The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 0.5% and the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.3%. The Nasdaq composite index fell 0.7%.
Shares of Citigroup slumped after the Federal Reserve rejected the bank's capital plan, saying it had failed its "stress test." The Fed's action stops the bank from raising its dividend payout to shareholders, or buying back more of its own stock. That marks the second time in three years that the bank has failed the test.
In economic news, the government said the economy in the fourth quarter grew at a stronger pace than previously estimated. Gross domestic product in the last three months of 2013 increased at a 2.6% annual rate, up from the previous estimate of 2.4%, the Commerce Department said.
Top Cheapest Companies For 2015: BIOLASE Inc (BIOL)
BIOLASE, Inc., formerly BIOLASE Technology, Inc., incorporated in 1987, is a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets lasers, and markets and distributes dental imaging equipment and other related products designed for applications and procedures in dentistry and medicine. The Company's dental laser systems allow dentists, periodontists, endodontists, oral surgeons, and other specialists to perform a range of dental procedures, including cosmetic and complex surgical applications in a minimally invasive manner. The Company also manufactures and sells disposable products and accessories for its laser systems. The Company's Waterlase and Diode systems use disposable laser tips of differing sizes and shapes depending on the procedures being performed. The Company also markets flexible fibers and hands pieces. For the Company's ezlase system, the Company sells tooth whitening gel kits. In April 2012, it purchased 159 Waterlase MD Turbo laser systems from Henry Schein, Inc.
The Company's Waterlase Dentistry consists of two product lines Waterlase systems and Diode systems. In July 2011, the Company introduced the Biolase DaVinci Imaging line of imaging products, which enabled the Company to offer digital diagnostic solutions to complement the minimally invasive dental treatment solutions offered by its Waterlase and Diode dental systems. The Company added the distribution of the NewTom cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), to its imaging product line. The integration of the Company's laser products with imaging offers dental professionals the Total Technology Solution, which provides imaging capabilities for early diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment with its Waterlase iPlus and iLase laser technologies.
The Company's all-tissueWaterlase dental laser systems consist of the Waterlase iPlus, the Waterlase MD Turbo, and the Waterlase MDX 300 and 450, both introduced in February 2012. Each of these systems is designed around the Company's yttrium scandi! um gallium garnet (YSGG) laser technology that refers to the laser crystal used in the Waterlase system, which contains the elements erbium, chromium and yttrium, scandium, gallium and garnet. This crystal laser produces energy with specific absorption and tissue interaction characteristics optimized for dental applications. HydroPhotonics refers to the interaction of YSGG lasers with water to produce energy to cut tissue. It is minimally invasive and can cut hard tissue, such as bone and teeth, and soft tissue, such as gums or skin, without the heat, vibration, or pressure associated with traditional dental treatments. By eliminating heat, vibration, and pressure, the Company's Waterlase systems eliminate the need for anesthesia.
The Waterlase systems incorporate an ergonomic handpiece and a control panel located on the front of the system with precise preset functionality to control the mix of laser energy, air, and water, as well as the pulse rate. The Waterlase iPlus incorporates the iLase wireless diode laser that can be utilized for unexpected soft-tissue cases in an adjacent treatment room, controlling bleeding, and temporary pain relief.
The Company's Diode laser systems in dentistry consist of the ezlase and iLase, semiconductor diode lasers to perform soft tissue, hygiene, cosmetic procedures, teeth whitening, and temporary pain relief. The Company's ezlase system serves the markets of general, cosmetic, orthodontic and hygienic procedures. It features a pulse mode, ComfortPulse, which allows the tissue to cool between pulses and reduces the need for anesthesia for many common procedures. Other features include a wireless foot pedal control, disposable single-use tips, color touch screen activation with up to fifteen procedure based pre-sets, a whitening hand piece, a rechargeable battery pack, and a wall mount.
The Company's imaging systems include the Company's design and distribution of extra-oral and intra-oral dental digital imaging devices. The Co! mpany's e! xpansion into digital imaging systems enables the Company to offer diagnostic solutions to complement the minimally invasive dental treatment solutions offered by the Company's Waterlase and Diode dental systems. The Company provides both high-precision intuitive diagnosis and treatment planning solutions. The Company's Biolase DaVinci Imaging systems include the D3D, a three dimensional (3D) CBCT, and portable digital x-ray and intra-oral camera devices.
The NewTom VGi is a small-footprint CBCT system that offers medical grade imaging technology. In addition to producing up to image resolution with medical grade rotating anode technology, SafeBeam technology automatically adjusts radiation dosage. The Company's Medical systems include the Diolase 10 Diode Laser. As of December 31, 2011, the Company has sold approximately 8,700 Waterlase systems, including over 4,700 Waterlase MD and iPlus systems, and more than 19,000 laser systems in total in over 60 countries. As of decembe31, 2011, the Company�� other products under development address ophthalmology, dermatology, orthopedics, podiatry, and other medical and consumer markets.
The Company competes with Lares Dental Research, Fotona d.d., KaVo Dental GmbH, Lambda SpA, J Morita Manufacturing Corp., Syneron Medical Ltd, Deka Laser Technologies, Inc. Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc., Dentsply, Inc., Royal Philips Electronics and Sirona Dental Systems, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
One health care player that's starting to trend within range of triggering a major breakout trade is Biolase (BIOL), which is a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets laser systems for dental and medical applications. This stock is off to a decent start in 2013, with shares up 12%.
If you take a look at the chart for Biolase, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last two months, with shares moving between $1.64 on the downside and $2.24 on the upside. Shares of BIOL have now started to spike higher right off its 200-day moving average of $1.87 a share. That spike is quickly pushing shares of BIOL within range of triggering a major breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent sideways trading chart pattern.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BIOL if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.15 to $2.24 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 627,655 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then BIOL will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.50 to $4 a share.
Traders can look to buy BIOL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $1.85 to $1.80 a share. One can also buy BIOL off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
- [By James E. Brumley]
Looking for a quick, high-odds bullish trade? Then look for further than BIOLASE Inc. (NASDAQ:BIOL). This small medical equipment company has had nothing less than a miserable 2013, falling from a peak above $6.00 in April to a multi-year low of $1.16 on Wednesday. But, the size and scope of that plunge from BIOL has also dropped all the tell-tale hints that a rebound is nigh.
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Watch Right Now: Chimerix Inc (CMRX)
Chimerix, Inc., incorporated on April, 07, 2000, is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, oral antiviral therapeutics that are designed to transform patient care in areas of high unmet medical need. Its lipid technology has given rise to two clinical-stage compounds, CMX001 and CMX157, which have demonstrated the potential for enhanced antiviral activity and safety in convenient, orally administered dosing regimens.
CMX001 is an orally administered drug that utilizes its lipid technology to deliver intracellular concentrations of a potent antiviral compound, cidofovir-diphosphate (CDV-PP). Following oral dosing, CMX001 is absorbed through the gut, remains intact in the plasma, and is readily taken up by and delivered into cells. Once inside cells, CMX001 is converted into CDV-PP, which acts as an alternative substrate in a replicating virus. CMX001 is similar to the drug cidofovir in that both drugs are converted into CDV-PP once inside cells. Although cidofovir is approved for administration in an intravenous formulation, Vistide, it requires a plasma concentration to deliver a therapeutic level of cidofovir into cells and its use is limited due to the risk of kidney damage.
CMX157, Its second clinical stage compound, is an oral nucleotide compound in Phase 1 development for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In July 2012, the Company granted Merck an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize CMX157 for all human uses. Merck is responsible for all development and marketing activities for CMX157 on a worldwide basis.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
Biotech companies that are most likely to benefit because they are “Ahead in clinical development and/or have established relationships with [the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or] BARDA which may facilitate getting a contract” include GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), NewLink Genetics (NLNK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Chimerix (CMRX). Kantor includes Tekmira�(TKMR) and Sarepta (SRPT) among “companies with viable programs” that are “moving forward and likely to attract additional funding.”
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS)
Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Denmark-based company active within the wind power industry. The Company operates within four business areas: Finance, Sales, Manufacturing & Global Sourcing, and Technology & Service Solutions. The Finance business area focuses on business support services. The Sales business area is divided into six geographical units: Americas, Asia Pacific & China, Central Europe, Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Offshore. The Manufacturing & Global Sourcing business area is engaged in the manufacturing of assembly, blades, components, controls and generators. The Technology & Service Solutions business area is responsible for the engineering solutions, platform and product management, as well as service engineering, among others. As of December 31, 2012, the Company operated globally through a network of subsidiaries located in Denmark, Germany, Italy, China, the United States, Spain, Estonia, Sweden and Norway. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tom Stoukas]
Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) surged 11 percent to 66.30 kroner, its highest price since February 2012. Credit Suisse Group AG raised the world�� biggest wind-turbine maker to neutral from underperform, citing benefits from cost cuts.
- [By Pato Kehoe]
Within the power infrastructure segment, GE is especially keen on advancing in clean-energy products, such as gas and wind turbines. Wind turbines have contributed significantly to generating a solid competitive advantage, even allowing the firm to surpass the Danish industry giant Vestas Wind Systems (VWS), thanks to superior customer care and manufacturing expertise. Hence, the road seems paved for continued success in this new industry sector, which is bound to continue growing as clean energy becomes more popular.
Top 5 Industrial Disributor Stocks To Watch Right Now: New Jersey Resources Corp (NJR)
New Jersey Resources Corporation (NJR), incorporated in 1981, is an energy services holding company providing retail and wholesale energy services to customers in states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada. NJR's subsidiaries and businesses include New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV), NJR Energy Services (NJRES) and NJR Energy Holdings Corporation (NJREH). NJNG is a local natural gas distribution company, which provides regulated retail natural gas service to approximately 500,100 residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets. NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV) comprises the Company's Clean Energy Ventures segment and reports the results of operations and assets related to the Company's capital investments in renewable energy projects, including commercial and residential solar projects, as well as on-shore wind projects through a 19.9% interest in OwnEnergy. NJRES maintains and transacts around a portfolio of physical assets consisting of natural gas storage and transportation contracts. NJRES also provides wholesale energy management services to other energy companies and natural gas producers. NJRES comprises the Company's Energy Services segment. NJREH invests in energy-related ventures through its subsidiaries, NJNR Pipeline Company (Pipeline), which holds the Company's 5.53% ownership interest in Iroquois Gas Transmission L.P. (Iroquois) and NJR Steckman Ridge Storage Company, which holds the Company's 50% combined interest in Steckman Ridge GP, LLC and Steckman Ridge, LP (collectively, Steckman Ridge), a natural gas storage facility. Iroquois and Steckman Ridge comprise the Company's Energy Holdings segment.
NJR has retail and other operations (Retail and Other). NJR Retail Holdings (Retail Holdings) is consolidates the Company's unregulated retail operations. Retail Holdings consi! sts of wholly owned subsidiaries, including NJR Home Services (NJRHS), a company which provides heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) service repair and contract services to approximately 134,900 customers, as well as solar installation projects; Commercial Realty & Resources (CR&R), a company that holds and develops commercial real estate holds and develops commercial real estate, and NJR Plumbing Services (NJRPS), a company that provides plumbing repair and installation services.
NJR Energy Investments (NJREI) is an unregulated affiliate, which consolidates the Company's unregulated energy-related investments. NJREI includes the wholly owned subsidiaries, including NJR Investment, a company which makes and holds energy-related investments, through equity instruments of public companies. NJR Energy Corporation (NJR Energy), a company that invests in energy-related ventures. NJR Service an unregulated company, which provides shared administrative services, including corporate communications, financial and planning, internal audit, legal, human resources and information technology for NJR and all subsidiaries.
The Company operates within four reportable business segments: Natural Gas Distribution, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Services and Energy Holdings. The Natural Gas Distribution segment consists of regulated energy and off-system, capacity and storage management operations. The Clean Energy Ventures segment consists of capital investments in renewable energy projects. The Energy Services segment consists of unregulated wholesale energy operations. The Energy Holdings segment consists of investments in the midstream natural gas market, such as natural gas transportation and storage facilities.
Natural Gas Distribution
NJNG provides natural gas service to approximately 500,100 customers. NJNG's service territory is in New Jersey's Monmouth and Ocean counties and parts of Burlington, Morris, Middlesex and Sussex counties. It encompasses 1,516 sq! uare mile! s, covering 105 municipalities with an population of 1.4 million people. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), NJNG added 6,704 new customers and added natural gas heat and other services to another 539 existing customers. During fiscal 2012, NJNG's gas supply portfolio consists of long-term (over seven months), winter-term (November through March) and short-term (seven months or less) contracts. During fiscal 2012 , NJNG purchased gas from approximately one hundred suppliers under contracts ranging from one day to one year and purchased over 10% of its natural gas from two suppliers. NJNG maintains agreements for firm transportation and storage capacity with several interstate pipeline companies. NJNG receives natural gas at eight citygate stations located in Middlesex, Morris and Passaic counties in New Jersey.
The pipeline companies, which provide firm contract transportation service for NJNG and supply the above pipelines are ANR Pipeline Company (ANR), Iroquois Gas Transmission L.P., Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, Dominion Transmission Corporation (Dominion) and Columbia Gulf Transmission Company. In addition, NJNG has storage and related transportation contracts, which provide additional maximum daily deliverability to NJNG's citygate stations of 102,941 decatherm from storage fields in its Northeast market area.
Clean Energy Ventures
NJRCEV is an unregulated company, which invests, owns and operates renewable energy projects located in the State of New Jersey and owns an interest in an on-shore wind project developer. NJRCEV invests in, owns and operates residential and commercial solar installations in the State of New Jersey. As of September 30, 2012 , NJRCEV has placed a total of 35.9 megawatts of solar assets into service, including a combination of residential and commercial rooftop and ground mount solar systems.
Energy Services
NJRES provides unregulated wholesale energy services and engages in! the busi! ness of optimizing natural gas storage and transportation assets. The rights to these assets are acquired in anticipation of delivering natural gas or performing asset management activities for the Company's customers or in conjunction with identifying arbitrage opportunities that exist in the marketplace. These activities are conducted in the market areas, which include states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada.
NJRES has developed a portfolio of natural gas storage and transportation capacity in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada. NJRES also participates in park-and-loan transactions with pipeline and storage counterparties, where NJRES will park (store) natural gas to be redelivered to NJRES at a later date or borrow to be returned to the pipeline or storage field at a later date. NJRES has built a portfolio of customers, including local distribution companies, industrial companies, electric generators, retail aggregators, natural gas producers and other wholesale marketing companies.
Energy Holdings
Energy Holdings include investments in natural gas transportation and storage assets and is consisted of NJNR Pipeline, which consists of its 5.53% equity investment in Iroquois Gas Transmission System, which is a 412 -mile natural gas pipeline from the New York-Canadian border to Long Island, New York, and NJR Steckman Ridge Storage Company, which holds the Company's 50% equity investment in Steckman Ridge. Steckman Ridge is a partnership, jointly owned and controlled by subsidiaries of the Company and subsidiaries of Spectra Energy Corporation, which built, owns and operates a 17.7 billion cubic feet natural gas storage facility in western Pennsylvania.
Other Business Operations
Retail and Other operations consist of the unregulated affiliates, including NJRHS, which provides HVAC service, sales and ! installat! ion of appliances to approximately 134,900 customers, as well as installation of solar equipment, and CR&R, which holds and develops commercial real estate. As of September 30, 2012 , CR&R's real estate portfolio consisted of 27 acres of undeveloped land in Monmouth County, 52 acres of undeveloped land in Atlantic County, and a 56,400 -square-foot office building on five acres of land in Monmouth County. NJR Investment invests in and holds certain energy-related investments, through equity instruments of public companies. NJR Energy invests in energy-related ventures. NJR Service provides shared administrative and financial services to the Company and all its subsidiaries.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Diane Alter]
Dividend Stocks That Increased Payout in September
Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) announced a 14.8%, or $0.12 per share, increase to its semiannual dividend. The management consulting firm will now pay a semiannual dividend of $0.93. Shares yield 2.53%. Agruim Inc. (NYSE: AGU) boosted its dividend by $1.00 per share to a total dividend of $3.00 on an annualized basis. Shares of the global retailer of agricultural products now sprout a 3.54% yield. Air Industries Group Inc. (NYSE: AIRI) doubled its dividend to $0.125 per share. The maker of airplane and helicopter parts now floats a lofty yield of 6.6%. Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. (NYSE: ARE) upped its dividend 4.6% to $0.68 per quarter for a yield of 4.21%. Banner Corp. (Nasdaq: BANR) boosted its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.15 per share. The parent company of Banner and Islander Bank serves the Pacific Northwest region. Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) lifted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.78 per share. It was the 28th straight dividend increase from the identification solutions company. Shares yield 2.57%. Campbell Soup Co. (NSE: CPB) raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, up from $0.29. The company last raised its dividend in November 2010. Shares yield a hearty 3.06%. CLARCOR Inc. (NYSE: CLC) raised its quarterly dividend 26% to $0.17 per share. It's the largest percentage increase from the Tennessee-based diversified marketer of mobile filtration and packaging products in the last 20 years, and it continues the company's consecutive streak of increasing dividends for the last 30 years. Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) boosted its quarterly dividend 2.6% to $0.10 per share. Frisch's Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: FRS) increased its quarterly dividend 12.5% to $0.18. Shares yield 3.10% The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT), in a move that suggests good times are ahead, reinstated its dividend at $0.05 per share. Good
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