People watch stocks for different reasons -- they're waiting for a dip in price, watching for a specific catalyst, gathering all the news and information that might affect stocks they already own, or considering a sell. Regardless of their motivation, we can better understand market sentiment by seeing who's watching what. With the Fool's free My Watchlist service, we have tens of thousands of people telling us the businesses that have, for whatever reason, piqued their interest.

The most-watched road and rail stock is ...
Looking at the aggregate data, we see that CSX (NYSE: CSX) is above the rest in terms of watch interest, or the percentage of people keeping an eye on road and rail stocks in general who are specifically watching each company. And for good reason. As CAPS Member RyansMoney wrote two weeks ago: "With the recent spike in oil prices, companies will see the advantage of shipping by rail. CSX and Union Pacific are two great rail companies that don't directly compete and will benefit greatly."

Here are the rest of the top 15 most-watched companies in the industry with their watch interest along with the stocks' CAPS rating to show the sentiment of our investing community.

 

Company

Market Cap (millions)

CAPS Rating

Watch Interest

1

CSX

$28,715

****

26.6%

2

Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP)

$47,785

****

15.0%

3

YRC Worldwide (Nasdaq: YRCW)

$83

**

12.4%

4

Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC)

$25,719

****

9.7%

5

RailAmerica (NYSE: RA)

$940

****

4.9%

6

Genesee & Wyoming

$2,448

*****

4.7%

7

Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU)

$5,524

****

4.2%

8

Landstar System

$2,261

****

3.4%

9

Canadian Pacific Railway

$10,524

****

3.2%

10

Ryder System

$2,646

****

3.1%

11

Avis Budget Group (NYSE: CAR)

$1,935

*

2.4%

12

Hertz Global

$6,663

**

1.8%

13

Quality Distribution

$244

****

1.1%

14

Covenant Transportation

$142

**

1.1%

15

Old Dominion Freight Line

$2,025

***

0.8%

Source: Motley Fool, Motley Fool CAPS.

Whether you're keeping an eye on the industry stalwarts like CSX or are watching an up-and-comer like Landstar System, it pays to watch. We can help you keep tabs on your companies with My Watchlist, our free, personalized stock tracking service. Click here to start now.

Dan Dzombak's musings and articles he finds interesting can be found on his Twitter account: @DanDzombak. He owns no shares of the companies mentioned in this article. Genesee & Wyoming is a Motley Fool Hidden Gems pick. The Fool owns shares of Landstar System and RailAmerica. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.