Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now

Someone who reads my articles asked me this question:

Do you know which specific investments that Buffett made in his early career gave him his biggest returns and generated his initial wealth?

What did he see in these companies that led him to invest in them?

- Ryan

If you read Alice Schroeder's "The Snowball" you can easily find the investments that generated Warren Buffett's initial wealth.

Here, I'll talk about just the first $100,000 Warren Buffett made investing in stocks.

We'll start after Warren Buffett first read ��he Intelligent Investor��but before he started taking Ben Graham's class at Columbia. Buffett already owned Marshall Wells before he took Ben Graham's class. He still owned the stock when he went asked David Dodd (co-author of "Security Analysis") if he could skip Dodd's class and go to Marshall Wells's annual meeting. This is where Buffett first met Walter Schloss.

Let's take a look at Marshall Wells when Buffett owned the stock.

Top 10 Cheap Companies To Buy For 2015: Longreach Oil and Gas Ltd (LOI)

Longreach Oil And Gas Limited (Longreach) is an exploration-stage company. The Company�� projects include Sidi Moktar Onshore, Foum Draa Offshore and Sidi Moussa Offshore, Tarfaya Onshore and Zag Onshore. Sidi Moktar Onshore is consists of three blocks (Sidi Moktar West, Sidi Moktar South and Sidi Moktar North) totalling 4,711 square kilometres, which covers the majority of the hydrocarbon basin of Essaouira, located in central onshore Morocco. Foum Draa Offshore and Sidi Moussa Offshore is located directly west of Agadir, the licences cover an area of approximately 12,714 square kilometers (3.14 million acres). Tarfaya Onshore has a total of 608 kilometers of two-dimensional (2D) seismic was shot, beyond the minimum work programme requirement of 500 kilometers. Zag Onshore is a 15,000 square kilometers aeromagnetic survey has been completed on the licence. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By kcpl]

  Transocean has been facing customer drops as a result of prevailing stiff market conditions and over supply. The company announced that it had letters of intent (LOI) for four deepwater rigs to work in West Africa and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, which were ultimately canceled due to the operators postponing drilling programs to 2015. This is a tough situation for Transocean.

Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now: Cantel Medical Corp. (CMN)

Cantel Medical Corp. provides infection prevention and control products and services in the healthcare market. Its Endoscopy segment offers medical device reprocessing systems, disinfectants, detergents, and other supplies that are used to disinfect flexible endoscopes; and disposable infection control products for cleaning and disinfecting reusable components used in gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures. Its Water Purification and Filtration segment offers water purification equipment and services, filtration and separation products, and disinfectants for medical, pharmaceutical, biotech, beverage, and commercial industrial markets. This segment also offers hollow fiber membrane filtration and separation technologies for medical applications; and sterilants, disinfectants, and decontamination services used in various applications for infection prevention and control. The company�s Healthcare Disposables segment offers single-use infection prevention and control healthca re products, including face masks, sterilization pouches, towels and bibs, tray covers, saliva ejectors, germicidal wipes, plastic cups, and disinfectants used principally in the dental market; and biological and chemical indicators for sterility assurance monitoring services in the acute-care, alternate-care, and dental markets. Its Dialysis segment offers medical device reprocessing systems, sterilants/disinfectants, dialysate concentrates, and other supplies for renal dialysis. The company�s Specialty Packaging segment offers specialty packaging and thermal control products, as well as related compliance training for the transportation of infectious and biological specimens and thermally sensitive pharmaceutical, medical, and other products. Cantel Medical Corp. sells its products through its direct distribution network in the United States; and directly and through third-party distributors internationally. The company was founded in 1963 and is based in Little Falls, Ne w Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Infection protection and control company Cantel Medical (CMN) raised its semiannual dividend 21.6% to 4.5 cents per share, payable Jan. 31, 2014, to shareholders of record as of Jan. 17.
  CMN Dividend Yield: 0.26%

Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now: Cornerstone Total Return Fund Inc (CRF)

Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (the Fund) is a closed-end, diversified management investment company. Its investment objective is to seek capital appreciation with current income as a secondary objective. The Fund may invest without limitation in other closed-end investment companies and ETFs, provided that the Fund limits its investment in securities issued by other investment companies so that not more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund. It invests in sectors, such as information technology, industrial, financials, healthcare, energy, consumer discretionary and consumer staples. The Fund is managed by Cornerstone Advisors, Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  According to a Gabelli Funds report, managed distribution policies offer several advantages, including:1. Lower difference between the fund�� market price and its NAV per share.2. Provides support during periods when the stock market is in a decline.3. Provides a measurable performance target for the investment adviser.Below are several high-yield funds from CEFA that have a managed distribution policy (yields as of December 16):Aberdeen Australia Eqty (IAF)- Distribution Yield: 10.4%- Income Yield: 3.46%Bexil Advisers LLC� (DNI)- Distribution Yield: 11.1%- Income Yield: 3.56%BlackRock En Capital&Inc (CII)- Distribution Yield: 8.78%- Income Yield: 2.34%Cornerstone Strat Value (CLM)- Distribution Yield: 18.77%- Income Yield: 1.83%Cornerstone Total Return (CRF)- Distribution Yield: 19.10%- Income Yield: 0.85%Delaware Inv Div & Inc (DDF)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 5.26%Gabelli Equity Trust (GAB)- Distribution Yield: 7.58%- Income Yield: 1.54%Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT)- Distribution Yield: 9.45%- Income Yield: 2.84%MFS Special Value Trust (MFV)- Distribution Yield: 9.60%- Income Yield: 5.73%Nuveen Tx-Adv TR Strat (JTA)- Distribution Yield: 6.70%- Income Yield: 3.12%TCW Strategic Income (TSI)- Distribution Yield: 10.54%- Income Yield: 7.88%Zweig Total Return (ZTR)- Distribution Yield: 7.27%- Income Yield: 1.95%As noted in the Gabelli report, a managed distribution policy may create confusion regarding the true current yield since the reported yield includes the return of capital portion. You can see the disparity above between the income yield and the distribution (reported) yield.If you are looking for a sustainable and growing dividend, you may want to consider some blue-chip dividend stocks such as these with a Free Cash Flow Payout less than 50%, 50+ years of consecutive dividend increases and a 2%+ yield:3M Co. (MMM) is a diversified global company provides enhanced product functionality in electronics, health care, industrial, consumer

Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now: Berkshire Bancorp Inc.(BERK)

Berkshire Bancorp Inc. operates as the bank holding company for The Berkshire Bank that provides community banking services to businesses, professionals, and retail customers primarily in New York City metropolitan area and the Villages of Goshen and Harriman. The company offers various deposit products, including statement savings accounts, NOW accounts, money market deposits accounts, checking accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial mortgage loans secured by office buildings, retail establishments, multi-family residential real estate, and other types of commercial property; commercial loans to businesses for inventory financing, working capital, machinery and equipment purchases, expansion, and other business purposes; and residential mortgage loans secured by first liens on one-to-four family owner-occupied or rental residential real estate, as well as residential single family construction, home equity, and short-t erm fixed-rate consumer loans. Berkshire Bancorp Inc. also offers title insurance agency services. The company operates seven deposit-taking offices in New York City; four deposit-taking offices in Orange and Sullivan Counties, New York; one deposit taking office in Ridgefield, New Jersey; and one deposit taking office in Teaneck, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  One interesting bank that is seeing insider buying activity is Berkshire Bancorp (BERK). The company has recently switched from the Nasdaq to OTC markets, but that has not stopped director Moses Marx from consistently buying BERK stock. Berkshire does business in the already overbanked New York and New Jersey markets, and the stock is very cheap at just 82% of book value. Insiders won more than 60% of the bank, so investors are on the same side of the table as management.

Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now: JDS Uniphase Corporation(JDSU)

JDS Uniphase Corporation provides communications test and measurement solutions, and optical products for telecommunications service providers, wireless operators, cable operators, network-equipment manufacturers, and enterprises worldwide. The company?s Communications Test and Measurement segment supplies instruments, software, and services to enable the design, deployment, and maintenance of communication equipment and networks. Its product portfolio consists of test tools, platforms, software, and services for wireless and fixed networks. The company?s Communications and Commercial Optical Products segment offers components, modules, subsystems, and solutions that are used by communications equipment providers for telecommunications and enterprise data communications. This segment?s products comprise transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, ROADMs, optical transceivers, multiplexers and demultiplexers, switches, optical-performance monitors and couplers, splitters, and circ ulators, which enable the transmission of video, audio, and text data through fiber-optic cables. It also provides various laser products, including diode, direct-diode, diode-pumped solid-state, fiber, and gas lasers for micromachining, materials processing, bioinstrumentation, consumer electronics, graphics, medical/dental, and optical pumping; and photovoltaic products, such as concentrated photovoltaic cells and receivers for generating energy from sunlight, as well as fiber optic-based systems for delivering and measuring electrical power. The company?s Advanced Optical Technologies segment offers optical solutions for security and brand-differentiation applications; and thin film coatings for a range of public and private-sector markets. This segment also provides multilayer product-security solutions that deliver overt, covert, forensic, and digital product and document verification. JDS Uniphase Corporation was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Milpitas, Califo rnia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But recent good news from Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN  ) has Finisar investors looking for better times ahead. Earlier this month, Ciena's stock jumped 17% after the company reported a 6% increase in sales, pointing to a revival in spending on network infrastructure. Comments from Ciena CEO Gary Smith suggest strength not just for his own company but also for the industry as a whole, and that sent both Finisar and larger rival JDS Uniphase (NASDAQ: JDSU  ) higher on the news. JDS Uniphase issued a fairly weak earnings and outlook early last month, needing to temper expectations for a revival in its own sales during the current quarter. As a result, Ciena's news came as a pleasant surprise for the industry, and with Finisar counting Ciena as a customer, Ciena's success reflects directly on Finisar.

Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now: AutoNation Inc (AN)

AutoNation, Inc. (AutoNation), incorporated on May 30, 1991, is an automotive retailer in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had three operating segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. As of December 31, 2011, it owned and operated 258 new vehicle franchises from 215 stores located in the United States, predominantly in metropolitan markets in the Sunbelt region. Its stores sell 32 different brands of new vehicles. The core brands of vehicles that it sells, representing approximately 90% of the new vehicles that it sold during the year ended December 31, 2011, was manufactured by Ford, Toyota, Nissan, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Chrysler. The Company offers a diversified range of automotive products and services, including new vehicles, used vehicles, parts and automotive repair and maintenance services , and automotive finance and insurance products, which includes the arranging of financing for vehicle purchases through third-party finance sources. The Company retailed approximately 400,000 new and used vehicles through its stores in 2011. It acquired one automotive retail franchise and related assets during 2011.

Domestic segment consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Its Import segment is comprised of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. Its Premium Luxury segment is consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus. The franchises in each segment also sells used vehicles, parts and automotive repair and maintenance services, and automotive finance and insurance products. For the year ended December 31, 2011, Domestic revenue represented 34% of total revenue, Import revenue represented 37% of total revenue, and Premium Luxury revenue represented 28% of total revenue. Corporate and other is consist of its other businesses, incl! uding collision centers, e-commerce activities, and an auction operation, each of which generates revenues, as well as unallocated corporate overhead expenses and retrospective commissions for certain financing and insurance transactions that it arranges under agreements with third parties.

The Company�� stores acquires vehicles for retail sale either directly from the applicable automotive manufacturer or distributor or through dealer trades with other stores of the same franchise. it acquires used vehicles from customer trade-ins, auctions, lease terminations, and other sources. It recondition used vehicles acquired for retail sale at its stores��service facilities and capitalize costs related thereto as used vehicle inventory. Through its VVOs, which are located on existing store facilities, it sells vehicles that it would have traditionally wholesaled with an average retail price lower than that of used vehicles it typically retail. Used vehicles that the Company do not sell at its stores or VVOs generally are sold at wholesale prices through auctions.

The Company offers a variety of automotive finance and insurance products to its customers. The Company arranges for its customers to finance vehicles through installment loans or leases with third-party lenders, including the vehicle manufacturers��and distributors��captive finance subsidiaries, in exchange for a commission payable to the Company. It also offers its customers various vehicle protection products, including extended service contracts, maintenance programs, guaranteed auto protection (GAP, this protection covers the shortfall between a customer�� loan balance and insurance payoff in the event of a casualty), tire and wheel protection, and theft protection products. The vehicle protection products that its stores offers to customers are underwritten and administered by independent third parties, including the vehicle manufacturers��and distributors��captive finance subsidiaries. The Company sells t! he produc! ts on a straight commission basis; however, it also participate in future underwriting profit for certain products pursuant to retrospective commission arrangements. Commissions that it receives from these third-party providers may be subject to chargeback, in full or in part, if products that it sells, such as extended service contracts, are cancelled. Its stores also provide a range of vehicle maintenance, repair, paint, and collision repair services, including warranty work that can be performed only at franchised dealerships and customer-pay service work. The Company has entered into framework agreements with vehicle manufacturers and distributors. It operates each of its new vehicle stores under a franchise agreement with a vehicle manufacturer or distributor.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  Something’s wrong here, however. The company is generating negative operating cash flow, and even more negative FCF. Stop the car. I�� out.

  AutoNation (AN)

  AutoNation (AN) is a hybrid, offering both used and new cars, along with all those high-margin products. But how does it compare to other car stocks?

Top 10 Warren Buffett Companies To Own In Right Now: Societe B I C SA (BB)

Societe B I C SA is a France-based company specialized in the manufacturing of stationery products, lighters and shavers. The Company's portfolio of trademark brands belong: BIC, Sheaffer, BIC Kids, Wite-out, Pimaco and Tipp-ex, among others. Channels of distribution include stationery stores, office product companies, mass-merchandisers, convenience stores, wholesalers and cash and carry outlets. It operates worldwide through numerous subsidiaries in Europe, Middle East, Africa Northern America, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. In addition, the Company provides, via BIC Graphic and Norwood PP, advertising and promotional products for marketing purposes to companies around the world, as well as a range of windsurfing boards, kayaks and others, under the brand BIC Sport. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Trilogy Energy Corp. soared 11 percent after providing an update on its operations in Alberta. Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B) slipped at least 1 percent after an analyst with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered his price targets for the nation�� largest wireless carriers due to regulatory risks. BlackBerry (BB) Ltd. increased 0.7 percent to snap three days of losses after reporting second-quarter earnings.

• [By Eric Lam]

  Bankers Petroleum Ltd. (BNK) climbed a fourth day to the highest level in a year. Endeavour Silver Corp. rose 2.1 percent as silver prices rallied for a seventh straight day, the longest streak since January. BlackBerry Ltd. (BB) fell 3.9 percent.