Sunday, September 7, 2014

Top US Companies To Invest In 2014

Third Avenue Management, considered a ��alance sheet investor,��has a portfolio of 145 stocks, 18 of them new, and a total value of $5.09 billion, with a quarter-over-quarter turnover of 8%. The portfolio is currently weighted with top three sectors: financial services at 20.5%, basic materials at 15% and technology at 14.9%. The firm has averaged a return of 11.41% over 12 months. In 2012, Third Avenue Management returned 27.48% against the S&P500�� 15.4%.

Led by its founder and chairman, Martin Whitman, Third Avenue Management measures a company�� value based on its current balance sheet versus projected earnings and revenues. As such, Third Avenue Management is focused on the here and now reality of a business, investing in safe companies that are priced low.

Here�� a review of the four companies with the highest rate of return in the firm�� portfolio, all of which were new buys in the second quarter of 2013.

Post Properties Inc. (PPS)

Rate of Return: 30.76%

Hot Building Product Stocks To Watch For 2015: Sterling Construction Company Inc(STRL)

Sterling Construction Company, Inc., a heavy civil construction company, engages in the building, reconstruction, and repair of transportation and water infrastructure. Its transportation infrastructure projects include highways, roads, bridges, and light rail and commuter rail; and water infrastructure projects comprise water, wastewater, and storm drainage systems. The company also provides general contracting services, such as excavating, concrete and asphalt paving, installation of large-diameter water and wastewater distribution systems, construction of bridges and similar large structures, construction of light and commuter rail infrastructure, concrete and asphalt batch plant operations, and concrete crushing and aggregates operations. It serves public sector customers, including county and municipal public works departments, regional transit and water authorities, port authorities, school districts, and municipal utility districts, as well as private customers prim arily in Texas, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. The company was formerly known as Oakhurst Company, Inc. and changed its name to Sterling Construction Company, Inc. in November 2001. Sterling Construction Company, Inc. was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Laura Brodbeck]

    Notable earnings releases expected on Monday include:

    LAN Chile S.A. (NYSE: LFL) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.24 on revenue of $3.50 billion, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.02 on revenue of $3.48 billion. JA Solar Holdings, Co. Ltd (NASDAQ: JASO) is expected to report EPS of $0.03 on revenue of $291.75 million, compared to last year�� loss of $2.65 per share on revenue of $268.09 million. Sterling Construction Company, Inc�(NASDAQ: STRL) is expected to report a fourth quarter loss of $1.47 per share on revenue of $153.07 million, compared to last year�� EPS of $0.18 on revenue of $158.09 million.

    Economics

Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: The Travelers Companies Inc.(TRV)

The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Business Insurance; Financial, Professional, and International Insurance; and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment offers property and casualty products and services, such as commercial multi-peril, property, general liability, commercial auto, and workers? compensation insurance. It operates in six groups: Select Accounts, which serves small businesses; Commercial Accounts that serves mid-sized businesses; National Accounts, which serves large companies; Industry-Focused Underwriting that serves targeted industries; Target Risk Underwriting, which serves commercial businesses requiring specialized product underwriting, claims handling, and risk management services; and Special ized Distribution that offers products to customers through licensed wholesale, general, and program agents. The Financial, Professional, and International Insurance segment provides surety and financial liability coverage, which uses a credit-based underwriting process; and property and casualty products primarily in the United States., the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. The Personal Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance covering personal risks, primarily automobile and homeowners insurance to individuals. It distributes its products through independent agents, sponsoring organizations, joint marketing arrangements with other insurers, and direct marketing. The company was founded in 1853 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Finally, Travelers (NYSE: TRV  ) has climbed 1.3%. Insurance companies generally cheered the dissipation of Tropical Storm Chantal to a "tropical wave" this week, as the threat of yet another costly hurricane hitting insurers' net income represents the most unpredictable aspect of investing in insurer stocks. More importantly, though, rising bond yields have raised the ability of Travelers and its peers to generate greater income from their investment portfolios without taking on undue risk. The resulting increase in investment proceeds should fall straight to the bottom line as profit, helping Travelers make the most of its premium revenue.

Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: Hanesbrands Inc. (HBI)

Hanesbrands Inc., a consumer goods company, engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, and sale of apparel essentials in the United States and internationally. Its product portfolio includes T-shirts, bras, panties, men?s underwear, kids? underwear, casualwear, activewear, socks, and hosiery. The company offers its products under the brand names of Hanes, Champion, Playtex, Bali, L?eggs, Just My Size, barely there, Wonderbra, Stedman, Outer Banks, Zorba, Rinbros, and Duofold. Hanesbrands also licenses its Champion name for collegiate apparel and footwear. The company sells its products through various distribution channels, which include mass merchants, national chains and department stores, direct to Consumer, and other retail channels, such as embellishers, specialty retailers, and sporting goods stores. As of January 2, 2010, it operated 228 outlet stores. The company is headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Hanesbrands Inc. operates independently of Sara L ee Corp. as of September 5, 2006.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By ovenerio]

    The company has a current ROE of 19.24% which is higher than the one exhibited by PVH Corp. (PVH) and the industry median. In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. So for investors looking at higher levels of ROE, VF Corp. (VFC) and Hanesbrand Inc. (HBI) could be the options. Coach Inc. (COH) and Michael Kors have very good ratios. It is very important to understand this metric before investing and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over time.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    HanesBrands (NYSE: HBI  ) is to return money directly to shareholders for the first time in its history as an independent entity. The company will distribute $0.20 per share of its common stock on June 3 to shareholders of record as of May 20.

  • [By Dan Radovsky]

    HanesBrands (NYSE: HBI  ) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Maidenform Brands (NYSE: MFB  ) , Hanes and Maidenform� announced today.

Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: EMCOR Group Inc. (EME)

EMCOR Group, Inc. provides electrical and mechanical construction, and facilities services primarily to commercial, industrial, utility, and institutional customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers various electrical and mechanical systems, including electric power transmission and distribution systems, such as power cables, conduits, distribution panels, transformers, generators, uninterruptible power supply systems, and related switch gear and controls; premises electrical and lighting systems, including fixtures and controls; low-voltage systems comprising fire alarms, and security and process control systems; voice and data communications systems, including fiber-optic and low-voltage cabling systems; and roadway and transit lighting and fiber-optic lines. It also provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and clean-room process ventilation systems; fire protection systems; plumbing, processing, and piping systems; controls and filtration systems; water and wastewater treatment systems; central plant heating and cooling systems; cranes and rigging; millwrighting; and steel fabrication, erection, and welding systems. In addition, the company offers facilities services comprising industrial maintenance and services; outage services to utilities and industrial plants; commercial and government site-based operations and maintenance; military base operations support; mobile mechanical maintenance and services; floor care and janitorial; landscaping, lot sweeping, and snow removal; facilities and vendor management; call center; building systems installation and support; and technical consulting and diagnostic services. Further, it provides small modification and retrofit projects; retrofit projects; and program development, management, and maintenance services for energy systems. EMCOR Group, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Eric Volkman]

    EMCOR Group (NYSE: EME  ) is growing the old-fashioned way -- with the purchase of outside assets. The company announced�that it will acquire the privately held RepconStrickland, a Texas-based firm it describes as "a leading provider of recurring turnaround and specialty services to the North American refinery and petrochemical markets."

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to EMCOR Group (NYSE: EME  ) .

Top US Companies To Invest In 2014: Owens & Minor Inc.(OMI)

Owens & Minor, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides distribution, third-party logistics, and other supply-chain management services to healthcare providers and suppliers of medical and surgical products. Its services include logistics, supplier management, analytics inventory management, outsourced resource management, clinical supply management, and business process consulting. The company also offers various services comprising PANDAC, an operating room-focused inventory management program that helps healthcare providers to control suture and endo-mechanical inventory; SurgiTrack, a customizable surgical supply service that includes the assembly and delivery of surgical supplies in procedure-based totes; OMSolutions, a supply-chain consulting, customer technology, and resource management service; and WISDOM Gold, an Internet-based supply spend management, data normalization, and contract management solution. In addition, it provides Clinical Supply Solutions, a n inventory and contract management service; and Implant Purchase Manager, a technology-based service, as well as owns OM HealthCare Logistics, a customized third-party logistics and business process outsourcing service. Further, the company distributes medical and surgical supplies to the acute-care market. It serves federal government, including the U.S. department of defense; and alternate-site providers, such as ambulatory surgery centers, physicians? practices, clinics, home healthcare organizations, nursing homes, and rehabilitation facilities, as well as provides distribution and supply-chain management services that include third-party logistics and business process outsourcing services to manufacturers of medical and surgical products. Owens & Minor, Inc. was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

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 Owens & Minor (NYSE: OMI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

  • [By Marc Bastow]

    Third-party logistics services provider Owens & Minor (OMI) raised its quarterly dividend 4.2% to 25 cents per share, payable March 31 to shareholders of record as of March 17.
    OMI Dividend Yield: 2.82%

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