Goodluz/Shutterstock Americans give multiple reasons for shopping online from work, such as keeping purchases secret, not having time outside of work to shop and a faster Internet connection. But it comes with risks, too. That's the conclusion of a recent survey by legal information website FindLaw.com, where 35 percent of Americans said the shopped online at work. Stephanie Rahlfs of FindLaw in a statement warned that shopping online while at work could give employers grounds for discipline or termination. Most workplaces have policies restricting employees' use of the company Internet for personal uses. In addition, even if such policies are not explicitly stated, it's a safe bet that most employers would frown on employees cyber-shopping on company time. Just how much time is online shopping sucking out of the work day? According to Ebates, 16 percent of Americans said they spend an hour or two each week shopping online at work, while 14 percent spend three to four hours a week, and 4 percent said they spend a decent chunk of their work time, five to seven hours per week, online shopping from their office. Mashable offers this advice: "How to Shop Discreetly at Work." Some Leniency According to Cleveland.com, some employers are lenient when it comes to their employees' online shopping, as long as they're not spending an exorbitant amount of time. "One of the reasons most employers are lenient regarding shopping at work is that senior management is more likely than their rank-and-file employees to do the shopping," Ryan Hunt, senior career adviser at CareerBuilder in Chicago, said in an email to Cleveland.com. Robert Half Technology, an international information technology staffing company, recently asked employers about their company policy regarding online shopping. Here's what they said: 27 percent of employers allow their employees unrestricted online shopping access. 42 percent allow some access but monitor the online shopping for excessive use. 30 percent of employers block access to online shopping sites. "It is part of a growing trend allowing more flexibility, to increase not only employee satisfaction, but ultimately employee productivity while at work," Eric Younkin, Cleveland branch manager for Robert Half Technology, told Cleveland.com.
Best Chemical Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Neuralstem Inc (CUR)
Neuralstem, Inc., incorporated in 1997, is a development-stage company focused on the development and commercialization of treatments for central nervous system disease based on transplanting human neural stems cells and the use of small molecule drugs. The Company has developed and maintains a portfolio of patents and patent applications that form base for its research and development efforts in the area of neural stem cell research. The Company's focus is the development of methods to generate replacement cells from neural stem cells.
In October of 2011, the Company announced that after reviewing safety data from the first 12 patients, the FDA granted approval for the trial to advance to transplanting patients in the cervical (upper back) region for the last six patients in the trial. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had treated 14 patients. In February of 2011, the Company commenced a Phase Ia clinical trial of its drug compound, NSI-189, which is being developed for the treatment of depressive disorder and other psychiatric indications. In October of 2011, the Company completed the Phase Ia portion of the trial. In December of 2011, the Company received approval from the FDA to commence the Phase Ib portion of the trial.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company was selected as the primary subcontractor for the United States Department of Defense (DOD) contract to develop human neural stem cell technology for the treatment of cancerous brain tumors. The Company commenced work on the project in May 2011. The Company has developed and patented a series of small molecule compounds (low molecular weights organic compounds which can efficiently cross the blood/brain barrier).
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GuruFocus]
George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated
- [By James E. Brumley]
Nine times out of ten, I'd be hesitant to be bullish on a stock that's already made a 57% run up in just five months. Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSEMKT:CUR) is that one out of ten instances though, where there's plenty more room ahead to keep on running. In fact, I think CUR could almost double in value from where it is now before the rally effort ran out of gas.
- [By John Udovich]
The results of a recent Pew Center Poll regarding attitudes towards abortion and various forms of stem cell research could be a good sign for the stem cell industry along with small cap stem cell stocks like StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM), NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR),�International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX). Basically, Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue with 49% of American adults believing abortion is morally wrong, 23%�view it not as a moral issue and and 15% view it as morally acceptable. However and when Americans were asked about issues surrounding�human embryos, such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization, as a matter of morality, their views were different.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
Neuralstem (CUR) is a biotechnology company, which is engaged in the development and commercialization of treatments for central nervous system disease based on transplanting human neural stem cells and the use of small molecule drugs. This stock closed up 6.1% to $1.72 in Thursday's trading session.
Thursday's Range: $1.59-$1.72
52-Week Range: $0.49-$1.96
Thursday's Volume: 590,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 474,694From a technical perspective, CUR ripped higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $1.57 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of CUR within range of triggering a major breakout trade above a former double top area. That trade will hit if CUR manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.75 to $1.79 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CUR as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $1.57 or above more key support levels at $1.55 to $1.43 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 474,694 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CUR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $1.96. Any high-volume move above that level will then give CUR a chance to tag $2.20 to $2.50.
Best International Companies To Invest In 2014: Nuance Communications Inc.(NUAN)
Nuance Communications, Inc. provides voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. It offers dictation and transcription solutions and services, which automate the input and management of medical information; and speech recognition solutions for radiology, cardiology, pathology, and related specialties that help healthcare providers dictate, edit, and sign reports without manual transcription. The company also offers mobile and consumer solutions and services comprising an integrated suite of voice control and text-to-speech solutions, desktop and portable computer dictation applications, predictive text technologies, mobile messaging services, and emerging services, such as dictation, Web search, and voicemail-to-text for manufacturers and suppliers of mobile phones, automotive products, personal navigation devices, computers, and other consumer electronics. In addition, it provides customer service business intelligence and authentication solutions for enterprises in the telecommunications, financial services, travel, entertainment, and government sectors to support, understand, and communicate with their customers. Further, the company offers document imaging, print management, and PDF solutions to multifunction printer manufacturers, home offices, small businesses, and enterprise customers; software development toolkits for independent software vendors; and licenses its software to multifunction printer manufacturers. Nuance Communications, Inc. markets and sells its products through direct sales force; its e-commerce Web site; and a network of resellers, including system integrators, independent software vendors, value-added resellers, hardware vendors, telecommunications carriers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as ScanSoft, Inc. and changed its name to Nuance Communications, Inc. in November 2005. Nuance Communications, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. Advisors' Opinion:
- [By jaggom]
Development stocks are always favored by investors. One such stock is Nuance (NUAN), which has been consistently impressive on the stock business. Nuance has performed truly well this year with 15% development in revenue. Yet it may confront weakness because of high official compensation, an aggressive acquisition strategy, and steep obligation. So let us see why investors should purchase Nuance and what works against it from an investment perspective.
- [By Sally Jones]
Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN)
Down 37% over 12 months, Nuance Communications Inc., the mobile phone voice ad company, has a market cap of $4.43 billion; it trades with a P/B of 1.70.
Best International Companies To Invest In 2014: Layne Christensen Company(LAYN)
Layne Christensen Company provides drilling, water treatment, and construction services, and related products to water infrastructure and mineral exploration markets. The company?s Water Infrastructure division offers a range of water-related products and services, including soil stabilization, hydrological studies, well design, drilling and development, pump installation, sewer rehabilitation, pipeline construction, and well rehabilitation services; and environmental drilling services to assist in assessing, investigating, monitoring, and characterizing water quality and aquifer parameters. This division also provides water treatment equipment engineering services; systems for the treatment of regulated and nuisance contaminants, such as iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, arsenic, radium, nitrate, perchlorate, and volatile organic compounds; wastewater pipeline and structure rehabilitation services; and geotechnical construction services to the heavy civil, industrial, a nd commercial construction markets, as well as designs and constructs water and wastewater treatment plants, and pipeline installations. Its Mineral Exploration division offers exploratory and definitional drilling services for the global mineral exploration industry. The company?s Energy division involves in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas primarily in the Midwestern United States. As of January 31, 2011, Layne Christensen Company had approximately 244,000 gross acres under lease and 643 gross producing wells. It also provides energy services. The company offers its services to municipalities, investor-owned water utilities, industrial and mining companies, consulting engineering firms, heavy civil construction contractors, oil and gas companies, and agribusiness. It has operations in North America, Africa, Australia, Europe, and Brazil. Layne Christensen Company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Mission Woods, Kan sas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Damian Illia]
On Dec. 9, Mario Gabelli added Layne Christensen Company (LAYN). Layne is a water management, construction and drilling company. The company has five segments: Water Resources Division, Inliner Division, Heavy Civil Division, Geoconstruction Division and Mineral Exploration Division.
- [By Sue Chang]
Layne Christensen (LAYN) �is projected to post a loss of 36 cents a share, according to a consensus survey by FactSet. Underperformance of the company�� minerals business is expected to cap the stock�� upside, according to analyst Gerard Sweeney at Boenning & Scattergood. He estimates the stock�� fair value for 2014 to be $16 to $17. Layne Christensen shares closed up 4.6% to $15.21 on Friday.
Best International Companies To Invest In 2014: PURE Bioscience Inc.(PURE)
Pure Bioscience, Inc. engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of bioscience products principally in the United States. The company offers silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) based antimicrobials. The silver dihydrogen citrate technology is an electrochemical process that allows the generation of ionized silver in the presence of organic acid. It provides PURE Hard Surface, a hard surface disinfectant and food contact surface sanitizer for use in food processing equipment, machinery, and utensils; Axen30, a hard surface disinfectant; Silv�ion, an antimicrobial formulation used as a raw material in the manufacturing of personal care products; and Axenohl, an antimicrobial formulation for use as a raw material in the manufacturing of environmental protection agency-registered products. The company also offers research and development services in food processing, agriculture, water treatment, pharmaceuticals, and oil and gas projects. It sells its products t hrough partners and distributors primarily to industrial and consumer markets. The company, formerly known as Innovative Medical Services, was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in El Cajon, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Glenwoods]
According to the global market research company Mintel, stevia-based products have increased 400% globally between 2008 and 2012, with a rise of 158% from 2011 to 2012. Stevia has grown so much in demand that the world�� largest alfalfa grower, California-based S&W Seed (SANW), began growing stevia with high glycoside yields for PureCircle (LN:PURE), the world�� largest producer of stevia, in 2011 and on roughly 250,118 acres. Now some U.S. tobacco farmers have begun to switch from growing tobacco to stevia, as tobacco sales are sliding and stevia sales are growing.
- [By Glenwoods]
While the fermentation-based method is still in its development stages, a Malaysian company, PureCircle (LON: PURE) (OTCMKTS: PCRTF), the world�� largest producer of stevia, continues to develop its stevia through farm-based methods.� Last September PureCircle, which also has offices in Oak Brook, Ill., signed a joint agreement with the Coca-Cola Coto investigate and develop a commercially viable stevia sweetener product; and earlier this month in a press release, the two companies announced they were developing what should be a better flavor profile than the much used Reb A with rebaudioside D (Reb D) and Rebaudioside X (Reb X).� Reb D, though roughly 10% less sweet than Reb A, has a significantly lower bitterness that Reb A and has been found to have a more desirable taste profile, especially in cola products where stevia previously has not worked well.� The issue with both Reb D and Reb X is that they are found in much smaller amounts than Reb A. Thus, at this time it will take a lot more stevia leaves to produce the extracts.
Best International Companies To Invest In 2014: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated provides healthcare services in the United States. Its Health Benefits segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; and non-employer based insurance options for purchase by individuals. It also provides health and well-being services for individuals aged 50 and older; and for services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals, as well as health plans for the beneficiaries of acute and long-term care Medicaid plans. This segment offers its services through a network of 730,000 physicians and other health care professionals, and 5,300 hospitals. Its OptumHealth segment provides health, financial, and ancillary services and products that assist consumers through personalized health management solutions; benefit administration, and clinical and network management; health-based financi al services; behavioral solutions; and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life, critical illness, short-term disability, and stop-loss product offerings. The company?s Ingenix segment offers database and data management services, software products, publications, consulting and actuarial services, business process outsourcing services, and pharmaceutical data consulting and research services. Its Prescription Solutions segment provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services comprising retail network pharmacy contracting and management, claims processing, mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy, benefit design consultation, rebate contracting and management, drug utilization review, formulary management programs, disease therapy management, and adherence programs to employer groups, union trusts, managed care organizations, Medicare-contracted plans, Medicaid plans, and third party administrators. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Minne tonka, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Teresa Rivas]
UnitedHealth (UNH) was trading lower on Thursday, as a small earnings beat wasn�� enough to distract investors from light revenue and worries about the Affordable Care Act.
The nation�� largest insurer��nd the first to report earnings that reflect changes mandated by healthcare reform��aid it earned $1.1 billion, or $1.10 a share, down from $1.16 a share a year ago but one penny ahead of analysts��expectations.
Revenue grew 4.5% to $31.7 billion, just below the $32 billion consensus.
Yet the company�� commentary about the effect of the healthcare law was downbeat, saying the Affordable Care Act shaved off about 30 cents per share in earnings, as a result of taxes, Medicare Advantage cuts, and loss of customers (although it saw an increase in its Medicaid plans).
Raymond James��Michael Baker remained bullish on the name, writing that he ��xpect share price performance will be driven by the company�� ability to grow in a challenging backdrop, leveraging its diversified footprint.��/p>
By contrast, Citigroup�� Carl McDonald�downgraded the stock to Neutral yesterday, which caused a selloff in UnitedHealth and the broader sector. He had these initial thoughts: ��his will be the first test of whether the market was expecting weather related utilization pressure to fuel big first quarter beats, or if everyone is okay with in-line to slightly better results. United�� commercial medical loss ratio (MLR) improved 100 basis points versus last year, to 77.3%, but the health insurance industry fee should have pushed the commercial MLR down over 200 basis points alone. United cited hepatitis costs as one factor, while lower reserve development may have been another contributor.��/p>
UnitedHealth’s decline was weighing on peers Thursday, with names like�WellPoint (WLP) Aetna (AET) and Humana (HUM) in the red.
- [By Travis Hoium]
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH ) was up 6.8% this week to lead the Dow. On Monday, an analyst projected that United Health would be able to grow Medicare Advantage enrollment despite reimbursement cuts. After concerns about government cuts hit health-care companies in early 2013, there's now growing understanding that Obamacare or cuts to Medicare won't slash profits. One of the reasons is the insurance lobby, which has been able to bend policy to make sure companies like UnitedHealth are still posting solid profits. ��
Best International Companies To Invest In 2014: Urban Outfitters Inc.(URBN)
Urban Outfitters Inc. operates lifestyle specialty retail stores under the Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN brand names in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Its Urban Outfitters stores sell women?s and men?s fashion apparel, footwear, accessories, and gifts, as well as apartment wares, such as rugs, pillows, shower curtains, books, candles, and novelties to young adults aged 18 to 28; and Anthropologie stores provide women?s casual apparel and accessories, shoes, gifts, and decorative items, as well as home furnishings, including furniture, rugs, lighting, antiques, table top items, and bedding to women aged 28 to 45. The company?s Free People stores primarily offer Free People branded merchandise mix of casual women?s apparel, intimates, shoes, accessories, and gifts to young contemporary women aged 25 to 30; Terrain store provides lifestyle home and garden products, antiques, live plants, flowers, wellness products, and accessori es, as well as landscape and design service solutions; and BHLDN store offers a range of weeding collections consisting of wedding gowns, bridesmaid frocks, party dresses, assorted jewelry, headpieces, footwear, lingerie, and decorations. As of January 31, 2012, it operated 197 Urban Outfitters stores, 168 Anthropologie stores, 62 Free People stores, 1 Terrain garden center, and 1 BHLDN store. The company also operates a wholesale business under the Free People brand name that distributes apparel to other retailers and department stores in the United States. In addition, it markets its brands directly to consumers through its e-commerce Websites, including urbanoutfitters.com, anthropologie.com, freepeople.com, urbanoutfitters.co.uk, urbanoutfitters.de, urbanoutfitters.fr, anthropologie.eu, shopterrain.com, and bhldn.com, as well as through its Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People catalogs. The company was founded in 1970 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvani a.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Bieglmeier]
Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN) plans to announce third quarter results on Monday, November 18, 2013. A conference call is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET to discuss the results and business environment.
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