Saturday, September 6, 2014

Top Japanese Stocks To Buy For 2015

British authorities announced criminal proceedings against three former ICAP brokers Friday for allegedly manipulating a global financial benchmark used to set rates on trillions of dollars in loans.

The announcement by the Serious Fraud Office alleged the three rigged the London Interbank Offered Rate for yen, the Japanese currency, between August 2006 and September 2010.

The benchmark, popularly known as Libor, is widely used to set rates on mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit cards and some financial derivatives.

The rate-rigging allegations against the former employees of ICAP, the world's largest inter-dealer broker, brings to nine the number of individuals charged in the investigation by British authorities. In all, 13 suspects have been charged by investigators around the world, including the U.S. Department of Justice.

Top Japanese Stocks To Buy For 2015: Ametek Inc (AME)

AMETEK, Inc. (AMETEK), incorporated in 1930, is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with operations in North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The Company markets its products worldwide through two groups: the Electronic Instruments Group (EIG) and the Electromechanical Group (EMG). EIG builds monitoring, testing, calibration and display devices for the process, aerospace, industrial, power and medical markets. EMG produces engineered electromechanical connectors for hermetic (moisture-proof) applications, specialty metals for niche markets and brushless air-moving motors, blowers and heat exchangers. End markets include aerospace, defense, mass transit, medical, office products and other industrial markets. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired Powervar, a provider of power management systems and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. In January 2014, the Company acquired Teseq Group. In February 2014, the Company acquired VTI Instruments.

The Electronic Instruments Group

EIG consists of a group of differentiated businesses. EIG manufactures instruments used for testing, monitoring, calibration and display for the process, aerospace, industrial and power markets. EIG is specialized in the markets it serves, including aerospace engine sensors, heavy-vehicle instrument panels, analytical instrumentation, level measurement products, power instruments and pressure gauges. It has joint venture operations in China, Taiwan and Japan. EIG had 56 operating facilities: 35 in the United States, seven in the United Kingdom, five in Germany, three in France, two in Switzerland and one each in Argentina, Austria, Canada and Denmark, as of December 31, 2011. EIG also shares operating facilities with EMG in China and Mexico.

Process and analytical measurement and analysis instruments include oxygen, moisture, combustion and liquid analyzers; emission monitors; spectrometers; mechanical and electronic ! pressure sensors and transmitters; radiation measurement devices; level measurement devices; precision pumping systems, and force-measurement and materials testing instrumentation. EIG�� focus is on the process industries, including oil, gas and petrochemical refining, power generation, specialty gas production, water and waste treatment, natural gas distribution and semiconductor manufacturing. AMETEK�� analytical instruments are also used for precision measurement in a number of other applications including radiation detection for the United States Department of Homeland Security, materials analysis, nanotechnology research and other test and measurement applications.

TMC serves the manufacturers of life sciences, photonics and semiconductor equipment with a range of custom active piezoelectric vibration cancellation systems, based on their patented active piezo technology. TMC also supplies passive vibration cancellation systems, optical test tables, acoustic isolation hoods and magnetic isolation hoods. Reichert Technologies provides high-technology instruments used by ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians for vision correction and the screening and diagnosis of eye diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC (Atlas) has products, which include weather exposure test systems, corrosion-testing instruments, specialty lighting systems, and large-scale weathering test chambers. In addition, Atlas offers indoor laboratory and outdoor testing services, photovoltaic and solar testing and consulting. AMETEK�� power businesses provide analytical instruments, uninterruptible power supply systems and programmable power supplies used in a range of industrial settings. EIG designs and manufactures power measurement and recording instrumentation used by the electric power and manufacturing industries. Those products include power transducers and meters, event and transient recorders, annunciators and alarm monitoring systems us! ed to mea! sure, monitor and record variables in the transmission and distribution of electric power.

EIG�� Solidstate Controls business designs and manufactures uninterruptible power supply systems for the process and power generation industries. EIG also manufactures sensor systems for land-based gas turbines and for boilers and burners used by the utility, petrochemical, process and marine industries worldwide. EIG�� programmable power business provides programmable alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) power sources. EM Test provides equipment used to perform electrical immunity and electromagnetic compatibility testing. EM Test manufactures a full line of conducted electromagnetic compatibility test equipment, including electrical fast transient generators, electrostatic discharge simulators, surge generators, waveform simulators and multifunctional generators.

Aerospace products include airborne data systems; turbine engine temperature measurement products; vibration-monitoring systems; indicators; displays; fuel and fluid measurement products; sensors; switches; cable harnesses, and transducers. EIG serves all segments of commercial aerospace, including helicopters, business jets, commuter aircraft and commercial airliners, as well as the military market. Its customers are the producers of airframes and jet engines and other aerospace system integrators. The Company also serves the commercial aerospace aftermarket with spare part sales and repair and overhaul services.

Electromechanical Group

EMG provides engineered motors, blowers, fans, heat exchangers, connectors, and other electromechanical products or systems for commercial and military aerospace applications, defense, medical equipment, business machines, computers and other power or industrial applications. EMG had 58 operating facilities: 34 in the United States, nine in the United Kingdom, three in France, two each in China, Czech Republic, Italy and Mexico and one each in Brazil, M! alaysia, ! Morocco and Taiwan, as of December 31, 2011. Differentiated businesses consists of the technical motors and systems businesses and the engineered materials, interconnects and packaging businesses. Technical motors and systems consist of brushless motors, blowers and pumps, as well as other electromechanical systems. These products are used in aerospace and defense, business machines, computer equipment, mass transit vehicles, medical equipment, power, and industrial applications.

EMG produces electronically commutated (brushless) motors, blowers and pumps. These motor-blower systems and heat exchangers are used for thermal management and other applications on a range of military and commercial aircraft and military ground vehicles, and are used in medical and other applications. These motors provide cooling and ventilation for business machines, computers and mass transit vehicles. EMG also serves the commercial and military aerospace third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market. These services are provided on a global basis with facilities in the United States, Europe and Singapore.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, engineered materials, interconnects and packaging products represented 37% of EMG�� net sales. AMETEK provides specialized metal powder, strip, wire and bonded products. It produces stainless steel and nickel clad alloys; stainless steel, cobalt and nickel alloy powders; metal strip; specialty shaped and electronic wire, and advanced metal matrix composites used in electronic thermal management. Its products are used in automotive, appliance, medical and surgical, aerospace, telecommunications, marine and general industrial applications.

Coining provides custom-shaped preforms, microstampings and wire used for joining electronic circuitry, packaging microelectronics and providing thermal protection and electric conductivity for a range of electronic devices. Coining�� products are used in engineered applications for the radio f! requency ! (RF)/microwave, photonics, medical, aerospace and defense, and general electronics industries. Avicenna produces fine-featured catheter and other medical components for leads, guide wires and custom medical assemblies. Avicenna complements the Company�� medical device market businesses fits with its Technical Services for Electronics (TSE) business. TSE fits with the HCC Industries division, which manufactures engineered electronic interconnects and microelectronics packaging for sophisticated electronic applications.

AMETEK is a medical interconnects provider with integrated capabilities for the catheter, cardiac and neurostimulation markets. During 2011, floorcare and specialty motor markets represented 18% of EMG�� net sales, where it sells air-moving electric motors to the floorcare other equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including vertically integrated OEMs that produce some of their own motors. EMG produces motor-blowers for a range of floorcare products, ranging from hand-held, canister and upright vacuums to central vacuums for residential use. High-performance vacuum motors also are marketed for commercial and industrial applications.

The Company also manufactures a variety of specialty motors used in a range of products, such as household and personal care appliances; fitness equipment; electric materials handling vehicles, and sewing machines. In addition, its products are used in outdoor power equipment, such as electric chain saws, leaf blowers, string trimmers and power washers.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    In addition to recent news, there are a couple of upcoming events that is bound to gain Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (NYSE: AMD) some attention from investors and traders alike. I should note that Advanced Micro Devices is in our�SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio as we believe its making progress in the transition away from the PC market, but�the performance of our position has been rather up and down recently (currently we are down about 2%). Nevertheless, there is still enough good news to keep us excited about the stock�� future performance. Just consider the following recent news:

    Upcoming AMD GPU ��4 Tech Day. On Wednesday, Advanced Micro Devices will unveil its next-generation graphics processing unit at the AMD GPU ��4 Tech Day event. Its not known whether�the company plans to unleash an all-new product family for 2014 or just�a flagship GPU due to arrive in Q4 2013. There will be�a real-time video webcast of the showcase available on the�Investor Relations home page here. Micro Server Pioneer Andrew Feldman is Interviewed. VentureBeat has interviewed Andrew Feldman who is one of the pioneers of micro servers after his�company, SeaMicro, used low-cost Intel Atom chips to create a category of servers with lots of processors in a single machine�and exceptionally low power consumption. Advanced Micro Devices bought SeaMicro early last year for $334 million in order to gain entry into the energy-efficient server market as well as�gain new insights into server customers. Feldman is now corporate vice president and general manager of AMD�� server group and the interview will give investors some insight into the company�� server business. Sony Expects to Sell 5 Million PlayStation 4s for the Holidays and Into the New Year. Bloomberg has recently reported that Sony Corp. expects the PlayStation 4�� lower price and wider variety of entertainment services to drive its forecast to sell 5 million units by the end of March.�
  • [By Rich Smith]

    The U.S. Department of Defense announced a half dozen new contracts benefiting the U.S. Navy Wednesday. Of these, five went to publicly traded companies, namely:

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Electronic device maker�Ametek� (NYSE: AME  ) �announced today�its second-quarter dividend of $0.06 per share, the same rate it paid for the last five quarters after it raised the payout 50% from $0.04 per share.

Top Japanese Stocks To Buy For 2015: Fluor Corporation(FLR)

Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Its Oil & Gas segment offers design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining, chemicals, and petrochemicals industries. This segment also provides consulting services comprising feasibility studies, process assessment, and project finance structuring and studies. The company?s Industrial & Infrastructure segment offers design, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the transportation, wind power, mining and metals, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial and institutional, telecommunications, microelectronics, and healthcare sectors. Its Government segment provides engineering, construction, logistics support, contingency response, management, and operations services to the United States government focusing on the Departme nt of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. The company?s Global Services segment offers operations and maintenance, small capital project engineering and execution, site equipment and tool services, industrial fleet services, plant turnaround services, temporary staffing services, and supply chain solutions. Its Power segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, program management, start-up and commissioning, and operations and maintenance services to the gas fueled, solid fueled, plant betterment, renewables, nuclear, and power services markets. The company also offers unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Reuben Brewer]

    Cameco (NYSE: CCJ  ) has a lot invested in the future growth of nuclear power. And it expects good things, particularly in Asia. However, nuclear power has older plants (built decades ago) that need to be cleaned up. That's where companies like Fluor (NYSE: FLR  ) can make a buck.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    URS Corp, which competes with the likes of Fluor (FLR), Jacobs Engineering (JEC) and Tetra Tech (TTEK), said it would earn between $3.20 and $3.30 a share in 2013–the previous range had been between $4.10 and $4.25 a share–and also offered guidance for 2014 that was well below analyst forecasts. On the plus side, URS said it would buy its shares back at a faster pace than previously announced.

  • [By Louis Navellier]

    If we look at the sector using Portfolio Grader, we see that many of the big names in the group like Flour (FLR), Granite Construction (GVA) and KBR incorporated (KBR) are rated ��ell.��The anticipated spending for both government and private industry simply hasn�� materialized, and the companies are not seeing revenue or profit growth.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Lincoln Educational Services Corporation(LINC)

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation provides post-secondary education services in the United States. The company offers degree and diploma programs for recent high school graduates and working adults in the areas of studies, such as health science, automotive technology, skilled trades, business and information technology, and hospitality services. As of December 31, 2011, it had 19,204 enrolled students. The company operates 46 schools in 17 states under Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology, Lincoln College of New England, Nashville Auto-Diesel College, and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences brand names, as well as offers online programs. Lincoln Educational Services Corporation was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in West Orange, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Teradyne will replace Scholastic Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHL) in the S&P MidCap 400, and Scholastic will replace Lincoln Education Services Corp. (NASDAQ: LINC) in the S&P SmallCap 600. Lincoln Education Services currently ranks 600th in the S&P SmallCap 600 and is no longer representative of the small cap market space.

Top Japanese Stocks To Buy For 2015: Caseys General Stores Inc.(CASY)

Casey?s General Stores, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates convenience stores under the Casey?s General Store, HandiMart, and Just Diesel names in 11 Midwestern states, primarily Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. Its stores offer foods, beverages, dairy and bakery products, sandwiches, fountain drinks, donuts, cookies, brownies, Danish rolls, ham and cheese sandwiches, pork and chicken fritters, sausage sandwiches, chicken tenders, popcorn chicken, breakfast croissants and biscuits, breakfast pizza, hash browns, quarter-pound hamburgers and cheeseburgers, and potato cheese bites. The company?s stores also provide nonfood items, which include tobacco products, health and beauty aids, school supplies, house wares, pet supplies, photo supplies, and automotive products. In addition, it offers gasoline or gasohol for sale on a self-service basis. As of July 31, 2011, the company operated 1,665 stores. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Emerson]

    My selection of stocks was now almost entirely based upon themes. Instead of seeking out value in out-favor-sectors, I had temporarily diverted to the path of attempting to identify investing themes, although I would only purchase a stock if I deemed it to be a bargain. The major themes I had identified were natural gas related stocks, material stocks such as cement companies, and discounted Chinese growth stocks which made their money by selling their products to Chinese consumers. I also owned significant positions in some other purely American companies which included Casey�� (CASY) and Gray Television (GTN). Ultimately, Gray Television would turn out to be a colossal failure (more on GTN later).

Top Japanese Stocks To Buy For 2015: RPC Inc (RES)

RPC, Inc. (RPC), incorporated on January 20, 1984, is a holding company. The Company provides a broad range of specialized oilfield services and equipment primarily to independent and oil and gas companies engaged in the exploration, production and development of oil and gas properties throughout the United States, including the southwest, mid-continent, Gulf of Mexico, Rocky Mountain and Appalachian regions, and in selected international markets. The Company operates in two business segments: Technical Services and Support Services.

The services and equipment provided include, among others, pressure pumping services,downhole tool services coiled tubing services, snubbing services (also referred to as hydraulic workover services), nitrogen services, the rental of drill pipe and other specialized oilfield equipment, and well control. RPC acts as a holding company for its operating units, Cudd Energy Services, Patterson Rental and Fishing Tools, Bronco Oilfield Services, Thru Tubing Solutions, Well Control School, and others.

Technical Services

Technical Services include RPC�� oil and gas service lines that utilize people and equipment to perform value-added completion, production and maintenance services directly to a customer�� well. The demand for these services is generally influenced by customers��decisions to invest capital toward initiating production in a new oil or natural gas well, improving production flows in an existing formation, or to address well control issues. This business segment consists primarily of pressure pumping, downhole tools, coiled tubing, snubbing, nitrogen, well control, wireline and fishing. The principal markets for this business segment include the United States, including the southwest, mid-continent, Gulf of Mexico, Rocky Mountain and Appalachian regions, and in selected international markets. Customers include multi-national and independent oil and gas producers, and selected nationally owned oil companies.

The Company primarily provides these services to customers in order to enhance the initial production of hydrocarbons in formations that have low permeability. Pressure pumping services involve using complex, truck or skid-mounted equipment designed and constructed for each specific pumping service offered. The mobility of this equipment permits pressure pumping services to be performed in varying geographic areas. Principal materials utilized in the pressure pumping business include fracturing proppants, acid and bulk chemical additives. Generally, these items are available from several suppliers, and the Company utilizes more than one supplier for each item.

Fracturing services are performed to stimulate production of oil and natural gas by increasing the permeability of a formation. Fracturing is particularly important in shale formations, which have low permeability, and unconventional completion, because the formation containing hydrocarbons is not concentrated in one area and requires multiple fracturing operations. The fracturing process consists of pumping fluid gel and sometimes nitrogen into a cased well at sufficient pressure to fracture the formation at desired locations and depths. Sand, bauxite or synthetic proppant, which is often suspended in gel, is pumped into the fracture. When the pressure is released at the surface, the fluid gel returns to the well surface, but the proppant remains in the fracture, thus keeping it open so that oil and natural gas can flow through the fracture into the production tubing and ultimately the well surface.

Acidizing services are also performed to stimulate production of oil and natural gas, but they are used in wells that have undergone formation damage due to the buildup of various materials that block the formation. Acidizing entails pumping volumes of specially formulated acids into reservoirs to dissolve barriers and enlarge crevices in the formation, thereby eliminating obstacles to the flow of oil and natural gas.! Acidizin! g services can also enhance production in limestone formations.Throug. TTS provides services and downhole motors, fishing tools and other specialized downhole tools and processes to operators and service companies in drilling and production operations, including casing perforation at the completion stage of an oil or gas well. The services that TTS provides are especially suited for unconventional drilling and completion activities.

Coiled tubing services, involve the injection of coiled tubing into wells to perform various applications and functions for use principally in well-servicing operations and more recently to facilitate completion of horizontal wells. Coiled tubing is a flexible steel pipe with a diameter of less than four inches manufactured in continuous lengths of thousands of feet and wound or coiled around a reel. It can be inserted through existing production tubing and used to perform workovers without using a larger, more costly workover rig. Principal advantages of employing coiled tubing in a workover operation include: not having to shut-in the well during such operations, the ability to reel continuous coiled tubing in and out of a well significantly faster than conventional pipe, the ability to direct fluids into a wellbore with more precision, and enhanced access to remote or offshore fields due to the smaller size and mobility of a coiled tubing unit compared to a workover rig.

Snubbing involves using a hydraulic workover rig that permits an operator to repair damaged casing, production tubing and downhole production equipment in a high-pressure environment. A snubbing unit makes it possible to remove and replace downhole equipment while maintaining pressure on the well. Customers benefit because these operations can be performed without removing the pressure from the well, which stops production and can damage the formation, and because a snubbing rig can perform many applications at a lower cost than other alternatives. There are a number of uses fo! r nitroge! n, an inert, non-combustible element, in providing services to oilfield customers and industrial users outside of the oilfield. For its oilfield customers, nitrogen can be used to clean drilling and production pipe and displace fluids in various drilling applications.

For its oilfield customers, nitrogen can be used to clean drilling and production pipe and displace fluids in various drilling applications. Increasingly, it is used as a displacement medium to production in older wells in which production has depleted. It also can be used to create a fire-retardant environment in hazardous blowout situations and as a fracturing medium for its fracturing service line. In addition, nitrogen can be complementary to its snubbing and coiled tubing service lines, because it is a non-corrosive medium and is frequently injected into a well using coiled tubing. For non-oilfield industrial users, nitrogen can be used to purge pipelines and create a non-combustible environment.

Cudd Energy Services specializes in responding to and controlling oil and gas well emergencies, including blowouts and well fires, domestically and internationally. In connection with these services, Cudd Energy Services, along with Patterson Services, has the capacity to supply the equipment, and personnel necessary to restore affected oil and gas wells to production. During the past several years, the Company has responded to well control situations in several international locations including Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Mexico, Qatar, Taiwan, Trinidad, Turkmenistan, Tanzania, Abu Dhabi and Venezuela.

Wireline is classified into two types of services: slick or braided line and electric line. In both, a spooled wire is unwound and lowered into a well, conveying various types of tools or equipment. Slick or braided line services use a non-conductive line primarily for jarring objects into or out of a well, as in fishing or plug-setting operations. Elect! ric line ! services lower an electrical conductor line into a well allowing the use of electrically-operated tools such as perforators, bridge plugs and logging tools. Wireline services can be an integral part of the plug and abandonment process, near the end of the life cycle of a well.

Fishing involves the use of specialized tools and procedures to retrieve lost equipment from a well drilling operation and producing wells. It is a service required by oil and gas operators who have lost equipment in a well. Oil and natural gas production from an affected well typically declines until the lost equipment can be retrieved. In some cases, the Company creates customized tools to perform a fishing operation. The customized tools are maintained by the Company after the particular fishing job for future use if a similar need arises.

Support Services

Support Services include RPC�� oil and gas service lines that primarily provide equipment for customer use or services to assist customer operations. The equipment and services include drill pipe and related tools, pipe handling, pipe inspection and storage services, and oilfield training services. The demand for these services tends to be influenced primarily by customer drilling-related activity levels. The principal markets for this segment include the United States, including the Gulf of Mexico, mid-continent, Rocky Mountain and Appalachian regions and project work in selected international locations in the last three years including primarily Canada, Latin America and the Middle East. Customers primarily include domestic operations of multi-national and independent oil and gas producers, and selected nationally owned oil companies.

Rental tools accounted for approximately 5% of 2012 revenues. The Company rents specialized equipment for use with onshore and offshore oil and gas well drilling, completion and workover activities. The drilling and subsequent operation of oil and gas wells generally require ! a variety! of equipment. The equipment needed is in part determined by the geological features of the production zone and the size of the well itself. As a result, operators and drilling contractors often find it more economical to supplement their tool and tubular inventories with rental items instead of owning a complete inventory. The Company�� facilities are strategically located to serve the staging points for oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico, mid-continent region, Appalachian region and the Rocky Mountains.

Oilfield Pipe Inspection Services, Pipe Management and Pipe Storage includes pipe inspection services include Full Body Electromagnetic and Phased Array Ultrasonic inspection of pipe used in oil and gas wells. These services are provided at both the Company�� inspection facilities and at independent tubular mills in accordance with negotiated sales and/or service contracts. Its customers are oil companies and steel mills, for which it provides in-house inspection services, inventory management and process control of tubing, casing and drill pipe. Its locations in Channelview, Texas and Morgan City, Louisiana are equipped with capacity cranes, specially designed forklifts and a computerized inventory system to serve a variety of storage and handling services for both oilfield and non-oilfield customers.

Well Control School provides industry and government accredited training for the oil and gas industry both in the United States and in limited international locations. Well Control School provides training in various formats including conventional classroom training, interactive computer training including training delivered over the Internet, and mobile simulator training. Energy Personnel International provides drilling and production engineers, well site supervisors, project management specialists, and workover and completion specialists on a consulting basis to the oil and gas industry to meet customers��needs for staff engineering and well site management.

!

The Company competes with Halliburton Energy Services Group, , Baker Hughes and Schlumberger Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim Brugger]

    For the third straight quarter, the board of directors of Atlanta-based oilfield equipment and services supplier RPC (NYSE: RES  ) has declared a $0.10-per-share dividend, the company announced today.

  • [By Arie Goren]

    After running this screen on May 21, 2013, before the markets' open, I discovered the following eight stocks: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL), Leggett & Platt Inc (LEG), Copa Holdings SA (CPA), RPC Inc. (RES), Tupperware Brands Corp. (TUP), Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW.A) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (CHRW).

  • [By Dimitra DeFotis]

    The market seems to be showing fatigue particularly with positive onshore oil service data points that may no�longer seem incremental. Investors have become especially focused on potential issues and macro concerns. We believe this phase�of enhanced risk perceptions will pass and still recommend owning selective stocks based on attractive valuations and healthy�fundamentals. Of the 16 oilfield services companies having reported their quarters to date, the share price changes have at times�been difficult to tie to specific results. �… Five of the 12 companies who have beaten earnings expectations have seen their share prices drop on the day, including Basic Energy Services (BAS) (-9.0%), Baker Hughes (BHI) (-2.5%), National Oilwell Varco (NOV) (-1.5%), Oceaneering (OII) (-4.2%), and Schlumberger (SLB) (-2.0%). Other stocks beating expectations have traded higher as expected, including Cameron International (CAM) (+4.1%), FMC Technologies (FTI) (+3.1%), Mitcham Industries (MIND) (+3.8%), Nabors Industries (NBR) (+1.2%), Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) (+1.8%), RPC (RES) (+8.4%), and Weatherford International (WFT) (+2.3%). Companies which have missed have universally seen their share prices decline, including Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) (-4.3%), Gulfmark Offshore (GLF) (-0.1%), and Hercules Offshore (HERO) (-6.9%). Halliburton (HAL) was in line and flat on the day.

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    What: Shares of oilfield service company RPC (NYSE: RES  ) lost 12% of their value today after the company reported earnings.

    So what: Revenue dropped 15% in the first quarter to $425.8 million, well below the $470.1 million estimate. Net income dropped 57% to $35.1 million, or $0.16 per share, and analysts expected a $0.25-per-share profit. �

Top Japanese Stocks To Buy For 2015: John Wiley & Sons Inc (JW.A)

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., incorporated on January 15, 1904, is a global provider of knowledge and knowledge-based services in areas of research, professional development and education. Core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical and scholarly research journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books and certification, assessment and training services, and education content and services, including online program management for colleges and universities and integrated online teaching and learning resources for instructors and students. The Company sells its products to customers in the Middle East (including Iran and Syria), Africa (including Sudan), Cuba, and other developing markets where it does not have operating subsidiaries.

Research

The Company�� Research business serves the world�� research and scholarly communities and is a publisher for professional and scholarly societies. Research�� mission is to support researchers, professionals and learners in the discovery and use of research knowledge to achieve results that help shape the future. Research products include scientific, technical, medical and scholarly research journals, books, major reference works, databases, clinical decision support tools and laboratory manuals and workflow tools, in the publishing areas of the physical sciences and engineering, health sciences, social science and humanities and life sciences. Research customers include academic, corporate, government, and public libraries; researchers; scientists; clinicians; engineers and technologists; scholarly and professional societies, and students and professors. The Company�� Research products are sold and distributed globally, online and in print through multiple channels, including research libraries and library consortia, independent subscription agents, direct sales to professional society members, bookstores, online booksellers and other customers. Publishing centers include Australia, Ge! rmany, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. Research accounted for approximately 57% of total Company revenue (fiscal 2013). The Company�� Research business is a provider of content and services in evidence-based medicine (EBM). Through the Company�� alliance with The Cochrane Collaboration, the Company publishes The Cochrane Library.

Wiley Online Library, the online publishing platform for the Company�� Research business, is a multidisciplinary collections of online resources covering life, health and physical sciences, social science and the humanities. Wiley Online Library delivers seamless integrated access to over four million articles from 1,500 journals, 13,000 online books, and hundreds of reference works, laboratory protocols and databases. Wiley Online Library provides the user with intuitive navigation, enhanced discoverability, expanded functionality and a range of personalization options. Wiley Open Access is the Company�� publishing program for open-access research articles. Under the Wiley Open Access business model, research articles submitted by authors are published and compiled by subject area into open-access journals. In addition to Wiley Open Access, the Company provides authors with the opportunity to make their individual research articles that were published within the Company�� paid subscription journals freely available to the general public through OnlineOpen.

Professional Development (PD)

The Company�� Professional Development business acquires, develops and publishes professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications in the areas of business, finance, accounting, workplace learning, management, leadership, technology, behavioral health, engineering/ architecture and education. Products are developed in print and digitally for worldwide distribution through multiple channels, including major chains and online booksellers, independent bookstores, libr! aries, co! lleges and universities, warehouse clubs, corporations, direct to consumer, websites and other online applications. Publishing centers include Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. Professional Development accounted for approximately 24% of total Company revenue in fiscal year 2013. Professional Development revenue by product type includes eBooks and Print Books; Online Training and Assessment which is revenue from the sale of products and services focusing on workplace effectiveness and career success; Publishing Rights which is revenue from the licensing of the right to republish Wiley content either online or in print; Journal Subscriptions online and in print to professionals, and Other.

Education

The Company�� Education business produces educational content and services, including online program management for colleges and universities and integrated online teaching and learning resources for instructors and students. Education�� mission is to help teachers teach and students learn by delivering to students, faculty and institutions throughout the world personalized content, tools and services that demonstrate results. Education offers products and services principally delivered through college bookstores and online distributors, with customers having access to content in multi-media formats, as well as the traditional textbook. Education�� solutions are available in each of its publishing disciplines, including the sciences, engineering, computer science, mathematics, business and accounting, statistics, geography, hospitality and the culinary arts, education, psychology and modern languages. Education accounted for approximately 19% of total Company revenue in fiscal year 2013. Education revenue by product type includes eBooks and Print Textbooks; Online Program Management; WileyPLUS, the Company�� online learning solution; revenue from the licensing of publishing content rights and Other Nontraditional and Digita! l Product! s, such as custom publishing and other content adaption��.

Education offers online learning solutions including WileyPLUS, it�� research-based, online environment for effective course teaching and learning that is integrated with a complete digital textbook. WileyPLUS improves student learning through instant feedback, personalized learning plans, and self- evaluation tools and a range of course-oriented activities, including online planning, presentations, study, homework and testing. The Company also provides the services of the Wiley Faculty Network, a global community of faculty that offers guidance, training, and resources. Through the Wiley Faculty Network, instructors and administrators can collaborate with each other, attend virtual and live events, and utilize a wealth of resources all designed to help them grow as educators.

Journal Products

The Company publishes approximately 1,600 Research and Professional Development journals. Journal subscription revenue and other related publishing income, such as advertising, backfile sales, the licensing of publishing rights, journal reprints and individual article sales accounted for approximately 48% of the Company�� consolidated fiscal year 2013 revenue. The journal portfolio includes titles owned by the Company, in which case they may or may not be sponsored by a professional society; titles owned jointly with a professional society; and titles owned by professional societies and published by the Company pursuant to long-term contracts. The Company also enters into agreements with outside independent editors of journals that state the duties of the editors, and the fees and expenses for their services. The Company sells journal subscriptions directly through Company sales representatives; indirectly through independent subscription agents; through promotional campaigns, and through memberships in professional societies for those journals that are sponsored by societies. Journal subscriptions are primarily! licensed! through contracts for online content delivered through the Company�� online platform, Wiley Online Library.

Book Products

The Company�� Book products and book related publishing revenue, such as advertising and the sale of publishing rights, accounted for approximately 48% of the Company�� fiscal year 2013 revenue. The Company enters into agreements with authors that state the terms and conditions under which the materials will be published, the name in which the copyright will be registered, the basis for any royalties, and other matters. The Company develops content in a digital format that can be used for online and print products, resulting in productivity and efficiency savings, and enabling print-on-demand delivery. Book content is available online through Wiley Online Library, WileyPLUS, Custom Select and other platforms. Ebooks are delivered to intermediaries, including Amazon, Apple and Google for re-sale to individuals in various industry-standard formats, which are now also the preferred deliverable for licensees of all types, including foreign language publishers.

Other Digital Products and Services

The Company is focused on delivering content-enabled services which improve learning, career management and effectiveness for its target communities. The Inscape and ELS businesses, along with the Company�� Pfeiffer brand, represent the Company�� professional training and assessment services. These businesses offer a variety of classroom learning solutions and e-learning activities that are delivered to customers directly through online digital delivery platforms and also through an authorized distributor network of independent consultants, trainers and coaches. The Company�� professional training and assessment services offer highly flexible packages and modules for its customers that include online pre-work and profile assessments, self-study materials, online videos, mobile apps and other sophisticated planning tools.

The Com! pany generates advertising revenue from print and online journal subscription products; its online publishing platform, Wiley Online Library; the Wiley Job Network, a full service online job board; online events such as webinars and virtual conferences; community interest websites such as spectroscopyNOW.com and websites for the Company�� brands like Dummies.com. The Company�� publications and services are sold throughout most of the world through operations located in Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia, and the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon]

    John Wiley (JW.A)

    Notice that 4 of those 10 stocks have a market cap under $100 million. This is shocking. I�� ranking the companies by years of positive earnings (special items ��which explain H&R Block�� losses ��are excluded). If a company earns money for several decades ��this group has tended to be profitable for over 30 years ��and it retains that money, it will end up with a big market cap.

  • [By Geoff Gannon]

    Here, you want to compare the return on the company's buyback with the return you could achieve. However, you want to keep in mind that while you would pay a tax on the dividend the company does not pay a tax on the buyback. Let's say I imagine John Wiley (JW.A) will get a 10% return on its buyback. Likewise, I think I can go out and return 10% a year myself picking my own stocks. In this case, which should I prefer? Should I prefer John Wiley paid a dividend or used all of its free cash flow to buyback stock?

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