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Trinidad and Tobago Hotels

Courtyard by Marriott

  • Audrey Jeffers Hwy. Map It
  • Port of Spain
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  • Excellent location for shopping and dining
  • Large and airy rooms
  • High service standards

  • Just off busy highway
  • The many business travelers can make it feel a bit uncomfortable for leisure guests

Updated 03/13/2015

Fodor's Review

This large hotel in the capital offers excellent facilities and a great location. You can take advantage of a variety of restaurants, shops, and entertainment possibilities available next door at the ultramodern Movietowne complex. Rooms are spacious and feature lovely high-back wooden headboards on the beds. This hotel caters mainly to business travelers and offers a range of free services, including Wi-Fi, and printing and local faxing at the business center.

Hotel Information

Invaders Bay, Audrey Jeffers Hwy., Port of Spain, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago

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Hotel Details:

  • 116 rooms, 3 suites
  • Rate includes No meals

Updated 03/13/2015

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Alsace-Lorraine Restaurants

Le Rendez-vous de Chasse

  • 7 pl. de la Gare Map It
  • Colmar
  • French

Updated 04/08/2014

Fodor's Review

The stellar cuisine of Julien Binz is as refined, elegant, and chic as the decor of this opulent Renaissance mansion. An extensive wine cellar perfectly accents entrées like pigeon breast with truffle polenta, and roast venison with juniper berry sauce. Some of the region's finest dishes are prepared here with aplomb, so it's well worth the wrangle to secure a table.

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7 pl. de la Gare, Colmar, 68000, France

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  • Reservations essential

Updated 04/08/2014

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Honolulu and Oahu Hotels

Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa

  • 2005 Kalia Rd. Map It
  • Waikiki
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  • Activities and amenities can keep you and the kids busy for weeks
  • Stellar spa

  • Ongoing renovations and construction noise might be a problem
  • Size of property can be overwhelming
  • The hotel charges a resort fee of $30 (plus tax) per room, per night
  • Parking is expensive, at $27 a day

Updated 03/04/2015

Fodor's Review

Location, location, location: this megaresort and convention destination sprawls over 22 acres on Waikiki's widest stretch of beach, with the green lawns of neighboring Fort DeRussy creating a buffer zone to the high-rise lineup of central Waikiki. The Hilton makes the most of its prime real estate—surrounding the five hotel towers with lavish gardens, an aquatic playground of pools, a 5-acre lagoon for kayaking, cascading waterfalls, koi ponds, penguins, pink flamingos, and a wide beach. Rainbow Tower, with its landmark 31-story mural, has knockout views of Diamond Head. Rooms in all towers have lanai offering ocean or city views. In January 2013 the resort completed a seven-month, $25.5 million refurbishment of Alii Tower, updating its 323 guest rooms, corridors, lobby and reception desk. And in June 2014, it unveiled its newly restored tile mural, a $4.25 million project. Currently, a new 418-unit vacation-ownership tower is being built in the northeast corner of the resort. More

of a city than a village, HHV has an ABC Store, 20 restaurants and lounges, a botanic garden, a bookstore, dozens of shops, and a post office. Even its spa, Mandara Spa & Fitnes Center, is the largest in Waikiki. It even has its own pier, docking point for the Atlantis submarine. The sheer volume of options, including free activities (lei making, ukelele lessons, penguin and turtle feedings, and fireworks), makes the HHV a good choice for families.

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2005 Kalia Rd., Honolulu, Hawaii, 96815, United States

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808-949–4321; 800-774–1500

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  • Credit cards accepted
  • 3,616 rooms, 244 suites, 639 condominiums
  • Rate includes No meals

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    Another thing that might be worth pointing out was the smell. It literally smells like a men's cologne or after-shave. It's not super strong, but I did notice it. After I washed it out though and my hair dried, I couldn't smell it anymore.

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State of the industry

Pakistan’s halal exports in dire need of certification

2 commentsBy RJ Whitehead , 15-Jan-2013

Pakistan’s halal exports in dire need of certification

With Muslim countries fast waking up to the potential halal exports hold, and nations scrambling to become hubs for the distribution of Islamically acceptable meat, Pakistan is lagging behind the pack but still has the potential to improve its standing.

The country has yet to implement its own halal standards and it still has no official certification body. However, Pakistan is naturally placed to control halal exports for South Asia just as long as the government gives better exposure to exports by fulfilling the requirements of consumers—notably by focusing on certification.

Pakistan has the potential to assume a leadership role in the global halal food market by following proper strategies, policies and practices,” said Nasib Ahmad Saifi, an influential industry proponent and a major exporter of halal food lines.

Halal products are now seen as a potential engine of economic growth with an annual turnover of hundreds of billions of dollars globally.”

Booming market

In Europe, the market for halal foods has been estimated at $66 billion, with France having the largest share, with approximately US$17 billion. And that is just the tip of the iceberg, with industry experts estimating the size of the total global halal market, which includes all halal food, non-food products and services, as ranging from between US$1.2tn and US$2tn per year.

More than 80 per cent of the world halal trade is done by non-Muslim countries, both in the West and East, which, by using the halal name to their economic benefit, have become the biggest exporters of halal products in the world.

In the West, the United States, Brazil, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France are the biggest halal suppliers. In the East, Thailand is the biggest exporter of halal-certified products, after which the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and India are the leading halal products suppliers.

However, in spite of its lack of a formal certification, labelling and packaging policy, Pakistan is determined to cement a place at the centre of the regional trade, with a view to expanding its commercial reach.

Speaking at the recent Global Halal Congress in Sharjah, UAE, Amin Fahim, Pakistan’s federal minister for commerce, said that his country’s strength comes from being a wholly Muslim nation with a fully halal production base. Its home market consists of over 180m consumers, while it also has direct access to 470m more in Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East.

International code

While Pakistan is still weighing up its own classification system, an international code of practice, however, would bring greater confidence to consumers further afield, and to this end industry leaders and Islamic scholars have recently agreed to develop a global halal standard.

This is important because, according to Hani Mansour Al Mazeedi of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific research, “most” halal certification bodies do not have scientific and Sharia committees.

Speaking to The National in Abu Dhabi, Al Mazeedi said: “The two committees are needed to work hand in hand to understand new technologies, to understand the chemical nature of raw materials and to provide procedures to switch haram production lines to halal ones.”

He accused Western halal meat certifying bodies as being “ignorant” about halal processed food requirements. “They are not sincere in selecting their halal slaughter operator,” he said. “I have personally witnessed a halal slaughterman in France who does not utter the Tasmiyah”, a prayer required when slaughtering an animal.

Pakistan has already started to ramp up its exports, which have increased to more than US1bn in the GCC region, with the UAE alone receiving over half of this amount. But there is no arguing that certification—either domestic or a unified standard—would have a significant impact on continued growth.

Pakistan products are in a position to claim a huge chunk of the global halal market with some effort towards halal certification and subsequent labelling an packaging,” said Fahim, Pakistan’s commerce minister.

And there is a dire need for value addition that can only be achieved by establishing brands in the region and spending on marketing efforts.”

2 comments (Comments are now closed)

Difference between Halal und Kosher Meat

Dear Mr Bhalchandra

There are major differences.

Not all animals are allowed to kosher regulations. Especially Camel meat (which is allowed according to sharia ruling) is not allowed in Kosher.

Apart from that the slaughtermen are of muslim faith in halal and jewish faith in Kosher.

Tasmiyyah (prouncing the name of God) is uttered on every animal when slaughtered halal, in contrast to only once when entering the sluaghterhouse in kosher law.

Report abuse

Posted by Halal Certification Services
11 March 2013 | 13h222013-03-11T13:22:40Z

Halal Meat

What is the difference between Islamic Halal and Jewish Kosher meats.

Report abuse

Posted by Bhalchandra
16 January 2013 | 05h542013-01-16T05:54:20Z

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Behind the Bash

Firefighter's Bash

Giada pitches in to help New York City firefighters at the Leary Foundation’s Fifth Annual Bash for New York’s Bravest. The party features a delectable comfort food menu including macaroni and cheese, mini-sheppard’s pies and chocolate pumpkin truffles. But it’s the firemen who truly steal the show when they take Giada for a ride on their truck!
(Episode: BH0111)

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3 Top Dividend Stocks of 2014

Photo: Steve Depolo.

It's always smart to seek solid dividend-paying stocks for your portfolio, as they tend to be reliable performers, and their payouts can bolster a portfolio during market downturns. When I decided to look into the top dividend stocks 2014 has had to offer, I found a bunch that not only had performed well year to date but that also still offered significant payouts.

Three of the top dividend stocks 2014 has had to offer are Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) , ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) , and Lorillard (NYSE: LO.DL  ) . See if any seem like a good fit for your portfolio.

Intel stock has surged 33% year to date, and this top dividend stock of 2014 recently yielded 3%. The semiconductor giant has suffered in recent years as PC sales taper off and Intel struggles to catch up in the mobile market. Intel is gaining ground now and has some promising initiatives in place, such as aiming to supply chips for $50 smartphones in emerging markets.

Those interested in the top dividend stocks of 2014 should note that Intel's shareholders have been rewarded not only via dividends but also through aggressive share buybacks. The company has reduced its share count by roughly a fifth over the past decade, boosting earnings per share.

The company's last quarterly report was strong, topping revenue and earnings estimates and reflecting some growth in PC sales. Intel's mobile division posted a significant loss, but data centers and the Internet of Things posted year-over-year growth of 19% and 24%, respectively. While the mobile performance is disappointing, it's partly due to hefty investments in chip development that could pay off handsomely in the future. Meanwhile, Intel's cash flow remains prodigious, topping $9 billion annually. Given Intel's deep pockets and dominant position, it's hard to bet against it.

ConocoPhillips stock has gained 16.5% year to date, and this top dividend stock of 2014 recently yielded 3.2%. It has made smart moves in recent years, capitalizing on the boom in domestic oil and gas by shedding some foreign assets (in locations such as Nigeria, Kazakhstan, and Algeria) in order to invest more heavily in U.S. operations.

This member of the top dividend stocks of 2014 has investors excited because of its plans to deliver double-digit shareholder returns in coming years. That will be done by volume growth in the neighborhood of 3% to 5% annually, in addition to cost-cutting, profit-margin expansion, and, of course, its dividend.

ConocoPhillips' second-quarter results were solid, featuring adjusted earnings rising 14% year over year and production in the Eagle Ford and Bakken shale regions surging 38%. Those regions offer the highest margins, and ConocoPhillips is focusing its investments on its higher-margin operations. It's also exploring for more finds in shale and deepwater regions around the world. With the company likely to grow its free cash flow via these plans, it stands a solid chance of remaining among the top dividend stocks of 2014  by year-end.

Lorillard stock has popped 22% year to date, and this member of the top dividend stocks of 2014 recently yielded 3.8%. You may not be very familiar with it, but Lorillard is the country's third-largest tobacco company, and in these days of burgeoning e-cigarette sales, it's the owner of the blu eCig business, which recently boasted market share of 41% (although that's down from its peak share of 50%). Perhaps most important at the moment, though, is that Lorillard is being acquired by Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) in a $27 billion deal.

Since Reynolds has its own e-cig brand, Vuse, blu eCig is being sold to Imperial Tobacco Group. That may seem to have been a wise move, as Lorillard's last quarter featured electronic device sales plunging 35% due to price decreases and growing competition. But the deal is worth questioning, too, as Lorillard, known for its strength in menthol smokes (think Newport menthol cigarettes), is giving up a major growth engine in its e-cigs and is placing a lot of hope in Reynolds' Vuse. To some, it looks like Imperial Tobacco is the big winner in the merger. (To be clear, a key driver of the deal is that the two combined companies can compete more effectively against Marlboro's Altria Group.)

Lorillard's last quarter also featured a drop in cigarette volume but also a 1% uptick in revenue thanks to price hikes. The new combined company may deliver solid growth in the future, but the tobacco industry faces many headwinds in the U.S., such as regulations, rising taxes, and a decrease in smokers.

Of these three top dividend stocks that 2014 has had to offer, Intel and ConocoPhillips seem the most promising.

Top dividend stocks for the next decade
If you're looking for even more promising dividend-paying stocks, our top analysts put together a report on a group of high-yielding stocks that should be in any income investor's portfolio. To see our free report on these stocks, just click here now.

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Selena Maranjian has been writing for the Fool since 1996 and covers basic investing and personal finance topics. She also prepares the Fool's syndicated newspaper column and has written or co-written a number of Fool books. For more financial and non-financial fare (as well as silly things), follow her on Twitter...

Today's Market

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DOW 16,643.01 -11.76 -0.07%
S&P 500 1,988.87 1.21 0.06%
NASD 4,828.33 15.62 0.32%

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8/28/2015 4:01 PM
COP $46.82 Up +0.95 +2.07%
ConocoPhillips CAPS Rating: *****
INTC $28.42 Up +0.70 +2.53%
Intel CAPS Rating: ****
LO.DL $0.00 Down +0.00 +0.00%
Lorillard, Inc. CAPS Rating: ****
RAI $84.67 Up +0.19 +0.22%
Reynolds American,… CAPS Rating: ****


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Should I Invest in BP?

LONDON -- To me, capital growth and dividend income are equally important. Together, they provide the total return from any share investment and, as you might expect, my aim is to invest in companies that can beat the total return delivered by the wider market.

To put that aim into perspective, the FTSE 100 has provided investors with a total return of around 3% per annum since January 2008.

Quality and value
If my investments are to outperform, I need to back companies that score well on several quality indicators as well as buy at prices that offer decent value.

So this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities and today I'm looking at BP  (LSE: BP  ) (NYSE: BP  ) , which is a well-known oil exploration and production company and currently occupies the second spot in London's premier share index.

With the shares at 455 pence, BP's market cap is £87,078 million.

This table summarizes the firm's recent financial record:

Year to December

Revenue ($m)

Net cash from operations ($m)

Adjusted earnings per share (cents)

Dividend per share (cents)

The table shows the financial effect of BP's disaster in the Gulf of Mexico during 2010, when the Macondo well blew out, sadly killing 11 rig operatives and spewing oil into the Gulf for around three months. BP's considerable efforts eventually led to the successful plugging of the gusher, but the firm showed a loss that year, axed three quarterly dividends and the share price plunged to as low as about 300 pence.

However, to me, the investment story has always been about BP's ability to generate consistent cash flow and, on that score, the table shows a better performance. That happy situation has enabled the company to cope with its ongoing Gulf liabilities, continue to invest strategically and return free cash back to investors by restoring and increasing the dividend.

Since the Gulf disaster, BP has refocused its strategy and engaged in a policy of more active portfolio management. We can see evidence of that from the string of assets sold since the Gulf spill as the firm seeks to target high-potential exploration opportunities. On that front, the recent deal in Russia seems encouraging, where BP has partnered with, and now owns 19.75% of, state-controlled oil and gas enterprise Rosneft.

BP's total return potential
Scoring each out of five, let's examine five indicators to help judge the quality of BP's total-return potential:

  1. Dividend cover: earnings covered the 2011 dividend more than four times. 5/5
  2. Borrowings: at the last count, net gearing was around 26%. 4/5
  3. Growth: revenue, earnings and cash flow have all been growing since the Gulf disaster. 5/5
  4. Price to earnings: a forward 7.5 compares well to growth and yield forecasts. 4/5
  5. Outlook: satisfactory recent trading with a cautiously positive outlook. 4/5

Overall, I score BP 22 out of 25, which encourages me to believe BP has potential to outpace the wider market's total return going forward.

Foolish summary
Despite the ongoing drag on cash flow from the Gulf of Mexico disaster, with still to be quantified U.S. government fines yet to be paid, the business is trading well as the scoring shows. Because of the uncertainty in the U.S., the shares appear to offer reasonable value, too.

When the Macondo fall-out is finally behind BP, more free cash should be available for the company to invest and to return to shareholders. That potential "double whammy" could lead to a rising share price and a rising dividend. That encourages me to believe that, yes, I should invest in BP.

BP is not only oil and gas company I am evaluating right now. Indeed, oil and gas exploration and production companies can be a rich source of multibagging investment opportunities and I've had my fair share of investment success by investing in oil companies much smaller than BP.

In fact, The Motley Fool has published an exclusive free report to help you find wonderful profits from the oil and gas sector. The report shows you how to evaluate a small explorer's prospects -- and determine the risks involved -- before you press the buy button. The special report also highlights an area of the industry that could expand rapidly in the years to come.

The Fool's oil and gas report can be yours today for free by simply clicking here.

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Today's Market

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8/28/2015 4:04 PM
BP $33.26 Up +0.23 +0.70%
BP p.l.c. (ADR) CAPS Rating: ****
BP $360.39 Up +9.19 +2.62%
BP CAPS Rating: No stars


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With The Advent Of Organic Foods, Which Company Will Stand On Top?

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Beginning in the 1990's, America was going through quite a number of changes: from innovations in technology, new fashion styles and even our waistlines. In 1992, we were introduced to the Food Guide Pyramid and obesity was becoming more of a concern. In hopes of becoming a healthier nation, America has been experiencing a secular trend in which people are eating healthier . In recent years, organic food products have increased in popularity with the goal of contributing toward a healthier lifestyle. Such products include those provided by Annie's (NYSE: BNNY  ) , Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM  ) and United Natural Foods, (NASDAQ: UNFI  ) .

Benefits of Organic
Organic products do provide a variety of benefits: they contain fewer pesticides, are rich in antioxidants (or vitamins A, C and E, all of which play very important roles in our body), organically raised animals are not given any type of hormone or antibiotics, and produce is usually much fresher than ones grown conventionally. For these reasons and more, consumers sure are picking up on this green, organic bandwagon in attempts to becoming healthier.

Annie's, who's mission is, "to cultivate a healthier and happier world by spreading goodness through nourishing foods, honest words and conduct that is considerate and forever kind to the planet", is based entirely on providing organic products. Such products include snacks like crackers, frozen prepackaged meals, pastas, salad dressings and even condiments.

Not only is organic trendy in the eyes of consumers, but also in the market. Over the past four years, Annie's has seen its revenue rise by 77% from $96 million to $170 million. Net income has performed even better, rising by 93% from $6 million to $11.6 million. As of its most recent year, the company's net profit margin stood at 6.8%.

United Natural Foods
United Natural, who's mission is "to exceed the needs and expectations of all our stakeholders: our customers, associates, natural and specialty products consumers, suppliers, shareholders, communities, the environment and the planet" is considerably larger. Over the past four years, revenue at the company jumped by 61% from $3.8 billion to $6.1 billion.

Just as was the case with Annie's, net income for United Natural outpaced the growth of its revenue. From 2010 to 2013, net income rose by 82% from $59.2 million to almost $108 million. This jump caused the company's net profit margin to rise from 1.6% to 1.8% as management was able to reduce costs relative to sales.

Whole Foods Market
With only 347 locations within the U.S, Whole Foods Market intends to expand to 1,200 locations, and with this, may help our expanding waistlines. Although small now compared to larger stores like Wal-Mart, this healthful organization has very impressive numbers. Over the past four years, revenue at Whole Foods has risen by 43% from $9 billion to $12.9 billion.

Similarly, the retailer has seen its net income rise considerably. Between 2010 and 2013, net income at the company rose 124% from $246 million to $551 million. As a result of this increase, the company's net profit margin rose from 2.7% to 4.3%, making it not just the largest but also the most profitable of the three.

Source: MSN Money

Foolish Takeaway
Companies such as Annie's, Whole Foods, and United Natural all have goals focused on providing healthier options. Of these options to choose from, it would appear that Whole Foods is the largest of the bunch and, as such, provides the greatest economic moat.

This means that the company may be an excellent pick for investors who are interested in a nice combination of growth and stability, but for those who want something a little more exciting, Annie's might be a better pick. On top of having attractive growth, the company also had the largest net profit margin of the bunch and, because of its size, might grant investors the greatest opportunity for growth.

The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2014
There’s a huge difference between a good stock, and a stock that can make you rich. The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for 2014, and it’s one of those stocks that could make you rich. You can find out which stock it is in the special free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2014." Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

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(Warning, it may shock you)
The secret is out... experts are predicting 458 million of these types of devices will be sold per year. 1 hyper-growth company stands to rake in maximum profit - and it's NOT Apple. Show me Apple's new smart gizmo!

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text:
Roundtable: 1 Stock to Buy in February

As we do each month, we asked a handful of our top analysts across sectors for one stock that looks especially compelling right now. Here are the companies they singled out.

Brendan Mathews: Innovations in drilling techniques have opened massive new energy fields in the United States, particularly in natural gas. These resources need to be transported, and the near future should, according to energy experts, produce a wealth of profitable transport projects. That's where Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI  ) comes in.

Kinder Morgan is an energy infrastructure and pipeline giant in holding company form. It owns a mix of midstream assets including general or limited partner interests in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP  ) El Paso Pipeline Partners (NYSE: EPB  ) , and Kinder Morgan Management (NYSE: KMR  ) . Ownership of a pipeline is a tollbooth business. Once a pipeline is in place, competitors have little motivation to build competing capacity -- in fact, regulations forbid it without a "demonstrated economic need." As such a pipeline is essentially a monopoly with prices set by regulatory agencies. Thus, Kinder Morgan has a very strong competitive position.

It also has great management. Kinder Morgan is led by its eponymous founder, Rich Kinder, who has been described as an industry visionary, having built the Kinder Morgan system from the ground up. He owns 23% of the company, and collects $1 per year in salary with no bonuses or options. He maintains strict control on costs, and the company is focused on rewarding shareholders. Last year, it paid a healthy 4.8% dividend yield; management plans to increase the dividend by 8% in 2014.

Travis Hoium: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) may be a boring stock to most investors at this point, but in a market where value and stability are hard to find I think that makes it a great stock to buy right now. Consider the fact that Apple had $158.8 billion in cash and investments at the end of last quarter, has generated $37.0 billion in net income over the past year, and just sold more iPhones and iPads than it has in any quarter in its history.

As much as I like the value Apple gives investors at 8.2 time earnings after pulling out cash, I like it even more because it contains what I like to call upside risk. If Apple introduces any number of game-changing products this year the stock could go for another wild ride higher as market sentiment changes. I think the TV market is ripe to be upended by a company like Apple and wearable devices certainly present a major opportunity for the company. These products would be pure upside for investors.

The market is pricing Apple as if it's a dying company but millions of users (including myself) are locked into an ecosystem that will generate new device sales and recurring music, movie, and app revenue for years to come. The downside risk is low and the upside potential is tremendous, which is why this is my top stock for February.

Patrick Morris: Like Travis, I'm also interested in Apple right now. The stock is down nearly 10% year to date, and down nearly 30% from its peak seen in September 2012. This is all while it has steadily reported phenomenal results quarter after quarter, and in the six reported quarters since then has had $58.3 billion in net income on $265 billion in sales.

Certainly Apple has changed and it may not be the high-flying growth stock we thought it could be -- it has a $450 billion market capitalization after all -- but it still remains radically inexpensive when compared to the market with a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.6 versus an 18.7 seen by the broader S&P 500, and the 31.6 held by Google. Even if Apple is never able to put out another great product and simply stays the course with its current offerings -- which is highly unlikely -- at the prices it trades at today, it still remains as an attractive investment consideration.

Jim Mueller: Homebuilder Meritage Homes (NYSE: MTH  ) reported what I consider to be a solid quarter earlier this week and the drop in price would give you a nice chance to enter the stock. The price drop is likely due to a year-long slowdown in year-over-year orders growth. In 2013's first quarter, it grew orders by 35%; in the just-reported Q4, that had dropped to 3% and management is expecting flat Q1 results year-over-year.

Last year's comparables are a tough hurdle, but there is still a lot of pent-up demand for homes. The economy is continuing to improve (slowly, I'll grant) which helps that demand. Home prices climbed a lot last year, but with that growth moderating, unit sales should be quite healthy (as people don't get scared out of the decision to buy).

Besides, as a Fool, I'm looking to own shares for the next several years, not the next quarter or two, unlike Wall Street and other traders. A trailing P/E of 15.4 is a quite reasonable price to pay for a management team led by CEO Steve Hilton (he founded the company nearly 30 years ago and owns 4% of the company). If you're looking to add a housing recovery company to your portfolio, you could do a lot worse than Meritage Homes.

Daniel Ferry: This February I'll be taking advantage of General Motors' (NYSE: GM) current unloved status to double down on shares before the market gets wise to how well the new GM is executing. General Motors has basically done everything I'd hoped it would do since emerging from bankruptcy protection: introduced award-winning new vehicles, improved its cost structure, got out from under government ownership, and installed forward-thinking new leadership. It reinstated its dividend last month.

Yet despite these signs of progress the market is still heavily discounting the company's stock, with GM's forward earnings valued at less than half the S&P 500 average. It's true that the company hasn't solved all its problems, with a tough sales environment in Europe and a looming pension obligation yet to be tackled.

However, 2014 looks to be an excellent year for the company nonetheless, with GM expecting total U.S. auto sales to be at their highest level since 2007. GM's aggressive moves toward making its product line more profitable will allow the company to generate outsized earnings from a bounce in the U.S. market, leaving the company a buy at this price despite some headwinds.

Maxx Chatsko: You may not want to steer your portfolio toward the sea of uncertainty called biofuels, especially considering the across-the-board proposed volume reductions announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but the rock-solid management team and balance sheet of Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ: REGI  ) will anchor you through any potential storms. The nation's largest biodiesel producer had $136 million in cash and $567 million in shareholders' equity at the end of the third quarter, representing a book value of $15.88 per share. While the company's cash position has decreased and share count has inflated by 14% after the acquisitions of Syntroleum and LS9 since the third quarter, both acquisitions will set up long-term growth opportunities in higher-margin products.

Management's focus on the long term -- rather than on making knee-jerk reactions to counter short-term uncertainties to please Wall Street -- is one of the biggest reasons investors should consider adding shares of Renewable Energy Group to their portfolio. Sure, the expiration of the blender's tax credit in 2014 will squeeze margins, but the same situation unfolded years ago, only for the credit to be retroactively reinstated in 2013 -- sending profits skyward. A lot of people panicked, but a buy-and-hold strategy would've netted you at least a double.

Today, a lot of people are panicking over the recent acquisitions. Are they right? Let's put it this way: if investors assume the recent acquisitions result in no net gain in shareholders' equity and account for the additional shares, then Renewable Energy Group still sports a book value of $13.94 per share. Factor in the growth ahead and the company looks like a long-term steal.

Simon Erickson: Now is the time to buy Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS  ) . Yes, I know; it's been a bad week for 3-D printing stocks. A poor earnings report from 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD  ) and recent short-seller comments have helped knock down Stratasys' stock price by 18% already this year. But let's not mistake the forest for the trees. Earnings reports are backward-looking, and forward guidance is only for a one-year period. If we widen our lens a bit, we'll see that many industries – health care and energy, for example – are just starting to figure out how 3-D printing could be applicable to them. Stratasys is a first-mover in the space and already has an extensive installed base with customers. That installed base will give them not only years of recurring revenue (from consumables and service contracts), but also a technological edge with preferred customers. And there are growth opportunities all over: Stratasys can now print using multiple materials and colors, and it recently partnered with Dell to improve distribution. I'm a believer that the 3-D printing game is still in the very early innings.

Tim Beyers: For as much as we talk about the death of radio at the hands of premium services such as Sirius XM and Spotify, it's easy to forget that advertisers spend more than $30 billion a year on pitches delivered via radio.

Imagine if a fraction of that -- even 10%, or $3 billion -- were to shift to audio streamer Pandora Media  (NYSE: P  ) . The stock commands about $7 billion in market value on $600 million in sales as of this writing. A material gain in ad share could drive the stock sharply higher from today's prices.

And yet the beauty of Pandora isn't so much that it's a radio replacement as it is a personalized tool for music discovery that travels with you. That's important when you consider that users are consuming more data than ever on mobile devices, including using smartphones to broadcast streams to bluetooth-connected speakers such as the Beats Pill.

The risk, of course, is that Pandora isn't cheap and even a slight miss of Wall Street's targets could send the stock plummeting. Thursday's 10% intraday slide is partly attributable to weaker-than-expected guidance and a slight sequential decline in active listeners from December to January.

So be it. Pandora is still best positioned to profit from the various shifts from terrestrial radio to streaming, and on air to mobile advertising. In fact, mobile ad revenue soared 60% in the fourth quarter versus 39% overall for ad revenue. Expect the trend to continue now that management has lifted limits on listening hours for mobile users.

Or in simpler terms: This sell-off couldn't have come at a better time.

Andrés Cardenal: Fashion is usually considered a fickle and competitive business. However, it can also be enormously lucrative for companies with strong competitive advantages positioned on the right side of the trend. Michael Kors (NYSE: KORS  ) is one of the most explosive growth stories in the industry over the past years, and the recent earnings report confirms that the company is truly firing on all cylinders.

Michael Kors sells handbags and accessories in the "affordable luxury" segment of the pricing spectrum. Brand value and exclusive designs generate competitive differentiation for the company, and pricing power means gigantic profit margins for investors in the area of 34% of sales at the operating level.

While many other companies linked to the consumer are reporting lackluster financial performance lately, Michael Kors delivered a blowout earnings report for the last quarter of 2013: Sales jumped by 59% and earnings per share soared by 73% versus the same quarter in the prior year. Both numbers came in substantially above analysts' estimates.

The company has plenty of room for expansion, both in the U.S. and in global markets, especially considering that demand remains as hot as it gets. Michael Kors trades at a forward P/E ratio near 25 times earnings estimates for the year ending on March 2015, hardly an excessive valuation for such an extraordinary growth company

Matt Frankel: If I had to choose one stock to buy right now, it would have to be Citigroup (NYSE: C  ) . The financial sector as a whole is trading very cheaply right now, and Citigroup is cheaper than most. Shares are currently trading for just 86% of their tangible book value, which is unheard of on a historical basis. To put this in perspective, consider that Citigroup traded for between 3.5 and 4 times its TBV up until the financial crisis, and its current valuation pales in comparison to competitors like Bank of America (1.25 times TBV) and Wells Fargo (2.12 times TBV).

The current stock price is simply too low considering the kind of money Citigroup is making and the kind of growth that analysts are projecting. Citigroup's 2014 earnings are expected to be 15% higher than 2013's, and are expected to climb another 16% in 2015.The company has also done an excellent job of improving its asset quality, and has done a great job of winding down Citi Holdings, its riskiest assets, which produced a loss of just $171 million in the most recent quarter as compared with more than $3.6 billion in the same quarter a year ago.

So, while it is true that Citigroup is not quite out of the woods yet in terms of lingering fallout from the financial crisis, I think the current valuation more than makes up for any risks involved.

Justin Loiseau: Spectra Energy Corp. (NYSE: SE  ) just beat estimates on its Q4 earnings -- and it's hardly a fluke. This natural gas company has been steadily growing sales and assets since Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK  ) first spun it off in 2007. A subsequent spinoff of master limited partnership Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE: SEP  ) put this company in a unique position to capitalize on natural gas while staying diversified and enjoying low tax rates.

Spectra Energy is in the midst of $25 billion worth of near- to mid-term growth projects, giving this dividend stock significant growth potential. It's consistently increased its dividend distribution (up 34% in five years), while saving sales for profitable projects. The company and its subsidiaries currently transport around 12% of all natural gas demanded in our nation, and hold 7% of our nation's storage capacity. As natural gas infrastructure continues to build out across America, Spectra will be there to continually collect its midstream "tollbooth" revenue, padding dividend stock investors' portfolios along the way.

 Tamara WalshThe market's love affair with Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA  ) is far from over. Therefore, what better month to own the electric-car maker than the month of love? Tesla has a lot of momentum heading into the new year, particularly as it enters the world's largest auto market (China) and readies its crossover Model X for delivery by year's -end. On top of this, Tesla kicked off February having officially connected its East Coast and West Coast Supercharger network. This means that Model S drivers can now make cross-country trips without ever needing to stop at a gas station.

Tesla's Supercharger technology delivers the fastest electric-vehicle charge in the world today, and it does so without costing Tesla drivers a dime. Moreover, on Feb. 2, Tesla finished a coast-to-coast drive that took approximately 76 and a half hours -- a feat that could set EV speed records in the Guinness World Records. As Tesla continues to add more Supercharging stations throughout the U.S. in the year ahead, investors can expect the company's value proposition to grow as well.

Anders Bylund: The Walt Disney Company  (NYSE: DIS  ) looks unusually juicy right now. In fact, this is more than a mere recommendation --- I'm backing this up with real dollars, having bought Disney shares just a few days ago.

Disney crushed the market in 2013 with a 55% share price gain, despite a seemingly lackluster box office slate and a massive flop in Gore Verbinski's Lone Ranger.

Iron Man 3 carried the Marvel banner surprisingly well, and Frozen became a surprise hit with nearly $900 million in global ticket sales so far. There's always another title to shoulder the load when one of Disney's big bets turns out to be a stinker. And the company hasn't even begun to reap value from its $4 billion Lucasfilm buyout yet.

These titles are the lifeblood pumping through Disney's massive money machines, ranging from ticket and Blu-ray sales to theme park rides, lunch boxes, and themed cruise ship getaways.

On top of all this fundamental business strength, Disney shares look cheap compared to less accomplished industry rivals. The stock had been down year-to-date prior to its earnings report this week. The long-term value and current discount on this stock are undeniable in my eyes.

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Read/Post Comments (34) | Recommend This Article (138)

Comments from our Foolish Readers

Help us keep this a respectfully Foolish area! This is a place for our readers to discuss, debate, and learn more about the Foolish investing topic you read about above. Help us keep it clean and safe. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Fool's Rules, please report it via the Report this Comment Report this Comment icon found on every comment.

  • Report this Comment On February 06, 2014, at 4:16 PM, Mega wrote:

    "A material gain in ad share could drive [P] sharply higher from today's prices."

    P's price obviously assumes a material gain in ad share. It's already priced in.

  • Report this Comment On February 06, 2014, at 4:20 PM, Mega wrote:

    I like C, REGI and AAPL. Now on sale.

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 1:07 PM, spirity wrote:

    Did I miss something in the report reading? It said the "one" stock to buy in February. Yet, there are numerous ones expounded on. I thought at the end all the reports would be rendered into the "one" best stock to buy in February. Anybody can expound on reasons for many stocks to buy. But what stock do you put your money into is the question. I like FB n GOOG - but you never mentioned either. So sometimes I read/listen to yours / others' reports and say to myself is this a pump and dump!

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 1:29 PM, JackGFrank wrote:

    I think a Foolish fund could beat the S&P 500.

    Why don't you set up a fund of the S&P and simply delete the 50 or 100 poorest prospects and beat the index every year? You'd be (even more) famous and I'd get richer! jgf

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 1:31 PM, TMFBane wrote:

    This article is a roundtable where we ask each of the analysts: which is the one stock to buy in February?

    Each analyst, of course, might answer that question differently. These are ideas -- hopefully some of them are interesting to you. We then encourage you to do further research to see if it is right for your portfolio.

    Foolish best,

    John Reeves

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 1:48 PM, dickfools wrote:

    Someone above , JGFrank, I believe, suggested a mutual fund that drops the bottom 100 of the S&P index; each year I presume. Sounds like a good idea.

    Within the array of the analysts' picks, I like the Kinder companies. However, can someone tell me why the warrants keep declining?

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 2:06 PM, famulla wrote:

    There is no such thing as a 100-percent secure environment. Security is a process and an ongoing work in progress. Organizations must be ever-vigilant and assume responsibility for their system and network security. Corporations, C-level executives, IT and security administrators, and end users need to be

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 2:14 PM, inmocean wrote:

    @dickfools, here's some speculation on the warrants: .

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 2:46 PM, TMFJCar wrote:

    We do have our own line of Mutual Funds! And the performance speaks for itself:

    To many happy returns,

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 3:39 PM, twocents wrote:

    Why not a Rule Breakers mutual fund?

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 5:55 PM, gingerbreadfred wrote:

    if your going to recommend one stock, please do so...

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 6:44 PM, ClimberMel wrote:

    I was hoping for a bit more of a recommendation than "do your own research".

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 8:55 PM, brandonchen wrote:

    Why none of the stocks that you recommend is in your fund? Pls put your words into action...

  • Report this Comment On February 07, 2014, at 11:23 PM, kabir129 wrote:

    One stock that they have been talking about is supernova. For that you have to be a subscriber of a specific newsletter from MF.

  • Report this Comment On February 08, 2014, at 1:32 PM, Golfer7 wrote:

    "The number one stock you should buy in February" What an exercise in aggravation, you never tell us which stock.

  • Report this Comment On February 08, 2014, at 2:54 PM, twerlinich wrote:

    How do existing subscribers access the special promotion reports that are offered through the Fool's many online promo's recruiting new members? It is really frustrating to waste a ton of time listening to the OVERLY lengthy "teaser" offers received via email only to find at the end of the promo that the special reports are only available to people who "Subscribe Now". This seems like a real disservice to existing members. The teasers whet my appetite, but leave me very dissatisfied, irritated, even PO'd.

  • Report this Comment On February 08, 2014, at 4:58 PM, kwdken0110 wrote:

    While there are funds with the MF brand they certainly do not follow what was suggested. I own the Freedom Fund and previously asked the question "why not buy what's being recommended?" The short answer was, they have their own agenda. The return is o.k. so, no complaint but, I only use it for diversity.

  • Report this Comment On February 09, 2014, at 10:59 AM, buzzltyr wrote:

    An Iran deal could kill energy, Tesla and Pandora are last years news. Banks not a bad idea. Apple is sure thing but maybe a little sluggish.

    Winner is clearly Disney. I judge companies on balance sheets and ways to make easy money. No one can touch Disney. Their assets are immeasurable, films, copyrights, real estate, hotel rooms, no one is even close.

  • Report this Comment On February 11, 2014, at 2:40 AM, Mel101 wrote:

    Mel101 I went to Latham,NY this past summer. The area is a very modern, an engineer's haven. It is a tech valley.

    Oh, first off...I started buying stocks ONLY days ago ( two weeks or so at the most). I purchased Paid Inc. PAYD ticker ( my favorite) for hold until eBay squirms. (Paid Inc. VS. eBay... I researched Paid Inc for a win win win ....3 patent infringement lawsuits & then some =))). I believe a father & son & a secretary (then Auction Inc. etc.) who came from MODEST means, & sold baseball cards WAY back in the 1990's when the internet was just starting to get popular. Mr. Rothman supposedly showed eBay that they could benefit from their multiple order checkout ideas with "automatic shipping calculators"etc. at the end the checkout etc. etc.... (vs. 1 at a time ordering...blah..blah blah..) eBay supposedly " took-a-look" & turned them the way... they ALREADY HAD TRADEMARK with diagrams ( prior to attempts to sell their genius thoughts to eBay.. still they heard their ideas & they turned them the way, I believe this is NOT the same as Tiffany VS. eBay , where it is " buyer beware".

    My other pick was Plug Power Inc. ticker= PLUG... it went up 14.52% just today alone. I consider it a hold. I MADE MONEY. I believe that the other competitors with a "usable item" are far beyond my penny pinching reach...( I wish I can afford such as CRODA:LON = Croda int'l at 2,409 GBp they own the Matrixyl (Sederma SAS bought company ) Up $16.00 (0.67%). I believe in the 2 month removal of DEEP wrinkle skin tissue repair ...WITHOUT PLASTIC SURGERY or an expensive Dr's. office visit VS. $7+ (US) price tag.

    I also bought Dr. Robert Frost md. (who IS "the" apple mongul or a microsoft mongul in the medical world ) pick of OPKO. for a hold. Dr. Frost is more of an opportunist for "making money out of hum... drum..stocks & TURNING THEM INTO INTELLECTUAL GOLDMINES.

    I am monitoring Dr. Phillip P. Chan md. stocks X 24 hrs now =)))). His CytoSorbents Corp (Germany & NJ) ticker CTSO:OT BB. (HQE:in Stuttgart). I ALWAYS was wondering about the VERY HIGH LEVELS of Cytokines in the patients lab results before they die. or when they get sick/or get VERY sick. CTSO:OTC BB =0.27 cents UP 7.72%

    I want to buy his stock because I believe he is a hard working, ethical doctor/person, gets paid about $200+K per year..IN NJ!!!??!! That is nil in my book.. (I believe N.J. is the #1 state with a Gov't pocketbook is "past it's prime" & ready to be overhauled). He is a molecular biological medical doctor scientist etc. nerd etc.that "churns" & invents stuff. In Europe (approved in the European Union) his Cytokine filter a blood purification device patented & in use ALL OVER EUROPE (27 countries) is ALREADY in full use to "clean out acute & chronic blood toxicities (like medicines that "used up" their time in your body) & stuff in the blood stream"... Russia is "wanting" it also. It is a simple device. It can be hooked up to hemodialysis, etc. etc. I think it also filters out " bad bugs" in the blood, enough so that in the future ... we just might filter out our diseases & use less medicines....or BARELY AT ALL. 600 patients & 300 patients is REMARKABLE...VS. death in 28 days in ICU or CCU of a " Cytokine "storm" ... when your body overreacts & produces MASSIVE excess of cytokine= toxicity = cell death... MULTIPLE organ failure in the ICU/CCU (a MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH THERE).

    By the way I believe his stock/ product has little or NO COMPETITION AT ALL ...this is the first " category " of it's he/ or his company he works for (since 2008) "invented a product" first of it's kind/category.It (= " Cytosorb " ) filters out OVERREACTION of a Cyrokine "Storm" , & also toxic amounts of drugs in the bloodstream (after the peak levels of a medicine " finished it's job inside your body" but they are still floating around your blood & making your eyes yellow green...& your skin green/ "retro".." funky"...) & also filters out....stuff ... from molecules to antibodies to prevent mitigate organ failure...

    wow...what a brain...

    Anyways I am waiting for a price drop. Their items are to be FDA approved in this soon to be backwards country of ours....( I bet you that Bumungrad Int'l Hospital in Bangkok,Thailand has this already.. with their surgery prices/ medical prices next to this treatment & their American trained/American medical schooled doctors are using it for their patients 75% to 95% less our prices for the treatments too).

    I do NOT like in investing in say Fuel Cell energy (Danbury, CT) Nasdaq:FCELL because the CEO gets paid about $1 million ($995,519 ) dollars an Italian sounding name guy who after he got paid that much "decided" that his other managing people should " buy" fuel cell stocks to " bring it up"... ( I do NOT know what you call that in the stock market world... but I think it is VERY indecent. After he got all that money !?! The other ones under him did NOT get paid as much ! NOT nearly...people (= investors) should be more decent likewise...I try to be higher morale...(I hope...)...

    I am going to buy as a hold, a small amount of Nasdaq:PACB ---Pacific Biosciences of California. To round out by bio stocks. They discovered the world's most advanced new gene sequencing system. Gene Pac Bio RS II . The highest sequencing technology... now.... if they can just get a marketing guy to market it for use in our daily lives... like make it " hip" to find out if a " common person" is related to a king or queen from long time ago... hmm .... it would be a SLAM DUNK! Nasdaq:PACB $6.54 UP 0.62% . #1.) The CEO recently bought like 200,00 shares of the stock in the open market, the largest single purchase ever, #2.) made his pay to $1 this year, #3.) his last year's pay was apropos to his hard work, #4.) #5.) #6.) #7) his CFO also did similar stuff. In other countries ( other than America) it is illegal for a publicly traded company to have the lowest paid worker have a wide ratio pay to the highest paid employee/ owner/CEO etc. ... but again they are more of homogeneous society where they feel that they cannot cheat their countrymen. We are below such feelings.

    Please post more ideas ... I will be willing to check them out... I would like other sectors. I am new to this ...thanks

  • Report this Comment On February 11, 2014, at 1:01 PM, Heidikitty wrote:

    In your opinion how will the Law suite on KMI effect KMP or is that a mistake that needs to be cleared up.

  • Report this Comment On February 11, 2014, at 6:43 PM, goodlearner wrote:

    Spirits hit the nail on the head with this comment on February 7. You ask us to be respectful of posting comments to the boards. We ask you to be respectful of current members by not subjecting us to the time-consuming requirement of reading articles like, "the one stock to buy in February," when, in fact, there is not ONE stock to buy. This borders on something similar to false advertising in my opinion. As a paying member of your top tier subscription, I joined for your research expertise.

    Respectfully submitted,

    Good Learner

  • Report this Comment On February 11, 2014, at 11:49 PM, LLam828 wrote:

    I do like the idea of a Supernova Fund.

    What are the chances of it becoming a reality?

  • Report this Comment On February 13, 2014, at 5:36 PM, djkorova wrote:

    Wow you morons really just wanna be told what to do don't you? Maybe you missed the very first word of the title, before "1 stock to buy." ROUNDTABLE. That means more than 1 person is going to tell you what 1 stock they think you should buy. How in the hell are more ideas less good than 1 idea? Oh yeah because you people don't wanna think for yourself. Good lord, now I understand why most people lose money investing.

  • Report this Comment On February 13, 2014, at 5:56 PM, swiver wrote:

    Should have titled it better!

  • Report this Comment On February 13, 2014, at 6:11 PM, suziathome wrote:

    I was thinking the same thing as djkorova but in kinder terms. We Fools frequently get Roundtable articles. Why not enjoy the research of a group of people instead of depending on one person to recommend one stock. I always read the comments but this group of comments were a little too picky in my opinion. Do any of you honestly buy a stock based on one recommendation w/o checking into it yourself? Probably not. Have fun checking out some of these fine companies. I know I will.

  • Report this Comment On February 13, 2014, at 6:14 PM, dhanley15 wrote:

    I second twerlinich's comment on 2/8. It's very annoying that MF members don't see the promotional reports, especially after listening to a 15 minute spiel, and then nothing.

  • Report this Comment On February 13, 2014, at 11:27 PM, AMDG4 wrote:

    I was so happy to see two of my own stocks on your roundtable. Renewable Energy and Pandora. Pandora is up almost 50% since I bought it. And Renewable Energy, well I'm still patiently waiting on that one, but am not planning on selling it any time soon. Thanks for the encouragement, I'll keep holding them.

  • Report this Comment On February 14, 2014, at 1:52 AM, OverSouled wrote:

    This is why we need the MF, that iconoclastic, innovative bunch of freespirited finance types who ferret out worthwhile stocks for the small investor! Tesla, Apple, Pandora, Stratasys, Michael Kors, not to mention GM, Citigroup, Kinder Morgan and Disney. I mean, why not start with a few things that some of us have heard of, and then move on to these flying-under-the-radar companies? BTW, didn't you forget Gilead and Jazz Pharma? Oops, that's Cramer's territory, sorry. Wait - Fireye or Palo Alto, why didn't somebody mention these? How about a solar play - SunPower, maybe? And surely you're hip to M2M stocks, let's say DGII or INVN? While we're on Kinder Morgan, wasn't it MF's opinion not too long ago that National Oilwell Varco was going to make us all filthy rich (hopefully not in that order)? But now it's KMI, I guess we have to roll with the punches. Anyway, feel free to post this again when you find some analysts who actually have some original research to share with us. Because all I see here is a litany of companies that most investors who follow the market already know about and possibly own.

  • Report this Comment On February 14, 2014, at 8:43 PM, polmazurka wrote:

    I agree with "goodlearner"...

  • Report this Comment On February 14, 2014, at 8:44 PM, polmazurka wrote:

    what is difficult about the tax-form for LMPs?

  • Report this Comment On February 19, 2014, at 2:16 AM, learnmoredaily wrote:

    Well, I, like so many other subscribers and readers, am totally irritated and disgusted that I and others took our time to read over your information, thinking at some reasonable point, you would clearly state WHAT is the #1 Stock you recommend for us to buy in this month of February, 2014 as the title clearly listed the topic. We're all expecting 1 answer not a dozen or so. WHERE is your # 1 Stock Recommendation MF????? This has been

    a pure waste of my time!!! I agree with everyone who is totally aggravated about this type of response by MF!!!! Aggravation for sure!!!

    "learningmoredaily" and that's for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Report this Comment On February 19, 2014, at 9:55 PM, wowwhatawaste wrote:

    24 minutes of the internet is dead invest in the INTERWORLD -- i have a 2 yr investment in MF why do I need to invest in another year - why isn't in the website or the newsletter since you already have my money - not only did you waste my time by filling the 24 mins with ego boosting "stuff" and still no info - no ticker symbol, no name of the stock. as i said before WOWWHATAWASTE!

  • Report this Comment On February 26, 2014, at 4:40 PM, doc2526 wrote:

    I also wholeheartedly second "twerlinich's" comments from 2/8 as well as the comments by dhanley15 (2/13). I have wasted so much time on these that I'm frustrated. PLEASE stop it.

    Go fool,

  • Report this Comment On March 02, 2014, at 8:13 PM, kankemike wrote:

    KMI owns me

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text:
Will BMW Continue to Break Records?

BMW's X3. Photo: BMW.

On Feb. 2, BMW (NASDAQOTH: BAMXF  ) reported record-breaking January sales. What's more, this comes after BMW's record-breaking sales for 2013. So, with such a strong start, will 2014 be another banner year for BMW?

January's sky-high sales
In January, BMW sold 117,164 brand vehicles, up 9.2% over the previous year. Further, this growth was the result of strong sales for BMW's 3 Series -- up 4.6%, X3 -- up 18.2%, and 5 Series -- up 14%. In other words, BMW has a strong offering, which is good news for long-term investors.

Moreover, in China -- one of the most important markets for luxury car sales -- BMW's deliveries were up 22.2% compared with the previous year, and sales in the USA increased 3% (although this also includes BMW's MINI brand). Clearly, BMW's 2014 sales are starting out with a bang.

A look ahead
BMW has a number of things going for it, including strong sales in one of the fastest-growing luxury-car markets. Plus, Ian Robertson, member of the board of management of BMW AG, sales and marketing BMW, stated: "Looking ahead, although the economic climate remains challenging in many markets, there are signs of improvement and we are aiming for continued growth in 2014. We are launching some very exciting new models over the next few months and our target is to increase overall global sales for a fourth successive year."

BMW's 5 Series. Photo: BMW.

There are some things to watch out for, though. First, while China presents significant opportunities for vehicle sales, it isn't without its risks. For example, in early 2013, Chinese state media blasted foreign brands for quality problems, and also in 2013, BMW's request to double production capacity to 400,000 sedans a year, and expand an affiliated engine plant, came under fire from China's environment ministry -- this may or may not have been warranted.

Moreover, in 2013, Daimler's (NASDAQOTH: DDAIF  ) Mercedes-Benz released its all-new CLA, which helped Mercedes win the title of best-selling luxury brand in the U.S for 2013 -- a title that BMW was none too thrilled to give up -- and for 2014, this could also present a problem, as sales of the CLA don't show signs of slowing. In addition, Mercedes is scheduled to release its less expensive SUV, the GLA (however, it won't arrive in the U.S until fall 2014), which could also prove to be a winning vehicle for Mercedes, and steal sales from BMW .

BMW's future
So far, 2014 is shaping up to be a great year for BMW. However, it's still pretty early in the game, which makes it too early to predict if this will be another record-breaking year for the company. With that being said, BMW's future looks solid, and even if it doesn't break records this year, it could still merit a closer look if you're looking for your next great auto stock investment.

How strong Chinese auto sales could make you rich
U.S. automakers boomed after World War II, but the coming boom in the Chinese auto market will put that surge to shame! As Chinese consumers grow richer, savvy investors can take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the help from this brand-new Motley Fool report that identifies two automakers to buy for a surging Chinese market. It's completely free -- just click here to gain access.

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Katie Spence

Katie Spence has been a financial journalist for The Fool since 2011. She specializes in defense companies, “green" technology, autos, and robots. Follow her on Twitter for breaking news in the defense, auto, and robot industry.

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Amgen and Roche Still Duking It Out

In the story of the patent case that never gets concluded, yesterday the Associated Press and others reported that Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN  ) would be suing Roche for damages if Roche goes ahead and starts marketing its anemia drug Mircera before a final court ruling of the ongoing patent case is decided.

Roche and Amgen have been at odds over whether Mircera violates the patents on Amgen's $6 billion-a-year anemia drugs Epogen and Aranesp. Besides the little fact that Epogen has been on the market since 1989 in the U.S. (Aranesp was only approved in 2001), last year a judge ruled that Roche was violating Amgen's patents on these compounds and issued an injunction preventing Mircera from entering the market.

I'm not aware of any other drug that has been on the market since the 1980s like Epogen and still has valid patents (besides the whole Genentech (NYSE: DNA  ) Cabilly patent situation), but then again I'm not perfectly versed in patent law. Even so, in an attempt to reach an agreement that would allow Mircera onto the market, the judge ruled last month that Roche may be able to market Mircera -- if it agreed to pay Amgen a 22.5% royalty on all sales (as well as a few other minor conditions).

Roche initially balked at the judge's offer, but two weeks ago changed its mind and agreed to the terms. Earlier this week, though, the judge in the patent case decided to seek advice from outside experts on all these issues before letting Roche go ahead with marketing Mircera.

The royalty that Roche would be paying on sales of Mircera is more than double the 10% royalty that Amgen's partner Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) pays Amgen on sales of Epogen (marked by J&J under the Procrit brand name) in markets outside of dialysis patients. But what gets Amgen all hot and bothered is that even this 22.5% royalty rate Roche would pay will likely be less than the margins it generates on its own sales of Epogen and Aranesp. Therefore, Amgen has been asking the judge to prevent Mircera from entering the market at all.

To reinforce its position, yesterday Amgen issued a threat that it would sue for damages if (presumably) Roche went ahead with an at-risk launch of Mircera before the judge issued his final ruling. Roche hasn't issued any press releases with its plans for the drug yet, so it looks like we'll probably have to wait to read the next chapter in these anemia-drug wars.

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text:
Ups and Downs Plus Top News (QuickNews) October 8, 1999

Motley Fool QuickNews

Friday 10/08/99

Closing Market Numbers

DJIA        10649.76  +112.71    (+1.07%)
S&P 500      1336.02   +18.38    (+1.39%)
Nasdaq       2886.57   +25.87    (+0.90%)
Russell 2000  427.71    -0.40    (-0.09%)
30-Year Bond 99 1/32    -6/32  6.20 Yield

Today's Market Movers:

Mobile phone maker Ericsson (Nasdaq: ERICY) rose $1 13/16 to $34 after signing $157 million in contracts to help complete the build-out of global standard for mobile communications (GSM) networks for China's Shandong Mobile Communications Corp. and China Unicom. Prudential Securities analyst Luke Szymczak started coverage of the firm with an "accumulate" rating and a 12-month price target of $37 per share.

Online advertising and direct marketing network provider 24/7 Media (Nasdaq: TFSM) jumped $6 7/8 to $46 3/8 on renewed speculation that it is a takeover target. The major merger rumor floating around features DoubleClick (Nasdaq: DCLK) in the role of the potential suitor and was credited to The Silicon Alley Reporter.

Gambling machine operator Jackpot Enterprises (NYSE: J) rolled $1 3/16 to $9 13/16 after Las Vegas Entertainment Network (Nasdaq: LVEN) filed an unsolicited tender offer with the SEC to acquire the company for $11 per share. Jackpot said it is evaluating the offer. Las Vegas Entertainment, which says it is looking to acquire and develop media and gaming properties and hasn't had any revenues in the past two years, raced up $1 9/16 to $5 3/16.

Digital postage company E-Stamp (Nasdaq: ESTM) delivered a $5 3/8 gain to $22 3/8 on its first day of trading after selling 7 million shares at a price of $17 per share in an initial public offering today. Another Friday IPO, Web content management software provider Interwoven Inc. (Nasdaq: IWOV), weaved its way $24 higher to $41.

Satellite-based communications services provider PanAmSat Corp. (Nasdaq: SPOT) shot up $1 7/8 to $38 7/16 after Merrill Lynch analyst Thomas Watts raised his near-term rating on the company to "buy" from "accumulate." Parent Hughes Electronics (NYSE: GMH) also gained $3 to $15/16.

Network multi-protocol packet processors maker Hi/fn Inc. (Nasdaq: HIFN) was crushed for a loss of $36 1/4 to $37 3/4 after the company said two major customers -- reportedly Lucent (NYSE: LU) and Quantum (Nasdaq: QNTM) told the company they will reduce demand for Hi/fn products from previously ordered amounts for the company's fiscal first quarter ending Dec. 31. As a result, Hi/fn expects revenues for the first quarter to be in the range of $10 million, down from Q3's $12.5 million. Hi/fn said it expects Q4 results to come in ahead of First Call's $0.37 consensus estimate.

Travel services provider Preview Travel (Nasdaq: PTVL) gave up $9/16 to $20 9/16 today. The company named Bruce Carmedelle CFO after Thomas Cardy decided to head back to Communication Equity Associates, where he will be COO. For a Foolish take on the company's plans to merge with travel information technology company Sabre Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TSG) and build out as a new publicly traded company, click here.

Quantum's DLT & Storage Systems Group (NYSE: DSS) enterprise storage moved back $1 7/8 to $11 1/2 today after announcing preliminary fiscal Q2 revenue of $357 million, translating to EPS of $0.34 per share diluted, flat with estimates. President Peter van Cuylenburg said to expect flat revenues and EPS for the following quarter as well. "We expect that the business will return to normal growth rates after the Y2K transition is complete by early calendar year 2000,'' said van Cuylenburg.

Senior housing services company CareMatrix Corp. (Nasdaq: CMDC) was hit for a loss of $2 13/32 to $3 15/32 after the company said it expects Q3 EPS to come in between $0.04 and $0.06 -- and between $0.75 and $0.80 for the full year (not counting any possible write-off of assets) -- missing Wall Street's $0.35 and $1.36 estimates, respectively, by a considerable margin. The company blames difficulty sustaining its development pipeline because of a lack of attractive financing, also noting slower than expected fill-ups at some facilities. The company is cutting back on its development plans.

Asset management services company Conning Corp. (Nasdaq: CNNG) spilled $2 1/32 to $8 27/32 after the company said it doesn't expect to meet analysts' estimates for the second half of 1999. It said to look for EPS of between $0.16 to $0.18 for Q3. First Call's three-analyst consensus estimate was $0.28. Revenues from the company's research and mortgage loan and real estate operations have been disappointing during the quarter.

Promotional products distributor and telemarketing services company HA-LO Industries (NYSE: HMK) dimmed $13/16 to $5 1/8 after the company said it expects to report a Q3 net loss of between $0.03 and $0.05, missing Wall Street's $0.09 consensus estimate. The company anticipates revenues of between $140 million and $150 million, analysts looking for $185 million. Look for results Oct. 25.

Today's Top Stories:

FOOL PLATE SPECIAL An Investment Opinion
Xerox Xerocked
By Dave Marino-Nachison (TMF Braden)

Shares of publishing, printing, and copying equipment maker Xerox Corp. (NYSE: XRX) moved back more than 25% this morning after the company said it expects to report "essentially flat" Q3 revenues -- last year's tally was $4.61 billion -- and EPS down 10% to 12% from the year-ago $0.53 figure. Wall Street was looking for a $0.58 per share profit.

Xerox plans to report results on October 18th.

Revenue, particularly in September, was below expectations both in the U.S. and Europe and the company said that hurt operating margins, along with an unfavorable product mix and increased competitions; also thrown in there were some pressures from disappointing results from the company's Fuji Xerox division and economic weakness in Brazil.

"Today's announcement is clearly disappointing," said Xerox President and CEO Rick Thoman, who was named to the post in April after two years carrying an "OO" instead of an "EO" at the company. "However, we are convinced that our strategy of focusing on industry solutions, a broader array of distribution channels and an expanding product and services portfolio is correct and over time will achieve the revenue and earnings benefits it is intended to produce."

With the shares of this iconic American company beaten down this year, it's important to evaluate Xerox's performance not only in terms of black numbers on white paper but in the context of its progress as it works to recreate itself as a "solutions" company -- a technology consultant of sorts -- instead of just a "products" company.

This is a move that many companies looking to monopolize their customers' money and time -- from software to consulting to commerce -- are making now as they look for ways to leverage growth in their traditional core businesses.

The idea is that, with the company's sales force redirected toward specific industry groups, Xerox can respond directly to the specific needs of its customers with customized packages.

Of course, in order to do this successfully Xerox has to make sure it has the best and broadest product offerings in the business, which is where last month's $950 million purchase of Tektronix's (NYSE: TEK) color printing and imaging division comes in. Although the division's revenues were small last year compared to Xerox's, as a member of the Xerox lineup it gives the company a strong position in the color market that will help it challenge Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HP).

It also affords Xerox access to a slew of new distribution channels which, if properly plied, can be turned around to help boost consumer access to the rest of the company's line.

But this redirection effort has also required that the company realign its sales force and with Xerox doing that twice in the past year sales have been disrupted, making investors -- particularly the earnings-consensus obsessed Wall Street community -- wary of the company's ability to deliver on its, and their, expectations of performance. Today's news means disappointment for those who got behind a sales projection the company endorsed last month; revenues were up just 1.3% for the first six months of 1999.

A company exec said at a mid-September conference to look for sales growth of approximately 4%.

The bottom line here for investors thinking long-term should really be less a matter of what they think of Xerox' performance vis-a-vis Wall Street's expectations but rather their assessment of Thoman's ability to pull off the reorganization, both operationally and on the product side, while handling his competition.

In interviews and other public statements, Thoman has expressed optimism. Investors who've bought into that might want to start looking more carefully at Xerox with the stock currently out of favor. But with near-term performance anything but guaranteed and a balance sheet long on debt, some caution is probably warranted.

Jupiter Looms Large After IPO
By Richard McCaffery (TMF Gibson)

Whose research do you think all those hot Internet stocks use to pitch investment bankers, anyway?

Internet research firm Jupiter Communications (Nasdaq: JPTR) sold its first shares to the public today at $21 a pop, and shareholders watched as the price doubled by early afternoon.

That gave the New York-based company a market value of around $120 million. Investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (NYSE: DLJ) initially priced the IPO in the $15 to $17 range, boosted it to $18 to $20 yesterday, then sat back as Internet euphoria sent the shares flying.

One thing refreshing about Jupiter: It's easy for investors to understand what the company does. Jupiter spots Internet trends, makes market forecasts, and offers research-oriented seminars and conferences.

It forecasts, for example, that online holiday sales will double to $6 billion in 1999, and skyrocket to $78 billion by 2003. It predicts that kids and teenagers will spend $1.3 billion online in 2002, and that the online travel industry will hit $17 billion by 2003. This is great stuff, the kind of information reporters, researchers, executives, and bankers rely on to pick winning companies, products, and strategies.

Founded in 1994, Jupiter focuses on Internet commerce. The company's flagship offering is an online subscription product called Strategic Planning Services, which details the fast-changing world of Internet technology. Clients subscribe to one or more of the company's SPS offerings, which include monthly reports, weekly notes, an online library, and other detailed services.

Its revenue is growing fast. As of June 30, the company had 654 SPS clients, up from 421 in December 1998 and 145 in December 1997. Jupiter had $14.8 million in 1998 sales, and made $14.4 million in just the first six months of 1999. It's still an Internet company, however, and hasn't made a profit. Last year it lost $2.1 million. It managed to trim losses in the first six months of 1999 to just $130,000.

Losses are understandable for a start-up company in a new industry. Every fast-growing company balances the need to grab market share against near-term profitability.

But no one escapes at least a cursory cash flow statement analysis. On that point, Jupiter is cash flow positive for the first half of 1999 to the tune of about $3.2 million. This is largely due to an increase in deferred revenue, which represents money paid in advance for services like SPS, and is very common in the subscription business. However, it's the first time the company has been cash flow positive since 1996.

Accounts receivable were up 85% from December to June, which is pretty good for a company that grew sales 143% in the first six months of the year. Still, accounts receivable have been a big reason the company hasn't been cash flow positive historically, and investors should watch to make sure the company is balancing fast growth with strong asset management. Jupiter lists no long-term debt on its balance sheet.

Thanks to a sparkling debut, Jupiter is trading at about the same price as one of its competitors, Forrester Research (Nasdaq: FORR), a market research firm that's done very well for itself. Revenue and net income at the Cambridge, Massachusetts company grew 52% and 34.8%, respectively, compared to the same period a year ago. The company has an attractive profit margin of 12.2%, no long-term debt, and has been increasingly cash flow positive over the last three years.

A second rival, the widely known Gartner Group (NYSE: IT), is Jupiter's largest shareholder with a 28% stake. Gartner is expected to compete directly against Jupiter with its Internet commerce products. In addition, Gartner has the right to appoint two of Jupiter's board members, according to the prospectus, which states specifically that Gartner could use its voting power to negatively affect Jupiter. That could make things tough for the company's shareholders.

No question the market opportunity is huge. According to Jupiter's prospectus, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development projects that Internet commerce will hit $1 trillion in revenue by 2005. The company is smart enough to have specialized exclusively on Internet commerce, a single-mindedness that makes analysis easier for investors.

Even though Jupiter's market research has gained a solid reputation, it still lacks Forrester's track record of profitability, especially in terms of operational cash flow. Investors might want to wait until Jupiter demonstrates a consistent ability to generate cash before deciding it's the better investment.

More of Today's Best:

More Genentech Shares On the Way
By Brian Graney (TMF Panic)
-- So, how would you like to make $2 billion in less than four months? Impossible, some might say. But judging from news out of biotechnology firm Genentech (NYSE: DNA) today, that's exactly what its Swiss parent, Roche Holdings, is set to do. To sum up, Roche bought a 35% stake in Genentech for $3.76 billion and will end up selling a 32.6% stake in the company back to the public for a total possible price tag of $5.7 billion -- all in less than four months' time. Pretty nifty, eh? But instead of immediately decrying Roche's actions as some sort of unfair financial sleight of hand, investors should take a look at how the transactions have affected the relative attractiveness of Genentech as a possible investment.

FOOL ON THE HILL An Investment Opinion
The Qwest-US West Merger
By Bill Mann (TMF Otter)
-- In the ruckus that followed the MCI Worldcom (Nasdaq: WCOM)/Sprint Communications (NYSE: FON) $129 billion merger announcement last week, there was the inevitable speculative banter about the "next" big merger candidate in telecommunications. But the MCI/Sprint merger still has huge hurdles to cross before it comes much closer to reality. Lost in the noise was the news of two previously announced and ongoing mergers, the September 28 closing of the Global Crossing (Nasdaq: GBLX)/Frontier merger, and the progress to shareholder vote in the even more substantial merger between Qwest Communications (Nasdaq: QWST) and US West (NYSE: USW). The Qwest merger is a watershed of sorts: a symbolic recognition of the market power of the new communications carriers some 15 years after the breakup of Ma Bell.

BREAKFAST WITH THE FOOL Opts Out of Agreement With Intuit
By Richard McCaffery (TMF Gibson)
-- Online mortgage services company (Nasdaq: MDCM) has canceled one of its two agreements with software maker Intuit (Nasdaq: INTU) to pursue opportunities with other online venders. officials said the number of loans Intuit's online mortgage service, QuickenMortage, had driven to had been declining and that the agreement prevented the company from working with other companies in the industry. The cancellation comes in the wake of Intuit's announcement yesterday of an agreement to purchase Rock Financial for $370 million in stock to add to its online mortgage services capabilities.

Western Resources Tired of POI
By Dave Marino-Nachison (TMF Braden)
-- Looking to provide earnings-focused investors with increased reliability in its results, Kansas utility Western Resources (NYSE: WR) today said it's considering alternatives for its 85% ownership in money-losing residential security alarm company Protection One (NYSE: POI). "Western Resources has experienced some short-term financial challenges with regard to its Protection One investment," said Western Chairman and CEO David Witting, "and those challenges must be managed." Protection One's stock has fallen considerably over the past year, which has taken its toll on Western's returns.


text:
Sunday December 5 2010
Di Vaio: 'Here's why we go on strike'

Marco Di Vaio has tried to explain why Serie A players are planning to go on strike next weekend. “We hope to play, but will not be moved on two issues.”

The Players' Association (AIC) has announced a strike for the weekend of December 11 and 12 in protest at the failure to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement.

“We hope to play, but there are issues to be addressed and we have given in to six out of the eight points disputed by the Lega Serie A,” said the Bologna striker on RAI television.

“We will not be moved on the two issues that are most important right now. Those are our opposition to a forced transfer and the possibility clubs can separate players from their teammates in training.

“On the first issue I believe that it is a problem for the clubs if they buy too many players without first selling others and then end up with squads that are too large.

“The players shouldn't have to pay for the consequences of those decisions, nor be forced into accepting a specific move that the club wants.

“As for the second point, I believe it is outright bullying when players are separated from the rest of their teammates and forced to train on their own. It makes it clear they are not part of the side and have no chance of playing.

“The Lega should think about how to bring families back to the stadium rather than how to take rights away from players.”

Think you know your Italian football? Share your knowledge, tips and comments to win cash prizes in OLBG's tipster competition - £11,000 to be won monthly!


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Manchester City have completed a deal for Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne spoke of his desire to win titles after sealing his much-anticipated £50.8million move to Manchester City on a six-year deal.

Southampton 3 Norwich 0: Dusan Tadic scores twice for Saints

Southampton picked up their first Premier League win of the season as a Dusan Tadic brace inspired them to a 3-1 victory over 10-man Norwich.

'Sulking' Sherwood pulls hamstring during Aston Villa draw

Tim Sherwood has revealed he pulled a hamstring when 'sulking' during Aston Villa's 2-2 Premier League draw with Sunderland.

Mail Box

Brendan Rodgers Just Isn't Good Enough...

That's the general consensus in a bumper Mailbox, which says we have reached 'Peak Brendan'. Also, Arsenal don't need a striker, and is Klopp being lined up by Chelsea?

It's Stupid To Write Off Coquelin Now...

Francis Coquelin gets the staunch backing of one mailer, while Lazar Markovic is given a fond farewell. Plus hat-tricks, ideal teams, the north, Stones and a Son song...

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