Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014

With shares of Facebook (NYSE:FB) trading around $24, is FB an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Facebook is engaged in building products to create utility for users, developers, and advertisers. People use Facebook to stay connected with their friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world around them, and to share and express what matters to them to the people they care about. Developers can use the Facebook Platform to build applications and websites that integrate with Facebook to reach its global network of users and to build personalized and social products. Advertisers can engage with more than 900 million monthly active users on Facebook or subsets of its users based on information they have chosen to share. Social networking has been a powerful movement and tool in recent years that has changed the way many companies and consumers operate. Facebook is a pioneer and a leader in the social network trend that looks to be here to stay. Facebook will see rising profits through its engagement with the increasing user base that social networking is seeing in coming years.

Top 10 Consumer Stocks To Watch For 2015: Taylor Capital Group Inc.(TAYC)

Taylor Capital Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Cole Taylor Bank that provides a range of commercial banking products and services primarily to closely-held commercial customers and their owner operators in the Chicago area. It offers various deposit products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits, and other deposit and credit services to commercial clients and community-based customers, including individuals and small local businesses. The company?s commercial lending activities primarily consist of providing loans for working capital and business expansion or acquisition; owner-occupied commercial real estate financing; revolving lines of credit; and stand-by and commercial letters of credit. It also originates and sells mortgage loans. In addition, the company provides treasury cash management services, including repurchase agreements, Internet balance reporting, remote deposit capture, positive pay, automa ted clearing house products, imaged lock-box processing, controlled disbursement, and account reconciliation services to commercial clients; and investment management and brokerage services. Further, it offers asset-based financing, including revolving lines of credit supported by receivables and inventory; and term loans supported by equipment and real estate. The company?s target commercial lending customers include businesses engaged in various industries, such as manufacturing, wholesale and retail distribution, transportation, construction contracting, and professional services. It operates through nine banking centers in the Chicago area. The company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Looking to expand its banking business in the Windy City, MB Financial (NASDAQ: MBFI  ) jointly announced with Taylor Capital (NASDAQ: TAYC  ) that it was buying the�holding company of�Cole Taylor�Bank, a Chicago-based commercial bank with $5.9 billion in assets, $3.3 billion in loans, and $3.7 billion in deposits.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Bona Film Group Limited(BONA)

Bona Film Group Limited distributes films in the People?s Republic of China. It distributes films to movie theaters, as well as to non-theatrical distribution channels, including DVD and Blu-ray and other home video products; Internet and digital distribution; in-flight entertainment; and cable, satellite, and broadcast televisions. The company also invests in the production of Chinese and Hong Kong films in order to obtain the distribution rights for movie theaters and non-theatrical channels. In addition, Bona Film Group operates six movie theaters in five cities of the People?s Republic of China; operates a talent agency business that represents artists; and involves in film advertising and television production businesses. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  With just a quick glance at the chart, Bona Film Group Ltd (NASDAQ:BONA) doesn't look like anything other than an erratic mess. When you take a step back and take a look at the longer-term chart of BONA, however, you can see the last several weeks have ushered in a major bullish change of direction for the stock... meaning now's a great time to start wading into a position.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  It's certainly no The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS). It's not even a Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:LGF). Yet, Bona Film Group Ltd (NASDAQ:BONA) is a solid company in its own right, and BONA shares are looking more compelling right now than DIS or LGF are here, even though all three companies are in the same industry.

• [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 Bona Film Group (Nasdaq: BONA  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc(SMFG)

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various banking and financial products and services in Japan, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. It operates in four segments: Commercial Banking, Securities, Leasing, and Credit Card. The commercial banking segment offers various financial services, including personal bank accounts, investment trusts, pension-type insurance products, life insurance products, and housing loans to individuals; and lending, cash management, settlement, leasing, factoring, management information systems consulting, collection, and investment banking services to mid-sized companies, and small- and medium-sized enterprises. It also provides various financial services, such as loans, deposits, and settlement services, as well as loan syndication, structured finance, and nonrecourse loans to large corporations and listed companies; international banking services comprising project finance, loan syndic ation, securitization, shipping finance, global cash management services, and yen custody services; and provides services related to foreign exchange, securities, and derivatives. The Securities segment offers various financial products, including stocks, bonds, investment trusts, and variable annuity insurance; investment consultation; and administration services to individual and corporate customers. The Leasing segment offers provides leasing services, such as leasing of information and communication equipment, industrial equipment, and construction equipment, as well as aircraft leasing. The Credit Card segment provides various credit cards; and settlement and financing services primarily related to credit card transactions. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks darted out of small gains and losses early Friday, with investors watching the dollar as it traded back slightly below the 102-yen level. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) fell 0.2% to 15,142.60, and the broader Topix shed 0.2%. Financial issues were lower, in line with losses on Wall Street ahead of the November U.S. jobs report, due later Friday. In the group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. (JP:8306) (MTU) shed 0.6%, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (JP:8316) (SMFG) slipped 0.2%. Advantest Corp. (JP:6857) (ADTTF) shares were among the strongest performers, climbing 7%, with Kim Eng Securities noting a report of successful cost cutting at the chip-testing equipment maker.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks slipped early Monday, with the Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) down 0.1% at 14,298.17, and the Topix dropping 0.4%. Singapore-traded lead futures for the Nikkei Average had suggested a 0.8% gain for the index, but the indicator fell after the Cabinet Office reported fourth-quarter economic growth of 0.3%, flat from the previous quarter and below expectations in separate Reuters and Wall Street Journal/Nikkei surveys. The disappointing economic data also pushed the yen higher, weighing on some exporters, with Panasonic Corp. (JP:6752) (PCRFF) down 1.8%, NEC Corp. (JP:6701) (NIPNF) off 1.3%, and Sony Corp. (JP:6758) (SNE) down 0.7% after S&P downgraded the firm's credit rating to BBB- from BBB with a negative outlook. Shares of Internet retailer Rakuten Inc. (JP:4755) (RKUNF) dropped 12% after announcing plans to buy online messaging and telecom firm Viber Media Inc. for $900 million as well as posting below-consensus full-year profit. Banks were broadly lower, with Mizuho Financial Group Inc. (JP:8411) (MFG) off 1% and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (JP:8316) (SMFG) off 1.1%, though Daiwa Securities Group Inc. (JP:8601)

• [By Jim Jubak]

  Yesterday in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 stock index (NKY:IND) closed up 3.13%. Financial and real estate stocks were the big winners. In the financial sector, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MTU) rose 5.03% and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) climbed 5.0%. (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is a member of my Jubak's Picks portfolio.) In the real estate sector, Heiwa Real Estate (8803:JP) gained 4.13% and Mitsui Fudosan (8801:JP) advanced 3.31%. The yen fell against the dollar by 0.4% to 102.34 yen to the dollar.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) - Japanese stocks slipped at the open of trade Tuesday, as the Nikkei Stock Average pulled back from its 2.3% rally in the previous session. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) shed 22 points, or 0.1%, to 15,628.07, and the broader Topix was flat at 1,255.14. Financial shares as well as some tech names were under pressure, including Trend Micro Inc. (JP:4704) (TMICY) , shares of which fell 2.8% following their 3% surge on Monday, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (JP:8316) (SMFG) as its stock lost 0.8%. In the currency market, the U.S. dollar held above the 楼103 level and the euro moved up toward 楼142.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Iridium Communications Inc(IRDM)

Iridium Communications Inc. provides mobile voice and data communications services through satellites to businesses, the U.S. and foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, and consumers worldwide. It offers post-paid mobile voice and data satellite communications services; prepaid mobile voice satellite communications services; high-speed data services; machine-to-machine services for sending and receiving data from one location to other; and ancillary services, including inbound connections from the public switched telephone networks, SMS, SIM, activation, customer reactivation, and other peripheral services to commercial customers. The company also offers traditional voice, netted voice, data, messaging, and paging services, as well as maintenance services for the DoD?s dedicated gateway; and offers voice and data solutions, including personnel tracking devices; over-the-horizon aircraft communications applications; submarine communications applications; spec ialized communications solutions for high-value individuals; asset tracking devices for equipment, vehicles, and aircraft; and secure mobile communications and data devices for the military and intelligence community, such as secure satellite handsets to U.S. government customers. In addition, it manufactures and sells satellite handsets, voice and data modems, high-speed data devices, and machine-to-machine data devices. Further, the company offers accessories for its devices, including holsters, earbuds, portable auxiliary antennas, antenna adaptors, USB data cables, and charging units. Additionally, it provides engineering and support services to commercial and government customers. The company sells products and services to commercial end-users through service providers, value-added resellers, and value-added manufacturers. As of March 31, 2011, it had approximately 447,000 billable subscribers. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Iridium Communications (NASDAQ: IRDM) was also up, gaining 10.72 percent to $7.54 after the company caught an upgrade to Outperform from Neutral at Macquarie Monday morning.

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: One Liberty Properties Inc.(OLP)

One Liberty Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of commercial real estate properties in the United States. The company�?s property portfolio includes retail furniture stores, as well as industrial, office, flex, health and fitness, and other properties. As of March 31, 2008, it owned 67 properties; holds a 50% tenancy in common interest in 1 property; and owns 4 properties through joint ventures. The company has elected to be treated as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. One Liberty Properties was founded in 1982 and is based in Great Neck, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  One Liberty Properties, Inc. (OLP), a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of commercial real estate properties. December 10th the company increased its quarterly dividend 5.7% to $0.37 per share. the dividend is payable January 3, 2014, to stockholders of record on December 27, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 6.9%.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, commercial REIT One Liberty Properties (NYSE: OLP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Retail, industrial, health and fitness and flex-office real estate investment trust (REIT) One Liberty Properties (OLP) raised its quarterly dividend 5.7% to 37 cents per share, payable on Jan. 3 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 27.
  OLP Dividend Yield: 7.21%

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Amedisys Inc(AMED)

Amedisys, Inc., a health care company, provides home health and hospice services primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Home Health and Hospice. The Home Health segment offers various services in the homes of individuals who may be recovering from an illness, injury, or surgical procedure. This segment?s services include skilled nursing, home health aides, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, and medical social services; and chronic care clinical programs for patients with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, behavioral health, rehabilitative, and medical surgical conditions. The Hospice segment provides care that is designed to offer comfort and support for those who are facing a terminal illness, such as heart disease, pulmonary disease, dementia, Alzheimer?s, HIV/AIDS, or cancer. As of December 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 440 Medicare-certified home health care centers, 87 Medicare-certified hospice care centers, and 2 hospice inpatient units in 41 states within the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Amedisys, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brendan Conway]

  That zipping sound you hear is home-health provider�Amedisys‘ (AMED) 24% surge on news that�private-equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.�has a stake of more than 8% in the stock.

  CRT Capital analyst Sheryl Skolnick, a critic of company management, upgrades to “fair value” this morning and essentially tells clients to get out of KKR’s way, since the firm could end up ushering in a new board and management:

  There are times when this analyst will ‘take on’ shareholders with differing views and there are times when she knows, from long experience, not to even think about it. This is one of the latter times ….

  We know that when activists get involved, strange and interesting things happen, even (especially?) with entrenched managements. For the record, we think it unlikely that this part of KKR will take AMED private: filing a 13-D that almost surely takes the stock up would be that act of amateurs, in our view, not the act of a savvy firm like KKR. Some may conclude from the language of the 13-D that KKR may not actually become active. We reviewed it and found it nearly identical to other activists’ initial statements: then things changed. Thus, a new Board and management does seem likely and is indeed the strategy we advocated in our 4/3/13 report and THAT is the root cause of our upgrade.

  But for the 13-D we would NOT have upgraded. Indeed, we were in the midst of preparing a strong reiteration of our view that AMED cannot be fixed by this CEO and his Board. We reiterate that view here and strongly suspect that any activist likely has or will reach that same conclusion.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) shares jumped more than 29% on Friday after the company issued Q2 outlook. The company projected its Q2 earnings of $0.15 to $0.20 per share on revenue of $300 million to $305 million. Amedisys shares surged 5.33% to $18.39 in after-hours trading.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Last week, we saw home-health sector stocks like Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED  ) and Gentiva Health Solutions (NASDAQ: GTIV  ) get clobbered because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recommended a 1.5% reduction in Medicare reimbursements each year between 2014 and 2017. With Amedisys and Gentiva reliant on Medicare for more than 80% and 90% of their revenue, respectively, it could put hospitals that rely on government reimbursements in a growth bind.�

Best Building Product Companies To Invest In 2014: Powershares Qqq Trust Series 1 (QQQ)

PowerShares QQQ Trust, Series 1, formerly The NASDAQ-100 Trust, Series 1, is a unit investment trust that issues securities called Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking Stock. The Trust holds all of the component securities of the Nasdaq-100 Index. The Trust's investment objective is to provide investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq-100 Index.

The Trust was created to provide investors with the opportunity to purchase units of beneficial interest in the Trust representing proportionate undivided interests in the portfolio of securities held by the Trust, which consists of substantially all of the securities, in substantially the same weighting, as the component securities of the Nasdaq-100 Index. Nasdaq Global Funds, Inc. is the sponsor of the Trust and The Bank of New York is the trustee of the Trust.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Ciovacco]

  In Thursday's ETF analysis, evidence is presented that supports increasing demand for assets that get a tailwind from a weak U.S. dollar, including emerging markets (EEM) and foreign stocks (EFA). Casting a wider economic net, our market model told us to start buying stocks last week even with the threat of a U.S. default. Wednesday, we continued with our incremental allocation shifts by adding some exposure to the energy sector. Thursday, we sat tight holding long positions in small caps (IJR), Europe (FEZ), emerging markets and technology (QQQ). The upper bounds of the bullish S&P 500 trend channel shown below may offer some resistance to the market's near vertical ascent.