Best Internet Companies For 2014

Investors are buying up just about anything with a ticker symbol, and that frenzy certainly includes stocks that are brand new to the market.

The Container Store, a retailer that sells organizational materials such as shelves and storage boxes, saw its shares more than double in value on the first day of trading after the initial public offering Friday. The powerful rally in the Container Store shares accompanies what's been the best year for IPOs since the last boom in 2007 and on pace to be the busiest since the Internet boom of 2000.

"The returns (of IPOs) are very strong, probably better than you might expect," said Kathleen Smith of Renaissance Capital. "No one expected IPOs to trade so well."

The performance of IPOs is starting to hit the kind of feverish pitch not seen since the last market peak in 2007, and it even has hints of the IPO heyday of the 2000 dot-com boom. The signs:

Hot Growth Companies To Own In Right Now: eBay Inc.(EBAY)

eBay Inc. provides online platforms, services, and tools to help individuals and merchants in online and mobile commerce and payments in the United States and internationally. Its Marketplaces segment operates ecommerce platform eBay.com; vertical shopping sites, such as StubHub, Fashion, Motors, and Half.com; and classifieds Websites, including Den Bl�Avis, BilBasen, Gumtree, Kijiji, LoQUo, Marktplaats.nl, mobile.de, Alamaula, Rent.com, eBay Anuncios, eBay Kleinanzeigen, and eBay Annunci, as well as provides advertising services. The company?s Payments segment offers payment and settlement services for consumers and merchants on and off eBay Websites and other merchant Websites. This segment operates PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments online and through mobile devices; Bill Me Later that enables the United States merchants to offer, the United States consumers to obtain, credit at the point of sale for ecommerce and mobile tra nsactions; Zong, which allows users with mobile phones to purchase digital goods and have the transactions charged to their phone bill; and BillSAFE that enables customers pay for purchases upon receipt of an invoice. Its GSI segment offers an ecommerce services suite for enterprise clients that operate in general merchandise categories, including apparel, sporting goods, toys and baby, health and beauty, and home; and marketing services comprising full-service digital agency, enterprise email marketing, mobile advertising, affiliate marketing, advertisement retargeting, and in-depth analytics services. The company also offers X.commerce platform that provides software developers access to the company?s applications programming interfaces to develop functionality for various merchants; and Magento Connect, which allows developers to market and sell add-on functionality and solutions to merchants that use a Magento storefront. eBay Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquarter ed in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  AP/Shiho FukadaActivist investor Carl Icahn loves to give advice to public companies. But this week, his advice for eBay felt a couple of years behind the curve. Companies can make brilliant moves, but there are also times when things don't work out quite as planned. From a classy handbag maker carrying its latest financials to market, to a blowout report by the leading streaming video service, here's a rundown of the week's best and worst in the business world. Netflix (NFLX) -- Winner Netflix was last year's top performer among S&P 500 stocks, and it's off to another strong start in 2014. Shares of the leading video service hit another all-time high this week after it posted blowout quarterly results. Netflix closed out the year on a strong note with more than 44 million streaming subscribers worldwide and expanding profit margins. It expects to top 48 million streaming members by the end of March. Strong financial results naturally make you a winner, but Netflix also got the market excited by announcing that it will soon offer a variety of pricing plans. More importantly, it's suggesting that it may eventually increase the price of its basic $7.99 a month plan. Coach (COH) -- Loser Luxury handbags are still selling, but Coach totes aren't faring as well. The iconic maker of high-end purses and accessories posted disappointing quarterly results on Tuesday. Sales declined by 6 percent during the seasonally potent holiday quarter, and net income took an even bigger hit. Foreign currency translations weighed on the results, but sales still would have been lower if there weren't any currency fluctuations. Coach investors shouldn't be surprised. Sales, net income, and store-level comparable sales also slipped three months earlier. It's not the niche. Michael Kors (KORS) has been able to post healthy double-digit growth through the gradual fade in prominence at Coach. Beats Music -- Winner Music streaming has become popular, and that's big for the musi

• [By Steven Russolillo]

  Online retailers such as Amazon.com, eBay(EBAY) and Overstock.com are likely to draw attention as well on Friday, with ��yber Monday��right around the corner.

• [By Jay Jenkins]

  For the technology to really go mainstream, it needs consumer-side products to support it (cue�Square and PayPal�(subsidiary of eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) ), it needs infrastructure to transmit the data (looking at you,�MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) and Visa (NYSE: V  ) ), and it needs vendor-side hardware to close the loop (uh, hmm...�VeriFone (NYSE: PAY  ) ).

Best Internet Companies For 2014: Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN)

Amazon.com, Inc. operates as an online retailer in North America and internationally. It operates retail Web sites, including amazon.com and amazon.ca. The company serves consumers through its retail Web sites and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. It also offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Web sites, and their own branded Web sites. In addition, the company serves developer customers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various type of business. Further, it manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. Additionally, the company provides fulfillment; miscellaneous marketing and promotional agreements, such as online advertising; and co-branded credit cards. Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Simon Erickson]

  Rule Breakers�analyst Simon Erickson breaks down the story, including the suggested cost of the latest and greatest televisions. He also offers three important takeaways for investors -- including how this development could affect Universal Display (NASDAQ: OLED  ) , Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) , and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) .

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  Amazon is one of the largest Internet commerce companies in the world that aims to serve the needs of consumers, companies, and entrepreneurs worldwide. The company continues to dominate the e-commerce competition and looks poised to continue. The stock is currently pulling-back from this year’s highs so it may still need some time to stabilize. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been decreasing while revenues have been increasing which has resulted in pleased investors. Relative to its peers and sector, Amazon has been a year-to-date performance leader. WAIT AND SEE what Amazon does at these critical price levels.

Best Internet Companies For 2014: Google Inc.(GOOG)

Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Stocks finally rebounded today, as�Nike�(NKE),�Google�(GOOG),�Amazon.com (AMZN) and�Alpha Natural Resources�(ANR) gained.

  Getty Images

  The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 16,256.27, while the�S&P 500�gained �0.4% to 1,851.96. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8% to 4,112.99, ending it’s big losing streak.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  The Department of Justice has been running a lawsuit against some of Silicon Valley's most famous faces since 2009. The suit alleges that a number of high-powered firms agreed not to recruit technical talent from one another, which may reduce the turnover ratio of engineering departments but would also be a highly illegal activity. At the heart of the matter were Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) , each of which supposedly set up a network of do-not-call lists with other heavyweights (and one another).

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  It's been five months since I offered up four stocks that could get to $1,000 before Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) .

  One of them went on to do exactly that. Two of the other three don't have much of a shot to hit four figures any time soon. However, then we get to priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN  ) .

Best Internet Companies For 2014: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)

Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Hill, Jason Moser, and Charly Travers]

  Yahoo's (NASDAQ: YHOO  ) first-quarter revenue was flat, but display advertising dropped 11%. Bank of America upgraded Yahoo! based on the company's Alibaba stake. But Yahoo! continues to lose ground to Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB  ) . In this installment of MarketFoolery, our analysts talk about the future of Yahoo! and explain why CEO Marissa Mayer's leadership may be undervalued.

• [By Rex Crum]

  Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) �shares rose 2.5%, to $40.92 as Chief Executive Marissa Mayer gave a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

• [By tyokunbo]

  Also, YouTube enabled a 300% increase of daily visits to Nissan's website in Australia during a promotion. The solution is well-positioned and has a competitive advantage over video platforms of players like Facebook (FB) and Yahoo (YHOO).

Best Internet Companies For 2014: IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)

IAC/InterActiveCorp engages in the Internet business in the United States and internationally. The company�s Search segment develops, markets, and distributes various downloadable toolbars; provides search, reference, and content services through its destination search and other Websites, including Ask.com and Dictionary.com; and aggregates and integrates local advertising and content for distribution to publishers on Web and mobile platforms, as well as markets and distributes mobile applications through which it provides search and additional services. Its Match segment offers subscription-based and advertiser-supported online personals services through its Websites comprising Match.com, Chemistry.com, OurTime.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and OkCupid.com, as well as through mobile applications and Meetic-branded Websites. The company�s ServiceMagic segment offers Market Match service that matches consumers with service professionals; Exact Match service, which enables con sumers to review service professional profiles and select the service professional that meets their specific needs; and 1800Contractor.com, an online directory of service professionals. This segment also offers Website design and hosting services. Its Media and Other segment operates CollegeHumor.com, an online entertainment Website that targets young males; Vimeo, a Website on which users can upload, share, and view video; and Pronto.com, a comparison search engine. This segment also engages in the creation of video content for various distribution platforms; and operates as an Internet retailer of footwear and related apparel and accessories, as well as focuses on multimedia business. The company was formerly known as InterActiveCorp and changed its name to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July 2004. IAC/InterActiveCorp was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Timothy Lutts, Publisher, Cabot Heritage Corporation]

  In 2004, TripAdvisor (TRIP) was purchased by conglomerate Interactive Corp (IACI), which spun off its travel businesses under the name of Expedia in 2005. In December 2011, TripAdvisor was spun off from Expedia in an IPO.

• [By Mani]

  IAC InterActive Corp. (NASDAQ:IACI) should see improved margins and revenue from its Match business as subscriber growth could be boosted by favorable secular trends and new monetizing opportunities.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  IAC/InterActiveCorp provides information and entertainment services through its wide portfolio of websites to consumers and companies across the globe. The stock has been moving higher in recent years and seems to be getting ready to test all-time high prices. Over the last four quarters, earnings have been mixed while revenues have been increasing, which has pleased investors. Relative to its peers and sector, IAC/InterActiveCorp has trailed in year-to-date performance. Look for IAC/InterActiveCorp to catch up and OUTPERFORM.

Best Internet Companies For 2014: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)

Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  The first "insider" stock to buy is Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), one of the leading internet security providers in the world.

  Symantec makes a wide range of products that help individuals and businesses keep their computers and mobile devices safe from viruses and malware. The stock recently dropped sharply after the company fell short of analysts' quarterly earnings expectations, but CEO Stephen Bennett clearly disagrees with the market's opinion of the company's prospects. He got out his checkbook and added 1,000,000 shares of stock for a total cost of more than $2.2 million. He now owns 488,000 shares of Symantec stock and clearly has high expectations for the future of Symantec's stock price.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) were down 13.42 percent to $18.10 after the company fired President and Chief Executive Steve Bennett and appointed director Michael Brown as interim president and CEO. UBS downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral and lowered the price target from $27.00 to $21.00.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Symantec Corp. (SYMC) �shares dropped 7% to $19.44 on heavy volume, after a brief halted at the closing bell, as the security software company fired Chief Executive Steve Bennett.

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  On Thursday, Morgan Stanley reported that it has downgraded security and storage management company Symantec Corporation (SYMC).

  Morgan Stanley has cut its rating on SYMC to an “Equal Weight.” Analysts believe that the company lacks near term catalysts.

  Symantec shares were down 55 cents, or 2.18%, during pre-market trading Thursday. The stock is up 34% YTD.