Best Life Sciences Stocks To Watch Right Now

Small cap robotic stock Adept Technology (NASDAQ: ADEP) has put in a very good performance this month verses its immediate peer�iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ: IRBT) as well as against medical robotic stocks like MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO), Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) and Hansen Medical, Inc (NASDAQ: HNSN). I should also mention that we have recently added Adept Technology to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio (we are up 9% since last week) because we feel robotics is an improving sector as companies aim to reduce overhead and improve efficiencies through machine to machine (M2M) automation.

What is Adept Technology?

Founded in 1983, small cap Adept Technology is the largest US based manufacturer of industrial robots. More specifically, Adept Technology�� product lines include industrial robots, configurable linear modules, machine controllers for robot mechanisms and other flexible automation equipment, machine vision, and systems and applications software. In addition, the company�provides specialized, cost-effective robotics systems and services to high-growth markets including Packaged Goods, Life Sciences, Disk Drive/Electronics and Semiconductor/Solar plus to�traditional industrial markets�which include�machine tool automation and automotive components.

5 Best Income Stocks To Invest In 2015: AVX Corp (AVX)

AVX Corporation (AVX), incorporated on September 19, 1989, is a manufacturer and supplier of a broad line of passive electronic components and related products. All types of electronic devices use AVX�� passive component products to store, filter or regulate electric energy. The Company�� passive electronic component products include ceramic and tantalum capacitors, film capacitors, varistors, filters and other components manufactured in its facilities throughout the world and passive components manufactured by Kyocera Corporation of Japan (Kyocera). It also manufactures and sells electronic connectors and inter-connect systems and distribute and sell certain electronic connectors manufactured by Kyocera. It is organized by product line with five main product groups. AVX operates in three segments: Passive Components, Kyocera Electronic Devices (KED Resale) and Interconnect. On February 6, 2013, it acquired tantalum solid electrolytic capacitor related businesses from NICHICON CORP.

through manufacturing representatives and independent electronic component distributors. The Passive Components segment consists primarily of surface mount and leaded ceramic capacitors, radio frequency (RF) thick and thin film components, tantalum capacitors, film capacitors, ceramic and film power capacitors, super capacitors, electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters, thick and thin film packages, varistors, thermistors, inductors and resistive products. The KED Resale segment consists primarily of ceramic capacitors, frequency control devices, surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, sensor products, RF modules, actuators, acoustic devices and connectors produced by Kyocera, and resold by AVX. The Interconnect segment consists primarily of AVX Interconnect (formerly Elco) automotive, telecom and memory connectors manufactured by AVX.

Passive Components

AVX manufactures a range of multi-layered ceramic and solid tantalum capacitors in many different sizes and configurations. The C! ompany also offers a line of advanced passive component products to fill the special needs of the customers. Its family of passive components also includes film capacitors, high energy/voltage power capacitors, and varistors. Its advanced products engineers work with some customers' in-house technical staffs to design, produce, and manufacture customized products to meet the specifications of particular applications. Sales of advanced products accounted for approximately 41% of passive component net sales during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 (fiscal 2013).

KED Resale

AVX has a non-exclusive license to distribute and sell certain Kyocera manufactured electronic component and connector products to certain customers and in certain territories outside of Japan. The Company�� distribution and sale of certain Kyocera products broadens its range of products and further facilitates its ability to offer one-stop shopping for the customers' electronic components needs. The Kyocera KDP and KKC electronic components it sells include ceramic capacitors, RF modules, frequency control devices, SAW devices, sensor products, actuators, and acoustic devices. Resale product sales also include connectors manufactured by Kyocera. Sales of these products accounted for approximately 31% of net sales in fiscal 2013.

Interconnect

AVX manufactures and sells electronic connectors and interconnect systems for use in the telecommunications, information technology hardware, automotive electronics, medical device, defense and aerospace industries. The Company�� product lines include a range of industry-standard connectors, as well as products designed specifically for the customers' applications. It produces fine pitch connectors used in portable devices, such as smart phones, other cell phones, notebook computers, global positioning system (GPS), and other hand held devices. In addition, it offers specialty connectors designed to address customer specific applications! across a! range of products and end markets. Approximately 33% of combined Interconnect and KEC Resale Connector net sales in fiscal 2013 consisted of connectors manufactured by Kyocera.

The Company competes with Murata Manufacturing Company Ltd, TDK Corporation, KEMET Corporation, NEC Corporation, Yageo Corporation, Taiyo Yuden Co. Ltd., Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., Tyco Electronics, Amphenol, Molex Incorporated, FCI and Erni Electronics.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Competitor AVX Corp. (AVX) has gained 1.1% to $12.96, while Molex (MOLX) has dropped 0.2% to $29.28 and Amphenol (APH) has ticked up 0.3% to $76.32.

Best Life Sciences Stocks To Watch Right Now: Pope Resources(POPE)

Pope Resources, a Delaware Limited Partnership, engages in the management of timber resources. It operates in three segments: Fee Timber, Timberland Management & Consulting, and Real Estate. The Fee Timber segment involves in growing, harvesting, and marketing timber to domestic and the Pacific Rim markets from its 175,000 acres of tree farms. The Timberland Management & Consulting segment provides investment management, disposition, and technical forestry services to the timberland owners. The Real Estate segment engages in securing permits, entitlements, and installing infrastructure for raw land development; and selling the land to buyers, who sell it to home buyers, operators, or lessors of commercial property. This segment also engages in the rental of residential and commercial properties in Port Gamble and Kingston, Washington. Pope Resources sells its logs to lumber mills and other wood fiber processors located in western Washington and northwest Oregon. As of Dece mber 31, 2010, it owned 114,000 acres of timberland in western Washington; 61,000 acres of timberland for the funds in Washington and Oregon; and 2,800 acres of real estate held for sale or development. Pope MGP, Inc. and Pope EGP, Inc. operate as the general partners of the company. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Poulsbo, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Timberland manager�Pope Resources� (NASDAQ: POPE  ) announced today�it would be paying�its second-quarter distribution of $0.45 per unit, the same rate it paid for the last four quarters after it raised the payout �from $0.35 per unit.

Best Life Sciences Stocks To Watch Right Now: Carnival Plc ADS (CUK)

Carnival plc operates as a cruise company. It operates in North America Cruise Brands, EAA Cruise Brands, and Tour and Other segments. The company offers cruises under the brand names of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn in North America; and AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK), and P&O Cruises (Australia) in Europe, Australia, and Asia. It also owns Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, a tour operator in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, which owns and operates 12 hotels or lodges, 300 motor coaches, and 20 domed rail cars. The company sells its cruises through travel agents, including wholesalers, general sales agents, and tour operators. Carnival plc was founded in 1850 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Harvey Jones]

  LONDON -- I'm window-shopping for shares again, and there are plenty of goodies for sale. Should I pop�Carnival� (LSE: CCL  ) (NYSE: CUK  ) into my basket?

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Carnival (NYSE: CCL  ) (NYSE: CUK  ) has launched an "enhancement program" that will total hundreds of millions of dollars. The investments will be directed at boosting the safety of its ships and include modifications that the company says will "enhance emergency power capabilities, introduce new fire safety technology, and improve the level of operating redundancies" throughout Carnival's 24-strong fleet.

• [By Royston Wild]

  LONDON -- Shares of cruise ship operator�Carnival� (LSE: CCL  ) (NYSE: CUK  ) have endured a torrid time in recent weeks, slipping 15% from mid-February's near-two-year high of 2,628 pence to current levels. The company has continued to endure tough press headlines following the�Costa Concordia�disaster in Jan. 2012, with an engine room fire and subsequent marooning of passengers on its�Carnival Triumph�ship in February once again denting investor interest in the company.

Best Life Sciences Stocks To Watch Right Now: General Finance Corporation (GFN)

General Finance Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the lease and sale of portable storage containers, portable container buildings, and freight containers. It offers mobile storage containers, including general purpose units, double pallet-wide high cube units, hazardous goods containers, and refrigerated containers; portable building containers, such as site offices and cabins, workforce accommodation units, luxury accommodation units, restroom blocks, blast-resistant units, and specialized office and infrastructure suites; and freight containers consisting of curtain-side containers, hi-cube containers, pallet-wide containers, side-opening door containers, and bulk containers. The company provides its products for various storage applications, including retail and manufacturing inventory, construction materials and equipment, documents and records, and household goods. It also leases and sells storage trailers and other storage structures, container office s, mobile offices, and modular buildings, as well as ancillary products comprising steps, furniture, portable toilets, security systems, and other items for use in connection with its equipment. In addition, the company offers delivery and installation, return and dismantle, and other site services. As of June 30, 2012, it operated a fleet of 23,855 mobile storage containers, 3,294 portable container buildings, and 9,348 freight containers. The company serves various industries, such as mining, road and rail, construction, moving and storage, manufacturing, transportation, defense, retail, utilities, education, and services sectors, as well as small and medium-size entities in New Zealand, North America, and the Asia-Pacific regions of Australia. General Finance Corporation was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Pasadena, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  General Finance (NASDAQ: GFN) shares touched a new 52-week high of $8.12 after DA Davidson lifted the price target on the stock from $8 to $11.

  Mattress Firm Holding (NASDAQ: MFRM) shares reached a new 52-week high of $47.03 after the company reported upbeat Q4 earnings and raised its FY14 forecast.

Best Life Sciences Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ryland Group Inc (RYL)

The Ryland Group, Inc., incorporated on March 28, 1967, is a homebuilders and a mortgage-finance company. In addition, Ryland Mortgage Company and its subsidiaries, and RMC Mortgage Corporation (collectively referred to as RMC) provide mortgage financing and related services. All of the Company's business is conducted and located in the United States. The Company's operations span aspects of the home buying process from design, construction and sale to mortgage origination, title insurance, escrow and insurance services. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the homebuilding operations were consisted of approximately 97% of consolidated revenues. The homebuilding segments generate their revenues from sales of completed homes, with sales of land and lots. The Company builds homes for entry-level buyers, as well as for first- and second-time move-up buyers. In July 2012, the Company acquired Charlotte and Raleigh operations and assets of Timberstone Homes. In December 2012, the Company acquired Phoenix operations and assets of Trend Homes. In June 2013, Ryland Group Inc acquired LionsGate Homes Corp. Effective July 19, 2013, Ryland Group Inc acquired Cornell Homes, a media-based construction company.

Homebuilding

The Company's homes are built on-site and marketed in four geographic regions or segments: North, Southeast, Texas and West. Its North segment includes Baltimore, Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Its Southeast include Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Orlando and Tampa. Texas includes Austin, Houston and San Antonio. West includes Denver, Las Vegas and Southern California. During 2012, within each of those segments, the Company operated in the metropolitan areas of North, Southeast, Texas and West. Each of its homebuilding divisions across the country consists of a division president; a controller; management personnel focused on land entitlement, acquisition and development, sales, construction, customer service and purchasin! g, and accounting and administrative personnel. The Company markets attached and detached single-family homes. In the Company's single-family detached home communities, it offers at least four different floor plans. The Company's attached home communities offer different floor plans with two, three or four bedrooms. The Company relies on its own architectural staff and also engages unaffiliated architectural firms to develop new designs. Homebuyers are able to customize certain features of their homes by selecting from options and upgrades displayed in the Company's model homes and design centers. In all of the Company's communities, a range of options is available to homebuyers for additional charges. The number and complexity of options increase with the size and base selling price of the home. During 2012, custom options contributed 16.9% of homebuilding revenues.

The Company's financial services segment provides mortgage-related products and services, as well as title, escrow and insurance services, to its homebuyers. The Company's financial services segment includes RMC, RH Insurance Company, Inc. (RHIC), LPS Holdings Corporation and its subsidiaries (LPS), and Columbia National Risk Retention Group, Inc. (CNRRG). By aligning its operations with the Company's homebuilding segments, the financial services segment leverages this relationship to offer its lending services to homebuyers.

During 2012, RMC's mortgage origination operations consisted of the Company's homebuilder loans, which were originated in connection with sales of the Company's homes. During 2012, mortgage operations originated 3,039 loans, which used for purchasing homes built by the Company and for purchasing homes built by others, purchasing existing homes or refinancing existing mortgage loans. RMC arranges various types of mortgage financing, including conventional, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA) mortgages, with various fixed- and adjustable-rate features. The Compa! ny sells ! the loans it originates, along with the related servicing rights, to others. Cornerstone Title Company, doing business as Ryland Title Company, is a 100 % subsidiary of RMC, provides escrow and title services and acts as a title insurance agent primarily for the Company's homebuyers. As of December 31, 2012, it provided title services in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Texas and Virginia. Ryland Insurance Services (RIS), a 100 % owned subsidiary of RMC, provides insurance services to the Company's homebuyers. As of December 31, 2012, RIS was licensed to operate in all of the states in which the Company's homebuilding segments operate. During 2012, it provided insurance services to 41.5 % of the Company's homebuyers. CNRRG, a 100 %-owned subsidiary of the Company and some of its affiliates, offer insurance, specifically structural warranty coverage, to protect homeowners against liability risks arising in connection with the homebuilding business of the Company and its affiliates.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  The reduction in the number of loan approvals as well as a reduction in the length of time to get a loan approved certainly hasn’t helped homebuilders like The Ryland Group (RYL); RYL shares are down almost 5% in October.

• [By Erika Janowicz]

  Compass Point analyst Wilkes Graham updated his housing forecast:

  Graham increased assumed ROI's to 9% on average from 7%. Reduced targeted sector price/ book from $190% to 170%. Expects 20-30% growth in starts and new home sales in 2012 and 2013 to stabilize in 2014 and on at approximately 10%. For covered builders, the analyst lowered estimates by 8% and lowered price targets by 10%. Compass Point expects 10% annual growth in single family starts and new home sales and 2-5% pricing growth. Downgraded DR Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI) from Buy to Neutral and KB Home (NYSE: KBH) from Neutral to Sell. DR Horton's and KB Home's PT was lowered from $23.50 to $20.00 and from $17.50 to $14.00, respectively. Graham reiterated a Buy rating on Ryland Group Inc. (NYSE: RYL) and Standard Pacific Corp. (NYSE: SPF). The analyst raised the PT on Ryland from $50.00 to $50.50 and lowered the PT on Standard Pacific from $10.00 to $9.50. Compass Point reiterated a Neutral rating on Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE: BZH), Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV), Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN), PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), and Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL). The price target for Beazer and Hovnanian was raised from $15.50 to $24.00 and $5.00 to $5.75, respectively. Graham lowered the PT for Lennar, Pulte, and Toll to $34.50, $17.00, and $31.00.

  This Week's Data

Best Life Sciences Stocks To Watch Right Now: Matthews International Corporation(MATW)

Matthews International Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets memorialization products and brand solutions for the cemetery and funeral home industries in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company's Bronze segment offers cast bronze memorials and other memorialization products; and cast and etched architectural products, as well as builds mausoleums. Its Casket segment provides wood and metal caskets; and casket components, such as stamped metal parts, metal locking mechanisms for gasketed metal caskets, adjustable beds, interior panels, and plastic ornamental hardware, as well as provides assortment planning and merchandising, and display products to funeral service businesses. The company's Cremation segment offers cremation equipment; cremation caskets; equipment service and supplies; and cremation urns and memorial products, as well as offers environmental systems; crematory operations and management services; and cremation col umbarium and niche units. Its Graphics Imaging segment provides brand management, pre-press services, printing plates, gravure cylinders, steel bases, embossing tools, special purpose machinery, engineering and print process assistance, print production management, digital asset management, content management, and package design services. The company's Marking Products segment offers a range of marking and coding products and related consumables, and industrial automation products for identifying, tracking, and conveying consumer and industrial products, components, and packaging containers. Its Merchandising Solutions segment provides merchandising displays and systems, such as permanent and temporary displays, custom store fixtures, brand concept shops, interactive kiosks, custom packaging, and screen and digitally printed promotional signage; and offers design and engineering services. The company was founded in 1850 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The first thing to realize about StoneMor is that arcane and flexible accounting rules make it important to dig beneath its GAAP earnings. Growth throughout the industry has been substantial, as up-and-coming Carriage Services (NYSE: CSV  ) continued to stay on pace for double-digit sales growth as it rapidly expands its reach. Even well-established player Matthews International (NASDAQ: MATW  ) managed to grow revenue by nearly 14% in the quarter that ended in March, although its earnings fell slightly from the year-ago quarter. Still, StoneMor's sales haven't been able to rise as quickly as its peers, with its previous report including just a 6% gain in revenue.