New products and changes introduced over the last week include a variable rate preferred ETF from Invesco PowerShares; Advisors Asset Management has launched a unit investment trust; and Emerging Global Advisors has rolled out the EGShares Blue Chip ETF.
Other new products include a small business retirement plan comparison calculator from WMSI, and a tax app for the new year from W&S Financial Group Distributors.
Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:
1) Invesco Announces Variable Rate Preferred ETF
Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC has announced the coming launch of the PowerShares Variable Rate Preferred Portfolio (VRP) on May 1. VRP is based on the Wells Fargo Hybrid and Preferred Securities Floating and Variable Rate Index and will generally invest at least 90% of its total assets in preferred securities that make up the index.
The index is market-capitalization-weighted and is designed to track the performance of preferred stock, as well as certain types of hybrid securities that are functionally equivalent to preferred stock, that are issued by US-based or foreign issuers and that pay a floating or variable rate dividend or coupon. VRP and the index are rebalanced monthly.
10 Best Electric Utility Stocks To Own Right Now: 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 Doug Ehrman]
Over the last several quarters, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) has been on the forefront of introducing several new technologies that, while not huge revenue drivers yet, contribute significantly to public perception. Google Fiber, Google Glass, and now Project Loon are all positive steps for the king of search. Conversely, ever since shares hit an all-time high last fall, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) has struggled to maintain its stock price and convince investors it's still a leader in innovation.
- [By Chris Neiger]
Both Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) Safari and Mozilla's Firefox browsers earn search royalties from Google� (NASDAQ: GOOG ) . Google pays the companies to use its service as the primary search engine in their browsers -- and in some cases pays them quite well. It's estimated that Google made $1.3 billion from iOS searches last year, and paid $1 billion to Apple to remain the company's default mobile search engine for iOS. Though its not clear whether this is through a revenue-sharing model or direct payouts, a Morgan Stanley analyst believes Google pays Apple about $3.20 per iOS device.
- [By Daniel Sparks]
Analysts expect Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) to report revenue of $35.02 billion for the company's third quarter, according to Fortune's preliminary survey. As Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt points out, that's the exact same number Apple reported in the year-ago quarter. Is zero growth Apple's new norm? Or, even worse, is decline Apple's future? Possibly -- but there are still a few potential growth drivers left for Cupertino's tech giant.
- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) has a "grand vision" for the TV market, according to Tim Cook. While some investors have come to expect that this may entail a new a-la-carte distribution model where consumers buy individual channels instead of bundles, the industry at large may not be ready for that.
Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: 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 Tim Melvin]
Some of the traditionally defensive stocks like Phillip Morris International (PM) and Merck (MRK) also fail our test for operating conditions and financial changes. Yield chasers have also pushed the value of their shares to unsustainable levels, and are unlikely to see much more than mid- to low-single-digit profit growth for several years.
- [By abirk]
Philip Morris International (PM) is reaching new heights in 2013. With its products being sold in 180 countries it is the proud owner of about 15 cigarette brands- Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, and Chesterfield being some of them. FY2013 looks bright for this tobacco giant. Reasons Why 2013 Is Looking Bright
- [By GuruFocus]
The decade low yield of tobacco stocks can be clearly seen from our new interactive charts, which are embedded below. The chart shows the dividend yield of three tobacco stocks: Reynolds American (RAI), Philip Morris International (PM) and British American Tobacco (BTI).
Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)
Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
Getty Images Recent events like the data breach that affected Target (TGT) customers across the nation have made consumers think twice before using credit and debit cards. In particular, prepaid cards -- onto which customers load a certain amount of money, and which can be used anywhere that accepts debit cards -- have created a great deal of confusion, as many people aren't clear about whether they offer the same fraud protections as credit cards or debit cards. Moreover, with wide variations in fees, it can be hard to figure out which prepaid card is best for you. To make it easier for consumers to choose among prepaid cards, Visa (V) came out on June 3 with a new set of standards. Although issuers won't be required to follow those standards, those cards that meet the requirements will receive Visa's designation, which it hopes will spur customers to demand those positive characteristics. But do Visa's moves go far enough? Let's look. What Visa Did Some of the most important standards are for fees. Visa wants to see banks set flat monthly fees that include everything that cardholders would generally want to do with a prepaid card. Specifically, Visa wants prepaid card issuers not to charge separate fees for declined transactions, in-network ATM transactions, PIN or signature purchase transactions, getting cash back at the point of sale or general customer service. In addition, Visa wants cards not to charge overdraft fees or provide overdraft coverage, which makes sense given that the entire point of the prepaid card is to limit users to the amount loaded on the card. Moreover, Visa wants prepaid card issuers to communicate their fee structures clearly, using some of the same methods that they are now required to use with credit cards, such as fee boxes and simple disclosures. In addition, a quick-use guide for consumers will help them minimize the costs of using particular cards. Protecting the Consumer Visa is including several important provisions fo
Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rex Crum]
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) �recovered from its Thursday losses to rise 68 cents a share, or 2.5%, to close at $28.30 a share. Gains also came from IBM Corp. (IBM) and Pandora Media Inc. (P) .
- [By Dan Caplinger]
The Dow suffered greater losses than the overall market largely because of the influence of IBM (NYSE: IBM ) , which fell 2.6%. Rival Accenture (NYSE: ACN ) , which is the major competitor against IBM in the lucrative information-technology consulting business, gave reduced guidance for full-year results when it reported earnings last night. Pointing to weakness in its consulting business, Accenture cut the midpoint of its earnings forecast range by about 2% and pushed down its expected range for revenue growth to just 3% to 4%. Accenture fell 13% on the news, but investors concluded that prospects for the entire industry were weak and therefore bid IBM down in sympathy. Since IBM's share price is by far the largest in the Dow, the loss had a big overall impact on the entire average.
- [By Holly LaFon]
Financially, BMC has a history of strong earnings, revenue and cash flow growth. Revenue has increased each of the last 10 years to a record $2 billion in fiscal 2011, and cash flow reached $743 in 2011, compared to $613 in 2010. Earnings have also steadily increased over the last 10 years, reaching a record $456 million in fiscal 2011. Operating margins reached their highest level of the decade in the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2011, at 30.9% and its net margin was at 20.6%, lower than 22.2% in 2010, but higher than the previous years of the decade. The record earnings and stock price drop pushed BMC�� P/E to historically low levels in 2011, though higher than competitors Microsoft (MSFT) and IBM (IBM):
Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: 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 Aaron Levitt]
While most of the energy sector is dominated by large-cap oil stocks like behemoth Chevron (CVX) or small-fry wildcatters just getting started, the truth is that firms in the middle could be some of the sector’s best bets.
Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)
Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Monica Gerson]
Colgate-Palmolive Co (NYSE: CL) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.73 per share on revenue of $4.46 billion.
Precision Castparts (NYSE: PCP) is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $2.83 per share on revenue of $2.36 billion.
- [By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL )
Colgate's shares are trading well below the $62 high they hit just last month. The consumer goods company is heavily levered to international sales, with more than 80% of its business coming from outside the U.S. and more than half coming from emerging markets. - [By Ong Kang Wei]
Another example of such a product is Colgate-Palmolive (CL)'s Colgate toothpaste. I do not think I have to elaborate much here. Toothpaste is needed in our everyday life, and we will definitely have to buy more toothpaste after we have finished using a packet of it, ensuring that Colgate gets more and more sales over the years.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Investors have always been interested in stocks that pay dividends, but lately, low interest rates on bonds and other fixed-income investments have made solid dividend payers even more valuable. Among the most promising dividend stocks in the market is Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL ) , and one big reason is that it is one of the few exclusive companies to make the list of Dividend Aristocrats. In order to become a member of this elite group, a company must have raised its dividend payouts to shareholders every single year for at least a quarter-century. Only a few dozen stocks manage to make the cut, and those that do tend to stay there for a long time.
Top Blue Chip Companies To Buy Right Now: 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 WALLSTCHEATSHEET]
McDonald�� is a well-recognized company that fulfills cravings and demand for quick and delicious food choices that many consumers across the globe enjoy. The company�is counting on coffee to give sagging U.S. sales a jolt. The stock has been trading sideways in the last couple of years and may need time to consolidate. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been rising, which has left investors optimistic about recent earnings announcements. Relative to its peers and sector, McDonald�� has been an average year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what McDonald�� does this quarter.
- [By Kyle Spencer]
While the USDA's conclusion of 5 weeks maximum reduced consumption will certainly be a relief to investors with exposure to the Asian poultry market -- namely, Yum, Tyson (TSN), and McDonald's (MCD) investors -- I think that relying too closely on the Italian consumers' experience with H5N1 to interpret the reaction of Chinese consumers to H7N9 might potentially be a disastrous assumption.
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