Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014

Chinese stocks rallied, capping the longest streak of weekly gains in four months, on speculation the government will accelerate economic reforms.

Poly Real Estate Group Co. and Gemdale Corp. led a gauge of property companies to the biggest advance among industry groups on the prospect the government won�� impose more real-estate curbs as the economy slows. Sanan Optoelectronics Co. paced an advance for technology companies, surging 7.4 percent. The nation�� economic planning agency said investment projects for airports and gas fields won�� need pre-approval any more. Xi Jinping�� government has set up working groups to draft fiscal changes and financial restructuring, Caixin Online reported.

��here�� speculation President Xi is coming up with detailed reform plans,��Li Jun, a strategist at Central China Securities Co. in Shanghai, said by phone today. ��here�� a lot of expectations for a restructuring of the economy that would benefit the market in the future.��

Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014: Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (ARI)

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc., a real estate investment trust, engages in originating, acquiring, investing in, and managing performing commercial first mortgage loans, commercial mortgage-backed securities, mezzanine financings, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments in the United States. The company is qualified as a real estate investment trust (REIT) under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income taxes, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Mortgage real estate investment trust�Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance� (NYSE: ARI  ) announced this morning its second-quarter dividend for its 8.625% Series A cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred stock�of $0.5391�per share for the period ending July 15. That's the same rate it's paid for the past three quarters after it was increased 21% from $0.4432 per share.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014: Citizens Inc (CIA)

Citizens, Inc. (Citizens), incorporated on November 8, 1977, is an insurance holding company serving the life insurance needs of individuals in the United States. The Company operates in three segments: Life Insurance, Home Service and Other Non-insurance Enterprises. Its core insurance operations include issuing and servicing the United States Dollar-denominated ordinary whole life insurance and endowment policies predominantly to high net worth, high income foreign residents, principally in Latin America and the Pacific Rim, through independent marketing consultants; ordinary whole life insurance policies to middle income households concentrated in the midwest and southern United States through independent marketing consultants, and final expense and limited liability property policies to middle and lower income households in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi through employee and independent agents in its home service distribution channel.

Life Insurance

The Company�� Life Insurance segment issues ordinary whole life insurance domestically and in United States Dollar-denominated amounts to foreign residents. These contracts are designed to provide a fixed amount of insurance coverage over the life of the insured. Additionally, endowment contracts are issued by the Company, which are principally accumulation contracts that incorporate an element of life insurance protection. The Company operates the segment through its subsidiaries: CICA Life Insurance Company of America (CICA) and Citizens National Life Insurance Company (CNLIC).

The Company offers several ordinary whole life insurance and endowment products designed to meet the needs of its non-United States policy owners. Its domestic life insurance products focus primarily on living needs and provide benefits focused toward accumulating money for the policyowner. The Company�� life insurance products are principally designed to address the insured�� concern about outliving his or her monthly income,! while at the same time providing death benefits. The primary purpose of its product portfolio is to help the insured create capital for needs, such as retirement income, children's higher education funds, business opportunities, emergencies and health care needs.

Home Service Insurance

The Company operates in the Home Service market through its subsidiaries Security Plan Life Insurance Company (SPLIC) and Security Plan Fire Insurance Company (SPFIC), and focus on the life insurance needs of the middle and lower income markets, primarily in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Its home service insurance products consist primarily of small face amount ordinary whole life and pre-need policies, which are designed to fund final expenses for the insured, primarily consisting of funeral and burial costs.

Other Non-Insurance Enterprises

Other Non-insurance Enterprises includes Computing Technology, Inc., which provides data processing services to the Company, and Insurance Investors, Inc., which provides aviation transportation to the Company. This segment also includes the results of Citizens, Inc., the parent Company.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks To Buy For 2014: Peoples Bancorp Inc.(PEBO)

Peoples Bancorp Inc. operates as a holding company for Peoples Bank, National Association that provides financial products and services. It offers commercial and retail banking, insurance, brokerage, and trust services. The company accepts various deposit products, including demand deposit accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit; and provides commercial, consumer, and real estate mortgage loans, as well as lines of credit. It also offers debit and automated teller machine (ATM) cards; corporate and personal trust services; safe deposit rental facilities; travelers checks, money orders, and cashier?s checks; and telephone and Internet-based banking services. In addition, the company provides a range of life, health, and property and casualty insurance products; and fiduciary and wealth management services. Further, it offers brokerage services through an unaffiliated registered broker-dealer; and credit cards to consumers and business es, as well as provides merchant credit card processing services through joint marketing arrangements with third parties. The company offers its financial products and services through 47 financial service locations and 40 ATMs in southeastern Ohio, northwestern West Virginia, and northeastern Kentucky. Peoples Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1902 and is based in Marietta, Ohio.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014: Nomura Holdings Inc ADR (NMR)

Nomura Holdings, Inc. provides financial services in Japan and internationally. The company operates in three divisions: Retail, Asset Management, and Wholesale. The Retail division primarily offers investment consultation services to retail clients. It also provides various financial instruments, such as stocks, debt securities, investment trusts, and variable annuity insurance products for the short, medium, and long term. As of March 31, 2011, this division operated a network of approximately 174 branches. The Asset Management division involves in the development and management of investment trusts. This division also offers investment advisory services to public and private pensions, governments and their agencies, central banks, and institutional investors. The Wholesale division engages in the fixed income and equity trading, and asset finance businesses. It provides debt securities, foreign currencies, and stocks, as well as related derivatives; and equities securit ies and equity-linked derivatives; and execution services, such as algorithmic trading and transaction cost analysis. This division also involves in underwriting various types of stocks, convertible and exchangeable securities, investment grade debt, sovereign and emerging market debt, high yield debt, structured securities, and other securities; offers financial advisory services and solutions on business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, capital structuring, corporate defense activities, leveraged buyouts, and risk solutions; and operates private equity investment business. The company primarily serves individuals, corporations, financial institutions, governments, and governmental agencies, as well as retail and asset management clients. Nomura Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Carroll]

  Japan's average stock valuation compares with Dow member Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) , which also boasts a P/E of 17.6 after running up more than 24% this year, one of the Dow's top gainers. Boeing's a fit match for the P/E after a successful but mixed recent past marred by the 787 grounding drama, even as the company topped earnings expectations this past quarter. Similarly, Japan faces both rewards and challenges from its new, stimulus-paved road. While the easy-money climate has sparked a surge in Japanese financial stocks such as Nomura Holdings (NYSE: NMR  ) -- a company where revenues jumped 30% on the back of stimulus -- questions linger about how Japan will service its debt, which has grown to more than 200% of GDP, as well as combat the potential of reduced bank lending as a result of low interest rates.

• [By Maureen Farrell]

  Shortly after Lehman declared bankruptcy, Barclays (BCS) paid $1.3 billion for most of the firm's North American operations, its Times Square headquarters, and about 9,000 employees. Nomura Holdings (NMR) paid roughly $200 million for Lehman's operations in Asia.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014: Fidelity Bancorp Inc.(FSBI)

Fidelity Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Fidelity Bank, PaSB that provides a range of banking services in Pennsylvania. It primarily engages in generating deposits and originating loans. The company?s deposit products include savings accounts, demand deposit accounts, NOW accounts, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as retirement accounts, including individual retirement account certificates and Keogh plan retirement certificates. Its loan portfolio comprises residential real estate loans, commercial and multi-family real estate loans, construction loans, and commercial business loans and leases, as well as installment loans, such as home equity and consumer loans. The company also involves in mortgage securitization transactions. As of September 30, 2010, Fidelity Bancorp provided its services through its main office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as 13 branch offices in Allegheny and Butler counties. The company w as founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014: Magyar Bancorp Inc.(MGYR)

Magyar Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Magyar Bank, which provides various banking products and services in New Jersey. The company?s deposit products include demand accounts, savings accounts, now accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans, construction loans, commercial business loans, home equity lines of credit, and consumer loans. The company also provides non-deposit investment products and financial planning services, including insurance products, fixed and variable annuities, and retirement planning for individual and commercial customers. As of September 30, 2009, it operated five branch offices, including two in New Brunswick, and one each in North Brunswick, South Brunswick, and Branchburg, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Magyar Bancorp, Inc. is a subsi diary of Magyar Bancorp, MHC.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014: Harleysville Savings Bank(HARL)

Harleysville Savings Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Harleysville Savings Bank that provides various banking products and services primarily in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company accepts various deposit products that include passbook and club savings accounts, NOW and regular checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, retirement accounts, certificates of deposit, and jumbo certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises loans secured by first mortgages on single-family residential properties; loans on residential properties, including loans on multi-family residential properties, construction loans, and lot loans on such properties; commercial real estate and commercial business loans; home equity lines, including installment home equity loans and home equity lines of credit; and consumer loans, such as automobile loans, loans on savings accounts, and education loans. Harleysville also provides remote ATM locations, the Internet, and telephone banking services. It operates six full-service offices located in Montgomery County and one office located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1915 and is headquartered in Harleysville, Pennsylvania.

Top Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014: SYMPHONY INTERNATIONAL HLDGS LTD ORD NPV(SIHL.L)

Symphony International Holdings Limited is a private equity and venture capital firm focused on strategic long-term direct investment opportunities in the Asia Pacific region. The firm typically invests in private equity-type deals such as management buy-outs/buy-ins, restructurings, and the provision of later-stage development and expansion capital. It primarily invests in innovative and high-growth consumer businesses primarily in the healthcare, hospitality, and lifestyle sectors. The firm seeks to invest in the entire Asia Pacific region with special focus on India, China, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the emerging markets of Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. It seeks to be the lead or sole investor. Symphony International Holdings Limited is based in Singapore with additional offices in Central, Hong Kong and Road Town, British Virgin Islands.