Best Safest Companies To Buy For 2014

While we are approaching the end of another calendar year, there are still some memories of 2012. The biggest fear in 2012 was: the world is coming to an end on 21st December, 2012. Well, it is more than a year – and the world has yet not ended.

At the same time, one may wonder if the world has changed dramatically. Let us look at some of the events that took place in 2013. These events shook our long-held beliefs.

In the beginning of the year, the safest asset – gold, after having a decade long bull run, saw weakness. What happened in April was unbelievable for most – In a sudden move, gold prices (in Indian Rupees) were down more than 20 percent from their peak. Barring a surge in July-August due to the weakness of Indian Rupee against world currencies, Gold has been quite lackluster throughout the year. Before the year began, it was believed to be a safe haven.

The popular belief was that in times of crisis, one rushes to Gold. Well, the safe haven is roughly 17 percent down compared to last year’s price.

Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own Right Now: Montpelier RE Holdings Ltd (MRH)

Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance solutions worldwide. It provides reinsurance products, including property catastrophe reinsurance, which provides coverage for losses from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornados, fires, and storms; and property specialty reinsurance products. The company also offers other specialty reinsurance products, such as aviation liability, aviation war, engineering, space, marine, personal accident, workers� compensation, political violence, casualty, credit, surety, crop, and other specialty reinsurance products, as well as physicians� treaty and professional liability reinsurance products. In addition, it provides direct insurance and facultative reinsurance coverage on industrial, commercial, and residential property; liability; marine; and space risks, as well as political violence, pandemic and event contingency, and terrorism coverages. The company offers its products through indepe ndent brokers, general agents, and intermediaries. Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Property and casualty reinsurer�Montpelier Re (NYSE: MRH  ) announced this morning its second-quarter dividend of $0.115 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past two quarters after raising the payout 10% from $0.105 per share.

Best Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: UPM-Kymmene Corporation (UPM1V)

UPM-Kymmene Corporation is a Finland-based paper and forest products company. The Company operates, along with its subsidiaries, in three segments: the Energy and Pulp segment is divided into three units: Energy, which includes the Company�� hydropower plant and shares in energy companies; Pulp, which includes the Company�� pulp mills, and Foster and Timber, which includes forests, wood procurement, sawmills and further processing; the Paper segment includes the Company�� paper mills, producing magazine paper, newsprint, fine papers, and specialty papers, and the Engineered materials segment is structured into two units: Label, which includes label-stock factories and slitting, and distribution terminals, and Plywood, which includes plywood mills. The Company�� other operations include the wood plastic composite unit, development units and logistic services. On October 2, 2013, it completed the sale of the wood processing mill in Aigrefeuille d'Aunis, to Groupe FP Bois. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Corinne Gretler]

  UPM-Kymmene Oyj (UPM1V) fell 3.9 percent to 12.18 euros. UBS AG lowered Europe�� second-largest papermaker to sell from neutral. The brokerage said that demand for the company�� product will not recover in Europe and that the industry will probably reduce its capacity next year.

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  UPM-Kymmene (UPM1V), a rival maker of paper, dropped 1.9 percent to 10.23 euros.

  Aryzta surged 4 percent to 60.45 Swiss francs, the biggest gain since March 28. The owner of bakery brands including Delice de France and Otis Spunkmeyer posted full-year revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($6.1 billion), beating analysts��estimates of 4.43 billion euros. The company also forecast a double-digit percentage gain in 2014 earnings.

Best Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: AG Mortgage Investment Trust Inc (MITT)

AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc., incorporated on March 1, 2011, is a real estate investment trust (REIT)focused on investing in, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of residential mortgage assets, other real estate-related securities and financial assets, which it refers to as its target assets. The Company is externally managed and advised by AG REIT Management, LLC.

The Company has invested in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), for which a United States government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), or a federally-chartered corporation, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), guarantees payments of principal and interest on the securities. Its Agency RMBS investments include mortgage pass-through securities and may include collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). Its non-Agency RMBS investments may include fixed-and floating-rate securities, including investment grade and non-investment grade.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Melvin]

  Shares of AG Mortgage Investment Trust (MITT) are down more than 25% so far this year, but CEO David Roberts thinks the REIT will turn the corner sometime soon. He just spend more than $1.1 million to buy shares in the firm after dropping $800,000 back in August buying shares at a slightly higher price. The firm is advised by a subsidiary of Angelo Gordon, the large distressed securities, real estate and private-equity firm.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Ag Mortgage Investment Trust (NYSE: MITT) also has a Buy rating, with a target of $19.00, versus a recent price of $17.45. The last book value was $19.78, and the end of August projected book value was $19.58.

Best Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: FutureFuel Corp. (FF)

FutureFuel Corp., through its subsidiary, FutureFuel Chemical Company, engages in the manufacture and sale of specialty chemicals and bio-based products primarily in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Chemicals and Biofuels. The Chemicals segment provides custom chemical manufacturing services for specific customers, such as bleach activators for detergent and consumer products manufacturers; proprietary herbicide and intermediates for life sciences companies; agrochemicals; and industrial and consumer products, such as cosmetics and personal care products, ink colorants, adhesion promoters, polymer additives, polymer and specialty dyes, specialty polymers, photographic and imaging chemicals, and food additives. This segment also manufactures and sells a range of performance chemicals, including a family of polymer (nylon) modifiers and small-volume specialty chemicals for various applications; a family of acetal-based solvents, consisting of diethoxy methane, dimethoxymethane, dibutoxymethane, and glycerol formal; and phenol sulfonic acid that build on sulfonations technology. Its chemical products are used in various markets and end uses, including detergents, agrochemicals, automotive, photographic imaging, coatings, nutrition, and polymer additives. The Biofuels segment produces and sells biodiesel, as well as petrodiesel in blends with or without biodiesel. This segment also operates a granary in central Arkansas that involves in the purchase and sale of agricultural commodities, primarily soybeans, rice, and corn. This segment markets its biodiesel products by truck and rail directly to customers. FutureFuel Corp. was formerly known as Viceroy Acquisition Corporation and changed its name to FutureFuel Corp. in 2006. FutureFuel Corp. was incorporated in 2005 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  FutureFuel (NYSE: FF) surged 21.01% to $21.25 in the pre-market session after the company reported a rise in its fourth-quarter earnings. FutureFuel posted its quarterly profit of $0.61 per share, versus a year-ago profit of $0.15 per share.