Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015

Brinker International Casual dining stocks aren't dead as an investment category. Investors just need to know where the tasty treats can be found on the menu. Chili's Grill & Bar parent Brinker International (EAT) moved higher on Wednesday after reporting better than expected quarterly results. Company sales climbed higher, fueled by a 0.3 percent increase in comparable-restaurant sales. Its international locations fared even better. Some casual dining chains that are bucking the general downward trend and posting positive comps are doing so by discounting aggressively to keep patrons coming. But that's not Chili's game at all. Net margins actually expanded nicely at Brinker, with adjusted earnings per share climbing 18 percent during its fiscal second quarter. The 1,557-unit Chili's chain is doing just fine. But the same can't be said about its competition. Red Ink, Ruby Ink Seeing shares of Brinker open 8 percent higher after posting better than expected quarterly results may be painful for investors in Ruby Tuesday (RT) or Red Lobster parent Darden Restaurants (DRI). Those two stocks took a hit the last time they offered up fresh financials. Ruby Tuesday and Red Lobster are falling out of favor with the hungry, with comps plunging 7.8 percent and 4.5 percent respectively in their latest quarters. Both companies have fallen short of Wall Street profit targets in each of their past three quarters. Brinker, on the other hand, has now surpassed bottom-line expectations in three of the past four quarters. With Ruby Tuesday's profits turning to losses and Darden so disillusioned with Red Lobster that it's looking to sell it or spin it off, it's easy to see why savvy investors looking at the casual dining sector are turning to Brinker. The stock hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday, and this could be just the beginning. Tech is the Secret Ingredient Why is Chili's succeeding at a time when profits at many of its peers are receding? Barron's argued earlier this month that Chili's is in the sweet spot of serving low-priced meals to high-income consumers. It's the other way around at Red Lobster: Seafood isn't cheap, and affluent foodies looking for it choose to frequent more upscale eateries or indie-owned chains. Chili's should keep growing in 2014 -- and not just because the economy is at last showing signs of vitiality, or because people are eating out more again in general. Chili's also has technology on its side. Back in September, it announced that it would be teaming up with Ziosk to install touchscreen tablets at every table. Unlike DineEquity's (DIN) Applebee's, which also plans to roll out tablets at every table later this year, the tablets at Chili's will be merely for ordering drink refills and dessert, and for paying the bill at the end of the meal. That's not quite as ambitious a plan as they have at Applebee's, where the tablets will allow entire orders to be placed. If casual dining can't compete with the quality of fine dining or the speed of fast food and fast casual, it can at least make the time spent at the restaurant more engaging by providing games and other diversions for diners as they wait for their food. Chili's is at the forefront of tech in casual dining, and it seems to be serving the right food at the right price points to the right people. Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, and other laggards aren't keeping up. So it may be too late to order something else off the growth menu.

If investors are hungry for something a little more exciting, thankfully there's no shortage of faster growing publicly traded restaurant chains that are doing just fine.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

Thoratec Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of proprietary medical devices used for circulatory support. The company?s primary product lines include ventricular assist devices, such as HeartMate II, an implantable left ventricular assist device consisting of a rotary blood pump to provide intermediate and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS); and HeartMate XVE, an implantable and pulsatile left ventricular assist device for intermediate and longer-term MCS. Its ventricular assist devices also comprise Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device, an external pulsatile ventricular assist device, which provides left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for bridge-to-transplantation (BTT), including home discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery; and Implantable Ventricular Assist Device, an implantable and pulsatile ventricular assist device designed to provide left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for BTT comprising hom e discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery. The company also provides CentriMag, an extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platform that offers support up to 30 days for cardiac and respiratory failure. In addition, it offers PediMag and PediVAS extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platforms designed to provide acute surgical support to pediatric patients. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through a network of distributors internationally. Thoratec Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of medical device company Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) sank 12% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations. �

• [By Todd Campbell]

  Competing for heart pump market share
  Abiomed's products provide circulatory support for up to six hours and are designed for use in cardiac cath labs or during heart surgery, but competitors Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) and Heartware (NASDAQ: HTWR  ) target the intermediate- and long-term-use market instead.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Crocs Inc.(CROX)

Crocs, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company primarily offers casual and athletic shoes, and shoe charms. It also designs and sells a range of footwear and accessories that utilize its proprietary closed cell-resin, called Croslite. The company?s footwear products include boots, sandals, sneakers, mules, and flats. In addition, it provides footwear products for the hospital, restaurant, hotel, and hospitality markets, as well as general foot care and diabetic-needs markets. Further, the company offers leather and ethylene vinyl acetate based footwear, sandals, and printed apparels principally for the beach, adventure, and action sports markets; and accessories comprising snap-on charms. The company sells its products through the United States and international retailers and distributors, as well as directly to end-user consumers th rough its company-operated retail stores, outlets, kiosks, and Web stores primarily under the Crocs Work, Crocs Rx, Jibbitz, Ocean Minded, and YOU by Crocs brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 164 retail kiosks located in malls and other high foot traffic areas; 138 retail stores; 76 outlet stores; and 46 Web stores. Crocs, Inc. operates in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was formerly known as Western Brands, LLC and changed its name to Crocs, Inc. in January 2005. Crocs, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Niwot, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  The next Crocs (CROX) earnings announcement is coming after the market closes Wednesday, Oct. 30, and if this report is anything like most Crocs earnings updates … well, investors have a 50-50 shot at hearing good news.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  [Related -Upside Calls Active On United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) And Put Options Active In Crocs, Inc. (CROX)]

  Crocs is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of footwear and accessories for men, women and children. The Company sells its products in more than 90 countries through domestic and international retailers and distributors and directly to end-user consumers through its Company-operated retail stores, outlets, kiosks and Webstores. Its footwear products are divided into four product offerings: Core-Comfort, Active, Casual and Style.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Stock investors got rewarded again for their risk tolerance Wednesday as major market benchmarks including the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials rose to new all-time record highs. Even amid the generally bullish sentiment, RealD (NYSE: RLD  ) , Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX  ) , and Sina (NASDAQ: SINA  ) stood out because of their impressive gains. Let's look more closely at these stocks to see why they soared today.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Crocs (CROX) has dropped 5.5% to $12.93 after it was cut to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Jaffray.

  CF Industries�(CF) has gained 3.6% to $$217.51 after it sold its phosphate business to�Mosaic�(MOS) for $1.4 billion. Mosaic edged up 0.1% to $45.98.

Best Stocks For 2015: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Berr]

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

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Macy�� Inc. (NYSE: M), Kohl�� Corp. (NYSE: KSS), and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) have all already reported poor quarterly results that barely met expectations in most cases. There�� no reason to expect anything substantially different this week, except perhaps from Home Depot, which has history of being cautious with its estimates.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) reported upbeat third-quarter net income.

  Nordstrom's quarterly net income declined to $137 million, or $0.69 per share, from $146 million, or $0.71 per share, in the year-earlier period.

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Stifel reported on Friday that it has cut Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN) from “Buy” to Hold.”

  Analyst Richard Jaffe said that although JWN reported strong fourth quarter results, the company’s weak outlook for 2014 is a concern. The analyst noted that JWN’s Q4 results were “cautious given the current retail environment and the additional expenses related to Canada expansion, technology investments and accelerated Rack pre-opening costs.”

  The analyst also noted that “management has taken a long-term view, recognizing that the retail world is changing rapidly and dramatically, and has adjusted its growth investments to be consistent with the�changing environment. Nordstrom has focused its efforts on the e-commerce business, the Rack off-price business and the new markets of Canada and New York City. These investments are different than prior investments and differ greatly from the investment in a new Nordstrom full-line store.”

  Regarding the company’s expansion to Canada, Jaffe said: “Canadian retail real estate in prime locations is different than the US. There are fewer high quality locations and as a result they are costly; requiring upfront expenditures, build-out expenses and monthly rent to be paid. The analyst notes that population density is better around larger cities in Canada.”

  Nordstrom shares were down $1.24, or 2.09%, during pre-market trading Friday. The stock is down 3.82% YTD.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, beyond the Dow, Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) was a huge decliner, falling 16% after issuing negative earnings guidance for the quarter. With an expected 27% drop in U.S. sales of its da Vinci robotic surgical systems, Intuitive is facing a crisis of confidence as would-be buyers respond to the FDA's investigation earlier this year and to tough questions about the effectiveness of the systems in performing procedures. When high-growth leaders start to falter, it's time to start thinking about whether the bull market is getting long in the tooth.

• [By Sean Williams]

  This, I proposed earlier this week, could be the reasoning behind weaker sales of the Intuitive Surgical's (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) da Vinci robotic surgical system. The robotic soft tissue surgical device tends to be costlier than standard laparoscopic procedures, but can reduce hospital stays compared to traditional surgery, possibly making it a cheaper overall option for some people. The device itself, though, costs well beyond $1.5 million, which is a cost that many hospitals would rather not endure with so many question marks still surrounding Obamacare. All told, Intuitive sold just 143 of its devices in the U.S. this quarter compared to 150 last year.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) also bested the prognosticators. The company behind the da Vinci surgical robotic arm has been making operating rooms more efficient by providing more precise incisions on approved procedures and leaving surgeons less fatigued. Intuitive Surgical's net income of $4.56 a share for its latest quarter easily surpassed analysts that felt that the company would earn less than $4 a share.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: CNO Financial Group Inc. (CNO)

CNO Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products for senior and middle-income markets in the United States. The company markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, interest-sensitive and traditional life insurance, fixed annuities, and long-term care insurance products; Medicare advantage plans through a distribution arrangement with Humana Inc.; and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans through a distribution and reinsurance arrangement with Coventry Health Care. It also markets and distributes supplemental health, including specified disease, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance products; and life insurance to middle-income consumers at home and the worksite through independent marketing organizations and insurance agencies. In addition, the company markets primarily graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance products directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, Internet, and telemarketing. It sells its products through career agents, independent producers, direct marketing, and sales managers. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has strategic alliances with Coventry and Humana. The company was formerly known as Conseco, Inc. and changed its name to CNO Financial Group, Inc. in May 2010. CNO Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Up first is CNO Financial Group (CNO), a mid-cap financial stock that's rocketed close to 60% higher since the calendar flipped over to January. Yup, it's been a great year for the market, but it's been a far better one for investors who own CNO. But that strong performance isn't showing any signs of slowing yet. In fact, CNO looks primed for even more upside in the fourth quarter.

  That's because CNO is currently forming a bullish pattern called an ascending triangle. The ascending triangle pattern is formed by a horizontal resistance level above shares -- in this case at $14.75 -- and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as CNO bounces in between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above that $14.75 resistance level. When that breakout happens, it's time to become a buyer.

  ACCO's price action isn't exactly textbook. After all, the pattern is coming in at the bottom of a downtrend, not after an uptrend. But ultimately, that doesn't change the trading implications of a move through that $7.50 level.

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

  That $7.50 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant. The move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

  Don't be early on this trade.

• [By Vanin Aegea]

  I have heard many people comment about the insurance policies for cars, houses, life, assets, etc. The arguments always revolve around the same issue: Is it really necessary? What are the chances to be hit by a Hurricane, or to meet a sudden death? Well, nobody really knows. Some individuals however, sleep better when they know a policy backs their life investments. Here, I will look into three insurance companies that concentrate on different policies, or geographies. These are: China Life (LFC), and Conseco (CNO).

• [By David Fried, Editor, The Buyback Letter]

  Insurance holding company CNO Financial Group (CNO) and its insurance subsidiaries��rincipally Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Washington National, and Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company��erve pre-retiree and retired Americans.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

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

• [By Travis Hoium]

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

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

• [By idahansen]

  The entire demand labor industry should do well as the US Department of Labor just reported that 169,000 more jobs were added to the American economy. The more work there is, the more demand there is for the services of staffing solutions firms such as Labor SMART, Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), and Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI).

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Some of the companies most dependent on government for revenue are Harris Corp. (HRS) �with 80% of revenue government-derived; Granite Construction Inc. (GVA) �with 58%; Flir Systems Inc. (FLIR) �with 54%; and Waste Management Inc. (WM) � and Republic Services Inc. (RSG) �both with 50%, according to Goldman Sachs.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Last Friday, small cap dieting stock Weight Watchers International, Inc (NYSE: WTW) lost weight for investors when shares tumbled�27.73% to $22.10, meaning its probabaly a good idea to take a closer look�at the stock along with�other small cap weight loss or dieting stocks like NutriSystem Inc (NASDAQ: NTRI), Medifast Inc (NYSE: MED) and Reliv International, Inc (NASDAQ: RELV). Why did Weight Watchers International loose weight last Friday? The company reported its fourth straight quarterly sales decline as fewer people attended meetings and bought its products and also projected earnings that trailed analysts' estimates with the blame being placed on new mobile applications and bracelets that track calories���thus�hurting traditional diet companies.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  Your secret sauce for profitable growth
  First up, consider spicing up your portfolio with shares of Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) . Though B-Wild is currently trading near its 52-week-high on the heels of another�successful March Madness ad campaign, there are a number of reasons to believe that the beer and wings specialist should be able to continue its winning streak for the foreseeable future.

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Sara Lee Corporation(SLE)

Sara Lee Corporation engages in the manufacture and marketing of a range of branded packaged meat, bakery, and beverage products worldwide. Its packaged meat products include hot dogs and corn dogs, breakfast sausages, sandwiches and bowls, smoked and dinner sausages, premium deli and luncheon meats, bacon, beef, turkey, and cooked ham. It also offers frozen baked products, which comprise frozen pies, cakes, cheesecakes, pastries, and other desserts. In addition, Sara Lee provides roast, ground, and liquid coffee; cappuccinos; lattes; and hot and iced teas, as well as refrigerated dough products. The company sells its products under Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Jimmy Dean, Sara Lee, State Fair, Douwe Egberts, Senseo, Maison du Caf

Hot Growth Companies To Watch For 2015: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

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

Does Bank of America Belong in Your Portfolio?

With shares of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) trading around $17, is BAC an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework.

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Bank of America is a financial institution serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, corporations, and governments with a range of banking, investing, asset management, and other financial and risk management products and services. With its banking and various non-banking subsidiaries throughout the United States and international markets, the company provides a range of banking and non-banking financial services and products through several business segments: consumer and business banking, consumer real estate services, global banking, global markets, global wealth, investment management, and other.

Bank of America on Wednesday reported net income of $3.4 billion, or 29 cents per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2013, compared to $732 million, or 3 cents per diluted share in the year-ago period. Revenue, net of interest expense, on an FTE basis rose 15 percent from the fourth quarter of 2012 to $21.7 billion.

“We are pleased to see the core businesses continue to perform well, serving our customers and clients,” said Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan. “While work remains on past issues, our two hundred forty thousand teammates continue to do a great job winning in the marketplace.” "We enter this year with one of the strongest balance sheets in our company's history," said Chief Financial Officer Bruce Thompson. "Capital and liquidity are at record levels, credit losses are at historic lows, our cost savings initiatives are on track and yielding significant savings, and our businesses are seeing good momentum."

T = Technicals on the Stock Chart Are Strong

Bank of America stock has been flying higher in recent quarters. The stock is currently trading near highs for the year and looks poised to continue. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, Bank of America is trading above its rising key averages which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

Source: Thinkorswim

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of Bank of America options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
Bank of America options	19.92%	0%	0%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a very small amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
February Options	Flat	Average
March Options	Flat	Average

As of Wednesday, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a very small amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion.

E = Earnings Are Increasing Quarter Over Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on Bank of America’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for Bank of America look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2014 Q4	2013 Q3	2013 Q2	2013 Q1
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	866.67%	20%	68.42%	233.3%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	364.48%	-1.52%	3.46%	4.13%
Earnings Reaction	2.68%*	2.24%	2.8%	-4.72%

*As of this writing.

Bank of America has seen increasing earnings and revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these numbers, the markets have been pleased with Bank of America’s recent earnings announcements.

P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Bank of America stock done relative to its peers – JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), and Citigroup (NYSE:C) — and sector?

	Bank of America	JPMorgan Chase	Wells Fargo	Citigroup	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	10.34%	0.97%	2%	5.47%	5.69%

Bank of America has been a relative performance leader, year-to-date.

Conclusion

Bank of America is a bank and financial services giant that operates in a recovering financial industry, the backbone of the United States economy. The company reported fourth quarter earnings that left investors pleased. The stock has been exploding to the upside in recent quarters and is currently trading near highs for the year. Over the last four-quarters, earnings and revenue figures have been have been increasing. Relative to its peers and sector, Bank of America has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Bank of America to OUTPERFORM.

Inside Ukraine's Economy

As unrest spreads across Ukraine, and dozens of people die or are injured in protests around its capital Kiev, the nation’s economy, not particularly strong, may rapidly crumble. The country is a large part of the region’s economy, so this deterioration will not be limited to inside its borders.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) ranks Ukraine as the world’s 54th largest economy by gross domestic product (GDP) at $176 billion. The World Bank ranks it 51st, with GDP pegged at the same level. Its GDP is about the same size as that of Qatar and Peru.

Based on one measure, the nation is not very productive, and its population is not well paid in proportion to GDP. The IMF ranks Ukraine 109th in GDP per capita at $3,867. The World Bank ranks it in 111th. Albania and Fiji each rank slightly higher. Economists consider it a “lower middle class” nation.

The World Bank reports that Ukraine’s economy has stalled. Its GDP did not grow in 2012 and 2013. Its GDP problems are related to those of most of the European region, where the recession has lingered longer than in the balance of the world. Political problems in Ukraine make it a poor place to invest capital, according to World Bank analysis. The strength of Ukraine’s agriculture exports, mostly grain, has been the backbone of its economy. And the fundamentals of the sector are weakening. The World Bank reports:

Ukraine has tremendous agricultural potential and could play a critical role in contributing to global food security. This potential has not been fully exploited due to depressed farm incomes and a lack of modernization within the sector. The establishment of a legal framework for secure land ownership, development of an efficient registration system, and ensuring free and transparent land markets are important elements of a policy framework that could facilitate agricultural development in Ukraine.

Much of this grain goes to Russia and other large countries in the region, which makes it important to the finances and trade inside the region. The irony of Ukraine’s economic situation is that Russia is Ukraine’s primary source of energy assets, and the relationship between the two countries over energy has been poor, and even contentious. According to the CIA Factbook:

Ukraine’s dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Ukraine depends on imports to meet about three-fourths of its annual oil and natural gas requirements and 100% of its nuclear fuel needs.

Almost all experts on Ukraine’s economy point to the same threat to economic growth. With a government under siege and the possibility of prolonged political battles, Ukraine could quickly slip back into recession. Its prowess as an exporter of grain may not be enough to offset that.

Herbalife Makes It 20 in a Row

The streak lives for yet another quarter.

Herbalife Ltd.(HLF) reported fourth-quarter profits Tuesday after the bell that exceeded analysts’ expectations. The results marked the 20th straight quarter the nutritional supplement maker's profit figures have exceeded Wall Street's estimates, according to FactSet, a stretch that dates back to 2008.

For the fourth quarter, Herbalife posted a profit of $123.5 million, or $1.15 a share, up from $112.2 million, or $1 a share, a year earlier. Excluding expenses tied to a re-audit of financial statements and other items, adjusted profit in the latest period totaled $1.28 a share. Sales climbed almost 20% to $1.27 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting Herbalife to report earnings of $1.25 a share on revenue of $1.25 billion.

Shares jumped 3% to $71 in after-hours trading. The stock, which finished Tuesday at $68.93, is down 12%  this year after it more than doubled in 2013.

Herbalife has been in the center of a public squabble among some of Wall Street's biggest and brashest personalities. On one side is Pershing Square's Bill Ackman, who publicly has said Herbalife operates an illegal pyramid scheme and has been betting against the company. Earlier this month Mr. Ackman’s firm released what it called an in-depth study on “deceptive practices and recruitment systems” of one of Herbalife's top sellers in Canada. Mr. Ackman has promised that Pershing Square will continue to release details of deceptive practices executed by other top Herbalife sellers.

Herbalife has repeatedly denied accusations lobbed against its business model.

On the other side of the aisle, several prominent investors, including Carl Icahn and Dan Loeb, have bet on Herbalife's continued success. Mr. Loeb has since ditched his Herbalife holdings, making a hefty profit while he invested in the stock. Mr. Icahn maintains a significant stake in the company. Hedge-fund manager Kyle Bass sold his Herbalife position in the fourth quarter, while George Soros pared his Herbalife holdings at the end of the year.

The last time Herbalife’s profit fell short of Wall Street's targets was in the fourth-quarter of 2008, when its quarterly earnings-per-share missed estimates by a penny. Excluding today's figures, the stock has risen the next day following 15 of those 19 quarterly beats.

Herbalife raised its outlook for the current quarter and year, pointing to recent share repurchases. The company said it will earn between $5.85 and $6.05 a share in 2014. Analysts previously forecast the company would earn $5.87 a share.

Herbalife in early February issued a first-quarter profit outlook that missed Wall Street’s expectations, though the full-year guidance was affirmed. The company also boosted its share repurchase program to $1.5 billion.

–John Kell contributed to this report.

Surveying the MLP Universe Following the Implosion at Boardwalk Pipeline

The big news in the master limited partnership (MLP) world last week was the announcement by Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE: BWP) that it was cutting its quarterly distribution by 80%. The company's market value was cut in half, and the price of Boardwalk's common units fell from above $24 to below $13. For the rest of the week, investors have been trying to figure out which midstream company will be next or, alternatively, which companies offer the best chance of prospering.

Initial speculation about a coming disaster swirled around El Paso Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE: EPB). The company, now controlled by Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE: KMI), got a $3 million investment from CEO Richard Kinder and that ended the speculation about El Paso being the next to go.

Every MLP's most important product is cash that it can pay to limited partners in quarterly distributions that get bigger every year. To get that cash, midstream MLPs rely on operating revenues, new debt, and new equity. Boardwalk had lost some transportation contracts and almost certainly could not raise enough cash to pay its lofty distribution without issuing new debt or new equity. The company couldn't find any takers either for more debt or more equity and was forced to cut distributions which is the cardinal sin for MLPs.

Part of the problem with Boardwalk's and other MLPs' transportation contracts is that federal and state regulators are not being as generous as before in allowing rate hikes. Another part of the problem is that some companies are located in the wrong place, and expiring contracts are not being renewed by shippers. Another problem is that natural gas prices are backwardated — the current spot price is higher than the forward price. When that happens companies like Boardwalk with gas storage space find that no one wants to pay to store natural gas. Shippers want to sell it now while the price is high rather than store and sell it at lower prices.

Large MLPs with geographically diversified operations will fare better because they can shift assets around and make sure that all their distribution-paying subsidiaries meet the payroll, so to speak. Here are the seven largest MLPs by market cap:

Enterprise Product Partners LP (NYSE: EPD) – $61.23 billion Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP) – $35.13 billion Williams Partners LP (NYSE: WPZ) – $21.95 billion Plains All American Pipeline LP (NYSE: PAA) – $19.3 billion Energy Transfer Partners LP (NYSE: ETP) – $17.78 billion Magellan Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: MMP) – $15.52 billion Oneok Partners LP (NYSE: OKS) – $12.95 billion

Size is not the only thing that matters, but size can help overcome some of the cash flow issues these MLPs face. The differentiating factor is a company's distribution coverage ratio which is the cash the MLP has to distribute to its limited partners divided by its maintenance capex and interest on the company's debt. Anything number larger than 1 is solid.

Many of the MLPs also have a publicly traded general partner. Because the general partner typically owns incentive distribution rights that can skyrocket after the limited partnership distributions are paid, these companies tend to show higher growth rates than the MLPs themselves. For example, Energy Transfer Equity LP (NYSE: ETE), the general partner for Enterprise Products, has a market cap of $24.23 billion on its own. ETE's yield is 3.4% compared with EPD's yield of 4.2%, but the general partner's ability to grow is potentially much higher. The downside is that these stocks are expensive compared with an MLP's common unit price.

Another way to play the MLPs is with an ETF like the ALPS Alerian MLP ETF (NYSEMKT: AMLP). Five of the seven largest MLPs are the five largest holdings in this fund, and all seven are in the top ten. Over the past three years, this medium-sized value fund has returned about 9.5% to investors and the one-year return was about 9.4%. The fund's off to a slow start this year, though, down slightly for the year.

Now Might Be the Time to Invest in Colombia

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- As most investors know, emerging markets have been subject to panic selling for the last couple of months, with the main focus on Turkey, South Africa and the Ukraine. The panic has hurt equity prices in most of the emerging markets. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) is down 6.3% year to date, according to Google Finance.

This type of indiscriminate selling is not new, of course, and it potentially creates an opportunity to buy an emerging market with seemingly no fundamental connection to the current panic. One such country is Colombia and the Global X FTSE Colombia 20 ETF (GXG).

Fundamentally, Colombia's GDP growth has been solid at 4.8% in 2012, 4.5% in 2013 and, according to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria estimates, 5% for 2014. Inflation is running at 2%, which is surprisingly low considering inflation is more than 10% in Argentina and 5.5% in Brazil. Colombia also fares will with a debt to GDP ratio of 32% and a small current account deficit.

Part of the story is that Colombia has become an oil exporter, producing over one million barrels per day with expectations that growth will continue but it only consumes 400,000 barrels per day. The Colombia 20 ETF launched in 2009 as Global X' first ETF and has been able to attract $86 million in assets, which is impressive for such an off the radar investment destination. The largest sector in GXG is financials at 36%, followed by energy at 23%, utilities and materials at 15% each and consumer staples at 9%. With only 20 stocks in the fund it is top heavy. EcoPetrol (EC) is the biggest holding at 13% followed by BanColombia Preferred at 11%. From the top down GXG has been held back by virtue of being heavy in natural resources and in an emerging market. Over the last 12 months EEM is down 10% compared to 27% for the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Materials Sector Index Fund (EMMT) and a similar 28% for GXG.

Stock quotes in this article: EEM, GXG, EC, EMMT 

From the bottom up GXG has been weighed by Ecopetrol's poor performance. Over the last year it is down 42% on concerns the government's large stake in the company and little to no growth expected in 2014, while overlooking a single-digit PE ratio.

Part of the problem, too, has been the drop in oil over the last six months from $110 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate Crude to as low as $92 earlier this year. Oil is up slightly from that low and if it continues higher then revenue and earnings estimates for EC should improve.

If EC continues to struggle it will be a drag on GXG's performance, but less so now that its weighting has come down to 13% from 20%.

Picking individual Colombian stocks can be difficult because there are so few of them. According to ADR.com there are only two stocks on the NYSE, none on Nasdaq and six traded on the over-the-counter market. Making an investment in a fund or a stock that has dropped a lot is difficult because of the uncertainty involved; what if it is not done going down? Many investors have heard the Sir John Templeton quote that "bull markets are born on pessimism" and there is a lot of pessimism directed at the emerging market space. The price of GXG, or any other emerging market fund, might go lower, of course, but after declines of 25% to 30%, prices are now arguably low. At the time of publication the author had no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Follow @randomroger This article represents the opinion of a contributor and not necessarily that of TheStreet or its editorial staff.

Stock quotes in this article: EEM, GXG, EC, EMMT 

Taco Bell Goes Mobile

This story has been updated from 10:56 am EST to include Taco Bell confirmation.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Yum! Brands' (YUM) Taco Bell is going mobile.

According to Nation's Restaurant News and confirmed by Taco Bell on Friday, the fast food chain plans to roll out mobile ordering later this year to all 6,000 locations, in a bid to shake-up the quick service restaurant segment.

A quick search through the Apple's (AAPL) App store shows that Taco Bell already has an app available, however customers currently cannot order through it.

According to the Feb. 10 article, the Irvine, Calif.-based chain began testing a mobile ordering app roughly two and a half years ago. More recently it began more specific location testing at five units in Orange County and plan to open it up to select consumers for further testing there. Fast-food chains are slowly getting on the bandwagon to mobile offerings. Big pizza chains like Papa John's (PZZA), Domino's (DPZ) and Pizza Hut, another Yum! Brands company, have been successful at showing customers a seamless experience and the ease of use at mobile ordering. Pizza Hut launched its smartphone app in 2009. Today, with digital orders representing about 40% of the brand's sales, mobile represents about half of the digital orders, spokesman Doug Terfehr told TheStreet on Friday. Customers can also offer Pizza Hut through their Xbox. Pizza Hut announced that deal with Microsoft (MSFT) last year. KFC customers near select U.K. stores can order through their smartphone, a separate search through the App store shows. A KFC spokesman did not return a request for comment. Taco Bell's mobile offering joins the likes of other fast-food chains getting into mobile offerings. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) already offers mobile ordering. McDonald's (MCD), Chick-fil-A and Smashburger are also in the process of rolling out mobile ordering, the article says. Of course one cannot mention mobile and food without thinking of Starbucks (SBUX). CEO Howard Schultz did say that he wanted to focus his duties on "the convergence and integration of our retail and e-commerce, digital, card and mobile assets around the world," in an announcement last month citing management changes. Taco Bell is looking to target its primary demographic of young Millenials. "For these kids, it's not whether you have a smartphone; it's which smartphone do you have," Jeff Jenkins, mobile lead for Taco Bell told Nation's Restaurant News. "If you can get 10 million people to download your app, you're putting a portal to Taco Bell in 10 million pockets." -- Written by Laurie Kulikowski in New York. Follow @LKulikowski

Stock quotes in this article: CMG, SBUX, PZZA, DPZ 

Economists: U.S. will see better growth in '14

The U.S. economy is headed for stronger growth in 2014 that will steadily chip away at the unemployment rate, top economists predict in a largely optimistic USA TODAY quarterly survey.

The jobless rate, which dipped to a five-year low of 6.6% in January, will fall to 6.3% by the end of the year, their median forecast indicates.

Job gains, which averaged 194,000 a month last year, will reach a monthly average of 200,000 this year, they predict. Employers added 113,000 jobs in January, well under many economists' forecasts, the government reported last week.

The economy got off to a slow start in January as a result of financial turmoil in emerging markets, a stomach-churning drop in stock prices and extreme winter weather that kept many shoppers at home. But the economists surveyed expect growth to accelerate after a weak first quarter, reaching a solid 2.8% rate for the year.

"I think we will regain momentum and not fall on our face," says Diane Swonk, chief economist of Mesirow Financial, drawing a contrast with previous ups and downs in the five-year-old recovery.

Many of the 40 economists surveyed Feb 5-6 recently cut their first-quarter forecasts. Most of the change is due to the adverse January weather and an expected pull-back in business stockpiling after firms aggressively replenished shelves in the second half of 2013.

While growth late last year was driven largely by the stockpiling, this year's expansion will be fueled by higher consumer and business spending, says Dean Maki, chief U.S. economist of Barclays Capital.

"It's more durable," he says.

Many were anticipating a breakout year in 2014, signaling a new course for a generally sluggish recovery. Households have shed much of the debt they amassed during the mid-2000s real estate bubble. A stock run-up and rising home prices have made consumers feel wealthier. And the effects of federal spending cuts and tax increases are fading, while state and local governments are poised to increase outl! ays after years of austerity.

Several economists say those improving fundamentals remain intact. Some see financial troubles in emerging markets such as Turkey and Brazil as risks to the USA's outlook. Chris Varvares of Macroeconomic Advisers has trimmed his growth forecast, saying the turmoil could curtail U.S. exports and stock prices, crimping business investment and consumer spending.

But more than eight in 10 of those surveyed said January's stock sell-off and emerging markets' woes have not caused them to be less optimistic about growth this year. Sixty-four percent said their 2014 forecasts are more likely to prove too conservative than too rosy.

Maki says the recent stock swoon pales compared to last year's market gains and is unlikely to hurt consumer spending this year. Rising interest rates may cause Americans to buy smaller homes, but they shouldn't deter purchases, he says.

Best Internet Stocks To Buy Right Now

As we head towards Black Friday, small cap specialty retail stocks United Online, Inc (NASDAQ: UNTD), TravelCenters of America LLC (NYSE: TA) and MarineMax, Inc (NYSE: HZO) have the distinction of being the best performing small cap�specialty retail stocks for this year (according to Finviz.com) with gains of 181.2%, 123.8% and 71.8%, respectively. With those returns in mind, what are these small cap specialty retail stocks doing right and will the performance last through the all important holiday season? Here is what new and existing investors and traders alike need to know or consider:

United Online, Inc.�A provider of consumer products and services over the Internet, United Online�� Content & Media segment services are online nostalgia (Memory Lane) and online loyalty marketing (MyPoints) while its�primary Communications segment services are Internet access and email (NetZero and Juno). The reason United Online is among the�best performing specialty retail stocks for this year in various stock screening tools like Finviz.com�is actually misleading as the company has just completed the spin off�of subsidiary FTD Companies, a floral and gifts products company acquired in August 2008 for $441 million, as�FTD Companies Inc (NASDAQ: FTD) where United Online shareholders received one share of FTD common stock for every five shares of United Online common stock they hold. In addition, United Online completed�a�one-for-seven reverse stock split of United Online shares.�On Tuesday, small cap United Online, Inc fell 1.01% to $15.72 (UNTD has a 52 week trading range of $11.65 to $62.30 a share) for a market cap of $207.79 million plus the stock is up 181.2% since the start of the year and up 182.2% over the past five years. Meanwhile, the FTD Companies Inc�now has a�market cap of $611.60 and the stock is up almost 6% since October.

Best Internet Stocks To Buy Right Now: Internap Network Services Corporation(INAP)

Internap Network Services Corporation provides information technology (IT) infrastructure services. The company operates through two segments, Data Center Services and IP Services. The Data Center Services segment provides colocation services, which include physical space for hosting customers? IT infrastructure network and other equipment, as well as offers associated services, such as redundant power and network connectivity, environmental controls, and security. This segment also offers managed hosting services that enable its customers to own and manage the software applications and content, as well as provides and maintains the hardware, operating system, collocation, and bandwidth. The IP services segment provides patented performance Internet protocol (IP) service; XIP acceleration-as-a-service solution; and flow control platform, a premise-based intelligent routing hardware product for customers, who run their own multiple network architectures, known as multi-homi ng. In addition, this segment offers content delivery network services that enable its customers to stream and distribute media and content, such as video, audio software, and applications to audiences through points of presence, as well as offers capacity-on-demand services to handle events and unanticipated traffic spikes. Internap Network Services Corporation provides its services and products through 76 IP service points, which include 20 CDN POPs and 1 standalone CDN POP, as well as through 37 data centers across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. It serves the entertainment and media, financial services, business services, software, hosting and information technology infrastructure, and telecommunications industries. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Best Internet Stocks To Buy Right Now: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)

Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Symantec Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMC) reported second fiscal quarter 2014 results after markets closed on Wednesday. For the quarter, the network security software maker posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.50 on revenues of $1.64 billion. In the same period a year ago, the company reported EPS of $0.45 on revenues of $1.7 billion. Second-quarter results compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.44 and $1.69 billion in revenues.

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  On Thursday, Morgan Stanley reported that it has downgraded security and storage management company Symantec Corporation (SYMC).

  Morgan Stanley has cut its rating on SYMC to an “Equal Weight.” Analysts believe that the company lacks near term catalysts.

  Symantec shares were down 55 cents, or 2.18%, during pre-market trading Thursday. The stock is up 34% YTD.

Top 10 Safest Companies To Watch In Right Now: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)

Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Portal companies like Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) are trying to overcome collapsing revenues for display advertising. Their latest business model aims to appeal to marketers who use video ads. These video ads can command 10 times more revenue than display ads. Online publishers and advertisers both benefit from the fact that commercials frequently already have�been created for broadcast and cable TV.

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO  ) recently announced that it's partnering with dropbox to offer more comprehensive services to users of Yahoo! Mail. As a part of the company's push to revamp its image and reclaim lost market share, the move shows great promise. Along similar lines, the company is engaged in early discussions with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) to deepen the relationship between the search company and Cupertino.

Best Internet Stocks To Buy Right Now: Google Inc.(GOOG)

Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  In 2012, Samsung became No. 1 vendor of both smartphones and features phones by unit volumes, and it has played a large role in the proliferation of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) Android, particularly in emerging markets that Apple has historically had difficulty tapping into.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Google (GOOG) retreated on Monday after it was removed from Morgan Stanley�� Best Idea List, while Twitter (TWTR) rose during its third trading day�as a public company.

Best Internet Stocks To Buy Right Now: Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN)

Amazon.com, Inc. operates as an online retailer in North America and internationally. It operates retail Web sites, including amazon.com and amazon.ca. The company serves consumers through its retail Web sites and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. It also offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Web sites, and their own branded Web sites. In addition, the company serves developer customers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various type of business. Further, it manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. Additionally, the company provides fulfillment; miscellaneous marketing and promotional agreements, such as online advertising; and co-branded credit cards. Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vin Colby]

  There are exceptions, of course. Amazon (AMZN) in recent years has pumped nearly all of its effort into investing in future, profits today be damned. "Amazon, as far as I can tell, is a charitable organization being run by elements of the investment community for the benefit of consumers," wrote Matthew Yglesias last year.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Apple's iPad has the high-end, full-sized market cornered. Android has everything else, and it also has companies willing to take a hit on the hardware. We're not just talking about Google's own Nexus line. The Android-propelled Kindle Fire can be had for as little as $159 because Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) wants consumers paying to download books, movies, games, and music through its platform.

Best Internet Stocks To Buy Right Now: IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)

IAC/InterActiveCorp engages in the Internet business in the United States and internationally. The company�s Search segment develops, markets, and distributes various downloadable toolbars; provides search, reference, and content services through its destination search and other Websites, including Ask.com and Dictionary.com; and aggregates and integrates local advertising and content for distribution to publishers on Web and mobile platforms, as well as markets and distributes mobile applications through which it provides search and additional services. Its Match segment offers subscription-based and advertiser-supported online personals services through its Websites comprising Match.com, Chemistry.com, OurTime.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and OkCupid.com, as well as through mobile applications and Meetic-branded Websites. The company�s ServiceMagic segment offers Market Match service that matches consumers with service professionals; Exact Match service, which enables con sumers to review service professional profiles and select the service professional that meets their specific needs; and 1800Contractor.com, an online directory of service professionals. This segment also offers Website design and hosting services. Its Media and Other segment operates CollegeHumor.com, an online entertainment Website that targets young males; Vimeo, a Website on which users can upload, share, and view video; and Pronto.com, a comparison search engine. This segment also engages in the creation of video content for various distribution platforms; and operates as an Internet retailer of footwear and related apparel and accessories, as well as focuses on multimedia business. The company was formerly known as InterActiveCorp and changed its name to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July 2004. IAC/InterActiveCorp was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET.COM]

  IAC isn�� the most loved company on the street, which is evidenced by that 8.80 percent short position. However, IAC continues to deliver on the top and bottom lines. As long as that remains to be the case, IAC is an OUTPERFORM.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Rhyu joins the company from IAC's (NASDAQ: IACI  ) Match.com, where he has filled the roles of both CFO and chief administrative officer since 2011. Previous to that, he was a senior vice president at News Corp's (NASDAQ: FOXA  ) Dow Jones & Company. He also served as corporate controller for both Sirius XM Radio and GrafTech International (NYSE: GTI  ) .

• [By Eric Volkman]

  AP/Jim Mone Is Bitcoin a slam-dunk as the currency of the future? The Sacramento Kings seem to think so. The NBA team recently became the first pro sports franchise to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. Basketball fans will be able not only to purchase tickets and merchandise online with the digital cryptocurrency, but also to use it to buy souvenirs at the arena come game time. The team is the latest in a growing number of commercial entities finding a slot in their virtual cash registers for Bitcoin. Little by little, momentum is building for a widespread acceptance of the upstart currency. Overstocking The Kings' drive towards the Bitcoin basket comes a week after the big online retailer Overstock.com (OSTK) announced it would start accepting payments in the currency. The move was an instant hit -- the first day the company had the nifty Bitcoin button as an option in its shopping cart, its customers used it to make more than 800 transactions for total sales of around $130,000. Overstock.com was by no means the first online marketplace to accept the currency. Numerous web retailers have been doing so for some time. It's a natural fit, %VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks in a way, since Bitcoin exists solely in the digital realm. Customers booking flights on discount travel operator CheapAir.com, for example, can use Bitcoin to buy their tickets, as can love seekers on dating site OkCupid, owned by IAC/InteractiveCorp (IACI). These digital players are going to have plenty of company. Earlier this month, online games purveyor Zynga (ZNGA) started to dip its toes in the water, announcing that it was testing Bitcoin payments for some of its titles in conjunction with specialist transaction facilitator BitPay. But if Overstock.com didn't get there first, it's still the largest and most prominent e-retailer to take the Bitcoin plunge thus far. This is a big win for the currency and its advocates, and Overstock.com will surely be followed by more well-known comp

Best Internet Stocks To Buy Right Now: eBay Inc.(EBAY)

eBay Inc. provides online platforms, services, and tools to help individuals and merchants in online and mobile commerce and payments in the United States and internationally. Its Marketplaces segment operates ecommerce platform eBay.com; vertical shopping sites, such as StubHub, Fashion, Motors, and Half.com; and classifieds Websites, including Den Bl�Avis, BilBasen, Gumtree, Kijiji, LoQUo, Marktplaats.nl, mobile.de, Alamaula, Rent.com, eBay Anuncios, eBay Kleinanzeigen, and eBay Annunci, as well as provides advertising services. The company?s Payments segment offers payment and settlement services for consumers and merchants on and off eBay Websites and other merchant Websites. This segment operates PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments online and through mobile devices; Bill Me Later that enables the United States merchants to offer, the United States consumers to obtain, credit at the point of sale for ecommerce and mobile tra nsactions; Zong, which allows users with mobile phones to purchase digital goods and have the transactions charged to their phone bill; and BillSAFE that enables customers pay for purchases upon receipt of an invoice. Its GSI segment offers an ecommerce services suite for enterprise clients that operate in general merchandise categories, including apparel, sporting goods, toys and baby, health and beauty, and home; and marketing services comprising full-service digital agency, enterprise email marketing, mobile advertising, affiliate marketing, advertisement retargeting, and in-depth analytics services. The company also offers X.commerce platform that provides software developers access to the company?s applications programming interfaces to develop functionality for various merchants; and Magento Connect, which allows developers to market and sell add-on functionality and solutions to merchants that use a Magento storefront. eBay Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquarter ed in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Buck Hartzell]

  eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) various businesses are growing quite nicely at the moment, but I'm surprisingly disappointed with the company nonetheless. Recently, it has become very obvious that investor capital is flowing into the pockets of insiders. C'mon eBay, it's not 1999 anymore.

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  With the world of mobile payments in its infancy, the true power of iTunes and its huge database of user information remains essentially untapped. With Google�Wallet having yet to gain any major traction, eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) PayPal is battling Square for the top spot in a market that is estimated to reach $1 trillion by 2016.

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  Several�very well-known apps are not on either top five list, but�each must get millions of downloads a month. Twitter, weather apps, Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P), eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), Gmail, Pinterest, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Skype and Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) already rule across the PC, tablet and smartphone “ecosystems.” None of these is likely to lose popularity, and some probably will gain more.

• [By Jessica Alling]

  But banks aren't the only ones threatened by the development (and wild success) of digital currencies. eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) PayPal is the current leader of digital wallets, with 137 million active accounts in markets spread across 26 currencies. But the payment processor has been losing ground to newer, easier systems that have popped up across the Internet -- including Braintree, which eBay just acquired.

Stock futures point to more merry investors

Investors on Wall Street were pushing major market indexes higher in pre-market trading.

Ahead of the resumption of regular trading after a day off for Christmas, the Dow Jones industrial average index futures were up only 4 points, or less than 0.1%, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up 0.4% and the Nasdaq composite index futures were up 0.1%.

On Tuesday, the Dow and S&P 500 index logged gains of 0.4% and 0.3%, respectively in a shortened trading session before Christmas Eve. The Nasdaq composite finished 0.1% higher.

TUESDAY: Stocks, Treasury yield climb on Christmas Eve

Investors have had plenty to be merry about this Christmas season. The S&P 500 index, which rose 0.3% on Chirstmas Eve to a record 1833.32, is on pace to have its best year in 16 years, while the Dow is having its best year since 2003 and the Nasdaq composite is set to have its sixth-best year since its inception.

MORE: Stocks on track for best year since 1997

STOCK OUTLOOK: Will 2014 be another slam dunk for stocks?

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 164.45 points, or 1.0%, to finish at 16,174.44 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 257.99 points, or 1.1%, to close at 23,179.55. The Shanghai Composite dropped 33.25 points, or 1.6%, to close at 2,073.10.

Major European benchmarks remained closed for the Christmas holiday.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Mixed as iRobot Surges

Toward the end of trading Tuesday, the Dow traded up 0.06 percent to 15,894.40 while the NASDAQ rose 0.01 percent to 4,029.33. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.17 percent to 1,783.07.

Top Headline
FactSet Research Systems (NYSE: FDS) reported a 4.8% rise in its fiscal first-quarter profit and issued a weak earnings guidance for the current quarter.

FactSet Research expects current-quarter earnings of $1.20 to $1.23 per share, versus analysts' estimates of $1.25 per share. It expects revenue of $225 million to $228 million, versus analysts' estimates of $227 million.

FactSet Research's quarterly profit surged to $52.2 million, or $1.19 per share, from $49.8 million, or $1.11 per share, in the year-ago period. Excluding one-time items, its adjusted earnings came in at $1.22 per share. Its revenue climbed 5.6% to $223 million. The company had earlier expected earnings of $1.21 to $1.24 per share on revenue of $222 million to $225 million.

Equities Trading UP
KKR Financial Holdings LLC (NYSE: KFN) shot up 28.47 percent to $12.14 after the company agreed to be acquired by KKR & Co (NYSE: KKR) for $2.6 billion.

Shares of Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FTR) got a boost, shooting up 9.09 percent to $4.80 after AT&T (NYSE: T) announced its plans to sell its Wireline Residential and Business Services and associated assets in Connecticut to Frontier for $2 billion in cash.

iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ: IRBT) was also up, gaining 17.06 percent to $36.64 after the company got upgraded by Raymond James to a Strong Buy and a $39 price target.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of FactSet Research Systems (NYSE: FDS) were down 5.92 percent to $110.18 after the company issued a weak earnings guidance for the current quarter.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI) shares tumbled 9.77 percent to $8.18 after the company announced an offering of $100 million of convertible notes.

Rockwell Medical (NASDAQ: RMTI) was also down, falling 19.90 percent to $10.80 after Brean Capital initiated the company at a Sell rating and a $4 price target.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 0.31 percent to $97.18, while gold traded down 1.12 percent to $1,230.50.

Silver traded down 1.07 percent Tuesday to $19.89, while copper fell 0.18 percent to $3.32.

Eurozone
European shares were lower today. The Spanish Ibex Index dropped 0.91 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index declined 1.63 percent. Meanwhile, the German DAX fell 0.86 percent and the French CAC 40 dipped 1.24 percent while U.K. shares tumbled 0.55 percent.

Economics
U.S. consumer prices came in flat in November, while the core CPI rose 0.2%. However, economists were projecting both the main CPI and core CPI to gain by 0.1%.

The U.S. current account deficit shrank to $94.8 billion in the third quarter, versus a downwardly revised $96.6 billion in the second quarter.

The ICSC-Goldman Sachs store sales index rose 4.8% in the week ended Saturday versus the earlier week.

The Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index dropped 1.4% in the first two weeks of December versus November.

The NAHB housing market index rose to 58.00 in December, versus a prior reading of 54.00. However, economists were expecting a reading of 55.00.

The Federal Open Market Committee begins its 2-day meeting today.

The Treasury is set to auction 2-year notes.

Posted-In: Earnings News Guidance Eurozone Commodities Forex Econ #s Economics Hot Intraday Update Markets Movers Tech

(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Is good news no longer bad news for markets?

NEW YORK — For the longest time, good incoming news was viewed as bad news by Wall Street. The reason: Stock investors figured signs of a healing economy would move the Federal Reserve ever closer to dialing back its market-friendly stimulus program.

But that might be finally changing. Need proof? On Friday, the economy created a better-than-expected 203,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate fell to a five-year low of 7%, a threshold the Fed once said would mark the end of its bond-buying program.

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

But the stock market went up — not down as it did in the spring and summer when the Fed first hinted at "tapering" its asset purchases. The S&P 500 followed with a

record closing high of 1808.37

Monday.

Some on Wall Street theorize that the jobs report, despite the impressive headline numbers, was neither too strong nor too weak. In essence, it's not a major game-changer as it relates to the timing of the Fed's move toward less-easy monetary policy.

But there was a contingent of Wall Street pros who viewed the market reaction as a sign that good economic news may now be viewed as good news for stocks.

"Good economic news is no longer necessarily bad short-term news for financial markets," says Jerry Webman, chief economist for Oppenheimer Funds. "Instead, a consensus seems to be building that a Fed taper decision will be, on balance, positive — as long as the economy is improving unambiguously."

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) News: Waiting on the Bulls to Come Out

Chip stock Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (NYSE: AMD) took another dive after earnings, but the stock has a history of bouncing back after what the bears interpreted as a poor earnings report. I should mention that we had an open position in Advanced Micro Devices in our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio from last summer up until late January when we locked in a small loss. And while we still believe in AMD's long term potential, we have also also watched the stock do the same same thing after its latest earnings report that it had done after the previous three: Basically it tanked (or to put it nicely, presented a new buying opportunity for the bulls). With that in mind, Advanced Micro Devices has a pretty good chance of rising again if you consider some of the following news:

The AMD Mantle is Starting to Make Waves. AMD has released the latest beta driver of its Catalyst software, making its Mantle API a reality for those with supported graphics cards. Already, the reviews or news is starting to trickle in for techies from AnandTech (a very detailed article), Engadget, ExtremeTech and PCWorld - meaning investors better start paying attention.

Upcoming Presentation at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference 2014. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Devinder Kumar will be presenting at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference 2014 at 9:00 am PST on Wednesday, February 12. For investors, a real-time audio webcast of the presentation will be accessible accessed on the Investor Relations homepage at http://ir.amd.com. PR Awards. AMD has issued a press release noting that it was recognized for a total of 24 top public relations, marketing and social media awards last year - marking the company's most successful and acclaimed year for communications to date. Having a good PR team would give a publicly traded tech stock a leg up on the competition and ultimately benefit investors. More Ambulance Chasers (I Mean Lawyers) Start to Drive Up. There have been a couple of announcements in recent months from so-called shareholder rights law firms "investigating" Advanced Micro Devices on behalf of investors and themselves, but the gates have opened wider over the past week with the following announcements: Harwood Feffer LLP Announces Investigation of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Announces Class Action Involving ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. and Its Board of Directors and a Deadline of March 16, 2014 to Seek a Lead Plaintiff Position – AMD; Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Stockholders Encouraged to Contact Securities Law Firm about Investigation; and SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Brower Piven Encourages Investors Who Have Losses in Excess of $100,000 from Investment in Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. to Contact Brower Piven Before the March 17, 2014 Lead Plaintiff Deadline. However, what these lawyers hope to accomplish on behalf of current shareholders would be a mystery and the stock has also been pretty resilient for investors since the end of the financial crisis. Share Performance. Advanced Micro Devices is down around 12.4% since the start of the year due to the latest dive after earnings but its still up around 34.5% over the past year and up around 54.8% over the past five years since the end of the financial crisis.

Finally, here is a look at the latest technical chart for the stock complete with some rather flat trend lines:

Given all of the above news and the history of AMD's performance after its recent earnings reports, it may be time for the bears to start hibernating once again to allow the bulls to come out.

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