5 Best Growth Stocks For 2014

Investors are loving Best Buy (NYSE: BBY  ) these days, but can the same be said about its shoppers? Best Buy stock may be one of this year's biggest winners, but the news isn't likely to be as upbeat when the struggling consumer-electronics chain reports on Tuesday.

Best Buy stock hit a new high this week, and the shares have more than doubled this year, but don't be fooled by a pretty stock chart. Best Buy still has some pretty big problems.

Analysts see Best Buy earning $0.25 a share during the fiscal first quarter ending in April, roughly a third of the $0.72 a share it posted a year earlier. Revenue is expected to decline by 8%. This certainly doesn't seem like a company on the upswing.

Bulls will point to positive comps during its most recent holiday quarter, but Best Buy had to sacrifice plenty to arrive at the meager 0.9% same-store-sales growth. Gross margins contracted slightly, and marketing costs spiked as promotional activity picked up to woo traffic.

5 Best Growth Stocks For 2014: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Plenty of companies operate behind a business moat, which makes it hard for competitors to steal their thunder. Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) made its moat a mile wide, filled it with boiling acid, and populated it with mutant alligators.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) maker of the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System and market-leader in technology-assisted surgery, is slated to report earnings after the market closes Thursday. For investors who have suffered through a rough 2013 -- with shares trading down almost 20% since the beginning of the year -- here are three key areas to focus on when earnings are reported.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

   

  Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) designs, manufactures and markets da Vinci Surgical Systems, EndoWrist instruments and surgical accessories. This stock closed up 4.5% to $380.99 in Monday's trading session.

   

  Monday's Volume: 741,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 658,592
  
  Volume % Change: 56%

   

  Shares of ISRG jumped sharply higher on Monday after William Blair said it's time to start accumulating shares of Intuitive Surgical after watching presentations on one of Intuitive's surgical system, da Vinci.

   

   

  From a technical perspective, ISRG ripped higher here right above some near-term support at $360 with above-average volume. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $357.02 to $358.02. Following that bottom, shares of ISRG have started to rebound strongly and move within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ISRG manages to take out Monday's high of $382.31 to more resistance at $401 with high volume.

   

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in ISRG as long as it's trending above Monday's low of $362.29 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 658,592 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ISRG will set up to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone from July that started near $430. An even bigger gap down zone sits right above $432.50, so keep that level in mind if ISRG clears it with volume soon.

   

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Shares of medical robotics maker Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG  ) are in free-fall today after yesterday's earnings, with the stock plummeting 4.7% after losing a bundle yesterday as well. Earnings aren't the disappointment, however: Intuitive destroyed analyst expectations and showed solid growth in both procedures and device sales. Investors haven't been so kind to the stock, however, and with shares of the company down almost 8% in the last five days alone, it's time to ask: Why is everyone selling this stock?

5 Best Growth Stocks For 2014: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marshall Hargrave]

  Worth noting is that the average remaining tenure for the Calvin Klein licenses is eight to nine years. Other tailwinds for GIII include:

  The team sports business is now a $100 million business and was nonexistent 5 years ago. Sales makeup is 50% sportswear and 50% coats. We see this business continuing to grow as the overall popularity of sports teams continues.Dresses from Eliza J continue to be a top seller at Nordstrom's (JWN) and other high-end retailers.Ivanka Trump showrooms will be opening in Q4. The line will be launching dresses, suit separates and swimwear.The biggest business for GIII remains outerwear and the company started shipping product at the end of Q2. GIII has approximately 30 licensed, owned and private label brands and a covers the entire spectrum of retailers from mass market to luxury.Vilebrequin was acquired in August of last year and the addition helped grow non-licensed revenues to $70 million in Q2 compared to $48 million last year without Vilebrequin. Vilebrequin sells swimwear, resort wear and related accessories through a network of company-owned and franchised shops. To grow Vilebrequin, the company will be adding footwear to its shops, in particular flip-flops in all of the stores by November. The company is planning to grow Vilebrequin's presence in the U.S. and has been adding buildouts in key department stores. Furthermore, Vilebrequin's e-commerce site should be live in the next 60 days.

  GIII's entry into the footwear market is well in line with its long-term plans to become a men's and women's head-to-toe apparel maker.

Hot Oil Stocks To Own Right Now: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.

5 Best Growth Stocks For 2014: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of staffing agency TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI  ) jumped 10% today after the company reported earnings.

  So what: Revenue jumped 19%, to $422.3 million, and beat estimates of $420.2 million from Wall Street. Adjusted earnings per share were also up 19%, to $0.31, outpacing estimates by $0.05.�

• [By idahansen]

  The entire demand labor industry should do well as the US Department of Labor just reported that 169,000 more jobs were added to the American economy. The more work there is, the more demand there is for the services of staffing solutions firms such as Labor SMART, Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX), TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI), and Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI).

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  When looking at small cap stocks, it is useful to compare the company with others that have expanded in both share price and size. For those considering investing in the $100 billion staffing industry, the growth of TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) shows what could be the potential path for Labor SMART (OTCBB: LTNC), as both operate in the $29 billion demand labor sector. Other firms have done well in the staffing industry include Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) and ManPower Group (NYSE: MAN).

5 Best Growth Stocks For 2014: Sara Lee Corporation(SLE)

Sara Lee Corporation engages in the manufacture and marketing of a range of branded packaged meat, bakery, and beverage products worldwide. Its packaged meat products include hot dogs and corn dogs, breakfast sausages, sandwiches and bowls, smoked and dinner sausages, premium deli and luncheon meats, bacon, beef, turkey, and cooked ham. It also offers frozen baked products, which comprise frozen pies, cakes, cheesecakes, pastries, and other desserts. In addition, Sara Lee provides roast, ground, and liquid coffee; cappuccinos; lattes; and hot and iced teas, as well as refrigerated dough products. The company sells its products under Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Jimmy Dean, Sara Lee, State Fair, Douwe Egberts, Senseo, Maison du Caf