10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now

Charlie Munger offers a valuable nugget of investing advice: "Carefully look at what other great investors have done." Fortunately for us, some of the biggest and brightest investors must divulge their stock positions each quarter, providing insight into the stock moves of money pros like billionaire and successful fund manger Ken Fisher.

Favorite five
Based on its 13F SEC filing for Q1 2013, most of Fisher's top stock positions cover the health care, financial services, industrials, and tech sectors. Let's zero in on five of these megacap companies and examine some possible reasons Fisher likes these stocks in particular.

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE  )
Representing 2.36% of Fisher's portfolio, Pfizer is its largest stock holding. After making many acquisitions over the past several years, Pfizer is now focused on divesting its non-core business. The company recently launched an IPO of a minority stake in its Animal Health business, Zoetis. And despite the patent expiration on Lipitor, Pfizer boasts a robust drug pipeline including products for stroke prevention, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX)

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) provides a range of banking and financial products and services to retail, small business, corporate and institutional clients. The Company conducts its operations in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. It also operates in a range of other countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. The Company operates on a divisional structure with Australia, International and Institutional Banking (IIB), New Zealand, and Global Wealth and Private Banking. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had 1,337 branches and other points of representation worldwide, excluding automatic teller machines (ATMs). In September 2012, it sold its remaining shareholding in Visa Inc.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Westwood Holdings Group Inc(WHG)

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. It operates through two subsidiaries, Westwood Management Corp. and Westwood Trust. The Westwood Management Corp. provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments and foundations, mutual funds, individuals, and clients of Westwood Trust. The Westwood Trust provides trust and custodial services to institutions and high net worth individuals, and participates in common trust funds that it sponsors. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

Best Heal Care Companies To Watch In Right Now: HENDERSON GROUP PLC ORD GBP0.125(HGG.L)

Henderson Group plc is an asset management holding entity. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides services to institutional, retail clients, and high net worth clients. It manages separate client-focused equity and fixed income portfolios. The firm also manages equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds for its clients. It invests in public equity and fixed income markets, as well as invests in real estate and private equity. Henderson Group plc was founded in 1934 and is based in London, United Kingdom with additional offices in Jersey, United Kingdom and Sydney, Australia.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Templeton Dragon Fund Inc.(TDF)

Templeton Dragon Fund, Inc. is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Templeton Asset Management Ltd. It invests in the public equity markets of China. The fund invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It invests in value stocks of companies. The fund typically employs fundamental analysis focusing on factors like growth prospects, competitive positions in export markets, technologies, research and development, productivity, labor costs, raw material costs and sources, profit margins, returns on investment, capital resources, government regulation and management. Templeton Dragon Fund, Inc was formed on September 20. 1994 and is domiciled in Singapore.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Mediobanca(MDBI.MI)

Mediobanca S.p.A. provides lending and investment banking services to financial companies and private investors in Italy and rest of Europe. It offers consumer credit products, including personal and special purpose loans, credit cards, and salary-backed finance; corporate lending products, such as bilateral, club-deal, and syndicated loans; leveraged finance products comprising acquisition and LBO/MBO finance; structured finance products consisting of project, infrastructure, and real estate finance; and export finance products, including export credit, trade finance, L/C facilities, pre-export finance, commercial loans, untied loans, and Islamic finance. The company also provides finance leasing, mortgage lending, insurance products, deposits and current accounts, and investment products. In addition, it offers advisory services consisting of corporate finance; and fiduciary services, such as fiduciary administration of equity investments, and investments in market secur ity, as well as fiduciary services for issuers. Further, the company offers equity capital market products comprising IPOs, rights offerings, secondary offerings/accelerated book building, and equity-linked products; security brokerage services, such as equity research, equity distribution, and corporate broking services; strategic equity derivatives for equity holdings treasury shares management; direct investments and investments through fund stock units; equity-linked investments products; research services; and equity finance solutions consisting of securities lending, equity repo, and collateral financing. Additionally, it originates, structures, executes, and distributes bond issues; provides FI investor solutions, corporate solutions, private and retail solutions, and alternative advisory services; and offers private banking services, such as portfolio management, advisory and financing, and asset management services. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquarter ed in Milan, Italy.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Augusta Capital Ltd (AUG)

Augusta Capital Limited, formerly Kermadec Property Fund Limited is engaged in the commercial and industrial property investment. Te Company operates in two segments: funds management and cleaning. The Company operates two divisions, including direct property investment and funds management. The Company in its direct property investment division holds and manages a portfolio of office and car parking properties in central Auckland. The Company�� funds management division is engaged in commercial property syndication. The Company, through Augusta Funds Management Limited, over 16 commercial property syndicates has been established. As of March 31, 2011, the Company had 100% interest in the shareholding in Metroclean Limited, a cleaning services Company.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc.(SKT)

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The company, through its subsidiary, Tanger Properties Limited Partnership, engages in acquiring, developing, owning, operating, and managing factory outlet shopping centers. As of September 30, 2005, Tanger owned and operated 33 factory outlet centers in 22 states totaling 8.7 million square feet of gross leasable area. It also provides development, leasing, and management services for its outlet centers. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to Federal income taxes provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers was founded by Stanley K. Tanger in 1981. The company is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Jefferies announced on Wednesday that it has cut its rating on Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. (SKT).

  The firm has downgraded SKT from “Buy” to “Hold,” and has lowered the company’s price target from $40 to $35. This price target suggests an 8% upside from the stock’s current price of $32.22.

  Analyst Omotayo Okusanya commented: “We expect near-term headwinds for the mall and outlet mall segment as tenant sales growth appears to be slowing.”

  “At SKT, development yields on two projects have also been reduced. Further, rising interest rates negatively impact our DDM-derived PT. Our lowered PT of $35 represents a 10% total return over the next-twelve-months (NTM); we are downgrading to Hold,” added the analyst.

  Tanger Factory Outlet shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Wednesday. The stock is up more than 5% YTD.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: NewBridge Bancorp(NBBC)

NewBridge Bancorp operates as a bank holding company for NewBridge Bank that provides various banking products to small to medium-sized businesses and retail clients. It accepts various deposit products, including interest bearing and noninterest bearing demand deposit accounts, certificates of deposits, savings accounts, NOW accounts, and individual retirement accounts. The company also provides a range of lending products comprising construction, commercial, real estate, and consumer loans. In addition, it offers overdraft protection, personal and corporate trust services, safe deposit boxes, online banking, corporate cash management, brokerage, financial planning and asset management, and mortgage production, as well as secured and unsecured loans. As of December 31, 2010, the company operated 31 branch offices, 2 commercial loan production offices, and 2 mortgage loan production offices in the Piedmont Triad region and coastal region of North Carolina, and the Shenando ah Valley region of Virginia; 1 mortgage loan production office in Raleigh, North Carolina; and 1 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NewBridge Bancorp was founded in 1949 and is based in Greensboro, North Carolina.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Heritage Commerce Corp (HTBK)

Heritage Commerce Corp operates as a bank holding company for Heritage Bank of Commerce that provides various commercial and personal banking services to residents and the business/professional community in California. It offers a range of deposit products for retail and business banking markets, including checking accounts, interest-bearing transaction accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, and retirement accounts. The company also provides various loan products comprising commercial loans, such as operating secured and unsecured loans advanced for working capital, equipment purchases, and other business purposes; small business administration loans; commercial real estate loans; commercial construction loans for rental properties, commercial buildings, and homes; home equity line loans; and consumer loans consisting of loans for financing automobiles, various consumer goods, and other personal purposes. In addition, it offers other banking services, including cashier 's checks, bank-by-mail, ATM, night depositories, safe deposit boxes, direct deposit, automated payroll, electronic funds transfer, online banking, online bill pay, remote deposit capture, automated clearing house origination, electronic data interchange, and check imaging services. The company provides its banking products and services through operating 10 full service branch offices in the southern and eastern regions of the general San Francisco Bay Area of California in the counties of Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa. Heritage Commerce Corp was founded in 1993 and is based in San Jose, California.

10 Best Financial Stocks To Watch Right Now: Cattolica Ass(CASS.MI)

Societa Cattolica di Assicurazione, through its subsidiaries, provides various life and non-life insurance products for individuals, families, and small and medium-sized productive activities in Italy. It offers vehicle insurance; home and family insurance; travel and leisure insurance; pension coverage; and health care insurance, including accident and sickness insurance products, as well as index-linked policies and unit-linked bonds. The company offers its products through various agencies, branches of partner banks, and brokerage firms. It also engages in the development and improvement/valuation of real estate assets, as well as the provision of real estate services. Societa Cattolica di Assicurazione was founded in 1896 and is headquartered in Verona, Italy.