Best Trucking Companies To Buy Right Now

The new U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, is clearly a believer that the country absolutely must become more self-sufficient with the nation's energy supplies. He recently outlined three points of focus in order to make this a reality: increase our efficiency, electrify our transportation sector, and utilize alternative fuels.

In the following video, Motley Fool energy analysts provide you with details on a variety of companies that are already addressing these issues, and offer reasons why they might be worth consideration for your investment portfolio.�

One such company has been attempting to capitalize on the the movement toward alternative energy as it continues gaining momentum. This potential opportunity in this field is Clean Energy Fuels, which focuses its natural gas efforts primarily on trucking and fleet vehicles. It's poised to make a big impact on an essential industry. Learn everything you need to know about Clean Energy Fuels in The Motley Fool's premium research report on the company. Just click here now to claim your copy today.

Top 5 Value Stocks To Buy Right Now: Diageo plc(DEO)

Diageo plc engages in producing, distilling, brewing, bottling, packaging, distributing, developing, and marketing spirits, beer, and wine products worldwide. It offers a range of brands, including Johnnie Walker scotch whiskies, Smirnoff vodka and Smirnoff ready to drink products, Baileys Original Irish Cream liqueur, Crown Royal Canadian whisky, Captain Morgan rum and rum based products, Jose Cuervo tequila, JeB scotch whisky, Buchanan?s scotch whisky, Windsor Premier scotch whisky, Ketel One vodka, Ciroc vodka, Tanqueray gin, Bushmills Irish whiskey, and Guinness stout. The company also provides other spirits brands that comprise Gordon?s gin and vodka, Old Parr scotch whisky, Bell?s scotch whisky, The Classic Malts scotch whiskies, Seagram?s 7 Crown whiskey and Seagram?s VO whisky, Cacique rum, White Horse scotch whisky, Don Julio tequila, and Bundaberg rum. In addition, it offers beer under various brands, such as Malta Guinness non-alcoholic malt, Harp lager, Tu sker lager, Smithwick?s ale, Senator lager, and Red Stripe lager; and wine under a range of brands, including Blossom Hill, Sterling Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyard, Navarro Correas, Acacia Vineyard, Rosenblum Cellars, Piat d?Or, Chalone Vineyard, and Santa Rita. Further, Diageo plc owns the distribution rights for the Jose Cuervo tequila brands in North America and internationally. The company was founded in 1886 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Alcohol is on tap for every occasion, and Diageo (NYSE: DEO  ) plays a central roll. The good news for investors is that roll may be getting even better.

• [By G. A. Chester]

  LONDON -- There are things to love and loathe about most companies. Today, I'm going to tell you about three things to loathe about Diageo (LSE: DGE  ) (NYSE: DEO  ) .

Best Trucking Companies To Buy Right Now: Sinovac Biotech Ltd.(SVA)

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and commercialization of vaccines against the hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and influenza viruses in the People's Republic of China. It offers Healive, an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine; Bilive, a combination of hepatitis A and B vaccine; Anflu, a split virus influenza vaccine; and Panflu, a vaccine against the influenza A H1N1 virus. The company's pipeline vaccine candidates include a split viron vaccine, which completed Phase II clinical trials for the H5N1 influenza virus; and a SARS vaccine, which completed Phase I clinical trials for the SARS virus. In addition, its pipeline vaccine candidates that completed the pre-clinical trials comprise human vaccines for EV71, pneumococcal conjugate, haemophilus influenzae type b, meningitis, Japanese encephalitis, chickenpox, mumps, and rubella diseases, as well as rabies vaccine for humans and animals. The company markets and sell s its vaccine products directly to the provincial and municipal disease control and prevention centers. It has a patent license agreement with the National Institutes of Health; distribution agreements with LG Life Sciences, Ltd. and Glovax C.V.; and a pandemic influenza vaccine co-development agreement with the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Sinovac Biotech Ltd. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Troubling is that it's a new presence in humans, and while that makes its spread among the populace difficult, scientists fear that it's gaining momentum. Sinovac Biotech (NASDAQ: SVA  ) , which was approved to produce vaccines several years ago, jumped almost 7% yesterday as it gears up to mass produce a vaccine to combat the new threat.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  LGND is a strong buy at today�� price.

  Biotech Stocks to Buy: Sinovac Biotech (SVA)

  Sinovac Biotech LTD (SVA) is a Chinese biotech company that makes drugs to treat conditions such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and influenza viruses. The just announced that the phase three trials of a new drug to fight a virus called EV-71 that causes neurological conditions such hand foot and mouth disease showed great promise. Phase III trial results� EV71 vaccine show that the drug had a 94.8% efficacy rate against EV71-related hand, foot, and mouth disease, and a 100% efficacy rate against EV71-associated hospitalization and against HFMD with neurologic complications.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Sinovac Biotech (NASDAQ: SVA) shares touched a new 52-week high of $7.60 after the company reported unaudited Q4 results. Sinovac Biotech posted its quarterly net income of $5.8 million, or $0.10 per share, versus a year-ago net loss of $4.6 million, or $0.08 per share.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech (NASDAQ: SVA  ) has received the dreaded one-star ranking.

Best Trucking Companies To Buy Right Now: Village Super Market Inc.(VLGEA)

Village Super Market, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates a chain of supermarkets in the United States. The company?s superstores feature specialty departments, such as home meal replacement, on-site bakery, and expanded delicatessen that includes prepared food, natural and organic food, ethnic and international food, seafood sections, as well as pharmacies and salad bars. Its superstores also offer non-food items, including cut flowers, health and beauty aids, greeting cards, and small appliances. As of December 16, 2011, the company operated a chain of 28 supermarkets under the ShopRite name in New Jersey, Maryland, and eastern Pennsylvania. Village Super Market, Inc. was founded in 1933 and is based in Springfield, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  Okay. So my point is just that a business is a business ��it�� not an industry. Just because a company is categorized in an industry doesn�� mean it works like the other companies in the industry. For example, Amazon (AMZN) and Best Buy (BBY) and Walgreens (WAG) and Village Supermarket (VLGEA) are all retailers. But they are all really, really different retailers. Technology changes have vastly different influences on them. They have completely different business models. They are actually trying to do totally different things. And you would analyze them ��especially starting with customer habits ��totally differently.

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  Next example: same year (2000), same state (New Jersey), same product (food), different company ��Village Supermarket (VLGEA).

  At the time, these were the company�� last five years of (diluted) earnings per share:

Best Trucking Companies To Buy Right Now: Canon Inc (CAJ)

Canon Inc. (Canon), incorporated on August 10, 1937, is a manufacturer of network digital multifunction devices (MFDs), plain paper copying machines, laser printers, inkjet printers, cameras and steppers. Canon sells its products principally under the Canon brand name and through sales subsidiaries. Canon has manufacturing subsidiaries in variety of countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Canon operates its business in three segments: the Office Business Unit, the Consumer Business Unit, and the Industry and Others Business Unit. On February 19, 2010, Canon acquired shares of OPTOPOL Technology S.A. On March 9, 2010, Canon acquired shares of Oce N.V. In May 2011, the Company incorporated Canon Information and Imaging Solutions, Inc.

Office Business Unit

Canon manufactures, markets and services a range of monochrome network digital MFDs, color network digital MFDs, office copying machines and personal-use copying machines. Canon�� lineup of digital MFDs include the imageRUNNER (iR) series, which performs a range of functions, such as copying, printing, scanning, faxing and data-sharing functions on the Internet and customer intranets. Canon offers color network digital MFDs for users ranging from professional graphic designers to business offices. Canon�� MFDs and color digital MFDs are available in the print-on-demand market.

Developed and fostered by Canon, laser beam printers are standard output peripherals for offices. Canon has adopted a user-replaceable toner cartridge system containing optical components. Most of Canon�� laser beam printer sales are on an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) basis. The Office Business Unit also includes the related sales of paper and chemicals, service and replacement parts.

The Company competes with Xerox Corporation/Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., Ricoh Company, Ltd., Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company and Lexmark Internationa! l Inc.

Consumer Business Unit

Canon manufactures and markets digital cameras and digital video cameras as well as lenses and various other camera accessories. Canon released the EOS-1D Mark IV for professionals in December 2009. This model includes a newly developed approximately 16-megapixel APS-H size CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC 4 and features an expanded range of ISO settings for normal use between 100 and 12800, achieving beautiful images with low noise levels throughout the entire ISO range. Canon markets a variety of scanners for a spectrum of user needs, including image scanners in the CanoScan LiDE series using Contact Image Sensor (CIS) and scanners with Charge-Coupled Devices (CCD) for high resolution. CIS is a close-contact method that allows for a significant reduction in scanner weight and size.

The Company competes with Nikon Corporation, Sigma Corporation, Sony Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.; Ltd., Victor Company of Japan, Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Company and Seiko Epson Corporation.

Industry and Others Business Unit

Medical imaging equipment sold by Canon includes X-ray image sensors, retinal cameras, autorefractometers and image-processing equipment for computerized systems. Canon�� pioneering digital radiography system takes X-ray photography and medical imaging into the digital age. Other Canon products such as electronic components are sold primarily to equipment manufacturers. These components include magnetic heads for audio and video tape recorders and micro-motors for printers and other components. Canon also offers business information products, which primarily consist of personal computers, servers, document scanners, calculators and micrographic equipment. Personal computers and servers sold by Canon are manufactured by third parties under the manufacturers��own brand names.

The Company competes with Ni! kon Corpo! ration and ASML Holding N.V.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  The time to go bargain shopping, though, is when a stock is actually on sale. And that setback means a better yield on cost for anyone buying now.

  Dividend Stocks to Buy: Canon (CAJ)

  Dividend Yield: 4%

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Falling 15%, the largest detractor for the year was Canon (CAJ), a Japan-based consumer imaging company.� This performance was largely the result of the downgrade of the ILC business (digital SLRs and lenses).� This business has lagged enough that management has lowered fiscal-year volume estimates from 9m to 8m.� Quarterly data confirms that imaging inventory has decreased year-over-year.� Despite falling prices due to uncertain consumer markets in developed markets and from trading down in emerging markets, management indicates pricing is normalizing.� The office products division has remained mostly unchanged, generating only slightly lower volumes.� In addition, print volumes are growing again, and Canon is taking market share.� We continue to believe that Canon is a compelling investment opportunity that will reward shareholders in the long term.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Printers
  First of all, yes, people still use printers; and that's very good news for Canon (NYSE: CAJ  ) , which topped the printer category yet again. The ease of use for Canon printers, and the amount of specialization they can provide in an enterprise work environment, makes Canon a logical choice to continue topping this category for years to come. As a leader in customer service and a provider of stylish designs to personal consumers, Canon is a leading gadget designer.

Best Trucking Companies To Buy Right Now: Silvercorp Metals Inc(SVM)

Silvercorp Metals Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of silver mineral properties in China and Canada. The company holds interests in four silver, lead, and zinc mines, including the Ying Project, the HPG Project, the TLP Project, and the LM Project at the Ying Mining Camp in the Henan Province of China. It also holds interests in the GC Project, a silver, lead, and zinc mine in the Guangdong Province; and the BYP gold, lead, and zinc mine project in Hunan province, as well as the Silvertip silver, lead, and zinc mine project in northern British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as SKN Resources Ltd. and changed its name to Silvercorp Metals Inc. in May 2005. Silvercorp Metals Inc. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM) shares fell 1.30% to touch a new 52-week low of $2.19. Silvercorp's PEG ratio is 5.18.

  Bancolombia SA (NYSE: CIB) shares touched a new 52-week low of $47.94. Bancolombia's trailing-twelve-month ROA is 1.45%.

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  The recent sell-off in precious metals has boosted the dividend yield on various silver companies, including Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) . Current conditions give investors the chance to own this best-in-class silver streaming company with both a strong income element and plenty of upside. Unlike miners Pan American Silver (NASDAQ: PAAS  ) and Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM  ) , which offer higher dividend yields, Silver Wheaton has important advantages.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM  ) shed 50%, but that leaves it yielding 3.1% -- and it's even earning more than it's paying out, which is promising. The company,�China's biggest primary silver producer, has been in the news as an alleged scammer as well as a possible scamming victim. (It's worth noting that it has been up front about problems, rather than evading them.) In its latest quarter, net income fell 25%, due in large part to falling silver prices, but its silver production was up 17% and gold up 42%. (It produces far less gold than silver, and it also mines lead and zinc.)

Best Trucking Companies To Buy Right Now: Hovnanian Enterprises Inc (HOV)

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (Hovnanian), incorporated in 1967, designs, constructs, markets, and sells single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, mid-rise condominiums, urban infill and active adult homes in planned residential developments. The Company consists of two distinct operations: homebuilding and financial services. Its homebuilding operations consist of six segments: Northeast,including New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Mid-Atlantic, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C; Midwest, including Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio; Southeast, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina; Southwest, including Arizona and Texas, and West, including California. Its financial services operations provide mortgage loans and title services to the customers of its homebuilding operations. During fiscal year ended October 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Company had delivered 4,216 homes.

As of October 31, 2011, the Company was, excluding unconsolidated joint ventures, offering homes for sale in 192 communities in 37 markets in 16 states throughout the United States. It markets and builds homes for first-time buyers, first-time and second-time move-up buyers, luxury buyers, active adult buyers and empty nesters. It offers a product range to provide housing to a range of customers. Its diverse product array includes single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, mid-rise condominiums, urban infill and active adult homes.

The Company�� residential development activities include site planning and engineering, obtaining environmental and other regulatory approvals and constructing roads, sewer, water, and drainage facilities, recreational facilities and other amenities and marketing and selling homes. These activities are performed by its associates, together with independent architects, consultants, and contractors.

The Company sells its homes to customers who finance their purchases th! rough mortgages. It originates loans in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Morgan Housel]

  Ara Hovnanian, CEO, Hovnanian (NYSE: HOV  ) :

  In the majority of the situations, we have been able to raise our home prices more than the construction costs have increased, thereby increasing gross margin. Southern and Northern California, as well as Phoenix, certainly have many communities that fall into that category. In other markets, we've been able to raise prices -- home prices equal to construction cost increases. Houston and Dallas are examples of that. And finally in some markets, the construction cost increases have actually risen ahead of our community home price increases. This is in a minority of the markets, but Minneapolis comes to mind in this category. Fortunately, home prices are gaining momentum here as well. In the aggregate, our home price increases have more than offset any increases in construction costs that we have seen to date, helping contribute to our gross margin increase.

• [By John Maxfield]

  Sometimes the most important data is the hardest to come by. In this case, I'm referring to historic sales figures from homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE: HOV  ) , one of the nation's largest builders by units sold. As I've noted previously, while this is arguably the single most accurate reflection of a homebuilder's performance, not to mention the overall housing market, a comprehensive data set containing the data is nowhere to be found.

• [By Alexis Xydias]

  An S&P index of homebuilders jumped 5.5 percent as Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (HOV) reported a profit for its fiscal third quarter as sales and prices increased amid a nationwide housing recovery.

Best Trucking Companies To Buy Right Now: International Paper Co (IP)

International Paper Company (International Paper), incorporated on June 23, 1941, is a global paper and packaging company, with primary markets and manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia and North Africa. The Company operates in four segments: Industrial Packaging, Printing Papers, Consumer Packaging and Distribution. As of December 31, 2012, in the United States, the Company operated 28 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 187 converting and packaging plants, 18 recycling plants and three bag facilities. Production facilities as of December 31, 2012 in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America included 11 pulp, paper and packaging mills, 65 converting and packaging plants, and two recycling plants. It distribute printing, packaging, graphic arts, maintenance and industrial products principally through over 88 distribution branches in the United States and 32 distribution branches located in Canada, Mexico and Asia. As of December 31, 2012, it owned or managed approximately 327,000 acres of forestland in Brazil and had, through licenses and forest management agreements, harvesting rights on government-owned forestlands in Russia. On July 2, 2012, it sold Ontario and Oxnard (Hueneme), California containerboard mills to New-Indy Containerboard LLC, and its New Johnsonville, Tennessee containerboard mill to Hood Container Corporation. On January 3, 2013, it acquired joint venture partner, Sabanci Holding.

Industrial Packaging

International Paper is a manufacturer of containerboard in the United States. Its production capacity is about 14 million tons annually. The Company�� products include linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium and saturating kraft. About 80% of its production is converted domestically into corrugated boxes and other packaging by its 178 United States container plants. In addition, it recycles approximately one million tons of old corrugated containers (OCC) and mixed and white paper through ! our 20 recycling plants. In Europe, our operations include one recycled fiber containerboard mill in Morocco and 20 container plants in France, Italy, Spain, and Morocco. In Asia, its operations include 19 container plants in China and additional container plants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its container plants are supported by regional design centers, which offer total packaging solutions and supply chain initiatives.

Printing Papers

International Paper is a producer of printing and writing papers. Products in this segment include uncoated and coated papers, uncoated bristols and pulp. This business produces papers for use in copiers, desktop and laser printers and digital imaging. End use applications include advertising and promotional materials, such as brochures, pamphlets, greeting cards, books, annual reports and direct mail. Uncoated papers also produce a variety of grades that are converted by its customers into envelopes, tablets, business forms and file folders. Uncoated papers are sold under private label and International Paper brand names that include Hammermill, Springhill, Williamsburg, Postmark, Accent, Great White, Chamex, Ballet, Rey, Pol and Svetocopy. The mills producing uncoated papers are located in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, Brazil and India. The mills have uncoated paper production capacity of approximately five million tons annually.

Pulp products include fluff, and southern softwood pulp, as well as southern and birch hardwood paper pulps. These products are produced in the United States, France, Poland, Russia, and Brazil and are sold around the world. International Paper facilities have annual dried pulp capacity of about 1.7 million tons.

Consumer Packaging

International Paper is a producer of solid bleached sulfate board with annual United States production capacity of about 1.7 million tons. Its coated paperboard business produces coated paperboard for a variety of packag! ing and c! ommercial printing end uses. Its Everest, Fortress, and Starcote brands are used in packaging applications for everyday products, such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, computer software and tobacco products. Its Carolina brand is used in commercial printing end uses, such as greeting cards, paperback book covers, lottery tickets, direct mail and point-of-purchase advertising. Its United States capacity is supplemented by about 365,000 tons of capacity at its mills producing coated board in Poland and Russia and by its International Paper & Sun Cartonboard Co., Ltd. joint venture in China, which has annual capacity of 1.0 million tons. Its Foodservice business produces cups, lids, food containers and plates through three domestic plants and four international facilities.

Distribution

xpedx, the Company�� North American merchant distribution business, distributes products and services to a number of customer markets, including commercial printers with printing papers and graphic pre-press, printing presses and post-press equipment; building services and away-from-home markets with facility supplies; manufacturers with packaging supplies and equipment, and to a number of customers, it provides distribution capabilities, including warehousing and delivery services. xpedx is the wholesale distribution marketer in these customer and product segments in North America, operating 108 warehouse locations in the United States and Mexico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John McCamant, Editor, Medical Technology Stock Letter]

  SGMO continues to create strong intellectual property (IP), which is the core strength of the company. We also expect SGMO to continue translating their strong IP into solid revenue streams.

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  As its name implies, International Paper (IP) is one of the largest paper and packaging manufacturers in the world, supplying corrugated packaging and free-sheet paper to North America and the emerging market. Still, North America represents that vast majority of IP's business -- the firm earns 75 cents out of every dollar here at home, positioning that leaves some big growth opportunities open overseas. Manufacturing operations in a basket of the most attractive developing economies gives it a key foot in the door to accomplish that growth.

  I'll admit that paper isn't exactly the most exciting business. But it can be lucrative – after 2008, staid paper makers sported insanely cheap valuations that ultimately led to some of the S&P 500's rebound gains. And while IP isn't as bargain-priced as it was then, the stock is far from expensive. International Paper spent recent years becoming a less integrated paper firm, unloading around $10 billion worth of timberland assets and buying other firms' paper and packaging units instead. That change has spread out IP's capital needs and put operations more in-line with the ebb and flow with the economy.

  A balance sheet with very high replacement value and a substantial share of the North American market help pave the way for a dividend hike at IP in the next quarter. Right now, the firm pays a 30-cent quarterly yield that adds up to a 2.5% yield.