Alexander Medina Seaver‘s Stadium Capital Management reported decreasing its position in Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (NASDAQ:BGFV) to some 2.62 million shares. According to a new Form 4, Stadium sold 20,000 shares of Big 5 in one transaction, with the price amounting to $19.19 apiece.

Disclosure: none

Red Oak Partners reduced its position in Digirad Corporation (NASDAQ:DRAD) to 512,881 shares, from around 1.08 million shares held before, a newly amended filing with the SEC has revealed. The new stake owned by Red Oak comprises 2.78% of Digirad’s common stock, down from 5.61% held earlier.

Disclosure: none

David Abrams‘ Abrams Capital Management continues to sell Engility Holdings Inc (NYSE:EGL), as he has done for the past two weeks. In a new Form 4, Abrams reported reducing his position by 818 shares, sold in one transaction at a price worth $32.25 apiece. Following the sale, the fund holds 1,836,368 shares of Engilty.

Disclosure: none

Nelson Obus and his hedge fund, Wynnefield Capital, just reported, in a newly amended filing, that they’ve increased their position in DLH Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:DLHC) to some 4.24 million shares, from 4.17 million disclosed in Wynnefield’s latest 13F. Following the increase, Wynnefield holds 44.4% of DLH’s common stock.

Disclosure: none

Peter Kolchinsky‘s Ra Capital Management surged its position in Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) to almost 26 million shares, a new filing with the SEC has revealed. In its latest 13F, Ra reported holding 6 million shares of the company. The new stake amasses 9.9% of Dynavax’s common stock.

Disclosure: none

Recommended Reading:

Royce Slices Position in Allied Nevada Gold Corp

Chuck Royce is Making Moves in Jos. A. Bank, Furniture Brands & More

Leon Cooperman Discloses 6.9% Stake in Delia's, Inc.

In a newly amended filing from a couple of minutes ago, Chuck Royce‘s Royce & Associates reported significantly cutting down its position in Allied Nevada Gold Corp. (NYSEMKT:ANV) to 707,822 shares, from around 3.7 million shares in its latest 13F. The new position held by Royce, amasses 0.68% of Allied Nevada’s common stock.

This is the sixth move filed by Royce today, after earlier reporting moves in some other companies.

Disclosure: none

Recommended Reading:

Leon Cooperman Discloses 6.9% Stake in Delia's, Inc.

2 Buying Ideas for Buffett's Shopping List

Lansdowne Partners Raises Position in LSE-listed Breedon Aggregates to 3.8%

In two separate filings, Chuck Royce‘s Royce & Associates disclosed moves made into several companies: LSB Industries, Inc. (NYSE:LXU), Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc (NASDAQ:JOSB), Kaydon Corporation (NYSE:KDN), Furniture Brands International, Inc. (OTCMKTS:FBNIQ), and Cache, Inc. (NASDAQ:CACH). Royce disclosed ownership of 223,099 shares of LSB, which represent 0.99% of the company, down from 550,699 shares disclosed in its latest 13F.

In Jos. A. Bank, Royce reported holding a 0.11% stake, which amasses 31,300 shares, the position dropping from around 3 million shares held at the end of the second quarter.

The fund reported closing its entire stake of Kaydon and Furniture Brands International. In its latest 13F, Royce Reported holding 386,600 shares of Kaydon. In Furniture Brands, Royce’s stake amassed 274,752 shares.

In the fifth amended filing, Royce reported increasing its position in Cache. The fund now owns 390,000 shares of the company, up from 250,000 shares held before.

Disclosure: none

Recommended Reading:

Leon Cooperman Discloses 6.9% Stake in Delia's, Inc.

2 Buying Ideas for Buffett's Shopping List

Lansdowne Partners Raises Position in LSE-listed Breedon Aggregates to 3.8%

Leon Cooperman, the manager of Omega Advisors, has just disclosed a new passive stake in apparel retailer dELiA*s, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLIA). The position held by Mr. Cooperman amasses  6.93% of the company’s common stock.

Disclosure: none

Recommended Reading:

2 Buying Ideas for Buffett's Shopping List

Lansdowne Partners Raises Position in LSE-listed Breedon Aggregates to 3.8%

New Longboard Asset Management Presentation Asks, 'Is Microsoft The Next Apple?'

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A) has too much cash: As of the end of the third quarter the company’s cash pile had ascended to more than $35.3 billion. The Oracle of Omaha likes to keep the company’s cash balance above $20 billion, but too much cash can be drag on earnings and profitability for Berkshire Hathaway investors.

It’s not like Buffett is in any hurry to put that money to work, but taking a look at some alternatives that could fit his investment criteria sounds like a good way to identify high-quality ideas worth considering for your own portfolio.

Patience and discipline
To begin with, let’s consider what this means for Berkshire Hathaway. Too much cash sounds like a nice problem to have, and it certainly provides safety and flexibility for the company.

On the other hand, Buffett considers $20 billion to be more than enough from that point of view, and the current balance, well above that amount, is generating lackluster returns for the company at historically low interest rates.

If the market continues on its bull run and Buffett can’t find good enough investment alternatives, cash will likely continue increasing and this will probably become a considerable drag on the company’s return on capital.

This does not mean that Buffett will put that money to work only because Berkshire has too much cash; the Oracle of Omaha will wait as long as he has to for compelling investment opportunities meriting a long-term position.

For Berkshire shareholders, this probably means subpar returns if the market continues rising steeply and Berkshire is left behind with too much cash in its portfolio. However, that’s the price of discipline: You sometimes need to forgo short-term profits in exchange for a consistent and long-term proven approach to investing.

Nobody knows when or by how much the market will retrace, but it will happen sooner or later, and Berkshire Hathaway’s cash will become enormously valuable when the time comes. In the meantime, let’s take a look at a couple of high-quality names worth a place on Warren Buffett’s shopping list.

A sweet deal
Hershey (NYSE:HSY) is the leading player in the U.S. chocolate market, with a tasty market share above 43%. The company owns a product portfolio consisting of more than 80 brands including Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Ice Breakers, among others.

Buffett loves consumer names with strong brand presence in stable industries with predictable long-term demand, and Hershey fits that description quite well.

Hershey has a rock-solid trajectory of cash flow generation, the company translates more than 12% of revenue into free cash flow, and that money is then actively distributed to investors via dividends and share buybacks. Management is committed to distributing 50% of the company’s earnings as dividends, and those payments have increased at a 6.5% annually over the last five years. Dividend yield is around 2% at current prices.

You don’t want to stuff yourself with chocolate too quickly, though, as it can lead to serious indigestion. Hershey is trading at a P/E ratio above 31, which is materially higher than the company’s five-year average P/E ratio of around 22.5.

A great company trading at a steep valuation can make a sweet candidate to add to your shopping list for a market pullback.

Smiling profits
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) is well-known for its oral care business, which generates nearly 44% of the company’s revenue thanks to a global market share of more than 45% in toothpaste and more than 33% in the manual toothbrush business on a worldwide scale. But this global powerhouse also offers sizable exposure to other businesses like personal care, home care, and pet care, which represent 22%, 21%, and 13% of sales, respectively.

Colgate sells its products in 223 countries and makes more than 80% of its revenue outside the U.S., which provides geographic diversification and growth opportunities in emerging markets to investors.

The company has above-average profitability with an after-tax return on capital of 31.4% versus 17.7% for its peer group, and has produced many smiles for shareholders over the decades with an amazing trajectory of growing dividends. Colgate has paid uninterrupted dividends since 1895, and it has raised those dividends for 50 years in a row.

Colgate trades at a P/E ratio of 25.3 versus an industry average of 21.4 and has a five-year average P/E ratio of 18.3. The dividend yield of 2.1% is also signaling an optimistic valuation in comparison with a yield of 2.8% for the average stock in the industry and 2.3% for Colgate over the last five years.

Colgate deserves a premium due to its competitive strengths and superior profitability, but waiting for a cheaper valuation may provide a better entry point in this global leader.

Bottom line
When a high-quality business is trading at an expensive valuation, it can be considered a good candidate for a future purchase. When the price becomes more convenient. Hershey and Colgate seem to be good enough for Warren Buffett’s shopping list, so maybe they also deserve a place on your own list of companies to buy when the opportunity arises.

The article 2 Buying Ideas for Buffett’s Shopping List originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Andrés Cardenal owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

According to several empirical studies on insider trading, stocks with more than one insider purchase over the past three months have the potential to outperform the broader indices. While you probably know Insider Monkey for its market-beating hedge fund newsletter, insider buying activity is another way to track the sentiment of the so-called "smart money."

With that being said, two small-cap banks have seen multiple insiders buying in the month of November, and each should be on your radar. Let's run through the transactions.

Farmers National

Farmers National Banc Corp (NASDAQ:FMNB) sports a market capitalization of about $120 million, and its stock price is nearly flat year-to-date. The bank holding company, which has operations in Central Ohio, has seen nine different insiders buy shares since the beginning of the month, ranging from Chief Lending Officer Joseph Gerzina to Directors Gregg Strollo and David Paull.

All in all, the nine transactions totaled a little more than 600 shares; Paull and fellow board member Ralph Macali now own the largest positions of the group, each with more than $150,000 worth of Farmers National stock. While the value of the moves doesn't blow us away, the sheer quantity of insiders who bought in earlier this month is something we don't see that often.

With a dividend yield of 1.9% at a payout ratio near 30%, there's nothing too scary about Farmers National from an income standpoint, and the valuation is borderline cheap across the board. Earnings haven't been booming post-recession, but the bank was able to generate noninterest income growth of 24% (yoy) in the third quarter. Be on the lookout for more activity from Farmers National execs.

First Merchants

First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME), meanwhile, is another, slightly larger small-cap bank that has seen more than one bullish insider lately. On November 1st, Directors Gary Lehman and Patrick Sherman increased their stakes in the Indiana-based bank holding company to a little over 19,000 shares and 24,000, respectively. Both transactions were made at an average purchase price of $19.15 per share; the stock currently trades about 1.5% lower.

Like Farmers National, First Merchants pays a moderate dividend yield (1.1%) at a low payout of earnings (13%), and the multiples aren't too out of place with peer averages. Earnings are expected to expand by 10% to 11% next year at both banks, so growth potential is there as well.

For anyone searching for lesser-known stocks in the regional banking industry, Farmers National and First Merchants might not be bad names to think about buying in to; plenty of insiders already are.

Disclosure: none

Paul Ruddock and Steve Heinz‘s hedge fund, Lansdowne Partners, now holds 35.83 million shares of Breedon Aggregates Ltd (LON:BREE), according to a filing. The fund increased its position in the company to 3.81% of its voting rights, from 3% held earlier.

Disclosure: none

Recommended Reading:

New Longboard Asset Management Presentation Asks, 'Is Microsoft The Next Apple?'

HG Vora, BlueMountain Capital Strengthen Activist Ties at Chatham Lodging Trust

Coliseum Capital Increases Position in Accuride by 1.1M Shares

You may remember Longboard Asset Management as the firm that has compared Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the past, or you may recall that it predicted Tesla’s stock would reach $200 per share in the next two years, and the $100 mark within 18 months.

Bravo, Longboard. Bravo.

Today, the firm has released another presentation issued another presentation on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), comparing it to, who else, Apple. Take a gander below:

HG Vora Capital Management, in a newly amended filing from a couple of minutes ago, disclosed signing a Letter Agreement. According to the amendment, HG Vora and BlueMountain Capital Management, led by Andrew Feldstein and Stephen Siderow, decided to limit sales of the Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE:CLDT)  shares “on or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 22, 2013.”

Yesterday, BlueMountain disclosed that it wants to acquire Chatham Lodging Trust for $21.50 per share.

HG Vora holds a 4.9% position in the company. Last month, the fund mentioned that they ”may explore ways to enhance value for the Issuer's shareholders,” in addition to facilitating strategic discussions with management.

Christopher Shackelton and Adam Gray‘s fund, Coliseum Capital, just reported increasing its position in Accuride Corporation (NYSE:ACW) by some 1.11 million shares, to a total of approximately 7.03 million shares. The shares have been purchased in three transactions, with the average price amounting to above $3.47 apiece.

Disclosure: none

Paul Glazer‘s Glazer Capital recently disclosed a 5.6% stake in Global Defense and National Security Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEF). The position held by Glazer amasses 542,341 shares. Global Defense and National Security Systems, Inc. is a blank check company that went on IPO at the end of October.

Disclosure: none

Ken Fisher is a famed investor, and the son of investing icon Philip Fisher. Through his best selling book Super Stocks and his track record at his firm, Fisher Investments, Fisher has established himself as a growth stock authority.

In his aforementioned book Super Stocks, Mr. Fisher introduced the investing world to a new valuation metric, the price-to-sales ratio. Since the days of Ben Graham investors had happily measured price against earnings, but never sales.

The results have been impressive. According to Fisher Investments, since its inception stocks chosen following the Kenneth Fisher model have outperformed the market four-fold.

With that kind of performance, you have to believe that price-to-sales is a good way to find quality stocks. Here are a few stocks that look cheap by Mr. Fisher’s criteria, and seem to have good prospects overall.

Cheap parts
Some of the cheapest valued stocks, by Fisher’s model, are in industries related to autos. Take Goodyear (NASDAQ:GT) Tire & Rubber Company , for instance. The company comes in with a ridiculously low P/S ratio of 0.26, and earnings are expected to grow for this tire maker as well. With a price-to-earnings growth ratio of just 0.28, it’s clear that the market isn’t fully valuing the potential of this auto parts maker.

Low valuations may be a part of the auto parts industry as a whole. Stocks like TRW Automotive (NYSE:TRW) , which makes steering and braking equipment, are not in the markets favor right now. TRW currently trades at a P/S ratio of 0.53, making it a high ranking business in Fisher’s view.

An automotive disconnect
The low valuation of the auto industry surprises me. Since 2009 auto sales have led the U.S. recovery, so why is the industry discounted on a P/S basis?

Auto sales have been the largest percentage of U.S. GDP over the past five years, yet stocks like Ford (NYSE:F) and General Motors (NYSE:GM) look cheap by Fisher’s model. Ford has a P/S ratio of just 0.46, and GM a scant 0.33, while both companies also have a PEG below 1. It’s worth mentioning that U.S. auto sales met most lofty projections in 2012, and they’re expected to rise again throughout 2013. So if analysts expect these auto makers to sell and earn more, yet the market is trading them at a discount to sales, who is right and who’s wrong?

Trends point to automotive gains
There are a few trends that automotive bulls have working in their favor. Let’s start with pent up demand. According to research firm Polk, the average age of all U.S. auto’s is 11.4 years, and it’s expected to grow 20% by 2018. At some point consumers will need to buy new, and that’s bullish for the auto industry.

Next you have the trend of changing fuel efficiency standards, which should boost demand further. Rising gas prices and higher fuel efficiency standards coming from the White House, should create demand for newer, higher MPG, vehicles.

Older vehicles, and the demand for higher MPG vehicles, should drive auto sales for at least a few years. If these trends pan-out as expected, Ford and GM will sell more cars, which will use technology from TRW and Goodyear, for years to come.

Price-to-sales: an intriguing starting point
If you look at Ken Fisher’s track record, it’s hard to argue that the p/s ratio is a great starting point for stock picking.  It may also be more relevant right now than ever, because so many companies seem to be growing EPS through cost cutting (even as sales stay flat).

That said, like all metrics, Ken Fisher’s “screener” is just a starting point. Perhaps these stocks have remained undervalued, compared to their revenues, due to the lingering stigma of the great recession. However, before buying any stock, make sure you do additional homework.

The article Ken Fisher Would Love These 4 Stocks originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adem Tahiri has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of Ford.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Summer jobs: Summer break is a great time for having fun, hitting the beaches, and hanging with your friends. But more often than not, it is also a great opportunity to make some extra cash. More and more college students nowadays choose to spend their summers doing something productive that can increase their incomes.

We would like to present you with a list we have compiled of the top 8 summer jobs for college students, in a style similar to our list of the best industries for starting a business. The jobs were ranked according to the pay per hour. Most jobs on our list are also suitable for high-school students or people looking for a way to make some extra cash.

Let's take a look at the countdown of the top summer jobs:

Fastest boats: Technology revolving around water transportation has certainly evolved since its inception. While there's nothing wrong with taking your time and enjoying the breeze, some people like to travel in style at a fast pace.

We would like to present you with a list of the world's 12 fastest boats. The boats were ranked according to the best speed recorded.

The undisputable leader has a very befitting name: World is not Enough. This vessel, which is the only yacht that has managed to reach a top speed of 70 knots, has a mind-blowing horsepower of 20600. Propelled by two diesel engines and two gas turbines, this is one super sleek boat. The World is not Enough also features a futuristic design and a luxurious interior. While there might be racing type boats out there that can outrun the vessels listed in our countdown, our top 12 focused more on yacht type boats. The boats on our list are not only fast, but they are also quite luxurious.

Over at the other end of our countdown, we have a tie for the 12^th place between Mirage and Shooting Star, both with a top speed of 50 knots. Launched in 2008 by builder Baia, the Mirage is propelled by twin screws and generates a horsepower of 7,290. Launched in 2011 by Danish Yachts, the Shooting Star is not only a super fast boat, but it also comes complete with a unique and lavish design. The Scandinavian like interior design features maple and leather.

Apart from World is not Enough, Mirage, and Shooting Star, highlights also include Moon Goddess, Sun Ark, and Gentry Eagles, in a style similar to our coverage of the world’s fastest growing companies.

Check out the world’s fastest boats on the following pages:

The Stock Tastes of a Few Investment Titans (Barrons)
Hedge-fund legend John Paulson has come up with a second act. And this time, it’s on the long side. Famous for making billions of dollars by shorting the mortgage market ahead of the financial crisis through investments in credit-default swaps, Paulson has also made bad bets, including a big bet on gold in recent years. But according to the Financial Times, Paulson has regained some of his legendary fame in the bull market by going long a collection of financial services stocks, including banks, insurance companies and, less well publicized, asset managers and private-equity firms

Co-op hedge fund shareholder famous for Argentina battle (Reuters)
U.S. hedge fund Aurelius Capital Management, which will take a stake in Co-op Bank under a rescue plan for the British mutual lender, is also protagonist in a lengthy and bitter court battle over Argentina’s debt default. The New York-based investment firm is among a group of activist investors who will swap bondholdings for equity in Co-op Bank, which has long promoted a commitment to ethical business practices to attract customers. Aurelius, which will be Co-op Bank’s largest hedge fund shareholder under the plan detailed on Monday, has a record of litigation to resolve its disputes.

Iosco report exaggerates hedge fund leverage, critics claim (Risk)
The International Organization of Securities Commissions (Iosco) has come under fire for a new survey that suggests UK hedge funds are, on average, 37 times geared – a figure based on a methodology that overstates derivatives exposure, critics say. The survey, published on October 21, uses the concept of gross leverage ratio, which is calculated by dividing gross notional exposure by net assets under management. Gross notional exposure is defined as the absolute sum of all long and short positions, including gross notional exposure for derivatives.

Goldman Sachs to BofA Are Said to Trade With SAC After Plea Deal (Bloomberg)
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS), JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) and Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) are among Wall Street firms still catering to SAC Capital Advisors LP after the hedge fund agreed to plead guilty to insider trading charges. The banks, which also include Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), continue to provide trading and prime-brokerage services to SAC, said people briefed on the matter, who requested anonymity when discussing specific clients. The hedge-fund firm, run by billionaire Steven A. Cohen, agreed yesterday to pay $1.8 billion — a record penalty for insider trading — to settle allegations it illicitly reaped hundreds of millions of dollars since 1999.

Why Warren Buffett won’t buy Twitter (MarketWatch)
It’s widely assumed that Warren Buffett doesn’t invest in technology stocks, but in recent years, this belief has contrasted with reality. After accounting for 0% of his equity portfolio at the end of 2010, the tech sector now makes up one sixth of Buffett’s stock holdings. At Insider Monkey, we believe that hedge funds and other prominent investors’ best stock picks exhibit market-beating potential, so it’s worth paying attention to these developments.

Hedge Funds Add 1.2% In Oct. (Finalternatives)
Hedge funds posted across-the-board, if underwhelming, gains in October, according to an industry benchmark. Hedge Fund Research’s HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index rose 1.2% last month and is up 5.54% on the year. By contrast, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added about 4.75% in October and is up over 20% on the year. Each of the 16 strategy and substrategy indices in the HFRX suite were in the black last month, led by master-limited partnerships, which returned 2.31% (20.77% year-to-date).

We’re definitely in a bull market: Pro (CNBC)