Swiss Banks? How about Swiss Stocks?

Switzerland is known for its neutrality, stability, security, and bank secrecy. The country has a lot going for it besides its banks:

1. Number 4 in terms of nominal Gross Domestic Product per capita of large European countries.
2. Number 10 in terms of per capita GDP at purchasing power parity in Europe.
3. Their unemployment rate is well below the European Union (EU) unemployment average of 8%.
4. They have very liberal trade and investment policies.
5. The Swiss franc is one of the world's stablest and strongest currencies.
6. Their manufacturing businesses are known for precision and quality.
7. The United States is the second-largest importer of Swiss goods.
8. The United States is the largest foreign investor in Switzerland.
9. Switzerland invests more in the United States than any other country.
10. Days lost to strikes are among the lowest in Europe.
11. It has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh; plus most residents speak English.
12. It has been independent since the year 1291.

Here are some Swiss securities worth looking into. All of the stocks pay dividends except one, and all the dividend payers pay annually.

The highest yielding stock is Swisscom AG (SCM), the largest telephone company in Switzerland, which has a yield of 3.8% based on their latest dividend payment. Their P/E is 14.4 and their PEG is 1.24. The stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

Credit Suisse Group (CS), one of the famous Swiss banks and the second largest in Switzerland, has a reasonable forward P/E of 10 and a PEG of 1.1. The stock yields 2.5% and trades on the NYSE.

Nestle SA (NSRGY.PK) is a multinational packaged food company especially known for chocolate. It has a forward P/E of 16 and a PEG of 2.24. The stock yields 2.2% and trades on the Pink Sheets.

Syngenta AG (SYT) is in the business of seeds and crop production. It has a P/E of 29. The stock yields 2% and trades on the NYSE.

UBS AG (UBS) is switzerland's other big bank. It's the second largest bank in Europe and is the world's largest manager of private wealth assets. It has a P/E of 13 and a very low PEG of .82. The stock yields 1.8% and trades on the NYSE.

Novartis AG (NVS) is a developer and marketer of pharmaceuticals and health care products; their divisions also include Animal Health, Gerber, and CIBA Vision. One of their subsidiaries is Sandoz, inventor of LSD and manufacturer of saccharin. It has a forward P/E of 18 and a PEG of 1.3. The stock yields 1.7% and trades on the NYSE.

Roche Hldg. (RHHBY.PK) is the large pharmaceuticals and diagnostics biotechnology company. It has a forward P/E of 27 and PEG of 1.6. The stock yields 1.52% and trades on the Pink Sheets.

ABB (ABB) is in the power and automation technology industry. It has a P/E of 27.7 and a PEG of 1.9. The stock yields .8% and trades on the NYSE.

CIBA Specialty Chemicals Holding, Inc. (CSB) produces chemicals for consumer and industrial products. It has a forward P/E of 5.2. The stock yields 3.8% and trades on the NYSE.

Logitech International SA (LOGI) ia the famous manufacturer of mice and other peripheral and personal interface devices for personal computers. It has a P/E of 21.7 and a PEG of 1.2. The stock does not pay a dividend and trades on NASDAQ.

Author does not own any of the above.