Top 5 International Stocks To Buy For 2014

On March 5, I suggested it would be a great idea for investors to buy shares of�Darling International (NYSE: DAR  ) before the company commissioned its Diamond Green Diesel joint venture with oil giant�Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO  ) .

After all, as CEO Randall Stuewe pointed out at the time, had the two-years-in-the-making DGD plant been up and running that quarter, it would have generated net income of more than $41 million for both Valero and Darling. While that may seem like a drop in the bucket for Valero, which earned $2.1 billion last year, it would have boosted Darling's fourth-quarter net income by nearly a third.

In addition, the stock had fallen after the rendering specialist missed analysts' estimates with its fourth-quarter earnings report. However, those results were actually fairly solid, considering earnings per share fell just 2.4% year-over-year despite a 12% plunge in fat prices.�

As it stands, shares of Darling have risen almost 15% since then, outperforming the S&P 500's return over the same period by more than 8%:

Top 10 Sliver Stocks To Own For 2015: Allergan Inc. (AGN)

Allergan, Inc., a multi-specialty healthcare company, discovers, develops, and commercializes specialty pharmaceutical, medical device, and over-the-counter products for the ophthalmic, neurological, medical aesthetics, medical dermatological, breast aesthetics, obesity intervention, urological, and other specialty markets worldwide. It operates in two segments, Specialty Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. The Specialty Pharmaceuticals segment offers a range of pharmaceutical products, including ophthalmic products for chronic dry eye, glaucoma therapy, ocular inflammation, infection, allergy, and retinal diseases; Botox for the therapeutic and aesthetic indications; skin care products for acne, psoriasis, and other skin care products; eyelash growth products; and urologics products. The Medical Devices segment offers a range of medical devices, such as breast implants for augmentation, revision, and reconstructive surgery; obesity intervention products, including the La p-Band System and the Orbera Intragastric Balloon System; and facial aesthetics products. The company also offers Contigen for the treatment of urinary incontinence due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency. It sells its products to drug wholesalers, independent and chain drug stores, pharmacies, commercial optical chains, opticians, mass merchandisers, food stores, hospitals, group purchasing organizations, integrated direct hospital networks, and ambulatory surgery centers, as well as to medical practitioners, including ophthalmologists, neurologists, dermatologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, aesthetic specialty physicians, bariatric surgeons, pediatricians, urologists, and general practitioners. Allergan, Inc. has strategic research collaboration agreements with ExonHit Therapeutics S.A.; Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and Pieris AG. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Finally, Allergan (NYSE: AGN  ) shareholders drew the short end of the straw after the company announced an update to its mid-stage vision loss trial of DARPin. According to the results, the drug demonstrated some differentiation when compared to Lucentis, but it failed to deliver statistically significant reasons to advance it to late-stage trials. As a prospective competitor to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals'�Eylea, the delay in development gives Eylea a continued free and clear path to grow unabated. Allergan shareholders were given some relief later in the week with the FDA panel unanimously recommending Juvederm Voluma for cheek augmentation to correct age-related volume deficit in the mid-face, but that hardly made up for the sales potential that DARPin possessed in wet age-related macular degeneration.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of Allergan (NYSE: AGN  ) , a pharmaceutical drug and medical device maker, fell as much as 10% after the Food and Drug Administration released a draft of guidance that suggests that a generic form of Allergan's dry-eye treatment, Restasis, could come to market sooner rather than later.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Then there's bimatoprost from Allergan (NYSE: AGN  ) . Allergan first developed and marketed the drug to help individuals grow eyelashes. In May, the company announced disappointing phase 2 results for bimatoprost as a treatment for baldness. However, Allergan plans to move ahead with testing using a much stronger formulation.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Canada-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International is a giant, with a market cap near $44 billion. It's been in the news more than usual lately after making several bids for Allergan (NYSE: AGN  ) , maker of Botox, breast implants, eye drops, and more. Valeant has several Botox alternatives on the market and is interested in owning Botox itself. Allergan's ophthalmology products can complement Valeant's own eye-care operations, which became substantial with its $8.7 billion purchase of Bausch & Lomb last year. Some think both companies will benefit�from the acquisition if it's ultimately approved, but Allergan isn't enthused, and it commissioned reports�that suggest Valeant can't grow well on its own without resorting to acquisitions. Bulls see plenty of growth potential, though, and they like Valeant's business model of acquiring products rather than pouring big money into developing treatments on its own that may or may not pan out. Somewhat lost because of the Allergan story is news that Nestle�has bought the U.S. and Canadian rights to Valeant skincare products for $1.4 billion.

Top 5 International Stocks To Buy For 2014: Micropac Industries Inc (MPAD)

Micropac Industries, Inc. (Micropac), incorporated on March 3, 1969, manufactures and distributes various types of hybrid microelectronic circuits, solid state relays, power operational amplifiers, and optoelectronic components and assemblies. Micropac�� products are used as components in a range of military, space and industrial systems, including aircraft instrumentation and navigation systems, power supplies, electronic controls, computers, medical devices, and high-temperature (200o degree Celsius) products. The Company�� products are either custom (being application-specific circuits designed and manufactured to meet the particular requirements of a single customer) or standard components. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), its custom-designed components accounted for approximately 34% of its revenue and standard components accounted for approximately 66% of its revenue.

Micropac occupies approximately 36,000 square feet of manufacturing, engineering and office space in Garland, Texas. The Company owns 31,200 square feet of that space and leases an additional 4,800 square feet. It also sub-contracts some manufacturing to Inmobiliaria San Jose De Ciuddad Juarez S.A. DE C.V, a maquila contract manufacturer in Juarez, Mexico.

Micropac provides microelectronic and optoelectronic components and assemblies along with contract electronic manufacturing services, and offers a range of products sold to the industrial, medical, military, aerospace and space markets. The Microcircuits product line includes custom microcircuits, solid state relays, power operational amplifiers, and regulators. During fiscal 2011, microcircuits product line accounted for 51% of its revenue and the optoelectronics product line accounted for 62% of its business respectively. The Company�� core technology is the packaging and interconnects of miniature electronic components, utilizing thick film and thin film substrates, forming microelectronics circuits. Other technologi! es include light emitting and light sensitive materials and products, including light emitting diodes and silicon phototransistors used in its optoelectronic components, and assemblies.

The Company�� basic products and technologies include custom design hybrid microelectronic circuits, solid state relays and power controllers, custom optoelectronic assemblies and components, optocouplers, light-emitting diodes, Hall-Effect devices, displays, power operational amplifiers, fiber optic components and assemblies, and high temperature (200o degree Celsius) products. Micropac�� products are primarily sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEM��) who serve major markets, which includes military/aerospace, such as aircraft instrumentation, guidance and navigations systems, control circuitry, power supplies and laser positioning; space, which include control circuitry, power monitoring and sensing, and industrial, which includes power control equipment and robotics.

The Company�� products are marketed throughout the United States and in Western Europe. During fiscal 2011, approximately 21% of the Company�� revenue was from international customers. The Company�� major customers include contractors to the United States Government. During fiscal 2010, sales to these customers for the Department of Defense (DOD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contracts accounted for approximately 62% of its revenues. The Company�� customers are Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Rockwell Int��, and NASA.

The Company compete with Teledyne Industries, Inc., MS Kennedy, Honeywell, Avago and International Rectifier.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon] % of NCAV, has similar (slightly better) z- and f-scores, a FCF margin of 6%, but has ROA of 28%.
  
  ADDvantage (AEY) sells at 95% of NCAV, has similar (in the ballpark) scores and FCF and ROA of 23%.

  The slightly better businesses are currently more expensive in terms of price/NCAV. They have less asset-based downside protection, but they are better businesses.

  How do you quantify and qualify what is cheap enough? To me, there's a big difference in relative cheapness in a company selling at 74% of NCAV versus one selling at 95%. I'm wondering if I'm putting too much weight on this cheapness measurement instead of acknowledging that any decent business selling at less than NCAV is cheap enough. Yet, one has to have some quantifiable idea of when something is not cheap enough anymore.

  Can you help me put this into a unified framework?

  Dan

  There�� a great post over at Oddball Stocks called: �� Stock is a Business�� Read it. Then go over to Richard Beddard�� Interactive Investor Blog. Bookmark that blog. Read it religiously. He looks at Ben Graham type stocks in the U.K. And he looks at them not just as stocks but as pieces of a business.

  Here�� what Richard said in a post called ��iving Up on Mastery of the Universe��

  I need to know:

  1. Whether the managers have made good decisions in the past, and whether their incentives work in the interests of the owners, because those kind of managers often add value to a company.

  2. The products a company sells will still be in demand for years to come, because if they��e not then the past, which we know, does not tell us anything about the future, which we don��.

  3. A company is financially strong enough to withstand the kinds of shocks companies typically experience bearing in mind some are more sensitive to events than others.

  4. How to judge whether the share price undervalues the company, bearing in mind the preceding three factors.

• [By Geoff Gannon] strong>ADDvantage Technologies (AEY)

  路 Solitron Devices (SODI)

  路 OPT-Sciences (OPST)

  Micropac

  Micropac is 76% owned by Heinz-Werner Hempel. He�� a German businessman. You can see the German company he founded here. He�� had control of Micropac for a long-time. I don�� have an exact number in front of me. But I would guess it�� been something like 25 years.

  ADDvantage

  ADDvantage Technologies is controlled by the Chymiak brothers. See the company�� April 4 press release explaining their decision to turn over the CEO position to an outsider. Regardless, the Chymiaks still control 47% of the company. Ken Chymiak is now chairman. And David Chymiak is still a director and now the company�� chief technology officer. Clearly, it�� still their company.

  By the way, the name ADDvantage Technologies has nothing to do with the Chymiaks. Today�� AEY really traces its roots to a private company called Tulsat. The Chymiak brothers acquired that company about 27 years ago. So, effectively, when you buy shares of AEY you are buying into a 27-year-old family-controlled company.

  That�� pretty typical in the world of net-nets.

  Solitron

  Solitron Devices is 29% owned by Shevach Saraf. He has been the CEO for 20 years. The post-bankruptcy Solitron has never known another CEO. Before the bankruptcy, Solitron was a much bigger, much different company. So even though we are not talking about the founder here ��and even though 70% of the company�� shares are not held by the CEO ��we��e still talking about a company where one person has a lot of control. Solitron only has three directors. Saraf is the chairman, CEO, president, CFO and treasurer. Neither of the other two directors joined the board within the last 15 years. So, we aren�� talking about a lot of tumult at the top.

  In fact, profitable net-nets seem to be especially common candidates for abandoning the responsibilities of a public comp

Top 5 International Stocks To Buy For 2014: RSA Insurance Group PLC (RSA)

RSA Insurance Group plc is the holding company of the RSA group of companies whose principal activity is the transaction of personal and commercial general insurance business. The Company operates in four segments: Scandinavia, Canada, United Kingdom and Western Europe, and Emerging Markets. The Company provides insurance covers for a range of renewable energy technologies, including Wind Energy, which includes onshore and offshore facilities; Solar Energy, which includes photovoltaic, concentrated and thermal installations; Small Hydro, which includes power stations producing an output up to 50 megawatt, and Bio energy, which includes Biomass, Biogas and Waste to Energy plants. The Company works with both large and small brokers. The Company works with partners, such as building societies, banks, retailers, motor manufacturers, charities, utilities and unions to offer their customers appropriate insurance products. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  RSA Insurance Group Plc (RSA), which insures cars, homes and ships in the U.K., Scandinavia and emerging markets, rose 0.8 percent to 114.1 pence. Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the stock to overweight, the equivalent of a buy recommendation, from underweight.

• [By Sarah Jones]

  RSA Insurance Group Plc (RSA) gained 0.8 percent to 114.1 pence after Morgan Stanley upgraded the insurer to overweight from underweight, saying the share price will benefit from a stronger prospective U.K. performance. The stock has declined 9.2 percent so far this year, while the FTSE 350 Insurance Index has rallied 10 percent.

Top 5 International Stocks To Buy For 2014: Intermolecular Inc (IMI)

Intermolecular, Inc. (Intermolecular), incorporated on June 16, 2004, is engaged in research and development and time-to-market for the semiconductor and clean-energy industries. The Company, through paid collaborative development programs (CDPs) with its customers, develops technology and intellectual property (IP) for its customers focused on advanced materials, processes, integration and device architectures. The Company provides its customers with technology through various fee arrangements and grants them rights to associated IP, primarily through royalty-bearing licenses. Through paid CDPs and its own development, the Company has established a portfolio of greater than 1,000 patents and patent applications. Its approach is broadly applicable to high-volume integrated device markets, which include the markets for semiconductors, flat glass coatings and glass-based devices, solar cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), flat-panel displays, advanced batteries and other energy efficiency applications.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company targets large, high-volume semiconductor and high-growth emerging clean energy markets, including DRAM, non-volatile memory (including flash memory and embedded memory), complex logic, flat glass coatings and glass-based devices, solar cells, LEDs and other energy efficiency applications. The Company�� customers include ATMI, Inc. (ATMI), Elpida Memory, Inc. (Elpida), First Solar. Inc. (First), GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd (GLOBALFOUNDRIES), Guardian Industries Corp. (Guardian), SanDisk Corporation (SanDisk), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba). For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company has received the majority of its revenue from customers in DRAM, flash memory, complex logic and energy-efficient applications in flat glass. The elements in HPC platform include Tempus HPC processing, automated characterization, and informatics and analysis software. Tempus HPC processing are used to process ! different experiments consisting of combinations of materials, processing parameters, sequencing and device structures. Automated characterization systems are used to characterize the substrates processed by its Tempus HPC processing tools. Informatics and analysis software are used to automate experiment generation, characterization, data analysis and reporting.

The Company�� HPC platform consists of its Tempus HPC processing tools, automated characterization and informatics and analysis software. The Company�� platform is purpose-built for Research and Development (R and D) using combinatorial process systems. Combinatorial processing is a methodology for discovery and development that employs parallel and other high-throughput experimentation, which allows R and D experimentation to be performed at speeds up to 100 times faster than traditional methods. The Company�� processing tools allows performing up to 192 experiments on a single substrate.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology shares gained about 0.68 percent in today's trading. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Intermolecular (NASDAQ: IMI), up 38.3 percent, and Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), up 9.4 percent. In trading on Monday, utilities shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.68 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Technology shares gained about 0.68 percent in today's trading. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Intermolecular (NASDAQ: IMI), up 38.3 percent, and Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), up 9.4 percent. In trading on Monday, utilities shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.68 percent.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Intermolecular (NASDAQ: IMI) shares touched a new 52-week low of $4.84. Intermolecular shares have dropped 45.09% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 26.39% in the same period.

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  ARM Holdings Plc (ARM) lost 2.6 percent, leading European technology companies lower before it publishes half-year results next week. IMI Plc (IMI) gained 2 percent as Citigroup Inc. listed the engineering company among its most preferred stocks.