Best Tech Companies To Buy For 2015

Unless you��e in the industry, understanding the business behind ServiceNow (NOW) is likely to be a little challenging. It calls itself ��he Enterprise IT Cloud Company,��but decoding that jargon is tricky.

Its goals include, ��ransform enterprise IT,����utomate and standardize business procedures��and ��onsolidate global IT to a single system of record.��But what does that mean? Here�� the way I see it.

All over the world, information technology (IT) departments are overwhelmed by complexity, just as many of us individual users are overwhelmed by complexity.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: GrubHub Inc (GRUB)

GrubHub, Inc., incorporated on May 10, 2013, is an online and mobile platform for restaurant pick-up and delivery orders. As of December 31, 2013, the Company processed more than 135,000 combined daily average grubs. The Company�� target market is primarily independent restaurants. The Company connects local restaurants with diners in more than 600 cities across the United States. It generates revenue primarily when diners place an order on its platform through the Company�� Websites, its mobile applications, third-party Websites or one of its listed phone numbers. On August 8, 2013, GrubHub Inc. acquired Seamless North America, LLC, Seamless Holdings Corporation (Seamless Holdings) and GrubHub Holdings Inc., pursuant to that certain Reorganization and Contribution Agreement, dated as of May 19, 2013, by and among GrubHub Inc., Seamless North America, LLC, Seamless Holdings, GrubHub Holdings Inc. and the other parties thereto (the Reorganization Agreement). The acquisition of GrubHub Holdings Inc. has been accounted for as a business combination.

GrubHub and Seamless Websites

The primary way diners access the Company�� platform is through www.grubhub.com and www.seamless.com. To use the Company�� Websites, diners enter their delivery address and are presented with local restaurants that provide takeout. Diners can further refine their search results using its search capability, enabling them to filter results across cuisine types, restaurant names, menu items, proximity, ratings and other criteria. Once diners have found what they are looking for, they place their orders using its menus, enabling them to discover food choices, select options and provide specific instructions on a dish-by-dish basis. Once an order is received, the Company transmits it to the restaurant, while saving the diners��preferences for future orders.

GrubHub and Seamless Mobile Apps

The Company offer diner�� access to its network through the Company�� mobile applicati! ons designed for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Its mobile applications provide diners with the same functionality as its Websites, including restaurant discovery, search and ordering. For restaurants, mobile orders are received in the same way as its Website-based orders, and it charge the same commission for both.

GrubHub and Seamless Mobile Apps

The Company offers diner�� access to its network through its mobile applications designed for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Its mobile applications provide diners with the same functionality as its Websites, including restaurant discovery, search and ordering. For restaurants, mobile orders are received in the same way as the Company�� Website-based orders.

Seamless Corporate Program

On the Seamless Platform, the Company provides a corporate program. Its corporate program offers employees a variety of food and ordering options, including options for individual meals, group ordering and catering, as well as tools that consolidate all food ordering into a single online account that enables companies to manage food spend. Its corporate tools provide consolidated ordering and invoicing.

Allmenus and MenuPages

Allmenus.com and MenuPages provide an aggregated database of approximately 275,000 menus from restaurants across all 50 states. The Websites are searchable by cuisine type, restaurant name, menu items and other criteria. For those restaurants whose menus are posted on allmenus.com or MenuPages and who are also part of its restaurant network, the Company provides a link from their menus to its Websites, through which diners can then place their orders.

OrderHub and Boost

The Company�� tablet solutions, OrderHub and Boost can electronically receive and display orders at the restaurant, providing operators with the capability to acknowledge receipt of the order and update the estimated completion time and status. OrderHub and Boost enables! the Comp! any to monitor orders through the takeout process (receipt, ready for pickup, on the way).

Restaurant Websites

The Company offers the restaurants in its network a Website design and hosting service. The Company processes the orders placed through these Websites through its platforms.

APIs

The Company has developed an application programming interface for third-party Websites to incorporate its order delivery platform, driving additional orders for the restaurants in the Company�� network.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Source: Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria | If you're ready to drop a few Benjamins on delivery, this is the list for you. The folks at food delivery site GrubHub (GRUB) sifted through its data to come up with some of the most expensive dishes available for delivery and takeout in many of the country's biggest cities. To find these pricey dishes, the site removed bulk and catering items and certain item descriptions meant to signal it was a group dish. The company also crunched two years worth of its data to find its most expensive order, which included several dishes, at $985.01 from El Vez in Philadelphia, according to two years worth of data. Here is where some of the priciest delivery and takeout items are: Los Angeles Restaurant: Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria Item: Great Sicilian 54 inch by 54 inch pizza Price: $199.90 Big Mama's and Papa's advertises this pizza (shown above) as the largest deliverable one in the world with 200 slices. The price just south of $200 is for the basic version. Extras will cost more. Chicago Restaurant: Mariscos el Caribe Item: Mariscada Price: $122.99 One of the restaurant's specialties, this dish includes a seafood array worthy of Poseidon's dinner table. It includes "one whole red snapper, one whole tilapia, eight mussels, six shrimp wrapped in bacon, three crab legs, six breaded shrimp, one small chapuzon, one order of camarones cucaracha and six cups of rice." Two juice cleanses available in Chicago were more pricey than this dish, but CNBC excluded those since they aren't meant to be consumed over several days. Credit: Uncle Paul's Pizza via CNBCTasmanian Osetra Caviar Pizza from Uncle Paul's Pizza in New York City. New York City Restaurant: Uncle Paul's Pizza Item: Tasmanian Osetra Caviar Pizza Price: $200 Continuing the seafood trend, this caviar pizza ranks as the most expensive dish at this restaurant near the Grand Central train station. For those looking for a smaller splurge, Uncle Paul's sells a regular

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap online and mobile food ordering company GrubHub Inc (NYSE: GRUB) is having its IPO, meaning its worth asking whether the stock might be worth considering while also taking a look at the performance of OpenTable Inc (NASDAQ: OPEN) and Yelp Inc (NYSE: YELP).

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  After pricing its IPO at $26, shares of GrubHub (NYSE: GRUB) began trading for the first time at $40 and closed the day at $34.00, up 30.77 percent.

Best Tech Companies To Buy For 2015: Guidewire Software Inc (GWRE)

Guidewire Software, Inc. (Guidewire), incorporated in 2001, is a provider of system software to the global property and casualty insurance industry. The Company�� solutions serve as the transactional systems-of-record for, and enable the functions of a property and casualty insurance carrier�� business, such as underwriting and policy administration, claims management and billing. Guidewire has developed a suite of configurable applications that are delivered through a Web-based interface and can be deployed either on-premise or in cloud environments. Its Guidewire InsuranceSuite includes Guidewire PolicyCenter, Guidewire ClaimCenter and Guidewire BillingCenter applications, which enable a range of property and casualty insurance operations. The Company derives its revenues from licensing software applications, providing maintenance support and providing professional services, principally consisting of implementation and training services. Guidewire�� license revenues are primarily generated through annual license fees. In May 2013, Guidewire Software Inc acquired Millbrook Inc.

Guidewire PolicyCenter

Guidewire PolicyCenter is the Company�� underwriting and policy administration application that serves as a system-of-record that supports the policy lifecycle, including product definition, underwriting, quoting, binding, issuances, endorsements, audits, cancellations and renewals. PolicyCenter integrates the underwriting process of evaluating risks and establishing the appropriate policy terms and pricing.

Guidewire ClaimCenter

Guidewire ClaimCenter is the Company�� claims management application for claim intake, assessment, settlement and processing of claim-related financial transactions. ClaimCenter provides property and casualty insurance carriers with the tools built within a business rules-based claims application.

Guidewire BillingCenter

Guidewire BillingCenter is its billing and receivables management a! pplication. It automates the billing lifecycle, enables the design of a range of billing and payment plans, manages agent commissions and integrates with external payment systems. BillingCenter handles direct and agency billing for all property and casualty insurance lines of business, and its dual-entry accounting core integrates with a property and casualty insurance carrier�� general ledger.

The Company competes with Accenture, Computer Sciences Corporation, MajescoMastek, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, AQS, Inc., OneShield, Inc., StoneRiver, Inc., Oracle Corporation, Pegasystems Inc. and SAP AG.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  In earnings news today, a few companies are reporting after the closing bell, including H & R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB), which is up about 1%. Pike Electric Corp. (NYES: PIKE), Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), and Sigma Designs Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGM) are also reporting quarterly earnings late this afternoon.

• [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Guidewire Software Inc.'s(GWRE) fiscal third-quarter loss narrowed, even as the software vendor reported an uptick in operating expenses that offset revenue growth. Shares edged up 1.6% to $37.50 premarket.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of Guidewire Software Inc. (GWRE) �rose 5.2% to $47.30 on moderate volume after the insurance software maker topped Wall Street estimates for the fiscal first quarter.

Best Tech Companies To Buy For 2015: BroadSoft Inc.(BSFT)

BroadSoft, Inc. provides software and services that enable mobile, fixed-line, and cable service providers to deliver unified communications and other voice and multimedia services over Internet protocol (IP) based networks. The company?s communications platform consists of BroadWorks software, which enables its service provider customers to provide enterprises and consumers with a range of cloud-based or hosted IP multimedia communications, such as private branch exchanges, video calling, unified communications, collaboration, and converged mobile and fixed-line services; BroadCloud hosted or cloud service that enables its service provider customers to offer Web collaboration, video conferencing, instant messaging, presence, and short messaging to their end-users; and BroadTouch, a client application that enables carriers to offers unified communications services for smartphones, tablets, desktops, and laptops. It also provides a range of professional support services, i ncluding pre-sales support; installation, network integration, project management, and remote upgrade services, as well as consulting services; product life-cycle services; and training services. The company sells its products to telecommunication service providers directly, as well as indirectly through telecommunications equipment vendors, value-added resellers, and other distributors. It operates in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. BroadSoft, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  BroadSoft (Nasdaq: BSFT  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 6. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict BroadSoft's revenues will grow 0.7% and EPS will shrink -62.1%.

Best Tech Companies To Buy For 2015: USell.com Inc (USEL)

usell.com, Inc. (uSel), formerly known as Upstream Worldwide, Inc., incorporated on November 18, 2003, is a technology-based company. The Company focuses on creating an online marketplace where individuals interested in selling small consumer electronics.

The Company through its wholly owned subsidiaries helps individuals monetize household items. Household items, such as small consumer electronics that they no longer using.

The Company competes with eBay.com, craigslist.com and BestBuy, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By EquityOptionsGuru]

  Over the past decade, online marketplaces have been springing up at a rapid fire pace.� Consumers continue to seek new outlets to both buy and sell products at reasonable prices with high efficiency.� This need can be seen in the re-commerce industry, which represents an annual market of $57 billion.� Although eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) has been the dominant player for the better part of a decade, it is facing increasing pressure from other marketplaces for cost and convenience reasons.� One such marketplace, uSell.com (OTC PINK: USEL), appears poised to rival eBay for years to come.

Best Tech Companies To Buy For 2015: Telecom Italia S.P.A.(TI)

Telecom Italia S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides fixed-line and mobile telecommunications, Internet, and media services. The company also operates in office and system solutions. Its portfolio ranges from consumer-focused convergent communications services to business-oriented advanced ICT solutions. The company?s integrated range of offerings, proprietary platforms, and network architecture leverage the potential of fixed-line and mobile broadband to offer convergent solutions for communication, Web surfing, always-in-touch services, and serve as a gateway to the digital world from the home, the office, and on the move, from fixed-line telephone, cell phone, PC, or TV. Its business portfolio covers various categories of business needs, from freelance professionals to SMEs, corporations, institutions, and public government bodies. The company?s Web offerings combine Italy?s Virgilio portal with Web 2.0 ventures, such as Yalp!, a TV community where users p ublish their own content and create their own TV channels. Its media operations span traditional broadcasting over analogue and digital networks, and mobile broadcasting through TIM/MTV partnership vehicle, MTV Mobile. The company has operations in Italy, Latin America, Germany, Holland, and the Mediterranean basin. As of December 31, 2009, it provided fixed telecommunications services with approximately 16.1 million physical accesses in Italy. The company?s wholesale customer portfolio consisted of approximately 6.2 million accesses for telephone services; and broadband portfolio had approximately 8.7 million accesses in Italy, as well as 30.8 million mobile telephone lines. Telecom Italia was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Telecom Italia SpA (NYSE: TI) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at J.P. Morgan.

  Xilinx Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform with a $55 price target (versus $a 46.54 close) at Pacific Crest.

• [By DAILYFINANCE]

  Steven Senne/AP NEW YORK -- Target (TGT) massive data breach over the holidays helped push its fourth-quarter profit down 46 percent. The discount retailer also said Wednesday that sales fell 5.3 percent as the breach scared off customers. The nation's second-largest discounter also offered a profit outlook below Wall Street expectations as the costs of the breach that affected millions of credit and debit card customers linger. The discounter, based in Minneapolis, said it earned $520 million, or 81 cents a share, for the three months that ended Feb. 1. That compares with a profit of $961 million, or $1.47 a share a year earlier. Revenue fell to $21.5 billion from $22.7 billion. Revenue at stores open at least a year, an important retail measurement, fell 2.5 percent. Analysts had expected a profit of 80 cents on revenue of 21.5 billion, according to FactSet estimates. The breach resulted in $17 million of net expenses in the fourth quarter, Target said, with $61 million of total expenses partially offset by the recognition of a $44 million insurance receivable. Shares of Target rose 99 cents to $57.50 in premarket trading Wednesday as earnings results beat Wall Street estimates by a penny. The stock has fallen about 10 percent since the company disclosed the breach in mid-December. "As we plan for the new fiscal year, we will continue to work tirelessly to win back the confidence of our guests. We are encouraged that sales trends have improved in recent weeks," Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and CEO of Target, said in a statement. The results underscore the big challenges that Steinhafel faces. Even before the breach, Target has struggled with uneven sales since the recession as its middle-income shoppers are still not comfortable in spending. And the company has also grappled with the perception that its prices are too high. Critics also say that the discounter, known for its exclusive limited partnerships with designers, has lost its

Best Tech Companies To Buy For 2015: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)

Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  A big player here is Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), a global provider of security, storage, and systems management solutions with an extensive focus on managing consumer data and information.

• [By Traders Reserve]

  For some reason, certain companies can attract buyers no matter the circumstance. I would put Symantec (SYMC) in that category. Shares have gained nearly 20% this year even as Symantec�� prospects deteriorated.

Best Tech Companies To Buy For 2015: Merck & Company Inc.(MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. provides various health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. The company?s Pharmaceutical segment provides human health pharmaceutical products, such as therapeutic and preventive agents for the treatment of human disorders in the areas of bone, respiratory, immunology, dermatology, cardiovascular, diabetes and obesity, infectious diseases, neurosciences and ophthalmology, oncology, vaccines, and women's health and endocrine. This segment also offers human health vaccines, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines. Its Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets animal health products. This segment offers antibiotics, anti-inflammatory products, vaccines, products for the treatment of fertility disorders, and parasiticides for cattle, swine, horses, poultry, dogs, cats, salmons, and fish. The Consumer Care segment develops, manufac tures, and markets over-the-counter, foot care, and sun care products. Its over-the-counter product line includes non-drowsy antihistamines; treatment for occasional constipation; decongestant-free cold/flu medicine for people with high blood pressure; nasal decongestant spray; and treatment for frequent heartburn. This segment?s foot care products comprise topical antifungal, and foot and sneaker odor/wetness products; and sun care products include sun care lotions, sprays and dry oils; and sunburn relief products. The company serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies, physicians, physician distributors, veterinarians, animal producers, and managed health care providers, as well as food chain and mass merchandiser outlets in the United States and Canada. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Stocks received a respite from the selling today as Michael Kors�(KORS), Yum Brands (YUM),�Merck�(MRK),�Pfizer�(PFE) and�Xylem�(XYL) gained.