Investor takeaway: Its shares are down 5 per cent this year but have a three-year, average annual return of 6 per cent. Analysts give its shares five "buy" ratings, one "buy/hold," 12 "holds," one "weak hold," and one "sell," according to a survey of analysts by S&P. Analysts' consensus estimate is for earnings of $1.64 per share in the current fiscal year, growing by 19 per cent to $1.95 per share next year.

9. Life Technologies

Company profile: Life Technologies, with a market value of $8- billion, is one of the largest intellectual property owners in the life sciences industry as a developer and manufacturer of research products and instruments for biotechnology and biopharmaceutical researchers.

Investor takeaway: Its shares are up 10.6 per cent this year and have a three-year, average annual return of 0.24 per cent. Analysts give its shares eight "buy" ratings, five "buy/holds," five "holds," one "weak hold," and one "sell," according to a survey of analysts by S&P.

Analysts' consensus estimate is for earnings of $3.95 per share this year, and rising 9 per cent to $4.30 per share next year. S&P has it rated "buy" with a $56 price target, which is a 20 per cent premium to the current price.

8. St. Jude Medical

Company profile: St. Jude, with a market value of $12 -billion, is a maker of mechanical heart valves, pacemakers, defibrillators, and other cardiac devices.

Dividend yield: 2.46 per cent

Investor takeaway: Its shares are up 12 per cent this year and have a three-year, average annual return of 1.3 per cent. Analysts give its shares 10 "buy" ratings, nine "buy/holds," eight "holds," and one "sell," according to a survey of analysts by S&P.

S&P has it rated "buy," with a $45 price target, a 20-per-cent premium to the current price. Analysts' consensus estimate is for earnings of $3.43 per share this year and growth of 6 per cent to $3.62 per share next year.

7. American International Group

Company profile: AIG, with a market value of $59-billion, is one of the largest insurance and financial services firms in the world, even after disposing of various assets after it required a government bailout in the nation's financial crisis of 2008.

Investor takeaway: Its shares are up 47 per cent this year and have a three-year average annual return of 7.4 per cent. Analysts give its shares 10 "buy" ratings, three "buy/holds," and eight "holds," according to a survey of analysts by S&P.

S&P, which has it rated "buy," says "we view the shares as undervalued versus its peers and historical averages, particularly on a price-to-book basis. We caution that a high degree of execution risk remains in AIG's turnaround strategy, although we believe (it) has made considerable progress."

6. Devon Energy

Company profile: Devon, with a market value of $24 -billion, is one of the biggest independent exploration and production companies in North America. The firm's asset base includes conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas properties throughout North America with a renewed emphasis on on-shore plays.

Dividend yield: 1.23 per cent

Investor takeaway: Its shares are down 2.3 per cent  this year and have a three-year, average annual decline of 1.1 per cent. Analysts give its shares 10 "buy" ratings, eight "buy/holds," and nine "holds," according to a survey of analysts by S&P.

S&P has it rated "buy" with a $72 price target, a 22-per-cent premium to the current price. Morningstar analyst Mark Hanson says that while Devon's growth is slower than some of its peers, it should generate strong returns on capital over the next several years, with a balanced production mix that provides leverage to price moves in both oil and natural gas, and a conservative approach that helps minimize franchise risk.

5. Thermo Fisher Scientific

Company profile: Thermo Fisher, with a market value of $21-billion, is a manufacturer and developer of analytical and laboratory instruments used in life sciences, drug discovery and industrial applications.

Dividend yield: 0.9 per cent