Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Buy For 2014

Despite increasing competition and diet-conscious customers, the restaurant industry's sales have been rising . In 2 years, annual restaurant sales have almost tripled from $232.3 billion to $586 billion and are projected to reach $684 billion in 2014. This growth has led various restaurants to increase their footprint by increasing their restaurant chains, with many new players also entering this market.

For those who like to opt in food and beverages segment stocks, can always look at Chipotle (CMG) and Cheesecake (CAKE). Both these companies are recording growth. These two are established players as well.

Chipotle is currently on a growth run as a result of efforts to modify its food menu and is also expanding its chain of the restaurants globally. The traffic at Chipotle seems to be increasing, which is helping its growth. Fiscal 2013 was all growth for Chipotle. It expanded its chain by adding 185 new restaurants and recorded a total revenue of $3.21 billion, up by 17.7% from the previous year. The bottom line was also impressive, coming in at $327.4 million, up by 17.8%.

5 Best Canadian Stocks To Watch For 2015: Agenus Inc.(AGEN)

Agenus Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing technologies to treat cancers and infectious diseases. It offers Oncophage vaccine for the treatment of adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. The company?s products under development include Prophage series of cancer vaccines, which has been tested in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and metastatic melanoma, as well as has been tested in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in various indications; and under Phase II clinical trials in glioma, a type of brain cancer, and adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. The Prophage series of cancer vaccines include R-series candidates in RCC, M-series candidates in melanoma, and G-series candidates in glioma. Its product candidate portfolio includes QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant, which is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, malaria, and shingles, as well as in for the treatment of va rious infectious diseases and Alzheimer?s disease; and HerpV that completed Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of genital herpes. The company was formerly known as Antigenics Inc. and changed its name Agenus Inc. in January 2011 to reflect its existing product pipeline. Agenus Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Agenus (NASDAQ: AGEN) rose 22.99% to $3.37 after the company reported positive follow-on Phase 2 results for brain cancer vaccine.

  Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) shares jumped 18.23% to $10.18 after private equity firm Sycamore Partners bought a 7.96% stake in the company.

• [By John Udovich]
  Follow-on Stock Offerings From Small Cap Biotech Stocks. Thanks to the boom in biotech IPOs along with the sector�� overall performance, already listed biotechs have the option to ask investors for more cash in the form of a follow-on offering. Recently, FierceBiotech.com noted how four small cap biotechs raised $276 million from follow-on offerings in just one day last week. These small caps�included Epizyme Inc (NASDAQ: EPZM) which raised $88 million, Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: HALO) which raised $100 million, Agenus Inc (NASDAQ: AGEN) which raised $52 million and Idera Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IDRA) which raised $36 million. FierceBiotech.com noted that the�steady flow of about $4.5 billion a year in venture cash�along with�more than $3.5 billion from IPOs last year plus all of the�follow-ons are helping to foster both company growth and�accelerate drug�development programs. Mixed Bag for Biotech IPOs. Last Wednesday also saw two small cap biotech IPOs fizzle in one day�with small cap T cell vaccine developer�Genocea Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: GNCA) raising $60 million but then ending the day down 8.3% to close at $11 while Dutch drug developer uniQure NV (QURE) raised $81.9 million but fell more than 14% to $14.61. However, orphan drug stock Auspex Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ASPX), which is developing�drugs to treat orphan diseases like Tourette syndrome, saw a 30.5% gain to close at $15.66 and raise $84 million. The Boston Globe quoted Michael Ringel, a partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group who focuses on health care business, as saying:

  ��he mood is incredibly positive. Capital is flowing. [The biotech IPOs]��have been burning hot. I think it�� too early to suggest that is changing. I can�� predict the overall economy any better than anyone else, but I would expect a pretty good year for IPOs.��/p>

• [By Smith On Stocks]

  I am initiating coverage of Agenus (AGEN) with a Buy. I have just published a basic report on my website, which goes into detail on the company's two core technology platforms: (1) the heat shock protein technology that is the basis of therapeutic and preventive vaccines for cancer and infectious disease, and (2) the QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant that is being used by Agenus and other vaccine developers to enhance the effectiveness of their vaccines. This report is a summary of that more detailed report.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  © 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Buy For 2014: Metabolix Inc.(MBLX)

Metabolix, Inc., a bioscience company, develops and commercializes technologies for the production of polymers and chemicals in plants and in microbes. It offers a proprietary microbial fermentation system to produce a family of polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates under the Mirel brand. Mirel holds biodegradability characteristics; and would be used in a range of commercial applications, including products used in agriculture and horticulture, compost and organic waste diversion bags, marine and aquatic applications, consumer products, business equipment and durable goods, and general packaging materials. The company also develops a proprietary platform technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals, and energy from crops, such as switchgrass, oilseeds, and sugarcane. It has a strategic alliance with ADM Polymer Corporation. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBLX) isn't exactly a name hat turns heads within the investment community. With a market cap of only $54.6 million, even big news from the company isn't a game-changer for the market. And, the fact that traders have a tough time defining what the company "does" hasn't helped the MBLX cause much either. Yet, the size of the company and the service it provides don't change the fact that the bullish Metabolix switch got flipped all the way to the on position on Tuesday.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  If you'd rather spend your hard-earned dollars on some bargain-priced stocks rather than face the Black Friday mania at the malls (wise choice, by the way), then you've come to the right place. And, you may want to start you bargain hunt with Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBLX) and Unwired Planet Inc. (NASDAQ:UPIP). Both names have been unduly beaten up in recent weeks, and better still, it looks like UPIP and MBLX, are ready to recover... in spades. That's an important detail, as a bargain is only a bargain if it's something actually worth owning. Take a look.

Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Buy For 2014: TGC Industries Inc.(TGE)

TGC Industries, Inc. provides geophysical services for clients in the oil and gas business in the United States and Canada. It conducts three-D surveys and seismic data acquisition services primarily to onshore oil and natural gas exploration and development companies for use in the onshore drilling and production of oil and natural gas. The company also owns a data bank that contains gravity data and magnetic data from oil and natural gas producing areas located in the United States. It operates 8 seismic crews in the lower 48 states in the United States, as well as 2 crews in Canada. The company was formerly known as Tidelands Geophysical Co., Inc. and changed its name to TGC Industries, Inc. in July 1986. TGC Industries, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  TGC Industries (TGE) provides geophysical services to companies in the oil and gas industry in the U.S. and Canada. This stock closed up 1.8% to $3.86 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $3.76-$3.89
  52-Week Range: $3.69-$8.53
  Tuesday's Volume: 382,000
  Three-Month Average Volume: 114,667

  From a technical perspective, TGE jumped modestly higher here right above some near-term support at $3.69 with above-average volume flows. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $3.72 to $3.69. Following that bottom, shares of TGE have now started to spike higher and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade. That trade will hit if TGE manages to take out some key near-term overhead resistance levels at $3.95 to $4 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in TGE as long as it's trending above those double bottom support levels and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 114,667 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then TGE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4.25 to its 50-day moving average of $4.52, or even $4.75 to $5.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  TGC Industries (NASDAQ: TGE) shares reached a new 52-week low of $5.55. TGC Industries is expected to release its Q1 financial results on April 28, 2014.

Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Buy For 2014: First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (FDN)

First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dow Jones Internet Composite Index (the Index). The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Index represents companies that generate the majority of their revenues via the Internet. The Index aims to represent 80% of the float-adjusted Internet equity universe. The Index contains two sub-indexes, the Dow Jones Internet Commerce Index and the Dow Jones Internet Services Index. For its stock to be eligible for the universe, a company must generate at least 50% of annual sales/revenues from the Internet, and be included in the Dow Jones U.S. Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is First Trust Advisors L.P. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  That's where the First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index (NYSE Arca: FDN) comes in.

  Besides Facebook, which is its largest holding, FDN also owns Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) and both classes of Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL), which has voting rights, and GOOG, which does not.

Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Buy For 2014: Home Bancorp Inc.(HBCP)

Home Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Home Bank that provides various banking services in Louisiana. The company offers various deposit products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking, money market, savings, and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts; and demand deposit and certificates of deposit. It also provides various loan products, such as single-family residential first mortgage loans, commercial real estate mortgage loans, commercial loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, construction and land loans, and other loans. In addition, the company offers online banking, bank cards, and ATM services. As of December 31, 2010, it had 18 full-service banking offices in the Greater Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and Northshore regions of south Louisiana. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The credit crisis slowed the pace of deals temporarily, but there are plenty of former thrifts trading at low valuations that have the potential for large long-term returns.

  Home Bancorp (HBCP)

  Home Bancorp (HBCP) is a 22-branch bank located in Lafayette, La. The bank has almost $1 billion in assets and the balance sheet is in excellent condition. Also, its equity-to-asset ratio is 14.5 — well above my preferred minimum of 10. Meanwhile, Home Bancorp’s nonperforming assets are just 2.09% of the total.

Hot Up And Coming Stocks To Buy For 2014: Ascena Retail Group Inc.(ASNA)

Ascena Retail Group, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of apparel for women and tween girls in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The company operates its stores under the dressbarn, maurices, and Justice brand names. Its dressbarn and maurices stores offer casual and career fashion apparel and accessories; and Justice stores provide apparel, accessories, footwear, and intimates, as well as lifestyle products, such as bedroom furnishings and electronics primarily for tween girls. As of March 01, 2012, Ascena Retail Group operated approximately 2,500 stores. The company was formerly known as Dress Barn, Inc. and changed its name to Ascena Retail Group, Inc. in January 2011. Ascena Retail Group, Inc. was founded in 1962 and is based in Suffern, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Mako Surgical Corp.(MAKO), Ascena Retail Group Inc.(ASNA) and Oncothyreon Inc.(ONTY)

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Ascena Retail Group Inc.'s(ASNA) fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 22% as the apparel retailer reported broad sales growth and stronger margins. Shares of Ascena, which affirmed its fiscal-year guidance, were up 4.2% at $21.75 in premarket trading as adjusted earnings and revenue beat expectations.

• [By Pratik Thacker]

  Investing in specialty retail companies hasn't been rewarding for investors as of late. Industry players are finding it difficult to increase sales. As investors are losing interest in specialty retailers, industry players such as Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF  ) , Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO  ) and Ascena Retail Group (NASDAQ: ASNA  ) have been witnessing stock price declines since the beginning of the year.