Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now

Sales at America's automakers have been going great guns these past few quarters, and you'd think that would be great news for the companies that make parts for all these shiny new autos. In some cases, you'd be right to think that. But in at least one case -- the case of Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI  ) stock -- you'd be very, very wrong.

Shares of auto-parts makers such as Lear (NYSE: LEA  ) and Magna International (NYSE: MGA  ) have rocketed this past year, outperforming the S&P 500 with 46% and 56% returns, respectively. Yet Johnson Controls stock has lagged the market average by more than five points. Why?

Three reasons.

Johnson Controls stock is worse than average
Turns out that when you stack up Johnson Controls stock against its two smaller rivals, there's precious little to recommend it. Johnson Controls' P/E ratio of 27.8 is no bargain. It's more than twice the cost of a share of Magna (which costs 10.5 times earnings), and nearly six times the cost of Lear, which sells for only 4.7 times earnings.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Nortec Ventures Corp. (NVT.V)

Nortec Minerals Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in Canada, Ecuador, and Finland. The company explores for gold, copper, silver, platinum, palladium, nickel, lithium, tin, tantalum, and cobalt ores. It owns interest in the Tammela project in south-west Finland; the Kaukua and Haukiaho projects in north-central Finland; the TL property in Northern Labrador, Canada.The company was formerly known as Nortec Ventures Corp. and changed its name to Nortec Minerals Corp. in January 2010. Nortec Minerals Corp. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Global Minerals Ltd (CTG.V)

Global Minerals Ltd., an exploration stage junior mining company, engages in the identification, acquisition, and exploration of mineral properties in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company principally owns 100% interest in the Strieborna silver/copper/antimony project that consists of Roznava I and III mining license covering an area of approximately 140 hectares; Roznava East exploration license covering an area of approximately 1.61 square kilometers; and Roznava West exploration license covering an area of approximately 2.84 square kilometers. It also has additional exploration concessions covering an area of approximately 135 square kilometers surrounding the original mining and exploration concessions. The company was formerly known as Consolidated Global Minerals Ltd. and changed its name to Global Minerals Ltd. in November 2006. Global Minerals Ltd. was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Top Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now: EntreMed Inc (ENMD.PH)

EntreMed, Inc. (EntreMed), incorporated in 1991, is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company. EntreMed's drug candidate is ENMD-2076, an Aurora A and angiogenic kinase inhibitor for the treatment of cancer. ENMD-2076 has completed Phase I studies in patients with advanced solid tumors, multiple myeloma and leukemia and is completing data for a multi-center Phase II study in patients with platinum resistant ovarian cancer. The Company�� other product candidates have includes MKC-1, ENMD-1198 and 2-methoxyestrdiol (2ME2, Panzem) for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

ENMD-2076 is a novel orally-active, Aurora A/angiogenic kinase inhibitor with potent activity against Aurora A and multiple tyrosine kinases linked to cancer and inflammatory diseases. ENMD-2076 is relatively selective for the Aurora A isoform in comparison to Aurora B. Aurora kinases are key regulators of the process of mitosis, or cell division, and are often over-expressed in human cancers. E NMD-2076 exerts its effects through multiple mechanisms of action, including anti-proliferative activity and the inhibition of angiogenesis. ENMD-2076 has demonstrated significant, dose-dependent preclinical activity as a single agent, including tumor regression, in multiple xenograft models (such as breast, colon, leukemia), as well as activity towards ex vivo-treated human leukemia patient cells.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: American Independence Corp.(AMIC)

American Independence Corp., through its subsidiaries, engages in the health insurance and reinsurance businesses in the United States. The company provides specialized health coverage and related services to commercial customers and individuals. It offers various insurance products comprising medical stop-loss, fully insured health and dental, and short-term statutory disability. American Independence Corp. offers its products and services through managing general underwriter and agency subsidiaries, independent brokers, producers, and agents. The company was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in New York, New York. American Independence Corp. operates as a subsidiary of Independence Holding Co.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Empresa Distribuidora Y Comercializadora Norte S.A. (EDENOR)

Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte S.A., a public service company, engages in the distribution and sale of electricity in Argentina. The company, through a concession, distributes electricity to the northwestern zone of the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area and the northern part of the city of Buenos Aires. It serves residential, small and medium commercial, industrial, wheeling system, and public lighting customers. As of December 31, 2012, the company served 2,726,422 customers. The company was formerly known as Empresa Distribuidora Norte Sociedad An贸nima and changed its name to Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte S.A. in June 1996. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Empresa Distribuidora y Comercializadora Norte S.A. is a subsidiary of Electricidad Argentina S.A.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Northeast Utilities(NU)

Northeast Utilities, a public utility holding company, provides electric and natural gas energy delivery services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts. The company engages in the purchase, delivery, and sale of electricity; and owns and operates approximately 1,200 megawatts of primarily fossil-fueled electricity generation assets. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 1.2 million customers in 149 cities and towns in Connecticut; 497,000 retail customers in 211 cities and towns in New Hampshire; and 206,000 retail customers in 59 cities and towns in western Massachusetts. The company also operates a natural gas distribution system in Connecticut and serves approximately 206,000 customers in 71 cities and towns. It offers gas supply to commercial and industrial customers; and to residential customers for heating, hot water, and cooking needs, as well as provides gas transportation services t o commercial and industrial customers. In addition, the company offers electric transmission services. Northeast Utilities was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Richard Stavros]

  Meanwhile, the companies that are projected to be spending more in 2015 than they are presently include The AES Corp (NYSE: AES), Ameren Corp (NYSE: AEE), American Electric Power Co Inc (NYSE: AEP), CMS Energy Corp (NYSE: CMS), and Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU).

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Hillenbrand Inc(HI)

Hillenbrand, Inc. designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells funeral service products to licensed funeral directors operating licensed funeral homes. The company?s products include burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers, vaults, urns, and selection room display fixturing for funeral homes, as well as other personalization and memorialization products and services, including Web-based applications, and the creation and hosting of Websites for licensed funeral homes. It markets its products under the Batesville and Options brand name through direct sales force in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The company also designs, produces, markets, sells, and services bulk solids material handling equipment and systems for various industrial markets, including plastics, food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, power generation, coal mining, pulp and paper, frac sand, industrial minerals, agribusiness, recycling, wood and forest pr oducts, and biomass energy generation. It offers feeders and pneumatic conveying equipment under the K-Tron brand name; and size reduction equipment, such as hammer mills, double-roll crushers, wood and bark hogs, chip sizers, screening equipment, pneumatic and mechanical conveying systems, storage/reclamation systems, and specialty crushers and other equipment under the Pennsylvania Crusher, Gundlach, and Jeffrey Rader brand names. In addition, the company manufactures dry material separation machines that sort dry, granular products based on the particle?s size serving various industries, including frac sand, potash, urea, phosphates, chemical, agricultural, plastics, and food processing. The company sells its material handling equipment and systems worldwide through a combination of a direct sales force, and a network of independent sales representatives and distributors. Hillenbrand, Inc. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Batesville, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  Hillenbrand Inc. (HI), a diversified industrial company, makes and sells business-to-business products and services for various industries worldwide. Dec. 4, the company increased is quarterly dividend 1.3% to $0.1975 per share. the dividend is payable Dec. 31, 2013, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 17, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.8%.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Shell Refining Company (SHELL)

Shell Refining Company (Federation of Malaya) Berhad is principally engaged in refining and manufacturing of petroleum products. The Company operates primarily in Malaysia. Its operations also include the gas to liquids (GTL) plant of its kind in Bintulu, Sarawak, and a refinery in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Its upstream operations focus on the development and extraction of crude oil and natural gas offshore Sarawak and Sabah. In downstream its main activity is in refining, supply, trading and shipping of crude oil and petroleum products through the sales and marketing of transportation fuels, lubricants, specialty products and technical services. The Company is also a partner in two joint ventures that convert natural gas to liquefied natural gas. Royal Dutch Shell plc is its holding company.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: U308 Ltd(UTO.AX)

U3O8 Limited engages in the acquisition and exploration of uranium in Australia. It controls approximately 31 exploration licenses in Western Australia, Queensland, and South Australia. The company primarily focuses on the Ashburton project comprising 18 granted exploration tenements prospective for gold, silver, rare earths, base metals, and uranium located to the south of Paraburdoo in Western Australia; the Saltwater Pool Joint Venture project area prospective for gold and silver in the Ashburton area of Western Australia; the Ardmore project prospective for base metal and uranium mineralization located to the south of Mt Isa in Queensland; and the Olary Creek iron ore project located in South Australia. U3O8 Limited is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Insteel Industries Inc.(IIIN)

Insteel Industries, Inc. manufactures and markets steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction applications. The company offers pre-stressed concrete strand (PC strand) and welded wire reinforcement (WWR) products. Its PC strand is a high strength seven-wire strand that is used to impart compression forces into precast concrete elements and structures, which may be either pre-tensioned or post-tensioned, providing reinforcement for bridges, parking decks, buildings, and other concrete structures. The company?s WWR is produced as either a standard or a specially engineered reinforcing product for use in nonresidential and residential construction. Its products comprise concrete pipe reinforcement, an engineered made-to-order product that is used as the primary reinforcement in concrete pipe, box culverts, and precast manholes for drainage and sewage systems, water treatment facilities, and other related applications; engineered structural mesh, an engineered m ade-to-order product, which is used as the primary reinforcement for concrete elements or structures; and standard welded wire reinforcement, a secondary reinforcing product for crack control applications in residential and light nonresidential construction, including driveways, sidewalks, and various slab-on-grade applications. Insteel Industries sells its products through sales representatives to the manufacturers of concrete products, distributors, and rebar fabricators in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America. The company was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Insteel Industries (Nasdaq: IIIN  ) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 30 (Q2), Insteel Industries missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Reynolds American Inc(RAI)

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cigarette and other tobacco products in the United States. It offers cigarettes under the brand names of CAMEL, PALL MALL, WINSTON, KOOL, DORAL, SALEM, MISTY, and CAPRI; and cigarettes and other tobacco products under the NATURAL AMERICAN SPIRIT brand name, as well as manages various licensed brands, including DUNHILL and STATE EXPRESS 555. The company also provides smokeless tobacco products, including moist snuff under GRIZZLY and KODIAK brand names; pasteurized tobacco under CAMEL Snus brand name; milled tobacco under the brand name of CAMEL Dissolvables; other tobacco products, such as little cigars under WINCHESTER and CAPTAIN BLACK brand names; and roll-your-own tobacco under the brand name of BUGLER. RAI sells its products primarily through distributors, wholesalers, and other direct customers, including retail chains, as well as distributes its cigarettes to public warehouses. The compan y was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On the other hand, toward the top of the return list, you'll find many old-economy stocks that were largely out of favor in 2000. Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) has soared almost 2,500% since then, having overcome the threat of major tobacco-litigation losses largely unscathed. Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX  ) has climbed more than 2,200%, with several health-insurance companies also posting strong performance as the health-care industry has changed to favor companies that help manage costs of providing medical services.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Things aren't much better here, either
  Domestically, Altria (NYSE: MO  ) and Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) have performed well, all things considered, with both stocks near an all-time high (adjusting for Altria's spinoff of Philip Morris International). However, the underlying fundamentals of the U.S. tobacco business aren't nearly as good as their stock prices would indicate. Altria laid off 15% of its workforce and Reynolds American 10% in response to falling cigarette volume. Furthermore, in President Obama's budget proposal, the federal cigarette tax would be raised 93% to $1.94 per pack, making it even more burdensome on American consumers to purchase a pack of cigarettes.�

• [By Alex Planes]

  The deal took 16 years for KKR to digest, and RJR Nabisco soon split back into its component parts. Today, R.J. Reynolds has become Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) , and Nabisco's brands were shuttled from one tobacco company to another, becoming part of the Kraft food empire before spinning off into the hard-to-pronounce food conglomerate Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ  ) . Nabisco's Oreo was an important part of that spinoff -- it's been the world's most popular cookie for decades.

• [By Sean Williams]

  The end result of these multiple actions has been an ongoing reduction in smoking rates over the past four decades and tougher times for U.S. tobacco producers such as Altria (NYSE: MO  ) and Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) . In fact, a tough domestic sales climate was one reason Altria decided to spin off its overseas operations into Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) in 2008. By separating its business, the hope was that investors would have a better understanding of the fundamental forces driving Altria and Philip Morris.