5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014

Although the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average have seen new highs this year, some areas within the stock market aren’t participating in the rally.

Small cap ETFs, for example, linked to the Russell 2000 (IWM) and S&P SmallCap 600 (IJR) continue to lag the broader market. Investor risk appetite for higher beta/higher risk small cap stocks is waning, which partly explains why they aren’t leading the market.  

Elsewhere, the homebuilding (ITB), retailing (XRT), and regional bank (KRE) industry sectors have not participated in the 2014 rally to new highs. Why does this matter? Because performance divergences, especially in key industry sectors, are either supportive or non-supportive of the broader stock market’s move.

Furthermore, it would be a mistake to overlook the importance of homebuilders, retailers, and regional banks not just for the stock market, but the broader economy. 

Consumer spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of national GDP and a robust housing market is central to any economy that’s alleged to be growing.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income Fund (PGP)

PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income Fund (the Fund) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund invests in equity index derivative instruments relating to United States and non-United States markets, backed by a low-duration (1 to 3 year) debt portfolio with an average credit quality that is investment grade. The Fund's investment manager is Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC, which is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Global.

The Fund intends to gain substantially all of its equity index exposure by investing in equity index derivatives based on the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index (S&P 500 Index), and the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australasia, Far East Index (the MSCI EAFE Index). Substantially all of the Fund's assets will be invested in a portfolio of income producing debt securities and debt-related derivative securities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  Special Purpose Funds- Eaton Vance Tax-Adv. Global Dividend Oppor. Fund (ETO) | Yield: 7.3%
  - The Gabelli Global Utility & Income Trust (GLU) | Yield: 6.2%
  - Pimco Global Stocksplus Income Fund (PGP) | Yield: 9.5%
  - LMP Real Estate Income Fund Inc. (RIT) | Yield: 7.0%

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Note that the partnerships that have chosen to pay taxes as corporations are almost exclusively engaged in marine transportation. Outside of this category, the only publicly traded partnership that has chosen corporate taxation is Plains GP Holding (NYSE: PGP), the general partner for Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE: PAA).

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: Pioneer Energy Services Corp (PES)

Pioneer Energy Services Corp., formerly Pioneer Drilling Company, incorporated in 1979, provides drilling and production services to independent oil and gas exploration and production companies throughout much of the onshore oil and gas producing regions of the United States and internationally in Colombia. The Company operates in two segments: Drilling Services Division and Production Services Division. The Company�� Drilling Services Division provides contract land drilling services. The Company�� Production Services Division provides a range of services to oil and gas exploration and production companies. On December 31, 2011, the Company acquired Go-Coil, LLC.

Drilling Services Division

The Company�� Drilling Services Division provides contract land drilling services with its fleet of 64 drilling rigs in South Texas, East Texas, West Texas, North Dakota, North Texas, Utah, Appalachia and Colombia. As of February 10, 2012, 55 drilling rigs are operating under drilling contracts, 44 of which are under term contracts. In 2011, the Company established its West Texas drilling division location location where it has 18 drilling rigs operating. In addition to its drilling rigs, the Company provides the drilling crews and the ancillary equipment needed to operate its drilling rigs. Its drilling contracts provide for compensation on either a daywork, turnkey or footage basis.

As of February 10, 2012, the Company owned a fleet of 54 trucks and related transportation equipment that it uses to transport its drilling rigs to and from drilling sites. Under daywork drilling contracts, it provides a drilling rig and required personnel to its customer who supervises the drilling of the well. Under a turnkey contract, the Company agrees to drill a well for its customer. It provides technical and engineering services, as well as the equipment and drilling supplies required to drill the well. The Company often subcontracts for related services, such as the provision of cas! ing crews, cementing and well logging. Under footage contracts, it is paid a fixed amount for each foot drilled.

The Company competes with Helmerich & Payne, Inc., Precision Drilling Trust, Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. and Nabors Industries, Ltd.

Production Services Division

The Company�� Production Services Division provides a range of services to oil and gas exploration and production companies, including well services, wireline, coiled tubing and fishing and rental services. Its production services operations are managed through locations concentrated in the United States onshore oil and gas producing regions in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, Rocky Mountain and Appalachian states. The Company provides its services to a diverse group of oil and gas exploration and production companies. Under well services, it provides rig-based well services, including maintenance of existing wells, workover of existing wells, completion of newly-drilled wells, and plugging and abandonment of wells at the end of their useful lives.

The Company provides wireline services in Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Louisiana, West Virginia, Wyoming and Mississippi. The Company�� Coiled tubing is used for a number of horizontal well applications such as milling temporary plugs between frac stages. Its coiled tubing business consists of ten coiled tubing units which are deployed in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. The Company�� rental and fishing tool business provides a range of specialized services and equipment that are utilized on a non-routine basis for both drilling and well servicing operations. It provides rental services out of four locations in Texas and Oklahoma. As of February 10, 2012, the Company had a total of 91 well service rigs. Its well service rig fleet consists of eighty-one 550 horsepower rigs, nine 600 horsepower rigs, and one 400 horsepower rig. As of February 10, 2012, the Company had 109 wireline units in 24 locations.

The Company competes with Key Energy Services, Basic Energy Services, Nabors Industries, Superior Energy Services, Inc,

CC Forbes, Schlumberger Ltd., Halliburton Company, Weatherford International, Baker Hughes, Superior Energy Services, Basic Energy Services, and Key Energy Services, Quail Tools and Knight Oil Tools.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Pioneer Energy Services (NYSE: PES  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Pioneer Energy Services (NYSE: PES) shares touched a new 52-week high of $11.58. Pioneer Energy shares have jumped 40.39% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 21.92% in the same period.

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: VirtualScopics Inc.(VSCP)

VirtualScopics, Inc. provides imaging solutions for clinical trials serving the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. The company offers a suite of image analysis software tools and applications, which are used in detecting and measuring specific anatomical structures and metabolic activity using medical images. Its image-based measurement and visualization tools enable automated, accurate, and reproducible measurement of changes that occur in anatomic structures in musculoskeletal, oncological, cardiological, and neurological diseases. VirtualScopics has strategic relationship with Pfizer Inc. for the discovery, validation, and application of image-based biomarkers for clinical research; and with PPD Development, LP. to provide to provide clients with an integrated and customized clinical development and medical imaging solution for oncology clinical trials. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Rochester, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  VirtualScopics Inc. (NASDAQ: VSCP) provides imaging services on a contract basis for the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries. Shares were up more than 20%, at $3.70 in a 52-week range of $2.93 to $7.50. Only 10,000 shares had traded hands, against a daily average of just 14,000. The company had no news Monday.

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund Inc (TTP)

Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. (the Fund) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund�� investment objective is to provide a high level of total return. It focuses to provide stockholders a vehicle to invest in a portfolio consisting of equity securities of pipeline and other energy infrastructure companies. It focuses on pipeline companies, which are engaged in the business of transporting natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil and refined petroleum products, and on other energy infrastructure companies. It focus invest at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of pipeline and other energy infrastructure companies. It may invest up to 30% of its total assets in unregistered or otherwise restricted securities, primarily through direct investments in securities of listed companies. Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. serves as the Fund�� investment adviser. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  As I write this, Tortoise Pipeline and Energy (NYSE: TTP) trades at a discount of 15.1 percent to its underlying assets, while at the other end of the spectrum Cushing MLP Total Return Fund (NYSE: SRV) trades at a 17.4 percent premium. The average MLP closed-end fund listed trades at a 4.9 percent discount, which is perhaps reasonable given the loss of certain tax advantages and the fact that management fees will eat into returns.