Top Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2014: January 2014

Thursday, January 30, 2014

FPA Capital Comments on Arris Group

We initiated one new position in the third quarter, Aarons (AAN), and purchased shares in several existing investments, including small amounts in Apollo Group (APOL) and Devry (DV) and a larger increase in Arris Group (ARRS). We have written about the for-profit education companies in previous letters, so please refer to those letters should you want to familiarize yourself with APOL or DV.

Let us share some thoughts about ARRS. Our team has followed ARRS since 2005 and purchased the first share for the portfolios we manage in October 2010. Arris provides communication hardware products to cable operators. Every day, we demand faster speeds and more bandwidth from our intern et providers in order to achieve a higher satisfaction with our internet experience. We also ask for more High-definition (HD) channels from our TV/video providers. We want to stream movies and upload our own movies or videos to the internet. All these desires require large capital investments by cable operators.

In order to meet this demand, cable operators need to continuously update their infrastructure and this is where Arris comes in. ARRS manufactures and sells a wide range of technology products so all of the above wishes can be realized. ARRS has been gaining market share in many of its product niches because of the quality of its offerings and its leading technology innovations, which many of its customers and industry experts view as the "gold standard".

We initially invested in Arris at an attractive valuation at close to 12% free cash flow yield and under four times total enterprise value to EBITDA3. At the time of our investment, the company's net cash position made up approximately 35% of its market capitalization. The management team, which we hold in high regard and which has demonstrated a strong operational track record, has been taking advantage of this low valuation by gradually buying back their outstanding convertible debt and reducing their outstanding shares.

However, in December ! 2012, a major development occurred when ARRS acquired Motorola Home from Google for $2.5b. An industry analyst described the acquisition quite correctly as "minnow eats whale." We believe ARRS got a good deal by buying from a motivated seller. As mentioned earlier, we have been following ARRS for nearly a decade and think this management team is very disciplined. That said, as with any major acquisition, we worry about the integration/execution issues, but we have confidence ARRS's management team will optimize the operations. After the initial cost savings and synergies are accomplished in approximately a year, we believe the Company can generate substantially higher owner earnings and, therefore, good returns on our invested capital.

We continued to take advantage of strong upward momentum in the market place and trimmed a number of positions. When the market is trading at rich multiples, we trim or sell our positions. Currently, the market is expensive so we have more cash than usual. We are absolute value managers so we will stay on the sidelines as long as it takes and husband our cash until excellent investment opportunities become available. On the other hand, we will quickly deploy capital into investments if they are attractive–like we have done on three separate occasions this year.

We have done just that over the last 29 years for the strategy. Our portfolio is very defensive right now and has a great valuation advantage over our benchmark. Our P/E ratio is roughly 13 multiple points lower than Russell 2500's nearly 27x multiple at the end of the quarter.

During the quarter, we also fully exited a position– Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Our long-term clients know that our average holding period is over 6 years. Alliant Techsystems was in the portfolio for only approximately one year, and appreciated more than 115% from our cost basis. Our long-term clients also know that we start trimming our positions when we believe our required margin of safety diminishes. We also sell ! the posit! ion outright if our investment thesis has worked out and/or the investment thesis has changed. All these criteria were met with Alliant Techsystems.

Alliant Techsystems is an armament and aerospace company. The company has three segments. Aerospace is the first one. In this segment, the company provides mainly two products. The first one is what is called a Solid Rocket Motor. Each time NASA sends a cargo into the space, they need one of ATK's propulsion systems. Another product line for the Aerospace segment is aircraft components such as wing skins, fuselage skins, and other composites. The Company's products can be found on F-35s and Airbus A350s.

The second segment is Defense. The Company is the overwhelming majority provider of small caliber ammunition to the U.S. Army. In this segment, they also offer medium and large caliber ammunition and missiles.

The last segment is called Sporting. They sell sporting and law enforcement ammunition, accessories, and tactical gear. These are sold to police departments, Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and U.S. Secret Service on the law enforcement side. On the commercial side, the largest customers are Wal-Mart, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, and large distributors. Our team started looking at defense companies when many investors were worried about defense budget cuts, sequestration, and the end of wars. Alliant's stock price peaked at around $120 in late 2007 and gradually decreased to $90 in 2010 and then started decreasing more rapidly and hit $43 in Q3'12. That's when we started buying and built a small position with an average price of approximately $43.50.

By September 2013, our investment thesis played out – investors who were worried about lower armament sales and NASA contract losses were proved wrong. In 2012, we believed that the selling was overdone, as the uses of armament were mainly for military training, and the rest of the aerospace business was doing well. The stock price subsequently increased to over $95 per sha! re, which! is in the range where we exited the position.

As you know, we endeavor to find and invest your capital in more stocks like ATK. Unfortunately, it is currently not a target-rich environment for dedicated Small/Mid-Cap Value investors. We have experienced these droughts several times over the past few decades. Our patience has ultimately been rewarded as we have subsequently been able to put capital to work when the tide changes. We remain optimistic. If we can discover three new stocks for your portfolio in a year like 2013, we are confident that we will be able to put more capital to work when the market experiences greater volatility.

From FPA Capital's third quarter 2013 commentary.
Related links:Third quarter 2013 commentary

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Will Overcrowding Kill Your Favorite Stock?

Top 10 Stocks To Buy Right Now

We hear it all the time: Trades get overcrowded. And when the tide turns the pain can get extreme. But how can investors recognize if they’re in an overcrowded stock?

Rouf Bhat/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Alliance Bernstein’s Vadim Zlotnikov offers his suggestion.

We find extreme values of long-term price momentum percentage of sell-side analyst buy ratings, and aggressive earnings expectations with implied achievability each have risk properties and intuitive economic interpretations consistent with crowding. These three factors combine to form a composite signal that delivers a more robust measure.

Zlotnikov defines momentum as “strong performance during the trailing two years,” while aggressive expectations with implied achievability is defined as “aggressive increases in short- and long-term earnings estimates versus two years ago, combined with expensive valuation on forward earnings.”

Another important component of overcrowding is that current volatility tends to be low, and underestimates the amount of risk in the stock, Zlotnikov says. He offers a list of low-beta stocks that screened for overcrowding characteristics. They include Walt Disney (DIS), Ecolab (ECL), Walgreen (WAG), McKesson (MCK) and Madison Square Garden (MSG), among others.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Step Aside, Bill Gross: In Search of the New ETF Rock Stars

Where are the rock stars in the world of exchange-traded funds?

This was the big question on the minds of trend-watching ETF pundits as they brought the Morningstar ETF Invest Conference 2013 to a close on Friday.

While the pundits agreed that Bill Gross, manager of the PIMCO Total Return ETF (BOND), is the biggest “rock star” in the fixed-income space, they also concurred that active management of “smart beta” equity ETFs will be the next big trend.

So step aside, Mr. Gross, said ETF media mavens Matt Hougan of IndexUniverse and Tom Lydon of ETF Trends at Morningstar’s “Meet the Pundits” panel on Friday. Your days as the biggest rock star in the ETF universe are numbered as smart beta awaits the emergence of rock-star equity ETF managers who will make as big a splash as rock-star mutual fund managers did in the 1980s. (Think Sir John Templeton’s Growth Fund and John Neff’s Windsor Fund.)

“The ETF business is boring. Bill Gross is our rock star. We need to do better,” Lydon said at the panel that moderator Brendan Conway of Barron’s characterized as a “no-holds-barred, rapid-fire” review of all things ETF.

Lydon wrote an ETF Trends comment in September that looks at trends such as the growing number of quasi-actively managed strategies, or factor strategies, that use enhanced, smart-beta indexing methodologies. On Friday, he noted that as ETFs have grown in popularity over the last 20 years, ETF and index providers’ initial expectation that active management would be the next big thing has given way to “active management in a smart beta deliverable.”

While Hougan predicted that the next rock stars will be found among the ETF portfolio strategists and not the fund managers, Morningstar’s passive funds research director Ben Johnson, also on the pundits panel, said that ETF managed portfolio growth has been phenomenal. Morningstar data now puts these portfolios at a total of $80 billion, “and it’s growing at a really rapid clip,” Johnson said.

(Indeed, Morningstar is looking to add a “smart beta” category winner to its ETF awards next year, but it’s not thrilled with the term, said alternative investment researcher Scott Burns, who pointed out that smart beta assumes that there’s also “dumb beta” kicking around the ETF universe.)

With the rapid rise in smart beta ETFs, Conway pointed out that the trend has laden investors down with a lot of new information to digest. “How do you distinguish from marketing and what really works? How do you kick the tires?” he asked. “It’s time to go back to school, quite frankly,” Johnson answered. “This is some dense stuff” that’s rooted in academia and creates big challenges for ETF providers to describe smart beta in plain English to the end investor. Providers also need to do due diligence of risk factors to ensure that the new ETFs live up to what’s promised, he said.

“Benchmarking and keeping tabs on these managers is a big challenge,” Johnson said, and advisors should look for performance track records and who’s on staff, including portfolio managers, traders and compliance professionals.

“here are great people in this space running some institutional-caliber portfolios, but there are also a lot of yahoos in the space running crazy strategies,” Hougan chimed in. “They’re turning over their portfolios at a rate of 300% to 400% a year. It’s the wild, wild West. These guys are doing interesting things, but you’ve got to be careful.”

Read Morningstar Picks Best ETF Providers for 2013 at ThinkAdvisor.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

What Money-Smart Women Want

Leave it to a man with a big case of foot-in-mouth disease to reignite the heated conversation about whether women can handle money as well as men. At a recent forum at the University of Virginia, hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones remarked that women traders lose focus after becoming mothers and breastfeeding their babies. A predictable flap ensued, and Jones backpedaled and then apologized.

See Also: The Rules of Retirement for Women

Go ahead and roll your eyes, chuckle or stamp your foot, depending on your point of view. Arguing that there are differences in innate ability between the sexes always makes for trouble.

5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own Right Now

Certainly, when it comes to money management, women have plenty to crow about. Consider Sarah Ketterer, chief executive of Causeway Capital Management, who co-manages its International Value fund (CIVVX) and has helped guide it to the top 21% of its peer group for the ten-year period that ended June 30. In fact, the fund beat its competition in eight of the past ten calendar years.

Mars and Venus

Results aside, research shows that men and women do approach money and investing differently. A classic study by behavioral finance academics Terrance Odean and Brad Barber is often cited in gender-and-investing debates. The two examined tens of thousands of brokerage accounts from 1991 to 1997 and found that female investors traded less often than their male counterparts, thereby cutting costs — and boosting average returns by nearly one percentage point per year.

Economics professor Gary Charness, of the University of California at Santa Barbara, assembled data from a host of experiments to conclude that women are more risk-averse than men. Study participants were asked to choose how much of their experimental assets to allocate to a risky investment, with a payout at the end of the experiment based on what they'd earned. Given the choice, women invested less, keeping more for themselves. On average, they parted with just 50% of their laboratory windfall, while men were willing to invest about 70%.

And yet, women also tend to squirrel away more money. The Vanguard Group found that more women than men participated in their retirement plans at work, and women earmarked 8% to 11% more of their paychecks for saving.

All of this is significant because women are now the principal breadwinners in four out of ten families with children younger than age 18, reports Pew Research (63% of such women are single and 37% out-earn their husbands). The financial-services industry is taking notice of gender differences, and so should you.

For women, finding an adviser who speaks their language is key. Presentations that focus on a portfolio's return, investment style, market capitalization and performance compared with a benchmark tend to resonate with men. But women prefer a more personalized conversation that focuses on goals, says Karin Risi, head of Vanguard's advice-services unit.

Certified financial planner Eleanor Blayney sees it in her practice. "The husband says, 'How am I doing?' He wants an answer relative to an index, other funds, other clients. But the wife says, 'What does this mean to my lifestyle? To my kid going to college? To our decision to take a vacation? To my retirement plan?'"

For now, the conversation in most financial-services venues is decidedly male-centric, so Vanguard's finding that nearly three-fourths of women surveyed are dissatisfied with the industry isn't surprising. The industry has launched a number of initiatives to tweak communications with clients and recruit more women into the field — which should help everyone in the family play to their strengths.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now

It didn't take long for DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH ) to respond after�SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son called the DISH counteroffer for Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S ) "incomplete and illusory."

Today the satellite pay-TV provider filed a letter with the Federal Communications Commission pointing to media reports about a Department of Justice investigation into charges of bribery by telecommunications equipment provider UTStarcom (NASDAQ: UTSI ) , also known as UTSI. The DOJ says the company gave $7 million to Chinese government officials in return for telecommunications sales contracts. In 2009 UTStarcom admitted to bribery and agreed to pay $1.5 million.

The bribery, a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, was alleged to have taken place at least partly during the time that the SoftBank CEO was in charge of UTSI.

"The affiliation between SoftBank and UTSI seems to have been close. Specifically, Mr. Masayoshi Son was Chairman of the Board of UTSI ... [during a period in] which a portion of the conduct in question occurred," DISH wrote in its filing. "Dish believes that this information is relevant to the public interest analysis of the proposed transaction, and that it is incumbent upon the proposed transferee SoftBank to provide a full explanation of these matters."

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: TomTom NV (OEM)

TomTom NV is a Netherlands-based supplier of location and navigation products and services. The Company�� structure consists of four customer facing business units, namely Consumer, Automotive, Business Solutions and Licensing. The first three business units provide targeted solutions for the Company�� customers, including private consumers, car manufacturers and fleet owners. Licensing sells its content and services to multiple customer groups including portable navigation devices (PNDs) and wireless companies, governments and enterprises. The Company�� business units embed 11 product units, such as digital maps, traffic intelligence, navigation software, PNDs, automotive systems, fleet management services (FMS), smart phone applications, sports watches, points of interest, location based services (LBS) and speedcam intelligence. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was active in 35 countries. In July 2013, it acquired Coordina (Gestion Electronica Logistica, S.L.). Advisors' Opinion:

[By victorselva]
In a macro view, revenues in the electronic equipment and instrument sub-industry will remain strong due to the rise in equipment and instrument manufacturers. Distributors, electronic manufacturing service (EMS) companies and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are going to increase orders as the economy improves in the future. With this promising outlook, let's take a look at Gabelli麓s last trade and try to explain to investors the reasons of this appealing investment opportunity.

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O)

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

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

Routing

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

Service Provider Video

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

Switching

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

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

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

NGN Routing

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

Security

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

Wireless

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

Data Center

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

Other Products

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

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

Top Consumer Stocks For 2015: Research in Motion Ltd (BBRY.O)

Research In Motion Limited, incorporated on March 7, 1984, is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services, it provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to information, including e-mail, voice, instant messaging, short message service (SMS), Internet and intranet-based applications and browsing. The Company's technology also enables an array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services through software development kits, wireless connectivity to data and third-party support programs.Its portfolio of products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations and millions of consumers around the world and include the BlackBerry wireless solution, the RIM Wireless Handheld product line, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, software development tools and other software and har dware.

On March 25, 2011, the Company purchased 100% of the shares of a company whose technology is being incorporated into the Company�� developer tools. On April 26, 2011, the Company purchased certain assets of a company whose acquired technologies will be incorporated into the Company�� products. In June 2011, the Company acquired Scoreloop. On March 8, 2012, the Company acquired Paratek Microwave Inc. During the fiscal year ended March 3, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company purchased 100% interests of a company, whose technology will be incorporated into its technology; whose technology offers cloud-based services for storing, sharing, accessing and organizing digital content on mobile devices; whose technology is being incorporated into an application on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet; whose technology offers a customizable and cross-platform social mobile gaming developer tool kit, and whose technology will provide a multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for managing and securing mobile devices for enter! p! rises and government organizations.

On April 24, 2012, the Company launched BlackBerry 7 smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve 9220, for customers in Indonesia. April 18, 2012, it launched BlackBerry 7 smartphone, the BlackBerry Curve 9220, for customers in India. On April 17, 2012, it announced availability of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone in Spain. On April 3, 2012, it launched BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, and launched four BlackBerry smartphones powered by the BlackBerry 7 operating system (OS) in Cambodia, which included BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9790, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380. On April 2, 2012, it announced the availability of BlackBerry App World, the official application store for BlackBerry smartphones in Brunei, and it announced availability of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphones for Cell C customers in South Africa. On March 27, 2012, it launched of the BlackBerry solution in Benin Republic. On March 15, 2012, it launched of BlackBerry services in China. On March 7, 2012, it launched the BlackBerry service in Angola.

The Company's primary revenue stream is generated by the BlackBerry wireless solution, consists of smartphones and tablets, service and software. BlackBerry service is provided through a combination of its global BlackBerry Infrastructure and the wireless networks of its carrier partners. On February 21, 2012, it released the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software. It generates hardware revenues from sales, primarily to carriers and distributors. During fiscal 2012, the Company launched the wireless fidelity (WiFi)-enabled BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in 44 markets around the world. On July 21, 2011, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet received Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 certification.

BlackBerry Smartphones and Tablets

BlackBerry smartphones uses wireless, push-based technology that delivers data to m obile users��business and consumer applications. Black! Berr! y s! martph! ones integrate messaging including instant messaging, email and SMS; voice calling; Webkit browser; multimedia capabilities; calendar, and other applications. During fiscal 2012, it introduced 10 new smartphones and launched software updates to both its smartphone and tablet platforms. BlackBerry smartphones are available from hundreds of carriers and indirect channels, through a range of distribution partners, and are designed to operate on a variety of carrier networks, including HSPA/HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA/Ev-DO, and iDEN.

During fiscal 2012, its BlackBerry smartphone and tablet portfolio included BlackBerry Bold series, BlackBerry Torch series, BlackBerry Curve series and The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Its BlackBerry Bold series includes BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 and BlackBerry Bold 9790. The Company�� BlackBerry Torch series include BlackBerry Torch 9810 and All-Touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860. The Company's BlackBerry Curve series inc lude BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 and All-Touch BlackBerry Curve 9380 Smartphone. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet features the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. The BlackBerry PlayBook offers a seven-inch high definition display, a dual core one gigahertz processor, dual high definition cameras, multitasking and a Web browsing.

BlackBerry Enterprise Solution

BlackBerry Enterprise Server is software that acts as the centralized link between BlackBerry smartphones, enterprise systems, business applications and wireless networks. BlackBerry Enterprise Server integrates with enterprise messaging systems including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise to synchronize with BlackBerry smartphones to provide mobile users with wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks. It also provides access to business applications and enterprise systems. In addition, it provides security features and offers administrative tools. BlackBe rry Enterprise Server is required for certain othe! r enterpr! i! se soluti! ons, such as BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (for bringing desk phone functionality to BlackBerry smartphones); BlackBerry Clients for Microsoft Office Communications Server, IBM Lotus Sametime and Novell GroupWise Messenger (for enterprise instant messaging); IBM Lotus Connections (for enterprise social networking); IBM Lotus Quickr (for document sharing and collaboration); and Chalk Pushcast Software (for corporate podcasting).

The Company�� BlackBerry Mobile Fusion provides a Web-based interface that allows enterprises to provision, audit, and protect mobile devices including BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, and devices that use iOS and Android. BlackBerry Balance helps enterprises support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is free server software that synchronizes BlackBerry smartphones with Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express works with Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2007 and 2003 and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 and 2003 to provide users with wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks, as well as other business applications and enterprise systems behind the firewall.

BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (BlackBerry MVS) allows organizations to converge office desk phones and BlackBerry smartphones. BlackBerry MVS is consists of three components: BlackBerry MVS Client, BlackBerry MVS Services, and BlackBerry MVS Server. It unifies fixed and mobile voice communications. Hosted BlackBerry services bring the BlackBerry Enterprise Server features, functionality, and security capabilities in a package that is managed for end users. Hosted BlackBerry services are conveniently handled and supported by a BlackBerry certified partner from the BlackBerry Alliance Program, giving small and medium -sized enterprise (SME) enterprises the support and convenience they need.

Service

The Company gen! erates se! rvice ! revenues ! from billings to RIM's BlackBerry subscriber account base. It generates service revenues primarily from a monthly infrastructure access fee charged to a carrier or reseller, which the carrier or reseller in turn bills the BlackBerry subscriber.

BlackBerry Technical Support Services

BlackBerry Technical Support Services are a suite of annual technical support and software maintenance programs. The programs are designed to meet the customer�� BlackBerry support needs by offering a contact for BlackBerry wireless solution technical support directly from the Company.

Non-Warranty Repairs

The Company generates revenue from its repair and maintenance program for BlackBerry smartphones that are returned to it by the carrier, the reseller, or the customer. It generates revenue for repair after the expiration of the contractual warranty period.

The Company competes with Apple Inc., Microsoft Inc., Nokia Corporation, Dell, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, General Dynamics Corporation, Hitachi America, Ltd., HTC Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, Mitsubishi Corporation, Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc., NEC Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, ZTE Corporation, IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Notify Technology Corporation, Openwave Systems Inc., Seven Networks, Inc., Sybase, Inc. and Good Technologies.

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: TomTom NV (TOM2.MU)

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Research in Motion Ltd (BBRY)

BlackBerry Smartphones and Tablets

BlackBerry smartphones uses wireless, push-based technology that delivers data to mobile users��business and consumer applications. BlackBerry s! martphone! s integrate messaging including instant messaging, email and SMS; voice calling; Webkit browser; multimedia capabilities; calendar, and other applications. During fiscal 2012, it introduced 10 new smartphones and launched software updates to both its smartphone and tablet platforms. BlackBerry smartphones are available from hundreds of carriers and indirect channels, through a range of distribution partners, and are designed to operate on a variety of carrier networks, including HSPA/HSPA+/UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA/Ev-DO, and iDEN.

During fiscal 2012, its BlackBerry smartphone and tablet portfolio included BlackBerry Bold series, BlackBerry Torch series, BlackBerry Curve series and The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Its BlackBerry Bold series includes BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 and BlackBerry Bold 9790. The Company�� BlackBerry Torch series include BlackBerry Torch 9810 and All-Touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860. The Company's BlackBerry Curve series include BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 and All-Touch BlackBerry Curve 9380 Smartphone. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet features the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. The BlackBerry PlayBook offers a seven-inch high definition display, a dual core one gigahertz processor, dual high definition cameras, multitasking and a Web browsing.

BlackBerry Enterprise Solution

BlackBerry Enterprise Server is software that acts as the centralized link between BlackBerry smartphones, enterprise systems, business applications and wireless networks. BlackBerry Enterprise Server integrates with enterprise messaging systems including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise to synchronize with BlackBerry smartphones to provide mobile users with wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks. It also provides access to business applications and enterprise systems. In addition, it provides security features and offers administrative tools. BlackBerry Enterprise Server is required for certain other enterprise ! solutions! , such as BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (for bringing desk phone functionality to BlackBerry smartphones); BlackBerry Clients for Microsoft Office Communications Server, IBM Lotus Sametime and Novell GroupWise Messenger (for enterprise instant messaging); IBM Lotus Connections (for enterprise social networking); IBM Lotus Quickr (for document sharing and collaboration); and Chalk Pushcast Software (for corporate podcasting).

Service

The Company generates service rev! enues fro! m billings to RIM's BlackBerry subscriber account base. It generates service revenues primarily from a monthly infrastructure access fee charged to a carrier or reseller, which the carrier or reseller in turn bills the BlackBerry subscriber.

BlackBerry Technical Support Services

Non-Warranty Repairs

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Reuters]
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images TORONTO -- BlackBerry reported a quarterly loss of nearly $1 billion Friday, in line with last week's warning, days after accepting its largest shareholder's tentative $4.7 billion bid to take it out of the public eye. BlackBerry (BBRY), which had warned of poor results on Sept. 20, said its net loss for the second quarter ended on Aug. 31 was $965 million, or $1.84 a share. Revenue fell 45 percent to $1.6 billion from a year earlier. The loss included a writedown of about $934 million for unsold Z10 phones, a touchscreen model that the company had hoped would reverse its fading fortunes. The phone has sold badly with business and consumer customers alike. "This write-off is very real," said Morningstar (MORN) analyst Brian Colello. "They bought a lot of inventory hoping to sell it. The auditors were not convinced that BlackBerry can sell it or sell it at prices that the company was hoping for. We see no reason to be more optimistic than them." Excluding the Z10 writedown and restructuring costs, BlackBerry reported a loss of $248 million, or 47 cents a share. The company plans to shed 4,500 jobs, or more than one-third of its workforce, as it shrinks to focus on corporate and government customers. It will not host the typical post-results call for investors after signing a tentative $9-a-share agreement to be acquired by a consortium led by Fairfax Financial, its largest shareholder, Monday. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company's steep revenue decline and mounting losses have revived fears that BlackBerry, a pioneer in the smartphone sector, faces an ignominious death. "We are very disappointed with our operational and financial results this quarter and have announced a series of major changes to address the competitive hardware environment and our cost structure," Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins said in the earnings statement. BlackBerry said Heins wasn't available for an interview. The company said it
[By Steve Heller]
QWERTY fans rejoice! The highly anticipated, QWERTY-based BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY ) Q10 is expected to reach the U.S. by the end of the month.

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Nokia Oyj (NOK)

Nokia Corporation (Nokia) has three operating segments: Devices & Services; NAVTEQ, and Nokia Siemens Networks. Devices & Services is responsible for developing and managing the Company�� portfolio of mobile products, as well as designing and developing services, including applications and content. NAVTEQ is a provider of digital map information and related location-based content and services for mobile navigation devices, automotive navigation systems, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. Nokia Siemens Networks provides mobile and fixed network infrastructure, communications and networks service platforms, as well as professional services and business solutions, to operators and service providers. In April 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of Novarra, Inc. and MetaCarta Inc. In September 2010, Nokia acquired Motally, Inc. In December 2010, Renesas Electronics Corporation acquired Nokia�� Wireless Modem business. In August 2012, the Company sold a portfolio consisting of over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide to Vringo Inc.

Mobile Phones

Nokia produces a range of mobile phones based on the Series 30 and Series 40 operating systems. These products have voice capability, basic messaging and calendar features, and, increasingly, color displays, radios, basic cameras and Bluetooth functionality. Series 30-based mobile phones do not provide Internet connectivity, access to Ovi or offer opportunities for application development by third parties. During 2010, its portfolio of Series 30-based mobile phones included the Nokia 1616, equipped with a long-lasting anti-dust keypad, frequency modulation (FM) radio, a flashlight, and a display that makes viewing information on the small screen easier. Its Series 40 operating system powers the mobile phone models and supports more functionalities and applications, such as Internet connectivity and access to its services.

Series 40 is open to third-party developers! to build Java and Adobe Flash Lite applications and content, which they can make available through the Ovi Store. It combines a touchscreen and a traditional phone keypad, is equipped with a five megapixel camera, quad-band for voice calling and third generation (3G), high speed packet access (HSPA) and wireless fidelity (WiFi) connectivity for data in a bushed aluminum finish. Other additions to the Company�� portfolio included the Nokia C3 Touch & Type, a stainless steel device, which also combines the touch screen and traditional phone keypad, and the Nokia 2690, memory card slot, and which gives access to Ovi Mail and features an FM radio and video graphics array (VGA) camera. It is also incorporating some of the software features and related services popular in its smartphones into the Series 40-based mobile phones. These include the new Ovi Web browser, which is based on the browser technology. It also offers Ovi Mail, a free e-mail service designed for users in emerging markets with Internet-enabled devices.

Smartphones

Nokia�� smartphones are based on the Symbian operating system, which supports an array of functionalities and provides opportunities for the development of applications and content by third parties. During 2010, Nokia also offered a product built on the Linux-based Maemo operating system. The Company makes smartphones for a range of consumer groups, offering Internet access, entertainment, location-based and other services, applications and content. With smartphones, its product categories include music players, cameras, pocketable computers, gaming consoles and navigation devices.

During 2010, the Company introduced a family of smartphones based on a new generation of the Symbian operating system. These were the Nokia N8, a smartphone crafted from anodized aluminum and available in a range of colors, and which offers imaging, video and entertainment capabilities; the Nokia C7, a sleek, full-touch smartphone crafted from stainless stee! l and gla! ss that is designed to appeal to social networkers; the Nokia C6-01, a smaller, full-touch smartphone that features Nokia ClearBlack display technology for outdoor visibility; and the Nokia E7, a business smartphone equipped with a full keyboard and 4-inch touchscreen display also featuring Nokia ClearBlack technology.

During 2010, the Company introduced a number of models based on the Symbian operating system, including the Nokia C6-00, a messaging-optimized smartphone with a 3.2-inch high definition (HD) touchscreen display, a slide out four-row QWERTY keyboard and a five megapixel camera; and the Nokia E5, a messaging-optimized QWERTY smartphone that builds on the Nokia E71 and Nokia E72. The Company also manufactures and sells luxury mobile devices under the Vertu brand. Vertu has more than 600 points of sale globally, including more than 90 Vertu boutiques, in almost 70 countries worldwide.

NAVTEQ

NAVTEQ Corporation (NAVTEQ) offers context and geographical services through Ovi Maps to a range of location-based services, such as pedestrian navigation, traffic and public transport information, local services and city guides, integration with social networks and contextual advertising. In January 2010, Nokia introduced a new version of Ovi Maps for its smartphones, which includes navigation to the user, and it is using NAVTEQ�� digital map information and related location-based content in this offering. This new version of Ovi Maps includes car and pedestrian navigation features, such as turn-by-turn voice guidance. During 2010, the Company�� NAVTEQ launched its new advanced mapping collection technology, NAVTEQ True. During 2010, its NAVTEQ launched Natural Guidance, a product to enable guidance in a human manner through the use of descriptive reference cues.

NAVTEQ�� map database enables the Company�� customers to offer navigation, route planning, location-based services and other geographic information-based products and services to con! sumer and! commercial users. NAVTEQ provides its database to mobile device and handset manufacturers, automobile manufacturers and dealers, navigation systems manufacturers, software developers, Internet portals, parcel and overnight delivery services companies and governmental and quasi- governmental entities, among others. The products and services incorporating NAVTEQ map data include Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Dynamic navigation, Route planning, Location-based services and Geographic information systems. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems are in-vehicle applications that require geographic data, such as curve, slope, speed limits and highly detailed geometry. Dynamic navigation is real-time, detailed turn-by-turn route guidance, which can be provided to end-users through vehicle navigation systems, as well as through Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled handheld navigation devices, and other mobile devices.

Route planning consists of driving directions, route optimization and map display through services provided by Internet portals and through computer software for personal and commercial use. Location-based services include location-specific information services, providing information about people and places that is tailored to the proximity of the specific user. The applications using NAVTEQ�� map database include points of interest locators, mobile directory assistance services, emergency response systems and vehicle-based telematics services. Geographic information systems render geographic representations of information and assets for management analysis and decision making. In addition, NAVTEQ has a traffic and logistics data collection network in which it processes traffic incident and event information, along with traffic flow data collected through its network of roadside sensors and from GPS data records from Nokia devices and other NAVTEQ customers, in order to provide detailed traffic information to radio and television stations, in-vehicle and mobile navigation systems! , Interne! t sites and mobile device users.

NAVTEQ�� map database is a representation of road transportation networks in Europe, North America, Australia, Asia and other regions around the world. This database offers geographic coverage, including data at various levels of detail for 84 countries on six continents, covering more than 19 million miles of roadway worldwide. The most detailed coverage includes road, route and related travel information, including attributes collected by road segment that are essential for routing and navigation, such as road classifications, details regarding ramps, road barriers, sign information, street names and addresses and traffic rules and regulations. In addition, the database includes over 50 million points of interest, such as airports, hotels, restaurants, retailers, civic offices and cultural sites.

Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks has three business units: network systems; global services; and business solutions. Nokia Siemens Networks is jointly owned by Nokia and Siemens. Nokia Siemens Networks is a provider of telecommunications infrastructure hardware, software and professional services globally. Nokia Siemens Networks��customers include network operators, such as Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telecom, France Telecom, Telefonica O2 and Vodafone, as well as service providers, such as Unitech and XO Communications. Nokia Siemens Networks has a products and services portfolio designed to address the needs of communication service providers. Nokia Siemens Networks provides its products and services to more than 600 communication service providers in over 150 countries and has systems serving in excess of 1.5 billion subscribers.

Network systems offers communication service providers both fixed and mobile network infrastructure, including Nokia Siemens Networks��Flexi Multiradio base stations, a software defined radio supporting global system for mobile (GSM), 3G and LTE radio technologies, packet product! s, optica! l transport systems and broadband access equipment. For wireless networks, Network Systems develops and manufactures GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA radio access networks for network operators. It also develops products, such as I-HSPA and new technologies, such as LTE to support the uptake of mobile data services. For fixed line networks, Network Systems focuses on transport networks. Network Systems provides the fundamental elements for high-speed transmission through optical and microwave networks, including packet-oriented technologies, such as Carrier Ethernet and traditional protocols, such as time-division multiplexing (TDM).

Global services business unit offers network operators a range of professional services, including network planning and optimization, the management of network operations and the care and maintenance of software and hardware, and a range of network implementation and turnkey solutions. As of December 31, 2010, 180 million global subscribers were managed througt Nokia Siemens Networks��global delivery hubs. Global services consists of three businesses, which include managed services, which offers network planning and optimization and the management of network operations, with the market share position in India, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa; care, which offers software and hardware maintenance, proactive and multi-vendor care and competence development services, dealing with one million global hardware service transactions, and network implementation, which offers project management and turnkey implementations and energy efficient sites, remotely activating a site every two minutes, 365 days per year.

Business solutions offers products to communication service providers for business and operations support systems and customer experience management, such as charging and billing software, service management software and subscriber database management, and products that enable enhancement and delivery of services across multiple networks and d! evices an! d convergent service control and network security, together with services related to consulting, product implementation, support and care, systems integration and managed services. Business solutions offer products for five areas, as well as services relating to consulting, product implementation, support and care, systems integration and managed services includes business support systems; operations support systems; customer experience management; service enablement and delivery, and converged service control.

The Company competes with Google, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Tele Atlas, CISCO, NEC and Motorola.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Kyle Anderson, Associate Editor - November 12th, 2013 Money Morning]
Here's the list of top 10 "cash-rich" companies in the S&P 500, based on cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, plus how they used the cash they did spend:
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) reported cash and cash equivalents of $130.3 billion in September 2013, down slightly from $132.4 billion in June and $138 billion in March. Currently, GE offers its shareholders a dividend of $0.76 per year, or 2.8%. Early in 2013, it was reported that GE planned on buying back $10 billion of its stock from investors. The buyback was prompted by GE selling 49% stake in NBC Universal to Comcast Corp in March. In April, GE acquired the Texas-based oil company Lufkin Industries for $3.3 billion. Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) had a total of $80.6 billion in cash and short-term investments at the end of September. This was the fourth consecutive quarter of growth for the company that reported $77 billion in June, $74.4 billion in March, and $68.2 billion in December 2012. MSFT provides its shareholders with a 3% dividend, or $1.12 per year. In September, MSFT made headlines for its $40 billion stock buyback and 22% dividend increase. In the same month, Microsoft completed a $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia Corp.'s (NYSE: NOK) cellphone business. Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) is third with a cash and short-term investment hoard of $56.4 billion as of September. Google is another company that has added to its cash total in recent quarters, reporting $54.3 billion in June and $50.0 billion in March. Despite all that cash, GOOG does not issue a dividend and has never offered a shareholder buyback. The search engine mogul has a long history of acquisitions, and its purchase of Israeli navigation software Waze, for just shy of $1 billion in June 2013, was its largest in several years. Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) had $50.5 billion in its July statement, compared to $47.3 billion and $46.3 billion in the previous two quar
[By Doug Ehrman]
While Nokia's (NYSE: NOK ) partnership with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) has given the company the tools it needs to fight Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) and Apple at the premium end of the smartphone spectrum, shoring up sales at the low end is critical for the company's continued success as well. To address sliding sales, the company is introducing one of the least expensive mobile phones ever sold.

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: PositiveID Corp (PSID)

PositiveID Corporation (PositiveID), incorporated in November 2001, is engaged in developing, marketing and selling radio frequency identification (RFID), systems used for the identification of people in the healthcare market. PositiveID is focused on providing health and security identification tools to protect consumers and businesses, operating in two segments: HealthID and ID Security. The Company�� HealthID segment is focused on the development of four products, which includes the GlucoChip, iglucose, Easy Check and the rapid flu detection system. Its ID Security segment includes the identity security suite of products, sold through its NationalCreditReport.com brand and its Health Link personal health record (PHR) business. In July 2011, it completed the sale of substantially all of the assets of NationalCreditReport.com. On May 23, 2011, the Company acquired all of the interest of MicroFluidic Systems (MicroFluidic). In November 2013, the Company sold its interest in VeriTeQ Corporation (VeriTeQ).

HealthID Segment

PositiveID�� HealthID segment product GlucoChip is a glucose-sensing microchip is developed in conjunction with Receptors LLC (Receptors). Iglucose is a self-contained unit that automatically queries a diabetic user�� data-capable glucometer for blood glucose data and sends that data via encrypted text messaging to the iglucose online database. Easy Check is a non-invasive breath glucose detection system, based on the correlation of acetone in exhaled breath to blood glucose levels. The rapid flu detection system is also developed in conjunction with Receptors. The Company�� HealthID segment also includes the VeriMed system, which uses an implantable passive RFID microchip (the VeriChip) that is used in patient identification applications. Each implantable microchip contains a verification number that is read when it is scanned by its scanner.

ID Security Segment

PositiveID�� NationalCreditReport.com business offers consu! mers a range of identity security products and services primarily on a subscription basis. These services help consumers protect themselves against identity theft or fraud and understand and monitor their credit profiles and other personal information, which include credit reports, credit monitoring and credit scores. The Company has Health Link PHR business.

Healthcare Products

PositiveID�� Healthcare products include the GlucoChip, a product that combines a glucose-sensing microtransponder. The Company has partnered with Receptors to develop an in-vivo glucose sensor to detect glucose levels in the human body. In conjunction with Receptors, the Company has completed Phase I and Phase II development of the glucose-sensing microchip and are in Phase III development. The Easy Check breath glucose test, as of January 31, 2012 is under development, is a non-invasive glucose detection system that measures acetone levels in a patient�� exhaled breath. The iglucose system uses machine to machine technology to automatically communicate a diabetic�� glucose readings to the iglucose online database.

MicroFluidic Systems

MicroFluidic specializes in the production of automated instruments for a range of applications in the detection and processing of biological samples, ranging from rapid medical testing to airborne pathogen detection for homeland security. MicroFluidic�� substantial portfolio of related to sample preparation and rapid medical testing applications are the portfolio of virus detection and diabetes management products.

Identity Security Products and Services

National Credit Report.com, LLC (NCRC) is engaged in the consumer provision of credit reports, credit score and credit monitoring products. This business provides a medium for consumers to retrieve and review their credit history, as well as monitor their credit files with one or all three of the major credit reporting bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUni! on. The C! ompany�� products and services are offered to consumers on a monthly subscription basis.

Health Link Personal Health Record and Other Applications

Health Link is a patient-controlled, online repository to store personal health information, such as medications, allergies, family history, previous surgeries, vaccinations and lab results. Health Link also connects the patient to a multitude of customized materials, such as personalized health education and online connectivity to caregivers. Patients can also utilize Health Link to connect with numerous Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems that are accessible through Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health. In conjunction with Raytheon Microelectronics Espana, the Company developed an eight millimetre microchip, which has functionality that is substantially equivalent to the VeriChip.

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Fabrinet (FN)

Fabrinet, incorporated on August 12, 1999, provides optical packaging and precision optical, electro-mechanical and electronic manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of complex products, such as optical communication components, modules and sub-systems, industrial lasers and sensors. The Company offers a range of optical and electro-mechanical capabilities across the entire manufacturing processes, including process design and engineering, supply chain management, manufacturing, advanced packaging, final assembly and test.

The products that the Company manufactures for its OEM customers includes optical communications devices, such as selective switching products, such as reconfigurable optical add-drop modules (ROADMs), optical amplifiers, modulators and other optical components and modules that collectively enable network managers to route signals through fiber traffic at various wavelengths and over various distances; tunable transponders and transceivers that eliminate the need to stock individual fixed wavelength transponders and transceivers used in voice and data communications networks; and active optical cables providing high-speed interconnect capabilities for data centers and computing clusters, as well as Infiniband, Ethernet, fiber channel and optical backplane connectivity.

Solid state, diode-pumped, gas and fiber lasers (industrial lasers) used across a array of industries, including semiconductor processing (wafer inspection, wafer dicing, wafer scribing), biotechnology (DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, hematology, antibody detection), metrology (instrumentation, calibration, inspection), and material processing (photo processing, textile cutting, annealing, marking, engraving); and sensors, including differential pressure, micro-gyro, fuel and other sensors that are used in automobiles, and non-contact temperature measurement sensors for the medical industry. The Company also designs and fabricates application-specific crystals, pri! sms, mirrors, laser components and substrates (customized optics) and other custom and standard borosilicate, clear fused quartz, and synthetic fused silica glass products (customized glass).

The Company competes with Sanmina-SCI Corporation, Celestica Inc., Venture Corporation Limited, Benchmark Electronics, Inc, Browave Corporation, Fujian Castech Crystals, Inc., Research Electro-Optic, Inc. and Photop Technologies, Inc.

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 Fabrinet (NYSE: FN ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
[By Seth Jayson]
Fabrinet (NYSE: FN ) reported earnings on April 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 29 (Q3), Fabrinet beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Alcatel Lucent SA (ALU)

Alcatel Lucent, incorporated on June 18, 1898, is engaged in mobile, fixed, Internet Protocol (IP) and Optics technologies, applications and services. The Company is a partner of service providers, enterprises, industries and governments worldwide. Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs centres of research in communications technology. Its operations are in more than 130 countries. The Company operates in three business segments: networks, applications, and services. On December 31, 2010, the Company completed the sale of its Vacuum pump solutions and instruments business to Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG. In September 2010, the Company acquired OpenPlug, a mobile software and applications development tools vendor. In June 29, 2010, the Company acquired ProgrammableWeb.

During 2010, the Company launched the Digital Media Store, a multicontent digital storefront that allows service providers to deliver content to end-users. Launched during 2010, Optism is a permission-based mobile marketing solution. During 2010, it launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Mobile Wallet Service (MWS), which allows the mobile operator to leverage its secure network to deliver a mobile payment capability through a mobile handset. During 2010, it also launched Alcatel-Lucent�� Application Exposure Suite to facilitate the development of new services by third-party application developers and content providers.

Networks Segment

The Networks segment supplies a portfolio of products and offerings used by fixed, wireless and converged service providers, as well as enterprises and governments for their business communications. The Company�� IP portfolio consists of four product families that deliver multiple services, including broadband triple play for residential customers; Ethernet and IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) services for Enterprise customers, and wireless second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G) and long term evolution (LTE) broadband services for mobile operators. The main product fami! lies include Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers, Carrier Ethernet service switche, Multi-service wide-area-network (or MS WAN) switches and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances.

Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) service routers direct traffic within and between carriers��national and international networks to enable delivery of a range of IP-based services (including Internet access, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), Voice over IP (VoIP), mobile phone and data, and managed Enterprise VPN services) on a single common network infrastructure with superior performance, with application intelligence, and with scalability (such as the simultaneous support of many diverse types of traffic and customers); Carrier Ethernet service switches. Carrier Ethernet service switches enable carriers to deliver residential, business and wireless services, and these products are mainly used in metropolitan area networks; Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches. Multi-service wide-area-network (MS WAN) switches enable fixed line and wireless carriers to transition their existing networks to support newer technologies and services, and Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances. Content Delivery Network (CDN) appliances distribute and cache (store) Web and video content.

The Company�� Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) and Carrier Ethernet products are designed to facilitate the development and availability of applications for the more participatory and interactive Web 2.0 business and consumer services. Its service routers are particularly well suited to deliver complex services to business, residential and mobile end-users. Its IP/MPLS service routers and Carrier Ethernet service switches are often used in conjunction with its DSL and Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) access products to deliver these newer triple-play services, or with its wireless access products to deliver LTE solutions, or w! ith its D! ense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and optical switching products to deliver converged backbone transformation solutions for optimizing IP transport. Its Optics division designs and markets equipment for the long distance transportation of data over fiber optic connections via land (terrestrial) and under sea (submarine), as well as for short distances in metropolitan and regional areas.

The Company�� transport portfolio also includes the microwave wireless transmission equipment. Its terrestrial optical products offer a portfolio designed to seamlessly support service growth from the metro to the network core. With its products, carriers manage voice, data and video traffic patterns based on different applications or platforms and can introduce a range of managed data services, including multiple service quality capabilities, variable service rates and traffic congestion management. These products allow carriers to leverage their existing network infrastructure to offer these new services. Its submarine cable networks can connect continents (using optical amplification required over long distances), a mainland and an island, several islands together, or many points along a coast. It offers a portfolio of point-to-point microwave radio products meeting both European telecommunications standards (ETSI) and American standards-based (ANSI) requirements.

The Company�� Wireless All Around message developed during 2010 is a combination of wireless and IP products. The version of CDMA technology, known as 1X EV-DO Revision A, enables operators to offer two-way, real-time, high-speed data applications, such as VoIP, mobile video, push-to-talk and push-to-multimedia. The introduction of High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and HSPA+ (the latest evolutions of W-CDMA technology) on networks and devices has led to increases in data speeds available to broadband devices. The Company develops mobile radio products for the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile communications (GS! M) standa! rd, including General Packet Radio Service / Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (GPRS/EDGE) technology upgrades to that standard.

LTE offers service providers a compelling evolution path from all existing networks (GSM, W-CDMA, CDMA or WiMAX) by simplifying the radio access network and converging on a common IP base. RFS designs and sells cable, antenna, tower systems and their related electronic components, providing an end-to-end suite of radio frequency products. RFS serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, system integrators, network operators and installers in the broadcast, wireless communications, microwave and defense sectors. Specific applications for RFS products include cellular sites, in-tunnel and in-building radio coverage, microwave links, television and radio. The Company offers products that extend from legacy switching systems to IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) solutions for fixed, mobile, and converged operators. It has deployed its next-generation network (NGN) products in more than 170 fixed NGN networks, and it has provided the core network for more than 66 full IMS fixed and mobile networks. Its fixed access solutions allow carriers to offer triple-play services over a single access line. Its carrier customers are offering both residential and business customers multiple services, such as a number of broadcast channels, video on demand, high definition television (HDTV), VoIP, high speed Internet, and business access services.

Applications Segment

The Applications segment develops software-based applications and solutions that contribute to the personal communications for users. The Applications group is divided into two businesses: Enterprise Applications and Network Applications. The Enterprise Applications business includes its IP-based communications and collaboration applications for enterprises, including the Genesys contact center business. The Network Applications business develops applications used by service pr! oviders t! o deliver a range of services to their customers, and also includes Motive, which provides software for service providers to remotely manage their customers��at-home networks, networked devices and broadband and mobile data services. During the year ended December 31, 2010, its Applications segment accounted 12% of its total revenue.

The Applications segment is investing resources in next generation collaboration and communications systems offered by its Enterprise Applications division; customer contact, customer engagement and service management areas addressed by its Genesys and Motive businesses; carrier applications, such as communication and messaging, next-generation telephony, digital media and multi-screen delivery of content and personalized advertising, device agnostic location based address book services, and technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), and Application Enablement.

Services Segment

The Services segment is focused in helping the service provider and customers realize the potential of media, information technology (IT) and telecommunications services and technologies. These services address the lifecycle of its customers��networks and operations, and encompass business consulting, systems design and integration, maintenance and managed services. The service offerings are organized around four areas: network and system integration, managed and outsourcing solutions, multi-vendor maintenance, and product-attached services.

The Company competes with Avaya, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Huawei, ZTE and Nokia Siemens Networks.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Paul Ausick]
While CalAmp has good growth prospects, the company plays in a sector where size can be a potent factor. Nokia Corp.’s (NYSE: NOK) NSN group, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (NYSE: ALU) are the competition, and it is not far-fetched to see CalAmp as a potential acquisition at some point.
[By Inyoung Hwang]
EDF, Europe�� biggest power generator, and Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) SA, a French maker of phone equipment, jumped more than 7 percent as profit beat analysts��estimates. Barclays sank the most in 13 months after announcing a rights offering and saying income fell. K+S AG, Europe�� largest potash producer, plunged 24 percent as OAO Uralkali ended a deal that controlled supplies of the fertilizer ingredient from the former Soviet Union.
[By Muhammad Bazil]
As forAlcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), itstruggles to survive in the competitive landscape through massive job cuts. This allows Cisco to focus on expanding its customer base with clients that would probably leave Alcatel’s unstable environment for Cisco’s stable network infrastructure.
[By Dan Caplinger]
Cash-balance plans may be the future...
The newly discovered pension plan that's been gaining in popularity lately is called a cash-balance plan. As a recent MarketWatch article discussed, the number of cash-balance plans among employers has jumped nearly 500% in the past 10 years, with 11 million participants and plan assets of nearly $725 billion as of 2011. Companies including Ford (NYSE: F ) , Alcatel Lucent (NYSE: ALU ) , and Boeing (NYSE: BA ) are among the biggest providers of cash-balance plans.

Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Invest In Right Now: 3DIcon Corp (TDCP)

3DIcon Corporation, incorporated on August 11, 1995, is a development stage company. The Company focuses on developing (or acquire), commercializing, and marketing next generation three dimensional (3D) display technologies including auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free) volumetric 360-degree full-color 3D displays and possibly auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free) flat screen 3D displays. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� portfolio includes Pixel Precision and CSpace technologies.

CSpace

CSpace is a 3D display that is being designed to produce high-resolution full-color, true 3D images. The display does not require special viewing aids or glasses, does not cause viewer fatigue during prolonged use, and is capable of producing translucent images for viewing the inside of images, such as human organs, cargo containers, baggage, ocean or terrain features, or troop carriers, all of which are beyond the capabilities of other current display methodologies. CSpace is a pure, static 3D display that doesn�� require mechanical rotational movement and has the potential to generate 3D images.

Pixel Precision

Pixel Precision is a new software product, for those engaged in the research, design, and development of applications and products involving DLP technology from Texas Instruments (TI). Pixel Precision is the product for the DMD Discovery line from TI.

The Company competes with LightSpaceDepthCube, Felix 3D Displays, Perspecta Spatial 3D Display, 3D Technology Laboratories, Xigen, USC, Setred and Zecotek.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Icahn wants eBay to spin off its PayPal business

SAN FRANCISCO — EBay said Wednesday that activist investor Carl Icahn is calling for the e-commerce company to spin off its PayPal payments division.

The company rejected the idea, but it did unveil a new $5 billion share-buyback program, likely designed to placate any investors who are unsatisfied with the company's recent performance and its large cash position.

EBay shares jumped 5% to $57.12 in after-hours trading following the news.

Icahn nominated two of his employees to eBay's board and submitted a non-binding proposal for a spinoff of PayPal into a separate company. Icahn owns stock and derivatives equal to 0.82% of the company, eBay noted.

"EBay's Board of Directors routinely assesses the company's strategic direction and has explored in depth a spinoff or separation of PayPal," the company said in a statement. The board "does not believe that breaking up the company is the best way to maximize shareholder value," eBay added.

Icahn is one of the best-known activists, a type of investor who takes large positions in companies that are either under-performing or sitting on a lot of cash. These investors usually push management and directors to change strategies, sell the company or return money to shareholders through share buybacks or increased dividends.

Icahn has been hounding Apple to return more of its $150 billion cash hoard to shareholders. On Wednesday, he announced an increased investment in Apple and tried to exert more pressure on the company. Icahn also hinted that he would reveal his next activist target, which turned out to be eBay.

The idea of a PayPal spinoff has been discussed on Wall Street several times in recent years. The abrupt departure of PayPal President Scott Thompson raised the issue in early 2012.

PayPal started life as an independent company, founded in the late 1990s by technology entrepreneurs, including venture capital investor Peter Thiel. It battled with eBay for supremacy in the emerging online payments market. But! soon after PayPal went public in 2002, eBay acquired it for $1.5 billion.

PayPal thrived as the main way to pay on eBay's online marketplace. Then it expanded to other e-commerce sites, and growth really took off. Now PayPal, under new President David Marcus, is trying to provide payments in physical stores. That is a huge opportunity, although the project is progressing slowly.

Meanwhile, eBay's main online Marketplaces business has struggled to keep pace with Amazon and the growth of e-commerce in general. There has been some improvement in the past year or two, however, the PayPal business accounts for a substantial portion of the total market value of eBay.

Having a faster-growing business buried in a larger company sometimes makes it hard to attract and retain executives. If executives running the faster-growing part have equity in the holding company, they may not see their wealth increase in line with the more successful unit. This can make them more prone to being poached by rival companies.

EBay shares have gone nowhere in the past year, while main rival Amazon.com is up 49%.

Still, as online shopping and mobile payments become more popular, eBay may try even harder to hold on to PayPal.

"The board will argue that as part of eBay's broader platform, and e-commerce stack, PayPal is more important than ever," Colin Sebastian, an analyst at RW Baird, said.

EBay rivals including Amazon, Google and Apple are more tightly integrating payments into their services, so it is even more strategically important for eBay to keep the company together, he added.

Bill Smead of Smead Capital Management, which owns eBay shares, had argued for a separation in early 2012. On Wednesday, he was less enthusiastic about the idea.

"As long-term investors, we like the combination of PayPal and eBay," Smead said.

A PayPal spinoff would trigger "a temporary huge spike in price. However, we think we'll make more over 10 years with eBay as an integrated firm," he ! added. eBay

eBay's logo(Photo: Alistair Barr)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Krantz: Will privacy backlash hit Net giants?

USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at mkrantz@usatoday.com.

Q: Are social stocks vulnerable to privacy fears?

A: Is 2014 the year investors realize how valuable their personal information is to giant Internet companies?

The year kicked off looking that way when Facebook was sued by a few users for allegedly intercepting and collecting personal data to share with advertisers. Meanwhile, there are continued revelations of about how the National Security Agency is mining personal communications.

Consumers are slowly becoming aware that many of the "free" online services aren't really free. In exchange for the services, the giant companies behind them are scanning personal message and e-mails to gather lucrative information to advertisers. There's also a rising realization that e-mails and other communication aren't private. Facebook isn't the only company at risk. Google may have started the trend by scanning for keywords in personal emails sent using Gmail to sell to advertisers.

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Such collection of personal information to sell to the highest bidder is Google's business model. The products and services Google provides to users are means to gather more information from users, which can be collected and sold.

So far, users have either been unaware of the information they've given up in exchange for services are haven't been concerned with it yet. Internet stocks are soaring as companies are free to mine personal data and there's little consumer backlash. There doesn't seem to be anything to stop that trend.

There's a rising understanding, though, of how valuable the data are. So far, consumers are willing to give up privacy if a product is offered for free. If tha! t changes, consumers might switch to online providers that don't collect personal data, if any still exist.

Follow Matt Krantz on Twitter: @mattkrantz.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Stocks seesaw on Syria and jobs report

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) It was a choppy day on Wall Street, thanks to a lackluster August jobs report and more concerns about Syria.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished lower for the first time this week, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed barely changed. But all three indexes swung between modest gains and sizable losses earlier in the day.

Despite the volatility, stocks ended the week modestly higher. The Dow gained 0.8%, the S&P 500 increased 1.4%, and the Nasdaq jumped nearly 2%.

Syria worries: After initially pushing stocks higher on the prospect that the Federal Reserve might delay its plans to taper in September, investors quickly shifted their attention to the G-20 meeting in St. Petersburg. Russian president Vladimir Putin spooked the markets with comments about his support for Syria. The indexes briefly tumbled after Putin told reporters that Russia would continue arms sales and provide aid to Syria if the nation were attacked.

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Putin met with President Obama earlier Friday. The Russian president called their meeting "constructive," but added that "he doesn't agree with me, I don't agree with him."

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Putin's comments come as Obama seeks international and domestic backing for military action against Syria in response to the Syrian's government's alleged use of chemical weapons against its own people last month.

"World leaders are divided on the matter, and this has left the markets fearful of the implications of what looks to be a very likely strike by the United States as early as next week," said ETX Capital market strategist Ishaq Siddiqi in a note to clients.

Siddiqi said traders are worried that a U.S. strike would be met with Russian retaliation, prompting allies China and Iran to also provide support for Syria. While the United Kingdom is standing down for now, the United States has the support of France and Israel.

As investors worried about stability in the Middle East, they pushed oil prices up 1.7% Friday, above $110 per barrel.

August jobs report may delay Fed tapering? The weak August jobs report led some investors to think that the Fed may h! old off on plans to start trimming its bond buying program later this month.

Investors had been eagerly awaiting the jobs report, as it is the last major piece of economic data leading up to the Fed's next meeting in less than two weeks.

The economy added 169,000 jobs last month, fewer than the 185,000 economists surveyed by CNNMoney were forecasting. The unemployment rate ticked lower to 7.3%, as expected, but the drop was due to a falling labor force participation rate. Job gains for both June and July were also revised lower.

Bond prices rose and Treasury yields fell following the jobs report, with the 10-year yield dipping to 2.9% from nearly 3%. (Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.) Investors may be betting that the Fed will continue to buy $85 billion in bonds a month as opposed to pulling back on these purchases.

"If there is a silver lining for investors, the jobs data give the Fed something to consider carefully before their impending decision on whether or not to begin tapering their bond purchase program," said Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors. Baird added that the jobs data "certainly doesn't point to an economy that is firing on all cylinders."

Bond yields hitting 3%? Not so fast!

Still, the latest jobs numbers do not completely eliminate the possibility of Fed tapering this month, according to Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management.

"We know there is a high level of support inside the central bank to reduce asset purchases and the only question is timing," she said.

But even if the Fed does decide to taper this month, Lien expects only "an incremental reduction" in bond purchases as well as reassuring comments to prevent a ! sharp reb! ound in bond yields.

What's moving: Smith & Wesson (SWHC) shares tumbled after the gun maker reported a disappointing outlook for the current quarter.

Facebook (FB) shares rose 3%. The social network's stock hit a new 52-week high of $44.61 and is inching closer to its all-time high of $45. The rise made Facebook the most talked about stock among StockTwits traders. But investors were divided on whether Facebook's gains are warranted.

patrick_walther: $FB Explosive. Will probably see $50 later this year. Where are all those Facebook haters now? Bullish

tbmo: $FB ugh, I'm not even surprised people are dumb enough to give this company all their information, and now money as well.

Social networks LinkedIn (LNKD) and Yelp (YELP) were also moving sharply higher.

theoptiondon: Wherever $FB goes, $LNKD follows Bullish

vermut: $FB $LNKD $YELP making new highs today! Super strength. Stay with the leaders! Bullish

J.C. Penney (JCP, Fortune 500) shares got a small lift after billionaire media mogul and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told CNBC he has purchased 1 million shares of the struggling Plano, Texas-based retailer.

Smithfield Foods (SFD, Fortune 500) shares edged lower after the meat processor posted a drop in earnings due to weak exports to Japan, China and Russia. The company announced an agreement earlier this year to be acquired by China's Shuanghui International, a deal now awaiting approval from the U.S. government.