Best Shipping Stocks To Buy Right Now

We're now just days away from the most important foray into original programming at Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) . Arrested Development returns for its long overdue fourth season exclusively through Netflix on May 26.

Some may argue that Netflix's first three shots at streaming exclusivity were pretty major.

Lilyhammer wasn't the draw that Netflix was probably hoping for last year, but as Netflix's first original series, it's clearly significant. House of Cards in February was a game-changer. Reviews have been largely positive, and there will probably even be some Emmy buzz here. There may even be an entirely new award category for streaming. Who knows? Last month's debut of Hemlock Grove hasn't been as buzz-worthy as House of Cards, but Netflix did point out that it attracted more viewers during its first weekend than the Kevin Spacey series did.

All three of those shows were important, but Arrested Development in two weeks could change everything.

Netflix knows that there's already an established audience for the show. A new trailer for the fourth season was introduced on Sunday night, and within 15 hours it had topped 330,000 views. This isn't a surprise to Netflix, obviously. It's been streaming the first three seasons and shipping out discs to its dwindling mail-based subscribers.

Top 10 Oil Service Stocks To Watch For 2015: Astoria Financial Corp (AF)

Astoria Financial Corporation, incorporated on June, 14, 1993, is the unitary savings and loan association holding company of Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association (Astoria Federal). The Company�� principal business is the operation of its wholly owned subsidiary, Astoria Federal. Astoria Federal�� primary business is attracting retail deposits from the general public and investing those deposits, together with funds generated from operations, principal repayments on loans and securities and borrowings, primarily in one- to four-family mortgage loans, multi-family mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans and mortgage-backed securities. Astoria Federal also invests in consumer and other loans, the United States Government, government agency and government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), securities and other investments.

Lending Activities

The Company�� loan portfolio consists primarily of mortgage loans. As of December 31, 2012, 74% of its total loan portfolio was secured by residential properties and 24% was secured by multi-family properties and commercial real estate. The remainder of the loan portfolio consists of a variety of consumer and other loans, including commercial and industrial loans originated in 2012 through its business banking initiatives. As of December 31, 2012, its net loan portfolio totaled $13.08 billion, or 79% of total assets. The Company originates mortgage loans either directly through its banking and loan production offices in New York or indirectly through brokers and its third party loan origination program. It also originates mortgage loans for sale. The Company�� primary lending focus is on the origination and purchase of first mortgage loans secured by one- to four-family properties that serve as the primary residence of the owner.

The Company also originates multi-family and commercial real estate loans. As of December 31, 2012, multi-family mortgage loans totaled $2.41 billion, or 18% of its total loan portfolio,! and commercial real estate loans totaled $773.9 million, or 6% of its total loan portfolio. At December 31, 2012, $264.1 million, or 2%, of the Company�� total loan portfolio consisted of consumer and other loans which were primarily home equity lines of credit. The Company also offers overdraft protection, lines of credit, commercial loans and passbook loans. Consumer and other loans, with the exception of home equity and commercial lines of credit, are offered primarily on a fixed rate, short-term basis.

Investment Activities

At December 31, 2012, the Company�� securities portfolio totaled $2.04 billion, or 12%, of total assets. The Company does not use derivatives for trading purposes. Its securities portfolio consists primarily of mortgage-backed securities. At December 31, 2012, its mortgage-backed securities totaled $1.94 billion, or 95%, of total securities, of which $1.92 billion, or 94%, of total securities, were real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMIC) and collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO) securities, substantially all of which had fixed rates. Of the REMIC and CMO securities portfolio, $2.35 billion, or 98.7%, are guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) as issuer. At December 31, 2012, its securities available-for-sale totaled $336.3 million and its securities held-to-maturity totaled $1.7 billion. At December 31, 2012, it had no investments in repurchase agreements and federal funds sold.

Sources of Funds

The Company�� primary source of funds is the cash flow provided by its investing activities, including principal and interest payments on loans and securities. Its other sources of funds are provided by operating activities and financing activities, including deposits and borrowings. The Company offers a variety of deposit accounts with a range of interest rates and terms. It offers ! passbook ! and statement savings accounts, money market accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) and demand deposit accounts, liquid certificates of deposit (Liquid CDs), and certificates of deposit, which include all time deposits other than Liquid CDs. Liquid CDs have maturities of three months, require the maintenance of a minimum balance and allow depositors the ability to make periodic deposits to and withdrawals from their account. At December 31, 2012, its deposits totaled $10.44 billion. Of the total deposit balance, $1.28 billion, or 12%, represented individual retirement accounts during the year ended December 31, 2012. It held no brokered deposits at December 31, 2012. Core deposits represented 53.3% of total deposits at December 31, 2011. Reverse repurchase agreements are accounted for as borrowings and are secured by the securities sold under the agreements. At December 31, 2012, borrowings totaled $4.37 billion. It also obtains advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLB-NY).

Subsidiary Activities

In addition to Astoria Federal, the Company has two other subsidiaries, AF Insurance Agency, Inc. and Astoria Capital Trust I. AF Insurance Agency, Inc. is a life insurance agency. Through contractual agreements with various third parties, AF Insurance Agency, Inc. makes insurance products available primarily to the customers of Astoria Federal. Astoria Federal�� wholly owned subsidiaries include AF Agency, Inc., Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association Revocable Grantor Trust, Astoria Federal Mortgage Corp. (AF Mortgage), Fidata Service Corp. (Fidata), Marcus I Inc. and Suffco Service Corporation (Suffco). AF Agency, Inc. makes various annuity products available to the customers of Astoria Federal through an unaffiliated third party vendor. AF Mortgage is an operating subsidiary through which Astoria Federal engages in lending activities outside the State of New York through its third party loan origination program. Fidata mortgage loans totaled $5.09 bi! llion at ! December 31, 2012. Suffco serves as document custodian for the loans of Astoria Federal and Fidata and certain loans being serviced for Fannie Mae and other investors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Air France-KLM Group (AF), Europe�� second-biggest airline by sales, retreated 2.8 percent. Mediaset SpA climbed 2.8 percent after Credit Suisse Group AG raised its price target on the Italian broadcaster. Serco Group Plc added 2.7 percent after predicting that its revenue growth in the first half will exceed its previous estimates.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) and Air France-KLM (AF) Group rose with as a gauge of travel stocks as oil prices fell after Iran�� accord. PSA Peugeot Citroen gained 3.7 percent after people familiar with the matter said its chief executive officer plans to step down next year. Fresenius Medical Care AG surged the most in five years after U.S. regulators scrapped a plan to cut Medicare payments next year.

Best Shipping Stocks To Buy Right Now: iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (EFA)

iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International, Inc. as an equity benchmark for international stock performance. The Index includes stocks from Europe, Australasia and the Far East. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index that aims to capture 85% of the (publicly available) total market capitalization.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Similarly, diversification within stocks didn't work well. The performance of iShares Russell 2000 (NYSEMKT: IWM  ) and SPDR S&P MidCap 400 (NYSEMKT: MDY  ) showed that there wasn't shelter available in small- and mid-cap stocks. International stocks often help protect against losses, but massive capital flight from emerging markets socked popular ETFs Vanguard Emerging Market (NYSEMKT: VWO  ) and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (NYSEMKT: EEM  ) for single-day percentage losses that were nearly double the Dow's decline. Even developed markets suffered more than the U.S., as iShares MSCI EAFE (NYSEMKT: EFA  ) posted losses 50% greater than the U.S. market's.

Best Shipping Stocks To Buy Right Now: Madison Covered Call & Equity Strategy Fund (MCN)

Madison/Claymore Covered Call & Equity Strategy Fund (the Fund), formerly Madison/Claymore Covered Call Fund, is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund�� primary investment objective is to provide current income and current gains, with a secondary objective of long-term capital appreciation. The Fund invests in a portfolio consisting primarily of large capitalization common stocks. The Fund will sell covered call options to seek to generate a reasonably steady production of option premiums.

Madison Asset Management, LLC is the Fund�� investment manager. Madison Asset Management, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Madison Investment Advisors, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Hsu]
  Name Type of Security� Recommendation� Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. (NYSE: KMP) � MLP August 15, 2013� TeeKay LNG Partners L.P.� (NYSE: TGP) � MLP September 16, 2013� PowerShares S&P 500 BuyWrite Portfol ETF� (NYSE Arca: PBP)� Buy-Write ETF September 30, 2013� Madison Covered Call Equity Strtgy Fd (NYSE: MCN)� Buy-Write ETF September 30, 2013� Nuveen Equity Premium Opportunity Fund (NYSE: JSN)� Buy-Write ETF September 30, 2013� BlackRockEnhanced Dividend Achievers Tr (NYSE: BDJ)� Buy-Write ETF September 30, 2013� Vornado Realty Trust � (NYSE: VNO)� Real Estate
  Investment
  Trust September 26, 2013�
  
  

  Robert Hsu is the editor of Permanent Wealth Investor and a former hedge fund portfolio manager at Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs. He retired from Goldman at age 31. He since has come out of retirement to establish and preside over his money management firm, Absolute Return Capital Advisors. His retirement experience has given him his current mission: helping investors like you achieve their goal of comfortable retirement through profitable income strategies.

Best Shipping Stocks To Buy Right Now: PokerTek Inc.(PTEK)

PokerTek, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of electronic table games and related products for casinos, cruise lines, racinos, card clubs, and lotteries worldwide. Its products include PokerPro system, an automated 10-seated poker table with electronic components that allows players to play live poker against one another in a brick and mortar environment using electronic cards and chips by supporting poker, cash games, tournaments, and various languages; and Blackjack Pro, which offers the traditional game of Blackjack on the new ProCore automated table game platform, as well as allows operators to configure the game rules and payouts to meet their needs. The company distributes its gaming products using internal sales force and select distributors. PokerTek, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  With the stock down more than 13% since early March, it would be easy to assume Multimedia Games Holding Company (MGAM) was headed for a nasty earnings report at the end of April. The market was wrong, however. MGAM posted a 25% increase in revenue for the quarter, and a 28% improvement in earnings … and that was before the acquisition of PokerTek (PTEK). Bringing PokertTek into the fold will almost assure a fourth straight year of revenue and income growth.

Best Shipping Stocks To Buy Right Now: Exterran Partners L.P.(EXLP)

Exterran Partners, L.P. provides natural gas contract operations services to customers in the United States. Its contract operations services include designing, sourcing, owning, installing, operating, servicing, repairing, and maintaining equipment to provide natural gas compression to its customers. The company also owns and operates a natural gas processing plant with a capacity of 10 million cubic feet per day, which is used to provide processing services. It serves companies engaged in various aspects of the oil and natural gas industry, including natural gas producers, processors, gatherers, transporters, and storage providers. The company markets its services through sales and field service personnel. Exterran General Partner, L.P. serves as the general partner of Exterran Partners, L.P. The company was formerly known as Universal Compression Partners, L.P. and changed its name to Exterran Partners, L.P. in August 2007. Exterran Partners, L.P. was founded in 2006 an d is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Exterran Partners L.P (EXLP). will acquire natural-gas compression assets from MidCon Compression L.L.C., a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy Corp.(CHK), for about $135 million.

Best Shipping Stocks To Buy Right Now: Leidos Holdings Inc (LDOS)

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (Leidos), incorporated on August 12, 2005, is a science and technology solutions company focused on delivering solutions primarily in the areas of national security, health and engineering. The Company is a holding company whose direct 100%-owned subsidiary is Leidos, Inc., which delivers science and technology solutions in the areas of national security, health and engineering to agencies of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the intelligence community, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and other United States Government civil agencies, state and local government agencies, foreign governments and customers across a variety of commercial markets. The Company�� segments include Health and Engineering and National Security Solutions. On September 27, 2013, Leidos completed the separation of its technical services and enterprise information technology services business into an independent, publicly traded company named Science Applications International Corporation.

The Company�� National Security Solutions segment provides solutions and systems for air, land, sea, space and cyberspace for the United States intelligence community, the DoD, the military services and the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its solutions deliver technology, intelligence systems, data analytics, cyber solutions, and intelligence analysis and operations support to critical missions around the world. The Company�� Health and Engineering segment provides health systems integration services to implement and optimize the use of electronic health records, apply data analytics and behavioral health research to help enable customers to improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes, detect and prevent diseases, enhance scientific discovery, and reduce costs to the healthcare system. Leidos also provides engineering services and solutions focused on solving energy, environmental and infrastructure challenges. These include solutions in energy generation! , efficiency and management, environmental services, securing critical infrastructure, and designing and building construction projects.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Leidos Holdings Inc.(LDOS) said fiscal first-quarter earnings slumped 52%, as revenue declined amid what the company described as a continued constrained federal funding environment. Shares dropped 3.5% to $36.61 premarket.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Iron Mountain have fallen 2.3% to $25.72 today, while comparable have been mixed. Leidos Holdings (LDOS) has ticked up 0.6% to $46.28 and Amdocs (DOX) has risen 0.8% to $37.20. Maximus (MMS), on the other hand, has fallen 1.2% to $46.22 and Xerox (XRX) is off 0.3% to $10.62.

• [By Steve Symington]

  What:�Shares of�Leidos Holdings,� (NYSE: LDOS  ) �or formerly�Science Applications International�-- fell more than 18% Thursday after the national security, health, and engineering solutions company turned in better-than-expected fiscal 2014 fourth-quarter results, but followed with disappointing guidance and announced the departure of its Chief Operating Officer.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leidos Holdings (NYSE: LDOS) was down as well, falling 18.17 percent to $35.33 after the company announced its COO would leave, while releasing worse than expected guidance.