Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014

Abbott Labs' second-quarter earnings beat Wall Street's projections, as the company continues to perform well in its post-branded pharmaceuticals life. However, Abbott's medical device business couldn't keep up its more successful segments, even as the company has made progress in key areas such as drug-eluting stents, while advancing into emerging markets.Overall, device sales fell 1.6% year-over-year for the quarter.

Abbott's made a few recent acquisitions to beef up this business, and the company's stellar Xience stent remains atop the industry. Are Abbott's plans for the future enough to turn around this division's slumping sales, however? Below, Motley Fool contributor Dan Carroll tells you what you need to know about Abbott's device business, and how this segment will impact this well-diversified company -- and your portfolio -- in the future.

Abbott's diversity and international edge have made this stock one of health care's safest and most reliable picks in the past. Abbott's a key reminder that investing for the long-term is the most sure-fire way to maximize your financial future. The Motley Fool's special free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich," names specific investment opportunities that could help you build long-term wealth, and help you retire well. The Fool also outlines critical wealth-building strategies that every investor should know.�Click here�to keep reading.

10 Best Dow Dividend Stocks To Own For 2015: KBB Resources Bhd (KBB)

KBB Resources Berhad is an investment holding company. The Company is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of all types of rice and sago sticks (vermicelli), sago starch and related products. The Company�� product includes Rice Vermicelli, Instant Noodle, Instant Bihun, Laksa and Sago. The Company�� subsidiaries include Kilang Bihun Bersatu Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in Manufacturing and marketing of all types of rice and sago sticks (vermicelli); Rasayang Food Industries Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in manufacturing and trading of beehoon and beehoon laksa; Bersatu Noodles Industries Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in manufacturing and trading of noodles and related products, and Bersatu Biotechnology (Johore) Sdn Bhd, which is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of all types of sago starch and related products. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Neha Marwah]

  LMC Automotive expects the annualized rate to be 16.1 million, the best in six years. This is a decent improvement from last year�� November, when the industry reported 15.3 million as the adjusted annualized rate. In comparison, Kelley Blue Book (KBB) expects the November 2013 SAAR to be around 15.6 million, while Edmunds.com estimates it to be 15.7 million.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Carnival Plc ADS (CUK)

Carnival plc operates as a cruise company. It operates in North America Cruise Brands, EAA Cruise Brands, and Tour and Other segments. The company offers cruises under the brand names of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn in North America; and AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK), and P&O Cruises (Australia) in Europe, Australia, and Asia. It also owns Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, a tour operator in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, which owns and operates 12 hotels or lodges, 300 motor coaches, and 20 domed rail cars. The company sells its cruises through travel agents, including wholesalers, general sales agents, and tour operators. Carnival plc was founded in 1850 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Cruise ship operator�Carnival (NYSE: CCL  ) (NYSE: CUK  ) �announced today its third-quarter dividend of $0.25 per share, the same rate it's paid since 2011.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Carnival plc (NYSE: CUK) surged 1.85% to $40.21. The volume of Carnival shares traded was 289% higher than normal. Carnival's PEG ratio is 1.67.

  Posted-In: volume moversNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA)

Diamonds Trust, Series 1 (the Trust) is a unit investment trust. The Trust was created to provide investors with the opportunity to purchase units of beneficial interest in the Trust representing proportionate undivided interests in the portfolio of securities consisting of substantially all of the component common stocks, which comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average (the DJIA). The Trust�� objective is to provide investment results that, before expenses, generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the DJIA.

The Trust's holdings consist of the 30 stocks in the DJIA, which is designed to capture the price performance of 30 United States blue-chip stocks. The Trust ended its fiscal year on October 31, 2007, with a 12-month return of 17.72% on net asset value as compared to the DJIA return of 17.94%. As of October 31, 2007, some of the Trust�� investments included 3M Co., Alcoa, Inc., Altria Group, Inc., American Express Co., American International Group, Inc., AT&T, Inc., Boeing Co., Caterpillar, Inc., Citigroup, Inc. and Coca-Cola Co.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Aspray]

  The technical picture last Wednesday allowed for two scenarios and, as of Friday, there is not enough evidence to be confident whether the large-cap Spyder Trust (SPY) and SPDR Dow Industrials (DIA) are going to join the Powershares QQQ Trust (QQQ) on the downside.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Keep in mind that the DJIA itself actually lose 0.2% in this last week. The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSEArca: DIA), which aims to track the DJIA, turned in a loss of -0.127%. The difference here is that the ETF can close on a bid price or an ask price, and there can be some miniscule tracking error on top of the SPDR management fee.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: iRobot Corp (IRBT)

iRobot Corporation (iRobot), incorporated in August 1990, designs and builds robots. The Company�� home care robots perform time-consuming domestic chores while its government and industrial robots perform tasks, such as battlefield reconnaissance and bomb disposal, multi-purpose tasks for local police and first responders, and long-endurance oceanic missions. It sells its robots to consumers through a range of distribution channels, including chain stores and other national retailers, and through its on-line store, and to the United States military and other government agencies globally. It designs and builds robots for the consumer and government and industrial markets. It sells its products through distinct sales channels to the consumer and government and industrial markets. In the United States and Canada, it sells its consumer products through a network of national retailers. As of December 31, 2011, this network consisted of more than 30 retailers, which often sell either one or some combination of its products. Its smaller domestic retail operations are supported by distributors to whom it sells product directly. It sells its government and industrial products directly to end users and indirectly through prime contractors and distributors. During the year ended December 31, 2011, sales to non-the United States customers accounted for 45.5% of total revenue.

Consumer Products

The Company sells various products, which are designed for use in and around the home. Its consumer products are focused on both indoor and outdoor cleaning applications. It offers multiple Roomba floor vacuuming robots and Scooba floor washing robots. Its Roomba robot�� compact disc shape allows it to clean under beds and other furniture, resulting in cleaner floors. In addition, it cleans automatically upon the push of a button. Its Scooba robot�� cleaning process allows the robot to simultaneously sweep, wash, scrub and dry hard floors, all at the touch of a button. Its Verro Pool Cleani! ng Robot is used to clean a residential pool and removes debris as small as two microns from the pool floor, walls and stairs. Verro is brought to market under the iRobot brand through a relationship with the Aqua Products Group companies, including AquaJet LLC and Aquatron, Inc., which developed the pool cleaning robots.

The Company�� Looj Gutter Cleaning Robot cleans an entire stretch of gutter. The Looj also features a detachable handle that doubles as a wireless remote control, providing control of the robot while cleaning.

Government and Industrial Products

In government and industrial product markets, the Company offers both ground and maritime unmanned vehicles. Its tactical ground robots include the combat-tested 510 PackBot line of small, unmanned ground robots, the 310 small unmanned ground vehicle (SUGV) and XM1216 SUGV (Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle) multi-purpose ground robots, the 110 FirstLook small, light, throwable robot, and the 710 Warrior multi-purpose robot capable of carrying heavy payloads. The PackBot, SUGV, FirstLook, and Warrior robot series make up a family of robots using many common platform components and offer its flipper technology, which enables robots to climb stairs, navigate rubble, and penetrate inaccessible areas. These robots keep war fighters and public safety officials out of harm�� way and are designed for performing search, reconnaissance, mapping, bomb disposal and other dangerous missions. As of December 31, 2011, more than 4,500 robots had been delivered to military and civil defense forces globally. Its Aware 2 software is incorporated into the 510 PackBot chassis and operator control unit. As a result, PackBot can support multiple configurations and payloads with the same chassis and operator control unit, providing customers with a single robot capable of performing multiple missions.

Contract Research and Development Projects

The Company is involved in several contract development pr! ojects wi! th the United States governmental agencies and departments. The durations of these projects range from a few months to several years. These projects are usually funded as either cost-plus, firm fixed price, or time and materials contracts. In a cost-plus contract, it is allowed to recover its actual costs plus a fixed fee. Under a firm fixed price contract, it receives a fixed amount upon satisfying contractually defined deliverables. On its time and materials contracts, it recovers a specific amount per hour worked based on a bill rate schedule, plus the cost of direct materials, subcontracts, and other non-labor costs, including an agreed-upon mark-up.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Cannot compute valuation, error!
  Ever since iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT  ) -- a maker of robots for the government, industrial, and consumer sectors -- revamped its marketing campaign, its share price has been off to the races. If I didn't know any better, I'd say its Roomba vacuum is cleaning house of all short-sellers. However, if I've learned anything about iRobot over the years, it's that the company is completely susceptible to the normal peaks and troughs that affect the tech replacement cycle.

• [By Katie Spence]

  Further, Atlas isn't the only robot available for disaster or wartime use. iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT  ) makes FirstLook, a robot the military can use for situational awareness. Northrop Grumman's (NYSE: NOC  ) Remotec division makes Titus, a next-gen ANDROS unmanned ground vehicle, or UGV, useful to first responders and the military. And in 2007, iRobot teamed up with Boeing (NYSE: BA  ) to develop a next-gen, small UGV called SUGV Early, that is supposed to replace iRobot's PackBot, which is used to safely disarm improvised explosive devices.�

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  When it comes to easing robots into mainstream consumer markets, nobody is doing better than iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT  ) . The company has pumped more funds into its advertising during the past year, which means catchy ads for its Roomba floor cleaner are sweeping (no pun intended) television and the Internet.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, robot specialist iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Wells Fargo Advantage Income Opportunities Fund (EAD)

Evergreen Income Advantage Fund (the Fund) is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The primary investment objective of the Fund is to seek a high level of current income.

During the fiscal year ended April 30, 2005, the Fund's investment portfolio included Marquee Holdings, Inc., Mediacom LLC, American Achievement Corp., CSK Auto, Inc., Oxford Industries, Inc., B&G Foods Holdings Corp. and Chiquita Brands International, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  Precision Castparts' impressive growth in the June quarter was largely a result of acquisitions. Organic sales growth year over year came to just 2%. Most of the time I don't like growth stocks that are fueled by acquisition since these deals can hide the true (frequently negative) trend in core sales and earnings growth. But in the case of Precision Castparts, an acquisition strategy makes sense to me, because it is a reflection of what's going on in the aerospace sector. Companies like Boeing (BA) and Airbus (EAD) are looking to simplify their supply chain and to deal with fewer suppliers. Rolling up part of the supply chain under one roof, which is what Precision Castparts is doing right now, is a way to gain a bigger share of the business of these big end customers.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  EADS (EAD) declined 1.2 percent to 51.54 euros. UBS said in a note that investing in the company is ��ess compelling��after shares rallied 77 percent in 2013 through yesterday and orders were announced following the Dubai Air Show.

Top Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014: Beam Inc (BEAM)

Beam Inc. (Beam), incorporated on October 1, 1985, is a premium spirits company that makes and sells branded distilled spirits products in markets worldwide. The Company's principal products include bourbon whiskey, tequila, Scotch whisky, Canadian whisky, vodka, cognac, rum, cordials, and ready-to-drink pre-mixed cocktails. The Company's portfolio consists of brands the Company identifies as Power Brands, Rising Stars, Local Jewels and values Creators. The Power Brands are the Company's core brand equities, with global reach in premium categories. Rising Stars are smaller premium brands. Brands identified as Local Jewels act as Power Brands in local markets. Value Creators include a variety of brands. The Company's three reportable segments are the geographic regions, which consists of North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific/South America (APSA). Each segment is engaged in the manufacture and sale of distilled spirits products. In May 2012, the Company acquired the Pinnacle vodka and Calico Jack rum brands and certain related assets (Pinnacle assets) from White Rock Distilleries, Inc. In January 2012, Beam acquired Cooley Distillery plc (Cooley), an Irish whiskey producer.

The Company�� Power Brands include Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Courvoisier Cognac, Canadian Club Whisky, Teacher's Scotch and Pinnacle Vodka. Beam�� Rising Stars brand includes Laphroaig Scotch, Knob Creek Bourbon, Basil Hayden's Bourbon, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Skinnygirl Cocktails and Sourz Liqueurs. The principal markets for the Company's spirits products are the United States, Australia, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and the Company continues to invest in emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Central Europe, Asia, and other geographies.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, Power Brands, Rising Stars, and combined Local Jewels/Value Creators (including non-branded sales) repre! sent approximately 60%, 15%, and 25%, respectively, of the Company's net sales. Approximately 55% of its consolidated net sales were generated in the United States (based on country of destination) during 2012. In the United States, the Company sells its products either to wholesale distributors for resale to retail outlets or, in those states that control alcohol sales, to state governments who then sell them to retail customers and consumers. In the Company's other global markets, the Company uses a variety of route-to-market models, including third party distributors, global or regional duty free customers, other spirits producers and its joint ventures with The Edrington Group Ltd.

The Company competes with Bacardi Limited, Brown-Forman Corporation, Constellation Brands, Inc., Davide Campari Milano-S.p.A., Diageo PLC, Pernod Ricard S.A. and Remy Cointreau S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Suntory Beverage & Food Limited.�A soft drinks company with an integrated platform in four key regions (Japan, Europe, Oceania and Asia), Japan based Suntory Beverage & Food acquired�Beam Inc (NYSE: BEAM)�for $16 billion (a 25% premium) earlier this year (the sixth-largest ever in the beverage industry) to form the world's third largest premium spirits company. Beam Suntory�� brands or products include�the flagship Jim Beam bourbon and Yamazaki Japanese whisky, as well as world renown premium brands including Maker's Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher's, Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Sauza tequila, Pinnacle vodka and Midori liqueur. Beam Suntory generates annual worldwide sales of approximately $4.6 billion (excluding excise taxes). The deal was made in part because of Japan�� aging population means Japanese companies need to look overseas for growth while a strong Yen last year has helped to fuel acquisitions. It should be noted though that while Suntory Beverage & Food Limited�� stock does trade on the OTC in the USA, volume over the past two months has ranged from a low of 9,740 shares to a high of 761,630 shares. On Tuesday, Suntory Beverage & Food Limited rose 1.42% to $19.33 (STBFY has a 52 week trading range of $15.25�to $19.43 a share) for a market cap of $11.78 billion plus the stock is 18.9% since the start of the year and up 13.7% since October 2013.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Beam (NYSE: BEAM) shot up 24.41 percent to $83.32 after the company agreed to be acquired by Suntory Holdings for $83.50 per share in cash.

  Wendy's (NASDAQ: WEN) was also on the rise, gaining 6.16 percent to $8.96 after the company reaffirmed its long-term outlook, announced a $275 million buyback, and lifted its fourth quarter and fiscal year guidance above street consensus.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One concern that Brown-Forman might not need to worry about at least for now is the prospect of further consolidation in the space. For a while, it appeared that Diageo might move forward to try to buy out Brown-Forman whiskey rival Beam (NYSE: BEAM  ) . But Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes dismissed talk of a merger, saying it was unnecessary in light of Diageo's already-strong Johnnie Walker brand and other offerings. As for Constellation Brands, its recent move to pick up the Grupo Modelo U.S. beer business has likely left it needing some time before considering any further major corporate moves in the near future.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Beam (NYSE: BEAM) shot up 24.06 percent to $83.08 after the company agreed to be acquired by Suntory Holdings for $83.50 per share in cash.

  Clovis Oncology (NASDAQ: CLVS) was also up, gaining 7.26 percent to $79.35 after the company announced 2014 objectives and financial outlook. The company projected to initiate three global registration studies for CO-1686.