Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now

Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFM) may have just telegraphed the peak of the growth trends in organic and high-priced groceries. For years we have argued that investors need to think of Whole foods as a luxury goods destination rather than being in an industry dominated by low-margin supermarket stores. Now Whole Foods is finding again that growing pains come in measured steps, and the trends elsewhere may have even started catching up to the company.

In the latest quarterly earnings report, Whole Foods showed that same-store sales were up a mere 5.9%. That is great for other chains, but investors demand more of this luxury food giant.

The latest quarterly earnings came to $121 million, or $0.32 per share. Revenue growth was only 2% to $2.98 billion. We had estimates pegged at $0.31 in earnings per share, but the revenue expectations were $3.04 billion. That 2% sales growth was represented as being from the 13-week period last year and an increase of 11% on a comparative 12-week basis, so growth is perhaps better than it sounds on the surface.

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: Steamships Trading Company Ltd(PNG)

Steamships Trading Company Limited operates as a diverse trading conglomerate in Papua New Guinea. It involves in shipping, road transport, product manufacture, property, hotels, and information technology businesses. The company?s shipping business includes operation of a fleet of coastal vessels, and providing estuarine and river trades in the Gulf and Western Provinces; short and long term vessel charters, and cargo liner services using vessels ranging from 500DWT to 6000DWT; and stevedoring and shipping agency services. Its road transport business comprises general transport, fuel distribution, and long haul transport services; and customs clearance, handling equipment hire, integrated logistics, and specialist transportation services. Steamships Trading Company?s product manufacture business includes the production and distribution of food stuff comprising ice cream, vegetable oils, condiments, and seasonings; health and beauty goods; and spirits and premixed drinks , as well as involves in distributing imported wines and spirits. Its property business comprises residential, commercial, and industrial property development and leasing activities. The company?s hotel business engages in operating hotels. Its information technology business provides business-critical ICT consulting, solutions and services, IT outsourcing, business process outsourcing, Internet services, electronics and computer retail, and training and wide-ranging technical support. The company was founded in 1924 and is based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Steamships Trading Company Limited is a subsidiary of John Swire & Sons (PNG) Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  And more could be in store. PAA has just agreed to swallow its former natural gas storage spinoff PAA Natural Gas Storage (PNG) in a $1.41 billion deal that will instantly be accretive to PAA shareholders. Meanwhile, Plains continues to build new capacity and crude-by-rail services in key refining markets like California.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Plains All American Pipeline L.P. (NYSE: PAA) was maintained as Outperform with a $64 price target (versus $51.44 current) after its announced acquisition of affiliated PAA Natural Gas Storage L.P. (NYSE: PNG) in an all-stock buyout.

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: L Brands Inc (LTD)

L Brands, Inc., formerly Limited Brands, Inc, incorporated on March 16, 1982, operates in the specialty retail business. The Company is a specialty retailer of women�� intimate and other apparel, beauty and personal care products and accessories. The Company operates in two segments: Victoria�� Secret and Bath & Body Works. It sells its merchandise through Company-owned specialty retail stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, which are primarily mall-based, and through Websites, catalogue and international franchise, license and wholesale partners. The Company operates in brands, such as Victoria�� Secret, Victoria�� Secret Pink, Bath & Body Works, La Senza, and Henri Bendel. The Company�� business for both the Victoria�� Secret and Bath & Body Works segments is principally conducted from office, distribution and shipping facilities located in the Columbus, Ohio area.

As of February 2, 2013, it operated 255 retail stores located in leased facilities, primarily in malls and shopping centers, throughout the Canadian provinces. As of February 2, 2013, it operated two retail stores in London. As of February 2, 2013, it operated 2,619 retail stores located in leased facilities, primarily in malls and shopping centers, throughout the United States. As of February 2, 2013, it also had 339 licensed La Senza stores in 32 countries; 38 franchised Bath & Body Works stores in nine countries; three franchised Victoria's Secret stores in two Middle Eastern countries, and 108 independently owned Victoria�� Secret Beauty and Accessories stores and various small-format locations in over 50 countries.

Victoria�� Secret, including Victoria�� Secret Pink, is a specialty retailer of women�� intimate and other apparel with fragrances and cosmetics, supermodels and runway shows. The Company sells its Victoria�� Secret products at more than 1,000 Victoria�� Secret stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and through the Victoria�� Secret catal! ogue and online at www.VictoriasSecret.com. Additionally, Victoria�� Secret brand products are also sold in stores operated by partners under a franchise or wholesale model throughout the world.

Bath & Body Works is a specialty retailer of home fragrance and personal care products, including shower gels, lotions, soaps and sanitizers. The Company sells its Bath & Body Works products at more than 1,600 Bath & Body Works stores in the United States and Canada and online at www.BathandBodyWorks.com. Additionally, Bath & Body Works brand products are available at franchise locations throughout the world.

La Senza is a specialty retailer of women�� intimate apparel. The Company sells its La Senza products at more than 150 La Senza stores in Canada and online at www.LaSenza.com. Additionally, La Senza has more than 330 stores in 32 countries operating under franchise and licensing arrangements. Henri Bendel sells upscale accessory products through its New York flagship and 28 other stores, as well as online at www.HenriBendel.com.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  A&F remained focused on sportswear until it fell into bankruptcy in 1976. The brand was acquired by a rival sporting-goods retailer, which had difficulty turning A&F into a successful chain. It was not until Limited (now L Brands) (NYSE: LTD  ) bought the company in 1988 that A&F began its transformation into the cool-kids fashion outlet that now occupies hundreds of malls. Limited built A&F into a chain of 100-plus stores a year before spinning it off as an independent company in 1996. Following the spinoff, A&F began to create its own brands, launching a preteen brand in 1997 and the high-school-focused Hollister in 2000. Today, A&F maintains more than 1,000 stores around the world and is one of the 10 largest apparel-retailers in the U.S.

• [By Alex Planes]

  CF's big pop was the only major news-driven gain in this rather underwhelming day. The S&P's second- and third-place finishers, Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG  ) and L Brands (NYSE: LTD  ) (formerly Limited Brands), gained on sentiment rather than results.

• [By Reuters]

  Joshua Lott/Getty Images NEW YORK -- Several major U.S. retailers posted disappointing sales for November after cautious shoppers pinched their pennies at the start of a shorter holiday season. Some of the companies that reported sales gains ramped up bargains to bring in shoppers who appeared hesitant to splurge. Costco Wholesale (COST) said Thursday that sales at stores open at least a year rose 2 percent, below the 3.3 percent increase analysts were looking for, according to Thomson Reuters. The warehouse club chain said consumer electronics sales fell. Same-store sales at L Brands (LTD), owner of the Victoria's Secret lingerie chain, also came in below expectations. Its drop of 5.5 percent was far deeper than the 1.1 percent decline analysts were projecting. Wall Street analysts are expecting 11 top retailers to report a 2.7 percent increase in same-store sales for November, according to Thomson Reuters. Excluding drugstore operators, which get two-thirds of revenue from prescriptions, that gain is estimated at 2.3 percent. Gap (GPS) will report its November sales after U.S. markets close. Retailers have been contending with low consumer confidence and the need to prod shoppers with bargains this holiday season, which has six fewer days because of a late Thanksgiving. The National Retail Federation on Sunday said U.S. shoppers had spent 2.9 percent less this year over the Thanksgiving weekend, the kickoff to the holiday season. The Conference Board, an industry group, said last week that U.S. consumer confidence fell in November after a sharp drop in October as Americans worried about their future jobs and earnings prospects. Earlier this week, J.C. Penney (JCP) reported a 10.1 percent comparable sales increase, partially reversing a disastrous decline in 2012, but the department store chain had to resort to aggressive bargains. The "environment will remain as competitive" through the holiday season, Chief Executive Officer Myron Ullman said. I

5 Best Communications Equipment Stocks To Own For 2015: Bhp Billiton PLC (BBL)

BHP Billiton plc, incorporated in 1996, is diversified natural resources company. The Company generally operates through customer sector groups (CSGs). The Company operates in nine segments: Petroleum, Aluminium, Base Metals, Diamonds and Specialty Products, Stainless Steel Materials, Iron Ore, Manganese, Metallurgical Coal and Energy Coal. As of June 30, 2012, the Company was working in more than 100 locations worldwide. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), the Company total petroleum production was 222.3 millions of barrels of oil equivalent. During fiscal 2012, its aluminium had a total production in 1.2 million tones (Mt) of aluminium. In August 2011, the Company acquired Petrohawk Energy Corporation. On September 30, 2011, it acquired HWE Mining Subsidiaries from Leighton Holdings. On September 7, 2012, the Company announced the sale of its 37.8 % non-operated interest in Richards Bay Minerals.

Petroleum Customer Sector Group

The Company�� petroleum customer sector group (CSG) consists of a base of onshore and offshore operations that are located in six countries throughout the world. The Company�� production operations include Bass Strait, North West Shelf, Australia operated, Gulf of Mexico, Onshore United States, Liverpool Bay and Bruce/Keith, Algeria, Trinidad and Tobago and Zamzama. Together with its 50-50 joint venture Esso Australia (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil), the Company has been producing oil and gas from Bass Strait, off the south-eastern coast of Australia. The Company dispatches the majority of its Bass Strait crude oil and condensate production to refineries along the east coast of Australia. Gas is piped onshore to its Longford processing facility, from which it sells the Company�� production to domestic distributors under contracts with periodic price reviews.

The Company is a joint venture participant in the North West Shelf Project in Western Australia. The North West Shelf Project was developed in phases the do! mestic gas phase supplies gas to the Western Australian domestic market mainly under long-term contracts, and a series of liquefied natural gas (LNG) expansion phases supplying LNG to buyers in Japan, Korea and China under a series of long-term contracts. The project also produces liquefied petroleum gas LPG and condensate. The Company is also a joint venture participant in four nearby oil fields. Both the North West Shelf gas and oil ventures are operated by Woodside.

The Company operates two oil fields offshore Western Australia and one gas field in Victoria. The Pyrenees oil development consists of three fields, two of which (Crosby and Stickle) are located in blocks WA-42-L, while the third (Ravensworth) straddles blocks WA-42-L and WA-43-L. The project uses a FPSO facility. The Stybarrow operation is an oil development located offshore Western Australia. The Minerva operation is a gas field located offshore Victoria. The operation consists of two subsea producing wells which pipe gas onshore to a processing plant. The gas is delivered into a pipeline and sold domestically.

The Company operates two fields in the Gulf of Mexico (Neptune and Shenzi) and hold non-operating interests in a further three fields (Atlantis, Mad Dog and Genesis). The Company divested its interest in the West Cameron and Starlifter areas in June 2012. The Company delivers its oil production to refineries along the Gulf Coast of the United States. The Company operates in four shale fields located onshore in the United States Fayetteville, Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Permian. The combined leasehold acreage of the Onshore United States fields is approximately 1.6 million net acres in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Its ownership interests range from less than 1% to 100%. During fiscal 2012, the Onshore United States business delivered 6.9 million barrels of crude oil and condensates, 448 billion cubic feet of natural gas and four million barrels of natural gas liquids.

The Liv! erpool Ba! y, United Kingdom, integrated development consists of five producing offshore gas and oil fields in the Irish Sea, the Point of Ayr onshore processing plant in north Wales and associated infrastructure. The Company delivers the Liverpool Bay gas by pipeline to E.ON�� Connah�� Quay power station. The Company owns 46.1% of and operates Liverpool Bay. It also holds a 16% non-operating interest in the Bruce oil and gas field in the North Sea and operates the Keith field, a subsea tie-back, which is processed via the Bruce platform facilities.

The Company�� Algerian operations consists its 38% interest in the ROD Integrated Development, which consists of six satellite oil fields that pump oil back to a dedicated processing train. The Company exited its effective 45 % interest in the Ohanet wet gas development in October 2011. The Greater Angostura project is integrated oil and gas development located offshore east Trinidad. The Company operates the field and has a 45% interest in the production sharing contract for the project. The Company holds a 38.5 % working interest in and operates the Zamzama gas project in Sindh province of Pakistan. Both gas and condensate are sold domestically.

Aluminium Customer Sector Group

The Company�� Aluminium customer sector groups (CSG) is a portfolio of assets at three stages of the aluminium value chain, such as mining bauxite, refining bauxite into alumina, and smelting alumina into aluminium metal. The Company also produced 12.8 metric ton of bauxite and 4.2 metric ton of alumina. Its Boddington/Worsley is an integrated bauxite mining/alumina refining operation. The Boddington bauxite mine in Western Australia supplies bauxite ore to the Worsley alumina refinery via a 62-kilometre long conveying system. It is the Company�� sole integrated bauxite mining/alumina refining asset. The Company owns 14.8 % of Mineracao Rio do Norte (MRN), which owns and operates a large bauxite mine in Brazil.

The Company's Alumar! is an in! tegrated alumina refinery/aluminium smelter. The Company owns 36 % of the Alumar refinery and 40 % of the smelter. Alcoa operates both facilities. The operations, and their integrated port facility, are located at Sao Luis in the Maranhao province of Brazil. Alumar sources bauxite from MRN. During fiscal 2012, approximately 27 % of Alumar�� alumina production was used to feed the smelter, while the remainder was exported. Its Hillside and Bayside smelters are located at Richards Bay, South Africa. It has a capacity of approximately 715 kiloton�� per annum. Hillside imports alumina from its Worsley refinery. The Company owns 47.1 % of and operates the Mozal aluminium smelter in Mozambique, which has a total capacity of approximately 563 kiloton�� per annum. Mozal sources power generated by Hydro Cahora Basa via Motraco, a transmission joint venture between Eskom and the national electricity utilities of Mozambique and Swaziland.

Base Metals Customer Sector Group

The Company�� Base Metals CSG is producers of copper, silver, lead and uranium, and a producer of zinc. Its portfolio of mining operations includes the Escondida mine in Chile and Olympic Dam in South Australia. Its total copper production during fiscal 2012, was 1.1 metric ton. In addition to conventional mine development, it pursue advanced treatment technologies, such as leaching low-grade chalcopyrite ores. The Company markets five primary products, such as copper concentrates, copper cathodes, uranium oxide, lead concentrates and zinc concentrates.

The Company has 57.5% interest owned and operated Escondida mine. During fiscal 2012, its share of Escondida production was 333.8 kiloton of payable copper in concentrate and 172.0 kiloton of copper cathode. Its Olympic Dam is a producer of copper cathode and uranium oxide and a refiner of smaller amounts of gold and silver bullion. The Company owns 33.75 % of Antamina copper/zinc mine in Peru. The Company�� wholly owned Spence copper mine produces! copper c! athode. During fiscal 2012, the Company produced 180.3 kiloton of copper cathode. The Company also has interest in Pampa Norte Cerro Colorado Operation, Cannington and North America-Pinto Valley.

Diamonds and Specialty Products Customer Sector Group

The Company�� diamonds and specialty products CSG operate its diamonds business and engage in the exploration and development of a potash business. Its diamonds business is consists of the EKATI Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The Company�� interest in EKATI consists of an 80%t interest in the Core Zone Joint Venture, consisting existing operations and a 58.8 % interest in the Buffer Zone Joint Venture, primarily focusing on exploration targets. The Company sells its rough diamonds to international diamond buyers through its Antwerp sales office.

Stainless Steel Materials Customer Sector Group

The Company�� Stainless Steel Materials CSG is primarily a supplier of nickel to the stainless steel industry. The Company also supplies nickel to other markets, including the specialty alloy, foundry, chemicals and refractory material industries. The Company�� nickel business consists of two assets, including Nickel West and Cerro Matoso. Nickel West is the name for its wholly owned Western Australian nickel Asset, which consists of an integrated system of mines, concentrators, a smelter and a refinery. The Company mine nickel-bearing sulphide ore at its Mt Keith, Leinster and Cliffs Operations north of Kalgoorlie. The Company operates concentrator plants at Mt Keith and at Leinster, which also concentrate ore from Cliffs. The Company also operates the Kambalda concentrator south of Kalgoorlie, where it source ore through tolling and concentrate purchase arrangements with third parties in the Kambalda region. The Company�� Cerro Matoso is its 99.94 % owned nickel Asset in Colombia, combines a lateritic nickel ore deposit with a ferronickel smelter. Production in during fiscal 2012, was! 48.9 kil! oton of nickel in ferronickel form.

Iron Ore Customer Sector Group

The Company�� Iron Ore CSG consists of its Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) interests and a 50 % interest in the Samarco Joint Venture in Brazil. The Company sells lump and fines product produced in Australia and pellets from its operations in Brazil. WAIO�� operations involve integrated system of mines and more than 1,000 kilometers of rail infrastructure and port facilities in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. WAIO operations consist of three joint ventures, such as Mt Newman, Yandi and Mt Goldsworthy and Jimblebar. The Company is a joint venture partner with Vale at the Samarco Operation in Brazil. Samarco consists of a mine and two concentrators located in the State of Minas Gerais, and three pellet plants and a port located in the State of Espirito Sant.

Manganese Customer Sector Group

The Company�� Manganese CSG produces a combination of ores and alloys from sites in South Africa and Australia. Aproximately 80 % of its ore production is sold directly to external customers and the remainder is used as feedstock in its alloy smelters. The Company owns and manages all manganese mining operations and alloy plants through joint ventures with Anglo American. Its joint venture interests are held through Samancor Manganese, which operates its global Manganese assets. In South Africa, Samancor Manganese (Pty) Ltd owns 74 % of Hotazel Manganese Mines (Pty) Ltd (HMM) and 100 % of the Metalloys division. In Australia, it owns 60 % of Groote Eylandt Mining Company Pty Ltd (GEMCO) and has an effective interest of 60 % in Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company Pty Ltd (TEMCO) through GEMCO, which owns 100 % of TEMCO.

Metallurgical Coal Customer Sector Group

The Company�� Metallurgical Coal CSG is a supplier of seaborne metallurgical coal. Metallurgical coal, along with iron ore and manganese, is a key input in the production of steel. The Comp! any�� e! xport customers are steel producers around the world. The Company has assets in two resource basins, such as the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland, Australia, and the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.

The Bowen Basin is well positioned to supply the seaborne market. The Company also has access to key infrastructure, including a modern, integrated electric rail network and its own coal loading terminal at Hay Point, Mackay. The Company owns and operates three underground coal mines in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, which supply metallurgical coal to the nearby BlueScope Port Kembla steelworks, and other domestic and export markets. Total production in during fiscal 2012, was approximately 7.9 metric ton.

Energy Coal Customer Sector Group

The Company�� Energy Coal CSG is a producers and marketers of export energy coal (also known as thermal or steaming coal) and is also a domestic supplier to the electricity generation industry in Australia, South Africa and the United States. The Company makes export sales to power generators and some industrial users in Asia, Europe and the United States, usually under contracts for delivery of a fixed volume of coal. The Company operates three assets, including a group of mines and associated infrastructure collectively known as BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa; its New Mexico Coal operations in the United States; and its New South Wales Energy Coal operations in Australia. The Company also owns a 33.33 % share of the Cerrejon Coal Company, which operates a coal mine in Colombia.

BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa (BECSA) operates four coal mines being Khutala, Klipspruit, Middelburg and Wolvekrans in the Witbank region of Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The Company owns and operates the Navajo mine, located on Navajo Nation land in New Mexico, and the nearby San Juan mine located in the state of New Mexico. Each mine transports its production directly to a nearby power station.! New Sout! h Wales Energy Coal�� operating asset is the Mt Arthur Coal open-cut mine in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, which produced approximately 17 metric ton during fiscal 2012. The Company has a one-third interest in Cerrejon Coal Company, which owns and operates open-cut export coal mines in La Guajira province of Colombia, as well as integrated rail and port facilities through which the majority of production is exported to European, Middle Eastern, North American and Asian customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  This screen generates 37 stocks in the U.S. market as of today. The largest companies among the list are BHP Billiton (BHP) (BBL), Intel (INTC), China Petroleum & Chemical (SNP) and Royal Bank of Canada (RY).

• [By Nate Weisshaar]

  Some of the biggest losers have been miners, with giants�BHP Billiton� (LSE: BLT  ) (NYSE: BBL  ) and�Rio Tinto�both losing almost 12% of their value.�

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: Unione di Banche Italiane ScpA (BPD)

Unione di Banche Italiane Scpa is an Italy-based holding company engaged in the governance, control, coordination and support of Unione di Banche Italiane Group. The Company�� activities are divided into three business segments. The Banking sector comprises of nine network banks of the Group, including IW Bank SpA, Banque de Depots et de Gestione SA and UBI International SA. The Non-banking financial sector includes Centrobanca SpA, Ubi Leasing SpA, Ubi Factor SpA, Ubi Pramerica SGR SpA, Banca 24-7 SpA, Silf SpA, Prestitalia SpA, Ubi Fiduciaria SpA and UBI Gestioni Fiduciarie SIM SpA. The Corporate Centre segment comprises UBI Banca Scpa and Ubi Sistemi e Servizi Scpa, among others. The Company is engaged in the corporate banking, consumer credit, asset management, factoring, leasing, life and non-life bancassurance sectors, among others. On May 6, 2013, it completed merger of Centrobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario e Mobiliare SpA into the Company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By April Yee]

  In its annual outlook, released this month, Opec said demand for its crude would dip to between 28 million and 29.2 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2018, from 30.3 million bpd today.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  US oil production has risen from 5 million barrels per day (BPD) in 2008 to 7.3 million BPD in the most recent quarter. The US is now the fastest-growing oil producing region in the world.

Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Buy Right Now: Arris Group Inc(ARRS)

Arris Group, Inc. develops, manufactures, and supplies telephony, data, video, construction, rebuild, and maintenance equipment for the broadband communications industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Broadband Communications Systems (BCS); Access, Transport, and Supplies (ATS); and Media and Communications Systems (MCS). The BCS segment provides VoIP and high speed data products, including CMTS edge routers, 2-line residential EMTA, multi-line EMTA for residential and commercial services, wireless gateway, and high speed data cable modems; video/IP products comprising CMTS edge routers, broadband and universal EdgeQAM, and whole home gateway and media players; and video processing products, such as switched digital video systems, digital video encoders, transcoders, transraters, and statistical multiplexers. The ATS segment offers hybrid fiber-coaxial plant equipment products comprising headend and hub products, optical transmitters, optical amplifiers , optical repeaters, optical nodes, WiFi access points, ePON optical network units and line terminals, RF over glass optical network units, and radio frequency amplifiers; and infrastructure products for fiber optic or coaxial networks, which include cable and strand, vaults, conduit, drop materials, tools, connectors, and test equipment. The MCS segment provides media, delivery, and monetization platform products, such as video on demand management and distribution, and linear and advanced advertising; operations management systems comprising network and service assurance, and mobile workforce management; and fixed mobile convergence platform products, such as mobility application servers for continuity of services in wireless and PacketCable networks, and voice call continuity application servers for continuity of services in IP multimedia subsystem networks. The company offers its services to cable system operators. Arris Group, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquarter ed in Suwanee, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Arris Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRS) has become a major competitive threat to Cisco after its acquisition of the set-top box business of Motorola Mobility. IHS estimated that the global set-top box shipment will grow 8% year-over-year to 269 million units in 2013 from 250 million units in 2012. This is further expected to increase 6% in 2014 to 286 million units and another 1% in 2015 to 290 million units. Moreover, IHS also estimated that the global set-top box revenues will reach a record-high $22.2 billion in 2013. The consensus price target for Arris is $17.25.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Google also sold off the Motorola Home business to Arris� (NASDAQ: ARRS  ) in a $2.4 billion cash and stock deal, which closed this month. Big G is now the proud owner of a 7.7% stake in Arris, while its net cost for Motorola subsequently declined to around $7.1 billion.

• [By Vinay Singh]

  ARRIS (ARRS) is a communications technology company that focuses on products that enable high-speed broadband transmission of video, telephony, and data. Most of the company's business is with cable TV system operators with Comcast and Time Warner Cableproviding about 50% of sales.