Top Cheap Companies To Own For 2014

Like gold, silver is having a nice run, and investors are taking notice.

The iShares Silver Trust ETF (SLV) moved up 9% last week, while the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) ticked up 2%.

ETF Securities recently focused on the precious metal’s changing outlook in its newsletter Silver Shines as Gold: Silver Ratio at 3-Year High Attracts Investors.

To understand the major factors driving the uptick in silver, ThinkAdvisor spoke with Mike McGlone, CFA, FRM, director of U.S. research for ETF Securities in New York.

Gold-to-Silver Price Ratio

This ratio can give investors a sense of relative valuation.

Before 2008, it took roughly 50 ounces of silver to buy one ounce of gold, says McGlone. During the recent economic crisis, the ratio increased to 80.

As of early August, the ratio was 66-to-1.

At that level, says McGlone, it “looks like silver at 66 is generally pretty cheap vs. gold, or you can say gold is rich vs. silver.”

Top Integrated Utility Stocks For 2015: Whole Foods Market Inc.(WFM)

Whole Foods Market, Inc. engages in the ownership and operation of natural and organic food supermarkets. The company offers produce, seafood, grocery, meat and poultry, bakery, prepared foods and catering, coffee and tea, nutritional supplements, and vitamins. It also provides specialty products, such as beer, wine, and cheese; body care and educational products, such as books; and floral, pet, and household products. As of February 9, 2011, the company operated 302 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Whole Foods operates natural and organic foods supermarkets during a time where consumers are become more aware of the foods they eat. The stock has seen an explosive run over the last several years that has taken it to all-time high prices. Earnings and revenue figures have increased steadily over the last four quarters, which has kept investors upbeat. Relative to its strong peers and sector, Whole Foods has been an average performer. Look for Whole Foods to OUTPERFORM.

Top Cheap Companies To Own For 2014: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated provides healthcare services in the United States. Its Health Benefits segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; and non-employer based insurance options for purchase by individuals. It also provides health and well-being services for individuals aged 50 and older; and for services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals, as well as health plans for the beneficiaries of acute and long-term care Medicaid plans. This segment offers its services through a network of 730,000 physicians and other health care professionals, and 5,300 hospitals. Its OptumHealth segment provides health, financial, and ancillary services and products that assist consumers through personalized health management solutions; benefit administration, and clinical and network management; health-based financi al services; behavioral solutions; and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life, critical illness, short-term disability, and stop-loss product offerings. The company?s Ingenix segment offers database and data management services, software products, publications, consulting and actuarial services, business process outsourcing services, and pharmaceutical data consulting and research services. Its Prescription Solutions segment provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services comprising retail network pharmacy contracting and management, claims processing, mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy, benefit design consultation, rebate contracting and management, drug utilization review, formulary management programs, disease therapy management, and adherence programs to employer groups, union trusts, managed care organizations, Medicare-contracted plans, Medicaid plans, and third party administrators. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Minne tonka, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The big earnings winner is UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH  ) , which has soared 5% after posting a 12% gain in revenue and about a 10% jump in earnings per share, along with boosting the lower end of its earnings guidance for the full year. UnitedHealth increased its count of policyholders by 3.2 million during the quarter, but the real test for the company will come when Obamacare's individual mandate takes effect at the beginning of 2014. If UnitedHealth can outpace its rivals in securing higher-margin customers, then the remaining question will be whether Obamacare reverses the recent trend toward reduced numbers of patients using medical services, which have helped insurers.

Top Cheap Companies To Own For 2014: Rent-A-Center Inc.(RCII)

Rent-A-Center, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, primarily engages in leasing household durable goods to customers on a rent-to-own basis. The company?s stores offer durable products, such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, and furniture and accessories under flexible rental purchase agreements that allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed upon rental period. It also provides merchandise on an installment sales basis in its stores. As of December 31, 2010, the company operated 3,008 company-owned stores in the United States, and in Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, including 42 retail installment sales stores under the names ?Get It Now? and ?Home Choice?; and 18 rent-to-own stores located in Canada under the ?Rent-A-Centre? name. It also operates 209 franchised rent-to-own stores in 32 states under the ColorTyme trade name; and 384 kiosk locations under the ?RAC Acceptance? model. In addition, the company, th rough its ColorTyme?s franchised stores, offers custom rims and tires for sale or rental under the trade names ?RimTyme? or ?ColorTyme Custom Wheels?. Rent-A-Center, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ: RCII) shares tumbled 11.22 percent to $25.80 after the company issued a downbeat guidance for the second quarter. The company expected adjusted earnings of $0.36 to $0.38 per share on revenue of around $773 million.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Rent-to-own consumer products company Rent-A-Center (RCII) raised its quarterly dividend 10% to 23 cents per share, payable on Jan. 23 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 3.
  RCII Dividend Yield: 2.77%

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ: RCII) were down 21.51 percent to $24.51 on Q4 results.

  Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares tumbled 7.80 percent to $507.55 after the company issued weak sales forecast for the second quarter and reported downbeat holiday iPhone sales.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ: RCII) shares tumbled 12.42 percent to $25.45 after the company issued a downbeat guidance for the second quarter. The company expected adjusted earnings of $0.36 to $0.38 per share on revenue of around $773 million.

Top Cheap Companies To Own For 2014: Oracle Corporation(ORCL)

Oracle Corporation, an enterprise software company, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and services database and middleware software, applications software, and hardware systems worldwide. It licenses of database and middleware software, including database management software, application server software, service-oriented architecture and business process management software, data integration software, business intelligence software, identity and access management software, content management software, portals and user interaction software, development tools, and Java; and applications software comprising enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, enterprise performance management, supply chain management, business intelligence applications, enterprise portfolio project management, Web commerce, and industry-specific applications software. The company also offers customers with rights to unspecified software product upgrades and maintenance releases; Internet access to technical content; and Internet and telephone access to technical support personnel. In addition, its hardware systems products consist of computer server and hardware-related software, including the Oracle Solaris Operating System; and storage products, such as tape, disk and networking solutions for open systems and mainframe server environments. Its hardware systems support solutions include software updates for the software components. Further, the company offers consulting solutions in business and IT strategy alignment, enterprise architecture planning and design, initial product implementation and integration, and ongoing product enhancements and upgrades; cloud services, including Oracle Cloud Services and Advanced Customer Services; and education solutions comprising instructor-led, media-based, and Internet-based training in the use of its software and hardware products. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Redwood Ci ty, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) shares tumbled 4.14 percent to $40.75 after the company reported weaker-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results. Its adjusted earnings came in at $0.92 per share, missing analysts’ estimates of $0.95 per share. Citigroup downgraded Oracle from Buy to Neutral.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  This week, Oracle (NYSE: ORCL  ) found and patched a huge amount of security holes in its Java plugin for Web browsers. While it's never a bad idea to plug security holes, the update comes after a well-documented spree of Java hacks.

• [By Victor Reklaitis]

  CarMax Inc. (KMX) ��led gainers in the S&P 500, surging more than 16% after upbeat results. Software maker Oracle Corp. (ORCL) �was among losers, slipping 1.7% after a disappointing earnings report.

Top Cheap Companies To Own For 2014: LifePoint Hospitals Inc.(LPNT)

LifePoint Hospitals Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates general acute care hospitals in non-urban communities in the United States. The company?s hospitals provide a range of medical and surgical services comprising general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic care, coronary care, rehabilitation services, and pediatric services, as well as specialized services, such as open-heart surgery, skilled nursing, psychiatric care, and neuro-surgery. Its hospitals also offer outpatient services, including one-day surgery, laboratory, x-ray, respiratory therapy, imaging, sports medicine, and lithotripsy. As of December 31, 2009, LifePoint Hospitals owned or leased 47 hospitals with a total of 5,552 licensed beds in 17 states. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Lifepoint Hospitals Inc. (NasdaqNM:LPNT) operates independently of HCA Inc. as of May 11, 1999.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  The fun wasn't just limited to the big three hospital operators. Lifepoint Hospitals (NASDAQ: LPNT  ) stock jumped 5% on the CMS news, reflecting a $109 million market cap expansion. Likewise, Vanguard Health Systems (NYSE: VHS  ) shares climbed 5%, bumping its market cap up by�$55 million.