Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks For 2015

As a fan of regional banks over their much larger compatriots, PNC Financial (NYSE: PNC  ) is one bank that has always interested me, so I decided to take a deeper look at the bank to get a better understanding of how it operates. Last week, we looked at where the Pittsburgh-based bank made its money, as well as just how profitable it is. With this article, we will look at a small -- yet very profitable -- piece of PNC's business, and why investors should take note of it.

The business of PNC Financial
As mentioned in both of the previous articles, PNC Financial breaks its business into six different business segments, the largest being its traditional retail banking business. However, it is the smallest segment that is perhaps most interesting:

Business Segment

2012 Revenue

2012 Net Income (Loss)

Profit Margin

Retail Banking

Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks For 2015: Gulfport Energy Corporation(GPOR)

Gulfport Energy Corporation engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties. Its principal properties are located in the Louisiana Gulf Coast, in west Texas in the Permian Basin and in western Colorado in the Niobrara Formation. The company also holds acreage position in the Alberta oil sands in Canada; and interests in entities that operate in southeast Asia, including the Phu Horm gas field in Thailand, as well as leasehold interests in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio. As of December 31, 2011, it had 19.4 million barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Gulfport Energy� (NASDAQ: GPOR  ) has been on a buying spree in the Utica. Earlier this year the company announced the purchase of 22,000 acres for $10,000 apiece, which is a lot higher than the typical sale between $1,000 and $8,000 an acre. The company is accelerating its 2013 drilling program and expects to add its four rigs to the play this month. For Gulfport, the Utica is a gold mine.�

Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks For 2015: RBC Bearings Incorporated(ROLL)

RBC Bearings Incorporated manufactures and markets engineered precision plain, roller, and ball bearings primarily in North America, Europe, and Latin America. It operates in four segments: Plain Bearings, Roller Bearings, Ball Bearings, and Others. The Plain Bearings segment produces plain bearings with self-lubricating or metal-to-metal designs, including rod end bearings, spherical plain bearings, and journal bearings that are primarily used to rectify misalignments in various mechanical components. The Roller Bearings segment provides tapered roller bearings, needle roller bearings, and needle bearing track rollers and cam followers, which are anti-friction products that utilize cylindrical rolling elements. The Ball Bearings segment specializes in high precision aerospace, airframe control, thin section, and industrial ball bearings that utilize high precision ball elements to reduce friction in high speed applications. The Other segment consists of precision mechanic al components, which are used in various general industrial applications; and machine tool collets that are used for holding circular or rod-like pieces in a lathe or other machine. It serves construction and mining, oil and natural resource extraction, heavy truck, packaging, and semiconductor machinery; and aerospace and defense markets. The company offers its products through direct sales force and a network of industrial and aerospace distributors. RBC Bearings Incorporated is headquartered in Oxford, Connecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]

  This is a logical deal for SKF on multiple fronts. For starters, Kaydon will meaningfully expand the company's U.S. presence - something it could have done on its own eventually, but certainly not without spending money. With that, there is the possibility of using Kaydon's existing U.S. footprint to sell more SKF products and further trouble rivals like RBC Bearings (ROLL) and ITT (ITT).

Top Cheap Stocks For 2015: Denison Mines Corp (DNN)

Denison Mines Corp. (Denison) is engaged in uranium exploration, development, mining and milling with uranium mining projects in both the United States and Canada and development projects in Canada, the United States, Zambia and Mongolia. Denison�� assets include an interest in two of the four licensed conventional uranium mills in North America, with its 100% interest of the White Mesa mill in Utah and its 22.5% interest of the McClean Lake mill in Saskatchewan. Denison also produces vanadium as a co-product from some of its mines in Colorado and Utah and recycles uranium-bearing waste materials, referred to as alternate feed materials, for the recovery of uranium, alone or in combination with other metals, at its White Mesa mill. In January 2014, the Company announced the closing of the acquisition of Rockgate by Denison Mines Corp. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By The Energy Report]

  DS: It's certainly good news. Elimination of the non-resident ownership policy [NROP] will permit European Union-based companies to own a majority stake in an operating uranium mine. That opens the door for companies like Rio Tinto Plc (RIO) and AREVA SA (ARVCF) [AREVA:EPA] to push forward with development of existing deposits or to buy more uranium assets in Canada. Accordingly, it increases takeover potential for companies like Denison Mines Corp. (DNN).

• [By John Udovich]

  Since the start of the week, small cap nuclear fuel stock USEC Inc (NYSE: USU) more than doubled for investors, something that has not happened for investors in uranium stocks like Uranium Resources, Inc (NASDAQ: URRE), Denison Mines Corp (NYSEMKT: DNN), Ur-Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT: URG) and Uranerz Energy Corp (NYSEMKT: URZ). To recap: USEC Inc closed at the $6 level on Friday, but then it surged to the $15 level on Monday only to open at the $10 level on Tuesday when it ultimately closed at $12.46. So what in the world is going on with USEC Inc and is it time to revisit nuclear fuel and uranium stocks?

Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks For 2015: Euler Hermes SA (ELE)

Euler Hermes SA is a France-based credit insurance company. It offers a range of services, including loan assurance, risk assessment, trade debt collection, compensation of losses due to buyer insolvency, bonding and guarantees for companies, reinsurance of loans to individuals and fidelity insurance covering companies against financial loss caused by fraudulent acts. It operates a number of subsidiaries, including Euler Hermes SFAC, Euler Hermes ACI Holding Inc., Euler Hermes Reinsurance AG, among others. On January 1, 2012, the Company completed the simplification of its legal structure in Europe by grouping 13 of its former subsidiaries into one insurance company, Euler Hermes Europe, located in Brussels. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarah Jones]

  Iberdrola SA (IBE), Spain�� biggest power company, fell 3.4 percent to 3.87 euros. Endesa SA (ELE) slumped 4.6 percent to 16 euros, while Acciona SA (ANA), which owns more than 4 gigawatts of wind farms in the country, tumbled 8.5 percent to 37.95 euros. Red Electrica Corp. slid 7.5 percent to 38.34 euros.

Top 5 Regional Bank Stocks For 2015: Hellenic Sugar Industry SA (HSI)

Hellenic Sugar Industry SA is a Greece-based company engaged in the production and trade of white crystal sugar and its by-products, such as molasses and sugar beet seed. Its principal activities include the manufacture of all types of sweetener products and general kneading products; the production and processing of sugar beet and other plants; the production of raw materials for sugar production; the establishment, equipping and exploitation of sugar producing factories; conducting scientific research in all fields of activity of the Company; the trade and standardization of sugar products, by-products, raw materials, multiple materials, agricultural products and machinery, and carrying out agro-industrial activities in Greece and abroad. The Company has five sugar factories and one seed processing factory in Greece. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Yoshiaki Nohara]

  Hong Kong�� Hang Seng Index (HSI) declined 3.4 percent, extending its run of weekly losses to six, the longest streak since the global financial crisis of 2008. China�� Shanghai Composite Index dropped 4.1 percent, and a gauge of mainland firms listed in Hong Kong retreated 4.5 percent.

• [By Yoshiaki Nohara]

  Taiwan�� Taiex Index fell 0.2 percent, while Singapore�� Straits Times Index advanced 0.2 percent. Hong Kong�� Hang Seng Index (HSI) was little changed, erasing gains of as much as 0.6 percent.

• [By Eleni Himaras]

  Australia�� S&P/ASX 200 Index (AS51) slipped 0.4 percent. Singapore�� Straits Times Index gained 0.2 percent and Taiwan�� Taiex Index retreated 0.4 percent. Hong Kong�� Hang Seng Index (HSI) slipped 0.1 percent after rising as much as 0.4 percent and China�� Shanghai Composite Index added 0.1 percent.