Fiat goes back to future with ‘1957 Edition’ 500

In the beginning, there was the 1957 "Nuova Cinquecento," New 500 in English. That began the generation of 500s people picture dashing about European streets.

Fifty seven years later, Fiat is bringing back a taste of that original with a new "1957 Edition" of the 2014 Fiat 500.

Automakers love car birthdays. It lets them bring out special editions to promote that is a version of something they already build, adding some goodies and paint and boosting the price at only a modest cost to the car company.

To accomplish the retro look, Fiat has dressed up the 1957 Editon in period green or blue with a painted roof, an ivory interior with brown leather seats and back-in-the-day 16-inch wheels.

But, in this case, the special is not as made-up as many and this is not just any birthday.

Fiat considers the 1957 500 the "rebirth of Fiat and its product range." It was an affordable car when that wasn't commonplace and the formula worked for Fiat to make 3,893,294 500s from the 1957 launch until it was discontinued Aug. 4, 1975.

"The 1957 Edition celebrates the Cinquecento, the icon of our brand, and its unique cachet of Italian style, efficiency and engaging road manners," said Jason Stoicevich, head of Fiat brand for North America.

The homage special will get a public unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week and goes on sale in the U.S. next spring. Pricing is still to come.

Concessions to modernity include a deluxe stereo and a 1.4-liter MultiAir four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The manual is rated by the government at 31 miles per gallon city and 40 mpg on the highway.

The 1957 Edition also includes a modern, driver-selectable "Sport" mode on the instrument panel that makes the throttle response more aggressive.

Liberty Global: Media Breakout?

Though based in California, our latest featured stock is one of the largest cable TV operators, in terms of subscribers, outside the US, observes Leo Fasciocco, editor of Ticker Tape Digest.

The company, Liberty Global PLC (LBTYA), owns interests in broadband distribution and content companies in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, although the company is based in California.

With earnings set to soar this year, is poised for an upside breakout and we suggest accumulation in anticipation of a move to a new high.

From a peak of $45 in 2008, the bear market pulled it down to $9. The stock turned up in mid-2009, and has been a star performer, having made almost a nine-fold move. A push to a new high on a breakout could bring in more buying.

This year, analysts are forecasting a 65% surge in net to $1.30 a share from 79 cents a year ago. The stock sells with a price-earnings ratio of 62. We see that as high, but okay, given the earnings growth rate.

Looking out to 2014, profits are projected to soar 127% to $2.96 a share from the anticipated $1.30 this year. That is an acceleration in annual earnings growth, which is bullish.

The acceleration in earnings growth will also show up on a quarterly basis. Net for the third quarter should climb 30%, and then, in the fourth quarter, soar 266%.

Institutional sponsorship is very good. One of the largest fund holders is Fidelity Contrafund; the 4-star rated fund was a recent buyer of 278,600 shares.

Another key buyer recently was 5-star rated Artisan International Fund which purchased 584,074 shares.

Overall, we rate LBTYA a good intermediate-term play, provided earnings meet expectations.

We suggest accumulation of a partial stake in LBTYA, with further buying to be done on a breakout over $82.30. We are then targeting LBTYA for a move to $105, after a breakout. A protective stop can be placed near $75.

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Gurus Hold Retailers at 10-Year Low P/S

According to the GuruFocus Value Screen for finding historical lows, two food retailers Empire Company Limited (TSX:EMP.A) and Tesco PLC (TSCDY), and a farm and ranch retailer, Tractor Supply (TSCO) are held by guru investors and are being traded at or near a 10-year low.  Here are the company updates and trading highlights as of the third quarter of 2013.

 

Empire Company Limited (TSX:EMP.A)  

Up 22% over 12 months, Empire Company Limited (EMP.A), a Canadian food retailing business, is traded at a P/S ratio of 0.27, close to a 10-year low of 0.23.

Empire Company Limited has a market cap of $4.18 billion; its shares were traded at around $72.04 with a P/E ratio of 12.30 and P/B ratio of 1.10. The dividend yield of EMP.A stocks is 1.39%. GuruFocus rates the company with 2.5 stars out of five for business predictability.

Check out the 10-Year Valuations.

The GuruFocus analysis of the company shows five good signs and four warnings.

Track historical share price, revenue and net income:

Guru Action:  As of the third quarter of 2013, EMP.A is owned by one guru and there is insider activity.

As of Sept. 30, 2013, the sole guru stakeholder Cl Can Am Small Cap reduced its position by 11.46%, selling 14,800 shares at an average price of $79.75 per share, for a loss of 9.7%.

Over a five-year history, the fund gained 22% buying 42,400 shares at an average price of $59.03 per share. The fund averaged a gain of 7% selling 24,600 shares at an average price of $67.15 per share.

Cl Can Am Small Cap holds current shares of 114,300 or 0.17% of shares outstanding.  This holding represents 5.7% of its total assets managed.

CI Can-Am Small Cap Corporate Class is an open-end fund incorporated in Canada, begun in 1997. The fund is managed by CI Investments Inc. and its advisor is QV Investors Inc.

 

Tesco PLC (TSCDY)

Up 2% over 12 mo! nths, Tesco PLC (TSCDY) is a grocery retailer, trading at a P/S ratio of 0.42, close to a 10-year low of 0.36.

Tesco PLC has a market cap of $45.73 billion; its shares were traded at around $16.97 with a P/E ratio of 225.10 and P/B ratio of 1.60. The dividend yield of TSCDY stocks is 3.85%.  The company had an annual average earnings growth of 7.40% over the past 10 years.

GuruFocus rated Tesco PLC the business predictability rank of 3-star.

Tesco PLC is engaged in retailing and associated activities in the UK, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Ireland, India, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and the U.S.

Check out the 10-Year Valuations.

The GuruFocus analysis of the company shows six warning signs and two good signs.

Track historical share price, revenue and net income:

Guru Action:  As of the third quarter of 2013, TSCDY is held by two gurus and no insider activity was found.

As of Sept. 30, 2013, the top guru stakeholder Arnold Van Den Berg holds 1,480,222 shares or 0.05% of shares outstanding.   He reduced his position by 0.9% in the third quarter of 2013, selling 13,455,698 shares at an average price of $17.08 per share, for a loss of 0.6%.

Over two years of trading, he gained 12% on 17,377,750 shares at an average price of $15.13 per share.  Selling, he lost 0% on 15,897,528 shares at an average price of $16.99 per share.

 

Tractor Supply (TSCO)  

Down 71% over 12 months, Tractor Supply (TSCO) is traded at a P/S ratio of 2.13.

Tractor Supply is an operator of retail farm and ranch stores in the U.S.  The company has a market cap of $10.54 billion; its shares were traded at around $75.54 with a P/E ratio of 34.40 and P/B ratio of 8.90. The dividend yield of Tractor Supply stocks is 0.65%. The company had an annual average earnings growth of 19% over the past 10 years.

Gu! ruFocus r! ated Tractor Supply the business predictability rank of 5-star.

Check out the 10-Year Valuations

The GuruFocus analysis of the company shows three good signs and five warning signs.

Track historical share price, revenue and net income:

 

Guru Action:  As of the third quarter of 2013, TSCO is owned by eight gurus and there is recent insider selling.

As of Sept. 30, 2013, the top guru stakeholder Ron Baron holds 655,734 shares or 0.47% of shares outstanding.   He reduced his position by 0.13% in the third quarter of 2013, selling 876 shares at an average price of $61.62 per share, for a gain of 22.6%.

Over a phenomenal trading history, he averaged a gain of 131% buying 844,714 shares at an average price of $32.72 per share. He also gained 63% selling 188,980 shares at an average price of $46.35 per share.

Check out Ron Baron's trading history:

 

 

 

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List of 52-Week Lows, 52-Week Highs List of 3-Year Lows, 3-Year Highs List of 5-Year Lows,

HCP Slides Again After Sudden CEO Ouster

Shares of HCP (HCP) are dropping again today following the surprise ouster of CEO James Flaherty yesterday.

The healthcare REIT is busy trying to convince investors that there’s nothing behind the move other than the fact that they wanted a new leadership style when the place Jones Lang LaSalle’s (JLL) Lauralee Martin at the helm. Cowen’s James Sullivan explains why the move continues to shake up investors:

The CEO announcement took investors by surprise, and we may see additional share volatility as shareholders digest the transition. The apparent suddenness of the announcement, and the age difference between Flaherty and Martin, may also raise questions about Martin’s tenure and the new succession plans.

Management Reiterated Its Commitment To The Current Strategy. Still, it is natural to assume that with a new leader, some changes to the management team may be made (even if in the form of additions to the team). And given Martin’s experience and comments on the call, we could see an increased emphasis on international opportunities, which may raise concerns with existing shareholders.

HCP has dropped 1.6% to $39.17 today, while competitor Health Care REIT (HCN) has gained 0.6% to $61.97, while Ventas (VTR) has risen 0.5% to $62.31.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014

The gap between Petroleo Brasileiro SA�� preferred shares and voting shares will probably narrow as the Brazilian oil producer changes the way it accounts for currency swings, Banco Santander SA said.

The state-controlled company�� preferred stock may trade at a premium of as little as 95 centavos ($0.42), Santander�� analysts Christian Audi and Vicente Falanga Neto wrote in a note to clients. The gap between the two classes of shares reached a 11-week high of 1.53 reais on June 14.

Petrobras, as the company is also known, began adopting accounting practices in May that allow exporters to reduce the impact currency fluctuations have on earnings, according to a July 10 regulatory filing. The change will boost 2013 earnings by 4.7 billion reais, Citigroup Inc. analysts Pedro Medeiros and Fernando Valle wrote in a note to clients.

The new accounting method benefits voting shares because dividends on that class of stock are linked to the company�� net income, which will not be as affected by currency swings, according to Citigroup�� analysts.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: CVR Refining LP (CVRR)

CVR Refining, LP, incorporated on September 17, 2012, is an energy limited partnership with refining and related logistics assets that operates in the mid-continent region. As of January 8, 2013, the Company owned two of only seven refineries in the underserved Group 3 of the PADD II region of the United States. It owns and operates a 115,000 barrels per day (bpd) coking medium-sour crude oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas and a 70,000 bpd medium complexity crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma capable of processing 20,000 bpd of light sour crude oils (within its 70,000 bpd capacity). In addition, it also controls and operates supporting logistics assets, including approximately 350 miles of owned pipelines, over 125 owned crude oil transports, a network of strategically located crude oil gathering tank farms, and over six million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity. On December 15, 2011, the Company�� subsidiary Coffeyville Resources, LLC (Coffeyville Resources) acquired Wynnewood Energy Company, LLC, formerly Gary-Williams Energy Corporation.

The Company�� Coffeyville and Wynnewood refineries are located approximately 100 miles and 130 miles from the crude oil hub at Cushing, Oklahoma. As of January 8, 2013, the Company gathered approximately 50,000 bpd of price-advantaged crudes from its gathering area, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. The Company also has 35,000 bpd of contracted capacity on the Keystone and Spearhead pipelines that allows it to supply price-advantaged Canadian and Bakken crudes to its refineries. As of January 8, 2013, the Company had 145,000 bpd pipeline system that transports crude oil from its Broome Station tank farm to its Coffeyville refinery, as well as a total of 6 million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity, including approximately 6% of the total crude oil storage capacity at Cushing.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  CVR Partners’ fertilizer plant is located in Coffeyville, Kansas, adjacent to the refinery owned by CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR). CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), majority-owned by Carl Icahn via Icahn Enterprises (NYSE: IEP), is the general partner and owns most of the units for both CVR Partners and CVR Refining.

• [By Robert Rapier] There were a half a dozen initial public offerings (IPOs) by master limited partnerships in the first half of the year, and all but one are now in the green while one has nearly doubled in value.
  
  The first MLP IPO of 2013 debuted on Jan. 15. USA Compression Partners (NYSE: USAC), which I mentioned in last week’s issue, provides compression services for the oil and gas industry. Units have advanced 36 percent since the IPO, and at the current price yield 7.3 percent.
  
  The day after the USA Compression Partners IPO, CVR Refining (NYSE: CVRR) made its debut.  CVRR was spun off from CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI), and both companies remain majority-owned by Carl Icahn. CVR Refining’s primary assets are two refineries located in Kansas and Oklahoma with a combined processing capacity of approximately 185,000 barrels per day (bpd). These refineries are strategically located near the major Cushing, Oklahoma shipment and storage hub, with easy access to discounted feedstock from the nearby Permian basin, as well as the Bakken shale and Canadian oil sands.
  
  But refiners have struggled with diminished margins in 2013 because of a much lower Brent-WTI differential. After the recently concluded second quarter, CVRR declared a distribution of $1.35 per unit, bringing its per-unit distributions for the first half of the year to $2.93. At the same time, CVR Refining lowered its annual distribution target to a range of $4.10 to $4.80 per unit. This was lower than the outlook issued in March, when it foresaw annual distributions of $5.50 to $6.50. CVRR units slid on the news, and are presently trading slightly below the $25 IPO price. The lower end of the revised forecast implies distributions of $1.17 per unit in the second half of the year, for a forward annualized yield of 10 percent based on the recent $23.50 unit price.
  
  SunCoke Energy Partners (NYSE: SXCP) was the third IPO to debut during a very busy third week of January. SXCP is the first M
• [By alicet236]

  CVR Refining LP (CVRR) Reached the Five-Year Low of $22.11

  The prices of CVR Refining LP (CVRR) shares have declined to close to the five-year low of $22.11, which is 42.2% off the five-year high of $35.98. CVR Refining LP is owned by two Gurus we are tracking. Among them, zero have added to their positions during the past quarter. Zero reduced their positions. CVR Refining LP is an independent downstream energy limited partnership with refining and related logistics assets that operates in the mid-continent region. CVR Refining LP has a market cap of $3.25 billion; its shares were traded at around $22.11 with a P/E ratio of 5.20 and P/S ratio of 0.52. The dividend yield of CVR Refining LP stocks is 14.65%.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: ATP Oil And Gas Corp (AOB)

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation, incorporated in 1991, is engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas properties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had estimated net proved reserves of 118.9 Million barrels of crude oil equivalent (MMBoe), of which approximately 75.9 MMboe (64%) were in the Gulf of Mexico and 42.9 MMBoe (36%) were in the North Sea. The reserves consisted of 78.6 Million barrels (MMBbls) of oil (66%) and 241.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas (34%). Its proved reserves in the deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico account for 62% of the Company�� total proved reserves and its proved reserves on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf account for 2% of its total proved reserves. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired three licenses in the Mediterranean Sea covering potential natural gas resources in the deepwater off the coast of Israel (East Mediterranean). On August 17, 2012, ATP Oil And Gas Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Company�� natural gas reserves are split between the Gulf of Mexico (57%) and the North Sea (43%). Of its total proved reserves, 8.3 MMBoe (7%) were producing, 19.0 MMBoe (16%) were developed and not producing and 91.6 MMBoe (77%) were undeveloped. The Company�� average working interest in its properties at December 31, 2011, was approximately 81%. The Company operates 92% of its platforms. At December 31, 2011, in the Gulf of Mexico, it owned leasehold and other interests in 38 offshore blocks and 49 wells, including 23 subsea wells. The Company operates 43 (88%) of these wells, including 100% of the subsea wells. In the North Sea, it also had interests in 13 blocks and two Company-operated subsea wells. As of March 15, 2011, the Company owned an interest in 13 platforms, including two floating production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, the ATP Titan at its Telemark Hub and the ATP Innovator at its Gomez Hub. It operates the ATP Innovator and the ATP Titan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  Most of the Chinese companies that I purchased now reside on the Pink Sheets or have disappeared altogether, but at one time they all traded on major US exchanges. One of them (AOB), even received the honor of ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in 2007, and people say that crime does not pay.

Best Bank Companies To Buy Right Now: MGM Resorts International(MGM)

MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Vikings became a huge success for A&E when it began airing in the U.S. in the month preceding GoT's Season 3 premiere on HBO. On Friday, Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) announced a deal in cooperation with MGM (NYSE: MGM  ) Television to bring the series to the U.K. and Germany via Amazon's local streaming subsidiary LOVEFiLM.

• [By Matt Thalman]

  While all the major casino operators will benefit from a recovering Las Vegas, this market probably won't produce any massive growth for the industry anytime soon. Double-digit growth rates will still probably only be seen in Macau, but since MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM  ) and Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR  ) control such a large portion of the hotel rooms and casino floor space in Las Vegas, news that the city is recovering should help.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  Thursday, October 31, MGM Resorts International (MGM) reported a loss for the September quarter of 7 cents a share. That compares with a loss of 37 cents a share in the September quarter of 2012. Excluding one-time items, the company moved into the black with earnings of 2 cents a share. That compares with a 3-cent a share loss in the September quarter of 2012. Revenue climbed 9% year over year. Cash flow rose 25% year over year. (MGM Resorts International is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.)

• [By Ted Stamas]

  My impression is that unless they get acquired by one of the major casino operators like Las Vegas Sands (LVS) or MGM Resorts (MGM), this move into mobile gaming is a few years down the line before we see any significant results. Headlines can always goose a stock in the short term, but in the long run, it's the earnings that count, or revenue growth if you are a younger company. It must be noted that although they have a cash balance of $21.2 million and no debt, they are still losing money. This is a turnaround, speculative play, but one with significant potential.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Valero Energy Corporation(VLO)

Valero Energy Corporation operates as an independent petroleum refining and marketing company. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Ethanol, and Retail. The Refining segment engages in refining, wholesale marketing, product supply and distribution, and transportation operations. It produces conventional gasoline, distillates, jet fuel, asphalt, petrochemicals, lubricants, and other refined products. This segment also offers conventional blendstock for oxygenate blending, reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygenate blending, gasoline meeting the specifications of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), CARB diesel fuel, low-sulfur and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel. The Ethanol segment produces ethanol and distillers grains. The Retail segment sells transportation fuels at retail stores and unattended self-service cardlocks; convenience store merchandise and services in retail stores; and home heating oil to residential customers. Valero Energy Corpora tion markets its refined products through bulk and rack marketing network; and sells refined products through a network of approximately 6,800 retail and wholesale branded outlets under the Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar, Beacon, and Texaco names in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Aruba, and Ireland. As of December 31, 2011, it owned 16 petroleum refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.0 million barrels per day; and operated 10 ethanol plants with a combined nameplate production capacity of approximately 1.1 billion gallons per year. The company was formerly known as Valero Refining and Marketing Company and changed its name to Valero Energy Corporation in August 1997. Valero Energy Corporation was founded in 1955 and is based in San Antonio, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Frank Holmes]

  Valero (VLO) is the largest refining company, independent refinery in the US with operations in Canada and Europe.

  Its cheap natural gas from discounted oil from shale and oil sands give Valero a huge competitive edge versus its global peers, because those buying oil and gas from Eastern Europe, from Russia, have to pay a ratio and it basically puts gas prices like $10 in MCF and here, they're under three. This stock is up 33% year-to-date.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  3. Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO  ) , P/E of 7.4
  Valero is a major oil refiner and distributor based out of San Antonio, Texas. Beyond typical crude oil refining, Valero also has a hand in biofuels and ethanol.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) was downgraded to Perform from Outperform at Oppenheimer.

  Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform, but the price target was raised to $160 from $149, at Credit Suisse.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Archer Ltd (ARCHER)

Archer Ltd, formerly Seawell Limited is a Bermuda-based global oilfield service company. The Company provides drilling services, such as platform drilling, land drilling, modular rings, directional drilling, drill bits, tubular services, drilling and completion fluids, cementing tools, plugs and packers, underbalanced services, rentals and engineering. It specialises also in well services, such as wireline intervention, specialist intervention, frac valves, wireline logging, integrity diagnostics, imaging, production monitoring, coiled tubing, completion services and fishing. As of January 3, 2012, the Company's organizational structure centered on four geographic and strategic areas: North America (NAM), North Sea (NRS), Latin America (LAM) and Emerging Markets & Technologies (EMT). As of December 31, 2010, it was active through a number of subsidiaries, namely Seawell, Allis-Chalmers Energy, Gray Wireline, Rig Inspection Services and TecWel, among others.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Linn Energy LLC (LINE)

Linn Energy, LLC (LINN Energy) is an independent oil and natural gas company. The Company�� properties are located in the United States, primarily in the Mid-Continent, the Permian Basin, Michigan, California and the Williston Basin. Mid-Continent Deep includes the Texas Panhandle Deep Granite Wash formation and deep formations in Oklahoma and Kansas. Mid-Continent Shallow includes the Texas Panhandle Brown Dolomite formation and shallow formations in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois. Permian Basin includes areas in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Michigan includes the Antrim Shale formation in the northern part of the state. California includes the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. Williston Basin includes the Bakken formation in North Dakota. On December 15, 2011, the Company acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located primarily in the Granite Wash of Texas and Oklahoma from Plains Exploration & Production Company (Plains).

On November 1, 2011, and November 18, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On June 1, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties in the Cleveland play, located in the Texas Panhandle, from Panther Energy Company, LLC and Red Willow Mid-Continent, LLC (collectively Panther). On May 2, 2011, and May 11, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin. On April 1, 2011, and April 5, 2011, the Company completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On March 31, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin from an affiliate of Concho Resources Inc. (Concho). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company completed other smaller acquisitions of oil and natural gas properties located in its various operating regions. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 7,759 or 69% of its 11,230 gross productiv! e wells.

Mid-Continent Deep

The Mid-Continent Deep region includes properties in the Deep Granite Wash formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths ranging from 10,000 feet to 16,000 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma and Kansas, which produce at depths of more than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Deep proved reserves represented approximately 47% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 49% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 285 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Mid-Continent Shallow

The Mid-Continent Shallow region includes properties producing from the Brown Dolomite formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths of approximately 3,200 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois, which produce at depths of less than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Shallow proved reserves represented approximately 20% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 70% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 665 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Permian Basin

The Permian Basin is an oil and natural gas basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico and produce at depths ranging from 2,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Permian Basin proved reserves represented approximately 16% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 56% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Michigan

The Michigan region includes properties producing from the Antrim Shale formation in the northern ! part of t! he state, which produces at depths ranging from 600 feet to 2,200 feet. Michigan proved reserves represented approximately 9% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 90% were classified as proved developed reserves.

California

The California region consists of the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. California proved reserves represented approximately 6% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 93% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Williston Basin

The Williston Basin is one of the premier oil basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in North Dakota and produce at depths ranging from 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Williston Basin proved reserves represented approximately 2% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 48% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Heckmann, as I said, wasn't the only company that had a problem with the weather last quarter. Oil and gas producer LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) had a number of issues in the quarter, with the weather negatively affecting its production volumes during the quarter. The company specifically pointed to severe winter weather in February and March that hit its operations in Oklahoma and Texas that caused the company significant production and drilling delays.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  One of the largest deals this year, and the one that could make an interesting new trend had LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) combine with its affiliate LinnCo (NASDAQ: LNCO  ) to purchase Berry Petroleum (NYSE: BRY  ) in an all-stock deal valued at $4.3 billion. The deal was unique because LINN is structured like an MLP while Berry is a C-Corp. To get the deal done, LINN used its newly public LinnCo, which is a C-Corp and whose only assets are units of LINN, to merge with Berry. Once the merger closes, LINN will trade its units to LinnCo for Berry's operating assets. LINN�believes�this new structure could be the new deal standard as it looks to continue to consolidate mature oil and gas assets in the United States. �

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Devon Energy Corporation(DVN)

Devon Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of natural gas and oil in the United States and Canada. It also involves in transporting oil, gas, and natural gas liquids (NGL); and processing natural gas. The company owns oil and gas properties in the mid-continent area of the central and southern United States; the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico; the Rocky Mountains area of the United States; and the onshore areas of the Gulf Coast, principally in south Texas and south Louisiana. It also owns oil and gas properties in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition, the company offers marketing and midstream services, including marketing of gas, crude oil, and NGL, as well as constructing and operating pipelines, storage and treating facilities, and natural gas processing plants. As of December 31, 2010, it had 2,042 million barrel of oil equivalent of proved developed reserves. The company sells its gas production to various customers, such as pipelines, utilities, gas marketing firms, industrial users, and local distribution companies; crude oil production to refiners, remarketers, and other companies; and NGL production to customers in petrochemical, refining, and heavy oil blending activities. Devon Energy Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Outlook
  Looking ahead, we'll see similar activity centered on shale ventures, with the Utica potentially seeing the most activity. Chesapeake has already made it known that it would like to unload around 100,000 of its acres in the Utica. Meanwhile, Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN  ) is looking to completely exit from the Utica. Devon has already packaged a portion of its Utica acreage, along with four other emerging plays, into a joint venture package with Sinopec. While these two energy giants are exiting the Utica, it still appears to be a top-tier play;�it's just not the oil-levered play those two were hoping it would become.

• [By Tony Daltorio]

  The company that bought Mitchell's firm in 2001, Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN), was also a pioneer in combining fracking with horizontal drilling.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Freedom Energy Holdings Inc (FDMF)

Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. (FDMF), incorporated in June 2005, is a holding company with a focus on the identification of opportunities within the oil and energy sectors. KC-9000 is the Company�� heavy oil technology, to assist in the recovery of heavy oil. As of December 31, 2011, the Company research had developed and shown a new product SR-139 at breaking down asphalt shingles allowing the extraction and recovery of hydrocarbons.

KC-9000 is a micro-emulsion technology. KC 9000 is a micro-emulsion developed to assist in the recovery and extraction of heavy based hydrocarbons that are saturated with high metals and paraffin content. KC 9000 is used for tank cleaning processes. By injecting KC 9000 directly into the tank port holes, at the tank bottom, with the emulsifies turning into an easily extractable slurry.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Paradigm Oil and Gas Inc (PDGO)

Paradigm Oil And Gas, Inc.( Paradigm), incorporated on July 15, 2002, is engaged in the exploration, development, acquisition and operation of oil and gas properties. The Company participates in the oil and gas industry through the purchase of small interests in either producing wells or oil and gas exploration and development projects. As of December 31, 2010, the Company held 100% working interests in certain oil and gas leases along with certain Oil and Gas production equipment in the State of Texas, United States of America, and is engaged in the rework and development of those properties. As of December 31, 2010, Intergrated Oil and Gas Solutions Inc. is the 100% owned subsidiary of the Company. Effective August 5, 2013, Paradigm Oil & Gas Inc acquired a majority interest in CAM Trucking & Well Service, a trucking company, from A Feezel Corp.

The Company is an exploration company focused on developing North American oil and natural gas reserves. It focuses on the exploration of its land portfolio consists of working interests in prospective acreage in the State of Texas and in the Southern Alberta Foothills area in Canada; and North Central Alberta, Canada. On June 22, 2010, Intergrated Oil and Gas Solutions Inc. acquired the Corsicana lease. On June 25, 2010, Intergrated Oil and Gas Solutions Inc. acquired two additional Chilson leases, known as Chilson B.

The oil and gas properties are consists of four leases totaling approximately 934 net mineral acres, all located in the State of Texas, United States of America. Chilson Property covers 80 acres in the County of Wichita carry with a 87.5% net revenue interest. There are seven existing wells on the property that have previously produced. Approximately 69 new wells can be drilled to depths that vary between 800 to 5,000 feet. Lumpkin Property 692 acres in Kaufman County, carry a 80% Net Revenue Interest. This lease is considered an exploration field with existing production nearby. 17 new wells can be drilled to 9,000 ! feet. Lett Finley Property, Consists of two leases-40 acres located in the County of Wood, carry a 75% Net Revenue Interest, and 122.37 acres located in the County of Henderson carry a 81.25% Net Revenue Interest There are two existing wells on the properties that have previously produced. Two new offset wells can be drilled to 9,500 feet and another seven infield wells can be drilled.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Buy For 2014: Sunoco Inc.(SUN)

Sunoco, Inc., through its subsidiaries, refines and markets petroleum products in the United States. Its Logistics segment operates refined product and crude oil pipelines and terminals; and acquires and markets crude oil and refined products. As of December 31, 2011, this segment owned and operated approximately 5,400 miles of crude oil pipelines and approximately 2,500 miles of refined product pipelines. It also operates 42 active terminals that receive refined products from pipelines and distribute them to third parties. The company?s Retail Marketing segment engages in the retail sale of gasoline and middle distillates; and operation of convenience stores. This segment operates outlets primarily in Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Its Refining and Supply segment offers petroleum products, including gasoline and residual fuel oil, as well as middle distillates, such as jet fuel, heating oil , and diesel fuel; and commodity petrochemicals comprising propylene-propane, benzene, and cumene. This segment offers its products to wholesale and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1886 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bull of the Day: Alliance Fiber Optic (AFOP) - Bull of ...

Alliance Fiber Optic Products (AFOP) recently beat estimates and estimates soared. Following a weak showing in yesterday's session, it is the Bull of the Day as a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). More Broadband RequiredI recently wrote about my "Best Tech Stocks For 2nd Half of 2013" and I opined about how the move to mobile is here. The flood of devices is upon us and that is creating some interesting pain points.Beyond the obvious plays in the chip space and even Wi-Fi play like Ruckus Wireless, there is the need for a bigger pipe to handle the impending strong demand for broadband internet. Facilitating that demand will be companies like Alliance Fiber Optic ProductsCompany DescriptionAFOP designs and manufactures components, modules, and subsystems that empower dynamic optical network, and facilitates the migration of fiber optics from the long haul through the last mile. That is all industry jargon for they make a fiber optic connection to your business or home a reality.Earnings HistoryWhile the rest of Wall Street saw the most recent quarter as a two cent beat, Zacks has it as a meet. We add back stock option expenses to get better view of what the company truly spent. That higher standard might also play into the earnings meet on the March quarter.Prior to the two meets, was a miss of one cent in the December 2012 quarter and a beat of $0.03 for the September 2012 quarter. The big difference here is that while revenue growth was flat in 4Q12 and 1Q13, 2Q13 saw revenues grow from $12M to $19M. That means a bump higher of more than 50%.The Last MileThere has been a lot of talk about dark fiber (unused). Google was widely reported to be buying tons of dark fiber a few years ago, and did so at dirt cheap prices. Since then, there have been several other players getting in the market as demand for higher speeds has driven the market. One company with the tools to help get the fiber from the information superhighway to the consumer is AFOP. They so called last mile is basically space between a ma! ss fiber hub and your line that connects to your house or business.Earnings Estimates AdjustedSay hello to some big time expectations! In March the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 was calling for $0.99. The number bumped up to $1.06 in April and was again raised to $1.32 in May. Analysts went on vacation in June, as the consensus didn't change, but they really kicked estimates higher following earnings in July. The consensus now stands at $1.71. That means earnings estimates have increased by 71% since March. The same can be said of 2014 estimates. In March they stood at $1.18 and then moved to $1.25 in April. Another jump to $1.56 in May was followed by a vacation month in June. Then the earnings report in July sent 2014 estimates up to $1.95. ValuationThe valuation picture for AFPO is highly attractive considering the massive earnings growth. While the company trades at a 29x trailing PE (compared to a 20x industry average) the more important measure of forward PE of 18.6X shows the company trading at a slight discount to the industry average. The discount extends to book value, with the stock trading at 4.5x book compared to a 4.9x industry average. Even price to sales shows this stock as being undervalued, with a 5x sales multiple compared to a 6.1x industry average.The Chart The price and consensus chart for AFOP tells you all you need to know about this stock. Earnings are clearly driving the higher stock prices, and with the estimates are moving up in nearly every month. The concept of broadband to the home is in its infancy, but with great growth comes great stock prices. If the company can continue to post big revenue growth the stock price will continue to move at what may seem like the speed of light. Brian Bolan is a Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. He is the Editor in charge of the Zacks Home Run Investor service, a Buy and Hold service where he recommends the stocks i! n the por! tfolio.Brian is also the editor of Breakout Growth Trader a trading service that focuses on small cap stocks and also carries a risk limiting strategy. Subscribers get daily emails along with buy, and sell alerts.Follow Brian Bolan on twitter at @BBolan1Like Brian Bolan on Facebook

Macey: Why The London Whale Scandal Was Blown Out of Proportion

We interview Jonathan Macey, who is Yale University's Sam Harris Professor of Corporate Law, Corporate Finance and Securities Law. Jonathan has authored several books on corporations and the law, and joins The Motley Fool to talk about his most recent work, The Death of Corporate Reputation.

A full transcript follows the video.

The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock it is in the brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

Brendan Byrnes: I wanted to ask you about the JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM  ) London Whale scandal. Their stock price now is up higher than it was back prior to the scandal. Do you think this is any kind of hit to their reputation, or hurts them long-term?

Jonathan Macey: It's interesting. Every scandal is different.

The JPMorgan London Whale scandal was very different than, say, the Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) Abacus scandal. The Goldman Sachs Abacus scandal, they're ripping off people. In the London Whale, you have a guy who's proprietary trading. He's trading with JPMorgan's own money, and he's losing money. He's just making bad bets.

There's nothing in that scandal that impugns JPMorgan's honesty or integrity, or the way they interface with customers. It's all about, do they have adequate internal controls...?

The London Whale scandal is really all about...if anybody cares about it, it really should be the shareholders, to the extent that it suggests weakness of controls, but as we see from the market, this seems to be something that JPMorgan has under control. It seems to be a bit aberrational.

Clearly, the company is taking it very seriously, so I don't think that the London Whale scandal really is...I think the market's right in not reacting to it. I think people are blowing it tremendously out of proportion. It's their problem. They made a mistake -- a big mistake; it cost them billions -- but they're moving on. They make a lot of money, and even in that quarter they didn't show a loss.

Best Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now

The dual headwinds of being both tied to discretionary consumer spending as well as being part of the real estate complex, made the hotel & resort sector one of the worst performers during the Great Recession. The resulting commercial real estate recovery wasn�� necessarily kind to the hotel real estate investment trusts (REITs) as well. The sub-sector was left behind by many of its office, retail and medical property peers.

However, recent data points and rising business travel spending are finally beginning to push the hotel REITs upwards. For investors, the former beaten down and ignored sector could finally be a buy.

Rising RevPAR & Business Spending

The hotel operators are finally breathing a sigh of relief as several key metrics are now showing positive growth for the year, all of which should make their investors quite happy.

First, the industries key metric- revenue per available room or RevPAR- has been steadily improving since the sector's lows. According to commercial property brokerage house Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL), RevPAR metrics came in at an average $102.99 for resorts at the end of August. This is nearly a $7 year-over-year improvement and sits closer to historical averages. RevPAR averages are expected to rise about 6% this year and in 2014, as business and leisure travel continues to rebound. Additionally, average hotel occupancies continue to increase and marked a 1.1% gain to sit at 67% total occupancy.

Best Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Boston Scientific Corp (BSX)

Boston Scientific Corporation is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices that are used in a range of interventional medical specialties. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its products were offered for sale by seven core businesses: Interventional Cardiology, CRM, Endoscopy, Peripheral Interventions, Urology/Women�� Health, Neuromodulation, and Electrophysiology. In January 2011, it completed the acquisition of Intelect Medical, Inc. In January 2011, it completed the acquisition of Sadra Medical, Inc. In March 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of Atritech, Inc. In February 2011, it announced the acquisitions of S.I. Therapies and ReVascular Therapeutics, Inc. In January 2011, the Company sold its Neurovascular business to Stryker Corporation. In June 2012, the Company acquired Cameron Health, Inc. of San Clemente, California and, as a result, added to its product portfolio subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator, called the S-ICD System.

Interventional Cardiology

The Company offers coronary stent product. Coronary stents are tiny, mesh tubes used in the treatment of coronary artery disease, which are implanted in patients to prop open arteries and facilitate blood flow to and from the heart. The Company offers a two-drug platform strategy with its paclitaxel-eluting and everolimus-eluting stent system offerings, and it offers a range of stent sizes. The Company markets its next-generation internally-developed and self-manufactured PROMUS Element stent system in the United States, its Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) region and certain Inter-Continental countries, including China and India. It markets the PROMUS everolimus-eluting stent system, supplied to the Company by Abbott Laboratories, in Japan. It also markets its TAXUS paclitaxel-eluting stent line, including its third-generation TAXUS Element paclitaxel-eluting stent system in the U.nited States, Japan, EMEA and certain Inter-Continental countries.

The Compa! ny markets a line of products used to treat patients with atherosclerosis, a principal cause of coronary artery obstructive disease. Its product offerings include balloon catheters, rotational atherectomy systems, guide wires, guide catheters, embolic protection devices, and diagnostic catheters used in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The Company markets a family of intraluminal catheter-directed ultrasound imaging catheters and systems for use in coronary arteries and heart chambers, as well as certain peripheral vessels. The iLab Ultrasound Imaging System continues as its flagship console and is compatible with its line of imaging catheters. The system is designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of blocked vessels and heart disorders. Sadra is developing a repositionable and retrievable device for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis. The Lotus Valve System consists of a stent-mounted tissue valve prosthesis and catheter delivery system for guidance and placement of the valve. Atritech has developed a device designed to close the left atrial appendage in patients with atrial fibrillation who are at risk for ischemic stroke. The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Technology, developed by Atritech, is the first device proven in a randomized clinical trial to offer an alternative to anticoagulant drugs, and is approved for use in CE Mark countries.

Cardiac Rhythm Management

The Company develops, manufactures and markets a variety of implantable devices that monitor the heart and deliver electricity to treat cardiac abnormalities, including Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) systems used to detect and treat abnormally fast heart rhythms (tachycardia) that could result in sudden cardiac death, including implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) systems used to treat heart failure, and implantable pacemaker systems used to manage slow or irregular heart rhyth! ms (brady! cardia), including implantable cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker (CRT-P) systems used to treat heart failure. Its product offerings include its COGNIS cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D), its TELIGEN ICD systems and its ALTRUA family of pacemaker systems. During 2011, it began the United States launch of its next-generation line of defibrillators, INCEPTA, ENERGEN and PUNCTUA.

Endoscopy

The Company markets a range of products to diagnose, treat and ease a variety of digestive diseases, including those affecting the esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, duodenum, and colon. Common disease states include esophagitis, portal hypertension, peptic ulcers as well as esophageal, biliary, pancreatic and colonic cancer. The Company offers the Radial Jaw 4 Single-Use Biopsy Forceps, which are designed to enable collection of large high-quality tissue specimens without the need to use large channel therapeutic endoscopes. Its exclusive line of RX Biliary System devices are designed to provide greater access and control for physicians to diagnose and treat challenging conditions of the bile ducts, such as removing gallstones, opening obstructed bile ducts and obtaining biopsies in suspected tumors. The Company also markets the Spyglass Direct Visualization System for direct imaging of the pancreatico-biliary system. The Spyglass System is a single-operator cholangioscopy device that offers clinicians a direct visualization of the pancreatico-biliary system and includes supporting devices for tissue acquisition, stone management and lithotripsy. Its products also include the WallFlex family of stents, in particular, the WallFlex Biliary line and WallFlex Esophageal line; and in 2011, the Company launched its Advanix Biliary Plastic Stent System and the Expect Endoscopic Ultrasound Aspiration Needle in the United States and certain international markets. Its Resolution Clip Device is an endoscopic mechanical clip designed to treat gastrointestinal bleeding.

T! he Company markets devices to diagnose, treat and ease pulmonary disease systems within the airway and lungs. Its products are designed to help perform biopsies, retrieve foreign bodies from the airway, open narrowings of an airway, stop internal bleeding, and ease symptoms of some types of airway cancers. Its product line includes pulmonary biopsy forceps, transbronchial aspiration needles, cytology brushes and tracheobronchial stents used to dilate narrowed airway passages or for tumor management. Asthmatx, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a less-invasive, catheter-based bronchial thermoplasty procedure for the treatment of severe persistent asthma. The Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System, developed by Asthmatx, has both CE Mark and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and is the first device-based asthma treatment approved by the FDA.

Peripheral Interventions

The Company sells various products designed to treat patients with peripheral disease, including a line of medical devices used in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and peripheral vascular stenting. Its peripheral product offerings include stents, balloon catheters, wires, peripheral embolization devices and vena cava filters. In 2010 and 2011, it launched several of its products internationally, including the EPIC self-expanding nitinol stent system in certain international markets, and the Carotid WALLSTENT stent system in Japan. The Company launched three new peripheral angioplasty balloons in 2011, including its next-generation Mustang percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloon, its Coyote balloon catheter, a highly deliverable and ultra-low profile balloon dilatation catheter designed for a range of peripheral angioplasty procedures and its Charger PTA Balloon Catheter, a 0.035 inch percutaneous transluminal angioplasty balloon catheter designed for post-stent dilatation, as well as conventional balloon angioplasty to open blocked peripheral arteries. The Company has commenced a limited ma! rket rele! ase of its OFFROAD re-entry catheter system in certain international markets, and in February 2012, it launched its TRUEPATH intraluminal CTO device in the United States.

The Company sells products designed to treat patients with non-vascular disease. Its non-vascular suite of products include biliary stents, drainage catheters and micro-puncture sets designed to treat, diagnose and ease various forms of benign and malignant tumors. The Company continues to market its extensive line of Interventional Oncology product solutions, including the Renegade HI-FLO Fathom microcatheter and guidewire system and Interlock - 35 Fibered IDC Occlusion System for peripheral embolization. The Company�� FilterWire EZ Embolic Protection System is a filter designed to capture embolic material that may become dislodged during a procedure, which could otherwise travel into the microvasculature where it could cause a heart attack or stroke. It is commercially available in the United States, its EMEA region and certain Inter-Continental countries for multiple indications, including the treatment of disease in peripheral, coronary and carotid vessels. It is also available in the United States for the treatment of saphenous vein grafts and carotid artery stenting procedures.

Urology/Women�� Health

The Company�� Urology/Women�� Health division develops, manufactures and sells devices to treat various urological and gynecological disorders. The Company sells a variety of products designed to treat patients with urinary stone disease, stress urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and excessive uterine bleeding. The Company offers a line of stone management products, including ureteral stents, wires, lithotripsy devices, stone retrieval devices, sheaths, balloons and catheters.

The Company markets a range of devices for the treatment of conditions, such as female urinary incontinence, pelvic floor reconstruction (rebuilding of the anatomy to its original state), and ! menorrhag! ia (excessive menstrual bleeding). It offers a breadth of mid-urethral sling products, sling materials, graft materials, pelvic floor reconstruction kits, and suturing devices. The Company markets its Genesys Hydro ThermAblator (HTA) system, a next-generation endometrial ablation system designed to ablate the endometrial lining of the uterus in premenopausal women with menorrhagia. The Genesys HTA System features a smaller and lighter console, simplified set-up requirements, and an enhanced graphic user interface and is designed to improve operating performance.

Neuromodulation

The Company within its Neuromodulation business markets the Precision Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system, used for the management of chronic pain. In 2011, the Company launched its Clik Anchor for its Precision Plus SCS System, a rechargeable SCS device for chronic pain management. During 2011, it received FDA approval for and launched the Infinion 16 Percutaneous Lead, a 16-contact percutaneous lead. The Company also markets the Linear 3-4 and Linear 3-6 Percutaneous Leads for use with its SCS systems, which are designed to provide physicians more treatment options for their chronic pain patients. Intelect Medical, Inc. is a development-stage company developing advanced visualization and programming for the Vercise system.

Electrophysiology

The Company within its Electrophysiology business develops less-invasive medical technologies used in the diagnosis and treatment of rate and rhythm disorders of the heart. Included in its product offerings are radio frequency (RF) generators, steerable RF ablation catheters, intracardiac ultrasound catheters, diagnostic catheters, delivery sheaths, and other accessories. Its products include the Blazer and Blazer Prime line of temperature ablation catheters, designed to deliver enhanced performance, responsiveness, and durability. Its cooled ablation portfolio includes the closed-loop irrigated catheter on the market, the Chilli II cooled! ablation! catheter, and the newly launched Blazer Open-Irrigated ablation catheter with a Total Tip Cooling Design.

The Company competes with Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  The stocks he did buy in the fourth quarter are almost all large positions. The largest, Boston Scientific (BSX), is 5.4 percent of his portfolio. He bought 7,797,503 shares at an average price of $5.50. The stock has declined over 20 percent in the last year and 65 percent over the last five years. The company has had volatile free cash flow over the last ten years and declining annual revenue since 2007. However, it has cut expenses (including jobs), is investing in China, and is launching two dozen new devices in 2012, in an effort to increase earnings by double digits in the next five years. Year to date, the stock is up 12 percent.

Best Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Navidea Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NAVB.A)

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Navidea), formerly Neoprobe Corporation, incorporated in 1983, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of precision diagnostic agents. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� radiopharmaceutical development programs included Lymphoseek (Lymphoseek, Kit for the Preparation of Technetium Tc99m for Injection), a radiopharmaceutical agent for lymph node mapping; AZD4694, an imaging agent, and RIGScan, a tumor antigen-specific targeting agent. In January 2012, the Company executed an option agreement with Alseres Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Alseres) to license [123I]-E-IACFT Injection, also called Altropane, an Iodine-123 radiolabeled imaging agent, being developed as an aid in the diagnosis of Parkinson�� disease, movement disorders and dementia. In August 2011, the Company sold its gamma detection device line of business (the GDS Business) to Devicor Medical Products, Inc.

Lymphoseek

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Navidea�� pipeline includes clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical agents used to identify the presence and status of disease. Lymphoseek (Kit for the Preparation of Technetium Tc99m for Injection) is a lymph node targeting agent intended for use in intraoperative lymphatic mapping (ILM) procedures and lymphoscintigraphy employed in the overall diagnostic assessment of certain solid tumor cancers. The lymph system is a component of the body�� immune system. The key components of the lymph system are lymph nodes-small anatomic structures that contain disease-fighting lymphocytes, filter lymph of bacteria and cancer cells, and signal infection in response to heightened levels of pathogens. In Navidea�� Phase III clinical studies of Lymphoseek, it detected over 99% of positive nodes identified by vital blue dye (VBD). As of December 31, 2011, Navidea, in co-operation with UC, San Diego affiliate (UCSD), completed or initiated five Phase I clinical trials, one multi-c enter Phase II trial and three multi-center Phase II trial! s ! involving Lymphoseek. Two Phase III studies were completed in subjects with breast cancer and melanoma. During the year ended December 31, 2011, data from NEO3-09 were released, which indicated that all primary and secondary endpoints for the study were met. As of December 31, 2011, third Phase III clinical trial for Lymphoseek in subjects with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (NEO3-06) was in progress.

AZD4694

AZD4694 is a Fluorine-18 labeled precision radiopharmaceutical candidate for use in the imaging and evaluation of patients with signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). It binds to beta-amyloid deposits in the brain that can then be imaged in positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Amyloid plaque pathology is a required feature of AD and the presence of amyloid pathology is a supportive feature for diagnosis of probable AD. Patients who are negative for amyloid pathology do not have AD. AZD4694 has b een studied in several clinical trials. Clinical studies through Phase IIa have included more than 80 patients to date, both suspected AD patients and healthy volunteers. No significant adverse events have been observed. Results suggest that AZD4694 has the ability to image patients quickly and safely with high sensitivity.

RadioImmunoGuided Surgery

As of December 31, 2011, RIGScan had been studied in a number of clinical trials, including Phase III studies. Navidea has conducted two Phase III studies, NEO2-13 and NEO2-14, of RIGScan in patients with primary and metastatic colorectal cancer, respectively. Both studies were multi-institutional involving cancer treatment institutions in the United States, Israel, and the European Union.

The Company competes with Pharmalucence, Eli Lilly, Bayer Schering, General Electric and GE Healthcare.

Hot Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: Elan Corporation PLC (ELN)

Elan Corporation, plc (Elan), incorporated in December 1969, is a neuroscience-based biotechnology company. The Company is focused on discovering and developing advanced therapies in neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. Elan�� business focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer�� disease and Parkinson�� disease; autoimmune diseases, including MS and Crohn�� disease and neo-epitope based targets for treatments across a range of therapeutic indications. Tysabri is a treatment for MS and Crohn�� disease that the Company markets and distributes with Biogen Idec. On September 16, 2011, Elan sold its EDT business to Alkermes, Inc. In November 2011, Elan launched a collaboration with the University of Cambridge, England, the Cambridge-Elan Centre for Research Innovation and Drug Discovery (Cambridge-Elan Centre). On December 21, 2012, the Company completed the demerger of Prothena Corporation plc. In April 2013, it closed the TYSABRI (natalizumab) Collaboration Transaction with Biogen Idec.

Tysabri

Tysabri, which is an alpha-4 integrin inhibitor, is a therapy for MS, a neurological disorder involving central nervous system dysfunction among adults. Tysabri is approved in more than 65 countries. Tysabri is approved in the United States as a monotherapy for relapsing forms of MS, for patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, an alternative MS therapy. In the European Union, it is approved for relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) in adult patients who have failed to respond to beta interferon or have rapidly evolving, severe RRMS. As of December 31, 2011, there were approximately 64,400 patients on Tysabri therapy worldwide.

In June 2011, the European Commission (EC) approved the inclusion of the anti-JCV antibody status as an additional factor in stratifying patients at risk for developing PML in the Summary of Product Characteristics��(SmPC) for Tysabri in the European Union. The Company has developed a two-step ! enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), STRATIFY JCV, with Biogen Idec. The assay detects anti-JCV antibodies in the blood of patients, and is commercially available in Europe. In January 2012, the FDA cleared the assay for commercial use in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, over 80,000 tests had been administered using the assay. Tysabri is marketed and distributed by Elan and Biogen Idec. The Company�� research group, Neotope, is focused on creating monoclonal antibodies based on neo-epitope targets for the treatment of a range of therapeutic indications.

Beta Amyloid Immunotherapies (AIP)

Beta amyloid immunotherapy includes the treatment of Alzheimer�� disease by inducing or enhancing the body�� immune response in order to clear toxic species of beta amyloid from the brain. The AIP includes bapineuzumab (intravenous and subcutaneous delivery) and ACC-001, as well as other compounds. Bapineuzumab is an experimental humanized monoclonal antibody delivered intravenously that is being studied as a treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer�� disease. It is designed to provide antibodies to beta amyloid directly to the patient (passive immunotherapy).

ELND005, an A� Aggregation Inhibitor

The small molecule ELND005 (Scyllo-inositol) is a beta amyloid anti-aggregation agent. Preclinical data suggest that ELND005 may act through the mechanism of preventing and reversing the fibrilisation of beta amyloid (the aggregation of beta amyloid into clumps of insoluble oligomers). ELND005 may have additional applications in psychiatric indications, such as bipolar disorder. In November 2011, the Company entered into a manufacturing agreement for the supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredient for ELND005 with Lonza Group AG.

Neotope Biosciences Limited

Neotope Biosciences Limited (Neotope) is the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary that focuses on the discovery and development of antibodies to neo-epitope related targ! ets for t! he treatment of a range of indications. It includes amyloidosis, diabetes, cancer and macular degeneration. Neotope�� portfolio of targets includes alpha-synuclein for the potential treatment of synucleinopathies, such as Lewy body dementia and Parkinson�� disease, tau for Alzheimer�� disease and other tauopathies. It also has a program for type 2-diabetes.

Onclave Therapeutics Limited

Elan�� wholly owned subsidiary Onclave Therapeutics Limited (Onclave) was formed to develop assets originating from Elan that have application in oncology related diseases. Onclave�� program, NEOD001, which originated from Neotope, is being investigated for the treatment of AL amyloidosis, which is a fatal disease involving abnormal accumulation of amyloid in organs and tissue. During the year ended December 31, 2011, Onclave filed for orphan drug designation of NEOD001. Onclave�� pipeline includes additional compounds with relevance in diverse cancer indications.

The Company competes with Biogen Idec, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Bayer Schering Pharma, Merck Serono, Pfizer, Teva Neurosciences, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis and Novartis AG.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  After months of fighting off the advances of unwanted suitor Royalty Pharma, Irish biotech Elan (NYSE: ELN  ) finally got an offer it couldn't refuse -- from drugmaker Perrigo (NYSE: PRGO  ) .

Best Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Myriad Genetics Inc (MYGN)

Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Myriad) is a molecular diagnostic company. The Company is focused on developing and marketing predictive medicine, personalized medicine and prognostic medicine tests. It performs all of its molecular diagnostic testing and analysis in its own reference laboratories. These technologies include the cornerstone technologies of biomarker discovery, high-throughput deoxyribo nucleuc acid (DNA) sequencing, ribo nucleic acid (RNA) expression and multiplex protein analysis. The Company uses this information to guide the development of new molecular diagnostic tests that are designed to assess an individual's risk for developing disease later in life (predictive medicine), identify a patient's likelihood of responding to drug therapy and guide a patient's dosing to ensure optimal treatment (personalized medicine), or assess a patient's risk of disease progression and disease recurrence (prognostic medicine).

As of June 30, 2012, the Company had launched nine commercial molecular diagnostic tests. The Company markets these tests through its own approximate 385-person sales force in the United States. The Company also markets its BRACAnalysis, COLARIS, and COLARIS AP tests through its own European sales force and have entered into marketing collaborations with other organizations in selected Latin American, European and Asian countries. The Company also generates revenue by providing companion diagnostic services to the pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries and medical research institutions utilizing its multiplexed immunoassay technology.

Molecular Diagnostic Tests

The Company's molecular diagnostic tests are designed to analyze genes, their mutations, expression levels and proteins to assess an individual's risk for developing disease later in life, determine a patient's likelihood of responding to a particular drug, assess a patient's risk of disease progression and disease recurrence and measure a patient's exposure to drug therapy to ensu! re optimal dosing and reduced drug toxicity. The Company's BRACAnalysis test is a analysis of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes for assessing a woman's risk of developing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. BRACAnalysis accounted for 81.7% of the Company's total revenue during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012. Its The Company's COLARIS test is an analysis of the MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2 genes for assessing a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer or uterine cancer.

The Company's COLARIS AP test detects mutations in the APC and MYH genes, which cause a colon polyp-forming syndrome known as Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), a more common variation of the syndrome known as attenuated FAP, and the MYH-associated polyposis signature (MAP). The Company's MELARIS test analyzes mutations in the p16 gene to determine genetic susceptibility to malignant melanoma. The Company's OnDose test is a nanoparticle immunoassay that is designed to assist oncologists in optimizing 5-FU (fluorouracil) anti-cancer drug therapy in colon cancer patients on an individualized basis. The Company's PANEXIA test is a comprehensive analysis of the PALB2 and BRCA2 genes for assessing a person's risk of developing pancreatic cancer later in life. The Company's PREZEON test is an immunohistochemistry test that analyzes the PTEN gene and assesses loss of PTEN function in many cancer types.

The Company's Prolaris test is a 46-gene molecular diagnostic assay that assesses whether a patient is likely to have a slow growing, indolent form of prostate cancer that can be safely monitored through active surveillance, or a more aggressive form of the disease that would warrant aggressive intervention, such as a radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. The Company's TheraGuide 5-FU test analyzes mutations in the DPYD gene and variations in the TYMS gene to assess patient risk of toxicity to 5-FU (fluorouracil) anti-cancer drug therapy.

Companion Diagnostic Services and Other Revenue

! Through M! yriad RBM Inc., the Company provides biomarker discovery and companion diagnostic services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical researches industries utilizing its multiplexed immunoassay technology. The Company's technology enables the Company to screen large sets of clinical samples from both diseased and non-diseased populations against the Company's menu of biomarkers. The Company's companion diagnostic services consist of Multi-Analyte Profile (MAP), Multiplexed Immunoassay Kits and TruCulture.

The Company has compiled a library of over 550 individual human and rodent immunoassays for use in its multi-analyte profile (MAP) testing services. The Company has also developed RodentMAP, a panel for use in pre-clinical animal studies and OncologyMAP, which measures cancer-related proteins to assists researchers accelerate the pace of discovery, validation and translation of cancer biomarkers for early detection, patient stratification and therapeutic monitoring. The Company has developed multiplexed immunoassay kits that enable its customers to leverage its technology services with their in-house capabilities. The Company's internally developed multiplexed immunoassay kits include all of the components necessary for a customer to perform a test on their own Luminex instrument. TruCulture is a simple, self-contained whole blood culture that can be deployed to clinical sites around the world for acquiring cell culture data without specialized facilities or training.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ: MYGN) rose 7.70 percent to $25.31 after the company reported that CPT code pricing error should take a 'week or two' to correct. Ladenburg Thalmann upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy.

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ: MYGN  ) , almost one month after a landmark ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court both undermined and supported the company's claim of patents for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, has filed suit against a company it says has infringed on those patents.

Best Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: Antares Pharma Inc (ATRS)

Antares Pharma, Inc. (Antares) is a pharma company that focuses on self-injection pharmaceutical products and technologies and topical gel-based products. The Company�� subcutaneous and intramuscular injection technology platforms include Vibex disposable pressure-assisted auto injectors, Vision reusable needle-free injectors, and disposable multi-use pen injectors. In the injector area, it has licensed its reusable needle-free injection device for use with human growth hormone (hGH) to Teva, Ferring Pharmaceuticals BV (Ferring) and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (JCR), with Teva and Ferring being its two primary customers. The Company has also licensed both disposable auto and pen injection devices to Teva for use in certain fields and territories and is engaged in product development activities for Teva utilizing these devices.

In the gel-based area, it received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in December 2011 for its oxybutynin gel 3% product, Anturol, for the treatment of overactive bladder. Antares also has a licensing agreement with Watson Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Watson) under which Watson will commercialize its topical oxybutynin gel 3% product in the United States and Canada. Its gel portfolio also includes Elestrin (estradiol gel) in the United States for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Antares has designed disposable, pressure assisted auto injector devices to address acute medical needs, such as allergic reactions, migraine headaches, acute pain, emesis and other daily therapies.

Pressure Assisted Injection Devices

The Company�� Pressure Assisted Injection Devices consists of three products: reusable needle-free injectors, disposable pressure assisted auto injectors and disposable pen injectors. Reusable needle-free injectors deliver precise medication doses through high-speed, pressurized liquid penetration of the skin without a needle. The injector employs a disposable pl! astic needle-free syringe, which offers liquid medication delivery through an opening that is approximately half the diameter of a standard, 30-gauge needle.

Disposable pressure assisted auto injectors is a technology of controlled pressure delivery of drugs into the body utilizing a spring power source. The Vibex is designed to provide fast subcutaneous or intramuscular injections of up to 0.5ml with minimal discomfort and improved convenience in conjunction with the enhanced safety of a shielded needle. Disposable pen injectors are needle-based devices designed to deliver multiple injections from multi-dose drug cartridges. The devices contain mechanisms that specify the dose to be delivered by defining the amount of movement by the stopper in the cartridge with each device actuation.

The Vision/Tjet has been sold for use in more than 30 countries to deliver either insulin or hGH. The product features a reusable, spring-based power source and disposable needle-free syringe, which acts as the pathway for the injectable drug through the skin and allows for viewing of the medication dose prior to injection. The product is also reusable, with each device designed to last for approximately 3,000 injections (or approximately two years) while the needle-free syringe, when used with insulin or hGH, is disposable after approximately one week when used by a single patient for injecting from multi-dose vials. The Vision/Tjet administers injectables by using a spring to push the active ingredient in solution or suspension through a micro-fine opening in the needle-free syringe. The opening is approximately half the diameter of a 30-gauge needle. The Vision/Tjet is primarily used in the United States, Europe, Asia and Japan.

Antares has designed disposable, pressure assisted auto injector devices to address acute medical needs, such as allergic reactions, migraine headaches, acute pain, emesis and other daily therapies. Its Vibex disposable product combines a low-energy, spr! ing-based! power source with a hidden needle, which delivers up to 0.5ml of the needed drug solution subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Antares is also developing a Vibex MTX auto injector for delivery of methotrexate for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The Company�� multi use, disposable pen injector complements its portfolio of single-use pressure assisted auto injector devices. The disposable pen injector device is designed to deliver drugs by injection through needles from multi- dose cartridges. The disposable pen is in the stage of development where devices are being used in clinical evaluations.

Transdermal Products

The Company�� ATD system penetrates the skin to deliver a variety of treatments. The gels consist of a hydro-alcoholic base, including a combination of permeation enhancers. Products being developed/ commercialized include Anturol, Elestrin and Nestragel. Elestrin is a transdermal estradiol gel for the treatment of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. Its other injectable drugs that are presently self-administered and may be suitable for injection with its systems include therapies for the prevention of blood clots and treatments for multiple sclerosis, migraine headaches, inflammatory diseases, impotence, infertility, acquired immune deficiency symdrome (AIDS) and hepatitis.

The Company competes with Ypsomed AG, SHL Group AB, OwenMumford Ltd., West Pharmaceuticals, Becton Dickinson, Haselmeir GmbH, Elcam Medical, Vetter Pharma, Bioject Medical Technologies Inc., The Medical House PLC, Watson, Abbott, Eli Lilly, Auxillium, Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals, Teva, Mylan, Roxane, Bedford Labs, APP Pharmaceuticals, Hospira, Pfizer, GSK/Astellas, Warner Chilcott and Allergan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  1. Antares Pharma (NASDAQ: ATRS  )
  Antares has experienced a roller-coaster ride so far this year. The stock was up more than 10% early in January, then proceeded to fall by more than 20% by late February. Since then, Antares has clawed its way back and now stands up a little over 10% for the year.�

• [By Keith Speights]

  Antares Pharma (NASDAQ: ATRS  ) announced its first-quarter results �Wednesday morning but failed to impress the market. Shares were down around 3% in midday trading. Here are the highlights from the company's results.

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Antares Pharma (NASDAQ: ATRS) added 6.65 percent to close at $4.33 following the announcement that an FDA decision is expected on its drug on October 14. Equities

Best Medical Companies To Watch In Right Now: LeMaitre Vascular Inc (LMAT)

LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. (LeMaitre Vascular), incorporated on November 28, 1983, is a global provider of medical devices and implants for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease. The Company develops, manufacture, and market vascular devices to addresses the needs of vascular surgeons. The Company's diversified portfolio of peripheral vascular devices consists of brand name products that are used in arteries and veins outside of the heart and are well known to vascular surgeons, including the Expandable LeMaitre Valvulotome, the Pruitt F3 Carotid Shunt, and VascuTape Radiopaque Tape. The Company sells 12 product lines, most of which are used in open vascular surgery and some of which are used in endovascular procedures. The Company sells its products primarily through a direct sales force. The Company�� products are used by vascular surgeons who treat peripheral vascular disease through both open surgical methods and endovascular techniques. In July 2013, Lemaitre Vascular Inc acquired the assets of Clinical Instruments International, Inc. In August 2013, Lemaitre Vascular Inc acquired the assets of InaVein, LLC.

In June 2011, the Company divested its TAArget and UniFit stent grafts to Duke Vascular, Inc. In August 2011, the Company terminated its distribution of Endologix�� aortic stent graft products in Europe. In November 2011, it launched the second-generation of The UnBalloon Non-Occlusive Modeling Catheter. In December 2011, the Company launched the Over-The-Wire LeMaitre Valvulotome.

Open Vascular Products

The Company�� open vascular products are used primarily in conventional open vascular surgery for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease. LeMaitre line of embolectomy catheters are used to remove blood clots from arteries or veins. The Company manufactures single-lumen latex and latex-free embolectomy catheters, as well as dual-lumen latex embolectomy catheters. The dual-lumen embolectomy catheter allows clot removal and simultaneous irri! gation or guide-wire trackability. Its Pruitt line of occlusion and perfusion catheters reduces vessel trauma by using internal balloon fixation rather than traditional external clamp fixation.

Pruitt F3, Pruitt-Inahara, Inahara-Pruitt, and Flexcel Carotid Shunts are used to temporarily divert, or shunt, blood to the brain while the surgeon removes plaque from the carotid artery in a carotid endarterectomy surgery. Its Pruitt F3, Pruitt-Inahara, and Inahara-Pruitt shunts feature internal balloon fixation that eliminates the need for clamps, thereby reducing vessel trauma. Its Flexcel shunt is a non-balloon shunt offered for surgeons who prefer to secure their shunt using externally placed clamps.

EndoRE line of remote endarterectomy devices are used to remove severe atherosclerotic blockages from the major arteries of the leg in a minimally invasive procedure requiring a single incision in the groin. Its EndoRE devices are used to separate the sclerotic blockage from the vessel, cut the far end of the blockage to free it for removal, and then withdraw the blockage from the vessel.

Expandable LeMaitre Valvulotome and its Over-The-Wire LeMaitre Valvulotome cut valves in the saphenous vein, a vein that runs from the foot to the groin, so that the vein can function as a bypass vessel to carry blood past diseased arteries to the lower leg or the foot. The Expandable LeMaitre Valvulotome is the only self-sizing and self-centering valvulotome available, and the Over-The-Wire LeMaitre Valvulotome is the only over-the-wire self-sizing valvulotome available.

AlboGraft Woven and Knitted Vascular Grafts are collagen-impregnated polyester grafts used to bypass or replace diseased arteries. They are available in both straight tube and bifurcated versions. LifeSpan ePTFE Vascular Graft is an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) graft used to bypass or replace diseased arteries, and to create dialysis access sites. They are available in both regular and thin wall ! options a! nd with an optional full or partial external spiral support to increase resistance to compression or kinking. Its LifeSpan models are designed to reduce the risk of steal syndrome and high cardiac output, which are complications that may arise in dialysis access grafts.

AlboSure Vascular Patch is a polyester patch used in conjunction with endarterectomy and vascular reconstructions. Vascular surgeons use patches in conjunction with carotid endarterectomy, remote endarterectomy, and other vascular reconstructions. The Company also distributes the XenoSure Biologic Vascular Patch, a patch made from bovine pericardium.

AnastoClip VCS and AnastoClip GC Vessel Closure Systems allow surgeons to attach vessels, native and prosthetic, to one another by deploying titanium clips in place of suturing. These vessel closure systems create an interrupted anastomosis, or a vessel attachment that expands and contracts as the vessel pulses.

Endovascular and Other Products

The Company�� endovascular products are used primarily by vascular surgeons in minimally invasive endovascular procedures, such as stent-grafting, angioplasty, stenting, and atherectomy, and it also sells non-vascular medical devices used in general surgery procedures, primarily laparoscopic cholecystectomy. UnBalloon Non-Occlusive Modeling Catheter is used to apply radial pressure to the inside of an aortic stent graft in order to seal the outer lining of the stent graft against either the aorta or an adjacent stent graft.

VascuTape Radiopaque Tape is a flexible, medical-grade tape with centimeter or millimeter markings printed with its radiopaque ink that is visible both to the eye and to an X-ray machine or fluoroscope. VascuTape Radiopaque Tape is applied to the skin and provides interventionalists with a simple way to cross-reference between the inside and the outside of a patient�� body, allowing them to locate tributaries or lesions beneath the skin.

In some hosp! itals, va! scular surgery procedures are performed by general surgeons. The Company sells on-vascular medical devices used in general surgery procedures, primarily laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The Company�� general surgery product, the Reddick Cholangiogram Catheter is used to inject dye into the cystic duct during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The Company also offers two laparoscopic accessories used in laparoscopic gall bladder removal.

The Company competes with Applied Medical Resources Corporation, Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Cook Group Incorporated, C.R. Bard, Inc., Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, Getinge AB, Jotec GmbH, Medtronic, Inc., Terumo Medical Corporation, Uresil, LLC and W. L. Gore & Associates.

Goldman to Feel Biggest Hit From Volcker Rule

According to SNL Financial, five of the top 30 banks will feel the greatest regulatory effects of the recently released Volcker Rule, which governs proprietary trading at depository institutions.

Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and First Horizon National (FHN) each derive more than 24% of their total revenues from trading sales, the research firm says, as of Sept. 30. Goldman Sachs tops the list at 62%, followed by Morgan Stanley at 36.5%.

In terms of the quantity of trading assets, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Bank of America (BAC) and Citigroup (C) have more than $260 billion each in total trading assets. First Horizon has about $1.5 billion.

Charles Schwab (SCHW) has $3.1 billion of total trading assets and gets just 0.02% of its total revenues for trading sales. Wells Fargo (WFC), which has $60 billion of trading assets, derives 3.4% of total sales from trading.

The Volcker Rule goes into full effect on July 21, 2015.

“The final version of the rule spans nearly 800 pages and introduces a vast new compliance regime for documenting market-making and other activities allowed under the rule,” said SNL analysts Robb Soukup and Sam Carrin their report. “Among the prohibitions under the rule is broad portfolio hedging, and regulators across the board acknowledged the broader rulemaking process as among the most complex in which they had ever taken part.”

In terms of exemptions to the Volcker Rule, proprietary trading of certain U.S. government-related instruments — including U.S. Treasury securities and other government agency and entity related debt — is allowed.

Analysts with Keefe Bruyette & Woods point out that it’s not only the biggest banks that will be affected by the new regulatory regime, since the rules also govern those with assets of $10 billion to $50 billion.

KBW foresees the compliance burden as being more important financially than any loss of revenue. "We believe the largest hurdle for regional banks will be related to hedging compliance and showing that the hedges reduce risk properly," the firm wrote in its report.

Overall, all banks may be unable to keep holdings of collateralized loan obligations on their books, according to Dave Preston of Wells Fargo Securities.

Although the Volcker rule exempts loan securitizations, it doesn’t seem to exempt them if the CLO owns bonds or other securities. This possible impact, however, could be affected by the precise ownership clauses for the CLOs.

More important, Preston points out, banks may not be able to make a market in the assets or liabilities of non-exempt CLOs for which it acted as the underwriter, since this would be a covered transaction.

Analysts with SNL say we’ll have to stay tuned for at least two to three years.

---

Check out The Battles That Shaped Dodd-Frank on ThinkAdvisor.

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now

Month by month, commodity stocks are getting more hated by the market... getting to be greater values... and getting set up for at least 100% gains.   In fact, for some companies, we're seeing 2009 levels of cheapness. That sentence should make any trader take notice. Those levels preceded spectacular gains in commodity stocks.   Regular Growth Stock Wire readers know that commodity stocks have plummeted this year. The big gold stock fund, GDX, is down 64% from its 2011 high. The S&P/TSX Venture Index, which we nickname "the Dow Industrials of small resource stocks," is 63% off its 2011 high.   These large declines have created extremely bearish sentiment toward the sector. Bearish sentiments create great values. And great values create great trade setups...   One way to see where these setups are cropping up is to compare today's valuations to where these stocks were at the "end of the world" in 2009.

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: CME Group Inc.(CME)

CME Group Inc. operates the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX regulatory exchanges worldwide. The company provides a range of products available across various asset classes, including futures and options on interest rates, equity indexes, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, foreign exchange, weather, and real estate. It offers various products that provide a means of hedging, speculation, and asset allocation relating to the risks associated with interest rate sensitive instruments, equity ownership, changes in the value of foreign currency, credit risk, and changes in the prices of commodities. CME Group owns and operates clearing house, CME Clearing, which provides clearing and settlement services for exchange-traded contracts and counter derivatives transactions; and also engages in real estate operations. Its primary trade execution facilities consist of its CME Globex electronic trading platform and open outcry trading floors, as well as privately negotiated transact ions that are cleared and settled through its clearing house. In addition, the company offers market data services comprising live quotes, delayed quotes, market reports, and historical data services, as well as involves in index services business. CME Group?s customer base includes professional traders, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, corporations, manufacturers, producers, and governments. It has strategic partnerships with BM&FBOVESPA S.A., Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, Singapore Exchange Limited, Green Exchange, Dubai Mercantile Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, S.A.B. de C.V., as well as joint venture agreement with Dow Jones & Company. The company was formerly known as Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. and changed its name to CME Group Inc. in July 2007. CME Group was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Among exchanges, the action is beyond the stock market. With the rise in trading of futures, options, and other derivative investments, NYSE Euronext's ownership of the NYSE Liffe exchange in London was a key element of ICE's interest. CME Group (NASDAQ: CME  ) and CBOE Holdings (NASDAQ: CBOE  ) have worked hard to preserve their respective strength in futures and options, and rising market turbulence has made many of their products look a lot more enticing. Given that derivatives can help hedge market risk and reduce overall exposure, all of the exchange companies have an opportunity to bolster their presence in the derivatives market with innovative products that meet the new needs investors have in a more turbulent financial environment.

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: Northgate Minerals Corporation(NXG)

Northgate Minerals Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in exploring, developing, processing, and mining gold and copper deposits in Canada and Australia. Its principal producing assets include 100% interests in the Fosterville and Stawell Gold mines in Victoria, Australia; and the Kemess South mine located in north-central British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as Northgate Exploration Limited and changed its name to Northgate Minerals Corporation in May 2004. Northgate Minerals Corporation was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

5 Best Cheap Stocks To Watch For 2014: Goldcorp Incorporated(GG)

Goldcorp Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of precious metal properties in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. It produces and sells gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. The company was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  In the following video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses the impact that expansionary monetary policy has had on miners such as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) , and he looks at what the end of this era could mean for those companies.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In the longer term, IAMGOLD could potential challenges from higher taxes on some of its holdings. The Canadian province of Quebec is considering changing the current 16% profit tax either to what amounts to a gross revenue tax or to a more progressive profit tax with higher rates on high-margin mining operations. Under current conditions, those taxes might not have much effect either on IAMGOLD or rivals Agnico-Eagle (NYSE: AEM  ) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) , both of which also have projects in the province, but it's hard to predict how a changes might affect future results if they take effect.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Lately, those sectors haven't done all that well. Terrible performance in the commodities markets have really hurt Canada's natural resources industry, with dozens of companies suffering from the decline in precious metals like gold and silver so far this year. Vancouver-based Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) and Toronto's Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) rank among the biggest gold producers in the world and have big advantages in cost and economies of scale over some of their smaller rivals. Yet the plunge in gold prices has hammered their share prices, casting a shadow over the overall Canadian market's performance.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) is continuing to turn its gold into investor cash. The company has declared its latest monthly dividend, which is to be $0.05 per share paid on July 26 to shareholders of record as of July 18. That amount keeps Goldcorp's payout in line with the six preceding monthly payments of 2013. Before that, the company paid $0.045 per share every month for over a year.

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: Iamgold Corporation(IAG)

IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. It primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other metals. The company holds interests in eight operating gold mines, a niobium producer, a diamond royalty, and exploration and development projects located in Africa and the Americas. Its advanced exploration and development projects include the Westwood project in Canada; and the Quimsacocha project, which consists of 3 mining concessions covering an aggregate area of approximately 8,030 hectares in Ecuador. The company was formerly known as IAMGOLD International African Mining Gold Corporation and changed its name to IAMGOLD Corporation in June 1997. IAMGOLD Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Air France led airlines lower, falling 4 percent to 7.30 euros. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) lost 1.9 percent to 270.7 pence while Deutsche Lufthansa AG slid 2.1 percent to 15.75 euros.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  He increased his holdings in gold companies in the fourth quarter accordingly. Gold stocks he found attractive in the fourth quarter are: Novagold Resources (NG), Randgold Resources (GOLD), Iamgold Corp. (IAG), Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX), Agnico Eagle (AEM) and International Tower Hill (THM).

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited(AEM)

Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties in Canada, Finland, and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold, as well as silver, copper, zinc, and lead. Its flagship property includes the LaRonde mine located in the southern portion of the Abitibi volcanic belt, Canada. The company was founded in 1953 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  In the longer term, IAMGOLD could potential challenges from higher taxes on some of its holdings. The Canadian province of Quebec is considering changing the current 16% profit tax either to what amounts to a gross revenue tax or to a more progressive profit tax with higher rates on high-margin mining operations. Under current conditions, those taxes might not have much effect either on IAMGOLD or rivals Agnico-Eagle (NYSE: AEM  ) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) , both of which also have projects in the province, but it's hard to predict how a changes might affect future results if they take effect.

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.(TC)

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in mining, milling, processing, and marketing molybdenum products in the United States and Canada. The company?s principal properties include the Thompson Creek Mine and mill in Idaho; a metallurgical roasting facility in Langeloth, Pennsylvania; and a joint venture interest in the Endako Mine, mill, and roasting facility in British Columbia. It also holds interests in development projects comprising the Davidson molybdenum property and the Berg copper-molybdenum-silver property located in northern British Columbia; the Howard?s Pass property, a lead and zinc project situated in the Yukon territory-northwest territories border; and the Maze Lake property, a gold project located in the Kivalliq district of Nunavut. The company produces molybdenum products, primarily molybdic oxide and ferromolybdenum, as well as soluble technical oxide, pure molybdenum tri-oxide, and high purity molybdenum disulfide. As o f December 31, 2010, its consolidated recoverable proven and probable ore reserves totaled 462.2 million pounds of contained molybdenum in the Thompson Creek Mine and the Endako Mine. The company was formerly known as Blue Pearl Mining Ltd. and changed its name to Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. in May 2007. Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. is based in Denver, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Thompson Creek Metals Co. Inc. (NYSE: TC) was at 54% discount to its book value of $8.30 per share at the time, and the stock price of $3.90 is up from $3.03 Deutsche Bank’s team nailed upside of more than 28% here. Its price target was $4 at the time versus a consensus target of $4.50 at the time. The 52-week range here is $2.42 to $4.55, but we would point out that the consensus price target is $3.93.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  The biggest new holdings are Chesapeake Energy�puts, and shares of Discovery Communications. Other new holdings of interest include Halcon Resources (NYSE: HK  ) , and Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE: TC  ) . Oil and gas company Halcon, operating in the promising Bakken region, as well as Texas's productive Eagle Ford shale region, among others, is expected to grow by 30% annually over the coming years. It recently reported 2012 net daily production 128% higher than year-ago levels, and proven reserves up 417%. Halcon was recently one of my colleague Joel South's top two energy holdings, and analysts at Stifel recently upped its rating�from Hold to Buy.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Beaten-down companies that you think are likely to recover strongly are also good candidates. Molybdenum miner Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE: TC  ) , for example, sports average annual losses of 35% over the past five years, and carries substantial debt, but molybdenum's long-term outlook is promising, with price increases likely, and the company has a promising gold and copper mine on track to start producing by the end of the year. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX  ) is another major molybdenum player, with considerable operations in other metals, as well -- along with new investments in oil and gas production.

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: Claude Resources Inc.(CGR)

Claude Resources Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal properties, as well as production and marketing of minerals in Canada. It primarily explores for gold in northern Saskatchewan and northwestern Ontario. The company holds interests in the Seabee gold mine located at Laonil Lake, northern Saskatchewan; and the Madsen property that consists of 6 contiguous claim blocks totaling approximately 10,000 acres, located in the Red Lake Mining District of northwestern Ontario. It also holds interest in the Amisk Gold project, which covers an area of 13,800 hectares in the province of Saskatchewan. The company was founded in 1980 and is based in Saskatoon, Canada.

Hot Gold Stocks To Own Right Now: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.