5 Best Safest Stocks To Invest In 2015

With shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE) trading at around $23.52, is GE an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock�� Movement

GE is a unique story. For instance, many companies throughout the broader market saw consistently increasing revenue from 2009 to 2011 and then suffered revenue declines in 2012. GE, on the other hand, saw revenue declines from 2009 to 2011 and then increasing revenue in 2012. Does this make GE one of the best plays going forward? Does it also make GE one of the safest plays if the market suffers a steep correction at some point over the next few years?

There are no definitive answers to the two questions above. However, GE is certainly headed in the right direction. What wasn�� mentioned above is that EPS has improved on an annual basis for three consecutive years. EPS also improved 16.20 percent last quarter on a year-over-year basis. It’s well known that GE focuses on the bottom line. This should be good news for investors going forward.

5 Best Safest Stocks To Invest In 2015: Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (RBS)

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (RBS), incorporated on March 25, 1968, is a holding company of a global banking and financial services group. The Company operates in the United Kingdom, the United States and internationally through its two principal subsidiaries: The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (the Royal Bank) and National Westminster Bank Plc (NatWest). Both the Royal Bank and NatWest are clearing banks. In the United States, the Company�� subsidiary Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (Citizens) is a commercial banking organization. The Company�� business segment include UK Retail, UK Corporate, Wealth, Global Transaction Services, Ulster Bank, US Retail & Commercial, Global Banking & Markets (GBM), RBS Insurance, Central items, Non-Core Division and Business Services. In February 2012, Ensign Group, Inc. acquired $21.5 million seven-year term loan from RBS Asset Finance, Inc., an affiliate of the Company. In May 2012, The Paragon Group of Companies PLC announced the acquisition of further unsecured consumer loans, through its Idem Capital Securities subsidiary, from the Company.

In September 2011, the Company sold Hilton Glasgow City hotel to Topland Group. In October 2011, Paragon Group of Companies PLC acquired a portfolio of unsecured consumer loans from Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc. In December 2011, the Company sold its tenanted pub business to Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company (Management) Limited (S&NPC), a subsidiary of Heineken N.V.

As of December 31, 2011, the Royal Bank and NatWest had 627 and 1,493 retail branches, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Ulster Bank has a foot print of 236 branches and a network of business banking offices across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. US Retail & Commercial had 1,519 retail banking offices (including in-store branches) covering Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

UK Retail

The Company offers a range of banking products and related financial services to the personal market. It serves customers through the RBS and NatWest networks of branches and automated teller machines (ATMs) in the United Kingdom, telephony, online and mobile.

UK Corporate

The Company is a provider of banking, finance, and risk management services to the corporate and small and medium enterprises (SME) sector in the United Kingdom. It offers a range of banking products and related financial services through a nationwide network of relationship managers, and also through telephone and Internet channels. The product range includes asset finance through the Lombard brand.

Wealth

The Company provides private banking and investment services in the United Kingdom through Coutts & Co and Adam & Company. It also offers offshore banking through RBS International, NatWest Offshore and Isle of Man Bank, and international private banking through Coutts & Co Ltd.

Global Transaction Services

The Company offers global payments, cash and liquidity management, and trade finance and commercial card products and services. Through the network and partner bank agreements, GTS is able to support and connect customers across 128 countries.

Ulster Bank

Ulster Bank is retail and business bank in Northern Ireland. It provides a range of financial services. As of December 31, 2011, the Retail Markets division, which had a network of 236 branches, operated in the personal and financial planning sectors. The Corporate Markets division provides services to SME business customers, corporates and institutional markets.

US Retail and Commercial

The Company provides financial services through the Citizens and Charter One brands. US Retail & Commercial is engaged in retail and corporate banking activities through its branch network in 12 states in the United States and through non-branch offices in othe! r states.!

Global Banking and Markets

The Company is a banking partner to corporations and financial institutions globally, providing a range of debt and equity financing, risk management and investment services to its customers. The division is organized along six principal business lines: money markets, rates flow trading, currencies, equities, credit and mortgage markets, and portfolio management and origination.

RBS Insurance

The Company provides a range of general insurance products to consumers through a range of brands, including Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege. It also provides insurance services for third party brands through its UKI Partnerships business. In the commercial sector, its NIG and Direct Line for Business operations provide insurance products for businesses through brokers or direct respectively. Through its international division, RBS Insurance sells general insurance, mainly motor, in Germany and Italy. In addition to insurance services, RBS Insurance continues to provide support and reassurance to millions of the United Kingdom motorists through its Green Flag breakdown recovery service and Tracker stolen vehicle recovery and telematics business. On 15 February 2012, a new corporate brand, Direct Line Group, was announced.

Central Functions

Central Functions consist of corporate functions, such as treasury, funding and finance, risk management, legal, communications and human resources. The Centre manages the Company�� capital resources and regulatory projects and provides services to the operating divisions.

Non-Core Division

Non-Core Division manages separately assets, which the Company intends to run off or dispose of. The division contains a range of businesses and asset portfolios from the GBM division, higher risk profile asset portfolios, including excess risk concentrations, and other illiquid portfolios. It also includes a range of other portfolios and businesses, inclu! ding regi! onal markets businesses.

Business Services

Business Services supports the customer-facing businesses and provides operational technology, customer support in telephony, account management, lending and money transmission, global purchasing, property and other services. It also leverages its purchasing power and is the Company's center for managing large-scale and complex change.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Royston Wild]

  LONDON --�Shares in majority-nationalised�Royal Bank of Scotland Group� (LSE: RBS  ) (NYSE: RBS  ) �have come under renewed pressure in recent weeks, trudging 24% lower from January's one-and-a-half-year peak around 368p.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Tepper, known for investing in situations so dire other investors won�� touch them (he bought Citigroup for under $1 in 2009), could be waiting for the first sign of a solution in Europe to begin making big purchases amid the carnage there. His only bank stock in his most recent filing is located there, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). He told NBC he was looking for certain things to happen before he invested there, but that essentially it would only take the economy getting better before Ireland, Spain, Portugal and others would be fine.

• [By Maynard Paton]

  LONDON --�The shares of�Royal Bank of Scotland� (LSE: RBS  ) (NYSE: RBS  ) �slumped 21 pence, or 6%, to 305 pence during early trade this morning after the bank revealed the forthcoming departure of its chief executive last night.

5 Best Safest Stocks To Invest In 2015: Teekay Tankers Ltd(TNK)

Teekay Tankers Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership and operation of oil tankers. As of August 16, 2011, it owned a fleet of nine double-hull Aframax tankers and six double-hull Suezmax tankers. The company, through its joint venture with Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited, also owned a very large crude carrier newbuilding. As of March 1, 2011, it operated four Aframax tankers in the Teekay Pool and three Suezmax tankers in the Gemini Pool arrangements; and five Aframax tankers and three Suezmax tankers under fixed-rate time-charter contracts. The company is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Taylor Muckerman]

  After falling over 87% in the past five years, Teekay Tankers� (NYSE: TNK  ) believes that the supply of carrying capacity is finally aligning itself with demand again. For 2014, the company expects the lowest fleet growth since 2002. If this is the case, management believes fleet utilization will have reached a trough and could possibly begin its ascent to levels north of 84%. Tankers haven't enjoyed this level of utilization since the industry sank below this depth in 2010.�

Best Restaurant Companies To Own In Right Now: Zoetis Inc (ZTS)

Zoetis Inc, incorporated on July 25, 2012, is engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and commercialization of animal health medicines and vaccines, with a focus on both livestock and companion animals. The primary livestock species are cattle (both beef and dairy), swine, poultry, sheep and fish, and the primary companion animal species are dogs, cats and horses. In February 2014, Benchmark Holdings PLC purchased aquaculture vaccine and development assets from animal health company Zoetis Inc.

The Company�� more than 300 product lines include vaccines, parasiticides, anti-infectives, medicated feed additives and other pharmaceutical products. The Company�� product portfolio also includes businesses, such as diagnostics, genetics, devices and services, such as dairy data management, e-learning and professional consulting. The Company operates in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Ignore this trend at your own risk
  If you choose to do nothing, then you're playing right into the hands of pharmaceutical giants like Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS  ) , Merck (NYSE: MRK  ) , and IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ: IDXX  ) , which are counting on your indifference to drive their profits.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Pfizer (NYSE: PFE  ) is one of only a few companies to buck the trend today, climbing 2%. Shareholders were offered the option to exchange shares of Pfizer for shares of Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS  ) , an animal-health company Pfizer is fully spinning off. Shares were offered at a 7% discount to shareholders who participate, and on June 19 the company will announce the final ratio shareholders will receive. This is part of an effort to sell assets that don't align with Pfizer's efforts to focus on human drugs and vaccines. In the end, it will help reduce Pfizer's shares outstanding.

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS) was down as well, falling 5.25 percent to $29.50 percent after the company guided its fiscal year 2014 revenue and EPS below street estimates.

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Other products you might have to ask your vet about. Zoetis� (NYSE: ZTS  ) , for instance, sells an antibiotic for skin infections called Convenia, which is injected by the vet. Zoetis was spun out of Pfizer�earlier this year and is a pure-play animal health company. In addition to selling products for companion animals, the company sells products to keep livestock healthy.

5 Best Safest Stocks To Invest In 2015: Medical Marijuana Inc (MJNA)

Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA), incorporated on May 23, 2005, is the publicly held company vested in the medical marijuana and industrial hemp markets. The Company is comprised of a diversified portfolio of products, services, technology and businesses solely focused on the cannabis and hemp industries. These products range from patented based cannabinoid products, to whole plant or isolated high value extracts specifically manufactured and formulated for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries. In March 2013, it sold certain equipment and inventory, web domain names, phone numbers, and all existing and pending agreements with hemp production and processing facilities to CannaVEST Corp.

The Company�� services are varied, ranging from medical clinic management to the capitalization and development of existing industry business and product leaders. Services include development of cannabinoid based health and wellness products, and the development of medical grade compounds. MJNA provides over 50 and patented cannabinoid delivery methods that are more socially and medically acceptable than smoking.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  There's no denying it. Marijuana stocks like Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCMKTS:CBIS), Growlife Inc. (OTCBB:PHOT), and Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA) have gotten their second wind (and some would argue their third wind) over the past few days, doling out big gains in a very short period of time. MJNA is up 88% over the past four trading days, counting today. PHOT has popped 44% during that timeframe. CBIS has advanced 91% in just six days. It's everything a devoted shareholder of any of these companies could hope for, and more.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  The last few days have been nothing less than incredible for stocks like Cannabis Science Inc. (OTCMKTS:CBIS), Medbox Inc. (OTCMKTS:MDBX), Growlife Inc. (OTCBB:PHOT), and Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA). MJNA shares have jumped 90% since last Friday. PHOT is up 51% for the same timeframe. CBIS has grown 150%, while MDBX is up 112%. The reason? It's largely the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado - a law that went into effect as of January 1st. The legalization of medical marijuana in Illinois on the same day didn't hurt either. And truth be told, the event-based rally from the likes of Medbox and Cannabis Science makes basic sense - it's a landmark shift in the way this country views and treats marijuana. On the flipside, before wading any deeper into stocks like Medical Marijuana or Growlife, current and would-be owners might want to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

• [By Bryan Murphy]

  Companies like Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA), Tranzbyte Corp. (OTCMKTS:ERBB), and Growlife Inc. (OTCBB:PHOT) were on the receiving end of another dose of good news on Thursday.... not that they necessarily needed it. That's when a study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas was published, illustrating how not only did the advent of medical marijuana not increase crime, but rather, coincided with a (relative) decline in crime.

• [By Dan Burrows]

  Medical Marijuana Inc. (MJNA) is up just under 100% so far this year and — get this — MJNA stock is actually the big-time laggard in the group. Next up comes Growlife (PHOT), as PHOT stock has gained “only” 150%. Indeed, when it comes to medical marijuana stock, anything less than a three-fold gain is small beer.

5 Best Safest Stocks To Invest In 2015: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (TEVA)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company, develops, produces, and markets generic drugs; and proprietary branded pharmaceuticals in various therapeutic categories and active pharmaceutical ingredients worldwide. The company?s provides generic drug portfolio of approximately 1,450 molecules and a direct presence in 60 countries. It offers generic pharmaceutical products in a range of dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, liquids, injectables, and inhalants. The company sells its generic injectable products to hospitals, clinics, and other institutional channels, primarily in the United States and Europe, as well as in Latin America and eastern Europe. Its branded products include Copaxone to treat multiple sclerosis; and Azilect to treat Parkinson?s disease, as well as biosimilars, respiratory, and women?s health products. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Petach Tikva, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Eisen]

  Mylan Inc. (MYL) �gained 3.6% after the pharmaceuticals company said it had settled litigation with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA) over its Copaxone product.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA) was given a cautious outlook from the independent research firm Argus. The firm kept a Hold rating in place but went on to say that it may look for a lower share price, down to $34 or $35, before any potential upgrade trigger is seen. Argus is worried about stalled earnings growth, price pressure in the generics group and patent issues of branded products. The firm did signal that valuations are attractive, but the shares lack catalysts that would drive them to industry average multiples.

• [By Matthew Kanterman]

  Soros Fund Management LLC, the family office of billionaire George Soros, increased its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) to the most since 2010.

• [By Dan Carroll]

  That's not quite blockbuster status -- particularly for a company that reported sales of more than $16.6 billion last year -- but $500 million will help mitigate the patent losses of some of Amgen's top sellers. Teva Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: TEVA  ) has already begun marketing a generic biosimilar of Neupogen in Europe, and the company will be able to launch its version of the best-selling drug in the U.S. starting in November of this year. While Teva's version of Neupogen has captured little market share so far, even a slight gain on Amgen's product can cut into the drug's revenue, which along with Neulasta totaled more than $5.3 billion last year.