With the�SPDR S&P Biotech Index�up 38% over the trailing-12-month period, it's evident that investment dollars are willingly flowing into the biotech sector. Keeping that in mind, let's have a look at some of the rulings, studies, and companies that made waves in the sector last week.
Last week was dominated by a mountain of data coming out of the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago. In fact, there was so much information to plow through that, in a separate article, I discussed the five most important and intriguing studies unveiled at ASCO. I encourage you to review that article to get an idea on what disease treatments were in high demand this year.
Having covered the goings-on at ASCO already, I propose we look at five additional newsworthy stories this week in the biotech sector.
On Wednesday, Avanir Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AVNR ) received good news from the Food and Drug Administration, which OK'd an accelerated development pathway for pre-investigational neuropathic pain drug AVP-786. The accelerated approval was based on data from AVP-923 and will allow Avanir to conduct minimal preclinical testing before advancing onto human trials. This saves the company time and, more importantly, precious cash. I would, however, caution against getting too excited, as even this accelerated development puts this drug, which isn't even in clinical trials yet, years away from a possible approval.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: Mdu Res Group Inc (MDU)
MDU Resources Group, Inc. operates as a diversified natural resource company in the United States. The company�s Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. As of December 31, 2012, this segment provided its electric services to approximately 131,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in 177 communities and adjacent rural areas. Its Natural Gas Distribution segment distributes natural gas in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, as well as in Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. This segment served approximately 859,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 334 communities and adjacent rural areas. The company�s Pipeline and Energy Services segment provides natural gas transportation, underground storage, processing, and gathering services, as well as oil gathering through regulated and nonregulated pipeline systems primarily in the Rocky Mountain and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. This segment also provides cathodic protection and other energy-related services. Its Exploration and Production segment engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the Rocky Mountain and Mid-Continent regions of the United States and in and around the Gulf of Mexico. The company�s Construction Materials and Contracting segment mines, aggregates, and markets crushed stone, sand, gravel, and related construction materials, including ready-mixed concrete, cement, asphalt, liquid asphalt, and other value-added products. This segment also provides utility excavation services and inside electrical wiring, cabling, and mechanical services; sells and distributes electrical materials; and manufactures and distributes specialty equipment. MDU Resources Group, Inc. was founded in 1924 and is based in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Stavros]
Created with YCharts
In addition to beating the market since the beginning of the year, diversified energy utilities, such as MDU Resources Group Inc (NYSE: MDU), Dominion Resources Inc (NYSE: D) and Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), significantly outperformed pure-play or predominantly all-electric utilities, such as Duke Energy Corp (NYSE: DUK) and Entergy Corp (NYSE: ETR), by as much as several percentage points (See Chart B).
Interestingly, among top performers, there was no dominant strategy for exploiting natural gas demand, as these firms were involved in all aspects of the value chain–from exploration and production to distribution and storage. These companies have not only been benefiting from a natural gas surplus, but also from the pressing need to expand US energy infrastructure to deliver this newfound bounty to businesses and households.Chart B: Diversified Energy Utilities Outperformed Electric-Only Peers
- [By David Dittman]
Question: I have been a fan of MDU Resources Inc (NYSE: MDU) because of its many operations including oil and gas, materials, construction, and now refining. Long-term thoughts?
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: MFS Intermediate Income Trust (MIN)
MFS Intermediate Income Trust (the Trust) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Trust seeks to preserve capital and provide high current income. It maintains a portfolio that includes investments in short and intermediate-term United States Government and foreign high-grade securities.
MFS Intermediate Income Trust's portfolio includes non-United States Government bonds, mortgage-backed securities, the United States Government agency securities, the United States Treasury securities, emerging market bonds, commercial mortgage-backed securities, residential mortgage-backed securities and high-grade corporate securities. The Trust can invest in foreign securities, including securities of emerging market issuers. The Trust's investment advisor is Massachusetts Financial Services Company.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Akaralph]
I have written about MFS Intermediate Income Fund (MIN) on a few previous occasions, most recently here. I have extolled its virtues as a defensive play in a bear market scenario.
Top 5 Communications Equipment Stocks To Own Right Now: First Trust Exchange Traded Fund (FVL)
First Trust Value Line 100 Fund (the Fund) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Fund seeks to outperform the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index (the S&P 500 Index) by adhering to a strategy of investing in a diversified portfolio of the 100 common stocks ranked number 1 in Value Line's Timeliness Ranking System. The Fund invests 80% of its net assets in the stocks that are ranked number one in the Value Line Timeliness Ranking System. As of March 31, 2006, the Fund had invested in sectors, such as household durables, metals and mining, specialty retail, oil and gas, software, machinery, hotels, restaurants and leisure, computers and peripherals, biotechnology, information technology services, and textiles, apparel and luxury goods.
As of March 31, 2006, the Fund's top 10 holdings were Palm, Inc., United INDL Corp., AAR Corp., Accenture LTD, Citrix Systems, Inc., Cymer Inc., Guess, Inc., Henry Jack & Assoc., Inc., Micrel Inc. and Molecular Devices Corp. The Fund had a large capitalization orientation to its portfolio holdings as of December 31, 2005. As of December 31, 2005, the 100 stocks in the portfolio consisted of large-cap stocks (34), mid-cap stocks (35) and small-cap stocks (31). During the year ended December 31, 2005, the Fund posted a net asset value (NAV) total return of 11.9% and a market value total return of 7.5%. This compared to a gain of 4.8% for the S&P 500 Index. The Fund's investment advisor is First Trust Advisors, L.P.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Trainer]
First Trust Value Line 100 ETF (FVL) is my worst-rated All Cap Blend ETF and Clarity Fund (CLRTX) is my worst-rated All Cap Blend mutual fund. FVL earns my Dangerous rating, while CLRTX gets my Very Dangerous rating.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: Owens-Illinois Inc.(OI)
Owens-Illinois, Inc., through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells glass container products primarily in Europe, North America, South America, and the Asia Pacific. The company produces glass containers for beer, ready-to-drink low alcohol refreshers, spirits, wine, food, tea, juice, and pharmaceuticals, as well as for soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages, including returnable/refillable glass containers. It serves brewers, wine vintners, distillers, and food producers. The company sells its products directly to customers under annual or multi-year supply agreements, as well as through distributors. Owens-Illinois, Inc. was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Anora Mahmudova]
Owens Illinois Inc. (OI) �fell 1.9%. Analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch reportedly downgraded the glass company to neutral from buy , according to the Analyst Ratings Network.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Owens-Illinois Inc. (NYSE: OI) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral by J.P. Morgan, sending shares up almost 4%.
Also see a guide to oil and stocks based up military action in Syria �prepared by UBS.
- [By Ben Eisen and Saumya Vaishampayan]
Owens Illinois Inc. (OI) �was down 2.1% Friday. Analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch reportedly downgraded the glass company to neutral from buy , according to the Analyst Ratings Network.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: CNO Financial Group Inc. (CNO)
CNO Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products for senior and middle-income markets in the United States. The company markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, interest-sensitive and traditional life insurance, fixed annuities, and long-term care insurance products; Medicare advantage plans through a distribution arrangement with Humana Inc.; and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans through a distribution and reinsurance arrangement with Coventry Health Care. It also markets and distributes supplemental health, including specified disease, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance products; and life insurance to middle-income consumers at home and the worksite through independent marketing organizations and insurance agencies. In addition, the company markets primarily graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance products directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, Internet, and telemarketing. It sells its products through career agents, independent producers, direct marketing, and sales managers. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has strategic alliances with Coventry and Humana. The company was formerly known as Conseco, Inc. and changed its name to CNO Financial Group, Inc. in May 2010. CNO Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dimitra DeFotis]
Many other insurers are trading lower today, chief among them Aflac (AFL), down 3.65%. CNO Financial (CNO) fell 1%. The best performer: life insurance giant Prudential (PRU), whose shares rose more than 1%.
- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
Up first is CNO Financial Group (CNO), a mid-cap financial stock that's rocketed close to 60% higher since the calendar flipped over to January. Yup, it's been a great year for the market, but it's been a far better one for investors who own CNO. But that strong performance isn't showing any signs of slowing yet. In fact, CNO looks primed for even more upside in the fourth quarter.
That's because CNO is currently forming a bullish pattern called an ascending triangle. The ascending triangle pattern is formed by a horizontal resistance level above shares -- in this case at $14.75 -- and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as CNO bounces in between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above that $14.75 resistance level. When that breakout happens, it's time to become a buyer.
ACCO's price action isn't exactly textbook. After all, the pattern is coming in at the bottom of a downtrend, not after an uptrend. But ultimately, that doesn't change the trading implications of a move through that $7.50 level.
Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Ascending triangles and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.
That $7.50 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant. The move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.
Don't be early on this trade.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: Atech Holdings Ltd (ATH)
ATech Holdings Limited is an Australia-based company. As of June 30, 2010, the Company was engaged in the investment of its cash reserves. The Company�� controlled entities include SEAA (151 Sturt St, South Melbourne) Pty Limited and SEAA (Boronia) Pty Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Lam]
Athabasca Oil Corp. (ATH), which is seeking a joint-venture partner for its Duvernay holdings, jumped 9.3 percent to C$7.97, the most in seven weeks.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: Investview Inc (INVU)
InvestView, Inc. (InvestView), incorporated on April 20, 2005, is an investor technology and education company. The Company provides a broad suite of products that allow the individual investor to find, analyze, track and manage his or her portfolio. The Company's educational services focus on empowering investors with the skills that allow them to rely on their own investing knowledge to make intelligent and sound investment decisions. The Company's flagship product is InvestView, an on-line education, analysis and application platform. InvestView is equipped with in-house, qualified professionals who have collectively taught over a quarter of a million students in the past decade on how to trade in the stock market. The Company specializes in assisting common investors through this process by offering them the tools, training and confidence that is required to successfully navigate the market in these trying times.
The Company helps the everyday investor turn market uncertainty into opportunity. The Company does this by providing investment tools and training , coupled with a rules-based system that allows individuals to makes more intelligent and disciplined investment decisions. The Company�� offerings include a comprehensive program of successively more complex financial educational courses that are sold to customers on a subscription basis and are delivered on line through the Company�� Website; Inhouse developed trading tools with actionable trading indicators; Blogs, newsletters and other reference materials that describe investment strategies, and Mentoring, coaching and advisory services that are available on a subscription basis.
The principal tool the Company offers is Market Point. It consists of five categories for both fundamental and technical analysis for proper stock evaluation: Charts, Stock Watch, Markets, Calendars and Campus.
The Company's 7-Minute Trader is the first of the 7-Minute products. The 7-Minute Trader was developed for everyone who ! is frustrated with the returns inside of their retirement accounts and personal investment portfolios, but just do not have the time to do all of the necessary research themselves. The Company created a program that literally takes just seven minutes per week. The Company accomplishes this through a newsletter that is sent out every week with just a single trade idea in it.
The Company�� 7-Minute Stocks product was introduced to address those subscribers who have expressed an interest in adding an equity strategy. Similar to the 7-Minute Trader, the 7-Minute Stocks product is scalable since it provides only on-demand education and one new trade idea per week via its newsletter service. Contrary to the 7-Miinute Trader, the 7-Minute Stocks is a more conservative, longer time horizon product. Most 7-Minute Stocks trades are expected to be held for multiple weeks or even months in duration compared to just 2-3 days for the 7-Minute Trader.
The Company�� 7-Minute Options product was introduced to address those subscribers who wanted a less aggressive option trading strategy than the one provided with the 7-Minute Trader. Similar to the 7-Minute Trader, the 7-Minute Options product is scalable since it provides only on-demand education and one new trade idea per week via its newsletter service. Contrary to the 7-Minute Trader, the 7-Minute Options is a more conservative, slightly longer time horizon product. Most 7-Minute Options trades are expected to be held for 2-8 weeks in duration compared to 2-3 days for the 7-Minute Trader.
The Company competes with Edgar Online, BankRate.com, TheStreet.com and Morningstar.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Yates]
Options expert Dr. Joseph Louro, head of Investview (OTC: INVU), an investor education and financial technology entity, says that more than 70 percent of options are never exercised. And that makes selling covered call options on a company like BHP Billiton even more rewarding and even less risky.
- [By Jonathan Yates]
Louro, who is the head of Investview (OTC: INVU), emphasizes this as the overall appeal of this strategy. Many buyers of options do it for hedging purposes.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: Pope Resources(POPE)
Pope Resources, a Delaware Limited Partnership, engages in the management of timber resources. It operates in three segments: Fee Timber, Timberland Management & Consulting, and Real Estate. The Fee Timber segment involves in growing, harvesting, and marketing timber to domestic and the Pacific Rim markets from its 175,000 acres of tree farms. The Timberland Management & Consulting segment provides investment management, disposition, and technical forestry services to the timberland owners. The Real Estate segment engages in securing permits, entitlements, and installing infrastructure for raw land development; and selling the land to buyers, who sell it to home buyers, operators, or lessors of commercial property. This segment also engages in the rental of residential and commercial properties in Port Gamble and Kingston, Washington. Pope Resources sells its logs to lumber mills and other wood fiber processors located in western Washington and northwest Oregon. As of Dece mber 31, 2010, it owned 114,000 acres of timberland in western Washington; 61,000 acres of timberland for the funds in Washington and Oregon; and 2,800 acres of real estate held for sale or development. Pope MGP, Inc. and Pope EGP, Inc. operate as the general partners of the company. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Poulsbo, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Duprey]
Timberland manager�Pope Resources� (NASDAQ: POPE ) announced today�it would be paying�its second-quarter distribution of $0.45 per unit, the same rate it paid for the last four quarters after it raised the payout �from $0.35 per unit.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: Transdigm Group Incorporated(TDG)
TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies engineered aircraft components for use on commercial and military aircraft principally in the United States. The company?s products include mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, AC/DC electric motors and generators, NiCad batteries and chargers, engineered latching and locking devices, rods and locking devices, engineered connectors and elastomers, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, aircraft audio systems, lavatory components, engineered interior surfaces, and lighting and control technology. Its customers comprise distributors of aerospace components; commercial airlines, including national and regional airlines; commercial transport and regional and business aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); various armed forces of the United States and foreign governments; defense OEMs; system suppliers; and various other industrial customers. TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Cleveland-based TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG ) is buying a piece of GE.
On Friday, as trading wound down for the week, TransDigm announced a deal to buy the Electromechanical Actuation Division of General Electric (NYSE: GE ) Aviation for $150 million, cash. The business, which makes proprietary, highly engineered aerospace electromechanical motion control subsystems for civil and military applications, counts all three of the world's biggest airplane manufacturers -- Boeing, Airbus, and Brazil's Embraer -- among its clients, and Sikorsky and General Atomics, as well, on the military side.
Top 10 US Stocks To Invest In 2015: Grupo Aeromexico SAB de CV (AEROMEX*)
Grupo Aeromexico SAB de CV is a Mexican holding company primarily engaged in the provision of passenger and cargo air transport services. It offers destinations in Mexico, the United States, Europe, Central and South America, Asia and Canada. It operates a fleet of over 110 aircrafts. The Company is primarily engaged in the passenger transportation segment, comprising regional, domestic and international routes, and package holidays; as well as in cargo transportation segment, handled mainly by its subsidiary Aeromexico Cargo. By its subsidiaries the Company is also engaged in real estate sector and in providing services to the aviation companies, including personnel training, management, and aircraft maintenance and modification. Its subsidiaries include Aerovias de Mexico SA de CV, Premier Loyalty & Marketing SAPI de CV, and Inmobiliaria Avenida Fuerza Aerea Mexicana 416 SA de CV, among others. In addition, it is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jonathan Levin]
Volaris became Mexico�� second publicly traded carrier, after larger competitor Grupo Aeromexico SAB (AEROMEX*) sold stock in 2011. Airlines in Mexico have expanded into a void left when Cia. Mexicana de Aviacion, then largest based on passenger traffic, sought protection from creditors and ceased operations in 2010.
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