Best Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2014

The recent budget proposal from the Obama administration is taking a lot of criticism for its big emphasis on clean energy technology development. While some may critique the method on how this will be funded, others fear the possibility of these clean energy investments failing,�the most recent and most widely publicized example being the bankrupt solar company Solyndra.�

Yet while we rake the muck of these failed�investments, many of us look over the fact that several industries and technologies were made possible from government funding.�Clearly, not every investment the government makes will be a great success, but�several�successful�businesses have developed in large part because of government assistance. There are examples across almost every sector of industry, but for now let's focus on developments in energy and see if a failure like Solyndra is an�aberration or just part of everyday business for the government.

Backing energy development: It's just what we do
The concept of having the government grant favorable treatment to the energy sector can be traced as far back as before the Civil War. At that time, the U.S. government's largest asset was land, and for many years it sold that land at below market value to encourage settlement and growth, which also gave a deep discount to the largest energy source at the time: timber. According to a research report by DBL Investors, the subsidies that were granted to the timber industry for energy purposes would have equated to about $25 billion per year in 2010 dollars.�

Hot Long Term Companies To Own In Right Now: USG Corporation(USG)

USG Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and distribution of building materials worldwide. The company offers gypsum and related products, including gypsum wallboard, joint compounds used for finishing wallboard joints, cement boards, glass mat sheathing, gypsum fiber panels, poured gypsum underlayments, ultra light panels, and various construction plaster products. Its gypsum products are used in various building applications to finish the interior walls, ceilings, and floors in residential, commercial, and institutional constructions, and repair and remodel constructions. The company also produces gypsum-based products for agricultural and industrial customers to use in various applications, including soil conditioning, road repair, fireproofing, and ceramics. In addition, it manufactures ceiling grid and acoustical ceiling tile for electrical and mechanical systems, and air distribution and maintenance applications. USG Corporation distribut es its gypsum products through specialty wallboard distributors, building materials dealers, home improvement centers and other retailers, contractors, and a network of distributors. Further, it distributes other manufacturers? gypsum wallboard, joint compound and other gypsum products, as well as drywall metal, insulation, and roofing products and accessories. The company sells its products under SHEETROCK, DUROCK, FIBEROCK, SECUROCK, LEVELROCK, RED TOP, IMPERIAL, DIAMOND, SUPREMO, AURATONE, ACOUSTONE, DONN, DX, FINELINE, CENTRICITEE, CURVATURA, and COMPASSO brands. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  USG (NYSE: USG  ) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), USG missed estimates on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  She also serves as chairman of the United States Steel and Carnegie Pension Fund, and on that organization's investment committee. Outside of U.S. Steel, she sits on the board of directors of USG (NYSE: USG  ) and the Pennsylvania Business Council, among other entities.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Pimco managing director Mark Kiesel mentions Whirlpool (WHR), Weyerhaeuser (WY), USG (USG), Toll Brothers (TOLL) and KB Home (KBH) as good plays on housing:�

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  While economists attributed some of the downtick to cold and snowy weather, some are wondering if the Federal Reserve�� plan to dial back its stimulus program this year could lead to a rise in interest rates, putting the brakes on the housing recovery. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders exchange-traded fund��hich tracks a broad basket of housing-related stocks from builders to Sheetrock maker USG Corp.(USG)��s down about 3.6% year-to-date.

Best Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2014: Calamos Asset Management Inc.(CLMS)

Calamos Asset Management Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides investment advisory services to individuals including high net worth individuals, and institutions. It also manages accounts for family offices and private foundations. The firm manages separate client-focused equity and fixed income for its clients. It also launches and manages equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients. The firm invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It also invests in alternative investments markets. The firm primarily invests in growth stocks of large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap companies to make its investments. For fixed income, it invests in high yield bonds. The firm employs qualitative and fundamental analysis with a top-down and bottom-up stock picking approach to make its investments. It benchmarks the performance of its equity portfolios against the MSCI Indices, Russell Indices, and S&P 500 Index and its fixed income investments against the BofA Merrill Lynch Global 300 Convertible Index, BofA Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertibles Ex-Mandatory Index, and CS High Yield Index. Calamos Asset Management Inc. was founded in 1977 and is based in Naperville, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  Director Eric Singer sold 343,410 shares of SIGM stock on 12/20/2013 at the average price of 5.5. Eric Singer owns at least 464,499 shares after this. The price of the stock has decreased by 15.45% since.

  Calamos Asset Management, Inc. (CLMS): Chairman, CEO & Global Co-CIO, 10% Owner John P Sr Calamos Bought 74,505 Shares

  Chairman, CEO & Global Co-CIO, 10% Owner of Calamos Asset Management, Inc. (CLMS) John P Sr Calamos bought 74,505 shares during the past week at an average price of $11.99. Calamos Asset Management, Inc., is a global asset management firm that offers strategies to fulfill a range of asset allocation goals through a multi-team platform. Calamos Asset Management, Inc. has a market cap of $245.547 million; its shares were traded at around $11.99 with a P/E ratio of 20.20 and P/S ratio of 0.88. The dividend yield of Calamos Asset Management, Inc. stocks is 4.18%.

• [By GuruFocus]

  Calamos Asset Management, Inc. (CLMS): Chairman, CEO & Global Co-CIO, 10% Owner John P Sr Calamos Bought 82,233 Shares

  Chairman, CEO & Global Co-CIO, 10% Owner of Calamos Asset Management, Inc. (CLMS) John P Sr Calamos bought 82,233 shares during the past week at an average price of $11.50. Calamos Asset Management, Inc., is a global asset management firm that offers strategies to fulfill a range of asset allocation goals through a multi-team platform. Calamos Asset Management, Inc. has a market cap of $235.487 million; its shares were traded at around $11.50 with a P/E ratio of 19.20 and P/S ratio of 0.85. The dividend yield of Calamos Asset Management, Inc. stocks is 4.36%.

• [By David Sterman]

   

  6. Calamos Asset Management (Nasdaq: CLMS) This asset manager's founder and CEO, John Calamos Sr., is a bit vexed right now. As I noted six weeks ago, he had been aggressively buying company stock. He kept doing so in late July and early August, buying more than $1 million more in stock at prices in the $10.50 to $10.75 range. Yet the market pullback has pushed this stock down below $10.

  Calamos is in the process of shifting resources away from poorly performing funds and toward higher-performing ones. Recent signs are promising, though it appears as though the firm's founder is the only believer in this turnaround thus far.

Best Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2014: Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA)

Deutsche Lufthansa AG is a Germany-based aviation company with global operations and a total of more than 400 subsidiaries and associated companies. The Company is engaged in passenger transport, airfreight and airline services. The Lufthansa Group operates in five major business segments: scheduled passenger air traffic (Passenger Airline Group) consists of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Lufthansa CityLine GmbH, Swiss International Air Lines AG, Austrian Airlines AG, Air Dolomiti S.p.A., Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG and Germanwings GmbH; scheduled airfreight services (Logistics) consists of the Lufthansa Cargo group; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) consists of the Lufthansa Technik group; information technology (IT Services) consists of the Lufthansa Systems group, and catering (Catering) consists of the LSG Lufthansa Sky Chefs group. On April 20, 2012, the Company announced the divestiture of British Midland Ltd. (bmi) to International Consolidated Airlines Group SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) and Allianz SE (ALV) led airlines and insurers lower, retreating at least 1.5 percent. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) slid 1.6 percent. Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) rose after JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its recommendation on the shares. Gildemeister AG (GIL) added 3.4 percent after Deutsche Bank upgraded the maker of cutting tools.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  German stocks were little changed, as declines in utilities and banks offset gains in Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) and Deutsche Boerse AG.

  RWE AG (RWE), Germany�� second-largest utility, slipped 2.4 percent after RBC Capital Markets cut its recommendation on the stock. Lufthansa followed its European peers higher, recovering some of its Aug. 2 selloff. Xing AG (O1BC), the business social network, jumped the most since October as Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) upgraded its rating on the shares.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA), Europe�� largest airline by sales, advanced 3.1 percent to 15.52 euros as a gauge of travel and leisure companies posted the biggest gain of the 19 industry groups in the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. EasyJet Plc rallied after saying its fiscal third-quarter revenue climbed.

Best Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2014: Owens Corning Inc(OC)

Owens Corning engages in the provision of composite and building materials systems worldwide. It operates in two segments, Composites and Building Materials. The Composites segment manufactures, fabricates, and sells glass reinforcements in the form of fiber; and manufactures and sells glass fiber products in the form of fabrics, mat, veil, and other specialized products. Its products are used in pipe, roofing shingles, sporting goods, computers, telecommunications cables, boats, aircraft, defense, automotive, industrial containers, and wind-energy applications in the power and energy, housing, water distribution, industrial, transportation, consumer, and aerospace/military markets. This segment sells its products directly to parts molders and fabricators; and glass fiber and/or glass mat directly to shingle manufacturers. The Building Materials segment manufactures and sells fiberglass insulation into residential, commercial, industrial, and other markets for thermal and acoustical applications. It also offers glass fiber pipe insulation, and energy flexible duct media and foam insulation products, such as thermal and acoustical batts, loose fill insulation, foam sheathing, and accessories for use in home construction and remodeling; and manufactures residential roofing shingles and oxidized asphalt materials used in residential and commercial construction and specialty applications. This segment sells its insulation products, and shingles and roofing accessories to insulation installers, home centers, lumberyards, retailers, distributors, and contractors; and asphalt to roofing contractors and distributors for built-up roofing asphalt systems, as well as to manufacturers in the automotive, chemical, rubber, and construction industries. Owens Corning was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of Owens Corning (NYSE: OC  ) slipped 2% today after Bank of America downgraded the building materials company from buy to neutral.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Analysts at Bank of America downgraded Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) from ��uy��to ��eutral.��The target price for Owens Corning has been lowered from $43 to $40.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $1.39 billion.

  E*TRADE Financial (NASDAQ: ETFC) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $419.41 million.

Best Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2014: ABM Industries Incorporated (ABM)

ABM Industries Incorporated provides integrated facility solutions services in the United States and internationally. It offers floor cleaning and finishing, window washing, furniture polishing, carpet cleaning and dusting, and other building cleaning services for commercial office and industrial buildings, retail stores, shopping centers, warehouses, airport terminals, health facilities, educational institutions, stadiums and arenas, and government buildings. The company also provides mobile and onsite services comprising mechanical engineering and technical services and solutions for infrastructure systems, including maintenance, retro-commissioning, mechanical retrofits and upgrades, electric vehicle charging stations, electrical service, systems start-ups, performance testing, and energy audits to government facilities, military installations, commercial infrastructure, airports/transportation centers, healthcare centers and hospitals, data centers, manufacturing facil ities, educational campuses, corporate office buildings, resorts, shopping malls, museums, and residences. In addition, it offers support programs to government, such as leadership development, education and training, language support, medical support, and construction management services; and food and facility solutions services to hospitals, healthcare systems, long-term care facilities, and retirement communities. Further, the company operates parking lots and garages at office buildings, hotels, medical centers, retail centers, sports and entertainment arenas, educational institutions, municipalities, and airports; and provides transportation services. Additionally, it offers security services comprising staffing of security officers, mobile patrol services, investigative services, electronic monitoring of fire, life safety systems, access control devices, and security consulting services to various facilities. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  ABM Industries Incorporated (ABM) offers floor cleaning and finishing, window washing, furniture polishing, carpet cleaning and dusting, and other building cleaning services. December 9th the company increased its quarterly dividend 3.3% to $0.155 per share. The dividend is payable February 3, 2014, to stockholders of record on January 2, 2014. The yield based on the new payout is 2.3%.

Best Clean Energy Companies To Own For 2014: Guggenheim Multi-Asset Income ETF (CVY)

The Guggenheim Multi-Asset Income ETF (the Fund), formerly Claymore/Zacks Multi-Asset Income Index ETF, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance of an equity index called the Zacks Multi-Asset Income Index (the Index). The Index consists of approximately 125 to 150 securities selected, based on investment and other criteria, from a universe of domestic and international companies. The universe of securities within the Index includes United States-listed common stocks, American depositary receipts (ADRs) paying dividends, real estate investment trusts, master limited partnerships, closed-end funds and traditional preferred stocks. The companies in the universe are selected using a methodology developed by the index provider, Zacks Investment Research, Inc. The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks to replicate the performance of the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Claymore Advisors, LLC. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Genia Turanova]

  Moreover, investors can do one-stop shopping for most income classes through a single ETF as well. One interesting choice here is Guggenheim Multi-Asset Income (CVY).