• [By Damon Churchwell]

  Increasing sales and margins
  A second, even larger, flow technology company to consider is Flowserve (NYSE: FLS  ) . The company’s flow control systems are utilized by a wide range of industries, led by oil & gas, chemicals, and power generation.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2016: Microchip Technology Incorporated(MCHP)

Microchip Technology Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor products for various embedded control applications. It offers a family of microcontroller products that include 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers; and 16-bit dsPIC digital signal controllers, which feature on-board flash memory technology. The company also provides a set of application development tools that enable system designers to program a PIC microcontroller and dsPIC DSC for specific applications. In addition, it offers analog and interface products, which consist of various families with approximately 600 power management, linear, mixed-signal, thermal management, safety and security, and interface products. Further, the company provides memory products comprising serial electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. Its products are used in various applications in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, and industrial contr ol markets. Microchip Technology Incorporated markets its products primarily through a network of direct sales personnel and distributors in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in Chandler, Arizona.

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Beth Piskora]

  They are listed below:

  Altera (ALTR)yielding 1.7%

  Apple (AAPL)yielding 2.5%

  Applied Materials (AMAT)yielding 2.6%

  Cisco (CSCO)yielding 2.9%

  EMC Corp. (EMC)yielding 1.5%

  International Business Machines (IBM)yielding 2.0%

  KLA-Tencor (KLAC)yielding 3.2%

  Microchip Technology (MCHP)yielding 3.6%

  Oracle (ORCL)yielding 1.5%

  Qualcomm (QCOM)yielding 2.1%

  Texas Instruments (TXN)yielding 2.9%

  Xilinx (XLNX)yielding 2.3%

  Subscribe to S&P’s The Outlook here

• [By Ian Wyatt, Publisher & Chief Investment Strategist, Wyatt Investment Research]

  Both of these stocks are overlooked, undervalued, and cash flow machines. The companies are Ascent Capital Group (ASCMA) and Covanta Holdings (CVA).

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2016: Canterbury Park Holding Corporation(CPHC)

Canterbury Park Holding Corporation conducts pari-mutuel wagering operations and hosts unbanked card games at its Canterbury Park racetrack and card room facility in Shakopee, Minnesota. The company operates in three segments: Horse Racing, Card Room, and Concessions. The Horse Racing segment operates year-round pari-mutuel wagering on simulcast horse races, and live thoroughbred and quarter horse races held on a seasonal basis. The Card Room segment offers unbanked card games, which include poker and casino games. The Concessions segment provides food and beverage services for simulcast and live racing, and the card room, as well as for the special events. The company also offers facilities for special events, such as snowmobile races, arts and crafts shows, trade shows, concerts, fundraisers, automobile shows and competitions, vehicle and boat storage, and private parties. In addition, it provides advertising signage space; leases excess parking lot space for various aut omotive activities and vehicle storage; and sells various daily pari-mutuel publications. Canterbury Park Holding Corporation was founded in 1994 and is based in Shakopee, Minnesota.

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  Canterbury Park Holding Corporation (CPHC) Market Cap $46.35 Million

  Canterbury Park Holding Corporation is up 2% over 12 months. The company has a market cap of $46.35 million; its trades around $11.16 with a P/E ratio of 59.30 and a P/B of 1.70.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2016: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) was down, falling around 7 percent to $49.15 after the company reported weaker-than-expected results for its fourth quarter on Thursday.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  While all retailers with an e-commerce business are exposed to these secular changes to some degree, those with a higher e-commerce penetration are more exposed, sooner. On the brick & mortar operations side, those retailers with the lowest wage rates are likely to be most impact by the essentially industry-wide wage increases brought on by Wal-Mart Stores (WMT); these retailers may see more incremental growth in their SG&A dollars from increased wage pressure. While Macy’s (M) appears to be in the worst challenged position, earlier this year the company announced initiatives to decrease their cost base by $400 mn, along with their longer term goal of reducing expenses by $500 mn by ’18. Even Nordstrom (JWN) appears to have begun to react with a major layoff recently in their technology team. Dillard’s (DDS) is likely least impacted, as it has a low e-commerce penetration as well as fairly competitive average wages.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Kohl’s have tumbled 16% to $43.04 at 11:28 a.m. today, while Macy’s (M) has dropped 2.6% to $40.56, and Nordstrom (JWN) has fallen 5.7% to $47.64.

• [By Kristen Scholer]

  Nordstrom Inc.(JWN) shares are on saleagain.

  Shares of the department store are down as much as 12% to $46.65Friday after Nordstrom reported holiday-quarter earnings and sales that missed expectations and gave a downbeat outlook for the full year. The stock is set for its worst intraday drop since it last reported earnings in November, when shares fell as much as 21% after the retailer posted disappointing results and cut its profit and sales forecasts.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2016: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Halliburton Company provides various products and services to the energy industry for the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas worldwide. It operates in two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services, completion tools and services, cementing services, and Boots & Coots. Its production enhancement services include stimulation and sand control services; completion tools and services comprise subsurface safety valves and flow control equipment, surface safety systems, packers and specialty completion equipment, intelligent completion systems, expandable liner hanger systems, sand control systems, well servicing tools, and reservoir performance services; cementing services consist of bonding the well and well casing, while isolating fluid zones and maximizing wellbore stability, and casing equipment; and Boots & Coots include well intervention services , pressure control, equipment rental tools and services, and pipeline and process services. The Drilling and Evaluation segment provides field and reservoir modeling, drilling, evaluation, and wellbore placement solutions that enable customers to model, measure, and optimize their well construction activities. Its services comprise fluid services, drilling services, drill bits, wireline and perforating services, testing and subsea services, software and asset solutions, and integrated project management and consulting services. The company serves independent, integrated, and national oil companies. Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  FBR’s Thomas Curran and Mark Kelley contend that Halliburton (HAL) and Baker Hughes (BHI) will need General Electric’s (GE) help if their merger–blocked yesterday by the Department of Justice–is to succeed:

  Associated Press

  Confirming the past week’s media reports, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday, April 6, that it will sue to block the Halliburton-Baker Hughes merger. Based on our initial take, the crux of the DOJ’s objection is that Halliburton’s proposal does not create an adequate replacement for Baker Hughes. In an immediate press release,Halliburton replied that the two companies will “vigorously contest” the DOJ’s case; and, as both stocks rose in an oil price surgefueled group rally, the spread actually narrowed modestly. We suspect the spread’s move from $18.17 (implied gross return of 46.2%) to $16.98 (39.7%) reflected surprise by some thatHalliburton believes it still has a case. Cognizant of the now much lower odds of closing, we still like BHI’s risk/reward here: Should the deal fail, it will benefit from the $3.5B breakup fee, with the ability to fully implement restructuring initiatives that have bee n constrained by the merger agreement ($100M in 4Q15, or 300 bps of margin) and a spreading perception that it is back in play; should the deal succeed, the stock will deliver a 40% return, all else constant, within three to four months…

  Any “Hail Mary” solution still likely relies on GE Oil & Gas (GE). Based on the trail of evidence to date, we presume the “prospective buyer” that Halliburton has had “lengthy discussions” with is General Electric. We have long held that, should the deal succeed, it will be because General Electric agrees to buy most, if not all, of the assets; we believe the DOJ’s complaint reinforces this view.

  Shares of Halliburton have dropped 1.2% to $36

• [By Tony Daltorio]

  The biggest oilfield service companies should get a big lift from the boom, Moors said. That includes Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB), Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL), Weatherford International Ltd. (NYSE: WFT), and Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI).

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Halliburton (HAL) and Baker Hughes (BHI) are soaring after they announced that they’d challenge the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to block their merger. RBC’s Kurt Hallead has the details:

  Associated Press

  Shares of both companies rose ~5% following the joint press release indicating they would challenge the DoJ’s decision to oppose the pending merger.

  Following numerous media reports this week that the DoJ would move to block the pending Halliburton-Baker Hughes merger, the companies today issued a joint press release vowing to contest the DoJ’s effort to stop the deal.

  This confirms that the DoJ is, in fact, planning to sue to halt the pending merger. While it is extremely difficult to handicap potential outcomes at this point, it appears likely that a resolution will be delayed further. The next critical date is April 30, after which either party can choose to walk away if regulatory approval has not been obtained.

  Wells Fargo’s Judson Bailey and Christopher Voie explain why they’re still bullish on Baker Hughes:

  With the DOJ announcing it will block the Halliburton-Baker Hughes transaction, we believe the recent increase inHalliburton shares makes sense but believe that the risk/reward forBaker Hughes as a stand-alone entity may be more compelling with what we view as an exceptionally strong balance sheet and operational upside potential off of a depressed base.

  Potential Deal Still Up In The Air. Although the DOJ is blocking the Halliburton-Baker Hughes merger, the final outcome is still uncertain as there is a decent probability, in our view, that Halliburton will contest the decision and go to court over the issue. However, even ifHalliburton pursues this course, it is also a distinct probability thatBaker Hughes elects to exercise its rights under the merger agreement to terminate the merger after April 30 and collect the $3.5B break-up fee.<

• [By Matt Egan]

  Pink slips are flying in the oil patch: Profits at energy giants Chevron and Exxon Mobil fell over 50% around the middle of last year. No wonder many American oil companies, including Halliburton (HAL) and ConocoPhillips (COP) have aggressively slashed expenses to counter lower earnings. Government statistics indicate the energy industry slashed 130,000 jobs in 2015. Actual job losses that include oil-related businesses are likely higher.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2016: Intuitive Surgical Inc.(ISRG)

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets da Vinci surgical systems for various surgical procedures, including urologic, gynecologic, cardiothoracic, general, and head and neck surgeries. Its da Vinci surgical system consists of a surgeon?s console or consoles, a patient-side cart, a 3-D vision system, and proprietary ?wristed? instruments. The company?s da Vinci surgical system translates the surgeon?s natural hand movements on instrument controls at the console into corresponding micro-movements of instruments positioned inside the patient through small puncture incisions, or ports. It also manufactures a range of EndoWrist instruments, which incorporate wrist joints for natural dexterity for various surgical procedures. Its EndoWrist instruments consist of forceps, scissors, electrocautery, scalpels, and other surgical tools. In addition, it sells various vision and accessory products for use in conjunction with the da Vinci Surgical System as surgical procedures are performed. The company?s accessory products include sterile drapes used to ensure a sterile field during surgery; vision products, such as replacement 3-D stereo endoscopes, camera heads, light guides, and other items. It markets its products through sales representatives in the United States, and through sales representatives and distributors in international markets. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Joseph Hogue]

  Enter Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq: ISRG) and Da Vinci, a robotic arm that allows surgeons to operate with just a single incision less than an inch in size.

10 Best Defensive Stocks To Buy For 2016: Altisource Residential Corporation(RESI)

Altisource Residential Corporation, through its subsidiary, Altisource Residential, L.P., focuses on acquiring, owning, and managing single-family rental properties in the United States. It acquires its single-family rental properties primarily through the acquisition of sub-performing and non-performing loan portfolios. The company is qualified as a real estate investment trust (REIT) under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, its net income would be exempt from federal taxation to the extent that it is distributed as dividends to shareholders. Altisource Residential Corporation was founded in 2012 and is based in Christiansted, Virgin Islands.

• [By Mark Holder]

  Altisource Residential (NYSE: RESI  ) (NYSE: RESI  ) (NYSE: RESI  ) purchases distressed mortgage loan portfolios with a strategy to work with borrowers to modify and refinance loans to either keep them in their homes or convert the unmodified loans into renovated rental properties.