Top Information Technology Companies To Invest In Right Now

The U.S. Department of Defense wrapped up the workweek Friday with the announcement of nine new contracts, worth more than $791 million in total. One single contract, however, accounted for fully 62% of the funds on offer.

The winners of that contract, a $494 million firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, task-order contract for the supply of hardware, software, and related integration services needed for the U.S. Army's "Information Technology Enterprise Solution-2" (ITES-2S) enterprise business systems project, include:

Dell's (NASDAQ: DELL  ) Federal Systems business International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM  ) And four privately owned companies -- Unicom Government, CDW Government, Iron Bow Technologies, and World Wide Technology.

The specific type of contract being awarded is best described as an "umbrella" contract, setting a maximum amount of funds that can be spent (the $494 million). Dell, IBM, and the other contract winners will now need to bid against each other to sell the Army equipment and software in response to specific task orders, up until said ceiling value has been reached.

Top 5 Gold Companies To Buy For 2015: Global Mediacom Tbk PT (BMTR)

PT Global Mediacom Tbk is an Indonesia-based integrated media company. The Company has three business segments: content and advertising-based media, subscribers-based media, and media support and infrastructure. Its operations include content production, content distribution, television and radio broadcasting, newspaper, magazine, tabloids, telecommunication operator, mobile content aggregator, value added services provider and information technology system integrator. The Company has six direct subsidiaries, namely PT. Media Nusantara Citra Tbk, PT. MNC Sky Vision, PT. Sky Vision Networks, PT. Infokom Elektrindo, PT. Citra Kalimantan Energi and Global Mediacom International Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Weiyi Lim]

  The Jakarta Composite Index surged 2.2 percent as Global Mediacom (BMTR) climbed the most since October 2010. The rupiah slumped 5.9 percent in August, the biggest drop since November 2008. Malaysia�� ringgit posted its fourth monthly drop. South Korea�� Kospi Index posted the best week in a year as Samsung rallied a sixth day. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1 percent, adding to a 2 percent gain this week.

Top Information Technology Companies To Invest In Right Now: International Speedway Corporation(ISCA)

International Speedway Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, promotes motorsports themed entertainment activities in the United States. The company?s motorsports themed event operations consist of racing events at its motorsports entertainment facilities. Its motorsports entertainment facilities promoted approximately 100 stock car, open wheel, sports car, truck, motorcycle, go-kart racing, and other racing events. The company is also involved in souvenir merchandising operations; food and beverage concession operations; the provision of catering services in suites and chalets; creation of motorsports-related programming content, including national satellite radio service; the usage of its track facilities for testing for teams, driving schools, riding experiences, car shows, auto fairs, concerts and settings for television commercials, print advertisements, and motion pictures; and rents show cars for promotional events. As of November 30, 2011, it owned and/or op erated 13 motorsports entertainment facilities. The company was formerly known as Daytona International Speedway Corporation and changed its name to International Speedway Corporation in 1968. International Speedway Corporation was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Wall Street expects International Speedway (NASDAQ: ISCA) to report its Q2 earnings at $0.49 per share on revenue of $186.34 million. International Speedway shares gained 1.02% to close at $33.56 yesterday.

• [By Patricio Kehoe] hem. This market giant operates 13 motorsports stadiums, including the infamous Daytona 500 and Talladega Superspeedway and hosts over 100 events during the racing season. The firm relies on the motorsport segment for 70% of its revenue, and is majority owned by the France family, which also owns the privately held NASCAR. However, this once popular sport has lost some of its fame from the 2000s and today, it might not be the most profitable business. Let�� take a look at what might have motivated investment guru David Dreman (Trades, Portfolio) to sell out his company shares.

  Back and Forth in a Monopoly

  The motorsports industry is a natural monopoly at the local level, since only one racetrack can hold NASCAR events in each market, and until now, International Speedway has won this battle. Nevertheless, over the past five years, this company has suffered under declining ticket and concession spending, due to a weak demographic fan base located in troubled geographies. Although recent racetrack changes and customer stabilization will leave ISCA well positioned when spending power increases once again, this is bound to happen at a slow pace. However, the distinct properties of each racetrack attract high brand loyalty, and have compelled competitors like Speedway Motorsports Inc. (TRK) to focus business on completely different markets, therefore posing no real threat to ISCA.

  Given that a recession or high oil prices could lead to a strong decline in admissions and concessions revenue, as well as corporate sponsorships, the motorsport giant has been making active efforts to counterbalance its vulnerability. After the 2009 recession cut down on sales by 40% and motorsports lost some popularity, causing ROIC metrics to plummet from 17.7% (quarter four of 2008) to 6.2% in fiscal 2013, ISCA focused on improving its capital allocation strategy. The new Hollywood Casino at the Kansas Speedway racetrack, which the company is building in a joint ventu

Top Information Technology Companies To Invest In Right Now: ExamWorks Group Inc. (EXAM)

ExamWorks Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides independent medical examinations (IME), peer and bill reviews, and related services in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Its IME services are used by clients to confirm the veracity of claims by sick or injured individuals for workers� compensation, automotive, personal injury liability, and disability insurance coverage. The company also offers peer review services, including medical record reviews, nurse file reviews, and utilization reviews by members of its medical panel to provide medical opinion of a claimant�s condition and treatment; bill review services, such as physician and hospital bill reviews, and surgical cost estimates; and other IME related services comprising litigation support, medical record retrieval, administrative support services, and managed technology services. ExamWorks Group, Inc. provides its services through its medical panel of independently contract ed physicians and other medical providers. It serves property and casualty insurance carriers, law firms, third-party claim administrators, government agencies, and state funds. The company was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Examworks Group (EXAM) is a provider of independent medical examinations, peer and bill reviews and related services. This stock closed up 9.4% at $24.28 in Wednesday's trading session.

  Wednesday's Volume: 1.62 million
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 209,788
  
  Volume % Change: 583%

  From a technical perspective, EXAM exploded higher here right off some near-term support at $21.91 with heavy upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last six months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $13.79 to its intraday high of $24.40. During that uptrend, shares of EXAM have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. This move also pushed shares of EXAM into breakout territory, since the stock took out its former 52-week high at $23.56.

   

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in EXAM as long as it's trending above $23 or $22.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above Wednesday's high of $24.40 with volume that hits near or above 209,788 shares. If we get that move soon, then EXAM will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $28 to $30.

Top Information Technology Companies To Invest In Right Now: Peregrine Semiconductor Corp (PSMI)

Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (Peregrine), incorporated in February 1990, is engaged in the design, manufacturing and marketing radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets. The Company is provider of RFICs. Its products include RF switches-antenna, RFswitches-broadband and general purpose, digital attenuators, synthesizers, mixers/upconverters, prescalers, variable gain amplifiers, digitally tunable capacitors, DC-DC converters and power amplifiers. Its UltraCMOS technology enables the design, manufacture, and integration of multiple radio frequency (RF), mixed signal, and digital functions on a single chip. Its solutions target a range of applications in the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets.

As of December 25, 2010, The Company offers a portfolio of more than 120 RFICs, including switches, digital attenuators, mixers/upconverters, and prescalers, and it is developing power amplifiers (Pas), digitally tunable capacitors (DTCs), and DC-DC converters. During the fiscal year ended December 25, 2010, its products were sold to more than 1,400 module manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), contract manufacturers, and other customers, including such companies as Amalfi Semiconductor, Inc., The Boeing Company, EPCOS AG, Ericsson AB, Hitachi Media Electronics Company, Ltd., Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Humax Co., Ltd., Itron, Inc., LG Innotek Co., Ltd., Mini-Circuits, Inc., Motorola, Inc., Murata Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Planet Technology Corp., Rockwell Collins, Inc., Rohde & Schwarz, Inc., SIPAT Co., Ltd., Skyworks Solutions, Inc., Sony Corporation, Source Photonics, Inc., and Thales Alenia Space.

RF switches-antenna

RF Switches are utilized in the RF section of mobile devices to route RF signals between! the antenna and the handset core, through one or more signal paths. For mobile handsets, its switch products offer up to 10 RF signal paths with integrated digital bus support and onboard voltage regulation.

RFswitches-broadband and general purpose

The Company�� broadband and general purpose RF switches deliver combination of broadband linearity, settling time, and isolation while routing RF signals to their respective transmit or receive paths. Its attributes are being used by the OEMs of LED and plasma digital televisions (DTVs), set top box, cable infrastructure, test and measurement devices

Digital Attenuators

The Company provides digital step attenuators that are used to control the amplitude of an RF or analog signal. The products include digital control circuitry integrated with an RF attenuator core and are used in third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) cellular base stations, repeaters, and point-to-point nodes.

Synthesizers

The Company�� frequency synthesizers provide an electronic system for generating any of a range of frequencies from a single fixed timebase or oscillator. Its synthesizers provide low-power, ultra-low phase noise, programmable frequency synthesis for defense, broadband, industrial, and wireless infrastructure markets.

Mixers/Upconverters

The Company�� mixers/upconverters are used to translate encoded voice/data signals from one frequency to another to enable radio transmission. Its mixers / upconverters are incorporated into mixer modules and provide industry linearity, which is a metric to maximizing wireless data transmission rates. These attributes are critical in 3G and 4G cellular base station designs.

Prescalers

The Company�� prescalers operate in the C, X, and Ku bands to divide the frequency of a wireless signal in order to extend the operating range of a synthesizer beyond its base capability. Its prescalers complem! ent its f! requency synthesizer line, providing its customers with design.

Variable Gain Amplifiers

The Company�� Variable Gain Amplifiers (VGAs) are used in both the receiving and transmitting path of a radio system to maintain a signal�� strength at a level necessary for other circuits to operate optimally. Its DVGA is the monolithic integrated circuit (IC) to integrate three functional blocks, including digital attenuators, RF/IF amplifiers and a common serial interface onto a single IC.

DC-DC Converters

The Company�� frequency-configurable DC-DC converters efficiently perform voltage conversion using a high frequency switching technique that minimizes system noise. Its DC-DC converters are designed to enable a distributed power management architecture designed for satellite applications, replacing inefficient drop out regulators and central converters.

Power Amplifiers

The Company�� PAs amplify RF signals in order to generate the necessary power required to establish a radio link between a base station and a mobile device. With its UltraCMOS technology the Company has the ability to integrate its PAs on a single chip with other RF, mixed signal, and digital components.

The Company competes with Hittite, M/A-COM, NEC, Renesas, RFMD, Skyworks, Sony, Toshiba and TriQuint Semiconductor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: PSMI) is a lesser known name that is a top stock to buy at Deutsche Bank. The company recently released a new radio frequency (RF) switch specifically designed for broadband cable systems. With HD content exploding, this could be a huge home run for the company. Deutsche Bank has a $14 price target for the stock, the same as the consensus target.

Top Information Technology Companies To Invest In Right Now: MSC Industrial Direct Co Inc (MSM)

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (MSC), incorporated on October 25, 1995, is direct marketers and distributors of a range of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products to customers throughout the United States. The Company operates primarily in the United States, with customers in all 50 states, through a network of five customer fulfillment centers (four customer fulfillment centers are located within the United States and one is located in the United Kingdom and 106 branch offices (104 branches are located within the United States, one is located in the United Kingdom and the other is located in Mexico). The Company offers approximately 600,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) through its master catalogs, weekly, monthly and quarterly specialty and promotional catalogs, brochures and the Internet, including its Websites, mscdirect.com, mscmetalworking.com and use-enco.com (MSC Websites). In April 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of the North American distribution business (BDNA or the Business) of Barnes Group Inc.

The Company's customers include a range of purchasers of industrial supply products, from individual machine shops to Fortune 1000 companies, to government agencies, such as the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense. The Company uses its database of companies and contacts, and the Company also purchases information on prospective customers in the form of databases, mailing lists, and email lists to target the distribution of these various publications and other marketing vehicles to specific individuals within an organization whose purchasing history or other criteria suggest receptiveness to specific publication titles and promotions. The Company also provides electronic ordering capabilities (EDI and XML) to support its customers' purchase order processing.

The Company's products represent a range of MRO products that include cutting tools; measuring instruments; tooling component! s; metalworking products; fasteners; flat stock; raw materials; abrasives; machinery hand and power tools; safety and janitorial supplies; plumbing supplies; materials handling products; power transmission components; and electrical supplies. The Company provides product information and ordering capabilities on the Internet. The Company also maintains a hardware and software platform in support of its VMI program, which allows customers to integrate scanner-accumulated orders directly into its Sales Order Entry system.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Citing the benefits of providing high-margin, low-cost consumables with a broad distribution footprint throughout the U.S. and Canada, industrial supplier MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM  ) announced today that it has completed the�acquisition of Barnes Group's (NYSE: B  ) �North American distribution business�for $550 million.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  MSC Industrial Direct Co (NYSE: MSM) was down, falling 4.79 percent to $88.91 after the company reported Q3 earnings of $1.06 per share on revenue of $720.50 million. The company also issued a weak Q4 earnings outlook.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Worse than that news is the fact that some of Fastenal's competitors have held up somewhat better. MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM  ) encountered much of the same sales weakness from the metalworking industry that Fastenal saw in its overall results, and both stocks have performed in line with each other over the past quarter. But W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW  ) soared after its earnings in April, as it saw its earnings rise more than 14% and boosted its guidance for full-year 2013 revenue and earnings.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  MSC Industrial Direct (MSM) has dropped 5.8% to $87.98 after the company met earnings forecasts but missed on revenue and offered disappointing fourth-quarter guidance.

Top Information Technology Companies To Invest In Right Now: CommonWealth REIT (CWH)

CommonWealth REIT is a real estate investment trust launched and managed by Reit Management & Research LLC. The fund invests in the real estate markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in office buildings, industrial buildings, and leased industrial land. CommonWealth REIT was founded in 1986 and is domiciled in United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris DeMuth Jr.]

  So you do not have to wait, here's the punch line…

  The recent 2Q 2013 earnings announcement validated the belief that management continues to lay out exactly what they are going to do and then effectively execute on those plans.The current stock price of roughly $4.00 offers a discount to the intrinsic value of the company, which I model to be about $4.80 today, with the potential to be worth between $7.50 and $9.00 per share after cash deployment and the issuance of $100M of new equity capital.The incentive structure for the Gramercy management is very tightly aligned to the common shareholders in contrast to some other REITs, such as CommonWealth REIT (CWH), which is the current poster child for non-alignment.The REIT structure forces management to return cash to shareholders and not hold it to spend on growth projects. Growth capital must be justified to common shareholders every time it is requested.

  The REIT Legal Requirements Favor Common Shareholders over Company Management

• [By Eric Volkman]

  CommonWealth REIT (NYSE: CWH  ) is keeping the dividend taps open. The real estate investment trust has declared its latest quarterly common and preferred stock distributions. For the former, the company will hand out $0.25 per share "on or about" Aug. 23 to shareholders of record as of July 26. CommonWealth's series D and E preferred stockholders will receive $0.4063 and $0.4531 per share, respectively. Both distributions will be made "on or about" Aug. 15 to holders of record as of Aug. 1.

• [By Bill Stoller]

  After a banner 2013, the overall market has had a challenging start to 2014. However, these four companies have been crushing it: Alexander Real Estate (NYSE: ARE  ) , BioMed Realty Trust (NYSE: BMR  ) , CommonWealth REIT (NYSE: CWH  ) , and Sun Communities (NYSE: SUI  ) early on in 2014 vs. the S&P 500. Their relative out-performance can also be seen when compared to the Vanguard REIT Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VNQ  ) a good yardstick to measure sector performance.