Hot Asian Companies For 2014

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Shanghai stocks edged up Wednesday in quiet trading, following overnight gains on Wall Street, while most other Asian markets were closed for the Christmas holiday. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index (CN:SHCOMP) rose 0.1% to 2093.92 in the morning session. Shares of cement companies advanced as China plans to start construction of more than 6 million affordable homes in 2014, according to state media Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday. Huaxin Cement (CN:600801) rose 1.3%, and Jidong Cement (CN:000401) advanced 1%. Jiangxi Wannianqing Cement (CN:000789) gained 0.5%. China's largest appliance maker Qingdao Haier (CN:600690) fell 0.5%, showing little reaction to the news that China's Commerce Ministry just approved the deal for U.S. private-equity giant KKR (KKR) to buy a 10% stake in the company for approximately $556 million. The transaction is still pending approval by the China Securities Regulatory Commission. China Railway Construction (CN:601186) edged up by 0.2%, after it announced Tuesday that it has won a Wuhan subway contract worth 7.1 billion yuan ($1.1 billion).

Top 10 International Companies To Watch In Right Now: Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc.(RSTI)

Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing of laser-based products worldwide. The company offers laser macro products to machine tool and automotive markets for cutting and welding of metals. It also provides laser marking products to semiconductor and electronics markets for the marking of integrated circuits, wafers, solar cells, electronic components, and smart cards, as well as to automotive markets for the marking of labels and car components. In addition, the company offers laser micro products for fine welding, fine cutting, micro structuring, and drilling applications in medical devices, semiconductor and electronics, photovoltaic, dental, and jewelry markets; and for perforating and scribing of paper and foils in packaging and paper industries. Further, it provides components to laser industry. The company sells its products in approximately 65 countries to original e quipment manufacturers, systems integrators, and industrial end-users. Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc. was founded in 1975 and is based in Plymouth, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  Rofin-Sinar (NASDAQ: RSTI  ) , Coherent (NASDAQ: COHR  ) , Newport (NASDAQ: NEWP  ) , and JDS Uniphase (NASDAQ: JDSU  ) all offer fiber-optic lasers as well.

Hot Asian Companies For 2014: Hospitality Properites Trust (HPT)

Hospitality Properties Trust, a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in buying, owning, and leasing hotels. The company�s hotels are operated as Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites, AmeriSuites, Prime Hotels and Resorts, Homestead Studio Suites, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, and SpringHill Suites by Marriott or Marriott Hotels and Resorts. As of June 30, 2005, it owned 298 hotels located in 38 states in the United States; Puerto Rico; and Ontario, Canada. The company�s hotels are primarily designed for business, governmental, and family travelers. As a REIT, the company would not be subject to federal income tax provided it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. Hospitality Properties was formed in 1995 and is based in Newton, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Hotel and travel center operator Hospitality Properties Trust� (NYSE: HPT  ) �announced today�its second-quarter dividend of $0.4453125 per�share on its 7.125% Series D�preferred stock that trades on the NYSE under the symbol HPT-PD.

Hot Asian Companies For 2014: BNP Paribas SA (BNP)

BNP Paribas SA is a France-based bank group with four core businesses: Retail Banking, Corporate & Investment Banking, Investment Solutions and Other Activities. Retail Banking comprises the French retail banking division, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro in Italy, BeLux Retail Banking, Europe-Mediterranean, all BNP Paribas Group retail banking businesses out of Euro Zone: in the United States, in Asia, in the Mediterranean Basin and Africa, in Turkey, Central and Eastern Europe, personal finance and equipment solutions. The Corporate & Investment Banking business provides to its clients financing, advisory and capital markets services. The Investment Solutions division offers private banking, asset management, securities services, real estate and insurance services. In November 2013, the Company launched 'Hello Bank!', a mobile, digital bank operating in France, Belgium and Germany. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  BNP Paribas SA (BNP), Societe Generale SA (GLE) and Credit Agricole SA (ACA), France�� largest banks by market value, reported second-quarter profit that exceeded analysts��estimates. Paris-based Societe Generale, which said income more than doubled from a year earlier, trades at 10.8 times projected earnings, 64 percent below its 2009 high. Credit Agricole trades at 8.6 times projected profit and BNP Paribas at 10.7 times, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Hot Asian Companies For 2014: Toll Brothers Inc.(TOL)

Toll Brothers, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, builds, markets, and arranges finance for single-family detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities. It is also involved in building or converting existing rental apartment buildings into high-, mid-, and low-rise luxury homes. In addition, the company develops, owns, and operates golf courses and country clubs associated with various planned communities, as well as individual communities. It serves move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, age-qualified, and second-home buyers in 19 states in the United States. Toll Brothers, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Shares of Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) are down nearly 2% shortly after the open, and KB Home (NYSE: KBH) is down about 1.6%. Rising interest rates are not helping the home builders, but rate increases are slowing.

• [By John Maxfield]

  In addition, homebuilders themselves are starting to report dramatically improved quarterly results. Most recently, Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL  ) said that its unit deliveries in the second quarter were up by 33% while Lennar's (NYSE: LEN  ) were higher by 39%.

• [By Jim Powell]

  Steve Halpern: You mentioned home builders and one that you've been bullish on is Toll Brothers (TOL). Do you still like that stock?

  Jim Powell: I certainly do. It's in there for the long haul. They've made some really good strategic decisions. One of the trends that I've been following is the millennial generation and what their habits are and what their preferences are.

Hot Asian Companies For 2014: Blackstone Mortgage Trust Inc (BXMT)

Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc., formerly Capital Trust, Inc. is a self-managed, real estate finance and investment management company that specializes in credit sensitive financial products. The Company�� investment programs are focused on loans and securities backed by commercial real estate assets. The Company invests for its own account and for third parties through a series of investment management vehicles. Capital Trust, Inc. conducts its operations as a real estate investment trust (REIT). In December 2012, the Company announced that an affiliate of Blackstone completed the previously announced acquisition of its investment management business, operated through its subsidiary, CT Investment Management Co., LLC (CTIMCO).

As of December 31, 2009, its $1.8 billion of interest earning assets were comprised of $1.1 billion of loans receivable, including $17.5 million of loans classified as held-for-sale, and $715.2 million of securities. These include 20 impaired loans with an aggregate net book value of $131.0 million ($608.4 million gross carrying value, net of $477.4 million of reserves), and 11 impaired securities with an aggregate net book value of $27.4 million ($145.7 million gross carrying value, against which it has recorded other-than-temporary impairments of $118.3 million).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) just reported his first quarter portfolio. He buys Citrix Systems Inc, Baker Hughes Inc, Comcast Corp, Spansion Inc, etc during the 3-months ended 03/31/2014, according to the most recent filings of his investment company, Soros Fund Management LLC. As of 03/31/2014, Soros Fund Management LLC owns 305 stocks with a total value of $10.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.New Purchases: BHI, CODE, CTRP, CLI, AVB, COMM, CNQ, AGO, AUY, ATML, ASH, BXMT, CSTM, AEM, CMA, ARE, CHKP, AUQ, BEAV, CX, ADSK, AALCP, BLK, AIG, BIIB, ADEP, AMRI, ARWR, ATHX, BALT, BCRX, BEAT, CFX, CLFD, CUR, CODE,Added Positions: CTXS, CMCSA, CNP, ALTR, BRCD, CBS, CRM, CHTR, CCJ, CIEN, BIDU, ALLE, ABT, CDNS, ACT,Reduced Positions: AAPL, CCI, AMT, ABBV, AAL, BITA, AL, ANGI, ARIA, CBST, BA, BIRT, EXAR,Sold Out: C, BAC, CRI, AMZN, AGN, CF, BRCM, COTY, BMY, AMCX, CAR, A, ADBE, AFL,For the details of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=George+SorosThis is the sector weightings of his portfolio:Technology18.9%Energy14%Healthcare8.3%Consumer Defensive8.2%Communication Services8.1%Consumer Cyclical5.4%Industrials5.1%Basic Materials4.9%Financial Services2.5%Real Estate1.9%Utilities0.5%These are the top 5 holdings of George Soros (Trades, Portfolio)1. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) - 10,310,041 shares, 5.4% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.67%2. Herbalife Ltd (HLF) - 4,901,337 shares, 2.8% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 52.9%3. EQT Corp (EQT) - 2,573,814 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.27%4. Adecoagro SA (AGRO) - 25,915,076 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio.5. Halliburton Co (HAL) - 3,596,353 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 20.73%New Purchase: Baker Hughes Inc (BHI)George Soros (Trades, Portfolio) initiated holdings in Baker Hughes Inc. His purchase prices were between $51.82 and $65.27, with an estimated

Hot Asian Companies For 2014: New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.(EDU)

New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. provides private educational services primarily in the People?s Republic of China. It offers a range of educational programs, services, and products consisting primarily of English and other foreign language training; test preparation courses for admissions and assessment tests; primary and secondary school education; development and distribution of educational content; software and other technology; and online education. The company?s language training courses primarily consist of various types of English language training courses, and other foreign languages, including German, Japanese, French, Korean, and Spanish. It offers test preparation courses for language and entrance exams used by educational institutions in the United States, the People?s Republic of China, and commonwealth countries. The company also operates primary and secondary schools in Yangzhou. In addition, New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. deve lops and edits content for educational materials for language training and test preparation, such as books, software, CD-ROMs, magazines, and other periodicals. It distributes these materials through various distribution channels consisting of own classrooms and bookstores, as well as third-party distributors. Further, the company offers various online education programs on its Web site, koolearn.com. Additionally, it provides consulting services to help students through the application and admission process for overseas educational institutions, as well as post-secondary educational programs to help students seek career opportunities; and operates two pre-schools. The company offers educational services under the ?New Oriental? brand name. As of May 31, 2010, it offered education programs, services, and products through a network of 48 schools, 319 learning centers, and 25 bookstores. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Belinda Cao]

  New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (EDU), China�� largest private educational company, fell 11 percent last week to a one-month low of $16.07. Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Ella Ji said April 2 that students may avoid large gatherings because of the flu, impacting New Oriental.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of New Oriental Education & Technology Group (NYSE: EDU) were 8.55 percent to $23.76 after the company reported FQ3 results. New Oriental's quarterly net income surged 50.2% y/y to US$42.1 million versus US$28.0 million.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  New Oriental Education & Technology Group (NYSE: EDU  ) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended Feb. 28 (Q3), New Oriental Education & Technology Group met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of New Oriental Education & Technology Group (NYSE: EDU) were 9.62 percent to $23.48 after the company reported FQ3 results. New Oriental's quarterly net income surged 50.2% y/y to US$42.1 million versus US$28.0 million.