Hot Safest Companies To Buy For 2014

Blue-chip stocks are broadly higher this afternoon after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released better-than-expected jobs figures for the month of May. With roughly an hour left in the trading session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is up by 156 points, or 1.05%.

According to the BLS, the U.S. economy created a net 175,000 jobs last month. For what it's worth -- which generally isn't much -- economists surveyed by MarketWatch predicted an increase of 164,000 jobs. Yet the expectation-beating job-creation wasn't enough to push the official unemployment rate down: The latter increased to 7.6% from 7.5% the preceding month as a net 420,000 people entered the labor force.

A Yahoo! Finance blog post captured the market's reaction appropriately, noting that the report was "good, but not too good." On one hand, great news on the jobs front could induce the Federal Reserve to ease off of its support for the economy, which, in turn, would likely cause equity prices to deflate. But on the other hand, bad news would incite fear of a potential double-dip recession. Just like Goldilocks' porridge, a slight beat was just right as far as the market was concerned.

Hot Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: First Defiance Financial Corp.(FDEF)

First Defiance Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for First Federal Bank of the Midwest that provides financial services to communities based in northwest Ohio, northeast Indiana, and southeastern Michigan. The company offers various deposit products, such as checking accounts, money market accounts, regular savings accounts, term certificate accounts, non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand deposits, time deposits, and certificates of deposit. It also provides residential real estate, non-residential real estate, construction, commercial, home equity and improvement, mobile home, and consumer loans. In addition, the company offers depository, trust, and wealth management services, as well as online banking services. Additionally, First Defiance Financial Corp., through its other subsidiary, First Insurance & Investments, Inc., operates as an insurance agency that offers property and casualty insurance, life insurance, and group health in surance products in the Defiance, Archbold, Bryan, and Bowling Green areas in Ohio. It operates 33 full service branches in northwest Ohio; southeast Michigan; and northeast Indiana. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Defiance, Ohio.

Hot Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.(JBHT)

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a surface transportation, delivery, and logistics company in North America. It operates in four segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Full-Load Dry-Van (JBT), and Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS). The JBI segment provides intermodal freight solutions, including origin and destination pickup and delivery services in the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. This segment operates 45,666 pieces of company-controlled trailing equipment; and manages a fleet of 2,592 company-owned tractors. The DCS segment involves in the design, development, and execution of supply chain solutions, which support various transportation networks. This segment offers final mile delivery, replenishment, and specialized services supporting private fleet conversion, fleet creation, and transportation system augmentation. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 4,259 company-owned trucks, 357 customer-owned trucks, and 23 independent contractor trucks. The JBT segment provides full-load, dry-van freight services by utilizing tractors operating over roads and highways. It operated 1,697 company-owned tractors. The ICS segment provides non-asset, asset-light, and transportation logistics solutions. It offers flatbed, refrigerated, expedited, and less-than-truckload, as well as various dry-van and intermodal solutions. The company transports a range of freight, including general merchandise, specialty consumer items, appliances, forest and paper products, building materials, soaps and cosmetics, automotive parts, electronics, and chemicals. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas.

Best Safest Companies To Buy For 2014: (FSM)

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. engages in the mining and production silver and base metal in Latin America. Its primary assets consist of the Caylloma zinc/lead/silver mine, which is located to the northwest of Arequipa, Peru; and the San Jose silver/gold project that is located south of the city of Oaxaca, Mexico. The company was formerly known as Fortuna Ventures Inc. and changed its name to Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. in June 2005. Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Lima, Peru.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Christopher Barker]

  After visiting the brand new San Jose silver and gold mine that forms the strategic nucleus of Fortuna's growing fortune, I am convinced 2012 will prove a very profitable year for this miner and its shareholders. Of all the silver producers I surveyed for consideration within this list, Fortuna offers one of the clearest roadmaps to steady, incremental output expansion over the next several years as San Jose's mine output progresses from 2.6 million SEOs in 2012 to nearly 5.2 million SEOs by 2017, according to the current mine plan. Combined with polymetallic output (rich in lead and zinc) from Fortuna's Caylloma mine in Peru, Fortuna expects consolidated production to approach 7.4 million silver-equivalent ounces (with more than 80% derived from silver and gold) by 2014. That would represent about a 76% production surge in three years from Fortuna's output in 2011.

  Moreover, after discussing the exploration upside potential at San Jose at length with the mine's geological team, I perceive strong potential for extension of the mine life at San Jose as substantial inferred resources are converted to reserves. Indeed, I would not overlook the district-scale opportunities that may reside in exploration targets within Fortuna's massive 58,000-hectare concession package. I have much more to share from my recent mine tour, so please stay tuned to my ongoing coverage for further insight into San Jose as a springboard for Fortuna's exciting growth spurt.