It looks like the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) is set to break its run of triple-digit movements -- and take away investors' streak of gains for the week, as well. The blue chip index has turned down by around 25 points as of 2:15 p.m. EDT, with most stocks in the red -- although few Dow members have made big movements on this Friday. It's a nice breather for investors after the volatility of the past few weeks, but expect more of that to come as questions surrounding quantitative easing's inevitable tapering heat up.
The future of stimulus isn't something long-term investors need to worry about, but keeping an eye on stocks is key to maintaining the best portfolio you can. Who's making waves today? Let's catch up on the stories -- and movers -- you need to know about.
Signs of strength from consumers
Housing, and rising consumer sentiment, have dominated talk around the economic recovery this year, and the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters consumer confidence�report for May showed a better-than-expected reading of 84.1 for the month, down only slightly from April's score. That combination of economic strength has done wonders for Home Depot (NYSE: HD ) , today's Dow leader with shares up 1.8%. Home Depot's pulled ahead�of rival Lowe's (NYSE: LOW ) , particularly after last quarter's earnings report, where the former�raised its guidance, but the latter missed projections. That separation for leadership in the industry has Home Depot poised to continue soaring as the economy's rebound picks up.
Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 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 Chris Neiger]
Hit 'em where it hurts
Samsung has been on a smartphone rampage over the past few years. Most of its energy has been directed toward Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) , its chief competitor. Apple currently holds the No. 3 spot in worldwide mobile market share, while Nokia clings to No. 2, and Samsung takes the first spot. Though Nokia holds the No. 2 place in market share, the company's grip is quickly loosening as Apple and Samsung spread their smartphones across the globe. - [By Lyons George]
In the wake of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) recent earnings report, investors seem to be convinced that all is well with the Cupertino giant after all. However, there's one problem that Tim Cook and crew are facing outside the realm of smartphones and tablets: cyber crime. Following a breach in one of the company's websites late last week, one of the world's most respected technology companies suddenly finds itself looking surprisingly vulnerable.
- [By Associated Press]
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) said it will pay for construction of an 18-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant in northern�Nevada�to provide power for a data center the technology giant plans east of Reno.
Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 2014: 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 Rich Smith]
The commonly accepted wisdom in the cigarette industry goes something like this: Smoking is in decline in the United States. Therefore, if you want to make money on tobacco, you must look abroad. You must buy Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM ) stock.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Global tobacco giant�Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM ) announced this morning its second-quarter dividend of $0.85 per share, the same rate it's paid for the past three quarters after raising the payout 10% from $0.77 per share.
- [By Garrett Baldwin]
As the world's second-largest tobacco company, Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) is an ideal sin stock.
And with numbers like these, it's also an ideal way to play global growth...
- [By Fede Zaldua]
Imperial trades cheaply and pays a great, sustainable and for-ever-growing 4.5% cash dividend yield. The company's 2014 10.4 times P/E multiple represents a 40% discount to what most European consumer staples sell for. Besides, the owner of brands such as Davidoff and Gauloises, trades at a much more conservative level than its direct tobacco peers. Philip Morris International (PM) and British American Tobacco (BTI) sell for 2014 15 and 14.2 times earnings, respectively.
Hot Biotech Companies To Own 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]
One of Accenture's biggest areas of growth has been in technology-related consulting, with the company having become the No. 2 IT consulting company in the world, trailing only rival IBM (NYSE: IBM ) . Accenture's ability to take advantage of diversity in its employee ranks comes from its lack of a physical corporate headquarters, allowing employees to work in their home countries, and thereby attracting the most talented workers available in a given area. In particular, Accenture has focused much of its attention on India, with more than a quarter of its employees hailing from the subcontinent.
- [By David Kerr]
Oracle is the third largest software maker by revenue, behind only Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM). Oracle also has a higher Gross Margin percentage (81.35%) than IBM and MSFT, and a higher Operating Margin (39.28%). The company also has a higher Price to Sales ratio (4.11x) than its two largest competitors.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) will release its quarterly report on Tuesday, and investors have been increasingly nervous about the tech giant's ability to keep its long-term restructuring efforts moving forward. With rival IBM (NYSE: IBM ) having faced tough conditions in the IT market and with Accenture (NYSE: ACN ) squarely aimed at the same consulting customers that HP hopes to poach in its reorganization efforts, Hewlett-Packard faces pressure to start producing solid results from its strategic moves sooner rather than later.
- [By Paul Ausick]
At noon ET on Black Friday, online sales are up 7% compared with the same period a year ago and the average order value this year is $142.33. The data is collected and reported by the Digital Analytics Benchmark group at International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM).
Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 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 Dividends4Life]
Memberships and Peers: KMB is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: The company's peer group includes: Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) with a 3.1% yield, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) with a 2.3% yield, and Clorox Corporation (CLX) with a 3.4% yield.
- [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 Ong Kang Wei]
Another example of such a product is Colgate-Palmolive (CL)'s Colgate toothpaste. I do not think I have to elaborate much here. Toothpaste is needed in our everyday life, and we will definitely have to buy more toothpaste after we have finished using a packet of it, ensuring that Colgate gets more and more sales over the years.
Top 5 Blue Chip Companies To Invest In 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 Dimitra DeFotis]
Wednesday’s top DJIA laggard stocks were higher, up less than a point, headed into the early�1 p.m. close today.�McDonald’s�(MCD),�Disney�(DIS),�Chevron�(CVX)�Procter & Gamble�(PG) were up, though�ExxonMobil�(XOM) shares were flat headed into the close.�
- [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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