Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Top 5 Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now

The following video is from Tuesday's MarketFoolery podcast, in which host Chris Hill, along with analysts Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger, discuss the top business and investing stories of the day.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit of $2.2 billion, but�shares were down on the news. Fifty percent of Goldman Sachs' net revenue is generated from�the company's�trading business. Shares of Goldman Sachs are beating the market over the past year. In this installment of MarketFoolery, our analysts take stock of the future of Goldman.

During the financial crisis, Goldman Sachs did so well pivoting to avoid the worst of the fallout that it had to downplay its success to duck public ire and conspiracy theories. Today, Goldman is still arguably the powerhouse global financial name, yet its stock trades at a valuation of less than half what it fetched before the crisis. Does this make Goldman one of the best opportunities in the market today? To answer that question, check out The Motley Fool's special report on the bank. In it, Fool banking expert Matt Koppenheffer uncovers the key issues facing Goldman, including three specific areas Goldman investors must watch. To get access to this report, just click here.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now: Cohen & Steers Reit and Preferred Income Fund Inc(RNP)

Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred Income Fund, Inc. is a closed-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Cohen & Steers Inc. It is managed by Cohen & Steers Capital Management, Inc. The fund invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating in the real estate sector including real estate investment trusts. For its equity portfolio, it employs a fundamental analysis to create its portfolio with a focus on growth potential, earnings estimates, and the quality of management. For its fixed income portfolio, the fund typically invests in debt and preferred securities of companies operating across diversified sectors. It employs a fundamental analysis to create its fixed income portfolio with a focus on the issuer?s creditworthiness, corporate and capital structure, placement of the preferred or debt securities within that structure, momentum and other exogenous signals, and relative value versus ot her income security classes. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the FTSE NAREIT Equity Index, S&P 500 Index, Merrill Lynch Fixed Rate Preferred Index, and FTSE NAREIT Equity REIT Index. It was formerly known as Cohen & Steers REIT & Preferred Balanced Income Fund. Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred Income Fund, Inc. was formed on June 27, 2003 and is domiciled in the United States.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. (BBVA)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA) is a diversified international financial group, with strengths in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking and wholesale banking. The Company also has investments in some of Spain�� companies. During the year ended December 31, 2009, BBVA focused its operations on six major business areas: Spain and Portugal, Wholesale Banking and Asset Management, Mexico, The United States, South America and Corporate Activities. On August 21, 2009, through its subsidiary BBVA Compass, BBVA acquired certain assets of Guaranty from the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC).

Spain and Portugal

The Spain and Portugal business area focuses on providing banking services and consumer finance to private individuals, enterprises and institutions in Spain and Portugal. The main business units included in the Spain and Portugal area Spanish Retail Network, which manages individual customers, high net-worth individuals (private banking) and small companies and retailers in the Spanish market; Corporate and Business Banking, which manages business with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large companies, institutions and developers in the Spanish market, and Other units, which includes consumer finance, that manages renting and leasing business, credit to individual and to enterprises for consumer products and Internet banking; European Insurance that manages the insurance business in Spain and Portugal, and BBVA Portugal, that manages the banking business in Portugal. The Spanish Retail Network unit services the financial and non-financial needs of households, professional practices, retailers and small businesses. The Corporate and Business Banking unit offers a range of services and products to SMEs, large companies, institutions and developers with specialized branch networks for each segment.

The Company�� European Insurance unit�� activities are conducted through! various insurance companies that provide direct insurance, reinsurance and insurance brokering services in Spain and Portugal and market products for different types of customers (private individuals, SMEs, retailers, professional service firms and providers and self-employed individuals) through this unit�� branch offices. BBVA Portugal manages its banking business in Portugal.

Wholesale Banking and Asset Management

The Wholesale Banking and Asset Management area focuses on providing services to large international companies and investment banking, capital markets and treasury management services to clients. The business units included in the Wholesale Banking and Asset Management area are Corporate and Investment Banking, which coordinates origination, distribution and management of a complete catalogue of corporate and investment banking products (corporate finance, structured finance, syndicated loans and debt capital markets) and provides global trade finance and global transaction services with coverage of large corporate customers specialized by sector (industry bankers); Global Markets, which handles the origination, structuring, distribution and risk management of market products, which are placed through its trading rooms in Europe, Asia and the Americas; Asset Management, which designs and manages the products that are marketed through its different branch networks including traditional asset management, alternative asset management and Valanza (its private equity unit); Industrial and Other Holdings, which helps to diversify the area�� businesses with the aim of creating medium and long-term value through active management of a portfolio of industrial holdings and other Spanish and international projects, and Asia.

During the year ended December 31, 2009, it launched two products: BBVA Bonos Cash (BBVA Cash Bonds), a money market fund for retail customers, and BBVA Bonos Largo Plazo Gobiernos II (BBVA Long-Term Government Bonds), a public-debt fu! nd. In ad! dition it launched through this unit additional fixed-income long-term funds, including BBVA Bonos Corporativos 2011 and BBVA Bonos 2014, which were sold to HNWI customers.

Mexico

The business units included in the Mexico area are Retail and Corporate banking and Pensions and Insurance. BBVA Bancomer launched six new mortgage products for lending to home buyers in 2009. These products included: loans for home improvements, remodeling or additions to homes and financial discount which provides liquidity to construction companies. In Mexico, it operates its pensions business through Afore Bancomer, its insurance business through Seguros Bancomer, its annuities business through Pensiones Bancomer and its health insurance business through Preventis.

The United States

The business units included in the United States area are BBVA Compass and Other units: BBVA Puerto Rico and Bancomer Transfers Services (BTS). During 2009 this unit marketed and sold several new products, The ClearPoints credit card, Business Build-to-order Checking, Compass for your Cause and Money Market Sweep.

South America

The South America business area includes its banking, insurance and pension businesses in South America. The business units included in the South America business area are Retail and Corporate Banking, which includes banks in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela; Pension businesses, which includes pensions businesses in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and Dominican Republic, and Insurance businesses, which includes insurance businesses in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Corporate Activities

The Corporate Activities area handles its general management functions. These mainly consist of structural positions for interest rates associated with the euro balance sheet and exchange rates, together with liquidity management and shareholde! rs��fun! ds.

Top Gold Stocks To Own For 2014: Protective Life Corporation(PL)

Protective Life Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in the production, distribution, and administration of insurance and investment products in the United States. Its Life Marketing segment markets universal life, variable universal life, level premium term insurance, and bank-owned life insurance products primarily through a network of independent insurance agents and brokers, stockbrokers, and independent marketing organizations. The company?s Acquisitions segment focuses on acquiring, converting, and servicing life insurance policies and annuity products sold to individuals, which are acquired from other companies. Its Annuities segment markets variable annuity products that offer the policyholder the opportunity to invest in various investment accounts; and fixed annuity products, such as modified guaranteed annuities, single premium deferred annuities, single premium immediate annuities, and equity indexed annuities primarily through broker-dealers, financial ins titutions, and independent agents and brokers. The company?s Stable Value Products segment offers guaranteed funding agreements to special purpose entities; fixed and floating rate funding agreements directly to the trustees of municipal bond proceeds, institutional investors, bank trust departments, and money market funds; and guaranteed investment contracts to qualified retirement savings plans. Its Asset Protection segment primarily markets extended service contracts, and credit life and disability insurance to protect consumers? investments in automobiles, watercraft, and recreational vehicles; and markets a guaranteed asset protection product primarily through a national network of approximately 3,750 automobile, marine, and recreational vehicle dealers. The company was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now: Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc (IVR)

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc., incorporated in June 2008, is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company is primarily focused on investing in, financing and managing residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and mortgage loans, which it collectively refers to as its target assets. The Company�� target assets consist of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) for which the United States Government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) or a federally chartered corporation, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) guarantees payments of principal and interest on the securities. It refers to these securities as Agency RMBS. Its Agency RMBS investments include mortgage pass-through securities and may include collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). It also invests in RMBS that are not issued or guaranteed by the United States Government agency (non-Agency RMBS), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and residential and commercial mortgage loans.

The Company finances its Agency RMBS, non-Agency RMBS and CMBS investments through short-term borrowings structured as repurchase agreements. The Company�� manager is Invesco Advisors Inc. The Company also finances its investments in certain non-Agency RMBS, CMBS and residential and commercial mortgage loans by contributing capital to the Invesco Mortgage Recovery Feeder Fund (Invesco IMRF Fund) that invests in public-private investment funds (PPIF) managed by the Company�� manager. The Company's manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Alexandra Leigh]

    Invesco said Tuesday that it will make a public offering of 15 million shares of its common stock, and will allow the underwriters a 30-day option to buy up to an additional 2.25 million shares. The underwriters are permitted offer the common stock periodically in one or more transactions in the over-the-counter market, or through negotiated transactions at market prices or at negotiated prices. The firm will use the net proceeds to make additional purchases of residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and mortgage loans, on a leveraged basis, and also for other general corporate purposes.

Top 5 Financial Companies To Invest In Right Now: AMERISAFE Inc.(AMSF)

AMERISAFE, Inc., an insurance holding company, provides workers? compensation insurance focusing on small to mid-sized employers engaged in hazardous industries, primarily construction, trucking, agriculture, logging, oil and gas, maritime, and sawmills in the southeast United States. It also offers general liability insurance policies for its workers? compensation policyholders in the logging industry. The company?s workers? compensation insurance policies provide benefits to injured employees for temporary or permanent disability, death, and medical and hospital expenses. AMERISAFE, Inc. sells its products and services through independent agencies, as well as through its insurance agency subsidiary, Amerisafe General Agency, Inc. The company was incorporated in 1985 and is based in DeRidder, Louisiana.

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