Best stocks to buy roundup, week ending Oct. 3, 2014:October arrived last week as we pulled together the best stocks to give Money Morning readers a portfolio boost in the last quarter of 2014. Each investment was recently handpicked by our experts - and they all hail from the tech sector.
Our bioscience investment specialist recommended readers jump on shares of a pharmaceutical company. After a 780% run over the last two years, its shares recently plunged after a false media report came out in early September. Investors can nab shares now at a deep discount.
Meanwhile, our defense & tech specialist highlighted an ETF that lets investors play ten of the top tech stocks today that have undergone CEO changes in the last three years - a move that typically unleashes a company's share price. He also identified two big cap tech stocks to buy based on his proven method of technical analysis.
You can find all of last week's tips and recommendations here in our latest list of the best stocks to buy now.
Money Morning's Latest "Best Stocks to Buy" List
- Money Morning BioScience Investment Specialist Ernie Tremblay alerted readers to "an extraordinary (maybe once in a lifetime) opportunity" to get in on a biotech stock at a deep discount. The company, which makes pharmaceutical products for patients with renal disease, has had a great run over the two years ending Aug. 29 - investors raked in a whopping 780% profit over their original position. But in September, a media blunder caused the stock to fall more than 11% over just a few days. That means investors can snap up the stock on the cheap right now, and enjoy gains as it rebounds and continues on an impressive run that Tremblay predicts will last over the next couple of years...
- Over the past three years, no fewer than 10 of the top tech companies in Silicon Valley have installed new CEOs - and the moves have given a boost to each respective stock. "The arrival of a new CEO can serve as an explosive catalyst for a stock's share price," Money Morning Defense & Tech Specialist Michael A. Robinson said last week. Robinson pointed out a way to invest in these CEOs' success all at once, for a price well below what many of these top tech firms' stocks cost. It's an ETF that has already outpaced the overall market by 46.5% so far this year and, even better, it's "a great foundational investment you can hold for the long haul"...
- Many investors pick stocks by perusing balance sheets and income statements. But "technical analysis" - looking at a stock's price chart to predict its future movements - is another proven way to spot a profitable trend. While technical analysis typically works best with small-cap stocks, last week Robinson uncovered "excellent technicals" in two big-cap tech stocks that are poised to take off. One saw a 147% rise in sales in its most recent fiscal quarter due to success in cloud computing, while the other doubled its revenue guidance in late July...
- The riots in Hong Kong are tanking the economy there. Stocks recently fell to the lowest in nearly three weeks, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index sinking 1.9%. A gauge of stock volatility spiked 24% - the steepest in four years. And the city's currency slipped to a six-month low. But the riots have also created some unique opportunities for investors. Last week, Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald first told readers how they can protect their money against weakness in Hong Kong's market - and then identified companies that are going to benefit from it...
- The commercial space sector is estimated to be worth more than $300 billion a year, and it attracts some of the world's most forward-thinking companies led by great technological minds. From satellite launches to sub-orbital defense systems to astronaut transport and more, U.S. aerospace and defense companies generated $324 billion in sales revenue in 2010 alone. Last week, Money Morning highlighted for readers the two best space stocks to buy right now - both just scored multibillion dollar contracts with NASA that will lead to American independence from Russia-produced launch products...
- Dividend stocks have become a reigning investor favorite in this low-yield era, and companies are wise to the trend. So much so that the July-September period is estimated to have been the largest combined dividend payment ever by S&P 500 companies, at more than $10 a share. What's more, Q3 2014 will mark the first quarter in which total payouts to shareholders will surpass $90 billion. The latest round of companies - 11 in total - that have increased their payouts is listed here, along with an additional list of five special dividends, all declared during the week ending Sept. 26...
- Bonus content: Last Tuesday, eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) announced plans to spin off its PayPal unit into a separate, publicly traded company. Money Morning Defense & Tech Specialist Michael A. Robinson appeared on FOX Business' "Varney & Co." program and told viewers his favorite pick between the two stocks, and why...