Top 10 Dow Dividend Stocks for April

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Sixteen weeks into 2014, the Dow, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 are all down year-to-date, while the S&P 500 is only ahead by about 1.5%. The market is dealing with some genuine obstacles that weren’t prevalent at the end of 2013, as worries over Russia’s annexation of Ukraine, slowing in China’s economy, Japan’s anemic exports, deflationary pressure in Europe and Fed tapering are weighing on investor sentiment.

If these issues weren’t enough, the “great rotation” out of the New America stocks — Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Priceline (NASDAQ:PCLN), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), 3D Systems (NASDAQ:DDD), Twitter (NYSE:TWTR), Yelp (NYSE:YELP) and too many biotech stocks to list — sent shivers through the market that are just now starting to abate. The mid-April rebound saw the bloodletting in high-beta stocks somewhat cease, while capital flows into dividend-paying stocks and high-yield assets remained strong.

Corrections come when markets least expect them, and high-valuation stocks have clearly undergone a fierce re-pricing of what investors believe to be growth at a reasonable price. So utilities, defensive blue-chip stocks and high-yield assets have been the tortoises that are winning the year-to-date race so far amid little fanfare. As such, it's a great time to consider taking a stake in the highest-yielding dividend stocks of the Dow Jones Industrials. These well-known, best-of-breed companies have a long history of solid, dependable dividends.

These top 10 highest-yielding Dow dividend stocks, or "Dogs of the Dow," pay out sizable yields ranging from 3.10% to 5.25%, and they're often less susceptible to market downtrends, which makes them ideal holdings when so many traders are confused about which sectors of the market can still produce a return on investment.

Here are the top 10 Dow dividend stocks by yield for April. (Note: All yields and returns are as of 4/28.)

Top Dividend Stocks #10: Procter & Gamble (PG)

Dividend Yield: 3.10%
YTD Performance: +1.88%
52-Week Return: +7.57%

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) beat earnings-per-share estimates when it announced its third-quarter results last week, but the rest of the report was essentially in line with analysts' expectations. The EPS reading marked an increase of about 5% from a year earlier, and organic sales rose by 3%, but revenue and gross profits both fell year-over-year. The stock gapped lower on its report day, but has since made up all of the losses and now trades just under the $83 level.

There are a number of other reasons why PG made it back onto our list in April after being knocked off by Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last month. First, the company increased its cash dividend from 60.15 cents to 64.36 cents for the current quarter — an increase of 7%, which makes for a current dividend yield of 3.1%.

Second, the company only pays out about 65% of its earnings to shareholders, so there is the chance that its $2.57 annual dividend could be increased in the future. Finally, PG maintains a 57-year track record of dividend increases, which qualifies the stock as one of the S&P 500's Dividend Aristocrats.

The company's CEO also remains committed to keeping investors happy with steady quarterly distributions, and will continue to implement cost-cutting measures that should save billions of dollars over the next several years.

Top Dividend Stocks #9: Merck (MRK)

Dividend Yield: 3.11%
YTD Performance: +13.25%
52-Week Return: +18.40%

Merck (NYSE:MRK), the $167 billion global provider of health care products and services, leads our list of Dow dividend stocks in capital appreciation in 2014. However, even after gaining more than 13% this year, MRK still offers a 3.22% dividend yield.

The run-up in the share price can also be seen in its 38.9 P/E ratio, which is higher than most of its peers. Still, MRK's new immuno-oncology drug and foray into the Hepatitis C treatment area represent a promising pipeline that could reward long-term investors.

Merck is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on April 29, and analysts are looking for EPS of 79 cents on revenue of $10.44 billion, both of which are lower than the levels reported a year ago. Part of the reason for the Street's lowered expectations is that generic competition may be cutting into MRK's top line, though a strong showing from several other segments of its business could help the stock when the numbers are released.

Top Dividend Stocks #8: Chevron (CVX)

Dividend Yield: 3.18%
YTD Performance: +0.66%
52-Week Return: +4.74%

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) is one of the largest and most well-known integrated energy companies on the planet and boasts a record of consecutive dividend increases over the last 25 years. On top of the dividend, the biggest factor that makes CVX a smart investment at this time is its future growth prospects.

The company expects to increase its capacity by 20% over the next four years, and while it has been primarily centered on exploring for and producing oil, it's now branching out into the natural gas space and is either involved in or planning liquefied natural gas drilling operations outside of the U.S. in places like China and Australia. CVX also plans to increase revenues by drilling in the U.S. Permian Basin region (production in the region is expected to double over the course of the decade) and through its Texas-New Mexico project.

Even with such strong growth prospects, CVX trades with a reasonable valuation compared to other energy stocks. With a P/E ratio of 11.2 — compared to Exxon’s (NYSE:XOM) 13.6, its valuation is very enticing. CVX also bests XOM in earnings growth, profitability and dividend growth and dividend yield, which are the metrics that investors will consider when determining which stock is the better buy.

As other countries warm up to the idea of hydraulic fracturing and natural gas in general, Chevron is prepared to move in and accelerate the process, and you should be prepared to profit from the natural gas revolution as well.

Top Dividend Stocks #7: McDonald's (MCD)

Dividend Yield: 3.23%
YTD Performance: +3.38%
52-Week Return: -0.57%

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) certainly struggled over the last year, but the stock has actually come into favor in the last few months as capital rotates into names that trade at low valuations. MCD carries a P/E ratio of 18.1 compared to the 28.1 industry average, and investors have taken notice.

MCD reported earnings last week with mixed results. First-quarter revenue came in as expected, at $6.7 billion, but the company missed EPS estimates of $1.24 by three cents. While McDonald's leads its peers in terms of revenue, its long-term growth prospects lag significantly against Burger King (NYSE:BKW) and Chipotle (NYSE:CMG).

The company is also experiencing pressure from competitor and owner of Taco Bell, Yum Brands (NYSE:YUM), which is trying to lure in more customers with its new "Waffle Taco." Approximately 25% of MCD's sales derive from its breakfast menu, a number that YUM is actively trying to decrease.

It's unlikely that MCD will see the same kinds of growth rates as its newer rivals, but you can earn a solid 3.23% yield from this fairly valued, blue-chip dividend stock if your portfolio can stomach the recent setbacks.

Top Dividend Stocks #6: Pfizer (PFE)

Dividend Yield: 3.25%
YTD Performance: +4.60%
52-Week Return: +6.48%

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), the world's biggest pharmaceutical company with a market capitalization of almost $205 billion, has moved up two spots since our last edition of the top Dow dividend stocks.

PFE has garnered a lot of attention from the investment community lately after proposing a $100 billion dollar takeover of London-based biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN). AZN rejected the offer at first, but PFE is still in pursuit of a deal. If completed, it would be the largest takeover of its kind in history.

The takeover would be advantageous to PFE for several reasons. The company would be able to significantly increase its product line in the areas of oncology and diabetes treatment, and it would also benefit via the distribution channels that AZN already has set up overseas.

Perhaps even more compelling for Pfizer, the proposed deal would enable PFE to put use the approximately $70 billion in overseas cash that would otherwise be subject to exorbitant corporate taxes if it was returned to the United States. Incorporating in the U.K. would ultimately lead to a more competitive tax rate for PFE, even if the company keeps in headquarters in the U.S.

PFE is up about 4.6% for the year to the $32 level, and just last week declared another dividend payout of 26 cents for the current quarter. That makes for an attractive dividend yield of 3.25% on a stock that trades with a P/E ratio of 18.6, which is right in line with its industry peers.

Top Dividend Stock #5: General Electric (GE)

Dividend Yield: 3.29%
YTD Performance: -4.46%
52-Week Return: +20.58%

General Electric (NYSE:GE) is down almost 5% in 2014, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Since hitting a low near the $24 level back in February, the stock has rallied approximately 6.6% as the rotation into blue-chip names with yield has gained strength.

Earlier in April, GE reported its first-quarter results, in which the company posted disappointing revenue that declined 2% to $34.2 billion and net income that fell 15% to $3 billion. That sounds negative on the surface, but there were several positive factors that pushed the stock over $26.50 on its report day.

First, GE's industrial profit and revenue grew 12% and 8%, respectively. Its oil and gas segment enjoyed a 37% increase in profit, and its aviation unit boosted profits by 19% to $1.1 billion thanks to increased engine demand.

Investors often look to GE to provide some insight into the state of the underlying economy, and the numbers are indicating that the U.S. may be in for a slow-but-steady 2014 in terms of economic growth. At the same time, GE has steadily increased its dividend over the past five years, and now pays out more than twice what it did back in 2009. With a handsome 3.3% dividend yield, GE will pay you 88 cents per year while you wait for the economy to pick up speed.

Top Dividend Stock #4: Cisco (CSCO)

Dividend Yield: 3.30%
YTD Performance: +2.63% 
52-Week Return: +11.37%

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), the information technology and Internet protocol giant, is up about 7% from its recent bottom in March, and its latest cash dividend of 19 cents per share for the current quarter represented an increase of 11.8% from the previous 17 cents-per-share dividend.

CSCO endured some setbacks after posting less-than-stellar results and unimpressive forecasts, but is now making plans to transition its core business in order to move into more profitable endeavors. For example, the company is planning to make a switch from its traditional hardware-based model to one that focuses on the growing areas of cloud computing, mobility, security and the Internet of everything (the term used to describe the phenomenon of the increasing connection between technology and the ordinary items we used in our everyday lives).

The company is in the beginning stages of its transition, which presents investors with the opportunity to take advantage of this long-term growth story in the early going. With a P/E ratio of just 15.2, CSCO trades at a great bargain against its peer group, which carries a P/E ratio of 33.8, and the company is ready to reward patient investors with an annual dividend of 76 cents per share.

Top Dividend Stock #3: Intel (INTC)

Dividend Yield: 3.42%
YTD Performance: +1.44%
52-Week Return: +12.52%

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), which designs and manufactures computer processors and chips for personal electronic devices such as computers, phones, tablets and medical devices, has maintained the No. 3 spot on our list of dividend stocks again in April.

Earlier this month, the company announced its first-quarter earnings, including EPS that beat estimates by a penny. Although it beat the Street, the EPS reading of 38 cents per share was 5% lower than it was a year earlier. Net income came in at just $1.9 billion, which was also down 5% from the previous year.

Positive highlights include a 1% year-over-year increase in PC Client Group revenue, and an 11% year-over-year increase in revenue from its Data Center Group. INTC reported overall revenue of $12.8 billion for the quarter, and returned $1.1 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends.

The company declared another 22.5-cent quarterly dividend payout in March, which equates to a current dividend yield of 3.42%. Furthermore, the stock trades with a P/E ratio of just 13.9 versus the industry average of 22.7, which should make this a go-to name in the current value-investing landscape.

Top Dividend Stock #2: Verizon (VZ)

Dividend Yield: 4.55%
YTD Performance: -5.17%
52-Week Return: -13.11%

Shares of Verizon (NYSE:VZ) have struggled recently, but the company continues to pay out a hefty quarterly dividend of 53 cents, keeping VZ firmly in the second-place spot in the list of highest-yielding Dow dividend stocks. Corrections come and go, but Verizon has been steadily growing its annual payout for the last seven years, and the company has made some key moves lately that should grab investors' attention.

About a month after completing the deal to retake Vodafone's (NASDAQ:VOD) stake in Verizon Wireless, for which the company raised a record-high $49 billion in bonds, Verizon announced a debt offer to raise another $4.5 billion, which it intends to use to repurchase five tranches of company debt. Like the Vodafone deal, this move should help boost Verizon's bottom line. And in fact, EPS did enjoy a year-over-year gain in the first quarter, from 68 cents to 84 cents in non-GAAP earnings. VZ stock took a hit on that news, though, because analysts' consensus forecast was for EPS of 87 cents.

However, a closer look at the earnings release reveals some good news for Verizon Wireless. Service revenues gained 7.5% year-over-year for the wireless segment, and since the buyback deal with Vodafone just closed on Feb. 21, that figure only includes five weeks' worth of full results.

The company's wireless segment gained 539,000 net retail postpaid customers for the quarter. Interestingly, the increase came not from cell phone customers, but from tablet users and even home phone users. As Verizon works on upgrading its landline network, more and more home phones are now connecting to the wireless network, which may account for the decrease in landline users. It's a brave new world for telecom, and investors who buy VZ now can benefit from the continued shift while earning a steady 4.55% on their money.

Top Dividend Stock #1: AT&T (T)

Dividend Yield: 5.25%
YTD Performance: -0.23%
52-Week Return: -5.29%

Rival wireless providers like T-Mobile (NYSE:TMUS) might be trying to elbow in on its market share, but AT&T (NYSE:T) is still the biggest telecommunications provider in the United States. It also has strong fundamentals, contrary to what investors may expect of a stock with such a high yield.

On April 22, AT&T released its first-quarter earnings report, which showed a 10.9% increase in earnings per share (EPS) over the same quarter a year earlier, from 64 cents to 71 cents, beating the Street's expectations by a penny. What's more, the company took a big step towards closing the gap between its customer base and that of Verizon. In the first quarter, AT&T added 625,000 postpaid customers, noting that these were the "best first-quarter net adds in five years."

Unfortunately, none of this kept the shares from suffering a 3.4% selloff the following morning. The sticking point seemed to be forward guidance: Analysts had anticipated an 8% earnings-growth forecast, but AT&T's actual forecast was for 4% or greater.

The company did maintain the same hefty payout of 46 cents as in the prior quarter, however, so income investors should consider using the dip as an opportunity to buy the highest-yielding Dow dividend stock at a discount and take advantage of the 5.25% current yield.

Bryan Perry is the editor of Cash Machine, a newsletter focused on high-yield income investing with the goal of maintaining a blended total yield of 10% across two portfolios. Bryan is also the editor of Extreme Income, which uses the power of historically cheap money to create a leveraged "baby hedge fund" strategy that paves the way to massive profits and 4x greater income.

In Toyota Restructuring, California's Loss Is Texas' Gain

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Reed Saxon/APToyota's North American headquarters in Torrance, Calif. As part of a companywide overhaul, Toyota Motor (TM) is planning to move its sales and marketing headquarters to suburban Dallas from Torrance, Calif., according to reports. The company will restructure its marketing arm, which currently is based in Torrance in southern California, and houses about 5,300 employees, who are being offered a redundancy package under the reorganization that is set to begin Thursday. The move would put Toyota's management closer to its operations that produce cars for the U.S. market and would reduce production costs. It is still unclear how many employees will be asked to move from the Torrance unit and how much time would elapse before the transition is complete. Employees "whose positions are significantly different in the new organization have been provided with several options, including applying for opportunities within the new marketing organization or in other departments at [Toyota Motor Sales] or Toyota Financial Services," the company said, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Japanese automaker has vehicle assembly plants in Kentucky, Indiana, Texas and Mississippi, along with technical centers in Michigan and California, while its manufacturing operations headquarters for the U.S. market is based in Erlanger, Ky. About 71 percent of the vehicles Toyota sells in the U.S. are manufactured at its 14 manufacturing facilities, up from 55 percent in 2008 and, last year, Toyota sold 2.24 million cars and light trucks, down from a record 2.62 million sold in 2007, reports said. Related According to Los Angeles Times, Torrance's Mayor Frank Scotto didn't know of Toyota's plans to move base but added that he knew that the company was supposed to make a corporate announcement Monday. "When any major corporation is courted by another state, it's very difficult to combat that," Scotto said, according to the Times. "We don't have the tools we need to keep major corporations here," he said. States such as New York and Texas have been promising financial incentives to convince California-based companies to move, using the west coast state's higher cost of operations, such as higher labor compensation and liability insurance, as an incentive, according to Scotto. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and Toyota Financial Services, both of which are based in Torrance, together employ more than 9,400 people in the U.S. Toyota isn't the first to desert California in search of lower operating costs. In 2006, Nissan Motor shifted its headquarters to Nashville, Tenn., from Gardena, Calif. while Honda Motor (HMC) moved a small number of top-level employees to Columbus, Ohio, from Torrance in 2013, reports said.

Will EMC Continue to Run Higher?

With shares of EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) trading at around $24.88, is EMC an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock's Movement

EMC has underperformed the market year-to-date, which has frustrated investors. However, the past month has been strong – the stock is up more than 7 percent. Investors had been waiting for a catalyst earlier in the year. After a Q1 where revenue increased 5.80 percent year-over-year but earnings declined 1.20 percent year-over-year, there wasn't a lot of reason for investor conviction. This led to EMC making a couple of moves. It now yields 1.60 percent, and it expanded its share repurchase program to $6 billion through December 31, 2015. It should be noted that $3.5 billion will be repurchased by the end of Q2 2014.

EMC will also increase its debt load in order to fuel growth. This may lead to acquisitions in the areas of cloud computing, big data, and/or IT. EMC has displayed strong debt management to date. Despite the companies renewed hunger for growth and the increasing debt, the balance sheet will remain strong for the foreseeable future. Therefore, R&D and innovation opportunities will remain.

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In regards to revenue, EMC has a compounded annual growth rate of 11.55 percent over the past four years. Revenue has consistently improved on an annual basis, but the pace of growth has slowed. The same pattern has been seen for NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP), but on a different scale. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) has had a more difficult time as its revenue and earnings declined last year as well as last quarter on a year-over-year basis. Hewlett-Packard is struggling with a -11.60 percent profit margin. By comparison, NetApp has a profit margin of 7.98 percent, and EMC has a profit margin of 12.39 percent. NetApp is trading at 28 times earnings, and EMC is trading at 20 times earnings, making EMC look like the better value.

EMC Proven Solution may act as a catalyst going forward. This is private cloud computing. If successful, the rewards could be large. Cloud computing is booming, and this boom is expected to continue for many years. Storage is a concern for most businesses, and cloud computing offers businesses an opportunity to save time and money.

EMC's company culture is above average. According to Glassdoor.com, employees have rated their employer a 3.5 of 5, and 71 percent of employees would recommend the company to a friend. As far as leadership is concerned, 88 percent of employees approve of CEO Joe Tucci. This is an impressive number. It all starts at the top. If a good leader is in place, then the odds of success greatly increase.

In regards to analysts, they love the stock: 33 Buy, 7 Hold, 0 Sell.

On the negative side, there has been a decline in IT spending throughout the industry. Another negative is that operating margin for EMC declined 30 bps year-over-year to 18.9 percent. However, do the positives outweigh the negatives for EMC? That answer will be revealed soon.

Let's take a look at some important numbers prior to forming an opinion on this stock.

T = Technicals Are Strong

EMC has picked up some upside momentum over the past month. Can this momentum continue?

	1 Month	Year-To-Date	1 Year	3 Year
EMC	7.20%	-1.11%	1.54%	34.95%
NTAP	5.84%	14.04%	26.15%	-0.60%
HPQ	13.99%	73.40%	13.34%	-44.21%

At $24.88, EMC is trading above its averages.

50-Day SMA	23.52
200-Day SMA	24.09

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E = Equity to Debt Ratio is Strong

The debt-to-equity ratio for EMC is stronger than the industry average of 0.20.

	Debt-To-Equity	Cash	Long-Term Debt
EMC	0.07	6.53B	1.70B
NTAP	0.48	6.95B	2.25B
HPQ	1.12	13.24B	26.79B

E = Earnings Have Been Strong

Earnings and revenue have consistently improved on an annual basis over the past three years.

Fiscal Year	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Revenue ($) in millions	14,876	14,026	17,015	20,008	21,714
Diluted EPS ($)	0.64	0.55	0.88	1.10	1.23

Looking at the last quarter on a year-over-year basis, revenue improved and earnings declined. Both revenue and earnings declined on a sequential basis. However, EMC is now getting more aggressive.

Quarter	Mar. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2013
Revenue ($) in millions	5,094.38	5,311.39	5,278.18	6,029.96	5,387.38
Diluted EPS ($)	0.27	0.29	0.28	0.39	0.26

Now let's take a look at the next page for the Conclusion. Is this stock an OUTPERFORM, a WAIT AND SEE, or a STAY AWAY?

Conclusion

To put it simply, even if IT isn't as strong as in the past, demand for cloud computing is expected to increase, and data levels will intensify. EMC is aiming for simplification in all areas, and buyers of any product or service appreciates simplicity. Combining these factors with a 1.60 percent yield, an expanded share repurchase program, and quality leadership, EMC is an OUTPERFORM.

Best Long Term Companies To Watch In Right Now

Baidu� (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) shares dropped 8.5% before the market opened Friday after missing first quarter revenue and earnings estimates.

While Baidu increased its revenues 40% over the same time last period, sales only amounted to $961 million -- $8 million less than the analyst estimates of $969 million. Earnings per share also fell behind analyst estimates. Instead of taking in $1.03 per share, the company saw $0.95 earnings per share.

Altogether, total net income was $329 million, resulting in a net margin of 34%. Expenses that may caused the company to miss its net income are selling, general, and administrative expenses, and research and development costs. Compared to the same time in 2012, SG&A expenses rose 77%, to $136.6 million. Meanwhile, R&D costs increased 83%, to $131 million.

In the company's press release, Baidu did not mention specific reasons as to why revenues or earnings dipped. Instead, the executives tried to get investors focused on the long term.

Best Long Term Companies To Watch In Right Now: Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc.(SOMX)

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the in-licensing, development, and commercialization of proprietary branded products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment medical conditions in the central nervous system therapeutic area. Its product includes Silenor for the treatment of insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors in the United States. Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SOMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, will release its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 after the close of the U.S. financial markets.

Best Long Term Companies To Watch In Right Now: Investors Title Company(ITIC)

Investors Title Company, through its subsidiaries, provides title insurance to residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial properties. It underwrites land title insurance for owners and mortgagees as a primary insurer; and offers the reinsurance of title insurance risks to other title insurance companies. The company also provides tax-deferred real property exchange services, as well as serves as an exchange accommodation titleholder and holds property for exchangers in reverse exchange transactions; offers investment management and trust services to individuals, companies, banks, and trusts; and provides consulting services to title insurance agencies. Investors Title Company serves various customers in the residential and commercial market sectors of the real estate industry. It issues title insurance policies primarily through approved attorneys from underwriting offices, as well as through independent issuing agents in 24 states and the District of Columbia, the United States. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Investors Title Company (NASDAQ:ITIC), reported its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012. Net income increased 110.0% to $3,349,488, or $1.57 per diluted share, compared with $1,594,805, or $0.74 per diluted share, for the prior year quarter.

Hot European Companies To Invest In Right Now: Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LLOY)

Lloyds Banking Group plc is a holding company. The Company is a financial services group providing a range of banking and financial services, primarily in the United Kingdom, to personal and corporate customers. It operates in four segments: Retail, Commercial Banking, Wealth, Asset Finance and International, and Insurance. Retail provides banking, mortgages and other financial services to personal customers in the United Kingdom. Commercial Banking provides banking and related services to business clients. Wealth, Asset Finance and International provides private banking and asset management and asset finance. Insurance provides long term savings, protection and investment products and provides general insurance to personal customers. In January 2014, Westpac Banking Corporation completed the acquisition of Lloyds Banking Group Plc�� Australian asset finance business, Capital Finance Australia Limited, and its Australian corporate loan portfolio, BOS International (Australia) Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  European stocks declined from a five-year high as investors sold holdings in companies from Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY) to Continental AG.

  Lloyds dropped 3.5 percent after the U.K. government sold a 3.2 billion-pound ($5.1 billion) stake in the lender. Continental and Galp Energia SGPS SA fell at least 2.5 percent as investors sold shares in the companies. Total SA (FP) retreated 1.3 percent following a report that Groupe Bruxelles Lambert SA may dispose of its 4 percent stake in the French oil producer.

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY) climbed above the price at which the U.K. government has said it will break even on its 39 percent stake in the lender. European carmakers rose to their highest level since November 2007 as vehicle sales in the region increased for the first time in 19 months. FLSmidth & Co. A/S sank 9.7 percent after Europe�� biggest maker of cement-production lines said it signed fewer large orders.

• [By Ruth David]

  Governments seeking to cut debt were some of the biggest sellers of equities in the third quarter. Sweden sold a $3.4 billion stake in Nordea Bank, the Nordic region�� largest lender, on Sept. 25. The deal came a week after the U.K. sold a 3 billion-pound ($4.8 billion) holding in Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY), its first disposal since bailing out the lender in 2008.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  BP rallied the most since January 2011 after Europe�� third-largest oil company also increased its dividend. Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), the region�� biggest crude producer, rose 1.5 percent. Lloyds Banking Group Plc (LLOY) lost 2 percent after reporting that its loss widened in the third quarter.

Best Long Term Companies To Watch In Right Now: Xylem Inc (XYL)

Xylem Inc. (Xylem), formerly ITT WCO, Inc., incorporated on May 4, 2011, is a provider of equipment and service for water and wastewater applications with a portfolio of products and services addressing the full cycle of water, from collection, distribution and use to the return of water to the environment. It operates in two segments: Water Infrastructure and Applied Water. The Water Infrastructure segment focuses on the transportation, treatment and testing of water, offering a range of products, including water and wastewater pumps, treatment and testing equipment, and controls and systems. Key brands in this segment include Flygt, Wedeco, Godwin Pumps, WTW, Sanitaire, AADI and Leopold. The Applied Water segment encompasses the uses of water and focuses on the residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural markets. The segment�� products include pumps, valves, heat exchangers, controls and dispensing equipment. Key brands in this segment include Goulds Water Technology (Goulds), Bell & Gossett, AC Fire, Standard, Flojet, Lowara, Jabsco and Flowtronex. The Company sells its products in more than 150 countries through a distribution network consisting of its direct sales force and independent channel partners. On October 31, 2011, ITT Corporation completed Spin-off of Xylem, formerly ITT�� water equipment and services businesses. The Spin-off was completed pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, dated as of October 25, 2011, among ITT, Exelis Inc. (Exelis) and Xylem. In July 2012, it acquired MJK Automation A/S. In March 2013, it acquired MultiTrode Pty Ltd.

Water Infrastructure

Water Infrastructure involves the process that collects water from a source and distributes it to users, and then returns the wastewater to the environment. Water Infrastructure serves three applications: transport, treatment and test of water and wastewater for two types of customers: public utilities and industrial facilities. The Transport application includes all of the equipment and s! ervices involved in the movement of water from sources, such as oceans, lakes, rivers and ground water, to treatment facilities, and then to users. It also includes the movement of wastewater from the point of use to a treatment facility and then back into the environment. The Company serves the equipment markets, such as water and wastewater submersible pumps, monitoring controls, and application solutions. With operations on six continents, it also has dewatering rental fleet, serviced with the Company�� Flygt and Godwin brands. In its Water Infrastructure Segment, Transport accounted for approximately 73% of its consolidated revenue during the year ended December 31, 2011. Flygt is the manufacturer of submersible pumps, mixers, and aeration equipment for use in environments, such as water and wastewater treatment, raw water supply, abrasive or contaminated industrial processes, mining and crop irrigation. Flygt products have applications in various markets, including wastewater lift stations, water and wastewater treatment facilities, pressurized sewage systems, oil and gas, steel, mining and leisure markets. Customers include public utility wastewater and clean water treatment facilities, oil and gas platforms, and steel manufacturing companies.

Godwin Pumps is engaged in pump manufacturing. It manufactures, sells, rents and services products that are customized to the specific needs of its clients. Godwin Pumps��products include the fully automatic self-priming Dri-Prime pump, a range of Sub-Prime electric and Heidra hydraulic submersible pumps, Wet-Prime gasoline-powered contractor pumps and a line of generators and portable light towers. Godwin products are primarily used in construction, disaster recovery, flooding, heavy industry, marine use, mining, oil, gas and chemical extraction, refineries, temporary fire protection and water and wastewater transport. Customers include industrial plants, construction contractors, public utility wastewaters and clean water treatment and tr! ansportat! ion facilities, oil, gas and chemical drilling outfits, and refineries. Godwin�� fleet of equipment is rented through 33 United States branches and a global network of distributors. The Treatment application includes equipment and services that treat both water for consumption and wastewater to be returned to the environment. Leopold is the Company�� filtration brand. Disinfection systems, both ultraviolet (UV) and ozone oxidation, treat both public utility drinking water and wastewater, as well as industrial process water, and are provided through its WEDECO brand. Biological treatment systems are key to the treatment of solids in wastewater plants, which is provided through its Sanitaire brand. In its Water Infrastructure Segment, Treatment accounted for approximately 18% of its consolidated net sales in 2011.

The Company�� Sanitaire brand provides biological wastewater treatment solutions for public utility and industrial applications. Sanitaire�� offering includes diffused aeration, sequencing batch reactors, drum filters and state-of-the-art controls. Sanitaire is a brand in diffused aeration, which is a process that introduces air into a liquid, providing an aerobic environment for degradation of organic matter. Principal Sanitaire customers are public utility and industrial wastewater treatment facilities. WEDECO develops chemical-free and environmentally friendly water treatment technologies, including ultraviolet light and ozone systems. There are over 250,000 installed WEDECO systems for UV disinfection and ozone oxidation globally in private, public utility and industrial locations. Customers include public utility wastewater and clean water treatment facilities, power plants, pulp and paper mills, food products manufacturers and aquaculture facilities. Leopold is a gravity media filtration and clarification solutions for the water and wastewater industry. Nova Analytics, its served market is focused on water and the environment for quality levels throughout the water in! frastruct! ure loop.. Analytical systems are applied in three primary ways: in the field, in a facility laboratory, or real time, online monitoring in a treatment facility process. In its Water Infrastructure Segment, Test accounted for approximately 9% of its consolidated net sales in 2011.

In wastewater treatment facilities, WTW-branded systems monitor parameters, such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity throughout the water process. WTW�� product offering includes meters, sensors, data-loggers, photometers and software. Aanderaa Data Instruments AS (AADI) offers sensors, instruments and systems for measuring and monitoring in environments, such as rivers, oceans and the polar regions through networked systems using wireless technology that monitors temperature, salinity, oxygen, turbidity, current and waves for ecosystem health. The main market areas are marine transportation, environmental and ocean research, oil and gas, aquaculture, road and traffic, and construction. Oceanography International Corporation (OI Analytical) provides products used for chemical analysis. The Company develops, manufactures, sells, and services analytical instruments that detect, measure, analyze, and monitor chemicals in liquids, solids, and gases. Yellow Springs Instrument Company (YSI) develops and manufactures sensors, instruments, software and data collection platforms for environmental and coastal water quality monitoring and testing. YSI also offers life sciences products, including biochemical analyzers for bioprocess monitoring, food and beverage processing, and sports physiology. The main market areas are marine transportation, environmental and ocean research, oil and gas, aquaculture, road and traffic, and construction.

Applied Water

Applied Water encompasses all the uses of water. Its served market consists of the main uses of global water: Building Services, Industrial Water and Irrigation. The Building Services is defined by four main uses of water in building services ! applicatio! ns, such as in residential homes and commercial buildings, including offices, hotels, restaurants and malls. The first is the supply of potable water for consumption, such as for drinking and hygiene. The Goulds brand offers pumps and boosting systems utilized within buildings, sourcing water from distribution networks or from wells. The second application is wastewater removal with sump and sewage pumps. The third application is in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), where Bell & Gossett specializes in pumps and valves that are used in water-based heating and cooling systems. The fourth water-related building service area is fire protection, where its AC Fire brand supplies full pump systems for emergency fire suppression. In Europe, Lowara is a brand in the commercial and residential water market with applications in the four main uses of water. In its Applied Water Segment, Building Services accounted for approximately 51% of its consolidated net sales in 2011.

The Company�� Goulds brand supplies vertical multistage pumps to boost pressure for purposes , such as circulating water through a manufacturing facility to cool machine tools. Its Lowara brand focuses on water treatment, industrial washing equipment and machine tool cooling. The Standard brand delivers heat exchangers for combined heat and power (CHP) applications within power generation plants. It also provides applications, such as flexible impeller pumps for wine processing facilities served by its Jabsco brand, and water-based detergent dispensing and water circulation within car washes served by Flojet and Goulds air-operated diaphragm and end suction pumps. In its Applied Water Segment, Industrial Water accounted for approximately 42% of its consolidated net sales in 2011. The irrigation business consists of irrigation-related equipment and services associated with bringing water from a source to the plant or livestock need, including hoses, sprinklers, center pivot and drip irrigation. The Company focuses ! on the pu! mps and boosting systems that supply this ancillary equipment with water. Its Goulds brand brings mixed flow pumps, and its Flowtronex group specializes in equipment solutions, such as the Hydrovar boosting system, which incorporates monitoring and controls. Its Lowara brand also produces pumps for agriculture applications and irrigation of gardens and parks. In its Applied Water Segment, Irrigation accounted for approximately 7% of the Company�� consolidated net sales in 2011.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  I wouldn't exactly call it super enthusiastic guidance, but this quarter, when so few companies have anything good to say about their business for the fourth quarter, even Xylem's (XYL) tepid enthusiasm stands out.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Water and waste-water systems provider Xylem (XYL) raised its quarterly dividend 10% to 12.8 cents per share, payable on Mar. 19 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 19.
  XYL Dividend Yield: 1.39%

Best Long Term Companies To Watch In Right Now: IMS Health Holdings Inc (IMS)

IMS Health Holdings, Inc., incorporated on October 23, 2009, is a global information and technology services company providing clients in the healthcare industry with comprehensive solutions to measure and improve their performance. It has collections of healthcare information in the world, spanning sales, prescription and promotional data, medical claims, electronic medical records and social media. Its scaled and data set, containing over 10 petabytes of data, includes over 85% of the world�� prescriptions by sales revenue and approximately 400 million comprehensive, longitudinal, anonymous patient records. It serves healthcare organizations and decision makers around the world, spanning the breadth of life science companies, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, consumer health and medical device manufacturers, as well as distributors, providers, payers, government agencies, policymakers, researchers and the financial community.

The Company uses healthcare-specific global information technology (IT) infrastructure to process data from over 45 billion healthcare transactions annually and to collect data from over 780,000 fragmented feeds globally, which it organize in a structured fashion using methodologies. Its intelligent cloud, IMS One opens its global IT infrastructure to its clients and provides the ability to perform business analytics in the cloud with large amounts of complex data. Its principal offerings include National information offerings; Sub-national information offerings; Commercial services; Real-World Evidence (RWE) solutions; Commercial technology solutions, and Clinical solutions.

The Company�� national offerings includes services in more than 70 countries that provide consistent country level performance metrics related to sales of pharmaceutical products, prescribing trends, medical treatment and promotional activity across multiple channels including retail, hospital and mail order. Its sub-national offerings includes services in more than 50 ! countries that provide a consistent measurement of sales or prescribing activity at the regional, zip code and individual prescriber level. The Company provides a set of strategic, analytic and support services to help the commercial operations of life sciences companies transform their commercial models. It integrate information from medical claims, prescriptions, electronic medical records, biomarkers and government statistics into anonymous, longitudinal patient journeys that provide detailed views of treatment patterns, disease progression, therapeutic switching and concomitant diseases and treatments.

The Company provides a range of hosted and cloud-based applications and associated implementation services. The applications, hosted on IMS One, support a range of commercial processes including multi-channel marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), performance management, incentive compensation, territory alignment, roster management and call planning. It helps life sciences companies design and execute clinical trials, and for payers and providers, it enables risk-sharing, pay-for-performance and population health management.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  IMS Health Holdings (NYSE: IMS) shares were also up, gaining 17.40 percent to $23.45 in their debut on the NYSE.

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ: HALO) were down 25.40 percent to $8.65 after the company announced the temporary halt of Phase 2 trial enrollment.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  Now then, as much as we like several companies in this space, we think investors would do well to take a close look at IMS Health Holdings Inc. (NYSE: IMS).

Top Portfolio Products: Invesco to Launch Preferred-Stock ETF

New products and changes introduced over the last week include a variable rate preferred ETF from Invesco PowerShares; Advisors Asset Management has launched a unit investment trust; and Emerging Global Advisors has rolled out the EGShares Blue Chip ETF.

Other new products include a small business retirement plan comparison calculator from WMSI, and a tax app for the new year from W&S Financial Group Distributors.

Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:

1) Invesco Announces Variable Rate Preferred ETF

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC has announced the coming launch of the PowerShares Variable Rate Preferred Portfolio (VRP) on May 1. VRP is based on the Wells Fargo Hybrid and Preferred Securities Floating and Variable Rate Index and will generally invest at least 90% of its total assets in preferred securities that make up the index.

The index is market-capitalization-weighted and is designed to track the performance of preferred stock, as well as certain types of hybrid securities that are functionally equivalent to preferred stock, that are issued by US-based or foreign issuers and that pay a floating or variable rate dividend or coupon. VRP and the index are rebalanced monthly.

2) Emerging Global Advisors Launches EGShares Blue Chip ETF

Emerging Global Advisors has announced the launch of the EGShares Blue Chip ETF (BCHP), designed to provide investors with exposure to a group of 30 developed market (DM) companies with measurable growing revenue in their emerging market (EM) operations.

BCHP will track the EGAI Developed Markets Blue Chip EM Access Index, an equally weighted 30-stock index designed to capture the market performance of developed market companies that have measurable, meaningful and growing revenue from emerging markets. The index consists of common stocks listed on the primary exchanges of developed markets, as well as American depositary receipts (ADRs) and global depositary receipts (GDRs) listed on U.S. & European exchanges.

3) AAM Launches UIT

Advisors Asset Management has announced the launch of the NASDAQ Q-50 Index Portfolio, Series 2014-1Q (NQFNAX), a unit investment trust (UIT) seeking to provide investors with capital appreciation potential.

The UIT seeks to invest on an ongoing basis in the 50 stocks that comprise the NASDAQ Q-50 Index, a market-capitalization-weighted benchmark tracking companies that are next-eligible for inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index. This group of firms, known as the Q-50, includes nonfinancial companies from a variety of industries, such as computer hardware and software, telecommunications, healthcare, biotechnology and retail/wholesale trade. Approximately 70% of the NASDAQ Q-50 Index’s current companies are based in theU.S.

 4) WMSI launches Small Business Retirement Plan Comparison Calculator

Wealth Management Systems Inc. has announced the launch of its small business retirement plan comparison calculator within Pershing’s NetX360 retirement resource center.

The tool helps advisors to support small business owners in evaluating retirement plan options, choosing a plan to meet their needs and calculating the owner’s maximum contribution towards retirement.

5) W&S Financial Group Distributors Launches Tax App

W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc. has announced the launch of its 2014 tax reference app, a mobile application for federal tax information.

The app is available in major app stores. It allows financial professionals to access tables for income tax brackets; AMT exemption amounts; estate tax rates and exclusions; IRA and pension plan limits; calculations of RMDs, marginal tax rates and estate tax liabilities; links to related W&S Financial Distributors’ information on retirement planning scenarios; and electronic updates.

Read the Apr. 20 Portfolio Products Roundup at ThinkAdvisor.

Is Honda's New Fit a Hit or a Miss?

Honda revealed the next-generation Fit subcompact in Japan on Friday. Photo credit: Honda.

Will Honda's (NYSE: HMC  ) new Fit build on the old car's success?

The car was revealed this past week in Japan. It's a prototype of the all-new Honda Fit. The new Fit is due to be rolled out in Japan this fall, and it will be here in the U.S. by next summer.

Stylistically, it's ... well, let's say it's a departure from the outgoing model, which has won many fans with its endearing looks. In a way, the current Fit is a lot like Hondas of old: light, simple, well thought out.

The new Fit might not have the visual appeal of the old one. But at least in its hybrid incarnation, it has something else: record-breaking fuel economy.

The new Fit Hybrid is amazing, and not coming to the U.S.
Honda says the hybrid version of the new Fit will get 36.4 kilometers from each liter of gas in the standard fuel-economy test the Japanese government uses. That translates to about 84 miles per gallon -- good enough to make it Japan's most fuel-efficient car.

It's also a 30% improvement over the outgoing Fit Hybrid, which is a big seller in Japan -- but which was never offered here in the United States.

Honda says the new Fit Hybrid won't come here, either -- a strange decision, given that the Fit Hybrid's closest competitor is the Japan-market version of Toyota's Prius c, which has been offered in the U.S for a while now. But we will see the Fit's hybrid powertrain in two new variants: a small sedan and a subcompact crossover SUV based on the Fit.

The U.S. is expected to get the Fit with a new 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine as the only powertrain option in the Fit itself. The new U.S.-market Fit and its new variants will all be built in a new factory in Mexico that's set to open early next year.

So will it succeed?

Can the new Fit live up to the old car?
The outgoing Honda Fit might be the company's most beloved current model. Unlike Honda's bigger cars, which have grown in size and weight (and price) from the lightweight, efficient models that built Honda's reputation here in the U.S., the Fit is still small and light -- and very fuel-efficient.

The current Honda Fit has won fans with its fuel economy and simple, endearing look. Photo credit: Honda.

Sales of the Fit have remained strong even as strong contenders such as Ford's (NYSE: F  ) Fiesta have gained ground. Through June, U.S. sales of Honda's subcompact were up 5.2%, a good gain for an outgoing model in a segment that has lagged a bit as consumers have started moving back toward larger cars and SUVs.

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The appeal of the old car is obvious, especially if you talk to a Fit owner. But I'm not sure what to make of the new car. The look is definitely a departure from the current car's, and it appears to take visual cues from Honda's Insight hybrid, which has been a very slow seller.

When Honda redesigned its Civic a few years back, fans and critics were disappointed -- the car didn't seem to have what it needed to compete with hot new contenders such as Ford's Focus. Honda had to rush an updated version to market far ahead of schedule. That updated version has fared better, but it was an un-Honda-like misstep. Will this new Fit turn out to be another?

What do you think? Is the new car a winner, or is Honda losing its touch? Scroll down to leave a comment and let me know.

China is already the world's largest auto market -- and it's set to grow even bigger in coming years. A recent Motley Fool report, "2 Automakers to Buy for a Surging Chinese Market," names two global giants poised to reap big gains that could drive big rewards for investors. You can read this report right now for free -- just click here for instant access.

"Grand Theft Auto 5" Gameplay Hits: Is the Franchise Still Running Strong?

The following video is from Wednesday's installment of The Motley Fool's Weekly Tech Review, in which analysts Eric Bleeker and Jason Moser look at the biggest stories driving the tech sector this week.

The nature of hit video game franchises has changed. Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ: ATVI  )  main franchise, Call of Duty, is on yearly refresh cycles. In stark contrast, it's been five years since the last installment of Take-Two's (NASDAQ: TTWO  )  Grand Theft Auto. Will this long delay hurt sales, or will the wait only increase gamers' interest? Also, has the difference in strategy between Activision and Take-Two led to better returns for investors in either company?

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In the video below, Jason and Eric discuss Grand Theft Auto 5 and the state of investing in video game publishers. 

It's incredible to think just how much of our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped and molded by just a handful of companies. Find out "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks" in The Motley Fool's latest free report, which details the knock-down, drag-out battle being waged among the five kings of tech. Click here to keep reading.

The relevant video segment can be found between 8:29 and 12:58.

Increase in Consumers' Revolving Credit Hits 12-Month High

Total consumer credit outstanding increased $19.6 billion (0.7%) to $2.84 trillion from April to May, according to a Federal Reserve report (link opens a PDF) released today.

After bumping up 0.4% in April, analysts had expected a slight $13 billion increase for May.

Revolving credit (no fixed number of payments, e.g., credit cards) packed the most punch, increasing a seasonally adjusted 9.3% for May. After March's 1.1% dip and April's 1.1% recovery, this month's increase is the largest in 12 months, according to The Wall Street Journal, and puts revolving credit on a sharp upward trend.

Non-revolving credit (fixed installments, e.g., car payments) also recorded a significant jump, up a seasonally adjusted 7.9%.

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Non-revolving credit has generally improved at a faster rate than revolving credit, up 8.5% in 2012 compared to revolving credit's 0.4% bump. More recently, revolving credit clocked in at a seasonally adjusted 1.5% gain for Q1 2013, while non-revolving credit recorded a 7.8% increase.

Top 5 Integrated Utility Companies To Watch For 2015

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: Shares of CapitalSource (NYSE: CSE  ) soared 20% today after bank holding company PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ: PACW  ) agreed to acquire the financial services specialist in a deal valued at about $2.3 billion.

So what: The deal values CapitalSource at about $11.64 per share -- 0.2837 of a PacWest share and $2.47 in cash -- and represents a premium of about 18% to its closing price on Monday. PacWest is making the move to expand its presence in southern California, and judging by its own stock's 6% bump today, Wall Street seems pleased with the price management is paying to do it.

Now what: The combined bank will be the eighth-largest in California, with about $15.4 billion in assets and 96 branches in the state. "The combination of these two franchises will create a formidable company going forward, with a strong balance sheet and capital base, attractive margins and good earnings momentum," said PacWest CEO Matt Wagner. So while CapitalSource is likely all popped out at this point, PacWest's newly boosted lending presence might be worth looking into.

Top 5 Integrated Utility Companies To Watch For 2015: Mcdermott International Inc (MDR)

McDermott International, Inc. (MII),incorporated on August 11, 1959, is a engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) company. The Company is focused on designing and executing complex offshore oil and gas projects worldwide.

The Company provides fully integrated EPCI services; it delivers fixed and floating production facilities, pipeline installations and subsea systems from concept to commissioning. Its business segments consist of Asia Pacific, Atlantic, Caspian and the Middle East. On March 19, 2012, the Company completed the sale of its former charter fleet business, which operated 10 of the 14 vessels.

Asia Pacific Segment

Through the Company�� Asia Pacific segment, it serves the needs of customers primarily in Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. Project focus in this segment includes the fabrication and installation of fixed and floating structures and the installation of pipelines and subsea systems. The majority of its projects in this segment are performed on an EPCI basis. Engineering and procurement services are provided by its Singapore office and are supported by additional resources located in Chennai, India and Houston, Texas. The primary fabrication facility for this segment is located on Batam Island, Indonesia. Additionally, through its equity ownership interest in a joint venture, the Company has developed a fabrication facility located in China.

The Company competes with Allseas Marine Contractors S.A.; Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd.; EMAS Offshore Pte Ltd.; Heerema Group; Hyundai Heavy Industrial Co., Ltd.; Nippon Steel Corporation; Saipem S.P.A.; Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.; Sapura Kencana Petroleum; Subsea 7 S.A.; Swiber Holdings Ltd., and Technip S.A.

Atlantic Segment

Through the Company�� Atlantic segment, it serves the needs of customers primarily in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Trinidad and West Africa. Project focus in this s! egment includes the fabrication and installation of fixed and floating structures and the installation of pipelines and subsea systems. Engineering and procurement services are provided by its Houston office, and its New Orleans office provides marine engineering capabilities to support its global marine activities. The primary fabrication facilities for this segment are located in Morgan City, Louisiana and Altamira, Mexico.

The Company competes with Allseas Marine Contractors S.A.; Dragados Offshore Mexico, S.A.; Gulf Island Fabrication Inc.; Heerema Group; Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.; KBR, Inc.; Kiewit Corporation; Saipem S.P.A.; Subsea 7 S.A., and Technip S.A.

Middle East Segment

Through the Company�� Middle East segment, which includes the Caspian region, it serves the needs of customers primarily in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Kuwait, India, Azerbaijan, Russia, and the North Sea. Project focus in this segment relates primarily to the fabrication and offshore installation of fixed and floating structures and the installation of pipelines and subsea systems. The majority of its projects in this segment are performed on an EPCI basis. Engineering and procurement services are provided by its Dubai, U.A.E., Chennai, India and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia offices and are supported by additional resources from its Houston and Baku, Azerbaijan offices. The primary fabrication facility for this segment is located in Dubai, U.A.E.

The fabrication facilities in each segment are equipped with a variety of heavy-duty construction and fabrication equipment, including cranes, welding equipment, machine tools and robotic and other automated equipment. Project installation is performed by construction vessels, which the Company owns or leases and are stationed throughout the various regions and provide structural lifting/lowering and pipelay services. These construction vessels are supported by its multi-function vessels and chart! ered vess! els from third parties to perform a wide array of installation activities that include anchor handling, pipelay, cable/umbilical lay, dive support and hookup/commissioning.

The Company competes with Hyundai Heavy Industrial Co. Ltd.; Keppel Corporation; Larsen and Toubro Ltd (India); National Petroleum Construction Company (Abu Dhabi); Saipem S.P.A.; Technip S.A.; and Valentine and Swiber Holdings Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of McDermott (MDR) �fell 7.5% to $7.50 on heavy volume after the company reported a loss of $1.37 a share on revenue of $517.3 million. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected fourth-quarter earnings of 15 cents a share on revenue of $820.1 million.

Top 5 Integrated Utility Companies To Watch For 2015: Zix Corporation(ZIXI)

Zix Corporation provides Internet-based applications in software as a service model that enables the use of secure email for sensitive information exchange primarily in the healthcare, financial services, insurance, and government sectors in the United States. It offers email encryption service, a secure messaging service, which allows an enterprise to use policy-driven rules to determine which emails should be sent securely to comply with regulations or policies. The company also provides a solution that analyzes and encrypts email communications. Its services offer users the ability to deliver encrypted email to any email user at any email address by using the ZixCorp Best Method of Delivery protocol that automatically determines the direct and appropriate means of delivery, based on the sender?s and recipient?s communications environment and preferences. Zix Corporation sells its services through a direct sales force, and a network of resellers and other distribution partners. The company was formerly known as ZixIt Corporation and changed its name to Zix Corporation in 2002. Zix Corporation was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Zix (NASDAQ: ZIXI) shares reached a new 52-week high of $4.82. ZixCorp's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is 18.08%.

  Official Payments Holdings (NASDAQ: OPAY) shares surged 0.23% to touch a new 52-week high of $8.65. Official Payments shares have jumped 87.61% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 16.68% in the same period.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Zix (Nasdaq: ZIXI  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on April 23. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Zix's revenues will expand 15.0% and EPS will wither 0.0%.

Best Dow Dividend Stocks To Watch Right Now: Mercury General Corporation (MCY)

Mercury General Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in writing personal automobile insurance products. The company also writes homeowners, commercial automobile and property, mechanical breakdown, fire, and umbrella insurance products. Its insurance products cover collision, property damage liability, bodily injury liability, comprehensive, personal injury protection, underinsured and uninsured motorist, and other hazards for automobile policy holders. The company sells its policies through a network of independent agents in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan. Mercury General Corporation was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Carnevale] their website:

  ��ercury General (NYSE-MCY) is the leading independent broker and agency writer of automobile insurance in California and has been one of the fastest growing automobile insurers in the nation. It is ranked as the third largest private passenger automobile insurer in California, with total assets over $4 billion. Mercury also writes automobile insurance in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. In addition to automobile insurance, Mercury writes other lines of insurance in various states, including mechanical breakdown and homeowners insurance.��/p>

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  Performance and Dividends Impacted by Operating Stress

  It should be clear from the above graphs that the earnings records of these three Dividend Champions have been far from steady, consistent or reliable. Therefore, I cannot get comfortable either recommending them or investing in them because I cannot get comfortable predicting what their future operating results may be. Furthermore, by examining the performance results associated with the above earnings and price-correlated graphs illustrates a lot of uncertainty. A focus on the earnings growth rate column illustrates a lot of stress on each company�� ability to keep their dividend streaks alive (Blue Circles).

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  The Overvaluation Rejection

  Other reasons besides irregular earnings growth that caused a Dividend Champion to be rejected include one of my all-time favorites, valuation. Or to be more precise ��overvaluation. The following example, McCormick & Co. (MKC), represents one of my favorite Dividend Champions based on a very consistent above-average record of earnings growth that produced its impressive dividend streak. The only reason that this Dividend Champion was rejected was because of current overvaluation.

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• [By John Udovich]

  Auto sales are booming and that�� good news for large cap auto insurer�the Progressive Corporation (NYSE: PGR) along with small cap auto insurers Safety Insurance Group, Inc (NASDAQ: SAFT) and�Mercury General Corporation (NYSE: MCY) as they offer income to yield hungry investors as well as income in the form of dividends. Specifically, a Yahoo! Autos blog recently noted that last month, automakers sold 1.5 million new vehicles for the highest rate in years with�most industry forecasters expecting sales to�return to the level they hit before the 2008 recession of 16 million vehicles a year. The blog post then went on to note the three forces driving auto sales:

• [By Fredrik Arnold]

  Ten Champion dogs that promised the biggest dividend yields into July included firms representing five of nine market sectors. The top stocks were three of five from the financial sector: Universal Health Realty Trust (UHT); Mercury General Corp. (MCY); Old Republic Int'l (ORI). The other two financial firms, HCP Inc., and United Bankshares Inc. (UBSI), placed sixth and eighth.

Top 5 Integrated Utility Companies To Watch For 2015: HSN Inc. (HSNI)

HSN, Inc., an interactive multi-channel retailer, provides retail experiences through various platforms, including television, online, mobile, catalogs, and retail and outlet stores. It markets and sells a range of third party and private label merchandise primarily in the United States. The company�s HSN segment offers jewelry, apparel and accessories, beauty and wellness products, housewares, home fashions, electronics, culinary, and fitness and other products directly to consumers through television home shopping programming broadcast on the HSN television networks, HSN.com Website, its mobile applications, and outlet stores. Its Cornerstone segment provides home furnishings, including indoor/outdoor furniture, window treatments, and other home related goods under the Frontgate, Ballard Designs, Grandin Road, and Improvements brands; and apparel and accessories under the Garnet Hill, TravelSmith, and Chasing Fireflies names through various branded catalogs and related Web sites. As of February 21, 2013, this segment distributed approximately 300 million catalogs; and operated 8 separate digital sale sites, and 11 retail and outlet stores. HSN, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  Diller then spins off some of these entities into public companies, as he did with Home Shopping Network (HSNI) and timeshare company Interval Leisure Group (IILG). The company�� 52 week high was $80.64, it trades right now at $66. I�� love to make this one of my stocks to buy in the below the $50 mark, but IACI would be a bargain under $55.

Top 5 Integrated Utility Companies To Watch For 2015: Boewe Systec AG (BSY)

BOEWE SYSTEC AG is a Germany-based provider of paper management systems. The Company is primarily engaged in the production of inserting systems, for the secure distribution of printed documents and plastic cards. Its product portfolio also includes plastic card personalization and mailing solutions, software for the monitoring and interconnection of various mailroom systems, paper processing solutions, sorting and mail verification systems, and scanners. The Company developed reading technologies used for cutters, cut sheet feeders, enclosure feeders and inserting systems, which are integrated into its software solutions. BOEWE SYSTEC AG�� products are modular, allowing machinery from different manufacturers to be connected into a production line, offering solutions for the automated mailroom. In addition, the Company provides installation, commissioning and maintenance services, as well as spare parts for its products. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  BSkyB (BSY) sank 3.3 percent to 822 pence, the biggest slide since May 16, even as the U.K.�� largest pay-TV broadcaster reported sales that topped estimates. The company unveiled a box to link televisions to the Internet and said it will buy back 500 million pounds of shares.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  U.K. stocks erased losses in the last half hour of trading, leaving the FTSE 100 Index (UKX) little changed, as a rally in British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc (BSY) and SABMiller Plc (SAB) offset Dagong Global Credit Rating Co.�� downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt.

Ford's F-150 Beats Chevy's Silverado Again

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Source: Ford.

The full-size truck segment is fiercely competitive and filled with intensely loyal fans. You're either a Ford (NYSE: F  ) guy, or a Chevy guy. I grew up in the Midwest, and you'd be surprised how often that's the first question out of someone's mouth. Not "What's your name" or "What do you do," but "Are you a Ford or Chevy guy?" That's how important it can be.

For those loyal Ford followers, you earned another bragging point today, because the 2013 Ford F-150 topped General Motors' (NYSE: GM  ) redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Silverado in a head-to-head test. Here are the details, and what it means for consumers and investors alike.

The winner
Ford's 2013 F-150 beat out five different competitors, including some 2014 models, in tests conducted by PickupTrucks.com and Popular Mechanics. It did so pretty thoroughly, too.

"In our performance-oriented competitive events, the Ford half-ton was dominating," says Mark Williams, editor of PickupTrucks.com. "It finished in either first or second place in 11 of 13 events. If this were the Olympics, there would be a new Ford F-150 on a cereal box."

The competitors in the mix were the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2014 GMC Sierra 1500, 2013 Nissan Titan, 2013 Dodge Ram 1500, 2013 Toyota Tundra, and, of course, the champion 2013 F-150.

All the competing trucks were put through grueling performance tests, including 0-to-60 mph acceleration, both loaded and unloaded, as well as braking, overall handling, towing, and fuel economy.

"The results of this test show why F-Series has been the best-selling pickup truck in America for more than 30 years," says Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager. "We know our light-duty customers are looking for a pickup truck that delivers the leading combination of towing, payload, horsepower, torque, and fuel economy, and this shootout proves F-150 continues to lead the pack."

To put some visibility to his words, here's how sales of the top four trucks in the competition look.

The F-Series has remained on top for some time. It's been America's best-selling truck for 36 years and America's best-selling vehicle for 31.

Now, as loyalist GM fans will point out, that isn't a totally fair comparison, because its truck sales are split between two models, the Silverado and Sierra. Here's how that graph looks when you combine those sales and then compare them with the F-Series.

This is a good depiction of how fiercely competitive Ford and GM truck sales are. If you count them up, since 1998, Ford tops GM in seven of the years, and GM takes home the top spot for eight years. More importantly though, is the recent trend in which Ford has consistently sold more trucks since our nation exited the recession, no doubt in part because some consumers refuse to buy GM after it took a bailout, and also because the Silverado is years overdue for a redesign -- which it finally gets in the 2014 model. For consumers, one thing is for sure: Though the F-Series seems to have a slight advantage, both trucks are impressive and lead the U.S. in sales for a reason. 

Investing takeaway
Sales of these trucks are extremely important for two reasons. For one, it's estimated that these trucks can represent as much as 60% of the bottom-line profits for Ford and GM. The F-Series and Silverado are the top two selling vehicles in the U.S., so both represent keys to gaining share in the mature market.

Second, right now is a prime time to take advantage of surging truck sales to boost profits quickly. These profits will be important to offset drastic losses in Europe, which could total about $2 billion per company. Right now is a pivotal time, because GM is hoping its newly redesigned 2014 Silverado will take back the sales lead and market share while the segment continues to increase in sales faster than the rest of the industry.

This isn't a winner-take-all game, but if the new Silverado tops the F-Series in sales next year before the redesigned F-150 hits the market, it will have thrown a good punch at its crosstown rival's profits. Ford hopes that studies like this from PickupTrucks.com and Popular Mechanics will persuade consumers to wait an additional year and skip over buying the 2014 Silverado in favor of its redesigned 2015 F-150. We'll know by the end of the summer how things look to shape up in sales, but it will be a very intense competition for sales going forward.

This is something for loyal Ford and GM fans to watch for bragging rights, and for investors as they hope to see a surge in profits from Ford and GM's most important vehicles.

Ford and GM rake in huge profits from truck sales, but are they best positioned for the biggest growth trend in the future? Well positioned automakers will return huge gains for investors. A recent Motley Fool report, "2 Automakers to Buy for a Surging Chinese Market", names two global giants poised to reap big gains that could drive big rewards for investors. You can read this report right now for free -- just click here for instant access.

How High (or Low) Will Gold Go?

While gold has had a rough time this year, it doesn't matter, as legendary investor Jim Rogers is keeping his gold holdings and he shares his reasons why.

NANCY:  Welcome and thanks for joining us.  My guest today is Jim Rogers and we’re talking about the price of gold.  Hi Jim, thanks for being here.

JIM ROGERS:  I’m delighted to be here Nancy.

NANCY:  So are we having a rally in gold right now?  A mini rally?

JIM ROGERS:  Yes and no; it depends on which day you’re talking about.  I own gold and I’ve owned gold for many, many decades.  The situation with gold, gold went up 12 years in a row and Nancy, I know of no asset in history that’s gone up 12 years without a down year, so the anomaly has been how strong gold was, so gold is now correcting.  In my view, the correction will be an anomaly too, because of the previous 12 years, so I would suspect you’ll gold have correcting for a year…two….three, I don’t know how long, and how low it will go, but it’s not going to be normal.  There’s still too many people who believe and not enough people who’ve given up on gold yet.  So I own gold.  I haven’t sold any gold.  Every once in awhile when it’s down, I buy more.  But the bottom, I don’t think is in.  The final bottom is not in yet.

Best Gas Stocks To Invest In Right Now

NANCY: But if you were an individual investor and, you know, one view of the market’s been really great for individual investors up until just recently, but some people are getting a little scared that we’re topping out here, so would you be a buyer of gold and, if so, what would you be buying—ETFs, mining shares, the bullion?

JIM ROGERS:  Well, I wouldn’t be buying anything and you said gold’s been good.  No, everybody who bought gold in the last three years is losing money, so gold has not been good.

NANCY:  Right…not the market, the stock market, not the gold market.

JIM ROGERS: Oh, the stock market…..okay.  Well, I am not buying gold.  When it went to $1200 I bought a little bit just in case, and if it’s goes back to $1100 or something, I’m sure I’ll buy more just in case, but no I expect the bottom, the market bottom, to be sometime maybe later this year or next year.  I think there will be another chance to buy gold.

NANCY:  Then how high do you think it will go.  Are you even forecasting that?

JIM ROGERS:  Well, I’m not forecasting because if the value of the papered money, if the value of the dollar becomes debased – if it turns into confetti – there is no high.

NANCY:  Sure, yeah exactly.

JIM ROGERS:  It’s astonishing how high the price would go, and they are continuing to debase paper money all over the world.  It’s a conscious policy by everybody, so no, I expect the ultimate price of gold to be who knows, partly because the money everywhere is going to be debased more and more.

NANCY:  Do you hold bullion primarily?  Is that what you buy?

JIM ROGERS:  I own ETFs and I own physical gold, yes.

NANCY:  Okay, well thank you, appreciate having you here.

NANCY:  Thank you.

NANCY:  Thanks for being with us on the Moneyshow.com video network.

BB&T Corporation Q1 Profits Increase; Misses Estimates (BBT)

Before Thursday’s opening bell, regional bank BB&T Corporation (BBT) reported higher first quarter earnings. Despite the increase in earnings, the company was unable to exceed analysts’ expectations.

BBT’s Earnings in Brief

BBT posted first quarter earnings of $501 million, or 69 cents per share, up from $210 million, or 29 cents per share, a year ago. Analysts expected to see earnings of 70 cents per share. Revenue for the quarter was $2.29 billion, down from $2.46 billion last year and below analysts’ estimate of $2.31 billion. The bank reported that its loan portfolio rose 1.7% from the Q1 of last year.

CEO Commentary

BBT’s chairman and CEO Kelly S. King had the following comments: ”Our results for the first quarter were solid in light of normal seasonality. Insurance revenues were very strong for the quarter, credit results continued to improve and expenses were down $53 million compared with last quarter, reflecting improving expense control. Commercial loan growth was strong, particularly commercial real estate lending for income producing properties. Consistent with industry trends, mortgage banking income declined as originations were down from last year’s record levels.”

BBT’s Dividend

BBT paid its last quarterly dividend of 23 cents on March 3.  The company reported that it is considering raising its dividend to 24 cents. We expect BBT to declare its next dividend sometime in April.

Stock Performance

BB&T Corporation shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Thursday. The stock is up 5.41% YTD.

BBT Dividend Snapshot

As of market close of April 16, 2014

Click here to see the complete history of BBT dividends.

3 Defensive Stocks That Could Prove To Be Winners

There are certain investment-related quotes that appear when markets are at extreme levels. For instance, the classic "buy when blood is running in the streets" (Rockefeller) is a useful reminder that a vast proportion of profit is made when shares are bought (at a very low price) rather than when they are sold. Similarly, Warren Buffett's quote "you only find out who's swimming naked when the tide goes out" is a useful reminder that taking high levels of risk at the wrong time can be very costly.

So, with the S&P 500 still within touching distance of its all-time highs and the Federal Reserve beginning the tapering of its monthly asset repurchase program, could now be a good time take some risk off the table and instead reallocate capital to lower beta, higher yielding, defensive plays?

Tobacco Stocks Could Add Value
Tobacco stocks benefit from fairly stable demand for their products. Whether the US and global economy is in a boom or a recession, people still smoke, with a switch to a lower/higher price point brand (depending on the state of the economy) more likely than giving up the habit as a result of less disposable income. Due to this, tobacco companies tend to offer lower betas and a more secure dividend payment than many of their index peers. Both of these attributes could prove vital during a market correction or bear market.

Here are three tobacco stocks that could fit the bill in terms of betas, yields and defensive attributes.

Altria
Put simply, Altria (NYSE: MO  ) provides superb defensive qualities. For instance, its beta is currently just 0.4, which means that a 10% decline in the index level should equate to a decrease of just 4% in Altria's stock, with the same being true of gains, should the market continue to make higher highs. This low beta means that Altria could reduce portfolio volatility going forward.

Meanwhile, Altria's yield of 4.9% is vastly higher than that of the index (the S&P 500's yield is just 2%), and this could prove useful in times of market corrections when 'cash is king.' In other words, it could provide a stable income with which to invest when index levels are low. In turn, this could provide higher profits in the long run, as shares in quality companies can be purchased at distressed prices (when blood is running in the streets).

Philip Morris
The 4.4% yield offered by Philip Morris  (NYSE: PM  )  is well-covered at 1.5x, which seems to be very sensible and shows that the company is not over-extending itself when it comes to payments to shareholders. This makes the income from the stock even more sustainable and highlights its potential as a sound defensive play.

The price for a great yield and defensive business model, though, is not excessive. With the S&P 500 trading at a forward price to earnings (P/E) ratio of 15.4, Philip Morris appears to offer good value for money at current levels, since its forward P/E is 15. Although higher than Altria's forward P/E of 13.9, it is still relatively good value when compared to the index and shows that there are still potential buying opportunities in this market.

Reynolds
When it comes to low betas, Reynolds  (NYSE: RAI  )  is the clear leader of the three stocks. Its beta is just 0.3, which means that it could offer a lower volatility of returns than many of its index peers and could outperform the wider index during a market correction. Furthermore, Reynolds' yield of 4.7% compares well with its two tobacco peers and provides investors with an income at a time when the interest rates on savings accounts are extremely low.

As for its P/E, although it's higher than Altria's, Reynolds' forward P/E of 14.9 is less than that of Philip Morris. It is also less than the S&P 500's and shows that all three stocks offer good relative value when compared to the index.

In addition, Reynolds' payout ratio of 79% is not particularly excessive for a company that has operated in a mature industry for a long time and appears to strike a balance between reinvestment within the company and the provision of an income for shareholders. In fact, the dividends for all three companies appears to be sustainable, which only adds to their attraction as defensive plays.

The Future Is Unknown
Of course, the S&P 500 may make fresh highs and not take back the gains it has made since the Federal Reserve's monthly asset repurchase program commenced. If, on the other hand, it does go through a tough period, Altria, Reynolds and Philip Morris could help you to overcome the lows and instead take advantage of a more attractive price level in the wider index so you're set up well for the eventual highs.

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First Take: Yahoo revenue remains flat

SAN FRANCISCO -- Yahoo, you have a revenue problem.

Its user numbers may be enviable, but sales don't reflect that in the latest quarterly results.

Flat seems to be the operative word -- as in traffic (700 million global visits a month) and quarterly revenue ($1.13 billion) for Yahoo.

"All the usage figures are up, but the revenue isn't," says Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research. "For Yahoo to do that, it needs to improve search and video revenue -- which (CEO) Marissa Mayer is pursuing."

Despite Mayer's considerable star power and boatload of flashy business moves, the Silicon Valley company continues to struggle to jack up ad revenue amid intensified competition from Google and Facebook.

Yahoo's cut of the $120 billion worldwide digital ad market declined to 2.9% in 2013 from 3.4% in 2012, while Facebook and Google increased, according to eMarketer. Yahoo's share will decrease even further in 2014, eMarketer estimates.

At the same time, Yahoo last year lost its No. 2 spot as digital ad seller in the U.S. to Facebook for the first time, eMarketer says.

Yahoo's share of search advertising revenues is also declining.

Mayer has vowed Yahoo will focus on its ad business this year.

Wall Street, meanwhile, is fixated on Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant that is expected to raise $15 billion in a titanic IPO this year. Yahoo owns 24% of the company. (Based on anticipation of Alibaba's imminent IPO, Yahoo shares were up 11%, to $37.05, in after-hours trading today.)

Alibaba showed signs of a slowdown in growth in its last quarter, when it raked in $1.8 billion in revenue, up 51% from the year-ago quarter. That's lower than the 61% surge in revenue from the previous quarter.

Perhaps Yahoo sees advertising nirvana in the TV-programming business. The Wall Street Journal reported Yahoo is on the verge of ordering four original video series, joining Netflix, Amazon.com and other companies that have dipped into original programming.

At this point, no idea is too radical for Yahoo to rev up revenue.

Tax Day Freebies and Deals 2014

When Tax Day rolls around on April 15, you can find relief from the stress of getting your return in on time by taking advantage of a bunch of freebies and special deals that businesses will be offering on or around the filing deadline.

See Also: Fabulous Freebies

We'll add more of these Tax Day bargains as we find 'em, so be sure to check back. Also note that while many businesses distribute deals via Facebook, you don't have to be signed up to the service to view and download any necessary coupons. The offers are available only on April 15 unless otherwise noted.

Arby's

The fast-food chain is offering a free value size order of curly fries again this year. You'll need a coupon that you can download from arbys.com.

BLT Restaurants/ESquared Hospitality

All cocktails, beer, wines by the glass and bottles of wine will be 50% off all day long. Most of this chain's 15 locations start their name with BLT but check their site for one in your city.

Boston Market

The fast-casual restaurant chain is offering two individual meals, each including a half rotisserie chicken with a choice of two home style sides and freshly baked cornbread, for $10.40 (as in IRS Form 1040). No coupon required. Take your accountant out to lunch?

Bruegger's Bagels

The bagel chain is reprising its "1040" special: 13 bagels and two tubs of cream cheese for $10.40 — about a $3.50 deduction. You have to download and print a coupon from Bruegger's Facebook page. The deal is available April 12-15.

California Tortilla

Mention the secret password, "taxes shmaxes," when you place your order on Tax Day at the fast-casual Mexican chain and you'll be rewarded with free queso and chips. A purchase is required. The cheese-intolerant can substitute salsa for queso.

Great American Cookies

Get a free chocolate chip cookie from participating Great American Cookies locations; no purchase or proof of filing (or even of an extension) required. First come, first serve.

Hard Rock Cafe

Musically talented (or low on inhibition)? You can take the stage at Hard Rock Cafes across America and earn a free dinner entrée by completing a whole song in front of the entire restaurant. The song is up to you — how about The Beatles' "Tax Man"?

HydroMassage

HydroMassage is offering a free massage "experience" on its user-controlled massage beds. You have to download this coupon and call ahead for availability; calling ahead isn't required if you use a bed at a Planet Fitness location but there might be a wait. The freebie is good April 14-18.

Top 5 Chemical Companies To Own In Right Now

Kona Ice

On the day after Tax Day, shaved-ice purveyors Kona Ice will be handing out free cups of fluffy snow from its trucks and other locations."No Taxation without Relaxation" is their tagline.

Office Depot

Office Depot is letting customers shred up to 5 pounds of tax records (or anything else) for free through April 29. You'll need this coupon.

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt

Customers can fill their cup with froyo and toppings for only $4.15 (as in April 15) via a coupon that will be posted on Orange Leaf's Facebook page. The chain says that amounts to approximately 50 percent off the regular price, depending on how much froyo and toppings a customer typically chooses.

Schlotzsky's

If you buy a 32-ounce fountain drink and a bag of chips, the deli-sandwich chain will give you a small "The Original" sandwich for free. No coupon required. In case you're not familiar with the Schlotzsky's menu, the sandwich in question consists of ham, two kinds of salami, three types of cheese and an assortment of fixings.

Sonic Drive-In

The chain's drinks and slushes will be half price all day on Tax Day. No limit, and no coupon required.

Sonny's BBQ

Once you've given the government its pound of flesh, head on over to Sonny's BBQ to get half off on a plate of Sweet & Smokey or House Dry-Rubbed Ribs. It's the Irresistible Ribs Special (IRS, get it?). No coupon is required, and the chain estimates this tax break is worth about $6.25 to you.