Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2014

Once the most valuable company in the world, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) stock dipped below $400 this week to bottom out at its lowest levels since 2011. Yet as shares of Apple continue to free-fall, the stock's valuation becomes increasingly more attractive. The stock is currently trading at just nine times earnings, well below the market average of 15 times earnings.

From a valuation standpoint, this means Apple stock is trading at its cheapest level in at least 10 years, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Why you want to own it
The stock looks even better when you consider Apple's balance sheet, which boasts zero debt and more than $137 billion in cash and investments. And we can't forget the stock's 2.6% dividend yield. Better still, the company's massive cash reserves mean there's plenty of room for dividend increases or stock buybacks in Apple's future.

Top 10 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Buy For 2015: Mesabi Trust (MSB)

Mesabi Trust operates as a royalty trust in the United States. The company produces iron ore pellets. It holds interest in the Peter Mitchell mine located in the Mesabi Iron Range near Babbitt, Minnesota. The company holds various agreements with the Northshore Mining Company that mines iron ore, which is in the form of taconite, crushes it, separates the iron particles from the non-metallic, and forms the resulting concentrate into pellets that are shipped for use in steel-producing blast furnaces of customers of CCI, a mining company that produces iron pellets in North America. Mesabi Trust was founded in 1919 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Patience, Grasshopper
  For starters, imagine that you invested in Mesabi Trust (NYSE: MSB  ) about a year ago and you're down some 20% on your investment. Your holding might be looking to you like an answer to the question, "What is investment panic, Alex?" But don't be so hasty. Ask yourself why you bought it. Mesabi Trust is a royalty trust that receives and then pays out to shareholders a portion of the proceeds from iron mined by a�Cliffs Natural Resources�subsidiary. Some might avoid it because royalty trusts often have expiration dates, but it's worth noting that Mesabi's is rather�far away. But slowdown in demand�for ore is a concern, one that has been�an issue for Cliffs, too.

Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2014: ABS-CBN Corp (ABS)

ABS-CBN Corporation is primarily involved in television and radio broadcasting, as well as in the production of television and radio programming for domestic and international audiences and other related businesses. The Company operates through three business segments. Broadcasting segment is principally involved in the television and radio broadcasting activities, which generates revenue from sale of national and regional advertising time. Cable and satellite business primarily develops and produces programs for cable television, including delivery of television programming outside the Philippines through its direct-to-home (DTH) satellite service, cable television channels and blocked time on television stations. Other businesses include movie production, consumer products and services. The Company�� subsidiaries include ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc., Star Recording, Inc., Roadrunner Network, Inc., Star Songs, Inc., Sarimanok News Network, Inc. and ABS-CBN Interactive, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  During the housing bubble, lending standards were becoming relaxed and the practice of bundling subprime loans into collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) became a mainstream practice. These securities were backed by highly inflated credit ratings even though the quality of the underlying assets was highly questionable. By 2007, the worldwide demand for this type of asset-backed security (ABS) was beginning to wane and the mortgages which provided the collateral for the securities were starting to come into question.

Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2014: Octagon 88 Resources Inc (OCTX)

Octagon 88 Resources, Inc., incorporated on June 9, 2008, is a development-stage oil and gas company. The Company has acquired light and conventional heavy oil assets in Northern Alberta. On Jan 22, 2013, the Company launched the Conventional Oil Production Division by entering into a purchase agreement to acquire its share in the Red Earth Area, which consists of four contiguous sections of P&NG leases, a ( 40 API) Keg River formation with P3 reserves of 1.2 Mill barrels light sweet crude oil recoverable.

On December 24, 2012, the Company acquired a 22% interest of CEC North Star Energy Ltd. (North Star). On January 23, 2013, the Company acquired a 10% interest in North Star.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  For investors looking for a play, small cap firms operating in the oil and natural gas sector in Canada, such as Octagon 88 (OTC: OCTX), Americas Petrogas (OTC: APEOF), and Connacher Oil and Gas (OTC: CLLZF) could draw attention.

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  There has been a great deal of concern about the United States suffering from a "lost generation" as Japan has now for several. For investors in oil, this has certainly not been the case: A recent article in The Wall Street Journal noted that oil has risen 310% (Brent Crude) over the last decade. The future looks equally promising for investments in the sector such as ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU), Americas Petrogas (BOE.V), and Octagon 88 (OTCBB: OCTX).

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  It will also be bullish for publicly traded companies in each sector, ranging from prominent blue chips like Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG) to promising small caps like Octagon 88 (OTC: OCTX) and Wishbone Gold PLC (OTC: WISHY).

Top 5 Cheapest Companies To Watch For 2014: Costco Wholesale Corporation(COST)

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership warehouses that offer a selection of branded and private label products in a range of merchandise categories in no-frills, self-service warehouse facilities. The company's product categories include candy, snack foods, tobacco, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and cleaning and institutional supplies; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, office supplies, garden and patio, sporting goods, toys, seasonal items, and automotive supplies; dry and institutionally packaged foods; apparel, domestics, jewelry, house wares, media, home furnishings, cameras, and small appliances; meat, bakery, deli, and produce; and gas stations, pharmacy, food court, optical, one-hour photo, hearing aid, and travel. It also provides business and gold star (individual) membership services. As of April 26, 2011, the company operated 581 warehouses, including 425 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 80 in Canada, 22 in the Uni ted Kingdom, 7 in Korea, 6 in Taiwan, 8 in Japan, 1 in Australia, and 32 in Mexico. It also has Costco Online, an electronic commerce Web site, at costco.com in the United States and at costco.ca in Canada. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST  ) might be a bargain shopping destination, but the company is going to open its wallet a bit wider for its upcoming dividend. It's announced a new distribution of $0.31 per share of its common stock, which will be handed out on May 31 to shareholders of record as of May 17. That amount is nearly 13% higher than the firm's previous regular quarterly payout of $0.275 per share dispensed in February.