Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now

When you think "U.S. defense contractors," Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) probably isn't the first name that comes to mind. Nevertheless, Microsoft placed among the winners of one of the more lucrative contracts handed out at the Pentagon last night.

The contract in question, worth as much as $412.2 million to the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant, calls for Microsoft to provide Microsoft Enterprise Technical Support Services necessary to obtain highly trained "Microsoft Blue Badge cardholder support." Receiving these services requires that the DoD obtain access rights to Microsoft's proprietary (closed-source) code, which is licensed under exclusive legal right of Microsoft.�

Thus, Microsoft will be providing the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization with consulting services that include the provision of software developers and product teams to work on a variety of proprietary Microsoft resources and source code. Also covered by the contract are "Microsoft Premier Support" services such as tools and knowledge bases, problem resolution assistance from product developers, and access to the Microsoft source code when necessary.

Top 10 Chemical Stocks For 2015: Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.(BBBY)

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates a chain of retail stores. It sells a range of domestic merchandise, such as bed linens and related items, bath items, and kitchen textiles; and home furnishings, including kitchen and tabletop items, fine tabletop, basic housewares, general home furnishings, consumables, and certain juvenile products. The company also offers giftware, household products, and health and beauty care items; and infant and toddler merchandise. It operates stores under the names of Bed Bath & Beyond (BBB), Christmas Tree Shops (CTS), Harmon and Harmon Face Values (Harmon), and buybuy BABY. As of August 27, 2011, the company had a total of 1,155 stores, including 986 BBB stores, 70 CTS stores, 54 buybuy BABY stores, and 45 Harmon stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Canada. It also operates two stores under the name of Home & More in the Mexico City through a joint venture. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. was foun ded in 1971 and is based in Union, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY) tumbled 12.27 percent to $69.91 after the company reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter earnings and lowered its guidance. Analysts at Credit Suisse downgraded the stock from Outperform to Neutral and lowered the target price from $85 to $78.

Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now: Ignite Restaurant Group Inc (IRG)

Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc., incorporated on February 4, 2002, operates two restaurant brands, Joe's Crab Shack (Joe's) and Brick House Tavern + Tap (Brick House). The Company�� Joe's Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern + Tap operate in a diverse set of markets across the United States. Joe's Crab Shack is a national chain of casual seafood restaurants serving a variety of seafood items, with an emphasis on crab. Brick House Tavern + Tap is a casual restaurant brand that provides guests a gastro pub experience by offering a blend of menu items. As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned and operated 144 restaurants in 33 states. In September 2013, Ignite Restaurant Group Inc announced the opening of its newest Joe's Crab Shack restaurant, located in Newark, New Jersey.

Joe's Crab Shack

The Company�� Joe's Crab Shack offers an outdoor patio for guests to enjoy eating and drinking and a children's playground. Joe's also has many locations that are located on waterfront property. Interior design elements include a nautical, vacation theme to invoke memories of beach vacations and a genuine crab shack experience. Joe's Crab Shack restaurants have over 200 seats. Many of the Company�� restaurants also include a small gift shop where guests can purchase souvenirs to commemorate their dining experience. Joe's Crab Shack also leverages its crab-forward menu with other crab items, including Made-From-Scratch Crab Cakes, Crab Nachos and Crazy-Good Crab Dip. In addition to its core crab-focused menu, Joe's also offers a range of entrees featuring a variety of seafood, including the Get Stuffed Snapper, Surf 'N Turf Burger and The Big Hook Up, as well as a range of traditional seafood entrees like the Fisherman's Platter. Joe's also offers several out of water options, such as Pan Fried Cheesy Chicken and Whiskey Smoked Ribs. In addition, alcoholic beverages include the Shark Bite, Category 5 Hurricane and Mason Jar cocktails emerging as guests' top choices. Joe's menu inc! ludes more than 29 items made with either Queen, Snow, Dungeness or King Crabs sourced from government regulated and sustainable fisheries. Its menu offers 14 appetizers, including Made-From-Scratch Crab Cakes, Crab Nachos and Crazy-Good Crab Dip, and over 50 entrees, including Steampots, Crab in a Bucket, Skillet Paella, Stuffed Snapper and out of water options like Whiskey Smoked Ribs.

Brick House Tavern + Tap

The Company�� Brick House's interior decor includes custom lighting, dark mahogany woods, open sight lines, high definition television (HD TVs), and an inviting fireplace. In addition to a traditional dining room and bar area, Brick House also offers large communal tables and a section of leather recliners positioned in front of large HD TVs, where guests receive their own TV tray for dining. Outdoor seating is also available on the patio or around an open fire pit at nearly all locations. Both food and beverages are served by personable and engaging service staff. The typical Brick House restaurant is approximately 8,500 square feet and averages approximately 250 seats, which includes both traditional tables and seating options. Brick House offers its guests a selection of contemporary tavern food. Brick House's menu includes 17 appetizers and over 53 entrees. Handcrafted appetizers include Deviled Eggs, Meatloaf Sliders, Brick Pizza, Meat and Cheese Board and Fried Stuffed Olives. Brick House offers an array of burgers, including The Kobe, which is hand formed from American Wagyu beef. Guests can also choose from a selection of homemade entrees, such as Drunken Chops, BBQ Baby Backs, Chicken & Waffles, and its Prime Rib Sandwich. In addition, Brick House's Brick Burgers, include the Gun Show Burger and the Black & Bleu Burger. Brick House's beverage selection includes imported and domestic beers along with hand-pulled cask beer. All Brick House restaurants have a bar that supports a variety of liquor drinks, wine and beer cocktails like the Shandy and Bee Sting, a! s well as! specialty cocktails like the Dark & Stormy, Moscow Mule and The Zombie.

The Company competes with Red Lobster, Bonefish Grill, Landry's Seafood, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, BJ's Restaurants, Yard House, Cheesecake Factory, Bravo Brio and Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee's, Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, Texas Roadhouse and Outback Steakhouse.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Margins matter. The more Ignite Restaurant Group (Nasdaq: IRG  ) keeps of each buck it earns in revenue, the more money it has to invest in growth, fund new strategic plans, or (gasp!) distribute to shareholders. Healthy margins often separate pretenders from the best stocks in the market. That's why we check up on margins at least once a quarter in this series. I'm looking for the absolute numbers, so I can compare them to current and potential competitors, and any trend that may tell me how strong Ignite Restaurant Group's competitive position could be.

• [By Victor Selva]

  The firm is currently Zacks Rank # 3 - Hold, and it also has a longer-term recommendation of ��nderperfom.��For investors looking for a Zacks Rank # 1 ��Strong Buy, Ignite Restaurant Group Inc. (IRG) and The Wendy's Company (WEN) could be the options.

Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now: Point.360(PTSX)

Point.360 operates as an integrated media management services company in the United States. It offers film, video and audio post-production, archival, duplication, computer graphics, and data distribution services. The company also provides services to edit, master, reformat, covert, archive, and distribute its clients? film and video content, including television programming, feature films, and movie trailers. Its value-added services comprise visual effects, video and data editing, graphics and animation, digital color correction, picture restoration, audio post-production, audio restoration and layback, closed captioning and subtitling, foreign language mastering, standards conversion, broadcast encoding, global distribution and syndication, and archival services. In addition, Point.360 is involved in the rental and sale of DVDs and video games to consumers through its Movie>Q retail stores. Its customers include independent motion picture and television production com panies, television program suppliers, national television networks, infomercial providers, local television stations, television program syndicators, corporations, and educational institutions, as well as advertising agencies, and corporate or instructional video providers. The company is based in Burbank, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Point.360 (NASDAQ: PTSX) shares reached a new 52-week low of $0.528. Point.360's trailing-twelve-month ROE is -12.69%.

  QC Holdings (NASDAQ: QCCO) shares tumbled 3.68% to reach a new 52-week low of $1.83. QC Holdings shares have dropped 42.60% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 31.67% in the same period.

Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now: Sonic Corp.(SONC)

Sonic Corp. operates and franchises a chain of quick-service drive-in restaurants in the United States. As of October 03, 2011, the company operated and franchised approximately 3,500 drive-ins. It also leases signs and real estate. The company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy McDonald's (MCD) has been struggling to heat up its sales for more than a year, but let's not assume that all fast food chains are in the same boat. In fact, as McDonald's tries to upgrade its menu with premium-priced items and update its eateries with fancy decor, free Wi-Fi, and barista-brewed coffee beverages, a much smaller rival is doing just fine with a throwback business model and menu. At a time when many of its more modern peers are struggling to ring up sales, Sonic (SONC) -- the chain of drive-in restaurants where some orders are still delivered to parked cars by carhops on roller skates -- is doing just fine. Retro Chic Sonic reported another solid quarter on Monday. Same-restaurant sales rose 2.2 percent for its fiscal quarter ending in November. Margins improved to the point where adjusted earnings per share climbed 18 percent with the help of an aggressive share buyback plan. McDonald's doesn't operate on the same fiscal calendar, but we know that same-restaurant sales in the U.S. declined 0.8 percent in November and were up a mere 0.2 percent in October. McDonald's is the world's largest burger chain, but it's had several months since Oct. 2012 where it failed to drum up more sales than it did a year earlier. Meanwhile, Sonic is on a roll. This isn't a fluke. Sonic posted a 5.9 percent surge in same-restaurant sales during its summer quarter. Zigging When McDonald's Zags Sonic and McDonald's both serve cheap burgers, but what's more interesting to consider is where the two companies are going in different directions. McDonald's has been on a health kick lately. It's been promoting its grilled chicken salads and recently added breakfast sandwiches made with egg whites. Sonic, on the other hand, is crediting no small part of the success of its most recent quarter to its milkshakes and new Cheesecake Bites. Consumers may talk about eating healthier, but they do something else when they're eating out. We're seeing this in the chain

• [By kcpl]

  However, there are a few restaurants who have managed to brave the headwinds and have come out as winners. Some of these are Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), Sonic (SONC), and Domino's Pizza (DPZ) -- which have bucked the industry trend.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images Maybe it's not too late for McDonald's (MCD) to start serving chili cheese dogs and cherry limeades directly to cars by food runners on roller skates. Sonic (SONC) posted quarterly results after Monday's market close, proving once again that the "America's Drive-In" is holding up a lot better than McDonald's. The secret to Sonic's success can't be the expanding menu of cheap eats because that's a strategy that's not working for McDonald's. Is it the retro charm that's fueling growth at the chain of 3,500 fast food restaurants? Is it the unique menu? Is it the memory-making dine-in experience that's rare to find elsewhere these days? Whatever it is, it's working for Sonic. Sonic Boom Sonic had another blowout quarter, fueled by a same-store sales spike of 5.3 percent for the three months ending in May. Just to frame this achievement in perspective, McDonald's has posted negative same-store sales for three consecutive quarters at its domestic locations. The two burger chains operate on different fiscal calendars, but for an apples-to-apples comparison, consider that McDonald's stateside comps during March, April and May would have been collectively negative. Sales growth is just part of a strong quarter. Investors need to make sure that a company isn't padding sales by selling expensive food on the cheap. Sales growth has to bleed down to the bottom line, and Sonic's operating profit and earnings climbed 6 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Just so we're clear on the cheerleading, McDonald's posted declines on both fronts in its latest quarter. Sonic posted better than expected results on Monday. McDonald's fell short of Wall Street profit targets in its most recent report. Dine and Dash On the surface, it would seem that McDonald's is trying to be more like Sonic. A wide array of drink choices has been a hallmark of the Sonic experience, and that's been happening at McDonald's since the McCafe introduced smoothies a

• [By John Udovich]

  On Tuesday, small cap casual dining stock Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc (NASDAQ: RRGB) was bucking the Dow to head higher after earnings, meaning its worth looking more closely at the stock to see what its doing right in the fickle restaurant space�plus take a look at the�performance of potential (non-fast food) peers like Frisch's Restaurants, Inc (NYSEMKT: FRS) and Sonic Corporation (NASDAQ: SONC).

Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now: Chiquita Brands International Inc. (CQB)

Chiquita Brands International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution and marketing of bananas and fresh produce under the Chiquita and other brand names worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Bananas, Salads and Healthy Snacks, and Other Produce. The Banana segment sources, transports, markets, and distributes bananas to retailers and wholesalers, and chain stores. It also engages in the cultivation and production of bananas. The Salads and Healthy Snacks segment offers value-added salads under the Fresh Express and other labels; and fresh vegetable and fruit ingredients used in foodservice, healthy snacks, and processed fruit ingredient products. This segment also provides fresh-cut products, such as lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, and onions to foodservice distributors who resell these products to foodservice operators. It distributes Fresh Express branded products to food retailers, foodservice distributors, and quick-service restaurants; and fresh produce foodservice offerings primarily to third-party distributors for resale principally to quick-service restaurants in the United States. The Other Produce segment engages in sourcing, marketing, and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables other than bananas in Europe and North America. It offers grapes, pineapples, melons, kiwis, tomatoes, and avocados. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Amy Sancetta/AP Plenty of stocks go up and down in any given week. The gainers inspire us to keep investing. The decliners keep greed in check while reminding us about the risks of the equity markets. Let's go over some of last week's best and worst performers. Chiquita Brands (CQB) -- Up 35 Percent Last Week Investors went bananas over Chiquita after it received -- and rejected -- a buyout offer. Cutrale and Safra offered an unsolicited offer to buy the banana giant at a price of $13 a share, representing a 29 percent premium to where Chiquita closed before bid was made public. Chiquita's board rejected the offer. The stock still moved higher -- above and beyond $13 -- on the possibility of Cutrale and Safra sweetening their bid. Monster Beverage (MNST) -- Up 34 Percent Last Week Soft drinks are out, and adrenaline-boosting energy drinks are in. Coca-Cola (KO) knows this, so it announced on Friday morning that it was buying a nearly 17 percent stake in Monster Beverage for $2.15 billion. Monster and Red Bull dominate this niche despite growing concerns about the health risks of young consumers taking in too many energy drinks. Monster's stock rallied on Friday. Investors may be hoping that Coca-Cola eventually swallows down all of Monster, but in the meantime it validates the beverage category. United Online (UNTD) -- Up 20 Percent Last Week It's possible to be at the right place at the right time but with the wrong approach. United Online hasn't been the market darling that it could have been given its ability to hop on to trends early. After all, it acquired alum-reuniting Classmates before social networking was hot. It built up NetZero when the country was just starting to migrate online. It also bought MyPoints from a legacy airline before the appeal of online coupons and loyalty clubs became popular. However, investors were rewarded last week when United Online posted preliminary quarterly results. Its bean counters are still trying to assess th

Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now: Ramelius Resources Ltd (RMS)

Ramelius Resources Limited is engaged in exploration, mine development, mine operations, the sale of gold and milling services. The Company operates in three segments: Exploration, Burbanks, and Mt Magnet. The Company�� exploration project includes Mt Magnet Project, Mt Windsor Joint Venture, Nevada Project, Vivien Project and Coogee Project. The Mt Magnet gold project is located 600 kilometer north of Perth in the Murchison Goldfield of the Western Australian Yilgarn Craton. The Western Queen South project is located 90 kilometer north-west of Mt Magnet. The Burbanks Treatment Plant is located 8 kilometer south of the town of Coolgardie and 65 kilometer from the Wattle Dam Gold Mine. The Vivien gold deposit is located near the Agnew Gold Mine, west of the town of Leinster in Western Australia. The Coogee gold deposit is located on mining lease 26/477, 23 kilometer east northeast of Kambalda. In October 2013, the Company acquired Vivien gold project. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Hermes (RMS) added 2.1 percent to 253.70 euros. The French maker of Kelly bags reported first-half operating profit rose 14 percent to 584.1 million euros ($773.6 million), exceeding the 569 million-euro average estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey. It also confirmed its July forecast that sales in 2013, excluding currency swings, will increase more than 10 percent.

Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy Right Now: Noodles & Co (NDLS)

Noodles & Company, incorporated on December 19, 2002, is a casual restaurant concept offering lunch and dinner. The Company offers noodle and pasta dishes, staples of many cuisines, with the goal of delivering fresh ingredients and flavors globally under one roof from Pad Thai to Mac & Cheese. The Company�� globally inspired menu includes a variety of cooked-to-order dishes, including noodles and pasta, soups, salads and sandwiches, which are served on china by its friendly team members.

As of May 28, 2013, including the 16 Company owned restaurants and one franchise restaurant opened in 2013. The Company opened 39 new company owned restaurants and six franchise restaurants. In 2012, the Company began using Your World Kitchen to describe the breadth of its offering and its customers' dining experience.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  What happens when noodles gets overcooked? They turn into a gooey, mushy mess. What happens when Noodles & Co (NDLS), which trades at a 78.5 times forward earnings, releases disappointing results? It too turns into a gooey, mushy mess.

• [By Ben Rooney]

  There were three other consumer focused companies that more than doubled: sandwich shop Potbelly (PBPB), organic grocery store Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM) and Noodles & Co. (NDLS), a casual dining chain.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is quick-service restaurant player Noodles (NDLS), which is set to release numbers on Wednesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Noodles to report revenue of $91.01 million on earnings of 11 cents per share.

  The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Noodles is very high at 18.3%. That means that out of the 18.33 million shares in the tradable float, 3.01 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 11.4%, or by about 307,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a bullish quarter, then shares of NDLS could experience a large short squeeze post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their bets.

  From a technical perspective, NDLS is currently trending right below its 50-day moving average, which is bearish. This stock has been trending sideways for the last four months, with shares moving between $38.90 on the downside and $51.97 on the upside. If this stock can manage to take out the upper-end of its recent range post-earnings, then we could see a big breakout trade get triggered that would take NDLS outside of its massive range.

  If you're bullish on NDLS, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $47.50 to $49.75 a share, and then once it takes out its all-time high at $51.97 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 455,155 shares. If that breakout hits, then NDLS will set up to enter new all-time high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $60 to $70 a share.

  I would avoid NDLS or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout, and then drops bac