Top 5 Prefered Companies For 2014

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) has announced that hundreds of thousands of prepaid debit card users in America may have had their data breached. The bank reported that personal information of some prepaid debit cardholders in multiple states may have been improperly viewed on Chase’s servers from mid-July to mid-September of this year.

It is good to know that the firm is getting the information out, but this is now three to five months after the fact. That has given identity thieves or cyber-criminals a long head start if they intend to use the data improperly.

Chase said that it will begin notifying affected cardholders in a letter sent by email on Monday. The process will take several days. Where this gets to be a much larger impact is that Chase said about 465,000 cardholders nationwide had their personal data potentially compromised.

The bank specified in one release that Pennsylvania offers debit cards from Chase as one option for receiving unemployment compensation or workers compensation benefits. It has informed the state Treasury that approximately 26,000 accounts of Pennsylvania’s 400,000 or so state debit cardholders could have been involved.

Top 5 Financial Companies For 2015: Dana Holding Corporation (DAN)

Dana Holding Corporation engages in the design, manufacture, and supply of driveline products, technologies, and service parts for vehicle manufacturers worldwide. The company operates in four segments: Vehicle Driveline Technologies, Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies, Off-Highway Driveline Technologies, and Power Technologies. It provides light axles, driveshafts, engine sealing products, thermal products, and related service parts for light trucks, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, vans, and passenger cars. The company also offers axles, driveshafts, chassis and side rails, ride controls and related modules and systems, engine sealing products, thermal products, and related service parts for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and other commercial vehicles. In addition, it provides axles, driveshafts, suspension components, transmissions, electronic controls, related modules and systems, engine sealing products, thermal products, and related s ervice parts for construction and earth moving machinery; agricultural, mining, forestry, rail, and material handling equipment; and various non-vehicular and industrial applications. Dana Holding Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Maumee, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Auto components manufacturer Dana Holding� (NYSE: DAN  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.05 per share, the same rate it's paid since it began making a payout last year. The board of directors said the quarterly dividend is payable on Aug. 30 to the holders of record at the close of business on Aug. 9.�

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  Dana Holding Corp. (DAN)(0.3%) (DAN - $23.27 - NYSE) is a Maumee, Ohio based supplier of axles, drivelines and thermal products for the automotive and trucking industries. Dana's new CEO, Roger Wood, has begun to emphasize the company's strong technological expertise in thermal management technology, including advanced battery cooling products for next generation vehicles. Additionally, the company is beginning to reap the benefits of efforts to improve customer pricing as well as internal manufacturing efficiencies, both of which are expected to improve margins amid robust demand in the company's core auto and trucking markets.From Mario Gabelli (Trades, Portfolio)'s Gabelli Asset Fund's first quarter 2014 shareholder commentary.Also check out: Mario Gabelli Undervalued Stocks Mario Gabelli Top Growth Companies Mario Gabelli High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Mario Gabelli keeps buying Currently 0.00/512345

  Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Auto parts supplier Dana Holding (NYSE: DAN  ) announced today it is expanding its share repurchase program to $1 billion, representing a $900 million increase over the $100 million bought back under the previous authorization. Shares will be bought back over the next two years.

Top 5 Prefered Companies For 2014: The NASDAQ OMX Group Inc.(NDAQ)

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. provides trading, clearing, exchange technology, securities listing, and public company services worldwide. It offers trading across various asset classes, including cash equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products, and exchange traded funds; capital formation solutions; financial services and exchanges technology; market data products; and financial indexes, as well as clearing, settlement, and depository services. The company also provides broker services comprising technology and customized securities administration solutions, such as back-office systems to financial participants. In addition, it offers global listing services; technology solutions for trading, clearing, settlement, and information dissemination; and facility management integration, surveillance solutions, and advisory services, as well as develops and licenses NASDAQ OMX branded indexes, associated derivatives, and financial products. As of December 31, 2010 , a total of 2,778 companies listed securities on The NASDAQ Stock Market. The NASDAQ OMX Group supports the operations of approximately 70 exchanges, clearing organizations, and central securities depositories. The company was formerly known as The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. and changed its name to The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. in February 2008. The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. was founded in 1971 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dave Michaels]

  Midas provides the regulator with more complete data than traders and researchers can see from the public price feeds operated by NYSE Euronext (NYX) and Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ) Midas includes every order on exchanges, not just the best offers reported to the public tape. It also gathers data on orders that are modified, canceled or filled.

• [By Christina Rexrode]

  Elsewhere in the sector, Twitter plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange when it goes public, according to a report on TheStreet.com. That could be a painful snub to arch-rival Nasdaq (NDAQ) �, the stock exchange that likes to bill itself as the favorite of tech companies.

Top 5 Prefered Companies For 2014: Apogee Enterprises Inc.(APOG)

Apogee Enterprises, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design and development of glass products, services, and systems. The company operates through two segments, Architectural Products and Services, and Large-Scale Optical Technologies. The Architectural Products and Services segment designs, engineers, fabricates, installs, maintains, and renovates the walls of glass, windows, storefront, and entrances comprising the outside skin of commercial and institutional buildings. This segment involves in the fabrication of coated and high-performance architectural glass; installation and renovation of full-service building glass; manufacture of aluminum window systems and curtain walls; painting and anodizing finishing of architectural aluminum and PVC shutters; and fabrication of aluminum storefront, entrance, and curtain wall products. Its architectural glass products and services are primarily used in commercial buildings, such as office towers, hotels, and retail centers; institutional buildings comprising education facilities and dormitories, health care facilities, and government buildings; and high-end condominiums. This segment markets its products through direct sales, and distribution and independent sales representatives to architects, building owners, general contractors, and glazing subcontractors in the commercial construction market. The Large-Scale Optical Technologies segment manufactures glass and acrylic products for the custom picture framing market. This segment distributes its products through independent distributors and mass merchandisers, as well as directly to museums, and public and private galleries. The company offers its products primarily in North America and Europe. Apogee Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  I went out on a limb last week, and now it's time to see how that decision played out.

  I predicted that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) would close higher on the week. The consumer-tech giant was approaching new lows, and it seemed as if the fears of its demise and hype over recently introduced smartphones were overblown. Apple shares benefited from a bullish week of trading, climbing 1.6% on the week. I was right. I predicted that the tech-heavy Nasdaq would outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) . This has been a tricky call lately, so how did it play out this time? Well, the market rallied in a major way this week, with secondary stocks leading the way. The Nasdaq soared 2.8% on the week. The Dow managed to close just 2.1% higher. I was right. My final call was for Apogee (NASDAQ: APOG  ) to beat Wall Street's quarterly profit target. The maker of value-added glass products for the architectural and picture framing industries has been beating Wall Street estimates consistently over the past year. Why should that end? Analysts were looking for a profit of $0.17 a share during the quarter, and it came through with net income of $0.15. I was wrong.

  Two out of three? I can do better than that. Let me once again whip out my trusty, dusty, and occasionally accurate crystal ball to make three calls that may play out over the next few trading days.

Top 5 Prefered Companies For 2014: Old National Bancorp Capital Trust I(ONB)

Old National Bancorp operates as a holding company for Old National Bank, which provides financial services to individuals and commercial customers primarily in Indiana, eastern and southeastern Illinois, and central and western Kentucky. The company?s Community Banking segment originates loans, such as home equity lines of credit, residential real estate loans, consumer loans, commercial loans, commercial real estate loans, letters of credit, and lease financing; and generates deposit products comprising noninterest-bearing demand, negotiable order of withdrawal, savings and money market, and time deposits. It also offers debit and ATM cards, telephone access, online banking, and other electronic banking services. In addition, this segment provides investment services and various brokerage products, including investment options and investment advice. Further, it offers merchant cash management and other services relating to the general banking business; reinsures credit life insurance; and provides property and casualty insurance. The company?s Treasury segment manages investments, wholesale funding, interest rate risk, liquidity, and leverage for the bank; and provides capital markets products, including interest rate derivatives, foreign exchange, and industrial revenue bond financing for its commercial clients. Old National Bancorp also offers fiduciary and trust services; and insurance brokerage services, such as commercial property and casualty, surety, loss control services, employee benefits consulting and administration, and personal insurance. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 161 banking financial centers, as well as loan production or other financial services offices. The company was founded in 1834 and is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  First Merchants' biggest competitor is Old National Bancorp (NASDAQ: ONB  ) , the largest bank by assets in Indiana ($9.4 billion in assets). Old National has been exercising its regional flexibility of late by closing more than a dozen Indiana-based branches and purchasing some 20 offices from Bank of America�in Michigan.