Hot Shipping Companies To Watch For 2014

It's very rare for great companies to go on sale. As the great value investor Charlie Munger said, "A great business at a fair price is superior to a fair business at a great price." The market knows and understands that incredibly well, and while it does offer reasonable prices on great companies from time to time, they rarely go on sale.

So when energy pipeline giant Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI  ) went on sale earlier this month after providing downbeat guidance, I had to jump on it, buying more shares at that rare discount. What makes Kinder Morgan a great company is its tollbooth-like operations of shipping energy around the country, combined with a shareholder-friendly dividend policy and reasonable balance sheet.

The sale is over-now what?
Unfortunately, like most sales on great companies, that one didn't last long. Kinder Morgan closed last Friday at $35.91, near the $36-and-change fair-value estimate that I calculated when picking Kinder Morgan for the real-money Inflation Protected Income Growth portfolio. Kinder Morgan's recovery was part of the reason the portfolio gained a touch over $525 since last week's update, and its price around fair value means its shares still look to be worth owning.

Best Consumer Companies To Buy Right Now: Banco Macro SA (BMA)

Banco Macro S.A. (the Bank), incorporated on November 21, 1966, is a bank in Argentina. The Bank provides standard banking products and services to a nationwide customer base. The Bank has two categories of customers: retail customers, which include individuals and very small companies, and corporate customers, which include small, medium and large companies and major corporations. In addition, it provides services to four provincial governments. The Bank offers a range of standard products, which are available to both its retail and corporate customers. Retail customers are individuals, entrepreneurs and very small companies (companies with less than Pesos one million in sales per year). It provides services to them throughout Argentina, in particular outside of the City of Buenos Aires, which has higher concentrations of low- and middle-income individuals who are traditionally underserved by large private banks. The Bank serves its retail customers through its nationwide branch network. Approximately 94% of the Bank�� branches are located outside of the City of Buenos Aires.

The Bank offers its retail customers traditional banking products and services, such as savings and checking accounts, time deposits, credit and debit cards, consumer finance loans (including personal loans), mortgage loans, car loans, overdrafts, credit-related services, home and car insurance coverage, tax collection, utility payments, automated teller machines (ATMs) and money transfers. The Bank offers personal loans, document discounts, (housing) mortgages, overdrafts, pledged loans and credit card loans to its retail customers.

The Bank provides its corporate customers with traditional banking products and services, such as deposits, lending (including overdraft facilities), check cashing advances and factoring, guaranteed loans and credit lines for financing foreign trade and cash management services. It also provides them trust, payroll and financial agency services, corporate credit cards a! nd other specialty products. The corporate business is focused on the classification by sizes and sectors. The Bank has four categories for its corporate customers: small companies, which register up to Pesos 52 million in sales per year; medium companies, which register more than Pesos 52 million and less than Pesos 150 million in sales per year; major companies, which register more than Pesos 150 million in sales per year, and agro companies, which operate in agriculture or in the commerce of its products (approximately 97% of its corporate customers are small businesses).

The Bank�� lending activities to the corporate sector (defined here as firms with loans outstanding in excess of Pesos 20,000) totaled Pesos 4,985 million. Most of its lending activity consists of working capital loans to small and medium-sized businesses. The Bank offers short-term and medium- to long-term corporate lending products. Short-term products include credit lines for up to 180 days and consist mainly of overdraft facilities, corporate credit and debit cards and factoring, as well as foreign trade related financing, such as pre-export, post-shipment and import financing. Medium-to long-term products include credit lines and specific lending facilities of more than 180 days.

The Bank offers transaction services to its corporate customers, such as cash management, customer collections, payments to suppliers, payroll administration, foreign exchange transactions, foreign trade services, corporate credit cards and information services, such as its Datanet and Interpymes services. The Bank�� payments to suppliers��services enable its customers to meet their payment obligations to their suppliers on a timely basis through a system. This service also provides payment liquidations, tax payment receipts, invoices and any other documents required by the payer.

The Bank�� collection services include cash or check deposits at its 408 branches, automatic and direct debits from checking ! or saving! s accounts and the transportation of funds collected from corporate customers to its branches for deposit. The Bank provides its corporate clients with access to the Datanet service, which is an electronic banking network linking member banks in Argentina. These services permit its clients to obtain reliable online information on a real-time basis from their bank accounts in Datanet, as well as perform certain transactions. The Bank also provides tax collection and financial agency services to four provinces.

The Bank competes with Santander Rio, Banco de Galicia y Buenos Aires S.A., BBVA Banco Frances S.A., HSBC Argentina S.A. and Banco Patagonia S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Marco Bank (BMA) offers a range of traditional banking products and services to corporates, SME's and individuals in Argentina. This stock closed up 5.6% at $20.93 in Monday's trading session.

  Monday's Volume: 404,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 78,386
  
  Volume % Change: 504%

  From a technical perspective, BMA jumped sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $19 with strong upside volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $13.63 to its recent high of $21.73. During that move, shares of BMA have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of BMA within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if BMA manages to take out its 52-week high at $21.73 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BMA as long as it's trending above some key near-term support levels at $19 to $18.29 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $21.73 with volume that's near or above 78,386 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then BMA will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $25 to $27.

• [By Federico Zaldua]

  Despite growing expenses, in local currency terms, the bank's net income improved 16% year-over-year (yoy) while Non-Performing-Loans (NPL) have been kept below 4%. Hence, through Galicia, you can invest in an operationally healthy bank that shall behave in line with government bonds. Trading at 3 times P/E and 75% book value I think Galicia is good bet within the space.
  
  High Exposure to Public Debt
  
  Banco Macro (BMA) has been one of the highest growing banks during the last two decades. One interesting thing about Banco Macro is that the bank owns approximately $400 million of government related securities when the bank's total market capitalization is now just above $1 billion. On the other hand, Banco Macro is growing earnings aggressively at a 39% year over year rate in local currency terms with a very low (and stable) 1.6% NPL rate. Banco Macro is slightly more expensive than Galicia trading at 80% its book value and 3.2 times P/E.

Hot Shipping Companies To Watch For 2014: Ishares Trust S & P Euro (IEV)

iShares S&P Europe 350 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poor�� Europe 350 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the stocks of companies in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MBM Research]

  Stock markets have shown a late-summer pullback off of their long-term (and even record) highs, as bullish investors sell late and capture some of their profits. Adding to the downside pressure is the market uncertainty that is created by geopolitical concerns in areas like the Ukraine, Gaza, and Iraq. These tensions affect all areas of the world, so it is not surprising to see declines in developed markets -- ie. the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY) and the iShares S&P Europe 350 Index (IEV) -- but also in emerging markets as well. This means the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF (EEM) has also been unable to escape the selling pressure. Here, we look at the latest technical developments in the broad regional stock measures: SPY, IEV, EEM.

Hot Shipping Companies To Watch For 2014: Amsurg Corp.(AMSG)

AmSurg Corp., through its wholly owned subsidiaries, engages in the development, acquisition, and operation of ambulatory surgery centers in partnership with physicians in the United States. The company?s surgery centers perform colonoscopy and other endoscopy procedures in the area of gastroenterology; cataracts and retinal laser surgery in the area of ophthalmology; and knee and shoulder arthroscopy and carpal tunnel repair in the area of orthopedics. As of December 31, 2010, it owned interest in 204 surgery centers in 33 states and the District of Columbia, including 140 centers performed gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures, 37 centers performed ophthalmology surgery procedures, 19 centers were multiple specialties, and 8 centers performed orthopaedic procedures. AmSurg Corp. markets its surgery centers directly to patients; and referring physicians and third-party payors, such as health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, other managed care o rganizations, and employers. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Shares of AmSurg (NASDAQ: AMSG) were 2.07 percent to $44.85 after the company priced 8.5 million share offering at $45.00 per share. Baird upgraded Amsurg from Neutral to Outperform and raised the price target from $44.00 to $55.00.

• [By John Reese]

  Indeed, in 2013, the Greenblatt-based portfolio has bounced back strong, returning more than 50%. Below is a look at its current holdings.

  EBIX, Inc. (EBIX)
  
  Western Refining (WNR)
  
  DirecTV (DTV)
  
  ITT Educational Services (ESI)
  
  Science Applications International (SAIC)
  
  Weight Watchers International (WTW)
  
  ConocoPhillips (COP)
  
  AmSurg Corp. (AMSG)
  
  PDL BioPharma (PDLI)
  
  AFC Enterprises (AFCE)
  
  

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Hot Shipping Companies To Watch For 2014: Hittite Microwave Corporation(HITT)

Hittite Microwave Corporation designs, develops, and sells integrated circuits (ICs), modules, subsystems, and instrumentation products for radio frequency (RF) microwave and millimeterwave applications worldwide. The company?s IC products include amplifiers, digital and voltage variable attenuators, broadband time delays, automatic gain control products, clocks and timing products, comparators, cross point switches, data converters, direct current power conditioning and power management products, dielectric resonator oscillators, frequency dividers and detectors, frequency multipliers, digital logic products, intermediate frequency signal processing products, interface, and limiting amplifiers. Its IC products also comprise mixers and converters, modulators and demodulators, multiplexers/demultiplexers, optical modulator drivers, passives, phase lock loops, phase lock loops with integrated voltage controlled oscillators, phase shifters, power detectors, sensors, switches , Successive detection logarithmic video amplifiers, transimpedance amplifiers, tunable filters, variable gain amplifiers, and voltage controlled and phase locked oscillators. In addition, the company provides signal generators/instrumentation products for engineering, production, and screening applications; connectorized modules for use in test and measurement equipment; RF, microwave, and millimeterwave receivers and synthesizers that are used in military communication, targeting, guidance, and countermeasure systems; and phase locked oscillator modules, which are used in fiber optic test systems. Further, it outsources wafer manufacturing to multiple third party fabricators and foundries. The company sells its products through direct sales force and applications engineering staff, sales representatives, and distributors, as well as through its Web site. Hittite Microwave Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ant贸nio Costa]

  Hittite Microwave Corp (NASDAQ: HITT) is holding up well and looks ready to move higher from here. Next buy point for HITT is at 65.2.

  ( click to enlarge )

  Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) hits a new 52 week high and held up very well when the nasdaq was tanking. The stock is on fire.

Hot Shipping Companies To Watch For 2014: Data Call Technologies Inc (DCLT)

Data Call Technologies, Inc. (Data Call), incorporated on April 4, 2002, focuses is to integrate cutting-edge information/content delivery solutions deployed by the media. The Company's software and services put its clients in control of real-time, news, and other content, including emergency alerts, displayed within one building as well as to thousands of local, regional and national clients, through Digital Signage and Kiosk networks. The Company offers its Direct Lynk Messenger service to customers through the Internet. The Direct Lynk Messenger Service is a Digital Signage product and real-time information service, which provides a range of up-to-date information for display.

Digital Signage is a method advertisers can use to promote, inform, educate, and entertain clients and customers about their businesses and products. Through Digital Signage, companies and businesses can use a single television or a series of networked flat liquid crystal display (LCD) or Plasma screens to market their services and products on site to their clients and customers in real time. Data Call specializes in allows its clients to create their own Digital Signage dynamic content feeds delivered, through Internet, to digital display devices (plasma, LCD, Jumbotron, Kiosks) at their establishments.

The Direct Lynk System allows customers to select from the pre-determined data and information services. The client may choose which individual locations and which displays they would like to receive the Company's feeds based on how their digital signage network is configured.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap small cap Internet, app or digital signage stocks Blast Applications, Inc (OTCMKTS: BLAP), TGFIN Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: TGFN) and Data Call Technologies, Inc (OTCMKTS: DCLT) were getting some extra attention last week. Specifically, two of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions while the third surged 114.29% on Friday. With that in mind, here is a closer look along with a reality check on all three small cap stocks:

Hot Shipping Companies To Watch For 2014: Consolidated Graphics Inc. (CGX)

Consolidated Graphics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides general commercial printing and print-related services in the United States and internationally. The company�s services include traditional print services, such as electronic prepress, digital and offset printing, finishing, and storage and delivery of custom manufactured printed documents; and fulfillment and mailing services for such printed materials. It also offers technology solutions that enable its customers to procure and manage printed materials and/or design, procure, distribute, track, and analyze results of printing-based marketing programs and activities; and multi-media capabilities, which allow customers to supplement the message of their printed materials through other media, such as the Internet, email, or text messaging. The company prints multi-color marketing materials, product and capability brochures, point-of-purchase displays, packaging, direct mail pieces, shareholder communicat ions, trading cards, calendars, and photo books, as well as customized materials for the financial services, insurance, healthcare, and other industries. In addition, it offers e-commerce software solutions and other print-related services. The company�s customers include national and local corporations operating in a range of industries, as well as advertising agencies, graphic design firms, catalog retailers, direct mail marketers, state and local governments and quasi-governmental agencies, educational institutions, not-for-profit associations, and political campaign organizations. Consolidated Graphics, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) reported a gain in its third-quarter core earnings and lifted its full-year earnings forecast. To read the full news, click here. Procera Networks (NASDAQ: PKT) and Skyfire, a fully-owned subsidiary of Opera Software, today announced a joint solution and partnership to tackle the rapid growth of video traffic on global mobile networks, based on an open, scalable ICAP architecture. To read the full news, click here. R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company (NASDAQ: RRD) and Consolidated Graphics (NYSE: CGX) jointly announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement by which RR Donnelley will acquire Consolidated Graphics, a provider of digital and commercial printing, fulfillment services, print management and proprietary Internet-based technology solutions. To read the full news, click here. Dunkin' Brands Group (NASDAQ: DNKN) reported a 36% rise in its third-quarter income. To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Jobless Claims JP Morgan US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Consolidated Graphics (NYSE: CGX  ) reported earnings on May 15. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Consolidated Graphics met expectations on revenues and crushed expectations on earnings per share.