Best Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now

It takes money to make money. Most investors know that, but with business media so focused on the "how much," very few investors bother to ask, "How fast?"

When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Quanex Building Products (NYSE: NX  ) .

Let's break this down
In this series, we measure how swiftly a company turns cash into goods or services and back into cash. We'll use a quick, relatively foolproof tool known as the cash conversion cycle, or CCC for short.

Why does the CCC matter? The less time it takes a firm to convert outgoing cash into incoming cash, the more powerful and flexible its profit engine is. The less money tied up in inventory and accounts receivable, the more available to grow the company, pay investors, or both.

Best Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Dada(DA.MI)

Dada S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides Web and mobile community and entertainment services in Italy and internationally. Its Dada.net division offers various products and services in the areas of digital music, mobile applications, mobile services, social community, and casual and skill games that can be enjoyed on computers, mobile phones, and smartphones for consumers, as well as produces and broadcasts two music television satellite channels. The company?s Dada.pro division is involved in the registration of Internet domains and the management of online presence for individuals and businesses. It operates Register.it, a historical leader; and simply.com, a pay-for-performance online advertising platform, which allows users to plan advertising campaigns through marketing tools, as well as develops advertising solutions for Internet and for the UMTS portals of mobile phone carriers under the Dada Ad brand. This division also provides virtual hosting servic es. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Florence, Italy. Dada S.p.A. is a subsidiary of RCS MediaGroup S.p.A.

Best Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Apex Minerals NL(AXM.AX)

Apex Minerals NL engages in the mining and production of gold, as well as exploration of mineral resources in Australia. It holds interests in the Wiluna gold project, which covers an area of approximately 50 square kilometers located to northeast of Perth; and in the Youanmi project that covers an area of 40 kilometers located to northeast of Perth. The company is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top 10 China Stocks To Buy Right Now: Imris Inc He Company] (IM.TO)

IMRIS Inc. provides integrated image guided therapy solutions that deliver information to clinicians during surgical or interventional procedures in Canada, the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. The company designs, manufactures, and markets VISIUS Surgical Theatre, a multifunctional surgical environment that incorporates magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, CT imaging, fluoroscopy, computed tomography, and x-ray angiography into multi-purpose surgical suites to provide intra-operative imaging for medical applications. It also provides ancillary products and services. The company�s solutions serve the neurosurgical, cerebrovascular, and cardiovascular markets worldwide. IMRIS Inc. is based in Winnipeg, Canada.

Best Building Product Companies To Watch In Right Now: Sonde Resources Corp(SOQ.TO)

Sonde Resources Corp. engages in the exploration, acquisition, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas properties in western Canada and north Africa. Its principal properties include assets in Drumheller, Kaybob/Windfall, and Boundary Lake/Eaglesham areas located in west-central Alberta. The company has interest in 380,362 gross/268,120 net acres in western Canada. It also has a 100% working interest in the 768,000 acre joint oil block offshore Tunisia and Libya. As of December 31, 2011, it had proved plus probable reserves of 9,507 barrels of oil equivalent. The company was formerly known as Canadian Superior Energy Inc. and changed its name to Sonde Resources Corp. in June 2010. Sonde Resources Corp. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.