Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014

In this segment of The Motley Fool's everything-financials show,�Where the Money Is, banking analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson tell investors what they'll be reading this weekend. David plans to zero in on some recent data from Zillow to see what it means to that business, as well as some regional banks.

Matt highlights the importance of digesting some of the under-covered earnings releases.

In addition to discussing their weekend reading, Matt and David tell viewers how they feel about the market's lofty levels and how they think investors should be handling it.

There's still great opportunity left in 2013!
The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for this year. Find out which stock it is in the special free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: NXP Semiconductors N.V.(NXPI)

NXP Semiconductors N.V., through its subsidiary, NXP B.V., provides mixed signal solutions and standard products worldwide. The company provides amplifiers, audio/radio products, bipolar transistors, data converters, diodes, identification and security products, interface and connectivity products, logic devices, media processors, microcontrollers, MOSFETs, power management integrated circuits (IC), radio frequency devices, sensors, thyristors, television and set-top-box front ends, and logic driver and controller ICs, as well as ESD, EMI, and signal conditioning products. Its products are used in automotive, identification, wireless infrastructure, lighting, mobile, consumer, computing, and industrial applications. NXP Semiconductors N.V. markets its products directly and through distribution to various original equipment manufacturers, original design manufacturers, contract manufacturers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as KASLION Acquisition B.V and ch anged its name to NXP Semiconductors NV in May 2010. NXP Semiconductors N.V. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Traders Reserve]

  Chipmaker NXP Semiconductors� (NXPI) makes specialized chips for credit cards. According to analyst Vijay Rakesh, ��ith around 80% share of contact-less EMV cards worldwide, NXP should be a beneficiary of a potential 2014-15 EMV wave in the U.S.��/p>

• [By Andy Obermueller]

  Instead, the likely winner is a company most people have never heard of -- NXP Semiconductors (Nasdaq: NXPI). It makes the special chips that go in the phone that "talk" to cash registers. The technology is known as near-field communications (NFC), and NXP is the leader, with critical existing supplier relationships with all the major phone manufacturers, including Apple.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: Strategem Capital Corp (SGE)

Strategem Capital Corporation (Strategem) is a Canada-based company. It is a publicly-traded merchant bank involved in acquiring interests in and developing companies. The Company takes early debt and/or equity positions in such emerging growth companies. As of December 31, 2009, the Company is focused on companies that explore or develop precious or base metals. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA) slumped 9.3 percent after Germany�� largest steelmaker raised 882.3 million euros ($1.21 billion) through a share sale. Standard Chartered Plc lost 8.1 percent. Sage Group (SGE) Plc, the U.K.�� biggest software maker, rose 6.8 percent after reporting revenue growth that exceeded analysts��estimates. AZ Electronic Materials SA surged 43 percent after Merck KGaA (MRK) agreed to buy it for about 1.6 billion pounds ($2.6 billion).

Best Low Price Stocks To Watch For 2014: Radian Group Inc.(RDN)

Radian Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a credit enhancement company in the United States. The company offers credit-related insurance coverage, primarily through private mortgage insurance, and risk management services to mortgage lending institutions. Its private mortgage insurance protects the holders of the company?s insurance from default-related losses on residential mortgage loans made generally to home buyers, as well as facilitates the sale of these mortgage loans in the secondary mortgage market. The company primarily serves mortgage originators, such as mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers, commercial banks, savings institutions, credit unions, and community banks. Radian Group Inc. was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But rising prospects for the housing market have improved so strongly that MGIC and its peers are seeing a brighter future. Rival Radian Group (NYSE: RDN  ) has also seen its shares increase as hedge-fund investors like Maverick Capital and John Paulson have bought shares of mortgage-insurance companies, recognizing the impact of rising home prices in reducing the potential liability from mortgage defaults. Both Radian and MGIC have junk bond ratings, reflecting their continued risk, but the companies seem less risky than they did before housing bounced.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: GTSI Corp.(GTSI)

GTSI Corp., together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology (IT) hardware and solutions to federal, state, and local government customers, as well as to prime contractors in the United States. It offers IT infrastructure solutions, including data center consolidation and optimization solutions, server and desktop virtualization solutions, cloud computing solutions, network modernization solutions, unified communications and collaboration solutions, database and software development solutions, asset management solutions, and financial services solutions. The company also provides various services comprising software development and maintenance, program and project management, database development and maintenance, and legacy systems modernization services. In addition, it offers computer hardware, software, and peripheral products, as well as provides technical support and assistance services. The company markets and sells its computer hardware and software, and solutions through GTSI.com. It has strategic partner relationships with Cisco, Hewlett Packard, Crossmatch Technologies, Microsoft, Dell, Oracle, Net App, and Hitachi. GTSI Corp. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  I picked GTSI (GTSI) for the Ben Graham: Net-Net Newsletter.

  And that is not a good business. It lost money in about half of the last 10 years. It had no history of earning more than about 6% on equity over time. It was a truly terrible business.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: Tesoro Logistics LP(TLLP)

Tesoro Logistics LP engages in the ownership, operation, development, and acquisition of crude oil and refined products logistics assets in the United States. The company is involved in the gathering, terminalling, transportation, and storage of crude oil and refined products. Its assets consist of a crude oil gathering system in the Bakken Shale/Williston Basin area of North Dakota and Montana; eight refined products terminals in the midwestern and western United States; a crude oil and refined products storage facility; and five related short-haul pipelines. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in San Antonio, Texas. Tesoro Logistics LP is a subsidiary of Tesoro Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  RRMS didn’t see the same kind of price surge in 2013 as ACMP, so offers a more generous  annualized yield of 5.2 percent. RRMS also has a lower total debt/equity (mrq), at 22 percent versus ACMP’s 71 percent. For Q3 2013, RRMS reported $15.4 million in adjusted EBITDA, a year-over-year increase of 65 percent. In comparison, adjusted EBITDA for the 2013 third quarter totaled $227 million for ACMP, an increase of 90 percent year-over-year.

  Tesoro Logistics (NYSE: TLLP) was spun off by the refiner Tesoro (NYSE: TSO) in 2011 to operate pipelines leading to and from its plants. TLLP’s assets consist of a crude oil gathering system in the Williston Basin area of North Dakota and Montana, 17 refined product and storage terminals, three dedicated storage facilities, four California marine terminals, a rail unloading facility, and a petroleum coke handling facility.
  
  Distributions have  grown steadily since the IPO, from $1.35 per unit (annualized) in Q2 2011 to the current annualized level of $2.18/unit. At a current unit price of $53.49, TLLP is well off its 52-week high of $71.92. Distributions have increased each quarter since the IPO, and units currently have a yield of 4.2 percent. But investors should be wary given that TLLP is highly leveraged. Its total debt/equity (mrq) is nearly 400 percent, much higher than most competitors.

  Of the three MLPs — ACMP, RRMS and TLLP — RRMS looks best at the moment with the least downside risk. It is by far the least-leveraged, didn’t have a huge run-up in 2013 that depressed its yield, and it has managed to steadily grow revenues and distributions since its IPO.    

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Tesoro Logistics LP(TLLP), a company spun off in 2011 by oil refiner Tesoro Corp.(TSO), agreed to pay its former parent $650 million to acquire Los Angeles assets that include two marine terminals and a pipeline system.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Tesoro Logistics L.P. (NYSE: TLLP) is an Oppenheimer favorite, especially after the pullback in the stock price. The company has strong fee-based contracts that increase the likelihood of consistent increases in the distribution. The Oppenheimer price target is posted at $61, while the consensus is at $63. Shareholder are paid a 3.8% distribution.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: Fonar Corporation(FONR)

FONAR Corporation engages in the research, development, production, marketing, and service of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners for the detection and diagnosis of human diseases. It provides Upright Multi-positional MRI scanners, which allow patients to be scanned in a weight-bearing condition, such as standing, sitting, or bending in any position that causes symptoms; and FONAR 360 MRI scanner, a diagnostic scanner. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Health Management Corporation of America, also offers management services to imaging facilities, including development, administration, and leasing of office space, facilities, and medical equipment; provision of supplies; staffing, training, and supervision of non-medical personnel; legal services; accounting, billing, and collection; and the development and implementation of practice growth and marketing strategies. It serves private diagnostic imaging centers and hospitals. As of June 30, 2011, the c ompany managed 10 diagnostic imaging facilities located in the states of New York and Florida. FONAR Corporation was founded in 1978 and is based in Melville, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Breaking news

  NASDAQ OMX Group (Nasdaq: NDAQ) and Borsa Istanbul A.S. have today concluded a wide-ranging agreement, which includes the delivery of market-leading technologies and advisory services to Borsa Istanbul, and NASDAQ OMX taking an equity stake in Borsa Istanbul. To read the full news, click here. Acacia Research (NASDAQ: ACTG) announced today that its Bolt MRI Technologies LLC subsidiary has entered into an agreement with Fonar Corporation (NASDAQ: FONR). To read the full news, click here. Douglas Emmett, (NYSE: DEI) announced that William Kamer will be retiring from full time service as its Chief Investment Officer effective January 31, 2014. Mr. Kamer will continue to be employed by Douglas Emmett as a Senior Advisor. To read the full news, click here. Acacia Research (NASDAQ: ACTG) announced today that its Brandywine Communications Technologies LLC subsidiary has entered into a settlement and patent license agreement with Alcatel-Lucent USA (NYSE: ALU). To read the full news, click here.

  Posted-In: Benchmark US Stock FuturesNews Eurozone Futures Global Pre-Market Outlook Markets

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: Plum Creek Timber Company Inc.(PCL)

Plum Creek Timber Company, Inc. is a publicly owned real estate investment trust (REIT). The trust owns and manages timberlands in the United States. Its products include lumber products, plywood, medium density fiberboard, and related by-products, such as wood chips. The trust also focuses on mineral extraction and natural gas production, communication, and transportation. Plum Creek Timber Company was founded in 1989 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Next Monday, Plum Creek Timber (NYSE: PCL  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Plum Creek Timber (PCL) isn't your typical commercial REIT. Instead, the firm is a niche trust that operates in the timber business, one of the less conventional businesses allowed by the REIT Act signed in 1960. PCL owns 6.6 million acres of timberlands in 19 states.

  Only the timberland business falls under REIT rules, with logging operations treated as a traditional taxable corporation. For all intents and purposes, though, PCL's bread and butter remains its timberland; the firm earns more money through recreation, development, and conservation efforts than through logging. That could change as the housing market heats up, especially as supply constraints push timber prices higher. Either way, Plum Creek's combination of tax-advantaged REIT income and conventional business makes the firm a unique name to own right now...

  Financially, PCL is in strong shape, with more than $350 million in cash offsetting a reasonable $3 billion debt load. While PCL resorted to liquidating land to fund its dividend in the wake of the Great Recession, recent acquisitions should help calm investors' concerns. For the moment, this stock pays a 3.5% dividend yield. While Plum Creek isn't a conventional REIT by most measures, it does make a great non-core holding for income-seekers in 2013.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: Radware Ltd.(RDWR)

Radware Ltd. provides application delivery solutions and network security solutions to banks, insurance companies, manufacturing and retail, government agencies, media companies, and service providers worldwide. The company offers AppDirector Intelligent Application Delivery Controller for data center optimization and to eliminate traffic surges, server bottlenecks, connectivity disconnects, and downtime for business continuity; and Alteon Application Switch application delivery controller that supports local, global, and transparent load-balance, multi-homing network load-balance, and bandwidth management capabilities. It also provides AppXML, which offers XML and Web services communications for mission-critical applications; AppWall, a Web application firewall (WAF) appliance that secures Web applications; LinkProof that manages wide area networks and Internet traffic for networks; Content Inspection Director, a smart redirection and dynamic policy enforcement device to meet contemporary carrier needs; and Session Initiation Protocol Director, an application delivery controller for application vendors, telecom equipment manufacturers, and system integrators. In addition, the company offers DefensePro Intrusion Prevention and Denial of Service products that protect against worms, bots, viruses, malicious intrusions, and DOS attacks; Inflight, a hardware device that provides online and network-based monitoring solutions; and APSolute Vision, an appliance-based management and monitoring system for information technology staff to centrally manage distributed devices and check the performance and security of enterprise wide application delivery infrastructures. It markets and sells its products primarily through distributors and resellers in North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as directly to select customers in the United States. Radware Ltd. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR  ) have fallen by as much as 24% after the company announced disappointing preliminary earnings for the first quarter.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: Globecomm Systems Inc. (GCOM)

Globecomm Systems Inc. engages in the provision of satellite-based network solutions to government, communications service providers, commercial enterprises, and media and content broadcasters in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It offers access products for providing data, voice, and video transport services; hosted application products for back office applications services; and professional services, including advisory and consulting services. The company also provides life cycle support services comprising installation, network monitoring, help desk, maintenance, and professional engineering services that supports access and hosted products; and infrastructure solutions, such as design, engineering, and installation of ground segment systems and networks, which are used in communications and media delivery networks. In addition, it offers fixed satellite terminals under the Summit brand; transportable satellite terminals under the Explorer brand; and network management systems to manage, monitor, and control networks under the AxxSys brand name, as well as systems design and integration products. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Instead, the winners who will compete among themselves to fulfill the $45 million firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract include privately held Bluewater Communications Group LLC, small-cap Globecomm Systems (NASDAQ: GCOM  ) , and TVC Communications LLC, of Annville, Penn., a small subsidiary of larger electronics distributor WESCO International (NYSE: WCC  ) . All three will now be competing against each other to win the Pentagon's business on individual task orders for the Cisco and other HD equipment on order.

Top 10 Regional Bank Companies To Own For 2014: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German holding company and automobile manufacturer that focuses on the automobile and motorcycle markets. It divides its activities into the three main segments: Automobiles, Motorcycles and Financial Services. It owns three brands: BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce. Its BMW automobile range encompasses the 1 Series, including three-door, five-door, coupe and convertible models; the 3 Series, including sedan, touring, coupe and convertible models; the 5 Series, available in sedan and touring models; the 6 Series, available as a coupe or convertible; the 7 Series large sedan; the Z4 roadster and coupe; the sports utility vehicles, X3, X5 and X6 and M models, such as M3, M5 and M6. It also offers cars under the MINI brand and motorcycles under the BMW brand. The Rolls-Royce brand offers three luxury cars, Phantom, Coupe and Ghost. It has producing, assembly, service and sales subsidiaries throughout the world. In January 2013, it sold its Husqvarna brand. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dorothee Tschampa]

  Peugeot dropped as much as 55 cents to 6.83 euros and traded 5.9 percent lower as of 11:20 a.m. in Paris. Renault was down 4.3 percent and VW was 3.5 percent lower. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) was down 3.5 percent and Daimler AG (DAI) was 4.7 percent lower.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  While Green Automotive Co. (OTCMKTS:GACR) is certainly no Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:NSANY) or Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (FRA:BMW) (better known as BMW)� in terms of size or notoriety, the two larger car companies certainly seem to be validating the work that GACR is doing. Both Nissan and BMW are betting big on electric vehicles, partly because they want to, and partly because they have to. Either way, Green Automotive is just as capable of tapping into this EV megatrend as its bigger and more established brothers are.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) and Volkswagen AG (VOW) lost more than 2.5 percent as a gauge of automakers posted the biggest drop on the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. Bayer, Germany�� largest drugmaker, retreated 4.3 percent after a U.S. court ruled that its patent to produce the birth-control pill Yaz was invalid. BASF slid 3.8 percent as a gauge of chemical companies slipped.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) dropped 2.9 percent after the world�� biggest maker of luxury vehicles reported a decrease in third-quarter profit. Siemens AG (SIE) lost 1.3 percent after UBS AG cut its rating on Europe�� largest engineering company. Beiersdorf AG (BEI) rallied 5.3 percent after increasing its full-year sales forecast.