Our roundup of the best stocks to buy last week gave Money Morning Members more than a dozen plays in 2014's most profitable sectors.
One pick involves a possible healthcare merger that would combine two industry titans. The duo would create an industry powerhouse with a market cap near $300 billion. Another play revolves around one of the most highly anticipated, and possibly biggest, initial public offerings ever. And a special report from our small-cap trading specialist showed readers a technique for uncovering investment winners today.
Here they are - with more opportunities - in our latest Money Morning best stocks to buy list:
Money Morning's Best Stocks to Buy Now
- Tech companies have to remain innovative to succeed. Otherwise, they get rusty. Money Morning's Defense & Tech Specialist Michael A. Robinson found a trio of high-tech "rust" companies that have stayed with old-line businesses or antiquated management - until now. Now this group is modernizing operations to increase sales - and share-price gains. Involved in Big Data, clouding computing, and wearable tech, the three will handsomely reward investors.
One strategy to use when searching for the most lucrative biopharma stocks to buy is to find companies with promising drug pipelines. Many of these drugs are used to treat rare diseases and come with hefty price tags - which translate to big profits. Money Morning's Robinson zeroed in a newly public company, already a hot biopharma stock, that's poised to reward investors in 2014 thanks to a healthy pipeline of promising treatments.
- If there was a poster child for momentum stocks, this company would be it. It's up some 34% year to date and 269% over the last 12 months. Now it's taking a hit. Despite beating Wall Street's estimates, forward guidance (while upbeat) was a bit sketchy. Nonetheless, its innovative business model strategy should drive the stock higher for years. Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald said the stock has the potential to hit $1,000 over the next decade.
- After big year-to-date gains, momentum stocks have been under pressure amid a notable shift to value investing. That doesn't mean investors need to shun all of this year's high flyers. We highlighted a big-name tech stock with a $363 billion market cap, expected to double profits in three and a half years. The stock represents a "foundational play" and provides a "solid base" in portfolios.
- Now for an update on one of our favorite stocks: Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL). AAPL shares closed over $600 last week for the first time in some 18 months. What's next includes a 7-for-1 stock split, share buyback, dividend boost, and possibly its biggest acquisition to date. Moreover, Apple's iPhone 6 is set to debut in August. Those are just some reasons AAPL's likely going higher in 2014. It's also why Robinson believes you need to be bullish on Apple stock.
- Over the next two decades, the United States will need to spend a whopping $2 trillion to keep the lights on. That staggering amount will be spent on repairs and updates to the country's electric grid. Therein lies a unique opportunity for investors. Many of the companies positioned to benefit from these upgrades aren't household names - yet. We found five names that are currently off the radar, but in a great position to profit - which means now's the time to buy.
- Healthcare merger and acquisition activity has been hot in 2014. In the first quarter, there were 239 deals valued at $49.6 billion, according to The Health Care M&A Report. That's up from 212 deals totaling $15.6 billion in Q1 2013. Now, there's a gigantic deal on the horizon for a U.S. company. If completed, it would represent the largest-ever foreign takeover of a British business. The transaction would be a significant shot in the arm for this American multinational pharmaceutical giant. Here's how investors can win, too.
- Exchange-traded fund (ETF) investing has grown in popularity since the first ETF, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE Arca: SPY), was launched in 1993. Now there are thousands, and they reach every sector and industry. Benefits of ETF investing include liquidity, low expense ratio, tax efficiency, and diversification. We found three ETFs among the throng that could add some oomph to portfolios.
- Silver prices have tarnished after a stellar start to 2014. Rising as much as 16% by late February, silver prices are now nearly flat year to date. But, that's likely to change. A number of signs suggest higher silver prices are almost here. With silver prices roughly unchanged from last year, when the white metal shed 36%, savvy investors can take advantage of today's low prices to add safety to their portfolio.