Coca-Cola (KO) has more than $13 billion in cash.

The top five companies (according to market cap) are:

• Exxon Mobil (XOM): $398.3 billion
• Apple (AAPL): $309.0 billion
• Microsoft (MSFT): $237.5 billion
• General Electric (GE): $215.0 billion
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A): $202.5 billion

Let's take a quick look at two companies that posted quarterly reports. One makes its money from plastic (the kind you use to buy things), the other serves pizza, poultry, and tacos to the masses.

Visa, Inc. (V) has not been a great stock this year. Its 52-week low is $64.90 and its 52-week high is $97.19. The stock closed today's regular session at $72.09, backed by unremarkable volume. I don't know, maybe I'm way off, but I think this name should be at least a little closer to the 52-week high. On a related note, the one-year chart is not what shareholders want to see.

Mattel (MAT) February put option implied volatility is at 39, April is at 34, according to Track Data, compared to its 26-week average of 31 into its release of Q4 EPS on February 2, suggesting larger price movement.

Yum! Brands (YUM) is expected to report Q4 EPS on February 2. Overall option implied volatility of 23 is below its 26-week average of 26, according to Track Data, suggesting decrease price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Moments ago, food firm Yum! Brands (YUM) reaffirmed its 2010 earnings per share (EPS) growth forecast. Ahead of its annual investor meeting, the group restated expectations for EPS growth of 14%, less special items. In addition, YUM believes it will deliver 2011 EPS growth of 10%, excluding special items. These numbers are bolstered by the company's strength in China. CEO David Novak stated, "2010 has been a strong year led by our China business, and I'm pleased to report we remain on track to deliver 14% EPS growth."

Alcoa (AA), Marriott (MAR) and Yum! Brands (YUM) kick off the new earnings season this week. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for moderate year-over-year earnings and revenue growth in the third quarter from each of these dividend payers.

Note that Marriott and Yum! Brands have exceeded consensus estimates in recent quarters and have First Call consensus buy recommendations as well. They are also trading near their 52-week highs, while Alcoa shares are closer to the 52-week low despite a 22% rise in the past three months.

Yum! Brands (YUM), a restaurant entity whose multiple concepts compete with McDonald's (MCD) and Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN), gave shareholders some great news this week: their dividend is going up! According to the press release, the quarterly payment is now 19% higher, coming in at 25 cents per share.

Not bad at all. Looks like management is feeling good about future cash flows. As we all know, dividend increases can be indicative of fundamental fiscal strength. And I like it when a dividend is backed by a strong portfolio that is well-recognized by consumers. Establishments like KFC and Taco Bell are strong trademarks.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded Oshkosh (OSK) to outperform from neutral, citing valuation as it believes post-Iraq U.S. military spending concerns are overdone. The firm keeps a $42 price target for shares.
• Goldman transferred coverage on CenturyTel (CTL) with a buy from a neutral and has a $42 price target on the stock. The firm believes CenturyTel could increase buybacks and or increase its dividend given free cash generation and low payout ratio.
• Lazard Capital upgraded Hatteras Financial (HTS) to buy from hold to reflect increased dividend projections. The firm has a $30 price target for shares.
• EOG Resources (EOG) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Donaldson (DCI) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN) issued its second-quarter earnings on Thursday. The fast-food entity beat expectations. But, as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't any big deal. In fact, the market sort of agreed with me. By the end of the trading session, shares were off by a mere penny, settling out at a price of $4.14. Volume wasn't that interesting, either.

According to Briefing.com, net profit of 6 cents per share went beyond the estimate by a penny. However, same-store sales at both the Wendy's and Arby's declined. System-wide comps in North America contracted 1.7% for the former and 7.4% for the latter.

"Ya'll oughta try some of this here fried chicken; you ain't gonna believe it!" "Xie-Xie!" (pronounced "she-she") That is Chinese for thank you. From the hills of Kentucky, the Colonial Sanders secret recipe has made a splash in China. While it is well known a lot of the stuff you buy at Walmart (WMT) is made in China; what you may not know is that China is crazy for KFC.

You may not think anything of going out for Chinese with your friends and practice eating with chopsticks; when the Chinese go out with their friends to practice eating with a fork; KFC seems to be a popular option.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) was down roughly 2% as I began composing this piece during the afternoon session. I hope investors weren't paying attention to the bears who were in control of the fast-food giant's shares. To me, the stock seems to be in good shape, and in the kind of trading climate we're in, it could be a useful instrument for the cautious player.

I'm seeing a quote of around $70 go by on my screen. Not bad in the least, considering that the 52-week high is $71.84. It shows the kind of resilience the stock possesses. Indeed, considering how many equities have pulled back from their 52-week highs, you've got to enjoy this element of the story.

Nathan's Famous, Inc. (NATH) issued its fourth-quarter report on Friday. Before we get to the results, let's have a quick review of the stock. It's always helpful to see how an equity has been behaving under the current conditions of the market.

Well, Nathan's Famous is one of those stocks that has a yearly range decidedly on the narrow side. The 52-week low is $12; the 52-week high is $16.18. The business settled on Friday at a price of $14.97. If you look at the one-year chart, you might get the feeling that the shares aren't sure whether they should break to the upside or the downside.