Hot Warren Buffett Companies For 2014

Last December, Markel (NYSE: MKL  ) shocked the market by announcing a $3.1 billion deal to acquire fellow insurer Alterra Capital.

(NYSE: MKL  ) The deal not only unsettled investors by employing a combination of cash and stock, but it was also significantly larger than the typically small acquisitions that President and CIO Tom Gayner pursues through his Markel Ventures subsidiary. The market immediately punished shares of Markel by driving them down as much as 10% that day.

Even so, I remained optimistic in spite of the drop after�speculating that the deal might also benefit Markel by giving Gayner more flexibility in the ways he invests both the company's insurance float and shareholder equity, which is a similar perk Warren Buffett enjoys as he invests for the much larger Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B  ) (NYSE: BRK-A  ) .

Hot Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: Minco Silver Corp Com Npv (MSV.TO)

Minco Silver Corporation, a mining company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, evaluation, and development of silver mineral properties and projects in the People�s Republic of China. Its flagship project is the Fuwan Silver property located in Guangdong province. The company was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Hot Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: AudioCodes Ltd. (AUDC)

AudioCodes Ltd. and its subsidiaries design, develop, and market products and services for voice, data, and video over Internet protocol (IP) networks to service providers and channels, original equipment manufacturers, network equipment providers, and systems integrators in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Israel. Its networking products consist of media gateways, enterprise session border controllers, multi-service business routers, IP phones, mobile voice over IP (VoIP), media servers, and various products that are tailored for Microsoft unified communication environments. The company also offers VoIP network assessment for enterprises; and value added applications for unified communications, as well as supports its networking products with a range of professional services. Its technology products comprise signal processor chips that process and compress voice, data, and fax, as well as enable connectivity between traditional telephone networks and pa cket networks; VoIP communications boards; media processing boards for enhanced services and functionalities; and voice and data logging hardware integration board products. AudioCodes Ltd. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Lod, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  AudioCodes (AUDC) designs, develops and sells products and services for voice and data over packet networks. This stock closed up 8.4% to $4.75 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $4.57-$4.86
  
  52-Week Range: $1.20-$5.04
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 493,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 108,175

  From a technical perspective, AUDC gapped higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $4.43 with heavy upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of AUDC within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if AUDC manages to take out its 52-week high at $5.04 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AUDC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $4.43 or above more support at $4.29 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $5.04 with volume that hits near or above 108,175 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AUDC will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.75 to $6.50, or even $7.

Top 10 Companies To Watch In Right Now: City Holding Company(CHCO)

City Holding Company operates as the bank holding company for City National Bank of West Virginia that provides various financial products and services. It offers demand deposits, such as interest and noninterest-bearing checking, regular savings, and other money market demand accounts. The company also provides various loans, such as commercial and industrial loans consisting of loans to corporate borrowers primarily in small and mid-size industrial and commercial companies and automobile dealers, as well as service, retail, and wholesale merchants; and commercial real estate loans comprising commercial mortgages. Its loan portfolio also includes residential mortgage loans, home equity loans and lines-of-credit, consumer loans, and previously securitized loans. In addition, the company offers trust and investment management services, as well as various insurance products and services. It operates through a network of 68 banking offices, including 57 offices in West Virgin ia, 8 offices in Kentucky, and 3 offices in Ohio, as well as through ATMs, check cards, interactive voice response systems, and Internet technology. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia.

Hot Warren Buffett Companies For 2014: STAAR Surgical Company(STAA)

STAAR Surgical Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of implantable lenses for the cataracts and refractive surgery. It offers intraocular lenses (IOL) that include silicone Toric IOL, which is used in cataract surgery to treat preexisting astigmatism; Preloaded Injector, a three-piece silicone or acrylic IOL preloaded into a single-use disposable injector; Aspheric IOLs that provide a clearer image than traditional spherical IOLs; and nanoFLEX IOL, a single-piece collamer aspheric IOL. The company also provides implantable collamer lenses (ICL) comprising VISIAN ICL and VISIAN Toric ICL to treat refractive disorders, such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. In addition, it sells surgical products and other related instruments, as well as manufactures AquaFlow device for the treatment of glaucoma. The company markets its products to health care providers, including surgical centers, hospitals, managed care pro viders, health maintenance organizations, group purchasing organizations, and government facilities primarily under the STAAR, Visian, Collamer, nanoFLEX, nanoPOINT, CentraFLOW, AquaPORT, Epiphany, and AquaFlow names. It distributes its products through directly employed representatives, independent sales representatives, and local distributors in the United States and internationally. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Monrovia, California.