Even as the market hits new highs, there are still plenty of good stocks out there to invest in these days. With oil prices still rather elevated and natural gas off its recent lows, energy stocks are a great place to place your hard-earned investing dollars. That's why the following three companies -- which have above-average shareholder payouts, excellent long-term growth prospects, and solid balance sheets -- top my list of the best stocks to invest in today.
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP )
Among the large independent exploration and production companies, ConocoPhillips has the characteristics I look for in a long-term investment. The company has a steady growth plan, which will see it boost its production and margins by 3%-5% annually through 2017, with multiple opportunities to keep growing beyond that date. In addition to its exceptional growth opportunities here in the states, Conoco's operations span the globe, including positions in the Canadian oil sands, Australian natural gas exports, and European offshore oil. That diversification has helped keep the company from suffering the fate of many of its landlocked U.S.-based peers.�
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In 2014: Yamana Gold Inc.(AUY)
Yamana Gold Inc. engages in gold and other precious metals mining, and related activities, including exploration, extraction, processing, and reclamation. It also explores for copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver metals. The company's portfolio includes 7 operating gold mines namely Chapada; El Pen Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Barker]
I believe I have touted Yamana Gold's clear prowess as a deep-value favorite from every possible angle. With arguably the lowest downside risk of any stock in the sector, I join fellow value hounds in waiting patiently for the market to recognize the full value of these shares.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In 2014: Everest Re Group Ltd.(RE)
Everest Re Group, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, underwrites reinsurance and insurance in the United States (the U.S.), Bermuda, and international markets. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Reinsurance, U.S. Insurance, Specialty Underwriting, International, and Bermuda. The U.S. Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance, on both a treaty and facultative basis, through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies within the United States. The U.S. Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance primarily through general agents, brokers, and surplus lines brokers in the U.S. The Specialty Underwriting segment writes accident and health, marine, aviation, and surety business within the U.S. and worldwide through brokers and directly with ceding companies. The International segment offers non-U.S. property and casualty reinsurance. The Bermuda segment provides reinsurance and insurance to worldwide property and cas ualty markets and reinsurance to life insurers through brokers and directly with ceding companies, as well as offers reinsurance to the United Kingdom and European markets. The company was founded in 1973 and is based in Liberty Corner, New Jersey.
Top 10 Canadian Companies To Watch In Right Now: Celadon Group Inc.(CGI)
Celadon Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides transportation services between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It offers a range of truckload transportation services, including long-haul, regional, less-than-truckload, intermodal, and logistics services. The company transports various types of freight comprising tobacco, consumer goods, automotive parts, home products and fixtures, lawn tractors and assorted equipment, light bulbs, and various parts for engines. It also operates an e-commerce business that provides discounted fuel, tires, insurance, and other products and services to small and medium-sized trucking companies through its website, www.truckersb2b.com. In addition, the company provides warehousing and trucking services, as well as freight brokerage services. Celadon Group, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Cutler]
Celadon Group, Inc. is engaged in the business of truckload carriers. As a dry van truckload carrier, the Company transports full trailer loads of freight from origin to destination without intermediate stops or handling. Its EPS forecast for the current year is 0.61 and next year is 0.93. According to consensus estimates, its topline is expected to grow 6.56% current year and 11.07% next year. It is trading at a forward P/E of 17.96. Out of 10 analysts covering the company, eight are positive and have buy recommendations, one has a sell recommendation and one has a hold rating.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In 2014: Wells Fargo & Company(WFC)
Wells Fargo & Company, through its subsidiaries, provides retail, commercial, and corporate banking services primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Community Banking; Wholesale Banking; and Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement. The Community Banking segment offers deposits, including checking, market rate, and individual retirement accounts; savings and time deposits; and debit cards. Its loan products comprise lines of credit, auto floor plans, equity lines and loans, equipment and transportation loans, education loans, residential mortgage loans, health savings accounts, and credit cards. This segment also provides equipment leases, real estate financing, small business administration financing, venture capital financing, cash management, payroll services, retirement plans, loans secured by autos, and merchant payment processing services; purchases sales finance contracts from retail merchants; and a family of funds, and investment managemen t services. The Wholesale Banking segment offers commercial and corporate banking products and services, including commercial loans and lines of credit, letters of credit, asset-based lending, equipment leasing, international trade facilities, trade financing, collection services, foreign exchange services, treasury and investment management, institutional fixed-income sales, commodity and equity risk management, insurance, corporate trust fiduciary and agency services, and investment banking services. This segment also provides banking products for commercial real estate market, and real estate and mortgage brokerage services. The Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement segment offers financial advisory, brokerage, and institutional retirement and trust services. As of December 31, 2010, the company served its customers through approximately 9,000 banking stores in 39 States and the District of Columbia. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Franci sco, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Philip]
Wells Fargo's (WFC) forward P/E was 7.9, based on Friday's closing price of $25.40 and consensus 2012 EPS estimate of $3.22. The shares trade just over the company's reported book value of $24.13, as of Sept. 30.
Out of 895 publicly traded U.S. bank and thrift stocks -- excluding those trading on the Pink Sheets -- 273 trade for less than $5 a share, according to data supplied by SNL.
We narrowed down the list down to 21 names with three-month daily average trading volume of more than 50,000 shares.
We further pared the list to the five names with the most upside implied by mean price targets among analysts polled by FactSet, limiting the group to bank and thrift holding with "Buy" ratings from at least half the covering analysts.
- [By Elissa]
Wells Fargo engages in banking, insurance, consumer services, mortgage, and investment activities in the United States and abroad. It acquired Wachovia in 2008 and now runs more than 9,000 stores worldwide.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In 2014: Silver Wheaton Corp(SLW)
Silver Wheaton Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a silver streaming company worldwide. The company has 14 long-term silver purchase agreements and 2 long-term precious metal purchase agreements whereby it acquires silver and gold production from the counterparties located in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Greece, Sweden, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Portugal. Silver Wheaton Corp. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Christopher Barker]
Parallel to my selection of major producer Goldcorp among my top 10 gold stocks for 2012, Silver Wheaton might appear a relatively conservative pick as compared to the stable of smaller-cap growth stories that fill out the rest of the list. But don't let Silver Wheaton's hefty market capitalization fool you; this is a stock from which I continue to expect multi-bagger gains as this long-term bull market for silver matures. What's more -- with an enterprise value that equates to just $5.63 per total-resource ounce of silver (or $10.77 per ounce of proven and probable silver reserves) the stock remains dirt cheap! It's not quite as cheap as it was when I treated readers to a truly uncommon opportunity just over 3 years ago, but just watch how this stock responds as the market comes to terms with the likelihood of silver penetrating the all-time high near $50 per ounce and blasting into fresh record territory. Keep in mind, Fools, that Silver Wheaton is targeting about a 70% production surge by 2015, to reach a monumental 43 million ounces of silver per year!
Silver Wheaton has been a bit quiet lately with respect to adding new silver stream agreements to the pipeline, and personally I suspect the hiatus is likely linked to an adjustment of its signature rate structure (paying roughly $4 per ounce delivered into a stream agreement) to account for a much-transformed silver price environment. But I do note with interest the company's recent appointment of mining analyst Haytham Hodaly -- as senior vice president for corporate development -- to aid in the negotiation of new silver streams. I do not expect the pause to last through 2012, and view the prospects for one or two major new stream announcements as likely stock catalysts for 2012. And as Silver Wheaton's newly established dividend policy of distributing 20% of cash from operations collides with a rising silver price, I expect Silver Wheaton to remain a major focal point of global silver investment demand.
Top Canadian Companies To Invest In 2014: Innovaro Inc(INV)
Innovaro, Inc. provides a comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end innovation solutions primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. It helps clients develop compelling strategies to drive and catalyze growth, source externally developed technologies, create added value from their intellectual property, and gain foresight into marketplace and technology developments that affect their business. The company operates in two segments, Strategic Services and Technology Services. The Strategic Services segment offers strategic innovation consulting; business model and product development consulting; identify and develop new segments and markets; and create and act on game-changing strategies. The Technology Services segment provides futures scenario development and planning; custom and syndicated research; online information services; IP consulting; IP and market landscape analysis; technology search; In- and out-licensing; online marketplaces; and partner search and prof iling services. Its clients include consumer goods, consumer packaged goods, retail, medical, telecommunications, chemicals, media, financial services, energy, utilities, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as UTEK Corporation and changed its name to Innovaro, Inc. in July 2010. Innovaro, Inc. is based in Tampa, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Bill]
Formerly known as Utek Corp., Innovaro helps companies enhance their innovation capabilities and create value from their intellectual property.
The stock spiked in February after Innovaro announced that it had entered into a consulting-services agreement with a major Asian telecommunications company. On Feb. 28 and March 22, following increased volume and a rapid increase in share price, Innovaro said the NYSE Amex had contacted the company and requested a press release regarding the increased market activity. Both times Innovaro declined to do so.
Current Share Price: $3.12 (March 29)
First Quarter Total Return: 118%
Analyst Ratings: No Wall Street firm has coverage of Innovaro. In addition, TheStreet Ratings doesn't currently have a rating on Innovaro.
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