General Electric has gained 0.3% to $23.18 today after a report that it plans to unload its consumer lending division.
Exxon MobilThe Wall Street Journal has the details:
The decision to divest the business, amid concerns about the company’s exposure to banking, marks an important moment in the evolution of GE and the country’s three-decade long consumer credit boom. GE Capital expanded to the point that its portfolio of loans and other assets now would rank it as the country’s fifth-largest commercial bank.
Preliminary work to separate the business through an initial public offering is under way, according to people familiar with the matter…An IPO could come early next year, the people said.
S&P Capital IQ’s Eric Hugel�considers what comes next for the U.S. blue chip:
Top 10 Sliver Stocks To Watch For 2015: 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 Jonas Elmerraji]
First up is Chevron (CVX), the large-cap oil and gas supermajor. Chevron has spent most of the year in a well-defined uptrend, but lately shares have been tracking more sideways than upwards. Here's why that's actually a good thing for investors right now.
Chevron is currently forming an ascending triangle pattern, a bullish setup that's formed by horizontal resistance above shares at $127 and uptrending support to the downside. Basically, as CVX bounces between those two technical price levels, it's getting squeezed closer and closer to a breakout above that $127 level. When that happens, traders have a buy signal for shares.
A lot of Chevron's fortunes are tied to commodities like oil and gas. As an integrated energy firm, CVX has its hands involved in every step in the process from pulling resources out of the ground to selling them at retail. But price action is providing traders with a shortcut for figuring out Chevron's next steps this fall. If you decide to buy the $127 breakout, I'd recommend keeping a protective stop right above the 200-day moving average.
- [By Alex Planes]
[The] beginning, in Saudi Arabia, was in 1933. That's when the Saudi government signed a concession agreement with the Standard Oil Company of California, predecessor of today's Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) , opening up a large part of the young desert country for hydrocarbon exploration. In March 1938, following three years of frustrating drilling, the first commercially viable oil field was discovered at Dhahran. The kingdom and the company never looked back, in time joining the ranks of the world's greatest producers and exporters of oil and natural gas liquids.
- [By Robert Rapier]
Chevron (NYSE: CVX) reported disappointing earnings last week, but over the past decade has been one of the best performers among the supermajors. Over the past five years Chevron has handily outperformed ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), while paying a better dividend to boot (3.4 percent annualized versus XOM�� 2.7 percent).
5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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 Matt Thalman]
Another company that has been battling the obesity issue and is falling today is McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) . Shares are down 1.04% after the company announced that key sales figures fell again in April. The company is blaming fears of the avian flu as reason for the weak performance in China. Sales fell 0.6% globally in April, even though the U.S. market increased by 0.7%. But the largest decline came from Europe, were sales dropped 2.4% during the month.�
- [By Jack Kramer and Nick Martell] Get hungry -- Wall Street's getting into the meat and potatoes of the first-quarter earnings season. Stocks rose all week long as headline corporations dropped earnings reports like they were hot.
1. Stock winner of the week ... Toys are fun, but toys that make money are even more fun. That's why�Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS ) �is our pick for stock of the week. Shares of the Rhode Island-based toy designer rose nearly 2% Monday after reporting earnings that were a treat for investors to play with. The company enjoyed $679.5 million in revenues over the first quarter of 2014, a 2% increase from the same period last year.
So what helped out Hasbro? It turns out that, in fact, "boys drool and girls rule." That's because sales of toys focused on boys (we're talking about Nerf classics) rose by just 2% over the quarter -- but for girls, toys like My Little Pony jumped by 21%. Plus, international Hasbro sales gained 5% despite a slight sales slowdown in North America. � The reason investors felt like kids on Christmas morning after Hasbro's earnings was that the toy industry hasn't been kind recently. Classic physical toys are facing serious competition from electronic ones -- plus, the unflattering holiday sales season ate away at Mattel's toy sales, according to their earnings report the week earlier. Hasbro's been going through some restructuring since 2013, and as it remakes itself, Wall Street seems happy that its 2014 is off to a mom-approved start.
2. ... And stock loser
The only thing worse than ordering a burger medium rare and getting it well done is having some poorly served earnings from�McDonald's (NYSE: MCD ) . Last Tuesday, the fast-food giant reported an artery-packing $6.7 billion in revenues during the first quarter of the year -- but that�represented only a 1% rise from the same period in 2013, which was simply in line with analysts' expectations.
Ronald McDonald may always be smiling, but he wasn't - [By Mike Deane]
Before the opening bell on Thursday, McDonald’s (MCD) announced its fourth quarter earnings, with revenues increasing from last year’s fourth quarter while global comparable sales fell.
MCD Earnings in Brief
McDonald’s reported fourth quarter revenues of $7.093 billion, which were up 2% from last year’s Q4 revenues of $6.952 billion. The company’s net income came in at $1.397 billion, or $1.40 per share, up from last year’s net income of $1.396 billion, or $1.38 per share. MCD beat analysts’ EPS estimate of $1.39 per share, but fell slightly below the revenue expectation of $7.11 billion. For the fourth quarter, MCD reported that global comparable sales fell 0.1%.CEO Commentary
McDonald’s president and CEO, Don Thompson, had the following to say about the company’s mixed report:�”Around the world, consumers want a satisfying meal at an affordable price from a brand they trust. At McDonald’s, delivering a consistent customer-focused restaurant experience continues to be our top priority. While 2013 was a challenging year, we begin 2014 with a renewed focus on the global growth priorities that are most impactful to our customers. We are uniting consumer insights with innovation and consistent execution to optimize our menu, modernize the customer experience and broaden accessibility to Brand McDonald’s.”
McDonald’s Dividend
McDonald’s made no mention of a dividend change in its quarterly report. McDonald’s last announced a dividend raise in September 2013 for its December dividend. The company raised its quarterly dividend from 77 cents to 81 cents – a 5.1% raise.
Stock Performance
MCD stock was down 36 cents, or 0.38%, in pre-market trading this morning. So far this year, the company’s stock is down 1.59%.
5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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 IBTimes]
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images After BlackBerry announced last month that it would slash 40 percent of its workforce, Apple reportedly has begun snapping up the struggling smartphone maker's employees near the company's corporate headquarters in Canada. According to a report from the Financial Post, Apple hosted a recruitment drive on Sept. 26 at the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre in Waterloo, Ontario, a place that is roughly 12 miles away from BlackBerry's home base. The report said that Apple (AAPL) sent the event's invitations to BlackBerry employees via LinkedIn. "Most positions will be based in Cupertino, [Calif.]," the LinkedIn invite, obtained by Financial Post, said, adding that Apple would also provide immigration assistance and relocation compensation for successful candidates. However, exactly what positions Apple is looking to fill remains unknown. On Sept. 20, the same day Apple released the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, BlackBerry said it expected to post almost a $1 billion loss in the second quarter and would cut approximately 4,500 jobs, or about 40 percent of its global workforce. On Monday, BlackBerry (BBRY) handed out layoff notices, confirming 300 employees would be laid off from its Waterloo headquarters this week as part of the first round of job cuts. BlackBerry's talent base is also being eyed by other players such as Intel (INTC), which held an "information session" at the Holiday Inn Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel & Conference Centre in Kitchener, Ontario, on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29 to look for engineers to join the company's Mobile and Communications Group. While Apple didn't comment on the recruitment drive, an Intel spokesperson said its session "was designed to engage with engineers." BlackBerry, which is now contemplating a $4.7 billion takeover bid from a consortium led by Fairfax Financial Holdings, the company's biggest shareholder, is also reportedly considering a break-up of the company. The phonemaker's
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Achmad Ibrahim/APBlackBerry CEO John Chen WATERLOO, Ontario and TORONTO -- BlackBerry (BBRY) reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss Thursday as the smartphone company's cost cutting and other turnaround efforts started to pay off. Shares jumped more than 10 percent in early trade after BlackBerry burned through less cash than many expected and its gross profit margin rose from a year earlier. "The short trade is over in this name for now -- for now," said BGC analyst Colin Gillis. "They've got enough liquidity, [and] they've given us clear profitability targets." Excluding special items, the company drew down $255 million in cash in the period, significantly less than the $784 million it used in the fiscal fourth quarter. BlackBerry has been slashing costs and has more than halved its workforce over the last two years as part of a do-or-die attempt to turn its business around after losing ground to Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and Samsung Electronics devices that run on Google's (GOOG) Android system. Last year it forged a partnership with FIH Mobile, the Hong Kong-listed unit of Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn Technology, to help design, manufacture and sell some of its devices. As part of the deal it no longer pays the full upfront costs for parts used in its devices. Instead, Foxconn, the trading name of Hon Hai Precision Industry, takes a share of profits on each device in return for taking on the risk of inventory management. Gross profit margin rose to 46.7 percent in the fiscal first quarter to May 31, from 33.9 percent a year earlier. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company reported net income of $23 million, or 4 cents a share, compared with a loss of $84 million, or 16 cents, a year earlier. Excluding a one-time non-cash accounting gain and certain restructuring charges, the loss was $60 million, or 11 cents a share. Analysts, on average, had expected a loss of 25 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Quarterly reve
- [By Tim Beyers, Nathan Alderman, and Ellen Bowman]
Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) wants Android in everything. �Will Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) respond with iOS-powered scarves? Who stands to profit more from the release of the highly anticipated Xbox One game, Titanfall? And does Lady Sif's ratings-boosting appearance on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.�mean�we'll�see more Asgardians�soon? Ellen Bowman, Nathan Alderman, and Tim Beyers have these stories and more in this week's episode of 1-Up on Wall Street!
- [By kcpl]
Glu Mobile�(GLUU)'s bad times are now probably over. The mobile gaming company was struggling last year but it has executed a remarkable turnaround in the last few months. The company is expected to scale greater heights at the end of 2013, and it received a huge boost when Apple (AAPL) signed a deal with China Mobile to sell iPhones in China. Moreover, Glu plans to bring a whole new experience to gamers with the Google Glass.
5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In 2014: 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 Dan Caplinger]
The name change reflected the company's wish to have consumers and investors see beyond its tobacco business, which at the time was plagued by more substantial legal battles with billions in potential liability hanging in the balance. Shareholders approved the name change in 2002. The irony, of course, is that Altria has since spun off both Kraft and its Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM ) global tobacco divisions, leaving Altria holding the old core Philip Morris USA division.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and projections suggest that it will manage to deliver decent results for investors. But shareholders don't seem convinced about Philip Morris earnings, as they've recently sent the stock down substantially from its May highs.
- [By Garrett Baldwin]
As the world's second-largest tobacco company, Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) is an ideal sin stock.
And with numbers like these, it's also an ideal way to play global growth...
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