Best International Companies To Own In Right Now

Despite stocks hitting new highs, the general public is not racing back into them, writes MoneyShow's Howard R. Gold, who tells you where the majority are putting their money instead.

As stocks keep hitting new milestones, more and more pundits worry we're in another stock market bubble. They cite record margin debt, euphoria over initial public offerings like that of Twitter (TWTR), and, of course, the big run we've already seen in the major indices.

And they mention the growing involvement of Main Street investors in the stock market just as we're hitting all-time highs—a contrarian sign, if there ever was one.

The only problem is there's little evidence John and Jane Public are barreling back into stocks. In fact, the data shows, overwhelmingly, that the public remains wary of, if not hostile to, stock investing, and only a small number of affluent, adventurous individuals are doing the buying.

As of last week, investors had bought $144.6 billion of mutual and exchange traded funds (ETFs) focused on US equities and $187.1 billion in international equity funds and ETFs in 2013, according to TrimTabs Investment Research, based in Sausalito, California.

Best International Companies To Own In Right Now: Photronics Inc.(PLAB)

Photronics, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of photomasks primarily in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Photomasks are high precision photographic quartz plates containing microscopic images of electronic circuits, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors and flat panel displays; and used as masters to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat panel substrates during the fabrication of integrated circuits, various flat panel displays, and other types of electrical and optical components. The company sells its photomasks to semiconductor designers, manufacturers, foundries, and other high performance electronics manufacturers through its sales personnel and customer service representatives. Photronics, Inc. was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Brookfield, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  RDN also is on pace to swing back into the black during the coming year, which could be a huge catalyst.

  Photronics (PLAB)

  12/2 Price: $8.65

• [By Ben Axler]

  In the table below, we've listed a sample of small-cap semiconductor capital equipment stocks such as Entegris (ENTG), Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS), ATMI Inc. (ATMI), MKS Instruments (MKSI), Photronics Inc. (PLAB), Rudolph Technologies (RTEC),FormFactor (FORM) and Mattson Technology (MTSN). The peers trade at approximately 1.0x and 15.5x 2014E revenues and EPS, respectively. Furthermore, the average peer trades at 2.1x tangible book value. However, these multiples are based on average 2014E industry revenue and earnings growth of 18% and 119%, respectively. Axcelis is poised to grow at a rate substantially above the industry average.

Best International Companies To Own In Right Now: Sienna Resources Inc (SIE)

Sienna Resources Inc, formerly Habanero Resources Inc. is engaged in the identification, acquisition, exploration of mineral properties. These properties include gold, silver, and aluminous clay properties. The Company�� mineral property interests were located in Canada. Its mineral properties include White Gold Claims, Grande-Vallee North aluminous clay prospect, Haldane Silver Prospect and Lezai Prospect. The Ross Silver Property consists of approximately 44 contiguous mineral claims, adjoining the existing Haldane Silver Property. In May 2013, the Company acquired an additional 32 claims totaling 1,805 hectares in the Gaspe Bay region of Quebec. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Wall]

  The disposal plan comes as Eurostar gears up for its biggest expansion in years, with new e320 trains ordered from Siemens AG (SIE) due to link London with Amsterdam from December 2016, with stops in Antwerp, Rotterdam and Schiphol airport.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) dropped 2.9 percent after the world�� biggest maker of luxury vehicles reported a decrease in third-quarter profit. Siemens AG (SIE) lost 1.3 percent after UBS AG cut its rating on Europe�� largest engineering company. Beiersdorf AG (BEI) rallied 5.3 percent after increasing its full-year sales forecast.

Top 10 Solar Companies To Own In Right Now: Winning Brands Corp (WNBD)

Winning Brands Corporation is a manufacturer of cleaning solutions. The Company offers products in three markets: Consumer, Industrial and Commercial. Its Consumer products include 1000+ Stain Remover; KIND Laundry Detergent; KIND Fabric Softener; KIND Laundry Stain Remover, and CLEAN1 All Purpose. Its Industrial products include TrackMoist Dust Suppressant, and ReGuard-4 Equipment Cleaning for Emergency Responders. Its Commercial products include Professional Wet Cleaning Solutions. The Company owns 100% interests in Niagara Mist Marketing Ltd.

The consumer products are offered for sale through stores in various sectors, such as hardware, paint, convenience, and grocery. The industrial products are targeted for sale through professional property maintenance personnel in the case of TrackMoist and distributors to fire-fighting organizations in the case of ReGuard-4. The commercial products are for use by businesses in their line of work to generate a finished product, with an emphasis on the dry-cleaning sector, such as on cruise ships to perform cleaning of Dry Clean Only garments in substitution of the solvent perchloroethylene (Perc).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Beamz Interactive Inc (OTCBB: BZIC), EHouse Global (OTCBB: EHOS) and Winning Brands Corporation (OTCMKTS: WNBD) were all heading in different directions at the end of last week with the first small cap surging 49.94% while the other two sank 31.28% and 25.32%, respectively, on Friday. Moreover, all three small cap stocks are already heading in different directions again this morning. So where should investors and traders place their bets? Here is a closer look at all three small cap stocks:

Best International Companies To Own In Right Now: Digicore Holdings Ltd (DGC)

Digicore Holdings Limited is a South Africa-based holding company engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions. The Company operates in three segments: South African Distribution, Foreign Distribution, Product Development and Manufacturing and Group Management. The Company's South African distribution segment focuses on distribution of manufactured fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions within the South African consumer market. Foreign distribution focuses on the distribution of manufactured fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions all around the world. Product development and manufacturing segment focuses on investing in research, manufacturing and development of vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions for distribution. Group Management segment renders management services to the Company. On August 31, 2012, the Company obtained an additional 27% shareholding in Ctrack (Pty) Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Detour Gold (DGC) plunged 18 percent to C$6.35, an almost five-year low. The company said in a statement it will not reach its 2013 production target of 270,000 ounces of gold and now forecasts 240,000 to 260,000 ounces.

Best International Companies To Own In Right Now: Lojas Renner SA (LREN3)

Lojas Renner SA is a Brazil- based company primarily involved in the operation of department stores. The Company divides its business into two segments. The Retail segment is engaged in sale of women's, men's and children's apparels, underwear and shoes, as well as sportswear and other department stores' articles in the domestic market. The Company also sells household articles, bedding and bath items, furniture and decoration articles. The Financial products segment is involved in the intermediation of financial services, including brokerage of personal loans, sales financing, brokerage of insurance and bonds, and credit card processing, among others. The Company operates through a numerous subsidiaries, including Dromegon Participacoes Ltda, Renner Administradora de Cartoes de Credito Ltda, Renner Empreendimentos Ltda and Maxmix Comercial Ltda. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ney Hayashi]

  Anhanguera Educacional Participacoes SA (AEDU3) tumbled after Brazil�� antitrust regulator signaled it may limit the education company�� merger with competitor Kroton Educacional SA. (KROT3) Lojas Renner SA (LREN3) led retailers higher after a report showed Brazil�� industrial production expanded faster than expected in October, easing concern that growth is faltering.

Best International Companies To Own In Right Now: Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (NAS)

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA is a Norway-based company active in the low-cost airline industry. It operates scheduled services with additional charter services. It has a route portfolio that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East, as well as Thailand and the US. The Company operates approximately 400 routes and over 120 destinations. It has a fleet of over 80 jet aircrafts, including Boeings 737-800, Boeings 787-8 Dreamliners, Boeings 737 MAX8 and Airbuses A320neo. It is the parent company of the Norwegian Group and operates through subsidiaries, including Norwegian Air Shuttle Polska Sp z o o, Norwegian Air Shuttle Sweden AB, Call Norwegian AS, NAS Asset Management Norway AS, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  EMC�� products ��both hardware and software - are litearlly a geek�� wonderland alphabet soup, which include Storage Area Network (SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Virtual SAN, All-Flash XtremIO, Atmos, Avamar, �Data Domain, Isilon, Pivotal, ViPR Software Defined Storgae, VMAX, VNX, VNXe, VPLEX, VSPEX (none of these are typos).� Information storage makes up 70% of revenues and virtualization 23% of revenues.� Products generate 55% of revenues.� Services generate 45% of revenues.� The Company�� gross profit split is approximaltey 67% data storage and 31% virtualization.

Best International Companies To Own In Right Now: Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc(VRX)

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceutical products in the areas of neurology, dermatology, and branded generics. It offers Wellbutrin XL to treat depressive disorders; Xenazine to treat chorea associated with Huntington?s disease; CeraVe to rebuild and repair skin barrier; and Kinerase, a cosmetic product. The company also provides Zovirax ointment to treat initial genital herpes; Xerese to treat recurrent herpes labialis; Elidel to treat atopic dermatitis; and Acanya and Atralin gels to treat acne vulgaris. In addition, it offers Cesamet to treat nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy; Tiazac XC to treat hypertension and angina; Wellbutrin to treat depressive illness; Sublinox to treat insomnia; and Lodalis to treat hypercholesterolemia. Further, the company provides Cold-FX to strengthen immune system; Duromine/Metermine for weight loss; Difflam to treat sore throa ts; and Duro-Tuss and Rikodeine to treat dry and chesty cough, as well as various branded generics for treatments, including antibiotics, treatments for cardiovascular and neurological diseases, antifungal medications, and diabetic therapies. Additionally, it offers Bisocard to treat hypertension and angina pectoris; Flucinar, a corticosteroid ointment; and Sachol mouth ulcer gel; Bedoyecta to treat neurotic pain; M.V.I., a hospital dietary supplement for trauma and burns; Tandene to treat fever and headache; Melleril to treat anxiety and depression; and products for therapeutic classes, such as vitamin deficiency, antibacterials, and dermatology. It markets its products in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Latin America, southeast Asia, and South Africa. The company was formerly known as Biovail Corporation and changed its name to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. in September 2010. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in M ississauga, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Large cap serial acquirer�Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (NYSE: VRX) is teaming up with activist investor�Bill Ackman to pursue large cap Botox maker Allergan, Inc (NYSE: AGN), but stocks like Cutera, Inc (NASDAQ: CUTR), Cynosure, Inc (NASDAQ: CYNO), PhotoMedex Inc (NASDAQ: PHMD) and Syneron Medical Ltd (NASDAQ: ELOS)�actually offer investors more exposure to the growing anti aging and aesthetics market (Note: See my recent article: These Small Caps Seek to Treat Your Crow�� Feet and Double Chin (RVNC & KYTH)). To begin with, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has a wide focus on neurology, dermatology and infectious diseases�but acquiring the maker of Botox won�� be its first foray into the aesthetic market�because earlier this year, the company completed its acquisition of Solta Medical Inc (NASDAQ: SLTM) -�a designer, developer, manufacturer and marketer of�energy-based medical device systems for aesthetic applications.�And while�Allergan, Inc may be most well known for Botox, its actually a pretty big�company focused on a diverse range of areas, including ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, dermatology, neuroscience, urology and cosmetics���meaning the following stocks offer investors better exposure to the aesthetics market:

• [By Philip Springer]

  This was a big week for the global pharmaceutical industry. First, rumors of one deal suggested a possible return to the industry’s old self-destructive ways. But then two other transactions were announced that signaled continuation of a newer trend that’s much healthier for shareholders.
  
  On Monday, it was reported that New York-based Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) had been in talks to acquire AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN), headquartered in London, for over $100 billion. The companies apparently broke off the discussions.
  
  If such a transaction were to occur, it would be the latest in a long series of megamergers that characterized the corporate strategies of Pfizer, Swiss drug giant Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) and others in the 1990s and 2000s. Back then, the aim was to acquire rivals in multibillion-dollar deals that broadened the buyers’ businesses to cover more diseases and new health-care areas.
  
  The catalyst for this buying binge was the so-called patent cliff, in which some of the sector’s biggest drugs faced the loss of patents that protected them from competition, resulting in reduced revenues and earnings.
  
  Since then, however, the patent cliff problem has waned because many of those patent expirations have already occurred. And the bigger, combined companies generally have come up short on development of new blockbuster drugs. Also, excessive diversification has brought weak competitive positions in some niches.
  
  But the current industry trend is for companies to focus more on their core strengths instead of diversifying. Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) have made such moves over the last few years in order to focus on what they consider higher-growth prospects.
  
  Tuesday brought more of the same. Novartis and UK-based GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) announced more than $20 billion in deals. Novartis is to sell its animal-drugs busi

• [By Keith Speights]

  "Bidness" is good
  Last week, Obagi Medical Products (NASDAQ: OMPI  ) made our list of humongous performers after Valeant Pharmaceuticals� (NYSE: VRX  ) announced a $344 million bid for the company. This week saw a bidding frenzy, with Obagi shares jumping another 29%.

Best International Companies To Own In Right Now: Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.(TOO)

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. provides marine transportation, oil production, and storage services to the offshore oil industry. It operates shuttle tankers, floating storage and offtake (FSO) units, and conventional crude oil tankers, as well as floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) units. As of June 30, 2011, its fleet consisted of 40 shuttle tankers, including 5 chartered-in vessels and 4 committed newbuildings; 2 FPSO units; 5 FSO units; and 10 conventional oil tankers. The company primarily serves energy and oil service companies, and their affiliates. Teekay Offshore GP L.L.C. serves as the general partner of the company. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kashafa Investment Research]

  Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. (TOO) is the largest owner in the shuttle tanker market with 33 shuttle tankers and one newbuilds on order. Through this, the company owns more than 50% of the world's shuttle tanker fleet based on total tonnage.