Top 5 Retail Stocks To Own For 2014

In the following video, Fool contributor Matt Thalman discusses a few stocks which may be hidden winners in the housing industry. These are the companies and stocks that are not the traditional housing sector plays, such as the homebuilders or retailers like Home Depot or Lumber Liquidators.

The first few of the companies are the major cable providers, such as Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) , Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) , and�DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV  ) . For every new home built, one of the cable companies is going to receive a new customer. In Comcast's situation, the lines must be laid, but Dish and DirecTV only need to install a satellite in your yard. General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) is another company that derives a decent portion of its revenue from appliances and lighting, and this unit should see increased revenues as new homes are built.

The television landscape is changing quickly, with new entrants like Netflix and Amazon.com disrupting traditional networks. The Motley Fool's new free report, "Who Will Own the Future of Television?" details the risks and opportunities in TV. Click here to read the full report!

10 Best China Stocks To Own Right Now: Starbucks Corporation(SBUX)

Starbucks Corporation purchases and roasts whole bean coffees. It operates approximately 16,858 stores, including 8,833 company-operated stores and 8,025 licensed stores. The company offers approximately 30 blends and single-origin premium arabica coffees. It also provides handcrafted beverages, such as fresh-brewed coffee, hot and iced espresso beverages, coffee and non-coffee blended beverages, Vivanno smoothies, and Tazo teas; and merchandise products, including home espresso machines, coffee brewers and grinders, coffee mugs and accessories, packaged goods, music, books, and gift items. In addition, it offers fresh food items, which comprise baked pastries, sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, and fruit cups. Further, it also provides VIA ready brew coffee, bottled frappuccino beverages, discoveries chilled cup coffee, doubleshot espresso drinks, iced coffee, whole bean coffee, and ice creams. The company?s brand portfolio includes Tazo tea, Ethos water, Seatt le?s Best Coffee, and Torrefazione Italia Coffee. Starbucks Corporation sells its products in approximately 50 countries worldwide. Starbucks Corporation was founded in 1971 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Sterman]

  Consumers will migrate to other machines that work with the growing proliferation of K-cup options, all of which are cheaper than Green Mountain's offerings. The effort to design an "enhanced brewing process" also seems curious. Few consumers seem to feel that current K-cup offerings are disappointing. It's akin to Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) saying, "Our coffee used to be good, but we're making it better." That's not what a Starbucks customer is looking to hear.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Starbucks provides in-demand coffee and tea products and services to consumers around the world. The company has been secretly testing out a new market since last spring, one for ��andcrafted sodas.���he stock has been exploding to the upside in recent years but is currently pulling back. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been increasing, which has pleased investors in the company. Relative to its peers and sector, Starbucks has been an average year-to-date performer. Look for Starbucks to continue to OUTPERFORM.

• [By Geoff Gannon] >Exxon Mobil (XOM) can only grow up in very special environments." Can you elaborate on that statement? I don't understand what you mean by "special environments."

  By special environments I meant that the companies grew on a societal wave that allowed them to become so huge. They ended up serving enormous markets. They didn�� really grow these markets purely by force of will. In some cases, like Apple, they contributed a lot to the growth of these markets. But it�� not like they invented these markets. And it�� not like these markets needed these particular companies to grow the market. The markets for oil and coffee would be very big with or without Exxon and Starbucks. Those companies grew to be really big companies in really big markets. So, part of it is their own success story ��that�� true. But equal success in a smaller market would never have led them to become so big. It�� not possible for most companies to achieve that kind of growth, because most companies are limited by the carrying capacity of their market.

  Essentially, a company is limited by a few factors:

  路 Carrying Capacity

  路 Time

  路 Assets

  路 Will

  A business is: a thing that exercises its will over assets through time.

  So, the size of a company is determined by its assets and its ability to exercise its will over those assets. Will is exercised by the company�� agents ��its employees. At some companies, the exercise of will is mostly concentrated in one person. At other companies, the exercise of will is mostly dispersed over thousands of employees.

  The growth of a bank is constrained by its ability to exercise its will over its assets. Unless a branch can be opened with the right people in place, the chance of reliable growth is poor.

  Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)(BRK.B)�� growth was also constrained by its inability to exercise its will. Berkshire tried to establish insurance operations that would grow float very

Top 5 Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: SK3 Group Inc (SKTO)

SK3 Group, Inc. (SK3), formerly CTT International Distributors Inc., is a development-stage company. The Company was formed by the merger of Slabsdirect.com, Inc. and CTT International Distributors Inc. SK3 has one subsidiary, CTT Distributors Ltd., which is the operating company. SK3 is in the e-commerce business and provides non-branded computer and electronic merchandise at discount prices to the Internet consumer through its Website www.cheaperthanthem.com. The Website is hosted by Ezyra E-Business Services, an unrelated party, which charges SK3 an annual fee to host the Website. In December 2009, Healthcare of Today, Inc. acquired controlling interest in the Company. In December 2009, the Company acquired NuvoDigital Technology, Inc., a data security technology firm based in Salt Lake City. In addition, in December 2009, the Company's parent company Healthcare of Today, Inc. acquired Xenotis Pty Ltd. In February 2011, the Company acquired PRN Registry. In March 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of HealthStaff Training Institute. In March 2011, the Company acquired W&M Medical Management, Inc. Effective March 14, 2013, the Company acquired Medical Greens, a provider of medical logistics services.

SK3 has a direct business, in which it buys and takes possession of excess electronic and computer inventory for resale (Direct Business). In addition, SK3 has a fulfillment partner business, in which SK3 facilitates the sale of merchandise of other retailers, cataloguers or manufacturers (Fulfillment Associates) through the Website (Fulfillment Business). For both the direct business and fulfillment business, SK3 has developed a consumer and a wholesaler sales channel.

SK3�� Direct Business involves buying and taking possession of inventory for resale. The Company offers moving picture experts group layer-3 audio (MP3) players and a frequency modulation (FM) transmitter accessory for MP3 players on the Website. SK3 seeks to become an online retailer offering non-b! randed electronic and computer merchandise for sale over the Internet. SK3�� Fulfillment Business sells merchandise of Fulfillment Associates through the Website. SK3 manages the orders collected for the Fulfillment Associates through the Website and forwards the orders on to the Fulfillment Associate, who then fills the order. The Fulfillment Associates perform essentially the same operations as a warehouse: order picking and shipping.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Truth be told, it's not clear if SK3 Group Inc. (OTCMKTS:SKTO) is best described when compared to a name like Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ:CERN), or to a Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:GTIV). The company's got elements of both major industries being represented by CERN and GTIV (home health care, and information technology), with the addition of another budding industry thrown into the mix. One thing IS clear though... SKTO shares have decidedly reversed a nasty downtrend, and may now be one of the market's best small cap healthcare speculative trades.

Top 5 Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Group 1 Automotive Inc. (GPI)

Group 1 Automotive, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing and sale of automotive products and services. It sells new and used cars, light trucks, and vehicle parts. The company also provides vehicle financing services; service and insurance contract services; and automotive maintenance and repair services. The company has operations located in metropolitan areas in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas in the United States; and in the towns of Brighton, Hailsham, and Worthing in the United Kingdom. As of October 25, 2012, it owned and operated 121 automotive dealerships, 158 franchises, and 30 collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom that offer 32 brands of automobiles. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ning Jia]

  In 2001, Advance Auto Parts acquires Carport Auto Parts, a regional retail chain with 29 stores in Alabama and Mississippi. The combination of Advance and Carport locations establishes Advance Auto Parts as the market leader in Alabama and Mississippi. In November of 2011, Advance acquires 671 Discount Auto Parts, Inc., a regional auto parts chain in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana. The acquisition strengthens the company's position as the market leader in Florida. Upon completion of this merger, Advance Auto Parts becomes a publicly traded company, listed as a common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AAP. After the Company went public in 2001, AAP continued to expand both organically and through acquisition. On October 16th 2013, Advance Auto Parts entered into a definitive agreement to acquire General Parts International, Inc. (GPI), a leading privately held distributor and supplier of original equipment and aftermarket replacement products for commercial markets operating under the CARQUEST and WORLDPAC brands, in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of $2.04 billion. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors for both companies. The deal creates the largest automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, with annual sales of more than $9.2 billion and more than 70,000 employees.

Top 5 Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (RH)

Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. (Restoration Hardware Holdings), incorporated on August 18, 2011, is a holding company. The Company is merchants of home furnishings. Restoration Hardware Holdings offers merchandise assortments across a number of categories, including furniture, lighting, textiles, bath ware, decor, outdoor, garden, and baby and child products. The Company�� business is integrated across its multiple channels of distribution, consists of its stores, catalogs and Websites. As of July 28, 2012, the Company�� operated a total of 73 retail stores, consisted of 71 Galleries and two full line Design Galleries, and 10 outlet stores throughout the United States and Canada. RH is a brand in the home furnishings. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), the Company opened five stores and closed 22 stores. In fiscal 2011, the Company distributed approximately 26.1 million catalogs, and its Websites logged over 14.3 million visits.

Restoration Hardware Holdings operates a Website for its Baby & Child brand at www.rhbabyandchild.com. The Company opened its two full line Design Galleries in Los Angeles in, June 2011 and Houston in November 2011. In May 2011, the Company launched catalog applications for Apple�� iPad and iPhone that enable customers to view and purchase its product assortment. Restoration Hardware Holdings operates three store types: the Company's full line Design Gallery format, approximately between 22,000 and 28,000 gross square feet; its Gallery format of approximately 7,000-15,000 gross square feet, and its Baby & Child Gallery format of approximately 2,000-3,000 gross square feet.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jack Kramer and Nick Martell]

  2. Restoration Hardware earnings jump 200%
  Move over, Pottery Barn. There's a much cooler home furnishings company making American homes look mature and wise. Shares of Restoration Hardware (NYSE: RH  ) popped over 13% in after-hours trading Wednesday following its evening earnings report release. RH enjoyed $366.3 million in quarterly revenue, a 22% rise from the same period in 2013.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Not investors in Restoration Hardware (RH). Its shares have dropped 2% in after-hours trading after it reported a profit of 49 cents a share, above forecasts for 43 cents, but offered mixed guidance. Oxford Industries (OXM) is off 7.3% at $60 after it announced a profit of $1.01, ahead of 98 cents consensus forecasts, but lowered its 2013 guidance. Shares of SunEdison (SUNE) have dropped 5.4% to $7.90 after it announced a secondary offering.