Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015

It's hard to believe that less than a month ago, the Dow Jones Industrials (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) had dropped more than 650 points in just four trading sessions as investors panicked about the potential end of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program. Yet even though interest rates have actually kept rising from their levels late last month, the stock market hasn't hesitated to push back upward. Today, the Dow set another record, rising 20 points and leading the rest of the market modestly higher as well.

Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) made the biggest news among the gainers today, rising 3.7% in light of revelations that the recent fire aboard a 787 Dreamliner last week wasn't connected to recent improvements the company made to its battery systems. Indeed, Reuters reported this afternoon that investigators were looking at a Honeywell-produced (NYSE: HON  ) emergency locator transmitter as a possible source of the fire. For its part, Honeywell fell only slightly on the news, clearly reflecting the fact that the investigation process is only in its beginning stages currently.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp (KOG)

Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. (Kodiak) is an independent energy company focused on the exploration, exploitation, acquisition and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States. Kodiak has developed an oil and natural gas asset base of proved reserves, as well as a portfolio of development and exploratory drilling opportunities on high-potential prospects with an emphasis on oil resource plays. The Company�� oil and natural gas reserves and operations are primarily concentrated in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. As of January 31, 2012, it had approximately 169,000 net acres under lease, including 157,000 net acres in the Bakken oil play in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana. In January 2012, the Company acquired Williston Basin oil and gas producing properties and undeveloped leasehold. On January 10, 2012, it acquired certain oil and gas leaseholds, overriding royalty interests and producing properties located in North Dakota. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Some hard numbers will add perspective to the flaring issue. Take a look at the natural gas production numbers from Kodiak Oil & Gas (NYSE: KOG  ) . In 2011 the company produced 1,329 MMcf of natural gas, yet flared 807 MMcf of that gas. Last year, the company produced 5,883 MMcfe of natural gas and flared 3,311 MMcfe of it. While the overall percentage of natural gas that was flared dropped from over 60% to half of total gas volume, that's still a lot of natural gas.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: Harte-Hanks Inc. (HHS)

Harte-Hanks, Inc., a direct and targeted marketing company, provides multichannel direct and digital marketing services, and shopper advertising opportunities to a range of local, regional, national, and international consumer and business-to-business marketers in the United States and other countries. It offers integrated, multichannel, and data-driven solutions for various brands to retail, high-tech/telecom, financial services, and pharmaceutical/healthcare markets. The company provides agency and digital services, including Website development and design, digital strategy, social media marketing and monitoring, email marketing, and ecommerce and interactive relationship management services; database marketing solutions that enable organizations to build and manage customer communication strategies; and Trillium Software System, a global locator geocoding product, as well as associated data governance services. It also offers direct mail and fulfillment, and business-to -business lead generation services, as well as operates teleservice workstations that provide advanced contact center solutions. The company has a strategic partnership with GX Software. Harte-Hanks, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  There will soon be a new moniker on the CEO nameplate at Harte-Hanks (NYSE: HHS  ) . The company has picked Robert Philpott to replace outgoing Chief Executive Larry Franklin, who will retire on June 30. Philpott, who was selected following a global search led by a board of directors committee, will also assume Franklin's role as president of the company.

Best Undervalued Stocks To Watch For 2015: InfoSonics Corp(IFON)

InfoSonics Corporation engages in the design, development, sourcing, and sale of wireless handsets and accessories in Latin America and the Asia Pacific. The company offers a line of entry-level, mid-tier, and high-end products under the verykool brand name. It contracts with electronic manufacturing services providers to manufacture its branded products. The company?s customers include carriers, agents, distributors, resellers, and original equipment manufacturers. InfoSonics Corporation was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Infosonics (NASDAQ: IFON) shares jumped 22.64% to $2.06. Infosonics shares have jumped 170.97% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 23.35% in the same period.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ARNA)

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in discovering, developing, and commercializing oral drugs in the therapeutic areas of cardiovascular, central nervous system, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. The company?s clinical development programs include lorcaserin that has completed two pivotal Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of weight management, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss; and APD811, which is under Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Its preclinical development programs include APD334, for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The company also researches and develops cannabinoid, receptor agonists for the treatment of osteoarthritis and pain; and GPR119 agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Its other development programs, which had completed Phase I clinical trial include APD597 for th e treatment of type II diabetes; APD916 for the treatment of narcolepsy and cataplexy; and APD791 for the treatment of arterial thrombosis. In addition, the company provides manufacturing services. Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of obesity-fighting biotech Arena Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARNA  ) shed as much as 11% today following its first-quarter earnings results and the company announcing the withdrawal of its European Union marketing application for Belviq.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: BPZ Resources Inc (BPZ)

BPZ Resources, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, focuses on the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in Peru and Ecuador. It owns rights and license agreements for oil and gas exploration and production covering approximately 2.2 million acres in 4 blocks in northwest Peru and off the northwest coast of Peru in the Gulf of Guayaquil. The company also owns a 10% non-operating net profits interest in an oil and gas producing property located in the southwest region of Ecuador. As of December 31, 2011, it had estimated net proved oil reserves of 34.7 million barrels (MMBbls) of crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbons, including 27.8 MMBbls were in the Corvina field and 6.9 MMBbls were from the Albacora field located in northwest Peru. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lee Jackson]

  BPZ�Resources Inc. (NYSE: BPZ) may be a small cap investor’s dream stock to buy. Its first well drilled�in the Corvina�field since 2010 was spudded in late July and likely will take about 12 weeks. It will take another week or so to achieve a stabilized flow rate before results are reported to the market, which means it will not expect to hear anything until November. The Raymond James price target for the stock is $4.50, the same as the consensus target.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: Interpublic Group of Companies Inc (IPG)

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (Interpublic), incorporated in September 1930, is a global advertising and marketing services companies. Interpublic�� companies specialize in consumer advertising, digital marketing, communications planning and media buying, public relations and specialized communications disciplines. The Company has two segments: Integrated Agency Networks (IAN) and Constituency Management Group (CMG). IAN is comprised of McCann, Draftfcb, Lowe, Mediabrands and its domestic integrated agencies. CMG is comprised of a number of its specialist marketing services offerings. During the year ended December, 31, 2011, it completed 22 acquisitions, which included purchases of controlling interests in previously unconsolidated subsidiaries. Of these acquisitions, 18 are included in IAN operating segment and four are included in CMG operating segment. All acquired agencies have been integrated into one of its global networks or existing agencies. The acquisitions included service creative agencies in Australia, a public relations firm in Brazil, digital and direct marketing agencies in the United Kingdom, a healthcare communications firm in Germany and a social media agency in the United States. In November 2013, Interpublic Group of Companies Inc's MRM, a global digital and direct agency within McCann Worldgroup, a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies, acquired the Brazilian agency E/OU. In January 2014, Interpublic Group of Companies Inc announced that its division Lowe and Partners, announced the acquisition of the global digital network Profero.

The Company�� agencies create customized marketing programs for companies. The Company has three global networks: McCann Worldgroup (McCann); Draftfcb and Lowe & Partners (Lowe), that provide integrated, advertising and marketing solutions for clients, and two global media services companies, UM and Initiative, operating under the Mediabrands umbrella. It premier also has domestic integrated and interactive agencies. ! Its solutions vary from project-based activity involving one agency to long-term, integrated campaigns created by multiple IPG agencies working together.

McCann offers a range of communications tools and resources to companies and brands. McCann Erickson Advertising has operations in over 100 countries. MRM Worldwide is its global digital and customer relationship management (CRM) network. Momentum Worldwide is engaged in experiential marketing and promotions, as is McCann Healthcare Worldwide in healthcare communications. Draftfcb is an agency model for clients seeking creative and accountable marketing programs delivered in a media-neutral manner under a unified, integrated business.

Lowe is a creative agency. Lowe is developing ideas that connect with culture. Mediabrands delivers on the scale and breadth of its media capabilities. UM and Initiative seek to deliver business results by advising clients on how to navigate an increasingly complex and digital marketing landscape. Specialist brands within Mediabrands focus on areas, such as the targeting and aggregation of audiences in the digital space, hyper-local marketing, media barter and a range of other capabilities.

The Company�� domestic integrated independent agencies include agency brands, including Campbell-Ewald, Hill Holliday, The Martin Agency and Mullen. The marketing programs created by the group incorporate all media channels, CRM, public relations and other marketing activities and have helped build some of the brands in the United States, across all sectors and industries. It has marketing specialists across a range of disciplines. These include Jack Morton (experiential marketing), Octagon (sports marketing), public relations agencies, such as Weber Shandwick and GolinHarris, FutureBrand (corporate branding), and its digital specialist agencies, led by R/GA and HUGE. Its healthcare communications specialists reside within its three global brands: McCann, Draftfcb and Lowe.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  After bulling through March with strong spending despite the sequester, Pentagon contract awards fell off a cliff in early April. And what little money there was to spread around was often showered upon�non-traditional�recipients such as Madison Avenue advertising firm�Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG  ) .

• [By Rich Smith]

  On a relatively slow day for Defense Department business Tuesday, a sizable contract was awarded to a company you don't often think of as belonging to the military-industrial complex: McCann Worldgroup, a subsidiary of giant, globetrotting ad agency Interpublic (NYSE: IPG  ) � -- and just in time for the return of Mad Men.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  In the second half of the year, Crescent established new positions in a few companies that have more such global footprints. We initiated investments in Google (GOOG), as well as the advertising agencies Interpublic (IPG) and WPP (WPP). The fortunes of all three are tied directly to the level of global advertising spend, and they all saw their shares prices decline due to concerns of a recession-related slowdown. At our purchase price, we believe we were buying each at roughly 11-13x our estimated earnings for 2012 should the fears of a macroeconomic slowdown prove correct. This strikes us as a very reasonable multiple to pay for asset-light global businesses that generate strong free cash flow across the business cycle and have the capability to grow earnings greater than GDP in a normal economic environment.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. (NYSE: IPG) is an interesting name to attend. Formerly known as monster advertising agency McCann-Erickson, it is an integral cog in the entertainment and media machine. The consensus price target is $17.20. Investors receive a 1.7% dividend.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: JetBlue Airways Corporation(JBLU)

JetBlue Airways Corporation provides passenger air transportation services in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 700 daily flights to 70 destinations in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and Mexico; and 12 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America through a fleet of 120 Airbus A320 aircraft and 49 EMBRAER 190 aircraft. The company, through its subsidiary, LiveTV, LLC, provides in-flight entertainment, voice communication, and data connectivity systems and services for commercial and general aviation aircraft, including live in-seat satellite television, digital satellite radio, wireless aircraft data link service, and cabin surveillance systems. JetBlue Airways Corporation was founded in 1998 and is based in Forest Hills, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  JetBlue Airways (JBLU) has gained 3.7% to $8.78. Anyone see a catalyst?

  Nike (NKE) is off 0.5% to $77.90 despite beating earnings forecasts.�

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  For the first few years of its existence, JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU  ) was the darling of the airline industry. While it had the prices of a low-cost carrier (compared to the lumbering legacy carriers of the day), it actually offered more amenities than most airlines, such as free satellite TV at every seat. Unfortunately, as legacy competitors improved their cost structures and oil prices rose, JetBlue's advantage shrank.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of AMR Corp. have gained 9.7% to $6.91–just 3.4% from its 52-week high–while US Airways has risen 5.5% to $22.57. Southwest Airlines (LUV) has advanced 3.4% to $16.96, Delta Air Lines (DAL) has jumped 2.6% to $26.27 and JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is up 2.9% at $12.31.

• [By Sam Mamudi]

  The new American will be the world�� biggest airline by passenger traffic, passing United Continental Holdings Inc. It will join JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU) as the only major U.S. airlines listed by the Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. market.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: Charter Financial Corp.(CHFN)

Charter Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for CharterBank that provides various banking services to individuals and businesses in Georgia and Alabama. Its deposit products include demand, NOW, and money market accounts; savings deposits; time deposits; checking accounts; and certificates of deposit. The company's loan products comprise commercial real estate loans; one- to four-family residential mortgage loans; construction and development loans; commercial business loans; and consumer loans, such as home equity loans, lines of credit, auto loans, and second mortgage loans. It operates through 16 branch offices located in West Point, LaGrange, Newnan, Carrollton, Bremen, Covington, and Peachtree City, Georgia; and Auburn, Opelika, and Valley, Alabama, as well as through a loan production office located in Norcross, Georgia. The company was founded in 1954 and is based in West Point, Georgia. Charter Financial Corporation operates as a subsidiary of Fir st Charter, MHC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  I get somewhat amused every day by the thousands of traders who spend all day trying to figure out what the hot stocks like Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook (FB) are going to do every day. Owning stocks like these two banks — or ones I have mentioned before, like ESSA Bancorp (ESSA) and Charter Financial (CHFN) — will be a far more profitable and relaxing endeavor over the next few years.

Top 5 Diversified Bank Stocks To Buy For 2015: Provident New York Bancorp(PBNY)

Provident New York Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides commercial, community business, and retail banking products and services to businesses, individuals, and municipalities in New York and New Jersey. It offers various deposit products, such as savings accounts, NOW accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, club accounts, certificates of deposit, commercial checking accounts, IRAs, and other qualified plan accounts. The company?s loan portfolio includes commercial real estate, commercial business, and one-to four-family real estate loans; acquisition, development, and construction loans; and consumer loans, including homeowner, home equity lines of credit, new and used automobile loans, and personal unsecured loans, such as fixed-rate installment loans and variable lines of credit. In addition, it provides services, including cash management, sweep accounts, insurance agency, investment advisory, asset and investment m anagement, and Internet banking services. As of September 30, 2011, Provident New York Bancorp operated 30 retail branches and 7 commercial banking centers in the Hudson Valley region. The company was formerly known as Provident Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to Provident New York Bancorp in June 2005. Provident New York Bancorp was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Montebello, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  The M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE: MTB) and Hudson City Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: HCBK) transaction is the only pending deal of 2012 vintage due to various regulatory concerns. MTB currently has 9% short interest outstanding and PACW 15%. Another merger covered is the deal between Provident New York Bancorp (NASDAQ: PBNY) and Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL), and the balance are simply too small for us to warrant effort.