Top Specialty Retail Companies To Buy For 2014

A number of sources, from Fitch Ratings to UBS,�have decided that it's time for investors to get out of department stores. The argument is that customers are trending more toward specialty retailers, and that the benefit well for department store stocks is all but dried up. Other observers aren't sold on the idea, though, and the National Retail Federation ranks among the skeptics. Daniel Butler, a VP of retail operations with the Federation, said that department stores are actually outperforming the retail sector overall.

For investors, it may simply be a matter of being more selective. The range of department stores and performances is broad, so here are three of the bigger players, and how they stack up against one another.

J.C. Penney
At the bottom of the pile is J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP  ) . I vacillate between thinking that J.C. Penney is about to go out of business and take everyone down with it and thinking that it's about to go out of business but liquidate its real estate to generate some value for investors. Either way, things at the retailer are not working out. Last quarter, both net sales and comparable sales were down more than 16%. The company's loss per share doubled from the quarter last year.

Top Specialty Retail Companies To Buy For 2014: Yongmao Holdings Limited (E6A.SI)

Yongmao Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of tower cranes, components, and accessories for infrastructure projects, construction sites, and shipbuilding industry in the People�s Republic of China. Its tower cranes are primarily used to lift building materials and equipment. The company offers various tower cranes with lifting capacities in the range of 80 to 1200 tonne meters. In addition, it is involved in the sale, distribution, rental, financial leasing, and service of tower cranes, construction machinery, and related components. The company provides its products under the Yongmao brand name primarily to construction equipment distributors and equipment rental companies. Yongmao Holdings Limited also exports its products to approximately 70 countries and areas worldwide. Yongmao Holdings Limited was founded in 1992 and is based in Singapore. Yongmao Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of Sun & Tian Investment Pte . Ltd.

Top Specialty Retail Companies To Buy For 2014: International Millennium Mining (IMI.V)

International Millennium Mining Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in acquiring, exploring, and evaluating mineral properties in Canada and the Americas. It primarily explores for gold, silver, cobalt, molybdenum, zinc, lead, nickel, copper, and platinum group metals. The company owns interests in various properties located in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada; Nevada, the United States; and Sonora State, Mexico. International Millennium Mining Corp. is headquartered in North Vancouver, Canada.

10 Best Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Hsbc Hdg(HSBA.L)

HSBC Holdings plc provides various banking and financial products and services. The company?s Retail Banking and Wealth Management business offers a range of personal banking products, including current and savings accounts, mortgages and personal loans, credit cards, debit cards, and local and international payment services; and wealth management services comprising insurance and investment products, and asset management and financial planning services. Its Commercial Banking business provides overdrafts, term and syndicated loans, acquisition and project finance, and asset finance; receivables finance; payments and cash management services, such as payments and collections, liquidity management, and account services; commercial cards; international trade finance; treasury and capital market products; commercial cards; insurance; and cash and derivatives in foreign exchange and rates, as well as online and direct banking services. The company?s Global Banking and Market s business offers treasury and capital markets services consisting of foreign exchange; currency, interest rate, bond, credit, equity, and other derivatives; government and non-government fixed income and money market instruments; precious metals and exchange-traded futures; equity services; capital markets instruments; securities services, which include custody and clearing services, and funds administration; and financing, advisory, and transaction services. Its Global Private Banking provides a range of private banking, investment management, trust solution, and corporate finance solutions to high net worth individuals and families. The company operates through a network of approximately 7,200 offices in 85 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. HSBC Holdings plc was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Top Specialty Retail Companies To Buy For 2014: Traverse Energy Ltd(TVL.V)

Traverse Energy Ltd., a resource company, engages in the exploration for, and the development and production of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL), and crude oil in Western Canada. As of 31 December 31, 2010, its asset base included proved and probable reserves of 800.3 million cubic feet of natural gas, and 146.5 thousands of barrels of oil and NGL; and an inventory of undeveloped lands totaling 156,000 gross acres. The company was formerly known as Firstland Energy Limited and changed its name to Traverse Energy Ltd. in June 2009. Traverse Energy Ltd. was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.