7 Stocks the Bull Market Left Behind

These are frustrating times for bargain-hunting investors, especially those seeking deals in U.S.

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These are frustrating times for bargain-hunting investors, especially those seeking deals in U.S. stocks. Not much is cheap by traditional value standards, with Standard & Poor's 500-stock index priced at about 15 times estimated 2014 earnings. And in most instances the stocks that look the cheapest statistically are highly speculative.

As is the case with every bull market, though, not every stock has been bid up to the stratosphere. Look carefully and you can find companies that are reasonably valued compared with the overall market and that are industry leaders with established franchises, rich assets and attractive long-term prospects.

If you're reluctant to buy anything at current prices, you might at least want to put these seven stocks on your watch list. Any sharp selloff would be an opportunity.

Disclaimer

All prices and related data are as of February 18, 2014. Unless otherwise noted, price-earnings ratios are based on estimated profits for the four quarters that end in December.

Tom Petruno
Contributing Writer, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Petruno, a former financial columnist for the Los Angeles Times, is an independent investor, writer and consultant. He lives in L.A.