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.

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.

Continue reading Two Quarterly Reports: Visa and Yum! Brands

Two Quarterly Reports: Visa and Yum! Brands originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Options Update: Mattel Volatility Elevated into Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings season kicked off last week with better-than-expected results from Alcoa (AA) and Yum! Brands (YUM), while Marriott (MAR) and Pepsico (PEP) met consensus EPS estimates. This week, bellwether companies Intel (INTC), General Electric (GE), Google (GOOG) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) are scheduled to report their third-quarter results, and analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are looking for earnings growth from all of them.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel announced the acquisition of McAfee and joint ventures with General Electric and Nokia (NOK) during its third quarter. Analysts forecast earnings for that period to come to 50 cents per share, which is up 34.0% from the same period of last year. The number one semiconductor maker's revenue for the three months ended in September is expected to total $11.0 billion, or 17.1% more than a year earlier. Looking ahead to the full year, the forecast thus far is for earnings of $1.94 per share (+44.8%) and $43.3 billion in revenue (+23.4%). The per-share earnings topped analysts' expectations in the past four quarters, by as much as a dime per share.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Earnings Expectations for Intel, GE, Google and JPMorgan

Week in Preview: Earnings Expectations for Intel, GE, Google and JPMorgan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Yum! Brands Earnings: Profit Tops Projection in Q3

Yum! Brands Earnings: Profit Tops Projection in Q3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Week in Preview: New Earnings Season, Employment Data and More

Week in Preview: New Earnings Season, Employment Data and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Yum! Brands Boosts Dividend, but Is It Time to Buy Shares?

Yum! Brands Boosts Dividend, but Is It Time to Buy Shares? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Wendy's/Arby's Group Reports Lousy Earnings

Wendy's/Arby's Group Reports Lousy Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"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.

Continue reading China Is Crazy over KFC

China Is Crazy over KFC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading McDonald's Receives Bearish Reaction to Latest Earnings

McDonald's Receives Bearish Reaction to Latest Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Yum! Brands Didn't Excite Wall Street with Q2 Numbers

Yum! Brands Didn't Excite Wall Street with Q2 Numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The new earnings season kicks off when Alcoa Inc. (AA) releases its second-quarter results Monday. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters on average expect Alcoa to report that it swung to a profit from a year-ago net loss.

Intel Corp. (INTC) is likewise forecast to have swung into positive territory, while Google Inc. (GOOG) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) are expected to be among the week's biggest earnings gainers.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: A New Earnings Season Kicks Off (INTC, GOOG, JPM)

The Week in Preview: A New Earnings Season Kicks Off (INTC, GOOG, JPM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Sonic Drops on Q3 News

Sonic Drops on Q3 News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

Continue reading Nathan's Famous Has a Boring Q4

Nathan's Famous Has a Boring Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Weeden upgraded Nabors Industries (NBR) to buy from hold on expectations that U.S. land drillers will likely benefit from a more restrictive deepwater Gulf of Mexico drilling environment.
• Macquarie upgraded Cinemark (CNK) to outperform from neutral and has a $20 price target on the stock. The firm cites valuation, market share stabilization and Latin American pricing power.
• RBC Capital upgraded Edison International (EIX) to outperform from sector perform with a $43 target. The firm cited valuation and its belief that the company's unregulated businesses are well-positioned to accelerate as reasons for the upgrade.
• Canadian Pacific (CP) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• FirstEnergy (FE) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Joy Global (JOYG) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Longbow.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CNK, CP, EIX, FL, MCD, NBR, NE, NLC, STP, X, YUM ...

Analyst Calls: CNK, CP, EIX, FL, MCD, NBR, NE, NLC, STP, X, YUM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There is a decidedly global flavor to KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants lately. And no, we're not talking about the Chalupa Baja -- this is about a global sales for these franchises and their parent company.

In recent years, operator Yum! Brands (YUM) has been growing at a breakneck pace, now with more than 3,500 locations in China alone and plans to open another 900 restaurants outside the U.S. in 2010. And the next global market that is in its sights is the United Kingdom, with a Taco Bell in Essex set to peddle low-priced burritos by the end of June.

Continue reading Expansion in UK the Latest Way Yum! Spices Up Global Sales

Expansion in UK the Latest Way Yum! Spices Up Global Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading BK Wins Lawsuit over Burger Prices, Loses Investor Confidence

BK Wins Lawsuit over Burger Prices, Loses Investor Confidence originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm not a fan of Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN). It just doesn't seem as safe as stocks like Burger King (BKC), McDonald's (MCD), or Yum! Brands (YUM). Of course, I'm certain I did nothing more than state the obvious.

As a low-priced equity, Wendy's/Arby's Group always possesses the risk of volatility. Today, the shares are off by over 3% in afternoon trading; at the time of this writing, I saw a share price of $4.93. Hey, it's better than the day low of $4.86. The company had reported earnings results for the first quarter Thursday morning. Do the numbers make the company look more or less attractive?

Continue reading Wendy's/Arby's Group: Avoid After Q1?

Wendy's/Arby's Group: Avoid After Q1? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 May 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) shares declined despite better-than-expected Q1 results due to profit taking.
• Alcoa Inc. (AA) reported a decline in revenue and earnings in line with expectations, leading to a sell off of shares.
• Bank of America Corp. (BAC) Q1 earnings results beat consensus estimates but shares fell on other news.
• General Electric Co. (GE) posted better-than-expected earnings but said revenue declined in the first quarter.
• Google Inc. (GOOG) Q1 earnings and revenue topped expectations but a surge in expenses sent shares lower.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Alcoa, GE, Google, Intel, JPMorgan, Mattel, UPS ...

Earnings Highlights: Alcoa, GE, Google, Intel, JPMorgan, Mattel, UPS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Things Are Looking Up for the Restaurant Industry

Things Are Looking Up for the Restaurant Industry originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.