"And, by the way, the bulk of the billions in Berkshire Hathaway has come from the better businesses. ... And most of the other people who've made a lot of money have done so in high-quality businesses."
-- Charlie Munger�
At Tier 1 Investments, a Motley Fool Real-Money Portfolio, I seek out and invest in elite businesses. These include companies with the most valuable brands, best management, superior products and services, and strongest competitive advantages. This strategy has proved to be very effective, with Tier 1 returning 49% since its inception nearly two ago, which has outperformed the S&P 500 by nearly five percentage points during that time.
But I also appreciate the power of dividend growth when it comes to earning market-beating returns. In fact, a study by C. Thomas Howard published in Advisor Perspectives found that for every percentage point a stock's yield rises, its annual return increases by 0.22 percentage points if it's a large cap, 0.25 if it's a mid cap, and 0.46 if it's a small cap. Even better, Howard found that dividend-growing stocks outperformed dividend cutters by 10 percentage points per year from 1973 to 2010 and beat both flat- and no-dividend stocks. And the icing on the cake is that Howard showed that this outperformance came with a third less volatility. Higher returns, less volatility-induced stress, and a steadily growing income stream -- three powerful aspects of dividend growth investing that can help you grow your wealth.
5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch For 2015: Syntroleum Corporation(SYNM)
Syntroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in commercializing and licensing its Syntroleum technologies to produce synthetic liquid hydrocarbons. Its Syntroleum process involves conversion of carbon containing material into synthesis gas; and conversion of the synthesis gas or coal-derived or biomass-derived syngas into hydrocarbons. The company also develops the Synfining Process technology for the conversion of Fischer-Tropsch wax into various products, including diesel fuels, jet fuels, lubricants, naphtha, and other materials. In addition, it offers the Bio-Synfining technology, a second generation renewable fuels technology that is feedstock flexible, including the use of vegetable oils, fats, fatty acids, and greases. Syntroleum Corporation was founded in 1984 and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
As a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report comes out about wasteful spending on biofuels, small cap renewable biofuel stock Gevo, Inc (NASDAQ: GEVO) reported earnings that came in below expectations -�meaning its worth taking a closer look at the GAO report, the stock and the performance of KiOR Inc (NASDAQ: KIOR), Solazyme Inc (NASDAQ: SZYM) and Syntroleum Corp (NASDAQ: SYNM).
- [By John Udovich]
Small cap biofuel or synthetic fuel stocks Gevo, Inc (NASDAQ: GEVO), KiOR Inc (NASDAQ: KIOR), Solazyme Inc (NASDAQ: SZYM) and Syntroleum Corp (NASDAQ: SYNM) all seem to have been seeing some trading action in recent days���meaning its worth taking a closer look at all four�before taking a look at their rather dismal�long term performance while noting that none are yet profitable:
Hot Mid Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: Taylor Capital Group Inc.(TAYC)
Taylor Capital Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Cole Taylor Bank that provides a range of commercial banking products and services primarily to closely-held commercial customers and their owner operators in the Chicago area. It offers various deposit products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits, and other deposit and credit services to commercial clients and community-based customers, including individuals and small local businesses. The company?s commercial lending activities primarily consist of providing loans for working capital and business expansion or acquisition; owner-occupied commercial real estate financing; revolving lines of credit; and stand-by and commercial letters of credit. It also originates and sells mortgage loans. In addition, the company provides treasury cash management services, including repurchase agreements, Internet balance reporting, remote deposit capture, positive pay, automa ted clearing house products, imaged lock-box processing, controlled disbursement, and account reconciliation services to commercial clients; and investment management and brokerage services. Further, it offers asset-based financing, including revolving lines of credit supported by receivables and inventory; and term loans supported by equipment and real estate. The company?s target commercial lending customers include businesses engaged in various industries, such as manufacturing, wholesale and retail distribution, transportation, construction contracting, and professional services. It operates through nine banking centers in the Chicago area. The company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Looking to expand its banking business in the Windy City, MB Financial (NASDAQ: MBFI ) jointly announced with Taylor Capital (NASDAQ: TAYC ) that it was buying the�holding company of�Cole Taylor�Bank, a Chicago-based commercial bank with $5.9 billion in assets, $3.3 billion in loans, and $3.7 billion in deposits.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Commercial banking concern Taylor Capital Group (NASDAQ: TAYC ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.50 per share on its�Series A perpetual non-cumulative preferred stock, which trades on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol TAYCO.
- [By Sean Williams]
What: Shares of Taylor Capital (NASDAQ: TAYC ) , the holding company of Cole Taylor Bank, a commercial and consumer lending and financial services company located in the Chicago area, skyrocketed as much as 22% after agreeing to be purchased by MB Financial (NASDAQ: MBFI ) .
Hot Mid Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC)
AmerisourceBergen Corporation (AmerisourceBergen), incorporated on March 16, 2001, is a pharmaceutical services companies serving the United States, Canada, and selected global markets. Servicing both healthcare providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the pharmaceutical supply channel, the Company provides drug distribution and related services. The Company distributes a range of pharmaceuticals (including specialty pharmaceutical products), generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to a range of healthcare providers located in the United States, Canada and selected global markets, including acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical and dialysis clinics, physicians and physician group practices, long-term care and other alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. The Company also provides pharmacy services to certain specialty drug patients. In addition, the Company furnishes healthcare providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers with an assortment of related services, including pharmacy automation, inventories management, reimbursement and pharmaceutical consulting services, logistics services, and pharmacy management. The Company serves its customers (healthcare providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and specialty drug patients) through a network of distribution service centers and other operations in the United States, Canada, and global markets. In the Company's pharmaceutical distribution business, the Company is a source of supply of pharmaceutical and related products to its healthcare provider customers.
As of September 30, 2012, the Company's operations were comprised of the Pharmaceutical Distribution reportable segment and Other. Other consists of the AmerisourceBergen Consulting Services (ABCS) and World Courier operating segments. In September 2011, the Company acquired IntrinsiQ, LLC (IntrinsiQ) and Premier Source! . IntrinsiQ is a provider of informatics solutions, which help community oncologists make treatment decisions for their patients. Premier Source is a provider of consulting and reimbursement services to medical device, pharmaceutical, molecular diagnostic, and biotechnology manufacturers, as well as other health services companies. On November 1, 2011, the Company acquired TheraCom, LLC (TheraCom). TheraCom is a provider of commercialization support services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, including reimbursement and patient access support services. On April 30, 2012, the Company acquired World Courier Group, Inc. (World Courier), which is a global specialty transportation and logistics provider for the biopharmaceutical industry.
Pharmaceutical Distribution Segment
The Pharmaceutical Distribution reportable segment is consisted of two operating segments, which include the operations of AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation (ABDC) and AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group (ABSG). Servicing healthcare providers in the pharmaceutical supply channel, the Pharmaceutical Distribution segment's operations provide drug distribution and related services. ABDC distributes a offering of brand-name pharmaceuticals (including specialty pharmaceutical products) and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to a range of healthcare providers, including acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and other alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. ABDC also provides pharmacy management, staffing and other consulting services; scalable automated pharmacy dispensing equipment; medication and supply dispensing cabinets, and supply management software to a range of retail and institutional healthcare providers. In addition, ABDC delivers packaging solutions to institutional and retail healthcare providers.!
ABSG, through a range of operating businesses, provides pharmaceutical distribution and other services to physicians who specialize in a range of disease states, especially oncology, and to other healthcare providers, including dialysis clinics. ABSG also distributes plasma and other blood products, injectible pharmaceuticals and vaccines. In addition, ABSG provides third party logistics and other services for biotechnology and other pharmaceutical manufacturers. The Company's use of the term specialty and specialty pharmaceutical products refers to drugs used to treat complex diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Specialty pharmaceutical products are part of complex treatment regimens for serious conditions and diseases, which require ongoing clinical monitoring.
Other
ABCS, through a number of operating businesses, provides commercialization support services, including reimbursement support programs, outcomes research, contract field staffing, patient assistance and copay assistance programs, adherence programs, risk mitigation services, and other market access programs to pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers. World Courier, which operates in over 50 countries, is a specialty transportation and logistics provider for the biopharmaceutical industry. As of September 30, 2012, the Company committed to a plan to divest AndersonBrecon.
The Company competes with Cardinal Health, Inc., McKesson Corporation, FFF Enterprises, Henry Schein, Inc. and UPS Logistics.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Moore]
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC ) �has a great program called Good Neighbor Pharmacy, which has received the top ranking in the J.D. Power National Pharmacy Study for 2013. This program won the award in 2010 and tied for the top ranking in 2011. The study surveys actual customers to measure customer satisfaction for both mail-order and brick-and-mortar pharmacies.�AmerisourceBergen is on track to have double-digit sales through 2014. The ACA will only add to their sales since more Americans will have health care, presumably filling lots of prescriptions.
- [By Dividends4Life]
Memberships and Peers: CAH is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat and a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index. The company's peer group includes: AmerisourceBergen Corporation (ABC) with a 1.3% yield, McKesson Corporation (MCK) with a 0.6% yield and Owens & Minor Inc. (OMI) with a 2.5% yield.
Hot Mid Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P.(BBEP)
BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P. engages in the acquisition, exploitation, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States. The company?s properties include natural gas, oil, and midstream assets comprising fields in the Antrim Shale in Michigan, and the New Albany Shale in Indiana and Kentucky; and fields in the Evanston and Green River basins in southwestern Wyoming, the Wind river and Big Horn basins in central Wyoming, the Powder River basin in eastern Wyoming, the Los Angeles basin in California, and fields in Florida?s Sunniland Trend. As of December 31, 2011, its total estimated proved reserves were 151.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. BreitBurn GP, LLC serves as the general partner to the company. BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Robert Rapier]
In our September chat, I was asked about Memorial Production Partners (Nasdaq: MEMP), another upstream MLP like BreitBurn Energy Partners (Nasdaq: BBEP). I addressed this question in the September article Upstream Turbulence Yields Bargains, writing that Breitburn looked attractive as a cheaper alternative to MEMP. Since that time, MEMP is down 0.6 percent and BBEP is up 6.4 percent. So the discount has narrowed somewhat since September.
- [By Matt DiLallo]
There's no doubt about it that last quarter wasn't a barn burner. LINN pointed out a number of reasons why it missed its quarterly production guidance which caused it to miss earnings this quarter. What would be most worrisome is that LINN's distribution coverage ratio slipped to 0.88 times, meaning LINN paid out more than it should on the quarter; however, that concern will soon abate. Further, LINN is not the only upstream MLP that had trouble in the quarter, as BreitBurn's (NASDAQ: BBEP ) coverage ratio slipped all the way to 0.67 times, which was well below its target ratio of 1.1-1.2 times. LINN and its peers face a real uphill battle in keeping that distribution stable, let alone growing it.
Hot Mid Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: Morgans Hotel Group Co.(MHGC)
Morgans Hotel Group Co., a hospitality company, engages in the acquisition, ownership, operation, development, and redevelopment boutique hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, bars, and other food and beverage venues. It has operations primarily in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Morgans Hotel Group (MHGC) operates, owns, acquires, develops and redevelops boutique hotels, primarily in gateway cities and select resort markets in the U.S., Europe and other international locations and nightclubs, restaurants. This stock closed up 3.8% to $6.99 in Tuesday's trading session.
Tuesday's Range: $6.73-$7.06
52-Week Range: $4.66-$8.15
Tuesday's Volume: 388,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 196,219From a technical perspective, MHGC spiked higher here right above its 200-day moving average of $6.45 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of MHGC within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if MHGC manages to take out Tuesday's high of $7.06 and then once it takes out more near-term resistance at $7.20 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in MHGC as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $6.41 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 196,219 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then MHGC will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $8 to its 52-week high at $8.15. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give MHGC a chance to tag its next major overhead resistance levels at $9 to $10.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Michael Tullberg/Getty Images Los Angeles County's fabled Sunset Strip -- home to numerous legendary nightclubs -- is going corporate. Goodbye, Rat Pack and Guns N' Roses; hello, Marriott International (MAR). Gangsters and Guitarists Through a quirk of urban planning, the Strip -- a 1.6-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard -- was part of unincorporated land within Los Angeles city limits (these days, it belongs to the micro-city of West Hollywood). As such, it was overseen not by the L.A. Police Department, but by the more lax County Sheriff's department. Entrepreneurs took advantage of this, and in the early 20th century the Strip soon became the hottest entertainment destination in the L.A. area, home to clubs, bars and the occasional house of ill repute. In the 1940s and 1950s its nightclubs frequently hosted the top stars of the era. Many a band across the subsequent decades rose to prominence playing joints like The Roxy, Whisky A Go Go (still going strong at 50), and the Viper Room. Throughout the world, the Strip was nearly synonymous with nightlife. So much so that, according to some, its name was cribbed by the burgeoning city of Las Vegas to title the strategic section of its main thoroughfare. For many years now, the heart of Las Vegas Boulevard has been known simply as "The Strip." The City That Sometimes Sleeps The Strip is not the only game in town for visitors. Close by is the gay mecca of West Hollywood's "Boy's Town" neighborhood, while the tiny city's location in the kernel of L.A. makes it the perfect springboard for visiting Hollywood, L.A.'s beaches, and the neighboring Beverly Hills. Tourism is big business for West Hollywood. Twenty percent of the municipality's fiscal 2013 take came from the transient occupancy (i.e., lodging) taxes levied on those visitors. This brought in a cool $18 million that year -- 18 percent higher year over year, by the way -- making it WeHo's No. 2 revenue source. And there's more where that came from. Las
Hot Mid Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: Commerce Bancshares Inc.(CBSH)
Commerce Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Commerce Bank, N.A. that provides various general banking services to individuals and businesses. It operates in three segments: Consumer, Commercial, and Wealth. The Consumer segment includes the retail branch network, consumer installment lending, personal mortgage banking, consumer debit and credit bank card activities, and student lending. The Commercial segment provides various corporate lending, merchant and commercial bank card products, leasing, and international services, as well as business and government deposit and cash management services. The Wealth segment offers traditional trust and estate tax planning services, brokerage services, and advisory and discretionary investment portfolio management services to personal and institutional corporate customers. This segment also manages a family of proprietary mutual funds, which are available for sale to trust and general retail customers. The comp any, through its other non-banking subsidiaries, involves in underwriting credit life and credit accident, and health insurance; selling property and casualty insurance; private equity investment; securities brokerage; mortgage banking; and leasing activities. It serves customers through a network of branches and ATM machines, online banking, and a central contact center from approximately 370 locations in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Commerce Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By BLOGS.BARRONS.COM]
Commerce Bancshares: Davidson likes the mid-sized bank because of its conservative business model. Commerce Bancshares�(CBSH) has been a�victim of the low interest rate environment according to Davidson. ��heir net interest margin has been under pressure and earnings have been a little light versus expectations.��The stock is down a little more than 2% this year. ��heir conservative asset mix is what led to the shortfall, that�� music to our ears.���/p>
- [By Roland Head]
Today's earning calendar is fairly quiet ahead of tomorrow's results from JPMorgan and Wells Fargo, but Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ: CBSH ) started off the financial reporting season this morning, reporting earnings of $0.72 per share -- a penny ahead of analyst expectations. The company credited "strong growth in loans, improved net interest income and continued free income growth," as well as "growth in revenues from our trust and corporate card businesses, which grew by 8% and 8.6%, respectively, compared to the second quarter of last year."
- [By John Maxfield]
Bank investors got their first glimpse of what first-quarter earnings might look like today when Commerce Bancshares (NASDAQ: CBSH ) reported its results. Shares of the Kansas City-based bank are trading sharply lower after its earnings per share fell by 4.3% on a year-over-year basis.
Hot Mid Cap Companies To Buy Right Now: Goldsearch Ltd (GSE)
Goldsearch Limited (Goldsearch) is an Australia-based minerals company. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company was engaged in the exploration of gold and other minerals and investment activities. It operates in five segments: Mineral Exploration Sweden, Minerals Exploration Australia-Victoria, Minerals Exploration Australia-Other, Investments and Administration. Its other projects include the Mary Kathleen joint venture in Queensland and the Musgrave joint venture in South Australia. It held 16,000 square kilometres of tenements within the Musgrave Ranges of northwestern South Australia that were in joint venture between Goldsearch and Independence Group. During fiscal 2012, the Company held investments in Morning Star Gold NL (MCO) and Musgrave Minerals Ltd (MGV). On June 30, 2012, the Company had sold off its total investment in Independence Group NL (IGO). Its subsidiaries include: Caytale Pty Limited, Chiljill Pty Limited and Miltonpak Pty Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Another environmental services player that looks ready to trigger a near-term breakout trade is GSE Holdings (GSE), which provides geosynthetic containment solutions for environmental protection and confinement applications. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares down big by 55%.
If you take a look at the chart for GSE Holdings, you'll notice that this stock recently ripped sharply higher back above its 50-day moving average of $2.32 a share with heavy upside volume. Following that move, shares of GSE have started to trend sideways between $2.60 on the downside and $2.95 on the upside. Shares of GSE are now starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent range.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in GSE if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.79 to $2.95 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 221,545 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then GSE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.50 to $4 a share.
Traders can look to buy GSE off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below support at $2.60 or below its 50-day moving average at $2.32 a share. One could also buy GSE off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
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