The August 2014 issue of the Investor Advisory Service stock newsletter has been published for subscribers. If you're not a subscriber, use the Promo Code UR2X to subscribe on the website and get instant access.

In the July 2013 issue of the Investor Advisory Service newsletter, we featured Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN), the mutual fund management business. How has the company and its stock fared since our review?

The July 2014 issue of the Investor Advisory Service is now available online for subscribers. To access the issue, please visit www.investoradvisoryservice.com

Print subscribers should expect to receive their issues by U.S. Mail within five business days.

At this time last year, low interest rates remained the most important catalyst behind a trend of improving economic growth. Low interest rates are strong fertilizer for consumer spending, which is the biggest component of GDP. In the June 2013 issue of Investor Advisory Service, we noted that Q1 GDP growth for 2013 came in at 2.5%, much better than Q4 2012’s 0.4% growth. Consumer spending grew a very respectable 3.2%. Housing looked even better. The median sale price for homes rose 11% in the first quarter.

The philosophy of Investor Advisory Service is that holding carefully selected stocks over the long term produces the best results. But no stock follows a specific timetable, and there are always ups and downs. Occasionally IAS editors may recommend selling a stock it previously recommended, because sometimes fundamental assumptions made at the time of a stock recommendation can deteriorate, and a revised view is needed.

The June issue of Investor Advisory Service is out, with the latest insights into market gyrations and company news. In the latest issue, the IAS editors feature three companies for investors to consider. One is a large IT services business that has seen its share price increase 225 times since it went public in 1998. Another featured company is the largest player in its market for a product that just about everyone in the U.S. owns. A third company drawing interest from IAS is a large financial services company that’s still seeing impressive transaction growth quarter over quarter. The IAS editors also mention two “sell” recommendations for other companies.

As we climb out of one of the longest winters in recent memory, signs suggest a moderate economy recovery continues, according to the editors of Investor Advisory Service. The National Bureau of Economic Research judges that the U.S. economy began expanding again in June 2009. That means a recovery has been underway for 59 months, just one month longer than the average of 58 months for post-World War II economic expansion phases.

The June 2014 issue of the Investor Advisory Service is now available online for subscribers. To access the issue, please visit www.investoradvisoryservice.com

Print subscribers should expect to receive their issues by U.S. Mail within five business days.

LKQ Corp. (LKQ), a maker of “alternative” replacement automotive parts, has gained an edge in the U.S. market by using recycled, refurbished, and remanufactured parts that cost 20% to 50% less than those of the original equipment manufacturers. At auctions LKQ recovers the wheels, bumper covers, lights, engines, and other parts from cars junked after accidents, and the company also buys devalued car parts customers returned. LKQ also offers 96,000 parts manufactured by companies other than the original manufacturer. 

Companies operating in the health-care testing field have faced various challenges recently, including pricing pressures owing to reimbursement cuts and changes surrounding the Affordable Care Act. One company that so far has been relatively unaffected on the financial front is Myriad Genetics Inc. (MYGN), a leader in genetics testing, which continues to see healthy growth.

Investor Advisory Service is proud to note that the newsletter made the 2014 Hulbert Financial Digest Honor Roll for the fifth year in a row. Hulbert awards this honor to financial investment newsletters that consistently outperform the market in all conditions. Mark Hulbert since 1980 has tracked more than 160 financial newsletters and singles out only those whose recommendations proved to be solid in both bull and bear markets. That’s the goal of the long-term investor, which IAS is committed to serving.

The first couple of months of 2014 nudged the S&P 500 to new all-time highs. Conventional wisdom says that the stock market typically looks about six to nine months ahead, so 2013’s very strong returns would suggest seeing a stronger U.S. economy this year. But economic indicators tell a mixed story, according to the editors at Investor Advisory Service.

In the May 2013 issue of the Investor Advisory Service we recommended Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASD: CTSH), the IT outsourcing business. How have the company and its stock performed in the year since it was presented to IAS subscribers?

Attention current IAS Subscribers! The May 2014 edition of the Investor Advisory Service has been published and is available for download!

The April 2014 issue of the Investor Advisory Service newsletter has been published for subscribers.

In the March 2013 issue of the Investor Advisory Service we recommended Lululemon athletica (NASD: LULU), the fitness apparel company. How have the company and its stock performed in the year since it was presented to IAS subscribers?

Investor Advisory Service once again has made the 2014 Hulbert Financial Digest Honor Roll, marking the fifth consecutive year of this achievement. Hulbert bestows this distinction upon financial investment newsletters that consistently outperform the market in all conditions, up or down. Mark Hulbert since 1980 has tracked more than 160 different financial newsletters and only names to the honor roll those whose recommendations proved to be solid in bull and bear markets, which is the goal of the long-term investor.

The March 2014 issue of the market-beating Investor Advisory Service newsletter is now published for subscribers with our three top picks for the month.

In the February 2013 issue of the Investor Advisory Service we recommended Gilead Sciences (NASD: GILD), the biotechnology company. How have the company and its stock performed in the year since it was presented to IAS subscribers?