Hot Japanese Companies To Buy Right Now

Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant. Photo Courtesy of Ford.

Last Friday The Detroit News reported the latest in Ford's (NYSE: F  ) round of vehicle recalls, noting that it would call back 465,000 vehicles for leaky fuel tanks and fire risks. Unfortunately for the Detroit automaker, it isn't the first issue that has made headlines over the last year as Ford's Escape and Fusion have been involved in numerous recalls.

However, if you were a general reader and glanced at these headlines you'd expect Ford to be near the top of vehicle recalls by manufacturer, but that's far from the truth. I dug deeper into past recall numbers, and was surprised at what I found.

By the numbers
I bet you'd be surprised to hear that in 2012 General Motor's (NYSE: GM  ) and Ford's vehicle recalls combined were less than Toyota's (NYSE: TM  ) or Honda's (NYSE: HMC  ) . Toyota took the top spot with 5.3 million vehicles recalled last year, which was nearly 2 million more than its Japanese rival Honda at 3.4 million. Ford and GM came in with significantly fewer recalls at 1.4 and 1.5 million, respectively. That's not an unusual result either; take a look at the graph below for cumulative recalls over the last three years:

Hot Small Cap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Carmike Cinemas Inc.(CKEC)

Carmike Cinemas, Inc. operates as a digital cinema and 3D motion picture exhibitor in the United States. It operates theatres that show films on a first-run basis; and discount theatres. The company serves small to mid-size non-urban markets. As of December 31, 2011, it owned, operated, or had an interest in 237 theatres with 2,254 screens located in 35 states. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Columbus, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Erin McCarthy]

  Carmike Cinemas Inc.(CKEC), the nation’s fourth-largest movie theater chain, said Thursday it is acquiring Digital Cinema Destinations Corp.(DCIN), a smaller rival that does business as Digiplex.

Hot Japanese Companies To Buy Right Now: China Telecom Corp Ltd (CHA)

China Telecom Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides wireline and mobile telecommunications services in the People's Republic of China. The company?s services include wireline voice, mobile voice, Internet, managed data and leased line, value-added services, integrated information application services, and other related services, as well as prepaid calling cards. Its wireline voice services include local wireline services, domestic long distance wireline services, and international long distance wireline services. The company's mobile voice services comprise local calls, domestic long distance calls, international long distance calls, intra-provincial roaming, inter-provincial roaming, and international roaming. Its Internet access services consist of wireline Internet access services, including dial-up and broadband services, and wireless Internet access services. The company's integrated information application services include Best Tone services, which provide customers with phone number storage, enquiry, and call transfer services; and information technology-based integrated solutions, such as system integration, outsourcing, special advisory, information application, knowledge services, and software development. Its managed data and leased line services consist of services relating to optic fiber and circuits, such as optic fiber and circuit leasing, virtual private network, and bandwidth leasing. The company also offers other services, such as sales, rental, repairs, and maintenance of equipment; and provides consulting services, and e-commerce and booking services, as well as in the sale of telecommunications terminals. It serves government, enterprise, and residential customers. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China Telecom Corporation Limited is a subsidiary of China Telecommunications Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  In the longer run, China's move to 4G��rom the current homegrown 3G and 2G standards��ill lead to a huge increase in highly lucrative data-heavy traffic for China Mobile (CHL), China's biggest operator, with 740 million subscribers, and, to a lesser degree, for smaller rivals China Unicom (CHU) and China Telecom (CHA). But that growth in traffic will come only after China Mobile spends heavily��31 billion in 2014��o upgrade its network. That's about what China Mobile will spend in 2013, and a 50% increase in capital spending over its five-year average.

• [By Jim Woods]

  China Telecom (CHA) has seen its shares fall more than 16% over the past year, with much of that coming in 2014. China Unicom (CHU) stock has slumped 9% in the past 52 weeks, thanks to a 12% decline year-to-date.

Hot Japanese Companies To Buy Right Now: LDK Solar Co. Ltd.(LDK)

LDK Solar Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products; and development of power plant projects. It offers solar-grade and semiconductor-grade polysilicon; and multicrystalline and monocrystalline solar wafers to the manufacturers of solar cells and solar modules. The company also provides wafer processing services to monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell and module manufacturers; and sells silicon materials, such as ingots and polysilicon scraps. In addition, it engages in the production and sale of solar cells and modules to developers, distributors, and system integrators; and design and development of solar power projects in Europe, the United States, and China, as well as provides engineering, procurement, and construction services. LDK Solar Co., Ltd. operates in Europe, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Xinyu City, t he People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  China's LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) defaulted on a scheduled payment on $23.8 million in convertible senior notes yesterday, sending shares of the vertically integrated solar power company tumbling.

Hot Japanese Companies To Buy Right Now: The Medicines Company(MDCO)

The Medicines Company, a pharmaceutical company, provides various medicines to hospitals for advancing the treatment of critical care patients worldwide. The company markets Angiomax, an intravenous direct thrombin inhibitor for use as an anticoagulant in combination with aspirin in patients with unstable angina undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and for use in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention; and Cleviprex, an intravenous small molecule calcium channel blocker for the reduction of blood pressure, as well as to treat neurocritical care and cardiac surgery patients. Its products under development include Cangrelor that is in Phase III clinical trial acts as an intravenous small molecule antiplatelet agent to prevent platelet activation and aggregation; and Oritavancin, which is in Phase III clinical trial acts as an investigational intravenous antibiotic for the treatment of serious gram-positive bacterial infections, including acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. The company?s products under development also comprise MDCO-157, a pre-registration stage product for platelet inhibition in patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and patients experiencing myocardial infarction, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease; MDCO-2010, a small molecule serine protease inhibitor that is in Phase II clinical trial used for the reduction of blood loss during surgery; and MDCO-216, which is in Phase I clinical trial used for the reversal of atherosclerotic plaque development and the reduction of the risk of coronary events in patients with ACS. Its products also consist of Argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor used as anticoagulant for prophylaxis or for the treatment of thrombosis; and acute care generic products. The Medicines Company was founded in 1996 and is based in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO) was down as well, falling 5.52 percent to $32.33 ahead of the review of its blood clot drug.

  Commodities
  In commodity news, oil traded up 0.23 percent to $100.11, while gold traded up 0.92 percent to $1,274.50.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  If all goes well in phase 3�trials for�ProFibrix's lead biologic, Fibrocaps -- a treatment�to stop bleeding during surgery -- shareholders of the Netherlands-based drugmaker could receive a hefty payday from The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO  ) , which says it's willing to buy out the company if it can expect to bring the therapy to market here at home as well as in Europe.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, drug developer The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

Hot Japanese Companies To Buy Right Now: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated(VRTX)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated engages in discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing small molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases worldwide. Its products include telaprevir, a prescription medicine used for the treatment of patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection; and Ivacaftor, a prescription medicine used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The company markets its products under the INCIVEK brand name in the United States and Canada; INCIVO brand in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, and Norway; KALYDECO brand in the United States; and TELAVIC brand in Japan. Its drug candidates comprise VX-222, a Phase II clinical trial drug candidate, and ALS-2200 and ALS-2158, a Phase I clinical trial drug candidates that are designed to inhibit the replication of HCV; VX-809 and VX-661, a Phase II clinical trial drug candidates that improve the function of defective cystic fibro sis; VX-509, a Phase II clinical trial drug candidate for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases; VX-765, a Phase II clinical trial drug for the treatment of epilepsy; and VX-787, an investigational drug candidate for the treatment of influenza A. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  It’s hard not to think it might be. Today, Gilead Sciences (GILD), Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT), Celgene (CELG), Amgen (AMGN) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX).

Hot Japanese Companies To Buy Right Now: Cornerstone OnDemand Inc.(CSOD)

Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. provides learning and talent management solution delivered as software-as-a-service. The company offers three integrated cloud-based solutions for learning management, performance management, and extended enterprise. Its Cornerstone Learning Cloud helps clients deliver and manage enterprise training and development programs, as well as links employee development to other parts of the talent management lifecycle, including performance management and succession planning. The company?s Cornerstone Performance Cloud allows clients to direct and measure performance at the individual, departmental, and organizational level through competency management, organizational goal setting, performance appraisal, compensation management, and development planning. Its Cornerstone Extended Enterprise Cloud helps clients extend learning and talent management to their customers, vendors, and distributors. The company also offers consulting services comprising impl ementation, integration, content, business consulting, and educational services; and account services, as well as resells third-party e-learning content. Its clients include multi-national corporations, large domestic enterprises, mid-market companies, public sector organizations, higher education institutions, and non-profit entities. The company sells its solution and services directly through its own sales force in North America and Europe; and indirectly through domestic and international network of distributors. Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  First up is Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD), a $2.57 billion software stock that's been on a tear in 2013. Since the first trading session of the year, CSOD has rallied more than 69%. But the upside could be over thanks to a bearish setup that's been forming in shares.

  CSOD is currently forming a descending triangle pattern, a bearish setup that's formed by a horizontal support level below shares at $46 and downtrending resistance to the upside. Basically, as CSOD bounces in between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakdown below $46. When that happens, we've got a sell signal.

  $46 gets some extra strength as a support level because it acted as resistance for shares on the way up back in the summer. The fact that buyers assigned some extra significance to $46 makes it a level that's worth watching on the way down. The 50-day moving average has been a good proxy for resistance on the way down. If you decide to bet against CSOD from here, that's where you'll want to keep a protective stop.

• [By Tom Taulli]

  In the latest quarter, ServiceNow saw a 62% spike in revenues to$139 million. There were also nine new transactions with annual contract values in excess of $1 million and one deal was more than $10 million. ServiceNow is also a big generator of cash flows, which came to $24.2 million in Q1.

  Cloud Companies to Buy: Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD)

  Compared to other cloud companies, Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) often gets overlooked. But the company is actually another pioneer — and has built a solid business in the category for talent management, such helps�with recruiting, hiring and onboarding.

Hot Japanese Companies To Buy Right Now: Atwood Oceanics Inc. (ATW)

Atwood Oceanics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in offshore drilling, and the completion of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells. The company owns semisubmersible rigs, semisubmersible tender assist rigs, jack-up drilling rigs, and submersible drilling rigs. As of November 22, 2010, it operated nine mobile offshore drilling units located in offshore southeast Asia, offshore Africa, offshore Australia, offshore South America, and the Mediterranean Sea. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Diamond Offshore had dropped 18% this year through yesterday’s close, while Transocean (RIG) had fallen 15%, Noble (NE) had declined 17%, Seadrill (SDRL) had dropped 12% and Atwood Oceanics (ATW), which reported earnings yesterday, had fallen 13%. But all the bearishness has been forgotten, what with the S&P 500 up more than 1% and Diamond Offshore trouncing analyst forecasts.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  There’s been a lot of bearish talk about offshore drillers recently–and Atwood Oceanics (ATW) earnings results aren’t likely to dispel those concerns, despite an earnings beat.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Last week, Barclays issued a very bearish report on offshore drillers, including Transocean (RIG), Seadrill (SDRL) and�Atwood Oceanics�(ATW). This week, Raymond James added its voice to the growing chorus of naysayers.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  See, the offshore drillers have been reporting earnings results, and really, they haven’t been that bad. Diamond Offshore beat by 15 cents yesterday, Atwood Oceanics (ATW) beat by 12 cents this week, and in January�Noble�(NE) reported results in line with analyst forecasts.