Hot Cheap Companies To Watch For 2014

LONDON -- The FTSE 100 has risen by 25% over the last year, and many top shares are beginning to look quite expensive. I'm on the hunt for companies that still look cheap, based on their long-term earnings potential. To help me hunt down these bargains, I'm using a special version of the price-to-earnings ratio called the PE10, which is one of my favorite tools for value investing.

The PE10 compares the current share price with average earnings per share for the last 10 years. This lets you see whether a company looks cheap compared to its long-term earnings.

Today, I'm going to take a look at the PE10 of drinks giant Diageo (LSE: DGE  ) (NYSE: DEO  ) .

Is Diageo a buy?
Diageo has been one of the great big-cap growth stories of the last 10 years. Since 2003, its share price has grown by 179%, and its dividend has increased by 69%, giving the firm an army of loyal shareholders.

However, I'm concerned that the company's share price might have got slightly ahead of its earnings growth. Does the firm's PE10 suggest underlying value, or is Diageo ripe for rerating?

Top 5 Internet Stocks For 2015: Oracle Corporation(ORCL)

Oracle Corporation, an enterprise software company, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and services database and middleware software, applications software, and hardware systems worldwide. It licenses of database and middleware software, including database management software, application server software, service-oriented architecture and business process management software, data integration software, business intelligence software, identity and access management software, content management software, portals and user interaction software, development tools, and Java; and applications software comprising enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, enterprise performance management, supply chain management, business intelligence applications, enterprise portfolio project management, Web commerce, and industry-specific applications software. The company also offers customers with rights to unspecified software product upgrades and maintenance releases; Internet access to technical content; and Internet and telephone access to technical support personnel. In addition, its hardware systems products consist of computer server and hardware-related software, including the Oracle Solaris Operating System; and storage products, such as tape, disk and networking solutions for open systems and mainframe server environments. Its hardware systems support solutions include software updates for the software components. Further, the company offers consulting solutions in business and IT strategy alignment, enterprise architecture planning and design, initial product implementation and integration, and ongoing product enhancements and upgrades; cloud services, including Oracle Cloud Services and Advanced Customer Services; and education solutions comprising instructor-led, media-based, and Internet-based training in the use of its software and hardware products. The company was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Redwood Ci ty, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  For a company of its size and success, shares of enterprise powerhouse Oracle (NYSE: ORCL  ) have taken a beating over the last month. The company and its amazing business model are under full assault from a series of cloud-based businesses that threaten to upend the industry as a whole. Clearly, emerging powers in this space like salesforce.com� (NYSE: CRM  ) and Workday� (NYSE: WDAY  ) have Oracle in their crosshairs. However, as a company with a reputation for rising to challenges, Oracle won't go quietly into the night. So how should investors look at this clash of the new and the old? Fool contributor Andrew Tonner breaks it down for investors in this edition of our Ask a Fool series.

Hot Cheap Companies To Watch For 2014: Compass Minerals Intl Inc(CMP)

Compass Minerals International, Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces and markets inorganic mineral products primarily in North America and the United Kingdom. The company operates in two segments, Salt and Specialty Fertilizer. The Salt segment produces salt and magnesium chloride for use in road deicing and dust control, food processing, water softeners, pool salt, and agricultural and industrial applications. This segment also purchases potassium chloride and sells as a finished product. The Specialty Fertilizer segment produces and markets sulphate of potash crop nutrients and industrial grade sulfate of potash for use in the production of specialty fertilizers for vegetables, fruits, potatoes, nuts, tobacco, and turf grass. The company also produces and markets consumer deicing and water conditioning products, ingredients used in consumer and commercial food preparation, and other mineral-based products for consumer, agricultural, and industrial applications. In ad dition, Compass Minerals provides records management services to businesses located in the U.K. The company operates rock salt mines in Goderich, Ontario, Canada; and Winsford, Chesire, the United Kingdom. It primarily serves producers of intermediate chemical products used in the production of vinyls and other chemicals, and pulp and paper, as well as water treatment and other industrial uses. The company markets its products through direct sales personnel, contract personnel, and a network of brokers or manufacturers? representatives. Compass Minerals International, Inc., formerly known as Salt Holdings Corporation, was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By cody56]

  Meridian Growth Fund performance

  Compass Minerals�(CMP) is a leading producer of rock salt and specialty potash fertilizer. Its unique collection of resource assets has helped the company generate historically high returns on capital. We invested in Compass as we believed that earnings were due to turn after four years of weak road salt demand driven by mild Northeast winters and production problems at its potash mines. During 2013 the potash industry was rocked by the potential collapse of a European cartel, which led to falling potash prices. Facing significant uncertainty for the future of the potash market, we sold the stock.

  We continue to remain focused on individual stock selection and portfolio construction that identifies quality companies that we believe are experiencing temporary disruptions to their businesses. These disruptions enable us to buy the businesses at attractive prices and provide the portfolio with what we believe is an attractive risk-reward profile for our shareholders.

Hot Cheap Companies To Watch For 2014: Emerson Electric Company(EMR)

Emerson Electric Co. operates as a diversified manufacturing and technology company. The company engages in appliance solutions, climate technologies, industrial automation, motor technology, network power, process management, professional tools, and storage solutions businesses. Its appliance solutions business provides appliance controls, appliance motors, heating products, and white-rodgers; climate technology business provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) solutions for residential, industrial, and commercial applications; and industrial automation business offers bearings and power transmission products, electrical power generation products, electric motors, variable speed drives and servos, electrical products, material joining solutions, fluid automation products, and wind turbine systems. The company?s motor technology business provides appliance motors, HVACR motors, DC motors, fractional horsepower motors, integral horsepower a nd larger motors, and drives; network power business provides power, precision cooling, connectivity, and embedded solutions; and process management business provides various wireless related products from self-organizing field networks to wireless asset and people tracking. Its professional tools business offers pipe working and threading equipment, pressing technology, utility locating and visual diagnostics systems, drain maintenance tools, power tools, air tools, general purpose hand tools, wet/dry vacs, job site storage equipment, truck tool boxes and equipment, and van storage equipment; and storage solutions business provides shelving and storage products for residential, commercial, and foodservice needs, as well as offers specialized carts, mobile computer workstations, and cabinet fixtures. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

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• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Barclays’ Scott Davis and team believe it might be, and for evidence they look at�3M (MMM), Emerson Electric (EMR), Rockwell Automation (ROK), and MSC Industrial Direct (MSM). They write:

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Tuesday

  Earnings Expected: Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), UBS AG (NYSE: UBS), Emerson Electric Company (NYSE: EMR), DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) Economic Releases Expected: Chinese services PMI, US redbook, Canadian trade balance, eurozone retail sales, British services PMI, eurozone services PMI, Reserve Bank of Australia interest rate decision

  Wednesday

Hot Cheap Companies To Watch For 2014: S&P GSCI(GD)

General Dynamics Corporation, an aerospace and defense company, provides business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions; military and commercial shipbuilding; and communications and information technology products and services worldwide. Its Aerospace group designs, manufactures, and outfits various large and mid-cabin business-jet aircraft; provides maintenance, repair work, fixed-based operations, and aircraft management services; and performs aircraft completions for aircraft. The company?s Combat Systems group offers tracked and wheeled military vehicles, weapons systems, and munitions. Its product lines include wheeled combat and tactical vehicles; battle tanks and infantry vehicles; munitions and propellant; rockets and gun systems; and axle and drivetrain components and aftermarket parts. This group also manufactures and supplies engineered axles, suspensions, and brakes for heavy-load vehicles for military and commercial customers. The company Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The U.S. Department of Defense awarded multiple contractors shares in some 17 contracts Tuesday, valued at up to $1.3 billion in combined dollar value. Most of the funds awarded went to a series of 13 contractors working on a single cyber-defense project -- but there were a few other winners. Among them:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  General Dynamics (NYSE: GD  ) is electing to keep its dividend level for the time being. The company has declared a quarterly disbursement of $0.56 per share of its common stock, to be paid on Aug. 9 to shareholders of record as of July 5.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Privately held IMT Defense Corp. and the Ordnance and Tactical Systems division of publicly traded General Dynamics (NYSE: GD  ) were both named winners of a� contract to supply M485A2 Projectile Metal Parts to the U.S. Army.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  General Dynamics Corp.(GD) said it swung to a fourth-quarter profit, while revenue edged up modestly. Results topped expectations, but shares edged down 1.8% to $93.55 premarket.