AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. $33 (New York symbol A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 348.1 million; Market cap: $11.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.7; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.agilent.com) paid $1.5 billion for Varian Inc. in May 2010. This company makes testing equipment for medical-research labs. Demand for this equipment is less cyclical than Agilent’s electronic-testing products, so adding Varian cuts Agilent’s risk. Thanks mainly to Varian, Agilent’s revenue rose 22.2% in the three months ended July 31, 2011, to $1.7 billion from $1.4 billion a year earlier. Agilent earned $276 million, or $0.77 a share, up 44.5% from $191 million, or $0.54 a share. These figures exclude unusual items, such as costs to integrate Varian. The slowing economy could dampen Agilent’s growth. However, the company continues to spend around 10% of its revenue on research. This should give it a steady stream of new products to fuel its sales. As well, Agilent’s long-term debt of $2.2 billion is a moderate 19% of its market cap. It also holds cash of $3.1 billion, or $8.94 a share. That gives it plenty of room to keep buying other technology companies and developing new products....

MOLSON COORS BREWING CO. $43 (New York symbol TAP; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 187.3 million; Market cap: $8.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.molsoncoors.com) continues to build up its operations in emerging markets. That’s helping it offset slow beer sales in North America and Europe. In the past few years, Molson Coors has formed joint ventures with local brewers in China, Russia, Spain and Vietnam. The company recently announced that it would buy a controlling stake in Indian brewer Cobra Beer, and help Cobra expand its capacity. In all, this investment will cost Molson Coors $35 million. That’s equal to 15% of the $231.6 million, or $1.23 a share, that it earned in the three months ended June 30, 2011. Molson Coors already has a joint venture to distribute Cobra’s brands outside of South Asia, so this experience cuts the risk of this investment. As well, this new deal will help Molson Coors profit from rising beer consumption in India, which could double by 2020....

FAIR ISAAC CORP. $26 (New York symbol FICO; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 38.6 million; Market cap: $1.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.6; Dividend yield: 0.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.fairisaac.com) makes FICO Scores and other software that businesses around the world use to make better decisions on customer creditworthiness. Its products also help credit-card issuers control fraud and analyze cardholders’ spending patterns. In its fiscal 2011 third quarter, which ended June 30, 2011, Fair Isaac’s earnings jumped 29.3%, to $23.2 million from $17.9 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 45.0% to $0.58 from $0.40, on fewer shares outstanding. The company’s ongoing cost cuts were the main reason for the higher earnings: operating expenses fell by $11 million in the latest quarter....

Shares of these two medical-device makers fell recently after their latest earnings missed expectations. However, the aging baby-boom generation should spur long-term demand for their products. C.R. BARD INC. $90 (New York symbol BCR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 86.6 million; Market cap: $7.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.8; Dividend yield: 0.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.crbard.com) makes medical devices in four main areas: vascular products, such as stents and catheters (28% of 2010 sales); oncology products that detect and treat various types of cancer (27%); urology products, such as drainage and incontinence devices (26%); and surgical tools (16%). Other medical products supply the remaining 3%. The company recently agreed to settle various lawsuits related to faulty products for treating hernias. If you exclude these costs, as well as severance costs related to a recent restructuring plan, Bard would have earned $141.7 million in the three months ended June 30, 2011. That’s up 5.7% from $134.0 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 12.9%, to $1.57 from $1.39, on fewer shares outstanding....

WELLS FARGO & CO. $24 (New York symbol WFC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 5.3 billion; Market cap: $127.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 2.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.wellsfargo.com) has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused Wachovia Corp. of failing to disclose the risks related to mortgage-backed securities it sold from 2006 to 2008. Wells Fargo bought Wachovia in 2008. Wells Fargo will pay $590 million to settle these claims. That’s equal to 16% of the $3.7 billion, or $0.70 a share, that Wells Fargo earned in the three months ended June 30, 2011. Wells Fargo is a hold.

PFIZER INC. $18 (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 7.8 billion; Market cap: $140.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Dividend yield: 4.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pfizer.com) has extended the patent on Viagra, its popular erectile-dysfunction drug, to October 2019. That will block rival Teva Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq symbol TEVA) from selling a generic version. Pfizer gets $2 billion a year from Viagra, or 3% of its annual sales of $67 billion. Pfizer is a buy. MCDONALD’S CORP. $90 (New York symbol MCD; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $90.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mcdonalds.com) saw its overall same-store sales rise 5.1% in July 2011. That’s down from a 7.0% sales gain in July 2010....

EBAY INC. $29 (Nasdaq symbol EBAY; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.3 billion; Market cap: $37.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.7; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ebay.com) has set up a new section of its online auction site for buying and selling gold and silver coins and bars. This new service has attracted many gold buyers, due to record gold and silver prices and eBay’s strong reputation. (Note that we still feel the best way to profit from rising gold is through well-established gold stocks like Newmont). As well, eBay should continue to profit as the sluggish economy prompts more people to sell goods online to supplement their incomes. eBay is a buy.

PETSMART INC. $41 (Nasdaq symbol PETM; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 113.4 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 1.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.petsmart.com) is the biggest pet-supply chain in the U.S. In all, it operates 1,197 pet stores in the U.S. and Canada. It also has 185 in-store PetsHotels, which look after pets while their owners are away. PetSmart focuses on selling premium pet foods and other products that most supermarkets don’t carry, including its own line of private-label products. Even with the slow economy, premium pet food sales remain strong. That should make it easier for the company to pass along higher ingredient costs to its customers. As well, PetSmart separates itself from other retailers with exclusive brands, such as Martha Stewart pet-care products. The company also has a new deal to sell dog toys under the Toys R Us brand starting next year....

QUAKER CHEMICAL CORP. $30 (www.quakerchem.com) has paid $10.5 million for the 60% of its joint venture in Mexico that it did not already own. It may have to pay an additional $2 million in July 2012, depending on certain circumstances. To put these figures in context, Quaker earned $9.8 million, or $0.79 a share, in the second quarter of 2011. This purchase should help the company sell more specialty chemicals to its automotive and steel customers, which continue to expand in Mexico. Buy. FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORP. $7.30 (www.frontier.com) earned $0.06 a share in three months ended June 30, 2011. That’s down 68.4% from $0.19 a share a year earlier. These figures exclude unusual costs related to Frontier’s July 2010 purchase of 4 million traditional phone accounts from Verizon. Because of this purchase, revenue jumped 156.2%, to $1.3 billion from $516.1 million. Strong demand for high-speed Internet and video services is offsetting slower demand for traditional phone services. Hold. CEDAR FAIR L.P. $18 (www.cedarfair.com) reported that attendance at its 11 amusement parks and seven water parks rose 5% in July 2011 compared with July 2010. As well, each park guest spent 2% more than a year ago. That should help Cedar Fair meet its target 2011 payout of $1.00 a unit, for a 5.6% yield. Buy.

MOSAID TECHNOLOGIES, $39.22, symbol MSD on Toronto, is now the subject of a takeover bid from Wi-LAN Inc. (symbol WIN on Toronto). The offer is for $38 a share in cash for all of Mosaid’s shares. Mosaid mainly licenses patented computer chip and telecommunications technology, including patents for technology used in smartphones and laptops. Mosaid is now trading at $39.22 a share, or 3.2% above Wi-LAN’s bid. This indicates that investors are anticipating a higher or rival offer....