10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014

With shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) trading around $60, is TGT an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework.

T = Trends for a Stock’s Movement

Target operates general stores in the United States as well as online, where it sells merchandise at discounted prices. It operates in three segments: U.S. Retail, U.S. Credit Card, and Canadian. Target�� online presence is designed to enable consumers to purchase products either online or by locating items in one of its stores with the aid of online research and location tools. Groceries, clothing, household items, and general merchandise can be found at Target, making it an efficient shopping experience for consumers throughout the nation.

Target wants to be a bigger part of city living by experimenting with going smaller.�The discount retailer, which has long focused on large stores in suburban markets, completed a lease last week on its smallest store yet, a 20,000-square-foot location in Minneapolis that is a test store for a new format called TargetExpress.�The store will be about a fifth the size of Target�� smallest format stores to date and would allow the company to open more locations in dense urban markets like New York, where 100,000 square feet is hard to come by.

Top Wireless Telecom Companies For 2015: Research in Motion Limited(RIMM)

Research In Motion Limited (RIM) designs, manufactures, and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. The company, through the development of integrated hardware, software, and services, provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information, including email, phone, short messaging service, and Internet and Intranet-based applications and browsing. Its products and services principally comprise the BlackBerry wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld product line, software development tools, and other software and hardware. The company?s BlackBerry smartphones use wireless, push-based technology that delivers data to mobile users? business and consumer applications. Its BlackBerry smartphone portfolio includes BlackBerry Bold series, the BlackBerry Torch, BlackBerry Curve series, the BlackBerry Style, BlackBerry Storm series, the BlackBerry Tour, BlackBerry Pearl series, and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. T he company?s BlackBerry enterprise solutions comprise BlackBerry enterprise server, BlackBerry enterprise server express, BlackBerry mobile voice system, and hosted BlackBerry services. Its technology also enables third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services through software development kits, wireless connectivity to data, and third-party support programs. In addition, the company offers BlackBerry technical support services, non-warranty repairs, and nonrecurring engineering services. Further, it provides BlackBerry App World that offers BlackBerry smartphone users an electronic catalogue that aids in the discovery and download/purchase of applications directly from their BlackBerry smartphone. The company markets and sells its BlackBerry wireless solutions primarily through global wireless communications carriers, and third party distribution channels. Research In Motion Limited was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Waterloo, Canad a.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew Indyke and Brian Zen]

  Klarman said the following to investors in his Baupost letter earlier this year: ��ur disciplined risk aversion throughout 2011 enabled us to avoid dangerous temptations and remain focused on investments in our areas of strength and competitive advantage.��Competitive advantage comes down to two questions. Can the company raise prices for their products while maintaining sales in a competitive environment? Can it continue to retain customers as the business undergoes operational and technological changes? One aspect for investors to keep in mind is that of technological change, a constant threat to industries like retail stores and mobile communications. Best Buy (BBY) used to be the go-to place where customers could shop for electronic appliances but internet retail took that away. RIM (RIMM) used to be a model company that produced phones for email on-the-go but competitors like Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) upped the ante and took away the value of RIM�� products. These kinds of circumstances show that keeping up with trends on a regular basis is a vital part of bottom-up investing.

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  This is an important question because you may have in mind that you have a lot of faith in Apple right now. That faith may be well founded. But if you have little faith in Apple four or five or six years out ��do you really think you will be the first to spot the company's loss of leadership? Think about how quickly companies like Nokia (NOK) and Research In Motion (RIMM) saw their P/E ratios contract when investors realized just how far they were behind the competition. Do you really think you will be fast enough to spot a change in Apple's position? It�� not enough to see the writing on the wall. You have to see it faster than everyone else. You have to sell before they do.

• [By Trustamind]

  It pays to distinguish between stocks and productive assets. Some companies, such as Research In Motion (RIMM), generate diminishing returns. They belong to productive assets but certainly not good ones. As a result, their stock prices --- the value of the asset --- kept falling.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Talisman Energy Inc.(TLM)

Talisman Energy Inc., an upstream oil and gas company, engages in the exploration, development, production, transportation, and marketing of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. It primarily operates in North America, the North Sea, and southeast Asia. The company was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Faced with growing uncertainty, some operators are even scaling back investments and reducing cash flow guidance. Talisman Energy (NYSE: TLM  ) , Canada's sixth-largest independent oil producer, cut its capital budget forecast for the year by 25%, while Cenovus Energy (NYSE: CVE  ) in December lowered its cash flow forecast for the year by 16% to as low as C$3.1 billion. And Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE: CNQ  ) said that it plans to reduce spending on thermal sands production.

• [By Sue Chang , Saumya Vaishampayan]

  $TLM: Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM) �shares fell 2.5%. Activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed a 6% stake in the oil and gas producer on Monday. Icahn said in a tweet he might discuss strategic alternatives and board seats with the company.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Mad Catz Interactive Inc(MCZ)

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, sells, and distributes accessories for videogame platforms and personal computers (PC), as well as for iPod and other audio devices. Its products include videogame, PC, and audio accessories, such as control pads, video cables, steering wheels, joysticks, memory cards, light guns, flight sticks, dance pads, microphones, car adapters, carry cases, mice, keyboards, and headsets. It markets its products primarily under the Mad Catz, Saitek, Cyborg, Eclipse, Joytech, GameShark, Tritton, and AirDrives brands. The company also develops flight simulation software; operates flight simulation centers under its Saitek brand; operates a videogame content Website under its GameShark brand; publishes games under its Mad Catz brand; and distributes games and videogame products for third parties. It distributes its products through retailers in the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as in Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zeal and, and Singapore. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego, California

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  If the name Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (NYSEMKT:MCZ) rings a bell, it might be because yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on the video-gaming hardware (joysticks, control pads, headsets, etc.) back on August 20th. Neither MCZ nor my write-up were received as anything partially special at the time - it was just another stock dissected by just another guy, and you may or may not have given it a second thought. The 37% rally in the meantime, however, may garner a little more attention.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: ConocoPhillips(COP)

ConocoPhillips operates as an integrated energy company worldwide. The company?s Exploration and Production (E&P) segment explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Its Midstream segment gathers, processes, and markets natural gas; and fractionates and markets natural gas liquids in the United States and Trinidad. The company?s Refining and Marketing (R&M) segment purchases, refines, markets, and transports crude oil and petroleum products, such as gasolines, distillates, and aviation fuels. Its Chemicals segment manufactures and markets petrochemicals and plastics. This segment offers olefins and polyolefins, including ethylene, propylene, and other olefin products; aromatics products, such as benzene, styrene, paraxylene, and cyclohexane, as well as polystyrene and styrene-butadiene copolymers; and various specialty chemical products comprising organosulfur chemicals, solvents, catalyst s, drilling chemicals, mining chemicals, and engineering plastics and compounds. The company?s Emerging Businesses segment develops new technologies and businesses. It focuses on power generation; and technologies related to conventional and nonconventional hydrocarbon recovery, refining, alternative energy, biofuels, and the environment. This segment also offers E-Gas, a gasification technology producing high-value synthetic gas. ConocoPhillips was founded in 1917 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Avg. High Yield Price 2. 20-Year DCF Price 3. Avg. P/E Price 4. Graham Number CVX is trading at a discount to only 3.) above. The stock is trading at a 44.9% premium to its calculated fair value of $82.00. CVX did not earn any Stars in this section. Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. Free Cash Flow Payout 2. Debt To Total Capital 3. Key Metrics 4. Dividend Growth Rate 5. Years of Div. Growth 6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15% CVX earned two Stars in this section for 2.) and 3.) above. The stock earned a Star as a result of its most recent Debt to Total Capital being less than 45%. CVX earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1912 and has increased its dividend payments for 27 consecutive years. Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description: 1. NPV MMA Diff. 2. Years to > MMA The NPV MMA Diff. of the $256 is below the $800 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as CVX has. The stock's current yield of 3.37% exceeds the 3.31% estimated 20-year average MMA rate. Memberships and Peers: CVX is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: BP plc (BP) with a 4.7% yield, Exxon Mobil

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Offshore drilling has been a key growth area for the energy industry, so its an important area to watch to make sure that trend isn't showing any signs of reversing. The good news is that while last year was the best year ever for deepwater discoveries, 2013 is shaping up to be just as good, if not better. Already this year ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) has announced two major discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico which the company views as an important future growth driver. Overall the Gulf of Mexico remains one of the biggest story lines as the industry has truly recovered from the BP disaster.

• [By Claudia Assis]

  Big Oil shares were higher as well, with Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) �shares up 0.3%. Chevron Corp. (CVX) �shares rose 0.5%, while shares of ConocoPhillips (COP) �advanced 0.9%.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Stage Stores Inc.(SSI)

Stage Stores, Inc. operates as a specialty department store retailer that offers branded and private label apparel, accessories, cosmetics, and footwear for women, men, and children in the United States. The company also offers sportswear, dresses, intimates, home and gift products, outerwear, swimwear, and other products. It primarily focuses on consumers in small and mid-sized markets. The company operates stores under the names of Bealls, Goody?s, Palais Royal, Peebles, and Stage. Stage Stores, Inc. also sells its products through its Web site. As of March 06, 2012, it operated 819 stores in 40 states. Stage Stores, Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Stage Stores (NYSE: SSI) was also up, gaining 13.47 percent to $22.41 after the company reported Q4 results and announced the sale of its Steele's off-price division to a new retail unit of Hilco Global.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another earnings short-squeeze prospect is specialty department store retailer Stage Stores (SSI), which is set to release numbers on Thursday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Stage Stores to report revenue of $397.57 million on earnings of 53 cents per share.

  Read More: Triple Your Gains With These 5 Cash-Rich Companies

  The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Stage Stores is pretty high at 11.6%. That means that out of the 30 million shares in the tradable float, 3.58 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 4.2%, or by about 145,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a bullish quarter, then shares of SSI could easily surge sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts jump to cover some of their positions.

  From a technical perspective, SSI is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and just below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last three months and change, with shares moving between $17.51 on the downside and $20.32 on the upside. Any high-volume move above the upper-end of its recent range post-earnings could trigger a big breakout trade for shares of SSI.

  If you're bullish on SSI, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $19.91 to $20.32 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that registers near or above its three-month average action of 233,200 shares. If that breakout begins post-earnings, then SSI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $23 to $25 a share.

  I would simply avoid SSI or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then takes out some key

• [By Anna Prior]

  Stage Stores Inc.(SSI) said it agreed to sell its Steele’s retail stores to financial services firm Hilco Global later this year, which contributed to a drop in fiscal fourth-quarter earnings. The top line missed expectations, and the sales view for the year also fell below the consensus view.

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: ENI S.p.A. (E)

Eni SpA, an integrated energy company, engages in the exploration, production, transportation, transformation, and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company also involves in the production and sale of electricity; refining and marketing of petroleum products; and production and sale of petrochemical products and hydrocarbons. In addition, it engages in the offshore and onshore hydrocarbon field construction. Further, the company offers offshore and onshore drilling, and offshore design and engineering services for oil and gas companies. It has a strategic partnership with Gazprom for the joint development of projects in the upstream oil and gas markets. Eni SpA operates in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, and the Americas. The company was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy with an additional office in San Donato Milanese, Italy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vanina Egea]

  Integrated oil companies seem to have finally come out of the shadows. With a world economy on the rebound after the 2007/8 crisis, demand for oil began to climb again. However, as the activity slowdown affected some companies more than others, emerging market trends are expected to do so. For example, Europe has been the hardest hit region with respect to the oil & gas industry, and continues to slowly recover, in North America the gas boom reached its zenith and activities began to move offshore in the search for oil. For Eni (E) has been a troubled road since 2008, reflected by a deep decline on its stock face value. Although performance has been somewhat stable, stock value never recovered pre-crisis levels and gurus have not been very active on the stock. Can something different be expected from this integrated oil producer?

10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Iamgold Corporation(IAG)

IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. It primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other metals. The company holds interests in eight operating gold mines, a niobium producer, a diamond royalty, and exploration and development projects located in Africa and the Americas. Its advanced exploration and development projects include the Westwood project in Canada; and the Quimsacocha project, which consists of 3 mining concessions covering an aggregate area of approximately 8,030 hectares in Ecuador. The company was formerly known as IAMGOLD International African Mining Gold Corporation and changed its name to IAMGOLD Corporation in June 1997. IAMGOLD Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) and Air France-KLM (AF) Group rose with as a gauge of travel stocks as oil prices fell after Iran�� accord. PSA Peugeot Citroen gained 3.7 percent after people familiar with the matter said its chief executive officer plans to step down next year. Fresenius Medical Care AG surged the most in five years after U.S. regulators scrapped a plan to cut Medicare payments next year.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  At just $6.50, AKS is still one of the cheap stocks, but it may not be cheap for long.

  Cheap Stocks to Buy Now: Iamgold (IAG)

  Without a doubt, the most hated metals and mining sector has to be gold mining stocks. Faced with rising costs and falling gold prices, many of the precious metals miners have tanked, moving them into the cheap stocks category.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  As a result, Chidley and team upgraded Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) and�Yamana Gold (AUY) to Neutral from Underweight, and raised Barrick Gold (ABX), Goldcorp (GG) and Iamgold (IAG) to Overweight from Neutral.�Gold Fields (GFI) was downgraded “due to increased risk and also reduced expectations for the South Deep operation,” Chidley says.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  IAMGOLD (NYSE: IAG  )
  Canadian gold miner IAMGOLD pays a semiannual dividend of $0.125 per share, which equates to a current yield of about 4.45%. As the company's name would imply, its revenues are generated by its gold-mining operations. Currently, the company has six gold mines across three continents as well as several potential projects in the works. The company's current priorities given the slumping gold market include cash preservation, cost reduction, and disciplined capital allocation. While the dividend looks safe for now, given the company's stated policy of not jeopardizing is strong balance sheet, it could be reduced if gold prices fall further. �