Last week I listed the pitfalls that Wal-Mart (WMT) has ahead of it and warned against buying the stock. But the fact remains that we’re approaching what is typically the strongest time of year for stocks, so now’s not the time to be cashing out entirely.
Top 5 Life Sciences Stocks To Own Right Now: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By CNBC]
Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesFederal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke "Taper talk" could pretty much be dead until next year. Thanks to the dysfunction in Washington, many Fed watchers now see the first taper in the Federal Reserve's bond buying coming sometime later than expected -- certainly not before December but probably in the first quarter. Wall Street had been geared up for the start of a pullback from the easing program sometime this quarter, but a more sluggish economy and fiscal uncertainty make that less likely. "One thing we know for sure, as much as we know anything, is that short-term interest rates are going to stay low for as far as the eye can see," DoubleLine CEO and chief investment officer Jeff Grundlach said on "Squawk on the Street." "Quantitative easing is not even going away. It seems with this budget wrangling, it's going to keep going up." "It means the credit market is really a safer place than it's been for the last few months," he said. Since word of a compromise debt deal came Wednesday, bond yields have fallen and the dollar has tumbled, as traders worried the partisan battling would resume around the next set of deadlines for the budget in January and debt ceiling in February. The 10-year Treasury yield dipped to 2.6 percent from its Wednesday morning high of 2.76 percent, and the dollar index lost a full percent Thursday, trading at a nine-month low of 79.68. The S&P 500 Thursday, after trading lower early in the day, broke through to a new high in the afternoon in a burst of buying. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) closed up 11 at 1,733, topping its Sept. 19 high. The Dow (^DJI), however, finished down 2 at 15,371, dragged down by losses in IBM (IBM). "You don't have to worry about the government anymore. A couple of speed bumps are out of the way. There's no way they're going to taper this month and the odds of them tapering in December are low," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG. Greenhaus said the stock market als
Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)
Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rex Moore]
DuBravac presented his findings at the recent CEA Research Summit at CE Week in New York City. If you're wondering about the greatest growth in consumer electronics, look no further than the tablets and smartphones produced by Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) , along with its many Android competitors. Tablets sales are expected to continue to surge, making up about 80% of all computer sales by 2016.
- [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]
AP/Mark Lennihan One of the bright spots in Microsoft's (MSFT) quarterly report last week was that Surface sales more than doubled sequentially. The software giant rang up $893 million in sales of its Windows-fueled tablet during the holiday quarter, up sharply from the $400 million in sales it cleared during the three months ending in September. The uptick wasn't really a surprise. Tablets sell briskly during the holidays, and Microsoft also updated its product line in October with the release of Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. However, the more that one thinks about it, the worse that Microsoft's $893 million in Surface sales becomes. Apple (AAPL) reported its financial results for the same three months earlier this week. It sold nearly $11.5 billion worth of iPads during the quarter, up from the $6.2 billion it sold during the September quarter. Technically speaking, Microsoft's 123 percent increase is larger than Apple's still impressive 85 percent spike in sequential sales. However, is there any doubt that Apple is the one that's doing better? How many Surfaces did Microsoft actually sell during the quarter? Well, the Surface 2 starts at $449, but the Surface Pro 2 can set buyers back as much as $1,799. Set aside the sticker shock for a $1,799 tablet, and let's point out the the cheapest Surface Pro 2 -- the one running Windows 8.1 Pro instead of the scaled-down Windows RT operating system -- starts at $899. So when Microsoft says $893 million in tablet sales it likely translates into a little more than a million devices. Apple on the other hand sold more than 26 million tablets during the quarter. If we look at the unit levels sequentially, Microsoft's sales grew by less than a million sequentially while Apple sold nearly 12 million more iPads than it did during the prior three months. In short, let's not celebrate Microsoft's feat of selling somewhere between a million but far less than 2 million tablets during the holidays. Despite an aggressive mark
- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
Way back in June 2011 when Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) lost retail chief Ron Johnson to J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP ) , it was seen as a huge loss for Apple and a big win for J.C. Penney. Johnson accepted the promotion, becoming CEO of the struggling department store chain. Nearly two years later, it would seem that Johnson wasn't such a victory for J.C. Penney after all.
Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)
Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Altria has topped the tobacco industry for decades, with its leading Marlboro brand retaining its popularity around the world. But with the company having spun off its Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM ) division, Altria now has to rely on the U.S. market, with its unique challenges and risks. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Altria over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.
- [By Melvin Backman]
Reynolds American (RAI) fell 2.6% in early trading, and Lorillard (LO), which Reynolds agreed to buy last week, is down 2%. Philip Morris (PM) shares fell nearly 1%, and Altria Group (MO) was down about 1.5%.
Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)
Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Eric Volkman]
It's one of the steadiest dividend payers on the market, and it's continuing to fly level. Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL ) has declared a fresh quarterly common stock dividend, which is to be $0.34 per share, paid on August 15 to shareholders of record as of July 23. That amount matches the firm's previous distribution; this was paid in May. Prior to that, Colgate-Palmolive handed out $0.31 per share.
- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL )
Colgate's shares are trading well below the $62 high they hit just last month. The consumer goods company is heavily levered to international sales, with more than 80% of its business coming from outside the U.S. and more than half coming from emerging markets.
Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)
McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Marc Bastow]
The qualifications for being a purple chip are basically a screen for stability and performance: smooth earnings profiles, including seven years of consecutive EPS growth, and market caps north of $1 billion. Not surprisingly, you’ll find Procter & Gamble (PG), McDonald’s (MCD) and IBM (IBM) on Macke’s list of what I’d call the “usual suspects.”
- [By Tamara Rutter]
2. McDonald's (NYSE: MCD )
This fast-food chain also earns high marks as a dividend aristocrat. McDonald's has boosted its dividend every year since 1976 and now rewards investors with an annual dividend amount of $3.08 per share. Similar to Pepsi, the McDonald's brand is recognized around the world. Today, the Golden Arches serve more than 69 million customers in 119 countries every day.
Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)
Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Matt Sayles/AP Celebrities don't make the best financiers. Several years ago, a handful famous people jumped into the prepaid debit card business, only to find it wasn't quite the easy route to profits they might have believed it to be. Perhaps they were under that impression because, to coin an old phrase, the financial sector is where the money is. But succeeding in it can be much trickier than it looks. Fed by All Those Fees It's easy to understand why the prepaid card market would be appealing for someone looking for a good side business. In a word: fees. Using a prepaid card generates a raft of payouts for the customer. These can include activation fees, monthly subscription fees, loading fees, ATM withdrawal fees (not to mention ATM balance inquiry fees), customer service fees ... and on and on. How can card issuers tack on so many costs to a simple financial instrument? After all, a typical credit or debit card using the Visa (V) or MasterCard (MA) network carries few if any fees for the user. But prepaid cards are targeted towards a different kind of customer -- lower-income individuals, and those who can have a difficult time securing financial instruments (such as teenagers). Many of these folks lack the income or credit score for a traditional credit card and might not have the means to satisfy the requirements of a traditional bank account. In other words, since they have limited options, as a group these individuals are virtually a captive market for prepaid products. I'd Just Like an Autograph Instead, Thanks
- [By Jay Jenkins]
For the technology to really go mainstream, it needs consumer-side products to support it (cue�Square and PayPal�(subsidiary of eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY ) ), it needs infrastructure to transmit the data (looking at you,�MasterCard (NYSE: MA ) and Visa (NYSE: V ) ), and it needs vendor-side hardware to close the loop (uh, hmm...�VeriFone (NYSE: PAY ) ).
Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Watch Right Now: Chevron Corporation(CVX)
Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dividends4Life]
Related Articles
- United Technologies Corp. (UTX) Dividend Stock Analysis
- Chevron Corporation (CVX) Dividend Stock Analysis
- Walgreen Co. (WAG) Dividend Stock Analysis
- Kimberly-Clark Co. (KMB) Dividend Stock Analysis
- More Stock Analysis
No comments:
Post a Comment