5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own For 2014

Last month, I spent some time weighing in on whether it would be worth buying shares of�Textron (NYSE: TXT  ) near their 52-week-high; after all, having worked at one of its subsidiaries for nearly seven years, I still have a small position in Textron through my old 401(k) plan, so like to keep tabs on my alma mater.

The optimism
In any case, things seemed to be looking up for the struggling industrial conglomerate; Textron had not only nearly finished winding down the dangerous financial assets which had�almost proved to be its undoing�in 2009, but the company also suggested that its core Bell Helicopter and Cessna businesses would turn in a solid 2013 after relatively strong showings last year.

In fact, when all was said and done last quarter, Textron told investors to expect revenue to increase a modest 6% in 2013, while earnings per share would come in between $2.10 and $2.30 -- relatively in line with its much-improved 2012 earnings of $2.15 per share. Weary investors rejoiced at the perceived stability, and pushed shares of Textron up nearly 30% year to date.

5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own For 2014: CECO Environmental Corp.(CECE)

CECO Environmental Corp. provides air-pollution control technology products and services worldwide. The company offers engineered equipment, cyclones, scrubbers, dampers, diverters, regenerative thermal oxidizers, component parts, and monitoring and managing services. Its Engineered Equipment Technology and Parts Group segment provides air handling equipment and systems for filtering, cooling, heating, and capturing emissions in the metal industries; systems for corrosion protection, fugitive emissions control, evaporative cooling, and other ventilation and air handling applications; and fume exhaust systems that provide control of oil mist and fumes, as well as remove liquid particles and vapor phase emissions from rolling mill, machining, and other oil mist generating processes. This segment also markets a strip cooler under the JET*STAR name designed to cool metal strip coatings. The company?s Contracting/Services Group segment offers oil mist collection, dust collecti on, industrial exhaust, chip collection, make-up air, and automotive spray booth systems, as well as industrial and process piping, and other industrial sheet metal works. This segment also engages in fabricating parts, engineered subassemblies, and customized products for air pollution and non-air pollution systems from sheet, plate, and structurals. Its Component Parts Group segment manufactures and markets component parts for industrial air systems to contractors, distributors, and dealers. The company markets its products and services under the Kirk & Blum, CECO Filters, Busch International, CECO Abatement Systems, KB Duct, Effox, Fisher-Klosterman, Buell, A.V.C., FKI, and Flextor names. It serves aerospace, brick, cement, steel, ceramics, metalworking, printing, paper, food, foundries, utilities, metal plating, woodworking, chemicals, glass, automotive, ethanol, pharmaceuticals, and refining industries. CECO Environmental Corp. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered i n Cincinnati, Ohio.

5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own For 2014: Ulster Tv(UTV.L)

UTV Media plc provides radio, television, new media, and publishing services. It operates talkSPORT, a commercial speech radio station; 13 local radio stations; and 7 digital radio multiplexes in England, Scotland, and Wales, as well as 7 radio stations and 2 independent stations in Ireland. The company also operates television channel that offers news, current affairs, regional programs, and sports, as well as provides its television services on mobile phones. In addition, it provides residential and business Internet services; and digital agency, hosting and content delivery, and business broadband services to small and medium enterprises, multinational corporations, and local and central government units. Further, the company operates Recruitni.com, a government jobs portal; utvdrive.co.uk, a used cars portal enabling customers to buy and sell cars; and PropertyPal.com, an online property portal in Northern Ireland. Additionally, it offers an online magazine that offers information on local car news, reviews, and industry issues; and Sport magazine. The company was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Belfast, the United Kingdom.

Top 5 Casino Companies For 2014: McMoRan Exploration Company (MMR)

McMoRan Exploration Co. engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of oil and natural gas in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in the Gulf Coast area of the United States. It is involved in lifting oil and natural gas to the surface; and gathering, treating, and processing hydrocarbons to extract liquids, such as ethane, propane, butane, and natural gasolines from natural gas. The company also provides exploration and production technologies, including the incorporation of 3-D seismic interpretation, offshore drilling to total depths, and horizontal drilling. As of December 31, 2012, it owned or controlled interests in 1,003 oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, and onshore Louisiana and Texas covering approximately 511,000 net acres. The company had estimated proved oil and natural gas reserves totaling 219.9 billion cubic feet equivalent. McMoRan Exploration Co. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisi ana.

5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own For 2014: Oncolytics Biotech Com Npv (ONC.TO)

Oncolytics Biotech Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancers therapeutics. The company develops REOLYSIN, a human cancer therapeutic. Its clinical program includes various human trials comprising a Phase III clinical trial in head and neck cancers using REOLYSIN, its proprietary formulation of the human reovirus. Oncolytics Biotech Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

5 Best Industrial Conglomerate Stocks To Own For 2014: Skyworks Solutions Inc.(SWKS)

Skyworks Solutions, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, offers analog and mixed signal semiconductors worldwide. The company provides power amplifiers and front-end solutions for cellular devices from entry level to multimedia platforms and smart phones. Its product portfolio consists of amplifiers, attenuators, detectors, diodes, directional couplers, front-end modules, hybrids, infrastructure RF subsystems, mixers/demodulators, phase shifters, PLLs/synthesizers/VCOs, power dividers/combiners, receivers, switches, and technical ceramics. Skyworks also offers MIS silicon chip capacitors, transceivers, and modulators. The company markets its products to automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, energy management, industrial, medical, military, and cellular handset applications. Skyworks sells its products primarily through its direct sales force, as well as through independent manufacturers? representatives and distribution partners. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Collins]

  Semiconductor maker Skyworks Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: SWKS) is an innovator of high reliability analog and mixed signal semiconductors for dual- and triple-mode smartphones, tablets and data cards.

  Although its P/E ratio appears high at over 39 times 2011 earnings, its five-year earnings growth of over 35% appears to justify it. Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus recently raised SWKS from a “hold” to a “buy.”?

  Technically, SWKS is in a powerful uptrend and recently flashed a new buy signal from the slow stochastic. This is a speculative stock and buyers should place a 10% trailing stop loss in order to protect against a reversal. But if the trend continues, a target of $45 in one month is possible.