Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Watch For 2014

Industrial conglomerate Valmont Industries (NYSE: VMI  ) reported first-quarter earnings that came in $0.10 per share better than consensus estimates but fell well short of expectations on the top line.

Valmont recorded revenues of $819.6 million in the quarter that ended March 30, a 14% increase over last year's $717.4 million, but below Wall Street's estimates of $876.3 million. On the bottom line, the�global provider of engineered products and services for infrastructure and mechanized irrigation equipment for agriculture generated $77.6 million, or $2.89 per share, up 47% from the year-ago figure and well ahead of the $2.79-per-share estimate.

Valmont Chairman and CEO�Mogens C. Bay was quoted as saying, "With the strong first quarter results, the continued strength in the utility markets and the anticipated improvement in engineered infrastructure products, it should be possible for us to exceed our February guidance even if irrigation results in the second half were below 2012's record second half levels."

Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Watch For 2014: Charm Communications Inc.(CHRM)

Charm Communications Inc. operates as an advertising agency in China. The company offers a range of advertising agency services from planning and managing the advertising campaigns to creating and placing the advertisements. It places advertisements for its clients on a range of television channels, including CCTV, and satellite and regional television channels, and on other media platforms, including Internet and out-of-home media. The company also engages in media investment management through identifying, securing, and selling of advertising resources. In addition, it provides branding and identity services, including design, development, and production of advertisements; and marketing consulting services. The company is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Watch For 2014: StealthGas Inc.(GASS)

StealthGas Inc., a ship-owning company, through its subsidiaries, provides international seaborne transportation services worldwide. The company transports petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene, and vinyl chloride monomer. It also transports refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, crude oil, fuel oil, jet fuel, edible oils, and chemicals. As of January 9, 2012, the company had a fleet of 33 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers with a total capacity of 153,088 cubic meters, 3 medium range product tankers, and 1 Aframax oil tanker. It serves LPG producers comprising national and independent energy companies, energy traders, and industrial users. StealthGas Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James K. Glassman]

  Weinstein, however, has a new pick for 2011. It's Stealthgas (GASS), the world's largest company in a narrow sector: the shipment of liquid-petroleum byproducts of natural-gas production, such as propane and butane. The stock trades at just below $5. But company officials estimate the value of StealthGas's assets at $12, so they're using the firm's cash to buy back shares. The company is also "forecasting a tightening of supply versus demand," says Weinstein. Based on the forecasts of analysts who cover the company, the stock trades at 11 times estimated earnings for the next four quarters. Be aware, though, that this is a tiny company (its market value, or shares outstanding times share price, is a mere $106 million), so it is fairly risky.

Top Tech Companies To Buy Right Now: Opexa Therapeutics Inc.(OPXA)

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, develops patient-specific cellular therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Its principal product includes Tovaxin, a personalized cellular immunotherapy treatment that completed Phase IIb clinical study for multiple sclerosis. Tovaxin is derived from T-cells isolated from peripheral blood, expanded ex vivo, and reintroduced into the patients via subcutaneous injections. The company was formerly known as PharmaFrontiers Corp. and changed its name to Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. in June 2006. Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is based in The Woodlands, Texas.

Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.(CLF)

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a mining and natural resources company, produces iron ore pellets, lump and fines iron ore, and metallurgical coal products. The company operates six iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota, and eastern Canada; two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia; five metallurgical coal mines located in West Virginia and Alabama; and one thermal coal mine located in West Virginia. It also owns a 45% economic interest in a coking and thermal coal mine located in Queensland, Australia; and a 30% interest in Amapa, a Brazilian iron ore project in Latin America, as well as chromite properties in Ontario, Canada. The company, formerly known as Cleveland-Cliffs Inc, was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Collins]

  Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF ), formerly Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., is an international mining and natural resources company that produces iron ore pellets and metallurgical coal. CLF should benefit from a strong market position in North America and a platform for expansion to Asia.

  Technically the stock is in a powerful bull market, holding above both its bullish support line and 200-day moving average . Within the past month, two buys signals were triggered from our internal indicator, the Collins-Bollinger Reversal (CBR), and on Sept. 27, the stochastic issued a buy signal. The technical target for CLF is $75. S&P rates the stock a "four-star buy" with a 12-month target of $78.

• [By Michael]

  Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:CLF) also had a great February, and finished up 48% for the month. The company reported fourth quarter of 2009 earnings of $0.75 per share, beating analystestimates of $0.39. The momentum from this positive earnings surprise carried the stock for the rest of the month.

Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Watch For 2014: Gulf Island Fabrication Inc. (GIFI)

Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a fabricator of offshore drilling and production platforms, hull and deck sections of floating production platforms, and other specialized structures used in the development and production of offshore crude oil and natural gas reserves. The company fabricates jackets and deck sections of fixed production platforms; hull, tendon, and/or deck sections of floating production platforms, such as tension leg platforms (TLP), floating production storage and offloading vessels, minimum deepwater operating concepts, and SPARs; piles, wellhead protectors, and subsea templates; offshore living quarters and various other types of steel structures; water towboats; barges; lift boats; offshore support vessels; and mid-body sections for offshore supply vessels, as well as produces and repairs pressure vessels used in the oil and gas industry. It also fabricates piles and other rolled goods; templates; bridges for connec ting offshore platforms; wellhead protectors; and various production, processing, compressor, and utility modules and other structures used in offshore oil and gas production and development activities. In addition, the company provides interconnect piping services on offshore platforms; inshore steel and wood structure construction; fabrication of pressure vessels, and large and small packaged skid units; on-site construction and maintenance services; and platform refurbishment services, as well as performs heavy lift services consisting of ship and TLP module integration, and load and offload jack-up drilling rigs, semi-submersible drilling rigs, TLPs, SPARs, or other cargo. It serves independent oil and gas exploration and production companies primarily in the United States. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houma, Louisiana.

Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Watch For 2014: Taseko Mines Limited(TGB)

Taseko Mines Limited engages in the exploration, development, and operation of mineral properties in British Columbia, Canada. The company principally holds interests in the Gibraltar copper-molybdenum mine located north of the City of Williams Lake; the Prosperity gold-copper project situated in the Clinton Mining Division, southwest of the City of Williams Lake; the Harmony gold project located on the Queen Charlotte Islands, also known as Haida Gwaii; and the Aley niobium project situated in the Omineca Mining Division. Taseko Mines Limited was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Barker]

  After losing its bid to gain regulatory approval for the Prosperity copper and gold project, Taseko is essentially a pure-play on copper at the moment (it could be worse!). I can't shake the feeling, however, that Taseko will be given a second chance at prosperity.