Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2015

I think the flagship of any portfolio that has a capital appreciation mandate ought to be a superbly run large-cap growth fund. There's no lack of them at Fidelity and my model portfolios reflect what I think are the best of breed in a prize-winning herd, says Jim Lowell, editor of Fidelity Investor.

First, from my perspective, Fidelity's growth funds pursue the following course: Growth and Value really mean the X-factor, wherein managers perceive mispriced value to be had from overlooked earnings growth potential. A broad brush, but it covers the barn and most of the horses inside.

I like large-cap growth, especially with a domestic tilt. In general, it's hard to not pick a winning large-cap growth fund at Fidelity, but it gets a bit trickier when you want the best of the best. Here's some of my buy-rated picks.

Blue Chip Growth (FBGRX)

Manager Sonu Kalra's blue chip bent is what you'd expect. His approach to finding above-average potential for growth in the most analyzed group of stocks on the planet reveals some stellar stock picking. Foreign investments make up 7.3% of the holdings.

Hot Recreation Stocks To Watch 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 Tim Brugger]

    International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM  ) and Italy-based commercial bank UniCredit have entered into a "multi-billion dollar, 10-year agreement," in which IBM will provide UniCredit with cloud-based infrastructure support throughout Europe, IBM announced today. Financial specifics of the long-term agreement were not disclosed.

  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

    IBM provides essential information technology products and services to growing companies and consumers around the world. The stock has been on a strong bull run in recent years but is now consolidating slightly below all-time high prices. Earnings have been steadily increasing while revenue figures have decreased over the last four quarters, which has confused investors a bit. Relative to its strong peers and sector, IBM has trailed in year-to-date performance. WAIT AND SEE what IBM does this coming quarter.

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2015: 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]

    Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and�Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) �compete with each other over nearly every aspect of smartphone operations and ecosystems. One arena in which Cupertino may be winning the battle is fragmentation. A recent story from AllThingsD�highlights that while Apple does a great job of keeping users of iOS�on the most current generation, Android users are "trapped" on multiple -- often dated -- versions. This manifests in the relative appeal of each OS for developers, which continues to draw them toward Apple.

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2015: 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 Kyle Spencer]

    McDonald's (MCD) is slashing its 20 piece box from 36 to 20 RMB "��灏�涓���. Given the 4% higher comp rate that McDonald's is already being punished with as it tries to adjust to Asian palates, how badly do you think McDonald's Asian sales are going to suffer if they can't sell chicken?

  • [By Jim Royal]

    Let's take McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) as an example. In the four quarters ending in December, the restaurateur generated $6.97 billion in operating cash flow. It invested about $3.05 billion in property, plant, and equipment. To calculate free cash flow, subtract McDonald's investment from its operating cash flow. That leaves us with $3.92 billion in free cash flow, which the company can save for future expenditures or distribute to shareholders.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Flipping burgers
    So when you first hear about employees attending McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) Hamburger University or Starbucks staffers taking Barista Basics courses and earning college credits for it, you'd be forgiven for thinking they're the educational equivalent of cotton candy: a fun snack but hardly fulfilling.

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

    Switching gears outside of the energy sector brings us to fast food chain McDonald's (MCD), another name on hedge funds' hate list. McDonald's has had a pretty tepid year in 2014, down 2.6% over a stretch when the S&P is within grabbing distance of double-digit upside. So it's not hugely surprising that fund managers don't have the patience to stick it out with MCD this fall. Funds sold 2.29 million shares of McDonald's over the course of the third quarter...

    McDonald's is the biggest fast food restaurant chain in the world, with approximately 35,900 restaurant locations in 125 countries. Of those, nearly 7,000 are company-owned units. The other 80% of stores are franchised. That model has been a cash cow for MCD shareholders in the past, giving the firm claim to sticky recurring revenues supplying franchise stores with food ingredients, marketing, and employee training. Importantly, McDonald's owns the land beneath the majority of its franchisee restaurants; that huge land portfolio gives McDonald's more in common with a REIT than with the diner down the street.

    The competitive nature of the fast food business means that MCD has gotten the squeeze in recent quarters as it tries to play catch up with a consumer that's moving up the "food chain" (so to speak) -- an ongoing initiative to improve food quality and make MCD more nimble should pay dividends down the road. In the meantime, McDonald's continues to execute well, especially given the discount currently on shares versus six months ago. The firm's 3.6% dividend yield should add some extra attractiveness given the prolonged low-interest rate environment that's expected to stretch well into 2015.

    It looks like funds are making a mistake by selling MCD early here...

Best Blue Chip Companies To Watch For 2015: 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 TaniaC]

    Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL) is a consumer products company whose products are marketed in over 200 countries and territories throughout the world. It operates in two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care and Pet Nutrition.

Best Blue Chip Companies 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 Maxx Chatsko]

    Its citizens may drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but Australia is set to become the driving force for Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) stock. America's third largest company has joined industry peers to pour close to $100 billion into developing its oil and natural gas fields. And for good reason. Australia represents the biggest immediate growth opportunity for the energy industry. It only gets bigger when you consider that its proximity to the Asian market provides an easy destination for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, and big profits. Chevron's leadership position will allow it to reap the biggest rewards.

  • [By Matt DiLallo]

    ExxonMobil has been struggling to grow its production in a meaningful way for a few years now. However, on a per-share basis, the company's production growth has been industry leading, thanks to its steady buybacks. Over the past five years, each share has an interest in 21% more production, which is an annualized growth rate per share of 5%. As the following chart shows, ExxonMobil easily outpaces Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) , Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A  ) and BP (NYSE: BP  ) :

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