Best Building Product Companies To Buy For 2014

With shares of Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) trading around $23, is FB 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

Facebook is engaged in building products to create utility for users, developers, and advertisers. People use Facebook to stay connected with their friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world around them, and to share and express what matters to them to the people they care about. Developers can use the Facebook Platform to build applications and websites that integrate with Facebook to reach its global network of users and to build personalized and social products. Advertisers can engage with more than 900 million monthly active users on Facebook or subsets of its users based on information they have chosen to share. Social networking has been a powerful movement and tool in recent years that has changed the way many companies and consumers operate. Facebook is a pioneer and a leader in the social network trend that looks to be here to stay. Facebook will see rising profits through its engagement with the increasing user base that social networking is seeing in coming years.

Top 10 Cheapest Companies To Invest In Right Now: Ethan Allen Interiors Inc (ETH)

Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (Ethan Allen), incorporated in May 25, 1989, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Ethan Allen Global, Inc. and Ethan Allen Global, Inc.�� subsidiaries, is a manufacturer and retailer of home furnishings and accessories, offering a complement of home decorating and design solutions through home furnishing retail networks. The Company operates in two segments: wholesale and retail. As of June 30, 2013, the Company operated 147 design centers and its independent retailers operated 148 design centers. Its wholesale segment net sales include sales to its retail segment and sales to its independent retailers. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013 (fiscal 2013), independent retailers opened 11 new design centers, acquired two from the Company, closed 12, and sold two to the Company.

The Company�� customer service offerings include gift card, on-line room planning and Ethan Allen Consumer Credit Programs. Gift Card allows customers to purchase gift cards through its Website or at any participating retail design center, which can be redeemed for any of its products or services. The Company offers, through its Website, an online room planning resource, which serves to assist consumers with their home decorating needs. Through the use of this Web-based tool, customers can determine which of its product offerings fit their particular needs based on their own individual home floor plan. The Ethan Allen Finance Plus program offers consumers (clients) a menu of custom financing options through the use of just one account.

Wholesale Segment

The wholesale segment, principally involved in the development of the Ethan Allen brand, encompasses all aspects of design, manufacture, sourcing, sale, and distribution of its range of home furnishings and accessories. Wholesale revenue is generated upon the wholesale sale and shipment of its products to its network of independently operated design centers and Company-operated design centers through its na! tional distribution center and one other smaller fulfillment center. The Company�� domestic manufacturing is included in the results of the wholesale segment. The Company operates four case plants (including one sawmill), three upholstery plants (two upholstery plants on its Maiden, North Carolina campus and one cut and sew plant in Mexico) and one home accessory plant. The Company also source selected case goods, upholstery, and home accessory items from third-party suppliers located both domestically and outside the United States.

Retail Segment

The retail segment sells home furnishings and accessories to consumers through a network of Company-operated design centers. During fiscal 2013, the Company opened seven design centers acquired two from independent retailers, closed four design centers and sold two to our independent retailers. As of June 30, 2013, the Company�� network of approximately 300 retail design centers and approximately 4,000 independent members of the Interior Design Affiliate program benefit from these marketing efforts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of La-Z-Boy have gained 11% to $27.02 at 1:54 p.m. today. Its performance is also giving other furniture stocks a boost. Flexsteel (FLXS) has risen 1% to $27.60, Hooker Furniture (HOFT) has jumped 1.6% to $17.12 and Ethan Allen International (ETH) has advanced 1.2% to $29.20. Haverty Furniture (HVT) has dipped 0.3% to $27.87.

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: LEG is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: Hooker Furniture Corp. (HOFT) with a 2.4% yield, Flexsteel Industries Inc. (FLXS) with a 2.7% yield and Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (ETH) with a 1.4% yield.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  As if to drive that point home, the Gap (GPS) is getting hammered–its shares have dropped 6.6% to $36.89 today– after its same store sales fell 3%, below analyst forecasts for a gain of 1.6%. Ethan Allen (ETH), meanwhile, has fallen 4.3% to $26.32 after the retailer said earnings would come in between 30 cents and 32 cents, below forecasts for 40 cents.

• [By Sally Jones]

  Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (ETH) - Yield 1.30%

  Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. is up 27% over 12 months. The current share price is around $27.71, down 11% since Joel Greenblatt made a new buy as of June 30, 2013.

Best Building Product Companies To Buy For 2014: A. Schulman Inc.(SHLM)

A. Schulman, Inc. supplies plastic compounds and resins for packaging, consumer products, industrial, and automotive applications. The company offers additive compounds, custom color concentrates for film and molding, carbon black color concentrates, white color concentrates, additive compounds for polyester resins and special pearl effects, antistatic concentrates, and masterbatch for the production of synthetic paper. Its products also include engineered plastics, such as thermoplastic elastomers and vulcanizates, filled and unfilled nylon and PBT compounds, nylon/ABS alloys, formulated ionomer compounds, thermoplastic ionomer resins, flame-retardant thermoplastic compounds and concentrates, polypropylene, polyethylene, EVA compounds, thermoplastic olefins, flexible thermoplastic PVC compounds, high-quality PVC compounds, PVC-based thermoplastic elastomers, and low-gloss PVC thermoplastic elastomers for industrial packaging, appliances, electrical connectors, power tools , recreational items, and lawn and garden equipments. In addition, the company provides custom color and specialty compound powders, rotational molding process compounds, cross-linkable resin used in rotational molding, high heat-distortion temperature materials, and thermoplastic powders, as well as provides jet milling services used for products requiring very fine particle size, such as additives for printing ink, adhesives, waxes, and cosmetics; and cryogenic milling services for heat sensitive materials. Further, it buys, repackages, and re-sells polymers for various processing types comprising injection molding, blow molding, thermoforming, and extrusion, as well as provides tolling services. The company operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. A. Schulman, Inc. was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Monday
  The first trading day of the week, month, and quarter kicks off with A. Schulman (NASDAQ: SHLM  ) posting quarterly results. The provider of plastic compounds and resin may not be toiling away in a very glitzy industry, but results matter. A. Schulman has been able to push through three consecutive years of higher dividend rates as consistent growth continues.

• [By Eddie Staley]

  Basic materials sector was the top gainer in Wednesday’s trading. Top gainers in the sector included A. Schulman (NASDAQ: SHLM), up 4.63 percent, and Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF), up 4.87 percent.

• [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 A. Schulman (Nasdaq: SHLM  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best Building Product Companies To Buy For 2014: ATP Oil And Gas Corp (AOB)

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation, incorporated in 1991, is engaged in the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas properties. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had estimated net proved reserves of 118.9 Million barrels of crude oil equivalent (MMBoe), of which approximately 75.9 MMboe (64%) were in the Gulf of Mexico and 42.9 MMBoe (36%) were in the North Sea. The reserves consisted of 78.6 Million barrels (MMBbls) of oil (66%) and 241.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas (34%). Its proved reserves in the deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico account for 62% of the Company�� total proved reserves and its proved reserves on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf account for 2% of its total proved reserves. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired three licenses in the Mediterranean Sea covering potential natural gas resources in the deepwater off the coast of Israel (East Mediterranean). On August 17, 2012, ATP Oil And Gas Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Company�� natural gas reserves are split between the Gulf of Mexico (57%) and the North Sea (43%). Of its total proved reserves, 8.3 MMBoe (7%) were producing, 19.0 MMBoe (16%) were developed and not producing and 91.6 MMBoe (77%) were undeveloped. The Company�� average working interest in its properties at December 31, 2011, was approximately 81%. The Company operates 92% of its platforms. At December 31, 2011, in the Gulf of Mexico, it owned leasehold and other interests in 38 offshore blocks and 49 wells, including 23 subsea wells. The Company operates 43 (88%) of these wells, including 100% of the subsea wells. In the North Sea, it also had interests in 13 blocks and two Company-operated subsea wells. As of March 15, 2011, the Company owned an interest in 13 platforms, including two floating production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, the ATP Titan at its Telemark Hub and the ATP Innovator at its Gomez Hub. It operates the ATP Innovator and the ATP Titan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  Most of the Chinese companies that I purchased now reside on the Pink Sheets or have disappeared altogether, but at one time they all traded on major US exchanges. One of them (AOB), even received the honor of ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in 2007, and people say that crime does not pay.

Best Building Product Companies To Buy For 2014: Protective Life Corporation(PL)

Protective Life Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in the production, distribution, and administration of insurance and investment products in the United States. Its Life Marketing segment markets universal life, variable universal life, level premium term insurance, and bank-owned life insurance products primarily through a network of independent insurance agents and brokers, stockbrokers, and independent marketing organizations. The company?s Acquisitions segment focuses on acquiring, converting, and servicing life insurance policies and annuity products sold to individuals, which are acquired from other companies. Its Annuities segment markets variable annuity products that offer the policyholder the opportunity to invest in various investment accounts; and fixed annuity products, such as modified guaranteed annuities, single premium deferred annuities, single premium immediate annuities, and equity indexed annuities primarily through broker-dealers, financial ins titutions, and independent agents and brokers. The company?s Stable Value Products segment offers guaranteed funding agreements to special purpose entities; fixed and floating rate funding agreements directly to the trustees of municipal bond proceeds, institutional investors, bank trust departments, and money market funds; and guaranteed investment contracts to qualified retirement savings plans. Its Asset Protection segment primarily markets extended service contracts, and credit life and disability insurance to protect consumers? investments in automobiles, watercraft, and recreational vehicles; and markets a guaranteed asset protection product primarily through a national network of approximately 3,750 automobile, marine, and recreational vehicle dealers. The company was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Bary]

  Life insurance stocks have gotten a boost from Dai-ichi Life�� deal to purchase Protective Life (PL) for $70 a share, or $5.7 billion. Protective Life is up 18%, to $69.30 at 11:55 a.m., trading just below the deal value.� While the deal has been rumored for a few days, the actual price is about 16% higher than the $4.9 billion price that had been discussed in the media.

Best Building Product Companies To Buy For 2014: Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras SA (PBR.A)

Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (Petrobras) is a Brazilian integrated oil and gas company. It operates in five segments: exploration and production; refining, commercialization and transport of oil and natural gas; petrochemicals; distribution of derivatives, electrical energy, biofuels and other renewable energy sources. Directly or through its subsidiaries, Petrobras is engaged in the research, extraction, refining, processing, commercialization and transport of oil from wells, shales and other rocks, its derivatives, natural gas and other liquid hydrocarbons, as well as in activities related to energy, promoting research, development, production, transport, distribution and commercialization of all forms of energy. As of December 31, 2010, it had 132 production platforms, 16 refineries, 291 vessels, 29,398 kilometers of pipelines, six biofuel plants, 16 thermoelectric plants, one pilot wind farm, 8,477 service stations and two fertilizer plants, as well as presence in 30 countries.

Exploration and Production

The domestic oil and gas exploration and production efforts are focused on the three basins offshore in Southeastern Brazil: Campos, Espirito Santo and Santos. The Campos Basin, which covers approximately 115,000 square kilometers (28.4 million acres) is the oil and gas basin in Brazil. At December 31, 2009, the Company was producing from 41 fields at an average rate of 1,693.6 mbbl/d of oil and held proved crude oil reserves representing 90% of the total proved crude oil reserves in Brazil. At December 31, 2009, the Company held proved natural gas reserves in the Campos Basin representing 53% of the total proved natural gas reserves in Brazil. It operated 38 floating production systems, 14 fixed platforms and 5,472 kilometers (3,400.3 miles) of pipeline and flexible pipes in water depths from 80 to 1,886 meters (262 to 6,188 feet). At December 31, 2009, the Company held exploration rights to 21 blocks in the Campos Basin, comprising 5884 square kilometers (1.4 millio! n acres)..

Petrobras have made discoveries of light oil and natural gas in the Espirito Santo Basin, which covers approximately 75000 square kilometers (18.5 million acres) offshore and 14,000 square kilometers (3.5 million acres) onshore. At December 31, 2009, the Company was producing from 46 fields at an average rate of 40.9 thousand barrels per day (mbbl/d) and held proved crude oil reserves, representing 1% of the total proved crude oil reserves in Brazil. On December 31, 2009, the Company held exploration rights to 23 blocks, six onshore and 17 offshore, comprising 8623 square kilometers (2.1 million acres).

The Santos Basin covers approximately 348,900 square kilometers (86 million acres) off the city of Santos, in the State of Sao Paulo. At December 31, 2009, the Company produced oil from two fields and one exploration area at an average rate of 14.4 mbbl/d and held proved crude oil reserves representing 1% of the total proved crude oil reserves in Brazil. It produces hydrocarbons and hold exploration acreage in eight other basins in Brazil.

Refining, Transportation and Marketing

As of December 31, 2009, the Company operated 92% of Brazil�� total refining capacity and supplied almost all of the refined product needs of third-party wholesalers, exporters and petrochemical companies. As of December 31, 2009, the Company owned and operated 11 refineries in Brazil, with a total net distillation capacity of 1,942 mbbl/d. It operates an infrastructure of pipelines and terminals and a shipping fleet to transport oil products and crude oil to domestic and export markets. The refineries are located near the crude oil pipelines, storage, facilities, refined product pipelines and petrochemical facilities, facilitating access to crude oil supplies and other users.The segment also includes petrochemical and fertilizer operations. As at December 31, 2009, the refining capacity in Brazil was 1,942 mbbl/d and the average throughput was 1,791 mbbl/d.

T! he Company owns and operates a network of crude oil and oil products pipelines in Brazil that connect the terminals, refineries and other primary distribution points. On December 31, 2009, the onshore and offshore, crude oil and oil products pipelines extended 13,996 kilometers (8,698 miles). It operates 27 marine storage terminals and 20 other tank farms with nominal aggregate storage capacity of 65 million barrels. The marine terminals handle an average 10,000 tankers annually.

The Company operates a fleet of owned and chartered vessels. It provides shuttle services between the producing basins offshore Brazil and the Brazilian mainland, domestic shipping and international shipping to other parts of South America, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, Europe, West Africa and the Middle East. The fleet includes double-hulled vessels and single-hulled vessels, which operate in South America and Africa only.

Distribution

The distribution segment sells oil products, which are produced by the supply operations. At December 31, 2009, the BR network included 7,221 service stations, or 19.2% of the stations in Brazil. The Company supplies and operates Petrobras Distribuidora S.A., which accounts for 38% of the total Brazilian distribution market. BR distributes oil products, ethanol and biodiesel, and vehicular natural gas to retail, commercial and industrial customers. In 2009, BR sold the equivalent of 767.4 mbbl/d of oil products and other fuels to wholesale and retail customers.

The Company also distributes oil products and biofuels under the BR brand to commercial and industrial customers. The customers include aviation, transportation and industrial companies, as well as utilities and government entities. It also sells oil products produced by the Supply operations to other retailers and to wholesalers.

Gas and Power

The natural gas business includes four activities: transportation (building and operating natural gas pipel! ine netwo! rks in Brazil), acquisition and regasification of LNG, equity participation in distribution companies, which sell natural gas to the users, and commercialization (purchase and resale). In January 2009, the Company completed construction of two LNG terminals, one in Rio de Janeiro with a send-out capacity of 20 mmm3 /d (706 mmcf/d).

International

The Company have operations in 24 countries outside Brazil, which encompasses all phases of the energy business. It is focusing the international upstream activities in the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. During 2009, the Company conducted exploration and production activities in 21 countries outside Brazil (Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, India, Iran, Libya, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, Senegal, Tanzania, Turkey, Uruguay and Venezuela). At December 31, 2009, the total assets of the International Segment represented 7.4% of the Company�� total assets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rudy Martin]

  In addition, we recommend buying shares in Brazilian energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras S.A. (PBR.A).

  Despite a gradual rise in crude oil prices, problems with Brazil's economy, compounded by obstacles in Petrobras's scramble to finance significant on-shore and off-shore hydrocarbon discoveries, have ganged up to erode PBR.A's stock price this year.

Best Building Product Companies To Buy For 2014: RMP Energy Inc (OEXFF.PK)

RMP Energy Inc. (RMP) is a crude oil and natural gas company. The Company is engaged in the exploration for, development and production of natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) reserves within the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. RMP conducts its operations in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, primarily in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Company�� principal properties include Gilby, Pine Creek, Kaybob, Waskahigan, Ante Creek, Ricinus, Gordondale, Resthaven/Bilbo and Big Muddy. The Gilby property is located 110 kilometers southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. Kaybob property is located 250 kilometers northwest of Edmonton, Alberta and consisted of 31 producing and non-producing gas wells as of December 31, 2011. In November 2013, RMP Energy Inc closed the purchase of complementary Montney light oil assets located in its core areas of Ante Creek and Waskahigan in West Central Alberta. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Value Digger]

  As peers, I selected Artek Exploration (ARKXF.PK), RMP Energy (OEXFF.PK), Synergy Resources (SYRG) and Magnum Hunter Resources (MHR). The first two firms trade also on the main Toronto board under the tickers RTK.TO and RMP.TO respectively. These peers comply with the following criteria:

Best Building Product Companies To Buy For 2014: Sedex Mining Corp (SDN)

Sedex Mining Corp. is a resource exploration-stage company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition and exploration of exploration and evaluation assets. The Company�� Elephant Lake property is approximately 100 kilometers south of Timmins Ontario which has produced over 67 million ounces of gold. The Nickel North property lies approximately 22 kilometers northwest of the Kidd Creek Mine. The Kidd Creek Mine has produced over 115,000,000 tons of ore averaging 2.2% copper (Cu), 7.25% zinc (Zn), 0.28% lead (Pb) and 147.43 g/t silver (Ag)). Nordica property lies 55 kilometers southeast of Timmins, a prolific gold producing camp with. The property also lies approximately 24 kilometers southeast of Langmuir Township, a well known nickel belt with four known nickel deposits and GCR's recent W4 nickel discovery. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eshna Basu]

  Juniper is increasingly becoming active in the "software defined networking" (SDN) field to make its presence felt in the booming data center space, where it is still a small player.