Hot Construction Stocks To Own For 2014

In recent SEC enforcement actions, a hedge fund advisory firm and its owner were charged with misuse of investor funds; a court order was filed against Harvey, Ill., to halt a bond offering; two former brokers were charged with insider trading; and three former bank executives were charged in an accounting scheme.

Court Stops Muni Bond Sale in Chicago Suburb on Fraud Concerns

The Chicago suburb of Harvey and its comptroller, Joseph Letke, were the targets of a temporary restraining order requested by the SEC as the agency sought to stop a bond offering that the city has been marketing to potential investors, alleging the city has been misusing bond proceeds.

According to the agency, for the past several years, the city and Letke have been diverting bond proceeds for improper and undisclosed uses. The purported purpose of prior bond offerings was to fund the development and construction of a Holiday Inn hotel in Harvey. However, Harvey officials quietly diverted at least $1.7 million of bond proceeds from these offerings to pay the city’s operational costs such as its payroll, and Letke received approximately $269,000 in undisclosed payments derived from bond proceeds.

Top 10 Oil Companies To Watch For 2015: Armstrong World Industries Inc (AWI)

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI), incorporated on December 30, 1891, is a global producer of flooring products and ceiling systems for use in the construction and renovation of residential, commercial and institutional buildings. The Company designs, manufactures and sells flooring products (resilient and wood) and ceiling systems (mineral fiber, fiberglass and metal) globally. The Company segments includes: Building Products, Resilient Flooring and Wood Flooring. The Company�� Building Products, Resilient Flooring, Wood Flooring and Cabinets segments sell products for use in the home. Its products are used in new home construction and existing home renovation work. Its products, primarily ceilings and Resilient Flooring, are used in commercial and institutional buildings. On September 1, 2012, it sold Patriot Flooring Supply, Inc. to The Belknap White Group. Effective October 31, 2012, the Company sold of its cabinets business to American Industrial Partners.

Building Products

Building Products produces suspended mineral fiber, soft fiber and metal ceiling systems for use in commercial, institutional and residential settings. In addition, its Building Products segment sources complementary ceiling products. Its products, which are sold globally, are available in colors, performance characteristics and designs, and offer attributes, such as acoustical control, rated fire protection and aesthetic appeal. Commercial ceiling materials and accessories are sold to ceiling systems contractors and to resale distributors. Residential ceiling products are sold in North America to wholesalers and retailers, including home centers. Suspension system (grid) products manufactured by Worthington Armstrong Venture (WAVE) are sold by both the Company and WAVE.

Resilient Flooring

Resilient Flooring produces and sources a range of floor coverings for homes and commercial and institutional buildings. Manufactured products in this segment include vinyl sheet, v! inyl tile and linoleum flooring. In addition, its Resilient Flooring segment sources and sells laminate flooring products, vinyl tile products, vinyl sheet products, adhesives, and installation and maintenance materials and accessories. Resilient Flooring products are offered in a range of types, designs, and colors. It sells these products globally to wholesalers, home centers, retailers, contractors and to the manufactured homes industry.

Wood Flooring

The Company�� Wood Flooring segment produces and sources wood flooring products for use in new residential construction and renovation, with commercial applications in stores, restaurants and offices. The product offering includes pre-finished solid and engineered wood floors in various wood species, and related accessories. All of its Wood Flooring sales are in North America. Its Wood Flooring products are sold to independent wholesale flooring distributors and home centers.

The Company competes with Saint-Gobain, Chicago Metallic Corporation, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Knauf AMF GmbH & Co. KG, Lafarge SA, Odenwald Faserplattenwerk GmbH, Rockfon A/S, USG Corporation, Amtico International, Inc., Beaulieu International Group, N.V., Boa-Franc, Inc., Congoleum Corporation, Faus, Inc., Forbo Holding AG, Gerflor Group, Interface, Inc., IVC Group, Krono Holding AG, LG Floors, Mannington Mills, Inc., Metroflor Corporation, Mullican Flooring, L.P., Mohawk Industries, Inc., Nora Systems GmbH, Pfleiderer AG, Shaw Industries, Inc., Somerset Hardwood Flooring, Tarkett AG.

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 Armstrong World Industries (NYSE: AWI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Hot Construction Stocks To Own For 2014: Holcim Ltd (HOLN)

Holcim Ltd (Holcim) is a Switzerland-based holding company that specializes in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of building materials. The Company operates four business segments, including Cement, Aggregates, Other construction materials and services, and Corporate. The Cement segment is engaged in the development of cement and comprises clinker and other cementitious materials, among others. The Aggregates business segment includes crushed stone, gravel and sand. The Other construction materials and services business segment comprises ready-mix concrete, concrete products, asphalt, construction and paving, and trading, among others. Additionally, other construction materials and services segment provides environmental services, including waste management, among others. The Corporate segment is engaged in holding activities and general management. It operates through subsidiaries in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, North America, Africa and Middle East regions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Holcim Ltd. (HOLN) lost 0.9 percent to 68.15 francs in Zurich. Bank of America Corp.�� Merrill Lynch unit cut its rating on the world�� largest cement maker to underperform, similar to a sell recommendation, from neutral. Merrill Lynch cited the company�� exposure to emerging markets.

Hot Construction Stocks To Own For 2014: Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC)

Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA (FCC) is a Spain-based company, which is primarily engaged, together with its subsidiaries in the construction and environmental services sector. The Company�� activities include the collection, treatment and elimination of solid urban waste, street cleaning, sewer system maintenance, green areas and buildings maintenance, urban transport, treatment and elimination of industrial waste, full-service water supply management and cement manufacture. The Company is also active in the real estate development, as well as in the renewable energy industry. In addition, the Company is a parent of Grupo FCC, a group which comprises a number of controlled entities. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Quick Pen]

  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) do not want the number of players in the telecom sector to shrink below four ��Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. To this Sprint�� Son argues that the industry already has four players ��Verizon that purchased Vodafone�� stake in it, AT&T which plans to acquire DirecTV (DTV), and Comcast (CMCSA); Sprint would be the fourth one. But these antitrust issues have been a challenge for Sprint.

• [By Live Investor]

  What does the FCC have to say? The regulator�� reaction is nothing surprising. After Son met the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to convince them about the prospects of the proposed deal, Reuters reported that FCC chairman Tom Wheeler wasn�� quite impressed and had dubious thoughts on it.

Hot Construction Stocks To Own For 2014: Societe Libanaise des Ciments Blancs SAL (CBN)

Societe Libanaise des Ciments Blancs SAL is a Lebanon-based joint stock company that operates in the construction materials industry sector. The Company is engaged in the production and sale of white cement. The Company is a 65.99% owned by Holcim (Liban) SAL. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CanadianValue]

  Nigeria�� reformed banking system has provided many foreigners with an attractive means to invest in the fast-growing domestic economy. The banking industry is important, not only because of the rise of microfinance, but because of the move by banks into consumer banking. Until recently, banks were mainly financing large businesses or the government through bond purchases. Following a banking crisis in 2008, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) conducted an audit of the commercial banking sector. All banks that failed the audit had their CEOs replaced. The state-owned Asset Management Corporation (AMCON) was created to purchase non-performing loans and recapitalize the unhealthy banks. A recent review of the country�� banks by the IMF showed a dramatic increase in profits for the industry in 2012, while the capital adequacy ratio was above the minimum requirement of 10% and non-performing loans were below the mandated threshold of 5%5.

Hot Construction Stocks To Own For 2014: AECOM Technology Corp (ACM)

AECOM Technology Corporation (AECOM) is a provider of professional technical and management support services for commercial and government clients around the world. The Company provides planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services for a range of projects, including highways, airports, bridges, mass transit systems, government and commercial buildings, water and wastewater facilities, and power transmission and distribution. It also provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics and other support services, for agencies of the United States government. It offers services in two segments: Professional Technical Services and Management Support Services. In June 2011, the Company acquired Spectral Services Consultants Pte. Ltd.

Professional Technical Services (PTS)

The PTS segment delivers planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services to commercial and government clients worldwide in end markets, such as transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government markets. It provides program management services through a joint venture for the Second Avenue subway line in New York City, design and contract administration services for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities and engineering and environmental management services to support global energy infrastructure development for a number of petroleum and mining companies.

PTS segment contributed 86% of the Company�� revenue during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011).

Transit and rail projects include light rail, heavy rail (including high speed, commuter and freight) and multimodal transit projects. The Company provided engineering design services for the new World Trade Center Terminal for PATH and the Second Avenue Subway (8.5-mile rail route and 16 stations) in New York City, the Ma O! n Shan Rail (seven-mile elevated railway) in Hong Kong, and Crossrail (74-mile railway) in the United Kingdom. Marine, Ports and Harbors Projects include wharf facilities and container port facilities for private and public port operators. The Company provided marine design and engineering services for container facilities in Hong Kong, the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York and New Jersey. Highways, Bridges and Tunnels Projects include interstate, primary and secondary urban and rural highway systems and bridge projects. Aviation Projects include landside terminal and airside facilities and runways as well as taxiways.

Government Projects include the Company�� emergency response services for the Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and engineering and program management services for agencies of the Department of Defense. It also provides architectural and engineering services for national laboratories, including the laboratories at Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico. Industrial Projects include industrial facilities for a variety of end markets, including manufacturing, distribution, aviation, aerospace, communications, media, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, chemical, and food and beverage facilities. Urban Master Planning/Design Projects include design services, landscape architecture, general policy consulting and environmental planning projects for a variety of government, institutional and private sector clients. It provides strategic planning and master planning services for new cities and mixed use developments in the People�� republic of China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Commercial and Leisure Facilities Projects include corporate headquarters, high-rise office towers, historic buildings, hotels, leisure, sports and entertainment facilities, hospitals and healthcare facilities and corporate campuses. Institutional Projects include engin! eering se! rvices for college and university campuses, including the new Kennedy-King College in Chicago, Illinois. It has also undertaken assignments for Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Pomona College and Loyola Marymount University in California. Healthcare Projects include design services for the Mayo Clinic Gonda Building in Rochester, Minnesota, University Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City and the Samsung Cancer Center in Seoul, Korea. It has also undertaken assignments for the new Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Orlando, Florida, and the Minneapolis campus of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Correctional Projects include the planning, design, and construction of detention and correction facilities throughout the world.

Water and Wastewater Projects include treatment facilities as well as supply, distribution and collection systems, stormwater management, desalinization, and other water re-use technologies for metropolitan governments. Environmental Management Projects include remediation, waste handling, testing and monitoring of environmental conditions and environmental construction management for private sector clients. Water Resources Projects include regional-scale floodplain mapping and analysis for public agencies, along with the analysis and development of protected groundwater resources for companies in the bottled water industry.

Demand Side Management Projects include energy efficient systems for public K-12 schools and universities, health care facilities, and courthouses and other public buildings, as well as energy conservation systems for utilities. Transmission and Distribution Projects include power stations and electric transmissions and distribution and co-generation systems, including enhanced electrical power generation in Stung Treng, Cambodia. These projects utilize a range of services that include consulting, forecasting and surveying to detailed engineering design and construction management. Alternative/Renewable Energy Projects ! include p! roduction facilities, such as ethanol plants, wind farms and micro hydropower and geothermal subsections of regional power grids. It provides site selection and permitting, engineering, procurement and construction management and related services. Hydropower/Dams Projects include hydroelectric power stations, dams, spillways, and flood control systems including the Song Ba Ha Hydropower Project in Vietnam, the Pine Brook Dam in Boulder County, Colorado and the Peribonka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Quebec, Canada. Solar Projects include performing environmental work for the solar photovoltaic Brockton Brightfield project in New England, and environmental permitting services for the California Energy Commission to permit the development of a 250 mega watts (MW) solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert of California.

Management Support Services (MSS).

The MSS segment provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics, consulting, technical assistance and systems integration services, for agencies of the United States government. It also provides organizational and limited direct support services for equipment sent to the United States Army's Corpus Christi Depot in Texas. The MSS segment contributed 14% of the Company�� fiscal 2011 revenue.

Installation, Operations and Maintenance Projects include Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations where the Company provides services for the operation and maintenance of complex government installations, including military bases, test ranges and equipment. It also provides services for the operations and maintenance of the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site. Logistics and Field Services Projects include logistics support services for a number of Department of Defense agencies and defense contractors focused on developing and managing integrated supply and distribution networks. Training Projects include training applications in live, virtual and simulation training! environm! ents. Systems Support Projects cover a set of operational and support systems for the maintenance, operation and modernization of Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations. Its services in this area range from information technology and communications to life cycle optimization and engineering, including environmental management services.

Technical Personnel Placement Projects include the placement of personnel in functional areas of military and other government agencies, as these entities continue to outsource critical services to commercial entities. It provides systems, processes and personnel in support of the Department of Justice's management of forfeited assets recovered by law enforcement agencies. It also supports the Department of State in its enforcement programs by recruiting, training and supporting police officers for international and homeland security missions. Field Services Projects include maintaining, modifying and overhauling ground vehicles, armored carriers and associated support equipment both within and outside of the United States under contracts with the Department of Defense. It also maintains and repairs telecommunications systems for military and civilian entities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Cook]

  URS (NYSE: URS) shares were also up, gaining 9.60 percent to $57.01 after Aecom Technology (NYSE: ACM) announced its plans to buy URS for $4 billion in cash and stock.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Technical Services: The industry gained 2% by 10:25 am. The top performer in this industry was URS (NYSE: URS), which gained 9%. Aecom Technology (NYSE: ACM) announced its plans to buy URS for $4 billion in cash and stock.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Aecom Technology Corp.(ACM) swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter profit despite continued weakness in the technical and management-support services provider’s Americas and Australia markets. The company forecast per-share earnings for the recently started new fiscal year that were below Street estimates.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Continuing to laze its way through summer, the U.S. Department of Defense announced only nine mostly small new contracts Tuesday, totaling just a bit over $87 million in aggregate value. Winners today included:

Hot Construction Stocks To Own For 2014: Griffon Corp (GFF)

Griffon Corporation (Griffon), incorporated on December 29, 1970, is a diversified management and holding company that conducts business through wholly owned subsidiaries. Griffon oversees the operations of its subsidiaries and provides direction and assistance to its subsidiaries in connection with acquisition and growth opportunities as well as in connection with divestitures. Griffon conducts its operations through three businesses: Home and Building Products, consists of two companies, Ames True Temper, Inc and Clopay Building Products; Telephonics Corporation, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and provides logistical support for aircraft intercommunication systems, radar, air traffic management, identification friend or foe equipment, Integrated Homeland Security Systems and custom, mixed-signal, application-specific, integrated circuits, and Clopay Plastic Products produces, develops specialty plastic films and laminates for a variety of hygienic, health care and industrial applications. Effective December 31, 2013, the Company announced that its subsidiary, Ames True Temper acquired Northcote Pottery.

Home and Building Products

HBP consists of two companies, Ames True Temper, Inc (ATT) and Clopay Building Products (CBP). ATT is a global provider of non-powered landscaping products that make work easier for homeowners and professionals. ATT�� brand portfolio includes Ames, True Temper, Ames True Temper, Garant, Hound Dog, Westmix, Dynamic Design and Southern Patio, as well as contractor-oriented brands, including UnionTools, Razor-Back Professional Tools and Jackson Professional Tools. Some of the products include Long Handle Tools, Wheelbarrows, Snow Tools, Planters and Lawn Accessories, Striking Tools, Pruning and Garden Hose and Storag. CBP is a manufacturer and marketer of residential, commercial and industrial garage doors to professional installing dealers and home center retail chains. CBP offers garage doors made primarily from steel, plastic composite ! and wood, and also sells related products, such as garage door openers, manufactured by third parties. The majority of CBP�� sales are for home remodeling and renovation, with the balance for the new residential housing and commercial building markets.

Telephonics Corporation

Telephonics specializes in advanced electronic information and communication systems for defense, aerospace, civil, industrial, and commercial applications for the United States (U.S.) and international markets. Telephonics designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and provides logistical support for aircraft intercommunication systems, radar, air traffic management, identification friend or foe equipment, Integrated Homeland Security Systems and custom, mixed-signal, application-specific, integrated circuits. Telephonics is also a provider of advanced systems engineering services supporting air and missile defense programs, as well as other threat and situational analysis requirements. Telephonics is a supplier of airborne maritime surveillance radar and aircraft intercommunication management systems, the segment�� two product lines. Telephonics is a first-tier supplier to prime contractors in the defense industry, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, MacDonald Dettwiler, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Sikorsky Aircraft, and is at times a prime contractor to the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of Homeland Security (Homeland Security). On April 22, 2013, Telephonics signed a definitive agreement to form a Joint Venture (JV) with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd to provide the Indian Ministry of Defense and the Indian Civil sector with radar and surveillance systems, identification friend or foe devices and communication systems.

Clopay Plastic Products

lopay Plastic Products produces and develops specialty plastic films and laminates for a variety of hygienic, healthcare and industrial uses in the United States and cert! ain inter! national markets. Products include thin gauge embossed and printed films, elastomeric films, laminates of film and non-woven fabrics, and perforated films and non-wovens. Plastics have two manufacturing facilities in Germany from which it sells plastic films throughout Europe and the Middle East and Africa.

The Company competes with Fiskars Corporation, Truper Herramientas S.A. de C.U., Suncast Corporation, Colorite Waterworks, Swan and Techniplex.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  On March 4, Mario Gabelli (Trades, Portfolio), the chairman and chief executive officer of GAMCO Investors Inc. added Griffon Corporation (GFF) at an average price of $12.61 and currently holds 6,752,733 shares of the stock, worth 0.01% of his portfolio.

• [By CRWE]

  Griffon Corporation (NYSE:GFF) will present at Deutsche Bank�� 20th Annual Leveraged Finance Conference to be held at The Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ at 8:50 a.m. local time on Wednesday, October 10th.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Home and building products manufacturer Griffon (NYSE: GFF  ) announced today its third-quarter dividend of $0.025 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past three quarters after raising the payout 25% from $0.02 per share.