BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) --�Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.
Must Read: Warren Buffett's Top 10 Dividend Stocks
From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.
Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.
While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (Erickson) is engaged in the operation and manufacture of the Erickson S-64 Aircrane (Aircrane), a heavy-lift helicopter. The Company operates in two segments: Aerial Services and Manufacturing / MRO. Aerial Services offers a range of heavy-lift helicopter services through the Company's worldwide fleet, including firefighting, timber harvesting, infrastructure construction, and crewing services. Manufacturing / MRO manufactures Aircranes from existing airframes, manufactures new components on a contract basis, and provides customers with Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency certified maintenance, and MRO services in the Company's AS9100 certified facility. In October 2012, the Company purchased the Sun Bird Aircraft and associated spare parts inventory and accessories from San Diego Gas & Electric Company. In May 2013, Erickson Air-Crane Inc acquired the entire share capital of Evergreen Helicopters Inc. In September 2013, Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated announced the completion of its acquisition of Air Amazonia Servicos Aeronauticos Ltda and certain related assets from HRT Participacoes em Petroleo S.A.
In February 2012, its Malaysian subsidiary, Erickson Aircrane Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., entered into an amendment to its existing logging contract with Syarikat Samling Timber Sdn. Bhd. (Samling Global) to extend the contract term to January 31, 2013. Pursuant to the amended contract, it began providing aerial timber harvesting services in Malaysia on February 1, 2012 to Samling Global. In January 2012, its Canadian subsidiary, Canadian Air-Crane Limited, amended its existing agreement with Western Forest Products Inc. (Western Forest Products), a Canadian forest products and timberlands management company, to establish the terms for one year of aviation services.
The Company offers a full spectrum of heavy-lift helicopter solutions, including the design, engineering, development, manufacturing, and testing of the Airc! rane, as well as Aerial Services and MRO services. It has production, maintenance, and logistics facilities in Central Point, Oregon. It maintains a year-round international presence with operations in Canada, Italy, Malaysia, and Peru, and an operating presence in Australia and Greece.
It owns the Type and Production Certificates for the Aircrane, granting us exclusive design, manufacturing, and related rights for the aircraft and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) components. It has made more than 350 design improvements to the Aircrane since acquiring the Type Certificate and it has developed Aircrane accessories that enhance its aerial operations, such as its firefighting tank system and snorkel, timber heli harvester, and anti-rotation device and hoist.
Aerial Services
The Aircrane has a lift capacity of up to 25,000 pounds and is a commercial aircraft built specifically as a flying crane without a fuselage for internal loads. The Aircrane is also a commercial heavy-lift helicopter with a rear load-facing cockpit, combining an unobstructed view and complete aircraft control for precision lift and load placement capabilities. It owns and operates a fleet of 17 Aircranes, which it uses to support a variety of government and commercial customers worldwide across a range of aerial services, including firefighting, timber harvesting, infrastructure construction, and crewing. The Aircrane is capable of providing heavy-lift solutions to a wide variety of industries, including firefighting, timber harvesting, infrastructure construction, oil and gas and energy related construction, disaster recovery, and emergency response. It leases its aircraft to customers for specific missions, with customers generally paying for the aircraft, maintenance, and crewing services, as well as fuel expense. In addition, it provides crewing for aircraft it has sold. Its Aircrane accessories include Fire Tank and Pond Snorkel, Fire Tank and Sea Snorkel, Foam Cannon, Hydromulch Loading Manifo! ld, Heli ! Harvester, Hydraulic Grapple, Long-Line Shock and Pendant, Anti-Rotation Device and Hoist and Material Transport Bucket.
The Aircrane Helitanker has provided firefighting services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, and Australia. Its firefighting customers include federal, state, local, and international government agencies who hire the Company to be available as needed. Under its firefighting contracts, aircraft are deployed to locations prone to seasonal fires and remain on standby throughout the fire season. For these contracts, which it refers to as exclusive-use contracts, it typically charge on a per-day basis for availability and on a per-hour basis for actual aircraft use.
Aircrane is engaged in timber operations in a number of regions, including the United States, Canada, and the tropical forests in Malaysia. Its customers uses its harvesting solutions primarily for timber, such as tropical hardwoods and for remote area harvesting in locations that would otherwise require road construction or prohibit ground-based harvesting. Timber is vertically lifted and transported with its hydraulic grapple.
The Aircrane's rear load-facing pilot seat makes the aircraft particularly for infrastructure projects that require extreme precision in load delivery, such as electricity transmission and broadcasting towers, oil and gas pipelines, wind turbines, mining conveying systems, industrial equipment, emergency shelters, and ski-lift equipment. The Aircrane can be configured to transport heavy machinery and equipment, such as heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) units, automotive equipment, and other cargo items.
Aircraft Manufacturing and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (Manufacturing/MRO)
The Company manufactures Aircranes and related components for sale to government and commercial customers and provide aftermarket support and maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for the Aircrane and oth! er aircra! ft. It also offers cost per hour (CPH) contracts pursuant to which it provides components and expendable supplies for a customer's aircraft at a fixed cost per flight hour. Through its Manufacturing / MRO segment it manufactures Aircranes from existing airframes, manufacture components on a contract basis, and provide customers with FAA- and European Aviation Safety Agency-certified MRO services
The Company has manufactured a total of 33 Aircranes for its own use and for sale to customers, and has sold one for domestic construction operations and eight for international firefighting operations. It also builds and manufactures Aircranes for its own use and owns, operates, and maintains 17 Aircranes. As the owner of the S-64 Type and Production Certificates, it also has the authority and ability to manufacture an Aircrane entirely from new parts. It manufactures aluminum main and tail rotor blades and have partnered with OEMs to design and manufacture composite main rotor blades. While it provides MRO services to its own Aircranes, it continues to provide parts and maintenance and overhaul services to every Aircrane it has sold. It also performs similar operations on engines and other components for owners of other aircraft platforms. Its FAA-certificated repair station offers an array of services from small repairs to extensive heavy airframe maintenance.
The Company competes with Columbia Helicopters, Helicopter Transport Services and Siller Brothers.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Peter Graham]
Small cap heavy-lift helicopter maker Erickson Inc (NASDAQ: EAC), a peer of other helicopter or aviation stocks like large caps like Boeing Co (NYSE: BA) and Textron Inc (NYSE: TXT), is ranked as the thirteenth most shorted stock on the Nasdaq with short interest of 38.00% according to Highshortinterest.com.�Having exposure to the Department of Defense in an era of shrinking defense commitments along with the oil sector as oil prices hit multiyear lows seems to be impacting investor sentiment towards Erickson Inc.
- [By Blake Bos]
In the following video, Motley Fool industrials analyst Blake Bos takes a question from a Fool reader on Facebook, who asks, "What's your Foolish take on Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (NASDAQ: EAC ) ?"
Best Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: Maui Land & Pineapple Company Inc. (MLP)
Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, sale, and leasing of real estate properties. It owns approximately 23,300 acres of land on Maui. The company also offers water and waste transmission services. In addition, it manages certain resort amenities at the Kapalua Resort. The company was founded in 1909 and is based in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Dividends4Life]
Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL) is a master limited partnership (MLP) that was formed by Sunoco Inc. to acquire, own and operate a group of refined product and crude oil pipelines and terminal facilities.
Yield: 3.6% | Years of Dividend Growth: 11
- [By Matthew Skelly]
The technology of fracturing (and the horizontal style of drilling), is changing America's needs on the energy front. At the epicenter of this infrastructure build-out is Atlas Pipeline Partners (NYSE:APL), a midstream gathering and processing company that trades as a Master Limited Partnership, (MLP). Atlas Pipeline is essentially a middle man between the drillers and long-haul transportation pipelines. It gathers mixed volumes of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) such as ethane, propane, and butanes, etc. from the thousands of wells drilled by its drilling customers, back through pipelines to its processing plants, which will separate the gas from the NGLs. Both are then sold to long-haul transportation pipelines, which take the two products downstream to the next part of the energy supply chain.
Best Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: Telestone Technologies Corp.(TSTC)
Telestone Technologies Corporation offers wireless local-access network technologies and solutions primarily in the People?s Republic of China. Its access-network solutions include the research and development, and application of access network technology. The company designs and sells electronic equipments, such as wireless fiber-optic distribution system products, RFPA products, passive components, repeaters, radio frequency peripherals, and base station antennas used to provide access network solutions for 2G, 3G, broadband access, and CATV networks. It also offers project design, project management, installation, maintenance, and other after-sales services. In addition, Telestone provides various solutions to the telecommunications industry, which cover indoor and outdoor environments comprising hotels, residential estates, office buildings, airports, exhibition centers, underground stations, and highways and tunnels. Further, the company engages in the design, develop ment, production and installation, and trading of wireless telecommunication coverage system equipment. It also markets its products to 29 countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and Vietnam. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.
Advisors' Opinion: Best Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: Federal Signal Corporation(FSS)
Federal Signal Corporation designs and manufactures a suite of products and integrated solutions for municipal, governmental, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Safety and Security Systems, Fire Rescue, and Environmental Solutions. The Safety and Security Systems segment offers various systems for automated license plate recognition, campus and community alerting, emergency vehicles, first responder interoperable communications, industrial communications and command, municipal networked security, vehicle classification, parking revenue, and access control. This segment also provides products, such as lightbars and sirens, public warning sirens, and public safety software. The Fire Rescue segment offers articulated and telescopic aerial platforms for rescue, fire fighting, and maintenance purposes. This segment sells its products to municipal and industrial fire services, civil defense authorities, rental companies, elect ric utilities and industrial customers. The Environmental Solutions segment provides various self-propelled street cleaning vehicles, vacuum loader vehicles, municipal catch basin/sewer cleaning vacuum trucks, and water blasting equipment. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Louis Navellier]
DL stock was upgraded to an “A” by Portfolio Grader back in April, and like ABTL, China Distance should be considered a “strong buy” as its fundamentals improve.
‘Best of the Best’ Stock Picks #3: Federal Signal (FSS) Federal Signal (FSS) makes everything from fire trucks to street sweepers and is benefiting for pent-up demand for its products.
- [By Louis Navellier]
Federal Signal (FSS) has posted three strong earnings surprises so far this year. Demand for its environmental and fire and rescue products have been much stronger than expected. The company restructured its balance sheet last year, and interest expenses have declined by more than 70% — boosting the bottom line significantly. Earnings are up more than 60% so far this year, and the shares are still reasonably valued at just 7 times earnings. FSS stock was upgraded in Portfolio Grader to an ����back in August and remains a ��trong buy��at the current price.
Best Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: The Middleby Corporation (MIDD)
The Middleby Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of commercial foodservice and food processing equipment in the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The company?s Commercial Foodservice Equipment Group segment manufactures cooking equipment for restaurants and institutional kitchens. Its product line comprises conveyor ovens, ranges, steamers, convection ovens, combi-ovens, broilers and steam cooking equipment, induction cooking systems, baking and proofing ovens, griddles, char broilers, catering equipment, fryers, toasters, hot food servers, food warming equipment, and coffee and beverage dispensing equipment. These products are sold and marketed under the brand names of Anets, Blodgett, Blodgett Combi, Blodgett Range, Bloomfield, CTX, Carter-Hoffmann, CookTek, Doyon, Frifri, Giga, Holman, Houno, Jade, Lang, MagiKitch?n, Middleby Marshall, Nu-Vu, Pitco, PerfectFry, Southbend, Star, Toastm aster, TurboChef, and Wells. In addition, this segment involves in sales, distribution, and export management activities internationally through independent manufacturing representatives and a combined network of independent and company-owned distributors. The Middleby?s Food Processing Equipment Group segment manufactures preparation, cooking, packaging, and food safety equipment for the food processing industry. Its principal products include batch ovens, belt ovens, and conveyorized cooking systems sold under the Alkar brand name; grinding, slicing, emulsification, mixing, and blending products under the Cozzini brand name; breading, battering, mixing, slicing, and forming equipment sold under the MP Equipment brand name; and packaging and food safety equipment sold under the RapidPak brand name. The company was formerly known as Middleby Marshall Oven Company and changed its name to The Middleby Corporation in 1985. The Middleby Corporation was founded in 1888 and is bas ed in Elgin, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Jim Jubak]
Take it from someone who has been in and out of Middleby (MIDD) shares over the last decade: the big problem can be finding a way to get back after you've sold because the stock has hit what looks like a peak. (I added Middleby to my Jubak Picks 50 portfolio on May 3 when the shares traded at $144.78. To see the write-up on my annual changes to this portfolio click on this post.)
- [By Tom Gardner]
In the video interview below, Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner speaks with Middleby (NASDAQ: MIDD ) CEO Selim Bassoul.�Since becoming CEO in 2000, Bassoul has led a remarkable transformation at Middleby, turning the cooking equipment maker's�stock into a nearly 50-bagger over that time. In the video below, Bassoul discusses how the company can continue its rapid growth.
- [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.
Middleby Corporation (MIDD) Middleby Corporation (MIDD) started as an oven company in 1888. Over its history, it has expanded into a global food service, processing, and residential kitchen equipment manufacturer and distributor.
Best Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: SK Telecom Corporation Ltd.(SKM)
SK Telecom Co., Ltd. provides wireless telecommunications services using code division multiple access (CDMA) and wide-band CDMA technologies. It offers cellular voice services, such as wireless voice transmission services; and wireless global roaming services. The company also provides wireless data transmission services, such as wireless Internet access services, which allow subscribers to access online digital contents and services, as well as to send and receive text and multimedia messages. In addition, it offers broadband Internet and fixed-line telephone services, such as video-on-demand and IP TV services; and local, domestic, and international long-distance fixed-line telephone services to residential and commercial subscribers. Further, the company provides wireless entertainment-related contents and services, wireless finance-related contents and m-commerce services, and wireless news and search services; and international calling services, such as direct-dial, pre and post paid card calling services, bundled services for corporate customers, voice services using Internet protocol, Web-to-phone services, and data services. Additionally, it offers satellite digital media broadcasting services; telematics services; and fixed-line and online community portal services. The company also operates 11th Street, an online shopping mall; and T Store, an online open marketplace for mobile applications. As of March 31, 2011, SK Telecom Co. had 26 million wireless subscribers. It has strategic alliances with Bridge Alliance; Orange SA; Telecom Italia Mobile S.p.A.; T-Mobile International AG & Co; and Teliasonera Mobile Networks AB. The company was formerly known as Korea Mobile Telecommunications Co., Ltd. and changed its name to SK Telecom Co., Ltd. in March 1997. SK Telecom Co., Ltd. was founded in 1984 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Garrett Cook]
Telecommunications services shares gained around 0.25 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), Allot Communications (NASDAQ: ALLT), and SK Telecom Co (NYSE: SKM).
- [By Garrett Cook]
Telecommunications services shares gained around 0.25 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NYSE: NTT), and SK Telecom Co (NYSE: SKM).
- [By Chris Neiger]
SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM ) launched the world's first 4G LTE-Advanced network in South Korea today, providing the fastest available data speeds for the same price as 4G LTE.�
- [By Garrett Cook]
Telecommunications services shares gained around 0.25 percent in today’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included NQ Mobile (NYSE: NQ), Allot Communications (NASDAQ: ALLT), and SK Telecom Co (NYSE: SKM).
