Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Top 5 Internet Companies To Watch In Right Now

"Later this year, we've got the best product pipeline that I've seen in my 25 years at Apple," Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) VP of Internet, software, and services said at the Code Conference last month.

"Wait," some may protest, "Twenty five years? That includes the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad -- the products that define Apple's greatest years under the iconic Steve Jobs. How can Eddy Cue say that?"

For Apple to make such a bold statement, the company should be readying an entirely new product for a 2014 launch. Even more, the new product -- or products -- should be revolutionary. That's about the only way the company could live up to such a statement.

Such a task won't be easy. But Apple seems more willing than ever to bend the possibilities of tomorrow -- even if it requires entirely new materials and new areas.

On new materials
Enter Apple's senior vice president of design, Jonathan Ive, arguably the company's most important executive after CEO Tim Cook. In a full transcript of an interview with Ive (made available yesterday) used for an in-depth profile of Cook by The New York Times that was published last weekend, Ive said Apple is making big moves into new areas and new materials.

Top Transportation Companies To Invest In Right Now: IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)

IAC/InterActiveCorp engages in the Internet business in the United States and internationally. The company�s Search segment develops, markets, and distributes various downloadable toolbars; provides search, reference, and content services through its destination search and other Websites, including Ask.com and Dictionary.com; and aggregates and integrates local advertising and content for distribution to publishers on Web and mobile platforms, as well as markets and distributes mobile applications through which it provides search and additional services. Its Match segment offers subscription-based and advertiser-supported online personals services through its Websites comprising Match.com, Chemistry.com, OurTime.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and OkCupid.com, as well as through mobile applications and Meetic-branded Websites. The company�s ServiceMagic segment offers Market Match service that matches consumers with service professionals; Exact Match service, which enables con sumers to review service professional profiles and select the service professional that meets their specific needs; and 1800Contractor.com, an online directory of service professionals. This segment also offers Website design and hosting services. Its Media and Other segment operates CollegeHumor.com, an online entertainment Website that targets young males; Vimeo, a Website on which users can upload, share, and view video; and Pronto.com, a comparison search engine. This segment also engages in the creation of video content for various distribution platforms; and operates as an Internet retailer of footwear and related apparel and accessories, as well as focuses on multimedia business. The company was formerly known as InterActiveCorp and changed its name to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July 2004. IAC/InterActiveCorp was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Chris Isidore]

    Newsweek, the news magazine whose print version was abandoned late last year, was sold in August by IAC (IACI) to another all-digital news company, IBT Media.

  • [By Rex Crum]

    Additionally, Devitt initiated coverage of IAC/InterActive Corp. (IACI) �with an equal weight rating and best-case stock price scenario of $67 a share.

Top 5 Internet Companies To Watch In Right Now: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)

Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

    Much of the media, and some analysts who follow Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), have become wildly excited about the new design of the portal company’s logo. As if it mattered. The Financial Times went so far as to report that the “redesign of the company�� logo — unveiled this week — has been widely scorned.” By whom? Once observers exhausted one set of things to say about Yahoo!’s operations, clearly they had to find another.

Top 5 Internet Companies To Watch In Right Now: Google Inc.(GOOG)

Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Will Ashworth]

    I almost picked Google (GOOG), but I can�� turn my back on this kind of leadership. Buy AMZN stock and let time do its thing.

    As of this writing, Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Top 5 Internet Companies To Watch In Right Now: Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN)

Amazon.com, Inc. operates as an online retailer in North America and internationally. It operates retail Web sites, including amazon.com and amazon.ca. The company serves consumers through its retail Web sites and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. It also offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Web sites, and their own branded Web sites. In addition, the company serves developer customers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various type of business. Further, it manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. Additionally, the company provides fulfillment; miscellaneous marketing and promotional agreements, such as online advertising; and co-branded credit cards. Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Daniel Sparks]

    Measured by price-to-sales, Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) stock is about four times as expensive as Wal-Mart. Price-to-book? Same thing. The stock is expensive -- there's no way around it. But it carries a premium for good reason. Besides the company's commonly cited massive e-commerce opportunity, Amazon faces two additional opportunities investors shouldn't overlook: Amazon Prime and AmazonFresh.

  • [By Gary Bourgeault]

    In what is a major win for Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) , the online retailer said in a press release that it signed up more than 1 million new customers for Amazon Prime in the third week of December alone, adding to its approximate 16.7 million members it had after the first week of that month. The final numbers for new signups in December haven't been released yet, but it looks good for Amazon heading into 2014.

  • [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

    Netflix/Kevin E. Bell Kevin Spacey in "House of Cards." Now that Amazon (AMZN) is making its Prime service more expensive, it probably won't be long before Netflix (NFLX) follows. Both Internet darlings announced during their most recent earnings conference calls that they were exploring rate increases to help offset rising expenses. "It's not clear that one price fits all," CEO Reed Hastings said back in January during Netflix's earnings call. "We're trying to figure out some models of good, better, best price tiering that makes sense and provide some flexibility for our customers, at least for our new customers. Our existing customers of course we would grandfather very generously." The comments followed a letter to shareholders that offered similar comments about protecting existing subscribers as it offers what would be pricier options for new members. However, Hastings and CFO David Wells write "we are in no rush to implement such new member plans and are still researching the best way to proceed." That's fair, but now that we've seen Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) introduce its second price hike in three years back in January and Amazon go through with a 25 percent increase to its Amazon Prime loyalty shopping membership plan, waiting may not be in Netflix's best interest. Netflix Will Still Be a Deal The market knows that Netflix is testing new price points, and sometimes it's better just to rip off the Band-Aid in one swift tug. The video buffs who subscribe may not like the move, but shareholders will love it. An increase that protects existing Netflix members should help retain existing users, but it would also encourage studios to offer newer movies and even more original TV shows like the acclaimed "House of Cards" since the smorgasbord would no longer be cheapening their content at $7.99 a month. Amazon, the leading online retailer, also telegraphed an increase during January's earnings call: "With the increased cost of fuel and transportation as wel

  • [By Tamara Rutter]

    Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) are making big bets on the type of content they offer, as more consumers choose video streaming services over traditional pay cable. Amazon signed a multi-year deal with Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB  ) this week, in an effort to beef up its video library ahead of competitors. Meanwhile, both Netflix and Amazon are also heavily investing in original content. Let's take a deeper look at whether more content, or original content, is better for subscriber growth.

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