2014 Top Stocks Market, Best Stocks Investment In 2014, Top Stocks For 2014: 5/11/14

PIMCO Funds Bled $5.5 Billion in April: Morningstar

Morningstar (MORN) says investors added close to $28 billion to long-term mutual funds in April. The fund flows included strong movement to both equity and bond funds.

There’s more bad news than good in the latest data, however, for PIMCO. Overall, the bond shop had net outflows of $5.5 billion last month, bringing its year-to-date outflows to some $21 billion.

On the bright side, the PIMCO Income Fund had $951 million of inflows.

Still, Morningstar points out, the fixed-income fund group has lost nearly $80 billion to outflows over the past 12 months.

In contrast, Vanguard has seen its total fund flows jump $10.1 billion in April and $45.6 billion from January to April of this year.

The top fund for flows in April was the Vanguard Total Stock Fund, which attracted $3.6 billion in April and $12.3 billion year to date.

In contrast, the flagship PIMCO Total Return Fund had net outflows of $3.1 billion in April. Its outflows for the first four months of the year surpass $11 billion.

Not all bond funds are having bad times.

“After notable outflows last year, core, intermediate-term bond funds saw their second consecutive month of inflows, bringing in $3.3 billion in April,” said Morningstar analyst Michael Rawson, CFA, in a report released Tuesday, which updates its May 2 estimates.

Municipal-bond funds collected $1.3 billion for their fourth straight month of inflows.

Equity Momentum

But in the first four months of 2014, U.S.-equity funds had inflows of $25.2 billion, their strongest start to the year since 2004, the Chicago-based research group says.

“The majority of inflows for the asset class benefited passive funds,” it noted. “Active U.S.-equity funds had outflows of $5.7 billion through April, although JPMorgan, MFS and Putnam have successfully attracted robust flows to active offerings.”

In terms of style categories, large-blend and foreign large-blend led April’s inflows. At the same time, large-growth funds had outflows, including the American Funds Growth Fund of America, which has experienced net redemptions for 51 straight months.

The multi-sector bond category was a popular choice for investors in April, most notably the PIMCO Income Fund—which had $951 million of inflows.

Fund Families

Vanguard’s performance still tops the charts—with $10 billion of net inflows in April and nearly $46 billion so far in 2014.

JPMorgan had April inflows of close to $3 billion; in the first four months of the year, inflows were nearly $11 billion

Dimensional Fund Advisors is close behind, with April inflows of $2.7 billion and year-to-date inflows of $10.4 billion as of April 30, Morningstar says.

Fidelity, however, had outflows of $435 million in April; its year-to-date outflows were close to $2 billion.

American Funds, though, had inflows of $758 in April, and its January-to-April inflows were nearly $2 billion.

3 Stocks Paying Out Steady Dividends

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The search for income is getting more difficult by the day. We have a fair amount of retirees in my neighborhood, and just about every gathering or party around here has people talking about the difficulty of finding income investments to fund day-to-day expenses.

CashStack185 3 Stocks Paying Out Steady Dividends

Source: Flickr

Many of the traditional alternatives such as blue-chip stocks and REITs have seen their prices pushed up to very high levels as a result of yield chasing the past few years. Income investors are going to need to be more involved in the management of their portfolios to reach their goals.

One approach to income investing is to find stocks with high yields that also have Piotroski F-scores that are in the top third of the 9-point scale. Companies with above-average F-scores are seeing improvements in their fundamental business conditions and their financial strength is improving. This should give us a portfolio of stocks that can outperform the market as well as provide high levels of dividend income.

I would suggest buying stocks that qualify and holding the shares as long as the F-score stays the same or improves, and selling if the score declines below 6. It is more of an active strategy, but it should provide cash flow and keep your capital invested in stocks with solid fundamentals. Although our major concern is income, I don't want to overpay for shares so I would limit my purchases to those that traded for less than their Graham number valuation.

Oaktree Capital (OAK)

Oaktree Capital (OAK) is one of the best investment management firms in the world today. CEO Howard Marks has proven himself to be a brilliant investment manager, WHICH has helped the firm grow to more than $74 billion in assets under management.

Oaktree specializes in distressed assets, high-yield bonds, real estate and equities. The company currently earns an F-score of 6 and yields 7.7%, so the stock is an excellent fit for our active income portfolio. The stock trades at a slight discount to its Graham number valuation of $54. Oaktree is a best-in-class investment manager and has the potential for solid appreciation in addition to the high yield.

Capital Products Partners (CPLP)

Capital Products Partners (CPLP) is a Greece-based shipping company that is involved in both petroleum products and the dry goods business. It currently has a fleet of 30 vessels comprised of 22 tankers and 8 dry bulk and container vessels.

CPLP reaffirmed its commitment to paying the dividend of 93 cents per share going forward, and at that level the shares yield 8.65%. The F score is 7, so conditions are improving for the company and the stock is actually trading at a more than a 35% discount to its Graham number valuation of $16.

Courier Corporation (CRRC)

Courier Corporation (CRRC) publishes and prints books that are distributed through a variety of retail outlets. It publishes books on things like landscaping, gardening and home improvement that are found in many of the leading home and garden stores. Courier also publishes more than 700 test preparation and study guides for teachers and students as well books for religious institutions.

Courier isn’t the world's most exciting company, but we’re looking for dividends, not excitement. The stock yields 6.2% and has an F-score of 7 right now. The stock trades at a discount of about 15% to its Graham Number valuation of $15.25.

Income is getting harder to find. Using F-scores and the Graham number should help investors find cash flow producing stocks that are reasonably valued and can meet their income needs.

Like what you see? Sign up for our Dividend Insights e-letter and get income investment advice delivered to your inbox every Friday!

As of this writing, Tim Melvin was long CPLP and CRRC.

Americans Eager to Travel After Rough Winter

Summer Travel Charles Rex Arbogast/AP NEW YORK --€" A strong case of cabin fever and a little more money to spend should inspire a greater number of Americans to hit the road this Memorial Day weekend. That's the forecast from auto club AAA, which on Friday said it expects a total of 36.1 million people to travel 50 miles or more. If that estimate holds true, it would be the largest number of people traveling during the holiday weekend since 2005. Most will drive to their vacation spots, but more people are expected to fly or take a cruise or train this year compared with a year ago, AAA said. The improving job market and a rise in disposable income are fueling the increase in holiday travel plans, AAA found in its annual survey. The desire to get out of the house after a brutally cold winter is another strong incentive to hit the road. "Thoughts of historic cold are still fresh in the minds of Americans in many parts of the country," said AAA's Chief Operating Officer Marshall Doney, in a statement. "The winter blues appear to have given Americans the travel bug." Of the total travelers, 31.8 million are expected to drive, up 1.3 percent from 31.4 million last year. Gas prices are less of a concern for drivers, since they are expected to be lower than last year's average of $3.63, thanks to rising supplies, AAA said. Airports will be busier, with 2.6 million people expected to fly this year, up 2.4 percent from last year. And 1.7 million people will take a cruise, train or bus, a 6.5 percent jump from a year ago. Travelers can expect to pay more for their getaways. Hotel rooms are likely to cost $3 more a night from last year, at an average of $169 a night, AAA said. The average cost of a round-trip plane ticket is $227, up from $215 a year ago. Car rentals will average $44 a day during the weekend, up 1 percent from a year ago. A 3.4 percent increase in personal income from last year should help cover those additional costs, the auto club said. The AAA forecast represents an 18 percent increase in travelers from 2009, the low point of the recession, when only 30.5 million Americans traveled for Memorial Day. The number has been increasing steadily since 2011. The busiest travel weekend was in 2005, when 44 million people went away. Last year, AAA said more people traveled during the Memorial Day weekend than it projected. It had expected total travel to fall nearly 1 percent from the year before to 34.8 million. But 35.5 million Americans actually traveled last year, according to a survey conducted following the holiday weekend. For its forecast, AAA works with research company IHS Global, which uses economic data to come up with its projections. A separate company, D.K. Shifflet & Associates surveys more than 50,000 households after the trips have been taken.

Sears: ‘Not Much Meat Left on Those Bones,’ Credit Suisse Says

Shares of Sears Holdings (SHLD) dropped yesterday after the once-proud retailer announced that it would look to sell its stake in Sears Canada. Credit Suisse analysts Gary Balter and Andrew Kinder don’t think much of the planned spinoff:

Associated Press

We find the timing of this spin-off interesting, as Sears Canada last year sold seven of its trophy properties, but arranged to continue to operate them through the beginning of 2014. We wonder how much of the significantly diminished Adjusted EBITDA last year came from those seven properties…

[Sears Canada is also] seeing or about to see a wave of fresh competition from Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and Target’s (TGT) recent northern expansions to Nordstrom’s (JWN) upcoming launch. The company still operates 24.8 million square feet of retail space, but only 14 full-line department stores are company-owned and as we mentioned above, much of the best real estate has been sold. Yes, Sears Canada has a net cash position, but we expect Sears Holdings to take as much cash as they can beforehand in the event of any sale or spin-off.

Shares of Sears Holdings have dropped 2.8% to $39.58 at 10:25 a.m., while Wal-Mart has fallen 1.7% to $77.41, Target has declined 1.6% to $58.31 and Nordstrom is off 0.9% at $61.32.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015

Things never get dull for the country's lone satellite-radio provider. Shares of Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI ) moved lower on the week, shedding 0.9% to hit $3.45. The media darling's dip bucked the Dow and Nasdaq, which closed out the week higher.

Sirius XM failed to hit a new high for only the second time in the past six weeks, but there was more going on beyond the share-price gyrations. The satellite-radio provider and Pandora (NYSE: P ) also took hits on reports that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) has cleared the way to announce its iRadio streaming platform as early as next week.

Let's take a closer look.

Retreat to lower ground
Sirius XM hit a new five-year intraday high of $5.63 a week earlier, but there was no repeat performance this time around. It didn't help that news broke over the weekend that Apple had secured a streaming licensing deal with Warner Music to kick the week off on a down note.

We've known that Apple has been negotiating for months with the major labels. Why the market dings Pandora -- and to a much lesser extent Sirius XM -- with every iRadio revelation remains a mystery.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Matt Thalman]
The first few of the companies are the major cable providers, such as Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA ) , Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH ) , and�DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV ) . For every new home built, one of the cable companies is going to receive a new customer. In Comcast's situation, the lines must be laid, but Dish and DirecTV only need to install a satellite in your yard. General Electric (NYSE: GE ) is another company that derives a decent portion of its revenue from appliances and lighting, and this unit should see increased revenues as new homes are built.
[By Doug Ehrman and Alison Southwick]
The battle for your viewing dollars continues to intensify, and many cable and satellite providers have begun to protest over the high cost of sports programming. While�Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA ) �and DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV ) are looking at average viewership, they're asking the wrong question. Disrupting the overall industry is the growing availability of streaming sports through the various leagues and online versions of Disney's (NYSE: DIS ) ESPN.
[By Dan Radovsky]
AllThings D also reports that bids have to be at least $1 billion, and DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV ) is said to be ready with a bid of at least that much. Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC ) , Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO ) , and the private-equity firms KKR, Guggenheim Digital, and Silverlake Partners are also ready to compete.
[By Jonathan Berr]
DirecTV (DTV) has made some of the funniest commercials in recent memory, and after the company�� most recent earnings report, it�� laughing all the way to the bank.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By CNBC]
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Time Warner Cable's flirtation with potential merger suitors may include Comcast, which is seeking advice on possible regulatory hurdles if it should pursue a bid, sources told CNBC on Friday. Comcast (CMCSA) (CMCSK), the parent company of CNBC, is not in active discussions on deal terms with Time Warner Cable (TWC), these sources say, but is asking for guidance on antitrust and telecommunications-related issues. According to people familiar with the matter, TWC has made it clear that if it should sell itself, Comcast would be its preferred buyer. These people add that Comcast has been quietly mulling a merger with TWC for some time. The cable operator is on the verge of a bid from Charter Communications (CHTR), according to The Wall Street Journal, which said Charter is near an agreement with banks for the funds to make that offer. Analysts, however, say Time Warner's needs may be better suited with Comcast. "The synergies are very real, and Comcast would be a better fit," said Craig Moffett, founder and senior analyst at MoffettNathanson. He said that while the Department of Justice's anti-trust requirements may not pose an insurmountable challenge, the more stringent litmus test might come from the Federal Communications Commission.

Hot Medical Companies To Own In Right Now: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)

Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Duprey]
Both Bow Tie and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC ) , which owned the Clearview chain, announced yesterday they had completed the transfer of ownership of the theaters, which was first announced in April, though financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed. As the oldest cinema company in the U.S.,�Bow Tie says it now has the largest number of theater locations in the New York metropolitan area,�and operates 63 movie theaters with 388 screens in seven states.
[By Paul Ausick]
SNL Kagan noted that cable outfits like Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Cablevision Corp. (NYSE: CVC) saw subscriber losses double to 607,000. Cable�� share of the pay TV market has now fallen to 55.3%.
[By Tom Reese]
Regional cable TV and Internet provider Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC) on Friday announced better-than-expected third quarter earnings results, reversing a year-ago loss.

Cablevision’s Q3 Earnings in Brief
- Net income totaled $294.6 million, or $1.10 per share, reversing last year’s loss of $3.79 million, or -1 penny per share.
- Revenue rose 1.8% from last year to $1.57 billion.
- Analysts expected much lower earnings of just 11 cents per share, on matching revenue.

Latest Dividend Reiterated; Yield Surpasses Peers
In its earnings release, Cablevision announced it would continue its dividend payout of 15 cents per share. The latest dividend will be paid on Dec. 13 with an ex-dividend date of Nov. 20. The company has not raised its dividend payout since May of 2011.

Despite the lack of dividend raise, CVC’s dividend yield of 3.84% compares favorably with other stocks in its industry. Time Warner Cable (TWC) offers a yield of 2.2%, while Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) yields just 1.65%. The average dividend yield for S&P 500 companies is around 2.5%, so Cablevision’s yield is well above both its industry average as well as the wider market average. Still, its lofty yield has come more as a result of poor price performance, rather than dividend increases.

Shares Rise, but Still Tail Indexes
Cablevision shares rose more than 2% in early trading on Friday, but the company’s stock performance has lagged the wider markets for quite some time. Year-to-date, CVC has gained about 6%, compared with a 24% gain in the benchmark S&P 500 index. The stock was trading around the $38 level as recently as early 2011, so its dividend yield has risen significantly as its stock price plunged to around $16.
[By Ben Levisohn]
The analysts sound as if they believe CBS got the better of the deal-and the market appears to agree. Shares of CBS have gained 3.7% to $53.00, while Time Warner has gained 1.1% to $61.19. Shares of Disney (DIS) are little changed at $60.81, while shares of Cablevision Systems (CVC) have dropped 0.3% to $17.69.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Victor Mora]
Dish Network offers a television subscription service that provides national and local programming to consumers in the United States. The company has made positive changes to its spectrum that continues to produce great things for the company. The stock has been trending higher over the last few years and is now trading slightly below highs for the year. Over the last four quarters, investors have had mixed feelings about the company as earnings and revenues have been declining. Relative to its peers and sector, Dish Network has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Dish Network to OUTPERFORM.
[By Jonathan Berr]
DTV has jumped almost 30% this year, on par with peers like Dish Network (DISH) and Comcast (CMCSA). One reason for DTV’s outperformance has been its strong international business and its satisfied customers. During the most recent quarter, DirecTV’s churn rate fell to 1.61% — its lowest quarterly churn in more than 6 years.
[By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
Dish Network offers a television subscription service that provides national and local programming to consumers in the United States. The company recently announced its third quarter results. The stock has been steadily trending higher over the last several years and is currently trading near all time highs. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been decreasing while revenues have been mixed, which has produced conflicting feelings among investors. Relative to its peers and sector, Dish Network has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Dish Network to OUTPERFORM.
[By Tim Beyers]
Who loses in all this? Pure-play content distributors such as Cablevision Systems (NYSE: CVC ) and DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH ) . Like partner Netflix, Apple is taking steps to eliminate the barriers between viewers and content created by these gatekeepers. Color me grateful -- both as an investor and as a fan of great television.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Lauren Pollock]
Liberty Global(LBTYA) PLC has agreed to sell substantially all of its international content division Chellomedia to AMC Networks Inc.(AMCX) in a deal worth $1 billion, allowing the cable company to focus on its core markets.
[By Alex Webb]
Kabel Deutschland is a key part of Vodafone�� expansion strategy as the carrier looks for ways to boost revenue and lock in customers with Internet and television offers in addition to wireless service. Kabel Deutschland is the biggest cable company in Germany, Vodafone�� largest market, and had drawn a rival bid from John Malone�� Liberty Global Plc. (LBTYA)
[By Sam Robson]
LONDON -- Vodafone� (LSE: VOD ) (NASDAQ: VOD ) �is believed to have increased its offer for Kabel Deutschland following a rival bid from�Liberty Global� (NASDAQ: LBTYA ) .

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Smith]
Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI ) has acquired Canadian trademark search, monitoring, and screening firm Onscope, Thomson announced Tuesday.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States and internationally. Its Publishing segment publishes 83 U.S. daily newspapers with affiliated online sites, including USA TODAY, a national, general-interest daily newspaper; USATODAY.com; USA WEEKEND, a magazine supplement for newspapers; Clipper Magazine, a direct mail advertising magazine; bi-weekly Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek periodicals; and military and defense newspapers. This segment also includes 17 paid-for daily newspapers; approximately 200 weekly newspapers, magazines, and trade publications; and approximately 600 non-daily publications, as well as involves in commercial printing, newswire, marketing, and data services operations. The company?s Digital segment owns and operates CareerBuilder, an employment Web site, which offers online recruitment and career advancement services for employers, employees, recruiters, and job seekers; ShopLocal, which provides multicha nnel shopping and advertising services; Planet Discover, which offers hosted search and advertising services; PointRoll, which provides digital marketing services and technology; and Schedule Star, which offers scheduling solution for high school athletic departments. Its Broadcasting segment operates 23 television stations and affiliated Web sites, which produce local programming, such as news, sports, and entertainment programming. This segment also includes Captivate Network, a national news and entertainment network that delivers programming and full-motion video advertising on video screens located in elevators of office towers and select hotel lobbies in North America. The company has strategic business relationships with online affiliates, including Classified Ventures, ShopLocal.com, Topix, and Metromix LLC, as well as strategic marketing agreement with Microsoft. Gannett Co., Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Ben Levisohn]
Gannett (GCI) rose 3.6% to $26.67 after Belo (BLC) shareholders approved a merger of the two companies. Belo’s stock fell 0.6% to $13.72.

Carnival (CCL) fell 5.3% to $32.70 today, a day after falling nearly 8% on disappointing earnings. Barron’s says it’s time to buy.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Rich Smith]
There, I said it -- and fans of George R.R. Martin's long-winded and epically tardy fantasy series can flame away. The version of GoT envisioned by Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX ) HBO enjoys undeniable popularity with the sci-fi/fantasy set. Yet the series suffers from one fatal flaw: its creator.
[By Anders Bylund]
For another example of this, check out Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX ) Hangover franchise. The first installment was a surprise hit, but the actors have blossomed into bankable stars by now. A sequel without Ed Helms or Zach Galifianakis would lose its marquee luster very quickly. Keep the production and marketing costs equal, reduce the star bait fees by half, and drop the ticket take to $200 million. You'd end up with a $100 million loss. The Hangover series has allegedly run its course -- if not for running out of raunchy jokes, it might be because the studio can't afford to pay the stars what they'd demand for a fourth installment.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: Comcast Corporation(CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications products and services in the United States and internationally. Its Cable Communications segment provides video, high-speed Internet, and phone services to residential and business customers. As of June 30, 2011, its cable systems served approximately 22.5 million video customers, 17.5 million high-speed Internet customers, and 9.1 million phone customers. The company?s Cable Networks segment operates cable entertainment networks, such as USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Sleuth, and Universal HD; news and information networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and CNBC World; cable sports networks comprising Golf Channel and VERSUS; regional sports and news networks; international entertainment, and news and information networks, such as CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia, and Universal Networks International portfolio of networks; cable television production oper ations; and digital media properties consisting primarily of brand-aligned Websites and other Websites, such as DailyCandy, Fandango, and iVillage. Its Broadcast Television segment operates the U.S. broadcast networks, NBC and Telemundo; 10 NBC and 15 Telemundo owned local television stations; broadcast television productions; and related digital media properties. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment operates Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets, and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television, and other distribution platforms. Its Theme Parks segment operates Universal Studios Hollywood park and Wet ?n Wild water park, as well as licenses intellectual properties and provides services to third parties that own and operate Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore. Comcast Corporation was founded in 1963 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Victor Selva]
Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) is a media and technology company with two businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal Media LLC. The company has five segments: Cable Communications, Cable Networks, Broadcast Television, Filmed Entertainment and Theme Parks.
[By Steve Symington]
Instead, they largely chose to check out�Despicable Me 2 from Comcast's (NASDAQ: CMCSA ) Universal Studios. That film hauled in a whopping $143.1 million domestically in its first five days, including an $83.5 million domestic gross during the three-day calendar weekend. For those of you keeping track, that extended holiday weekend gross beats even Disney Pixar's Toy Story 3, which held the previous record for the best five-day start for an animated movie at $141 million.�
[By Jonathan Berr]
DTV has jumped almost 30% this year, on par with peers like Dish Network (DISH) and Comcast (CMCSA). One reason for DTV’s outperformance has been its strong international business and its satisfied customers. During the most recent quarter, DirecTV’s churn rate fell to 1.61% — its lowest quarterly churn in more than 6 years.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy For 2015: Discovery Communications Inc(DISCA)

Discovery Communications, Inc. operates as a non fiction media and entertainment company worldwide. The company provides original and purchased programming across various distribution platforms. Its content covers science, exploration, survival, natural history, sustainability of the environment, technology, docu-series, anthropology, paleontology, history, space, archaeology, health and wellness, engineering, adventure, lifestyles, forensics, civilization, and current events. The company owns and operates nine national television networks in the United States, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Fit & Health, and Velocity. Discovery Communications also has interests in Oprah Winfrey Network, a pay-television network and Web site; The Hub that features original programming, game shows, and live-action series and specials; and 3net, a three-dimensional network. In addition, it o ffers network branded Web sites, and mobile and video-on-demand services; and distributes various national and pan-regional television networks. Further, the company develops and sells curriculum-based products and services to public and private K-12 schools, such as access to an online VOD service that includes curriculum-based tools, professional development services, and student assessment and publication of hardcopy curriculum-based content; and postproduction audio services to motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies, and interactive producers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 150 distribution feeds in 40 languages. The company is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Patricio Kehoe] d that precise strategy and now owns several cable networks available in over 200 countries worldwide. The national and pan-regional networks, distributed through 130 feeds and in 40 languages, have established this media firm in virtually every market. So, let�� take a look at what might have encouraged investment gurus Ron Baron (Trades, Portfolio) and Lee Ainslie (Trades, Portfolio) to add more of this company�� shares to their portfolio.�

Working Through the Niche

As the niche cable network provider in the media industry, Discovery�� flagship channel addresses topics like science, technology, history and exploration. With TLC, Animal Planet and Discovery as the three key domestic channels, the company reaches 100 million households, and despite the mature U.S. market, sales have grown 6% and revenue 10% in fiscal 2013. This is mainly due to the media giant�� unique content programming and line-up refreshments. Hit shows like Shark Week, for example, have become so popular through advertising that the network experienced in 2013 its all-time best viewership with over 50 million viewing rates during one episode. The men�� lifestyle cable network, Velocity, also experienced a 30% viewership increase in quarter four of 2013, and is now the fastest-growing network in that segment.��

Furthermore, in addition to the namesake channels, Discovery also owns Investigation Discovery, The Learning Channel, a 50% stake in Oprah Winfrey�� new cable channel OWN, and The Hub, a children�� network created with Hasbro Inc. (HAS). The strong universal appeal of content which transcends cultures and languages, add a differential value to this company and has allowed international distribution across multiple media platforms. In fact, 100% content ownership gives this firm a competitive advantage, as it can seek benefits from non-traditional content distribution. With companies like Netflix Inc. (NFLX)�or Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) looking to push t
[By Ben Levisohn]
So yes, Disney is a Buy, and DiClemente’s $90 price target suggests another 19% of upside from yesterday’s close, though it should be noted he also likes CBS (CBS), Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA) and Discover Communications (DISCA).

Why Energy Is Back in Fashion

The last time the energy sector topped the annual returns for S&P 500 sectors was 2007. In fact, from 2004 to 2007, as oil and natural gas prices broke new ground, energy was the top performing S&P 500 sector in all years but 2006, when it slipped to second place.

Since 2007, the energy sector has been in the bottom five during four out of six years, and never finished higher than 4th place. After turning in the 3rd worst sector performance in 2013 (albeit still with a gain of 22.3 percent), the energy sector could return to the top of the list this year. (And if you have forgotten what a bear market can do to your portfolio, look at the returns from 2008.)

Thus far, 2014 has marked a return to the top for the energy sector. As Bloomberg notes, $5 billion has flowed into the energy sector via exchange traded funds (ETFs) this year, which is an astounding 17 times more than in the final quarter of 2013. So far this year the energy sector has taken 63 percent of all the money flowing into sector ETFs, and the Standard & Poor's Energy Index has been setting record highs.

A rising tide may lift all boats, but our objective – which we achieved in 2013 and so far in 2014 in The Energy Strategist portfolios — is to outperform the sector indexes whether the tide is rising or falling.

Energy is such a diverse sector that there are always opportunities regardless of the broader sector performance. Thus, I don't attempt to time the sector, but seek instead to find the best opportunities within.

Over the course of the past year, more and more energy companies began to look undervalued, so I am not surprised at this influx of new money into the sector. But it will be more challenging to find good picks in the months ahead ! as this money rotation into the sector should fully value many of our favorite companies.

It may seem a bit ironic, but on the day that the National Climate Assessment report was released, the Standard & Poor's Energy Index reached a new record high. This index of 44 companies includes major energy names like ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI), Peabody (NYSE: BTU) and Valero (NYSE: VLO). All of the companies in the index produce or enable the production of fossil fuels, which end up as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Why the disconnect between urgent calls to take action on climate, and all the money pouring into fossil fuel companies? It's because demand for energy continues to grow, but the money hasn't flowed evenly. Per the aforementioned Bloomberg article:

"Natural gas companies also will be the first beneficiaries of President Barack Obama's climate policy, which has consistently discouraged the use of coal without requiring renewables to be used as a substitute, said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in Knoxville, Tennessee."

Regular readers know that I have been beating the natural gas drum for more than a year now. One of the factors behind my bullishness is that natural gas is a much cleaner fuel than coal, and regulations are going to increasingly tighten the noose around the latter. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the average air emissions from natural gas-fired power are half as much carbon dioxide, less than a third as much nitrogen oxides, and one percent as much sulfur oxides as the emissions from a equivalent amount of coal-fired generation. So trading coal for natural gas looks like a very attractive option for slashing our carbon emissions.

In a future where the world treats climate change as a crisis and acts — as the National Climate Assessment urges — the options are ! fairly li! mited because the world will continue to demand energy. Coal is by far the biggest threat. A 2012 paper by Neil C. Swart and Andrew J. Weaver that was published in Nature Climate Change showed that a whopping 80 percent of the potential climate warming is tied to the potential use of coal. Thus, lower emission replacements for coal are imperative.

The options are fairly few. While renewables like wind and solar will continue to grow exponentially, they are growing from a tiny base and still provide a small fraction of the overall power supply. Further, baseload power is needed due to the intermittency of wind and solar and the inadequacy of current energy storage options. That leaves nuclear power and natural gas as the two scalable, baseload power options for displacing coal. Each has its critics on environmental grounds, but unfortunately we don't have a totally consequence-free, massively scalable alternative. Natural gas has gained ground from coal, and is expected by the US Energy Information Administration to continue to do so.

Utilities in the US have begun to switch to natural gas (although there was some backsliding last year as natural gas prices rose), and this is a major factor behind falling carbon emissions in the US. Carbon dioxide emissions fell by 217 million metric tons (MMT) in 2012 to lead all countries. Over the past five years carbon dioxide emissions in the US have fallen by 738 MMT, a decline of 11 percent from 2007 levels, once again placing the US in the global lead.

One caveat is that certainly these declines are coming from a very high starting point. But we have been headed in the right direction, and should continue to build on these recent successes. And we will try to continue to invest accordingly.

(Follow Robert Rapier on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook.)

The Aftermath of Apple's Earnings

Monday was a big day for Apple shareholders because the stock closed above $600 for the first time since October 2012. For many years, Apple was a growth story. But now, unbelievably, it has become as much of a value story as anything else.

Daniel Sparks of the Motley Fool presented an excellent bull case for Apple in a recent article. Sparks writes:

It's no secret that there is very little growth priced into Apple stock. In fact, trading at just 13 times earnings, it could be argued that Apple's underlying business is priced to simply maintain its current levels of profits over the long haul.

Apple is priced as if its growth is not only over, but with a P/E ratio lower than that of the overall S&P 500, many investors seem to think that Apple's growth will actually swing negative sometime soon.

Numbers don't lie
Not only do I disagree with the premise that Apple will see negative revenue growth any time soon, iPhone and iPad sales in China via China Mobile (NYSE: CHL ) , China's largest carrier, will continue to provide positive revenue growth for Apple for years to come. In fact, take a look at a couple of graphs that have been updated since Apple's recent earnings report. The first chart shows Apple's quarterly revenue since 1999:

This chart actually shows that the slope in Apple's revenue growth may not be as steep as it has been in the past, but it is still positive on a year-over-year basis. Apple's annual revenue for 2013 grew by 9.2%. While that growth rate is far from the whopping 44.6% growth rate Apple enjoyed in 2012, it's certainly not negative.

Reaching the saturation point?
Another misconception about Apple is that the iPhone market is saturated. However, the following graph tells a different story:

Again, Apple's iPhone sales growth rate slowed from 72.9% in 2012 to 20.2% in 2013 on a year-over-year basis. But, the idea that there is somehow less demand for iPhones now than in years past is false. The iPhone launch with China Mobile just took place in early 2014, and China Mobile has more than three times the number of subscribers at Verizon and AT&T combined. These numbers indicate that revenue growth from China will likely be far more important to Apple's future than its continued growth in the U.S.

The company we keep
Somehow, when Apple's annual revenue growth rates were upward of 40%, investors seemed to lump the stock in with other growth stocks like Amazon and Netflix, which traded at ridiculously high multiples (Amazon still trades at a P/E ratio of around 500, for example). However, Apple generated such massive profits that, even when its share price was peaking around $680 in 2012, it's P/E ratio stayed in the mid-to-upper teens.

Apple was never simply a growth stock deserving of punishment by the market as soon as its growth started to slow. Apple was, and still is, a value play with the potential for continued staggering growth for years to come.

The future is bright for Apple shareholders
The list of reasons to own Apple after the recent earnings beat doesn't stop with the low P/E ratio and growth potential in China. With the company pledging a 30% increase in buybacks, a 7:1 stock split, and an 8% dividend hike, Apple shareholders are well-positioned moving forward in this bull market.

The biggest thing to come out of Silicon Valley in years
If you thought the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad were amazing, just wait until you see this. One hundred of Apple's top engineers are busy building one in a secret lab. And an ABI Research report predicts 485 million of them could be sold over the next decade. But you can invest in it right now... for just a fraction of the price of AAPL stock. Click here to get the full story in this eye-opening new report.

MannKind Surges 16% as Diabetes Drug Completes Trial

A good drug is hard to find. And MannKind (MNKD) just might have found a good one.

AFP

Today, the pharmaceutical company said that a trial showed its inhaled insulin helped diabetes sufferers. Bloomberg has the details:

Afrezza, a powdered form of insulin delivered through an inhaler, was more effective at controlling diabetics' blood sugar levels when combined with oral diabetes medicines compared to those drugs alone, the Valencia, California-based company said today in a statement. The results are from the last stage of testing required to get U.S. regulatory approval. If cleared for sale, the product would be the only inhaled insulin on the market, potentially replacing injections and pumps.

Cowen’s Simos Simeonidis and Yatin Suneja, who rate MannKind Market Perform, pose two questions for investors to consider:

So, assuming it is approved, the question becomes 1) can MannKind find a partner and 2) how much would AFREZZA be used?

Griffin Securities analyst Keith Markey thinks finding a partner is a given:

The data will be submitted by early October, so approval should come by early April. In the interim, Mannkind will seek a marketing partner(s) and a deal could be struck fairly quickly, as the regulatory risk has virtually dissipated. Much will depend on the number of companies involved and the terms offered. Regardless, Mannkind has cleared a key inflection point, and it has adequate financing to get through approval.

Markey rates the stock a Buy with an $11 price target. Shares of MannKind have jumped 14% to $7.85 today. The SPDR Biotech ETF (XBI) has gained 0.7% to $119.85 today, while Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY) has gained 1% to $49.05, NPS Pharmaceuticals (NPSP) has fallen 4.1% to $23.56, and InterMune (ITMN) has risen 2.6% to $14.89.

Why This Apple Supplier Can Fly Higher

After reporting losses and falling short of estimates in the past year or so, TriQuint Semiconductor's (TQNT) last reported quarter and guidance did please investors. In the last six months, the stock has surged more than 65% as investors seem to be very hopeful that the much awaited turnaround is here and the company will soon be delivering profits. Let's analyze what's going to help the radio frequency chip manufacturer to deliver in the future.

Driving On Mobile

TriQuint has a diversified portfolio, both in terms of products and clients, which will work well in its favor. The company provides advanced Radio Frequency equipment for the mobile, defense and aeronautical markets. With 60% sales coming from mobile devices, it is a leading manufacturer for RF filters, power amplifiers and switches.

TriQuint's major concentration is in the growing mobile industry, evident from the fact that smartphone shipments will exceed 900 million this year and will keep growing for at least the next five years. Furthermore, as the smartphone market is increasing, so are its complexities. Thus, with TriQuint's muscle in the advanced RF space and technological expertise for integrated solutions of active and passive contents, it is poised to grow. Moreover, apart from growth in smartphone sales, the tablet market is also expected to double this year.

Apart from being a part of a growing industry, TriQuint has some of the major players of the industry as its clients. Apple (AAPL) accounts for more than a quarter of its revenue and going forward, TriQuint will benefit as the smartphone giant will be coming up with new phones. The company has previously supplied amplifier modules for Apple's iPhones and has more opportunities as the smartphone giant's next generation device, iPhone 5S, is in production. Further, Apple is coming up with a lower-cost iPhone, within the price range of $300-$400, which is a good move as there is ample opportunity to grow in the mid-range smartphone market.

TriQuint also supplies its chips to the smartphone market leader, Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) and as it has announced that it will be coming up with many new devices, the RF player has all reasons to be happy. It previously supplied wireless chips for Samsung's flagship Galaxy S4. The company has already come up with a mini version of the same and is expected to come up with more models of it, thus TriQuint's market size is expected to grow.

Further, TriQuint has other smartphone players in its portfolio of clients and has struck up deals with manufacturers in China. Currently, the Chinese market is the largest and delivering exponential growth, so if the company can expand its operations there, it should increase its addressable market greatly.

There's More

TriQuint is also set to benefit from increased sophistication in the communication process and the dramatic shift of smartphones from 3G to LTE. Currently, in 3G enabled smartphones, the RF products are centered mainly to power amplifiers, switches and Wi-Fi, but RF content for LTE based handsets works on high performance SAW and BAW filters.

TriQuint is expected to benefit from the lateral shift to LTE, as it is among the few companies that manufacturer SAW enabled filters. Moreover, apart from TriQuint, only Avago Technologies (AVGO) manufactures BAW filters. The two companies have agreed to cross license BAW patents, thereby creating a duopoly in a market with high barriers to entry. Having a technological precedence will help the company earn higher margins and revenue in the future as it expects to supply 10 times more parts per mobile unit in manufacturing LTE handsets as compared to 2G mobile units. Further, it expects to supply content worth $10-$11 in an LTE device compared to $3-$4 content it supplied in a 3G smartphone.

The shift to the faster LTE network is happening pretty swiftly as telecom companies realize the value of technology to manage increased data traffic. The shift is evident from the fact that telecom giant AT&T (T) has set aside $20 billion to upgrade its wireless and wireline networks in order to swiftly roll out LTE. Sprint (S) is also investing heavily in order to boost its LTE network, post its acquisition by SoftBank. The company will receive $16 billion from SoftBank to invest in base stations in the next two years as it plans to provide unlimited data to its customers and grow its subscriber base.

Take Away

TriQuint appears to be in an advantageous position with a solid client base and a strong position in the growing smartphone market. Moreover, with its SAW and BAW technological edge, it is in a good position to push its top and bottom line north. Further, as the second half has always been traditionally stronger for chip suppliers as new phones and devices hit the market, I believe TriQuint is in for a strong second half and year ahead.

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