Top Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now

We select stocks based on the known investing strategy of select legendary investors. This stock idea scores a 100% rating based on the approach of value investor Benjamin Graham, by John Reese, editor of Validea.

HollyFrontier (HFC) is a petroleum refiner, which produces light products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, specialty lubricant products, and specialty and modified asphalt.

To meet the Graham criteria, the stock can be neither a technology nor financial company, and therefore this methodology is applicable.

Under this approach, the investor must select companies of adequate size. This includes companies with annual sales greater than $340 million. HFC's sales of $20,358.9 million, based on trailing 12 month sales, pass this test.

The current ratio must be greater than or equal to two. Companies that meet this criterion are typically financially secure and defensive. HFC's current ratio of 2.37 passes the test.

Top 10 Japanese Stocks To Watch Right Now: Steelcase Inc.(SCS)

Steelcase Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes furniture systems and seating products, user-centered technologies, and interior architectural products primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. Its furniture systems portfolio consists of panel-based and freestanding furniture systems; and complementary products, such as storage, tables, and ergonomic worktools. The company also provides seating products, including ergonomic chairs; seating for collaborative or casual settings; and specialty seating for specific markets comprising healthcare and education. In addition, its interior architectural products include full and partial height walls and doors. Further, the company offers workplace strategy consulting, lease origination, and furniture and asset management services. Additionally, it designs, manufactures, and sells visual communication products, such as static and interactive electronic whiteboards to primary and secondary education markets, as well as manu factures and sells steel and ceramic surfaces to third-party fabricators for use in the manufacture of static whiteboards. It also designs and sells surface materials comprising textiles, wall coverings, shades, screens, and surface imagings primarily to architects and designers for use in business, residential, healthcare, and hospitality applications. It sells its products to corporate, government, healthcare, education, and retail customers through the Steelcase, Turnstone, Details, and Nurture brands; and Coalesse and Designtex brands. The company markets its products and services through a network of independent and company-owned dealers, as well as directly to end-use customers. The company was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Seth Wenig/APCEO Nick Woodman holds a GoPro camera in his mouth as he celebrates his GoPro's IPO. There were plenty of winners and losers this week, as the leading premium coffeehouse chain expanded its carbonated beverage offerings, and a disruptive video-streaming service got disrupted itself. Here's a rundown of the week's best and worst. GoPro (GPRO) -- Winner The initial public offering market got some fresh meat on Thursday when GoPro went public. The company behind the popular namesake cameras that extreme sports enthusiast like to wear was a hit. It priced at $24 a share -- at the high end of its initial range -- and that still wasn't enough. The stock opened at $28.65, closing out its first day of trading with a 31 percent gain. GoPro's growth has been stellar. Sales soared 87 percent last year to nearly hit $1 billion. However, there was a surprising decline in revenue during this year's first quarter. New GoPro investors are assuming that the most recent quarter's dip was a fluke. If it isn't a fluke, they can record their stumble in glorious high-def. Aereo -- Loser Sometimes it's the disruptor that gets disrupted. Aereo, the start-up service that offers local TV channels as a streaming platform, was pummeled by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that Aereo violated the copyrights of major TV networks by streaming their content without paying transmission fees. The move isn't the end for Aereo, but its prognosis has clearly deteriorated. Aereo thought that incorporating tiny remote antennas that subscribers can access online was similar enough to actual HD antenna ownership by individuals that its business model would be found to be legal. That didn't pan out, and consumers are unlikely to get a break this way from their ever-increasing cable and satellite TV bills. Starbucks (SBUX) -- Winner If you need to cool down in the Sun Belt, Starbucks has a few fizzy options. The java giant this week introduced its Fizzio lin

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of HNI Corp. have gained 4.9% to $35.17 at 1:45 p.m., while Steelcase (SCS) has risen 0.8% to $16.93, Knoll (KNL) has advanced 2.5% to $18.74 and Herman Miller (MLHR) has ticked up 0.3% to $30.57.

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Bloomberg via Getty ImagesSteelcase, a leading maker of office furniture, reports this week; its earnings are a bellwether of how corporate America is faring. You can never know in advance all the news that will move the market in a given week, but some things you can see coming. From a pair of leading office furniture companies reporting on the same day to a popular used-car seller showing off its showroom, here are some of the things that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street. Monday -- New Energy for the New Week: The new trading week kicks off with FuelCell Energy (FCEL) reporting. The builder of fuel cell power plants reports its latest quarterly results after the market closes on Monday. It's been 10 years since FuelCell completed its first commercial fuel cell plant installation. Business is starting to pick up, as it has as many orders over the past two years combined as it did during the eight previous years combined. Revenue should continue to grow as FuelCell grows closer to profitability. Tuesday -- Lone Wolf: Disney's (DIS) "The Lone Ranger" was a flop earlier this year. It failed to break $90 million in domestic box office receipts, and the $260 million it amassed in gross ticket sales worldwide wasn't enough to offset its massive production budget and cinematic distribution. Disney had fared well with Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski before. The two teamed up for the blockbuster success of Disney's "The Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series. It convinced a jaded audience to return to the local multiplex for a movie about swashbucklers. But it couldn't revive the Western genre this time around. Despite being a box office bomb, "The Lone Ranger" will get a chance at new life in the home market. It comes out on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday. Wednesday -- Office Space: When it comes to stocks, it's safe to say that Steelcase (SCS) and Herman Miller (MLHR) aren't exactly the busy bees of the exchanges. On a typical day you w

Top Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: StemCells Inc (STEM)

StemCells, Inc. (StemCells), incorporated in August 1988, is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of stem cell therapeutics and related tools and technologies for academia and industry. The Company is focused on developing and commercializing stem and progenitor cells as the basis for therapeutics and therapies, and cells and related tools and technologies to enable stem cell-based research and drug discovery and development. The Company�� primary research and development efforts are focused on identifying and developing stem and progenitor cells as potential therapeutic agents. The Company has two therapeutic product development programs, including its CNS Program, which is developing applications for HuCNS-SC cells, its human neural stem cell product candidate, and its Liver Program, which is characterizing the Company�� human liver cells as a therapeutic product.

CNS Program

The Company in its CNS Program, is in clinical development with its HuCNS-SC cells for a range of disorders of the central nervous system. The CNS includes the brain, spinal cord and eye. In February 2012, the Company had completed a Phase I clinical trial in Pelizeaus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in the brain.

The Company�� CNS Program is focused on developing clinical applications, in which transplanting HuCNS-SC cells protect or restore organ function of the patient before such function is irreversibly damaged or lost due to disease progression. The Company�� initial target indications are PMD, and more generally, diseases in which deficient myelination plays a central role, such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis; spinal cord injury, disorders in which retinal degeneration plays a central role, such as age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. The Company�� product candidate, HuCNS-SC cells, is a purified and expanded composition of normal human neural stem cells. Its HuCNS-SC cells can be directly transp! lanted.

Liver Program

Liver stem or progenitor cells offer an alternative treatment for liver diseases. A liver cellular therapy or cell-based therapeutic provide or support liver function in patients with liver disease. The Company held a portfolio of issued and allowed patents in the liver field, which cover the isolation and use of both hLEC cells and the isolated subset, as well as the composition of the cells themselves.

The Company�� range of cell culture products, which are sold under the SC Proven brand, includes iSTEM, GS1-R, GS2-M, RHB-A, RHB-Basal, NDiff N2, and NDiff N2B27. Its iSTEM is a serum-free, feeder-free medium that maintains mouse embryonic stem cells in their pluripotent ground state by using selective small molecule inhibitors to block the pathways, which induce differentiation. RHB-A is a defined, serum-free culture medium for the selective culture of human and mouse neural stem cells and their maintenance and expansion as adherent cell populations. RHB-Basal is a defined, serum-free basal medium. When supplemented with specific growth factors, this media is formulated for the propagation and differentiation of adherent neural stem cells. RHB-Basal can also be tailored to specific-cell type requirements by the addition of customer preferred supplements.

The Company�� NDiff N2 is a defined serum-free scell culture supplement for the derivation, maintenance, expansion and/or differentiation of human and mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and tissue-derived neural stem cells supplement. Its NDiff N2-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N2. Its NDiff N2B27 is a defined, serum-free medium for the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells to neural cell types. NDiff N27-AF is a serum-free and animal component-free version of NDiff N27. Its GS1-R is a serum-free media formulation shown to enable the derivation and long-term maintenance of true, germline competent rat embryonic stem cells without the add! ition of ! cytokines or growth factors. Its GS2-M is a defined, serum- and feeder-free medium for the derivation and long-term maintenance of true, germline competent mouse iPS cells.

The Company also markets a number of antibody reagents for use in cell detection, isolation and characterization. These reagents are also under the SC Proven brand and it includes STEM24, STEM101, STEM121 and STEM123. Its STEM24 is a human antibody that recognizes human CD24, also known as heat stable antigen (HSA), a glycoprotein expressed on the surface of many human cell types, including immature human hematopoietic cells, peripheral blood lymphocytes, erythrocytes and many human carcinomas. Its CD24 is also a marker of human neural differentiation. Its STEM101 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes the Ku80 protein found in human nuclei. Its STEM121 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes a cytoplasmic protein of human cells. Its STEM123 is a human-specific mouse antibody that recognizes human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).

The Company�� Other products marketed under SC Proven include total cell genomic DNA (gDNA), RNA and protein lysate reagents purified from homogenous stem cell populations for intra-comparative studies, such as Epigenetic fingerprinting, Southern, Western and Northern blots, PCR, RT-PCR and microarrays. This range of purified stem cell line lysates includes mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells propagated in SC Proven 2i inhibitor-based GS2-M media and mouse ES cell-derived and fetal tissue-derived neural stem (NS) cells propagated in SC Proven RHB-A media.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  When an investor thinks of spinal-related stem cell stocks, usually a name like Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR) or StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM) comes to mind. And well they should. STEM has logged some amazing breakthroughs in the field of spinal cord repair, while CUR has done the same. Not all back problems are spinal cord related though. In fact, most back problems - and therefore the most opportunity - are bone and disc related problems. That's where a young gun like BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX) can step in and make stem cell waves. BRTX has developed an approach to rejuvenate and revive failing spinal discs, potentially ending pain for millions of back-pain sufferers, and circumventing expensive spinal surgeries that are in increasing burden on insurance companies.

Top Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ENZN)

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in the research and development of therapeutics for cancer patients with unmet medical needs. The company?s drug-development programs utilize two platforms-Customized PEGylation Linker Technology and third-generation mRNA-targeting agents utilizing the Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology. It currently holds four compounds in clinical development and multiple novel LNA targets in preclinical research. The company?s development product pipeline consists of PEG-SN38 compound that utilizes Customized Linker Technology, which is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic colorectal and breast cancer, as well as a Phase I trial for pediatric patients with cancer; and the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 alpha antagonist in Phase I studies for the treatment of solid tumors and lymphoma. Its product line also comprises Survivin antagonist in Phase I study in pediatric patients with recurrent acute lymphoblas tic leukemia; Androgen Receptor antagonist, a validated target for the treatment of prostate cancer that is in a Phase I study in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer; and rights to five compounds, including AR, HER3, beta-catenin, PI3KCA, and Gli2. Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Over the past week Seth Klarman (Trades, Portfolio) of The Baupost Group made one real time reduction; the guru reduced his holdings in Enzon Pharmaceutical (ENZN).� The guru cut his holdings in the company -43.6% by selling 3,353,595 shares of the company�� stock.� He sold these shares at an average price of $1.15 per share; the shares are still currently trading at around the same price.

Top Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Solar Thin Films Inc (SLTZ)

Solar Thin Films, Inc. is engaged in the business of designing, manufacturing and installation of thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si) photovoltaic manufacturing equipment. The equipment is used in plants that produce photovoltaic thin-film a-Si solar panels or modules. The Company operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Kraft Elektronikai Zrt (Kraft). Kraft is engaged in the design, development, manufacture, and installation of a-Si photovoltaic manufacturing equipment. The primary buyers of photovoltaic thin-film manufacturing equipment are businesses, as well as investment partnerships, engaged in the production of photovoltaic thin-film modules. In May 2010, the Company acquired Atlantis Solar LLC. In May 2013, Solar Thin Films Inc acquired Quality Resource Technologies Inc. In October 2013, Solar Thin Films Inc announced the sale of all of its ownership stake of Hungarian subsidiary, Kraft, R.t. (Kraft), to GJR Collectibles LLC.

Kraft has been providing equipment that is incorporated into a single manufacturing line capable of manufacturing a-Si solar modules that produce approximately 5megawatt (MW) of solar power annually. The Company focuses, directly and through joint ventures or alliances with other companies or governmental agencies, to sell equipment for and participate financially in solar power facilities using thin film a-Si solar modules or metallurgical and other crystalline solar modules as the power source to provide electricity to municipalities, businesses and consumers.

The Company competes with Applied Materials and Oerlikon.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Alliance Creative Group Inc (OTCMKTS: ACGX), Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure Inc (OTCMKTS: DJRT), Inscor Inc (OTCMKTS: IOGA) and Solar Thin Films Inc (OTCMKTS: SLTZ) have all been getting some attention lately in various investment newsletters and it should come as no surprise that two out of four of these stocks have been the subject of paid promotions ��which tend to benefit traders. However, two out of four of these stocks also have pretty good financials for being small cap OTC stocks and that might make them attractive to investors with a long term time horizon. So which of these stocks might make traders some profits in the short term and investors some profits over the longer term? Here is a closer look to help you decide:

Top Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Lam Research Corporation(LRCX)

Lam Research Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, refurbishes, and services semiconductor processing equipments used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. The company offers etch products that remove portions of various films from the wafer in the creation of semiconductor devices. Its etch products include dielectric etch, conductor etch, three-dimensional integrated circuit etch, MEMS devices, CMOS image sensors, and power devices for etching process. Lam Research Corporation also provides wafer cleaning steps that comprise post-etch and post-strip cleans, and pre-diffusion and pre-deposition cleans; and single-wafer wet clean and plasma-based bevel clean systems. The company offers its products to semiconductor manufacturers. It operates in the United States, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and the Asia Pacific. Lam Research Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Fremont, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  3. Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX  ) , P/E of 166
  Lam's core business is in making equipment that helps to manufacture computer chips. The company trades at a lofty 166 times earnings right now, but if Lam is able to meet analyst expectations for 2013, today's price is just 12 times expected earnings.

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  $KLAC: KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) �shares rose 1.9%. Analysts at J.P. Morgan on Monday initiated coverage of KLA-Tencor and Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) �at overweight.

Top Defensive Companies To Invest In Right Now: Brookfield Office Properties Inc. (BPO)

Brookfield Properties Corporation is a publicly owned real estate investment firm. The firm engages in the ownership, development, and management of premier commercial properties. It also provides ancillary real estate service businesses, such as tenant service and amenities. The firm invests in the real estate markets of the United States with a focus on North American cities, including New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Calgary, Denver, and Minneapolis. It primarily invests in properties and development sites predominantly office buildings. The firm operates as a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. It was formerly known as Carena-Bancorp Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Le Holding Carena-Bancorp Inc. in 1978. The company further changed its name to Carena-Bancorp, Inc. in 1985; to Carena Developments Limited in 1989; and to Brookfield Properties Corporation in 1996. Brookfield Properties was founded in 1923 and is based in New York, New York wi th an additional office in Toronto, Canada

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Victor Selva]

  Xerox Corporation (XRX), with a market capitalization of $13.11 billion, is among the largest companies in the global document markets. It is a provider of business process and document management. The company is a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company engaged in managing transaction processes.