Hot Retail Stocks To Watch For 2014

It's the dream of every investor to find a stock that is down on its luck and ride it higher to riches.

These are the turnaround stories: companies that for whatever reason have struggled but are finding a way to get their groove back.

Who doesn't wish they had bought Amazon.com at $6 a share in 2002 after the dot-com meltdown when many tech stocks were left for dead? It is now trading near $285 a share.

Yet for every Amazon.com, there is a Webvan or a Toys.com.

Who?  

That's exactly the point. It's hard to pick out the true turnaround stocks.

Webvan and Toys.com were also Web-based retailers that expanded rapidly in the 1990s. Webvan delivered groceries to homes, much like PeaPod does today. Toys.com tried to do the same with toys by selling toys at lower costs than brick-and-mortar stores.

Top 5 Chemical Stocks To Watch Right Now: CDC Point SpA (CDC)

CDC Point SpA is an Italy-based company engaged in the information technology (IT) sector. The Company structures its business into two main sectors: Production and Distribution of IT, and Business Value-Added. Through the Production and Distribution of IT sector, it is active in the manufacture of consumer desktop personal computers, as well as in the distribution and retail of computer hardware; peripheral equipment and accessories, such as keyboards, monitors, webcams, card readers, audio systems, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) accessories and routers, and software products. Through the Business Value-Added sector, it provides value added services and solutions, including voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services; video surveillance and home automation technologies; software management and e-commerce solutions, and Web services, such as domain registering, hosting, server, email, positioning on search engines and Web marketing services. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By abirk]

  The people of America are becoming more and more health conscious as obesity is growing at a great pace. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one third of US adults (35.7%) is obese. This point out the finger towards the fast-food industry as they are using trans fats (responsible for clogging arteries) in their products to make it more mouth watering.

Hot Retail Stocks To Watch For 2014: Puget Technologies Inc (PUGE)

PUGET TECHNOLOGIES, INC., incorporated on March 17, 2010, is a development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the distribution of luxury wool bedding sets produced in Germany. The Company�� product includes Lama Wool, Camel Wool, Cashmere Wool and Merino Wool.

The Company�� Lama Wool is consists of 50% Lama Wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Camel wool is consists of 50% Camel wool hair, and 50% Merino wool hair. The Cashmere wool is blended with Merino wool.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Inscor, Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA), Puget Technologies Inc (OTCBB: PUGE) and PTA Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: PTAH) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters or investor alerts. However, two of these small caps have been the subject of paid promotions while the third is getting attention largely because its in the growing marijuana or cannabis business. With that in mind, are these stocks really all that hot or not? Here is a quick reality check:

Hot Retail Stocks To Watch For 2014: Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc (SHOS)

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. (SHO), incorporated on April 23, 2012, is a retailer primarily focused on selling home appliances, hardware, tools and lawn and garden equipment. As of April 28, 2012, the Company and its dealers and franchisees operated 1,238 stores across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, Guam and Bermuda. The Company also provides its customers with a range of services, including home delivery and installation and product protection agreements. SHO operates in two segments: the Sears Hometown and Hardware segment and the Sears Outlet segment.

Sears Hometown

Sears Hometown and Hardware segment�� stores are designed to provide its customers with in-store and online access to a range selection of brands of home appliances, tools, lawn and garden equipment, sporting goods, consumer electronics and household goods, depending on the particular store. Its Sears Outlet stores are designed to provide its customers with in-store and online access to purchase new, one-of-a-kind, out-of-carton, discontinued, obsolete, used, reconditioned, overstocked and scratched and dented products, collectively, outlet-value products, including home appliances, lawn and garden equipment, apparel, mattresses, televisions, sporting goods and tools.

As of April 28, 2012, the Sears Hometown and Hardware segment consisted of 944 Sears Hometown Stores, 96 Sears Hardware Stores and 76 Sears Home Appliance Showrooms. The 944 Sears Hometown Stores are primarily independently owned stores, predominantly located in smaller communities and offering appliances, consumer electronics, lawn and garden equipment, and hardware. Hometown Stores carry y Sears brand products, such as Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard, as well as other brands. 96 Sears Hardware Stores are hardware stores that carry Craftsman brand tools and lawn and garden equipment, DieHard brand batteries and other national brands and other home improvement products. 93 of these locations also offer a selection of Kenm! ore and other national brands of home appliances.

Sears Hometown and Hardware business operates through three formats: Sears Hometown Stores (Hometown Stores), Sears Hardware Stores (Hardware Stores), and Sears Home Appliance Showrooms (Home Appliance Showrooms). Hometown Stores offer products and services across a range of merchandise categories, including home appliances, consumer electronics, lawn and garden equipment, sporting goods, tools and household goods. Most of its Hometown Stores carry Sears brand products, such as Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard, as well as other national brands. Its Hardware Stores offer products and services across a range of merchandise categories and sales are primarily driven by tools, lawn and garden equipment, home appliances, and other home improvement products. In addition, these stores offer blade sharpening, key cutting and screen repair, as well as products typically found in local hardware stores, such as fasteners, electrical supplies and plumbing supplies. These stores carry Craftsman brand tools and lawn and garden equipment, DieHard brand batteries and a range of national brands and other home improvement products. Its Home Appliance Showrooms offer home appliances and related services in stores primarily located in strip malls and lifestyle centers of metropolitan areas. Home Appliance Showroom sales are primarily driven by big-ticket cooking, laundry and refrigeration home appliances, as well as, in certain stores, mattresses. These stores carry Kenmore and other national brands of home appliances. As of April 28, 2012, out of 76 Home Appliance Showrooms in 19 states, 44 of these stores are owned and operated by franchisees, 30 stores are owned and operated by the Company and two are owned and operated by independent dealers.

Sears Outlet

As of April 28, 2012, the Sears Outlet segment consisted of 122 Sears Outlet Stores. The Company�� Sears Outlet stores provide in-store and online access to purchase outlet-value ! products ! across a range of merchandise categories, including home appliances, consumer electronics, lawn and garden equipment, apparel, sporting goods, tools, and household goods.

The Company competes with Sears Holdings, The Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe�� and Tractor Supply, Ace Hardware, True Value, HH Gregg and US Appliances.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Isidore]

  Selling the Canadian stores would raise much-needed cash. The company recently spun off its Lands' End unit that it paid $1.9 billion for in 2002. Two years ago it sold a line of specialty stores, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores (SHOS).

• [By Sally Jones]

  After fighting the slippery slopes of re-imagineering Sears and its spin-offs, including the troubled Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH, OSHWQ, OSHSQ), Lampert drastically cut his companies in the second quarter of 2013 but still holds 31.82% of Sears Holdings Corporation (SHLD) and 25.05% of Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores Inc. (SHOS), 2.23% of Gap Inc. (GPS) and 16.75% of AutoNation (AN).

• [By Michael Lewis]

  When investors hear the word "Sears," most immediately think of Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD  ) , the Eddie Lampert-controlled real estate play that has polarized investors and analysts for years. In the value neck of the woods, much attention has lately found its way toward Sears Hometown and Outlets (NASDAQ: SHOS  ) , a business I relentlessly tout as a top retail pick. But there's yet another Sears that attracts even fewer investigators, probably because it resides north of our borders, in America's big brother, Canada. The company is called Sears Canada (TSX: SCC  ) , and it's bouncing off its 52-week lows, trading cheap, cheap, cheap. Let's take a look and see if this is the Sears you should be focusing on.

Hot Retail Stocks To Watch For 2014: AutoCanada Inc (ACQ)

AutoCanada Inc. (AutoCanada) is a multi-location automobile dealership groups. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 24 franchised dealerships in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. During the year ended December 31, 2011, its dealerships sold approximately 28,000 vehicles and processed approximately 300,000 service and collision repair orders in its 333 service bays. As of December 31, 2011, it was authorized to sell through its dealerships the vehicle brands, which include Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Hyundai, Nissan, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Subaru. In addition, it sells a range of used vehicles. In November 2011, the Company acquired assets of two dealerships. In January 2013, the Company purchased the assets of a Volkswagen dealership known as People's Automotive Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Greg Quinn]

  AutoCanada Inc. (ACQ), the country�� largest publicly traded chain of car dealerships, is using sales of trucks to Alberta oil workers to fund higher dividends and buy out competitors.