Best Penny Companies To Buy For 2014

We're in the midst of a busy earnings week, and announcements between yesterday's close and today's open weren't particularly impressive to investors. That caused a broad sell-off, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is down 0.83% near the end of trading, while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is off 1.35%.

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) reported a slightly disappointing quarter, with revenue falling 2% to $12.6 billion and earnings per share of $0.40 falling a penny below expectations. The PC business fell 6%, but that's not so bad, given the 14% decline in PC sales reported by IDC earlier this month. Growth in cloud computing helped push data center sales 7.5% higher on a big pickup in server demand. These weren't really impressive numbers, but the stock is up 0.6% today because they could have been much worse. There's still concern about the decline in the PC, but management kept its full-year guidance intact, which indicates a bullish outlook on growth markets like servers and mobile.�

Top 10 Japanese Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Computer Sciences Corporation(CSC)

Computer Sciences Corporation provides information technology (IT) and professional services to governments and commercial enterprises. The company?s IT outsourcing services comprise operating customer?s technology infrastructure, including systems analysis, applications development, network operations, desktop computing, and data center management services; business process outsourcing; managing transactional business functions for clients, such as procurement and supply chain, call centers and customer relationship management, credit services, claims processing and logistics. It also offers cloud computing and cyber security protection services. In addition, the company provides range of services in the areas of infrastructure as a service, software as a service (SaaS), business process as a service, platform as a service, and other technologies. Further, its IT and professional services consist of systems integration, including designing, developing, implementing, and i ntegrating information systems; and management consulting, technology consulting, and other professional services, consist of advising clients on the strategic acquisition and utilization of IT and on business strategy, security, modeling, simulation, engineering, operations, change management, and business process reengineering. Additionally, the company licenses software systems, including SaaS offerings for the financial services and other industry-specific markets; and provides a range of end-to-end business solutions. It has its operations primarily in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company was founded in 1959 and is based in Falls Church, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Computer Sciences Corp. (NYSE: CSC) posted huge first-quarter results, with net income up 279% over last year’s numbers. The company has shifted its focus from infrastructure sales to more profitable software and services. It recently purchased big-data rival Infochimps. The stock also remains a top holding in hedge fund manager David Einhorn�� Greenlight Capital. The consensus price objective for the stock is $54. Investors are paid a 1.6% dividend.

• [By Rich Smith]

  The U.S. Department of Defense announced a half dozen new contracts benefiting the U.S. Navy Wednesday. Of these, five went to publicly traded companies, namely:

• [By Reuters]

  Carlos Osorio/APFord CEO Alan Mulally NEW YORK -- Microsoft has narrowed its list of external candidates to replace Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer to about five people, including Ford Motor chief Alan Mulally and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, according to sources familiar with the matter. The world's largest software maker also has at least three internal candidates on its shortlist, including former Skype CEO Tony Bates, who is now responsible for Microsoft's business development, and Satya Nadella, the company's cloud and enterprise chief, the sources said. Despite the narrower list -- the company started with about 40 names -- the process could take a few more months, the sources said. In August, Ballmer said he would retire within 12 months. The names of other candidates couldn't be learned, but the search committee is interviewing executives from a wide range of sectors, including life sciences and consumer, the sources said. Microsoft (MSFT) declined to comment on the process and on behalf of the internal candidates. A Nokia (NOK) representatives couldn't be reached immediately for comment late Tuesday. Ford (F) spokesman Jay Cooney said: "There is no change from what we announced last November. Alan remains fully focused on continuing to make progress on our One Ford plan. We do not engage in speculation." Investors have pushed Microsoft's board in recent months to look for a turnaround expert, such as Mulally or Computer Sciences (CSC) CEO Mike Lawrie, to succeed Ballmer. Some investors have also suggested to the board that co-founder Bill Gates should step down from his role as chairman, saying he stands in the way of radical reform at Microsoft. Microsoft remains highly profitable and last month beat Wall Street's quarterly profit and revenue forecasts. But it has lost ground to Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) in mobile computing. Ballmer has focused on making devices, such as the Surface tablet and Xbox gaming console, and turning k

• [By Rich Smith]

  The biggest of these contracts, a sizable $179.9 million, one-year award with the potential to swell to $899.5 million if the four "option-year" extensions are exercised, is to be split among 13 separate firms:

  Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH  ) CACI (NYSE: CACI  ) Technologies Computer Sciences Corp (NYSE: CSC  ) General Dynamics (NYSE: GD  ) One Source Honeywell (NYSE: HON  ) Technology Solutions Engility Corp. Lockheed Martin Science Applications International Corp. URS Federal Services and four privately held firms.

  Under the awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ), cost-plus-fixed-fee, performance-based umbrella contract, all 13 firms will be able to compete to perform task orders for the U.S. Navy, providing "integrated cyber operations services" to Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic.

Best Penny Companies To Buy For 2014: Gladstone Investment Corporation (GAIN)

Gladstone Investment Corporation specializes in buyouts and recapitalizations. It seeks to make debt and equity investments in small and mid-sized private businesses. The fund invests in junior subordinated loans, mezzanine debt, preferred stock, and warrants to purchase common stock of companies based in the the United States. It can also invest in senior secured loans and common stock. The fund prefers to invest between $3 million and $20 million. It invests individually as well as jointly with other buyout funds. The fund is treated as a business development company under the 1940 Act.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Gladstone Investment (NASDAQ: GAIN) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $8.90 million.

  First Horizon National (NYSE: FHN) is expected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $286.98 million.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Gladstone Investment Corporation (GAIN)

  Over the past week two corporate executives made buys into Gladstone Investment Corporation. COO Terry Brubaker made three different buys over the past week and CEO David Gladstone made one.

Best Penny Companies To Buy For 2014: China Nepstar Chain Drugstore Ltd (NPD)

China Nepstar Chain Drugstore Ltd. operates retail drugstores in the People?s Republic of China. The company?s drugstores provide pharmacy services and other merchandise, including prescription drugs; over-the-counter drugs; nutritional supplements, such as healthcare supplements, vitamins, minerals, and dietary products; herbal products, including drinkable herbal remedies and packages of assorted herbs for making soup; and private label products. Its stores also offer personal care products, such as skin care, hair care, and beauty products; family care products, including portable medical devices for family use, birth control products, and early pregnancy test products; and convenience products, such as soft drinks, packaged snacks, other consumables, cleaning agents, and stationeries, as well as seasonal and promotional items. The company operates its stores under the China Nepstar brand name. As of December 31, 2009, its store network comprised 2,479 retail drugstores located in approximately 71 cities in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Shandong, Hunan, Fujian, Sichuan, and Hubei provinces, as well as in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing municipalities of the People?s Republic of China. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares dropped around 0.20 percent in today’s trading. Top decliners in the sector included K12 (NYSE: LRN), China Nepstar Chain Drugstore (NYSE: NPD), and Du Pont (NYSE: DD).

Best Penny Companies To Buy For 2014: Cincinnati Bell Inc (CBB)

Cincinnati Bell Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications and technology services. The company?s Wireline segment provides local voice services, including local telephone service, switched access, and value-added services, such as caller identification, voicemail, call waiting, and call return; data services comprising high-speed Internet using digital subscriber line technology, fiber to the home, dial-up Internet access, network access, and gigabit Ethernet and asynchronous transfer mode data transport services. This segment?s services also comprise long distance and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)services, such as long distance voice, audio conferencing, VoIP, and other broadband services; entertainment services that consist of television over fiber optic cable and coaxial cable in limited areas, and DirecTV commissioning over the company?s operating area; and other services consisting of security monitoring, inside wire installation for busi ness enterprises, rental revenue of space, public payphones, and clearinghouse services. It?s Wireless segment provides advanced digital wireless voice and data communications services through the wireless network in a licensed service territory, which includes Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, and areas of northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. This segment offers postpaid and prepaid wireless subscription services; and wireless handset devices to customers to use its wireless services. The company?s Data Center Colocation segment provides data center colocation services to businesses. This segment operates 17 data centers with 639,000 square feet of total data center space in Texas, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. It?s IT Services and Hardware segment offers a range of managed IT solutions, including managed infrastructure services, IT and telephony equipment sales, and professional IT staffing services. The company was founded in 1873 and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Royal]

  One of my favorite reasons to reinvest in stocks I already own is when an uncertain, but favorable catalyst occurs, but the stock does little. So my Special Situations portfolio is adding $1,000 to each of the following three stocks: Cincinnati Bell (NYSE: CBB  ) , Bridgepoint Education (NYSE: BPI  ) , and First Financial Northwest (NASDAQ: FFNW  ) . Read on to see why.