Top 10 Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014

Stocks finished the week on the plus side, as the Dow hit a new high, and the broader market held its own against more bearish investors who are arguing more forcefully that the long bull market has to come to an end at some point. Several stocks helped to build some excitement for market participants, and Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) , Universal Display (NASDAQ: OLED  ) , and Nuverra Environmental Solutions (NYSE: NES  ) were among the best-performing stocks in the market Friday.

Source: Clean Energy Fuels.

Clean Energy Fuels jumped 12% as the natural-gas fueling station network operator reported much better conditions in its business than investors had expected. A 24% jump in gallons delivered helped reverse sluggishness in earlier quarters, and even though gains in dollar-value revenue were limited, adjusted sales soared 43% once you take out one-time items from the previous year. The expiration of crucial tax credits had a big impact on Clean Energy Fuels' income statement, reversing a year-ago profit, and raising questions about whether the company can get back to break-even levels quickly. For now, though, investors seem satisfied with Clean Energy Fuels' strategy to emphasize rising volume and station expansion.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Companies To Invest In Right Now: HFF Inc (HF)

HFF, Inc. is a provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to both the users and providers of capital in the United States commercial real estate industry. It is a full-service commercial real estate financial intermediary in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated out of 20 offices nationwide. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company advised on approximately $35.6 billion of completed commercial real estate transactions. The Company offers debt placement, investment sales, distressed debt and real estate owned advisory services, structured finance, private equity placement, investment banking services, loan sales and commercial loan servicing. In October 2011, the Company sold Las Olas City Centre. In March 2012, the Company sold 801 9th Street, NW, a 236,054 square-foot, Class A office building in Washington, D.C. In July 2013, the Company announced that it has closed the sale of Washington Harbour, a 557,961-square-foot, mixed-use project located along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown submarket. In September 2013, the Company announced that it has closed the sale of Greenway Plaza, a 4.4 million-square-foot, Class A office complex in Houston, Texas, and 777 Main, a 980,374-square-foot Class A office property in Fort Worth, Texas. In November 2013, HFF Inc closed the sale of The Granary. In November 2013, the Company�� subsidiary, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. sold Avalon on the Sound East, a 588-unit, 39-story, Class A multi-housing tower in New Rochelle, New York. In December 2013, HFF Inc sold its Pacific Commons Shopping Center, an 865,783-square-foot center in Fremont. In January 2014, HFF Inc has closed the sale of 225 West Santa Clara, a 16-story, 349,318-square-foot, transit-oriented trophy office property in downtown San Jose, California. In January 2014, HFF, Inc. sold two Central Florida Publix-anchored retail properties in Orlando and suburban Tampa, and sold eight-property, fully leased industrial portfolio in! the Meadowlands submarket of New Jersey. In January 2014, HFF Inc closed the sale of 800 Madison, a 217-unit, Class A multi-housing community with ground floor retail in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Debt Placement Services

The Company offers its clients a range of debt instruments, including but not limited to, construction and construction/mini-permanent loans, adjustable and fixed rate mortgages, entity level debt, mezzanine debt, forward delivery loans, tax exempt financing and sale/leaseback financing. Its clients are owners of various types of property, including, but not limited to, office, retail, industrial, hotel, multi-housing, self-storage, assisted living, nursing homes, condominiums and condominium conversions, mixed-use properties and land. The Company�� clients range in size from individual entrepreneurs who own a single property to the large real estate funds and institutional property owners worldwide who invest globally, especially in the United States. Debt is or has been placed with capital funding sources, both domestic and foreign, including, but not limited to, life insurance companies, conduits, investment banks, commercial banks, thrifts, agency lenders, pension funds, pension fund advisors, real estate investment trusts (REITs), credit companies, opportunity funds and individual investors. In 2011, its transaction volume in debt placements was approximately $18.7 billion.

Investment Sales Services

The Company provides investment sales services to commercial real estate owners who are seeking to sell one or more properties or property interests. In 2011, it completed investment sales of approximately $12.6 billion.

Structured Finance and Private Equity Services

The Company offers an array of structured finance and private equity alternatives and solutions at both the property and ownership entity level. In 2011, it completed approximately $2 billion of structured finance and advisory services transactions.

Private Equity, Investment Banking and Advisory Services

The Company�� broker-dealer subsidiary, HFF Securities L.P. (HFF Securities), undertakes both discretionary and non-discretionary private equity raises, select property specific joint ventures and select investment banking activities for its clients. At December 31, 2011, it had $1.9 billion of active private equity discretionary fund transactions. Through HFF Securities, it offers its clients the ability to access the private equity markets for an identified commercial real estate asset and discretionary private equity funds, joint ventures, entity-level private placements and advisory services, as well as structured finance services. HFF Securities��services to its clients include joint ventures, private placements, advisory services, and marketing and fund-raising.

Loan Sales

The Company assists its clients to sell all or portions of their commercial real estate debt note portfolios, which can include performing, non-performing and distressed debt and/or real estate owned properties. It had consummated $2.3 billion in loan sales transactions in 2011.

Commercial Loan Servicing

The Company provides commercial loan servicing (primary and sub-servicing) for life insurance companies, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) through relationships with a range of delegated underwriting and servicing (DUS) lenders, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) originators, mortgage REITS and debt funds, groups that purchase performing and/or non-performing loans, as well as owners who sell commercial real estate subject to a purchase money mortgage. During 2011, it had approximately 35 correspondent lender relationships with life insurers.

The Company competes with CBRE Capital Markets, Cushman & Wakefield, Eastdil Secured, Jones Lang LaSalle, Northmarq Capital and Berkadia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Hilary Kramer]

   

  2. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) The REIT is another alternative vehicle that's gone mainstream in recent years. Hundreds of broad-based and specialized real estate companies and ETFs are available, and after a correction a few months ago, many are on the cheap side. Like any other alternative, this should be a seasoning for your portfolio and not the sauce itself. For most retail investors, a stake in an indexed fund like the SPDR Dow Jones REIT (NYSE: RWR) should be more than adequate, or look into the companies that provide services to the REIT industry like HFF (NYSE: HF) and Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL).

   

Top 10 Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: PMC - Sierra Inc.(PMCS)

PMC-Sierra, Inc. engages in the design, development, marketing, and support of semiconductor solutions for the enterprise infrastructure and communications infrastructure markets. Its products include controllers based on Fibre Channel, Serial Attached SCSI, and Serial ATA that enable the development of external and server-attached storage systems; framers and mappers, which convert the data into a format for transmission in the network before the data is sent to the next destination; line interface units that transmit and receive signals over a physical medium, such as wire, cable, or fiber; and microprocessor-based system-on-chips, which perform the high-speed computations that help in identifying and controlling the flow of signals and data in various network equipment used in the communications, storage, and enterprise markets. The company also offers packet and cell processors that examine the contents of cells or packets, and perform various management and reporting functions; radio frequency transceivers, which transmit and receive broadband signals over the air; and serializers/deserializers that convert and multiplex traffic between slower speed parallel streams and higher speed serial streams. PMC-Sierra sells its products to end customers directly, as well as through distributors and independent manufacturers? representatives primarily in China, Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  PMC (Nasdaq:PMCS), the semiconductor innovator transforming networks that connect, move and store big data, reported that the Company will present at the Citi 2012 Technology Conference on September 5, 2012, in New York, NY.

Top 10 Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Daktronics Inc.(DAKT)

Daktronics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells various electronic display systems and related products, as well as provides related maintenance and professional services worldwide. The company offers scoring and timing products, such as indoor and outdoor scoreboards, digit displays, scoring and timing controllers, statistics software, and other related products; timing systems for sports events, primarily aquatics and track competitions; and audio systems integrated into a solution that include scoring, timing, message display, and/or video capability for sports venues, as well as related control systems. It also provides automated rigging and hoist products, which comprise of arena center-hung scoreboard/display systems for small and large sporting facilities; automated rigging for theatre applications, including high schools; and video display systems, such as displays to show various levels of video, graphics, and animation, as well as controllers to manage the operation of the display. In addition, the company provides architectural lighting and display products, which include freeform video elements; message display systems for commercial applications; digital billboards that offer digital display solutions for the outdoor advertising industry; Visiconn system, a primary software application for controlling content and playback loops for digital billboard applications; and digit and price displays consisting of outdoor time and temperature displays, as well as Fuelight digit displays designed for the petroleum industry. Further, it offers transportation products comprising various light emitting diodes-based displays for road management, parking, mass transit, and aviation applications; and rents its display equipment. The company sells its products through its direct sales force, as well as through resellers. Daktronics, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is based in Brookings, South Dakota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap flat panel display stock�Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: OLED) was hit by bearish news in late November and the trend lines on its technical�charts appear to be confused as to what direction the stock will head, meaning its probably time to take a closer look at the situation along with the stock�� performance verses that of flat panel display peers like large cap Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW)�and small cap players like Daktronics, Inc (NASDAQ: DAKT) and SGOCO Group Ltd (NASDAQ: SGOC)

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Wednesday, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT  ) will release its latest quarterly results. But can the company that's famous for helping professional sports keep score fare well enough to make investors the ultimate winners?

• [By John Udovich]

  Large cap glass and ceramics technology stock Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) has put in a good performance since announcing a deal with Samsung back in October, meaning its probably time to take a closer look at the stock along with the performance of�potential peers (either upstream or downstream on the OLED and liquid crystal display side of the glass business) like�small cap players like Daktronics, Inc (NASDAQ: DAKT), SGOCO Group Ltd (NASDAQ: SGOC) and Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ: OLED). I should note that we have recently added Corning Incorporated to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio because we believe the�company�� position as it relates to�glass and ceramics puts it in�a sweet spot�for the�next generation flexible screens and mobile wearables. But that�� not all there is to like about this stock.

Top 10 Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: L Brands Inc (LTD)

L Brands, Inc., formerly Limited Brands, Inc, incorporated on March 16, 1982, operates in the specialty retail business. The Company is a specialty retailer of women�� intimate and other apparel, beauty and personal care products and accessories. The Company operates in two segments: Victoria�� Secret and Bath & Body Works. It sells its merchandise through Company-owned specialty retail stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, which are primarily mall-based, and through Websites, catalogue and international franchise, license and wholesale partners. The Company operates in brands, such as Victoria�� Secret, Victoria�� Secret Pink, Bath & Body Works, La Senza, and Henri Bendel. The Company�� business for both the Victoria�� Secret and Bath & Body Works segments is principally conducted from office, distribution and shipping facilities located in the Columbus, Ohio area.

As of February 2, 2013, it operated 255 retail stores located in leased facilities, primarily in malls and shopping centers, throughout the Canadian provinces. As of February 2, 2013, it operated two retail stores in London. As of February 2, 2013, it operated 2,619 retail stores located in leased facilities, primarily in malls and shopping centers, throughout the United States. As of February 2, 2013, it also had 339 licensed La Senza stores in 32 countries; 38 franchised Bath & Body Works stores in nine countries; three franchised Victoria's Secret stores in two Middle Eastern countries, and 108 independently owned Victoria�� Secret Beauty and Accessories stores and various small-format locations in over 50 countries.

Victoria�� Secret, including Victoria�� Secret Pink, is a specialty retailer of women�� intimate and other apparel with fragrances and cosmetics, supermodels and runway shows. The Company sells its Victoria�� Secret products at more than 1,000 Victoria�� Secret stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and through the Victoria�� Secret catal! ogue and online at www.VictoriasSecret.com. Additionally, Victoria�� Secret brand products are also sold in stores operated by partners under a franchise or wholesale model throughout the world.

Bath & Body Works is a specialty retailer of home fragrance and personal care products, including shower gels, lotions, soaps and sanitizers. The Company sells its Bath & Body Works products at more than 1,600 Bath & Body Works stores in the United States and Canada and online at www.BathandBodyWorks.com. Additionally, Bath & Body Works brand products are available at franchise locations throughout the world.

La Senza is a specialty retailer of women�� intimate apparel. The Company sells its La Senza products at more than 150 La Senza stores in Canada and online at www.LaSenza.com. Additionally, La Senza has more than 330 stores in 32 countries operating under franchise and licensing arrangements. Henri Bendel sells upscale accessory products through its New York flagship and 28 other stores, as well as online at www.HenriBendel.com.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Reuters]

  Joshua Lott/Getty Images NEW YORK -- Several major U.S. retailers posted disappointing sales for November after cautious shoppers pinched their pennies at the start of a shorter holiday season. Some of the companies that reported sales gains ramped up bargains to bring in shoppers who appeared hesitant to splurge. Costco Wholesale (COST) said Thursday that sales at stores open at least a year rose 2 percent, below the 3.3 percent increase analysts were looking for, according to Thomson Reuters. The warehouse club chain said consumer electronics sales fell. Same-store sales at L Brands (LTD), owner of the Victoria's Secret lingerie chain, also came in below expectations. Its drop of 5.5 percent was far deeper than the 1.1 percent decline analysts were projecting. Wall Street analysts are expecting 11 top retailers to report a 2.7 percent increase in same-store sales for November, according to Thomson Reuters. Excluding drugstore operators, which get two-thirds of revenue from prescriptions, that gain is estimated at 2.3 percent. Gap (GPS) will report its November sales after U.S. markets close. Retailers have been contending with low consumer confidence and the need to prod shoppers with bargains this holiday season, which has six fewer days because of a late Thanksgiving. The National Retail Federation on Sunday said U.S. shoppers had spent 2.9 percent less this year over the Thanksgiving weekend, the kickoff to the holiday season. The Conference Board, an industry group, said last week that U.S. consumer confidence fell in November after a sharp drop in October as Americans worried about their future jobs and earnings prospects. Earlier this week, J.C. Penney (JCP) reported a 10.1 percent comparable sales increase, partially reversing a disastrous decline in 2012, but the department store chain had to resort to aggressive bargains. The "environment will remain as competitive" through the holiday season, Chief Executive Officer Myron Ullman said. I

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of the Gap have jumped 8.9% to $41.12, while L Brands (LTD) has gained 1.6% to $62.77, Urban Outfitters (URBN) has risen 2.1% to $39.27 and Ann (ANN) has advanced 1.5% to $35.47.

• [By Alex Planes]

  A&F remained focused on sportswear until it fell into bankruptcy in 1976. The brand was acquired by a rival sporting-goods retailer, which had difficulty turning A&F into a successful chain. It was not until Limited (now L Brands) (NYSE: LTD  ) bought the company in 1988 that A&F began its transformation into the cool-kids fashion outlet that now occupies hundreds of malls. Limited built A&F into a chain of 100-plus stores a year before spinning it off as an independent company in 1996. Following the spinoff, A&F began to create its own brands, launching a preteen brand in 1997 and the high-school-focused Hollister in 2000. Today, A&F maintains more than 1,000 stores around the world and is one of the 10 largest apparel-retailers in the U.S.

Top 10 Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Education Realty Trust Inc. (EDR)

Education Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), develops, acquires, owns, and manages student housing communities located near university campuses in the United States. It also provides third-party management services, including residence life and student development, marketing, leasing administration, strategic relationships, information systems, and accounting services for student housing communities owned by educational institutions and charitable foundations. In addition, the company offers third-party development consulting services, such as market analysis and evaluation of housing needs and options; co-operation with university in architectural design; negotiation of ground lease, development agreement, construction contract, architectural contract, and bond documents; oversight of architectural design process; co-ordination of governmental and university plan approvals; oversight of construction process; design, purchase, and installation of fu rniture; pre-opening marketing to students; and obtaining final approvals of construction. It provides its third-party development consulting services primarily to universities seeking to modernize their on-campus student housing communities, as well as to other third-party investors. As of December 31, 2009, the company owned 40 student housing communities located in 19 states containing 25,454 beds in 7,813 apartment units located near 35 universities. It also provided third-party management services for 20 student housing communities located in 9 states containing 10,186 beds in 3,272 apartment units at 16 universities. The company qualifies as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal corporate income tax if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1964 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  College dorm room operator�Education Realty Trust (NYSE: EDR  ) announced today its second-quarter dividend of $0.11 per share, a 10% hike in the payout of $0.10 per share that it made last quarter.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Education Realty Trust (EDR)
  
  Over the past week two insiders made some buys. Both the CEO as well as the company�� CFO made these buys.

  Executive VP, CFO and Treasurer Randall Brown bought 5,500 shares at $9.04 per share. This cost him a total of $49,720. The price per share has increased 1.44% since then. Brown now holds on to 99,346 shares of company stock.

Top 10 Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Supertex Inc.(SUPX)

Supertex, Inc., together with its subsidiary, Supertex Limited, designs, develops, manufactures, and markets high voltage analog and mixed signal integrated circuits (IC) primarily in Asia, the United States, China, and Europe. The company offers high voltage analog multiplexer switches, pulsers, high-speed MOSFET drivers, and discrete high voltage MOSFETs and arrays for the medical electronics market. It also provides LED driver products, including linear regulators and switching regulators for general lighting in automotive, industrial, and consumer applications; and for backlighting in LCD TVs, monitors, and laptop screens. In addition, the company offers electroluminescent lamps for backlighting hand-held instruments, such as cell phone keypads, watches, monochrome flat screens, and MP3 players; and driver ICs for driving non-impact printers and plotters. Further, it provides high voltage amplifier ICs to drive optical micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) for use in optical switching applications in the telecommunications market; high voltage electronic switch ICs for use in telephones; high voltage ICs for use as ring generators; and protection ICs for line cards. Additionally, the company offers ICs and DMOS devices primarily for various industrial applications. It markets and sells its products through direct sales personnel, independent sales representatives, and distributors primarily to original equipment manufacturers of electronic products. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Monday’s session are AutoNavi Holdings Ltd.(AMAP), Dick's Sporting Goods Inc.(DKS) and Supertex Inc.(SUPX)

Top 10 Clean Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: RetailMeNot Inc (SALE)

RetailMeNot Inc., incorporated on September 17, 2007, operates digital coupon marketplace, connecting consumers with retailers and brands. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had contracts with more than 10,000 paid retailers. The Company owns and operates digital coupon Websites in the United States (RetailMeNot.com) and the United Kingdom (VoucherCodes.co.uk). The Company�� Websites, mobile applications, e-mail newsletters and alerts and social media presence enable consumers to search for, discover and redeem digital coupons from retailers and brands. Its marketplace features digital coupons across multiple product categories, including clothing; electronics; health and beauty; home and office; travel, food and entertainment; personal and business services; and shoes. It aggregates digital coupons from retailers, performance marketing networks, its user community, its employees and outsourced providers.

Products and Services for Consumers

The Company�� product development approach is centered on building products that enable consumers to discover quality digital coupons, virtually anytime and anywhere, and redeem them online or in-store. The Company�� products and services for consumers are available through its Websites and mobile applications. The Company offers its consumers digital coupons from retailers and brands across multiple product categories. Consumers visiting its marketplace search for and discover digital coupons based on retailer name, product, category, digital coupon type, popularity, success rate and other characteristics. Once a consumer discovers a relevant digital coupon, the consumer clicks on that digital coupon and is directed to the Website of the respective retailer, where the consumer is able to purchase products and redeem the digital coupon.

The Company�� mobile applications allow consumers to shop when they want, where they want. Consumers use its mobile applications to discover, store for use later and access the digit! al coupons they want and to redeem them both online and in-store. They can browse top digital coupons, stores and product category listings. Its mobile applications allow users to share digital coupons with others through e-mail, text message or through social media channels. In addition, utilizing location-based technology, the RetailMeNot iPhone application notifies consumers of savings opportunities when they are shopping near one of 575 geo-fenced shopping malls by sending consumers alerts for digital coupons that can be used in these malls. Consumers can redeem these digital coupons by scanning the barcode at the retailer�� register or by having the sales associate enter the promotional code shown on the consumer�� mobile screen into their point-of-sale system.

Using the Company�� geo-location technology, users that opt in receive an alert when they are near a shopping mall. The alert lists digital coupons that can be redeemed at certain stores within that mall. The mobile application also allows consumers to discover and redeem digital coupons online and to find nearby stores where the digital coupon can be utilized. Consumers can subscribe to receive its periodic e-mail newsletter and alerts. Its e-mail newsletter allows consumers to stay informed about featured digital coupons, while its alerts notify consumers when digital coupons from their preferred retailers become available. As of March 31, 2013, it had over nine million subscribers to its free e-mail newsletters and alerts.

Consumers can engage with the Company on social media channels, such as Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Twitter, to receive promotional messages from retailers and brands. In addition, it engages consumers through social and gamification features in the Community section of RetailMeNot.com, including the ability to earn points, track dollars users have helped others save, view rankings, earn badges and win prizes.

Products and Services for Retailers

The Company ! provides ! retailers and brands with access to new customers through multiple channels online on its Websites and mobile applications, by e-mail newsletters and alerts and its social media presence, and in-store by displaying a digital coupon on a mobile device or presenting a printed coupon. It allows retailers to provide digital coupons across these multiple channels. It provides its paid retailers with a range of paid placement opportunities. Its placement opportunities include placement within the top coupon carousel of its homepage, the side rail of its category pages, its weekly e-mail newsletter, solo retailer newsletter campaigns and on the landing screen of its mobile applications. It charges a fee for these advertising tools on a campaign basis for a given period of time.

The Company competes with dealspl.us, bradsdeals, dealnews, savings.com, Tech Bargains and Coupon Cabin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ari Levy]

  Facebook isn�� the only one rallying. Yelp Inc., Trulia and RetailMeNot Inc. (SALE) are among newly-public consumer-Web companies that have soared this year.