10 Best Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now

Known as "The Father of Value Investing", Benjamin Graham inspired a number of famous "sons" -- Mario Gabelli, John Neff, John Templeton, and, most famously, Warren Buffett, are all Graham disciples who went on to their own stock market greatness.

Having lived through both his own family's financial troubles and the 1929 market crash, the strategy Graham laid out in his classic book The Intelligent Investor was a conservative, loss-averse approach. He abhorred risk.

True "investment", he wrote, deals with the future "more as a hazard to be guarded against than as a source of profit through prophecy."

In terms of specifics, Graham's "Defensive Investor" approach limited risk in a number of ways, and my Graham-based model lays out several of those methods.

Hot Telecom Stocks To Buy For 2015: Synalloy Corporation(SYNL)

Synalloy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells pipes and piping systems in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Metals and Specialty Chemicals. The Metals segment manufactures pipe and piping systems from stainless steel, carbon, chrome, and other alloys for use in the chemical, petrochemical, pulp and paper, waste water treatment, LNG, mining, power generation, water treatment, brewery, food processing, petroleum, alternative fuels, and pharmaceutical sectors. The Specialty Chemicals segment produces specialty chemicals and dyes for the carpet, chemical, paper, metals, mining, agricultural, fiber, paint, textile, automotive, petroleum, cosmetics, mattress, furniture, janitorial, and other industries. Synalloy Corporation sells its metal products through outside and inside sales employees, manufacturers? representatives, and authorized stocking distributors, as well as directly to engineering firms, construction companies, and project owners. It markets its specialty chemicals directly to various industries through outside sales employees and manufacturers' representatives. The company was formerly known as Blackman Uhler Industries, Inc. and changed its name to Synalloy Corporation in July 1967. Synalloy Corporation was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By GuruFocus]

  New Purchase: Synalloy Corporation (SYNL)

  Tom Gayner initiated holdings in Synalloy Corporation. His purchase prices were between $13.36 and $16, with an estimated average price of $14.21. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.27%. His holdings were 485,343 shares as of 06/30/2013.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Key Tronic Corporation(KTCC)

Key Tronic Corporation, doing business as KeyTronicEMS Co., together with its subsidiaries, provides electronic manufacturing services (EMS) to original equipment manufacturers primarily in the United States, Mexico, and China. Its EMS services include product design, surface mount technologies for printed circuit board assembly, tool making, precision plastic molding, liquid injection molding, automated tape winding, prototype design, and full product builds. The company also manufactures keyboards and other input devices for personal computers. Key Tronic markets its products and services primarily through its direct sales department aided by field sales people and distributors. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Spokane Valley, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Computer Peripherals: This industry rose 2.21% by 10:15 am ET. The top performer in this industry was Key Tronic (NASDAQ: KTCC), which gained 0.3%. Key Tronic's trailing-twelve-month ROE is 14.57%.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Bombardier Inc (BDRAF)

Bombardier, Inc. is a Canada-based aerospace and transportation company. The Company operates in two segments: aerospace and rail transportation. The aerospace segment is structured by market segment (business aircraft, commercial aircraft and services), which is reflective of its organizational structure. The transportation segment is structured by market segment (rolling stock, services, system and signalling), which is reflective of its organizational structure, and by geographic region (Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world). As of December 31, 2012, the Company had 80 production and engineering sites in 26 countries, and a worldwide network of service centre. In May 2012, it launched the Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 aircraft programs. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has opened Bombardier's new wing manufacturing and assembly facility in Belfast. In December 2013, the Company sold Flexjet's activities to Flexjet, LLC. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  Yet there is a fourth major competitor in the commercial aircraft market -- Bombardier (NASDAQOTH: BDRAF  ) -- and it has its own advanced-technology airplane. The company's CSeries plane is expected to make its first flight as early as this week. Yet the CSeries put up a goose egg at the Paris Air Show, failing to notch a single order. While Bombardier has nearly 200 firm orders for the CSeries, the company will rapidly burn through that backlog once it starts CSeries mass production.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: BHP Billiton Limited(BHP)

BHP Billiton Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified natural resources company worldwide. The company engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas; mining and refining of bauxite into alumina, and smelting of alumina into aluminum metal; and mining of copper, silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum, uranium, gold, diamonds, and titanium minerals, as well as development of potash deposits. It also involves in the mining and production of nickel products, manganese ore, and manganese metal and alloys, as well as in the mining of iron ore, metallurgical coal, and thermal coal. BHP Billiton Limited sells its copper, lead, and zinc concentrates, and alumina to smelters; copper cathodes to wire rod mills, brass mills, and casting plants; uranium oxide to electricity generating utilities; rough diamonds to diamond buyers and diamond manufacturers; nickel products to stainless steel, specialty alloy, foundry, chemicals, and refractory ma terial industries; metallurgical coal to steel producers; and energy coal to power stations, power generators, and industrial users. The company, formerly known as BHP Limited, was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Of course, Alcoa isn't alone in suffering from a dismal aluminum market. Both BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP  ) and Chinalco (NYSE: ACH  ) have faced similar challenges in their respective operations, with BHP taking multiple hits on the commodities front due to its exposure in several other difficult metals markets. Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO  ) also took a loss for its 2012 year due largely to a massive $14 billion writedown of coal and aluminum assets.

• [By Rhiannon Hoyle]

  SYDNEY--BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) raised its outlook for iron-ore production this fiscal year as it reported record output from its expanding mining hub in Australia's resource-rich Pilbara region.

• [By Reuben Brewer]

  Relatively weak demand for thermal coal in China has pushed coal prices lower in Australia. That's a problem for big miners like Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO  ) , BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP  ) , and Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU  ) . However it could add to the allure of uranium miner Cameco (NYSE: CCJ  ) .

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Freeport-McMoRan has gained 0.6% to $33.04 today, bucking weakness in Southern Copper (SCCO), which has dropped 2.7% to $28.18, Rio Tinto (RIO), which has fallen 0.7% to $50.59,�Vale�(VALE), which has decline 0.7% to $16.28 and BHP Billiton (BHP), which is off 0.9% at $67.10.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Safran SA (SAF)

Safran SA is a France-based high-technology company which produces aircraft and rocket engines and propulsion systems. It divides its work into three segments: Aerospace, Aircraft, Defense and Security. The Aerospace Propulsion division provides engines, turbines and parts for aircraft, and rocket boosters for civil, military and spatial markets through several subsidiaries, including Snecma, among others. The Aircraft Equipment division produces landing gear, wheels and carbon brakes, aircraft engine nacelles and airborne power electronics through its subsidiaries, including Aircelle, among others. The Defense division includes the subsidiary, Sagem, and makes systems and equipment for inertial navigation and other defense applications to be used on military transport and combat aircraft, helicopters, warships, armored vehicles and artillery systems. In October 2013, the Company completed the sale of its United States-based subsidiary, Global Motors Inc to Allied Motion Inc. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Vivendi SA climbed 2.7 percent after posting better-than-estimated third-quarter profit and saying it plans to spin off its French phone carrier SFR by July 2014. Serco Group Plc (SRP) increased 1.7 percent as UBS AG upgraded the stock. Safran SA (SAF) lost 3.2 percent as its largest shareholder sold a stake.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Steel Dynamics Inc.(STLD)

Steel Dynamics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of steel products in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Steel Operations, Metals Recycling and Ferrous Resources Operations, and Steel Fabrication Operations. The Steel Operations segment provides a range of sheet steel products, including hot rolled, cold rolled, and coated steel products; structural steel beams, pilings, and rails; special bar quality and merchant bar quality rounds and round-cornered squares; billets and merchant steel products comprising angles, plain rounds, flats, and channels; and merchant beams and specialty structural steel sections. This segment offers its products for automotive, agriculture, energy, construction, commercial, transportation, and industrial machinery markets. The Metals Recycling and Ferrous Resources Operations segment purchases, processes, and resells ferrous products, such as heavy melting steel , busheling, bundled scrap, shredded scrap, steel turnings, and cast iron products; and processes nonferrous products consisting of aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, and other nonferrous metals for use in foundry, mill refining, and smelting applications. It also provides liquid pig iron and hot briquetted iron; and iron nugget products. The Steel Fabrication Operations segment fabricates steel building components, which include steel joists, trusses, girders, and decking products for the non-residential construction industry. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  That dynamic means that companies that can benefit from construction strength and cut costs will outperform others. For that reason, Murphy keeps Nucor (NUE) and�Steel Dynamics (STLD) at Buy. He wasn’t so kind to Reliance Steel (RS), US Steel (X) and AK Steel (AKS), which were all cut, though for different reasons.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Yesterday, rival mini-mill operator Steel Dynamics (NASDAQ: STLD  ) reported weak pricing in its steel, and similarly eroded earnings.

  At Nucor, the steep slump in sales arose from a combination of factors. For one, shipments were down. Tons of steel shipped slipped 1% in comparison to last year's Q2, owing to lower demand from customers. Adding to Nucor's woes, and hurting Nucor earnings, the company noted that while steel prices have firmed up somewhat since Q1 of this year, they remain down 8% in comparison with last year's Q2.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Analysts tend to group steel makers into two groups–AK Steel (AKS) and US Steel (X), who are more reliant on higher steel prices, and Steel Dynamics (STLD) and Nucor (NUE), who have more flexibility in their businesses.

• [By kcpl]

  Steelmaker and metal recycler Steel Dynamics (STLD) released fantastic results for the second quarter. The company came up with strong results, posting good improvements in profit and the top line. This tremendous growth came as a result of a sharp growth in all its segments.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Own Right Now: Office Depot Inc.(ODP)

Office Depot, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies office products and services. Its North American Retail division sells an assortment of merchandise, such as general office supplies, computer supplies, business machines and related supplies, and office furniture under various labels, including Office Depot, Viking Office Products, Foray, Ativa, Break Escapes, Niceday, and Worklife through its chain of office supply stores. It also provides printing, reproduction, mailing, shipping, and other services, as well as personal computer support and network installation service. As of December 25, 2010, this division operated 1,147 office supply stores in the United States and Canada. The company?s North American Business Solutions division sells nationally branded and private brand office supplies, technology products, furniture, and services to small- to medium-sized customers through a dedicated sales force, catalogs, and Internet. Its International division sells o ffice products and services through direct mail catalogs, contract sales forces, Internet sites, and retail stores using a mix of company-owned operations, joint ventures, licensing and franchise agreements, alliances, and other arrangements. As of December 25, 2010, it sold its office products to customers in 53 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This division operated, through wholly-owned or majority-owned entities, 97 retail stores in France, Hungary, South Korea, and Sweden; and participates under licensing and merchandise arrangements in South Korea, Thailand, India, Israel, Japan, and the Middle East. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) reported upbeat first-quarter results and announced its plans to close at least 400 stores in the United States. For the full year, Office Depot also lifted its adjusted operating income outlook to at least $160 million versus $140 million. Office Depot posted a quarterly net loss of $109 million, or $0.21 per share, versus a year-ago loss of $17 million, or $0.06 per share.

• [By Rich Bieglmeier]

  Office Depot Inc. (NYSE:ODP) will announce first quarter 2014 results for the fiscal period ending March 29, 2014 on Tuesday, May 6, 2014. A conference call to discuss the results will be held that day at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  Next Page

  Best Stocks to Buy for Around $5: Office Depot (ODP)

  While the office supply game surely isn�� what it used to be thanks to e-commerce and online orders, there is hope for fallen giant Office Depot (ODP).

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Shares of Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) got a boost, shooting up 3.94 percent to $5.81 after the US Federal Trade Commission closed probe of proposed Office Depot/OfficeMax merger.