CMCSA – Comcast Delivers It’s Own ‘Triple Play’

Popular Posts: 3 Small-Cap Gems to Winterize Your PortfolioIs the Game Over for Zynga? ZNGACaterpillar Digging a Difficult Earnings Hole – CAT Recent Posts: CMCSA – Comcast Delivers It’s Own ‘Triple Play’ 3 Internet Stocks to Consider on Earnings – LNKD BIDU FB Defense Stocks Are Still Standing Strong View All Posts

Welcome to the Stock of the Day!

Fall is known for football, the changing leaves and a fresh new lineup of television programming. So it’s a big time of year for cable companies like Comcast (CMCSA), which just reported earnings this morning. While CMCSA shares are down on a slight sales miss, could this be a good buying opportunity to pick up this “triple play” (earnings, dividends and stock buybacks) stock? Find out now.

Company Profile

Comcast, as you probably know, is a huge player in media, entertainment and communications. It is perhaps best known for Comcast Cable, which beats out Time Warner Cable (TWC) as the largest cable operator in the U.S., with over 22.3 million subscribers.

On top of this, the company is known for its “Triple Play” package, which also offers voice and high-speed internet services for residential and business customers. What many don’t realize is that Comcast also has a hand in the networks that it includes in its cable service, with full ownership of NBCUniversal and significant holdings in E! Entertainment, Style Network and G4, among others. 2013 has been a pivotal year for Comcast so the analyst community expects 27% bottom-line growth over 2012.

Earnings Buzz

In the third quarter, Comcast’s cable business for both residential and commercial customers generated strong sales growth and record cash flow. At the same time, revenue for NBCUniversal decreased 14% compared with Q3 2012, a period of unusually high sales due to the 2012 Olympics. Overall, consolidated revenues declined 2.4% to $16.15 billion, just missing the $16.25 billion consensus estimate.

Meanwhile, adjusted net income advanced 38% to $1.73 billion, or 65 cents per share. Analysts were looking for earnings of 61 cents per share so Comcast posted a 7% earnings surprise. Investors reacted to the sales miss so shares are down this morning.

However, I’m encouraged by the company’s growth strategy. Comcast is ramping up capital expenditures on its network infrastructure and equipment. This should help the company continue to attract more new subscribers. In the past year the company has increased capital expenditures by 9.1% to $1.7 billion; over the same period, the number of video-internet-voice subscribers has jumped 15%.

Shareholder Value

I like that Comcast has been aggressively buying its stock back and shows no signs of slowing down. Last quarter, the company repurchased $500 million of its stock and it still has $2.0 billion remaining under its ongoing stock buyback program. Additionally, the company returned $512 million to shareholders in the form of dividends during the third quarter. Looking ahead, Comcast has an ex-dividend date coming up. Shareholders of record on January 2 will receive 19.5 cents per share on January 23. The stock currently yields over 1.7%, making CMCSA one of the highest yielding stocks in the industry.

Current Ratings

Before you buy any stock, you should always run it through my free Portfolio Grader ratings system. For much of the past year, CMCSA remained solidly in buy territory thanks to solid fundamentals (B-rated Fundamental Grade). However, in August institutional buying pressure deteriorated for this stock, indicating that the risk-to-return ratio for CMCSA was slipping. So I was compelled to downgrade it to a C-rated hold.

Even so, I like the company’s growth prospects, its hefty share repurchase program and that it is aggressively working to increase its subscriber base. I need to see buying pressure improve before I upgrade it again to a buy, but I’ll be taking a close look at the latest data over the weekend to see if it’s time to revise this recommendation.

Bottom Line

As of this posting, October 30, I consider CMCSA a C-rated Hold.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014

Despite concerns over sweeping healthcare law changes, the medical sector has actually been a solid performer so far this year. In fact, the main ETF for the space, the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) has easily outperformed the S&P 500 in the first half of 2013, trouncing the broad market by over 700 basis points.

However, some corners of the market could be facing troubles��specially in the medical device and equipment space��s concerns over healthcare spending are starting to take their toll on a number of companies in the space, as many are forgoing new purchases of equipment, or are buying less. One such company that has been the poster child of this trend and has seen its stock price suffer as a result is certainly Intuitive Surgical (ISRG).

ISRG�� Troubles in Focus

ISRG is probably best known for its da Vinci Surgical System which helps surgeons to perform operations with increased precision and control. The basis of the system uses robotics, while there are also HD 3D vision systems, and proprietary instrument technologies as well.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: Telik Inc (TELK)

Telik, Inc. (Telik), incorporated in 1988, is a clinical-stage drug development company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs to treat cancer. The Company discovers its product candidates using the Company�� drug discovery technology, Target-Related Affinity Profiling (TRAP). TELINTRA, its principal drug product candidate in clinical development, is a small molecule glutathione analog inhibitor of the enzyme glutathione S-transferase P1-1 (GST P1-1). TELCYTA, its other product candidate, is a small molecule cancer drug product candidate designed to be activated in cancer cells.

Clinical Product Development

TELINTRA is the Company�� lead small molecule product candidate in clinical development for the treatment of blood disorders, including cancer. It has a mechanism of action and acts by inhibiting GST P1-1, an enzyme that is involved in the control of cellular growth and differentiation. Inhibition of GST P1-1 results in the activation of the signaling molecule Jun kinase, a regulator of the function of blood precursor cells. Preclinical tests show that TELINTRA is capable of causing the death or apoptosis of leukemic or malignant blood cells, while stimulating the growth and development of normal blood precursor cells. TELINTRA has been studied in Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) using two formulations. A liposomal formulation was developed for intravenous administration of TELINTRA and was used in Phase I and Phase II studies in MDS patients. The results from the Phase II intravenous liposomal TELINTRA clinical trials demonstrated that TELINTRA treatment was associated with improvement in all three types of blood cell levels in patients with all types of MDS, including those in intermediate and high-risk groups. An oral dosage formulation (tablet) was subsequently developed and results from a Phase I study with TELINTRA tablets showed clinical activity and the formulation to be well tolerated. In June 2011, the Company initiated a Phase II clinical ! trial to evaluate TELINTRA tablets. In October 2011, the Company initiated an additional Phase IIb clinical trial to evaluate TELINTRA tablets. '

The activity and safety profile of tablet formulation allowed the Company to complete a Phase II trial of TELINTRA tablets in MDS. The primary objective of the Phase II TELINTRA tablet study was to determine the efficacy of TELINTRA. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify MDS disease prognostic factors associated with erythroid improvement response rates, including prior MDS treatment, age, gender, the international prognostic scoring system (IPSS), risk, Eastern Cooperative Group performance status, years from MDS diagnosis, MDS World Health Organization subtypes, anemia only versus anemia plus other cytopenias, dose schedule and starting dose. Results from this study show that TELINTRA is the first GSTP1-1 enzyme inhibitor shown to cause clinically reductions in red blood cell transfusions, including transfusion independence in low to intermediate-1 risk MDS patients, as well as improvement in platelet count and white blood cell levels in certain patients. TELINTRA, administered orally twice daily, appeared to be convenient and flexible for chronic treatment administration.

TELCYTA is a small molecule drug product candidate that the Company is developed for the treatment of cancer. TELCYTA binds to GST. TELCYTA has been evaluated in multiple Phase II and Phase III clinical trials, including trials using TELCYTA as monotherapy and in combination regimens in ovarian, non-small cell lung, breast and colorectal cancer. Results from these clinical trials indicate that TELCYTA monotherapy was generally well-tolerated, with mostly mild to moderate side effects, particularly when compared to the side effects and toxicities of standard chemotherapeutic drugs. When TELCYTA was evaluated in combination with standard chemotherapeutic drugs, the tolerability of the combinations was similar to that expected of each! drug alo! ne.

Clinical activity including objective tumor responses and/or disease stabilization was reported in the TELCYTA Phase II trials; however, TELCYTA did not meet its primary endpoints in the Phase III studies. Positive results from a Phase I-IIa multicenter, dose-ranging study of TELCYTA in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel as first-line therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, were published in a peer reviewed publication. Clinical data demonstrated positive results of TELCYTA in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in the treatment of first-line lung cancer followed by TELCYTA maintenance therapy. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had an on-going investigator-led study at a single site of TELCYTA in patients with refractory or relapsed mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse B cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

Preclinical Drug Product Development

The Company has a small molecule compound, TLK60404, in preclinical development that inhibits both Aurora kinase and VEGFR kinase. Aurora kinase is a signaling enzyme whose function is required for cancer cell division, while VEGF plays a key role in tumor blood vessel formation, ensuring an adequate supply of nutrients to support tumor growth. These lead compounds prevented tumor growth in preclinical models of human colon cancer and human leukemia by inhibiting both Aurora kinase and VEGFR kinase. A development drug product candidate, TLK60404, has been selected.

The Company, using its TRAP technology has discovered TLK60357, a novel, potent small molecule inhibitor of cell division. TLK60357 inhibits the formation of microtubules that are necessary for cancer cell growth leading to persistent G2/M cancer cell cycle block and subsequent cell death. This compound demonstrates potent broad-spectrum anticancer activity against a number of human cancer cells. This compound also displays oral efficacy in multiple, standard preclinical models of cancer. TLK60596, a potent VG! FR kinase! inhibitor, blocks the formation of new blood vessels in tumors. Oral administration of TLK60596 to animal models of human colon cancer reduced tumor growth.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: Johnson & Johnson(JNJ)

Johnson & Johnson engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of various products in the health care field worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Consumer, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Devices and Diagnostics. The Consumer segment provides products used in baby care, skin care, oral care, wound care, and women?s health care fields, as well as nutritional, over-the-counter pharmaceutical products, and wellness and prevention platforms under the brands of JOHNSON?S, AVEENO, CLEAN & CLEAR, JOHNSON?S Adult, NEUTROGENA, RoC, LUBRIDERM, DABAO, LISTERINE, REACH, BAND-AID, CAREFREE, STAYFREE, SPLENDA, TYLENOL, SUDAFED, ZYRTEC, MOTRIN IB, and PEPCID AC. The Pharmaceutical segment offers products in various therapeutic areas, such as anti-infective, antipsychotic, contraceptive, dermatology, gastrointestinal, hematology, immunology, neurology, oncology, pain management, and virology. Its principal products include REMICADE for the treatment of immune me diated inflammatory diseases; STELARA for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis; SIMPONI, a treatment for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis; VELCADE for the treatment of multiple myeloma; PREZISTA and INTELENCE for treating HIV/AIDS patients; NUCYNTA for moderate to severe acute pain; INVEGA SUSTENNAtm for the acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adults; RISPERDAL CONSTA for the management of bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia; and PROCRIT to stimulate red blood cell production. The Medical Devices and Diagnostics segment primarily offers circulatory disease management products; orthopaedic joint reconstruction, spinal care, and sports medicine products; surgical care, aesthetics, and women?s health products; blood glucose monitoring and insulin delivery products; professional diagnostic products; and disposable contact lenses. The company was founded in 1886 and is based in Ne w Brunswick, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  The one company that probably compares best with Abbott in terms of business models also looks like a more compelling buy. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) is up nearly 17% year to date -- much better performance than Abbott Labs. J&J's dividend yield of 3.1% also ranks higher.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Before there was even a fancy term like "nicotine replacement therapy," the Swedish were using nicotine gum in the 1960s to help royal navy submariners manage their nicotine cravings while aboard the confines of the vessel.�That gum eventually became Nicorette gum, which today is�manufactured by�Johnson & Johnson's� (NYSE: JNJ  ) �McNeil subsidiary and�is distributed in the U.S. by�GlaxoSmithKline� (NYSE: GSK  ) , the industry's largest NRT manufacturer, with 50% market share.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) is continuing its long tradition of boosting the money it returns to shareholders. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share of its stock, to be paid on June 11 to shareholders of record as of May 28. This represents an increase of 8% over the previous payout of $0.61, which was dispensed in February.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  After a 12-week run of seeing its share price rise for the week, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) stock fell last week. Investors were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share, but even factoring that into account, Johnson & Johnson stock still fell for the week.

Best Casino Stocks To Own Right Now: Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc.(SPPI)

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, primarily focuses on oncology and hematology. The company engages in acquiring, developing, and commercializing a broad and diverse pipeline of late-stage clinical and commercial products. It markets Zevalin, a prescribed form of cancer therapy, radioimmunotherapy; and Fusilev, a novel folate analog formulation and the pharmacologically active isomer of the racemic compound, calcium leucovorin. The company?s drugs in late stage development include Apaziquone, an anti-cancer agent; and Belinostat, a histone deacytelase inhibitor. Its drugs in development also include Ozarelix a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone antagonist, which is in Phase II clinical stage; SPI-1620, a peptide agonist of endothelin B receptors, which is in Phase I clinical stage; and RenaZorb, a lanthanum-based nanoparticle phosphate binding agent, which is in preclinical stage. The company was formerly known as NeoTherapeutics, Inc. and changed its name to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in December 2002. Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Henderson, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI  ) has found itself a new Executive Vice President, a new Chief Financial Officer, and a new Principal Accounting�Officer. They're all the same person.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: Cannabis Science Inc (CBIS)

Cannabis Science, Inc., incorporated on May 4, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treats disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance. On February 9, 2012, the Company acquired GGECO University, Inc. (GGECO). On March 21, 2012, the Company acquired Cannabis Consulting Inc. (CCI Group).

The Company is engaged in medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce, and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  The difference between Growlife's leadership and, say that of competitors like Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCMKTS: CBIS) or Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS: MJNA), has been relatively well documented here at the SmallCap Network site. I think the way I - well, someone else - put it back on June 25th says it best...."Growlife is sort of the demure girl in the corner who doesn't do shots off her navel in the bar." It may not have sizzle, but it does have substance.

• [By John Udovich]

  Although its summer, there has been a steady stream of good news about medical marijuana even though important small cap marijuana stocks�Medical Marijuana Inc (OTCMKTS: MJNA) and Cannabis Science Inc (OTCMKTS: CBIS) have been fairly quietly lately while Growlife Inc (OTCBB: PHOT), a more indirect play on the spread of legalized marijuana, has produced�some news for investors:

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: StemCells Inc (STEM)

StemCells, Inc. (StemCells), incorporated in August 1988, is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of stem cell therapeutics and related tools and technologies for academia and industry. The Company is focused on developing and commercializing stem and progenitor cells as the basis for therapeutics and therapies, and cells and related tools and technologies to enable stem cell-based research and drug discovery and development. The Company�� primary research and development efforts are focused on identifying and developing stem and progenitor cells as potential therapeutic agents. The Company has two therapeutic product development programs, including its CNS Program, which is developing applications for HuCNS-SC cells, its human neural stem cell product candidate, and its Liver Program, which is characterizing the Company�� human liver cells as a therapeutic product.

CNS Program

The Company in its CNS Program, is in clinical development with its HuCNS-SC cells for a range of disorders of the central nervous system. The CNS includes the brain, spinal cord and eye. In February 2012, the Company had completed a Phase I clinical trial in Pelizeaus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in the brain.

The Company�� CNS Program is focused on developing clinical applications, in which transplanting HuCNS-SC cells protect or restore organ function of the patient before such function is irreversibly damaged or lost due to disease progression. The Company�� initial target indications are PMD, and more generally, diseases in which deficient myelination plays a central role, such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis; spinal cord injury, disorders in which retinal degeneration plays a central role, such as age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. The Company�� product candidate, HuCNS-SC cells, is a purified and expanded composition of normal human neural stem cells. Its HuCNS-SC cells can be directly transp! lanted.

Liver Program

Liver stem or progenitor cells offer an alternative treatment for liver diseases. A liver cellular therapy or cell-based therapeutic provide or support liver function in patients with liver disease. The Company held a portfolio of issued and allowed patents in the liver field, which cover the isolation and use of both hLEC cells and the isolated subset, as well as the composition of the cells themselves.

The Company�� range of cell culture products, which are sold under the SC Proven brand, includes iSTEM, GS1-R, GS2-M, RHB-A, RHB-Basal, NDiff N2, and NDiff N2B27. Its iSTEM is a serum-free, feeder-free medium that maintains mouse embryonic stem cells in their pluripotent ground state by using selective small molecule inhibitors to block the pathways, which induce differentiation. RHB-A is a defined, serum-free culture medium for the selective culture of human and mouse neural stem cells and their maintenance and expansion as adherent cell populations. RHB-Basal is a defined, serum-free basal medium. When supplemented with specific growth factors, this media is formulated for the propagation and differentiation of adherent neural stem cells. RHB-Basal can also be tailored to specific-cell type requirements by the addition of customer preferred supplements.

The Company�� NDiff N2 is a defined serum-free scell culture supplement for the derivation, maintenance, expansion and/or differentiation of human and mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and tissue-derived neural stem cells supplement. Its NDiff N2-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N2. Its NDiff N2B27 is a defined, serum-free medium for the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells to neural cell types. NDiff N27-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N27. Its GS1-R is a serum-free media formulation shown to enable the derivation and long-term maintenance of true, germline competent rat embryonic stem cells without the add! ition of ! cytokines or growth factors. Its GS2-M is a defined, serum- and feeder-free medium for the derivation and long-term maintenance of true, germline competent mouse iPS cells.

The Company also markets a number of antibody reagents for use in cell detection, isolation and characterization. These reagents are also under the SC Proven brand and it includes STEM24, STEM101, STEM121 and STEM123. Its STEM24 is a human antibody that recognizes human CD24, also known as heat stable antigen (HSA), a glycoprotein expressed on the surface of many human cell types, including immature human hematopoietic cells, peripheral blood lymphocytes, erythrocytes and many human carcinomas. Its CD24 is also a marker of human neural differentiation. Its STEM101 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes the Ku80 protein found in human nuclei. Its STEM121 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes a cytoplasmic protein of human cells. Its STEM123 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).

The Company�� Other products marketed under SC Proven include total cell genomic DNA (gDNA), RNA and protein lysate reagents purified from homogenous stem cell populations for intra-comparative studies, such as Epigenetic fingerprinting, Southern, Western and Northern blots, PCR, RT-PCR and microarrays. This range of purified stem cell line lysates includes mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells propagated in SC Proven 2i inhibitor-based GS2-M media and mouse ES cell-derived and fetal tissue-derived neural stem (NS) cells propagated in SC Proven RHB-A media.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  When an investor thinks of spinal-related stem cell stocks, usually a name like Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR) or StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM) comes to mind. And well they should. STEM has logged some amazing breakthroughs in the field of spinal cord repair, while CUR has done the same. Not all back problems are spinal cord related though. In fact, most back problems - and therefore the most opportunity - are bone and disc related problems. That's where a young gun like BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX) can step in and make stem cell waves. BRTX has developed an approach to rejuvenate and revive failing spinal discs, potentially ending pain for millions of back-pain sufferers, and circumventing expensive spinal surgeries that are in increasing burden on insurance companies.

• [By John Udovich]

  The results of a recent Pew Center Poll regarding attitudes towards abortion and various forms of stem cell research could be a good sign for the stem cell industry along with small cap stem cell stocks like StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM), NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR),�International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX). Basically, Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue with 49% of American adults believing abortion is morally wrong, 23%�view it not as a moral issue and and 15% view it as morally acceptable. However and when Americans were asked about issues surrounding�human embryos, such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization, as a matter of morality, their views were different.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: Boston Scientific Corp (BSX)

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

Interventional Cardiology

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

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

Cardiac Rhythm Management

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

Endoscopy

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

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

Peripheral Interventions

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

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

Urology/Women�� Health

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

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

Neuromodulation

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

Electrophysiology

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

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  How the industry is responding
  Even before the tax took effect, companies took steps to reduce its potential impact. Stryker said last November that it would lay off 5% of its workforce in order to save $100 million in costs. Medtronic shifted most of its hiring toward overseas operations, while Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX  ) announced layoffs last July only to announce immediately thereafter its plans to invest $150 million in China.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: Oxford BioMedica PLC (OXB)

Oxford BioMedica plc is a biopharmaceutical company developing gene-based medicines and therapeutic vaccines. The Company�� LentiVector platform products include ProSavin, RetinoStat, StarGen, UshStat, EncorStat, Glaucoma-GT and MoNuDin. Its 5T4 Tumour Antigen produces TroVax and Anti-5T4 antibody. The Prime Boost�� product includes Hi-8 Mel. Its GDEPT platform produces MetXia and Anti Angiogenesis platform produces EndoAngio-GT. The Company is developing four LentiVector platform product candidates for the treatment of ocular diseases: RetinoStat for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD); StarGen for Stargardt disease; UshStat for Usher syndrome type 1B, and EncorStat for corneal graft rejection. TroVax is a therapeutic vaccine that stimulates the immune system to destroy cancerous cells expressing the 5T4 tumour antigen. On February 25, 2011, the Company purchased a freehold property, United Kingdom comprising a manufacturing facility.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: Scancell Holdings PLC (SCLP)

Scancell Holdings PLC is a United Kingdom-based company. The Company�� principal activity of the consists of the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines for the treatment of cancer. In April 2012, the Company completed recruitment to the Phase 1 clinical trial of SCIBI. In May 2012, the Company commenced recruitment and treatment of the first patient in the second part of it Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SCIBI. The Phase 2 part of the trial is conducted in five United Kingdom centers in Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, and Southampton. On August 15, 2012, the Company announced the development of a platform technology, Moditope.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: OncoSec Medical Inc (ONCS)

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, incorporated on February 8, 2008, is an emerging drug-medical device company. The Company focused on designing, developing and commercializing medical approaches for the treatment of solid cancers. In March 2011, the Company acquired from Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Inovio) certain assets related to the use of drug-medical device combination products for the treatment of different cancers.

The Company�� acquired assets relate to certain non-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccine technology and property relating to selective tumor ablation technologies, which it refers to as the OncoSec Medical System (OMS), a therapy which uses an electroporation device to facilitate delivery of chemotherapy agents, or nucleic acids encoding cytokines, into tumors and/or surrounding tissue for the treatment and diagnosis of various cancers. As of January 24, 2012, the Company had not generated any revenue from operations.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap biotech stocks AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: AVEO), OncoSec Medical Inc (OTCMKTS: ONCS) and MetaStat Inc (OTCBB: MTST) are focused on or are developing treatments or diagnostic technologies for metastatic cancers. In case you aren�� familiar with the term metastasis or metastatic, it�� the�spread of cancer from its primary site to other places in the body as cancer cells break away from a primary tumor, penetrate into lymphatic and blood vessels, circulate through the bloodstream and then grow in a new focus (metastasize) in normal tissues elsewhere in the body. In other words, it�� a dangerous form of cancer, but there are some small cap biotech stocks targeting it for diagnostics or treatment:

• [By Bio-Wire]

  Another company that has benefitted from Inovio�� newfound attention is OncoSec Medical (OTC: ONCS) ��a newer ��ffshoot�� company that uses a similar but distinctly different electroporation device known as the OncoSec Medical System (OMS) that is based on Inovio�� technology. The specific amplitude and frequency of the OMS electroporation is calibrated such that plasmid delivery into solid tumor masses is fully optimized, while CELLECTRA electroporation is less specialized and focus more on the vaccination of skin cells. The cross-license agreement made between Inovio and Oncosec also covers the two devices for their distinctly different applications.

10 Best Medical Stocks To Buy For 2014: Celgene Corp (CELG)

Celgene Corporation is a global biopharmaceutical company primarily engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies designed to treat cancer and immune-inflammatory related diseases. The Company is engaged in the research and development, which is designed to bring new therapies to market, and is engaged in research in several scientific areas that may deliver therapies, focusing areas, such as intracellular signaling pathways in cancer and immune cells, immunomodulation in cancer and autoimmune diseases, and therapeutic application of cell therapies. The Company�� primary commercial stage products include REVLIMID, VIDAZA, THALOMID, ABRAXANE and ISTODAX. Additional sources of revenue include a licensing agreement with Novartis, which entitles it to royalties on FOCALIN XR and the entire RITALIN family of drugs, the sale of services through its Cellular Therapeutics subsidiary and other miscellaneous licensing agreements. In March 2012, it acquired Avila Therapeutics.

The Company invests in research and development, and the drug candidates in its pipeline at various stages of preclinical and clinical development. These candidates include pomalidomide and apremilast, its oral anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents, PDA-001, its cellular therapy, oral azacitidine, CC-223 and CC-115 for hematological and solid tumor malignancies, CC-122, its anti-cancer pleiotropic pathway modifier, and ACE-011 and ACE-536 biological products for anemia in several clinical settings of unmet need. Celgene product candidates include Pomalidomide (CC-4047), Oral Anti-Inflammatory: Apremilast (CC-10004), CC-11050, Kinase Inhibitors:Tanzisertib (CC-930), Cellular Therapies: PDA-001, Activin Biology: Sotatercept (ACE-011) ACE-536, and Anti-tumor Agents: CC-22, CC-115, CC-122 and Oral Azacitidine. It owns and operates a manufacturing facility in Zofingen, Switzerland. The Company also owns and operates a drug product manufacturing facility in Boudry, Switzerland.

Commercial! Stage Products

REVLIMID (lenalidomide) is an oral immunomodulatory drug marketed in the United States and many international markets, in combination with dexamethasone, for treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. It is also marketed in the United States and certain international markets for the treatment of transfusion-dependent anemia due to low- or intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with a deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality with or without additional cytogenetic abnormalities. REVLIMID is distributed in the United States through contracted pharmacies under the RevAssist program, which is a risk-management distribution program. Internationally, REVLIMID is distributed under mandatory risk-management distribution programs.

REVLIMID continues to be evaluated in numerous clinical trials worldwide either alone or in combination with one or more other therapies in the treatment of a range of hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MDS) various lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) other cancers and other diseases. VIDAZA (azacitidine for injection) is a pyrimidine nucleoside. VIDAZA is a Category 1 recommended treatment for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS and is marketed in the United States for the treatment of all subtypes of MDS. In Europe, VIDAZA is marketed for the treatment of intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with 30% blasts and has been granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of MDS and AML.

THALOMID (thalidomide) is marketed for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and for the acute treatment of the cutaneous manifestations of moderate to severe erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) an inflammatory complication of leprosy and as maintenance therapy for prevention and suppression of the cutaneous manifestation of ENL recurrence. THALOMID is distributed in the United States under its System f! or Thalid! omide Education and Prescribing Safety (S.T.E.P.S.) program. Internationally, THALOMID is also distributed under mandatory risk-management distribution programs. ABRAXANE (paclitaxel albumin-bound particles for injectable suspension) is a solvent-free chemotherapy treatment option for metastatic breast cancer, which was developed using its nab technology platform. This protein-bound chemotherapy agent combines paclitaxel with albumin. As of December 31, 2011, ABRAXANE was in various stages of investigation for the treatment of expanded applications for metastatic breast; non-small cell lung; malignant melanoma; pancreatic; bladder and ovarian.

ISTODAX (romidepsin) has received orphan drug designation for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's T-cell lymphomas, which includes CTCL and PTCL. The Company has licensed the worldwide rights (excluding Canada) regarding certain chirally pure forms of methylphenidate for FOCALIN and FOCALIN XR to Novartis. It also licensed to Novartis the rights related to long-acting formulations of methylphenidate and dex-methylphenidate products which are used in FOCALIN XR and RITALIN LA.

Preclinical and Clinical-Stage Pipeline

The product candidates in the Company�� pipeline are at various stages of preclinical and clinical development. Pomalidomide is a small molecule that is orally available and modulates the immune system and other biologically important targets. Pomalidomide is being evaluated in a phase III clinical trial for the treatment of myelofibrosis and a phase III clinical trial evaluating pomalidomide as a treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma is accruing patients.

The Company is developing a product, ORAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS, which is orally available small molecules that target PDE4, an intracellular enzyme that modulates the production of multiple pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, including interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-10, IL-12, IL-23, INF-gamma, TNF-a, leukotrienes,! and nitr! ic oxide synthase. Its investigational drug, apremilast (CC-10004), is used for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis and active psoriatic arthritis and is being evaluated in a phase II trial for rheumatoid arthritis and six phase III multi-center international clinical trials. In addition, it is investigating its oral PDE4 inhibitor, CC-11050, which is an anti-inflammatory compound that treat a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE).

The Company�� oral kinase inhibitor platform includes inhibitors of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) mTOR kinase, spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) c-fms tyrosine kinase (c-FMS) and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNAPK). Its oral Syk, c-FMS and DNAPK kinase inhibitors are being investigated in pre-clinical studies. The Company�� new second generation JNK inhibitor, tanzisertib (CC-930), is being evaluated in a phase II trial for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and a phase II trial for the treatment of discoid lupus is accruing patients. Amrubicin is a third-generation fully synthetic anthracycline molecule with potent topoisomerase II inhibition.

At Celgene Cellular Therapeutics (CCT), it is researching stem cells derived from the human placenta, as well as from the umbilical cord. CCT is the Company�� research and development division. Stem cell based therapies provide disease-modifying outcomes for serious diseases, which lack adequate therapy. It has developed technology for collecting, processing and storing placental stem cells with broad therapeutic applications in cancer, auto-immune diseases, including Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders, including stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), graft-versus-host disease, and other immunological / anti-inflammatory, rheumatologic and bone disorders.

The Company has collaborated with Acceleron Pharma, Inc. (Acceleron) to develop sotatercept. Two phase I clinical studies have been co! mpleted. ! An additional phase II clinical study has been initiated and is ongoing related to treatments for end-stage renal anemia and to evaluate effects on red blood cell mass and plasma volume.

The Company competes with Abbott Laboratories, Amgen Inc. (Amgen), AstraZeneca PLC., Biogen Idec Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Eisai Co., Ltd., F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, Merck and Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Takeda).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Biotech and the cancer treatment segment of the biotech market has been a hot area for some time with important cancer stocks like large cap Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) and small caps�Array BioPharma (NASDAQ: ARRY), Cancer Genetics Inc (NASDAQ: CGIX), EXACT Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ: EXAS) and�MetaStat Inc (OTCMKTS: MTST) all producing a steady flow of important news�for investors this week or in recent weeks. Consider the following:

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Why the other big biotechs aren't dividend stocks
  True confession: I started this article with a plan to argue that the other three big biotechs -- Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB  ) , Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG  ) , and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD  ) -- should also offer a dividend.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Grab some "easy" growth
  Don't chase microcap companies hoping they'll change the world. The market has become pretty good at vetting platforms and pipelines of small companies, so there's probably a good reason for their lowly valuations. There's nothing wrong with taking on some risk, but I believe investors are much better off tackling secure growth. Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG  ) and Gilead (NASDAQ: GILD  ) offer just that -- and world-changing potential to boot. Take a look at how they've crushed the market in the past year.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Currently, the top 10 stocks in which the ETF is invested comprise more than 55% of total assets. Sure, there are some speculative names included in the full list of holdings. However, the largest stakes are in big biotechs with long track records, like Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD  ) , Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG  ) , Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN  ) , and Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB  ) . These top four holdings make up almost one-third of the ETF's total assets.

Apple’s Share Slipped as 251 Million Smartphones Shipped in Third Quarter

Global shipments of smartphones grew 45% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2013 to a record 251 million units. The quarter also marks the first time total shipments topped a quarter billion.

Samsung Electronics topped the list with a record 88.4 million units shipped and a record 35% market share. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), which reported earnings earlier Monday afternoon, reported sales of 33.8 million units and market share of 13%. Huawei Technologies shipped 12.7 million units to retain the third largest share of the market with a 5% share.

Both Samsung and Huawei market share in the quarter compared with the same quarter in 2012. Apple's share slipped from nearly 16% a year ago to 13% this year. Apple's volume grew by 26% year-over-year, while Samsung's shipment volume rose by 55% and Huawei's volume grew 67%.

The data comes from research firm Strategy Analytics' Wireless Smartphone Strategies service and is published on the company's blog.

The only other companies named in the results were LG Electronics and Lenovo. Once-powerful industry leaders Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) and BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) are lumped together in the "Others" category. Neither has a market share above Lenovo's 4.3%.

The following chart from Strategy Analytics tells the tale:

How Self-Made Millionaires Avoid the Winner's Curse

In auctions, if you end up overbidding and win, you lose. This is known as the winner's curse. It turns out to be pretty common at auctions because all sorts of pressures and reactionary impulses spur the bidders forward. Competition and the "need" to win can easily result in someone seriously overpaying.

The winner's curse is widespread. You can often see the curse in action when it comes to hiring talent such as Wall Street traders or "bankable" movie stars or senior corporate executives. The Wall Street traders and senior corporate executives fail to deliver value commensurate with their costs, and the "bankable" stars don't pull in the audience for the movies they headline. The winner's curse is also pervasive when bidding on horses, art, oil leases, or most anything.

Many self-made millionaires regularly find themselves in bidding scenarios where the information is much less than perfect. The value of the item up for bid from the movie star to the oil lease cannot be precisely defined. The movie could flop or be a runaway smash, and we don't know for sure how much oil is under the ground that's being leased.

It's common that self-made millionaires need to bid in an auction but, to their advantage, they're generally aware of the curse. The way they regularly avoid being cursed is to first devalue what they're bidding on. If a self-made millionaire thinks a painting is worth US$5 million. He or she will presume that the US$5 million is an overestimation of the painting's value. By devaluing the painting so that it's worth US$ 4 million – a 20% decline – the self-made millionaire is sure not to succumb to the winner's curse. By not paying more than US$4 million, he or she might not win the painting, but there's no remorse from overpaying.

The ability of these self-made millionaires to avoid the winner's curse is not in their skill at devaluing what they're bidding on. Actually, that's the easy part. The general tendency is to subtract ten to twenty percent. Sometimes, they'll subtract more or less based on who the other bidders are.

The hard part is sticking to the lower number. What makes these self-made millionaires to not only avoid the winner's curse, but it also enables them to be extraordinarily successful in their ability to determine their number and commit to it. They're not going to start second guessing themselves or wavering. In the heat of competitive bidding, they'll stick to their discounted appraisal and not exceed it. This is the real magic; the real brilliance they bring to business situations such as competitive bidding.

Ford's 2013 Fusion Hybrid Dominates Competition

Ford's 2013 Fusion Hybrid. Photo: Ford Motor.

It's difficult to believe that a few short years after Detroit automakers were specifically known for producing gas-guzzling SUVs that Ford (NYSE: F  ) has designed a hybrid that's dominating the market. It's won numerous awards, ranks atop multiple listings, and impresses more consumers every month. Ford's raving about how consumers are coming to showrooms in markets not known for hybrid sales -- sending sales through the roof. Here are some details regarding all the hype.

The winner
Ford's 2013 Fusion Hybrid has collected numerous awards, including these two from U.S. News & World Report Rankings:

2013 Best Hybrid Car for the Money 2013 Best Hybrid Car for Families

In addition to those awards, it ranks No. 1 in U.S. News' "Affordable Midsize Cars" and "Hybrid Cars."

The reasons U.S. News gave for placing the Fusion Hybrid on top? "Excellent fuel economy, strong performance, great reliability and safety scores, a roomy interior and stylish exterior." 

Ford's Fusion Hybrid 2.0L four-cylinder engine puts out 188 horsepower and gets 47 mpg in the city and on the highway -- putting it ahead of almost all the competition. It received four and a half out of five stars on user reviews at Edmunds.com, with the only complaint being its buggy MyFord Touch infotainment system, which has plagued Ford over the last couple of years. On the positive side, its quiet powertrain, good power, and torque in combination with its fuel efficiency make it a popular option in its class -- and it's showing in Ford's sales. 

Ford delivered its best hybrid quarter ever, with Q2 sales up 517% from last year, marking the first time sales topped 24,000 in a quarter, according to Ford. 

"Customers have come to expect fuel economy and leading technology with every new vehicle Ford delivers," said Jim Farley, executive vice president, global marketing, in a Ford press release. "Our newest hybrids are contributing to Ford's growth and share gains, while bringing new customers into the showroom in nontraditional hybrid markets." 

To make sure this success is sustained, Ford has hired more than 200 new electrification engineers and is spending $50 million for research and development facilities that will double Ford's battery-testing capabilities. Ford expects those investments to speed up electrified vehicle development by as much as 25%.

Investing takeaway
In 2006 when Alan Mulally was introduced as CEO and took upon the task of turning around a once proud American Icon, the company was losing billions of dollars and sinking fast. In fact, between 2006 and 2008, Ford lost more than $30 billion, and most analysts pegged it to be the first automaker to declare bankruptcy.

We know how the story ends. Ford was the only one of the Big Three U.S. automakers not to receive a government bailout and was the first domestic automaker to return to profitability. Ford's secret was simple: Cut slacking brands and start producing vehicles people wanted in segments that were trending. For proof of Ford's success, look no further than its Fusion, Focus, Escape, and F-Series -- all ranking in the top 15 in U.S. sales through June. 

As the automotive industry in the U.S. continues to rebound, and Ford's vehicles top the sales charts, Ford has become an excellent investment opportunity, up 90% in the past year.

F data by YCharts

Ford has figured it out, and it's a much leaner and more financially stable company than in has been in years. Ford will continue to be a great investment going forward, even if it's hard to believe, and vehicles like the Fusion Hybrid are proof its vision is aimed toward the future. The good news is, even after its share price run-up over the last year, there's much room for growth -- especially in China.

Investing in the automaker best poised for success in China will bring you great profits. China is already the world's largest auto market -- and it's set to grow even bigger in coming years. A recent Motley Fool report, "2 Automakers to Buy for a Surging Chinese Market," names two global giants poised to reap big gains that could drive big rewards for investors. You can read this report right now for free -- just click here for instant access.

Can Home Improvement Retailers Improve Your Portfolio?

The Home Improvement Research Institute, or HIRI, publishes an annual Home Improvement Products Market Forecast. In September the group made an upward revision to the forecast they released in March, predicting that total home improvement product sales will increase 5.4% in 2013. The forecast for 2014-2015 is even more encouraging: a projected increase averaging 6.9% for those two years.

Further good news was HIRI's opinion that they do not expect higher interest rates to put the brakes on the housing market rebound. They anticipate rates easing somewhat by the end of the year, and not rising appreciably through 2014.

Where "Never Stop Improving" is more than a marketing tag line
Lowe's Companies (NYSE: LOW  ) occupies the second place position among home improvement retailers. It has 1,758 stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico as of Aug. 2.

Sales for the second quarter ended Aug. 2 jumped 10.3% from the same quarter of 2012. Comparable store sales for the quarter showed an excellent 9.6% increase. CEO Robert A. Niblock described the company's performance as being driven by "a healthy balance of ticket and transaction growth."

Margins were healthy, too. On a percentage of sales basis, the gross margin improved 42 basis points. This may not sound like much, but on a sales tally of $15.7 billion, the percentage gain accounted for $66 million of the total $563 million increase in gross margin dollars. Lowe's also efficiently managed selling, general, and administrative expenses, which were down 53 basis points. Meanwhile, net earnings soared 26% to $941 million.   

A core strategy of Lowe's is to increase the interaction between the company and customers as they plan home improvement projects. The company's online tool, MyLowes, helps homeowners design and manage these projects.

The benefits of remodeling your operations model
The Home Depot (NYSE: HD  ) is the giant of the home improvement retailing industry. It had sales of $22.5 billion in the second quarter of 2013, which was an increase of 9.5% from the second quarter of 2012. As with Lowe's, comparable store sales registered an impressive gain, with a 10.7% increase.

Home Depot CEO Frank Blake said these robust sales results exceeded management's expectations.

Gross profit as a percentage of sales held steady at just over 34%. Selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales dropped 70 basis points in comparison with the same quarter last year.

The result was a 17.2% increase in net earnings, to nearly $1.8 billion. In regard to the outlook for the remainder of 2013, Home Depot raised both its sales guidance and earnings per share guidance.

The company has made strides in becoming more customer-focused in terms of providing know-how and expertise, as well as products at good prices.

Home Depot found that 60% of in-store staff time were devoted to operational tasks and only 40% to helping customers. The company made a goal of reversing those percentages by introducing operational efficiencies to free up staff time. The positive results of this refined operations model are showing up in higher sales.

Definitely not hard times in hardwood
Home Depot and Lowe's both strive to provide everything the homeowner needs to complete a wide range of home projects.  Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL  ) has a different but equally effective approach: to be the largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring.

For the second quarter, the company announced that net sales surged 22.2% in comparison with the same quarter last year. Comparable store sales were outstanding, up nearly 15% as the number of customers invoiced rose 9.1%, and they spent on average 5.4% more per transaction.

Gross margin percentage can be very difficult to significantly increase. This number increased a full four percentage points to 41.3% because of lower product costs, increased unit prices, and operational efficiencies that took hold across the organization.

Although selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales increased 50 basis points compared to the second quarter of 2012, the net result was a 350 basis points increase in operating margin to 12.9%, which was a record performance for the company.

Lumber Liquidators' formula for success includes offering 340 varieties of flooring at its 300 locations. The company competes with the much larger home improvement stores by the combination of price, selection, quality, availability and expertise.

The company has a well-designed online and mobile application called "Floor Finder" that helps the customer choose the flooring product that best meets their needs and budget. Customers can be armed with product knowledge before they set foot in the store, increasing their confidence in making a purchase.

Lumber Liquidators has introduced a new store format that appeals to a broader base of customers, according to management.

What we learned
Each of these companies is riding the wave of an upward-trending demand curve as a result of consumers feeling confident enough to undertake the home improvement projects they postponed during the recession.

Lowe's and Home Depot are employing technological innovations that make it easier to learn about products and make product selections. Both are also focused on providing the valuable information needed to make home improvement projects more successful. This creates the kind of retail experience we hope for from all the stores we do business with, but we don't always receive. The outlook for both of these companies is excellent, particularly if the cheery HIRI forecast turns out to be true.

My favorite of the three -- by a narrow margin, call it a 50 basis points endorsement -- is Lumber Liquidators. Installing new hardwood flooring can dramatically improve the aesthetics of a home for a relatively reasonable cost. Because the company purchases directly from a host of lumber mills, it can pass cost savings along to customers.     

Will these home improvement retailers rule the market?
The retail space is in the midst of the biggest paradigm shift since mail order took off at the turn of last century. Only those most forward-looking and capable companies will survive, and they'll handsomely reward those investors who understand the landscape. You can read about the 3 Companies Ready to Rule Retail in The Motley Fool's special report. Uncovering these top picks is free today; just click here to read more.

Mortgage Rates Soar: Is It Too Late to Refinance?

Many investors have expected for years that interest rates on mortgage loans would eventually rise from record-low levels. But the recent rise in mortgage rates has taken everyone by surprise because of the speed with which rates rose and the extent of their jump.

In just the past two months, 30-year mortgage rates have risen by more than a full percentage point from their lowest levels around 3.5%, with a catastrophic surge taking the rate to 4.75% late last week.

Do soaring rates mean that it's too late to refinance your mortgage?

Below, we'll answer that question, but first, let's look at the impact that rising rates have on the housing market more generally.

A tale of two borrowers
For would-be homebuyers, rising rates are particularly bad, as rates on new-purchase mortgages have a huge impact not just on the amount of your monthly payment but on determining how much money a bank will allow you to borrow. With home prices on the rise, some would-be homebuyers will end up getting priced out of their markets as a result of these rate increases, and that in turn has some analysts concerned that the new housing boom could come to an abrupt end.

By contrast, current homeowners with existing mortgages don't feel quite the same pain from rising mortgage rates. As long as you have a fixed-rate mortgage, your rate is locked in for the duration of your loan. That puts you in a no-lose situation; you can refinance if rates are sufficiently low, but you can keep your existing mortgage if rates rise.

Still, those looking to refinance have to be disappointed by the big rise in rates recently. For many, it will no longer make sense to try to refinance, and already, we've seen signs from major lenders Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) , JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) that refinancing activity has been on the decline. For those banks, that comes as unwelcome news, especially with JPMorgan also facing the potential need to raise capital after regulators raised capital requirements above the bank's current levels. Even for B of A and Wells, taking away refinancing income will make a full recovery from the financial crisis even harder.

Why refinance now?
But for some, even the recent rise could leave you with some potential savings. The key to the refinancing decision is how much money you can save.

Refinancing typically involves closing costs and other expenses, so you need to save enough on your monthly payment to recoup those upfront costs within a reasonable period of time. Typically, one rule many people follow is that if you can cut your interest rate by a full percentage point without having to pay points or other big costs to get a new mortgage, then refinancing makes sense.

With rates between 4.5% and 4.75%, you might think that refinancing wouldn't make sense for anyone. But as recently as five years ago, 30-year mortgage rates were above 6%.

So if you've been procrastinating for a long time or if your financial situation only recently improved enough that you could get a bank to think about letting you refinance, then it might be economically viable for you to refinance right now.

But should you refinance now, or wait?
The big question, though, is whether you should refinance even if it makes economic sense. After all, if rates drop from here, you might be able to lock in an even more attractive rate.

In assessing whether waiting makes sense, put yourself into one of three categories:

If refinancing doesn't make sense at current rates, then it obviously makes sense to wait and hope for better ones. Contact your lender and get projections on what your savings would be under various rate assumptions. Look at them and then figure out how far rates would have to fall to make refinancing attractive. Then, find out if you can go through some of the formalities with your lender early so that you can jump on rates if they fall to your desired level. If refinancing just barely makes sense right now, then you should strongly consider going forward. If you wait and rates rise further, you could jeopardize your entire refi. If refinancing would still make sense even if rates rose even further, though, then you have some latitude to gamble without entirely losing the potential benefit of refinancing. If you want to wait in the hopes of getting an even better rate, then doing so has much less risk than if you're right on the margin.

Last but not least, consider putting pressure on your lender to give you a better deal. With refinancing activity drying up, mortgage specialists are already under stress from their employers to get deals done to keep income flowing in. Don't expect huge concessions, but small reductions in closing costs or interest rates can make the difference between a viable refi and a failed one.

Don't stop watching
No one knows where interest rates will go next, but if you have an outstanding mortgage, it still might not be too late to refinance. Now's the time to run the numbers and get yourself in position to act quickly if mortgage rates turn around and give borrowers some relief in the weeks and months to come.

Many investors are terrified about investing in big banking stocks after the crash, but the sector has one notable stand-out. In a sea of mismanaged and dangerous peers, it rises above as "The Only Big Bank Built to Last." You can uncover the top pick that Warren Buffett loves in The Motley Fool's new report. It's free, so click here to access it now.

How 3M Got Back Into Wall Street’s Good Book

Earlier this year, 3M (NYSE:MMM) CEO Inge Thulin stunned Wall Street when the company reported its first earnings miss in nearly two years and slashed its 2013 earnings outlook as the maker of Post-It notes, Scotch tape and Ace bandages, faced a "low-growth economic environment."

Thulin, who has headed the St. Paul, Minn. company since February 2012, is now changing his tune after the company reported better-than-expected results. He raised the company's earnings outlook to $6.65 per share to $6.75 per share, compared with an earlier forecast of $6.60 per share to $6.85 per share. Organic growth is expected to be 3% to 4%, lower than the 4% to 6% target forecast by 3M a year ago. Nonetheless, that's better than many of its peers.

"All business groups generated positive organic sales growth and operating margins above 20%," he said in the earnings release. "At the same time, we further strengthened the company through increased investments in innovation, commercialization and manufacturing."

Wall Street doesn't appear to be terribly impressed with 3M's results even though they were pretty solid. Shares of the St. Paul, Minn. were up slightly in Thursday's trading. They have surged more than 30% this year, outperforming rivals such as General Electric (NYSE:GE), Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) and Danaher (NYSE:DHR).

The strong performance should continue for the foreseeable future. Industrial sales surged up 8.6% $2.7 billion fueled by gains across major georgraphie including double-digit increases in Latin America and Canada. Foreign sales also bolstered 3M's Electronics and Energy, Safety and Graphics, Health Care, and Consumer divisions even when growth in the U.S. was lackluster.

Shares of 3M are trading at a price-to-earnings multiple of 19.3, slightly ahead of Danaher's 20, and Honeywell's (NYSE:HON) 21.5. Revenue this year at 3M is forecast to grow 3.4% this year, and 5.4% next year. That's in-line with Danaher, which is expected to post gains of 4.3% and 5.4% during that same time period, and Honeywell, which is expected to gain 3.2 % and 5.8 % over the next two years.

Shares of 3M are trading ahead of its $122.60 average 52-week price target. Analysts at Jefferies think the shares could hit $140, which implies a 13% upside and is the highest forecast on Wall Street. Honeywell is trading 5% under its average 52-week target of $91.48 and Danaher is trading 6% under its average 52-week price target of $76.55.

3M is exposed to a wider variety of customers than either Honeywell or Danaher, which even in a slow growth economy is a plus. It should easily hit its most optimistic target. Like Honeywell, 3M counts aerospace and defense contractors among its customers providing products such as coatings, sealants, fasteners and binders. 3M, like Danaher, also does a sizeable business with industrial customers thanks to products such as compressed natural gas tanks. The company also is entrenched with consumers because of a wide variety of products such as Thinsulate insulation which is used in outerwear, bedding and acoustics.

The Bottom Line

Though manufacturing companies talk a good game about innovation, 3M has track record that shows it can "talk the talk" and "walk the walk" It continues to invest in innovation and is building a new state-of-the art research facility at its headquarters in St. Paul. The company is focusing on so-called disruptive technologies. Investors can be assured that many of these projects will pay off. That's why the time to buy the stock is now.

Disclosure - At the time of writing, the author did not own shares of any company mentioned in this article.

Why Would Microsoft Want Nook?

The future of Barnes & Noble's (NYSE: BKS  ) Nook Media subsidiary is up in the air. Not only did the bookseller discontinue tablet hardware, but also the company just announced that its CEO has resigned. The Nook segment's EBITDA losses nearly doubled last fiscal year to $475 million, and B&N appointed CFO Michael Huseby as the new CEO of the Nook Media subsidiary.

The news has sparked a fresh round of speculation that Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) may step up as a possible buyer, and acquire the remaining stake in Nook. The software giant currently owns 16.8% of the business, publisher Pearson has 5%, and B&N owns the remaining 78.2%. This isn't the first time that investors have contemplated such a move, as separate reports in May said that Microsoft was considering a $1 billion bid.

Microsoft originally invested $300 million in Nook in April 2012, which valued the business at $1.7 billion at the time. The segment has lost over a quarter of that in EBITDA over the past year, and revenue has fallen 17% to $776 million. The leaked docs from May suggested that Microsoft was valuing Nook at $1.66 billion. That valuation seems optimistic in light of recent events.

At this point, it's rather unclear what Microsoft would gain from buying the rest of Nook. There are no hardware operations to speak of, and Microsoft is already building its own Surface family of tablets. The Nook brand name isn't particularly powerful, especially compared to its Windows platform. Nook has tried to expand its content into categories like movies and TV shows, but Microsoft already has those on its Xbox platform. As far as mobile apps go, Nook apps are based on Android and B&N just adopted Google Play, neither of which helps Windows Store at all.

The only thing that Nook has that Microsoft doesn't is e-books. But if Microsoft really wanted to compete with Amazon.com, Apple, and Google in the e-book market (which is extremely likely), it could just separately ink its own deals with book publishers to expand its ecosystem without having to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on acquiring Nook.

Acquiring Nook might be faster, but it's also much riskier and much more expensive. Save your money, Microsoft.

It's incredible to think just how much of our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped and molded by just a handful of companies. Find out "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks?" in The Motley Fool's latest free report, which details the knock-down, drag-out battle being waged by the five kings of tech. Click here to keep reading.

Is Vertex A Decent Long-Term Buy For Growth Investors?

Innovation is the critical success factor for the biotechnology industry. As long as the companies in this industry are able to get new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before their earlier patents expire, all is good to go. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) is an active player in this industry. Let's take a look at how this company has been tackling the challenging economic conditions in the US and what the future holds for its shareholders.

Company profile

Vertex is in the business of discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing small molecule drugs for patients with serious diseases which include genotype 1 hepatitis C virus or HCV infection, cystic fibrosis "CF" etc. Vertex has recently submitted a supplemental New Drug Application "SNDA" to the FDA for the approval of KALYDECO (ivacaftor) monotherapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

Historic financial performance

Revenue growth

(click to enlarge)

Source: Vertex SEC Filings

Vertex was in the research stage of its drug development during the period 2008-2010 and thus reported low revenues which were primarily coming from up front license fees related to collaboration agreements with Janssen and Mitsubishi Tanabe. Royalty payments also formed part of the minor revenue base as the company had entered into a purchase agreement with Fosamprenavir Royalty to receive royalty payments arising from sales of Lexiva/Telzir and Agenerase.

From 2011 onwards, the company reported net product revenues of $950.9 million from the sales of INCIVEK in the United States. This resulted in a razor sharp increase in the company's top line growth. Royalty revenues increased by $19.8 million in 2011 as compared to 2010 due to the addition of $20.3 million sales of INCIVO by Janssen for which there were no comparable revenues in 2010. The significant increase in! the collaborative revenues from Janssen in 2011 as compared to 2010 was related to $250 million in milestone payments for which there were no comparable revenues in 2010.

Sales continued to grow at a rate of 8.2% in 2012. This growth was led by a 40% increase in the net product revenues. KALYDECO was marketed for the first time and further growth was achieved in the sales of INCIVEK, which were the main drivers of this boost in the company's top line. Sales of INCIVEK increased by $210.9 million due to the realization of INCIVEK net product revenues over a full fiscal year in 2012 as compared to a partial fiscal year in 2011. Royalty revenues also continued to increase as Janssen was approved to market INCIVO in the European Union by the end of 2011. Since the approval of KALYDECO in the first quarter of 2012, most eligible patients in the United States initiated and began receiving treatment with KALYDECO, which drove Vertex's revenue higher.

Margins

Vertex saw a drastic turnaround in its operating margins in 2011 when the company properly began to market its drugs. The company reported a staggering 8.1% operating margin in 2011 compared to (486.7)% in 2010. This was a huge step forward as the company reported profits for the first time since inception. This improvement was achieved as the growth in the company's top line trickled down to positively affect its operating profits.

In 2012, the operating margin declined once again owing to a drastic increase in the cost of revenue as a percentage of sales from 4.54% in 2011 to 15.52% in 2012. This higher than expected increase in costs, due to an aggregate of $133.2 million charges for excess and obsolete INCIVEK inventories, contributed to the dent in the company's profitability.

Research pipeline

(click to enlarge)

Source: Vertex Research and Development Pipeline

According to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation T! herapeuti! cs (CFFT), cystic fibrosis disease has affected the lungs and digestive system of approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States and 70,000 people worldwide. Every year 1000 new cases are diagnosed. Vertex is focusing its research on capturing this market demand and has recently submitted an application for KALYDECO (ivacaftor) monotherapy for patients with ages 6 and older who have at least one non-G551D gating mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

Presently, KALYDECO is approved for people with CF ages 6 and older who have at least one copy of the G551D mutation. After France and Germany, funding for KALYDECO has been recommended in England and Ireland, and it is expected that reimbursement in these countries will begin in 2013, which will further drive the company's revenue higher.

Hepatitis C is the second research area in Vertex's pipeline. Currently, there is no vaccine for this liver disease. There are approximately 150 million people who are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus with the addition of 3-4 million every year. A successful drug launch in this area in the upcoming years could mean big profits for Vertex.

Risks

Interest rate risk exposure

The company had 52.4% of its current assets invested in marketable securities as at June 30, 2013. These investments are denominated in U.S. dollars. Due to uncertain economic environment and the danger of US defaulting on its Treasuries once again on 15 Jan, these interest-bearing securities are materially exposed to interest rate risk and could decline in value if the US default occurs.

Foreign exchange market risk

With the US economy brimming with debt, the value of the dollar may depreciate. For the time being, the short-term debt ceiling has been raised but the country may face a similar default situation on 15th January as the government is expected to run out of funds once again after the next few months. This could adversely affect the ne! t revenue! s received from international product sales.

Conclusion

The company is currently in its high growth phase and has a positive future outlook. Despite the fact that the future FDA approvals carry a lot of significance in deciding the future of Vertex, its drugs that are already on the market are doing pretty well. Hence, I believe it is a decent long-term investment for growth investors.

Source: Is Vertex A Decent Long-Term Buy For Growth Investors?

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Tuesday Closing Bell: Market Holds Onto Early Gains

October 24, 2013: U.S. markets opened higher Tuesday morning as investors interpreted the weak non-farm payroll report to indicate a continuation of the Fed's asset purchase program at existing levels. That's probably a good bet at least for the next couple of months. How good? The S&P 500 index closed at an all-time high today.

European and Latin American closed mostly higher today while Asian markets were mixed.

Wednesday's calendar includes the following scheduled data releases and events (all times Eastern).

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications 8:30 a.m. – Import and export prices 9:00 a.m. – FHFA house price index 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report

Here are the closing bell levels for Tuesday:

S&P500 1754.67 (+10.01; +0.57%) DJIA 15467.46 (+75.26; +0.49%) NASDAQ 3929.57 (+9.52; +0.24%) 10YR TNOTE 2.516% (+0.78125) Gold $1,342.60 (+26.80; +2%) WTI Crude oil $97.80 (-1.42; -1.4%) Euro/Dollar: 1.3784 (+0.0102; +0.74%)

Big Earnings Movers: Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is down 9% at $322.99 after a stellar report and some cautionary comments from the CEO. VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) is up 2.9% at $85.01 after a very positive report. Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) is up 3.3% at $25.51 after a solid quarter. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) is up 3.7% at $36.35 on an earnings boost from its recent oil and gas acquisitions. RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH) is down 17.9% at $2.89 after a reporting dismal results.

Stocks on the Move: Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) is up 9.1% at $9.38 after posting a new 52-week high of $9.63 earlier today. Endeavour International Corp. (NYSE: END) is down 14.3% at $6.05 after failing to get any appreciable results from its strategic review. E-commerce China Dangdang Inc. (NYSE: DANG) is down 13.4% at $10.05 after issuing a warning on third-quarter earnings.

In all, 415 NYSE stocks put up new 52-week highs today, while only 4 stocks posted new lows.

Jim Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Apple Is a Bargain

Search Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" trading recommendations using our exclusive "Mad Money" Stock Screener.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Are there bargains still to be had in this red-hot market? Jim Cramer asked his "Mad Money" viewers Monday.

He said there is one stock that's not up for the year, one that yields 2.3% and trades at just 12 times earnings despite a remarkable growth rate. That's the stock of Apple (AAPL), a stock Cramer owns for his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS.

Cramer said Apple just received an analyst upgrade today, one that made a remarkable amount of sense. That upgrade cited higher iPhone sales, higher gross margins and some signs of Android weakness as the main drivers for Apple, but Cramer said there's a lot more to like about Apple. Cramer noted that Apple has a big catalyst coming with its expected iPad announcement tomorrow. That announcement should put the company in a position to have a strong holiday season. Additionally, Cramer said Apple's board has a lot of options it could take before the company's next earnings call on Oct 28. He said if Apple really wanted to turbocharge its share growth, it could split the stock 4:1 and increase the dividend. Both those moves would make Apple shares more attractive to retail investors and less of a target for the shorts, he said. With all of these things going right, Cramer said there's simply a lot more to like about Apple than there is to dislike at current levels. Executive Decision: David Cote In the "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer sat down with David Cote, chairman and CEO of Honeywell (HON), an Action Alerts PLUS holding that's up 41% since Cramer last spoke with Cote in November. Honeywell just posted an earnings beat of 1 cent a share but lowered its full-year revenue forecasts. Cote said Honeywell did exactly what it said it would this quarter. He noted the sales miss stemmed from the timing of a big acquisition closing and a slowdown in defense spending related to the government shutdown and sequester. There's no cause for concern because growth overall remains on track, he added.

Among the bright spots for Honeywell are aerospace, where the company plays in the mid- to large-size business jet market, along with its performance materials and refining businesses. Cote detailed Honeywell's modular refining products for oil shale drillers, which offers on-site oil and gas processing in as little as a one acre site, and the equipment can be constructed in as little as 60 to 90 days. That market, he said, is growing worldwide.

Other areas of opportunity for Honeywell include energy conservation, where Cote said many buildings can still save 20% to 25% on their energy bills just by using the latest HVAC and insulating technologies.

Finally, when asked about Cote's efforts to reform Washington with FixTheDebt.org, Cote said there are now over 100 CEOs participating in the initiative. If everyone works together, our nation's debt problem can be solved, he said. Expectations and Reality

Earnings season is all about expectations, Cramer reminded viewers as he highlighted what happens when a company surprises to the upside and what happens when expectations far exceed reality. Shares of General Electric (GE) popped 2.3% when it reported a quarter where sales were essentially flat. How can that happen? Cramer said it's because stocks trade on expectations, and those for GE were tepid at best. Everything at GE ticked in the right direction this quarter, Cramer explained. Sales in Europe were a little better and the company's margins expanded slightly. More important, GE continues to scale back its GE Capital division, which once just served as a financing option for its expensive industrial goods, but recently became not only a sub-prime lender but also a big landholder in off all places, Europe. Cramer said the scaling back of GE Capital has not only been a big mental boost for the company and its shareholders, but it's also allowed GE to get back to what it does best -- aerospace, power generation, locomotives, health care, oil and gas and more. But just as companies can soar on lowered expectations, they can also plummet on soaring ones. That was the case with Stanley Black & Decker (SWK), which saw its shares fall 14% after its earnings popped on what was essentially a tax gain. Deep inside the numbers were weakness in Stanley's security division and its government sales, both of which were thought to be only a small percentage of sales.

So while GE is getting back to its roots as a great industrial company, Stanley is leaving its mainstay as a first-rate tool maker to become an ailing security company. Cramer said GE could see shares hit $30 a share, while Stanley shares will likely do nothing until that company can split itself up or turn itself around. Lightning Round

In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on BioMarin (BMRN), ViaSat (VSAT), Starwood Property Trust (STWD), Kodiak Oil & Gas (KOG), Union Pacific (UNP), ChannelAdvisor (ECOM) and Salesforce.com (CRM).

Cramer was bearish on BlackBerry (BBRY) and Lululemon Athletica (LULU). Scaling the Tower

The wireless tower business is transforming into a happy oligopoly, Cramer told viewers, and that should be music to investors' ears. Cramer said today's announcement that Crown Castle (CCI), our country's largest cell tower operator, is buying 600 towers from AT&T (T) is just another in a wave of consolidation that is making tower companies hot commodities. Just a few months ago, American Tower (AMT), the number two player, announced that it was buying the number five player, in what will certainly be a continuing trend, said Cramer. While Crown Castle's shares got dinged by 1.7% on today's announcement, Cramer told viewers these are high-quality assets, ones that will be paying off for shareholders for years to come. In addition to the consolidation, Cramer said that Crown Castle is also following in American Tower's footsteps and converting itself into a REIT, meaning even more rewards for shareholders. But more important are the commitments by all four of America's wireless carriers to invest substantially in 4G and LTE services over the next few years. This huge pickup in spending will only mean additional revenue for the tower operators, Cramer said. Crown Castle may trade at 49 times earnings, Cramer concluded, but with a 45% growth rate, shares remain inexpensive. No Huddle Offense In his "No Huddle Offense" segment, Cramer told viewers that tomorrow the focus will once again turn towards Washington -- but it might not be a bad thing. Cramer said Tuesday's labor numbers will certainly be a reason for investors to sell stocks. Numbers too good will mean the Federal Reserve needs to taper its bond buying while numbers too low will signal just how hopeless the government is at rectifying the situation. Either way, investors will be taking profits, cooling off a red-hot earnings season. But that's been the pattern, Cramer noted. Strong earnings lead to record stock prices then Washington puts on the brakes, allowing investors to take profits and get back in at better prices. To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter with all of his latest articles and videos please click here. -- Written by Scott Rutt in Washington, D.C. To email Scott about this article, click here: Scott Rutt Follow Scott on Twitter @ScottRutt or get updates on Facebook, ScottRuttDC

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had a position in AAPL, HON and UNP. Jim Cramer, host of the CNBC television program "Mad Money," is a Markets Commentator for TheStreet.com, Inc., and CNBC, and a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. All opinions expressed by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are his own and do not reflect the opinions of TheStreet.com or its affiliates, or CNBC, NBC Universal or their parent company or affiliates. Mr. Cramer's opinions are based upon information he considers to be reliable, but neither TheStreet.com, nor CNBC, nor either of their affiliates and/or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. Mr. Cramer's statements are based on his opinions at the time statements are made, and are subject to change without notice. No part of Mr. Cramer's compensation from CNBC or TheStreet.com is related to the specific opinions expressed by him on "Mad Money." None of the information contained in "Mad Money" constitutes a recommendation by Mr. Cramer, TheStreet.com or CNBC that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. You must make your own independent decisions regarding any security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy mentioned on the program. Mr. Cramer's past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Neither Mr. Cramer, nor TheStreet.com, nor CNBC guarantees any specific outcome or profit, and you should be aware of the real risk of loss in following any strategy or investments discussed on the program. The strategy or investments discussed may fluctuate in price or value and you may get back less than you invested. Before acting on any information contained in the program, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and strongly consider seeking advice from your own financial or investment adviser. Some of the stocks mentioned by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are held in Mr. Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio. When that is the case, appropriate disclosure is made on the program and in the "Mad Money" recap available on TheStreet.com. The Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio contains all of Mr. Cramer's personal investments in publicly-traded equity securities only, and does not include any mutual fund holdings or other institutionally managed assets, private equity investments, or his holdings in TheStreet.com, Inc. Since March 2005, the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio has been held by a Trust, the realized profits from which have been pledged to charity. Mr. Cramer retains full investment discretion with respect to all securities contained in the Trust. Mr. Cramer is subject to certain trading restrictions, and must hold all securities in the Action Alerts PLUS Portfolio for at least one month, and is not permitted to buy or sell any security he has spoken about on television or on his radio program for five days following the broadcast.