Sunshine turned to storm clouds today as stocks continued the slide that began last week.
APThe S&P 500 dropped 0.5% to 1,781.56 as Xerox (XRX) and E*Trade Financial (ETFC) fell. The�Dow Jones Industrial Average outperformed for once: Blue chips fell 0.3% to 15,837.88 as Caterpillar’s (CAT) big gain helped mitigate the big drops in Visa (V) and Goldman Sachs (GS). Still, the Dow fell for a fifth consecutive day, its longest slide since Dec. 5, 2013.
Strategas Research Partners’ Chris Verrone and�Todd Sohn�are waiting for a bounce. They write:
From the January 15th high, the market is now down about -3% and roughly 48% of S&P 500 constituents are trading at a 20-day low (which is certainly getting closer to the 50-60% threshold that can often be an early, but buyable oversold signal). Notably, spot VIX is also trading through the third month contract which is often consistent with a tradable bottom. Our best guess is that stocks are within a % or two of finding support and bouncing, but suspect 1Q is likely to remain choppy (particularly as seasonality starts to fade into February).
Top 10 Construction Stocks To Watch For 2015: 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 Dividends4Life]
Over the few years, I have reduced my bond allocation and purchased quality blue-chip dividend stocks that are yielding in excess of my bond holdings. Consider these dividend growth stocks that have a current yield equal to or greater than the May 30, 2014, 3.12% yield on 20-year U.S. Treasuries.McDonald's Corp�(MCD) is the largest fast-food restaurant company in the world, with nearly 35,000 restaurants in 119 countries. Yield: 3.2%The Clorox Company (CLX) is a diversified producer of household cleaning, grocery and specialty food products is also a leading producer of natural personal care products. Yield: 3.3%Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) , the world's largest military weapons manufacturer, is also a significant supplier to NASA and other non-defense government agencies. LMT receives about 93% of its revenues from global defense sales. 3.3%ConocoPhillips Co. (COP) is one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) companies in the world, COP spun off its downstream assets in May 2012. Yield: 3.5%Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is the largest U.S. wireless carrier, Verizon also offers wireline and broadband services primarily in the northeastern U.S. Yield: 4.2%AT&T Inc. (T) provides telephone and broadband service and holds full ownership of AT&T Mobility (formerly Cingular Wireless). Yield: 5.2% I am not predicting an imminent collapse of bond prices. As an investor (not a trader), I am not in the prediction business. However, I believe we have reached a point where there is much more to lose than gain by holding bonds. Interest rates will eventually rise and those holding bonds, especially long-term bonds, will suffer painful consequences.Full Disclosure: Long MCD, LMT, COP, T in my Dividend Growth Portfolio and long T in my High-Yield portfolio. See a list of all my dividend growth holdings here.Related Articles - 6 Stocks With a Sustainable Dividend - 5 Dividend Stocks Building A Growing Cash Stream - 9 Dividend Stoc
- [By abirk] and operates in approximately 34,000 restaurants in 120 countries around the world. Recently, most of the company's growth efforts has been concentrated abroad, and international growth has been booming.
However, the company has the resources and innovative muscle to acclimate itself to the challenge. It now needs to exhibit the patience and determination to keep experimenting with its menu and alternative revenue streams to preserve its vaunted, decades-long success.
Raining Dividends
McDonald�� is a dividend rich company. The dividend has grown from $2.05 a share in 2009 to $3.12 for 2013, a CAGR of 11%. The payout ratio has crept up from 49% in 2009 to 56% (projected) in 2013, which still leaves the company plenty of room to grow their dividend.
It is one of the highest-yielding stocks in the sector, and its current dividend yield is close to 3.4%. The company has a long history of growing its quarterly dividend, and its annual dividend increase comes after the third quarter of the year. At the moment, the stock pays an annual dividend of $3.24, up from $3.04 for the last year. Due to the solid dividend yield, the stock has attracted a large number of investors over the last few years.
Partnership Plans
McDonald�� Corp. is partnering with Kraft Foods Group Inc. (KRFT). to sell McCafe packaged coffee in U.S. grocery stores in various test markets. The coffee will be sold this year in whole-bean, ground and single-cup formats for use in brewers such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR)'s Keurig machines.
McDonald�� has been selling its McCafe beverages in its restaurants for several years, an effort to compete with big java-selling chains such as Starbucks Corp (SBUX) and Dunkin��Brands Group Inc. (DNKN). The move has been one of McDonald�� more successful initiatives in recent years.
Plans in India
MCD has a relatively small market in India, so the beef-centric fast-food chain plans
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images It's apparently never too early to have a hamburger. While most chains wait until 10 or 11 a.m. to begin offering their signature burgers, early risers will be able to skip straight to lunch at thousands of participating Burger King (BKW) locations. The fast food giant's betting that some morning commuters want more than just a breakfast burrito or a ham and egg sandwich for breakfast. Later this month Burger King is rolling out a "burgers for breakfast" campaign across 5,000 of its restaurants, offering its signature Whopper as well as a few other burgers and chicken sandwiches in the morning. Assuming that you don't want hash browns on the side, fries will also be made available. So will apple pie. Whopper, BK King and Original Fried Chicken sandwiches will be part of the chain's breakfast offerings. Will it confuse diners? Will the move complicate matters for employees manning the prep tables and fryers? Will the great variety stall patrons as they ponder the menu when it's time to order, creating longer wait times for food? The questions won't be answered right away, but Burger King doesn't have much of a choice. Breakfast is big business, and chains have to stand out one way or another. Another Shot in the Battle for Breakfast It isn't easy to make a difference in the morning. Just ask Wendy's (WEN), which has already retreated twice from the national breakfast market over the past decade. The first time it thought that it could set itself apart by offering sausage gravy-soaked biscuits and breakfast versions of its then-popular Frescata sandwiches. More recently it tried to stick closer to the McDonald's (MCD) playbook with oatmeal, breakfast burritos and biscuit sandwiches. That didn't pan out either, and last year it discontinued breakfast at all but less than 10 percent of its restaurants. It's not just the burger flippers hoping to woo diners with caffeinated mornings. Subway -- the world's largest restaur
Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Watch In 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 Dan Caplinger]
Lately, Johnson & Johnson has presented two different faces to investors. On one hand, the company has faced the challenge of dealing with a weak consumer-products business, as multiple recalls and close regulatory oversight of its production facilities have exacerbated J&J's problems. With its more focused consumer-goods business, Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL ) has worked harder at taking advantage of international growth opportunities than many of its rivals, and Colgate's strong overseas sales, in comparison to J&J's international weakness, show the effectiveness of that strategy. In particular, Asia has been a focus point for Colgate, with revenue from the region having risen 9% year over year compared with less than 3% growth overall. Moreover, Latin America represents Colgate's biggest region for sales, with more than half again the revenue its U.S. segment produces.
- [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.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
Shares of Procter & Gamble have dropped 3.2% during the past 12 months, lagging Unilever’s (UL) 2.5% rise, Colgate-Palmolive’s (CL) 8.7% advance and Kimberly-Clark’s (KMB) 3.1% gain.
Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Watch 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 Jacob Roche]
A recent report from research group KPMG, and commissioned by Philip Morris (NYSE: PM ) , revealed that while total consumption of cigarettes in Europe has fallen in recent years, the illegal contraband and counterfeit trade has grown from 8.3% of total consumption to 11.1%. The report suggests that the high profitability and low risk of penalties attracts organized crime, which can use the trade as a cash cow to fund far more objectionable activities. An ad from British American Tobacco (NYSEMKT: BTI ) goes as far as to suggest that the trade could even be indirectly funding terrorism.
Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Watch In 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 Joe Tenebruso]
MasterCard (NYSE: MA ) and Visa (NYSE: V ) are dominant global credit card payment networks. Both companies have built valuable brands and enjoy powerful network effects. And with 85% of global transactions still being made via cash or check, MasterCard and Visa are extremely well positioned to profit from the massive global shift toward electronic payments and away from cash transactions. Their strong cash flows should allow them to continue to boost their dividend payouts for many years to come.
Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Watch In 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 Caroline Bennett]
Remember the children's story about the chicken who said the sky was falling? Investors are starting to wonder whether or not it applies to�Apple� (NASDAQ: AAPL ) . A company that was arguably one of the best stocks to buy last year now looks like a shadow of its former self, and has investors worrying, like the fabled chicken, that the end might be near. Since last September, Apple stock has plummeted from $700 to below $400.
- [By Travis Hoium and Erin Miller]
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) is returning over $100 billion to shareholders in an effort to boost the stock. So far, it has worked; shares are up 20% from their 52-week low. Erin Miller sat down with Fool contributor Travis Hoium to see if Apple's moves will continue to drive the stock forward.�
- [By Chris Hill]
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) reported better-than-expected earnings on Tuesday, and announced a $50 billion increase in its share buyback program. But bears pointed to Apple's shrinking margins and the lack of guidance on when the next great product will be released. Will this begin the company's turnaround, or will Apple shares continue to slide? That story, plus four stocks making big moves on Wednesday's market, and two stocks we've got a close eye on this week.
- [By John Udovich]
He went on to add that its ��angerous to assume��that AMD doesn't face significant pressure from the likes of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) even if those companies are ��hells of their former selves��because they've done moderately better than AMD in navigating the declining PC market. He also noted that while Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has partnered with Intel, there is no such���ifeline���for AMD to the extent to ��ustify optimism��about the company's future. Moreover:
Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Watch In 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 Travis Hoium]
Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) is down the most on the Dow today, falling 1.3%. Oil is actually up 1.1% today,�but the real challenge for big oil is the rising cost of oil extraction and falling demand in developed markets. In the U.S., daily oil demand is down 10.2% since 2007, and that's a concerning development for energy investors. Explorers are also looking for oil in difficult drilling locations like ultra-deep water and shale here in the U.S. These two issues will be important for current and prospective energy-sector investors to follow. �
- [By Paul Ausick]
Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) is off about 0.7% in mid-afternoon trading at $111.33 in a 52-week range of $109.27 to $127.83. The high was posted all the way back in late July, but the stock traded over $125 in late December, and like Exxon, the price has dropped nearly 11% since then. With a consensus price target of $129.80, the potential upside based on today�� price is almost 17%.
Top 10 Blue Chip Companies To Watch In 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 Rex Crum]
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) �recovered from its Thursday losses to rise 68 cents a share, or 2.5%, to close at $28.30 a share. Gains also came from IBM Corp. (IBM) and Pandora Media Inc. (P) .
- [By Dan Caplinger]
IBM (NYSE: IBM )
IBM sent the Dow plunging on the day after it reported earnings, missing expectations by a nickel per share despite posting a 3% increase in net income for the quarter. Sales fell 5% from the year-ago quarter, as orders from the U.S. and Chinese governments were particularly weak. - [By GuruFocus]
International Business Machines Corp (IBM) Reached the 52-Week Low of $172.80
The prices of International Business Machines Corp (IBM) shares have declined to close to the 52-week low of $172.80, which is 20.1% off the 52-week high of $215.90. International Business Machines Corp is owned by 34 Gurus we are tracking. Among them, 15 have added to their positions during the past quarter. Thirteen reduced their positions.
- [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.
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