stock pickers

NISSAN MOTOR CO., $20.02, symbol NSANY on Nasdaq, is now offering airbags as an option on its low-priced Datsun cars in India. The move comes as Indian consumers grow more concerned about vehicle safety. The country’s roads are among the world’s deadliest, with more than 130,000 people killed in accidents a year. Last year, Nissan revived the dormant Datsun brand with the launch of an under-$6,700 U.S. hatchback. The company is using Datsun to compete for sales of lower-cost cars in emerging markets, partly to avoid tarnishing its Nissan brand’s reputation for higher-quality vehicles....

Quick to take the lead in changing trends, Google continues to rate as one of our best tech stocks

Long-term contracts support these high-yielding power firms that we like as two of the fastest growing stocks for conservative investors.

MAJOR DRILLING GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC., $6.37, symbol MDI on Toronto, is a large contract-drilling firm that mainly serves the mining industry. In the three months ended April 30, 2015, Major’s revenue fell 1.7%, to $81.2 million from $82.6 million a year earlier. The company narrowed its loss to $13.1 million, or $0.16 a share, from $24.9 million, or $0.31. However, the year-earlier period included $19.5 million of pre-tax restructuring charges. Major’s results could remain weak into next year, but its longer-term outlook is positive. As well, despite the significant industry downturn, the company is now reporting positive cash flow: its cash flow was $5.2 million, or $0.07 a share, in the latest quarter, compared to negative $3.3 million, or $0.04, a year earlier....

Home renovations spurred by an improved real estate market help keep Stanley Black and Decker one on our best stocks to buy in the U.S.

With $44 billion earmarked for new projects, Enbridge builds up its cash flow and keeps our rating as one of Canada’s best dividend stocks.

WESTJET AIRLINES LTD., $26.53, symbol WJA on Toronto, has announced that its almost 3,000 flight attendants have voted 82% in favour of a five-year work agreement. The deal with the non-unionized Flight Attendant Association Board includes competitive wages, clearer work rules and a binding dispute mechanism. The agreement is important because it ends a unionization drive the flight attendants began over a year ago. The company has a great hidden asset in its non-union workforce, as many flyers find that WestJet provides friendlier service than they get from unionized airlines. The company also benefits from the fact that most of its employees are shareholders....

Production problems solved, the 787 Dreamliner has over 1,000 sales, and that keeps Boeing high on our list of blue chips stocks.

MENTOR GRAPHICS CORP., $26.11, symbol MENT on Nasdaq, makes technology for improving the design of electronic products and speeding up their development. For example, Mentor’s software lets automakers use less wiring in a car, identify potential safety issues and minimize electromagnetic effects on sensitive components. In the three months ended April 30, 2015, the company’s revenue rose 7.9%, to $272.1 million from $252.2 million a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, earnings per share jumped sharply, to $0.28 from $0.11, far exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.18. Sales to the auto industry were very strong, and the company continues to cut costs....

Penny stocks often have big hurdles to overcome, and Nemaska Lithium must rely on a major spark from the electric car to succeed.