Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now

LONDON -- To me, capital growth and dividend income are equally important. Together, they provide the total return from any share investment and, as you might expect, my aim is to invest in companies that can beat the total return delivered by the wider market.

To put that aim into perspective, the FTSE 100 has provided investors with a total return of around 3% per annum since January 2008.

Quality and value
If my investments are to outperform, I need to back companies that score well on several quality indicators, and buy at prices that offer decent value.

So, this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities, and today ,I'm looking at Tesco (LSE: TSCO  ) (NASDAQOTH: TSCDY  ) , the well-known supermarket chain.

With the shares at 366 pence, Tesco's market cap. is 29,520 million pounds.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Helen of Troy Limited(HELE)

Helen of Troy Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, import, marketing, and distribution of brand-name consumer products primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It operates in three segments: Personal Care, Housewares, and Healthcare/Home Environment. The Personal Care segment offers hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, hair setters, shavers, mirrors, hot air brushes, home hair clippers and trimmers, paraffin baths, massage cushions, footbaths, body massagers, brushes, combs, hair accessories, liquid and aerosol hair styling products, men?s fragrances, men?s and women?s antiperspirants and deodorants, liquid and bar soaps, shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments, foot powder, body powder, and skin care products. The Housewares segment provides kitchen tools, cutlery, bar and wine accessories, household cleaning tools, food storage containers, tea kettles, trash cans, storage an d organization products, hand tools, gardening tools, kitchen mitts and trivets, barbeque tools, and rechargeable lighting products, as well as baby and toddler care products, including convertible high chair. The Healthcare/Home Environment segment offers humidifiers, de-humidifiers, vaporizers, thermometers, air purifiers, fans, portable heaters, heating pads, and electronic mosquito traps. The company sells its products primarily through mass merchandisers, drugstore chains, warehouse clubs, home improvement stores, catalogs, grocery stores, specialty stores, beauty supply retailers, e-commerce retailers, wholesalers, and various types of distributors, as well as directly online to end user consumers. Helen of Troy Limited was founded in 1968 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Pacific Continental Corporation(Ore)

Pacific Continental Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Pacific Continental Bank that provides commercial banking services primarily in Oregon and Washington. The company offers a range of banking and related services to community-based business, not-for-profits, professional service providers, business owners, and executives. It accepts a range of deposit products, including demand, checking, savings, money market, and time deposits. The company?s loan portfolio comprises secured and unsecured commercial loans for general operating purposes, acquisition of fixed assets, purchases of equipment and machinery, financing of inventory and accounts receivable, and other business purposes; small business administration loans; and permanent and construction loan finance products for commercial facilities and for pre-sold, custom, and speculative home construction. Its loan portfolio also comprises residential mortgage loans; and secured and unsecured loans to in dividuals for various purposes, such as purchases of automobiles, mobile homes, boats, and other recreational vehicles, as well as for home improvements, education, and personal investment. In addition, the company offers credit card services, merchant card payment services, and cash management products to its business customers; and online banking, safe deposit, debit and ATM cards, ACH transactions, savings bonds, cashier?s checks, travelers? checks, and notary services. As of March 30, 2010, it operated 14 banking offices in Oregon and Washington. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon.

Hot Heal Care Stocks To Own Right Now: Quality Systems Inc.(QSII)

Quality Systems, Inc. engages in the development and marketing of healthcare information systems in the United States. The company operates through three divisions: QSI Dental, NextGen, and Practice Solutions. The QSI Dental division develops, markets, and supports software suites for dental and medical practices, as well as supports medical clients that utilize its UNIX based medical practice management software product and Software as a Service based NextDDS financial and clinical software. It also develops, markets, and manages electronic data interchange(EDI)/connectivity applications, as well as QSInet application service provider solutions. The NextGen division offers NextGen ambulatory product suite comprising electronic health records and enterprise practice management solutions; and NextGen inpatient products, including NextGen Clinicals for work efficiency and communication, as well as NextGen Financials, a financial and administrative system. It also offers comm unity connectivity solutions, such as health information exchange, patient portal, and health quality measures; and EDI, hosting, data protection, consulting, and physician resources services. The Practice Solutions division provides technology solutions and consulting services in the areas of revenue cycle management services, including billing and collection services for medical practices. The company?s solutions automate various aspects of medical and dental practices, as well as networks of practices, such as physician hospital organizations and management service organizations, ambulatory care centers, community health centers, and medical and dental schools. Quality Systems was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Squeeze Ideas]

  Healthcare Information Services Industry. Market cap of $2.37B. Short float at 27.58% (equivalent to 31.73 days of average volume).

  Net Income grew by 33.31% ($17.53M vs. $13.15M y/y), while Operating Cash Flow grew by 34.23% ($17.92M vs. $13.35M y/y) (comparing 3 months ending 2010-12-31 vs. 3 months ending 2009-12-31).

  Other Highlights: When compared to industry competitors, the company reported better than average profit margins during the most recent quarter. Gross margins came in at 68.54%, higher than the industry average at 46.33% (most recent quarter, annualized). Operating margin came in at 28.06%, higher than the industry average at 13.44%, while net profit margin came in at 28.06% vs. the industry average at 13.44%.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Magyar Bancorp Inc.(MGYR)

Magyar Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Magyar Bank, which provides various banking products and services in New Jersey. The company?s deposit products include demand accounts, savings accounts, now accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises residential mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans, construction loans, commercial business loans, home equity lines of credit, and consumer loans. The company also provides non-deposit investment products and financial planning services, including insurance products, fixed and variable annuities, and retirement planning for individual and commercial customers. As of September 30, 2009, it operated five branch offices, including two in New Brunswick, and one each in North Brunswick, South Brunswick, and Branchburg, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Magyar Bancorp, Inc. is a subsi diary of Magyar Bancorp, MHC.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Pan Pacific Petroleum NL(PPP.AX)

Pan Pacific Petroleum NL engages in the exploration, production, and sale of petroleum products. Its principal project includes a 10% interest in the Tui area oil project located in the offshore Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. The company also holds interests in projects situated in the Carnarvon Basin and the Offshore Bonaparte Basin in Australia, as well as in the offshore Nam Con Son Basin, Vietnam. Pan Pacific Petroleum NL is based in North Sydney, Australia.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: AEterna Zentaris Inc.(AEZS)

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. operates as a late-stage drug development company specialized in oncology and endocrine therapy. Its lead oncology compounds include perifosine, a PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor that is in Phase 3 registration trial for refractory advanced colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma; and AEZS-108, a doxorubicin-targeted conjugate in Phase II for the treatment of ovarian, endometrial, castration refractory prostate, and refractory bladder cancer. The company?s lead endocrinology compound, AEZS-130, is an oral ghrelin antagonist in Phase III trial as a diagnostic test for adult growth hormone deficiency. Its pipeline also includes earlier-stage compounds, such as AEZS-112 that is in a Phase I trial in advanced solid tumors and lymphoma, as well as AEZS-120, an anti-cancer vaccine in pre-clinical development. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael J. Ray]

  Lastly comes the dynamic duo of KERX and AEZS. These two companies are joined together by the drug Perifosine, an oral anti-cancer drug. KERX has the rights to the drug from a commercial license agreement in 2002 with Zentaris AG, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AEZS. On top of that AEZS has also entered agreements with several other companies for the drug potential usage. Currently the company has agreements with Yakult Honsha (YKLTF.PK) for Japan, Handok for Korea, and Hikma (HKMPF.PK) Pharmaceuticals for Middle East and North Africa.

  Perifosine is an oral anti-cancer drug that is being tested to treat advanced colorectal cancer. It is also undergoing tests to see if it can treat a variety of other cancers as well. Needless to say, an oral anti-cancer drug that can combat multiple types of cancer would by nothing less than dynamic. Cancer treatments are big business, and if test prove successful then both of these companies should see a big demand for their share product.

  Like any dynamic duo, whether from the pages comics or elsewhere, they have their critics and naysayers. It is no different when it comes to Perifosine and the two companies in question. Most recently one finds a number of different types of negative press when it comes to the trials. Current arguments range from such statements that the trials didn't enroll identical patients, all the way to the more silly case that companies under a certain market cap have not been successful before, therefore the trial will fail. In the end what matters is if the science works or not. Does the drug do its job in fighting cancer and prolonging the patient’s life? No amount of trending analysis of market cap or second guessing the FDA approved trial will answer that question. Only the final results will answer the investor’s question.

  Until such time that the results are known, volatility in the stock price will be the name of the game. There is no distinct date that the data will be ready for the investor! s. In the case of Perifosine the clinical trial will end after there are 360 deaths, and that is expected sometime in the first quarter of the year. With this uncertainty comes the all the arguments against the stock that was mentioned above. As a result the stock price will swing wildly as the next bit of news or rumor hits the wire. With initial results due very soon though, investor will not have to wait long to see how it all pans out. 2012 will be an exciting time for the dynamic duo.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Siebert Financial Corp.(SIEB)

Siebert Financial Corp., through its subsidiary, Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc., engages in the retail discount brokerage and investment banking operations in the United States. The company provides Internet and traditional discount brokerage and related services to retail investors; independent retail execution services; and retail customer services. It also offers various self-directed retirement accounts, for which it acts as agent on various transactions; and lends customers a portion of the market value of certain securities held in the customer?s account through its clearing agent. In addition, the company, through its other subsidiary, Siebert Woman?s Financial Network, Inc., provides products, services, and information to serve women?s financial needs. Further, Siebert Financial Corp. offers equity execution services on an agency basis, as well as equity and fixed income underwriting and investment banking services to institutional investors, and issuers of equity a nd fixed-income securities. The company provides its discount brokerage services through a broker on the telephone, through a wireless device, or via the Internet. It maintains seven retail discount brokerage offices in New York; Jersey City, New Jersey; Boca Raton, Surfside, West Palm Beach, and Naples, Florida; and Beverly Hills, California. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Bone Medical Ltd(BNE.AX)

Bone Medical Limited, a biopharmaceutical development company, develops therapeutics to prevent and/or treat bone and joint diseases and conditions in Australia. The company?s development products consist of Capsitonin, an oral calcitonin that is in Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of osteoporosis; and CaPTHymone, an oral parathyroid hormone, which is in Phase IIb clinical trial for the treatment of osteoporosis. Its development products also include BN006, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) regulators in pre-clinical stage for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis; and BN005 and BN008 bone cell regulators for the treatment of osteoporosis and arthritis. The company is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Rotork(ROR.L)

Rotork p.l.c. engages in the design, manufacture, and support of actuators, systems, and related products worldwide. It provides a range of products, systems, and services for the motorization and manual operation of adaption to industrial valves and dampers for isolation duty and process control applications. The company operates in four segments: Controls, Fluid Systems, Gears, and Instruments. The Controls segment designs, manufactures, and sells various electric valve actuators. The Fluid Systems segment is involved in the design, manufacture, and sale of pneumatic and hydraulic valve actuators. The Gears segment designs, manufactures, and sells gearboxes, adaption, and ancillaries for the valve industry. The Instruments segment offers high precision pneumatic controls and power transmissions for flow control, pressure control, flow measurement, and pressure measurement. The company also provides various services comprising field services, retrofit services, actuator o verhaul, preventative maintenance, shutdown outages, extended scope, spares parts, factory fit, technical support, and product training services. It serves oil and gas, power generation, water and sewage, and marine industries. The company is headquartered in Bath, the United Kingdom.

Top 10 Supermarket Companies To Buy Right Now: Marifil Mines Limited (MFM.V)

Marifil Mines Ltd. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of mineral resource properties in Argentina. It explores for silver, gold, copper, nickel, limestone, potash, sulfur, zinc, lithium, lead, indium, platinum, cobalt, uranium, and base metals, as well as for oil and gas in Rio Negro, San Luis, Chubut, Neuquen, Mendoza, Salta, Santa Cruz, and Catamarca provinces. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.