Top 5 Defensive Companies For 2014

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- As the S&P 500 enters another corrective week, it's time to turn defensive with your portfolio. And one of the best ways to do that is by turning to a life of sin. Let me explain.

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For an investor, the best defense is a good defense. And the best offense is a good defense too. That's not just some investing platitude. It's backed up by stock market research. According to data collected by Cambria Investment Management CIO Mebane Faber, missing both the best and worst days of the year with a defensive market posture actually outperforms a buy-and-hold approach.

That's a pretty ringing endorsement for putting defensive names in your portfolio. But contrary to popular belief, defensive stocks don't have to be boring. Sin stocks offer an interesting mix of downside protection, income generation and, well, fun

Don't let the name fool you; sin stock companies aren't in the business of burning down old folks' homes. Instead, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and weapons firms are all classical examples of sin stocks. So what makes sin stocks so attractive when anxiety ratchets higher?

Top 5 Defensive Companies For 2014: Ituran Location and Control Ltd (ITRN)

Ituran Location and Control Ltd. (Ituran), incorporated in February 1994, is engaged in the provision of location-based services and machine-to-machine wireless communications products for use in stolen vehicle recovery, fleet management and other applications. The Company operates in two segments: location-based services and wireless communication products. During the year ended December 31, 2012, 76.2% of its revenues were attributable to its location-based services. As of December 31, 2012, Ituran provided its services in Israel, Brazil, Argentina and the United States to approximately 276,000, 238,000, 131,000 and 22,000 subscribers, respectively. In 2012, 23.8% of its revenues were attributable to the sale of its wireless communications products.

Location-Based Services

The Company�� stolen vehicle recovery and tracking services, which it refer to as SVR services, enable it to locate, track and recover stolen vehicles for its subscribers. The Company�� customers include both individual vehicle owners who subscribe to its services directly and insurance companies that either require their customers to install a security system or offer their customers financial incentives to subscribe to SVR services, such as its. In certain countries, insurance companies directly subscribe to its SVR services and purchase automatic vehicle location (AVL) products supporting these SVR services from us on behalf of their customers. The Company�� fleet management services enable corporate customers to track and manage their vehicle. It markets and sells its services to a range of vehicle fleet operators in different geographic locations and industries. As of December 31, 2012, the Company provided its services to approximately 81,000 end-users through 21,000 corporate customers in Israel, Brazil, Argentina and the United States.

Personal locator services, which it offers allow customers to protect merchandise and equipment. In addition, through a call center it provides ! 24-hour round the clock on-demand navigation guidance, information and assistance to its customers. As of December 31, 2012, the Company provided personal locator services in Israel, Brazil and Argentina and, as of December 31, 2012, it had approximately 7,500 subscribers to this service. The Company�� call center services include the provision of traffic reports, help with directions and information on the location gas stations, car repair shops, post offices, hospitals and other facilities. The Company provides its concierge services to its subscribers in Israel, Argentina and Brazil. As of December 31, 2012, it had approximately 128,000 subscribers to its concierge service

Wireless Communications Products

The Company�� wireless communications products employ short- and medium-range communication between two-way wireless modems and are used for various applications, including AVL. Its AVL products enable the location and tracking of vehicles, as well as assets and persons, and are used by it primarily to provide SVR and fleet management services to its customers. Each subscriber to its SVR services has its AVL end-unit installed in his or her vehicle. Subscribers to services for locating equipment and merchandise will use its SMART products. The Company�� wireless communications products for AVL applications include: Base Site, Control Center, global positioning systems/ beneral packet radio service (GPS/GPRS)-based products and SMART. Base Site is a radio receiver, which includes a processor and a data computation unit to collect and send data to and from transponders and send that data to control centers as part of the terrestrial infrastructure of the location system. Control Center is a center, which consists of software used to collect data from various base sites, conduct location calculations and transmit location data to various customers and law enforcement agencies.

Global positioning systems/ beneral packet radio service (GPS/GPRS)-based products! include ! navigation and tracking devices installed in vehicles. SMART is a portable transmitter installed in vehicles (including motorcycles) that sends a signal to the base site, enabling the location of vehicles, equipment or an individual. The Company maintains 103 base stations in Israel. The provides radio frequency (RF) based products and services only in the metropolitan areas of Sao Paulo, Campinas, Americans and Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. It operates throughout Brazil in providing GPS/GPRS based products and services. The Company operates only in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires with the RF technology, in Argentina. The Company operates throughout Argentina in providing GPS/GPRS based products and services for fleet management. It provides GPS/GPRS products and services throughout the United States.

The Company competes with Eden Telecom Ltd. (Pointer), Skylock Ltd, LoJack Corporation, Car System, Megatrans, Pointer Localizacion y Asistencia S.A, OnStar Corporation, Sky Link Corporation, Spireon, Air Cept Corporation, SysLocate, GoldStar, PassTime, Guide Point, Sky Patrol, Sky Guard, I-Metrik, GPS Insight, Trimble, Network Fleet, Street Eagle, FleetMatics , Navtrack, Teletrac, Trim Track, FleetBoss, Sascar, Omnilink and Hawk Corporation.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matthew Indyke and Brian Zen]

  Four of Klarman�� stocks include PDLBioPharma (PDLI), Ituran Location and Control (ITRN), BP (BP), and Microsoft (MSFT). What these companies have in common are annually increasing total revenues, annually increasing cash flows, and gradually decreasing operating expenses and debt. Additionally, they show a clear value focus with P/E ratios no greater than 15. And even when stocks like these go through a troubling period brought on by a sagging economy or major scandal, they have an ability to bounce back.

Top 5 Defensive Companies For 2014: Optical Cable Corporation (OCC)

Optical Cable Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, and sells fiber optic, and copper data communications cabling and connectivity solutions primarily for the enterprise market in the United States and internationally. The company offers fiber optic cables for military field applications, and indoor and outdoor use; and copper datacom cables, including unshielded and shielded twisted pair for copper network installations. It also provides fiber optic connectivity products, such as fiber optic wall mounts, cabinet mounts and rack mount enclosures, pre-terminated fiber optic enclosures, fiber optic connectors, splice trays, fiber optic jumpers, plug and play cassette modules, pre-terminated fiber optic cable assemblies, adapters, and accessories; and copper connectivity products, including category compliant patch panels, jacks, plugs, patch cords, faceplates, surface mounted boxes, distribution and multi-media boxes, copper rack mount and wall mount enclosures, cable assemblies, cable organizers, and other wiring products for datacenter, telecommunications closet, equipment room, and workstation applications. In addition, the company offers data cabinets, wall-mount enclosures, cable management systems, and open frame relay racks for commercial and residential use; various enclosures, modules, and modular outlets for single dwelling and multiple dwelling residential uses; and cellular distribution system, a distributed antenna system for in-building enhancement of wireless communications signals. Further, it provides applied interconnect systems, such as specialty fiber optic connectors and connectivity components, ruggedized copper datacom connectors, and related systems and solutions for military and harsh environment applications. The company sells its products to distributors, original equipment manufacturers, value-added resellers, and end-users. Optical Cable Corporation was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ning Jia]

  First Security entered into a Consent Order with the Bank's primary regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) during April 2010 and a Written Agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank during September 2010.

Top Mid Cap Stocks To Watch Right Now: ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc(ZIOP)

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and commercialization of small molecule and synthetic biology approaches to cancer therapies in the United States. The company's clinical programs include Palifosfamide, a DNA cross-linker, which is in a phase III clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic soft tissue sarcoma in the front-line setting. ZIOPHARM is also developing Palifosfamide in combination with etoposide and carboplatin in phase I clinical trial to determine safety for initiating a pivotal, adaptive phase III trial in front-line. In addition, the company, in partnership with Intrexon Corporation, is developing DNA-based therapeutics (synthetic biology) that include two phase 1 clinical-stage product candidates, both of which are DNA IL-12 to be turned on/off by an oral activator ligand. Further, it is developing Indibulin, an oral tubulin binding agent, which is in Phase 1/2 for metastatic breast cancer; and Darinaparsin , a mitochondrial- and hedgehog-targeted agent that is in a solid tumor phase I study with oral administration and has been developed intravenously for the treatment of relapsed peripheral T-cell lymphoma. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in New York City, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Cancer drug investors who have been disappointed in recent results from shares of Clovis Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:CLVS) or Nuvilex Inc. (OTCMKTS:NVLX) lately may want to take a look at ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:ZIOP) as a replacement for either of those first two stocks. CLVS is down about 16% for the week on a less-than-flattering write-up in a Bloomberg publication, and NVLX has moved under a pair of key moving averages this week because, well, for no specific reason, but broadly because the recent wave of compelling news is already losing its potency, with most of that upside already being priced into shares (and then some) before it became official.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Back on July 16th, I pointed out ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:ZIOP) was a budding superstar. Though I suggested waiting for the stock to cool off before stepping into it (and it did cool off, by the way), ZIOP has since walked its way above the key line in the sand that was acting like a ceiling then. Though there's still one more hurdle shares need to clear before being a "must-have" stock, the heavy lifting's been done.

• [By John Udovich]

  Biotech in general has been one of the market�� hottest sectors this year thanks to plenty of mostly good news�along with�new IPOs while small cap biotech stocks Delcath Systems (NASDAQ: DCTH), ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc (NASDAQ: ZIOP), Recro Pharma (NASDAQ: REPH), TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TLOG)�and TNI BioTech (OTCMKTS: TNIB) have also produced their share of news�this week or in recent weeks. Just consider the following:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Four months ago, you could barely give your shares of ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:ZIOP) away. The company announced s on Tuesday, March 26th, that its sarcoma drug Palifosfamide had failed to meet its Phase 3 goals. Shares of ZIOP plunged from $5.13 to $1.82 in a mere day, and were trading as low as $1.51 a week and a half later.

Top 5 Defensive Companies For 2014: Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI)

Allegheny Technologies Incorporated engages in the production and sale of specialty metals worldwide. It operates in three segments: High Performance Metals, Flat-Rolled Products, and Engineered Products. The High Performance Metals segment provides various high performance alloys, including nickel- and cobalt-based alloys and super alloys; titanium and titanium-based alloys; zirconium and related alloys, such as hafnium and niobium; other specialty alloys primarily in long product forms of ingots, billets, bars, shapes and rectangles, rods, wires, and seamless tubes; and precision forgings and castings, and machined parts. The Flat-Rolled Products segment provides stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, super alloys, titanium and titanium-based alloys, and specialty alloys in various product forms comprising plates, sheets, engineered strips, and precision rolled strip products, as well as grain-oriented electrical steel sheets. The Engineered Products segment produces carb on alloy steel impression die forgings, and grey and ductile iron castings, as well as provides precision metal processing services, such as grinding, polishing, blasting, cutting, flattening, and ultrasonic testing. The company serves various markets, including aerospace and defense, oil and gas, chemical process, electrical energy, medical, automotive, construction and mining, food equipment and appliances, transportation, electronics, communication equipment, computers, and machine and cutting tools markets; and other markets requiring tools with hardness. Allegheny Technologies Incorporated sells its products through direct sales and independent representatives. The company was founded in 1960 and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  In our late October report on X, we noted the Company was “scratching the surface” on operational improvement, and we expected shares to edge higher over the near term. While X shares have appreciated by 16% since that report vs. the S&P 500 of +4% and the [Market Vectors Steel ETF (SLX)] of +3%, we believe shares have more room to run based on our positive carbon hot-rolled steel pricing revisions for 2014: meaningful raw material cost tailwinds (coal, scrap, iron ore); low Street EPS and EBITDA expectations for 2014-2015; an ever-increasing interest rate environment (benefits for pension exposure); more evidence of European macro stability; and above-average likelihood of incremental operational efficiency announcements such as a joint venture or tolling agreement with Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI).

• [By Russ Krull]

  Specialty metals producer Allegheny Technologies (NYSE: ATI  ) rolled out $500 million in 10-year paper. The money will be used for "general corporate purposes, which may include repurchases, repayment or refinancing of debt, capital expenditures, additions to working capital, the financing of future acquisitions or strategic combinations." It's good to see that's nailed down.

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) �shares rose 4%. The company, which makes products for the aerospace and petrochemical industries, last week declared a quarterly dividend of 18 cents a share. The dividend will be paid on March 26 to shareholders of record at the close of the business day on March 12.