Top 5 US Stocks To Own For 2014

Telecom giant AT&T (T) is reportedly shopping around a number of its wireless towers for interested buyers.

As of right now, the attempted sale is not public, but an unnamed source estimated that the assets for sale could be worth $5 billion, according to an article on Bloomberg. The sale comes as AT&T needs capital to make a few upgrades; the firm is planning a $14 billion overhaul of its network and an $11 billion share repurchase program.

Selling towers allows for AT&T to then lease them back and focus spending on other areas of the business. Currently, AT&T has about 10,000 towers that generate approximately $326 million in annual revenue.

10 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Harbinger Group Inc (HRG)

Harbinger Group Inc. (HGI), incorporated on November 3, 2009, is a holding company. The Company's operations are conducted through Spectrum Brands, the Company's subsidiary, which provides branded consumer products, such as batteries, personal care products, small household appliances, pet supplies, and home and garden pest control products, and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Holdings, Inc. (FGL), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary, which provides life insurance and annuity products. In addition, Salus Capital Partners, LLC (Salus), the Company's wholly owned indirect subsidiary, is engaged in the business of providing secured asset-based loans across a range of industries, and Front Street Re Ltd (Front Street), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary provide reinsurance to the specialty insurance sector of fixed, deferred and payout annuities. The Company also own 97.9% of Zap.Com Corporation (Zap.Com), a public shell company, which may seek assets or businesses to acquire or may sell assets and/or liquidate. On November 8, 2012, Spectrum Brands completed acquisition of 56% interest in Shaser Biosciences, Inc.

Spectrum Brands

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is a global branded consumer products company. As of September 30, 2012, HGI owns approximately 57.4% of Spectrum Brands. Spectrum Brands manufactures and markets alkaline, zinc carbon and hearing aid batteries, herbicides, insecticides and repellents and specialty pet supplies. Spectrum Brands also designs and markets rechargeable batteries, battery-powered lighting products, electric shavers and accessories, grooming products and hair care household appliances. In addition, Spectrum Brands designs, markets and distributes a broad range of branded small appliances and personal care products. Spectrum Brands' manufacturing and product development facilities are located in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Spectrum Brands' rechargeable batteries and chargers, shaving and grooming products, small household applian! ces, personal care products and portable lighting products are manufactured by third-party suppliers, located in Asia.

Spectrum Brands sells products in approximately 140 countries through a range of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Spectrum Brands' branded consumer products have positions in six product categories: consumer batteries; small appliances; pet supplies; home and garden control products; electric shaving and grooming products, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands competes in six product categories: consumer batteries, small appliances, pet supplies, home and garden control products, electric shaving and grooming, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands' range of products include consumer batteries, including alkaline and zinc carbon batteries, rechargeable batteries and chargers and hearing aid batteries, other specialty batteries and portable lighting products; small appliances, including small kitchen appliances and home product appliances; pet supplies, including aquatic equipment and supplies, dog and cat treats, small animal foods, clean up and training aids, health and grooming products and bedding; home and garden control products, including household insect controls, insect repellents and herbicides; electric shaving and grooming devices, and electric and wet personal care and styling devices.

Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of alkaline batteries to both retail and industrial customers. Spectrum Brands' alkaline batteries are marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands also manufactures alkaline batteries for third parties who sell the batteries under their own private labels. Spectrum Brands' zinc carbon batteries are also marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands sells its hearing aid batteries through retail trade channels and directl! y to prof! essional audiologists under brand names and private labels, including Beltone, Miracle Ear and Starkey. Spectrum Brands also sells Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries and a range of battery chargers under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands' other specialty battery products include camera batteries, lithium batteries, silver oxide batteries, keyless entry batteries and coin cells for use in watches, cameras, calculators, communications equipment and medical instruments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of battery-powered, portable lighting products, including flashlights and lanterns for both retail and industrial markets. Spectrum Brands sells its portable lighting products under the Rayovac and VARTA brand names, under other brand names and pursuant to licensing arrangements with third parties.

Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of products in the branded small household appliances category under the George Foreman, Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, Farberware, Juiceman, Breadman and Toastmaster brands, including grills, bread makers, sandwich makers, kettles, toaster ovens, toasters, blenders, juicers, can openers, coffee grinders, coffeemakers, electric knives, deep fryers, food choppers, food processors, hand mixers, rice cookers and steamers. Spectrum Brands also markets small home product appliances, including hand-held irons, vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, clothes shavers and heaters, primarily under the Black & Decker and Russell Hobbs brands.

In the pet supplies product category Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of branded pet supplies for fish, dogs, cats, birds and other small domestic animals. Spectrum Brands has a range of consumer and commercial aquatics products, including integrated aquarium kits, standalone tanks and stands, filtration systems, heaters, pumps, and other equipment, fish food and water treatment products. Spectrum Brands' aquatics brands are Tetra, Marineland, Whisper, Jungle and Instant Ocean. Spectrum Brand! s also se! lls a range of specialty pet products, including dog and cat treats, small animal food and treats, clean up and training aid products, health and grooming aids, bedding products and consumable accessories including privacy tents, litter carpets, crystal litter cartridges, charcoal filters, corn-based litter and replaceable waste receptacles. Spectrum Brands' specialty pet brands include FURminator, 8-in-1, Dingo, Firstrax, Nature's Miracle, Wild Harvest and Littermaid.

In the home and garden control products category Spectrum Brands markets and sells home and garden care products, including household insecticides, insect repellent, herbicides, garden and indoor plant foods and plant care treatments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of household insecticides, such as spider, roach and ant killer, flying insect killer, insect foggers, wasp and hornet killer, flea and tick control products and roach and ant baits. Spectrum Brands also manufactures and markets a range of insect repellent products, which provide protection from insects, especially mosquitoes. These products include both personal repellents, such as aerosols, pump sprays and wipes, as well as area repellents, such as yard sprays, citronella candles and torches. Spectrum Brands' brands in the insect control category include Hot Shot, Cutter, Repel, Black Flag and TAT. Spectrum Brands' herbicides brands include Spectracide, Real-Kill and Garden Safe. Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of electric shaving and grooming products under the Remington brand name, including men's rotary and foil shavers, beard and mustache trimmers, body trimmers and nose and ear trimmers, women's shavers and haircut kits. Spectrum Brands' electric personal care products, marketed and sold under the Remington, Russell Hobbs, Carmen and Andrew Collinge brand names, include hand-held dryers, curling irons, straightening irons, brush irons, hair setters, facial brushes, skin appliances and electric toothbrushes.

FGL

FGL is an i! ndirectly! wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of annuity and life insurance products in the United States. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, FGL operates its annuity and life insurance operations in the United States through its subsidiaries FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance. FGL's products are annuities, deferred annuities and life insurance products (including fixed indexed universal life), which it sells, as of September 30, 2012, through a network of approximately 200 insurance marketing organizations (IMOs) representing approximately 19,000 independent agents and managing general agents. As of September 30, 2012, FGL had over 713,000 policyholders nationwide and distributes its products throughout the United States.

FGL's deferred annuities include fixed index annuities and fixed rate annuities. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. FGL, through its insurance subsidiaries, issues a range of deferred annuities (fixed indexed and fixed rate annuities) and immediate annuities. Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company's (FGL Insurance's) fixed indexed annuities allow contract owners the possibility of earning credits based on the performance of a specified market index without risk to principal. The contracts include a provision for a minimum guaranteed surrender value calculated in accordance with applicable law. During the year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), approximately 96% of the fixed indexed annuity sales involved premium bonuses. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. Fixed rate annual reset annuities issued by FGL Insurance and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company of New York (FGL NY Insurance) have an annual interest rate. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance also sell single premium immediate annuities (SPIAs), which provide a series of periodic payments for a fixed period of time or for the life of the policyholder. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance offer indexed universal lif! e insuran! ce policies. Holders of universal life insurance policies earn returns on their policies which are credited to the policyholder's cash value account.

In addition to services provided by third-party asset managers, FGL outsources the following functions to third-party service providers, including investment accounting and custody, and underwriting administration of life insurance applications. FGL manages its outsourcing partners and integrates their services into its operations. FGL outsources its new business and existing policy administration for fixed indexed annuity and life products to Transaction Applications Group, Inc., a subsidiary at Dell Inc. (Transaction Group). Under this arrangement, Transaction Group manages all of FGL's call center and processing requirements. FGL has partnered with Hooper Holmes, Inc. (Hooper Holmes) to outsource its life insurance underwriting function. FGL, through its subsidiary FGL Insurance, both cedes reinsurance to other insurance companies and assumes reinsurance from other insurance companies. FGL Insurance provides reinsurance as the reinsurer to four non-affiliate insurance companies.

Salus

Salus, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of secured asset-based loans to the middle market across a range of industries with financing throughout the capital structure. The Salus platform also serves as an asset manager to certain institutional investors, such as community and regional banks, insurance companies, family offices, private equity funds and hedge funds who may lack the infrastructure and dedicated competency within senior secured lending. Salus provides secured asset-based loans to the middle market. Salus focuses its credit analysis on the value of accounts receivable and inventory (or other assets) and estimates how much liquidity it can provide against those assets. Salus' loans are used across a range of industries for general working capital or seasonal needs, acquisitions or opportunisti! c situati! ons, trade finance, turnarounds, dividend recaps, refinancing and debtor-in-possession financing.

The Company competes with Energizer Holdings, Inc. (Energizer), The Procter & Gamble Company, Matsushita , Energizer and Mag Instrument, Inc., Mars Corporation, The Hartz Mountain Corporation, Central Garden & Pet Company, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Bayer A.G., S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Scotts Company, Henkel KGaA, Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV, Jarden Corporation, DeLonghi America, Euro-Pro Operating LLC, Metro Thebe, Inc., d/b/a HWI Breville, NACCO Industries, Inc., SEB S.A., Conair Corporation, Wahl Clipper Corporation and Helen of Troy Limited.

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 Harbinger Group (NYSE: HRG  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 5 US Stocks To Own For 2014: iShares Global Tech ETF (IXN)

iShares S&P Global Technology Sector Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poor�� Global Information Technology Sector Index (the Index). The Index is a subset of the Standard & Poor�� Global 1200 Index, and measures the performance of companies that Standard & Poor�� deems to be part of the information technology sector. Component companies include those involved in the development and production of technology products, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications equipment, microcomputer components, integrated computer circuits and office equipment utilizing technology.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Russ Koesterich]

  The list above is based on my team's analysis of whether sector valuations appropriately price in each sector's expected earnings growth, profitability and risk. Based on these factors, I have a preference for the energy and informational technology sectors, accessible through the iShares S&P Global Energy Sector Fund (IXC) and the iShares S&P Global Technology Sector Fund (IXN). And as I write in my new Investment Directions commentary piece, if it turns out that we do see more investors rotating out of defensives and into more attractively priced cyclicals, these two sectors are poised to especially benefit.

Top 5 US Stocks To Own For 2014: Hemis Corp (HMSO)

Hemis Corporation, incorporated on February 9, 2005, is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties. The Company carries out exploration activities in Mexico through its wholly subsidiary, Hemis Gold SA de CV. It is engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in Sonora, Mexico; British Columbia, Canada; and Alaska, United States. The Company is an exploration stage company.

The Company has 67.5% interest in mining rights in El Tigre Property and Porvenir Property. On November 5, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement granting Monte Cristo Gold Corporation the option to purchase either 49% or 60% of its interest in these properties from it. On November 16, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement, which became effective on November 23, 2007 granting Condor Gold Corporation, the option to purchase either 49% or 60% of its interest in the Anchor Point Gold Project from it.

The Company�� interest in the Wolfe Creek and Covenant mining concessions consists of an option agreement it signed with Stacs GmbH on March 13, 2007, whereby it has an option to acquire a 100% interest to mineral rights on two properties: Wolfe Creek and Covenant, in British Columbia, Canada. The Company intends to primarily explore for gold and molybdenum, but if it discovers that any of its mineral properties hold potential for other minerals, then it intends to explore for those other minerals.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Land Securities gained 1.5 percent to 902 pence, British Land Co., the U.K.�� second largest REIT, advanced 2.1 percent to 595.5 pence and Hammerson Plc (HMSO) rose 2.1 percent to 507 pence.

Top 5 US Stocks To Own For 2014: China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd (MY)

China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Limited incorporated on February 26, 2009, is a wind turbine manufacturer in China, focusing on designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing megawatt-class wind turbines. The Company�� products consist of basic models of wind turbines, each with a rated power capacity of 1.5 megawatt (MW); wind turbines with a rated power capacity of 2.0MW, and 2.5/3.0MW SCD wind turbines. Each product type may be installed with one of three rotor blade models depending on the location and wind conditions. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had entered into sales contracts with 37 end customers to deliver 3,730 units of its wind turbines.

It cooperates with aerodyn Energiesysteme to develop its 1.5 megawatt wind turbines and share intellectual property rights. It also has obtained licenses from aerodyn Asia Co., Ltd. (aerodyn Asia) to manufacture and distribute wind turbines utilizing its super-compact drive (SCD) technology, with a rated power capacity of 6.0MW.

The Company�� customers are the Chinese state-owned power producers which include Huaneng, China Datang, Huadian, China Guodian Corporation, and China Power Investment Corporation (CPIC) or their alternative energy subsidiaries, such as China Longyuan Power Group Corporation Limited (Longyuan), a subsidiary of Guodian, and China Datang Corporation Renewable Power Co., Limited (Datang Renewable), a subsidiary of China Datang. It also sells wind turbines to regional alternative energy investment companies, regional power producers and wind farm operators in the private sector. Its facilities are located in Zhongshan, Tianjin, Jilin, Rudong, Dali and Inner Mongolia in China.

The Company produces megawatt-class, grid-connected, horizontal-axis wind turbines, equipped with a double-fed constant frequency induction generator, which is a design of the generator that enables the generator to produce electric current of a constant frequency as the shaft rotates at varying speeds causing! the generator rotor to rotate at varying speed. It offers 1.5 megawatt turbines specially designed and developed for the wind and weather conditions and power grids in China. Its 1.5 megawatt wind turbines are equipped with rotor blades with a post-installation diameter of 77.1 meters, 82.6 meters or 89.0 meters.

The Company has license rights under a license agreement from aerodyn Asia to manufacture and distribute 2.5/3.0MW SCD wind turbines and 6.0MW SCD wind turbines in China. The Company is focused on developing 3.8MW wind turbine model for larger multi-megawatt wind turbines.

The Company competes with Sinovel, Goldwind, Dongfang Electric, United Power, Vestas, Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica S.A. and GE Energy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap wind stock Broadwind Energy Inc (NASDAQ: BWEN) is up 203.7% since the start of the year, but investors might want to contain their excitement when they look closer at the�stock and�consider its�long term performance along with the performance of other wind investments like First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF (NYSEARCA: FAN) and wind energy stocks Vestas Wind Systems (OTCMKTS: VWDRY) and China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd (NYSE: MY) to see whether BWEN is just blowing more hot air.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Ocean Power Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: OPTT) just sank 34% on news that they have fired their CEO "for cause,��meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock to see if there is anything to salvage (shares were rising more than 6% in after hours) plus take a look at the performance of potential renewable energy related peers like Ormat Technologies, Inc (NYSE: ORA), Broadwind Energy Inc (NASDAQ: BWEN) and China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd (NYSE: MY).