Hot Long Term Companies To Invest In 2014

Anytime a megablockbuster nears the end of its IP-protected life, plenty of companies will emerge to get a piece of the pie. In this case,�Roche� (NASDAQOTH: RHHBY  ) has two megablockbusters with a combined $13.5 billion in 2012 sales coming off patent in the next several years. That is bad news for the innovator, but opens a big opportunity for the various companies targeting biosimilars. In fact, a total of 19 trials are under way to develop generic versions of Rituxan and Herceptin. In the following video, Fool contributor Maxx Chatsko tells investors which companies to keep an eye on in the race to unseat Roche.

While you can certainly make huge gains in biotech and pharmaceuticals, the best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich" names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of.�Click here now�to keep reading.

Top 5 Paper Stocks To Watch Right Now: OraSure Technologies Inc.(OSUR)

OraSure Technologies, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and sells oral fluid diagnostic products and specimen collection devices in the United States and internationally. It also manufactures and sells medical devices used for the removal of benign skin lesions by cryosurgery or freezing. The company offers OraQuick ADVANCE HIV-1/2, a point-of-care qualitative test for antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and type 2; OraQuick HCV, a point-of-care qualitative test for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus; OraSure QuickFlu Rapid Flu A&B Test, a point-of-care qualitative test for antibodies to influenza Types A and B, including H1N1 infections; OraSure, an oral fluid collection device for the detection of antibodies to HIV-1 in an oral fluid sample in a laboratory setting; and Intercept, an oral fluid collection device for oral fluid drugs of abuse testing in a laboratory setting. In addition, it provides MICRO-PLATE DOA Assays that are used to detect the drugs in an oral fluid sample collected with intercept device; cryosurgical freezing systems for the removal of warts and other benign skin lesions; and cryosurgical systems for the removal of common and plantar warts. Further, OraSure Technologies sells immunoassay tests and reagents for insurance risk assessment, substance abuse testing, and forensic toxicology applications; an oral fluid Western blot HIV-1 confirmatory test for confirming positive HIV-1 test results obtained from the use of OraSure collection device; and Q.E.D., a point-of-care saliva alcohol test. The company sells its products through direct sales, strategic collaborations, and distributors to clinical laboratories, hospitals, clinics, community-based and other public health organizations, distributors, government agencies, physicians? offices, and commercial and industrial entities. It has collaboration agreement with Merck & Co. Inc. OraSure Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is based in Beth lehem, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Keith Speights]

  Progress has also been made on the diagnostic front. The FDA approved OraSure Technologies' (NASDAQ: OSUR  ) OraQuick home HIV test in July 2012. OraQuick allows an individual to use a mouth swab and find out the results within 40 minutes. The test hasn't exactly leaped off store shelves as of yet, though. OraSure reported only $1.5 million in gross sales for the OraQuick home test during the most recent quarter.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  OraSure Technologies (Nasdaq: OSUR  ) reported earnings on May 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), OraSure Technologies beat slightly on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Hot Long Term Companies To Invest In 2014: HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC)

HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property & Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident & Health, U.S. Surety & Credit, and International. The U.S. Property & Casualty segment provides aviation, small account errors and omissions liability (E&O), public risk, contingency, disability, residual value, employment practices liability (EPLI), technical property, primary and excess casualty, and brown water marine insurance products, as well as title and mortgage reinsurance products in the United States. The Professional Liability segment offers directors� and officers� (D&O) liability, large account E&O liability, fiduciary liability, fidelity and bankers blanket bonds, and EPLI for the United States and International-based policyholders. The Accident & Health segment provides medical stop-loss, short-term domestic and international medical, HMO reinsurance, and medical excess coverages in the United States. The U.S. Surety & Credit segment offers contract surety bonds, commercial surety bonds, and bail bonds; credit insurance policies for export trade transactions and structured trade transactions; and political risk and letters of credit insurance products. The International segment provides energy, property treaty, liability, surety, credit, direct and facultative property, ocean marine, accident and health, and other smaller product lines for international customers. The company markets its products directly to consumers, as well as through a network of independent agents and brokers, producers, and managing general agents. HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  For the past several years, Berkshire has contrasted its own cost-free float provided by profitable underwriting against the industry�� (unimpressive) tendency to lose money on underwriting while generating net returns from investment income. So far, so good. Less edifying, though, is the repeated contrast of Berkshire�� track record of profitability to State Farm��…even though, as a mutual company, State Farm�� profitability goals are inherently different from for-profit insurers like Berkshire. It�� true that through year-end 2013, Berkshire�� underwriters have ��ow operated at an underwriting profit for eleven consecutive years,��but so have ACE (ACE), American Financial (AFG),� AmTrust Financial (AFSI), Arch Capital (ACGL), Chubb (CB), HCC (HCC), Progressive (PGR), RLI (RLI), and W.R. Berkley (WRB), any or all of whom provide a more meaningful comparison than contrasting Berkshire�� results to a company that�� not out to produce a profit in the first place.

• [By GURUFOCUS]

  HCC Insurance Holdings Inc. (HCC) underwrites non-correlated specialty insurance products worldwide. The company operates in five segments: U.S. Property and Casualty, Professional Liability, Accident and Health, U.S. Aug. 21, the company increased its quarterly dividend 36% to $0.225 per share. The dividend is payable October 1, 2013 and will be paid on or about Oct. 15, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 2.1%.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of American International Group have dropped 1.7% to $49.67 at 1:19 p.m. today, while American Financial Group (AFG) has, dropped 0.2% to $57.23, HCC Insurance (HCC) is little changed at $45.12,�Travelers (TRV) has dipped 0.1% to $83.52 and Chubb (CB) is off 0.1% at $86.58.

Hot Long Term Companies To Invest In 2014: QSC AG (QSC)

QSC AG is a Germany-based telecommunications provider that offers enterprise customers and resellers a range of broadband communication services, from site networking to voice and data services. The Company operates in three business segments: Direct Sales; Indirect Sales, and Resellers. The Direct Sales segment (former Managed Services) focuses on larger and mid-size enterprises, and includes the business of subsidiaries INFO AG and IP Partner. The Indirect Sales segment focuses on regional partners that offer a portfolio of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products, solutions and services, including Internet Service Providers (ISP), as well as voice and data services. The Resellers segment focuses on ISPs and telecommunication carriers that do not have an infrastructure of their own and primarily address residential customers. The Resellers segment also includes conventional voice business. In August 2013, it merged with INFO AG. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  QSC AG (QSC), a provider of telephony and data services to small and medium-sized businesses, jumped 9.5 percent after posting an increase in quarterly net income. Deutsche Boerse AG (DB1) retreated 2.7 percent after Equinet Bank AG downgraded the shares to sell.

Hot Long Term Companies To Invest In 2014: MFS Intermediate Income Trust (MIN)

MFS Intermediate Income Trust (the Trust) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Trust seeks to preserve capital and provide high current income. It maintains a portfolio that includes investments in short and intermediate-term United States Government and foreign high-grade securities.

MFS Intermediate Income Trust's portfolio includes non-United States Government bonds, mortgage-backed securities, the United States Government agency securities, the United States Treasury securities, emerging market bonds, commercial mortgage-backed securities, residential mortgage-backed securities and high-grade corporate securities. The Trust can invest in foreign securities, including securities of emerging market issuers. The Trust's investment advisor is Massachusetts Financial Services Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Akaralph]

  I have written about MFS Intermediate Income Fund (MIN) on a few previous occasions, most recently here. I have extolled its virtues as a defensive play in a bear market scenario.