Top 5 Penny Companies To Buy For 2014

The results are in and Consumer Reports has named�America's top appliance retailer. (Hint: It's Abt Electronics). But the winner's identity isn't the only thing coming out this month. In the course of describing what makes a retailer good or bad, CR also managed to "out" one of the biggest scams in retail: the extended warranty.

According to CR, you see, the level of a retailer's customer "service heavily influenced how satisfied subscribers were with major-appliance stores overall." Companies like Abt, which earned top marks for service, tended to perform well in the rankings. In contrast, companies that seemed more interested in milking their customers for every penny they were worth fared less well.

CR singled out one retailer in particular, P.C. Richard & Son, for opprobrium for being "among the pushiest" when pressuring customers to buy extended warranties. Not coincidentally, the company ranked dead last in the field of nine retailers ranked. Indianapolis-based hhgregg (NYSE: HGG  ) and Abt neighbor Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD  ) , which ranked Nos. 6 & 7, respectively, were also said to be "more likely than other retailers to push added coverage."

Top 5 Penny Companies To Buy For 2014: Fushi Copperweld Inc.(FSIN)

Fushi Copperweld, Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes bimetallic wire products, principally copper-clad aluminum (CCA) and copper-clad steel (CCS). Its CCA and CCS conductors are used as a substitute for solid copper conductors in applications where specific electrical or physical attributes are necessary. The company markets its products under Copperweld and Fushi brand names. It primarily serves end-user applications in the telecommunication, electrical utility, and transportation markets. The company?s CCS products in the utility market are used in grounding applications, power cables, electrified railroad tracks, and tracer wires. It?s CCS and CCA wires in transportation market are used in original equipment and aftermarket applications for electrified rail applications, as well as in automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, commercial off road equipment, and trailers. The company sells its products through its direct sale s force, as well as through sales agents or distributors primarily in North America, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the People?s Republic of China. Fushi Copperweld, Inc. is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Buy For 2014: Mercer International Inc.(MERC)

Mercer International Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells pulp produced from wood chips and pulp logs. The company offers northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp and market pulp. Mercer International sells its products primarily in Europe, Asia, and North America. The company was founded in 1968 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Top Dividend Companies To Buy Right Now: Kulicke and Soffa Industries Inc.(KLIC)

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells capital equipment and expendable tools used to assemble semiconductor devices, including integrated circuits, high and low powered discrete devices, light-emitting diodes, and power modules. It also services, maintains, repairs, and upgrades its equipment. The company operates in two segments, Equipment and Expendable Tools. The Equipment segment manufactures and sells a line of ball bonders, heavy wire wedge bonders, stud bumpers, and die bonders. Its Ball bonders are used to connect very fine wires, primarily made of gold or copper, between the bond pads of the semiconductor device or die, and the leads on its package; Heavy wire wedge bonders are used in the power semiconductor and automotive power module markets; and Die bonders are used to attach a die to the substrate or lead frame, which will house the semiconductor device. This segment?s Stud bumpers mechanically apply bumps to die, while still in the wafer format, for some variants of the flip chip assembly process. The Expendable Tools segment manufactures and sells various expendable tools for a range of semiconductor packaging applications. Its products include capillaries, bonding wedges, and saw blades. The company?s customers primarily comprise semiconductor device manufacturers, outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers, other electronics manufacturers, and automotive electronics suppliers in the United States and the Asia/Pacific region. Kulicke and Soffa Industries sells its products through manufacturers? representatives and distributors. The company was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Singapore.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, chip equipment maker Kulicke and Soffa Industries (NASDAQ: KLIC  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Buy For 2014: Sparton Corporation(SPA)

Sparton Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, offers electronic manufacturing services primarily for medical device, defense and security systems, and electronic manufacturing services industries worldwide. The company?s Medical segment engages in the contract development, design, production, and distribution of medical related electromechanical devices for the medical OEM and ET customers primarily in the vitro diagnostic and therapeutic device areas. Its EMS segment involves in the contract manufacturing, assembly, design, preproduction, prototyping, and/or box building assemblies, such as flight control systems and fuel control systems for the aerospace, medical diagnostics systems, security systems, detection systems, lighting, and defense. The company?s DSS segment engages in the design, development, and production of electromechanical equipment, such as sonobuoys, an anti-submarine warfare device used by the United States Navy and foreign governments; and perf orms an engineering development function for the United States military and prime defense contractors on advanced technologies for defense products, and replacement of current systems. It also offers non-sonobuoy related manufacturing and services. Sparton Corporation was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Emma O��rien]

  Futures (SPA) on the Standard & Poor�� 500 Index fell and the yen climbed against the dollar as U.S. lawmakers continued to scrap over raising the debt limit and the government shutdown. Crude oil declined while gold rallied.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Buy For 2014: Gold Reserve Inc(GRZ)

Gold Reserve Inc., an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mining projects. The company was founded in 1956 and is based in Spokane, Washington.