Hot Defense Stocks To Own For 2015

Hot Defense Stocks To Own For 2015: Raytheon Company(RTN)

Raytheon Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides electronics, mission systems integration, and other capabilities in the areas of sensing, effects, and command, control, communications, and intelligence systems, as well as mission support services in the United States and internationally. It operates in six segments: Integrated Defense Systems, Intelligence and Information Systems, Missile Systems, Network Centric Systems, Space and Airborne Systems, and Technical Services. The Integrated Defense Systems segment provides integrated naval, air, and missile defense and civil security response solutions. The Intelligence and Information Systems segment offers intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, advanced cyber solutions, weather and environmental solutions, and information-based solutions for law enforcement and homeland security. The Missile Systems segment develops and produces weapon systems, including missiles, smart munitions, close-in weapon systems, projectiles, kinetic kill vehicles, and directed energy effectors for the armed forces of the U.S. and other allied nations. The Network Centric Systems segment provides net-centric mission solutions, including integrated communications systems, command and control systems, combat systems, and operations and precision components for the U.S. federal, state, and local government customers, as well as civil customers. The Space and Airborne Systems segment designs and develops integrated systems and solutions for missions, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; precision engagement; unmanned aerial operations; and space. The Technical Services segment provides training, logistics, engineering, product support, and operational support services for the mission support, homeland security, space, civil aviation, counterproliferation, and counterterrorism markets. Raytheo! n Company was founded in 1922 and is based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Philip Springer]

  This week, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel proposed a defense budget that would reduce the US Army to its smallest force since before World War II. And we were woefully under-prepared for that war.
  
  The proposals will face powerful resistance from members of Congress, veterans' organizations, arms manufacturers and more. Complete details of the proposed federal budget are to be released next week.
  
  The timing is unfortunate. For example, consider this headline from last night: “Russia says it will respect the ‘territorial integrity’ of Ukraine.” Maybe. But such statements are meaningless.
  
  Amid considerable other global unrest these days, reducing our spending on defense seems imprudent. However, various constraints that have built up over time require it, or reductions elsewhere.
  
  Fifty years ago, the military made up nearly half of government spending. Now it’s about 17 percent. Entitlements were one-third of the budg et then. Now they’re approaching two-thirds. “This is a time for reality,” Hagel said.
  
  Under the new approach, the emphasis is to shift from the longstanding goal of being able to fight two wars simultaneously, such as in Europe and Asia; and toward such threats as cyber warfare and terrorism.
  
  For instance, the size of the active-duty military would decline by 13 percent and the reserves by 5 percent in coming years. But Special Operations forces would grow by 6 percent.
  
  Inevitably, this would mean increased risk in the event of a second crisis. "You have fewer troops, fewer ships, fewer planes," Hagel said.  "Readiness is not the same standard. Of course there's going to be risk."
  
  The Army currently is scheduled to drop to 490,000 troops from a post-9/11 peak of 570,000. Under the new proposal, the Army would decline to between 440,0! 00 and 45! 0,000 based on the current mandate to impose a military spending cap of about $496 billion for fis

• [By Lee Jackson]

  Raytheon Corp. (NYSE: RTN) is also Neutral-rated at UBS. Despite large contract sales to the Saudi’s, the company may very well be another valuation call from the UBS team. Raytheon is also trading right near 52-week highs. Investors are paid a 2.3% dividend. The UBS price target is $90, and the consensus target is $97.28. Raytheon closed Wednesday at $95.16.

• [By Rich Smith]

  One of my very favorite defense contractors reported earnings this past week: Raytheon (NYSE: RTN  ) . Its earnings "beat the Street." Investors cheered. But I'm still not buying the stock. And now I'll tell you why.

• [By Rich Smith]

  The Department of Defense awarded eight defense contracts Wednesday, worth $7.3 billion in total. Raytheon (NYSE: RTN  ) won two of them:

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-defense-stocks-to-own-for-2015.html