Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now

When I was asked to write this piece for our ongoing series on Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A  ) (NYSE: BRK-B  ) annual meeting, I struggled to come up with seven legitimate reasons to sell the Omaha, Neb.-based company. After thinking it over, however, I believe I've drawn up a list of factors that fits the bill. To be clear, there's little about Berkshire that leads me to believe it's a "sell" right now. But that's not to say this won't change in the not-too-distant future.

1. Warren Buffett
If Buffett had it his way, he'd probably run Berkshire forever. But he doesn't. And in last year's annual letter to shareholders, the Oracle of Omaha assured investors that the board of directors has not only picked a successor ("an individual to whom they have had a great deal of exposure and whose managerial and human qualities they admire") but that they've identified two "superb backup candidates" as well.

This may be so, but the fact remains that Berkshire won't be the same without Buffett. Aside from his ethereal ability to grow and manage an increasingly massive conglomerate, Buffett has become a magnate for deals. When Solomon Brothers fell on hard times, who'd they call? When Long-Term Capital Management nearly imploded, Buffett was among the first to offer assistance. And when Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) needed to reassure the market of their respective solvencies, it was Buffett who came to the rescue.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Invest In 2015: Brocade Communications Systems Inc.(BRCD)

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. supplies networking equipment comprising end-to-end Internet protocol based Ethernet and storage area networking solutions. Its Data Storage segment provides infrastructure products and solutions, including directors, switches, routers, fabric-based software applications, distance/extension products, management applications, and utilities to centralize data management; and host bus adapters, converged network adapters, mezzanine cards, and switch modules for bladed servers. The company?s Ethernet Products segment offers Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model (OSI) Layer 2-3 switches and routers, which enable the use of bandwidth-intensive network business applications and digital entertainment on local area networks and wide area networks; and OSI Layer 4?7 switches that allow enterprises and service providers to build network infrastructures to direct the flow of traffic, and file area network products and associated management s olutions. The company?s Global Services segment provides break/fix maintenance, extended warranty, installation, consulting, network management, and related software maintenance and support services; consulting and support services that assist customers in designing, implementing, deploying, and managing networking solutions; and post-contract customer support and extended warranties. It serves various businesses and organizations, which include global enterprises and service providers, such as telecommunication firms, cable operators, and mobile carriers. The company has a strategic partnership with LG-Ericsson. It offers its products and services to end-user customers directly, and through various distribution partners comprising original equipment manufacturers, distributors, systems integrators, and value-added resellers in the United States, western Europe, Japan, and the greater Asia Pacific region. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in San Jose, Cali fornia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Mid cap networking solutions company Brocade Communications Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: BRCD) has pretty much been a sleeper for investors since the dot.com bust, but that has changed over the past year���meaning its worth revisiting the stock along with potential performance benchmarks�like QLogic Corporation (NASDAQ: QLGC), Emulex Corporation (NYSE: ELX) and iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF (NYSEARCA: IGN). I should mention that we have recently Brocade Communications Systems to our SmallCap Network Elite Opportunity (SCN EO) portfolio because the company has successfully transitioned from being a hardware company to supporting virtual networks via software and it continues to offer best-of-breed technology.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Marlin Business Services Corp.(MRLN)

Marlin Business Services Corp. provides commercial equipment financing solutions primarily to small and mid-sized businesses in the United States. It finances approximately 100 categories of commercial equipment, including copiers, security systems, computers and software, telecommunications equipment, and commercial and industrial equipment. The company offers its solutions through a network of independent commercial equipment dealers and lease brokers, as well as through direct solicitations. As of December 31, 2011, it serviced approximately 65,000 active equipment leases for approximately 55,000 small and mid-sized business customers. The company also operates as the holding company for the Marlin Business Bank, which is a state-chartered commercial bank. In addition, it is involved in reinsurance business activities. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James Brumley]

  The ironic risk here is if the economy tanks so badly, even debt collectors struggle simply because the money to repay loans just isn’t in consumers’ hands, as was the case between 2006 and 2009. As long as the economy remains stable, however, Portfolio Recovery Associates is plenty capable of maintaining its double-digit earnings growth rate, qualifying it as one of the market’s better small-cap stocks.

  Marlin Business Services (MRLN)

  Marlin Business Services (MRLN) finances equipment purchase and equipment leases for small businesses — photocopiers, computers, and the like. It’s not a riveting business, but it’s a reliable business as long as the economy is humming like it is now.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Intersections Inc.(INTX)

Intersections Inc. provides subscription based consumer protection services and other consumer products and services primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Consumer Products and Services, Online Brand Protection, and Bail Bonds Industry Solutions. The Consumer Products and Services segment offers credit reports; daily, monthly, and quarterly monitoring of subscriber?s credit files; reports and monitoring services based on additional information sources; and credit scores and credit score analysis tools, credit education, identity theft recovery services, identity theft cost reimbursement, and software and other technology tools to protect against identity theft. Its products and services also include consumer discounts on healthcare, home, and auto related expenses; access to professional financial and legal information; and life, accidental death, and disability insurance, as well as distributes online privacy protection software. This seg ment markets its products and services to credit card, direct deposit, or mortgage issuing financial institutions. The Online Brand Protection segment provides online brand protection services, including online channel monitoring, auction monitoring, and other services to corporate brand owners or law firms, as well as offers forum, blog, and newsgroup monitoring. The Bail Bonds Industry Solutions segment offers automated service solutions for the bail bonds industry, which include accounting, reporting, and decision making tools that allow bail bondsmen, general agents, and sureties to run their offices, to exercise operational and financial control over their businesses, and to make underwriting decisions. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Frank Micelotta/Invision/The Associated PressIn a new Netflix sitcom, Lily Tomlin (left) and Jane Fonda play former foes who unite when their husbands desert them. An identity theft specialist lost its identity, a soda maker teamed up with an old-school appliance brand, Walmart made a play for video games, Netflix announced a new show and yet another online service upped its subscription price. Here's a rundown of the week's smartest moves and biggest blunders in the business world. Netflix (NFLX) -- Winner The leading video service keeps building its digital catalog of original content. Netflix announced on Wednesday that it will be the home of "Grace and Frankie," a new sitcom starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin that's partly the handiwork of "Friends" creator Marta Kaufman. The first season will debut next year. We naturally won't know until we dive into the 13 half-hour episodes come 2015 if the show is any good, but that's also the point of Netflix beefing up its portfolio of first-run shows introduced exclusively on Netflix. Walmart Stores (WMT) -- Loser The world's largest retailer is getting into the video game resale business. Walmart announced on Tuesday that it will begin accepting trade-ins at most of its stores next week. The discounter will swap the games for in-store credit. It will then send off the trade-ins to get refurbished. It will start offering the pre-owned wares later this year. The market is playing this out to be a big hit for GameStop (GME), but let's not kid ourselves. GameStop's sales of pre-owned games fell sharply in 2012 and have gone on to decline in each of 2013's first three quarters. Walmart won't make things easier, but this was already a fading market. Too many new systems rely on digital delivery, making physical discs and their eventual resale obsolete. Walmart's late to the game. SodaStream International (SODA) -- Winner Making soda at home is as popular as ever, and niche leader SodaStream is getting a boost wi

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Imperial Holdings Inc. (IFT)

Imperial Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty finance company in the United States. The company operates in two business segments: Life Finance and Structured Settlements. The Life Finance segment comprises life settlements and finance loan businesses. The Structured Settlement segment purchases structured settlements at a discounted rate and sells such assets to third parties. This segment primarily markets its products through the Internet and television. Imperial Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2006 and is based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By DCResearch]

  Imperial Holdings (IFT) fits the bill for all of those traits and investors today can buy Imperial Holdings for less than 0.75x book value. Upside to book value, an obvious valuation factor for most financial companies, would result in a greater than 40% return for a patient investor. I believe that this is far below the fair value for IFT�� book of life settlements, and upside is in excess of $13 per share.

• [By Whopper Investments]

  Note: This is my response to the recent short case on Imperial Finance (IFT). Obviously, all humans are fallible, and I'm sure someone can find just as much to argue with my long case as I found to argue with his short case. Please read for yourself, do your own research, and make your own decision. I am long IFT and plan on fully participating in the rights offering.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Barnes & Noble Inc (BKS)

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (Barnes & Noble), incorporated on November 19, 1986, is a bookseller. The Company is a content, commerce and technology company that provides customers access to books, magazines, newspapers and other content across its multi-channel distribution platform. As of April 27, 2013, it operated 1,361 bookstores in 50 states, 686 bookstores on college campuses, and operates one of the Web eCommerce sites, and develops digital content products and software. Barnes & Noble operates in three segments: B&N Retail, B&N College and NOOK. The Company�� principal business is the sale of trade books (generally hardcover and paperback consumer titles), mass market paperbacks (such as mystery, romance, science fiction and other popular fiction), children�� books, eBooks and other digital content, NOOK and related accessories, bargain books, magazines, gifts, cafe products and services, educational toys & games, music and movies direct to customers through its bookstores or on barnesandnoble.com.

Of the Company�� 1,361 bookstores, 675 operate primarily under the Barnes & Noble Booksellers trade name. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC (B&N College), a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, operates 686 college bookstores at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble Retail (B&N Retail) operates the 675 retail bookstores. Retail also includes the Company�� eCommerce site and Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. (Sterling or Sterling Publishing), a leader in general trade book publishing.

B&N Retail

This segment includes 675 bookstores as of April 27, 2013, primarily under the Barnes & Noble Booksellers trade name. These stores generally offer a dedicated NOOK area, a comprehensive trade book title base, a cafe, and departments dedicated to Juvenile, Toys & Games, DVDs, Music, Gift, Magazine and Bargain products. The stores also offer a calendar of ongoing events, including author appearances and children�� activities. The B&! N Retail segment also includes the Company�� eCommerce website, barnesandnoble.com, and its publishing operation, Sterling Publishing. Barnes & Noble stores range in size from 3,000 to 60,000 square feet depending upon market size, with an overall average store size of 26,000 square feet. During the fiscal year ended April 27, 2013 (fiscal), the Company reduced the Barnes & Noble store base by 0.3 million square feet, bringing the total square footage to 17.7 million square feet. The Company�� B&N Retail segment purchases physical books on a regular basis from over 800 publishers and over 50 wholesalers or distributors. As of April 27, 2013, Barnes & Noble had stores in 162 of the total 210 Designated Market Area markets.

Sterling Publishing is a publisher of non-fiction trade titles. It is a range of non-fiction and illustrated books and kits across a range of imprints, in categories, such as health and wellness, music and culture, food and wine, crafts and photography, puzzles and games, history and current affairs, as well as a children�� books.

B&N College

B&N College sells new and used textbooks in campus bookstores and online. As of April 27, 2013, B&N College operated 686 stores nationwide. The Company�� customer base, which is mainly consisted of students and faculty, can purchase various items from their campus stores, including textbooks and course-related materials, emblematic apparel and gifts, trade books, computer products, NOOK products and related accessories, school and dorm supplies, convenience and cafe items.

As of April 27, 2013, B&N College operates 651 traditional college bookstores and 35 academic superstores, which are generally larger in size, offer cafes and provide a sense of community that engages the surrounding campus and local communities in college activities and culture. The traditional bookstores range in size from 500 to 48,000 square feet. The academic superstores range in size from 8,000 to 75,000 square feet. B&! N College! �� three customer constituencies are students, faculty members and campus administrators.

NOOK

This segment includes the Company�� digital business, which includes the Company�� eBookstore, digital newsstand and sales of NOOK devices and accessories to third party distribution partners, as well as to B&N Retail and B&N College. Barnes & Noble�� NOOK digital bookstore and Reading Apps provide customers the ability to purchase and read their digital content and access to their Lifetime Library on a range of digital platforms, including Windows 8 PCs and tablets, iPad, iPhone , Android smartphones and tablets, PC and Mac. Barnes & Noble has implemented features on its digital platform to ensure that customers can access their NOOK content from almost all of today�� most popular devices.

The Company competes with Target, Books-A-Million, Waldenbooks, Amazon.com, Apple, Wal-Mart and Costco.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  I lost money when I was long Barnes & Noble (BKS). But if you shorted the stock when I bought it ��you would��e lost more than 25% by now, and a lot of time (when the market was rising), and shorting isn�� free. So, it would��e gone very, very badly for you unless you really had the timing right.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  Outside the Dow, Barnes & Noble's (NYSE: BKS  ) shares tumbled 4.9% after hours following CEO William Lynch's resignation, effective immediately, after a disappointing quarter for Nook sales. The board didn't name a successor, but the news underscores the strong headwinds the venerable bookseller faces. The Nook was once seen as the company's savior, but now it seems to have become an albatross equal to the company's bricks-and-mortar real estate.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  By now we’re all aware of the battle raging between Amazon.com (AMZN) and Hachette over the pricing of eBooks. While the consumer is certainly the loser as the two big corporations go head to head, there’s likely a winner from the battle royale as well–Barnes & Noble (BKS).

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF (SUB)

iShares 2016 AMT-Free Muni Term ETF, formerly iShares S&P Short Term National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P Short Term National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the short-term investment-grade segment of the United States municipal bond market. The Fund invests in a representative sample of the securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Rosenbluth]

  Two others are iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Municipal Bond ETF (SUB) and Market Vectors Short Municipal Index ETF (SMB).

  The Market Vectors fund, not surprisingly, has more A bond exposure and less AA exposure than the iShares fund. However, both have lower average durations than iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond and thus might appeal to investors concerned about the impact of higher rates.

Best Warren Buffett Stocks To Invest In Right Now: iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB)

iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction Index Fund (the Fund) is a non-diversified index fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Home Construction Index (the Index).

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Index measures the performance of the home construction sector of the United States equity market, and includes companies that are constructors of residential homes, including manufacturers of mobile and prefabricated homes.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  The recovery may be real, but it is stalling a bit today. The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction (NYSEMKT: ITB) is down 1.3%, at $20.92 in a 52-week range of $17.67 to $26.21.