BNP Paribas warns of higher U.S. sanctions cost

One of France's largest banks warned Wednesday that the cost of penalties over its handling of transactions for countries sanctioned by the United States could soar beyond $1.1 billion.

The BNP Paribas announcement came amid several media reports that the Paris-based bank may face criminal charges and heavy fines from U.S. authorities and regulators for doing business with Iran, Sudan, Cuba and other nations hit with financial sanctions.

In its first-quarter financial results, the bank said "a high degree of uncertainty exists as to the nature and amount of penalties that the U.S. authorities could impose." But the bank cautioned the total "could be far in excess" of the $1.1 billion reserve it previously disclosed in February.

A Department of the Treasury division called the Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces economic and trade sanctions against foreign countries, regimes and individuals formally declared to be a threat to U.S.security. BNP Paribas and other international financial institutions are required to abide by the sanctions or face penalties that could affect their lucrative U.S. banking operations.

A BNP Paribas internal review "identified a significant volume of transactions" that "could be considered impermissible under U.S. laws and regulations, including, in particular, those of the Office of Foreign Assets Control," the bank said in its year-end consolidated financial statements.

The statement said the bank had "commenced subsequent discussions" with the Department of Justice, the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City and other U.S. regulators, law enforcement agencies and governmental authorities. BNP Paribas' U.S. operations include a large investment bank office in Manhattan.

The bank and U.S. authorities on Wednesday declined to discuss specifics of the talks.

However, The New York Times reported that federal prosecutors may soon press criminal charges against BNP Paribas and other banks. The prosecutors are coordinating! with the New York Federal Reserve Bank and the New York Department of Financial Services in an effort to avoid putting the banks out of business and causing severe economic harm, the report said.

Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that BNP Paribas faces roughly $2 billion in fines plus criminal charges for violating U.S. sanctions.

U.S. authorities have also been discussing possible charges and penalties against approximately a dozen Swiss banks, including Credit Suisse, over evidence they helped wealthy Americans evade taxes on assets and income hidden in off-shore accounts.

Credit Suisse executives acknowledged the alleged scheme and voiced regret during a February hearing by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. A report by the panel showed that Credit Suisse bankers from 2001 to 2008 helped as many as 22,000 Americans who collectively controlled an estimated $12 billion in assets duck paying the IRS.

The Department of Justice announced that Josef Dörig, 72, the owner of a Swiss trust firm, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges on Wednesday. A Virginia federal court filing listed Credit Suisse as Dörig's present or former employer. A statement of facts filed in the case said he conspired to help clients evade U.S. taxes from 1996 to July 2011.

Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the plea "further pulls back the curtain on efforts by Swiss banks to help U.S. taxpayers evade taxes through the use of sham trusts and foundations."

GE Delivers Some Much-Needed Normalcy

General Electric (NYSE:GE) hasn't been looking all that "GE-like" in recent quarters, and investors have reacted badly to soft margins and disappointments in the Industrial business, as well as uncertainty with regard to the future of GE Capital. I wouldn't go so far as to say that one clean quarter proves that things are back to normal, but a generally surprise-free second quarter at least allows investors a chance to appreciate GE for the virtues it does have. GE shares aren't a major bargain today, and the expectations for Industrial are still pretty high, but I think owning GE is still likely a money-making proposition from these levels.

A Calming Quarter From GE
Volatile margins and big quarter-to-quarter swings in the Industrial line items have made holding GE shares through earnings reports a little more interesting than the typical GE investor probably likes. With that, I think there will be more than a few sighs of relief for this second quarter report.

Overall corporate revenue fell about 4% for the quarter, a bit below estimates (about 1%) but not enough to really cause concern. Industrial revenue was down about 1% and basically in line with expectations, while revenue from GE Capital was down more than 4% with widespread weakness across the segments (with leasing down almost 6%, aviation down almost 3%, and consumer down more than 2%).

Margins were pretty good, though, and that may be the big positive take-away for the quarter. Overall corporate operating earnings were down 12%, with segment earnings growth of 2% for industrial and 9% contraction for GE Capital. Industrial margins were better than expected, up about a half point and higher than the flat-to-down expectations, and aviation and transportation margins were significantly improved.

GE Isn't Alone
It's probably lucky for GE shareholders that the company reported good (or at least better than expected) results from the industrial business, as many of the company's peers are coming in with solid reports. Dover (NYSE:DOV) had very good organic growth this quarter, and the two companies saw broadly similar success in their energy businesses. That should bode well for other companies like Pentair (NYSE:PNR) with exposure to this end market.

Aviation was also strong (revenue up 9%, margins up about a point) and better than the results from Honeywell (NYSE:HON), though that's not an entirely fair peer-to-peer comparison. Nevertheless, Honeywell also had a pretty good all-around quarter and I would expect United Technology (NYSE:UTX) to be in relatively solid shape with its quarter.

SEE: How To Use Options To Make Earnings Predictions

GE is also unlikely to be unusual with its weak (down 0.2%) results in healthcare. There haven't been too many hospital/healthcare capex vendors to report yet, but Stryker (NYSE:SYK) suggested that the market for big-ticket items is still tough, and that seems to gel with GE's experience.

What's Next For GE Capital?
I believe investors are still waiting to hear more clarity from management on the future plans for GE Capital. In particular, attention is centering on the plans for the company's private label credit card business – a surprisingly large business relative to the likes of Capital One (NYSE:COF) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC). With a stated preference to focus more on middle-market activities and leasing, a sale of this business could bring in a considerable sum, but it will be interesting to see who comes up with the cash to buy it.

The Bottom Line
I continue to value GE on a two-part basis, treating the industrial and capital operations as separate entities. I value Industrial on the basis of expectations for 5% revenue and 10% free cash flow growth, which are perhaps bullish estimates but not outrageously so. On that basis, GE Industrial appears to be worth about $19 per share. I value GE Capital on the basis of a 10% long-term return on equity and a slightly elevated discount rate, which results in a value of $7.25.

Combined, I believe fair value on GE shares is just under $26.50. That doesn't make GE a striking bargain today, but there actually aren't many bargain-priced industrial stocks out there anymore and I believe the combination of GE's attractive end-markets exposure, capital flexibility, and potential outperformance from GE Capital make it no worse than a worthwhile hold at today's price.

Does Dendreon Still Have Potential?

With shares of Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ:DNDN) trading at around $3.91, is DNDN an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock's Movement

Dendreon recently missed big on earnings. Analysts expected -$0.48 on $79.6 million in revenue. Q1 came in at -$0.48 on $67.6 million in revenue.

Dendreon management has stated that it expects the full benefits of its restructuring plan to be realized in the third quarter. At this time, there should be a significant decline in expenses. If this turns out to be accurate, it will help, but what about growth? Revenue has been awful. This has a lot to do with increased competition. Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE:JNJ) ZYTIGA has been approved by the FDA, and Medivation's (NASDAQ:MDVN) Xtandi has been approved by regulators. Furthermore, there are many doctors that question the effectiveness of Provenge when compared to chemotherapy.

NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW!

Sticking with the negative theme (for now), it looks as though management hasn't improved much. According to Glassdoor.com, employees have rated their employer a 2.6 of 5, which is subpar. Only 16 percent of employees would recommend the company to a friend. This isn't only dismal, it's the worst that has ever been seen while researching for this column. In addition to those poor numbers, only 40 percent of employees approve of CEO John H. Johnson. The employee consensus is that the company looked to grow too fast, and that there is no direction or leadership. Not exactly a team a wise investor would want to be backing. The following is a comment from an employee: "In the past three years several products have been implemented and decommissioned. There is no thinking through what is really needed." That pretty much sums it up.

Finding good news for Dendreon is like trying to find something of value with a metal detector on the beach. It's difficult to find, but it's there. Gross margins have increased to 35.83 percent from 26.85 percent, operating costs are down to $82.85 million from $112.53 million, and management states that the company is slowly recovering from a poor first quarter. Management expects Q2 revenue in the mid-$70 million area.

Let's take a look at some more important numbers prior to forming an opinion on this stock.

T = Technicals Are Weak

Dendreon has lost almost 92 percent of its value over the past three years. Imagine your favorite football team losing every game for three consecutive seasons. Yeah, it’s that bad of a performance.

	1 Month	Year-To-Date	1 Year	3 Year
DNDN	-16.41%	-26.84%	-57.28%	-91.48%
JNJ	4.13%	23.89%	38.75%	48.29%
MDVN	-1.40%	3.59%	27.71%	873.3%

At $3.91, Dendreon is trading below its averages.

NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW!

50-Day SMA	4.55
200-Day SMA	5.14

E = Earnings Are Weak

That’s a lot of red ink. Enough said.

Fiscal Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Revenue ($) in billions	0.000	0.000	0.048	0.342	0.326
Diluted EPS ($)	-0.79	-2.04	-3.18	-2.31	-2.65

When we look at the last quarter on a year-over-year basis, we see a decline in revenue, but a narrowed loss.

Quarter	Mar. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012
Revenue ($) in billions	0.082	0.080	0.078	0.085	0.067
Diluted EPS ($)	-0.70	-0.65	-1.04	-0.2584	-0.48

NEW! Discover a new stock idea each week for less than the cost of 1 trade. CLICK HERE for your Weekly Stock Cheat Sheets NOW!

Conclusion

Dendreon is suffering from lower product sales, which is due to increased competition. Costs are too high, and the company culture is awful. On the other hand, Dendreon narrowed its loss in Q1 on a year-over-year basis, and it expects conditions to improve. While that's an expected statement from any company that's performing poorly, and while Dendreon currently relies heavily on Provenge, Dendreon isn't a one-trick pony. It still has several other drugs in the pipeline. It should also be noted that Dendreon has been on the brink of disaster many times throughout its history. It has clawed its way back to life in every instance. Perhaps it has nine lives. If that's the case, it has used up four of them so far.

Why Sohu Shares Sank

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Chinese web-portal Sohu.com (NASDAQ: SOHU  ) plunged 10% today after its quarterly results and outlook disappointed Wall Street.

So what: The stock has soared in 2013 on bullishness over Sohu's online video segment, but today's second-quarter revenue miss -- $338.90 million versus $340.27 million -- coupled with in-line guidance is forcing analysts to rein in their enthusiasm a bit. And while online ad revenue spiked 49% over the year-ago period, year-over-year operating expenses also jumped 43%, suggesting that Sohu's competitive environment remains particularly intense.

Now what: Management now sees third-quarter revenue of $358 million-$370 million, in line with the average analyst estimate of $362 million. "In the first half of 2013, we invested intensively in some key initiatives for video, search, games and mobile," said Co-President and CFO Carol Yu. "I am confident the momentum will continue into the remaining months in 2013 and beyond." Of course, with the stock still up about 90% from its 52-week lows and trading at a forward P/E of 20, I'd wait for an even more a pullback before betting on that.

It's incredible to think just how much of our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped and molded by just a handful of companies. Find out "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks?" in The Motley Fool's latest free report, which details the knock-down, drag-out battle being waged by the five kings of tech. Click here to keep reading.

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (SRPT): $54 Approved By JMP Securities

It's not every day that a stock is up 40% but still might have another 50%+ to go. However, that is the case with Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT).

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc., formerly AVI BioPharma, Inc., biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based therapeutics for the treatment of rare and infectious diseases. Its product candidates include Eteplirsen, AVI-6002, AVI-6003, and AVI-7100.

From what we can gather online:

AVI-6002 is for the Ebola virus AVI-6003 is for Marburg hemorrhagic fever (MHF) AVI-7100 is for H1N1 (swine flu).

[Related -Stock End 1 Pct Higher On Earnings, Gold; Coca-Cola (KO) Jumps]

Al the hubaloo today is due to Eteplirsen. Earlier today, the company announced it plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of 2014 for the approval of eteplirsen for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Eteplirsen is Sarepta's lead exon-skipping drug candidate in development for the treatment of patients with DMD who have a genotype amenable to skipping of exon 51.

Chris Garabedian, president and chief executive officer says, "As we announce our plan to submit an eteplirsen NDA by the end of 2014, we are very pleased with the detailed guidance that the FDA has provided us on a potential eteplirsen approval pathway and their support of a historically controlled eteplirsen confirmatory study. We also appreciate that the FDA shares our urgency in dosing a broader base of eteplirsen patients and has encouraged us to begin the clinical program with our follow-on exon-skipping drugs as soon as possible."

[Related -Stock Upgrades And Downgrades: CHRW, DWA, ODFL, PXD, S, SRPT, TMO]

As such, management plans to initiate several additional clinical studies with eteplirsen later this year in exon-51 amenable genotypes.

A pair of research firms upped their opinions on SRPT on the FDA news. William Blair and JMP Securities moved to an "outperform" rating from "market perform." JPM put a price tag of $54 – upside potential of 58.82% to target.

According to the CDC, "Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder that causes muscles to gradually weaken over time. A person with DMD will eventually lose the ability to walk and will have problems with breathing and his or her heart. It most often affects boys and occurs among all races and cultures. Sometimes this disorder affects other members of a person's family, but in many cases it is new to a family."

The Muscular Dystrophy Associations (MDA) says, "DMD is the most frequently occurring and one of the most rapidly progressive of the childhood neuromuscular disorders. It affects approximately 1 in 3500 live male births throughout the world. DMD affects only boys (with extremely rare exceptions)."

The CDC reports roughly 4 million babies are born in the US per year. Slightly more than half are boys, meaning a little more than 2 million "It's a Boys" annually. Using the MDA's 1 in 3,500 figure, we arrive at about 570 babies born a year with the condition.

At the moment, SRPT has a market cap of $1.28 billion on trailing twelve month (TTM) revenue of $14.22 million – 64.82 times sales is a steep price to pay.

The average biotech trades at 16 times sales. Now, if Sarepta Therapeutics captured 100% of the potential market for the next decade, they would have to charge $14,000 per year to generate enough revenue to meet the current market cap using the average price-to-sales ratio. That doesn't include any revenue sources beyond eteplirsen. At JPM's $54, the cost would have to be $22,314 per year to trade at the peer average P/S ratio.

Overall: In our opinion, Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) is more likely to get to $54 compliments of a short squeeze as 40% of the float (stock available for trading) is sold, than from eteplirsen driven fundamentals. 

IPO Roundup: 3 companies fall in their debut

NEW YORK (AP) — A trio of newly public companies had a rough first day on the stock market Friday, joining the broader market sell-off. Shares of all three companies that had their initial public offering Friday fell.

Of the three, app maker Viggle dropped the most at 28%. The other two companies, which include a blood test developer and a stent maker, were down as much as 9%.

Here's a look at how the companies fared:

LOMBARD MEDICAL

The maker of blood vessel stents raised $55 million after pricing 5 million shares at $11 per share. At the end of March, the Irvine, Calif., company expected to raise between $54.5 million and $65.5 million by offering 3.6 million shares priced between $15 per share and $18 per share. The company plans to use the case raised to hire more people in the U.S. and for stent development. Shares of Lombard are trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol "EVAR." They fell $1, or 9.1%, to close at $10.

QUOTIENT

The blood test developer raised $40 million after pricing 5 million units at $8 per unit, which includes a warrant to buy 0.8 of each share within 30 days for $8.80 per share. The units are trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol "QTNTU." The units will be delisted 30 days after the IPO and shares will begin trading under the symbol "QTNT." Earlier this month, the company expected to price shares between $14 and $16, but lowered the price twice. The Edinburgh, Scotland-based company plans to use the money raised to convert a facility in Switzerland it recently rented to manufacture its products. Quotient's units fell 55 cents, or 6.9%, to close at $7.45.

VIGGLE

The New York company makes an app for mobile phones and tablets that rewards users for watching TV shows or listening to music. Users get points that they can collect and redeem for store discounts, gadgets or T-shirts. It makes money through advertising. The company raised $35 million after pricing nearly 4.4 million shares at $8 per share. In March, the! company expected to raise $50 million by offering 2.1 million shares at $23.50 per share. Viggle plans to hire more people and pay down debt with the money it raised. Shares of Viggle are trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol "VGGL." They fell $2.25, or 28.1%, to close at $5.75.

Aussie Inflation Eases

Well, maybe it was too good to last. After the raft of better-than-expected economic data over the past couple of months, the Australian economy finally posted a key figure that fell short of the consensus forecast.

The country's Consumer Price Index (CPI), one of the main measures of inflation, rose 0.6 percent sequentially during the first quarter, following a rise of 0.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The latest result was two-tenths of a percentage point below economists' expectations. On a year-over-year basis, the CPI increased by 2.9 percent, which was three-tenths of a percentage point below the consensus forecast.

The most significant price rises this quarter were for tobacco, up 6.7 percent, automotive fuel, which rose 4.1 percent, medical and hospital services, which climbed 1.9 percent, and pharmaceutical products, which increased by 6.1 percent.

Tobacco and medical expenses rose due to changes in government policy, including an increase in a federal excise tax for the former and a reduction in subsidies for the latter.

At the same time, furniture prices fell 4.3 percent, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles dropped 3.3 percent, and international holiday travel and accommodation decreased by 2.4 percent.

While consumers typically dread the prospect of inflation, when an economy is emerging from a period of weakness a rise in prices can actually signal a further rebound. And central banks have the ability to choke off inflation before it gets out of control, except during periods of stagflation, when weak growth is accompanied by rising prices.

By contrast, disinflation, or even outright deflation, can quickly spiral out of control. When that happens, even an extraordinarily accommodative monetary policy can do little to offset fearful human psychology, such as what occurred during the Global Financial Crisis.

In fact, inflation targeting is the p! rimary mandate of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). The goal of the central bank's monetary policy is to achieve an inflation rate of 2 percent to 3 percent, on average, over the course of a cycle.

The RBA defines the inflation target as a medium-term average, rather than as a rate (or band of rates) that must be held at all times. This allows for flexibility in policymaking as the bank waits for the effect of a change in interest rates to flow through to the economy, which for some sectors can take as long as two years.

The central bank has been on a rate-cutting cycle since late 2011, with the last decrease in the benchmark cash rate this past August bringing short-term rates to an all-time low of 2.5 percent. Prior to the latest data on the CPI, traders had been betting the RBA would be forced to hike rates later this year, particularly after the surprise jump in the CPI for the fourth quarter.

But with the slackening in inflation more recently, most central bank watchers now believe interest rates will be stable for the duration of 2014. Indeed, financial markets are pricing in a 56 percent chance of a rate hike over the next year, down from 92 percent prior to the CPI release, according to data aggregated by Credit Suisse.

That's good news at this stage of the cycle because policymakers are keen for non-resource sectors to lead the economy now that mining investment is on the wane.

And a rate hike at this juncture would not only threaten the strength of rate-sensitive sectors such as real estate, it would also boost the exchange rate and undercut exports.

In response, the Australian dollar, which had been in rally mode in the three months since hitting a three-year low of USD0.868 in late January, continued its long-awaited correction. The aussie currently trades near USD0.929, down about 1.4 percent from its year-to-date high.

Equity investors also appreciated the fact that the RBA now has additional breathing room to hold rates steady. The S&P/! ASX 200 h! it a post-Global Financial Crisis high of 5517.8, with a total return of 118.9 percent since its bottom in March 2009.

Intuitive Surgical is a Buy…Near $350

Providing disappointing numbers before the fact can be a good strategy as long as a company does a good job of setting the right expectations. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) clearly didn’t.

Remember, earlier this month Intuitive Surgical warned investors that sales wouldn’t be very good. So why are shares falling today? The details of its earnings report were even worse than many imagined. Cantor Fitzgerald’s Jeremy Feffer explains:

As we suspected when Intuitive preannounced 7% 1Q procedure growth, the company’s previous 9-12% 2014 procedure growth guidance would have to come down, but the new 2-8% range is significantly lower than what we expected. Management again cited the usual suspects—hospitals moving away from benign hysterectomies, continued declines in U.S. prostatectomies, and choppiness in Japan due to lack of broader reimbursement. However, the company also mentioned near-term headwinds related to the FDA’s recent statement of caution regarding power morcellation in gynecological procedures; initially that statement was thought to benefit da Vinci, which does not employ morecellators. But with hospitals approaching these benign procedures more conservatively, we expect further downward pressure on volumes this year and are now modeling 4% procedure growth for 2014.

Canaccord Genuity’s Jason Mills and Jeffrey Chu recommend investors stay far, far away from Intuitive Surgical:

We would recommend investors remain on the sidelines as the variability in future quarterly results could be volatile, and we suspect consensus estimates may not fully account for the myriad challenges facing the company in the near term, portending further downside revisions to consensus expectations potentiality through the next few quarters until the business anniversaries these tepid results. Based on our future expectations, and guided by our DCF analysis, we would refrain from getting constructive in ISRG unless investors see a pullback in the mid-$300 range near term.

Shares of Intuitive Surgical have dropped 11% to $378 at 1:18 pm.

3 Big Stocks on Traders' Radars

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.

>>Side-Step the Selling With These 5 Big Trades

From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.

Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.

>>5 Hated Earnings Stocks You Should Love

These "most active" names are the most heavily-traded names on the market -- and often, uber-active names have some sort of a technical or fundamental catalyst driving investors' attention on shares. And when there's a big catalyst, there's often a trading opportunity.

Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

Comcast

Nearest Resistance: $53.50

Nearest Support: $50

Catalyst: Q1 Earnings Beat

Comcast (CMCSA) is up more than 3% on big volume this afternoon, following first-quarter earnings numbers that beat estimates. Wall Street was looking for profits of 64 cents per share in the first quarter, but Comcast actually earned 68 cents on revenue that was $400 million higher than forecast. The earnings beat is solid, but it's the market's reaction to that news that investors should be paying attention to this week.

CMCSA has been locked in a downtrend since the start of February, corralled by a pair of well-defined trend lines. But shares broke out of that channel in today's session, an indication that a major change in trend is kicking off here. If you decide to buy Comcast today, I'd recommend keeping a protective stop at the 50-day moving average.

Barrick Gold

Nearest Resistance: $17.50

Nearest Support: $15.50

Catalyst: Merger Talk Issues

Barrick Gold (ABX) is treading water today after a sharp move lower in yesterday's session. Rumors of troubled merger talks between Barrick and Newmont Mining (NEM) are to blame for the drop, following reports that the miners were going to make a deal public this week.

From a technical standpoint, you don't want to own Barrick Gold here. Shares triggered a head and shoulders top pattern in yesterday's selloff, and there's a lot of downside risk at this point: $15.50 is a likely downside target. While the potential for a mended merger discussion does inject event risk into the equation (that is, it could invalidate the selling pressure in one fell swoop), that's a roll of the dice rather than a high-probability trade. Caveat emptor.

Netflix

Nearest Resistance: $420

Nearest Support: $350

Catalyst: Q1 Earnings

Netflix (NFLX) is up 6% on big volume this afternoon, drawing significant attention following its first quarter earnings results. Netflix grew domestic and international subscribers to 35.7 million and 12.7 million respectively, driving earnings to 86 cents per share, which came in well above analysts' expected 78-cent profit. Even if you missed today's big 6% move, however, now looks like a high-probability buying opportunity in NFLX.

Technically, NFLX was looking "bottomy" in the first part of April, so the big influx of buyers today had little trouble breaking shares out above $350. That's a buy signal as shares come up on their next resistance level up at $420. $420 is less a major price barrier than a stumbling block. Once cleared, it should give NFLX a second chance to retest highs from February.

To see these stocks in action, check out the at Most-Active Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.



-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Ready to Explode

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy This Week

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

Lockheed Martin Corporation Posts Lower Q1 Revenues; Beats Earnings Estimates (LMT)

Before the opening bell on Tuesday, Lockheed Martin (LMT) reported its first quarter earnings, with net sales decreasing and earnings increasing over last year’s Q1.

LMT’s Earnings in Brief

Lockheed Martin reported first quarter revenues of $10.65 billion, down from last year’s Q1 revenues of $11.07 billion. Net earnings for the quarter came in at $933 million, a significant increase over last year’s Q1 figure of $761 million. The company's diluted EPS came in at $2.87 for the quarter, compared to last year’s figure of $2.33. LMT shattered analysts’ EPS estimates of $2.53, but came in below revenue estimates of $10.9 billion.

CEO Commentary

LMT’s chairman, president and CEO, Marillyn Hewson, had the following to say: ”The strong earnings and operating cash delivered in the first quarter are a result of our continued focus on program performance, affordability and meeting commitments to our customers. Our diverse portfolio of products and services, investment in future innovations and dedicated workforce give me confidence that we’ll continue to deliver outstanding results for our customers and return value for our shareholders.”

LMT’s Dividend

Lockheed Martin most recently paid a quarterly dividend of $1.33 on March 28. We expect the company to declare a dividend of $1.33 in the next week.

Stock Performance

LMT stock was inactive in pre-market trading. YTD, the company’s stock is up 10.56%.

LMT Dividend Snapshot

As of Market Close on April 21, 2014

Click here to see the complete history of LMT dividends.

Why Alcoa Earnings Won't Help the Dow

Next Monday, Alcoa (NYSE: AA  ) will release its second-quarter earnings report, marking the official beginning of earnings season. Yet with the stock market having been on pins and needles lately, investors hoping that Alcoa's earnings will help stocks rally are setting themselves up for a big disappointment.

For a stock with a market cap of just $8 billion, Alcoa arguably gets far more attention than it deserves. Yet the company has clung to its membership within the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) even as the prospects for the global aluminum market have kept the stock near multiyear lows. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Alcoa over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report on Monday.

Stats on Alcoa

Analyst EPS Estimate	$0.06
Change From Year-Ago EPS	0%
Revenue Estimate	$5.86 billion
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	(1.7%)
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	3

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

When will Alcoa earnings hit bottom?
Analysts have grown more pessimistic about Alcoa's earnings prospects over the past several months, having slashed their estimates for the June quarter by more than half and reduced their full-year consensus figures for 2013 and 2014 by about 30% each. The stock has also been stuck in the doldrums: It has lost about 7% since early April and is one of just two Dow stocks to have posted an overall loss so far in 2013.

One of Alcoa's biggest challenges lately has been the slowdown in emerging-market economies, especially China. Without the growth driver that emerging-market infrastructure and construction development provided in past years, worldwide aluminum demand has fallen, sending prices sharply lower and hurting Alcoa's potential profit. The price plunge has also created collateral damage throughout the industry. Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO  ) posted a big full-year loss due largely to its $14 billion writedown of aluminum and coal assets, and so long as commodity prices remain weak, those writedowns aren't likely to reverse themselves.

The Chinese slowdown in particular has created large gluts of aluminum on the world market. Chinalco (NYSE: ACH  ) and other Chinese aluminum-producing competitors have merely added to the supply-and-demand imbalance, making it hard to picture a turnaround for Alcoa's earnings anytime soon. Just last week, the company said it would close a smelter in Italy after having reduced its use of the facility over the past three years.

But Alcoa has been working hard to respond to longer-term competitive threats. Even as Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) and Airbus have moved away from aluminum to incorporate a greater amount of lightweight composites in their aircraft designs, Alcoa has expanded its Kitts Green facility in the U.K. to produce greater amounts of aluminum-lithium alloys. Boeing has said it would consider such alloys for aircraft, but one Boeing senior executive expressed a seeming wait-and-see attitude, citing concerns about the alloy's high cost and multiple sources of commodity materials.

Alcoa Total Return Price data by YCharts.

Alcoa has also worked to reduce its overall costs. Earlier this week, the company started modernizing a plant in upstate New York, taking advantage of a state offer of funding and inexpensive electricity in exchange for creating jobs in an area that has faced economic challenges recently. Such partnerships will be essential as Alcoa fights Chinese rivals that get similar assistance from public sources.

In Monday's Alcoa earnings report, watch closely to see how the company responds to its recent bond-rating reduction to junk status. If financing costs for the company's extensive debt start to rise, it could mark yet another hurdle for Alcoa to overcome before it can finally turn itself around.

China has been a thorn in the side for manufacturing companies of all types, but a huge shift could be coming soon. Watch The Motley Fool's shocking video presentation today to discover the garage gadget that's putting an end to the "Made in China" era -- and learn the investing strategy we've used to double our money on these three stocks. Click here to watch now!

Click here to add Alcoa to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

Zynga's 10% Pop: A Triumph of Hope Over Reason

U.S. stocks started the second half of the year off on a positive note, as the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) and the narrower, price-weighted Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) gained 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively.

Investors may have been buoyed by two positive data points this morning. The Institute for Supply Management reported that the manufacturing sector expanded last month, following a month of contraction. In addition, the Commerce Department said that construction spending was close to a four-year high in May.

Those data should provide some succor to investors who fear that the Fed's plan to begin reducing its monthly bond purchases ("quantitative easing") later this year is premature. Of course, a much more visible gauge of the economy's strength is scheduled for later this week: Friday's June employment report.

Consistent with the day's stock price gains, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) (VOLATILITYINDICES: ^VIX  ) , Wall Street's "fear index," fell 2.9% -- the fifth consecutive day during which it has fallen or remained unchanged. (The VIX is calculated from S&P 500 option prices and reflects investor expectations for stock market volatility over the coming 30 days.)

Zynga harvests a new CEO
Out with the old, in with the new! Social game developer Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA  ) is demoting its CEO, the colorful Marc Pincus, who becomes chief product officer (as an aside, there are simply too many "chiefs" at U.S. companies!). Pincus will remain chairman of the board. As a replacement, Zynga is bringing on Don Mattrick, who was president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, where he was responsible for the Xbox franchise.

This leadership reshuffle is reminiscent of Andrew Mason's departure from the top of another product of the social networking bubble, Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN  ) , although the latter lacked the foresight to simultaneously bring in a high-quality replacement. As the following chart, both companies have inflicted similar carnage on their investors, starting on Zynga's first day of trading, Dec. 16, 2011:

ZNGA data by YCharts.

I don't doubt that Mattrick is a talented and experienced executive -- in many ways, he's an ideal hire for the role. However, I question whether he can reverse the tide for Zynga, faced, as he is, with a business that looks largely ephemeral. I'm certain there is a durable market of some size for social networking games. The trouble is, it's difficult to say what size that is and whether it can support Zynga's current valuation (we already know it can't support the valuation the company achieved early on in its life as a public company.)

Today's news is favorable for Zynga, but investors who bid the shares up 10% are making a long-shot bet and the stock isn't anywhere near cheap enough to justify that.

The amount of data we store every year is growing by a mind-boggling 60% annually! To make sense of this trend and pick out a winner, The Motley Fool has compiled a new report called "The Only Stock You Need to Profit From the NEW Technology Revolution." The report highlights a company that has gained 300% since first recommended by Fool analysts but still has plenty of room left to run. To get instant access to the name of this company transforming the IT industry, click here -- it's free.

Another Big Fall on Wall Street Today

After a few terrible trading sessions last week, the bearish sentiment was back on Wall Street again today. As the closing bell rang today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) was lower by 139 points, or 0.94%. But as bad as that may seem, the Dow was down as many as 248 points. The other two major indexes also performed poorly, as the S&P 500 lost 1.21% and the Nasdaq fell lower by 1.09%.

The Federal Reserve and its announcement that it will soon begin slowing stimulus surely is still playing on investors' minds today, but it's more conceivable that the Chinese government's decision to allow its country's markets to work through a credit crunch was the real cause for the declines in the U.S. markets.

A few Dow losers
Shares of Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) fell 2.13% after news that a 787 Dreamliner had to make an emergency landing today. This marks the third time in the past week that a 787 Dreamliner needed to land unexpectedly. We have seen the Dreamliner have problems in the past with its battery system, and now mechanical problems seem to be the issue for the planes, which when we look at the big picture shouldn't be something that weighs on investors' minds for too long.  

Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) also fell into the red today despite what should be seen as good news from its Pixar unit. The animated film Monsters University took first place this past weekend at the box office, bringing in $82.4 million in ticket sales. It had been estimated that the film would bring in $78 million, so this was a nice surprise for the company. But Disney was still lower by 0.46% today and again similar to Boeing, investors shouldn't be discouraged by this one-day move lower. It's very plausible that the company was simply pulled lower by the overall negative sentiment moving throughout the market.  

Lastly, shares of both the Dow's banking giants also fell. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) lost 3.07% while JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) declined by 2.00% as investors look toward China and its tightening monetary policies. Both companies have operations in Asia and will likely be hurt by what's going on in China, but investors may be overreacting today. Bank of America only realizes about 4% of its revenue from Asian markets while JPMorgan gets about 6%. In the big picture, these amounts are a drop in the bucket and really shouldn't affect the overall financial health of either company.  

More Foolish insight

The Economist compares this disruptive invention to the steam engine and the printing press. Business Insider says it's "the next trillion-dollar industry." And everyone from BMW to Nike to the U.S. Air Force is already using it every day. Watch The Motley Fool's shocking video presentation today to discover the garage gadget that's putting an end to the Made In China era... and learn the investing strategy we've used to double our money on these three stocks. Click here to watch now.

B of A Hit Hard This Week By Legal Battle and Market Worries

It's been an up-and-down week for Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , but mostly down: Share prices for the superbank are net 2.79% in the red over the last five days, with less than two hours to go on the last day of trading. Thank general market negativity for that, but also uncertainty over what could be the bank's most crucial legal battle yet.

Waiting for Bernanke
Firstly, the world waits to see when Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and his central-bank compatriots from Europe and Japan are going to turn off the money spigots that have spurred America's nascent economic recovery, kept Europe's recessions from turning into depressions, and offered a glimmer of hope that Japan will finally emerge from its decades-long doldrums.

Secondly, B of A investors are waiting to see what will come out of a trial ending today in a New York courtroom. At issue is a challenge to a 2011 settlement between B of A, AIG (NYSE: BAC  ) , and other big investors over mortgage-backed securities issued by the superbank's problem child, Countrywide Financial.

The original settlement was for $8.5 billion, but if AIG and its co-plaintiffs win this rematch B of A could be on the hook for tens of billions more.

Foolish bottom line
Meanwhile, interest rates in the U.S. are on the rise from record lows. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasuries has jumped more than 60 basis points in recent months, and now sits at 2.14%: still low by historic standards, but enough of a sudden jump to make everyone nervous. Mortgage-interest rates are on the rise as well, which could effect the revenue and profit of large mortgage lenders like Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , as well as slowdown the country's blossoming housing recovery overall.

Of course, B of A wasn't alone in its poor showing this week: all of the Big Four banks were down to one degree or another, as were the three major market indices. When will the general market nervousness clear up? Maybe when Ben Bernanke finally begins winding down QE3. Maybe this is all just over-anticipation, and once the wind-down gets under way, everyone will relax. Or, maybe once the wind-down begins, that's when things are really going to get hairy -- as the true effects of a slowing money spigot hit the economy not just in theory, but in actuality.

As for Countrywide rematch, there's no word yet on when Judge Barbara J. Kapnick will make her decision. Unfortunately, until then, investors will remain in the decidedly uncomfortable position of not knowing if their favorite bank is facing yet another massive, crisis-related payout. As a result, the stock will likely not perform as well as it could, regardless of what the rest of the market is doing.

But always remember, Fools, to focus on the long term when it comes to investing. Obsessive ticker checking can lead to overtrading, which costs money and can hurt the performance of your portfolio. So tune out the market noise and tune into the fundamentals of the companies you're invested in: Your portfolio will thank you, even if your broker won't. 

Looking for in-depth analysis on Bank of America?
Look no further than this Motley Fool premium report -- written by top Motley Fool banking analysts Anand Chokkavelu and Matt Koppenheffer. They'll help you lift the veil on the bank's operations, and give you three reasons to buy and three reasons to sell along the way. And with included quarterly updates, this could literally be the last bit of investment research on B of A you'll ever need. For immediate access, simply click here now. 

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now

LONDON -- I am backing International Consolidated Airlines Group (LSE: IAG  ) to take off in coming years as its transformation plan in Spain begins to bear fruit. The company was formed after the merger of British Airways and Iberia in January 2011 and is one of the world's largest airline-operators, carrying more than 60 million passengers per year to more than 200 destinations across the globe.

Spanish restructuring plan starts to take hold
IAG swung to an operating loss of 23 million euros in 2012 before Iberia's restructuring and 68 million euros post-restructuring. This compares with an operating profit of 485 million euros in the previous year.

Indeed, performance in the Spanish division has placed a lead weight on the group's performance over the past year. Although British Airways remains resilient and generated an operating profit of 347 million euros last year before exceptionals, Iberia posted a huge 351 million euro operating loss.

However, in January Iberia's unions agreed to enter discussions over the firm's comprehensive restructuring plan, and in recent weeks a deal was struck to cut 3,100 jobs at the airline. IAG's board has retained a strict tone with the restructuring of the Spanish arm, and I expect an improvement from Iberia to kick off in the near future and drive the group back to growth. Further, IAG is also extending its presence in the lucrative low-cost carrier space by acquiring Spanish airline Vueling, in which it already holds more than 45%. The budget airline's board approved IAG's latest 9.25 euro per-share bid yesterday, and the deal has already been approved by Spain's market regulator.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: HHGregg Inc.(HGG)

hhgregg, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, home appliances, and related services. The company offers video products, such as flat panel televisions, blu-rays, and DVD players; appliances, including washers and dryers, refrigerators, cooking ranges, dishwashers, freezers, and air conditioners; and digital camcorders, digital cameras, gaming bundles, home theater receivers, mattresses, MP3 players, computers, personal navigation, tablets, speaker systems, and telephones. It also sells a suite of services, including third-party premium service plans, and third-party in-home service and repair of products, as well as delivery and installation, and in-home repair and maintenance. The company operates its stores under the name of hhgregg. As of February 08, 2012, it operated 208 stores in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  What's 4K? Well, they've got a gazillion pixels in them (almost 8.3 million, to be more exact), four times as many as today's 1080p sets, with large-screen formats of 55 inches and up. They also carry an equally large price tag. Although the sets Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) unveiled at CES sported price tags around $25,000, Best Buy will carry sets from the manufacturer with bargain-basement pricing starting below $5,000. While�they'll also be available at small chains like hhgregg (NYSE: HGG  ) and regional shops such as P.C. Richards & Sons, Best Buy is the only national chain carrying its sets.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, home-appliances and electronics retailer hhgregg (NYSE: HGG  ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Snap-On Incorporated(SNA)

Snap-on Incorporated provides tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information, and systems solutions for professional users. Its products include hand tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, ratchets, saws and cutting tools, pruning tools, and torque measuring instruments; power tools, including pneumatic, hydraulic, cordless, and corded tools; and tool storage products comprising tool chests, roll cabinets, and tool control systems. The company?s diagnostics and repair information products include handheld and PC-based diagnostics products, service and repair information products, diagnostic software solutions, electronic parts catalogs, business management systems, business services, point-of-sale systems, integrated systems for vehicle service shops, original equipment manufacturer purchasing facilitation services, and warranty management systems and analytics to manage and track performance. Snap-on Incorporated?s equipment products comprise solutions for the diagnosis and service of automotive and industrial equipment, such as wheel alignment, collision repair, air conditioning service, brake service, fluid exchange, transmission troubleshooting, and safety testing equipment, as well as wheel balancers, tire changers, vehicle lifts, test lane systems, battery chargers, and hoists. The company also provides financial services, including business loans and vehicle leases to franchisees; loans to the franchisees? customers; and loans to its industrial and other customers for the purchase of tools, equipment, and diagnostics products. Snap-on Incorporated sells its products and services through mobile vans, franchisees, company-direct sales, distributors, and the Internet in approximately 130 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Argentina, China, and Brazil. Snap-on Incorporated was founded in 1920 and is based in Kenosh a, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Thalman]

  Another player that operates heavily within this industry, but in a slightly different fashion, announced earnings today. Shares of tool company�Snap-On (NYSE: SNA  ) �rose 7.76% today after beating estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue came in at $797.5 million for the quarter, a 5.9% increase from last year and higher than the $779.5 million analysts were looking for. Earnings per share hit $1.60, again higher than the $1.56 that was expected. One of the areas that management would like to focus on moving forward is expanding its vehicle repair garage, which again would make sense given the average age of vehicles on the road today.�

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Snap-on (NYSE: SNA) shares gained 0.60% to create a new 52-week high of $106.62. Snap-on's PEG ratio is 1.78.

  Posted-In: 52-Week HighsNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Snap-on (NYSE: SNA  ) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 30 (Q1), Snap-on met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Best Wireless Telecom Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Solazyme Inc (SZYM)

Solazyme, Inc. (Solazyme), incorporated on March 31, 2003, makes oil. The Company�� technology transforms a range of plant-based sugars into oils. Its renewable products can replace or enhance oils derived from the world�� three existing sources-petroleum, plants and animal fats. The Company is focused on commercializing its products into three target markets: fuels and chemicals, nutrition, and skin and personal care. In 2010, the Company launched its products, the Golden Chlorella line of dietary supplements. In March 2011, the Company launched its Algenist brand for the luxury skin care market through marketing and distribution arrangements with Sephora S.A. (Sephora International), Sephora USA, Inc. (Sephora USA), and QVC, Inc. (QVC).

The Company is engaged in development activities with multiple partners, including Chevron U.S.A. Inc., through its division Chevron Technology Ventures (Chevron), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Ecopetrol S.A. (Ecopetrol), Qantas Airways Limited (Qantas) and Conopoco, Inc., doing business as Unilever (Unilever).

In 2010, the Company entered into a 50/50 joint venture with Roquette Freres, S.A. (Roquette). In November 2010, the Company entered into a joint venture and operating agreement for Solazyme Roquette Nutritionals with Roquette. In December 2010, the Company entered into an exclusive distribution relationship with Sephora International, and in January 2011, the Company entered into a distribution relationship with Sephora USA. Under the arrangements, each of Sephora International and Sephora USA will distribute the Algenist product line in their respective territories.

In Fuels and Chemicals market its renewable oils can be refined and sold as drop-in replacements for marine, motor vehicle and jet fuels, as well as replacements for chemicals that are traditionally derived from petroleum or other conventional oils. The Company work with its refining partner Honeywell UOP to produce Soladiesel (renewable diesel), So! ladiesel renewable diesel for United States Naval vessels, and Solajet renewable jet fuel for both military and commercial application testing. In nutrition market the Company has developed microalgae-based food ingredients, including oils and powders that enhance the nutritional profile and functionality of food products while reducing costs for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. In Skin and Personal Care market the Company hs developed a portfolio of branded microalgae-based products. Its ingredient is Alguronic Acid, which the Company has formulated into a range of skin care products with anti-aging benefits. The Company is also developing algal oils as replacements for the oils used in skin and personal care products.

The Company competes with BP p.l.c., Royal Dutch Shell plc, and Exxon Mobil Corporation, jatropha, camelina, SALOV North America Corporation, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill, Incorporated, DSM Food Specialties and Danisco A/S

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Synthetic biology company and renewable oils manufacturer Solazyme (NASDAQ: SZYM  ) reported earnings after the market closed on Wednesday. Investors worried about a quiet start to the year were reminded that the company remains occupied preparing its three commercial-scale facilities for operations and developing oil profiles. The waiting game isn't quite over for investors, but management announced one major event that should keep investors happy. Here is a recap of recent developments at Solazyme.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Synthetic biology and renewable oils manufacturer�Solazyme� (NASDAQ: SZYM  ) announced that it successfully conducted multiple initial fermentations in 500,000 liter fermentors in December 2012. While it was a big step forward in the right direction, I think the announcement was a bit premature. By "multiple," the company meant two and by "commercial scale production metrics," the company meant that only partial data had been collected. By reading SEC filings, investors can learn that the company has yet to prove microbial productivity at volumes greater than 128,000 liters. Not at all a nail in the coffin, but since the company believes it needs to reach 625,000 liter fermentors to be profitable, it is clear that engineers have plenty of work ahead of them.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, renewable oil producer Solazyme (NASDAQ: SZYM  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  ADM has sought to grow by reaching out to industry peers. It allowed Solazyme (NASDAQ: SZYM  ) to use an Iowa plant to produce its renewable algal oils, which helped Solazyme boost its overall production to achieve commercial-scale levels. Meanwhile, ADM's ongoing attempt to buy the remaining 80% of Australia's GrainCorp that it doesn't already own has met with resistance, as the Australian exporter has so far rebuffed a sweetened bid for the company. Whether those moves will pay off for ADM in the long run remains to be seen.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Arrow Financial Corporation (AROW)

Arrow Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company that offer various commercial and consumer banking, and financial products in the United States. The company offers various deposit products, which include demand deposits, savings, NOW, and money market deposits. It engages in a range of lending activities, including commercial and industrial lending primarily to small and midsized companies; mortgage lending for residential and commercial properties; and consumer installment and home equity financing. Arrow Financial Corporation maintains an indirect lending program through sponsorship of automobile dealer programs under which, it purchases dealer paper primarily from dealers that meet pre-established specifications. The company, through its trust operations, provides retirement planning, trust, and estate administration services for individuals, pension, and profit-sha ring; and employee benefit plan administration for corporations. In addition, it holds an insurance agency that specializes in selling and servicing group health care policies; operates as an investment adviser that advises the company?s proprietary mutual funds; provides administrative and recordkeeping services for complex retirement plans; and holds a real estate investment trust. The company operates in Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Essex, and Clinton counties and surrounding areas. It owns 28 branch offices and leases 6 offices. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Glens Falls, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Flying straight as an arrow, multi-bank holding company�Arrow Financial� (NASDAQ: AROW  ) �said yesterday it�will pay a�regular quarterly dividend�of $0.25 per share on June 14 to the holders of record at the close of business on June 3. This is the same pay it has made quarter in, quarter out for the last five years.�

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: LCA-Vision Inc.(LCAV)

LCA-Vision Inc. provides fixed-site laser vision correction services through its LasikPlus vision centers. Its vision centers offer laser vision correction services for correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. As of December 31, 2011, the company operated 53 LasikPlus fixed-site laser vision correction centers located in metropolitan markets in the United States. LCA-Vision Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Medical Practitioners: This industry jumped 2.82% by 10:15 am. The top performer in this industry was LCA-Vision (NASDAQ: LCAV), which rose 2.9%. LCA-Vision's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $91.12 million.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  LCA-Vision (LCAV) provides fixed-site laser vision correction services through its LasikPlus vision centers. This stock closed up 4.4% to $4 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $3.85-$4.04
  
  52-Week Range: $2.67-$4.60
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 162,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 47,256

  From a technical perspective, LCAV bounced sharply higher here right above some near-term support levels at $3.75 to $372 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of LCAV within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if LCAV manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.04 to $4.26 and then once it takes out its 52-week high at $4.60 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in LCAV as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $3.75 to $3.72 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 47,256 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then LCAV will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $6.19 to $7.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (IWM)

iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performances of the small capitalization sector of the United States equity market. The Index includes approximately 8% of the market capitalization of all publicly traded United States equity securities.

The Index is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index, and serves as the underlying index for the Russell 2000 Growth and Value Index series. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index of the approximately 2000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy in seeking to track the Index. iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) has gained 1.1% during the past three months, to the iShares Russell 2000 ETF’s (IWM) 5.9% gain. McDonald’s (MCD), meanwhile, has dropped 4.9% during that time frame, while�Burger King (BKW) has jumped 6.8%

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Maximus Inc (MMS)

MAXIMUS, Inc., incorporated on October 18, 2007, provides business process services (BPS) to government health and human services agencies under its mission of Helping Government Serve the People. The Company is primarily focused on operating government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), health insurance exchanges and other health care reform initiatives, Medicare, welfare-to-work, child support services and other government programs.

The Company is one of the pure-play health and human services administrative providers to governments in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The Company�� segments include Health Services and Human Services. Effective July 1, 2013, MAXIMUS, Inc. acquired Health Management Ltd.

Health Services Segment

The Company's Health Services segment provides a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services, for state, provincial and federal government programs, including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and Health Insurance BC (British Columbia). In this segment, the Company's BPS and consulting services include government health insurance program administration; Health insurance program eligibility and enrollment services to improve access to health care for citizens and help beneficiaries make the best choice for their health insurance coverage; Eligibility and enrollment modernization for government health benefit programs; Health insurance exchange design and operations; Consumer outreach and education, including multilingual customer contact centers and multi-channel self-service options, such as Web-based portals, for easy enrollment; Application assistance and independent enrollment counseling to beneficiaries; Premium payment processing and administration, such as invoicing and reconciliation; Objective, evidence-based health appeals; Independent medical! reviews; Health plan oversight; eHealth solutions with the Medigent product suite; Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) planning and oversight, and Specialized program consulting services.

Human Services Segment

The Company's Human Services segment provides federal, national, state and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, as well as related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education and K-12 special education programs. The Company's services include welfare-to-work services, including eligibility determination, case management, job-readiness preparation, job search and employer outreach, job retention and career advancement, and selected educational and training services, to help disadvantaged individuals transition from government assistance programs to sustainable employment and economic independence; Full and specialized child support case management services, customer contact center operations, and program and systems consulting services; Management tools and professional consulting services for higher education institutions; K-12 special education case management solutions; Program consulting services, including independent verification and validation, cost allocation plans, repeatable management services and other specialized consulting offerings, and Tax credit and employer services.

The Company competes with Serco, Atos Origin and Ingeus.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  Government health services company Maximus (NYSE: MMS  ) has declared a quarterly dividend to be paid on Nov. 29 to investors of record as of Nov. 15.

• [By Hilary Kramer]

  This is where one of my favorite plays on the healthcare reform comes in. Maximus (MMS) provides cost-effective processing services to government health and human services agencies in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Saudi Arabia. One of its main focuses is healthcare, providing administrative services for many programs, including Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicare.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Iron Mountain have fallen 2.3% to $25.72 today, while comparable have been mixed. Leidos Holdings (LDOS) has ticked up 0.6% to $46.28 and Amdocs (DOX) has risen 0.8% to $37.20. Maximus (MMS), on the other hand, has fallen 1.2% to $46.22 and Xerox (XRX) is off 0.3% to $10.62.

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Analysts at Jefferies initiated coverage on business process services provider Maximus Inc. (MMS) late on Thursday, giving the stock a bullish rating because it has several competitive advantages and should benefit from the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

  The analysts rate MMS as “Buy” and see shares reaching $47. This price target suggests a 20% upside to the stock’s Thursday closing price of $39.14.

  “MMS is a leading government outsourced contractor that produces consistently strong results,” Jefferies analyst David Styblo commented. “The company has several competitive advantages and is highly focused on health and human service projects. This positions MMS to enjoy multi-year growth from the ACA and other opportunities with limited risk. The company’s predictable business model, solid balance sheet, and EPS visibility into FY2014 also support a Buy and $47 PT.”

  Maximus shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Friday. The stock is up 23.83% year-to-date.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Tuesday Morning Corp.(TUES)

Tuesday Morning Corporation engages in the retail sale of decorative home accessories, housewares, and gifts in the United States. The company?s merchandise primarily consists of lamps, rugs, furniture, kitchen accessories, small electronics, gourmet housewares, linens, luggage, bedroom and bathroom accessories, toys, stationary, and silk plants, as well as crystal, collectibles, and silver serving pieces. It also offers apparel and accessories. In addition, the company provides brand name merchandise, including cookware, appliances, linens, bath towels, luggage, flatware, tabletop, crystal, collectibles, dolls, china and giftware, and rugs. As of September 21, 2011, it operated 861 discount retail stores in 43 states. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Tuesday Morning (NASDAQ: TUES) shares gained 4.87% to create a new 52-week high of $14.63. Tuesday Morning shares have jumped 110.09% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 18.17% in the same period.

• [By John Udovich]

  Its worth taking a much�closer look at small Cap specialty retail stock Tuesday Morning Corporation (NASDAQ: TUES) verses the performance of potential retail ETF peers like the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT), Market Vectors Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: RTH) and Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares (NYSEARCA: RETL). In case you are not familiar with the stock, an activist shareholder (who became the Chairman of the Board) complained about the company�� performance (or rather�a wider net loss that�TUES had reported) back in 2012 and this�lead to the firing of CEO Kathleen Mason who then turned around and filed a discrimination claim claiming she was fired after 12 years in the role after she disclosed that she was being treated for breast cancer. Late in 2012, Tuesday Morning Corporation also fired�its chief merchandise officer after only five months on the job and then hired a new CEO.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Mazda Motor Corp (MZDAY.PK)

Mazda Motor Corporation is a Japan-based company engaged in the manufacture and distribution of automobiles and automobile parts. The Company provides mini vans, compact vehicles, sports cars, sport-utility vehicles, station wagons, sedans, light cars, commercial vehicles, welfare vehicles and special edition automobiles, as well as automobile accessories, including car navigation systems, automobile audio systems, side monitors, rear seat monitors, electronic toll collection (ETC) in-vehicle equipment, security products, driving support products, bulbs, pet carriers and child seats, among others. As of March 31, 2013, the Company had 56 consolidated subsidiaries and 15 associated companies. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Elliott Gue]

  This so-called One Ford initiative involved the US$2.3 billion sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors (TTM) and the US$1.6 billion divestment of Volvo to Geely Automobile Holdings (GELYF.PK). After selling the majority of its stake in Mazda Motor Corp (MZDAY.PK) and discontinuing Mercury, Ford Motor Company's portfolio consists of its eponymous mass-market brand and the higher-end Lincoln.

10 Best International Stocks To Buy Right Now: SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (SDT)

SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (The Trust) is a statutory trust. The Trust was created to acquire and hold the Royalty Interests for the benefit of Trust unitholders. SandRidge conveyed to the Trust the Royalty Interests in specified oil and natural gas properties in the Mississippian formation in Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Major and Woods counties in Oklahoma (the Underlying Properties). These Royalty Interests were derived from SandRidge�� interests in a 36 wells and the equivalent of 123 horizontal development wells to be drilled in the Mississippian formation (Trust Development Wells) within an area of mutual interest (AMI), consisting of approximately 49,600 gross acres (42,000 net acres) in the counties where the Underlying Properties are located.

Effective January 1, 2011, the Royalty Interests entitle the Trust to receive 90% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to its net revenue interest in the Initial Wells and 50% of the proceeds from the sale of oil and natural gas production attributable to SandRidge�� net revenue interest in the Trust Development Wells. As of December 31, 2011, the Trust�� properties consisted of Royalty Interests in the Initial Wells, 48 wells (equivalent to approximately 53 Trust Development Wells under the development agreement) and the equivalent of approximately 70 Trust Development Wells to be drilled in the Mississippian formation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  SandRidge has made a huge bet on the Mississippian Lime shale play, especially after selling off its Permian Basin assets late last year. Unfortunately, that bet hasn't paid off well for shareholders, as the company saw its spun-off royalty trusts SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) fail to meet their projections for distribution amounts during the first quarter. The main problem has been that wells in the Mississippian Lime have produced more natural gas than expected, and even with a slight rebound in gas prices, it still doesn't produce adequate margins compared to oil and natural-gas liquids.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and Trust II (NYSE: SDR  )
  These trusts were created by SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD  ) , with the first Mississippian Trust formed in 2010 and the second formed one year later. Both trusts own royalty interests in oil and gas properties targeting the Mississippian formation and have future upside as SandRidge drills wells as part of the areas of mutual interest.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  The problem here is that SandRidge has been�dependent�on asset sales and its running out of assets to sell. In addition to the Permian sale, SandRidge has now taken three royalty trusts public. One consisting of Permian Basin assets, SandRidge Permian Trust (NYSE: PER  ) and two consisting of Mississippian assets, SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE: SDT  ) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE: SDR  ) . While SandRidge still owns a portion of each trust, it likely will continue to sell off its ownership stake in each trust as well as other assets it still owns. At some point SandRidge will need to live within its oil and gas cash flows, otherwise, its not worth owning.�

Little-Known Billionaire's Book is the Holy Grail for Investors

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBillionaire Seth Klarman. Among the tattered cookbooks and celebrity biographies at thrift stores and yard sales, you might find financial books whose advice on investing once seemed relevant but now just seems silly. However, the next time you find yourself in this situation, take a closer look, because you might also find the Holy Grail of investment books. Boom and bust cycles in the economy and the stock market often give rise to short-sighted investing theories which financial writers try to exploit. Perhaps the best example is "Dow 36,000," written by Harvard-educated journalist James K. Glassman in 1999 at the height of the dot-com bubble, which predicted a 300 percent rise in the market within 10 years. We're still waiting, James. 'Margin of Safety' It is very rare to find an investing book that stands the test of time, and perhaps the rarest of the rare in that category is "Margin of Safety," written in 1991 by billionaire investor Seth Klarman. Long out of print, less than 5,000 copies of this hardback book exist, and used copies regularly go for $2,500 or more online. The book is divided into three sections: "Where Investors Stumble," "Value Investing Philosophy" and "The Value-Investment Process." He explains his motivation in the introduction:

Investors adopt many different approaches that offer little or no real prospect of long-term success and considerable chance of substantial economic loss. Many are not coherent investment programs at all but instead resemble speculation or outright gambling. Investors are frequently lured by the prospect of quick and easy gain and fall victim to the many fads of Wall Street. My goals in writing this book are twofold. In the first section I identify many of the pitfalls that face investors. By highlighting where so many go wrong, I hope to help investors learn to avoid these losing strategies. For the remainder of the book I recommend one particular path for investors to follow -- a value-investment philosophy.

Warren Buffett Is a Fan If you think that some of this sounds familiar, you might be right. Klarman, 56, is often called the "Warren Buffett of his generation," and Buffett is said to have a copy of "Margin of Safety" on his desk. But the connection between Klarman and Buffett doesn't stop there. Both run multibillion-dollar funds; both use the concepts pioneered by legendary value investor Benjamin Graham when evaluating their investment portfolios; and Klarman's name has long been floated by Berkshire Hathaway shareholders as a potential successor to the Oracle of Omaha. Klarman has had an impressive financial career which, unlike Buffett's, has largely gone unnoticed by the public and financial media. A product of Cornell and Harvard, where future CEOs, GE's (GE) Jeff Immelt and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase (JPM), were among his classmates, Klarman initially worked for Franklin Templeton Funds before starting Baupost Group in 1982. Baupost manages more than $25 billion in client funds and has an astounding performance record, averaging 20 percent annual returns since its inception. Numbers like that consistently rank Klarman in the top 25 highest-earning fund managers by Forbes, with his total compensation for 2013 coming in at $350 million and net worth estimated to be $1.3 billion. How much of that net worth is comprised of unsold copies of "Margin of Safety" is unknown, but fortunately, you don't have to have big bucks in order to read it, as it's available online in PDF version for free.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now

Related IMPV Morning Market Losers Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers Related TEU Box Ships Announces Commencement of Public Offering of Common Shares and Warrants Top 4 Stocks In The Shipping Industry With The Highest Dividend Yield

Imperva (NYSE: IMPV) shares tumbled 41.52% to touch a new 52-week low of $29.08 after the company cut its first-quarter outlook. Imperva now expected a loss of $0.40 to $0.44 per share, on revenue of $31 million to $31.5 million.

Box Ships (NYSE: TEU) shares fell 20.38% to reach a new 52-week low of $1.90 after the company priced 5 million units at $2.05 per unit.

Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) shares reached a new 52-week low of $104.90. Toyota shares have dropped 4.90% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 17.50% in the same period.

Catamaran (NASDAQ: CTRX) shares fell 4.42% to touch a new 52-week low of $40.04. Catamaran's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is 1.77%.

Posted-In: 52-Week LowsNews Movers & Shakers Intraday Update Markets

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Next Generation Energy Corp (NGMC)

Next Generation Energy Corp., incorporated on November 21, 1980, is an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas properties located onshore in the United States. On March 22, 2011, the Company purchased all of the membership interests of Knox Gas, LLC. Knox Gas, LLC owns a lease of 100 acres, which contains five drilled wells; a lease of 20.2 acres, which contains two drilled wells; a lease of 700 acres which contains no wells, and a lease of 400 acres, which contains three drilled wells.

The wells owned by Knox Gas were part of a larger field of 135 wells that was developed by Heartland Resources, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively Heartland), and were operated by Heartland Operating Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Heartland Resources, Inc. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company had no revenues.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Next Generation Energy Corp (OTCMKTS: NGMC) and Dutch Gold Resources, Inc (OTCMKTS: DGRI) are the latest small cap stocks to announce their entry into the marijuana business while peer Endocan Corp (OTCMKTS: ENDO) sees some paid promotions or investor relations activities, but otherwise remains quiet. So will investors and traders alike achieve a high with any of these small cap marijuana stocks? Here is a quick reality check:

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Hemis Corp (HMSO)

Hemis Corporation, incorporated on February 9, 2005, is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties. The Company carries out exploration activities in Mexico through its wholly subsidiary, Hemis Gold SA de CV. It is engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in Sonora, Mexico; British Columbia, Canada; and Alaska, United States. The Company is an exploration stage company.

The Company has 67.5% interest in mining rights in El Tigre Property and Porvenir Property. On November 5, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement granting Monte Cristo Gold Corporation the option to purchase either 49% or 60% of its interest in these properties from it. On November 16, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement, which became effective on November 23, 2007 granting Condor Gold Corporation, the option to purchase either 49% or 60% of its interest in the Anchor Point Gold Project from it.

The Company�� interest in the Wolfe Creek and Covenant mining concessions consists of an option agreement it signed with Stacs GmbH on March 13, 2007, whereby it has an option to acquire a 100% interest to mineral rights on two properties: Wolfe Creek and Covenant, in British Columbia, Canada. The Company intends to primarily explore for gold and molybdenum, but if it discovers that any of its mineral properties hold potential for other minerals, then it intends to explore for those other minerals.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Land Securities gained 1.5 percent to 902 pence, British Land Co., the U.K.�� second largest REIT, advanced 2.1 percent to 595.5 pence and Hammerson Plc (HMSO) rose 2.1 percent to 507 pence.

Top 10 Shipping Stocks To Invest In Right Now: NIC Inc. (EGOV)

NIC Inc. provides eGovernment services that enable governments use the Internet to provide various services to businesses and citizens in the United States. It operates in two segments, Portal Outsourcing, and Software and Services. The Portal Outsourcing segment enters into long-term contracts with governments to design, build, and operate Web-based enterprise-wide portals on their behalf. These portals consist of Web sites and applications that enable businesses and citizens to access government information online and complete transactions, including applying for a permit, retrieving driver?s history records, and filing a government-mandated form or report. The Software and Services segment involves in the software development and services to state and local governments, and federal agencies; development and management of the national motor carrier pre-employment screening program; design and development of online campaign expenditure and ethics compliance systems for fe deral and state government agencies; and provision of software applications and services for electronic filings and document management for the California Secretary of State. It also provides consulting, application development, and portal management services to governments. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Olathe, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  NIC Inc.(NASDAQ:EGOV), the nation�� premier provider of eGovernment services, will discuss its 2012 second quarter financial results via a conference call on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. (EDT), with the news release issued at 4 p.m. (EDT) the same day.

• [By Michael A. Robinson]

  Indeed, NIC Inc. (Nasdaq: EGOV) is an expert at building government websites that operate flawlessly. It counts 3,500 government agencies as e-government clients.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Cosi Inc.(COSI)

Cosi, Inc. owns, operates, and franchises premium convenience dining restaurants. It offers squagels, sandwiches, hearth-baked quiches, oatmeal, salads, soups, appetizers, melts, flatbread pizzas, S?mores, fruit parfaits, wraps, and other desserts; coffees and other espresso-based beverages, seasonal fruit smoothies and specialty drinks, soft drinks, and flavored teas, as well as bottled beverages, such as still and sparkling waters. The company also sells alcoholic beverages comprising beer and wine. Its restaurants also offers catering service for the breakfast and lunch day parts, including breakfast baskets, lunch buffets, and dessert platters. As of August 26, 2011, it had 80 company-owned and 58 franchise restaurants in 17 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the United Arab Emirates. Cosi, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  But Sbarro is hardly the only restaurant struggling to make ends meet right now. Indeed, there are several more that may be following in the pizza chain’s bankruptcy footsteps. In no particular order, here are five more restaurants that may be fiscally insolvent in the foreseeable future.

  Cosi (COSI)

  The sandwiches may be delicious, but the menu Cosi Inc. (COSI) offers at its 136 restaurants is increasingly irrelevant, either for price (the average ticket size is about $8.81), convenience, or both.

• [By John Udovich]

  At the end of last week, small cap sandwich stock Potbelly Corp (NASDAQ: PBPB) had a delicious surge of 120% for its IPO���meaning its probably a good idea to see whether its still worth getting in on the action plus take a look at the performance of peers�Cosi Inc (NASDAQ: COSI), Panera Bread Co (NASDAQ: PNRA) and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc (NASDAQ: BAGL) as Subway remains private. I should mention that competing with Subway in the sandwich business is a tall order as they have 40,229 restaurants in 102 countries and territories as of early September���making them the�largest single-brand restaurant chain and the largest restaurant operator globally. However, Potbelly Corp and its peers Cosi Inc, Panera Bread Co and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group aren�� slugging it out directly with Subway.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Alpha Natural Resources inc. (ANR)

Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in producing, processing, and selling steam and metallurgical coal in the United States. The company has mining operations in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Wyoming. As of December 31, 2011, it owned or leased approximately 4.7 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves; and operated 145 mines in northern and central Appalachia and the Powder River basin. The company is also involved in repairing and reselling equipment and parts used in surface mining; manufacturing particulate scrubbers and filters for underground diesel engine applications; rebuilding underground mining equipment; and providing coal and environmental analysis, and degassing services. In addition, it engages in the sale of non-strategic assets, such as timber, gas, and oil rights, as well as the lease and sale of non-strategic surface properties and reserves; coal brokerage; and road construction business. The company serves electric utilities, steel and coke producers, industrial customers, and energy traders and brokers. Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is based in Abingdon, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Finally, I always like to see one of the most important financial ratios applying to stockholders, the best measure of performance for a firm's management: the return on equity. With a ROE of 13.2%, it is well above the industry mean of 3.7% and competitors such as Alpha Natural Resources�Inc. (ANR), Arch Coal Inc. (ACI) and Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU).

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: First Advantage Bancorp(FABK)

First Advantage Bancorp operates as the holding company for First Federal Savings Bank that provides various financial services to individuals and businesses in Tennessee. The company offers various deposit products comprising non-interest-bearing demand deposits, such as checking accounts; interest-bearing demand accounts, including NOW and money market accounts; regular savings accounts; and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio include real estate mortgage loans, including one-to-four family residential loans and nonresidential real estate loans; construction loans for one-to-four family homes, commercial, multi-family, and other nonresidential purposes; land loans for developing vacant land; consumer loans consisting primarily of home equity loans; and commercial business loans secured by equipment, inventory, or accounts receivable to small businesses. As of June 10, 2010, the company operated five full-service offices in Montgomery County. First Advantage Banco rp was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  PL Capital has not filed any 13Ds in a couple of months, but earlier this year it disclosed a 5.99% position in shares of First Advantage Bancorp (FABK). The Clarksville, Tenn.-based bank has seven branches and trades at about 75% of book value. PL Capital also filed a 13D announcing 8% ownership of Mutual First Financial (MFSF) over the summer. The bank has 31 branches and is based in Muncie, Ind. — an area that has seen substantial consolidation in the past few years.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc.(BBRG)

Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. owns and operates Italian restaurant brands in the United States. Its brands include BRAVO! Cucina Italiana, and BRIO Tuscan Grille. The company also operates an American-French bistro restaurant under the brand Bon Vie. As of March 02, 2012, it owned and operated 95 restaurants in 30 states. The company was formerly known as Bravo Development, Inc. and changed its name to Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. in June 2010. Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:BBRG) owner and operator of the BRAVO! Cucina Italiana (BRAVO!) and BRIO Tuscan Grille (BRIO) restaurant concepts, will host a conference call to discuss third quarter 2012 financial results on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 5:00 PM ET.

• [By Shaun Currie, CFA]

  Bravo Brio Restaurant Group (BBRG) presented at a retail/restaurant conference on Tuesday and provided very important information to investors. To give some background, the stock has been an underperformer for two reasons:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Bravo Brio Restaurant Group (NASDAQ: BBRG  ) saw comps slide 1.6% at BRAVO! Cucina Italiana and a steeper 3.2% drop at Brio Tuscan Grille. However, the midpoint of its comps guidance for all of 2013 suggests that the operator of modestly upscale Italian restaurants will check in with positive same-store sales for the balance of the year.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Deutsche Bank AG(DB)

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft provides investment, financial, and related products and services. The company?s Corporate and Investment Bank division engages in the origination, sale, structuring, and trading of bonds, equities and equity-linked products, exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives, foreign exchange, money market instruments, securitized instruments, and commodities to sovereign countries and multinational organizations; and medium-sized companies and multinational corporations. It also offers mergers and acquisitions advisory, corporate finance, and transaction banking, as well as trade finance, cash management, and trust and securities services for financial institutions and other companies. The company?s Private Clients and Asset Management division provides mutual funds and alternative investment products; manages real estate and infrastructure investments and private equity funds; offers advisory and portfolio management services to insurance companies; and provides investment solutions to institutional customers, high net worth individuals, and families. This division also offers a range of banking products and services, including current accounts, deposits and loans, and investment management and pension products to private and self-employed individuals, and small to medium-sized businesses. Its Corporate Investments division?s principal investment activities comprise private equity and venture capital investments, corporate real estate investments, a minority stake in Deutsche Postbank AG, credit exposures, and other non-strategic investments. As of December 31, 2010, the company operated 3,083 branches in approximately 74 countries worldwide, including 2,087 in Germany. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  Deutsche Bank (DB) was down 4.5% at recent check, after a disappointing second-quarter report.

  This morning, Deutsche said it earned to ��34 million ($443 million), o ��.32 per share, down from ��56 million in the same quarter last year.

  Revenue rose 2% to ��.22 billon from ��.02 billion.

  Analysts were looking for the company to earn ��.82 a share on revenue of ��.39 billion.

  Legal costs were the big drag in the quarter, as Deutsche is involved in investigations into the manipulation of interbank rates and the U.S. mortgage business, among other issues. The quarter included a ��30 million charge for potential litigation and related costs, and Deutsche said it now has litigation reserves of �� billion, up from ��.4 billion at the end of the first quarter.

  CFO Stefan Krause told analysts that the bank has already hit its targeted leverage ratio of 3% under European regulations put into law in June, but too many moving parts make calculating the ratio under new proposals impossible. Analysts are estimating the bank�� new leverage ratio is 2.3%.

  S&P Capital IQ�� Frank Braden maintained a Buy rating on Deutsche�� American depositary shares, but lowered his earnings estimates for the year. ���e view the lower fixed income results as a product of the operating environment and not a change in the bank’s competitive position. Capital ratio improvements are tracking ahead of our expectations as the bank reported a Basel 3 capital ratio of 10.0% during the quarter.��/p>

• [By M. Joy, Hayes]

  Scandals related to Deutsche Bank's (NYSE: DB  ) alleged misconduct have cost investors, and it cost them huge. I fear there's more to come.

• [By Annalyn Kurtz]

  That board currently includes some of the world's largest financial firms, like Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) and Deutsche Bank (DB), which don't exactly have an interest in a U.S. default, because they hold massive amounts of U.S. Treasuries and dollar-denominated assets.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Gulfport Energy Corporation(GPOR)

Gulfport Energy Corporation engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties. Its principal properties are located in the Louisiana Gulf Coast, in west Texas in the Permian Basin and in western Colorado in the Niobrara Formation. The company also holds acreage position in the Alberta oil sands in Canada; and interests in entities that operate in southeast Asia, including the Phu Horm gas field in Thailand, as well as leasehold interests in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio. As of December 31, 2011, it had 19.4 million barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bret Jensen]

  Gulfport Energy Corporation (GPOR) is an independent oil & gas company. The company's principal properties are located along the Louisiana Gulf Coast; in the Utica Shale, eastern Ohio; in the Niobrara Formation, northwestern Colorado; and in the Bakken Formation, western North Dakota and eastern Montana.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Invest In Right Now: Susser Petroleum Partners LP (SUSP)

Susser Petroleum Partners LP is primarily engaged in fee-based wholesale distribution of motor fuels to Susser Holdings Corporation (SHC) and third parties. SHC operates over 540 retail convenience stores under its Stripes convenience store brand. In addition to distributing motor fuel, the Company also distributes other petroleum products, such as propane and lube oil, and it receive rental income from real estate that it lease or sublease. In January 2014, Susser Petroleum Partners LP announced the acquisition of the convenience store assets and fuel distribution contracts of Sac-N-Pac Stores, Inc. and 3W Warren Fuels, Ltd.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company distributed 789.6 million gallons of motor fuel to Stripes convenience stores and 522.8 million gallons of motor fuel to other customers. It also distributes Chevron, CITGO, Conoco, Exxon, Mobil, Phillips 66, Shamrock, Shell, Texaco and Valero branded motor fuel, as well as unbranded motor fuel. In addition to distributing motor fuel, it also distributes other petroleum products, such as propane and lube oil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Susser Petroleum Partners (NYSE: SUSP) engages in fee-based wholesale distribution of motor fuels. The partnership also distributes petroleum products like propane and lube oil, and receives rental income from real estate.