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GE vs. H.J. Heinz: Which Is the Tastier Dividend Play?

GE vs. H.J. Heinz: Which is the tastier dividend play?Just last week General Electric (GE) surged on news that it will likely boost its dividend by some time in 2011. Coupled with the resumption of General Electric's buyback plan, shares set a new 52-week high.

But before you set off the fireworks and jump back into GE with the rest of the lemmings on Wall Street, take a closer look at the stock's fundamentals. My analysis of this company shows some serious flaws in profits and sales growth. Wall Street has forecast negative revenue growth for each of the next four quarters, and though earnings have topped the Street's low expectations recently, they have been relatively flat. That means GE isn't sinking, but it sure isn't going anywhere.

Continue reading GE vs. H.J. Heinz: Which Is the Tastier Dividend Play?

Newspaper wrap-up: Heinz expected to raise earnings, sales projections

MAJOR PAPERS:
  • H.J. Heinz Co. (NYSE: HNZ) is today expected to increase its sales and profit projections for the next two years, as it reports results of its fiscal year ended April 30. The Wall Street Journal reported that sales are to grow 6% or higher from 4%, while earnings per share growth for the next two years is projected to grow between 8% and 11% from the earlier projection of 7% to 9%.
  • It appears that Vistaprint Limited (NASDAQ: VPRT), a graphic design services and printed products company, counts on referral fees from pop up rewards programs on it website for a certain amount of its revenue and profit and also relies on the referral of its customers to outside firms offering rewards programs, which turns out to be a monthly fee for services such as discounts on movies and amusement parks, according to the Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street". Some believe the stock, whose shares have plummeted over concerns of slowing revenue and slimmer gross margins, may be trading too high for its own good.
  • According to people familiar with their plans, the Financial Times reported that the CEOs of UAL Corporation's (NASDAQ: UAUA) United Airlines and US Airways Group (NYSE: LCC) will today meet to discuss the carriers' potential merger agreement.
OTHER PAPERS:
  • The Independent reported that for the second time this month, Barclays Plc (NYSE: BCS) revised lower its calculation of analysts' consensus for its full-year profit, cutting its 2008 figure by nearly 8% to GBP5.876B pre-tax; Barclays cut the calculation 15% two weeks ago.

Cadbury to update investors tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, confectionary company Cadbury Schweppes plc (NYSE: CSG) will update its investors on a slate of issues that range from a spin-off of its U.S. drinks unit to taking austerity measures to cut costs. Cadbury is trying to recover from a salmonella scare last year, declines in its U.K. chocolate market share, and an increase in the cost of raw materials.

An overview of what could be discussed:
  • Sale of U.S. drinks business: The company is expected to announce a sale of its U.S. drinks business, which includes 7-Up and Snapple. The New York Times reported that it is currently unclear which bidder is in the lead for the unit - bids came from a group led by Cott, a consortium that included Thomas H. Lee Partners and TPG and a third consortium led by Blackstone Group and KKR. Other possible candidates for the unit could include The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) or Tootsie Roll Industries Inc (NYSE: TR), in a deal that could value the unit as high as $16B. Other sources believe Kraft Foods Inc (NYSE: KFT) and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company (NYSE: WWY) could be potential bidders; Kraft, JP Morgan believes, would have an edge over Wrigley due to greater funding, flexibility and synergies.

Continue reading Cadbury to update investors tomorrow

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA-74.9212,454.83
NASDAQ-1.852,837.53
S&P 500-2.861,317.82

Last updated: May 28, 2012: 04:29 PM

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