Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now

Few regional banking stocks in the U.S. today cost more than BB&T (NYSE: BBT  ) stock. Indeed, the stock's biggest distinguishing factor is probably its priciness. Valued at 14.1 times trailing earnings, shares of BB&T cost 14% more than bigger rival US Bancorp (NYSE: USB  ) , and 33% more than smaller Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB  ) . But is there a good reason for investors to pay up for BB&T stock?

That's what we're going to try to find out today, as we examine a couple of predictions Wall Street analysts are making about the stock ... and then turn to a prediction of my own.

Prediction No. 1: So-so sales
Wall Street analysts see BB&T's revenues growing from $9.8 billion last year, to about $10.2 billion by 2015. That's about 4.1% revenue growth -- total -- across three years' time. And it's smack-dab in the middle between the faster rate at which USB is expected to grow (6.4%) and the slower rate of Fifth Third (2.5%).

Best Gas Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ)

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) provides a range of banking and financial products and services to retail, small business, corporate and institutional clients. The Company conducts its operations in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. It also operates in a range of other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. The Company operates on a divisional structure with Australia, International and Institutional Banking (IIB), New Zealand, and Global Wealth and Private Banking. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had 1,337 branches and other points of representation worldwide, excluding automatic teller machines (ATMs). In September 2012, it sold its remaining shareholding in Visa Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Weiyi Lim]

  The funds lured a net $25.9 billion in the period, Wei Liang Chang, a foreign-exchange strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ), said by phone from Singapore today, citing data from EPFR Global. Developed markets posted $24.3 billion of inflows, while emerging-nation funds drew $1.6 billion, according to Chang.

• [By Adam Haigh]

  Komatsu Ltd. tumbled 8 percent in Tokyo after the world�� second-largest maker of construction equipment cut its full-year profit forecast by 26 percent. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. gained 1.4 percent in Hong Kong, pacing an advance among Chinese lenders, after China�� central bank added funds to the financial system for the first time in two weeks. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) climbed 1.4 percent to a record in Sydney after posting its highest profit and raising its dividend more than forecast.

• [By Adam Haigh]

  Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) sank 3 percent after Australia�� third-largest bank by market value forecast interest margins will keep dropping. Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. jumped 6.9 percent in Seoul after North Korea and South Korea agreed to reopen the Gaeseong industrial complex. Chinese stock exchange officials are investigating a spike in the Shanghai Composite Index, which soared from a loss of as much as 1 percent to a gain of 5.6 percent in two minutes. Everbright Securities Co. said it experienced a trading error.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: MFC Industrial Ltd (MIL)

MFC Industrial Ltd., formerly Terra Nova Royalty Corp., is a global commodity supply chain company that sources and delivers commodities and materials to clients all over the world. The Company is engaged in the financing and risk management aspect of the business. The Company operates in three segments: commodities and resources, which includes its commodities activities and mineral interests; merchant banking, which includes structured solutions, logistics and financial services and investing activities, and other, which encompasses its corporate and other investments and business interests, including its medical supplies and servicing business. In December 2011, the Company acquired Pea Ridge Iron Ore Mine in Missouri, the Unites States of America. In September 2012, its indirect wholly owned subsidiary acquired the remaining interest in Compton Petroleum Corporation. In November, 2012, it acquired 70% interest in Park Ridge, NJ-based ACC Resources Co., L.P. (ACCR) and 60% interest in Mexico City-based Possehl Mexico S.A. de C.V. (Possehl). In April 2013, 0915988 BC Ltd acquired the entire share capital of MFC Industrial Ltd.

Commodities and Resources

The Company�� supply chain business is globally focused and includes its integrated commodities operations and its mineral interests. It conducts such operations primarily through its subsidiaries based in Vienna, Austria and supply various commodities, including minerals and metals, chemicals, plastics and wood products to its customers. Through its global commodity supply chain business, it also provides logistics, supply chain management and other services to producers and consumers of commodities. Its commodities operations include sourcing and supplying commodities. The Company sources its commodities from Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, the United States and the Middle East. Its commodities sales include the European, Middle Eastern, Asian and North and South American markets.

Merchant Banking

The Company�� merchant banking operations include merchant banking and financial services, specialized banking, third-party financing and other services, investing and its real property. Its activities include making investments through investing its own capital to capture investment opportunities. The Company focuses on meeting the financial needs of small to mid-sized companies and other business enterprises primarily in Europe and Asia. Its merchant banking business generates revenues in the form of corporate and trade finance service fees and interest income. It also realizes gains from time to time on its investments, upon their sale, the execution of an equity or debt .

Other

Its other segment include its corporate and other investments, It includes financing joint ventures through its Shanghai, China-based subsidiary which provides medical services, equipment and supplies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Global commodity supply chain company�MFC Industrial (NYSE: MIL  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.06 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past year.

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Just last week I went around the world with a stock screener to see if any cheap and appealing stocks appeared. At the top of my international buy list right now is Canada-based�MFC Industrial (MIL). MIL has also shown up on my screen for “perfect stocks” since it trades below book value, is profitable and pays a dividend.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: National Bank of Canada (NBC)

National Bank of Canada (the Bank) is a bank. The Bank provides integrated financial services to retail, commercial and corporate/institutional clients. The Bank's offerings include securities brokerage, insurance, wealth management, mutual and pension-fund management as well as banking and investment solutions across three business segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, and Financial Markets. The Personal and Commercial segment meets the financial needs of some 2.4 million retail banking clients and approximately 130,000 business clients throughout Canada. The Wealth Management segment includes National Bank Financial Wealth Management and National Bank Direct Brokerage Inc. The Financial Markets segment provides banking and investment banking services. On August 1, 2012, Maple Group Acquisition Corporation (Maple) acquired Alpha Trading Systems Inc., Alpha Trading Systems Limited Partnership and The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By USATODAY 2:27 p.m. EST February 4]

  NBC's Winter Olympics app.(Photo: NBC)

  You can follow the Sochi games digitally on NBCOlympics.com or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app ��available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices. The Live Extra app is free and getting a refresh in time for the Olympics. It also covers other sports NBC is involved in, including the NHL, PGA Tour and Triple Crown Horse Racing.

• [By Rhonda Abrams]

  A woman may be the brains behind an organization, but having a handsome guy like Pierce Brosnan, with Stephanie Zimbalist in a 1982 photo for 'Remington Steele,' attracts the cash, a study shows.(Photo: NBC)

• [By Damian Illia]

  The company owns Kaplan, a leading global provider of educational services to individuals, schools and businesses, across more than 30 countries, Post-Newsweek Stations in Detroit (NBC), Houston (NBC), Miami (ABC), Orlando (CBS), San Antonio (ABC) and Jacksonville, Cable ONE, digital video, Internet and phone services provider to homes and businesses, the Slate Group, a daily online magazine, Trove, a digital team focused on innovation and experimentation with new technologies, Social Code, leading social marketing solutions partner, Celtic Healthcare, and Forney Corporation. The company has recently sold most of its newspaper operations.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Greenhill & Co Inc (GHL)

Greenhill & Co., Inc. (Greenhill), incorporated on March 10, 2004, is an independent investment bank focused on providing financial advice on mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, financings and capital raising to corporations, partnerships, institutions and governments. The Company acts for clients located throughout the world from its offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia and Sweden. The Company provides advisory services primarily in connection with mergers and acquisitions, financings, restructurings, and capital raisings. On merger and acquisition engagements, it provide a broad range of advice to global clients in relation to domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and similar corporate finance matters and are generally involved at each stage of these transactions, from initial structuring to final execution. It advises client�� matters, including acquisitions, divestitures, defensive tactics, special committee projects and other important corporate events. It also provides advice on valuation, tactics, industry dynamics, structuring alternatives, timing and pricing of transactions, and financing alternatives.

In the Company�� financing advisory and restructuring practice, the Company advise debtors, creditors, governments, other stakeholders and companies experiencing financial distress as well as potential acquirers of distressed companies and assets. It provides advice on valuation, restructuring alternatives, capital structures, financing alternatives, and sales or recapitalizations. The Company also assists those clients who seek court-assisted reorganizations by developing and seeking approval for plans of reorganization as well as the implementation of such plans. In its private capital and real estate capital advisory business the Company assists fund managers and sponsors in raising capital for new funds and provide related advisory services to private equity and real estate funds and other organizations globally. It ! also advises on secondary transactions.

The Company competes with America Corporation, Barclays Bank PLC, Citigroup Inc., Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, UBS A.G., Evercore Partners Inc., Jefferies Group, Inc., Lazard Ltd., Credit Suisse and Park Hill.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Mark Hulbert]

  The stocks are C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) �, a freight-transportation company; chip maker Cirrus Logic (CRUS) �; independent oil company Forest Oil (FST) �; investment bank Greenhill & Co. (GHL) �; Intrepid Potash (IPI) �, a fertilizer company; retailer J.C. Penney (JCP) �; Quest Diagnostics (DGX) �, a medical diagnostic company; Strayer Education (STRA) �, a for-profit college; Tower Group International (TWGP) �, an insurance company; and Windstream Holdings (WIN) �, a rural telecommunications firm.

• [By John Seward]

  Timken Steel Corp. will replace Greenhill & Co. (NYSE: GHL), and Greenhill replaces Spartan Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) in the SmallCap 600 June 30. Timken Co. (NYSE: TKR) is spinning off TimkenSteel to shareholders.

• [By Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson]

  An article in Financial Times came out suggesting that smaller investment banks, such as Greenhill (NYSE: GHL  ) or Lazard (NYSE: LAZ  ) , might be workplaces that offer more options and flexibility for those pursuing a banking career. Will we start to see the best talent move away from Wall Street's biggest banks to find the true opportunities? In the video, Matt tells us what effect this could have on big banking as a whole.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE)

Danske Bank A/S (the Bank) is a Denmark-based bank. Its operations are divided into five business segments: Banking Activities caters to personal and business customers, comprising finance centers, mortgage finance operations and real estate agency operations, as well as property finance operations; Danske Markets and Treasury is responsible for the Bank�� activities in the financial markets, such as trading in fixed income, foreign exchange, equities and interest-bearing securities, as well as equity portfolios, among others; Danske Capital is engaged in the development and marketing of wealth management products and services; Danica Pension encompasses the Bank�� activities in the life insurance and pensions market; Other Activities encompasses the Bank�� real estate activities and support functions, as well as the elimination of returns on own shares and bonds. Is operational in 15 countries, with emphasis on the Nordic region. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Kabel Deutschland Holding AG rose to a record after getting an offer from Liberty Global Plc. Aveva Group Plc (AVV) jumped 5.4 percent as Citigroup Inc. upgraded the shares. Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE) dropped 6.1 percent after Denmark�� financial regulator ordered it to increase its risk-weighted assets. Royal Imtech NV fell to the lowest price since 2004 after posting a first-quarter loss on costs relating to a fraud investigation.

Top Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Bank of Communications Co Ltd (BKFCF)

Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. is principally engaged in banking and related financial services. The Bank's business is divided into four segments: personal banking, including personal savings, bank card, personal lending, payment and settlement, investment services, insurance services and wealth management; corporate banking, comprised of cash management, supplying chain financing, investment banking, financial institutional banking and asset custody services; international banking, consisting of foreign exchange wealth management, document settlement, remittance and bill services, trade finance and offshore banking, and e-banking, including personal online banking, enterprise online banking, mobile banking, telephone banking and self-help banking. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks opened lower Tuesday, after China's central bank reportedly drained 48 billion yuan ($7.9 billion) from the money market on Tuesday through bond-repurchase agreements. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) moved lower by 0.3%. Banks retreated, as China Merchants Bank Co., (HK:3968) (CIHHF) declined 2.2%, Bank of Communications Co. (HK:3328) (BKFCF) fell 1.6%, China Minsheng Banking Corp. (HK:1988) (CMAKY) lost 1.4%, and China Citic Bank Corporation (HK:998) (CHCJY) dropped 1.2%. China's Dongfeng Motor Group Co. (HK:489) , currently in negotiations to buy a stake in PSA Peugeot Citroen, suspended trading of its H-shares in Hong Kong markets. The state-owned car maker didn't clarify the reason in the announcement. On Monday, the company said in a filing that its commercial-vehicle unit has been served with a request for arbitration by a Brazilian firm, which is seeking damages of approximately 1.67 billion Brazilian reals ($700 million) for Dongfeng's failure to establish a joint venture with the firm. On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index (CN:SHCOMP) gave up 0.5% to 2,125.54.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks inched lower early Friday, with mainland Chinese banks and energy shares among the weak spots. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) lost 0.1% to 22,824.44, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index down 0.4%, even as the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP) rose 0.1%. Concerns about the fiscal health of the top mainland lenders loomed again over the shares, with Bank of China Ltd. (HK:3988) (BACHY) down 0.9%, Bank of Communications Co. (HK:3328) (BKFCF) 1.3% lower, and China Construction Bank Corp. (HK:939) (CICHF) off 0.7%. In the energy sector, Cnooc Ltd. (HK:883) (CEO) gave up 0.9% after posting a 17% gain in third-quarter revenue but not reporting its profit for the period. Its peers also lost ground, as China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (HK:386) (SNP) and PetroChina Co. (HK:857) (PTR) fell 1% apiece. On the upside, China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. (HK:762) (CHU) added 1.6% after announcing a gain of more than 50% for its quarterly profit compared to a year earlier. Rival China Mobile Ltd. (HK:941