Disney's Evil Plan to Make Even More Money

Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images Even villains deserve a second chance at Disney (DIS), and soon their offspring will get a shot to woo viewers. Disney has announced that production will begin in a few months on "Descendants," a Disney Channel original movie that will premiere in 2015. The story takes place in Disney's universe where the son of Belle and Beast proclaims that the children of iconic baddies Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, the Evil Queen and Jafar -- who have been imprisoned on a forbidden island -- will get to go to prep school with the children of Disney heroes. Naturally they will need to decide if they want to follow in the footsteps of their parents or if they want to aim for redemption. I'm Not Bad, I'm Just Drawn That Way It's a clever premise, and despite the animated nature of all of these movies, this Disney Channel original will feature live actors. And, despite the serious moral undertones, it will also be largely a comedy. Disney's push for original teen-oriented movies that it can continue to rebroadcast has served it well in the past. The success of"High School Musical" spawned a pair of sequels. This summer's "Teen Beach Movie" was magnetic enough to attract 13.5 million Disney Channel viewers during its first week. That was enough, according to Variety, to make it the most-watched cable TV movie since "High School Musical 2" that came out five years ago. As fate would have it, Disney's turning to the director of the "High School Musical" trilogy to work on this one. That may not sit well with older Disney buffs hoping for a less cheesy production, but there's no point in arguing with the success that Disney Channel has had with this type of movie. Cut to the Opportunities Critics will argue that these Disney Channel movies are too formulaic. "High School Musical," "Camp Rock," and "Teen Beach Movie" take attractive casts of fresh faces, inject infectious pop songs, and phone it in with predictable scripts. There's little reason to expect "Descendants" to be any different, but the real secret sauce here will be viewer familiarity with the characters. They will know the parent characters, increasing awareness of the film's stars before they start watching. This should help establish a larger built-in audience than Disney Channel's earlier releases. This could naturally open up new merchandising and theme park opportunities given the new characters that will be introduced. It may be trickier to work Disney's well-oiled machine for non-animated characters, but think about what the media giant is doing here: Disney is promoting the arrival of at least a dozen new characters in this movie. No one is better at milking value out of a character portfolio than Disney. It spent billions to acquire Pixar, Marvel, and more recently Lucasfilm. The appeal in each of those deals was access to beloved character franchises. Now it gets a shot at dreaming up characters from scratch. Theme parks shows geared around "Descendants" will be no-brainers, but we can't dismiss the potential of more elaborate attractions and patron interactions. This is what Disney does for a living. It knows how to turn modest properties into powerhouses. "Descendants" seems to have all of the right ingredients to succeed. Something good can come out of villains after all. If you thought this classic horror movie was about a haunted house, see if this scenario sounds familiar: An idealistic young couple buys a home that sounds too good to be true. Once they're mortgaged to the hilt, problems start to crop up. They can't leave, they can't stay, and an unseen evil force starts to tear their family apart.

Best Penny Companies To Buy Right Now

If you've been joining our twice-a-week get-togethers over at Strategic Tech Investor, you know that I'm a focused and disciplined investor - and that I ignore fads and refuse to chase "hot tips."

I'm also very price-sensitive: Although I'm hunting for stocks capable of delivering "moonshot" price gains, I won't pay a penny more than my charts or "black box" system tells me they're worth.

To enforce that discipline - and to help pass along to you all that I've learned through the years - I developed the set of five rules that we talk about here each week.

But one of my best tools is also one of my simplest. It's a roster of companies whose stocks I'd someday like to own, but that don't currently meet my stringent criteria.

I call it my "Watch List."

And through the years, this simple shopping list for stocks has ended up delivering some of my all-time biggest winners...

When Patience Can Double Your Money

The sell-off after the credit crisis of 2008-2009 was the biggest bear market since the Great Depression.

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: Diana Shipping inc. (DSX)

Diana Shipping Inc. provides shipping transportation services. It transports dry bulk cargoes that include commodities, such as iron ore, coal, grain, and other materials along worldwide shipping routes. As of December 31, 2010, the company?s fleet consisted of 23 dry bulk carriers, including 14 Panamax, 1 Post-Panamax, and 8 Capesize dry bulk carriers with a combined carrying capacity of approximately 2.5 million deadweight tonnage. Its customers include national, regional, and international companies. The company was formerly known as Diana Shipping Investments Corp. and changed its name to Diana Shipping Inc. in February 2005. Diana Shipping Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Athens, Greece.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE:DSX) announced that its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013 are scheduled to be released before the opening of the U.S. financial markets on Tuesday, February 18, 2014. The Company's management will conduct a conference call and simultaneous Internet webcast to review these results at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern Time).

• [By John Del, Vecchio,]

  A smooth operator
  Just as DryShips is able to generate revenues during off-peak seasons, it is important for a company to be able to maintain healthy operating margins throughout the year. Another shipping company doing a good keeping these margins open despite lower revenues is Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX  ) . As seen in the chart above, revenues have been dwindling, but that does not mean management is not doing its part.

• [By Dan Newman]

  For example, when prices were high and companies, such as Diana Shipping� (NYSE: DSX  ) and�DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) , ordered more ships, these ships were finally completed a few years later when shipping prices had already cratered. Now, Diana's fleet is on average only 6.4 years old, while DryShips' fleet is on average 7.4 years old, when the typical life of a ship is 25 years. While these young fleets might be good as an investment in the future if global trade picks up, today's troubled eurozone and slowing China will leave these newer ships wanting for higher demand.

• [By Nickey Friedman]

  China announced it is shooting for 7.5% GDP for 2014. At the sound of that target, DryShips (NASDAQ: DRYS  ) and�Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX  ) are likely celebrating. China is the primary country these days responsible for rising market rates for dry shipping, but something in the announcement may warrant a bit of caution.

Best Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Gentiva Health Services Inc.(GTIV)

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. provides home health services and hospice care in the United States. The company offers skilled nursing and therapy services, paraprofessional nursing services, and homemaker services primarily to adult and elderly patients through licensed and Medicare-certified agencies. It also provides its services through specialty programs comprising Gentiva Orthopedics, which offers individualized home orthopedic rehabilitation services to patients recovering from joint replacement or other major orthopedic surgery; Gentiva Safe Strides that provides therapies for patients with balance issues; and Gentiva Cardiopulmonary, which helps patients and their physicians manage heart and lung health in a home-based environment. In addition, the company offers services through Gentiva Neurorehabilitation, which helps patients who have experienced a neurological injury or condition by removing the obstacles to healing in the patient?s home; Gentiva Senior Health that addresses the needs of patients with age-related diseases and issues; and Rehab Without Walls unit, which provides neurorehabilitation therapies for patients with traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular accident injury, and acquired brain injury. Further, it offers consulting services to home health agencies, which include operational support, billing and collection activities, and on-site agency support and consulting. Additionally, the company provides hospice services primarily in the patient?s home or other residence, such as an assisted living residence or nursing home, as well as in a hospital. Gentiva Health Services, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Erin McCarthy]

  Gentiva Health Services Inc.(GTIV) confirmed Thursday that its board has rejected Kindred Healthcare Inc.'s(KND) $533 million takeover bid, saying the proposal significantly undervalues the company.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Last week, we saw home-health sector stocks like Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED  ) and Gentiva Health Solutions (NASDAQ: GTIV  ) get clobbered because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recommended a 1.5% reduction in Medicare reimbursements each year between 2014 and 2017. With Amedisys and Gentiva reliant on Medicare for more than 80% and 90% of their revenue, respectively, it could put hospitals that rely on government reimbursements in a growth bind.�

Best Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: RAIT Financial Trust(RAS)

RAIT Financial Trust operates as a self-managed and self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT). The company, through its subsidiaries, invests in, manages, and services real estate-related assets with a focus on commercial real estate. It also offers a set of debt financing options to the commercial real estate industry along with fixed income trading and advisory services. In addition, RAIT Financial Trust owns and manages a portfolio of commercial real estate properties, and manages real estate-related assets for third parties. The company qualifies as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. RAIT Investment Trust was founded in 1997 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Commercial real estate holding real estate investment trust (REIT) RAIT Financial (RAS) raised its quarterly dividend 7% to 16 cents per share, payable on Jan. 31 to share holders of record as of Jan. 7.
  RAS Dividend Yield: 7.48%

• [By Eric Volkman]

  RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE: RAS  ) investors will be getting slightly more than they did last quarter, as a reward for putting their faith in the company (NYSE: RAS  ) . The real estate investment trust has declared a common stock dividend of $0.13 per share, to be handed out on July 31 to shareholders of record as of July 12.�That amount is $0.01, or 8%, higher than RAIT's previous distribution of $0.12, which was paid in April. Prior to that, the firm dispensed $0.10 per share.

• [By Thomas Sobon]

  Instead of expressing my thoughts in vague generalities, let me be specific and tell you what I am actually doing on a real time basis to cope with the market dynamics occurring right now: I have a core position in one stock, which is the RAIT Financial Trust (RAS). Its size is about 60% of what I would consider to be a "full" position. I also have a lot of cash that I intend to use for trading purposes. Last Friday I sold shares of RAS at $7.55 which I bought on Monday with a low-ball bid of $7.11, so my gain on the trade was 6.2%. In early trading yesterday (Monday July 1) RAS is priced at $7.67, up from where I sold on Friday. That's great news because I accomplished what I wanted to do with the trade and now paper profit on the core shares in my portfolio is increasing.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Commercial real-estate loan originator and real estate investment trust RAIT Financial Trust (RAS) raised its quarterly dividend 6% to 17 cents per share, payable April 30 to shareholders of record as of April 4. At more than an 8% yield, RAS stock has the highest yield on this week’s list of dividend stocks.
  RAS Dividend Yield: 8.14%.

Best Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Full House Resorts Inc.(FLL)

Full House Resorts, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manages, invests in, and owns gaming-related enterprises. The company holds interest in Gaming Entertainment (Delaware), LLC, a joint venture with Harrington Raceway, Inc., which has a management contract with Harrington Raceway and Casino that has approximately 1,800 slot machines and 40 table games, a 450-seat buffet, a dining restaurant, a 50-seat diner, and an entertainment lounge area located in Harrington, Delaware. It also owns and operates Stockman?s Casino, which has approximately 264 slot machines, 4 table games, and keno, as well as a bar, a dining restaurant, and a coffee shop situated in Fallon, Nevada. In addition, the company holds interests in Gaming Entertainment Michigan, LLC that has a joint venture with RAM Entertainment, LLC, which has a management agreement with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians for the development and management of the FireKeepers Casino in Battle Cre ek, Michigan. Full House Resorts, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Full House Resorts (NASDAQ: FLL) is estimated to post a Q4 loss at $0.06 per share on revenue of $33.24 million.

  Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN) is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.55 per share on revenue of $927.86 million.

• [By reports.droy]

  Recently, the resort giant Full House Resorts (FLL) declared their quarter results which do not look very encouraging from the investor�� point of view. Let us delve a little deeper and find out more about its number mix.

Best Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: China Recycling Energy Corporation(CREG)

China Recycling Energy Corporation provides energy saving and recycling products and services in the People's Republic of China. The company engages in the design, sale, installation, lease, and operation of top gas recovery turbine systems (TRT) and other renewable energy products. It also builds cement low temperature heat power generator (CHPG) and waste gas power generator (WGPG) systems. The company, through a joint venture, Inner Mongolia Erdos TCH Energy Saving Development Co., Ltd, with Erdos Metallurgy Co., Ltd., recycles waste heat from Erdos Metallurgy Co.?s metal refining plants to generate power and steam. China Recycling Energy Corporation offers its products and services to enterprises in the iron and steel, cement, coking, and metallurgy industries. The company was formerly known as China Digital Wireless, Inc. and changed its name to China Recycling Energy Corporation in March 2007. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Xi An City, the People?s R epublic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is China Recycling Energy (CREG), which engages in the recycling energy business, providing energy savings and recycling products and services. This stock is off to a strong start in 2013, with shares up a whopping 166%.

  If you take a look at the chart for China Recycling Energy, you'll notice that this stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $1.67 to $1.66 a share. Following that bottom, shares of CREG have started to uptrend strong and move back above its 50-day moving average. That uptrend has now pushed shares of CREG within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in CREG if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.80 to $2.85 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 95,671 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CREG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $3.50 to $4 a share.

  Traders can look to buy CREG off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of $2.32 a share, or near more support at $2 a share. One can also buy CREG off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

Best Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: NetSol Technologies Inc.(NTWK)

Netsol Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, and markets software products for the automobile finance and leasing, banking, healthcare, and financial services industries worldwide. It offers NetSol Financial Suite, which is an end-to-end solution that covers the leasing and finance cycle. The NetSol Financial Suite consist of software applications comprising Point of Sale, a front office processing system for the finance sector; Credit Application Processing System to handle the incoming credit applications from dealers, agents, brokers, and the direct sales force; Contract Management System to manage and maintain a contract; Wholesale Finance System to automate and manage the floor plan/bailment activities of dealerships; and Fleet Management System to handle fleet management needs. The NetSol Financial Suite also includes LeasePak that develops Web-enabled and Web-based tools for the leasing technology industry. In addition, the company offers LeaseSoft Portals and Modul es; enterprise wide information systems, such as LRMIS, MTMIS, and Hospital Management Systems; accounting outsourcing services; and career and technology programs. Further, it provides portfolio management systems for the financial services industry; and consulting, custom development, systems integration, and technical services for the healthcare, insurance, real estate, and technology markets. Additionally, the company offers business intelligence, independent system review, information security, and software process improvement consulting services; maintenance and support, and project management services; and solutions for the defense and military forces. It serves Fortune 500 manufacturers, automakers, financial institutions, utilities, technology providers, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as NetSol International, Inc. and changed its name to NetSol Technologies, Inc. in March 2002. NetSol Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in Ca labasas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another under-$10 stock that's quickly pushing within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade is Netsol Technologies (NTWK), which designs, develops, markets and exports proprietary software products to customers in the automobile finance and leasing, banking, health care and financial services industries internationally. This stock is off to a strong start in 2013, with shares up by 28%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Netsol Technologies, you'll notice that this stock has been downtrending badly for the last two months, with shares sliding sharply lower from its high of $12.10 to its recent low of $7.03 a share. During that downtrend, shares of NTWK have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action. That said, shares of NTWK have started to stabilize and reverse its downtrend, since the stock has started to make higher lows and higher highs over the last few weeks. This move is quickly pushing shares of NTWK within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in NTWK if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance at $7.74 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 225,909 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then NTWK will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $8.71 to its 50-day moving average at $9.16 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give NTWK a chance to tag its 200-day at $10.20 to more resistance at $10.45 a share.

  Traders can look to buy NTWK off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at $7.20 or $7.03 a share. One can also buy NTWK off strength once it clears $7.74 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage fr

Best Penny Companies To Buy Right Now: Chimera Investment Corporation (CIM)

Chimera Investment Corporation operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States. The company, through its subsidiaries, invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), residential mortgage loans, commercial mortgage loans, real estate-related securities, and other asset classes. Its targeted asset classes include agency or non-agency RMBS; prime, jumbo prime, and Alt-A mortgage loans; first or second lien loans secured by multifamily properties, mixed residential or other commercial properties, retail properties, office properties, or industrial properties; and asset-based securities (ABS), including commercial mortgage-backed securities, debt and equity tranches of collateralized debt obligations, and consumer and non-consumer ABS. The company has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and would not be subject to income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its share holders. Chimera Inve stment Corporation was founded in 2007 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Because of the requirement to pay out the vast majority of their income, REITs often have extremely high dividend payouts. Mortgage REITs ARMOUR Residential (NYSE: ARR  ) and Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM  ) use leveraged strategies to produce yields well in excess of 10%, while Omega Healthcare (NYSE: OHI  ) and Senior Housing Properties Trust (NYSE: SNH  ) , which specialize in long-term care facilities and other properties catering to older residents, both have yields between 5% and 6%.

Top Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now

Top Restaurant Companies To Watch In Right Now: Noodles & Co (NDLS)

Noodles & Company, incorporated on December 19, 2002, is a casual restaurant concept offering lunch and dinner. The Company offers noodle and pasta dishes, staples of many cuisines, with the goal of delivering fresh ingredients and flavors globally under one roof from Pad Thai to Mac & Cheese. The Companys globally inspired menu includes a variety of cooked-to-order dishes, including noodles and pasta, soups, salads and sandwiches, which are served on china by its friendly team members.

As of May 28, 2013, including the 16 Company owned restaurants and one franchise restaurant opened in 2013. The Company opened 39 new company owned restaurants and six franchise restaurants. In 2012, the Company began using Your World Kitchen to describe the breadth of its offering and its customers' dining experience.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  Fool contributor Daniel Sparks doesn't think highly of Noodles & Company's (NASDAQ: NDLS  ) stock after its hyped IPO. In the video below he explains why Noodles is probably not the next Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG  ) , a fast-casual concept that has seenmind-bogglingsuccess since the company went public.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Noodles(NDLS) & Co.’s third-quarter profit soared as the fast-casual dining chain’s sales were bolstered by new restaurant openings and rising demand at established locations. Though sales were boosted by higher traffic and an increase in the amount spent per customer, shares of Noodles dropped 7.9% to $43 in premarket trading as the revenue growth wasn’t as lofty as analysts expected.

• [By Michael Lewis]

  Fast and furious
  Upon its IPO several business days ago, Noodles & Company (NASDAQ: NDLS  ) stock rocketed up as if it were NASA reincarnated. The company, around since 1995, is 343 restaurants strong, w! ith more on the way. Unsurprisingly, Noodles & Company sells mainly noodle-based dishes, but from different corners of the earth -- customers can opt for Chinese, Italian, Thai, Indonesian, and more. (Of course, all dishes are centered toward more Americanized versions of the ethnic foods.)

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Before you consider this just to be a bit of IPO pondering, take a step back and understand that some of this list membership already hasfiled to come public or actually hasmade it public recently. Boise Cascade Co. (NYSE: BCC), CDW Corp. (NASDAQ: CDW), Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY), Global Brass and Copper Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BRSS), Noodles & Company (NASDAQ: NDLS), Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RH), Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (NASDAQ: SFM) and many others are on the list and have made it to the post-IPO stage in the stock market.

source from Top Stocks To Buy For 2015:http://www.topstocksforum.com/top-restaurant-companies-to-watch-in-right-now-3.html

Top 5 US Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Top 5 US Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp (TRER.PK)

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp., formerly Standard Silver Corporation, incorporated on July 29, 1970. a mining company engaged in the business of the acquisition and development of mineral properties. As of August 31, 2012, it held a nineteen year lease to explore and develop a 950 acre rare earth uranium-beryllium prospect located in Hudspeth County, Texas known as Round Top and prospecting permits covering an adjacent 9,345 acres.

The Company's principal focus will be on developing a metallurgical process to concentrate or otherwise extract the metals from the Round Top rhyolite. In addition to the Round Top Project, the Company also own title to 12 unpatented mining claims, the Macho group, comprising 240 acres covering the Old Dude Mine, located in Sierra County, New Mexico. Another 18 unpatented mining claims and fractional claims, the HA group, consisting 274 acres cover an andesite hosted vein system similar to and some 10 miles to the southwest of t he Macho District.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake Mitchell]

  As a speculative play on the industry, I came across Texas Rare Earth Resources (TRER.PK), which is principally focused on its 950 acre Round Top project. A Preliminary Economic Assessment by an independent third party found that there are an estimated over 1 billion metric tonnes of resources containing over 1 billion pounds of rare earth elements. A revised PEA, which was originally projected to have a capital cost of $2.1 billion is now estimated to be between $150 million to $350 million. A key concern in the exploration of these mines is how expensive it is to ultimately extract the rare earths from the ground. If Texas Rare Earth is able to show evidence that cost has been significantly reduced it will be the target of interested parties globally.

sour! ce from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-us-stocks-to-invest-in-right-now-2.html