5 Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2014

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) recently licensed 250 seasons of TV shows from Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA  ) in an effort to beef up its streaming business and add more members to Prime. But Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) has proven that it's extremely difficult to make money with streaming, and Amazon adds the cost of two-day shipping as well.�

Fool contributor Travis Hoium thinks this just adds to Amazon's challenges and that margins won't see any improvement in the near term.�

For another perspective, The Motley Fool's premium report on Amazon will tell you what's driving the company's growth, and fill you in on reasons to buy and reasons to sell Amazon. The report also has you covered with a full year of free analyst updates to keep you informed as the company's story changes, so click here now to read more.

Hot Low Price Stocks To Own Right Now: Constellation Brands Inc (STZ.B)

Constellation Brands, Inc., incorporated on December 4, 1972, is a producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits with operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Italy. The Company�� beer brands include Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo and Pacifico. Its wine brands consist of Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Kim Crawford, Rex Goliath, Mark West, Franciscan Estate, Ruffino and Jackson-Triggs. The Company�� spirits brands include SVEDKA Vodka and Black Velvet Canadian Whisky. The Company has more than 100 brands in its portfolio, sales in approximately 100 countries and has about 40 facilities.

Beer

The Company imports markets and sells Mexican Beer Brands in all 50 states of the United States, which includes Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Pacifico, Negra Modelo and Victoria. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2014 (fiscal 2014), the Company had 15 imported beer brands in the United States. During fiscal 2014, the Company introduced Modelo Especial Chelada, a blend of Modelo Especial with flavors of tomato, salt and lime.

Wine and Spirits

The Company sells a range of wine brands across all categories, such as table wine, sparkling wine and dessert wine in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Its wine produced in the United States is primarily marketed domestically and in Canada and the United Kingdom. The wine produced in Canada is primarily marketed domestically. Wine produced in New Zealand is primarily marketed in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and domestically. Wine produced in Italy is primarily marketed in the United States, Canada and domestically. In addition, it also exports its wine products to other world markets. Its spirits business, Svedka Vodka is imported from Sweden.

The Company sells its wine brands in the United States, which comprise its United States Focus Brands (Focus Brands) includes Arbor Mist, Inniskillin, Rex Go! liath, Black Box, Kim Crawford, Robert Mondavi, Blackstone, Mark West, Ruffino, Clos du Bois, Mount Veeder, Simi, Estancia, Nobilo, Toasted Head, Franciscan Estate, Ravenswood and Wild Horse. Its spirits brands include Black Velvet Canadian Whisky and Svedka Vodka.

Corporate Operations and Other

The Corporate Operations and Other segment includes corporate-related items, including executive management, corporate development, corporate finance, human resources, internal audit, investor relations, legal, public relations and global information technology.

The Company competes with Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, Heineken, E&J Gallo Winery, The Wine Group, Trinchero, Treasury Wine Estates, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Kendall-Jackson, Andrew Peller, Kruger, Pernod Ricard, Lion Nathan, Diageo, Beam, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi and Brown-Forman.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By sandyinvestment]

  As the craft beer industry has a considerable measure of room to develop, Boston Beer confronts rivalry from Molson Coors Brewing (TAP) and Constellation Brands (STZ) (STZ.B). Each of the three organizations have had great runs on the Street, however Boston Beer and Constellation Brands have been the greatest outperformers. We should investigate each of them.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2014: StanCorp Financial Group Inc.(SFG)

StanCorp Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance products and asset management solutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Insurance Services and Asset Management. The Insurance Services segment offers group and individual disability, group life, group accidental death and dismemberment, group dental, and group vision insurance products, as well as absence management services to individuals and employers. This segment sells its group insurance products through sales representatives, as well as through independent employee benefit brokers and consultants; and individual disability insurance products through brokers and master general agents primarily to physicians, lawyers, executives, other professionals, and small business owners. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 31,000 group insurance policies in force covering approximately 6.8 million employees. The Asset Management segment provides 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 457 plans, defined benefit plans, money purchase pension plans, profit sharing plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation products and services through an affiliated broker-dealer. This segment also offers investment advisory and management, commercial mortgage loan origination and servicing, and financial planning services, as well as individual fixed-rate annuity, group annuity, and retirement plan trust products. In addition, the company owns and manages real estate properties for sale; and operates an online financial life planning and management service. StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Merkel]

  The two stocks in question are Stancorp Financial (SFG) and National Western Life Insurance (NWLI). The short cases for both are based on a naive view of how insurance companies work.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2014: Franco-Nevada Corp (FNV)

Franco-Nevada Corporation (Franco-Nevada) is a gold-focused royalty and stream company with interests in platinum group metals (PGMs), oil and gas and other resource assets. The majority of revenues are generated from a diversified portfolio of properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Africa. The portfolio includes over 340 assets covering properties at various stages from production to early stage exploration. Franco-Nevada considers its stream/royalty interest in the Palmarejo and Goldstrike projects to be its only material mineral projects. The oil and gas assets are located primarily in the Western Canadian sedimentary basin with a larger amount of revenue generated from conventional oil than from natural gas properties. The oil and gas assets also include mineral rights to approximately 100,000 gross acres of unproved land in Canada primarily related to oil and natural gas rights, as well as working interests in Arctic gas resources. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adrian Day]

  The names, yeah, I'll give some names, and, of course, everything depends, I mean, all the qualifications, it depends on the person and depends on the price when you go to buy, but you know, I love a company like Franco-Nevada (FNV) which is a royalty company; it's the largest of the royalty companies.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  The biggest increase among our dividend stocks this week came from gold-focused royalty and stream company Franco-Nevada (FNV), which raised its quarterly dividend 11% to 20 cents per share. The dividend is payable on a as-yet-undetermined date in May.
  FNV Dividend Yield: 1.69%

• [By Tyler Laundon]

  This royalty business model of Franco-Nevada Gold (FNV) is a winner, especially in this environment, since Franco-Nevada avoids various risks associated with developing and operating gold mines.

5 Best Shipping Stocks To Watch For 2014: Synthesis Energy Systems Inc.(SYMX)

Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc., a global energy and gasification technology company, provides products and solutions to the energy and chemical industries. It offers technology and equipment in regions, where low rank coals and biomass feed stocks can be converted into high value products through its proprietary U-GAS fluidized bed gasification technology. The company licenses its U-GAS technology rights to third parties and delivers an engineered technology package, as well as provides proprietary equipment components to customers, who have contracted to own and operate projects. It has a joint venture agreement with Shandong Hai Hua Coal and Chemical Company Ltd. for developing, constructing, and operating a syngas production plant utilizing the U-GAS technology in Zao Zhuang City, China; and for producing and selling syngas, and various byproducts of the plant, including ash and elemental sulphur. The syngas can be used as a fuel gas in industrial applications, or can b e used to produce power, synthetic natural gas, methanol, dimethyl ether, glycol, ammonia, direct reduction iron, and synthetic gasoline, as well as other transportation fuels, steam, sulphur, carbon dioxide, or ash. Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charley Blaine]

  Synthesis Energy Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMX) shares were among the Friday’s biggest percentage gainers, all because it has a deal to become a leader in the clean coal gasification market in China.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Synthesis Energy Systems (NASDAQ: SYMX) shares jumped 26.01% to $2.18 on the receipt of a 20-year business license for China Clean Coal Gasification joint venture