10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014

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A careful observer might wonder if the widespread adoration for�Warren Buffett is little more than lip service. Or, at the very least, some Buffett admirers are suffering from a bout of cognitive dissonance.

In the wake of the Great Recession, a great many investors -- not to mention the media -- have yet to get over the crisis-induced hatred of banks. A quick search of headlines over the past year is revealing:

"Bank of America too big, complex to be manageable"
"Wilbur Ross: Banks 'Too Complex to Manage'"
"Bank Of America Has Failed Shareholders"
"19,654 Reasons Big Banks Are Too Complex"

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Strike Resources Ltd(SRK.AX)

Strike Resources Ltd. engages in the exploration and evaluation of iron ore projects in Peru. The company primarily holds a 56% interests in Apurimac Iron Ore project that comprises 72 concessions covering approximately 59,000 hectares located in the Apurimac district, Peru; and a 56% interests in Cusco Iron Ore project, which consists of approximately 22 concessions covering approximately 18,000 hectares located in Cusco district, Peru. It also owns a 100% interests in Berau Thermal Coal project that comprises 5,000 hectares in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The company was formerly known as Fast Scout Limited and changed its name to Strike Resources Ltd. in January 2006. Strike Resources Ltd. is headquartered in Perth, Australia.

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Flowers Foods Inc (FLO)

Flowers Foods, Inc. (Flowers Foods), incorporated in October 2000, is a producer and marketer of bakery products in the United States. The Company is the producer and marketer of packaged bakery foods for retail and foodservice customers in the United States. Flowers Foods operates 44 bakeries that produce a range of bakery products, which include breads, buns, rolls, snack cakes, and pastries. These products are sold through a direct-store-delivery network with access to approximately 70% of the United States population in the East, South, and Southwest, as well as in certain markets in California. Select Flowers products are sold nationwide through customers' delivery systems. Among the Company�� top brands are Nature�� Own and Tastykake. The Company has two business segments: direct-store-delivery (DSD segment) and warehouse delivery segment (warehouse segment). In May 2011, the Company acquired Tasty Baking Company. In July 2012, it acquired Lepage Bakeries, Inc.

The DSD segments focuses on the production and marketing of bakery products to United States customers in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southwest, as well as select markets in California and Nevada primarily through its DSD system. The warehouse segment produces snack cakes and breads and rolls that are shipped both fresh and frozen to national retail, foodservice, vending, and co-pack customers through their warehouse channels. The Company�� brands include Whitewheat, Cobblestone Mill, Blue Bird, ButterKrust, Dandee, Mary Jane, and Mary Jane and Friends. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it introduced the new products under this brand, including Nature�� Own Whitewheat Sandwich Rounds; Nature�� Own Whole Grain Sandwich Rolls and Hot Dog Rolls; Nature�� Own Cinnamon Raisin Thin Sliced Bagels; Nature�� Own Soft Oatmeal Specialty Bread; Nature�� Own 100% Whole Grain Specialty Bread, and Nature�� Own Honey Wheat Berry Specialty Bread. In addition to Nature�� Own, its DSD segment also marke! ts: a range of specialty breads and rolls under the Company-owned Cobblestone Mill brand; white breads and buns under regional company owned and franchised brands, such as Sunbeam, Bunny, Aunt Hattie��, Holsum, and ButterKrust; Tastykake and Blue Bird branded snack cakes and pastries; flour, white, and corn tortillas under the Mi Casa and Frestillas brands, and fresh packaged bakery products under store brands for retailers.

The Company�� warehouse segment markets a range of specialty breads and rolls under the European Bakers brand, breads, buns, and rolls for specific foodservice customers, and tortillas and tortilla chips under Leo�� Foods and Juarez. This segment�� snack cakes are sold under the Mrs. Freshley��, Broad Street Bakery, and store brands. Its warehouse segment products are distributed nationally through retail, foodservice and vending customer warehouses.

The Company competes with Grupo Bimbo S.A. de C.V./Bimbo Bakeries, Hostess Brands, Inc., Sara Lee Corporation, Campbell Soup Company, McKee Foods Corporation, Cloverhill Bakery, Hostess Brands, Inc., Alpha Baking Co., Inc., Rotella�� Italian Bakery, United States Bakery, Turano Baking Company and All Round Foods, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Portfolio Grader]

  This week, Flowers Foods’ (NYSE:FLO) ratings are up from a B last week to an A. Flowers Foods produces and markets packaged bakery foods for retail and foodservice customers. Wall Street has pushed the stock higher by 6.1% over the past month. 

Top 10 Growth Companies To Buy Right Now: Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc.(EGLE)

Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. engages in the ocean transportation of bulk cargoes in the dry bulk industry. The company primarily transports iron ore, coal, grain, cement, and fertilizer along worldwide shipping routes. As of December 31, 2009, it owned and operated a fleet of 27 oceangoing vessels with a combined carrying capacity of 1,412,535 deadweight tons. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: New York Community Bancorp Inc (NYCB.N)

New York Community Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company and a producer of multi-family mortgage loans in New York City, with an emphasis on apartment buildings that feature below-market rents. It has two bank subsidiaries: New York Community Bank (the Community Bank),New York Commercial Bank (the Commercial Bank. The Community Bank has 241 branches and operates through seven divisional banks. The Commercial Bank has 34 branches in Manhattan and operates 17 of its branches under the divisional name Atlantic Bank.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, all of the one-to-four family loans the Company originated was sold to government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). In New York, the Company serves its Community Bank customers through Roslyn Savings Bank, with 55 branches on Long Island; Queens County Savings Bank, with 34 branches in the New York City borough of Queens; Richmond County Savings Bank, with 22 branches in the borough of Staten Island, and Roose velt Savings Bank, with eight branches in the borough of Brooklyn. As of December 31, 2011, in the Bronx and neighboring Westchester County, the Company had four branches that operated directly under the name New York Community Bank.

In New Jersey, the Company serves its Community Bank customers through 51 branches that operate under the name Garden State Community Bank. In Florida and Arizona, where it has 25 and 14 branches, respectively, the Company serves its customers through the AmTrust Bank (AmTrust) division of the Community Bank. In Ohio, the Company serves its Community Bank customers through 28 branches of Ohio Savings Bank. Customers of the Community Bank and the Commercial Bank have access to their accounts through 261 of its 285 automatic teller machines (ATMs) locations in five states. The Company also serves its customers through three Websites, which include www.myNYCB.com, www.NewYorkCommercialBank.com and www.NYCBfamily.com.

Lendi ng Activities

The Company�� principal asset i! s loans. Its loan portfolio consists of three components: covered loans, non-covered loans held for sale and non-covered loans held for investment. As of December 31, 2011, the balance of covered loans was $3.8 billion, of which $3.4 billion were one-to-four family loans. Non-covered loans held for sale consists of the one-to-four family loans that are originated for sale, primarily to GSEs. At December 31, 2011, the held-for-sale loan portfolio totaled $1.0 billion

As of December 31, 2011, loans held for investment consisted of loans that it originates for its own portfolio, and totaled $ 25.5 billion.

In addition to multi-family loans, loans held for investment include commercial real estate loans (CRE); acquisition, development and construction (ADC) loans; commercial and industrial loans (C&I), and one-to-four family loans. As of December 31, 2011, its multi-family loans represented $17.4 billion, or 68.3%, of total loans held for investment, and repr esented $5.8 billion, or 64.1%, of the total loans that it originated for investment. The multi-family loans it originates are typically secured by non-luxury apartment buildings in New York City. It also makes multi-family loans to property owners who are seeking to expand their real estate holdings by purchasing additional properties.

As of December 31, 2011, CRE loans represented $6.9 billion, or 26.9%, of total held for investment; ADC loans represented $445.7 million, or 1.7%, of total loans held for investment. Its ADC loan portfolio consists of loans that were originated for land acquisition, development, and construction of multi-family and residential tract projects in New York City and Long Island.

C&I loans represented $600.0 million, or 2.4%, of total held for investment. It also offers a range of loans to small and mid-size businesses for working capital (including in! ventory a! nd receivables), business expansion, and the purchase of equipment a nd machinery. Non-covered one-to-four family loans totaled $! 127.4 mil! lion at December 31, 2011.

Investment Activities

The Company�� securities portfolio primarily consists of mortgage-related securities, and debt and equity (other) securities. Its investments include GSE certificates, GSE collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and GSE debentures. The Community Bank and the Commercial Bank are members of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLB-NY), one of 12 regional Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs) consisting of the FHLB system. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� securities represented $4.5 billion, or 10.8%, of total assets. As of December 31, 2011, 93.7% of its securities portfolio consisted of GSE obligations; held-to-maturity securities represented $3.8 billion, or 84.0%, of total securities, and its investment in bank-owned life insurance (BOLI) was $769.0 million.

Source of Funds

The Company has four primary funding sources. These include the deposits that it added thr ough its acquisitions or gathered through its branch network, and brokered deposits; wholesale borrowings, primarily in the form of FHLB advances and repurchase agreements with the FHLB and various brokerage firms; cash flows produced by the repayment and sale of loans, and cash flows produced by securities repayments and sales. As of December 31, 2011, deposits totaled $ 22.3 billion, which included certificates of deposit (CDs) of $7.4 billion; negotiable order withdrawal (NOW) and money market accounts of $8.8 billion; savings accounts of $ 4.0 billion, and non-interest-bearing accounts of $2.2 billion. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� borrowed funds totaled $14.0 billion, loan repayments and sales generated cash flows of $15.0 billion, and securities sales and repayments generated cash flows of $4.2 billion.

Subsidiary Activities

As of December 31, 2011, C! ommunity ! Bank had 34 subsidiary corporations. Of these, 22 are direct subsidiaries of the Community Bank and 12 are subsidiaries of Community B! ank-owned! entities. The 22 direct subsidiaries of the Community Bank include DHB Real Estate, LLC, Mt. Sinai Ventures, LLC, NYCB Community Development Corp., NYCB Mortgage Company, LLC, Eagle Rock Investment Corp., Pacific Urban Renewal, Inc., Somerset Manor Holding Corp., Synergy Capital Investments, Inc., 1400 Corp., BSR 1400 Corp., Bellingham Corp., Blizzard Realty Corp., CFS Investments, Inc., Main Omni Realty Corp., NYB Realty Holding Company, LLC, O.B. Ventures, LLC, RCBK Mortgage Corp., RCSB Corporation, RSB Agency, Inc., Richmond Enterprises, Inc. and Roslyn National Mortgage Corporation.

The 12 subsidiaries of Community Bank-owned entities include Bronx Realty Funding Company, LLC, Columbia Preferred Capital Corporation, Ferry Development Holding Company, Peter B. Cannell & Co., Inc., Roslyn Real Estate Asset Corp., Walnut Realty Funding Company, LLC, Woodhaven Investments Inc, Your New REO, LLC, Ironbound Investment Company, Inc.,The Hamlet at Olde Oyster Bay, LLC, The Hamlet at Willow Creek, LLC and Richmond County Capital Corporation.

The two direct subsidiaries of the Commercial Bank include Beta Investments, Inc., and Gramercy Leasing Services, Inc. The two subsidiaries of Commercial Bank-owned entities include Omega Commercial Mortgage Corp. and Long Island Commercial Capital Corp.

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Stellar Pacific Ventures Inc. (SPX.V)

Stellar Pacific Ventures Inc. engages in the exploration and development of gold mining assets in Canada and West Africa. The company�s principal projects include the Monster Lake in the Quebec Chibougamou Mining Camp; and the GoldenFrank BALANDOUGOU that covers an area of approximately 429 square kilometers in north eastern Guinea. Stellar Pacific Ventures is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: ATP Oil And Gas Corp (ATPO.MU)

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation, incorporated in 1991, is engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas properties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had estimated net proved reserves of 118.9 Million barrels of crude oil equivalent (MMBoe), of which approximately 75.9 MMboe (64%) were in the Gulf of Mexico and 42.9 MMBoe (36%) were in the North Sea. The reserves consisted of 78.6 Million barrels (MMBbls) of oil (66%) and 241.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas (34%). Its proved reserves in the deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico account for 62% of the Company�� total proved reserves and its proved reserves on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf account for 2% of its total proved reserves. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired three licenses in the Mediterranean Sea covering potential natural gas resources in the deepwater off the coast of Israel (East Mediterranean). On August 17, 2012, ATP Oil And Ga s Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Company�� natural gas reserves are split between the Gulf of Mexico (57%) and the North Sea (43%). Of its total proved reserves, 8.3 MMBoe (7%) were producing, 19.0 MMBoe (16%) were developed and not producing and 91.6 MMBoe (77%) were undeveloped. The Company�� average working interest in its properties at December 31, 2011, was approximately 81%. The Company operates 92% of its platforms. At December 31, 2011, in the Gulf of Mexico, it owned leasehold and other interests in 38 offshore blocks and 49 wells, including 23 subsea wells. The Company operates 43 (88%) of these wells, including 100% of the subsea wells. In the North Sea, it also had interests in 13 blocks and two Company-operated subsea wells. As of March 15, 2011, the Company owned an interest in 13 platforms, including two floating production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, the ATP Titan at its Telemark Hub and the ATP Innovator at its G omez Hub. It operates the ATP Innovator and the ATP Titan.!

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Perfumania Holdings Inc(PERF)

Perfumania Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a wholesale distributor and specialty retailer of perfumes and fragrances in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company distributes designer fragrances to mass market retailers, drug and other chain stores, retail wholesale clubs, traditional wholesalers, and other distributors. It also owns and licenses designer and other fragrance brands. The company sells its products in retail stores on a consignment basis; and online through perfumania.com, an Internet retailer of fragrances and other specialty items. As of July 30, 2011, it operated a chain of 343 retail stores specializing in the sale of fragrances and related products. The company is based in Bellport, New York.

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Comstock Mining Inc (LODE)

Comstock Mining Inc. (Comstock), incorporated on October 19, 1999, is a gold and silver mining company with contiguous property in the Comstock and Silver City mining districts (collectively, the Comstock District). The Company owns or controls approximately 6,315 acres in the Comstock District comprising 1,455 acres of patented mining claims and surface parcels, and 4,860 acres of unpatented claims. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had drilled 646 reverse circulation (RC) and core holes, representing over 242,000 feet of drill data in the Lucerne Resource Area. As of December 31, 2011, the Company also had 432 RC and core holes from the Lucerne Resource Area. Its Lucerne Resource Area is located in Storey County, Nevada, approximately three miles south of Virginia City, Nevada. The Dayton Resource Area its commercial mining activities, is located in Lyon County Nevada, approximately six miles south of Virginia City. The Company operates in two segments: mining and hospitality.

The Company's mining segment consists of exploration and developmental drilling, mine planning, permitting, mineral claims, plus all other activities and expenditures associated with bringing the mine into production. Its hospitality segment consists of hotel rooms, cottages, restaurant, bar and other services provided by Gold Hill Hotel Inc. The Company�� property rights to the mineral estate of the Comstock Mine Project consist of five mineral leases, one joint venture (providing exclusive rights to exploration, development, mining and production), fee ownership of real property and mining claims. This project has 92 patented and 325 unpatented mineral lode claims, as well as 25 unpatented placer claims. The Comstock Mine Project holdings consist of approximately 6,315 acres of active mining claims and surface parcels (private lands) in the Comstock District. The acreage is consisted of 1,455 acres of patented mining claims and surface parcels and 4,860 acres of unpatented mining claims. The Company also o! wns a heap leach processing facility. It owns and operates the Gold Hill Hotel, three related cottages. The Hotel is located in Gold Hill, Nevada between Virginia City and the Comstock mine project.

The Company focuses on the Lucerne Resource Area (including the East-side target within this Area), the Dayton Resource Area and the Spring Valley exploration target. The Lucerne Resource Area includes the Billie the Kid, Hartford and Lucerne mining claims, and extends northeasterly to the area of the Woodville bonanza, and north to the Justice and Keystone mines, plus the extension of these areas down-dip to the east. The Lucerne Resource Area is approximately 5,000 feet long, with an average width of 600 feet, representing less than 3% of the land holdings controlled by the Company. The Dayton Resource Area lies southwest of Silver City, from the Dayton, Kossuth and Alhambra claims, including the old Dayton mine workings, south to where the Kossuth claim crosses State Route 341. The Spring Valley exploration target lies at the southern end of the Comstock District. The area includes the Kossuth claim south of State Route 341, the Dondero property, the New Daney lode mining claims, and the Company�� placer mining claims in Spring Valley and Gold Canyon. The Northern Extension, Northern Targets and Occidental Areas represent exploration target areas, which contain mining operations, including the Overman, Con Imperial, Caledonia, and Yellow Jacket mines.

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: City National Corporation (CYN)

City National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for City National Bank that provides various banking, investing, and trust services to small to mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, professionals, and affluent individuals. Its deposit products include demand and interest checking deposits, savings deposits, and money market accounts. The company�s loan portfolio comprises commercial loans, including lease financing; residential mortgage loans; commercial real estate mortgages; real estate construction loans; equity lines of credit; and installment loans. It also offers cash management, international banking, equipment financing, and other products and services. In addition, the company provides investment management, advisory, and brokerage services, including portfolio management, securities trading, and asset management; personal and business trust and investment services comprising employee benefit trust services, and 401(k) and defined benefit plans; and estate and financial planning, and custodial services. Further, it offers various asset classes and investment styles, including fixed-income instruments, mutual funds, domestic and international equities, and alternative investments, such as hedge funds. City National Corporation provides its services through 79 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers in Southern California; the San Francisco Bay area; Nevada; New York City; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Georgia. The company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

10 Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Buy For 2014: Alliance Financial Corporation (ALNC)

Alliance Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Alliance Bank, N.A., which provides various financial products and services to commercial, retail, government, and investment management customers in New York. Its deposit products include interest and non-interest bearing checking accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, time deposit accounts, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises residential and commercial mortgage loans, business lines of credit, working capital facilities, and business term loans, as well as installment loans, home equity loans, and personal lines of credit to individuals. It also provides personal trust, employee benefit trust, investment management, custodial, and financial planning services; financial counseling and brokerage services; and equipment lease financing services, as well as involves in residential real estate activities. In addition, Alliance Financial offers safe deposi t boxes, wire transfers, collection services, drive-up banking facilities, night depositories, automated teller machines, telephone banking, and Internet banking services. As of April 14, 2010, it operated 29 offices in Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego counties, as well as a trust administration center in Buffalo, New York. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Syracuse, New York.

The Investment Checklist That Transformed Warren Buffett

Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks? Who Says Elephant Can't Dance?

Not Warren Buffett. Not IBM (IBM). But how does an 82-year-old bargain hunter learn new tricks of buying tech stocks at new high prices and predicting future tech trends? Well, he read a corporate turnaround playbook written for IBMers. He read it not just once, but twice!

The book, "Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?: Leading a Great Enterprise through Dramatic Change," was written by Louis V. Gerstner Jr., former IBM CEO, the man who masterminded the historic turnaround of Big Blue. I have to admit that it is one of the best business books I have ever read, with penetrating insights on turnaround, strategy and culture. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in business and management. It is a must-read case study for deep-value investors interested in turnaround situations.

The investment checklist that changed Warren Buffett

Over the years, we have reverse-engineered almost all of Mr. Buffett's investment decisions in the past, and we have never seen him buying into a growth-oriented tech stock at prices near all time highs after a substantial rally. What has turned a bargain-hunting value investor into a growth-minded tech buyer?

An investment checklist from Lou Gerstner's IBM playbook could provide important clues to Buffett's change of heart.

If Gerstner, the man who saved IBM, were the head of research at a securities firm, he would urge his analysts to focus on the following five points in determining shareholder value:

1. LEADING A GROWING MARKET: Is the company a major force in a growing market or market segments? (Remember Warren Buffett's wonderful observation: "When a manager with a great reputation meets a company with a bad reputation, it is the company whose reputation stays intact.")

2. INCREASING MARKET SHARE: Is the company holding or increasing its share in those segments, and is that share gain the result of sustainable advantages (cost, tech! nology, quality)?

3. GENERATING CASH: Is the increased share resulting in growing cash flow — cash flow after all expenses, not the notorious EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), and not pro forma nonsense?

4. INVESTING CASH WISELY: Is the company using that cash flow in a wise manner? (a) avoiding macho or bleary-eyed acquisitions; (b) reinvesting in research and development, marketing and other critical areas in the company.

5. ACTING LIKE OWNERS: Does the management team walk the talk of aligning with the shareholders? Do executives own significant amounts of stock (as opposed to just holding options)? Do they return cash to their shareholders in the form of dividends or share repurchases?

IBM's framework for growth

Gerstner's handpicked successor, Samuel J. Palmisano, says his guiding framework for capital decisions boils down to four questions:

1. "Why would someone spend their money with you — so what is unique about you?"

2. "Why would somebody work for you?"

3. "Why would society allow you to operate in their defined geography — their country?"

4. "And why would somebody invest their money with you?"

The four questions were a way to focus thinking, prod the company beyond its comfort zone and make IBM preeminent again. "The hardest thing is answering those four questions," Palmisano says. "You've got to answer all four and work at answering all four to really execute with excellence."

On IBM's decision to move out of the PC business, he said, "If you decide you're going to move to a different space, where there's innovation and therefore you can do unique things and get some premium for that, the PC business wasn't going to be it."

The divestitures meant that IBM was no longer the world's largest information technology company. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) took that title and took a different strategic path as well, doubling its bet! on PCs b! y acquiring Compaq in 2001. "You see the choice that was made, and how the economics worked out," Palmisano observes.

The idea, Mr. Palmisano explains, is to go to a space where you're uniquely positioned and use your strengths.

In recent years, Warren Buffett's investment style seems to be moving from value to growth. And IBM's playbook played an important role in his venture into tech and growth.

Disclosure: The author owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

Earnings Preview: Fastenal Company - Analyst Blog

Fastenal Company (FAST) is set to report second quarter 2013 results before the opening bell on Jul 10. Last quarter it posted in-line results. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Factors to Consider

Fastenal's daily sales growth rates have declined sharply in the last 3 - 4 quarters due to end market slowdown. Also, daily sales growth rates in the first quarter of 2013 were hurt by unfavorable weather conditions in January and February and an extended holiday shutdown in January. Daily sales growth of 4.8% in April was also disappointing.

Moreover, on June 5, Fastenal reported drastic year-over-year decline in daily sales for May 2013. Fastenal's daily sales growth rates came in at 5.3% for the month of May, significantly down from 13.1% in the corresponding prior-year month.

The declining daily sales rates have been due to lower sales of its fasteners product line, overall weak non-residential construction market and the uncertainty in U.S economic policy.

Following the release of its disappointing May sales information, Fastenal witnessed downward movement of estimates in the past 30 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2013 declined 0.6% to $1.59 over the last 30 days whereas the same for fiscal 2014 declined 0.5% to $1.85 over the same time frame.

Earnings Whispers?

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Fastenal is likely to beat earnings this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP (Read: Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Method ) and a Zacks Rank of #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below.

Negative Zacks ESP: The stock has a negative ESP of -2.44%.

Zacks Rank #4 (Sell ): Fastenal's Zacks Rank #4 when combined with a negative ESP makes positive surprise prediction difficult. We caution against stocks with Zacks Ranks #4 and #5 (Sell rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company i! s seeing negative estimate revisions momentum.

Other Stocks to Consider

With the overall housing market improving steadily, there are many companies that are likely to beat earnings this quarter. Here are some other companies you may want to consider as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

Ryland Group Inc. (RYL), Earnings ESP of + 4.69% and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

DR Horton Inc. (DHI), Earnings ESP of + 8.57% and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) , Earnings ESP of +1.68% and Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014

On Friday, shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) rose 2.32%. When the closing bell rang, the stock price had climbed to $34.87 and set a new 52-week high. Since the beginning of 2013, shares have risen 30.55%, making Microsoft the fourth best performing Dow Jones (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) component. Since the beginning of March, the stock has had only one losing week and 10 winning weeks.

The stock has been a little more volatile in May, but I would say most investors aren't complaining. The first week of the month, Microsoft was the best performing Dow component after it gained 5.34%, but the second week of the May, shares slipped 2.38%. The this past week, if it wasn't for an insane run by Cisco, gaining 14.88% over the past five trading sessions, Microsoft would have likely been the Dow's best stock of the week, as it rose 6.69%. With the stock on fire like this, it's attracted a lot of investors' attention, and the question they all want to find an answer to is: Should I buy, sell, or hold?

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: Anglo Pacific Group(APF.L)

Anglo Pacific Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in securing natural resources royalties by acquisition and through investment in mining interests primarily in coal, iron ore, gold, and uranium principally in Australia, North America, South America, and Africa. It holds 50% of the coking coal royalty entitlement on the Kestrel and Crinum underground mines located in Queensland, Australia; a 1% gross revenue royalty (GRR) on the Amapa iron ore system in Brazil; a 1% GRR on iron ore and non-precious metals, other than copper, on the Tucano project in the Amapa region of Brazil; a 2% net smelter royalty (NSR) on the Jogjakarta iron sands project in Indonesia; a 1.5% GRR on various exploration licenses, including the Railway iron ore deposit in Western Australia; and a 1% GRR over the Isua iron ore project in Greenland. The company also holds a 2.5% NSR on the El Valle-Boinas/Carles gold mines in Spain; a 2.5% NSR on the Malartic-Midway and McKenZie Break gold projects in Quebec, Canada; a 3% GRR on the Bulqiza chromite project in Albania; a 1% NSR on the Black Thor, Black Label, and Big Daddy chromite projects in northern Ontario, Canada; a 1% NSR over the Four Mile uranium project in south Australia; and a 1% NSR over the Salamanca uranium project in Spain. In addition, it holds an option to acquire a 2% NSR on Creso Exploration Inc?s Duggan gold project in Ontario, Canada; a 1.5% NSR on the Araguaia nickel project in Brazil; and a 1% NSR on the Highbank Lake and Eastbank PGE exploration properties in Ontario, Canada. Further, the company owns mineral licenses in the Groundhog and Peace River coal deposits in British Columbia, Canada. Anglo Pacific Group PLC is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: Brookfield Propert Com Npv (BPO.TO)

Brookfield Properties Corporation is a publicly owned real estate investment firm. The firm engages in the ownership, development, and management of premier commercial properties. It also provides ancillary real estate service businesses, such as tenant service and amenities. The firm invests in the real estate markets of the United States with a focus on North American cities, including New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Calgary, Denver, and Minneapolis. It primarily invests in properties and development sites predominantly office buildings. It was formerly known as Carena-Bancorp Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Le Holding Carena-Bancorp Inc. in 1978. The company further changed its name to Carena-Bancorp, Inc. in 1985; to Carena Developments Limited in 1989; and to Brookfield Properties Corporation in 1996. Brookfield Properties was founded in 1923 and is based in New York, New York with an additional office in Toronto, Canada

Hot Small Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: Marylebone Warwick Balfour Grp(MWB.L)

MWB Group Holdings Plc owns and operates hotels and serviced offices in the United Kingdom. It operates 26 hotels with approximately 1,900 bedrooms under the brand names of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin that provide bars, brasseries, function and private dining rooms, meeting rooms of various sizes, champagne bars, spas, and gyms. The company also offers serviced offices that provide office spaces for small and medium enterprises, corporates, and other clients. It operates 65 centers that provide workstations with office space. MWB Group Holdings Plc was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: China Sky One Medical Inc.(CSKI)

China Sky One Medical, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of over-the-counter, branded nutritional supplements, and over-the-counter plant and herb-based pharmaceutical and medicinal products primarily in the People?s Republic of China. The company?s product line includes ointments, sprays, medicated skin patches, injections, capsules, suppositories, tablets, and granules. It offers compound camphor cream that is used for the treatment of various pathogens on the skin surface, such as mycete, trichopytic, staphylococcal bacteria aureus, bacillus coli, and candida albicans; Hemorrhoids ointment, which is made in soft ointment form and is effective in sterilizing and relieving hemorrhoid symptoms, including itching, distending pain, burning, and bleeding; Sumei slim patch, a natural treatment for weight loss; and pain relief patch used for various ailments, including fever, headache, heart dysentery, diarrhea, and sti ffness and pain caused by hypertension. China Sky One also provides anti-hypertension patch that stimulates blood capillaries, improves circulation, and reduces blood pressure; QiXue asthma patch, which is designed for the treatment of chronic inflammation of the airways and lungs; Stomatitis spray used for the treatment of dental ulcers, pharyngitis, and faucitis; Naphazoline Hydrochloride eye drops for the temporary relief of eye redness associated with minor irritations; cardiac arrest early examination kit used for early stage diagnosis of myocardial infarction; and Naftopidil dispersible tablet designed to treat benign enlargement of the prostate among middle age males, as well as various wash fluids, tablets, liniments, syrups, capsules, granules, injections, aerosols, and oral liquids. The company sells its products through Chinese domestic pharmaceutical chains. China Sky One Medical, Inc. is headquartered in Harbin, the People?s Republic of China.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: Weis Markets Inc.(WMK)

Weis Markets, Inc. engages in the retail sale of food in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Its retail food stores sell groceries, dairy products, frozen foods, meats, seafood, fresh produce, floral, pharmacy services, deli products, prepared foods, bakery products, beer and wine, fuel and general merchandise items, such as health and beauty care, and household products. The company operates stores primarily under the Weis Markets trade name. As of February 13, 2012, it operated 161 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia. The company was founded in 1912 and is based in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: Stokes(Australasia)

Stokes (Australasia) Limited engages in merchandising and distributing appliance parts, badges, medallions, electrical switches, and controls primarily in Australia. The company also manufactures electric elements and metal components for industrial and household products. It offers thermostats, heating elements, controls, cooking elements, industrial elements, and other electrical products. In addition, the company distributes spare parts for ovens, cook tops, washing machines, clothes dryers, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwave ovens, as well as for laundry, refrigeration, hot water, and dishwasher service and repair markets. Further, it distributes disposable dust bags, motors and carbon brushes, power heads, floor tools and accessories, hoses and accessories, extension rods, cloth bags and accessories, belts, brush strips and filters, repair and extension leads, switches and controls, immersion heaters, and vacuum cleaners. Additionally, the comp any manufactures and supplies badges, medallions, and trophies, as well as associated products, including school badges and bars, office bearer bars, name badges, custom badges, uniform buttons, badge fittings, medallions, and pendant medals. Stokes (Australasia) Limited was founded in 1856 and is based in West Ringwood, Australia.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: Capital Bank Corporation(CBKN)

Capital Bank Corporation operates as the holding company for Capital Bank that provides general commercial banking products and services in North Carolina. Its deposit products include checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises loans for real estate, construction, businesses, agriculture, personal use, home improvement, and automobiles, as well as equity lines of credit, mortgage loans, credit loans, consumer loans, and credit cards. It also offers safe deposit boxes, bank money orders, Internet banking services, traveler?s checks, and notary services, as well as electronic funds transfer services, including wire transfers and remote deposit capture. In addition, the company provides automated teller machine access to its customers; and a line of uninsured investment products and services. It operates 32 branch offices in North Carol ina, including 5 in Raleigh, 4 in Asheville, 4 in Fayetteville, 3 in Burlington, 3 in Sanford, 2 in Cary, and 1 each in Clayton, Graham, Hickory, Holly Springs, Mebane, Morrisville, Oxford, Pittsboro, Siler City, Wake Forest, and Zebulon. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Capital Bank Corporation is a subsidiary of North American Financial Holdings, Inc.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: Molins Ord(MLIN.L)

Molins PLC supplies machinery and related support services and systems, principally to the fast-moving consumer goods sectors, including tobacco, food, and other high-volume products worldwide. It develops, assembles, sells, and maintains process and quality control instruments for the tobacco industry; and designs and manufactures cartoning machinery, case packers, and robotic solutions, as well as provides turnkey projects involving design and integration of packaging systems. The company also specialises in the design, development, and manufacture of secondary tobacco processing machinery, principally mid-speed cigarette makers, packing, and handling equipment. The company was founded in 1874 and is based in Milton Keynes, the United Kingdom.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: Lafe Corporation Limited (L05.SI)

Lafe Corporation Limited, an investment holding company, primarily engages in property development, property investment, and property related service businesses. The company is involved in the development, investment, sale, and leasing of real estate properties. It also provides property appraisal, property management, architectural consultancy, building consultancy, corporate administration, real estate agency, security guard, and property consultancy services. In addition, the company holds trademarks It has operations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the People�s Republic of China. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is based in Singapore. Lafe Corporation Limited is a subsidiary of Clarendon Investments Capital Limited.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2014: LAIRD PLC ORD GBP0.28125(LRD.L)

Laird PLC, through its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and supply of products and services to the electronics industry primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company?s Performance Materials division designs and supplies a range of electromagnetic interference shielding materials comprising board level shields, fabric over foam, fingerstock, and conductive elastomers; thermal management solutions, including thermal interface materials, and thermoelectric assemblies; and signal integrity products, such as ferrite cable cores and chip inductors. This division serves IT, telecoms, datacoms, consumer electronics, industrial and instrumentation, medical, automotive and transportation, and aerospace and defence markets. Its Wireless Systems division designs and supplies various telematics and infrastructure antennae, and base station antennae products; machine-to-machine wireless modules, including wireless radios, I/O circuitry, and firmware; and software enabled wireless control systems providing connectivity and improving signal transmission and reception. This division also provides custom wireless remote control systems that enable the operation of heavy equipment and vehicles; and ongoing service and equipment repairs services, as well as hosted networked applications software to monitor remote controlled assets. This division serves infrastructure, automotive and asset management, transportation and rail, municipal, industrial and instrumentation, mining, datacoms, security, medical, and retail markets. Laird PLC was founded in 1824 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

LBT-886 Received FCC and IC Certification (OTCBB:LBAS, ASX:TEX, OTCQX:TEXQY)

Location Based Technologies, Inc. (LBAS)

Today, LBAS remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.132 with 9,470 shares in movement thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 9:47AM EDT June 20, 2013).

Location Based Technologies, Inc. previously received FCC and IC certification for its versatile LBT-886 device. These certifications are necessary before devices can be sold to consumers throughout the US and Canada.

The LBT-886 device is available for manufacture in a 2G or 3G variant. The 3G penta-band variant will enable the device to function in countries which only operate on the 3G spectrum, such as Australia, South Korea, Japan and some areas of Canada. This global tracking solution also delivers additional features such as various environmental sensors or comes with an attachment with special capability designed to meet lone-worker or personnel security requirements

Take a look at Location Based Technologies, Inc. (LBAS) 5 day chart:

Target Energy Limited (TEXQY) (TEX)

Target Energy Limited (OTCQX:TEXQY, ASX:TEX) (http://targetenergy.com.au/) is an oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and trading under ticker “TEX” and OTC Markets trading under ticker “TEXQY”.

Today (June 20), Target Energy Limited ticker (OTCQX:TEXQY)  has remained (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.90 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 3:45PM EDT June 20, 2013), and Target Energy Limited on the Australian Securities Exchange ticker (ASX:TEX) has surged (+7.69%) +0.005 at $.070 (ref. google finance June 20, 2013 – Close).

Target Energy Limited previously reported that the company is continuing drilling operations at the Pine Pasture #3 oil well on their East Chalkey Oil Field in Parish, Louisiana. The Company had independent studies which indicated that put upside recoverable reserves for Pine Pasture #3 range between 250,000 and 450,000 barrels of oil. In addition, the report also revealed that the East Chalkey Field has an upside estimate of 4 million barrels of oil.

To view Target Energy Limited video click link http://crwetube.com/media/target-energy-ltds-managing-director-laurence-roe .

Keep in mind, Target Energy Limited production increased by +320% in 2013 following successful Permian Basin drilling campaign. In April, the Company was generating in excess of $400,000 per month in net sales revenue. The Company's ongoing 2013 drilling programs in Permian Basin and Louisiana are likely to add significantly to their production and reserves.

Top Penny Stocks To Buy For 2014

Now take a look at Target Energy Limited (TEXQY) 5 day chart:

Top Portfolio Products: T. Rowe Debuts Global Allocation Fund

New products introduced over the last week include a new global allocation fund from T. Rowe Price; two new Japan-focused ETFs from Direxion; and a covered call ETF from Horizons USA.

In addition, KKR is acquiring PRA International and WBI Investments launched two new funds.

Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:

1) T. Rowe Price Launches Global Allocation Fund

T. Rowe Price announced that it has launched the Global Allocation Fund (RPGAX), a broadly diversified asset allocation fund that seeks long-term total return from investments in U.S. and international stocks, bonds, cash and alternative investments. The fund may serve as a core holding or complementary portfolio.

Typically, RPGAX will invest 60% of assets in stocks, 30% in bonds and cash, and 10% in alternative investments. Approximately 40% of the fund's total assets will be invested in international stocks and bonds across both developed and emerging markets. Its asset classes include international equities, diversified fixed income, and strategic diversifying asset classes.

Charles Shriver, who has 13 years of investment experience and has been with T. Rowe Price for 21 years, manages the fund. Stefan Hubrich, who is also the director of asset allocation research, will act as the associate portfolio manager.

2) Direxion Launches Japan-Focused ETFs

Direxion announced that it has launched two leveraged ETFs that track Japanese equity market performance. The Direxion Daily Japan Bull 3X Shares (JPNL) seeks to generate daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the performance of the MSCI Daily TR Net Japan USD Index. The Direxion Daily Japan Bear 3X Shares (JPNS) attempts to achieve daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 300% of the inverse of the performance of the same index, which is tied to the MSCI Japan Index, a free-float adjusted index designed to track the performance of Japanese company stocks listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Osaka Stock Exchange, Nagoya Stock Exchange and JASDAQ.

The ETFs do not attempt to meet their investment goals over periods longer than one day, and there is no guarantee that their objectives will be met.

3) Horizons USA Launches Covered Call ETF

Horizons ETFs Management (USA), a member of the Horizons ETFs Group, announced that it has launched the Horizons S&P 500 Covered Call ETF (HSPX), an ETF that uses a covered call strategy designed to potentially generate additional income from the option-eligible stocks in the S&P 500.

HSPX generally seeks to provide exposure to the performance of the S&P 500 Stock Covered Call Index and will make monthly distributions of dividend and call option income. Horizons USA has an exclusive agreement with Standard & Poor’s to offer an ETF in the U.S. based on the index. HSPX uses a replication strategy and invests substantially all of its total assets in same securities of the index. It will generally own all the securities of the S&P 500 in substantially similar weights to the index, and will sell or write covered call options on up to 100% of each of the option eligible securities in the portfolio.

Separately, Horizons USA announced that Adam Felesky has been appointed head of Americas for the Horizons ETFs businesses across the U.S., Canada and Latin America. He is CEO of Horizons ETFs Management (Canada). He founded Horizons Canada in 2005 and also acts as CEO and director of all Horizons Canada’s operating subsidiaries.

4) KKR to Acquire PRA International

Clinical research organization PRA International announced recently that funds managed by KKR are acquiring PRA from San Francisco-based Genstar Capital. PRA is a global contract research organization (CRO) that provides outsourced clinical development services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. It has more than 5,300 employees located in over 50 offices worldwide.

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the third quarter.

5) WBI Investments Launches Two New Absolute Return Mutual Funds

WBI Investments announced the launch of two mutual funds, the WBI Absolute Return Balanced Plus Fund (no-load shares: WBPNX; institutional shares: WBBPX) and the WBI Absolute Return Dividend Income Fund (no-load shares: WBDNX; institutional shares: WBDIX).

Don Schreiber Jr., CEO and founder of the firm, will serve as co-portfolio manager for the funds, while Gary Stroik, vice president and portfolio manager for WBI Investments, will serve as lead.

WBPNX’s investment objectives are to seek current income and long-term capital appreciation, while also seeking to protect principal during unfavorable market conditions. Under normal market conditions, it will invest 25% of its net assets in the equity securities of domestic and foreign dividend-paying companies of any size market capitalization that the advisor believes have the capacity to increase dividends over time, and at least 25% in domestic and foreign fixed-income securities. Approximately 10% may be invested in non-dividend-paying equities and/or in option strategies to enhance returns or mitigate risk and volatility.

WBDNX’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation and current income. Under normal market conditions, it will invest at least 80% of its net assets in dividend-paying equity securities of foreign and domestic companies. Up to 20% may be invested in non-dividend-paying equities, domestic and foreign fixed income securities, ETFs, ETNs and/or option strategies.

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Read the June 21 Portfolio Products Roundup at AdvisorOne.

Why you need to diversify your investments

To understand how, look at this simple example (it involves some basic statistical concepts but don�t get turned off, its simple to understand and you can get into the calculations only if you want) -

Say, there are two assets A and B. Both assets have a potential return of 10% and a standard deviation (a statistical measure which measures the variability (i.e. risk) of the potential returns) of 20%. Also, the returns of both these assets are uncorrelated i.e. the performance of Asset A is not dependent at all on the performance of Asset B.

Now assume you invest equally in both these assets. Your weighted potential return (0.5 * 10% + 0.5 * 10%) will equal 10% - this is the same return as that for the individual assets. However, due to the fact that you have now spread your risk over two uncorrelated assets, the standard deviation (i.e. risk) of your portfolio will be 14.1% (lower than the 20% for each individual asset).

It is important to understand what this means.

You would have been able to reduce the risk profile of you�re the returns on your portfolio to 14.1% (from 20% for an individual asset) without having to compromise on your returns, merely by diversifying. So, by choosing two assets whose returns are not correlated (this is important) like say Stock A which is a pharmaceutical company and Stock B which is a software company, you can reduce your risk while not necessarily having to reduce your returns.

In summary, there are two things that are important to keep in mind while planning your investments -

1. Every asset has a risk attached to it.
And, the higher the risk, the higher should be its expected returns.

2. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
By diversifying across assets, you can reduce your risk without necessarily having to reduce your returns. You don�t have to get into calculating standard deviation of the return of your assets, you need to just be aware that if you diversify your portfolio, your overall portfolio risk will be lower.

To get the maximum benefit of reducing your risk through diversification spread your portfolio across different assets whose returns are not 100% correlated. Different assets should ideally span across different asset classes such as fixed income, equity, real estate, gold as well as different investment options within these asset classes e.g within equity shares, your exposure should be to companies in different sectors; or within fixed income investments, partly government risk and partly corporate risk.

As a thumb rule, diversify your investments across 15-20 different individual assets.

Best Stock Picks 2015

Best Stock Picks 2015