5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015

LONDON -- I'm a big fan of Diageo (LSE: DGE  ) (NYSE: DEO  ) . The world's largest producer of premium spirits is a core holding in my portfolio, though I've done a little profit-taking as the stock has powered ahead -- up a third over the past 12 months.

I'm less familiar with South African-based SABMiller (LSE: SAB  ) (NASDAQOTH: SBMRY  ) , though its market cap is slightly larger than Diageo after its shares are up 50% over the year. I think of it as expensive, but a quick check on my data provider shows the two shares equally rated with prospective price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios of 19.7 and yields of 2.3% for Diageo and 2.2% for SABMiller. So maybe it's time to do a little portfolio rebalancing.

Hangover
First of all, what's so good about Diageo? It ticks a lot of boxes: defensive sector, strong brands, global footprint, and emerging market growth. I like stocks that are plays on emerging market consumers. While the West is suffering a hangover from a decade of overspending, millions of people in emerging markets are acquiring a disposable income for the first time.

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015: Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.(SNTA)

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule drug candidates for treating severe medical conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. The company has two drug candidates in clinical trials for treating multiple types of cancer and various drug candidates in the preclinical stage of development. Its oncology product portfolio includes Ganetespib, an Hsp90 inhibitor in various phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trail programs for various types of cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, hematologic cancers, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, small cell lung cancer, ocular melanoma, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and solid tumors; Elesclomol, a mitochondria-targeting agent in phase 2 clinical trails for non-small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer, as well as in phase 1 clinical trail for acut e myeloid leukemia; STA-9584, a vascular disrupting agent in preclinical development stage for prostate cancer; and various Hsp90 inhibitors in preclinical development stage for cancers. The company?s inflammatory diseases product portfolio includes calcium release activated calcium modulator (CRACM) channel inhibitors in preclinical development stage for autoimmune diseases, respiratory conditions, and transplantation; and IL-12/23 inhibitors in lead optimization stage for autoimmune diseases. It has a license agreement with Hoffman-La Roche for the development and commercialization of compounds from CRACM. Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. was incorporated in 2000 and is based in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Synta Pharmaceuticals (SNTA) also caught our attention after four insiders, including the company�� billionaire director Bruce Kovner bought over five million shares for $14.2 million.� He was joined by Co-Founder and CEO Safi Bahcall, who bought 50,000 shares for $213,700.

• [By Sean Williams]

  It wasn't all rose petals and sunshine, though, as Synta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SNTA  ) was absolutely decimated after reporting its phase 2b/3 results on its second-line non-small cell lung cancer treatment ganetespib. The results were generally positive, with the combination of ganetespib and docetaxel improving median overall survival to 9.8 months from 7.4 months in the docetaxel-only arm. The worry among investors is that this data may not be significant enough to merit an approval by the FDA. Ganetespib's median overall survival was more pronounced in those who were diagnosed six months or more before the study, which could lead to a selective approval there, but it would definitely limit its market potential.�

• [By Keith Speights]

  Underwhelming
  Synta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SNTA  ) announced results from a mid-stage clinical study this week for lung cancer drug ganetespib. Shares plunged�38% as investors reacted. Did the drug fail completely? Actually, no.

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015: Owens Corning Inc(OC)

Owens Corning engages in the provision of composite and building materials systems worldwide. It operates in two segments, Composites and Building Materials. The Composites segment manufactures, fabricates, and sells glass reinforcements in the form of fiber; and manufactures and sells glass fiber products in the form of fabrics, mat, veil, and other specialized products. Its products are used in pipe, roofing shingles, sporting goods, computers, telecommunications cables, boats, aircraft, defense, automotive, industrial containers, and wind-energy applications in the power and energy, housing, water distribution, industrial, transportation, consumer, and aerospace/military markets. This segment sells its products directly to parts molders and fabricators; and glass fiber and/or glass mat directly to shingle manufacturers. The Building Materials segment manufactures and sells fiberglass insulation into residential, commercial, industrial, and other markets for thermal and acoustical applications. It also offers glass fiber pipe insulation, and energy flexible duct media and foam insulation products, such as thermal and acoustical batts, loose fill insulation, foam sheathing, and accessories for use in home construction and remodeling; and manufactures residential roofing shingles and oxidized asphalt materials used in residential and commercial construction and specialty applications. This segment sells its insulation products, and shingles and roofing accessories to insulation installers, home centers, lumberyards, retailers, distributors, and contractors; and asphalt to roofing contractors and distributors for built-up roofing asphalt systems, as well as to manufacturers in the automotive, chemical, rubber, and construction industries. Owens Corning was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maria Armental var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach]

  Owens Corning (OC) lowered its earnings outlook for the year Friday as its roofing business continues to see weaker volumes. Shares slid 7% to $38.40 in premarket trading as the company said weakness in roofing volumes seen in the first quarter continued in April and May, dragging down its full-year�expectations.

• [By Nicole Seghetti]

  Let's take a closer look at three stocks Fisher recently bought, including drugmaker Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD  ) , materials manufacturer Owens Corning (NYSE: OC  ) , and financial services provider CapitalSource (NYSE: CSE  ) .

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Note these are some of the same sequential occurrences (slowing) we saw in the recent report from Toll Brothers (TOL).� Very curious on how the stock acts today (and the entire homebuilder complex, such an Owens Corning�(OC) and Home Depot (HD)); does market focus on slowing trends that were caused by the summer rate spike (and the prospect they may continue due to worsening housing affordability) or a possibly re-acceleration in demand with mortgage rates back in check?

• [By Lee Samaha]

  It's been a volatile year for the roofing industry, and over the last three months, investors have seen more downside. Roofing materials distributor Beacon Roofing Supply (NASDAQ: BECN  ) is down 11.5% in the last three months, and building products manufacturer Owens Corning (NYSE: OC  ) fell 5.5% in the same period -- all in a year when many commentators thought this sector would outperform.�

10 Best Net Payout Yield Stocks To Invest In Right Now: UMH Properties Inc.(UMH)

UMH Properties, Inc. (UMH) is a real estate investment trust. The firm engages in the ownership and operation of manufactured home communities. It leases manufactured home spaces to private manufactured home owners, as well as leases homes to residents. The firm invests in the real estate markets of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Tennessee. In addition, it invests in debt and equity securities of REITs. United Mobile Homes was incorporated in 1968. The company was formerly known as United Mobile Homes, Inc. UMH Properties is based in Freehold, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Trailer parks may have a bad reputation, but Yahoo! Finance�� Breakout segment was recently touting trailer parks as a hot new investment area���meaning its time for retail investors who don�� want to invest in physical parks to start taking a closer look at trailer park stocks Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc (NYSE: ELS), Sun Communities Inc (NYSE: SUI) and UMH Properties, Inc (NYSE: UMH). According to the segment, roughly 6% of Americans lived in trailer homes as of 2012 with the�supply of designated trailer parks being quite low because no one wants one in their backyard. Anthony Effinger, the author of another article about trailer parks for Bloomberg, was quoted as saying:

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015: YPF Sociedad Anonima(YPF)

YPF SOCIEDAD ANONIMA, an energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Argentina. The company also involves in refining, marketing, transportation, and distribution of oil and a range of petroleum products, petroleum derivatives, petrochemicals, LPG, and bio-fuels; and gas separation and natural gas distribution operations. As of December 31, 2010, it had proved reserves of approximately 531 million barrels of oil and 2,533 billion cubic feet of gas; and retail distribution network of 1,622 YPF-branded service stations for automotive petroleum products. The company?s crude oil transportation network includes approximately 2,700 kilometers of crude oil pipelines with approximately 640,000 barrels of aggregate daily transportation capacity of refined products; crude oil tankage of approximately 7 million barrels; and terminal facilities at 5 Argentine ports. In addition, it participates in 3 power stations with an aggregate installed capacity of 1,622 megawatts. The company was founded in 1977 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. YPF SOCIEDAD ANONIMA is a subsidiary of Repsol YPF, S.A.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  And second, management had indicated that the February Argentina asset sale to state-owned YPF (NYSE: YPF  ) for $800 million in cash marked the end of its asset divestiture program. "[The Argentina] transaction essentially marks the end of a process that Apache began last year to rebalance its portfolio to focus on assets in North America that can grow more predictably combined with international assets that generate substantial free cash flow," said G. Steven Farris, Apache's CEO, in a company news release concerning the sale of its Argentinian assets.

• [By Jonathan Yates]

  That is very easy to fix, however. Investors should look at the recent example of YPF SA (NYSE: YPF), the Argentine oil giant. Actions by the government of Argentina drove down the share price. Since then, the country has worked to make YPF SA, and Argentia, more attractive to investors. As a result, YPF SA is up more than 90 percent for 2013. Much of the economic health of Brazil rests on the performance of Petrobras, so more beneficial actions from the Government of Brazil should be expected.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  In order to expand, Chevron has been working�on a joint venture agreement�with YPF� (NYSE: YPF  ) , which is the national drilling company in the country and a key holder in the Vaca Muerta field. The $1.5 billion venture would help jump-start the development of that field and could be worth up to $15 billion in total future investments. Foreign investments like Chevron's will be important in developing the play; its estimated that about $3 billion would be required just to get the shale gas extraction started, with upwards of $25 billion needed to develop Vaca Muerta's shale oil and gas potential.

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  Not that I feel sorry for Argentina, of course. The country got itself into this mess by borrowing too much money and then arrogantly refusing to pay it back. Argentina has also pursued a range of disastrous anti-market policies over the past decade, has made a habit of expropriating foreign assets (as was the case when it effectively stole Repsol�� YPF (YPF) stake), and has even contributed to the soaring world price of beef by restricting exports in a boneheaded attempt to contain inflation.

5 Best Defensive Stocks To Invest In 2015: Audiovox Corporation(VOXX)

VOXX International Corporation provides automotive and consumer electronic products, and accessories in the United States and internationally. The company?s products include mobile multimedia systems; auto sound systems comprising satellite radio, vehicle security, and remote start systems; portable DVD players; and personal and vehicle tracking devices. It also offers consumer electronics products, such as personal sound amplifiers, MP3 players, digital camcorders, docking stations, digital voice recorders, clock radios, digital picture frames, and home stereos; consumer electronics accessories comprising digital antennas, remote controls, wireless solutions, headphones, HDMI cables, power solutions, and media cleaning and care; and car audio and video products. In addition, the company provides audio products consisting of home theater systems; indoor and outdoor speaker lines; surround sound systems; sub woofers; professional installation products, such as cinema speake rs; and personal audio products, which include iPod docking stations and computer speakers. It markets its products under the Klipsch, RCA, Invision, Jensen, Audiovox, Terk, Acoustic Research, Advent, Code Alarm, CarLink, Omega, Excalibur, Prestige, SURFACE, Jamo, Energy, Mirage, Mac Audio, Magnat, Heco, Schwaiger, Oehlbach, and Incaar brands through a network of power retailers, mass merchandisers, hardware and independent retailers, 12-volt specialists, military exchanges, and automotive manufacturers, as well as through Internet. The company was formerly known as Audiovox Corporation and changed its name to VOXX International Corporation in December, 2011. VOXX International Corporation was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  VOXX International (Nasdaq: VOXX  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on July 10. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

  The 10-second takeaway
  Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict VOXX International's revenues will shrink -2.4% and EPS will decrease -69.2%.

• [By Peter Graham]

  The Q1 2015 earnings report for automotive, audio and consumer accessory distributor VOXX International Corp (NASDAQ: VOXX), a potential peer or performance benchmark of Harman International Industries Inc (NYSE: HAR), Skullcandy Inc (NASDAQ: SKUL) and Turtle Beach Corp (NASDAQ: HEAR), is due out after the market closes on Thursday. Aside from the VOXX International Corp earnings report, it should be said that Harman International Industries Inc reported Q3 2014 earnings on May 1st (they beat expectations�and raised their forecast on strong European automotive demand) and will report Q4 2014 earnings on August 7th; Skullcandy Inc reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 1st and will report Q2 2014 near the end of this month; and Turtle Beach Corp reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 12th. However, VOXX International Corp�� last earnings report was a train wreck that led to several analyst downgrades.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  VOXX International (NASDAQ: VOXX) is projected to post its Q2 earnings at $0.09 per share on revenue of $186.73 million.

  RPM International (NYSE: RPM) is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.71 per share on revenue of $1.13 billion.