Weekly COMEX Gold Update: Registered Gold Continues To Decline

In the previous week's report, we covered how registered COMEX gold inventories continued to drop even with the rising gold price and this was in contrast to eligible gold inventories, which had a small rise. This week's COMEX data shows a surprising drop in registered gold inventories as they were moved to the eligible category.

This is something that should be very relevant to investors who own physical gold and the gold ETFs (GLD, PHYS, and CEF) because any abnormal inventory declines may signify extraordinary events behind the scenes that would ultimately affect the gold price.

(click to enlarge)

Source: http://www.sharelynx.com

As you can see on the chart above, after the large decline in both registered and eligible gold stocks since the end of 2012, we are now seeing some stabilization in gold inventories. We will take a closer look at these numbers, but let us first explain the COMEX a little more for investors who are unfamiliar with it.

Introduction to COMEX Warehousing

COMEX is an exchange that offers metal warehousing and storage options for its clients. The list of their silver warehouses can be found here and their gold warehouses can be found here. In the case of silver and gold, the metal is stored at these official warehouses on behalf of banks and their clients and can be used to settle futures contracts, transferred between clients, or withdrawn from the warehouse. This offers large holders of precious metals a convenient way to store their metal with minimal storage fees - very convenient indeed if you hold large amounts of gold or silver and you don't want to store them in your basement.

Silver and gold stored in these warehouses can fall into two categories: Eligible and Registered.

Eligible metals are those that conform to the exchange's requirements of size (1000 ounce bars for silver and! 100 ounce bars for gold), purity, and refined by an exchange approved refiner. Eligible metals are stored at COMEX warehouses on behalf of banks or private parties, but are not available for delivery for a futures contract.

Registered metals are similar to eligible metals except that these metals are also available for delivery to settle a futures contract. COMEX issues a daily report on gold, silver, copper, platinum, and palladium stocks, which lists all the metal that is currently stored in COMEX warehouses and how much eligible and registered metal is present.

This information provides investors insight into how much metal is currently backing COMEX futures contracts, what large gold and silver owners are doing with their metals, and how many clients are requesting delivery of their metals. There is a lot more to glean from this information but for the purpose of this article we will focus on the gold drawdown.

This Week's Changes: Large Decline in Registered Gold as it is Transferred to Eligible Gold

Let us now take a deeper look at the gold draw-downs being seen in the COMEX warehouses.

(click to enlarge)

As investors can see in the table above, we have been seeing consistent declines in gold inventories since December. Last week we saw eligible stocks of COMEX gold increase by 64,713 ounces and total COMEX gold decline by 31 ounces (essentially a kilo bar of gold).

Let us now take a look at registered gold stocks.

(click to enlarge)

Last week's registered gold stocks had a sizable 64,744 ounce decline (close to 10% of all registered stocks), with most of that being a transfer from registered to eligible status. This means that this gold didn't leave the COMEX warehouses.

! What does! this Mean for Gold Investors

The large declines in COMEX gold inventory seems to have stabilized in the past month as the gold price has rebounded from its July lows. This may suggest that the rumored transfers of gold from COMEX warehouses to Asian gold markets and warehouses may be subsiding.

But what hasn't been stopping is the decline of registered gold inventories. In the past week they dropped by just under 10% to a new all-time low, though the majority of this was due to a change in status from registered to eligible since eligible gold increased by almost the same amount. We're not sure exactly what this means, but it does seem to suggest that investors are increasingly wary about keeping gold available for delivery - though they are not transferring it out of the COMEX anymore.

For gold investors we believe that the COMEX situation is still very bullish. The fact that registered gold continues to decline suggests that there is a lack of desire from gold owners to sell their physical gold at current prices, which is supported by the current backwardation seen in the gold markets. A situation where large owners of gold are not offering much of it to settle gold contracts is a situation that an investor would want to own physical gold.

Therefore the situation is still very bullish for investors in physical gold and the gold ETFs (GLD, CEF, and PHYS). Investors interested in leveraging this situation into higher potential profits may also consider buying gold miners such as Randgold (GOLD), Goldcorp (GG), Yamana Gold (AUY), and any of the other gold miners. Finally, those willing to shoulder much larger risks may consider some of the exploration and micro-cap companies that offer significant profits at a high risk such as Chesapeake Gold (CHPGF.PK), Pretium Resources (PVG), Western Copper (WRN), or any other of the junior exploration companies. Though investors should keep in mind that gold mining companies and explorers do not always rise with a rising gold price - do your! research! before you invest in the miners.

Hot Cheap Stocks To Own Right Now

We will keep an eye on COMEX inventories, but for now we are very curious to see what it will take before gold starts flowing back into the COMEX. Until then the situation remains bullish for gold investors.

Source: Weekly COMEX Gold Update: Registered Gold Continues To Decline

Disclosure: I am long SGOL, SIVR, GG, GOLD, CHPGF.PK, WRN, PVG. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Yandex: A Russian Search Engine For Profit Seekers

Our new stock idea is a speculation name, Yandex N.V., (YNDX), which is a Dutch company but really a Russian Internet search engine firm. Yandex trades on the Nasdaq exchange when it hasn't crashed, at around $33. Bank of America Merrill Lynch has a target price of $45. It is rated 'buy by 8 analysts, "strong buy" by 2, and "hold" by 2.

YNDX also offers search engines in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and with its latest deal Turkey. Ukraine and Russia currently have tense relations, Turkey and Russia are at loggerheads over Syria, and Belarus and Russia dispute pricing potash, so there are clear and present political risks. Yandex search is financed via advertising to computers, mobile phones and other digital devices. It also does money transfers in its homeland via a joint venture with Sberbank, called Yandex Money, of which it owns 75%.

YNDX has 61.7% of the Russian search market according to LiveInternet. It also offers cloud storage, 20 gigabytes free and more if you need it, at the rate of $1/month for 10 gb or $5/m for 100 gb, with a discount for annual payment.

Yandex reported second quarter profits of 2.9 billion rubles, up 47% from prior year. This equals $89.1 million or 27 cents US/share beating Capital IQ estimates by 6 cents/share. It also raised its revenue guidance for the year (in rubles) to 34-38% from an earlier estimate that revenue would rise only 30%. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, a measure of cash-flow) rose 40% to Rs4.3 billion and operating profit 43% to Rs 3.2 billion. Earnings were enhanced by Rs 35 million because of the rise of the greenback in Q2. The CEO and co-founder of the firm, Ilya Segalovich, died in July.

Yandex has upwardly revised earnings and sales over the past year which also beat analyst forecasts. Brokers have now started to revise earnings forecasts up - and in one case down. But the Merrill "thundering herd" is positive calling YNDX the best idea in in! ternet service firms against which it is trading at a discount.

In the year to March 2013 revenues grew 34% and gross margins 57%. Net margins came to nearly 34%. YNDX is not borrowing money to grow - it has no debt. It also pays no dividend. The forward price/earnings ratio (according to Thomson Reuters) is 25x or 80% of its growth rate. Its backward p/e ratio tops 39x. The market capitalization is $10.9 billion, not small-cap land, reducing the chances of a tech major acquiring YNDX.

Being from Russia and invested in the boondocks of Eastern Europe means YNDX is not closely correlated with other markets but it's risky and volatile in its own right based on the politics in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Turkey, all troubled places. It also is vulnerable to generalized tech selloffs and Nasdaq risks.

Best Gold Companies To Buy For 2014

Our global-investing.com biotech maven, who owned the stock for a couple of years, says it's now on a roll, with great momentum, up 52% year to date. MarketEdge says to put a sell stop at $27 to protect yourself. I don't like stops, especially not for Nasdaq shares whose after-hours pricing went wild last week after the shut-down. Pay $33 and change.

Source: Yandex: A Russian Search Engine For Profit Seekers

Disclosure: I am long YNDX. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More...)

Daily ETF Roundup: XLI Pops, XHB Rallies On Foreclosure Data

U.S. equities ended in positive territory once again today after the second quarter earnings season kicked off on a relatively positive note. Yesterday, bellwether Alcoa reported adjusted earnings that were higher than expected, while revenues fell in line with expectations. In economic news, the National Federation of Independent Business reported that its small-business optimism index fell in June from the month before, while the Conference Board's employment trends index rose 3.8% from a year ago .



Global Market Overview: FDN and XLP Pop Ahead of Unofficial Start Of Earnings SeasonWith the second quarter earnings season on its way, all three major U.S. equity indexes managed to close in positive territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF rallied 0.51% after its underlying index was within 100 points of reaching its record close of 15,409.39. The S&P 500 ETF rose 0.72%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq ETF gained 0.62% after its underlying index posted its best close since October of 2000.

In Europe, markets were broadly higher; the Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.8%. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rallied 2.6% to close at its highest level since May, while China's Shanghai Composite tacked on 0.4%.

Bond ETF Roundup

U.S. Treasuries traded slightly higher today following a positive government auction of 3-year notes. Yields on 10-year notes fell 2 basis points, while 30-year bonds yields rose slightly to 3.644% and 3-year note yields fell 0.5 basis points .

Commodity Roundup

Crude oil futures traded higher today, settling above $103 a barrel to finish at their highest level in 14 months. In other energy trading, gasoline gained 4 cents while natural gas shed 3.4%. Meanwhile, gold futures rose to settle at $1,245.90 an ounce on Chinese inflation data.

ETF Chart Of The Day #1: The Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF was one of the best performers today, gaining 1.40% during the session. Industrial shares were among today's top ! performers, allowing this ETF to gap significantly higher at the open. XLI inched higher throughout the majority of the day, eventually settling at $44.03 a share .

Click To Enlarge

ETF Chart Of The Day #2: The SPDR Homebuilders ETF also posted a strong performance today, gaining 2.77% during the session. Following news that foreclosures in May were down 27% from a year ago, this ETF gapped higher at the open. XHB pushed higher throughout the day, eventually settling at $30.03 a share .

Click To Enlarge

ETF Fun Fact Of The DayThe best-performing themed strategy over the trailing 1-year period has been the Financials Free ETFdb Portfolio, which has gained 9.47%.



Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.

Bull of the Day: HEICO Corp (HEI) - Bull of the Day

Remember when the Fiscal Cliff was going to destroy defense-related stocks? That was so 40% ago, as my chart below shows comparing the iShares Dow Jones Aerospace & Defense index ETF (ITA) vs. the S&P 500 for the past year.

One year ago, Lockheed Martin CEO Robert Stevens told a House committee that deep Pentagon cuts slated to kick in January 2, 2012 would force his firm and others to fire employees and close factories. It was expected that those moves would hinder U.S. national security, erode defense firms' bench of highly skilled workers, and, of course, cut into weapons-makers' bottom lines.

But the blows never came. In fact, with big guns like Boeing (BA), Lockheed Martin (LMT), and Northrop Grumman (NOC), the ITA really took off in the past 5 weeks...

This group has consistently been in the top 20% of the 265 industries ranked by Zacks, since before the election last fall. Given this outperformance, I was drawn to looking at one of the sub-industries of the Aerospace/Defense sector which currently ranks 24th of 265.

A&D Equipment Makers

It makes sense that the suppliers of equipment to large Aerospace & Defense (A&D) companies would be doing well. I looked at these 3 Zacks #1 Rank stocks in the group:

Orbital Sciences (ORB) is a leading space technology systems company that designs, manufactures, operates and markets a broad range of space-related products and services.

Astronics Corporation (ATRO) is a manufacturer of specialized lighting and electronics for the cockpit, cabin and exteriors of military, commercial transport and private business jet aircraft.

HEICO Corporation (HEI) is engaged primarily in certain niche segments of the aviation, defense, space and electronics industries. HEICO's customers include a majority of the world's airlines and airmotives as well as numerous defense and space contractors and military! agencies worldwide in addition to telecommunications, electronics and medical equipment manufacturers.

I picked HEICO for "Bull of the Day" for two reasons. First, I like their projected earnings and sales growth of 19% and 13% respectively.

Secondly, I like the fact they have a diverse mix of products, target markets, and customers, beyond A&D. In other words, commercial and general aviation, not just the space program or the military. They even serve computer, electronics, and healthcare markets.

On May 22, the $2.9 billion company reported strong quarterly results and raised guidance. In the chart below, you can see the resulting breakout above $47 on strong volume.

On May 24, upward EPS estimate revisions from analysts caused HEI to become a Zacks #2 Rank (Buy). On June 27, when HEI was still trading below $51, it became a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy).

Head-to-Head on All the Metrics

One great resource in the Zacks Premium tools is the ability to compare industry peers on dozens of fundamental metrics. Here's a snapshot of these 3 companies from the Earnings view...

What stands out is that HEICO is more expensive on a valuation basis. But if the global trends of commercial aviation expansion continue to favor the fortunes of companies like Boeing, HEICO should be along for the flight.

But, what about that Boeing 787 fire at Heathrow on Friday? We'll get to that in a moment.

Here is how HEICO structures itself in two primary business segments...

The Flight Support group designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs, distributes and overhauls FAA-approved parts that extend over the entire aircraft, from the engines all the way to hydraulic, pneumatic, electromechanical, avionic, structures, wheels and brakes and even int! eriors.

The Electronic Technologies group produces electrical and electro-optical systems and components serving niche segments of the aerospace, defense, communications, and computer industries.

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Boeing 787 Woes: Where There's Smoke...

This week should be an interesting one for many of these A&D stocks after the damage to Boeing shares on Friday. A 787 runway fire at London's Heathrow airport sent the stock down over $8 (7.5%) in less than 20 minutes on the news.

But BA shares bounced off of $99 to close just below $102, down only $5 (4.7%). Not terrible considering it just made new all-time highs Friday above $108, eclipsing the record highs set in July 2007 above that mark.

The good news for HEI shares is that they only fell 1% and are still within 1% of their closing all-time high just below $55. Going forward, I would trade any of these A&D equipment makers in tandem with their large-cap A&D customers.

In other words, as the big guns of the sector go, so go the suppliers. Right now, I like HEI the best for its sold growth, diverse products and customers, and a strong price chart.

If Boeing can put out their fires, HEICO should be a good wing man.

Kevin Cook is a Senior Stock Strategist with Zacks.com

Can Intel Continue to Soar Higher?

With shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) trading around $23, is INTC an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Intel designs, manufactures, and sells integrated digital technology platforms worldwide. The company operates through PC Client Group, Data Center Group, Other Intel Architecture, Software and Services, and All Other segments. It offers microprocessors, chipset, system-on-chip products, wired network connectivity products, and wireless connectivity products. The company also provides mobile phone components comprising of baseband processors, radio frequency transceivers, and power management integrated circuits and mobile phone platforms, such as Bluetooth wireless technology. In addition, it offers endpoint security, network and content security, risk and compliance, and consumer and mobile security software products for consumer, mobile, and corporate environments to protect systems from malicious virus attacks, as well as loss of data. Processors are essential pieces of hardware for just about any technology or machinery that operates in virtually every industry. So long as technology keeps improving, and it will, Intel will continue to provide innovative products to developed and developing countries and economies, worldwide. The variety of products offered by Intel make it a major player in the technology industry that will surely see increased profits well into the future.

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T = Technicals on the Stock Chart are Strong

Intel stock has been a part of a price range extend back to early 2001. The stock is at the middle of this range and is looking at heading towards the top end, if not higher. Analyzing the price trend and its strength can be done using key simple moving averages. What are the key moving averages? The 50-day (pink), 100-day (blue), and 200-day (yellow) simple moving averages. As seen in the daily price chart below, Intel is trading above its rising key averages which signal neutral to bullish price action in the near-term.

(Source: Thinkorswim)

Taking a look at the implied volatility (red) and implied volatility skew levels of Intel options may help determine if investors are bullish, neutral, or bearish.

	Implied Volatility (IV)	30-Day IV Percentile	90-Day IV Percentile
Intel Options	22%	13%	14%

What does this mean? This means that investors or traders are buying a very small amount of call and put options contracts, as compared to the last 30 and 90 trading days.

	Put IV Skew	Call IV Skew
May Options	Flat	Average
June Options	Flat	Average

As of today, there is an average demand from call buyers or sellers and low demand by put buyers or high demand by put sellers, all neutral to bullish over the next two months. To summarize, investors are buying a very small amount of call and put option contracts and are leaning neutral to bullish over the next two months.

On the next page, let’s take a look at the earnings and revenue growth rates and the conclusion…

E = Earnings Are Decreasing Quarter-Over-Quarter

Rising stock prices are often strongly correlated with rising earnings and revenue growth rates. Also, the last four quarterly earnings announcement reactions help gauge investor sentiment on Intel’s stock. What do the last four quarterly earnings and revenue growth (Y-O-Y) figures for Intel look like and more importantly, how did the markets like these numbers?

	2013 Q1	2012 Q4	2012 Q3	2012 Q2
Earnings Growth (Y-O-Y)	-24.53%	-24.40%	-10.77%	0%
Revenue Growth (Y-O-Y)	-2.56%	-2.95%	-5.41%	3.61%
Earnings Reaction	0.04%	-6.3%	-2.5%	3.27%

Intel has seen mostly decreasing earnings and revenue figures over the last four quarters. From these figures, the markets have had mixed feelings about Intel’s recent earnings announcements.

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P = Excellent Relative Performance Versus Peers and Sector

How has Intel stock done relative to its peers, Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD), Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN), Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), and sector?

	Intel	AMD	Texas Instruments	Nvidia	Sector
Year-to-Date Return	14.67%	12.71%	17.14%	9.79%	13.70%

Intel has been a relative performance leader, year-to-date.

Conclusion

Intel provides technology products that serve a variety of functions to a wide range of companies operating in diverse industry. The stock has been in a trading range for most of the last decade and looks to be headed towards the top end, if not higher. Earnings and revenue numbers have sent mixed signals to investors who have not been convinced about Intel’s earnings reports. Relative to its peers and sector, Intel has been one of the year-to-date performance leaders. Look for Intel to continue to OUTPERFORM.

5 High-Yield Tech Stocks Poised to Boost Dividends

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Looking back historically, dividends and tech stocks haven't exactly gone hand in hand. In fact, the S&P 500 hit its all-time low dividend yield --1.11% -- during the height of the dot-com bubble, as zero-yielding tech names made up a record chunk of the big index and ballooned in price.

>>5 Stocks Warren Buffett Is Buying in 2013

But in recent years, something strange has happened: The world's biggest tech names have matured.And like mature businesses tend to do, they're paying out dividends in record numbers.

Right now, the companies that make up the S&P 500 index are sitting on record cash -- and they're led by the technology sector. Ironically, in many respects, the high-risk tech stocks of yesterday are actually the best names for today's risk averse income investors. After all, tech stocks are more likely to have coffers stuffed with cash, little to no balance sheet leverage, and little reliance on the health of the consumer credit market.

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That's right -- if you're antsy about the state of the economy right now, high-yield tech stocks are the place to be. So today, we're taking a look at five names that look primed to hike their dividends in the next quarter.

Over the last three and a half decades, dividend stocks have outperformed the rest of the S&P 500 by 2.5% annually, and they outperformed nonpayers by nearly 8% every year, all while paying out cash to their shareholders, based on data compiled by Ned Davis Research. The numbers are even more compelling when looking at companies that consistently increase their payouts.

But instead of chasing payouts, we'll try to step in front of the next round of hikes.

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For our purposes, that "crystal ball" is composed of a few factors: namely a solid balance sheet, a low payout ratio, and a history of dividend hikes. While those items don't guarantee dividend announcements in the next month or three, they do dramatically increase the odds that management will hike their cash payouts, especially as investors start to get antsy about whether or not 2013's rally will be able to hang on.

Without further ado, here's a look at five tech stocks that could be about to increase their dividend payments in the next quarter.

Intel

As the standard bearer in the processor business, Intel (INTC) boasts a pretty wide moat. Al told, it owns around 80% of the microprocessor market. That scale, coupled with a computer chip market that's been out of favor with investors means that Intel's dividend yield is massive. At current prices, the firm pays out just over 4% of its market cap in cash to shareholders. And that number could be due for a hike in the next quarter.

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Intel's share of the PC chip market makes it a force to be reckoned with. Because the firm generates substantial cash, it's able to shove more money into R&D than any of its peers, and ensure that its products are the fastest, the most efficient, and the lowest cost. But that doesn't mean that Intel is unchallenged right now -- the mobile device market could pose a problem for Intel in the years ahead. That's because Intel doesn't own the dominant share of the chips that power mobile devices, and as consumers increasingly substitute their iPads for PCs, demand for chips remains soft. To combat that, Intel has been hard at work to market its Atom processor line, which has become increasingly competitive at using less power.

From a financial standpoint, Intel is in solid shape. The firm carries a $13 billion net cash and investment position, and that should continue to widen as Intel carves a bigger chunk out of the mobile market and sees the down cycle in PCs wear off. Currently, Intel pays a 22.5-cent quarterly dividend, but the firm has the wherewithal to hike that payout.

Seagate Technology

2013 has been a strong year for hard drive maker Seagate Technology (STX). Since the start of of the year, shares of the firm have rallied 30%, leaving the rest of the tech sector in the dust from a performance standpoint.

>>5 Stocks Under $10 to Trade for Breakouts

That's not a huge surprise. After all, the computer storage business has been hot in recent years, fuelled by big consumer trends like cloud computing and online movie and game distribution that greatly increase storage demand. Seagate is well-positioned to keep benefitting from that increased need for drives.

Like Intel, Seagate is standard bearer in its business. STX is the biggest manufacturer of enterprise hard drives, the storage medium that powers the world's servers and IT departments. Because most of Seagate's sales come from original equipment manufacturers rather than end-users, the firm should continue to benefit as storage needs grow, even if the PC manufacturers themselves struggle to find margins.

Solid-state drives do pose some threat to Seagate's business, especially in the high-end corners of the consumer and enterprise world. SSDs are much smaller and faster than conventional hard drives, but they offset those benefits with a far greater cost. Stop-gaps like hybrid drives should help knock fence-sitters over into Seagate's site of the business while the firm builds up its expertise in solid state media.

Right now, Seagate pays out a 38-cent dividend for a 3.85% yield. But not for long. Expect a hike to STX's payout in the near-term.
CA

New York-based CA (Ca) is another tech name that caters to enterprise customers. The firm provides management software and integration services for IT departments, with a specialization in mainframes. The firm's quarterly dividend payout weighs in at 25 cents per share, adding up to a 3.36% yield.

>>5 Stocks Poised to Pop on Bullish Earnings

Today, around 60% of CA's sales come from mainframes. That mainframe expertise should continue to serve the firm well, even if the giant machines are less commonplace at most large companies. While mainframes don't have the growth potential that the other side of CA's business enjoys, the clients that have made a huge commitment to mainframe integration aren't likely to change it. CA has also done a good job of positioning itself in line with tech's hottest areas like cloud computing and virtualization. As those technologies continue to grow in popularity in the business world, CA should continue to push its sales numbers higher, particularly with a customer list that already includes 99% of the Fortune 1000.

On the balance sheet side of things, CA is flush with cash. The firm carries more than a billion dollars in net cash, a position that covers nearly ten percent of CA's market capitalization. That liquidity puts the firm in good shape for a dividend hike.

Microchip Technology

You've probably used a product from Microchip Technology (MCHP) without even realizing it. The $7.6 billion firm makes products that are used in everything from remote controls to electric motors -- essentially any product that uses electronics falls within MCHP's target market.

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The microcontroller business is crowded, so to compete, MCHP went simple. The firm started targeting an even lower side of the market, eschewing the more complex side of the business where rivals are clustering, and opting instead to sell massive quantities of microcontrollers that perform mundane tasks. The chips are cheap to make and that drives double-digit net profit margins for Microchip.

It's also driven a $1 billion net cash position on the firm's books that effectively erases 15% of the risk from MCHP's shares, and puts the firm in a better position for a dividend hike. I'll admit that MCHP is a bit of a "gimme" when it comes to hiking payouts -- the firm's policy has it boosting its dividend by a small amount each quarter. Still, tacking small increases onto a 35.4-cent quarterly payout shouldn't be ignored. Currently, MCHP's dividend adds up to a generous 3.65% yield.

Nvidia

Nvidia (NVDA) has posted some strong performance this year for a chipmaker -- the firm's 21% gains year-to-date have outpaced the S&P by a respectable margin. Nvidia is a graphics chip designer whose products are found in devices ranging from PCs and mobile phones to gaming consoles. Right now, the firm pays out a 7.5-cent dividend for a 2% yield. While that's not exactly "high yield" in the historical sense, the low bar set by the Fed makes it look at whole lot more impressive.

>>5 New Trades From Renaissance Technologies

In recent years, processor makers like Intel have been working to add graphics processing abilities to their own chips. While that's harmed demand for dedicated graphics cards in laptops and lower end desktops, it's trickling up the food chain as capabilities improve. The trend towards higher-end graphics (such as 4K displays) in pro-level machines should help to limit that encroachment, as should Nvidia's increasing exposure to graphics hardware for supercomputers and consumer electronics such as the PlayStation 3.

Nvidia outsources all of its production, and that's a good thing. By keeping the capital-intense fixed costs of manufacturing off of NVDA's plate, the firm is able to keep its head above water when times get tough in exchange for slightly smaller margins. That's a tradeoff worth taking. With close to $3 billion in the bank and effectively no debt, NVDA sports a bargain valuation right now, and plenty of free cash to hike its dividend in the next quarter.

To see these stocks in action, check out the Dividend Hikes portfolio at Stockpickr.

-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

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Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now

LONDON -- I use a market statistics to identify shares for further research. Whatever the market conditions, stock-picking software will always identify a share worth buying.

AstraZeneca� (LSE: AZN  ) (NYSE: AZN  ) is the 12th biggest company in the FTSE 100. It is a true blue chip. According to a large number of investment strategies, the shares should be bought today.

What's to love?
AstraZeneca shares satisfy selection criteria that makes them attractive to three different types of investor. AstraZeneca currently ticks the boxes for value, income, and momentum strategies.

A value play
Investors have long been�skeptical�of the company's ability to develop new drugs. Perhaps as a result of this, AstraZeneca shares made no progress at all in the three years ending 2012.

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: Chevron Corporation(CVX)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Mora]

  Chevron provides essential energy products and services to growing companies and consumers worldwide. The stock has been on a bullish run for many years that has taken it to all-time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenue figures have been mixed, however, investors in the company have been mostly happy with earnings reports. Relative to its peers and sector, Chevron has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for Chevron to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Hawkinvest]

  Chevron Corporation (CVX) is a leading integrated energy company with exposure to oil, natural gas, refining, etc. This could be one of the most undervalued stocks in the market. Chevron pays a dividend that beats many other stock and bond yields, plus it has a below market price to earnings ratio of about 8 times earnings. The average stock in the S&P 500 Index currently trades for over 12 times earnings. If oil prices continue to rise, the already healthy profit estimates for Chevron might be too low. With oil prices showing strength this early in the season, Chevron could be poised to beat earnings in the coming months. However, the stock is trading at the upper end of the recent trading range. Recently, it has been possible to buy this stock at about $102 per share, so waiting for dips could pay off.

  Here are some key points for CVX:

  Current share price: $104.25

  The 52 week range is $85.63 to $110.01

  Earnings estimates for 2012: $12.66 per share

  Earnings estimates for 2013: $13.20 per share

  Annual dividend: $3.42 per share which yields 3.1%

• [By GuruFocus] Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Chevron Corp. His purchase prices were between $114.81 and $126.43, with an estimated average price of $120.86. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.18%. His holdings were 43,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: Brookfield Property Partners LP (BPY)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Brookfield Property Partners LP. His purchase prices were between $19.57 and $23.64, with an estimated average price of $21.67. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.13%. His holdings were 175,122 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: ONEOK, Inc. (OKE)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in ONEOK, Inc.. His purchase prices were between $41.16 and $52.13, with an estimated average price of $46.98. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.1%. His holdings were 70,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: Blackstone Group LP (BX)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Blackstone Group LP. His purchase prices were between $19.1 and $23.45, with an estimated average price of $21.2. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.09%. His holdings were 116,900 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: BlackRock Inc (BLK)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in BlackRock Inc. His purchase prices were between $245.3 and $291.69, with an estimated average price of $267.9. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.08%. His holdings were 9,100 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: KKR & Co LP (KKR)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in KKR & Co LP. His purchase prices were between $17.8 and $21.15, with an estimated average price of $19.85. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.08%. His holdings were 115,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: Eni SpA (E)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Eni SpA. His purchase prices were between $40.39 and $48.96, with an estimated average price of $45.85. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.04%. His ! holdings were 30,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Ross Stores, Inc.. His purchase prices were between $59.26 and $66.5, with an estimated average price of $64.05. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.04%. His holdings were 18,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  New Purchase: Carlyle Group LP (CG)
  
  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Carlyle Group LP. His purchase prices were between $24.19 and $32.87, with an estimated average price of $29.56. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. His holdings were 20,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  Sold Out: EOG Resources (EOG)
  
  Tom Gayner sold out his holdings in EOG Resources. His sale prices were between $113.44 and $137.9, with an estimated average price of $128.22.
  
  Sold Out: State Street Corp (STT)
  
  Tom Gayner sold out his holdings in State Street Corp. His sale prices were between $56.51 and $67.44, with an estimated average price of $62.2.
  
  Sold Out: Bunge Ltd (BG)
  
  Tom Gayner sold out his holdings in Bunge Ltd. His sale prices were between $66.4 and $73.51, with an estimated average price of $70.39.
  
  Added: UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH)
  
  Tom Gayner added to his holdings in UnitedHealth Group Inc by 45.25%. His purchase prices were between $58.54 and $66.09, with an estimated average price of $62.22. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.4%. His holdings were 569,800 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  Added: Liberty Media Corporation (LMCA)
  
  Tom Gayner added to his holdings in Liberty Media Corporation by 102.38%. His purchase prices were between $108.75 and $130.01, with an estimated average price of $119.32. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.2%. His holdings were 85,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  Added: National Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NOV)
  
  Tom Gayner added to his holdings in National Oilwell Varco, Inc. by 40.44%. His purchase prices were bet! ween $64.! 14 and $71.57, with an estimated average price of $68.35. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.14%. His holdings were 191,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
  
  Added: Google, Inc. (GOOG)
  
  Tom Gayner added to his holdings in Google, Inc. by 86%. His purchase prices were between $765.914 and $915.89, with an estimated average price of $849.25. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.13%. His ho

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul]

  IBM. Emerging markets are a big growth driver for this computer systems and software provider. Not only that, Resendes says, IBM has "a bullet-proof balance sheet that will allow it to weather the current storm and position it for superior growth and profitability in the long term." He thinks the stock, which recently traded at $93, is worth $120 a share: ''There are some obvious companies that offer much bigger discounts, but you have to incorporate the safety factor. You're getting a premium company here that's a good spot to be in within the tech space."

10 Best Gold Stocks To Watch For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By JON C. OGG]

  McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is at $85.08 and analysts have a consensus price target objective of $97.68.  It carries a 2.9% dividend yield and the stock is down 5% from its 52-week high.  McDonald’s trades at close to 6-times book value, but its return on equity is 37%.  S&P carries an “A” local long-term rating on the Golden Arches.  In the “you gotta eat somewhere” theory, McDonald’s seems to keep winning over and over and its shares and same-store sales keep rising handily.

• [By Brian Gorban]

   Fast food giant and world-renowned company McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) is undoubtedly a name you’ve heard of, as “the golden arches” are ubiquitous--and with good reason: The company operates over 33,000 restaurants in 119 countries. With over $27 billion in revenue and a market capitalization near $90 billion, McDonald’s is simply a juggernaut and should continue to be a beneficiary of the global growth story happening predominately in the “BRIC” (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries in the years and decades to come.

  Of course, those countries have not been spared the current economic carnage and that has caused the company to miss the past two quarters’ consensus estimates, but that has created a buying opportunity. With the stock trading not far above its $83.31 52-week low, McDonald’s is now yielding an attractive 3.5% dividend yield, and with a low 54% payout ratio, look for the dividend to not only be safe but be raised in the near future. Add in the fact that the company has a comparatively and historically low 16x forward and trailing P/E, and I think MCD should serve investors well for the long-term while one can wait and happily collect the nice 3.5% dividend.

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) is involved with the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in over 180 countries across the globe. Year to date, PM stock is up 16%, compared to a loss of nearly 2% for the Dow Jones.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One stock that insiders are buying up a large amount of here is Philip Morris International (PM), which manufactures and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside the U.S. Insiders are buying this stock into modest strength, since shares are up 5.5% so far in 2013.

  Philip Morris International has a market cap of $143 billion and an enterprise value of $168 billion. This stock trades at a reasonable valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 17.25 and a forward price-to-earnings of 14.6. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 4.2%, and for next year it's pegged at 11.8%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $3.59 billion and its total debt is $25.50 billion. This stock currently sports a dividend yield of 3.8%.

  A director just bought 123,500 shares, or about $11.01 million worth of stock, at $89.15 per share.

  From a technical perspective, PM is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been downtrending over the last two months and change, with shares dropping from its high of $95.38 to its recent low of $85.21 a share. During that move, shares of PM have been mostly making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action.

  If you're bullish on PM, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some near-term support at $87.65 to $87 and then once it takes out its 200-day at $88.72 and its 50-day at $89.25 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 action of 5.10 million shares. If we get that move soon, then PM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $91.40 to $92.26 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then put $94 to $95 into range for shares of PM.

   

• [By Michael Brush]

  Philip Morris International (PM) has a dividend yield of 3.7%.

  This company is the world's second-biggest cigarette seller, after China National Tobacco. Philip Morris International controls the rights outside the United States to such brands as Marlboro, Virginia Slims and Parliament. So it's positioned to sell more cigarettes as smokers in rapid-growth emerging markets earn more and trade up to premium brands.
  

   

  Insiders continue to buy the stock, suggesting room for further appreciation. And, of course, tobacco's addictive nature assures steady revenue. If you oppose smoking for moral, health or other reasons, this stock is not for you. As an ex-smoker, I'd understand.

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch In Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Apple (AAPL), a Rocket Stock? Yes, you read it right. Despite a 15% drop in this stock's share price year-to-date, Apple is some huge upside potential ahead of it.

  Right now, one of Apple's biggest catalysts comes on Sept. 10, when the firm is expected to announce a new iPhone (or iPhones) as well as a long-awaited TV. But no matter how Apple's media day ends up next month, this stock is dirt-cheap right now.

  As I write, Apple sports a price-to-earnings ratio of just 11-- a tiny multiple that reflects investors' belief that the firm can't continue the breakneck growth it's achieved in recent years. But back Apple's mammoth cash position out of the equation, and Apple's P/E drops flat to 7. That's a lower cash-adjusted P/E than just about any other company in the tech sector. Apple boasts product attributes that should make it trade at a premium, not a discount: It's the only remaining PC maker that actually earns meaningful margins, it's the incumbent smart phone and tablet maker, and it owns the biggest music, video, and app ecosystem in the world.

  Clearly, Apple's price is out of sync with the market now. To counter that, management has been working to provide shareholder returns of their own in the form of dividends and share buybacks. Because of the material size of Apple's cash position, those payouts could significantly concentrate Apple's shareholder base in the next few years.

  AAPL is testing a long-standing resistance level. If shares clear resistance this summer, it could be the end of the downtrend.

New Hire Roundup: FINRA Names Keenan, Weddle New Board Members

This week in new hires, FINRA announced elections and appointments to its board of governors; Anne Larson and Erin Rich moved to new positions at Wells Fargo; Hatteras Funds named Michael Hutten and Robert Brown to new positions; Gene Tannenbaum was named managing director of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.; Eugene Miller joined Westport Resources; Citi Private Bank added Blair Ege and Ryan McCleary; and U.S. Bank's Ascent Private Capital welcomed Sisi Tran, Stephen Florance and Tom Crotty to posts in San Francisco.

Also, Michael Mahoney and Thomasin Bentley joined Clearbrook Global Advisors; Gemini Fund Services welcomed Kyle Thorberg and transferred Skyler Steinke; Michael Hines joined Concord Wealth Management; American Century Investments promoted Chris Krantz and Jeff Bourke; the Hedge Fund Association announced an addition to its high-net-worth board and changes to the leadership of its LatAm chapter; and Frederick Buffone became head of capital markets at Fifth Street Management.

FINRA Board of Governors Elections Held

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced voting results for its board of governors. Robert Keenan, chief executive officer of St. Bernard Financial Services, was elected small firm governor; James Weddle, managing partner at Edward Jones, was elected large firm governor; and Shelly Lazarus, former chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, was named as a public governor, replacing Shirley Jackson, who had served on the Board since FINRA's inception in 2007.

Governors are appointed or elected to three-year terms and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Weddle was originally elected in 2010 and has served as the large firm governor for the past three years.

In addition, four governors were recently reappointed. John Brennan of the Vanguard Group, Inc. was reappointed as investment company affiliate, while reappointed public governors were William Heyman of the Travelers Companies, Inc.; John Schmidlin, retired; and Gary Stern, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Wells Fargo Advisors Advances Anne Larson and Erin Rich

Wells Fargo Advisors has named Anne Larson as director of client acquisition and Erin Rich as director of client experience. Both leadership roles are newly created positions. Larson will focus on developing practical growth strategies, training and other programs that can be used by leaders and financial advisors across the firm to enhance their ability to bring more new clients to the firm. Rich will work with other brokerage firm leaders to help ensure that all clients experience the same high level of service and advice at all of the firm’s locations and through all of its business channels.

Larson brings more than 20 years of hands-on marketing and sales experience in financial services. Most recently, she served for seven years as head of marketing for Wells Fargo Merchant Services. Earlier, she was with Charles Schwab, where she led 30 branches and 100 financial consultants as regional vice president of sales.

Rich brings more than 18 years of experience with Wells Fargo, with extensive background in leading customer experience, marketing and strategic initiatives.

Hatteras Funds Appoints Hutten, Brown

Hatteras Funds announced Monday that Michael Hutten has been named president of distribution and Robert Brown has been named managing director of strategic relationships.

Hutten, who originally joined Hatteras in August of 2006 as a regional director for the west, has a broad understanding of alternative investments and brings over 20 years of financial services industry experience to the role. Previously, he held various sales and management roles at JPMorgan Asset Management, Santa Barbara Alpha Strategies, Robertson Stephens and Montgomery Partners, the alternative investment division of Montgomery Asset Management.

Best Stock Picks 2014

Best Stock Picks 2014