10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now

Toyota is pinning its China hopes on several new models, including the all-new Yaris unveiled in Shanghai last weekend. Photo credit: Toyota

Last fall, a dispute between the governments of China and Japan over ownership of some islands touched off a wave of anti-Japanese feelings in China. Many Japanese brands that had seen huge growth in sales in recent years suddenly saw their sales numbers fall off a cliff.

The Japanese automakers weren't spared. Toyota (NYSE: TM  ) , Honda (NYSE: HMC  ) , and Nissan (NASDAQOTH: NSANY  ) all saw sales numbers fall sharply in September 2012 ��and they've stayed down since.

For Toyota in particular, this has been a challenge. The company had been striving to catch up to the China market leaders, General Motors (NYSE: GM  ) and Volkswagen (NASDAQOTH: VLKAY  ) , but now finds itself well behind ��in fact, it was just passed by up-and-coming Ford (NYSE: F  ) .

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Citizens & Northern Corp(CZNC)

Citizens & Northern Corporation operates as the holding for Citizens & Northern Bank, which provides various banking and mortgage products and services to individual and corporate customers in north central Pennsylvania and southern New York. Its deposit products include various checking accounts, passbook and statement savings, money market accounts, interest checking accounts, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposits, as well as non-insured Repo Sweep accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises mortgage loans, commercial loans, and consumer loans, as well as specialized instruments, such as commercial letters-of-credit. It also provides trust and financial management services, including administration of trusts and estates, retirement plans, and other employee benefit plans; investment management services; and various personal and commercial insurance products, as well as mutual funds, annuities, educational savings accounts, and other investmen t products through registered agents. As of April 20, 2011, the company operates 26 full service offices in Tioga, Bradford, Sullivan, Lycoming, Potter, Cameron, and McKean counties in Pennsylvania; and Steuben and Allegany counties in New York. Citizens & Northern Corporation was founded in 1971 and is based in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Anite Group(AIE.L)

Anite plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology (IT) solutions, software, systems integration, and managed services to the wireless and travel markets. The company operates in three segments: Handset Testing, Network Testing, and Travel. The Handset Testing segment offers various wireless test solutions, including long term evolution, development, conformance, and interoperability testing solutions, which enable chipset and mobile device manufacturers to test the viability, improve the quality, and to market their products. It also offers professional services to create, amend, and manage test strategies and platforms. The Network Testing segment provides various solutions comprising optimization, benchmarking, autonomous testing, and analysis and reporting solutions. This segment primarily offers Nemo product portfolio for mobile network operators and network equipment manufacturers to measure the coverage and quality of mobile phone networks. T he Travel segment offers TravelERP solutions and services to operators in the tour, cruise, ferry, and scenic rail sectors. This segment provides reservation, check-in, ticketing, accounting, marketing, and administration capabilities, as well as offers infrastructure, application management, business continuity, application hosting, and consultancy services. The company is also involved in the property holding activities. It operates primarily in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. Anite plc was founded in 1973 and is based in Slough, the United Kingdom.

Best Undervalued Companies To Watch For 2014: FirstMerit Corporation(FMER)

FirstMerit Corporation operates as the bank holding company for FirstMerit Bank, N.A. that provides a range of banking, fiduciary, financial, insurance, and investment services to corporate, institutional, and individual customers in northern and central Ohio, and western Pennsylvania. The company?s commercial business offers commercial term loans, revolving credit arrangements, asset-based lending, leasing, commercial mortgages, real estate construction lending, letters of credit, cash management services, and other depository products. Its retail business provides various financial products and services, including consumer direct and indirect installment loans, debit and credit cards, debit gift cards, residential mortgage loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, fixed and variable annuities, and ATM network services, as well as deposit products comprising checking, savings, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company?s wealth business provides a sset management, private banking, financial planning, estate settlement and administration, and credit and deposit products and services. FirstMerit Corporation also offers trust and investment services, including personal trust and planning, and investment management; retirement plan services; retail mutual funds, other securities, variable and fixed annuities, personal disability and life insurance products, and brokerage services; and private banking services, including credit, deposit, and asset management solutions. As of December 31, 2009, it operated a network of 160 full service banking offices and 182 ATMs. The company was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cathay Intl(CTI.L)

Cathay International Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, operates primarily in the healthcare sector. It engages in the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of specialty western pharmaceuticals, modern Chinese medicine extracts, and generic pharmaceuticals in the People?s Republic of China; manufacturing, marketing, and sale of plant extracts for use as active ingredients in food, beverages, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and healthcare products; and the development of pharmaceutical products. The company also operates Crowne Plaza Landmark Hotel & Suites Shenzhen, a five star business traveler hotel in the Lowu district of Shenzhen, the People?s Republic of China. Cathay International Holdings Limited is based in Central, Hong Kong.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Hartco Income Fd(HCI.TO)

Hartco Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides information technology products, services, and solutions to private and public organizations in Canada. It operates in two segments, Franchising and Distribution, and Commercial. The Franchising and Distribution segment offers logistics, marketing, and other services to its franchise network partners in Canada. It is also involved in distribution activities; and the franchising of businesses that sell a range of IT infrastructure solutions. This segment?s franchises operate under the banners of Metafore and MicroAge. The Commercial segment, through its subsidiary, Metafore Technologies Inc., designs, supplies, installs, and supports IT infrastructure solutions. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: BB&T Corp (BBT)

BB&T Corporation (BB&T) is a financial holding company. BB&T conducts its business operations primarily through its commercial bank subsidiary, Branch Banking and Trust Company (Branch Bank), which has offices in North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Washington D.C and Indiana. In addition, BB&T�� operations consist of a federally chartered thrift institution, BB&T Financial, FSB (BB&T FSB), and a number of nonbank subsidiaries, which offer financial services products. BB&T�� operations are divided into six business segments: Community Banking, Residential Mortgage Banking, Dealer Financial Services, Specialized Lending, Insurance Services, and Financial Services. Branch Bank provides a range of banking and trust services for retail and commercial clients in its geographic markets, including small and mid-size businesses, public agencies, local Governments and individuals, through 1,779 offices as of December 31, 2011. During the year ended December 31, 2011, BB&T announced the acquisitions of Liberty Benefit Insurance Services, Atlantic Risk Management Corporation and the Precept Group. In April 2012, it acquired the life and property and casualty insurance operating divisions of Roseland, New Jersey - based Crump Group Inc. On July 31, 2012, it acquired BankAtlantic.

As of December 31, 2011, the principal operating subsidiaries of BB&T included Branch Banking and Trust Company, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; BB&T Financial, FSB, Columbus, Georgia; Scott & Stringfellow, LLC, Richmond, Virginia; Clearview Correspondent Services, LLC, Richmond, Virginia; Regional Acceptance Corporation, Greenville, North Carolina; American Coastal Insurance Company, Davie, Florida, and Sterling Capital Management, LLC, Charlotte, North Carolina. Branch Bank�� principal operating subsidiaries include BB&T Equipment Finance Corporation, BB&T Investment Services, Inc., BB&T Insurance Services, Inc., Stanley, Hunt, DuPree! & Rhine (a division of Branch Bank), Prime Rate Premium Finance Corporation, Inc., Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, LLC, Lendmark Financial Services, Inc., CRC Insurance Services, Inc. and McGriff, Seibels & Williams, Inc.

Community Banking

BB&T�� Community Banking serves individual and business clients by offering a range of loan and deposit products and other financial services. As of December 31, 2011, Community Banking had a network of 1,779 banking.

Residential Mortgage Banking

Residential Mortgage Banking segment retains and services mortgage loans originated by Community Banking, as well as those purchased from various correspondent originators. Mortgage loan products include fixed and adjustable rate Government and conventional loans for the purpose of constructing, purchasing or refinancing residential properties. Substantially all of the properties are owner occupied. BB&T retains the servicing rights to all loans sold. Residential Mortgage Banking earns interest on loans held in the warehouse and portfolio, fee income from the origination and servicing of mortgage loans and recognizes gains or losses from the sale of mortgage loans. BB&T�� mortgage originations totaled $23.7 billion in 2011. BB&T�� residential mortgage servicing portfolio, which includes both retained loans and loans serviced for third parties, totaled $91.6 billion in 2011.

Dealer Financial Services

Dealer Financial Services originates loans to consumers on a prime and nonprime basis for the purchase of automobiles. Such loans are originated on an indirect basis through approved franchised and independent automobile dealers throughout the BB&T market area and nationally through Regional Acceptance Corporation. This segment also originates loans for the purchase of boats and recreational vehicles originated through dealers in BB&T�� market area. In addition, financing and servicing to dealers for their inventories is provided through a ! joint rel! ationship between Dealer Financial Services and Community Banking.

Specialized Lending

BB&T�� Specialized Lending consists of eight business units that provide specialty finance products to consumers and businesses. The internal business units include Commercial Finance that contains commercial finance and mortgage warehouse lending; and, Governmental Finance that is responsible for tax-exempt Government finance. Operating subsidiaries include BB&T Equipment Finance which provides equipment leasing within BB&T�� banking footprint; Sheffield Financial, a division of FSB Financial, a dealer-based financer of equipment for both small businesses and consumers; Lendmark Financial Services, a direct consumer finance lending company; Prime Rate Premium Finance Corporation, which includes AFCO and CAFO, insurance premium finance business units that provide funding to businesses in the United States and Canada and to consumers in certain markets within BB&T�� banking footprint, and Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, a commercial mortgage banking lender providing loans on a national basis.

Insurance Services

BB&T Insurance Services provides property and casualty, life and health insurance to businesses and individuals. It also provides small business and corporate products, such as workers compensation and professional liability, as well as surety coverage and title insurance. In addition, Insurance Services also underwrites a limited amount of property and casualty coverage.

Financial Services

Financial Services provides personal trust administration, estate planning, investment counseling, wealth management, asset management, employee benefits services, corporate banking and corporate trust services to individuals, corporations, institutions, foundations and Government entities. Financial Services also offers clients investment alternatives, including discount brokerage services, equities, fixed-rate and variable-rate annuiti! es, mutua! l funds and governmental and municipal bonds through BB&T Investment Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Branch Bank. Financial Services includes Scott & Stringfellow, LLC, a brokerage and investment banking firm. Scott & Stringfellow provides services in retail brokerage, equity and debt underwriting, investment advice, corporate finance and equity research and facilitates the origination, trading and distribution of fixed-income securities and equity products in both the public and private capital markets. Scott & Stringfellow also has a public finance department that provides investment banking services, financial advisory services and municipal bond financing. Scott & Stringfellow�� investment banking and corporate and public finance areas conduct business as BB&T Capital Markets. This segment includes BB&T Capital Partners that is a group of BB&T-sponsored private equity and mezzanine investment funds that invest in privately owned middle-market operating companies. Financial Services also includes the Corporate Banking Division that originates and services corporate relationships, syndicated lending relationships and client derivatives.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Brush]

   BB&T (BBT) has a dividend yield of 2.5%

  The regional bank has 1,800 branches in the Southeast and Washington, D.C. Even during the worst of the credit meltdown, BB&T was profitable. The company used its financial clout to attract customers from competitors and purchase the assets of a failed bank in Florida from regulators.

  As the economy improves and loan business grows, Wordell believes the bank could see annual earnings as high as $3.50 a share, from $1.21 recently. Wordell expects the bank to raise dividends as earnings and loan quality improves.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  BB&T (NYSE:BBT) owns the commercial banking subsidiary, Branch Banking and Trust Company, and has posted a gain of 16% since last March. BB&T stock gets an “A” grade for operating margin growth, an “A” grade for earnings growth, a “B” grade for earnings momentum, an “A” grade for the magnitude in which earnings projections have increased over the past months, and a “B” grade for cash flow.

• [By Elissa]

  BB&T Corporation is a full-range financial company that provides commercial and retail services. Unlike other banks, BB&T is organized by community banks, and each group has a regional president. This enables simple changes that affect clients in a local area.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Lexmark International Inc.(LXK)

Lexmark International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and supply of printing, imaging, document workflow, and content management solutions for offices in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Rim, and the Caribbean. It offers monochrome and color laser printers, laser multifunction products, inkjet all-in-one devices, dot matrix printers, and cartridges and other supplies; and services and solutions, including maintenance, consulting, and systems integration, as well as managed print services, such as asset lifecycle management, implementation and decommissioning services, consumables management, optimization services, and utilization management. The company also provides enterprise content management (ECM) software products, including ImageNow document management, document imaging, and workflow suite that allows users to capture, process, and collaborate on important documents and inform ation, protect data integrity throughout its lifecycle, and access precise content; and industry specific workflow solutions for the healthcare, higher education, government, and financial services industries, as well as for back office functions, including accounting, human resources, contracts, and records. Its software modules include Retention Policy Manager to manage the complete lifecycle of content from creation to destruction or disposition; Business Insight, which integrates IBM Cognos to provide industry and business process dashboards, operational and ad-hoc reporting, and report design tools; workflow software that automates processing steps, simplifies work tasks, and provides real-time monitoring; and eForms module, which enables the online entry and collection of raw data in electronic forms that are accessible from Web sites and portals. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: (SUZLON.NS)

Suzlon Energy Limited engages in the design, development, manufacture, and supply of wind turbine generators in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe. The company?s product portfolio includes drive systems, annular generators, and grid connection systems, as well as towers and foundations comprising tower constructions, tubular steel towers, precast concrete towers, and foundation constructions. It also involves in the sale/sub-lease of land; infrastructure development; sale of gear boxes, and foundry and forging components; and power generation operations. In addition, the company offers land sourcing and permitting, wind resource assessment, and erection and commissioning services, as well as operations and maintenance services for projects. Suzlon Energy Limited was founded in 1995 and is based in Pune, India.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Bishop]

  Suzlon Energy Ltd is India’s largest and the world’s third largest wind power equipment manufacturer and has more than 12% of global wind turbine market share. Thus, exploiting the first mover advantage in the field of wind energy technology, Suzlon has registered a phenomenal growth from a single product, single market company to a giant corporation with presence in all the five continents.

  With a strong brand image, well-developed infrastructure and tremendous geographical reach, Suzlon Energy is well poised to leap forward in the coming years.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Toll Brothers Inc.(TOL)

Toll Brothers, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, builds, markets, and arranges finance for single-family detached and attached homes in luxury residential communities. It is also involved in building or converting existing rental apartment buildings into high-, mid-, and low-rise luxury homes. In addition, the company develops, owns, and operates golf courses and country clubs associated with various planned communities, as well as individual communities. It serves move-up, empty-nester, active-adult, age-qualified, and second-home buyers in 19 states in the United States. Toll Brothers, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James K. Glassman]

   Housing has turned the corner, and that’s pushed up homebuilder stocks. Shares of Toll Brothers (symbol: TOL), which bills itself as the nation's biggest builder of luxury homes, rose 62% in 2012, and the Horsham, Pa., company has plenty of momentum going into the new year. Toll Brothers recently reported that the backlog of homes under construction had climbed 59% from the year before. The company is diversified. Single-family homes account for 53% of sales; high-rises, senior communities and multifamily homes make up the rest. Analysts see profits rising 65% in the current fiscal year.

• [By James K. Glassman]

  Housing has turned the corner, and that’s pushed up homebuilder stocks. Shares of Toll Brothers (symbol: TOL), which bills itself as the nation's biggest builder of luxury homes, rose 62% in 2012, and the Horsham, Pa., company has plenty of momentum going into the new year. Toll Brothers recently reported that the backlog of homes under construction had climbed 59% from the year before. The company is diversified. Single-family homes account for 53% of sales; high-rises, senior communities and multifamily homes make up the rest. Analysts see profits rising 65% in the current fiscal year.

10 Best Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Savaria Corp Com Npv (SIS.TO)

Savaria Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes accessibility equipment for people with mobility challenges; and elevators for commercial and residential applications. It offers home elevators, including infinity, eclipse, and telecab home elevators; commercial elevators, such as the Orion elevators; B.07 and SL-1000 stair lifts; wheelchair conversions for rear, side, and dual entry systems for personal and commercial needs; Roby mobile tracked systems and automatic sliding doors; and door and gate openers, swing doors, and powered scooters. The company also provides wheelchair lifts, such as multi lift, V-1504, and pro lift vertical platform lifts; and ES-125, delta, omega, S64, and C65 inclined platform lifts. In addition, it offers resources for assisting architects in home and commercial projects; lowered-floor minivans and other vehicles to accommodate wheelchairs; and converts automotive vehicles. The company sells its products through a network of retaile rs. Savaria Corporation was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Laval, Canada.