Top 5 Transportation Companies To Watch In Right Now

Can you believe that it's only been five years since the world stopped using software and switched to apps? The distinction is pretty subtle, but nonetheless important -- without a proliferation of diverse apps across mobile ecosystems, the smartphone revolution might have been turned back, or at least held in check for some time. The past five years have seen quite a bit of technological innovation, but only a few of these developments, including apps, have truly taken hold in popular culture.

The following list will take you through five of the top new technological breakthroughs that have become the biggest hits with consumers. You'll probably be familiar with them all, but the sheer speed at which they've captured the public's imagination (and its spending money) might surprise you.

5. Next-gen electric cars (2008)
The first Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA  ) Roadsters began arriving at customer homes in the spring of 2008. It was the first in a wave of modern fully electric cars to reach the market after a number of high-profile failures in the 1990s left the segment for dead. However, it wasn't until 2011 that plug-in electric vehicles (those that run exclusively on a battery charge) began to take off. Sales of these battery-electric vehicles, as recorded by the Electric Drive Transportation Association, leapt from just 19 in 2010 to more than 10,000 in 2011, and then to nearly 53,000 in 2012. Thus far, more than 32,000 have sold through the first five months of the year, for a cumulative total of over 95,000 in three and a half years.

Top 5 European Companies For 2015: DryShips Inc (DRYS)

DryShips Inc. (DryShips), incorporated in September 2004, is a holding company engaged in the ocean transportation services of drybulk cargoes and crude oil worldwide through the ownership and operation of drybulk carrier vessels and oil tankers and offshore drilling services through the ownership and operation of ultra-deepwater drilling units. As of December 31, 2011, DryShips owned and operated two fifth generation ultra-deepwater, semi-submersible offshore drilling rigs, the Leiv Eiriksson and the Eirik Raude, and four sixth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater drillships, the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated four Aframax tankers, Saga, Daytona, Belmar, and Calida, and one Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura. On August 24, 2011, DryShips acquired all of their shares of OceanFreight Inc. On October 5, 2011, DryShips completed the partial spin off of Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (Ocean Rig UDW). On November 3, 2011, the merger of Pelican Stockholdings Inc. (Pelican Stockholdings), its wholly owned subsidiary, and OceanFreight, was completed. In January 2013, it sold two of its tankers under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries, Esperona and Blanca.

As of December 31, 2011, DryShips operated its tankers under pooling arrangements that are managed by Heidmar Inc. As of March 6, 2012, the Company owned, through its subsidiaries, a fleet of 36 drybulk carriers, consisting of nine Capesize, 25 Panamax and two Supramax vessels, which have a combined deadweight tonnage of approximately 3.53 million deadweight tonnage and an average age of approximately eight years; six drilling units, comprised of two modern, fifth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater semisubmersible offshore drilling rigs and four sixth generation, advanced capability ultra-deepwater drillships, and five tankers, comprised of four Aframax and one Suezmax tankers.

The Company�� drybulk flee! t principally carries a variety of drybulk commodities, including major bulk items, such as coal, iron ore, and grains, and minor bulk items, such as bauxite, phosphate, fertilizers and steel products. During the year ended December 31, 2011, DryShips sold the drybulk vessel Primera; contracted for and completed the sale of the drybulk vessels La Jolla, Conquistador, Brisbane, Samsara and Toro; took delivery of its four sixth-generation, ultra-deepwater advanced capability sister drillships constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (Samsung), the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos; took delivery of three newbuilding Aframax tankers, Saga, Daytona and Belmar, and one newbuilding Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura, and acquired four Capesize vessels, MV Robusto, MV Cohiba, MV Montecristo and MV Partagas, two Panamax vessels, the MV Topeka and the MV Helena. DryShips contracted for and completed the sale of the drybulk vessels Avoca and Padre, which were delivered to their new owners, on February 14, 2012 and February 24, 2012, respectively.

Drybulk Operations

The Company manages the deployment of its drybulk fleet between long-term and short-term time charters. A time charter is a contract to charter a vessel for a fixed period of time at a specified or floating daily or index-based daily rate and can last from a few days to several years. A spot charter refers to a voyage charter or a trip charter or a short-term time charter. Under a bareboat charter, the vessel is chartered for a stipulated period of time, which gives the charterer possession and control of the vessel, including the right to appoint the master and the crew.

Offshore Drilling Operations

In January 2012, following the completion of the contract with Tullow Oil plc (Tullow Oil) contract, discussed below, the Eirik Raude commenced a contract with Anadarko Cote d��voire Company (Anadarko) for the drilling of two wells offshore West ! Africa. I! ts offshore drilling operations consist of the Ocean Rig Corcovado, the Ocean Rig Olympia, the Ocean Rig Poseidon and the Ocean Rig Mykonos. As of December 31, 2011, the Ocean Rig Corcovado was employed under a three-year contract, plus a mobilization period, with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras Brazil) for drilling operations offshore Brazil. The Ocean Rig Olympia is operating under contracts to drill a total of five wells for exploration drilling offshore Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The Ocean Rig Poseidon commenced a contract with Petrobras Tanzania, a company related to Petrobras Oil & Gas B.V. (Petrobras Oil & Gas).

The Ocean Rig Mykonos commenced a three-year contract, plus a mobilization period, with Petrobras Brazil, on September 30, 2011, for drilling operations offshore Brazil. DryShips�� wholly owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig AS, provides supervisory management services, including onshore management, to its operating drilling rigs and drillships. DryShips also has contracts to provide offshore drilling services and drilling units.

Tanker Operations

The Company employs its Aframax tankers Saga, Daytona, Belmar and Calida, in the Sigma tanker pool, which consists of 46 Aframax tankers, with fourteen different pool partners. It employs its Suezmax tanker, Vilamoura, in the Blue Fin tanker pool, which consists of 18 Suezmax tankers with eight different pool partners.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Newman]

  For example, when prices were high and companies, such as Diana Shipping� (NYSE: DSX  ) and�DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) , ordered more ships, these ships were finally completed a few years later when shipping prices had already cratered. Now, Diana's fleet is on average only 6.4 years old, while DryShips' fleet is on average 7.4 years old, when the typical life of a ship is 25 years. While these young fleets might be good as an investment in the future if global trade picks up, today's troubled eurozone and slowing China will leave these newer ships wanting for higher demand.

Top 5 Transportation Companies To Watch In Right Now: KNOT Offshore Partners LP (KNOP)

KNOT Offshore Partners LP, incorporated on February 21, 2013, is a limited partnership formed to own, operate and acquire shuttle tankers under long-term charters. Its initial fleet of shuttle tankers contribute to the Company by Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS (KNOT), which is jointly owned by TS Shipping Invest AS, (TSSI), and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). NYK is a Japanese public company with a fleet of approximately 800 vessels, including bulk carriers, containerships, tankers and specialized vessels. The Company is a holding entity and is conduct its operations and business through subsidiaries KNOT is an independent owner of crude oil shuttle tankers. Its general partner is KNOT Offshore Partners GP LLC. In August 2013, KNOT Offshore Partners LP's wholly owned subsidiary KNOT Shuttle Tankers AS completed its acquisition of all interests in Knutsen Shuttle Tanker 13 AS that owns and operates the Carmen Knutsen from KNOT Offshore Tankers AS.

The Company's initial fleet consists of four shuttle tankers, which are vessels designed to transport crude oil and condensates from offshore oil field installations to onshore terminals and refineries. The shuttle tankers include , Fortaleza Knutsen, Recife Knutsen, Bodil Knutsen and Windsor Knutsen. Its shuttle tankers are equipped with loading systems and dynamic positioning systems that allow the vessels to load cargo safely and reliably from oil field installations, even in harsh weather conditions.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  April
  Kicking off the second quarter right, KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP  ) debuted on April 10. The partnership owns and operates shuttle tankers under customer contracts that last five years or more. Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers (KNOT) controls the 2% general partner stake and all the incentive distribution rights. Shuttle tankers move crude oil and condensate from offshore oil rigs to onshore terminals and refineries, so it makes sense that KNOT Offshore's customers include BG Group, Statoil, and Transpetro.�

Top 5 Transportation Companies To Watch In Right Now: QEP Midstream Partners LP (QEPM)

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

Green River System

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

Vermillion Gathering System

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

Three Rivers Gathering System

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

Williston Gathering System

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  QEP Midstream Partners L.P. (NYSE: QEPM) was started as Buy at Janney Capital, and note that four other firms started coverage earlier this week.

  ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE: NOW) was started as Buy with a $55 price target at Canaccord Genuity.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  But things aren’t all bad. A spate of initial public offerings traded at nice prices Friday. Among them was QEP Midstream Partners (QEPM), an energy master limited partnership. (Press release here). More on IPOs from Bloomberg here.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

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

Top 5 Transportation Companies To Watch In Right Now: Ryder System Inc.(R)

Ryder System, Inc. provides transportation and supply chain management solutions. It operates in three segments: Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), and Dedicated Contract Carriage (DCC). The FMS segment offers leasing, contract maintenance, contract-related maintenance, and commercial rental of trucks, tractors, and trailers primarily in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It also offers fleet support services, such as fuel, insurance, safety, administration, environmental management, and information technology services. In addition, this segment sells its used vehicles through 55 company owned retail sales centers, as well as through its Web site, Usedtrucks.Ryder.com. Its customers include small businesses and enterprises operating in transportation, grocery, lumber and wood products, food service, and home furnishings industries. The SCS segment provides supply chain consulting solutions in North America and Asia. It offers di stribution management, transportation management, and professional services, as well as various support services, such as information technology and engineering solutions. This segment primarily serves automotive, electronics, high-tech, telecommunications, industrial, consumer goods, consumer packaged goods, paper and paper products, office equipment, food and beverage, and general retail industries. The DCC segment offers vehicles and drivers as part of a transportation solution in the United States. It combines the equipment, maintenance, and administrative services of a service lease with drivers and additional services, such as routing and scheduling, fleet sizing, safety, regulatory compliance, risk management, technology and communication systems support, and other technical support. This segment serves energy and utility, metals and mining, retail, construction, healthcare products, and food and beverage industries. The company was founded in 1933 and is based in Mia mi, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 a pair of downgrades for Ryder System (NYSE: R  ) and Zions Bancorp (NASDAQ: ZION  ) . But the news isn't all bad, so before we address those two, let's start with why one analyst thinks...

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now

As an oil analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, it's a given that Neal Dingmann has his eye on energy stocks come rain or shine. But whether you're bullish or bearish on U.S. shale development, it's wise to know which stocks are poised to deliver shareholder value. In this interview with The Energy Report, Dingmann tiptoes through North America's major shale plays [including an interesting hybrid] and points out the cream of the crop.

The Energy Report: Neal, between offshore and shale, is the U.S. on a path to energy independence?

Neal Dingmann: We've been heading in that direction, and the development of technology has really expedited that. I think increased production is a trend that's going to continue. Even the U.S. Energy Information Administration [EIA] said we could become an exporter for some oil products down the road. So I believe we're reaching that goal incrementally and U.S. shale plays have been a deciding factor.

TER: How do the risks and rewards compare for players in shale and offshore, respectively?

Top 5 Mid Cap Companies For 2015: Dno International ASA (DTNOF.PK)

DNO International ASA is a Norway-based oil and gas exploration and production company. It is engaged in the acquisition, development and operation of oil and gas properties. Its activities are primarily undertaken in the Middle East and the North African (MENA) region. It holds stakes in oil and gas blocks in various stages of exploration, development and production both onshore and offshore in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Republic of Yemen, the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the Tunisian Republic and Somaliland. The Company operates through its head office in Oslo, and a network of offices throughout the MENA region. Its subsidiaries include DNO Yemen AS, DNO UK Ltd, DNO Invest AS, DNO Tunisia AS, DNO Iraq AS and DNO Mena AS. In January 2014, it completed the the farm-in by its subsidiary DNO Tunisia AS to the Sfax Offshore Exploration Permit and the Ras El Besh Concession in Tunisia, in which DNO Tunisia AS now holds 87.5% participating (100% paying) interest. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Street Smart Investor]

  DNO International (DTNOF.PK), an independent exploration and production company, has surged by 43% in 2013. The upside trend is not over for the stock with potential triggers for further upside over the next one year. This research presents the reasons for the bullish outlook and the stock's upside potential considering the best case and worst case scenario for the company. The scenario analysis concludes on a 25-42% upside in the given time horizon.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Fleetcor Technologies Inc (FLT)

FleetCor Technologies, Inc. (FleetCor) is an independent global provider of specialized payment products and services to businesses, commercial fleets, oil companies, petroleum marketers and government entities in countries throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company processed more than 215 million transactions on its networks and third-party networks. The Company operates in two segments: North American and International segments. The Company provides its payment products and services in a variety of combinations to create payment solutions for its customers and partners. In August 2011, the Company acquired Mexican prepaid fuel card and food voucher business based in Mexico City, Mexico. On December 13, 2011, the Company acquired Allstar Business Solutions Limited, a fleet card company based in the United Kingdom. In July 2012, the Company acquired a Russian fuel card company. In July 2012, the Company acquired CTF Technologies, Inc.

The Company uses third-party networks to deliver its payment programs and services. In order to deliver its payment programs and services and process transactions, it owns and operates closed-loop networks through which it electronically connects to merchants and captures, analyzes and reports information. The Company also provides a range of services, such as issuing and processing. The Company markets its payment products directly to a range of commercial fleet customers, including vehicle fleets of all sizes and government fleets. Among these customers, it provides its products and services to small and medium commercial fleets. The Company also manages commercial fleet card programs for oil companies, such as British Petroleum (BP) (including its subsidiary Arco), Chevron and Citgo, and over 800 petroleum marketers.

The Company sells a range of fleet and lodging payment programs directly and indirectly through partners, such as oil companies and petroleum marketers. It provides it! s customers with various card products that function like a charge card to purchase fuel, lodging and related products and services at participating locations. The Company supports these cards with issuing, processing and information services that enable it to manage card accounts, facilitate the routing, authorization, clearing and settlement of transactions. The Company provides these services in a variety of outsourced solutions ranging from an end-to-end solution (consisting issuing, processing and network services) to limited back office processing services.

In addition, the Company offers a telematics solution in Europe that combines global positioning, satellite tracking and other wireless technology to allow fleet operators to monitor the capacity utilization and movement of their vehicles and drivers. The Company offers prepaid fuel and food vouchers and cards in Mexico that may be used as a form of payment in restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations. Approximately 10.4% of its revenue during the year ended December 31, 2011 came from its lodging and telematics products.

During 2011, the Company owns and operates eight closed-loop networks in North America and internationally. Fuelman network is the Company�� primary fleet card network in the United States. Corporate Lodging Consultants network (CLC) is the Company�� lodging network in the United States and Canada. The CLC Lodging network covers more than 17,700 hotels across the United States and Canada. Commercial Fueling Network (CFN) is the Company�� members only unattended fueling location network in the United States and Canada. Keyfuels network is the Company�� primary fleet card network in the United Kingdom.

CCS network is the Company�� primary fleet card network in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Petrol Plus Region (PPR) network is the Company�� primary fleet card network in Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Mexican network is the Company�� fuel! and food! card and voucher network in Mexico. Allstar network is the Company�� fleet card network in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the Company issues corporate cards that utilize the MasterCard payment network, which includes 176,000 fuel sites and 398,000 maintenance locations across the country. The networks of locations owned by the Company�� oil and petroleum marketer partners in both North America and internationally are utilized to support the card programs of these partners.

UNION TANK Eckstein GmbH & Co. KG (UTA) operates a network of over 46,000 fleet card-accepting locations across 38 countries throughout Europe, including more than 31,000 fueling sites. DKV operates a network of over 45,000 fleet card-accepting locations across 36 countries throughout Europe, including more than 30,500 fueling sites. In Mexico, the Company issues fuel cards and food cards that utilize the Carnet payment network, which includes approximately 8,700 fueling sites and 78,890 food locations across the country.

The Company competes with Wright Express Corporation, Comdata Corporation, U.S. Bank Voyager Fleet Systems Inc., Edenred and Sodexo, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  And FPX holds some great tech stocks: Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA), NXP Semiconductors NV (Nasdaq: NXPI), and Fleetcor Technologies (NYSE: FLT), a leading payments processing firm, are just the start of the list.

• [By Louis Navellier] Popular Posts: 3 ‘A’ Stocks to Buy – Are They Still Buys for the Third Quarter?3 Gold Mining Stocks Ready to Shine2 High-Profile Chinese Stocks to Sell Recent Posts: The Best Is Yet to Come for FleetCor (FLT) 2 High-Profile Chinese Stocks to Sell 3 Gold Mining Stocks Ready to Shine View All Posts The Best Is Yet to Come for FleetCor (FLT)

  Editor�� note: This column is part of our Best Stocks for 2014 contest. Louis Navellier�� pick for the contest is FleetCor Technologies (FLT).

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  One of the best companies in this business is FleetCor Technologies Inc. (NYSE: FLT) - and it just got substantially better thanks to a very strategic acquisition. Investors loved the deal, and FLT stock skyrocketed 9.2% in one day on news of the acquisition - and has revved up another 5% since then.

• [By gurujx]

  Fleetcor Technologies Inc. (FLT): President, Developing Markets Charles Richard Freund Sold 75,000 Shares

  President, Developing Markets of Fleetcor Technologies Inc. (FLT) Charles Richard Freund sold 75,000 shares on 12/31/2013 at an average price of $116.07.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Targa Resources Partners LP (NGLS)

Targa Resources Partners LP is a limited partnership formed by Targa Resources, Corp (Targa). The Company is a provider of midstream natural gas and natural gas liquid (NGL) services in the United States and is engaged in the business of gathering, compressing, treating, processing and selling natural gas and storing, fractionating, treating, transporting, terminaling and selling NGLs, NGL products, refined petroleum products and crude oil. It operates in two divisions: Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, which include Field Gathering and Processing and Coastal Gathering and Processing, and Logistics and Marketing, which includes Logistics Assets and Marketing and Distribution. On March 15, 2011, it acquired a refined petroleum products and crude oil storage and terminaling facility in Channelview, Texas. On September 30, 2011 it acquired refined petroleum products and crude oil storage and terminaling facilities in two separate transactions. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired Saddle Butte Pipeline, LLC.

Natural Gas Gathering and Processing Division

The Company�� natural gas gathering and processing division consists of gathering, compressing, dehydrating, treating, conditioning, processing, transporting and marketing natural gas. The gathering of natural gas consists of aggregating natural gas produced from various wells through small diameter gathering lines to processing plants. It sells its residue gas either directly to such end users or to marketers into intrastate or interstate pipelines. The Field Gathering and Processing segment gathers and processes natural gas from the Permian Basin in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico and the Fort Worth Basin, including the Barnett Shale, in North Texas. The natural gas it processes is supplied through its gathering systems which, in aggregate, consist of approximately 10,400 miles of natural gas pipelines. The segment�� processing plants include nine owned and operated facilities. During the year ended December 31! , 2011, the Company processed an average of approximately 612 million cubic feet/day (MMcf/d) of natural gas and produced an average of approximately 74 million barrels per day (MBbl/d) of NGLs.

The Field Gathering and Processing segment�� operations consist of the Permian Business, Versado, SAOU and the North Texas System. The Permian Business consists of the Sand Hills gathering and processing system and the West Seminole and Puckett gathering systems in West Texas. These systems consist of approximately 1,400 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines. Versado consists of the Saunders, Eunice and Monument gas processing plants and related gathering systems in Southeastern New Mexico. Versado consists of approximately 3,200 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines. Covering portions of 10 counties and approximately 4,000 square miles in West Texas, SAOU includes approximately 1,667 miles of pipelines in the Permian Basin that gather natural gas to the Mertzon, Sterling, and Conger processing plants. SAOU has 31 compressor stations to inject low pressure gas into the high-pressure pipelines.

The North Texas System includes two interconnected gathering systems with approximately 4,200 miles of pipelines, covering portions of 15 counties and approximately 5,700 square miles, gathering wellhead natural gas for the Chico and Shackelford natural gas processing facilities. The Chico gathering system consists of approximately 2,100 miles of primarily low-pressure gathering pipelines. Wellhead natural gas is either gathered for the Chico plant located in Wise County, Texas, and then compressed for processing, or it is compressed in the field at numerous compressor stations and then moved through one of several gathering pipelines to the Chico plant. Its Coastal Gathering and Processing segment assets are located in the onshore region of the Louisiana Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. LOU consists of approximately 875 miles of gathering system pipelines, covering approximately 3,800 ! square mi! les in Southwest Louisiana. The gathering system is connected to numerous producing wells and/or central delivery points in the area between Lafayette and Lake Charles, Louisiana. The processing facilities include the Gillis and Acadia processing plants, both of which are cryogenic plants.

Logistics and Marketing Division

The Company includes the activities necessary to convert mixed NGLs into NGL products and provide certain value added services, such as the fractionation, storage, terminaling, transportation, distribution and marketing of NGLs, as well as certain natural gas supply and marketing activities in support of its other businesses. Its Logistics Assets Segment uses its platform of integrated assets to receive, fractionate, store, treat, transport and deliver NGLs typically under fee-based arrangements. Its logistics assets are connected to and supplied in part by its Natural Gas Gathering and Processing assets and are primarily located at Mont Belvieu and Galena Park near Houston, Texas and in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Across the Logistics Assets segment, it owns or operates a total of 39 storage wells at its facilities with a net storage capacity of approximately 64 million barrels of oil (MMBbl), the usage of which may be limited by brine handling capacity, which is utilized to displace NGLs from storage. It operates its storage and terminaling facilities based on the needs and requirements of its customers. Its fractionation, storage and terminaling business is supported by approximately 940 miles of company owned pipelines to transport mixed NGLs and specification products.

The Company markets its own NGL production and also purchases component NGL products from other NGL producers and marketers for resale. During 2011, the Company�� distribution and marketing services business sold an average of approximately 273 MBbl/d of NGLs. Its wholesale propane marketing operations primarily sell propane and related logistics services to multi-state retailer! s, indepe! ndent retailers and other end-users. Its propane supply primarily originates from both its refinery/gas supply contracts and its other owned or managed logistics and marketing assets. In its refinery services business, the Company provide NGL balancing services through contractual arrangements with refiners to purchase and/or market propane and to supply butanes. It uses commercial transportation assets and contract for and use the storage, transportation and distribution assets included in its Logistics Assets segment to assist refinery customers in managing their NGL product demand and production schedules.

The Company�� NGL transportation and distribution infrastructure includes a range of assets supporting both third-party customers and the delivery requirements of its marketing and asset management business. It provides fee-based transportation services to refineries and petrochemical companies throughout the Gulf Coast area. As of December 31, 2011, its transportation assets include approximately 565 railcars that it lease and manage; approximately 74 owned and leased transport tractors and approximately 100 company owned tank trailers, and 18 company owned pressurized NGL barges.

The Company competes with Atlas Gas Pipeline Company, Copano Energy, L.L.C. (Copano), WTG Gas Processing, L.P. (WTG), DCP Midstream Partners LP (DCP), Devon Energy Corp (Devon), Enbridge Inc., GulfSouth Pipeline Company, LP, Hanlon Gas Processing, Ltd., J W Operating Company, Louisiana Intrastate Gas, Enterprise Products Partners L.P., DCP, ONEOK and BP p.l.c.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Plains All American Pipeline LP (PAA) operates 18,000 miles of crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and refined product pipelines, and moves approximately 3.5 million barrels of liquid product per day.

• [By Callum Turcan]

  The other frac
  Hydraulic fracking is used to unlock oil and gas hidden in shale formations, and fractionation is used to process the NGLs that come out. Targa Resources Partners (NYSE: NGLS  ) is one of many operators of fractionators and recently expanded its capacity.

Top 5 Energy Stocks To Own Right Now: Pioneer Natural Resources Co (PXD)

Pioneer Natural Resources Company (Pioneer),incorporated on April 4, 1997, is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States and South Africa. Pioneer is a holding company whose assets consist of direct and indirect ownership interests in, and whose business is conducted substantially through, its subsidiaries. The Company sells homogenous oil, natural gas liquid (NGL) and gas units. The Company provides administrative, financial, legal and management support to United States and South Africa subsidiaries that explore for, develop and produce proved reserves. The Company�� continuing operations are principally located in the United States in the states of Texas, Kansas, Colorado and Alaska. During February 2011, the Company completed the sale of Pioneer Natural Resources Tunisia Ltd. and Pioneer Natural Resources Anaguid Ltd. In April 2012, it acquired Carmeuse Industrial Sands (CIS). In August 2012, the Company sold its South Africa business to The Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (SOC) Ltd. (PetroSA). Effective December 17, 2013, Pioneer Natural Resources Company and Pioneer Southwest Energy Partners L.P announced the completion of the merger of Pioneer Southwest Energy Partners L.P with a wholly owned subsidiary of Pioneer Natural Resources Company, with Pioneer Southwest Energy Partners L.P surviving the merger as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Pioneer Natural Resources Company.

The Company has 15 owned drilling rigs operating in the Spraberry field, and as of December 31, 2011, had Company-owned fracture stimulation fleets totaling 250,000 horsepower supporting drilling operations in the Spraberry, Eagle Ford Shale and Barnett Shale Combo areas. The Company also owns other field service equipment, including pulling units, fracture stimulation tanks, water transport trucks, hot oilers, blowout preventers, construction equipment and fishing tools. The Company owns a 52.4% limited partner interest and a 0.1% ! general partner interest in Pioneer Southwest Energy Partners L.P. and its subsidiaries (Pioneer Southwest). The Company�� proved reserves totaled 1,063 million barrel of oil equivalent at December 31, 2011. Approximately 83% of the Company�� proved reserves at December 31, 2011 are located in the Spraberry field in the Permian Basin area, the Hugoton and West Panhandle fields in the Mid-Continent area and the Raton field in the Rocky Mountains area.

Permian Basin

The Spraberry field encompasses eight counties in West Texas. The field is approximately 150 miles long and 75 miles wide at its widest point. The oil produced is West Texas Intermediate Sweet, and the gas produced is casinghead gas with an average energy content of 1,400 British thermal unit. The oil and gas are produced primarily from four formations, the upper and lower Spraberry, the Dean and the Wolfcamp, at depths ranging from 6,700 feet to 11,300 feet. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company drilled 706 wells in the Spraberry field and its total acreage position approximated 820,000 gross acres (691,000 net acres). The Company has 44 rigs operating, of which 41 are drilling vertical wells and three are drilling horizontal wells. The Company completed its second horizontal well in the Upper/Middle Wolfcamp Shale in Upton County, Texas with a 30-stage fracture stimulation in a 5,800-foot lateral section. The Company is focusing its horizontal efforts on more than 200,000 acres in the southern part of the field to hold acreage. The Company continues to test down spacing in the Spraberry field from 40 acres to 20 acres. Sixteen 20-acre wells were drilled in 2011, with 10 of these wells having been placed on production. These 20-acre wells were drilled to the Lower Wolfcamp interval, with a few deepened to the Strawn interval.

Mid-Continent

The Hugoton field in southwest Kansas is a producing gas fields in the continental United States. The gas is produced from the Chase an! d Council! Grove formations at depths ranging from 2,700 feet to 3,000 feet. The Company�� Hugoton properties are located on approximately 284,000 gross acres (245,000 net acres), covering approximately 400 square miles. The Company has working interests in approximately 1,220 wells in the Hugoton field, approximately 1,000 of which it operates. The Company operates substantially all of the gathering and processing facilities, including the Satanta plant, which processes the production from the Hugoton field. In January 2011, the Company sold a 49% interest in the Satanta plant to an unaffiliated third party for the third party�� commitment to dedicate gas volumes to the Satanta plant. The Company is also exploring opportunities to process other gas production in the Hugoton area at the Satanta plant. By maintaining operatorship of the gathering and processing facilities, the Company is able to control the production, gathering, processing and sale of its Hugoton field gas and NGL production.

The West Panhandle properties are located in the panhandle region of Texas. These reserves are attributable to the Red Cave, Brown Dolomite, Granite Wash and fractured Granite formations at depths no greater than 3,500 feet. The Company�� gas has an average energy content of 1,365 British thermal unit and is produced from approximately 680 wells on more than 259,000 gross acres (252,000 net acres) covering over 375 square miles. The Company controls 100% of the wells, production equipment, gathering system and the Fain gas processing plant for the field.

Raton

The Raton Basin properties are located in the southeast portion of Colorado. The Company owns approximately 227,000 gross acres (201,000 net acres) in the center of the Raton Basin and produces CBM gas from the coal seams in the Vermejo and Raton formations from approximately 2,300 wells. The Company owns the majority of the well servicing and fracture stimulation equipment that it utilizes in the Raton field, allowing it to! control ! costs and insure availability.

South Texas Eagle Ford Shale and Edwards

The Company�� drilling activities in the South Texas area during 2011 were primarily focused on delineation and development of Pioneer�� substantial acreage position in the Eagle Ford Shale play. The Company drilled 94 horizontal Eagle Ford Shale wells during 2011, with average lateral lengths of approximately 5,500 feet and 13-stage fracture stimulations. EFS Midstream LLC (EFS Midstream) is obligated to construct midstream assets in the Eagle Ford Shale area. Eight of the 12 planned central gathering plants (CGPs) were completed as of December 31, 2011.

Barnett Shale

During 2011, the Company continued to increase its acreage position in the liquid-rich Barnett Shale Combo area in North Texas. In total, the Company has accumulated approximately 92,000 gross acres in the liquid-rich area of the field and has acquired approximately 340 square miles of three dimensional (3-D) seismic covering its acreage. The Company�� total lease holdings in the Barnett Shale play now approximate 142,000 gross acres (108,000 net acres). During 2011, the Company had two drilling rigs operating and drilled 44 Barnett Shale Combo wells. The Company also commenced operating a Company-owned fracture stimulation fleet in the area during the second quarter of 2011.

Alaska

The Company owns a 70% working interest and is the operator of the Oooguruk development project. The Company has drilled 12 production wells and eight injection wells of the estimated 17 production and 16 injection wells planned to develop this project.

International

During 2011, the Company�� international operations were located in Tunisia and offshore South Africa. During February 2011, the Company completed the sale of the Company�� share holdings in Pioneer Tunisia to an unaffiliated third party.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Pioneer Natural Resources Company (NYSE:PXD) reported that Tim Dove, President and Chief Operating Officer, will present at Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference on Wednesday, September 5, at 8:25 a.m. E.T.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Oil and energy stocks are among the best performing stocks in the S&P 500 this month as well. Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), for instance, has gained 13% to $175.42 in August, while Chesapeake Energy (CHK) has jumped 13% to $26.36. Halliburton (HAL), meanwhile, has gained 8.7% to $49.07. All three are among the top-ten gainers in the S&P 500.

Top 10 Casino Companies To Watch In Right Now

Top 10 Casino Companies To Watch In Right Now: William Hill PLC (WMH)

William Hill PLC is a United Kingdom-based gambling company. The Company's business is to provide its customers with a range of sports betting and gaming opportunities. It is a bookmaker providing fixed odds sports betting. It also offers gaming opportunities. The Company's segments include Retail distribution channel, which includes activity undertaken in LBOs, including gaming machines; Online segment, which includes activity undertaken online, including an online sportsbook, online casino, online poker sites and other gaming products; Telephone segment, which includes its telephone betting services; US segment, comprises all activity undertaken in the United States; Other activities include on-course betting and greyhound stadia operations. In April 2013, it acquired the remaining 29% stake in William Hill Online from its joint venture partner Playtech Ltd. Effective September 2, 2013, William Hill PLC acquired Miapuesta.es, a provider of gaming and sports betting serv ices. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Prudential Plc (PRU), which generated 32 percent of its operating income from Asia last year, climbed to its highest price since at least 1988. William Hill (WMH) Plc lost 3.2 percent after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its rating on the bookmaker. Anglo American Plc (AAL) declined 1.4 percent after saying that production at its Kumba (KIO) Iron Ore Ltd. unit fell.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc sank 3.3 percent after reporting results and naming the head of its U.K. consumer unit as chief executive officer. William Hill Plc (WMH) dropped the most in four years after the bookmaker posted earnings that missed analysts' projections. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) rose to a five-year high as the parent of British Airways re! ported an operating profit in the second quarter.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-10-casino-companies-to-watch-in-right-now-3.html

Best Consumer Companies For 2014

Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) is among the most successful single-price-point retailers in the U.S. It operates more than 4,842 stores across 48 states in the U.S. and five Provinces in Canada. The chart below shows that the company has been performing consistently well over the past five years.

DLTR Revenue TTM data by YCharts

A stubborn job market coupled with lackluster wage growth has led plenty�of shoppers to move from Wal-Mart Stores and club channels to dollar stores. This switch of consumers away from Wal-Mart is reflected in the lackluster quarterly results that it posted recently. The growth of the dollar stores revolves around serving customers who have pretty restricted incomes and little or no revolving consumer credit�available. The dollar stores cater to these consumers, as well as customers who shopped elsewhere in better economic conditions and are now looking to cut down on expenses.

Top 5 Building Product Companies To Watch For 2015: Helen of Troy Limited(HELE)

Helen of Troy Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, import, marketing, and distribution of brand-name consumer products primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It operates in three segments: Personal Care, Housewares, and Healthcare/Home Environment. The Personal Care segment offers hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, hair setters, shavers, mirrors, hot air brushes, home hair clippers and trimmers, paraffin baths, massage cushions, footbaths, body massagers, brushes, combs, hair accessories, liquid and aerosol hair styling products, men?s fragrances, men?s and women?s antiperspirants and deodorants, liquid and bar soaps, shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments, foot powder, body powder, and skin care products. The Housewares segment provides kitchen tools, cutlery, bar and wine accessories, household cleaning tools, food storage containers, tea kettles, trash cans, storage an d organization products, hand tools, gardening tools, kitchen mitts and trivets, barbeque tools, and rechargeable lighting products, as well as baby and toddler care products, including convertible high chair. The Healthcare/Home Environment segment offers humidifiers, de-humidifiers, vaporizers, thermometers, air purifiers, fans, portable heaters, heating pads, and electronic mosquito traps. The company sells its products primarily through mass merchandisers, drugstore chains, warehouse clubs, home improvement stores, catalogs, grocery stores, specialty stores, beauty supply retailers, e-commerce retailers, wholesalers, and various types of distributors, as well as directly online to end user consumers. Helen of Troy Limited was founded in 1968 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

  Helen of Troy Ltd.(HELE) said it expects to buy back about $246 million of its shares through a Dutch auction tender offer that allowed the personal-care company to repurchase up to $300 million in stock. The company, whose products include OXO kitchen tools and Brut After Shave, said it expects to acquire about 3.7 million shares at $66.50 a share, the high end of its offering range.

Best Consumer Companies For 2014: Oxford Industries Inc.(OXM)

Oxford Industries, Inc. engages in designing, sourcing, and marketing apparel products primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company?s apparel products comprise a portfolio of company-owned lifestyle brands, as well as company-owned and licensed brands of tailored clothing and golf apparel. Its owned and licensed brands include Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Ben Sherman, Billy London, Oxford Golf, Nickelson, and Arnold Brant. The company also holds licenses to produce and sell various categories of apparel products under the Kenneth Cole, Dockers, and Geoffrey Beene brand names. Its primary product line includes the Tommy Bahama brand men's and women's sportswear and related products for affluent men and women with age of 35 and older; the Lilly Pulitzer brand women's and girl's dresses, sportswear, and other products for young women, young mothers and their daughters, and women; the Ben Sherman brand men's sportswear and related products for men ages 25 to 40; and branded and private label men's suits, sport coats, suit separates, and dress slacks. In addition, the company licenses its Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, and Ben Sherman brand names for various products categories, including apparel, accessories, footwear, watches, jewelry, luggage, rugs, wall coverings, fragrances and toiletries, shampoos and soaps, gift products, furniture, ceiling fans, stationery, bedding and home fashions, and table top accessories. Further, it operates restaurants under the Tommy Bahama brand name. It distributes company-owned lifestyle branded products through department stores, specialty stores, company-owned and licensed retail stores, and its e-commerce Websites; and branded and private label tailored clothing products through department stores, specialty stores, national chains, specialty catalogs, mass merchants, and Internet retailers. Oxford Industries, Inc. was founded in 1942 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is men's apparel products player Oxford Industries (OXM), which is set to release numbers Tuesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Oxford Industries to report revenue of $243.48 million on earnings of 98 cents per share.

  If this company can manage to beat or meet Wall Street's earnings estimates this quarter, then it would mark the biggest quarterly gain in the last six quarter.

  The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Oxford Industries is not able at 5.7%. That means that out of the 14.31 million shares in the tradable float, 817,000 shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 3.8%, or by about 29,000 shares. If the bears are caught being too aggressive into a solid quarter, then shares of OXM could soar higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

  From a technical perspective, OXM is currently trending above its 200-day moving average and just below its 50-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock recently sold off hard from its August high of $69.29 to its low of $61.10 with higher-than-average volume flows. Shares of OXM have now started to rebound a bit off that low of $61.10 with strong upside volume flows. That move is quickly pushing shares of OXM within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  If you're bullish on OXM, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above its 50-day moving average at $65.77 a share to more resistance at $65.93 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 103,286 shares. If that breakout triggers, then OXM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $69.28 a share. Any high-volume move above that level will then give OXM a chance t

Best Consumer Companies For 2014: Crumbs Bake Shop Inc (CRMB)

Crumbs Bake Shop, Inc., formerly 57th Street General Acquisition Corp., incorporated on October 29, 2009, is owner of Crumbs Holdings LLC (Crumbs), a neighborhood bakery and a retailer of cupcakes. As of November 1, 2011, Crumbs had 43 locations, including 29 locations in the New York Metro area, nine locations on the West Coast, three locations in Washington, D.C., one location in Virginia and one location in Chicago. The specialty of the house is cupcakes; however, the menu also includes a blend of baked goods. On May 5, 2011, the Company merged with Crumbs.

The Company offers a range of Signature and Taste size cupcakes. Signature cupcakes are ordered in increments of six. One can create its own individual six packs or choose a pre-selected assortment. Its Taste size cupcakes are offered by the dozen in pre-selected favorites assortments. There are more than 60 varieties of cupcakes baked fresh daily with a new cupcake of the week debuting each Monday.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jack Kramer and Nick Martell]

  2. Crumbs Cupcake stock continues to drop
  Pour some sugar on me, baby, because the recent performance of cupcake-makin' chain Crumbs Bake Shop (NASDAQ: CRMB  ) hasn't tasted good for investors. The stock has fallen nearly 30% in the past month, dropped 13.4% in the last week, and dipped almost 2% Monday on growing doubts the company can even stay in business.

• [By Kyle Woodley]

  I love cupcakes. More specifically, I love Crumbs Bake Shop (CRMB) cupcakes. I absolutely do.

  That�� why it pains me to say that CRMB stock is dead money.

• [By John Kell and Tess Stynes var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); p]

  Crumbs Bake Shop Inc.(CRMB) said interim Chief Executive Edward M. Slezak has been named permanently to post, while also announcing that its board has appointed Frederick G. Kraegel as chairman.

• [By Lex Haris]

  Crumbs (CRMB) closed all of its stores Monday, and has been struggling for some time. It began closing outlets in 2013 amid steep losses. At the end of the first quarter this year, it had 65 locations in 12 states.

Best Consumer Companies For 2014: Monsanto Co (MON)

Monsanto Company (Monsanto), incorporated on February 9, 2000, along with its subsidiaries, is a provider of agricultural products for farmers. The Company's seeds, biotechnology trait products, and herbicides provide farmers with solutions that improve productivity, reduce the costs of farming, and produce better foods for consumers and better feed for animals. It manages business in two segments: Seeds and Genomics, and Agricultural Productivity. In April 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of a corn and soybean processing plant located in Paine, Chile from Anasac, a company that provides seed processing services. In October 2009, the Company completed the acquisition of Seminium, S.A. (Seminium), a corn seed company. In February 2011, the Company acquired Divergence, Inc. In September 2011, the Company acquired Beeologics. In June 2012, the Company purchased a planting technology developer, Precision Planting, Inc. In January 2013, it purchased select assets of Agradis, Inc. In June 2013, Monsanto Company acquired GrassRoots Biotechnology Inc. In November 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of The Climate Corporation.

Seeds and Genomics Segment

Through the Company's Seeds and Genomics segment, it produces seed brands, including DEKALB, Asgrow, Deltapine, Seminis and De Ruiter, and it develops biotechnology traits that assist farmers in controlling insects and weeds. It also provides other seed companies with genetic material and biotechnology traits for their seed brands. It has a global distribution and sales and marketing organization for its seeds and traits. It sells products under Monsanto brands and license technology and genetic material to others for sale under their own brands. Through distributors, independent retailers and dealers, agricultural cooperatives, plant raisers, and agents, it markets DEKALB, Asgrow and Deltapine branded germplasm to farmers globally. In the United States, it markets regional seed brands under it! s American Seeds, LLC and Channel Bio, LLC businesses to farmers directly, as well as through dealers, agricultural cooperatives and agents. It markets and sells trait technologies with branded germplasm, pursuant to license agreements with its farmer customers. In Brazil and Paraguay, its has implemented a point-of-delivery, grain-based payment system. It contracts with grain handlers to collect applicable trait fees when farmers deliver their grain. In addition to selling its products under its own brands, the Company licenses a range of germplasm and trait technologies to large and small seed companies in the United States and certain international markets. Those seed companies in turn market its trait technologies in their branded germplasm; they may also market its germplasm under its own brand name. Its vegetable seeds are marketed in more than 100 countries through distributors, independent retailers and dealers, agricultural cooperatives, plant raisers and agents, as well as directly to farmers.

The Company�� row crop seeds brands include DEKALB, Channel Bio, Asgrow and Deltapine. Its DEKALB and Channel Bio are corn hybrids and foundation seed. Its Asgrow are soybean varieties and foundation seed. Its Deltapine are cotton varieties, hybrids and foundation seed. Canola is its row crop variety and hybrid. Its vegetable seed brands are Seminis and De Ruiter. These are open field and protected-culture seed for tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, cucumber, pumpkin, squash, beans, broccoli, onions, and lettuce, among others. Its Biotechnology traits include SmartStax, YieldGard, YieldGard VT Triple, VT Triple PRO, VT Double PRO, Roundup Ready and Roundup Ready 2 Yield and Genuity. Its SmartStax, YieldGard, YieldGard VT Triple, VT Triple PRO and VT Double PRO have applications for corn, and Bollgard and Bollgard II have application for cotton. It enables crops to protect themselves from borers and rootworm in corn and leaf- and boll-feeding worms in cotton, reducing the need for application! s of inse! cticides. Its Roundup Ready and Roundup Ready 2 Yield have application for soybeans. The Company�� Genuity is a global umbrella trait brand. It enables crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, and canola to be tolerant of Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides. Monsanto also offers farmers stacked-trait products, which are single-seed products in which two or more traits are combined.

Agricultural Productivity Segment

Through the Company's Agricultural Productivity segment, it manufactures Roundup brand herbicides and other herbicides and provide lawn-and-garden herbicide products for the residential market. Its products include Glyphosate-based herbicides, Selective herbicides and Lawn-and-garden herbicides. Its Glyphosate-based herbicides have applications in nonselective agricultural, industrial, ornamental and turf applications for weed control. Its Selective herbicides control preemergent annual grass and small seeded broadleaf weeds in corn and other crops. Its residential lawn-and-garden has applications for weed control. It uses the same distribution and sales and marketing organization for its crop protection products as for its seeds and traits. It also has separate distribution and sales and marketing organizations for its crop protection products. It sells crop protection products through distributors, independent retailers and dealers and agricultural cooperatives. In some cases outside the United States, it sells such products directly to farmers. It also sells certain of the chemical intermediates of its crop protection products to other agricultural chemical producers, who then market their own branded products to farmers. The Company markets its lawn-and-garden herbicide products through The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Not even Monsanto (NYSE: MON  ) , which owned the sweetener for a time and is willing to genetically alter our feed crops, wanted anything to do with it after a while. It sold the NutraSweet company to J.W. Childs in 2000, and today the aspartame maker remains a privately held company. Aspartame is now found in more than 5,000 consumer food and beverages worldwide. Sucralose is known more commonly by its brand name Splenda.

• [By Dividend]

  Monsanto (MON) has a market capitalization of $51.42 billion. The company employs 21,500 people, generates revenue of $13.504 billion and has a net income of $2.087 billion. Monsanto�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $3.928 billion. The EBITDA margin is 29.09% (the operating margin is 23.31% and the net profit margin 15.45%).

• [By Chad Fraser]

  That’s where Monsanto (NYSE: MON) comes in. The agriculture stock’s GM seeds—designed to resist insects, herbicides and drought—are market leaders.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  And the market has made my case for me in recent days by punishing fad-oriented companies like Soda Stream International Ltd. (Nasdaq: SODA) and GoPro Inc. (Nasdaq: GPRO), for example. Big brands like Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) and Becton, Dickinson and Co. (NYSE: BDX), on the other hand, are doing just fine even though they came under pressure with the broader markets, too.

Best Consumer Companies For 2014: Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation(RL)

Ralph Lauren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of lifestyle products. The company offers men?s, women?s, and children?s clothing; and accessories comprising footwear, eyewear, watches, jewelry, hats, and belts, as well as leather goods, including handbags and luggage. It also provides products for homes, including bedding and bath products, furniture, fabric and wallpaper, paint, tabletop, and giftware; and fragrance products for women men. In addition, the company licenses its products, such as men?s sportswear, men?s tailored clothing, men?s underwear and sleepwear, eyewear, fragrances, cosmetics, and color and skin care products. It offers its products under the Polo by Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Women?s Collection, Black Label, Blue Label, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, RRL, RLX, Rugby, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, American Living, Chaps, and Club Monaco brand names. Ralph Lauren sells its products to department stores, specialty stores, and golf and pro shops; full-price retail stores, factory retail stores, and concessions-based shop-within-shops; and online through RalphLauren.com and Rugby.com. As of April 3, 2010, it operated 179 full-price retail stores and 171 factory stores worldwide, as well as 281 concessions-based shop-within-shops and 2 e-commerce Websites. The company was formerly known as Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation and changed its name to Ralph Lauren Corporation in August 2011. Ralph Lauren Corporation was founded in 1967 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Ralph Lauren (RL) are all dressed up and they definitely have somewhere to go–up–after beating earnings forecasts today.

  Associated Press

  MarketWatch has the details:

  For the period ended Sept. 28, Ralph Lauren reported a profit of $205 million, or $2.23 a share, down from $214 million, or $2.29 a share, a year earlier. Analysts recently expected $2.20…

  The company raised the lower end of its estimated revenue range for the year by one percentage point and now projects an increase of 5% to 7%. For the current quarter, the company forecast revenue growth of 8% to 10%, in line with recent estimates of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters for an increase of 9%.

  Ralph Lauren also unveiled a quarterly dividend increase of 13% to 45 cents a share.

  Citigroup’s�Kate McShane likes what she sees:

  RL shares are trading higher today on a more bullish outlook through the rest of the FY, w/ increased top-line expectations driving plans to further accelerate SG&A investments in key LT initiatives. While the retail environment remains challenging (weak US traffic, proactive reductions in Europe, and F/X & dept store headwinds in Japan), mgmt maintained expectations of an acceleration from 1H to 2H and expressed confidence from strong Q2 performance across channels/regions (esp luxury accessories), contributions from new DTC, share gains, & Asia (+DD in Q2 ex-Japan). RL�� integration of the Chaps/Australia/NZ licenses & multi-year SAP rollout are also on track. We reiterate our Buy as our LT thesis on RL�� global secular growth remains intact, driven by int�� expansion, DTC, & category growth.

  Shares of Ralph Lauren have gained 5.2% to $180.07 at 3:33 p.m. today, and they’ve even boosted other apparel companies. PVH (PVH) has gained 0.7% to $125.75, Hanesbrands (HBI) has advanced 1.3% to $68.25 and VF Corp. (VFC) is up 0.9% to $2221.78.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Two very different retailers–supermarket chain Kroger (KR) and�high-end apparel retailer Ralph Lauren (RL)–caught our eye this afternoon for the same reason: analyst downgrades that slammed stock prices.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Ralph Lauren's success as a fashion icon started from modest roots, with a simple line of men's ties that eventually led to a larger boutique, and the beginning of the now world-famous Polo symbol. During nearly half a century, Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL  ) has grown dramatically, and the company sees the potential for even further growth in the future. Yet with competition becoming fiercer in the luxury end of the apparel and accessories industry, investors wonder whether Ralph Lauren's plans for global expansion are too ambitious for the current market environment.

Best Consumer Companies For 2014: Barry Callebaut AG (BARN)

Barry Callebaut AG is a Switzerland-based producer of cocoa, chocolate and confectionery products. The Company�� manufacturing process involves all stages of the cocoa and chocolate value chain from the sourcing of raw materials to the delivery of the finished products. The Company operates three geographical segments, including Europe, Americas and Asia-Pacific, as well as its business segment Global Sourcing & Cocoa. The Global Sourcing & Cocoa business segment is responsible for the procurement of ingredients for chocolate production, including mainly cocoa, as well as sugar, dairy and nuts as common ingredients, as well as the Company's cocoa processing business. The Company serves the food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to professional or artisanal users of chocolate. The Company operates more than 50 chocolate and cocoa factories, and is present in over 30 countries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Elan Corp. jumped 8.4 percent in Dublin after authorizing the process of its sale. Hochtief AG gained the most in four months after the German builder said it will buy as much as 260 million euros ($346 million) of its own shares. Michelin & Cie, Europe�� largest tiremaker, added 4.7 percent after data on its website showed tire demand surged in Brazil last month. Barry Callebaut AG (BARN) lost 3.4 percent after the maker of bulk chocolate sold about $302 million of new shares.

Best Consumer Companies For 2014: World Acceptance Corp (WRLD)

World Acceptance Corporation operates a small-loan consumer finance business in 12 states and Mexico. The Company is engaged in the small-loan consumer finance business, offering short-term small loans, medium-term larger loans, related credit insurance and ancillary products and services to individuals. As of March 31, 2012, the Company offered standardized installment loans through 1,137 offices in South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Kentucky, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Mexico. The Company serves individuals with limited access to consumer credit from banks, credit unions, other consumer finance businesses and credit card lenders. In the United States offices, the Company also offers income tax return preparation services to its customers and others.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company opened 69 new offices. In each state in which it operates and in Mexico, the Company offers consumer installment loans, which are standardized by amount and maturity. The Company's loans are consumer installment loans, which are payable in fully amortizing monthly installments with terms generally of 4 to 36 months, and all loans are pre-payable at any time without penalty. During fiscal 2012, the Company's average originated gross loan term was approximately 12 months. As of March 31, 2012, the annual percentage rates on loans offered by the Company, which include interest, fees and other charges as calculated for the purposes of the requirements of the federal Truth in Lending Act, ranged from 24% to 204% depending on the loan size, maturity and the state, in which the loan is made. In addition, in certain states, the Company, as agent for an unaffiliated insurance company, sells credit insurance in connection with its loan transactions.

Specific allowable charges vary by state and, consistent with industry practice, the Company generally charges at or close to the maximum rates allowable under app! licable state law in those states that limit loan rates. Statutes in Texas and Oklahoma allow for indexing the maximum loan amounts to the Consumer Price Index. The Company�� loan products are pre-computed loans in which the finance charge is a combination of origination or acquisition fees, account maintenance fees, monthly account handling fee and other charges permitted by the relevant state laws.

The Company, as an agent for an unaffiliated insurance company, markets and sells credit life, credit accident and health, credit property, and unemployment insurance in connection with its loans in selected states where the sale of such insurance is permitted by law. Credit life insurance provides for the payment in full of the borrower's credit obligation to the lender in the event of death. Credit accident and health insurance provides for repayment of loan installments to the lender, which come due during the insured's period of income interruption resulting from disability from illness or injury. Credit property insurance insures payment of the borrower's credit obligation to the lender in the event, which the personal property pledged as security by the borrower is damaged or destroyed by a covered event. Unemployment insurance provides for repayment of loan installments to the lender, which come due during the insured�� period of involuntary unemployment. The Company requires each customer to obtain specific credit insurance in the amount of the loan for all loans originated in Georgia under the Georgia Industrial Loan Act, and encourages customers to obtain credit insurance for all loans originated in South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama and Kentucky and on a limited basis in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas. Customers in those states obtain such credit insurance through the Company.

In South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky and Alabama, the Company charges its borrowers for its non-file premiums in connection with certain loans in lieu of recording and perfecting the! Company� �s security interest in the loan collateral. The premiums are remitted to a third party insurance company for non-file insurance coverage. The Company also markets automobile club memberships to its borrowers in Georgia, Tennessee, New Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and Kentucky as an agent for an unaffiliated automobile club. Club memberships entitle members to automobile breakdown and towing reimbursement and related services. The Company is paid a commission on each membership sold.

The Company offers income tax return preparation and electronic filing. This program is provided in all but a few of the Company�� the United States offices. During fiscal 2012, the Company prepared 44,000 returns. During fiscal 2012, 93.4% of the Company�� revenues were attributable to the United States customers and 6.6% were attributable to customers in Mexico. During fiscal 2012, approximately 84.7% of the Company's loans were generated through refinancings of outstanding loans and the origination of new loans to previous customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  1. World Acceptance (WRLD)
  2. Express Scripts (ESRX)
  3. Walgreen (WAG)
  4. Humana (HUM)
  5. McDonald's (MCD)

  Those are the kinds of companies a younger ��and poorer ��Warren Buffett might buy. Actually, a few of those companies are big enough for Warren Buffett to buy today.

• [By Canadian Value]

  So I�� going to stick my next out and share my views on four battleground stocks that are among my favorite shorts: World Acceptance (WRLD), Green Mountain (GMCR), Herbalife (HLF), and InterOil (IOC). And next week at the Value Investing Congress I will present another short, my largest.

• [By Ong Kang Wei]

  Besides this, I would also avoid companies which had previously fooled investors by using things such as "creative accounting" or "aggressive accounting" (Remember Enron); had been involved in a scandal which required it to restate past financials or go to court with shareholders (Remember the Diamond Foods (DMND) scam); was unable to produce financial statements on time [One recent case being World Acceptance (WRLD)]; or was being investigated by the SEC. These are all some signs of management being dishonest, and I would rather avoid companies with such a history, unless there is a change in the company's management team.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of World Acceptance Corporation (WRLD) have plunged today after the company disclosed in an 8K that the�Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has requested information about its sales practices.

  Getty Images Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray

  Shares of World Acceptance Corporation have plunged 19% to $79.19 at 3:43 p.m.–and dragged down anything remotely connected to payday lending. Cash America International (CSH) has dropped 7.8% to $39.35, pawn-shop operator EZCorp (EZPW) has fallen 3.7% to $12.33, and wire-transfer companies Western Union (WU) and MoneyGram International (MGI) have fallen 2.6% and 5.8%, respectively.

  Sterne Agee’s Henry Coffey and team explain what’s happening with World Acceptance and why they continue to rate it Neutral:

  1. Because of the company’s size (largest or second largest small loan company in the country), it was inevitable that the CFPB would be looking into [World Acceptance]. The question never was “if” in our minds but “when.”

  2. The inquiry does not in itself mean there are issues that have been discovered by the CFPB…

  4. With approximately 30% of the company’s loans underwritten with some form of credit insurance, it would be difficult for�[World Acceptance] to continue to make these loans without this product…

  6. The company indicated in its 8K that it believes it is in compliance with the law.

  Shares of World Acceptance Corporation has dropped 9.2% so far this year, while Cash America International has gained 2.7%, EZCorp has risen 5.5%, Western Union has fallen 6.6% and MoneyGram International has declined 15% in 2014.

Best Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now

Both blue-chip stocks and gold are lower today on the heels of worse-than-expected economic figures both at home and abroad. With an hour and a half left in the trading session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is off by a whopping 185 points, or 1.25%, while gold is on track for its worst single-day decline in decades.

The primary concern among analysts and traders is evidence that China's growth rate is waning. The world's second-largest economy grew by 7.7% in the first quarter of the year, down from 7.9% in the last three months of 2012 and below the 8% rate expected by economists. According to JPMorgan's chief China economist, quoted in The Wall Street Journal: "The slowdown in the first quarter is very remarkable. The weakness is quite broad-based on the domestic front."

Meanwhile, data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York suggests that things aren't going well on the U.S. economic front, either. The bank's Empire State Index, which measures manufacturing activity in the eponymous region, fell to 3.1 points in April, down from 9.2 in March -- anything above zero nevertheless suggests expansion. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch.com had predicted a reading of 7.8.

Top 5 Machinery Stocks To Invest In 2015: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP) surged 17.73% to $14.21. The volume of Checkpoint Systems shares traded was 525% higher than normal. Checkpoint announced its intent to extend the filing date of its annual report.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP  ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.

• [By ovenerio]

  But the firm must continue working hard because growth remains below management's expectations from a few years ago. Competition includes Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (CKP), R-pac International Corporation, and SML Group Limited.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Marder]

  Although a report in yesterday's New York Times highlighted the practice, the truth has been out there for months. Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN  ) had a trial program where it used video surveillance and Wi-Fi signals in smartphones to track customers in the store. It wanted to use the data to help it connect with customers, and then to sell them more things. The company posted announcements about the program in stores, and after complaints, it ended the program in May this year.

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  Costco is one of many retailers ranging from Nordstrom (JWN) on the high end to Walmart (WMT) on the low end to generate earnings that lagged Wall Street�� forecasts. Nonetheless, judging from its earnings, COST is holding its own in these challenging economic times.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

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

Best Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, but don't expect shareholders to be too excited about the report. Shares of the company recently traded at their lowest levels in nearly two years, and with ongoing controversy about the company's da Vinci robotic surgical systems, it's unclear whether Intuitive Surgical earnings can hold up to the pressure the stock is under right now.

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG), which sells the da Vinci robotic surgical systems, fell 25.7% in the quarter when results fell short of expectations as growth in procedures slowed and unit placements declined. Hospital admissions have been weak and negative publicity affected the amount of procedures performed. We reduced our position in the stock by half this year, but now believe the stock is oversold and too cheap.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  More than any other technology that has entered the operating room, Intuitive Surgical's (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) da Vinci system has revolutionized how surgery is performed. The company's stock backs up that sentiment: it's up 2,500% since Intuitive went public in 2000. That's an annualized return of over 26% per year!

Best Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nickey Friedman]

  "Customers have been telling us for some time... 'I don't like to wait for the check,'" said Julia Stewart, CEO of�DineEquity� (NYSE: DIN  ) ,�in an interview on CNBC. DineEquity, the parent company of Applebee's,�and other restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) and Chili's of Brinker International (NYSE: EAT  ) �are in the process of rolling out pay-at-the-table computer tablets across the nation. While giving consumers a more convenient way to order and pay for their meal is a plus, there is an indirect motivator for the tablets that may lead to higher sales and profits.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, restaurant operator Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking. �

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) may have come up short on the bottom line for the fourth quarter in a row, but comps are picking up nicely at the chain of family-friendly sports bars.

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Sterne Agee upgraded Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD) to Buy from Neutral with a $176 price target. Shares gained 0.10 percent, closing at $145.32.

Best Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  Even though the stock market rallied on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA) and Standard & Poor's 500 Index (NYSE: SPY) surging, the long term winners will be stocks in the staffing industry such as Paychex(NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), Robert Half (NYSE: RHI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of staffing agency TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI  ) jumped 10% today after the company reported earnings.

  So what: Revenue jumped 19%, to $422.3 million, and beat estimates of $420.2 million from Wall Street. Adjusted earnings per share were also up 19%, to $0.31, outpacing estimates by $0.05.�

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  For those looking to invest in real estate stocks, highly recommended is the Dr. Housing Bubble blog. In a recent posting, the "Dr." pointed out that there was a "Lost Generation" when it came to household income. That has not happened for those investing in staffing industry stocks such as Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), and Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC).

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  When looking at small cap stocks, it is useful to compare the company with others that have expanded in both share price and size. For those considering investing in the $100 billion staffing industry, the growth of TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) shows what could be the potential path for Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC), as both operate in the $29 billion demand labor sector. Other firms have done well in the staffing industry include Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) and ManPower Group (NYSE: MAN).

Best Growth Companies To Invest In Right Now: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  Scouring the market for excellent dividend stocks isn't as easy as finding the stocks with the highest yields. In fact, dividend yield is just one of many factors investors should consider when they are looking for the best dividend stocks. To illustrate, I'll analyze two companies whose stocks have meaningful dividend yields: Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) and Ford (NYSE: F  ) .

Top 5 Rising Companies To Buy For 2014

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gave the commencement address at Princeton University this weekend. He didn't talk about interest rates, unemployment targets, or quantitative easing. Instead, he gave life advice. "All of what follows has been road-tested in real-life situations, but past performance is no guarantee of future results," he began. Here's a summary.

On rising tuition: "My colleague also used to say that, from a financial perspective, the experience [of sending his kids to Princeton] was like buying a new Cadillac every year and then driving it off a cliff. I should say that he always added that he would do it all over again in a minute."�

On change: "Life is amazingly unpredictable; any 22-year-old who thinks he or she knows where they will be in 10 years, much less in 30, is simply lacking imagination. Look what happened to me: A dozen years ago I was minding my own business teaching Economics 101 in Alexander Hall and trying to think of good excuses for avoiding faculty meetings. Then I got a phone call�... "

Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks To Own Right Now: Newpark Resources Inc (NR)

Newpark Resources, Inc., incorporated on June 3, 1988, is a diversified oil and gas supplier providing products and services primarily to the oil and gases exploration (E&P) industry. The Company operates in three segments: fluids systems and engineering, mats and integrated services, and environmental services. The Company's Fluids Systems and Engineering segment provides customized drilling fluids solutions to E&P customers globally, operating through four geographic regions: North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America, and Asia Pacific. The Company's Mats and Integrated Services segment provides composite mat rentals, well site construction and related site services to oil and gas customers at well, production, transportation and refinery locations in the United States. The Company's Environmental Services segment processes and disposes of waste generated by E&P and industrial activity, primarily along the United States Gulf Coast. On December 31, 2012, it acquired operations of Alliance Drilling Fluids, LLC

Fluids Systems and Engineering

The Company's Fluids Systems and Engineering business offers customized solutions, including technical drilling projects involving complex subsurface conditions, such as horizontal, directional, geologically deep or deep water drilling. These projects require increased monitoring and critical engineering support of the fluids system during the drilling process. The Company provides drilling fluids products and technical services to markets in North America, EMEA, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific region. The Company also provides completion services and equipment rental to customers in Oklahoma and Texas. The Company has industrial mineral grinding operations for barite. The Company grinds barite and other industrial minerals at facilities in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, New Iberia, Louisiana and Dyersburg, Tennessee. The Company uses the resulting products in its drilling fluids business, and also sell! s them to third party users, including other drilling fluids companies. The Company also sells a variety of other minerals, principally to third party industrial (non oil and gas) markets, from its main plant in Houston, Texas and from the plant in Dyersburg, Tennessee.

Mats and Integrated Services

The Company provides mat rentals, location construction and related well sites services to E&P customers in the Northeast United States, onshore United States Gulf Coast, and Rocky Mountain regions, and mat rentals to the petrochemical industry in the United States and the utility industry in the United Kingdom. These mats provide environmental protection and ensure all-weather access to sites with unstable soil conditions. The Company manufactures its DuraBase Advanced Composite Mats for sales, as well as for uses in its domestic and international rental operations. The Company's marketing efforts for this product remain focused in principal oil and gas industry markets which include the Asia Pacific, Latin America, EMEA, as well as markets outside the E&P sector in the United States and Europe.

Environmental Services

The Company processes and disposes of waste generated by its oil and gas customers. Primary revenue sources include onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico drilling waste management, as well as reclamation services. Additionally, the Company provides disposal services in the West Texas market. The Company operates six receiving and transfers facilities located along the United States Gulf Coast. E&P waste is collected at the transfer facilities from drilling and production operations located offshore, onshore and within inland waters. Waste is accumulated at the transfer facilities and moved by barge through the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the Company's processing and transfer facility at Port Arthur, Texas, and, if not recycled, is trucked to injection disposal facilities. Any remaining material is injected, after further processing, into envir! onmentall! y secure geologic formations. Under permits from Texas state regulatory agencies, the Company operates waste disposal facilities in Jefferson County, Texas (Fannett and Big Hill). The Fannett site is the Company's primary facility for disposing of E&P waste. Utilizing this same technology, the Company also receives and disposes of non-hazardous industrial waste at the Big Hill facility, principally from generators in the United States Gulf Coast market, including refiners, manufacturers, service companies and industrial municipalities that produce waste. These non-hazardous waste streams are injected into a separate well utilizing the same low-pressure injection technology. The Company also disposes of non-hazardous industrial waste.

The Company competes with Schlumberger, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of energy service provider Newpark Resources (NYSE: NR  ) jumped 17% today after the company released earnings.

  So what: Revenue was up 7.7%, to $283 million in the first quarter, and net income jumped 11.1%, to $17.4 million, or $0.18 per share. Analysts only expected $278 million in revenue, and earnings of $0.17 per share, and the slight beat was enough to send shares higher. It didn't hurt that the report was accompanied by a $50 million share repurchase plan, which indicates that management is bullish on the company's long-term future.�

Top 5 Rising Companies To Buy For 2014: MRC Global Inc (MRC)

MRC Global Inc., formerly known as McJunkin Red Man Holding Corporation, incorporated on November 20, 2006, is a holding company. The Company is the distributor of pipe, valves and fittings (PVF) and related products and services to the energy industry. The Company offers a range of PVF and oilfield supplies encompassing a complete line of products from its global network of suppliers to its more than 12,000 customers. The Company operates in two segments: North American segment and International segment. Its North American segment includes over 180 branch locations, six distribution centers in the United States, one distribution center in Canada, 11 valve automation service centers and over 170 pipe yards located in the oil and natural gas regions in North America. Its International segment includes over 40 branch locations throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia with distribution centers in each of the United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia and 10 automation service centers in Europe and Asia. On June 9, 2011, it acquired Stainless Pipe and Fittings Australia Pty. Ltd. (MRC SPF). On July 22, 2011, it acquired Valve Systems and Controls (VSC). In January 2013, the Company's subsidiary, McJunkin Red Man Corporation,acquired operating assets of Production Specialty Services, Inc. In July 2013, MRC Global Inc announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the operating assets of Dan H. Brown, Inc., D/B/A Flow Control Products (Flow Control). In December 2013, MRC Global Inc acquired Flangefitt Stainless Ltd. Effective January 6, 2014, MRC Global Inc a unit of GS Capital Partners LP subsidiary of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Goldman Sachs & Co unit, acquired Stream AS.

The Company distributes products globally, including in PVF intensive, oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) areas, such as the Bakken, Barnett, Eagle Ford, Fayetteville, Haynesville, Marcellus, Niobrara and Utica shales in North America. Its Canadian subsidiary Midfield Supply ULC and its! subsidiaries (MRC Midfield), provides PVF products to oil and natural gas companies operating primarily in Western Canada, including the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, Alberta Oil Sands and heavy oil regions. It offers more than 150,000 stock keeping units (SKUs), including a range of PVF, oilfield supply, automation, instrumentation and other general and specialty industry supply products.

The Company is the majority owned subsidiary of PVF Holdings LLC. Its wholly owned subsidiary, McJunkin Red Man Corporation and its subsidiaries (MRC), are global distributors of pipe, valves, fittings and related products and services across each of the upstream (exploration, production and extraction of underground oil and gas), midstream (gathering and transmission of oil and gas, gas utilities, and the storage and distribution of oil and gas) and downstream (crude oil refining, petrochemical processing and general industrials) markets. The Company serves the global oil and natural gas industry, generating approximately 90% of its sales from supplying products and services to customers throughout the energy industry. Of its total sales, 62% of sales are comprised of valves, fittings and flanges and other industrial supply products and 38% are tubular products, mainly line pipe and oil country tubular goods (OCTG) as of September 30, 2011.

North American Operations

The Company distributes PVF products, primarily used in applications in the energy infrastructure sector, from its global network of suppliers. The products it distributes are used in the construction, maintenance, repair and overhaul of equipments. The products include Valves and Specialty Products, Line Pipe, OCTG, Carbon Steel Fittings and Flanges and Stainless Steel and Alloy Pipe and Fittings and others. The products under valves and specialty products include ball, butterfly, gate, globe, check, needle and plug valves, which are manufactured from cast steel, stainless/alloy steel, forged steel, carbon st! eel or ca! st and ductile iron. Specialty products include lined corrosion resistant piping systems, valve automation and top work components used for regulating flow and on/off service, and a range of steam and instrumentation products used in various process applications within its refinery, petrochemical and general industrial sectors.

Carbon line pipe is used in high-yield, high-stress, abrasive applications, such as the gathering and transmission of oil, natural gas and phosphates. Line pipe is part of its tubular product category. OCTG is part of its tubular product category, includes casing (used for production and to line the well bore) and tubing pipe (used to extract oil or natural gas from wells) and is either classified as carbon or alloy depending on the grade of material. Carbon steel fittings and flanges include carbon weld fittings, flanges and piping components used primarily to connect piping and valve systems for the transmission of various liquids and gases. These products are used across all the industries in which it operates. Stainless steel and alloy pipe and fittings include stainless, alloy and corrosion resistant pipe, tubing, fittings and flanges. These are used in the chemical, refining and power generation industries, as well as across all of the sectors in which the Company operates. Alloy products are principally used in high-pressure, high-temperature and high-corrosion applications typically seen in process piping applications.

The products under other category include natural gas distribution products, oilfield supplies, and other industrial products, such as mill and safety and electrical supplies. Natural gas distribution products include risers, meters, polyethylene pipe and fittings and various other components and industrial supplies used primarily in the distribution of natural gas to residential and commercial customers. It offers a range of oilfield and industrial supplies and completion equipment, and products offered include high density polyet! hylene pi! pe and fittings, valves, well heads, pumping units and rods. In addition, it supplies a range of specialized production equipment, including meter runs, tanks and separators used in its upstream sector.

The Company provides its customers with a range of services, including multiple deliveries each day, zone store management, valve tagging and system interfaces that directly tie the customer into its information systems. Its information system, which provides for customer and supplier electronic integrations, information sharing and e-commerce applications, provides service to its customers. The Company sources the products it distributes from a global network of suppliers. The remainder of the products it distributes are sourced from manufacturer representatives, trading companies and, in some instances, other distributors.

The Company competes with Wilson Industries, Inc., National Oilwell Varco, Inc. and Ferguson Enterprises.

International Operations

The Company�� International segment represents its valve and stainless and alloy pipe, fitting and flange distribution business to the energy and general industrial sectors, across each of the downstream and upstream sectors, through its distribution operations located throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. Through its over 40 branch and service facilities throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East, it distributes a complete line of valve and stainless and alloy pipe, fittings and flanges and specialty products. Its Valve products offered include ball, butterfly, gate, globe, check, needle and plug valves, which are manufactured from cast steel, stainless/alloy steel, forged steel, carbon steel or cast and ductile iron. Valves are used in oilfield and industrial applications to control direction, velocity and pressure of fluids and gases within transmission networks. Specialty products include lined corrosion resistant piping systems, valve automation and top work compo! nents use! d for regulating flow and on/off service and a range of steam and instrumentation products used in various process applications within its offshore, refinery, petrochemical and general industrial sectors.

Stainless steel products are used in all sectors in which it operates, including oil and gas, mining and mineral processing, water treatment and desalination, and petrochemical. It provides its customers with a range of services, including multiple daily deliveries, zone stores management, valve tagging and system interfaces that directly tie the customer into its information systems.

The Company competes with Econosto.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  MRC Global (NYSE: MRC  ) now officially has a new asset in its portfolio. The company announced it has finalized the acquisition of the operating assets of Flow Control Products. It describes the once privately held firm as "a leading provider of pneumatic, electric and electro-hydraulic valve automation packages and related field support to the Permian Basin energy industry, including production facilities, pipelines, and plant operations." According to MRC Global, the company posted $28 million in revenues last year.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  MRC Global (MRC)

  Over the duration of the second quarter, Columbia Wanger upped their position in MRC Global by 258.43%. The fund purchased 1,809,000 shares of the company�� stock at an average price of $29.69. Since their increase, the price per share has dropped -18.9%.

Top 5 Rising Companies To Buy For 2014: Nature's Sunshine Products Inc.(NATR)

Nature?s Sunshine Products, Inc., a natural health and wellness company, together with its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the manufacture and direct sale of nutritional and personal care products worldwide. The company offers herbal products in the form of capsules or tablets; and single herbs and herb combinations in the form of liquid herbs and extracts under ALJ, Cardio Assurance, Blood Pressurex, LBS II, CleanStart, Mistica, Liquid Chlorophyll, Noni Plus, and Core Greens brands. It also provides vitamins and mineral supplements, including a line containing natural antioxidants in the form of chewable or non-chewable tablets under EverFlex, Super Supplemental, Vitamin B Complex, Probiotic Eleven, Food Enzyme, ProArgi-9 Plus, SyneMax, and Vitazone brands; and personal care products, such as oils and lotions, aloe vera gels, herbal shampoos, herbal skin treatments, toothpastes, and skin cleansers under Tei-Fu, Pau-D Arco, EverFlex, Pro-G Yam, Hydrating Toner, 5 in 1 Shampoo, Repair Complex, and Bright Renewal Serum brands. In addition, the company offers various other products, such as homeopathic products, powders, sales aids, and other miscellaneous products under Lavender Oil, Tei-Fu Oil, Peppermint Oil, Flower Essences, and Massage Oil brands. It sells its products to a sales force of independent distributors and managers, who use the products themselves or resell them to other independent distributors or consumers. Nature?s Sunshine Products, Inc. was founded in 1972 and is based in Provo, Utah.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy You can never know in advance all the news that will move the market in a given week, but some things you can see coming. From a direct marketer of wellness supplements stepping up with healthy financials (we hope) to Olive Garden's parent checking in with a report on the dreary state of casual dining, here are some of the things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- Human Nature Nature's Sunshine Products (NATR) distributes natural wellness products through its growing direct sales force of more than 340,000 reps worldwide, and it also happens to be kicking off the new trading week with its latest financials. Analysts expect to see healthy bottom-line growth in Monday morning's quarterly report. They predict a profit of $0.35 a share, well ahead of the $0.28 a share it rang up a year earlier. The rub is that Nature's Sunshine has come up short against Wall Street profit targets in three of the past four quarters. Tuesday -- Photoshop These Financials Adobe Systems (ADBE) reports on Tuesday. The desktop publishing software giant behind Photoshop, Flash, and PDF authoring platform Acrobat has seen better days. The market's bracing for a dip in revenue and profitability in its latest quarter. That probably isn't much of a surprise. There are now free or nearly free Web-based alternatives to many of Adobe's products. The alternatives may not have as many features, but they're more than enough for casual users. Adobe is going to need new products to get back on the growth track. Wednesday -- New Home Sales Brewing One of the economy's biggest turnaround stories is the residential real estate revival. Folks are buying houses again and they're willing to pay more for them, which is making developers a lot of money. After all, their component costs aren't rising at the same clip as home prices. We'll get a great snapshot of the industry this week. KB Home (KBH) reports on Wednesday, and Lennar (LEN) follows a day lat

• [By Garrett Cook]

  In trading on Monday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares dropped by just 0.33 percent. Top gainers in the sector included The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX), up 6.9 percent, and Nature's Sunshine Products (NASDAQ: NATR), up 5.3 percent.

Top 5 Rising Companies To Buy For 2014: Dominion Diamond Corp (DDC)

Dominion Diamond Corporation, formerly Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, incorporated on March 26, 2013, is focused on the mining and marketing of rough diamonds to the global market. The Company supplies rough diamonds to the global market from production received from its 40% ownership interest in the Diavik Diamond Mine (the Diavik Diamond Mine) and its 80% interest in the Ekati Diamond Mine (the Ekati Diamond Mine). Both mineral properties are located at Lac de Gras in Canada�� Northwest Territories. On March 26, 2013, the Company completed the sale of its Harry Winston luxury brand business to the Swatch Group Ltd.

The Diavik Joint Venture (the Joint Venture) is an unincorporated joint arrangement between Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. (DDMI - 60%) and Dominion Diamond Diavik Limited Partnership (DDDLP - 40%), where DDDLP owns an undivided 40% interest in the assets, liabilities and expenses. DDMI is the operator (the Operator) of the Diavik Diamond Mine. During 2012, production at the Diavik Diamond Mine was approximately 7.2 million carats, consisting of approximately 4.3 million carats produced from 1.2 million tons of ore from the A-418 kimberlite pipe, 1.9 million carats produced from 0.4 million tons of ore from the A-154 South kimberlite pipe, and 0.9 million carats produced from 0.5 million tons of ore from the A-154 North kimberlite pipe. The Diavik Diamond Mine has three ore bodies: A-154 South, A-154 North, and A-418. An additional body of mineralization, A-21, is classified as resource.

The Ekati Diamond Mine consists of the Core Zone, which includes the operating mine and other permitted kimberlite pipes, as well as the Buffer Zone, an adjacent area hosting kimberlite pipes having both development and exploration potential. It encompasses 176 mining leases, totaling 173,024 hectares, and hosts 111 kimberlite occurrences including the Koala, Koala North, Fox, Misery, Pigeon, and Sable kimberlite pipes. The Buffer Zone is held 58.8% by the Company. It contains! 106 mining leases covering 89,151.6 hectares, and hosts 39 known kimberlite occurrences including the Jay and Lynx kimberlite pipes. As of December 31, 2012, production from the Diavik Diamond Mine has totaled 76.6 million carats of diamonds. As of December 31, 2012, production from the Ekati Diamond Mine has totaled approximately 53.54 million carats of diamonds.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  Diamonds may be forever, but that truism doesn't always translate to the income statement. Dominion Diamond (NYSE: DDC  ) , the Canadian mine owner that until recently owned and operated the ultra-luxurious Harry Winston brand, released its fourth-quarter and year-end results to an unimpressed Wall Street. The newly reorganized company is the largest Canadian diamond purveyor, and one of the leading precious-stone companies in the world. The question is: Is the company better now as a pure mining play, compared to its time as owner of, arguably, the most illustrious name in diamond retail? Let's take a look at earnings and valuation for more clues.