Monday, November 10, 2014

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015

A rebounding economy has been good news for Warren Buffett�� Berkshire Hathaway (BRK. A).

The company�� second-quarter results, released late Friday, rose more than expected as its investment portfolio gained in value and dozens of operating businesses owned by the holding company reported growth.

Net income climbed to $6.4 billion, or $3,889 per Class A share, from $4.54 billion, or $2,763 per Class A share a year earlier. Operating earnings, which exclude some investment results, were $2,634 per Class A share.

Revenue rose to $49.76 billion from $44.69 billion.

Analysts expected operating earnings of $2,485.21 per Class A share, and operating earnings of $1.66 per Class B share on revenue of $48.86 million.

Berkshire, which owns large insurance operations, a railroad, power plants, and apparel makers, has been run by Buffett for the last several decades.�In June, it was once again named to Barron’s annual list of the ��orld�� Most Respected Companies,��where it sits at�No. 2.

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015: S&P Smallcap 600(PH)

Parker Hannifin Corporation manufactures fluid power systems, electromechanical controls, and related components worldwide. Its Industrial segment offers pneumatic and electromechanical components, and systems; filters, systems, and instruments to monitor and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors that control, transmit, and contain fluid; hydraulic components and systems for builders and users of industrial and mobile machinery and equipment; critical flow components for process instrumentation, healthcare, and ultra-high-purity applications; and static and dynamic sealing devices. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their replacement markets in the manufacturing, transportation, and processing industries. The company?s Aerospace segment provides flight control systems and components, including hydraulic, electrohydraulic, electric backup hydraulic, electrohydrostatic, and electro -mechanical components for precise control of aircraft rudders, elevators, ailerons, and other aerodynamic control surfaces. It also provides electronics thermal management heat rejection systems, and single-phase and two-phase heat collection systems for radar, ISAR, and power electronics. This segment markets its products primarily to OEMs in the commercial, military, and general aviation markets, as well as to end users. Its Climate and Industrial Controls segment offers systems and components primarily for use in the mobile and stationary refrigeration, and air conditioning industry; and in fluid control applications in various industries, such as processing, fuel dispensing, beverage dispensing, and mobile emissions. This segment serves OEMs and their replacement markets. Parker-Hannifin Corporation markets its products through direct-sales employees, independent distributors, wholesalers, and sales representatives. The company was founded in 1918 and is headquartered i n Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tom Rojas var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(func]

    Parker Hannifin Corp.(PH) said its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 11% on higher results in its diversified industrial segment as the company continued its restructure efforts.

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015: Zhone Technologies Inc.(ZHNE)

Zhone Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, and manufactures communications network equipment for telecommunications, wireless, and cable operators worldwide. It offers single line multi-service (SLMS) architecture, which provides support for voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and IP entertainment by integrating access, transport, customer premises equipment, and management functions in a standards-based system. Its SLMS products include broadband aggregation and service products that are deployed in central offices, remote offices, points of presence, curbsides, data and co-location centers, and enterprises to aggregate, concentrate, and optimize communications traffic from copper and fiber networks; customer premise equipment, which offers solution for combining analog voice and data services to the subscriber?s premises over a single platform; and Zhone Management System that provides optional software tools to manage aggregation and c ustomer premises network hardware. These products deliver voice, data, and video interface connectivity for broadcast and subscription television, Internet routers, and telephony equipment. The company also offers products that are deployed by service providers to support various voice and data services; and provides technical support, product repair, and education and support services. It sells its products to network service providers that offer voice, data, and video services to businesses, governments, utilities, and residential consumers; and telecommunications carriers through channel partners, which include distributors, resellers, system integrators, and service providers. Zhone Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Oakland, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Roberto Pedone]

    Zhone Technologies (ZHNE), designs, develops, manufactures, and sells communications network equipment for telecommunications, wireless, and cable operators worldwide. This stock closed up 2.3% to $3.55 in Tuesday's trading session.

    Tuesday's Range: $3.46-$3.58
    52-Week Range: $2.08-$6.62
    Tuesday's Volume: 198,000
    Three-Month Average Volume: 357,117

    From a technical perspective, ZHNE trended notably higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $3.24 with lighter-than-average volume. This stock has been uptrending a bit over the last few weeks, with shares moving higher from its low of $3.03 to its intraday high of $3.58. During that move, shares of ZHNE have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move is now starting to push shares of ZHNE within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ZHNE manages to take out Tuesday's intraday high of $3.58 and then once it clears more resistance at $3.83 to its 200-day moving average of $3.92 with high volume.

    Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ZHNE as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $3.24 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 357,117 shares. If that breakout kicks off soon, then ZHNE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4.24 to $4.45, or even $4.80 to $5.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    Zhone Technologies (NASDAQ: ZHNE) dropped 20.94% to $4.91 on Q4 results.

    Hill-Rom Holdings (NYSE: HRC) dropped 14.43% to $37.74 after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q1 results and lowered its outlook. The company also announced its restructuring program.

Top Electric Utility Stocks To Invest In 2015: Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.(MDRX)

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. provides clinical, financial, connectivity, and information solutions and related professional services to hospitals, physicians, and post-acute organizations primarily in the United States and Canada. The company?s integrated clinical software applications include acute care electronic health records, clinical and practice management solutions, revenue cycle management software, clearinghouse services, stand-alone electronic prescribing, and document imaging solutions, as well as various solutions for home care, hospice, skilled nursing, and other post-acute organizations. It also provides electronic medical records software; practice management software; electronic claims administration services; related installation and training services; hosting services for its software and outsourced solutions; and information technology outsourcing services. In addition, the company also resells related hardware products. Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Which might help explain why Quality Systems has dropped 0.1% to $17.98 today, even as Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (MDRX) has gained 1.7% to $16.15 and Cerner (CERN) has risen 3.4% to $55.42.

  • [By Keith Speights]

    Cerner's recent stock performance trounces that of other publicly traded companies, including Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX  ) , Greenway Medical (NYSE: GWAY  ) , and Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII  ) . Only athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN  ) gives Cerner a run for its money over the past year.

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015: Lehigh Gas Partners LP (LGP)

Lehigh Gas Partners LP, incorporated on December 2, 2011, is engaged in the wholesale distribution of motor fuels, consisting of gasoline and diesel fuel, and to own and lease real estate used in the retail distribution of motor fuels. It generates revenues from the wholesale distribution of motor fuels to gas stations, truck stops and toll road plazas, which it refers to as sites, and from real estate leases. It generates cash flows from the wholesale distribution of motor fuels by charging a per gallon margin. Its supply agreements with lessee dealers have three-year terms, and its supply agreements with independent dealers generally have 10-year terms. In May 2011, the Company acquired from Motiva Enterprises, LLC (Motiva) a total of 26 Shell Oil Company branded gas stations and convenience stores (Shell Locations) located in New Jersey and also acquired 56 wholesale fuel supply agreements. In September 2013, the Company announced that it has completed asset acquisition in the Knoxville, Tennessee region from Rocky Top Markets, LLC and Rocky Top Properties, LLC.

The Company generates cash flows from rental income by collecting rent from lessee dealers and Lehigh Gas-Ohio, LLC (LGO) pursuant to lease agreements. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it distributed approximately 561 million gallons of motor fuels to 570 sites. In addition, it has agreements requiring the operators of these sites to purchase motor fuels from it. As of December 31, 2011, it distributed motor fuels to the classes of businesses, including 185 independent dealers; 181 sites owned or leased by it and that will be operated by LGO following the closing of this offering; 134 sites owned or leased by it and operated by lessee dealers; and 70 sites distributed through six sub-wholesalers. In May 2012, the Company entered into a master lease agreement to lease 120 sites from an affiliate of Getty Realty Corp. Of the 120 sites, 74 are located in Massachusetts, 22 are located in New Hampshire, 15 are located in Pen! nsylvania and nine are located in Maine. The Company is focused on owning and leasing sites located in metropolitan and urban areas. It owns and leases sites located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Kentucky, New Hampshire and Maine.

Wholesale Motor Fuel Distribution

The Company purchases branded and unbranded motor fuel from integrated oil companies, refiners and unbranded fuel suppliers. It distributes motor fuel to lessee dealers, independent dealers, LGO and sub-wholesalers. The Company is a distributor of brands of motor fuel, as well as unbranded motor fuel. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it distributed approximately 561 million gallons of motor fuel. It distributes motor fuel to lessee dealers and independent dealers under supply agreements. It provides credit terms to its lessee dealers and independent dealers, which are generally one to three days.

The Company distributes motor fuel to sub-wholesalers under supply agreements. Under its supply agreements, it agrees to supply a particular branded motor fuel or unbranded motor fuel to the sub-wholesaler. Motor fuels are sold to the sub-wholesalers at rack plus. It provides credit terms to its sub-wholesalers, which are one to three days. Branded motor fuels are purchased from integrated oil companies and refiners under supply agreements. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its wholesale business purchased approximately 46%, 23%, 22% and 5% of its motor fuel from ExxonMobil, BP Products North America, Inc. (BP), Shell Oil Company (Shell) and Valero respectively.

Real Estate

The Company owns or lease 315 sites located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts and Kentucky. 186 of the sites it owns fee simple and 107 sites it leases from third-party landlords. Over 90% of its sites are located in metropolitan and urban areas. It derives its rental income from sites it owns or leases. It collects rent from the lessee dealers and! LGO purs! uant to lease agreements it has with the lessee dealers and LGO. All of its 186 owned sites are leased to lessee dealers or LGO. Its leases with the lessee dealers have three year terms. As of December 31, 2011, the average remaining lease term for owned sites it leases to lessee dealers was 1.8 years. As of December 31, 2011, it also leased 98 sites from third-parties and then sub-leased these sites to lessee dealers and LGO. As of December 31, 2011, the average remaining lease term for sites it leases from third-parties was 7.5 years. Its sub-leases with the lessee dealers have three-year terms. The average remaining sub-lease term for sites it sub-lease to lessee dealers is 4.2 years.

The rental income the Company earns from sites it owns or leases include rental income associated with the personal property located on these sites, such as motor fuel pumps. It sells sites, which it owns and then leases the sites back from the buyer. It refers to these transactions as sale-leasebacks. In these sale-leaseback transactions, it retains the environmental liabilities associated with the site. As of December 11, 2012, the Company leased 22 sale-leaseback sites. As of December 31, 2011, the average remaining lease term of these sale-leaseback sites was 17.5 years. It sub-leases its sale-leaseback sites to lessee dealers and LGO. Its sub-leases with the lessee dealers have three-year terms. As of December 31, 2011, the average remaining sub-lease term for sites it sub-lease to lessee dealers was 2.1 years. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 186 sites.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Robert Rapier]

    Non-traditional MLPs like Susser and Lehigh Gas Partners (NYSE: LGP) have risks and opportunities that are different from the midstream mainstream. Such MLPs can provide some diversification from the midstream MLPs that make up the bulk of the space, with less commodity and execution risk than most upstream partnerships. On the other hand, they are unlikely to have the same potential upside and growth opportunities as most midstream names. I might consider Susser as part a broader portfolio of MLPs, but it wouldn’t be a core holding in my own portfolio.

  • [By Ali Berri]

    Lehigh Gas Partners LP (NYSE: LGP) shares shot up 24.13 percent to $32.25 after CST Brands (NYSE: CST) announced its plans to acquire Lehigh Gas GP LLC, the general partner of Lehigh Gas Partners LP. Lehigh Gas Partners also reported its financial results for the second quarter.

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015: Dow Treasuries(DV)

DeVry Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides educational services worldwide. The company operates various institutions, including Advanced Academics, American University of the Caribbean, Becker Professional Education, Carrington College and Carrington College California, Chamberlain College of Nursing, DeVry Brasil, DeVry University, and Ross University. These institutions offer an array of programs in business, healthcare, and technology, as well as serve students in middle school through postsecondary education, and accounting and finance professionals. It offers career-oriented associate, bachelor?s, and master?s degree programs in technology, science, business, arts, and nursing; medical and veterinary medical education; and undergraduate and graduate programs focused in business management, nursing, law, and engineering, as well as online learning solutions for middle and high school education. The company also prepares students for careers in healthcare th rough certificate, associate, and bachelor?s degree programs; and candidates for the certified public accountant examination, chartered financial analyst professional certification examinations, and the project management professional certification examination, as well as provides continuing professional education programs and seminars in accounting and finance. DeVry Inc. was founded in 1931 and is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Shres of Corinthian have dropped 4.2% to $1.96 but don’t seem to be hitting other for profit universities. ITT Educational Services (ESI) has gained 2.2% to $31, Apollo Group (APOL) has risen 0.7% to $20.44 and Devry (DV) is up 0.9% at $31.95.

  • [By Bill Smith]

    Competition
    ESI competes with many other for-profit ventures, including:
    Other for-profit educators, such as: Strayer (STRA), Apollo (APOL), DeVry (DV), Capella (CPLA), Corinthian Colleges (COCO), and Career Education Corporation (CECO)Traditional colleges/universitiesCommunity colleges
    Sales, EBITDA and Earnings
    ESI has steadily increased revenue and earnings. In the last decade they've grown revenue at 20.8%; EBITDA at 34.4%; FCF at 22.5%, and Book Value at 8.5%.

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    So what: ITT Educational Services (NYSE: ESI  ) reported earnings earlier this morning, shooting up 30%, and earlier this week,�Capella Education (NASDAQ: CPLA  ) jumped 15% after reporting, and is now approaching a new 52-week high. The education sector has gotten hammered over the last couple of years, but investors seem to be getting the feeling that enrollment numbers are bottoming. One exception was DeVry (NYSE: DV  ) , which fell sharply after reporting earnings earlier this week, but still managed to gain 5.8% today.

  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    The filing, however, hasn’t had much of an impact. Shares of ITT Educational Services have dropped just 3.4% this week but have gained 95% so far in 2013. Corinthian Colleges (COCO), on the other hand, has dropped 27% this year, while DeVry Education (DV) has gained 50% and Apollo Education (APOL) has advanced 30%.

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015: Bally Technologies Inc (BYI)

Bally Technologies, Inc. (Bally), incorporated on September 30, 1968, is a global gaming company, which designs, manufactures, operates, and distributes advanced technology-based gaming devices, systems, server-based solutions, custom mobile applications, and interactive applications. The Company also provides hardware, including spinning-reel and video gaming devices, specialty gaming devices, and wide-area progressive systems. The Company supports customers include land-based, riverboat, and Native American casinos, video lottery and central determination markets. The Company derives its revenue from sale of gaming devices and related equipment, parts and conversion kits; operation of linked progressive systems, video lottery and centrally determined systems, and the rental of gaming devices and content, and sale and support of specialized systems-based software, hardware and interactive products and related recurring maintenance revenue. In July 2011, the Company acquired MacroView Labs, a company in mobile-application development and mobile platforms for the casino gaming industry.

Game Cabinet Hardware

The Company's Pro Series is available in upright, slant, spinning-reel, curve, V32 and V22/32 formats. They come with features, such as the touch-screen, iDeck. The Company can configure the top-box in Pro Series cabinets in a range of ways, including with upright wheel, as a hammerhead with an oversized 32-inch cinematic display, using the commanding digital ladder 32-inch high definition (HD) video display, and the soon to be released 42-inch vertical display. The Pro Curve Upright, which emulates a spinning-reel cabinet, but is actually a video slot machine with a curved LCD display, features a video-reel technology.

Game Platform

The Company support two gaming platforms; the ALPHA and the ALPHA 2. ALPHA and ALPHA 2 were designed to support industry protocols, as well as various kinds of game bonuses and multi-denomination, multi-game and mu! lti-pay table game configurations. It can operate with stand-alone, local, and progressive products. The ALPHA 2 platform incorporated all the attributes of ALPHA, which featured a layered architecture and modular design, as well as INTEL Core 2 processor; four gigabytes of dual-channel memory; Realtek HD audio, and video technology. ALPHA 2 supports both game content, as well as network and server-based applications. It is operable with the Bally Command Center, which will allow downloadable access to the Company's game content through a central server.

Game Development and Game Content

The Company's game content features original themes, licensed themes using brands, and adaptations of Bally brands, such as Cash Spin, Hot Shot, Quick Hit, and Blazing 7s. The Company has deployed its game content across wide-area progressive, local-area, and near-area progressive slots, spinning-reel and video gaming devices, specialty gaming devices, and multi-suite games. The Company's game-development teams cover the globe, with centers in Arizona, California, Nevada, Australia, and India. In addition, the Company has partnered with brands, such as Michael Jackson, GREASE, Betty Boop, and the Playboy franchise. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company introduced new levels of iDeck interaction on games, such as All That Jazz, Total Blast, and Fish'n for Loot. These games enable players to use the iDeck as an arcade-like device. Players touch and play a virtual piano on All That Jazz. Fish'n for Loot and Total Blast introduced the Company's new U-Shoot virtual shooting gallery bonus-game play mechanic, in which the player touches the iDeck to create weapons for shooting at targets on the main game screens.

Game Parts and Conversion Kits

The Company's gaming device customers purchase replacement parts, upgrades, game conversion kits, and other products from the Company. The Company's Pro Series cabinets, with their all-digital display! s and iDe! ck digital, configurable touch-screen button deck, make game conversions not to change the button configuration or replace game glass.

Maintenance, Trade, and Resale Market

The Company offers a 90-day parts, labor, and performance warranty/guarantee for new gaming devices. The Company provides after-sale services to its customers, including customer education programs, an around-the-clock customer service telephone hotline, a Website for technical support, field service-support programs, and spare parts programs. The Company sells used gaming devices, including products made by the Company, as well as those produced by its competitors. The Company acquires used devices as trade-ins toward the purchase of new gaming devices.

Gaming Operations

Through the Company's Gaming Operations, the Company offers gaming operators a range of rental options for its gaming devices and content. The Company offers its customers gaming devices featuring a common jackpot or prize awards that can be linked (within a casino, in a local-area network, or among multiple casinos within a market or jurisdiction) in a wide-area network. The Company offers progressive gaming devices to customers under a daily-fee arrangement based on a percentage of the money wagered on the participating gaming devices. In many cases, the Company uses a portion of these revenues to fund the ultimate payment of the jackpot awards. The Company markets its linked progressive systems under titles such as Betty Boop's Love Meter, Golden Pharaoh, Money Vault, Instant Fortune, Ultimate Tower of Power, Quarter Million$, Millionaire Sevens and 1,000,000 Degrees. As of June 30, 2012, the Company had a total of 1,792 linked progressive systems.

The Company offers a range of non-linked games and content on a rental basis for either a fixed daily fees or a fee based on the percentage of the net win generated by the gaming device. Many of these games are available as both wide-area progressive! s (WAP) a! nd flat-fee near-area progressives (NAP). This category includes both gaming devices, in which the Company retains ownership and charges a daily fees for the use of the gaming device, and gaming devices its customers purchase which are classified as game sales revenue. Gaming devices, in which the Company retains ownership and charges a daily fees, include rental and maintenance of the gaming device and licensing of the game content. For gaming devices the Company's customers purchase, the Company provides the game content under a usage-fee arrangement, which results in a lower daily-fee than leasing the entire gaming device. The Company markets its rental and daily-fee games under titles, including greases, Michael Jackson King of Pop, Money Vault, Money Talks, Golden Pharaoh, Cash Spin Jackpot, Money Wheel, Vegas Hits Roadtrip, Betty Boop's Love Meter, Cash Spin, Hot Spin, Vegas Hits, Cash Wizard, Ultimate Tower of Power, Hot Shot Progressive Cash Wheel, Fireball, 77777 Jackpot, Reel Money, Hot Shot Progressive, Quick Hit Platinum, Reel Winners, Hee Haw, and Monte Carlo. As of June 30, 2012, the Company had a total installed base of rental and daily fee games of 14,890 units.

The Company offers video and spinning-reel devices, which can operates either as stand-alone devices or as units, which interact with (or can be monitored by) a central system maintained by government agencies. The financial model for this market requires the Company to build, deploy, and maintain the devices, along with providing the related equipment in return for a share of the net win generated by the device for a contractually fixed period of time. As of June 30, 2012, the Company earned recurring revenue from its installed base of 9,281 video lottery devices operated by New York State Lottery (NYSL). The Company also earns recurring revenues from 2,437 video lottery devices deployed at horseracing and other gaming facilities under agreements with the Delaware State Lottery Commission and Maryland State Lottery ! Commissio! n.

The Company offers video and spinning-reel devices, which connects to a central server, which determines the outcome of the games. These systems operate in Native American casinos in Washington, Oklahoma, and Florida, as well as Mexico. In each case, for the use of the Company's central determination software, the Company receives either a fixed daily fee or a percentage of the net wins generated by the devices connected to the system. As of June 30, 2012, the total installed base of gaming devices connected to the Company's centrally determined systems totaled 47,633. In Mexico, the Company sells gaming devices for an upfront fees, and classify the purchases as game sales revenues. The Company also derives a daily fee equal to a percentage of the net win for providing a system network, gaming content, and monitoring, maintenance and consulting. As of June 30, 2012, 9,449 of the total installed base of gaming devices connected to the Company's centrally determined systems were deployed in Mexico. Included in the total installed base of centrally determined games in Mexico are 6,981 iVIEW in-game player-communication units installed in non-Bally games, in which the Company charges a system connection fee.

System Solutions

The Company offers core, slot, casino and table management systems (collectively, casino management systems). The Company's comprehensive suite of technology solutions provides gaming operations of every size with a range of marketing, data management and analysis, accounting, player tracking, security, and other software applications and tools to more manage their operations. The Company also provides technologies to deploy a networked, server-based gaming environment, complete with a command center solution for centralized management and control. Version 11 provides gaming operators with easy-to-use graphical interfaces; vertical and horizontal scalability; distributed architectures, and support for multiple languages and currencies. As of Ju! ne 30, 20! 12, there were more than 300 casinos that have installed Version 11.

The Company partners with its customers to help them add network and server-based solutions to their existing systems, whether on a floor-wide basis, in smaller sections of the floor, or on selected banks of games. The Company's Systems business comprises three facets: hardware, including the Company's iVIEW and Display Manager (DM) player-user-interface devices and specialized system-based products; software and services, including licenses of the Company's core systems and suite of player tracking, bonusing, and marketing applications and customized system solutions, and maintenance, providing access to future enhancements or upgrades to the system software for a fee based on a percent of the license fee.

The system-based hardware and software products in the Company's casino management systems offer gaming operators benefits, including player-loyalty solutions, which are comparable to frequent guest programs found in other leisure and retail industries; database marketing and table-game accounting solutions, including the calculation of all revenue and expense-related items, and cage and credit accountability for all extensions of cage and credit cash balancing functions. The Company designed and deployed these systems in both domestic and international markets so that they would be and adaptable to foreign languages and currencies.

The Company's solutions, which support Gaming Standard Association (GSA) protocols, operate on common platforms, such as Windows, AS/400 (iSeries), Linux, and UNIX. By supporting these platforms, the Company allows its customers to choose a technology solution. The Company designs its slot-management systems with features for handling slots monitoring, accounting, and operations, as well as bonusing, sweepstakes, promotions, cashless transfer, ticketing, jackpots, promotional coupons, redemptions, and soft count. The Bally Business Intelligence applications, which! span acr! oss all the Company's casino management systems, bring data analytics to a gaming operator's key executive and marketing-management teams.

The Company's server-based iVIEW network serves as a way to communicate with players directly at the point-of-play. This network allows gaming operators to present messages in a split or full screen format on the main game display of any touch-screen- equipped gaming device. The Company's iVIEW network also works with the Company's Bally Command Center for server-based download of content, its Elite Bonusing Suite of floor-wide bonusing applications, its Bally CoolSign media management solution, and other new technologies under development. iVIEW and iVIEW DM work on almost any manufacturers' gaming devices that have a touch screen and are backward and forward compatible.

The iVIEW DM solution is for marketing to players at the point of play. This picture-in-picture-style technology facilitates enhanced communication and customer-service functions, such as beverage service, floor mapping, and real-time perishable promotions without interrupting game play. iVIEW DM also used to create excitement on the casino floor with floor-wide bonusing events; game-in-games; second-chance-to-win games; floor-wide slot tournaments; interactive virtual racing events; time-based promotions; targeted, customized player messaging, and bonuses on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. iVIEW and iVIEW DM can even work in conjunction with the casino's player data to offer customized content based on gender, age, and provide player preferences. The Company can implement iVIEW DM across entire gaming floors, in smaller sections of floors, or bank-by-bank based on casino operator preference and capital budgets. Bonusing applications on the Elite Bonusing Suite server allow operators to tailor and automate promotions using server-based applications, such as Virtual Racing, DM Tournaments, U-Spin Bonusing, Power Winners, Dynamic Random Bonusing, Video Poker Bonusing,! iVIEW Me! ssaging, Flex Rewards and Lucky Match Bonusing. Bally CoolSign is the gaming industry's gaming centric media management tool, which enables gaming promotions and/or gaming information, triggered through any of the Company's products, to be displayed onto any digital display in the casino resort or the casino enterprise.

The Company's server-based command center enables gaming operators to download marketing content on iVIEW and iVIEW DM displays. They can also configure gaming device pay tables and game play options, deliver new game content and game libraries, and perform updates of game firmware, such as ticket printers and bill acceptors through a central server, rather than having to implement updates on each device.

Interactive Solutions

Bally Interactive encompasses the Company's mobile and online initiatives and related product offerings, which provide operators a range of solutions. The Company's online solutions are designed to enable casino operators the ability to offer players a online gaming experience through the Company's iGaming Platform and Remote Gaming Server on computers or mobile devices. The Company's open, cloud-based iGaming Platform, enable operators to choose poker, slot, table, and other gaming content from various providers. This content is delivered through the Company's Remote Gaming Server, allowing access to the entire library of games and one-time integration.

The Company offers or has created mobile apps and mobile Websites for dozens of casinos globally. The Company's apps are designed as casino concierge apps, providing operators the opportunity to attract new players, enhance their patrons' casino resort visit, and sell more to them through their phones or mobile tablets. Apps can include casino games, player's club sign-up and account information, hyper-targeted offers, show previews, room and restaurant bookings, feedback surveys, menus, interactive maps, and many other features. Utilizing the Company's cloud-b! ased mobi! le technology platform, casinos can manage their portfolio of mobile Websites and native apps for iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, BlackBerry, and other devices from a single content management system.

The Company competes with International Game Technology, Game Technology Ltd., Aristocrat Leisure Limited, Aruze Gaming America, Inc., GTECH Holdings Corporation, Konami Co. Ltd., Novomatic AG, Recreativos Franco, S.A., Unidesa Gaming and Systems, and WMS Industries, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Travis Hoium]

    Consolidation among gaming suppliers is continuing, and now it's with an eye on the future of online gaming. Earlier this year, Scientific Games said it would buy WMS Industries�for $1.5 billion, creating a company with lottery equipment and slot machines. Today, Bally Technologies (NYSE: BYI  ) agreed �to buy SHFL entertainment (NASDAQ: SHFL  ) for $1.3 billion, or $23.25 per share, creating a casino supplier that can offer nearly all products or services needed to run a casino.�

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015: BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P.(BBEP)

BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P. engages in the acquisition, exploitation, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States. The company?s properties include natural gas, oil, and midstream assets comprising fields in the Antrim Shale in Michigan, and the New Albany Shale in Indiana and Kentucky; and fields in the Evanston and Green River basins in southwestern Wyoming, the Wind river and Big Horn basins in central Wyoming, the Powder River basin in eastern Wyoming, the Los Angeles basin in California, and fields in Florida?s Sunniland Trend. As of December 31, 2011, its total estimated proved reserves were 151.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. BreitBurn GP, LLC serves as the general partner to the company. BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Alyssa Oursler]

    Breitburn Energy Partners (BBEP) is independent oil and gas partnership with assets across the U.S., including crude oil and natural gas reserves in Michigan�� Antrim Shale, Wyoming�� Powder River Basins and California�� San Joaquin Basins.

Hot Railroad Stocks To Watch For 2015: Stream Group Ltd (SGO)

Stream Group Limited, formerly LongReach Group Limited, is an Australia-based company operating in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The Company is engaged in the design, integration, installation and maintenance of integrated information and communications technology based products and services to the defense, public safety and security sectors, as well as for government, telecommunications and corporate customers, both locally and internationally. The Company together with its subsidiaries is also engaged in the provision of consulting services to certain key defense organizations. In January 2013, the Company sold its C4i business. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jonathan Morgan]

    Saint-Gobain (SGO) dropped 3.7 percent to 36.87 euros. Morgan Stanley cut its rating on the stock to underweight, similar to a sell recommendation, from equal weight, saying it doesn�� see a recovery yet in the European building industry and the contribution from emerging markets will slow.

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