Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Watch Right Now

Phil Nijhuis/APA closed desk of Malaysian airlines is seen at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam on Thursday. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia Airlines says that in the wake of the shooting down of one of its passenger jets over Ukraine, it has changed the route its planes will take on flights to and from Europe. The airline said in a statement Friday on its website that all of its European flights "will be taking alternative routes avoiding the usual route." The plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, crashed Thursday with 298 people on board Flight 17. American intelligence authorities believe a surface-to-air missile brought the aircraft down but it wasn't yet clear who fired it. "The usual flight route was earlier declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organization. International Air Transportation Association has stated that the airspace the aircraft was traversing was not subject to restrictions," the airline said in a statement on its website. Even though there were no restrictions, Malaysia Airlines may still face questions about why it continued with flight paths over eastern Ukraine -- at the heart of a violent rebellion against Kiev -- when some airlines decided months ago to change routes to skip around the area. In Seoul, Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said Asiana had a once-a-week cargo flight that had flown over Ukraine but rerouted the flight in early March amid the worsening situation over the Crimean peninsula. Korean Air Line also said it had rerouted cargo and passenger flights in early March amid the worsening situation over the Crimean peninsula. A company official, who requested anonymity in line with department rules, said Korean Air Line had had 42 flights -- 26 cargo and 16 passenger flights -- which flew over Ukraine before. Likewise, Australia's Qantas stopped flying over Ukraine several months ago and shifted its London-Dubai route 400 miles south. A spokeswoman declined to explain the change. The China Civil Aviation Administration said it instructed all domestic airlines to avoid flying over Ukraine. At present, there are a total of 28 round-trip Chinese flights a week that fly over the area. A statement from Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department said local "airlines do not use air routes that cross Ukrainian airspace."

Top 5 Construction Material Stocks To Watch For 2015: Costamare Inc (CMRE)

Costamare Inc. (Costamare), incorporated on April 21, 2008, is an international owner of containerships, chartering the Company�� vessels to liner companies. As of February 22, 2013, it had a fleet of 57 containerships aggregating approximately 332,000 twenty feet equivalent unit (TEU). During the year ended December 31, 2012, its fleet consisted of 47 vessels in the water, aggregating approximately 242,000 TEU. The Company�� containerships operate primarily under multi-year time charters.

As of February 22, 2013, the average (weighted by TEU capacity) remaining time-charter duration for its fleet of 57 containerships was 5.1 years. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company�� vessels were managed by at least one of Costamare Shipping, CIEL and Shanghai Costamare. The Company�� customers include international liner companies, including A.P. Moller-Maersk, COSCO, Evergreen Marine, Hapag Lloyd, HMM, MSC and ZIM.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Containership owner and provider�Costamare (NYSE: CMRE  ) announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.27 per share, the same rate it's paid since late 2011.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Costamare (NYSE: CMRE  ) reported earnings on July 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Costamare missed estimates on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Watch Right Now: Bollore SA (BOL)

Bollore SA is a France-based holding company which operates in 110 countries. The Company is active in several divisions: Bollore Africa Logistics, including freight forwarding, stevedoring, shipping lines and railways; Bollore Logistics with a presence in five continents; Bollore Energie which supplies domestic fuel and petroleum products; IER which designs, manufacture and markets terminals for controlling and reading tickets; Plastic Films for condensers, capacitors and packaging; Batteries and Supercapacitors, Electric Vehicles; Autolib��which offers a network of electric car rental; Communication and Media, which launched Digital Terrestial Television (DTT); Plantations because the Company owns oil palm and rubber plantations, through the Socfin Group and Financial Assets. As of September 27, 2012, the Company acquired minority stake in Vivendi SA and sold Direct 8 and Direct Star to Canal Plus SA. In January 2014, it acquired the outstanding 51% stake of LCN. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Rio Tinto Group climbed 2.9 percent after saying it will cost $3 billion less than projected to increase iron ore output capacity. Boliden AB (BOL) added 3.1 percent as Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the stock. Thomas Cook Group Plc (TCG) rose 13 percent after the travel operator posted a 49 percent increase in full-year earnings. British tobacco companies slipped following a report that after a U.K. minister announced the review of cigarette packaging.

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Watch Right Now: Kinder Morgan Management LLC (KMR)

Kinder Morgan Management, LLC is a limited partner in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P (KMP), and manages and controls its business and affairs pursuant to a delegation of control agreement. Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc., of which Kinder Morgan, Inc. indirectly owns all of the outstanding common equity, is the general partner of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (KMP). Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc., pursuant to a delegation of control agreement among the Company, Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc. and KMP, has delegated to the Company, to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law and KMP�� limited partnership agreement, all of its rights and powers to manage and control the business and affairs of KMP, subject to the general partner�� right to approve specified actions.

KPM is a pipeline limited partnerships in the United States. KMP owns an investment in or operates approximately 28,000 miles of pipelines and 180 terminals. Its pipelines transport products, such as natural gas, crude oil, gasoline, and CO2, and its terminals store petroleum products and chemicals and handle materials like coal. Almost all of Kinder Morgan assets are owned by KMP, KMP operates in five business segments : Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines, CO2, Terminals and Kinder Morgan Canada.

Kinder Morgan is a transporter and marketer of carbon dioxide in North America. It delivers approximately 1.3 billion cubic feet per day of CO2 through about 1,300 miles of pipelines. It is an oil producer in Texas, producing over 55,000 barrels of oil per day at the SACROC Unit and the Yates Field in the Permian Basin. In addition to CO2 pipelines and oil producing fields, this business segment owns interests in and operates CO2 source fields, natural gas and gasoline processing plants, and a crude oil pipeline. Kinder Morgan owns and operates approximately 24,000 miles of gas pipelines in the Rocky Mountains, the Midwest and Texas. Through its Products Pipelines business unit, it transports over two million barre! ls per day of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, natural gas liquids and other fuels through more than 8,000 miles of pipelines. The Company also has approximately 50 liquids terminals in this business segment that store fuels and offer blending services for ethanol and other products.

Kinder Morgan have more than 180 terminals that store petroleum products and chemicals, and handle bulk materials like coal, petroleum coke and steel products. Kinder Morgan operates a number of pipeline systems and terminal facilities in Canada including the Trans Mountain pipeline, the Express and Platte pipelines, the Cochin pipeline, the Puget Sound and the Trans Mountain Jet Fuel pipelines, the Westridge marine terminal, the Vancouver Wharves terminal in British Columbia and the North Forty terminal in Edmonton, Alberta.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI  ) will release its quarterly report on Wednesday, and investors have high expectations for growth from the company. With its ownership interest in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP  ) and Kinder Morgan Management (NYSE: KMR  ) , Kinder Morgan continues to take advantage of the need for energy producers to transport their oil and gas to market.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  And finally, there are the Kinder Morgan triplets, Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) and Kinder Morgan Management (KMR) and Kinder Morgan Partners (KMP), which fell 6%, 4.7% and 3%, respectively today. The reason for the drop: a press release from Hedgeye Risk Management, which called Kinder Morgan “a house of cards,” and said to expect a report on Sept. 10, explaining why. Deutsche Bank came out with its own note today defending Kinder Morgan, but the damage was done. Considering that Hedgeye’s Kevin Kaiser (and our own Andrew Bary) got Linn Energy (LINE) right, you can see why.

• [By Adam Galas]

  However, investors should largely ignore this bottom-line miss, because in actuality Kinder Morgan is firing on all cylinders and had great news about its acquisition of�Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP  ) , Kinder Morgan Management (NYSE: KMR  ) , and El Paso Pipeline Partners (NYSE: EPB  ) .�

• [By Albert Alfonso]

  (click to enlarge)
  Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is part of the Kinder Morgan family of companies with a combined enterprise value of over $115B. Kinder Morgan, Inc (KMI) is Kinder Morgan Energy Partners' general partner and has incentive distribution rights and owns about 10% of the partnership. Another way to own Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is via Kinder Morgan Management (KMR), whose shares are pari passu with Kinder Morgan Energy Partners and has an equal distribution but pays its dividend in additional shares instead of cash. This in effects acts as a dividend reinvest program.

Top 5 Transportation Stocks To Watch Right Now: NuStar GP Holdings LLC (NSH)

NuStar GP Holdings, LLC (NuStar GP Holdings), incorporated on June 06, 2000, conducts operations through its indirect ownership interests in NuStar Energy L.P. (NuStar Energy). NuStar Energy is engaged in the terminalling and storage of petroleum products, the transportation of petroleum products and anhydrous ammonia, and petroleum refining and marketing. The Company operates in three segments: NuStar Energy�� Storage Segment, NuStar Energy�� Pipeline Segment and NuStar Energy�� Asphalt and Fuels Marketing Segment. On January 1, 2013, NuStar Energy sold the San Antonio Refinery and related assets, which included inventory, a terminal in Elmendorf, Texas and a pipeline connecting the terminal and refinery. On December 13, 2012, NuStar Energy completed its acquisition of the TexStar Crude Oil Assets (as defined below), including 100% of the partnership interest in TexStar Crude Oil Pipeline, LP, from TexStar Midstream Services, LP and certain of its affiliates.

NuStar Energy has terminal and storage facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, including St. Eustatius in the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and Turkey. NuStar Energy L.P.'s asphalt refineries, refined product terminals, petroleum and specialty liquids storage and terminaling operations, and crude oil storage tank facilities are predominantly located on waterways that are easily accessible by barge or vessel. On September 28, 2012, NuStar Energy sold a 50% ownership interest (the Asphalt Sale) in NuStar Asphalt LLC (Asphalt JV), previously a wholly owned subsidiary of NuStar Energy, to an affiliate of Lindsay Goldberg LLC (Lindsay Goldberg), a private investment firm.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  NuStar Energy does have a publicly traded general partner in�NuStar GP Holdings�(NYSE: NSH) which went public in 2006. The GP pays a lower dividend at 5.8 percent, but has significantly outperformed the limited partner since it went public:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  But it is important to note that ETE also has interests in Sunoco Logistics Partners (NYSE: SXL) and Regency Energy Partners (NYSE: RGP).

  Finally, consider NuStar Energy (NYSE: NS) and its general partner NuStar GP Holdings (NYSE: NSH). Like ETE, NSH went public in 2006 and has also significantly outperformed its limited partner since:
  
  
  

  The vast majority of partnerships don’t have a publicly-traded GP. But in each of these three cases in which the GP is publicly traded, the GP tends to outperform the LP units on long-term gains, an advantage somewhat offset by the typically higher LP yield.