Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014

Firearms enthusiasts have been investing in new guns at record rates this year. These ace shots should also consider investing in the stocks of the companies that make firearms, providing a different type of bang for their buck. Read on for more about the firearms industry and some publicly traded firearms stocks available to investors.

The firearms industry has some interesting investing dynamics you don't find anywhere else:

Many so-called socially responsible investors outright avoid owning gun stocks and sin stocks, which can make these stocks persistently undervalued. The firearms industry faces a perennial threat from gun control legislation, but this just leads to spikes in gun and ammo sales whenever there are talks or fear of gun control. The most recent talks have set off a surge of interest in buying guns. During the first quarter of this year, the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) saw a 46% increase in background checks for firearms purchases. Gun manufacturers face an existential threat in the future�if 3-D printing of guns ever takes off.

Let's take a look at some publicly traded stocks involved in firearms, one of which could be your ace stock.

Hot Rising Stocks To Buy Right Now: Caterpillar Inc.(CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives worldwide. It operates through three lines of businesses: Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. The Machinery business offers construction, mining, and forestry machinery, including track and wheel tractors, track and wheel loaders, pipelayers, motor graders, wheel tractor-scrapers, track and wheel excavators, backhoe loaders, log skidders, log loaders, off-highway trucks, articulated trucks, paving products, skid steer loaders, underground mining equipment, tunnel boring equipment, and related parts. It also manufactures diesel-electric locomotives; and manufactures and services rail-related products and logistics services for other companies. The Engines business provides diesel, heavy fuel, and natural gas reciprocating engines for Caterpillar machinery, electric power generation systems, marine, petrol eum, construction, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. It offers industrial turbines and turbine-related services for oil and gas, and power generation applications. This business also remanufactures Caterpillar engines, machines, and engine components; and offers remanufacturing services for other companies. The Financial Products business provides retail and wholesale financing alternatives for Caterpillar machinery and engines, solar gas turbines, and other equipment and marine vessels, as well as offers loans and various forms of insurance to customers and dealers. It also offers financing for vehicles, power generation facilities, and marine vessels. The company markets its products directly, as well as through its distribution centers, dealers, and distributors. It was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. and changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. in 1986. Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Second-quarter earnings have been fairly strong across the market, but that's largely due to cost-cutting and margin expansion, not revenue growth. As a global supplier to construction and mining industries, Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) sees the foundation of economic expansion and is often considered an economic bellwether, particularly in emerging economies like China. That's why the company's cautionary words have helped drive the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) and S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) down 0.26% and 0.39%, respectively, today. �

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Still, there's only so long that the stock market can rise without the fundamentals of economic growth helping push it up further. So far, companies have done a great job becoming more efficient, cutting costs, and expanding profit margins. But Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) , Alcoa (NYSE: AA  ) , and other companies that are most sensitive to economic growth have seen their share prices perform weakly so far this year, signaling concerns about the contribution that industrial activity will play in an eventual rebound.

• [By Stephen Rosenman]

  Can you really take a company's yearly guidance seriously? Who can predict future events a year from now? It's so hard most companies skip the ordeal. Who can blame them? So many unforeseen events can derail a company's guidance. Yet, a few daredevil companies continue giving their yearly outlook. As far as I'm concerned, that's akin to writing the front page of next year's Wall Street Journal. I've already highlighted how Caterpillar (CAT) and Parker Hannifin (PH) - two excellent companies - almost never get their yearly guidance right.

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Industry ties
  The company's management team has deep roots in the energy industry, specifically in oilfield services. President and CEO Gary Kolstad spent 21 years at Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) before joining CARBO, while Don Conkle, vice president of marketing and sales, spent 26 years at the same firm. No wonder Schlumberger is one of the top two customers for this proppant manufacturer. Both served in various roles at the company and are well versed in the ebbs and flows of the energy industry, which should serve investors well through the rocky environment of falling natural gas drilling activity.

• [By Michael Fitzsimmons]

  So what is GE to do? The O&G segment is a very fast growing and nicely profitable business that is synergistic with the rest of GE's industrial operations. Yet it is such a small part of the company, its valuation is being diluted by GE's other businesses. A spin-off would surely unlock value. That said, a spun-off O&G company would be a relatively small player compared to a companies like Schlumberger (SLB), with $42 billion in 2012 revenue and a P/E=19.5, and even Haliburton (HAL), with $24.8 billion in 2012 revenue and a P/E=23.6. But both these companies trade at a premium valuation to GE (P/E=17.8) despite GE's higher dividend yield (3.1%).

• [By Alex Planes]

  Last year, CARBO made almost half of its total revenue from just two customers: Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) and Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) . A dependence on major players can be part of the game in this energy niche, as much of the onshore drilling services industry is in fact dominated by Halliburton and Schlumberger. However, CARBO's deepwater proppant could help it diversify in a big way, provided the company can handle what are sure to be more bothersome logistics problems than already exist with its land-based delivery network. Creating more distribution hubs closer to oil fields can help CARBO reduce its transportation costs and further reduce its dependence on the big two's infrastructure.

• [By David Smith]

  Similarly, the company's forward dividend yield could stand some boosting, another possibility made more feasible by an acquisitions slowdown. Currently, however, with a forward yield of 0.80%, Varco falls short of such other big oilfield services providers as Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB  ) , with its 1.80% forward yield, or Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI  ) , at 1.40%. On that basis, it would constitute a distinct positive to see National Oilwell Varco's own anticipated yield raised to at least 1.00%, a level that would hardly result in an arduous payout for the company.

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014: Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR)

Dollar Tree, Inc. operates discount variety stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores offer merchandise primarily at the fixed price of $1.00. The company operates its stores under the names of Dollar Tree, Deal$, Dollar Tree Deal$, Dollar Giant, and Dollar Bills. Its stores offer consumable merchandise, including candy and food, and health and beauty care, as well as household consumables, such as paper, plastics, household chemicals, in select stores, and frozen and refrigerated food; variety merchandise, which includes toys, durable housewares, gifts, party goods, greeting cards, softlines, and other items; and seasonal goods, such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas merchandise. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 4,089 stores in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 88 stores in Canada. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Nickey Friedman]

  Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR  ) continues to impress each quarter with robust sales, same-store sales growth, and diluted earnings-per-share increases. This dollar chain credits in large part a budget-conscious and cash-strapped consumer filling up its stores looking for bargains. Further growth seems like a no-brainer, but there are two things to watch for that could become speed bumps on its road to further riches.

Top 5 Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014: Tupperware Corporation(TUP)

Tupperware Brands Corporation operates as a direct seller of various products across a range of brands and categories through an independent sales force. The company engages in the manufacture and sale of kitchen and home products, and beauty and personal care products. It offers preparation, storage, and serving solutions for the kitchen and home, as well as kitchen cookware and tools, children?s educational toys, microwave products, and gifts under the Tupperware brand name primarily in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company provides beauty and personal care products, which include skin care products, cosmetics, bath and body care, toiletries, fragrances, nutritional products, apparel, and related products principally in Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Australia, and Uruguay. It offers beauty and personal care products under the Armand Dupree, Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo, and Swissgar de brand names. The company sells its Tupperware products directly to distributors, directors, managers, and dealers; and beauty products primarily through consultants and directors. As of December 26, 2009, the Tupperware distribution system had approximately 1,800 distributors, 61,300 managers, and 1.3 million dealers; and the sales force representing the Beauty businesses approximately 1.1 million. The company was formerly known as Tupperware Corporation and changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Oliver Pursche]

  European large-cap pharmaceuticals like Novartis (NVS) �and Bristol Meyers Squibb (BMY) �count amongst some of our favorite stocks right now, as do U.S. multinationals that are growing revenue and margins in Asia ��Tupperware (TUP) �is a shining example. Stay away from utilities and energy stocks, as they are likely to be the laggards over the next year.

• [By Jonathan Berr]

  Multilevel marketing (MLM) groups such as Herbalife operate through independent sales representatives, who earn money both through the sales of product and by recruiting other people to join their team. This business model — which is used by scores of companies, including�Pampered Chef, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Tupperware (TUP) and Mary Kay Cosmetics — is legal provided that actual products are sold.