Cash. We could all use more of it. That's why many investors turn to dividend stocks. The case for good dividend stocks is simple: Investors don't need to rely solely on unrealized gains to get a return on their investment -- they get to look forward to a cash deposit every quarter.

But how do you find the top dividend stocks? You'll need to muster up some contrarianism and look where others aren't. If you want abnormal returns, you'll need to act abnormally.

Where to searchLet's begin by looking at some megacap tech-leaders. In doing so, you've already (a) identified an undervalued sector many investors have abandoned and (b) narrowed your search down to the leaders in their respective industries. Particularly, let's look at Apple and Intel , two excellent businesses that have been battered and bruised over the past year.

AAPL data by YCharts

Enduring Top dividend stocks need more than just a good dividend yield -- they need to be enduring businesses. A dividend yield won't get you anywhere if your principal takes a nosedive.

Most enduring businesses have two things in common: market leadership and consistently high returns on invested capital to prove it.

Apple's market leadership is as clear as day. If there's a definite duopoly in any industry, it's in handsets. Apple and Samsung, together, captured 100% of the industry's worldwide profits in the first quarter of 2013, according to Canaccord Genuity. Apple took the lead with 57% of profits, and Samsung followed behind with 43%. But Apple's share of profits is quite surprising, given that it captured only 8% of the global handset market share.

Intel's leadership comes from its economies of scale. As the world's largest semiconductor company by far, it has far more money to spend on research and development and also has cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities. To add some perspective to just how significant Intel's economies of scale really are, compare its market capitalization of $118.4 billion with that of its closest competitor, Advanced Micro Devices, at just $2.9 billion.

Furthermore, Apple and Intel have had above-average returns on invested capital in the trailing 10-year, five-year, and three-year periods. Today, Apple stands at a whopping 33.3% return on invested capital and Intel at a nice 17.2%. This is clear evidence that both companies benefit from competitive advantages -- namely, brand recognition and economies of scale.

Reasonably pricedTop dividend stocks should be reasonably priced, to lower the risk on your principle and let you focus on the prospective income.

Apple and Intel are as cheap as market leaders come in today's frothy stock market. Apple and Intel's stock prices have dropped, but measured by free cash flow yield, their ability to generate the cold, hard cash that builds shareholder value is still intact. Furthermore, measured by this metric, these two market leaders are comparatively cheap compared with other dividend-paying market leaders.

AAPL Free Cash Flow Yield data by YCharts

Meaningful dividendsObviously, top dividend stocks should have nice dividends yields. Apple and Intel undoubtedly deliver, with dividend yields of 2.7% and 3.8%, respectively. These are considerable yields, given that analysts, on average, expect Apple and Intel's EPS to increase by 20.88% and 11% per annum for the next five years, respectively.

Well-rounded Like Apple and Intel, top dividend stocks must be well-rounded, meeting all of the criteria I've laid out; the business must be enduring, the stock should be reasonably priced, and the dividends should crush the return you could get in your savings account.

If you're looking for the top dividend stocks to invest in today, give Apple and Intel some serious consideration.

What do you think? Are Apple and Intel great dividend stocks? What dividend stocks are you betting on?

The article Top Dividend Stocks to Invest in Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The all-new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra represent General Motors' most important new-product launches in years. GM has made it clear that it's pulling out all the stops on this one, and that means a big ad blitz is coming to a TV near you.

In this video, Fool contributor John Rosevear looks at the latest news on GM's big launch -- and at some hints as to the shape of the massive marketing campaign that's about to be set loose on America.

The article Get Ready for a Chevy Silverado Ad Blitz originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

It is no secret that oil and natural gas are finite resources on which the whole world is becoming increasingly more dependent. As more and more uses are developed for natural gas, it is inevitable that production will increase in order to meet expanding demand. While I may never live to see the day when either resource runs completely dry, I do believe that I will still be a going concern when their extraction reaches the point of diminishing returns.

Because of this obvious dilemma, renewable resources are continually gaining traction both in labs and within investors' portfolios. Which renewable source emerges the victor has yet to be seen. In my case, I have chosen to place my first bet on the effect that geothermal energy could have on the world. Here is an energy bestowed upon us from the belly of Mother Earth that can be harnessed in the form of steam after drilling several miles below the surface.

What makes this more unique than solar or wind? Well for one, the consistency in which power can be generated from a geothermal plant ranks leaps and bounds ahead of the other two which are largely dependent on the time of day, weather, etc. Therefore, geothermal power can be relied upon as a base-load source much like nuclear and coal plants are now. Add in the fact that it has a comparable levelized cost to that of natural gas facilities while beating out all other renewable sources other than wind, and geothermal appears to be an ideal choice to build the energy infrastructure of the future around.

Based on this favorable outlook, I will be adding Ormat Technologies to my real-money portfolio in order to gain exposure to the geothermal industry. Ormat Technologies specializes in binary cycle plants which have the ability to operate in areas where temperatures don't quite reach those necessary to generate power from traditional dry steam or flash steam plants.

Because binary cycle plants "simply" cycle the geothermal fluid through a heat exchanger -- where its heat is transferred to the low-boiling-point fluid which powers the turbine -- and then returns the cooled geothermal fluid to the reservoir, it protects the sustainability of the reservoir. Environmentalists can also rest at ease because the only emission that typically escapes from these plants is water vapor.

On top of returning the fluid to the reservoir and keeping our air breathable, binary cycle plants can be placed in areas of geothermal activity where temperatures don't reach those necessary to operate dry or flash steam plants. This increases the marketplace for Ormat's equipment and services well beyond what was traditionally thought of prior to their design.

While the cost of bringing a binary cycle plant on line might be a bet burdensome, I forecast that costs will fall as geothermal becomes more en vogue. With companies such as Halliburton and Schlumberger handling the bulk of drilling activity, technological advances can't be too far off.

From a financial standpoint, Ormat has been able to deliver cash flow from operations on a consistent basis for at least the past 10 years, where it has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 22.7% since 2003. I do have some reservations regarding its debt level, but if it continues generating cash like it has been, then I don't foresee any problems meeting its current obligations.

As my portfolio expands, this early base of new school versus old school energy is a nice near- to mid-term hedge after which I believe the new school regime will officially take over. I look forward to watching this technology leader grow along with its promising industry in the coming years.

link

The article Renewable Energy Is Gaining Steam in My Portfolio originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Proposed changes to the 2008 farm bill could mean a quarter-trillion-dollar growth opportunity for the banks that back farmers.

Lawmakers are debating potentially big changes in the way farmers mitigate risk and the government programs that facilitate loans to less qualified borrowers. For the financial institutions that bank these farmers, the bill presents opportunities for growth and an appealing way to diversify their loan portfolios.

What's changing in the farm bill?The current version of the farm bill in both the House and Senate includes two game-changers for farmers and their banks. First, the revised law would end a $5 billion subsidy for crop insurance premiums. Farmers' insurance expenses would increase, hurting their earnings and cash flow. The added expense could even tempt some farmers to forgo the insurance they really need, just to cut costs.

The bill also proposes a change to the guaranteed-loan program from the Farm Service Agency. Through this program, the government guarantees a percentage of a loan balance for the bank, similar to the Small Business Administration's 7(a) program. If the loan defaults and the bank takes a loss, the government will reimburse the bank based on the percentage of the guarantee. With the proposed changes, banks would now be allowed to offer longer loans to borrowers, yet still have the benefit of the government guarantee. Practically, this means lower monthly payments for borrowers, which would give them greater cash-flow flexibility in a down year.

Wait a second. Did you say a quarter-trillion?Farming in the U.S. is big business. There are more than 2.2 million farms in the U.S., farming more than 920 million acres of land. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, these farms exported nearly $116 billion worth of agriculture products in 2010.

An industry of this size has credit and banking needs of equal proportion. The American Bankers Association reports that as of 2012, banks carried over $140 billion of loans to farms to acquire acreage and equipment, fund operations, and provide working capital. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that, industrywide, farms will increase debt outstanding by $277 billion by the end of 2013. The potential is huge.

Banks are once again finding ways to grow, but that growth is largely being concentrated in one- to four-family real estate. Agriculture lending presents an opportunity for banks to diversify the loan portfolio and grow at the same time.

The vast majority of farm loans are originated by smaller, specialized institutions, but not surprisingly, the big banks have the highest volume in raw dollar terms. Wells Fargo is the nation's largest agriculture lender, with $8.9 billion in farm loans in 2012. Bank of the West, a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas, is the third largest ag lender, but more critically, the bank has a 6% concentration of its loans in the sector. Bank of America is the fourth largest U.S. farm lender, with $2.4 billion in loans outstanding.

So who is best positioned to win?The ABA reports that more than 50% of bank-originated farm loans -- 1.2 million loans, for a total of $74 billion -- go to small farms. Of the 1.2 million small farm loans, 841,000 involve less than $100,000. Since small farms need so much credit, the banks most proficient in small business and community banking have the most to gain from this change in legislation.

Wells Fargo is already adept in government-guaranteed lending programs, leading the nation with $456 million in loan production in the SBA's 7(a) loan program year to date in 2013. That position suggests that the bank can easily take advantage of expanded FSA programs for farms. Wells has committed itself to the community bank model and is already reaping the benefits in the marketplace. Of the big banks, Wells looks to be the lead horse.

Conversely, Bank of America has not embraced government-guaranteed loan programs, ranking 61st in SBA 7(a) loans. B of A is struggling to grow as it continues to battle with its legacy Countrywide portfolio of bad home mortgage loans. That struggle seems to leave the company in no position to capitalize on farm-loan opportunities.

Ag lending is a highly specialized business with unique risks and opportunities. The best ag lenders will always be the specialists -- the banks with a culture built around the farming business. But for the larger institutions, lending effectively to farms can be a lucrative way to increase loan production, diversify the portfolio, and differentiate among the competition on the ground and in the markets.

The article A $277 Billion Opportunity for Lenders originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

On Tuesday, the shareholders of JPMorgan Chase voted for Jamie Dimon to remain in his dual role as chairman and CEO. In spite of the media hoopla leading up to it, the voting shareholders cast their ballots based on Dimon's results, and the outcome speaks for itself.

The man, the mythDimon is a polarizing figure in our business culture today. He's brash, confident, blunt, and probably a little arrogant. He fumbled his initial handling of the London Whale fiasco, but he responded promptly and aggressively as the scale of the scandal become clear. He reshuffled his management team, beefed up risk management, and publicly admitted mistakes were made.

Even President Obama straddles the Dimon dichotomy, criticizing the bank for the London Whale scandal yet still squeezing in praise for "one of the smartest bankers we've got."

Since Dimon became CEO on Dec. 31, 2005, JPMorgan has never reported a quarterly loss. That includes the record $21.3 billion reported for full year 2012, making the London Whale losses pale in comparison with the company's overall earnings power.

JPM Net Income Quarterly data by YCharts

The resultsThe public-relations fiasco surrounding the Whale scandal absolutely pained shareholders, but that pain was short-term. Fundamentally, JPMorgan is still a very strong, high-performing bank, as its stock performance reveals. Since 2008, JPMorgan's stock has outperformed the Dow Jones U.S. Financial Sector Index by 37%.

JPM data by YCharts

The results are similar if we narrow the comparison to JPMorgan's peer group of only the largest U.S. banks. JPMorgan's stock easily outperforms Bank of America and Citigroup. Wells Fargo has been widely applauded of late, but since Dimon became CEO, JPMorgan has beaten Wells in the markets by 7%.

JPM data by YCharts

Jamie Dimon's style -- aggressive, confident, and brash -- probably opened him up to outsized, and mostly warranted, criticism when the London Whale scandal hit the nightly news. No one is infallible, Dimon included.

Still, JPMorgan shareholders voted correctly to keep him as both CEO and chairman. Dimon's tenure has seen the near-collapse of the financial system and is currently working through the largest overhaul of financial regulation in 80 years. But through it all, the bank's performance has been exemplary. Jamie Dimon has earned the responsibility to fill both those spots in JPMorgan's top ranks.

The article 3 Charts That Justify Jamie Dimon's Jobs originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

There's never a dull week on Wall Street. Let's go over some of the news that will shape the week to come.

Monday The market is closed in observance of Memorial Day. The holiday should provide time to catch a few episodes of the fourth season of Arrested Development that began streaming exclusively through Netflix the day before. This will be the third major piece of original content that Netflix has offered in the past four months.

It's a pity that Netflix doesn't report its monthly churn metric anymore, because it would probably be pretty good as the steady inflow of new shows keeps subscribers close.

Tuesday Perfect World logs in with its quarterly results on Tuesday.

Online gaming is hot in China, but Perfect World has seen better days. Analysts see revenue sliding 15% for the quarter, with earnings taking an even bigger 46% hit. Despite the uninspiring fundamentals, shares of Perfect World did hit a fresh 52-week high this past week. There are some potentially promising games in the pipeline, so clearly the market thinks Perfect World will turn things around.

Wednesday Trina Solar hopes to shine on Wednesday, but that's no easy feat in solar these days. China's slowing economy and slammed European economies have been forced into scaling back solar energy investments, and that has hurt the industry. Wall Street's braced for a widening deficit at Trina Solar. It's probably not a good sign that Trina Solar has reported an even larger loss than Wall Street was projecting every single quarter over the past year.

Thursday Express is one of the many retailers reporting this week. The clothing chain has more than 600 stores, making it a decent proxy for mall life. The retailers that have chimed in for their fiscal quarters ending in April have posted mixed results so far. Wall Street's forecasting a slide in income on flat sales at Express.

Friday The market is typically quiet on Friday, but don't tell that to Graham . The maker of custom-engineered ejectors, pumps, condensers, vacuum systems, and heat exchangers reports on Friday morning. Analysts see profitability almost quadrupling to $0.31 a share, and revenue soaring 48%.

Don't mistake Graham for a growth stock based on a single quarter. Results are lumpy here, and analysts actually see flat revenue on a slight decline in earnings for the entire fiscal year that ended in March.

The article The Fool Looks Ahead originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Earlier this month it seemed as if Facebook would be buying Waze, the fast-growing traffic app that uses crowdsourcing to deliver breaking news on traffic tie-ups and speed traps. Facebook was reportedly willing to pay $800 million to $1 billion for the Israeli-based company.

Well, now chatter finds Google potentially interested in Waze.

Can we get some navigation tips to get around Waze's headquarters? Things seem to be getting a bit busy with gentleman callers on its porch.

Facebook and Google have the money to complete the deal. They also have the resources to whip up their own Waze knockoff. The problem there is that Waze already has 47 million active users worldwide submitting real-time information to help out their fellow drivers. Why compete against Waze -- and probably lose this game of numbers -- when you can buy it?

Would Google be a better fit than Facebook? That's not the point. At its very core, Google's interest may be primarily to keep Facebook away. Facebook is already siphoning away search traffic and online time. If it wins over the mobile crowd, it will become an even fiercer competitor.

Watch this battle. It will get interesting.

Briefly in the news And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.

• 8x8 moved higher after posting better-than-expected revenue growth in its latest quarter. The provider of PBX telephony, video conferencing, and other Web-based communication services did miss on the bottom line, but it was still another period of margin expansion and explosive earnings growth.
• SodaStream popped to a fresh 52-week high last week after its well-received Analyst Day, but an analyst this week was feeling more flat than fizz on the company behind the carbonated beverage maker system. J.P. Morgan downgraded the stock but also boosted its price target from $56 to $70 to keep pace with the bubbly share price.
• Tesla Motors continues to do all of the right things. The electric-car maker on Wednesday wired a payment that zeroes out the federal loan it received four years ago. Tesla claims to be the first American company to fully repay its government loan, but Chrysler disputed the claim. Take it outside, you two.

The article A Fool Looks Back originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The article Glancy Binkow & Goldberg LLP Announces Lead Plaintiff Deadline In The Class Action Lawsuit Against Exide Technologies originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The article Science Magazine Newton Surpasses 100,000 Downloads Just Four Months After Launch originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Now that Yahoo! has acquired Tumblr, Facebook investors may have something else to worry about. Given Yahoo!'s massive scale, the company has the potential to turn Tumblr into a force to be reckoned with. However, this may not be the primary reasoning behind why Yahoo! purchased Tumblr in the first place. In this video, Fool contributor Steve Heller examines Yahoo!'s recent acquisition and what it could mean for Facebook's future.

The article Should Facebook Start Worrying About Yahoo!? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The article IXYS Schedules Conference Call to Discuss Results of Its Fourth Fiscal Quarter and Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2013 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

To become a better investors, you need to put together a winning team that includes a strong brokerage company in your corner. But how can you pick the right broker for your needs?

In the following video, Fool contributor and personal finance expert Dan Caplinger discusses the things to consider in choosing a broker. With so much riding on your choice, it's important to look beyond stock commissions to get a sense of the true costs that you'll pay for your portfolio. In addition, by evaluating research and other services that each broker offers, you can simplify your own finances by consolidating accounts at one broker if you want.

The article How to Pick the Best Broker for You originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Microsoft  is making inroads in a key market, and at the rate its going, longtime stalwarts including Hewlett-Packard and IBM better stand up and take notice.

IT operations management: What is it?Computer Weekly Developer Network describes IT operations management, or ITOM, as, "the day-to-day tasks related to the management of technology infrastructure components," and the "individual applications, services, storage, networking and connectivity elements of a total IT stack." And the ITOM market is big, in both the cloud and traditional IT environments, and getting bigger. According to research from Gartner, the ITOM software market generated $18 billion last year, up 4.8% from 2011.

Though Microsoft ranks fourth in the ITOM marketplace, things start to get interesting for investors when we analyze the last couple of years. The top five ITOM vendors account for 55% of the entire market, and of those, Microsoft has easily outgrown the others on a percentage basis: Jumping 11.2% in annual revenue from 2010 to 2011, and up 16.1% from 2011 to 2012.

The next best growth by any of the top five ITOM vendors last year? BMC Software was up a paltry 0 .9% year over year. Even IBM, the undisputed king of ITOM, grew a mere 0.8% in 2012. Granted, IBM's $3.28 billion in ITOM revenue in 2012 handily beats Microsoft's $1.48 billion, as does BMC's $1.92 billion, but the trend is clear: Microsoft is leveraging its enterprise and cloud computing customers better than its ITOM competitors.

Of the top five, only Hewlett-Packard and CA Technologies  -- a $12.35 billion market cap ITOM solutions provider -- experienced a decrease in revenue compared to 2011. HP experienced the largest decline of the big boys, falling 4.3% year over year. CA was essentially flat, dropping 0.6% to $2.21 billion in revenue compared to $2.26 billion in 2011.

The big pictureInvestors aren't discounting the strides Microsoft is making in mobile computing and cloud-related products, including Office 365, as evidenced by its share price pop of over 27% so far this year. IDC's recent data showing Windows Phone taking over the No. 3 smartphone OS spot in Q1 of this year is also a great topic around the proverbial water cooler.

Now toss in the success Microsoft is enjoying in ancillary businesses like ITOM, particularly compared with competitors like HP and CA, and the mid- to long-term growth prospects really get interesting.

IBM is cheaper than Microsoft on a trailing P/E basis, largely due its stock price decline after missing analyst estimates in the recently announced Q1, combined with Microsoft's stellar run since its own earnings release on April 18. But what separates Microsoft from IBM and others, is its success in growing multiple business lines simultaneously, including ITOM revenue, even as its competitors remain stagnant or decline. The market loves talking about Windows 8 and mobile computing, and that's fine, but Microsoft is proving it has a lot more to offer investors.

The article There's More to Microsoft Than Windows 8 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Every quarter, many money managers have to disclose what they've bought and sold, via "13F" filings. Their latest moves can shine a bright light on smart stock picks.

Today, let's look at the Renaissance Technologies hedge fund company founded by James Simons and known for its quantitative approach to investing. Indeed, Simons explained in 2007 that, "We hire physicists, mathematicians, astronomers and computer scientists and they typically know nothing about finance... We haven't hired out of Wall Street at all." The company's most well-known fund is the Medallion Fund. Interestingly, most of its assets belong to employees of the firm, and outside investors are generally turned away.

Why should you look at Renaissance Technologies' moves? Well, it's hard to find performance data for it, but in his 2009 book Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions, Zachary Shore noted that Renaissance's flagship Medallion fund "has yielded an average 38% annual return since its inception in 1988. The fund has lost money only in a single year, 1989, when it dropped 4.1%." That's so remarkable that some have mused that it's either a Madoff-like Ponzi scheme or a simply amazing hedge fund.

The company's reportable stock portfolio totaled $41.2 billion  in value as of March 31, 2013, with several thousand holdings. (Concentration, thy name is not Renaissance Technologies!)

Interesting developmentsSo what does Renaissance's latest quarterly 13F filing tell us? Here are a few interesting details:

The biggest new holdings are EMC and Virgin Media. Other new holdings of interest include Nokia and Corning . Nokia has struggled in recent years, but has been regaining its footing, providing less developed economies with less expensive mobile phones and also partnering on Windows phones. It's coming out with new offerings, too. Sales in China have been shrinking recently, though, and some worry about developing nations embracing more pricey smartphones.

Corning has suffered lately due to low prices and demand for LCD substrates, but it's enjoying solid demand for its Gorilla Glass, which generated more than $1 billion in 2012 revenue. The company's flexible new Willow Glass is also promising. Despite some issues such as falling profit margins, there's a solid case to be made that the stock is attractively priced at recent levels and a good long-term investment. It has upped its dividend as well.

Among holdings in which Renaissance Technologies increased its stake was New York Community Bancorp , which is offering a hefty 7.3% dividend yield. The company has recently been growing via acquisitions and its management is known for prudent management of credit risk. Bulls like that its CEO has been with the company for decades and is heavily invested in it, and a recent decline in its non-performing assets is a plus, too.

Renaissance Technologies reduced its stake in lots of companies, including Houston-based oil and natural gas company Linn Energy . Linn offers a whopping 8.8% dividend yield, and has been making some income-generating acquisitions. The company specializes in buying mature, productive energy assets -- and is poised to eventually profit from the rich Bakken fields. It's also admired for its successful long-term hedging and organic growth, and is seen by some as a solid investment.

Finally, Renaissance's biggest closed positions included Apple and Cisco Systems. Other closed positions of interest include Micron Technology , which is trading near its 52-week high and has a forward P/E ratio near 20. The struggling PC market has hurt the company, but bulls are hopeful about growth in tablets and smartphones driving demand for memory chips. Its second-quarter earnings report featured lower costs and rising margins that hinted at a return to profitability soon. Micron's purchase of Japanese manufacturer Elpida also seems promising, boosting its capacity and its relationship with Apple. Micron has been losing market share, though, and some worry about the commoditization of memory, recent net losses, and Micron's debt levels.

We should never blindly copy any investor's moves, no matter how talented the investor. But it can be useful to keep an eye on what smart folks are doing. 13-F forms can be great places to find intriguing candidates for our portfolios.

The article Here's What Some Big-Time Quants Are Buying originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The article IXYS Announces Agreement with Samsung Electronics to Acquire Its 4 and 8 Bit Microcontroller Business originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Lots of us want to invest in the stock market, but many have not done so yet. Why? Well, some think they don't have enough money to invest yet, and some think it's not the right time, and others just aren't sure how to invest. Let's get all of these excuses out of the way, shall we? -- because stocks are one of the best ways to build a nest egg for retirement.

Don't have enough?If you're not bothering to learn how to buy stock because you think you're not rich enough, think again. You really don't need a lot of money to start investing. You don't have to buy at least 100 shares of a stock, either. You can usually buy as little as one share of a stock, though you do want to keep your commission costs under control. Paying, say, $10 to buy a $10 stock is a bit much. Low trading rates abound, and with a $10 fee, you can spend $500 on a stock or fund and only be paying 2% in commissions.

Plenty of brokerages charge relatively low fees (such as $10 or less per trade) and have low minimum investment requirements to open an account, too -- sometimes just $500 or even no minimum at all.

It's too soon or too late?If you're thinking you don't need to worry about how to buy stock because you're too young or too old to invest, you're wrong. Young folks may not have much money, but they're rich in something most of us are far poorer in: time. If you invest just $1,000 at age 15 and it grows for 50 years at 10% annually, you'll end up with more than $117,000 at 65. If you start with $5,000 at age 25, it can turn into almost $600,000 by age 75. Add more along the way and you'll be even richer.

Meanwhile, many people make it to age 90 or beyond. If you're 65 today, you might still have a good 25 years ahead of you, if not 35!

You don't know how to buy stock?If you don't know how to buy stock, you're not alone. Few of us are ever taught much about investing. Fortunately, the basics are pretty simple. You might, for example, just park most of your nest egg in a few low-cost broad-market index fundsSPDR S&P 500 ETF (which tracks the S&P 500) or Vanguard mutual funds or ETFs. (ETFs are exchange-traded funds, and are kind of like a cross between a stock and a fund.) You can include bonds easily, too.

With most mutual funds, you can open an account directly with the mutual fund company -- such as Fidelity or Vanguard. Click over to their website and you'll be able to either fill out account application forms online or download them to print, fill out, and mail in -- with a check to fund the account. You can open regular accounts or IRA accounts, which offer tax advantages and come in traditional and Roth forms. You can also buy most stocks and a wider range of mutual funds through regular brokerages, which try to make the account-opening process simple via their websites.

Learning how to buy stock is pretty easy, but figuring out what to invest in can take a little more time. Consider keeping it simple, with index funds, at least until you're comfortable with fancier fare, such as individual stocks. 

The article How to Buy Stock Now -- and Why You Should originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Though the Dow Jones Industrial Average spent most of the day underwater, a steady upward climb was enough to give it a slight win for the day, finishing with a gain of eight points, or 0.06%. A day after the Japanese Nikkei fell more than 7%, U.S. markets seemed to wake up with a hangover, as investors were still digesting the reality that the Fed's bond-buying program could soon be tapering off. In the only economic report of the day, durable goods came in well ahead of schedule, jumping 3.3% in April, on expectations of 1.6%.

Also providing a jolt for the Dow was Procter & Gamble , gaining 4% after announcing a change at CEO. The consumer-goods giant said current CEO Bob McDonald is retiring, and will be replaced with former chief A.G. Lafley, effective immediately. Shares hit an all-time high on the news. Some investors, including activist investor Bill Ackman, who owns a 1% stake in the company, have been agitating for a switch, as the consumer-goods giant has had a tough time finding new growth channels because its products are already ubiquitous. Lafley is 65, and many expect him to help groom a successor. P&G share slid 6% last month in its earnings report due to slow revenue growth and a poor outlook.

Hewlett-Packard , meanwhile, was the Dow's worst-performing stock today, falling 2.6% after soaring 17% the day before on a strong earnings report and outlook. Today's drop was not news-driven, and seems to be merely a correction after yesterday's bounce. HP has been the best-performing Dow stock this year, but also one of the most volatile, and with revenues still declining quickly, there's no guarantee the stock will be able to maintain the gains we've seen thus far.

The only other Dow stock to move more than 1% today was Wal-Mart , which gained 1.3% after announcing a program to help improve its inventory system. The world's biggest retailer has reportedly hired an outside auditor to add neon green dots to items that are particularly sensitive to stockouts. Separately, Wal-Mart also announced it would sell Fatburger patties, a burger chain popular on the west coast, a deal that could help the retailer gain favor with fans of the fast-food chain.

The article Dow Limps Into Holiday Weekend originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Starting out in college dorms, Facebook's exclusivity made it cool. Over time, Facebook relaxed its parameters and began accepting any user in the world. And as the dominant social network, those bullish on Facebook believe its network effects will keep it relevant and avoid the declines of past online behemoths like AOL and MySpace. But the more skeptical look at Instagram's quick rise suggest that the next generation has already moved on from Facebook.

It it true? Are kids "over" Facebook? A recent Pew study sheds some light on this question.

Kids still use itEven though having one's parents and grandparents on Facebook takes away from its cool factor, it turns out that kids still use it. This should give Facebook investors some confidence in its staying power, as it has integrated itself deeply into both the Internet's structure and society.

According to the survey, the percentage of social media-using teens who use Facebook increased from 93% in 2011 to 94% in 2012. Somehow, the site became more popular.

Of course, other sites gained and fell in popularity. Twitter's popularity increased from 12% of social teens to 26%. MySpace fell from 24% to 7%. While Yahoo!  fell from 7% to 2%, its new acquisition, Tumblr, increased from 2% to 5%. And, despite Google's attempts with Google Plus, only 3% of social media-using teens reported having a profile on the service.

Yahoo!'s billion-dollar-plus purchase of Tumblr looks like a shrewd move to capture users in the next generation, especially as page views move to more mobile platforms. Tumblr itself reports that its mobile page views are growing three times faster than desktop views, and mobile usage of the site will overtake desktop users later this year or early next year.

Google released a revamped Google Plus last week, with new features such as automatically adding related hashtags to posts, upping the amount of free space offered to store photos, and releasing a stand-alone "Hangouts" application. In the latest numbers Google gave in December, Google Plus had 500 million users, with 135 million actively using the site directly and not just through Gmail or search.

But how do they use it?While these percentages help clarify general usage, the focus group quotes paint a more detailed picture of how the networks are used. For one, the presence of parents on Facebook forces teens to find other platforms. As a 19-year-old female states: "Yeah, that's why we go on Twitter and Instagram [instead of Facebook]. My mom doesn't have that." Also, Facebook is much more an extension of the real world than strictly an online realm. A 13-year-old girl says:

I feel like over Facebook, people can say whatever they want to. They can message you. And on Instagram you can delete the comment really easily, and you don't have to live with it, kind of. Whereas Facebook, if they say something mean, it hurts more. I don't know why it does. And also [Instagram] it's not public, so people tend to not come off so mean.

For many teens, a love-hate relationship with Facebook exists. They use it the most often out of any social network, but like to employ other services to communicate outside of what they might want to be easily seen in their public Facebook profile.

And, even though it appears Facebook has an unassailable dominance, new services like Instagram still crop up and become a hit with teens. Snapchat, an image messaging service that limits the time an image or video is able to be seen, is the latest popular application. As a 16-year-old girl says:

Well, because Facebook, everyone sees what I'm doing. But Snapchat is just to one person, unless they're a jerk and they screenshot it and post it on Facebook. But mostly it's just the person that you're sending it to, so it's like a conversation.

Moats and network effectsFacebook is well aware of threats, and like the case with Instagram, isn't afraid to shell out some cash to stop them. The fluid nature of Internet popularity still might spark some doubts in Facebook's ability to stay on top, but so far, the data shows no such drop off for the next generation.

The article Facebook: Kids Still Use It, but It's Not Cool originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

It's no secret. Apple's cheap. Competitive pressures from other large tech companies have investors wondering if Apple will be able to stay on top. Consumers, however, are more certain about how they feel about Apple. The latest report from MarketingWeek suggests customers are enthused with the company's products. Apple's brand, the report states, is more valuable than ever.

In the video below, Fool contributor Daniel Sparks explains this great disconnect between Apple's stock price and how consumers feel about Apple's products.

The article Consumers Vote: Apple's Brand Is the Gold Standard originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Tupperware Brands is reaching into its corporate bowl for a fresh payout to shareholders. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share. This will be paid on July 8 to stockholders of record as of June 19. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution, which was paid in early April. Prior to that, Tupperware Brands was rather less generous, handing out $0.36 per share.

The company is an extremely reliable and regular payer of dividends. Over the past decade, its distribution has ranged from $0.22 per share to the present level.

The just-declared dividend annualizes to $2.48 per share. That yields just under 3% at Tupperware Brands' most recent closing stock price of $82.72.

The article Tupperware Brands Declares Dividend originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Every quarter, many money managers have to disclose what they've bought and sold, via "13F" filings. Their latest moves can shine a bright light on smart stock picks.

Today, let's look at Joel Greenblatt's Gotham Asset Management. It's of great interest to many investors because Greenblatt is the author of the well-regarded and best-selling The Little Book That Beats the Market and because his system of seeking out companies with high returns on capital and hefty earnings yields. His "Magic Formula" has many fans. As my colleague Morgan Housel has noted, "The simple formula absolutely destroys market averages over time. Greenblatt backs this up with considerable statistical evidence."

The company's reportable stock portfolio totaled $2.0 billion in value as of March 31, 2013.

Interesting developmentsSo what does Gotham's latest quarterly 13F filing tell us? Here are a few interesting details:

The biggest new holdings are Seagate Technology and Warner Chilcott. Other new holdings of interest include Tellabs and Windstream . Tellabs offers a satisfying dividend yield of 3.7%, but the networking equipment maker has been facing some headwinds, such as the death of its CEO and the recent departure of its CFO. Its performance has been spotty, besting estimates in its fourth quarter but disappointing them in the recent first quarter.

Rural telecom company Windstream has an even more fetching dividend yield, north of 11%! But while it's shifting its focus more toward broadband service, it remains significantly a landline company, and its last quarter featured declining revenue. It did post a profit, but not one that would support its current dividend level. Its investments in new revenue streams may ultimately pay off, though.

Among holdings in which Gotham Asset Management increased its stake was Atmel , which makes touchscreen controllers. The stock recently hit a 52-week high, but it has been posting shrinking revenue and earnings lately. The company is plumping up its profit margins by cutting costs, has a growing backlog, and expects improving business conditions. Some see the stock as undervalued, with its forward P/E near 14.

Gotham Asset Management reduced its stake in lots of companies, including Frontier Communications . Frontier, like Windstream, is a high-yielding rural telecom specialist. It's weighed down with considerable debt, and though it is shifting its business focus, favoring business customers now, it's been posting declining revenue lately. Its credit rating took a hit in recent months as well.

Finally, Gotham's biggest closed positions included Wells Fargo warrants and Georgia Gulf. Other closed positions of interest include Nuance Communications , which develops speech-recognition software. The stock sank late last month, after posting disappointing earnings. Nuance is threatened by weak demand, shrinking margins, and intensifying competition. Carl Icahn has taken a big stake in the company, but some doubt the wisdom of that. With its seemingly low valuation, some see it as a buyout candidate.

We should never blindly copy any investor's moves, no matter how talented the investor. But it can be useful to keep an eye on what smart folks are doing. 13-F forms can be great places to find intriguing candidates for our portfolios.

The article Here's What This "Market-Destroying" Investor Is Buying originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Destination XL results for the company's Q1 have been released. For the quarter, sales were $93.6 million, a decline from the $95.5 million in the same period the previous year. Net income suffered a steeper fall, dropping to just over $1 million ($0.02 per diluted share) from the Q1 2012 result of $2.3 million ($0.05).

In the press release detailing the results, the firm attributed the declines to a colder-than-expected spring, and the "drag" of catalog sales on its business.

Destination XL also provided forward guidance for its current fiscal year. The company believes its 2013 sales will be $415 million-$420 million, with diluted EPS coming in at "approximately breakeven."

The article Destination XL Q1 Net Drops by Over 50% originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Bob Evans Farms is about to hatch another dividend. The company has declared its latest quarterly payout, which amounts to $0.275 per share. This will be paid on June 17 to shareholders of record as of June 3. That amount matches each of the firm's previous three disbursements, the most recent of which was paid in late March. Prior to that, Bob handed out $0.25 per share.

The just-declared distribution annualizes to $1.10 per share. That yields 2.4% at Bob Evans Farms' most recent closing stock price of $46.02.

The company is scheduled to unveil its next set of earnings on Tuesday, June 4.

The article Bob Evans Farms Declares Fresh Dividend originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Washington Banking is diverting some of its capital to repurchase its own stock. The company announced that its board has authorized a buyback program for up to 775,000 shares. The program is expected to continue through the end of 2014, although the firm stressed that it "is under no obligation to repurchase a specific number or dollar amount of shares and the repurchase program may be discontinued at any time."

The number of shares authorized for the buyback program amounts to roughly 5% of the company's outstanding amount. The purchases are to be effected via open market transactions or more directly in off-market, negotiated buys.

The article Washington Banking Launches Share Buyback Program originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

At yesterday's annual Annaly Capital  shareholders meeting, a measure to externalize the company's management was voted upon and passed. In the following video, Motley Fool financial analysts David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer discuss what this move means for shareholders, and why David thinks it shows that Annaly has one of the best management teams in the mortgage REIT sector today.

The article Does This Move Make Annaly a Better Buy? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Every quarter, many money managers have to disclose what they've bought and sold, via "13F" filings. Their latest moves can shine a bright light on smart stock picks.

Today, let's look at SAC Capital Advisors, run by Steven Cohen. SAC is one of the biggest hedge fund companies around, with a reportable stock portfolio totaling $20.7 billion in value as of March 31, 2013. A company doesn't generally grow that large without performing well, and indeed, Cohen has reportedly averaged returns of roughly 30% annually over two decades.

The company has been in the news a lot lately, though, due to an insider-trading scandal. Cohen recently received a subpoena to testify before a grand jury, and is reportedly considering closing his operations to outside investors as part of a proposed deal. The statute of limitations on this case may bring things to a close by the end of July, so we can expect more clarity by then.

Interesting developmentsSo what does SAC Capital's latest quarterly 13F filing tell us? Here are a few interesting details:

The biggest new holdings are Chesapeake Energy puts, and shares of Discovery Communications. Other new holdings of interest include Halcon Resources , and Thompson Creek Metals . Oil and gas company Halcon, operating in the promising Bakken region, as well as Texas's productive Eagle Ford shale region, among others, is expected to grow by 30% annually over the coming years. It recently reported 2012 net daily production 128% higher than year-ago levels, and proven reserves up 417%. Halcon was recently one of my colleague Joel South's top two energy holdings, and analysts at Stifel recently upped its rating from Hold to Buy.

Thompson Creek Metals has been challenged by low prices for its primary product, molybdenum, and a costly build-out of its Mt. Milligan copper and gold mine. The mine is due to open soon, and should be productive, helping diversify Thompson Creek's operations. Some maintain high hopes for the company's future.

Among holdings in which SAC Capital Advisors increased its stake was Atmel  SAC reduced its stake in companies such as PNC Financial Services, and Akamai Technologies. Atmel, which makes touchscreen controllers, is sitting near a 52-week high, despite posting shrinking revenue and earnings lately. The company is cutting costs to boost profit margins, and is optimistic, seeing improving business conditions and a healthier backlog.

Finally, SAC Capital's biggest closed positions included Coach and Dover. Other closed positions of interest include Exelixis and, also, Tronox Ltd. . Biotech company Exelixis recently reported non-blowout early sales of its thyroid cancer drug, Cometriq. Some are waiting to see if the drug gets approved to treat prostate cancer, too, and the company is looking at treating as many as nine different conditions with it, such as bone tumors. On the other hand, Cometriq is expensive, and the company's debt has been growing, along with its share count.

Tronox is the world's largest fully integrated titanium dioxide producer, supplying paint companies, paper companies, and more. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2011 as a stronger company, and reinstituted its generous dividend in 2012, recently yielding 4.4%. Falling prices for titanium dioxide have hurt, but a recovering housing market will help. The company faces competition, but remains poised to benefit from an industry turnaround.

We should never blindly copy any investor's moves, no matter how talented the investor. But it can be useful to keep an eye on what smart folks are doing. Therefore, 13-F forms can be great places to find intriguing candidates for our portfolios.

The article Here's What This $21 Billion Hedge Fund Company Has Been Buying originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Sears Holdings shares were getting sheared today, falling as much 18% after a dismal quarterly earnings report.

So what: The struggling retaile posted an adjusted first-quarter loss of $1.29 a share, a full $0.60 worse than analysts had expected. Revenue also fell 9% to $8.45 billion, though that slightly beat Wall Street expectations of $8.37 billion. Same-stores sales were down 3.6%.

Now what: The only question I have about Sears is why shares were so high to begin with. The chain has been grossly mismanaged by Eddie Lampert, who's chosen to run it as an financial asset rather than a retail business, and is one of many retailers that is getting squeezed by the vice grip of Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, and other industry giants. Sears is a dying brand, and the stock can only fall so far behind the company.

Think there's more to Sears? Add the company to your Watchlist  to stay up to date.

The article Why Sears Shares Tumbled originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

For the second day in a row, the Dow Jones Industrial Average began the day down. Yesterday, the index dropped 127 points before closing the day down just 12. Today, it fell 95 points, but managed to close higher by 8.6 points. The morning dips have given those investors who have missed out on the market rally a chance to buy stocks, and hopefully make positive returns. These moves show two things: one, we're seeing some signs of weakness in the markets, and two, despite that, there are still investors willing to buy, which means stocks could continue to go higher.

Regardless of what the markets do, in general, if you continue to buy and hold strong healthy companies, over the next few years, you'll be better off -- even if the market falls in the coming months.

A few Dow losersVerizon lost 0.96% today on very little news. But, the stock has now traded lower during four of the past five trading sessions, and with talks of a Sprint Nextel take over buy Dish Network again circling the markets this week, short-term investors could be bailing on the wireless provider due to fears that a stronger Sprint could pose a threat to Verizon's business. A combined Sprint-Dish combo would definitely threaten Verizon's Fios as well as other offerings and service packages.

Despite releasing the specs of its newest chip, shares of Intel lost 0.53% during today's regular trading hours. Investors and analysts may not be totally sold on the new Haswell chip line, which is supposed to consume 50% less energy when in "active" mode, and two to three times the battery life in "idle" mode than the Core chips. In the past, we have seen Intel attempt to become more relevant in the mobile chip market, but the company has yet to make any meaningful impact, which is likely the reason investors are not giving Intel the benefit of the doubt today. 

Shares of General Electric also lost value today, losing 0.55%. Similar to Caterpillar, which I wrote about earlier today, General Electric was expected to rise today on news that manufactured goods orders rose 3.3%, but it was likely just pulled lower by the momentum of the market as a whole. Additionally, volume was slightly higher than usual at 41,000,000 shares trading hands, while the norm is only 38,900,000. What's even odder about today's loss is that initially, when the market opened, the stock was way down, but almost immediately spiked higher, just to fall back down again. Morgan Housel wrote earlier today about how American Electric Power and NextEra Energy experienced flash crashes yesterday when the market opened; perhaps General Electric's move this morning was the result of similar computer trading programs.

The article Markets Show Weakness, but Bulls Continue to Buy originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

As the world continues to embrace the mobile computing revolution, Intel remains entrenched in the PC world. In the coming years, Intel hopes it can gain a foothold in the smartphone and tablet space with the help of its technologically superior foundries. Given the market conditions within the mobile computing industry, Intel may be up against revenue pressures in the future. In this video, Fool contributor Steve Heller weighs in on if Intel needs to cannibalize itself to survive and what that could that mean for investors longer term.

The article Does Intel Need to Cannibalize Itself to Survive? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Gardner Denver isn't moving from the dividend policy it's kept in place for more than three years. The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share. This will be paid on June 25 to shareholders of record as of June 11. That amount matches each of the firm's previous distributions, the most recent of which was paid in late March.

The company has disbursed that $0.05-per-share amount in every quarter stretching back to the end of 2009.

The just-declared dividend annualizes to $0.20 per share. That yields 0.3% at Gardner Denver's most recent closing stock price of $75.42.

The article Gardner Denver Keeps Dividend Steady originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Investors experienced another topsy-turvy day for the stock market again today, as the market repeated its increasingly common pattern of dropping precipitously during the early hours of trading, only to rebound by the end of the day. After failing to get back to the break-even line yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrials clawed back all of its losses, and then some, this time around, ending the day with a rise of nine points. For all the nervousness that investors felt throughout the week on comments from multiple Fed officials about the future of the U.S. economy, the net impact was tiny, with a loss of just 50 points for the week, looking insignificant compared to the magnitude of the bull market just in the past few months.

In large part, investors have consumer stocks to thank for the market's overall resiliency today. Procter & Gamble closed up by more than 4% as the consumer giant finally responded last night to calls from activist investors like Bill Ackman by replacing retiring CEO Bob McDonald with former CEO A.G. Lafley. Whether the return of the former leader to P&G's executive suite will prove successful remains to be seen, but with Lafley having presided over the company during better times, investors clearly hope his return will reverse some of the company's recent challenges.

Wal-Mart rose 1.3% in likely response to the continued weakness from rival Sears Holdings , which plunged almost 14% after a troubling quarterly report that raised concerns that Sears would have to divest itself of so much of its non-core asset base in order to raise cash, that it wouldn't have enough substance left to allow its retail business to recover. As much as I'd like to think that Wal-Mart's gains might have stemmed from its decision to stock frozen Fatburger hamburgers, what's more likely behind the jump is simply the recognition that the retail giant has built an almost insurmountable advantage in its key customer market, and neither Sears nor any other retailer is going to succeed by going head-to-head against Wal-Mart in its particular demographic.

Finally, outside the Dow, Tesla Motors continued its own consumer-driven run, rising nearly 5% and setting a new all-time high. Without any real news to support its gains, high short interest in the stock has created extremely volatile conditions, as short-sellers remain vulnerable to potential squeezes. An increase in liquidity resulting from Tesla's decision to make a secondary offering of stock should make it less prone to short-squeezes, but that might not stop the stock from continuing to rise if the company's results keep impressing shareholders.

The article These Consumer Giants Bailed Out the Dow Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

For more than a decade, Microsoft has been playing catch-up with Apple's market-defining products. The iPhone and iPad defined categories that Microsoft had no answer to and the popularity of the tablet has rendered the PC a dinosaur in computing.

Yet Microsoft has continued to grow revenue and income, despite these challenges, something that often goes overlooked.

MSFT Net Income TTM data by YCharts.

Now that Microsoft has released Windows 8 and Xbox One, I think the company's strategy is coming into focus and it's time to consider whether Microsoft stock is worth buying.

Xbox One brings Microsoft into the living room Windows Phone 8 and the mobile versions of Windows 8 look like catch-up products for Microsoft, but Xbox One has the opportunity to define the future of television and gaming. In theory, the new console will bring gaming, television, and streaming media onto one device. For years, this has been the goal of Apple, Sony, Google , and even Nintendo, who hoped to create the living room hub that connected people to the world. 

Steve Jobs said he "cracked" the TV in 2011 and Apple could create a device that could seamlessly sync with all of your iDevices and the iCloud. Apple TV is a step in that direction, but nearly two years after Jobs' proclamation, we're still waiting to see a game-changing product from Apple. The long-rumored iTV isn't even on the horizon yet. 

Google gave it a shot with Google TV, but the product lacked functionality and never gained traction with consumers. But Google TV is pre-installed on many new TVs, so it has a solid installed base if functionality improves. 

For both Apple and Google, the living room is a vast untapped market that could provide growth and momentum for other devices. Apple's AirPlay allows its devices to sync with Apple TV, and with app development and more accommodation from media companies, Apple could change the way we look at TV. Google isn't as far along in its TV development, but with the largest share of smartphone operating systems and a growing presence in tablets, it should look at the living room as a growth avenue. 

But while Apple and Google have made limited progress with their TV products, Microsoft hopes it has learned from their mistakes and has given consumers a compelling product with Xbox One. It may not have perfected its integration in the first iteration, but it's a step in the right direction. The Smartglass capabilities that allow Google Android, iOS, and Windows mobile devices to interact with Xbox One make it a more friendly device than a closed system like Apple TV.

The importance of Xbox One can't be understated. What Microsoft is trying to do is create an ecosystem that rivals Apple or Google's, drawing consumers in and making it more appealing to buy other Microsoft products. Xbox One will be the center of that sales pitch and should help mobile device and cloud sales in the process.

At the very least, Xbox One has a chance to be the consumer product home run Microsoft is looking for.

Behind the scenes, Microsoft is king Microsoft may be getting a lot of heat because Windows 8 hasn't been a smashing success, but the company's behind-the-scenes businesses are thriving. In the first quarter, the server and tools division grew 11.2% and the Microsoft business division grew 8.2%. Even if the company isn't selling many new copies of Windows 8, Microsoft Office is still a vital tool for and the server business plays a key role in making companies run.  

These aren't sexy businesses like Xbox or Windows 8, but they're vitally important to the future of Microsoft and a key the company's continued growth.

Microsoft stock is a great value I like Microsoft's strategic position, and the stock's value is very appealing as well. The company has a market cap of $285 billion, has $60 billion of net cash, and has generated $16.4 billion in net income over the past year, including a $6.2 billion charge for writing down aQuantive. Adjusted for cash and the writedown, the stock has a trailing P/E of about 10, a great value for a company growing in the high single digits.  

Microsoft will continue to grow its behind-the-scenes businesses, which really drive the company's results, and if it can gain share in mobile and generate buzz from Xbox One, the stock should continue its strong run this year. Microsoft stock is still one of the best buys in tech.

The article Is Microsoft Stock a Buy? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

U.S. GDP may have only grown by 2.5% in the first quarter, but you wouldn't know it by the market indexes like the Nasdaq Composite,  which have hit a 12-and-a-half-year intraday high for 18 (not joking) consecutive trading days! For skeptics like me, that's an opportunity to see whether companies have earned their current valuations.

Keep in mind that some companies deserve their current valuations. Coal miner Alliance Resource Partners , which is run as a master limited partnership, reported yet another record profit in the first quarter and boosted its quarterly payout yet again. By locking in long-term contracts, Alliance Resource has nearly eliminated its exposure to currently weak coal prices and is able to count on steady and growing cash flow.

Still, other companies might deserve a kick in the pants. Here's a look at three companies that could be worth selling.

One step at a time Given the tripling we've seen in shares of biotech company MannKind over just the past six months, you'd almost assume that investors have written an approval from the Food and Drug Administration for inhalable insulin Afrezza as a certainty. MannKind has received ample backing from its CEO, Alfred Mann, who helped arrange for a large secondary offering, in which his own company, the Mann Group, purchased 40 million shares of MannKind stock. In addition, the company is getting close to being done with a new round of patient trials for Afrezza, so investor excitement is building.

While I find the concept of inhalable insulin very intriguing, the practical application isn't that simple. Afrezza has already been sent back to the drawing board once by the FDA and could have a hard time catching on even if approved, if history is any indicator. Pfizer's Exubera, which is an inhaled insulin that was approved in 2006, was pulled off the market just a year later following extremely weak sales. Afrezza will need to demonstrate drug safety and, of more concern, satisfy the FDA in terms of the production and delivery device protocol, which is no easy task.

Another sticking point could be pricing. The prospect of inhaling insulin definitely sounds more pleasant than an injection, but if the pricing isn't right, then consumers and physicians will continue to opt for injectable insulin.

At $1.6 billion in market value, I feel there's considerably more downside potential than upside at these levels and would suggest looking elsewhere within the insulin space for a "good deal."

Tilt-a-Whirlpool This one is actually a bit painful because I actually like Whirlpool as a company over the long run. As an investment in the interim, however, things are looking a bit frothy and now could be the time to send these shares down the drain.

The biggest boost to Whirlpool's bottom line is coming from a mixture of cost-cutting, share repurchases (of which it still has approximately $350 million remaining under its current plan), and an improvement in U.S. new home sales, which should help boost appliance purchases. I'm definitely not going to take these improvements away from Whirlpool shareholders who've experienced a tremendous boost in its underlying share price, but I have to wonder, where are any further growth prospects going to come from?

Europe is absolutely not a region that's going to contribute anything positive to Whirlpool for what I figure will be another one to three years. Austerity measures across Europe and very high unemployment levels are constraining housing markets across almost the entire region, which will assuredly hurt appliance sales.

In the U.S., I would expect things to slow as well. The bulk of Whirlpool's sales came as buyers began snatching up existing new-home inventory. With housing inventories now at multiyear lows and homebuilders enjoying the fact that they have pricing power again, you can rest assured that inventories won't rise dramatically anytime soon. That puts Whirlpool in a growth bind unless it can pass along sizable price hikes to consumers, which I just don't see happening.

Even with a forward P/E of 11, Wall Street's forecast sales growth rates of 2% this year and 4.5% next year paint a relatively unattractive formula for future price appreciation over the next year or two.

Send this stock back to the kitchen I admit to already being hyper-critical of the restaurant industry because of cutthroat pricing practices among peers, strained consumer spending because of higher payroll taxes, and the always looming threat that food prices will soar faster than the industry can raise prices. These provide for me more than enough reasons to suggest sending Bob Evans Farms back to the kitchen.

Bob Evans is in the midst of a pretty sizable transformation, which saw it sell off its Mimi's Cafe brand earlier this year as it had been a notorious drag on same-store sales. Going forward, Bob Evans will be focusing on its restaurants and on its BEF Foods segment to drive growth. This is a case where I do agree with the actions being undertaken by management to trim the fat, but I simply can't get behind the rapid appreciation in Bob Evans' share price given its sketchy growth prospects.

Inclusive of Mimi's removal from its bottom-line results, Wall Street anticipates revenue will retreat 5% this year and up to 14% next year. The company will be doing what it can to cut expenses and pass along price hikes to consumers, but I just don't foresee same-store comparisons rising much more than 1% with consumer spending figures remaining weak. Unless something drastic changes here, this is a multiple I'd expect to fall over the coming quarters.

Foolish roundup This week it's all about whether or not these companies can live up to expectations. Sales growth at Whirlpool and Bob Evans certainly leaves a lot to be desired for investors, while MannKind, even if it does gain FDA approval for Afrezza, still has a lot to prove with regard to sales and marketing of the drug.

I'm so confident in my three calls that I plan to make a CAPScall of underperform on each one. The question is: Would you do the same?

The article 3 Stocks Near 52-Week Highs Worth Selling originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Foot Locker results for the company's Q1 have been released. For the quarter, sales amounted to $1.64 billion, up from the $1.58 billion in the same period the previous year. Net income was also higher, coming in at $138 million ($0.90 per diluted share), from Q1 2012's figure of $128 million ($0.83).

The most recent quarter's EPS number was good enough to edge the average analyst projection, which was $0.88. The sales figure matched analyst expectations.

In terms of operations, Foot Locker opened 25 new stores, remodeled or relocated 64, and closed 39 during Q1 2013. As of the beginning of this month, the firm operated a total of 3,321 stores throughout the world, in addition to 45 franchised outlets.

The article Foot Locker Q1 Beats Slightly on EPS originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The upper ranks of Gleacher management have seen a major shake-up. The financial services company has relieved both CEO Thomas Hughes, and COO John Griff, of their jobs. In a tersely worded filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, it said that the twin terminations were effective immediately. It provided no reason for its actions.

Gleacher has undergone several big changes over the past few months. In terms of personnel moves, it overhauled its five-member board of directors. Meanwhile, in April, the firm announced it would exit its fixed-income business entirely.

The article Gleacher Fires Its CEO and COO originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

With a ton of media coverage and an uneventful outcome, JPMorgan Chase's recent shareholder vote on whether or not the dual role of CEO and Chairman of the Board should be split for current top dog Jamie Dimon did provide one lesson for investors.

In the video below, Motley Fool contributor Jessica Alling discusses the results, the lesson we learned, and how she thinks investors should look at the outcome.

The article The Lesson We Learned From JPMorgan's Shareholder Vote originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The article Copart, Inc. to Webcast Third Quarter Fiscal 2013 Results originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Pandora is turning more of its freeloaders into paying music fans.

The leading music streaming service posted blowout quarterly results on Thursday night, but the cherry on top of its great report is that its subscription revenue is once again growing faster than online ad revenue.

The number of subscribers to its premium Pandora One platform soared 114% over the past year to top 2.5 million users. A whopping 700,000 have joined over the past three months alone!

This still means that more than 96% of its active listeners aren't paying a dime, but it's a start.

The crowd wants an encore It was a strong quarter.

Adjusted revenue rose 58% to $128.5 million, ahead of the $123.8 million that Wall Street was targeting. Pandora's loss of $0.10 a share isn't applause-worthy, but it did match the deficit that analysts were expecting.

Shares of Pandora had hit a fresh 52-week high on Thursday ahead of the report. It's been a good week for Pandora.

Earlier in the week it announced that it would be teaming up with T-Mobile to sponsor Pandora Premieres, a new channel that features album releases before they hit the market. It's a great way to woo music labels to help promote their upcoming retail releases, but it's also just neat to see Pandora teaming up with the country's fourth-largest mobile carrier on a branding opportunity. Creating sponsored channel opportunities is one more way for Pandora to make money as it claws its way back to profitability.

Pandora also revealed that it's making it easier for listeners to share their music through Facebook . Pandora is one of the many streaming sites that allow users to divulge what they're listening to with their Facebook friends, but a new timeline app enhances the sharing capability by making it customizable and automatic. This should give Pandora more of a viral push through the social networking website with more than a billion registered users.

Pandora's initiatives are paying off. Its guidance for the current quarter calls for $155 million to $160 million in revenue. Wall Street had been projecting revenue to fall just short of $150 million.

At a time when Pandora finds itself competing with Spotify and now Google's All Access -- the online giant's new premium music streaming service -- it can never do too much to grow its audience, keep them close, and ideally get them paying.

Spotify and All Access are marketed as premium experiences. Pandora has stood out in the past as a haven for freeloaders willing to put up with ads for free music, but if even Google is gunning for subscription revenue, it's clearly where Pandora needs to make sure it doesn't get lost.

Having 2.5 million Pandora One listeners is good. Growing that audience will be even better.

The article 2.5 Million Reasons to Like Pandora originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

First, there was Apple . Then came Facebook . Now, Google is reportedly getting in on the Waze craze. The rumor that Apple was looking to acquire the crowd-sourced traffic and navigation app was quickly shot down, but the Facebook speculation certainly has some legs to it.

Seeing as how the social network is all about mobile these days, with interests in getting into e-commerce, mapping would play a key role for Facebook. The company also has no in-house mapping service right now.

Bloomberg is reporting that Google is considering a competing bid, which could prevent Facebook from making the purchase. Waze is reportedly looking for over $1 billion, which is the high end of what Facebook is supposedly willing to pay. Bloomberg also notes that Apple's not involved in current bidding rounds.

The Israeli start-up (Bloomberg incorrectly states Waze is based out of Palo Alto, although it has an office there) is now up to 40 million users in its community contributing data. Waze also recently announced a partnership to expand further into Latin America.

Google Maps is already the gold standard in mobile and desktop maps, so the search giant certainly wouldn't need to spend so much on picking up Waze. That's not to say a Waze purchase wouldn't help beef up Google Maps even further, but rather that the move could also easily be construed as a pre-emptive shot at Facebook. Anything that hinders Facebook is worth doing, from Google's perspective. Integrating Waze could also improve Google Maps' social capabilities.

Waze is also one of Apple's data partners for Apple Maps, and Google's hesitation in handing over navigation data was largely why Apple ditched Google in the first place. There's probably a contractual arrangement between Apple and Waze right now, but Google could potentially obtain a bargaining chip for when that contract is up for renewal.

It's also entirely likely that no one will swallow Waze, and that the start-up could continue going it alone privately, potentially raising cash through venture capital firms. No deal is imminent, and Waze could simply walk away from the bids that it's gathered from tech giants.

Waze is starting to look like the prettiest girl at the dance. Will Google or Facebook take it home?

The article Google Gets In on the Waze Craze originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Losing ground for the first time in five weeks, the S&P 500 Index lost less than 1 point, or less than 0.1%, to close at 1,649 as stocks head into the long weekend. Though posting slight losses, U.S. equities fared far better than most international markets, many of which fell following weak industrial data from China earlier this week. Doing their best impression of weak foreign stocks, these three companies ended as the worst in the S&P Friday.

Five-day periods just don't get much bleaker than the one GameStop experienced this week. Today's 10.8% decline brought weekly losses to 19.2%, as Microsoft's Xbox One release was the initial downward catalyst for the stock and the new console will likely make the majority of the used-game industry out of business. Today's slip comes after GameStop announced quarterly results. Sales and income both fell, foreshadowing what could be a depressing future for shareholders. 

The second-largest laggard of the day, Salesforce.com , lost 5.3% after a weak quarter of its own. The quarter wasn't so much weak as expensive: Increasing costs brought margins down. The company lost nearly $70 million in the first quarter, even though core revenue ticked upwards. But with operating expenses rising nearly 30% and interest expense surging 87%, it's tough to post an impressive quarter.

Lastly, shares of materials company Allegheny Technologies slipped 3.1% for a third straight day of losses. The week's earlier data from China initiated the slump, as investors fear sluggish industrial production in the Far East will either spread to the West or limit demand in high-growth markets abroad. Credit Suisse also lowered its price target for the stock today, citing an increase in nickel supply.

The article Today's 3 Worst Stocks originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The article Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, Partner Juan E. Monteverde Launches an Investigation of rue21, Inc. Over the Proposed Sale of the Company to Apax Partners originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Banks have become quite adept at protecting margins in today's super low rate environment. But with nowhere for interest rates to go but up, are U.S. banks prepared for the inevitable shift higher?

The risks in interest rate spreadsDeposits and loans remain the core business of the modern bank. During times of changing interest rates, loan and deposit rates reset at different intervals -- and deposits generally reset faster. Therefore, as rates rise, the money banks pay to depositors -- their interest expenses -- will increase faster than the money they collect from loans -- their interest income. If this happens, expenses will rise faster than income, squeezing margins until rates stabilize.

Big banks have the advantageLarger and more sophisticated banks, such as Bank of America , JPMorgan Chase , and Wells Fargo , have an advantage in this process.

Because of their size, these institutions can invest in more derivatives, swaps, or other contracts to mitigate the risks of a rising rate environment. While many smaller institutions do invest in hedges for interest rate risk, the complexity and cost of fully managing that risk can be prohibitive. With their scale, the large banks can devote human and capital resources to units solely focused on hedging risk.

Bank of America, for example, generated $10.9 billion in net interest income (income less interest expense) during the first quarter on a 2.43% net interest margin. JPMorgan yielded $10.9 billion as well with a similar 2.37% margin, while Wells generated $10.7 billion from an impressive 3.48% margin. As rates rise, expect the big banks to maintain this income-producing ability as they all have world-class hedging units tasked to offsetting interest rate risk.

Without the scale of the larger banks, it's more difficult for smaller institutions to allocate human and capital resources to build hedges that mitigate the risks of a changing rate environment.

Source: FDIC Quarterly Q4 2012.

Furthermore, these larger banks tend to offer additional products and services that produce non-interest income. These bolt-on businesses, from corporate treasury services, investment banking, and advisory services for businesses, to insurance, wealth management, and real estate services for consumers, can mitigate a decline in earnings on the loan side of the bank.

Of Bank of America's total revenue, 46% is attributed to net interest income. JPMorgan attributes even less with 43%, while Wells Fargo is more dependent on net interest income with 49% of total revenue coming from loans. For smaller institutions, these ratios tend to skew much higher. The chart below from the FDIC Quarterly Q4 2012 report paints the picture; large institutions generate more than double the non interest income as smaller institutions, even as a percentage of assets.

One certaintyEventually, interest rates will go up. When they do, it will mean the U.S. economy is most likely in a self-reinforcing recovery; that the employment market is on the mend; and therefore, that consumers are on better financial footing.

It will also mean that the banks will be working to protect net interest margins, a challenging task for any institution. But the big banks -- the Bank of Americas, the JPMorgans, the Wells Fargos -- that are best suited to the task. If you want to invest in this sector, look to the big banks with the sophistication, scale, and diversified incomes to ride out the transition in interest rates better than their smaller competitors.

The article The Conundrum of a Rising Rate Environment for U.S. Banks originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The retail space has never been more competitive and pressure on brick-and-mortar retailers has never been higher. In the first quarter, Target reported a 0.6% decline in same-store sales and its biggest competitor Wal-Mart's  same-store sales fell 1.2%. Meanwhile, Amazon.com grew revenue 22%, showing that online retail is taking significant share.

But it's not time to sell all brick-and-mortar retailers, and Target is one company with a few advantages over the competition. Here are the three biggest reasons to buy its stock right now.

Online tax bill The bill floating through Congress that would allow for the collection of online sales tax could be a boon for a company like Target. First, large purchases like TVs may move back into brick-and-mortar stores from online shops, where you can save sales tax. Smaller items, where the sales tax wouldn't be so onerous, may still make sense to make with a company like Amazon because of the free shipping available to Prime members.

The bigger advantage of an online sales tax bill may be in Target's size and infrastructure to pay state and local taxes already. If online retail shops are forced to pay taxes to thousands of different jurisdictions, it would be a nightmare for a small retail shop but would require little change for Target.

If Target can merge online shopping and local pickup -- like Wal-Mart is testing -- it could give the company another advantage of online-only retail.

Classy consumers The payroll tax increase that took effect on Jan. 1 has hit consumer spending but its impact is felt more by low-income shoppers than those on the high end. As a discount retailer, Target gets its fair share of low-income shoppers but this is Wal-Mart's bread and butter.

With designer clothes and stylish products, Target is going after a slightly more affluent consumer than Wal-Mart, which makes it a little less susceptible to the cost-conscious consumer.

We sell groceries, too Most importantly, even if online shopping continues to take share in retail, there are products that will never sell well online. Products like toilet paper and groceries are Target specialties and they will keep the company in business even as Amazon continues to grow like a weed.

Both Target and Wal-Mart have really become the new grocery store, serving up food and all of the other staples consumers need. We're a long way from home delivery for bananas and toilet paper so Target will continue to play a key role in retail.

Target stock is a steady retail play The retail space is tough for brick-and-mortar companies, but Target offers services many online shops won't be able to match. If sales taxes hit online sales in the future, that's another advantage for the company.

Target stock isn't cheap at 15 times earnings, but it's about as steady a retailer as you can get right now and I think that will help it outperform the market.

The article 3 Reasons to Buy Target Stock originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The soda industry has long been dominated by stalwarts like Coca-Cola . And though that might not be changing anytime soon, there are ways to make money by challenging the status quo. Investors interested in doing this should check out shares of at-home soda maker SodaStream

In the video below, Fool contributor Brian Stoffel explains why SodaStream is one of the five stocks he's considering buying in June for his Roth IRA. He's been calling out one company per month for almost two years now, and the portfolio has returned 25%, beating the S&P 500 by over 4 percentage points.

The article 4 Reasons to Consider SodaStream Stock Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The following video is from Thursday's Motley Fool Money roundtable discussion, in which host Chris Hill and analysts Charly Travers, James Early, and Ron Gross discuss the top business and investing stories of the week.

Will Costco  continue to produce big returns for shareholders? Should dividend lovers love Apple ? Will Yum! Brands right the ship with its China operations? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts discuss Costco, Apple, and Yum! Brands.

The relevant video segment can be found between 14:38 and 18:11.

For the full video of today's Motley Fool Money, click here .

The article 3 Stocks to Watch Right Now originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Telephone and Data Systems is phoning home another shareholder payout. The company has declared a dividend for its Q2, which will be $0.1275 per share of its common stock, paid on June 28 to shareholders of record as of June 14. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution that was disbursed at the end of March. Prior to that, the firm paid $0.1225 per share.

The firm is relatively new to the habit of shareholder disbursements; it has handed out a dividend only since March 2012.

The Q2 dividend annualizes to $0.51 per share. That yields 2.1% at TDS' most recent closing stock price of $23.94.

The article TDS Declares Dividend for Its Q2 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The following video is from Thursday's Motley Fool Money roundtable discussion, in which host Chris Hill and analysts Charly Travers, James Early, and Ron Gross discuss the top business and investing stories of the week.

Yahoo! made it official this week when it announced that it had acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer promised "not to screw it up." What will the acquisition mean for Yahoo!? What will the deal mean for Tumblr? And what will the deal mean for investors? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts tackle those questions.

The relevant video segment can be found between 12:34 and 14:05.

For the full video of today's Motley Fool Money , click here .

The article Will Yahoo!'s Latest Move Produce for Investors? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The following video is from Thursday's Motley Fool Money roundtable discussion, in which host Chris Hill and analysts Charly Travers, James Early, and Ron Gross discuss the top business and investing stories of the week.

Campbell Soup  reported higher-than-expected third-quarter profits and the company raised guidance for the full year. But the soup maker said it was disappointed with the performance of its U.S. beverage division. Should investors take stock in Campbell's? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts debate the future of the dividend giant.

The relevant video segment can be found between 10:52 and 12:33.

For the full video of today's Motley Fool Money, click here .

The article Time to Buy This Dividend Giant? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.