E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (DD)

Low P/E right now. It's a bad quarter but dividends are at 5%.

I work there. We are a great solid dividend producing, reliably steady company but heavily involved in serving the new housing market. Forget housing starts, we track new housing building permit applications. For sizable subdivisions, this precedes starts by a year. Building permits are at the lowest point we have seen in 20 years. The recovery (buying stuff to build houses) is at least 2 years away and probably 3. Damn, why on earth did my management decide to sell Conoco a few years ago?

more diversified than get credit for

These are just piggyback picks to monitor after reading Jim Jubak's column over at MSN on 9/9.

Moves too slowly to take advantage of opportunities; poor upper management team; does not understand the nutrition and health industry it has entered.

global famine

Oil prices falling, margins should be rising.

Still top of its game

There are three reasons why I think DuPont is an attractive investment:

1. Considerable foreign sales exposure, making the company a principal benefactor of a weak U.S. dollar.

2. Majority stake in Solae, LLC, a joint venture that manufactures soy-based food ingredients with $1.2 billion in annual revenue. As dairy prices rise (or stay elevated), soy protein's value proposition materially improves. Same goes for soy-based polymers as crude oil remains expensive.

3. Strong annual dividend.

Assuming the dollar remains depressed, the dairy protein market remains expensive and the dividend stays constant (if not increased), this stock should deliver a nice return as crude oil prices come down and the U.S. housing sector recovers. So far, DuPont has managed to pass higher input costs through to their customers (in the form of double-digit price increases).

I also like their diversified biofuels and biomaterials strategy. Even if ethanol prices collapse, the company should see nice growth in its biomaterials sector.

Finally, I'm optimistic that DuPont's Pioneer subsidiary will do a better job of keeping up with rival Monsanto in the ag biotechnology field.

Looks like an uptrend in their business cycle. I see DD as undervalued still.

Great brands. Great dividend. Safe harbor.

over valued

Strength in biotech is a nice hedge against possible higher energy prices.

Just about any bluechip will outperform if you buy it now and hold for 5 years+

They're into practically everything, always making money, and a sure long term bet, come on its dupont

stale management team

In the long-term, moribund management practices & leadership's fear of risk-taking will dominate.

ONLY 3 BILL to spend??? That it!!!???? GGEEEZZZ!!!!

Disclosure: I work for DuPont and hold stock in my company 401K.

That being said, I feel pretty confident about them against the market this year.

They are serious about getting rid of underperformers and to building shareholder value.

They'll get rid of businesses, close plants, buy new businesses, whatever it takes. It's been made very clear to employees.

They're putting a lot of capital into their better performing businesses.