Top Long Term Companies To Watch For 2014

By now you've heard of Bitcoin, the e-currency that's driving speculators mad with greed.

Expect plenty of broken hearts (and busted portfolios) when the rush is over. But that doesn't mean you can't invest in the underlying business need that gave rise to Bitcoin in the first place. E-payments are of growing importance in a world that's increasingly driven by e-commerce, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following video.

For example, in the last quarter alone, eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) handled about $18 billion worth of transactions. The company also serves 128 million e-payment consumers via PayPal, making it one Tim's top choices as a Bitcoin alternative.

Watch the video to get his three other picks, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think of Tim's choices or to offer your own alternatives. Either way, we want to hear from you.

The best investing approach is to choose great companies and stick with them for the long term. The Motley Fool's free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich" names stocks that could help you build long-term wealth and retire well, along with some winning wealth-building strategies that every investor should be aware of.�Click here now�to keep reading.

Top 10 New Companies To Invest In 2015: Image Systems Nordic AB (IS)

Image Systems Nordic AB, formerly Digital Vision AB, is a Sweden-based company active in the media industry. The Company specializes in high resolution image processing, film scanning and solutions for motion analysis. The Company operates within three business areas: Media, Defense and Motion. The Company�� product portfolio includes the Nucoda software products, providing a suite of colour grading and finishing solutions used in film and television post production; the Phoenix software products, providing image restoration tools for film archives and content owners; the Golden Eye film scanners, which provide high resolution scanning, archive and restoration, and the Image Systems Motion Unit with its TEMA software platform, providing a range of motion analysis solutions, among others. As of March, 1, 2012, the Company acquired Sawco Holding AB and RemaControl Sweden AB. As of March 31, 2012, the Company�� largest shareholder was Tibia Konsult AB (19.1%). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  ��The ranking exercise (is) based on growth and fundamental analysis. EXC ranks at the bottom in both analyses��op 4 results are Apple, BHP Billiton (BHP), Mosaic (MOS) and Rio Tinto (RIO). MOS was eliminated as it has one year of negative FCF.

Top Long Term Companies To Watch For 2014: THERMOGENESIS Corp.(KOOL)

ThermoGenesis Corp. designs, develops, and sells medical products that enable the practice of regenerative medicine worldwide. It offers automated and semi-automated devices, and single-use processing disposables that enable the collection, processing, and cryopreservation of stem cells and other cellular tissues used in the practice of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is a field that uses cell-based therapies to repair or restore lost or damaged tissue and cell function. The company?s products include the AXP System, a medical device that isolates and retrieves stem cells from umbilical cord blood; the BioArchive System, a robotic cryogenic medical device used by cord blood banks for the cryopreservation and archiving of cord blood stem cell units for transplant; the MarrowXpress or MXP System that isolates and concentrates stem cells from bone marrow; Res-Q 60 BMC, a point-of-care bone marrow stem cell processing system; and Res-Q 60 PRP, which is used for t he preparation of autologous platelet rich plasma from a sample of blood at the point of care. It also offers ThermoLine product line, which includes ultra-rapid plasma ThermoLine Freezer and ultra-rapid plasma ThermoLine Thawer; and CryoSeal System, an automated system, which is used to prepare an autologous hemostatic surgical sealant. ThermoGenesis Corp. was founded in 1986 and is based in Rancho Cordova, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  The controversy over stem cell research or their usage seems to have ebbed in recent years as stem cell science moves beyond the use of embryos and lately there has been a steady flow of overlooked good news from the sector or from small cap stem cell stocks like Cellular Dynamics (which will IPO soon), ThermoGenesis Corp (NASDAQ: KOOL) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX) for investors to digest. Just consider the following news:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  ThermoGenesis (NASDAQ: KOOL) moved up 29.81% to $2.9857. ThermoGenesis' trailing-twelve-month revenue is $17.49 million.

  Infosonics (NASDAQ: IFON) shares jumped 22.64% to $2.06. Infosonics shares have jumped 170.97% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 23.35% in the same period.

Top Long Term Companies To Watch For 2014: Canadian National Railway Company(CNI)

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail and related transportation business in North America. It provides transportation for various goods, including petroleum and chemicals, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals and minerals, forest products, and intermodal and automotive products. The company operates a network of approximately 20,600 route miles of track that spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico. It serves the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert (British Columbia), Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile (Alabama), as well as metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth (Minnesota)/Superior (Wisconsin), Green Bay (Wisconsin), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson (Mississippi), with connections to various points in North America. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI  )
  Canadian National Railway is one company trying to bail-out Canada's ailing pipelines. In 2010 the company didn't move one carload of crude oil. This year it is expected to "choo-choo" its way to 60,000 carloads of oil from the country. This business in particular has boosted sales and income each year since 2010. Investors have to like that growth and where things are headed in the long term. Canadian National is cutting checks totaling $1.9 billion this year to repair its railways, accommodate growth needs, and purchase new freight cars, including new natural-gas powered models. �

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Similar to my thoughts on [Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI  ) , railroads are the backbone of the economy, and when the economy finally climbs out of the recessionary hole it is in, companies like GWR will reap the most benefits. GWR also has the dominance in short and regional lines in the North American market plus Australia. Their traffic growth has been steady of late and performed well over the years.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  This is the latest in a string of derailments involving trains moving crude oil from North Dakota to market. A Canadian National Railway Co. (NYSE: CNI) derailed and 4 cars carrying crude oil and 9 cars carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) caught fire about 50 miles west of Edmonton, Alberta, in early October. There were no injuries in that incident either, although all 100 people living a nearby town were evacuated.

Top Long Term Companies To Watch For 2014: Measurement Specialties Inc.(MEAS)

Measurement Specialties, Inc. engages in the design, development, and manufacture of sensors and sensor-based systems for original equipment manufacturers and end users. Its sensor products include pressure sensors and transducers, pressure and temperature scanning instrumentation, linear/rotary position sensors, piezoelectric polymer film sensors, custom microstructures, load cells, accelerometers, optical sensors, and hydrostatic pressure transducers, as well as humidity, temperature, and fluid property sensors. The company?s technologies comprise piezo-resistive silicon sensors, application-specific integrated circuits, micro-electromechanical systems, piezoelectric polymers, foil strain gauges, force balance systems, fluid capacitive devices, linear and rotational variable differential transformers, electromagnetic displacement sensors, hygroscopic capacitive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, optical sensors, negative thermal coefficient ceramic sensors, torque sensors, me chanical resonators, and submersible hydrostatic level sensors. Its sensors are used for engine and vehicle, medical, general industrial, consumer and home appliance, military/aerospace, water monitoring, and test and measurement applications. The company offers its products under the MEAS brand name. It sells its products through regional sales managers, distributors, and outside sales representatives in the United States, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and China. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Hampton, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Measurement Specialties (Nasdaq: MEAS  ) reported earnings on June 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q4), Measurement Specialties met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Measurement Specialties (NASDAQ: MEAS) shares shot up 10.50 percent to $86.19 after the company agreed to be acquired by TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL) for $86 cash per share.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Measurement Specialties (NASDAQ: MEAS) shares shot up 10.46 percent to $86.16 after the company agreed to be acquired by TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL) for $86 cash per share.