Hot Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014

According to GuruFocus list of five-year lows, these Guru stocks have reached their five-year lows: Frank�� International NV, Eldorado Gold Corp., TransAlta Corporation and CVR Refining LP.

Frank's International NV (FI) Reached the Five-Year Low of $26.39

The prices of Frank's International NV (FI) shares have declined to close to the five-year low of $26.39, which is 29.4% off the five-year high of $32.70. Frank's International NV is owned by eight Gurus we are tracking. Among them, eight have added to their positions during the past quarter. One one reduced their positions. Frank's International NV provides tubular services to both offshore and onshore exploration and production companies. Frank's International NV has a market cap of $4.06 billion; its shares were traded at around $26.39 with a P/E ratio of 17.80 and P/S ratio of 3.79. The dividend yield of Frank's International NV stocks is 0.28%.

Frank�� International NV reported net sales of $270.1 million and net income from continuing operations of $59.5 million for their 2013 third financial quarter.

Top China Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Rock Energy Inc (RENFF.PK)

Rock Energy Inc. (Rock) is an energy company engaged in the exploration for and development and production of crude oil and natural gas in Western Canada. Rock owns 35,915 (35,881 net) acres of land in the Plains area of east central Alberta and west central Saskatchewan. Rock owns 6,280 (5,960 net) acres of land in the Onward area of south west Saskatchewan, which consists primarily of two Lloydminster heavy oil pools. As of December 31, 2011, the Mantario area consisted of 4,480 (4,480 net) acres of land. Its Bigstone area, which is within the Greater Kaybob region includes Rock�� Saxon, Tony Creek and Waskahigan properties. As of December 31, 2011, Rock owned 101,278 (58,992 net) acres of land in the Elmworth area of Alberta, with two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D) seismic coverage. The property included 38 (12.77 net) producing natural gas wells. During the first quarter of 2012, Rock acquired an additional 5,748 (5,748 net) acres of land. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Value Digger]

  Same thing happened with Rock Energy (RENFF.PK), when I recommended it at $1 about three months ago. My article is here.

  Rock Energy is at $1.3 today, and its annual report confirmed my bullish call. I have been alone in that bullish call once again.

Hot Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Conn's Inc.(CONN)

Conn?s, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home appliances, consumer electronics, home office equipment, lawn and garden products, mattresses, and furniture in the United States. Its home appliances products include refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, and room air conditioners; consumer electronics products consist of LED, LCD, plasma, DLP and 3-D televisions, camcorders, digital cameras, Blu-ray and DVD players, video game equipment, portable audio, MP3 players, GPS devices, and home theater products; and furniture and mattresses include living room, bedroom, and dining room furniture. The company's products also comprise lawn and garden equipment, which includes lawn mowers, lawn tractors, and handheld equipment; and home office equipment, including computers, notebooks, and computer accessories. It also offers repair service agreements and customer credit programs, including installment and revolving credit account programs, and various credit insurance products. In addition, the company sells its products online. As of January 20, 2012, it operated 70 retail locations in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Beaumont, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alyce Lomax]

  What?
  Conn's (NASDAQ: CONN  ) is another denizen of the electronics retailing space and adds furniture and appliances to its offerings. The insane trajectory of Conn's share price is quite frankly mind-boggling. The stock has more than doubled in the course of the last 12 months.

• [By Anna Prior]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Thursday’s session are Conn's Inc.(CONN), Francesca's Holdings Corp.(FRAN) and Aeropostale Inc.(ARO)

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy Legend has it that there's a list separating the naughty and nice kids this time of year. The same thing can be said about retailers, and only some are expected to be on Santa's good list this year. Let's go over some of the merchants that analysts predict will see double-digit revenue growth during retail's most important quarter. Michael Kors (KORS) -- Holiday quarter sales expected to rise 35 percent The hot name in designer handbags and accessories isn't Coach (COH) anymore. In fact, Coach saw sales and earnings dip slightly in its latest quarter. The luxury brand that folks clamor for these days is Kors. The average Kors store sold 23 percent more in its latest quarter than it did a year earlier, and that's exactly the kind of momentum that investors like to see heading into the critical holiday shopping season. Between expansion and store-level performance, Kors should be one of the biggest retail winners this quarter. Five Below (FIVE) -- Holiday quarter sales expected to rise 25 percent There are plenty of dollar stores out there, but this "cheap chic" hub sets the bar at $5 or less. The extra pricing wiggle room gives it more room to offer clothing, gadgets, and house wares that folks can actually use. Five Below's appeal stems largely from its fashion-forward focus. It's the "dollar" store that teens and young adults don't mind shopping at, and with just 276 stores out there Five Below still has plenty of expansion room to tackle. Conn's (CONN) -- Holiday quarter sales expected to rise 37 percent Consumer electronics isn't the growth industry that we many imagined it would be in this era of smartphones and tablets. Market leader Best Buy (BBY) isn't expected to grow holiday sales at all this quarter. Folks buying smartphones, tablets, and new video game consoles were the same ones buying pricier TVs and laptops in prior years. Conn's is different. Consumer electronics is just one of the many things that it's known for since it's a big pl

Hot Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Ram Resources Ltd (RMR)

Ram Resources Limited is an Australia-based company. The Company is engaged in exploration of mineral properties in Greenland and Western Australia. The Company�� Motzfeld Project is located in South Greenland, some 24 kilometers from the town of Narsarsuaq and comprises exploration licences 2010/46 and 2011/24. The Company holds 51% interest in the Motzfeldt project. The Romney (EL 2010/46) located in the Lejrelev Valley about 3.5 kilometers to the west of the Aries prospect. The Merino forms a steep-sided ridge at the north-eastern end of this valley, about 2.5 kilometers to the north-north-west of Aries. The Company�� Voskop Prospect is located within Exploration Licence 2011/24 in the Storeelv Valley about 7 kilometers to the northwest of the Company�� Aries target. The Drysdale Prospect is located on top of a broad ridge about 7.5 kilometers southeast of Aries and at an elevation of about 1,600 meter. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris DeMuth Jr.]

  To use a recent REIT example, take CommonWealth REIT. This is a large well established REIT that is valued in the market with one of the lowest multiples of FFO in the industry. The reason the company trades at a multiple roughly half its competitors, in my opinion, is the poorly aligned management incentive structure. The management of CommonWealth is contracted to an external management firm, Reit Management Research (RMR). Many of the trustees of CommonWeath are owners of RMR and serve on both boards. RMR is primarily compensated by growing CWH's assets which are under RMR's management, not on stock price, FFO, or anything else that is closely aligned to generating shareholder returns. This has the perverse effect of motivating them to issue lots of equity and buy lots of buildings irrespective of the value add to CommonWealth shareholders. Neither the management company nor its employees have a significant amount of their income based on the performance of CommonWealth's stock price. This has resulted in an activist, Corvex Capital, buying a significant position in the company and taking action to replace the board and the management team. The proxy advisory firm, ISS, has sided with the activist and recommended that shareholders vote out the current trustees. ISS notes, "Between 2007-2012 …while the CommonWealth management team increased assets by 198% of period-ending market cap - driving a significant increase in fees payable to management - Commonwealth's share price - the measure of value appreciation for shareholders - fell by 68%." This is the poster child of misaligned management incentives.

Hot Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: H&Q Life Sciences Investors (HQL)

H&Q Life Sciences Investors (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation through investment in life science companies (including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, managed healthcare and medical equipment, hospitals, healthcare information technology and services, devices and supplies) agriculture and environmental management. The Fund invests primarily in securities of public and private companies.

The Fund may invest in venture capital and other restricted securities if these securities would comprise 40% or less of net assets. The Fund may purchase and sell (or write) put or call options on any security in which it is permitted to invest. It may purchase and sell (write) options on stock indices (index options). H&Q Life Sciences Investors��investment advisor is Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management, LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Harry Domash, Publisher, DividendDetective and Winning Investing]

  Harry Domash: Yeah, in fact, H&Q Life Sciences, ticker (HQL), is actually a closed-end fund, but it invests entirely in biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and if you look around the world, the investing stocks right now—besides the social media stocks—that's really the one area that has had a lot of recent growth and we expect that to continue.

  I think the closed-end fund, and we'll get into that maybe a little bit later, but closed-end funds are a good way to cover it, when you're talking about a sector like that.

  Johnson & Johnson is an interesting case, because, as you know, Johnson & Johnson is a big company that invests, and that owns a lot of different companies itself in the medical field.

  You know, it owns hundreds of operating companies and it's primarily in the pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, and in consumer products, but Johnson & Johnson was a mismanaged company for a while and they were really underperforming their peers.

  In fact, some of their factories were closed, their pharmaceutical production factories were forcibly closed by the government because they didn't meet standards, but they were taken over by a new CEO a few years ago, two or three years ago, and now things are improving, so Johnson & Johnson is kind of coming from down and out to being a leading company again.

  They've got a lot of products, cancer-type products, and things on the pipeline and it just seems like things are going very well so we have hopes that Johnson & Johnson has reported the last two quarters are the first ones that have really been decent, they really showed growth, and then we expect that to accelerate so we're pretty hot on Johnson & Johnson now.

  Steve Halpern: One particularly interesting portfolio that you maintain that I haven't seen anywhere else is based on closed-end funds that pay monthly dividends&mdash

Hot Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Carter's Inc.(CRI)

Carter's, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, and markets branded children?s wear. The company provides products under the Carter?s, Child of Mine, Just One You, Precious Firsts, OshKosh, and related brand names. Its Carter?s brand baby products include bodysuits, pants, undershirts, towels, washcloths, receiving blankets, layette gowns, bibs, caps, and booties; playclothes products consist of knit and woven cotton apparel; sleepwear products comprise pajamas and blanket sleepers; and other products consist of bedding, outerwear, swimwear, shoes, socks, diaper bags, gift sets, toys, and hair accessories. The company also provides playclothes products, including denim apparel products, overalls, woven bottoms, knit tops, and playclothes products for sizes newborn to 12 under the OshKosh brand. In addition, it offers baby, sleepwear, outerwear, shoes, hosiery, and accessories under the OshKosh brand. The company sells its products in department stores, national chains, and specialty retailers, as well as through its Carter?s and OshKosh retail stores; and online at carters.com and oshkoshbgosh.com. As of December 31, 2011, it operated 359 Carter?s and 170 OshKosh outlet and brand retail stores in the United States; and 65 retail stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By AnnaLisa Kraft]

  Carter's (NYSE: CRI  ) , the branded marketer of baby and children's wear, is facing the headwinds of declining birthrates in the US and Canada. In the US, the crude birth rate (births per 1,000 people) has declined to levels not seen since the Great Depression: down 7% plus since 2007.Worldwide, the crude birth rate is expected to decline from the early 1950's 37.2 births to 13.4.

• [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 Carter's (NYSE: CRI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Hot Prefered Stocks To Buy For 2014: Scientific Games Corp (SGMS)

Scientific Games Corporation (Scientific Games), incorporated on July 2, 1984, is a global supplier of solutions to lottery and gaming organizations worldwide. The Company�� products and services include instant lottery games, lottery gaming systems, terminals and services, and Internet applications, as well as server-based interactive gaming machines and associated gaming control systems. The Company reports its operations in three segments: Printed Products Group, Lottery Systems Group and Diversified Gaming Group. Printed Products Group is a provider of instant lottery tickets in the world. The Company�� Lottery Systems Group is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. Its Diversified Gaming Group provides services and systems to private and public operators in the wide area gaming industry, including server-based gaming machines and sports betting systems and services. On September 23, 2011, the Company acquired Barcrest Group Limited. During 2011, the Company launched MDI Interactive, a content services powerhouse dedicated to delivering gaming solutions for the Internet, mobile and all digital things. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of WMS Industries Inc.

Printed Products

Printed Products segment is primarily consists of instant ticket lottery business. The Company generates revenue from the manufacturing and sale of instant tickets, as well as the provision of value-added services, such as game design, sales and marketing support, specialty games and promotions, inventory management and warehousing and fulfillment services. It also provides lotteries with cooperative service programs (CSPs), to help them manage and support their operations. The Company also provides licensed games, promotional entertainment and Internet-based services to the lottery industry. It operates six instant ticket printing facilities across five continents.

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The Company provides lotteries with access to some entertainment brands on lottery products through its subsidiary MDI Entertainment LLC (MDI). The Company�� licensed entertainment brands include Harley-Davidson, Major League Baseball, Monopoly, National Basketball Association, The Price is Right, Wheel-of-Fortune and World Poker Tour. It also provides branded merchandise prizes, advertising, promotional support, turnkey drawing management services and prize fulfillment programs. In addition, it offers lotteries a Web-based platform called Properties Plus, which features players clubs, reward programs, second chance promotional websites, interactive games and, subject to applicable law, a subscription system that enables players to purchase lottery games securely over the Internet. The Company owns 20% interests in LNS ad Northstar, and 49% in CSG.

Lottery Systems

The Company is a provider of customized computer software, software support, equipment and data communication services to lotteries. In the United States, the Company typically provides the necessary equipment, software and maintenance services pursuant to long-term facilities. Internationally, it typically sells terminals and/or computer software to lottery authorities and may provide ongoing fee-based systems and software support services. The Company�� lottery systems business includes the supply of transaction-processing software, draw lottery games, keno, point-of-sale terminals, central site computers and communication platforms as well as ongoing operational support and maintenance services. The Company is the instant ticket validation network provider to the China Sports Lottery.

The Company has lottery systems operating in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition, it provides video lottery central monitoring, and control systems and networks primarily to lotteries an! d gaming ! regulators. It also provides software, hardware and support for sports wagering systems. The Company has 50% interest in Guard Libang, a provider of instant ticket activation and validation and inventory management systems and services.

Gaming

The Company is a provider of server-based gaming machines and systems and other products and services to operators in the gaming industry. The Company�� Gaming segment includes The Global Draw Limited (Global Draw), a supplier of server-based gaming machines and systems, and game content primarily to bookmakers that operate licensed betting offices (LBOs) in the United Kingdom, and to gaming operators outside the United Kingdom. The Gaming segment also includes Barcrest Group Limited (Barcrest) and Games Media Limited (Games Media), suppliers of gaming machines, systems and game content to pubs, bingo halls and arcades in the United Kingdom and continental Europe.

The Company provides its Gaming customers with gaming machines, remote management of game content and management information, central computer systems, secure data communication and field support services. It develops its own game content, and supplements its offering with content from third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company installed approximately 23,100 LBO gaming machines in the United Kingdom, which included approximately 8,000 LBO gaming. As of December 31, 2011, it had an installed base of approximately 6,100 gaming machines in its United Kingdom pub, bingo hall and arcade business, and installed approximately 6,500 gaming machines outside of the United Kingdom. During 2011, the Company owned a 50% interest in Sciplay, a joint venture with Playtech Services (Cyprus) Limited. It also owns 29.4% interests in RCN, and 20% in Sportech.

The Compnay competes with Pollard Banknote Limited, GTECH, BI Worldwide Ltd., Alchemy3, LLC, ePrize, LLC, GTECH, Pollard, Intralot Technologies, Inc., International Lottery and Totalizator Systems, Inc.! , Inspire! d Gaming Group Limited, Danoptra Ltd, Sceptre Leisure plc, Games Warehouse Limited, International Game Technology, Lottomatica, Bally Technologies, Inc., Inspired, Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Novomatic AG, Multimedia Games, Inc., WMS Industries Inc., Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., Amaya Gaming Group, Inc., Cryptologic Ltd., IGT, Microgaming Software Systems Ltd., Net Entertainment NE AB, NYX Gaming Group, OpenBet Technology Ltd. and Playtech Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stock Maelstrom]

  We are likely approaching the last time I will be reporting on WMS Industries (WMS), the former Williams Electronics. It has agreed to be acquired by Scientific Games (SGMS) for $26 per share, plus the assumption of WMS' modest debt. The deal is scheduled to close by the end of this year. On its own, WMS is having a dismal fiscal year, which ends June 30. For this year, the company, no doubt with distracted management, earnings are likely to end at about $0.90 per share, compared with fiscal 2012's $1.31 per share. Helping drive earnings lower are additional measures the company is taking to drive up revenues, which remain well below last decade's peak. WMS' stock has flat lined the past few months at within three percent of the $26 price. There is virtually no upside, though there is downside if the deal collapses. I see no reason to get invested in WMS.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of Scientific Games (NASDAQ: SGMS  ) jumped 10% in late trading today after signing an important customer.

  So what: The company announced that it has signed a contract extension to provide lottery gaming and instant ticket services for the Oklahoma Lottery. This was actually disclosed earlier this year,�but investors bid up shares leading up to the announcement and nearly five times the three-month average volume of shares traded hands today. �

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  In corporate news: Scientific Games (SGMS) announced it is buying slot-machine maker Bally Technologies (BYI) for $5.1 billion, including debt. The Bally shareholders will get $83.30 a share or a 38% premium to the stock�� closing price on Thursday. The deal sent Bally soaring more than 29% to $77.70, while Scientific Games rose almost 2.8% to $8.78.

• [By Johanna Bennett]

  Scientific Games (SGMS) is placing a big bet on Bally Technologies (BYI).

  Early today, the seller of instant ticketing systems and game-control software announce it was buying the slot machine maker for $5.1 billion, including debt, marking the latest deal in the gaming equipment industry.

  Bally shareholders will get $83.30 a share or a 38% premium to the stock’s closing price on Thursday. Scientific Games will take on $1.8 billion of Bally’s debt.

  As expected, the news sent Bally�� share soaring 20% to $77.72. But investors aren�� going all in on the deal, with Scientific Games��share price down 2% to $8.33 a share.

  The deal looks good on paper. As the WSJ reports:

  The two companies generated combined revenue of about $3 billion in the one-year period ended March 31. The merger plan calls for $220 million of cost synergies and $25 million of capital-expenditure savings through consolidating operations and creating efficiencies across a range of activities.

  Scientific Games said it expects the deal to immediately benefit the company’s per-share earnings and cash flow and help reduce the company’s leverage over the next three to four years.

  This is not the first coupling for Scientific Games. In late 2013, it bagged WMS Industries, a maker of gambling equipment, for $1.42 billion, while Bally acquired fellow casino-device maker SHFL Entertainment for $1.3 billion. And in mid-July, casino-equipment maker International Game Technology (IGT) agreed to be acquired by Italian lottery-operator Gtech in a deal worth $4.7 billion.