Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017

Readers who pay close attention to our annual rankings of the top-performing mutual funds may be forgiven if they exper颅ience a sense of d茅j� vu with our March 2016 issue. Yes, we did publish mutual-fund rankings in our September 2015 issue. But we��ve decided to move our annual winners list from September to the March issue so we can base it on returns as of December 31. (On Kiplinger.com, we continue to update the rankings of top-performing mutual funds in 11 categories with new data every month.) ��It��s fair to say that most people focus more on returns through the end of the year than they do on figures through June 30,�� says ex颅ecutive editor Manny Schiffres, who supervises our investing coverage.

See Also: The Kiplinger 25 -- Our Favorite No-Load Mutual Funds

What a difference half a year makes. Between the September and March issues, the winners over longer time periods remained fairly stable. But adding six months of new data and subtracting six months of old numbers shook up the one-year results. Particularly affected were sector funds. In Sept颅ember, health care funds occupied the top spot in each time period, and health care still dominates the three- and five-year returns. But there has been a shift in the one-year rankings, where you��ll now find technology funds, financial-services funds and even a retailing-sector fund.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: American States Water Company(AWR)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  On Tuesday, analysts at Brean Capital upgraded American States Water Co (AWR), as they now believe the shares have reached an attractive entry point.

  The analysts upgraded AWR from “Hold” to “Buy” and see shares reaching $28. This price target suggests an 11% upside to the stock’s Monday closing price of $25.22.

  Brean Capital analyst Michael Gaugler said, “The shares have fallen to a price level that we now consider attractive, and our sum-of-the-parts valuation indicates fair value is $28 based on our 2014 EPS forecasts. We recommend investors begin accumulating positions under the $25.50 price level to allow sufficient (10%) upside (excluding dividends) to our target price.”

  “We acknowledge that the current environment for utility stocks in terms of interest rate impacts is less than ideal. However, we note the shares of AWR (and our other utility coverage names) have traded at higher P/E multiples when the general level of interest rates was much higher. We see the impact of higher rates as short term and negligible, particularly when we look closely at AWR’s ability to continue to raise its dividend payout versus the peer group by using free cash flow from the ASUS business,” Gaugler added.

  American States Water shares were up 72 cents, or 2.85%, during early morning trading on Tuesday. The stock is up 8% year-to-date.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF (EPU)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  ARGT, the lone exchange traded fund dedicated to Argentine equities, is up 19.6 percent year-to-date. That is good for the second-best showing among Latin America single-country ETFs, trailing only the iShares MSCI Capped Peru Index Fund (NYSE: EPU).

• [By Andrew Efimoff] Related Some Positive Indexing News For A Frontier Markets ETF Why The Frontier Markets ETF Slumped Last Year Status Quo Decisions Would Bode Well For PAK ETF (Seeking Alpha) Related EPU Peru ETF Confronts Politics Commodities Call For The Colombia ETF Gra帽a Y Montero May Have Peaked In 2016 (Seeking Alpha) Gainers Pakistan: Global XMSCI Pakistan ETF (NYSE: PAK) is up 5.67 percent after receiving MSCI's Emerging Markets Index approval. Peru: iShares MSCI All Peru Capped Index Fund(NYSE: EPU) is up 2.15 percent after Kuzynski won Peru's nail-biting election. Philippines: iShares MSCI Philippines Investable(NYSE: EPHE) is up 2.21 percent after Macquarie Research said President Elect Rodrigo Duterte would lift the Pilipino property market. India: iShares MSCI India ETF (NYSE: INDA) is up 1.96 percent after India's government relaxed regulation, making it easier for domestic airlines to fly overseas.

  Related Link: Some Positive Indexing News For A Frontier Markets ETF

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: Protective Life Corporation(PL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Sterman]

  My favorite insurers: AIG (NYSE: AIG) (which I discussed a few months ago), Protective Life (NYSE: PL) and Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA).

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: Rave Restaurant Group, Inc.(RAVE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Rouse]

  Rouse is sticking with his Best Stocks entry for this year’s competition. His selection is Rave Restaurant Group (RAVE), which owns Pie Five Pizza, a fast-casual pizza joint that Rouse thinks is changing the industry with its unique ovens.

  Says Rouse: “The company is on track to open 500 Pie Five locations over the next few years, and we are still in the early innings of this ballgame.” 

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.(CALM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Manikandan Raman]

  © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

    Related Articles (CALM)

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: Hibbett Sports Inc.(HIBB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mark Balson]

  Hibbett Sports (HIBB) financial results have come out with better than expected earnings for the fiscal 2017 first quarter.

  Revenue for the first quarter was $282.09 million which is 4.6% higher to year on year data. This is below expectations for analysts who were projected revenue to be at $285.15 million. Compare to 0.9% decline in net sales last year this year store sales increased 1.1%. 

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Shares of Hibbett Sports, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIBB) were down 12 percent to $39.75 after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its third quarter.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Hibbett Sports, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIBB) reported better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter on Friday.

  The Birmingham, Alabama-based company posted a quarterly profit of $0.76 per share, on revenue of $245.7 million. However, analysts were expecting earnings of $0.73 per share on revenue of $246.2 million.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: Old National Bancorp Capital Trust I(ONB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  The twenty stocks in Worth’s basket are: Ameriprise Financial (AMP) Bank of America, Banner (BANR), Citigroup, Citizens Financial Group (CFG), East West Bancorp (EWBC), First NBC Bank Holding (FNBC), HFF (HF), KeyCorp�(KEY), Legacy Texas Financial Group (LTXB), Lincoln National (LNC), Morgan Stanley, Old National Bancorp (ONB), PacWest Bancorp (PACW), PNC Financial Services Group (PNC), Principal Financial Group (PFG), Stifel Financial (SF), SVB Financial Group (SIVB), TCF Financial (TCB), and Wells Fargo.

• [By kiplinger]

   Old National Bancorp (ONB) is a 181-year-old financial institution with 195 branches, mainly in the Midwest. The stock, which is still down by about one-third from its prerecession high, trades at just 13 times projected 2016 earnings and yields an attractive 3.4%. If interest rates ever rise, the bank should benefit from a widening spread between its cost of funds and the interest rates borrowers pay.

  
  

  It's a favorite of David Dreman, author of the classic 1980 book Contrarian Investment Strategy. His philosophy: “We believe that the markets are not perfectly efficient.” Some stocks, in other words, are judged by the market to be cheaper than their actual worth.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: ADMA Biologics Inc(ADMA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  
  The list of below stocks is notable as the shares have traded on sequentially increasing volume spanning the trading days from September 16 to September 20:

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc.(CBRL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $1.80 per share on revenue of $705.65 million.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ: CBRL) shares tumbled 2.50 percent to $104.32 after the company reported a 1.1% drop in its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and issued a downbeat Q1 forecast.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Analysts are expecting Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) to have earned $1.80 per share on revenue of $705.65 million in the latest quarter. Cracker Barrel shares gained 0.67 percent to $152.50 in after-hours trading.

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL) shares dropped over 4% on Wednesday morning after the company reported lower fourth quarter earnings and a weak outlook for its first quarter.

  The Lebanon, TN-based company reported fourth quarter earnings of $34.3 million, or $1.43 per share, down slightly from $34.7 million, or $1.47 per share, a year ago. On average, analysts expected to see earnings of $1.35 per share.

  Total revenue fell to $646.1 million from $700.01 million last year. Analysts expected to see revenue of $668.68 million.

  Cracker Barrel President and CEO Sandra Cochran commented: “The fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 represents the seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement in comparable store traffic, restaurant sales, and retail sales. The financial results of the fourth quarter and full year reflect the effective execution of our strategic plan. As we begin our 2014 fiscal year, we are poised to capitalize on the achievements of fiscal 2013.”

  For FY2013, CBRL’s earnings rose 14% to $117.27 million, while EPS rose to $4.90 per share. On an adjusted basis, earnings were $4.97 per share, up 15% from the year prior. Total revenue for the year was $2.64 billion, up 3% from a year ago.

  Looking forward, the company expects to see first quarter earnings between $1.05 and $1.15 per share. This estimate would fall significantly below the average analyst estimate of $1.32 per share.

  For FY2014, the company expects EPS in the range of $5.60 to $5.80 and revenue between $2.7 billion and $2.75 billion. Analysts expect to see earnings of $5.69 per share and $2.74 billion in revenue.

  Cracker Barrel shares were down $4.70, or 4.39%, during Wednesday morning trading. The stock is up 59% YTD.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Watch For 2017: NO Name(ACI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Weinstein]

  Lawsuit after lawsuit, a billion dollars in cost overruns, taxpayer subsidies and the most expensive coal plant to operate causing electric rates to skyrocket, if this becomes the norm. The new project is called Plant Ratcliffe by Southern Co. Plant Ratcliffe is quite the boondoggle, but proponents say it always costs more to build the first one and costs will come down as the technology improves. More plants are in the planning stages and may bring a needed shot in the arm to mining stocks. Alpha Natural Resources (ANR), Walter Energy (WLT), Arch Coal (ACI), Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF), Peabody Energy (BTU), and James River Coal (JRCC) are companies that may benefit from increased demand for coal. Not all coal or coal companies are equal, so it's crucial to discriminate based on your investment time-horizon goals. With that said, the announcement should have been followed by a deep sell-off in coal and utility related stocks. But something happened. Or, rather, didn't happen. The above coal stocks didn't sell off tremendously and are largely moving along with the rest of the market today. This is noteworthy because stocks don't bottom on good news, they reach a bottom on awful news. Let me explain: When a stock chart continues trending lower, what you're witnessing is investors throwing in the towel and moving on. Leaving aside bankruptcies for a moment, almost all stocks have a core group of investors that are commonly known as the "strong hands." A stock is at the bottom when the weak hands are gone. At some point, distressing news (like an unfavorable EPA announcement regarding coal) hits the wire and the related stock or stocks react with little or no movement. This is what we are witnessing right now in coal-related companies.

5 Ways You Can Lock In a Job on LinkedIn

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Although nothing beats a solid resume and a well-worded cover letter, job-seekers should think seriously about polishing and promoting their LinkedIn (LNKD) profiles, according to a survey by social recruiting site Jobvite. The survey has a representative 94% of recruiters saying LinkedIn was their top online platform for vetting candidates, compared with 65% who use Facebook (FB) and 55% who turn to Twitter. Even applicants who don't have much experience with recruiters should take note: The survey projects a 73% increase in social recruiting investment this year. [Read: Employers Catch Up With the Rest of Us on Loving Social Media ]

Experts say smart job hunters should look at their LinkedIn profiles with a critical eye and start digging deep for connections, conversation and critique. We've got the rundown on the top 5 ways to make LinkedIn an asset in your job search.

1. Show some personality -- just not too much

"LinkedIn is different," says Ian Ide, president of the search divisions at WinterWyman. "It's somewhere between social media and a resume, and that's what trips a lot of people up. It's not so personal that you're offering up casual status updates, but it's not so professional that you can't show a little personality." That personality should be shown in a professional way, Ide cautions. What you're trying to avoid is looking too detached from the real world -- you don't want to seem like another corporate stiff. "At the end of the day, time is limited, and if someone looks very cold, recruiters may not think it's worth reaching out," Ide says. "But if you mention the type of technology you prefer or a sports team you like, that allows a recruiter's correspondence to be more personalized, and they're going to feel more comfortable reaching out to you." It's all about establishing rapport, Ide explains. At its core, LinkedIn is about building relationships. Smart job-seekers know that relationships are best formed when insights into personality are made available -- but be mindful that you don't overshare, says Doug Brown, director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Malcolm Baldridge School of Business at Post University in Waterbury, Conn. [Read: 5 Signs It's Time to Quit Your Job ] "People think it's Facebook, and it's not," Brown says. "You might make a post about a political candidate on Facebook, but think about LinkedIn as the workplace. If you wouldn't discuss it in the workplace, don't talk about it on LinkedIn."

2. Ask for recommendations

"Your background needs to represent you in the best possible way," Ide says. "It's always hard to say great things about yourself, but you need to have those things up there, and that's where recommendations come in."

It's most beneficial when people who can speak to the quality of your work are the ones who recommend you, Ide explains. While it's great if a college professor can offer their support, it's best if a former boss or direct report can contribute thoughts about their recent one-on-one experiences with you.

Additionally, Brown says that targeted recommendations are the most beneficial. "It's not enough to have a recommendation that says, 'He is a nice person.' You've got to have one that highlights your transferable skill set." To ask someone for a recommendation, Ide says a simple approach is best. "Say to them, 'One of the things I am trying to be aware of is my social profile, and I'm trying to better my LinkedIn presence. I know you have a good idea of the quality of work I produce -- would you mind writing a recommendation?'" Of course, when you ask for a recommendation, be prepared to reciprocate, Ide says. "Before you reach out, consider whether or not you'd feel comfortable writing one for them, because there's a good chance they'll ask," he says. [Read: New iPhone or Not, Smartphone Owners Aren't Moving Up] 3. Keep up your LinkedIn relationships and have a voice "One of the big reasons people use LinkedIn is to be exposed to different opportunities -- even if you're not currently job hunting and the timing isn't perfect," Ide says. "People are constantly evaluating one another on LinkedIn, so it's important to be engaged at times when you're not actively job seeking." One way to stay involved on LinkedIn is through groups. Depending on the business, Ide recommends joining somewhere between four and seven groups, allowing you to participate in discussions and demonstrate your knowledge of the industry. "Leverage the power of affinity groups," Brown says. "Everything from alumni associations to professional organizations are great ways to stay connected. You also want to look for professional associations and interest groups in the space where you want to be, even if you're not quite there yet."

4. Highlight your skill set -- and be specific

"Ask yourself: What kind of job do you want, and who is your target market?" Brown says. "The challenge goes all the way back to brand strategy. If you are trying to be everything to everybody, you aren't going to be anything to anybody."

If a company sees your resume as being all over the place, they're going to feel like you don't want this particular job -- you're just desperate for any job. They may also feel that you've had no direction in your career, Brown explains, adding that phrases such as "I am a fast learner" or "I can do anything" don't go very far.

"Adopt the mindset that you are educating people about what you can offer them, exactly," he says. Highlighting personal accomplishments is especially important for individuals who have worked for companies that aren't top-tier, Ide says. "We can't change the circumstances of who we worked for, but you can highlight your personal accomplishments and the skills you built while working there," he says. "If someone worked for a lesser company but was doing great things, they need to openly discuss the projects and initiatives they were involved in." 5. Be less private -- even take things into the "real world" "Some people will tell you texting is a perfectly good way to communicate with someone, but I don't think so," Brown says. "If you want to have a true relationship with someone, you've got to have a human moment." It's great to ask a contact for coffee, drinks or lunch, but Brown says to make sure you have an agenda when you meet up with them -- if you're really there for professional purposes, you won't want to spend the entire time talking about sports or family issues. "Have a marketing plan," Brown says. "Ask them specific questions. Don't be shy." When it comes to privacy settings for LinkedIn, Ide says you don't have to be as cautious as you do with other social media sites. "LinkedIn is different from Facbeook, where there is a reason to be private," he says. "On LinkedIn, you want new opportunities, and you want to be more public, more accessible." Active job-seekers should set their privacy settings carefully, Ide explains -- use the option to stay anonymous when you view other people's profiles, but turn on OpenLink, which allows LinkedIn members to contact you directly without an introduction or an InMail, making it free and easy for anyone with an opportunity to get in touch.