Thursday, August 7, 2014

10 Best Tech Stocks For 2014

As mobile commerce continues to grow worldwide, Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY  ) this week announced its�customers will be able to securely purchase goods and services with debit or credit using smartphones compatible with Bell Canada's (NYSE: BCE  ) wireless network as part of a new�mobile payment system the two are launching.

The companies aim for the network to be seamlessly integrated into RBC's existing mobile banking app together with its peer-to-peer�technology allowing an RBC customer to send money to any person or business in�Canada.

"This is the first piece of a broad RBC mobile commerce solution rolling out to clients this year, all delivering the great, robust user experience and the security that RBC is known for," Dave McKay, RBC� group head of personal and commercial banking, was quoted as saying.

Following testing that will occur over the summer, the companies plan for customers of both RBC and Bell Mobility to be able by year's end to pay for transactions with RBC debit or credit cards using the BlackBerry Z10, Q10, Bold 9900, Bold 9790, or Curve 9360, and a range of Android devices from manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG and more.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: Interactive Intelligence Inc.(ININ)

Interactive Intelligence, Inc. provides software application suites for voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) business communications to enterprises in the United States and internationally. The company offers software products and services for contact center, enterprise IP telephony, multichannel contact management, and business process automation. Its solutions include Interactive Intelligence Customer Interaction Center that provides contact centers and enterprises a single platform and a pre-integrated all-in-one application solution for IP telephony, including phone calls, faxes, e-mails, and Web interactions; Interactive Intelligence Customer Interaction Center for the Enterprise, an IP PBX phone and communications system for SIP-supported VoIP for mid-sized and larger enterprises, as well as offers real-time presence management and remote access with unified messaging, IVR and interaction client integrations for Microsoft applications; Interaction Process Automation t hat allows an organization to capture, prioritize, route, escalate, and track each step in a work process; and Interaction Content Management solution. The company also provides professional, managed, education, and support services. Its solutions are used by businesses and organizations that employ remote and mobile workers in teleservices, financial services, insurance, higher education, utilities, healthcare, retail, technology, government, and business services industries. The company distributes its products through partners and direct arrangements with end-user customers. Interactive Intelligence, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Shares of Interactive Intelligence Group (NASDAQ: ININ) were down 15.85 percent to $42.06 as the company warned that Q2 results will be below expectations.

10 Best Tech Stocks For 2014: AU Optronics Corp (AUO)

AU Optronics Corp. engages in the design, development, manufacture, assembly, and marketing of thin film transistor liquid crystal displays and other flat panel displays. The company operates in two segments, Display and Solar. It offers a range of display panels for use in mobile PCs, such as notebooks and tablets; desktop monitors; consumer electronics products consisting of mobile phones, digital still cameras, portable navigation displays, digital camcorders, automobile displays, amusement and printer displays, and portable gaming consoles; and LCD televisions. The company sells its panels to original equipment manufacturing service providers who manufacture products on a contract basis for brand companies; and to brand companies on a direct shipment basis. It also manufactures upstream and midstream products, such as polysilicons, ingots, wafers, and solar cells; designs, develops, and manufactures solar photovoltaic (PV) modules; produces solar PV systems; and provid es various value-added services for solar PV systems projects. AU Optronics Corp. operates in the People�s Republic of China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Acer Display Technology, Inc. and changed its name to AU Optronics Corp. in May 2001. AU Optronics Corp. was founded in 1996 and is based in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Monica Gerson]

    AU Optronics (NYSE: AUO) shares reached a new 52-week low of $3.06. AU Optronics' PEG ratio is 2.34.

    CBL & Associates Properties (NYSE: CBL) shares fell 5.20% to reach a new 52-week low of $18.43 after the company reported Q3 results.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Basic guidelines
    In this series, I examine inventory using a simple rule of thumb: Inventory increases ought to roughly parallel revenue increases. If inventory bloats more quickly than sales grow, this might be a sign that expected sales haven't materialized. Is the current inventory situation at AU Optronics (NYSE: AUO  ) out of line? To figure that out, start by comparing the company's inventory growth to sales growth. How is AU Optronics doing by this quick checkup? At first glance, pretty well. Trailing-12-month revenue increased 6.5%, and inventory decreased 13.1%. Comparing the latest quarter to the prior-year quarter, the story looks decent. Revenue increased 14.9%, and inventory contracted 13.1%. Over the sequential quarterly period, the trend looks worrisome. Revenue dropped 7.7%, and inventory grew 7.7%.

10 Best Tech Stocks For 2014: ORBCOMM Inc.(ORBC)

ORBCOMM Inc., a wireless data communications company, operates commercial wireless messaging system optimized for narrowband data communications primarily in the United States and Japan. The company?s services enable businesses and government agencies to track, monitor, control, and communicate with fixed and mobile assets. It also provides customers with technology to monitor, manage, and remotely control refrigerated transportation assets. The company provides these services through a constellation of 27 low-Earth orbit or LEO satellites, 2 AIS microsatellites, and accompanying ground infrastructure. In addition, it offers terrestrial-based cellular communication services through reseller agreements with cellular wireless providers. The company markets and sells its products and services directly to original equipment manufacturers, government customers, and end-users, as well as through value-added resellers, international value-added resellers, international licensees , and country representatives. It serves various markets, such as commercial transportation, heavy equipment, fixed asset monitoring, marine vessels, and refrigerated transportation, as well as government and homeland security/Automatic Identification System. As of December 31, 2011, the company had approximately 648,000 billable subscriber communicators. ORBCOMM Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Telecommunications services shares fell around 0.65 percent in trading on Monday. Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), down 4 percent, and ORBCOMM (NASDAQ: ORBC), off 5 percent.

10 Best Tech Stocks For 2014: Lpath Inc (LPTN)

Lpath, Inc. (Lpath), incorporated on September 18, 2002, is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of bio-active lipid-targeted monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics. The Company has three product candidates, iSONEP, ASONEP and Lpathomab. The Company's program, iSONEP, is a mAb against Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P). As of December 31, 2012, it was in phase-II clinical trials for wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration. The Company is also advancing ASONEP, the systemic formulation of the mAb to S1P. ASONEP has completed a phase-I clinical trial and is entering phase-II clinical trials in Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Lpath's third product candidate, Lpathomab, is a mAb to the bioactive lipid, Lysophosphatidic Acid (LPA). The Company also applies its technology platform, ImmuneY2, to discovering mAbs to new bioactive lipid targets.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Biotechnology company Lpath Inc.(LPTN) warned Pfizer Inc.(PFE) may divest itself of its exclusive option to co-develop the smaller firm’s leading product candidate. Lpath’s stock fell.

  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Lpath Inc.(LPTN) said it is no longer actively seeking to reacquire exclusive rights to its leading product candidate from Pfizer Inc.(PFE), saying the pharmaceutical giant informed the company that its offers weren’t competitive. The biotechnology company in October had warned that Pfizer might may divest itself of its exclusive option to co-develop the smaller firm’s leading product candidate–known as iSONEP.

10 Best Tech Stocks For 2014: Solitron Devices Inc (SODI)

Solitron Devices, Inc., incorporated on March 12, 1987, designs, develops, manufactures and markets solid-state semiconductor components and related devices primarily for the military and aerospace markets. The Company manufactures a variety of bipolar and metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) power transistors, power and controls hybrids, junction and power MOS field effect transistors (Power MOSFETS), field effect transistors and other related products. It's products are custom made pursuant to contracts with customers whose end products are sold to the United States government. The Company�� semiconductor products can be classified as active electronic components. The Company�� active electronic components include bipolar transistors and MOS transistors.

The Company�� semiconductor products are used as components of military, commercial, and aerospace electronic equipment, such as ground and airborne radar systems, power distribution systems, missiles, missile control systems, and spacecraft. Its products have been used on the space shuttle and on the spacecraft sent to the moon, to Jupiter (on Galileo) and, to Mars (on Global Surveyor and Mars Sojourner).

Power Transistors

The Company manufactures a variety of power bipolar transistors for applications requiring currents in the range of 0.1 ampere to 300 ampere or voltages in the range of 30 volts to 1000 volts. It also manufactures power diodes under the same military specification. In addition, it manufactures power N-Channel and P-Channel MOSFET transistors and is expanding that line in accordance with customers��requirements.

Hybrids

The Company manufactures thick film hybrids, which generally contain discrete semiconductor chips, integrated circuits, chip capacitors and thick film or thin film resistors. The hybrids are of the high-power type and are custom manufactured for military and aerospace systems. Some of the Company�� hybrids include high power voltage regulators, p! ower amplifiers, power drivers, boosters and controllers. The Company manufactures both standard and custom hybrids.

Voltage Regulators

Voltage regulators provide the power required to activate electronic components such as the integrated circuits. These circuits are found in all electronic devices from radar and missile systems to smart phones.

Field Effect Transistors

The Company manufactures about 30 different types of junction and MOS field effect transistor chips. They are used to produce over 350 different field effect transistor types. The Company�� field effect transistors conform to standard Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council designated transistors, commonly referred to as standard 2N number types. It manufactures both standard and custom field effect transistors.

The Competes with IXYS Corporation, Motorola Inc., International Rectifier, Microsemi Corporation, M.S. Kennedy Corporation, Natel Engineering Company and Sensitron Semiconductor.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Geoff Gannon] strong>OPT-Sciences (OPST)

    Micropac

    Micropac is 76% owned by Heinz-Werner Hempel. He�� a German businessman. You can see the German company he founded here. He�� had control of Micropac for a long-time. I don�� have an exact number in front of me. But I would guess it�� been something like 25 years.

    ADDvantage

    ADDvantage Technologies is controlled by the Chymiak brothers. See the company�� April 4 press release explaining their decision to turn over the CEO position to an outsider. Regardless, the Chymiaks still control 47% of the company. Ken Chymiak is now chairman. And David Chymiak is still a director and now the company�� chief technology officer. Clearly, it�� still their company.

    By the way, the name ADDvantage Technologies has nothing to do with the Chymiaks. Today�� AEY really traces its roots to a private company called Tulsat. The Chymiak brothers acquired that company about 27 years ago. So, effectively, when you buy shares of AEY you are buying into a 27-year-old family-controlled company.

    That�� pretty typical in the world of net-nets.

    Solitron

    Solitron Devices is 29% owned by Shevach Saraf. He has been the CEO for 20 years. The post-bankruptcy Solitron has never known another CEO. Before the bankruptcy, Solitron was a much bigger, much different company. So even though we are not talking about the founder here ��and even though 70% of the company�� shares are not held by the CEO ��we��e still talking about a company where one person has a lot of control. Solitron only has three directors. Saraf is the chairman, CEO, president, CFO and treasurer. Neither of the other two directors joined the board within the last 15 years. So, we aren�� talking about a lot of tumult at the top.

    In fact, profitable net-nets seem to be especially common candidates for abandoning the responsibilities of a public company without actually getting taken private.

    OPT-Sciences

    This

10 Best Tech Stocks For 2014: TechTarget Inc (TTGT)

TechTarget, Inc., incorporated on September 14, 1999, is a provider of specialized online content and brand advertising that brings together buyers and sellers of corporate information technology (IT) products. The Company sells customized marketing programs that enable IT vendors to reach corporate IT decision makers who are researching specific IT purchases. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated a network of 115 Websites, each of which focuses on a specific IT sector, such as storage, security or networking. The Company�� content platform consists of a network of websites that it complement with targeted in-person events. On April 26, 2011 it announced that it had completed the acquisition of the Websites, product offerings, and events associated with Computer Weekly and MicroScope. In December 2012, the Company acquired the Websites and product offerings of LeMagIT.

Media Groups

The Company�� online properties in security sector, SearchSecurity.com, SearchCloudSecurity.com, SearchFinancialSecurity.com, SearchMidMarketSecurity.com and SearchSecurity.co.uk offer navigable and structured guides on IT vendor and technology solutions in key sub-sectors, such as network security, intrusion defense, identity management and authentication, data and application security, security-as-a-service, cloud security and security information management software. Its annual Financial Information Security Decisions conference anchors a calendar of topically-focused regional seminars on issues, such as compliance monitoring, data protection, and advanced threat management. Its networking market includes the hardware, software and services involved in the infrastructure and management of both enterprise and carrier voice and data networks.

The Company�� online properties in networking sector, SearchNetworking.com, SearchEnterpriseWAN.com, SearchUnifiedCommunications.com, SearchMobileComputing.com and SearchCloudProvider.com. The Company�� online properties in storag! e sector, SearchStorage.com, SearchDataBackup.com, SearchSMBStorage.com, SearchDisasterRecovery.com, SearchVirtualStorage.com, SearchCloudStorage.com, SearchSolidStateStorage.com and SearchStorage.co.uk address IT professionals seeking solutions in sub-sectors, such as fiber channel storage area network (SAN), solid state storage, virtualization Internet protocol (IP) and Internet small computer systems interface (iSCSI) SANs, network attached storage (NAS), backup hardware and software, and storage management software.

Data centers house the systems and components, such as servers, storage devices, routers and switches, utilized in large-scale, mission-critical computing environments. The Company�� online properties in this sector provide targeted information on the IT vendors, technologies and solutions that serve these sub-sectors. Its properties in this sector include SearchDataCenter.com, covering disaster recovery, power and cooling, mainframe and UNIX servers, systems management, and server consolidation; SearchEnterpriseLinux.com, focused on Linux migration and infrastructures; Search400.com, covering mid-range computing and SearchCloudComputing.com, which covers private and public cloud infrastructure. SearchServerVirtualization.com covers the decision points and alternatives for implementing server virtualization, while SearchVMware.com and RTFM-ed.co.uk focus on managing and building out virtual environments on the most widely-installed server virtualization platform.

The Company�� online properties in online properties in data centre and virtualization technologies include SearchWindowsServer.com, covering servers, storage, and systems management; SearchDomino.com, SearchExchange.com and SearchWinIT.com, each targeted toward senior management for distributed computing environments. This network of sites provides resources and advice to IT professionals pursuing solutions related to such topics as Windows backup and storage, server consolidation, and upgrade pla! nning. Se! archEnterpriseDesktop.com, SearchVirtualDesktop.com, BrianMadden.com and LabMice.net all focus on the deployment and management of end-user computing environments. The Company�� two BriForum conferences focus on desktop virtualization and related technologies.

The Company�� CIO/IT Strategy media group provides content targeted at Chief Information Officers (CIO), and senior IT executives, enabling them to make informed IT purchases throughout the critical stages of the purchase decision process. The Company�� online properties in this sector include SearchCIO.com, which provides CIOs in large enterprises with information focused on critical purchasing decisions; SearchCIO-Midmarket.com, which targets IT managers at small to medium-sized businesses, and SearchCompliance.com, which provides advice on IT-focused regulations and standards to IT and business executives and other senior IT managers. The CIO/IT Strategy Group also includes online resources and events targeted to IT decision makers in prominent vertical industries. SearchHealthIT.com provides strategic IT purchasing information and advice to senior IT and clinical professionals in hospitals, medical centers, university health centers and other care delivery organizations, as well as organizations in the life.

The Company�� Business Applications and Analytics media group focuses on mission critical software, such as databases and business intelligence, content management enterprise resource planning, and customer facing applications, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software for mid-sized and large companies. The properties in this sector include SearchCRM.com, BeyeNETWORK.com, SearchBusinessAnalytics.com, SearchDataManagement.com, SearchContentManagement.com, SearchOracle.com, SearchSAP.com and SearchManufacturingERP.com. These sites are online resources that provide this specialized information to support mission critical business applications, such as CRM, business intelligence, data management,! content ! management, collaboration, sales force automation, databases and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. The SMB market supports a high degree of specialization by software vendors, as applications are offered that address the business requirements of specific industry verticals, such as construction, manufacturing, and many others.

The application architecture and development sector is consisted of a broad landscape of tools and languages that enable developers, architects and project managers to build, customize and integrate software for their businesses. The Company�� online properties in this sector include TheServerSide.com and TheServerSide.NET, which host independent communities of developers and architects using Java and .NET respectively.

Its Channel properties address the information needs of channel companies classified as resellers, value added resellers, solution providers, systems integrators, service providers, managed service providers, and consultants in the IT market. Its online properties in this sector include SearchITChannel.com, SearchStorageChannel.com, SearchSecurityChannel.com, SearchNetworkingChannel.com and SearchSystemsChannel.com. TechnologyGuide.com operates a portfolio of Internet content sites that provide product reviews, price comparisons and user forums for technology products, such as laptops, desktops and smartphones. Sites include NotebookReview.com, Brighthand.com (covering smartphones) and TabletPCReview.com, PrinterComparison.com, DesktopReview.com and DigitalCameraReview.com.

User Generated Content and Vendor Content

Bitpipe.com and KnowledgeStorm.com are sites that the Company operates and that host vendor-provided content, such as white papers, software downloads, videocasts and Webcasts. Maintaining centralized collections of this vendor content helps its users conduct pre-purchase research more easily, and allows it to maximize the ability of this content to be found by search engines. It provide! s context! ually relevant inclusion of vendor content from Bitpipe.com and KnowledgeStorm.com on the other sites in its network.

The Company competes with United Business Media, QuinStreet, International Data Group and CBS Interactive/ CNet.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Technology shares fell around 0.27 percent in Thursday’s trading. Top decliners in the sector included TechTarget (NASDAQ: TTGT), down 8.9 percent, and ChinaCache International Holdings (NASDAQ: CCIH), off 4.6 percent.

  • [By Garrett Cook]

    Technology shares fell around 0.27 percent in Thursday’s trading. Top decliners in the sector included TechTarget (NASDAQ: TTGT), down 5.3 percent, and ChinaCache International Holdings (NASDAQ: CCIH), off 2.11 percent.

  • [By CNNMoney Staff]

    What's moving: Target (TTGT) shares were under pressure after the retailer said 70 million individuals had information stolen in the recent data breach of credit and debit cards.

10 Best Tech Stocks For 2014: RealPage Inc.(RP)

RealPage, Inc. provides on demand software solutions for the rental housing industry in North America. It offers property management systems, including OneSite to manage leasing and rents, facilities, purchasing, accounting, budgeting, and living of multi-family, housing and urban development (HUD), tax credit, privatized military housing, and student housing; and Propertyware for accounting, maintenance and work order management, marketing spend management, and portal services, as well as screening, renter?s insurance, and payment solutions. The company also provides on premise property management systems that include RentRoll for small conventional apartment communities; HUD Manager for small HUD, rural housing services, and tax credit subsidized apartment communities; Tenant Pro for small conventional properties; Spectra, an apartment and commercial modular property management system; and i-CAM and Management Plus property management software that automates and streaml ines rental activities. In addition, it offers software-enabled value-added services, such as LeaseStar, a system that manage marketing and leasing operations and enable owners and managers to originate, capture, track, manage, and close leads; YieldStar, a scientific yield management system, which enables owners and managers to optimize rents; LeasingDesk, a risk mitigation system to reduce delinquency, liability, and property damage risk; and Velocity that offers billing and utility management services; OpsTechnology that offers spend management systems that enable owners and managers to control costs; shared cloud services, which are integrated with property management systems and software-enabled valued added services; and RealPage Senior Living, an integrated care management, community management, and marketing management platform. The company sells its software and services directly through its sales force. RealPage, Inc. is headquartered in Carrollton, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Calling all cash flows
    When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on RealPage (Nasdaq: RP  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Alex Planes]

    What: Shares of RealPage (NASDAQ: RP  ) have been rising since an early morning plunge that shaved more than 11% off their value, and now seem to have stabilized at a loss of about 4% from the previous trading day. Investors seem somewhat displeased that the company's financial results and forward guidance were all so average.

  • [By Sean Williams]

    For this week's round of "Better Know a Stock," I'm going to take a closer look at RealPage (NASDAQ: RP  ) .

    What RealPage does
    RealPage is a software-as-a-service applications provider to apartment communities and single-family housing developments. The company has a portfolio of cloud-based software products that allow apartment communities to automate leasing, renting, management, and accounting activities. It also provides software capable of helping apartments originate and find new leads, as well as optimize rent yields.

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