Top 5 US Companies For 2014

Renren (NYSE: RENN  ) will release its quarterly report on Wednesday, and longtime investors have to be disappointed by the Chinese social-media company's inability to regain much of the 75% its shares have lost since its early 2011 IPO. Even with Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) having taken an interest in parts of Renren's business, it's unclear whether Renren can use Baidu's leadership position among Chinese Internet companies to bolster its overall growth going forward in order to emulate American counterpart Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) .

Renren has a variety of different platforms in its arsenal, including its namesake social networking site, its Nuomi.com daily deals service, and its 56.com video service. So far, though, the company has failed to share the success of its American social-media counterparts, as Renren struggles to find ways to keep revenue growth rising long enough to become profitable. The uncertain question Renren faces is whether having Baidu partially aligned with its interests will help it find the success in China that Facebook has experienced recently in the U.S. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Renren over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its report.

Top 10 Insurance Companies To Buy For 2015: MasTec Inc. (MTZ)

MasTec, Inc., an infrastructure construction company, engages in the engineering, building, installation, maintenance, and upgrade of energy, utility, and communications infrastructure primarily in North America. The company builds natural gas, crude oil, and refined product transport pipelines; underground and overhead distribution systems, including trenches, conduits, and cable and power lines, which provide wireless and wireline communications; electrical power generation, transmission, and distribution systems; renewable energy infrastructure comprising wind and solar farms; and compressor and pump stations, and treatment and heavy industrial plants. It also installs electrical and other energy distribution and transmission systems, power generation facilities, buried and aerial fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, copper lines, and satellite dishes in various environments. In addition, the company provides maintenance and upgrade support services, such as the maintena nce of distribution facilities; and networks and infrastructure, including natural gas and petroleum pipelines, wireless, power generation, and electrical distribution and transmission infrastructure, as well as routine replacements and upgrades, and overhauls. Further, it offers emergency services for accidents or storm damage. The company�s customers include public and private energy providers, pipeline operators, wireless service providers, satellite and broadband operators, local and long distance carriers, and government entities. MasTec, Inc. was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  MasTec (NYSE: MTZ  ) is well-known for being�a leading infrastructure construction company across various industries, so its announcement this morning that it is acquiring an�oil and gas pipeline and facility construction services company should not come as a surprise.

• [By Michael Lewis]

  For a quick comparison, take a look at U.S.-based Mastec (NYSE: MTZ  ) , which trades at just under 13.75 times forward earnings yet holds a more conservative balance sheet and is a good bit larger at a market cap of $2.34 billion. While Mastec is building out its operations in Canada, Empresas offers potential outperformance by virtue of its market dominant position in Mexico.

Top 5 US Companies For 2014: Airbus Group NV (EADSY)

Airbus Group NV, known as European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV, is a Netherlands-based company active within the aerospace and defense sector. The Company manufactures aircrafts, helicopters, commercial space launch vehicles, missiles, satellites, defense systems and defense electronics, and offers services related to these activities. The Company oprates four divisions. The Airbus division comprises the Airbus Commercial and Airbus Military segments, which develop, manufacture, market and sell commercial jet aircrafts, military transport aircrafts and special mission aircrafts, among others. The Eurocopter division develops, markets and sells civil and military helicopters. The Astrium division develops, manufactures and sells satellites, orbital infrastructures and launchers, as well as provides space-related services. The Cassidian division develops, manufactures and sells missiles systems, military combat and training aircrafts, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Dumortier, CFA]

  Today marks the start of the week-long Paris Air Show, the aviation industry's biggest trade show. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Airbus (NASDAQOTH: EADSY  ) CEO Fabrice Bregier said he was confident the company would raise its operating margin to 10% within two years (excluding the one-time cost associated with the launch of the new A-350 jet liner). The emphasis is on profitability, as Airbus' current order book is equivalent to eight years of production.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Boeing (BA) dropped 4.3% to $132.29 this week, making it the biggest loser in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Boeing fell after Emirates cancelled an order with Airbus (EADSY), raising concerns that more cancellations could follow, RBC cut its shares and Eric Cantor lost in a primary.

Top 5 US Companies For 2014: Daktronics Inc.(DAKT)

Daktronics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells various electronic display systems and related products, as well as provides related maintenance and professional services worldwide. The company offers scoring and timing products, such as indoor and outdoor scoreboards, digit displays, scoring and timing controllers, statistics software, and other related products; timing systems for sports events, primarily aquatics and track competitions; and audio systems integrated into a solution that include scoring, timing, message display, and/or video capability for sports venues, as well as related control systems. It also provides automated rigging and hoist products, which comprise of arena center-hung scoreboard/display systems for small and large sporting facilities; automated rigging for theatre applications, including high schools; and video display systems, such as displays to show various levels of video, graphics, and animation, as well as controllers to manage the operation of the display. In addition, the company provides architectural lighting and display products, which include freeform video elements; message display systems for commercial applications; digital billboards that offer digital display solutions for the outdoor advertising industry; Visiconn system, a primary software application for controlling content and playback loops for digital billboard applications; and digit and price displays consisting of outdoor time and temperature displays, as well as Fuelight digit displays designed for the petroleum industry. Further, it offers transportation products comprising various light emitting diodes-based displays for road management, parking, mass transit, and aviation applications; and rents its display equipment. The company sells its products through its direct sales force, as well as through resellers. Daktronics, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is based in Brookings, South Dakota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Daktronics Inc.'s(DAKT) fiscal second-quarter earnings climbed 2.1% as a higher volume of product orders offset lower margins. Results beat expectations, sending shares up 9.1% to $13.73 premarket.

Top 5 US Companies For 2014: Platinum Group Metals Ltd (PLG)

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (Platinum Group) is a platinum focused exploration and development company conducting work on mineral properties it has staked or acquired by way of option agreements in the Republic of South Africa and in Canada. The Company conducts its South African exploration and development work through its wholly owned direct subsidiary, Platinum Group Metals (RSA) (Proprietary) Limited (PTM RSA). PTM RSA holds the Company�� interests in the Project 1 platinum mine (Project 1) and Project 3. PTM RSA also holds 100% of Wesplats Holding (Proprietary) Limited (Wesplats), and a 37% interest in Wildebeest Platinum (Pty) Limited (Wildebeest), a company set up to hold prospecting rights for the exploration joint venture between the Company and Sable Platinum Mining (Pty) Ltd. (Sable) and Umnotho NREF Joint Venture. In September 2011, it purchased the Providence Copper-Nickel-Cobalt-Platinum Group Metals (Cu-Ni-Co-PGM) property from Arctic Star Exploration (Arctic Star). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zacks Investment Research]

  Investors hoping for a turnaround in precious metals prices and looking for exposure to precious metals miners could consider Platinum Group Metals (PLG), currently ranked #2 (Buy) by Zacks.