10 Best Diversified Bank Stocks For 2014

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are Beam Inc.(BEAM), Lululemon Athletica inc.(LULU) and Wendy's Co.(WEN)

Aaron's Inc.(AAN), which operates in the rent-to-own market, warned its fourth-quarter results won’t match October’s downbeat forecast and it also forecast weak earnings for 2014. CEO Ronald W. Allen blamed “a difficult economic environment for our low- to middle-income customers,” though he said franchised stores are performing better than company-operated ones. Shares dropped 3.4% to $28 premarket.

Japanese drinks maker Suntory Holdings Ltd. agreed to buy spirits company Beam for about $13.6 billion, creating a powerful global spirits and whiskey portfolio. Suntory offered $83.50 a share, a 25% premium to Friday’s closing price. Beam’s shares jumped 25% premarket to $83.94 a signal that some investors expect a higher offer.

Hot High Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Materion Corp (BEM)

Materion Corporation, formerly Brush Engineered Materials Inc., is a holding Company. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is an integrated producer of advanced engineered materials used in a variety of electrical, electronic, thermal and structural applications. It products are sold into numerous markets, including consumer electronics, industrial components and commercial aerospace, defense and science, energy, medical, automotive electronics, telecommunications infrastructure and appliance. In March 2012, the Company acquired Aerospace Metal Composites Limited (AMC). In October 2011, the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Materion Advanced Materials Technologies and Services Inc., acquired EIS Optics Limited. On March 8, 2011, the Company changed its name to Materion Corporation.

Advanced Material Technologies

Advanced Material Technologies manufactures precious, non-precious and specialty metal products, including vapor deposition targets, frame lid assemblies, clad and precious metal preforms, high temperature braze materials, ultra-fine wire, advanced chemicals, optics, performance coatings and microelectronic packages. These products are used in wireless, semiconductor, photonic, hybrid and other microelectronic applications within the consumer electronics and telecommunications infrastructure markets. Other key markets for these products include medical, defense and science, energy and industrial components. Advanced Material Technologies also has metal cleaning operations and in-house refineries that allow for the reclaim of precious metals from internally generated or customers scrap. Advanced Material Technologies products are sold directly from its facilities throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. Sales are made to over 3,200 customers. During the year ended December 31, 2011, sales for this segment were 69% of total sales.

Performance Alloys

Performance Alloys manufactures and sells three product famili! es: strip products, bulk products and beryllium hydroxide. Strip products include thin gauge precision strip and thin diameter rod and wire. These copper and nickel alloys are used as connectors, contacts, switches, relays and shielding. Markets for strip products include consumer electronics, telecommunications infrastructure, automotive electronics, appliance and medical. Its bulk products include copper and nickel-based alloys manufactured in plate, rod, bar, tube and other customized forms. Applications for bulk products include oil and gas drilling components, bearings, bushings, welding rods, plastic mold tooling, and undersea telecommunications housing equipment.

The Company�� Bulk products are copper and nickel-based alloys manufactured in plate, rod, bar, tube and other customized forms that, depending upon the application, may provide superior strength, corrosion or wear resistance, thermal conductivity or lubricity. Applications for bulk products include oil and gas drilling components, bearings, bushings, welding rods, plastic mold tooling, and undersea telecommunications housing equipment. The Company�� Beryllium hydroxide is produced at its milling operations in Utah from its bertrandite mine and purchased beryl ore. The hydroxide is used primarily as a raw material input for strip and bulk products, and by the Beryllium and Composites segment. It sells beryllium hydroxide to NGK Insulators, Ltd. Its strip and bulk products are manufactured at facilities in Ohio and Pennsylvania and are distributed internationally, through a network of Company-owned service centers and outside distributors and agents. Sales are made to over 1,600 customers. During 2011, sales for this segment were 22% of total sales.

Beryllium and Composites

The Company�� Beryllium and Composites segment manufactures beryllium-based metals and metal matrix composites in rod, sheet, foil and a variety of customized forms at its Elmore, Ohio and Fremont, California facilities. Th! is segmen! t also manufactures beryllia ceramics at its Tucson, Arizona facility. Defense and science is the market for Beryllium and Composites, including industrial components and commercial aerospace, medical, energy and telecommunications infrastructure. Products are also sold for acoustics and optical scanning applications.

The beryllium facility produces primary beryllium. It is a feedstock material used to produce beryllium metal products, which was completed during 2011. Beryllium-containing products are sold worldwide. Electronic components utilizing beryllia are used in the telecommunications infrastructure, medical, industrial components and commercial aerospace, and defense and science markets. These products are distributed through direct sales and independent sales agents. Sales are made to over 300 customers. During 2011, sales for this segment were 4% of total sales.

Technical Materials

Technical Materials include clad inlay and overlay metals, precious and base metal electroplated systems, electron beam welded systems, contour profiled systems and solder-coated metal systems. These specialty strip metal products provide a range of thermal, electrical or mechanical properties from a surface area or particular section of the material. The applications for these products include connectors, contacts and semiconductors, including automotive electronics and consumer electronics markets. Its products are manufactured at its Lincoln, Rhode Island facility and sold directly and through its sales representatives. Sales are made to over 200 customers. During 2011, sales for this segment were 5% of total sales.

The Company competes with Sumitomo Metals, Heraeus Inc., Praxair, Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Solar Applied Materials Technology Corp., Tanaka Holding Co., Ltd., Johnson Matthey plc, International Beryllium Corp., Ningxia Orient Tantalum, LeBronze Industriel, American Beryllia Inc., CBL Ceramics Limited, Heraeus Inc. and AMI Doduco, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Detrixhe]

  Developing-country bonds lost 1.2 percent in November after gaining in the previous two months, according to the Bloomberg USD Emerging Market Composite Bond Index. (BEM) The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 1.6 percent, the first decline since August and taking this year�� drop to 3.5 percent.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  The Bloomberg USD Emerging Market Composite Bond Index (BEM), which includes sovereign and corporate debt, declined 4.39 percent in June, capping its second consecutive quarterly loss.

10 Best Diversified Bank Stocks For 2014: Pure Cycle Corporation(PCYO)

Pure Cycle Corporation, a vertically integrated water and wastewater service provider, engages in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of water and wastewater systems in the Denver metropolitan area. The company contracts with landowners, developers, home builders, cities, and municipalities using a water portfolio consisting of surface and ground water supplies, surface and aquifer storage, and reclaimed water supplies. It withdraws, treats, stores, and delivers water to customers; collects, treats, stores, and reuses wastewater; and treats and delivers reclaimed water for irrigation use by customers. The company offers water services to approximately 258 single family equivalent (SFE) water connections, as well as 157 SFE wastewater connections located in southeastern metropolitan area of Denver. It has water assets in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado; Arkansas River Valley in southern Colorado; and on the western slope of Colorado. The company was founded in 1976 and is based in Denver, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  On Wednesday, the utilities sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading the sector was strength from Korea Electric Power (NYSE: KEP) and Pure Cycle (NASDAQ: PCYO).

10 Best Diversified Bank Stocks For 2014: Zale Corp (ZLC)

Zale Corporation, incorporated on April 26, 1991, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a retailer of fine jewelry in North America. The Company operates in three segments: fine jewelry, kiosk jewelry and all other. As of July 31, 2012, the Company operated 1,124 specialty retail jewelry stores and 654 kiosks located mainly in shopping malls throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Company�� fine jewelry segment consists of five brands: Zales Jewelers, Peoples Jewellers, Zales Outlet, Mappins Jewellers, and Gordon's Jewelers The Company�� kiosk jewelry operates under the brand names Piercing Pagoda, Plumb Gold, and Silver and Gold Connection (collectively, Piercing Pagoda) through mall-based kiosks. The Company provides insurance and reinsurance services for various types of insurance coverage, which is marketed primarily to its private label credit card guests, through Zale Indemnity Company, Zale Life Insurance Company and Jewel Re-Insurance Ltd.

Fine Jewelry

Each brand specializes in fine jewelry and watches, with merchandise and marketing emphasis focused on diamond products. Zales Jewelers is the Company's national brand in the United States providing moderately priced jewelry to a range of guests. Zales Outlet operates in outlet malls and neighborhood power centers and capitalizes on Zales Jewelers' national advertising and brand recognition. Gordon's Jewelers is a value-oriented regional jeweler. Peoples Jewellers, Canada's fine jewelry retailer, provides guests with shopping experience. Mappins Jewellers offers Canadian guests a selection of merchandise from engagement rings to fashionable and contemporary fine jewelry.

The Company has extended its reach of certain brands through the use of its Webstores, mobile devices and social media to provide its guests access to its brands wherever and whenever they choose. In addition, the Company offers its guests the option to purchase warranty coverage on substantially all of its mercha! ndise in Fine Jewelry. The Company also offers repair services to guests who do not purchase warranty coverage. Zales Jewelers (Zales), the Company's United States based flagship, is a brand name in jewelry retailing in the United States, operating 639 stores in 50 states and Puerto Rico with an average store size of 1,681 square feet. Gordon's Jewelers (Gordon's) operates 147 stores in 27 states and Puerto Rico with an average store size of 1,534 square feet.

The Company�� Zales brand is positioned as the Diamond Store emphasizing on diamond jewelry, especially in the bridal and fashion segments. Zales and Gordon's combined revenues accounted for 60% of the Company's total revenues during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2012 (fiscal 2012). Both brands operate as multi-channel retailers and serve Internet guests through the e-commerce sites www.zales.com and www.gordonsjewelers.com, which accounted for approximately 5% of the Company's total revenues in fiscal 2012.

In Canada, the Company operates 206stores in nine provinces. The Company's Canadian operations consist of two brands, Peoples Jewellers (Peoples) and Mappins Jewellers (Mappins), and accounted for 17% of the Company's total revenues in fiscal 2012. The average store size is 1,605 square feet with an average transaction value of $332 in fiscal year 2012. Peoples serves Internet guests through the e-commerce site, www.peoplesjewellers.com. The Company operates 132 Zales Outlet (Outlet) stores in 35 states and Puerto Rico, sales from which accounted for 10% of its total revenues in fiscal 2012. The average store size is 2,362 square feet in fiscal 2012.

Kiosk Jewelry

The Company�� kiosk jewelry segment is focused on the opening price point jewelry guest. The Company's presence in Kiosk Jewelry has been expanded through the e-commerce site, www.pagoda.com. The Company also offers its guests the option to purchase warranty coverage on certain products. As of July 31, 2012, Piercing Pagoda op! erated 65! 4 locations in 41 states and Puerto Rico, sales from which accounted for 13% of the Company's total revenues in fiscal. Piercing Pagoda offers collection of bracelets, earrings, charms, rings, non-precious metal products and 14 karat and 10 karat gold chains, as well as a selection of silver and diamond jewelry, all in basic styles at moderate prices. Kiosk locations average 188 square feet in size in fiscal 2012.

All Other

The Company insurance companies are the insurers (either through direct written or reinsurance contracts) of the Company's guests' credit insurance coverage. In addition to providing merchandise replacement coverage for certain perils, credit insurance coverage provides protection to the creditor and cardholder for losses associated with the disability, involuntary unemployment, leave of absence or death of the cardholder. Zale Life Insurance Company also provides group life insurance coverage for the Company's eligible employees. In fiscal year 2012, 36% of the Company's private label credit card purchasers purchased some form of credit insurance. In fiscal year 2012, all other accounted for approximately 1% of the Company's total revenues.

The Company competes with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., .C. Penney Company, Inc., Signet Jewelers Limited, and QVC, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  Zale (NYSE: ZLC  ) is a specialty retailer of fine jewelry that has 1064 stores and 630 kiosks across North America. If you have ever walked through a mall, then you're familiar with the name Zale. With strong brand name recognition and the company swinging to a profit in fiscal-year 2013, you would think Zale should present a quality investment opportunity. While this is a possibility, there are several reasons why one much larger jewelry company should present a better long-term investment opportunity.

10 Best Diversified Bank Stocks For 2014: Violin Memory Inc (VMEM)

Violin Memory, Inc., incorporated on March 9, 2005, is pioneering a new class of flash-based storage systems that are designed to bring storage performance in-line with high-speed applications, servers and networks. The Company�� Flash Memory Arrays are specifically designed at each level of the system architecture starting with memory and optimized through the array to leverage the inherent capabilities of flash memory and meet the sustained requirements of business-critical applications, virtualized environments and Big Data solutions in enterprise data centers. The Company�� Velocity Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), Flash Memory Cards leverage its persistent memory-based architecture in servers and are optimized for applications that require continuous access to quantities of low latency persistent memory located directly in servers.

The Company�� storage systems are based on a four-layer hardware architecture, which is integrated with its Violin Memory Operating System (vMOS), software stack to optimize the management of flash memory at each level of its system architecture. The Company�� Velocity PCIe Flash Memory Cards leverage its expertise in persistent memory-based storage and controller design, as well as its vMOS software stack, to offer a differentiated architecture in a deployable PCIe form factor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Violin Memory (NASDAQ: VMEM) dove following its third quarter results and guidance that was released last night. The company reported a third quarter EPS loss of $0.63 while the Street was looking for a loss of $0.47. Revenue of $28.3 million fell short of the Street's expectation of $31.7 million. Shares were downgraded by J.P. Morgan, (NYSE: JPM) Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) and Pacific Crest. Shares lost 48.33 percent, closing at $3.10.

10 Best Diversified Bank Stocks For 2014: Spdr S&P Homebuilders Etf (XHB)

SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before expenses, the performance of the S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index (the Index). To accomplish this, the Fund utilizes a passive or indexing approach and attempts to approximate the investment performance of its Index, by investing in a portfolio of stocks intended to replicate the Index.

The S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index seeks to provide a representation of the homebuilders��sub-industry portion of the S&P Total Market Index. The S&P TMI tracks all the United States common stocks regularly traded on the NYSE, American Stock Exchange, NASDAQ National Market and NASDAQ Small Cap Exchanges. The Homebuilders Index is an equal weighted market cap index.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  1. The U.S. economy grows 3% as housing starts surpass one million and private employment hits an all-time high – All time high on private employment? 1 million housing starts?

  Homebuilder ETF: SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (NYSEArca: XHB) as it is tied to homebuilders and building products rather than including other sectors that only overlap in building. At $32.57, its 52-week range is 426.94 to $33.38. Housing Starts were always well over 1 million on an annualized basis each month before the recession, but they only reached that in two months of 2013 (St. Louis Fed data).

  2. 10-Year Treasury yields move toward 3.5% as the Federal Reserve completes tapering and holds short-term rate near zero – This may sound bad, but it is actually good and fits in line with rates not rising too much. Keep in mind that the 10-year Treasury is at 2.94% now and ended at 3.03% on the last day of 2013. Elsewhere on the yield curve, Doll sees many parts of the fixed income market to end 2014 with negative total rates of return.

10 Best Diversified Bank Stocks For 2014: Karoon Gas Australia Ltd (KRNGF)

Karoon Gas Australia Ltd (Karoon Gas) is an Australia-based exploration company. The Company is principally engaged in the hydrocarbon exploration and evaluation in Australia, Brazil and Peru. The Company operates in three segments: Australia, Brazil and Peru exploration. The Company�� Australia segment is involved in the exploration and evaluation of hydrocarbons in four offshore permit areas: WA-314-P, WA-315-P, WA-398-P and WA-482-P; The Company in its Brazil segment is involved in the exploration and evaluation of hydrocarbons in five offshore blocks including Block S-M-1037, Block S-M-1101, Block S-M-1102, Block S-M-1165 and Block S-M-1166. The Company under its Peru exploration segment is involved in the exploration and evaluation of hydrocarbons in two blocks in Peru, including Block 144 (onshore) and Block Z-38 (offshore). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks gave ground in early Friday trading, with banks broadly lower after overnight losses in the U.S., where investors worried that better-than-expected data would prompt the Federal Reserve to roll back stimulus soon. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) lost 0.4% to 5,178.30, as National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) fell 1.8%, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) lost 0.8%, and Macquarie Group Ltd. (AU:MQG) (MCQEF) retreated 1.3%. Among the resource shares, losses for gold both in New York and in early Asian electronic trade helped send Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF) down 1.9% and Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) off 4.5%, though Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) held the drop to 0.4%. Oil prices managed a modest gain, however, resulting in a 0.2% rise for Oil Search Ltd. (AU:OSH) (OISHF) and Karoon Gas Australia Ltd. (AU:KAR) (KRNGF) , while Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (AU:WPL)

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks seesawed in early Monday trade, with gains for miners and energy names helping support the market, as the S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) sat 0.1% higher at 5,325.90 after changing direction several times. Official Chinese data showing manufacturing holding its growth rate in October appeared to help some miners, as did gains for some commodity prices. Shares of Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.5%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) added 0.7%, Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) advanced 1%, and Whitehaven Coal Ltd. (AU:WHC) improved by 1.9%. Likewise, an advance for gold futures sent Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) rallying 3.4%, and Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) up 2.9%. Energy shares also traded higher, with Oil Search Ltd. (AU:OSH) (OISHF) up 1.3%, and Karoon Gas Australia Ltd. (AU:KAR) (KRNGF) adding 1.7%. On the downside, retailers were mostly lower, with David Jones Ltd. (AU:DJS) (DVDJF)

10 Best Diversified Bank Stocks For 2014: Natura Cosmeticos SA (NATU3)

Natura Cosmeticos SA is a Brazil-based company that, together with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the manufacture, industrialization, distribution and commercialization of cosmetics, fragrances and personal hygiene products under the brand name Natura. The Company's product line includes deodorants, makeup, sunscreens, lotions, creams, lipsticks and perfumes, among others. It operates in Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Netherlands, among others, and, as of December 31, 2011, the Company had such subsidiaries as Industria e Comercio de Cosmeticos Natura Ltda, Natura Cosmeticos SA, Natura Cosmeticos de Mexico SA de CV, Natura Cosmeticos Espana SL, Natura (Brasil) International BV and Natura Inovacao e Tecnologia de Produtos Ltda, among several others. On February 28, 2013, the Company concluded the acquisition of a 65% stake in Emeis Holdings Pty Ltd, operating under Aesop brand. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Harry Suhartono]

  Brazil�� Ibovespa rose for a third day as traders pared bets on higher borrowing costs in Brazil, boosting the outlook for companies that sell in the local market. B2W Cia. Digital led gains among retailers, with Lojas Americanas SA (LAME3) and Natura Cosmeticos SA (NATU3) also trading higher. Petrochemicals producer Braskem SA (BRKM5) was the worst performer on the equity gauge after O Estado de S.Paulo reported Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4) is seeking to raise prices of naphtha sold to the company by 5 percent.