5 Best Trucking Stocks To Own For 2014

With economic data taking a backseat to a slew of better-than-expected earnings reports, the broad-based S&P 500 continues to knock off one all-time record close after another. For skeptics like me, that's an opportunity to see whether companies have earned their current valuations.

Keep in mind that some companies�deserve�their current valuations. Take railroad operator Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) for example. Union Pacific grew profit by 11% in its most recent quarter as it was able to offset demand weakness in coal with higher prices. With many railroad operators predicting a pickup in shipments in the second half of the year, Union Pacific certainly looks to be in great shape moving forward.

Still, other companies might deserve a kick in the pants. Here's a look at three companies that could be worth selling.

Raise the yellow caution flag
In spite of trucking company YRC Worldwide's (NASDAQ: YRCW  ) share price doubling last week following the company's first quarterly profit in six years (that's right...�six years), shares are still down a mind-boggling 99.9928% over the past decade. Somehow avoiding bankruptcy a few years back by diluting existing shareholders into oblivion, YRC has investors now thinking the company may be on the mend. However, its history makes me�believe otherwise.

Hot High Dividend Companies To Watch In Right Now: Pactera Technology International Ltd (PACT)

Pactera Technology International Ltd. (Pactera), formerly HiSoft Technology International Limited, incorporated on May 27, 2004, provides global consulting and technology services. The Company provides business/information technology (IT) consulting, solutions, and outsourcing services to a range of multinational firms through a globally integrated network of onsite and offsite delivery locations in China, the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. In January 2014, Pactera Technology International Ltd announced the acquisition of Innoveo Solutions AG.

The Company�� services include business and technology advisory, enterprise application services, business intelligence, application development and maintenance, mobility, cloud computing, infrastructure management, software product engineering and globalization, and business process outsourcing. The Company�� clients include 3M, ABB, Cathay Pacific, China Merchants Bank, Citibank, EMC, Expedia, GE, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, NEC and TIBCO.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Pactera Technology International (Nasdaq: PACT  ) reported earnings on May 23. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Pactera Technology International missed estimates on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Pactera Technology International (Nasdaq: PACT  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

5 Best Trucking Stocks To Own For 2014: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Encana Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in the exploration for, development, production, and marketing of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids. The company owns interests in resource plays that primarily include the Greater Sierra, Cutbank Ridge, Bighorn, and Coalbed Methane resource plays located in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Deep Panuke natural gas project offshore Nova Scotia in Canada. It also holds interests in resource plays comprising the Jonah in southwest Wyoming, Piceance in northwest Colorado, Haynesville in Louisiana, and Texas resource play, including east Texas and north Texas. The company serves primarily local distribution companies, industrials, energy marketing companies, and other producers. Encana Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  Comparing CEO compensations
  Last year, McClendon received a base salary of $975,000 and a total compensation of $16.9 million. Meanwhile, chief executives at Encana (NYSE: ECA  ) and Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN  ) , two natural gas producers with very similar market capitalizations, had substantially smaller pay packages last year.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  Recently, Canada�� largest natural gas producer EnCana (ECA) highlighted one of the most ignored ways to profit from the energy sector; ECA announced that they will place around 5.2 million acres worth of oil and gas reserves/wells in Alberta, Canada into a new subsidy called PrairieSky Royalty. EnCana will sell shares of the firm in order to raise some much needed cash. PrairieSky should IPO by mid-June.

5 Best Trucking Stocks To Own For 2014: American Heritage International Inc (AHII)

American Heritage International Inc., formerly Cumberland Hills Ltd., incorporated on January 19, 2010, intends to focus on electronic cigarette. The Company�� product includes American Heritage, American One, American Freedom, American Nights, American Standard and Smoking Alternative Gums and Mints.

The Company�� initial and primary line will be the American Heritage line. American One is a disposable Electronic Cigarette, good for over 500 draws, about the equivalent of over two packs of traditional cigarettes. American Freedom will be the brand name for its Nicotine-Free line of Electronic Cigarettes. American Nights will be a product line targeted to the young adult market of social smokers. Smoking Alternative products will include gums, and mints.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Fans and investors of American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII) - not to mention frenemies Vapor Corp. (OTCMKTS:VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp. (OTCMKTS:ECIG) - can all breathe a sigh of relief today. As it turns out, while the electronic cigarette industry is more than likely be regulated by the FDA, it's going to be regulated in such a way that tends to favor the likes of AHII, ECIG, and VPCO.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  The latest and greatest of these new entrants is a little startup called American Heritage International Inc. (OTCBB:AHII)... a little company that could really rattle the cages of its bigger brothers.

5 Best Trucking Stocks To Own For 2014: Dole Food Company Inc(DOLE)

Dole Food Company, Inc. engages in sourcing, growing, processing, marketing, and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables, and food products to wholesale, retail, and institutional customers worldwide. It operates in three segments: Fresh Fruit, Fresh Vegetables, and Packaged Foods. The Fresh Fruit segment involves in growing and selling bananas under the DOLE brand name primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia; ripening and distributing DOLE and non-DOLE branded fresh produce in Europe; growing, sourcing, and selling fresh pineapples under the DOLE TROPICAL GOLD label; and exporting Chilean fruits, including grapes, apples, pears, stone fruits, and kiwifruits primarily to North America, Latin America, and Europe. The Fresh Vegetables segment engages in sourcing, harvesting, cooling, distributing, and marketing various fresh and fresh-cut vegetables, including iceberg lettuce, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, c arrots, Brussels sprouts, green onions, asparagus, snow peas, artichokes, and radishes, as well as fresh strawberries and raspberries. This segment also processes and markets value-added vegetable products, such as packaged salads and packaged fresh-cut vegetables. The Packaged Foods segment produces and markets canned pineapples, canned pineapple juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit parfaits, snack foods, and frozen fruits, as well as fruits in plastic cups, jars, and pouches. Its principal customers include mass merchandisers and supermarkets. Dole Food Company, Inc. was founded in 1851 and is based in Westlake Village, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of Dole Food� (NYSE: DOLE  ) were looking sweeter today, gaining as much as 22% after CEO David Murdock offered to pay $12 a share for the remaining 60% of the company that he doesn't already own.

• [By Michael Lewis]

  On a valuation basis, Chiquita isn't richly valued, though not the extreme bargain it once was, either. Set to return to profitability this year, Chiquita is trading at a little over 10 times forward earnings. Competitor Dole (NYSE: DOLE  ) , which just this week received a buyout offer led by its CEO, is now valued at 20 times forward earnings. On an EV/EBITDA basis, Dole has been valued by its CEO's offer at nearly 19 times. Chiquita trades at 12.6 times.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  That's why seeing Dole Foods (NYSE: DOLE  ) lurch from a stock buyback program one day to suspending it weeks later so it can buy new ships instead, rattled investors and caused its stock to drop 10% so far.

• [By Michael Nau]

  How would you react as a shareholder if the management of a company you owned behaved erratically and consequently pushed down the company's share price? What if after pushing down the share price, management offered to buy you out on the cheap? That is exactly what the Chairman, CEO and 40% owner of Dole (DOLE) David Murdock appears to have done.