10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of marine fueling company Aegean Marine Petroleum Network (NYSE: ANW  ) jumped 12% today after the company was upgraded by an analyst.

So what: Coverage was initiated by analysts at Stifel with a buy rating and a $14 price target. That would still be more than a 40% increase from the stock's highest trading price today. �

Now what: Stocks can often pop or drop based on an analyst upgrade or downgrade, but Wall Street has little incentive to be correct about these calls and isn't any better at outperforming the market than flipping a coin. Instead, investors should look at the fundamentals and the company's financial trajectory. Earnings have fallen the past two quarters and the stock trades at a lofty 21 times trailing earnings. That's a steep price for a company that has little growth going forward.

Top 10 Building Product Stocks To Own For 2015: Evercore Partners Inc(EVR)

Evercore Partners Inc. operates as an independent investment banking advisory firm. The company operates through two segments, Investment Banking and Investment Management. The Investment Banking segment offers advisory services on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic corporate transactions primarily for multinational corporations and private equity firms; and restructuring advice to companies in financial transition, as well as to creditors, shareholders, and potential acquirers. This segment also provides capital markets advice; underwrites securities offerings; raises funds for financial sponsors; and offers equity research and agency-only equity securities trading for institutional investors. The Investment Management segment manages financial assets for institutional investors; provides independent fiduciary services to corporate employee benefit plans; provides wealth management services for high net-worth individuals; manages private equity funds ; and offers specialized investment management and trustee services. The company operates primarily in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Evercore Partners Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer]

  In this segment from Thursday's episode of The Motley Fool's everything-financials show,�Where the Money Is, banking analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson go through a rapid-fire round of three top headlines. The newsmakers included�KKR (NYSE: KKR  ) ,�Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) ,�Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS  ) ,�Lazard (NYSE: LAZ  ) , and�Evercore (NYSE: EVR  ) .

• [By David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer]

  In this special "Best and Worst 2013" edition of The Motley Fool's everything-financials show, Where the Money Is, banking analysts David Hanson and Matt Koppenheffer tell viewers why Evercore Partners (NYSE: EVR  ) crushed the market in 2013. Despite the increase in its valuation multiple, David thinks the small investment bank could be poised to continue producing strong returns.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Independent investment advisory firm Evercore Partners (EVR) raised its quarterly dividend 13.6% to 25 cents per share, payable on Dec. 13 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 29.
  EVR Dividend Yield:�1.9%

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income Fund (PGP)

PIMCO Global StocksPLUS & Income Fund (the Fund) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund invests in equity index derivative instruments relating to United States and non-United States markets, backed by a low-duration (1 to 3 year) debt portfolio with an average credit quality that is investment grade. The Fund's investment manager is Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC, which is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Global.

The Fund intends to gain substantially all of its equity index exposure by investing in equity index derivatives based on the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index (S&P 500 Index), and the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australasia, Far East Index (the MSCI EAFE Index). Substantially all of the Fund's assets will be invested in a portfolio of income producing debt securities and debt-related derivative securities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  Special Purpose Funds- Eaton Vance Tax-Adv. Global Dividend Oppor. Fund (ETO) | Yield: 7.3%
  - The Gabelli Global Utility & Income Trust (GLU) | Yield: 6.2%
  - Pimco Global Stocksplus Income Fund (PGP) | Yield: 9.5%
  - LMP Real Estate Income Fund Inc. (RIT) | Yield: 7.0%

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Note that the partnerships that have chosen to pay taxes as corporations are almost exclusively engaged in marine transportation. Outside of this category, the only publicly traded partnership that has chosen corporate taxation is Plains GP Holding (NYSE: PGP), the general partner for Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE: PAA).

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: WisdomTree SmallCap Dividend Fund (DES)

WisdomTree SmallCap Dividend Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that closely correspond to the price and yield performance of the WisdomTree SmallCap Dividend Index (the Index). The Index is a fundamentally weighted index measuring the performance of the small-capitalization segment of the United States dividend-paying market. The Index consists of the companies that compose the bottom 25% of the market capitalization of the WisdomTree Dividend Index after the 300 largest companies have been removed.

The Index is dividend weighted annually to reflect the proportionate share of the aggregate cash dividends each component company is projected to pay in the coming year, based on the most recently declared dividend per share. The Fund�� investment advisor is WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Exchange-traded funds offer a convenient way to invest in sectors or niches that interest you. If you'd like to add some small dividend-paying stocks to your portfolio but don't have the time or expertise to hand-pick a few, the WisdomTree SmallCap Dividend ETF (NYSEMKT: DES  ) could save you a lot of trouble. Instead of trying to figure out which companies will perform best, you can use this ETF to invest in lots of them simultaneously.
  
  The basics
  ETFs often sport lower expense ratios than their mutual fund cousins. The WisdomTree ETF's expense ratio -- its annual fee -- is a rather low 0.38%. It recently yielded more than 3%.
  
  This ETF has performed well, beating the S&P 500 over the past three and five years. As with most investments, of course, we can't expect outstanding performances in every quarter or year. Investors with conviction need to wait for their holdings to deliver.

• [By Philip Springer]

  WisdomTree SmallCap Dividend ETF (DES) invests in dividend-paying small-cap companies that meet certain liquidity requirements. It then weights them by the dollar value of dividends they are expected to pay out over the next year.

• [By Timothy Lutts]

  And, on the medical devices side, the company is a leading producer of coronary metallic drug-eluting stents (DES), LASIK devices used in laser vision surgery, and insulin pumps.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Berkshire Bancorp Inc.(BERK)

Berkshire Bancorp Inc. operates as the bank holding company for The Berkshire Bank that provides community banking services to businesses, professionals, and retail customers primarily in New York City metropolitan area and the Villages of Goshen and Harriman. The company offers various deposit products, including statement savings accounts, NOW accounts, money market deposits accounts, checking accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial mortgage loans secured by office buildings, retail establishments, multi-family residential real estate, and other types of commercial property; commercial loans to businesses for inventory financing, working capital, machinery and equipment purchases, expansion, and other business purposes; and residential mortgage loans secured by first liens on one-to-four family owner-occupied or rental residential real estate, as well as residential single family construction, home equity, and short-t erm fixed-rate consumer loans. Berkshire Bancorp Inc. also offers title insurance agency services. The company operates seven deposit-taking offices in New York City; four deposit-taking offices in Orange and Sullivan Counties, New York; one deposit taking office in Ridgefield, New Jersey; and one deposit taking office in Teaneck, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  One interesting bank that is seeing insider buying activity is Berkshire Bancorp (BERK). The company has recently switched from the Nasdaq to OTC markets, but that has not stopped director Moses Marx from consistently buying BERK stock. Berkshire does business in the already overbanked New York and New Jersey markets, and the stock is very cheap at just 82% of book value. Insiders won more than 60% of the bank, so investors are on the same side of the table as management.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Powershares Dynamic Media Portfolio (PBS)

PowerShares Dynamic Media Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dynamic Media Intellidex Index (the Media Intellidex). The Media Intellidex consists of stocks of 30 United States media companies. These are companies that are principally engaged in the development, production, sale and distribution of goods or services used in the media industry. These companies may include advertising, marketing and public relations companies; companies that own, operate or broadcast free or pay television, radio or cable stations; theaters; film studios; publishers or sellers of newspapers, magazines, books or video products; printing, cable television and video companies and equipment providers; pay-per-view television companies; companies involved in emerging technologies for the broadcast and media industries; cellular communications companies; companies involved in the development, syndication and transmission of television, movie programming, advertising and cellular communications; companies that distribute data-based information, and other companies involved in the ownership, operation or development of media products or services. Stocks are selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by the AMEX (the Intellidex Provider) pursuant to its Intellidex methodology.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of media companies. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Media Intellidex. The Media Intellidex is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Media Intellidex. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap media stock�LIN Media LLC (NYSE: LIN) might not be a household name, but there is a good chance you might be watching the company�� programs because like the Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc (NASDAQ: SBGI) and Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc (NASDAQ: NXST), its helping to consolidate the media industry plus its making investment in other forms of media like social media. The stock has also outperformed those two peers along with the�PowerShares Dynamic Media Portfolio ETF (NYSEARCA: PBS).

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Vanguard Intermediate Term Bond ETF (BIV)

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the performance of a market-weighted bond index with an intermediate-term, dollar-weighted average maturity. The Fund employs a passive management or indexing strategy designed to track the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. 5-10 Year Government/Credit Bond Index (the Index). The Index includes all medium and larger issues of the United States Government, investment-grade corporate, and investment-grade international dollar-denominated bonds that have maturities between 5 and 10 years and are publicly issued. The Fund invests by sampling the Index, meaning that it holds a range of securities that, in the aggregate, approximate the full Index in terms of key risk factors and other characteristics. All of the Fund�� investments will be selected through the sampling process, and at least 80% of its assets will be invested in bonds held in the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is The Vanguard Group, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  In addition to individual stocks several funds pay a monthly dividend. Below is a sampling of these:
  Monthly Bond Funds- iShares Barclays 1-3 Year Credit Bond (CSJ) | Yield: 1.29%
  - Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (BSV) | Yield: 1.25%
  - Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (BIV) | Yield: 2.96%
  - Vanguard Long-Term Bond ETF (BLV) | Yield: 4.42%

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Customers Bancorp Inc (CUBI)

Customers Bancorp, Inc. (Customers Bancorp), incorporated in April 2010, through its wholly owned subsidiary Customers Bank (the Bank), provides financial products and services to small businesses, not-for-profits and consumers through its fourteen branches in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Berks, Chester and Delaware Counties), Rye, New York (Westchester County) and Hamilton, New Jersey (Mercer County). Customers Bank also provides liquidity to the mortgage market worldwide through the operation of its mortgage warehouse business. As of December 31, 2011, Customers Bancorp had total assets of $2.08 billion, including net loans (including held for sale loans) of $1.50 billion, total deposits of $1.58 billion. The Company offers a range of banking products and financial services to its commercial and consumer customers in Suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Central New Jersey and Southeastern New York. It offers a range of lending products to cater to its customers��needs, including small business loans, mortgage warehouse loans, multi-family and commercial real estate loans, residential mortgage loans and consumer loans. It also offers traditional depository products, including commercial and consumer checking accounts, non-interest-bearing demand accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts and time deposit accounts and cash management services. On September 17, 2011, Customers Bank became a wholly owned subsidiary of Customers Bancorp. On September 17, 2011, Customers Bancorp acquired Berkshire Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiary Berkshire Bank. In May 2013, Customers Bancorp Inc merged with CMS Bancorp Inc.

Lending Activities

The Company focuses its lending efforts to the lending areas, such as commercial lending, which includes business, small business and multi-family and commercial real estate lending; specialty Lending, which include warehouse lending, and consumer lending, which include local market mortgage lending and home equity lending. It also pr! ovide warehouse financing worldwide and multi-family lending in the Mid-Atlantic States.

The Bank�� commercial lending is segmented into three groups, which include multi-family and commercial real estate, business banking and small business banking. The small business banking platform originates loans, including small business administration loans, through the branch network sales force and a team of dedicated small business relationship managers. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it originated and closed $121.5 million of multi-family loans commitments. As of December 31, 2011, it had $536.9 million in commercial loans outstanding, comprising approximately 35.3% of its total loan portfolio (which includes loans held for sale). During 2011, it originated and closed $167.7 million of commercial loans and commitments. As of December 31, 2011, loans in its warehouse lending portfolio, as well as loans held for sale totaled $794.3 million outstanding, comprising approximately 52.3% of its total loan portfolio (which includes loans held for sale). During the year ended December 31, 2011, it funded $7.7 billion of mortgage loans under warehouse facilities.

The Company offers a range of deposit products to its customers, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts and other deposit accounts, including fixed-rate, fixed-maturity retail time deposits ranging in terms from 30 days to five years, individual retirement accounts, and non-retail time deposits consisting of jumbo certificates greater than or equal to $100,000. As of December 31, 2011, its deposit portfolio was consisted of 54.9% of core deposits. Its financial products include Internet banking, wire transfers, electronic bill payment, lock box services, remote deposit capture services, courier services, merchant processing services, cash vault, controlled disbursements, positive pay and cash management services (including account reconciliation, collections and sweep accounts).

! Sources o! f Fund

The Company offers a range of deposit accounts, including checking, savings, money market and time deposits. Deposits are obtained primarily from its service area. As of December 31, 2011, the total deposits grew to $1.58 billion.

Investment Activities

The Company�� investment securities portfolio consists of United States Treasury, government agency and mortgage-backed securities (guaranteed by an agency of the United States government and non-agency guaranteed), municipal securities, domestic corporate debt, and asset-backed securities. In addition to generating revenue, it maintains the investment portfolio to manage interest rate risk, provide liquidity, provide collateral for other borrowings and diversify the credit risk of earning assets. As of December 31, 2011, $79.1 million of its investment securities were classified as available for sale (AFS). As of December 31, 2011, the fair value of its investment securities portfolio was approximately $409.9 million. As of December 31, 2011, it held $319.5 million of investment securities that were classified as held to maturity (HTM).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Wyomissing, Pa.-based Customers Bancorp (NASDAQ: CUBI  ) has a new CFO.

  On Tuesday, Customers Bancorp announced that Interim Chief Financial Officer James D. Hogan�intends to retire from the bank on Aug. 13. Replacing Hogan will be Robert E. Wahlman, a new hire from Doral Financial, who will join Customers initially in the post of executive vice president on Aug. 5, and then be promoted to permanent CFO on the 13th.