Top 10 Safest Companies For 2014

The fallout from Detroit's bankruptcy filing has investors - and even ratings agencies - questioning the validity of the bond rating system.

Now investors need to know if it can be fixed in a way that actually helps those investing in general obligation (GO) bonds.

In June, Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr sent the financial equivalent of a nuclear blast through the muni bond markets when he stated that holders of Detroit's GO bonds - whose holdings total roughly $600 million - will be lumped together with other unsecured creditors who collectively account for $11 billion in city obligations.

Historically, GO bonds were seen as the safest form of municipal debt. That's because historically municipalities would raise taxes, cut services - do anything - rather than force losses on bondholders.

"The bottom line is, Orr said that these bonds are unsecured, which potentially forces a loss on these investments," explains Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald. "If that's the case, then here we go: those formerly secured debts are in fact no safer than junk bonds. Which means, all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, all the ratings on municipalities everywhere are suspect."

Hot Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: Foster Wheeler AG. (FWLT)

Foster Wheeler AG, through its subsidiaries, operates as an engineering and construction contractor; and power generating equipment supplier worldwide. Its Global Engineering and Construction division designs, engineers, and constructs onshore and offshore upstream oil and gas processing facilities; natural gas liquefaction facilities and receiving terminals; gas-to-liquids facilities; and oil refining, chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology facilities, as well as related infrastructure, including power generation, distribution, gasification, and processing facilities for metals and mining sector. This division also designs carbon capture and storage, and solid fuel-fired integrated gasification combined-cycle power plants, as well as coal-to-liquids, coal-to-chemicals, and biofuels facilities; and operates power generation facilities, such as conventional and renewable source, and waste-to-energy facilities. In addition, it offers project and constr uction management services, including procurement of equipment, materials, and services from third-party suppliers and contractors; provides environmental remediation services; and designs and supplies direct-fired furnaces comprising fired heaters and waste heat recovery generators used in refinery, chemical, petrochemical, and oil and gas processes. The company�s Global Power division designs, manufactures, and erects steam generators and auxiliary equipment, including surface condensers, feedwater heaters, coal pulverizers, steam generator coils and panels, biomass gasifiers, and replacement parts; nitrogen-oxide reduction systems and components; and flue gas desulfurization equipment for steam generators. It also offers various site services; conducts research and development in combustion, fluid and gas dynamics, heat transfer, materials, and solid mechanics areas; and licenses technology to other steam generator suppliers. The company was founded in 1894 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Foster Wheeler AG (Nasdaq:FWLT) reported that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a contract by PDVSA Petr贸leo S.A. for the engineering, procurement services and construction management (EPCm) for the El Palito Refinery Expansion Project in Venezuela.

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Engineering and construction companies like�Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) and Foster Wheeler (FWLT) have contracted with Rosneft and ExxonMobil (XOM) on a proposed $15 billion Russian liquefied-natural gas (LNG) project. But Russian gas giant Gazprom dominates. Research from last fall here on how�Russia has been pushing to liberalize and expand its natural gas market.�(subscription required)

• [By alicet236]

  Foster Wheeler AG (FWLT): CEO and President Kent Masters sold 130,668 Shares

  CEO and President of Foster Wheeler AG (FWLT) Kent Masters sold 130,668 shares on 06/05/2014 at an average price of $33.95. Foster Wheeler AG together with its subsidiaries, is a provider of construction and engineering services. Foster Wheeler Ag has a market cap of $3.44 billion; its shares were traded at around $34.45 with a P/E ratio of 34.00 and P/S ratio of 1.06. The dividend yield of Foster Wheeler Ag stocks is 1.20%.

Top 10 Safest Companies For 2014: CGI Group Inc (GIB)

CGI Group Inc. (CGI), incorporated on September 29, 1981, provides information technology (IT) consulting, systems integration, IT outsourcing and business solutions. The Company�� delivery model provides for work to be carried out onsite at client premises, or through its centers located globally. CGI has approximately 72,000 members across the globe. The Company also has a range of business solutions, which support long-term client relationships. Its services include consulting, systems integration, and management of information technology (IT) and business functions (outsourcing). On August 20, 2012, CGI completed its acquisition of Logica plc (Logica).

CGI has a range of business solutions, which include Momentum, CGI Advantage, CACS, CACS-G, Bureaulink and Strata. Momentum is an integrated enterprise resource planning suite in use by over 85 federal organizations across the three branches of the United States federal government, including 16 agencies. CGI�� enterprise resource planning solution, CGI Advantage, include financial management, payroll, budgeting, human resources management, procurement and grants management. The CGI Advantage client organizations include 22 states. CGI�� Credit Services Solutions include CACS, CACS-G and Bureaulink, Strata and other components.

Management of IT and Business Functions - Outsourcing

Clients delegate entire or partial responsibility for their IT or business functions to CGI. It implements its processes to improve the client�� operations. It also integrates clients��operations into its technology network. Services provided as part of an outsourcing contract may include development and integration of new projects and applications; applications maintenance and support; technology management (enterprise and end-user computing and network services); transaction and business processing, such as payroll, insurance processing and document management services. Outsourcing contracts have terms of up to 10 years.

Consulting and Systems Integration

CGI provides a full range of IT and business consulting services, including business transformation, IT strategic planning, business process engineering and systems architecture. CGI integrates and customizes technologies and software applications.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  For instance, take a look at CGI Federal Inc., a subsidiary of Canadian IT solutions company CGI Group Inc. (NYSE: GIB).

  CGI Federal is the largest recipient of Obamacare contract awards. The firm collected $149.9 million from April through the end of September - an impressive 35.5% of the total $421.8 million it has received since March 2010.�

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  Earnings Expected From: Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), CGI Group, Inc. (NYSE: GIB), Kohl�� Corporation (NYSE: KSS), Nordstrom, Inc, (NYSE: JWN), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) Economic Releases Expected: French GDP, German GDP, Italian GDP, British retails sales, eurozone GDP, Greek unemployment rate

  Friday

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  CGI Group (NYSE: GIB) was also up, gaining 7.28 percent to $38.59 after the company swung to a profit in the fourth quarter.

  Equities Trading DOWN
  Shares of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) were down 13.36 percent to $20.79 after the company posted weaker-than-expected fiscal first-quarter revenue and issued a weak outlook. Cisco also increased its share buyback program by $15 billion. Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold.

• [By Keith Speights]

  Blame game
  Cheryl Campbell, a senior vice president with�CGI Group� (NYSE: GIB  ) , the primary contractor for the federal Obamacare exchanges, blamed initial problems on another contractor. She stated that the system component that allowed users to create accounts caused bottlenecks that led to problems for users on the website.

Top 10 Safest Companies For 2014: Obagi Medical Products Inc.(OMPI)

Obagi Medical Products, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, develops, markets, and sells topical aesthetic and therapeutic prescription skin care systems. It offers Obagi Nu-Derm System, including prescription and OTC drugs that are used for the treatment of fine lines, wrinkles, acne, photo damage, hyperpigmentation, melasma, laxity, and skin sallowness; Obagi Condition and Enhance Systems that are used before and after surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures; Obagi-C Rx System comprises Vitamin C with 4% hydroquinone system to treat skin conditions resulting from sun damage and the oxidative damage of free radicals; and Professional-C products consisting of Vitamin C serums for the treatment of antioxidant protection, fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. The company also provides ELASTIderm Eye and D�olletage, which increases the elasticity and skin tone of eyes, face, neckline, and chest; ELASTILash Eyelash Solution that enhances the appearance of thickness and fullness of eyelashes; CLENZIderm M.D. Systems and Tretinoin for treating acne; and Obagi Rosaclear System used for the treatment of rosacea. In addition, it offers Refissa and Blue Peel RADIANCE used for the treatment of fine facial lines, hyperpigmentation, and tactile roughness; Metronidazole used for the treatment of rosacea; Obagi Blue Peel Essential Kit used for the treatment of fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. Further, the company licenses non-prescription product concepts under the Obagi trademark to a Japanese-based pharmaceutical company for sale through consumer distribution channels in Japan. Obagi Medical Products, Inc. sells its products through sales force and distribution partners in the United States, North and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and other physicians that are focused on aesthetic and therapeutic skin care. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Lon g Beach, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Williamson]

  Though many excited traders had hoped to see the bidding war continue between Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: VRX  ) and Merz over Obagi Medical Products (NASDAQ: OMPI  ) and a subsequent run-up in the stock price of the smaller dermatological products maker, Merz has now walked away from the table, leaving the highly acquisitive Valeant the victor. In this video, Motley Fool health care analyst David Williamson gives us some background on these companies and tells us how Valeant plans to profit from the deal, and describes for investors why this is a win both for Obagi and for Valeant.

• [By Keith Speights]

  "Bidness" is good
  Last week, Obagi Medical Products (NASDAQ: OMPI  ) made our list of humongous performers after Valeant Pharmaceuticals� (NYSE: VRX  ) announced a $344 million bid for the company. This week saw a bidding frenzy, with Obagi shares jumping another 29%.

Top 10 Safest Companies For 2014: Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp (TRER.PK)

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp., formerly Standard Silver Corporation, incorporated on July 29, 1970. a mining company engaged in the business of the acquisition and development of mineral properties. As of August 31, 2012, it held a nineteen year lease to explore and develop a 950 acre rare earth uranium-beryllium prospect located in Hudspeth County, Texas known as Round Top and prospecting permits covering an adjacent 9,345 acres.

The Company�� principal focus will be on developing a metallurgical process to concentrate or otherwise extract the metals from the Round Top rhyolite. In addition to the Round Top Project, the Company also own title to 12 unpatented mining claims, the Macho group, comprising 240 acres covering the Old Dude Mine, located in Sierra County, New Mexico. Another 18 unpatented mining claims and fractional claims, the HA group, consisting 274 acres cover an andesite hosted vein system similar to and some 10 miles to the southwest of the Macho District.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake Mitchell]

  As a speculative play on the industry, I came across Texas Rare Earth Resources (TRER.PK), which is principally focused on its 950 acre Round Top project. A Preliminary Economic Assessment by an independent third party found that there are an estimated over 1 billion metric tonnes of resources containing over 1 billion pounds of rare earth elements. A revised PEA, which was originally projected to have a capital cost of $2.1 billion is now estimated to be between $150 million to $350 million. A key concern in the exploration of these mines is how expensive it is to ultimately extract the rare earths from the ground. If Texas Rare Earth is able to show evidence that cost has been significantly reduced it will be the target of interested parties globally.

Top 10 Safest Companies For 2014: Compugen Ltd.(CGEN)

Compugen Ltd. operates as a drug and diagnostic discovery company based on computer-based discovery capabilities to predict and select novel product candidates. Through in silico prediction and selection, the resulting novel molecules are synthesized and validated utilizing traditional in vitro and in vivo experimental procedures. The company provides these validated product candidates to pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic companies under licensing and other commercialization arrangements. Its research and discovery efforts are focused primarily on therapeutic proteins and peptides, and monoclonal antibodies, and primarily in the fields of immunology and oncology. Its therapeutic peptide and protein related platforms include Protein Family Members Discovery Platform, Protein-Protein Interaction Blockers, GPCR Therapeutic Peptide Ligands, Disease-Associated Conformation Blockers, Intracellular Drug Delivery, Viral Peptides, and Splice Variant based Therapeutic Proteins . The company?s monoclonal antibody related platforms comprise Monoclonal Antibody Targets. Its other therapeutic and diagnostic platforms consist of Nucleic-Acid Disease Markers, Protein Disease Markers, Nucleic-Acid Preclinical Toxicity Markers, Non-SNP Drug Response Markers, and New Indications. Its therapeutic peptide and protein product candidates comprise CGEN-15001, a novel protein for the treatment of autoimmune disorders; CGEN-25017, a novel peptide antagonist of the Angiopoietin/Tie-2 pathway; CGEN-855, a peptide agonist of the FPRL1 GPCR receptor; CGEN-856 and CGEN-857, which are MAS GPCR peptide agonists; CGEN-25007, an antagonist of the gp96 protein; and CGEN-25009, a peptide of the LGR7 receptor. The company also offers monoclonal antibody target product candidates, including CGEN-671, a drug for multiple epithelial tumors; CGEN-928, a drug for multiple myeloma; and CGEN-15001T, a novel B7/CD28 family member. Compugen Ltd. was founded in 1993 and is based in Te l Aviv, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Compugen (NASDAQ: CGEN) climbed 3.54% to $11.86 after Jefferies initiated coverage on the stock with a Buy rating and a $17.00 price target.

  Posted-In: market moversNews Intraday Update Markets Movers

Top 10 Safest Companies For 2014: Digicore Holdings Ltd (DGC)

Digicore Holdings Limited is a South Africa-based holding company engaged in the manufacturing and distribution of fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions. The Company operates in three segments: South African Distribution, Foreign Distribution, Product Development and Manufacturing and Group Management. The Company's South African distribution segment focuses on distribution of manufactured fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions within the South African consumer market. Foreign distribution focuses on the distribution of manufactured fleet management and vehicle tracking solutions all around the world. Product development and manufacturing segment focuses on investing in research, manufacturing and development of vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions for distribution. Group Management segment renders management services to the Company. On August 31, 2012, the Company obtained an additional 27% shareholding in Ctrack (Pty) Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Lam]

  Detour Gold (DGC) plunged 18 percent to C$6.35, an almost five-year low. The company said in a statement it will not reach its 2013 production target of 270,000 ounces of gold and now forecasts 240,000 to 260,000 ounces.

Top 10 Safest Companies For 2014: Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (SXL)

Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. engages in the transport, terminalling, and storage of refined products and crude oil, as well as the purchase and sale of crude oil in the United States. Its Refined Products Pipeline System segment owns and operates approximately 2,200 miles of refined product pipelines that transport gasoline, heating oil, diesel and jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This segment also includes approximately 100-mile refined products Harbor pipeline, and 50 miles of inter refinery pipelines; and various joint venture interests in refined product pipeline companies. The company?s Terminal Facilities segment consists of 42 refined product terminals with an aggregate storage capacity of 7.2 million barrels, primarily serving the Refined Products Pipeline System; the Nederland Terminal, a 20.2 million barrel marine crude oil terminal on the Texas Gulf Coast; a 2.0 million barrel refined products terminal serving Sunoco?s Marcus Hook refinery near Phi ladelphia, Pennsylvania; 1 inland and 2 marine crude oil terminals with a combined capacity of 3.4 million barrels, and related pipelines that serve Sunoco?s Philadelphia refinery; and a 1.0 million barrel LPG terminal near Detroit, Michigan. Its Crude Oil Pipeline System segment gathers, purchases, sells, and transports crude oil principally in Oklahoma and Texas. This segment consists of approximately 4,900 miles of crude oil trunk pipelines; approximately 500 miles of crude oil gathering lines; approximately 110 crude oil transport trucks; and approximately 100 crude oil truck unloading facilities. This segment also holds a 91% interest in the Mid-Valley Pipeline Company that owns approximately 1,000 miles of crude oil pipelines; a 60.3% interest in West Texas Gulf Pipe Line Company, which includes approximately 600 miles of crude oil pipe; and a 37.0 percent undivided interest in the 100-mile Mesa Pipe Line system. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Philadel phia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aimee Duffy]

  As management continues to simplify the structure at ETP -- which requires moving assets between Energy Transfer Equity (NYSE: ETE  ) �and theoretically Sunoco Logistics Partners (NYSE: SXL  ) -- year-over-year comparisons will be full of asterisks indicating earnings from the previous structure, as well as the one-time charges we are accustomed to seeing. With that in mind, today I'm focusing primarily on ETP from an operations and progress perspective, highlighting three key areas investors should take away from the first quarter.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  While its former parent Sunoco no longer exists as a standalone company nor as a refiner, Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL) continues to churn out steady and rising distributions for its shareholders.