By Paul Tracy, Street Authority Market Advisor

It has become one of my favorite stocks. I like to call it my "no-brainer" investment for 2012. The company is buying back billions of its stock.

It's raised dividends at a torrid pace over the past five years. And it just announced its sixth consecutive quarter of record sales. I'm talking about Intel (INTC).

As the world's largest semiconductor maker, it holds an 80% stranglehold on the PC semiconductor market. No one else even comes close.

Some people may see the stock as boring and say that it hasn't gone anywhere for years. But I see something different, and I think Warren Buffett sees the same thing; Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) has taken a 9.3 million-share stake in the stock, a position worth over $200 million.

Simply put, Intel's shares are becoming more valuable quarter after quarter, but the share price hasn't responded yet.

• Intel is in the middle of an enormous share buyback spree. Over the past year, it has spent $11.5 billion to purchase 538 million shares. It still has $14 billion allocated to future buybacks -- that's more than 10% of the outstanding stock.

• The company holds more than $15 billion in cash on the books. That comes out to $2.97 per share... more than 11% of the current share price.

• Quarterly dividends have increased from 10 cents a share five years ago to 21 cents today -- growth of 110%. And in the last two years, dividends have grown 50%.

• Right now, Intel's shares trade near the same level they did back in the spring of 2010, when earnings were just $1.09 per share during the previous 12 months. But today, earnings over the last year total $2.31 per share -- more than 100% higher.

It doesn't take the expert investing skills of Warren Buffett to see why Intel could go higher in the months and years ahead.

But there's another reason why I like Intel so much. After years of research, I've found that more often than not, companies that fit within a few simple categories are the ones that make you the most money long-term.

• Companies that enjoy huge (and lasting) advantages over the competition.

• Companies that are buying back massive amounts of their own stock.

• Companies that pay investors each and every year by dishing out growing dividends.

Intel fits all these characteristics perfectly. It's why I think it's a "no-brainer" investment. Strong companies that take care of their shareholders tend to do better over the long-run. It doesn't take a Ph.D. to understand that.

Of course, investing is never a surefire thing. Even the seemingly strongest companies aren't guaranteed to deliver a positive return.

But that said, if you invest in companies with one or more of these three simple traits, then I think it gives you the best chance of making money.

Related articles:

• Cash-rich tech trio: IBM, Intel & Cisco
• Marvell Technology: A value story
• Intel: Growth & income in technology