This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.

"Even among great companies, one year's leader is often the next's laggard and vice versa; MDU Resources (MDU) is one under-performer that looks increasingly likely to get it's legs back in 2011," says utility stock specialist Roger Conrad.

The editor of The Utility Forecaster explains, "The company is best thought of as a financially conservative resource company, whose cash flows are anchored by solid regulated energy assets.

"Economic trends, political winds and investment fads come and go. But companies that grow cash-generating assets build wealth year in, year out," says utility sector specialist Roger Conrad.

The editor of Utility Forecaster adds, "One such stock is MDU Resources (MDU), which I have selected as my 'growth spotlight' stock.

"Including reinvested dividends, MDU Resources has multiplied investors' money 10-fold since my original recommendation in September 1990.

Option traders pushed up call option prices in the general entertainment industry and pushed up put option prices in the diversified utilities industry today.

Bullish Volatility Skews

• World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE) -- part of the general entertainment industry -- came in at the top with a volatility skew of 1.18. This may come as a surprise as WWE is down 1.53% for the past month.

While other earnings may have disappointed last week, the news was good for oil giant ConocoPhilips (NYSE: COP). In what some took as a good sign for big oil, the Houston-based company reported that third quarter net income surged 41% year over year to $3.39 per share, and that revenue also surged 52% to $70 billion. We'll see whether the good news extends to other petroleum giants scheduled to report quarterly results this week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are looking for BP (NYSE: BP) profits to have grown 43.2% in the most recent quarter to $2.34 per share on revenue of $109.7 billion, and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) to post earnings up 39.4% to $3.25 per share on revenue of $86.8 billion. Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO), ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) likewise are expected to report higher net income of $2.33 per share (sales of $23.4 billion), $2.40 per share (sales of $131.4 billion), and $2.65 per share, respectively. Even Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) is expected to post earnings slightly higher to $1.46 per share (sales of $36.4 billion), despite the effects of Hurricane Ike. Among these companies, only BP and Valero beat earnings expectations in the previous quarter. Not surprisingly, analysts on average recommend buying all except Valero, and shares of all of these companies have recently hit 52-week lows.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Barron's Online's (subscription required) "Inside Scoop" section reported that Thomas Everist, an MDU Resources Group (NYSE: MDU) board member since 1995, has sold a total of 742K shares for a total of $22.6M in MDU stock since May 2, according SEC data.
• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that EMI Group (OTC: EMIPY), the third largest music company by sales agreed to sell to Terra Firma Capital Partners for $4.74B, possibly ending its seven year battle with Warner Music Group Corp (NYSE: WMG).

• According to the New York Post, citing people familiar with the situation, the weakening housing market and other issues are making it difficult for Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD) to sell its professional supply business.
• Discovery Communications is in talks with CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) to sell half its Discovery Times channel and form a joint-venture partnership, according to sources close with the situation, reported the Washington Post.

• According to an NDP Group report, April sales of Nintendo's (OTC: NTDOY) Wii consoles were almost 3.5 times higher than Sony Corporation's (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3, reported DigiTimes.com.