Top 5 Railroad Companies To Buy For 2015

Berkshire's MidAmerican Energy is heavily invested in alternative fuels. Will BNSF follow suit with LNG? Source: BNSF.

Last year,�Berkshire Hathaway�subsidiary BNSF Railway announced that it would begin testing liquefied natural gas-powered locomotives toward the end of 2013. BNSF CEO Matt Rose had this to say:

The use of liquefied natural gas as an alternative fuel is a potential transformational change for our railroad and for our industry ... While there are daunting technical and regulatory challenges still to be faced, this pilot project is an important first step that will allow BNSF to evaluate the technical and economic viability of the use of liquefied natural gas in through-freight service, potentially reducing fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions, thereby providing environmental and energy security benefits to our nation.

Consider, on top of that, that Berkshire has more than $6 billion invested in companies heavily involved in natural gas production and distribution, and�it's not a stretch to see Warren Buffett having reached the conclusion that domestic production of oil and natural gas will continue to be strong, and that natural gas will keep gaining traction as a transportation fuel. How big is this to Berkshire?�

Top 5 Railroad Companies To Buy For 2015: Powershares Dynamic Leisure And Entertainment Portfolio (PEJ)

PowerShares Dynamic Leisure and Entertainment Portfolio (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dynamic Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex Index (the Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex). The Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex consists of stocks of 30 United States leisure and entertainment companies. These are companies that are principally engaged in the design, production or distribution of goods or services in the leisure and entertainment industries. These companies may include companies that provide goods or services, including television and radio broadcast or manufacture (including cable television); motion pictures and photography; recordings and musical instruments; publishing, including newspapers and magazines; sporting goods and camping and recreational equipment; toys and games, including video and other electronic games; amusement and theme parks; travel and travel-related services; leisure apparel or footwear, and owners and operators of sports arenas and gaming casinos, hotels and motels. Stocks are selected principally on the basis of their capital appreciation potential as identified by the AMEX (the Intellidex Provider) pursuant to its Intellidex methodology.

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks of leisure companies and entertainment companies. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex. The Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex is adjusted quarterly, and the Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate the performance of the Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex. The Fund generally will invest in all of the stocks comprising the Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex in proportion to their weightings in the Leisure and Entertainment Intellidex. The Fund�� investment advisor is PowerShares Capital Management LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  The shares of small cap IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) have slipped more than 10% this week on growth concerns - meaning it might be a good idea to take a closer look at the stock plus its performance�verses other cinema stocks like Carmike Cinemas, Inc (NASDAQ: CKEC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) along with the PowerShares Dynamic Leisure & Entertainment ETF�(NYSEARCA: PEJ).

• [By Mary Anne & Pamela Aden]

  So, for now, the US stock market is the best overall market. So continue holding the stocks you have, which are mostly doing very well. If you want to buy new positions and increase your stock allocation, the following ETFs are among the strongest ETFs, and we recommend them for purchase: SPDR KBW Bank (KBE)
  
  Consumer Discretionary SPDR (XLY)
  
  Merrill Lynch Retail HOLDRS (RTH)
  
  iShares Dow Jones US Financial Service (IYG)
  
  PowerShares Dynamic Leisure & Entertainment (PEJ)
  
  

  Subscribe to The Aden Forecast here��/P>

Top 5 Railroad Companies To Buy For 2015: Aqua America Inc.(WTR)

Aqua America, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates regulated utilities that provide water or wastewater services in the United States. The company serves residential, commercial, fire protection, industrial, and other water and wastewater customers in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Maine, Missouri, and Georgia. It also provides water and wastewater services through operating and maintenance contracts with municipal authorities and other parties, as well as sludge hauling, septage and grease services, and backflow prevention services. The company was formerly known as Philadelphia Suburban Corporation and changed its name to Aqua America, Inc. in 2004. Aqua America, Inc. was founded in 1968 and is based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Justin Loiseau]

  Is Aqua dried up?
  Aqua America (NYSE: WTR  ) announced this week that Chairman, President, and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis recently sold around $3 million worth of shares. Management stock sales usually make Wall Street worry that the top dogs know something Mr. Market doesn't. If corporate executives sell stock, they may believe their company is overvalued -- or they may know there's trouble ahead.

• [By Sean Williams]

  The first big risk for American Water Works and the water utility sector as a whole is the need for infrastructure and maintenance upgrades. The downside of expanding into new territories and picking up new customers is that pipe, sewer, and storage tank maintenance is needed just to keep operations running. American Water Works' primary rival, Aqua America (NYSE: WTR  ) , spent $1.4 billion in maintenance and upgrades alone between 2007 and 2011. American Water Works, by contrast, will spend $950 million just in 2013 for maintenance and upgrades. These costs are already painful to begin with, but when capex costs are unexpected it can negatively impact a water utility's bottom line.

Top 5 Penny Stocks To Watch Right Now: Owens Corning Inc(OC)

Owens Corning engages in the provision of composite and building materials systems worldwide. It operates in two segments, Composites and Building Materials. The Composites segment manufactures, fabricates, and sells glass reinforcements in the form of fiber; and manufactures and sells glass fiber products in the form of fabrics, mat, veil, and other specialized products. Its products are used in pipe, roofing shingles, sporting goods, computers, telecommunications cables, boats, aircraft, defense, automotive, industrial containers, and wind-energy applications in the power and energy, housing, water distribution, industrial, transportation, consumer, and aerospace/military markets. This segment sells its products directly to parts molders and fabricators; and glass fiber and/or glass mat directly to shingle manufacturers. The Building Materials segment manufactures and sells fiberglass insulation into residential, commercial, industrial, and other markets for thermal and acoustical applications. It also offers glass fiber pipe insulation, and energy flexible duct media and foam insulation products, such as thermal and acoustical batts, loose fill insulation, foam sheathing, and accessories for use in home construction and remodeling; and manufactures residential roofing shingles and oxidized asphalt materials used in residential and commercial construction and specialty applications. This segment sells its insulation products, and shingles and roofing accessories to insulation installers, home centers, lumberyards, retailers, distributors, and contractors; and asphalt to roofing contractors and distributors for built-up roofing asphalt systems, as well as to manufacturers in the automotive, chemical, rubber, and construction industries. Owens Corning was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Owens Corning (OC) lowered its earnings outlook for the year Friday as its roofing business continues to see weaker volumes. Shares slid 7% to $38.40 in premarket trading as the company said weakness in roofing volumes seen in the first quarter continued in April and May, dragging down its full-year�expectations.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.65 per share on revenue of $1.39 billion.

  E*TRADE Financial (NASDAQ: ETFC) is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.17 per share on revenue of $419.41 million.

Top 5 Railroad Companies To Buy For 2015: Digicore Holdings Ltd (DGC)

Digicore Holdings Limited is a South Africa-based holding company engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions. The Company operates in three segments: South African Distribution, Foreign Distribution, Product Development and Manufacturing and Group Management. The Company's South African distribution segment focuses on distribution of manufactured fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions within the South African consumer market. Foreign distribution focuses on the distribution of manufactured fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions all around the world. Product development and manufacturing segment focuses on investing in research, manufacturing and development of vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions for distribution. Group Management segment renders management services to the Company. On August 31, 2012, the Company obtained an additional 27% shareholding in Ctrack (Pty) Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Detour Gold (DGC) plunged 18 percent to C$6.35, an almost five-year low. The company said in a statement it will not reach its 2013 production target of 270,000 ounces of gold and now forecasts 240,000 to 260,000 ounces.

Top 5 Railroad Companies To Buy For 2015: Accuray Incorporated(ARAY)

Accuray Incorporated designs, develops, and sells medical radiation systems for the treatment of tumors anywhere in the body. The company offers the CyberKnife system, an image-guided robotic radiosurgery system used for the treatment of solid tumors. The system tracks, detects, and corrects for tumor and patient movement in real-time during the procedure, enabling delivery of precise, high dose radiation typically with sub-millimeter accuracy. The company also offers the TomoTherapy system, which consists of an integrated and versatile radiation therapy system used for the treatment of a range of cancer types. Accuray Incorporated markets its product through a direct sales force and distributors worldwide. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Intuitive Surgical's stock has been battered by worse-than-expected third-quarter results, which included the first year-over-year quarterly revenue decline in company history, coming on the heels of an underwhelming second quarter this summer. Fool contributor Rupert Hargreaves notes that the FDA's initiated an investigation on Intuitive's da Vinci surgical robotics systems, after it found several discrepancies in its incident reports. As a result, quarterly sales of the da Vinci declined from 155 units to 101 units, a drop that can only be partly blamed on slowing demand for medical devices in the U.S. Intuitive may have underperformed compared to recently acquired MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO  ) and Accuray (NASDAQ: ARAY  ) over the past year, but it remains the 800-pound gorilla among these industry peers.

• [By Sean Williams]

  What: Shares of medical device maker Accuray (NASDAQ: ARAY  ) jumped as much as 13% after the company reported its third-quarter earnings results.