Hot Trucking Companies To Own For 2014

A recent survey by National Retail Systems, or NRS, a privately owned third-party logistics company, reveals interesting insights into truck drivers' job preferences, including answers to key questions like what attracts them to a job and what compels them to leave one. The results could come in handy for American trucking companies that have been spending sleepless nights trying to figure out the best ways to recruit and retain drivers even as the industry battles a severe workforce shortage.�It turns out that drivers don't really care about a company's reputation as long as they get a hefty paycheck, and that a sign-on bonus fails to do what it's meant to do: attract drivers. Here are some interesting highlights from the survey.

Building a loyal team is possible
If you think truck drivers are frequent job-hoppers, you might be surprised by what the NRS found out: Out of the thousands of drivers that it surveyed, nearly 47% have either been at the same job or have changed jobs only once over the past 10 years. Yes, loyalty runs high among truck drivers.�

5 Best Construction Material Stocks To Own For 2015: UIL Holdings Corp (UIL)

UIL Holdings Corporation, incorporated on March 22, 1999, is engaged in the ownership of its operating regulated utility businesses. The utility businesses consist of the electric distribution and transmission operations of The United Illuminating Company (UI) and the natural gas transportation, distribution and sales operations of The Southern Connecticut Gas Company (SCG), Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation (CNG), and The Berkshire Gas Company (Berkshire, and together with SCG and CNG, the Gas Companies). The Company operates in Electric Distribution, Electric Transmission and Gas Distribution segments.

UI is an electric distribution and transmission utility. UI is also a party to a joint venture with certain affiliates of NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG affiliates) pursuant to which UI holds 50% of interests in GCE Holding LLC, whose wholly owned subsidiary, GenConn Energy LLC operates generation plants in Devon, Connecticut (GenConn Devon) and Middletown, Connecticut (GenConn Middletown).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Utilities sector gained 0.78 percent in the US market today. Among the utilities stocks, Huaneng Power International (NYSE: HNP) was down more than 1.4 percent, while UIL Holdings (NYSE: UIL) tumbled around 0.7 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Utilities sector was the only decliner in the US market today. Top losers in the sector included UIL Holdings (NYSE: UIL), off 2.1 percent, and Crosstex Energy (NASDAQ: XTXI), down 2.2 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Utilities sector was the only decliner in the US market today. Top losers in the sector included UIL Holdings (NYSE: UIL), off 2.1 percent, and Crosstex Energy (NASDAQ: XTXI), down 2.2 percent.

Hot Trucking Companies To Own For 2014: Gulfport Energy Corporation(GPOR)

Gulfport Energy Corporation engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties. Its principal properties are located in the Louisiana Gulf Coast, in west Texas in the Permian Basin and in western Colorado in the Niobrara Formation. The company also holds acreage position in the Alberta oil sands in Canada; and interests in entities that operate in southeast Asia, including the Phu Horm gas field in Thailand, as well as leasehold interests in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio. As of December 31, 2011, it had 19.4 million barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  O-H-I-O
  While there are many shale formations in the U.S. producing high amounts of condensate, one could benefit from moving condensate to Canada more than the others; the Utica formation. While the Utica hasn't turned out to be the oil play some were hoping it would be, the most lucrative wells in the region are being drilled in what is known as the "wet gas" region of the play. In this region, Utica-heavy operators Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK  ) and Gulfport Energy (NASDAQ: GPOR  ) have focused much of their attention in this region, because it is believed to generate the highest rate of return for drillers.

Hot Trucking Companies To Own For 2014: Johnson Matthey PLC (JMAT)

Johnson Matthey Plc is a global specialty chemicals company operating in three divisions: Environmental Technologies, Precious Metal Products and Fine Chemicals. Environmental Technologies is a supplier of catalysts and related technologies for applications, such as pollution control, cleaner fuel, hydrocarbons and the hydrogen economy. Precious Metal Products��activities comprise the marketing, distribution, refining and recycling of platinum group metals (pgms), fabrication of products using precious metals and related materials, manufactures pgm and base metal catalysts and pgm chemicals. Fine Chemicals is a supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients, fine chemicals and other specialty chemical products and services to chemical and pharmaceutical industry�� customer supplier of catalysts. In March 2012, Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. acquired U.S. patent 7,851,482 B2 for oxymorphone hydrochloride from the Company. In March 2013, the Company acquired Formox AB. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Barclays Plc (BARC) fell to a one-month low as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. sold a stake in the lender. Fiat SpA lost 6.5 percent as Chrysler Group LLC went in for a vehicle recall. France Telecom SA (FTE) rose after its Orange Business Services unit won a five-year deal to deploy a private network for Heineken NV. Johnson Matthey Plc (JMAT) jumped to its highest price in at least 23 years after posting full-year profit that beat estimates.

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  British American Tobacco Plc and Imperial Tobacco Group Plc (IMT) each lost at least 1.5 percent as American peer Philip Morris International Inc. forecast 2014 profit growth below its long-term target. Antofagasta Plc (ANTO) and Vedanta Resources Plc (VED) followed miners lower, sliding at least 2 percent. Johnson Matthey Plc (JMAT) gained 3.9 percent after posting better-than-forecast profit and raising its dividend.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Atos declined 3.5 percent after an investor cut its stake in the company. Intermediate Capital Group Plc lost 3.5 percent after Numis Securities Ltd. lowered its rating on the money manager. European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. slid 1.2 percent after UBS AG removed it from its recommended list of stocks. Johnson Matthey Plc (JMAT) climbed 3.6 percent after reporting a profit increase in the first half of the year.

Hot Trucking Companies To Own For 2014: SM Energy Co (SM)

SM Energy Company (SM Energy), incorporated in 1915, is an independent energy company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (referred to as oil, gas, and NGLs) in onshore North America. The Company�� operations are focused on five operating areas in the onshore United States. In December 2011, the Company closed on its acquisition and development agreement with Mitsui E&P Texas LP (Mitsui), an indirect subsidiary of Mitsui & Co. Ltd., which transferred 12.5% of its working interest in certain non-operated oil and gas assets in South Texas. In August 2011, the Company sold approximately 15,400 net operated acres in LaSalle and Dimmit Counties, Texas to Talisman Energy USA Inc. and Statoil Texas Onshore Properties LLC (collectively, Talisman/Statoil). In June 2011, the Company completed the divestiture of certain assets located in its Mid-Continent region. In January 2011, it completed the divestiture of certain assets located in its Rocky Mountain region. In December 2013, SM Energy Co announced that it had closed its previously announced Anadarko Basin divestiture package.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had working interests in 1,353 gross (741 net) productive oil wells and 2,928 gross (1,060 net) productive gas wells. All of its drilling activities are conducted using independent drilling contractors. As of December 31, 2011, it had 415.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent of proved undeveloped reserves.

South Texas & Gulf Coast Region

Operations for the South Texas & Gulf Coast region are managed from its office in Houston, Texas. The Company�� operations in South Texas & Gulf Coast Region focus primarily on its Eagle Ford shale program. Its acreage position covers a portion of the western Eagle Ford shale play, including acreage in the oil, the NGL-gas, and the dry gas windows of the play. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it had approx! imately 250,000 net acres in the play, which consisted of an approximate 165,000 net acre operated position in Webb, Dimmit, and LaSalle Counties, Texas and an approximate 85,000 net acre non-operated position in Maverick, Dimmit, LaSalle, and Webb Counties, Texas. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 196,000 net acres in the play. During 2011, the production was 69.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent.

Rocky Mountain Region

Operations for the Company�� Rocky Mountain region are managed from its office in Billings, Montana. During 2011, the Company focused on Bakken/Three Forks formations in the North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin, where it had approximately 87,000 net acres.

Mid-Continent Region

Operations for the Company�� Mid-Continent region are managed from its office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Company�� operations in the Mid-Continent region are primarily focused on the horizontal development of the Granite Wash formation in western Oklahoma. Its Mid-Continent region also manages its Woodford shale assets. In 2011, its Mid-Continent region's production was 31.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent. Proved reserves during 2011 were 234.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent.

ArkLaTex Region

The Company�� focus on the ArkLaTex region has been the horizontal development of its Haynesville shale acreage. In 2011, production in its ArkLaTex region was 30.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent.

Permian Region

Operations for the Company�� Permian region are managed from its office in Midland, Texas. The Company�� Permian region covers western Texas and eastern New Mexico. Its primary area of development focus in this region is the Wolfberry tight oil play. During 2011, the region�� production was 11.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jessica Summers]

  The MSCI Emerging Markets Index gained 0.1 percent to 955.35, after falling as much as 0.3 percent earlier. The measure pared its weekly decline to 0.6 percent. Benchmark indexes in Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey rallied, while Brazil�� Ibovespa dropped for the fourth time this week as OGX Petroleo & Gas Participacoes SA tumbled. Philippine stocks retreated to a three-week low, led by SM Investments Corp. (SM) Seventeen out of the 24 developing-nation currencies tracked by Bloomberg rose as the real climbed 0.7 percent.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Shares of SM Energy Company (NYSE: SM) were down 17.47 percent to $73.93 after the company reported downbeat quarterly earnings. KeyBanc downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Covering production in both is midcap energy stock SM Energy (SM).

  That acreage in the prime plays continue to pay big benefits for the firm. Profits at SM surged in the last quarter as higher oil and NGL prices padded the firm’s already hefty bottom-line. And SM predicts more will be in store throughout the year as its production will increase 16% in 2014.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  It pays to be a fist mover when it comes to America�� shale boom. In this case, it pays to the tune of 75% returns for shareholders in E&P firm SM Energy (SM).