10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now

The various models of the Prius from Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) are the best-selling hybrid vehicles in the United States. As of the end of July, the three versions of the car have sold nearly 140,000 units. And the carmaker is planning to make the car lighter and more fuel efficient for the 2015 model year.

The Prius has been available in the U.S. for more than 15 years, and Toyota�� leadership in hybrid car sales has never been threatened. According to HybridCars.com, 47 hybrid car models were available for sale in July, and Prius has garnered nearly 46% of all hybrid sales in the first seven months of the year. In the month of July, the aggregate market share for all Toyota hybrid models was just over 70%.

The pretenders are legion: the Fusion and C-Max hybrids from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F ) have sold more than 43,000 units so far this year, and the Malibu hybrid from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) has sold a little more than 12,000. The Civic hybrid from Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) has sold an anemic 3,719 cars so far this year.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: BG Group PLC (BRGXF.PK)

BG Group plc (BG Group) is a natural gas company. The Company is engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas and oil. It operates in three business segments: Exploration and Production (E&P), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Transmission and Distribution (T&D). Effective January 1, 2012, the Company was managed across three regions: Americas and Europe; Africa, Central and South Asia, and Australia and East Asia, supported by Global Energy Marketing and Shipping (GEMS) and BG Advance. The Company has interests in 25 countries on five continents. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired an interest in, and operatorship of, offshore blocks L10A (BG Group 40%) and L10B (BG Group 45%) in Kenya. During 2011, the Company acquired additional Marcellus shale properties in partnership with EXCO Resources, Inc. (EXCO). In June 2013, BG Group PLC announced that it has completed the sale of its 65.12% holding in Gujarat Gas Company Limited (GGCL). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Heather Ingrassia]

  On Thursday, August 15, GasLog (GLOG) announced that it had ordered two new 174K cbm Tri-Fuel Diesel Electric LNG carriers from Samsung Heavy Industries. These carriers are expected to be delivered in 2016 which is the same year the company will begin seven-year charters with BG Group (BRGYY.PK) (BRGXF.PK).

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: China Automotive Systems Inc.(CAAS)

China Automotive Systems, Inc., through its interests in Sino-foreign joint ventures, engages in the manufacture and sale of power steering systems and other component parts for the automotive industry in the People?s Republic of China. It offers a range of steering system parts for passenger automobiles and commercial vehicles. The company provides 4 separate series, 307 models of power steering, including rack and pinion power steering, integral power steering, electronic power steering and manual steering, steering columns, steering oil pumps, and steering hoses. China Automotive Systems, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Jing Zhou City, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Richard Schmidt]

  We admittedly bought into China Automotive Systems (CAAS) too soon. The stock is still down from our original recommendation price, but the future looks very bright.

5 Best Valued Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hersha Hospitality Trust (HT)

Hersha Hospitality Trust, a real estate investment trust, engages in the ownership and operation of mid scale limited service hotels in the Eastern United States. As of June 30, 2005, it owned interests in 35 hotels, including 4 hotels owned through joint ventures in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, Hersha would not be subject to income tax to the extent it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its stockholders. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Markus Aarnio]

  American Hotel Income Properties' competitors include Hospitality Properties Trust (HPT), RLJ Lodging Trust (RLJ), and Hersha Hospitality Trust (HT).

• [By George Putnam]

  Steve Halpern: Now, you've also looked at a company called Hersha Hospitality (HT). How are they involved in the industry?

  George Putnam: Well, Hersha, again, has been refocusing its business. It was a little unfocused before. It had both a suburban and urban market, and it's recently agreed to sell the last of its suburban properties.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (BRF)

Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap Index (the Index). The Index is a rules-based, modified market capitalization-weighted, float-adjusted index consisting of publicly traded small-capitalization companies that are domiciled and primarily listed on an exchange in Brazil, or that generate at least 50% of their revenues in Brazil. The Index is the exclusive property of 4asset-management GmbH, which has contracted with Standard & Poor��, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. to maintain and calculate the Index. The Fund is passively managed and may not hold each Index component in the same weighting as the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Van Eck Associates Corporation. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (NYSEArca: BRF) has performed closely with the larger ETF group, with a drop of almost 4% so far in 2014. By its name, you can assume it tracks small-cap stocks. It aims to track the Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap Index. At $28.51, its 52-week trading range is $27.99 to $44.17.

• [By Hilary Kramer]

  Brasil Foods SA (BRF) is South America�� largest food processing company, involved in everything from meat and dairy products to pasta, frozen vegetables and soybean-related products. The company has been around since 1939, and Forbes ranked it 39th on its list of the world�� most innovative companies. It brings in about $13 billion in sales each year, and analysts are estimating that earnings will grow from 94 cents per share in 2012 to $1.94 for all of 2013, with additional growth to $2.78 in 2014.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Maui Land & Pineapple Company Inc. (MLP)

Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, sale, and leasing of real estate properties. It owns approximately 23,300 acres of land on Maui. The company also offers water and waste transmission services. In addition, it manages certain resort amenities at the Kapalua Resort. The company was founded in 1909 and is based in Lahaina, Hawaii.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL) is a master limited partnership (MLP) that was formed by Sunoco Inc. to acquire, own and operate a group of refined product and crude oil pipelines and terminal facilities.
  Yield: 3.6% | Years of Dividend Growth: 11

• [By Matthew Skelly]

  The technology of fracturing (and the horizontal style of drilling), is changing America's needs on the energy front. At the epicenter of this infrastructure build-out is Atlas Pipeline Partners (NYSE:APL), a midstream gathering and processing company that trades as a Master Limited Partnership, (MLP). Atlas Pipeline is essentially a middle man between the drillers and long-haul transportation pipelines. It gathers mixed volumes of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs) such as ethane, propane, and butanes, etc. from the thousands of wells drilled by its drilling customers, back through pipelines to its processing plants, which will separate the gas from the NGLs. Both are then sold to long-haul transportation pipelines, which take the two products downstream to the next part of the energy supply chain.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Greengro Technologies Inc (GRNH)

GreenGro Technologies Inc., formerly Authoriszor Inc., provides management services for the planning, construction, staffing and operation of medical marijuana dispensaries, and nurseries on behalf of non-profit patient co-operatives. Through long term contracts, the Company operates non-profit centers, returning all unused patient contributions, on a pro-rata basis to each co-op member in the form of additional product. In February 2010, Authoriszor Inc. completed the acquisition of GreenGro Technologies, Inc., and CannovaHealth, a clinic management company. In September 2011, the Company acquired Vertical Hydrogarden, Inc.

Medical marijuana (medical cannabis) is an alternative method to other forms of medication used to manage or alleviate pain without the undo side-effects caused by the prescription medication being used to treat an illness. The Company stands ready to assist in patient care co-operatives throughout the United States.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  But, as the Huffington Post points out, most of the companies that stand to benefit are very small–they make micro caps look big–trade over the counter–good bye liquidity. That includes transaction-processing company MediSwipe (MWIPD), GreenGro Technologies (GRNH) Medbox (MDBX), which makes dispenser for high-risk drugs, and GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPRF).

• [By Dan Burrows]

  MediSwipe (MWIP) has tripled, with MWIP stock up 200%. Cannabis Science (CBIS) is closing in on quadrupling, as CBIS stock gained 273%. And GreenGro Technologies (GRNH)? Brace yourself, because GRNH stock is up over 1,000% … including an 18% so far today.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  But it doesn’t end there. Investors should run away from all OTC marijuana stocks, including Medical Marijuana (MJNA), Cannabis Science (CBIS), CannaVest (CANV), MediSwipe (MWIP) and GreenGro Technologies (GRNH). As the SEC warns:

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: DRDGOLD Ltd (DRD)

DRDGOLD Limited (DRDGOLD), incorporated on February 16, 1895, is a South Africa-based surface gold retreatment company. DRDGOLD operates in a single segment, Ergo. Ergo is a surface retreatment operation and treats old slime and sand dumps to the south of Johannesburg�� central business district, as well as the east and central Rand goldfields. The operation consists of four plants: Brakpan, Crown, City and Knights. Included in the Ergo segment is the East Rand Proprietary Mines Limited (ERPM) surface operation comprise the Cason retreatment operation. Ergo is evaluating the viability of processing surface uranium- and sulphur-bearing tailings on the east and central Rand goldfields of South Africa. The Company�� business includes Crown Gold Recoveries (Pty) Limited (Crown), Ergo Mining (Pty) Limited (Ergo JV) and ErgoGold are jointly referred to as ERGO and ERPM. On June 1, 2012, the Company disposed of its 74% interest in and loan claims against Blyvoor.

The Company�� focus is on the recovery of lower-risk, lower-cost, higher-margin ounces. As of October 9, 2012, 68% of production comes from surface retreatment operation. The company holds a 74%-interest in operating subsidiary Ergo Mining Operations (Proprietary) Limited. Crown is the gold surface tailings retreatment facility, reprocessing the large and numerous sand and slimes dumps along the reefs that stretch from east to west just to the south of Johannesburg�� central business district (CBD). Crown�� major project is Top Star, a tailings dam to the south of Johannesburg�� CBD. ERPM is situated on the Witwatersrand Basin near the town of Boksburg, 25 kilometers to the east of Johannesburg. The Ergo as a joint venture between DRDGOLD and Mintails Limited. Wholly owned by the DRDGOLD group, Ergo has a network of surface rights that provide access to a further 600 million tons of surface tailings deposited across the western, central and eastern Witwatesrand. Ergo has three tailings deposition facilities. ERPM continues ! as a surface retreatment operation. It holds 65% of ErgoGold through the contribution of its Elsburg Tailings Complex.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roland Head]

  DRDGold (NYSE: DRD  ) climbed 4.2% to $6.25 last week. Rather than mining gold, this South African firm is focused on large-scale reprocessing of the tailings, or waste piles, of large gold mines in order to extract the gold that was not captured by the original mining process. This business is heavily mechanized and requires a relatively small workforce, giving DRDGold some protection from the rising labor costs that are reducing the profitability of many South African mining firms.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  DRDGOLD (NYSE: DRD) shares fell 4.09% to reach a new 52-week low of $4.66. DRDGOLD's trailing-twelve-month profit margin is -1.61%.

  InnerWorkings (NASDAQ: INWK) shares dipped 34.83% to touch a new 52-week low of $6.19 after the company reported downbeat Q3 results and issued a weak FY13 outlook.

• [By Zahra Hankir]

  The MSCI Emerging Markets Index decreased 1.5 percent to 995.30, extending its slump for the week to 3.2 percent. Benchmark stock gauges from South Africa to Russia and China dropped more than 1 percent, while the Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index posted the second-biggest decline among the 94 world equity gauges tracked by Bloomberg. DRDGold Ltd. (DRD) and AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. decreased at least 3.7 percent in Johannesburg as the precious metal drove losses in commodities.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: 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 Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Enertopia Corp (ENRT)

Enertopia Corp (Enertopia), incorporated on November 24, 2004, is engaged in medicinal marijuana business. The Company is diverse in its pursuit of business opportunities in several sectors, including: Medicinal Marijuana, Oil and Gas, Solar PV (Photovoltaic), Solar Thermal (Hot Water), Energy Retrofits and Recovery, and Solar powered Filtered Drinking Water.

The Company no longer has any material oil and gas resources. The Company operates in two segments: renewable energy, and mining exploration and developments, which are managed separately based on fundamental differences in their operations nature.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  What�� the Catch With Lexaria Corp? According to various disclosures, a transaction or transactions of $1k has or will occur to mention Lexaria Corp in various investment newsletters. Last Friday, Lexaria Corp announced it had closed its Private Placement financing announced on March 5 for gross proceeds of $1,272,000 ��higher than the originally announced $960,000 figure due to ��verwhelming demand.��Lexaria Corp will issue 10,600,000 common shares at US$0.12 and 10,600,000 full warrants that expire on September 21, 2016 with an exercise price of US$0.25. However, the company may also accelerate the expiry date of the warrants if the stock price trades above CAD$0.40 cents for 20 consecutive days at any time after 6 months and one day has elapsed. Otherwise and in early March, Lexaria Corp reported that its board of directors had decided to make a strategic entry into the medical marijuana business by way of an ��mportant Joint Venture��with Enertopia Corp (OTCQB: ENRT). Under the terms of the Agreement, Lexaria Corp had agreed to pay Enertopia 1 million restricted common shares in return for Enertopia's participation plus 500,000 restricted common shares ENRT�� Chairman in return for his participation on the Lexaria Advisory Board. Following the issuance of these shares, Lexaria Corp will have a total of 18,431,452 shares issued and outstanding and 21,256,452 shares fully diluted. A quick look at Lexaria Corp�� financials reveals revenues of $160k (most recent reported quarter), $241k, $251k and $253k for the past four quarters along with net losses of $102k (most recent reported quarter), $126k, $58k and $48k. At the end of last January, Lexaria Corp had $66k in cash to cover $1,415k in current liabilities and $59k in other liabilities. So aside from the income statement, investors might want to look more closely at Lexaria Corp�� financing terms.

10 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Penn National Gaming Inc.(PENN)

Penn National Gaming, Inc. and its subsidiaries own and manage gaming and pari-mutuel properties in the United States. It operates approximately 27,000 gaming machines; 500 table games; and 2,000 hotel rooms in 23 facilities in 16 jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. The company was formerly known as PNRC Corp. and changed its name to Penn National Gaming, Inc. in 1994. Penn National Gaming, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe] the measures taken to balance out revenue in case of headwinds.

  Valuation and Contracts

  One factor that plays in this firm�� favor is NASCAR�� long-term contracts with major TV networks and radio stations. The most recent deal is set to launch in 2015, and will bind the motorsport brand for 10 years to NBC and Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (FOX), for a total of $8.2 billion (45% annual increase over the current contract). Although a more stable economic scenario may reignite concessionary spending among customers, and cause the motorsport segment to gain popularity again, the non-existent switching costs and alternative leisure choices could be detrimental to this company. Also, ISCA�� current $87.9 million cash flow will likely be stagnated by the new Daytona Ring Project, which is expected to cost $400 million over the next five years.

  Furthermore, concerns remain regarding the company�� growth metrics, especially given their downward trend. For the fourth quarter in 2013, revenue showed negative growth of 0.5%, a downfall which ISCA has not been able to stall since 2007. Operating margins have also fallen by 9% in the past two years (currently at 12.8%), in addition to the below average (2.02%) dividend yield of 0.70%. Added to a premium P/E value of 33.00x trailing earnings, compared to the industry average of 22.40x, I feel bearish about this motorsports giant�� near-term profitability and see some uncertainty in the long-term future.

  Disclosure: Patricio Kehoe holds no position in any stocks mentioned.

  About the author:Patricio KehoeA fundamental analyst at Lone Tree Analytics
• [By Paul Ausick]

  Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) completed on Monday the spin-off of its real-estate holdings into a new REIT, Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. (G&LP) (NASDAQ: GLPI). The spin-off was first announced a year ago. Shares in GLPI are trading at around $46.51 after opening at $45.76 this morning.

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Famed investor Leon Cooperman sold his position in Penn National Gaming (PENN) in the fourth quarter of 2013, replacing it with a 2.2 million shares of GLPI, the real estate spinoff the casino operator took public through a 1-for-1 share distribution last November. Its first acquisition came one month later when it paid $140 million for a casino in East St. Louis. Pure-play REITs come in all shapes and sizes, but never before has there been one in the casino business.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the Move: BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) is down 16.4% at $6.50 after announcing that no buyout bid will be forthcoming. Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) is down 76.7% at $13.75 after spinning-off its real-estate holdings into a REIT. Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) is up 15.5% at $1.53 following the acquisition of its major operations in Wuxi.