Top 5 Telecom Companies To Own For 2014

Top 5 Telecom Companies To Own For 2014: Telstra Corporation Ltd (TLSYY.PK)

Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) telecommunications and information services company providing telecommunications and information services for domestic and international customers. The Company operates in nine segments: Telstra Consumer and Country Wide (TC&CW); Telstra Business (TB); Telstra Enterprise and Government (TE&G); Telstra Wholesale (TW); Telstra Media Group; Telstra International Group; TelstraClear; Telstra Operations and Other. On July 6, 2011, Telstra announced changes to its organisational structure. Effective August 1, 2011, the entire sales and retail customer service workforce, was unified in a single business unit, Telstra Customer Sales and Service, responsible for sales and services to all segments, including consumer, business, enterprise and government customers. On March 27, 2012, the Company sold its 67% shareholding in Dotad Media Holdings Limited, and on July 21, 2011, it sold its 64.4% shareholding in Adstream (Aust) Pty Ltd. On 17 May 201 2, the Company acquired an additional 11% interest in Autohome Inc. Effective August 22, 2013, Telstra Corp Ltd acquired NSC Group, a provider of industrial automation services. In November 2013, Telstra Corporation Limited increased its Autohome shareholding from 66% to 71.5%. Effective January 21, 2014, Telstra Corp Ltd acquired O2 Networks, a developer of data networking and network security software.

Telstra Consumer and Country Wide

The TC&CW segment is responsible for providing the full range of telecommunication products, services and solutions (across Mobiles, Fixed and Wireless Broadband, Telephony and Pay TV) to consumer customers in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. This is achieved through inbound and outbound call centres, Telstra Shops (owned and licensed), Telstra Dealers and Telstra Digital. T! elstra Digital is responsible for delivering self service capabilities for all Telstra customers, across all phases of the customer experience from browsing to buying and bill ! and service requests.

Telstra Business (TB)

TB is responsible for providing Australia's small to medium enterprises. It provides a range of telecommunications products, services and solutions, including the latest in cloud computing.

Telstra Enterprise and Government (TE&G)

TE&G is responsible for provision of network services and applications and integrated voice, data and mobile solutions. It provides these solutions via Telstra Next Generation Services to enterprise and government customers.

Telstra Operations (TOps)

TOps is responsible for overall planning, design, engineering and architecture of Telstra networks, technology and information technology; construction of infrastructure for its Company's fixed, mobile, Internet protocol (IP) and data networks; delivery of customer services across these networks; operation, assurance and maintenance, including activation and restoration of these networks, and supply and delivery of informationtechnology solutions to support its products, services, customer support functions and its internal needs. It also delivers network-centric professional services, managed services and outsourcing services for Telstra customers.

Telstra Wholesale (TW)

TW is responsible for the provision of a range of telecommunication products and services delivered over Telstra networks and associated support systems to non-Telstra branded carriers, carriage service providers and Internet service providers. Telstra Wholesale also provides services to NBN Co Limited.

Telstra Media Group (TMG)

TMG is responsible for the management and growth of the domestic directories and advertising business, including print, voice and digital directories, digital mapping and satellite na! vigation,! digital display advertising and business information services. This includes the management of Yellow Pages, Whit e Pages, Whereis, Citysearch, 1234 and Quotify. It also mana! ges of it! s investment in Digital Media content, services and applications, including Trading Post, Telstra Advertising Network, BigPond content including music, movies, sport and games, Internet Protocol television (IPTV), online portals and the FOXTEL partnership.

Telstra International Group (TIG)

TI is responsible for managing Telstra's assets outside Australia and New Zealand. It includes CSL New World Mobility Limited, which is its 76.4% owned Hong Kong-based subsidiary in, responsible for providing full mobile services, including handset sales, voice and data products to the Hong Kong market. These services are delivered over CSL's third generation (3G) and 4G Long Term Evolution networks. Its mainland China business provides digital media services in auto, IT and consumer electronics (this includes the Autohome and Sequel IT businesses). Its managed services and international connectivity business, provides managed network services, international d ata and voice, and satellite across Asia Pacific, China, India, Europe, and Africa.

TelstraClear

TClear is the Company's New Zealand subsidiary. TClear is responsible for providing full telecommunications services to the New Zealand market.

Telstra Innovation, Products and Marketing

TIPM is responsible for innovation, product, promotion and pricing across Telstra. TIPM is also responsible for the overall brand, sponsorship, promotion and advertising direction of Telstra, as well as maintaining industry analyst relations and embedding market-based management across the Company. This is done by delivering data-driven customer insights that put the customer at the centre of everything Telstra does.

Corporate areas

Corporate areas provides operational and strategic lega! l support! and advice across the Company; manages Telstra's public policy and communications; provides the functions of corporate

< p>planning, accounting and administration, treasury, risk ma! nagement ! and assurance, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy. The segment also supports in organisational design and change, implementation of people and culture initiatives, leadership development, talent and succession management, health, safety and wellbeing, professional development, workplace relations and all employment and remuneration policies. The segment provides the functions of credit management, billing and procurement.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Hunkar]

  Current Dividend Yield: 4.91%
  Sector: Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
  Country: Italy

  Company: Telstra Corp Ltd (TLSYY.PK)

  Current Dividend Yield: 6.43%
  Sector: Telecom
  Country: Australia

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-telecom-companies-to-own-for-2014.html

Why United Natural Foods's Earnings May Not Be So Hot

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

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

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

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

Over the past 12 months, United Natural Foods generated $18.9 million cash while it booked net income of $100.9 million. That means it turned 0.3% of its revenue into FCF. That doesn't sound so great. FCF is less than net income. Ideally, we'd like to see the opposite.

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

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

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

Top 10 Freight Stocks To Own Right Now

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

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

With 15.3% of operating cash flow coming from questionable sources, United Natural Foods investors should take a closer look at the underlying numbers. Within the questionable cash flow figure plotted in the TTM period above, stock-based compensation and related tax benefits provided the biggest boost, at 17.4% of cash flow from operations. Overall, the biggest drag on FCF came from capital expenditures, which consumed 71.0% of cash from operations.

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

The rich are different than you and me: They might not notice the moneymaking stories right under our noses. In our new report, "Middle-Class Millionaire-Makers: 3 Stocks Wall Street's Too Rich to Notice," we give you three Peter Lynch-inspired buy-what-you-know stocks for the 99%. Click here for instant access to this free report.

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

Add United Natural Foods to My Watchlist.

4 Energy Services Stocks to Sell Now

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This week, the overall grades of four energy services stocks are lower, according to the Portfolio Grader database. Each of these rates a “D” (“sell”) or “F” overall (“strong sell”).

Tenaris S.A. Sponsored ADR’s () rating falls to a D (“sell”) this week, down from C (“hold”) the week prior. Tenaris manufactures and supplies steel pipe products and related services for the world’s energy industry. For Portfolio Grader’s specific subcategory of Sales Growth, TS also gets an F. .

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. () earns an F (“strong sell”) this week, moving down from last week’s grade of D (“sell”). Helix Energy Solutions is a marine contractor and operator of offshore oil and gas properties and production facilities. The stock gets F’s in Cash Flow and Margin Growth. Shares of the stock have been exchanging at an usually rapid pace, twice the rate of the week prior. .

The rating of Dril-Quip, Inc. () slips from a C to a D. Dril-Quip designs, manufactures, sells, and services offshore drilling and production equipment to be used in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications. The stock currently has a trailing PE Ratio of 27.20. .

This week, Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc.’s () rating worsens to an F from the company’s D rating a week ago. Hornbeck Offshore Services provides marine transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry. The stock gets F’s in Earnings Revisions and Cash Flow. At $39.86, the stock is below the 50-day moving average of $40.76. .

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

Stocks: Earnings Disappointment Ends Market’s Winning Streak

All good things must come to an end. And so it is with the S&P 500′s six-day winning streak, as AT&T (T), Intuitive Surgical (ISRG), International Game Technology (IGT), Amgen (AMGN) and Netflix (NFLX) helped lead the market lower.

Francesco Lastrucci for The Wall Street Journal

The S&P 500 fell 0.2% to 1,875.39 today, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.1% to 16,501.65. The Nasdaq Composite suffered the most damage, as it declined 0.8% to 4,126.97.

AT&T fell 3.8% to $34.92 today despite beating earnings forecasts and raising 2014 revenue guidance.

Intuitive Surgical slid 11% to $373.93 after it predicted disappointing sales for its robotic-surgery machines.

International Game Technology tumbled 10% to $12.62 after its profits fell by two-thirds and it lowered its full-year earnings guidance.

Amgen declined 5% to $113.32 after the biotech-giant missed earnings forecasts.

Netflix dropped 5.2% to $353.50 after Amazon.com (AMZN) struck a deal with HBO to show old episodes of the network’s shows.

Rhino Trading Partners’ Michael Block blamed the disappointing earnings from Amgen, AT&T and others, for the market weakness today:

From overnight we are seeing some significant growth names in tech and biotech…act poorly after guidance. This may hamper the relative and absolute bounce back in growth that we have seen over the past few days – at least for today. How that plays out going forward has everything to do with how the rest of the calendar goes this week.

Today’s housing data certainly didn’t do the market any favors either. Sales of new single-family homes fell 15% in March from February to an annual pace of 384,000, well below economist forecasts for 450,000. Much hand wringing ensued. Societe Generale’s Aneta Markowska, however, says not to worry:

Resale activity in the housing market has slowed noticeably since peaking in July 2013. Based on the data, it is easy to conclude that housing demand is rolling over, perhaps due to higher mortgage rates. Yet, this conclusion is out of synch with home prices which continue to appreciate rapidly and indeed show no sign of slowing. We believe that the answer to these seemingly diverging trends lies on the supply side. Measured as a percentage of the housing stock, total housing inventory – including shadow or pending supply – stands at the lowest level since 2005, when the housing boom was in full swing. While inventory shortages may be curtailing sales, they are unambiguously positive for residential construction and for the broader economy going forward.

Ned Davis Research’s Lance Stonecypher and Kathy Hartley are feeling better about the energy sector, which they upgraded to marketweight from underweight. They offer five reasons why:

„„Energy's relative performance has broken out above its 200-day moving average. „„ ETF flows positive in 8 of past 9 weeks. „Value-oriented sector with positive earnings surprises. „„Historically, has outperformed during market declines (83% of the time). „„Gains tailwinds in rising interest-rate environment (should rates start to back-up).

Outerwall: Should You Invest?

The Motley Fool is on the road in Seattle! Recently we visited Coinstar -- now officially renamed Outerwall  (NASDAQ: OUTR  ) -- to speak with CFO-turned-CEO Scott Di Valerio about the 22-year-old company's well-known coin-cashing machines, as well as its more recent acquisition of Redbox, and future initiatives to expand into other aspects of the automated retail market.

In this video segment, Scott discusses Coinstar's top and bottom-line growth, the strategy behind its share repurchase, its cash flow, and its commitment to delivering returns for shareholders. The full version of the interview can be watched here.

A full transcript follows the video.

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Austin Smith: You guys have dramatically reduced shares outstanding in just a few quarters. I think it was about 3 million shares. I'm wondering, now that you're CEO, if you could discuss the logic and strategy behind that share repurchase program and whether or not you guys are interested in continuing it.

Scott Di Valerio: You bet. We do capital allocation on a holistic basis. You first take a look and say, "OK, I need to invest in my core businesses to continue to grow them, both from new innovations into the core businesses, as well as the existing. I need to invest in new businesses -- like we've been talking about -- to bring new concepts into the marketplace, and then also in infrastructure in the corporation."

You calculate out what those returns are, and also returning money to the shareholders through share buyback. We'll continue to do that. We balance those out to make sure that we're doing it in a smart way, but a way that really does drive the highest return.

Four years ago, our return on invested capital, for example, was in the low single digits. Last year we finished out at 18.3%.

Smith: Congratulations.

Di Valerio: It's a nice focus for us to continue to do that, and as we try to grow out this business -- and we've talked about doubling the size of the company over the next five years -- we're going to do that while getting our return on invested capital up to 20%, which isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do, but that's how we stay in this very structured and balanced approach to getting returns for our shareholders.

Smith: Got to aim high.

Di Valerio: That's right.

Smith: What do you think is the single biggest thing that retail investors may be missing, or should know, about Coinstar today?

Di Valerio: It's a business that really focuses on its customer, and it's a business that is very operationally sound, and a business that continues to be inventive, innovative, and to bring new products to the market that customers want, and do it in a way that's efficient and effective, that's driving top-line and bottom-line growth.

If you look at our business, we've grown double digits over the last four or five years, both top line and bottom line, and we've driven great free cash flow. Well over $250 million of free cash flow last year; we'll generate between $185 and $205 million of free cash flow this year.

It's a business that's very strong, very growth-oriented, but we're growing profitability at the same time we're growing revenue and free cash flows which is, again, a business that is very good to run. It's a business that should be very good to invest in, and one that's probably a little bit misunderstood, given the fact that we have a lot of great businesses and we're in a business that we think is going to continue to grow, and grow quite rapidly.

Sant Chatwal: An Indian American Hotelier's Falls From Grace

 

Late last week Sant Chatwal Singh, a prominent Indian American hotelier who was a key donor and fundraiser for Hilary Rodham Clinton's presidential run in 2008, pleaded guilty in a straw donor scheme.

 

Chatwal admitted that he had funneled more than $180,000 in illegal contributions between 2007 and 2011 to three federal candidates, including Clinton, according to media reports. He pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Thursday to skirting federal campaign contribution laws and witness tampering.

 

Chatwal, who has been friendly with the Clintons for years, had raised about $100,000 for Hillary's 2008 presidential run. However, it turns out, most of that was illegal as it was an elaborate straw donor scheme in which he illegally reimbursed donors for their contributions, the New York Times reported.

 

This is quite a fall from grace for a flamboyant, and prominent, immigrant family.

 

In a cover story for Forbes Asia back in 2006, I had profiled the Chatwal family's hotel empire in the U.S. Sant and his two sons, including Vikram who was briefly a model who appeared in Vogue, control Hampshire Hotels & Resorts. Since its first hotel, the President, was refurbished in then seedy Times Square in 1987, it had become considerably upscale and added to its portfolio boutiques hotels branded as "Hautel Couture by Vikram Chatwal," where rooms and suites were rented for princely sums, up to $5,000 a night, to the glitterati. Of course, this was also in the hey days of the last decade and before the financial crash that came a couple of years later.

 

Sant's adventures started when he left his home in Punjab and moved to Haile Selassie's Ethiopia to teach. He opened an eatery there–maybe forecasting his hotel and restaurant chain to come–and grew close to the ruling class there but had to flee after the 1974 revolution. A few stops later he opened the Bombay Palace in midtown Manhattan, the first Indian restaurant to win over the fine-dining set. With that success in hand, he turned to the President and later to other hotels in New York and beyond.

 

The Chatwals, who have backing from institutional investors, today have 12 hotels in New York and one each in Miami, Bangkok and in the southern Indian city of Cochin (down from 17 at the time of my earlier reporting).

 

The Chatwals, at least before this turn of events, had social currency. Apart from several political friends–the list was headed by Bill and Hillary Clinton – steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, was a business buddy while self-help guru Deepak Chopra and various musicians and models, including Lindsay Lohan, mingled with the Chatwals on a regular basis. When Vikram, whose more serious past is in finance, trekked to the motherland to marry a Mumbai model with a business pedigree in 2006, it made the cover of New York magazine and a style spread in the New York Times.

 

Clearly, moving in such circles, especially the politically powerful ones, was important to Sant. In a recorded conversation, the Times reports, he described the importance of the donations to a government informant:

 

"Without that nobody will even talk to you. When they are in need of money," he said, "the money you give, then they are always for you. That's the only way to buy them."

 

Vikram too got into trouble when he was arrested last April after trying to board a flight while carrying cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills, and has had several stints in rehabilitation, the Times reports.

 

Sant, now 70, faces upto 25 years in prison and a lot fewer friends.

 

In a statement to the Times, a spokeswoman said, "Mr. Chatwal deeply regrets his actions and accepts full responsibility for the consequences."

 

Weekly Insider Sells Highlight

Top 5 Construction Material Companies To Watch In Right Now

According to GuruFocus Insider Data, the largest insider sells during the past week were: AthenaHealth Inc, Gilead Sciences Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Walgreen Company.

The overall trend of insiders is illustrated in the chart below:

AthenaHealth, Inc. (ATHN): Director David Eric Robinson sold 60,000 Shares

Director David Eric Robinson sold 60,000 shares of ATHN stock on 04/14/2014 at the average price of $140.61. David Eric Robinson owns at least 3,692 shares after this. The price of the stock has increased by 3.53% since.

AthenaHealth, Inc is a provider of Internet-based business services for physician practices. AthenaHealth, Inc. has a market cap of $5.44 billion; its shares were traded at around $145.58 with a P/E ratio of 8563.50 and P/S ratio of 9.54. AthenaHealth, Inc. had an annual average earnings growth of 23.90% over the past 5 years.

The company has reported its fourth quarter 2013 results. Total revenues grew by 48% over the prior year quarter. GAAP net income was $13.1 million, or $0.34 per diluted share. Non-GAAP adjusted operating income was $34.1 million.

CEO and President Jonathan Bush sold 1,000 shares of ATHN stock on 04/02/2014 at the average price of $161.74. President, Enterprise Services Stephen N Kahane sold 10,000 shares of ATHN stock on 04/16/2014 at the average price of $143.96. Other insiders have also sold shares of ATHN stock recently.

Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD): EVP, R&D and CSO Norbert W Bischofberger sold 90,000 Shares

EVP, R&D and CSO Norbert W Bischofberger sold 90,000 shares of GILD stock on 04/14/2014 at the average price of $67.03. Norbert W Bischofberger owns at least 119,302 shares after this. The price of the stock has increased by 4.43% since.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on June 22, 1987. Gilead Sciences Inc has a market cap of $107.68 billion; its shares were traded at around $70.00 with a P/E ratio of 38.40 and P/S ratio of 10.59. Gilead Sciences Inc had an annual average earnings growth of 8.20% over the past 5 years.

Gilead Sciences Inc. had reported fourth quarter 2013 sales of $3.04 billion, up 21% compared to sales of $2.51 billion a year ago. Net income was $791.4 million, compared to $762.5 million prior year quarter.

Chairman and CEO John C Martin sold 140,625 shares of GILD stock on 04/01/2014 at the average price of $73.26. EVP Commercial Ops Paul Rutherford Carter, and director John Francis Cogan both also sold shares of GILD stock.

JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM): Managing Director Daniel E Pinto sold 98,910 Shares

Managing Director of JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM) Daniel E Pinto sold 98,910 shares on 04/14/2014 at an average price of $55.22.

JPMorgan Chase & Co is incorporated under Delaware law in 1968. JPMorgan Chase & Co has a market cap of $209.11 billion; its shares were traded at around $55.22 with a P/E ratio of 12.80 and P/S ratio of 2.18. The dividend yield of JPMorgan Chase & Co stocks is 2.80%. JPMorgan Chase & Co had an annual average earnings growth of 9.30% over the past 10 years.

JPMorgan Chase & Co has recently released its first quarter 2014 results. Quarterly net income was $5.3 billion compared to $6.5 billion in the first quarter of 2013. Revenue was $23.9 billion, a decrease of 8% year-over-year. Return on tangible common equity was 13% compared with 17% in the prior year quarter.

CFO Marianne Lake sold 4,879 shares of JPM stock on 04/14/2014 at the average price of $54.89.General Counsel Stephen M Cutler and multiple other insiders have also sold shares of JPM stock over the past week.

Walgreen Company (WAG): Pres., Pharmacy, Health & Well Kermit R Crawford sold 74,287 Shares

Pres., Pharmacy, Health & Well Kermit R Crawford sold 74,287 shares of WAG stock on 04/15/2014 at the average price of $66.01. Kermit R Crawford owns at least 90,166 shares after this. The price of the stock has increased by 1.12% since.

Walgreen Company was incorporated in the state of Illinois in 1909 as a successor to a business founded in 1901. Walgreen Company has a market cap of $63.7 billion; its shares were traded at around $66.75 with a P/E ratio of 23.50 and P/S ratio of 0.86. The dividend yield of Walgreen Company stocks is 1.80%. Walgreen Company had an annual average earnings growth of 9.60% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Walgreen Company the business predictability rank of 3.5-star.

Walgreen Co. has released its fiscal second quarter 2014 results ended February 28, 2014. GAAP net income was $754 million ($0.78 per diluted share) for the quarter, compared to income of $756 million ($0.79 per share) last year. Quarterly sales increased 5.1% to $19.6 billion.

SVP, International Robert G Zimmerman sold 26,201 shares of WAG stock on 04/16/2014 at the average price of $66.07.

For the complete list of stocks that bought/sold by their company executives, go to: Insider Buys.

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This Week in Sirius XM Radio

Things never get dull for the country's lone satellite-radio provider. Shares of Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI  ) moved sharply lower on the week, shedding 3.7% to hit $3.15. The media darling's drop was roughly twice as bad as the more modest declines for the Dow and the Nasdaq.

There was more going on beyond the share-price gyrations, though. Sirius XM teamed up with Ford (NYSE: F  ) to announce seamless streaming in cars equipped with SYNC AppLink. And majority stakeholder Liberty Media (NASDAQ: LMCA  ) hit a fresh high on Wednesday.

Let's take a closer look.

Ford drives forward
Ford has been ahead of the curve when it comes to dashboard technology. SYNC AppLink, a platform available in more than a million Ford vehicles and counting, lets smartphone owners take advantage of their wireless plans by running Web-based applications in their cars.

This week, Sirius XM and Ford announced that Sirius XM's MySXM and SiriusXM On Demand will work with SYNC AppLink. In other words, subscribers to Sirius XM's online plan can stream the MySXM personalized radio stations or on-demand programming by using voice prompts as well as their steering wheel or radio controls to navigate through the applications.

This is a pretty big deal, especially as more new Ford vehicles are rolled out of the showroom with SYNC AppLink. Yes, most drivers will be fine with the satellite-based service, but it's not too shabby of a value proposition to pay $3.50 a month on top of the $14.49 they're paying for receiver-based access to receive Sirius XM's streaming offerings.

Ford's trial subscriptions include access to the online features, so drivers are already being educated on the merits of the enhanced audio options available online.

Liberty Media peaks
Despite becoming a majority investor in Sirius XM after pushing its take of Sirius XM past 50% earlier this year, shares of John Malone's media conglomerate aren't moving in lockstep with Sirius XM. There was perfect proof this week. Shares of Sirius XM have now closed lower for four consecutive weeks, but Liberty Media hit a new high on Wednesday. Sirius XM remains Liberty Media's largest asset, but investors are perpetually reassessing the value of Liberty Media's portfolio of assets.

A Sirius future
It was an interesting week for Sirius XM. The new week isn't likely to be dull.

Rock the world
Profiting from our increasingly global economy can be as easy as investing in your own backyard. The Motley Fool's free report "3 American Companies Set to Dominate the World" shows you how. Click here to get your free copy before it's gone.

David Rolfe Comments on Varian Medical Systems

Varian Medical Systems (VAR) has been a staple in our portfolio since the fall of 2005. The stock has rebounded smartly, up +31% from its April 2013 lows through the first quarter. Varian continues to be the global market share and technological leader in the radiation oncology business. Unfortunately, the incidence of cancer continues its deadly growth. In the U.S. alone, the American Cancer Society projects that some 1.7 million people will be diagnosed with cancer. Expectations of new cancer cases around the world are approaching 25 million over the next three decades. Of these new cases, approximately two-­‐thirds will be treated with some sort of radiation therapy. Varian has been at the forefront of linear particle accelerator since the late 1940's. Today the Company's installed base numbers over 7,300 LINACS across the globe – a 60% market share. As impressive as that may sound, the availability of state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art radiation therapy (radiosurgery and proton therapy) outside of the U.S. is woefully low. The developed world has access to 35 to 110 LINACS per million people over the age of 65. In the U.S., it's 110 LINACS per million. Western Europe and Japan is 35 to 65 per million. In India, Africa, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia there are between 1 and 20 machines per million. In China there is less than 10 machines per million. Complementing the Company's long-­‐term growth opportunity in radiation therapy is the secular trend in the "digitization of radiology," which is a key driver of their lucrative software and flat-­‐panel services business, plus their X-­‐ray tube replacement business that sells into the installed base of competing LINACS. The Company's initiatives to drive greater productivity continue to bear fruit. In 2013 sales per employee increased 14% and operating income per employee increased 20% over 2012 levels. Such productivity has helped the Company offset the continuing losses as they rollout their proton therapy machines. Cutting edge tech! nologies such as proton therapy are one of the many reasons why cancer survivorship rates are up to nearly 70% from 50% from just the 1970's. You will be hearing much more about the marvels of proton therapy in the years to come. The key benefit of proton therapy over the latest x-­‐ray technology is that proton beams, due to proton's relatively larger sub-­‐atomic mass, can be controlled and stopped at the tumor. Conventional X-­‐rays particles cannot be 3 stopped and risk damaging surrounding healthy cells. Due to the exceptional accuracy of a proton beam, the oncologist can more safely deliver much higher doses of radiation (hypofraction), which kills cancer faster with fewer treatments. Furthermore, tumors that are close to vital organs are ideal for proton therapy. These include head and neck, breast, lung, gastrointestinal, prostate and spine. Proton therapy is also ideal for children to avoid longer-­‐term side effects of traditional radiation therapy. The advantages of this therapy have been known since the 1940's, but the cost of commercialization has been a nearly insurmountable hurdle. The Varian proton therapy equipped facility at the Scripps Proton Therapy center in San Diego just went online in January. This $220 million, 102,000 square-­‐foot, facility is only the 15th proton therapy facility in the U.S. At its core sits a 95-­‐ton superconducting cyclotron where the proton beam is generated using oxygen and hydrogen to create a plasma stream. Protons are then extracted and accelerated to roughly 100,000 miles per second. Such miracles of science and technology (Cincinnati Children's Hospital just recently placed a proton order) come at considerable costs. The Company needs to get the costs of such systems below $25 million in order to drive any meaningful growth and profitability from proton therapy. Given Varian's long and exceptional history of innovation with LINACS, combined with proton therapy's high barriers to entry, we believe the Company is well-­‐positioned! to event! ually reap a substantial proportion of any potential financial rewards generated by this ground-­‐breaking technology. Stericycle continued its steady streak of growth. Last quarter earnings per share were up 12%, driven by a 13% increase in revenues, compared to the December 2012 calendar quarter. Stericycle is able to methodically deliver such growth through a unique combination of organic and inorganic means. For instance, during the quarter they closed eight acquisitions that will generate roughly $34 million in incremental annual revenues. As for the Company's competitive positioning, the regulated medical waste industry market opportunity is roughly $10.5 billion spread across a highly fragmented competitive field, consisting of regional or local players, with none generating revenues above $100 million.From David Rolfe (Trades, Portfolio)'s Wedgewood Partners first quarter 2014 commentary.
Also check out: David Rolfe Undervalued Stocks David Rolfe Top Growth Companies David Rolfe High Yield stocks, and Stocks that David Rolfe keeps buying

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Market Wrap For April 15: Who Doesn't Love A Turnaround?

Related BZSUM Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Markets Trade in Highly Volatile Session as Talk of a Pull-Back is Widespread Mid-Day Market Update: US Stocks Turn Red; Pep Boys Shares Drop After Q4 Results

U.S. stock futures were pointing towards a modestly higher open as investors found enough optimism from Dow components Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson who both reported better than expected quarterly results.

Investors were further spooked by reports of pro-Russian separatists taking control of an airfield in Eastern Ukraine which created a very volatile trading session.

The Dow Jones average rose 99 points and falling 110 points while the Nasdaq index showed one of the best turnarounds in years as the index traded as low as 3,946.03 during the trading session.

The Dow gained 0.55 percent, closing at 16,262.56. The S&P 500 gained 0.68 percent, closing at 1,842.98. The Nasdaq gained 0.29 percent, closing at 4,034.16. Gold lost 1.82 percent, trading at $1,303.30 an ounce. Oil lost 0.46 percent, trading at $103.57 a barrel. Silver lost 2.06 percent, trading at $19.63 an ounce.

Recommended: Is It 'Time' For A Major Correction?

News of Note

ICSC Retail Store Sales declined 0.3 percent week over week compared to a gain of 1.5 percent last week.

April Empire State Survey fell to 1.29 from 5.6 in March and missed expectations of 7.5.

March Consumer Price Index rose 0.2 percent, ahead of the 0.1 percent consensus and a prior reading of 0.1 percent.

Core CPI rose 0.2 percent, ahead of the 0.1 percent expected and prior reading of 0.1 percent.

Redbook Chain Store Sales rose 2.6 percent year over year compared to a rise of 2.9 percent last week.

NAHB Housing Market Index rose to 47.0 from a previous reading of 46.0 but still fell short of expectations of 49.0.

The Peoples Bank of China withdrew 172 billion yuan ($28 billion) through a repurchase agreement.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades of Note

Analysts at JPMorgan maintained an Overweight rating on BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) with a price target raised to $359 from a previous $355. Shares gained 0.72 percent, closing at $300.61.

Analysts at Oppenheimer maintained an Outperform rating on Citigroup (NYSE: C) with a price target lowered to $65 from a previous $66. Meanwhile, analysts at Bernstein upgraded Citigroup to Outperform from Market Perform with a price target raised to $57 from a previous $52. Shares gained 1.28 percent, closing at $48.28.

Analysts at Howard Weil downgraded EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG) to Sector Perform from Sector Outperform with a $105 price target. Shares gained 1.19 percent, closing at $101.15.

Analysts at JPMorgan upgraded Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW) to Neutral from Underweight with a price target raised to $78 from a previous $60. Shares lost 0.36 percent, closing at $80.71.

Analysts at Jefferies maintained a Buy rating on Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) with a price target raised to $700 from a previous $650. Shares gained 0.74 percent, closing at $536.44.

Analysts at Citigroup downgraded IBM (NYSE: IBM) to Neutral from Buy. Shares lost 0.36 percent, closing at $197.05.

Analysts at Janney Capital upgraded MasterCard (NYSE: MA) to Buy from Hold with a price target raised to $81 from a previous $79. Shares gained 1.35 percent, closing at $72.14.

Analysts at JPMorgan downgraded Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) to Neutral from Overweight with a price target lowered to $64 from a previous $69. Shares lost 0.03 percent, closing at $58.06.

Analysts at Bank of America upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to Buy from Neutral with a $35 price target. Shares gained 1.72 percent, closing at $29.56.

Analysts at JG Capital downgraded Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) to Underweight from Neutral. Shares gained 0.35 percent, closing at $39.71.

Analysts at Maxim Group upgraded Pandora Media (NYSE: P) to Buy from Hold with a $35 price target. Shares gained 3.68 percent, closing at $26.20.

Analysts at Bank of America downgraded PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) to Underperform from Neutral with a price target lowered to $60 from a previous $77. Shares lost 3.98 percent, closing at $66.61.

Analysts at Miller Tabak upgraded Potash Corp (NYSE: POT) to Neutral from Sell with a price target raised to $30 from a previous $28. Shares gained 3.13 percent, closing at $34.95.

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Analysts at Stephens & Co upgraded Tiffany & Co (NYSE: TIF) to Overweight from Equalweight with a $95 price target. Shares gained 1.43 percent, closing at $86.03.

Analysts at Credit Suisse reiterated an Outperform rating on TripAdvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP) with a price target raised to $105 from a previous $94. Shares gained 4.43 percent, closing at $83.30.

Analysts at Janney Capital upgraded Visa (NYSE: V) to Buy from Neutral with a price target raised to $240 from a previous $210. Shares gained 1.49 percent, closing at $204.00.

Analysts at William Blair downgraded Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) to Underperform from Market Perform. Shares lost 0.63 percent, closing at $76.89.

Analysts at Needham initiated coverage of World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE) with a Buy rating and $30 price target. Shares gained 3.75 percent, closing at $20.74.

Analysts at Macquarie upgraded Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) to Outperform from Neutral. Shares gained 2.29 percent, closing at $34.21.

Equities-Specific News of Note

According to BGR, Amazon.com's (NASDAQ: AMZN) rumored smartphone will have a 4.7 inch display with a 720p resolution and will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 13 megapixel rear camera. Additionally, the phone will have a 3D display which will support 3D viewing "in as many areas as possible." Shares gained 0.05 percent, closing at $316.08.

Eric Schneiderman, New York's Attorney General launched an investigation into Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) over its marketing practices. According to Dealbook, there are no signs that any criminal charges will be laid against the company and no grand jury subpoenas have been issued. Shares gained 1.99 percent, closing at $54.82.

General Electric's (NYSE: GE) CEO Jeff Immelt may give up his position earlier than previously expected as the company could look for "fresh blood" following Immelt's approximately 15 years as head of the company. shares gained 0.45 percent, closing at $25.83.

Elliot Associates reaffirmed that its $21 per share offer to acquire Riverbed (NASDAQ: RVBD) is still on the table. Shares lost 0.90 percent, closing at $18.69.

Shares of Under Armour (NYSE: UA) began trading under a 2:1 split basis. Shares gained 2.68 percent, closing at $52.45.

Entergy (NYSE: ETR) issued upside earnings guidance for the first quarter and projects it will earn around $2.28 per share, above the consensus estimate of $1.15. For the full fiscal year, the company is projecting its earnings per share to be $5.55 to $6.75, above the consensus estimate of $5.34. Shares gained 1.44 percent, closing at $71.97.

Himax (NASDAQ: HIMX) announced that it expects its first quarter revenue to be up 10.8 percent year over year to $194.6 million, ahead of the consensus estimate of $193.6 million. shares gained 3.56 percent, closing at $9.32.

Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) announced that it will begin idling its Canadian operations which includes the Barzion and Wolverine coal mines in British Columbia. Shares gained 4.87 percent, closing at $8.18.

Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) initiated a new $500 million share repurchase program. Shares gained 2.04 percent, closing at $151.40.

General Motors (NYSE: GM) will unveil a new Chevrolet Cruze car for the Chinese market as part of its initiatives to grow the brand in the country. Shares gained 2.47 percent, closing at $33.35.

BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) announced it has taken a stake in NantHealth, a developer of a clinical software platform in order to "put the power of a supercomputer in the palm of the caregiver's hand." Shares gained 0.98 percent, closing at $7.21.

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Sinopec (NYSE: SNP) has agreed to purchase assets from Russian oil producer Lukoil in Kazakhstan for approximately $1.2 billion. Shares lost 3.77 percent, closing at $88.86.

Total (NYSE: TOT) announced that its European refining margin fell to $6.60 per metric ton in the first quarter from $26.90 per metric ton in the same quarter last year. Shares gained 0.09 percent, closing at $67.79.

Dan Loeb's Third Point Capital released an SEC form 14A to further present his case against Sotheby's (NYSE: BID) management team. Shares lost 2.24 percent, closing at $39.30.

Winners of Note

Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) has agreed to purchase Gnip, a provider of real-time and hisotircal datasets for many social sharing platforms which include Twitter, Tumblr and others. Gnip also offers managed API access for Instagram, Google+ and others. Shares surged 11.43 percent, closing at $45.54.

One of Conn's (NASDAQ: CONN) major shareholders, W.R. Stephens Jr. purchased 152,746 shares valued at just under $6 million of the stock according to insider filing reports. W.R. Stephens Jr. Stephens was joined by another major shareholder, Elizabeth Campbell who purchased 106,034 shares valued at $4.188 million. Shares surged 14.53 percent, closing at $45.48.

Decliners of Note

hhgregg (NYSE: HGG) pre-announced sales totals for the fourth quarter in which net sales fell to $538.3 million from $597.6 million in the same quarter last year and below the consensus estimate of $551 million. Net loss per share for the quarter is expected to be $0.25, well below the $0.31 per share profit the company earned a year ago. Analysts were expecting the company to earn a profit of $0.10 per share in the quarter. Finally, hhgregg estimates that its fourth quarter comparable store sales decreased 9.9 percent with consumer electronics decreasing 18.9 percent and the wireless category decreasing 22.6 percent for the quarter. Fourth quarter and full year earnings are expected to be released on May 20. Shares lost 9.53 percent, closing at $7.88.

Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ: ZBRA) has agreed to acquire Motorola's Enterprise business for $3.45 billion in an all cash transaction. "This acquisition will transform Zebra into a leading provider of solutions that deliver greater intelligence and insights into our customers' enterprises and extended value chains," stated Anders Gustafsson, Zebra's chief executive officer. Shares of Zebra lost 10.09 percent, closing at $61.39.

Earnings of Note

This morning, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) reported its first quarter results. The company announced an EPS of $0.44, in-line with the consensus estimate. Revenue of $10.57 billion beat the consensus estimate of $10.55 billion. Net income for the quarter fell to $1.62 billion from $1.77 billion in the same quarter last year despite a gain in global volume and value share in ready to drink beverages, specifically a volume growth of two percent in emerging and developing markets. Coca-Cola reaffirmed previous guidance of investing $400 million in 2014 media initiatives. Shares gained 3.72 percent, closing at $40.17.

Recommended: Analyst: 2010 Jobs Email Suggests Tim Cook Is The Wrong CEO For Apple

This morning, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) reported its first quarter results. The company announced an EPS of $1.54, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48. Revenue of $18.11 billion beat the consensus estimate of $18.0 billion. Net earnings for the quarter rose to $4.73 billion from $3.49 billion in the same quarter last year as the company saw several successful new product launches and continued growth of its existing product portfolio. Johnson & Johnson issued guidance and sees its full year 2014 EPS to be in a range of $5.80 to $5.90, in-line with the consensus estimate. Shares gained 2.11 percent, closing at $99.19.

After the market closed, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) reported its first quarter results. The company announced an EPS of $0.38, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37. Revenue of $12.8 billion was in-line with the consensus estimate. Shares were trading higher by 1.79 percent at $27.27 following the earnings release.

After the market closed, Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) reported its first quarter results. The company announced an EPS of $0.38, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37. Revenue of $1.08 billion was in-line with the consensus estimate. Shares were trading higher by 9.62 percent at $37.50 following the earnings release.

Quote of the Day

"The longer MasterCard, Priceline, Google, and the biotechnology names continue to plumb new lows, the more likely it is the rest of the market will follow them down." - Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank speaking to CNBC.

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4 Big-Volume Stocks to Trade for Breakouts

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

>>5 Stocks Sell Before It's Too Late

Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume recently.

Hub Group

Hub Group (HUBG), an asset-light freight transportation management company, provides intermodal, truck brokerage, and logistics services in North America. This stock closed up 2.1% at $41.15 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 504,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 293,360

Volume % Change: 79%

From a technical perspective, HUBG bounced modestly higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $40.16 with above-average volume. This move is starting to push shares of HUBG within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if HUBG manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $41.81 to $42.50 and then once it takes out its 52-week high of $43.09 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HUBG as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $40.16 or above its 200-day at $38.66 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 293,360 shares. If that breakout starts soon, then HUBG will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $48 to $50.

EPAM Systems

EPAM Systems (EPAM) provides software engineering solutions and technology services worldwide. This stock closed up 8.4% to $33.44 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 1.54 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 633,179

Volume % Change: 203%

From a technical perspective, EPAM spiked sharply higher here with strong upside volume. This move is starting to push shares of EPAM within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if EPAM manages to take out Friday's high of $33.86 to its 200-day moving average of $34.64 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in EPAM as long as it's trending above Friday's low of $31.47 or above more near-term support just below $31 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 633,179 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then EPAM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $36.58 to its 200-day moving average of $37.07. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give EPAM a chance to tag $40.

Targa Resources

Targa Resources (TRGP), through its general and limited partner interests in Targa Resources Partners LP, provides midstream natural gas and natural gas liquid services in the U.S. This stock closed up 1.4% at $104.51 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 331,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 275,517

Volume % Change: 50%

From a technical perspective, TRGP trended up modestly higher here right above some near-term support at $101.08 with above-average volume. This stock has been consolidating and trending sideways for the last few weeks, with shares moving between around $98 on the downside and $105.96 on the upside. Shares of TRGP are now quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern. That trade will hit if TRGP manages to take out Friday's high of $105.12 to its 52-week high at $105.96 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TRGP as long as it's trending above support at $101.08 or above its 50-day at $97.39 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 275,517 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then TRGP will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $110 to $115, or even $120.

Tutor Perini

Tutor Perini (TPC) provides diversified general contracting, construction management, and design-build services to private customers and public agencies worldwide. This stock closed up 2% at $29.73 in Friday's trading session.

Friday's Volume: 465,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 267,676

Volume % Change: 80%

From a technical perspective, TPC spiked notably higher here with above-average volume. This spike higher on Friday is quickly pushing shares of TPC within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if TPC manages to take out Friday's high of $29.92 to its 52-week high at $30.04 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TPC as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $28 or $27 or above its 50-day at $26.26 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 267,676 shares. If that breakout gets underway soon, then TPC will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $35 to $40.

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

Top Information Technology Stocks To Invest In Right Now

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

>>5 Big Trades to Survive a Roller Coaster Market

>>5 Ways to Profit From a Crowded Short Trade

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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

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

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

Sell in June and Go Away?

The following video is from Friday's Motley Fool Money roundtable discussion, with host Chris Hill, and analysts Ron Gross, James Early, and Charly Travers.

It was a rough month for investors who followed the old investing strategy to "Sell in May and go away." The stock market hit new highs, and the broader economy showed signs of strength, with the housing market continuing its recent rebound. What does the hot May mean for investors? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts tackle that question.

The best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool's free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich," names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of. Click here now to keep reading.

The relevant video segment can be found between 0:14 and 1:44.

For the full video of today's Motley Fool Money, click here.

Why the S&P 500 Was Flat Last Week

Investors have done well this month. Despite the "sell in May and go away" cliche, those who have hung in there have seen the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) increase by more than 4% since the month began. This most recent week, in fact, was the only five-day period in which stocks declined.

By all appearances, you'd be excused for wondering why stocks didn't continue their upward climb. On Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors released data showing that existing-home sales increased last month by 9.7% on a year-over-year basis.

This upbeat assessment was confirmed on the same day by the quarterly earnings of Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL  ) , the nation's largest luxury-home builder. The company's fiscal second-quarter results showed that its net signed contracts rose by an impressive 36% compared with the same three months in 2012.

And Thursday was the bearer of more good news. Early in the morning, the Labor Department noted that jobless claims in the previous week had fallen to 340,000, down from 363,000 the previous week. And on the same day, the Commerce Department said (link opens PDF) that new home sales edged up last month to the second highest level since the financial crisis.

So why again did the market go down?

The impetus for the market's stagnant performance lay at the feet of the Federal Reserve. On Wednesday, the chairman of the Fed, Ben Bernanke, testified before Congress about the possibility that the central bank could begin to taper back on its monthly bond purchases at one of its "next few meetings." He tempered this statement, however, be noting that monetary policymakers would do so only if there's evidence of "real and sustainable progress in the labor-market outlook."

Top Bank Companies To Invest In Right Now

Bernanke's testimony was subsequently seconded by the release of the minutes from the bank's most recent monetary policy committee meeting. Click here to read more about this.

In terms of individual stocks, the top-performing component on the S&P 500 last week was Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) , which saw its shares rise by nearly 14% throughout the week. Most of the gain came on Thursday, a day after the personal-computer maker announced better-than-expected quarterly earnings. As my colleague Dan Dzombak discussed at the time, while HP missed estimates on the top line, its bottom-line beat was clearly enough to satisfy investors.

Meanwhile, the worst-performing stock on the index was Dean Foods (NYSE: DF  ) , which lost more than half of its value. This otherwise disturbing performance followed the company's spinoff of its organic-foods division, WhiteWave Foods (NYSE: WWAV  ) . As fellow Fool Rich Duprey covered here, each Dean Foods shareholder received 0.25544448 shares of WhiteWave class A stock and 0.36380189 shares of its class B stock for every share of Dean Foods.

The Motley Fool's top stock for 2013
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.

IRS targeting IRA rollovers after Tax Court ruling

Advisers who are salivating over big IRA rollovers from new clients: Watch out. The IRS has a bull's-eye on those dollars.

Starting Jan. 1, the Internal Revenue Service will begin enforcing a rule permitting only one 60-day IRA-to-IRA rollover every 365 days, regardless of how many IRAs a taxpayer owns. The finding runs contrary to the IRS' own interpretations of the tax code, as the agency has indicated that taxpayers can do one rollover annually for each account, according to a legal blog posted on tax guru Ed Slott's website.

“You can only do one rollover a year, and that's very concerning to us,” said Robert S. Keebler, partner with Keebler & Associates. “Financial advisers need to be on their toes.”

The change follows a U.S. Tax Court decision filed Jan. 28 involving a married couple in Short Hills, N.J. Per the decision, the husband received a pair of distributions from his traditional IRA in the combined amount of $65,064 on April 14, 2008. He received a distribution of $65,064 from his rollover IRA on June 6, 2008. The husband made a third transaction on June 10, 2008, moving $65,064 from his individual account to his traditional IRA.

Meanwhile, the wife took a $65,064 distribution from her traditional IRA on July 31, 2008. The couple then moved $65,064 from their joint account to the husband's rollover IRA on Aug. 4, 2008. Finally, the wife moved $40,000 from their joint account to her traditional IRA on Sept. 30, 2008.

The IRS and the couple locked horns over the characterization of the transactions. According to the decision, the couple described the April 14, June 6 and July 31 transactions as distributions. The couple also said the June 10, Aug. 4 and pre-Sept. 30 transactions were qualified repayments for those distributions.

The IRS said that of the three “repayments,” only the June 10 transaction was a qualified repayment.

The court found that in the one-year-period starting on April 14, 2008, the husband could have completed only one distribution and repayment as a nontaxable rollover contribution under the tax code. The other transactions are subject to the one-IRA-to-IRA-rollover-per-year rule and are includible in the couple's gross income. The couple was saddled with a hefty tax bill, including additional penalties.

Mr. Slott noted that the couple's many transactions went against the spirit of IRS Publication 590, wherein the agency indicated that one rollover per year for each account was allowed. “This is supposed to let you move money from one adviser to another or from one bank to another, and not to have the use of the money in between,” Mr. Slott said. “[The husband in the case] did so many rollovers, he had use of the money ! for six months. So he pushed the case a little too far.”

There's a lesson for advisers who are looking for new clients with large sums in their IRAs: Ask the client about where the money came from. “They have to ask the new prospect whether there was any IRA money rolled over in the last 12 months,” Mr. Slott said. “If it has been, you can't take it as a rollover, but you can take it as a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer.”

In fact, it might make more sense for advisers to insist on a direct transfer of the assets because clients can forget that they've done an IRA rollover within the last year. A second rollover will leave them owing taxes. “If the client tells you they haven't done a rollover, but they forgot, then your new relationship is already on a sour note,” Mr. Slott said. He noted that it's a value-add for the adviser, who can facilitate a direct transfer by coordinating with the custodians to move the money.

Top 5 Recreation Stocks To Watch Right Now

Indeed, some institutions will refuse to do direct transfers and offer only a check to the client. If that's the case, have the client request that the check be made to the receiving IRA so that it will still count as a direct transfer. Don't have the check made out to the accountholder.

For existing clients: Stop making those IRA-to-IRA rollovers. “The IRS won't enforce it until Jan. 1, 2015,” said Mr. Slott. “Clean up all of your old rollovers, stop them as a practice and educate everyone.”

“Every adviser loves big rollovers because they're big money, but if you blow this rule, you'll end up with an even bigger problem,” he added.

Here's Why the Business Loan Boom May Be the Next Bust

As the news that mortgage lending is heading into slow mode sinks in, reports that commercial and industrial lending is on the upswing seems like a ray of sunshine. Relaxed lending standards are causing somewhat of a boom in this area -- which seems to bode well for both Federal Reserve policy as well as the overall economy. After all, quantitative easing is all about creating an environment that is hospitable to lending, and businesses that borrow usually use the money to expand and -- hopefully -- hire more workers.

But there is a dark side to this ramping up of C&I activity: risk. With competition for these loans at an all-time high, banks are stretching guidelines and dropping interest rates -- both possible harbingers of problems in the future as margins become squeezed further, and these low-rate loans become unsustainable once interest rates begin to climb.

More loans, less profit
While the move into the C&I sector has been going on for some time, it has been becoming more dicey as of late. A recent Fed survey of bank loan officers shows that 65% of banks have relaxed commercial lending standards, while reporting no such easing of their residential lending terms. In addition, 33% are including fewer clauses in these loans, which would protect the lender in cases of default.

The nation's biggest banks are jumping head-first into this market, with large regionals not far behind. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , for example, recently announced that it is bulking up its own C&I department in an effort to take on rivals JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) . Less than one month ago, the head of B of A's Baltimore, Md., market noted that pumping up business lending in that area is a top priority.

JPMorgan and Wells aren't holding back, either. The biggest U.S. bank just made a huge push into the Charlotte, NC market -- Bank of America's home base. The open house for its new C&I lending facility will commence this week, immediately following the bank's annual meeting. For its part, Wells saw its commercial lending increase by 12% last year, as it courts the business of entrepreneurs previously too skittish to make improvements in their facilities.

Large regional banks have been getting in on the act, too. KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY  ) , Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ: HBAN  ) , and Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB  ) all boosted their commercial loan portfolios last year between 18% and 20%.

But, as a piece in The New York Times points out using Huntington Bancshares as an example, this boon isn't all it seems. As newer loans with much lower interest rates cram the C&I portfolios and defaults begin to show up, trouble can ensue. A bank seeing an average 4% yield on its stable of business loans today, like Huntington, may be looking at a dangerously low 1.64% a few years down the road.

While the Times notes that the analysis isn't foolproof, the Fed was concerned enough to release -- for the first time since 2001 -- new guidelines for banks dealing with these types of leveraged loans, rules that are scheduled to become effective this week. 

Too little, too late?
Whether the new regulations have arrived in time to prevent a bust in the commercial sector similar to the one seen with home mortgages remains to be seen. Some banks, at least, are recognizing the risks and staying away. As M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB  ) vice chair Mike Pinto tells the Financial Times, "Every 10 years or so, banks make some horrible mistake, and it usually starts with easy money." Hopefully, this time, such a calamity will be avoided.

With big finance firms still trading at deep discounts to their historic norms, investors everywhere are wondering if this is the new normal, or whether finance stocks are a screaming buy today. The answer depends on the company, so to help figure out whether Huntington Bancshares is a buy today, I invite you to read our premium research report on the company. Click here now for instant access!

Best Telecom Stocks To Buy For 2014

Best Telecom Stocks To Buy For 2014: Telecom Argentina SA (TEO)

Telecom Argentina SA (Telecom) is an Argentina-based company primarily engaged in the provision of national fixed-line telecommunication services, international long-distance service, data transmission and Internet services and mobile telephony. The Company also offers such solutions as online business and Web hosting, virtual private network (VPN), mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft and Blackberry, toll-free telephone numbers, call centers and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) line, as well as other services mainly aimed at corporate clients. The Company's subsidiaries are structured in two business segments: Fixed Telephony, comprising Telecom Argentina USA Inc and Micro Sistemas Sociedad Anonima, and Mobile Services, including Telecom Personal SA, Nucleo SA and Springville SA. As of December 31, 2010, the Company's majority shareholder was Nortel SA, 54.74% of its interest.

Voice, Data and Internet

Telecom Argentina owns a lo cal telephone line network, public long-distance telephone transmission facilities and a data transmission network in the Northern Region. Telecom Argentina also owns a network in the Southern Region. Voice, data and Internet services consists of basic telephone services, international long-distance services, data transmission and internet services, information and communication technology services and other basic telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides basic telephone services, including local and domestic long-distance telephone services and public telephone services. Telecom Argentina provides international telecommunications service in Argentina, including voice and data services and international point-to-point leased circuits.

Telecom Argentina provides data transmission and Internet connectivity services, including traditional dial-up and broadband c! onnections, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) dedicated lines, private networks, national an d international broadcasting signal transport and videoconfe! rencing services. Telecom Argentina provides Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services and value-added solutions. Other services provided by Telecom Argentina include supplementary services, such as call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller identification (ID), voice mail, video calls and itemized billing, and telecommunications consulting and telecommunications equipment and maintenance services.

Telecom Argentina is a provider of Basic telephone services in the Northern Region and provides Basic telephone services in the Southern Region. Telecom Argentina's fixed-line telephone network includes installed telephones and switchboards, a network of access lines connecting customers to exchanges and trunk lines connecting exchanges and long-distance transmission equipment.

The Company competes with Grupo Telmex Argentina, Telephone2, Impsat, IPlan, Comsat, Telecentro, Telefonica, Netizen, Gigared, UOL, Ertach, Telecentr o and Cablevision.

Wireless Telecommunication

Telecom Argentina provides wireless services through its subsidiaries in Argentina and Paraguay. Its subsidiary Telecom Personal S.A. (Telecom Personal) provides wireless telephone service throughout Argentina via cellular and personal communications service (PCS) networks. Telecom Personal's service offerings include global system for mobile communications (GSM) and 3G wireless communication over universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)/high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) networks (including general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data for GSM evolution (EDGE) and HSDPA high-speed wireless, videoconferencing, full track download, multimedia messaging, online streaming, corporate mailing and BlackBerry solutions) and sale of wireless communication devices (cellular phones, 3G ! modems, 3! G hotspots, wireless Internet and netbooks). The Company also provides cellular and PCS services i n Paraguay through Nucleo S.A., a subsidiary of Telecom Pers! onal.

The Company competes with Telecom Personal, Telefonica Moviles, America Movil, Telefonica Celular del Paraguay S.A. and Hola Paraguay S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Telecommunications services sector was the leading decliner in the US market today. Telecommunications services stocks dropped 0.43% in today's trading. Among the stocks, Mobile Telesystems OJSC (NYSE: MBT) was down more than 4.8%, while Telecom Argentina SA (NYSE: TEO) tumbled around 2.5%.

• [By John Reese, Founder and CEO, Validea.com And Validea Capital Management]

  As you might imagine, the portfolio will tread into areas of the market others ignore, because of its contrarian bent. Right now, its holdings include some very unloved firms, including several financials, emerging market stocks, and much-maligned BP. Here's a look at five of the stock in our Dreman portfolio:

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM)
  
  BP Plc (BP)
  
  Telecom Argentina SA (TEO)
  
  China Mobile Limited (CHL)
  
  Vale SA (VALE)
  
  

  Subscribe to Validea here…

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-telecom-stocks-to-buy-for-2014.html

Royce Funds Commentary - Chip Skinner on 1Q14

Top Transportation Stocks To Invest In 2014

Portfolio Manager and Principal Chip Skinner talks about the market's more volatile behavior in the first quarter, potential growth areas that he finds interesting, ideas in which he has high confidence, and one stock that has recently done well for him.

What did you make of the market's more volatile behavior in the first quarter?

I attribute it to a number of things. First, the market was coming off not just a big year in 2013, but also off the longer bull market that began in March 2009. I've always thought that a healthy bull market is not one that goes up in a straight line, but one that has a few pullbacks such as what we saw at times in the first quarter.

There was also a lot of uncertainty. Globally, we had the situation with Russia and Ukraine and ongoing concerns about the safety and stability of China's banks. Here at home, there were questions about whether or not Fed Chair Janet Yellen would continue the same stimulus and zero-interest-rate polices as her predecessor and about what effects higher healthcare costs might have for many businesses. We also had some terrible winter weather. I don't think any of these things mean an end to the bull market. I expect consumer spending to keep gaining momentum and for the economy to continue to improve.

What potential growth areas are most interesting to you these days?

I'm still pretty bullish on "Machine to Machine" (M2M) technology, also known as the "Internet of Things," which I've discussed before. More recently, I've also been exploring opportunities around a recovery in non-residential construction. Much of the activity in the industry over the last couple of years has come from the renovation and replacement areas, but there's been a pick-up in order activity on the new construction side as well. It hasn't really hit the income statements of these businesses yet, but I'm confident going forward, especially in those companies that I hold inRoyce Value Plus's portfolio that have held their own in a tough down cycle for their industry.

Battery and power storage is another area that's very interesting to me, one that I think has great long-term growth potential. Increasingly, both companies and individuals are showing interest in distributed power and alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind, and high-capacity batteries. This is already happening in Germany, where in some instances, power from utilities is being used more as a supplement or back-up. I think this is likely to be the trend going forward. Lead-acid and lithium battery makers are at the forefront of much of this technology, particularly in the electric vehicle business, which I see as another potentially high-growth area.

Can you talk about an idea that has not yet worked out in which your confidence remains high?

I think Rockwood Holdings is a good example of a company in the battery and power storage business with really promising prospects. Rockwood makes specialty surface treatment chemicals. It's also a major producer of lithium and lithium compounds used in lithium-ion batteries. This battery business has several industrial end users, but is particularly compelling in the development of electronic vehicle (EV) batteries. In fact, the surface treatment business has dominated revenues of late, but the lithium business has been driving the company's EBIT, which is a trend that seems likely to continue. The company is involved in a joint venture, which was announced in December and is still awaiting regulatory approval, with a Chinese company that will position Rockwood to capture approximately half of the globe's lithium supply. We've been building a position in Value Plus for the last nine months. The stock has done all right over the last year, but hasn't taken off in the way I think it can once the potential for its lithium business is better understood.

Can you discuss one stock that's done well for you recently and why it initially appealed to you?

After finishing 2013 as the largest detractor in Value Plus, I've been very happy to see Myriad Genetics rebound nicely in 2014. Myriad is a molecular diagnostic company that specializes in genetic testing for cancer. It received a mixed ruling from a Supreme Court decision in June 2013 when the Court decided that human genes can't be patented and the company then suffered another blow later in the year when the federal government proposed a cut of almost 50% to Medicare's reimbursement rate for its breast cancer diagnostic test. Its fortunes began to reverse when the government announced a much higher reimbursement rate than investors were expecting in early April. Myriad still holds patents on certain genetic testing processes and the quality of its predictive tests remains the industry's gold standard. I also like its existing and emergent pipeline of new products and services, so this remains a long-term growth play for the portfolio.

Important Disclosure Information

Chip Skinner is a portfolio manager and principal of Royce & Associates, LLC, investment adviser to The Royce Funds. He is the portfolio manager of Royce Value Plus Fund (RVP) and an assistant portfolio manager of Royce Low-Priced Stock Fund (RLP). The thoughts and opinions expressed in the interview are solely his own and may differ from those of other Royce investment professionals, or the firm as a whole. There can be no assurance with regard to future market movements.

This material is not authorized for distribution unless preceded or accompanied by a currentprospectus. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. Royce Value Plus Fund invests primarily in micro-cap, small-cap, and mid-cap stocks, which may involve considerably more risk than investing in larger-cap stocks. (Please see "Primary Risks for Fund Investors" in the prospectus.) The Fund's broadly diversified portfolio does not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign securities, which may involve political, economic, currency, and other risks not encountered in U.S. investments. (Please see "Investing in Foreign Securities" in the prospectus.)

There can be no assurance that any of the securities mentioned in this piece will be included in these portfolios in the future. References to specific securities in this piece are not intended as recommendations and should not be relied upon as the basis for anyone to buy, sell, or hold any security.

Also check out: Chuck Royce Undervalued Stocks Chuck Royce Top Growth Companies Chuck Royce High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Chuck Royce keeps buying

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RSS Feed	Monthly Newsletters
The All-In-One Screener	Portfolio Tracking Tool

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Latest Guru Picks	Value Strategies
Warren Buffett Portfolio	Ben Graham Net-Net
Real Time Picks	Buffett-Munger Screener
Aggregated Portfolio	Undervalued Predictable
ETFs, Options	Low P/S Companies
Insider Trends	10-Year Financials
52-Week Lows	Interactive Charts
Model Portfolios	DCF Calculator
RSS Feed	Monthly Newsletters
The All-In-One Screener	Portfolio Tracking Tool

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