Best Mid Cap Stocks For 2014

Last Thursday, outdoor sporting goods retailer Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: SPWH) had an IPO that was priced�below expectations, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of peers like mid cap Cabelas Inc (NYSE: CAB) and Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE: DKS) and small cap Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (NASDAQ: BGFV).

What is Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings?

Founded in 1986 as a single retail store in Midvale, Utah, small cap Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings�says it has the largest outdoor specialty store base in the Western United States and Alaska (47�stores across 18 states)�that�� focused on ��eeting the everyday needs of the seasoned outdoor veteran, the first-time participant and every enthusiast in between.��The company�adds that its mission is to�provide a one-stop shopping experience that equips customers with the right hunting, shooting, fishing and camping gear to maximize their enjoyment of the outdoors.�

10 Best New Stocks To Invest In Right Now: LCNB Corp (LCNB)

LCNB Corp. (LCNB), incorporated on December 12, 1998, is a financial holding company. The Company�� principal activity is the ownership of LCNB National Bank (the Bank). The Bank is a full service community bank offering a range of commercial and personal banking services. Deposit services include checking accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) accounts, savings accounts, Christmas and vacation club accounts, money market deposit accounts, Classic 50 accounts (a senior citizen program), individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit. Loan products offered include commercial and industrial loans, commercial and residential real estate loans, construction loans, various types of consumer loans, and Small Business Administration loans. In January 2014, Eaton National Bank & Trust Co. merged with LCNB Corp.'s wholly-owned subsidiary, LCNB National Bank.

The Bank's residential mortgage lending activities consist primarily of loans for purchasing or refinancing personal residences, home equity lines of credit, and loans for commercial or consumer purposes secured by residential mortgages. Consumer lending activities include automobile, boat, home improvement and personal loans. The Bank also offers indirect financing through various automotive, boat, and lawn and garden dealers. The Trust and Investment Management Division of the Bank performs complete trust administrative functions and offers agency and trust services, retirement savings products, and mutual fund investment products to individuals, partnerships, corporations, institutions and municipalities.

Security brokerage services are offered by the Bank through arrangements with LPL Financial LLC, a registered broker/dealer. Licensed brokers offer a full range of investment services and products, including financial needs analysis, mutual funds, securities trading, annuities, and life insurance.

Other services offered include safe deposit boxes, night depositories, travelers' checks, money! orders, cashier's checks, bank-by-mail, automated teller machines (ATMs), cash and transaction services, debit cards, wire transfers, electronic funds transfer, utility bill collections, notary public service, personal computer based cash management services, around-the-clock telephone banking, PC Internet banking, and other services tailored for both individuals and businesses. LCNB�� primary market area consists of Warren, Butler, and Clinton Counties and portions of Hamilton, Clermont and Montgomery Counties in Southwestern Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  LCNB (NASDAQ: LCNB) shares touched a new 52-week low of $16.57. LCNB shares have dropped 4.80% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 18.57% in the same period.

Best Mid Cap Stocks For 2014: Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (CNAT)

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., incorporated on July 13, 2005, is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of medicines to treat liver disease. The Company is developing its lead compound, emricasan, for the treatment of patients in orphan populations with chronic liver disease and acute exacerbations of chronic liver disease. The Company has designed a clinical program to demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of emricasan across the spectrum of fibrotic liver disease. The Company�� initial development strategy targets indications for emricasan with high unmet clinical need in orphan patient populations, such as patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), chronic liver failure (CLF), and patients who have developed liver fibrosis post-orthotopic liver transplant due to Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV-POLT).

The Company has completed two placebo-controlled Phase II trials in patients with liver disease showing reductions in ALT levels that occur rapidly, within as little as one day after initiation of therapy, and are maintained throughout the treatment period. In the Company�� 204-patient Phase 2b trial, it also measured cCK18, an important biomarker of apoptosis and disease severity. Emricasan has been generally well-tolerated in all of the clinical studies. As of July 23, 2013, the Company had not generated any revenue.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s(CNAT) shares jumped 26% to $7.75 premarket after the biotechnology firm said its treatment for chronic liver disease has been granted a status that could mean quicker approval.

• [By John Udovich]

  While Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ICPT) surged earlier this year and Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: ACHN) has surged this week after Merck & Co. Inc (NYSE: MRK) agreed to purchase hepatitis stock�Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IDIX) at a 239% premium, it seems the herd has realized that small cap Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: CNAT) is also a liver disease stock as shares suddenly surged 56.69% on no apparent company news. But just what is�Conatus Pharmaceuticals and is it worth taking a chance on?

Best Mid Cap Stocks For 2014: Semtech Corporation(SMTC)

Semtech Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, produces, and markets analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products. The company?s product lines include protection products comprising filter and termination devices that provide protection for electronic systems from voltage spikes; power management products consisting of switching voltage regulators, combination switching and linear regulators, smart regulators, and charge pumps; and discrete semiconductor products, such as rectifiers, assemblies, and other products. It also offers wired communication, ultra-high speed Serializer/Deserializer, and modulator driver products that perform timing, synchronization, and amplification functions in high-speed networks; chips and transceivers for short reach, metro, and long haul applications; and high performance transceivers for datacenter applications. In addition, the company provides wireless and sensing products that perform radio frequency functions in indust rial, medical, and networking applications; and sensing functions in industrial and consumer applications. It serves original equipment manufacturers and their subcontractors in the computing, communications, consumer, and industrial end-markets directly, and through independent distributors and sales representative firms in North America, the Asia Pacific, and Europe. Semtech Corporation was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Camarillo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Semtech (Nasdaq: SMTC  ) .

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Semtech Corp.'s(SMTC) fiscal third-quarter profit slid 25% as the chip manufacturer posted a double-digit drop in revenue and slightly weaker gross margins.

Best Mid Cap Stocks For 2014: On Assignment Inc.(ASGN)

On Assignment, Inc., a diversified professional staffing firm, provides flexible and permanent staffing solutions in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The company?s Life Sciences segment provides contract and permanent life science professionals to clients in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, personal care, chemical, medical device, automotive, municipal, education, and environmental industries. Its contract professionals include chemists, clinical research associates, clinical lab assistants, engineers, biologists, biochemists, microbiologists, molecular biologists, biostatisticians, drug safety specialists, SAS programmers, medical writers, food scientists, regulatory affairs specialists, lab assistants, and other skilled scientific professionals. The company?s Healthcare segment offers locally-based and traveling contract professionals that include nurses, specialty nurses, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians, imaging technicians, X-ray technicians, medical technologists, medical assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, coders, billers, claims processors, and collections staff, as well as dental professionals. This segment serves hospitals, integrated delivery systems, imaging centers, clinics, physician offices, reference laboratories, universities, managed care organizations, and third-party administrators. Its Physician segment provides short and long-term locum tenens services, and full-service physician search and consulting services. The company?s IT and Engineering segment offers high-end contract and direct placement services of information technology and engineering professionals with expertise in specialized information technology; software and hardware engineering; and mechanical, electrical, validation, and telecommunications engineering fields. On Assignment, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Calabasas, Cali fornia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  © 2014 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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• [By John Udovich]

  Despite a lukewarm economy and jobs situation, the staffing industry along with small cap staffing stocks like On Assignment, Inc (NYSE: ASGN), Kforce Inc (NASDAQ: KFRC) and up and coming Staffing 360 Solutions Inc (OTCBB: STAF) have actually put in pretty decent performances since the end of the financial crisis. I should mention that globally, staffing companies generate about $280 billion in annual revenue and there�are approximately 70,000 private employment services agencies around the world with the top 10 companies accounting for about a third of total industry sales while in the USA there are an estimated 15,000 staffing companies generating less than $20 million in revenues. Overall, Europe is the largest regional staffing services market with 40% of annual revenue, followed by the United States.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of professional staffing firm On Assignment (NYSE: ASGN  ) popped 11% today after its quarterly results and guidance topped Wall Street expectations.

• [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 On Assignment (NYSE: ASGN  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.