Markets Up as S&P Gets Whiff of All-Time Closing High

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Last Thursday, we mentioned that the markets were searching for a bottom, and this past Friday, we mentioned that the markets may have found a bottom. In retrospect, that was the correct market call from a short-term trading perspective.

The S&P 500 index held its daily buy-trade level of 1842 last Thursday and zoomed higher from there this past Friday and on Monday.

With all this upside momentum on Monday, the S&P 500 was not able to close above its all-time closing high of 1878. This was the third attempt. On the edge, that is not a bullish sign.

The DJIA closed at 16,457.66, up 134.60, and the S&P 500 closed at 1872.34, up 14.72.

Volume was pathetic Monday, which is another bad sign. The up days in 2014 have been common for their lack of buying conviction, as has been mentioned in previous columns. On a more positive note, just when the bears were growling the most to short this market at 1842, and saying that a market top had been put in, the markets came roaring back again, as has been the case this year. The "buy the dips, sell the rips" philosophy has been the key to trading this market. As mentioned in Friday's column, the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 indexes were in oversold territory and were both poised for a continued move higher this week. The Nasdaq and Russell 2000 did indeed surge higher on Monday. The Nasdaq closed up 43.23 points at 4,198.99 and the Russell 2000 closed up 21.22 points at 1173. Both indexes have now worked off their oversold conditions. A traders market, pure and simple. If the DJIA continues to stay in the green, by Wednesday it will be well into overbought territory according to those same internal algorithm numbers that flagged the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 indexes as being oversold. So, I expect more volatility this week and some selling pressure as the week progresses.

Stock quotes in this article: OWW, SWY 

Best Undervalued Companies To Invest In 2014

We need to keep watch of the CRB Food Index and the CRB Commodities Index in 2014. The CRB food index is up +19.3% year to date and the commodities index is up +8.9% year to date. Both of these are inflation-accelerating signals. In addition, the Spyders Select Utilities ETF is up +8% year to date. Inflation slows growth.

The month of March is now history, so the end of month window dressing and quarter end is over. What the month of April brings is anyone's guess. The S&P 500 daily trading range held true again today. Trading the ranges is the formula for success in 2014.

Two positions that were mentioned in Friday's column were Orbitz (OWW) and Safeway (SWY). OWW was sold on Monday morning for a nice profit again. I did add to the SWY at the close of trading.

At the time of publication, the author held positions in SWY, but positions may change at any time.

This article represents the opinion of a contributor and not necessarily that of TheStreet or its editorial staff.

Stock quotes in this article: OWW, SWY 

Why CMS Energy's Earnings May Not Be So Hot

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

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 CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

10 Best Insurance Stocks To Buy For 2014

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. FCF = free cash flow. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over the past 12 months, CMS Energy generated $14.0 million cash while it booked net income of $382.0 million. That means it turned 0.2% of its revenue into FCF. That doesn't sound so great. FCF is less than net income. Ideally, we'd like to see the opposite.

All cash is not equal
Unfortunately, the cash flow statement isn't immune from nonsense, either. That's why it pays to take a close look at the components of cash flow from operations, to make sure that the cash flows are of high quality. What does that mean? To me, it means they need to be real and replicable in the upcoming quarters, rather than being offset by continual cash outflows that don't appear on the income statement (such as major capital expenditures).

For instance, cash flow based on cash net income and adjustments for non-cash income-statement expenses (like depreciation) is generally favorable. An increase in cash flow based on stiffing your suppliers (by increasing accounts payable for the short term) or shortchanging Uncle Sam on taxes will come back to bite investors later. The same goes for decreasing accounts receivable; this is good to see, but it's ordinary in recessionary times, and you can only increase collections so much. Finally, adding stock-based compensation expense back to cash flows is questionable when a company hands out a lot of equity to employees and uses cash in later periods to buy back those shares.

So how does the cash flow at CMS Energy look? Take a peek at the chart below, which flags questionable cash flow sources with a red bar.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. TTM = trailing 12 months.

When I say "questionable cash flow sources," I mean items such as changes in taxes payable, tax benefits from stock options, and asset sales, among others. That's not to say that companies booking these as sources of cash flow are weak, or are engaging in any sort of wrongdoing, or that everything that comes up questionable in my graph is automatically bad news. But whenever a company is getting more than, say, 10% of its cash from operations from these dubious sources, investors ought to make sure to refer to the filings and dig in.

With 33.6% of operating cash flow coming from questionable sources, CMS Energy investors should take a closer look at the underlying numbers. Within the questionable cash flow figure plotted in the TTM period above, other operating activities (which can include deferred income taxes, pension charges, and other one-off items) provided the biggest boost, at 29.0% of cash flow from operations. Overall, the biggest drag on FCF came from capital expenditures, which consumed 98.9% of cash from operations.

A Foolish final thought
Most investors don't keep tabs on their companies' cash flow. I think that's a mistake. If you take the time to read past the headlines and crack a filing now and then, you're in a much better position to spot potential trouble early. Better yet, you'll improve your odds of finding the underappreciated home-run stocks that provide the market's best returns.

Can your retirement portfolio provide you with enough income to last? You'll need more than CMS Energy. Learn about crafting a smarter retirement plan in "The Shocking Can't-Miss Truth About Your Retirement." Click here for instant access to this free report.

We can help you keep tabs on your companies with My Watchlist, our free, personalized stock tracking service.

Add CMS Energy to My Watchlist.

Cellphone use causes over 1 in 4 car accidents

Drivers are constantly reminded not to use their phones while behind the wheel, but a new study reminds us just how dangerous it is.

The National Safety Council's annual injury and fatality report, "Injury Facts," found that the use of cellphones causes 26% of the nation's car accidents, a modest increase from the previous year. The 2014 edition of the report compares data from 2013 and earlier.

Only 5% of cellphone-related crashes occur because the driver is texting. The majority of the accidents involve drivers distracted while talking on handheld or hands-free cellphones.

The NSC report, combined with Texas A&M research institute's "Voice-to-Text Driver Distraction Study," warns drivers that talking can be more dangerous than texting while operating a vehicle, and the use of talk-to-text applications is not a solution.

For most phone-related tasks, Texas A&M's survey said manual texting took slightly less time than the voice-to-text method. Regardless, driver performance was almost equally affected during both tasks.

In early 2013, the nation's four biggest cellphone companies launched their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving. Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile united behind AT&T's "It Can Wait" advertising campaign, warning their customers against the misuse of their own devices.

However, hands-free cellphone use has become a driving force in cellphone-related distractions of those behind the wheel. Studies published as early as 2009, such as a report in the Journal of Safety Research, have said that driving performance while using a hands-free phone was rarely found to be better than using handheld devices.

In the full NSC report, the organization lists and rates different tasks in relation to the effect they have on a driver's mental workload, using data collected from a cognitive study. On the cognitive distraction scale, driving and talking on a handheld phone has a 2.45 workload rating, and driving while talkin! g on a hands-free cellphone has a 2.27 workload rating.

On the same scale, using the speech-to-text application while driving has a 3.06 workload rating.

According to NSC's website, there have been an estimated 245,358 car crashes involving drivers using cellphones so far this year. One effect cellphone use has on drivers is an increased reaction time, which is similar regardless of handheld or hands-free phone use.

Using data from 2011, NSC partnered with Nationwide Insurance to report the most accurate number of fatalities caused by cellphone-related vehicular accidents. National data show cellphones were involved in 350 fatal crashes in 2011.

The 2014 NSC report says the percent of drivers observed manipulating handheld electronic devices increased from 0.9% in 2010 to 1.3% in 2011.

The data collected on accidents and fatalities caused by cellphone use on the road is said to be under-reported due to the lack of drivers willing to admit to using their phones.

So far, 12 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have made it illegal to use handheld devices while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Out of the 43 states that have banned texting while driving, all but five have primary enforcement of their laws, meaning an officer may cite a driver for texting without any other traffic violation taking place.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of Americans nationwide have been targeted since August by a phone scam in which fraudsters claim to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and demand money for unpaid taxes, the IRS' watchdog said Thursday. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said it has received more than 20,000 complaints from people, including recent immigrants, about the scam. Thousands of victims have collectively paid more than $1 million to the scammers, the agency said. "This is the largest scam of its kind that we have ever seen," said J. Russell George, the head of TIGTA in a statement. The fraudsters can manipulate victim's phone's caller ID so it displays the number of a local IRS office, TIGTA said. In some cases, the fraudsters have also told victims parts of their Social Security numbers. In cases where victims hung up, fraudsters have called back displaying a local police phone number on caller ID, TIGTA said. Potential victims worried about their immigration status have been threatened with deportation, TIGTA said. The scam has occurred in almost every state and the fraudsters have followed a uniform script, a senior TIGTA official said on a conference call with reporters. The technology needed to manipulate caller ID displays is easily available to the public, the official said. Major phone companies have been warned about the scam, as well as companies that provide voice-over-the-Internet call services, the official said. Claudia Hill, a licensed tax preparer in Cupertino, Calif., said that in one week last month, four of her clients complained of such scam calls. Before this year, none of her clients had previously mentioned phone scams, said Hill, who said she prepares about 1,000 tax returns a year. "The IRS is not proactive enough in getting out in front of any of this mess," she said.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: MFC Industrial Ltd (MIL)

MFC Industrial Ltd., formerly Terra Nova Royalty Corp., is a global commodity supply chain company that sources and delivers commodities and materials to clients all over the world. The Company is engaged in the financing and risk management aspect of the business. The Company operates in three segments: commodities and resources, which includes its commodities activities and mineral interests; merchant banking, which includes structured solutions, logistics and financial services and investing activities, and other, which encompasses its corporate and other investments and business interests, including its medical supplies and servicing business. In December 2011, the Company acquired Pea Ridge Iron Ore Mine in Missouri, the Unites States of America. In September 2012, its indirect wholly owned subsidiary acquired the remaining interest in Compton Petroleum Corporation. In November, 2012, it acquired 70% interest in Park Ridge, NJ-based ACC Resources Co., L.P. (ACCR) and 60% interest in Mexico City-based Possehl Mexico S.A. de C.V. (Possehl). In April 2013, 0915988 BC Ltd acquired the entire share capital of MFC Industrial Ltd.

Commodities and Resources

The Company�� supply chain business is globally focused and includes its integrated commodities operations and its mineral interests. It conducts such operations primarily through its subsidiaries based in Vienna, Austria and supply various commodities, including minerals and metals, chemicals, plastics and wood products to its customers. Through its global commodity supply chain business, it also provides logistics, supply chain management and other services to producers and consumers of commodities. Its commodities operations include sourcing and supplying commodities. The Company sources its commodities from Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, the United States and the Middle East. Its commodities sales include the European, Middle Eastern, Asian and North and South American markets.

Merchant Banking

The Company�� merchant banking operations include merchant banking and financial services, specialized banking, third-party financing and other services, investing and its real property. Its activities include making investments through investing its own capital to capture investment opportunities. The Company focuses on meeting the financial needs of small to mid-sized companies and other business enterprises primarily in Europe and Asia. Its merchant banking business generates revenues in the form of corporate and trade finance service fees and interest income. It also realizes gains from time to time on its investments, upon their sale, the execution of an equity or debt .

Other

Its other segment include its corporate and other investments, It includes financing joint ventures through its Shanghai, China-based subsidiary which provides medical services, equipment and supplies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Just last week I went around the world with a stock screener to see if any cheap and appealing stocks appeared. At the top of my international buy list right now is Canada-based�MFC Industrial (MIL). MIL has also shown up on my screen for “perfect stocks” since it trades below book value, is profitable and pays a dividend.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Global commodity supply chain company�MFC Industrial (NYSE: MIL  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.06 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past year.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: Connecticut Water Service Inc. (CTWS)

Connecticut Water Service, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a regulated water company in Connecticut. It operates in three segments: Water Activities, Real Estate Transactions, and Services and Rentals. The Water Activities segment supplies drinking water. The Real Estate Transactions segment involves in the sale or donation of its real estate holdings. The Services and Rentals segment provides contracted services to water and wastewater utilities and other clients, which include contract operations of water and wastewater facilities; Linebacker, an optional service line protection program that comprises repairing or replacing leaking or broken water service line, curb box, curb box cover, meter pit, meter pit cover, meter pit valve, and in-home water main shut off valve before the meter; and providing bulk deliveries of emergency drinking water to businesses and residences through tanker trucks. This segment also engages in leasing and renting residential and c ommercial properties. As of December 31, 2009, Connecticut Water Service, Inc. served 88,534 customers in 54 towns in Connecticut. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Clinton, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Dittman]

  Answer: Our favorite water utilities–American Water Works, Aqua America Inc (NYSE: WTR), Connecticut Water Service Inc (NSDQ: CTWS)–are solid dividend growers throughout the cycle, and they all have pretty good growth prospects because of the abundance of small-scale municipal water utilities in their footprints.

• [By David Dittman]

  Note that water utilities and UF Portfolio Holdings American Water Works Co Inc (NYSE: AWK), Aqua America Inc (NYSE: WTR) and Connecticut Water Service Inc (NSDQ: CTWS) posted 2013 total returns of 16.1 percent, 18.8 percent and 23.1 percent, respectively, underperforming the broader S&P 500 but besting the traditional safe-haven subgroups.

5 Best Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: Medical Properties Trust Inc (MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc., incorporated on August 27, 2003, is a self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on investing in and owning net-leased healthcare facilities. The Company conducts substantially all of its business through MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. The Company acquires and develops healthcare facilities and leases the facilities to healthcare operating companies under long-term net leases, which require the tenant to bear the costs associated with the property. The Company also makes mortgage loans to healthcare operators collateralized by their real estate assets. In addition, the Company selectively makes loans to certain of its operators through its taxable REIT subsidiaries. In September 2013, Medical Properties Trust Inc completed the acquisition of the real estate of three acute care hospitals operated by IASIS Healthcare LLC.

As of February 18, 2013, the Company's portfolio consists of 82 properties: 69 facilities (of the 74 facilities that the Company owns) are leased to 23 tenants, five are under development, and the remainder are in the form of mortgage loans to three operators. The Company's owned facilities consist of 27 general acute care hospitals, 24 long-term acute care hospitals, 15 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, two medical office buildings, and six wellness centers. The non-owned facilities on which the Company has made mortgage loans consist of three general acute care facilities, two long-term acute care hospitals, and three inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. At December 31, 2012, no one property accounted for more than 5% of the Company's total assets.

At December 31, 2012, the Company had leases with 22 hospital operating companies, eight mortgaged loans, six under development, and one property under re-development covering 82 facilities. Ernest leased 12 of these facilities pursuant to a master lease agreement. The master lease agreement has a 20-year term with three five-year extension options and provides for ! an initial rental rate of 9%, with consumer price-indexed increases, limited to a 2% floor and 5% ceiling annually thereafter. At December 31, 2012, these facilities had an average remaining lease term of approximately 19 years. In addition to the master lease, the Company holds a mortgage loan on four facilities owned by affiliates of Ernest.

Affiliates of Prime Healthcare Services, Inc. (Prime) leased 11 facilities pursuant to master lease agreements. The master leases are for 10 years commencing July 3, 2012 and contain two renewal options of five years each. The initial lease rate is generally consistent with the blended average rate of the prior lease agreements. However, the annual escalators, which in the prior leases were limited, have been increased to reflect 100% of CPI increases, along with a 2% minimum floor. The master leases include repurchase options substantially similar to those in the prior leases, including provisions establishing minimum repurchase prices equal to the Company's total investment. In addition to leases, the Company holds mortgage loans on three facilities owned by affiliates of Prime.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  It was an impressive quarter for Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPW  ) . In its Q1 report, revenues amounted to $58 million, up 42% from the $41 million in the same period the previous year. Attributable net profit advanced much more strongly, growing 148% to $26 million ($0.18 per diluted share) from Q1 2012's figure of $11 million ($0.08). Funds from operations -- a key metric for real estate investment trusts -- came in at $35 million ($0.25 per diluted share) on a normalized basis, compared with $22 million ($0.18) in the year-ago quarter.

• [By Brad Thomas]

  A Bank of America (BOA) downgrade sends Medical Properties Trust (MPW) tumbling. The bank cut the shares to Underperform from Neutral citing the REIT's YTD outperformance relative to the sector overall (it has outpaced healthcare REITs two to one). Put simply, funds from operations "multiple expansion has exceeded fundamental trends." SA contributor Brad Thomas claims MPW is an example of mispriced risk.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.(SBH)

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution and retail of professional beauty supplies primarily in North America, South America, and Europe. The company operates in two segments, Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group. The Sally Beauty Supply segment operates a chain of cash and carry retail stores that provide various third-party branded and exclusive-label professional beauty supplies, including hair color products, hair care products, hair dryers and hair styling appliances, skin and nail care products, and other beauty items to retail consumers and salon professionals. This segment sells various third-party brands, such as Clairol, Revlon, and Conair, as well as a selection of exclusive-label merchandise. The Beauty Systems Group segment distributes professional brands of beauty products directly to salons and salon professionals through its sales force and professional-only stores. This segment operates stores under the Co smoProf service mark. It sells a range of third-party brands, such as Paul Mitchell, Wella, Sebastian, Goldwell, Joico, and TIGI. As of September 30, 2011, the company operated a multi-channel platform of 4,128 company-owned stores, 181 franchised stores, and 1,116 professional distributor sales consultants in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain. Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Denton, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brad Thomas]

  Also, Chambers Street has proven that the company can create value by way of expansions. In my home town of Spartanburg, SC, Chambers Street recently expanded a 100,606 square foot facility leased to Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH). By increasing the overall space by 90,000 square feet, Chambers Street was able to extend the primary lease term (now expiring May 31, 2013) and generate an accretive 12% return on the $3.4 million expansion.

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

  Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.(SBH) on Monday said credit-card data from fewer than 25,000 customer records were illegally accessed and may have been stolen. The beauty-supplies company said it is working with the U.S. Secret Service on the agency’s preliminary investigation of the situation. The company also said it continues to work with Verizon Communications Inc.(VZ), which has helped with Sally Beauty’s internal probe since the breach was identified.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Investors got ugly on beauty supplier Sally Beauty Holdings (SBH) and shares tumbled 14.4% in trading after it reported a disappointing fiscal third quarter.

  For the period ended June 30, Sally Beauty reported earnings of $72.5 million, or of 42 cents a shares, up from $69.5 million, or 37 cents, a year prior. Sally Beauty also reported revenue of $912.1 million.

  Analysts polled by Factset forecasted earnings of $930.5 million.

  In a press release on the company�� website, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gary Winterhalter noted some of the headwinds from the quarter and said, ��tore traffic from the non-Beauty Club Card customer in the Sally U.S. business was soft. We��e launched several initiatives specifically to address this customer and remain optimistic that traffic will recover over the next few months.��/p>

  Shares are up 16% in the past year.

• [By Amal Singh]

  Some companies in the beauty and personal care segment have one important characteristic -- a recession-proof nature, which is a result of everyone's desire to look beautiful and young. This brings us to Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance (NASDAQ: ULTA  ) and Sally Beauty Holdings (NYSE: SBH  ) . Both have performed quite well over the last few years, as shown in the chart below, even during the recession (the gray area being the recession period). Their performance stands in stark contrast to that of�Regis (NYSE: RGS  ) , which has seen its top line drop continuously after peaking in 2008.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: Tropicana Entertainment Inc (TPCA)

Tropicana Entertainment Inc. (TEI) is an owner and operator of regional casino and entertainment properties located in the United States and one casino resort development located on the island of Aruba. TEI�� United States properties include three casinos in Nevada, three casinos in Mississippi, and one casino in each of Indiana, Louisiana and New Jersey. Its properties offer a range of gaming options. TEI�� properties include Tropicana AC in the East; Casino Aztar in Central; Tropicana Laughlin, River Palms and MontBleu in the West; Lighthouse Point, Jubilee, Belle of Baton Rouge, Horizon Vicksburg and Tropicana Aruba in the South and Other.

Tropicana AC

Tropicana Casino and Resort, Atlantic City (Tropicana AC) is situated on a 14-acre site with approximately 660 feet of ocean frontage in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In addition to gaming facilities, the property features The Quarter, a Havana-themed, Las Vegas-style, approximately 200,000 square-foot indoor entertainment and retail center, hosting several restaurants, shops and an IMAX theatre. Other amenities include a 2,000-seat showroom, a full service spa and salon, a health club and indoor pool, a beach and pool bar and approximately 99,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.

Casino Aztar

Casino Aztar Evansville (Casino Aztar) is a casino hotel and entertainment complex in the state of Indiana. Over 60% of Casino Aztar's revenues come from customers within a 50-mile radius. The property's casino operations are located dockside on the three-deck City of Evansville riverboat. Located adjacent to the casino, the Company owns two distinctive hotels: the Casino Aztar Hotel, a 251-room hotel that offers guests a restaurant, conference rooms and banquet facilities; and Le Merigot Hotel, a luxurious 96-room boutique hotel with an upscale martini lounge. A 44,000-square-foot pavilion adjacent to the riverboat features three restaurants, an entertainment lounge, gift shop, coffee shop, pla! yers club and VIP lounge. The District at Casino Aztar includes two restaurants and the Le Merigot Hotel. Casino Aztar also includes a seven-story parking garage, as well as surface parking.

Tropicana Laughlin

Tropicana Laughlin Hotel and Casino (Tropicana Laughlin) is located on an approximately 31-acre site on Casino Drive, Laughlin. The casino at Tropicana Laughlin features a gaming floor. Non-gaming amenities include a heated outdoor swimming pool, seven restaurants, three full service bars, an entertainment lounge with live music, a lounge for high-end players, an 800-seat multi-purpose showroom and concert hall, meeting space, retail stores, an arcade and a covered parking structure. The property features 1,495 hotel rooms.

River Palms

River Palms Hotel and Casino (River Palms) is located on an approximately 35-acre site also on Casino Drive, with approximately 1,300 feet of frontage on the Colorado River. Non-gaming amenities include 1,001 hotel rooms, 10,500 square feet of meeting and convention space, an outdoor pool, fitness center, three restaurants, three full service bars, a showroom, two entertainment lounges with live music and a covered parking structure.

MontBleu

MontBleu Casino Resort & Spa (MontBleu) is situated on approximately 21 acres in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In addition to the casino, the property offers guests a choice of three restaurants and various non-gaming amenities, including retail shops, two nightclubs, a 1,500-seat showroom, approximately 14,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, a parking garage, a full service health spa and workout area, an indoor heated lagoon style pool with whirlpool and a 120-seat wedding chapel.

Lighthouse Point

Lighthouse Point Casino (Lighthouse Point) is a 210-foot, three-deck, dockside riverboat located in Greenville, Mississippi. In addition to slot machines, the riverboat inc! ludes a d! eli and bars on each floor while the dockside facility includes a buffet, a bar and 386 onsite surface parking spaces.

Jubilee

Bayou Caddy's Jubilee Casino (Jubilee), a 240-foot dockside riverboat, is located in Greenville. In addition to the casino facilities, the property includes a bar on each floor, a deli and approximately 700 parking spaces. The property also owns and operates the Greenville Inn & Suites, a 41-room suite hotel located less than a mile away, which offers free shuttle service to and from Jubilee and Lighthouse Point.

Belle of Baton Rouge

Belle of Baton Rouge Casino & Hotel (Belle of Baton Rouge) is a dockside riverboat situated on approximately 23 acres on the Mississippi River in the downtown historic district of Baton Rouge, across from the River Center, a 70,000-square-foot convention center. The three-deck, dockside riverboat casino is one of two casino facilities in the Baton Rouge market. Baton Rouge is located 75 miles north of New Orleans. Non-gaming amenities include 300 hotel rooms, 25,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, two restaurants, a deli, and an entertainment venue inside a 50,000-square-foot glass atrium that also encloses a tropical lobby.

Horizon Vicksburg

Horizon Vicksburg Casino (Horizon Vicksburg) is a dockside riverboat situated on approximately six acres in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi. The property features a 297-foot multi-level, antebellum style, dockside riverboat casino housing. Additional amenities include 117 hotel rooms, a restaurant, two covered parking garages as well as additional surface parking. In December 2010, the Company entered into an agreement to sell all of the assets and certain liabilities associated with the operation of Horizon Vicksburg.

Tropicana Aruba

The Company operates timeshare and rental units at Tropicana Aruba Resort & Casino (Tropicana Aruba), a casino resort und! er develo! pment in Noord, Aruba. This resort will have approximately 361 timeshare and rental units, an approximately 16,000 square foot permanent casino, two pools, a swim-up bar & grill, a fitness center and tennis courts, which will be located on approximately 14 acres near Eagle Beach.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Igor Greenwald]

  A majority stake in casino operator Tropicana Entertainment (TPCA) also began with a Chapter 11 restructuring.

  From January 1, 2000 to June 10, 2013, Icahn Enterprises has averaged a 20% annual return, multiplying investors' money nearly 12-fold. Berkshire-Hathaway (BRK-B) has managed only a triple over the same span.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: CMS Energy Corp (CMS)

CMS Energy Corporation (CMS Energy) is an energy company operating primarily in Michigan. CMS Energy is the parent holding company of several subsidiaries, including Consumers Energy Company (Consumers) and CMS Enterprises Company (CMS Enterprises). Consumers is an electric and gas utility, and CMS Enterprises, primarily a domestic independent power producer. Consumers serves individuals and businesses operating in the alternative energy, automotive, chemical, metal, and food products industries, as well as a diversified group of other industries. CMS Enterprises, through its subsidiaries and equity investments, is engaged primarily in independent power production and owns power generation facilities fueled mostly by natural gas and biomass. CMS Energy operates in three business segments: electric utility, gas utility and enterprises, its non-utility operations and investments. EnerBank USA (EnerBank), a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy, which provides unsecured consumer installment loans for financing home improvements.

CONSUMERS ELECTRIC UTILITY

Consumers��electric utility operations include the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Consumers��electric deliveries were 38 billion kilowatt hour, which included Retail Open Access (ROA) deliveries of four billion kilowatt hour. Consumers��distribution system includes 413 miles of high-voltage distribution radial lines operating at 120 kilovolts or above; ,244 miles of high-voltage distribution overhead lines operating at 23 kilovolts and 46 kilovolts; 17 miles of high-voltage distribution underground lines operating at 23 kilovolts and 46 kilovolts; 55,953 miles of electric distribution overhead lines; 10,112 miles of underground distribution lines, and substations with an aggregate transformer capacity of 24 million thousand volt-amperes.

At December 31, 2011, Consumers��electric generating system consisted of coal generation, oil/gas/st! eam generation, hydroelectric and gas/oil combustion turbine. At December 31, 2011, Consumers had contracts to purchase coal through 2014. At December 31, 2011, Consumers had 86% of its 2012 expected coal requirements under contract, as well as a 41-day supply of coal on hand. During 2011, Consumers purchased 53% of the electricity it provided to customers through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), seasonal purchases, and the Midwest Energy Market. Consumers offers its generation into the Midwest Energy Market on a day-ahead and real-time basis and bids for power in the market to serve the demand of its customers. Consumers is a net purchaser of power and supplements its generation capability with purchases from the Midwest Energy Market to meet its customers��needs during peak demand periods.

CONSUMERS GAS UTILITY

Consumers��gas utility operations include the purchase, transmission, storage, distribution, and sale of natural gas. Consumers��gas utility customer base consists of a mix of residential, commercial, and diversified industrial customers in Michigan�� Lower Peninsula. In 2011, deliveries of natural gas, including off-system transportation deliveries, through Consumers��pipeline and distribution network, totaled 337 billion cubic feet of gas, which included Gas Customer Choice (GCC) deliveries of 48 billion cubic feet of gas. Consumers��gas utility operations are seasonal. During 2011, 46% of the natural gas supplied to all customers during the winter months was supplied from storage.

Consumers��gas distribution and transmission system located in Michigan�� Lower Peninsula consists of 26,623 miles of distribution mains; 666 miles of transmission lines; seven compressor stations with a total of 150,635 installed and available horsepower, and 15 gas storage fields with an aggregate storage capacity of 307 billion cubic feet of gas and a working storage capacity of 142 billion cubic feet of gas. In 2011, Consumers purchased 70% of ! the gas i! t delivered from United States producers and 10% from Canadian producers. The remaining 20% was purchased from authorized GCC suppliers and delivered by Consumers to customers in the GCC program.

ENTERPRISES SEGMENT

CMS Energy�� enterprises segment, through various subsidiaries and certain equity investments, is engaged primarily in domestic independent power production and the marketing of independent power production. At December 31, 2011, CMS Energy had ownership interests in independent power plants totaling 1,135 gross megawatts or 1,034 net megawatts. CMS Energy Resource Management (ERM) purchases and sells energy commodities in support of CMS Energy�� generating facilities and continues to focus on optimizing CMS Energy�� independent power production portfolio. In 2011, CMS ERM marketed 17 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 2,417 gigawatt-hour of electricity.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Richard Stavros]

  Meanwhile, the companies that are projected to be spending more in 2015 than they are presently include The AES Corp (NYSE: AES), Ameren Corp (NYSE: AEE), American Electric Power Co Inc (NYSE: AEP), CMS Energy Corp (NYSE: CMS), and Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU).

• [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 CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [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 CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Most investors, analysts, media, and government officials say this should always be the goal, and they are right. However, UoP's typical students are not the eighteen year olds grad uating from high school figuring out whether they should attend a private or public university. UoP's typical student is single, twenty - eight years old, a minority single - mother, first in her family to attend college, and someone who is 3 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via WellCare Health Plans, Inc. 2012 Annual Report on Form 10 - K trying to improve h er career skills and compete in today's fierce labor market. Among the biggest obstacles for this cohort is keeping their child, or children, healthy and in school so they can finish school themselves.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: Gruppa LSR OAO (LSRG)

Gruppa LSR OAO (LSR Group OJSC) is a Russia-based company involved in the real estate development and construction. It is also engaged in the production of various building materials, such as ceramic bricks, crushed granite, concrete and reinforced concrete products, ready-mix concrete and aerated concrete segments. The Company�� services comprise the development of residential, office and commercial buildings, as well as tower cranes and hoisting machinery services for use in real estate construction. It is also involved in the investment operations. Gruppa LSR OAO acts as a general and sub-contractor for the Russian Federation Government, Saint Petersburg Government, and as a general and sub-contractor for other developers, among pile-driving services. The Company operates through numerous subsidiaries located domestically, as well as one representative office in Moscow. In December 2013, it acquired a 100 % stake in OOO Gazstroy, an owner of Ryabovsky brick plant. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zahra Hankir]

  Russian stocks declined to the lowest level in a month as builder LSR Group (LSRG) and power company OAO Inter RAO UES dropped after MSCI Inc. cut them from an index tracked by investors. The Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index tumbled 2.5 percent, the most in two months, as Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS led losses in lenders. Benchmark gauges in the Czech Republic and Poland retreated at least 0.7 percent.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: CIENA Corporation(CIEN)

Ciena Corporation provides equipment, software, and service solutions that support the transport, switching, aggregation, and management of voice, video, and data traffic on communications networks worldwide. Its product portfolio consists of packet-optical transport that includes optical transport solutions to increase network capacity and enable delivery of a broader mix of high-bandwidth services; and packet-optical switching, which comprise optical switching platforms incorporating multiservice and multi-protocol switching systems that enable automated optical infrastructures for the delivery of various enterprise and consumer-oriented network services. The company also offers carrier Ethernet solutions, including service delivery switches and service aggregation switches to support the access and aggregation tiers of communications networks, as well as to support wireless backhaul infrastructures and business data services; and software solutions to track individual s ervices across multiple product suites, facilitating planned network maintenance, outage detection, and identification of customers or services affected by network troubles. In addition, Ciena Corporation provides consulting and support services, such as project management, deployment, maintenance support, consulting, and training services, as well as network analysis, planning, design, optimization, and tuning. Its packet-optical transport, packet-optical switching, and carrier Ethernet solutions products are used individually or as part of an integrated solution in communications networks operated by communications service providers, cable operators, governments, enterprises, and other network operators. The company sells its communications networking solutions directly, as well as through strategic channel relationships. Ciena Corporation was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Linthicum, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But recent good news from Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN  ) has Finisar investors looking for better times ahead. Earlier this month, Ciena's stock jumped 17% after the company reported a 6% increase in sales, pointing to a revival in spending on network infrastructure. Comments from Ciena CEO Gary Smith suggest strength not just for his own company but also for the industry as a whole, and that sent both Finisar and larger rival JDS Uniphase (NASDAQ: JDSU  ) higher on the news. JDS Uniphase issued a fairly weak earnings and outlook early last month, needing to temper expectations for a revival in its own sales during the current quarter. As a result, Ciena's news came as a pleasant surprise for the industry, and with Finisar counting Ciena as a customer, Ciena's success reflects directly on Finisar.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of network equipment maker Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN  ) popped 14% today after the company's quarterly results and outlook topped Wall Street expectations.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  We can start with Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN  ) .�The optical networking solutions provider was supposed to post a small loss in its latest quarter, but the shares closed out the week hitting a fresh 52-week high after surprising investors with a modest profit of $0.02 a share. With revenue growing and gross margins widening, Ciena is sneaking up on naysayers who figured that optical networking wasn't anywhere close to staging a turnaround. Ciena's rosy near-term outlook is also encouraging, with its revenue target for the current quarter perched well above what analysts were forecasting.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN) shares gained 2.02% to create a new 52-week high of $25.82. Ciena shares have jumped 77.37% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.18% in the same period.

Top Prefered Companies To Invest In 2014: Brown(n)

N Brown Group plc operates as an Internet and catalogue home shopping company in the United Kingdom. The company principally offers womenswear, menswear, footwear, household, and electrical products, as well as provides insurance services. It also operates in the Republic of Ireland, Germany, and the United States. The company was founded in 1859 and is based in Manchester, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rob DeFrancesco]

  Then, another name similar competes is NetSuite (N), which does something similar to Workday, in the same area, but it concentrates on some smaller companies. Workday tends to go after larger enterprises.

• [By Sean Williams]

  However, Oracle also announced two additional cloud partnerships last week: one with NetSuite (NYSE: N  ) and one with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) .

Oculus Rift: The reality of virtual reality

Back in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — and before he became the newest recipient of Facebook's riches — Oculus VR co-founder and CEO Brendan Iribe opined on the future of virtual reality, and Oculus' place in it. "We believe it will blow open the virtual-reality category," Iribe boasted of the mind-altering Oculus Rift virtual-reality 3D goggles I had just worn for the first time.

Maybe it's not a fair comparison, but I found my maiden Oculus Rift demo way more thrilling than the first time I wore the early prototype of what is now Google Glass.

Oh sure, I understood then and now the challenges and realities of virtual reality, which, despite years of promise and potential, really hadn't gotten very far. But this Oculus moment was a time to revel in what might be, not what wasn't. I dismissed the fact that I was wearing large geeky-looking headgear, that spending more than a few minutes with the prototype might possibly induce nausea, not to mention that we didn't know what Oculus might cost, when exactly it would be ready for consumers or which developers would embrace it in a major way.

OCULUS ACQUISITION: Why Facebook and not Google?

WHO THEY ARE: A look at the brains behind Oculus

WHAT IT IS: Five questions about Oculus VR

We still don't have all the answers. But we now know where the money is going to come from (thank you, Facebook, which is shelling out $2 billion to acquire the start-up). And we have a decent sense of the vision. Oculus made its initial mark in gaming, where it is an obvious fit. What's more interesting to me — and apparently to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — is how it then moves much further afield and evolves into a new social paradigm.

Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.(Photo: Manu Fernandez, AP)

Some early examples Iribe laid out to me at CES sounded intriguing but weren't as social as the reality it was standing in for. He hinted at virtual-reality vacations: "Imagine putting a 360-camera with audio as well on the top of Mount Everest or a beach in Barcelona."(As someone who doesn't love heights, loathes the cold and appreciates oxygen, Oculus is going to be as close to the summit of Everest as I ever get.)

Iribe moved on to mention futuristic applications in architecture, education, real estate, medicine and, of course, other forms of entertainment.

At South By Southwest in Austin, I got to experience Oculus for a second time. Using four Kinect cameras that were paired with four high-end Canon EOS 5D Mark III digital cameras, my body was scanned from all sides and then "teleported" into outer space.

Shortly afterwards, I put on the Oculus headset and watched my newly scanned virtual alter ego explore digital worlds. As I moved my head, my clone moved too, navigating immersive 3-D scenes that alternated between a frozen tundra, marshy volcanic environment and a desert landscape. It was awesome stuff.

Top 10 Retail Stocks To Own Right Now

So where are we? A Facebook-backed Oculus appears to give virtual reality its biggest lift yet. But as we've seen with Sony's recent unveiling of its own Project Morpheus virtual reality headset, competition is likely to be formidable, with certain big-name companies yet to be heard from (Apple? Google?).

However it evolves, this is still a long-term play. But virtual reality and the related technology of augmented reality — visual layers of information tied to your location that appear on top of whatever reality you're seeing — seem inevitable. As Zuckerberg reminded us in his post announcing Facebook's acquisition of Oculus: "Virtual reality! was once! the dream of science fiction. But the Internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones."

Palmer Luckey, the 21-year-old founder of the Oculus VR, at company headquarters in Irvine, Calif. Facebook announced the acquisition of Oculus for $2 billion on Tuesday.  (Photo: Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY)View Fullscreen Yahoo bought the Summly mobile app, the brainchild of then-17-year-old Nick D'Aloisio, for a reported 30 million in 2013. He became Yahoo's youngest employee.  (Photo: Matt Dunham, AP)View Fullscreen Yahoo bought Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013, saying it would be independently operated as a separate business" with founder David Karp, then-26, staying on as CEO.  (Photo: Ethan Miller, Getty Images)View Fullscreen Facebook snapped up photo-sharing service Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock in 2012. It was a megapayday for Instagram's then 27-year-old founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom.  (Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)View Fullscreen Google acquired YouTube in 2006 for a reported $1.65 billion, netting a nice payday for co-founders Steven Chen left, and Chad Hurley, both in their early '30s at the time.  (Photo: Noah Berger, AP)View FullscreenLike this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:ReplayAutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext Slide

Ask Matt: China Internet stocks have risk, reward

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

Q: Why are Chinese Internet stocks doing so well?

A: When stocks are going straight up, investors start feeling brave. And it's hard to find a corner of the market that takes more nerves than Chinese Internet stocks.

Shares of the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF is up roughly 8% this year. Chinese Internet stocks are jumping, such as Internet security firm Qihoo 360, Chinese search engine Baidu and online travel site Ctrip.

The rally in the Chinese stocks has two reasons. Investors are on a ravenous search for growth and Chinese Internet stocks have been expanding. Qihoo 360, for instance, saw its revenue more than double last year to $671.1 million last year. And at Baidu, revenue gained 43% last year, blowing away the 19% growth at Google.

But investors are also looking for speculative plays. Shares of Chinese Internet stocks tend to swing by large amounts, so traders are hoping to catch the upswings. Chinese Internet stocks, at least the ones owned by the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF, have a beta of 1.16, meaning they're more volatile than the market, says Morningstar.

Meanwhile, investors are preparing for what could be the biggest Chinese stock of them all: Alibaba. The Hangzhou, China-based Internet company is in the process of preparing its initial public offering to be listed on a U.S. exchange. The deal, if it goes well, might spur even more interest in the fast-growing Chinese Internet market.

TRACK YOUR STOCKS: Get real-time quotes with our free Portfolio Tracker

Follow Matt Krantz on Twitter: @mattkrantz.

15 Oil and Gas Stocks to Sell Now

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This week, the ratings of 15 oil and gas stocks on Portfolio Grader are down. Each of these rates a “D” (“sell”) or “F” overall (“strong sell”).

Golar LNG Partners () is on the decline this week, earning a D (“sell”) after receiving a C (“hold”) last week. Golar LNG Partners owns floating storage and regasification units and liquefied natural gas carriers. .

Kinder Morgan, Inc. Class P () earns an F (“strong sell”) this week, moving down from last week’s grade of D (“sell”). Kinder Morgan is a pipeline transportation and energy storage company. The stock price has fallen 7.9% over the past month, worse than the 1.7% decrease the S&P 500 has seen over the same period of time. The stock currently has a trailing PE Ratio of 27.60. .

The rating of Cosan Limited Class A () declines this week from a D to an F. Cosan is a global ethanol and sugar company in terms of production with low-cost, large-scale and integrated operations in Brazil. The stock gets F’s in Cash Flow and Margin Growth. At $10.45, the stock is under the 50-day moving average of $11.96. The trailing PE Ratio for the stock is 32.90. .

The rating of Crescent Point Energy Corp. () slips from a D to an F. The stock gets F’s in Earnings Revisions, Earnings Surprise, Cash Flow and Margin Growth. The stock has a trailing PE Ratio of 96.80. .

This week, Goodrich Petroleum Corporation’s () rating worsens to a D from the company’s C rating a week ago. Goodrich Petroleum explores, develops, produces, and acquires oil and natural gas properties. In Earnings Growth, Earnings Revisions, Equity and Cash Flow the stock gets F’s. At $14.52, the stock is below the 50-day moving average of $15.57. As of March 21, 2014, 25.7% of outstanding Goodrich Petroleum Corporation shares were held short. Shares of the stock have been trading at an exceptionally rapid pace, up threefold from the week prior. .

This is a rough week for EXCO Resources, Inc. (). The company’s rating falls to F from the previous week’s D. EXCO Resources is an oil and natural gas company involved in the exploration, exploitation, development and production of onshore North American oil and natural gas properties. The stock gets F’s in Earnings Surprise, Equity and Cash Flow. As of March 21, 2014, 16.1% of outstanding EXCO Resources, Inc. shares were held short. The trailing PE Ratio for the stock is 46.40. .

Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. () earns an F this week, moving down from last week’s grade of D. Calumet Specialty Products produces hydrocarbon products in North America. The stock gets F’s in Earnings Growth, Earnings Momentum and Earnings Revisions. Cash Flow and Margin Growth also get F’s. .

Chevron Corporation’s () rating weakens this week, dropping to an F versus last week’s D. Chevron is an integrated energy company with operations in countries located around the world. .

Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. () gets weaker ratings this week as last week’s C drops to a D. Plains All American Pipeline is involved in interstate and intrastate crude oil pipeline transportation and crude oil terminalling storage activities. .

Top Tech Stocks To Own For 2014

TransCanada Corporation () earns an F this week, falling from last week’s grade of D. TransCanada develops and operates energy infrastructures, including natural gas pipelines. The stock’s trailing PE Ratio is 27.00. .

The rating of Enbridge () declines this week from a D to an F. Enbridge is in the business of transportation and distribution of crude oil and natural gas primarily in Canada and the United States. The stock gets F’s in Earnings Growth, Earnings Momentum and Cash Flow. The stock currently has a trailing PE Ratio of 79.90. .

Slipping from a C to a D rating, StealthGas () takes a hit this week. StealthGas offers marine transport services for liquefied petroleum gas producers and users. The stock receives F’s in Earnings Growth, Earnings Revisions, Earnings Surprise and Cash Flow. .

This week, Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. Sponsored ADR’s () rating worsens to an F from the company’s D rating a week ago. Ultrapar Holdings operates in the segment of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distribution, light fuel & lubricant distribution, and related business in Southern and Southeastern Brazil, production and marketing of chemicals, and provision of integrated logistics solution services for special bulk cargo. Shares of the stock have been trading at an exceptionally rapid pace, up twofold from the week prior. .

Gevo () earns an F this week, falling from last week’s grade of D. Gevo operates as a technology development company for biobutanol. The stock gets F’s in Equity, Cash Flow and Sales Growth. .

The rating of PDC Energy () slips from a C to a D. PDC Energy is an oil and gas company with drilling and production operations in the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Basin and Michigan. The stock gets F’s in Earnings Revisions and Cash Flow. As of March 21, 2014, 12% of outstanding PDC Energy shares were held short. .

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.

Feb. housing starts slip 0.2%; permits surge

Housing starts steadied last month but building permits rebounded to levels last seen in the fall, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Builders started construction of new homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 907,000. That's down 0.2% from January's revised estimate of 909,000. The government's previous estimate was 880,000.

February's level was close to economists' median forecast of 910,000 in Action Economics survey. But it's a slowdown from the 1-million-plus annual pace in November and December.

Housing starts increased in the South and Midwest last month, but slowed in the Northeast and West.

Permits, a gauge of future construction, ran at an annual pace of just over 1 million, a 7.7% increase from January and the highest level since October. The gain was all in multifamily housing, where permits have climbed to mid-2008 levels. But permits for single-family houses fell 1.8%, the third straight monthly decline.

5 Best Growth Stocks To Invest In 2014

The trend reflects a broader shift in housing construction market, observed economists for the Royal Bank of Scotland in a client note Tuesday.

Over the past 12 months, multi-unit homes accounted for 33.8% of starts and 36.8% of permits, the bank said. Seven years ago, before the recession, those shares were 19.1% and 26.0%.

Other economists had mixed reactions to the report.

Joel Naroff, of Naroff Economic Advisors, said the pick-up in permits overall is a good sign for construction activity in the months ahead.

"Since builders generally don't pay the money for permits unless they expect to do something with them, you can bet that once the warm weather returns, so will the bulldozers," he said.

Richard Moody, chief economist of Regions Financial, said single-family starts and completions were rising at a slower pace so far this year than he had anticipated. "Builders continue to be plagu! ed by shortages of lots, labor, and materials and unless and until these constraints begin to ease, any rebound in single family construction will remain restrained," he said.

Those same concerns also were cited Monday in the National Association of Home Builders' statement on its builder sentiment survey for March.

The NAHB/Wells Fargo index rose to 47 from 46 in February while builders' expectations for the next six months weakened by a point to 53. Readings below 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as poor rather than good.

It’s time to Take Darden Stock Off the Menu

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Welcome to the Stock of the Day.

Darden Restaurants (DRI) has given investors heartburn after posting one disappointing earnings report after another. But shares are climbing this morning after the company’s latest earnings release. Could 2014 hold better fortunes for the restaurant operator?

Find out in today’s Stock of the Day.

Company Overview

Many have heard of American restaurant chains Olive Garden, Red Lobster or Longhorn Steakhouse, but few know that they are all owned and operated by Darden Restaurants. Based in Orlando, Florida this company rakes in $8.5 billion in annual sales but a good chunk of those sales go to food and supplies. Darden recently announced that it plans to sell or spin-off its Red Lobster chain, which has been struggling of late.

Earnings Rundown

In the third quarter, Darden Restaurants faced higher costs and expenses, which weighed on the company’s bottom line. Meanwhile, the company reported declining sales at Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

Compared with the same quarter last year, net earnings plunged 23% to $109.7 million, or 82 cents per share. This matched the consensus estimates. Over the same period, quarterly sales ticked down 1.1% to $2.23 billion, but this missed the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion.

Future Outlook

The company also declared a quarterly dividend of 55 cents per share, but not even DRI’s hefty dividend yield of over 4% would get me to buy Darden’s stock, especially given its earnings prospects for this quarter. While the Restaurants industry average is 194% earnings growth in the current quarter, Darden Restaurant’s bottom line is expected to shrink 5.9%.

And Darden could do even worse, considering that analysts have reduced their estimates by a penny over the past three months. I don’t like those odds. Looking ahead to FY 2014, DRI is headed towards a 21.1% year-on-year drop in earnings.

Current Ratings

Before you buy any stock, you should always run it through my free Portfolio Grader ratings system. 2013 was not a good year for Darden Restaurants–the stock has spent much of the year in sell territory. And the story hasn’t changed for 2014. This is due to a one-two punch of poor fundamentals (earning a D-rated Fundamental Grade) and nonexistent institutional buying pressure (D-rated Quantitative Grade).

Our of the eight fundamental metrics I graded Darden stock on, DRI outright fails on five, including operating margin growth, earnings growth and cash flow. The only area where Darden is doing OK is its A-rated return on equity. However, this hasn’t been enough to attract institutional interest, so DRI is still a sell.

Bottom Line: As of this posting I consider Darden stock a D-rated Sell.

Sound Off: What do you think about Darden stock? Are you a buyer at current prices? Let me know what you think by posting on our wall on Facebook. For more stock grades and commentary, please visit NavellierGrowth.com!

Steel Stocks Gain as ArcelorMittal Price Hike Trumps Nucor Guidance

Investors might have been steeling themselves for more losses in steel stocks after Nucor (NUE) offered disappointing guidance–but that was more than offset by price increases at ArcelorMittal (MT).

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Shares of Nucor have gained 0.6% to $49.75 at 2:43 p.m., while ArcelorMittal has risen 1.4% to $15.31, US Steel (X) has jumped 4.6% to $25.31, AK Steel (AKS) has climbed 4.4% to $6.39 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) has advanced 1.6% to $16.95.

Nucor said it would earn 30 to 35 cents a share during the first quarter, below forecasts for 48 cents. Cowen’s Anthony B. Rizzuto and team explain what happened:

Weather was the main culprit as the frigid temperatures disrupted customer demand, decreased the amount of railcar availability and exacerbated the already seasonally weak performance for [Nucor's] fabricated constructions productions business. In addition, imports have negatively impacted pricing and margins at the company’s bar and sheet mills.

Nomura’s Curt Woodworth and team lowered their first-quarter estimates but had some good news for steel stocks too:

Top Income Stocks To Own For 2014

Ahead of mid-quarter updates from the mini-mills ([Nucor and Steel Dynamics]) and [AK Steel], which we expect within the coming week, we lower 1Q-14 estimates for our steel coverage, though we continue to have a positive view of equity performance going forward.

Despite today’s gains, it’s been a tough year for steel stocks. Nucor is off 6.8%at $49.76, US Steel has fallen 14% to $25.31, AK Steel has plunged 22% to $6.38, Steel Dynamics has declined 13% to $16.95 and ArcelorMittal has dropped 14% to $15.31.

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Emerging stocks capped the biggest monthly slump in a year as Brazilian equities tumbled after policy makers raised the benchmark interest-rate more than forecast. Indian shares plunged on bets inflation may rise.

Brazil�� Ibovespa (IBOV) fell to a six-week low, while the real slid to its weakest level in four years, spurring central bank intervention. Housing Development Finance Corp. drove India�� S&P BSE Sensex down, while the rupee completed its worst month in a year. OAO Lukoil (LKOH), Russia�� second-largest oil producer, slipped 2.3 percent as crude slumped.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index lost 0.7 percent to 1,008.88, extending its monthly drop to 2.9 percent. Brazil�� central bank raised the benchmark interest-rate by a half-percentage point to 8 percent, surprising 38 of 57 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. India�� economy expanded less than 5 percent for a second straight quarter. The S&P GSCI gauge of commodities slumped a third day.

��lobal growth continues to decelerate,��said Chad Morganlander, a Florham Park, New Jersey-based fund manager at Stifel Nicolaus & Co., which oversees about $130 billion. He spoke in a telephone interview today. ��hat has put the brakes in emerging markets.��

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: J P Morgan Chase & Co(JPM)

JPMorgan Chase & Co., a financial holding company, provides various financial services worldwide. Its Investment Bank segment provides various investment banking products and services, including advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital-raising in equity and debt markets, risk management, market-making in cash securities and derivative instruments, prime brokerage, and research services serving corporations, financial institutions, governments, and institutional investors. The company?s Commercial Banking segment provides lending, treasury, investment banking, and asset management services to corporations, municipalities, financial institutions, and not-for-profit entities. Its Treasury & Securities Services segment offers cash management, trade, wholesale card, and liquidity products and services to small and mid-sized companies, multinational corporations, financial institutions, and government entities. It also holds, values, clears, and services securities, cash, and alternative investments for investors and broker-dealers, and manages depositary receipt programs worldwide. JPMorgan?s Asset Management segment provides investment and wealth management to institutions, retail investors, and high-net-worth individuals. This segment offers investment management in equities, fixed income, real estate, hedge funds, private equity, and liquidity products, as well as trust and estate, banking and brokerage services, and retirement services. Its Retail Financial Services segment offers retail banking and consumer lending services that include checking and savings accounts, mortgages, home equity and business loans, and investments through ATMs, online banking, and telephone banking, as well as auto dealerships and school financial-aid offices. The company?s Card Services segment issues credit cards and processes various credit card payments. JPMorgan Chase & Co. was founded in 1823 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Dzombak]

  While home buyers are not happy about higher rates, one group that's cheering is banks. Today's Dow leader is Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , up 2.5%, while JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) is up 1.9%. Low rates have been both a benefit and a challenge for banks. Historically low rates lead many people to refinance their mortgages, leading to fees for the banks. However, banks' business models depend on their ability to take in deposits at low cost and lend out at higher rates, and that model is difficult when the Fed is working to keep long-term rates low.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market has performed well so far Friday, as solid figures from the University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index for February suggested that cold weather and questions about economic strength aren't dampening everyday Americans' views of the economy. That news helped push the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) up 75 points by 12:30 EST. But it also led to falling bond prices and higher yields, as bond-market investors ponder whether the same economic concerns that sent the Dow to a minor correction could eventually cause bonds to give up their surprising gains for the year so far -- and cause direct problems for Dow Jones components Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) .

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Evercore Partners announced on Tuesday that it has cut estimates on financial services company JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM).

  Following the company’s CFO presentation, the firm has lowered its estimates on JPM. Analysts have maintained an “Overweight” rating and $61 price target on JPM. This price target suggests a 13% upside from the stock’s current price of $52.86.

  Analyst Andrew Marquardt commented: “Tempered expectations overall…, in our view, given lower mrtg banking, and sales/trading, higher expenses while credit costs remain lower for longer and NII should improve (albeit slightly). Capital clarity helpful and while higher hurdles may indeed result in lower l/t ROEs, mgmt implied such may not impact l/t franchise ROAs. That said, we would not be surprised if degree of capital deployment is curtailed for 2H13 and for ’14. Regardless, we think such concerns are more than reflected in shares given discount to peers, SOTPs, ultimate earnings power, etc.”

  Looking ahead, FY2013 estimates have been raised from $5.74 to $5.88 per share, FY2014 estimates have been lowered from $5.80 to $5.75 per share and FY2015 estimates were cut from $6.20 to $6.12 per share.

  JPMorgan shares were up 47 cents, or 0.89%, during pre-market trading Tuesday. The stock is up 20% YTD.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The big bank earnings winner was former DJIA component Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). While JPMorgan and Wells Fargo had mixed earnings on Tuesday, BofA handily beat its earnings estimates when it reported on Wednesday. Shares were up 2.3% at $17.16 in the final minutes, but this marked a new 52-week high and the stock hit a high of $17.42. While BofA is not a DJIA stock any longer, this helped to propel J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) higher and Jamie Dimon can send Brian Moynihan a thank you letter. J.P. Morgan shares were up 3.2% at $59.58 right before the closing bell.

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: National Beverage Corp.(FIZZ)

National Beverage Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes beverage products in the United States. The company offers a range of flavored soft drinks, juices, sparkling waters, energy drinks, and nutritionally-enhanced waters. It provides its soft drink products under the Shasta and Faygo names. The company also provides health-conscious beverage products, including juice and juice based products under the Everfresh, Home Juice, and Mr. Pure brand names; sparkling and spring water products under the LaCroix, Crystal Bay, and ClearFruit brand names; and nutritionally enhanced water under the Asante brand. In addition, it offers energy drinks under the brand, Rip It; fruit-flavored drinks under the Ohana brand name; holiday soft drinks under the brand, St. Nick?s; and effervescent powder beverage enhancers under the NutraFizz brand name. Further, the company develops and produces soft drinks for retailers and beverage companies . National Beverage provides its products through national and regional grocery stores, warehouse clubs, mass-merchandisers, wholesalers and dollar stores, convenience stores, gas stations, and independent and specialized distributors, as well as through direct store distribution facilities. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Two weeks ago, yours truly made the point that all beverage makers ranging from small niche players like National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) to the mega-sized names like The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) that little ol' KonaRed Corp. (OTCBB:KRED) was coming on fast... not just in terms of product innovation, but in terms of its retail footprint. Not that there was any doubt in the meantime, but KRED laid down another piece of evidence to that end today that should have the likes of KO and FIZZ concerned. Simply put, the flagship Konared product (juice from the fruit that surrounds coffee beans) is soon going to found on the shelves of 80 additional Canadian grocery stores.

10 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Own Right Now: General Mills Inc (GIS)

General Mills, Inc. (General Mills), incorporated on June 20, 1928, is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. The Company is also a supplier of branded and unbranded food products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries. The Company manufactures its products in 15 countries and markets them in more than 100 countries. The Company's joint ventures manufacture and market products in more than 130 countries and republics worldwide. General Mills operates in three segments: U.S. Retail, International, and Bakeries and Foodservice. In addition, the Company sells ready-to-eat cereals through its Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW) joint venture. In February 2012, General Mills acquired Food Should Taste Good, a natural snack foods company based in Needham Heights, Mass. During the fiscal year ended May 27, 2012, the Company acquired a 51% interest in Yoplait S.A.S. and a 50% interest in Yoplait Marques S.A.S. In August 2012, it acquired Yoki Alimentos SA.

General Mills�� ready-to-eat cereals consists of Cheerios, Wheaties, Lucky Charms, Total, Trix, Golden Grahams, Chex, Kix, Fiber One, Reese�� Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Clusters, Oatmeal Crisp and Basic 4. Its refrigerated yogurt include Yoplait, Trix, Delights, Go-GURT, Fiber One, YoPlus, Whips!, Mountain High, Liberte, YOP, Perle de Lait, Petits Filous and Panier. The Company�� refrigerated and frozen dough products consists of Pillsbury, the Pillsbury Doughboy character, Grands!, Golden Layers, Big Deluxe, Toaster Strudel, Toaster Scrambles, Simply, Savorings, Jus-Rol, Latina, Pasta Master, Wanchai Ferry, V.Pearl and La Saltena. The dry dinners and shelf stable and frozen vegetable products includes Betty Crocker, Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, Chicken Helper, Old El Paso, Green Giant, Potato Buds, Suddenly Salad, Bac*O��, Betty Crocker Complete Meals, Valley Selections, Simply Steam, Valley Fresh Steamers, Wanchai Ferry, Diablitos and Parampara. Its gr! ain, fruit, and savory snacks consists of Nature Valley, Fiber One, Betty Crocker, Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit By The Foot, Gushers, Chex Mix, Gardetto��, Bugles, Food Should Taste Good and Larabar. The sessert and baking mixes includes Betty Crocker, SuperMoist, Warm Delights, Bisquick and Gold Medal. Ready-to-serve soup consists of Progresso. The Company�� ice cream and frozen desserts include Haagen-Dazs, Secret Sensations, Cream Crisp and Dolce. Its frozen pizza and pizza snacks includes Totino��, Jeno��, Pizza Rolls, Party Pizza, Pillsbury Pizza Pops and Pillsbury Pizza Minis. General Mills�� organic products include Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen.

The Company�� products are marketed under trademarks and service marks that are owned by or licensed to the Company. Some of the brand names include Dora the Explorer, Disney Cars, and Disney Princesses for yogurt, and Dora the Explorer for cereal; Reese's Puffs for cereal; Hershey's chocolate for a variety of products; Weight Watchers as an endorsement for soup and frozen vegetable products; Macaroni Grill for dry and frozen dinners; Sunkist for baking products and fruit snacks; Cinnabon for refrigerated dough, frozen pastries, and baking products; Bailey's for super-premium ice cream, and a range of characters and brands for fruit snacks, including Scooby Doo, Batman, Tom and Jerry, Ocean Spray, Thomas the Tank Engine, My Little Pony, Transformers, and various Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon characters. Its primary customers include grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, drug, dollar and discount chains, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, and convenience stores.

U.S. Retail segment

The Company�� U.S. Retail segment reflects business with a range of grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, and drug, dollar and discount chains operating throughout the United States. Its product categories in thi! s busines! s segment include ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, ready-to-serve soup, dry dinners, shelf stable and frozen vegetables, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, grain, fruit and savory snacks, and a range of organic products, including granola bars, cereal and soup.

International segment

The Company�� International segment consists of retail and foodservice businesses outside of the United States. In Canada, its product categories include ready-to-eat cereals, shelf stable and frozen vegetables, dry dinners, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, frozen pizza snacks, refrigerated yogurt, and grain and fruit snacks. In markets outside North America, its product categories include super-premium ice cream and frozen desserts, refrigerated yogurt, grain snacks, shelf stable and frozen vegetables, refrigerated and frozen dough products, and dry dinners. Its International segment also includes products manufactured in the United States for export, mainly to Caribbean and Latin American markets, as well as products it manufactures for sale to its international joint ventures.

Bakeries and Foodservice segment

In Company�� Bakeries and Foodservice segment its product categories include cereals, snacks, refrigerated yogurt, unbaked and fully baked frozen dough products, baking mixes, and flour. It sells to distributors and operators in many customer channels, including foodservice, convenience stores, vending and supermarket bakeries.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Early on Thursday, Wells Fargo analysts downgraded packaged foods company General Mills, Inc. (GIS), as they see limited upside in the stock due to an increasingly cautious outlook on U.S. retail food fundamentals.

  The analysts downgraded GIS from “Outperform” to “Market Perform” and see shares reaching a range between $48 and $50, down from the previous valuation range of $53 to $55. This new price target range suggests a slight downside to the stock’s Wednesday closing price of $50.15.

  “GIS features a portfolio uniquely positioned for long-term global growth, in our view, but near term, consumer headwinds, weak food industry volumes, and the potential for heightened food promotion may temper earnings growth and weigh on investor sentiment,” said Wells Fargo analyst John Baumgartner.

  General Mills shares were down $1.00, or 1.99%, during early morning trading on Thursday. The stock is up 21.62% year-to-date.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  The week’s biggest name was General Mills (GIS), which announced a nice increase for shareholders and kept a streak of 115 years of uninterrupted dividends going.

• [By Dan Newman]

  Stalwart stocks
  One of the most resilient stocks in tough times is�General Mills� (NYSE: GIS  ) , maker of Cheerios and other such staples. While the�S&P dipped more than 6% last May, General Mills lost only 1.6%. Throughout the Great Recession, when the S&P dropped more than 50%, General Mills took less than a 10% hit. And even with a steady business of cereal, the company doesn't rest on its laurels. Last year it acquired Food Should Taste Good, which brought several organic and natural food brands into the fold; a stake in Yoplait, which gives General Mills a piece of the growing yogurt market; and Brazilian Yoki Alimentos, which increases the company's emerging-market presence.

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: SOHM Inc (SHMN)

SOHM, Inc. is a global generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, developer and marketer having a range of products, covering the therapeutic segments. The Company has its presence in healthcare segments, such as nutraceuticals, dermatology and all other therapeutic segments.

The Company�� generic pharmaceuticals are exported globally with a focus on distribution in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. The Company�� products has presence in analgesic, anti-flammatory, drops, suspensions, vitamins and tonics, antibiotics, beta-lactum antibiotics, injections, syrups, anti-cold, capsules, nutraceutical and tablets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks VizStar Inc (OTCMKTS: VIZS), SOHM Inc (OTCMKTS: SHMN) and American Soil Technologies, Inc (OTCMKTS: SOYL) have been getting some attention in various investment newsletters with two out of three of these stocks being the subject of paid promotions. However, there is nothing wrong with some paid for attention so long as everything is properly disclosed, but its going to be up to investors and traders alike to ultimately decide whether any of these stocks have what it takes to be the next hot stock. With that in mind, here is a quick reality check about all three small cap stocks:

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: Legal & General Group PLC (LGEN)

Legal & General Group Plc is a provider of risk, savings and investment management products in the United Kingdom. The Company's operating segments include Protection and Annuities segment consisting of individual and group protection, individual and bulk purchase annuities, longevity and general insurance; Savings segment consisting of non-profit investment bonds, non-profit pensions (including self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs)), individual savings account (ISAs), retail unit trusts and retail platform businesses; Investment management segment consisting of institutional fund management and LGIM America (LGIMA); US Protection segment consisting of individual protection and universal life contracts, and Group capital and financing consists of shareholders��equity supporting the non profit Protection and Annuities and Savings businesses. In August 2013, Legal & General Group Plc announced the acquisition of Lucida Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rupert Hargreaves]

  Unfortunately, Prudential only offers a dividend yield of 2.4% at present, below that of its peers, such as Aviva (AV) and Legal & General (LGEN). Moreover, city analysts only expect Prudential to increase its payout by 10% this year and 5% during 2014.

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nokia Oyj (NOK1V)

Nokia Oyj is a Finland-based company engaged in the manufacture of mobile devices and networks. It operates three business segments. Devices & Services segment is divided into two areas, Smart Devices, focused on Nokia�� advanced products, such as smart phones, product development and marketing; and Mobile Phones, active in the area of mass market entry and feature phones, affordable smart phones, services, and applications. It also includes net sale of spare parts. Location & Commerce (HERE) segment develops location-based products and services for consumers, as well as platform services and local commerce services for the Group. Additionally, it provides content and map data to NAVTEQ�� customers. Nokia Siemens Networks segment provides a portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, and professional services, such as consultancy, systems integration, deployment and maintenance. In August 2013, it acquired Siemens AG's whole stake in Nokia Siemens Networks. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sharon Cho]

  BYD Electronic International Co. and Compal Communications Inc. led gains of Nokia Oyj (NOK1V)�� Asian suppliers after Microsoft Corp. offered to pay 5.44 billion euros ($7.2 billion) for the Finnish company�� handset business. Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) declined 1 percent.

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: Zynga Inc (ZNGA)

Zynga Inc. (Zynga), is a provider of social game services with 240 million average monthly active users over 175 countries. The Company develops, markets and operates online social games as live services played over the Internet and on social networking sites and mobile platforms. The Company�� games are accessible on Facebook, other social networks and mobile platforms to players globally, wherever and whenever they want. It operates its games as live services. All of its games are free to play, and it generates revenue through the in-game sale of virtual goods and advertising. In March 2012, the Company acquired New York-based social game developer OMGPOP, makers of the cultural hit mobile game, Draw Something, and over 35 additional social games. In 2012, the Company launched several new games, including Hidden Chronicles, Zynga Bingo, Scramble With Friends, Slingo and Dream Heights.

Social Games

The Company designs its social games to provide players with shared experiences. Its social games leverage the global connectivity and distribution on Facebook, other social networks and mobile platforms, such as Apple iOS and Google Android. Its games are free to play, span a number of genres. It operates its games as live services and updates them with content and features. Its games include CityVille, Zynga Poker, FarmVille, CastleVille, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars and Word with Friends.

Virtual Goods

The Company�� primary revenue source is the sale of virtual currency, which players use to buy in-game virtual goods. Some forms of virtual currency are earned through game play, while other forms can only be acquired for cash or, in some cases, by accepting promotional offers from its advertising partners.

Advertising

The Company�� advertising services offer ways for marketers and advertisers to reach and engage with its players. Its advertising offerings include branded virtual goods and sponsorships, engagement ads, mobil! e ads and display Ads. It offers branded virtual goods and sponsorships integrate advertising within game play; Engagement Ads and Offers, in which players can answer certain questions or sign up for third party services to receive virtual currency; Mobile Ads through ad-supported free versions of its mobile games such as Words with Friends and Display Ads in its online web games include banner advertisements.

The Company competes with Crowdstar, Inc., DeNA, Electronic Arts Inc., King.com, The Walt Disney Company, Vostu, Ltd. wooga GmbH, Amazon.com, Inc., Facebook, Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corporation , Tencent Holdings Limited, Apple, Electronic Arts, GREE, DeNA Co. Ltd., Gameloft, Glu Mobile, Rovio Mobile Ltd , Storm8, Inc., Activision Blizzard, Inc., Big Fish Games, Inc., Electronic Arts, SEGA of America, Inc., and THQ Inc..

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA  ) , a developer and marketer of online social games, dropped as much as 14% after the company announced plans to cut jobs and guided toward the low end of its previous bookings forecast.

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  The performance of the IPO class of 2011-12 has been a mixed bag, especially as far as tech companies go. However, one of the most spectacular failures in terms of performance has been social gaming shop�Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA  ) , whose initial public investors are currently in the red to the tune of a 70% loss.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Lately, the Interwebs have been practically humming with anticipation that the maker of the popular Candy Crush app -- Midasplayer International Holding Co, better known as King.com -- is gearing up to go public. What investors are wondering, though, is whether we're being set up to fail again, after watching the stock of a similar company, with a similar business model -- Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA  ) -- crash and burn, and burn its bridges with Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) along the way.

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE)

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. produces, distributes, and markets non-alcoholic beverages in Europe. It provides a range of beverage categories, including energy drinks, still and sparkling waters, juices, sports drinks, fruit drinks, coffee-based beverages, and teas. The company primarily offers its products under Coca-Cola, Diet Coke/Coke light, Fanta, Coca-Cola Zero, Capri Sun, Schweppes, Sprite, Chaudfontaine, MinuteMaid, and Dr. Pepper brands. It provides its products to customers and consumers through licensed territory agreements in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. was founded in 1986 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By L.A. Little]

  Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE) � is a consumer staple and has a lot less volatility than most stocks. As seen below, it has broken over multiple swing points on the short-term time frame.

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: Endocyte Inc.(ECYT)

Endocyte, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company uses its proprietary technology to create novel small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging diagnostics. Its SMDCs target receptors that are over-expressed on diseased cells, relative to healthy cells. The company?s principal SMDC product candidate, EC145, has been evaluated in a randomized Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, and it also completed a Phase II single-arm clinical trial for pre-treated non-small cell lung cancer. Its preclinical development products include EC0489 and EC0225, which are in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid cancer tumors; EC17 that has completed Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of solid cancer tumors; EC0531, a tubulysin conjugate to treat solid tumors; and EC0746 and EC0565 foliate receptors for the reduction o f inflammation. The company?s products under development also comprise EC20, a proprietary companion imaging diagnostic product for the identification of folate receptor in cancer patients; EC1069 for prostate cancer therapy; and EC0652 that is in early clinical trials for use as a companion imaging diagnostic for SMDCs. Endocyte, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biopharmaceutical company Endocyte (NASDAQ: ECYT  ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.

• [By Benjamin Paluch]

  Endocyte (ECYT) is a drug development company that seeks to develop small molecule drug candidates (SMDCs) for cancer and other diseases. SMDCs like vintafolide (EC145) are drugs linked to targeting ligands. Targeting ligands are like keys. When they are inserted into the proper lock on a tumor cell, they selectively deliver antitumor compounds. Interestingly, ECYT also develops companion diagnostics in which it links an imaging agent to the same ligand to identify patients likely to respond its therapy. The imaging agent is like a flashlight. It illuminates the lock (tumor cell) to identify the patient as a candidate for drug therapy.

• [By Keith Speights]

  I suspect that the drugs being reviewed by the FDA are more likely than not to receive approval. Merck and partner Endocyte (NASDAQ: ECYT  ) are seeking European approval for ovarian cancer drug vintafolide based on early stage and mid-stage clinical trials only. While the drug shows considerable promise, there is always a risk that authorization could be denied.

Best Managed Healthcare Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV)

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the performance of a market-weighted bond index with a short-term, dollar-weighted average maturity. The Fund employs a passive management or indexing strategy designed to track the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index (the Index). The Index includes all medium and larger issues of the United States Government, investment-grade corporate, and investment-grade international dollar-denominated bonds that have maturities of between 1 and 5 years and are publicly issued. The Fund invests by sampling the Index, meaning that it holds a range of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full Index in terms of key risk factors and other characteristics. All of the Fund�� investments will be selected through the sampling process, and at least 80% of its assets will be invested in bonds held in the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is The Vanguard Group, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  In addition to individual stocks several funds pay a monthly dividend. Below is a sampling of these:
  Monthly Bond Funds- iShares Barclays 1-3 Year Credit Bond (CSJ) | Yield: 1.29%
  - Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV) | Yield: 1.25%
  - Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (BIV) | Yield: 2.96%
  - Vanguard Long-Term Bond ETF (BLV) | Yield: 4.42%