Best Services Stocks To Own Right Now

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress [link opens in PDF] Thursday of plans to conduct a Foreign Military Sale of $170 million worth of equipment and support services to Finland, as part of that country's Finland's F-18 Mid-Life Upgrade Program.

According to the DSCA, contractors including Raytheon (NYSE: RTN  ) , Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT  ) , Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) , General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) , and General Dynamics (NYSE: GD  ) will participate in providing the requested services, as well as equipment to include:

69 KIV-78 friend-or-foe identification systems. 69 AN/APX-11-30 combined interrogator/transponders. 32 SUU-63 payload pylons. An unspecified number of Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems.

Also included in the proposed order will be software test and integration center upgrades, flight testing services, support and testing equipment, technical documentation, personnel training, and assorted spare parts.

Best Services Stocks To Own Right Now: Forum Energy Technologies Inc (FET)

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. incorporated on May 10, 2005, is an oilfield products company, serving the subsea, drilling, completion, production and infrastructure sectors of the oil and natural gas industry. The Company designs and manufactures products, and engage in aftermarket services, parts supply and related services that complement its product offering. It operates in two segments: Drilling and Subsea Segment and Production and Infrastructure Segment. In December 2012, the Company acquired Merrimac Manufacturing, Inc. (Merrimac). In May 2013, the Company acquired Blohm + Voss Oil Tools from STAR Capital Partners Limited. In July 2013, Forum Energy Technologies Inc acquired Moffat 2000 Ltd.

Drilling and Subsea Segment

The Company designs and manufactures products and provides related services to the drilling, well construction, completion, intervention and subsea construction and services markets. Through this segment, it offers Subsea Technologies, including robotic vehicles and other capital equipment, specialty components and tooling, a range of complementary subsea technical services and rental items, and applied products for subsea pipelines. It offers Drilling Technologies which include capital equipment and a range of products consumed in the drilling and well intervention process. It offers Downhole Technologies, including cementing and casing tools, completion products, and a range of downhole protection solutions.

The Company designs and manufactures subsea capital equipment; specialty components and tooling; and applied products for subsea pipelines; and it also provides a suite of complementary subsea technical services and rental items. It has a core focus on the design and manufacture of unmanned submarines, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), as well as other specialty subsea vehicles. The Company�� brands include its Perry and Sub-Atlantic vehicle brands. Its related technical services complement its vehicle offering by providing the m! arket with a selection of critical product solutions and rental items that enhance its customers��ability to operate in harsh subsea environments. The market for subsea ROVs can be segmented into three classes of vehicles based on size and category of operations: large work-class vehicles for subsea construction activities; drilling-class vehicles for use around an offshore rig, and observation-class vehicles for inspection and light manipulation. The Company is a provider of work-class and observation-class vehicles.

The Company manufactures ROV components, such as a range of Sub-Atlantic branded ROV thrusters. It designs and manufactures thrusters for incorporation into its own vehicles, as well for sale to other ROV manufacturers. It also designs and manufactures a tether management system (TMS). It also provides a suite of subsea tooling, both industry standard and custom designed for subsea applications. Industry standard tooling includes hot stabs, cable cutters, torque tools and indicators.

The vehicle-related subsea products, its Offshore Joint Services (OJS) brand is a provider of applied protective coatings on rigid subsea pipeline field joints, spools, and structures. Its VisualSoft product line provides another related technical product that reinforces in subsea vehicles and products. It sells or rents VisualWorks and VisualDVR Digital Video Systems that provide a solution for digital video capture, playback, processing and reporting of pipeline, structural or other inspection survey data. These products are often used in conjunction with the operation of inspection class ROVs or diving personnel when conducting survey work.

Geoscience Earth and Marine Science (GEMS) is its geophysical and geotechnical engineering group that provides consulting services to the oil and gas, and marine industries. It provides an interpretation service based on the analysis of third party subsea data provided by clients. The business has broadened into managing every p! hase of p! roject development, including scope of work, liaising with data acquirers, interpretation and analysis. Its primary customer base consists of oil and gas operator producers.

The Company provides both drilling consumables and capital equipment, including powered and manual tubular handling equipment, specialized torque equipment, customized offline crane systems, drilling data acquisition management systems, pumps, valves, manifolds, drilling fluid-end components, pressure control equipment for both coiled tubing and wireline well intervention operations and a broad line of items consumed in the drilling process. The Company has a core focus on products that enhance its customers��handling of tubulars on the drilling rig.

The Company designs and manufactures specialized torque equipment and related control systems for tubular connections, including high torque stroking, or bucking, units, fully rotational torque units, portable torque units for field deployment. In addition the Company designs and manufactures a range of rig-based offline activity cranes, multi-purpose cranes and personnel transfer solutions.

The Company�� pressure control products used for well intervention operations are sold directly to oilfield service companies and equipment rental companies. These products include both coiled tubing and wireline blowout preventers and their accessories. It also conduct aftermarket refurbishment and recertification services for pressure control equipment. The Company also designs and manufactures a range of consumable parts for pumps on drilling rigs, well servicing rigs, pressure pumping units, and hydraulic fracturing systems, along with top drive parts. The Company also manufacture data acquisition products that include integrated drill floor instrumentation and monitoring systems. These systems provide real-time monitoring and logging of drilling data to drilling contractors and oil and gas producers on the rig and at remote locations.

! The Compa! ny manufacture a broad line of downhole products that are consumed during the well construction, completion and production enhancement process. Through its Davis-Lynch downhole well construction and completion tools product line, it designs and manufactures products used in the construction of oil and gas wells. It designs and manufactures a range of centralizers, float equipment, stage cementing tools, inflatable packers, flotation collars, cementing plugs, fill and circulation tools for running casing, casing hangers and surge reduction equipment.

The Company manufactures a line of downhole completion tools, including composite plugs and wireline flow-control products. Its composite plugs are primarily used for zonal isolation during multi-stage hydraulic fracturing in horizontal and vertical wells. It offers l range of downhole protection solutions.

Production and Infrastructure Segment

The Company designs and manufactures products and provide related equipment and services to the well stimulation, completion, production and infrastructure markets. Through this segment, the Company suppllies Flow Equipment, including well stimulation consumable products and related recertification and refurbishment services; Production Equipment, including well site production equipment, process equipment and specialty pipeline construction equipment; and Valve Solutions, which includes a range of industrial and process valves.

The Company provides a range of high pressure flow equipment used by well stimulation, or pressure pumping, companies during the stimulation, intervention and flowback process. It focuses on consumable products that experience high rates of wear and replacement. The Company designs and manufactures pressure control plug, choke and relief valves, swivel joints, pup joints and integral fittings, manifolds and manifold trailers, as well as triplex and quintuplex fluid-end assemblies.

The Company surface Production Equipment product line p! rovides e! ngineered process systems and field services for capital equipment used at the wellsite, for production processing, and at the refinery. It serves the upstream, midstream and downstream segments in oil and gas production equipment and services. The Company engineers fabricates and installs tanks, separators, packaged production systems and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and American Petroleum Institute (API) coded and non-coded pressure vessels, skidded vessels with gas measurement, modular process plants, header and manifold skids, process and flow control equipment and separators to help clean and process oil or gas as it travels from the wellhead and along the transmission line to the refinery.

The Company design, manufacture and provide a wide range of industrial valves that principally serve the upstream, midstream and downstream markets of the oil and gas industry. In addition its valve solutions serve general industrial, power and process industry customers as well as the mining industry. It also provides ball, gate, globe, check and butterfly valves across a range of sizes and applications.

The Company competes with Cameron International Corporation and FMC Technologies, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Another issue that Varco has to face is the specter of increasing competition. Cameron International (NYSE: CAM  ) has arisen as a big player in the drilling and production systems space, with a particular emphasis on subsea applications like blowout preventers. With Cameron sporting a recent partnership with Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , the combination will have both the expertise and the financial resources to challenge Varco in that niche. More broadly, up-and-coming Forum Energy (NYSE: FET  ) has sought to emulate Varco's broad-based services menu, offering remotely operated vehicles for deepwater inspection and construction as well as pipe and cementing materials and a range of subsea systems and equipment. Forum has posted solid results in its brief history, taking steps to continue its fast growth trajectory.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Forum Energy Technologies (NYSE: FET  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By David Smith]

  I'm speaking of Forum Energy Technologies (NYSE: FET  ) . The company, now with a $2.72 billion market capitalization, was formed in August 2010 through the roll-up of five more specialized members of the services sector. Its initial public offering occurred in the second quarter of 2012, and its shares have risen by 60% in the past year.

• [By Wax]

  Posted-In: Markets Trading Ideas

    Most Popular Top Stocks Under $5 For 2014 Earnings Expectations For The Week Of January 6: Alcoa And More Barron's Recap: Market Beaters #PreMarket Primer: Monday, January 6: Asia Plunges Apple Purchases SnappyLabs For Undisclosed Sum Stocks To Watch For January 6, 2014 Related Articles (FET) Forum Enegy Technologies - Leaning on the Lectern Around the Web, We're Loving...

Best Services Stocks To Own Right Now: HCA Holdings Inc (HCA)

HCA Holdings, Inc. (HCA), incorporated in January 1990, is a holding company whose affiliates owns and operates hospitals and related health care entities. HCA is a health care services companies in the United States. At December 31, 2011, it operated 163 hospitals, comprised of 157 general, acute care hospitals; five psychiatric hospitals, and one rehabilitation hospital. In addition, it operated 108 freestanding surgery centers. Its operations are structured into three geographically organized groups: the National, Southwest and Central Groups. At December 31, 2011, the National Group includes 64 hospitals located in Florida, South Carolina, southern Georgia, Alaska, California, Nevada, Utah and Idaho, the Southwest Group includes 46 hospitals located in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and the Wichita, Kansas market, and the Central Group includes 47 hospitals located in Louisiana, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, New Hampshire, northern Georgia and the Kansas City market. The Company also operates six hospitals in England, and these facilities are included in the Corporate and other group. Its facilities are located in 20 states and England. During October 2011, the Company completed its acquisition of the Colorado Health Foundation�� (Foundation).In December 2011, it sold Palmyra Medical Center in Albany, Ga.

The Company�� general, acute care hospitals typically provide a range of services to accommodate such medical specialties as internal medicine, general surgery, cardiology, oncology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and obstetrics, as well as diagnostic and emergency services. Outpatient and ancillary health care services are provided by its general, acute care hospitals, freestanding surgery centers, diagnostic centers and rehabilitation facilities. Its psychiatric hospitals provide a full range of mental health care services through inpatient, partial hospitalization and outpatient settings.

The Company owns, manages or operates hospitals; freestanding surgery cente! rs; diagnostic and imaging centers; radiation and oncology therapy centers; rehabilitation and physical therapy centers, and various other facilities. At December 31, 2011, it owned and operated 157 general, acute care hospitals with 40,988 licensed beds. Most of its general, acute care hospitals provide medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic services and emergency services. The general, acute care hospitals also provide outpatient services such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology and physical therapy. At December 31, 2011, it operated five psychiatric hospitals with 506 licensed beds. Its psychiatric hospitals provide therapeutic programs including child, adolescent and adult psychiatric care, adult and adolescent alcohol and drug abuse treatment and counseling.

The Company also operates outpatient health care facilities, which include freestanding ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), freestanding emergency care facilities, diagnostic and imaging centers, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation and physical therapy centers, outpatient radiation and oncology therapy centers and various other facilities. Most of its ASCs are operated through partnerships or limited liability companies, with majority ownership of each partnership or Limited Liability Company typically held by a general partner or subsidiary that is an affiliate of HCA. Certain of its affiliates provide a variety of management services to its health care facilities, including patient safety programs; ethics and compliance programs; national supply contracts; equipment purchasing and leasing contracts; accounting, financial and clinical systems; governmental reimbursement assistance; construction planning and coordination; information technology systems and solutions; legal counsel; human resources services; and internal audit services. Under the Medicare program, it receives reimbursement under a prospective payment system (PPS) ! for gener! al, acute care hospital inpatient services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  History practically repeated itself just a few weeks later when the CMS reversed its decision yet again on reimbursement rates, this time for acute-care hospital providers like HCA Holdings (NYSE: HCA  ) and Tenet Healthcare. Unlike with Medicare Advantage providers, there wasn't any lobbying involved, just a mere reversal of opinion to raise reimbursement rates for acute-care providers by 0.8% and 1.1% for outpatient acute-care providers. The initial assessment by the CMS had called for a drop of around 1% in reimbursement rates.�

• [By Michael Douglass and David Williamson]

  Metal plans help consumers understand the so-called actuarial value of their plan, or what percentage of essential health benefits their plan covers. The lowest actuarial value plans are bronze, followed by silver, gold, and platinum. The death spiral refers to the fear that the final insurance pool for 2014 may be less healthy than insurers had anticipated, causing them to lose money and thereby raise premiums next year. Michael and David consider the two main issues with the death spiral argument. The individual mandate, or the law�� requirement that all individuals get insurance or face tax penalties, has consistently been the least popular aspect of Obamacare, but hospitals, including large for-profit operators Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC  ) and HCA Holdings (NYSE: HCA  ) , are poised to benefit. See the video to find out why.

• [By Michael Calia]

  HCA Holdings Inc.(HCA) said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 35% on improved revenue that masked a decline in the hospital operator’s same-facility admissions. The company projected earnings for 2014 that were below estimates.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Take, for instance, the flat penalty for failing to obtain health insurance in 2014 is just $285 per family, or 1% of family income -- whichever is greater. This relatively minuscule fee may encourage currently uninsured individuals to remain uninsured, making little headway on hospitals' doubtful provisions. At the same time, Medicare reimbursement rates for acute-care hospitals are likely to fall in 2014 and beyond as the government attempts to reduce its roll in funding many for-profit health care institutions. This is a dicey scenario for large hospital operator HCA Holdings (NYSE: HCA  ) , which logged more than 10% of its total revenue last year as doubtful. If a sizable number of patients walking into its hospitals remain uninsured, HCA will be unable to meaningfully reduce its doubtful accounts as reimbursement rates fall. To that end, it's not unexpected to see hospitals wavering on spending big bucks on the da Vinci surgical system, which is approaching a $2 million price tag!

Top Casino Companies To Buy Right Now: Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc (DPS)

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (DPS), incorporated on October 24, 2007, is an integrated brand owner, manufacturer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a diverse portfolio of flavored (non-cola) carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) and non-carbonated beverages (NCBs), including ready-to-drink teas, juices, juice drinks and mixers. The Company operates in three segments: Beverage Concentrates, Packaged Beverages and Latin America Beverages. The Company primarily serves two groups of customers: bottlers and distributors and retailers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 20 manufacturing facilities across the United States and Mexico, excluding its manufacturing facility for its joint venture with Acqua Minerale San Benedetto. Effective March 1, 2013, it acquired Dr. Pepper/7-UP Bottling Co of the West, a producer and wholesaler of bottled soft drinks.

Beverage Concentrates

The Company�� Beverage Concentrates segment is principally a brand ownership business. In this segment the Company manufactures and sells beverage concentrates in the United States and Canada. Most of the brands in this segment are CSD brands. Its brand portfolio includes CSD brands, such as Dr Pepper, Sunkist soda, 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Crush, Squirt, Penafiel and Schweppes. Beverage concentrates are shipped to third party bottlers, as well as to its own manufacturing systems, who combine them with carbonation, water, sweeteners and other ingredients, package it in PET containers, glass bottles and aluminum cans, and sell it as a finished beverage to retailers. Beverage concentrates are also manufactured into syrup, which is shipped to fountain customers, such as fast food restaurants, who mix the syrup with water and carbonation to create a finished beverage at the point of sale to consumers. Its Beverage Concentrates brands are sold by its bottlers, including its own Packaged Beverages segment, through all retail channels, including supermarkets, fountains, mas! s merchandisers, club stores, vending machines, convenience stores, gas stations, small groceries, drug chains and dollar stores.

Packaged Beverages

The Company�� Packaged Beverages segment is principally a brand ownership, manufacturing and distribution business. In this segment, it primarily manufacture and distribute packaged beverages and other products, including its brands, third party owned brands and certain private label beverages, in the United States and Canada. Key NCB brands in this segment include Hawaiian Punch, Snapple, Mott's, Yoo-Hoo, Clamato, Deja Blue, AriZona, FIJI, Mistic, Nantucket Nectars, ReaLemon, Mr and Mrs T, Rose's and Country Time. Key CSD brands in this segment include 7UP, Dr Pepper, A&W, Sunkist soda, Canada Dry, Squirt, RC Cola, Big Red, Sun Drop, Diet Rite, IBC and Vernors. Approximately 87% of its 2011 Packaged Beverages net sales of branded products come from its own brands, with the remaining from the distribution of third party brands, such as Big Red, AriZona tea, FIJI mineral water, Neuro beverages, Vita Coco coconut water and Hydrive energy drinks. A portion of its sales also comes from bottling beverages and other products for private label owners or others, which is also referred to as contract manufacturing. Its Packaged Beverages��products are manufactured in multiple facilities across the United States and are sold or distributed to retailers and their warehouses by itsown distribution network or by third party distributors. The Company sells its Packaged Beverages��products both through its Direct Store Delivery system (DSD), supported by a fleet of approximately 6,000 vehicles and 12,000 employees, including sales representatives, merchandisers, drivers and warehouse workers, as well as through its Warehouse Direct delivery system (WD), both of which include the sales to retail channels, including supermarkets, fountain channel, mass merchandisers, club stores, vending machines, convenience stores, gas stations, small groce! ries, dru! g chains and dollar stores.

Latin America Beverages

The Company�� Latin America Beverages segment is a brand ownership, manufacturing and distribution business. This segment participates mainly in the carbonated mineral water, flavored CSD, bottled water and vegetable juice categories, with particular strength in carbonated mineral water, vegetable juice categories and grapefruit flavored CSDs. Its brands include Squirt, Penafiel, Aguafiel, Crush and Clamato.

In Mexico, it manufactures and distributes its products through its bottling operations and third party bottlers and distributors. In the Caribbean, it distributes its products through third party bottlers and distributors. In Mexico, it also participate in a joint venture to manufacture Aguafiel brand water with Acqua Minerale San Benedetto. The Company sells its finished beverages through Mexican retail channels, including mom and pop stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, and on premise channels.

The Company competes with The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola), PepsiCo, Inc. (PepsiCo), Nestle, S.A. (Nestle), Kraft Foods Inc. (Kraft) and The Cott Corporation (Cott).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  That cash allows PepsiCo to pay a 2.8% dividend. Other competitors in the industry include Coca-Cola Co. (KO) with a dividend yield of 3% and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (DPS) with 2.95%.

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Valuation. PEP stock is a bit pricey, with a trailing P/E of 20. Meanwhile,�Dr. Pepper Snapple�� (DPS) goes for 15 times trailing earnings and Kraft�(KRFT) goes for just 17.�The dividend for Pepsi stock is decent, though, currently yielding 2.7%.

Best Services Stocks To Own Right Now: Danone SA (BN)

Danone SA is a France-based food company that primarily produces fresh milk products, baby foods, biscuits, cereal products and medical nutrition products. It also co-produces bottled water. The Company's portfolio of brands and products include Danone, a brand of fresh dairy products; Evian, a brand of bottled still water; Volvic, its international brand of bottled still water, and Aqua, a brand of packaged water in Indonesia. It has presence in the infant food market in France through its subsidiary, Bledina. It has also developed two probiotic dairy product lines known under the names Actimel, and Activia, as well as a line of low-fat products under the names Taillefine, Vitalinea and Ser. The Company operates through numerous subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and Americas. In February 2013 it acquired majority stake in Centrale Laitiere SA. In May 2013, it acquired an equity interest of over 90% in Happy Family, a baby food producer. In August 2013, it acquired YoCrunch. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Danone SA (BN) declined 1.6 percent to 56.34 euros after saying baby-nutrition sales will fall in Asia in the third quarter. The company said it had to recall infant-formula products after milk-powder supplier Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd. warned of a contaminated ingredient.

Best Services Stocks To Own Right Now: Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.(SBGI)

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., a television broadcasting company, owns or provides certain programming, operating, or sales services to television stations in the United States. The company broadcasts free over-the-air programming, such as network provided programs, news produced locally, local sporting events, programming from program service arrangements, and syndicated entertainment programs. It owns or provides programming and operating services pursuant to local marketing agreements, or provides sales services pursuant to outsourcing agreements to 58 television stations in 35 markets. The company was founded in 1952 and is based in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI  ) is tapping the markets in a new, underwritten public share offering. The company has priced its issue of 18 million class A common shares at $27.25 apiece. Sinclair said that certain selling stockholders have granted the underwriters of the offering a 30-day purchase option for up to an additional 2.7 million shares.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of television broadcasting company Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI  ) sank as low as 11% today after�announcing disappointing quarterly results and a public offering of common stock. �

• [By Westcott Rochette]

  Assuming all of its announced mergers are completed (as we anticipate), Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) will soon own or operate some 162 stations in 77 markets that, together, reach about 40% of US television households.

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI  ) says it is on its way to becoming the nation's largest television broadcasting company if a� definitive agreement it signed with the Allbritton family comes to fruition, according to an announcement today by Sinclair.

Best Services Stocks To Own Right Now: Remy Cointreau SA (RCO)

Remy Cointreau SA is a France-based company engaged in the production and distribution of wines and spirits. The Company's activities are divided into two segments. Cognac, which offers a range of products under the Remy Martin brand and Liqueurs and Spirits, distributing liquors under the Cointreau, Izarra and Passoa brand names, as well as spirits under such brand names as Mount Gay (rum), St Remy (brandy), Ponche Kuna (rum) and Metaxa (brandy). The Company is a sole distributor of the Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck brands, as well as Piper Sonoma (the sparkling wine brand). The Company's subsidiaries include production companies, such as E. Remy Martin & Cie, and distribution companies, such as Remy Cointreau USA Inc. In August 2013, it completed the sale of Larsen Cognac to the Finnish group Altia. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Remy Cointreau SA (RCO) jumped 6 percent, the most since January. Chinese cognac shipments increased 20.5 percent in August, rising for the first time since January, according to UBS AG, citing from BNIC, a trade association of cognac makers.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  EasyJet Plc and International Consolidated Airlines Group SA climbed as oil prices fell after the U.S. and Russia agreed on a plan to destroy Syrian chemical weapons. Hennes & Mauritz AB (HMB) advanced to a three-year high after sales topped estimates. Remy Cointreau SA (RCO) soared the most in almost four years as Chinese cognac shipments increased.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  European stocks dropped, following a two-day gain, as Remy Cointreau SA (RCO) and Pernod Ricard SA dragged food-and-beverage makers lower. U.S. index futures and Asian shares were little changed.

Best Services Stocks To Own Right Now: Conn's Inc.(CONN)

Conn?s, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home appliances, consumer electronics, home office equipment, lawn and garden products, mattresses, and furniture in the United States. Its home appliances products include refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, and room air conditioners; consumer electronics products consist of LED, LCD, plasma, DLP and 3-D televisions, camcorders, digital cameras, Blu-ray and DVD players, video game equipment, portable audio, MP3 players, GPS devices, and home theater products; and furniture and mattresses include living room, bedroom, and dining room furniture. The company's products also comprise lawn and garden equipment, which includes lawn mowers, lawn tractors, and handheld equipment; and home office equipment, including computers, notebooks, and computer accessories. It also offers repair service agreements and customer credit programs, including installment and revolving credit account programs, and various credit insurance products. In addition, the company sells its products online. As of January 20, 2012, it operated 70 retail locations in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Beaumont, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell and Lauren Pollock var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); ]

  Conn's Inc.(CONN) said its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 57% behind sales growth in all the specialty retailer’s categories. The results fell short of expectations, but the specialty retailer said credit portfolio performance has improved since the quarter ended with delinquency declining. Shares rose 8.9% to $37.58 premarket.

• [By DailyFinance Staff]

  Job creation last month was shockingly weak, but analysts couldn't really explain why –- other than to blame the weather -- which left investors unsure how to react Friday. Many analysts say the numbers are likely to be revised higher next month, and in the end, market reaction was muted. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) lost ground for a third straight day, declining nearly 8 points, but the Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) added 4, and the Nasdaq composite index (^IXIC) rose 18 points. Target (TGT) lost more than a point after saying the data breach that began on Black Friday was much worse than previously thought. The company now says as many as 70 million customers had personal information stolen. Target also lowered its fourth quarter outlook, partly because sales slumped after the data breach was first revealed. Sears (SHLD) tumbled by around 13.5 percent. It expects a big quarterly loss as sales fell during the holiday shopping season. Several smaller, specialty retailers also fell: Pacific Sunwear (PSUN) slid 16 percent, Five Below (FIVE) fell 7 percent, Shoe Carnival (SCVL) lost 5 percent, and Conn's (CONN) lost 2 percent. But Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) jumped 12 percent. It raised its earnings forecast as sales were not as bad as expected. Elsewhere, Alcoa (AA) fell about 5.5 percent. It's not quite the economic bellwether it used to be, but the aluminum giant still matters, and its net came in a bit shy of expectations. YRC Worldwide (YRCW) tumbled 13 percent after workers rejected a contract offer. That has raised fears the trucking company could be forced into bankruptcy. On the upside, the weak jobs report could keep mortgage rates from rising, and that boosted housing stocks. KB Homes (KBH) rose 3 percent, William Lyons up 4 percent, and Lennar (LEN) was up 2 percent. And on Thursday we reported that shares of Intercept Pharmaceuticals nearly quadrupled in price on news of a positive clinical study for its liver dr

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  I went out on a limb last week, and now it's time to see how that decision played out.

  I predicted that BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) would close lower on the week. The hype that's been building for months surrounding the domestic launch of the Z10 hasn't matched the reality now that the country's two largest carriers have the new BlackBerry device available. Still, the stock rallied earlier in the week, holding on to enough of those gains to close out the week 1.7% higher. I was wrong. I predicted that the tech-heavy Nasdaq would outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) . This has been a tricky call lately, so how did it play out this time? Well, it didn't. The Nasdaq got blasted for a 1.9% hit, and the Dow managed to close barely unchanged, with only a marginal downtick. I was wrong. My final call was for Conn's (NASDAQ: CONN  ) to beat Wall Street's quarterly profit target. The consumer-electronics retailer has been able to sidestep the stagnancy taking place at larger chains because Conn's offers larger items, including mattresses and lawn-maintenance equipment, that can't be easily replaced online. The company also has been beating Wall Street estimates consistently over the past year. Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.55 a share during the quarter, and it came through with net income of $0.54. I was wrong.

  I missed on all three. That doesn't happen often, and I know I can do better. So let me once again whip out my trusty, dusty, and occasionally accurate crystal ball to make three calls that may play out over the next few trading days.