Aggressive Income Feature

We booked a 52% gain on Windstream Holdings (NSDQ: WIN). Now it's CenturyLink's (NYSE: CTL) turn to prove the skeptics wrong.

Thanks to the rapid development of renewable energy and the support of state regulators, this utility has moved to break its addiction to imported oil, setting the stage for higher profits over the long term and lower bills for consumers.

Not one of the hundreds of regulated utility mergers over the past century has failed to create a stronger, healthier company. Despite skepticism in some quarters, Exelon Corp’s (NYSE: EXC) $6.8 billion purchase of Pepco Holdings (NYSE: POM) is also set for success.

Utility history is rife with poor diversification, and that appears to be the consensus bet against WGL Holdings (NYSE: WGL), the regulated gas distribution company for the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. But an A+ rating on top of an attractive yield could change skeptics' minds.

This Aggressive Portfolio holding remains one of our favorite turnaround stories.

No US utility is better positioned to profit from America’s energy boom than Entergy Corp (NYSE: ETR). The company’s six electric utility units own and operate 22 gigawatts of power plants in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Long-term contracts with creditworthy customers, strong finances and scale: Aggressive Holding NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) features all of them. That’s why the unregulated power company continues to thrive, even as rivals flounder.