The following video is from Thursday's Investor Beat, in which host Chris Hill, and analysts Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger dissect the hardest-hitting investing stories of the day.

In today's edition, we take a look at countless hours of Motley Fool research compiled into one big list of the 25 best publicly traded companies, and we break down some abominable numbers from J.C. Penney's (JCPN.Q) earnings report. Those stories, plus the day's four biggest movers, and two stocks we'll be watching closely this week.