Top Long Term Companies For 2014

But the question is why should the investors panic in these short term market swings when they know that equity investments should be planned for long term? Generally it is seen that the investment objective of equity funds states that they are meant for ��ong term��capital appreciation.

The answer is the dilemma faced by investors to sort out - How long really is the ��ong term��

We ran a calculation of the S&P BSE SENSEX values starting from its launch year till date (31st December, 1979 29th November, 2013), here is what the numbers look like.

Investment tenure for 34 years 

Top Regional Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Perficient Inc.(PRFT)

Perficient, Inc. provides information technology consulting services to various enterprise companies primarily in the United States. The company designs, builds, and delivers business-driven technology solutions using third party software products. Its solutions include business integration and service oriented architectures, enterprise portals and collaboration, custom applications, and technology platform implementations, as well as customer relationship management, enterprise performance management, enterprise content management, and business intelligence solutions. The company?s solutions enable its clients to operate a real-time enterprise that adapts business processes and the systems that support them to meet the changing demands of marketplace. Perficient, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap tech consulting firm Perficient, Inc (NASDAQ: PRFT) is getting deeper into the cloud computing space ��meaning it might be worth taking a closer look at it along with the performance of First Trust ISE Cloud Computing Index Fund (NASDAQ: SKYY). We have just added Perficient, Inc to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio because we believe the company is trading at a discount to that of its small cap peers in the cloud computing space plus the stock�� fundamentals and technical chart looks attractive.

Top Long Term Companies For 2014: PGT Inc.(PGTI)

PGT, Inc. engages in the manufacture and supply of residential impact-resistant windows and doors. The company offers impact-resistant products, including heavy-duty aluminum or vinyl frames with laminated glass to provide protection from hurricane-force winds and wind-borne debris. It also provides a range of non-impact-resistant aluminum and vinyl frame windows and doors; Architectural Systems line of products, which offer protection from hurricane-force winds and wind-borne debris for mid-and high-rise buildings; and non-glass vertical and horizontal sliding panels for porch enclosures, such as vinyl-glazed and aluminum-framed products used for enclosing screened-in porches that provide protection from inclement weather. The company markets its products under the WinGuard, PremierVue, PGT Architectural Systems, Eze-Breeze, and SpectraGuard brand names. PGT, Inc. offers its products to residential new construction, and home repair and remodeling end markets through windo w distributors, building supply distributors, window replacement dealers, and enclosure contractors. It operates in the southeastern United States, the Gulf Coast, Coastal mid-Atlantic, the Caribbean, Central America, and Canada. The company was formerly known as JLL Window Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to PGT, Inc. in January 2004. PGT, Inc. was founded in 1980 and is based in North Venice, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  A larger-than-previously announced block of PGT's (NASDAQ: PGTI  ) shares is up for grabs. Major stockholder JLL Partners Fund has increased the size of its sale; it is now offering an even 10 million shares in an underwritten secondary public offering priced at $7.75 per share. Also, the issue's underwriters have been granted a 30-day option to buy up to an additional 1.65 million shares from the seller.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  There's no foolproof way to know the future for PGT (Nasdaq: PGTI  ) or any other company. However, certain clues may help you see potential stumbles before they happen -- and before your stock craters as a result.

Top Long Term Companies For 2014: Comcast Corporation(CMCSK)

Comcast Corporation provides entertainment, information, and communications products and services in the United States and internationally. The company?s Cable Communications segment provides video, high-speed Internet, and voice services to residential and business customers. As of December 31, 2011, its cable systems served 22.3 million video, 18.1 million high-speed Internet, and 9.3 million voice customers. Its Cable Networks segment operates cable entertainment networks, such as USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Cloo, and Universal HD; cable news and information networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and CNBC World; cable sports networks comprising Golf Channel and NBC Sports Network; regional sports and news networks; international cable networks, such as CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia, and its Universal Networks International networks; cable television production studio; and digital media properties primarily comprising brand-aligned and other Websites, s uch as DailyCandy, Fandango, and iVillage. The company?s Broadcast Television segment primarily operates NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks; NBC and Telemundo owned local television stations; broadcast television production operations; and related digital media properties, which primarily include brand-aligned Websites. Its Filmed Entertainment segment operates Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets, and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television, and other distribution platforms. The company?s Theme Parks segment operates Universal theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood. Comcast Corporation also operates the Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center, a multipurpose arena in Philadelphia; provides facilities management services; and offers food services for sporting events, concerts, and other events. The company was founded in 1969 and is based in Philadelphia, Penn sylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Murray Close, Warner Bros./AP From a major banking institution kicking off the new earnings season to the most-anticipated theme park debut of the year staging its grand opening, here are some things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- Food for Thought The market's going to get off to a slow start on the news front. That's not a surprise given that it was closed Friday for Independence Day. One company that will be in the news on Monday is food and industrial products maker Penford (PENX). Penford's wide range of products include food ingredients, pet and animal products, sustainable bioproducts, starches for paper and packaging products and biofuels. Analysts see Penford earning 21 cents a share, but keep in mind that it has come up short against Wall Street expectations in each of the three previous quarters. Tuesday -- Harry Potter Central Florida will be a bit busier than usual on Tuesday when Comcast's (CMCSK) Universal Orlando has its grand opening of the new Diagon Alley expansion to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's been a rough start. July 8 wasn't the opening date that the park originally wanted, judging by the fact that it had "The Tonight Show" and "Today" run weeklong tie-ins a few weeks ago. Conveniently for Comcast, it owns both the Universal theme parks and NBC. However, with the expansion's indoor coaster proving unreliable -- and even Universal pass holders being denied early access to attractions outside of the new Hogwarts Express train ride -- it could be an interesting debut. The crowds should be huge, the expectations lofty. Wednesday -- Mopping Up WD-40 (WDFC) reports on Wednesday afternoon. This is the company behind the multi-use lubricant. It also offers industrial cleaners, toilet sanitizers and other compounds. WD-40 didn't work out for its shareholders last time out. It posted better than expected 9 percent growth in revenue, but earnings fell just short of expectations. WD-4

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  John Raoux/AP This promises to be a big summer for tourism in Central Florida. Disney (DIS) just opened the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster at the Magic Kingdom. Later this month, it will be Comcast's (CMCSK) Universal Studios Florida that gets a chance to woo travelers with its Harry Potter-themed expansion that includes a Hogwarts Express train ride and an indoor roller coaster in a richly themed London setting. Disney's new family-friendly attraction -- the final achievement of the New Fantasyland expansion that began to open to the public in late 2012 -- officially opened shortly after Memorial Day. It is now the centerpiece of Disney World's television marketing campaign. The initial wave of reviews hasn't been kind. Many complain that the ride is too short and lacks the thrills befitting a roller coaster. Enthusiast site Disboards.com has an active thread that is now 300-plus posts and 21 pages deep with folks chiming in. The consensus seems to be that it's a fun and gentle ride, but not the roller coaster ride that many were expecting. That's fine for most guests. There's a reason why they are at Disney World instead of a Six Flags (SIX) park closer to home. However, there's clearly an opportunity here to expand its audience. Disney just prefers to keep its focus on young families. It's a Small World After All Disney has never sold itself as a thrill haven. The largest roller coaster in its four Florida parks -- Expedition Everest -- has an 80-foot drop and maxes out at 50 miles per hour. There are a couple of coasters in the country that go more than twice as fast and have drops five times higher. This doesn't mean that Disney's cutting corners. Expedition Everest was tapped by Guinness World Records as the world's most expensive coaster. The final tab for rich theming and cutting-edge ride systems reportedly came in at $100 million when accounting for the surrounding area, four times as much as Cedar Fair (FUN) has ever spent on one of its famed

Top Long Term Companies For 2014: Ebix Inc(EBIX)

Ebix, Inc. provides on-demand software and e-commerce solutions to the insurance industry. The company operates data exchanges, which connects multiple entities within the insurance markets and enables the participant to carry and process data from one end to another in the areas of life insurance, annuities, employee health benefits, risk management, workers compensation, and property and casualty (P&C) insurance. It is also involved in designing and deploying broker systems comprising three back-end systems consisting of eGlobal for multinational P&C insurance brokers; WinBeat for P&C brokers in the Australian and New Zealand markets; and EbixASP for the P&C insurance brokers in the United States. In addition, the company offers business process outsourcing services, which include certificate origination, certificate tracking, claims adjudication call center, and back office support. Further, it focuses on designing and deploying on-demand and back-end carrier systems, s uch as Ebix Advantage and Ebix Advantageweb targeted at small, medium, and large P&C carriers in the United States and internationally that operate in the personal, commercial, and specialty line areas of insurance. Additionally, Ebix, Inc. provides software development, customization, and consulting services to various companies in the insurance industry, such as carriers, brokers, exchanges, and standard making bodies. The company was formerly known as Delphi Systems, Inc. and changed its name to Ebix, Inc. in December 2003. Ebix, Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Huber]

  Two Examples of Stocks where Value became the Catalyst
  Dell Inc. (DELL) and Ebix Inc. (EBIX) are two stocks that I've followed for some time now as both have shown up on Greenblatt's screen for months. I list these together because they have numerous similarities: Both got cheap because of certain problems, both have similar quality metrics such as above-average returns on capital, both are involved in a pending buyout, and both have CEOs with large stakes in the business.

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  Ebix's� (NASDAQ: EBIX  ) latest earnings call�revealed�a 6.9% decrease in the company's quarterly revenue, dropping from $53.8 million in Q3 2012, to $50.3 million.�

• [By John Huber]

  Dell (DELL) and Ebix (EBIX) are two stocks that I've been following for some time. Both have shown up in Joel Greenblatt's screen for months, and I've considered both to be potential investment candidates. Both have CEO's with large ownership stakes, both have negative sentiment surrounding the stock (for different reasons), both look cheap using basic value metrics, and both have traded above their deal price, signaling the market might expect a higher bid.

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  Ebix Inc. (Nasdaq: EBIX) has its shares floated at a very high 47.1%, and they took a 14% hit this past month. EBIX supplies management software to the insurance industry. It has been in the crosshairs of the short sellers for more than a year now, since short selling firm Gotham Research LLC targeted what it called unreliable, inaccurate, and incomplete accounting in March 2013 and sustained that attack into September. It has since been the subject of SEC probes and civil litigation, and even took heat for alleged money laundering in its cross-border transactions. These lingering legal troubles ultimately derailed a merger agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. (NYSE: GS) last summer, where GS had valued the company at $820 million.

Top Long Term Companies For 2014: American Heritage International Inc (AHII)

American Heritage International Inc., formerly Cumberland Hills Ltd., incorporated on January 19, 2010, intends to focus on electronic cigarette. The Company�� product includes American Heritage, American One, American Freedom, American Nights, American Standard and Smoking Alternative Gums and Mints.

The Company�� initial and primary line will be the American Heritage line. American One is a disposable Electronic Cigarette, good for over 500 draws, about the equivalent of over two packs of traditional cigarettes. American Freedom will be the brand name for its Nicotine-Free line of Electronic Cigarettes. American Nights will be a product line targeted to the young adult market of social smokers. Smoking Alternative products will include gums, and mints.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap electronic cigarette stocks Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO), Smokefree Innotec�(OTCMKTS: SFIO), Hop-On Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN) and American Heritage International Inc (OTCBB: AHII) are what�� left of the e-Cig market not controlled by ��ig Tobacco��and at least one of these stocks is positioning itself or its technology to exploit opportunities in marijuana or cannabis. Last year, industry experts were saying that�US retail sales of e-cigarettes could reach $1 billion for the year or�1% of the country's cigarette market but twice that of 2012�as sales go off the Internet and into more mainstream retailers. Moreover, they are being positioned as a ��ealthier��alternative to smoking (albeit some places have already extended their smoking bans to cover the devices). It should be stated that electronic cigarettes look just like traditional cigarettes and are usually comprised of three functional components:

• [By John Udovich]

  Last week, I talked about small cap electronic cigarette stocks Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO) and Hop-On Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN) as being among the last of the e-Cig�stocks not controlled by ��ig Tobacco,��but Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp (OTCMKTS: ECIG), mCig Inc (OTCBB: MCIG) and American Heritage International (OTCBB: AHII)�are also�positioning themselves or their technology to exploit opportunities in the e-Cig market or even in�marijuana or cannabis. Last year, industry experts were already saying that�US retail sales of e-cigarettes could reach $1 billion for the year�for roughly�1% of the country's cigarette market. That number might appear small, but its more than double 2012 sales�as sales increasingly�move off the Internet and into more mainstream retailers thanks to their positioning as a���ealthier��alternative to smoking.

Top Long Term Companies For 2014: Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc.(EGLE)

Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. engages in the ocean transportation of bulk cargoes in the dry bulk industry. The company primarily transports iron ore, coal, grain, cement, and fertilizer along worldwide shipping routes. As of December 31, 2009, it owned and operated a fleet of 27 oceangoing vessels with a combined carrying capacity of 1,412,535 deadweight tons. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Del, Vecchio,]

  Shape up or ship out
  The two companies above have done a relatively great job at staying proactive during a troubled time, and Eagle Bulk Shipping (NASDAQ: EGLE  ) is doing its best to follow suit. After putting up very strong earnings last quarter, reporting $72.2 million net revenue, compared with $52.6 million for the same quarter last year, Eagle looks to be on the right track.

• [By Rebecca McClay]

  And dry bulk shippers like FreeSeas Inc. (Nasdaq: FREE), Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: SHIP), and Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq: EGLE) are noting big gains today as shipping rates strengthen. FREE is up 8%, SHIP is up 13%, and EGLE is up 7% as capesize shipping rates increased overnight by about 10%, exceeding $20,000 for the first time since January 2012.