5 Best Life Sciences Stocks To Invest In 2014

With the Federal Reserve standing pat this week, the S&P 500 index has reached another all-time high.

Yet this bull market is proving to be even more fertile for investors in small-cap and micro-cap stocks. Both the iShares Russell Microcap Index and the Russell 2000 Small Cap Index are outperforming the S&P 500 by a solid margin over the past two years.

With no end in sight to the bull market, there's no reason to stop focusing on these small companies at this juncture. If the economy can manage to build a head of steam in 2014 and 2015, then these small stocks should see even deeper investor interest.

Here are three stocks that all trade below $5 and sport market values below $500 million -- and are poised for solid upside if this rally continues.

1. Lionbridge Technologies (Nasdaq: LIOX) I took note of heavy insider buying at this language translation services firm back in July, and though shares are up nearly 10% since then, the company's outlook has brightened markedly. 

On the second-quarter conference call, management delivered its most upbeat discussion of business trends in several years, noting that Lionbridge is seeing an expansion in its relationship with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the return of several other large tech clients that had dropped off in the past few years, and a rising order book with manufacturing and life sciences clients. 

Hot Transportation Companies For 2015: Illumina Inc.(ILMN)

Illumina, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and biological function. Its instrumentation products include HiSeq 2000, an instrument for high-throughput (up to 200 Gb per run and up to 25 GB per day) sequencing using sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) technology; Genome Analyzer IIx, an instrument for medium to high-throughput (up to 95 Gb per run) sequencing using SBS technology; Genome Analyzer IIe, an instrument for low to medium throughput (up to 40 Gb per run) sequencing using SBS technology; iScan System, a high-resolution imaging instrument to scan BeadArray based assays; and BeadXpress Reader, a low- to mid-multiplex, high-throughput instrument for readout of assays. The company?s consumables consist of InfiniumHD Whole-Genome BeadChips comprising HumanOmniExpress, HumanOmni1-Quad, Human1M-Duo, and BovineHD, which are multi-sample DNA analysis microarrays; iSelect Custom Genotyping BeadChips that are custome r designable SNP genotyping arrays; GoldenGate Assay Method, a high throughput assay and genotyping system; GoldenGate Universal-32 Sample BeadChip, which are 32 sample GoldenGate genotyping arrays; Paired-End Genomic DNA Sample Prep Kit, a streamlined library preparation kit to generate 200?500 kb insert paired-end reads; VeraCode GoldenGate that are low plex GoldenGate genotyping arrays compatible with the BeadXpress System; Standard Sequencing Kit, reagents used for SBS chemistry on sequencing platforms; and Infinium Assay Kit, reagents used to perform Infinium assays on the iScan platform. It also provides sequencing and genotyping services. The company?s customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrichemical, diagnostics, and consumer products companies, as well as research centers. It sells its products through distributors in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and South Africa. Illumina was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Dieg o, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of genetic testing specialist Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN  ) popped 12% today after the company's quarterly results and outlook topped Wall Street expectations.�

• [By Keith Speights]

  A more likely suitor these days would be a company like Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN  ) . The gene-sequencing company was at one point eyed as a takeover target itself by Roche, but it has done some of its own acquiring in 2013. Illumina bought prenatal test maker Verinata Health in February�and another unnamed "development-stage company" in the first quarter.

5 Best Life Sciences Stocks To Invest In 2014: Insys Therapeutics Inc (INSY)

Insys Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated on June 15, 1990, is a pharmaceutical company that develops and seeks to commercialize pharmaceutical products that target the unmet needs of cancer patients, with an initial focus on cancer-supportive care. The Company�� pharmaceuticals portfolio consists of one approved product and a number of product candidates targeting cancer-supportive care and cancer therapy. The Company�� product candidate includes Subsys, Dronabinol SG Capsule, Dronabinol RT Capsule, Dronabinol Oral Solution, Dronabinol Inhalation Device, and Dronabinol IV Solution. The Company is also developing cancer therapeutics, which is LEP-ETU, a formulation of paclitaxel, the active ingredient in the cancer drugs Taxol and Abraxane. On August 19, 2011, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved its Dronabinol SG Capsule product, a generic equivalent to Marinol, for the treatment of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Subsys

The Company's Subsys is a single-use product that delivers fentanyl, an opioid analgesic, in seconds for transmucosal absorption underneath the tongue. Subsys is a transmucosal product to show pain relief when measuring the sum of pain intensity difference at five minutes in a Phase 3 breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) clinical trial using fentanyl.

Dronabinol Product Family

The Company has an approved dronabinol product and is developing several dronabinol product candidates for the treatment of CINV and appetite stimulation in patients with AIDS, as well as other indications where dronabinol could have potential therapeutic benefits. Dronabinol, the active ingredient in Marinol, is a synthetic cannabinoid whose chemical name is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Its portfolio consists of its Dronabinol SG Capsule product and Dronabinol RT Capsule product candidate, which are intended to be generic equi! valents to Marinol, in addition to three formulations, including Dronabinol Oral Solution. Dronabinol SG Capsule is a dronabinol soft gelatin capsule intended to be a generic equivalent to Marinol. Dronabinol RT Capsule is a dronabinol soft gel capsule that is stable at room temperature. Dronabinol Oral Solution is a ynthetic THC in an oral liquid formulation.

Cancer Therapeutics

In addition to its cancer-supportive care products, the Company intends to develop cancer therapeutics targeting limitations of existing commercial products. LEP-ETU, it advanced cancer therapeutic, is a NeoLipid liposomal, or microscopic membrane-like structure created from lipids, formulation that incorporates paclitaxel. LEP-ETU completed a Phase 2 clinical trial of 70 patients with metastatic breast cancer.

The Company competes with Cephalon, Inc., BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc., ProStrakan Group plc, Nycomed International Management GmbH, Archimedes Pharma Ltd., TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA, Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Akela Pharma Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Pharmaceutical International, Inc., Par Pharmaceutical Companies Inc., sanofi-aventis, Eisai Inc., Helsinn Group, Roche Holding AG, Par Pharmaceutical Companies Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, ProStrakan Group plc, Merck & Co, GW Pharmaceutical, A.P. Pharma, Inc., Aphios Corp., Roche Holding, Tesaro, Inc., Cornerstone Pharmaceutical, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Laboratories, Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca PLC., Bayer AG, Biogen Idec Inc., Eisai Co., Ltd., F. Hoffmann- LaRoche Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, Merck and Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pfizer Inc., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Jarzemsky]

  Among companies that went public in the U.S. last year, FireEye has seen the second-biggest share rally since its IPO, trailing only pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics Inc.(INSY)

• [By Traders Reserve]

  For example at the end of August, I found a little stock called INSYS Therapeutics (INSY) The company showed up as a top-rated stock using a stock-rating system based on something I call the P/E Gap ��the difference between a stock�� P/E ratio and its expected profit growth rate.

5 Best Life Sciences Stocks To Invest In 2014: Tremor Video Inc (TRMR)

Tremor Video, Inc.( Tremor Video), incorporated on November 22, 2005, is a provider of technology-driven video advertising solutions enabling brand advertisers to engage consumers across multiple Internet-connected devices, including computers, smartphones, tablets and connected televisions. The Company�� clients include brand advertisers globally, including automakers and consumer packaged goods companies. The Company�� technology, VideoHub, analyzes in-stream video content, detects viewer and system attributes, and leverages its repository of stored data to optimize video ad campaigns for brand-centric metrics. VideoHub also provides advertisers and agencies with analytics and measurement tools enabling them to understand why, when and where viewers engage with their video ads.

VideoHub

VideoHub powers the Company�� video advertising solutions. Through VideoHub it delivers brand-centric key performance indicators, distinct signals to drive optimization, brand-centric optimization, in-stream video analysis and categorization, ad performance transparency, ad placement transparency, and cross site and channel measurement.

The Company has a range of brand-centric key performance indicators (KPIs), such as engagement (that is, the interaction of a viewer with a video ad), brand lift (that is, a positive shift in preference towards a brand or branded product driven by exposure to a video ad and brand education), and time spent (that is, the amount of time a viewer spends with a video ad), which are tailored to the needs of brand advertisers. Throughout a campaign VideoHub analyzes and stores data for all KPIs in its suite. Using a training algorithm, VideoHub trains a series of statistical predictive models to build a decision tree, which predicts performance of the video ad campaign for the chosen KPI.

VideoHub performs an analysis on every video stream and categorizes it among one of approximately 72 video content categories. It also has the ab! ility to scan and categorize content by analyzing the audio track and certain visual elements. VideoHub offers advertisers transparency into the workings of its decision tree. VideoHub tracks the number of impressions served to a specific publisher site and whether a video ad placement is fully, partially or not visible to a viewer, which it refer to as viewability.

The Company�� metric, eQ score+, allows advertisers to compare video inventory quality across different publisher sites by measuring attributes such as viewability, the size of the video player and ad completion rate. When coupled with pricing information, these insights help advertisers compare the relative value of video inventory across publishers.

Tremor Video Network

The Tremor Video Network offers advertisers access to video inventory at scale across multiple devices in brand safe environments. Through the Tremor Video Network it delivers scale and reach across multiple devices, premium video content, brand safety, in-stream video focus, advanced ad formats, and pricing models. The Tremor Video Network delivers scale and reach across multiple Internet-connected devices, including computers, smartphones, tablets and connected television, enabling its clients to use its solutions to address their online video advertising needs across these devices.

The Company�� technology scans and categorizes every video within the Tremor Video Network and prevents video ads from being served within content, which is identified as objectionable for the brand advertiser, including content which contains accidents, distasteful or obscene language, substance abuse, violence, gambling, sex or crime. It specializes in delivering in-stream video advertisements, which can be served to viewers prior to or during the publisher's content when they are the most engaged.

The Company�� ad formats include Super Pre-Roll, Pre-Roll Plus and Pre-Roll Extended Play. The Company offers brand perform! ance-base! d pricing models for in-stream video advertisements, which are tied to the effectiveness of the Tremor Video Network, as advertisers using these models pay the Company only if their video ad campaigns perform.

VideoHub for Advertisers (VHA)

The Company is licensing VHA, a software platform, which client access through a Web portal. By licensing VHA, advertisers and their agencies can use VHA across the entirety of their video ad buys, including on publisher sites. In order to analyze video ad campaigns running outside the Tremor Video Network, VideoHub generates a tracking code which is associated with the video ad unit that the advertiser or agency wishes to analyze through VHA. Advertisers and agencies can then access VideoHub's advanced analysis of this data through VHA in order to gain valuable insights into campaign performance, including the performance of the campaign on a particular publisher's site.

The Company competes with Hulu, LLC, Google Inc., BrightRoll, Inc., YuMe, Inc., CBS, CNN, ESPN, Adap.tv, Inc., Videology, Inc., Facebook, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Yahoo! Inc. and Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday, small cap advertising solutions stock�Rocket Fuel Inc (NASDAQ: FUEL) jumped 13.55% while peer Tremor Video Inc (NYSE: TRMR) rose 8.24%. So what is going on with these two small caps and which one might be the better deal?

• [By Helix Investment Research]

  We note that Keating Capital's co-investors in many of its portfolio companies are not simply other venture capital or existing investors, but strategic investors as well. Examples include Agilyx, where Waste Management (WM) is a co-investor, BrightSource, where Chevron (CVX) and BP (BP) are co-investors, Kabam, where Google (GOOG) and Intel (INTC) are co-investors, or Tremor Video (TRMR), where Time Warner (TWX) is a co-investor. As of the end of Q2 2013, 9 (excluding Jumptap) of Keating Capital's portfolio companies had unrealized gains, with an average gain of 25.6% (again excluding Jumptap, which had unrealized gains of 8% as of the end of Q2 2013). The remaining 6 companies had an average loss of 44.46%. However, on an overall basis, Keating Capital's portfolio currently has an average unrealized gain of 2.15%. While this is not a large gain, we note that the bulk of Keating Capital's profits are realized upon exiting an investment in conjunction with the portfolio company's IPO or sale. Furthermore, portions of Keating Capital's portfolio are defended by structurally protected appreciation clauses that the company has struck with its portfolio companies, clauses that are not reflected on its balance sheet. These clauses, which are negotiated between Keating Capital and its portfolio companies, allow the company to receive shares in the portfolio company's IPO at a discount, or grant it warrants to purchase additional shares in an IPO for a nominal price. Since inception, Keating Capital has negotiated structurally protected appreciation clauses in 11 of the 20 companies it has invested in. As of the end of Q2 2013, 6 of Keating Capital's 15 portfolio companies were protected by structurally protected appreciation clauses, representing $22 million in total capital (almost 43% of the company's invested capital), thereby entitling Keating Capital to a weighted-average aggregate value of 1.9x its investment at the time of an IPO.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap video technology stocks Envivio Inc (NASDAQ: ENVI), Ku6 Media Co Ltd (NASDAQ: KUTV) and Tremor Video Inc (NYSE: TRMR) made some interesting moves today and in recent days or months���meaning its worth taking a closer look at all three to see if there might be opportunities for traders and investors alike:

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Tremor Video (NYSE: TRMR  ) -- $7.97
  Tremor went public at $10 a share late last month, and it's already a busted IPO.

  The company seems to be at the right place at the right time. Tremor runs an online video advertising network at a time when everyone is gravitating to video content. Tremor's VideoHub platform analyzes in-stream video content to serve up optimal video ad campaigns. Its clients include all 10 of the largest automakers and all but one of the 10 largest packaged goods companies.

5 Best Life Sciences Stocks To Invest In 2014: LDK Solar Co. Ltd.(LDK)

LDK Solar Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products; and development of power plant projects. It offers solar-grade and semiconductor-grade polysilicon; and multicrystalline and monocrystalline solar wafers to the manufacturers of solar cells and solar modules. The company also provides wafer processing services to monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell and module manufacturers; and sells silicon materials, such as ingots and polysilicon scraps. In addition, it engages in the production and sale of solar cells and modules to developers, distributors, and system integrators; and design and development of solar power projects in Europe, the United States, and China, as well as provides engineering, procurement, and construction services. LDK Solar Co., Ltd. operates in Europe, the Asia Pacific, and North America. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Xinyu City, t he People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The state of the Chinese solar industry has grown increasingly dire recently, as Suntech Power defaulted on its bonds rather than receive an anticipated bailout from the Chinese government. LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) has also faced big problems, having "partially defaulted" on bonds last month and negotiating a settlement with many of the bondholders. Yet although ReneSola has similar debt challenges, it was able to secure a $51 million loan from the China Development Bank, giving it more breathing room to try to work its way out of its financial troubles.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  There doesn't seem to be a shortage of bad news for LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) lately. The company defaulted on loans earlier this week, bringing on concerns of a pending insolvency or bankruptcy, and today released some dismal earnings numbers.�

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of Chinese stocks were getting dumped today following the Shanghai Composite's 5.3% plunge last night. Among those feeling the pain were YY (NASDAQ: YY  ) , Dangdang (NYSE: DANG  ) , Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL  ) , Giant Interactive (NYSE: GA  ) , and LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK  ) , all of which were down by 10% or more at one point today.