Best Prefered Companies For 2014

Although by now no longer regarded as ancient or, for that matter, Chinese, the curse "May you live in interesting times" seems quite relevant today. Interesting things are certainly happening in China. A new Pilot Free Trade Zone in Shanghai's Pudong district has been designated as a testing area for a looser government stance on foreign investments and products. This may indicate that China's leadership is becoming more open to social reform. Sources familiar with the matter say that the ban on consoles may be lifted, opening up the world's largest consumer market to console-makers.

Interesting times
Not particularly big, covering some 29 square kilometers, or 11 square miles, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone looks like it will be the staging ground for a thorough reform of China's financial sector. Yet the experiment seems to be broader than that, including the introduction of certain Western products that were previously restricted by the government.

Supporters of the plan claim that this may be a first step toward a loosening of the government's grip on the economy, and with it, supplying a greater amount of social freedom. The opening of the free trade zone follows a similar project during the '80s in Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong, which helped turn China into the major industrial player it is today. The plans are scheduled to be rolled out over a three-year period, although details on what exactly is to be done in this time are still murky.

Hot Low Price Companies To Buy Right Now: BioAmber Inc (BIOA)

BioAmber Inc. (BioAmber), incorporated on October 15, 2008, is a chemical company. The Company manufactures its bio-succinic acid in a facility using a commercial scale 350,000 liter fermenter in Pomacle, France. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company produced 487,000 pounds, or 221 metric tons, of bio-succinic acid at this facility. Succinic acid is used to manufacture a range of products used every day, including plastics, food additives and personal care products, and can also be used as a building block for a range of derivative chemicals. The Company produces and sells bio-succinic acid using its process for petroleum-derived succinic acid. It also has additional bio-based products under development with partners including bio-succinic acid derivatives, such as BDO, and applications of bio-succinic acid, such as plasticizers, polyurethanes and de-icing solutions. During 2011, the Company created a wholly owned subsidiary, BioAmber International, S.a.r.l.

The Company develops bio-succinic acid for a range of markets, such as personal care products and food additives, plasticizers, polyurethanes, resins and coatings. The applications for bio-succinic acid include plasticizers, polyurethanes, personal care products, de-icing solutions, resins and coatings, food additives, lubricants and other products. Plasticizers are organic esters that are primarily used to make flexible polyvinyl chloride. Adipic acid is used in polyester polyols, which are used to make polyurethanes. Polyurethanes are used in, among other things, soles for footwear, molded foams for automotive applications, such as car seats and arm rests, and non-foam applications such as coatings, adhesives and sealants. Other applications of bio-succinic acid that are developed and tested by potential customers, which include anti-freeze solutions, solvents, water treatment chemicals and effervescence agents such laundry tablets and bath salts.

The Company competes with Gadiv Petrochemical Industries ! Ltd., Mitsubishi Chemical, DSM, Anqing Hexing Chemical Co Ltd, Anhui Sunsing Chemicals Co., Ltd., Genomatica, Inc., Myriant Corporation and Roquette Freres S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  He believes several companies have set the bar precipitously low to start the year despite targeted developments expected to occur before the start of 2014. Watch the following video for his thoughts on potential positive surprises awaiting investors in�Amyris� (NASDAQ: AMRS  ) ,�BioAmber� (NYSE: BIOA  ) ,�Codexis� (NASDAQ: CDXS  ) , and�Solazyme� (NASDAQ: SZYM  ) .

• [By Markus Aarnio]

  BioAmber (BIOA) is a sustainable chemicals company. Its proprietary technology platform combines industrial biotechnology and chemical catalysis to convert renewable feedstock into chemicals for use in a wide variety of everyday products including plastics, resins, food additives and personal care products.

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  Out of the 2013 vintage, some of the best performers so far this year have been early-stage healthcare firms like BioAmber Inc.(BIOA), up 86% year-to-date through Thursday, and Kindred Biosciences Inc.(KIN), up 82%. A number of high-flying tech startups have also continued to soar. Cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc.(FEYE) has gained 67% since the start of the year. Online coupon company RetailMeNot Inc.(SALE) is up 48%.

Best Prefered Companies For 2014: Gray Television Inc (GTN)

Gray Television, Inc. (Gray), incorporated on January 25, 1897, is a television broadcast company. The Company owns and operates television stations broadcasting 40 primary channels and 45 secondary channels in 30 television markets. 19 of the primary channels and one secondary channel are affiliated with the CBS Network owned by CBS Inc. (CBS), 10 primary channels are affiliated with the NBC Network owned by National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC), eight primary channels and one secondary channel are affiliated with the ABC Network owned by American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and three primary channels and two secondary channels are affiliated with the FOX Network owned by the FOX Broadcasting Company (FOX). The Company also broadcasts 9 local news/weather channels in certain of its existing markets. In February 2013, the Company acquired KSNB-TV. In November 2013,

Gray Television, Inc announced that it consummated its announced acquisition from News-Press & Gazette Company (NPGCo) of the non-license assets of KJCT(TV) and associated low power television stations broadcasting ABC, CW, Telemundo, and local programming.

All of the Company�� stations broadcast primary channels that are affiliated with major networks. In addition to the primary channels, the majority of Gray�� stations also broadcast secondary digital channels that are affiliated with various networks. The Company��s operating revenues are derived primarily from broadcast and Internet advertising and from other sources such as production of commercials, tower rentals, retransmission consent fees and management fees. Television station revenue is derived primarily from local, regional and national advertising. Advertising revenues consists of the primary source of revenues for the Company�� stations.

The Company competes with Two And A Half Men and Jeopardy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Gray Television (NYSE: GTN  ) reported earnings on May 2. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Gray Television beat slightly on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By John Emerson]

  My selection of stocks was now almost entirely based upon themes. Instead of seeking out value in out-favor-sectors, I had temporarily diverted to the path of attempting to identify investing themes, although I would only purchase a stock if I deemed it to be a bargain. The major themes I had identified were natural gas related stocks, material stocks such as cement companies, and discounted Chinese growth stocks which made their money by selling their products to Chinese consumers. I also owned significant positions in some other purely American companies which included Casey�� (CASY) and Gray Television (GTN). Ultimately, Gray Television would turn out to be a colossal failure (more on GTN later).

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Meanwhile, small-cap TV broadcaster Gray Television (GTN) is showing some bullish overtones after tracking sideways for the last month and change. GTN is currently forming a cup-and-handle pattern, a classical bullish setup that triggers on a move through the $9.25 level. Don't put too much thought into the cup-and-handle setup itself; instead, just focus on that breakout level at $9.25.

  Whenever you're looking at any technical price pattern, it's critical to think in terms of those buyers and sellers. Triangles, and other pattern names are a good quick way to explain what's going on in a stock, but they're not the reason it's tradable. Instead, it all comes down to supply and demand for shares.

  That $9.25 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a place where sellers have been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above it so significant -- the move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

Best Prefered Companies For 2014: Whole Foods Market Inc.(WFM)

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

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

  While Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM  ) is busy shedding its reputation for selling pricey groceries, there's little debate about its stock being expensive.�Shares are up better than 300% over the past five years, and are valued at 40 times trailing earnings. However, long-term investors shouldn't shun the stock even at that price. In the video below, Fool contributor Demitrios Kalogeropoulos provides three reasons that the grocer deserves a premium.

• [By Leslie Patton]

  Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM), the largest natural-foods grocer in the U.S., fell in extended trading yesterday after saying fiscal 2014 profit would be less than it previously forecast as same-store sales growth slows.

• [By John Udovich]

  Large cap natural and organic foods supermarket giant Whole Foods Market, Inc (NASDAQ: WFM), otherwise known as ��hole Wallet��r ��hole Paycheck,��is not the only player in the natural or organics supermarket space for consumers and investors alike as mid cap Sprouts Farmers Market Inc (NASDAQ: SFM) and small caps Fairway Group Holdings Corp (NASDAQ: FWM) and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc (NYSE: NGVC) are also players in the space. It should be mentioned that Whole Foods Market is down 15.7% since the start of the year and has a downward trending technical chart, but�shares are�still up 13% over the past year, up 426.3% over the past five years and up 3,108.6% since January 1992.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Amazon.com (AMZN) might be bringing Amazon Fresh to a city near you–and hammering your grocery stock in the process. Deutsche Bank sees tough times for Supervalu�(SVU) and Safeway�(SWY)� if an when Amazon expands its grocery delivery service beyond its three current test markets, while Kroger (KR) and Whole Foods Markets (WFM) should be able to thrive.

Best Prefered Companies For 2014: Regal Entertainment Group(RGC)

Regal Entertainment Group, through its subsidiaries, operates a theatre circuit in the United States. The company develops, acquires, and operates multi-screen theatres primarily in mid-sized metropolitan markets and suburban growth areas of larger metropolitan markets under the Regal Cinemas, United Artists, and Edwards brand names. As of February 13, 2012, it operated 6,614 screens in 527 theatres in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Regal Entertainment Group was founded in 2002 and is based in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Alamy Barely a year has passed since Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group completed its $2.6 billion purchase of U.S.-based movie theater chain AMC Entertainment. In one fell swoop, that deal made it the world's biggest cinema operator -- with 432 theaters. Now, 15 months later, Wanda is ready to turn around and IPO AMC on the U.S. stock market -- and great news! They want to let you in on the deal. From Stubs-Member to Stockholder AMC operates a customer loyalty program that it calls "Stubs." Participants in this program pay a $12 annual membership fee. In return, they get benefits such as: $10 in movie theater credit for every $100 they spend at the theaters free upgrades on concessions in the lobby and a waiver of fees for buying tickets online. The prospect of "making your money back" after seeing just two films a year probably makes the program worthwhile all on its own. But this week, AMC added another bonus to the fringe benefits of its Stubs program: Loyal customers now get a chance to buy shares of AMC's stock on the cheap. Technically, AMC says the stock program is for its "employees," but as CEO Gerry Lopez explained : "We're offering this exclusive employee benefit to our AMC Stubs members to express our sincere gratitude for your loyalty." The Details According to the pitch, anyone who's a member of Stubs will be allowed to buy as little as $100 to as much as $2,500 worth of AMC shares at the IPO price, commission-free, by using the free online broker Loyal3. AMC currently plans to price the shares between $18 and $20. This could prove to be a very valuable fringe benefit, as it will give Stubs members a rare opportunity to "get in" on an IPO at the offer price, and to profit from any immediate jump in AMC's share price in the first minutes and hours after the stock begins trading. But there are caveats. First and foremost, there's absolutely no guarantee that AMC shares will go up in price at all, much less skyrocket. Indeed, a 2011 stu

• [By Leo Sun]

  Theaters are, naturally, opposed that plan. The two largest theater chains in the U.S. -- Regal Entertainment (NYSE: RGC  ) and Dalian Wanda's AMC Entertainment -- have announced that they won't show the film. IMAX has a contractual right to override theater-chain decisions for certain venues, but it waived that right in the Crouching Tiger negotiations, since it didn't want to force theaters to show the film.

• [By Sean Williams]

  The impending implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is also having a decipherable impact on U-6, even if a study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis demonstrates that few employers are changing their hiring habits. Regal Entertainment (NYSE: RGC  ) , the nation's largest operator of movie theaters, slashed thousands of its workers' hours to get under the 30-hour weekly average in order to avoid being penalized for not providing health care insurance options to its employees. That point is somewhat moot now with the PPACA employer mandate being pushed back another year, but it's nonetheless a reason why full-time work is becoming difficult to come by in certain sectors.

Best Prefered Companies For 2014: CTS Corporation (CTS)

CTS Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, assembly, and sale of electronic components and sensors, as well as the provision of electronics manufacturing services. It offers automotive sensors and actuators used in commercial or consumer vehicles; electronic components used in communications infrastructure and computer markets; components used in computer and other high-speed applications, switches, resistor networks, and potentiometers; and fabricated piezoelectric materials and substrates used primarily in medical, industrial, defense and aerospace, and computer markets. The company markets and sells its products through its sales engineers, independent manufacturers� representatives, and distributors. It has operations in China, Japan, Scotland, Singapore, India, Taiwan, and the United States. CTS Corporation was founded in 1896 and is based in Elkhart, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  CTS (NYSE: CTS  ) reported earnings on July 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), CTS missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  When earnings reports roll in, so do the dividend increases. This week, we saw a veritable tidal wave of dividend increases, from Megacap stocks like Halliburton (HAL) and Whole Foods (WFM) to smaller players like� CTS Corporation (CTS), companies were scrambling to boost their dividend payouts. A total of 23 companies increased their dividends this week.

Best Prefered Companies For 2014: Ossen Innovation Co. Ltd.(OSN)

Ossen Innovation Co. Ltd. engages in the design, engineering, manufacture, and sale of plain surface prestressed, rare earth coated, and zinc coated prestressed steel materials in the People?s Republic of China. The company primarily offers plain surface, indented, and helical rib PC wires, as well as rare earth coated PC strands. Its materials are used in the construction of railways, highways, bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure projects. The company markets its products under the Ossen brand name. It also exports its products to the United States, Canada, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. The company is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Ossen Innovation Co (NASDAQ: OSN) is projected to post its Q1 earnings.

  AZZ (NYSE: AZZ) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $191.37 million.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  If you don't have Cyren Ltd (NASDAQ:CYRN), Globalstar, Inc. (NYSEMKT:GSAT), or Ossen Innovation Co Ltd (NASDAQ:OSN) on your radar, put them on there quick. All three stocks are knocking on the door of bigger (read "trade-worthy") moves at a point in time where big moves are rare... not to mention a period on the calendar that slightly favors small cap stocks. To then end, here's a closer look at why GSAT, CYRN, and OSN may be better than average bets here.

Best Prefered Companies For 2014: Castle Brands Inc. (ROX)

Castle Brands Inc. develops and markets beverage alcohol products. The company provides rum, whiskey, liqueurs, vodka, tequila, and wine. It offers its products under various brands, including Gosling�s Rum, Gosling�s Dark �n Stormy, Jefferson�s, Jefferson�s Reserve and Jefferson's Presidential Select, Jefferson�s Rye, Clontarf, Pallini, Boru, Knappogue Castle Whiskey, Tierras, Celtic Honey, Brady's Irish Cream, Travis Hasse�s Original Pie, Gozio, A. de Fussigny, and CC. The company offers its products through a network of wholesale distributors and state-operated agencies in the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Germany, Canada, South Africa, Bulgaria, France, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and China, as well as in continental Europe and Latin America. Castle Brands Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another stock that's rapidly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Castle Brands (ROX), which develops and markets premium and super-premium brands in the beverage alcohol categories: rum, whiskey, liqueurs, vodka, tequila and fine wine. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up huge by 234%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Castle Brands, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending very strong for the last three months, with shares soaring higher from its low of 30 cents per share to its recent high of 99 cents per share. During that uptrend, shares of ROX have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of ROX within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

  Market players should now look for long-biased trades in ROX if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at 93 cents per share to its 52-week high at 99 cents per share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 501,958 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then ROX will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $1.50 to $2 a share.

  Traders can look to buy ROX off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some key near-term support levels at 80 cents to 77 cents per share, or around its 50-day at 70 cents per share. One can also buy ROX off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.