Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014

It's hard to compete against "free."

Free-to-play and casual games finally took a big bite out of Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ: ATVI  ) tent pole franchise, World of Warcraft. The subscription-based game lost 1.3 million members last quarter, or 14% of its total user base.

In the following video, Fool contributor Demitrios Kalogeropoulos says there's a sliver lining to this bad news, and that Activision has some levers it can pull to keep Warcraft afloat. Still, the best-case scenario is for a more steady decline for this aging game that will give the company time to build up its newer franchises.

While Activision and Microsoft have been taking the headlines when it comes to console gaming, investors following the gaming sector would do well to also keep tabs on Electronic Arts. We can help. The Motley Fool's special report breaks down the risks and opportunities facing the company to help you decide if EA is right for your portfolio. Click here to get your copy now.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: Stroud Resources Ltd.(SDR.V)

Stroud Resources Ltd. operates as a mineral exploration company in Mexico and Canada. The company primarily holds interest in the Santo Domingo epithermal silver-gold project located in central Mexico. It also holds interests in the Hislop and Leckie/Penrose gold projects in northern Ontario, Canada; and Compania Minera project located in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. In addition, the company holds approximately 3.75% interest in six oil and gas producing wells in Alberta. Stroud Resources Ltd. was founded in 1983 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: Corin Group(CRG.L)

Corin Group PLC engages in the development, production, and distribution of reconstructive orthopedic devices worldwide. It offers metal-on-metal hip resurfacing devices, knee products, mobile-bearing total knee replacement systems, ligament augmentation systems, mobile-bearing ankles, acetabular systems, cementless hip replacement systems, and total ankle and shoulder replacement systems. The company also provides hip and knee implant solutions; hip fracture management solutions; spine systems, such as polyaxial pedicular screw, anterior cervical plating, spinal, and pedicle screw systems; and ligament reconstruction and theatre disposables, as well as filtered suction, bone cement, hand operating table, pulsed lavage, autologous autotransfusion, and camera drape systems. Corin Group PLC was founded in 1985 and is based in Cirencester, the United Kingdom.

Best Cheap Stocks To Invest In Right Now: China Xiniya Fashion Limited(XNY)

China Xiniya Fashion Limited engages in the design and manufacture of men?s business casual and business formal apparel and accessories. It offers business casual apparel, including jackets, pants, shirts, T-shirts, sweaters, and overcoats; business formal apparel comprising suits, business pants, and dress shirts; and accessories consisting of ties, bags, belts, and shoes. The company sells its products under the Xiniya brand name to distributors and department store chains in the People?s Republic of China. China Xiniya Fashion Limited was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Jinjiang, the People?s Republic of China.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: Aberdeen Asset(ADN.L)

Aberdeen Asset Management PLC is a publicly owned asset management holding company. The firm provides its services to governments, national pension schemes, listed investment companies, foundations and charities, private banks, and discretionary fund managers, and retail clients. The firm through its subsidiaries manages separate client focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios along with pooled investment vehicles. It also manages mutual funds for its clients. The firm invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It also invests in currency and property markets across the globe. The firm employs fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock picking approach to create its equity portfolio. It conducts in-house research to make its investments. Aberdeen Asset Management PLC was founded in 1983 and is based in Aberdeen, United Kingdom with additional office in Greater London, United Kingdom.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: Carpentaria Exploration Ltd(CAP.AX)

Carpentaria Exploration Limited engages in the exploration and development of base, precious metals, and bulk commodities in Australia. The company has interests in iron ore, tin, gold, copper, and coal exploration projects in New South Wales and Queensland. It principally focuses on Hawsons Iron Project, which is covered by two exploration tenements located south of Broken Hill. The company was formerly known as Sunmustard Pty, Ltd. and changed its name to Carpentaria Exploration Limited in April 2007. Carpentaria Exploration Limited was incorporated in 2000 and is based in Brisbane, Australia.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: Boral Ltd (BLD.AX)

Boral Limited manufactures and supplies building and construction materials in Australia, the United States, and Asia. It offers construction materials, including quarry products, cement, flyash, pre-mix concrete, and asphalt; and building products, such as clay bricks and pavers, clay and concrete roof tiles, concrete masonry products, plasterboard, windows, and timber. It also offers lime, fly ash, concrete placing, and cultured stones; and bulk transport and logistics solutions to the coal industry and other specialized bulk materials and freight markets. In addition, it engages in quarry end use business; and property development business. The company provides its products for the residential and non-residential construction, and the engineering and infrastructure markets. Boral Limited was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: MEDIWARE Information Systems Inc.(MEDW)

Mediware Information Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, and marketing of software solutions targeting specific processes within healthcare institutions. The company offers software systems consisting of company's proprietary application software, and third-party licensed software and hardware. It licenses, implements, and supports clinical and performance management, blood donor, and blood and biologic management products in the United States; and medication management solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa. The company?s blood and biologics management solutions include HCLL Transfusion and HCLL Donor, which address blood donor recruitment, blood processing, and transfusion activities for hospitals and medical centers; BloodSafe suite of hardware and software that enable healthcare facilities to store, monitor, distribute, and track blood products; LifeTrak software for blood centers; a nd BiologiCare, a bone, tissue, and cellular product tracking software. Its medication management products comprise WORx, a pharmacy information system to manage inpatient and outpatient pharmacy operations; MediCOE, a physician order entry module; MediMAR, a nurse point-of-care administration and bedside documentation module; MediREC, which assists in achieving compliance with a Joint Commission mandate; and pharmacy management and electronic prescribing systems. The company?s performance management products include InSight software that tracks performance metrics to assist healthcare managers to manage performance. It also provides software installation and maintenance services, as well as billing and collection services to home infusion and home/durable medical equipment markets. The company markets its products primarily through its direct sales force. Mediware Information Systems, Inc. was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Stuart]

  Mediware Information Systems(MEDW), which has a market value of $88 million, sells blood- and biologics-management products and services to hospitals, surgery centers and other health-care facilities. The stock is down nearly 13% in the past three months, but the company has released little news. The stock is thinly traded, with only 17,000 shares of average daily volume, and with only 8 million shares outstanding, it doesn't take much to move the needle.

  Despite the drop in price, management reported impressive results in the most recent quarter, with revenue and earnings up 7% and 57%, respectively, from a year earlier. Mediware should continue to benefit from government stimulus money earmarked to improve health-care technology over the next few years.

  CEO Kelly Mann, formerly with 3M's(MMM) health-information division, has made great strides since his arrival nearly four years ago. Return on equity has improved to 10%, up from the low single digits three years ago.

  From a valuation standpoint, the shares look cheap, trading at just 6 times trailing EV/EBITDA and 15 times forward earnings. Plus, Mediware has no long-term debt and $30 million in cash. TheStreet Ratings has a $15 price target on Mediware.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation(BMTC)

Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation operates as the holding company for The Bryn Mawr Trust Company, which provides various commercial and retail banking services. The company accepts demand, time, and savings deposits; and makes commercial, real estate, and consumer loans, as well as other extensions of credit, including leases. It offers wealth management services, such as trust administration and fiduciary, custody, investment management and advisory, employee benefit account and IRA administration, estate settlement, tax, financial planning, and brokerage services. The company also provides casualty, property, and allied insurance, as well as life insurance, annuities, medical insurance, and accident and health insurance for groups and individuals. In addition, it offers title search and abstract services; mortgage services; and equipment leasing services. As of December 31, 2009, the company had nine full service branches and seven life care community offices in Montgomery, De laware, and Chester counties. Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: Kingsmen Creatives Ltd(5MZ.SI)

Kingsmen Creatives Ltd., an investment holding company, provides integrated marketing solutions. The company?s Exhibitions and Museums segment produces exhibition displays for trade shows and promotional events; interiors and displays for museums and visitor centers; and thematic and scenic displays for theme parks. Its Interiors segment provides interior fitting-out services to commercial and retail properties. Kingsmen?s Research and Design segment offers design works for up market specialty stores, departmental stores, eateries, museums, visitors? centers, corporate offices, showrooms, trade shows, events, promotional functions, and festivals. The company?s Integrated Marketing Communication segment involves in the provision of event management and branding consultancy services. It also provides electrical engineering, graphic design and production services, advertising, and design consultancy and planning management, as well as design and construction facilities to exhibitors. The company operates primarily in Singapore, Greater China, the United States, Canada, Malaysia, rest of Asia, Europe, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Kingsmen Creatives Ltd. was founded in 1976 and is based in Singapore.

Top 10 Sliver Companies For 2014: National Grid PLC (NGG)

National Grid Plc, incorporated on July 11, 2000, is an international electricity and gas company. The Company�� segments include UK Transmission, UK Gas Distribution, US Regulated and Other activities. The Company owns the electricity transmission system in England and Wales and is the national electricity transmission system operator, responsible for both the England and Wales transmission system, and the two high voltage transmission networks in Scotland, which the Company does not own. The Company owns and operates electricity distribution networks in upstate New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Through these networks the Company serves approximately 3.5 million electricity consumers in New England and upstate New York. It also has a number of related businesses, such as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) importation and storage, land remediation and metering. On July 3, 2012, the Company sold its New Hampshire electric and gas distribution businesses (Granite State Electric Company and Energy North Natural Gas Inc.) to Liberty Energy Utilities (New Hampshire) Corp., a subsidiary of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp.

UK Transmission

The Company is the system operator for the new offshore electricity transmission regime. It owns and operates the gas national transmission system in Great Britain. The Company owns and operates the United Kingdom assets, and a portion of the subsea cables, that comprise the electricity interconnector between England and France as part of a joint arrangement with the French transmission operator.

UK Gas Distribution

The Company owns and operates four of the eight regional gas distribution networks in Great Britain. Its networks comprise approximately 132,000 kilometers (82,000 miles) of gas distribution pipeline, and it transports gas from the gas national transmission system to around 10.8 million consumers on behalf of 26 active gas shippers. Gas consumption in the Company�� United Kingdom networks! was 259 terawatt hours during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 (fiscal 2012). The Company manages the national gas emergency number (0800 111 999). This service, along with the enquiries lines, appliance repair helpline and meter enquiry service, handled 2,498,804 calls during fiscal 2012.

US Regulated

The Company maintains and operates the electricity transmission and distribution system on Long Island owned by the Long Island Power Authority. The LIPA service territory covers approximately 3,185 square kilometers (1,230 square miles). The Company owns 57 electricity generation units on Long Island that together provide 4.1 gigawatt of power under contract to LIPA. The Company�� plants consist of oil and gas fired steam turbine, gas turbine and diesel driven generating units ranging from 2 megawatts to 385 megawatts. Its United States gas distribution networks provide services to around 3.5 million consumers across the northeastern United States, located in service territories in upstate New York, New York City, Long Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The Company added 35,000 new gas heating customers in these areas in fiscal 2012.

Other activities

National Grid Grain LNG Limited is one of three LNG importation facilities in the United Kingdom. It operates under long-term contracts with customers and provides importation services, storage and send out capacity on to the national transmission system. BritNed Development Limited is a joint venture between National Grid and TenneT, the Dutch transmission system operator, to build and operate a 1,000 megawatts, 260 kilometer (162 mile) subsea electricity link between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. National Grid Metering provides installation and maintenance services to energy suppliers in the regulated market in Great Britain. It maintains an asset base of around 15 million domestic, industrial and commercial meters. During fiscal 2012, the Company completed the sale ! of OnStre! am, which provides installation and maintenance services in the unregulated market. National Grid Property is responsible for managing its occupied properties in the United Kingdom and for the management, clean up and disposal of surplus sites, most of which are former gasworks. Xoserve delivers transactional services on behalf of all the gas network transportation companies in Great Britain, including National Grid. Xoserve is jointly owned by National Grid, as majority shareholder, and the other gas distribution network companies. The Company�� United States non-regulated businesses include interests in LNG storage, LNG road transportation and transmission pipelines. During fiscal 2012, it completed the sale of Seneca-Upshur, its oil and gas exploration and production business in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  National Grid (NGG) has a market capitalization of $41.25 billion. The company employs 25,645 people, generates revenue of $22.18 billion and has a net income of $3.268 billion. The firm’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounts to $7.602 billion. The EBITDA margin is 34.28 percent (the operating margin is 25.08 percent and the net profit margin is 14.73 percent). 
  
  Financial Analysis: The total debt represents 48.64 percent of the company’s assets and the total debt in relation to the equity amounts to 249.22 percent. Due to the financial situation, a return on equity of 22.25 percent was realized. Twelve trailing months earnings per share reached a value of $5.08. Last fiscal year, the company paid $3.15 in the form of dividends to shareholders. 
  
  Market Valuation: Here are the price ratios of the company: The P/E ratio is 11.17, the P/S ratio is 1.86 and the P/B ratio is finally 2.83. The dividend yield amounts to 5.59 percent and the beta ratio has a value of 0.63.