5 Best Services Stocks To Watch For 2014

In the video below, Motley Fool analyst Blake Bos breaks down Pandora Media's� (NYSE: P  ) �results and forward guidance.

He discusses the impact of Pandora's 40-hour monthly listening limit on subscription services year over year. However, increasing the subscriber base is only part of the story.� Blake explains key metrics used in valuation, revenue, and expense per 1,000 listening hours.� He also highlights mobile revenue vs. web browser-based revenue as well as their respective rates of growth.�

Lastly, Blake points out how increased head count at Pandora is focused mainly on the important growth areas of mobile revenue and local ad revenue.� He comments on Pandora pricing compared to Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI  ) .

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5 Best Services Stocks To Watch For 2014: Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.(SBH)

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution and retail of professional beauty supplies primarily in North America, South America, and Europe. The company operates in two segments, Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group. The Sally Beauty Supply segment operates a chain of cash and carry retail stores that provide various third-party branded and exclusive-label professional beauty supplies, including hair color products, hair care products, hair dryers and hair styling appliances, skin and nail care products, and other beauty items to retail consumers and salon professionals. This segment sells various third-party brands, such as Clairol, Revlon, and Conair, as well as a selection of exclusive-label merchandise. The Beauty Systems Group segment distributes professional brands of beauty products directly to salons and salon professionals through its sales force and professional-only stores. This segment operates stores under the Co smoProf service mark. It sells a range of third-party brands, such as Paul Mitchell, Wella, Sebastian, Goldwell, Joico, and TIGI. As of September 30, 2011, the company operated a multi-channel platform of 4,128 company-owned stores, 181 franchised stores, and 1,116 professional distributor sales consultants in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain. Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Denton, Texas.

5 Best Services Stocks To Watch For 2014: Esprinet(PRT.MI)

Esprinet S.p.A. engages in the wholesale distribution of information technology (IT) and consumer electronics primarily in Italy and Spain. It distributes business to business (B2B) IT and consumer electronic products, including traditional IT products comprising desktop PCs, PC notebooks, printers, photocopiers, servers, and standard software; consumables, such as cartridges, tapes, toners, and magnetic supports; and networking products consisting of modems, routers, and switches; and state-of-the-art digital and entertainment products that include photo cameras, video cameras, videogames, LCD TVs, handhelds, and MP3 readers. The company also provides B2B micro-electronic components, which comprise semiconductors, passive components, connections, displays, and sub-systems for industrial applications to the original equipment and contract electronic manufacturers. In addition, it distributes business to consumer IT and consumer electronics products, including personal comp uting, printers, audio-video, accessories, photography, telephony, air-conditioning, and electric household appliances to private consumers through the online. The company is headquartered in Nova Milanese, Italy.

Top Oil Companies To Own For 2014: Whitbread Holdings(WTB.L)

Whitbread PLC operates hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops in the United Kingdom and internationally. It owns and operates 590 hotels with approximately 43,219 rooms in the United Kingdom and 5 hotels with approximately 1,076 rooms internationally under the Premier Inn brand name; and 379 restaurants under the Beefeater Grill, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, and Taybarns brand names, as well as operates 1,217 coffee shops in the United Kingdom and 654 coffee shops internationally under the Costa Coffee brand name. The company also operates roasters and facing espresso based coffee vending machines; and involves in wholesale of coffee beans. Whitbread PLC was founded in 1742 and is based in Dunstable, the United Kingdom.

5 Best Services Stocks To Watch For 2014: PCCW Ltd (0008.HK)

PCCW Limited is a Hong Kong-based holding company. Its subsidiary HKT provides telecommunications and related services, including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, customer premises equipment sale, outsourcing, consulting and contact centers, primarily in Hong Kong, mainland China and elsewhere in the world. Media Business includes interactive pay- television (TV) services, Internet portal multimedia entertainment platform and the Company�� directories operations in Hong Kong and mainland China. Solutions Business offers Information and Communications Technologies services and solutions in Hong Kong and mainland China. Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited covers the Company�� property portfolio in Hong Kong and mainland China, including the Cyberport development in Hong Kong, and elsewhere in Asia. Other Businesses include the Company�� wireless broadband business in the United Kingdom and all corporate suppo rt functions.

5 Best Services Stocks To Watch For 2014: UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated provides healthcare services in the United States. Its Health Benefits segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; and non-employer based insurance options for purchase by individuals. It also provides health and well-being services for individuals aged 50 and older; and for services dealing with chronic disease and other specialized issues for older individuals, as well as health plans for the beneficiaries of acute and long-term care Medicaid plans. This segment offers its services through a network of 730,000 physicians and other health care professionals, and 5,300 hospitals. Its OptumHealth segment provides health, financial, and ancillary services and products that assist consumers through personalized health management solutions; benefit administration, and clinical and network management; health-based financi al services; behavioral solutions; and specialty benefits, such as dental, vision, life, critical illness, short-term disability, and stop-loss product offerings. The company?s Ingenix segment offers database and data management services, software products, publications, consulting and actuarial services, business process outsourcing services, and pharmaceutical data consulting and research services. Its Prescription Solutions segment provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services comprising retail network pharmacy contracting and management, claims processing, mail order pharmacy services, specialty pharmacy, benefit design consultation, rebate contracting and management, drug utilization review, formulary management programs, disease therapy management, and adherence programs to employer groups, union trusts, managed care organizations, Medicare-contracted plans, Medicaid plans, and third party administrators. The company was founded in 1974 and is based in Minne tonka, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ken Sweet]

  Shareholders of UnitedHealth (UNH) reaped the rewards this year from the managed care company's strong profits and upbeat guidance.

  UnitedHealth raised its full-year guidance in late April to $3.95 to $4.05 a share, well ahead of analysts' forecasts. The company also increased its quarterly dividend last month to 16.25 cents a share, from 12.5 cents a share.

  UnitedHealth's performance is also tied to what has been broad investor interest in healthcare stocks this year as a defensive play against what has been a recently downward-trending market.