Best Logistics Companies To Buy For 2014

Small cap heavy-lift helicopter maker Erickson Inc (NASDAQ: EAC), a peer of other helicopter or aviation stocks like large caps like Boeing Co (NYSE: BA) and Textron Inc (NYSE: TXT), is ranked as the thirteenth most shorted stock on the Nasdaq with short interest of 38.00% according to Highshortinterest.com.�Having exposure to the Department of Defense in an era of shrinking defense commitments along with the oil sector as oil prices hit multiyear lows seems to be impacting investor sentiment towards Erickson Inc.

Why is Erickson Inc Being Shorted?

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon with facilities and operations in North America, South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, small cap Erickson Inc is a global provider of aviation services to a worldwide mix of commercial and government customers. The company operates a diverse fleet of 88 rotary-wing and fixed wing aircraft, including a fleet of 20 heavy-lift S-64 Aircranes. This fleet supports a wide variety of government and commercial customers, across a broad range of aerial services, including critical supply and logistics for deployed military forces, humanitarian relief, firefighting, timber harvesting, infrastructure construction and transportation and other government related activities. In addition, Erickson Inc also maintains a vertical manufacturing capability for the S-64 Aircrane, related components and other aftermarket support and maintenance, repair and overhaul services for the Aircrane and other aircraft.

Top 10 US Companies To Invest In 2015: Zumiez Inc (ZUMZ)

Zumiez Inc. (Zumiez) is a specialty retailer of action sports related apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories operating under the Zumiez brand name. As of January 28, 2012, the Company operated 434 stores in the United States and 10 stores in Canada. In addition, the Company operates a Website that sells merchandise online. At January 28, 2012, its stores averaged approximately 2,900 square feet. Its apparel offerings include tops, bottoms, outerwear and accessories, such as caps, bags and backpacks, belts, jewelry and sunglasses. Zumiez�� footwear offerings primarily consist of action sports related athletic shoes and sandals. Its equipment offerings, or hardgoods, include skateboards, snowboards and ancillary gear, such as boots and bindings. The Company also offers a selection of other items, such as miscellaneous novelties.

The Company supplements its merchandise assortment with a select offering of private label products across many of its apparel product categories. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), its private label merchandise represented 17.7% of the Company�� net sales. The Company sources its private label merchandise from foreign manufacturers worldwide.

The Company competes with Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, American Apparel, American Eagle Outfitters, Billabong, CCS, Forever 21, Hollister, Hot Topic, Old Navy, Pacific Sunwear of California, The Buckle, Wet Seal, Tilly��, Urban Outfitters, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Dick�� Sporting Goods, Sport Chalet and The Sports Authority.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
  Records fell on Wall Street Friday as another solid report on housing lifted the market for the second day in a row. There's a three-day weekend coming up -- something that often prompts investor caution -- but the gains were broad-based even though volume was fairly light. The VIX, which measures volatility, fell to its lowest level this year. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) gained 63 points, the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) rose 31, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) added 8, topping the record high set last week. The Dow Transportation average also raced to an all-time high, lifted by airline stocks. United (UAL) soared more than 4 percent; Delta (DAL) gained more than 1 percent and Southwest (LUV) gained 2 percent. Southwest is at an all-time high, up 79 percent from a year ago. New home sales bounced back with a better than expected 6.4 percent increase last month. Lennar (LEN) and D.R. Horton (DHI) both rose 4 percent. Pulte (PHM), Beazer (BZH) and Hovnanian (HOV) also solid posted gains. Earnings continue to drive retail stocks. Gap (GPS) edged higher even though net fell. Foot Locker (FL) gained 1½ percent after topping expectations. GameStop (GME) rose 4 percent. Its net rose, helped by the rollout last year of new Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Zumiez (ZUMZ) rose 5½ percent on an earnings beat. But Aeropostale (ARO) tumbled 24 percent. Its loss widened and sales declined. The retailer continues to struggle with teen fashion trends. Also on the earnings front, TiVo (TIVO) rose 2 percent as it swung to a profit from a year ago loss. It also reported an increase in the number of subscribers. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) rose 6 percent on news the company plans to eliminate up to 16,000 additional workers in an effort to cut costs. And several stocks extended big moves from yesterday. Best Buy (BBY) rose more than 3 percent for the second straight day after earnings beat expectations. Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS) jumped
• [By Paul Ausick]

  Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) is expected to post a same-store sales increase of 2.8% for August. The company is scheduled to report second-quarter results after-markets close on Thursday. Consensus estimates call for earnings per share of $0.17 on revenues of $157.78 million. In August 2012, the teen apparel store�� sales rose 3.7%.

Best Logistics Companies To Buy For 2014: American Eagle Energy Corp (AMZG)

American Eagle Energy Corporation, incorporated on July 25, 2003, is engaged in the exploration for petroleum and natural gas in the States of Nevada, Utah, Texas, Colorado, and North Dakota, the North Sea, and southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, through the acquisition of contractual rights for oil and gas property leases and the participation in the drilling of exploratory wells. Its projects include Benrude Prospect, Spyglass Property, Glacier Prospect, Hardy Bakken Project, and West Spyglass Project. Its primary area of focus is oil deposits located within the Bakken and Three Forks formations in western North Dakota and eastern Montana. As of December 31, 2012, the Company was principally engaged in exploration activities within its Spyglass Property, located in Divide County, North Dakota, where it targets the extraction of oil and natural gas reserves from the Bakken and Three-Forks formations. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has closed on the first part of the acquisition in its Spyglass Project area in the Williston Basin in northwestern Divide County, North Dakota. Effective March 31, 2014, American Eagle Energy Corp acquired a 50% ownership interest in Spyglass Project, North Dakota, an oil, gas exploration, production project.

The Company also holds an interest in a small number of wells located in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, though its focus on these wells will continue to diminish as it pursues the development of its Spyglass Property. In addition to its existing wells, it owns undeveloped acreage interests in the Glacier Prospect, located in Toole County, Montana, the Sidney North Prospect, located in Richland County, Montana. In January 2012, the Company commenced drilling of its first operated well located within the Spyglass Property, the Christianson 15-12 well. As of December 31, 2012, it drilled and completed eight additional operated wells within the Spyglass Property and an additional five wells were drilled. The Company�� West Spyglass Projec! t is located in Divide County, North Dakota and Sheridan County, Montana in the Williston Basin. The Company owns a 25% working interest in the West Spyglass Prospect acreage. Its Hardy Bakken Project is located in the Saskatchewan portion of the Williston Basin and is one of the Company�� two core property holdings, along with the Company's Spyglass Project. The Company's Benrude Prospect is located in Roosevelt County, Montana in the Williston Basin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  And American Eagle Energy (AMZG) fell 21% after it suspended its drilling operations and likely won�� resume until oil prices improve. The small producer is the latest victim of the plunge in crude prices.

• [By CRWE]

  Today, AMZG remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $1.92 with 66,805 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 1:49PM EDT October 8, 2013).

  American Eagle Energy Corporation, previously reported it priced the sale of 13,709,386 shares of its common stock to the public at $1.70 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $23.3 million. The Company granted the underwriters a 30-day over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 2,056,408 shares of the Company’s common stock at the same price. The offering is expected to settle on October 7, 2013, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Upon closing, the resulting net proceeds to the Company, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and other expenses, are expected to be approximately $21.5 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds, along with cash on hand, cash flow from operations and additional borrowings under its Morgan Stanley credit facility, to fund the first half of its previously announced acquisition of oil and gas assets and its capital budget for the balance of 2013. Any remaining net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, including working capital.

Best Logistics Companies To Buy For 2014: PAREXEL International Corporation(PRXL)

PAREXEL International Corporation, a biopharmaceutical services company, provides a range of clinical research, medical communications, consulting, commercialization, and technology products and services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Clinical Research Services (CRS), PAREXEL Consulting and Medical Communications Services (PCMS), and Perceptive Informatics (Perceptive). The CRS segment offers clinical trials management, observational studies, patient/disease registries and post-marketing surveillance, data management and biostatistics, epidemiology and health economics/outcomes research, clinical logistics, and clinical pharmacology, as well as related medical advisory, patient recruitment, and investigator site services. This segment also manages various aspects of clinical trials, including study and protocol design; case report form design; paper or electronic questionnaires designed for use in clinical research; site and investigator recruitment; patient enrollment; study monitoring and data collection; data analysis; report writing; and medical services. The PCMS segment provides technical expertise and advice in various areas comprising drug development, regulatory affairs, product pricing and reimbursement, and GMP compliance; market development, product development, and targeted communications services in support of product launch. In addition, its consultants identify alternatives and propose solutions to address clients? product development, registration, and commercialization issues. The Perceptive segment provides information technology solutions comprising medical imaging and systems integration services; ClinPhone RTSM, CTMS, and EDC products; Web-based portals; systems integration; and patient diary applications. PAREXEL International Corporation was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Eric Volkman]

  PAREXEL (NASDAQ: PRXL  ) has purchased a complementary asset. The company announced it bought the entirety of HERON Group, a life sciences consultancy that according to PAREXEL "provides evidence-based commercialization services to support biopharmaceutical companies throughout the lifecycle of their products."

Best Logistics Companies To Buy For 2014: Memorial Production Partners LP (MEMP)

Memorial Production Partners LP incorporated on April 4, 2011, is a limited partnership formed by Memorial Resource to own, acquire and exploit oil natural gas properties in North America. As of December 31, 2012, the Company�� total estimated proved reserves were approximately 609 Billions of Cubic Feet Equivalent (Bcfe), of which approximately 62% were natural gas and 59% were classified as proved developed reserves. As of December 31, 2012, the Company produced from 1,671 gross (731 net) producing wells across its properties, with an average working interest of 44%. On April 1, 2012, it acquired oil and natural gas producing properties in East Texas from Memorial Resource Development LLC. In May 2012, it acquired oil and natural gas properties in East Texas and North Louisiana. Effective April 1, 2012, the Company acquired certain oil and natural gas properties in East Texas from Memorial Resource Development LLC. In October 2012, the Company acquired oil and natural gas properties in East Texas from Goodrich Petroleum Corporation. On December 12, 2012, the Company acquired oil and gas producing properties offshore Southern California from Rise Energy Partners, LP. In March 2013, the Company announced that it has closed its acquisition of certain oil and natural gas producing properties in East Texas and North Louisiana from its sponsor, Memorial Resource Development LLC. In September 2013, Memorial Production Partners LP closed two separate transactions to acquire certain oil and natural gas properties from third parties in East Texas and in the Rockies. In October 2013, the Company acquired oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin, East Texas, and the Rockies.

The Company�� properties are located in South and East Texas and consist of mature, legacy onshore oil and natural gas reservoirs. The Partnership Properties consist of operated working interests in producing and undeveloped leasehold acreage and in identified producing wells in South and East Texas, and non-ope! rated working interests in producing and undeveloped leasehold acreage. As of December 31, 2012, approximately 58% of its estimated proved reserves and approximately 53% of its average daily net production were located in the East Texas/North Louisiana region. Its East Texas/Louisiana properties include wells and properties located in Navarro, Anderson, Wood, Upshur, Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, Panola, Leon, Polk, Smith, Tyler and Shelby Counties, Texas and De Soto and Lincoln Parishes, Louisiana. Its East Texas/North Louisiana properties include properties in the Joaquin and Carthage fields in Panola and Shelby Counties, the Willow Springs field located in Gregg County, the East Henderson field located in Rusk County, and the Terryville field located in Lincoln Parish.

As of December 31, 2012, approximately 27% of its estimated proved reserves and approximately 35% of average daily net production were located in the South Texas region. Its South Texas properties include wells and properties in numerous natural gas weighted fields located in McMullen, Live Oak, Duval, Jim Hogg, Webb and Zapata Counties, Texas, including the NE Thompsonville, Laredo and East Seven Sisters fields. The Company�� South Texas properties contained 167 Bcfe of estimated net proved reserves as of December 31, 2012. The Company�� Beta properties, consist of a 51.75% working interest and a 35.03% average net revenue interest in three Pacific Outer Continental Shelf blocks (P-0300, P-0301 and P-0306); a 4.575% overriding royalty interest in the Beta unit; a 51.75% undivided interest in two wellbore production platforms with permanent drilling equipment systems and one production handling and processing platform, and a 51.75% controlling equity interest in a 17.5-mile pipeline and an onshore tankage and metering facility. The Company�� Beta properties include a 51.75% undivided interest in Ellen and Eureka platforms. The Beta properties include a controlling interest in the San Pedro Bay Pipeline Company, which owns a! nd operat! es a 16-inch diameter oil pipeline.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Memorial Production Partners L.P. (NASDAQ: MEMP) also has�seen a tremendous amount of insider buying. As of the end of last year, the company had 609 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalents. Oppenheimer has put a $24 price target on the stock, and the consensus target is at $24.50. Investors are paid a 10.1% distribution.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  VNR is one of 14 companies/partnerships that are categorized as exploration and production, or ��pstream.��Other notable entries in this category include BreitBurn Energy Partners (Nasdaq: BBEP), Linn Energy (Nasdaq: LINE), Memorial Production Partners (Nasdaq: MEMP), QR Energy (NYSE: QRE), Legacy Reserves (Nasdaq: LGCY), EV Energy Partners (Nasdaq: EVEP), and Mid-Con Energy Partners (Nasdaq: MCEP).

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Memorial Production Partners LP(MEMP) unveiled a secondary offering of about 7.1 million units. Memorial Production said the offering represents interests owned by sponsor Memorial Resource Development LLC, which will receive all the net proceeds from the offering. Shares slid 3.8% to $19.67 premarket.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  I am going to address LRR Energy LP (NYSE: LRE) and Memorial Production Partners LP (NASDAQ: MEMP) in an upcoming issue of MLP Investing Insider.

  (Follow Robert Rapier on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.)