Top Gas Utility Companies To Watch For 2014

LONDON -- There appears to be no stopping the FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE  ) at the moment, as it has once again set a new five-and-a-half-year high of 6,711 points. As of 7:55 a.m. EDT, it's up 0.24% to 6,709. If the index maintains its current level by close, it will have risen for 11 consecutive trading days since its last dip on April 30.

Still, not all the companies in the various FTSE indexes are enjoying the same success. Here are three that are lagging behind today.

National Grid
National Grid shares have dropped 2.2% this morning, even though the gas and electricity supplier reported a 6% rise in underlying pre-tax profit to 2.7 billion pounds from a 4% rise in revenue. Underlying earnings per share rose 12% to 56.1 pence, which is pretty much in line with the City's expectations. The full-year dividend was lifted 4% to 40.85 pence per share in accordance with the firm's new dividend policy, providing a yield of 4.9% -- the new policy aims to raise the annual dividend at least in line with the RPI inflation rate.

Best Mid Cap Stocks To Invest In 2015: Centor Energy Inc (CNTO)

Centor Energy Inc, formerly Centor, Inc., incorporated on February 16, 2011, is an exploration-stage company. The Company is engaged in the business of mineral exploration.

On November 26, 2012, the Company entered into a purchase agreement with Bullnet Gold Resources Limited. As of May 31, 2013, the Company had not generated revenues. As of May 31, 2013, the Company had no mining operations.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  What do Questerre Energy Corp. (TSE:QEC) and Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSE:CPG) know about oil in Saskatchewan that Centor Energy Inc. (OTCBB:CNTO) doesn't? Absolutely nothing. All three companies know there's oil in the southern part of the Canadian province, and they know exactly how to go get it. The only difference between QEC, CPG, and CNTO is, Questerre Energy and Crescent Point Energy are further along the development of their operations there than Centor Energy.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Blackbaud Inc.(BLKB)

Blackbaud, Inc. provides software and related services for nonprofit organizations. The company offers The Raiser?s Edge, a software application to manage constituent relationship management (CRM) and fundraising activity; Blackbaud CRM, a Web-based CRM solution that addresses the needs of mid-size, large, and federated chapter based nonprofit organizations; eTapestry, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) donor management and fundraising solution for smaller nonprofits; Blackbaud NetCommunity, an Internet marketing and communications tool to build interactive Websites and manage email marketing campaigns; Sphere eMarketing, a SaaS that provides applications to manage e-marketing, communications, programs, services, and online fundraising; Everyday Hero, an event-based online fundraising solution; and BlackbaudNow for developing an online presence and accepting online donations. It also provides The Financial Edge, an accounting application; The Education Edge, a student informa tion management system; Blackbaud?s Student Information System, which links student information across various campus offices, as well as organizes the admissions and registrar?s processes; and Blackbaud for Small Schools, a SaaS solution that helps schools with their registration process, as well as gives parents, students, and faculty an online access to school information. In addition, the company offers The Patron Edge, a ticketing management solution; Blackbaud Direct Marketing that helps in managing direct marketing campaigns with various media and channels; Sphere Friends Asking Friends software product to launch and manage online event fundraising Websites; and Altru, a SaaS solution that helps general admissions arts and cultural organizations in their operation. Further, it provides consulting and education, analytics, maintenance, and payment processing services. Blackbaud, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING.COM]

  Now we like Blackbaud Inc. (NasdaqGS: BLKB).

  Charleston, S.C.-based Blackbaud focuses on such nonprofits as research foundations and universities. The company has 29,000 clients who use its software to manage fundraising, accounting, and online marketing and payment services.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Blackbaud (Nasdaq: BLKB  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 1. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Blackbaud's revenues will expand 20.7% and EPS will expand 11.8%.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Vanguard Health Care Etf (VHT)

Vanguard Health Care ETF (the Fund), formerly known as Vanguard Health Care VIPERs, is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Health Care Index Fund, which employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) US Investable Market Health Care Index (the Index). The Index is an index of stocks of large, medium and small United States companies in the healthcare sector, as classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). This GICS sector is made up of two main industry groups. The first group includes companies that manufacture healthcare equipment and supplies or provide healthcare-related services (such as distributors of healthcare products, providers of basic healthcare services, and owners and operators of healthcare facilities and organizations). The second group includes companies primarily involved in the research, development, production and marketing of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products.

The Fund attempts to replicate the Index by investing all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index, holding each stock in approximately the same proportion as its weighting in the Index. It also may sample its target Index by holding stocks that, in the aggregate, are intended to approximate the Index in terms of key characteristics, such as price/earnings ratio, earnings growth and dividend yield.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  On Thursday, small cap infertility stock OvaScience Inc (NASDAQ: OVAS) surged 23.63% plus shares are up 372.9% since the start of the year���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of female or reproductive health stocks the Female Health Co (NASDAQ: FHCO) and�Utah Medical Products, Inc (NASDAQ: UTMD)�along with the Vanguard Health Care ETF (NYSEARCA: VHT).

Top Gas Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Global Payments Inc.(GPN)

Global Payments Inc. provides electronic transaction processing services for merchants, independent sales organizations (ISO), financial institutions, government agencies, and multi-national corporations located in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. It offers a comprehensive line of processing solutions for credit and debit cards; business-to-business purchasing cards; gift cards; and electronic check conversion and check guarantee, verification, and recovery, including electronic check services, as well as terminal management. The company also offers proprietary software products to establish revolving check cashing limits for the casinos? customers in the gaming industry. In addition, it sells, installs, and services automated teller machine and point of sale terminals; and provides card issuing services, including card management and card personalization. The company markets its products directly, as well as through ISOs, retail outlets, tra de associations, alliance bank relationships, and financial institutions. Global Payments Inc. has a joint venture with La Caixa Group to provide merchant acquiring services to merchants in Spain. Global Payments Inc. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Shares of Global Payments Inc. (GPN) �advanced 4.8% to $67.50 on moderate volume after the company raised its earnings outlook for the year to a range of $4.03 to $4.10 a share. Analysts were forecasting $4.04 a share.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Windstream Corporation(WIN)

Windstream Corporation provides communications and technology solutions in the United States. The company offers various solutions, including IP-based voice and data services, multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networking, data center and managed services, hosting services, and communications systems to businesses and government agencies. It also provides high-speed Internet, voice, and digital television services to residential customers primarily located in rural areas. The company?s data services include data center and managed hosting, MPLS networking, and dedicated access, as well as high-speed Internet to business customers; integrated solutions consist of multiple voice and data services delivered over an IP connection; voice services comprise local and long distance, call waiting, caller identification, and voicemail; and special access services include point-to-point switching arrangements for voice and data traffic. In addition, it provides wholesale services, which primarily include voice and data services on a wholesale basis to other carriers; usage sensitive services to long distance companies; and other local exchange carriers for access to the network in connection with the completion of long-distance calls, as well as reciprocal compensation received from wireless and other local connecting carriers for the use of its facilities. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 3.3 million access lines, 1.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and operated approximately 60,000 fiber route miles. Windstream Corporation is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Windstream Holdings (NASDAQ: WIN) shares gained 0.43% to touch a new 52-week high of $9.24. Windstream's trailing-twelve-month ROE is 22.79%.

  The WhiteWave Foods Company (NYSE: WWAV) surged 1.57% to reach a new 52-week high of $31.07. WhiteWave Foods shares have jumped 61.25% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 14.97% in the same period.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Crosstex Energy Inc.(XTXI)

Crosstex Energy, Inc., through its partnership interests in Crosstex Energy, L.P., engages in the gathering, transmission, processing, and marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil in the United States. The company connects the wells of natural gas producers in its market areas to its gathering systems; processes natural gas for the removal of NGLs; fractionates NGLs; and markets and transports natural gas and NGLs. It also purchases natural gas from natural gas producers and other supply sources; and sells that natural gas to utilities, industrial consumers, other marketers, and pipelines. In addition, the company operates processing plants that process gas transported to the plants by interstate pipelines or from its own gathering systems. Further, it purchases natural gas from producers not connected to its gathering systems for resale, as well as sells natural gas on behalf of producers; and through its crude oil terminal facilities in south L ouisiana provides access for crude oil producers. As of February 8, 2012, the company operated approximately 3,300 miles of pipeline, 9 processing plants, and 3 fractionators. Crosstex Energy, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 Paul Ausick]

  Stocks on the Move: Crosstex Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: XTXI) is up 71.5% at $35.33 on a merger with Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN). Crosstex Energy LP (NASDAQ: XTEX) is up 33.9% at $27.25 on the same news. Voxeljet AG (NYSE: VJET) is up 22.7% at $35.34. J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) is down 8.4% at $6.42, after posting another record low today.

Top Gas Utility Companies To Watch For 2014: Alumina Ltd (AWCMF)

Alumina Limited (Alumina), is an Australia-based company. The Company is the holding company of WMC Group. Alumina is engaged in investing in bauxite mining, alumina refining and selected aluminum smelting operations, through its 40% ownership of Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals (AWAC). The Company�� partner, Alcoa, owns the remaining 60% of AWAC, and is the manager. The Company�� subsidiaries include Alumina Finance Limited, Alumina Holdings (USA) Inc., Alumina International Holdings Pty. Ltd., Alumina Brazil Holdings Pty Ltd, Alumina Limited Do Brasil SA, Alumina (U.S.A.) Inc., Butia Participacoes SA, Westminer Acquisition (U.K.) Limited, Westminer International (U.K.) Limited and Westminer (Investments) B.V. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australia stocks tilted lower early Monday as the Sydney markets reacted to last week's disappointing jobs numbers out of the U.S., with the S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) down 0.2% at 5,304.40. Data out Friday showed the U.S. added a net 74,000 jobs, trailing a forecast for 193,000 positions, and while Wall Street ended mixed following the numbers, Australian stocks will global exposure moved lower. Financial major Macquarie Group Ltd. (AU:MQG) (MCQEF) fell 1.8%, mall developer Westfield Group Australia (AU:WDC) (WEFIF) retreated 0.6%, and media firm News Corp. (AU:NWS) (NWS) -- the parent of MarketWatch, publisher of this report -- gave up 1.3%. But the jobs report also depressed the U.S. dollar, which helped boost prices for dollar-denominated commodities, and this in turn supported Australian resource shares. BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) gained 0.6%, Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) added 0.9%, Alumina Ltd. (AU:AWC) (AWCMF) rallied 4.5%, and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) improved by 1.2%. A strong showing for Comex gold on Friday also sent Newcrest Mining Ltd.

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks nudged modestly higher early Thursday, with a rebound for financials offsetting weakness in the resource space. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) advanced 0.1% to 5,361.80, as banks and brokers gained after losing ground late in the previous session on concerns about the health of major Chinese banks. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (AU:CBA) (CBAUF) and Macquarie Group Ltd. (AU:MQG) (MCQEF) rose 0.7% apiece, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) added 0.5%, and Westpac Banking Corp. (AU:WBC) (WEBNF) improved by 0.5%. On the downside, losses for gold futures overnight sent Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) down 1.3% and Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF) 2.3% lower. The broader mining sector was also lower, with Alumina Ltd. (AU:AWC) (AWCMF) off 2.8%, BHP Billiton Ltd. (AU:BHP) (BHP) down 0.5%, and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF)

• [By WWW.MARKETWATCH.COM]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks headed into a third day of gains Tuesday, as the S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) rose 0.2% in early trade. Miners (except for gold miners) were among the leading advancers: Rio Tinto Ltd. (AU:RIO) (RIO) rose 0.9%, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (AU:FMG) (FSUMF) gained 1.3%, Mt. Gibson Iron Ltd. (AU:MGX) tacked on 2.3%, Alumina Ltd. (AU:AWC) (AWCMF) traded 1.1% higher, and Whitehaven Coal Ltd. (AU:WHC) jumped 5.4% after posting a 26% increase in fiscal-2014 coal output and predicted a modest rebound for coking-coal prices later this year. A hike to the copper-production outlook at Oz Minerals Ltd. (AU:OZL) (OZMLF) was worth a 0.9% gain for the shares as well. On the other side of the ledger, the overnight sell-off in gold sent the volatile gold stocks dropping hard: Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) down 2.5%, Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF) down 5.4%, St. Barbara Ltd. (AU:SBM) down 6.7%, and Sydney-listed shares of Alacer Gold Corp. (AU:AQG)