"Old reliable" Coca-Cola (KO), first discussed here on February 20, 2009, at a price of $42.68, has retested the $65 level. If you haven't already, now may be a good time to consider taking some profits off the table with KO, if you're in near $43.

However, investors who can tolerate the risk can maintain their full position in KO, but keep in mind the journey to $80 may not be completed in 2011.

Continue reading Time-Tested Axiom: No One Ever Went Broke Holding Coke

Time-Tested Axiom: No One Ever Went Broke Holding Coke originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Our goal is helping investors grow their capital and income base from which to derive cash for their current and future needs," notes dividend expert Kelley Wright.

The editor of Investment Quality Trends explains, "To that end we believe that high-quality stocks purchased at historically low-price-to-high-yield offers the best potential for downside protection and upside appreciation. Our Timely Ten list represents our current top ideas.

Continue reading The Timely Ten: Blue Chip Dividends

The Timely Ten: Blue Chip Dividends originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coca-Cola Trading Higher Today: More Gains Ahead?

Coca-Cola Trading Higher Today: More Gains Ahead? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There is no shortage of analysis on the investment techniques of Warren Buffett. It seems that the books about him could fill a library!

However, when looking at his principles, it is not always easy to figure out how he prioritizes things. Of course, few companies have all the criteria.

Well, according to an interview with the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission recently, Buffett gave some interesting insight on this.

Continue reading Buffett Talks About His Investment Secret Sauce

Buffett Talks About His Investment Secret Sauce originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PepsicCo (PEP) is in the red at the time of this writing. Investors weren't dazzled by the beverage entity's latest earnings report, I guess. I see a quote of $63.16 on my screen; this means that the shares are off by about 2%. Volume is heavy.

According to the Associated Press, fourth-quarter profit on a reported basis went down five pennies to 85 cents per share. Not good to hear, but here's something that will put shareholders in a happier mood: on an adjusted basis, profit calculated out to $1.05 per share, a figure that was one penny ahead of the overall projection.

Continue reading Should You Sell PepsiCo Based on the Q4 Report?

Should You Sell PepsiCo Based on the Q4 Report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last year, Coca-Cola (KO) acquired Coca-Cola Enterprises' North American bottling operations. In addition, volume in North America rose 3%, excluding acquisitions and the currency impacts. These two factors gave the company an outstanding quarter. The company has taken market share from its rival PepsiCo (PEP).

Coca-Cola reported Wednesday earnings of $5.77 billion, or $2.46 a share, up from $1.54, or 66 cents per share, a year ago, according to The Wall Street Journal. Excluding benefits from bottling acquisition, earnings were 72 cents a share. Revenues increased 40% to $10.5 billion, and were up 45% excluding currency impacts. Gross margins fell to 59.2% from 64.7%.

Continue reading Coca-Cola's Earnings Surge

Coca-Cola's Earnings Surge originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Things look to be pretty quiet on the economic calendar this week. Here are the highlights:

• Tuesday: Weekly chain-store sales
• Wednesday: Federal budget balance for January
• Thursday: Wholesale trade data in December
• Friday: Trade balance in December and the weekly inflation survey

However, three iconic companies -- Walt Disney (DIS), Coca-Cola (KO) and Hasbro (HAS) -- highlight this week's quarterly results. Here's a look at what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are anticipating from these and others.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Coca-Cola, Disney and Hasbro Earnings

Week in Preview: Coca-Cola, Disney and Hasbro Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Teams have been preparing their game plans and it's time to see which of the 60 teams will win. No, not the Packers or Steelers -- Go Pack! -- but PepsiCo (PEP), Anheuser-Busch (BUD), General Motors (GM) and all the other companies competing for the best spots in one of TV's most expensive marketing moments, costing an estimated $3 million dollars per 30 second spot.

For those not into football, the ads in the Super Bowl game can be more amusing than the game itself as advertising teams compete for attention, show their best efforts and even get rated by numerous online sites. Last year, Doritos (owned by PepsiCo), and E-Trade (ETFC) did well, and Anheuser-Busch seems to always have a Clydesdale horse in the running.

Continue reading Who Will Win the Super Bowl Ad Game This Year?

Who Will Win the Super Bowl Ad Game This Year? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ?

Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The shares of Coca-Cola (KO), first discussed here on February 20, 2009, at a price of $42.68, have powered through psychological resistance at $60, and it you're in near $43, now may be a good time to consider taking some profits with KO.

However, other investors who can tolerate the risk can maintain their full position in KO, but keep in mind the journey to $80 may not be completed in 2011.

Continue reading Coca-Cola: Time to Take Some Profits?

Coca-Cola: Time to Take Some Profits? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading The Timely 10: Best Blue Chip Dividend Buys

The Timely 10: Best Blue Chip Dividend Buys originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Constellation Brands Down on Q3 News

Constellation Brands Down on Q3 News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coca-Cola: Sell Before It Drops -- or Not?

Coca-Cola: Sell Before It Drops -- or Not? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nobody knows what the future holds. But there are a few things shaping up that suggest certain things will most likely happen. Here are some of the major ones.

Interest Rates: Low at the beginning of the year, then headed higher for a long time. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage and you're still paying it, it's the perfect time to get it refinanced, if you can qualify. Interest rates are definitely going up; it's just a matter of when. As long as the Fed is pumping money in (QE2 is targeted with $800 billion .... with the possibility of more behind it), rates will stay low, unless investors think inflation will get way out of hand. Then rates will go higher no matter what the Fed does as investors sell longer term bonds to beat the coming inflation. Initially, rising interest rates will be bullish as they are a precursor to a healthy economy. But that bull will morph and become a bear when rates start jumping as the Fed tries to get ahead of inflation. Tricky business. Investors will do well to have floating rate assets and fixed rate liabilities.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: What Lies Ahead For 2011 ... Maybe

Comfort Zone Investing: What Lies Ahead For 2011 ... Maybe originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Soft drink giant The Coca-Cola Company (KO) announced today that it had recalled 22,000 sets of themed glasses that were painted to look like cans of the company's soft drinks.

The 16-ounce glasses have been sold since March both online and in retail stores, but have been detected to contain low levels of cadmium on the outside of the glass which has been painted to look like a can of Coke.

Continue reading Coca-Cola Recalls 88,000 Drinking Glasses

Coca-Cola Recalls 88,000 Drinking Glasses originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Sprint (S) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at Piper Jaffray.
• Cree (CREE) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
• Brocade (BRCD) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• JPMorgan upgraded WuXi PharmaTech (WX) to overweight from neutral.
• Barclays upgraded ITC Holdings (ITC) to overweight from equal weight.
• Centene (CNC) was upgraded to outperform from underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Senior Housing (SNH) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• UBS upgraded Hovnanian (HOV) to neutral from sell.
• GeoResources (GEOI) was upgraded to accumulate from neutral at Madison Williams.
• Compellent (CML) was upgraded to hold from sell at Canaccord.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BRCD, CCE, DPS, HOV, JOYG, KMB, KO, PEP, S, ...

Analyst Calls: BRCD, CCE, DPS, HOV, JOYG, KMB, KO, PEP, S, ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For those investors who stuck with Coca-Cola (KO), which I first wrote about on February 20, 2009, at a price of $42.68, through its summer slide, your patience is being rewarded.

After sliding to about $49 from about $60 earlier in the year, Coke's shares found support and have vaulted higher, taking out $50 and $60 resistance to trade near $62.

Continue reading Wall Street Axiom: No One Ever Went Broke Holding Coke

Wall Street Axiom: No One Ever Went Broke Holding Coke originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beverage firm Coca-Cola (KO) announced that its third-quarter earnings came in better than the consensus estimate. For the quarter, Coke brought in 88 cents per share ($2.06 billion), or 92 cents per share excluding items. The consensus estimate called for earnings of 89 cents per share.

Turning to revenue, Coke saw a 5% increase to $8.43 billion. The company noted that its integration efforts are "well on track," stressing its savings target of at least $350 million per year. These savings will be implemented during the next four years.

Continue reading Coca-Cola's Q3 Earnings Top Estimates

Coca-Cola's Q3 Earnings Top Estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading PepsiCo Lower After Earnings

PepsiCo Lower After Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Coca-Cola Company (KO), a stock I own in my portfolio, actually surprised me today. For some reason, I didn't realize it was so close to a 52-week high. At the time of this writing (less than an hour before the market shuts down its trading posts), shares were trading for $59.06. The high for the year is $59.45. Not bad.

The yearly range isn't very wide at the moment. The 52-week low is $49.47. Nevertheless, I always am impressed whenever Coke is behaving in a strong fashion. I've held the company for a long, long time (over a decade), and I can tell you that the shares tend to retreat as soon as they try to break out of a range (or at least it seems that way).

Continue reading Coca-Cola Not Far from 52-Week High

Coca-Cola Not Far from 52-Week High originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.