Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014

Freddie Mac released its weekly update on national mortgage rates this morning, showing a slowing, but continued slide, in rates across the board.

For the fourth week in a row, 30-year fixed rate mortgages (FRM) declined, falling one basis point to 3.40%. Shorter-term 15-year FRMs likewise fell for their fourth straight week, dropping three basis points to 2.61%.

Variable rate mortgages were also down. One-year ARMs lost a single basis point, falling to 2.62%. And 5/1 ARMs lost two basis points to reach 2.58%.

Result? It's now cheaper to get a mortgage in which the rate can't possibly go up for the next 15 years, than it is to take out a mortgage whose rate could skyrocket just a year from now.

While not entirely unheard of, this kind of event is exceedingly rare. Freddie Mac spokesman Chad Wandler confirms that in the past 20 years or so, there have really been only two periods in which one-year ARMs cost more than 15-year mortgages -- in late 2000, when the yield curve was inverted, and then again in 2009, when ARM premiums peaked.

Best China Stocks To Watch For 2015: Popular Inc.(BPOP)

Popular, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of retail and commercial banking products and services primarily to corporate clients, small and middle size businesses, and retail clients in Puerto Rico and Mainland United States. It offers deposit products; commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans, as well as lease finance; and finance and advisory services. The company also offers trust and asset management, brokerage and investment banking, and insurance and reinsurance services. As of December 31, 2010, it owned and occupied approximately 94 branch premises and other facilities in Puerto Rico; and 119 offices, including 20 owned and 99 leased in New York, Illinois, New Jersey, California, Florida, and Texas. Popular, Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Among multinationals, Sterne Agee recommends three banks. The first is Puerto Rico�� Popular Inc. (NASDAQ: BPOP). The mid-cap bank�� stock closed at $28.21 on Friday in a 52-week range of $20.31 to $34.34. Based on Sterne Agee�� 2014 price target of $40.00, Popular has an upside potential of nearly 42% and a 2014 EPS estimate of $2.90. The investment firm�� forward multiple is just 9.6, below the Thomson Reuters consensus multiple of 10.3. Popular received TARP funds in 2009 and could repay the loan in the first quarter of next year, which will give the stock a shot in the arm as well.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Popular (NASDAQ: BPOP) shares tumbled 5.54 percent to $27.48 after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock from Equal-weight to Underweight.

  Pacific Coast Oil Trust (NYSE: ROYT) down, falling 7.13 percent to $16.70 after the company priced a public offering by Pacific Coast Energy Company LP and other selling unitholders of 13,500,000 trust units at a price of $17.10 per unit.

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014: Cloud Peak Energy Inc(CLD)

Cloud Peak Energy Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in coal mining operations in the Powder River Basin of the United States. It produces sub-bituminous steam coal with low sulfur content for electric utilities and industrial customers. The company owns and operates Antelope surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; the Cordero Rojo surface coal mine located to the south of Gillette, Wyoming; and the Spring Creek surface coal mine located in Montana. It also owns a 50% interest in the Decker surface coal mine located in Montana. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 970 million tons of proven and probable reserves. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Gillette, Wyoming.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Heading into the 2Q14 earnings season, we think the coal sector continues to be unloved with met coal prices close to bottom while steam coal prices are slightly cooling off after a strong rally during 1Q14. Similar to 1Q14, the two major challenges for coal producers remain weak met coal pricing and rail service limiting steam coal volume uptick. On the positive side, since 1Q14, we have gotten about 16 MTPA of global met coal production cuts, which are slowly flowing through the system but could take another three months to drive prices higher. On the other hand, rail service (BNSF and CSX) challenges continue, and we do not expect to see any major improvement through 2H14, which is later than expected during 1Q14, when some producers indicated 3Q14 normalization. We expect a majority of earnings calls to be focused on those two themes over and above company-specific issues (asset sales/divestitures, cost control, and balance sheet management). While still in the early days, we will look for any color on the coal industry’s preparedness for eventual implementation of GHG regulation announced by the EPA in early June. Within our coal coverage, we are lowering our 2014 EBITDA estimates by an average of 12% for the group, while our 2015��016 estimates are largely unchanged. In addition, we are adjusting our price targets for Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) to $25 from $26 and Walter Energy (WLT) to $7.50 from $8.50 as we update our coal price deck for 2Q14 actuals and the 3Q14 met coal benchmark settlement, as well as adjust for rail service issues in the Powder River Basin. In terms of our overall coal coverage, we continue to prefer steam coal names and/or low-cost met coal assets with solid balance sheets. Our Outperform rated names include Arch Coal, Peabody Energy, Cloud Peak Energy, and Consol Energy (CNX).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The price of natural gas, however, has dropped 0.4% today, and wouldn’t you know it, coal stocks are weak. Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) has dropped 4.2% to $16.15, while Peabody Energy (BTU) has fallen 2.9% to $17.27. Arch Coal (ACI) is off 1.3% at $4.45, Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) has declined 1.4% to $5.76 and Consol Energy (CNX) has dipped 0.7% to $31.35.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) have fallen 3.3%, for instance, while Peabody Energy has dropped 12%, Alpha Natural Resources has plunged and Arch Coal (ACI) has plummeted. Consol Energy (CNX), which is as much a gas company as a coal miner, has gained.

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014: Whole Foods Market Inc.(WFM)

Whole Foods Market, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of natural and organic food supermarkets. The company offers produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, coffee and tea, nutritional supplements, and vitamins. It also provides specialty products, such as beer, wine, and cheese; body care and educational products, such as books; and floral, pet, and household products. As of February 9, 2011, the company operated 302 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  After the market closed, Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) reported its third quarter results. The company announced an EPS of $0.41, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39. Revenue of $3.40 billion beat the consensus estimate of $3.39 billion. Shares were trading lower by 5.16 percent at $37.09 following the earnings report.

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014: Bank of America Corporation(BAC)

Bank of America Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and nonbanking financial services and products to individuals, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, and governments in the United States and internationally. The company?s Deposits segment generates savings accounts, money market savings accounts, certificate of deposits, and checking accounts; and Global Card Services segment provides the U.S. consumer and business card, consumer lending, international card and debit card services. Its Home Loans & Insurance segment offers consumer real estate products and services, including mortgage loans, reverse mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and home equity loans. It also provides property, disability, and credit insurance. The company?s Global Commercial Banking segment offers lending products, including commercial loans and commitment facilities, real estate lending, leasing, trade finance, short-term credit, asset-based lending, and indirect consumer loans; and capital management and treasury solutions, such as treasury management, foreign exchange, and short-term investing options. Its Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial products, advisory services, settlement, and custody services; debt and equity underwriting and distribution, merger-related advisory services, and risk management products; and integrated working capital management and treasury solutions. The company?s Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and brokerage services, estate management, financial planning services, fiduciary management, credit and banking expertise, and asset management products. Bank of America Corporation serves customers through a network of approximately 5,900 banking centers and 18,000 automated teller machines. It was formerly known as NationsBank Corporation and changed its name on October 1, 1998. Bank of America Corporation was founded in 1874 and is based in Charlott e, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Amanda Alix]

  Without a doubt, Pandit made some blunders, such as the loss on the sale of Citi's interest in Smith Barney, the brokerage firm it formerly shared with Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS  ) . Also, the disputed pay package of $15 million, which was measurably higher than that for the CEOs of more profitable peers�Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) , was obviously seen as overblown. Even Bank of America's (NYSE: BAC  ) Brian Moynihan had shareholders' blessing�for his -- albeit -- much smaller $7 million pay package less than a month later despite lingering mortgage-related problems and boisterous protests outside the meeting's doors.

• [By Amanda Alix]

  There's no doubt about it: Investors have been waiting with bated breath for the Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) earnings report, hoping for the best news yet. Considering how feisty the stock was yesterday, I believe there was a lot of faith in the progress that has been made over the past year or so at the big bank.

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014: Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc.(WEN)

The Wendy's Company operates as a quick-service hamburger company in the United States. The company, through its subsidiary, Wendy's International, Inc., operates as a franchisor of the Wendy's restaurant system. As of December 26, 2011, the Wendy's system comprised approximately 6,500 franchise and company restaurants in the United States and the United States territories, as well as in 26 other countries worldwide. The company was formerly known as Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. and changed its name to The Wendy's Company in July 2011. The Wendy's Company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patrick M. Sheridan]

  Workers from fast food giants like McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500), Burger King (BKW), Wendy's (WEN) and Yum! Brands (YUM, Fortune 500), owner of KFC, have been walking of their jobs, calling on employers to pay them a minimum wage of $15 an hour and allow them to form unions without retaliation.

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014: Lattice Semiconductor Corporation(LSCC)

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets programmable logic products and related software. The company offers field programmable gate array (FPGA) products, including LatticeECP family for deployment in wireless infrastructure and wireline access equipment, as well as in video and imaging applications; and LatticeXP for the security, surveillance, and display markets. It also provides programmable logic device (PLD) products comprising various versions of ispMACH4000 in-system programmable complex programmable logic device family; MachXO family that is designed for a range of low density applications; platform manager, power manager, and ispClock programmable mixed signal devices; and software development tools and intellectual property cores. The company sells its products directly to end customers through a network of independent manufacturers? representatives and indirectly through a network of independent sell-in and sell-through distributors. It primarily serves original equipment manufacturers in the communications, computing, consumer, industrial, military, automotive, and medical end markets. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By kcpl]

  Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC) is doing well. It has seen improvements in its operations. The company excels in the manufacture of programmable chips which are sold in various segments such as mobile, communications, automotives, industrial etc. The reason for the company�� strong performance has been its key customers such as China Mobile and Cisco. On the back of a strong client base, Lattice has seen a good 40% growth in its stock price. Let us take a look at its business.

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Invest In 2014: CVS Corporation(CVS)

CVS Caremark Corporation operates as a pharmacy services company in the United States. The company?s Pharmacy Services segment provides a range of pharmacy benefit management services, including mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy services, plan design and administration, formulary management, and claims processing; and drug benefits to eligible beneficiaries under the Federal Government?s Medicare Part D program. This segment primarily serves employers, insurance companies, unions, government employee groups, managed care organizations and other sponsors of health benefit plans, and individuals. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 44 retail specialty pharmacy stores, 18 specialty mail order pharmacies, and 4 mail service pharmacies located in 25 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. This segment operates business under the CVS Caremark Pharmacy Services, Caremark, CVS Caremark, CarePlus CVS/pharmacy, CarePlus, RxAmerica, Accordant, and TheraCom names. The company?s Retail Pharmacy segment sells prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods through its pharmacy retail stores and online, as well as offers film and photo finishing, and health care services. This segment operated 7,182 retail drugstores located in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia; and 560 retail health care clinics in 26 states and the District of Columbia under the MinuteClinic name. It has a strategic alliance with Alere, L.L.C. for the management of disease management program offerings that cover chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease. CVS Caremark Corporation was founded in 1892 and is based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  In personal conversations over the past week, Donahoe and Icahn instead agreed to make CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) CEO David Dorman an independent director on eBay�� board. Dorman is also a founding partner of venture capital firm Centerview Capital Technology.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Instead, Pfizer is fighting against counterfeit medications, often sold on the Internet, which may not even contain the active drug. To battle back, the pharma is entering their realm, selling Viagra direct to consumers through its website. Pfizer won't fill the orders directly; they'll go through CVS Caremark's (NYSE: CVS  ) mail-order pharmacy, which will presumably get a cut of the sales.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  CVS Caremark (CVS) has found the perfect prescription for stock market gains after reporting earnings results this morning.

  Associated Press

  For the quarter ended Dec. 31, CVS reported adjusted EPS of $1.12, up from 96 cents a year ago and ahead of analyst expectations of $1.11. Revenue rose to $32.8 billion from $31.4 a year prior and forecasts for sales of $32.6 billion. CVS also disclosed that it opened 60 new retail drugstores and closed one during the period.

  Last week, CVS made headlines on the announcement that it would end tobacco sales and the market reacted accordingly. In a Barron�� Take, Teresa Rivas wrote, ��ith the number of U.S. smokers on the decline and regulation on the rise, CVS will likely more than make up for lost sales with public goodwill and a boost to its health-care brand. It also gets first mover advantage on a ban that may eventually have been forced on it.��/p>

  Raymond James analyst John Ransom notes that CVS has a healthy future:

  First-quarter 2014 adjusted EPS guidance was actually raised to $1.03-$1.06 (up seven cents at the midpoint), suggesting better-than-expected near-term trends versus prior outlook. Net-net, fourth quarter capped another solid year out of CVS, with today�� stock price reaction likely less tied to the report itself and more focused on the…tobacco headwind offsets as well as initial comments with regard to the 2015 selling season and the retail competitive landscape (promotional activity high?).

  Shares of CVS have advanced 2.7% to $68.74 at 3:0 p.m., trailing Walgreen’s (WAG) 5.3% rise to $63.87 but besting Rite Aid’s (RAD) 1.5% gain to $5.72.

• [By DAILYFINANCE]

  Nell Redmond/APHoward Kraft looks over health care information in his Lincolnton, N.C. home Monday. A painful spinal problem left him unable to work as a hotel bellman, but Redmond has coverage because federal law now forbids insurers from turning away people with health problems. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- After a troubled rollout, President Barack Obama's health care overhaul now faces its most personal test: How will it work as people seek care under its new mandates? Most major pieces of the Affordable Care Act take full effect with the new year. That means people who had been denied coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition can book appointments and get prescriptions. Caps on yearly out-of-pocket medical expenses will mean people shouldn't have to worry about bankruptcy after treatment for a catastrophic illness or injury. And all new insurance policies must offer a minimum level of essential benefits, ranging from emergency room treatment to maternity care. The law's benefits apply to individual policies as well as those offered through employers. But one benefit didn't take effect as expected after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor late Tuesday night temporarily blocked the part of the law requiring some religious-affiliated organizations to provide their workers with insurance that includes birth control. Government officials have until Friday to respond to her emergency stay. Administration officials said this week that 2.1 million consumers have enrolled through the federal and state-run health insurance exchanges that are a central feature of the Affordable Care Act. Millions more have been enrolled in Medicaid, after the federal law allowed states to expand the health insurance program for the poor. Yet how many of those who signed up for coverage on the exchanges will follow through and pay their premiums won't be known for a couple of weeks. People who signed up on the federal website have until Jan. 10 to pay premiums for coverage