Top Income Companies For 2014

Even though it is, and will probably always be, the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants in the world, the forecast for this company's growth has started to look a little bleak, writes MoneyShow's Jim Jubak, also of Jubak's Picks.

McDonald's (MCD) customers are getting squeezed and so, therefore, is McDonald's.

For the third quarter, comparable store sales grew by just 0.7% in the United States. That's down from 1% comparable store sales growth in the second quarter. Global comparable sales climbed by 0.9%. Wall Street had been expecting 1% growth.

McDonald's did beat analyst earnings estimates of $1.52 a share by a penny, but that wasn't enough to offset a rather gloomy forecast for growth. In October, the company said it expects flat comparable store sales. The shares finished down 0.64% at the close on October 21.

In the United States, new menu items such as pumpkin-spice lattes and Mighty Wings didn't draw enough new spending to offset the company's need to focus on value pricing, as lower income customers continue to cut their spending. The problem seems to be worse, though, than at competitors. Wall Street analysts project that McDonald's will grow revenue by just 2.4% in 2013, compared to the National Restaurant Association's estimate of 4.9% growth for the US quick-service dining sector.

Top Industrial Conglomerate Companies To Invest In 2015: Martin Midstream Partners L.P.(MMLP)

Martin Midstream Partners L.P. collects, transports, stores, and markets petroleum products and by-products in the United States Gulf Coast region. The company?s Terminalling and Storage segment owns or operates 27 marine shore based terminal facilities and 12 specialty terminal facilities that provide storage, processing, and handling services for producers and suppliers of petroleum products and by-products, lubricants, and other liquids, including the refining of various grades and quantities of naphthenic lubricants and related products. This segment also offers land rental services to oil and gas companies, and storage and handling services for lubricants and fuel oil. The Natural Gas Services segment is involved in the gathering and processing of natural gas, and distribution of natural gas liquids (NGLs). This segment owns 1 NGL pipeline; and 3 NGL supply and storage facilities, as well as has ownership interests in approximately 719 miles of gathering and transmis sion pipelines located in the natural gas producing regions of east Texas, Northwest Louisiana, the Texas Gulf Coast and offshore Texas and federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. The Sulfur Services segment processes and distributes sulfur produced by oil refineries that is primarily used in the production of fertilizers and industrial chemicals. This segment own and operates 6 sulfur-based fertilizer production plants, and 1 emulsified sulfur blending plant that manufacture sulfur-based fertilizer products for wholesale distributors and industrial users; 1 sulfuric acid production plant that processes molten sulfur into sulfuric acid; and 1 ammonium sulfate production plant that processes sulfuric acid into ammonium sulfate. The Marine Transportation segment utilizes a fleet of 41 inland marine tank barges, 20 inland push boats, and 4 offshore tug barge units that transport petroleum products and by-products. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Kilgore, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  The index includes everything from behemoths like Enterprise Product Partners (NYSE: EPD) and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP) down to a pair with market capitalizations under $1 billion in Martin Midstream Partners (NASDAQ: MMLP) and Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE: NMM). The total market cap of the index is $328 billion, and its one-, three- and five-year total returns are 20 percent, 48 percent and 194 percent. The index yield is 6 percent.

Top Income Companies For 2014: Annaly Capital Management Inc (NLY)

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (Annaly), incorporated on November 25, 1996, owns, manage, and finance a portfolio of real estate related investments, including mortgage pass-through certificates, collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), Agency callable debentures, and other securities representing interests in or obligations backed by pools of mortgage loans. The Company's wholly owned subsidiaries offer diversified real estate, asset management and other financial services. The Company's subsidiary, RCap Securities, Inc. (RCap), operates as a broker-dealer. In August 2012, the Company liquidated FIDAC FSI LLC. In December 2012, the Company sold FIDAC Europe Limited.

The Company�� subsidiary Fixed Income Discount Advisory Company (FIDAC) is an investment advisor registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), is a fixed-income investment management company specializing in managing fixed income investments in residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations for various investment vehicles and separate accounts. FIDAC is engaged in managing and structuring debt financing associated with various asset classes and as a liquidation agent of collateralized debt obligations. As of December 31, 2012, FIDAC was the adviser or sub-adviser for real estate investment trust (REITs )and other investment vehicles. Merganser Capital Management, Inc. (Merganser) is an investment advisor, registered with the SEC, engaged in a range of fixed income strategies and focuses on managing each portfolio based on each client�� specific investment principles. Merganser serves a group of clients in a range of disciplines globally, including pension, public, operating, Taft-Hartley and endowment funds, as well contribution plans. RCap Securities, Inc. (RCap) operates as a broker-dealer and is a member in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Through the Company�� subsidiary Shannon Funding LLC (Shannon),! it provides warehouse financing to residential mortgage originators in the United States. It also owns an additional subsidiary, which owns trading securities. Under the Company�� investment policy, at least 75% of its total assets consisted of mortgage-backed securities and short-term investments. The remainder of its assets, consisting not more than 25% of its total assets, may consist of other qualified REIT real estate assets. As of December 31, 2012, all of the mortgage-backed securities, which it has acquired, have been backed by single-family residential mortgage loans. The Company also invests in Agency debentures, which consist of debentures issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB), Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  6. Investments with high dividend yields don't always produce good total returns. Often, high yields signal danger, as the recent experience of Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY  ) and American Capital Agency (NASDAQ: AGNC  ) show. Rising interest rates have crushed those stocks, costing investors the equivalent of two years' worth of dividend payments just since the end of April. For funds, distribution yields are often meaningless, as they can include a portion of your own invested capital being returned to you.

Top Income Companies For 2014: Cobra Electronics Corporation(COBR)

Cobra Electronics Corporation engages in the design and marketing of two-way mobile communication and mobile navigation products in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It operates in two segments, Cobra Consumer Electronics and Performance Products Limited. The Cobra Consumer Electronics segment principally offers radar detection products, photo-enforcement and safety detection products, citizens band radios, power inverters and jumpstarters, two-way radios, and marine electronics, as well as mobile navigation for professional drivers. It sells its products directly to retailers, such as mass marketers, consumer electronics specialty stores, department store chains, warehouse clubs, television home-shopping and internet retailers, direct-response merchandisers, home centers, specialty stores, and travel center, as well as through two-step wholesale distributors that carry its products to fill orders for travel centers, small department stores and appliance dealers, duty -free shops on cruise lines, and export and marine products. The Performance Products Limited segment offers personal navigation devices under the Snooper Truckmate, Snooper Ventura, Snooper Sapphire Plus, and other trade names; GPS-enabled speed camera location detectors under the Snooper My Speed, Snooper 3 Zero, and other trade names; proprietary AURA database that provides drivers with advance notice of upcoming speed camera and hazard locations; E-Bike, a compact folding electric bike; and WPT250M tracker, a tracking device that uses GPS, GPRS, and GSM technology to monitor the location of boats, vehicles, pets, or individuals with an accuracy of 2.5 meters. The company was founded in 1961 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  Check here for more Guru trading details.
  
  Cobra Electronics Corporation (COBR)

  The current COBR share price is $2.56, or 52.6% off the 52-week high of $5.40.

Top Income Companies For 2014: Williams-Sonoma Inc.(WSM)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of home products. It offers culinary and serving equipment, including cookware, cookbooks, cutlery, informal dinnerware, glassware, table linens, specialty foods, and cooking ingredients; and bridal and gift items under the Williams-Sonoma brand name. The company also provides home furnishing categories, including furniture, textiles, decorative accessories, lighting, and tabletop items under the West Elm brand name; bed and bath products under the Pottery Barn brand name; and children?s furnishings and accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand name. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. sells its home products through four retail store concepts, which include Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and West Elm; six direct-mail catalogs that comprise Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed and Bath, PBteen, and West Elm; and six e-commerce Websites, which consist of williams-sonoma.com, potte rybarn.com, potterybarnkids.com, pbteen.com, westelm.com, and wshome.com. As of January 30, 2011, it operated 592 stores, including 260 Williams-Sonoma, 193 Pottery Barn, 85 Pottery Barn Kids, 36 West Elm, and 18 outlet stores located in 44 states of the United States; Washington, D.C.; Canada; and Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Myra P. Saefong]

  Williams-Sonoma Inc.�� (WSM) �stock also gained after the retailer reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped market expectations and announced a hike in its dividend. Shares in Magicjack VocalTec Ltd. (CALL) �also saw active trading, rallying as the company�� results for the quarter beat the market�� target.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Among stocks making news after hours today was Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM  ) , whose shares jumped 7% on a strong earnings report. The home-products retailer said earnings per share improved from $1.34 to $1.38, better than estimates at $1.35 a share. Revenue improved 10% on an even calendar basis, on a 10.4% increase in comparable brand sales to $1.47 billion, ahead of the consensus at $1.43 billion. CEO Laura Alber said that the company "outperformed the retail industry this holiday season, gaining market share and demonstrating the structural advantage of our multi-brand, multi-channel platform." Also pleasing investors was the company's decision to lift its dividend 6% from $0.31 to $0.33, though EPS guidance for the current year of $3.05-$3.15 was short of the consensus of $3.20. Still with core brands like Pottery Barn and West Elm growing organically by double digits, the company's position looks strong going forward.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Canaccord Genuity.

  World Point Terminals L.P. (NYSE: WPT) was initiated as Outperform with a $23 price target at Credit Suisse.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  So far, I��e given a wait-and-see rating to ZU stock and a thumbs-up to COLM stock. Another omni-channel retailer that could benefit from the brutal winter we��e been having is Williams-Sonoma (WSM). WSM stock generates about half its annual revenue from online sales, and, to a much lesser extent, catalog sales.

Top Income Companies For 2014: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited(CP)

Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a transcontinental railway providing freight transportation services, logistics solutions, and supply chain expertise in Canada and the United States. It transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, sulphur, and fertilizers; merchandise freight; finished vehicles and automotive parts; forest products, which include wood pulp, paper, paperboard, newsprint, lumber, panel, and oriented strand board; and industrial and consumer products comprising chemicals, energy, and plastics, as well as mine, metals, and aggregates. The company provides rail and intermodal transportation services over a network of approximately 14,700 miles serving the principal business centers of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, British Columbia; and the Midwest and Northeast regions of the United States. Canadian Pacific Railway Limited was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Canada's national tragedy
  Unfortunately, the year was marred by more than just close calls. Earlier this month, a runaway train loaded with oil derailed in a quaint lakeside town in Quebec. An ensuing explosion caused an estimated 1.5 million gallons of oil to catch fire, ultimately killing 47 people. Despite a previously stellar safety record, oil-by-rail has seen several spills this year, including three small spills earlier this year by Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP  ) . Its largest accident resulted in a spill of 30,000 gallons of oil in Minnesota. However, those spills are really a drop in the bucket when compared with the devastating tragedy in Canada, which is by far the worst oil-by-rail disaster since the industry started relying on the rails because of a lack of pipeline capacity.�

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Not surprisingly, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , one of largest rail companies in the U.S., tripled the amount of crude oil it shipped last year, while Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-B  ) Burlington Northern Santa Fe, or BNSF, another rail giant, is currently moving about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, up from next to nothing just five years ago. And Canadian Pacific Railway (NYSE: CP  ) expects to ship some 70,000 carloads of crude this year, up from just 500 in 2009.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Another area that is intriguing to us is the North American energy sector which looks to have a number of interesting catalysts currently. While the energy sector is at present only a modest overweight in the portfolios, we have been encouraged by several trends taking place for a number of years. These positive developments are also having an impact that goes far beyond the energy sector itself. Many believe that the U.S. will become energy independent and possibly a net exporter of natural gas and oil (currently restricted by law) in the next decade. This opinion is based primarily on the development of new drilling techniques (i.e. horizontal drilling, and high pressure fracking) that have enabled companies to access oil and natural gas reserves in shale formations that were previously not economically viable. The ability to tap into this acreage is a game-changer in our view and is already having a tremendous impact on the economy. Employment rates in these mostly rural areas surrounding the shale basins are very high and companies thus find hiring extremely competitive. Strong labor markets tend to create strong local economies. Oil States International (OIS) has been able to capitalize on this trend by providing housing and other services to oil service workers that are in demand in the area. CST Brands (CST) operates gas stations in Texas, but it is increasingly looking to broaden its product offering beyond fuel. Rail companies like Union Pacific (UNP), Canadian Pacific (CP), Kansas City Southern (KSU) and Genesee and Wyoming (GWR) have also benefited substantially. Given that shale areas are rural and often lacking infrastructure, substantial investment must be made to support drilling and production activities. Without pipelines in place, railroads have been the primary takeaway mechanism for moving production to the various clusters of refining capacity around the United States. In order to serve this demand, massive investment in railcars has been nee

• [By Eric Lam]

  BCE Inc. (BCE) dropped 1.3 percent to a February low, after Macquarie Group Ltd. said that phone shares are vulnerable amid increased regulation. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) lost 4.4 percent to extend losses to a fourth day after its largest shareholder said it will sell part of its stake. WestJet Airlines Ltd. slid 2.3 percent after a measure of customers on its flights declined. A gauge of real estate investment trust fell for a seventh day, the longest streak in three years.

Top Income Companies For 2014: GT Advanced Technologies Inc (GTAT)

GT Advanced Technologies Inc., incorporated on September 27, 2006, is diversified technology company with crystal growth equipment and solutions for the global solar, light emitting diode (LED) and electronics industries. The Company operates in three segments: its polysilicon business, its photovoltaic (PV), business and its sapphire business. The Company's principal products are Silicon Deposition Reactors (SDR) and related equipment used to produce polysilicon, the key raw material used in silicon-based solar wafers and cells; Advanced sapphire crystallization furnaces (ASF) which are used to crystallize sapphire boules, and Directional solidification (DSS) furnaces and related equipment used to cast multicrystalline and MonoCast crystalline silicon ingots. On January 7, 2013, the Company announced the idling of its HiCz pilot manufacturing facility in Hazelwood, Missouri. On November 8, 2012, the Company acquired certain assets of Twin Creeks Technologies, Inc. (Twin Creeks). In May 2013, the Company acquired the business of Thermal Technology LLC.

PV Business

The focus of the Company's PV business is the development, manufacture and sales of crystallization growth furnaces to produce silicon ingots used in the production of solar wafers. The Company's principal product line has been the DSS family of casting furnaces that are used to produce multicrystalline ingots and MonoCast ingots. As of December 31, 2012, the Company shipped approximately 3,300 DSS crystallization furnaces. The ingots are used to make photovoltaic (PV) solar wafers and cells. HiCz, or continuous Czochralski (Cz) growth process, produces monocrystalline ingots that are designed to produce more efficient wafers. The Company�� DSS furnace is a specialized furnace used to melt polysilicon and cast multicrystalline ingots. Multicrystalline ingots are used to produce solar wafers, which ultimately become solar cells. The Company markets its DSS crystallization furnaces under the names DSS450HP and DSS6! 50. The Company's largest capacity DSS furnace, the DSS650, is capable of producing ingots that weigh up to 650 kilograms using standard silicon feedstock. In January 2012, the Company introduced its MonoCast silicon casting technology that uses the DSS furnace architecture to produce ingots comprised of a high percentage of monocrystalline material. The Company is markets MonoCast technology under the name DSS450 MonoCast.

The Company�� ancillary equipment provides operators with material handling assistance during the preparation of the crucible before it is loaded with silicon and during the loading and unloading of the crucible into the DSS furnace chamber at the start of the growth process and out of the DSS furnace chamber at the conclusion of the ingot growth process. The Company's ancillary equipment includes crucible coating stations, crucible manipulators, loaders/unloaders, extraction tools and other material handling systems required to safely transport material during the ingot growth process. The Company sells replacement parts and consumables used in its DSS furnaces and other PV equipment.

Polysilicon Business

The Company's polysilicon business offers Silicon Deposition Reactors, which utilize the chemical vapor deposition process, and related trichlorosilane (TCS) technology and equipment along with engineering services to existing polysilicon producers and new market entrants. The Company's polysilicon business focuses on product design, quality control, engineering services, project management and process development related to the production of polysilicon. It markets its SDR reactors under the names SDR300, SDR400, SDR 500 and SDR 600. The Company provides equipment, technology and engineering services for the production and purification of TCSand silane. This hydrochlorination technology eliminates the need for silicon tetrachloride converters which are required when using certain other polysilicon production technology. The Company also pr! ovides an! cillary equipment and technologies for producing seed rods used in its SDR reactors and for handling and processing the polysilicon rods into a finished product.

Sapphire Business

The Company's sapphire business markets and sells of the Company's ASF systems to customers to enable them to produce sapphire material. The Company also produces sapphire material, on a limited basis, for the LED and other specialty markets at its sapphire pilot production facility in Massachusetts. Its ASF systems produce monocrystalline sapphire material, referred to as sapphire boules. The sapphire boules are used to make sapphire wafers, a substrate for manufacturing LEDs, as well as sapphire blanks and windows for such applications as medical devices and watch crystals. The Company's ASF technology is based on the heat exchanger method (HEM), which is a directional solidification technique, which crystallizes the sapphire meltstock material during the growth process. The Company also uses the facility as a research and development (R&D) center to test new technology developments prior to commercial release. The Company markets and sells its ASF systems under the name ASF100. The Company also provides engineering and product design, quality control, process engineering, engineering services and field services related to the operation of its ASF furnaces. The Company produces sapphire material on a limited basis at its pilot production facility in Massachusetts. The Company sells this material to customers in the LED and other markets, such as the aerospace, defenses and medical device.

The Company manufactures and sells two principal types of sapphire materials: hems Sapphire Material and Titanium-doped Sapphire (Ti:Sapphire) Material. Using the material derives from the sapphire boule generated with its ASF furnaces, the Company cut the sapphire material in a number of different dimensions and crystal orientations, in form factors such as cores, rods, blanks, windows and tubes. The! Company ! generates sapphire boules that are doped with titanium. The Company provides certain finishing and polishing for its Ti:Sapphire material.

The Company competes with ALD Vacuum Technologies AG, JYT Corporation, Ferrotec Corporation, PVA TePla AG, Centrotherm Elektrische Anlagen GmbH & Co., Jing Gong Technology, Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical Co., Ltd, MSA Apparatus Construction for Chemical Equipment Ltd, Centrotherm Elektrische Anlagen GmbH & Co., Morimatsu Industry Co. Ltd., Poly Plant Project, Inc., Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, Wacker Chemie AG, MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., Renewable Energy Corporation ASA, Thermal Technology LLC, Advanced Renewable Energy Company, LLC, Rubicon Technology, Inc., Sapphire Technology Co. Ltd. (Korea), Kyocera International Inc., Saint-Gobain, Gavish Inc., and Monocrystal.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded GT Advanced Technologies (NASDAQ: GTAT) to Outperform from Neutral with a price target raised to $24 from $18. Shares hit new 52 week highs of $18.02 before closing the day at $17.50, up 3.06 percent.