Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now

Insurer RenaissanceRe Holdings (NYSE: RNR  ) has named a new CEO.

On Wednesday after close of trading, RenaissanceRe announced that when Chief Executive Officer Neill Currie retires from the company on July 1, current company President and Global Chief Underwriting Officer�Kevin O'Donnell will be promoted and fill his shoes as the company's new CEO. Currie will remain a consultant to the company through February 2014 before retiring. Currie was a co-founder of the company in 1993 and has been CEO since 2005. O'Donnell joined RenaissanceRe in 1996.

Praising his soon-to-be replacement in a press release, Currie expressed "absolute confidence that Kevin and his executive team will continue to build long-term value in RenaissanceRe."

Over the past year, RenaissanceRe shares have underperformed the S&P 500 by more than 10 percentage points -- rising just 17% in a market where "everyone else" seems to have gone up 27%.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Capital One Financial Corporation(COF)

Capital One Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for the Capital One Bank (USA), National Association (COBNA), and Capital One, National Association (CONA), which provide various financial products and services in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It offers consumer and small business credit card lending, national closed end installment lending, and the international credit card lending services. The company also provides various non-interest bearing and interest-bearing deposits, including demand deposits, money market deposits, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and other consumer time deposits. Its loan portfolio comprises credit card loans; consumer loans, such as auto, home, and retail banking loans; and commercial loans, including commercial and multifamily real estate, middle market, specialty lending, and small-ticket commercial real estate loans. In addition, the company provid es mortgage banking, treasury management, and depository services. It primarily serves consumers, small businesses, and commercial clients through branches, the Internet, and other distribution channels. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Elissa]

  As one of the most recognizable and reputable financial companies in the United States, Capital One offers a wide range of services to individuals and small businesses. It focuses on the areas of checking, savings, loans and investments. It earns about $2.7 billion every year.

• [By Kathy Kristof]

  There's also opportunity in a big bank that follows a different path than others on this list. Capital One Financial (COF) is one of the nation's biggest credit card issuers and may be best known for its tongue-in-cheek commercials featuring Alec Baldwin and former basketball star Charles Barkley. The bank's earnings were up nearly 12% last year, but earnings per share declined because the number of shares outstanding rose after the completion of two mergers in 2012. The mergers turned Capital One into one of the nation's largest banks by deposits, but its market capitalization of $31.8 billion is only one-fourth that of Citi and BofA.

  Capital One focuses more on consumers and less on businesses than the other banking behemoths. It generates about three-fourths of its income from credit cards and consumer loans. The improving financial health of the consumer sector is driving down Capital One's default rates and is helping to put the company in a position to meet increasingly stringent regulatory capital requirements well ahead of schedule.

  In fact, the bank is so well capitalized that regulators recently gave it permission to hike its quarterly dividend sixfold, to 30 cents per share. At $55.07, the stock yields 2.2% on the new dividend rate and sells for 8.6 times projected 2013 earnings. That's below Capital One's estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 9.3% a year, suggesting that the stock is undervalued. RBC analysts believe the shares will reach $67 over the coming year.

• [By Matthew Scott]

  While I disapprove of its cheesy advertisements for Capital One (NYSE: COF) and its generally high percentage rate credit cards, Capital One is one financial services company that has a real opportunity for growth coming out of the recession. Capital One stock price increased six times in two years, jumping from $8.63 on March 9, 2009 to $51.96 at the end of the first quarter. Since the bank wasn’t in the “too big to fail” category before the recession, it has been able to expand its number of branches over the last two years when times were tough, growing profits at the same time. As consumers begin using credit cards again as the economy improves, Capital One stands to benefit.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: National Health Investors Inc. (NHI)

National Health Investors, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), invests in health care properties, primarily in the long-term care industry in the United States. As of December 31, 2008, it had investments in real estate assets and mortgage notes receivable investments in 123 health care facilities consisting of 83 long-term care facilities, 1 acute care hospital, 4 medical office buildings, 14 assisted living facilities, 4 retirement centers, and 17 residential projects for the developmentally disabled in 17 states. The company has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and would not be subject to federal income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its shareholders. National Health Investors, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Top 10 Energy Companies To Buy Right Now: TORM A/S (TRMD)

TORM A/S, a shipping company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of product tankers and dry bulk carriers worldwide. Its product tankers carry refined oil products, such as gasoline, jet fuel, naphtha, and diesel oil. The company�s dry bulk vessels carry iron ore and coal for utilities and the steel industry; and commodities, such as grain, bauxite, and fertilizers. As of December 31, 2011, its fleet of owned vessels consisted of 65.5 product tankers and 2 dry bulk vessels; and chartered in vessels comprised 30 product tankers and 39 dry bulk vessels on time charter agreements, as well as it commercially managed approximately 22 vessels for third-party owners and charterers. The company was formerly known as Aktieselskabet Dampskibsselskabet Torm and changed its name to TORM A/S in April 2009. TORM A/S was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Hellerup, Denmark.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: United Therapeutics Corporation(UTHR)

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapeutic products for patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. It offers Remodulin, Tyvaso, and Adcirca for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company also develops Oral Treprostinil (UT-15C), a new drug application filed with the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PAH. Its development products under Phase III clinical trials include Oral Treprostinil (UT-15C) Combination Therapy for PAH; Ch14.18 monoclonal antibody (MAb) targeting Neuroblastoma; and Remodulin for the treatment of PAH in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The company?s development products under Phase I clinical trials comprise Beraprost-MR for PAH in North America, Europe, Mexico, South America, Egypt, India, South Africa, and Australia; 8H9 MAb targ eting Metastatic brain cancer; and IW001 for the treatment of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and primary graft dysfunction. Its pre-clinical stage products consist of Glycobiology Antiviral Agents for viral infectious diseases; PLacental eXpanded cells targeting PAH; and pulmonary tissue replacement and remodeling products for the treatment of end-stage lung disease. The company serves pharmaceutical wholesalers through specialty pharmaceutical distributors and other distributors. United Therapeutics Corporation was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ChemTrade]

  United Therapeutics(UTHR) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and notable return on equity. However, as a counter to these strengths, we find that the stock has had a generally disappointing performance in the past year.

  United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapeutic products for patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and Internationally. The company has a P/E ratio of 19.2, below the average drugs industry P/E ratio of 19.7 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. United has a market cap of $2.6 billion and is part of the health care sector and drugs industry. Shares are down 29.7% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

• [By Scott Rothbort]

  United Therapeutics(UTHR) is a biotechnology company specializing in the care of cardiovascular diseases. The company is also engaged in active research of products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases.

  Given the nature of the company's business, this stock poses the greatest risk of the companies on my list regarding the execution of its business plan. Fundamentally, the company has been generating excellent operating cash flow, which has enabled the pay-down of long-term debt.

  2011 was a big year for United Therapeutics, with earnings expected to more than double. That earnings growth is expected to slow down in 2012 -- but not enough to get you sick.

  United Therapeutics' raw beta is 0.66.

  United Therapeutics shows up on a recent list of 13 Biotech Stocks Bought and Sold by Hedge Funds.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Exfo Electro-Optic Com Npv(EXF.TO)

EXFO Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets test and service assurance solutions in the telecommunications industry worldwide. The company?s wireline test equipment includes FTB-1 platform, a single-slot modular platform to fiber-to-the-home and Ethernet testing applications; FTB-200 compact platform, which include a range of singlemode and multimode optical time-domain reflectometers, automated optical loss test sets, and SONET/SDH analyzers up to 10 Gbit/s, as well as gigabit Ethernet and 10 gigabit Ethernet testers; and FTB-500, a third-generation field-testing platform for datacom testing, OTDR analysis, optical loss, and Ethernet testing. Its wireless test equipment comprises 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE protocol analyzers for network operators, which allows engineers to troubleshoot networks in order to find the source of errors and fix them. The company also provides wireline/wireless service assurance systems, including Brix System, an integrated hardware and software solu tion that delivers end-to-end quality of service and quality of experience visibility, as well as real-time Internet protocol service monitoring and verification for next-generation networks. In addition, it offers IQS-600 platform to support single-button operation for automated testing. Further, the company provides protocol and distributed analyzers bridging to service assurance for protocol analysis to verify correct network behavior; network simulators for regression and load testing applications; and mobile communications intelligence tools for police, armed forces, and other governmental organizations to fight organized crime and terrorists. It serves wireless and wireline network operators, equipment manufacturers, cable television companies, public utilities, private network operators, third-party installers, equipment rental companies, large enterprises, component vendors, and laboratory researchers. EXFO Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Quebec, Can ada.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Jersey Elec.(a)

Jersey Electricity plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and distribution of electricity in the Island of Jersey. It also engages in retailing; property management; building services; and has other business interests, including telecommunications and Internet data hosting. The company?s services include small works electrical services, heating systems, periodic test and inspection of electrical installations, portable appliance testing, air conditioning/heat pumps, data center/computer room cooling, commercial refrigeration, fire alarm systems, plumbing service and maintenance, multi-fuel heating, amenity lighting, building facilities management, ventilation, multi-service maintenance, and preventative planned maintenance. In addition, it provides space and water heating solutions, and design/specification, installation, and after sales service; and business consultancy, system design, development, implementation, training, and helpdesk support so lutions. The company also involves in the sale of products through its various retail outlets; and online retailing through day2dayshop.com. Further, it provides energy and environmental engineering solutions; hosting, monitoring, email solutions, disaster recovery, online data backup, distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection, and global content delivery; Internet, voice, and home services; and maintenance services for refrigeration and catering equipment. The company was formerly known as The Jersey Electricity Company Limited and changed its name to Jersey Electricity plc in March, 2010. Jersey Electricity plc was founded in 1924 and is based in St. Helier, the Channel Islands.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Gold World Resources Inc (GDW.V)

Gold World Resources Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and mining of mineral resource properties in Canada. The company primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. It holds a 100% interest in the Mount Anderson Yukon gold/silver, polymetallic project located in the Wheaton River District in Yukon, Canada. The company was formerly known as Strikezone Minerals (Canada) Ltd. and changed its name to Gold World Resources Inc. in January 2006. Gold World Resources Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Manitex International Inc.(MNTX)

Manitex International, Inc. provides engineered lifting solutions. The company operates through two segments, Lifting Equipment and Equipment Distribution. The Lifting Equipment segment designs, manufactures, and distributes boom trucks and crane products that are primarily used for industrial projects and energy exploration, as well as for infrastructure development, including, roads, bridges, and commercial construction; and specialized rough terrain cranes and material handling products for the construction, municipality, and railroad industries. This segment also provides rough terrain forklifts for use in commercial and military applications; special mission oriented vehicles; and other specialized carriers, heavy material handling transporters, and steel mill equipment, as well as offers specialized custom trailers and hauling systems used for transporting heavy equipment. The Equipment Distribution segment distributes rough terrain and truck cranes, material handler s, boom trucks, and sky cranes for infrastructure development and commercial construction; supplies repair parts for various medium to heavy duty construction equipment; markets used lifting and construction equipment; and offers repair services. This segment sells its products to end users, including the rental market. Manitex International sells its products primarily in the United States, Canada, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Italy, Korea, Mexico, China, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Chile. The company was formerly known as Veri-Tek International, Corp. and changed its name to Manitex International, Inc. in May 2008. Manitex International was founded in 1993 and is based in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Denison Mines Corp Com Npv (DML.TO)

Denison Mines Corp. engages in the exploration, development, mining, and milling of uranium primarily in the United States and Canada. It also produces vanadium as a co-product from its mines located in Colorado and Utah; and recycles uranium-bearing waste materials. The company's principal properties in the United States include the Arizona Strip uranium properties in north central Arizona; the Colorado Plateau uranium/vanadium properties located to the southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah border; the Daneros mine and exploration properties in the White Canyon district in southeastern Utah; and the Henry Mountains Complex uranium properties in south central Utah. Its primary properties in Canada comprise the Midwest uranium project, the Wheeler River project, the Moore Lake property, the Park Creek property, the Wolly project, and various other wholly owned and joint ventured exploration properties located in Saskatchewan. The company also owns interest in gold pro spect at Talbot Lake in Ontario. In addition, it holds interests in 181,574 hectares of uranium exploration properties in Mongolia; and 2 mining licenses totaling 457,300 hectares in the southern part of Zambia. Further, the company provides post-closure mine care and maintenance services, as well as mine decommissioning services to industry and government. Denison Mines Corp. sells its vanadium as a vanadium pentoxide and as a ferrovanadium to industry end users and trading companies. The company was formerly known as International Uranium Corporation and changed its name to Denison Mines Corp. in December 2006. Denison Mines Corp. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Top 10 Rising Companies To Watch In Right Now: Innodata Isogen Inc(INOD)

Innodata Isogen, Inc. provides publishing and related information technology (IT), knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), and consulting services that help media, publishing, and information services companies to create, manage, and distribute their products. Its publishing services include digitization, conversion, composition, data modeling, and XML encoding; and editorial services, including authoring original material for publishers. The company offers its publishing services to manufacturers of reading devices in the eBook market, as well as to manufacturers of tablet computers. Its KPO services comprise content creation and enhancement, analytics, taxonomy and controlled vocabulary development, hyperlinking, indexing, abstracting, technical writing and editing, and copy-editing and general editorial services. The company provides its KPO services in the disciplines of medicine, law, engineering, management, finance, science, and the humanities. Its IT services consist of systems integration, custom application development, applications maintenance, tool evaluation, and training that focus on content technologies and related workflow requirements for publishers. The company offers its IT services to build, implement, and support editorial and production systems, portals, Websites, mobile applications, and new product platforms. Its consulting services include content supply chain optimization, technology architecture and strategy, global sourcing, product and market strategy and development, and the deployment of content technologies. The company also serves organizations in other information-intensive industries, such as technology, manufacturing, aerospace, defense, government, and law and intelligence. It markets and sells its services directly through its professional staff, senior management, and direct sales personnel in the United States and internationally. Innodata Isogen, Inc was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Hackensack , New Jersey.