Investing

Deutsche Bank Has 4 Play-It-Safe Stocks to Buy for Volatile Markets

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You saw it Friday. Everything was hunky-dory, for at least one day. More volatility means more nervousness, and perhaps sleepless nights. Brave investors know that the market is getting cheap, but when is exactly the right time to put capital to work? One good way is to scale in funds buying partial positions, as well as sticking with safe stocks that are not overly affected by oil swings and currency.

We screened the most recent daily research report from Deutsche Bank and found four companies that should succeed solidly, regardless of what the market volatility numbers look like. They gave consistent earnings, have solid franchises and are all rated Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Dow Chemical

This large cap leader makes sense in all markets. Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) is a market-driven integrated, with an industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses. It delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. Last year, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide.

With an improving economy domestically, and emerging markets bottoming, the growth potential for a company like Dow Chemical with multiple revenues and product silos is outstanding. The stock is down a stunning 25% since mid-December, and it is offering investors a very timely entry point at current levels.

In December the company announced a huge merger with DuPont. They are planning to combine into a company valued at about $120 billion. They will then split off into three separate companies, one focused on materials, one on agriculture and one on nutrition and electronics specialty products. Many on Wall Street think that the merger offers a very solid investment for the future, and the sum-of-the-parts total may be far greater than the current value of the stocks.

Dow Chemical investors receive an outstanding 4.26% dividend. The Deutsche Bank price target for the stock is $62. The Thomson/First Call consensus target is $55.35. The stock closed Friday at $43.22.


Procter & Gamble

This stock is down almost 20% since this time last year, partly because it has a very large 65% of sales directed to foreign customers, which should improve as the dollar run looks to be slowing down. Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) is a solid consumer staples stock, especially for conservative investors, to consider. The company sells lots of run-of-the-mill household items that are essential for everyday life and is not content to stand pat on its laurels.

The company actually is innovative in its product development process and uses that to help ensure future growth and cash flow. This should provide investors years of steady growth and dividends. While currency headwinds have weighed on recent earnings and projections, the dollar may be topping out this fall, and that would bode well for the future.

Shareholders receive a very solid 3.43% dividend. Deutsche Bank has an $85 price target, the same as the consensus estimate. Shares ended Friday at $77.36.
Pfizer

This stock could be offering investors the best value at current trading levels. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) rocked Wall Street last year by announcing a gigantic $15.2 billion purchase of Hospira, a top provider of sterile injectable drugs — including those used for acute care and cancer treatment — infusion technologies and biosimilars, which are subsequent versions of drugs whose patents have expired. Some on Wall Street predict that the company will make an accretive acquisition between now and the end of 2016.

With a strong pipeline and the fact that Pfizer is the world’s largest drug manufacturer by sales value, many analysts feel the company can generate higher long-term revenues through the accelerated growth of its new drugs over the next five years, with Ibrance leading the way. Sales of Ibrance totaled more than $250 million in the firm’s most recent quarterly earnings report. The pill, which essentially doubled the survival rate for certain advanced breast cancer patients, is already being widely prescribed.

Pfizer investors receive a 3.91% dividend. The Deutsche Bank price target is $43. The consensus target is $40.19, and the stock closed Friday at $30.71.

Darden Restaurants

This is a top stock for investors who are bullish on the American consumer. Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) is one of the largest casual dining restaurant operators worldwide. It has operations in the United States and Canada with a total of 1,504 restaurants, under the Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, and other banners. Management returns much of its free cash to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. With consumers having extra cash to spend as gasoline prices continue to stay low, the stock makes good sense.

The company announced last year that it would break off 420 restaurants into a real estate investment trust (REIT). The new company, called Four Corners Property Trust, is publicly traded and will lease properties back to Darden. A number of companies in the restaurant and retail sectors have begun cashing in on extensive property holdings, many of which have appreciated, as a way to generate cash. The Darden shareholders retained their Darden shares and received one Four Corners share for every three Darden shares held back in November.

Darden shareholders receive a 3.23% dividend. Deutsche Bank has a $73 price target, but the consensus target is $74.27. The shares closed Friday at $61.93.


These are not exciting, but neither are market sell-offs and big paper losses like we have seen in January. If investors have dry powder or have raised cash by selling higher beta momentum stocks, these may make good sense to rotate to now.

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