Frustrated Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) investors could catch a break next week. The consumer tech giant's annual showcase for developers is coming, and the market just doesn't care.
Apple stock has shed 20% of its value since last year's WWDC, and the carnage is closer to 36% since peaking the day the iPhone 5 hit the market. The shares may be trading 17% higher since bottoming out two months ago, but we're still eyeing a year-to-date slide of 15%.
In short, Apple stock has been a dud. There's no hype heading into Apple's weeklong event, and that's where bulls have the advantage.
No one expects new iPhones (either cheaper or larger versions)�until later this year. The same thing can be said about the iTV chatter, and who knows if that will ever materialize?
Top 5 Cheap Stocks For 2014: SMTC Corporation(SMTX)
SMTC Corporation provides advanced electronics manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) worldwide. The company?s services include product design and engineering services, printed circuit board assembly production, enclosure fabrication, systems integration, testing, and configuration services. It also provides enclosure and precision metal fabrication, cable assembly, interconnect, and engineering design services. The company offers its integrated contract manufacturing services to OEMs and technology companies primarily in the industrial, computing and networking, communications, consumer, and medical market segments. SMTC Corporation was founded in 1985 and is based in Markham, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul]
SMTC Corp. (NASDAQ: SMTX) is a Canadian company that provides contract electronics manufacturing services, such as surface-mount and through-hole circuit board assembly, product design, testing, packaging and supply chain management. Manufacturers use products built or assembled by SMTC in their computer servers, networking devices or communications products.
In its most recent earnings report, the company said Q3 sales rose 48% in the quarter to $65.4 million, and earnings per share were 16 cents, up from 3 cents in the same quarter of 2009. Eight of its top 10 customers increased orders as a result of strong market demand for electronics manufacturing. The addition of five new clients added $10 million to the company’s sales in the quarter. SMTX’s year-over-year gross profit more than doubled to $7.9 million, as a result. Generated cash flow reached $4.6 million and the company used much of this extra cash to pay down debt. That’s why SMTX’s debt was just $18 million at the end of the quarter, the lowest level in the company’s history.
SMTX is in an excellent position to profit from increasing electronics and technology demand, which will continue to climb next year. Buy SMTX below $4.
Top 5 Cheap Stocks For 2014: Compass Minerals Intl Inc(CMP)
Compass Minerals International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces and markets inorganic mineral products primarily in North America and the United Kingdom. The company operates in two segments, Salt and Specialty Fertilizer. The Salt segment produces salt and magnesium chloride for use in road deicing and dust control, food processing, water softeners, pool salt, and agricultural and industrial applications. This segment also purchases potassium chloride and sells as a finished product. The Specialty Fertilizer segment produces and markets sulphate of potash crop nutrients and industrial grade sulfate of potash for use in the production of specialty fertilizers for vegetables, fruits, potatoes, nuts, tobacco, and turf grass. The company also produces and markets consumer deicing and water conditioning products, ingredients used in consumer and commercial food preparation, and other mineral-based products for consumer, agricultural, and industrial applications. In ad dition, Compass Minerals provides records management services to businesses located in the U.K. The company operates rock salt mines in Goderich, Ontario, Canada; and Winsford, Chesire, the United Kingdom. It primarily serves producers of intermediate chemical products used in the production of vinyls and other chemicals, and pulp and paper, as well as water treatment and other industrial uses. The company markets its products through direct sales personnel, contract personnel, and a network of brokers or manufacturers? representatives. Compass Minerals International, Inc., formerly known as Salt Holdings Corporation, was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Compass Minerals (CMP) is a producer of minerals, including salt, sulfate of potash specialty fertilizer and magnesium chloride. This stock closed up 3.4% at $75.60 in Wednesday's trading session.
Wednesday's Volume: 913,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 212,481
Volume % Change: 315%From a technical perspective, CMP gapped higher here off its recent low of $64.24 with heavy upside volume. This stock recently gapped down sharply from around $90 to $64.24 with heavy downside volume. That move pushed shares of CMP into extremely oversold territory, since the stock's current relative strength index reading is 25.78. Oversold can always get more oversold, but it's also an area where a stock can experience a powerful bounce higher from. Shares of CMP are now starting to move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if CMP manages to take out its gap down day high of $78.20 and then once it clears its 200-day moving average at $79.14 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CMP as long as it's trending above Wednesday's low of $73.07 or $72.50 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 212,481 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CMP will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone that started near $90.
- [By Chris Stuart]
Compass Minerals International(CMP) is a provider of highway de-icing salt and specialty fertilizer. The salt segment for Compass currently comprises about 80% of the overall business and is stable, yet slow-growing. The specialty potash segment (20% of sales) produces sulfate of potash (SOP), which is used primarily as a specialty fertilizer for vegetables, fruits, tea, tobacco and grass. The SOP business has much better upside and should fuel growth for the company.
With margins expected to improve in 2011 and management investing to take advantage of improved potash pricing, the stock looks like a solid investment. TheStreet Ratings has a $115 price target on Compass Minerals.
Hot Cheap Stocks To Watch Right Now: DRDGOLD Limited(DROOY)
DRDGOLD Limited engages in the exploration, extraction, processing, and smelting of gold in South Africa. It holds interests in the Blyvoor mine; and the Crown gold surface tailings retreatment facility that reprocesses sand and slimes dumps, as well as involves in the surface retreatment operations. The company was incorporated in 1895 and is based in Roodepoort, South Africa.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By seekingalpha.com]
With mining assets in South Africa, the company runs operations from exploration through to smelting.
Shares are trading at $4.23 at the time of writing, toward the bottom end of their 52-week trading range of $3.96 to $6.23. At the current market price, the company is capitalized at $162.80 million. Earnings per share for the last fiscal year were $1.21, placing the shares on a price to earnings ratio of 3.49. It paid a dividend of $0.06 last year (a yield of 1.40%) which was covered over 20 times by its earnings.
It has the lowest price-to-earnings ratio of the gold mining stocks, though its share price is being held back by recent employee unrest in the region. There is room for the company to increase its well-covered dividend, and that should be attractive to income investors. With gold prices increasing, and production costs likely to remain stable, DRDGold could be a stock worth investing in for the gearing that the safe haven value of its gold reserves offers to its potential earnings.
Top 5 Cheap Stocks For 2014: Aegon NV(AEG)
AEGON N.V. provides life insurance, pensions, and asset management products and services worldwide. The company?s life insurance products include traditional, term, universal, whole, and other life insurance products sold as part of defined benefit pension plans, endowment policies, post-retirement annuity products, and group risk products; supplemental health insurance products comprise accidental death, other injury, critical illness, hospital indemnity, medicare supplement, and student health; specialty lines consists of travel, membership, and creditor products; and long term care insurance products for policyholders who require care due to a chronic illness or cognitive impairment. It also offers a range of savings and retirement products and services, including mutual funds, and fixed and variable annuities, savings accounts and investment contracts, segregated funds, guaranteed investment accounts, and single premium immediate annuities, as well as investment advice to individuals. In addition, the company offers employer solutions and pensions, such as retirement plans, pension plans, and pension-related products and services; investment products, including onshore and offshore bonds, and trusts; reinsurance products and solutions to life insurance and financial services companies; general insurance products comprising house, car, and fire insurance; and asset management products and services, including general account assets, unit-linked funds, and third party activities. AEGON N.V. markets its products through independent and career agents, financial planners, registered representatives, independent marketing organizations, banks, broker-dealers, benefit consulting firms, wirehouses, affinity groups, institutional partners, independent managing general agencies, and specialized financial advisors, as well as through online, direct, and worksite marketing. The company was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherl ands.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By seekingalpha.com]
Shares of this life insurance company are trading at $4.25 at the time of writing, and at the low end of their 52-week trading range of $4.18 to $8.07. At the current market price, the company is capitalized at $7.50 billion. Earnings per share for the last fiscal year were $0.69, placing the shares on a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.13.
These earnings are expected to rise through the next couple of years, hitting $0.73 this year, and then rising to $0.89 the following year. AEG received Dutch government aid in the 2008 financial crisis, and has been selling operations to repay its debts. The latest sale, Guardian Life in the U.K. for $451 million, takes it a step closer to achieving this goal. It will continue to manage Guardian’s assets of £7.5 billion (approximately $11 billion).
Well on the way to achieving its target of full repayment to the Dutch government, and continuing to shed non core assets, for Aegon it is deals like the Guardian one that will push it to a better-managed profit stream. When the company has fully repaid its debts, it is likely to reinstate dividend payments. This will help the stock price near and long term.
Top 5 Cheap Stocks For 2014: WebMediaBrands Inc(WEBM)
WebMediaBrands Inc., an Internet media company, provides content, education, and career services to media and creative professionals through a portfolio of vertical online properties, communities, and trade shows. The company operates mediabistro.com, a blog network that provides content, education, community, and career resources about media industry verticals, including new media, social media, Facebook, TV news, sports news, advertising, public relations, publishing, design, mobile, and the semantic Web. Its mediabistro.com also includes a job board for media and business professionals focusing on various job categories, such as social media, online/new media, publishing, public relations/marketing, advertising, sales, design, and television. The company also operates a network of online properties, including AdsoftheWorld, DynamicGraphics, LiquidTreat, BrandsoftheWorld, Graphics.com, StepInsideDesign, Creativebits, and GraphicsDesignForum that provide content, educatio n, community, career, and other resources for creative and design professionals. In addition, it offers community, membership, and e-commerce offerings comprising a freelance listing service, a marketplace for designing and purchasing logos, and premium membership services. Further, the company provides online and in-person courses, panels, certificate programs, and video subscription libraries for media and creative professionals. Additionally, it organizes various trade shows that include Semantic Technology Conference, Monetizing Social Media, Social Media Optimization Conference, Social Gaming Summit, and Virtual Goods Summit. The company was formerly known as Jupitermedia Corporation and changed its name to WebMediaBrands Inc. in February 2009. WebMediaBrands Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in New York, New York.
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