The buzz has begun in advance of Focus13, the giant conference for gigantic independent broker-dealer LPL Financial, which will bring hundreds of advisors together for three days of technology launches, continuing education sessions, compliance workshops and networking opportunities between advisors and home-office partners.
To be held Aug. 18 to 21 in LPL’s headquarters city of San Diego, Focus13 will feature keynote speakers Gen. Colin Powell and The Economist economic editor Zanny Minton Beddoes in addition to home-office speakers Chairman and CEO Mark Casady, president of Advisor and Institution Solutions Robert Moore, Chief Investment Officer Burt White and more.
LPL’s heavy focus on technology will be a big theme of this year’s conference. The independent broker-dealer already has established itself in the Twittersphere (with 2,794 followers as of Wednesday, many of them including the 17,000 financial professionals associated with the firm), and LPL is using that online presence to talk up its tech launches ahead of the conference.
Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2015: Schawk Inc.(SGK)
Schawk, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides graphic services and solutions in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company?s graphic services encompasses a range of creative and executional service offerings, including traditional premedia business services, as well as digital photography, color retouching, large format digital printing, and sales and promotional samples under the Schawk brand name; and digital three-dimensional modeling of prototypes or existing packages for its consumer products clients. Its brand and package strategy and design services include brand consulting and creative design for packaging applications to consumer products companies, food and beverage retailers, and mass merchandisers under the Brandimage and Anthem brands. The company also offers digital promotion and advertising services to the digital communications markets under the Untitled and Real Branding brand names. In addition, it provides software products, such a s graphic lifecycle content management systems comprising digital asset management, workflow management, online proofing, and intelligence performance management modules; and support services, which include implementation, on-site management, validation for regulated environments, and support and training for the marketing services departments of consumer products, pharmaceutical/life sciences, and retail companies. The company serves direct purchasers of graphic services, including end-use consumer product manufacturers of food, beverage, non-food and beverage, and pharmaceutical products; groceries, pharmacies, department, and mass merchant retailers; converters; and advertising agencies. Schawk, Inc. was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
There's no foolproof way to know the future for Schawk (NYSE: SGK ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.
Top 10 Tech Companies For 2014: LifeLock Inc (LOCK)
LifeLock, Inc., incorporated on April 12, 2005, is a provider of proactive identity theft protection services for consumers and identity risk assessment and fraud protection services for enterprises. It operates in two segments: consumer segment and an enterprise segment. In its consumer segment, the Company offer identity theft protection services to consumers on a monthly or annual subscription basis. In its enterprise segment, it offer identity risk assessment and fraud protection services to enterprise customers who pay the Company based on their monthly volume of transactions with it. It protects its consumer subscribers, whom it refers to as its members, by monitoring identity-related events, such as new account openings and credit-related applications. It also provides remediation services to its members in the event that an identity theft actually occurs. On March 14, 2012, the Company acquired ID Analytics, Inc. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of Lemon Inc.
Consumer Business
The Company protects its members by proactively monitoring identity-related events, such as new account openings and credit-related applications, which may present a risk of identity theft. If it detects that a member�� personally identifiable information is being used, the Company sends notifications and alerts, including proactive, near real-time, actionable alerts, to the member via text message, phone call, or e-mail through its LifeLock Identity Alert system that allows the member to confirm valid or unauthorized identity use.
Enterprise Business
The Company delivers on-demand identity risk assessment and authentication information about consumers to its enterprise customers in their daily transaction flows. Its enterprise customers utilize this information in real time to authenticate their customers, assess their risk profile, and enhance the enterprise�� decision making process on which to base account opening, le! nding, credit, and other risk-based decisions. By integrating its services into their business processes, its enterprise customers can reduce potential financial losses from identity fraud. Information generated from the transaction flow at its enterprise customers is transmitted back to its data repositories, which continually enhances the LifeLock ecosystem and helps strengthen the services the Company can provide to its customers in the future.
The Company competes with Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, Affinion, Early Warning Systems, Intersections and LexisNexis.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap security and surveillance stocks OSI Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: OSIS), Vimicro International Corporation (NASDAQ: VIMC), Analogic Corporation (NASDAQ: ALOG), Lifelock Inc (NYSE: LOCK) and View Systems Inc (OTCBB: VSYM) have been producing a steady flow of news lately that investors might want to take a closer look at. After all, the whole security and surveillance industry is pretty vast as it would include everything from airport scanners to security cameras to software securing everyone�� personal or online data. With that in mind, here is a look at the latest news from important small cap security and surveillance stocks:
- [By Lee Jackson]
LifeLock Inc. (NYSE: LOCK) is a top small cap name to buy that may hold big gains for investors. The company is a leader in identity-theft protection systems and crushed its recent earnings estimates. Deutsche Bank has an $18 target, and the consensus target is $15.50. A move to the Deutsche Bank target would be a gain of 50% for investors.
Top 10 Tech Companies For 2014: Acceleron Pharma Inc (XLRN)
Acceleron Pharma Inc., incorporated on June 13, 2003, is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of protein therapeutics for cancer and rare diseases. The Company�� research focuses on the biology of the Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-b) protein superfamily, a large and diverse group of molecules that are key regulators in the growth and repair of tissues throughout the human body. By coupling its discovery and development expertise, including its knowledge of the TGF-b superfamily, with its internal protein engineering and manufacturing capabilities, it has built a productive research and development platform that has generated clinical and preclinical protein therapeutic candidates with mechanisms of action.
The Company focuses on discovering and developing protein therapeutics that target a group of approximately 30 secreted proteins, or ligands, that are collectively referred to as the TGF-b superfamily. These ligands bind to subsets of 12 different receptors on the surface of cells, triggering intra-cellular changes in gene expression that guide cell growth and differentiation. The TGF-b superfamily ligands and their receptors represent an under-explored and diverse set of drug targets with the potential to yield therapeutics that modulate the growth and repair of diseased cells and tissues.
The Company has three internally discovered protein therapeutic candidates that are being studied in 12 ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials, focused on cancer and rare diseases. The Company�� two advanced protein therapeutic candidates, sotatercept and ACE-536, promote red blood cell production through a novel mechanism. Together with its collaboration partner, Celgene Corporation, the Company is developing sotatercept and ACE-536 to treat anemia and associated complications in patients with b-thalassemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). These red blood cell disorders are generally unresponsive to approved dru! gs. The Company�� third clinical stage protein therapeutic candidate, dalantercept, is designed to inhibit blood vessel formation through a mechanism that is distinct from, and potentially synergistic with, the dominant class of cancer drugs that inhibit blood vessel formation, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway inhibitors. The Company is developing dalantercept primarily for use in combination with these products to produce better outcomes for cancer patients.
The Company and Celgene have conducted six human clinical trials with sotatercept in over 160 healthy volunteers and cancer patients. The Company has conducted one clinical trial with ACE-536 in healthy volunteers. In these studies, both sotatercept and ACE-536 caused a dose-dependent increase in the number of red blood cells. Based on these results, the Company and Celgene have initiated Phase II clinical trials with each of these protein therapeutic candidates in b-thalassemia and MDS. In the ongoing trial of sotatercept in patients with b-thalassemia, the Company has observed encouraging, dose-dependent increases in hemoglobin in a subset of patients at the two lowest dose levels.
Sotatercept is a soluble receptor fusion protein consisting of the extracellular domain of the activin receptor type IIA (ActRIIA) linked to the Fc domain of human IgG1. Sotatercept acts as a protein trap for TGF-b superfamily ligands that signal through the ActRIIA receptor. Sotatercept has increased red blood cells in multiple clinical trials. ACE-536 is a soluble receptor fusion protein consisting of a modified extracellular domain of the activin receptor type IIB (ActRIIB) linked to the Fc domain of human IgG1.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Shares of Acceleron Pharma (NASDAQ: XLRN) got a boost, shooting up 16.74 percent to $39.54 after Form 8-K for Acceleron Pharma showed that Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG) will buy 1.1 million shares for $47.15 million.
Top 10 Tech Companies For 2014: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd.(JASO)
JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of photovoltaic solar cells and solar products, which convert sunlight into electricity in the People's Republic of China. The company?s principal products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cells, as well as various solar modules. It also provides silicon wafer and solar cell processing services. The company sells its products primarily under the JA Solar brand name, as well as produces equipment for original equipment manufacturing customers under their brand names. It sells its solar cell and module products primarily to module manufacturers, system integrators, project developers, and distributors in the Germany, Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, Spain, India, the Czech Republic, France, and South Korea. The company has strategic partnerships with various solar power companies, such as BP Solar, Solar-Fabrik, and MEMC/SunEdison. JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Yates]
For investors looking to profit from shorting stocks in the sector, JA Solar Holdings (NASDAQ: JASO) and LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) are both vulnerable. For those looking to go long, Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) is very strong in natural gas, which is expected to increase its market share, according to a recent report from the Department of Energy.
- [By Paul Ausick]
Notable earnings reports currently on tap for next week: Qihu 360 Technology Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: QIHU), Avago Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: AVGO), LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK), Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF), Joy Global Inc. (NYSE: JOY), Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB), JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO), Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. (NYSE: KKD), and ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL).
- [By Paul Ausick]
Big Earnings Movers: Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) is up 8.7% at $88.05 following positive results and a raised outlook. Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is down 6% at $15.45 as the bookseller watches its revenue slide. JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is down 10.3% at $XX on a mixed earnings report and LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) is flat at $1.60.
- [By Monica Gerson]
© 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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Top 10 Tech Companies For 2014: Silicon Laboratories Inc.(SLAB)
Silicon Laboratories Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, designs, develops, and markets analog-intensive and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs). The company offers broad-based products, which include microcontrollers, clocks and oscillators, wireless transceivers, digital isolators and related products, and human interface sensors and controllers; broadcast products comprising radio receivers and transmitters, and video tuners and demodulators; and access products consisting of embedded modems, subscriber line interface circuits, Voice over IP (VoIP) products, and power over Ethernet devices, as well as DSL analog front end ICs and IRDA devices. It provides ICs for use in various electronic applications, such as portable devices, AM/FM radios, and other consumer electronics, as well as networking, test and measurement, industrial monitoring and control, and customer premises equipment. The company markets its products through direct sales force, and through a networ k of independent sales representatives and distributors in the United States, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan, and internationally. Silicon Laboratories Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Friday, technology shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.80 percent. Top decliners in the sector included Silicon Laboratories (NASDAQ: SLAB), down 13.7 percent, and Informatica (NASDAQ: INFA), off 13.4 percent.
- [By Garrett Cook]
In trading on Friday, technology shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.80 percent. Top decliners in the sector included Silicon Laboratories (NASDAQ: SLAB), down 15.32 percent, and Informatica (NASDAQ: INFA), off 11.91 percent.
- [By Rich Smith]
Austin, Texas-based Silicon Laboratories (NASDAQ: SLAB ) , which chose a new chief financial officer last month, has now found him a bit of extra work to do.
- [By MONEYMORNING.COM]
XSD holds such big-cap names as Texas Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq: TXN) and Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC). It also owns Atmel Corp. (Nasdaq: ATML), which has a market cap of less than $4 billion, and Silicon Laboratories Inc. (Nasdaq: SLAB), with a market cap of $2 billion.
Top 10 Tech Companies For 2014: Level 3 Communications Inc.(LVLT)
Level 3 Communications, Inc. engages in the communications business in North America and Europe. It offers network and Internet services, including transport services, high speed Internet protocol services, dedicated Internet access, virtual private network services, and dark fiber services, as well as managed modem, an outsourced, turn-key infrastructure solution; and colocation services. The company also provides various media services, comprising Vyvx services that provide audio and video feeds over fiber or satellite; content delivery network services; media delivery services to customers seeking to manage, protect, and monetize content delivered over the Internet; a range of local and long distance voice services, such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and traditional circuit-switch based services; and VoIP Enhanced Local, a VoIP service that enables broadband cable operators, IXCs, VoIP providers, and other companies operating their own switching infrastructure to launch IP-based local and long-distance voice services through a broadband connection. Level 3 Communications? media services also consist of SIP Trunking, a VoIP-based local phone service; Local Inbound service that terminates traditional telephone network originated calls to Internet Protocol termination points; Primary Rate Interface, a TDM local phone service that could be configured in various ways; Long Distance services portfolio comprising local and long distance transport and termination services; and Toll Free services portfolio, which terminate toll free calls that are originated on the traditional telephone network. As of December 31, 2010, its network encompassed approximately 68,000 intercity route miles in North America and an intercity network covering approximately 13,000 miles across Europe. Further, it sells coal primarily through long-term contracts with public utilities. The company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Selena Maranjian]
The biggest new holdings are Assured Guaranty�and the SPDR Select Financial Sector ETF. Other new holdings of interest include Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU ) and Level 3 Communications (NYSE: LVLT ) . The struggling PC market has hurt Micron, but bulls are hopeful that growth in tablets and smartphones will�boost demand�for memory chips. Micron's purchase of Japanese manufacturer Elpida has some investors quite optimistic, as it boosts Micron's capacity and its relationship with�Apple. Micron has been losing market share, though, and some worry about the commoditization of memory and Micron's debt levels. Several analysts increased their price targets for the stock recently.
- [By Garrett Cook]
TW Telecom (NASDAQ: TWTC) jumped 8.5 percent to $38.43 after the company agreed to be acquired by Level 3 Communications (NYSE: LVLT) in a stock-and-cash transaction valued at $40.86 per share.
- [By James O'Toole]
Level 3 (LVLT), a firm Netflix (NFLX, Tech30) and others pay to deliver traffic to Internet service providers, joined the fray Thursday, accusing Verizon of refusing to upgrade its infrastructure to boost lagging streaming speeds.
- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Level 3 Communications (NYSE: LVLT) was also up, gaining 8.89 percent to $34.20 on Q4 results.
Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of 3D Systems (NYSE: DDD) were down 18.35 percent to $61.86 after the company lowered its quarterly earnings outlook.
Top 10 Tech Companies For 2014: Hewlett-Packard Company(HPQ)
Hewlett-Packard Company and its subsidiaries provide products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), as well as to the government, health, and education sectors worldwide. Its Personal Systems Group segment offers commercial personal computers (PCs), consumer PCs, workstations, calculators and other related accessories, and software and services for the commercial and consumer markets. The company?s Services segment provides consulting, outsourcing, and technology services to infrastructure, applications, and business process domains. Its Imaging and Printing Group segment provides consumer and commercial printer hardware, supplies, media, and scanning devices, such as inkjet and Web solutions, laser jet and enterprise solutions, managed enterprise solutions, graphics solutions, and printer supplies. The company?s Enterprise Servers, Storage, and Networking segment offers industry standard s ervers, business critical systems, storage platforms, and networking products, including switches, routers, wireless LAN, and TippingPoint network security products. Its HP Software segment provides enterprise IT management software, information management solutions, and security intelligence/risk management solutions. The company?s HP Financial Services segment offers leasing, financing, utility programs, and asset recovery services; and financial asset management services for enterprise customers, as well as specialized financial services to SMBs, and educational and governmental entities. Hewlett-Packard Company also provides business intelligence solutions that enable businesses to standardize on consistent data management schemes, connect and share data across the enterprise, and apply analytics, as well as licenses its specific technology to third parties. The company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Matt Thalman]
Shares of Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) are down 2.3% this afternoon. Shares rose 17.1% yesterday after the company announced expectation-beating quarterly earnings, and today's decline likely owes to nothing more than profit-taking. Yesterday's jump was enough to make many market participants consider selling, but because the stock is up 70.9% year to date, the move to lock in profits is a no-brainer for investors who are in it for short-term gains. For long-term buy-and-hold investors, today's move lower should be of no concern. So long as the quarterly report met your expectations, continue to hold on, because this stock will likely be in for a bumpy ride the next few quarters.�
- [By Christopher F. Davis]
The big change is that both CEO and co-founder David Flynn has stepped down concurrently his fellow co-founder Rick White in order to pursue what is being called "entrepreneurial investing activities." It is crucial to note that they are not exiting the company entirely however, as both Flynn and White will remain on the board of directors as advisors for the next 12 months. Shane Robison has been named CEO. Robison was previously an executive for Hewlett Packard (HPQ) before joining FIO. Mr. Robison came on record and said the transition was not caused by any problems within the company or disagreements on strategy. Further, from an investing standpoint, I took note that the company reaffirmed its guidance, with fiscal 2013 revenue still expected to be about $435 million. This is why I pulled the trigger at $13.20 and expect the stock to come back to the pre-announcement levels of $18 in the next few sessions.
- [By Tabitha Jean Naylor]
Companies such as Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ) picked up where Xerox left off, producing personal printing, copying, and scanning machines by the millions. Today we will take a look at how these two companies comparatively performed in 2013, and into 2014.
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