On Wednesday, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM ) shares were trading a penny shy of $50. Today, the superbank has broken through the $50 barrier, and is trading at $50.21 two hours into the day: up 1.09% since the opening bell after being up 0.13% in overnight trading.
JPMorgan stock hasn't traded at better than $50 per share since before the financial crisis. Given the trials and travails the bank has been experiencing lately, and truthfully, ever since the London Whale trading scandal broke last year, this is a bit of a shocker -- one that defies easy explanation.
Market roundup
And before we even attempt one, here's what JPMorgan's peers and the markets are up to so far:
The markets are all in the green so far, as well:
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: PMC - Sierra Inc.(PMCS)
PMC-Sierra, Inc. engages in the design, development, marketing, and support of semiconductor solutions for the enterprise infrastructure and communications infrastructure markets. Its products include controllers based on Fibre Channel, Serial Attached SCSI, and Serial ATA that enable the development of external and server-attached storage systems; framers and mappers, which convert the data into a format for transmission in the network before the data is sent to the next destination; line interface units that transmit and receive signals over a physical medium, such as wire, cable, or fiber; and microprocessor-based system-on-chips, which perform the high-speed computations that help in identifying and controlling the flow of signals and data in various network equipment used in the communications, storage, and enterprise markets. The company also offers packet and cell processors that examine the contents of cells or packets, and perform various management and reporting functions; radio frequency transceivers, which transmit and receive broadband signals over the air; and serializers/deserializers that convert and multiplex traffic between slower speed parallel streams and higher speed serial streams. PMC-Sierra sells its products to end customers directly, as well as through distributors and independent manufacturers? representatives primarily in China, Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Santa Clara, California.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: Rick's Cabaret International Inc.(RICK)
Rick?s Cabaret International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, owns and operates upscale adult nightclubs serving primarily businessmen and professionals in the United States. The company?s nightclubs offer live adult entertainment, restaurant, and bar operations. It owns and operates, or licenses adult nightclubs in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York, New York; Miami Gardens, Florida; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The company operates its adult nightclubs under the Rick's Cabaret, Club Onyx, XTC Cabaret, Tootsie?s Cabaret, Cabaret North, Jaguars, and Cabaret East names. It also owns and operates various adult entertainment Internet Web sites, including CouplesTouch.com, a personals site for those in the swinging lifestyle; NaughtyBids.com, an online adult auction site that contains consumer-initiated auctions for items, such as adult videos, apparel, photo sets, a dult paraphernalia, and other erotica; and xxxPassword.com that features adult content. In addition, the company offers trade magazine serving the adult nightclubs industry, as well as owns 2 industry trade shows, 2 other industry trade publications, and approximately 25 industry Websites. As of January 4, 2011, it owned and operated 22 adult nightclubs. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Fernandez]
Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK): Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc., owns and operates upscale adult nightclubs serving primarily businessmen and professionals.
Rick’s nightclubs offer live adult entertainment, restaurant, and bar operations in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Minnesota, New York, Dallas Fort Worth, Charlotte, and other cities under the names Rick’s Cabaret, XTC, and Club Onyx.
As of September 30, 2008, Rick’s operated 19 adult nightclubs.
Rick’s is a best-in-breed player, and one of the few public companies that operate in this space.
With the recent headwinds in the economy, it will be interesting to see by how much Rick’s is affected, but odds are they are definitely going to be affected.
The good news is that Rick’s has recently announced a stock buyback program, there has been some slight insider buying, and the company recently preannounced Q4 and full fiscal year (ended September) earnings and results which were mostly very positive, including or excluding Rick’s recent acquisitions.
In fact the company still had positive same-store (or same-club) sales growth in what is an extremely difficult retail environment.
For this reason, I believe that with Rick’s stock price being where it is, a 1/4 position buy is warranted for long term investors with a strong stomach for volatility, and a long time horizon, as Rick’s will emerge from any current downturn in a much stronger position for future growth due to its continued strong cash flow and margins, as well as intelligent acquisitions.
Top 5 Long Term Stocks To Watch For 2014: The Cushing MLP Total Return Fund(SRV)
Cushing MLP Total Return Fund is a closed-end mutual fund launched by Swank Capital, LLC. The fund is managed by Swank Energy Income Advisors L.P. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe with a focus in United States. The fund typically invests in MLPs, Other Natural Resource Companies, and global commodities. It primarily invests in the securities of MLPs, other equity securities, debt securities, and securities of non-U.S. issuers employing a fundamental analysis. Cushing MLP Total Return Fund was formed on May 23, 2007 and is domiciled in Dallas.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: China Digital TV Holding Co. Ltd.(STV)
China Digital TV Holding Co., Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides conditional access (CA) systems to digital television markets in the People?s Republic of China. Its CA systems consist of smart cards and head-end software for television network operators, as well as terminal-end software for set-top box manufacturers, which enable digital television network operators to control the distribution of content and value-added services to their subscribers and block unauthorized access to their networks The company licenses its set-top box design to set-top box manufacturers and sells advanced digital television application software, such as electronic program guides and subscriber management systems to digital television network operators. It also provides system integration services for television network operators. China Digital TV Holding Co., Ltd. sells its CA systems and digital television application software to television network operators, including cable, satell ite, and terrestrial television network operators and enterprises that maintain private cable television networks within their facilities. As of December 31, 2009, it had installed CA systems at 244 digital television network operators in 27 provinces, autonomous regions, and centrally administered municipalities in the People's Republic of China. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: Stewart Enterprises Inc.(STEI)
Stewart Enterprises, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides funeral and cemetery products and services in the death care industry in the United States and Puerto Rico. The company also offers a range of funeral merchandise and services, as well as cemetery property, cremation, merchandise, and services. Its funeral homes provide various services and products, including the family consultation, removal and preparation of remains, usage of funeral home facilities for visitation, worship and funeral services, transportation services, flowers, and caskets. The company also sells cemetery property and related merchandise, which includes lots, lawn crypts, family and community mausoleums, monuments, markers, and burial vaults; and provides burial site openings and closings and inscriptions. In addition, it maintains cemetery grounds under cemetery perpetual care contracts and local laws. As of January 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 218 funeral homes and 141 cemeterie s. Stewart Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1910 and is based in Jefferson, Louisiana.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: Independent Bank Corporation(IBCP)
Independent Bank Corporation operates as a holding company for the Independent Bank that provides various retail and commercial banking services in Michigan. The company offers various deposit products, including non-interest bearing demand deposits, time deposits, checking and savings accounts, and NOW accounts. It also provides commercial lending, direct and indirect consumer financing, mortgage lending, and safe deposit box services. The company, through its other subsidiaries, offers payment plans used by consumers to purchase vehicle service contracts and title insurance services, as well as provides investment and insurance services. As of May 2, 2011, it operated approximately 100 offices across Michigan?s Lower Peninsula. The company was founded in 1864 and is based in Ionia, Michigan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Harding]
Independent Bank is a commercial bank in Michigan. It provides checking and savings accounts, commercial lending, direct and indirect consumer financing and mortgage lending.
Shares of the Michigan company climbed after Independent Bank said its net loss applicable to shareholders shrank to $4.9 million, or 65 cents a share, in the fourth quarter, compared to a year-earlier loss of $48.2 million, or $20.49 a share. On Feb. 16, Independent Bank announced its senior management succession plan, although shares pulled back shortly after when the company announced the unregistered sale of 253,000 shares of common stock to Dutchess Opportunity Fund II as part of an investment agreement established in July 2010.
Current Share Price: $3.23 (March 29)
First Quarter Total Return: 148%
Analyst Ratings: Stifel Nicolaus is the only research firm currently following Independent Bank, recommending that investors hold on to shares.
TheStreet Ratings has a "sell" rating on Independent Bank, noting that despite the recent stock rally, shares are down sharply in the past two years and underperform the S&P 500. "Investors have so far failed to pay much attention to the earnings improvements the company has managed to achieve over the last quarter," the March 20 research note reads.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: HopFed Bancorp Inc.(HFBC)
HopFed Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Heritage Bank that provides various banking products and services primarily in western Kentucky, and middle and western Tennessee. The company offers a range of deposit products, including demand deposits, time deposits, money market accounts, passbook savings accounts, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises one-to-four family residential loans, multifamily residential loans, construction loans, nonresidential loans, commercial real estate loans, and land and land development loans, as well as loans secured by deposits, other consumer loans, and commercial loans. The company, through its subsidiary, Fall and Fall Insurance Agency, sells life and casualty insurance products to individuals and businesses. HopFed Bancorp offers its products and services through its branch offices located in Hopkinsville, Murray, Cadiz, Elkton, Fulton, Calvert City, and Benton, Kentucky; and in Clarksville, Pleasant View, Ashland City, Kingston Springs, and Erin, Tennessee. The company was founded in 1879 and is headquartered in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: S1 Corporation(SONE)
S1 Corporation provides payments and financial services software solutions in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Banking: Payments, Banking: Large Financial Institution (FI), and Community Financial Institution (FI). The Payments segment provides ATM and retail point-of-sale driving, card management, and merchant acquiring solutions to financial institutions, retailers, and transaction processors of various sizes globally. The Banking: Large FI segment offers consumer banking, small business and corporate online banking, trade finance, and mobile banking solutions to large banks globally; branch and call center banking solutions to large banks outside of the United States; and software, custom software development, hosting, and other services to State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. The Banking: Community FI segment provides consumer and small business online banking, mobile banking, voice banking, and branch and call c enter banking solutions to community and regional banks, and credit unions in the United States. The company also provides various professional services, such as project management, implementation, custom software development, integration, educational, and Web design services; and customer support services. In addition, it offers hosting services comprising systems outsourcing, data center hosting, and operational management and control across a range of personal, small business and corporate Internet banking, mobile, voice, and payment processing applications. The company primarily serves banks, credit unions, retailers, and transaction processors. S1 Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: New Energy Systems Group.(NEWN)
New Energy Systems Group, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes lithium battery shells and related products primarily in China. It develops, customizes, and produces steel and aluminum battery shells and caps. The company principally serves large lithium battery manufacturers. It also engages in the research, manufacture, and sale of mobile backup power systems for mobile phones, laptops, solar, MP4, PMPs, PDAs, DC, and digital applications. The company was formerly known as China Digital Communication Group and changed its name to New Energy Systems Group in November 2009. New Energy Systems Group was incorporated in 2001 and is based in Shenzhen, China.
Top 10 Penny Companies To Own For 2014: Mad Catz Interactive Inc(MCZ)
Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets, sells, and distributes accessories for videogame platforms and personal computers (PC), as well as for iPod and other audio devices. Its products include videogame, PC, and audio accessories, such as control pads, video cables, steering wheels, joysticks, memory cards, light guns, flight sticks, dance pads, microphones, car adapters, carry cases, mice, keyboards, and headsets. It markets its products primarily under the Mad Catz, Saitek, Cyborg, Eclipse, Joytech, GameShark, Tritton, and AirDrives brands. The company also develops flight simulation software; operates flight simulation centers under its Saitek brand; operates a videogame content Website under its GameShark brand; publishes games under its Mad Catz brand; and distributes games and videogame products for third parties. It distributes its products through retailers in the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as in Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zeal and, and Singapore. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Diego, California
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Louis Navellier]
Video game accessory developer and manufacturer Mad Catz Interactive Inc. (AMEX: MCZ) has been the biggest winner on this list. Since last May, MCZ has climbed 321%, and this penny stock is up 51% year to date. Last quarter, MCZ posted year-over-year quarterly revenue growth of 91%. Buy this stock with a 52-week range of 34 cents to $2.39.
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