Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now

During bank-earnings season, the Big Four U.S. banks typically dominate the headlines:

"Bank of America Gets Down to Business" -- The Wall Street Journal

"JPMorgan Continues Strong Earnings Run" -- Zacks.com

"Citigroup Profit Jump 42% on Stronger Markets" -- Reuters

However, some regional banks are posting more impressive numbers and flying under the radar. In this video, Motley Fool banking analyst David Hanson discusses recent results from PNC Financials Services (NYSE: PNC  ) , KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY  ) , and Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ: HBAN  ) .

Many investors are terrified about investing in both big and smaller regional banking stocks after the crash, but the sector has a few notable stand-outs. In a sea of mismanaged and dangerous peers, one rises above as "The Only Big Bank Built to Last." You can uncover the top pick that some of the world's best investors love in The Motley Fool's�new report. It's free, so click here to access it now.

Top 5 Freight Stocks To Own Right Now: Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc (HLX)

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc.( Helix), incorporated on November 17,1983, is an international offshore energy company that provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on its growing well intervention and robotics operations. The Company had had two business segments: Contracting Services and Production Facilities. Its Contracting Services seek to provide services and methodologies which it believes are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economi regions. Its Production Facilities segment consists of its majority ownership of a dynamically positioned floating production vessel ( Helix Producer I or HP I). In June 2013, Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc closed the previously announced sale of its pipelay vessel, the Caesar, to Trevaskis Ltd.

In January 2012, it sold its oil and gas properties within the Main Pass area of the Gulf of Mexico. On September 26, 2012, the Company sold its pipelay vessel, Intrepid, to Stabbert Maritime Holdings, LLC. On February 6, 2013, it sold Energy Resource Technology GOM, Inc. (ERT), a former wholly-owned United States subsidiary that conducted its oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Contracting Services Operations

The Company provides services and methodologies which it believes are critical to developing offshore reservoirs and maximizing production economics. Its life of field services are segregated into four disciplines: well intervention, robotics, subsea construction and production facilities. It provides a full range of contracting services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific and West Africa regions primarily in deepwater.

The Company's services include production, which includes inspection, repair and maintenance of production structures, trees, jumpers, risers, pipelines and subsea equipment, well intervention, life of field support and intervention engineering; reclamation and remediation services include pluggin! g and abandonment services, pipeline abandonment services and site inspections; installation of subsea pipelines, flowlines, control umbilicals, manifold assemblies and risers, pipelay and burial, installation and tie-in of riser and manifold assembly, commissioning, testing and inspection, and cable and umbilical lay and connection. It provides oil and natural gas processing services to oil and natural gas companies, primarily those operating in the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico using its HP I vessel. The HP I is being utilized to process production from the Phoenix.

The Company engineers, manages and conducts well construction, intervention and asset retirement operations in water depths ranging from 200 to 10,000 feet. Three of its vessels serve as work platforms for well intervention services at costs that are typically significantly less than offshore drilling rigs. In the Gulf of Mexico, its multi-service semi-submersible vessel, the Q4000, has set a series of well intervention firsts in increasingly deeper water without the use of a traditional drilling rig. In August 2012, it acquired the Discoverer 534 drillship from a subsidiary of Transocean Ltd.

The Company operates remotely operated vehicles ( ROVs), trenchers and ROVDrills designed for offshore construction and well intervention services. As global marine construction support moves to deeper water. Its chartered vessels add value by supporting deployment of its ROVs. It provides its customers with vessel availability and schedule flexibility to meet the technological challenges of their subsea activities worldwide. Its robotics assets include 49 ROVs, four trencher systems and two ROVDrills. It operate in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Asia Pacific and West Africa regions. It charters four vessels to support its robotics operations and it has engaged additional vessels on short-term (spot) charters as needed. In 2012, its robotics operations had 377 vessel utilization days and 16% of global revenues derived from! alternat! ive energy contracts. Subsea construction services include the use of umbilical lay and pipelay vessels and ROVs to develop fields in the deepwater.

The Company owns interests in two production facilities in hub locations where there is potential for subsea tieback activity. It has invested in two over-sized facilities that allow the operators of these fields to tie back without burdening the operator of the hub reservoir. It owns a 50% interest in Deepwater Gateway, which owns the Marco Polo TLP located in 4,300 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico. It also owns a 20% interest in Independence Hub which owns the Independence Hub platform, a 105-foot deep draft, semi-submersible platform located in a water depth of 8,000 feet that serves as a regional hub for up to one billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas production per day from multiple ultra-deepwater fields in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

The Company competes with Oceaneering International, Inc., Saipem S.p.A., Fugro N.V., DOF ASA, Aker Solutions ASA, Subsea 7 S.A., Technip, McDermott International, Inc., Island Offshore and Edison Chouest Offshore Companies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Smith]

  Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE: HLX  )
  At $2.70 billion in market capitalization, Helix is equidistant between Flotek and Superior from a size perspective. The company operates through two segments: contracting services and production facilities.

• [By GuruFocus]

  Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc (HLX): PRESIDENT & CEO Owen E Kratz Bought 50,000 Shares PRESIDENT & CEO of Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc (HLX) Owen E Kratz bought 50,000 shares on 10/24/2013 at an average price of $24.03. Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc has a market cap of $2.54 billion; its shares were traded at around $24.03 with and P/S ratio of 2.96.

Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Nissan Motor Co Ltd (NSANY)

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is engaged in the manufacturing, sales and related business of automotive products, industrial machinery and marine equipment. The Company has two business segments: automobile and sales financing. The automobile segment is engaged in the passenger cars, trucks, buses, forklifts, manufacturing parts for oversea production. The sales financing segment is engaged in credit, lease. The Sales financing segment consists of Nissan Financial Services Co., Ltd. (Japan), Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (USA), NR Finance Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R (Mexico) and other seven companies, totaling 10 companies, and sales finance operations of Nissan Canada Inc. (Canada).

The Company has four production bases in Japan, United States, Spain, and Sweden, producing approximately 30,000 units annually for distribution in 85 countries. The Company has geographic operations in various countries, which include North America, Europe and Other. North America consists of The United States of America, Canada, and Mexico; Europe consists of France, The United Kingdom, Spain and other European countries, and Other, which includes Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Central and South America excluding Mexico, and South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks sprang higher early Monday, following gains for Wall Street where investors appeared to embrace more upbeat portions of the U.S. January jobs report. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NIK) rose 1.3% to 14,649.04, and the broader Topix gained 1.1%, helped by an advance in the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen compared to the pair's level late Friday. Moving higher early in the session, shares of Isuzu Motors Ltd. (JP:7202) (ISUZF) scaled up by 4.3% after the auto maker reported a 38% rise in third-quarter profit to 89.48 billion yen($874.58 million). Nissan Motor Co.'s (JP:7201) (NSANY) quarterly results are due later Monday, and its shares were up 1.1% ahead of the report.

Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: JMP Group Inc (JMP)

JMP Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an investment banking, asset management, and corporate credit management company in the United States. The company provides various investment banking products and services, such as capital raising, mergers and acquisitions transaction, and other strategic advisory services to corporate clients. It also offers sales and trading services, which include distributing equity research products, communicating proprietary investment recommendations, executing equity trades on behalf of institutional clients, and marketing the securities of companies, as well as related brokerage services to institutional investors. In addition, the company provides proprietary equity research in five industries, including consumer, financial services, healthcare, real estate, and technology industries. Further, it provides asset management products and services to institutional investors, and high net-worth individuals; and involves in the man agement of collateralized loan obligations. JMP Group Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California with additional offices in New York, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and Alpharetta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Full-service investment banking, asset management and corporate credit management firm JMP Group (JMP) raised its quarterly dividend 13% to 4.5 cents per share, payable April 11 to shareholders of record as of March 28.
  JMP Dividend Yield: 2.41%

Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks To Invest In Right Now: MGE Energy Inc (MGEE)

MGE Energy, Inc. (MGE Energy), incorporated on December 31, 2001, is a holding company and conducts all of its business operations through its subsidiaries. Madison Gas and Electric Company (MGE) is a wholly owned subsidiary of MGE Energy. The Company operates in five segments: Regulated electric utility operations, which is engaged in generating, purchasing, and distributing electricity through MGE; Regulated gas utility operations, which is engaged in purchasing and distributing natural gas through MGE; Nonregulated energy operations, which is engaged in constructing, owning, and leasing electric generating capacity that assists MGE through MGE Energy's wholly owned subsidiaries MGE Power Elm Road and MGE Power West Campus; Transmission investments, which is representing its investment in American Transmission Company LLC, and All other, which is investing in companies and property that relate to the regulated operations and financing the regulated operations, through its wholly owned subsidiaries MAGAEL and CWDC, and Corporate functions.

Electric Utility Operations

MGE distributes electricity in a service area covering a 316 square-mile area of Dane County, Wisconsin. The service area includes the city of Madison, Wisconsin. It owns or leases ownership interests in electric generation facilities located in Wisconsin and Iowa. As of December 31, 2012, MGE supplied electric service to approximately 140,000 customers, with approximately 90% located in the cities of Fitchburg, Madison, Middleton, and Monona and 10% in adjacent areas. Electric operations accounted for approximately 73.7% as of December 31, 2012. MGE is registered with two Regional Entities, The Midwest Reliability Organization and Reliability First Corporation. MGE and two other utilities jointly own Columbia, a coal-fired generating facility.

MGE owns gas fired combustion turbines. These turbines are primarily located in Madison and Marinette, Wisconsin, and have a total of 155 megawatts of net su! mmer rated capacity. MGE also owns the Blount Generating Facility located in Madison, Wisconsin, which is fueled by gas and other alternative renewable sources. MGE owns 30 megawatts, consisting of 18 turbines, in a wind-powered electric generating facility in Worth County, Iowa. MGE also owns 11 megawatts, consisting of 17 turbines, in a wind-powered electric generating facility in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin.

Gas Utility Operations

MGE transports and distributes natural gas in a service area covering 1,631 square miles in seven south-central Wisconsin counties. The service area includes the city of Madison, Wisconsin and surrounding areas. As of December 31, 2012, MGE supplied natural gas service to approximately 145,000 customers in the cities of Elroy, Fitchburg, Lodi, Madison, Middleton, Monona, Prairie du Chien, Verona, and Viroqua; 24 villages, and all or parts of 45 townships.

Nonregulated Energy Operations

MGE Energy, through its subsidiaries, has developed generation sources that assist MGE in meeting the electricity needs of its customers. MGE Power Elm Road and two other owners own undivided interests in the coal-fired Elm Road Units in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Unit I and Unit II have the capacity to produce 615 megawatts of electricity. Wisconsin Energy Corporation owns approximately 83% of the Elm Road Units and is the operator for those units. MGE Power Elm Road owns an 8.33% ownership interest in both units.

MGE Power West Campus and the University of Wisconsin at Madison (UW) jointly own undivided interests in a natural gas-fired cogeneration facility on the UW campus. The facility has the capacity to produce 20,000 tons of chilled water, 500,000 pounds per hour of steam, and approximately 150 megawatts of electricity. The UW owns 45% of the facility, which represents its interest in the chilled-water and steam assets. MGE leases the electric generating assets owned by MGE Power West Campus and is responsible for operating the! entire f! acility.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Starting in 2013 the federal tax rates on qualified dividends are 0%, 15% and 20%. The 20% rate is for taxpayers in the 39.6% tax bracket. For those in the 10% and 15% brackets, there is no tax on qualified dividends. In contrast, ordinary income is taxed at rates up to up to 39.6%. Below are several stocks that have consistently paid dividends through depressions, recessions, world wars, and other political and economic upheavals:WGL Holdings Inc. (WGL) provides natural gas service in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and surrounding regions, including Maryland and Virginia. Yield: 4.1% | Paid Dividends Since: 1852Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), formed through the merger of Exxon and Mobil in late 1999, is the world's largest publicly owned integrated oil company. Yield: 2.7% | Paid Dividends Since: 1882Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED) is an electric and gas utility holding company serves parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Yield: 4.4% | Paid Dividends Since: 1885The Procter & Gamble Company (PG) is a leading consumer products company that markets household and personal care products in more than 180 countries. Yield: 3.2% | Paid Dividends Since: 1891The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is the world's largest soft drink company, KO also has a sizable fruit juice business. Yield: 2.9% | Paid Dividends Since: 1893General Mills, Inc. (GIS) is a major producer of packaged consumer food products, include cereal, yogurt and Betty Crocker desserts/baking mixes. Yield: 3.0% | Paid Dividends Since: 1898Avista Corp. (AVA) generates, transmits and distributes energy as well as engages in energy-related businesses in the United States and Canada. Yield: 3.0% | Paid Dividends Since: 1899MGE Energy Inc. (MGEE) is a public utility holding company that supplies electric service to apx. 140,000 customers; and natural gas service to apx. 145,000 customers in Wisconsin (as of December 2012). Yield: 2.8% | Paid Dividends Since: 1909Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) offers energy-related prod

• [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 MGE Energy (Nasdaq: MGEE  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.