Best Companies To Buy For 2014

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, made the single biggest donation of the year.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Big donors were feeling particularly generous last year.

A total of 15 individual donations exceeded $100 million in 2013, according to an annual tally from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, based on publicly announced gifts. That's up from 11 donations at that level in 2012.

The rebounding stock market was behind much of the newfound confidence of donors, said Stacy Palmer, the Chronicle's editor.

"People are doing well in this market and feel confident parting with this money, they're not as worried that they will regret it down the road," she said.

Facebook (FB, Fortune 500) CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, made the single biggest donation of the year. The couple gave 18 million shares of Facebook stock -- valued at more than $990 million -- to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which distributes donations to a wide range of other nonprofits in the area.

Hot Logistics Stocks To Own Right Now: Landauer Inc (LDR)

Landauer, Inc. (Landauer) is a provider of technical and analytical services to determine occupational and environmental radiation exposure. The Company is domestic provider of outsourced medical physics services. The Company operates in two segments: Radiation Monitoring and Medical Physics. The Company has provided radiation dosimetry services to hospitals, medical and dental offices, universities, national laboratories, nuclear facilities and other industries. Landauer's services include the manufacture of radiation detection monitors, the distribution and collection of the monitors to and from customers, and the analysis and reporting of exposure findings. In addition to providing analytical services, the Company leases or sells dosimetry detectors and reading equipment to customers. Medical physics services are provided through the Company's Global Physics Solutions, Inc. (GPS) subsidiary. In November 2011, it acquired IZI Medical Products, LLC.

In November 2009, Landauer completed the acquisition of GPS. GPS is a nationwide service provider of clinical physics support, equipment commissioning and accreditation support and imaging equipment testing. In June 2010, Landauer, through its GPS subsidiary, completed the acquisition of Upstate Medical Physics (UMP), a provider of imaging physics services in New York. In November 2009, Landauer completed the acquisition of Gammadata Matteknik AB (GDM), a Swedish provider of radon measurement services. GDM provides measurement services throughout the Scandinavian region and Europe. In October 2009, Landauer completed the acquisition of dosimetry service in Sweden, called Landauer Persondosimetri AB (PDM).

The Radiation Monitoring revenues are realized from radiation monitoring services and other services incidental to radiation dose measurement. The Company enters into agreements with customers to provide them with radiation monitoring services, for a 12 month period. As part of its services, the Company provides to its custome! rs radiation detection badges, which are produced and owned by the Company. The badges are worn for a period selected by the customers (wear period), which is usually one, two, or three months in duration. At the end of the wear period, the badges are returned to the Company for analysis. The Company analyzes the badges that have been worn and provides its customers with a report indicating their radiation exposures. The Company recycles certain badge components for reuse, while also producing replacement badges on a continual basis.

The Company offers its service for measuring the dosages of x-ray, gamma radiation and other penetrating ionizing radiations, to which the wearer has been exposed, through badges, which contain optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) material, which are worn by customer personnel. This technology is marketed under the trade names Luxel+ and InLight. A component of the Company's dosimetry system is OSL crystal material. The Company's base OSL material is manufactured utilizing a process to create aluminum oxide crystals in a structure that is able to retain charged electrons following the crystal's exposure to radiation.

Landauer's InLight dosimetry system provides in-house and commercial laboratories with the ability to provide in-house radiation monitoring services using OSL technology. InLight services involve a customer acquiring or leasing dosimetry devices, as well as analytical reading equipment from the Company. The InLight system allows customers the flexibility to tailor their dosimetry needs. Landauer's operations include services for the measurement and monitoring of radon gas. The Company offers a service, which provides radon monitoring and, when necessary, remediation to purchasers of personal residences. Testing requires the customer to deploy a radon detector and return the detector to the Company's laboratories for dose determination and reporting. The Company assists with remediation services on properties where radon measurements ! exceed a ! specified threshold.

The Company competes with Mirion Technologies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Landauer (NYSE: LDR  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best Companies To Buy For 2014: Innoprise Plantations Bhd (INNO)

Innoprise Plantations Berhad is a Malaysia-based company engaged in investment holding and provision of management services to its subsidiary. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the principal activities of log extraction contractor and operation of oil palm plantations, producer and supplier of renewable energy. The Company operates in three segments: Plantation, Timber and Corporate. The Plantation segment includes cultivation of oil palm. The Timber segment includes log extraction services. The Corporate segment includes group level corporate services, treasury functions and investment in marketable securities. The Company�� subsidiaries include Serijaya Industri Sdn. Bhd. and IPB Bio Energy Sdn. Bhd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Rising India Inc (OTCMKTS: RSII), Innocap, Inc (OTCBB: INNO) and Amplitech Group Inc (OTCBB: AMPG) have all been the subject of recent paid for promotions or investor relation campaigns. And while there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed promotions, investors who aren�� traders and are looking for a long term investment need to be careful. With that said, do these three small caps have what it takes to succeed for the long haul? Here is a quick reality check before you jump in:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Respect Your Universe Inc (OTCMKTS: RYUN), Global Gaming Network (OTCMKTS: GBGM) and Innocap, Inc (OTCBB: INNO) have been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters thanks in part to paid promotions or investor relations activities. Of course there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed paid promotions or investor relations type of activities, but they can come back and bite unwary traders or investors. So what should you do with these three small cap stocks? Here is a quick reality check:

Best Companies To Buy For 2014: Nathan's Famous Inc.(NATH)

Nathan's Famous, Inc. operates in the foodservice industry. It engages in marketing Nathan?s Famous brand, and selling products bearing the Nathan?s Famous trademarks through various channels of distribution in the United States and internationally. The company operates and franchises quick-service restaurant units that features Nathan?s beef hot dogs, crinkle-cut french-fries, and other menu offerings under the Nathan?s Famous brand name. It also provides licensing agreements for the sale of Nathan?s products within supermarkets, club stores, and other grocery-type outlets; and involves in the manufacture of spices, and sale of Nathan?s products directly to other foodservice operators. In addition, the company offers Arthur Treacher?s brand fish fillets. As of August 3, 2011, its restaurant system consisted of 269 Nathan?s units, including 264 franchised units and 5 company-owned units (including 1 seasonal unit). The company was founded in 1916 and is based in Je richo, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Nathan's Famous (Nasdaq: NATH  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Chris Hill]

  In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts explain why they're watching Nathan's Famous (NASDAQ: NATH  ) and Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) .

Best Companies To Buy For 2014: Medical Care Technologies Inc (MDCE)

Medical Care Technologies Inc., formerly AM Oil Resources & Technology Inc., incorporated on February 27, 2007, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the development and maintenance of secure medical information systems used by healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. The Company operates in three business segments: Medical Management Software Systems, Medi-Clinics and Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Products.

Medical Management Software Systems

The Company produces a range of medical management software systems, which could be used in a range of healthcare settings to electronically connect the healthcare industry with the consumer. It includes healthcare monitoring devices for glucose monitoring and cardiovascular monitoring and solutions, among others. The primary customers served by the software systems are hospitals and clinics, physicians��office practices, consumers and retail pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers.

The Company have developed the Med-Suite Professional Practice Management information system. The Med-Suite is geared for usage by healthcare providers, such as physicians and nurses in hospitals, nursing homes and clinics. The e-management solution addresses the needs of healthcare providers to manage and communicate administrative and clinical data.

The second information systems product developed by the Company is the Tele-Health Suite. Tele-Health functions similarly to a hospital or doctor�� chart and is an interactive record to communicate patient data between healthcare providers and, healthcare providers and patients for treatment support, management and monitoring of the patient�� health.

The CareBox concept is a product designed for persons needing Tele-Health but who do not have access to the necessary computer hardware. The CareBox is a personal Internet communication de! vice that functions as the interface to the subscriber based network. The Company�� network would provide users access to telecommunication, tele-medicine applications and product access. The CareBox is engaged in the development of healthcare service delivery to the individual subscriber.

The CareBox system offers remote, real-time, audio-visual communication between patient and healthcare personnel. It offers a complete medical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment from a remote location. The CareBox processes on-site collections of physiological measurements and provides bi-directional audio-video communication.

The CareBox Bluetooth software requirements installed to mobile computing devices. It is compatible with iPhone, BlackBerry and other mobile cellular phone protocols. It enables wireless upload of personal medical information from medical and wellness monitoring devices.

Using the online facility, healthcare providers (doctors, nurses) could admit and assess patients, and subsequently create and revise individual healthcare plans. Attachments could be made to the CareBox, for monitoring blood-oxygen levels, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, as well as blood glucose levels. If readings are outside normal limits, the system would initiate a pre-programmed response and instruction for client intervention would be given. The system provides continuous monitoring at home for the clients, which serves to lengthen the period of time a person could live independently, while reducing the number of re-admissions to care facilities.

Retail Pharmacies and Retail Medical Clinics

The Company focuses to open professional, and convenience retail pharmacies and also retail medical clinics. Within the pharmacies, it focuses to have over the counter (OTC) drugs, nutritional supplements, herbal products, personal care products, family care products, as well as products, including consumable, seasonal and promotional items. The customers woul! d also ha! ve access to the medical software and hardware systems. It plans to open retail medical clinics, with a specific view to treating patients with telemedicine as well as a traditional treatment format.

Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Products

The Company plans to develop or source and sell pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, and a range of other merchandise, including over-the-counter medicines, herbal products, personal care products, family care products in the planned Medi-Clinics, through the Website, retail pharmacies and through established sales and distribution channels in the People�� Republic of China. It would also offer private label products. Med-Suite, in concert with a person�� secure personal health record, would allow the medical professional to communicate pharmaceutical, administrative, clinical data in a cost-effective manner. The Company plans to use Med-Suite to provide marketing tools for pharmaceutical sales automation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  What�� the Catch With Timios National Corp? According to various disclosures, at least one promoter expects to be compensated up to $140k to talk about Timios National Corp. However, Timios National Corp itself has been fairly quiet with news for the past several months except for financial filings. Probably the most recent relevant filing dates from September and is about an Asset Purchase Agreement with Adobe Title, LLC, whereby HOMS acquired all of the assets and properties of, and assumed certain liabilities, from the latter in consideration of $500,000 plus an earn-out equal to 7.25% of the Gross Revenue up to a maximum of $3,500,000 starting approximately six months from the date of the Agreement and ending on the forty-eighth monthly anniversary of such start date. A quick look at Timios National Corp�� financials reveals revenues of $6,810k (most recent reported quarter), $8,519k, $7,355k and $6,866k for the past four reported quarters along with a net loss of $120k (most recent reported quarter), net income of $329k and $66, and a net loss of $2,073k. At the end of September, Timios National Corp had $776k in cash to cover $3,661k in current liabilities and $6,700k in total liabilities. So its hard to explain the sudden share price decline last Friday.

  Medical Care Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS: MDCE) Says Its Well Positioned to Profit From Health Care in Hong Kong

  Small cap Medical Care Technologies Inc, through joint ventures or Chinese subsidiaries, develops a network of family and children's health facilities in the larger urban areas throughout China. Services are geared towards the advancing economic middle-class Chinese families. On Friday, Medical Care Technologies Inc sank 25% to $0.0012 for a market cap of $2,060 plus MDCE is up 1,100% over the past year and up 20% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Best Companies To Buy For 2014: Rio Tinto(reg)

Rio Tinto plc engages in finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. The company produces aluminum products, including bauxite, alumina, and aluminum; copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and nickel; diamonds; minerals, such as borates, titanium dioxide feedstocks, high purity iron, metal powders, zircon, and rutile; thermal and coking coal, and uranium; and iron ore and salt. It primarily operates in Australia, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and southern Africa. The company was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Rio Tinto plc is a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend King]

  Regency Centers Corp. (REG): Regency Centers Corp. has been slightly appreciating after reaching a low of around $22 back in 2009. Currently, the stock issues an annual dividend of $1.85, has a yield of 4.30% and a payout ratio of 529%. During the last 12 months sales and income increased 5.10% and 208.30%, respectively. Revenue during the last four years increased at a compound annual growth rate of 0.28% while income decreased at a compound annual growth rate of 21.63%. The moderate revenue increase and lower income are due primarily to the real estate bubble that burst around 2007. However, revenue has started to pick up during the last two years, a good indication that the stock will begin appreciating in value.

Best Companies To Buy For 2014: Amira Nature Foods Ltd (ANFI)

Amira Nature Foods Ltd., incorporated on February 20, 2012, is a provider of packaged Indian specialty rice, with sales in over 40 countries. It generates the majority of its revenue through the sale of Basmati rice, a long-grain rice grown only in certain regions of the Indian sub-continent. The Company sells its products, primarily in emerging markets, through a distribution network. It sells its Amira brand in more than 25 countries. The Company sells its Amira branded products to Indian retailers such as Bharti Wal-Mart, Big Bazaar, Metro Cash & Carry, Spar, Spencer's Retail, Star Bazaar (Tesco in India) and Total and retailers, such as Carrefour, Costco, Jetro Restaurant Depot, Lulu's and Smart & Final, and through the foodservice channel. It participates across the entire rice supply chain from the procurement of paddy to its storage, aging, processing into rice, packaging, distribution and marketing. In June 2013, the Company announced that it has launched Amira branded products in the United Kingdom. In January 2014, Amira Nature Foods Ltd acquired Basmati Rice GmbH.

The Company operates an automated and integrated processing and milling facility that is located in the vicinity of the key Basmati rice paddy producing regions of northern India. The facility spans a covered area of 310,221 square feet, with a processing capacity of 24 metric tons of paddy per hour. During the year ended March 31, 2012, 34% of its revenue was derived from sales in India, and 50.3% was derived from sales in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, or EMEA, 14.3% was derived from sales in the Asia Pacific region, and 1.4% was derived from sales in North America.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Amira Nature Foods�(ANFI) went public last October at $10 per share — and now the stock is trading around 40% higher than that offer price. Compared to IPOs in general, however, the past year’s been anything but smooth. ANFI dropped 19% on its first day of trading and didn’t rise above its offering price until early September.