Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014

With shares of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) trading around $386, is AMZN 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

Amazon serves its customers through its retail websites and focus on selection, price, and convenience. The company also manufactures and sells Kindle devices. Amazon offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on the company�� websites, including the sellers��own branded websites, and fulfill orders through them. Amazon also provides platforms that allow authors, musicians, filmmakers, app developers, and others to publish and sell content. Online commerce has been on the rise because of the convenience, efficiency, and relatively low prices offered.

While the e-retailer already offers its own brand of batteries, keyboards, and bedding, Amazon is looking to expand its private-label products to grocery store shelves. AllThingsD reports that recent job listings indicate that Amazon is making the push into supermarkets. The possibilities range from groceries to health and personal care to baby products; the AmazonFresh grocery delivery operation is also a part of the division, according to the news outlet.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Quantum Energy Ltd (QTM.AX)

Quantum Energy Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and distribution of energy saving hot water, heating, and cooling systems for residential and commercial markets in Australia and internationally. It provides solar power systems, hot water heaters, and pool heaters, as well as commercial and industrial building heaters. The company is also involved in the distribution of medical products primarily in the field of nuclear medicine. Quantum Energy Limited is based in Alexandria, Australia.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Citizens Inc (CIA)

Citizens, Inc. (Citizens), incorporated on November 8, 1977, is an insurance holding company serving the life insurance needs of individuals in the United States. The Company operates in three segments: Life Insurance, Home Service and Other Non-insurance Enterprises. Its core insurance operations include issuing and servicing the United States Dollar-denominated ordinary whole life insurance and endowment policies predominantly to high net worth, high income foreign residents, principally in Latin America and the Pacific Rim, through independent marketing consultants; ordinary whole life insurance policies to middle income households concentrated in the midwest and southern United States through independent marketing consultants, and final expense and limited liability property policies to middle and lower income households in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi through employee and independent agents in its home service distribution channel.

Life Insurance

The Company�� Life Insurance segment issues ordinary whole life insurance domestically and in United States Dollar-denominated amounts to foreign residents. These contracts are designed to provide a fixed amount of insurance coverage over the life of the insured. Additionally, endowment contracts are issued by the Company, which are principally accumulation contracts that incorporate an element of life insurance protection. The Company operates the segment through its subsidiaries: CICA Life Insurance Company of America (CICA) and Citizens National Life Insurance Company (CNLIC).

The Company offers several ordinary whole life insurance and endowment products designed to meet the needs of its non-United States policy owners. Its domestic life insurance products focus primarily on living needs and provide benefits focused toward accumulating money for the policyowner. The Company�� life insurance products are principally designed to address the insured�� concern about outliving his or her monthly income,! while at the same time providing death benefits. The primary purpose of its product portfolio is to help the insured create capital for needs, such as retirement income, children's higher education funds, business opportunities, emergencies and health care needs.

Home Service Insurance

The Company operates in the Home Service market through its subsidiaries Security Plan Life Insurance Company (SPLIC) and Security Plan Fire Insurance Company (SPFIC), and focus on the life insurance needs of the middle and lower income markets, primarily in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Its home service insurance products consist primarily of small face amount ordinary whole life and pre-need policies, which are designed to fund final expenses for the insured, primarily consisting of funeral and burial costs.

Other Non-Insurance Enterprises

Other Non-insurance Enterprises includes Computing Technology, Inc., which provides data processing services to the Company, and Insurance Investors, Inc., which provides aviation transportation to the Company. This segment also includes the results of Citizens, Inc., the parent Company.

Top Casino Companies To Watch In Right Now: Pankl Racing Systems AG (PARS.VI)

Pankl Racing Systems AG is an Austria-based holding company that develops, produces and distributes mechanical technology systems for the automotive and aviation industries, and specializes in the niche markets of motor racing, luxury vehicles and aerospace. The Company operates through two main segments: combined segment Racing/High Performance and Aerospace. The Racing segment supplies engine as well as drive train components and systems for the racing market. The High Performance segment is specialized in the production of engine and drive train components for luxury vehicles, engine parts for the aftermarket and aluminum forged parts. The Aerospace segment produces lightweight and flexible transmission components as well as systems for over 50 types of fixed and rotary wing aircraft. As of December 31, 2011, Pankl Racing Systems AG operated through 16 subsidiaries located in Austria, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and the United States. The Company is a subsidiary of the CROSS Group.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Oracle Financial Services Software Ltd (ORCL.NS)

Oracle Financial Services Software Limited is principally engaged in the business of providing information technology (IT) solutions and knowledge processing services to the financial services industry worldwide. The Company has a suite of banking products, which caters to the needs of corporate, retail, investment banking, treasury operations and data warehousing. The Company operates in three segments: Product licenses and related activities, IT solutions and consulting services, and Business Processing Services (BPO). Product licenses and related activities segment deals with various banking software products. IT solutions and consulting services segment offers services spanning the entire lifecycle of applications used by financial service institutions. The division�� portfolio includes Consulting, Application, Support and Technology Services. BPO Services consists of business process outsourcing services to the Lending, Collections, Customer Service and Capital Mark ets industry.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: MicroStrategy Incorporated(MSTR)

MicroStrategy Incorporated provides enterprise software platforms for business intelligence (BI), and mobile and social intelligence applications worldwide. The company offers MicroStrategy 9, an integrated BI platform that enables businesses to make business decisions. The MicroStrategy 9 platform?s product components comprise Intelligence Server, a foundation for the BI platform; Report Services, a reporting engine delivering production and operational reports, managed metrics reports, and interactive dashboards; OLAP Services that allows Web and desktop users to manipulate Intelligent Cubes databases; Web, a Web interface providing query, reporting, and analysis; Distribution Services that offers automated report and dashboard distribution; Office, which enables Microsoft Office users to create, run, edit, and format MicroStrategy report; and Desktop that provide users access to data through analytical applications. The MicroStrategy 9 platform?s product components al so include Architect, whose data sources are modeled through an intuitive graphical user interface; SDK to integrate MicroStrategy 9 features and functionality into any application on multiple platforms; Integrity Manager to compare and verify reports? consistency; Command Manager that automates MicroStrategy administrative tasks; Enterprise Manager to provide prebuilt reports and dashboards; Object Manager that allows administrators to manage disparate and distributed environments; MultiSource Option allowing users to report, analyze, and monitor data; Transaction Services that provides write-back capabilities; and Clustering Option, a plug-and-play add-on to Intelligence Server. The company also offers technical support, consulting, education, and cloud-based solutions. It serves retail, communications, financial services, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, consumer goods, and public services industries. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Beyers and Erin Miller]

  Importantly, the BI sector as a whole isn't seeing gains. MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR  ) fell as much as Qlik gained on a 6% decline in revenues in the most recent quarter. Qlik, by contrast, reported a 22% rise in revenue and told analysts to expect another 20% or better bump in the quarter.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: ZipRealty Inc.(ZIPR)

ZipRealty, Inc., a residential real estate brokerage company, provides brokerage services to buyers and sellers in the United States. The company, through its Website ziprealty.com, provides access to Multiple Listing Services (MLS) home listings data, including pictures from the local MLSs; and allows consumers to receive an automatic email notification each time a property that meets their desired search criteria, is made available on the local MLSs. Its Website also offers neighborhood data, such as population, comparable home sales, average income, education level, occupation mix, cost of living, crime statistics, weather, school district information, maps, and driving directions; online images and virtual tours; schedule visits; and home offers. In addition, the company operates ZAP, a Web-based agent platform and customer relationship management system integrated to its Website. Its ZAP integrates and records consumer contact information and Website behavior, agent b ehavior, and transaction information into a common platform; and records relevant consumer behavior, such as logon frequency and times, specific homes viewed and printed, searches made by clients, requested visits to view homes, and online offers, as well as captures and stores agent activities, including agent email communications organized by clients. The company offers its services through its agents in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, D.C. ZipRealty, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Emeryville, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shaun Currie, CFA]

  ZipRealty (ZIPR) is a company that meets 5 of the 6 criteria listed above. The stock has fallen out of favor over the last several years as performance declined during the recession. The company has completed a major restructuring and recently returned to positive EBITDA margins. Operations of the company are further supported by a pickup in home sales in the US. There has also been significant insider buying over the past month, and the company trades at a deep discount to its competition. I believe the stock has at least 60% upside from its current price.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Trafford Resources Ltd(TRF.AX)

Trafford Resources Limited engages in the mineral exploration activities in Australia. It primarily explores for iron oxide, copper, gold, silver, lead, zinc, and uranium deposits. The company primarily holds interests in the Wilcherry Hill project covering 976 square kilometers located in South Australia; and the Lynas Find project consisting of 10 granted prospecting licenses covering approximately 792 hectares located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Trafford Resources Limited is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Hurco Companies Inc. (HURC)

Hurco Companies, Inc., an industrial technology company, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of computerized machine tools, computer control systems, and software products to companies in the metal working industry primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company offers general purpose computerized machine tools, such as vertical machining centers/mills and turning centers/lathes. It also provides computer control systems and related software for press brake applications. In addition, the company produces and distributes software options, control upgrades, hardware accessories, and replacement parts for its machine tool product lines, as well as provides operator training and support services to its customers. Hurco Companies, Inc. offers its products to the precision tool, die, and mold manufacturers; independent metal parts manufacturers; and specialized production application or prototype departments within manufacturing operations. It serves aerospace , defense, medical equipment, energy, automotive/transportation, electronics, and computer industries. The company sells its products through independent agents and distributors in North America, Europe, and Asia, a swell as through direct sales personnel in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and certain parts of the United States. Hurco Companies, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  Hardinge (HDNG) the Perfect Fit to the Investment Puzzle
  
  Several years earlier I had started following the machine tool sector and I became quite familiar with Hardinge. Although I never invested in the stock (I had opted for Hurco), I had noted that Jeffrey Gendell had been purchasing shares the company. Hurco (HURC) had much higher margins and it was my belief that the superior quality of their computerized machine tools and their accompanying software were reflected in their earnings. Hurco also held a vastly superior balance sheet at the time I made my investment.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Primoris Services Corporation(PRIM)

Primoris Services Corporation, a specialty contractor and infrastructure company, provides a range of construction, fabrication, maintenance, replacement, water and wastewater, and product engineering services in the United States and internationally. It offers construction services, including installation of underground pipeline, cable, and conduits for entities in the petroleum, petrochemical, and water industries; installation and maintenance of industrial facilities for petroleum, petrochemical, and water industries; installation of commercial and industrial cast-in-place structures; and construction of highways, as well as industrial and environmental constructions. The company also engages in designing, supplying, and installing high-performance furnaces, heaters, burner management systems, and related combustion and process technologies for clients in the oil refining, petrochemical, and power generation industries, as well as furnishes turnkey project management se rvices and delivers custom engineering solutions. It serves public utilities, petrochemical companies, energy companies, municipalities, state departments of transportation, and other customers. Primoris Services Corporation is based in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon] ris is a contractor and infrastructure company founded in 1946. It provides services related to construction fabrication, maintenance, replacement, water and wastewater and engineering to clients that are typically major public utilities, petrochemical companies, energy companies, municipalities and others. It doubled its size in 2009 and 2010 when it purchased the James Construction Group and Rockford Corporation, respectively. Primoris��predecessor company, Rhapsody acquisition Corp., had its IPO in 2006, and Primoris merged with Rhapsody in 2008.

  Joel Greenblatt bought 59,076 shares at an average price of $13.56 in the fourth quarter. After being relatively flat since its IPO, Primoris��stock price began to rise dramatically in 2011, and Greenblatt bought on a dip in the fourth quarter. In the last year it has appreciated 87 percent.

  Primoris��free cash flow and revenue in 2010 bounced back from a down year in 2009 and EBITDA grew each year in the same span of time. Return on equity and return on assets have both declined over the three years, but in the third quarter of 2011 came back strongly. ROE increased to 29.3 percent from 16.1 at year-end 2010, and ROA has increased to 11.4 percent from 4.8 percent at year-end 2010.

  The third quarter was good in other ways. The company reached its highest revenue and net income in its 60-year history. However, fluctuations in revenue and earnings may occur over the next several quarters as it completes several major projects. On November 30, it announced $181 million in new contracts.

  Primoris��P/E, P/S and P/B ratios:

  PRIM pe,ps,pb Interactive Chart

  Caribou Coffee (CBOU)

  Caribou Coffee is a gourmet coffee company that owns the second-largest number of coffeehouses in the U.S. After rising significantly in the second quarter of 2011, its stock price dropped in the fourth quarter, when Joel Greenblatt purchased it. He bought 52,794 shares at an average price of $13.27.

Top 10 Low Price Companies To Own For 2014: Symax Lift (HOLDING)

Symax Lift (Holding) Co. Ltd. develops, manufactures, and sells elevators, escalators, and stair lifts in China and internationally. It offers a line of standardized products, which include passenger elevators, goods/freight elevators, villa elevators, panorama elevators, hospital elevators, residential and commercial escalators, and moving walkways; and customized elevator products. The company also provides after-sales services, including installation, repair, and maintenance services. It sells its products through a network of agents and distributors. The company is based in Richmond, Canada.