Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now

I spent the final week of 2013 cleaning my office, discarding several trash bags full of old notes and research papers to give me a fresh start in the new year.

Along the way, I unearthed some gems buried in the detritus, including the 15th anniversary edition of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. The book highlighted the market trends and planning tips that the research organization had detailed in its many valuable reports over the years.

Who knew that when the MMI issued its greatest-hits tome in December 2012, the organization would close its doors a few months later. As a result, the financial planning community lost an insightful voice that over the past decade and a half identified matters of importance to an aging population, including the impact of longer lifespans on individuals and society as a whole.

Top Integrated Utility Stocks To Own For 2015: Clarke(t)

T.Clarke plc, a building services contractor, provides electrical and mechanical installation services and supplies associated equipment. The company offers information communications technology (ICT) services in the areas of structured cabling and connectivity, network infrastructure and security, networked energy management, data centre infrastructure, and managed and support services; facilities management services, such as preventative, reactive, and planned maintenance solutions; and green technologies services, which comprise photovoltaics, rainwater harvesting, biomass boilers, ground source heating, air source heating, wind turbines, lighting, and carbon reduction audit services. It also provides massive reading station redevelopment, cross rail, border rail link, and underground power upgrade services for the rail sector; lifecycle building services combining mechanical and electrical works with ICT for utilities and technologies sectors; lifecycle services for ho tel and residential sectors, which include electrical, ICT, and mechanical systems design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance; and mechanical and electrical contracting services for education, healthcare, government/local authority, retail and leisure, stadiums, transport, towers, media, and residential sectors. In addition, the company manufactures and prefabricates elements of an installation, as well as engineering components. T.Clarke plc was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On the downside, Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) has fallen almost 1% after rival AT&T (NYSE: T  ) agreed to purchase Leap Wireless (NASDAQ: LEAP  ) in a $1.2 billion deal that would pay Leap investors $15 per share. Leap has more than doubled to surpass that $15 level, suggesting that investors expect Verizon or another rival bidder to try to make a play for the prepaid-mobile company. Given the huge demand for wireless spectrum that has driven several past deals within the industry, Verizon must not take its status as the No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier for granted. Yet with shares of other spectrum-holding companies also on the rise, it looks as though AT&T just raised the bar in its own quest to retain its No. 2 status and find ways to grow in the increasingly saturated U.S. market. Watch closely to see whether any other bidders emerge for Leap in the days to come.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  I argued that Apple should wrestle Sprint away from SoftBank two months ago on the thesis that Apple can't afford for Sprint to follow its larger wireless carriers -- AT&T (NYSE: T  ) and Verizon Wireless -- into tiered data plans. Apple needs unlimited connectivity to keep buyers of its iPads and iPhones engaged. Google also has plenty to gain, and not just to champion its Android platform.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is jam-packed with great dividend stocks. All 30 of the elite index's members pay a dividend today, with an average yield of 2.6%. The twin telecom giants, AT&T (NYSE: T  ) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) , lead the pack with respective yields of 5.1% and 4.2%. Good luck finding a savings account or CD matching these annual payouts. Even the least generous yield on the Dow blows today's money market accounts out of the water.

• [By Matt Thalman]

  Telecom giant Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) saw shares decline by 1.15% today as a large amount of news surrounded the stock. Verizon announced that it would be partnering with Jennifer Lopez, who is planning on opening a number of wireless retail stores around the country in an effort to appeal to the Latino market. Another story that likely played a role in the declining share price was that while Verizon may have the largest LTE Network, rival AT&T (NYSE: T  ) was crowned with the fastest. The experts at TechHive conducted their annual survey and found that for the second year in a row AT&T had the fastest network, averaging download speeds of 13.15 mbps and 6.45 mbps for uploads. �

Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF (CSJ)

iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Credit Bond Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the investment-grade credit sector of the United States bond market as defined by the Lehman Brothers 1-3 Year U.S. Credit Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of investment-grade United States credit securities, corporate debt and sovereign, local authority and non-United States agency bonds that are United States dollar denominated.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index. The Index includes investment grade United States credit securities that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to one year and less than three years, and have more than $250 million or more of outstanding face value. Barclays Global Fund Advisors serves as an advisor to the Fund.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  In addition to individual stocks several funds pay a monthly dividend. Below is a sampling of these:
  Monthly Bond Funds- iShares Barclays 1-3 Year Credit Bond (CSJ) | Yield: 1.29%
  - Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV) | Yield: 1.25%
  - Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (BIV) | Yield: 2.96%
  - Vanguard Long-Term Bond ETF (BLV) | Yield: 4.42%

Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Wells Fargo & Company(WFC)

Wells Fargo & Company, through its subsidiaries, provides retail, commercial, and corporate banking services primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Community Banking; Wholesale Banking; and Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement. The Community Banking segment offers deposits, including checking, market rate, and individual retirement accounts; savings and time deposits; and debit cards. Its loan products comprise lines of credit, auto floor plans, equity lines and loans, equipment and transportation loans, education loans, residential mortgage loans, health savings accounts, and credit cards. This segment also provides equipment leases, real estate financing, small business administration financing, venture capital financing, cash management, payroll services, retirement plans, loans secured by autos, and merchant payment processing services; purchases sales finance contracts from retail merchants; and a family of funds, and investment managemen t services. The Wholesale Banking segment offers commercial and corporate banking products and services, including commercial loans and lines of credit, letters of credit, asset-based lending, equipment leasing, international trade facilities, trade financing, collection services, foreign exchange services, treasury and investment management, institutional fixed-income sales, commodity and equity risk management, insurance, corporate trust fiduciary and agency services, and investment banking services. This segment also provides banking products for commercial real estate market, and real estate and mortgage brokerage services. The Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement segment offers financial advisory, brokerage, and institutional retirement and trust services. As of December 31, 2010, the company served its customers through approximately 9,000 banking stores in 39 States and the District of Columbia. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Franci sco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Grgurich]

  At JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , first-quarter revenue was down 4.87%. At Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) , revenue was down 1.40% for the first quarter. Profit is all well and good -- JPMorgan, Wells, and Morgan Stanley all had plenty of it in Q1 -- but if it isn't born out of ongoing revenue growth, then it's not sustainable.

• [By John Maxfield]

  The most specific effects will be felt by the banking sector, and particularly lenders that look to the mortgage market for a significant portion of their business. The three banks that come to mind immediately are Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) , JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) . In the first quarter of this year, these were the country's three largest mortgage originators, underwriting nearly $190 billion worth of mortgages combined -- Wells Fargo alone accounted for $109 billion of those.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of JPMorgan have ticked up 0.1% to $57.64 at 2:30 p.m. today, while Citigroup (C) has risen 0.3% to $48.29, Bank of America (BAC) is up 0.1% at $16.31 and Wells Fargo (WFC) has dropped 0.2% to $45.56.

• [By Jessica Alling]

  Some big financials are set to report earnings later in the week, with both JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM  ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) on tap. Both banks were at the top of the mortgage-origination food chain last year, so investors will likely be looking for growth in their mortgage operations. As Wells CFO Tim Sloan already noted, rising interest rates have squashed demand for new refinancing activity, so another key item to watch will be the measures available to the banks to offset the lower fees and income from that arm of the loan operations.

Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Rio Tinto(reg)

Rio Tinto plc engages in finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. The company produces aluminum products, including bauxite, alumina, and aluminum; copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and nickel; diamonds; minerals, such as borates, titanium dioxide feedstocks, high purity iron, metal powders, zircon, and rutile; thermal and coking coal, and uranium; and iron ore and salt. It primarily operates in Australia, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and southern Africa. The company was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Rio Tinto plc is a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Grocery-store-anchored shopping center operator�Regency Centers (NYSE: REG  ) announced this morning its second-quarter dividend on two series of preferred stock.�

• [By Anna Prior]

  Shopping-center owner AmREIT Inc.(AMRE) said it is evaluating a $433 million unsolicited takeover bid from Regency Centers Corp.(REG) AmREIT’s Class B shares slipped 8.7% to $20.50 premarket after jumping some 17% in Thursday trading.

• [By Dividend King]

  Regency Centers Corp. (REG): Regency Centers Corp. has been slightly appreciating after reaching a low of around $22 back in 2009. Currently, the stock issues an annual dividend of $1.85, has a yield of 4.30% and a payout ratio of 529%. During the last 12 months sales and income increased 5.10% and 208.30%, respectively. Revenue during the last four years increased at a compound annual growth rate of 0.28% while income decreased at a compound annual growth rate of 21.63%. The moderate revenue increase and lower income are due primarily to the real estate bubble that burst around 2007. However, revenue has started to pick up during the last two years, a good indication that the stock will begin appreciating in value.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Abbvie (ABBV)
  Ameren Corp. (AEE)
  Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG)
  E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD)
  ENSCO (ESV)
  Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD)
  General Mills (GIS)
  H&R Block (HRB)
  Hancock Holding (HBHC)
  Kraft Foods Group (KRFT)
  Lorillard (LO)
  Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP)
  MarkWest Energy Partners L P (MWE)
  McDonald’s (MCD)
  Microchip Technology (MCHP)
  NextEra Energy (NEE)
  Regency Centers (REG)
  TELUS Corp. (TU)
  West Corp. (WSTC)
  Williams Companies (WMB)

Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Etfs Gold Trust (SGOL)

ETFS Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the expenses of the Trust�� operations. The Trust holds gold bullion and issues ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (the Shares) in exchange for deposits of gold and distributes gold in connection with redemption of Baskets. The sponsor of the Trust is ETF Securities USA LLC (the Sponsor). The trustee of the Trust is The Bank of New York Mellon and the custodian is JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Pham]

  Although the Fed doubled its bond buying last September, the top gold exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, including SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) , iShares Gold Trust (NYSEMKT: IAU  ) , and ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: SGOL  ) , have dropped around 25% each over the last 12 months, which speaks to gold's extreme vulnerability to QE tapering. Even the mere mention of tapering seems to send gold into a tailspin, as seen with SPDR Gold Shares, which has plunged 24% year to date and also suffered massive losses with its physical holdings. Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEMKT: GDX  ) has suffered a massive drop of 48% so far in 2013, making it one of the worst-performing ETFs this year.

Best Consumer Service Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hurco Companies Inc. (HURC)

Hurco Companies, Inc., an industrial technology company, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of computerized machine tools, computer control systems, and software products to companies in the metal working industry primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company offers general purpose computerized machine tools, such as vertical machining centers/mills and turning centers/lathes. It also provides computer control systems and related software for press brake applications. In addition, the company produces and distributes software options, control upgrades, hardware accessories, and replacement parts for its machine tool product lines, as well as provides operator training and support services to its customers. Hurco Companies, Inc. offers its products to the precision tool, die, and mold manufacturers; independent metal parts manufacturers; and specialized production application or prototype departments within manufacturing operations. It serves aerospace , defense, medical equipment, energy, automotive/transportation, electronics, and computer industries. The company sells its products through independent agents and distributors in North America, Europe, and Asia, a swell as through direct sales personnel in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and certain parts of the United States. Hurco Companies, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Emerson]

  Hardinge (HDNG) the Perfect Fit to the Investment Puzzle
  
  Several years earlier I had started following the machine tool sector and I became quite familiar with Hardinge. Although I never invested in the stock (I had opted for Hurco), I had noted that Jeffrey Gendell had been purchasing shares the company. Hurco (HURC) had much higher margins and it was my belief that the superior quality of their computerized machine tools and their accompanying software were reflected in their earnings. Hurco also held a vastly superior balance sheet at the time I made my investment.