5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014

The following video is from Friday's Motley Fool Money roundtable discussion, with host Chris Hill, and analysts Ron Gross, James Early, and Charly Travers.

First-quarter profits for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) came in higher than expected this week, with its consumer sales division resulting in�$3.7 billion. With shares hitting an all-time high and rising more than�30% over the past year, Johnson & Johnson is acting like a growth stock. Is the future bright for this consumer giant?

Is bigger really better?
Involved in everything from baby powder to biotech, Johnson & Johnson's critics are convinced that the company is spread way too thin. If you want to know if J&J is nothing but a bloated corporate whale -- or a well-diversified giant that's perfect for your portfolio -- check out the Fool's new premium report outlining the Johnson & Johnson story in terms that any investor can understand. Claim your copy by clicking here now.�

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Apollo Group Inc.(APOL)

Apollo Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides online and on-campus educational programs and services at the undergraduate, master?s, and doctoral levels. The company offers various degree programs in arts and sciences, business and management, criminal justice and security, education, health care, human services, nursing, psychology, and technology through its campus locations and learning centers in 40 states and the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as through its online education delivery system. It also provides various degree programs in Chile and Mexico, and through online; financial services education programs, including Master of Science in three majors, as well as certification programs in retirement, asset management, and other financial planning areas; and training and education to professionals in the legal and finance industries through its schools in the United Kingdom and a network of offices in Europe. In addition, the company offers p rogram development, administration, and management consulting services comprising degree program design, curriculum development, market research, student admissions, and accounting and administrative services to private colleges and universities for their working learners? programs; and sells books and other publications. Apollo Group, Inc. was founded in 1973 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James K. Glassman]

   Apollo Group and its for-profit education brethren face significant headwinds as the Department of Education continues to scrutinize their businesses. Apollo is doing a decent job of adhering to tightening regulations meant to protect students from predatory recruiting tactics and graduating with high debt to income ratios. But its revenues coming from federal loans are nearing the 90% limit. 
  
  The company's balance sheet is doing fine, preparing it well for funding growth and paying down debt. It had a cash flow of $897 million last year and capital expenditures of $163 million. The stock trades at $28.15 a share.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: iiNet Ltd (IIN.AX)

iiNet Limited provides Internet and telephony services to residential, regional, government, and corporate customers in Australia. The company offers business solutions comprising Internet solutions, such as ADSL broadband; business bundles; virtual private network plans; bonded and naked DSL; mobile broadband solutions; SHDSL that offers high speed connectivity; and fiber connections. Its business solutions also include PSTN and voice over Internet protocol phone systems, and SIP trunking voice solutions; mobile phones and SIM cards; Website solutions, such as domain names, Web and email hosting, online shopping solutions, and virtual private servers; cloud computing; and installation, onsite support, managed services, and broadband routers. In addition, the company provides residential products comprising Internet services, such as ADSL broadband, naked DSL, mobile broadband, national broadband network, fiber plans, dialup Internet, and WiFi hotspots services; phone and net phone services; Internet access services; Web, email, and domain hosting services; mobile handsets, plans, and broadband services; fetchtv through ADSL broadband; BoB2, a wireless modem and phone home network solution; and protection packs, online vaults, and Internet security software products. It has approximately 650,000 ADSL subscribers, supporting 1.6 million broadband, telephony, Internet Protocol TV, and other services. iiNet Limited was founded in 1993 and is based in Perth, Australia.

Best Clean Energy Stocks To Watch For 2014: Horace Mann Educators Corporation(HMN)

Horace Mann Educators Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a multiline insurance company in the United States. The company underwrites and markets personal lines of property and casualty insurance, retirement annuity, and life insurance products. Its products include private passenger automobile and homeowner?s insurance coverage; tax-qualified individual and group annuities in fixed account and combination contracts; and individual and joint whole and term life insurance products. The company offers its products primarily to K-12 teachers, school administrators, education support personnel, and other employees of public schools and their families. It markets its products through its sales force, as well as through independent agents. Horace Mann Educators Corporation was founded in 1945 and is based in Springfield, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Stuart]

  Horace Mann Educators(HMN), which provides car and homeowners insurance for teachers and other educators, recently lowered its full-year profit forecast because of a spike in tornado- and storm-related disasters during April and May. Management reduced 2011 EPS guidance to $1.10-$1.30 from a previous $1.75-$1.95.

  With the shares down 10% over the past three months, investors might want to consider the recent dislocation as a buying opportunity. At the midrange of restated guidance, the shares are trading for 12.8 times fiscal 2011 estimates and, more importantly, at just 0.7 times book value. TheStreet Ratings has a $20 price target on Horace Mann.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: Meru Networks Inc.(MERU)

Meru Networks, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides wireless local area network (LAN) solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It offers a virtualized wireless LAN solution based on its System Director Operating System, which runs on its controllers and access points to enable enterprises to deliver business-critical applications over wireless networks. The company?s System Director Operating System provides centralized coordination and control of various access points on the network; controllers synchronize access points to optimize the user experience and manage traffic on the network; and Wi-Fi certified access points to provide network connectivity for wireless devices. It also offers Meru Networks E(z)RF application suite comprising E(z)RF Network Manager, E(z)RF Service Assurance Manager, E(z)RF Location Manager, E(z)RF OnTheGo, Spectrum Manager, and wired and wireless management solutions, which enable enterprises to configure, monitor, troubleshoot, secure, and operate virtualized wireless LAN solution. In addition, the company provides Identity Manager that simplifies enterprise network access and identity management; Wireless Intrusion Prevention System to recognize and mitigate threats; Compliance Manager to reduce the risk of security breach by protecting customer and employee personal information by extending security to the wireless network; AirFirewall to intercept and block unwanted communications as they transmit over the air, stopping them before they reach the network; and Security Gateway SG1000 to meet the demands of the Federal Information Processing Standard, 140-2 Level 3 security required by federal government agencies and other security-conscious organizations. It serves the education, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, technology, finance, government, telecom, transportation, and utility markets. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

5 Best Gas Utility Stocks To Own For 2014: LightPath Technologies Inc.(LPTH)

LightPath Technologies, Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and distribution of optical components and assemblies in the United States and internationally. It offers precision molded glass aspheric optics, precision molded infrared molder optics, isolators, proprietary fiber-optic collimators, GRADIUM glass lenses, and other optical materials used to produce products that manipulate light. The company?s products are used for various applications in industries comprising defense products, medical devices, laser aided industrial tools, automotive safety applications, barcode scanners, optical data storage, hybrid fiber coax datacom, telecom, machine vision, and sensors. It sells its products through direct sales force, distributors and channel partners, catalog distributors, and own catalog and Internet site. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.