Bes Stocks To Buy 2014, Best Stocks For 2014: Good Stocks To Invest In 2012

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Good Stocks To Invest In 2012

As investors watch the tape on the first trading day of 2012, don’t think that the lessons of 2012 are going to be forgotten just yet.

After all of the volatility that swung the market from gains to losses in 2012, the S&P 500 index closed flat for the year, making a non-interest-bearing checking account a better risk-adjusted investment than stocks for the last 12 months. In the real world, market performance over the course of a calendar year is a fairly arbitrary measure — but for investment managers, who live and die by their annualized performance, returns from the first trading day of January to the last trading day of December are crucial.

Not all stocks were created equal last year — the 30 blue-chips that comprised the Dow, for instance, rallied more than 5.5% on average in 2012. At the same time, the Nasdaq Composite closed the calendar down 1.8%. And investors’ flight to quality is definitely still factoring into returns.

This week, we’ll aim to take advantage of those broad market tailwinds by looking at a new set of Rocket Stocks. For the uninitiated, Rocket Stocks is our list of companies with short-term gain catalysts and longer-term growth potential. To find them, I run a weekly quantitative screen that seeks out stocks with a combination of analyst upgrades and positive earnings surprises to identify rising analyst expectations, a bullish signal for stocks in any market. After all, where analysts’ expectations are increasing, institutional cash often follows.

Good Stocks To Invest In 2012:Prudential Financial Inc. (PRU)

Prudential Financial, Inc., through its subsidiaries, offers various financial products and services in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The company operates through three divisions: The U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management, The U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance, and The International Insurance and Investments. The U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division provides individual variable and fixed annuity products, as well as offers retirement investment and income products and services to retirement plan sponsors in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. This division also provides investment management and advisory services to the public and private marketplace. The U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division offers individual variable life, term life, and universal life insurance products; and group life, long-term and short-term group disability, long-term care, and group corporate-, bank-and trust-owned life insurance products to institutional clients. This division also sells accidental death and dismemberment, and other ancillary coverages, as well as provides plan administrative services; and offers preferred provider and indemnity dental coverage plans to clients. The International Insurance and Investments division provides international individual life insurance products in Japan, Korea, and other foreign countries; and offers proprietary and non-proprietary asset management, investment advice, and services to retail and institutional clients internationally. In addition, the company engages in real estate brokerage franchise business, which involves marketing its franchises to the real estate companies. Further, it provides institutional clients and government agencies with various services in connection with the relocation of their employees. Prudential Financial, Inc. was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

By Matthew Scott At 2011-9-6

Retiring Baby Boomers could make Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU) a strong performer for years to come. Insurance products like its line of guaranteed income annuities have given it an edge over rivals and it continues to make inroads into other areas of investing. Prudential’s stock price increased more than five times over the last two years, jumping from $11.20 on March 9, 2009 to $61.58 at the end of the first quarter.

Good Stocks To Invest In 2012:CenterPoint Energy Inc (Holding Co) (CNP)

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company?s Electric Transmission and Distribution segment provides transmission and distribution services to retail electric providers, municipalities, electric cooperatives, and other distribution companies serving approximately 2.1 million metered customers. As of December 31, 2010, it owned 27,842 pole miles of overhead distribution lines and 3,728 circuit miles of overhead transmission lines; 20,390 circuit miles of underground distribution lines and 26 circuit miles of underground transmission lines; and 233 substation sites with a capacity of 52,938 megavolt amperes. Its Natural Gas Distribution segment engages in regulated intrastate natural gas sales to, and natural gas transportation for approximately 3.3 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers. This segment also provides various unregulated services consisting of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and appliance repair; and sells HVAC, and hearth and water heating equipment. It owned approximately 71,000 linear miles of natural gas distribution mains. The company?s Competitive Natural Gas Sales and Services segment offers physical natural gas supplies to commercial and industrial customers, and electric and gas utilities; physical delivery services and financial products; natural gas management services; and transportation services to shippers and end-users. Its Interstate Pipelines segment provides gas transportation and storage services to industrial customers and local distribution companies. It owned and operated approximately 8,000 miles of natural gas transmission lines; and 6 natural gas storage fields. The company?s Field Services segment provides gas gathering, treating, and processing, as well as operating and technical, and remote data monitoring and communication services. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Good Stocks To Invest In 2012:Maximus Inc. (MMS)

MAXIMUS, Inc. provides operations program management and consulting services to state and local government agencies, federal agencies, and commercial customers primarily in the United States. The company?s Operations Segment provides various program management and operations support services for state, federal, and county funded public programs, and focuses on the delivery of administrative services for government health and human services programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, TANF, related workforce services programs, and child support enforcement programs. It also provides assistance to employers in accessing tax credit benefits and advocacy services for youth and disabled persons. The company?s Consulting Segment provides management and financial consulting services for state and local clients, focusing on services that directly support health and welfare, including health and human services consulting, financial services consulting, payment error rate measurement program services, and third party liability services, as well as fraud, waste, and abuse services. The Consulting segment also provides educational services, including TIENET, a solution to manage instruction, assessment, intervention, and special education cases; and consulting services, technical support, and software tools to higher education institutions. The company was founded in 1975 and is based in Reston, Virginia.

Good Stocks To Invest In 2012:Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW)

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides retail and wholesale electric services primarily in the State of Arizona. The company involves in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity through coal, nuclear, gas and oil, and solar resources. It also offers energy-related products and services, such as energy master planning, energy use consultation and facility audits, cogeneration analysis and installation, and project management with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy to commercial and industrial retail customers in the western United States. In addition, the company owns minority interests in various energy-related investments and Arizona community-based ventures; and develops residential, commercial, and industrial real estate projects in Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah. As of December 31, 2010, it owned or leased approximately 6,290 mega watts of regulated generation capacity; and serviced approximately 1.1 million customers. Pinnacle West Capital Corporation was founded in 1920 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Good Stocks To Invest In 2012:Iamgold Corporation (IAG)

IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. It primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other metals. The company holds interests in eight operating gold mines, a niobium producer, a diamond royalty, and exploration and development projects located in Africa and the Americas. Its advanced exploration and development projects include the Westwood project in Canada; and the Quimsacocha project, which consists of 3 mining concessions covering an aggregate area of approximately 8,030 hectares in Ecuador. The company was formerly known as IAMGOLD International African Mining Gold Corporation and changed its name to IAMGOLD Corporation in June 1997. IAMGOLD Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

By Christopher Barker At 2011-9-2
Although I have not shed my long-standing contention that Yamana Gold offers one of the more deeply discounted vehicles for long-term gold exposure, lately my outlook for IAMGOLD has turned particularly bullish. With a looming spin-off of a 10% to 20% stake in the company's reliably profitable Niobec niobium mine, and the recent sale of its interest in a pair of high-cost gold operations in Ghana for $667 million, IAMGOLD finds itself in terrific financial shape to execute an aggressive $1.2 billion expansion imitative at existing operations.

Considering the $1.6 billion net asset value (after tax) that IAMGOLD recently assessed for the Niobec mine alone, and a presumed hoard of more than $1.2 billion (in cash, cash equivalents, and gold bullion held for investment), at a market capitalization of $6.9 billion I find extreme comfort in the market's resulting valuation for IAMGOLD's 15.2 million ounces of attributable gold reserves.

Good Stocks To Invest In 2012:Great Basin Gold Ltd. (GBG)

Great Basin Gold Ltd. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal deposits. It explores for gold, silver, and aggregate. The company has two material projects, including the Hollister gold project consisting of a total of 950 unpatented, federal mining claims, covering approximately 69 square kilometers located in Ivanhoe Mining District, Elko County, Nevada; and the Burnstone gold mine comprising mineral rights covering approximately 35,000 hectares located in the Witwatersrand Basin goldfields in South Africa. It also holds interests in early stage mineral prospects, such as the Tsetsera Property in Mozambique; and properties in Tanzania and the island of Kurils in eastern Russia. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Sandton, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

By Hutchinson At 2011-10-20
Great Basin Gold, Ltd. Common (AMEX:GBG): This equity had 13,465,632 shares sold short as of Aug 31st, as compared to 13,107,877 on Aug 15th, which represents a change of 357,755 shares, or 2.7%. Days to cover for this company is 5 and average daily trading volume is 2,917,536. About the equity: Great Basin Gold Limited explores and develops gold properties. The Company prospects for gold in the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa and the Carlin Trend in Nevada.

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