5 Best New Stocks To Own Right Now

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday rejected an appeal brought by the Investment Company Institute, upholding new rules issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that will require many investment companies to register as commodity pools.

ICI came out against the ruling, stating that the CFTC’s Rule 4.5 will result in redundant regulation of registered investment companies, such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.

Karrie McMillan, ICI’s general counsel, said in a statement after the ruling that the court’s decision “appears to reflect its judgment that the costs and benefits of the CFTC’s expanded regulation of investment companies cannot be fully assessed until the agency completes its rulemaking to ‘harmonize’ its rules with those of the Securities and Exchange Commission.”

The court “made clear,” McMillan continued, “that it expects the costs and benefits of the harmonization rule to be carefully considered.” She said ICI continues to believe the amendments made to CFTC Rule 4.5 “were improperly adopted,” and that ICI “intends to focus on ensuring that the CFTC’s regulatory regime as it evolves does not adversely affect fund investors.”

5 Best Media Stocks To Own Right Now: SunPower Corp (SPWR)

SunPower Corporation, incorporated in April 1985, is a vertically integrated solar products and services company that designs, manufactures and delivers solar electric systems worldwide for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power plant customers. The Company operates in two business segments: the Utility and Power Plants (UPP) Segment and the Residential and Commercial (R&C) Segment. The UPP Segment refers to its solar products and systems business, which includes power plant project development and project sales, turn-key engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for power plant construction, and power plant operations and maintenance (O&M) services. UPP Segment also sells components, including huge volume of sales of solar panels and mounting systems to third parties, sometimes on a multi-year, firm commitment basis. The R&C Segment focuses on solar equipment sales into the residential and small commercial market through its third-party global dealer network, as well as direct sales and EPC and O&M services in the United States and Europe for rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems for the new homes, commercial and public sectors. In May 2012, K Road Power Holdings, LLC (K Road) and SunPower Corp announced that K Road acquired the 25-megawatt (AC) McHenry Solar Project, which the Company designed. In January 2013, the Company MidAmerican Solar acquired the 579-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Projects (AVSP), two co-located projects in Kern and Los Angeles Counties in Calif from SunPower.

In January 2012, the Company completed its acquisition of the wholly owned Total SA subsidiary Tenesol SA, a global solar provider. In September 2011, NRG Energy Inc. acquired 250 megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch (CVSR) project from SunPower. In June 2011, the Company introduced SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20) series. The Company�� customers in its UPP Segment include investors, financial institutions, project developers, electric utilities, and independent po! wer producers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In its R&C Segment, the Company primarily sells its products to commercial and governmental entities, production home builders, and its third-party global dealer network serving residential owners and small commercial building owners.

Solar Cells

The A-300 solar cell is a silicon solar cell with a specified power value of 3.1 watts and a conversion efficiency averaging between 20.0% and 21.5%. The Company�� A-330 solar cell delivers 3.3 watts with a conversion efficiency of up to 22.7%.

Solar Panels

The Company�� SunPower solar panel series include solutions, such as SunPower E18 Series Solar Panel (E18), SunPower E19 Series Solar Panel (E19), and SunPower E20 Series Solar Panel (E20). Available in a 72-cell configuration, the E18 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers a total panel conversion of 18.1% to 18.5%. Available in a 72, 96, and 128-cell configuration, the E19 series panel uses its A300 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of 19.3% to 19.7%. Available in a 96-cell configuration, the E20 series panel uses its A-330 all back-contact solar cells and delivers total panel conversion of up to 20.1%.

Inverters

The Company sells a line of SunPower branded inverters. The inverters are manufactured by third parties.

Roof Mounted Products

The roof mounted products include SunPower T-5 Solar Roof Tile System (T-5), SunPower T-10 Commercial Solar Roof Tiles (T-10), PowerGuard Roof System (PowerGuard) and SunTile Roof Integrated System (SunTile). Tilted at a 5-degree angle, the T-5 roof tile is a non-penetrating photovoltaic rooftop product that combines solar panel, frame, and mounting system. The T-5 solar roof tile systems are primarily sold through its R&C Segment.

Tilted at a 10-degree angle, the T-10 commercial solar roof tiles is a non-penetrating panel interlock system! . Dependi! ng on geographical location and local climate conditions, this can allow for the generation of up to 10% more annual energy output than traditional flat roof-mounted systems. The T-10 commercial solar roof tile is primarily sold through its R&C Segment.

PowerGuard is a non-penetrating roof-mounted solar panel that delivers electricity while insulating and protecting the roof membrane from ultraviolet rays and thermal degradation. The PowerGuard roof system is primarily sold through its R&C Segment. SunTile solar shingles are designed to replace multiple types of roof panels, including the common concrete flat, low and high profile S tile and composition shingles. The SunTile roof system is also sold through its R&C Segment.

Ground Mounted Products

The ground mounted products include SunPower T-0 Tracker (T-0) & SunPower T-20 Tracker (T-20), SunPower Oasis Power Plant (SunPower Oasis), SunPower C-7 Tracker (C-7), and Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for Parking Structures. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are single-axis tracking systems that automatically pivot solar panels to track the sun's movement throughout the day. This tracking feature increases the amount of sunlight that is captured and converted into energy by up to 30% over flat or fixed-tilt systems, depending on geographic location and local climate conditions. A single motor and drive mechanism can control 10 to 20 rows, or more than 200 kilo watts of solar panels. The T-0 and T-20 trackers have been installed in a range of geographical markets principally in the United States, Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, and Spain. The T-0 and T-20 trackers are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.

The Oasis is a solar power block that scales from 1 mega watts distributed installations to central station power plants. Oasis provides a way to deploy utility-scale solar power systems, streaming the development and construction process while optimizing the use of available land. The SunPow! er Oasis ! is sold through its UPP Segment. The C-7 combines a horizontal single-axis tracker with rows of parabolic mirrors, reflecting light onto linear arrays of its solar cells. The C-7 tracker is sold through its UPP Segment. SunPower has developed designs for solar power systems for parking structures in multiple configurations. These dual-use systems typically incorporate solar panels into the roof of a carport or similar structure to deliver onsite solar power while providing shade and protection. They are suited for parking lots adjacent to facilities. Fixed Tilt and SunPower Tracker Systems for parking structures are sold through both its UPP and R&C Segments.

Other System Offerings

SunPower�� metal roof system is designed for sloped-metal roof buildings, which are used in some winery and warehouse applications. This solar power system is designed for rapid installation. It also offers other architectural products, such as day lighting with translucent solar panels.

Balance of System Components

Balance of system components are components of a solar power system other than the solar panels. It includes SunPower branded inverters, mounting structures, charge controllers, grid interconnection equipment, and other devices depending on the specific requirements of a particular system and project.

The Company competes with Canadian Solar Inc., JA Solar Holdings Co., Kyocera Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Q-Cells AG, Sanyo Corporation, Sharp Corporation, SolarCity Corporation, SolarWorld AG, Sungevity, Inc., SunRun, Inc., Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., Trina Solar Ltd., Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd., Abengoa Solar S.A., Acconia Energia S.A., AES Solar Energy Ltd., Chevron Energy Solutions, EDF Energy plc, First Solar Inc., NextEra Energy, Inc., OPDE Group, NRG Energy, Inc., Recurrent Energy, Sempra Energy, Skyline Solar, Inc., Solargen Energy, Inc., Solaria Corporation, SolFocus, Inc., SunEdison and Tenaska, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) reports earnings this week and, after a strong run on the market, investors are looking for continued improvement on its financial statements. Erin Miller sat down with solar analyst Travis Hoium to see what investors should be looking for.�

• [By Travis Hoium]

  The company's systems backlog has fallen from $9.4 billion�to end 2011 to $8.0 billion after Q1 2013, which isn't a good sign because the company is almost 100% reliant on systems. The high-margin systems that come with projects signed years ago will also likely evaporate as First Solar competes on cost per watt against SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) , Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) , and others. But the biggest challenge is the company's panels. �

• [By Travis Hoium]

  My top pick is still SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) , and another great company is SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY  ) . Residential solar grew 53% in the first quarter, and both companies have a major share of this growing market. Unlike utility-scale solar, the residential space is far more consistent, and we can expect more growth in the future. Both SunPower and SolarCity sign customers up to 20-year leases, ensuring revenue long-term.�

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Finally, outside the Dow, SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR  ) hit a 52-week high, rising 3% in follow-through on last Friday's upgrade and news that it had started construction of its California-based solar project with MidAmerican Solar. As the largest solar development under construction, the project not only will provide power to 400,000 homes but also represents a key step forward for an industry that has struggled under overcapacity and concerns about falling subsidies.

5 Best New Stocks To Own Right Now: Ceres Inc (CERE)

Ceres, Inc. (Ceres), incorporated in March 1996, is an agricultural biotechnology company selling seeds to produce renewable biomass feedstocks that can enable the large-scale replacement of petroleum and other fossil fuels. The Company�� large-scale commercial products are sweet sorghum varieties that can be used as a drop-in feedstock to extend the operating season of Brazilian sugarcane-to-ethanol mills. Its products include sweet sorghum, high biomass sorghum, switchgrass, miscanthus and row crops. Its energy crops can also be used for the production of second-generation biofuels and bio-based chemicals, including cellulosic ethanol, butanol, jet fuel, diesel-like molecules and gasoline-like molecules, from non-food biomass. Baseload utility scale electric power can also be generated from the biomass feedstocks grown from its seeds. Ceres has started marketing sweet sorghum seeds in Brazil and has sold switchgrass and high biomass sorghum seeds in the United States under its brand, Blade Energy Crops (Blade). In January 2010, the Company incorporated a subsidiary, Ceres Sementes do Brasil Ltda.

The Company generates its revenues from government grants, research and development collaboration agreements and from product sales. Product sales primarily consists of sales of seeds. Collaborative research revenues consist of payments for research and development activities for specific projects. Government grant revenues consist of payments from government entities. Ceres markets its seeds and traits directly to ethanol mills, utilities, independent power producers, cellulosic biofuel companies, individual growers and grower cooperatives. It also works with technology providers and other market participants, such as equipment manufacturers and enzyme or fermentation technology companies. The Company markets its products to biorefineries and biopower facilities.

Ceres�� activities in cellulosic biofuels encompass a range of activities, including field trials, co-evolution agr! eements, and commercial sales. Its products have been tested in the conversion processes of EdeniQ, Inc., Choren USA LLC, Gruppo M&G, ICM, Inc., and UOP, LLC (a Honeywell company), among others. The Company has also conducted joint trials with, or sold seed to, AGCO Corporation, EdeniQ, Inc. and Hawai�� BioEnergy, LLC, among others. It has begun collaboration with Valero Services, Inc. to further evaluate feedstock supply strategies with energy crops. Ceres also works with refining technology companies to optimize feedstock for their refining processes. These collaborators include Novozymes North America, Inc. and ThermoChem Recovery International, Inc.

Drop-in Products

The Company�� products are drop-in solutions as they can be planted, harvested and processed using existing agricultural equipment with little or no modification and are being developed to be drop-in for all conversion technologies using sugarcane or biomass feedstocks, facilitating their rapid adoption. In collaboration with Boa Vista/Nova Fronteira, which is a joint venture of ethanol producers Grupo Sao Martinho, S.A. and Petrobras Biofuels, the Company has completed a commercial-scale trial on approximately 250 hectares of its sweet sorghum, which was planted and harvested using existing planting and harvesting equipment, fermented into ethanol without retrofitting or altering the existing mill and the remaining biomass combusted for electricity production, using existing boilers. It has also conducted smaller trials using its other energy crops with numerous industry participants engaged in cellulosic biofuels and biopower production. The Company�� products have been tested in the conversion processes of Amyris Biotechnologies, Inc., Choren USA LLC, EdeniQ, Inc., Gruppo M&G, ICM, Inc., Novozymes North America, Inc., ThermoChem Recovery International, Inc. and UOP, LLC (a Honeywell company), among others. DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) also plans to validate the Company�� products in th! eir conve! rsion process.

Sweet Sorghum

Sweet sorghum is a type of sorghum that accumulates free sugars in its stalk. It is sown by seed, and requires less water and nitrogen fertilizer to grow to harvestable maturity. Sweet sorghum plants can be harvested in 90 to 140 days after sowing. Because sweet sorghum is an annual crop, multiple harvests or crop rotations may be possible during the season.

High Biomass Sorghum

High biomass sorghum is a type of sorghum, which is primarily developed for biomass yield. As such, high biomass sorghum is suited for the generation of renewable electric power and the creation of cellulosic biofuels. High biomass types are seed propagated, and requires less water and nitrogen fertilizer. As an annual crop, sorghum is harvested the year it is planted. This provides bioenergy facilities with a growing and flexible source of biomass, and a complementary feedstock to perennials, such as sugarcane or switchgrass. The Company�� ES 5200 and ES 5201 products contains its Skyscraper trait. These hybrids, developed through its partnership with Texas A&M University, are designed for single-cut production systems.

Switchgrass

Switchgrass is a perennial grass indigenous to North America that offers high biomass yield potential. It requires less water and nitrogen fertilizer, and can grow under semi-arid conditions. Switchgrass is seed propagated. As a perennial, switchgrass is not harvested for sale during the first year when the crop is being established. A properly managed stand of switchgrass may persist for a decade. During the year ended December 31, 2010, it introduced three products: EG 1101, EG 1102 and EG 2101. These high-yielding varieties is developed through its partnership with The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

Miscanthus

Miscanthus x giganteus is a tall perennial grass that grows well in cooler climates. It is vegetatively propagated. It has been used as an energy crop on ! a small s! cale across Europe. The Miscanthus genus includes several perennial species that has energy crops. The variety adopted in the United States and Europe, miscanthus x giganteus, is a sterile hybrid of M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus. This miscanthus hybrid requires about the same water as corn, but up to two-thirds less nitrogen depending on crop management practices. As a perennial crop, miscanthus is not harvested for sale during the first year when the crop is being established. Ceres is also working on extending the region of adaptation. To these ends, the Company is collaborating with the Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences of Aberystwyth University in Wales, the United Kingdom.

The Company competes with Advanta India Limited, The Dow Chemical Company, Monsanto Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred (DuPont), KWS and Syngenta.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another renewable energy player that looks ready to trigger a big breakout trade is Ceres (CERE), which sells seeds to produce renewable biomass feedstocks that can enable the large-scale replacement of petroleum and other fossil fuels. This stock has been hammered by the bears so far in 2013, with shares off sharply by 66%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Ceres, you'll notice that this stock has just started to trend back above its 50-day moving average of $1.45 a share with heavy upside volume flows. Volume so far today has already registered over 1.15 million shares, which is well above its three-month average action of 670,538 shares. This spike back above its 50-day is now quickly pushing shares of CERE within range of triggering a big breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CERE if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $1.67 to $1.68 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 670,538 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CERE will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2 to $2.50 a share. Shares of CERE could even tag $3 if this breakout triggers with strong volume.

  Traders can look to buy CERE off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below $1.40 a share. One could also buy CERE off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Despite the fact that markets are right around breakeven levels for Wednesday, there are relatively few stocks that are up today, and even fewer that are up on strong volume. For the NYSE, 54% of its listed equities are in the red this morning, and 58% of the total volume seen so far has been bearish volume. That's what makes Ceres Inc. (NASDAQ:CERE) so interesting early Wednesday. As one of the few tickers that's not only up, but up on higher volume, CERE is a standout worth a closer look. And, that closer look reveals something even more compelling about the way things are coming together for this small cap stock.

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of energy crop developer Ceres (NASDAQ: CERE  ) surged more than 100% from the opening bell Monday to early trading on Thursday. In fact, over one-third of the total outstanding shares traded hands on Thursday. Even with the move the company is trading for "only" $100 million. With some of the biggest names in industrial biotech on its side -- such as Syngenta (NYSE: SYT  ) , Petrobras, Amyris, Valero, Novozymes, Gruppo M&G, and Mascoma, to name a few -- this must be a good buy right? Not so fast.

5 Best New Stocks To Own Right Now: Ameresco Inc (AMRC)

Ameresco, Inc. incorporated in April 2000, is a provider of energy efficiency solutions for facilities throughout North America. The Company�� services include upgrades to a facility's energy infrastructure and the construction and operation of small-scale renewable energy plants. Its principal service is the development, design, engineering and installation of projects that reduce the energy and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of its customers' facilities. These projects include a variety of measures customized for the facility and designed to improve the efficiency of major building systems, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems. It also serves certain customers by developing and building small-scale renewable energy plants located at or close to a customer's site. Ameresco, Inc. provides its services primarily to governmental, educational, utility, healthcare and other institutional, commercial and industrial entities. The Company operates in four segments: U.S. federal, central U.S. region, other U.S. regions and Canada. In August 2011, the Company acquired APS Energy Services Company, Inc. from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation. In December 2011, it acquired the xChange Point and energy projects businesses, including automated demand response, of Energy and Power Solutions, Inc. In August 2012, the Company acquired FAME Facility Software Solutions Inc. In February 2013, it purchased all of the assets of Ennovate Corporation. In June 2013, Ameresco Inc acquired ESP, an energy management consulting company consisting of the Energy Services Partnership and ESP Response, located in Castleford, United Kingdom.

Ameresco, Inc. offers a set of services that includes the design and installation of upgrades to a facility�� energy infrastructure, the design and construction of renewable energy plants, the sale of other renewable energy products and the arranging of financing for customer projects. In September 2010, the Company acquired Quantum Engineer! ing and Development, Inc. In July 2011, the Company acquired Applied Energy Group.

Energy Efficiency Services

The Company�� services includes the design, engineering and installation of, and the arranging of financing for, equipment to improve the efficiency, and control the operation, of a building�� heating, ventilation, cooling and lighting systems. In certain projects, it also designs and constructs a central plant or cogeneration system providing power, heat and/or cooling to a building. Its projects generally range in size and scope from a one-month project to design and retrofit a lighting system to a more complex 30-month project to design and install a central plant or cogeneration system.

Renewable Energy Projects and Products

The Company�� services offering includes the development, construction and operation of, and the arrangement of financing for, small-scale renewable energy plants, as well as the sale and integration of solar energy products and systems. It has constructed and is designing and constructing a range of renewable energy plants using landfill gas (LFG), wastewater treatment biogas, solar, wind, biomass, food waste, animal waste and hydro sources of energy. As part of its renewable energy offering, it also distributes and integrates solar energy products manufactured by several vendors. Ameresco, Inc. is a distributor of photovoltaic (PV) panels, solar regulators, solar charge controllers, inverters, solar powered lighting systems, solar powered water pumps, solar panel mounting hardware and other system components. It also integrates its PV products and system components into solar solutions designed specifically for customers. It provides solar energy solutions for both on- grid applications where the solar power is used in a building connected to a utility distribution system, and for off-grid applications where the power is used directly in the device using the electricity, such as traffic signs.

Amere! sco, Inc.! also designs and constructs renewable energy plants based on wind power. In many parts of the country, available wind resources, utility net metering and local incentives can make on-site wind generation a viable solution for meeting a portion of customers' energy needs. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had completed two projects that included a wind turbine. In addition, it has constructed and was constructing, small-scale renewable energy plants based on biomass.

As of December 31, 2010, Ameresco, Inc. had constructed more than 28 renewable energy projects, and owned and operated 22 small-scale renewable energy plants. Of the owned plants, 19 are renewable LFG plants, two are waste water biogas plants and one is a solar PV installation. These 22 small-scale renewable energy plants have the capacity to generate electricity or deliver LFG producing an aggregate of 106 megawatts (MW) or megawatt-equivalents (MWE). As of December 31, 2010, the Company had signed contracts for the construction, operation and ownership of an additional six LFG plants, two biomass power and cogeneration plants and five biomass boiler projects.

The Company competes with Chevron Energy Solutions, Constellation Energy, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Siemens Building Technologies and TAC Energy Solutions.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sara Murphy]

  Ameresco (NYSE: AMRC  ) is one of the few large, independent energy efficiency service providers. The company's principal service is the development, design, engineering and installation of projects that reduce the energy and operations and maintenance costs of its customers' facilities. Ameresco has seen declining revenues recently because of unusually long lag times in getting its projects funded, but this seems a temporary setback.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, energy efficiency technologist Ameresco (NYSE: AMRC  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

5 Best New Stocks To Own Right Now: Peat Resources Ltd (PET)

Peat Resources Limited is a Canada-based, development-stage company. The Company is engaged in the exploration and development of peat properties in Newfoundland and Labrador (Newfoundland) and Ontario. During the fiscal year ended May 31, 2012, the Company had not generated any revenue from its operations. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By TaniaC]

  The Coca-Cola Company (KO) and its bottling partners in Mexico announced a joint, six-year investment of $8.2 billion at a ceremony commemorating the world's largest food-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle-to-bottle recycling plant. Coca-Cola began operations in Mexico 88 years ago.