Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now

Stocks fell for a fifth consecutive day as investors fretted about the happenings in Washington D.C.

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The S&P 500 fell 0.3% to 1,692.77, suffering its longest slump since the six-day decline ending Dec. 28. � The Dow Jones Industrials dropped 0.4% to 15,273.26.

There’s plenty to be feeling bearish about. The U.S. government might be heading for a shutdown over its budget and the debt ceiling, while investors are still hoping for some clarity regarding tapering. Guggenheim’s Scott Minerd sums up the general malaise:

U.S. equities have become further extended, and there is a risk that the increasing economic headwinds could negatively affect earnings and share prices as the end of the year approaches. Additionally, the United States faces ongoing uncertainty over monetary policy and increasing concern in Washington about a possible government shutdown. With only three months remaining in 2013, a rebound in economic growth does not appear likely before the first or second quarter of 2014. The outlook for the economies and markets of Asia and Europe, however, appears much more positive, which the current decrease in U.S. interest rates will only reinforce.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Tractor Supply Company(TSCO)

Tractor Supply Company operates retail farm and ranch stores in the United States. Its stores offer a selection of merchandise, including equine, pet, and animal products, such as items required for their health, care, growth, and containment; hardware, truck, towing, and tool products; seasonal products, including lawn and garden items, power equipment, gifts, and toys; maintenance products for agricultural and rural use; and work/recreational clothing and footwear. The company operates its retail stores under the Tractor Supply Company and Del?s Farm Supply names, as well as a Website under the TractorSupply.com name. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 1,085 retail farm and ranch stores in 44 states. The company serves recreational farmers and ranchers, as well as tradesmen and small businesses. Tractor Supply Company was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Tesco Plc (TSCO) dropped 3.5 percent to 360.9 pence. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its rating on the shares to underweight from neutral, meaning that investors should hold less of the shares than are represented in benchmark indexes. The brokerage cited weak same-store sales and said that initiatives such as ��ouble Clubcard Points��in 2010 and the ��rice Promise��in 2013 have had limited success.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Retail Opportunity Investments Corp.(ROIC)

Retail Opportunity Investments Corp., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of necessity-based community and neighborhood shopping centers in the eastern and western regions of the United States. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio consisted of 30 owned retail properties totaling approximately 3.2 million square feet of gross leasable area. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The company is based in White Plains, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chandan Dubey]

  A better measure of performance is the return on invested capital (RoIC) and Return on Assets (RoA). These are leverage neutral in the sense that it looks at returns on all the assets which the bank is employing to achieve the return. Higher the RoIC/RoA, better the management is performing. Obviously, it is not as clear-cut as this but coupled with conservative lending practices, good liquidity and manageable leverage, we have a recipe for side-stepping bad management and a crappy bank.

• [By David Trainer]

  Over the past few years, SWK has demonstrated little ability to grow NOPAT organically. Instead, the company has relied on big acquisitions to fuel growth. This strategy is unsustainable because the company cannot indefinitely pump more capital into the business while getting back proportionally less cash flow (NOPAT). That strategy leads to declining ROICs, which is what the company is doing now. Figure 1 contrasts SWK's rising NOPAT with its declining return on invested capital (ROIC). Investors should focus on the bottom line, which is ROIC, not the top line revenues or earnings because those metrics ignore the amount of invested capital used to generate them.

Top 5 Performing Companies To Own In Right Now: RTI Biologics Inc.(RTIX)

RTI Biologics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces orthopedic and other surgical implants that repair and promote the natural healing of human bone and other human tissues. The company processes donated human musculoskeletal and other tissues, including bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, fascia lata, pericardium, sclera, and dermal tissues, as well as bovine animal tissues to produce allograft and xenograft implants by utilizing its proprietary BIOCLEANSE and TUTOPLAST sterilization processes It processes and distributes human and bovine animal tissues for use in the fields of sports medicine, spine, dental, surgical specialties, bone graft substitutes, and general orthopedic. RTI Biologics, Inc. markets its products through its direct distribution force, as well as through a network of independent distributors to hospitals and surgeons in the United States and 30 countries internationally. The company was formerly known as Regeneration Technologies, Inc. and c hanged its name to RTI Biologics, Inc. as a result of its merger with Tutogen Medical, Inc. in February 2008. RTI Biologics, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Alachua, Florida.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Palomar Medical Technologies Inc.(PMTI)

Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, markets, and sells lasers and other light-based products, and related disposable items and accessories for use in dermatology and cosmetic procedures. It provides a range of products based on proprietary technologies that address various cosmetic issues, including hair removal; body sculpting comprising laser-assisted liposuction; removal of vascular lesions, such as rosacea, spider veins, port wine stains, and hemangiomas; wrinkle reduction; removal of leg veins; removal of benign pigmented lesions, including age and sun spots, freckles, and melasma; tattoo removal; acne treatment; skin resurfacing; treatment of red pigmentation in hypertrophic and keloid scars; treatment of verrucae, skin tags, and seborrheic keratosis; skin tightening through soft tissue coagulation; scars comprising acne scars, stretch marks, and warts; and soft tissue coagulation. The company?s proprietary tech nology products include EsteLux pulsed light system, Palomar MediLux pulsed light system, StarLux 300 and StarLux 500 pulsed light and laser systems, Aspire body sculpting system and SlimLipo handpiece, Artisan Platform facial rejuvenation system, Palomar Icon aesthetic system, Acleara acne clearing system, Adivive fat transfer system, SkinTel melanin reader, Palomar Q-YAG 5 system, and Palo Via skin renewing laser. It offers its products through a network of distributors, cable television shopping, high end department stores, online retailers, physician?s offices, spas, and palovia.com in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia/Pacific Rim, South and Central America, Australia, and Japan. Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Top 5 High Tech Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cloud Peak Energy Inc(CLD)

Cloud Peak Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in coal mining operations in the Powder River Basin of the United States. It produces sub-bituminous steam coal with low sulfur content for electric utilities and industrial customers. The company owns and operates Antelope surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; the Cordero Rojo surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; and the Spring Creek surface coal mine located in Montana. It also owns a 50% interest in the Decker surface coal mine located in Montana. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 970 million tons of proven and probable reserves. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Gillette, Wyoming.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Consol Energy (CNX), �which also produces natural gas, was up more than 3%, as was Cloud Peak Energy (CLD).

  The Moody’s press release, here. Coal insiders were active earlier this year, we noted here.