�While its two peer indexes finished the day essentially unchanged, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) dropped 0.3% as AT&T (NYSE: T ) Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG ) sank the blue chips following earning releases. Durable-goods orders for March were down significantly, falling 5.7% against an expected drop of 3.1%, and February's increase was also revised downward. It was the worst drop orders in seven months for products like cars, appliances, and furniture, and the category fell 1.4% excluding the more volatile transportation segments. Stocks were up Europe and Asia earlier, but concern about earnings and the durable-goods report seems to have dampened any carryover effect.
After reporting earnings last night, AT&T shares finished down 5% and fell another 1.5% after hours. Investors were disappointed that Ma Bell reported losing a net total of 69,000 cell phone subscribers. The country's No. 2 telecom made strong gains on tablet data plans, but that wasn't even to avert concerns that its bigger rival, Verizon, was leaving it in the dust. EPS were in line with estimates at $0.64, but revenue fell by 1% in the quarter, a bigger drop than expected.
10 Best Medical Stocks To Invest In 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 Jon C. Ogg]
Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) has experienced more than impressive growth in both its share price and its profits in the past four years. Lately its gains have petered out. The problem is that much of that growth has come from a few countries in Asia, and if one analyst report is accurate, there will be little to no growth from those areas ahead. Nomura Securities is downgrading Philip Morris to a Reduce rating from Neutral, but for all practical purposes it is a Sell rating. The firm’s $76 price target suggests downside of more than $10 ahead.
- [By Robert Stephens]
Philip Morris
The 4.4% yield offered by Philip Morris� (NYSE: PM ) �is well-covered at 1.5x, which seems to be very sensible and shows that the company is not over-extending itself when it comes to payments to shareholders. This makes the income from the stock even more sustainable and highlights its potential as a sound defensive play. - [By David Sterman]
4. Phillip Morris (NYSE: PM) After shares of this tobacco giant pulled back from the mid-$90s in the spring to $89 by early August, director Graham Mackay thought he spotted value, plunking down more than $1.1 million of his money to buy shares. He should have waited, as shares have since fallen below $84. - [By Holly LaFon]
His top four holdings are Philip Morris International (PM), Nestle SA Reg (NSRGY), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), CIE Financiere Rich (CFRHF).
Philip Morris International (PM)
Hot Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2014: 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 FinanceGuru]
Now that Broadcom (BRCM) has finally thrown in the towel on its cellular business after years of failing to succeed, the company is trying to shop around the division. The company's management team claims that the product pipeline that was under development had significant technical merit, but that the economics of running that business just couldn't support a $700 million-a-year operating expense run rate. That said, if Broadcom can successfully shop the business, Apple (AAPL) seems the most likely buyer.
- [By Jonas Elmerraji]
On the other hand, I am a fan of Apple (AAPL). I own it too. And so do hedge funds apparently -- funds picked up 119,000 shares of the tech giant in the latest quarter, raising their total bet on Apple to $2.39 billion.
Apple has spent most of 2013 as a hated stock. While the S&P 500 has absolutely rocketed this year, its biggest component has managed to slip around 2% year-to-date. Yes, ouch.
But the hate is very overblown -- despite all of the competition and risk, Apple remains a cash cow. Apple's margins are, by far, the biggest in the industry, and while the firm has ceded market share in order to keep margins, that decision has helped the firm hang onto the most lucrative segment of customers. iOS users spend more time on their devices than owners of other devices, and they spend more on apps too. With numbers in for the iPhone 5s and 5c, it's clear that the naysayers were wrong – and early on, the newest iterations of the iPad are moving fast for the holiday season.
Considering the dominance of the iOS products, the Macintosh has been on most analysts' back burners for years now. But that could change thanks to a new Mac Pro offering set to launch next month and refreshed MacBook Pros. The halo effect is still keeping consumers in the Apple ecosystem, and Apple's recently announced policy of free software updates should help spur more Mac-buying in the year ahead. With a mountain of cash on the books, Apple looks cheap right now.
- [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
Apple is an innovative company that has been providing products and services that consumers and companies have been happy to purchase. The rumored products, as well as as the most recent positive earnings report, may generate some buzz for the company. The stock has not done very well in the last few months, but may be stabilizing around current prices. Over the last four quarters, investors in the company have had mixed feelings, as earnings have mostly been decreasing, while revenue has been rising. Relative to its peers and sector, Apple has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what Apple does this coming quarter.
Hot Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2014: 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 Motley Fool Staff]
Andres Cardenal:�Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL ) , generates most of its sales and cash flows from its leadership position in the oral care industry. Management estimates that the company owns a global market share of 44.4% in toothpastes, 33.2% in toothbrushes, and 38.9% in mouthwashes.
- [By Travis Hoium]
Colgate-Palmolive
Toothpaste and toothbrushes may not be exciting business, but it's consistent and consumers tend to develop habits they rarely break. Once they find a toothpaste brand they like, it could be years before they try another one. That leads to another incredibly consistent business for Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL ) , one that has paid back investors with a dividend since 1895. �
Hot Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2014: 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 Dan Caplinger]
Get ready for more
There's nothing all that unusual in the pension problems facing Girl Scouts of the USA. Plenty of private companies and public-sector employers are dealing with the same issues and have had to take similar steps to shore up their pension finances. Like the GSUSA, IBM (NYSE: IBM ) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ ) froze their pension plans several years ago, as both companies decided that reducing the unpredictability of pension benefits made the most sense for them in managing their risk. More recently, Verizon and General Motors (NYSE: GM ) took even more dramatic steps to limit pension risk, outsourcing substantial portions of their respective pension liabilities to insurance giant Prudential (NYSE: PRU ) . By doing so, the two employers passed off their obligations to an industry that's designed to handle the longevity risk that pension payments create. - [By Eric Volkman]
Benck, who will also occupy a seat on the board, had been Emulex's COO since joining the company in 2008. He was appointed its president in 2010. Before Emulex, Benck had served in both capacities at QLogic (NASDAQ: QLGC ) . Earlier, he worked for 18 years at IBM (NYSE: IBM ) , where he helped establish the storied tech giant's blade server line.
- [By Sara Murphy]
Company performance
Canon (NYSE: CAJ ) ranks among the worst performers in an analysis from The Enough Project. Among other shortcomings, the company does not identify smelters in its supply chain, and does not participate in any programs to source conflict-free minerals from the DRC region. IBM (NYSE: IBM ) falls in the middle of the pack when compared to other electronics companies. IBM also has not identified the smelters in its supply chain and has no policy requiring its suppliers to use conflict-free smelters. However, the company is working meaningfully to improve traceability in the region. Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD ) is among the top performers in Enough's rankings. It was one of only six companies to pilot the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's due diligence guidance on conflict minerals. While it still has some work to do to comply with the SEC's rule, the company is well on its way. The gold standard, however, goes to Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) . The company is at the top of Enough's ranking, and has been working on dealing with the conflict mineral issue for some time now. Intel is one of the few companies to publish and audit its smelters, and was the first company to commit to making a fully conflict-free product from the DRC by 2013. Intel has demonstrated genuine leadership in this area.
Here's the thing: It will be expensive and difficult for companies to comply with this rule. Some are ready. Others are not.It's worth noting that in some cases, shareholders move on this issue even if the regulatory environment is unsettled. Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO ) had a shareholder resolution on its 2012 proxy ballot related to conflict minerals. While Cisco was far from the worst performer -- the company has a conflict minerals policy that includes a requirement for conflict-free smelters -- the proponents wanted Cisco to study the feasibility of
- [By Matt Thalman]
Shares of IBM (NYSE: IBM ) ended the week lower by 1.82% after an independent study indicated that the company may no longer be the best in chips and servers, saying that Oracle's new chips and servers outperformed IBM's top-line products. IBM has long been the king of the hill, and as the competition heats up, the company will have to step up its game if it wants to remain at the top. �
Hot Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2014: 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 Ben Levisohn]
A week of calm turned stormy for the major stock indexes, as American Express (AXP),�Boeing�(BA), Visa (V), Noble Corp. (NE) and Johnson Controls (JCI) tumbled.
Hot Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2014: 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 WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
McDonald�� is a well-recognized company that fulfills cravings and demand for quick and delicious food choices that many consumers across the globe enjoy. The company reported fourth-quarter earnings that left investors optimistic. The stock has been trading sideways in the last couple of years and may need time to consolidate. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been rising which has left investors optimistic about recent earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, McDonald�� has been an average year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what McDonald�� does this quarter.
- [By Rustic Nomad]
Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD), a Minneapolis-based restaurant chain, recently declared its fourth-quarter financial results and they were not impressive. Amid tough competition from its rivals such as Dine Equity (DIN) and McDonald�� (MCD), analysts were expecting better financial results, which the company failed to provide.
- [By Quick Pen]
Future growth prospects Since the home market is growing more health conscious, both Yum! Brands and domestic peer McDonald�� (MCD) are looking out for opportunities in the emerging markets. While China has fueled Yum! Brands��growth to quite an extent, the company has also faced several issues in the economy that has hurt its brand image. This has had an impact on the company�� top and bottom lines. And since Yum! Brands has a much greater presence in China compared with McDonald��, it tends to gain more in good times and lose more during hardship
- [By Dividends4Life]
McDonald�� Corporation (MCD) franchises and operates McDonald's restaurants in the United States, Europe, the Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Canada and Latin America. Sept. 18, the company increased its quarterly dividend 5% to $0.81 per share. The dividend is payable Dec. 16, 2013, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Dec. 2, 2013. The yield based on the new payout is 3.3%.
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