Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014

Every quarter, many money managers have to disclose what they've bought and sold, via "13F" filings. Their latest moves can shine a bright light on smart stock picks.

Today let's look at Diamond Hill Capital Management, founded in 2000 and based in Ohio. Its management has explained, "Our research is predominantly a bottom-up process beginning with fundamental analysis of a company's profitability and�market position, financial and competitive position, management quality, valuation, and growth components of valuation." Like other value-oriented investors respected by The Motley Fool, Diamond Hill seeks undervalued investments and margins of safety.

The company's reportable stock portfolio totaled $9.5 billion in value as of March 31.

Interesting developments
So what does Diamond Hill's latest quarterly 13F filing tell us? Here are a few interesting details.

The biggest new holdings are Philip Morris International and Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA  ) . Other new holdings of interest include Radian Group (NYSE: RDN  ) . To say that mortgage insurer Radian had a good past year would be an understatement, as the stock more than tripled. That's partly due to expectations of a boom in business as the housing market picks up, with tighter lending rules probably leading to greater need for the coverage. The stock recently got an upgrade, with an analyst expecting a possibly bumpy 2013 because of a high level of delinquent loans, but much smoother sailing in following years.

Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Opportunity Fund Inc(PFO)

Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Opportunity Fund Incorporated is a close-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Flaherty & Crumrine Incorporated. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating in the finance and utility sector. The fund primarily invests in preferred stocks. It typically invests in securities with an average credit rating of BBB- by Standard & Poor's Corporation and Baa3 by Moody's Investors Services, Inc. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against S&P 500 Index and Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index. Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Opportunity Fund Incorporated was formed on December 10, 1991 and is domiciled in the United States.

Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014: MetroCorp Bancshares Inc.(MCBI)

MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc. operates as a holding company for MetroBank, National Association; and Metro United Bank engages in the commercial banking activities in Texas and California. It provides various deposit products and services, including checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, money market accounts, noninterest-bearing demand deposit transaction accounts, and interest-bearing NOW accounts, as well as time deposits comprising certificates of deposit and individual retirement accounts. The company also offers a range of loan products, such as commercial and industrial loans to wholesalers, manufacturers, and business service companies; commercial mortgage loans to finance the purchase of real property; residential mortgage loans; loans for the construction of residential and non-residential properties; loans for commercial properties, that include multi-family, office, industrial, warehouse, and retail centers; and consumer loans, which comprise automo bile loans, lines of credit, and other personal loans, as well as involves in various government guaranteed lending programs. In addition, it provides trade finance loans and letters of credit to facilitate export and import transactions for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as offers ATM cards, debit cards, and online banking services. The company operates 13 branches in Houston and Dallas, Texas metropolitan areas; and 6 branches in the San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, California metropolitan areas. MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Hot Companies To Buy For 2014: Thomas Properties Group Inc.(TPGI)

Thomas Properties Group, Inc. owns, acquires, develops, leases, and manages primarily office, as well as mixed-use and residential properties in the United States. The company focuses on property acquisition and ownership, property development and redevelopment, and property management activities. Its office properties include onsite parking, retail, and storage space, as well as an off-site garage that provides parking services. In addition, the company advises institutional investors on property portfolios. It owns properties in southern California and Sacramento, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; northern Virginia; and Houston and Austin, Texas. As of December 31, 2010, Thomas Properties Group, Inc. owned interests in 27 operating properties with 13.2 million rentable square feet, as well as provided asset and/or property management services on behalf of third parties for an additional 4 operating properties with 2.3 million rentable square feet. It also had a dev elopment pipeline of approximately 7.2 million square feet of primarily office development. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014: IP Group(IPO.L)

IP Group plc, Formerly known as IP2IPO Group plc, is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in seed, early stage, and mature financing. The firm also provides seed capital financing to spin out companies from the universities. It seeks to invest in the life sciences, physical sciences, energy & renewables, medical equipment and supplies, intellectual property, pharmaceuticals & biotechnology, information technology & communications, and chemicals & materials. It also provides support for its university partners' intellectual property commercialization activities, as well as in the identification of intellectual property and in return takes equity positions in its portfolio companies. IP Group plc was founded in 2001 and is based in London, United Kingdom.

Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Mid-Wisconsin Finl Svcs Inc(MWFS.OB)

Mid-Wisconsin Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Mid-Wisconsin Bank, a state-chartered bank that provides general commercial and retail banking services to individuals, businesses, and governmental units in Wisconsin. The company offers various deposit products, including interest bearing and non-interest bearing demand deposits, savings accounts, money market accounts, time deposits, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit. It also provides a portfolio of commercial and consumer loans, including lines of credit, term loans, commercial real estate loans, agricultural financing, installment and other personal loans, and residential mortgage loans. In addition, the company offers ATM, merchant capture, cash management, express phone, and online banking services. Further, it provides wealth management services, such as fiduciary, administrative, and investment management services for personal trusts, estates, individuals, bus inesses, non-profits, and foundations for an asset-based fee. Additionally the company offers a range of retail investment and insurance products, including equities, bonds, fixed and variable annuities, mutual funds, life insurance, long-term care insurance, and brokered certificates of deposits. It operates 14 retail banking locations in Clark, Eau Claire, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Price, Taylor, and Vilas counties in north central Wisconsin. The company is headquartered in Medford, Wisconsin.

Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Excellence Investments Ltd (EXCE.TA)

Excellence Investments Ltd is an Israeli company active in the financial sector. The Company offers services to institutional and corporate clients, and high net worth individuals. The Company's services include global and domestic asset management, investment banking and underwriting, foreign exchange trade and advisory services, derivatives trading, brokerage, mutual fund and provident fund management, pension fund management and exchange traded funds (ETF).

Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Prudential Bancorp Inc. of Pennsylvania(PBIP)

Prudential Bancorp, Inc. of Pennsylvania operates as the holding company for Prudential Savings Bank that provides various financial products and services in Pennsylvania. Its deposit products include interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking, money market, savings, and certificate of deposit accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises single-family residential mortgage loans, construction and land development loans, non-residential or commercial real estate mortgage loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, commercial business loans, and consumer loans. The company also provides securities and insurance products, as well as automated teller machine and online banking services. As of September 30, 2010, it operated a main office and six branch offices located in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prudential Bancorp, Inc. of Pennsylvania is a subsidiary of Prudential Mutu al Holding Company.

Best Financial Companies To Own For 2014: Banco Bradesco SA (BBD)

Banco Bradesco S.A. (the Bank), incorporated on November 5, 1943, is commercial bank. The Bank offers a range of banking and financial products and services in Brazil and abroad to individuals, large, midsized and small companies and local and international corporations and institutions. It operates in two segments: the banking, and the insurance, pension and capitalization bonds. Its products and services encompass banking operations, such as loans and advances and deposittaking, credit card issuance, purchasing consortiums, insurance, leasing, payment collection and processing, pension plans, asset management and brokerage services. The main services it offers through Bradesco Expresso are receipt and submission of account applications; receipt and submission of account applications; Social Security National Service (INSS) benefit payments; checking and savings account deposits, and receipt of consumption bills, bank charges and taxes. In May, 2011, the Bank acquired Banco do Estado do Rio de Janeiro S.A. (BERJ).

Banking

The Banking segment includes deposit-taking with clients, including checking accounts, savings accounts and time deposits; loans and advances (individuals and companies, real estate financing, microcredit, onlending BNDES funds, rural credit, leasing, among others); credit cards, debit cards and pre-paid cards; management of receipts and payments; asset management; services related to capital markets and investment banking activities; intermediation and trading services; custody, depositary and controllership services; international banking services, and purchasing consortiums.

The Bank offers a variety of deposit products and services to our customers through its branches, including Non-interest bearing checking accounts, such as Easy Account, Click Account, Academic Account and Cell Phone Bonus Account; traditional savings accounts; time deposits, and deposits from financial institutions. As of December 31, 2011, it had 43.4 million savings a! ccounts. It offers its customers certain additional services, such as identified deposits and real-time banking transfers. Its loans and advances to customers, consumer credit, corporate and agricultural-sector loans, totaled R$263.5 billion as of December 31, 2011.

The Bank�� loan portfolio consists of short-term loans, vehicle financings and overdraft loans on checking accounts. It also provides revolving credit facilities and traditional term loans. As of December 31, 2011, it had outstanding advances, vehicle financings, consumer loans and revolving credit totaling R$58.0 billion, or 22.0% of its portfolio of loans and advances. Banco Bradesco Financiamentos (Bradesco Financiamentos) offers direct-to-consumer credit and leasing for the acquisition of vehicles and payroll-deductible loans to the public and private sectors 'in Brazil. Supported by BF Promotora de Vendas Ltda. (BF Promotora), and using the Bradesco Financiamentos brand, the Bank operates through its network of correspondents in Brazil, consisting of retailers and dealers selling light vehicles, trucks and motorcycles, to offer financing and/or leasing for vehicles. Through Bradesco Promotora brand, it offer payroll-deductible loans to social security retirees and pensioners, public-sector employees, military personnel and private-sector companies sponsoring plans, and other aggregated products (insurance, capitalization bonds, cards, purchasing consortiums, and others).

As of December 31, 2011, the Bank had 63,156 outstanding real estate loans. As of December 31, 2011, the aggregate outstanding amount of its real estate loans amounted to R$15.9 billion, representing 6% of its portfolio of loans and advances. As of December 31, 2011, it had 69,491 microcredit loans outstanding, totaling R$62.8 million. Its BNDES onlending portfolio totaled R$35.4 billion as of December 31, 2011.

The Bank provides traditional loans for the ongoing needs of its corporate customers. It had R$85.8 billion of outstand! ing other! local commercial loans, accounting for 32.5% of its portfolio of loans and advances as of December 31, 2011. It offers a range of loans to its Brazilian corporate customers, including short-term loans of 29 days or less; guaranteed checking accounts and corporate overdraft loans; discounting trade receivables, promissory notes, checks, credit card and supplier receivables, and a number of other receivables; financing for purchase and sale of goods and services; corporate real estate financing, and investment lines for acquisition of assets and machinery. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank had R$11 billion in outstanding rural loans, representing 4.2% of its portfolio of loans and advances. The Bank conducts its leasing operations through its primary leasing subsidiary, Bradesco Leasing and also through Bradesco Financiamentos.

The Bank offers electronic solutions for receipt and payment management solutions, which include collection and payment services and online resource management enabling its customers to pay suppliers, salaries, and taxes and other levies to governmental or public entities. The global cash management concept provides solutions for multinationals in Brazil and/or domestic companies operating abroad. It manages third-party assets through mutual funds; individual and corporate investment portfolios; pension funds, including assets guaranteeing the technical provisions of Bradesco Vida e Previdencia, and insurance companies, including assets guaranteeing the technical provisions of Bradesco Seguros.

The Bank�� subsidiaries Bradesco S.A. CTVM and Agora S.A. CTVM (or Bradesco Corretora and Agora Corretora, respectively) trade stocks, options, stock lending, public offerings and forwards. They also offer a range of products, such as Brazilian government securities (under the Tesouro Direto program), BM&F trading, investor clubs and investment funds.

The Bank offers a range of international services, such as foreign exchange transactions, foreign tr! ade finan! ce, lines of credit and banking. As of December 31, 2011, its international banking services included New York City, a branch and Bradesco Securities Inc., its subsidiary brokerage firm, or Bradesco Securities United States, and its subsidiary Bradesco North America LLC, or Bradesco North America; London, Bradesco Securities U.K., its subsidiary, or Bradesco Securities U.K.; Cayman Islands, two Bradesco branches and its subsidiary, Cidade Capital Markets Ltd., or Cidade Capital Markets; Argentina, Banco Bradesco Argentina S.A., its subsidiary, or Bradesco Argentina; Banco Bradesco Luxemburgo S.A. its subsidiary, or Bradesco Europe; Japan, Bradesco Services Co. Ltd., its subsidiary, or Bradesco Services Japan; in Hong Kong, its subsidiary Bradesco Trade Services Ltd, or Bradesco Trade, and in Mexico, its subsidiary Ibi Services, Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, or Ibi Mexico.

The Bank�� Brazilian foreign-trade related business consists of export and import finance. In addition to import and export finance, its customers have access to a range of services and foreign exchange products, such as purchasing and selling travelers checks and foreign currency paper money; cross border money transfers; advance payment for exports; accounts abroad in foreign currency; cash holding in other countries; collecting import and export receivables; repaid cards with foreign currency (individual), and structured foreign currency transactions through its foreign units.

Insurance, pension plans and capitalization bonds

The Bank offers insurance products through a number of different entities, which it refers to collectively as Grupo Bradesco Seguros. It offers life, personal accident and random events insurance through its subsidiary Bradesco Vida e Previdencia. It offers health insurance policies through Bradesco Saude and its subsidiaries for small, medium or large companies. It provides automobile, property/casualty and liability products through its subsidiary Bradesco Auto! /RE. It a! lso offers certain automobile, health, and property/casualty insurance products directly through its Website.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  And speaking of top dividend stocks with high capital gains potential, next on the list of are Brazilian banking groups Banco Bradesco (BBD) and Banco Itau (ITUB) — two monthly dividend stocks you must consider.