Best Gas Utility Stocks For 2014

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) – Tick. Tick. Tick. Hear that? It's time slipping away between now and the end of 2013.

If you're a hedge fund manager, that's a very worrying sound. After all, with the S&P 500 up 25% since the start of the year after yesterday's record high close, performance expectations are high this year. And for the funds that were underexposed to stocks to start the year, that presents a real gap that needs to be filled before the calendar flips over to January again.

That's not just the case for a few select fund managers; as a group, hedge funds were underweight stocks coming into the year, and many bet on a down move in the S&P back in June. That means that there's lots of money in search of returns for the final months of the year.

And some stocks are attracting more hedge fund dollars than others this quarter...

So today, we'll take a look at the five stocks that hedge funds love the most right now. To do that, we're focusing on 13F filings.

Top Mid Cap Companies To Invest In 2015: AECOM Technology Corp (ACM)

AECOM Technology Corporation (AECOM) is a provider of professional technical and management support services for commercial and government clients around the world. The Company provides planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services for a range of projects, including highways, airports, bridges, mass transit systems, government and commercial buildings, water and wastewater facilities, and power transmission and distribution. It also provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics and other support services, for agencies of the United States government. It offers services in two segments: Professional Technical Services and Management Support Services. In June 2011, the Company acquired Spectral Services Consultants Pte. Ltd.

Professional Technical Services (PTS)

The PTS segment delivers planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services to commercial and government clients worldwide in end markets, such as transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government markets. It provides program management services through a joint venture for the Second Avenue subway line in New York City, design and contract administration services for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities and engineering and environmental management services to support global energy infrastructure development for a number of petroleum and mining companies.

PTS segment contributed 86% of the Company�� revenue during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011).

Transit and rail projects include light rail, heavy rail (including high speed, commuter and freight) and multimodal transit projects. The Company provided engineering design services for the new World Trade Center Terminal for PATH and the Second Avenue Subway (8.5-mile rail route and 16 stations) in New York City, the Ma O! n Shan Rail (seven-mile elevated railway) in Hong Kong, and Crossrail (74-mile railway) in the United Kingdom. Marine, Ports and Harbors Projects include wharf facilities and container port facilities for private and public port operators. The Company provided marine design and engineering services for container facilities in Hong Kong, the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York and New Jersey. Highways, Bridges and Tunnels Projects include interstate, primary and secondary urban and rural highway systems and bridge projects. Aviation Projects include landside terminal and airside facilities and runways as well as taxiways.

Government Projects include the Company�� emergency response services for the Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and engineering and program management services for agencies of the Department of Defense. It also provides architectural and engineering services for national laboratories, including the laboratories at Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico. Industrial Projects include industrial facilities for a variety of end markets, including manufacturing, distribution, aviation, aerospace, communications, media, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, chemical, and food and beverage facilities. Urban Master Planning/Design Projects include design services, landscape architecture, general policy consulting and environmental planning projects for a variety of government, institutional and private sector clients. It provides strategic planning and master planning services for new cities and mixed use developments in the People�� republic of China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Commercial and Leisure Facilities Projects include corporate headquarters, high-rise office towers, historic buildings, hotels, leisure, sports and entertainment facilities, hospitals and healthcare facilities and corporate campuses. Institutional Projects include engin! eering se! rvices for college and university campuses, including the new Kennedy-King College in Chicago, Illinois. It has also undertaken assignments for Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Pomona College and Loyola Marymount University in California. Healthcare Projects include design services for the Mayo Clinic Gonda Building in Rochester, Minnesota, University Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City and the Samsung Cancer Center in Seoul, Korea. It has also undertaken assignments for the new Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Orlando, Florida, and the Minneapolis campus of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Correctional Projects include the planning, design, and construction of detention and correction facilities throughout the world.

Water and Wastewater Projects include treatment facilities as well as supply, distribution and collection systems, stormwater management, desalinization, and other water re-use technologies for metropolitan governments. Environmental Management Projects include remediation, waste handling, testing and monitoring of environmental conditions and environmental construction management for private sector clients. Water Resources Projects include regional-scale floodplain mapping and analysis for public agencies, along with the analysis and development of protected groundwater resources for companies in the bottled water industry.

Demand Side Management Projects include energy efficient systems for public K-12 schools and universities, health care facilities, and courthouses and other public buildings, as well as energy conservation systems for utilities. Transmission and Distribution Projects include power stations and electric transmissions and distribution and co-generation systems, including enhanced electrical power generation in Stung Treng, Cambodia. These projects utilize a range of services that include consulting, forecasting and surveying to detailed engineering design and construction management. Alternative/Renewable Energy Projects ! include p! roduction facilities, such as ethanol plants, wind farms and micro hydropower and geothermal subsections of regional power grids. It provides site selection and permitting, engineering, procurement and construction management and related services. Hydropower/Dams Projects include hydroelectric power stations, dams, spillways, and flood control systems including the Song Ba Ha Hydropower Project in Vietnam, the Pine Brook Dam in Boulder County, Colorado and the Peribonka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Quebec, Canada. Solar Projects include performing environmental work for the solar photovoltaic Brockton Brightfield project in New England, and environmental permitting services for the California Energy Commission to permit the development of a 250 mega watts (MW) solar thermal power plant in the Mojave Desert of California.

Management Support Services (MSS).

The MSS segment provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics, consulting, technical assistance and systems integration services, for agencies of the United States government. It also provides organizational and limited direct support services for equipment sent to the United States Army's Corpus Christi Depot in Texas. The MSS segment contributed 14% of the Company�� fiscal 2011 revenue.

Installation, Operations and Maintenance Projects include Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations where the Company provides services for the operation and maintenance of complex government installations, including military bases, test ranges and equipment. It also provides services for the operations and maintenance of the Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site. Logistics and Field Services Projects include logistics support services for a number of Department of Defense agencies and defense contractors focused on developing and managing integrated supply and distribution networks. Training Projects include training applications in live, virtual and simulation training! environm! ents. Systems Support Projects cover a set of operational and support systems for the maintenance, operation and modernization of Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations. Its services in this area range from information technology and communications to life cycle optimization and engineering, including environmental management services.

Technical Personnel Placement Projects include the placement of personnel in functional areas of military and other government agencies, as these entities continue to outsource critical services to commercial entities. It provides systems, processes and personnel in support of the Department of Justice's management of forfeited assets recovered by law enforcement agencies. It also supports the Department of State in its enforcement programs by recruiting, training and supporting police officers for international and homeland security missions. Field Services Projects include maintaining, modifying and overhauling ground vehicles, armored carriers and associated support equipment both within and outside of the United States under contracts with the Department of Defense. It also maintains and repairs telecommunications systems for military and civilian entities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Since Friday, three major acquisitions have been announced. AECOM Technology�(ACM) said it would buy URS�(URS) for $4 billion; Mylan�(MYL) agreed to pay $5.3 billion for�Abbott Laboratories�(ABT) non-U.S. generic drug business; and Whiting Petroleum (WLL) said it would take over Kodiak Oil & Gas (KOG). And amazingly, none of them appear to be overpriced.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Continuing to laze its way through summer, the U.S. Department of Defense announced only nine mostly small new contracts Tuesday, totaling just a bit over $87 million in aggregate value. Winners today included:

Best Gas Utility Stocks For 2014: Pacific Coast Oil Trust (ROYT)

Pacific Coast Oil Trust is a statutory trust formed by Pacific Coast Energy Company LP (PCEC) to own interests in the Underlying Properties. As of December 31, 2011, the Underlying Properties consisted of the proved developed reserves on the Underlying Properties, which it refers to as the Developed Properties, and all other development potential on the Underlying Properties, which it refers to as the Remaining Properties. The Underlying Properties are located in California in the Santa Maria and Los Angeles Basins. PCEC produces oil and natural gas from its Orcutt properties in the Santa Maria Basin. The production in the Orcutt oilfield is produced from formations utilizing conventional production methods.

PCEC is engaged in the production and development of oil and natural gas from properties located in California. As of December 31, 2011, PCEC held interests in approximately 276 gross (215 net) producing wells, and had proved reserves of approximately 34.1 million barrels of oil equivalent. The Underlying Properties consist of producing and non-producing interests in oil units, wells and lands located onshore in California in the Santa Maria Basin, which contains PCEC�� Orcutt properties, and the Los Angeles Basin, which contains PCEC�� West Pico, East Coyote and Sawtelle properties. As of December 31, 2011, there were 37 producing wells and six waterflood injection wells in the West Pico Unit. West Pico also includes three wells held by the Stocker JV, a joint venture between PCEC and PXP.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Pacific Coast Oil Trust (NYSE: ROYT) down, falling 7.13 percent to $16.70 after the company priced a public offering by Pacific Coast Energy Company LP and other selling unitholders of 13,500,000 trust units at a price of $17.10 per unit.

Best Gas Utility Stocks For 2014: JMP Group Inc (JMP)

JMP Group Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an investment banking, asset management, and corporate credit management company in the United States. The company provides various investment banking products and services, such as capital raising, mergers and acquisitions transaction, and other strategic advisory services to corporate clients. It also offers sales and trading services, which include distributing equity research products, communicating proprietary investment recommendations, executing equity trades on behalf of institutional clients, and marketing the securities of companies, as well as related brokerage services to institutional investors. In addition, the company provides proprietary equity research in five industries, including consumer, financial services, healthcare, real estate, and technology industries. Further, it provides asset management products and services to institutional investors, and high net-worth individuals; and involves in the man agement of collateralized loan obligations. JMP Group Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California with additional offices in New York, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and Alpharetta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Full-service investment banking, asset management and corporate credit management firm JMP Group (JMP) raised its quarterly dividend 13% to 4.5 cents per share, payable April 11 to shareholders of record as of March 28.
  JMP Dividend Yield: 2.41%

Best Gas Utility Stocks For 2014: Morgan Stanley (INR)

Morgan Stanley, incorporated on January 10, 1981, is a global financial services company that, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides its products and services to a range of clients and customers, including corporations, governments, financial institutions and individuals. The Company is a financial holding company. The Company operates in three segments: Institutional Securities, Global Wealth Management Group and Asset Management. The Company provides financial advisory and capital-raising services to a group of corporate and other institutional clients worldwide. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� Global Wealth Management Group had $1,649 billion in client assets. The Company�� Asset Management business segment offers clients an array of equity, fixed income and alternative investments and merchant banking services. In December 2013, the Company announced that it has sold the majority of its global physical oil trading operations to Rosneft' NK OAO.

Institutional Securities

The Company provides financial advisory and capital-raising services primarily through wholly owned subsidiaries that include Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (MS&Co.), Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and Morgan Stanley Asia Limited, and certain joint venture entities that include Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., Ltd. (MSMS) and Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd. (MUMSS). The Company, primarily through these entities, also conducts sales and trading activities worldwide, as principal and agent, and provides related financing services on behalf of institutional investors. The Company manages and participates in public offerings and private placements of debt, equity and other securities worldwide. The Company is an underwriter of common stock, preferred stock and other equity-related securities, including convertible securities and American depositary receipts (ADRs). The Company is also an underwriter of fixed income securities, including investment-grade debt, non-i! nvestment-grade instruments, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, tax-exempt securities and commercial paper and other short-term securities.

The Company provides corporate and other institutional clients worldwide with advisory services on matters, such as mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, recapitalizations, spin-offs, exchange offers and leveraged buyouts and takeover defenses, as well as shareholder relations. The Company also provides advice concerning rights offerings, dividend policy, valuations, foreign exchange exposure, financial risk management strategies and financial planning. In addition, the Company provides advice and services regarding project financings and provides advisory services in connection with the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of real estate. The Company provides loans or lending commitments, including bridge financing, to selected corporate clients through its subsidiaries, including Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A (MSBNA).

The Company conducts sales, trading, financing and market-making activities on securities and futures exchanges and in over-the-counter (OTC) markets worldwide. The Company�� Institutional Securities sales and trading activities consists of Equity Trading; Fixed Income and Commodities; Clients and Services; Research, and Investments. The Company acts as principal (including as a market-maker) and agent in executing transactions worldwide in equity and equity-related products, including common stock, ADRs, global depositary receipts and exchange-traded funds. The Company�� equity derivatives sales, trading and market-making activities cover equity-related products worldwide, including equity swaps, options, warrants and futures overlying individual securities, indices and baskets of securities and other equity-related products. The Company also issues and makes a principal market in equity-linked products to institutional and individual investors.

The ! Company t! rades, invests and makes markets in fixed income securities and related products globally, including, among other products, investment and non-investment grade corporate debt, distressed debt, bank loans, the United States and other sovereign securities, emerging market bonds and loans, convertible bonds, collateralized debt obligations, credit, currency, interest rate and other fixed income-linked notes, securities issued by structured investment vehicles, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities and real estate-loan products, municipal securities, preferred stock and commercial paper, money-market and other short-term securities. The Company is a dealer of the United States federal government securities and a member of the selling groups that distribute various the United States agency and other debt securities. The Company is also a dealer or market-maker of government securities in European, Asian and emerging market countries.

The Company trades, invests and makes markets globally in listed futures and OTC swaps, forwards, options and other derivatives referencing, among other things, interest rates, currencies, investment grade and non-investment grade corporate credits, loans, bonds, the United States and other sovereign securities, emerging market bonds and loans, credit indexes, asset-backed security indexes, property indexes, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities and real estate loan products. The Company trades, invests and makes markets in foreign currencies, such as the British pound, Canadian dollar, euro, Japanese yen and Swiss franc, as well as in emerging markets currencies. The Company trades these currencies on a principal basis in the spot, forward, option and futures markets.

The Company advises on investment and liability strategies and assists corporations in their debt repurchases and tax planning. The Company invests and makes markets in the spot, forward, physical derivatives and futures markets in several commodities, including ! metals (b! ase and precious), agricultural products, crude oil, oil products, natural gas, electric power, emission credits, coal, freight, liquefied natural gas and related products and indices. The Company is a market-maker in exchange-traded options and futures and OTC options and swaps on commodities, and offers counterparties hedging programs relating to production, consumption, reserve/inventory management and structured transactions, including energy-contract securitizations and monetization. The Company is an electricity power marketer in the United States and owns electricity-generating facilities in the United States and Europe.

The Company owns TransMontaigne Inc. and its subsidiaries, a group of companies operating in the refined petroleum products marketing and distribution business, and owns a minority interest in Heidmar Holdings LLC, which owns a group of companies that provide international marine transportation and the United States marine logistics services. The Company provides financing services, including prime brokerage, which offers, among other services, consolidated clearance, settlement, custody, financing and portfolio reporting services to clients trading multiple asset classes. In addition, the Company�� institutional distribution and sales activities are overseen and coordinated through Clients and Services.

The Company�� research department (Research) coordinates worldwide across all of the Company�� businesses and consists of economists, strategists and industry analysts who engage in equity and fixed income research activities and produce reports and studies on the United States and global economy, financial markets, portfolio strategy, technical market analyses, individual companies and industry developments. The Company from time to time makes investments that represent business facilitation or other investing activities. From time to time, the Company may also make investments and capital commitments to public and private companies, funds and oth! er entiti! es. The Company�� Operations and Information Technology departments provide the process and technology platform that supports Institutional Securities sales and trading activity, including post-execution trade processing and related internal controls over activity from trade entry through settlement and custody, such as asset servicing.

Global Wealth Management Group

The Company�� Global Wealth Management Group, which includes the Company�� 51% interest in Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Holdings LLC (MSSB), provides financial services to clients. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company had a network of more than 17,500 global representatives in approximately 765 locations. Global Wealth Management Group professionals serve individual investors and small-to-medium sized businesses and institutions with focus on ultra-high-net-worth, high-net-worth and affluent investors. Global representatives are located in branches across the United States. Outside the United States, Global Wealth Management Group offers financial services to clients in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, Canada and Latin America.

The Company�� Global Wealth Management Group provides clients with an array of financial solutions, including products and services from the Company, Citigroup Inc. (Citi) and third-party providers, such as insurance companies and mutual fund families. Global Wealth Management Group provides brokerage and investment advisory services covering various types of investments, including equities, options, futures, foreign currencies, precious metals, fixed income securities, mutual funds, structured products, alternative investments, unit investment trusts, managed futures, separately managed accounts and mutual fund asset allocation programs. Global Wealth Management Group also engages in fixed income principal trading, which primarily facilitates clients��trading or investments in such securities. In addition, Global Wealth Management Group offers ! education! savings programs, financial and wealth planning services, and annuity and other insurance products.

Global Wealth Management Group offers its clients access to several cash management services through various banks and other third parties, including deposits, debit cards, electronic bill payments and check writing, as well as lending products through affiliates, such as Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association (MS Private Bank) and MSBNA, including securities-based lending, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit. Global Wealth Management Group also provides trust and fiduciary services, offers access to cash management and commercial credit solutions to qualified small- and medium-sized businesses in the United States, and provides individual and corporate retirement solutions, including individual retirement accounts and 401(k) plans and the United States and global stock plan services to corporate executives and businesses. Global Wealth Management Group provides clients a variety of ways to establish a relationship and conduct business, including brokerage accounts with transaction-based pricing and investment advisory accounts with asset-based fee pricing.

Asset Management

The Company's portfolio managers located in the United States, Europe and Asia manage investment products ranging from money market funds to equity and fixed income strategies, alternative investment and merchant banking products in developed and emerging markets across geographies and market cap ranges. The Company offers a range of alternative investment, real estate investing and merchant banking products for institutional investors and high net worth individuals. The Company�� alternative investments platform includes funds of hedge funds, funds of private equity funds and portable alpha strategies. The Company�� alternative investments platform also includes minority interest in Lansdowne Partners, Avenue Capital Group and Traxis Partners LP. The Company�� real e! state and! merchant banking businesses include its real estate investing business, private equity funds, corporate mezzanine debt investing group and infrastructure investing group.

The Company acts as general partner of, and investment adviser to, its alternative investment, real estate and merchant banking funds. The Company provides investment management strategies and products to institutional investors worldwide, including corporations, pension plans, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and banks through a range of pooled vehicles and separate accounts. It also provides sub-advisory services to various unaffiliated financial institutions and intermediaries. The Company offers open-end and alternative investment funds and separately managed accounts to individual investors through affiliated and unaffiliated broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies, financial planners and other intermediaries. Closed-end funds managed by the Company are available to individual investors through affiliated and unaffiliated broker-dealers. The Company also distributes mutual funds through a range of retirement plan platforms. Internationally, the Company distributes traditional investment products to individuals outside the United States through distributors and distributes alternative investment products through affiliated broker-dealers and banks. The Company�� Operations and Information Technology departments provide or oversee the process and technology platform required to support its asset management business. Support activities include transfer agency, mutual fund accounting and administration, transaction processing and certain fiduciary services on behalf of institutional, intermediary and high net worth clients.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Market Vectors Indian Rupee/USD ETN (NYSEMKT: INR) and WisdomTree Indian Rupee (NYSEMKT: ICN) are both performing poorly as well in the currency exchange traded note (ETN) world, although their trading volume is too thin to monitor.