Top Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now

On this day in economic and business history...

Jay Cooke & Company failed on Sept. 18, 1873, triggering a financial panic that soon plunged the United States into a "Great Depression." This depression remained the national benchmark for economic woe for decades before the 1930s took over that term.

The basic backstory of this failure should be familiar: A major financier invests heavily into a speculative bubble -- in this case, railroads -- and uses excessive leverage to maximize returns while everything moves in the right direction. Then the bubble pops, and the financier is left without the means to pay back creditors. A sudden lack of liquidity cascades through the financial system as everyone rushes to withdraw money, only to find that in many cases their profits or their savings exist only as notations in their bank's records. Everybody panic!

The particulars of 1873, however, make it worth a closer investigation.

The boom leading up to the 1873 panic was the first true "tech" bubble, driven entirely by the excitement surrounding a promising new industry, rather than by real-estate speculation, trade imbalances, or financial shenanigans. (A boom preceding the Panic of 1857 also involved railroads, but this earlier bubble was driven in large part by Midwestern land speculation.)

Top Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Allied World Assurance Company Holdings AG (AWH)

Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG operates as a specialty insurance and reinsurance company in Bermuda, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It offers casualty insurance products that provide coverage for specialty type risks, such as professional liability, environmental liability, product liability, inland marine liability, healthcare liability risks, and commercial general liability products, as well as professional liability products, including policies covering directors and officers, employment practices, and fiduciary liability insurance. The company also provides a mix of errors and omissions liability coverages for various service providers comprising law firms, technology companies, insurance companies, insurance agents and brokers, and municipalities; primary and excess liability, and other casualty coverages to the healthcare industry, including hospitals and hospital systems, managed care organization s, and medical facilities, such as home care providers, specialized surgery and rehabilitation centers, and outpatient clinics; and general casualty products for a range of industries consisting of construction, real estate, public entities, retailers, manufacturing, transportation, and finance and insurance services, as well as workers compensation insurance products. In addition, it offers property insurance products covering physical property and business interruption for commercial property risks; and general property products covering risks for retail chains, real estate, manufacturers, hotels and casinos, and municipalities. Further, the company provides the reinsurance of property, general casualty, professional liability, specialty lines, property catastrophe, accident and health, and marine and aviation coverages. Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By , Zacks Investment Research]

  Here are five�stocks that made it through this week’s screen:

  AmTrust Financial (AFSI) Allied World Assurance (AWH) Chatham Lodging Trust (CLDT) Federated National Holding Co. (FNHC) Whitewave Foods (WWAV)

  Get the rest of the stocks on this list and start screening for these companies on your own.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Specialty insurance provider�Allied World Assurance (NYSE: AWH  ) announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.50 per share, a 33% increase from the payout it made last quarter of $0.375 per share, as approved by shareholders at the annual meeting last month.

Top Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Ellie Mae Inc (ELLI)

Ellie Mae, Inc., incorporated October 14, 2007, is a provider of on-demand automation solutions for the mortgage industry. The Company offers an end-to-end solution, delivered using a Software-as-a-Service model that serves as the core operating system for mortgage originators and spans customer relationship management, loan origination and business management. It also hosts the Ellie Mae Network that allows Encompass users to electronically conduct business transactions with the lenders and settlement service providers they work with to process and fund loans. The Company's offerings include range of Encompass services and the DataTrac mortgage management software system. On August 15, 2011, it completed the acquisition of Del Mar Datatrac,Inc. (DMD).

Using the Company�� network technology, it has helped connect a fragmented world of mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers, community banks, credit unions, lenders, investors and service providers, all of which are integral to the origination and funding of residential mortgages. Its Encompass360 solutions include Encompass Product & Pricing Service; Ellie Mae Total Quality Loan Program; Encompass Compliance Service; Encompass Appraisal Service; Encompass CenterWise; Encompass Commissions; Encompass TPO WebCenter and Encompass Docs Solution.

Ellie Mae�� Total Quality Loan program helps in identifying compliance, income and fraud issues early in the origination process; help protect business from loan buy-backs, and fortify workflow and uncover and correct possible issues before you close the loan.Encompass Appraisal Service, integrated inside Encompass360, is that solution helps in completing order right from the loan file in Encompass360; import complete appraisal reports directly into eFolder, and customize appraisal workflow by type of loan and control, which its users can order appraisals. Its Encompass CenterWise wraps two essential Web and electronic document solutions into one unified package. Encompass Commissions is a ! commission management solution integrated inside Encompass360 that automates the calculation, reconciliation and communication of variable pay across your organization. Hosted Encompass360 Banker Edition users can connect directly with third-party originators (TPOs) without leaving Encompass360, and have them connect back in a secure, synchronized, and easy-to-use Web-based environment. Encompass Docs Solution provides a single, integrated application incorporating both initial disclosures and closing documents.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Ellie Mae (ELLI), an electronic mortgage origination network in the U.S, closed up 16% at $28 in Friday's trading session.

  Friday's Volume: 2.17 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 468,756
  
  Volume % Change: 372%

  Shares of ELLI skyrocketed higher on Friday after the company reported a profit and met Wall Street's expectations and beat the revenue expectation.

  From a technical perspective, ELLI soared higher here right above both its 50-day moving average of $23.64 and its 200-day moving average of $23.71 with heavy upside volume. This move sent shares of ELLI into breakout territory, since the stock took out some key overhead resistance levels at $25.39 to $25.75 and then above more resistance at $26.34. This move also pushed shares of ELLI into new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of ELLI are now starting to move within range of triggering another major breakout trade. That trade will hit if ELLI manages to take out Friday's high of $28.100 and then once it clears its three-year high at $30.59 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ELLI as long as it's trending above those breakout levels of $26.34 to $25.75 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 468,756 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ELLI will set up to enter new 52-week- and three-year-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $35 to $40.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Friday’s session are WellCare Health Plans Inc.(WCG), First Solar Inc.(FSLR) and Ellie Mae Inc.(ELLI)

Top 10 Electric Utility Companies To Watch In Right Now: Southern Cross Exploration NL (SXX)

Southern Cross Exploration NL is an Australia-based company engaged in the investment in the Bigrlyi Uranium Joint Venture, on which pre-development investigations and further drilling were carried out; exploration for gold and minerals, reviews of opportunities for participation in and/or acquisition of mineral exploration and mining ventures, and examination of projects in respect of different commodities, share investments, loans and other securities. The Bigrlyi project is located in the Ngalia Basin, northwest of Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory. The Company's interest in the Bigrlyi Uranium Joint Venture is one of its assets, in joint venture with two multi-billion dollar companies, CGNPC - via the Operator, Energy Metals Ltd (EME) - and Paladin Energy Ltd (PDN). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By idahansen]

  Due to the impact of The Great Recession, stocks in the agricultural sector such as Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), The Mosiac Company (NYSE: MOS), and Potash of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) are trading well below highs. The exchange traded fund for the industry, DBA Power Shares, (NYSE: DBA), is down more than 17% for the last year. Despite this bearish trend, legendary investors such as Warren Buffett, George Soros, and Jim Rogers are very positive for the agriculture group. With the long term bullish outlook for the sector from the greatest investors in history, small cap stocks active in the fertilizer sector such as Sirius Minerals (LSE: SXX) and Americas Petrogas (TSX: BOE) are especially attractive.

Top Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: News Corporation(NWS)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspape rs in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  In retrospect, all of these purchases make sense. Would News Corporation (NWS) studio subsidiary 20th Century Fox have made more sense for Indy’s new home? What about Time Warner (TWX) conglomerate�� Warner Bros.? Or maybe Lionsgate Entertainment (LGE)? No, no, and no.

• [By Brett Gold]

  The most coveted time period on TV has unquestionably become the post-Super Bowl time slot. Over the past two decades, it's seen everything from established series to promising new ones, each time drawing a huge crowd. In 1999, Fox (a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS  ) ) gave its post-Super Bowl bump to a pair of animated shows -- one a fan favorite and the other a promising up-and-comer titled Family Guy. Fifteen years and one amazing story later, the show has grown into a proven money-making empire that still hits a chord with audiences.

Top Promising Companies To Watch In Right Now: A. Schulman Inc.(SHLM)

A. Schulman, Inc. supplies plastic compounds and resins for packaging, consumer products, industrial, and automotive applications. The company offers additive compounds, custom color concentrates for film and molding, carbon black color concentrates, white color concentrates, additive compounds for polyester resins and special pearl effects, antistatic concentrates, and masterbatch for the production of synthetic paper. Its products also include engineered plastics, such as thermoplastic elastomers and vulcanizates, filled and unfilled nylon and PBT compounds, nylon/ABS alloys, formulated ionomer compounds, thermoplastic ionomer resins, flame-retardant thermoplastic compounds and concentrates, polypropylene, polyethylene, EVA compounds, thermoplastic olefins, flexible thermoplastic PVC compounds, high-quality PVC compounds, PVC-based thermoplastic elastomers, and low-gloss PVC thermoplastic elastomers for industrial packaging, appliances, electrical connectors, power tools , recreational items, and lawn and garden equipments. In addition, the company provides custom color and specialty compound powders, rotational molding process compounds, cross-linkable resin used in rotational molding, high heat-distortion temperature materials, and thermoplastic powders, as well as provides jet milling services used for products requiring very fine particle size, such as additives for printing ink, adhesives, waxes, and cosmetics; and cryogenic milling services for heat sensitive materials. Further, it buys, repackages, and re-sells polymers for various processing types comprising injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, and extrusion, as well as provides tolling services. The company operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. A. Schulman, Inc. was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Earnings Releases Expected: A. Schulman, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHLM), Team, Inc. (NYSE: TISI), ZEP Inc. (NYSE: ZEP)

  Economic Releases Expected: Japanese current account, US consumer credit, Chilean trade balance, Swiss CPI, Spanish industrial production, German industrial production

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Plastic compounds and resins manufacturer A. Schulman (SHLM) raised its quarterly dividend 3% to 20 cents per share, payable Nov. 4 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 28.
  SHLM Dividend Yield: 2.51%

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  A. Shulman (SHLM) has gained 6.4% to $38.65 after the plastic maker beat earnings forecasts and lifted its full-year guidance.

  Gilead Sciences (GILD) has dropped 1% to $71.48 on reports that Express Scripts (ESRX) wants the biotech giant to lower the price of its hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi. Express Scripts has gained 0.6% to $73.16.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of A. Schulman (NASDAQ: SHLM  ) were getting squashed today, falling as much as 14% after the plastics-maker turned in a subpar quarter.