Our #1 pick for 2012

Article Excerpt

We’ve chosen IBM as our “Stock of the Year”for 2012. After nearly going bankrupt in the 1990s, the company decided to shift toward selling its expertise and away from making computers. IBM now gets most of its revenue from steady, predictable long-term support and maintenance contracts. That cuts its risk. The company is now using its rising profits to expand into promising new areas, such as cloud computing and software that helps businesses quickly analyze large amounts of data. IBM’s strong reputation is also helping it expand in Asia and Latin America. That makes it less reliant on slower-growing regions like North America and Europe. This is the second time we’ve made IBM our Stock of the Year; it was also our #1 pick in 2010. We feel the stock gives conservative investors a unique, low-risk way to profit from rising Internet use, particularly in emerging markets. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $192 (New York symbol IBM, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares…