The 12th stock in our Christmas Countdown is Coca-Cola (KO).

It doesn’t pay to argue with Santa Claus. It’s apparent that when he’s done rocking the world and stocking homes with presents from Alaska to Zealand (New) that he settles in for the polar bear drink of choice, Coca-Cola: The Real Thing.

This high-quality company doesn’t often drift (or bubble) to the highest return forecasts but the quality rating is steady and top shelf. In this case, the Value Line low total return forecast is 10% — still a couple of percentage points above the median stock. In the accompanying visual analysis, we see a company growing at 5-6%. (The years before 2011 have been suppressed and removed from the trend because the data array wouldn’t include the combination of Coca-Cola Enterprises.)

Coca-Cola delivers steady profitability and is diversified into water, sports drinks, fruit juices — beyond the legacy soft drink beverage.

It’s the kind of company that won’t set a portfolio on fire but can be a bolstering buffer if things get dicey in any given year.

And with that — let’s hope for the best for our (12) countdown stocks in 2013 because we know that many of you hold them in your portfolios.

On Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Cupid …

Happy New Year and Good Luck Everybody!

The complete Countdown with links to the individual features can be found here:

Christmas Countdown 2013