Hot Safest Companies To Invest In 2014

Pipeline blaze in the Gulf. Photo credit: AP Photo/US Coast Guard, Petty Officer 3rd Class Carlos Vega.

So far, 2013 isn't shaping up to be the energy industry's safest year. A number of disasters have occurred, which have brought unwanted attention to the industry. Here's a look at the industry's five biggest blunders so far this year.

A Herculean disaster averted in the Gulf
Just this past week, a blowout occurred on a Hercules (NASDAQ: HERO  ) -owned rig operating in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Natural gas leaking from a well off the coast of Louisiana caught fire and spread to the Hercules rig. Fortunately, all 48 personnel in the rig were safely evacuated. However, the incident underscores the risks of drilling offshore. It could have been a lot worse, as no one was hurt, and this is a natural gas well so the environmental threats are far less than if it were an oil well. While the well is not yet under control, Hercules investors appear to have caught a break, which is why stock was down only about 4% on the week.�

Best Undervalued Stocks To Own Right Now: PLX Technology Inc.(PLXT)

PLX Technology, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor devices worldwide. It offers semiconductor devices, such as PCI express switches that allow aggregation of multi-channel Ethernet, fiber channel, graphics, and SAS cards to the host; PCI express bridges, which allow devices with other standards to be used in systems that need to interoperate with PCI express; and 10G Ethernet over copper PHY devices that provide a seamless migration from the slower connections to the faster ones. The company?s products also include direct attached storage products, which allow external storage to connect to a PC through USB connection; network attached storage products that provide storage to a local area network; PCI bridges consisting of general purpose bridges that translate and extend the PCI bus; and universal serial bus (USB) interface chips, which are used by computer peripherals and consumer products to interoperate through an external cabled connection. Its semiconductor devices accelerate and manage the transfer of data in microprocessor-based systems, including networking and telecommunications, enterprise storage, servers, personal computers (PCs), PC peripherals, consumer electronics, imaging, and industrial products. The company markets its products through direct and indirect sales force, manufacturers, and distributors to electronics manufacturers. PLX Technology, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  PLX Technology (Nasdaq: PLXT  ) reported earnings on April 22. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), PLX Technology met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Hot Safest Companies To Invest In 2014: Heineken NV (HEINY)

Heineken N.V. (Heineken), incorporated on January 27, 1873, is a beer brewer with brands available in 178 countries worldwide with operations in 71 countries. Heineken owns, markets and sells more than 250 of the brands. The Company�� principal global brand is Heineken is the international premium beer brand. Other international premium, regional, local and specialty beers include Amstel, Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo, Desperados, Dos Equis, Foster��, Newcastle Brown Ale, Ochota, Primus, Sagres, Sol, Star, Tecate, Zlaty Bazant and Zywiec. Its joint venture brands include Anchor, Cristal, Kingfisher and Tiger. In addition, its global portfolio include Heineken is the cider maker with brands, such as Strongbow Gold and Bulmer��. It has a global network of distributors and 140 breweries. Heineken operates in six segments: Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, The Americas, Africa and the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Head Office and Other/eliminations. On December 2, 2011, Heineken acquired the Galaxy Pub Estate (Galaxy) in the United Kingdom from The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). In January 2013, it acquired remaining 18.4% interest in Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd.

During year ended 31 December 2011, Heineken disposed of 25% of its 100% interest in Commonwealth Brewery Limited (CBL). In January 2011, the Company acquired two Nigerian holding companies from the Sona Group. The two acquired businesses have controlling interests in each of the Sona, IBBI, Benue, Life and Champion breweries in Nigeria. The acquisition provided the Company with an additional technical capacity of 3.7 million hectoliters. During 2011, HEINEKEN acquired five new breweries in Nigeria and two new breweries in Ethiopia. On January 12, 2011, Heineken acquired two holding companies, which together own the Sona brewery group from Lewiston Investments SA. On August 11, 2011, Heineken acquired two breweries named Bedele and Harar from the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Wester! n Europe

Heineken has operating companies in 10 countries, which include Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. The Company owns and operates 25 breweries, five non-brewing production sites and two malteries. In Belgium its brands include Maes, Grimbergen, Cristal, Mort Subite, Ciney, Affligem, Judas, Hapkin, Brugs, Postel, Desperados and Heineken. In Finland, its brands include Lapin Kulta, Karjala, Foster��, Heineken, 1836 Classic Gourmet, Jaffa, Pepsi, Novelle, Original Long Drink and Upcider. In France its brands include Heineken, Pelforth, Desperados, Affligem, Fischer tradition, ��3��Export, Panach�� Adelscott, Amstel, Georges Killians and Murphy�� Irish Stout. In Ireland its brands include Heineken, Amstel, Coors Light, Desperados, Tiger, Sol, Murphy�� Irish Stout, Beamish Stout, Foster��, Paulaner, Birra Moretti, Z.ywiec and Affligem.

In Italy the Company�� brands include Birra Moretti, Heineken, Dreher, Ichnusa, Classica von Wunster, Birra Messina, Prinz Brau, Sans Souci, Amstel, Fischer and Strongbow. In Netherlands its brands include Heineken, Amstel, Wieckse Witte, Jillz, Strongbow, Desperados, Lingen�� Blond, Murphy�� Irish Red Brand Crystal Clear, Royal Club, Sisi, Sourcy, Vitamin Water, Pepsi, 7-Up and Rivella. In Portugal, its brands Sagres, Luso, Cruzeiro, Cergal, Imperial, Heineken, Foster��, Jansen, Sao Jorge and Bulmer. In Spain its brands include Cruzcampo, Amstel, Heineken, Shandy, Paulaner, Guinness, Latino, Foster��, Legado de Yuste, Maes, John Smith, Judas, Mort Subite and Newcastle. In Switzerland its brands include Heineken, Eichhof, Calanda, Desperados, Ittinger, Haldengut, Ziegelhof, Erdinger, Clausthaler and Amstel. In the United Kingdom its brands Foster��, Strongbow, John Smith��, Kronenbourg, Bulmers, Heineken, Newcastle Brown Ale, Amstel, Sol, Woodpecker, Tiger, Jacques and Deuchars IPA.

Central and Eastern Europe

Heineken! has a pr! oduct portfolio of over 180 brands. The Company owns more than 60 breweries and has operating companies in 14 countries, which include Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Slovakia. In Austria its brands include Heineken, Zipfer, Gosser, Puntigamer, Desperados, Edelweiss, Schlossgold, Kaiser, Schwechater, Wieselburger, Reininghaus and Schladminger. In Belarus its brands include Heineken, Zlaty Bazant, Rechitskoe, Bobrov, Gosser, Doctor Diesel and Dneprovska. In Bulgaria its brands include Heineken, Zagorka, Desperados, Ariana, Amstel, Stolichno, Starobrno and Kaiser. In Croatia its brands include Heineken, Karlovacko, Desperados and Edelweiss. In Czech Republic its brands include Heineken, Krusovice, Starobrno, Zlatopramen, Breznak, Frij, Zlaty Bazant, Hostan, Cerveny Dark and Baron Trenck.

In Germany the Company�� brands include Paulaner Weissbier, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Thurn & Taxis, Auer, Hopf Weisse, Kulmbacher, Monchshof, EKU, Kapuziner, Sternquell, Braustolz, Scherdel, Wurzburger Hofbrau, Keiler, Furstenberg, Riegeler, Hoepfner, Grape, Schmucker. In Greece its brands include Heineken, Amstel, Alfa, Fischer, Sol, Buckler, McFarland, Murphy�� Irish Stout, BIOS 5 and IOLI. In Hungary its brands include Heineken, Gosser, Soproni Aszok, Amstel, Kaiser, Zlaty Bazant, Edelweiss, Schlossgold, Steffl, Adambrau and Buckler. In Kazakhstan its brands include Heineken, Tian Shan, Efes, Beliy Medved, Stary Melnik, Sokol and Gold Mine. In Macedonia its brands include Heineken, Amstel, Skopsko and Gorsko.

In Poland the Company�� brands include Heineken, Desperados, Z ywiec, Warka, Tatra, Strong, Special, Krolewskie and Lezajsk. In Romania its brands include Heineken, Ciuc, GoldenBrau, Silva, Bucegi, Neumarkt, Gambrinus, Horgita, Hatigana, Desperados and Edelweiss. In Russia its brands include Heineken, Amstel, Bochkarev, Ochota, Zlaty Bazant, Guinness, Buckler, Stepan Razin, PI! T, Edelwe! iss, Doctor Diesel, Tri Medvedya, Gosser, Amur-Pivo, Zhigulevskoye, Patra, Strelets, Bereg Baikala, Okskoye, Rusich, Volnaya Sibir, Sedoy Ural, Shikhan, Ostmark and Kenigsberg. In Serbia its brands include Heineken, MB, Master, Amstel PilsPlus, Efes and Zajecarsko. In Slovakia its brands include Heineken, Zlaty Bazant, Corgon, Kelt, Starobrno, Gemer and Martiner.

Africa and the Middle East

Heineken operations include 20 countries, 34 breweries (consolidated), 12 breweries (managed), three soft drink plants, three malteries, two packaging plants, two wineries, one distillery and one extract plant. The Company exports to more than 50 countries, including its operating companies and joint ventures. In Algeria its brands include Tango, Samba, Fiesta, Heineken and Amstel. In Burundi its brands include Amstel, Primus and Heineken. In Cameroon its brands include Amstel, Mutzig and Heineken. In Congo its brands include Guinness, Maltina, Mutzig, Ngok, Primus, Turbo King and Heineken. In Democratic Republic of Congo its brands include Maltina, Mutzig, Primus, Turbo King, Legend, Heineken and Amstel. In Egypt its brands include Heineken, Birell, Fayrouz, Meister Max, Sakara, Stella, Amstel Zero and Luxor. In Ethiopia its brands include Bedele and Harar. In Ghana its brands include Amstel Malta, Guinness, Gulder, Star, Malta and Heineken.

In Israel the Company�� brands include Heineken, GoldStar, Maccabi, Nesher Malt and Newcastle Brown Ale. In Jordan its brands include Amstel and Heineken. In Lebanon its brands include Almaza, Laziza, Amstel and Heineken. In Morocco its brands include Heineken and Fayro. In Namibia its brands include Heineken, Guinness, Windhoek, Amstel and Tafel. In Nigeria its brands include Heineken, Amstel Malta, Gulder, Legend, Maltina, Star, Fayrouz, Life Continental Lager, Goldberg Lager, Malta Gold ��3��Export, Hi-malt, Maltex, Turbo King, More Lager, Williams and Champion Lager. In Reunion its brands include Bourbon, Dynamalt and Heineken. In! Rwanda i! ts brands include Amstel, Guinness, Mutzig, Primus, Turbo King and Heineken. In Sierra Leone its brands include Heineken, Guinness, Maltina and Star. In South Africa its brands include Heineken, Amstel, Windhoek, Strongbow and Guinness. In Tunisia its brands include Heineken, Golden Brau, Fayrouz, Bravo and Sahara.

The Americas

Heineken Americas operates 20 majority-owned breweries and seven joint venture breweries, a maltery and a distillery in the region, as well as producing soft drinks in some markets. In Argentina its brands include Heineken, Budweiser, Paulaner, Birra Moretti, Guinness, Corona, Negra Modelo, Salta, Santa Fe, Cordoba, Kunstmann, Palermo, Biecker, Schneider, Imperial and Otro Mundo. In Bahamas its brands include Heineken, Guinness, Kalik and Vitamalt. In Brazil its brands include Kaiser, Bavaria, Sol, Summer Draft, Gold, Heineken, Kaiser Bock, Xingu, Dos Equis, Amstel Pulse, Birra Moretti, Edelweiss, Murphy�� and Santa Cerva. In Chile its brands include Heineken, Cristal, Escudo, Royal and Kunstmann. In Costa Rica its brands include Heineken, Bavaria, Imperial, Pilsen and Rock Ice. In Dominican Republic its brands include Presidente. In Haiti its brands include Guinness, Malta and Prestige.

In Jamaica the Company�� brands include Heineken, Dragon Stout, Guinness and Red Stripe. In Martinique its brands include Heineken, Lorraine, Malta and Porter. In Mexico its brands include Tecate, Sol, Dos Equis, Bohemia and Coors. Light, Indio, Carta Blanca, Superior, Kloster, Noche Buena and Soul Citric. In Nicaragua its brands include Heineken, Bufalo, Tona and Victoria. In Panama its brands include Heineken, Crystal, Guinness, Panama, Soberana and Budweiser. In St. Lucia its brands include Heineken, Guinness and Piton. In Suriname its brands include Heineken and Parbo. In Trinidad its brands include Carib, Stag and Guinness.

Asia Pacific

Heineken operates a part of the region through joint ventures. These include S! ingapore-! listed Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) and India-listed United Breweries Limited (UBL). APB is the Company�� primary investment vehicle in Asia Pacific with 23 breweries in 14 countries. UBL is in India and has 18 breweries. In Cambodia its brands include ABC Extra Stout, Anchor, Gold Crown and Tiger. In China its brands include Heineken, Reeb, Tiger, Anchor, Aoke, Tiger Crystal, Sol, Strongbow and Murphy�� Irish Red. In India its brands include Heineken, Cannon 10000, Arlem, Baron�� Strong Brew, Kingfisher, Kalyani and UB. In Indonesia its brands include Heineken, Bintang, Guinness, Bintang Zero and Green Sands. In Laos its brands include Tiger, Namkong, ABC Stout and Heineken. In Malaysia its brands include Heineken, Anchor, Baron��, Guinness, Strongbow, Kilkenny, Tiger, Lion, Malta and Angli. In Mongolia its brands include Tiger and Sengur. In New Caledonia its brands include Heineken, Number One, Desperados, Havannah and Hinano.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  I��e never been a big fan of STZ stock, as the economics of the wine business are much less attractive than those of beer and spirits. Wineries have far less brand value than beer brewers and liquor distillers and tend to have lower margins. In February of last year, I recommended that readers steer clear of STZ stock and instead focus on Dutch megabrewer Heineken (HEINY).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Who knew that consolidation speculation in the beer industry could be sung to the tune of the Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper.” SABMiller (SBMRY) wants to buy Heineken (HEINY). Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) might want to buy SABMiller. And Molson Coors Brewing (TAP) might scoop up the leftovers.

Hot Safest Companies To Invest In 2014: Hyundai Motor Co (HYMLF.PK)

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY is a Korea-based automobile manufacturer. Along with its subsidiaries, the Company operates in three business divisions: vehicle division, financial division and other business division. Its vehicle division manufactures passenger cars under the brand names of Centennial, Genesis, Veloster, Azera, Sonata, i40, Elantra, Accent, i30cw, i20, ix20 and others; sport utility vehicles (SUVs) under the brand names of Veracruz, Santa Fe and Tucson, and commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses, special vehicles and bare chassis, as well as provides automobile maintenance services and related components. Its financial division mainly provides automobile financing services and credit card services. Its other business division includes construction of railways and others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Quoth the Raven]

  It was reported this morning that Hyundai's (HYMLF.PK) CEO, John Krafcik, has gone on the record and said that the U.S. government shutdown could affect the U.S. automobile market negatively. He's made a headline that's been picked up by news organizations across the board this morning. It echoes sentiments from executives at both Ford and GM. Autonews.com reported:

Hot Safest Companies To Invest In 2014: W.W. Grainger Inc. (GWW)

W.W. Grainger, Inc. and its subsidiaries distribute facilities maintenance and other related products and services in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, India, Puerto Rico, China, Colombia, and Panama. The company offers maintenance, repair, and operating supplies; and other related products and services through local branches, catalogs, and the Internet. Its products include material handling equipment, safety and security supplies, lighting and electrical products, power and hand tools, pumps and plumbing supplies, cleaning and maintenance supplies, forestry and agriculture equipment, building and home inspection supplies, vehicle and fleet components, and various other items for facilities maintenance market, as well as services comprise inventory management and energy efficiency solutions. The company also distributes tools, fasteners, safety supplies, instruments, welding and shop equipment, and other items. It serves small and medium-sized businesses to large corporations, government entities, and other institutions. W.W. Grainger, Inc. was founded in 1927 and is based in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $3.03 per share on revenue of $2.42 billion.

  The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE: PNC) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $1.62 per share on revenue of $3.88 billion.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Worse than that news is the fact that some of Fastenal's competitors have held up somewhat better. MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM  ) encountered much of the same sales weakness from the metalworking industry that Fastenal saw in its overall results, and both stocks have performed in line with each other over the past quarter. But W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW  ) soared after its earnings in April, as it saw its earnings rise more than 14% and boosted its guidance for full-year 2013 revenue and earnings.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  W.W. Grainger: Maintenance and repair supplier W.W. Grainger (GWW) saw net income drop 11% between 2009-10, disqualifying it as a purple chip, but has since rebounded with three consecutive years of earnings growth. Plus, through Q2, it’s on track to make it four years in a row. GWW has been a steady performer for years, and it’s topping the market with 30% gains year-to-date. Speaking of steady: GWW has increased its dividend for 42 consecutive years, putting it among InvestorPlace’s Dependable Dividend Stocks. Granted, it has a low (1.2%) dividend yield, but its payout ratio is a low 32%, so there’s room to grow that dividend.

Hot Safest Companies To Invest In 2014: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HDD)

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG is a German producer of solutions for the print media industry. The Company divides its activities into the three business segments Heidelberg Equipment, Heidelberg Services as well as Heidelberg Financial Services. Its product portfolio includes the prepress area with the Suprasetter product family; the press area, which comprises Speedmaster product families, that are used for classical offset printing, as well as for special applications, such as ultraviolet (UV) printing; as well as the postpress area, that includes cutters, folders, saddle stitchers, adhesive binders, die-cutting products, folding carton gluing machines and label systems. The Company also offers a range of spare parts and used equipment, as well as training programs and its own printing process automation software, Prinect. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated three domestic subsidiaries and a number of foreign subsidiaries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Brazil, among others. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  Seagate Technology (STX) has the ability to look for strategic acquisitions that easily synergize with the current operations. As a consequence, Seagate is going to acquire Xyratex, whose shares went up 27.3% on the announcement day and remain at that price level. The deal will help Seagate acquire testing equipment for its hard disk drives (HDD) along with storage systems to analyze and manage network data. It is expected that the deal will close in mid-2014, and add about $500 million or more in revenue in its fiscal year 2015.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HDD) jumped 14 percent to 2.20 euros, its biggest gain since February 2009, as it announced a digital partnership with Fujifilm Corp. Under the terms of the agreement, Heidelberger Druck will gain access to Fujifilm�� inkjet technology and its partner will in return benefit from the German company�� engineering and manufacturing activities, Heidelberger Druck said.