5 Best Building Product Stocks To Own Right Now

Dublin, Ireland-based heavy industrial manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE: IR  ) is laying the groundwork for spinning off its Indiana-based, Ireland-registered Allegion subsidiary.

On Tuesday, Ingersoll named Quanex Building Products (NYSE: NX  ) CEO David�D. Petratis as the new chairman, president, and CEO of its soon-to-spin-off Allegion subsidiary. Petratis has served as chairman, president, and CEO of Houston-based Quanex since July 2008.

In announcing Petratis' appointment, Ingersoll-Rand CEO Michael W. Lamach called him "an accomplished leader in the manufacturing and marketing of code-compliant, high-value products that are specified by architects and engineers, and used by commercial and residential builders." Lamach also expressed hope that his "vision and leadership [will] help realize Allegion's full potential."

Based in Carmel, Ind., global security products and solutions company Allegion aims to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, using the ticker symbol ALLE. Post-spinoff, the company will boast $2 billion in annual sales of such products as steel doors and locks. This transaction is expected to take place by year's end.

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Own Right Now: Papa John's International Inc.(PZZA)

Papa John?s International, Inc. operates and franchises pizza delivery and carryout restaurants under the Papa John?s trademark worldwide. The company also operates dine-in and restaurant-based delivery restaurants in certain international markets. As of December 25, 2011, the company operated 3,883 Papa John?s restaurants consisting of 628 company-owned and 3,255 franchised restaurants in 50 states of the United States and 32 countries. Papa John?s International, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Small-cap pizza chain Papa John's International (PZZA) has been flashing the green light for buyers since the start of the year, up more than 30% year-to-date. And you don't have to be an expert technical analyst to see why; PZZA bouncing higher in a textbook channel right now.

  The channel in Papa John's gives traders a high-probability range for shares to trade within. And while there's really no bad time to buy a stock that's in an uptrend, the ideal time to jump in comes on a bounce off of trendline support. Buying off a support bounce makes sense for two big reasons: it's the spot where shares have the furthest to move up before they hit resistance, and it's the spot where the risk is the least (because shares have the least room to move lower before you know you're wrong).

  While the most recent bounce in PZZA just happened late last week, the fact that buying pressure has been so uncharacteristically strong off of trendline support means that a small correction could be in the cards for traders eyeing a second chance at a low risk entry.

  Keep an eye on this one -- and watch out for earnings on Nov. 5.

• [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 Papa John's International (Nasdaq: PZZA  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Domino’s Pizza have dropped 4.3% to $65.91 today, while Yum has declined 1.1% to $66.24 and Papa John’s International (PZZA) has fallen 1.1% to $71.28.

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Own Right Now: Astoria Financial Corp (AF)

Astoria Financial Corporation, incorporated on June, 14, 1993, is the unitary savings and loan association holding company of Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association (Astoria Federal). The Company�� principal business is the operation of its wholly owned subsidiary, Astoria Federal. Astoria Federal�� primary business is attracting retail deposits from the general public and investing those deposits, together with funds generated from operations, principal repayments on loans and securities and borrowings, primarily in one- to four-family mortgage loans, multi-family mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans and mortgage-backed securities. Astoria Federal also invests in consumer and other loans, the United States Government, government agency and government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), securities and other investments.

Lending Activities

The Company�� loan portfolio consists primarily of mortgage loans. As of December 31, 2012, 74% of its total loan portfolio was secured by residential properties and 24% was secured by multi-family properties and commercial real estate. The remainder of the loan portfolio consists of a variety of consumer and other loans, including commercial and industrial loans originated in 2012 through its business banking initiatives. As of December 31, 2012, its net loan portfolio totaled $13.08 billion, or 79% of total assets. The Company originates mortgage loans either directly through its banking and loan production offices in New York or indirectly through brokers and its third party loan origination program. It also originates mortgage loans for sale. The Company�� primary lending focus is on the origination and purchase of first mortgage loans secured by one- to four-family properties that serve as the primary residence of the owner.

The Company also originates multi-family and commercial real estate loans. As of December 31, 2012, multi-family mortgage loans totaled $2.41 billion, or 18% of its total loan portfolio,! and commercial real estate loans totaled $773.9 million, or 6% of its total loan portfolio. At December 31, 2012, $264.1 million, or 2%, of the Company�� total loan portfolio consisted of consumer and other loans which were primarily home equity lines of credit. The Company also offers overdraft protection, lines of credit, commercial loans and passbook loans. Consumer and other loans, with the exception of home equity and commercial lines of credit, are offered primarily on a fixed rate, short-term basis.

Investment Activities

At December 31, 2012, the Company�� securities portfolio totaled $2.04 billion, or 12%, of total assets. The Company does not use derivatives for trading purposes. Its securities portfolio consists primarily of mortgage-backed securities. At December 31, 2012, its mortgage-backed securities totaled $1.94 billion, or 95%, of total securities, of which $1.92 billion, or 94%, of total securities, were real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMIC) and collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO) securities, substantially all of which had fixed rates. Of the REMIC and CMO securities portfolio, $2.35 billion, or 98.7%, are guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) as issuer. At December 31, 2012, its securities available-for-sale totaled $336.3 million and its securities held-to-maturity totaled $1.7 billion. At December 31, 2012, it had no investments in repurchase agreements and federal funds sold.

Sources of Funds

The Company�� primary source of funds is the cash flow provided by its investing activities, including principal and interest payments on loans and securities. Its other sources of funds are provided by operating activities and financing activities, including deposits and borrowings. The Company offers a variety of deposit accounts with a range of interest rates and terms. It offers ! passbook ! and statement savings accounts, money market accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) and demand deposit accounts, liquid certificates of deposit (Liquid CDs), and certificates of deposit, which include all time deposits other than Liquid CDs. Liquid CDs have maturities of three months, require the maintenance of a minimum balance and allow depositors the ability to make periodic deposits to and withdrawals from their account. At December 31, 2012, its deposits totaled $10.44 billion. Of the total deposit balance, $1.28 billion, or 12%, represented individual retirement accounts during the year ended December 31, 2012. It held no brokered deposits at December 31, 2012. Core deposits represented 53.3% of total deposits at December 31, 2011. Reverse repurchase agreements are accounted for as borrowings and are secured by the securities sold under the agreements. At December 31, 2012, borrowings totaled $4.37 billion. It also obtains advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLB-NY).

Subsidiary Activities

In addition to Astoria Federal, the Company has two other subsidiaries, AF Insurance Agency, Inc. and Astoria Capital Trust I. AF Insurance Agency, Inc. is a life insurance agency. Through contractual agreements with various third parties, AF Insurance Agency, Inc. makes insurance products available primarily to the customers of Astoria Federal. Astoria Federal�� wholly owned subsidiaries include AF Agency, Inc., Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association Revocable Grantor Trust, Astoria Federal Mortgage Corp. (AF Mortgage), Fidata Service Corp. (Fidata), Marcus I Inc. and Suffco Service Corporation (Suffco). AF Agency, Inc. makes various annuity products available to the customers of Astoria Federal through an unaffiliated third party vendor. AF Mortgage is an operating subsidiary through which Astoria Federal engages in lending activities outside the State of New York through its third party loan origination program. Fidata mortgage loans totaled $5.09 bi! llion at ! December 31, 2012. Suffco serves as document custodian for the loans of Astoria Federal and Fidata and certain loans being serviced for Fannie Mae and other investors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Air France-KLM Group (AF), Europe�� second-biggest airline by sales, retreated 2.8 percent. Mediaset SpA climbed 2.8 percent after Credit Suisse Group AG raised its price target on the Italian broadcaster. Serco Group Plc added 2.7 percent after predicting that its revenue growth in the first half will exceed its previous estimates.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) and Air France-KLM (AF) Group rose with as a gauge of travel stocks as oil prices fell after Iran�� accord. PSA Peugeot Citroen gained 3.7 percent after people familiar with the matter said its chief executive officer plans to step down next year. Fresenius Medical Care AG surged the most in five years after U.S. regulators scrapped a plan to cut Medicare payments next year.

Top 10 Transportation Companies To Invest In Right Now: SVB Financial Group(SIVB)

SVB Financial Group, a diversified financial services company, provides various banking and financial products and services. The company offers deposit products, such as traditional deposit and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, and sweep accounts, as well as lockbox and merchant services; and lending products and services, including traditional term loans, equipment loans, asset-based loans, revolving lines of credit, accounts-receivable-based lines of credits, capital call lines of credits, and credit cards. It also provides cash management products and services comprising wire transfer and automated clearing house payment services, collection services, disbursement services, electronic funds transfers, and online banking services. In addition, the company offers foreign exchange services; letters of credit, including export, import, and standby letters of credit; investment services and solutions; brokerage; asset management; investment a dvisory services, such as outsourced treasury services; and non-banking products and services, such as funds management, venture capital/private equity investment, and equity valuation services. Further, it provides private banking services comprising mortgages, home equity lines of credit, restricted stock purchase loans, and other secured and unsecured lending services. As of March 09, 2012, the company operated 26 offices in the United States and 7 offices internationally. It serves customers in the technology, venture capital/private equity, life science, wine, and clean tech industries. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin] Related ZU Benzinga's Top #PreMarket Losers Stocks Hitting 52-Week Lows Zulily Falls 30% on Earnings (Fox Business) Related SIVB SVB Financial Plans New Stock Offering - Analyst Blog Why SVB Financial (SIVB) Could Beat Earnings Estimates Again - Tale of the Tape

  zulily (NASDAQ: ZU) shares moved up 9.65% to $35.10. The volume of zulily shares traded was 1005% higher than normal. Zulily's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $806.58 million.

• [By John Maxfield]

  Given that you clicked on this article, it seems safe to assume you either own stock in SVB Financial (NASDAQ: SIVB  ) or are considering buying shares in the near future. If so, then you've come to the right place. The table below reveals the nine most critical numbers that investors need to know about SVB Financial stock before deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold it.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  While airlines have their ups and downs, Copa is about the best I can think of to weather the storm.

  Best Stocks #4 (Midcap): SVB Financial (SIVB)
  

  I never would have thought one of my picks for the next 20 years would be a bank — let alone one that focuses on entrepreneurs — but here I am.

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Own Right Now: iShares 1-3 Year Credit Bond ETF (CSJ)

iShares Lehman 1-3 Year Credit Bond Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the investment-grade credit sector of the United States bond market as defined by the Lehman Brothers 1-3 Year U.S. Credit Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of investment-grade United States credit securities, corporate debt and sovereign, local authority and non-United States agency bonds that are United States dollar denominated.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities in the Index, which has a similar investment profile as the Index. The Index includes investment grade United States credit securities that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to one year and less than three years, and have more than $250 million or more of outstanding face value. Barclays Global Fund Advisors serves as an advisor to the Fund.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  In addition to individual stocks several funds pay a monthly dividend. Below is a sampling of these:
  Monthly Bond Funds- iShares Barclays 1-3 Year Credit Bond (CSJ) | Yield: 1.29%
  - Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV) | Yield: 1.25%
  - Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (BIV) | Yield: 2.96%
  - Vanguard Long-Term Bond ETF (BLV) | Yield: 4.42%

5 Best Building Product Stocks To Own Right Now: Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (RH)

Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. (Restoration Hardware Holdings), incorporated on August 18, 2011, is a holding company. The Company is merchants of home furnishings. Restoration Hardware Holdings offers merchandise assortments across a number of categories, including furniture, lighting, textiles, bath ware, decor, outdoor, garden, and baby and child products. The Company�� business is integrated across its multiple channels of distribution, consists of its stores, catalogs and Websites. As of July 28, 2012, the Company�� operated a total of 73 retail stores, consisted of 71 Galleries and two full line Design Galleries, and 10 outlet stores throughout the United States and Canada. RH is a brand in the home furnishings. During the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012 (fiscal 2011), the Company opened five stores and closed 22 stores. In fiscal 2011, the Company distributed approximately 26.1 million catalogs, and its Websites logged over 14.3 million visits.

Restoration Hardware Holdings operates a Website for its Baby & Child brand at www.rhbabyandchild.com. The Company opened its two full line Design Galleries in Los Angeles in, June 2011 and Houston in November 2011. In May 2011, the Company launched catalog applications for Apple�� iPad and iPhone that enable customers to view and purchase its product assortment. Restoration Hardware Holdings operates three store types: the Company's full line Design Gallery format, approximately between 22,000 and 28,000 gross square feet; its Gallery format of approximately 7,000-15,000 gross square feet, and its Baby & Child Gallery format of approximately 2,000-3,000 gross square feet.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Restoration Hardware (NYSE: RH  ) has appointed a familiar figure to be one of its co-CEOs. Gary Friedman, who formerly occupied the position and was prominent in much of the company's marketing, has been named chief executive once again. He'll fill that role as part of a team with Carlos Alberini, who has served as CEO since 2001. Alone, Friedman will take up the post of chairman.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Restoration Hardware (NYSE: RH  ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and investors have sent the stock soaring ever since spring. But with the arrival of the holiday season, can Restoration Hardware hold off competition from Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR  ) and Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM  ) and continue its excellent performance?

• [By Maria Armental and Anna Prior]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Thursday’s session are Lululemon Athletica Inc.(LULU), Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc.(RH) and Geron Corp.(GERN)