Top 5 Performing Companies To Own In Right Now

The famed hedge fund manager George Soros, known for breaking the British pound in 1992, shocked the world on Friday by announcing a 7.91% stake in J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP  ) . The news sent shares of the ailing retailer sharply higher, making it the best-performing stock on the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) that day.

Besides throwing J.C. Penney a much-needed lifeline in the equity markets -- its shares are down nearly 50% over the past year alone -- the move reaffirms one of Soros' central tenets: "The worse a situation becomes, the less it takes to turn it around, and the bigger the upside."

The stake, valued at $295 million, makes J.C. Penney the third largest holding of Soros Fund Management, the privately owned hedge fund that's largely responsible for managing its founder's wealth. It also adds to an increasingly diverse portfolio of stocks. Among the fund's other large holdings are companies as disparate as AIG (NYSE: AIG  ) , Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) , and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) :

5 Best Small Cap Stocks For 2015: Atlantic Power Corp (AT)

Atlantic Power Corporation (Atlantic Power) owns and operates a fleet of power generation and infrastructure assets in the United States and Canada. The Company�� power generation projects sell electricity to utilities and industrial customers under long-term power purchase agreements. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its power generation projects in operation had an aggregate gross electric generation capacity of approximately 3,397 megawatts in which its ownership interest was approximately 2,140 megawatts. The Company operates in five segments: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest and Un-allocated Corporate. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio consisted of interests in 31 operational power generation projects across 11 states in the United States and two provinces in Canada, and a 53 megawatts biomass project under construction in Georgia and a 500-kilovolt 84-mile electric transmission line. On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired Ridgeline Energy Holdings, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Atlantic Power (NYSE: AT  ) isn't going to win any economies-of-scale awards, but the utility is determined to ramp up investments in renewables over the next few years. In 2012, Atlantic added three wind farms with 150 net MW to its assets via a subsidiary acquisition from Veolia Environnement.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Utility operator�Atlantic Power� (NYSE: AT  ) announced today that its monthly June dividend of $0.03333 Canadian per share, will be the same rate it's paid for the past three months after having slashed the payout 65% in February from $0.0958 Canadian per share.

• [By Richard Stavros]

  But securing incremental long-term contracts often depends on factors outside management’s control. “Recent events at Atlantic Power Corp (NYSE: AT) demonstrate the shortcoming of a YieldCo strategy, ” the report states, noting the now infamous dividend cut that the firm had to make because of the firm’s “inability to extend expiring contracts and to secure sufficient long-term replacement contracts.”

Top 5 Performing Companies To Own In Right Now: China Direct Industries Inc.(CDII)

CD International Enterprises, Inc. sources, produces, and distributes industrial products in the People?s Republic of China and the Americas. The company operates in three segments: Magnesium, Basic Materials, and Consulting. The Magnesium segment produces, sells, and distributes pure magnesium ingots, magnesium powder and granules, and magnesium scraps. The Basic Materials segment sells and distributes various products, including industrial grade synthetic chemicals, steel products, non-ferrous metals, recycled materials, and industrial commodities. The Consulting segment provides a range of consulting services to the U.S. public companies that operate primarily in China. This segment offers its services in the areas of financing structures and arrangements, mergers, acquisitions and other business transactions, identifying potential areas of growth, translation services, managing and coordinating necessary government approvals and licenses, marketing services, investor relations services, and coordination of the preparation of required SEC filings. The company was formerly known as China Direct Industries, Inc. and changed its name to CD International Enterprises, Inc. in February 2012. CD International Enterprises, Inc. is headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks CD International Enterprises Inc (OTCMKTS: CDII), Creative Edge Nutrition Inc (OTCMKTS: FITX) and Metrospaces Inc (OTCMKTS: MSPC) have all been the subject of recent as well as past paid for stock promotions. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed stock promotions or investor awareness campaigns, but they can and do often backfire on unwary investors and traders alike. With that in mind, will investors and traders come out winners with these small caps or should they just be left to the promoters? Here is a quick reality check:

  CD International Enterprises Inc (OTCMKTS: CDII) Has Been Busy Announcing New Deals

  Small cap CD International Enterprises is a US based company that produces, sources, and distributes industrial commodities in China and the Americas and provides business and financial corporate consulting services. On Friday, CD International Enterprises closed at $0.133 for a market cap of $7.60 million plus CDII is up 29% since the start of the year and down 91.4% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

Top 5 Performing Companies To Own In Right Now: HHGregg Inc.(HGG)

hhgregg, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, home appliances, and related services. The company offers video products, such as flat panel televisions, blu-rays, and DVD players; appliances, including washers and dryers, refrigerators, cooking ranges, dishwashers, freezers, and air conditioners; and digital camcorders, digital cameras, gaming bundles, home theater receivers, mattresses, MP3 players, computers, personal navigation, tablets, speaker systems, and telephones. It also sells a suite of services, including third-party premium service plans, and third-party in-home service and repair of products, as well as delivery and installation, and in-home repair and maintenance. The company operates its stores under the name of hhgregg. As of February 08, 2012, it operated 208 stores in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Mattera]

  AFP/Getty Images TVs stand out as one of the premiere, big-ticket items of Black Friday. Even Kohl's (KSS), a store known for its clothing (not electronics), will have a few in stock that day, in an attempt to lure in a few extra bargain hunters. With so many different stores running specials, and all the different models on sale, there are literally dozens of different Black Friday TVs to choose from. While there are plenty of great deals available, a few stand out as being particularly noteworthy. Head to Walmart for the All-Around Cheapest Flat-Screen TV Walmart (WMT) will be selling a 32-inch LED Funai for just $98, making it one of the very cheapest TVs on sale this year. Discriminating buyers, however, should likely stay away -- Funai isn't in the same league as Sony (SNE) or Panasonic (PCRFY) when it comes to picture quality, and this particular set is just 720p (in contrast to full-HD 1080p). If you've never heard of Funai, the company generally sells its TVs under the Sylvania and Magnavox brands, two budget names not exactly known for their quality. Nevertheless, $98 for a 32-inch LED is hard (perhaps impossible) to beat. Shoppers looking for the cheapest flat-screen they can get their hands on should plan to be at Walmart Thanksgiving night. For a Great Deal on a Quality Samsung, Hit h.h. gregg At h.h. gregg (HGG), they'll also be offering a 32-inch LED, but unlike Walmart's Funai deal, this is on a model known for its quality. The set, Samsung's UN32EH5300, was declared one of the best 32-inch LCD TVs you can buy by LCD TV Buying Guide for 2012. It sports full-HD 1080p, and comes equipped with Samsung's smart TV suite -- owners can access digital content from sites like Netflix (NFLX) and Youtube. h.h. gregg will sell the TV for $299.99, what it claims is a 33 percent discount. Right now, Amazon (AMZN) is charging about $330 for the TV as part of its "Countdown to Black Friday" sale, making the h.h. gregg discount closer to 10 percent. (O

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  HHGregg (HGG) is a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, home appliances and related services operating under the name hhgregg. This stock closed up 2.5% at $17.25 in Wednesday's trading session.

  Wednesday's Volume: 472,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 314,280
  
  Volume % Change: 80%

  From a technical perspective, HGG bounced higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $15.93 with above-average volume. This move started to push shares of HGG into breakout territory, since it took out some near-tem overhead resistance at $17.24. Shares of HGG are now starting to move within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if HGG manages to clear its 52-week high at $17.71 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HGG as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $15.93 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $17.71 with volume that's near or above 314,280 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then HGG will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $22 to $25.

• [By Rich Smith]

  CR singled out one retailer in particular, P.C. Richard & Son, for opprobrium for being "among the pushiest" when pressuring customers to buy extended warranties. Not coincidentally, the company ranked dead last in the field of nine retailers ranked. Indianapolis-based hhgregg (NYSE: HGG  ) and Abt neighbor Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD  ) , which ranked Nos. 6 & 7, respectively, were also said to be "more likely than other retailers to push added coverage."

• [By Rich Duprey]

  What's 4K? Well, they've got a gazillion pixels in them (almost 8.3 million, to be more exact), four times as many as today's 1080p sets, with large-screen formats of 55 inches and up. They also carry an equally large price tag. Although the sets Sony (NYSE: SNE  ) unveiled at CES sported price tags around $25,000, Best Buy will carry sets from the manufacturer with bargain-basement pricing starting below $5,000. While�they'll also be available at small chains like hhgregg (NYSE: HGG  ) and regional shops such as P.C. Richards & Sons, Best Buy is the only national chain carrying its sets.

Top 5 Performing Companies To Own In Right Now: Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation(PVH)

PVH Corp. designs and markets branded dress shirts, neckwear, sportswear, footwear, and other related products worldwide. The company?s Calvin Klein Licensing segment licenses Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, and Calvin Klein brands for sportswear, jeanswear, underwear, fragrances, eyewear, men?s tailored clothing, women?s suits and dresses, hosiery, socks, footwear, swimwear, jewelry, watches, outerwear, handbags, leather goods, home furnishings, and accessories; and to operate retail stores. Its Wholesale Dress Furnishings segment markets dress shirts and neckwear principally under the ARROW, Calvin Klein, ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Collection, IZOD, Eagle, Sean John, Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, JOE Joseph Abboud, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Elie Tahari, J. Garcia, and MICHAEL Michael Kors brands. The company?s Wholesale Sportswear and Related Products segment offers sportswear, including men?s knit and w oven sport shirts, sweaters, bottoms, swimwear, boxers, and outerwear principally under the IZOD, Van Heusen, ARROW, Geoffrey Beene, Timberland, and Calvin Klein brands; and women?s sportswear, including knit and woven sport shirts, sweaters, bottoms, and outerwear under the IZOD brand. Its Retail Apparel and Related Products segment provides men?s dress shirts; neckwear and underwear; men?s and women?s suit separates; men?s and women?s sportswear, including woven and knit shirts, sweaters, bottoms, and outerwear; men?s and women?s accessories; sportswear; and men?s fragrance. The company?s Retail Footwear and Related Products segment offers casual and dress shoes for men, women, and children; and apparel and accessories. The company was formerly known as Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation and changed its name to PVH Corp. in June, 2011. The company was founded in 1881 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Ralph Lauren have gained 5.2% to $180.07 at 3:33 p.m. today, and they’ve even boosted other apparel companies. PVH (PVH) has gained 0.7% to $125.75, Hanesbrands (HBI) has advanced 1.3% to $68.25 and VF Corp. (VFC) is up 0.9% to $2221.78.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of PVH (PVH) are flying off the shelves after the owner of Calvin Klein and other brands easily topped estimates, with CEO Emanuel Chirico giving some of the credit to a revamped JC Penney (JCP).

  REUTERS

  PVH reported a profit of $1.51 a share, topping the Street consensus for $1.43. PVH also said it would earn between $2.45 and $2.50 during the third quarter, straddling forecasts for $2.48. Gross margins increased to 53.4% to 52.2%.

  Citigroup’s Kate McShane calls PVH’s financial results a “nice fall kick-off.” She explains why:

  Though PVH shares up ~8% over the past month, we expect the stock to move up on the beat & maintained guidance, indicating mgmt confidence in the back half of the year, despite continued macro caution. Recall that PVH has a long history of guiding conservatively, & we still see potential upside from ongoing strength in CK, Heritage imprvmts, & Europe.

  In an interview with Jim Cramer, CEO Chirico gave some of the credit to improvements at JC Penney–”back on track”–and Kohl’s (KSS), where he said PVH sales were firming.

  Shares of PVH have gained 9.3% to $128.03 at 11:23 a.m., while JC Penney has risen 4.1% to $11.05 and Kohl’s has advanced 1.9% to $60.28.