Ten companies with the least valuable workers

Revenue per employee is one measure of a company's productivity. Some companies generate significant revenue per employee that runs into the millions of dollars. Others generate only a fraction of that. While it can suggest a company is struggling, many companies with lower revenue per employee thrive with employees that appear to be less productive.

In many instances, these companies are in the restaurant and hospitality industries. For example, McDonald's paid the average crew members and cashiers only slightly more than the $7.25 per hour minimum wage, according to employee-submitted data from Glassdoor.com, an online career community.

A number of these businesses depend largely on labor from overseas. Such businesses include Amphenol, which produces electronic and fiber optic cables, and Cognizant, which offers IT outsourcing services. Often, such companies use foreign labor to provide low costs for their own businesses, as well as pass along cost savings to their clients.

MORE: Nine companies with the most unusual origins

Just because a company has relatively low revenue per employee does not mean it will stop hiring. As long as adding more employees continues to be profitable — returning more money to the company than it costs to find, train and pay a worker — businesses have an incentive to keep adding workers. A number of companies where the per-employee revenue is relatively low, such as O'Reilly Automotive and Starbucks, added a considerable number of jobs last year.

Based on figures from S&P Capital IQ, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the companies with the lowest revenue per employee. In order to be consistent, we used net revenue figures as reported under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Employee totals used in this analysis are based on S&P Capital IQ measure of full-time equivalent employees. In some instances, S&P Capital IQ employee totals may include franchisee workers, a large part-time or hourly labor force, or a largely foreign-base! d workforce. We also reviewed financial information published in company presentations, filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and metrics calculated by Morningstar. Darden Restaurants was excluded from this analysis, due to the recent divestiture of its Red Lobster chain.

These are the 10 companies with the least valuable workers.

1. Starwood Hotels & Resorts

> Revenues per employees: $33,700
> Total revenues: $6.1 billion
> Total employees: 181,400
> Industry: Hotels, resorts and cruise lines

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, with locations in nearly 100 countries. It had a total of 1,175 franchised, owned and managed hotels and other properties worldwide as of its latest full fiscal year. To manage these hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT) employed 181,400 workers at locations owned or managed by the company at the end of its fiscal year.

Last year, the company reported total revenues of $6.1 billion, equivalent to roughly $34,000 per employee. However, that figure may be skewed because the company opened 74 hotels in 2013 and increased its headcount from 171,000 the year before.

2. Yum! Brands

> Revenues per employees: $42,600
> Total revenues: $13.1 billion
> Total employees: 307,230
> Industry: Restaurants

Yum! Brands, owner of the Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell chains, had one of the lowest ratios of total revenue to number of employees in 2013, at just $42,600 per year-end employee. While the company lists more than 300,000 employees, many of these are employed by franchisees, who operated more than 29,000 of the roughly 40,000 Yum! Brands restaurants last year. The bulk of these restaurants were abroad, often in countries like India and China, where wages are typically lower than in the United States. The company has been criticized for its stateside pay practices, and it has opposed a federal minimum wage h! ike.

3. Cognizant Technology Solutions

> Revenues per employees: $51,600
> Total revenues: $8.8 billion
> Total employees: 171,400
> Industry: IT consulting and other services

Cognizant Technology Solutions reported $8.8 billion in revenue in its most recent fiscal year, a more than 20% increase from the year before. Salaries reported on Glassdoor.com are quite high given Cognizant had just $51,600 in sales per employee last year. For example, a systems analyst earned more than $55,673 per year on average. The company's low revenue to workforce ratio could be due in part to cheap labor abroad.

The IT consulting firm is known for outsourcing services and employs a relatively large portion of its workforce overseas. The company employed roughly 133,000 of its 171,400 workers at year-end in the Asia-Pacific region, with the majority of development and delivery centers and technical professionals located in India.

MORE: The states with the strongest and weakest unions

4. McDonald's

> Revenues per employees: $63,900
> Total revenues: $28.1 billion
> Total employees: 440,000
> Industry: Restaurants

McDonald's, which employed 440,000 last year — mostly low-wage employees — has been at the forefront of the minimum wage debate. According to Glassdoor.com, the average crew member made $7.77 per hour. By contrast, CEO Donald Thompson made a total of $9.5 million in salary and bonuses in 2013. Additionally, groups such as the National Employment Law Project have argued that McDonald's profitability and cash balances indicate it could afford to pay workers a higher wage.

McDonald's revenue per employee was just $63,900. The company's revenue per worker figures do not account for employees working at McDonald's franchises. Fees from franchisees account for $9.2 billion, or roughly 33%, of the company's $28.1 billion in total revenue. When franchise employees are included, McDonald's employed 1.8 million people worldwide.

MORE: C! ompanies with the best (and worst) reputations

Top 5 Machinery Companies To Invest In Right Now

5. Chipotle Mexican Grill

> Revenues per employee: $70,900
> Total revenues: $3.2 billion
> Total employees: 45,340
> Industry: Restaurants

Chipotle Mexican Grill — the wildly successful former McDonald's-owned fast-casual Mexican restaurant — has continued to grow even as food costs have increased. Total revenues grew last year by 17.7% from the year before, among the higher one-year revenue growth rates in the S&P 500. Despite the hype, Chipotle still trails a number of larger chains in sales.

The company's most recent fiscal year revenue of $3.2 billion is still just a fraction of Yum! Brands' and McDonald's respective revenues. The burrito chain has relatively few employees, with slightly more than 45,000 full-time workers as of last year. And while the company's revenue per employee was a little more than $70,000, the company is profitable with earnings that have risen dramatically in recent years.

24/7 WALL ST.: Starbucks, others round out rest of the Top 10

24/7 Wall St. is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Mortgage Markets in Transition

Housing stocks got a boost on Wednesday following the announcement from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) that the Federal Reserve would continue its $85 billion monthly asset purchases. That total includes $40 billion in purchases of mortgage-backed securities.

The FOMC's reasoning was spelled out in the meeting announcement:

The Committee is maintaining its existing policy of reinvesting principal payments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in agency mortgage-backed securities and of rolling over maturing Treasury securities at auction. Taken together, these actions should maintain downward pressure on longer-term interest rates, support mortgage markets, and help to make broader financial conditions more accommodative, which in turn should promote a stronger economic recovery and help to ensure that inflation, over time, is at the rate most consistent with the Committee’s dual mandate.

The mortgage markets have slowed over the past several months as mortgage interest rates increased. Refinancings have dropped to around 60% of all new mortgages and could drop to around 36% next year. Lending for new purchases will make up only a portion of the decline.

According to its September MarketPulse newsletter, CoreLogic Inc. (NYSE: CLGX) thinks the housing market needs to transition from a lending-rate driven model to a home value-driven model if there is to be a sound mortgage market in the future. Factors that will affect that transition include low long-term estimates for U.S. GDP growth of just 1.75%, higher mortgage rates slowing the pace of new housing construction, the impact of new lending requirements and a reduction in the number of all-cash sales.

CoreLogic notes:

The housing sector has played a pivotal role in driving GDP growth since late 2011, but rising rates will modestly temper the contribution going forward. Nonetheless, rising rated do not pose a burden that is insurmountable.

The housing sector contributed 17% to first-quarter 2013 GDP growth. That cannot contract much if the U.S. economy is going to recover. The Fed knows that, which is a big reason that a tapering of asset purchases has been delayed.

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2015

LONDON -- Stock index futures at 7 a.m. EDT indicate that the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) may open down by 0.29% this morning, while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) may open 0.36% lower. CNN's Fear & Greed Index closed up at 81 on Friday, firmly into "extreme greed" territory.

European markets moved lower this morning, ahead of today's U.S. retail sales figures, which are due at 8:30 a.m. EDT and are expected to show that retail sales fell by 0.6% in April, following a 0.4% fall in March. The latest business inventories report is due at 10 a.m., and is expected to show that inventories rose by 0.2% in March, after rising 0.1% in February. New data from China's National Bureau of Statistics showed that industrial output rose by 9.3% in April and retail sales rose by 12.8%, compared to the same period last year. Although strong, the results were slightly below analysts' expectations, according to a Bloomberg survey.

At 7 a.m. EDT, the FTSE 100 was down 0.24%, with emerging markets bank Standard Chartered leading the fallers and sliding 4.2%, after it emerged that short-selling fund Muddy Waters, which is run by Carson Block, has built up a short position on the bank's debt. Block believes the quality of Standard Chartered's assets is worsening, according to a CNN report. Germany's DAX was 0.4% lower, the Spanish IBEX 35 was down 1.3%, and the Italian FTSE MIB was down 0.5%, despite this morning's successful 8 billion euro auction of Italian government bonds.

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2015: Fresenius Medical Care Corporation (FMS)

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, a dialysis company, provides products and services for patients with chronic kidney diseases. As of May 12, 2011, it provided dialysis care services to 216,942 patients through its network of 2,769 dialysis clinics primarily in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa. The company also develops and manufactures various dialysis products, including hemodialysis machines, dialyzers, hemofilters, dialysis fluid filters, tubing systems, fistula needles, dialysis related equipment, acute hemodialysis machines, plasma filters, acute tubing systems and cassettes, catheters, and related disposable products for chronic hemodialysis, acute therapy, home therapy, and therapeutic apheresis, as well as dialysis drugs. In addition, it provides laboratory services. Fresenius Medical sells its products through distributors. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Dialysis provider DaVita Healthcare Partners (DVA) soared almost 8.9% to close at $61.55 after the market learned that Medicare funding cuts would come in lower than expected. Rival Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) rose 7.2% on the same news.

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2015: BP p.l.c.(BP)

BP p.l.c. provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production; midstream transportation, and storage and processing; and marketing and trading of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and power and natural gas liquids (NGL). This segment has exploration and production activities in Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, Norway, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in Asia, Australasia, South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. This segment also owns and manages crude oil and natural gas pipelines; processing facilities and export terminals; and LNG processing and transportation, as well as NGL extraction facilities. BP p.l.c. has interests in the Trans-Alaska pipeline system, the Forties pipeline system, the Central Area transmission sys tem pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as in LNG plants located in Trinidad, Indonesia, and Australia. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment involves in the supply and trading, refining, manufacturing, marketing, and transportation of crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers primarily under the BP, Castrol, ARCO, and Aral brands. Its Other Businesses and Corporate segment produces and markets rolled aluminum products, as well as generates energy through wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage sources; and engages in shipping activities. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  A deal conferring a set of BP's (NYSE: BP  ) American assets to Tesoro (NYSE: TSO  ) has been finalized. The latter is the owner of the petroleum giant's now-former refinery in Carson, near Los Angeles, and a network of more than 800 retail stations. It also gains control of the related logistical and marketing assets in the region. All told, the value of the deal is roughly $2.4 billion.�

• [By The Specialist]

  On April 20, 2010 eleven men lost their lives, 10 of them with children, in the worst manmade environmental disaster in history. The ripple effect of the disaster began with these men and spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Now it's being felt in BP's (BP) wallet at an accelerating and alarming rate due to the business economic loss claims from its oil spill settlement.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In Halliburton's earnings report, watch for management to comment on the status of the now-ended initial phase of the Gulf oil spill trial. The amount of potential liability for BP (NYSE: BP  ) , Transocean, and Halliburton still hangs over the companies, and while a full resolution will likely take years, any positive signs toward a final settlement for Halliburton could set the stage for a new wave of optimism.

Top 10 Restaurant Companies To Own For 2015: Aegon NV(AEG)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

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

  Cheap Stocks to Buy: Aegon (AEG)

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

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2015: TotalFinaElf S.A.(TOT)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Cost of capital is key
  The other differentiator Werner thinks SunPower has over SolarCity is in cost of capital. Total (NYSE: TOT  ) owns 66% of SunPower and the oil giant allows SunPower to borrow at lower costs than SolarCity, or at least that's the theory.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Lesson learned
  The financial situation at Amyris is less than enviable. Whereas fellow industrial biotech company Solazyme has hit every major milestone and had no problem raising funds, Amyris has had to take the more dilutive route for shareholders. Still, large commercial partners Total (NYSE: TOT  ) and Cosan (NYSE: CZZ  ) haven't backed down in their support of the company. Total upped its investment in Amyris during several rough patches in the past year after incurring significant paper losses on the roughly 20% stake in the company. Total even has its own webpage for the partnership, which speaks to its long-term vision for Amyris' platform, especially in renewable diesel.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  For instance, Total SA (NYSE: TOT  ) recently abandoned its Voyageur Upgrader project, deciding to sell its 49% stake in the project to its joint-venture partner, Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU  ) , for $500 million. Total defended the move to scrap Voyageur ��a 200,000-barrels-a-day facility designed to "upgrade" bitumen into crude oil ��by saying that it was "no longer justified from a strategic and economic" standpoint.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  SunPower is back in the money after the company sold a 60% stake to Total S.A. (NYSE: TOT) for $23.25 a share in the summer of 2011. Shares are trading at around $23.50 at noon on Monday, after peaking at over $28 in late July. It�� not hard to imagine that Total may want to shed SunPower, either through a sale or a spin-off. What�� a bit harder to imagine is that there�� a buyer lurking in the weeds.

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2015: Aercap Holdings N.V. (AER)

AerCap Holdings N.V., through its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated aviation company worldwide. It engages in leasing and trading aircraft and engines; and selling parts. The company also provides aircraft management services, as well as aircraft and limited engine MRO services, and aircraft disassembly services through its repair stations. In addition, it offers aircraft services, including remarketing aircraft; collecting rental and maintenance payments, monitoring aircraft maintenance, monitoring and enforcing contract compliance, and accepting delivery and redelivery of aircraft; conducting ongoing lessee financial performance reviews; inspecting the leased aircraft; coordinating technical modifications to aircraft to meet new lessee requirements; conducting restructurings negotiations in connection with lease defaults; repossessing aircraft; arranging and monitoring insurance coverage; registering and de-registering aircraft; arranging for aircraft and aircraft engine valuations; and providing market research. The company?s management services include leasing and remarketing, cash management and treasury, technical advisory, and accounting and administrative services. As of March 31, 2011, it owned 272 aircraft and 95 engines, which it leased under operating leases to 118 lessees in 53 countries. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Schiphol, the Netherlands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  More than two years ago, American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering (IPO) in its aircraft leasing group, International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC). That filing came to nothing, and AIG found little interest from buyers for ILFC, until Monday morning when it announced that AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE: AER) will buy the leasing operation for $3 billion in cash and 97.56 million shares of new AerCap stock. The total value of the deal is approximately $5.4 billion.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Finally. Finally American International Group (AIG) has disposed of its ILFC unit by selling it to AerCap Holdings (AER).

  Bloomberg News

  The Wall Street Journal has the details on the deal:

Best European Stocks To Invest In 2015: Telefonica SA(TEF)

Telefonica, S.A. provides fixed and mobile telephony services primarily in Spain, rest of Europe, and Latin America. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone; local, domestic, and international long distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; video telephony; supplementary and business-oriented value-added services; network services; leasing and sale of handset equipment; and telephony information services. The company?s Internet and broadband multimedia services comprise Internet service provider service; portal and network services; retail and wholesale broadband access; narrowband switched access to Internet; naked ADSL, a broadband connection; residential-oriented value-added services; companies-oriented value-added services; television services, such as IPTV, cable television, and satellite television; and Fiber to the Home, a service for high speed Internet access and digital video recording. Its data and business-solutions services principally include leased lines; virtual private network services; fiber optics services; the provision of hosting and application; outsourcing and consultancy services; desktop services; and system integration and professional services. The company?s wholesale services for telecommunication operators primarily comprise domestic interconnection services; international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators? network deployment; local loop leasing under the unbundled local loop regulation framework; and bit stream services. It also offers various mobile and related services and products that include mobile voice services, value added services, mobile data and Internet services, wholesale services, corporate services, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. The company has a strategic alliance with China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited. Telefonica, S.A. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spai n.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Hill, Jason Moser, and Eric Bleeker, CFA]

  Reports last week out of Spain indicated that AT&T (NYSE: T  ) �was looking at making an offer to�Telefonica (NYSE: TEF  ) �valued at $93 billion. According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo,�the sale didn't proceed in part because of governmental concerns over having a foreign company buy the country's most valuable telecom player. Yet even if AT&T and Telefonica aren't met to be, there is ample evidence that America's dominant mobile companies have begun looking abroad for growth.

• [By Amy Thomson]

  AT&T has examined takeover candidates including Vodafone�� assets, U.K. mobile carrier EE -- a venture of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) and Orange SA (ORA) -- and parts of Spain�� Telefonica SA (TEF), people familiar with the company�� plans said in June. AT&T is attracted to Europe because of its relatively recent introduction of faster, fourth-generation networks, which have been available for years in the U.S.

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  No go as yet for AT&T
  As for U.S. No. 2 wireless company AT&T, last week Bloomberg reported knowledgeable people saying it has been holding talks with Telefonica (NYSE: TEF  ) to buy a significant part of the Spanish telecom, or some of its other foreign assets.

Best Small Cap Companies To Invest In Right Now

Best Small Cap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Petroquest Energy Inc(PQ)

PetroQuest Energy, Inc. operates as an independent oil and gas company. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of oil and gas properties in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas, as well as onshore and in the shallow waters offshore the Gulf Coast Basin. As of December 31, 2009, the company had estimated proved reserves of 1,931 thousand barrels of oil and 167,361 million cubic feet equivalent of natural gas. It owned working interests in 9 net producing oil wells and 277 net producing gas wells. PetroQuest Energy was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  PetroQuest Energy Inc. (NYSE: PQ) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at J.P. Morgan.

  Rubicon Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: RBCN) was downgraded to Underperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/best-small-cap-companies-to-invest-in-right-now.html

Hot Canadian Stocks To Watch For 2015

Hot Canadian Stocks To Watch For 2015: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company ! is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Associated Press]

  Ron Brown, head of Elektron Analytics, a Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) unit that sells news feeds that computers can read, said that the words "explosions" or "Obama" alone wouldn't have triggered selling. But add "White House," and it's a combination even the slowest computer couldn't miss.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) has acquired Canadian trademark search, monitoring, and screening firm Onscope, Thomson announced Tuesday.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Thomson Reuters (TRI)

  On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature an upgrade for Thomson Reuters Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) , a new buy rating for Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX  ) -- but for Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , a downgrade. Let's get that bad news out of the way first.

source from Top Penny Stocks For 2015:http://www.seekpennystocks.com/hot-canadian-stocks-to-watch-for-2015.html

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, unmanned aerial vehicle specialist AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at AeroVironment and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

AeroVironment facts

Headquarters (founded)

Monrovia, Calif. (1971)

Market Cap

$457.5 million

Industry

Aerospace and defense

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$240.2 million

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now: Energizer Holdings Inc (ENR)

Energizer Holdings, Inc. (Energizer), incorporated on September 23, 1999, is the manufacturer and marketer of primary batteries, portable lighting and personal care products in the wet shave, skin care, feminine care and infant care categories. The Company manufactures and sells products in five product categories: wet shave, skin care, feminine care, infant care, battery and portable lighting products. On October 23, 2013, it completed the acquisition of the Stayfree pad, Carefree liner and o.b. tampon feminine hygiene brands in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean from McNeil PPC, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, Inc., members of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies.

Personal Care

The Personal Care division includes wet shave products sold under the Schick, Wilkinson Sword, Edge, Skintimate and Personna brand names, skin care products sold under the Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Wet Ones and Playtex brand names, and feminine care and infant care products sold under the Playtex and Diaper Genie brand names globally. The Company manufactures and distributes Schick and Wilkinson Sword razor systems, composed of razor handles and refillable blades, and disposable shave products for men and women. The Company markets its wet shave products globally. The Company also manufactures, distributes and sells a complete line of private label and value-priced wet shaving disposable razors, shaving systems and replacement blades. These wet shave products are sold primarily under a retailer's store name or under value brand names such as Personna and GEM.

Household Products

Energizer's Household Products division manufactures and markets product portfolios in household batteries, specialty batteries and lighting products. In household batteries, the Company offers batteries using carbon zinc, alkaline, rechargeable and lithium technologies. The Company distributes its portfolio of household and specialty batteries and portable lighting products th! rough a global distribution network, which also provides a platform for the distribution of its personal care products.

The Company competes with Duracell International, Inc., Panasonic Corporation, Procter & Gamble Company, Bic Group, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Merck & Co., Inc. and Johnson & Johnson.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Energizer Holdings (ENR) shed 5.9% to $96.15. The company on Wednesday said its fiscal first-quarter profit slumped to $1.71 a share from $129.8 million in the year-earlier period. Excluding charges, earnings fell to $2.10 a share from $2.20 a share. The company best known for batteries also cut its full-year profit target to $7 a share to $7.25 a share, The Wall Street Journal said.

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now: SK TELECOM ADR EACH REP 1/9 KRW500(CIT)

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. provides wireless telecommunications services using code division multiple access (CDMA) and wide-band CDMA technologies. It offers cellular voice services, such as wireless voice transmission services; and wireless global roaming services. The company also provides wireless data transmission services, such as wireless Internet access services, which allow subscribers to access online digital contents and services, as well as to send and receive text and multimedia messages. In addition, it offers broadband Internet and fixed-line telephone services, such as video-on-demand and IP TV services; and local, domestic, and international long-distance fixed-line telephone services to residential and commercial subscribers. Further, the company provides wireless entertainment-related contents and services, wireless finance-related contents and m-commerce services, and wireless news and search services; and international calling services, such as direct-dial, pre and post paid card calling services, bundled services for corporate customers, voice services using Internet protocol, Web-to-phone services, and data services. Additionally, it offers satellite digital media broadcasting services; telematics services; and fixed-line and online community portal services. The company also operates 11th Street, an online shopping mall; and T Store, an online open marketplace for mobile applications. As of March 31, 2011, SK Telecom Co. had 26 million wireless subscribers. It has strategic alliances with Bridge Alliance; Orange SA; Telecom Italia Mobile S.p.A.; T-Mobile International AG & Co; and Teliasonera Mobile Networks AB. The company was formerly known as Korea Mobile Telecommunications Co., Ltd. and changed its name to SK Telecom Co., Ltd. in March 1997. SK Telecom Co., Ltd. was founded in 1984 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By George Acs]

  It ended with The New York Post, a one time legitimate newspaper suggesting that J.C. Penney (JCP) had lost the support of CIT (CIT), the largest commercial lender in the apparel industry, which is lead by the charisma challenged past CEO of The NYSE (NYX) and Merrill Lynch, who reportedly knows credit risk as much as he knows outrageously expensive waiting room and office furniture.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

   

  CIT Group (CIT) has been stuck in a trading range since the start of July, churning sideways at the same time that the S&P was broadly pushing higher. But with shares testing a key resistance level this week, CIT could be about to make a big directional move again.

  The sideways churn in CIT is caused by a rectangle pattern, a consolidation setup that's formed by a horizontal resistance level above shares at $51 and horizontal support at $47. The rectangle gets its name because it basically "boxes in" shares of a stock -- the break outside of the box is the trade to take. So, if LKQ pushes above $51, then it's time to buy. Upside looks like the more likely outcome from here; since CIT's price action leading up to the rectangle in early 2013 was bullish, it's more likely to break out from the setup to the upside.

  Kraft is committing a cardinal sin when it comes to relative strength. With a market that's correcting in December, relative strength is the single most important technical indicator to use with price -- and KRFT's RS line turned bullish months ago with no signs of strength.

  This food stock is lagging the market big time, and not just because of a shape on a chart.

  Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of buyers and sellers. Triangles and the other setups we've looked at are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

  That support level at $52 is a price where there had been an excess of demand of shares; in other words, it's a place where buyers were more eager to step in and buy shares at a lower price than sellers were to sell. That's what makes a breakdown below $52 so significant -- the move would indicate that sellers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess demand above that price level. Wait for that trigge

• [By Rich Smith]

  What does it mean to you?
  If you are a shareholder, GE's earnings report contains quite a few good tidings. Already, GE is showing its strongest revenue growth (9% in Q2) in its two most profitable business segments: oil and gas (14% operating profit margin), and aviation (16% margin). New engines to power Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) and Airbus aircraft are (literally) flying off the shelves, as airlines such as AirAsia and United Airlines (NYSE: UAL  ) , and airplane lessors including CIT Group (NYSE: CIT  ) pay up to outfit their new planes.

Top High Dividend Companies To Own In Right Now: Stryker Corporation(SYK)

Stryker Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a medical technology company worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Reconstructive, MedSurg, and Neurotechnology and Spine. The Reconstructive segment offers orthopaedic reconstructive (hip and knee) and trauma implant systems, as well as other related products. The MedSurg segment provides surgical equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and communications systems; patient handling and emergency medical equipment; and other related products. The Neurotechnology and Spine segment offers neurovascular products, spinal implant systems, and other related products. The company sells its products through local dealers and direct sales force to doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, as well as through third-party dealers and distributors in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Japan, Canada, the Pacific region, and the Latin America region. Stryker Corporat ion was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Despite all this, however, leading orthopedics firms have pushed on. Companies such as Stryker (NYSE: SYK  ) and Zimmer Holdings (NYSE: ZMH  ) have shown signs of hope for investors even while dealing with problems such as device recalls, but is this enough to warrant your investment in the orthopedics industry? Motley Fool contributor Dan Carroll and health care analyst Max Macaluso discuss what you need to know about this industry in the video below.

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday, small cap medical robotics stock MAKO Surgical Corp (NASDAQ: MAKO) soared 82.19% after it was announced that Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) would acquire it���meaning it might be time to take a closer look at large cap medical robotics leader Intuitive Surgical, Inc (NASDAQ: ISRG) along with small caps Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) and Hansen Medical, Inc (NASDAQ: HNSN). MAKO Surgical Corp�markets both its RIO Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System and proprietary RESTORIS family of implants to surgeons for a procedure called MAKOplastythat provides a less invasive method for knee resurfacing and a new procedure for Total Hip Arthroplasty.�Stryker Corporation, whose medical technologies include reconstructive, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products, agreed to pay $1.65 billion or $30 a share for a massive 86%�premium for MAKO Surgical Corp. That�� sounds great for investors unless you are an investor who go in the stock back in 2011 and early 2012 when shares hit as high as the�$43 level.

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now: Credit Lyonnais SA (CLP)

Cr茅dit Lyonnais Group is engaged in retail financial services, asset management and investment and corporate banking. The Company's banking activities include personal banking, professional and small business banking, e-banking and middle market banking. The Company offers cash management and associated services, international business, advisory services and corporate finance. Its asset management services are involved in mutual funds, institutional clients and defining the investment strategy for the domestic private banking unit. The Company also offers structured finance, export finance and international trade finance. Cr茅dit Lyonnais has a network of 1,834 branches in France and operations in 55 countries worldwide. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Multifamily real estate investment trust�Colonial Properties Trust (NYSE: CLP  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.21 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past two quarters after raising the payout 17% from $0.18 per share.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Apartment-only real estate investment trust�Mid-America Apartment Communities� (NYSE: MAA  ) once again is snapping up properties, this time announcing Monday that it is adding�multifamily housing operator Colonial Properties Trust (NYSE: CLP  ) to its portfolio in an $8.6 billion transaction.�

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now: Frontier Communications Company(FTR)

Frontier Communications Corporation, a communications company, provides regulated and unregulated voice, data, and video services to residential, business, and wholesale customers in the United States. It offers local and long distance voice services, including basic telephone wireline services to residential and business customers; switched access services that allow other carriers to use the facilities to originate and terminate their long distance voice and data traffic; and directory services that provide white and yellow page directories for residential and business listings. The company also provides data and Internet services, which include residential services comprising high-speed Internet, dial up Internet, portal and e-mail products, and hard drive back-up services; and commercial and carriers services, such as metro Ethernet; dedicated Internet; Internet protocol, optical, multiprotocol label switching, and TDM data transport services. In addition, it offers di rect broadcast satellite services and fiber optic video services, as well as provides online access to video content, entertainment, and news available on the worldwide Web through its Web site myfitv.com. The company was formerly known as Citizens Communications Company and changed its name to Frontier Communications Corporation in July 2008. Frontier Communications Corporation was founded in 1927 and is based in Stamford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR  ) has announced its latest dividend payout as it reports an 80% boost in net income in its just-released quarterly results.

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now: National Bank of Greece SA (NBG)

National Bank of Greece S.A. (the Bank), incorporated on March 30, 1841, is a Greece-based financial institution. It offers a range of integrated financial services, including corporate and investment banking, retail banking (including mortgage lending), leasing, stock brokerage, asset management and venture capital, insurance, real estate and consulting services. In addition, the Company is involved in various other businesses, including hotel and property management, real estate and information technology (IT) consulting. On May 19, 2009, the Bank established Ethniki Factors S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary. On June 8, 2009, Finansbank A.S. established Finans Faktoring Hizmetleri A.S. (Finans Factoring), a wholly owned subsidiary. On June 30, 2009, NBG Luxemburg Holding S.A. and NBG Luxfinance Holding S.A. were merged to NBG Asset Management Luxemburg S.A. On January 18, 2010, the Bank acquired 35% of the share capital of AKTOR FM. On October 16, 2009, United Bulgarian Bank A.D. (UBB) established UBB Factoring E.O.O.D., a wholly owned subsidiary of UBB. On September 15, 2009, the Bank disposed of its investment in Phosphoric Fertilizers Industry S.A.

At December 31, 2009, the Bank operated in Greece through 575 branches, one private banking unit, one unit for financial institutions and 10 specialized banking units that deal exclusively with troubled and non-performing loans. At December 31, 2009, the Bank had over 1500 automated teller machines (ATMs).

Retail Banking

The Bank offers retail customers a number of different types of deposit and investment products, as well as a range of services and products. The Bank offers a range of mortgage products, with floating, fixed, or a combination of fixed and floating interest rates. In February 2009, the Bank introduced a new floating rate product, the ESTIA MIKTO with flexible payment terms. In addition to fire and earthquake property insurance, the Bank offers an optional life insurance plan together with mortgage! s.

The Small Business Lending Unit (SBL Unit) a part of the Bank's retail banking division consists of three credit centers situated in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patrastail. The SBL Unit offers term loans geared towards medium and long-term working capital needs for the financing of asset purchases.

Corporate and Investment Banking

The Bank offers corporate accounts with overdraft facilities, foreign currency loans, variable rate loans, and currency swaps and options for corporate customers. The Bank's commercial loan portfolio in Greece comprises approximately 50,000 corporate clients, including small and medium sized enterprises. It offers the corporate clients a range of products and services, including financial and investment advisory services, deposit accounts, loans denominated in euro and other currencies, foreign exchange services, insurance products, custody arrangements and trade finance services. The Bank lends primarily in the form of credit lines, which are generally at variable rates of interest with payment terms of up to 12 months. In addition, the Bank provides letters of credit and guarantees for its clients.

The Bank�� shipping finance and syndicated loan portfolio consists of first-tier shipping groups involved in diversified shipping activities. The Bank provided project finance advisory services to the Hellenic Republic on two infrastructure projects: the new Attica Motorway and Kasteli International Airport.

Global Markets & Asset Management

The treasury activities provided by the Bank and its subsidiaries include

Greek and other sovereign securities trading, foreign exchange trading, interbank lending and borrowing in euro and other currency placements/ deposits, forward rate agreement trading, repurchase agreements, corporate bonds, and derivative products, such as options and interest rate and currency swaps. The Bank also conducts a portion of its treasury activities through its subsidia! ry CPT. A! s at December 31, 2009; CPT's portfolio comprised Greek government bonds and corporate bonds, with a total value of EUR 1.8 billion.

The Bank offers its private banking services both domestically and internationally from its international private banking units in London. The Bank offers custodian services to its foreign and domestic institutional clients who hold equity securities listed on the ATHEX or listed Greek State debt, as well as remote settlement and custody services on the Cyprus Stock Exchange. The Bank offers trade settlements, safekeeping of securities, corporate action processing, income collection, proxy voting, tax reclamation, brokerage services, customized reporting, regular market flashes and information services. The Bank also acts as global custodian to its domestic institutional clients who invest in securities outside of Greece.

The domestic fund management business is operated by NBG Asset Management, which is wholly owned by the Group. NBG Asset Management manages funds that are made available to customers through the Bank's extensive branch network. As at December 31, 2009, NBG Asset Management's total assets under management were EUR 1.9 billion.

National Securities S.A offers a range of investment services to both individual and institutional customers. In September 2009, National Securities S.A. opened a branch in Nicosia, Cyprus, to provide brokerage services to local private investors.

Turkish Operations

The Bank�� Turkish operations include the Finansbank group of companies and NBG Bank (Malta) Ltd. Finansbank's group of companies includes Finans Invest, Finans Leasing, Finans Portfolio Management, Finans Investment Trust, Finans Factoring, IBTech, Finans Pension, and Finans Consumer Finance. As at December 31, 2009, Finansbank operated through a network of 461 branches in 60 cities.

Finansbank Corporate Banking serves corporations through its eight branches in the four cities in Turkey.! Finansba! nk Commercial Banking serves medium-sized companies located in 23 cities in Turkey through its head office, four regional offices (three in Istanbul and one in Ankara) and a distribution network, which includes 61 branches.

Finansbank Investment Banking consists of project finance, corporate finance and technical consulting. Investment Banking acts as a client relations specialist while providing medium to long-term loans and other products. Finansbank Private Banking has been providing investment products and asset management services to individuals through eight private banking centers and 28 private banking corners located in Finansbank's branches in the cities throughout Turkey.

International

The Bank's international operations include the Bank's branches in Albania, Egypt and Cyprus, as well as banking subsidiaries in six countries: NBG Cyprus; Stopanska Banka A.D. in FYROM; United Bulgarian Bank A.D. in Bulgaria; Banca Romaneasca S.A., in Romania; Vojvodjanska in Serbia; and the South African Bank of Athens, as well as other subsidiaries, primarily in the leasing sector. As at December 31, 2009, the Bank had foreign branches in four countries, including one in the United Kingdom, 30 in Albania, one in Cyprus, 15 in Egypt and one in Guernsey (which closed early in 2010).

Insurance

The Bank provides insurance services to individuals and companies through the wholly owned subsidiary Ethniki Insurance Group (EI) and Finans Pension. EI offers a range of products such as life, accident and health insurance for individuals and groups, fire, catastrophe, credit, motor, marine hull and cargo insurance, and general third party liability. EI operates through a network of 2,850 tied agents and 2,620 independent insurance brokers, in addition to selling bancassurance products through the Bank's network. EI provides bancassurance products through our insurance brokerage subsidiary NBG Bancassurance S.A. (NBGB), which assumes no insurance underwr! iting ris! k, and the Bank's extensive network in Greece.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  What do Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHTP), National Bank of Greece (NYSE:NBG), and Walter Energy, Inc. (NYSE:WLT) have in common. They all have charts worth a much closer look right now. That's not to say they're all dropping the same bullish hint. In fact, WLT, NBG, and CHTP are all dropping distinctly-different hints as to their likely near-term future. But, trading action is trading action no matter which direction it's in. Take a look.
  
  Yes: Truth be told, shares of the National Bank of Greece have been working on a rally for a while. It's only been recently, however, that NBG has made it clear it's not going to give up. The stock crossed above the 100-day moving average line (gray) early in the month, and has continued to peel away. Yes, National Bank of Greece hit something of a soft patch last week, but the 20-day moving average line (blue) has since stepped up to the plate as a technical floor, rekindling the uptrend yesterday day and today. Perhaps most bullish of all is the fact that NBG has started to increase volume on the way up, after it cleared the 100-day moving average line,

• [By David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer]

  The broader market was trading roughly flat in the early hours of trading today, but a few financial stocks were still moving higher. National Bank of Greece (NYSE: NBG  ) continued its�meteoric rise over the past 30 days, and MBIA (NYSE: MBI  ) investors are still reveling over the settlement with Bank of America.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

   

  Nearest Resistance: $3��br>Nearest Support: $2.90��br>Catalyst: Technical Setup

  National Bank of Greece (NBG) has had a challenging run in 2014: since the start of the year, the big Greek bank has nearly been halved. Most recently, shares of NBG got hit last week after economic data from Athens indicated that the Greek economy shrank 1.1% in the first quarter. The data was enough to spark a double-digit selloff in shares of NBG.

  From a technical standpoint, there's no question that NBG's chart is broken. Shares may be bouncing off of support at $2.90, but an abundance of resistance levels makes this setup best avoided until buyers can establish some semblance of support again.

• [By Sean Williams]

  For investors with more of a penchant for risk who are willing to bet against individual companies, they might consider angling a short sale against a large EU banking giant such as Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN  ) �or focus on a Greece-based bank like the National Bank of Greece (NYSE: NBG  ) .

Hot Heal Care Companies To Own In Right Now: Dresser-Rand Group Inc (DRC)

Dresser-Rand Group Inc., incorporated on October 1,2004, is a global supplier of of custom-engineered rotating equipment solutions for long-life, critical applications in the oil, gas, chemical, petrochemical, process, power generation, military and other industries worldwide. Its rotating equipment is also supplied to the environmental solutions market space within energy infrastructure. It designs, manufactures and markets engineered rotating equipment and provide services to the worldwide oil, gas, petrochemical, power generation, environmental solutions and industrial process industries. In July 2012, the Company acquired compressed air energy storage property.

The Company has two segments: new units and aftermarket parts. New units are predominately engineered solutions to new requests from clients. New units also include standardized equipment such as engines and single stage steam turbines. The segment includes engineering, manufacturing, packaging, testing, sales and administrative support. Aftermarket parts and services consist of support solutions for the existing population of installed equipment and the operation and maintenance of several types of energy plants. The segment includes engineering, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, start-up and other field services, repairs, overhauls, refurbishment, sales and administrative support.

The Company's products and services are used in oil and gas applications that include hydrogen recycle, make-up, wet gas and other applications for the refining industry; cracked gas, propylene and ethylene compression for petrochemical facilities; ammonia syngas, refrigeration, and carbon dioxide compression for fertilizer production; a number of compression duties for chemical plants; gas gathering, export, lift and re-injection of natural gas or carbon dioxide (CO2) to meet regulatory requirements or for oil field enhanced recovery in the upstream market; gas processing, main refrigeration compression and a variety of other! duties required in the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG); gas processing duties, storage and pipeline transmission compression for the midstream market; synthetic fuels; and steam turbine power generation for floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels as well as power generation or mechanical drive duties for a variety of compression and pumping applications in the oil and gas market. It is also a supplier of diesel and gas engines that provides customized energy solutions across worldwide energy infrastructure markets based upon reciprocating engine power systems technologies.

The Company's custom-engineered products are also used in other advanced applications in the environmental markets it serves. These applications use renewable energy sources, reduce carbon footprint, recover energy and/or energy efficiency. These products include, among others, compression technologies for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS); hot gas turbo-expanders for energy recovery in refineries and certain chemical facilities; co- and tri-generation combined heat and power (CHP) packages for institutional and other clients; and a number of steam turbine applications to generate power using steam produced by recovering exhaust heat from the main engines in ships, recovering heat from mining and metals production facilities and exhaust heat recovery from gas turbines in on-shore and off-shore sites.

It provides an array of products and services to its worldwide client base in over 150 countries from its global locations in 18 United States and 32 countries (over 76 sales offices, 49 service and support centers, including six engineering and research and development centers, and 13 manufacturing locations). Its clients include, among others, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Dow Chemical Company, ExxonMobil, Gazprom, LUKOIL, Marathon Petroleum Company, PDVSA, Pemex, Petrobras, PetroChina, Petronas, Repsol, Royal Dutch Shell, SBM, Saudi Aramco, Statoil, Total and Turkmengaz.

!

New Units

The Company is a manufacturer of engineered turbo and reciprocating compression equipment and steam turbines. It is also a manufacture power turbines; special-purpose gas turbines; hot gas expanders; gas and diesel engines; trip, trip throttle and non-return valves; magnetic bearings and control systems. Its new unit products are built to client specifications for long-life, critical applications. It is a supplier of turbo machinery for the energy infrastructure markets worldwide. Applications for its turbo products include gas gathering, lift, export and injection; CO2 compression for enhanced oil recovery; storage and transmission; synthetic fuels; ethylene and fertilizer production; refineries and chemical production; CCS and CAES. In addition, it offers a variety of gas and power turbines covering a power range from approximately 1.5 megawatts to more than 50 MW, which support driver needs for various centrifugal compressor product lines, as well as for power generation applications. It also offers control systems for its centrifugal compressors.

It is a supplier of reciprocating compressors, offering products ranging from medium to high-speed separable units driven by engines or electric motors, to slow speed motor driven process reciprocating compressors. It is a supplier of standard and engineered mechanical drive steam turbines and turbine generator sets. Its steam turbine models cover a power range from a few kilowatts up to 75MW, are available for high inlet steam pressure and temperature conditions, with or without induction and/or extraction sections and in condensing or back-pressure designs. These units are used primarily to drive pumps, fans, blowers, generators and compressors. It is a supplier of diesel, gas and dual fuel internal combustion reciprocating engines. Its Guascor engines cover a power range of up to 1.5 megawatts. Guascor engines are used in 1) industrial applications and power generation, 2) marine propulsion and auxiliary genera! tion, and! 3) environmental solutions, CHP and bioenergy (waste water treatment plant, landfill and biogas generation).

Aftermarket Parts and Services

Aftermarket parts and services segment provides them with long-term growth opportunities. Aftermarket parts and services are generally less sensitive to business cycles than the new units segment, although revenues and bookings tend to be higher in the second half of the year. With a typical operating life of 30 years or more, rotating equipment requires substantial aftermarket parts and services over its operating life. Parts and services activities realize higher margins than new unit sales. Additionally, the cumulative revenues from these aftermarket activities often exceed the initial purchase price of the unit. Its aftermarket parts and services business offers a range of services designed to enable clients to maximize their return on assets by optimizing the performance of their mission-critical rotating equipment. It offers a broad range of aftermarket parts and services, including: replacement parts, field service turnaround, service and repair, operation and maintenance contracts, rotor / spare parts storage, condition monitoring, controls retrofit, site / reliability audits, remote area energy solutions, equipment repair and rerates, equipment installation, applied technology, long-term service agreements, special coatings / weldings, product training, turnkey installation / project management and energy asset management.

The Company competes with GE Oil & Gas, Solar Turbines, Inc., MAN Diesel & Turbo, Siemens, Rolls-Royce Energy, Elliott Company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Burckhardt Compression, Neuman & Esser Group, Ariel Corp., Howden Thomassen Compressors BV and Mitsui & Co., Ltd, Elliott Company, Shin Nippon Machinery Co. Ltd, GE/Jenbacher, Caterpillar and Cummins.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  Anglogold Ashanti Limited is a gold exploration, mining and marketing company with a portfolio of operations and projects on four continents. The company is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has 21 operations in 10 countries. Major development projects include: Tropicana located in Australia; Kibali in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and La Colosa in Colombia. The company's exploration programs extend to 12 countries, in both established and new gold-producing regions.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Dresser-Rand Group (NYSE: DRC) were down 9.49 percent to $53.13 after the company announced its plans to suspend operations at its pig manure treatment facilities in Spain due to a proposed Spanish regulation. Natixis downgraded the stock from Neutral to Reduce.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own For 2015

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own For 2015: Actelion Ltd (ATLN.VX)

Actelion Ltd is a Swiss biopharmaceutical holding company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule drugs. The Company has four approved drugs on the market: Tracleer, an oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist; Veletri, a prostanoid vasodilator; Ventavis, an inhaled formulation of iloprost, and Zavesca, an oral treatment for type 1 Gaucher disease. Furthermore, the Company has a number of compounds various stages of development. The Company operates through a number of worldwide subsidiaries, including Actelion Registration Ltd, which holds marketing authorizations for products marketed in the European Union; Actelion Clinical Research, Inc, engaged in clinical development on behalf of the Company's group; Actelion Re SA, providing insurance solutions for the Company's group and Actelion US Holding Company, engaged in the holding activities of the Company's United States-based units. In September 2013, it acquired Ceptaris Therapeuti cs, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Forest Laboratories has a current ratio of 2.69% which is higher than the ones registered by Endo International Plc (ENDP), Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST). For investors looking for a higher ROE, Allergan Inc. (AGN) and Actelion Ltd. (ATLN.VX) are good options.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-shipping-stocks-to-own-for-2015.html

Rethink your finances and retirement risks

Maybe the best way to save for retirement is to actually start budgeting for a short bout of insecurity. Or lots of insecurity.

The looming pension cuts — on top of higher health care costs — facing City of Detroit retirees should give anyone reason to reconsider their retirement risks.

What would you do if you suddenly faced extra health care expenses of $400 or more a month? Or if you suddenly lost $600 a month, as some Detroit retirees faced by an annuity clawback will do, as the city works its way out of bankruptcy.

Sometimes, what looks like a healthy nest egg could easily be scrambled into an ugly mess.

To be sure, record highs for the Dow Jones industrial average in recent weeks make many consumers overall feel more comfortable about having enough money in retirement. Some people's confidence can rebound with stock prices.

About 18% of workers nationwide are now very confident, up from 13% in 2013, about having enough money for a comfortable retirement, according to a 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey released in March by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

But here's the catch: The increased confidence was found almost exclusively among those with higher household income and strongly correlated with whether someone had a retirement plan or retirement savings.

Nearly half of workers without a retirement plan were not at all confident about their financial security in retirement.

Many workers had little or no savings for retirement.

Among workers providing savings data for the survey, about 36% said they had less than $1,000 in savings. Many of those households earned less than $35,000 a year in income.

Not having enough savings is only one side of the story.

Hot Chemical Companies To Own In Right Now

Many seniors now also have more debt in their retirement years than they expected.

Older consumers are carrying more mo! rtgage debt than they had in the past, according to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Much of that mortgage debt is attributed to the refinancing boom — and the housing bust.

About 30% of homeowners age 65 and older carried a mortgage in 2011, the most recent data available. That's up from 22% in 2001.

For those ages 75 and older, the rate is 21.2%, up from 8.4% in 2001.

"A home can be a place of security for older Americans in their retirement years — a roof over their heads as well as a valuable asset," said Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in a statement.

"But as more seniors carry significant mortgages into retirement, they put themselves at risk of losing their nest eggs and their homes."

The median amount that older homeowners owed on their mortgages was $79,000 — up 82% from about $43,000 in 2001.

A dramatic drop in home values, and a slow climb back, cut into home equity and contributes to more financial insecurity, too. Older consumers can be at greater financial risk when they have built up less equity in their homes, which can be their primary or even only asset.

Delinquency and foreclosure are significant issues among a small group of older homeowners, according to the consumer watchdog group. Nearly 5% of homeowners ages 65 to 74 were seriously delinquent in paying their mortgages, meaning they were more than 90 days late or in foreclosure, in 2011. That's up from 0.85% in 2007.

What is clear is that it is not enough to simply create a bucket list of things to do in retirement. More of us need to re-examine our bills, spending habits and get a retirement rainy day fund. All too often, it does not work out as planned.

Obviously, it's tougher to get a job, overcome health issues and pay medical bills, as well as difficult to recover from an economic setback in retirement than when one is younger.

The consumer watchdog group suggested homeowners try to pay off the mortgage ! by retire! ment or early in retirement; avoid taking out a home equity loan or refinancing to dip into equity, and consider their expenses if they're retiring with a mortgage.

The crisis in retirement confidence is very much part of the discussion, as 10,000 baby boomers are to reach retirement age each day for the next 17 years.

While many may discuss delaying retirement, the average American is still retiring at age 59, said Mark Hug, executive vice president of product and marketing at Prudential Insurance of America.

Feeling nervous and ill-prepared about retirement is a common theme across many groups, including women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, he said.

The key is not to give into the fear. Try to form a your own plan of adjustment for retirement expenses.

Contact Susan Tompor at stompor@freepress.com

CFP Board to Investigate CFPs for Inaccurate Comp Disclosure

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards sent a letter Wednesday to all 70,000 CFP certificants explaining a new investigative process the Board will take to identify certificants who inaccurately disclose their compensation methods on the Board website’s “Find a CFP” tool.

Board Chairman Ray Ferrara, CFP, said in an interview Wednesday that the investigation will begin with those who call themselves fee-only advisors “because that’s where there’s the biggest opportunity for confusion and potential abuse.”

The investigation will be conducted, said Ferrara, “on a risk-adjusted basis, randomly” selecting certificants who have ticked the “fee only” box on its website, then consulting information “in the public domain to make sure the compensation they’ve disclosed is what’s consistent with their actual business practices.” That information, said Ferrara, will start with an “informal check-in” with the certificant but will also include “social media, a website, a form ADV, anything else that we could Google” about the certificant.

CEO Kevin Keller said in the same interview that “our real objective is to help facilitate compliance. It’s not to play 'Gotcha!' or catch people doing things wrong but to help them comply with our standards.”

In the letter, the interview and in an op-ed in Investment News, Ferrara admitted that the Board “could have done a better job” in “rolling out our Find a CFP tool, especially when we added compensation as a choice.” He also said that “when we recognized there might be multiple people who did not have the proper box checked” concerning compensation on the site, “we made a decision and took down all 8,000 and sent out a notice, said these are our rules, double check and put yourselves back up in the proper box.” In addition, “at that time we said there would be additional steps taking place, and if we find anyone has still misrepresented their compensation we might open up an investigation.”

The issue with the CFP Board’s compensation came to light first with the departure of former CFP Board Chairman Alan Goldfarb and three other Board members following a sanction over their failure to comply with the Board’s fee-only definition, and most notably via a lawsuit filed by certificants Jeff and Kim Camarda of Camarda Wealth Advisory in Fleming Island, Florida, who also fell short of the Board’s fee-only strictures.

That lawsuit continues, and Ferrara said Tuesday that “with regards to the case … the Board has consistently said that we want to defend this lawsuit vigorously because it goes to the heart of who we are and what we stand for.” Specifically, he said the Board “provided the Camardas with a full and fair process, which was the same process that anyone who has allegations made against them” will receive. The Board’s disciplinary and ethics commission, and the appeals committee “made up of the board of directors agreed” in the Camardas' case “that the rules were broken and we won’t back down from the court case.” /* .premium-promo { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px; float: left; } .premium-promo li, .premium-promo ul { list-style-type: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .premium-promo li { margin: 0 0 10px; padding: 0 0 10px; border-bottom: 1px dotted #ddd; } .premium-promo h3 { text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 11px; } .premium-promo h4 { font-size: 16px; } .premium-promo a { text-decoration: none !important; } .premium-promo .btn { background: #0069a1; border-radius: 4px; display: inline-block; padding: 5px 10px; clear: both; color: #fff; font-weight: bold; } .premium-promo .btn:hover { background: #034c92; } */ In fact, those certificants who are investigated under the Board’s new process and whose compensation is identified as being inconsistent will go through the same process as the Camardas, Ferrara said. If the Board’s investigation finds out that a ‘fee-only’ CFP is, for instance, “licensed with five insurance companies, that will obviously cause us to do a referral to our professional standards department which will begin the normal investigative process and follow the full and fair process that the Camardas and others who have been in the news recently went through.”

In addition to its investigation of CFPs who call themselves fee only, the Board also announced in its letter that it is offering “any company, no matter how large or small, to contact us through their compliance officers” to report any CFPs at their firms who have listed themselves as fee only and are not. “They’ll be taken down, to keep inadvertent errors from occurring.”

Ferrara stressed that “CFP Board is compensation- and business-model neutral,” that “competent and ethical financial planning can be done regardless of business model,” and moreover “that it can be done with the fiduciary standard of care when practicing financial planning. Every professional at all times must put the needs of the clients ahead of his or her own.” 

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Check out How to Break Impasse Over CFP Board’s Comp Disclosure Rules by Michael Kitces on ThinkAdvisor.

A Little-Known Way to Profit from Asia’s Growth

If you aren't investing beyond America's borders, you're missing out on some spectacular opportunities.

Take Asia, for example.

Home to 4.2 billion people—60% of the world's population—Asia generates $18.5 trillion a year and keeps its workforce busy with a low 3.8% unemployment rate.

Last year, Asia's overall GDP grew 7.9%, compared to just 3.6% for the U.S.

Now consider this: Today, Asia has as many millionaires as the U.S.—and it's cranking out new ones much more quickly.

Why Ignoring Asia Is No Longer an Option

With numbers like these, I'm sure you can see why I firmly believe that savvy investors can no longer afford to stay away from Asia.

But don't just take my word for it. Ask Warren Buffett.

In 2008, Buffett made a 500% gain by investing in BYD Company (SEHK: 1211), an electric car factory in China. He made over $1 billion in less than a year—one of his biggest short-term gains to date. Buffett continues to invest in this and other China-based holdings.

But the Asian growth story is so much more than just China. 

Japan has been posting attractive numbers lately. In 2013, the Nikkei 225 index rose over 60%—the biggest gain of any major stock market in the world.

South Korea is home to what's known as the "Miracle on the Han River," which refers to the country's unprecedented growth after the Korean War. Its economy surged from $30 billion in GDP in 1960 to a whopping $1.1 trillion in 2012.

Other Asian countries are following right behind, like India, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Best Investments For 2015

 The bottom line? It's time to acknowledge the fact that all smart investors need to get a foot in the door of the Asian economy. The next 20 years will be a period of historic growth, with significant gains in ex! ports and GDP, while the U.S. faces a slower and slower recovery.

Still, investing directly in Asian countries can be complicated. Breaking news is often unavailable in English, currencies can be volatile and foreign capital gains taxes can be confusing.

But I have great news for you: there's an easy solution to these complications.

A Direct Route to Asia's Best Investments

I've discovered a place where U.S. investors can tap into the incredible profits of the Pan-Asian Pacific without having to learn another language or exchange strange-sounding currencies.

It's a place with steady growth, a solid economy and unique access to Asia. It's English-speaking, but it's a long way from the U.S.

So where am I talking about?

Here are some hints: 

This country's stocks are considered the world's most profitable. Its stock exchange has remained strong for 110 years. Its equity market is the eighth-largest in the world.The World Economic Forum says this country has the fifth-safest banking system in the world (the U.S. is #80).This country has become the world's largest coal exporter. It's also a major exporter of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as minerals, precious metals and uranium.

Best of all, it's a country that gives you all the riches of Asia but is stable enough to guarantee the safety of your money.

This country is Australia.

"Your Best Investment Play on Asian Development"

You don't hear much about it in the U.S., but Australia is hands-down your best investment play on Asian development.

The country's gifts are almost too many to count, but it all boils down to this: it's sitting in Asia's backyard; it's well established; and it's not subject to the ups and downs most Asian countries experience.

What's more, it cranks out a bounty of natural resources, crops and other goods—from wine and spirits to the latest electronic gadgets—that its ever-wealthier nei! ghbors ar! e falling all over themselves to buy.

Take coal.

Despite big investments in nuclear power, China still burns more coal than anywhere else in the world—and demand is growing. According to research firm Wood Mackenzie, Chinese coal use will rise from 1.5 billion metric tons a year today to nearly 2.1 billion by 2030. In comparison, the U.S., the world's second-largest coal market, consumes only 1 billion metric tons a year.

And China is buying its coal from Australia.

Meanwhile, Japan has always relied on imports for its energy. It has next to none of its own, and it's willing to pay a premium for a steady stream of coal, LNG and oil. The Fukushima nuclear disaster has made it a matter of national urgency.

Japan is the world's largest LNG consumer, and it buys 37% of global supplies. It's also the world's second-largest coal importer.

Japan's trillion-yen orders are paid to Australia.

It's no wonder that Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott calls Japan their "closest friend."

But that's not all.

Australia just inked a new free trade agreement with South Korea in December. According to government figures, the deal's effect is so great that Australian exports to South Korea will jump 73% in the next 15 years. 

This breakthrough comes on the heels of similar deals with Hong Kong just a few months ago—and others are expected with China and Japan in the next 10 months.

Your One-Click Strategy for Big Aussie Gains

These deals are precisely why I'm writing you today: to give you a chance to get in prime position now, before they kick in and send a select group of Australian stocks soaring.

The best news? I've put together a brand new special report that helps you do just that.

This one-of-a-kind report reveals 6 stocks with direct exposure to 3 rising Asian countries: China, Japan and South Korea. It gives you everything you need to know about these 6 exciting picks: names, stock sy! mbols, a ! complete breakdown of their operations and more.

Best of all, it's yours free just for taking a no-risk, no-hassle trial to my Australian Edge advisory. This special deal gives you our complete service for 3 full months. You get monthly issues; two portfolios (one conservative and one aggressive) packed with my very best Aussie picks; access to our members-only website; and much more.

But you have to act fast. Due to the time-sensitive opportunities in this report, we're only keeping this offer open for a limited time.

Click here to grab your copy and start your trial now.

Editor's note: Here's what David's readers are saying about Australian Edge:

"I'm a subscriber forever… and for good reason. You saved me from a three-year crash!"
—R. Edwards, Durango, CO

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Discover what these—and many more—investors already know about the profits waiting to be made in the Land Down Under. We can't wait to help you get started. Take the first step by clicking here now.

Is Small Cap Robotics Stock iRobot Corporation (IRBT) About to Short Circuit? ADEP & ROBO

Spruce Point Capital Management, LLC has released a research report about small cap robotics stock iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ: IRBT) entitled "About to Short Circuit," meaning investors should take a closer look at the report, the stock and the performance of robotics peer Adept Technology Inc (NASDAQ: ADEP) and the Robo-Stox Global Robotics & Automation ETF (NASDAQ: ROBO). I should mention that we used to have both Adept Technology and iRobot Corporation in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio because we see the robotics subsector improving as companies aim to reduce overhead and improve efficiencies through machine to machine (M2M) automation.

What is iRobot Corporation?

Founded in 1990 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology roboticists with the vision of making practical robots a reality, small cap iRobot Corporation employs more than 500 of the robotics industry's top professionals - including mechanical, electrical and software engineers and related support staff. iRobot Corporation's home robots help people find smarter ways to clean, its defense & security robots protect those in harm's way and its remote presence robots enable virtual presence from anywhere in the world. These consumer and military robots feature proprietary technologies incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence.

As for potential robotics performance benchmarks or peers, small cap Adept Technology is the largest US-based manufacturer of industrial robots whose intelligent automation product lines include industrial robots, configurable linear modules, machine controllers for robot mechanisms and other flexible automation equipment, machine vision, and systems and applications software while the Robo-Stox Global Robotics & Automation ETF tracks the ROBO-STOX™ Global Robotics and Automation Index, which is designed to measure the performance of robotics-related and/or automation-related companies, through 78 holdings.

What You Need to Know or Be Warned About iRobot Corporation

To begin with, Spruce Point Capital Management, LLC is a firm that "focuses on value and special situation investment opportunities" according to its website while the founder has the following posted as part of his biography:

Mr. Axler is the founder of Spruce Point Capital Management and co-founded Prescience Point Research Group, a short-focused research firm. Mr. Axler is an activist short-seller, forensic financial researcher, and has exposed over $1.0 billion of alleged frauds on the Nasdaq and the NYSE.

In other words, "About to Short Circuit" is just another hit piece from a short seller who will probably make money if the stock goes down (There is also an article on Seeking Alpha from the group with a rather long winded disclaimer that basically says we should assume they are shorting the stock).

With that said, the research report does raise what could be valid concerns for investors which are summarized below:

iRobot Is The Poster Boy For A Robotics Bubble. Covering Up Weakening Fundamentals and Growth Prospects. Signs of Aggressive Accounting. Insider Selling Intensifying Egregious Rigging of Incentive Compensation. IRBT + Analysts Incorrectly Position The Stock. Price Target: $20 -$25 per share >>>25% –40% Downside

However, I am not so sure what robotics bubble Spruce Point Capital Management is talking about because I can think of a number of other potential bubbles out there (e.g. 3D printing, housing, university tuition etc) that are bound to burn investors even more when they pop; nor what the fuss is about over incentive compensation (probably no more piggish than at other publicly traded companies).

The statement "Milking Shareholders For Bad Performance With Outrageous Cash Comp" seems rather harsh for a company that's trading three times higher than it was at the depths of the financial crisis:

Another statement, "Insider Ownership Down From 60% at IPO to Under 5% Today" is rather odd when you consider that the iRobot Corporation IPO occurred on November 9, 2005. The Yahoo! Finance Insiders Transactions page does list a bit of insider or institutional selling:

Net Share Purchase Activity

SharesTrans Insider Purchases - Last 6 Months Purchases N/A 0 Sales 452,889 27 Net Shares Purchased (Sold) (452,889) 27 Total Insider Shares Held 1.61M N/A % Net Shares Purchased (Sold) (21.9%) N/A

 Shares

Net Institutional Purchases - Prior Qtr to Latest Qtr
Net Shares Purchased (Sold)	(2,094,240)
% Change in Institutional Shares Held	(11.21%)

 

But the Yahoo! Finance Major Holders page does show a wide range of institutions remaining as shareholders:

Breakdown

% of Shares Held by All Insider and 5% Owners:	5%
% of Shares Held by Institutional & Mutual Fund Owners:	71%
% of Float Held by Institutional & Mutual Fund Owners:	75%
Number of Institutions Holding Shares:	151

 

Finally and as for aggressive accounting, I should also note that I wrote about the stock after its last earnings report (see: Small Cap Robotics Stock iRobot Corporation (IRBT): A Buy After an Earnings Dip? ADEP & ROBO) where I mentioned post earnings CEO interviews on CNBC and Bloomberg (aggressive accounting was not covered) that would seem to cast doubt on another statement: "Spruce Point Believes IRBT Is No Longer A Robotic Innovator."

Share Performance: iRobot Corporation vs ADEP & ROBO

On Tuesday and despite "About to Short Circuit" already being out there, small cap iRobot Corporation rose 3.37% to $31.88 (IRBT has a 52 week trading range of $28.90 to $48.36 a share) for a market cap of $939.82 million plus the stock is down 9.92% since the start of the year, down 7% over the past year and up 165% over the past five years. Here is a look at the long term performance chart for iRobot Corporation, Adept Technology and Robo-Stox Global Robotics & Automation ETF:

As you can see from the above chart, iRobot Corporation has been a pretty good performer (although its sort of leveled off in recent years) while Adept Technology made a big jump last year and the Robo-Stox Global Robotics & Automation ETF has not been around that long.

Finally, here are the latest technical charts for all three robotics stocks or ETFs:

The Bottom Line. Again, the research report "About to Short Circuit" does come from a firm run by a known short seller – meaning anything they say should be taken with a few grains of salt. Nevertheless, "About to Short Circuit" should be looked over by investors and traders alike who can then form their own opinion about the report's validity. 

SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) recently had open positions in IRBT and ADEP. To find out what other open positions SCN EO currently has, and to learn why so many traders and investors are relying on this premium subscription service, click here to find out more.

This Chart Shows How Huge the Alibaba IPO Will Be

Top 5 Beverage Stocks To Invest In Right Now

The Alibaba IPO was officially filed earlier this month, and analysts estimate that the deal could be the largest initial public offering in U.S. history.

Bloomberg has estimated that the Hong-Kong based e-commerce firm could be valued as high as $168 billion and will be selling a 12% stake in the company through the IPO. That means the company would raise $20.16 billion through its IPO.

That total would outpace the largest U.S. IPO to date, Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), which raised $19.65 billion when it hit the market on March 13, 2008. General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) checks in at No. 3 on the list, having raised $18.14 billion in its 2010 IPO.

With a valuation of $168 billion, Alibaba will still be smaller than Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG, GOOGL), which have market caps of $508 billion and $356 billion, respectively. However, Alibaba's market cap will be bigger than Facebook Inc.'s (Nasdaq: FB) $148 billion, Amazon.com Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AMZN)$136 billion, and eBay Inc.'s (Nasdaq: EBAY) $65 billion.

Note: The IPO market has been frenzied in 2014, with 107 companies hitting the market. Here are the best 8 IPOs on the horizon...and 3 to avoid. Read More...

The valuation may be huge, but it's warranted.

"Alibaba is among the top three Internet operations in China, the world's second largest economy," Wired's Ryan Tate wrote recently. "According to its filing, the company pulled in $5.6 billion in revenue and $1.4 billion in profit last year. Gross sales from its three largest sites - Taobao (similar to Amazon), Tmall (similar to eBay), and Juhuasuan (group buying) - totaled $248 billion. And nearly 20% of its business comes from mobile devices, which means it oversees about 76% of China's mobile e-commerce. The company claims 231 million active buyers and 8 million active sellers across all its sites, and it's growing at a rapid clip. Revenue spiked 72% last year, according to [the securities] filing."

Investors will continue to receive updates on the IPO price as the Alibaba IPO date approaches. Most are expecting the initial public offering to take place in late 2014.

But you don't have to wait until then to start making money off this monster IPO…

Our newest research has led us to a way for you to make a fortune on the Alibaba deal right now... long before the shares go public. Your gains, in fact, could exceed those of the IPO's original investors. It could be your one and only chance to make the kinds of gains normally reserved for the high-net-worth investors and bankers. You can learn more about this Alibaba profit play here.