Saturday, November 15, 2014

Hot Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2014

David Weiskopf isn’t feeling at all defensive about the Government Accountability Office report on 401(k) managed accounts, despite the fact that it raised some pretty serious questions about their worthiness. 

In fact, you could almost say he found the report to be positive.

“Managed accounts may not be for everybody,” concedes Weiskopf, a senior director of communications a Financial Engines, a Sunnyvale, California-based managed account provider. “But we are absolutely confident in the value we provide sponsors and their enrollees. And we know we’re delivering it at a fair price.” 

A 401(k) participant with a managed account is supposed to receive professional investment advice tailored to their specific needs. According to research by Cerulli Associates, 401(k) managed accounts now hold about $108 billion in assets. The Plan Sponsor Council of America says that 36 percent of employers offered managed accounts in 2012 — up from 25 percent in 2005.

10 Best Quality Stocks To Buy Right Now: Spectra Energy Partners LP(SEP)

Spectra Energy Partners, LP operates as an investment arm of Spectra Energy Corp. Spectra Energy Partners, LP, through its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation of natural gas through interstate pipeline systems, and the storage of natural gas in underground facilities in the United States. As of December 31, 2007, it owned and operated 100% of the approximately 1,400-mile East Tennessee interstate natural gas transportation system that extends from central Tennessee eastward into southwest Virginia and northern North Carolina, and southward into northern Georgia; and a liquefied natural gas storage facility in Kingsport, Tennessee with working gas storage capacity of approximately 1.1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) and re-gasification capability of 150 million cubic feet per day. The company also owned a 24.5% interest in the approximate 700-mile Gulfstream interstate natural gas transportation system, which extends from Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama across the Gulf of Mexico and into Florida; a 50% interest in Market Hub, which owns and operates 2 salt cavern natural gas storage facilities, the Egan storage facility with gas capacity of approximately 20 Bcf, and the Moss Bluff storage facility with working gas capacity of 15 Bcf. The company transports and stores natural gas for local gas distribution companies, municipal utilities, interstate and intrastate pipelines, direct industrial users, electric power generators, marketers, and producers. Spectra Energy Partners (DE) GP, LP, operates as the general partner to Spectra Energy Partners, LP. The company is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rich Duprey]

    The midstream operator announced this week that it is "dropping down" 50% of the pipeline to its master limited partnership, Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE: SEP  ) , for approximately�$555 million�in cash, approximately�$139 million�in newly issued partnership units, and approximately�$129 million�of acquired Express-Platte System debt.�

Hot Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2014: LifePoint Hospitals Inc.(LPNT)

LifePoint Hospitals Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates general acute care hospitals in non-urban communities in the United States. The company?s hospitals provide a range of medical and surgical services comprising general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic care, coronary care, rehabilitation services, and pediatric services, as well as specialized services, such as open-heart surgery, skilled nursing, psychiatric care, and neuro-surgery. Its hospitals also offer outpatient services, including one-day surgery, laboratory, x-ray, respiratory therapy, imaging, sports medicine, and lithotripsy. As of December 31, 2009, LifePoint Hospitals owned or leased 47 hospitals with a total of 5,552 licensed beds in 17 states. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. Lifepoint Hospitals Inc. (NasdaqNM:LPNT) operates independently of HCA Inc. as of May 11, 1999.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    Yesterday afternoon, Pennsylvania announced that it would use federal dollars to pay private insurers to cover eligible Pennsylvanians. UBS analysts A.J. Rice and Jailendra Singh think Community Health Systems (CYH), Tenet Healthcare (THC) and LifePoint Hospitals (LPNT) stand to benefit the most from the deal:

  • [By Keith Speights]

    The fun wasn't just limited to the big three hospital operators. Lifepoint Hospitals (NASDAQ: LPNT  ) stock jumped 5% on the CMS news, reflecting a $109 million market cap expansion. Likewise, Vanguard Health Systems (NYSE: VHS  ) shares climbed 5%, bumping its market cap up by�$55 million.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2014: United Therapeutics Corporation(UTHR)

United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, engages in the development and commercialization of therapeutic products for patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases in the United States and internationally. It offers Remodulin, Tyvaso, and Adcirca for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company also develops Oral Treprostinil (UT-15C), a new drug application filed with the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PAH. Its development products under Phase III clinical trials include Oral Treprostinil (UT-15C) Combination Therapy for PAH; Ch14.18 monoclonal antibody (MAb) targeting Neuroblastoma; and Remodulin for the treatment of PAH in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The company?s development products under Phase I clinical trials comprise Beraprost-MR for PAH in North America, Europe, Mexico, South America, Egypt, India, South Africa, and Australia; 8H9 MAb targ eting Metastatic brain cancer; and IW001 for the treatment of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and primary graft dysfunction. Its pre-clinical stage products consist of Glycobiology Antiviral Agents for viral infectious diseases; PLacental eXpanded cells targeting PAH; and pulmonary tissue replacement and remodeling products for the treatment of end-stage lung disease. The company serves pharmaceutical wholesalers through specialty pharmaceutical distributors and other distributors. United Therapeutics Corporation was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jim Fink]

    United Therapeutics (NASDAQ: UTHR) is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of unique products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening conditions.�The stock jumped to a 52-week high after a federal court gave it a partial victory in a patent lawsuit involving one of its drugs.

  • [By Lisa Levin]

    United Therapeutics (NASDAQ: UTHR) shares rose 22.55% to $107.65. The volume of United Therapeutics shares traded was 1074% higher than normal. United Therapeutics announced the FDA approval of Orenitram Extended-Release Tablets for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. JP Morgan upgraded the stock from Underweight to Neutral and raised the target price from $62 to $90.

  • [By Life Sciences Report]

    AF: On the large-cap side, we like United Therapeutics Corp. (UTHR) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX). United Therapeutics, in particular, has fallen out of favor somewhat, especially relative to the level of investor interest in the name 5-6 years back. Institutional holders have shifted from a largely biotech specialist group to a mix of value and generalist stocks. The upshot is that incremental buying on the part of healthcare specialists, as they re-engage with the name, ought to have a very positive impact on United Therapeutics' share price.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2014: NETGEAR Inc.(NTGR)

NETGEAR, Inc. engages in the design, development, marketing, and sale of networking products. The company offers home networking, storage, and digital media products to connect users with the Internet and their content and devices; networking, storage, and security solutions to commercial businesses; and whole home networking solutions to service providers for sale to their customers. Its products include commercial business networking products consisting of Ethernet switches, wireless controllers, Internet security appliances, and network attached storage devices; broadband access products, such as routers, gateways, IP telephony products, and media servers; and network connectivity products comprising wireless access points, wireless network interface cards and adapters, Ethernet network interface cards and adapters, media adapters, powerline adapters and bridges, and multimedia over coax alliance standard adapters and bridges. The company produces its products through t hird-party manufacturers. NETGEAR, Inc. markets its products primarily through retailers, online retailers, wholesale distributors, direct market resellers, value added resellers, and broadband service providers worldwide. NETGEAR, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Steve Symington]

    Shares of Netgear� (NASDAQ: NTGR  ) touched a fresh 52-week-low during Tuesday's intraday trading after the company released select preliminary results for the first quarter of 2013.

  • [By Steve Symington and Erin Miller]

    Early last week, Fool contributor Steve Symington wrote that he would soon buy shares of Netgear (NASDAQ: NTGR  ) in his personal portfolio.

Hot Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2014: ABIOMED Inc.(ABMD)

Abiomed, Inc. provides medical devices in circulatory support and continuum of care in heart recovery to acute heart failure patients. The company?s products are designed to enable the heart to rest, heal, and recover by enhancing blood flow and/or performing the pumping function of the heart. Its products consist of Impella 2.5 catheter, a percutaneous micro heart pump with integrated motor and sensors for use in interventional cardiology; and Impella 5.0 catheter and Impella LD, which are percutaneous micro heart pumps with integrated motors and sensors for use primarily in the heart surgery suite. The company also manufactures and sells the AB5000 circulatory support system and the BVS 5000 biventricular support system for temporary support of acute heart failure patients in profound shock, including patients suffering from cardiogenic shock after a heart attack, post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock, or myocarditis. Its products are used in the cardiac catheterization lab by interventional cardiologists and/or in the heart surgery suite by heart surgeons. The company sells its products through direct sales and clinical support personnel in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Abiomed, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is based in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    What: Shares of ABIOMED (NASDAQ: ABMD  ) , a maker of medical devices for the cardiovascular system, jumped as much as 10% after the company reported better-than-expected preliminary revenue for the fourth-quarter.

  • [By Todd Campbell]

    So far I've outlined the reasons for the robust returns last year at diabetes device maker Dexcom and cardiovascular device play Cardiovascular Systems (NASDAQ: CSII  ) . That brings us to No. 3 in my series,�Abiomed (NASDAQ: ABMD  ) , a company that saw its latest product line propel its shares 98% higher in 2013.

  • [By Seth Jayson]

    Calling all cash flows
    When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on ABIOMED (Nasdaq: ABMD  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

No comments:

Post a Comment