Hot Information Technology Companies To Invest In 2014

Shares of China's Kandi Technologies (NASDAQ: KNDI  ) soared 36% yesterday on news that China had approved the company's first electric sedan.

If you had never heard of Kandi until yesterday's pop, you're not alone. This is a small company that makes smaller electric vehicles, go karts, ATVs, and even tricycles in China's Zhejiang province. Revenue in its latest quarter grew just 2% to only $14.7 million. It is profitable, and that's a good thing, but let's not kid ourselves here. The only reason that Kandi charged higher yesterday -- on a whopping 18.7 million shares of trading volume -- is that Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA  ) shares have nearly tripled over the past three months.

It's easy to sell Kandi as the Tesla of China, even though reality paints a far different picture.

Kandi has teamed up with car manufacturer Geely Automotive to parlay its electric vehicle know-how into passenger cars, and the first full-sized sedan -- JL7001BEV -- has been approved by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Top Oil Companies To Invest In 2015: InnerWorkings Inc (INWK)

InnerWorkings, Inc. (InnerWorkings), incorporated on September 26, 2001, is a provider of global print management and promotional solutions to corporate clients across a ranges of industries. The Company's software applications and database create a solution that stores, analyzes and tracks the production capabilities of the Company's supplier network, as well as quote and price data for print jobs. The Company offers a range of print, fulfillment and logistics services. The Company procures printed products for clients across a range of industries, such as retail, financial services, hospitality, non-profits, healthcare, food and beverage, broadcasting and cable, education, transportation and utilities. Utilizing the Company's technology and database, the Company provides its clients a global solution to procure and delivers printed products. In March 2013, InnerWorkings Inc acquired DB Studios. In August 2013, InnerWorkings Inc. acquired Professional Packaging Services Ltd. In July 2013, the Company announced that it has acquired EYELEVEL, a global provider of permanent retail displays and store fixtures.

The Company's network of more than 10,000 global suppliers offers a range of printed products and a full range of print, fulfillment and logistics services. The Company's technology is a solution that stores equipment profiles for the Company's supplier network and price data for jobs the Company quotes and executes. The Company's technology allows the Company to match print jobs with the suppliers in the Company's network that are optimally suited to produce a job. The Company's technology also allows the Company to efficiently manage the critical aspects of the print procurement process, including gathering job specifications, identifying suppliers, establishing pricing, managing print production and coordinating purchase and delivery of the finished product.

The Company's database stores the production capabilities of the Company's supplier network, as well as price and! quote data for bids the Company receives and transactions the Company executes. The Company's solution automatically generates customized data entry screens based on product type and guides the production manager to enter the required job specifications. The Company's solution reconciles supplier invoices to executed print orders to ensure the supplier adhered to the pricing and other terms contained in the print order. In addition, it includes checks and balances that allow the Company to monitor important financial indicators relating to a print order, such as projected gross margin and job alterations.

The Company's solution generates transaction reports that contain quote, supplier capability, price and customer service information regarding the print jobs the client has completed with the Company. The Company's solution creates a work order checklist that sends e-mail reminders to the Company's production managers regarding the time elapsed between certain milestones and the completion of specified deliverables. These automated notifications enable the Company's production managers to focus on more critical aspects of the print process and eliminate delays. Some of the Company's clients provided the Company with pricing data for print jobs they completed before they began to use its solution. The Company procures printed products for corporate clients across a range of industries, such as retail, publishing, financial services, hospitality, non-profits, healthcare, food and beverage, broadcasting and cable, education, transportation and utilities.

The Company offers a range of print, fulfillment and logistics services in more than 60 different print categories, which allows the Company to procure printed products on virtually any substrate. The printed products the Company procures for its clients may is printed with any of the eight types of printing, which include offset sheet-fed, Web offset, digital offset, letterpress, screen printing, waterless, flexography and grav! ure, as w! ell as several forms of specialty printing. The Company offers a range of fulfillment and logistics services, such as kitting and assembly, inventories management and pre-sorting postage. These services are often essential to the completion of the finished product. The Company also provides creative services, including copywriting, graphics and Website design, identity work and marketing collateral development, and pre-media services, such as image and print-ready page processing and proofing capabilities.

The Company's eStores empower the Company's clients with branded self-service ecommerce Websites that prompt quick and easy online ordering, fulfillment, tracking and reporting.The Company's network of more than 10,000 global suppliers includes printers, graphic designers, paper mills and merchants, digital imaging companies, specialty binders, finishing and engraving firms and fulfillment and distribution centers.

The Company competes with Williams Lea, Logisource, Cirqit and Noosh.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of InnerWorkings (NASDAQ: INWK  ) were falling apart today, dropping as much as 25% after the promotional specialist cut its full-year guidance ahead of its first-quarter report.

• [By David Trainer]

  
  For examples of large investment firms propping up stock prices and fueling large moves, see my recent Danger Zone articles on InnerWorkings (NASDAQ: INWK) and Tangoe (NASDAQ: TNGO). Both stocks had heavy institutional ownership and rapid upward price moves driven by Wall Street propaganda and momentum traders. Soon after we revealed how disconnected the price moves were from the companies’ fundamentals the stocks fell 30+%.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another stock that insiders are loading up on here is InnerWorkings (INWK), which is a provider of managed print and promotional procurement solutions to corporate clients across a range of industries. Insiders are buying this stock into significant weakness, since shares are off by 49% so far in 2013.

  InnerWorkings has a market cap of $357 million and an enterprise value of $425 million. This stock trades at a fair valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 23.20 and a forward price-to-earnings of 23.20. Its estimated growth rate for this year is -75.6%, and for next year it's pegged at 200%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $19.22 million and its total debt is $91.50 million.

  A beneficial owner just bought 32,000 shares, or about $214,000 worth of stock, at $6.69 to per share. That same beneficial owner also just bought 108,700 shares, or about $727,000 worth of stock, at $6.69 to $6.70 per share.

  From a technical perspective, INWK is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock gapped down sharply in November from $9.75 to $5.54 a share with heavy downside volume. Following that gap down, shares of INWK have reversed its bearish trend and entered an uptrend, with the stock moving higher from its low of $5.54 to $7.21 a share. That move has now pushed shares of INWK within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

  If you're bullish on INWK, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some key near-term support at $6.42 and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $7.07 to $7.21 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 volume of 530,297 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then INWK will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from Novembe

Hot Information Technology Companies To Invest In 2014: Ross Stores Inc.(ROST)

Ross Stores, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates off-price retail apparel and home accessories stores under the Ross Dress for Less and dd?s DISCOUNTS brand names in the United States. Its Ross Dress for Less brand stores sell brand and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at everyday savings of 20 to 60 percent off department and specialty store regular prices; and dd?s DISCOUNTS brand stores sell apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family at everyday savings of 20 to 70 percent off moderate department and discount store regular prices. As of January 29, 2011, the company operated 1,055 stores, of which 988 were Ross Dress for Less brand stores in 27 states and Guam, and 67 were dd?s DISCOUNTS brand stores in 6 states. Its Ross Dress for Less brand stores primarily target middle income households and dd?s DISCOUNTS brand stores target moderate income households. Ross Stores, Inc. was found ed in 1957 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  On Thursday, small cap discount�retail stock Overstock.com, Inc (NASDAQ: OSTK) surged 22.24% after another great earnings report, but can a small cap discount online retailer really take on Ross Stores, Inc (NASDAQ: ROST) and Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) for the long haul? After all, small cap Overstock.com sells a broad range of products�that includes�furniture, rugs, bedding, electronics, clothing, jewelry and cars���meaning there is�considerable overlap with brick and mortar retailer Ross Stores and online behemoth Amazon.com.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) has said that its more than 1,100 stores will remain closed on Thanksgiving, as has The TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX), owner of the TJ Maxx, Marshall��, and other retail brands. Another off-price retailer, Burlington Stores Inc. (NYSE: BURL), owner of the Burlington Coat Factory stores, will also remain closed on the holiday.

• [By Ben Eisen]

  Given that outlook, he sees ten stocks in the consumer discretionary sector that qualify as bargains at the moment, including some of the very stocks that are expecting downbeat holiday results. They include: Advance Auto Parts Inc. (AAP) , AutoNation, Inc. (AN) , Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) , Carmax, Inc. (KMX) �, Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) �, PetsMart, Inc. (PETM) �, Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) , Staples, Inc. (SPLS) �, Target Corp. (TGT) �, and Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) .

• [By Tom Taulli]

  Competition: While TJX attempts to undercut more traditional retailers, it has plenty of competition in the deep-discount game, Ross Stores (ROST), Kohl’s (KSS) and Burlington Stores (BURL). TJX also must contend with big-box operators like Target (TGT). So far, TJX has been able to dig itself a niche and remain fairly differentiated, but it’s fair to point out the danger in slipping — in retail, customers always have plenty of alternatives.

Hot Information Technology Companies To Invest In 2014: Cardinal Financial Corporation(CFNL)

Cardinal Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Cardinal Bank that provides banking products and services to commercial and retail customers in Virginia and greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It primarily engages in accepting deposits and originating loans. The company?s deposit products include commercial and retail checking accounts, money market accounts, individual retirement accounts, regular interest-bearing savings accounts, and certificates of deposits. Its lending portfolio comprises commercial and industrial loans, commercial mortgage loans, residential mortgage loans, construction loans, home equity lines of credit, and consumer loans. The company also offers courier, telephone and Internet banking, and automatic teller machine services, as well as traveler?s checks, coin counters, wire services, and safe deposit box services. In addition, Cardinal Financial Corporation, through its other subsidiaries, involves in the origination an d acquisition of residential mortgages for sale into the secondary market in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region, as well as provides a construction-to-permanent loan program; offers retail securities brokerage and asset management services; and provides trust, estate, custody, investment management, and retirement planning services. It operates 26 banking offices. Cardinal Financial Corporation was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Bank holding company Cardinal Financial (CFNL) raised its quarterly dividend 33% to 8 cents per share, payable on Feb. 24 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 6.
  CFNL Dividend Yield: 1.88%

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Cardinal Financial (CFNL) has gained 5.8% to $17.47 after it was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform by Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

  Weatherford International (WFT) has dropped 6.3% to $14.75 before the open of trading after it announced the departure of its CFO in an 8-K filing. Wells Fargo and Raymond James both cut Weatherford’s shares as a result of the change.

Hot Information Technology Companies To Invest In 2014: Piper Jaffray Companies(PJC)

Piper Jaffray Companies provides investment banking, institutional brokerage, asset management, and related financial services to corporations, private equity groups, public entities, non-profit entities, and institutional investors in the United States, Asia, and Europe. The company raises capital through equity financings; provides advisory services, primarily relating to mergers and acquisitions for its corporate clients; underwrites debt issuances; and offers financial advisory and interest rate risk management services. Its public finance investment banking capabilities focus on state and local governments, as well as healthcare, higher education, housing, hospitality, transportation, and commercial real estate industries, as well as operates in business and financial services, clean technology and renewables, consumer, and industrial growth, as well as media, telecommunications, and technology industries. The company also offers equity and fixed income advisory and t rade execution services for institutional investors, and government and non-profit entities; and is involved in proprietary trading, as well as has equity sales and trading relationships with institutional investors. In addition, it provides asset management services to separately managed accounts, private funds or partnerships, and open-end and closed-end registered investment companies or funds; and offers an array of investment products comprising small and mid-cap value equity, and master limited partnerships focused on the energy industry, as well as fixed income. Further, the company engages in merchant banking activities, which comprises proprietary debt or equity investments in late stage private companies, and investments in private equity and venture capital funds, as well as other firm investments and forfeiture of stock-based compensation. Piper Jaffray Companies was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of investment banking and asset management firm Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC  ) sank as much as 11% after reporting disappointing second-quarter earnings results.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Piper Jaffray Companies (NYSE: PJC) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.52 per share on revenue of $117.55 million.

  W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $3.03 per share on revenue of $2.42 billion.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Investment banker Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC  ) expanded its municipal debt business Wednesday, when it purchased Seattle-Northwest Securities in a transaction valued at approximately $21 million.

Hot Information Technology Companies To Invest In 2014: Good Times Restaurants Inc.(GTIM)

Good Times Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiary, Good Times Drive Thru Inc., engages in developing, owning, operating, and franchising hamburger-oriented drive-through restaurants. The company operates restaurants under the Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard name primarily in Colorado. It also has franchised restaurants in North Dakota and Wyoming. As of September 30, 2011, the company operated 25 company-owned and joint venture restaurants located in Colorado; and franchises, including 16 located in Colorado, 2 in Wyoming, and 2 in North Dakota. Good Times Restaurants, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is based in Golden, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap restaurant stocks BJ's Restaurants, Inc (NASDAQ: BJRI), Good Times Restaurants Inc (NASDAQ: GTIM) and Giggles N Hugs Inc (OTCMKTS: GIGL) aren�� well known to most investors and consumers, but they have produced their share of decent returns for investors. Here is what investors need to know about all three small cap restaurant stocks: