5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014

Much-maligned regional bank Synovus Financial (NYSE: SNV  ) reported first-quarter earnings this morning, and it pretty much went as expected. With consensus estimates pegging the Georgia bank at $0.02 earnings per share, Synovus didn't disappoint and met that number, and the stock has risen in trading today.

This year truly could be a make or break year for the bank. With nearly $1 billion in TARP obligations still impeding its performance, the bank really needed to show impressive progress in order to pay off those obligations as planned by the third quarter. Did the bank start the year off on the right foot? Or will it be playing catch up in quarters to come?

So far, so good
The first quarter pre-tax income of $46.6 million was the highest the bank has seen in nearly five years. This would not have been possible without significant reductions in the cost of credit and expenses.Credit costs also reached their lowest levels in five years, down to $49.3 million for the quarter. This was a substantial decrease from the first quarter of last year, which came in at $90.9 million.�

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc.(SHO)

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. operates as a real estate investment trust. The firm engages in the acquisition, ownership, asset management, renovation, and sale of luxury, upper upscale, and upscale full-service hotels in the United States. Its portfolio also includes mid-scale hotels. Sunstone Hotel Investors was founded in 1995 and is based in Aliso Viejo, California.

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Abbastar Uranium Corp (ABA.V)

Abbastar Resources Corp. engages in the identification, acquisition, and exploration of mineral interests in Canada. The company primarily explores for gold, pyrite, copper sulphide, zinc sulphide, copper, and uranium deposits. It owns an option to acquire a 100% undivided interest in the Talbot Lake project located in the Talbot Lake Area in northern Ontario, Canada; and holds a 35% interest in the Doran Property consisting of 47 contiguous mineral claims covering an area of approximately 2,500 hectares located in the Baie Johan Beetz area of Costebelle Township in Quebec, Canada. The company also has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Kid Copper Property that covers an area of approximately 67.5 hectares in the Liard Mining division, northern British Columbia; the Smith Creek Property, which covers an area of 189 hectares located in Hedley, British Columbia; and the Manson River Property located in the Omineca Mining Division in central British Columbia, Canada. Th e company was formerly known as Abbastar Uranium Corp. and changed its name to Abbastar Resources Corp. in July 2009. Abbastar Resources Corp. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Own For 2014: EZchip Semiconductor Limited(EZCH)

EZchip, a fabless semiconductor company, engages in the development and marketing of Ethernet network processors for networking equipment. Its products include network processor chips, evaluation boards and network-processor based systems, and development software toolkits. The company offers network processors for use in forming the silicon core of networking equipment, such as switches and routers; and for voice, video and data integration in various applications. Its network processors are single-chip solutions, which enable its customers to design multi-port line cards, such as processing and classification engines, traffic managers, media access controllers, as well as a range of specialized hardware blocks that accelerate various functions. The company offers Evaluation systems which enable customers to test NPU-based systems; and toolkits that assist customers in creating, verifying, and implementing solutions based on its network processors. It provides a library f eaturing data plane code for a range of applications, which include Metro Ethernet protocols, Multi-Protocol Label Switching, IPv4 and IPv6 routing, Access Control Lists, GPON/EPON OLT functionality, Network Address Translation, and Server Load Balancing. The company sells its products directly, and through contract manufacturers and distributors to network equipment vendors. It markets its products in Israel, China, Hong Kong, the Far East, Canada, the United States, and Europe. The company was formerly known as LanOptics Ltd. and changed its name to EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. in July 2008. EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. was founded in 1989 and is based in Yokneam, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul]  

  Known for designing high-speed networking equipment chips. They had a solid first quarter as revenue gained 38% and now they are sitting on $75 million of cash with no expenses or debt. I believe this is a strong technology bet and I place a target of $30.

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Spartan Stores Inc.(SPTN)

Spartan Stores, Inc. operates as a grocery distributor and retailer principally in Michigan and Indiana. The company operates in two segments, Distribution and Retail. The Distribution segment provides approximately 43,000 stock-keeping units, including dry groceries, produce, dairy products, meat, deli, bakery, frozen food, seafood, floral products, general merchandise, pharmacy, and health and beauty care items to approximately 375 independent grocery stores and 96 corporate-owned stores, as well as offers approximately 3,600 private brand grocery and general merchandise items. It also provides value-added services, including site identification and market analyses; store planning and development; marketing, promotion, advertising; technology and information; accounting and tax preparation; human resource; coupon redemption; product reclamation; printing; category management; real estate; and construction management services. The Retail segment operates 97 retail superma rkets in Michigan under the Glen?s Markets, Family Fare Supermarkets, D&W Fresh Markets, VG?s Food and Pharmacy, and Valu Land names; and 25 fuel centers/convenience stores that offers refueling facilities, as well as immediately consumable products under the Glen?s Quick Stop, Family Fare Quick Stop, D&W Fresh Markets Quick Stop, and VG?s Quick Stop names. Its retail supermarkets offer dry groceries, produce, dairy products, meat, frozen food, seafood, floral products, general merchandise, beverages, tobacco products, health and beauty care products, delicatessen items, and bakery goods, as well as pharmacy services. This segment also provides private brand items, including its Spartan brand; Fresh Selections; Top Care, a health and beauty care brand; Valu Time, a value brand; Full Circle, a natural and organic brand; and Paws, a pet supplies brand. The company was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

5 Best Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: ChinaNet Online Holdings Inc.(CNET)

ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. offers business-to-business integrated Internet service provider services for small and medium enterprises? sales networks in the People?s Republic of China. Its multi-platform advertising network consists of the Website 28.com, an Internet advertising portal; ChinaNet TV, a television production and advertising unit; and bank kiosk advertising unit, which is primarily used as an advertising platform for clients in the financial services industry. The company, through its Internet portal 28.com, enables companies and entrepreneurs to advertise their business information, brands, products, services, and business opportunities, as well as to build sales channels and develop relationships directly with franchisees, sales agents, distributors, and/or resellers. The 28.com also offers campaign management tools, including lead generation and capture, advanced tracking, search engine marketing and optimization, resource scheduling, and content man agement for the company?s clients. The company, through its ChinaNet TV, creates and distributes television shows comprising advertisements similar to infomercials, as well as promotions for various clients during the allotted time; and produces Web video advertisements for clients to be placed on 28.com. Its bank kiosks provide advertising services and Internet access to perform non-cash banking functions, such as transferring money, purchasing annuities and/or insurance, and paying bills. In addition, it offers cloud-based management tools. As of December 31, 2010, the company provided advertising, marketing, and lead generation services to approximately 1,200 clients in various consumer focused business categories comprising 883 clients. It serves customers in food and beverage; cosmetics and healthcare; footwear, apparel, and garments; home goods and construction materials; and environmental protection equipment industries. The company was founded in 2003 and is headqua rtered in Beijing, China.