(CRWE, RYL, SAP, MPR) Featured Stocks by DrStockPick.com

Crown Equity Holdings, Inc. (CRWE)

Crown Equity Holdings Inc., together with its digital network of Websites, offers media advertising, branding and marketing services as a worldwide online multi-media publisher. The company focuses on the distribution of information for the purpose of bringing together a targeted audience and the advertisers that want to reach them. Its advertising services cover and connect a range of marketing specialties, as well as providing search engine optimization for clients interested in online media awareness.

Crown Equity Holdings Inc. (CRWE.OB) announced that it has launched CRWE Tube, www.crwetube.com, a video sharing site that allows billions of people around the world to upload watch and share original videos.

“The CRWE Tube team has built an exciting media platform, which allows people and businesses large and small to quickly and efficiently reach a vast new audience,” said Kenneth Bosket, President of Crown Equity Holdings Inc. “With online videos continuing to experience explosive, viral growth and the web rapidly moving from text to video, businesses will need to adapt to the shift in video distribution technology or quickly become irrelevant to their consumers who anticipate seeing video everywhere online.”

The Internet is clearly the way that we will consume television in the future but we are not there yet. It will take time to refine a successful online video business model. The good news is that more professionally created content is building audiences every day on the Web And as the saying goes, money always follows eyeballs.

In 2009 only 15% of digital video traffic came through TV’s while 85% came from computers. By 2013 61.5% of digital video traffic will come through TV’s while only 38.5% will come from computers.

For more information please visit official website of CRWE: www.crownequityholdings.com

The Ryland Group, Inc. (NYSE:RYL), reported that the Board of Directors has declared a fourth quarter dividend of $0.03 per share, payable on January 30, 2012, to common stockholders of record on January 15, 2012.

Headquartered in Southern California, Ryland is one of the nation’s largest homebuilders and a leading mortgage-finance company. Since its founding in 1967, Ryland has built more than 294,000 homes and financed more than 248,000 mortgages.

SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) and NetBase announced that SAP will resell NetBase’s solutions as the SAP��® Social Media Analytics application by NetBase. SAP Social Media Analytics, sold and supported by SAP as a solution extension product, delivers marketers more accurate real-time analytics for understanding their markets and customers through the social Web. It processes billions of social media posts across millions of sites globally to extract structured insights and metrics that enterprises can use to quickly discover market needs and trends, quantify perceptions about products, services and companies, and effectively track their success in the market.

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition.

Met-Pro Corporation (NYSE:MPR), reported that Raymond J. De Hont, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, announced the Company’s financial results for the third quarter ended October 31, 2011. Net sales for the third quarter ended October 31, 2011 were $25.2 million , an increase of 18% compared with net sales of $21.4 million for the same quarter last year. Net income totaled $2.1 million and diluted earnings per share were $0.14 for the third quarter, compared with net income of $1.4 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.10 for t! he same period last year, increases of 47% and 40%, respectively.

Met-Pro Corporation, with headquarters at 160 Cassell Road, Harleysville, Pennsylvania , is a leading niche-oriented global provider of product recovery, pollution control, fluid handling and filtration solutions.

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Buffalo Wild Wings Outruns Estimates Again

Buffalo Wild Wings (Nasdaq: BWLD  ) reported earnings on Feb. 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 25 (Q4), Buffalo Wild Wings beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly, and GAAP earnings per share expanded significantly.

Gross margins increased, operating margins dropped, and net margins were steady.

Revenue details
Buffalo Wild Wings recorded revenue of $220.5 million. The 18 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $210.5 million. Sales were 34% higher than the prior-year quarter's $163.9 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.73. The 15 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.67 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.73 for Q4 were 33% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.55 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Figures may be non-GAAP to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 31.1%, 440 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.6%, 60 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.2%, about the same as the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $237.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.89.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.01 billion. The ave! rage EPS estimate is $3.23.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 4,378 members rating the stock outperform and 300 members rating it underperform. Among 1,690 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 1,642 give Buffalo Wild Wings a green thumbs-up, and 48 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Buffalo Wild Wings is outperform, with an average price target of $74.07.

Over the decades, small-cap stocks, like Buffalo Wild Wings have provided market-beating returns, provided they're value priced and have solid businesses. Read about a pair of companies with a lock on their markets in "Too Small to Fail: Two Small Caps the Government Won't Let Go Broke." Click here for instant access to this free report.

• Add Buffalo Wild Wings to My Watchlist.

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Great Stocks For July 2012

A last minute thank you and gift for friends. On this last trading day of 2012, I’d like to thank all of you for reading and responding to my many posts. You make what we do worthwhile. Thank you.

 

For many years, I have selected and invested (personally) in ten of the stocks we follow and hold them for the full year. I thought you might like to see this year’s names. Last year’s list lagged the S&P, so there are NEVER any guarantees. Investment success depends a lot on discipline, so I will continue to be diligent.

 

Please keep in mind that results have been good in some years and not as good in others. I will sell my 2012 names and buy the following list this afternoon. These are not recommendations to buy or sell securities. There is always a risk of losing principal. Past performance is no indication of future results. If you are interested in any of these names, please call us or your financial advisor to discuss.

Great Stocks For July 2012:Electro-Sensors Inc. (ELSE)

 Electro-Sensors, Inc. engages in the manufacture and distribution of industrial production monitoring and process control systems; and the development and distribution of PC-based software for automated survey processing and hand printed character recognition. Its Production Monitoring Division manufactures and sells various monitoring systems that measure actual machine production and operation rates, as well as systems that regulate the speed of related machines in production processes. This division?s products comprise speed monitoring systems, including a line of digital products, which translate sensor impulses from its production monitoring systems into digital readouts indicating production counts or rates, such as parts, gallons, or board feet; alarm systems, tachometers, and other devices that translate impulses from the sensors into alarm signals, computer inputs, or digital displays; and drive control system products, which monitor machine operation levels and regulate the speed of motors on related machines in a production sequence. It serves grain, feed, biofuels, food processing, chemicals, agricultural, mining, utility, forest products, steel, tire, glass, and electronics industries. This division sells its products through home office sales force, manufacturer?s representatives, and distributors in the United States, Mexico, China, Canada, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Thailand, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, the Great Britain, and South Africa. The company?s AutoData Systems Division designs and markets desktop software based systems that read handprinted characters, checkmarks, and bar code information from scanned or faxed forms, as well as collects and reports data from Web forms. This division markets its products primarily through home office sales personnel, as well as through value-added resellers in the United States, Canada, and western Europe. Electro-Sensors, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Great Stocks For July 2012:DTE Energy Company (DTE)

 DTE Energy Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in Michigan. It also involves in non-utility operations. The company?s Energy Utility segment engages in the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity in southeastern Michigan. It generates electricity from various fuels, including coal, as well as from nuclear and hydro facilitates. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned and operated approximately 674 distribution substations and approximately 412,100 line transformers; and supplied electricity to 2.1 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southeastern Michigan. The company?s Gas Utility segment engages in the purchase, storage, transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas in Michigan. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s distribution system included approximately 19,000 miles of distribution mains, 1,036,000 service lines, and 1,319,000 active meters. It also owned approximately 2,000 miles of transmission lines that deliver natural gas; and supplied natural gas to approximately 1.2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout Michigan, as well as to approximately 17,000 customers in Adrian, Michigan. The company?s non-utility operations include natural gas pipelines and storage; unconventional gas exploration, development, and production; power and industrial projects, and coal transportation and marketing; and energy marketing and trading operations. Its customers include electric utilities, merchant power producers, integrated steel mills, and industrial companies. DTE Energy Company was founded in 1995 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Martin At 2011-10-6

  Deutsche Telekom AG is a diversified telecommunications & Information technology company operating in 5 areas: Germany, the United States, Europe, Southern and Eastern Europe. The company has a solid strategy in place to become the larg! est 4G n etwork in the United States, increase its annual revenue to $3 billion by 2014 & increase its profit margins while decreasing churn. Currently, the company's stock trades at almost 19 times earnings and sports a nice 6.52% dividend yield. The company has a market cap of almost $43 billion and it trades on the Frankfurt stock exchange. For the 3rd quarter of 2010, the company generated Euro 4.8 billion of free cash flow from which Euro 4 billion was paid in dividends. While this represents a high payout ratio, most companies in the telecommunications sector are known to pay a large portion of their cash to shareholders as dividends, in a bid to increase shareholder value.

Great Stocks For July 2012:Integrated Silicon Solution Inc. (ISSI)

 Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, designs and markets integrated circuits for digital consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications, mobile communications, automotive electronics, and industrial markets. Its primary products include low and medium density DRAM; and high speed and low power SRAM. The company?s low and medium density DRAM products are used in wireless local area networks (WLANs), base stations, networking switches and routers, fiber to the home (FTTH), DSL and cable modems, set top boxes, digital cameras, MP3, flat panel TVs, LCD TVs, HDTVs, video phones, Voice over Internet Protocol, printers, disk drives, tape drives, audio/video equipment, instrumentation, global positioning systems (GPS), telematics, infotainment, smart meters, and other applications. Its SRAM products are used in WLANs, cell phones, base stations, networking switches and routers, FTTH, DSL modems, LCD TVs, set-top boxes, GPS systems, instrumentation, engine control systems, medical equipment, telematics, audio and video equipment, satellite radio, POS terminals, fax machines, copiers, tape drives, and other applications. Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. also designs and markets application specific standard products, including high performance serial EEPROMs for use in TVs, networking systems, modems, telephone sets, security systems, video games, automobiles, and other consumer products; and SmartCards that have applications in transportation passes, payment cards, health care cards, and other cards that store secure data. The company markets and sells its products in Asia, the United States, and Europe through direct sales force, independent sales representatives, and distributors. Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Arohan At 2012-2-12

  ISSI is another memory chip designer and marketer. It is a fabless semiconductor company so it outsources its manufacturing. The market currently values the company at $283 million ascribing a PE ratio of 4.75. The company has delivered an EPS growth of 39% in the last 5 years and its future outlook appears to be of modest growth as well, with a slight decline in the up coming year. The company has $88 million in cash and no debt and is well positioned to handle the slowdown in demand next year.

Great Stocks For July 2012:The Hackett Group Inc. (HCKT)

 The Hackett Group, Inc. operates as a strategic advisory and technology consulting firm primarily in the United States and western Europe. The company offers executive advisory programs, benchmarking, business transformation, and technology consulting services, as well as shared services, offshoring, and outsourcing advice. Its executive advisory programs consists of advisor inquiry, an inquiry service used by clients for access to fact-based advice on proven approaches and methods to increase the effectiveness of selling, general, and administrative processes (SG&A); best practice research, a research that provides insights into the proven approaches in use at organizations; peer interaction program comprising member-led Webcasts, annual Best Practice Conferences, annual Member Forums, membership performance surveys, and client-submitted content; and best practice intelligence center, an online, searchable repository of practices, performance metrics, conference presentations, and associated research. The company?s bench marking services conduct studies in the areas of SG&A, finance, human resources, information technology, procurement, enterprise performance management, shared service centers, and working capital management. These services are used by clients to establish priorities, generate organizational consensus, align compensation to establish performance goals, and develop the required business case for business and technology investments. Its business transformation programs help clients to develop coordinated strategy for achieving performance improvements across the enterprise; and Hackett Technology Solutions help clients choose and deploy the software applications that meet their needs and objectives. The company was formerly known as Answerthink, Inc. and changed its name to The Hackett Group, Inc. in January 2008. The Hackett Group, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

Great Stocks For July 2012:Telefonica SA (TEF)

 Telefonica, S.A. provides fixed and mobile telephony services primarily in Spain, rest of Europe, and Latin America. Its fixed telecommunication services include PSTN lines; ISDN accesses; public telephone; local, domestic, and international long distance and fixed-to-mobile communications; corporate communications; video telephony; supplementary and business-oriented value-added services; network services; leasing and sale of handset equipment; and telephony information services. The company?s Internet and broadband multimedia services comprise Internet service provider service; portal and network services; retail and wholesale broadband access; narrowband switched access to Internet; naked ADSL, a broadband connection; residential-oriented value-added services; companies-oriented value-added services; television services, such as IPTV, cable television, and satellite television; and Fiber to the Home, a service for high speed Internet access and digital video recording. Its data and business-solutions services principally include leased lines; virtual private network services; fiber optics services; the provision of hosting and application; outsourcing and consultancy services; desktop services; and system integration and professional services. The company?s wholesale services for telecommunication operators primarily comprise domestic interconnection services; international wholesale services; leased lines for other operators? network deployment; local loop leasing under the unbundled local loop regulation framework; and bit stream services. It also offers various mobile and related services and products that include mobile voice services, value added services, mobile data and Internet services, wholesale services, corporate services, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services. The company has a strategic alliance with China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited. Telefonica, S.A. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Conrad! At 201 1-10-25

  Among the stocks that Bolton favors are Spain's Telefonica (TEF), which has a 7% 2009 yield and 3.8 times dividend cover, and BP, the British oil producer, which has a 6.9% yield and 2.8 times cover. Falling oil prices are an issue for BP, but he thinks it will try to avoid a dividend cut, owing to bad memories of a prior cut in the 1990s.

• By Conrad At 2011-9-22

  Telefonica (TEF) is acting within the foreign telecom services industry. The company has a market capitalization of $89.2 billion, generates revenues in an amount of $85.4 billion and a net income of $13.0 billion. It follows P/E ratio is 6.8 and forward price to earnings ratio 8.1, Price/Sales 1.0 and Price/Book ratio 3.1. Dividend Yield: 10.1 percent. The return on equity amounts to 48.1 percent.

Great Stocks For July 2012:Materion Corporation (MTRN)

 Materion Corporation, a materials solutions company, engages in the production and supply of high-performance engineered materials in the United States and internationally. The company offers high performance materials solutions for large area coatings, alternative energy, and thin film applications; and specialty inorganic chemicals for semiconductors, LED lighting, and energy storage applications. It also provides precision thin film coatings and optical filters for manufacturers in the defense, commercial, space, science, astronomy, and thermal imaging industries; beryllium-based metals and metal matrix composites for commercial, research, and engineering applications; and copper, copper beryllium, and spinodal alloy products for end-use products in the aerospace, automotive, computers, telecommunications, manufacturing equipment, mobile equipment, medical products, oil and gas, alternative energy, and plastic tooling markets. In addition, the company offers high performance engineered ceramics; beryllium X-ray window and ultra high vacuum products; electron beam welding, vacuum furnace brazing, and waterjet cutting services, as well as engineering support services; and beryllium products, such as speaker domes and microphone transducers. Further, Materion Corporation provides precision-coated materials; thin film deposition materials, electronic packaging products, and specialty materials for the semiconductor, photonics, data storage, wireless, military, and medical markets; and precision parts cleaning, precious metals refining, and recycling services. Additionally, it engages in beryllium mining and milling business; and offers engineered beryllium materials and specialty strip metal products. The company was formerly known as Brush Engineered Materials Inc. and changed its name to Materion Corporation on March 8, 2011. Materion Corporation was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.

Great Stocks For July 2012:Maximus Inc. (MMS)

 MAXIMUS, Inc. provides operations program management and consulting services to state and local government agencies, federal agencies, and commercial customers primarily in the United States. The company?s Operations Segment provides various program management and operations support services for state, federal, and county funded public programs, and focuses on the delivery of administrative services for government health and human services programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, TANF, related workforce services programs, and child support enforcement programs. It also provides assistance to employers in accessing tax credit benefits and advocacy services for youth and disabled persons. The company?s Consulting Segment provides management and financial consulting services for state and local clients, focusing on services that directly support health and welfare, including health and human services consulting, financial services consulting, payment error rate measurement program services, and third party liability services, as well as fraud, waste, and abuse services. The Consulting segment also provides educational services, including TIENET, a solution to manage instruction, assessment, intervention, and special education cases; and consulting services, technical support, and software tools to higher education institutions. The company was founded in 1975 and is based in Reston, Virginia.

Great Stocks For July 2012:Parkway Properties Inc. (PKY)

 Parkway Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the operation, acquisition, ownership, management, and leasing of office properties. It operates and invests principally in office properties in the southeastern and southwestern United States and Chicago. The company also offers real estate services. As of April 1, 2005, Parkway Properties had an interest in 64 office properties located in 11 states. It leased office properties to approximately 1,317 customers that comprise various industries, including government agencies, banking, professional services, energy, financial services, and telecommunications. As a REIT, the company would not be subject to federal tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. Parkway Properties is based in Jackson, Mississippi.

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JAKKS Pacific Shares Got Crushed: What You Need to Know

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

What: Shares of toy maker JAKKS Pacific (Nasdaq: JAKK  ) were getting disassembled by investors today, falling as much as 22% in intraday trading after the company lowered its full-year guidance.

So what: There are few better ways to get a stock to sell off than when a management team tells investors that earnings will be drastically lower than what they expected. Right after yesterday's market close, the press release from JAKKS was ominous, a lament that "the sales performance of its products has been disappointing."

For 2011, the company now sees earnings per share coming in between $0.37 and $0.40, down from previous guidance of $1.32-$1.35.

Now what: With such a drastic sell-off in the wake of the announcement, there's the possibility that investors are overreacting. However, given the chasm between what the company delivered versus what it had told investors that it would deliver, before jumping in I'd want to dig further to figure out whether there is a reasonable explanation for management to have been so off. For this Fool, at least, a key component in a good investment is a management team that tells investors what it's going to do and then delivers on those promises.

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5 Best Stocks In 2014

The political uproar from the debt-ceiling negotiations has resulted in high volatility and heavy selling in the past week. But despite the uncertainties, along with an economic slowdown in Europe and the United States, stocks are still confined to a trading range that began early this year.

But offsetting the uncertainties is the fact that with more than three-quarters of all companies reporting earnings, almost three-quarters of them have exceeded Q2 earnings estimates. Thus, it appears that the current trading range will be maintained. Patient investors should use the current pullback as an opportunity to acquire undervalued securities.

Here are your top stocks to buy for August:

5 Best Stocks In 2014:Exceed Company Ltd. (EDS)

 Exceed Company Ltd. engages in the design, development, and wholesale of footwear, apparel, and accessories in the People?s Republic of China. The company offers its products under the Xidelong brand name for sports and leisure applications to customers aging between 15 to 35 years. Its products include running, leisure, basketball, skateboarding, canvas, tennis, and outdoor footwear; apparel primarily consisting of sports tops, pants, jackets, track suits, and coats; accessories, such as bags, socks, hats, and caps. The company distributes its products primarily through Xidelong retail stores that are operated by independent third-party distributors and retailers over which the company has limited control. Exceed Company Ltd. is based in Central, Hong Kong.

5 Best Stocks In 2014:Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK)

 Cinemark Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the motion picture exhibition business. As of June 30, 2011, it operated 436 theatres with 4,983 screens in 39 states of the United States, as well as in Brazil, Mexico, and 11 other Latin American countries. The company is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Jeff Reeves At 2011-10-21

  Cinemark Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CNK) owns movies theaters across the United States and Latin America, with a total of about 5,000 screens in America alone.

  Current Yield: 4% (84 cents a share annually)

  Dividend History: In June 2010, Cinemark paid a quarterly dividend of 18 cents a share. This July, it will pay 21 cents, for a nearly 17% increase.

  Dividend Outlook: According to Bloomberg, the three-year expected dividend growth rate of CNK is 2.5%.

  Recent Performance: Cinemark has surged over 20% so far in 2011, more than doubling the market. It is approaching a new 52-week high as of this publication.

  Strong Outlook for Shares: Cinemark has seen improving revenue each year since 2007, connecting with movie-goers despite the recession. That’s in part because of growth and acquisitions — most recently it plans to buy a 12-screen cinema in South Carolina. The movie industry may not be booming right now, but CNK could cash in big time when box office receipts improve thanks to its growth over the last few years.

5 Best Stocks In 2014:Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (TEVA)

 Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company, develops, produces, and markets generic drugs; and proprietary branded pharmaceuticals in various therapeutic categories and active pharmaceutical ingredients worldwide. The company?s provides generic drug portfolio of approximately 1,450 molecules and a direct presence in 60 countries. It offers generic pharmaceutical products in a range of dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, liquids, injectables, and inhalants. The company sells its generic injectable products to hospitals, clinics, and other institutional channels, primarily in the United States and Europe, as well as in Latin America and eastern Europe. Its branded products include Copaxone to treat multiple sclerosis; and Azilect to treat Parkinson?s disease, as well as biosimilars, respiratory, and women?s health products. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Petach Tikva, Israel.

5 Best Stocks In 2014:Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc (SVNT)

 Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing KRYSTEXXA, a biologic PEGylated uricase in the United States. The KRYSTEXXA is being developed as a treatment for chronic gout in patients refractory to conventional therapy. The company also sells and distributes branded and generic versions of oxandrolone, a drug used to promote weight gain following involuntary weight loss. It sells its products directly to drug wholesalers. The company, formerly known as Bio-Technology General Corp. and changed its name to Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in June 2003. Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

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The global growth opportunity is huge

This week, Nike (NYSE:NKE) scored some big points with Wall Street late Monday. Following the company�s fiscal fourth-quarter report, the stock price spiked 5.7% to $87.21.

The company�s profit increased by 14% to $594 million, or $1.24 a share.� This handily beat the consensus estimate of $1.17 a share.�

It certainly helps that demand has been strong — revenue increased by 14% to $5.77 billion, beating the Wall Street consensus expectation of $5.54 billion.�

It�s tough to argue with that performance.� Yet the stock has been volatile this year.

Can Nike give shareholders some more gains?� Here�s a look at the pros and cons:

Pros

Mega brand.� What started as a shoe company has morphed into a global powerhouse, with products that now include apparel, equipment and accessories.� And Nike continues to be the world�s largest athletic footwear and apparel operator.

Like Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL), Nike focuses primarily on marketing, design and product innovation.� Other factors � such as manufacturing � are outsourced.�

With its strong cash flows, Nike has purchased other brands like Converse, Hurley International and Umbro (a top firm in the soccer market).

Research and Development.� Nike makes large investments in this category.� As a result, the company is often an innovator in areas that improve performance and comfort.� This requires a staff with deep expertise in biomechanics, engineering and exercise physiology.

Emerging markets.� For some time, Nike has been making investments in markets like China, India and Brazil.� These countries are undergoing strong increases in wealth � which should bode well for premium athletic wear.

Cons

Competition.� Even with its scale, Nike has lots of pressure from rivals.� The main ones include companies like! Adidas and Puma.� However, there are upstarts that are making inroads.� An example is Lululemon Athletica (Nasdaq:LULU), which has built a strong franchise with yoga apparel.

The Tiger factor.� A critical part of Nike�s brand has been its aggressive endorsement strategy.� The power of this was demonstrated when the company signed Michael Jordan back in the late 1980s.

However, the strategy is extremely expensive and far from fool-proof.� As seen in the example of Tiger Woods, it can potentially be problematic for the brand.�

Costs.� Nike has felt the pressure from the inflation in raw materials, such as cotton.� Transportation costs have also been rising.�

To deal with these problems, Nike has increased prices and cut its marketing budget.� However, this could hurt the long-term growth of the company.

Verdict

Nike has an extremely versatile brand.� While it is primarily focused on athletic footwear, the company�s products have also become pervasive for casual purposes.� Plus, there should be some nice opportunities from its investments in the soccer market.

Yet the big opportunity is in foreign markets.� This should be a nice source of growth for the next few years and Nike is nicely positioned to benefit from the trend.�

In light of these factors, the pros outweigh the cons on the stock.

Tom Taulli�s latest book is �All About Short Selling� and he has an upcoming book called �All About Commodities.�� You can find him at Twitter account @ttaulli.� He does not own a position in any of the stocks named here.

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Great Stocks 2012

Though oil has dipped back from its recent peak around $115, there’s is little doubt that expensive energy is the way of the world. Despite crude oil prices being significantly lower than 2008 peak levels around $140, gasoline is hovering around $4 a gallon in most areas and the summer weather is driving up home utility bills as the A/C units go online.

What’s more, the prospect of broader inflationary trends means that expensive oil is here to stay — and investors should prepare their portfolios now to capitalize on this trend. And here are five penny stocks in the energy sector to do exactly that.

A quick note: The names on our penny stocks list might not be what you would consider “true penny stocks.” But micro-cap pink sheet or OTC stocks that cost only a few cents per share are too risky for most investors. In fact, many brokerage accounts don’t even allow you to trade pink sheets, or if they do you wind up paying a steep premium just for buying shares. Our stocks are a little bigger and, therefore, a little safer. But they still have the ability to deliver spectacular gains.

Here are my top 5 penny stock investments to buy now:

Great Stocks 2012:ManTech International Corporation (MANT)

 ManTech International Corporation provides technologies and solutions for national security programs in the United States and internationally. The company?s mission support solutions include cyber security, secure information sharing and collaboration, mission enabling solutions, enterprise systems engineering, service oriented architectures, intelligence operations and analysis support, and secrecy management and program security architecture. It also offers systems engineering services; modeling and simulation, testing, and evaluation; and independent validation and verification services. In addition, the company provides technical services, such as communication systems and infrastructure support, global and domestic mission-critical logistics support, global property management, and global information technology modernization. ManTech International Corporation offers its products and services to U.S. federal government intelligence, military and civilian agencies, state and local governments, and commercial customers. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.

Great Stocks 2012:Capital Bank Corporation (CBKN)

 Capital Bank Corporation operates as the holding company for Capital Bank that provides general commercial banking products and services in North Carolina. Its deposit products include checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises loans for real estate, construction, businesses, agriculture, personal use, home improvement, and automobiles, as well as equity lines of credit, mortgage loans, credit loans, consumer loans, and credit cards. It also offers safe deposit boxes, bank money orders, Internet banking services, traveler?s checks, and notary services, as well as electronic funds transfer services, including wire transfers and remote deposit capture. In addition, the company provides automated teller machine access to its customers; and a line of uninsured investment products and services. It operates 32 branch offices in North Carolina, including 5 in Raleigh, 4 in Asheville, 4 in Fayetteville, 3 in Burlington, 3 in Sanford, 2 in Cary, and 1 each in Clayton, Graham, Hickory, Holly Springs, Mebane, Morrisville, Oxford, Pittsboro, Siler City, Wake Forest, and Zebulon. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Capital Bank Corporation is a subsidiary of North American Financial Holdings, Inc.

Great Stocks 2012:Sparton Corporation (SPA)

 Sparton Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, offers electronic manufacturing services primarily for medical device, defense and security systems, and electronic manufacturing services industries worldwide. The company?s Medical segment engages in the contract development, design, production, and distribution of medical related electromechanical devices for the medical OEM and ET customers primarily in the vitro diagnostic and therapeutic device areas. Its EMS segment involves in the contract manufacturing, assembly, design, preproduction, prototyping, and/or box building assemblies, such as flight control systems and fuel control systems for the aerospace, medical diagnostics systems, security systems, detection systems, lighting, and defense. The company?s DSS segment engages in the design, development, and production of electromechanical equipment, such as sonobuoys, an anti-submarine warfare device used by the United States Navy and foreign governments; and performs an engineering development function for the United States military and prime defense contractors on advanced technologies for defense products, and replacement of current systems. It also offers non-sonobuoy related manufacturing and services. Sparton Corporation was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Great Stocks 2012:California Water Service Group Holding (CWT)

 California Water Service Group, through its subsidiaries, provides water utility and other related services in California, Washington, New Mexico, and Hawaii. It engages in the production, purchase, storage, treatment, testing, distribution, and sale of water for domestic, industrial, public, and irrigation uses, as well as for fire protection. The company also provides non-regulated water-related services, including the operation of water and recycled water systems; leasing communication antenna sites on its properties; meter reading and billing services; sewer and refuse billing services; lab services for water quality testing; selling surplus property; and the marketing and billing of third party insurance programs to residential customers. As of December 31, 2009, it served approximately 467,100 customers in 83 communities in California; 15,600 customers in the Tacoma and Olympia areas in Washington; 7,800 water and wastewater customers in the Belen, Los Lunas, and Elephant Butte areas in New Mexico; and 4,200 water and wastewater customers on the islands of Maui and Hawaii. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Great Stocks 2012:Cummins Inc. (CMI)

 Cummins Inc. designs, manufactures, distributes, and services diesel and natural gas engines, electric power generation systems, and engine-related component products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Engine, Power Generation, Components, and Distribution. The Engine segment offers a range of diesel and natural gas powered engines under the Cummins and other customer brand names for the heavy-and medium-duty truck, bus, recreational vehicle, light-duty automotive, agricultural, construction, mining, marine, oil and gas, rail, and governmental equipment markets. This segment also provides new parts and service, as well as remanufactured parts and engines. The Power Generation segment offers power generation systems, components, and services, including diesel, natural gas, gasoline, and alternative-fuel electrical generator sets for use in recreational vehicles, commercial vehicles, recreational marine applications, and home stand-by or residential applications. This segment also provides components that make up power generation systems, such as engines, controls, alternators, transfer switches, and switchgears. The Components segment supplies filtration products, turbochargers, aftertreatment systems, intake and exhaust systems, and fuel systems for commercial diesel applications. This segment offers filtration and exhaust systems for on-and off-highway heavy-duty and mid-range equipment, as well as supplies filtration products for industrial and passenger car applications. This segment also develops after treatment and exhaust systems to help customers meet emissions standards and fuel systems. The Distribution segment provides parts and services, as well as service solutions, including maintenance contracts, engineering services, and integrated products. The company sells its products to original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and other customers. Cummins Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Matthew Scott! At 201 1-9-6

  While trucking manufacturing Cummins (NYSE: CMI) is hardly a sexy stock, fleets of environmentally friendly trucks will be essential for many world economies to remain competitive as they slowly make their way out of the last recession. The price of Cummins’ stock has increased more than five and a half times in two years, jumping from $19.09 on March 9, 2009 to $109.62 at the end of the first quarter this year. As world economies begin to improve, transportation companies will begin replacing trucks so that they can move higher volumes of products more efficiently, and Cummins will benefit.

Great Stocks 2012:Baxter International Inc. (BAX)

 Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets products for people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. It operates in three segments: BioScience, Medication Delivery, and Renal. The BioScience segment processes recombinant and plasma-based proteins to treat hemophilia and other bleeding disorders; plasma-based therapies to treat immune deficiencies, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, burns and shock, and other chronic and acute blood-related conditions; products for regenerative medicine, such as biosurgery products; and vaccines. The Medication Delivery segment manufactures intravenous solutions and administration sets; premixed drugs and drug-reconstitution systems; pre-filled vials and syringes for injectable drugs; intravenous nutrition products; infusion pumps; and inhalation anesthetics. It also offers products and services related to pharmacy compounding, drug formulation, and packaging technologies. The Renal segment provides products to treat end-stage renal disease or irreversible kidney failure. It manufactures solutions and other products for peritoneal dialysis, a home-based therapy; and distributes product for hemodialysis, which is conducted in a hospital or clinic. It markets its products to hospitals, kidney dialysis centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, doctors? offices, clinical and medical research laboratories, and patients at home under physician supervision. The company was founded in 1931 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois.

Great Stocks 2012:Sysco Corporation (SYY)

 Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, distributes food and related products primarily to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in North America and Europe. The company offers a line of frozen foods, such as meats, fully prepared entrees, fruits, vegetables, and desserts; a line of canned and dry foods; fresh meats, custom-cut fresh steaks, other meat, seafood, and poultry; dairy products; beverage products; imported specialties; and fresh produce. It also supplies various non-food items, including paper products, such as disposable napkins, plates, and cups; tableware, which include china and silverware; cookware comprising pots, pans, and utensils; restaurant and kitchen equipment and supplies; and cleaning supplies. In addition, the company offers personal care guest amenities, equipment, housekeeping supplies, room accessories, and textiles to the lodging industry. It serves restaurants, hospitals and nursing homes, schools and colleges, hotels and motels, lodging establishments, and other foodservice customers. Sysco Corporation was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Richard Young At 2012-2-22

  Click to EnlargeAmerica’s largest foodservice company is Sysco (NYSE:SYY), which operates out of 180 locations nationwide. Sysco serves around 400,000 customers including hospitals, schools, restaurants and hotels. My relative strength chart for Sysco shows a positive trend developing. Buy.

• By Michael At 2012-1-12

  Sysco distributes food products to restaurants, health care and educational facilities, and hotels. The company operates 177 distribution facilities serving about 400,000 customers and generates more than $39 billion in annual sales. Sysco has increased dividends 43 times in 40 years.

  In the past five years, earnings have grown roughly 8% a year. Although earnings were flat year-over-year at $1.2 billion in the fiscal year ended July 2, 2011, EPS was 4% higher at $1.94 compared with $1.86 in 2010.

  In November, Sysco hiked the dividend by 4% to a $1.08 annual rate. The new dividend is payable on Jan. 27, 2012, to shareholders of record on Jan. 6, 2012.

• By Tom Bishop At 2011-8-26

   

  Sysco Corporation provides food and related products in the United States. SYY recently traded at $27 and has a 3.9% dividend yield. SYY lost 1.8% during the past 12 months. The stock has a market cap of $15.8 billion, P/E ratio of 13.8 and forward P/E ratio of 12.9. The stock has total debt/equity ratio of 0.64 and Beta of 0.69.

Great Stocks 2012:Manitowoc Company Inc. (The) (MTW)

 The Manitowoc Company, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of cranes and related products, and foodservice equipment. The company operates through two segments, Cranes and Related Products, and Foodservice Equipment. The Cranes and Related Products segment designs, manufactures, and markets a range of lattice-boom crawler cranes, mobile telescopic cranes, tower cranes, and boom trucks. Its crane products are used in various applications, including energy; petrochemical and industrial projects; infrastructure development, such as roads, bridges, and airport constructions; commercial and high-rise residential construction; and mining and dredging. This segment provides its crane products under the Manitowoc, Grove, Potain, National, Shuttlelift, and Dongyue brand names. It also offers crane-related product support services comprising maintenance and repair services, and parts supply principally under the Crane Care brand name. The Foodservice segment designs, manufactures, and sells primary cooking and warming equipment; ice-cube machines, ice flaker machines, and storage bins; refrigerator and freezer equipment; ware washing equipment; beverage dispensers and related products; serving and storage equipment; and food preparation equipment. This segment markets its products under the Cleveland, Convotherm, Delfield, Frymaster, Garland, Jackson, Kolpak, Kysor Panel Systems, Kysor Warren, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Merrychef, Multiplex, and SerVend brand names. It serves commercial and institutional foodservice operators, such as full service restaurants, quick-service restaurant chains, hotels, industrial caterers, supermarkets, convenience stores, hospitals, schools, and other institutions. The company operates in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, Africa, south Pacific and the Caribbean, and Australia. The Manitowoc Company was founded in 1853 and is based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Michael At 2011-8-26

   < p>Some are touting this as a home run trade. I agree it has high-risk high reward benefits. With incremental savings from cost cutting initiatives, strong sales outlook, and wider margins this stock could very likely double in the next 12-months.

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The Southern Company shares price in Green - NYSE:SO

The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) The Southern Company (Southern Company) owns Alabama Power Company (Alabama Power), Georgia Power Company (Georgia Power), Gulf Power Company (Gulf Power), and Mississippi Power Company (Mississippi Power). The Southern Company achieved its new 52 week high price of $46.12 where it was opened at $45.88 UP 0.15 points or +0.33% by closing at $45.90. SO transacted shares during the day were over 3.05 million shares however it has an average volume of 3.98 million shares.

SO has intra-day market capitalization $39.56 billion and an enterprise value at $59.91 billion. Trailing twelve months price to sales ratio of the stock was 2.22 while price to book ratio in most recent quarter was 2.24. In profitability ratios, net profit margin in past twelve months appeared at 11.82% whereas operating profit margin for the same period at 23.19%.

The company made a return on asset of 4.58% in past twelve months and return on equity of 11.62% for similar period. In the period of trailing 12 months it generated revenue amounted to $17.73 billion gaining $20.84 revenue per share. Its year over year, quarterly growth of revenue was 2.00% holding 12.10% quarterly earnings growth.

According to preceding quarter balance sheet results, the company had $1.52 billion cash in hand making cash per share at 1.77. The total of $20.79 billion debt was there putting a total debt to equity ratio 111.08. Moreover its current ratio according to same quarter results was 1.15 and book value per share was 20.46.

Looking at the trading information, the stock price history displayed that its S&P500 52 Week Change illustrated 0.62% where the stock current price exhibited up beat from its 50 day moving average price $43.92 and remained above from its 200 Day Moving Average price $41.75.

SO holds 861.93 million outstanding shares with 860.88 million floating shares where insider possessed 0.! 01% and institutions kept 43.80%.

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Something to Watch With Polo Ralph Lauren

Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL  ) carries $1.4 billion of goodwill and other intangibles on its balance sheet. Sometimes goodwill, especially when it's excessive, can foreshadow problems down the road. Could this be the case with Polo Ralph Lauren?

Before we answer that, let's look at what could go wrong.

AOL blows up
In early 2002, AOL Time Warner was trading for $66.27 per share.

It had $209 billion of assets on its balance sheet, and $128 billion of that was in the form of goodwill and other intangible assets. Goodwill is simply the difference between the price paid for a company during an acquisition and the net assets of the acquired company. The $128 billion of goodwill in this case was created when AOL and Time Warner merged in 2000.

The problem with inflating your net assets with goodwill is that it can -- being intangible, after all -- go away if the acquisition or merger doesn't create the amount of value that was expected. That's what happened in AOL Time Warner's case. It had to write off most of the goodwill over the next few months, and one year later that line item had shrunk to $37 billion. Investors punished the stock along the way, sending it down to $27.04 -- or nearly a 60% loss.

In his fine book It's Earnings That Count, Hewitt Heiserman explains the AOL situation and how two simple metrics can help minimize your risk of owning a company that may blow up like this. Let's see how Polo Ralph Lauren holds up using his two metrics.

Intangible assets ratio
This ratio shows us the percentage of total assets made up by goodwill and other intangibles. Heiserman says he views anything over 20% as worrisome, "because management might be overpaying for the acquisition or acquisitions that gave rise to the goodwill."

Polo Ralph Lauren has an intangible assets ratio of 26%.

This is not so far over Heiserman's threshold as to cause panic, but you! 'll want to keep an eye on this number over the next few quarters. It's also useful to compare it to tangible book value, which I explain below.

Tangible book value
Tangible book value is simply what remains after subtracting goodwill and other intangibles from shareholders' equity. If this is not a positive value, Heiserman advises you to run away because such companies may "lack the balance sheet muscle to protect themselves in a recession or from better-financed competitors."

Polo Ralph Lauren's tangible book value is $2.1 billion, so no yellow flags here.

Foolish bottom line
If you own Polo Ralph Lauren, or any other company that fails one of these checks, make sure you understand the business model and management's objectives. You can never base an entire investment thesis on one or two metrics, but there is a yellow flag here. I'll help you keep a close eye on these ratios over the next few quarters by updating them soon after each earnings report.

Keep up with Polo Ralph Lauren, including news and analysis as it's published, by adding the company to your free, personalized watchlist.

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African Oil Prospects 'Potentially Huge'

While admittedly one of the riskiest places to invest, Africa has some seriously exciting gas and oil prospects, according to Andrew Monk, chief executive officer at VSA Capital Group.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Monk spoke of big opportunities in spite of potential risk:

“If you look at a risk map of the world, Africa is one of the riskiest nations there is. But it's also one of the most exciting prospects for oil and gas at the moment. In eastern Africa, there are some amazing finds being made – in particular in gas – some huge gas fields in Tanzania and Mozambique.” 

He also sees some opportunities in Nigeria and Namibia once current tensions dissolve.

“Wherever there is oil, there is tension – just because its so valuable. I don't think one should be too concerned by it all,” he added.

Watch the whole exchange below:

 

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U.S. Economic Growth Accelerates in Turbulent Third Quarter

Among the stocks that could see active trade in Fridayday��s session are LinkedIn Corp.,True Religion Apparel Inc. and LeapFrog Enterprises Inc.

The pace of quarterly earnings releases eases at week��s end: PPL Corp. PPL , Alliant Energy Corp. LNT , Arch Coal Inc. ACI , LyondellBasell NV LYB , Flir Systems Inc. FLIR , Snyder��s-Lance Inc. LNCE ?and TreeHouse Foods Inc. THS ?are the notables for Friday.

Late Thursday, Standard & Poor��s announced a series of pending changes to be made in the composition of the S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 indexes. Akorn Inc. AKRX ?will join the S&P SmallCap 600 effective at the close on Feb. 13, replacing Blue Coat Systems Inc. , which is being taken private. After the close of trading on Feb. 15, ViewPoint Financial Group Inc VPFG ?will take the place of SonoSite Inc. SONO ?in the S&P SmallCap 600, since a tender offer for Sonosite is nearing completion. And finally, CBOE Holdings Inc. CBOE ! ?will replace Temple-Inland Inc. ?in the S&P MidCap 400 on a date to be determined. International Paper Co. IP ?is close to wrapping up the acquisition of Temple-Inland.

As it reported a fourth-quarter shortfall late Thursday, True Religion Apparel TRLG ?also steered Wall Street lower regarding financial targets for 2012. The Vernon, Calif.-based purveyor of upscale denim forecast full-year earnings in a range of of $1.88 to $1.95 a share. Revenue for 2012 was projected at $450 million to $460 million, up from $419.8 million for 2011. The most recent survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters yielded consensus estimates of $2.37 a share for True Religion��s 2012 earnings as well as $494 million for revenue.

Along with reporting stronger-than-forecast financial results for the fourth quarter and 2011, LeapFrog Enterprises LF ?forecast a first-quarter loss and laid out its targets for 2012. The company projected its loss for the three months through March at 26 cents to 30 cents a share, narrower than the prior year��s loss of 34 cents a share, with sales growth pegged in a range of 20% to 30%. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had been looking, on average, for a loss of 32 cents and sales growth of 11%. And for 2012, the Emeryville, Calif.-based maker of interactive educational toys estimated earnings of 40 cents to 45 cents a share on sales growth of 6% to 8%. This compares with analysts�� consensus view of 41 cents a share and 6%, respectively. For 2011, LeapFrog generated a net profit of $19.9 million, or 30 cents a share, up from nearly $5 million, or 8 cents, earned in 2010. Sales growth for the y! ear came to 5%.

Cincinnati Bell Inc. CBB ?said it will explore alternatives for CyrusOne, its data center business. Options may include a partial separation through a sale, initial public offering or other transaction; a full separation, depending on the value to shareholders; or making no changes and operating the data center business under its current structure. The process is expected to take six to 12 months, the company said. Customers that CyrusOne, which generated some $185 million in revenue last year, serves include 16 of the top global 100 enterprises and four of the top 10, according to Cincinnati Bell. The company also reported fourth-quarter and 2011 results late Thursday.

The board of Lear Corp. LEA ?voted to declare an 12% increase in the company��s quarterly dividend on common stock. The new dividend of 14 cents a share is payable March 21 to stockholders of record as of March 2, the Southfield, Mich.-based company said.

The board of United Parcel Service Inc. UPS ?approved an increase of nearly 10% in its quarterly dividend on Class A and Class B stock, to 57 cents a share. The dividend is payable March 7 to holders of record as of Feb. 21, the Atlanta-based company said.

Thursday earnings recap

LinkedIn LNKD ?reported a fourth-quarter profit of $6.9 million, or 6 cents a share, up from $5.3 million, or 3 cents, earned in the final three months of 2010. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company, whic! h went p ublic last May, generated quarterly revenue of $167.7 million, more than double the prior year��s $81.7 million. On an adjusted basis, profit for the latest quarter would have been 12 cents a share. Analysts, on average, had expected LinkedIn would post a profit of 7 cents a share on revenue of $160 million, according to estimates compiled by Thomson Reuters. The provider of Internet-based professional networking services also said it expects revenue in a range of $170 million to $175 million for the first quarter, bracketing analysts�� consensus view of $171 million.

Nuance Communications Inc. NUAN ?posted net income of $9.3 million, or 3 cents a share, for the first quarter ended Dec. 31, a reversal form a loss of $9,000 in the comparable period during fiscal 2011. The Burlington, Mass.-based maker of speech-recognition software generated quarterly revenue of $360.6 million, up from the prior year��s $303.8 million. On an adjusted basis, Nuance would have had a profit of 34 cents a share and $382.4 million for the latest quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected the company to earn 36 cents a share on revenue of $392 million, on average.

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Overlooked Small Cap Health Care Stocks: HealthStream (HSTM), Mediware Information Systems (MEDW) and Computer Programs & Systems (CPSI)

Despite the looming uncertainty of Obamacare, health care is a hot industry thanks to an aging population while HealthStream (NASDAQ: HSTM), Mediware Information Systems (NASDAQ: MEDW) and Computer Programs & Systems (NASDAQ: CPSI) are three small cap health care stocks that you have probably not heard of but should be taking a closer look at for one good reason: All have produced solid returns for investors over the past five years. So which of these small cap health care stocks should you be buying? Here is a closer look at all three to help you decide:

HealthStream (NASDAQ: HSTM)

HealthStream provides Internet-based learning and research solutions for healthcare organizations. On Wednesday, HealthStream surged 30.05% to $22.55 (HSTM has a 52 week trading range of $6.90 to $23.19 a share) for a market cap of $501 million plus the stock is also up 22% since the start of the year, 188% over the past year and 388% over the past five years. The catalyst for the surge was HealthStream��s announcement that 4Q2011 earnings were up 49% to $1.8 million on revenues of $21.9 million while for the year, net income was up 67% to $6.9 million on revenues of $82.1 million (which were also up 25%). It should be noted that HealthStream had a follow-on public offering back in November that raised approximately $55 million �C giving the company a strong balance sheet with a cash and marketable securities balance of $89.5 million.

Mediware Information Systems (NASDAQ: MEDW)

Mediware Information Systems licenses, implements and supports clinical and performance management information solutions and other services to healthcare facilities. On Wednesday, Mediware Information Systems fell 2.49% to $14.51 (MEDW has a 52 week trading range of $8.25 to $15.2! 5 a shar e) for a market cap of $119 million plus the stock is up 13% since the start of the year, 30.6% over the past year and 44% over the past five years. Recently, Mediware Information Systems reported that revenues for the fiscal second quarter were up 18% to $15.6 million while net income was flat but results last year included a tax benefit. However and in January, Mediware Information Systems Mediware bought most of the assets of Transtem LLC which now gives the company exposure to the adult stem cell business. Hence, the company believes its well positioned for a growth spurt as stem cells is a hot health care area with no dominant player.

Computer Programs & Systems (NASDAQ: CPSI)

Computer Programs & Systems is a healthcare information technology company that designs, develops, markets, installs and supports computerized information technology systems for small and midsize hospitals �C specifically 650 hospitals in 47 states plus Washington DC. On Wednesday, Computer Programs & Systems rose 0.21% to $61.08 (CPSI has a 52 week trading range of $41.80 to $79.06 a share) for a market cap of $670 million and the stock is also up 19.51% since the start of the year, 17% over the past year and 110% over the past five years. Even better, Computer Programs & Systems has dividend of $1.84 for a dividend yield of 3%. Computer Programs & Systems has also recently reported that 2011 revenues rose 13.2% from $153.2 million to $173.5 million while net income for the year rose 37.9% to $25.8 million.

The Bottom Line. Small cap health care stocks HealthStream (HSTM), Mediware Information Systems (MEDW) and Computer Programs & Systems (CPSI) are all looking strong and set to make! higher moves.

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TV channel dedicated to political campaigning would reduce influence of money on elections

Personally, I think all?PACs are a means of keeping the money’ed crowd in power so they can continue bleeding the people dry, stay in power, and keep making money.??The Democrat and Republican Parties are “birds of a feather.”? I don’t think PACs have?anything to do with “free speech.”? It is all about POWER and CONTROL.

My idea for true campaign finance reform would be a?national TV channel dedicated?every?four years to presidential election campaigns, every other year to mid-term elections.? During the presidential election years, the certified, vetted,?qualified and eligible?candidates (under Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution) of?the various parties would schedule?hour-long segments?each day to be seen and heard, with the opportunity to sell the voting public on their ideas and plans.? Voters could email or tweet questions for the candidates.? All candidates could be seen and heard daily during the specified (hopefully, only two months) campaign period.? All unused hours could be reserved by Representatives and Senators seeking reelection.? By this “campaign” method, no candidate would have to raise a dime, and consequently, none would be beholden to any special interests.

During the off-election years, this channel could be used as a “public service channel.”??Time?could be reserved by individual citizens (screened), whereby their?ideas could be presented and challenged.? Or they could debate the issues of the day with?their elected officials (federal, state, county and local?levels).? Since?C-SPAN is sponsored by cable and satellite channels, they might also provide this service, which would be unique.? By this method, freedom of speech would not be violated; if a special interest group so desires, they could cont! ribute t oward the continuation of this “public service channel.”

What do you think?? Don’t you just know the politicians and their purchasers?would love this idea?

– Ruth Petersen, Fairfield, IL

The opinions contained in this letter are solely those of the writer.

Want to share your own views on money, politics and the 2012 elections? Drop us a line at letters@investorplace.com and we might reprint your views in our InvestorPolitics blog! Please include your name, city and state of residence. All letters submitted to this address will be considered for publication.

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Warning: “January Effect” Could Peter Out, Says Morgan Stanley

Investors tend to project a lot of optimism in January, under the assumption that stocks can make up for any underperformance by the end of the year, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Parker wrote in a note today. But the “January effect” can often lift junk stocks, while leaving more quality names behind.

“Since 1901, the S&P 500 has averaged a 1.2% return during January with a standard variation of 4.3%. In the remaining eleven months of the year, the index has averaged a 0.5% monthly return with a 5.2% standard variation,” Parker wrote. “We analyzed returns by quality cohort since 1981 and found that both quality and moderate quality, on average, perform worse in January than during the remainder of the year. Low quality slightly outperforms in January, while junk is by far the largest outperformer on average.”

And with estimates coming down for the rest of the year, the rally we’ve seen recently doesn’t make much sense.

“2012 EPS estimates have fallen from $114 last August to $106 now, and the multiple has expanded this month, as many investors have viewed lower guidance as a positive for future estimate achievability. We agree that lower forecasts set stocks up better for later in the year, but dont think the recent rally that has coincided with the reduced outlook is sustainable.”

Morgan Stanley recommends health care and utilities stocks. In health care, three of its Overweight-rated names are Amerisource Bergen (ABC), Pfizer (PFE) and McKesson (MCK).

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Endowments Grow, but Tuition Stays High - SmartMoney.com

With college endowments enjoying healthy returns, parents are hoping to finally catch a break when it comes to tuition costs. They shouldn't hold their breath.

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• 529 Plans: Some States Are Better Than Others

New figures show university endowments averaged total returns of more than 19% for the fiscal year ended last June, the second consecutive year of gains, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers and Commonfund, a nonprofit asset manager.

Yet schools say they can't cut tuition until their endowments have had more years of strong growth. Even after the recent run, nearly half of universities and colleges have smaller endowments than they did in 2008. "Dramatic changes won't come instantly," says David Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, which represents more than 1,000 U.S. private colleges.

The average annual cost of tuition and fees at a four-year private university this year is $28,500 -- a 15% increase from five years ago, according to the College Board. The cost at a four-year public college for in-state residents has risen 28% to $8,244. "Endowments are doing better, but college costs are still rising," says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, which tracks financial-aid issues.

Indeed, over the long term, endowments would need to average annual returns of 8%-9% to keep pace with inflation, spending and investment costs, says Verne Sedlacek, president and CEO of Commonfund. Ten-year average annual returns through June 2011 were less than 6%.

Most endowment money is earmarked f! or a spe cific purpose, such as financial aid or an endowed faculty chair, but experts say when that revenue increases it places less pressure on other college costs. Indeed, some parents are seeing relief on out-of-pocket costs thanks to newly pumped-up endowments.

The University of Oregon, whose endowment increased by 14% last fiscal year, is rolling out a new grant program for the coming school year, says Jim Brooks, director of financial aid and scholarships. The grants, which will be funded by a large donation to the university's endowment, will cover about $5,000 in college expenses per year for in-state students from households earning roughly $50,000 to $140,000 a year.

Other schools are making smaller concessions. Last month, the University of Illinois, whose endowment rose 24%, approved a roughly 2% annualized increase of its tuition over the next four years -- the smallest in the past decade, says spokesman Thomas Hardy.

Princeton University, which has the fourth-largest endowment in the country at $17.1 billion, said last month it will increase tuition by 4.5%, an increase from last year's 1% bump. But to offset those higher costs, the university said it also will raise the nonloan financial aid it makes available to students by nearly 6%.

Since the recession, many endowments have trimmed their allocations to domestic stocks and have increased exposure to alternative strategies, like private equity, hedge funds and real estate. Just 16% of total endowment funds were invested in U.S. equities last fiscal year, down from 28% in 2005, according to Commonfund.

It remains to be seen whether this strategy will continue to boost returns. Though official data isn't available, Mr. Sedlacek estimates that endowments lost 3.5% for the second half of 2011, roughly in line with the broad market.

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Kinder Morgan Inc made New 52 Week High Price - NYSE:KMI

Kinder Morgan Inc (NYSE:KMI) achieved its new price of $31.70 where it was opened at $30.89 UP 0.74 points or +2.45% by closing at $31.00. KMI transacted shares during the day were over 4.09 million shares however it has an average volume of 2.86 million shares.

KMI has a market capitalization $21.92 billion and an enterprise value at $38.59 billion. Trailing twelve months price to sales ratio of the stock was 2.67 while price to book ratio in most recent quarter was 6.34. In profitability ratios, net profit margin in past twelve months appeared at 6.12% whereas operating profit margin for the same period at 17.86%.

The company made a return on asset of 3.11% in past twelve months and return on equity of 6.11% for similar period. In the period of trailing 12 months it generated revenue amounted to $8.20 billion gaining $11.60 revenue per share. Its year over year, quarterly growth of revenue was 5.60%.

According to preceding quarter balance sheet results, the company had $280.00 million cash in hand making cash per share at 0.40. The total of $16.95 billion debt was there putting a total debt to equity ratio 193.82. Moreover its current ratio according to same quarter results was 0.34 and book value per share was 4.89.

Looking at the trading information, the stock price history displayed that its S&P500 52 Week Change illustrated 1.73% where the stock current price exhibited up beat from its 50 day moving average price $28.54 and remained above from its 200 Day Moving Average price $27.64.

KMI holds 707.00 million outstanding shares.

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Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc. recently Stroke its 52 Week High Price - NASDAQ:RUTH

Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUTH) achieved its new 52 week high price of $5.87 where it was opened at $5.63 up 0.02 points or +0.36% by closing at $5.59. RUTH transacted shares during the day were over 413,468 shares however it has an average volume of 228,259 shares.

RUTH has a market capitalization $190.06 million and an enterprise value at $231.79 million. Trailing twelve months price to sales ratio of the stock was 0.52 while price to book ratio in most recent quarter was 2.17. In profitability ratios, net profit margin in past twelve months appeared at 4.46% whereas operating profit margin for the same period at 7.07%.

The company made a return on asset of 6.48% in past twelve months and return on equity of 15.86% for similar period. In the period of trailing 12 months it generated revenue amounted to $361.76 million gaining $10.65 revenue per share. Its year over year, quarterly growth of revenue was 4.40% holding 2.50% quarterly earnings growth.

According to preceding quarter balance sheet results, the company had $2.59 million cash in hand making cash per share at 0.08. The total of $45.00 million debt was there putting a total debt to equity ratio 40.57. Moreover its current ratio according to same quarter results was 0.40 and book value per share was 2.57.

Looking at the trading information, the stock price history displayed that its S&P500 52 Week Change illustrated 13.78% where the stock price exhibited up beat from its 50 day moving average with $5.12 and remained above from its 200 Day Moving Average with $4.99.

RUTH holds 34.00 million outstanding shares with 30.70 million floating shares where insider possessed 9.73% and institutions kept 64.10%.

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Day Investors Are Turning To Scalp Investing

Scalp investing is really a really fast way of investing where you purchase and sell a stock in less than a time frame of seconds to minutes executing several trades in under every day. In spite of you would be looking for earnings of just 1 or 2 cents per transaction/trade, when you take into consideration the level of trades you would be executing, your results can be significant. In addition, you will be able to still generate profits even once your trade breaks even. How come because when you add liquidity to the market, the ECN will rebate back to you a portion of the trade. Exercising just this quick technique will be able to generate a nice daily return. In short, scalp investors work at exploiting the bid-ask spread. They purchase a stock at the bidding rate then rapidly sell the same position at the asking cost. Since this way of quick investing does greatest with equities that are priced minimal that are slow moving, scalp traders generate profits by producing hundreds of trades. Scalp investing has no large one time revenue, but at the same time you can find lesser not to become prosperous thus its a risk-free way of trading the stock market. However wait, not only anybody could scalp trade.

You can find tools that are critical and you need low priced commission costs. It takes deeply cheaper scalp investing commissions and direct access to NYSE floor routes. Both of which you would have a hard time finding at your E*trade or Scottrade broker. So how will be able to you do this? There are proprietary investing firms that accept you as an experienced investor. And if you aren’t, you will find numerous proprietary trading companies that’ll school you.

Looking for the right proprietary investing organization is regarding finding a business that will let you to trade their cash and provide attractive investing fees. Most prop trading companies will allow you join their corporation with deposits as low as $5, 000. For that, they will let you trade with $100, 000 or furthe! r depend ant on your experience. It is not unheard of for a proprietary investing company to take a $10,000 deposits and provide you with the chance to trade with $300, 000 nevertheless you need to understand that Prop organizations are paid a percentage of your profit. The benefit sharing scale could range from you gaining 50 to 95% on the other hand that’ll rely on your experience. The extra profitable you are, the fewer they will ask for.

The most significant decision once finding a prop investing organization for your scalp trading method would be transaction price and order routing advantages provided. Inquire as to what floor routes they offer and if they can assign individual admission to a floor specialist. Any good proprietary investing organizations will do this if you are consistent in investing good quantity. Next, look at what their commission rates are. You will wish to find a corporation that’ll charge. 0005 to .0007 per stock. On a 2, 000 stock trade that would be 1.00 to 1.70 dollars in and out; much better than your $8. 95 per trade rate at Scottrade. Remember to also confirm that they pass the rebates back to you because as you will learn, the rebate is simply as critical to your scalp investing.

There are several courses obtainable that teach the art of scalp investing. Get educated so you could improve your chances for achievement. In addition, in case you are looking for a place to trade, the proprietary investing business below provides the over costs, direct access to the floor and scalp investing seminars. Happy trading.

Learn more about buy cheap stocks. Stop by Author Name”s site where you can find out all about day trading strategies and what it can do for you.

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