The 24/7 Wall Street Corporate Power Rankings of the thirty-two most important companies in America are determined by earnings, analyst rankings, important corporate news, trends in each firm’s industry, product introductions, management strength and changes, and credible rumors. It is, in effect, a new version of the DJIA.
The Corporate Power Rankings are released at midnight on each Sunday based on performance during the previous week.
For Ford (F), Toyota (TM) is the gift that keeps on giving. IBM (IBM) picks up five spots on strength of tech sector. AT&T (T) drops on 3G trouble and Goldman Sach (GS) slips on investigation into Greek derivatives deals.
| Company | Rank (last week) | Symbol | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Ford | 1 (6) | F | Toyota recalls worsen substantially. Ford announces sales of its F-150 are better than expected. February sales should be extraordinary. |
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Berkshire Hathaway | 2 (3) | BRK | Buffett announces changes in holdings. intelligently dumps Exxon and newspaper company Gannett. Also exits JNJ and P&G which have probably peaked. |
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Apple | 3 (2) | APPL | Shares continue to slide on concern about iPad content. Networks reject ninety-nine cent TV show pricing. PC companies ready iPad clones. |
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IBM | 4 (9) | IBM | Dell and HP earnings show expensive server markets strengthening. Enterprise software sales are also improved. Buyout of Intelliden will help telecom business. |
| McDonald’s | 5 (5) | MCD | More evidence that same-store sales are better than industry averages. Burger King results prove McDonalds’ dominance. Bonus of being top 10 admired stock at Barron’s. | |
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Coca-Cola | 6 (7) | KO | New research from thestreet.com shows that Coke is preferred over Pepsi, particularly in fast-growing emerging markets. Sugar drink company also pops dividend by 7%. |
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Cisco | 7 (1) | CSCO | Battle with HP gets more violent as CSCO axes resale agreement between firms. Federal initiative for faster broadband is a benefit. |
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Disney | 8 (12) | DIS | Mouse company benefits from good CBS earnings. Jefferies starts company as a Buy with $36 price target. Mouse films doing well in Oscar race. |
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Oracle | 9 (10) | ORCL | Ellison predicts quick Sun profits. Figures from HP are strong indication of broad tech recovery among corporate customers. |
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Wal-Mart | 10 (4) | WMT | Sales miss industry estimates and forecasts are light. Market perception is that target and JC Penney have taken the momentum. |
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11 (8) | GOOG | Buzz about Google “Buzz” has gotten worse, hurting company’s email business. More competition for Nexus One gets worse in Barcelona. | |
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Johnson & Johnson | 12 (11) | JNJ | Settles patent fight with Hologic, but federal judge turns down claims against Boston Scientific. FDA asks for more disclosure on anemia drug risks. |
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GE | 13 (18) | GE | NBC ratings for winter olympics better than expected. Company also wins EU approval to sell security business. US infrastructure and alt energy plans should help earnings. |
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Philip Morris | 14 (20) | PM | Commodity demand in Asia should help shares. Rival huntsman posts strong numbers, an indication of sector recovery. |
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Caterpillar | 15 (14) | CAT | Rival Deere posts strong numbers, which lift sector. CAT will join Conoco and BP to lobby in D.C. for environmental interests. |
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FedEx | 16 (15) | FDX | Rival UPS may face price-fixing investigation in Europe. New data from U.S. Postal Service shows air freight companies still taking away mail customers. |
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Pfizer | 17 (13) | PFE | Rival Merck picks up market share. Concerns increase about danger of cholesterol-lowering statins. General FDA attitude is toward increased regulation. |
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Verizon | 18 (24) | VZ | New JD Power wireless quality survey gives wireless unit top grades. Fiber-to-the-home will get HBO product. Will load Skype on handsets, which should help market share. |
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Dow Chemical | 19 (19) | DOW | Trade deficit numbers show company’s strengthening position. Firm expects sales to increase rapidly in emerging markets |
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American Express | 20 (16) | AXP | Credit card reforms will hurt consumer perceptions of AXP and other card companies. New data on credit card defaults indicates market is still poor. |
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Proctor & Gamble | 21 (23) | PG | Consumer products giant says newest versions of Pampers, Gillette razors, and Pantene shampoo have picked up. Firm believes consumers did not see their shadows on groundhog day, and are out of the hole for good. |
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Abbott Labs | 22 (22) | ABT | Dividend increased by 10%. Market shows some concern about new FDA power over medical device approval. Closes 6.2 Billion Solva buyout. |
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Boeing | 23 (17) | BA | Trouble with airline financials could bruise earnings. European union pressures WTO to review monopoly claims against Dreamliner maker. |
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Intel | 24 (21) | INTC | Encouraging results from HP show chip demand picking up again. Spring 4G deployment should help wireless initiatives. JV with Nokia could help handset share. |
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JP Morgan | 25 (25) | JPM | Morgan Stanley issues positive note on large U.S. banks. “Volcker Rule” seems unlikely to be approved by congress. Soros holds stake in bank level. |
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Hewlett-Packard | 26 (26) | HPQ | Dell numbers show HP is picking up PC and server market share. HP’s own earnings indicate 2010 will be banner year. Largest open question is competition from smartphones. |
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Home Depot | 27 (27) | HD | Competitor Lowe’s posts better-than-expected earnings. Signal that housing has bottomed. Expect much improved numbers from the Depot. Oppenheimer continues to suggest accumulation of shares. |
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Bank of America | 28 (28) | BAC | Federal judge OK’s SEC settlement. Bank picks up two sterling IB’s. Fallout from prosecution of former CEO is limited. |
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Exxon-Mobil | 29 (29) | XOM | 80-dollar oil should help margins. company saves money by shutting Texas refinery. M&A heats up in sector and XOM has largest cash pile. |
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Microsoft | 30 (32) | MSFT | Windows Mobile 7 shows Ballmer still has pulse in wireless market. However, HP and Dell results raise questions about consumer PC demand. |
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Goldman Sachs | 31 (30) | GS | Investment bank may hire PR firm to buff up image. Greek derivative scandal should blow over. Global M&A improvement will be earnings bonus. |
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AT&T | 32 (31) | T | Competitor Sprint readies 4G launch. Potential weakness of iPad sales would hurt cellular business.Recent surveys still fault 3G network. |
-Douglas A. McIntyre
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