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Investing in IPOs may seem like a quick way to make money—but studies show that the reality is quite different.

Hecla Mining Company increased its cash flow by more than a third with a spike in gold and silver output, which offset weak prices.

Instead of selling that blue chip investment for trivial or transitory reason, focus on its long term potential.

Buy stocks online with confidence, but be aware of the risks.

The fast-food industry faces several long-term challenges. These include the consumer shift to more nutritious foods and new laws to increase minimum wage rates. McDonald’s has a history of adapting to changing trends. The new plan is to increase sales through better food and customer service. It’s already paying off. The company is also cutting its costs by transferring more of its outlets to franchisees. McDonald’s will use most of the savings for share buybacks and dividends. That should continue to push the stock higher....

MONSANTO CO. $112 (New York symbol MON, Aggressive Growth Portfolio; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 436.8 million; Market cap: $48.9 billion; Price-tosales ratio: 3.5; Dividend yield: 1.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.monsanto.com) develops and sells technology-based agricultural products, such as genetically modified seeds, to farmers, grain processors and food companies. It also sells weed- and pest-control products. The company is now the target of a $122.00-a-share, all-cash takeover bid by Bayer AG— the German farm chemical and drugmaker. Bayer feels the merger would help both firms compete with rivals Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co., which plan to merge later this year. As well, China National Chemical Corp. agreed in February 2016 to acquire Switzerland- based Syngenta AG....

VISA INC. $79 (New York symbol V; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 2.4 billion; Market cap: $189.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 13.3; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.visa.com) operates the world’s largest electronic payments network. It can process over 65,000 credit, debit, prepaid and commercial transactions per second. Visa gets most of its revenue from the fees it charges card issuers and merchants that use its network. These fees are based on transaction volumes and other factors. The banks that issue the credit cards are responsible for evaluating customer creditworthiness and collecting payments, not Visa....

AMERICAN EXPRESS CO. $65 (New York symbol AXP, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 951.0 million; Market cap: $61.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.0; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.americanexpress.com) is one of the world’s largest issuers of payment cards, with 118.6 million cards in use across 130 countries. Amex issues two types of cards: charge cards, which have no preset spending limit and must be paid in full each month; and traditional credit cards, which let users carry a balance. The company is also a bank that accepts deposits and makes loans. It cuts its credit risk by mainly catering to clients with above-average incomes and good credit histories. In the first quarter of 2016, Amex wrote off just 2.0% of its U.S. loans compared to 2.3% a year earlier. Its international write-off rate fell to 2.1% from 2.4%....

T. ROWE PRICE GROUP INC. $77 (Nasdaq symbol TROW; Aggressive Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 248.2 million; Market cap: $19.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.6; Dividend yield: 2.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.troweprice.com) sells mutual funds and wealth management services. Due to the downturn in stock markets since the start of the year, T. Rowe Price’s assets under management fell 1.0%, to $764.6 million as of March 31, 2016, from $772.7 billion a year earlier. However, its assets under management have increased 0.2% from $763.1 billion at the end of 2015. T. Rowe Price’s fee income varies with the value of the securities it administers, so its revenue during the first quarter of 2016 declined 3.2%, to $994.1 million from $1.0 billion....

APPLE INC. $100 (Nasdaq symbol AAPL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.5 billion; Market cap: $550.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend yield: 2.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.apple.com) makes a variety of electronic devices, including iPhone smartphones, Mac computers, iPad tablets, iPod music players and Apple watches. It also sells software, movies and music through its iTunes online store. The company recently invested $1 billion for an undisclosed minority stake in Didi Chuxing. Similar to Uber, this private firm operates the largest ride-sharing service in China. The purchase should help Apple gain more insight into China’s fast-growing Internet economy. That’s important because it wants to expand Apple Pay— its mobile payment system— in that country. This investment could also help Apple improve its in-car entertainment and information products....

C.R. BARD INC. $220 (New York symbol BCR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 73.3 million; Market cap: $16.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.7; Dividend yield: 0.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.crbard.com) makes medical devices in four main areas: oncology products that detect and treat various types of cancer; vascular products such as stents and catheters; urology goods, including drainage and incontinence devices; and surgical tools. The company continues to benefit from its new growth strategy, which involves selling less-profitable businesses and buying other medical-device makers. Bard earned $177.0 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2016, up 9.5% from $161.6 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 11.4%, to $2.34 from $2.10, on fewer shares outstanding. Sales gained 6.6%, to $873.5 million from $819.7 million. Without the high U.S. dollar’s negative impact, sales rose 8%. The company expects its earnings for all of 2016 will rise about 11.5%, to between $10.05 and $10.18 a share. The stock trades at 21.7 times the midpoint of that range. That’s still a reasonable multiple, as Bard products are typically only used once so customers must continually buy new ones....

BUCKEYE PARTNERS L.P. $73 (New York symbol BPL; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Units outstanding: 130.3 million; Market cap: $9.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 6.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.buckeye.com) operates 9,700 kilometres of pipelines in the northeastern and Midwestern U.S. Its network pumps gasoline, jet fuel and other petroleum products. In the past few years, Buckeye has steadily expanded its oil storage operations. It now has 117 terminals in the U.S. with a total capacity of 55.6 million barrels. The company also owns seven marine storage terminals that serve ocean-going oil tankers in New York City, Corpus Christi, Texas, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia and The Bahamas. These facilities have a combined capacity of 62.3 million barrels....

DIEBOLD INC. $25 (New York symbol DBD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 65.2 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield: 4.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.diebold.com) is a leading maker of automated teller machines. It also makes safes and vaults. Diebold is buying German ATM maker, Wincor Nixdorf AG, for $1.8 billion in cash and shares. The purchase will make Diebold the world’s largest maker of ATMs, with roughly 35% of the global market. It should complete the purchase in the second half of 2016. Meantime, Diebold’s revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2016, fell 11.3%, to $509.6 million from $574.8 million a year earlier. Overseas markets supply 60% of its revenue, so the high U.S. dollar hurts the contribution of its foreign operations. Excluding exchange rates, revenue fell 6.1%....

NCR CORP. $30 (New York symbol NCR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 123.9 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ncr.com) makes automated teller machines, cash registers, self-serve checkouts and kiosks for theatres and arenas. In the quarter ended March 31, 2016, NCR’s revenue fell 2.2%, to $1.4 billion from $1.5 billion a year earlier. Lower sales of ATMs offset higher revenue from its software and services operations. If you factor out currency rates, revenue was flat. Earnings in the quarter fell 16.4%, to $61 million from $73 million. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share declined at a slower rate of 11.6%, to $0.38 from $0.43....

GENUINE PARTS CO. $96 (New York symbol GPC; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 149.6 million; Market cap: $14.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.genpt.com) distributes replacement auto parts, industrial parts, office products and electrical equipment. The company is paying an undisclosed sum for The Safety Zone. This private firm makes and distributes a variety of safety products for the janitorial, food service and other industries. These include latex gloves, lab coats and gowns, ear plugs and safety glasses. The purchase will add $180 million to Genuine’s annual sales of $15.3 billion....

FEDEX CORP. $164 (New York symbol FDX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 268.4 million; Market cap: $44.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 0.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.fedex.com) has completed its $4.9-billion acquisition of TNT Express NV. The purchase makes the company the second largest courier in Europe behind United Parcel Service. The acquisition will also help FedEx with its goal of increasing its earnings per share by 10% to 15% annually. The stock trades at a moderate 15.2 times the $10.78 a share that the company will probably earn in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2016....

BRIGGS & STRATTON CORP. $22 (New York symbol BGG; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 43.3 million; Market cap: $952.6 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.briggsandstratton.com) makes lawn mower engines, portable power generators, pressure washers and snow blowers. Briggs recently lost a lawsuit accusing it of violating the patent of a rival lawn mower manufacturer. A judge has ordered it to pay $50 million in damages. To put that in context, Briggs earned $34.9 million, or $0.79 a share, in the nine months ended March 31, 2016. The company plans to appeal the ruling....

AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $45 (New York symbol A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 328.0 million; Market cap: $14.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 1.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.agilent.com) makes specialized testing equipment, such as mass spectrometers, for medical research labs. In its fiscal 2016 second quarter, which ended April 30, 2016, the company earned $145 million. That’s up 12.4% from $129 million a year earlier. Per-share earnings gained 15.8%, to $0.44 from $0.38, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue rose 5.8%, to $1.0 billion from $963 million. These gains reflect strong demand for Agilent’s products from food companies and pharmaceutical firms. The company is also benefiting from last year’s $235 million purchase of Seahorse Bioscience. This firm makes equipment that researchers use to measure the response of cells to new drugs....

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $114 (New York symbol SWK; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 150.1 million; Market cap: $17.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 1.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.stanleyblack anddecker.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of hand and power tools for consumers. This business supplies 64% of its sales. Stanley also makes building-security products, such as locks and gates (19% of sales), and specialized tools for auto mechanics and industrial workers (17%). Stanley makes acquisitions work ...

ALLIANT ENERGY CORP. $36 (www.alliantenergy.com) sells power and natural gas to 1.4 million customers in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. The company earned $97.6 million in the first quarter of 2016, up 1.0% from $96.6 million a year earlier. Due to more shares outstanding, per-share earnings fell 1.1%, to $0.43 from $0.435 (all per-share amounts adjusted for a 2-for-1 stock split in May 2016)....

NEWELL BRANDS INC. $48 (www.newellbrands.com) is up 8% since the merger of Newell Rubbermaid and Jarden Corp. on April 15, 2016. Newell shareholders now own 55% of the combined firm, which makes a wide variety of household goods such as pens, hand tools, coffee makers and baby strollers....

Investors may find it hard to believe that the best blue stocks can be the ones that are not yet popular.

Silver mining stocks and silver ETFs are a better way to invest in the precious metal than silver bullion.

Baker Hughes will use a $3.5 billion breakup fee to pay down debt and buy back shares following the collapse of a takeover bid by Halliburton

Use these 23 proven tips for successfully investing in growth stocks