10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2014

Note: This article covers a micro-cap stock. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

Lucara Diamond (LUCRF.PK) is still being valued as a riskier exploration stage miner rather than a profitable and growing producer. The current "backward looking" valuation fails to reflect the recent and significant operational transition.

Company overview

LUCRF.PK (incorporated in 1981 as Le/O Oil & Gas) is a diamond miner focused in Africa. LUCRF.PK acquired Tellis Gold Mining in 1986, Motapa Diamonds in 2009 and African Diamonds in 2010. Below are the two key mining assets:

Karowe mine (Botswana)

This mine is a single open pit mine located in the Orapa/Letlhakane district, one of the highest diamond producing areas. Operations started in April 2012 with the ramp-up to full production in August 2012. LUCRF.PK owns 100% of Karowe.

Mothae Project (Lesotho)

A trial mining program has been completed. In Q412, work on the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) was suspended pending a review of the overall mine economics. LUCRF.PK owns 75% of Mothae while the Government of Lesotho owns 25%.

Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2015: Avis Budget Group Inc.(CAR)

Avis Budget Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides car and truck rentals, and ancillary services to businesses and consumers worldwide. It supplies rental cars to the premium commercial and leisure segments of the travel industry under the Avis brand; and to the value-conscious segments of the industry under the Budget brand. The company operates or licenses the Avis car rental system that includes approximately 5,200 locations; and operates approximately 2,100 Avis car rental locations in on-airport and local rental markets; and operates or licenses the Budget vehicle rental system comprising approximately 3,050 car rental locations, and operates approximately 1,100 Budget car rental locations. It also operates local and one-way truck rental businesses, and operates a combined fleet of approximately 26,000 trucks, which are rented through a network of approximately 1,850 dealers and 300 company-operated locations in the continental United States serving the consumer and light commercial sectors. In addition, the company engages in the sale and rental of optional products and services, including loss damage waivers; insurance products, such as additional/supplemental liability insurance or personal accident/effects insurance; automobile towing equipment and other moving accessories consisting of hand trucks, furniture pads, and moving supplies; and products for driving convenience, such as where2 GPS navigation units, optional roadside assistance, fuel service options, and electronic toll collection, as well as other ancillary products and services comprising rental of satellite radio units and child safety seats. Its rental fleet comprises approximately 393,000 vehicles. The company was formerly known as Cendant Corporation. Avis Budget Group, Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Teresa Rivas]

  Avis Budget Group (CAR) was ahead 4% at recent check after its second-quarter top- and bottom-line beat expectations.

  The rental car company said it earned 68 cents a share on $2.2 billion in revenue. Analysts were looking for 61 cents a share on $2.1 billion.

  It also raised its EPS guidance for the full year to $2.75 to $3.05 a share, just above the $2.86 consensus. Its revenue forecast of $8.6 billion to $8.7 billion is also above the $8.5 billion analysts are forecasting.

  Hertz (HTZ) was rising more than 1% after the report.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR) shares touched a new 52-week high of $41.03. Avis Budget shares have jumped 94.61% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 24.92% in the same period.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2014: HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC)

HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property & Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident & Health, U.S. Surety & Credit, and International. The U.S. Property & Casualty segment provides aviation, small account errors and omissions liability (E&O), public risk, contingency, disability, residual value, employment practices liability (EPLI), technical property, primary and excess casualty, and brown water marine insurance products, as well as title and mortgage reinsurance products in the United States. The Professional Liability segment offers directors� and officers� (D&O) liability, large account E&O liability, fiduciary liability, fidelity and bankers blanket bonds, and EPLI for the United States and International-based policyholders. The Accident & Health segment provides medical stop-loss, short-term domestic and international medical, HMO reinsurance, and medical excess coverages in the United States. The U.S. Surety & Credit segment offers contract surety bonds, commercial surety bonds, and bail bonds; credit insurance policies for export trade transactions and structured trade transactions; and political risk and letters of credit insurance products. The International segment provides energy, property treaty, liability, surety, credit, direct and facultative property, ocean marine, accident and health, and other smaller product lines for international customers. The company markets its products directly to consumers, as well as through a network of independent agents and brokers, producers, and managing general agents. HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC) underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property and Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident and Health, U.S. Aug. 21, the company increased its quarterly dividend 36% to $0.225 per share. The dividend is payable October 1, 2013 and will be paid on or about Oct. 15, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.1%.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  For the past several years, Berkshire has contrasted its own cost-free float provided by profitable underwriting against the industry�� (unimpressive) tendency to lose money on underwriting while generating net returns from investment income. So far, so good. Less edifying, though, is the repeated contrast of Berkshire�� track record of profitability to State Farm��…even though, as a mutual company, State Farm�� profitability goals are inherently different from for-profit insurers like Berkshire. It�� true that through year-end 2013, Berkshire�� underwriters have ��ow operated at an underwriting profit for eleven consecutive years,��but so have ACE (ACE), American Financial (AFG),� AmTrust Financial (AFSI), Arch Capital (ACGL), Chubb (CB), HCC (HCC), Progressive (PGR), RLI (RLI), and W.R. Berkley (WRB), any or all of whom provide a more meaningful comparison than contrasting Berkshire�� results to a company that�� not out to produce a profit in the first place.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2014: First Advantage Bancorp(FABK)

First Advantage Bancorp operates as the holding company for First Federal Savings Bank that provides various financial services to individuals and businesses in Tennessee. The company offers various deposit products comprising non-interest-bearing demand deposits, such as checking accounts; interest-bearing demand accounts, including NOW and money market accounts; regular savings accounts; and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio include real estate mortgage loans, including one-to-four family residential loans and nonresidential real estate loans; construction loans for one-to-four family homes, commercial, multi-family, and other nonresidential purposes; land loans for developing vacant land; consumer loans consisting primarily of home equity loans; and commercial business loans secured by equipment, inventory, or accounts receivable to small businesses. As of June 10, 2010, the company operated five full-service offices in Montgomery County. First Advantage Banco rp was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  PL Capital has not filed any 13Ds in a couple of months, but earlier this year it disclosed a 5.99% position in shares of First Advantage Bancorp (FABK). The Clarksville, Tenn.-based bank has seven branches and trades at about 75% of book value. PL Capital also filed a 13D announcing 8% ownership of Mutual First Financial (MFSF) over the summer. The bank has 31 branches and is based in Muncie, Ind. — an area that has seen substantial consolidation in the past few years.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2014: Equal Energy Ltd (EQU)

Equal Energy Ltd. (Equal), incorporated on April 8, 2010, is an exploration and production company with oil and gas properties located principally in Alberta, and Oklahoma. Equal is engaged in the exploration for, and acquisition, development and production of, petroleum and natural gas with operations in western Canada and Oklahoma. During the year ended December 31, 2011, production averaged 10,142 barrel of oil equivalent per day and was consisted of approximately 47% natural gas, 23% crude oil and 30% natural gas liquids (NGLs). Equal Energy Production Partnership (EEPP) holds all of Equal�� Canadian oil and gas properties and associated assets. Equal and Equal Energy Partner Corp. (EEPC) are the partners in EEPP and respectively hold a 99.9957% and 0.0043% interest in EEPP. Equal Energy US Holdings Inc. (EEUSHI) is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Equal. EEUSHI holds all of Equal�� Oklahoma oil and gas properties and associated assets through its wholly owned subsidiary, Equal Energy US Inc. On January 31, 2012, it sold Primate. During 2011, it sold non-core assets in Alberta and British Columbia. On October 15, 2012, it sold the Halkirk/Alliance/Wainwright/Clair Assets (HAWC) and all remaining Canadian non-producing assets. Effective October 1, 2012, the Company sold its Lochend Cardium assets.

The Company�� production comes from both its Canadian and United States based operations. The Canadian core areas lie in western Canada and include assets primarily in the province of Alberta. The United States area assets are located mainly in the Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln and Logan counties of Oklahoma. It also has an inventory of minor producing assets, minor royalty interests and various exploration and exploitation prospects on undeveloped lands in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Oklahoma.

Alberta

The Company�� assets include a 100% working interest in 7,360 gross (4,260 net) acres of land (1,220 net undeveloped acres), 16 producing wells, six water inj! ection wells, and a interest in an oil blending facility. Natural gas is conserved and processed at the Encana Sexsmith gas plant. Oil is delivered into the Pembina Peace Pipeline System. Oil and natural gas production is primarily from the Doe Creek (Dunvegan) formation. There is also natural gas production from one Charlie Lake well. As of December 31, 2011, average working interest production was 227 barrel per day of oil and 316 million cubic feet per day of natural gas.

Lochend is located approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Calgary. At Lochend, the Company holds 8,653 gross (7,996 net) acres of land with 5,970 net undeveloped acres, and 11 producing wells. Oil is produced into single or multi-well batteries and trucked to terminal facilities. Half of the solution gas is conserved at the TriOil Shiningbank gas plant by the third quarter majority of the gas should be conserved. Oil and natural gas production is from the Cardium formation. As of December 31, 2011, average working interest production was 330 barrel per day of oil and 69 thousand cubic feet per day of gas. The McDaniel Report has assigned total proved plus probable reserves of 1,621 thousand barrels of crude oil, 2.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 64.8 thousand barrels of NGL to the Lochend property.

Oklahoma

In Oklahoma the principal producing horizon is the Hunton formation. The Hunton is a carbonate rock formation. As of December 31, 2011, average Hunton production in Oklahoma was 29.9 million cubic feet of natural gas per day of natural gas and 3,862 barrels of oil per day of crude oil and NGLs. The Haas Report has attributed total proved and probable reserves of 499 thousand barrels of crude oil, and 108 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 13,931 thousand barrels of NGLs to the Hunton.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  In trading on Friday, energy shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.06 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Equal Energy (NYSE: EQU) and Niska Gas Storage Partners LLC (NYSE: NKA). Financial sector was the leading decliner in the US market today.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2014: Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd (MPI)

Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad (MPI) is an investment holding company. The principal activities of MPI, through its subsidiaries are manufacturing, assembling, testing and sale of integrated circuits, semiconductor devices, electronic components and lead frames to customers globally. The Company�� operating geographical segments include Asia, The United States of America, and Europe. The Company's subsidiaries include Carsem (M) Sdn Bhd, Recams Sdn Bhd, Carsem Holdings Limited, Carsem Semiconductor (Suzhou) Co., Ltd, Dynacraft Industries Sdn Bhd, Carter Realty Sdn Bhd, Carter Realty Sdn Bhd and Carsem Holdings (HK) Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Michael Page International Plc (MPI) increased 1.1 percent to 490.2 pence after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, saying the recruitment firm will benefit from a pick-up in the European economy.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2014: Arrium Ltd (ARRMF)

Arrium Limited is an international mining and materials company. The Company�� principal activities are mining and supply of iron ore and other steelmaking raw materials to steel mills internationally and in Australia; the manufacture and supply of mining consumables products globally; the manufacture and distribution of steel long products and recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal. Its key businesses include Mining, Mining Consumables, Steel and Recycling. Arrium Mining is an exporter of hematite ore with operations in South Australia. Arrium Mining also supplies pelletised magnetite iron ore and some hematite lump iron ore to the Company�� integrated steelworks. Arrium Mining Consumables supplies resource companies with a range of key mining consumables, including grinding media, wire ropes and rail wheels. Arrium�� integrated Steel and Recycling include OneSteel Manufacturing, long products steel manufacturing business, and OneSteel Distribution. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks rose modestly in early Tuesday trade, with the market reacting to a mixed batch of earnings. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) added 0.2% to 5,391.80, with BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) rising 1.7% after its July-December profit almost doubled from a year earlier, beating forecasts. However, smaller rival Arrium Ltd. (AU:ARI) (ARRMF) added 2.5% after reporting a swing back to profit. Other miners got a bump up from rising commodity prices, as Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) gained 2.3% and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) added 1.2%, though Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) slipped 0.4%. Shares of Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. (AU:CCL) (CCLAF) slumped 5.1% after the drinks firm saw a more than 80% drop in 2013 profit, weighed by a writedown on its fruit-processing business. Packaging firm Amcor Ltd. (AU:AMC) (AMCRF) lost 4.6% after its fiscal-first-half profit fell by about a third.

10 Best Consumer Service Stocks To Watch For 2014: Mandalay Digital Group Inc (MNDL)

Mandalay Digital Group, Inc., incorporated on September 14, 2007, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Digital Turbine, provides mobile solutions for wireless carriers globally to enable them to monetize mobile content. The Company's products include mobile application management through DT Ignite, user experience and discovery through DT IQ, application stores and content through DT Marketplace, and content management and mobile payments through DT Pay.

The Company delivers a mobile services platform that works with mobile operators and third-party publishers to provide portal management, user interface, content development and billing technology that enables the responsible distribution of mobile entertainment. Its Digital Turbine delivers end-to-end products and solutions to mobile operators, including Vodafone, Telefonica, Turkcell, Telecom Italia, SingTel, Smart, Telstra, Cricket and Singtel Optus. Its mobile services platform and billing technology enables mobile operators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and third-parties to manage their content portals and storefronts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Mandalay Digital Group (NASDAQ: MNDL) is projected to post a Q4 loss at $0.11 per share on revenue of $6.98 million.

  Advanced Photonix (NYSE: API) is expected to post a Q4 loss at $0.01 per share on revenue of $7.04 million.