Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014

With the Federal Reserve standing pat this week, the S&P 500 index has reached another all-time high.

Yet this bull market is proving to be even more fertile for investors in small-cap and micro-cap stocks. Both the iShares Russell Microcap Index and the Russell 2000 Small Cap Index are outperforming the S&P 500 by a solid margin over the past two years.

With no end in sight to the bull market, there's no reason to stop focusing on these small companies at this juncture. If the economy can manage to build a head of steam in 2014 and 2015, then these small stocks should see even deeper investor interest.

Here are three stocks that all trade below $5 and sport market values below $500 million -- and are poised for solid upside if this rally continues.

1. Lionbridge Technologies (Nasdaq: LIOX) I took note of heavy insider buying at this language translation services firm back in July, and though shares are up nearly 10% since then, the company's outlook has brightened markedly. 

On the second-quarter conference call, management delivered its most upbeat discussion of business trends in several years, noting that Lionbridge is seeing an expansion in its relationship with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the return of several other large tech clients that had dropped off in the past few years, and a rising order book with manufacturing and life sciences clients. 

10 Best Life Sciences Stocks To Invest In Right Now: KVH Industries Inc.(KVHI)

KVH Industries, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of mobile communication products for the marine, land mobile, and aeronautical markets primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company also offers navigation, guidance, and stabilization products for the defense and commercial markets. Its mobile communications products and airtime services include TracVision; TracPhone; CommBox system, a middleware software; and mini-VSAT broadband airtime, which enable customers to receive voice, Internet, and live digital television services in their marine vessels, recreational vehicles, automobiles, and commercial airplanes through satellite. The company?s guidance and stabilization products consist of precision fiber optic gyro based systems that help stabilize platforms, such as gun turrets, remote weapon stations, and radar units, as well as provides guidance for munitions; and tactical navigation systems that offer access to navigation and point ing information in a range of military vehicles, including tactical trucks and light armored vehicles. Its guidance and stabilization products are used in various commercial applications comprising precision mapping, dynamic surveying, autonomous vehicles, train location control and track geometry measurement systems, industrial robotics, and optical stabilization. The company sells its mobile communications products through an international network of retailers, distributors, and dealers; and guidance and stabilization products directly to the United States and allied governments, and government contractors, as well as through an international network of authorized independent sales representatives. It also leases its products directly to end users. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Middletown, Rhode Island.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  In trading on Thursday, technology shares were relative laggards, down on the day by about 0.08%. Top decliners in the sector included KVH Industries (NASDAQ: KVHI), off 8.6%, and Yandex NV (NASDAQ: YNDX), down 7.3%.

Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014: Oil-Dri Corporation Of America(ODC)

Oil-Dri Corporation of America engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of sorbent products in the United States and internationally. The company offers cat litter products, including coarse and scoopable products under Cat?s Pride and Jonny Cat brands; industrial and automotive sorbent products comprising clay-based, polypropylene-based, and cotton-based sorbent products to absorb oil, grease, water, and chemical spills under the Oil-Dri brand; and bleaching clay and clarification aid products for bleaching, purification, and filtration applications under Pure-Flo, Perform, Select, and Ultra-Clear names. It also provides agricultural and horticultural products consisting of granular and powdered mineral absorbent products that are used as carriers for crop protection chemicals, agricultural drying agents, bulk processing aids, growing media components, and seed enhancement media under Agsorb, Verge, Flo-Fre, and Terra-Green brands. In addition, the company offers animal health and nutrition products, such as enterosorbent products and animal feed binders for the livestock industry under Calibrin, ConditionAde, Pel-Unite, and Pel-Unite Plus names; and sports products for use on baseball, football, and soccer fields under the Pro?s Choice brand. Its customers include mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, drugstore chains, pet specialty retail outlets, dollar stores, retail grocery stores, distributors of industrial cleanup and automotive products, environmental service companies, and sports field product users; processors and refiners of edible oils, petroleum-based oils, and biodiesel fuel; manufacturers of animal feed and agricultural chemicals; and marketers of consumer products. Oil-Dri Corporation of America sells its products through sales force; food brokers; distributors, including industrial, auto parts, safety, sanitary supply, chemical, and paper distributors; and catalogs. The company was founded in 1941 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  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 Oil-Dri Corp. of America (NYSE: ODC  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014: Transcept Pharmaceuticals Inc.(TSPT)

Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of proprietary products that address therapeutic needs in the field of neuroscience. Its principal product is the Intermezzo, a low dose sublingual formulation of zolpidem as a sleep aid for use in the middle of the night at the time a patient awakens and has difficulty returning to sleep. The company has a collaboration agreement with Purdue Pharmaceutical Products, L.P. for the commercialization of Intermezzo in the United States. It is also developing TO-2061, a low dose ondansetron adjunctive therapy, which is in Phase II study for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Point Richmond, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  An under-$10 biotech stock that's trending very close to triggering a near-term breakout trade is Transcept Pharmaceuticals (TSPT), which is focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary products that address important therapeutic needs in neuroscience. This stock has been hit hard by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off by 36%.

  If you take a look at the chart for TSPT, you'll notice that this stock has been trending sideways inside of a big consolidation pattern for the last three months, with shares moving between $2.71 on the downside and $3.25 on the upside. Shares of TSPT are counter-trending higher today in the face of a very weak tape. This move is starting to push the stock within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above the upper-end of its sideways trading chart pattern.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TSPT if it manages to break out above its 50-day moving average at $2.91 a share and then once it takes out more near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.16 to $3.25 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 138,444 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then TSPT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4.23 to its 200-day at $4.39 a share. If those levels get taken out with volume, then TSPT could easily hit its next major overhead resistance levels at $5 to $5.50 a share.

  Traders can look to buy TSPT off weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its recent low of $2.71 a share. One can also buy TSPT off strength once it clears those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Transcept Pharmaceuticals (TSPT) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary products that address important therapeutic needs in neuroscience. This stock closed up 6% to $2.98 in Thursday's trading session.

  Thursday's Range: $2.81-$2.99
  
  52-Week Range: $2.77-$6.77
  
  Thursday's Volume: 138,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 158,095

  From a technical perspective, TSPT spiked sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $2.77 and back above its 50-day moving average at $2.95 with decent upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of TSPT within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if TSPT manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.16 to $3.25 with high volume. If that breakout hits, it would also push TSPT outside of a large consolidation pattern the stock has been in for the last three months.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TSPT as long as it's trending above some key near-term support at $2.77 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 158,095 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then TSPT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4.23 to its 200-day moving average at $4.50. Any high-volume move above those levels will then put $4.89 to $5 into range for shares of TSPT.

Top 5 Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014: (TELNY)

Telenor ASA operates as a telecommunication company worldwide. It provides mobile communication, fixed line communication, and television (TV)-based services. The company?s mobile communication services include voice, data, Internet, content, and electronic commerce services, as well as customer equipment, such as telephone sets, mobile phones, smart phones, computers, and PABX?s. Its fixed line services comprise analogue PSTN, digital ISDN, broadband telephony, xDSL, Internet, and leased lines, as well as communication solutions. The company?s TV-based services consist of pay-TV services via satellite dish, cable TV-networks, satellite master antenna TV-networks systems, broadband access services to cable TV-subscribers, and broadcasting rights, as well as security solutions to pay-TV operators. It also provides consulting and information technology services; maritime and aircraft telecommunications services; Internet protocol services; and mobile marketing agency service s, as well as manages two funds. The company has approximately 120 million mobile subscriptions. Telenor ASA was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Fornebu, Norway.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  Next Page

  European Dividend Stocks to Buy: Telenor ASA (TELNY)

  Dividend Yield: 5.3%

  Norwegian telecom operator Telenor (TELNY) has exactly what I like to see in ��merging markets lite��dividend stocks. It�� headquartered in a well-regulated European market, and it has a large-enough market presence in developed markets to provide a level of stability. Norway accounts for 24% of revenues, with other European markets (primarily Sweden and Denmark, though Telenor has significant operations in Hungary, Serbia. Montenegro and Bulgaria as well) making up another 24%.