5 Best Logistics Stocks To Invest In 2014

Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Wednesday’s session are Aramark Holdings Corp.(ARMK), C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.(CHRW) and Merck(MRK) & Co.

Aramark said its fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 4.5% as the food-services company posted broad-based revenue growth in its first report as a public company. Results beat estimates, pushing shares up 6% to $26.50 premarket.

C.H. Robinson’s fourth-quarter profit fell 64% as the transportation and logistics company’s truckload net revenue margin fell amid higher costs per-mile. Results missed Wall Street’s expectations, sending shares down 8.1% to $53.88 premarket.

Merck said its fourth-quarter earnings fell 14% on weaker sales as the drugmaker also was hit by expenses related to its cost-cutting efforts. Results missed estimates, and the company’s sales outlook for the year was weak. Shares rose 1.6% to $54.36 premarket as the company also said it entered three separate collaboration agreements with other drugmakers to evaluate its investigational MK-3475 immunotherapy cancer treatment.

Top Canadian Stocks To Watch For 2015: New Residential Investment Corp (NRZ)

New Residential Investment Corp., incorporated on September 26, 2013, is a real estate investment trust. The Company focuses on investing in, and actively managing, investments related to residential real estate. On May 15, 2013, Newcastle Investment Corp. announced that the spin-off of New Residential Investment Corp.

The Company is managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, a global investment management. The Company primarily target investments in excess mortgage servicing rights, residential mortgage backed securities, residential mortgage loans and other related investments.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  New Residential Investment Corp.(NRZ) and other investors agreed to buy about $3.2 billion of servicing advances from Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc.(NSM), part of Nationstar’s plan to reconfigure its acquisition structure. The advances relate to nonagency residential mortgage loans with an unpaid principal balance of about $58 billion. Nationstar shares rose 4.1% to $42.50 in light premarket trading.

5 Best Logistics Stocks To Invest In 2014: Endesa SA (ELE.MC)

Endesa SA is a Spain-based holding company engaged in the energy sector. The Company is primarily involved in the generation, distribution and supply of energy from different sources, such as gas, cogeneration and renewables. It also generates, distributes and supplies electricity. The Company is also engaged in real estate operations as well as coal mining. Its business is divided into four lines: Electricity, Gas, Cogeneration and renewables; as well Other activities. The Company operates in such countries as Spain, Portugal, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Morocco and China, among others. The Company operates a number of subsidiaries worldwide. The Company is a member of Enel Group. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anna Prior]

  Cheniere Energy Inc.(LNG) said Spanish energy company Endesa SA(ELE.MC) agreed to purchase about 1.5 million tons a year of liquified natural gas from the Houston-based company’s planned Corpus Christi export operations. The agreement is for 20 years from the first commercial delivery, which is expected to start as soon as 2018. Shares edged up 2.4% to $58.99 premarket.

5 Best Logistics Stocks To Invest In 2014: MFS Intermediate Income Trust (MIN)

MFS Intermediate Income Trust (the Trust) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The Trust seeks to preserve capital and provide high current income. It maintains a portfolio that includes investments in short and intermediate-term United States Government and foreign high-grade securities.

MFS Intermediate Income Trust's portfolio includes non-United States Government bonds, mortgage-backed securities, the United States Government agency securities, the United States Treasury securities, emerging market bonds, commercial mortgage-backed securities, residential mortgage-backed securities and high-grade corporate securities. The Trust can invest in foreign securities, including securities of emerging market issuers. The Trust's investment advisor is Massachusetts Financial Services Company.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Akaralph]

  I have written about MFS Intermediate Income Fund (MIN) on a few previous occasions, most recently here. I have extolled its virtues as a defensive play in a bear market scenario.

5 Best Logistics Stocks To Invest In 2014: Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais Cemig (CIG)

Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais (CEMIG), incorporated on May 22, 1952, is a Brazil-based holding company mainly engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. In the generation segment, CEMIG operates through hydroelectric plants, thermoelectric plants and wind farms. In the transmission segment, as of December 31, 2008, CEMIG�� transmission network was comprised of 38 substations with a total of 94 transformers and an aggregate transformation capacity of 15,583 Megavolt amperes. In the distribution business, as of December 31, 2008, the Company owned and operated 451,539 kilometers of distribution lines, supplying electricity to approximately 10 million customers. CEMIG is also engaged in the natural gas distribution business in Minas Gerais, through its subsidiary Companhia de Gas de Minas Gerais - GASMIG, as well as in the telecommunications business, through its subsidiary Cemig Telecomunicacoes SA - Cemig Telecom, which provides optical fiber and coaxial cable network.

Power Generation and Trading

As of December 31, 2009, the Company generated electricity at 54 hydroelectric plants, three thermoelectric plants and two wind farms, and had a total installed capacity of 6,624 megawatts. As of December 31, 2009, it owned and operated 3,085 miles of transmission lines and 281,756 miles of distribution lines. It holds concessions to distribute electricity in 96.7% of the territory of Minas Gerais. Eight of CEMIG�� hydroelectric plants accounted for approximately 81% of its installed electric generation capacity during the year ended December 31, 2009. CEMIG operates the Ipatinga thermoelectric plant, through its subsidiary Usina Termica Ipatinga S.A. The plant has an installed capacity of 40 megawatts, generated by two units and that uses blast furnace gas as fuel. The Company operates the Sa Carvalho hydroelectric power plant, located on the Piracicaba River in the municipality of Antonio Dias in the State of Minas Gerais, through its subsid! iary Sa Carvalho S.A. The Company�� Rosal hydroelectric plant has an installed capacity of 55 megawatts. The Rosal plant is located on the Itabapoana River, which runs along the border between the states of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.

Cemig Capim Branco Energia S.A. is engaged in developing the Capim Branco Generating Complex in partnership with Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD), a mining company, Comercial e Agricola Paineiras, an agricultural company, and Companhia Mineira de Metais (CMM) a metallurgical company. Horizontes Energia S.A. was formed by the Company to generate and trade electricity, through the commercial operation of its hydroelectric plants: the Machado Mineiro Power Plant (located on the Pardo River in the municipality of Ninheira in the State of Minas Gerais with an installed capacity of 1.72 megawatts); the Salto do Paraopeba Power Plant (located on the Paraopeba River in the town of Jeceaba in the State of Minas Gerais with an installed capacity of 2.37 megawatts); the Salto Voltao Power Plant (located on the Chapecozinho River in the town of Xanxere in the State of Santa Catarina with an installed capacity of 8.2 megawatts), and the Salto do Passo Velho Power Plant (located on the Chapecozinho River in the town of Xanxere in the State of Santa Catarina with an installed capacity of 1.8 megawatts), as well as other generating projects.

Usina Termeletrica Barreiro S.A. holds the assets of the Barreiro thermoelectric power plant. The Irape Hydroelectric Power Plant, which has an installed capacity of 360 megawatts, is located on the Jequitinhonha River, in northern Minas Gerais. The Company�� wind farm, Morro do Camelinho is located in Gouveia, a municipality in northern Minas Gerais. It has a total generation capacity of 1 megawatt, powered by four turbines with a capacity of 250 kilowatts each. Central Eolica Praia do Morgado S.A is located in the county of Acarau, in the State of Ceara. Central Eolica Volta do Rio S.A is located in the county ! of Acarau! , in the State of Ceara.

Transmission

The Company�� transmission business consists of the bulk transfer of electricity from the power plants where it is generated to the distribution system, which carries the electricity to final consumers, and others consumer agents connected directly in the transmission grid. Its transmission system comprises transmission lines and step-down substations with voltages ranging from 230 kilovolt to 500 kilovolt. As of December 31, 2009, the Company�� transmission network in Minas Gerais consisted of 1,352 miles of 500 kilovolt lines, 1,244 miles of 345 kilovolt lines and 485 miles of 230 kilovolt lines, as well as 35 substations with a total of 94 transformers and an aggregate transformation capacity of 15,506 megavolt ampere. The Company transmits the energy that it generates and the energy that it purchases from Itaipu and other sources, as well as the energy for the interconnected power system. On December 31, 2009, the Company also had 13 industrial consumers, to whom it transported 4,103 gigawatt hour directly with high voltage energy, through their connections to its transmission lines. Nine of these industrial consumers accounted for approximately 66.9% of the transported total volume of electricity. The Company also transmits energy to distribution systems, through the south/southeast-linked system of the grid.

Distribution and Purchase of Electric Power

The Company�� distribution operation consists of electricity transfers from distribution substations to final consumers. Its distribution network consists of a network of overhead and underground lines and substations with voltages lower than 230 kilovolts. The Company supplies electricity to industrial consumers at the higher end of the voltage range and residential and commercial consumers at the lower end of the range.

Other Businesses

The Company holds approximately 55% of Gasmig and Petrobras, through its subsidiary, Gaspet! ro-Petrob! ras Gas S.A., holds 40%. In 2009, Gasmig supplied approximately 1.5 million cubic meters of natural gas per day to 276 consumers, including 175 industrial and commercial clients, 93 retail distribution stations for natural gas vehicles, two thermal power plants and six distributors of compressed natural gas (CNG). Gasmig supplied 0.2 million cubic meters of gas per day to thermal power plants and 1.3 million cubic meters of gas per day to retail consumers. In addition to, Gasmig also supplied eight customers with re-gasified liquefied natural gas (LNG). In 2009, Gasmig distributed approximately 4.1% of all natural gas distributed in Brazil.

The Company�� owns a 99.9% interest in Cemig Telecomunicacoes S.A., which has an optical fiber-based long-distance communications backbone installed along the Company�� power grid using optical ground wire cables. This communications backbone is connected to an access network that is based on hybrid fiber-coaxial cable technology and is deployed along its power grid. The telecommunication services provided by Cemig Telecomunicacoes S.A., through its network are signal transportation and access, both for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications, delivered to telecommunications operators and Internet service providers on a channel basis. Cemig Telecomunicacoes S.A. also provides intra-company data transmission services to the Company. CEMIG provides consulting services to governments and public utility companies in the electricity industry. The Company has a 100% interest in Efficientia S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Companhia Energ茅tica de Minas Gerais S.A. (NYSE: CIG) is a top utility in Brazil. It even trades over 3 million shares on average in New York. At $5.70, the 52-week range is $5.48 to $8.89. This ADR is down about 4% so far in 2014.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Utilities shares dropped by 0.53 percent in today’s trading. Top decliners in the sector included Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (NYSE: CIG), down 3.0 percent, and Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo (NYSE: SBS), off 3.07 percent.