Monday, June 30, 2014

Top 5 Safest Stocks For 2014

Conservative investors prefer debt instruments not only because they safeguard the capital invested but also for the regular income flows they provide. Bonds bring a great deal of stability to an equity-heavy portfolio while providing dividends more frequently than individual bonds. U.S government bonds funds usually invest in Treasury bills, notes and securities issued by government agencies. They are considered to be the safest in the bond fund category and are ideal options for the risk-averse investor.

Below we will share with you 5 top rated government bond mutual funds. Each has earned a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) as we expect these mutual funds to outperform their peers in the future. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all government bond funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of funds.

ProFunds Rising Rates Opportunity (RRPSX) seeks returns on a daily basis which is 1.25 times the inverse of that of the daily returns of the 30-Year U.S. Treasury Bond. The fund invests in derivatives which taken together provide such returns. The government bond mutual returned 6.38% over the last one year period.

Best Companies To Invest In Right Now: ITC Holdings Corp. (ITC)

ITC Holdings Corp., through its subsidiaries, engages in the transmission of electricity in the United States. The company operates as conduits, allowing for power from generators to be transmitted to local distribution systems either entirely through its own systems or in conjunction with neighboring transmission systems. Its operations include asset planning; engineering, design, and construction; maintenance; and real time operations. ITC Holdings serves investor-owned utilities, municipalities, cooperatives, power marketers, and alternative energy suppliers. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Novi, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Brian Pacampara]

    Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, electricity transmission specialist ITC Holdings (NYSE: ITC  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

  • [By Richard Stavros]

    In fact, investment opportunities in this niche could soon be on the rise. Several utilities have been considering creating standalone transmission companies this year, including Xcel Energy Inc (NYSE: XEL). But whether it’s a standalone company or the sale of transmission assets to a transmission company, regulatory approval will still be key. For instance, regulators declined Entergy Corp’s (NYSE: ETR) sale of its transmission assets to transmission company ITC Holdings Corp (NYSE: ITC) in 2013.

  • [By Rajhkumar K Shaaw]

    India�� S&P BSE Sensex declined for a third week as concerns the rupee will weaken further offset bullish recommendations from CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets and Credit Suisse Group AG. Tata Motors Ltd. (TTMT) slid 2.4 percent, while Cigarette maker ITC Ltd. (ITC) dropped to the lowest in 11 weeks.

Top 5 Safest Stocks For 2014: Target Energy Ltd (TEXQY)

Target Energy Limited is an Australia-based company engaged in the development, production and exploration of oil and gas in the United States of America. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, the Company continued to develop and explore its oil and gas prospects in Texas and Louisiana. The Snapper wells in St Martin Parish, the Pine Pasture #1 and #2 wells in the East Chalkley field, the Merta #1 well at the Highway 71 prospect continued to produce. The Merta #1 well at the Highway 71 prospect continued to produce. Drilling commenced in the Fairway project on September 10, 2011, with the BOA 12 #1 well being completed as a producer. On August 12, 2012, the Darwin #1 well was drilled to a total depth of 3,070 meter. It is located three kilometer north-east of the BOA wells and will test both the Wolfberry and Fusselman formations. The Company�� subsidiaries include TELA (USA) Inc, TELA Louisiana Limited Inc, TELA Texas Holdings Limited Inc and Target Energy Limited. Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By CRWE]

    Target Energy Limited (OTCQX:TEXQY, ASX:TEX) (http://targetenergy.com.au/) is an oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and trading under ticker “TEX” and OTC Markets trading under ticker “TEXQY”.

    Today (June 27), Target Energy Limited ticker (OTCQX:TEXQY) has remained (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.00 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed:�9:32AM EDT June 28, 2013), and Target Energy Limited on the Australian Securities Exchange ticker (ASX:TEX) �surged�(+9.37%)�+0.006 at $.070 with 78,000 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance June 28, 2013 – Close).

    Target Energy Limited previously reported that the company is continuing drilling operations at the Pine Pasture #3 oil well on their East Chalkey Oil Field in Parish, Louisiana. The Company had independent studies which indicated that put upside recoverable reserves for Pine Pasture #3 range between 250,000 and 450,000 barrels of oil. In addition, the report also revealed that the East Chalkey Field has an upside estimate of 4 million barrels of oil.

  • [By CRWE]

    Target Energy Limited (OTCQX:TEXQY, ASX:TEX) (http://targetenergy.com.au/) is an oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and trading under ticker “TEX” and OTC Markets trading under ticker “TEXQY”.

    Today�(July 10), Target Energy Limited ticker (OTCQX:TEXQY) had remained (0.00%) +0.000 at $6.48 thus far (ref. google finance 12:34PM EDT�July 10, 2013), and Target Energy Limited on the Australian Securities Exchange ticker (ASX:TEX) had surged (+9.68%) +0.006 at $.068 with�106,557 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance July 10, 2013 – Close).

    Target Energy Limited previously reported that the company is continuing drilling operations at the Pine Pasture #3 oil well on their East Chalkey Oil Field in Parish, Louisiana. The Company had independent studies which indicated that put upside recoverable reserves for Pine Pasture #3 range between 250,000 and 450,000 barrels of oil. In addition, the report also revealed that the East Chalkey Field has an upside estimate of 4 million barrels of oil.

  • [By CRWE]

    Target Energy Limited (OTCQX:TEXQY, ASX:TEX) (http://targetenergy.com.au/)�is an oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and trading under ticker “TEX” and OTC Markets�trading under�ticker “TEXQY”.

    Today (June 19), Target Energy Limited ticker (OTCQX:TEXQY)��has remained�(0.00%) +0.000 at $7.90 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 3:45PM EDT June 19, 2013), and Target Energy Limited on the Australian Securities Exchange ticker (ASX:TEX) remained�(0.00%) +0.000 at $.065 (ref. google finance June 17, 2013 – Close).

    Target Energy Limited�previously reported that the company is continuing drilling operations at the Pine Pasture #3 oil well on their East Chalkey Oil Field in Parish, Louisiana. The Company had independent studies which indicated that put upside recoverable reserves for Pine Pasture #3 range between 250,000 and 450,000 barrels of oil. In addition, the report also revealed that the East Chalkey Field has an upside estimate of 4 million barrels of oil.

Top 5 Safest Stocks For 2014: ASB Bancorp Inc (ASBB)

ASB Bancorp, Inc. (ASB Bancorp), incorporated in May 2011, focuses to become the holding company for Asheville Savings Bank, S.S.B. (Asheville Savings Bank). ASB Bancorp, Inc.�� business activity will be the ownership of the Asheville Savings Bank. Asheville Savings Bank is a chartered savings bank. It operates as a community-oriented financial institution offering traditional financial services to consumers and businesses in its market area. It attracts deposits from the general public and use those funds to originate one-to four-family residential mortgage loans and commercial real estate loans, and home equity loans and lines of credit, consumer loans, construction and land development loans, and commercial and industrial loans. It conducts its lending and deposit activities with individuals and small businesses in its primary market area. Its market area is Asheville, North Carolina and the rest of Buncombe County where it has eight branch offices, as well as Henderson, Madison, McDowell and Transylvania Counties where it has five branch offices.

Lending Activities

Asheville Savings Bank loan portfolio include real estate mortgage loans, including one- to four-family residential mortgage loans and commercial mortgage loans, and revolving mortgage loans, which consist of home equity loans and lines of credit, consumer loans, construction and land development loans, and commercial and industrial loans. As of March 31, 2011, it had $177.8 million in one- to four-family residential loans, which represented 36.7% of its total loan portfolio. Its origination of residential mortgage loans enables borrowers to purchase or refinance existing homes located in its primary market area. It offers a mix of adjustable rate mortgage loans and fixed-rate mortgage loans with terms of up to 30 years.

Asheville Savings Bank offers fixed- and adjustable-rate mortgage loans secured by non-residential real estate and multi-family properties. As of March 31, 2011, commercial mort! gage loans totaled $162.7 million, or 33.5% of its total loan portfolio. Its commercial mortgage loans are secured by commercial, industrial and manufacturing, small to moderately-sized office and retail properties, hotels, multi-family properties and hospitals and churches located in its primary market area. As of March 31, 2011, $35.6 million or 21.9% of its commercial real estate loans were secured by owner-occupied properties. It originates fixed-rate and adjustable-rate commercial mortgage loans, generally with terms of three to five years and payments based on an amortization schedule of up to 25 years. It has originated construction and land development loans for commercial properties, such as retail shops and office units, and multi-family properties, and construction and land development loans for one-to four-family homes. As of March 31, 2011, commercial construction and land development loans totaled $27.8 million, which represented 5.7% of its total loan portfolio, and residential construction and land development loans totaled $7.9 million, which represented 1.6% of its total loan portfolio. As of March 31, 2011, it had speculative residential construction loans of $3.1 million and speculative commercial construction loans of $9.6 million.

Asheville Savings Bank offers revolving mortgage loans, which consist of home equity loans and lines of credit, and various consumer loans, including automobile loans and loans secured by deposits. As of March 31, 2011, revolving mortgage loans totaled $52 million, or 10.7% of its total loan portfolio, and consumer loans totaled $41.1 million, or 8.5% of its total loan portfolio. Its revolving mortgage loans consist of both home equity loans with fixed-rate amortizing term loans with terms of up to 15 years and adjustable rate lines of credit with interest rates indexed to the prime rate.

Asheville Savings Bank offers commercial and industrial loans to small businesses located in its primary market area. As of March 31, 2011, co! mmercial ! and industrial loans totaled $15.8 million, which represented 3.2% of its total loan portfolio. Its commercial and industrial loan portfolio consists of loans, which are secured by equipment, accounts receivable and inventory, but also includes a smaller amount of unsecured loans for purposes of financing expansion or providing working capital for general business purposes.

Investment Activities

As of March 31, 2011, Asheville Savings Bank�� investment portfolio consisted of the United States government and agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and securities issued by government sponsored enterprises, and municipal securities. As of March 31, 2011, its securities portfolio represented 27.2% of total assets. As of March 31, 2011, $198.6 million of its securities portfolio was classified as available for sale and $5.7 million of its securities portfolio was classified as held to maturity. Securities classified as held to maturity are United States government sponsored securities, mortgage-backed securities and state and local government securities. As of March 31, 2011, it had four million dollars of other investments, at cost, which consisted of Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta.

Sources of Funds

Deposits, borrowings and loan repayments are the sources of Asheville Savings Bank funds for lending and other investment purposes. It uses advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta to supplement its investable funds. The Federal Home Loan Bank functions as a central reserve bank providing credit for member financial institutions. Advances are made under several different programs, each having its own interest rate and range of maturities. It also utilizes securities sold under agreements to repurchase and overnight repurchase agreements to supplement its supply of investable funds and to meet deposit withdrawal requirements.

Subsidiaries

Asheville Savings Bank has two subsidiaries, Appalachian Financial Services,! Inc., wh! ich was formed to engage in investment activities, and Wenoca, Inc., which serves as Asheville Savings Bank�� trustee regarding deeds of trust. Both subsidiaries are organized as North Carolina corporations.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tim Melvin]

    ASB Bancorp (ASBB) is the holding company for Ashville in western North Carolina. The bank has 13 branches and total assets of around $733 million. Nonperforming assets are just 2.1% of total assets and the bank is massively over-reserved for future losses, with loan reserves at 6 times nonperforming loans. The bank bought back 544,494 shares of common stock at an average price of $16.79 per share in 2013. The board just authorized a new 5% buyback in January 2014. The stock is trading around 80% of book value, so management is buying the shares on the cheap — and that should bode well for shareholders in the future.

Top 5 Safest Stocks For 2014: PolyOne Corp (POL)

PolyOne Corporation (PolyOne), incorporated on August 31, 2000, is a provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions with operations in specialty polymer formulations, color and additive systems, polymer distribution and specialty vinyl resins. The Company is a specialized developer and manufacturer of additives, liquid colorants, and fluoropolymer and silicone colorants. The Company offers approximately 52,000 polymer solutions to approximately 14,000 customers across the globe. The Company has 60 manufacturing sites and nine distribution facilities in North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The Company operates in four segments: Global Specialty Engineered Materials; Global Color, Additives and Inks; Performance Products and Solutions, and PolyOne Distribution. On January 3, 2011, the Company acquired Uniplen Industria de Polimeros Ltda. (Uniplen). In February 2011, the Company sold its 50% interest in SunBelt Chlor Alkali Partnership (SunBelt). On December 21, 2011, the Company acquired ColorMatrix Group, Inc. In December 2012, the Company acquired Glasforms Inc. Effective March 13, 2013, the Company acquired the interest of Spartech Corporation.

Global Specialty Engineered Materials

Global Specialty Engineered Materials is a provider of custom plastic formulations, services and solutions for designers, assemblers and processors of thermoplastic materials across a range of markets and end-use applications. Its product portfolio includes standard and custom formulated high-performance polymer compounds that are manufactured using thermoplastic compounds and elastomers, which are then combined with advanced polymer additive, reinforcement, filler, colorant and/or biomaterial technologies. The segment includes GLS Corporation (GLS). Global Specialty Engineered Materials has plants, sales and service facilities located throughout North America, Europe and Asia and South America.

Global Color, Additives and Inks

Global Color! , Additives and Inks is a provider of specialized color and additive concentrates, as well as inks and latexes. Its additive masterbatches encompass a range of performance enhancing characteristics and are commonly categorized by the function that they perform, such as ultra violet (UV) stabilization, anti-static, chemical blowing, antioxidant and lubricant, and processing enhancement. Its colorant and additives masterbatches are used in a range of plastics, including those used in food and medical packaging, transportation, building products, pipe and wire and cable markets. The Company also provides custom-formulated liquid systems that meet a variety of customer needs and chemistries, including vinyl, natural rubber and latex, polyurethane and silicone. Products include inks and latexes for diversified markets, including recreational and athletic apparel, construction and filtration, outdoor furniture and healthcare. Global Color, Additives and Inks has plants, sales and service facilities located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and North America.

Performance Products and Solutions

Performance Products and Solutions offers an array of products and services for vinyl coating, molding and extrusion processors principally in North America. Its product offerings include vinyl compounds, vinyl resins, and specialty coating materials based on vinyl. These products are sold to manufacturers of plastic parts and consumer-oriented products. The Company also offers a range of services, including materials testing and component analysis, custom compound development, colorant and additive services, design assistance, structural analyses, process simulations and extruder screw design. Vinyl is utilized across a range of applications in building and construction, wire and cable, consumer and recreation markets, transportation, packaging and healthcare. The segment also includes Producer Services, which offers custom compounding services to resin producers and processors that desig! n and dev! elop their own compound and masterbatch recipes.

PolyOne Distribution

The Company�� PolyOne Distribution business distributes approximately 3,500 grades of engineering and commodity grade resins, including PolyOne-produced compounds, to the North American market. These products are sold to approximately 5,700 custom injection molders and extruders who, in turn, convert them into plastic parts that are sold to end-users in a range of industries. Representing approximately 20 major suppliers, the Company offers its customers a product portfolio, just-in-time delivery from multiple stocking locations and local technical support. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company extended its distribution operations to Asia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Marc Bastow]

    Specialized polymer materials manufacturer and distributor PolyOne (POL) raised its quarterly dividend 33% to 8 cents per share, payable on Jan. 9, 2014 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 17.
    POL Dividend Yield: 0.97%

  • [By Travis Hoium]

    What: Shares of PolyOne (NYSE: POL  ) jumped 10% today after the company reported earnings.

    So what: First quarter revenue was up 7.5% to $801.1 million and adjusted earnings per share rose 29% to $0.31. Analysts expected higher revenue of $817.1 million but only $0.26 in earnings per share so the bottom line is what investors are excited about today. �

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