Hot Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now

3M (MMM) recently released its second-quarter results. A quick glimpse into the quarterly report reveals this:

Revenue increased marginally compared to the comparable quarter in 2012.GAAP EPS also recorded growth. Overall margins fell across the board.Revenue Details

3M recorded revenues of $7.75 billion. This was lower than the $7.77 billion that was forecast by 11 analysts earlier polled by the S&P Capital IQ. GAAP sales equaled those of Q2 2012.
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EPS details
The EPS for the quarter was $1.71. This was equal to the earnings estimates provided by 16 analysts earlier polled by the S&P Capital IQ. The EPS was 3.0% higher than last year�� comparable quarter��.

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Margin details

Gross margin stood at 48.2%, 40 basis points lower than 2012Q2. The operating margin came in at 22%, 90 basis points lower than Q2 2012.Net margin stood at 15.4%,10 basis points lower than Q2 2012.

3M�� stock is considered a defensive stock that mainly trades on a strong-margins basis. 3M�� repeated margin weakness in the 2nd quarter has begun to become a source of worry for many investors. This does not mean that the stock is an outright loser; quite on the contrary, 3M�� growth measures up quite well when you compare it to its major peers.3M�� stock is not rated as a growth stock capable of huge growth spurts. Nevertheless, 3M shares still look overpriced right now.

10 Best Safest Stocks For 2015: Republic Bancorp Inc.(RBCAA)

Republic Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Republic Bank & Trust Company and Republic Bank, which provides banking, tax refund solutions, and mortgage banking services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers a range of deposit products, including demand deposits, money market accounts, brokered and Internet money market accounts, savings deposits, individual retirement accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. It also provides single family residential real estate loans; commercial loans; residential construction real estate loans; and consumer loans, which consists of home improvement and home equity loans, as well as secured and unsecured personal loans. In addition, the company offers private banking services; treasury management services, such as lockbox processing, remote deposit capture, business online banking, account reconciliation, and automated clearing house processing services; Internet banking service s and products through its Website, republicbank.com; and trust, title insurance, and other financial institution related products and services. Further, it provides tax refund solutions that include the payment of federal and state tax refunds through third party tax preparers. The company facilitates the payment of these tax refunds through refund anticipation loans, electronic refund checks, and electronic refund deposits. Its mortgage banking activities comprise origination and sale of loans in the secondary market, and the servicing of loans for others. As of December 31, 2009, the company had 44 banking centers, including 35 located in Kentucky; 5 located in metropolitan Tampa, Florida; 3 located in southern Indiana; and 1 located in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio. Republic Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  In the fourth quarter, he bought 32 new stocks. The largest new buys are: Air Lease (AL), Colfax (CFX) and Republic Bancorp Inc. (RBCAA).

  Air Lease (AL)

Hot Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: National Asset Recovery Corp (REPO)

National Asset Recovery Corp., formerly Nasus Consulting, Inc., incorporated on August 1, 2000, is a development-stage company. The Company focuses to design, develop and bring to market an immersive three dimensional (3D) virtual world, which provides an online, consumer entertainment experience that combines multiplayer gaming, virtual world and social networking elements.

On May 27, 2009, the Company ceased its information technology business. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had not recorded any revenues from its new business operations.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chandan Dubey]

  Banks also borrow money from insurance companies and pension funds where the funds are non-depository in nature. These loans are generally collateralized against Treasuries or securities. These are called repurchase agreements (repo) and are mostly overnight. The funds are returned the next day with the interest.

Hot Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: XenoPort Inc.(XNPT)

XenoPort, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing internally discovered product candidates that utilize the body?s natural nutrient transport mechanisms to enhance the therapeutic benefits of drugs. The company licenses its lead product candidate Gabapentin Enacarbil, a transported prodrug of gabapentin, to Astellas Pharma Inc. in Japan and five Asian countries, as well as to Glaxo Group Limited in the United States. Astellas Pharma Inc. filed new drug application for the approval of Gabapentin Enacarbil as a treatment for restless legs syndrome in Japan. The company also develops Arbaclofen Placarbil, which completed a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury. In addition, it develops Arbaclofen Placarbil for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Further, the company develops XP21279, which is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Parkinson?s disease; and XP2382 9, a novel prodrug of methylhydrogenfumarate that is in preclinical stage. It has strategic alliances with Astellas Pharma, Inc. and Glaxo Group Limited. The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Santa Clara, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Max Macaluso, Ph.D.]

  Treatments for RLS
  While a better understanding of RLS and its long-term impact on health are needed, there are FDA-approved drugs available to treat the symptoms of this disorder. GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK  ) brought a RLS drug, Requip, to market eight years ago, and the drug was also approved for Parkinson's disease. Total sales of the medication have been falling in recent years due to generic competition and reached only 164 million pounds ($257.5 million) in 2012. Until recently, GSK also had a second RLS drug called Horizant in collaboration with biotech company XenoPort (NASDAQ: XNPT  ) . GSK recently handed the rights to the drug back to XenoPort after sales failed to meet its expectations, and the biotech is now commercializing the drug alone.

• [By CRWE]

  XenoPort, Inc. (Nasdaq:XNPT) reported that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin clinical studies of XP23829 as a potential treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

• [By Sean Williams]

  Shareholders of XenoPort (NASDAQ: XNPT  ) are also glad for the long weekend after their stock tumbled this week following disappointing late-stage results for Arbaclofen Placarbil, or AP. Aimed at treating spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis, AP was unsuccessful in delivering a statistically significant benefit compared to the placebo. XenoPort's management noted that the company plans to cease development of AP and instead focus on the commercial development of recently approved restless leg syndrome drug Horizant, and its remaining clinical pipeline.

Hot Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Fidelity National Information Services Inc (FIS)

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS), incorporated on March 2, 2001, is a global provider of banking and payments technologies. The Company operates in four segments: Financial Solutions Group (FSG), Payment Solutions Group (PSG), International Solutions Group (ISG) and Corporate and Other Segment. The Company is engaged in payment processing and banking solutions, providing software, services and outsourcing of the technology. The Company offers financial institution core processing, card issuer and transaction processing services, including the NYCE Network, a national electronic funds transfer (EFT) network. FIS serves more than 14,000 institutions in over 100 countries. In February 2011, FIS acquired GIFTS Software, Inc., a provider of integrated funds transfer, Web-based cash management systems and anti-money laundering (AML) solutions. In April 2012, it acquired ICS Risk Advisors and Memento, Inc. In August 2012, the Company completed the sale of its Healthcare Solutions business to an investment fund affiliated with Lightyear Capital LLC. In March 2013, it announced the acquisition of mFoundry.

Financial Solutions Group

FSG is to provide the software and services for the core processing, customer channel, treasury, cash management, wealth management and capital market operations of its financial institution customers in North America. The Company services the core and related ancillary processing needs of North American banks, credit unions, automotive financial companies, commercial lenders, and independent community and savings institutions. FIS offers a selection of in-house and outsourced solutions to banking customers that span the range of asset sizes. Its solutions in this segment include Core Processing and Ancillary Applications, Channel Solutions, Decision and Risk Management Solutions, Syndicated Loan Applications, Global Commercial Services and Strategic Consulting Services.

The Company�� processing software applications are de! signed to run banking processes for its financial institution clients, including deposit and lending systems, customer management, and other central management systems. The Company also offers a number of services that are ancillary to the primary applications listed above, including branch automation, back office support systems and compliance support. In addition, its wealth management services offer a set of Internet-enabled services to financial services providers that address the specific needs of markets, as well as commercial clients. These solutions address asset and liability aggregation, trust and investment account management, client and regulatory reporting, and employee retirement benefit services. The Company also offers an application suite that assists automotive finance institutions in evaluating loan applications and credit risk, and allows automotive finance institutions to manage their loan and lease portfolios.

The Company�� suite of retail delivery applications enables financial institutions to integrate customer-facing operations and back-office processes, thereby improving customer interaction across all channels (branch offices, Internet, automated teller machine (ATM), call centers). Its Consumer Electronic Banking and Business Internet Banking both provide a set of cash management capabilities, enabling customers to manage banking and payments through the Internet, mobile devices, accounting software and telephone. Corporate Electronic Banking solutions provide commercial treasury capabilities, including cash management services and multi-bank collection and disbursement services that address the specialized needs of corporate customers. FIS systems provide accounting and reconciliation for such transactions, serving as the system of record and providing regulatory compliance, risk assessment and fraud management tools.

The Company�� decision solutions offers a spectrum of options that cover the account lifecycle from helping to identify qualified! account ! applicants to managing mature customer accounts and fraud. Its applications include know-your-customer, new account decisioning, new account opening, account and transaction management, fraud management and collections. Its risk management services utilize its risk management models and data sources to assist in detecting fraud and assessing the risk of opening a new account or accepting a check at either the point-of-sale, a physical branch location, or through the Internet. Its systems utilize a combination of advanced authentication procedures, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence modeling and shared databases to assess and detect fraud risk for deposit transactions for financial institutions.

The Company�� syndicated loan applications are designed to support wholesale and commercial banking requirements necessary for all aspects of syndicated commercial loan origination and management. Its global commercial services include solutions, both onshore and offshore, designed to meet the technology challenges facing principally Unites States based clients, large or small. Its technology solutions range in scope from consulting engagements to application development projects and from operations support for a single application to management of information technology infrastructures. The Company also provides outsourcing teams todeliver customer service. With the The Capital Markets Company NV (Capco) acquisition, it provides integrated consulting, technology and transformation services. Capco specializes in banking; capital markets; wealth and investment management; finance, risk and compliance, and technology. Capco's North American operations are included in FSG.

Payment Solutions Group

PSG provides a set of software and services for the EFT, card processing, item processing, bill payment, and government and healthcare payments processing needs of its customers in North America. PSG is focused on servicing the payment and electronic funds transfer needs o! f North A! merican headquartered banks and credit unions, commercial lenders, independent community and savings institutions and healthcare and government institutions. Its solutions in this segment include Electronic Funds Transfer, Item Processing and Output Services, Credit Card Solutions, Government and Healthcare Payments Solutions, ePayment Solutions and Check Authorization.

The Company�� electronic funds transfer and debit card processing businesses offer settlement and card management solutions for financial institution card issuers. It provides traditional ATM- and personal identification number (PIN)-based debit network access and emerging real-time payment alternatives through NYCE. It is also a provider of prepaid card services, which include gift cards and reloadable cards, with end-to-end solutions for development, processing and administration of stored-value programs.

The Company�� item processing services furnish financial institutions with the equipment needed to capture data from checks, transaction tickets and other items; image and sort items; process exceptions through keying, and perform balancing, archiving and the production of statements. Its item processing services are utilized by more than 1,500 financial institutions. Its solutions include distributed ( non-centralized) data capture, check and remittance processing, fraud detection, and document and report management. Its Endpoint Exchange Network enables United States financial institutions to clear their check-based transactions by allowing for the exchange of check images between member institutions. The Company offers a number of output services that are ancillary to the primary solutions it provide, including print and mail capabilities and card personalization fulfillment services. Its CSF Designer document composition software is used by many clients in various industries to furnish printed or electronically produced invoices and statements for customized customer communication. Its print and mail! services! offers computer output solutions for the creation, management and delivery of print and fulfillment needs. The Company provides its card personalization fulfillment services for branded credit cards and branded and non-branded debit and prepaid cards. More than 5,200 financial institutions utilize a combination of its technology and/or services to issue VISA, MasterCard or American Express branded credit and debit cards or other electronic payment cards for use by both consumer and business accounts. Its services range from card production and activation to a range of fraud management services to value-added loyalty programs designed to increase card usage and fee-based revenues.

FIS healthcare payments solutions facilitate the exchange of information and funds among patients, payers, providers and financial institutions. With Web-enabled tools, a Health Savings Account (HSA) platform, multi-purse benefit debit cards that cover multiple spending accounts with a single card and combined eligibility/payment cards, FIS enables consumers and third-party benefits administrators to have integrated benefit account management of HSAs, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Reimbursement Agreements (HRA) and dependent care and transportation accounts. It also provides customized electronic service applications for government agencies, including Internal Revenue Service (IRS) payment services. It also facilitates the collection of state income taxes, real estate taxes, utility bills, vehicle registration fees, driver�� license renewal fees, parking tickets, traffic citations, tuition payments, court fees and fines, hunting and fishing license fees, as well as various business licenses.

The Company provides bill publishing and bill consolidation technology for its customers, generating millions of monthly bills and servicing both billers and financial institution customers. Online bill payment functionality includes credit and debit card-based expedited payments. Its end-to-end prese! ntment an! d payment solution provides an all-in-one solution to meet billers��needs for the distribution and collection of bills and other customer documents. FIS also provides automated clearing house (ACH) processing. Its check authorization business provides check risk management and related services to businesses accepting or cashing checks. Its services assess the likelihood (and often provide a guarantee) that a check will clear.

International Solutions Group

The Company provides core banking applications, channel solutions, card and merchant services, item processing and check risk management solutions to financial institutions, card issuers and retailers. Its international operations leverage existing applications and provide services for the specific business needs of its customers in targeted international markets. Services are delivered from 28 operations centers around the world. Its payment solutions services include outsourced card-issuer services and customer support, payment processing and switching services, prepaid and debit card processing, item processing, software licensing and maintenance, outsourced ATM management and retail point-of-sale check warranty services. Its financial solutions services include fully outsourced core bank processing arrangements, application management, software licensing and maintenance, facilities management and consulting services, including Capco's international operations.

Corporate and Other Segment

The Corporate and Other segment consists of the corporate overhead costs that are not allocated to operating segments. These include costs related to human resources, finance, legal, accounting, domestic sales and marketing, merger and acquisition activity and amortization of acquisition-related intangibles and other costs that are not considered when management evaluates operating segment performance.

The Company competes with Fiserv, Inc., Jack Henry and Associates, Inc., Open Solutions, Inc., In! ternation! al Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Accenture Ltd., Alliance Data Systems Corporation, DST Systems, Harland Financial Solutions, Inc., SEI Investments Company, S1Corporation, SunGard Data Systems, Inc., Alnova Technologies Corporation, Oracle Financial Services Software Limited, Misys plc, Infosys Technologies Limited, Temenos Group AG, MasterCard Incorporated, Visa Inc., First Data Corporation, Total System Services, Inc., HP Enterprise Services, Payment Systems for Credit Unions (PSCU), Heartland Payments Systems, Inc. and Global Payments, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Banking and payments services and support company Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) raised its quarterly dividend 9% to 24 cents per share, payable on Mar. 31 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 17.
  FIS Dividend Yield: 1.90%

Hot Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: SAIC Inc(SAI)

SAIC, Inc. scientific, engineering, systems integration, and technical services and solutions to various branches of the U.S. military, agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the other U.S. government civil agencies, state and local government agencies, foreign governments, and customers in select commercial markets. Its Government segment provides a range of technical services and solutions in the areas of systems engineering and integration, software development, cyber security, data processing and analysis, secure information sharing and collaboration, IT outsourcing, communication systems and infrastructure, command and control, logistics, research and development, environmental consulting, energy and utilities, design and construction, securing critical infrastructure, disaster preparedness and recovery, homeland security product, geospatial solutions, and modeling and simulation. The compan y?s Commercial segment provides consulting, systems integration, and managed IT services, as well as customizable IT software solutions to oil and gas customers; and enterprise information technology optimization, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning maintenance, and staff augmentation services to select commercial customers, and state and local government customers. In addition, it offers business, engineering, energy, and infrastructure consulting services; language translation, interpretation, and training services; architectural design services; and information systems and communications, and rapid prototyping of technical solutions and products focused on support to intelligence and special warfare operations. SAIC, Inc. was formerly known as Science Applications, Inc. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rex Moore]

  The Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition is the largest maritime expo in the U.S., and brings together dozens of defense contractors and military decision-makers. The Motley Fool's Rex Moore was at the event in National Harbor, Maryland, and saw demonstrations of several technologies. In the video below he chats with Dr. Timothy Barton of SAIC (NYSE: SAI  ) about how the company's AD16 establishes a high-bandwidth, long-range data link between command posts and mobile sensor platforms.

• [By Rich Smith]

  The Department of Defense awarded more than $961 million worth of contracts to a total of 17 awardees on Thursday. Notable awards to publicly traded companies included:

• [By Rich Smith]

  The U.S. Department of Defense awarded multiple contractors shares in some 17 contracts Tuesday, valued at up to $1.3 billion in combined dollar value. Most of the funds awarded went to a series of 13 contractors working on a single cyber-defense project -- but there were a few other winners. Among them:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Next Monday, SAIC (NYSE: SAI  ) will release its latest quarterly results. Even though the stock has soared to two-year highs recently, investors appear nervous about the company's earnings prospects going forward.

Hot Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Helvetia Holding AG (HELN)

Helvetia Holding AG is a Switzerland-based holding company of the Helvetia Group, an internationally active, all-lines insurance service group. The Company divides its activities into country markets Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Other insurance units, which include Austria, France and the global reinsurance business, as well as the Corporate segment, which includes all the Helvetia Group activities, as well as financing companies and the Company. Helvetia Holding AG classifies its activities as life business, non-life business and other activities. The life business offers life insurance, pension plans and annuities, among others. The non-life business includes property, motor vehicle, liability and transport policies, as well as health and accidental insurance coverage. The reinsurance business, among others, is included in Other activities business. The Company operates through its branch offices and subsidiaries. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Helvetia Holding AG (HELN) added 3.3 percent to 412 Swiss francs. Switzerland�� fourth-biggest insurer said first-half profit rose because of increased life-insurance sales and an acquisition in France. Net income climbed to 179.5 million Swiss francs ($192 million) in the six months through June, beating the average analyst estimate of 164.4 million francs.