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Almost a century of uninterrupted dividends and a forceful growth strategy make 3M Company one of our Best Buys in U.S. stocks.

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AMERICAN EXPRESS CO. $76 (www.americanexpress.com) is finding new retail partners to help offset the upcoming expiry of its deal with Costco’s U.S. stores, under which the chain only accepts American Express credit cards. For example, Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club subsidiary recently agreed to accept Amex’s cards at its 650 warehouse stores in the U.S....

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INC. $68 (www.motorolasolutions.com) has completed its offer to buy back $2.0 billion worth of its shares. Under the plan, it repurchased 30.1 million shares, or 14.5% of the total outstanding, for $66.50 each. Buybacks raise earnings per share and other per-share calculations and give the remaining shareholders a larger stake in the company....

CEDAR FAIR L.P. $53 (New York symbol FUN; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Units outstanding: 56.0 million; Market cap: $3.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 5.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cedarfair.com) began operating in 1987 and is now one the world’s largest amusement park operators. Its parks attracted more than 23.3 million visitors in 2014.

Its flagship park is Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio, which was first developed as a recreational area in 1870. Other major parks include Knott’s Berry Farm near Los Angeles, Kings Island in Cincinnati, Dorney Park in Pennsylvania and Adventure in central Michigan. In 2006, Cedar Fair expanded outside the U.S. for the first time when it purchased Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto.

In all, it owns 11 amusement parks, three outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels.

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MOLSON COORS BREWING CO. $83 (New York symbol TAP; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 185.0 million; Market cap: $15.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.0; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.molson coors.com) jumped 20% in response to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s offer to buy rival brewer SABMiller plc.

In 2008, Molson Coors merged its U.S. brewing operations with those of SABMiller to form MillerCoors. Each company has a 50% voting interest in this joint venture, but SABMiller gets 58% of the profits, while Molson Coors gets 42%.

To satisfy competition regulators, a combined Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller would probably have to sell its stake in the MillerCoors joint venture.

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MCDONALD’S CORP. $97 (New York symbol MCD; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 941.8 million; Market cap: $91.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.5; Dividend yield: 3.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mcdonalds.com) plans to start selling breakfast items all day. The move could increase its U.S. sales by up to 2.5%.

McDonald’s has also announced that it will only use eggs from chickens that haven’t been raised in cages. This should boost its appeal among increasingly health-conscious, environmentally aware consumers.

The company expects to make this switch by 2025. It purchases about two billion eggs in the U.S. annually, and its Canadian business buys roughly 120 million.

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TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC. $47 (Nasdaq symbol TXN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $47.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ti.com) has increased its quarterly dividend by 11.8%, to $0.38 a share from $0.34. The new annual rate of $1.52 yields 3.2%. It has now raised its payout annually for the past 12 years.

In addition, the chipmaker has increased its share repurchase authorization by $7.5 billion. As a result, it can now buy back up to $9.3 billion of its shares, which is equal to 20% of its market cap. There are no time limits for these repurchases. Since 2005, it has bought back 40% of its outstanding shares.

Texas Instruments is a buy.

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ABB LTD. ADRs $17 (New York symbol ABB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; ADRs outstanding: 2.3 billion; Market cap: $39.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 4.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.abb.com) makes transformers, transmission systems and circuit breakers for electrical utilities. The Switzerland-based firm also produces automation systems and robotics for industrial clients.

Due to slowing economic growth in China and developing countries, the company now expects its revenue to grow by 3% to 6% each year to 2020. That’s down from its earlier forecast of 4% to 7% annual growth.

ABB is also reorganizing into four new divisions: Discrete Automation and Motion, Power Grids, Electrification Products and Process Automation. This change will make it easier for ABB to sell the Power Grids division, which makes transmission and distribution equipment for utilities. This business’s sales have slowed, and it faces strong competition from bigger firms like GE/Alstom.

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GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. $25 (New York symbol GE; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 10.1 billion; Market cap: $252.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ge.com) has received approval from U.S. and European regulators for its alliance with France’s Alstom SA, a leading maker of parts for power plants and transmission gear.

Under the deal, GE will form three 50/50 joint ventures with Alstom: one will combine their electrical grid operations, while a second will focus on products for renewable energy projects. The third will hold Alstom’s nuclear power equipment division.

To win approval, GE agreed to sell some of Alstom’s operations. If you adjust for these sales and other changes, GE will now contribute $9.5 billion, down from the original cost of $13 billion. The company expects to complete the deal by the end of 2015.

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INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES INC. $105 (New York symbol IFF; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 80.7 million; Market cap: $8.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.7; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.iff.com) makes over 36,000 compounds that improve the taste of food and the smell of consumer products.

IFF recently paid $311 million for Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, a Quebec-based company that supplies ingredients to makers of cosmetics and personal care products.

It also acquired Henry H. Ottens Manufacturing, a private Philadelphia-based firm that makes flavourings for major food makers. IFF paid $199.2 million for this business.

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MCKESSON CORP. $198 (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 232.0 million; Market cap: $45.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.3; Dividend yield: 0.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mckesson .com) is buying UDG Healthcare’s wholesale distribution operations. These businesses deliver prescription drugs and other products to drugstores in Ireland and Northern Ireland. McKesson also recently agreed to acquire 281 Sainsbury’s pharmacies in the U.K.

The company expects to complete these purchases in the first half of 2016. It will pay roughly $600 million for both of these businesses, which together should add $0.10 to $0.14 a share to its annual earnings. To put these figures in context, McKesson earned $2.6 billion, or $11.11 a share, in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.

These purchases are part of the company’s plan to cut its reliance on North America, which accounts for 90% of its revenue. However, using acquisitions to expand adds risk.

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DIEBOLD INC. $30 (New York symbol DBD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 65.0 million; Market cap: $2.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.diebold.com) continues to move ahead with a major restructuring aimed at improving its efficiency and shifting its focus from building automated teller machines to services and software.

The changes should save Diebold a total of $200 million by the end of 2017. It plans to devote $100 million of that to acquisitions and other investments.

Meantime, Diebold’s earnings fell 46.6% in the three months ended June 30, 2015, to $22.2 million, or $0.34 a share. A year earlier, it earned $41.6 million, or $0.64. If you exclude restructuring costs, earnings per share declined 6.4%, to $0.44 from $0.47. However, its gross profit margin improved to 26.0% from 25.5%.

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BRIGGS & STRATTON CORP. $20 (New York symbol BGG; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 44.4 million; Market cap: $888.0 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.briggsandstratton.com) is the world’s largest maker of lawn mower engines.

The company also makes a wide variety of other home and garden equipment, such as portable power generators, pressure washers and snow blowers. About 30% of its revenue comes from overseas markets.

In its 2015 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2015, Briggs’overall sales rose 1.9%, to $1.89 billion from $1.86 billion in fiscal 2014.

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MTS SYSTEMS CORP. $56 (Nasdaq symbol MTSC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 14.9 million; Market cap: $834.4 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 2.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mts.com) makes equipment and software that manufacturers use to test the behaviour of materials, machines and structures. This helps its clients reduce errors and costs. The company also makes sensors for industrial equipment.

MTS’s strong reputation continues to help it win new orders: in its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended June 27, 2015, it attracted $154.0 million worth of orders, up 2.9% from $149.6 million a year earlier.

However, the company’s sales declined 7.9%, to $133.9 million from $145.5 million a year earlier. Overseas markets account for 74% of MTS’s total sales, so the high U.S. dollar hurts their contribution. If you exclude currency rates, sales fell 2%.

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TENNANT CO. $55 (New York symbol TNC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 18.3 million; Market cap: $1.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. tennantco.com) makes industrial floor-cleaning equipment, including scrubbers, sweepers and polishers. It also manufactures cleaning gear for garages, stadiums, parking lots and city streets.

The company continues to benefit from strong demand for products featuring its ec-H20 technology, which uses electricity to make tap water act like a detergent.

Tennant recently improved the effectiveness of this process with a new system it calls NanoClean, which creates millions of microscopic bubbles in the water. The company plans to add NanoClean technology to all of its commercial scrubbers.

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CONAGRA FOODS INC. $40 (New York symbol CAG; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 429.2 million; Market cap: $17.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.conagrafoods.com) paid $4.75 billion for Ralcorp Holdings, the largest private-label food maker in the U.S., in January 2013. However, strong competition and higher ingredient costs have hurt Ralcorp’s earnings. In response, ConAgra aims to sell Ralcorp by the end of 2015.

Excluding Ralcorp’s contribution and unusual items, ConAgra’s earnings rose 15.4% in its fiscal 2016 first quarter, which ended August 30, 2015, to $0.45 a share from $0.39 a year earlier. Sales gained 1.1%, to $2.79 billion from $2.76 billion.

Consumer foods, such as Chef Boyardee canned pasta and Hunt’s tomato sauce, now supply 61% of ConAgra’s revenue. These products’sales fell 0.3%, as unfavourable currency rates offset higher selling prices.

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PFIZER INC. $33 (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 6.2 billion; Market cap: $204.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.1; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pfizer.com) started up in 1942 and is now one of the world’s leading makers of prescription drugs. Top-selling brands include Lyrica (epilepsy), Celebrex (arthritis pain), Prevnar (pneumonia) and Enbrel (rheumatoid arthritis).

The company is also the world’s fifth-largest maker of overthe- counter treatments, including| Advil (pain relief), Centrum (vitamins) and Robitussin (cough syrup).

Pfizer’s revenue fell 19.5%, from $61.6 billion in 2010 to $49.6 billion in 2014. That’s mainly because it sold its nutrition division, which makes formula and other products for children, to Switzerland-based Nestle S.A. for $11.9 billion in 2012. In 2013, Pfizer set up its animalhealth business as a separate firm called Zoetis Inc. (New York symbol ZTS).

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Microsoft’s Nokia purchase didn’t work out well, but cloud computing helps it remain one of the leading blue chip stocks in the tech world

A reputation for friendlier service, lower fuel costs and 41 consecutive profitable quarters help make WestJet one of our top value stocks.