Best Stocks To Buy

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) is on its way to modest gains for the second day in a row as the bank sits at a 0.7% rise as of 10:30 a.m. EDT. The big news for bank investors this morning doesn't really involve B of A, but it will give its shareholders a glimpse at what's to come next Wednesday when it reports second-quarter earnings.

Officially open
Bank earnings season officially started this morning when both JPMorgan Chase� (NYSE: JPM  ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) reported for the second quarter. Both banks topped analyst expectations for both top- and bottom-line growth, giving other investors hope that their respective banks will follow suit. But more importantly, the two earnings reports showed the major trends for the quarter and addressed some investor concerns.

First off was revenue growth, with mortgage originations topping the list of areas to focus on. Both banks reported increased activity year over year, but the rise in interest rates caused a sequential drop in new loans. Bank of America will be watched closely in this segment because of its stated goal of commanding a higher percentage of the market share in home lending.

Best Stocks To Buy: Kraton Performance Polymers Inc (KRA)

Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. engages in the production of styrenic block copolymers (SBCs) and other engineered polymers worldwide. The company offers highly-engineered synthetic elastomers that enhance the performance of various end use products by imparting flexibility, resilience, strength, durability, and processability. It also provides isoprene rubber products for use in the production of medical products, adhesives, tackifiers, paints, coatings, and photo-resistors; and isoprene rubber latex, a substitute for natural rubber latex that are used in surgical gloves and condoms. In addition, the company is involved in the development and commercialization of polyvinyl chloride alternatives for wire, cable, and medical applications; polymers for use in slush molding; and membrane polymers for use in water filtration and breathable fabrics. Further, it offers core commercial grades of SBCs; unhydrogenated SBCs, which are primarily used in paving and roofing, adhesive s, and sealants and coatings, as well as footwear applications; hydrogenated SBCs, which are used in soft touch and flexible materials, personal hygiene products, and automotive components; and compounds, other polymers, resins, oils, or fillers that are used in various consumer and industrial applications. Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. markets its products through various channels, including direct sales force, marketing representatives, and distributors under the Kraton, Cariflex, and Nexar brand names. The company was formerly known as Polymer Holdings LLC and changed its name to Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. in December 2009. Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Best Stocks To Buy: Alimera Sciences Inc.(ALIM)

Alimera Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. The company focuses on diseases affecting the back of the eye or retina. The company is developing ILUVIEN, an intravitreal insert in phase-3 clinical trials for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), which is a disease of the retina that affects individuals with diabetes and could lead to severe vision loss and blindness. Its ILUVIEN insert designed to be inserted into the patient?s eye to release a daily dose of fluocinolone acetonide over an anticipated period of 24 to 36 months. The company also conducts phase-2 clinical trials on ILUVIEN for the treatment of the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the wet form of AMD, and retinal vein occlusion. In addition, it conducts testing on two classes of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase inhibitors. Further, the company develops I LUVIEN inserter, a custom insertion system for ILUVIEN. Alimera Sciences, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Kell]

  Specialty pharmaceutical firm pSivida Corp.(PSDV) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration didn’t approve a treatment for an eye disease found in patients with diabetes. The company’s stock tumbled 47% to $2 premarket, while shares of Alimera Sciences Inc.(ALIM) were down 39% to $1.66, as the treatment is licensed and sold by Alimera in other markets.

• [By Smith On Stocks]

  This note focuses on the implications of the complete response letter (CRL) received by Alimera (ALIM) for Iluvien. This product was developed by pSivida (PSDV) but was partnered with Alimera. This report deals only with the investment significance for pSivida.

Best Casino Stocks To Own For 2014: Mill Bay Ventures Inc (MBV.V)

Mill Bay Ventures Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the exploration and development of various mineral properties in Canada and the United States. It holds interests in the Valentine Mountain gold project located to the west of Victoria, British Columbia; E&E and DH gold claims project that consist of 26 mining claims located in Eureka County, Nevada; Golden Repeat claims project, which include 49 mining claims in Elko County, Nevada; and JDN claims project that comprises 27 mining claims located in Lander County, Nevada. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Best Stocks To Buy: Oriental Financial Group Inc.(OFG)

Oriental Financial Group Inc., a financial holding company, provides various banking and financial services to mid and high net worth individuals, and families, including professionals and owners of small and mid-sized businesses primarily in Puerto Rico. It operates in three segments: Banking, Wealth Management, and Treasury. The Banking segment offers commercial and consumer lending, saving and time deposit products, financial planning, and corporate and individual trust services. It also provides mortgage lending products that include the origination and purchase of residential mortgage loans. As of October 25, 2011, this segment operated 30 branches in Puerto Rico. The Wealth Management segment offers securities brokerage, trust services, retirement planning, insurance, pension administration, and other wealth management services. Its securities brokerage services include various investment alternatives, such as tax-advantaged fixed income securities, mutual funds, sto cks, and bonds to retail and institutional clients. This segment also provides public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, underwriting, and merger and acquisition and financial restructuring advisory services. In addition, it engages in insurance agency services and administration of retirement plans in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean. The Treasury segment is involved in various treasury related functions with an investment portfolio consisting of mortgage-backed securities, obligations of U.S. government sponsored agencies, Puerto Rico government and agency obligations, structured credit investments, and money market instruments. The company was founded in 1964 and is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Diversified financial services company OFG Bancorp (OFG) raised its quarterly dividend 33% to 8 cents per share, payable on Jan. to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31.
  OFG Dividend Yield: 1.8%

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The third recommended multinational is another Puerto Rican bank, OFG Bancorp (NYSE: OFG). A recent dividend increase could indicate a share buyback for next year. The bank raised its EPS guidance in every quarter of 2013. This small cap bank closed at $16.82 on Friday in a 52-week range of $12.86 to $19.33. The Sterne Agee price target on the stock is $23.00, yielding a potential upside of almost 79%. The EPS estimate for 2014 is $2.05 and the stock�� forward multiple for 2014 is a low 8.3 from the firm while the consensus multiple is 9.45.

Best Stocks To Buy: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The Dow was weighed down by Nike, which fell 3% to $76.84 ahead of next week’s earnings, while United Health dropped 2.6% to $72.14 and Pfizer declined 2.2% to $30.65. Only five Dow components finished in the green, including Visa (V), which rose 3.1% to $205.66 after Mastercard’s (MA) big dividend/buyback/stock-slit announcement.

• [By Sam Robson]

  LONDON: Following reports that�Verizon Communications (NYSE: V  ) �has hired advisors on a bid to buy out its stake in Verizon Wireless,�Vodafone (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) �soared in trading today, pushing 200p -- a height not previously seen since December 2001.

Best Stocks To Buy: Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund Inc. (MSF)

Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund, Inc. is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. It invests in the public equity markets across the global emerging markets. The fund invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It makes its investments in companies across all market capitalizations. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the MSCI Emerging Markets Free Index. Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund Inc. was formed on November 1, 1991 and is domiciled in the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By George Putnam, Editor, New Generation Research, Inc.]

  Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Fund (MSF) is not an index-based fund, and therefore, its portfolio managers have a lot of latitude.

  Among their top ten holdings are a range of consumer and technology holdings, such as Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor, as well as financials. At current prices, the fund is trading at a roughly 10.5% discount to its net asset value (NAV).