Updating CONAGRA FOODS INC., 3M COMPANY and ALLIANT ENERGY CORP.

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CONAGRA FOODS INC. $34 (www.conagrafoods.com) has completed its takeover of private-label food maker Ralcorp Holdings Inc. As a result, it now expects to earn $2.15 a share in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2013. That includes $0.05 from Ralcorp. In 2014, the new operations should add $0.25 a share to its earnings. ConAgra will use its excess cash flow to pay down the debt it took out to buy Ralcorp. However, it plans to keep paying its $1.00-a-share dividend, which yields 2.9%. ConAgra is our #1 buy for 2013. 3M COMPANY $103 (www.3m.com) has raised its quarterly dividend by 7.6%, to $0.635 a share from $0.59. The new annual rate of $2.54 yields 2.5%. The company has increased its dividend each year for the past 55 years. 3M also plans to repurchase $7.5 billion of its common shares; that’s equal to 11% of its $70.9-billion market cap. There is no time limit to these purchases. Buy. ALLIANT ENERGY CORP…