy Probes. The company offers its ophthalmic products to treat age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, retinal tears and detachments, retinopathy of prematurity, ocular tumors, and macular holes. It also offers aesthetics products, which include combination infrared/visible wavelength laser, visible (green), and infrared consoles. In addition, the company offers aestheti cs delivery devices, such as Dermastat Handpieces that are used as tracing instruments for the treatment of small cutaneous surface lesions; DioLite Handpieces, which are handheld instruments used in the treatment of vascular and pigmented skin lesions; VariLite Handpiece, a handheld instrument used in the treatment of vascular and pigmented cutaneous skin lesions, and small area hair reduction; and ScanLite scanner, a computer pattern generator for the treatment of larger-area vascular and pigmented skin lesions. IRIDEX Corporation sells its products to ophthalmologists specializing in retina, glaucoma, and pediatrics; dermatologists; plastic surgeons; research and teaching hospitals; government installations; surgical centers; and hospitals through direct sales force and distributors. The company was formerly known as IRIS Medical Instruments, Inc. and changed its name to IRIDEX Corporation in November 1995. IRIDEX Corporation was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Mo untain View, California.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Aerosonic Corporation(AIM)

Aerosonic Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of aircraft instruments worldwide. It offers mechanical and digital altimeters, airspeed indicators, rate of climb indicators, microprocessor controlled air data test sets, and other flight instruments. The company also produces mechanical and electro-mechanical cockpit instruments, angle of attack stall warning systems, digital cockpit instruments, integrated flight display systems, aircraft sensors and monitoring systems, and integrated multifunction probes, such as integrated air data sensors. It markets its products to manufacturers of corporate and private jets, contractors of military jets, the United States government, and private aircraft owners. The company sells its products directly through its sales personnel, as well as through distributors and commissioned sales representatives who resell to aircraft operators. Aerosonic Corporation was founded in 1953 and is b ased in Clearwater, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Katia Dmitrieva]

  Aimia (AIM) Inc.�� decision to move its Aeroplan reward-partnership to Toronto-Dominion (TD) Bank is a blow to Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which stands to lose customers and as much as C$3 billion ($2.9 billion) in credit-card balances.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Sutron Corporation(STRN)

Sutron Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets products and solutions for the collection and monitoring of hydrological, meteorological, and oceanic data for the management of critical water resources and optimization of hydropower plants, as well as for warning of disastrous floods, storms, or tsunamis. The company?s Hydromet Products division manufactures real-time data collection and control products consisting of dataloggers, satellite transmitters/loggers, water level and meteorological sensors, and tides monitoring systems. Its Integrated Systems division provides system integration services consisting of the design, integration, installation, and commissioning of customer-specific hydrological and meteorological monitoring and control systems. These systems also include software applications based on it XConnect database software and Ilex Tempest database software. This division also integrates and installs airport weather systems. The company?s Hydrological Services division provides hydrologic services, including data interpretation and analysis, flow modeling, field studies, hydrologic studies, environmental permitting, legal or expert witness and equipment integration, installation, commissioning, and maintenance services. Its Ilex division offers Tempest database software, DOMSAT systems, custom software, and engineering services. The company primarily serves federal, state, local, and foreign governments; engineering companies; universities; and hydropower companies. Sutron Corporation markets its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through resellers and agents in Canada, Latin and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Sterling, Virginia.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ANTH)

Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapeutics to treat diseases associated with inflammation, including cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. Its primary product candidates include varespladib methyl (A-002), which has completed its Phase 2 clinical studies for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome; varespladib sodium (A-001) that is in a Phase 2 clinical study for the prevention of acute chest syndrome associated with sickle cell disease; and A-623, which has completed Phase 1 clinical studies for the treatment of B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases. The company has license agreements with Eli Lilly and Company, and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. to develop and commercialize secretory phospholipase A2 or sPLA2 inhibitors for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and other diseases; and Amgen Inc., to develop and commercialize A-623. Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Hayward, California.

Top 10 Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Harvard Bioscience Inc.(HBIO)

Harvard Bioscience, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets apparatus and scientific instruments used in life science research in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, and government laboratories in the United States and internationally. The company?s products target ADMET testing, and molecular biology and liquid handling application areas. Its ADMET testing products comprise absorption diffusion chambers that measure the absorption of a drug into the bloodstream; well equilibrium dialysis plates for serum protein binding assays; organ testing systems; infusion pumps for infusing liquids; behavioral products used in neuroscience, cardiology, psychological, and respiratory studies to evaluate the effects of situational stimuli, drugs, and nutritional infusions on motor and sensory, activity, and learning and test behavior; cell injection systems; ventilators; and electroporation products. The company also distributes various devices, instruments, and c onsumable items used in experiments involving cells, tissues, organs, and animals in the fields of proteomics, physiology, pharmacology, neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology, and toxicology. It sells its ADMET testing products under the Harvard Apparatus, BTX, KD Scientific, Hugo Sachs Elektronik, Panlab, and Warner Instruments brands names. Its molecular biology and liquid handling products include molecular biology spectrophotometers, DNA/RNA/protein calculators, multi-well plate readers, amino acid analysis systems, liquid dispensers, gel electrophoresis systems, and consumables primarily consisting of pipettes, pipette tips, autoradiography films, gloves, thermal cycler accessories, and reagents. The company sells its products to researchers through catalogs, its Website, and distributors, as well as directly in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Canada. Harvard Bioscience, Inc. was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Hollisto n, Massachusetts.