Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks For 2014

Following up on a strong earnings report from Wednesday, hi-tech glassmaker Corning (NYSE: GLW  ) offered further details this morning on its plans for the future.

Specifically, Corning announced plans to capitalize upon a coming wave in new environmental regulation of heavy-duty engines in Europe and China, by investing similarly heavily in its production of diesel emissions control products.

Corning says it will spend about $250 million on capital improvements in its Environmental Technologies�&�Life Sciences�Business Group, hoping to double its revenues from the group by 2017. Corning will spend to increase capacity at its Erwin diesel facility, which manufactures large ceramic substrates and filters for heavy-duty diesel engine, truck, construction, and agricultural equipment manufacturers.

However, all this new spending will not affect Corning's forecast for 2013 capital expenditures, the company assured investors. Yesterday, Corning pegged 2013 capex spending at approximately $1.3 billion, down from last year's $1.8 billion. With investments in clean diesel being spread out over the next three years, Corning has already figured this investment into capital spending projections for 2013 and 2014. The company gave no such assurances for 2015, however, when the expanded diesel facilities should go into operation.

Top Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares MSCI Philippines ETF (EPHE)

iShares MSCI Philippines ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index (the Underlying Index). The Underlying Index is a free-float adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities in the top 99% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the Philippines. Its sectors include financials, industrials, utilities, telecommunication services, consumer staples, consumer discretionary, materials, energy and S-T securities. Black Rock Fund Advisors acts as the Fund�� investment advisor. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Aspray]

  There is no question that it has been a rough few months for the Asian markets as since the October 9 low they have lagged behind the Spyder Trust (SPY), which is now up about 8.8%. Thailand (THD) has done the worst of the group, down over 13%, and the Philippines (EPHE) has also been weak since November.

Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Rallye SA (RAL)

Rallye SA is a France-based holding company organized around two sectors of activity: large scale distribution to the food stores and supermarkets and distribution of sports items. The Company is present in France, Latin America, Poland, and Asia through its interests in brands, such as Geant, Monoprix, Leader Price, and United Grocers Cash & Carry, among others. It also has its interst in the Groupe Go Sport. Rallye SA is notably present in France, the United States, Luxembourg, Poland and Colombia, among others. The Company operates through its subsidiaries and affliated companies, such as Cobivia SAS, L��abitation Moderne de Boulogne, Magasins Jean SAS, Matignon Sablons SAS, MFD SA, Parande SAS, Casino Guichaqrd Perrachon DA, Groupe Go Sport, Sivigral SCI and French Develompent Venture SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  A risk involved with the company is that its Republic Bank & Trust business derives 78% of its net income from TRS, which offers bank products that help get customers who electronically file their tax returns their payments. RB&T is only of the few financial institutions in the U.S. that provide the service. Under the program, the taxpayer may receive a Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL), which has been questioned by various governmental and consumer groups. In May 2011, RB&T received an order to cease and desist which could result in an order by the FDIC to terminate its RAL program. It has a hearing on Feb. 12, 2012 in Kentucky regarding the matter.

Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Addus HomeCare Corporation(ADUS)

Addus HomeCare Corporation provides a range of social and medical services to individuals in the home. The company serves individuals with special needs who are at risk of hospitalization or institutionalization, such as the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled. It offers various health services that include personal care and assistance with activities of daily living, skilled nursing and rehabilitative therapies, and adult day care. The company?s Home and Community Services division offers assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, personal hygiene and medication reminders, and other activities of daily living on a long-term, continuous basis, with an average duration of 20 months per consumer. Its Home Health Services division comprises physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as skilled nursing services, which are offered on a short-term, intermittent, or episodic basis to individuals recovering from an acute medical condition, with an average length of care of 80 days. The company?s payor clients include federal, state, and local government programs, such as Medicaid funded programs and Medicaid waiver programs; other state agencies and Medicare; and the Veterans Health Administration, commercial insurers, and private duty consumers. The company was formerly known as Addus Holding Corporation and changed its name to Addus HomeCare Corporation in September, 2006. Addus HomeCare Corporation was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Palatine, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Addus HomeCare (NASDAQ: ADUS) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.25 per share on revenue of $68.07 million.

  magicJack VocalTec (NASDAQ: CALL) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $35.93 million.

Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Aeroflex Holding Corp (ARX)

Aeroflex Holding Corp. (Aeroflex Holding) is a provider of radio frequency (RF) and microwave integrated circuits, components and systems used in the design, development and maintenance of wireless communication systems. The Company�� solutions include microelectronic components and test and measurement equipment used by companies in the space, avionics and defense; commercial wireless communications, and medical and other markets. Its products include a range of RF, microwave and millimeter wave microelectronic components, integrated circuits (ICs), and analog and mixed-signal devices. It also manufactures a range of RF and microwave wireless radio and avionics test equipment and solutions particularly for the wireless, avionics and radio test markets. The Company operates in two segments: Aeroflex Microelectronics Solutions (AMS) and Aeroflex Test Solutions (ATS). In August 2010, it acquired Advanced Control Components. In September 2013, the Company announced the sale of its Aeroflex Test Equipment Services (ATES) business to Trescal Limited. In February 2014, Aeroflex Holding Corp announced the acquisition of Shenick Network Systems.

Aeroflex Microelectronic Solutions

AMS offers a range of microelectronics products and is a provider of specialty products for the space, avionics, defense, commercial wireless communications, medical and other markets. RadHard products are specifically designed to tolerate high radiation level environments, which otherwise can degrade electronic components. The Company principally operates on a fabless semiconductor manufacturing model, outsourcing virtually all front-end semiconductor fabrication activities to commercial foundries. AMS offers a range of complementary products that provide connectivity and computing functionality for applications. Its product portfolio includes RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, including discrete components, ICs, monolithic microwave ICs and multi-chip modules.

AMS designs and manu! factures application specific, analog and mixed-signal devices for use in medical, industrial and intelligent sensors. The Company�� AMS products are used in over 100 space, avionics and defense platforms, including the Wideband Global Satellite Communications satellites, the Geostationary Operational Environmental satellites, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites, the Boeing 777 airliner's databus, the F-16's modular mission computer, the B-1 flight controls upgrade and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense program. Its AMS products are also used in wireless communications platforms, including WCDMA and LTE cellular base station systems, as well as point-to-point broadband radio applications. In the medical area, our products are used by two of the top four manufacturers of CT scan equipment.

AMS provides HiRel standard and custom integrated circuits and circuit card assembly for the aerospace, altitude avionics, medical, x-ray cargo scanners, critical transportation systems, nuclear power controls, global positioning systems (GPS) receivers, networking and telecommunication markets. AMS' HiRel products include transceivers, analog multiplexers, clock management generators, MSI logic products, battery electronics units, voltage regulators, high-speed power controllers, MIL-STD 1553 bus controllers, remote terminals, bus monitors, microcontrollers and microprocessors, RadHard Pulse Width Modulation Controllers, RadHard Resolver-to-Digital and memory modules. HiRel Microelectronics/ Semiconductors have a typical life cycle of 10-20 years.

AMS provides a set of standard and application specific RF/microwave diodes and semiconductor devices. Microwave semiconductor products offered include diodes, amplifiers, resistors, inductors, capacitors, switches, and integrated devices. RF and Microwave active components and subsystems offered include PIN diode-based microwave control components, variable attenuators, phase shifters, limiters, time delay units and Multi-Funct! ion Micro! wave assemblies. AMS offers resistor products, which include a variety of low and high reliability power surface mounted passive devices for the wireless infrastructure and defense markets with applications in isolators, circulators, single and multi-carrier power amplifiers and circuits. Passive components offered include attenuators, terminations, adapters, DC blocks, and other components for commercial, military and laboratory applications. Other products include power amplifiers, up and down converters, mixers, filters and micro-receivers operating to over 40 giga hertz (GHz). RF and Microwave components have a typical life cycle of 5-15 years. The Company�� motion control products provide complete and integrated motion control solutions for space (both military and commercial), military, avionics, and industrial customers. Its product line offerings include actuators and mechanisms, electronic controllers, slip rings and twist capsules, DC motors and Gimbal Systems. Motion control products have a typical life cycle of 10-20 years.

Aeroflex Test Solutions

ATS is a provider of a line of specialized test and measurement hardware and software products, primarily for the space, avionics, defense, commercial wireless communications and other markets. ATS products and their applications include wireless test equipment, which is used to develop and test handsets and base stations; military radio and PMR test equipment, which is used by radio manufacturers and military, police, fire, and emergency response units to test handheld radios; avionics test equipment, which is used in the design, manufacture and maintenance of electronics systems for aircraft; synthetic test equipment, which is used to test satellites and transmit / receive modules prior to launch and deployment, and general purpose test equipment, including spectrum analyzers and signal generators.

Wireless Test Equipment is used by wireless service providers and equipment manufacturers to test wireless ! handsets ! and base stations. The Company offers a range of cellular tests across a range of wireless standards and communication frequencies, including 2G and 3G, with particular capability in EDGE protocols, and the new 4G LTE/LTE(A) protocols. Products include a range of system, protocol, physical layer and parametric test solutions, such as the TM500 test mobile, RF synthesizers, digitizers and combiners, and application software. In addition, ATS provides PXI-based products which are modular scalable solutions for the handset manufacturing environment. Product applications include research and development, conformance, manufacturing/production, installation and commissioning, field service, and network optimization.

ATS Radio Test Equipment is used by radio manufacturers and military, police, fire and emergency response units to test handheld radio units. ATS provides TErrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), and Project 25 (P25), radio test equipment, addressing both mobile and repeater test applications. TETRA is a global standard for private mobile radio (PMR), systems used by emergency services, public transport and utilities. P25 is a standard for digital radio communications for use by federal, state, private, and local public safety agencies in North America. Its military communications testing systems are primarily used by the United States military to test complex voice and data frequency hopping radios and accessories. Military radio and PMR test equipment has a typical life cycle of 5-20 years.

Avionics test equipment is used in the design, manufacture, test and maintenance of commercial, civil and military airborne electronic systems, or avionics. ATS equipment provides the stimulus and signals necessary for certification, verification, fault finding and diagnosis of airborne systems on the ground. For civil and commercial aviation, it has test solutions for various transponder modes, communications frequencies, emergency locator transmitters, weather radars and GPS systems. F! or milita! ry aviation, it has test solutions for microwave landing systems, tactical air navigation, enhanced traffic alert and collision avoidance systems, various identification friend or foe, or IFF, transponder/interrogator modes and IFF monopulse antenna simulation. ATS also provides customized avionics test solutions to support manual and automatic test equipment for manufacturing, repair and ground support operations. Avionics test equipment has a typical life cycle of 8-15 years.

Synthetic test systems test several attributes through one box and can take multiple complex measurements simultaneously. ATS provides synthetic test environment that allows digital, analog, RF/microwave and power test of circuits, modules, subsystems and complete systems for commercial, military, and aerospace customers. ATS' STI 1000C+ and TRM 1000C products offer synthetic microwave test systems optimized for testing Transmit/Receive modules and satellite payloads in a factory setting. Its SMART^E and SMART^E 5300 products offer a modular approach for implementing multi-function configurable and reconfigurable test systems. Synthetic test solutions products have a typical life cycle of 10-15 years.

ATS offers a variety of general purpose test solutions including microwave test solutions, counters and power meters. ATS microwave test solutions cover frequency ranges from 1 megahertz (MHz) to 46 gigahertz (GHz), with various tracking, offset, continuous wave, modulated source, fault location, and group delay configuration options provided. ATS power meters are designed for field use, automated test equipment requirements and standard bench applications. General purpose test solutions have a typical life cycle of 4-7 years.

The Company Competes with Agilent Technologies, Honeywell, BAE Systems, Hittite Microwave Corporation, ILC / Data Devices Corporation, Microsemi, Anaren, Anite, Anritsu, Rohde & Schwarz, Spirent and National Instruments.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The Department of Defense issued some 22 separate contract awards Thursday, totaling just under $1 billion in combined value. Not all of them went to publicly traded defense contractors, of course, but enough of them did to be worth mentioning. Here are a few of the lucky winners:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Tuesday, technology shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.12 percent. Leading the sector was strength from Aeroflex Holding (NYSE: ARX) and Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ). Cyclical consumer goods & services shares declined around 0.71 percent in Tuesday's trading.

Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. (BIO)

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. manufactures and supplies the life science research, healthcare, analytical chemistry, and other markets worldwide with a range of products and systems used to separate complex chemical and biological materials and to identify, analyze, and purify their components. It operates in two segments, Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, sells, and services reagents, apparatus, and instruments used for biological research. This segment sells its products to university and medical school laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, food testing laboratories, and government and industrial research facilities. The Clinical Diagnostics segment develops, manufactures, sells, and services automated test systems, informatics systems, test kits, and specialized quality controls for the healthcare market. This segment sells its products to reference laboratories, hospital laboratories, screening faci lities, physicians? office laboratories, transfusion laboratories, and insurance and forensic testing laboratories. The company was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Hercules, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE: BIO  ) reported earnings on May 7. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Bio-Rad Laboratories met expectations on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.

Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Cytomedix Inc (CMXI)

Cytomedix, Inc. (Cytomedix), incorporated in April 29, 1998, is a regenerative therapies company marketing and developing products within the United States and internationally .The Company commercializes cell-based technologies that harness the regenerative capacity of the human body to trigger natural healing. The Company is a commercial operation, and a robust clinical pipeline representing a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving field of regenerative medicine. Cytomedix primarily operates in the United States. Its commercial offerings are centered on its point of care platform technologies for the safe and efficient separation of blood and bone marrow to produce platelet based therapies or cell concentrates.

The Company markets and selsl two distinct platelet rich plasma (PRP) technologies, the AutoloGel System for wound care and the Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) Sytem in orthopedic and cardiovascular markets. Its clinical pipeline includes the ALDH, which are cell-based therapies (Bright Cells). In February 2012, the Company acquired Aldagen, Inc.

The AutoloGel System

The AutoloGel System is a point of care device for the production of a platelet based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient�� own blood. Using the patient�� own platelets as a therapeutic agent, AutoloGel harnesses the body�� natural healing processes to deliver growth factors, chemokines and cytokines known to promote angiogenesis and to regulate cell growth and the formation of new tissue.

Angel Product Line

The Angel concentrated Platelet Rich Plasma (cPRP) System is a multi-functional cell separation device which produces concentrated platelet rich plasma for use in the operating room and clinic and is used in a range of orthopedic and cardiovascular indications. Similar to the AutoloGel System, the Angel System is a point of care device for the production of a concentrated, aseptic platelet! -based bioactive therapy derived from a small sample of the patient�� own blood. The resulting cPRP is applied at the site of injury to promote healing. The Angel product line also includes ancillary products such as phlebotomy and applicator supplies and activAT. activAT is designed to produce autologous thrombin serum from platelet poor plasma and is sold exclusively in Europe and Canada, where it provides a safe alternative to bovine-derived products.

ALDHbr Cell Technology and Development Pipeline

The ALDHbr (Bright Cell) technology is an approach to cell-based regenerative medicine and a logical extension of its commercial technologies in the evolving regenerative medicine market, with potential clinical indications in markets with unmet medical needs such as peripheral arterial disease and ischemic stroke. The Bright Cell technology is in that it utilizes an intracellular enzyme marker to facilitate fractionation of essential regenerative cells from a patient�� bone marrow. The bone marrow fractionation process identifies and isolates active stem and progenitor cells expressing high levels of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, or ALDH, which is a key enzyme involved in the regulation of gene activities associated with cell proliferation and differentiation.

The Company�� lead product candidate, ALD-401, is an autologous preparation of Bright Cells for the post-acute treatment of ischemic stroke. ALD-401 is being evaluated in the RECOVER-Stroke clinical study, an ongoing 100-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study in patients with unilateral, cerebral ischemic stroke with an NIH stroke scale score of less than 22. An additional product candidate, ALD-301, is in clinical development for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition causing reduced flow of blood and oxygen to muscles in the leg. It has completed a Phase 1/2 study of autologous ALD-301 in critical limb ischemia (CLI), a late stage condition caused by PAD. The Phase 2 PACE! (Patient! s with Intermittent Claudication Injected with ALDH Bright Cells) study is an 80 patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial intended to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of ALD-301 (Bright Cells) in patients diagnosed with IC.

The Company competes with Harvest Technologies (a subsidiary of Terumo), Biomet, Arteriocyte, and Arthrex.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  To give credit where it's due, Cytomedix, Inc. (OTCBB:CMXI) and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) have both helped shape the landscape of the hemostasis (bleeding control) market with their products, AutoloGel and TISSELL, respectively. Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH) has proverbially taken their concepts "up a notch", however, and its direct solution to a problem that CMXI and BAX can't quite solve may make ARTH the hottest trading candidate in the hemostasis space.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  When traders think of post-surgical wound management stocks, they may first think of names like Cytomedix, Inc. (OTCBB:CMXI) or Alliqua Inc. (OTCMKTS:ALQA). And well they should. Both companies have something of a history in the arena. ALQA is the purveyor of SilverSeal and Hydress antibiotic bandages, while CMXI is the developer of the AutoloGel system, which induces an affected patient's on body to do what it's supposed to do if there's a wound that won't heal. Cytomedix also makes the Angel platelet-rich plasma (PRP) delivery system. There's a relatively new name to add to the list of game-changing stocks in wound-management industry, however.... Arch Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:ARTH). The company is developing - well, has developed - a product called AC5 that nips post-surgical bleeding in the bud, largely negating the need for other post-surgical bleeding-control measures.

Top 10 Life Sciences Stocks For 2014: Powershares Etf Fund Trusts Ii (PGX)

The PowerShares Preferred Portfolio (Fund) is based on The BofA Merrill Lynch Core Fixed Rate Preferred Securities Index (Index). The Fund normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Index. The Index is designed to replicate the total return of a diversified group of investment-grade preferred securities. The Index is rebalanced on a monthly basis. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before fees and expenses) of a securities index. The Fund invests in sectors, such as basic materials, financial, utilities and unclassified. Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC. is the investment adviser. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  Public Storage has 10 different series of preferred stock, but I like the Series T because it trades at $21.83, which is more than 12% below par. I don�� see any reason for this discount, and it also boosts the 5.75% dividend (at par) to 6.58% at the current price.

  Preferred Stocks to Buy: PowerShares Preferred Portfolio (PGX)
  

  Dividend Yield: 6.6%