Hot Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In 2015

The annual Value Investor Conference is one of the premier events surrounding Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-B  ) annual meeting in Omaha. The Motley Fool's Joe Magyer, Michael Olsen, and Rex Moore were in attendance and talked to several value investors. In today's video, Michael chats with Bob Robotti, founder of Robotti & Co., about a post-Buffett Berkshire.

Buy now?
Thanks to the savvy of investing legend Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway's book value per share has grown a mind-blowing 586,817% over the past 48 years. But with Buffett aging and Berkshire rapidly evolving, is this insurance conglomerate still a buy today? In The Motley Fool's premium report on the company, Berkshire expert Joe Magyer provides investors with key reasons to buy as well as important risks to watch out for. Click here now for instant access to Joe's take on Berkshire!

Hot Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In 2015: CNH Industrial NV (CNHI)

CNH Industrial NV is a Netherlands-based company primarily engaged in the manufacture of heavy machinery and vehicles equipment. It divides its activities into four main businesses. The Agricultural Equipment offers agricultural equipment under the New Holland Agriculture, Case IH brands and the Steyr brand. The Construction Equipment produces excavators, bulldozers, backhoes, compactors and other construction equipment under the New Holland Construction and Case Construction Equipment brands. The Trucks & Commercial Vehicles manufactures trucks and a commercial vehicles, including buses, coaches and special vehicles under Iveco, Iveco Bus and Heuliez Bus brands, as well as it produces quarry and mining equipment through Iveco Astra, and fire fighting vehicles through the Iveco Magirus brand. The Powertrain offers transmission systems, engines for marine application and power generation through FPT Industrial brand. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  The largest detractor for the quarter was CNH Industrial (CNHI), a global agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer, which fell 11%.� CNH released its nine-month results, which showed revenue growth of 0.6%, but the company�� margins were adversely affected by Iveco, its trucks and commercial vehicles segment.� Iveco�� margins fell short of expectations due to tough pricing, high launch costs, negative mix and increases in bad debt provisions.� Management maintains full-year guidance of 3-4% revenue growth.� We believe improvements in the Iveco division will help CNH Industrial achieve its long-term margin targets.�

• [By Lisa Levin]

  CNH Industrial NV (NYSE: CNHI) shares tumbled 2.47% to reach a new 52-week low of $11.44. CNH Industrial reported an 11% drop in its third-quarter profit.

Hot Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In 2015: Level 3 Communications Inc.(LVLT)

Level 3 Communications, Inc. engages in the communications business in North America and Europe. It offers network and Internet services, including transport services, high speed Internet protocol services, dedicated Internet access, virtual private network services, and dark fiber services, as well as managed modem, an outsourced, turn-key infrastructure solution; and colocation services. The company also provides various media services, comprising Vyvx services that provide audio and video feeds over fiber or satellite; content delivery network services; media delivery services to customers seeking to manage, protect, and monetize content delivered over the Internet; a range of local and long distance voice services, such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and traditional circuit-switch based services; and VoIP Enhanced Local, a VoIP service that enables broadband cable operators, IXCs, VoIP providers, and other companies operating their own switching infrastructure to launch IP-based local and long-distance voice services through a broadband connection. Level 3 Communications? media services also consist of SIP Trunking, a VoIP-based local phone service; Local Inbound service that terminates traditional telephone network originated calls to Internet Protocol termination points; Primary Rate Interface, a TDM local phone service that could be configured in various ways; Long Distance services portfolio comprising local and long distance transport and termination services; and Toll Free services portfolio, which terminate toll free calls that are originated on the traditional telephone network. As of December 31, 2010, its network encompassed approximately 68,000 intercity route miles in North America and an intercity network covering approximately 13,000 miles across Europe. Further, it sells coal primarily through long-term contracts with public utilities. The company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Level 3 Communications provides essential communications products and services to growing companies and consumers across the globe. The stock has tripled over the last few years but seems to be stuck in a range extending back to last year. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenue figures have improved but not as much as investors have expected. Relative to its peers and sector, Level 3 Communications has been a poor performer year-to-date. WAIT AND SEE what Level 3 Communications does this coming quarter.

10 Best Paper Stocks To Buy Right Now: Medical Properties Trust Inc (MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc., incorporated on August 27, 2003, is a self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on investing in and owning net-leased healthcare facilities. The Company conducts substantially all of its business through MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. The Company acquires and develops healthcare facilities and leases the facilities to healthcare operating companies under long-term net leases, which require the tenant to bear the costs associated with the property. The Company also makes mortgage loans to healthcare operators collateralized by their real estate assets. In addition, the Company selectively makes loans to certain of its operators through its taxable REIT subsidiaries. In September 2013, Medical Properties Trust Inc completed the acquisition of the real estate of three acute care hospitals operated by IASIS Healthcare LLC.

As of February 18, 2013, the Company's portfolio consists of 82 properties: 69 facilities (of the 74 facilities that the Company owns) are leased to 23 tenants, five are under development, and the remainder are in the form of mortgage loans to three operators. The Company's owned facilities consist of 27 general acute care hospitals, 24 long-term acute care hospitals, 15 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, two medical office buildings, and six wellness centers. The non-owned facilities on which the Company has made mortgage loans consist of three general acute care facilities, two long-term acute care hospitals, and three inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. At December 31, 2012, no one property accounted for more than 5% of the Company's total assets.

At December 31, 2012, the Company had leases with 22 hospital operating companies, eight mortgaged loans, six under development, and one property under re-development covering 82 facilities. Ernest leased 12 of these facilities pursuant to a master lease agreement. The master lease agreement has a 20-year term with three five-year extension options and provides for ! an initial rental rate of 9%, with consumer price-indexed increases, limited to a 2% floor and 5% ceiling annually thereafter. At December 31, 2012, these facilities had an average remaining lease term of approximately 19 years. In addition to the master lease, the Company holds a mortgage loan on four facilities owned by affiliates of Ernest.

Affiliates of Prime Healthcare Services, Inc. (Prime) leased 11 facilities pursuant to master lease agreements. The master leases are for 10 years commencing July 3, 2012 and contain two renewal options of five years each. The initial lease rate is generally consistent with the blended average rate of the prior lease agreements. However, the annual escalators, which in the prior leases were limited, have been increased to reflect 100% of CPI increases, along with a 2% minimum floor. The master leases include repurchase options substantially similar to those in the prior leases, including provisions establishing minimum repurchase prices equal to the Company's total investment. In addition to leases, the Company holds mortgage loans on three facilities owned by affiliates of Prime.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brad Thomas]

  A Bank of America (BOA) downgrade sends Medical Properties Trust (MPW) tumbling. The bank cut the shares to Underperform from Neutral citing the REIT's YTD outperformance relative to the sector overall (it has outpaced healthcare REITs two to one). Put simply, funds from operations "multiple expansion has exceeded fundamental trends." SA contributor Brad Thomas claims MPW is an example of mispriced risk.

• [By Eric Volkman]

  It was an impressive quarter for Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPW  ) . In its Q1 report, revenues amounted to $58 million, up 42% from the $41 million in the same period the previous year. Attributable net profit advanced much more strongly, growing 148% to $26 million ($0.18 per diluted share) from Q1 2012's figure of $11 million ($0.08). Funds from operations -- a key metric for real estate investment trusts -- came in at $35 million ($0.25 per diluted share) on a normalized basis, compared with $22 million ($0.18) in the year-ago quarter.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Real estate investment trust�Medical Properties Trust� (NYSE: MPW  ) �announced yesterday�its second-quarter dividend of $0.20 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2008.

Hot Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In 2015: Albany Molecular Research Inc.(AMRI)

Albany Molecular Research, Inc. provides contract services to various pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies primarily in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company offers a range of drug discovery services, including assay development and design, screening, screening library, natural product, medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug discovery, in vitro ADMET, and bioanalytical services. It also provides chemical development services consisting of process research and development, custom synthesis, process safety assessment, scale-up capabilities, high potency and controlled substances, analytical services, preformulation services and physical characterization, preparative chromatography, IND support services, fermentation development and optimization, and building blocks collection and database services. In addition, the company offers chemical synthesis and manufacturing services. It manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)and advanced intermediate s. Further, the company provides contract manufacturing services in sterile syringe and vial filling for small molecule drug products and biologicals. Additionally, it offers formulation services, including neat API or pharmaceutical blend in capsules; PIB for solution and suspension; blending and sieving; milling; tableting; rheology; roller compaction; wet granulation; and fluid bed processing, including wurster coating; and associated analytical testing services for dosage formulation products, as well as provides analytical services, such as impurity identification and structure elucidation; method development, qualification, and validation; preformulation and physical characterization; quality control; stability services; analytical and preparative supercritical fluid chromatography; preparative chromatography; good laboratory practices bioanalytical services; and regulatory support/quality assurance services. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Albany, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Among the sector stocks, Albany Molecular Research (NASDAQ: AMRI) was down more than 13 percent, while Sangamo Biosciences (NASDAQ: SGMO) tumbled around 6 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Leading and Lagging Sectors
  Healthcare stocks gained Wednesday, with Senomyx (NASDAQ: SNMX) leading advancers after the company announced a research agreement with PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP). Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Pernix Therapeutics Holdings (NASDAQ: PTX), Albany Molecular Research (NASDAQ: AMRI) and Gentiva Health Services (NASDAQ: GTIV).

Hot Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In 2015: Interpublic Group of Companies Inc (IPG)

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (Interpublic), incorporated in September 1930, is a global advertising and marketing services companies. Interpublic�� companies specialize in consumer advertising, digital marketing, communications planning and media buying, public relations and specialized communications disciplines. The Company has two segments: Integrated Agency Networks (IAN) and Constituency Management Group (CMG). IAN is comprised of McCann, Draftfcb, Lowe, Mediabrands and its domestic integrated agencies. CMG is comprised of a number of its specialist marketing services offerings. During the year ended December, 31, 2011, it completed 22 acquisitions, which included purchases of controlling interests in previously unconsolidated subsidiaries. Of these acquisitions, 18 are included in IAN operating segment and four are included in CMG operating segment. All acquired agencies have been integrated into one of its global networks or existing agencies. The acquisitions included service creative agencies in Australia, a public relations firm in Brazil, digital and direct marketing agencies in the United Kingdom, a healthcare communications firm in Germany and a social media agency in the United States. In November 2013, Interpublic Group of Companies Inc's MRM, a global digital and direct agency within McCann Worldgroup, a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies, acquired the Brazilian agency E/OU. In January 2014, Interpublic Group of Companies Inc announced that its division Lowe and Partners, announced the acquisition of the global digital network Profero.

The Company�� agencies create customized marketing programs for companies. The Company has three global networks: McCann Worldgroup (McCann); Draftfcb and Lowe & Partners (Lowe), that provide integrated, advertising and marketing solutions for clients, and two global media services companies, UM and Initiative, operating under the Mediabrands umbrella. It premier also has domestic integrated and interactive agencies. ! Its solutions vary from project-based activity involving one agency to long-term, integrated campaigns created by multiple IPG agencies working together.

McCann offers a range of communications tools and resources to companies and brands. McCann Erickson Advertising has operations in over 100 countries. MRM Worldwide is its global digital and customer relationship management (CRM) network. Momentum Worldwide is engaged in experiential marketing and promotions, as is McCann Healthcare Worldwide in healthcare communications. Draftfcb is an agency model for clients seeking creative and accountable marketing programs delivered in a media-neutral manner under a unified, integrated business.

Lowe is a creative agency. Lowe is developing ideas that connect with culture. Mediabrands delivers on the scale and breadth of its media capabilities. UM and Initiative seek to deliver business results by advising clients on how to navigate an increasingly complex and digital marketing landscape. Specialist brands within Mediabrands focus on areas, such as the targeting and aggregation of audiences in the digital space, hyper-local marketing, media barter and a range of other capabilities.

The Company�� domestic integrated independent agencies include agency brands, including Campbell-Ewald, Hill Holliday, The Martin Agency and Mullen. The marketing programs created by the group incorporate all media channels, CRM, public relations and other marketing activities and have helped build some of the brands in the United States, across all sectors and industries. It has marketing specialists across a range of disciplines. These include Jack Morton (experiential marketing), Octagon (sports marketing), public relations agencies, such as Weber Shandwick and GolinHarris, FutureBrand (corporate branding), and its digital specialist agencies, led by R/GA and HUGE. Its healthcare communications specialists reside within its three global brands: McCann, Draftfcb and Lowe.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  In the second half of the year, Crescent established new positions in a few companies that have more such global footprints. We initiated investments in Google (GOOG), as well as the advertising agencies Interpublic (IPG) and WPP (WPP). The fortunes of all three are tied directly to the level of global advertising spend, and they all saw their shares prices decline due to concerns of a recession-related slowdown. At our purchase price, we believe we were buying each at roughly 11-13x our estimated earnings for 2012 should the fears of a macroeconomic slowdown prove correct. This strikes us as a very reasonable multiple to pay for asset-light global businesses that generate strong free cash flow across the business cycle and have the capability to grow earnings greater than GDP in a normal economic environment.

• [By Michael Flannelly]

  Jefferies analysts noted that Interpublic Group of Companies Inc (IPG) offers some upside, but certain factors will continue to weigh down the stock. As such, the analysts upgraded the marketing and advertising company on Wednesday, but only with a tepid rating.

  The analysts upgraded IPG from “Underperform” to “Hold” and now see shares reaching $17.20, up from the previous target of $11. This new price target suggests a slight upside to the stock’s Tuesday closing price of $16.92.

  Jefferies analyst David Reynolds commented, “There’s a lot to be said for IPG, robust earnings growth profile, plays well into a ‘growth’ ad spend market and perhaps it remains the key beneficiary of all things POG. Yet, issues around North American profitability and developing economy scale continue to weigh. Richly valued and thus only c.2% upside to the ‘old normal’ and demonstrably bullish 16.7x forward earnings, we think warrants a HOLD. We set our new PT at US$17.20, 16.7x FY14 earnings.”

  Interpublic Group shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Wednesday. The stock is up 53.54% year-to-date.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. (NYSE: IPG) is an interesting name to attend. Formerly known as monster advertising agency McCann-Erickson, it is an integral cog in the entertainment and media machine. The consensus price target is $17.20. Investors receive a 1.7% dividend.

Hot Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In 2015: Brown(n)

N Brown Group plc operates as an Internet and catalogue home shopping company in the United Kingdom. The company principally offers womenswear, menswear, footwear, household, and electrical products, as well as provides insurance services. It also operates in the Republic of Ireland, Germany, and the United States. The company was founded in 1859 and is based in Manchester, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  However, Oracle also announced two additional cloud partnerships last week: one with NetSuite (NYSE: N  ) and one with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) .

• [By MarketWatch]

  Discussing cloud-computing stocks, the Barron�� article also said: ��ndustry leader Salesforce.com (CRM) � doesn�� earn a profit based on GAAP earnings that includes its stock compensation expense and yet it has a market value of $34 billion. Other hot plays with 2014 price/sales ratios above 10 and no GAAP earnings include Workday, NetSuite (N) , and ServiceNow (NOW) .��

• [By David Trainer]

  
  Cloud software provider Callidus (NASDAQ: CALD) is in the Danger Zone this week. We’ve recently highlighted two other Software as a Service (SaaS) companies in Netsuite (NYSE: N) andSalesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), and CALD is a classic story of a bad company riding the coattail of the popularity of cloud computing and SaaS companies. SaaS stocks surged in 2013, and CALD followed the trend, gaining 166% over the past year.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N) is the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials and omnichannel commerce suites. The company drives earnings growth with a subscription-based business model gives businesses a new way to sell services and products that can result in more predictable revenue streams. The consensus price target for the stock is $91.

Hot Warren Buffett Companies To Invest In 2015: GEO Group Inc (GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc., incorporated on April 5, 1988, specializes in the ownership, leasing and management of correctional, detention, and re-entry facilities and the provision of community-based services and youth services in the United States, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada. The Company operates in four segments: United States Corrections and Detention segment; GEO Community Services; International Services, and its Facility Construction and Design. The Company's United States Corrections and Detention segment primarily encompasses its United States-based privatized corrections and detention business. GEO Community Services segment consists of its community based services business, its youth services business and its electronic monitoring and supervision service. International Services segment primarily consists of its privatized corrections and detention operations in South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom. Facility Construction and Design segment primarily contracts with various states, local and federal agencies for the design and construction of facilities for which the Company generally has been, or expects to be, awarded management contracts. In June 2013, it announced the closing of acquisition of the 1,287-bed Joe Corley Detention Center (the Center) in Montgomery County, Texas.

The Company owns, leases and operates a range of correctional and detention facilities, including maximum, medium and minimum security prisons, immigration detention centers, minimum security detention centers, and community based re-entry facilities. The Company offers counseling, education and /or treatment to inmates with alcohol and drugs abuse problems at most of the domestic facilities the Company manages. The Company is also a provider of compliance technologies, monitoring services, and evidence-based supervision and treatment programs for community-based parolees, probationers and pretrial defendants. On December 31, 2012, the Company divested its residential treatm! ent health care facility management contracts, (Residential Treatment Services (RTS)). Effective January 1, 2013, it began operating as a real estate investment trust (REIT). As of December 31, 2012, the Company's worldwide operations included the management and/or ownership of approximately 73,000 beds at 100 correctional, detention and residential facilities, including idle facilities, and also included the provision of monitoring services, tracking approximately 70,000 offenders on behalf of approximately 900 federal, state and local correctional agencies located in all 50 states. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company activated four new or expansion projects representing an aggregate of 2,082 additional beds.

The Company has an exclusive contract with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which the Company refers to as ICE, to provide supervision and reporting services designed to improves the participation of non-detained aliens in the immigration court system. The Company develops facilities based on contract awards, using its project development expertise and experience to design, construct and finance. The Company also provides secure transportation services for offender and detainee populations as contracted domestically and in the United Kingdom through its joint venture, GEO Amey PECS Ltd., which the Company refers to as GEOAmey. The Company provides a diversified scope of services on behalf of its government clients. Its correctional and detention management services involve the provision of security, administrative, rehabilitation, education, and food services, primarily at adult male correctional and detention facilities. Its community-based services involve supervision of adult parolees and probationers and the provision of temporary housing, programming, employment assistance and other services with the intention of the successful reintegration of residents into the community. The Company�� youth services include residential, detention and sh! elter car! e and community-based services along with rehabilitative and educational programs. The Company provides comprehensive electronic monitoring and supervision services. The Company provides secure transportation services for offender and detainee populations as contracted. Through the REIT subsidiaries (TRS) structure, a portion of the Company's businesses, which are non-real estate related, such as its managed-only contracts, international operations, electronic monitoring services, and other non-residential facilities, are part of wholly owned taxable subsidiaries of the REIT. Most of the Company's business segments, which are real estate related and involve company-owned and company-leased facilities, are part of the REIT.

The Company competes with Corrections Corporation of America; Management and Training Corporation; Louisiana Corrections Services, Inc.; Emerald Companies; Community Education Centers; LaSalle Southwest Corrections; Group 4 Securicor; Sodexo Justice Services (formerly Kaylx); Serco; G4 Justice Services, LLC; Elmo-Tech, a 3M Company, and Pro-Tech, a 3M Company

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  The premise here would be that any increase in nationwide drug testing would be bound to turn up additional drug users and could boost the prison population. That would be great news for the GEO Group (NYSE: GEO  ) and Corrections Corp. of America (NYSE: CXW  ) , which are contracted out through the government to run and service prisons around the country.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Corrections Corp. of America, also known as CCA, and GEO Group (NYSE: GEO  ) �are the two largest contracted prison companies. If there's any doubt that these companies are as good as gold, one need only look at CCA's first-quarter report from last week, which saw normalized funds from operations rise by a whopping 35% to $0.70 per share. CCA also boosted its full-year EPS from a range of $2.05-$2.15 to $2.08-$2.16.

• [By Tyler Laundon]

  And The GEO Group (GEO) is yet another compelling holding that most investors haven't heard of. The company operates correctional and detention facilities for various governments.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  GEO Group (NYSE: GEO  ) reported earnings on May 8. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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