USA Health Care Insurance

W&T Offshore� (NYSE: WTI ) �has increased its�second-quarter dividend�by a penny to $0.09 per share, an increase of 12.5%.

The oil and gas driller has regularly increased its dividend over the years and has also bestowed a series of special dividends on investors. In 2012, it paid two special dividends of $0.32 and $0.55 per share, making 2012's total dividend paid $1.11, or 40% more than it paid in 2011.

Of the latest dividend increase, W&T CEO�Tracy W. Krohn said: "We are pleased to be able to increase our regular quarterly dividend by 12.5% and continue to reward our shareholders for their ongoing support. We began paying a�$0.02�dividend in�January 2005�shortly after going public and have been able to grow that amount over the years. This recent increase reflects our continued confidence in W&T Offshore's ability to continue to generate strong cash flow."

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: PC Connection Inc.(PCCC)

PC Connection, Inc. operates as a direct marketer of various information technology solutions. The company?s products include computer systems; software and peripheral equipment; networking communications; notebooks and personal digital assistants; video, imaging, and sound devices; desktops and servers; net/com products; printers and printer supplies; storage devices; memory and system enhancements; and other accessories, as well as digital cameras and digital media players. It also provides design, installation, configuration, and other services through its personnel and third-party providers. The company markets its products through pcconnection.com, moredirect.com, govconnection.com, pcconnectionexpress.com, and macconnection.com, as well as through catalogs. It serves small to medium-sized businesses; enterprise customers; federal, state, and local government agencies; and consumers and small office/home office customers, as well as educational institutions. PC Connec tion, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: L&L Energy Inc.(LLEN)

L&L Energy, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the coal mining, clean coal washing, coal coking, and coal wholesaling businesses in the People?s Republic of China. It involves in producing, processing, and selling metallurgical coke used primarily for steel manufacturing; and crushing coal and washing out soluble sulfur compounds with water or other solvents. The company has four coal mines comprising the DaPuAn, SuTsong, Ping Yi, and DaPing mines; three coal washing plants; one coking facility; and coal wholesale and distribution facilities. It also has a financial interest in the Bowie mine, a thermal coal mine located in Paonia, Colorado. The company provides its products to customers in the steel and the electrical/utility industries, as well as to cement factories. L&L Energy, Inc. sells its products directly and through third-party wholesalers. The company was formerly known as L & L International Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to L&L Energy, Inc. in Jan uary 2010. L&L Energy, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Top Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Himax Technologies Inc.(HIMX)

Himax Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, and markets semiconductors for flat panel displays. Its products include display drivers and timing controllers for various thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) panels, which are used in desktop monitors, notebook computers, televisions, and mobile handsets, as well as consumer electronics products comprising netbook computers, digital cameras, mobile gaming devices, portable DVD players, digital photo frame, and car navigation displays; and TFT-LCD television and monitor semiconductor solutions. The company also provides liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) products for palm-size mobile projectors; power management integrated circuits, which include drivers, amplifiers, DC to DC converters and other semiconductors; complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors for camera-equipped mobile devices, such as mobile phones and notebook computers with a focus on lowlight image and video quality; and wafer level optics products. It serves TFT-LCD panel manufacturers, mobile device module manufacturers, and television makers. Himax Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: Syms Corp(SYMS)

Syms Corp operates a chain of ?off-price? apparel retail stores under the Syms and Filene?s Basement names in the United States. Its stores offer a range of in-season merchandise for men, women, and children. The company?s in-season merchandise includes men?s tailored clothing and haberdashery; women?s dresses, suits, and separates; children?s apparel; and men?s, women?s, and children?s shoes. Its Filene?s stores also offer a selection of jewelry and home goods. As of August 28, 2010, the company operated a chain of 48 off-price apparel stores located predominantly on the east coast. Syms Corp was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: LifePoint Hospitals Inc.(LPNT)

LifePoint Hospitals Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates general acute care hospitals in non-urban communities in the United States. The company?s hospitals provide a range of medical and surgical services comprising general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic care, coronary care, rehabilitation services, and pediatric services, as well as specialized services, such as open-heart surgery, skilled nursing, psychiatric care, and neuro-surgery. Its hospitals also offer outpatient services, including one-day surgery, laboratory, x-ray, respiratory therapy, imaging, sports medicine, and lithotripsy. As of December 31, 2009, LifePoint Hospitals owned or leased 47 hospitals with a total of 5,552 licensed beds in 17 states. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Lifepoint Hospitals Inc. (NasdaqNM:LPNT) operates independently of HCA Inc. as of May 11, 1999.

Advisors' Opinion:

[By Vatalyst]
Life Point Hospitals (LPNT) operates general acute care hospitals in growing, non urban areas in the US. It looks to acquire hospitals where it will be the sole provider to the community.

On the earnings front, it had a good first quarter, beating analyst estimates. The common stock currently trades at a price to earnings ratio of 10.1, well below its 10 year historical average of 13.5. Its price to book ratio stands at 0.82 with price to cash flow being 5.1.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: National American University Holdings Inc.(NAUH)

National American University Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, Dlorah, Inc., engages in the ownership and operation of National American University that provides post-secondary education services primarily to working adults and other non-traditional students in the United States. It provides associate?s, bachelor?s, and master?s degrees programs in business-related disciplines, such as accounting, applied management, and business administration, as well as information technology; and healthcare-related disciplines, such as nursing and healthcare management. The company also offers diploma programs consisting of a series of courses focused on a particular area of study, for students who seek to enhance their skills and knowledge in the areas of healthcare coding, practical nursing, therapeutic massage, and veterinary assisting. National American University Holdings offers its courses through educational sites, as well as online. As of May 31, 2010, the company had enr olled approximately 3,565 students in online programs, 3,742 students on-campus, and 1,451 students in hybrid learning centers. In addition, it manages apartment units, as well as develops and sells multi family residential real estate in the Rapid City, South Dakota area. The company was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc.(EGLE)

Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. engages in the ocean transportation of bulk cargoes in the dry bulk industry. The company primarily transports iron ore, coal, grain, cement, and fertilizer along worldwide shipping routes. As of December 31, 2009, it owned and operated a fleet of 27 oceangoing vessels with a combined carrying capacity of 1,412,535 deadweight tons. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: Orchids Paper Products Company(TIS)

Orchids Paper Products Company manufactures private label tissue products for the consumer market in the United States. Its product line includes paper towels, bathroom tissue, and paper napkins. The company also offers its products under the Orchids, Velvet, Colortex, Ultra Valu, Dri-Mop, Big Mopper, Soft & Fluffy, Tackle, My-Size, and Care brand names. It serves value retailers (dollar stores), discount retailers, grocery stores, grocery wholesalers and cooperatives, and convenience stores. The company markets its products directly, as well as through independent brokers. Orchids Paper Products Company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pryor, Oklahoma.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: Stein Mart Inc.(SMRT)

Stein Mart, Inc. operates retail stores that offer fashion merchandise for women and men in the United States. The company?s stores provide fashion apparel, accessories, shoes, and home fashions. As of April 19, 2011, it operated a chain of 263 retail stores. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Top 10 Penny Stocks For 2014: Kohlberg Capital Corporation(KCAP)

Kohlberg Capital Corporation is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in buyouts and mezzanine investments. It focuses on mature and middle market companies. The firm structures its investments through senior debt, second lien debt, secured and unsecured subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, and equity. It invests in all sectors except cyclical industries. The firm invests equity in both minority and control transactions alongside other equity investors. It invests through its own balance sheet. Kohlberg Capital Corporation is based in the New York, New York.

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on IdaCorp (NYSE: IDA ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. FCF = free cash flow. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over the past 12 months, IdaCorp generated $22.2 million cash while it booked net income of $177.4 million. That means it turned 2.0% of its revenue into FCF. That doesn't sound so great. FCF is less than net income. Ideally, we'd like to see the opposite.

All cash is not equal
Unfortunately, the cash flow statement isn't immune from nonsense, either. That's why it pays to take a close look at the components of cash flow from operations, to make sure that the cash flows are of high quality. What does that mean? To me, it means they need to be real and replicable in the upcoming quarters, rather than being offset by continual cash outflows that don't appear on the income statement (such as major capital expenditures).

For instance, cash flow based on cash net income and adjustments for non-cash income-statement expenses (like depreciation) is generally favorable. An increase in cash flow based on stiffing your suppliers (by increasing accounts payable for the short term) or shortchanging Uncle Sam on taxes will come back to bite investors later. The same goes for decreasing accounts receivable; this is good to see, but it's ordinary in recessionary times, and you can only increase collections so much. Finally, adding stock-based compensation expense back to cash flows is questionable when a company hands out a lot of equity to employees and uses cash in later periods to buy back those shares.

So how does the cash flow at IdaCorp look? Take a peek at the chart below, which flags questionable cash flow sources with a red bar.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. TTM = trailing 12 months.

When I say "questionable cash flow sources," I mean items such as changes in taxes payable, tax benefits from stock options, and asset sales, among others. That's not to say that companies booking these as sources of cash flow are weak, or are engaging in any sort of wrongdoing, or that everything that comes up questionable in my graph is automatically bad news. But whenever a company is getting more than, say, 10% of its cash from operations from these dubious sources, investors ought to make sure to refer to the filings and dig in.

IdaCorp's issue isn't questionable cash flow boosts, but items in that suspect group that reduced cash flow. Overall, the biggest drag on FCF came from capital expenditures, which consumed 91.6% of cash from operations.

A Foolish final thought
Most investors don't keep tabs on their companies' cash flow. I think that's a mistake. If you take the time to read past the headlines and crack a filing now and then, you're in a much better position to spot potential trouble early. Better yet, you'll improve your odds of finding the underappreciated home-run stocks that provide the market's best returns.

Looking for an alternative to IdaCorp? By investing in this multibillion-dollar energy company, you can get in before its stock rebounds, when natural gas prices eventually do turn upward. And until natural gas prices do rebound (which a top Motley Fool analyst expects will happen by 2014), you can cash in on its stable 5.7% dividend. Click here for instant access to this free report.

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