Top 5 Income Companies To Own For 2014

Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Emeritus (NYSE: ESC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 5 Income Companies To Own For 2014: Triangle Capital Corporation (TCAP)

Triangle Capital Corporation is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, ESOPs, change of control transactions, acquisition financings, growth financing, and recapitalizations in lower middle market companies. The firm prefers to make investments in many business sectors including manufacturing, distribution, transportation, energy, communications, health services, restaurants, media, and others. It primarily invests in companies located throughout the United States, with an emphasis on the Southeast and Midatlantic. The firm typically invests between $5 million and $20 million per transaction, in companies having annual revenues between $10 million and $200 million and an EBITDA between $3 million and $20 million and can also co-invest. It primarily invests in senior subordinated debt securities secured by second lien security interests in portfolio company assets, coupled with equity interests. The firm also invests in senior debt securities secured by first lien security interests in portfolio companies. Triangle Capital Corporation was founded in 2002 and is based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Top 5 Income Companies To Own For 2014: Officemax Incorporated(OMX)

OfficeMax Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, distributes business-to-business and retail office products. Its Contract segment markets and sells office supplies and paper, technology products and solutions, office furniture, and print and document services directly to large corporate and government offices, as well as to small and medium-sized offices through field salespeople, outbound telesales, catalogs, Internet, and office products stores. As of December 31, 2011, this segment operated 38 distribution centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand; 4 customer service and outbound telesales centers in the United States; and 47 office products stores in Canada, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand. The company?s Retail segment markets and sells office supplies and paper, print and document services, technology products and solutions, and office furniture to small and medium-sized businesses and consumers through a network of reta il stores. As of December 31, 2011, this segment operated 978 stores in the United States and Mexico; 3 large distribution centers in the United States; and 1 small distribution center in Mexico. The company, formerly known as Boise Cascade Corporation, was founded in 1913 and is headquartered in Naperville, Illinois.

Top Healthcare Technology Companies To Buy For 2014: Sharps Compliance Corp(SMED)

Sharps Compliance Corp. provides management solutions for medical waste, used healthcare materials, and unused dispensed medications in the United States. The company offers a range of product and service solutions, including sharps recovery system for the containment, transportation, treatment, and tracking of medical waste and used healthcare materials generated outside the hospital and health care facility settings. It also provides takeaway environmental return systems, complete needle collection and disposal systems, Rx takeaway recovery and reporting systems, sharps MWMS, takeaway recovery systems, and sharpstracer solutions. In addition, the company offers various other logistical solutions, such as pitch-it IV poles, trip lessystem, sharps pump and asset return boxes, sharps secure needle collection and containment systems, sharps recovery system needle collection and mailback disposal systems, isowash linen recovery systems, and biohazard spill clean-up kit and di sposal systems. It serves consumers in government, home health care, retail clinics and immunizing pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, professional offices, hospitality, commercial, industrial, and agriculture markets. Sharps Compliance Corp. was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Top 5 Income Companies To Own For 2014: Patriot Coal Corporation(PCX)

Patriot Coal Corporation engages in the mining, production, and sale of thermal coal primarily to electricity generators in the eastern United States. It has operations and coal reserves in the Appalachia and the Illinois Basin coal regions. The company is also involved in the production of metallurgical quality coal and sells it to steel mills and independent coke producers. As of December 31, 2011, Patriot Coal Corporation operated 11 active mining complexes in West Virginia; and 3 mining complexes in western Kentucky. In addition, it controlled approximately 1.9 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves that comprise metallurgical coal and medium and high-Btu thermal coal, with low, medium, and high sulfur content. The company, through its subsidiary, Magnum Coal Company, operates eight mining complexes with production from surface and underground mines in Appalachia, as well as controls approximately 600 million tons of proven and probable coal reserves. Patrio t Coal Corporation is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Top 5 Income Companies To Own For 2014: Key Energy Services Inc. (KEG)

Key Energy Services, Inc. operates as an onshore rig-based well servicing contractor in the United States and internationally. The company offers rig-based services, including the maintenance, workover, and recompletion of existing oil and gas wells; completion of newly-drilled wells; and plugging and abandonment of wells at the end of their lives, as well as specialty drilling services to oil and natural gas producers. It also provides fluid management services, such as vacuum truck services, fluid transportation services, and disposal services for operators, whose wells produce saltwater or other non-hydrocarbon fluids; and equipment trucks that are used to move large equipment from one well site to the next, as well as supplies frac tanks, which are used for temporary storage of fluids associated with fluid hauling operations. In addition, the company operates a fleet of hot oilers for pumping heated fluids that are used to clear soluble restrictions in a wellbore; and offers intervention services, such as coiled tubing, pumping, and nitrogen service. Further, it provides fishing services that involve recovering lost or stuck equipment in the wellbore utilizing an array of fishing tools; rental equipment comprising drill pipe, tubulars, pressure-control equipment, power swivels, and foam air units, as well as handling tools comprising Hydra-Walk pipe-handling units and services; oilfield service equipment controls, data acquisition, and digital information flow services; and drilling, project management, consulting, and reservoir engineering services. The company was formerly known as Key Energy Group, Inc. and changed its name to Key Energy Services, Inc. in December 1998. Key Energy Services, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.