Top 5 High Tech Companies To Buy For 2014

Top 5 High Tech Companies To Buy For 2014: NL Industries Inc (NL)

NL Industries, Inc. (NL) is a holding company. The Company operates in the component products industry through NL's majority-owned subsidiary, CompX International Inc. The Company operates in the chemicals industry through its non-controlling interest in Kronos Worldwide, Inc. As of December 31, 2011, it owned 87% interest in CompX International Inc and 30% interest in Kronos Worldwide, Inc. The Company also owns 100% of EWI RE, Inc., an insurance brokerage and risk management services company. In July of 2011, CompX completed the acquisition of an ergonomic component products business.

Component Products-Compx International Inc.

Through the Company's subsidiary, CompX, it manufactures components that are sold to a variety of industries including office furniture, recreational transportation (including boats), mailboxes, toolboxes, home appliances, banking equipment, vending equipment and computer-related equipment. CompX's Security Products business, with one manufacturing facility in South Carolina and one in Illinois shared with the Marine Components business, manufactures mechanical and electronic cabinet locks and other locking mechanisms used in a variety of applications including ignition systems, mailboxes, file cabinets, desk drawers, tool storage cabinets, vending and gaming machines, high security medical cabinetry, electrical circuit panels, storage compartments and gas station security. These products include disc tumbler locks, pin tumbler locking mechanisms, and eLock and Stealthlock electronic locks.

CompX's Furniture Components business, with facilities in Canada and Taiwan, manufactures a line of ball bearing slides and computer keyboard, monitor and central processing unit (CPU) support systems for use in applications, such as file cabinets, desks, computer server racks, w! all mounted computer applications, home appliances, tool storage cabinets, imaging equipment, automated tell er machines and other applications. These products include I! ntegrated Slide Lock, Ball Lock, Self-Closing Slide, articulating computer keyboard support arms along with the LeverLock keyboard arm, CPU storage devices, flat panel computer monitor support systems and keyboard, monitor and CPU wall mounts.

CompX's Marine Components business, with a facility in Wisconsin and a facility shared with the Security Products business in Illinois, manufactures and distributes stainless steel exhaust components, gauges, throttle controls, hardware and accessories primarily for performance and ski/wakeboard boats. These products include original equipment and aftermarket stainless steel exhaust headers, exhaust pipes, mufflers and other exhaust components; gauges, such as global positioning system (GPS) speedometers and tachometers; controls, throttles, steering wheels and other billet aluminum accessories, and dash panels, light emitting diode (LED) lighting, rigging and other accessories. CompX operated five manufacturing facilit ies, as of December 31, 2011, including one facility in Grayslake, Illinois that housed operations relating to Security Products and Marine Components.

Chemicals-Kronos Worldwide, Inc.

Kronos is a global producer and marketer of titanium dioxide pigments (TiO2), a base industrial product used in a range of applications. Kronos, along with its distributors and agents, sells and provides technical services for NL's products to over 4,000 customers in approximately 100 countries with the majority of sales in Europe and North America. TiO2 is a white inorganic pigment used in a range of products. Kronos offers customers a portfolio of products that include over 40 different TiO2 pigment grades. Kronos' major customers include domestic and international paint, plastics, decorative laminate and paper manufacturers. Kronos ships TiO2 to cust! omers in ! either a powder or slurry form via rail, truck or ocean carrier. Kronos and its agents and distributors pr imarily sell and provide technical services for Kronos' pr! oducts in! three markets: coatings, plastics and paper.

Kronos' TiO2 is also found in food products, such as candy and confectionaries and in pet foods. In pharmaceuticals, TiO2 is used commonly as a colorant in pill and capsule coatings, as well as in liquid medicines. Kronos owns and operates two ilmenite mines in Norway. Kronos manufactures and sells iron-based chemicals, which are co-products and processed co-products of the sulfate and chloride process TiO2 pigment production. These co-product chemicals are marketed through Kronos' Ecochem division and are primarily used as treatment and conditioning agents for industrial effluents and municipal wastewater, as well as for the manufacture of iron pigments, cement and agricultural products. Kronos manufactures and sells titanium oxychloride and titanyl sulfate. Kronos produces TiO2 in two crystalline forms: rutile and anatase. Rutile TiO2 is manufactured using both a chloride production process and a sulfate produc tion process, whereas anatase TiO2 is only produced using a sulfate production process.

The chloride process is a continuous process, in which chlorine is used to extract rutile TiO2. The sulfate process is a batch process, in which sulfuric acid is used to extract the TiO2 from ilmenite or titanium slag. Kronos operates four TiO2 plants in Europe, which includes one in each of Leverkusen, Germany; Nordenham, Germany; Langerbrugge, Belgium, and Fredrikstad, Norway. In North America, Kronos has a TiO2 plant in Varennes, Quebec, Canada. Kronos produced 550,000 metric tons of TiO, during the year ended December 31, 2011. Kronos and a subsidiary of Huntsman Corporation each hold a 50% interest in a manufacturing joint venture, Louisiana Pigment Company, L.P. (LPC). LPC owns and operates a chloride process TiO2 facility located in Lake Charles,! Louisian! a.

The Company competes with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., National Titanium Dioxide Company Ltd., Hu ntsman Corporation, Tronox Incorporated and Sachtleben Chemi! e GmbH. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons died over the weekend with investors sending shares of some of his publically traded companies like Valhi, Inc (NYSE: VHI), Kronos Worldwide, Inc (NYSE: KRO), NL Industries, Inc (NYSE: NL) and CompX International Inc (NYSEMKT: CIX)to higher levels as they anticipate changes – such as asset sales or spin offs. Harold Simmons was the embodiment of the American dream because he was born during the depths of the Great Depression in Golden, Texas to schoolteacher parents and he spent his early years living without indoor plumbing or electricity. However and by recognizing underpriced assets and through the use of massive amounts of leverage (e.g. junk bonds), he built an empire and ranked #40 on the 2013 Forbes 400 with a fortune estimated to be worth some $10 billion.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Typically, when the chairman of a company dies, its shares drop. That hasn’t been the case for Valhi (VHI), Kronos Worldwide (KRO) and NL Industries (NL), which have all advanced today after Harold Simmons passed away.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-high-tech-companies-to-buy-for-2014.html