Shareholders of Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG ) , maker of the da Vinci Surgical System, have endured a whipsaw ride over the past two years. On four different occasions, the stock has swung more than 30%.
Source: YCharts.
This volatility is the result of a confluence of factors, including doctors questioning the efficacy of the da Vinci robotic surgical technology, tighter hospital budgets in the face of the Affordable Care Act, and the introduction of a new surgical machine.
But for current or prospective shareholders,�there are three big reasons to remain bullish on the company's future.
A solid moatWhile the healthcare industry is abuzz with innovative new technologies, the same can't be said for the act of performing surgery. While new tools and approaches constantly enter the scene, the option to have your surgery performed via a robot remains the only real alternative to traditional surgical procedures.
Top 10 Long Term Companies To Invest In Right Now: NGL Energy Partners LP (NGL)
NGL Energy Partners LP is a limited partnership company formed to own and operate a vertically-integrated propane business. The Company operates in three segments: retail propane; wholesale supply and marketing; and midstream. Its retail propane business sells propane to end users consisting of residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial customers. The Company�� wholesale supply and marketing business supplies propane and other natural gas liquids and provides related storage to retailers, wholesalers and refiners. Its midstream business, which consists of its propane terminaling business, takes delivery of propane from pipelines or trucks at its propane terminals and transfers the propane to third-party transport trucks for delivery to retailers, wholesalers or other consumers. The Company�� general partner is NGL Energy Holdings LLC (the General Partner). On October 14, 2010, it executed a series of transactions (the Combination) with NGL Supply, Inc. (NGL Supply). In February 2012, the Company acquired all of the assets comprising the propane and distillate operations of North American Propane. In May 2012, the Company acquired Downeast Energy Corporation. The assets contributed by Downeast are located in Maine and New Hampshire. In November 2012, the Company acquired limited liability company membership interests in Pecos Gathering & Marketing LLC and its affiliated companies (Pecos). In July 2013, NGL Energy Partners LP announced the acquisition of the assets of Crescent Terminals, LLC. Effective July 8, 2013, NGL Energy Partners LP acquired High Roller Wells Big Lake SWD No 1 LP. In August 2013, NGL Energy Partners LP acquired the water disposal and hauling business of Oilfield Water Lines LP. In September 2013, NGL Energy Partners LP acquired the water disposal business of Coastal Plains Disposal #1, LLC owned by WinCo Development, LLC. In November 2013, the Company announced acquisition of all of the equity interests of Gavilon, LLC.
Retail Propane
The Co! mpany�� retail propane business consists of the retail marketing, sale and distribution of propane, including the sale and lease of propane tanks, equipment and supplies, to more than 56,000 residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial customers. It markets retail propane primarily in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana and Kansas through its customer service locations. The Company owns or leases 44 customer service locations and 37 satellite distribution locations, with aggregate above-ground propane storage capacity of approximately four million gallons. It also owns a fleet of bulk delivery trucks and service vehicles.
Wholesale Supply and Marketing
The Company�� wholesale supply and marketing business provides propane procurement, storage, transportation and supply services to customers, through assets owned by it and by third parties. Its wholesale supply and marketing business also obtains the majority of the propane supply for its retail propane business. The Company procures propane from refiners, gas processing plants, producers and other resellers for delivery to leased storage, common carrier pipelines, rail car terminals and direct to certain customers. It has the right to utilize 100% of the ConocoPhillips Blue Line pipeline, which runs from Borger, Texas, to its propane terminals in East St. Louis, Illinois and Jefferson City, Missouri. The Company leases approximately 67 million gallons of propane storage space in various locations to accommodate the supply requirements and contractual needs of its retail and wholesale customers.
Midstream
The Company�� midstream business, which consists of its propane terminaling business, takes delivery of propane from a pipeline or truck at its propane terminals and transfers the propane to third party trucks for delivery to propane retailers, wholesalers or other customers. The Company�� midstream assets consist of its three propane terminals in East St. Louis, Illinois; Jefferson City, Missou! ri, and S! t. Catharines, Ontario. The Company is a service provider at each of its terminals, which have a combined annual throughput in excess of 170 million gallons of propane.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dividends4Life]
This week a few companies answered the call and rewarded their shareholders with higher cash dividends:
Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED) engages in regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 2.4% to $0.63 per share. The dividend is payable March 15, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 12, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 4.7%.
Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ), a real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, develops, and manages real estate portfolio, as well as performs certain real estate-related services. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 66.7% to $0.075 per share. The dividend is payable February 24, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 10, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.8%.
Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC) generates and distributes electric energy, as well as distributes natural gas. The company operates in two segments, Utility Energy and Non-Utility Energy. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 2% to $0.3900 per share. The dividend is payable March 1, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 14, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 3.8%.
BlackRock Inc. (BLK) is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors. January 16th the company increased its quarterly dividend 14.9% to $1.93 per share. The dividend is payable March 24, 2014, to stockholders of record on March 7, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.4%.
ONEOK Inc. (OKE) operates as a diversified energy company in the United States. January 15th the company increased its quarterly dividend 5.3% to $0.40 per share. The dividend is payable February 18, 2014, to stockholders of record on February 10, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.5%.
Omega Healthcare Investors Inc. (OHI) is a real es - [By Robert Rapier]
The four propane-focused MLPs are AmeriGas Partners (NYSE: APU), Suburban Propane Partners (NYSE: SPH), NGL Energy Partners (NYSE: NGL), and Ferrellgas Partners (NYSE: FGP).
- [By Jayson Derrick]
NGL Energy Partners (NYSE: NGL) and Transmontaigne Partners (NYSE: TLP) said that they have ended discussions over NGL Energy's non-binding proposal to acquire the outstanding units of Transmontaigne. Shares of NGL Energy lost 0.57 percent, closing at $42.21 while shares of Transmontaigne gained 0.54 percent, closing at $43.03.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Invest In 2014: FirstService Corporation (FSRV)
FirstService Corporation provides real estate related services to commercial, institutional, and residential customers in North America and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Commercial Real Estate Services, Residential Property Management, and Property Services. The Commercial Real Estate Services segment offers brokerage, property management and maintenance, valuation, project management, and corporate advisory services primarily on office, industrial, retail, and multi-unit residential properties to owners, investors, tenants, corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals. The Residential Property Management segment manages private residential communities, including condominiums, cooperatives, homeowner associations, and various other residential developments governed by multi-unit residential community associations. This segment provides a range of property management services comprising facility maintenance, landscaping, swim ming pool management, home service contracts, energy usage benchmarking and retrofit consulting, real estate sales and leasing, heating, air conditioning, and concierge services. The Property Services segment offers various residential and commercial services through delivery channels, such as contractor network, franchise networks, and branchises. It provides property preservation, maintenance, repair, and inspection services to residential mortgage lenders and servicers for properties in the delinquency and foreclosure process; residential and commercial restoration services serving the insurance restoration industry; residential and commercial painting, and decorating services; installed closet and home storage systems; exterior residential painting and window cleaning services; home repair and remodeling service franchise; home inspection; and residential floor coverings design and installation services. FirstService Corporation was founded in 1972 and is headquartered i n Toronto, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
FirstService (Nasdaq: FSRV ) reported earnings on April 26. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), FirstService missed slightly on revenues and missed expectations on earnings per share.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Invest In 2014: H&Q Life Sciences Investors (HQL)
H&Q Life Sciences Investors (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation through investment in life science companies (including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, managed healthcare and medical equipment, hospitals, healthcare information technology and services, devices and supplies) agriculture and environmental management. The Fund invests primarily in securities of public and private companies.
The Fund may invest in venture capital and other restricted securities if these securities would comprise 40% or less of net assets. The Fund may purchase and sell (or write) put or call options on any security in which it is permitted to invest. It may purchase and sell (write) options on stock indices (index options). H&Q Life Sciences Investors��investment advisor is Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management, LLC.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Harry Domash, Publisher, DividendDetective and Winning Investing]
Harry Domash: Yeah, in fact, H&Q Life Sciences, ticker (HQL), is actually a closed-end fund, but it invests entirely in biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and if you look around the world, the investing stocks right now—besides the social media stocks—that's really the one area that has had a lot of recent growth and we expect that to continue.
I think the closed-end fund, and we'll get into that maybe a little bit later, but closed-end funds are a good way to cover it, when you're talking about a sector like that.
Johnson & Johnson is an interesting case, because, as you know, Johnson & Johnson is a big company that invests, and that owns a lot of different companies itself in the medical field.
You know, it owns hundreds of operating companies and it's primarily in the pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, and in consumer products, but Johnson & Johnson was a mismanaged company for a while and they were really underperforming their peers.
In fact, some of their factories were closed, their pharmaceutical production factories were forcibly closed by the government because they didn't meet standards, but they were taken over by a new CEO a few years ago, two or three years ago, and now things are improving, so Johnson & Johnson is kind of coming from down and out to being a leading company again.
They've got a lot of products, cancer-type products, and things on the pipeline and it just seems like things are going very well so we have hopes that Johnson & Johnson has reported the last two quarters are the first ones that have really been decent, they really showed growth, and then we expect that to accelerate so we're pretty hot on Johnson & Johnson now.
Steve Halpern: One particularly interesting portfolio that you maintain that I haven't seen anywhere else is based on closed-end funds that pay monthly dividends&mdash
- [By Nate Pile]
This recommended fund��ambrecht & Quist Life Sciences Fund (HQL)��as also our top pick last year, and the fund rose 44% in 2013.
In addition to rising in value, the fund has a dividend policy of paying out 2% of its net asset value of each quarter.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Invest In 2014: Acorn Energy Inc.(ACFN)
Acorn Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides technology driven solutions for energy infrastructure asset management worldwide. It offers sonar and acoustic related solutions for energy, defense, and commercial markets with a focus on underwater site security for strategic energy installations and other acoustic systems, as well as develops and produces real-time embedded hardware and software. The company also develops and markets remote monitoring systems to electric utilities and industrial facilities, which are used in a range of utility applications, including outage management, power quality monitoring, system planning, trouble shooting and proactive maintenance, and condition monitoring; and provides the intelligence to transmission and distribution network operators. In addition, it develops and produces fiber optic sensing systems for the energy, commercial security, and defense markets. The company?s patented ultra-high sensitivity fiber optic sensors a re designed to replace electronic sensors with fiber optic sensors. Further, it engages in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sale of wireless remote systems that monitor standby power generation, backup power generators, remote powered equipment, cellular towers, emergency towered communications, and remote tower sites; cathodic protection products to monitor pipeline integrity; and other wireless remote systems. Acorn Energy, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is based in Montchanin, Delaware.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
A technology stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Acorn Energy (ACFN), which provides digital solutions for energy infrastructure asset management. This stock has been hit hard by the sellers in 2013, with shares off sharply by 48%.
If you take a look at the chart for Acorn Energy, you'll notice that this stock has started to spike higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $3.66 a share. This stock has also found significant buying interest over the last two months, each time it has pulled back to around $3.50 to $3.20 a share. Shares of ACFN are now quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade above some key near-term overhead resistance levels.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ACFN if it manages to break out above some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.24 to $4.64 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 344,835 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ACFN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.50 to $6 a share. Any high-volume move above $6 will then put its next major overhead resistance levels at its 200-day moving average of $6.35 to $6.68 a share into range for shares of ACFN.
Traders can look to buy ACFN off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day at $3.66 a share, or right around some major support at $3.21 a share. One could also buy ACFN off strength once it starts to clear those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
- [By Bryan Murphy]
Neither Acorn Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:ACFN) nor Cardica, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRDC) may look all that compelling with just a passing glance. The longer one examines CRDC and ACFN, however - and really gets a grasp of their underlying stories - the more compelling each one becomes. In fact, newcomers may want to go ahead and put both budding stocks on their watchlists, if not in their portfolios.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Invest In 2014: Gran Tierra Energy Inc (GTE)
Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (Gran Tierra) is an independent international energy company engaged in oil and gas acquisition, exploration, development and production. Gran Tierra owns oil and gas properties in Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Brazil. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company focused on development of producing fields and generation of exploration prospects in Colombia, including the acquisition of three blocks in the Petrolifera acquisition and the acquisition of a working interest in the Llanos 22 Block. It delivers its oil to Ecopetrol S.A. (Ecopetrol) through its transportation facilities, which include pipelines, gathering systems and trucking. On March 18, 2011, the Company acquired of all the issued and outstanding common shares and warrants of Petrolifera Petroleum Limited (Petrolifera). Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Moroney]
Based in Canada, Gran Tierra Energy (GTE) explores for oil and gas in Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil. In August, management raised its full-year production guidance, with the midpoint implying 27% growth.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Invest In 2014: Territorial Bancorp Inc.(TBNK)
Territorial Bancorp Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Territorial Savings Bank, a federally-chartered savings bank that provides a range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in Hawaii. It involves in accepting deposits from the general public and investing those deposits together with funds generated from operations and borrowings in loans and investment securities. The company?s deposit products include passbook and statement savings accounts, certificates of deposits, money market accounts, commercial and regular checking accounts, and NOW accounts. Its loan products include one-to-four-family residential mortgage loans; home equity loans and lines of credit; construction, commercial, and other non-residential real estate loans; consumer loans; and multi-family mortgage loans. The company, through its subsidiary, Territorial Financial Services, Inc., also engages in insurance agency activities. In addition, it provides various non-d eposit investments, including annuities and mutual funds through a third-party broker-dealer. As of December 31, 2010, the company operated 26 full-service branch offices in Hawaii. The company was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Territorial Bancorp (NASDAQ: TBNK) shares touched a new 52-week low of $21.31. Territorial Bancorp shares have dropped 9.43% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.18% in the same period.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Invest In 2014: Renegade Petroleum Ltd (RPL)
Renegade Petroleum Ltd. (Renegade) is an exploitation and exploration focused light oil producer. Renegade's primary focus areas are located in southeast Saskatchewan in various pools, such as Bakken, Souris Valley, Frobisher, Midale and Kisby, as well as the Dodsland area of the Viking play in west-central Saskatchewan. It also has working interests in North Dakota pursuant to a farm-in agreement respecting land in Renville County that is prospective for Bakken, Threeforks/Sanish and Frobisher light oil. In addition the Company has a light oil opportunity in the Spearfish play in Manitoba. It has two geographic segments: western Canada and the State of North Dakota, the United Sates. In December 2012, the Company acquired certain strategic light oil assets. In February 2014, the Company closed the disposition of certain oil and gas assets in southeast Saskatchewan. Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Many American oil and gas investors are probably familiar with the major large and small cap players in the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana, but few American investors are probably familiar with�the active players further to the north in the�oil and gas rich Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta�with small cap stocks like Alexander Energy Ltd (CVE: ALX), Renegade Petroleum Ltd (CVE: RPL) and Centor Energy Inc (OTCBB: CNTO) along with large cap Suncor Energy Inc (NYSE: SU) being among those�pumping out their share of noteworthy news lately. I should point out that�Canada�� oil reserves are ranked #3 after to Venezuela and Saudi Arabia with over 95% of these reserves being the controversial�oil sands of Alberta while the neighboring province of Saskatchewan (which the Bakken formation actually stretches into) along with offshore areas of Newfoundland also containing substantial production and reserves. Moreover and excluding the oil sands, Alberta would have 39% of Canada�� remaining conventional oil reserves,�followed by�offshore Newfoundland with�28% and Saskatchewan with 27%.
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