Why Unilever Is Up 38% During the Last 12 Months

LONDON -- Unilever  (LSE: ULVR  ) (NYSE: UL  ) has advanced 38% to 2,736 pence during the last 12 months, making the share one of the best performers in the FTSE 100.

The company, which is the force behind 400 popular brands, including Lynx deodorant,Cornetto ice cream, and Domestos bleach, seems to have impressed investors with a series of encouraging statements.

During July, Unilever announced half-year results for 2012 that highlighted an 11.5% rise in turnover, bringing the figure to 25.4 billion euros, as well as an increase in core earnings per share of 6%, to 0.76 euros. However, net profit was also up, at 2.4 billion euros, but by a smaller rate of 1%.

During October, Unilever's third-quarter statement revealed turnover had climbed by 10% to 13 billion euros and underlying volume growth was ahead of the market at 3.4%. Also revealed in the statement was the company's underlying sales growth of 5.9%.

Then in January, Unilever disclosed full-year results that revealed core earnings per share up by 11% to 1.57 euros. The company also revealed fourth-quarter underlying sales growth of 8% and boasted free cash flow had reached 4.3 billion euros.

Paul Polman, Unilever's chief executive, said at the time:

We continue to make good progress in transforming Unilever into a sustainable growth company. We have reported another quarter of good quality, profitable growth ahead of our markets. All categories and all geographies grew with a good overall balance between volume and price. Emerging markets again contributed double-digit growth helping us exceed 50 billion euro turnover, an important milestone in our journey to double the size of Unilever from 40 [billion] to 80 billion euros while reducing our environmental impact. 

 Polman also highlighted the introduction of Magnum and Sunsilk to Unilever's roster of 1-billion-euro brands, which now stand at 14.

Unilever's first-quarter update for 2013 will be published on April 25, which may reveal further positive news that can encourage investors.

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A 13.7% Yield Safe Enough For An 89-Year-Old Mother

I don't often follow pure income vehicles, but this is as good an opportunity as I've come across. In fact, it's "safe" enough for an 89-year-old mom. And it's IRA-friendly -- you can hold it in a retirement account. I think it will prove a great way to put some capital to work in our current ultra-low interest rate environment.

VOC Energy Trust (NYSE: VOC) went public in May 2011 at $21 per share. It has an interest in 881 producing wells in Texas and Kansas. VOC pays the costs of operating and drilling wells. VOC Partners, the sponsoring company, gets 20% of the net income from the wells. The remaining 80% goes to the trust, which pays it out to shareholders. (Come tax time, shareholders receive a 1099 -- not a K-1, thankfully. This makes VOC a good holding for a retirement account.)

 

For a while, things went swimmingly and VOC paid handsome distributions. Then in October 2012, VOC announced it had drilled a bad well. The stock crashed. The well cost VOC $2.6 million. With no offsetting revenues, the distribution also fell.

So instead of getting 56 cents and 44 cents per share, as shareholders did in the prior two quarters of 2011, they got 46 cents and 26 cents per share.

With the bad well behind it and the costs absorbed, the distribution rebounded. On May 15, VOC paid out 48 cents per share, up from 26 cents in the previous quarter. The stock rallied to $14.40 but quickly settled back down.

Recent weeks have seen the price hover around $13 and change. Your window to act is brief, as it's been going on up again...

Even if the distribution stayed at 48 cents per share, that would mean $1.92 per share for this year. At $14 per share, that's a yield of 13.7%. Such a yield in this market will not last long. To yield 10%, the stock would have to get to $19.20 per share -- or a 30% increase from today's price. So you have room for capital appreciation as well as distributions.

The trust terminates in 2030 or when the trust has received payment for 8.5 million barrels of oil. Through 2012, it has received payment on only 1.2 million barrels. Either way, there is a long time to go yet.

The trust also produces some natural gas, but oil is the key driver.

Expenses run about $23 per barrel of oil produced. This is on the high side of trusts ($10 to $12 being more typical), but plenty low enough such that even if oil declines somewhat, it should not be a disaster.

There are two main risks.

First, there is the risk of drilling another bad well. Such an event would again entail costs incurred with no revenue. And it would certainly lead to another (temporary) cut as the trust absorbs the costs. There is no way to know this ahead of time and it is a risk you would have to accept.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014

The sponsor, VOC Partners, owns 25% of the stock and has a 20% interest in the profits. So it has plenty of incentive to do well by the trust. It is an experienced outfit that has been around for 30 years.

The bigger risk is simply the price of oil. If oil prices crater, then this won't work out. It should not be a disaster because the trust will still produce cash and yield even at lower oil prices. The trust also hedged 45% of its production through June 2014 at $100 per barrel. That provides some protection against lower oil prices and brings stability to cash flow.

Conversely, the oil price might be an upside kicker. If oil prices climb then so will the distribution. As with the chance of drilling another bad well, I have no idea where the price of oil might go. It is another risk you would have to accept in the deal.

I got turned on to VOC Energy Trust by a money manager friend at a respected value-investor shop. He has spent a lot of time around oil and gas companies. And he bought VOC Energy Trust for his 89-year-old mom. That's a pretty good endorsement.

If you choose to buy it, use a limit order. I'd pay no more than $14.75 per share to give yourself a 13% yield and plenty of room for upside.

P.S. - For the yield-hungry out there, I have a favorite socked away in what I call the "coffee can portfolio." The approach beats just about every other method of investing -- and is good if you're a little lazy. Check out the five stocks here.

The 3 Countries Stealing China's Business

"Made in China." It's a slogan emblematic of many things – of cheap labor, of the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs to lower-wage nations, of China's rapid ascent to the ranks of the largest economies on Earth. China's been blamed for the loss of many American jobs over the recent past, and data abounds to back up that claim. Washington's Economic Policy Institute projects  that more than 2 million manufacturing jobs and 2.7 million total jobs fled the U.S. for China between 2001 and 2011, fueling a renaissance in cheap products in American stores but also sending America's trade deficit skyrocketing.

China's jobs boom may be short-lived. Minimum wages are rising, workers  are demanding higher labor standards, and a rising middle class has turned from cheap manufacturing jobs to employment in the service sector. The IMF believes that China will experience  a worker shortage of more than 100 million jobs by 2040, something unthinkable during the peak of the "Made in China" era.

Technology has replaced some  of China's cheap labor, but many more jobs and companies have outsourced from the nation, once the very king of outsourcing itself. Where are these jobs and businesses going? Let's take a look at the three nations that stand to gain the most business from the dramatic shift in China's job market.

Vietnam: Asia's new low-cost king

Unheralded Vietnam won't make anyone's list of the world's most powerful economies. The small Southeast Asian nation's surrounded by China on one side and India on the other, two of the world's biggest emerging markets that also compete against the likes of Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia for dominance in the Asian economic landscape. That's a tough geographic nut to crack, but Vietnam's capitalized on China's rising middle class and labor demands by taking a page from its larger neighbor's playbook.

Vietnam's GDP has grown at a sharp clip, and while its slowdown this  year leaves it behind China's 7.75% projected economic growth, Vietnam still is on pace for around 5% GDP growth this year. Meanwhile, high inflation hasn't translated over to the  country's wages, keeping the labor market cheap and offering a huge advantage  on China's exploding labor situation. Athletics product maker Nike (NYSE: NKE  ) is just one of many firms taking advantage of Vietnam's cheaper labor at China's expense: Vietnam surpassed China as Nike's  top footwear supplier in 2010, and the country supplied  around 41% of Nike's total footwear last year, nine percentage points more than China.

Major electronics companies  like Samsung and Jabil Circuit (NYSE: JBL  ) , which is planning on tripling its workforce in its factory  in Ho Chi Minh City over the next two years and has cited China's rising costs as a primary driver of the move away from the nation, have seized the opportunity to slash costs even with Vietnam still lagging behind China in terms of productivity. Even sectors such as health care have gotten involved, as pharmaceutical firm Sanofi (NYSE: SNY  ) this year announced plans  to invest $75 million in a Vietnamese facility to serve as an emerging markets hub and entrench its leadership position in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam faces challenges that could see its jobs fleeing to even lower-cost competitors in coming years, such as neighbors Laos and Cambodia. The country's population  is aging, although it's far younger than China's aging crisis, and that high inflation will eventually catch up to it. Still, Vietnam's anchored itself as a pivotal nation in a growing Southeast Asia. For now, however, Vietnam's poised to keep benefiting off of China's losses for at least the next few years as its bigger neighbor's middle class continues to shed traditional low-wage jobs.

Mexico: Cheap manufacturing a border away

No need to go all the way to Asia for a country that will benefit from China's job losses, however. Mexico's just a hop away across the border, and for U.S. companies looking to save on costs, it's a much cheaper alternative to China's rising standards.

Like Vietnam, Mexico's capitalizing on China's misfortune through cheap wages. Average wages actually are higher than in China – 40% higher as of 2011. Mexico's manufacturing  resurgence of late has been a boon for U.S. industrial giants. Strikingly, Mexico's also thrived in producing higher-quality workers recently, particularly in fields  such as engineering. That's created a productivity surge in the country, and the Boston Consulting Group estimates that when productivity  is accounted for, Mexico's cheap wages and worker efficiency means that China's labor costs are actually higher.

The real key for U.S. companies? Manufacturers don't have to ship products across an entire ocean when they make goods right across the border. That offers major advantages in company supply chains and operations, and with China's singular advantage of low worker costs disappearing, Mexico looks more and more attractive by the day.

The auto industry in  particular has thrived in Mexico with exports primarily to the U.S. market. Nissan (NASDAQOTH: NSANY  ) is firmly embedded in Mexico, becoming the country's  largest auto manufacturer by producing more than 680,000 vehicles in the nation in 2012. China's auto market may be hot for sales, but Mexico's becoming a major production hub that will siphon jobs into this growing market on the back of American  sales.

Mexico faces its share of problems as well – particularly with its rampant drug crime – but the country's inflation has grown  under control, and its proximity to the U.S. should continue its happy relationship with major American manufacturers for years to come.

The United States: Business comes home

What better a country to take jobs from China than the one that companies originally fled from to China – the United States?

To be fair, U.S. wages are still far above what average Chinese workers can even dream of at this point. Like in Mexico, however, productivity closes the gap between these two nations. The Boston Consulting Group estimated in 2011  that, when accounted for productivity, Chinese wages may rise to 69% of average U.S. wages by 2015. In 2001, China's average wages were just 36% of America's. U.S. workers frequently take on better training  and use more complex and efficient tools on the job as well, making that productivity advantage all the more important for manufacturing positions – particularly in manufacturing that requires skilled workers.

The cost of outsourcing products across the world's largest ocean rears its head again here to China's disadvantage. Consulting company AlixPartners projects that Chinese outsourcing costs for U.S. businesses could equal the cost of manufacturing  in America by 2015 with the combination of rising wages and transportation and time costs. With China's middle class rising higher and growing larger by the day, a time will soon come when "Made in China" will be more expensive than "Made in America."

Chinese demand will encourage local manufacturing to some extent, but the country's title as an outsourcing king likely is over. Meanwhile, the rebound of the U.S. economy will fuel growing consumer demand across America, and higher sales at home will encourage local job growth. Chinese manufacturing starred when Chinese products could be sold cheaply to consumers; take away that advantage, and there's no reason not to keep jobs close by, where firms can keep an easier handle on them in a nation with a stronger legal framework and a heavier emphasis on intellectual property rights.

Cheap Chinese goods no more

Consumers will still demand cheap products, and companies will still find ways to keep labor costs as low as possible. China's old strategy of courting wage-sensitive manufacturers and rising behind low wages is at an end, however. The nation's rising middle class and bevy of economic problems on the horizon will necessitate a shift in China's economic reality that will lead to the jobs that have long made up the country's identity packing up and heading for a new home. Whether that's in even lower-wage areas such as Vietnam or nations that offer higher productivity and less logistical costs, such as the U.S. and Mexico, change is in the air. The heyday of "Made in China" has come and gone.

The Chinese business investors need to know

Just because China's losing business to other nations doesn't mean that investors can't thrive behind the country's still-unparalleled growth, however. Few industries are poised to succeed in the world's second-largest economy as much as the auto industry. China is already the world's largest auto market – and it's set to grow even bigger in coming years. A recent Motley Fool report, "2 Automakers to Buy for a Surging Chinese Market", names two global giants poised to reap big gains that could drive big rewards for investors. You can read this report right now for free – just click here for instant access.

Dow May Pop Ahead of Alcoa Earnings

LONDON -- Stock index futures at 7 a.m. EDT indicate that the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) may open up by 0.41% this morning, while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) may open 0.51% higher.

Asian markets closed lower overnight, but European markets rose steadily this morning as last week's turbulence in the eurozone subsided. In Greece, the government is believed to have agreed on a deal to secure its next bailout payment, while in Portugal, the threat of a destabilizing general election has receded after Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho agreed on a deal with Paulo Portas, the leader of his party's main coalition partner, CDS-PP. However, German industrial production fell by more than expected in May: Official figures published today showed a 1% drop, double the 0.5% fall expected by analysts. At 8 a.m. EDT, the FTSE 100 was up 0.14%, while Germany's DAX was up 2.33%.

Today's U.S. economic reports include consumer credit figures for May, which are due at 3 p.m. EDT. Investors may be more likely to continue to analyze Friday's employment figures and to look forward to the minutes of the latest Federal Open Market Committee meeting, which are due to be published on Wednesday afternoon. Producer Price Index inflation data due on Friday will also be of interest and is expected to confirm that inflation remains below Federal Reserve targets.

After the close tonight, Alcoa (NYSE: AA  ) is expected to kick off earnings season with its latest quarterly results. Analysts expect Alcoa to report adjusted earnings of $0.08 for the second quarter on revenue of $5.92 billion. Although the firm's results may not always have the bellwether significance they used to possess, many investors still consider the aluminum giant's earnings to be a good indicator for the earnings prospects of the wider market.

Due to report later this week are Yum Brands and Fastenal on Wednesday, followed by JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo on Friday.

Xerox stock may also be actively traded today after the firm's share price rose 5.1% in premarket trading this morning following last week's announcement that the firm has agreed to a $15 billion deal to acquire Customer Value Group, a U.K.-based software company.

Finally, let's not forget that the Dow's daily movements can add up to serious long-term gains. Indeed, Warren Buffett recently wrote, "The Dow advanced from 66 to 11,497 in the 20th Century, a staggering 17,320% increase that materialized despite four costly wars, a Great Depression and many recessions." If you, like Buffett, are convinced of the long-term power of the Dow, you should read "5 Stocks To Retire On." Your long-term wealth could be transformed, even in this uncertain economy. Simply click here now to download this free, no-obligation report.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Own Right Now

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014

Shares of NVIDIA� (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) popped more than 4% last Friday after the graphics chip specialist beat estimates with its latest quarterly earnings. However, with the stock sitting within sight of its its 52-week-high set last August, many investors are wondering whether it's too late to buy the stock. Let's dig in to find out.

The numbers
For the quarter, NVIDIA turned in sales of $954.7 million, beating analysts' expectations of $940.5 million. Though non-GAAP earnings per share fell 53.6% from the fourth quarter, they rose 13% from the same year-ago period to $0.18 per share, exceeding estimates which called for earnings of $0.16 per share on the same basis.

NVIDIA also took home more of every dollar last quarter thanks largely to increased adoption of its Kepler line of GPUs, which helped the company achieve record GAAP and non-GAAP gross margins of 54.3% and 54.6%, respectively.�

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: MB Financial Inc.(MBFI)

MB Financial, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for MB Financial Bank, N.A. that provides various financial services to small and middle market businesses, and individuals in the United States. It offers commercial banking products and services, including credit products, comprising working capital loans and lines of credit, accounts receivable financing, inventory and equipment financing, industrial revenue bond financing, business acquisition loans, and owner occupied real estate loans, as well as financial, performance, and commercial letters of credit. The company?s commercial banking products and services also consists deposit treasury management products, such as Internet banking products, investment sweep accounts, zero balance accounts, automated tax payments, ATM access, telephone banking, lockbox, automated clearing house transactions, account reconciliation, controlled disbursement, detail and general information reporting, wire transfers, vault services for currency and coin, international banking services, capital markets products, and checking accounts, as well as provides various credit, deposit, and treasury management services for real estate operators and investors. In addition, it offers retail banking products and services; and wealth management solutions, which include banking, investment management, custody, personal trust, financial planning, wealth advisory services, estate settlement, guardianship, tax deferred exchange services, and retirement plan services. The company provides its services through operating 87 banking offices in Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area; and 1 banking office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MB Financial, Inc. was founded in 1911 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: Oracle Financial Services Software Ltd (OFSS)

Oracle Financial Services Software Limited is principally engaged in the business of providing information technology (IT) solutions and knowledge processing services to the financial services industry worldwide. The Company has a suite of banking products, which caters to the needs of corporate, retail, investment banking, treasury operations and data warehousing. The Company operates in three segments: Product licenses and related activities, IT solutions and consulting services, and Business Processing Services (BPO). Product licenses and related activities segment deals with various banking software products. IT solutions and consulting services segment offers services spanning the entire lifecycle of applications used by financial service institutions. The division�� portfolio includes Consulting, Application, Support and Technology Services. BPO Services consists of business process outsourcing services to the Lending, Collections, Customer Service and Capital Markets industry.

Best Financial Companies To Buy Right Now: Treehouse Foods Inc.(THS)

TreeHouse Foods, Inc. operates as a food manufacturer in the United States and Canada. The company?s products include non-dairy powdered creamers; private label canned soups; salad dressings and sauces; powdered drink mixes; and hot cereals, such as oatmeal, farina, and grits in single-serve instant packets and microwaveable bowls. It also offers macaroni and cheese; skillet dinners; Mexican and other sauces comprising salsa, picante, cheese dip, enchilada sauce, pasta sauce, and taco sauce; jams and pie fillings; pickles and related products, including peppers and pickled vegetables; aseptic products, such as cheese sauces and puddings; and refrigerated salad dressings and liquid non-dairy creamer products. The company offers pickles under the Farman?s, Nalley?s, Peter Piper, and Steinfeld brand names; sauces and syrups under the Bennett?s, Hoffman House, Roddenbery?s Northwoods, and San Antonio Farms brand names; non-dairy powdered creamer under the Cremora brand na me; refrigerated products under the Mocha Mix and Second Nature brand names; jams and other sauces under the E.D. Smith and Habitant brand name; oatmeal under the McCann?s brand name; and food away from home products under the Schwartz and Saucemaker brands. It primarily serves grocery retailers, mass merchandisers, and foodservice operators through various distribution channels, including retail grocery; foodservice distributors; and industrial and export channels comprising food manufacturers and repackagers of foodservice products. TreeHouse Foods, Inc. was founded in 1862 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: Google Inc.(GOOG)

Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kevin M. O'Brien]

  Google (GOOG) will surpass $725.00/share. Google has a lot of trouble over the last few years maintaining its all-time highs. I do not think this will be the case in 2012. The stock is really starting to show strength of late and I do believe this carries over into next year.

• [By Sy_Harding]  

  With a PEG ratio of 0.6 Google is trading at a big discount compared to its peers. With a recovering economy and growing technology sector I see GOOG poised to hit $700.

• [By Chuck]  

  The brokerage expect outperformance for Google, given continued strength in the paid search market driven by a modestly improving economy and online share gains and traction with non-search businesses, primarily display and mobile. The brokerage is modeling 18 percent and 19 percent revenue and EPS growth, respectively, in 2011.

• [By McWillams]

  This stock has been going up higher and higher for at least the last 10 years.  They don’t seem to be letting up.  On the fundamental side, their market share is growing as well as the market itself.  They are starting to get into the social networking space as well with the recent release of Google+.  The thing you want to watch for is their operational costs.  It’s been rising very quickly due mostly to hiring costs.  I don’t foresee that stabilizing at any point.  Just make sure the earnings are growing faster than rising costs.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation(AMTD)

TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides securities brokerage services and technology-based financial services to retail investors, traders, and independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) in the United States. The company?s offerings include TD Ameritrade for self-directed retail investors; TD Ameritrade Institutional, which provides brokerage and custody services to independent RIAs and their clients; thinkorswim that offers a suite of trading platforms serving self-directed and institutional traders, and money managers; and Investools, which provides investor education products and services for stock, option, foreign exchange, futures, mutual fund, and fixed-income investors. Its offerings also include Amerivest, an online advisory service that develops portfolios of exchange-traded funds to enable long-term investors pursue their financial goals; and TD Ameritrade Corporate Services, which provides self-directed brokerage services to employees and executives of corporations. In addition, the company offers various products and services, such as common and preferred stocks; exchange-traded funds; a range of option trades, including complex, multi-leg option strategies; futures trades in various commodities, stock indices, and currencies; and foreign exchange products. Further, it provides mutual funds; treasury, corporate, government agency, and municipal bonds; mortgage-backed securities and certificates of deposit; new issue securities; margin lending; and cash management services. Additionally, the company offers trustee, custodial, and other trust-related services to retirement plans; and cash sweep and deposit account products through third-party relationships. It provides its products and services through the Internet, network of retail branches, mobile trading applications, and interactive voice response and registered representatives via telephone. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquart ered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: Addus HomeCare Corporation(ADUS)

Addus HomeCare Corporation provides a range of social and medical services to individuals in the home. The company serves individuals with special needs who are at risk of hospitalization or institutionalization, such as the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled. It offers various health services that include personal care and assistance with activities of daily living, skilled nursing and rehabilitative therapies, and adult day care. The company?s Home and Community Services division offers assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, personal hygiene and medication reminders, and other activities of daily living on a long-term, continuous basis, with an average duration of 20 months per consumer. Its Home Health Services division comprises physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as skilled nursing services, which are offered on a short-term, intermittent, or episodic basis to individuals recovering from an acute medical condition, with an average length of care of 80 days. The company?s payor clients include federal, state, and local government programs, such as Medicaid funded programs and Medicaid waiver programs; other state agencies and Medicare; and the Veterans Health Administration, commercial insurers, and private duty consumers. The company was formerly known as Addus Holding Corporation and changed its name to Addus HomeCare Corporation in September, 2006. Addus HomeCare Corporation was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Palatine, Illinois.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: Zoommed Inc. (ZMD.V)

ZoomMed Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the development and marketing of various computer applications for healthcare professionals in Canada. The company develops the ZRx Prescriber, a Web application that runs on smart phones, wireless devices or computers allowing physicians to write a bar-coded prescription enabling pharmacists to access and retrieve script information online. It builds and operates e-Pic Communication Network, a clinical information exchange platform between physicians and various other stakeholders of the healthcare sector, such as pharmacists, specialists, pharmaceutical corporations, laboratories, specialized clinics, employers, and others. The company also offers PraxisLab pharmacy management software, which enhances various aspects of the prescription filling process and pharmacists patient file management. It serves physicians, pharmacists, patients, pharmaceutical companies, and private labs. ZoomMed Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is hea dquartered in Brossard, Canada.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: ABAXIS Inc.(ABAX)

Abaxis, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and sells portable blood analysis systems for use in veterinary or human patient-care setting to provide blood constituent measurements for clinicians worldwide. The company offers point-of-care blood chemistry analyzer, which consists of a compact portable analyzer and a series of single-use plastic discs, called reagent discs, containing all the chemicals required to perform a panel of up to 14 tests on human patients and 13 tests on veterinary patients. It markets the blood analysis system under the Piccolo Xpress and Piccolo Classic names in the medical market; and under the VetScan VS2 and VetScan Classic names in the veterinary market. The company also provides VetScan HM5, VetScan HM2, VetScan HMII, and VetScan HMT hematology instruments for veterinary applications. In addition, its products include VetScan VSpro, which assists in the diagnosis and evaluation of suspected bleeding disorders, toxicity/poisoning, evaluatio n of disseminated intravascular coagulation, hepatic disease, monitoring therapy, and the progression of disease states. Further, the company offers VetScan VSpro fibrinogen test to provide in-vitro determination of fibrinogen levels in equine platelet poor plasma from a citrated stabilized whole blood sample; and i-STAT 1 that delivers blood gas, electrolyte, basic blood chemistry, and hematology results. Additionally, its products comprise Canine Heartworm Rapid Test to detect dirofilaria immitis in canine whole blood, serum, or plasma; Canine Parvovirus Rapid Test Kit to detect canine parvovirus antigen in feces; and VetScan Giardia Rapid Test to detect giardiasis, a gastrointestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia. Abaxis sells its products through direct sales force and independent distributors. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Union City, California.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: New York Community Bancorp Inc.(NYB)

New York Community Bancorp, Inc. operates as a multi-bank holding company for New York Community Bank and New York Commercial Bank, which offer banking products and services in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. It primarily engages in generating deposits and originating loans. The company?s deposit products include checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, NOW and money market accounts, and non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts. Its lending portfolio comprises one- to four-family loans; multi-family loans; commercial real estate loans; acquisition, development, and construction loans; home equity lines of credit; commercial and industrial loans; and consumer loans. New York Community Bancorp also provides installment loans, revolving lines of credit, cash management, online banking, automated teller machine, and phone banking services. The company serves small and mid-size businesses, professional associ ations, government agencies, consumers, and school districts. As of June 30, 2011, it operated 242 community bank branches, 34 commercial bank branches, and 286 ATM locations. The company was formerly known as Queens County Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to New York Community Bancorp, Inc. in November 2000. New York Community Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1859 and is based in Westbury, New York.

Top 10 Companies To Own For 2014: Orange SA (ORAN)

Orange SA, formerly France Telecom S.A., incorporated on December 31, 1996, is an European mobile operator, an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) Internet access provider in Europe, and telecommunications services provider for multinational businesses under the Orange Business Services brand. As of December 31, 2010, France Telecom provided services to 209 million customers, of which 150 million were mobile phone customers and 13.7 million were broadband Internet customers, and as of June 30, 2011, provided services to 217.3 million customers. It offers its individual customers, businesses and other telecommunications operators a line of services covering fixed and mobile communications, data transmission, the Internet and multimedia, and other services. The Company�� segments include France, Poland, Spain, Rest of the World, Business Communication Services, International Carriers and Shared Services.

France

The range of services in the Home segment in France is made up of fixed-line telephony services; other consumer services; online, Internet access, and multimedia services; advertising-management and Internet portal business; content-related business, and carrier services. France Telecom�� traditional fixed-line telephony services provide access to the network, local and long-distance telephone communication services throughout France, and international calls. In addition, France Telecom offers its fixed-line telephony subscribers a broad range of value-added services. The France Telecom Group has a number of portals, including Orange.fr, which is either Web- or mobile-accessible. In December 2010, its audience reached 22.5 million, and Voila.fr and Cityvox (entertainment and leisure listing site in France) in its different formats, such as Cityvox.fr, Cinefil.com, Spectacles.fr, Concert.fr and WebCity.fr. The primary revenue source is online advertising sold by the Orange Advertising Network. This advertising management department sells advertising space for ab! out 20 third-party sites, both Web and mobile.

Orange�� offers are built around three product lines: postpaid, prepaid and convergent offers. Orange offers two categories of prepaid offer, to which calls are charged by the second from the first second: The Mobicarte, includes a range of recharges from 5 to 100 euros and Orange Initial, which enables the customer to be billed monthly depending on his or her actual consumption. Orange also has a number of offers that pair mobile use and mobile Internet access with all-in-one offers, including both the hardware and an Internet access plan. The USB 3G+ plans enable connection to the Internet via the mobile broadband network or the Orange public wireless fidelity (WiFi) network from a laptop computer, multimedia mobile phone or a tablet personal computer.

The Company competes with SFR-Neuf Cegetel, Free, Bouygues Telecom, Numericable, Google and Voila.

Poland

Orange (the brand under which the TP Group subsidiary, PTK Centertel trades) had a total of 14.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2010. In April 2010, PTK Centertel introduced segmented postpaid offers for residential customers. Depending on the usage profile, customers can choose from three types of tariff plans: Dolphin tariffs for frequent users of voice services, Pelican for customers focused on text and community Web-services, and Panther for users of mobile data services (Internet, email). The mobile broadband Internet customer base (Edge and 3G data services) reached 547,000 customers during 2010. In 2010, Orange introduced a SIM-only mobile Internet offer and a portfolio of terminals dedicated to the Orange Free offer.

The Company competes with Netia, Multimedia Polska, Aster and Hyperion.

Spain

Orange Espana, operating under Orange, Ya.com and OBS (Enterprise) brands offers fixed and mobile telecommunication services to more than 13 million customers in the residential, professional, business and who! lesale se! gments. Orange Espana�� physical distribution network consists in 2,922 points of presence, including Orange own shops, franchises, specialized shops under the Orange brand, non exclusive specialized shops, and a network of retailers. Orange Espana also distributes its services through distance selling channels, and its own online portal. Orange Espana fixed access infrastructure, based on its own optic fiber network and ADSL roll-out, enables delivery of advanced telecommunication services, including broadband Internet access, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), internet protocol television (IPTV), television (TV) streaming, video on demand (VOD) and advanced business services.

The Company competes with Telefonica, ONO, Vodafone and Jazztel.

Rest of the world

The France Telecom Group is present in Luxembourg via Orange S.A. (formerly VOXmobile), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mobistar. The Luxembourg subsidiary, VOXmobile, was renamed Orange S.A. in October 2009. During the year ended December 31, 2010, Orange S.A. had 88,900 active mobile telephony customers.

The Company competes with Proximus, Mobistar, Base, ex-Mobifon, Telefonica O2, Deutsche Telekom, Swisscom, Sunrise, Moldtelecom, Starnet, ECMS, Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat U.A.E.

Enterprise Communications Services

The Orange Business Services brand covers both the Enterprise Communication Services (ECS) unit, which supplies communications services to multinational companies and corporate accounts and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in France and Orange subsidiaries Business-to-Business (B2B) activities.

Orange Business Services covers the Company�� business customers in more than 160 countries and regions where it provides local technical and commercial assistance. This business segment includes a number of subsidiaries, including Etrali (trading solutions), Almerys (health), Orange Consulting (project management, telecom consulting), Multimedia Business Se! rvices (m! ultimedia contact centers), Neocles (virtualization solutions), IT&Labs (design and development of embedded Machine-to-Machine applications, vehicle fleet management), Obiane and Telecom System (secure network integration), Alsy (integration services), EGT (equipment and services for video conferences), and GlobeCast (multimedia broadcast systems).

The Company competes with IBM, HP, Microsoft and Cisco.

The Company competes with COLT Telecom, Numericable-Completel, BT Global Services, AT&T Business Services, Verizon Business, T-Systems, Reliance Globalcom, Tata Communications, Belgacom Group, NextiraOne, Spie Communication, NTT Group, IBM Global Services, HP Enterprise Services, Atos Origin, Salesforce and Amazon.

International Carriers and Shared Services

Orange�� International Carriers activity is based on long-distance network infrastructure and offers a range of solutions on the international market. The Company is involved in the design, construction and operation of submarine cables. The Company�� wholesale activity includes a worldwide network with over 120 presence points and 130,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable; a worldwide network of Internet protocol (IP) routes with end users in over 220 countries and connections to over 250 Internet service providers and a hit rate of over 85% for all European net surfers. France Telecom�� network has over 330 direct routes and interconnections with over 359 operators, and coverage in over 900 destinations with around-the-clock technical support. Its range of solutions includes interconnection, interoperability and signaling solutions for messaging, voice and video telephony services and the Orange Roaming Hub (Global eXchange) solution for moving from a bilateral model to a multilateral roaming system.

France Telecom has developed activities related to its core business line, such as content broadcasting, audience and advertising, and also healthcare activities. Orange offers free a! nd paying! content on its own channels, paid program packages, Video On Demand, music and game offers. Orange distributes content provided by third parties (television, games, music) on fixed-line and mobile networks both inside and outside France. Orange also produces its own channels: Orange Sport and Orange Cinema�� five different channels. Studio 37, is a subsidiary for investing in cinematographic rights, through both co-production and the acquisition of catalogue rights. During the year ended December 32, 2010, Studio 37 supported the launch of 15 films, including the Gainsbourg and Fatal. The Viaccess group, a France Telecom subsidiary, offers access solutions to television content. Orange is present in the games market through the games it sells on the orange.fr portal (Casual Games dedicated to family type games, such as breakout clones or riddles). Orange Healthcare, is the Company�� healthcare division, focused on developing service packages for the whole sector within a partnership approach.

The Company competes with Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Telia Sonera and AT&T.

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