The results are in and Consumer Reports has named�America's top appliance retailer. (Hint: It's Abt Electronics). But the winner's identity isn't the only thing coming out this month. In the course of describing what makes a retailer good or bad, CR also managed to "out" one of the biggest scams in retail: the extended warranty.
According to CR, you see, the level of a retailer's customer "service heavily influenced how satisfied subscribers were with major-appliance stores overall." Companies like Abt, which earned top marks for service, tended to perform well in the rankings. In contrast, companies that seemed more interested in milking their customers for every penny they were worth fared less well.
CR singled out one retailer in particular, P.C. Richard & Son, for opprobrium for being "among the pushiest" when pressuring customers to buy extended warranties. Not coincidentally, the company ranked dead last in the field of nine retailers ranked. Indianapolis-based hhgregg (NYSE: HGG ) and Abt neighbor Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD ) , which ranked Nos. 6 & 7, respectively, were also said to be "more likely than other retailers to push added coverage."
5 Best Penny Stocks To Buy For 2014: Select Comfort Corporation(SCSS)
Select Comfort Corporation develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes adjustable-firmness beds and other sleep-related accessory products in the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Australia. It offers its mattresses under the Sleep Number brand name. The company also provides a line of accessory bedding products, including specialty pillows, mattress pads, comforters, sheets, and leg options. Select Comfort Corporation distributes its products through retail, direct marketing, and e-commerce channels. As of January 2, 2010, it had 403 company-owned stores and 146 retail partner doors. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
But Mattress Firm has to deal with competitors that are highly motivated to thwart its growth plans. On one hand, Tempur-Pedic's (NYSE: TPX ) now-completed acquisition of Sealy has broadened the former high-end mattress specialist's product line to cover more of the lower-end business that Mattress Firm has historically focused on. At the same time, Select Comfort (NASDAQ: SCSS ) has managed to take over its primary competitor in the air-filled mattress market, giving it sole control of that segment of the overall mattress market.
5 Best Penny Stocks To Buy For 2014: Smith Micro Software Inc.(SMSI)
Smith Micro Software, Inc. designs, develops, and markets software products and services primarily for the mobile computing and communications industries worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Wireless, and Productivity and Graphics segments. The Wireless segment develops mobile connectivity, mobile information management, and mobile security solutions, including QuickLink Mobile that provides mobile users to connect a notebook or other wireless device to wireless wide area networks (WWANs) and wireless local area networks (WLANs) or Wi-Fi hotspots; QuickLink Mobility suite, which allows connectivity for the user operating on WWANs, corporate local area networks (LANs), and Wi-Fi networks; and QuickLink Media for managing the media on the mobile devices. It also provides SendStuffNow, which secures cloud-based large file delivery solution; Device Management suite that provides intelligent, automated mobile device provisioning, and configuration; and push-to-talk, visual voicemail, and mobile video solutions. The Productivity and Graphics segment develops various software products for the consumer, prosumer, and professional markets. It provides StuffIt Deluxe, a lossless compression solution for documents and media; CheckIt Diagnostics and CheckIt Netbook suite, a diagnosis and troubleshooting solution for hardware and system problems; Poser, a solution for creating 3D character art and animations; Anime Studio, an animation tool for professional and digital artists; and Manga Studio, a solution for creating manga and comic art. This segment distributes its products through online stores, and third-party wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. The company serves mobile network operators, original equipment manufacturers, device manufacturers, and enterprise businesses, as well as directly to consumers. Smith Micro Software, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California.
Hot Dividend Companies To Own In Right Now: Pervasive Software Inc.(PVSW)
Pervasive Software, Inc. provides embeddable software and SaaS services for data management, data integration, B2B exchange, and analytics. Its embeddable Pervasive PSQL database engine provides database reliability in a near-zero database administration environment for packaged business applications. Pervasive Software?s multi-purpose data integration platform, available on-premises and in the cloud, accelerates the sharing of information between multiple data stores, applications, and hosted business systems, and allows customers to re-use the same software for diverse integration scenarios. Pervasive DataRush is an embeddable parallel-processing platform enabling data-intensive applications, such as claims processing, risk analysis, fraud detection, data mining, predictive analytics, sales optimization, and marketing analytics. The company serves customers in approximately 150 countries. Pervasive Software, through Pervasive Innovation Labs, also invests in the explorat ion and creation of solutions for the data analysis and data delivery challenges. Pervasive Software, Inc. has a strategic alliance with A.D.A.M. Inc. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas with additional offices in Greenville, South Carolina; Brussels, Belgium; Frankfurt, Germany; Paris, France; and London, the United Kingdom.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CRWE]
Pervasive Software(R) Inc. (NASDAQ:PVSW), a global leader in cloud-based and on-premises data innovation, reported that it is in receipt of an unsolicited non-binding letter from Actian Corporation proposing to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Pervasive common stock for $8.50 per share in cash.
5 Best Penny Stocks To Buy For 2014: National Technical Systems Inc.(NTSC)
National Technical Systems, Inc., a diversified technical services company, provides engineering and compliance testing services to the defense, aerospace, telecommunications, automotive, energy, consumer products, and industrial products markets worldwide. The company offers product life-cycle product integrity support services, including design engineering, compliance, testing, certification, quality registration, and program management. It provides conformity assessment and management system registration services, as well as technology services for product certification, product safety testing, and product evaluation. The company also offers management registration and certification services. The company was founded in 1961 and is based in Calabasas, California.
5 Best Penny Stocks To Buy For 2014: First Security Group Inc.(FSGI)
First Security Group, Inc. operates as the holding company for FSGBank that provides banking and financial products and services to various communities in eastern and middle Tennessee and northern Georgia. The company offers various deposit services, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It offers commercial loans, including loans to smaller business ventures, credit lines for working capital, short-term seasonal or inventory financing, and letters of credit; real estate?construction and development loans to residential and commercial contractors and developers; and consumer loans to individuals for personal, family, and household purposes, including secured and unsecured installment and term loans. The company also offers commercial mortgage loans to finance the purchase of real property; commercial leasing for new and used equipment, fixtures, and furnishings to owner-managed businesses; and leasing for forklifts, heavy equipment, and other machinery to owner-managed businesses primarily in the trucking and construction industries. It also provides trust and investment management, mortgage banking, financial planning, and electronic banking services, such as Internet banking, online bill payment, cash management, ACH originations, wire transfers, direct deposit, traveler?s checks, safe deposit boxes, United States savings bonds, and remote deposit capture, as well as equipment leasing. The company operates 38 full-service banking offices and 1 loan and lease production office. Its market areas include in Bradley, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe, Putnam, and Union counties, Tennessee; and Catoosa and Whitfield counties, Georgia. First Security Group was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ning Jia]
The case for First Security Group (FSGI) is interesting. It is bank holding company that is obscure, cheap and unloved. As the company completed the recapitalization earlier this year, I think the market has been under-appreciating its potential to return to growth and profitability as a result of the much-needed recapitalization.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
First Security Group (FSGI) operates as the holding company for FSGBank, which provides banking products and services to various communities in Tennessee and Georgia. This stock closed up 6.5% to $2.29 in Tuesday's trading session.
Tuesday's Range: $2.16-$2.30
52-Week Range: $1.30-$7.45
Tuesday's Volume: 80,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 509,606From a technical perspective, FSGI ripped higher here right above some near-term support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 with lighter-than-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of FSGI within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if FSGI manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $2.38 to $2.52 and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $2.80 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in FSGI as long as it's trending above some key support levels at $2.14 to $2.12 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 509,606 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then FSGI will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from June that started at $5.08.
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