The Dow Jones Industrial Average
Company |
Weekly Price Change |
---|---|
Hewlett-Packard |
7.9% |
Alcoa |
7.3% |
Cisco |
7.3% |
Hewlett-Packard made a lot of news this week. The hardware giant raised its third-quarter earnings outlook past the downbeat guidance it gave last quarter to be more in line with what analysts had expected then. It announced an $8 billion writedown on some of the dumb acquisitions the empire-builder made over past years as the company continues to restructure.
It's not just Dow money-centers Bank of America
Early this week, analysts predicted that Cisco will have a strong quarter when it reports earnings next week on strong demand for switching and cost-cutting. By Thursday, Goldman Sachs and Piper Jaffray upgraded the stock. It's still unclear whether stronger demand is going to be a just a blip or a longer-term phenomenon; a lot depends on the unknown European economy, though it's possible the stock is reasonably priced enough to reduce the risk to investors if demand remains a bit bumpy.
HP, Alcoa, and Cisco all crushed the market this week, but as investors it's also important for us to remember to keep our eyes on long-term performance. If you're looking for some more stock ideas, the Motley Fool recently highlighted "The 3 Dow Stocks Dividend Investors Need." You can get the full scoop on these three promising Dow dividend dynamos.