James Sullivan

Nike is performing exceptionally well in China with direct-to-consumer sales, and with basketball-related sales in general. This bodes very well for its long-term future.

Disney in any given quarter can have financial improvements in some business segments and regressions in others, but the overall financial picture continues to strengthen.

Ulta stock has performed wonderfully during the past five years, and it still might be a market beater going forward.

Boston Beer Company's expansion into more brands and styles of hard beverages will allow it to retain its "craft feel" while fighting off larger competitors.

Costco appears to be slightly overvalued when compared to its historical valuation metrics, but the business looks stronger than ever.

Baidu has invested a sizable sum into efforts to attract customers online and direct them to physical stores and services. This has its risks, but might prove to be a very positive development.

Shake Shack is richly valued on conventional metrics, but has a committed management team with a unique view of the restaurant business.

Under Armour and Nike have a great deal of financial and managerial similarities, and are both good long-term investments. But they are at very different stages of their life cycle as companies.

Since Tim Cook became COO in 2007, Apple's operational efficiency has been a major factor in it becoming the largest public company in the world. He was named CEO in 2011.

Based on a comparison to industry peers by valuation metrics such as ROA, ROE, and P/B, Baidu looks good at current levels.

Baidu is the world's 14th largest media owner and has the second-highest growth rate, and it's poised to climb even higher in the future.

Baidu's ability to capitalize on the proliferation of mobile use in China gives it a huge advantage against domestic competitors.

Costco's strong and predictable cash flows, shareholder-friendly management, and relatively low payout ratio indicate that its dividend is sustainable for the foreseeable future.

Baidu needs a strong brand to fight off domestic competition and continue to successfully expand internationally.