Warren Buffett has never been much of a tech investor; in fact. he famously sat out of tech during the Internet bubble. But he has been willing to venture outside his normal comfort zone when a profitable opportunity arises. He has made investments in an electric-car company, a small time-share airline, wind and solar power plants, a company that rents furniture, and a company that sells party supplies -- none of which are companies that have "Warren Buffett" written all over them.
So why isn't Buffett buying Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) stock right now? It may be in tech, but it fits most of the criteria he has followed his whole career. It has a wide competitive moat, a strong return on investment, and a great brand. And it's cheap, even by Buffett's standards.
A moat as wide as the Mississippi
In every business Apple operates in, it has a competitive advantage and an ecosystem that keeps users coming back for more.
Take the PC as an example. PC sales are falling across the industry, and Apple is only the sixth largest PC maker in the world. But Apple generated more operating profit than the top five PC makers combined (click here to see the graphic from Asymco). Apple is able to command a premium because its computers are more reliable and more elegant than the competition, and that means profits for investors. �
Hot International Stocks To Buy Right Now: Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd.(HSOL)
Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd., an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and sale of silicon ingots, silicon wafers, and PV cells and modules. The company also offers mono crystalline and multi crystalline silicon cells; and provides PV module processing services. It sells its products to solar power system integrators and distributors primarily in Germany, Italy, Australia, the United States, the Czech Republic, Spain, and China. The company was formerly known as Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. in December 2010. Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Qidong, the People?s Republic of China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
News and notes
Hanwha SolarOne (NASDAQ: HSOL ) announced another $100 million in financing this week, this time a term loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea. � - [By Roberto Pedone]
One under-$10 stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Hanwha SolarOne (HSOL), which manufactures a number of silicon ingots, PV cells and PV modules using advanced manufacturing process technologies. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up 301%.
If you take a look at the chart for Hanwha SolarOne, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last month and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $2.60 to its recent high of $4.28 a share. During that uptrend, shares of HSOL have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of HSOL within range of triggering a big breakout trade.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in HSOL if it manages to break out above its 52-week high at $4.28 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 1.61 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then HSOL 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 $6 to $7 a share.
Traders can look to buy HSOL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average at $3.40 a share, or near more support at $3.35 a share. One can also buy HSOL off strength once it clears $4.28 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
Top 5 Solar Stocks To Watch For 2014: Ascent Solar Technologies Inc.(ASTI)
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a development stage company, focuses on commercializing flexible photovoltaic (PV) modules using its proprietary technology. The company intends to manufacture roll-format PV modules that use copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) on a plastic substrate. Its proprietary manufacturing process deposits multiple layers of materials, including a thin-film of CIGS semiconductor material on a plastic substrate and laser patterns the layers to create interconnected PV cells or PV modules through monolithic integration process. The company would serve the building applied photovoltaic (BAPV) and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) market, as well as specialty markets, such as defense, portable power, transportation, electronic integrated photovoltaic, and space and near-space. It has a strategic relationship with Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS to access customers in the BIPV/BAPV markets worldwide. Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. was founded in 200 5 and is based in Thornton, Colorado.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Solar stocks have not exactly given buy and hold investors a smooth ride, but small cap�GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT) could be an interesting materials play on the solar sector���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with potential peers like Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: ASTI) and STR Holdings, Inc (NYSE: STRI) plus solar ETF Guggenheim Solar ETF (NYSEARCA: TAN). I should mention that just last week, we added GT Advanced Technologies to our�SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio for both�fundamentals and technical reasons and we are already up almost 9%.
Top 5 Solar Stocks To Watch For 2014: First Solar Inc.(FSLR)
First Solar, Inc. manufactures and sells solar modules using a thin-film semiconductor technology. It also designs, constructs, and sells photovoltaic solar power systems. The company?s solar modules employ a thin layer of semiconductor material to convert sunlight into electricity. Its integrated solar power systems activities include the project development; engineering, procurement, and construction services; operating and maintenance services; and project finance. The company sells solar modules to project developers, system integrators, and operators of renewable energy projects; and solar power systems to investor owned utilities, independent power developers and producers, and commercial and industrial companies, as well as other system owners. It operates in the United States, Germany, France, Canada, and internationally. The company was formerly known as First Solar Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to First Solar, Inc. in 2006. First Solar was founded in 1999 a nd is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Doug Ehrman]
Solar flares
The second week of April saw solar companies explode to the upside, driven largely by bullish comments from First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR ) about the company's outlook for the rest of the year through 2015. The company also announced its acquisition of TetraSun under undisclosed financial terms. TetraSun brings expertise with silicon photovoltaic technology that's been used by other leaders in the field. The acquisition should open up new avenues for First Solar and give the company the ability to improve overall efficiency. - [By Jesse Solomon]
First Solar (FSLR), the darling of the solar panel industry, is up 23% this year, but it's gotten socked 5% this week.
In short, there are opportunities to make real money in renewable energy, but many of the publicly traded stocks available to ordinary investors are highly speculative. It's the early days for many of these companies.
Top 5 Solar Stocks To Watch For 2014: Canadian Solar Inc.(CSIQ)
Canadian Solar Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of solar power products in Canada and internationally. The company offers solar cell and solar module products that convert sunlight into electricity for various uses. Its products include a range of standard solar modules for use in a range of residential, commercial, and industrial solar power generation systems. The company also designs and produces specialty solar modules and products consisting of customized modules that its customers incorporate into their products, such as solar-powered bus stop lighting; and specialty products, such as portable solar home systems and solar-powered car battery chargers. In addition, it sells solar system kits, a package consisting of solar modules produced by it and third party supplied components, such as inverters, racking system, and other accessories, as well as implements solar power development projects. The company sells its products under the Canad ian Solar brand name. Canadian Solar Inc. offers its standard solar modules through a direct sales force and sales agents primarily to distributors, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturer customers, as well as to solar projects; and specialty solar modules and products to the automotive, telecommunications, and light-emitting diode lighting sectors. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Kitchener, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By John Udovich]
Small cap solar stock Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ: CSIQ) rose another 13.35% yesterday and is up 841.2% since the start of the year, soundly beating�the performance of�solar ETFs�Guggenheim Solar ETF (NYSEARCA: TAN) and Market Vectors Solar Energy ETF (NYSEARCA: KWT). But why has this solar stock gone parabolic and what are (if any) potential dark clouds that investors need to be aware of?
- [By Anna Prior]
Fund management group DIF agreed to acquire four new solar power plants from a Canadian Solar Inc.(CSIQ) (CSIQ) subsidiary for an undisclosed sum.
General Electric Co.(GE) agreed to sell the so-called Vital Signs segment of its health-care operation to CareFusion Corp.(CFN) (CFN) for $500 million.
- [By Monica Gerson]
Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) dropped 7.19% to $23.50 in pre-market trading after the company reported weaker-than-expected Q1 earnings and issued a weak forecast.
- [By Aaron Levitt]
After years of cheap natural gas eating photovoltaic�� lunch, solar stocks are back with a vengeance. Already, we��e seen better earnings from a host of hot solar stocks like First Solar (FSLR) and Canadian Solar (CSIQ). And now, its smaller solar stock ReneSola�� turn (SOL) … and SOL stock may just surprise investors.
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