With the $130 million (a fraction of the $2 billion sought) settlement between News Corporation’s (NASDAQ: NWS) Move.com and juggernaut real estate/home-related info marketplace developer Zillow (NASDAQ:ZG) (NASDAQ:Z) fresh in the air, investors should be asking themselves how to carve off a slice of the once-again hot real estate sector. REITs have been crushing it since 2000, positing 12 percent returns on average, according to JPM (NYSE: JPM) Asset Management. Zillow, which bought up real estate search engine company Trulia (NYSE: TRLA) recently and which has an exclusive partnership with Yahoo! Real Estate (NASDAQ: YHOO), creating the biggest real estate ad network on the net – was more than happy to pay the still-sizeable sum, and get back to capitalizing on continued sector momentum.

A recent report by IBISWorld (http://dtn.fm/1n1Rx) on the real estate sales and brokerage market forecasts solid revenue growth over the next five years, extending the roughly $122 billion or so in current annual revenues, and enjoying growth that is in-line with the 5.6 percent growth seen over the preceding five years. Residential currently makes up over two-thirds of the space, and it is worth noting that this highly-fragmented sector, characterized by low market share concentration, sees less than one-tenth of overall revenue go to the top four companies, which include residential-focused Realogy (NYSE: RLGY), and commercial-focused CBRE Group (NYSE: CBG).

Many analysts are already saying the Fed will not raise interest rates this month (http://dtn.fm/fB4ml), given the flagging economic data. Even if rates come up, the consensus is that only cosmetic increases are likely to take place. Another key trend here for the real estate sector is that agencies are stacking more in-house brokers on their bench in order to tighten up throughput, ensure deals close fast, and clients get attractive rates. It is also more and more essential to hand-hold through the loan qualification, as difficulty in obtaining mortgage financing ranked number one in the 2016 National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) member profile (http://dtn.fm/o8Fss), meaning really talented and motivated agents/brokers are more important than ever. The NAR data also indicates that 55 percent of realtors are affiliated with an independent company, further highlighting sector fragmentation, and suggesting how dispersed the underlying fabric of movers and shakers is.

Also among the NAR report is an important distinction about the use of social media among members, showing that usage was up five percent, year-over-year, to 70 percent. This single trend alone expresses how important it has become to have a public-facing presence and why Zillow would gladly burn-off $130 million in order to get back to capturing an ever larger chunk of the $12 billion plus annual ad spend from real estate agent listings (http://dtn.fm/K2v0B). Consumers these days have mobile phones with core clocks tens of thousands of times faster than the ones we used to put a man on the moon, and those phones can execute instructions 12 million times faster as well. These people have no time or patience for traditional brick and mortar real estate offices. As a natural result, real estate pros are fleeing the dinosaur model in droves.

With a market cap around $92 million, you might not immediately think of holding company eXp World Holdings (OTCQB: EXPI) as a looming sector disruptor with supernova potential. But a closer look at how this company’s real estate brokerage division, eXp Realty, has streamlined together a virtual collaboration and socialization environment, powered by rich training assets and designed from the ground up as the ultimate agent and broker-empowering cloud office platform – and investors are likely to do a double take. The company’s Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ is not only readily available around-the-clock, it is able to drive new levels of user immersion by providing a 3D environment capability, made possible via a partnership with social virtual platform developer VirBELA. This shared ownership model is extremely attractive to agents and so it is little surprise that eXp Realty saw 84 percent agent growth last year.

A big reduction in agent overhead and the alleviation of cumbersome, antiquated brick and mortar-centric methodologies, combined with huge incentive for agents to bolster troop overall strength in the form of an aggressive revenue sharing program that rewards agents a percentage of gross commissions earned by joining colleagues, create a perfect storm of momentum, the force of which is evident in the company’s record revenue growth for Q1, reported in mid-May. EXPI saw a more than doubling of revenues year-over-year in Q1 to just over $7.12 million for the quarter. And let’s remember, this is after record financial results in 2015, where a 71 percent year-over-year increase in revenues brought the yearly total to $22.87 million.

The future is so bright that EXPI even doubled-down last year in a big way, pushing out into the mortgage origination segment through its 90.5 percent-owned First Cloud Mortgage, which is currently licensed in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com

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Earlier today, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) announced the general licensing of its U.S. patent relating to the application of a polymer material to the bottom of stainless steel bowls in order to minimize sliding and noise while pets are feeding. Patent US 8,973,529 B1 was originally issued on March 10, 2015. OPCO’s innovative design, which is featured in a wide selection of products under its Durapet® brand, has proven very popular in the pet industry, with a multitude of domestic and foreign competitors infringing upon the design and necessitating legal action.

To date, OPCO has successfully defended its patents against domestic and foreign competitors six times. Most recently, in March, the company reached a favorable settlement agreement with one such competitor over the sale of stainless steel, rubber-bottomed bowls that, according to the filed lawsuit, ‘infringed OurPet’s ‘529 utility patent’. However, pursuing this litigation has proven to be time-consuming, expensive and, in many cases, disruptive to ongoing operations. OPCO’s decision to license its intellectual property related to Patent 8,973,529 B1 is expected to combat these negative effects while expanding the usage of the technology in the pet industry and enhancing OPCO’s overall profitability moving forward.

“In the future, OurPet’s will continue to protect the value of our innovative product lines, and specifically our intellectual property portfolio, which currently includes 160 patents issued or pending,” Dr. Steven Tsengas, president and chief executive officer of OPCO, stated in a news release following the company’s most recent settlement.

As of this morning’s announcement, the company had already agreed to licensing deals with six manufacturers regarding its polymer bonding stainless steel technology, and it is in ongoing negotiations with two more. It’s important to note that OPCO’s decision to license Patent US 8,973,529 B1 does not extend to the remainder of its extensive intellectual property portfolio, which includes a library of patents accounting for approximately 75 percent of the company’s revenues. Other utility patents, including one issued in October 2012 that covers the application of a polymer to the bottom and slightly up the side of a stainless steel bowl, will not be licensed at this time.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

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The recent initiation report on International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) by Edison Investment Research looks at the company from a novel perspective. Although described as ‘an early-stage cell therapy company currently in Phase I/IIa clinical trials to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD)’, the company is much more. It has two wholly-owned subsidiaries that are currently generating revenue. “These commercial businesses,” reads Edison’s report, “provide a floor under ISCO’s current valuation, creating an essentially free option” on ISCO’s biotech business devoted to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In other words, the analysts at Edison are saying that prospective investors can pay for the two subsidiaries and get the biotech business free.

The two subsidiaries are Lifeline Skin Care (LSC) and Lifeline Cell Technology (LCT). Lifeline Skin Care (LSC) develops and manufactures a line of luxury skincare products. The company globally markets these products through dermatologists, plastic surgeons, medical clinics, resort spas, other specialized channels and its website. Its major distributors are Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Dermstore. The LSC product line includes cleansers, exfoliators and a range of specialized moisturizers and serums. LSC’s potential for growth is enormous. The global skincare market is estimated at over $100 million and is growing at a CAGR of 3.3 percent, and LSC is certainly realizing its potential. Its revenues in recent years exploded at four times the industry rates, which were roughly 17 percent from 2012-2015.

Lifeline Cell Technology (LCT) is ISCO’s biomedical business. LCT develops, curates and markets human stem cells. Over the period from 2012-2015, revenue from ISCO’s biomedical business grew at a CAGR of 19 percent, or nearly three times the industry rate. These two subsidiaries comprise ISCO’s cosmeceutical and biomedical business lines.

Together, LSC and LCT had revenues of $7.5 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, with LSC reporting $3.5 million and LCT reporting $4 million. Edison expects revenues at the skincare business (LSC) to grow by 37 percent over the next 10 years, reaching $4.8 million by 2025. The biomedical subsidiary (LCT) is expected to do much better, more than doubling in size to get to $10.5 million over the same period.

Students of Brealey and Myers will remember that ‘we can think of stock price as the capitalized value of average earnings under a no-growth policy, plus PVGO, the present value of growth opportunities’. Such an approach values the cosmeceutical and biomedical businesses at a risk-adjusted net present value of $26 million, or $9.30 per share. To arrive at net present value (NPV), future cash flows were discounted at 10%. The risk adjustment to the NPV was 90%.

ISCO’s biotech business, revolving around the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, is valued at $31 million, or $10.90 per share, and the NPV of future general and administrative expenses works out to -$30 million, which just about cancels that out. Edison is estimating the chance that biotech revenues will materialize at about 1 in 13, or 7.5 percent. Also, there’s no valuation placed on the rest of the biotech business. If you like bargains, this might be one.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Corporate governance is very straight forward. Its ostensible focus is a set of company objectives that are pursued from social, regulatory, and market points of view. In the United States, corporate governance puts particular emphasis on the interests of the stakeholders. The main aim of corporate governance is to facilitate effective management so that the company can have long-term success. It’s the system by which companies are controlled and driven. It should allow for honesty and transparency among shareholders in conjunction with the legal system. Corporate governance normally plays a large role in retaining and increasing investor trust.

Moxian, Inc.’s (OTCQB: MOXC) beliefs are an integral part of the company’s corporate governance. The company believes a level of transparency is important to maintaining trust with its stakeholders. Moxian provides social marketing and promotion platforms to a range of companies. It allows these companies to advertise business growth through personalized social media. The advertising and marketing opportunities that Moxian, Inc. offers to its merchants are targeted to specific markets and aim to increase the interaction between companies and their audiences. Moxian has two primary products: Moxian+ User App and Moxian+ Business App. Aside from the personalized customer experience, Moxian, Inc. gathers data and valuable information for its merchants with a range of analytical tools.

MOXC’s primary goal is to develop and maintain a social media platform that is personalized to both the users and the merchants. However, Moxian gives its utmost to always protect its stakeholders. The company believes that corporate governance is critical to keeping shareholders on board every step of the way and maintaining good relationships. MOXC’s key policies include transparency, accountability, and fairness, as well as social responsibility, and these are the guidelines for management, running throughout the company’s policies to protect all investors. The corporate governance at Moxian, Inc. is reviewed regularly to ensure that all policies are appropriate and balanced at all levels of management.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Moxian.com

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OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) features a number of innovative pet accessories, including toys, feeding and storage products, and waste management and odor control products. OurPet’s Company designs one-of-a-kind products that cannot be found anywhere else. Most products are patented, meaning they cannot be found under any other brand in the marketplace. OPCO is motivated by innovation and quality, and it is dedicated to understanding pet requirements, as well as the needs that owners have to keep their pets safe and healthy.

Founded by Dr. Steve Tsengas, OurPet’s Company offers two brands: OurPets®, for the pet specialty channel, and Pet Zone®, which works within the food, drug, and mass market channels. OPCO’s products are marketed worldwide through market specific retailers. Aside from OPCO’s marketing channels, the company is continuously implementing new systems to ensure it is up-to-date with technological changes.

OPCO is made up of a very small, organized team. In addition to having a small team, OurPet’s Company is specifically focused on product development, marketing, and distribution while keeping costs low. This means that instead of building office after office and warehouse after warehouse, OPCO focuses its financial resources on more important factors within the company.

OurPet’s Company’s efficient organizational procedures allow it to have clear goals for the future, both financially and within the market. The company aims for yearly sales growth of anywhere between 15% and 20%, as well as a targeted net income of anywhere between the range of 10% and 12%. OPCO is pursuing growth through strategic acquisitions, which offer the company a wide range of advantages compared to its competitors. The pet industry is still growing worldwide, which is allowing the company to continue developing and expanding. This means an expansion within the current marketplace and the ability to move into new markets.

OurPet’s Company is highly organized and prepared to handle the rapid revenue growth and return on investment it is currently facing. It has positioned itself well within a market that has grown by more than $60 billion over the past 10 years, and thanks to its well established ‘high tech/high touch’ reputation with its investors, it continues to be a key participator within an ever-growing industry.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

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Network marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry that is also known as multilevel marketing (MLM) or cellular marketing. The industry leverages a business model based around a distributor. People working within the network marketing industry normally include those who are interested in part-time work, a sense of independence in their job, or simply a flexible work-life balance. These types of programs normally require a low, upfront investment. This gives affiliates a starter kit that provides insight into the product they will be selling, as well as any benefits they can receive depending on the company. Usually, a network company also expects participants to become recruiters. This means each new recruit is encouraged to recruit new sales representatives. This formula normally comes with incentives, such as commissions.

Laguna Blends, Inc. (OTC: LAGBF) is a network marketing company that uses a similar platform, whereby affiliates generate retail sales while being able to recruit new representatives. Laguna Blends is focused on the nutritional health benefits of hemp. The company now has two products: Caffe and Pro369. Both products are loaded with hemp protein, an ingredient that offers a source of nutrition that contains 33 percent protein. LAGBF saw the hemp industry as a way to provide customers with quality health-oriented products that are not currently available. Stuart Gray, Laguna Blends CEO, first learned about hemp when he worked as a consultant for several companies. He decided that the approach to selling these kinds of products could be improved upon.

Mr. Gray chose direct marketing as the best way to educate customers on what they are buying. However, although Laguna is differentiating itself with unique, ‘functional’ beverages, Gray states that “how we separate ourselves is through technology. We have virtual 3D technology that replaces the need to go to hotel meetings to learn how to recruit. Everything you need to build your business is on there.” Laguna Blends is the first company of its kind to use virtual 3D technology for the training, development, and support of its affiliates. LAGBF has a vision to “lead the Network Marketing Industry with innovation and technology and offer a high quality product experience with an emphasis on the health benefits derived from Hemp.”

What is it about Laguna Blends technological platform that makes it so unique? Laguna has stayed up-to-date with current trends, which has encouraged it to build a business backed by innovation and new technologies. This mentality has enabled the company to model its infrastructure into a fully virtual, 3D technology platform called Laguna World. Laguna World is not just a place where management can check up on sales or get an update on human resources issues like in other intranet systems. Laguna World is a system that allows affiliates to better recruit and train others, and generate sales.

The main aim of this platform is to give affiliates freedom in their work. With this, they can work from wherever they are and choose their hours. When setting up this system, Laguna Blends decided to replicate the compensation plan of other MLM companies in order to avoid any issues. The compensation plan offered by Laguna gives its affiliates 8 different sources of income. These include: retail profits, builder/retailing pack bonuses, fast start bonuses, cycling binary bonuses, four-level matching bonuses, lifestyle bonuses, rank achievement bonuses, and binary re-entry opportunities.

For more information, visit www.lagunablends.com

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Petroshare Corp. (OTCQB: PRHR) is a domestic oil and natural gas exploration and development company targeting capital deployment opportunities in established unconventional resource plays. The company’s initial focus is on various opportunities targeting the unconventional Niobrara formation in the Rocky Mountain region. Petroshare currently possesses multiple mining resources in the Niobrara formation, including 1,280 gross acres on its Todd Creek Farms project in Northeast Colorado and 7,700 gross acres on its Buck Peak prospect in Northwest Colorado. The company has already drilled and completed two producing wells in the Buck Peak prospect, and it expects to initiate development activity as both an operator and a non-operator on the Todd Creek Farms project later this year.

Last week, Petroshare took a major step toward expanding its portfolio of properties when it announced entry into an agreement to acquire producing vertical wells and associated leases totaling roughly 4,850 gross and 2,200 net acres in Adams County, Colorado, a significant portion of which is located within the Todd Creek Farms project area. If completed, this acquisition would provide an immediate boost to Petroshare’s production figures, adding approximately 125 BOEPD from existing wells, as well as opening the door for potential drilling of 36 new horizontal wells. Crucially, the entirety of the acreage associated with this acquisition is currently held by production, meaning that Petroshare would have the right to operate the property beyond the initial lease term without becoming subject to significant spikes in property prices.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to expand our asset base and development drilling inventory in this marquee resource play,” Stephen J. Foley, chief executive officer of Petroshare, stated in a news release. “The fact that the leases associated with this acquisition are held by production providing us flexibility as to when we choose to further develop the acreage, is important in this commodity price environment.”

The Niobrara Shale formation, which extends from Canada to New Mexico, has been producing resources for more than a century, but it’s considered relatively young because much of the oil and gas concentration has been inaccessible without the implementation of horizontal drilling techniques and hydraulic fracturing. In total, the formation is estimated to hold up to seven billion barrels of tight oil and up to 500 billion barrels of currently unrecoverable oil. Much like the Bakken formation, the Niobrara has attracted significant capital investments from major players in the oil and gas space, including Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) and Anadarko (NYSE: APC), further demonstrating the economic potential of Petroshare’s interests in the region.

Petroshare’s growing presence in the Niobrara formation comes as the global oil market shows signs of impending recovery. Oil prices fell from a peak of $115 per barrel in June 2014 to less than $35 by the end of February 2016, directly impacting Petroshare, which closed its initial public offering in November 2015. However, the forecast for oil moving forward is much more promising for the exploration company. Earlier this week, Reuters (http://dtn.fm/QqU9e) pointed toward falling U.S. crude inventories and a weakening U.S. dollar as signs of oil’s upward momentum. Domestic oil prices closed at their highest levels in seven months on Monday, June 6.

For more information, visit www.petrosharecorp.com

Family Room Entertainment Corp. (OTC: FMYR) is a communications company engaged in various aspects of the media entertainment industry, including the production and distribution of motion pictures, music and television programming. The company currently owns and manages a small library of feature films, which are distributed internationally to a network of nearly 3,500 buyers ranging from major film networks, such as Sony Pictures (NYSE: SNE), Lionsgate Films (NYSE: LGF) and Universal Pictures (NASDAQ: CMCSA), to ancillary media outlets, such as Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes. FMYR continues to explore the production of new films and entertainment projects. Additionally, the company’s management team has expressed interest in exploring possible acquisition and merger opportunities in other industries.

In April, FMYR gave prospective shareholders insight into its plans for the coming months when it announced the acquisition of exclusive distribution and production rights related to Kingdom of the Spiders, an iconic motion picture starring William Shatner that was originally released in 1977. The comprehensive agreement includes all domestic distribution rights for the original film (excluding DVD rights), as well as the rights for any future sequels or remakes.

“Kingdom of the Spiders was a classic cult horror of the more memorable ‘nature on the rampage’ subgenre of science fiction/horror films from the 1970’s, and will add true value to our collection,” Stanley Tepper, chief operating officer of FMYR, stated in a news release.

In recent years, Hollywood’s penchant for remakes and reboots has affirmed the fiscal viability of cinematic nostalgia and cult classics. In 2010, a remake of True Grit, a 1969 American western starring John Wayne, grossed an impressive $252.3 million at the box office on a budget of just $38 million. In 2015, reboots of the ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ franchises were met with both financial and critical success, with Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens becoming two of the highest-grossing films of all time. FMYR will lean on the experience of its management team as it evaluates the feasibility of entering this high-demand market in the future.

FMYR’s management team is led by Justin Wall, who serves as the company’s president and director. Wall has extensive experience in the entertainment industry, beginning his first commercial venture in the space before graduating high school. In the years since, he’s endeavored to become a serial entrepreneur, covering multiple industries while maintaining a core focus on media and music. Wall’s current management positions span a collection of industries, including hospitality, property development and technology, as well as entertainment.

For more information, visit www.fmlyroom.com

Monaker Group (OTCQB: MKGI) is a digital media marketing company that makes consumers aware of products in the travel industry. MKGI operates in two sections: travel and media. The company uses a real-time booking engine that gives people of all demographics the opportunity to search through a vast range of airlines, hotels, cruises, rental cars, concierge services, and tours. The company’s services provide customers with a huge choice when booking their dream vacations. MKGI’s mission is to continue offering great services to its clients while becoming the ‘one stop’ vacation platform worldwide.

However, Monaker Group does not work alone. The company’s flagship is NextTrip.com, a travel search engine that offers customers a range of options for all aspects of their trips, but this is not its only asset. MKGI’s travel portfolio also includes Maupintour, one of the best known and most respected names in the travel industry; Voyage.TV, a company with hours of travel footage from around the world; and AlwaysOnVacations, which has over 250,000 listed properties.

Monaker Group, with a number of divisions and multiple brands, is not your usual online travel agency. Representing over 60 years of experience operating in the leisure travel industry, MKGI believes in offering travel opportunities to anyone who needs them. Monaker Group is the parent company to Maupintour and NextTrip, each of which has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to booking the right trip. Between them, they cover Africa, Europe, Australia, the Pacific, Central and South America, the U.S., Canada, and Asia.

MKGI offers a range of options to all its clients. For every trip there are choices of travel methods, rental options, places to stay, and the opportunity to choose the best tour to suit particular needs. The company’s online platforms introduce a range of options including homes for rent and available resorts, video footage of over a thousand locations, the best-selling tours, and insight into an endless number of travel destinations. The company aims to allow its customers to explore the world with an all-in-one booking at discounted prices, offering something for everyone.

For more information, visit www.monakergroup.com

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Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) is an energy solutions company with an innovative, ‘Made in the USA’ line of products. The company uses state-of-the-art technology to design, develop, and manufacture high quality energy storage systems. OGES has four high-demand target markets: motive applications; stationary living space power for domestic, commercial, and grid applications; remote control and portable devices; and starter motor batteries for motorcycles, jets skis, cars and trucks.

Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. has a number of attractive highlights to offer its investors. The company’s innovative manufacturing techniques allow it to offer competitive prices to all its target markets while still producing all products in the U.S. In addition to this, OGES’s lithium-ion batteries remain the leaders of their type. With this, Oakridge is able to predict sales of $140 million in 2016, gross profits of 30% to 35% for its product range, and an estimate of around $1 billion in sales within the next four years.*

In recent times, OGES restructured its operations which, from now on, will enable it to expand its market reach further. Oakridge is currently running its operations through a facility in Palm Bay, Florida. This facility is key to the growth of the company, as it plays a central role in meeting customer demand. Aside from the financial growth, the facility enables OGES to focus its attention on bringing jobs and manufacturing back to America. So far, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions has positioned itself to have a presence in the international market through its subsidiary company, Oakridge Global Energy Solution Limited, Hong Kong. OGES plans to expand further throughout Europe, Australasia and Japan.

OGES is aggressively developing to become a globally-renowned brand. The company plans to expand from approximately 50 employees to over 1,000 by the end of 2018. To do this, OGES has been given over $33 million in tax incentives over the coming years. These were given to OGES by the State of Florida, Brevard County, and the City of Palm Bay. Further to OGES developing a global brand, the company is currently working toward a NASDAQ uplisting.

For the future, OGES’s main goal is to maintain its stature as an industry leader. The company plans to use its many patents developed for Thin Film Solid State Batteries. These batteries are innovative within the electronics, robotics, and medical industries, among others. Manufacturing these new Thin Film Solid State Batteries is a perfect step forward for OGES, as they can be produced under the company’s patents. The batteries can last years without being recharged and will provide steady power to a number of electronic devices in various industries. Oakridge Global Energy Solutions aims to be ready for full commercial production and manufacturing of Thin Film Solid State Batteries in late 2016 or early 2017.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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Source: http://www.smallcapnetwork.com/Oakridge-Global-Energy-Solutions-OGES-The-Math-Looks-Great/s/via/1789/article/view/p/mid/1/id/674/