Top 5 Stocks To Watch For 2014

I meant to do that.

That appears to be the attitude of the Fed when contemplating the taper tantrum in the wake of Chairman Ben Bernanke’s awkward comments on June 19 announcing the beginning of the end for the central bank’s quantitative easing.

Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Federal Reserve, employed his usual folksy metaphors to describe investor behavior immediately following the announcement, claiming it was fully anticipated all along.

Calling investors “feral hogs” and the markets “manic depressive,” Fisher, an outspoken critic of QE and subsequent iterations, said “he doesn’t want to go from Wild Turkey to cold turkey overnight,” an apparent reference to the measured process planned for the unwinding.

The comments, made in an interview Monday with the Financial Times, appear to be part of an effort in the past week to calm markets, which fell significantly in the wake of Bernanke’s comments. Fisher said that although QE will begin to wind down, other forms of Fed stimulus will continue.

Top 5 Companies To Watch For 2015: Whirlpool Corporation(WHR)

Whirlpool Corporation engages in the manufacture and marketing of home appliances worldwide. Its principal products include laundry appliances, refrigerators and freezers, cooking appliances, dishwashers, mixers, and other portable household appliances. The company also produces hermetic compressors for refrigeration systems. It markets and distributes its products under various brand names, including Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Roper, Estate, Admiral, Gladiator, Inglis, Acros, Supermatic, Consul, Brastemp, Eslab� de Lujo, Bauknecht, Ignis, Laden, Polar, and Privileg in North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Whirlpool Corporation sells its products to retailers, dealers, distributors, builders, and other manufacturers. The company was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Over the past two years, Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR  ) has announced the return of hundreds of new jobs to, and the making of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of plant upgrades for manufacturing products in, America.

• [By Louis Navellier , NavellierGrowth.com]

  So without further ado, here are five companies that have the analyst community buzzing, and they should be on your radar as well.

  Best Buy (BBY): In the past two months, estimates have been revised up 22%. Analysts now expect 175% year-on-year earnings growth this quarter. Meanwhile, the industry average is 30% annual earnings growth. . ManpowerGroup (MAN): In the past month, the consensus estimate has been hiked up 19% to $1.08 per share. Analysts now expect 37% earnings growth. MAN is a buy. Netflix (NFLX): In the past three months, the consensus estimate has climbed 9%. Analysts now forecast 22% sales growth and a whopping 269% earnings growth. NFLX is a strong buy. Tesla (TSLA): In the past three months, analysts have completely reversed their projections. Earlier, the consensus was that Tesla Motors would post a net loss of 3 cents per share. Now the consensus calls for earnings of 12 cents per share. This translates into 113% earnings growth! TSLA is a strong buy. Whirlpool (WHR): In the past three months, earnings estimates have risen 15%. Analysts now expect 47% earnings growth. WHR is a strong buy.

  To put these earnings estimates into perspective, analysts forecast that the average S&P 500 company will grow earnings by 15.1% this quarter. This means that each of the five buys above are well-positioned to win big next earnings season, which kicks off on October 8. If you want to see how the analyst community feels about one of your holdings, feel free to run it through my Portfolio Grader screening tool. After hitting “submit,” you’ll see that one of the components of the stock’s Fundamental Grade is “Analyst Earnings Revisions.”

• [By Sean Williams]

  Home appliance maker Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR  ) also sent short-sellers through the spin cycle after it gained 8% following its strong second-quarter results, and boosting its full-year profit outlook. For the quarter, revenue jumped 5.3%, to $4.75 billion, as profit soared 53%, to $2.37 per share. Comparatively, the Street expected just $2.32 in EPS on $4.67 billion in sales. What really has investors excited is its EPS boost for the remainder of the year to a range of $9.50-$10 in EPS from its prior EPS forecast of $9.25-$9.75. A rebounding housing market has certainly helped Whirlpool, but I remain a bit concerned about the affect rising U.S. lending rates could have on its domestic business, and would suggest investors remain cautious.

Top 5 Stocks To Watch For 2014: Transocean Ltd (RIGN.VX)

Transocean Ltd. (Transocean) is an international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. The Company operates in two segments: contract drilling services and other operations. Contract drilling services, the Company�� primary business, includes contracting Transocean�� mobile offshore drilling fleet, related equipment and work crews primarily on a day rate basis to drill oil and gas wells. Its other operations segment includes drilling management services, and oil and gas properties. It participates in oil and gas exploration and production activities. In November 2010, it purchased a PPL Pacific Class 400 design High-Specification Jackup, which is under construction at PPL Shipyard Pte Ltd. in Singapore. Subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2010, it completed the sale of the High-Specification Jackup Trident 20. On October 4, 2011, the Company acquired, through Transocean Services AS, Aker Drilling ASA.

During 2010, the Company completed the sale of two Midwater Floaters, GSF Arctic II and GSF Arctic IV. As of February 10, 2011, Transocean owned, had partial ownership interests in or operated 138 mobile offshore drilling units. As of February 10, 2011, Transocean�� fleet consisted of 47 High-Specification Floaters (Ultra-Deepwater, Deepwater and Harsh Environment semisubmersibles and drillships), 25 Midwater Floaters, nine High-Specification Jackups, 54 Standard Jackups and three Other Rigs. In addition, the Company had one Ultra-Deepwater Floater and three High-Specification Jackups under construction. During 2010, the Company completed construction of five Ultra-Deepwater newbuilds, four of which have commenced their respective contracts. As of December 31, 2010, it held 50% interest in Transocean Pacific Drilling Inc. (TPDI), 65% interest in Angola Deepwater Drilling Company Limited (ADDCL) and a 50% interest in Overseas Drilling Limited (ODL).

Drilling Fleet

Transocean principally operates three types of drilling rig! s: drill ships, semisubmersibles and jackups. Also included in its fleet are barge drilling rigs and a coring drillship. Its fleet includes High-Specification Floaters, which consists of the Company�� Ultra-Deepwater Floaters, Deepwater Floaters and Harsh Environment Floaters; Midwater Floaters, High-Specification Jackups, Standard Jackups and Other Rigs. High-Specification Floaters are specialized offshore drilling units that it categorizes into three sub-classifications. Ultra-Deepwater Floaters are equipped with high-pressure mud pumps and are capable of drilling in water depths of 7,500 feet or greater. Deepwater Floaters include other semisubmersible rigs and drillships capable of drilling in water depths between 7,200 and 4,500 feet. Harsh Environment Floaters are capable of drilling in harsh environments in water depths between 5,000 and 1,500 feet and have greater displacement, which offers variable load capacity, useable deck space and better motion characteristics. Midwater Floaters consist of non-high-specification semisubmersibles that have a water depth capacity of less than 4,500 feet. High-Specification Jackups consist of its jackups, and Standard Jackups consist of the Company�� remaining jackup fleet.

As of February 10, 2011, Transocean�� fleet was located in the Far East (29 units), Middle East (17 units), West African countries other than Nigeria and Angola (16 units), United States Gulf of Mexico (14 units), United Kingdom North Sea (13 units), India (11 units), Brazil (10 units), Nigeria (seven units), Norway (five units), Angola (five units), the Mediterranean (three units), the Netherlands (three units), Australia (three units) and Canada (two units). As of February 10, 2011, its four rigs under construction included Deepwater Champion, Transocean Honor, High-Specification Jackup TBN1 and High-Specification Jackup TBN2. As of February 10, 2011, the Company�� Midwater Floaters included Sedco 700, Transocean Amirante, Transocean Legend, GSF Arctic I, C. Kirk Rhe! in, Jr. a! nd GSF Rig 135. As of February 10, 2011, its High-Specification Jackups included GSF Constellation I, GSF Constellation II, GSF Galaxy I, GSF Galaxy II, GSF Galaxy III and GSF Baltic. As of February 10, 2011, the Company�� Standard Jackups included Trident IX, GSF Adriatic II, GSF Adriatic IX, GSF Adriatic X, GSF Key Manhattan, GSF Key Singapore, GSF Adriatic VI and GSF Adriatic VIII.

Contract Drilling Services

Transocean�� primary business is to contract its drilling rigs, related equipment and work crews on a dayrate basis to drill oil and gas wells. Transocean�� contracts to provide offshore drilling services are individually negotiated and vary in their terms and provisions.

Drilling Management Services

The Company provides drilling management services primarily on a turnkey basis through Applied Drilling Technology Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, which primarily operates in the United States Gulf of Mexico, and through ADT International, a division of one of its United Kingdom subsidiaries, which primarily operates in the North Sea (together, ADTI). ADTI provides oil and gas drilling management services on a dayrate basis or a completed-project, fixed-price (or turnkey) basis, as well as drilling engineering and drilling project management services. As part of its turnkey drilling services, the Company provides planning, engineering and management services. Under turnkey arrangements, it designs and executes of a well and delivers a logged or cased hole to an agreed depth. In addition to turnkey drilling services, Transocean participates in project management operations that include providing certain planning, management and engineering services, purchasing equipment and providing personnel and other logistical services to customers.

Integrated Services

Transocean provides well and logistics services in addition to its normal drilling services through third party contractors and the Company�� employees. These o! ther serv! ices include integrated services. As of February 10, 2011, it was performing such services in India.

Oil and Gas Properties

The Company conducts oil and gas exploration, development and production activities through its oil and gas subsidiaries. It acquires interests in oil and gas properties principally in order to facilitate the awarding of turnkey contracts for Transocean's drilling management services operations. The Company�� oil and gas activities are conducted through Challenger Minerals Inc. and Challenger Minerals (North Sea) Limited (together, CMI), which hold property interests primarily in the United States offshore Louisiana and Texas and in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are ViroPharma Inc.(VPHM), Transocean Ltd.(RIGN.VX) and Gogo Inc.(GOGO)

Top 5 Stocks To Watch For 2014: Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund Inc (IAF)

Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. (the Fund) is a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. The Fund�� principal investment objective is long-term capital appreciation through investment primarily in equity securities of Australian companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange Limited. Its secondary objective is current income, which is expected to be derived primarily from dividends and interest on Australian corporate and governmental securities. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities, consisting of common stock, preferred stock and convertible stock, of companies tied economically to Australia (each an Australian Company), and at least 65% of its total assets in equity securities, consisting of common stock, preferred stock and convertible stock, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange Limited (ASX). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  According to a Gabelli Funds report, managed distribution policies offer several advantages, including:1. Lower difference between the fund�� market price and its NAV per share.2. Provides support during periods when the stock market is in a decline.3. Provides a measurable performance target for the investment adviser.Below are several high-yield funds from CEFA that have a managed distribution policy (yields as of December 16):Aberdeen Australia Eqty (IAF)- Distribution Yield: 10.4%- Income Yield: 3.46%Bexil Advisers LLC� (DNI)- Distribution Yield: 11.1%- Income Yield: 3.56%BlackRock En Capital&Inc (CII)- Distribution Yield: 8.78%- Income Yield: 2.34%Cornerstone Strat Value (CLM)- Distribution Yield: 18.77%- Income Yield: 1.83%Cornerstone Total Return (CRF)- Distribution Yield: 19.10%- Income Yield: 0.85%Delaware Inv Div & Inc (DDF)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 5.26%Gabelli Equity Trust (GAB)- Distribution Yield: 7.58%- Income Yield: 1.54%Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT)- Distribution Yield: 9.45%- Income Yield: 2.84%MFS Special Value Trust (MFV)- Distribution Yield: 9.60%- Income Yield: 5.73%Nuveen Tx-Adv TR Strat (JTA)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 3.12%TCW Strategic Income (TSI)- Distribution Yield: 10.54%- Income Yield: 7.88%Zweig Total Return (ZTR)- Distribution Yield: 7.27%- Income Yield: 1.95%As noted in the Gabelli report, a managed distribution policy may create confusion regarding the true current yield since the reported yield includes the return of capital portion. You can see the disparity above between the income yield and the distribution (reported) yield.If you are looking for a sustainable and growing dividend, you may want to consider some blue-chip dividend stocks such as these with a Free Cash Flow Payout less than 50%, 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases and a 2%+ yield:3M Co. (MMM) is a diversified global company provides enhanced product functionality in electronics, health care, industrial, consumer

Top 5 Stocks To Watch For 2014: RigNet Inc.(RNET)

RigNet, Inc. provides remote communications services for the oil and gas industry. It offers remote communications services through a controlled and managed Internet protocol/multiprotocol label switching (IP/MPLS) global network, enabling drilling contractors, oil companies, and oilfield service companies to communicate. The company offers a communications package of voice, data, video, networking, and real-time data management to offshore and land-based remote locations. It primarily provides voice-over-Internet-protocol, data, and high-speed Internet access, as well as other value-added services, such as video conferencing solutions, TurboNet solutions for wide area network, real-time data management solutions, Wi-Fi hotspots and Internet kiosks, wireless intercoms, and handheld radios. The company also offers Secure Oil Information Link, a managed members-only communications network hub that enables collaborative partners, suppliers, and customers to transfer and share data. It serves the owners and operators of offshore drilling rigs and production facilities, land rigs, remote offices, and supply bases primarily in the United States, Brazil, Norway, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Australia. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on RigNet (Nasdaq: RNET  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.