Hot China Companies To Own In Right Now

It seems one of the biggest catalyst for Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is around the corner. If a recent report in the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, then the Cupertino, California-based firm inked the much-awaited deal with China Mobile to sell iPhones.

However, a separate Reuters report, citing China Mobile's spokeswoman Rainie Lei, claims that China Mobile was still negotiating with Apple to carry iPhones on its network, and no deal is done yet.

All the speculation regarding the Apple-China Mobile deal suggests an announcement should come as early as possible (may be before 2013). The timing of the potential deal also sounds good as the Chinese government issued 4G licenses yesterday.

[Related -Apple (AAPL) Stock Exhibiting Persistent Price Dynamics]

If Apple strikes a deal with China Mobile it would have access to the carrier's 700 million plus subscribers, which is seven times the size of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ). A rollout of the phones is expected this month, although there's no word on the iPad in the report.

Hot Defensive Companies To Own For 2015: Baidu Inc.(BIDU)

Baidu, Inc. provides Chinese and Japanese language Internet search services. Its search services enable users to find relevant information online, including Web pages, news, images, multimedia files, and blogs through the links provided on its Websites. The company also offers online community-based products and entertainment platforms; an instant messaging service; and a consumer-oriented e-commerce platform. In addition, it designs and delivers online marketing services and auction-based P4P services that enable its customers to reach users who search for information related to their products or services. The company serves online marketing customers consisting of small and medium sized enterprises, large domestic corporations, and Chinese divisions or subsidiaries of multinational corporations primarily operating in the medical, machinery, education, franchising, electronic products, e-commerce, ticketing, tourism, information technology, consumer products, real estate, entertainment, and financial services industries. It sells its online marketing services directly, as well as through its distribution network. The company was formerly known as Baidu.com, Inc. and changed its name to Baidu, Inc. in December 2008. Baidu, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kevin Chen]

  Compared to Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) , Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU  ) , arguably, has�inferior products,�so why has Qihoo stock almost tripled its investors' money over the past year while Baidu keeps hitting new 52-week lows?

• [By Matthew Coffina]

  Baidu (BIDU)

  We raised Baidu�� fair value estimate 47% in January, while the stock price fell 12%. As a result, Baidu looks meaningfully undervalued for the first time since mid-2013.

• [By Traders Reserve]

  China is the biggest Internet market in the world and Baidu (BIDU) controls 65.7% of it as the leading Chinese language Internet search provider.� Plus, China has surpassed the U.S. as the largest market for smartphones in the world. Baidu is aggressively investing in mobile products.

• [By Kevin Chen]

  Social may soon become Baidu's (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) Achilles' heel in search, mobile, and more.

  For some time, China's largest search engine could always count on its partnership with SINA� (NASDAQ: SINA  ) Weibo, a Twitter-like service, to infuse Baidu products with social information. But now that China's biggest e-commerce retailer Alibaba has bought shares in Weibo, Baidu investors should be scared. Not only may Baidu lose its social edge, but the Alibaba-SINA deal could also spell trouble for Baidu's future.�

Hot China Companies To Own In Right Now: iSoftStone Holdings Limited(ISS)

iSoftStone Holdings Limited provides various information technology (IT) services and solutions in the Greater China and internationally. It offers an integrated suite of IT services and solutions, including consulting and solution services, IT services, and business process outsourcing (BPO) services. The company provides a range of consulting services for an overall engagement or discrete consulting services in conjunction with other services. It also develops industry-specific solutions, including treasury management, cash management, property and casualty insurance core, financial holding company business analysis, trust company core, and banking risk management solutions for banking, financial services, and insurance industries; supply chain management, enterprise information portals, business intelligence, business process integration, and management and e-commerce solutions for energy, transportation, and public sectors; mobile and embedded technology, next generati on platforms, business intelligence functionality, and network security products for the communications industry. In addition, the company offers various IT services consisting of application development and maintenance, research and development, and infrastructure and software services. Further, it provides a range of BPO services, such as securities trade processing services for the investment banking industry; digitization and archiving of policyholder information, as well as account processing and customer service for insurance industry; and cross-industry BPO services comprising finance and accounting, customer care, and human resources. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  iSoftStone Holdings (NYSE: ISS  ) reported earnings on May 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), iSoftStone Holdings beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Hot China Companies To Own In Right Now: Xueda Education Group(XUE)

Xueda Education Group provides tutoring services for primary and secondary school students in the People?s Republic of China with a focus on offering personalized tutoring services. Its services include consultation and assessment, formulation of a customized study plan, personalized tutoring, and delivery of supporting services. The company also provides course offerings that cover various academic subjects taught in primary and secondary schools, such as mathematics, English, physics, Chinese, and chemistry; and self-designed courses beyond the standard curriculum in certain subjects, as well as in subjects not taught at public primary and secondary schools. As of December 31, 2010, its tutoring service network comprised 207 learning centers and approximately 9,650 full-time service professionals, serving customers located in 53 economically developed cities across 27 of China?s 31 provinces and municipalities. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Beij ing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Friday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.09 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) and Xueda Education Group (NYSE: XUE). Financial sector was the leading decliner in the US market today.

Hot China Companies To Own In Right Now: China Lodging Group Limited (HTHT)

China Lodging Group, Limited, together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and manages a chain of hotels in the People?s Republic of China. It operates HanTing Express Hotel that targets knowledge workers and value-conscious travelers; HanTing Seasons Hotel, which targets mid-level corporate managers and owners of small and medium enterprises; and HanTing Hi Inn for budget-constrained travelers. As of March 31, 2011, the company had 473 hotels consisting of 259 leased-and-operated hotels and 214 franchised-and-managed hotels; and 162 hotels under development, including 74 leased-and-operated hotels and 88 franchised-and-managed hotels. China Lodging Group, Limited was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  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 China Lodging Group (Nasdaq: HTHT  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  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 China Lodging Group (Nasdaq: HTHT  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Hot China Companies To Own In Right Now: CNOOC Limited(CEO)

CNOOC Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil, natural gas, and other petroleum products. The company?s oil and natural gas properties are located in offshore China, which include Bohai Bay, western south China Sea, eastern south China Sea, and east China Sea, as well as in Indonesia, Iraq, and other regions in Asia; and Oceania, Africa, North America, and South America. As of December 31, 2010, the company had net proved reserves of approximately 2.99 billion barrels-of-oil equivalent, including approximately 1.92 billion barrels of crude oil and 6,458.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas. It also provides bond issuance services; and has a joint venture with Bridas Energy Holdings. CNOOC Limited was founded in 1982. The company is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong, and is considered a Red Chip company due to its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. CNOOC Limited is a subsidiary of China National Of fshore Oil Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  If you want a direct play on China, one of the few individual equities I feel comfortable owning is oil giant CNOOC (CEO). It�� a state-run oil company that is a decent play on the region�� growth, and also a decent bargain right now.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  These four insiders made their buys during the public offering for $6 per share, and since their buys the price per share is down about -0.83%.� Highlighted below are the insiders��individual buys:

  Timothy Keating (CEO):� Bought 8,000 shares for $48,000.� Now holds 98,000 shares of KIPO stock. Taylor Simonton (D):� Bought 3,000 shares for $18,000. Now holds 13,000 shares of KIPO stock. Kyle Rogers (CIO):� Bought 3,072 shares for $18,432.� Now holds 8,096 shares of company stock. Frederic Schweiger (CFO/COO):� Bought 8,000 shares for $48,000.� Now holds on to 26,700 shares of KIPO stock.