5 Best Performing Stocks To Watch For 2014

Time Warner� (NYSE: TWX  ) �has reported record quarterly revenues. The company's TV networks have been performing very well which has led to stellar free cash flow growth. The company�increased its quarterly cash dividend by 10% and it is buying back $5 billion of stock. After Time Warner completes the spin-off of its publishing business, Time, the company will become more focused as a pure-media company, which will lead to additional upside.

Turner is a key earnings driver
In 2013, the company's revenue increased by 4% to $29.8 billion and free cash flow increased by 20% to $3.5 billion. Time Warner bought back 60.5 million shares using $3.7 billion in 2013. It also increased its share repurchase authorization to $5 billion, which represents almost 9% of its outstanding stock.�

Turner is a major driving force for Time Warner as it makes up 53% of the company's total operating income. TBS continues to rank as the leading ad-supported cable network in prime-time among adults. Furthermore, the news network CNN reached more viewers than any other cable news network in 2013, and it should continue to do well.

5 Best Information Technology Stocks To Buy For 2015: Unilever NV (UNA)

Unilever N.V. (NV) is a supplier of fast moving consumer goods. The two parent companies, NV and Unilever PLC (PLC), together with their group companies, operate as the Unilever Group (Unilever). The Company�� four product areas are Personal Care, Foods, Refreshment and Home Care. The Company's personal care, which includes sales of skincare and haircare products, deodorants and oral care products; foods, which includes sales of soups, bouillons, sauces, snacks, mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarines and spreads; refreshment, which includes sales of ice cream, tea-based beverages, weight-management products and nutritionally enhanced staples sold in developing markets and home care, which includes sales of home care products, such as laundry tablets, powders and liquids, soap bars and a range of cleaning products. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adi Narayan]

  Unilever (UNA) fell short on its public offer to raise its majority holding in Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUVR) to 75 percent, ending up with about a two-thirds stake after some shareholders of the Mumbai-based company opted not to sell.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Unilever (UNA) slipped 2.8 percent to 27.94 euros after saying sales growth slowed as trading in emerging markets deteriorated at a faster rate. Underlying group sales for the three months will rise 3 percent to 3.5 percent, the maker of Lipton tea and Dove soap said late yesterday in a statement. That compares with 5 percent growth in both the first half and second quarter.

5 Best Performing Stocks To Watch For 2014: Bovie Medical Corporation (BVX)

Bovie Medical Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical products and devices with an emphasis on electrosurgical generators and electrosurgical disposables primarily in the United States. Its electrosurgery product line comprises desiccators, generators, electrodes, electrosurgical pencils, and various ancillary disposable products used in surgical procedures in gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, dermatology, veterinary, and other surgical markets for the cutting and coagulation of tissue. The company offers Aaron 900 and Aaron 940, which are high frequency desiccators designed primarily for dermatology and family practice physicians for removing small skin lesions and growths, as well as for office based coagulation. It also provides Aaron 950, a high frequency desiccator with cut capacity for outpatient surgical procedures; Aaron 1250U, a 120-watt multipurpose electrosurgery generator; and Aaron 2250/3250 and IDS 200/300/400 multipurpose digital electros urgery generators. In addition, the company offers ICON GI, ICON GP, and ICON VS specialty electrosurgical generators; Resistick II, a coating that is applied to stainless steel, which resists eschar during surgery; disposable laparoscopic instruments; and ICON GS (J-Plasma), a plasma system. Further, it provides battery operated cauteries used for sculpting woven grafts in bypass surgery, vasectomies, and evacuation of subungual hematoma, as well as for arresting bleeding in various types of surgeries; battery operated medical lights that act as specialty lighting instruments for use in ophthalmology as well as specialty lighting instruments for general surgery, hip replacement surgery, and for the placement of endotracheal tubes in emergency and surgical procedures; and nerve locator stimulators used for identifying motor nerves in hand and facial reconstructive surgery. Bovie Medical Corporation was founded in 1982 and is based in Melville, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Stephan]

  The J-Plasma surgical technology from Bovie Medical Corporation (BVX) has recently begun to hit the market. Although it is anticipated sales will start out slowly due to the time involved in building and deploying a sales force specific to J-Plasma and in hospital capital equipment purchasing decisions, revenues from J-Plasma are expected to become very strong in 2014, leading to a correspondingly large upward move in the share price.

5 Best Performing Stocks To Watch For 2014: Leap Wireless International Inc.(LEAP)

Leap Wireless International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides digital wireless services under the ?Cricket? brand name in the United States. The company offers unlimited local and the U.S. long distance services from various Cricket service area and unlimited text messaging services, as well as mobile Web, 411 services, navigation, and data back-up. It also provides BridgePay, a flexible payment option for customers to use and pay for the company?s cricket wireless service; handsets and devices with various features; cricket broadband service, an unlimited mobile broadband service that allows customers to access the Internet through their computers; Cricket PAYGo Service, a pay-as-you-go unlimited prepaid wireless service designed for customers who prefer the flexibility and control offered by traditional prepaid services; and Muve Music Service, an unlimited music download service for mobile handsets in select cricket markets. In addition, the company off ers voice and data roaming services. It markets its cricket handsets and services, primarily through company-owned retail stores and kiosks, as well as through authorized dealers and distributors, including premier dealers, local market authorized dealers, national mass-market retailers, and other indirect distributors. As of December 31, 2010, the company offered services in 35 states and the District of Columbia to approximately 5.5 million customers. Leap Wireless International, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Whitney Kisling]

  Bullish options trading in Leap Wireless International Inc. (LEAP) reached the highest level since November prior to the announcement of its takeover by AT&T Inc. (T)

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  PHH stock also should be shorted, or at least sold if you hold it.

  Stocks to Short #3: Leapfrog Enterprises (LEAP)

  Leapfrog Enterprises (LEAP) never felt to me like a sustainable business. My kids never took to their products, and they always seemed to be buried under other more interesting toys at the homes of fellow parents.

• [By Alan Ellman]

  The day is Friday July 12, and the stock is LEAP Wireless International Inc. (LEAP), which is a takeover candidate by AT&T. In the late afternoon, the share price was near $8 per share, the July $9 call option was priced @ $0.10, and the August $9 call @ $0.40. Covered call writers could generate an initial profit (ROO) of 1% and 5%, respectively. The average daily option trading volume for this company is 1320 contracts over the last three months. It appeared to be a normal trading day until the last hour of trading when option volume went through the roof. By day’s end, 7139 contracts were traded, all but 350 were calls as traders were taking a bullish stance on this stock. I think you know what’s coming!

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Technically, Leap Wireless (NASDAQ: LEAP  ) is another iPhone carrier in the U.S. with its Cricket brand, but its iPhone sales haven't been meaningful enough for the carrier to disclose specific figures. What investors do know is that the prepaid carrier is well behind schedule on meeting its purchase commitment, so it's safe to say Cricket iPhones aren't moving the needle meaningfully one way or another. T-Mobile is now an iPhone carrier, but that launched after the quarter closed.

5 Best Performing Stocks To Watch For 2014: Citi Trends Inc (CTRN)

Citi Trends, Inc., incorporate on March 3, 1999, is a retailer of urban fashion apparel and accessories for the entire family. The Company offers branded apparel from national brands, as well as private label apparel, accessories and a limited assortment of home decor items. As of February 2, 2013, the Company operated 513 stores in both urban and rural markets in 29 states. The Company�� stores average approximately 10,700 square feet of selling space and are located in neighborhood shopping centers. The Company also offers products under its brands, such as Diva Blue, Red Ape, Vintage Harlem and Lil Ms Hollywood. The Company�� store offers a variety of products for men and women, as well as children. During the fiscal years ended February 2, 2013 (fiscal 2012), the Company opened four new stores.

The Company's merchandise includes apparel, accessories and home decor. Within apparel, the Company offers fashion sportswear for men, women and children, including offerings for newborns, infants, toddlers, boys and girls. Accessories include handbags, jewelry, footwear, belts, intimate apparel and sleepwear. All merchandise sold in the Company's stores is shipped directly from its distribution centers in Darlington, South Carolina and Roland, Oklahoma.

The Company competes with TJX Companies, Inc., Ross Stores, Inc., The Cato Corporation, Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp., Rainbow, Dots, It's Fashion!, Simply Fashions, Wal-Mart and Target, Kmart.

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 Citi Trends (Nasdaq: CTRN  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.