Top Consumer Stocks To Buy Right Now

On Friday, investors responded positively to favorable economic news, with favorable readings on personal income and spending pointing to the resiliency of the American consumer, even in the face of tough winter conditions that many businesses have blamed for temporary shortfalls in revenue and earnings. Even though the broader market gave up most of its gains from earlier in the day, GameStop (NYSE: GME  ) , TriNet Group (NYSE: TNET  ) , and Restoration Hardware (NYSE: RH  ) all managed to hold onto large advances in their respective share prices going into the weekend.

GameStop jumped 9% Friday, more than making back its losses from yesterday following a quarterly report that initially disappointed investors. The video game retailer saw same-store sales rise 7.8%, but adjusted earnings fell 12%. Despite favorable guidance for 2014, investors worried about the prospect of tougher competition from Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT  ) and other retailers, as well as steps from video game makers to eliminate the need for GameStop's middleman services. Analysts at Sterne Agee accentuated the positives in GameStop's report today, with expectations that earnings growth and GameStop's investor day next month could send the stock higher this year if the video game industry generally prospers from the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Moreover, initiatives to broaden GameStop's scope to sell other electronics could be a good way to use its store base, even if other companies have struggled selling those electronics on their own.

Best Construction Stocks To Invest In 2016: Career Education Corp (CECO)

Career Education Corporation, incorporated on January 5, 1994, through its colleges, schools and universities offers education to a student population of more than 75,000 students across the world in a variety of career-oriented disciplines through online, on-ground and hybrid learning program offerings. The Company operates four business units: University Schools, Career Schools, International and Transitional Schools. The Company�� institutions include, among others, American InterContinental University (AIU); Brooks Institute; Colorado Technical University (CTU); Harrington College of Design; INSEEC Group (INSEEC) Schools; International University of Monaco (IUM); International Academy of Design & Technology (IADT); Le Cordon Bleu North America (LCB), and Sanford-Brown Institutes and Colleges. In December 2013, Career Education Corp announced sale and transfer of control of its European education properties to private equity firm Apax Partners.

University Schools

The Company�� Colorado Technical University (CTU) schools collectively offer academic programs in the career-oriented disciplines of business studies, information systems and technologies, criminal justice, computer science and engineering, and health sciences in an online, classroom or laboratory setting. American InterContinental University (AIU) schools collectively offer academic programs in the career-oriented disciplines of business studies, information technologies, criminal justice and design technologies in an online, classroom or laboratory setting.

Career Schools

The Company�� Health Education includes its Sanford-Brown schools, along with Brown College, Briarcliffe College and Missouri College. These schools collectively offer academic programs in the career-oriented disciplines of health education, complemented by certain programs in business studies and information technology in a classroom, laboratory or online setting. Culinary Arts includes its Le Cordon Bleu schoo! ls in North America that collectively offer hands-on programs in the career-oriented disciplines of culinary arts and patisserie and baking in the commercial kitchens of Le Cordon Bleu, and advanced degree programs in culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management online. Design and Technology includes IADT, Harrington College of Design and Brooks Institute schools. These schools collectively offer academic programs primarily in the career-oriented disciplines of fashion design, game design, graphic design, interior design, film and video production, photography and visual communications in a classroom, laboratory or online setting, as well as jobs training in the field of energy conservation.

International

The Company�� International includes its INSEEC schools and IUM school which are located in France, the United Kingdom and Monaco. These schools collectively offer academic programs in the career-oriented disciplines of business studies, health education, advertising, communications and technologies and luxury goods and services in a classroom or laboratory setting.

Transitional Schools

The Company�� Transitional Schools includes its campuses that are being taught out. Schools that operate within this segment include Collins College, Phoenix, AZ, Colorado Technical University (CTU), CTU Pueblo, Pueblo, CO, and CTU Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls, SD.

The Company competes with Apollo Group, Bridgepoint Education, Inc., Capella Education Company, Corinthian Colleges, Inc., DeVry Inc., Education Management Corporation, Grand Canyon Education, Inc., ITT Educational Services, Kaplan and Strayer Education.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the Move: Career Education Corp. (NASDAQ: CECO) is up 57.6% at $5.99 after selling its European properties for $305 million. NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ) is down another 12.3% at $10.60 after yesterday�� 50% drop following a scathing report from analysts at Muddy Waters.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  While the given problems that are plaguing Corinthian Colleges Inc. (NASDAQ:COCO) are unique to that particular for-profit school today, the underpinnings for today's 62% implosion from COCO shares are just as big of a threat to the likes of Apollo Education Group Inc. (NASDAQ:APOL), Career Education Corp. (NASDAQ:CECO), and most other for-profit education names. In fact, those woes have been well documented for a while, and showing up each company's books for almost as long. Pictures tell the grim tale for CECO, APOL, and all the rest as effectively as any words could, so let's let the images of what's going on here do most of the talking, beginning with... Career Education Corp.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Career Education Corp. (CECO) has gained 53% to $5.80 in after-hours trading after it sold its international schools to a private equity firm.

  Express Scripts (ESRX) has fallen 2.7% to $62 in after-hours trading after it reported a profit of $1.08, in line with analyst forecasts, but said the fourth quarter would come in between $109 and $1.13. Analyst had forecast $1.12.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Investors had a little better luck this week, as plenty of stocks were on the move.�Boeing (BA), for instance, was the big winner in the Dow Jones Industrial Average after it gained 7.1% to $131.19 this week following a big earnings beat thanks to big profits from its commercial aircraft division. Alexion Pharmaceutical� (ALXN), meanwhile, was the biggest non-tech gainer in the S&P 500, with a 15% gain to 125.17. It beat earnings and had a drug designated fast-tracked for approval. And over in the S&P 1500, Career Education Corp. (CECO) gained 91% to $5.98 after selling its European schools for more than its market cap.

Top Consumer Stocks To Buy Right Now: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (SSNLF.PK)

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. mainly engaged in the production of consumer electronic products. It operates in two divisions: DMC division, which is divided into consumer electronics (CE) and information technology & mobile communications (IM) businesses, as well as DS division, which is divided into semiconductor and liquid crystal display (LCD) businesses. Its CE business engages in the production of color televisions (CTVs), monitors, air conditioners, refrigerators and others. Its IM business engages in the production of printers, computers, handhold phones (HHPs) such as feature phones, smart phones and others, and network systems, among others. Its semiconductor business engages in the production of semiconductors, such as memories, system large scale integrated circuits (LSIs) and others. Its LCD business engages in the production of thin film transistor (TFT) LCDs and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), among others.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sneha Shah]

  Nokia (NOK) is starting to rival Samsung (SSNLF.PK) in rapidly releasing new smartphones for the global market. The company announced and released a 4.7 inches Nokia 625 in a month's time and is all set to introduce a larger phablet next month. The company's low end 520 has been a big success and the initial indications about the Lumia 1020 are also very encouraging. Nokia has launched almost 15 Lumias in the past one and half years and has managed to grow shipments sharply. The company has almost totally captured the Windows 8 mobile OS accounting for 85% of all the WP 8 smartphones shipped. Nokia still faces some issues regarding profitability and competition, but the company's Lumia performance has been excellent in the past couple of quarters. Nokia is now all set to fill a big gap in its portfolio by launching a Windows tablet running on a Qualcomm (QCOM) processor. While most analysts have dismissed this as futile even before the launch, I think that this is a good move on Nokia's part. The company remains cheap given its valuable technology assets and improved strategy execution.

• [By Sneha Shah]

  Nokia's Lumia 520 is the cheapest WP 8 smartphone in the market with a price of around ~$160. This phone has been one of the most popular smartphones in this category, given the number of features at this price range. The phone has a good 4.3 inch screen size with free Windows office and HERE maps. The design and looks are extremely good compared to the cheap plastic found on Android phones. The Lumia 620 is the second cheapest Lumia with a price of ~$220. Now Nokia has made buying these phones even more attractive by allowing exchange schemes for these smartphones. Note most of the other major smartphone sellers such as Apple, Samsung (SSNLF.PK) and Blackberry have already come out with smartphone exchange schemes. These are nothing but disguised discounting schemes to promote sales. Nokia too has joined the bandwagon and now you can buy a Nokia 520 for only ~$120. This makes the WP 8 phone highly competitive with the cheapest Android which sells at ~$80-100. The value proposition of the 520 is much higher than these Androids in my view and 520 sales should surge.

• [By Russ Fischer]

  Since barely a week before the show, Samsung (SSNLF.PK) announced that it was "in production" on a new 3D NAND process. Since 3D NAND is considered the holy grail of NAND technology of the future, you would think that Samsung would be a shoe-in for the product of the year at the 2013 Flash Summit. And If you though that, you would have been wrong. The actual winner of the Best of Show award was Micron's (MU) new 16nm planar NAND memory made with the HKMG (High K Metal Gate) process. In order for Micron to have won this award, the new 16nm must be a more elegant process than we thought.

Top Consumer Stocks To Buy Right Now: Anadolu Efes Biracilik ve Malt Sanayii AS (AEFES)

Anadolu Efes Biracilik ve Malt Sanayii AS is the holding company of Efes Beverage Group, based in Turkey. Its activities consist of production, bottling, selling and distribution of beer under a number of trademarks and also production, bottling, selling and distribution of sparkling and still beverages with the Coca-Cola company trademark. The Company owns and operates a number of breweries in Turkey and abroad, malt production facilities in Turkey and Russia, and also a number of facilities in Turkey and in other countries for sparkling and still beverages production. It has joint control over Coca-Cola Icecek AS (CCI), which undertakes production, bottling and distribution facilities of Coca-Cola products in Turkey, Pakistan, Central Asia and the Middle East. Also the Company has joint control over Anadolu Etap Tarm ve Gda Urunleri San. ve Tic. AS, which undertakes production and sales of fruit juice concentrates and purees in Turkey. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andras Gergely]

  The Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange National 100 Index slid a second day after reaching a record on May 22. Anadolu Efes (AEFES) sank the most since September 2011. Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi AS, a Turkish producer of civilian and military vehicles, rose to an all-time high after Hurriyet Daily News reported the company could sell tanks to Saudi Arabia.

Top Consumer Stocks To Buy Right Now: Attitude Drinks Inc (ATTD)

Attitude Drinks Incorporated (Attitude), incorporated on May 10, 1988, is a brand-development company. The Company focuses on the non-alcoholic single serving beverage business, developing and marketing of milk based products in two segments: sports recovery and functional dairy. The Company does not directly manufacture its products but instead outsources the manufacturing process to third party packers.

Attitude has developed its second product, which is branded as Phase III Recovery is a milk-based protein drink which is available in chocolate and vanilla flavors. The Company�� co-packer for its dairy based product is O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative, Inc. in Batavia, New York. This product contains 35 grams of protein that are inherent in filtered milk. The product is packaged as a retort-processed shelf stable dairy-based 100% milk-based sports recovery drink in both chocolate and vanilla flavors.

The Company competes with The Coca-Cola Company and Pepsico Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Attitude Drinks Inc (OTCMKTS: ATTD), Axiologix, Inc (OTCMKTS: AXLX) and Unisource Corporation (OTCMKTS: USRC) have all been getting some attention lately in investment emails or investor alerts thanks in part to paid promotions. And while there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed paid promotions or investor relations activity, such activity can backfire on unwary investors or traders. With that in mind, here is a closer look at all three small cap stocks to help you decide whether they are truly hot or not:

Top Consumer Stocks To Buy Right Now: Vapor Corp (VPCO)

Vapor Corp (Vapor), incorporated in 1987, is engaged in designing, marketing and distributing electronic cigarettes and accessories under the Fifty-One, Krave, VaporX, EZ Smoker, Green Puffer, Americig, Fumre Hookah Stix and Smoke Star brands. Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered products that enable users to inhale nicotine vapor without smoke, tar, ash, or carbon monoxide. Electronic cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes and consists of three functional components: a mouthpiece, which is a small plastic cartridge that contains a liquid nicotine solution; a heating element that vaporizes the liquid nicotine so that it can be inhaled; and the electronics, which include: a lithium-ion battery, an airflow sensor, a microchip controller and an light emitting diode (LED), which illuminates to indicate use. When a user draws air through the electronic cigarette, the air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes the solution stored in the mouthpiece/cartridge, the solution is then vaporized and it is this vapor that is inhaled by the user. The cartridge contains either a nicotine solution or a nicotine free solution, either of which may be flavored. The Company offers rechargeable and disposable electronic cigarettes in two varieties: a two-piece unit, which the Company markets under its DUO product line; and a three-piece unit, which the Company markets under its TRIO product line.

The DUO

The DUO's 2-part construction (battery component and cartridge) features a disposable all-in-one atomized cartridge (also known as a cartomizer). This cartomizer is replaced when the nicotine or nicotine free solution is depleted from use. The all-in-one configuration eliminates the need for maintenance of a separate atomizer and maintains consistent performance of the e-cigarette over time.

The TRIO

The TRIO's 3-part construction (battery component, atomizer, and filter cartridge) features a separate atom! izer from the cartridge; the atomizer is reused and requires separate maintenance over its useful life. Replacement atomizers are available for sale and are easily serviceable by the user. In the TRIO, the only component that needs to be routinely replaced is the refill cartridge (either with or without nicotine).

The Company's electronic cigarettes are sold in kits. In addition to kits the Company sells replacement batteries, replacement mouthpieces that contain the liquid solution and atomizer, for its two-piece configurations as well as mouthpieces with the liquid solution and separate atomizers for its three-piece units. In addition to the Company's electronic cigarette products the Company sells an assortment of accessories, including chargers and simple and fashionable cases. The Company also offers refill cartridges and accessories for its electronic cigarettes. The Company's refill cartridges consist of assorted flavors and nicotine levels (including cartridges without nicotine).

The Company competes with Altria Group, Inc. and Reynolds American Inc.,

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Fans and investors of American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII) - not to mention frenemies Vapor Corp. (OTCMKTS:VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (OTCMKTS:ECIG) - can all breathe a sigh of relief today. As it turns out, while the electronic cigarette industry is more than likely be regulated by the FDA, it's going to be regulated in such a way that tends to favor the likes of AHII, ECIG, and VPCO.

Top Consumer Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sony Corp Ord(SNE)

Sony Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and sells electronic equipment, instruments, and devices for consumer, professional, and industrial markets worldwide. The company offers consumer products and devices, including televisions, video cameras, compact digital cameras and interchangeable single-lens cameras, Blu-ray Disc players/recorders, DVD-video players/recorders, home theaters and audio systems, and portable audio and car audio products. It also provides charged coupled devices, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor image sensors, system LSIs, small- and medium-sized LCD panels, and other semiconductors; and components, such as batteries, optical disk drives, chemical products, audio/video/data recording media, storage media, and optical pickups. In addition, the company develops, produces, markets, and distributes games, such as PlayStation3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 2 hardware and related software; and PCs and flash memory digital audio pl ayers, as well as manufactures broadcast- and professional-use products, Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and CD discs. Further, it produces and distributes motion pictures and television programs, and home entertainment; creates and distributes digital content; operates television networks and studio facilities; and develops entertainment products, services, and technologies. Additionally, the company engages in the music publishing business, as well as provision of various financial services, including insurance, savings products, loans, and credit financing services; and a network service business and an advertising agency business. It also involves in research, development, design, production, marketing, sales, distribution, and servicing mobile phones, accessories, services, and applications. The company was formerly known as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha and changed its name to Sony Corporation in 1958. Sony Corporation was founded in 1946 and is based in Tokyo, Japan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  In fact, the transition would be very similar to Ericsson's renewed focus on infrastructure, which involved selling off its interest in handsets to joint venture partner Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) . That transaction, which was completed in February 2012, hasn't hurt Ericsson's sales any and seems to have boosted the company's cash flows.