5 Best Supermarket Stocks To Watch For 2014

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 Brussels-based supermarket operator Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG  ) climbed 10% today after its preliminary quarterly results and outlook topped Wall Street expectations.

So what: Delhaize sales were hit pretty hard during the downturn, but today's first-quarter beat -- profit of 214 million euros versus the consensus of 175 million euros -- coupled with upbeat full-year guidance suggests that management's restructuring plan continues to gain traction. Of course, favorable weather conditions helped fuel the 1.9% same-store sales increase in the U.S., so Fools should be cautious about getting too excited over the report.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks To Watch For 2014: Crown Castle International Corporation (CCI)

Crown Castle International Corp., through its subsidiaries, owns, operates, and leases towers and other wireless infrastructure primarily in the United States and Australia. Its infrastructure includes distributed antenna system (DAS) networks, as well as rooftop installations. The company involves in the rental of antenna space of its towers to wireless communications companies. It also provides network services relating to its towers, which primarily include antenna installations and subsequent augmentations, as well as additional services, such as site acquisition, architectural and engineering, zoning and permitting, other construction, and other services related network development. As of December 31, 2010, it owned, leased, or managed approximately 23,900 towers, including 43 completed DAS networks. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks To Watch For 2014: CENTRAL RAND GOLD LTD ORD GBP0.01(CRND.L)

Central Rand Gold Limited, through its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and mining of gold properties in South Africa. The company holds exploration permits covering 138 square kilometers in the Central Rand Goldfields area located on the southern outskirts of Johannesburg. It also holds seven New Order Prospecting Rights that constitute Western Areas, Anglodeeps area, Village Main and Robinson Deep, and the defunct mining area of Simmer and Jack Gold Mine. The company was formerly known as Central Rand Gold (Guernsey) Limited and changed its name to Central Rand Gold Limited on February 9, 2007. Central Rand Gold Limited was incorporated in 2006 and is based in St. Peter Port, Guernsey.

Top 5 Healthcare Technology Companies To Own In Right Now: Cohen & Steers Reit and Preferred Income Fund Inc(RNP)

Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred Income Fund, Inc. is a closed-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Cohen & Steers Inc. It is managed by Cohen & Steers Capital Management, Inc. The fund invests in the public equity and fixed income markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating in the real estate sector including real estate investment trusts. For its equity portfolio, it employs a fundamental analysis to create its portfolio with a focus on growth potential, earnings estimates, and the quality of management. For its fixed income portfolio, the fund typically invests in debt and preferred securities of companies operating across diversified sectors. It employs a fundamental analysis to create its fixed income portfolio with a focus on the issuer?s creditworthiness, corporate and capital structure, placement of the preferred or debt securities within that structure, momentum and other exogenous signals, and relative value versus ot her income security classes. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the FTSE NAREIT Equity Index, S&P 500 Index, Merrill Lynch Fixed Rate Preferred Index, and FTSE NAREIT Equity REIT Index. It was formerly known as Cohen & Steers REIT & Preferred Balanced Income Fund. Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred Income Fund, Inc. was formed on June 27, 2003 and is domiciled in the United States.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks To Watch For 2014: Verifone Systems Inc.(PAY)

Verifone Systems, Inc. designs, markets, and services electronic payment solutions in North America and internationally. It provides system solutions, including countertop electronic payment systems that accepts magnetic, smart card, contactless/ radio frequency identification(RFID) cards, and near field communication(NFC) enabled mobile phones; secure PIN pads that support credit and debit transactions; and wireless system solutions that support Internet protocol-based code division multiple access, general packet radio service, bluetooth, and wireless fidelity technologies. The company also offers products for consumer-activated functionality at the point of sale; contactless/NFC payment solutions consisting of contactless readers primarily for consumer-activated transactions with contactless cards, tokens, and NFC-enabled mobile phones; and Gemstone family of products comprising integrated electronic payment systems for petroleum companies. In addition, it provides serv er-based payment processing software and middleware; unattended and self-service payments hardware and software integration modules, such as vending machines, ATMs, ticketing kiosks, petroleum dispensers, public transportation turnstiles and buses, self-checkout, bill payment, and photo finishing kiosks; retail bank branch solutions; mass transportation solutions; and network access solutions. Further, the company offers client services, customized application development, advertising publishing, taxi payments and advertising, cardholder data security, annual software maintenance program, and repair services. It serves financial institutions, payment processors, petroleum companies, large retailers, taxi fleets, government organizations, healthcare companies, independent sales organizations, and advertisers. The company was formerly known as VeriFone Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to VeriFone Systems, Inc in May 2010. VeriFone Systems, Inc. is headquartered in San Jose, California.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks To Watch For 2014: Mediobanca(MDBI.MI)

Mediobanca S.p.A. provides lending and investment banking services to financial companies and private investors in Italy and rest of Europe. It offers consumer credit products, including personal and special purpose loans, credit cards, and salary-backed finance; corporate lending products, such as bilateral, club-deal, and syndicated loans; leveraged finance products comprising acquisition and LBO/MBO finance; structured finance products consisting of project, infrastructure, and real estate finance; and export finance products, including export credit, trade finance, L/C facilities, pre-export finance, commercial loans, untied loans, and Islamic finance. The company also provides finance leasing, mortgage lending, insurance products, deposits and current accounts, and investment products. In addition, it offers advisory services consisting of corporate finance; and fiduciary services, such as fiduciary administration of equity investments, and investments in market secur ity, as well as fiduciary services for issuers. Further, the company offers equity capital market products comprising IPOs, rights offerings, secondary offerings/accelerated book building, and equity-linked products; security brokerage services, such as equity research, equity distribution, and corporate broking services; strategic equity derivatives for equity holdings treasury shares management; direct investments and investments through fund stock units; equity-linked investments products; research services; and equity finance solutions consisting of securities lending, equity repo, and collateral financing. Additionally, it originates, structures, executes, and distributes bond issues; provides FI investor solutions, corporate solutions, private and retail solutions, and alternative advisory services; and offers private banking services, such as portfolio management, advisory and financing, and asset management services. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquarter ed in Milan, Italy.