5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now

Despite what you may read in the headlines, picking stocks to find the "next big thing" usually doesn't work out well in the end. For every "it" stock like Tesla Motors, there are a dozen companies whose investors were hoping for a massive payday, but are instead finding the exact opposite.

Actually, most investors who end up with million-dollar portfolios earned them by smart, aggressive saving habits combined with steady, consistently growing stocks. And one of the best ways to do this is to buy a whole lot of what you may think of as "boring" stocks, but that in reality are quite the opposite.

Source: Flickr/401(k) 2013

The type of stocks you need
Basically, when investing for the long term, the best way to go about choosing your stocks is to put yourself in a defensive mind-set. In other words, you need to worry more about preventing losses than creating huge gains.

Best Industrial Conglomerate Companies To Own In Right Now: Beazer Homes USA Inc. (BZH)

Beazer Homes USA, Inc. designs, builds, and sells single-family and multi-family homes. The company offers homes for entry-level, move-up, or retirement-oriented buyers. It also engages in rental of previously owned homes that are purchased and improved by the company. The company sells its homes through commissioned new home sales counselors and independent brokers. It operates in 16 states, including Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Beazer Homes USA, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  What: Shares of Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH  ) are up over 10% today in spite of a mixed earnings report, as investors seem more interested in big revenue growth than in steep losses at the moment.

• [By Chris Hill]

  Shares of EnerNoc (NASDAQ: ENOC  ) and Exelon (NYSE: EXC  ) lose energy in the wake of analyst downgrades. Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) falls after releasing the fourth season of Arrested Development. And Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH  ) benefits from rising home prices. In this installment of Investor Beat, our analysts discuss four stocks making moves.

• [By Erika Janowicz]

  Compass Point analyst Wilkes Graham updated his housing forecast:

  Graham increased assumed ROI's to 9% on average from 7%. Reduced targeted sector price/ book from $190% to 170%. Expects 20-30% growth in starts and new home sales in 2012 and 2013 to stabilize in 2014 and on at approximately 10%. For covered builders, the analyst lowered estimates by 8% and lowered price targets by 10%. Compass Point expects 10% annual growth in single family starts and new home sales and 2-5% pricing growth. Downgraded DR Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI) from Buy to Neutral and KB Home (NYSE: KBH) from Neutral to Sell. DR Horton's and KB Home's PT was lowered from $23.50 to $20.00 and from $17.50 to $14.00, respectively. Graham reiterated a Buy rating on Ryland Group Inc. (NYSE: RYL) and Standard Pacific Corp. (NYSE: SPF). The analyst raised the PT on Ryland from $50.00 to $50.50 and lowered the PT on Standard Pacific from $10.00 to $9.50. Compass Point reiterated a Neutral rating on Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE: BZH), Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV), Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN), PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), and Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL). The price target for Beazer and Hovnanian was raised from $15.50 to $24.00 and $5.00 to $5.75, respectively. Graham lowered the PT for Lennar, Pulte, and Toll to $34.50, $17.00, and $31.00.

  This Week's Data

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Abbott Laboratories(ABT)

Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of health care products worldwide. The company offers adult and pediatric pharmaceuticals for rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and Crohn's disease; dyslipidemia; HIV infection; prostate cancer, endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and anemia caused by uterine fibroids; respiratory syncytial virus; adult males who have low or no testosterone; secondary hyperparathyroidism; hypothyroidism; and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, as well as anesthesia products. It also provides diagnostic products, such as immunoassay systems; chemistry systems; assays used for screening and/or diagnosis for drugs of abuse, cancer, therapeutic drug monitoring, fertility, physiological, and infectious diseases; instruments that automate the extraction, purification, and preparation of DNA and RNA from patient samples, and detect and measure infections agents; genomic-b ased tests; hematology systems and reagents; and point-of-care diagnostic systems and tests for blood analysis. In addition, the company offers a line of pediatric and adult nutritional products. Further, it provides coronary, endovascular, vessel closure, and structural heart devices, such as drug-eluting stent systems, coronary metallic stents, balloon dilatation products, coronary guidewires, vessel closure devices, carotid stent systems, percutaneous valve repair systems, and drug eluting bioresorbable vascular products. Additionally, the company provides blood glucose monitoring meters, test strips, data management software, and accessories for people with diabetes; and medical devices for the eye, including cataract surgery, lasik surgery, contact lens, and dry eye products, as well as branded generic pharmaceutical products. Abbott primarily serves retailers, wholesalers, hospitals, and health care facilities. Abbott was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Wednesday, Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed kneejerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

• [By Keith Speights]

  You're also likely picking up part of the tab for the companies mistakes in how they promote their products. For example, Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT  ) settled federal and state lawsuits accusing the company of inappropriate promotion practices for epilepsy drug Depakote for a cool $1.6 billion last year.

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Emmis Communications Corporation (EMMS)

Emmis Communications Corporation, a diversified media company, engages in radio broadcasting and magazine publishing operations primarily in the United States. It also owns and operates national radio networks in Slovakia and Bulgaria. The company publishes various city and regional magazines, which include Texas Monthly, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Indianapolis Monthly, Cincinnati, Orange Coast, Country Sampler, and related magazines. In addition, it is involved in various businesses, such as Website design and development, digital sales consulting, and operating a news information radio network in Indiana. Further, the company leases its studio and office space. As of April 26, 2012, it owned 18 FM and 2 AM radio stations in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Austin, Indianapolis, and Terre Haute. Emmis Communications Corporation was founded in 1981 and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Emmis Communications (NASDAQ: EMMS) is expected to report its Q2 earnings.

  AngioDynamics (NASDAQ: ANGO) is projected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.03 per share on revenue of $82.54 million.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  Earnings Expected From: Lindsay Corporation (NYSE: LNN), Emmis Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: EMMS), API Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: ATNY) Economic Releases Expected: Australian unemployment rate, Japanese consumer confidence, French industrial output, Italian industrial output, Bank of England interest rate decision, US initial and continuing jobless claims

  Friday

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Encana Corporation and its subsidiaries engage in the exploration for, development, production, and marketing of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids. The company owns interests in resource plays that primarily include the Greater Sierra, Cutbank Ridge, Bighorn, and Coalbed Methane resource plays located in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Deep Panuke natural gas project offshore Nova Scotia in Canada. It also holds interests in resource plays comprising the Jonah in southwest Wyoming, Piceance in northwest Colorado, Haynesville in Louisiana, and Texas resource play, including east Texas and north Texas. The company serves primarily local distribution companies, industrials, energy marketing companies, and other producers. Encana Corporation was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ovenerio]

  The company has a current ROE of 12.69% which is higher than the industry median and the ones exhibit by Encana (ECA), Crescent Point Energy (CPG), Concho Resources (CXO) and EQT (EQT). In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. It is very important to understand this metric before investing and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over time.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  1 (tie). Louisiana, March 29
  Louisiana climbs to the top spot by keeping property taxes below $750 and collecting just a 4% sales tax, although local options add nearly 5 percentage points to that figure and make the state one of the highest-collecting sales-tax states. Although extensive activity from energy producers Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK  ) , Encana (NYSE: ECA  ) , and Plains Exploration (NYSE: PXP  ) in the Haynesville-Bossier shale play could boost incomes and lead to higher taxes, much of Louisiana's sales tax revenue comes from out-of-state tourists visiting the state, leaving the actual amount borne by residents even lower. A 6% income tax isn't enough to push Louisiana out of the top spot.

• [By David Smith]

  Far and wide
  Fox's latest version ranges somewhat more widely than its predecessor. Oh sure, there's plenty of attention to environmental damage attributable to Cabot Oil & Gas' (NYSE: COG  ) fracking operations in Dimock, Pa., the epicenter of the first film. But�the follow-up also spends considerable time in Pavillion, Wyo., where the Environmental Protection Agency has contended that hydraulic fracturing by Encana (NYSE: ECA  ) has sullied the local aquifer. Only lately has the EPA turned over a second investigation into the matter to Wyoming state authorities.

• [By Jeremy van Loon]

  Encana Corp. (ECA), the natural gas producer selling assets after losing half its value since 2010, is being urged by investors to cut its dividend and focus on profitable projects in the U.S. and Canada.