SeaWorld (NYSE: SEAS) opens to the public on Friday. Much like Disney (NYSE: DIS), this will surely be the next great, “buy a share of stock for your child” gift, but Wall

About 40 deals have been priced through the second week of April, and 33 of the deals have moved higher in the secondary market with an average gain of more than 20%.

If you missed these profits, don't worry. There is no sign of any slowing in the IPO market, as there are currently nine deals already scheduled for the next two weeks. In fact, IPO dollar volumes for the year so far are nearing the $9 billion mark, on par with the levels seen in 2012.

Let's take a look at the biggest and best IPO performances so far in 2013.

To continue reading, please click here...

About 40 deals have been priced through the second week of April, and 33 of the deals have moved higher in the secondary market with an average gain of more than 20%.

If you missed these profits, don't worry. There is no sign of any slowing in the IPO market, as there are currently nine deals already scheduled for the next two weeks. In fact, IPO dollar volumes for the year so far are nearing the $9 billion mark, on par with the levels seen in 2012.

Let's take a look at the biggest and best IPO performances so far in 2013.

To continue reading, please click here...

The proposed IPO will consist of both a primary component offered by ING U.S. and

Both Intel and Microsoft are not expensively priced on the stock market at all. Intel, in particular, has a very fair valuation, and its dividend yield is well over four percent.

Of course, the key issue for both of these companies is growth. With the prevalence of tablets and all kinds of PC-derivative products, it is tough to imagine both these companies reporting strong growth in earnings.

Consensus earnings estimates for Microsoft are quite a bit stronger than they are for Intel.

With the stock market at its highs, all kinds of new initial public offerings (IPOs) have hit the market, and some are very interesting companies.

One small, but growing technology company out of Irwin, PA is The ExOne Company (NASDAQ/XONE), which is in the business of manufacturing three-dimensional (3D) printing machines. These machines help designers and engineers to produce industrial prototypes and production parts. The company sells to the aerospace, automotive, and heavy equipment markets.

ExOne is a company that’s still in its early stages. In its latest earnings report, 2012 fourth-quarter revenues grew to $12.7 million, up a substantial $10.0 million over the fourth quarter of 2011.

The company turned profitable in the latest quarter, with earnings of $0.9 million, up from a net loss of $2.8 million in the comparable quarter.

For 2012, total revenues were $28.7 million, representing growth of 88% over 2011. The company incurred a net loss of $10.2 million in 2012, compared to a net loss of $8.0 million in 2011.

The timing on the stock market could not have been more perfect for all the new IPOs. There have been several new listings by small technology companies, and some new restaurant chains are really doing well. (See “The Stocks Making a Comeback in the Last Two Earnings Seasons.”)

Stock market strength is likely to be very kind to Wall Street in the first quarter. There is a slew of earnings reports from Wall Street this week.

The stock market has so much potential this year. Even if earnings results in the first quarter are only mediocre, any further economic recovery will immediately translate right to the bottom line.

Still, it’s tough to be a buyer in a stock market at its all-time record high. I continue to favor blue chips, but last week’s trading action saw a real resurgence in the NASDAQ Composite index. This was a very positive development ... Read More

It's part of the handful of deals debuting next week, many of which include investment banks like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and BofA Merrill Lynch in lead roles.

The following few deals are expected to be high-demand offerings with solid aftermarket potential.

First, let's look at a couple of the small deals hitting the market next week. These are in addition to the three we profiled earlier in the week.

Three More for Your IPO Calendar

On Thursday, April 18, we will see an IPO from Taminco Corp. (NYSE: TAM), which produces alkylamines and alkylamine derivatives. These are used in the manufacturing of products for the agriculture, water treatment, personal & home care, animal nutrition and oil and gas end-markets. They help neutralize acidity, and remove contaminants from a wide range of products.

Taminco is the dominant player in a niche market with few competitors, giving it substantial pricing power, according to the prospectus. Most raw material price changes are easily passed on to the end consumer.

To continue reading, please click here…

It's part of the handful of deals debuting next week, many of which include investment banks like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and BofA Merrill Lynch in lead roles.

The following few deals are expected to be high-demand offerings with solid aftermarket potential.

First, let's look at a couple of the small deals hitting the market next week. These are in addition to the three we profiled earlier in the week.

Three More for Your IPO Calendar

On Thursday, April 18, we will see an IPO from Taminco Corp. (NYSE: TAM), which produces alkylamines and alkylamine derivatives. These are used in the manufacturing of products for the agriculture, water treatment, personal & home care, animal nutrition and oil and gas end-markets. They help neutralize acidity, and remove contaminants from a wide range of products.

Taminco is the dominant player in a niche market with few competitors, giving it substantial pricing power, according to the prospectus. Most raw material price changes are easily passed on to the end consumer.

To continue reading, please click here…

The lack of consistency in economic news is a real problem. Wall Street has been upgrading many popular stock market brands. It really is cheerleading.

Companies like AOL Inc. (NYSE/AOL), The Gap, Inc. (NYSE/GAP), priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ/PCLN), Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE/UA), and even Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ/YHOO) got upgraded. Google Inc. (NASDAQ/GOOG) was just rated a “Buy” by UBS after the position jumped $100.00 a share on the stock market.

The proof will be in the pudding. With so many of the big names at all-time record highs on the stock market, they should correct when they report. If they don’t, I will be very surprised. (See “Breakouts All Around; Final Countdown or the Beginning of a New Cycle?”)

The one stock I don’t know what to do with is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ/AAPL). It’s like there is a tremendous groupthink on Wall Street with this position.

Did the company just price itself out of its own market? Is it the revolt taking place in Apple retail stores? Or is it just a unified Wall Street trade? I don’t know what to do with this company.

I don’t use an “iPhone,” but when I bought a “MacBook Pro,” I received good in-store service from a particular associate. When I decided to buy more RAM (random-access memory), I called the store and asked for the same guy. Then I got berated by this punk kid who said that they don’t do this, and he wouldn’t tell me when this associate would be working because of privacy issues. I thought, “I’m getting too old for this.”

Wall Street is holding this falling trade fairly well. Current average Wall Street earnings estimates for Apple are flat for 2013.

Every business experiences problems. But authenticity in business (and in any endeavor) is absolutely critical. I guess that’s why Steve Jobs personally resolved some issues with customers. Apple needs to step it up a notch.

Apple’s stock market action makes it easily vulnerable to the $400.00 level. Wall Street earnings estimates for the company have been downwardly revised, although there’s a big range for 2014. I’d say that until there’s a convincing new stock market uptrend in Apple, picking a bottom is total guesswork.

On the cusp of a new earnings season, investment risk in the stock market remains high.

Wall Street is likely to report very good financial results this quarter. But it’s very important that individual investors not forget about investment risk.

There are so many things in this ... Read More

The equity markets remain fairly strong and recent IPOs have performed very well so there is strong institutional demand for equities in general, and new offerings specifically.

As long as the market is propped up by an aggressive U.S. Federal Reserve policy, stock prices should stay firm and that makes for favorable conditions for new equity offerings.

Here are five to keep on your radar.

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Comparatively, The Wendys Company (NYSE/WEN) has really struggled on the stock market since 2007. I like Wendys, but the company just hasn’t been able to get customers excited about its menu and the competition for value menus has been extremely fierce. Wendys’ earnings are all over the map.

Wendys has been trading between $4.00 and $6.00 a share for the last four years and just can’t seem to get any momentum in its operations or share price. Like everything though, the position moved significantly higher on the stock market since last November. It will be tough for Wendys to convincingly break above $6.00 a share. Wall Street has been nudging the company’s earnings estimates higher for this year and next, but realistically, it’s only expecting three percent sales growth.

Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE/BKW), however, has been doing really well since relisting on the stock market last year. This play isn’t so much about revenue growth; it’s more of an earnings story. Burger King’s stock chart is featured below:

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ/CBRL) soared on the stock market after reporting excellent earnings in its latest quarter. For a mature brand, the company is on a tear operationally. It’s not expensively priced and maintains a 2.5% dividend yield. (See “Fast Food Offers More Value Menus—and More Cash, Too.”)

If there’s been one disappointment it’s been with Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE/DRI). The company’s Red Lobster restaurants have been struggling with competition and price. In its latest quarterly results, earnings disappointed the Street, but the stock recently broke out of its latest downtrend.

My takeaway from the stock market action in fast food and restaurants is that there is mostly positive momentum in revenues and earnings. With the stock market bidding those restaurants that are underperforming, the sector is bubbling.

Several new restaurant initial public offerings (IPOs) hit the market recently, and they are soaring. They are growth stories in the top-line and earnings. Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ/BLMN) is among these stocks.

You know a sector is hot when secondary offerings are being snapped up with overallotments. The new restaurant IPOs that are moving right now are category-killers, ... Read More

If history is correct, stocks could have more than 18 percent of upside from current

“This is a proud moment for all Zoetis and Pfizer employees,” said Ian Read, chairman and

Specifically, Hess (NYSE: HES), Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK), Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: MPC), and Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) are in focus Wednesday.

Hess has been in the

Refiners, often looked at as the pesky little brother of the traditional energy equities universe,

Like other recent IPOs, Skullcandy's shares have slid since the company went public. In mid-2011 SKUL was trading around $20. With its recent tumble, SKUL has fallen into