5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own For 2014

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) recently licensed 250 seasons of TV shows from Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA  ) in an effort to beef up its streaming business and add more members to Prime. But Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) has proven that it's extremely difficult to make money with streaming, and Amazon adds the cost of two-day shipping as well.�

Fool contributor Travis Hoium thinks this just adds to Amazon's challenges and that margins won't see any improvement in the near term.�

For another perspective, The Motley Fool's premium report on Amazon will tell you what's driving the company's growth, and fill you in on reasons to buy and reasons to sell Amazon. The report also has you covered with a full year of free analyst updates to keep you informed as the company's story changes, so click here now to read more.

Hot Gas Stocks To Watch Right Now: C.R. Bard Inc. (BCR)

C. R. Bard, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, packaging, distribution, and sale of medical, surgical, diagnostic, and patient care devices worldwide. It offers vascular, urology, oncology, and surgical specialty products. The company?s vascular products include percutaneous transluminal angioplasty catheters, chronic total occlusions catheters, guidewires, introducers, and accessories; peripheral vascular stents and stent grafts, vena cava filters, and biopsy devices; electrophysiology products, such as electrophysiology laboratory systems and diagnostic, therapeutic, and temporary pacing electrode catheters; and fabrics, meshes, and implantable vascular grafts. Its urology products comprise infection control Foley catheters to reduce the rate of urinary tract infections; surgical slings to treat stress urinary incontinence; fecal incontinence products; natural and synthetic devices to treat pelvic floor and vaginal prolapse; brachyt herapy services, devices, and radioactive seeds to treat prostate cancer; intermittent urinary drainage catheters, and urine monitoring and collection systems; ureteral stents; specialty devices for ureteroscopic procedures and stone removal; and catheter stabilization devices. The company?s oncology products consist of specialty vascular access catheters and ports, vascular access ultrasound devices, dialysis access catheters, and enteral feeding devices to treat and manage various cancers, and other diseases and disorders. Its surgical specialty products include implanted patches and fixation systems for hernia and other soft tissue repairs; irrigation devices for orthopedic, laparoscopic, and gynecological procedures; and products for topical hemostasis. C. R. Bard sells its products directly and through distributors to hospitals, individual health care professionals, extended care facilities, and alternate site facilities. The company was founded in 1907 and is based in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Back in February, my colleague David Englander noted that a potential buyout was one reason to buy shares of Rochester Medical (ROCM). Today, Rochester agreed to be purchased by CR Bard (BCR) for $262 million.

• [By Victor Selva]

  CR Bard Inc. (BCR) designs, manufactures, packages, distributes and sells medical, surgical, diagnostic and patient care devices. The company has four main product group categories: vascular, urology, oncology and surgical specialties.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  At least mid-cap medical device maker C.R. Bard (BCR) has been able to keep pace with the S&P this year. Bard makes medical consumables -- one-time-use products designed for an array of medical, surgical, and diagnostic uses. The firm's offerings include everything from biopsy needles and catheters to ultrasound systems.

  It's the focus on the consumable side of the business, though, that's been fuelling Bard's top line in 2013. All together, consumables make up around 90 cents out of every dollar the firm earns -- and they come with deep margins and recurring orders as well. A rising tide should help to lift all ships in the medical device market; whatever you think about programs like Obamacare, the net result is more patients and higher rates of medical consumables used.

  One of Bard's biggest selling points is preventative -- the firm's top-selling catheters, for instance, help to reduce the likelihood of patient infection, a complication that comes with astronomical costs for hospitals. That proprietary advantage gives Bard an edge in a device that otherwise appears pretty low-moat.

  In my view, Bard is a good example of a strong middle-of-the-road health care name. It's certainly not the most exciting company in the sector (far from it), but it's worth owning for investors looking for health exposure in 2013. Institutions picked up 2.26 million shares of Bard, boosting their stakes by more than 20% in the last quarter.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own For 2014: Community Trust Bancorp Inc.(CTBI)

Community Trust Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Community Trust Bank, Inc. that provides various banking products and services. It accepts various deposit product that include checking accounts, regular and term savings accounts and savings certificates, commercial demand deposit accounts, individual retirement accounts and Keogh plans, non interest bearing deposits, NOW accounts, money market deposits, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit and other time deposits. The company?s loan portfolio comprises residential and commercial real estate loans; commercial loans; commercial, construction, mortgage, and personal loans; and lease-financing, lines of credit, revolving lines of credit, term loans, and other specialized loans, including asset-based financing. It also provides full service securities brokerage services; annuity and life insurance products; trust services; debit cards; cash management services to corporate and individual customers; l etters of credit; safe deposit boxes; and funds transfer services. In addition, the company acts as a trustee of personal trusts, an executor of estates, trustee for employee benefit trusts, registrar, transfer agent, paying agent for bond and stock issues; and depositor for securities, as well as provides full service brokerage services. Community Trust operates 80 banking locations in eastern, northeastern, central, and south central Kentucky; southern West Virginia; and northeastern Tennessee, as well as 5 trust offices across Kentucky. The company was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Pikeville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Community Trust Bank Corp. (CTBI). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:
  
  Company Description: Community Trust Bank Corp. owns and operates Community Trust Bank, Inc. of Pikeville, KY, which provides commercial banking services in Kentucky and West Virginia; and a trust company.

• [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
  
  GWW is trading at a premium to all four valuations above. The stock is trading at a 10.0% premium to its calculated fair value of $219.95. GWW 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%
  
  GWW earned three Stars in this section for 1.), 2.) and 3.) above. A Star was earned since the Free Cash Flow payout ratio was less than 60% and there were no negative Free Cash Flows over the last 10 years. The stock earned a Star as a result of its most recent Debt to Total Capital being less than 45%. GWW earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured.
  
  Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15% means that dividends grew on average in excess of 15% for each consecutive 4 year period over the last 10 years (2003-2006, 2004-2007, 2005-2008, etc.) I consider this a key metric since dividends will double every 5 years if they grow by 15%. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1965 and has increased its dividend payments for 42 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

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Related Articles:
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  - The Clorox Company (CLX) Dividend Stock Analysis
  - Community Trust Bank Corp. (CTBI) Dividend Stock Analysis
  - Colgate-Palmolive (CL) Dividend Stock Analysis
  - More Stock Analysis

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own For 2014: CirTran Corp (CIRC)

CirTran Corporation, incorporated on March 23, 1987, manufactures, markets, and distributes internationally an energy drink under a license with Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (Playboy) through its subsidiary, CirTran Beverage Corporation. It operates in Beverage Distribution and Contract Manufacturing segments. In the United States, it provides a mix of high- and medium-volume turnkey manufacturing services and products using various high-tech applications for electronics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the communications, networking, peripherals, gaming, law enforcement, consumer products, telecommunications, automotive, medical, and semiconductor industries. The Company�� services include pre-manufacturing, manufacturing, and post-manufacturing services.

Beverage Distribution

CirTran Beverage Corporation (CirTran Beverage) manufactures, markets, and distributes Playboy-licensed energy drinks, flavored water beverages, and related merchandise through various distribution channels. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had 65 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Australia, the Pacific, and the Middle East.

Contract Marketing

CirTran Products Corp. pursues contract-manufacturing relationships in the domestic consumer products markets, including products in areas, such as home/garden, kitchen, health/beauty, toys, licensed merchandise, and apparel for film, television, sports, and other entertainment properties. The Company concentrates its product development efforts into three areas: home and kitchen appliances, beauty products, and licensed merchandise. Through CirTran - Asia, Inc., the Company designs, manufactures, and supplies products in the international electronics, consumer products, and general merchandise industries for various marketers, distributors, and retailers selling overseas. This subsidiary provides manufacturing services to the direct-response and retail consumer markets.

The Company competes with Hansen�! � Energy, Diet Red, Monster Energy, Lost Energy, Joker Mad Energy, Ace Energy, Unbound Energy, Rumba energy juice, Red Bull, Rockstar, Full Throttle, No Fear, Amp, Adrenaline Rush, 180, Extreme Energy Shot, Red Devil, Rip It, NOS, Boo Koo, and Vitaminenergy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, CIRC remained (0.00%) +0.000 at $.0005 at the close (ref. google finance August 30, 2013 ��Close).

  CirTran Corporation has recently filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2013, showing continued growth in sales and a dramatic improvement in profits. CirTran�� sales were again driven by its Playboy Energy Drink line, which has grown to represent nearly 98% of revenues.

  For the quarter, CirTran previously reported sales of $1,096,691, a 247% increase over the $315,755 reported for the same period a year ago. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, CirTran reported sales of 1,964,843, a 110% improvement over the $934,455 reported for the first half of 2012.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own For 2014: iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF (IWR)

iShares Russell Midcap Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the mid-capitalization sector of the United States equity market as represented by the Russell Midcap Index (the Index). The Index is a capitalization-weighted index consisting of the 800 smallest companies in the Russell 1000 Index. The Index is a subset of the Russell 1000 Index, and serves as the underlying index for the Russell Midcap Growth and Value Index series.

The Fund uses a representative sampling strategy in seeking to track the Index. iShares Russell Midcap Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  One of the most famous scenes in the cult classic, the Graduate, was when Mr. McGuire�took Dustin Hoffman�� character aside and said�"Ben, I want to say one word to you, just one word: Plastics"; but what about the Berry Plastics Group Inc (NYSE: BERY) and its performance verses that of the�iShares S&P 500 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: IVV), iShares Russell Midcap Index Fund ETF (NYSEARCA: IWR) and iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: IJR)? I should mention that plastics and the Berry Plastics Group was not the place to be yesterday as the stock took a tumble on reduced guidance.