Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014

Green Dot Corporation (GDOT) will host a conference call to discuss third quarter 2013 financial results on Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 4:30pm ET. A press release with third quarter 2013 financial results will be issued after the market closes that same day.

Wall Street anticipates that the Business Services provider will make a profit of $0.21 per share for the quarter. iStock expects GDOT to top Wall Street's consensus number. The iEstimate is $0.22, too.

Green Dot operates as a technology-centric, pro-consumer bank holding company that provides personal banking for the masses. It offers prepaid debit card products and prepaid card reloading services in the United States, as well as mobile banking services with its GoBank mobile bank account offering.

It will be fascinating to see how Green Dot fares considering dueling research opinions. On October 19th, Janney Capital downgraded Green Dot to a "Sell" from "Neutral" rating. The firm says increased competition, specifically from American Express (AXP), and new entrants will make life more difficult for the business pre-paid card company. Janney believes GDOT is a $15 stock.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014: Nuveen California Select Quality Municipal Fund Inc.(NVC)

Nuveen California Select Quality Municipal Fund, Inc. is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is managed by Nuveen Asset Management. It invests in the fixed income markets of California. The fund invests primarily in municipal securities rated Baa/BBB or better. It invests in securities that provide income exempt from federal and California income tax. The fund employs fundamental analysis with bottom-up stock picking approach to create its portfolio. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P California Municipal Bond Index and the S&P National Municipal Bond Index. Nuveen California Select Quality Municipal Fund, Inc. was formed on April 3, 1991 and is domiciled in the United States.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014: Westwood Holdings Group Inc(WHG)

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. It operates through two subsidiaries, Westwood Management Corp. and Westwood Trust. The Westwood Management Corp. provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments and foundations, mutual funds, individuals, and clients of Westwood Trust. The Westwood Trust provides trust and custodial services to institutions and high net worth individuals, and participates in common trust funds that it sponsors. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Top 10 Stock Investments For 2014: ARMOUR Residential REIT Inc (ARR)

ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc.( ARMOUR), incorporated on February 5, 2008, is an externally-managed Maryland corporation managed by ARMOUR Residential REIT, Inc. The Company invests primarily in hybrid adjustable rate, adjustable rate and fixed rate residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS). These securities are issued or guaranteed by a United States Government-sponsored entity (GSE), such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), or are guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Administration (Ginnie Mae) collectively, Agency Securities. From time to time, a portion of its portfolio may be invested in unsecured notes and bonds issued by United States Government-chartered entities, collectively, Agency Debt. As of December 31, 2012, Agency Securities account for 100% of its portfolio.

The Company seeks long-term investment returns by investing its equity capital and borrowed funds in its targeted asset class of Agency Securities. The Company�� assets have been invested in Agency Securities or money market instruments, primarily deposits at federally chartered banks. The Company borrows against its Agency Securities using repurchase agreements. Its borrowings generally have maturities that may range from one month or less, up to one year, although occasionally it may enter into longer dated borrowing agreements to more closely match the rate adjustment period of its Agency Securities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Thomas Bradshaw]

  Armour Residential REIT (ARR) is an interesting REIT that was set up to invest in Agency residential mortgage backed securities. It seems like quite a simple model: buy mortgages that are primarily guaranteed by Fannie Mae (even throw in some Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae) and hold those to maturity, collecting coupons on the way. Since the assets would be held to maturity, no need to worry about the market value of the securities because we know what the fixed income stream will be and the face value of the securities won't change over time.

• [By David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer]

  One of the biggest movers today is Armour Residential REIT (NYSE: ARR  ) , falling over 6% at one point. Two mREITs run by Gary Kain, American Capital Agency (NASDAQ: AGNC  ) and American Capital Mortgage (NASDAQ: MTGE  ) , were also trading lower.

• [By Amanda Alix]

  Blood immediately began to flow in the mREIT sector, with Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY  ) dropping by 2.77%, while fellow agency player Armour Residential (NYSE: ARR  ) fell by 3.30%. Despite staying high on the day it announced a dividend cut, American Capital Agency (NASDAQ: AGNC  ) took a plunge, too, registering a share price loss of 3.55% by the close of trading. Even hybrid Two Harbors (NYSE: TWO  ) suffered a sizable dent in its share price, experiencing a plunge of 3.23%.

• [By Zain Zafar]

  In terms of book value loss, Hatteras' performance can be compared to that of ARMOUR Residential (NYSE: ARR  ) , whose book value per share declined by 19% from the previous quarter. However, ARMOUR Residential follows a strategy of investing primarily in long-duration fixed-rate MBSes, which can carry much larger interest rate risk.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014: Cape Bancorp Inc.(CBNJ)

Cape Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for the Cape Bank that provides a line of business and personal banking products to retail customers and small and mid-sized businesses primarily in Cape May and Atlantic Counties, New Jersey. Its deposit products include non-interest-bearing demand deposits, such as checking accounts; interest-bearing demand accounts, including NOW and money market accounts; savings accounts; and certificates of deposit. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises commercial mortgage loans, one-to-four family residential mortgage loans, commercial business loans, construction loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, and other consumer loans. It operates through its 16 full service branch offices located in Atlantic and Cape May counties in southern New Jersey; and a loan production office in Burlington County. The company was founded in 1923 and is based in Cape May Court House, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Right now I know that silver miners like Pan American Silver (PAAS) and Coeur Mining (CDE) are very cheap on an asset basis. I know that oil and gas producers like Swift Energy (SFY) and WPX Energy (WPX) are priced as if no one will ever use the stuff again. I know that small banks like Cape Bancorp (CBNJ) and Essa Bancorp (ESSA) are crazy-cheap — and if the world does not end, those stocks will be a lot higher in a few years.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014: Mayflower Bancorp Inc.(MFLR)

Mayflower Bancorp, Inc. operates as a bank holding company for Mayflower Co-operative Bank that provides various banking products in southeastern Massachusetts. Its deposit products include regular savings, NOW, and commercial checking accounts; money market and demand deposits; and term certificates of deposit. The company?s loan portfolio comprises conventional residential mortgage loans, second mortgages and equity lines of credit on residential properties, commercial real estate mortgages, and loans for the construction of residential and commercial properties, as well as commercial business loans, including demand loans, time loans, term loans, and commercial lines of credit; and consumer loans comprising secured and unsecured personal, automobile, boat, short-term, and overdraft protection loans. It also offers online banking, mobile banking, telephone banking, and automatic teller machine services, as well as debit cards. Mayflower Bancorp provides its services thr ough its main office in Middleboro; and seven full-service offices in Plymouth, Wareham, Rochester, Bridgewater, and Lakeville, Massachusetts. The company was founded in 1889 and is based in Middleboro, Massachusetts.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014: Gulf & Pacific Equities Corp. (GUF.V)

Gulf & Pacific Equities Corp. invests in commercial real estate properties in western Canada. It primarily focuses on the acquisition, management, and development of grocery-anchored shopping centers. The company owns grocery-anchored shopping centers located in Whitecourt, Alberta, and St. Paul, Alberta. Gulf & Pacific Equities was incorporated in 1998 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014: Nexgenrx Inc (NXG.V)

NexgenRx Inc. provides administration and health benefit claims adjudication services in Canada. It administers, adjudicates, and pays drug, dental, and other extended health-care claims for the beneficiaries of health benefit plans underwritten by its customers. The company�s services include prescription drug claims adjudication; dental claims adjudication; and claims adjudication for extended health benefits, including paramedical services, such as chiropractors, podiatrists, and massage therapists. It also provides retrospective and prospective claims data analysis; individual and aggregate stop loss products; emergency out of province/country travel benefits; and medical concierge services. The company offers its services to various organizations who manage health benefit plans on behalf of various plan sponsors, as well as directly to Canadian plan sponsors who wish to provide an administrative services only health benefit plan to their plan members. NexgenRx Inc. w as founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Top Financial Companies To Buy For 2014: The Blackstone Group L.P.(BX)

The Blackstone Group, L.P., together with its subsidiaries, provides alternative asset management and financial advisory services worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Private Equity, Real Estate, Hedge Fund Solutions, Credit Businesses, and Financial Advisory. The Private Equity segment involves in private equity investing through five general private equity funds and one specialized fund focusing on communications-related investments. This segment engages in various transactions comprising leveraged buyout acquisitions of seasoned companies, transactions involving growth equity or start-up businesses in established industries, minority investments, corporate partnerships, distressed debt, structured securities, and industry consolidations. The Real Estate segment manages general opportunistic real estate funds and internationally focused opportunistic real estate funds. This segment also has debt investment funds targeting non-controlling real estate debt-rel ated investment opportunities in the public and private markets, primarily in the United States and Europe. The Hedge Fund Solutions segment manages funds of hedge funds, and Indian-focused and Asian-focused closed-end mutual funds. The Credit Businesses segment manages credit-oriented funds, CLOs, credit-focused separately managed accounts, and publicly registered debt-focused investment companies. The Financial Advisory segment offers financial and strategic advisory, including corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions advice; restructuring and reorganization advisory; and fund placement services for alternative investment funds. Blackstone Group Management L.L.C. operates as the general partner of the company. The Blackstone Group, L.P. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The Wall Street Journal calls Carlsbad, Calif.-based Life Technologies (NASDAQ: LIFE  ) an $11 billion "company you never heard of." As the Journal reports, a buyout group including private-equity powerhouses Blackstone (NYSE: BX  ) , Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG  ) , and KKR (NYSE: KKR  ) is putting together an $11 billion bid to acquire the lab research equipment manufacturer. But as it turns out, Life is doing a bit of acquiring itself.

• [By Morgan Housel]

  Stephen Schwarzman, CEO, Blackstone� (NYSE: BX  ) :

  So you're seeing a lot of strength in housing, and it's coming from almost every place geographically ... So that's sort of the big winner. Auto and that whole complex is a big winner. They're doing over 15 million cars this year, up from 8.5 at the bottom. And then you have the energy complex, which is really, really a revolution. This is hard to underestimate the impact of energy and all the natural gas that's being produced and all the subsidiary types of things that come from that activity. And if you add on top of that, technology which is still a very big pocket of strength and quite robust in the United States, you've got some really good stuff happening.

• [By David Carey]

  Blackstone Group LP (BX), Centerbridge Partners LP and Paulson & Co. are poised to almost triple their investment when Extended Stay America Inc. goes public, three years after the firms bought the hotel chain out of bankruptcy.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  A distant, watery threat?
  Rising prices may not be the end of bad news for the company. Last week, the New York Public Service Commission approved a new 1,000 MW transmission line from Quebec to New York City. The 335-mile line will be built by a subsidiary of The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX  ) for $2.2 billion and carry electricity sourced from hydro plants.