Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now

Thanks largely to the antics of former CEO Aubrey McClendon, Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK  ) has been one of the most maligned names in the energy sector. McClendon leveraged the company's future with debt, intertwined his personal finances with the company's, and engineered a land-buying program that received significant amounts of bad press topped off with negative portrayal of the industry in Matt Damon's movie, "Promised Land." The result has been a nearly 40% slide in Chesapeake Energy stock over the past two years.

CHK data by YCharts

Natural gas on the rise
Despite the bad press, the overall position of the natural gas industry has never looked more promising. Companies ranging from Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE  ) to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A  ) are beginning to initiate programs that rely heavily on natural gas. In the case of Clean Energy, the company is undertaking a major push to create a corridor of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, filling stations across the country to allow trucks to carry freight on LNG power rather than diesel. This type of transition is likely to eventually trickle down to passenger vehicles, which currently are not fully viable as an LNG alternative. While Chesapeake Energy stock once benefited from the company's partial ownership of Clean Energy, that stake is likely to be sold to help meet debt obligations.

Top Semiconductor Stocks To Invest In 2015: Websense Inc. (WBSN)

Websense, Inc. provides unified Web, data, and email content security solutions to protect data and users from cyber-threats, information leaks, legal liability, and productivity loss. The company?s Web security solutions include Web Filter that enables employers to proactively analyze, report, and manage employee access to Web sites; Web Security, which enables organizations to manage, as well as block access to sites associated with spyware, phishing, keylogging, and other threats; Web Security Gateway, a network-based Web security solution; and Web Security Gateway Anywhere, and data loss prevention technology and hybrid deployment options to protect against data leaks via the Web, and allow IT administrators to create unified policies throughout the organization, as well as offers V-Series Appliances as standard server hardware platforms optimized for its software products. Its Data Security solutions include Data Security Suite, Data Discover, Data Monitor, Data Prote ct, and Data Endpoint to protect against the loss of confidential information and data due to internal threats, such as inadequate business process controls, employee error and malfeasance, and theft, including undetected malicious code embedded in the networks. The company?s email security technologies include Hosted Email Security and Email Security to provide protection from spam and email-borne viruses, as well as basic inbound and outbound content filtering. In addition, it offers TRITON Enterprise solutions that provide Web, data, and email security across the enterprise; and technical support and professional services. The company offers its products and services to public sector entities, enterprise customers, small and medium sized businesses, and Internet service providers through a network of value-added resellers and original equipment manufacturers worldwide. Websense, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Websense (NASDAQ: WBSN  ) shareholders have until June 25 to decide on a $24.75-a-share acquisition offer by Vista Equity Partners.

  The board of cyber attack security specialist Websense has agreed to be acquired by Vista Equity Partners in the $903 million deal announced earlier this month. This morning, the companies announced that the�tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Websense common stock has begun.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE)

Cenovus Energy, Inc. (Cenovus), incorporated on January 1, 2011, is a Canadian integrated oil company. The Company�� operations include oil sands projects in northern Alberta, which use specialized methods to drill and pump the oil to the surface. It also has natural gas and oil production in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It operates in four segments: oil sands, conventional, refining and marketing, and corporate and eliminations. The Company has 50% ownership with Phillips 66 in two United States refineries, which includes Wood River (Illinois) and Borger (Texas) refineries. It has two producing steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) projects in the oil sands-Foster Creek and Christina Lake, as well as several emerging projects which are in various stages of development. Foster Creek and Christina Lake are 50%-owned by ConocoPhillips. It also produces heavy oil from the mobile Wabiskaw formation at its 100%-owned Pelican Lake operation in the Greater Pelican Region, about 300 kilometers north of Edmonton.

Its reserves and production are located in Canada, primarily within the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. As of December 31, 2012, it had a land base of approximately seven million net acres and Company Interest Before Royalties proved reserves of approximately 1,717 million barrels of bitumen, 184 million barrels of heavy crude oil, 115 million barrels of light and medium crude oil and NGLs and 955 billion cubic feet of natural gas. It also had Company Interest Before Royalties probable reserves of approximately 676 million barrels of bitumen, 105 million barrels of heavy crude oil, 56 million barrels of light and medium crude oil and natural gas liquefied (NGLs) and 338 billion cubic feet of natural gas as of December 31, 2012.

Oil Sands

The Oil sands segment includes the development and production of Cenovus�� bitumen assets at Foster Creek, Christina Lake and Narrows Lake, as well as heavy oil assets at Pelican Lake. This segment also includes the Atha! basca natural gas assets and projects in the early stages of development, such as Grand Rapids and Telephone Lake. Certain of the Company�� operated oil sands properties, notably Foster Creek, Christina Lake and Narrows Lake, are jointly owned with ConocoPhillips. As of December 31, 2012, it had bitumen rights of approximately 1,469,000 gross acres (1,097,000 net acres) within the Athabasca and Cold Lake areas, as well as the exclusive rights to lease an additional 478,000 net acres areas on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range on its behalf and/or its assignee�� behalf.

As of December 31, 2012, there were 56 wells producing. It operates an 80 megawatt natural gas-fired cogeneration facility in conjunction with the SAGD operation at Foster Creek. The steam and power generated by the facility is presently being used within the SAGD operation and the excess power generated is being sold into the Alberta Power Pool. It has 50% interest in Christina Lake, an oil sands property in northeast Alberta that uses SAGD technology and produces from the McMurray formation. During 2011, the Company drilled three wells at Christina Lake using its Wedge WellTM technology. As of December 31, 2012, there were six producing wells.

The Company holds 50% interest in Narrows Lake, an oil sands property within the Christina Lake Region in northeast Alberta. The project includes gross production capacity of 130,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) of bitumen to be developed in up to three phases, with the first phase expected to have production capacity of approximately 45,000 barrels per day of bitumen. Using a pattern, horizontal well polymer flood, it produces heavy crude oil from the Cretaceous Wabiskaw formation at its Pelican Lake property, which is located within the Greater Pelican Region in northeast Alberta. During 2012, it drilled 76 heavy oil wells. The Company holds a 38% non-operated interest in 110 kilometers, 20-inch diameter crude oil pipeline, which connects the Pelican Lake area to a pipelin! e that tr! ansports crude oil from northern Alberta to crude oil markets.

The Company�� new resource play assets include oil sands properties. Its Grand Rapids property is located in the Greater Pelican Region in northeast Alberta, where deposits of bitumen have been identified in the Cretaceous Grand Rapids formation. Its Telephone Lake property is located in the Borealis Region in northeast Alberta. The Steepbank and East McMurray properties are also located in the Borealis Region, southwest of Telephone Lake. It produces natural gas from the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range and several surrounding landholdings located in northeast Alberta and hold surface access and natural gas rights for exploration, development and transportation from areas. The majority of its natural gas production in the area is processed through wholly owned and operated compression facilities.

Conventional

Conventional segment includes the development and production of conventional crude oil, NGLs and natural gas in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It includes the carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery project at Weyburn and emerging tight oil opportunities. As of December 31, 2012, it had an established land position of approximately 4.9 million gross acres, of which approximately 3.2 million gross acres are developed. The mineral rights on approximately 59% of its net landholdings are owned in fee title by Cenovus. It leases Crown lands in some areas in Alberta, mainly in the Early Cretaceous geological formations, primarily in the Suffield and Wainwright areas.

The Company holds interests in multiple zones in the Suffield, Brooks North, Langevin, Drumheller, and Wainwright areas in southern Alberta with a mix of medium and heavy crude oil production. Development in these areas focuses on infill drilling, optimization of existing wells and other specialized oil recovery methods. It operates water handling facilities to manage oil production. In the unitized portion of the Weyburn crude oil field ! in southe! ast Saskatchewan, it has 62% working interest. The Weyburn unit produces light and medium sour crude oil from the Mississippian Midale formation and covers 78 sections of land. As of December 31, 2012, approximately 90% of the approved CO2 flood pattern development at the Weyburn unit was completed. It holds interests in multiple zones in the Suffield, Brooks North, Langevin and Drumheller areas in southern Alberta.

Refining and Marketing

Refining and marketing segment is focused on the refining of crude oil products into petroleum and chemical products at two refineries located in the United States. The refineries are jointly owned with and operated by Phillips 66. This segment also markets Cenovus�� crude oil and natural gas, as well as third-party purchases and sales of product that provide operational flexibility for transportation commitments, product type, delivery points and customer diversification.

Through WRB Refining LP (WRB), the Company has 50% ownership interest in both the Wood River and Borger Refineries located in Roxana, Illinois and Borger, Texas respectively. ConocoPhillips is the operator and manager of WRB. As of December 31, 2012, the Wood River refinery had a processing capacity of approximately 306,000 barrels per day of crude oil, including approximately 110,000 barrels per day of heavy crude oil. It processes light low-sulphur and heavy high-sulphur crude oil that it receives from North American crude oil pipelines to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, petrochemical feedstocks and asphalt. As December 31, 2012, the Borger Refinery had a processing capacity of approximately 146,000 barrels per day of crude oil, including approximately 35,000 barrels per day of heavy crude oil, and approximately 45,000 barrels per day of NGLs. It processes crude oil and NGLs that it receives from North American pipeline systems to produce gasoline, diesel and jet fuel along with NGLs and solvents.

The Company's Marketing group is focused ! on enhanc! ing the netback price of its production. It manages the transportation and marketing of crude oil for its upstream operations. It also manages the marketing of its natural gas, which is primarily sold to industrials, other producers and energy marketing companies.

Corporate and Eliminations

The segment includes inter-segment eliminations that relate to transactions that have been recorded at transfer prices based on current market prices, as well as unrealized intersegment profits in inventory. The Corporate and Eliminations segment also includes Cenovus costs for general and administrative and financing activities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Portfolio activity was quite modest during the quarter. However, noteworthy new editions to some of our Fund portfolios included two Hong Kong-based companies and Cenovus Energy (CVE), a Canadian oilsands company. One of the Hong Kong-based companies is a real estate conglomerate, which has a strong operating record, is in a net cash position, and at purchase was trading at a one third discount from our conservative estimate of its intrinsic value. After spinning off much of its real estate into two REITS at what we believe were very advantageous prices, it should have the financial flexibility to create additional value should Hong Kong real estate face a downturn. The other Hong Kong-based company is a luxury retailer and a classic Ben Graham net current asset microcap stock, which at purchase was trading at two thirds of its net cash and inventories. We also added Cenovus to the Worldwide High Dividend portfolio during the quarter. This Canadian oilsands operator has a strong production growth profile with low cost in situ oilsands reserves. At purchase, Cenovus was trading at a substantial discount from our estimate of intrinsic value and was paying a dividend yield of 3.2%. We also added to a number of pre-existing positions in our Fund portfolios during the quarter, including Banco Santander Brasil, TNT Express, G4S, and DBS, among others.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  If the "dirty" image of oil sands was the only problem, then perhaps a move similar to what Cenovus Energy (NYSE: CVE  ) has just made is the solution. Find out what that move is by tuning in to the video below.�

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: Armstrong World Industries Inc (AWI)

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI), incorporated on December 30, 1891, is a global producer of flooring products and ceiling systems for use in the construction and renovation of residential, commercial and institutional buildings. The Company designs, manufactures and sells flooring products (resilient and wood) and ceiling systems (mineral fiber, fiberglass and metal) globally. The Company segments includes: Building Products, Resilient Flooring and Wood Flooring. The Company�� Building Products, Resilient Flooring, Wood Flooring and Cabinets segments sell products for use in the home. Its products are used in new home construction and existing home renovation work. Its products, primarily ceilings and Resilient Flooring, are used in commercial and institutional buildings. On September 1, 2012, it sold Patriot Flooring Supply, Inc. to The Belknap White Group. Effective October 31, 2012, the Company sold of its cabinets business to American Industrial Partners.

Building Products

Building Products produces suspended mineral fiber, soft fiber and metal ceiling systems for use in commercial, institutional and residential settings. In addition, its Building Products segment sources complementary ceiling products. Its products, which are sold globally, are available in colors, performance characteristics and designs, and offer attributes, such as acoustical control, rated fire protection and aesthetic appeal. Commercial ceiling materials and accessories are sold to ceiling systems contractors and to resale distributors. Residential ceiling products are sold in North America to wholesalers and retailers, including home centers. Suspension system (grid) products manufactured by Worthington Armstrong Venture (WAVE) are sold by both the Company and WAVE.

Resilient Flooring

Resilient Flooring produces and sources a range of floor coverings for homes and commercial and institutional buildings. Manufactured products in this segment include vinyl sheet, v! inyl tile and linoleum flooring. In addition, its Resilient Flooring segment sources and sells laminate flooring products, vinyl tile products, vinyl sheet products, adhesives, and installation and maintenance materials and accessories. Resilient Flooring products are offered in a range of types, designs, and colors. It sells these products globally to wholesalers, home centers, retailers, contractors and to the manufactured homes industry.

Wood Flooring

The Company�� Wood Flooring segment produces and sources wood flooring products for use in new residential construction and renovation, with commercial applications in stores, restaurants and offices. The product offering includes pre-finished solid and engineered wood floors in various wood species, and related accessories. All of its Wood Flooring sales are in North America. Its Wood Flooring products are sold to independent wholesale flooring distributors and home centers.

The Company competes with Saint-Gobain, Chicago Metallic Corporation, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Knauf AMF GmbH & Co. KG, Lafarge SA, Odenwald Faserplattenwerk GmbH, Rockfon A/S, USG Corporation, Amtico International, Inc., Beaulieu International Group, N.V., Boa-Franc, Inc., Congoleum Corporation, Faus, Inc., Forbo Holding AG, Gerflor Group, Interface, Inc., IVC Group, Krono Holding AG, LG Floors, Mannington Mills, Inc., Metroflor Corporation, Mullican Flooring, L.P., Mohawk Industries, Inc., Nora Systems GmbH, Pfleiderer AG, Shaw Industries, Inc., Somerset Hardwood Flooring, Tarkett AG.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Armstrong World Industries (NYSE: AWI  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Watch Right Now: GSV Capital Corp (GSVC)

GSV Capital Corp. (GSV Capital), formerly NeXt Innovation Corp., is a development-stage company. The Company is an externally managed, non-diversified closed-end management investment company. The Company�� investment objective is to maximize capital appreciation. The Company will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in privately held high growth venture backed companies and select mid cap and large cap publicly traded companies.

The Company may also invest in select publicly-traded equity securities of companies that otherwise meet its investment criteria. It seeks to acquire its investments primarily through private secondary market transactions and, to a lesser extent, through transactions executed on public securities exchanges and direct investments in its portfolio companies. The Company�� investment activities will be managed by GSV Asset Management. GSV Capital Service Company will provide the administrative services.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Helix Investment Research]

  Keating Capital is far from the only publicly traded pre-IPO investment company. There are several others, including GSV Capital (GSVC) and Firsthand Technology Value Fund (SVVC). Hercules Technology Growth Capital (HTGC) is also a pre-IPO fund, but with the bulk of its assets (over 92%) invested into loans to and debt of private companies, as opposed to their equity, the company's investment philosophy is different than that of these other pre-IPO funds. Unlike GSV Capital and Firsthand, Keating Capital, as a matter of policy, always purchases equity directly from portfolio companies, never from secondary markets such as SharesPost or SecondMarket. Mr. Keating outlined that this is due to the company's requirement that it be given access to all relevant financial data and managerial projections of its portfolio companies at all times, something that Mr. Keating believes is essential to being able to make informed investor decisions. We note that shares of Facebook (FB) and Twitter are conspicuously absent from Keating Capital's portfolio; the company declined to purchase shares of either company due to an inability to acquire direct financial information regarding these companies. In addition, Keating Capital has a stated goal of investing in the most senior equity securities available at each portfolio company.