Disney, Raytheon and Other Avenger Picks for a Heroic Portfolio

Having surpassed the $1 billion mark worldwide last week, "Marvel's The Avengers" is set to climb further up the list of all-time worldwide top-grossing films, as well as to battle this weekend's new releases -- game-based action flic "Battleship" and Sacha Baron Cohen's "The Dictator." Inspired by "The Avengers," here are a few stock picks that could help pump up a weakling portfolio. Iron Man The closest thing to a real-life Stark Industries may be Raytheon RTN, the maker of Patriot Missiles. The $16.7 billion market cap defense contractor announced this week a new contract with the Navy, and in April posted better-than-expected first-quarter results. Its P/E ratio and operating margin are better than the industry averages. The stock is about 12% higher than six months ago, despite pulling back more than 8% from a recent 52-week high. It has outperformed General Dynamics GD year to date. See also: Raytheon BBN Technologies Awarded 1.9M Contract to Extend Force Protection Captain America His indestructible shield is key for this superhero. And steelmaker Metals USA Holdings MUSA is one of the few in its industry whose stock has seen momentum recently. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company posted double-digit percentage EPS and sales growth for the first quarter. Its return on equity is 29.6%. The share price is about 25% higher year to date, though it has pulled back more than 9% in the past week. The stock has outperformed larger competitor U.S. Steel X over the past six months. Thor Thor Industries THO makes and sells recreational vehicles. That may not be the first industry investors would consider as the economy struggles out of a prolonged recession, but the Ohio-based company recently reported nearly $1 billion in sales for the quarter that ended in April. The $1.5 billion market cap company also has a 2.0% dividend yield. Despite pulling back from a recent 52-week high, the share price is more than 11% higher than six months ago. Five of seven analysts polled recommend buying the stock. The Hulk Biotech firm Biogen Idec BIIB may not blast patients with monstrous doses of gamma radiation, but it does develop, produce and market therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hemophilia and autoimmune disorders. The Massachusetts-based company is an S&P 500 component with a market cap of $31.8 billion. It sports a return on investment of 20.9%. The stock has risen more than 20% since the beginning of the year and reached a multiyear high earlier this week. Spider-Man Spider-Man is not, technically speaking, one of the Avengers, and neither is the selection here a stock. Rather it is the SPDR family of exchange traded funds. SPDR S&P Biotech XBI is one of the top-performing SPDR funds at the moment. It is up more than 29% over the past six months and recently hit a multiyear high. SPDR S&P Homebuilders XHB is more than 21% higher than six months ago, despite pulling back in the past week. And Technology Select Sector SPDR XLK more than 9% higher year to date. See also: S&P Bullish on Biotech ETFs Marvel Walt Disney DIS has been the parent company of Marvel Entertainment since 2009. And shareholders are no doubt pleased with the success of "The Avengers," after the flop of "John Carter," as well as happy that several Marvel sequels are in the works. Shares are trading near a multiyear high. The Burbank, Calif.-based company has a long-term EPS growth forecast of 13.2% and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Disney stock has outperformed competitor Time Warner TWX over the past six months. See also: Will Batman Dethrone the Avengers?