10 Best Railroad Stocks For 2014

CSX, a leading railroad in the eastern U.S., is set to release its first quarter 2014 results on April 16. Its first quarter earnings may be suppressed due to higher operating costs incurred during the harsh winter weather this season. CSX CSX believes that the volume and revenue impact of the harsh weather can be recovered over the coming quarters. However, growth in earnings per share for the full year will be somewhat moderate compared to the company�� earlier guidance of 10-15%.

Domestic coal shipments, which have been a declining throughout 2012 and 2013 due to a shift towards cheaper natural gas and overhanging coal inventories, may see a turnaround this quarter. Additionally, chemicals, intermodal, agriculture and automobile shipments will continue to drive growth in volumes. However, export coal shipments and construction material shipments will be low.

See our complete analysis of CSX here

Revisiting Fourth Quarter 2013

CSX�� revenue grew 5% in the fourth quarter of 2013 to reach $3 billion. This was mainly driven by growth in revenue and volumes of intermodal and merchandise shipments. However, the company�� net earnings for the quarter declined 5%, resulting in a decrease of 2 cents in earnings per share. This was due to the favorable impact that an after-tax real estate gain had in the fourth quarter of 2012. CSX�� operating ratio, which is its operating expenses expressed as a percentage of revenues, increased by 1.4% compared to the previous year?s fourth quarter, to reach 73.2%.
Operational Costs Will Rise Due To The Harsh Weather

Top Freight Stocks For 2015: Tompkins Financial Corp (TMP)

Tompkins Financial Corporation (Tompkins) is a bank holding company. The Company is a locally oriented, community-based financial services company that offers an array of products and services, including commercial and consumer banking, leasing, trust and investment management, financial planning and wealth management, insurance, and brokerage services. The Company operates in two segments: banking and financial services. Banking services consist primarily of attracting deposits from the areas served by the Company�� banking subsidiaries��45 banking offices and using those deposits to originate a variety of commercial loans, agricultural loans, consumer loans, real estate loans, and leases in those same areas. Financial services activities consist of the results of the Company�� trust, financial planning and wealth management services, broker-dealer services, and insurance and risk management operations. On June 1, 2011, its subsidiary, Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc. (Tompkins Insurance), acquired Olver & Associates, Inc. (Olver), a property and casualty insurance agency. In August 2012, it acquired VIST Financial Corp.

The Company maintains a portfolio of securities, such as obligations of the United States Government agencies and the United States Government sponsored entities, obligations of states and political subdivisions thereof, and equity securities. Tompkins provides a variety of financial services to individuals and small business customers.

Commercial Services

The Company�� subsidiary banks provide financial services to corporations and other business clients. Lending activities include loans for a variety of business purposes, including real estate financing, construction, equipment financing, accounts receivable financing, and commercial leasing. Other commercial services include deposit and cash management services, letters of credit, sweep accounts, credit cards, purchasing cards, Internet-based account services, and remote deposit ser! vices.

Retail Services

The Company�� subsidiary banks provide a variety of retail banking services, including checking accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, individual retirement accounts (IRA) products, brokerage services, residential mortgage loans, personal loans, home equity loans, credit cards, debit cards and safe deposit services. Retail services are accessible through a variety of delivery systems, including branch facilities, automated teller machines (ATMs), voice response, Internet banking, and remote deposit services.

Trust and Investment Management Services

The Company offers a range of financial services to customers, including trust and estate services, investment management, and financial and insurance planning. These services are offered through Tompkins Investment Services (TIS), a division of Tompkins Trust Company, and AM&M. Tompkins Financial Advisors has office locations at all three of the Company�� subsidiary banks, and provides a range of money management services, including investment management, trust and estate, financial and tax planning, as well as life, disability and long-term care insurance services.

Broker-Dealer Services

AM&M operates a broker-dealer subsidiary, Ensemble Financial Services, Inc. Ensemble Financial Services, Inc. is an outsourcing company for financial planners and investment advisors.

Insurance Services

The Company provides property and casualty insurance services and employee benefits consulting through Tompkins Insurance. Tompkins Insurance is an independent insurance agency. Tompkins Insurance has automated systems for record keeping, claim processing and coverage confirmation, and can provide insurance pricing comparisons from a range of insurance companies. Tompkins Insurance provides employee benefits consulting to employers in Western and Central New York, assisting them with their medical, group life insurance and group disability in! surance. ! In addition to its seven offices, Tompkins Insurance shares several offices with The Bank of Castile and The Trust Company. AM&M also provides insurance services for financial planning and wealth management clients, offering risk management plans using life, disability and long-term care insurance products.

Subsidiary Activities

The Company�� subsidiaries include: three wholly owned banking subsidiaries, Tompkins Trust Company (the Trust Company), The Bank of Castile, and The Mahopac National Bank (Mahopac National Bank); AM&M Financial Services, Inc., doing business as Tompkins Financial Advisors, a wholly owned and an investment advisor (AM&M), and a wholly owned insurance agency subsidiary, Tompkins Insurance. AM&M and the trust division of the Trust Company provides an array of investment services under the Tompkins Financial Advisors division, including investment management, trust and estate, financial and tax planning, as well as life, disability and long-term care insurance services. The Trust Company has a full-service office in Cortland, New York and a full-service office in Auburn, New York. Both of these offices are located in counties contiguous to Tompkins County. The Trust Company operates 15 banking offices, including two limited-service banking offices in the counties of Tompkins, Cortland, Cayuga and Schuyler, New York.

The Bank of Castile is a New York State-chartered commercial bank and conducts its operations through its 15 banking offices, in towns situated in and around the areas commonly known as the Letchworth State Park area and the Genesee Valley region of New York State. The Bank of Castile�� lending portfolio includes loans to the agricultural industry. The Mahopac National Bank (Mahopac National Bank) operates 15 banking offices, including one limited-service office in counties north of New York City. The 15 banking offices include five full-service offices in Putnam County, New York, three full-service offices in Dutchess County,! New York! , and six full-service offices, and one limited-service office in Westchester County, New York.

Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc. (Tompkins Insurance) offers property and casualty insurance to individuals and businesses primarily in Western and Central New York. AM&M Financial Services, Inc. (AM&M) offers financial services through three operating companies: AM&M Planners, Inc., which provides fee-based financial planning and wealth management services for corporate executives, small business owners and high-net-worth individuals; Ensemble Financial Services, Inc., an independent broker-dealer and outsourcing company for financial planners and investment advisors, and Ensemble Risk Solutions, Inc., which creates customized risk management plans using life, disability and long-term care insurance products. Tompkins Capital Trust I and Sleepy Hollow Capital Trust I are Delaware statutory business trusts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Ithaca, N.Y.-based financial services company Tompkins Financial (TMP) raised its quarterly dividend 5.3% to 40 cents per share, payable Nov. 15 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 4.
  TMP Dividend Yield: 3.25%

• [By Fredrik Arnold]

  Tompkins Financial Corp. (TMP) netted $44.97 based on a mean target price estimate from three analysts combined with projected annual dividend less broker fees. The Beta number showed this estimate subject to volatility 27% less than the market as a whole.

10 Best Railroad Stocks For 2014: Maverick Minerals Corp (MVRM)

Maverick Minerals Corporation (Maverick), incorporated on August 27, 1998, is an exploration-stage company. The Company is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of prospective oils and gas properties and mineral properties. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company's business focus was to implement the terms of the Farmout Agreement pursuant to which were to earn an interest in certain oil and gas mineral leases located in Fort Bend and Wharton Counties, Texas.

The Company�� subsidiary includes Eskota Energy Corporation. On January 22, 2011, the Company completed drilling of its Initial Test Well on the Company's 4,513 acre Farm-Out property in Fort Bend County, Texas. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had not generated any revenues.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  On Friday, small cap mining stocks Maverick Minerals Corp (OTCMKTS: MVRM) and Liberty Coal Energy Corp (OTCMKTS: LBTG) plus oil stock Gray Fox Petroleum Corp (OTCBB: GFOX) sank 30.9%, 16.67% and 11.2%, respectively. However, only one of these stocks appears to have been the subject of some kind of paid promotion in the form of an investment in some shares. So will these three small cap mining or oil stocks keep coming up empty for investors this week? Here is a closer look:

  Maverick Minerals Corp (OTCMKTS: MVRM) Has Been Quiet Lately

  Small cap Maverick Minerals Corp is an exploration stage company involved in the acquisition, exploration, and development of prospective oil and gas properties and mineral properties. On Friday, Maverick Minerals Corp sank 30.9% to $0.38 for a market cap of $6.13 million plus MVRM is up 280% over the past year and up 322.2% over the past five years according to Google Finance.

10 Best Railroad Stocks For 2014: Timeless Software Ltd (TLW)

Timeless Software Limited is an investment holding company mainly engaged in the provision of computer consultancy and software maintenance services, software development and sales of computer hardware and software. It operates in four divisions: software development, hardware sales, software sales and e-commerce services. As of March 31, 2012, the Company�� subsidiaries included Three Principles Computer Service Company Limited, which is engaged in the provision of computer consultancy services, development and sales of computer software; Encore Trading Limited, which is engaged in the trading of computer software and hardware and provision of information technology consultancy services in Hong Kong; Timeless Northern Software (Beijing) Company Limited, which is engaged in design, development and maintenance of computer software and systems, as well as provision of computer consultancy services, and other subsidiaries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  IAG, the parent of British Airways, climbed 3 percent to 373.6 pence and Air France advanced 1.5 percent to 7.62 euros. BG Group Plc (BG/), the third-biggest oil and gas producer listed in the U.K., dropped 1.2 percent to 1,245 pence and Tullow Oil Plc (TLW) retreated 1.4 percent to 875 pence.

10 Best Railroad Stocks For 2014: Eurobank Ergasias SA (EUROB)

Eurobank Ergasias SA, formerly EFG Eurobank Ergasias SA, is a banking and financial services group located in Greece. It is organized into five segments: Retail, incorporating customer current accounts, savings, deposits and investment savings products, credit and debit cards, consumer loans, small business banking and mortgages; Corporate, incorporating direct debit facilities, current accounts, deposits, overdrafts, loan and other credit facilities, foreign currency and derivative products to corporate entities; Wealth Management, incorporating private banking services, including total wealth management, to medium and high net worth individuals, insurance, mutual fund and investment savings products, and institutional asset management; Global and Capital Markets, incorporating investment banking services including corporate finance, merger and acquisition and equity brokerage, as well as International. On December 27, 2013, it merged by absorption of the New TT Hellenic Postbank SA. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  National Bank of Greece surged 24 percent and Eurobank Ergasias SA (EUROB) more than doubled. The lenders��planned merger has been postponed and not canceled, Bank of Greece Governor George Provopoulos said, after statements on April 8 that they will be recapitalized separately.

10 Best Railroad Stocks For 2014: Weyco Group Inc.(WEYS)

Weyco Group, Inc. engages in the distribution of men?s foot wear primarily in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia, and South Africa. It offers casual, dress, and fashion shoes. The company offers its products under the brand names of Florsheim, Nunn Bush, Stacy Adams, Umi, Brass Boot, and Nunn Bush NXXT. Weyco Group sells its products to shoe specialty stores, department stores, and clothing retailers. As of December 31, 2010, it owned 35 retail stores in the United States and an Internet business. The company was formerly known as Weyenberg Shoe Manufacturing Company and changed its name to Weyco Group, Inc. in April 1990. Weyco Group, Inc. was founded in 1896 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Weyco Group (Nasdaq: WEYS  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

10 Best Railroad Stocks For 2014: Pendrell Corp (PCO)

Pendrell Corporation (Pendrell), formerly ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Limited, incorporated on March 17, 2000, is a fully-integrated intellectual property (IP) investment and advisory company. The Company develops and implements strategies to create, acquire, commercialize and license IP. The Company provides IP valuation services, analysis and strategic advice through Pendrell�� wholly owned subsidiary, Pendrell Technologies LLC (PTL) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Ovidian Group LLC (Ovidian Group). It also assists its clients with a rangeof IP services, including IP valuation and investment analysis, IP landscape analysis, IP divestitures and IP risk mitigation strategies. On June 17, 2011, the Company acquired Ovidian Group. On October 31, 2011, the Company�� subsidiary, Pendrell Technologies LLC, acquired 90.1% interest in ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. In November 2011, Technicolor SA sold its 25.7% interest in ContentGuard to Pendrell Technologies LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pendrell Corporation. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company completed the divestiture of its satellite communications assets. Effective February 25, 2013, the Company acquired 68% interest in Provitro Biosciences LLC.

The Company competes with Acacia Research Corporation, Coller IP Management, Intellectual Ventures, Mosaid, Rovi, RPX, Wi-Lan, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company and Red Chalk Group.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Pendrell (PCO) is a fully integrated intellectual property investment and advisory firm. This stock closed up 2.3% to $2.18 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $2.08-$2.22
  
  52-Week Range: $1.04-$2.71
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 263,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 457,962

  From a technical perspective, PCO bounced higher here back above its 50-day moving average of $2.16 with lighter-than-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of PCO within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if PCO manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $2.22 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PCO as long as it's trending above Tuesday's low of $2.08 or above $2 and then once it sustains a move or close above $2.22 with volume that hits near or above 457,962 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PCO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $2.50 to its 52-week high at $2.71.

10 Best Railroad Stocks For 2014: Edp Energias de Portugal SA (EDPFY.PK)

EDP Energias de Portugal SA (EDP), incorporated in 1976, is a Portugal-based company engaged in the electric energy and gas sectors. The Company develops its activities in the business areas of generation, supply and distribution of electricity and supply and distribution of gas. The Company operates through six business units: Electricity Generation, Renewable Energies, Electricity Distribution, Electricity Supply, Gas and Brazil Operations. EDP is also present in electricity generation, supply and distribution in Brazil, Spain and the United States. In April 2008, the Company acquired EDP Renovaveis through Nuevas Energias de Occidente (NEO). In February 2008, Horizon Wind Energy, LLC, EDP�� 100%-owned subsidiary for United States wind operations, acquired from Hydra Energy, LLC, a portfolio of six early stage projects in an aggregate of 1,050 megawatts of wind capacity, located in the States of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, the United States.

Electricity Generation

In Spain, EDP operates through HC Energia. Cogeneration consists of simultaneous production of power and steam using thermal technology, such as in the form of natural gas turbines. Cogenerators are usually attached to an industrial customer or services, to which they supply the electricity and steam they need. Energy generation includes a centralised energy management platform responsible for actively managing the price and volume risks for the EDP Company�� portfolio in the Iberian Peninsula.

Renewable Energies

The Company�� electricity from renewable energies is generated by its subsidiary NEO, and in the United States of America by its subsidiary Horizon Wind Energy. In July 2007, EDP acquired 100% interest in Horizon, a developer, owner and operator of wind power generation in the United States, from the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. In September 2007, Horizon owned 941 gross megawatt of operating wind projects and has 615 megawatt of projects under construction, for expected operational ! capacity of 1.556 gross megawatts (1.324 net megawatts).

Electricity Distribution

EDP develops the regulated electricity distribution activity in mainland Portugal and in Spain in the Asturias region and to a lower extent in Madrid, Valencia and Alicante. Electricity distribution activity is a regulated activity that consists in bringing the electricity, through the distribution network, from the transport network substations to the final consumption points. Within the scope of this activity, EDP builds, operates and maintains the distribution network and other installments aimed at electricity distribution, granting service quality and direct and customized assistance.

EDP Distribuicao Energia, S.A. is EDP�� company operating in the regulated distribution and supply businesses in Portugal. EDP�� distribution activity is regulated by energy service regulator (ERSE), which defines the tariffs, parameters and prices for electricity and other services in Portugal, controlling and assuring the levels of quality and service demanded by the Direccao Geral de Geologia e Energia (DGGE). EDP Distribuicao is holder of an open-ended binding license for the business of distribution of medium- and high-voltage electricity in mainland Portugal. It is also the concessionaire for almost all the low-voltage distribution network, in accordance with concession contracts with the municipalities. HC Energia operates in the regulated electricity distribution and supply business, with its natural market being the region of Asturias. HC Energia�� network covers the Asturias, Valencia, Madrid and Alicante regions.

Electricity Supply

EDP's electricity supply offers the services, such as maintenance and assistance services, services aimed at electricity quality, specialized technical services and energy efficiency services. EDP operates in Portugal through EDP Comercial, while in Spain, its electricity supply service is obtained from HC Energia or Naturgas, ! which off! ers its customers an integrated portfolio of gas and electricity products.

Gas

EDP has a presence in the gas sector in the Iberian Peninsula, through Naturgas in Spain, and through EDP Gas in Portugal. Naturgas market is the Basque Country, and Asturias, and it operates in the Spanish gas sector by providing services, such as transport, distribution and supply of gas; supply of gas in the liberalized market, and sourcing and trading.

Brazil Operations

EDP is present in Brazil through Energias do Brasil, a 62.4%-owned subsidiary. Energias do Brasil operates in the electricity generation, distribution and supply businesses.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Hunkar]

  Current Dividend Yield: 6.43%
  Sector: Telecom
  Country: Australia

  Company: Edp Energias De Portugal SA (EDPFY.PK)

  Current Dividend Yield: 4.68%
  Sector: Electric Utilities
  Country: Portugal