Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015

Source: thinkstockAugust 26, 2013: U.S. markets opened slightly higher this morning, held in check by limited data releases in Europe and Asia, and a decidedly downbeat report on U.S. durable goods orders. The markets traded along slightly higher most of the day until late afternoon when Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Syria had indeed used chemical weapons against its own citizens, causing fears that a U.S. military response would further destabilize the region and affect global equities��prices.

European and Asian markets closed mixed today, while Latin American markets closed lower.

On Tuesday�� calendar, San Francisco Fed President John Williams is giving a speech and we are scheduled for the following data releases and events:

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: First Bancorp (FBP)

First Bancorp is a bank holding company. The Company is a service provider of financial services and products with operations in Puerto Rico, the United States and the United States and British Virgin Islands. The Company has six segments: Consumer (Retail) Banking; Commercial and Corporate Banking; Mortgage Banking; Treasury and Investments; United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. The Company specializes in commercial banking, residential mortgage loan originations, finance leases, personal loans, small loans, auto loans, insurance agency and broker-dealer activities. As of December 31, 2011, it controlled two wholly owned subsidiaries: FirstBank and FirstBank Insurance Agency, Inc. (FirstBank Insurance Agency). FirstBank is a Puerto Rico-chartered commercial bank and FirstBank Insurance Agency is a Puerto Rico-chartered insurance agency. On February 16, 2011, FirstBank sold an asset portfolio consisting of performing and non-performing construction, commercial mortgage and C&I loans. The Company�� total investment securities portfolio as of December 31, 2011 amounted to $2 billion. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had a total deposit of $9.9 billion. Effective May 31, 2011, the Company purchased FirstBank-branded consumer credit card portfolio from FIA Card Services, N.A. and an affiliate.

Consumer (Retail) Banking

The Consumer (Retail) Banking segment consists of the Company�� consumer lending and deposit-taking activities conducted mainly through FirstBank�� branch network and loan centers in Puerto Rico. Loans to consumers include auto, boat and personal loans and lines of credit. Deposit products include interest bearing and non-interest bearing checking and savings accounts, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) and retail certificates of deposit. Retail deposits gathered through each branch of FirstBank�� retail network serve as one of the funding sources for the lending and investment activities. Credit card accounts are issued under Firs! tBank�� name through an alliance with a financial institution, which bears the credit risk.

Commercial and Corporate Banking

The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment consists of the Company�� lending and other services across a spectrum of industries ranging from small businesses to large corporate clients. FirstBank has developed expertise in industries, including healthcare, tourism, financial institutions, food and beverage, income-producing real estate and the public sector. The Commercial and Corporate Banking segment offers commercial loans, including commercial real estate and construction loans, and other products, such as cash management and business management services. A substantial portion of this portfolio is secured by the underlying value of the real estate collateral and the personal guarantees of the borrowers. The segment also includes the Company�� broker-dealer activities, which are primarily concentrated in bonds underwriting and financial advisory services provided to government entities in Puerto Rico.

Mortgage Banking

The Mortgage Banking segment conducts its operations mainly through FirstBank and its mortgage origination subsidiary, First Mortgage. These operations consist of the origination, sale and servicing of a variety of residential mortgage loan products. Originations are sourced through different channels, such as FirstBank branches, mortgage bankers and in association with new project developers. First Mortgage focuses on originating residential real estate loans, some of which conform to Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veterans Administration (VA) and Rural Development (RD) standards. The Mortgage Banking segment also acquires and sells mortgages in the secondary markets. Most of the Company�� residential mortgage loan portfolio consists of fixed-rate, fully amortizing, full documentation loans.

Treasury and Investments

The Treasury and Investments segment is responsib! le for th! e Corporation�� treasury and investment management functions. The treasury function, which includes funding and liquidity management, sells funds to the Commercial and Corporate Banking segment, the Mortgage Banking segment, and the Consumer (Retail) Banking segment to finance their respective lending activities and purchases funds gathered by those segments and from the United States Operations segment. Funds not gathered by the different business units are obtained by the Treasury Division through wholesale channels, such as brokered deposits, advances from the FHLB and, repurchase agreements with investment securities, among others.

United States Operations

The United States Operations segment consists of all banking activities conducted by FirstBank in the United States mainland. FirstBank provides a range of banking services to individual and corporate customers primarily in southern Florida through its ten branches. The United States Operations segment offers an array of both retail and commercial banking products and services. Consumer banking products include checking, savings and money market accounts, retail certificates of deposit (CDs), Internet banking services, residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, automobile loans and credit cards through an alliance with a nationally recognized financial institution, which bears the credit risk. Deposits gathered through FirstBank�� branches in the United States also serve as a funding sources for lending and investment activities in Puerto Rico. The commercial banking services include checking, savings and money market accounts, CDs, Internet banking services, cash management services, remote data capture and automated clearing house (ACH), transactions. Loan products include the traditional commercial and industrial and commercial real estate products, such as lines of credit, term loans and construction loans.

Virgin Islands Operations

The Virgin Islands Operations seg! ment cons! ists of all banking activities conducted by FirstBank in the United States and British Virgin Islands, including retail and commercial banking services, with a total of fourteen branches serving the United States Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and the British Virgin Islands of Tortola and Virgin Gorda. The Virgin Islands Operations segment is driven by its consumer, commercial lending and deposit-taking activities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  First Bancorp (NYSE: FBP) is another Puerto Rican bank that gets the nod. The bank�� asset divestitures are behind it and, like M&T, it is fundamentally sound. Sterne Agee�� price target on the stock is $11.00, and the stock closed on Friday at $5.81 in a 52-week range of $4.27 to $8.70. The potential upside for this small cap bank is nearly 90%. The bank�� forward multiple according to the analysts is 10.8 and the consensus forward P/E from Thomson Reuters is 11.17. Sterne Agee�� EPS estimate for 2014 is $0.52.

• [By CRWE]

  First BanCorp (NYSE:FBP), the bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico, expects to report its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012, after the market closes on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: Union Pacific Corporation(UNP)

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, provides rail transportation services in North America. It has approximately 31,953 route miles linking Pacific Coast and Gulf Coast ports with the Midwest and eastern United States gateways, and provides several corridors to Mexican gateways. The company offers freight transportation services for agricultural products, including whole grains and related commodities, food, beverage products, corn for ethanol products and its by-products, animal feeds, fruits and vegetables, frozen meat, and poultry products; and automotive products, such as imported and finished vehicles, and automotive parts and materials. It also provides transportation services for chemicals, such as industrial chemicals, plastics, and liquid petroleum products; energy products comprising coal and coke; industrial products, including lumber products, paper and consumer goods, furniture and appliances, and nonferrous and i ndustrial minerals, as well as steel and construction products, such as rock, cement, and roofing materials; and intermodal containers. Union Pacific Corporation was founded in 1862 and is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kelley Wright]

  We like energy, a sector that is benefiting Union Pacific (UNP). With limited pipelines, however, crude oil and petroleum derivatives have to get to refineries and ports somehow. With almost 32,000 rail miles linking both coasts and the Midwest with the Gulf ports, UNP is just the ticket. The $3.16 dividend is very attractive, as is the S&P ����Quality Ranking.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $2.37 per share on revenue of $5.70 billion.

  Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $1.20 per share on revenue of $11.49 billion.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Finally, railroad giant Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) trekked 4% higher after reporting better-than-expected first-quarter results. Despite weak coal shipments, which had dragged down Union Pacific's earnings potential in recent quarters, the company delivered an 11% boost in profits, to $2.03 per share, as revenue rose nearly 4%, to $5.29 billion. Both figures easily surpassed the $5.22 billion in revenue and $1.96 in EPS that the Street was expecting. Union Pacific utilized higher prices to boost its bottom line, as total shipping volume fell 2%. However, similar to what we've been hearing from many coal companies, Union Pacific expects overall shipping demand to improve in the second-half of the year.

• [By Matthew Smith]

  Day trading gains could be had, but if you want to own names with exposure to shipping the goods which power, feed and build the economy a better option would be to focus on Union Pacific (UNP) which is part of the heartbeat of America. It is still a great company, whereas DryShips is not due to its capital structure and debt.

Best Airline Stocks To Watch Right Now: Opko Health Inc(OPK)

OPKO Health, Inc., a pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel and proprietary technologies primarily in the United States, Chile, and Mexico. It provides a range of solutions, including molecular diagnostics tests, proprietary pharmaceuticals, and vaccines to diagnose, treat, and prevent neurological disorders, infectious diseases, oncology, and ophthalmologic diseases. The company offers molecular diagnostic platform technology for the rapid identification of molecules or immunobiomarkers; Alzheimer?s test for Alzheimer?s diagnostic; and protein-based influenza vaccines to provide multi-season and multi-strain protection against various influenza virus strains, such as seasonal influenza strains, as well as global influenza pandemic strains which include swine flu, and avian flu. It also offers Oligonucleotide Therapeutics for the treatment of various illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, metabolic disorders, and genetic anomalies; and oligosaccharide for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. In addition, the company provides Rolapitant, a potent and antagonist; neurokinin-1, which has completed Phase II clinical trials for prevention of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, and post-operative induced nausea and vomiting; and SCH 900978 that has completed Phase II clinical trials for chronic cough. Further, it offers bevasiranib, a drug candidate for the treatment of Wet AMD; and develops Aquashunt, a shunt to be used in the treatment of glaucoma. Additionally, the company involves in the development, commercialization, and sale of ophthalmic diagnostic and imaging systems, and instrumentation products. OPKO Health, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  Opko Health, Inc. (OPK): CEO & Chairman, 10% Owner Phillip Md Et Al Frost Bought 686,000 Shares

  CEO & Chairman, 10% Owner of Opko Health, Inc. (OPK) Phillip Md Et Al Frost bought 686,000 shares during the past week at an average price of $7.93. Opko Health, Inc. was originally incorporated in Delaware in October 1991 under the name Cytoclonal Pharmaceutics, Inc. Opko Health, Inc. has a market cap of $3.24 billion; its shares were traded at around $7.93 with and P/S ratio of 28.01.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Look out Roche Holding Ltd. (OTCMKTS:RHHBY), and Opko Health Inc. (NYSE:OPK) - you're on notice too. There's a new player in the human growth hormone arena, and it may have built the proverbial better mousetrap. Versartis Inc. (NASDAQ:VSAR) only went public in late March, but with the dust from that IPO settling, it's already becoming clear that VSAR - admittedly a one-trick pony - could pose a real threat to OPK and RHHBY... at least on the human growth hormone front.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Opko Health (NYSE: OPK) tumbled 2.65 percent to $8.80. Opko Health shares have surged 93.16% over the past 52 weeks.

  Textura Corporation (NYSE: TXTR) shares were down as well, falling 16.19 percent to $31.72 after Citron Research issued a scathing report on the company midway through the morning Thursday.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: Republic Bancorp Inc.(RBCAA)

Republic Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Republic Bank & Trust Company and Republic Bank, which provides banking, tax refund solutions, and mortgage banking services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers a range of deposit products, including demand deposits, money market accounts, brokered and Internet money market accounts, savings deposits, individual retirement accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. It also provides single family residential real estate loans; commercial loans; residential construction real estate loans; and consumer loans, which consists of home improvement and home equity loans, as well as secured and unsecured personal loans. In addition, the company offers private banking services; treasury management services, such as lockbox processing, remote deposit capture, business online banking, account reconciliation, and automated clearing house processing services; Internet banking service s and products through its Website, republicbank.com; and trust, title insurance, and other financial institution related products and services. Further, it provides tax refund solutions that include the payment of federal and state tax refunds through third party tax preparers. The company facilitates the payment of these tax refunds through refund anticipation loans, electronic refund checks, and electronic refund deposits. Its mortgage banking activities comprise origination and sale of loans in the secondary market, and the servicing of loans for others. As of December 31, 2009, the company had 44 banking centers, including 35 located in Kentucky; 5 located in metropolitan Tampa, Florida; 3 located in southern Indiana; and 1 located in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio. Republic Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  In the fourth quarter, he bought 32 new stocks. The largest new buys are: Air Lease (AL), Colfax (CFX) and Republic Bancorp Inc. (RBCAA).

  Air Lease (AL)

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: Applied Materials Inc.(AMAT)

Applied Materials, Inc. provides manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, flat panel display, solar photovoltaic (PV), and related industries worldwide. The company?s Silicon Systems Group segment offers a range of manufacturing equipment used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits. This segment provides systems that perform primary processes used in chip fabrication, including atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, electrochemical deposition, rapid thermal processing, chemical mechanical planarization, wet cleaning, and wafer metrology and inspection, as well as systems that etch or inspect circuit patterns on masks used in the photolithography process. Its Applied Global Services segment offers products and services designed to enhance the performance and productivity, and reduce the environmental impact of the fab operations of semiconductor, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and solar P V manufacturers. The company?s Display segment provides products for manufacturing thin film transistor LCDs for televisions, personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, smartphones, and other consumer-oriented electronic applications. Its Energy and Environmental Solutions segment offers manufacturing systems for the generation and conservation of energy, as well as manufacturing solutions for wafer-based crystalline silicon applications. This segment also provides roll-to-roll vacuum Web coating systems for deposition of a range of films on flexible substrates for functional, aesthetic, or optical properties; and roll-to-roll machine for depositing ultra-thin aluminum films for flexible packaging applications. The company serves manufacturers of semiconductor wafers and chips, flat panel LCDs, solar PV cells and modules, and other electronic devices. Applied Materials, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Luke Jacobi]

  Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) rose 9.06 percent to $17.44 after the company announced its plans to acquire Tokyo Electron in an all-share deal.

• [By Beth Piskora]

  They are listed below:

  Altera (ALTR)��ielding 1.7%
  
  Apple (AAPL)��ielding 2.5%
  
  Applied Materials (AMAT)��ielding 2.6%
  
  Cisco (CSCO)��ielding 2.9%
  
  EMC Corp. (EMC)��ielding 1.5%
  
  International Business Machines (IBM)��ielding 2.0%
  
  KLA-Tencor (KLAC)��ielding 3.2%
  
  Microchip Technology (MCHP)��ielding 3.6%
  
  Oracle (ORCL)��ielding 1.5%
  
  Qualcomm (QCOM)��ielding 2.1%
  
  Texas Instruments (TXN)��ielding 2.9%
  
  Xilinx (XLNX)��ielding 2.3%
  
  

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• [By Rex Crum]

  Semiconductor-equipment maker Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) �rose more than 7%, to $17.14, after the company said it would acquire Tokyo Electron Ltd. in an-all stock deal. Applied Materials Chief Executive Gary Dickerson will be CEO of the combined company.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: Equifax Inc. (EFX)

Equifax Inc. collects, organizes, and manages various financial, demographic, employment, and marketing information solutions for businesses and consumers. The company�s U.S. Consumer Information Solutions segment provides consumer information services, such as credit information, credit scoring, credit modeling, locate, fraud detection and prevention, identity verification, and other consulting services; mortgage loan origination information, appraisal, title, and closing services; consumer financial marketing services; and identity management services. Its International segment provides information services products, which include consumer and commercial services, such as credit and financial information, and credit scoring and modeling services; and credit and other marketing products and services. The company�s Workforce Solutions segment offers employment, income, and social security number verification services, as well as employment tax and talent management servi ces. Its North America Personal Solutions segment sells credit information, credit monitoring, and identity theft protection products directly to consumers through the Internet and hard-copy formats. The company�s North America Commercial Solutions segment offers commercial products and services comprising business credit and demographic information, credit scores, and portfolio analytics, which are derived from its databases of business credit, financial, and demographic information. It serves customers in financial services, mortgage, human resources, consumer, commercial, telecommunications, retail, automotive, utilities, brokerage, healthcare, and insurance industries; and state and federal governments. The company has operations in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, the United States, and the Republic of Ireland. Equifax Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Atla nta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Two other contractors also testified before the committee. Equifax (NYSE: EFX  ) corporate counsel�Lynn Spellecy said that her firm had only a limited role in the overall Obamacare exchange system and that the company's software worked properly. Serco's John Lau emphasized that his company didn't work on the website at all. Serco provides�eligibility support services that support processing of paper applications.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: Generale de Sante SA (GDS)

Generale de Sante SA, (also GDS), is a France-based provider of private hospital healthcare services. The Company offers a range of hospital services and, in partnership with independent medical specialists, delivers a spectrum of care services. Generale de Sante SA also provides services in the areas of mental health; oncology and radiation therapy; care for alcohol abuse and obesity; rehabilitation, such as cardiac rehabilitation and orthopedic and neurological reeducation, and diagnostics, such as medical imaging and analysis. It operates through one wholly owned subsidiary, CGS (Compagnie Generale de Sante). As of March 31, 2011, Sante Developpement Europe held a 54.47% stake in the Company�� shareholdings. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By stanh30]

  It does not matter if it�� a penny stock, all that matters is whether or not my reasoning is correct. However, in June the Global Depositary Shares (GDS) will undergo a 60:1 reverse split (pending shareholder approval) and the stock will no longer be a penny stock. Unfortunately the reverse split will occur after the June 12, 2014 record date for determining the persons and/or entities liable to the Depositary for the annual fee of $0.02 per Global Depositary shares for depositary services. This is an enormous fee for GDS shares, but one that I will pay due to the extreme undervaluation. Just remember that if you purchase the GDS shares on or before June 12th you are effectively paying an extra $0.02 per share.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: Oceaneering International Inc.(OII)

Oceaneering International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides engineered products and services primarily to the offshore oil and gas industry with a focus on deepwater applications. The company?s Remotely Operated Vehicles segment provides submersible vehicles operated from the surface to support offshore oil and gas exploration, production, and construction activities. Its Subsea Products segment supplies various built-to-order specialty subsea hardware products. The company?s Subsea Projects segment provides multiservice vessels, oilfield diving, and support vessel operations, which are used primarily in inspection, repair, and maintenance and installation activities; and mobile offshore production systems. Its Inspection segment offers customers with a range of third-party inspection services to satisfy contractual structural specifications, internal safety standards, and regulatory requirements. The company?s Advanced Technologies segment offers project management, and engineering services and equipment for applications in non-oilfield markets. Oceaneering International, Inc. also serves defense and aerospace industries. It operates primarily in west Africa, Norway, the United Kingdom, Asia, Australia, Brazil, and the United States. The company was founded in 1965 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Smith]

  Oceaneering International� (NYSE: OII  )
  Once a diving company,�Oceaneering now operates�through four separate segments: subsea projects, subsea products, asset integrity, and remotely operated vehicles. The company remains the only manufacturer of a full range of subsea umbilical systems. But it's the ROV unit that garners much of the attention for Oceaneering today.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  But given the company’s exposure, those hefty revenue and profit gains could be just for the beginning for SM Energy and SM stock investors. Meanwhile, its midcap size makes it perfect for a buyout.

  Midcap Energy Stocks To Buy #4: �Oceaneering International (OII)

  It takes a lot of technology and know-how in order to drill in the ultra-deep water of the world. For the energy stocks providing those services, it can mean some huge profits. For Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) specialist Oceaneering International (OII), it can mean record profits.

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2015: Primerica Inc.(PRI)

Primerica, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution of financial products on behalf of third parties to middle income households in the United States and Canada. The company operates in three segments: Term Life Insurance, Investment and Savings Products, and Corporate and Other Distributed Products. The Term Life Insurance segment underwrites term life insurance products. The Investment and Savings Products segment distributes mutual funds, variable annuities, fixed annuities, and segregated funds. The Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment provides mortgage loans, which include debt consolidation or refinance, and purchase money loans; unsecured loans; prepaid legal services that assist subscribers with legal matters, such as drafting wills, living wills and powers of attorney, trial defense, and motor vehicle-related matters; mail-order student life products; short-term disability benefit insurance; and auto and homeowners? insurance products. The company was founded in 1927 and is based in Duluth, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Private equity investor Warburg Pincus has been a shareholder in term life insurance underwriter Primerica� (NYSE: PRI  ) since its IPO in 2010. However, the financial products marketer will be buying back all of the holdings Warburg Pincus owns for $154.7 million. That translates into�almost�2.5 million shares of common stock�and warrants that �are�exercisable for 4.1 million shares.