The Dow
Company |
Intraday Price Change |
S&P Weighting |
---|---|---|
IBM | 4.3% | 11% |
Intel | 2.4% | 2% |
Microsoft | 5% | 2% |
So what's the big news from these tech biggies?
IBM reported 11% growth in its earnings per share and suggested a positive outlook for 2012. Operating margins were especially strong, spiking to 24.9% from 20.2% last quarter, or 24.3% in the fourth quarter last year.
Intel's sales grew a whopping 21% in the fourth quarter. The rise of mobile devices, which aren't Intel's wheelhouse, has been a major concern for investors. But Intel's earnings results should remind us that PC sales continue to flourish in emerging economies.
Microsoft's margins are continuing to take hits, but the tech giant reported a decent 5% growth in sales and a more modest earnings increase. Xbox and CRM saw impressive numbers, and Microsoft looks to be playing the long game in search, as Bing's market share climbed to 15.1%.
Hewlett-Packard
Finally, if you're looking for a stock to profit off the biggest trend in tech, check out The Motley Fool's "The Next Trillion-Dollar Revolution," which details a "hidden" component play inside mobile phones. You can download this just-released report for free by clicking here.