Hot Stocks To Watch For 2014

Often, news about growth in the U.S. economy ends up being the dominant theme for the day it comes out. Yet, despite some concerns about a weaker-than-expected GDP report, what really seemed to motivate investors today was the stream of earnings reports, and other individual-company events, that largely cancelled each other out. By the close, the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) finished up just 12 points, while the S&P 500 went the other way, falling less than 0.2%.

Among the positive contributors to the Dow was Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) , which climbed more than 1% after releasing earnings that beat expectations. Despite both revenue and income coming in with mid-single-digit percentage declines, the oil giant managed to increase its production volumes slightly, although not enough to offset falling prices for oil and gas. Unlike some of its peers, Chevron's refining division also suffered due to repairs and maintenance work; but, in the long run, the company appears better poised to deliver the growth it will need in order to sustain its massive energy portfolio.

Hot US Stocks To Watch For 2015: TeliaSonera AB (TLSN)

TeliaSonera AB is a Sweden-based company engaged in the provision of network access and telecommunication services to individual and business customers. The Company is organized into four business segments: the Mobile Services segment provides mobile services, which include mobile voice and data, mobile content, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Hotspots, mobile broadband and Wireless Office to the consumer and enterprise markets; the Broadband Services segment provides services for connecting homes and offices, including broadband over copper, fiber and cable, television (TV), voice over Internet, home communications services, Internet Protocol- Virtual Private Network (IP-VPN)/Business Internet, leased lines and traditional telephony; the Eurasia segment comprises mobile operations in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Moldova and Nepal, and the Other operations segment comprises Other Business Services, TeliaSonera Holding and Corporate functions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Kirkland]

  Telecom Italia SpA jumped 8.4 percent after La Repubblica reported that Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris may buy a stake in the phone company. The newspaper did not cite anyone. TeliaSonera AB (TLSN) slid 1.9 percent after Solidium Oy, Finland�� state-owned asset manager, started an accelerated book build to sell a stake in the Swedish telecommunications operator.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  TeliaSonera AB (TLSN) lost 2.1 percent to 42.47 kronor after Sweden�� biggest phone company reported first-quarter net income of 4.11 billion kronor ($629 million), little changed from a year earlier. Analysts had predicted 4.32 billion kronor of profit, according to the average of 15 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales fell 4.4 percent.

Hot Stocks To Watch For 2014: Web.com Group Inc(WWWW)

Web.com Group, Inc. provides Internet services for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in North America, South America, and the United Kingdom. It provides .com, .net, .co, .org, and .info domains, as well as domain services, including domain name registration, domain name transfers, domain name renewal, domain expiration protection, and domain privacy services; develops and supports a subscription Web service package that includes the tools and functionality necessary for a business to create and maintain online presence, as well as provide tutorials and tools for customers to edit and manage their sites. The company?s primary Do It For Me subscription offering comprise eWorks! XL, which provides domain name registration, initial site design, technical support, Webmail, online Web tools, and Internet scorecard; custom Website design services comprising map and directions pages, external links pages, Website statistics, database applications, password security, and e mail services; and social media and call center services. It also provides various Do-It-Yourself Website building and marketing solutions for SMBs, such as hosting services, Website design tools, email marketing tools, and LogoYes design and brand building tools. In addition, the company offers online marketing services, including search engine optimization, local and national search engine marketing, subscription-based services, budget-based search engine marketing, and click search engine marketing services; lead generation services consisting of Leads by Web.com to contractors, homebuilders, and remodeling professionals; and eCommerce merchant services. Web.com Group, Inc. markets its products and services through outbound and inbound telesales, online channel, affiliate network and private label partners, distribution partners, resellers, and direct sales. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  What: Shares of Web.com (NASDAQ: WWWW  ) rose more than 10% this morning -- and are still up around a 9% gain -- after the company surprised the Street with better-than-expected quarterly results and solid guidance for the rest of 2013.

• [By CRWE]

  Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW), a leading provider of internet services and online marketing solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses, will report its third quarter results for the fiscal period ended September 30, 2012 after the U.S. financial markets close on October 25, 2012.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Worldwide bargain?
  Lower and lower it goes; where Web.com Group's (NASDAQ: WWWW  ) bottom is, nobody knows.

  Shares of Web.com Group, a supplier of Internet-based solutions such as hosting, website design and management, and search engine optimization for small businesses, have gone cliff diving following the company's last two earnings reports and are off about 50% from their all-time high set in March.

Hot Stocks To Watch For 2014: Waddell & Reed Financial Inc. (WDR)

Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides investment management, investment product underwriting and distribution, and shareholder services administration to mutual funds, and institutional and separately managed accounts in the United States. The company acts as an investment adviser for institutional and other private investors, and provides sub advisory services to other investment companies; underwrites and distributes registered open-end mutual fund portfolios; distributes business partners� variable annuity products, and retirement and life insurance products to advisors channel customers; sells life insurance and disability products underwritten by various carriers; and offers fee-based asset allocation investment advisory products to advisors channel customers. It distributes investment products through independent financial advisors, broker/dealers, registered investment advisors, and various retirement platforms; and markets investment a dvisory services to institutional investors directly or through consultants. Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. was founded in 1937 and is based in Overland Park, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Investment services and shareholder services administrator Waddell & Reed (WDR) raised its quarterly dividend 21% to 34 cents per share, payable on Feb. 3 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 13.
  WDR Dividend Yield: 2.2%

Hot Stocks To Watch For 2014: Houston Wire & Cable Co (HWCC)

Houston Wire & Cable Company, incorporated in 1997, provides wire and cable and related services to the United States market. The Company offers its customers with a single-source solution for wire and cable, hardware and related services. The Company offers products in categories of wire and cable, including continuous and interlocked armor cable, control and power cable, electronic wire and cable, flexible and portable cords, instrumentation and thermocouple cable, lead and high temperature cable, medium voltage cable, premise and category wire and cable, wire rope and wire rope slings, as well as nylon slings, chain, shackles and other related hardware. It also offers private branded products, including its brand LifeGuard, a low-smoke, zero-halogen cable. On January 1, 2011, the acquired companies were merged into HWC Wire & Cable Company.

The Company�� products are used in repair and replacement, also known as maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and related projects, larger-scale projects in the utility, industrial and infrastructure markets and a diverse range of industrial applications, including communications, energy, engineering and construction, general manufacturing, mining, construction, oilfield services, infrastructure, petrochemical, transportation, utility, wastewater treatment, marine construction and marine transportation. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company served approximately 6,000 customers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Houston Wire & Cable (Nasdaq: HWCC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.