10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy Right Now

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy Right Now: Pengrowth Energy Corp (PGH)

Pengrowth Energy Corporation (Pengrowth) is engaged in the development, production and acquisition of, and the exploration for, oil and natural gas reserves in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia. The Company's producing properties include Lindbergh, Swan Hills Area, Greater Olds/Garrington Area and Southeast Saskatchewan. In February 2012, the Company commenced the injection of steam at its Lindbergh pilot project. On May 31, 2012, the Company acquired NAL Energy Corporation. In November 2012, the Company acquired additional Lochend Cardium assets with production capability of approximately 650 barrels of oil equivalent, weighted 95% to light oil. In March 2013, the Company completed the divestiture of its non-core Weyburn asset. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  Canadian Trusts- Baytex Energy Trust (BTE) | Yield: 6.1%
  - Enerplus Resources Fund (ERF) | Yield: 5.6%
  - Pengrowth Energy Trust (PGH) | Yield: 7.1%

• [By Eric Volkman]

  The dividends continue to flow for investors in Canada's Pengrowth Energy (NYSE: PGH  ) . The company has declared its latest monthly distribution, which will be US$0.04 per share of its common stock, to be handed out on June 17 to shareholders of record as of May 23. That amount matches each of the company's preceding monthly dividends for calendar 2013.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Finally, Graham Capital's biggest closed positions included Hess and calls on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF. Other closed positions of interest include Halcon Resources (NYSE: HK  ) and Pengrowth Energy (NYSE: PGH  ) . Oil and gas company Halcon, operating in the promising Bakken region, as well as Texas' productive Eagle Ford shale region, among others, posted 2012 net daily produ! ction 128% higher than year-earlier levels, and proven reserves up 417%. The stock was punished after a disappointing earnings result last month, despite surging revenue. Free cash flow has moved into the red, though.

• [By Alex Planes]

  Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Pengrowth Energy (NYSE: PGH  ) fit the bill? Let's take a look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/10-best-performing-stocks-to-buy-right-now-3.html

Top 10 European Stocks For 2016

Top 10 European Stocks For 2016: STMicroelectronics N.V.(STM)

STMicroelectronics N.V., an independent semiconductor company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of a range of semiconductor integrated circuits and discrete devices. Its products include discrete and standard commodity components, application-specific integrated circuits, custom devices and semi-custom devices, and application-specific standard products for analog, digital, and mixed-signal applications. The company also offers subsystems and modules for the telecommunications, automotive, and industrial markets comprising mobile phone accessories, battery chargers, ISDN power supplies, and in-vehicle equipment for electronic toll payment, as well as provides Smartcard products. Its products are used in various microelectronic applications consisting of automotive products, computer peripherals, telecommunications systems, consumer products, industrial automation, and control systems. The company sells its products through distributors and ret ailers. STMicroelectronics N.V. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM  ) and OmniVision (NASDAQ: OVTI  ) are the two camera suppliers, and HTC is reportedly no longer considered a "tier one" manufacturer so it doesn't get priority any more. That implies that one of these image sensor specialists was giving HTC the cold shoulder in favor of bigger names.

• [By FinanceGuru]

  Could this be the real deal this time? There's no denying that InvenSense has pretty solid technology, particularly as Samsung -- which typically uses the best components it can find -- has so extensively used InvenSense's products. That said, the iPhone 5s used the following MEMS components:

  Three-axis accelerometer from Bosch Sensortech Three-axis gyroscope from STMicroelectronics (STM) Three-axis electronic comp! ass from AKM

  For InvenSense to displace Bosch (which managed to wrestle away the accelerometer socket from STMicroelectronics) and/or STMicroelectronics over at Apple, it is going to have to present a pretty compelling value proposition. Whether it can do so only the tear-downs will tell, but it is surprising -- particularly given how compelling InvenSense's products seem to be -- that the company hasn't won an iPhone socket to date.

• [By Tim Brugger]

  In addition to the upgraded Atom processor rollout, Intel also announced a realignment of its management structure. Now comes word the "leading semiconductor company" named in a recent press release announcing the acquisition of a STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM  ) and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC  ) mobile GPS joint venture was none other than Intel. When Krzanich said he was committed to the rapidly changing mobile computing market, he wasn't kidding; and that should be sweet music to the ears of Intel shareholders.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Additionally, Wendy’s can use some of the cash freed up by the franchise model to invest in advertising and marketing, and that should boost customer traffic.

  Cheap Dividend Stocks #2: STMicroelectronics (STM)

  Share Price as of 4/4: $9.14
  YTD Stock Performance: 14%
  Dividend Yield: 4.4%

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-10-european-stocks-for-2016.html

Stocks Going Ex-Dividend on Tuesday, April 15 (QCOR, FL, More)

Ex-dividend dates are very important to dividend investors, since you must purchase a stock prior to its ex-dividend date in order to receive its upcoming dividend payout. For more information, check out Everything Investors Need to Know About Ex-Dividend Dates.

Below are seven stocks going ex-dividend on Tuesday, April 15.

1. Questcor Pharmaceuticals

Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc (QCOR) offers a dividend yield of 1.50% based on Friday's closing price of $80.12 and the company's quarterly dividend payout of 30 cents. The stock is up 47.14% year-to-date. Dividend.com currently rates QCOR as “Neutral” with a DARS™ rating of 3.4 stars out of 5 stars.

2. Foot Locker

Western Union (WU) Rises Despite Fourth-Quarter Profit Decline

5 Best Valued Stocks To Buy For 2016

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Western Union  (WU) defied typical market trends on Wednesday, rising 2.83% to $16.33 despite the world's largest money-transfer company posting a 27% drop in fourth-quarter profit thanks to larger compliance costs.

The company also announced a $500 million share buyback.

Net income fell to $173.4 million, or 31 cents a share, from $237.9 million, or 40 cents a share, in the same quarter a year earlier. Analysts expected earnings of 32 cents a share in the latest quarter. Revenue declined slightly to $1.42 billion.

The company also said it expects earnings per share of $1.40 to $1.50 for fiscal year 2014, matching reduced expectations from the company's third-quarter report. Must Read: Western Union Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year Results TheStreet Ratings team rates WESTERN UNION CO as a "buy" with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate WESTERN UNION CO (WU) a BUY. This is driven by some important positives, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its expanding profit margins, increase in stock price during the past year and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat weak growth in earnings per share." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Despite the weak revenue results, WU has outperformed against the industry average of 20.5%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 0.9%. The declining revenue appears to have seeped down to the company's bottom line, decreasing earnings per share. 47.11% is the gross profit margin for WESTERN UNION CO which we consider to be strong. Regardless of WU's high profit margin, it has managed to decrease from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of 15.21% trails the industry average. Return on equity has greatly decreased when compared to its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a signal of major weakness within the corporation. Compared to other companies in the IT Services industry and the overall market, WESTERN UNION CO's return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500. In its most recent trading session, WU has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year. WESTERN UNION CO's earnings per share declined by 13.3% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. Earnings per share have declined over the last year. We anticipate that this should continue in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, WESTERN UNION CO reported lower earnings of $1.69 versus $1.84 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 15.4% in earnings ($1.43 versus $1.69). You can view the full analysis from the report here: WU Ratings Report

Stock quotes in this article: WU 

Top 5 Information Technology Stocks To Own For 2016

Top 5 Information Technology Stocks To Own For 2016: Auxilio Inc (AUXO)

Auxilio, Inc. (Auxilio), incorporated on August 29, 1995, is engaged in the business of providing fully outsourced print management services to the healthcare industry. The Company is engaged in the business of providing fully-outsourced managed print services to the healthcare industry, working exclusively with hospitals throughout the United States. It provides solutions, a program and savings. It helps hospitals and health systems reduce expenses and create manageable, dependable document image management programs by managing their back-office processes. The process is initiated through a detailed assessment. The assessment is a strategic, operational and financial analysis that is performed at the customer's premises using a combination of processes and technology for data collection and report generation. The Company's customers include hospitals and integrated health delivery networks (IDN). Its subsidiaries include Auxilio Solutions, Inc. and e-Perception Techno logies, Inc.

The Company helps hospitals and health systems to create image management programs by managing their back-office processes. The process is initiated through a detailed Image Management Assessment (IMA). The IMA is a strategic, operational and financial analysis that is performed at the customer's premises using a combination of processes and Web-based technology for data collection and report generation. After the assessment and upon engagement, it charged the customer on a per print basis.

The Company competes with Xerox, Canon, Konica Minolta, Ricoh and Sharp.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, AUXO surged (+3.26%) up +0.030 at $.950 with 200 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 9:30AM EDT August 23, 2013).

  AUXILIO, Inc. previously reported financial r! esults for its quarter ended June 30, 2013.

  For the three months ended June 30, 2013, AUXILIO reported that recurring service revenues increased by $1.4 million from new contracts closed between May 2012 and April 2013; however revenues were $9.8 million, a decrease of 8% when compared to revenues of $10.7 million in the same period of 2012, due to a drop in equipment revenue. Equipment sales were $800,000 as compared to $3.1 million for the same period in 2012. Cost of revenues were $8.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013, as compared to $9.3 million for the same period in 2012. This drop was due to the drop in equipment sales offset by additional staffing and service costs from the higher recurring service revenue. Gross profit for the second quarter of 2013 was $1.6 million, or 17% of sales, compared to $1.4 million, or 13% of sales, for the same period of 2012. This improvement is a direct result of the large growth in new facilities that we added in 2012 coupled with the reduction in costs as AUXI LIO's program matures within these new accounts.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-information-technology-stocks-to-own-for-2016.html

5 Best Semiconductor Stocks To Watch Right Now

5 Bes t Semiconductor Stocks To Watch Right Now: Texas Instruments Incorporated(TXN)

Texas Instruments Incorporated engages in the design and sale of semiconductors to electronics designers and manufacturers worldwide. The company?s Analog segment offers high-performance analog products comprising standard analog semiconductors, such as amplifiers, data converters, and interface semiconductors; high-volume analog and logic products; and power management semiconductors and line-powered systems. Its Embedded Processing segment includes DSPs that perform mathematical computations to process and enhance digital data; and microcontrollers, which are designed to control a set of specific tasks for electronic equipment. The company?s Wireless segment designs, manufactures, and sells application processors and connectivity products. Its Other segment offers smaller semiconductor products, which include DLP products that are primarily used in projectors to create high-definition images; and application-specific integrated circuits. This segment also provides handhe ld graphing and scientific calculators, as well as licenses technologies to other electronic companies. The company serves the communications, computing, industrial, consumer electronics, automotive, and education sectors. Texas Instruments Incorporated sells its products through a direct sales force, distributors, and third-party sales representatives. It has collaboration agreements with PLX Technology Inc.; Neonode, Inc.; and Ubiquisys Ltd. The company was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bob Ciura]

  It's been an up-and-down year for semiconductor stock Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN  ) . Its stock price fell significantly in September after a warning from one of its peers in the chip industry. However, Texas Instruments' stock price has recovered from! that and then some, because its underlying business has sailed through 2014 unscathed. Texas Instruments is growing -- and rewarding its shareholders with lots of cash flow through billions of dollars in share buybacks and dividend payments

• [By Myra Ramdenbourg]

  Texas Instruments Inc. (TXN): Sr. Vice President and CFO Kevin P. March sold 318,750 shares

  On 11/03/2014, Sr. Vice President and CFO Kevin P. March sold 318,750 shares at an average price of $50.01. The price of the stock has increased by 1.78% since. Texas Instruments Inc. has a market cap of $53.77 billion and its shares were traded at around $50.90. The company has a P/E ratio of 22.30 and P/S ratio of 4.33 with a dividend yield of 2.44%. Over the past 10 years, Texas Instruments Inc had an annual average earnings growth of 4.50%. GuruFocus rated Texas Instruments Inc the business predictability rank of 3-star.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/5-best-semiconductor-stocks-to-watch-right-now.html

Hot Bank Stocks To Buy Right Now

Hot Bank Stocks To Buy Right Now: Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (RBS)

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (RBS), incorporated on March 25, 1968, is a holding company of a global banking and financial services group. The Company operates in the United Kingdom, the United States and internationally through its two principal subsidiaries: The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (the Royal Bank) and National Westminster Bank Plc (NatWest). Both the Royal Bank and NatWest are clearing banks. In the United States, the Company's subsidiary Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (Citizens) is a commercial banking organization. The Company's business segment include UK Retail, UK Corporate, Wealth, Global Transaction Services, Ulster Bank, US Retail & Commercial, Global Banking & Markets (GBM), RBS Insurance, Central items, Non-Core Division and Business Services. In February 2012, Ensign Group, Inc. acquired $21.5 million seven-year term loan from RBS Asset Finance, Inc., an affiliate of the Company. In May 2012, The Paragon Group of Companies PLC announced the acquisition of further unsecured consumer loans, through its Idem Capital Securities subsidiary, from the Company.

In September 2011, the Company sold Hilton Glasgow City hotel to Topland Group. In October 2011, Paragon Group of Companies PLC acquired a portfolio of unsecured consumer loans from Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc. In December 2011, the Company sold its tenanted pub business to Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company (Management) Limited (S&NPC), a subsidiary of Heineken N.V.

As of December 31, 2011, the Royal Bank and NatWest had 627 and 1,493 retail branches, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Ulster Bank has a foot print of 236 branches and a network of business banking offices across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. US Retail & Commercial had 1,519 retail banking offices (including in-store branches) covering Connecti! cut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

UK Retail

The Company offers a range of banking products and related financial services to the personal market. It serves customers through the RBS and NatWest networks of branches and automated teller machines (ATMs) in the United Kingdom, telephony, online and mobile.

UK Corporate

The Company is a provider of banking, finance, and risk management services to the corporate and small and medium enterprises (SME) sector in the United Kingdom. It offers a range of banking products and related financial services through a nationwide network of relationship managers, and also through telephone and Internet channels. The product range includes asset finance through the Lombard brand.

Wealth

The Company provides private banking and investment services in the United Kingdom through Coutts & Co and Adam & Company. It also offers offshore banking through RBS International, NatWest Offshore and Isle of Man Bank, and international private banking through Coutts & Co Ltd.

Global Transaction Services

The Company offers global payments, cash and liquidity management, and trade finance and commercial card products and services. Through the network and partner bank agreements, GTS is able to support and connect customers across 128 countries.

Ulster Bank

Ulster Bank is retail and business bank in Northern Ireland. It provides a range of financial services. As of December 31, 2011, the Retail Markets division, which had a network of 236 branches, operated in the personal and financial planning sectors. The Corporate Markets division provides services to SME business customers, corporates and institutional markets.

US Retail and Commercial

The Company provides financial services through the Citizens and Charter One brands. US R! etail & C! ommercial is engaged in retail and corporate banking activities through its branch network in 12 states in the United States and through non-branch offices in othe! r states.!

Global Banking and Markets

The Company is a banking partner to corporations and financial institutions globally, providing a range of debt and equity financing, risk management and investment services to its customers. The division is organized along six principal business lines: money markets, rates flow trading, currencies, equities, credit and mortgage markets, and portfolio management and origination.

RBS Insurance

The Company provides a range of general insurance products to consumers through a range of brands, including Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege. It also provides insurance services for third party brands through its UKI Partnerships business. In the commercial sector, its NIG and Direct Line for Business operations provide insurance products for businesses through brokers or direct respectively. Through its international division, RBS Insurance sells general insurance, mainly motor, in Germany and Italy. In addition to insurance services, RBS Insurance continues to provide support and reassurance to millions of the United Kingdom motorists through its Green Flag breakdown recovery service and Tracker stolen vehicle recovery and telematics business. On 15 February 2012, a new corporate brand, Direct Line Group, was announced.

Central Functions

Central Functions consist of corporate functions, such as treasury, funding and finance, risk management, legal, communications and human resources. The Centre manages the Company's capital resources and regulatory projects and provides services to the operating divisions.

Non-Core Division

Non-Core Division manages separately assets, which the Company intends to run off or dispose of. The division contains a range of businesses and asset portfolios from the GBM d! ivision, ! higher risk profile asset portfolios, including excess risk concentrations, and other illiquid portfolios. It als o includes a range of other portfolios and businesses, inclu! ding regi! onal markets businesses.

Business Services

Business Services supports the customer-facing businesses and provides operational technology, customer support in telephony, account management, lending and money transmission, global purchasing, property and other services. It also leverages its purchasing power and is the Company's center for managing large-scale and complex change.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Meanwhile, financial stocks took a hit, as six banks— HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBC), Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (RBS), UBS AG (UBS), Citigroup (C), J.P. Morgan Chase Co. (JPM) and Bank of America (BAC) —reached a settlement to resolve allegations that they had worked together to try to manipulate the foreign-exchange market to boost their profits.

• [By John Udovich]

  The poorly conceived Scottish Independence vote has failed – something that could be good news for Scottish stocks like Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE: RBS), Aberdeen Asset Management (OTCMKTS: ABDNY) and SSE PLC (OTCMKTS: SSEZY) that have well traded ADRs on US exchanges. To begin with, its worth mentioning the work done by Paul Marsh of London Business School and Scott Evans of Walbrook Economics where they identified 100 purely Scottish stocks currently listed in London and compared this with a parallel 'Rest of the UK' index over the last 60 years. They found that £1 invested in the Scotsie 100 in 1955 would have grown to £648 today (with dividends reinvested), a 5.7% increase in real (inflation-adjusted) terms. However, £1 invested in the rest of the UK would have grown to £1,168, a 6.8% increase.

• [By Alanna Petroff]

  4. A financial giant: Shares in British financial institutions based in Scotland, such as Roy! al Bank o! f Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds (LYG), have been battered by concerns that a vote in favor of independence could damage their business. RBS has said it could hurt its credit rating and raise costs.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE: RBS) shares were also up, gaining 10.7 percent to $12.38 on strong earnings report.

  Shares of Pandora Media (NYSE: P) were down 10.34 percent to $25.75 after the company announced slower than expected growth metrics. Pandora’s earnings beat the official analyst estimate by $0.01 per share at $0.04 per share. The company also raised its full-year forecast.

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-bank-stocks-to-buy-right-now-3.html

American International Group: Down to the Core

Finally. Finally American International Group (AIG) has disposed of its ILFC unit by selling it to AerCap Holdings (AER).

Bloomberg News

The Wall Street Journal has the details on the deal:

American International Group Inc. agreed to sell its International Lease Finance Corp. unit to aircraft-leasing company AerCap Holdings for $5.4 billion in cash and stock.

As part of the deal, AIG is to receive $3 billion in cash and 97.56 million new AerCap shares. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter and marks the last major disposition of AIG’s noncore assets.

The deal would create the world’s largest aircraft-leasing company by fleet size, with about 1,300 jets and an order book for almost 400 more from Airbus, Boeing Co. (BA) and other aircraft makers.

Sterne Agee’s John Nadel and team call the deal “a solid outcome for buyer and seller” and dig into the details:

AIG indicated it will be subject to “customary” lock-up period with respect to the AER shares (per our read of the deal documents, it appears AIG will be subject to staged lock-up whereby it can sell roughly one-third of its stake in AER after 9, 12 and 15 months post closing). AIG indicates it will receive net cash proceeds at closing (expected in 2Q14) of $2.4b ($3.0b gross proceeds less $0.6b inter-company loan), which is higher than the $1.9b we had anticipated (inter-company loan lower than the $1.1b reported by AIG a few quarters ago). Finally, we note AIG will include ILFC’s operating results as part of AIG’s “continuing operations” until closing. After closing, AIG will account for its 45% stake in AER under the equity method.

S&P Capital IQ’s Cathy Seifert calls the sale a “catalyst” for AIG’s stock:

We view positively AIG’s announced sale of its ILFC airline leasing unit to AerCap Holdings for $5.4 billion in cash ($3 billion) and some 97.6 million of AER common shares. This marks the completion of AIG’s restructuring effort and should provide the shares with a catalyst. Sale proceeds are for AIG’s use since the U.S. government has been repaid in full.

Shares of American International Group have gained 1.2% to $50.31 at 3:37 p.m., while AerCap has jumped 31% to $32.58. Boeing has advanced 0.6% to $134.69.

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy For 2015

IVA Worldwide Fund

The IVA Worldwide Fund Class A, at net asset value, returned 8.00% over the one year period ending September 30, 2014 compared to the MSCI All Country World Index (Net)* (the ��ndex�� return of 11.32% over the same period.

Over the period, our equities averaged a gain of 16.7% versus those in the Index gaining 11.4% as we benefited from solid results from our energy and Japanese stocks. Our energy stocks averaged a return of 14.1% versus those in the Index at 8.0%, and added 1.3% to our return led by strong performance from Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) (energy, U.S.). Security selection in health care was also a plus as our stocks averaged a return of 46.6% versus those in the Index at 24.9%, and added 1.4% to our return due to good performance from Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE:4503) (health care, Japan). Our technology stocks underperformed those in the Index, averaging a gain of 19.2% versus 23.0%, respectively. Despite underperforming on a relative basis, returns from Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) (technology, U.S.) and Spansion Inc. Class ����(technology, U.S.) helped this sector contribute 1.9% to our return. There were no sectors that detracted from our return on an absolute basis.

10 Best Stocks For 2016: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.(POT)

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. produces and sells fertilizers and related industrial and feed products primarily in the United States and Canada. The company mines and produces potash, which is used as fertilizer. It also offers solid and liquid phosphate fertilizers; animal feed supplements; and industrial acids that are used in food products and industrial processes. In addition, the company produces nitrogen fertilizers, as well as nitrogen feed and industrial products, including ammonia, urea, nitrogen solutions, ammonium nitrate, and nitric acid. Further, it holds the right to mine 785,759 acres of land in Saskatchewan; and 58,263 acres of land in New Brunswick in Canada. The company sells its fertilizers primarily to retailers, dealers, co-operatives, distributors, and other fertilizer producers; industrial products primarily to chemical product manufacturers; and purified phosphoric acid directly to consumers of the product. Potash Corporation was founded i n 1953 and is based in Saskatoon, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Yet even with those sizable gains, SQM has faced large macroeconomic challenges. The financial crisis in Europe has hurt its business, with the company citing the weakness in European markets as having an impact on SQM's prospecst. Moreover, as a producer of potash-based fertilizers, the company has suffered from weak fertilizer prices. That's consistent with what we've seen from North American giants PotashCorp (NYSE: POT  ) and Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  ) , both of which have struggled from competition from cheaper nitrogen-based fertilizer producers have that capitalized on extremely cheap natural-gas input prices to offer their products at a much more competitive price.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Potash producers Mosaic (MOS) and Potash Corp. (POT) have been hammered this year as changes to the market leave their shares wracked with uncertainty.

• [By Gavin Graham, President, Graham Investment Strategy, Ltd.]

  Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (POT) has seen its share price fall by half over the last three years and almost 20% in the last month. That's due to the decrease in the price of potash and the collapse of the Belarus Potash joint venture.

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy For 2015: Country Style Cooking Restaurant Chain Co Ltd (CCSC)

Country Style Cooking Restaurant Chain Co., Ltd. (CSC Cayman), incorporated on August 14, 2007, is a quick service restaurant chain in China. The Company offers delicious, everyday Chinese food. The Company conducts all of its restaurant operations through CSC China and its subsidiaries. As of June 30, 2012, it had 256 restaurants, including 124 restaurants in Chongqing municipality and 85 restaurants in Sichuan province.

Chongqing municipality and Sichuan province cover a region of 110 million people in Southwest China. CSC Cayman directly operates all of its restaurants. Its standard menu features its main dishes prepared in the Sichuan style, as well as a selection of other dishes, appetizers, desserts and beverages. The Company periodically offers new dishes and seasonal menu selections.

The Company competes with McDonald��, KFC and Yoshinoya.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Country Style Cooking Restaurant Chain Co., Ltd (NYSE:CCSC), a fast-growing quick service restaurant chain in China, plans to release its unaudited second quarter 2012 financial results on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, after the market closes.

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy For 2015: FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated (FCH)

FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated is a publicly owned real estate investment trust. The firm engages in investment and management of properties in the hospitality industry. It invests in the real estate markets of the United States. The firm primarily invests in hotels with a focus on the ownership of upper-upscale, full-service hotels and resorts. It was formerly known as FelCor Suite Hotels, Inc. FelCor Lodging Trust was founded in 1994 and is based in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By George Putnam]

  Steve Halpern: Now, one of the positions that you've looked at is FelCor Lodging (FCH). Could you tell us a little about that?

  George Putnam: Sure. Well, it grew fairly rapidly before the downturn in 2008 and didn't really have a great focus. With the new management team after 2008, they have sold off a lot of non-core properties and are focusing on more upscale properties and strong markets, and they've used the proceeds from asset sales to help the balance sheet. They have paid down a lot of high-priced debt, which also helps the bottom line.

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy For 2015: ArthroCare Corporation(ARTC)

ArthroCare Corporation, a medical device company, develops, manufactures, and markets surgical products primarily based on its minimally invasive patented Coblation technology in the Americas and internationally. The company?s Sports Medicine business provides energy-based systems and fixation technologies used to treat soft tissue injuries in the shoulders, knees, and hips. It offers ArthroWands product line that features Coblation based specialized disposable energy-based surgical wands designed for single patient use to treat orthopedic conditions, including shoulder, knee, hip, foot, ankle, elbow, and wrist injuries; and Soft-Tissue Fixation products comprising a line of specialized implants and instruments, such as knotless and traditional anchors for rotator cuff and labrum repairs in shoulder; screws for ligament reconstruction in knee; a range of arthroscopic suture passers; and reusable hand-held instruments, procedural kits, and accessories. The company?s Ear N ose and Throat (ENT) business provides surgical products used to treat conditions performed by ENT healthcare professionals. It offers various products for general head, neck, and oral surgical procedures, including sinus surgery, snoring treatment, nasal turbinates reduction, and adenoid and tonsil removal. The company also provides surgical products for the treatment of spine related and other conditions. Its products include SpineWand devices used to treat soft tissue conditions in spine; Plasma Disc Decompression products for treating contained herniated discs; Cavity SpineWand that reduces the size of malignant lesions in the vertebrae of patients suffering from spinal compression fractures; and WoundWand for acute and chronic wound debridement, and wound cleansing. ArthroCare sells its products to surgeons and specialized medical professionals through sales representatives, and independent sales agents and distributors. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquarte red in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  Smith & Nephew PLC (NYSE: SNN) announced its plans to buy ArthroCare (NASDAQ: ARTC) for $1.7 billion in cash. Smith & Nephew will pay $48.25 per share in cash to acquire ArthroCare, representing a 6.3% premium to ArthroCare's closing price on January 31.

• [By John Udovich]

  Laparoscopic surgery or minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is a type of surgical technique where�operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions while small cap stocks ArthroCare Corporation (NASDAQ: ARTC), EDAP TMS S.A. (NASDAQ: EDAP), SafeStitch Medical Inc (OTCBB: SFES) and Arch Therapeutics Inc (OTCBB: ARTH) are all in some way focused on aiding minimally invasive procedures. According to a 2012 report produced by MedMarket Diligence, LLC, approximately 114 million surgical and procedure-based wounds occur annually worldwide,�including�36 million in the US, and perhaps�up to a quarter of these procedures can be described as laparoscopic in nature.�Moreover,�use of the technique is bound to increase�as�it reduces�pain and hemorrhaging plus leads to a�shorter recovery time.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  Smith & Nephew PLC (NYSE: SNN) announced its plans to buy ArthroCare (NASDAQ: ARTC) for $1.7 billion in cash. Smith & Nephew will pay $48.25 per share in cash to acquire ArthroCare, representing a 6.3% premium to ArthroCare's closing price on January 31.

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy For 2015: Hawkins Inc. (HWKN)

Hawkins, Inc. distributes bulk chemicals, as well as blends, manufactures, and distributes specialty chemicals. The company operates through two segments, Industrial and Water Treatment. The Industrial segment provides industrial chemicals, products, and services primarily to the agriculture, energy, electronics, food, chemical processing, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, medical device, and plating industries. This segment primarily offers acids, alkalis, and industrial and food-grade salts; and receives, stores, and distributes various chemicals, including liquid caustic soda, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, potassium hydroxide, and aqua ammonia. In addition, it manufactures sodium hypochlorite, agricultural products, and certain food-grade products comprising Cheese-Phos liquid phosphate, lactates, and other blended products; repackages water treatment and bulk industrial chemicals; and performs custom blending of certain chemicals, and contract and pr ivate label packaging for household chemicals. This segment primarily conducts its operations through distribution centers and terminal operations. The Water Treatment segment provides chemicals, equipment, and solutions for potable water, municipal and industrial wastewater, industrial process water, and non-residential swimming pool water. Hawkins, Inc. was founded in 1938 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Hawkins (Nasdaq: HWKN  ) reported earnings on May 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Hawkins met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy For 2015: Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.(RS)

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. operates as a metals service center company primarily in the United States and Canada. The company provides metals processing services and distributes a line of approximately 100,000 metal products, including alloy, aluminum, brass, copper, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, and specialty steel products to mills and original equipment manufacturers. Its processing services comprise cutting, leveling, sawing, machining, or electropolishing. The company also offers a range of metal perforating and fabrication services; and steel and alloy pipes, tube and bar products, and precision manufacturing of various tools designed for the global energy service companies. Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. serves manufacturers and end-users in the general manufacturing, non-residential construction, transportation, aerospace, energy, electronics, and semiconductor fabrication and related industries. As of December 31, 2011, it maintained approximately 220 metals service center processing and distribution facilities in the United States, Belgium, Canada, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Reliance Steel & Aluminum (NYSE: RS  ) .

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co (NYSE: RS) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.20 per share on revenue of $2.54 billion.

  PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.36 per share on revenue of $1.46 billion.

• [By Kelley Wright]

  Reliance Steel & Aluminum (RS) is North America's largest metals service company and is looking to get even bigger. The company has increased dividends 20 times since its IPO in 1994, so its designation for outstanding dividend growth is a no-brainer.

10 Best Performing Stocks To Buy For 2015: IDEX Corp (IEX)

IDEX Corporation (IDEX), incorporated on September 24, 1987, is an applied solutions business that sells an array of pumps, flow meters and other fluidics systems and components and engineered products to customers in a variety of markets worldwide. All of the Company�� business activities are carried out through wholly owned subsidiaries. IDEX operates in three business segments: Fluid & Metering Technologies, Health & Science Technologies and Fire & Safety/Diversified Products. Reporting units in the Fluid & Metering Technologies segment consist of Banjo; Energy and Fuels (Energy); Chemical, Food & Process (CFP) and Water & Waste Water (Water). Reporting units in the Health & Science Technologies segment consist of IDEX Health & Science (IH&S); IDEX Optics and Photonics (IOP); Precision Polymer Engineering (PPE); Gast; Micropump and Materials Process Technologies (MPT). Reporting units in the Fire & Safety/Diversified Products segment consist of Fire Suppression; Rescue Tools and Band-It. In July 20, 2012, it acquired Matcon Group Limited. In March 2013, it announced the acquisition of FTL Seals Technology, Ltd. On April 11, 2012, the Company acquired the stock of PPC. On April 30, 2012, the Company acquired the stock of ERC.

Fluid & Metering Technologies Segment

The Fluid & Metering Technologies Segment designs, produces and distributes displacement pumps, flow meters, injectors, and other fluid-handling pump modules and systems and provides flow monitoring and other services for the water and wastewater industries. Fluid & Metering Technologies pump and metering solutions serve a range of end markets, including industrial infrastructure (fossil fuels, refined and alternative fuels, and water and wastewater), chemical processing, agricultural, food and beverage, pulp and paper, transportation, plastics and resins, electronics and electrical, construction and mining, pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical, machinery and other markets. Fluid & Metering Technologies accounte! d for 43% of IDEX�� sales and 82% of IDEX�� operating income, with approximately 46% of its sales to customers outside the United States as of December 31, 2012, with approximately 46% of its sales to customers outside the United States. Banjo is a provider of pumps, valves, fittings and systems used in liquid handling. Banjo is based in Crawfordsville, Indiana and its products are used in agricultural and industrial applications. Approximately 11% of Banjo�� sales during 2012 were to customers outside the United States.

Energy consists of the Company�� Corken, Faure Herman, Liquid Controls, S.A.M.P.I. and Toptech businesses. Energy is a supplier of flow meters, electronic registration and control products, rotary vane and turbine pumps, reciprocating piston compressors, and terminal automation control systems. Energy has facilities in Longwood, Florida and Zwijndrech, Belgium (Toptech products), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Corken products), La Ferte Bernard, France (Faure Herman products), Vadodara, Gujarat, India (Liquid Controls products), and Altopascio, Italy (S.A.M.P.I. products). Applications for Liquid Controls and S.A.M.P.I. positive displacement flow meters, electronic, registration and control products include mobile and stationary metering installations for wholesale and retail distribution of petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas, aviation refueling, and industrial metering and dispensing of liquids and gases. Corken products consist of rotary vane pumps, single and multistage regenerative turbine pumps, and small horsepower reciprocating piston compressors. Toptech supplies terminal automation hardware and software to control and manage inventories, as well as transactional data and invoicing, to customers in the oil, gas and refined-fuels markets. Faure Herman is a supplier of ultrasonic and helical turbine flow meters used in the custody transfer and control of fluids and gases. Approximately 53% of Energy�� sales during 2012 were to customers outside the United State! s.

!

CFP consists of the Company�� Richter, Viking and Warren Rupp businesses. CFP is a producer of air-operated and motor-driven double-diaphragm pumps and replacement parts, lined pumps, valves and control equipment for the chemical, fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and external gear pumps. Richter�� corrosion resistant fluoroplastic lined products offer solutions for applications in the process industry. Viking�� products consist of external gear pumps, strainers and reducers, and related controls used for transferring and metering thin and viscous liquids sold under the Viking and Wright Flow brands and air-operated double-diaphragm pumps sold under the Blagdon brand. Markets served by Viking products include chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, plastics, paints, inks, tanker trucks, compressor, construction, food and beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical and biotech. Warren Rupp products (which also include Pumper Parts and Versa-Matic products) are used for abrasive and semisolid materials, as well as for applications where product degradation is a concern or where electricity is not available or should not be used. Markets served by Warren Rupp products include chemical, paint, food processing, electronics, construction, utilities, mining and industrial maintenance. CFP maintains operations in Kampen, Germany (Richter products), Cedar Falls, Iowa (Richter and Viking products), Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, Shannon, Ireland (Viking products) and Mansfield, Ohio (Warren Rupp products). CFP primarily uses independent distributors to market and sell its products. Approximately 54% of CFP�� sales during 2012 were to customers outside the United States.

Water consists of the Company�� ADS, IETG, iPEK, Knight and Pulsafeeder businesses. Water is a provider of metering technology and flow monitoring products and underground surveillance services for water and wastewater markets, as well as a manufacturer of pumps and dispensing equipment for industrial laundries! , commerc! ial dishwashing and chemical metering, and a provider of metering pumps, special-purpose rotary pumps, peristaltic pumps, fully integrated pump and metering systems, custom chemical-feed systems, electronic controls and dispensing equipment. ADS�� products and services provide integrated solutions that enable industry, municipalities and government agencies to analyze and measure the capacity, quality and integrity of wastewater collection systems, including the maintenance and construction of such systems. IETG�� products and services enable water companies to manage their water distribution and sewerage networks, while its surveillance service specializes in underground asset detection and mapping for utilities and other private companies. iPEK supplies remote controlled systems used for infrastructure inspection. Knight is a manufacturer of pumps and dispensing equipment for industrial laundries, commercial dishwashing and chemical metering. Pulsafeeder products are used to introduce precise amounts of fluids into processes to manage water quality and chemical composition, as well as peristaltic pumps. Its markets include water and wastewater treatment, oil and gas, power generation, pulp and paper, chemical and hydrocarbon processing, and swimming pools. Water maintains operations in Huntsville, Alabama and various other locations in the United States, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (ADS products), Leeds, England (IETG products and services), Hirschegg, Austria, and Sulzberg, Germany (iPEK products), Lake Forest, California, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, Unanderra, Australia, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (Knight products), Rochester, New York, Punta Gorda, Florida and Milan, Italy (Pulsafeeder products). Approximately 47% of Water�� sales during 2012 were to customers outside the United States.

Water Services & Technology (WST) consists of the Company�� ADS, IETG and iPEK businesses. WST is a provi! der of me! tering technology and flow monitoring products and underground surveillance services for wastewater markets. ADS�� products and services provide integrated solutions that enable industry, municipalities and government agencies to analyze and measure the capacity, quality and integrity of wastewater collection systems, including the maintenance and construction of such systems. IETG�� products and services enable water companies to manage their water distribution and sewerage networks, while its surveillance service specializes in underground asset detection and mapping for utilities and other private companies. iPEK supplies remote controlled systems used for infrastructure inspection. WST maintains operations in Huntsville, Alabama and various other locations in the United States and Australia (ADS products and services); Leeds, England (IETG products and services); and Hirschegg, Austria, and Sulzberg, Germany (iPEK products). Approximately 40% of WST�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

The Company competes with Pump Solutions Group, Dover Corporation, Milton Roy and Tuthill Corporation.

Health & Science Technologies Segment

The Health & Science Technologies Segment designs, produces and distributes a range of precision fluidics, rotary lobe pumps, centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, roll compaction and drying systems used in beverage, food processing, pharmaceutical and cosmetics, pneumatic components and sealing solutions, including pumping solutions required in analytical instrumentation, clinical diagnostics and drug discovery, molded and extruded, biocompatible medical devices and implantables, air compressors used in medical, dental and industrial applications, optical components and coatings for applications in the fields of scientific research, defense, aerospace, telecommunications and electronics manufacturing, laboratory and commercial equipment used in the production of micro and nano scale materials, precision pho! tonic sol! utions used in life sciences, research and defense markets, and precision gear and peristaltic pump technologies. The segment accounted for 35% of IDEX�� sales and 35% of operating income in 2012, with approximately 54% of its sales to customers outside the United States.

IH&S consists of Eastern Plastics, Rheodyne, Ismatec, Sapphire Engineering, Upchurch Scientific and ERC, which was acquired in April 2012. IH&S has facilities in Rohnert Park, California (Rheodyne products); Bristol, Connecticut (Eastern Plastics products); Wertheim-Mondfeld, Germany (Ismatec products); Middleboro, Massachusetts (Sapphire Engineering products); Oak Harbor, Washington (Ismatec and Upchurch Scientific products); and Kawaguchi, Japan (ERC products). Eastern Plastics products, which consist of high- precision integrated fluidics and associated engineered plastics solutions, are used in a set of end markets including medical diagnostics, analytical instrumentation, and laboratory automation. Rheodyne products consist of injectors, valves, fittings and accessories for the analytical instrumentation market. Rheodyne products are used by manufacturers of high pressure liquid chromatography equipment servicing the pharmaceutical, biotech, life science, food & beverage, and chemical markets. Ismatec products include peristaltic metering pumps, analytical process controllers, and sample preparation systems. Sapphire Engineering and Upchurch Scientific products consist of fluidic components and systems for the analytical, biotech and diagnostic instrumentation markets, such as fittings, precision-dispensing pumps and valves, tubing and integrated tubing assemblies, filter sensors and other micro-fluidic and nano-fluidic components, as well as advanced column hardware and accessories for the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) market. Sapphire Engineering and Upchurch Scientific products primarily serve the pharmaceutical, drug discovery, chemical, biochemical processing, genomics/proteomics research, envir! onmental ! labs, food/agriculture, medical lab, personal care, and plastics/polymer/rubber production markets. ERC manufactures gas liquid separations and detection solutions for the life science, analytical instrumentation and clinical chemistry markets. ERC�� products consist of in-line membrane vacuum degassing solutions, refractive index detectors and ozone generation systems. Approximately 52% of IH&S�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

IOP consists of CVI Melles Griot (CVI MG), Semrock and AT Films (the Precision Photonics portion of the AT Films business was acquired in April 2012). CVI MG is a into design and manufacture of precision photonic solutions used in the life sciences, research, semiconductor, security and defense markets. CVI MG�� products are focused on the generation, control and productive use of light for a variety of key science and industrial applications. Products consist of specialty lasers and light sources, electro-optical components, specialty shutters, opto-mechanical assemblies and components. In addition, CVI MG produces critical components for life science research, electronics manufacturing, military and other industrial applications including lenses, mirrors, filters and polarizers. These components are utilized in a number of applications such as spectroscopy, cytometry (cell counting), guidance systems for target designation, remote sensing, menology and optical lithography.

CVI MG is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with additional manufacturing sites located in Carlsbad, California; Rochester, New York; Isle of Man, British Isles; Leicester, England; Kyongki-Do, Korea; Tokyo, Japan; Didam, The Netherlands; and Singapore. Semrock is a provider of optical filters for biotech and analytical instrumentation in the life sciences markets. Semrock�� optical filters are produced using state-of-the-art manufacturing processes which enable it to offer its customers improvements in instrument performance and reliability.! Semrock ! is located in Rochester, New York. AT Films specializes in optical components and coatings for applications in the fields of scientific research, defense, aerospace, telecommunications and electronics manufacturing. The Precision Photonics portion of its business specializes in optical components and coatings for applications in the fields of scientific research, aerospace, telecommunications and electronics manufacturing. AT Films is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. Approximately 57% of IOP�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United Sates.

Containment consists of Precision Polymer Engineering (PPE). PPE, which is located in Blackburn, England, is a provider of high performance seals and advanced sealing solutions for a diverse range of global industries and applications, including hazardous duty, analytical instrumentation, semiconductor/solar, process technologies, pharmaceutical, electronics, and food applications. Approximately 79% of PPE�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

Gast consists of the Company�� Gast and Jun-Air businesses. The Gast business is a manufacturer of air-moving products, including air motors, low-range and medium-range vacuum pumps, vacuum generators, regenerative blowers and fractional horsepower compressors. Gast products are used in a variety of long-life applications requiring a quiet, clean source of moderate vacuum or pressure. Gast products primarily serve the medical equipment, environmental equipment, computers and electronics, printing machinery, paint mixing machinery, packaging machinery, graphic arts, and industrial manufacturing markets. The Jun-Air business is a provider of low-decibel, ultra-quiet vacuum compressors suitable for medical, dental and laboratory applications. Based in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Gast also has a logistics and commercial center in Redditch, England. Approximately 27% of Gast�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

Micropump, headquartered i! n Vancouv! er, Washington, produces, precision-engineered, magnetically and electromagnetically driven rotary gear, piston and centrifugal pumps. Micropump products are used in low-flow abrasive and corrosive applications. Micropump products primarily serve the printing machinery, medical equipment, paints and inks, chemical processing, pharmaceutical, refining, laboratory, electronics, pulp and paper, water treatment, textiles, peristaltic metering pumps, analytical process controllers and sample preparation systems markets. Approximately 77% of Micropump�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

MPT consists of Quadro, Fitzpatrick, Microfluidics and Matcon Group Limited (Matcon), which was acquired in July 2012. Quadro is a provider of particle control solutions for the pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical markets. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Quadro�� activities include fine milling, emulsification and special handling of liquid and solid particulates for laboratory, pilot phase and production scale processing within the pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical markets. Fitzpatrick is into the design and manufacture of process technologies for the pharmaceutical, food and personal care markets. Fitzpatrick designs and manufactures customized size reduction, roll compaction and drying systems to support their customers��product development and manufacturing processes. Fitzpatrick is headquartered in Elmhurst, Illinois. Microfluidics is into designing and manufacturing of laboratory and commercial equipment used in the production of micro and nano scale materials for the pharmaceutical and chemical markets. Microfluidics is the producer of the Microfluidizer family of high shear fluid processors for uniform particle size reduction, robust cell disruption and nanoparticle creation. Microfluidics has offices in Newton, Massachusetts. Matcon is into material processing solutions for high value powders used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, food, plastics, and fine chemic! als.

!

Matcon�� products consist of the original cone valve powder discharge system and filling, mixing and packaging systems, all of which support its customers��automation and process requirements. Matcon is located in Evesham, Worcestershire, England. Approximately 61% of MPT�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

The Company competes with Gardner Denver, Inc., Thermo Scientific Dionex, Gooch & Housego PLC, Parker Hannifin and Valco Instruments Co., Inc.

Fire & Safety/Diversified Products Segment

The Fire & Safety/Diversified Products segment produces firefighting pumps and controls, rescue tools, lifting bags and other components and systems for the fire and rescue industry, engineered stainless steel banding and clamping devices used in a variety of industrial and commercial applications, and precision equipment for dispensing, metering and mixing colorants and paints used in a variety of retail and commercial businesses around the world. The segment accounted for 22% of IDEX�� sales and 53% of IDEX�� operating income in 2012, with approximately 56% of its sales to customers outside the United States.

Fire Suppression consists of the Company�� Class I, Hale and Godiva businesses, which produce truck-mounted and portable fire pumps, stainless steel valves, foam and compressed air foam systems, pump modules and pump kits, electronic controls and information systems, conventional and networked electrical systems, and mechanical components for the fire, rescue and specialty vehicle markets. Fire Suppression�� customers are primarily OEMs. Fire Suppression is headquartered in Ocala, Florida (Class 1 and Hale products), with additional facilities located in Warwick, England (Godiva products). Approximately 41% of Fire Suppression�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

Rescue consists of the Company�� Dinglee, Hurst Jaws of Life, Lukas and Vetter businesses, which produce hydraulic! , battery! , gas and electric-operated rescue equipment, hydraulic re-railing equipment, hydraulic tools for industrial applications, recycling cutters, pneumatic lifting and sealing bags for vehicle and aircraft rescue, environmental protection and disaster control, and shoring equipment for vehicular or structural collapse. Rescue Tool�� customers are primarily public and private fire and rescue organizations. Rescue has facilities in Shelby, North Carolina (Hurst Jaws of Life products); Tianjin, China (Dinglee products); Erlangen, Germany (Lukas products); and Zulpich, Germany (Vetter products). Approximately 75% of Rescue�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

Band-It is a producer of stainless steel banding, buckles and clamping systems. Band-It products are used for securing exhaust system heat and sound shields, industrial hose fittings, traffic signs and signals, electrical cable shielding, identification and bundling, and in numerous other industrial and commercial applications. Band-It products primarily serve the automotive, transportation equipment, oil and gas, general industrial maintenance, electronics, electrical, communications, aerospace, utility, municipal and subsea marine markets. Band-It is based in Denver, Colorado, with additional operations in Staveley, Derbyshire, England, and a IDEX shared manufacturing facility in China. Approximately 39% of Band-It�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

Dispensing Equipment produces precision equipment for dispensing, metering and mixing colorants and paints used in a variety of retail and commercial businesses worldwide. Dispensing Equipment is a global supplier of precision-designed tinting, mixing, dispensing and measuring equipment for auto refinishing and architectural paints. Dispensing Equipment products are used in retail and commercial stores, hardware stores, home centers, department stores, automotive body shops as well as point-of-purchase dispensers. Dispensing Equipmen! t is head! quartered in Wheeling, Illinois with additional facilities in Sassenheim, The Netherlands; Unanderra, Australia; and Milan, Italy, as well as IDEX shared manufacturing facilities in India and China. Approximately 59% of Dispensing Equipment�� 2012 sales were to customers outside the United States.

The Company competes with American Cast Iron Pipe Company, Holmatro, Inc., Nordic Capital and Panduit Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Damon Churchwell]

  Lastly, a growth company�
  The third example of a thriving flow technologies company is IDEX� (NYSE: IEX  ) . This one is situated in a unique set of end markets, namely fluid & metering, health & science, and fire & safety/diversified.

• [By Seth Jayson]

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

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Xylem’s big day has also boosted other water-infrastructure stocks. Flowserve (FLS) has gained 1.2% to $70.59, Idex Corp. (IEX) has risen 0.5% to $68.69 and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) has advanced 0.4% t0 $98.22.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  This week’s biggest increase came from applied solutions provider Idex (IEX), which �raised its quarterly dividend 22% to 23 cents per share payable April 30 to shareholders of record April 16.
  IEX Dividend Yield: 1.60%

Top Forestry Stocks To Own For 2015

Chevrolet joins a small club of car brands that committed gaffes at launch, then made hurry-up fixes instead of waiting for several years to improve the models, as once was the auto industry's sluggish practice.

Test Drive: 2014 Chevrolet Malibu

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Honda went through that with the redesigned 2012 Civic, remarkably improved for 2013 in response to complaints.

Now, Chevy's Malibu midsize sedan gets a fast turnaround.

The current-generation Malibu was launched as a 2013 in January 2012 with only the more expensive Eco eAssist mild hybrid model available. GM's do-it-yesterday CEO Dan Akerson wanted the car on sale fast in the highly competitive midsize category, and the eAssist was the only drivetrain ready.

Best Rising Stocks To Own For 2016: Arris Group Inc(ARRS)

Arris Group, Inc. develops, manufactures, and supplies telephony, data, video, construction, rebuild, and maintenance equipment for the broadband communications industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Broadband Communications Systems (BCS); Access, Transport, and Supplies (ATS); and Media and Communications Systems (MCS). The BCS segment provides VoIP and high speed data products, including CMTS edge routers, 2-line residential EMTA, multi-line EMTA for residential and commercial services, wireless gateway, and high speed data cable modems; video/IP products comprising CMTS edge routers, broadband and universal EdgeQAM, and whole home gateway and media players; and video processing products, such as switched digital video systems, digital video encoders, transcoders, transraters, and statistical multiplexers. The ATS segment offers hybrid fiber-coaxial plant equipment products comprising headend and hub products, optical transmitters, optical amplifiers , optical repeaters, optical nodes, WiFi access points, ePON optical network units and line terminals, RF over glass optical network units, and radio frequency amplifiers; and infrastructure products for fiber optic or coaxial networks, which include cable and strand, vaults, conduit, drop materials, tools, connectors, and test equipment. The MCS segment provides media, delivery, and monetization platform products, such as video on demand management and distribution, and linear and advanced advertising; operations management systems comprising network and service assurance, and mobile workforce management; and fixed mobile convergence platform products, such as mobility application servers for continuity of services in wireless and PacketCable networks, and voice call continuity application servers for continuity of services in IP multimedia subsystem networks. The company offers its services to cable system operators. Arris Group, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquarter ed in Suwanee, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  We initiated one new position in the third quarter, Aarons (AAN), and purchased shares in several existing investments, including small amounts in Apollo Group (APOL) and Devry (DV) and a larger increase in Arris Group (ARRS). We have written about the for-profit education companies in previous letters, so please refer to those letters should you want to familiarize yourself with APOL or DV.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Arris Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRS) has become a major competitive threat to Cisco after its acquisition of the set-top box business of Motorola Mobility. IHS estimated that the global set-top box shipment will grow 8% year-over-year to 269 million units in 2013 from 250 million units in 2012. This is further expected to increase 6% in 2014 to 286 million units and another 1% in 2015 to 290 million units. Moreover, IHS also estimated that the global set-top box revenues will reach a record-high $22.2 billion in 2013. The consensus price target for Arris is $17.25.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Arris Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRS) got hit when press reports indicated that Apple may be working with Time Warner Cable and other companies on a new set-top box. The Jefferies team do not know the specifications of the device. It still may use “HDMI pass through” architecture like XBox One (and therefore will still require a cable STB to support cable content). That would bode well for Arris. The Jefferies target is lifted to $30. The Thomson/First Call estimate is $28.05. Arris closed on Friday at $27.87.

Top Forestry Stocks To Own For 2015: Live Nation Entertainment Inc. (LYV)

Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. operates as a live entertainment company. The company operates through Concerts, Ticketing, Artist Nation, and Sponsorship & Advertising segments. The Concerts segment engages in the promotion of live music events in its owned and/or operated venues, and in rented third-party venues; operation and management of music venues; and production of music festivals. The Ticketing segment operates an agency business that sells tickets for its events and third-party clients across various live event categories through its Websites, telephone services, and ticket outlets. This segment provides ticketing services for arenas, stadiums, amphitheaters, music clubs, concert promoters, professional sports franchises and leagues, college sports teams, performing arts venues, museums, and theaters. The Artist Nation segment offers management services to music artists; sells merchandise associated with musical artists at live performances to retailers and dire ctly to consumers through the Internet; and provides other services to artists. The Sponsorship & Advertising segment offers online advertising services; and online sponsorship programs for corporate clients. As of December 31, 2012, the company owned, operated, or leased 93 entertainment venues and 100 other facilities in North America; and 22 entertainment venues and 82 other facilities internationally. The company was formerly known as Live Nation, Inc. and changed its name to Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. in January 2010. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Breaking news

  Weyerhaeuser Co (NYSE: WY) reported a 34% rise in its third-quarter profit. Weyerhaeuser's quarterly profit surged to $157 million, or $0.27 per share, from $117 million, or $0.22 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here. Sorrento Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRNE) announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 4,150,000 shares of common stock at an offering price of $7.25 per share. To read the full news, click here. Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) has acquired Voodoo Music & Arts Experience, New Orleans' critically-acclaimed music festival. To read the full news, click here. B/E Aerospace (NASDAQ: BEAV) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Werner Lieberherr, who is currently President and Chief Operating Officer of B/E Aerospace, Inc., as co-Chief Executive Officer of B/E Aerospace, Inc. effective as of January 1, 2014. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: JP Morgan US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Michael Tullberg/Getty Images Los Angeles County's fabled Sunset Strip -- home to numerous legendary nightclubs -- is going corporate. Goodbye, Rat Pack and Guns N' Roses; hello, Marriott International (MAR). Gangsters and Guitarists Through a quirk of urban planning, the Strip -- a 1.6-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard -- was part of unincorporated land within Los Angeles city limits (these days, it belongs to the micro-city of West Hollywood). As such, it was overseen not by the L.A. Police Department, but by the more lax County Sheriff's department. Entrepreneurs took advantage of this, and in the early 20th century the Strip soon became the hottest entertainment destination in the L.A. area, home to clubs, bars and the occasional house of ill repute. In the 1940s and 1950s its nightclubs frequently hosted the top stars of the era. Many a band across the subsequent decades rose to prominence playing joints like The Roxy, Whisky A Go Go (still going strong at 50), and the Viper Room. Throughout the world, the Strip was nearly synonymous with nightlife. So much so that, according to some, its name was cribbed by the burgeoning city of Las Vegas to title the strategic section of its main thoroughfare. For many years now, the heart of Las Vegas Boulevard has been known simply as "The Strip." The City That Sometimes Sleeps The Strip is not the only game in town for visitors. Close by is the gay mecca of West Hollywood's "Boy's Town" neighborhood, while the tiny city's location in the kernel of L.A. makes it the perfect springboard for visiting Hollywood, L.A.'s beaches, and the neighboring Beverly Hills. Tourism is big business for West Hollywood. Twenty percent of the municipality's fiscal 2013 take came from the transient occupancy (i.e., lodging) taxes levied on those visitors. This brought in a cool $18 million that year -- 18 percent higher year over year, by the way -- making it WeHo's No. 2 revenue source. And there's more where that came from. Las

• [By Bloomberg]

  To spark a bidding contest for World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE), all Vince McMahon needs to do is wave a "for sale" sign. McMahon, 68, controls the voting power of the $2.3 billion company that's been entertaining spectators with staged fights for decades. The stock is at a record after WWE launched its own subscription streaming network and became the subject of takeover speculation. Should McMahon ever decide he's ready to sell, companies from Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) to Madison Square Garden Co. (MSG) may line up with offers, Albert Fried & Co. and National Alliance Capital Markets said. "What is McMahon's succession plan and who will he pass the keys of the kingdom to?" Robert Routh, an analyst at National Alliance, said in a phone interview. "WWE would be very attractive to many different types of buyers. What they've built can't be recreated. But without McMahon's blessing, it doesn't matter how much somebody is willing to pay for the company." The franchise that thrust Hulk Hogan and The Rock into stardom owns the television shows "Raw" and "Smackdown," which have a dedicated following and command high cable-TV ratings, Vertical Group said. The company, which is hosting its annual WrestleMania event in three weeks, will post its best revenue and profit growth in more than a decade next year, according to analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Stock Surge The stock has climbed 35 percent this month, in part because of takeover speculation, to close at $30.94 last week. WWE isn't in merger talks, Chief Financial Officer George Barrios said in an interview March 6. A representative for the Stamford, Connecticut-based company, declined to comment last week beyond Barrios' earlier statement. WWE's programs, which air on Comcast's USA and SyFy cable networks, may find a new home by the end of April, Barrios said. He said the company is in discussions on future domestic TV distribution with "multiple parties." It has held distribution tal

Top Forestry Stocks To Own For 2015: Spirit Airlines Inc.(SAVE)

Spirit Airlines, Inc. provides passenger airline services. It provides travel opportunities principally to and from south Florida, the northeast United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The company also offers optional travel-related products or services. As of December 31, 2011, it had a fleet of 37 Airbus single-aisle aircrafts. The company was formerly known as Charter One and changed its name to Spirit Airlines, Inc. in 1992. Spirit Airlines, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Miramar, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul R. La Monica]

  Smaller airlines Alaska Air (ALK), JetBlue (JBLU) and Spirit (SAVE) have also fallen, but not as much as the big four national carriers.

Top Forestry Stocks To Own For 2015: Genuine Parts Company (GPC)

Genuine Parts Company distributes automotive replacement parts, industrial replacement parts, office products, and electrical/electronic materials in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. The company operates in four segments: Automotive Parts Group, Industrial Parts Group, Office Products Group, and Electrical/Electronic Materials Group. The Automotive Parts Group segment distributes automotive replacement parts for imported vehicles, trucks, SUVs, buses, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, farm vehicles, small engines, farm equipment, and heavy duty equipment. This segment also distributes accessory items used in the automotive aftermarket, such as repair shops, service stations, fleet operators, automobile and truck dealers, leasing companies, bus and truck lines, mass merchandisers, farms, industrial concerns, and individuals. It owns and operates automotive parts distribution centers and automotive parts stores under the NAPA name. The Industrial Parts G roup segment distributes industrial replacement parts and related supplies, such as bearings, mechanical power transmission, industrial automation, hose, hydraulic and pneumatic components, industrial supplies, and material handling products. This segment serves various industries, including the food, forest products, primary metal, paper, mining, automotive, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries. The Office Products Group segment involves in the wholesale distribution of a line of office and other business related products that are used in the daily operation of businesses, schools, offices, and institutions. The Electrical/Electronic Materials Group segment distributes insulating and conductive materials, assembly tools, test equipment, and custom fabricated parts. This segment provides distribution services to original equipment manufacturers, motor repair shops, and assembly markets. The company was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Genuine Parts (NYSE: GPC  ) is hardly a household name, but you'll find it among the largest producers of auto parts in the industry, and its NAPA Auto Parts stores are widely known among vehicle owners and mechanics alike. Unlike Ford and GM, you'll also find Genuine Parts on the list of Dividend Aristocrats, where admission is determined by whether a company can manage to boost its dividend payouts to shareholders every single year for at least a quarter century. Only a few dozen stocks make the cut, demonstrating their staying power even through tough times. Let's take a closer look at Genuine Parts to see whether it can use recent success in the auto industry to sustain its long streak of rewarding dividend payouts to investors.

'Historic' Admission to SEC Won't Help JPMorgan Plaintiffs (Update 1)

Hot Defensive Companies For 2016

JPMorgan whale story updated to include additional comments from Pritchard in last two paragraphs.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- JPMorgan Chase's (JPM) admission of guilt over the "London Whale" trading debacle is being hailed by some as a historic moment for the Securities and Exchange Commission under new chairman Mary Jo White, but it won't cost the bank anything in litigation tied to the matter, according to a pair of securities law experts.

In the wake of the financial crisis, the SEC has been criticized for allowing big banks to settle enforcement cases without admitting or denying guilt. In one high-profile instance in late 2011, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff rejected a proposed settlement between Citigroup (C) and the SEC. In his opinion, he poked fun at "the S.E.C.'s long-standing policy -- hallowed by history, but not by reason -- of allowing defendants to enter into Consent Judgments without admitting or denying the underlying allegations."

The SEC has argued banks won't admit guilt for fear of exposing themselves to massive class action liability. The result would be costly trials that would deplete the commission's budget. But new Chairman White, a former Federal prosecutor, had said publicly the SEC was rethinking its habit of allowing companies it regulates to skate away with "neither admit nor deny" settlements. She proved true to her word on Thursday when JPMorgan admitted to poor supervision of its employees leading to $6.2 billion in trading losses. JPMorgan is expected to add significantly to its litigation reserves in the third quarter, but that doesn't mean it will actually pay out that money, or that the larger reserve will be tied to the fact that the bank admitted supervisory lapses. Amanda Rose, professor at Vanderbilt Law School, doesn't believe the admission of poor supervision will ultimately lead to increased liability for the bank. That's because such an admission still falls short of fraud. "They've admitted to not having ideal internal controls and to the various sorts of supervisory/managerial failures but they haven't admitted to committing securities fraud in such a way that its obviously going to lead to devastating class action liability," Rose says. "Not to say this isn't going to lead to more litigation over these particular issues but my guess is that JPMorgan will ultimately win in that class action litigation in saying that what we've admitted to does not establish any element of your claim here." Nonetheless, Rose believes the SEC has gone some distance toward addressing its critics. "I think that this is a meatier settlement than we've seen in a lot of cases," she says. University of Michigan law professor Adam Pritchard, however, has a far dimmer view of JPMorgan's admission. "It's not significant. It satisfies what Mary Jo White needs to say that she's living up to the assurances she's making. It has some beneficial effects for the Obama administration, I suppose, because there's dissatisfaction about the outcome of the financial crisis investigations," Pritchard says. In short, Pritchard sees JPMorgan's admission as a political victory for the SEC even though it has no real teeth because it was brought under section 13 of the securities laws, relating to the need for accurate books and records rather than section 10, which relates to fraud. "The next time the House Financial Services Committee calls an SEC Commissioner up to testify about what they're doing they'll be able to say 'well, we got an admission of wrongdoing from JPMorgan,' and the chances that some congressman is going to be dissecting them on the differences between section 13 and section 10 strikes me as remote," he says. Pritchard concedes the regulatory settlement may save private plaintiffs a bit of time as they try to prove JPMorgan's leaders had fraudulent intent--something they will need to prove to win their lawsuits. However, he says, the plaintiffs "would have gotten around to this point eventually in the discovery process, and it doesn't establish any elements of their claim that they hadn't already established." -- Written by Dan Freed in New York. Follow @dan_freed

5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

TASR PCYG CBG VRX NES
Delafield, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Corporate insiders sell their own companies' stock for a number of reasons.

>>5 Big Short-Squeeze Stocks Ready to Pop

They might need the cash for a big personal purchase such as a new house or yacht, or they might need the cash to fund a charity. Sometimes they sell as part of a planned selling program that they have put in place for diversification purposes, which allows them to sell stock in stages instead of selling all at one price.

Other times they sell because they think their stock is overvalued and the risk/reward is no longer attractive. Some even dump their own stock because they have inside knowledge that a competitor is eating their lunch and stealing market share.

But insiders usually buy their own shares for one reason: They think the stock is a bargain and has tremendous upside.

>>5 Stocks Ready to Break Out

The key word in that last statement is "think." Just because a corporate insider thinks his or her stock is going to trade higher, that doesn't mean it will play out that way. Insiders can have all the conviction in the world that their stock is a buy, but if the market doesn't agree with them, the stock could end up going nowhere. Also, I say "usually" because sometimes insiders are loaned money by the company to buy their own stock. Those loans are often sweetheart deals and shouldn't be viewed as organic insider buying.

At the end of the day, its large institutional money managers running big mutual funds and hedge funds that drive stock prices, not insiders. That said, many of these savvy stock operators will follow insider buying activity when they agree with the insider that the stock is undervalued and has upside potential. This is why it's so important to always be monitoring insider activity, but it's twice as important to make sure the trend of the stock coincides with the insider buying.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Recently, a number of companies' corporate insiders have bought large amounts of stock. These insiders are finding some value in the market, which warrants a closer look at these stocks. Here's a look at five stocks whose insiders have been doing some big buying per SEC filings.

Taser International

One defense player that insiders are active in here is Taser International (TASR), which is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of electronic control devices designed for use in the law enforcement, military, corrections, private security and personal defense markets. Insiders are buying this stock into notable strength, since shares are up 38% so far in 2013.

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy in September

Taser International has a market cap of $636 million and an enterprise value of $564 million. This stock trades at a premium valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 42.74 and a forward price-to-earnings of 33.73. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 14.8%, and for next year it's pegged at 19.4%. This is a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $29.81 million and its total debt is just $120,000.

A director just bought 50,000 shares, or about $594,000 worth of stock, at $6.72 to $6.91 a share.

From a technical perspective, TASR is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending extremely strong for the last month, with shares soaring higher from its low of $8.57 to its intraday high of $12.62 a share with heavy upside volume flows. During that uptrend, shares of TASR have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action.

If you're bullish on TASR, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some near-term support at $11.05 and then once it closes at a new 52-week high above $12.62 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 671,966 shares. If we get that move soon, then TASR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $15 to $18 a share.

Park City Group

Another technology player that insiders are jumping into here is Park City Group (PCYG), which develops and offers its software to supermarkets, convenience stores and other retailers. Insiders are buying this stock into massive strength, since shares are up 162% so far in 2013.

Park City Group has a market cap of $126 million. This stock trades at a reasonable valuation, with a price-to-sales of 11.29 and a price-to-book of 10.21. This is barely a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $4.40 million and its total debt is $2.29 million.

>>4 Big Tech Stocks on Traders' Radars

A director just bought 155,039 shares, or $1 million worth of stock, at $6.45 per share. Another director also just bought 77,519 shares, or about $499,000 worth of stock, at $6.45 per share.

From a technical perspective, PCYG is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $6.06 a share to its recent high of $8.08 a share. That uptrend is coming after shares of PCYG downtrended from its mid-July high of $8.51 a share to that $6.06 low, with shares consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That rebound off that $6.06 low has now pushed shares of PCYG back above its 50-day at $7.36 and within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

If you're in the bull camp on PCYG, then look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 50-day at $7.36 or above more support at $6.75 and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $8.08 to $8.30 a share and then once it clears its 52-week high at $8.51 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 116,856 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PCYG will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $10 to $12 a share.

CBRE Group

One real estate player that insiders are loading up on here is CBRE Group (CBG), which offers a range of services to occupiers, owners, lenders and investors in office, retail, industrial, multi-family and other types of commercial real estate. Insiders are buying this stock into decent strength, since shares are up 11.5% so far in 2013.

>>5 Big Short-Squeeze Stocks Ready to Pop

CBRE Group has a market cap of $7.2 billion and an enterprise value of $9.2 billion. This stock trades at a reasonable valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 22.95 and a forward price-to-earnings of 13.13. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 17.2%, and for next year it's pegged at 18.2%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $517.34 million and its total debt is $2.67 billion.

A director just bought 161,300 shares, or about $3.46 million worth of stock, at $21.50 per share.

From a technical perspective, CBG is currently trending just below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been uptrending for the past few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $21.24 to its recent high of $22.28 a share. During that move, shares of CBG have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of CBG within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

If you're bullish on CBG, then look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above that recent low of $21.24 and then once it breaks out above both its 200-day at $22.68 and its 50-day at $23.03 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 2.69 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CBG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $24.50 to its 52-week high at $25.69 a share.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals

One healthcare player that insiders are snapping up a big amount of stock in here is Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX), which develops, manufactures and markets a range of pharmaceutical products. Insiders are buying this stock into major strength, since shares are up sharply by 67% so far in 2013.

>>3 Biotech Stocks Triggering Breakouts on Big Volume

Valeant Pharmaceuticals has a market cap of $33 billion and an enterprise value of $41 billion. This stock trades at a reasonable valuation, with a price-to-sales of 8.21 and a price-to-book of 5.79. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $2.54 billion and its total debt is $10.79 billion.

A director just bought 51,000 shares, or about $5.04 million worth of stock, at $99.01 per share.

From a technical perspective, VRX is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending very strong for the last six months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $69.87 to its recent high of $105.40 a share. During that uptrend, shares of VRX have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move now has pushed shares of VRX within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

If you're bullish on VRX, then look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above its 50-day at $94.75 and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $102 to $103.43 a share and then once it clears its 52-week high at $105.40 a share high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 1.51 million shares. If that breakout hits, then VRX could easily tag $115 to $120, or even $130 a share.

Nuverra Environment Solutions

One final name with some large insider buying is Nuverra Environment Solutions (NES), which provides environmental solutions to protect, enhance and advance environmental sustainability. Insiders are buying this stock into big time strength, since shares are up sharply by 83% so far in 2013.

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Nuverra Environment Solutions has a market cap of $660 million and an enterprise value of $1.14 billion. This stock trades at a premium valuation, with a forward price-to-earnings of 84.67. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 42.9%, and for next year it's pegged at 325%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $10.24 million and its total debt is $551.58 million.

The CEO just bought 900,000 shares, or about $2.08 million worth of stock, at $2.30 to $2.32 per share.

From a technical perspective, NES is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been downtrending badly for the last two months, with shares dropping from its high of $3.75 to its recent low of $2.06 a share. During that move, shares of NES have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of NES have started to bounce off that $2.06 low and it's now moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

If you're bullish on NES, then look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some key near-term support levels at $2.20 to that low at $2.06, and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.80 to its 50-day at $2.98 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.39 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then NES will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.50 to its 200-day at $3.62 a share.

To see more stocks with notable insider buying, check out the Stocks With Big Insider Buying portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

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

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.