Best Long Term Companies To Buy For 2014

LONDON --�The last five years have been tough for those in retirement. Portfolio valuations have been hammered and annuity rates have plunged. There's no sign of things improving anytime soon, either, as the eurozone and the U.K. economy look set to muddle through at best for some years to come.

A great way of protecting yourself from the downturn, however, is by building your retirement fund with shares of large, well-run companies that should grow their earnings steadily over the coming decades. Over time, such investments ought to result in rising dividends and inflation-beating capital growth.

In this series, I'm tracking down the U.K. large-caps that have the potential to beat the FTSE 100 over the long term and support a lower-risk income-generating retirement fund (you can see the companies I've covered so far�on this page).

Today, I'm going to take a look at�Melrose Industries� (LSE: MRO  ) (NASDAQOTH: MLSPF  ) , an unusual company which specialises in turning around manufacturing businesses, before selling them on. Melrose's current portfolio of businesses contains German utility meter maker Elster, Brush Turbo Generators and Marelli Motori, which make electric motors and generators, and Bridon, which makes rope and wire products used in the oil and gas industry.

Top 10 Companies To Invest In 2015: Boot(h)

Henry Boot PLC, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a property and construction company in the United Kingdom. Its property portfolio includes retail warehousing properties, leisure and retail parks, town centre retail and mixed use properties, industrial and office properties, and business parks. The company engages in the acquisition, promotion, development, and trading of land; and holds interest in 8,200 acres of land through ownership, option, and agency agreements. It also involves in construction, civil engineering, and road maintenance activities; and offers construction services to the health, education, housing, custodial, and public sectors. In addition, the company offers a range of products and services for sale and hire, such as fleet of contractors' mechanical plant and equipment ranging from telehandlers to rollers; boom and scissor lift access platforms suitable for slab or rough terrain work; accommodation units for applications, including offices , canteens, showers, toilets, and security stores; power tools and equipment consisting of electric tools, engine powered items, concreting and compaction tools, lightweight access equipment, heating and lighting appliances, and home maintenance items; and fleet of machines for construction and industrial applications. Henry Boot PLC was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Sheffield, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Thalman]

  In the following video, Fool contributor Matt Thalman discusses why he believes MGM Resorts' (NYSE: MGM  ) recent move to partner with both Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV  ) and Hyatt Hotels (NYSE: H  ) will greatly benefit not only MGM but also its two new partners.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  4. Hawaii
  The poor pay 13% of their income in taxes in Hawaii, although the state has relatively high taxes across the board. Even tourists end up paying at least their fair share of taxes, with a double-digit percentage hotel tax imposed on Starwood (NYSE: HOT  ) , Hyatt (NYSE: H  ) , and other hotel chains, which they then pass on to their guests. The wealthy in Hawaii pay an average tax rate of 8%, the highest of the states on this list, because of extremely high marginal rates on income taxes that range as high as 11%. The sales tax is relatively reasonable at 4%, but the key problem is that the sales tax applies to grocery purchases, which hits the poor especially hard.

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  The deal marks the world’s largest hotel IPO by proceeds, topping Hyatt Hotels Corp.'s(H) $1.1 billion debut in November 2009, according to Dealogic.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  After graduating from Harvard University, Mark Hoplamazian earned his MBA in 1989 from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. At Booth, Mark became friendly with Tom Pritzker, who then recruited Mark as a young executive for The Pritzker Organization. When no one in the Pritzkers' heavily Jewish family office could pronounce or spell Mark's Armenian Christian last name, Tom nicknamed him "Steinberg." The Pritzker Organization's flagship investment then, as now, was Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H).

Best Long Term Companies To Buy For 2014: Nuveen Municipal Value Fund Inc.(NUV)

Nuveen Municipal Value 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 the United States. The fund also invests some portion of its portfolio in derivative instruments. It invests in undervalued municipal securities and other related investments the income, exempt from regular federal income taxes that are rated Baa or BBB or better. It employs fundamental analysis with bottom-up stock picking approach to create its portfolio. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Standard & Poor?s (S&P) National Municipal Bond Index. Nuveen Municipal Value Fund, Inc. was formed on April 8, 1987 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Donald van Deventer]

  The latest implied forward rate forecast from Kamakura Corporation shows projected 10-year U.S. Treasury yields differing -0.07% to 0.03% from last week while fixed rate mortgage yields varied by -0.01% to 0.08%. Mortgage yields, determined by the Monday through Wednesday weekly survey of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, lag Treasury movements simply because of the 3-day yield calculation used in the Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield is projected to rise from 2.92% at Thursday's close (down 0.06% from last week) to 3.374% (down 0.06% from last week) in one year. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield in ten years is forecast to reach 4.639%, 1 basis point lower than last week. The 15-year fixed rate mortgage rate is forecast to rise from the effective yield of 3.69% on Thursday (down 0.001% from last week) to 4.222% (down 0.006% from last week) in one year and 6.29% in 10 years, up 0.038% from last week. We explain the background for these calculations in the rest of this note, along with some mortgage servicing rights metrics. The forecast allows investors in exchange traded U.S. Treasury funds (TLT) (TBT), total return bond funds (BOND), municipal bonds (NUV) and exchange traded mortgage funds (REM) to assess likely total returns over the next 120 months. Treasury-related exchange traded funds affected by the forward rates include:

Best Long Term Companies To Buy For 2014: Perrigo Company PLC (PRGO)

Perrigo Company plc, incorporated on March 23, 1988, is a global healthcare supplier that develops, manufactures and distributes over-the-counter (OTC) and generic prescription (Rx) pharmaceuticals, infant formulas, nutritional products, animal health, dietary supplements, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and medical diagnostic products, and Multiple Sclerosis drug Tysabri. The Company�� businesses include Consumer Healthcare, Nutritionals, Rx Pharmaceuticals, API, Life Sciences and Other Businesses. The Company offers Healthcare Products across a range of product categories primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Israel and Australia, and distributes into dozens of other markets worldwide, including Canada, China and Latin America. In February 2014, the Company announced that it has acquired a basket of value-brand OTC products sold in Australia and New Zealand from Aspen Global Inc.

The Company operates through several wholly owned subsidiaries. In the United States, its operations are conducted primarily through L. Perrigo Company, Perrigo Company of South Carolina, Inc., Perrigo New York, Inc., PBM Products, LLC, PBM Nutritionals, LLC, Paddock Laboratories, LLC, Perrigo Diabetes Care, LLC (formerly CanAm Care, LLC), Sergeant's Pet Care Products, Inc. and Fidopharm, Inc. Outside the United States, its operations are conducted primarily through Perrigo Israel Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Chemagis Ltd., Quimica y Farmacia S.A. de C.V., Laboratorios Diba, S.A., Wrafton Laboratories Limited, Galpharm Healthcare Ltd., Orion Laboratories Pty Ltd and Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Consumer Healthcare

Perrigo Consumer Healthcare (CHC) operation includes the Company's United States, United Kingdom and Mexico manufacturing operations supporting the sale of OTC pharmaceutical products. Perrigo CHC supplies more than 15 categories and 500 formulas and offers analgesics, cough and cold remedies, and gastrointestinal and feminine hygiene products, as w! ell as vitamins, dietary supplements and nutritional drinks. Perrigo offers a range of products, such advertised brand products as Tylenol, Advil or One-A-Day. Tylenol has acetaminophen as an active ingredient and is available in stores' analgesic (pain reliever) aisle. Store-brand acetaminophen is located next to the national brand, offering the same active ingredient (acetaminophen) and the same pain relief.

Perrigo Nutritionals

Perrigo is a manufacturer of nutrition products for the store brand market. Nutrition products include infant formula, pediatric nutritionals and vitamins, minerals, and supplements. Acquired by Perrigo, Perrigo Nutritionals, formerly PBM Products, LLC, had introduced private-label, or store-brand infant formulas to the United States. Perrigo Nutritionals is the supplier of store-brand infant formulas and nutrition products. With distribution to major retailers, Perrigo Nutritional products can be found in more than 40,000 retail locations around the world. Its pediatric nutritionals business extends its offerings to children well beyond infancy. Its baby cereals, toddler foods, and pediatric nutritional drinks are available as store brands at various retail locations throughout the United States and the international community. Perrigo manufactures a range of vitamins, minerals, and supplements, in every major segment of the business. Marketed under the store brand labels of the retailers in the food, drug, mass-merchandise and wholesale club channels, it manufactures over 395 formulas of dietary supplements. Its brands include Centrum, One-A-Day, Flintstones, and Osteo-Bi-Flex.

Rx Pharmaceuticals

The Company�� Rx Pharmaceuticals business is focused on the development, manufacture and sale of generic prescription drug products, primarily for the United States market. Manufacturing operations are based in the United States and Israel. Perrigo's portfolio focuses on complex, high-barrier ophthalmological, topical foam and or! al liquid! formulations. Its products include Acetylcysteine Injection 200 mg/mL (6g/30mL), Acetylcysteine Injection 6 g/30 mL (200 mg/1 mL), NOVAPLUS, ACTIDOSE with SORBITOL, ACTIDOSE-AQUA, ASPIRIN SUPPOSITORIES USP, Bacitracin Ophthalmic Ointment USP, Belladonna and Opium Suppositories C-II, BENZOIN COMPOUND TINCTURE USP, Benzoyl Peroxide 10% Acne Medication Wash, CLOBETASOL PROPIONATE LOTION 0.05% and Docusate Sodium.

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

Primarily through the Company�� Israel-based business, Perrigo develops, manufactures and markets the complex chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients used worldwide by the generic drug industry. Certain of these ingredients are also used in Perrigo's own pharmaceutical products. It manufactures API at facilities in Israel, India and China. Perrigo API specializes in tailor-made research and process development of APIs and Finished Dosage Forms (FDFs).

Life Sciences

Through the Company�� Israel-based business, Perrigo markets and manufactures branded prescription drugs and medical diagnostic products through exclusive agreements with pharmaceutical companies. Its Pharmaceutical and Medical Diagnostic Products businesses also market and manufacture branded prescription drugs under licenses. Other pharmaceutical and medical diagnostics products are imported to Israel through exclusive agreements. Products in life sciences segment include TYSABRI and ELND005. TYSABRI (natalizumab) is indicated for treatment of: Multiple Sclerosis: as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to delay the accumulation of physical disability and reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. TYSABRI is recommended for patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, an alternate MS therapy; Crohn�� Disease (CD): Inducing and maintaining clinical response and remission in adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn�� disease with e! vidence o! f inflammation who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, conventional CD therapies and inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor-伪.

Other

Perrigo's Pharmaceutical and Medical Diagnostic Products business markets and manufactures branded prescription drugs under licenses. Other pharmaceutical and medical diagnostic products are imported to Israel through exclusive agreements with pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies. This business is divided into two departments: Pharma-Israel and Tayco Diagnostics. Pharma-Israel operates in the Israeli market as a partner in the marketing, sales and distribution of Rx (dermatology, gastroenterology, blood products, CNS, urology and other fields), OTC, generics, branded generics, dermo-cosmetics and dietary supplements. Tayco, the diagnostics division of Perrigo-Israel Pharmaceuticals Ltd., specializes in marketing and sales of medical laboratory systems, reagents, accessories and consumables. It also markets self-monitoring medical devices for diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. The division operates throughout Israel to service the central laboratory, hospital, clinic, point of care and self-testing markets. Its activities in the medical and research fields in Israel cover all market segments: medical (private and public health services), research institutions and the biotech industry.

The Company competes with Dr. Reddy�� Laboratories, Ltd., Actavis Inc., Aaron Industries, Inc., Ohm Laboratories, Inc., PL Developments, LNK International, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., Nestle S.A. (Gerber), Danone Baby Nutrition, Bayer AG, Pfizer, Inc., Rexall Sundown, Inc., Apotex, Glenmark Generics Inc., Impax, Prasco, Sandoz, Taro Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Triax Pharmaceuticals, and Zydus Pharmaceuticals.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Benjamin Shepherd]

  When you have a run-of-the-mill headache or cold, you take an aspirin or an antihistamine which you most likely picked up off a shelf at your pharmacy. You don�� see a doctor, you don�� have to talk to the pharmacist and you definitely don�� need a prescription for an over-the-counter (OTC) medication, some of which you might even take on a daily basis.
  
  According to a paper from the American College of Preventative Medicine released in 2011, more than $17 billion of OTC products were sold in 2010 and more than a third of American adults reported using OTC medication on a regular basis. A survey conducted in 1999 showed that nearly 20 percent of the population used an OTC pain medication in any given week.
  
  While there is the risk that readily available medications may be misused, OTC products are commonly used because they allow fast and direct access to effective medication for a whole host of common ailments. They also have the added benefit of helping to reduce the pressure on our health care system by preventing needless doctor calls.
  
  When you think of OTC medications many of the first to come to mind, such as Tylenol, Sudafed and Benadryl, are products made by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). But over the past decade ��especially since the turmoil of the Great Recession ��there has been a rise in ��eneric generics,��otherwise known as store brands.
  
  Most OTC medications have been around for decades, in the case of aspirin more than a century, and as a result have virtually no patent protections. That means that competition in the space has always been fierce and most manufacturers invest heavily in building up brand reputation for effectiveness, making it a relatively low margin business to begin with.
  
  The market has become even more competitive since retailers have realized that they can keep more money in their own pockets by contracting for the production of virtually identical products which can be sold un

Best Long Term Companies To Buy For 2014: Bio-Matrix Scientific Group Inc (BMSN)

Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc., incorporated on October 6, 1998, is a development stage company. The Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Regen BioPharma ,Inc., is engaged in the development of regenerative medical applications which it focuses to license from other entities up to the point of completion of Phase I and or Phase II clinical trials after which it would either attempt to sell or license those developed applications or, alternatively, advance the application further to Phase III clinical trials.

The Company has begun development of HemaXellerate, a cellular drug designed to heal damaged bone marrow. HemaXellerate I (TM) is a patient-specific composition of cells that have been demonstrated to repair damaged bone marrow and stimulate production of blood cells based on previous animal studies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  If you're a small cap enthusiast looking for some budding ideas, you may not need to look any further than China GengSheng Minerals, Inc. (NYSEMKT:CHGS), Bio Matrix Scientific Group Inc. (OTCMKTS:BMSN), and MER Telemanagement Solutions Ltd. (NASDAQ:MTSL). All three have either pushed themselves to the brink of a breakout, if they haven't started one already. Here's a closer technical look at MTSL, BMSN, and CHGS, and what it's going to take to get them going if they're not going already.

Best Long Term Companies To Buy For 2014: Impac Mortgage Holdings Inc (IMH)

Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc. (IMH), incorporated in August 1995, operations include the mortgage and real estate fee-based business activities conducted by its subsidiaries: Integrated Real Estate Service Corporation (IRES), IMH Assets Corp. (IMH Assets) and Impac Funding Corporation (IFC). The Company�� operations include the mortgage and real estate fee-based business activities conducted by IRES and the long-term mortgage portfolio (residual interests in securitizations reflected as net trust assets and liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The mortgage lending activities include the origination, funding, selling and servicing of loans. The Company is focusing on originating loans eligible for sale to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and government sponsored loans eligible for Ginnie Mae securities issuance.

Mortgage and real estate services

The Company created IRES to provide solutions to the mortgage and real estate markets. IRES performs services for investors, portfolio managers, servicers and individual borrowers, including mortgage lending services, portfolio monitoring and real estate services, surveillance and recovery services. The platform includes the mortgage lending operations, the portfolio loss mitigation and real estate services and formerly the title and escrow operations. The mortgage lending activities include the origination, funding, selling and servicing of loans. The Company is focusing on originating loans eligible for sale to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and government sponsored loans eligible for Ginnie Mae securities issuance.

Master Servicing

In the ordinary course of business, the Company sells mortgage loans to the secondary market. The Company retains servicing on certain loans sold and earns servicing fees generally between 0.25% and 0.44% per annum of the monthly outstanding principal balance of the loans serviced. The Company has hired a nationally recognized residential sub-servicer to sub-service! the servicing portfolio. Although the Company uses a sub-servicer to provide primary servicing and certain default servicing functions, the Company's default management team, experienced in loss mitigation and real estate recovery, monitors and surveys the performance of the mortgage servicing portfolio. Incurring the cost of both a sub-servicer and an internal default management team reduces net servicing income, but it is an important investment used to minimize delinquencies and minimize repurchase risk. As of December 31, 2011, the total unpaid principal balance of mortgage loans serviced was $605.4 million.

Long-Term Mortgage Portfolio

The long-term mortgage portfolio consists of the residual interest in securitizations represented on the consolidated balance sheet as the difference between trust assets and trust liabilities. The long-term mortgage portfolio includes adjustable rate and fixed rate Alt-A single-family residential mortgages and commercial (primarily multifamily residential loans) mortgages that were acquired and originated by the Company. Alt-A mortgages are primarily first lien mortgages made to borrowers whose credit is within typical Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, but have loan characteristics that make them non-conforming under those guidelines. Commercial mortgages in the long-term mortgage portfolio are adjustable rate mortgages with initial fixed interest rate periods of two-, three-, five-, seven- and 10-years that subsequently convert to adjustable rate mortgages (hybrid ARMs).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another stock that insiders are active in here is Impac Mortgage (IMH), which offers residential mortgage services in the U.S. Insiders are buying this stock into big time weakness, since shares are off by 27.4% so far in 2013.

  Impac Mortgage has a market cap of $89 million and an enterprise value of $6.05 billion. This stock trades at a premium valuation, with a forward price-to-earnings of 124.10. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $14.15 million and its total debt is a whopping $5.98 billion.

  A beneficial owner just bought 77,863 shares, or about $782,000 worth of stock, at $10 to $10.05 per share.

  From a technical perspective, IMH is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been trending sideways in a consolidation pattern for the last month, with shares moving between $9.80 on the downside and $10.90 on the upside. A high-volume move above the upper-end of its sideways trading chart pattern soon could trigger a big breakout trade for shares of IMH.

   

  If you're bullish on IMH, then look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some key near-term support at $9.80 and then once it breaks out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $10.50 to $10.90 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 29,759 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then IMH will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $11.88 to $11.95. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give IMH a chance to tag $14.