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 change, 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.
Apple moved back into the No.1 spot on pre-orders of the iPad. McDonald’s dropped sharply down the list due to fears of more competition from Burger King (BKS) and Starbucks (SBUX). AT&T (T) dropped into the basement as concerns about the FCCs broadband initiative and its cost to the telecom industry spread.
| Company | Rank (last week) | Symbol | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Apple | 1 (5) | APPL | Apple has large number of pre-orders for the iPad. Market does not like the look for iPad clones from PC companies. Death of Palm a small benefit. |
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Disney | 2 (2) | DIS | “Alice In Wonderland” tops box office for third week. ESPN should benefit big from return of Tiger Woods at “Masters.” |
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Berkshire Hathaway | 3 (3) | BRK | Berkshire Hathaway will benefit from Warren Buffett as CEO for years to come. His Axl Rose imitation for Geico commercial proves he has years to go. |
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IBM | 4 (6) | IBM | IBM benefits from new reviews of analytics software. Masters sponsorship gains value. Big Blue begins to take early lead in cloud computing. |
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Coca-Cola | 5 (4) | KO | Coca-Cola moves to finish buy-out of Russian juice company Nidan and should gain on Pepsi in the region. Expansion into Malaysia should also help sales. |
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Ford | 6 (7) | F | Ford closer than ever to dumping Volvo. Edmunds says March car sales will rise 34%. New JD Power data also makes Mustang & Co. look hot. |
| McDonald’s | 7 (1) | MCD | McDonald’s may not have such an easy time against Burger King this year as it has in the past, according to Deutsche Bank. Analysts also see Starbucks improving momentum. | |
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Abbott Labs | 8 (8) | ABT | Abbott’s Simcor does not get restrictions some feared from FDA. New program to speed breast cancer drugs to market should help fortunes of firm’s veliparib trials. |
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Wal-Mart | 9 (9) | WMT | Wal-Mart should be helped by major merchandising deal with DreamWorks for “How to Train Your Dragon”. Sam & Co. also cuts grocery prices to crush local competition. |
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Cisco | 10 (11) | CSCO | Cisco’s new router gets good reviews after weak initial reception. FCC plans to expand broadband would bring Cisco Kid major business. |
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Philip Morris | 11 (10) | PM | Philip Morris sales will be helped by international effort to cut tobacco smuggling. Stock still benefits from smokes company’s plan to buy back shares |
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Johnson & Johnson | 12 (12) | JNJ | Johnson & Johnson could face some FDA pressure over use of its anemia drugs. Trouble at rival Boston Scientific should help JNJ stent and medical devices sales. |
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Verizon | 13 (14) | VZ | Verizon files promising suit to limit use of rival Cablevision’s (CVC) set-top box. Availability of Google’s Nexus on VZ wireless network should help sub sales. |
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Oracle | 14 (13) | ORCL | Oracle gets Russian approval of Sun buy-out, as if it mattered. Rival SAP lays out strategic plan and market thinks it looks weak. |
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Proctor & Gamble | 15 (15) | PG | Procter & Gamble deal to buy Sara Lee (SLE) unit may be blocked in Europe. Company’s distance from Woods during scandal could look like a dump as golfer returns. |
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GE | 16 (16) | GE | GE CEO Immelt gets no bonus, but did not deserve one. Sterne Agee analyst upgrades stock to “neutral” which is hardly an endorsement. Conglomerate plans to double its R&D to $10 billion for its Ecoimagination program over the next five years. What’s Ecomagination? |
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Intel | 17 (17) | INTC | Intel helped by Barron’s comments on PC trends and improved chip sales. New six-core processor chip should increase sales to server companies. |
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Pfizer | 18 (21) | PFE | Pfizer looks like it may win bid for German generic firm Stada. Healthcare bill should force big pharma companies to hold current prices on drugs. |
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FedEx | 19 (18) | FDX | FedEx warns of slow economic growth hinting results will be poor. Competitor Deutsche Post misses outlook which means FedEx could be taking market share. Or, whole industry may be weak. |
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Microsoft | 20 (19) | MSFT | Microsoft prospects in China get big boost as Google’s exit from search business there becomes more likely. New Windows 7 mobile version gets good reviews |
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Dow Chemical | 21 (20) | DOW | Dow Chemical CEO gets 23% pay raise for a good year and deserves it. Surge in China GDP expectations and exports numbers good for global chemical providers. |
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Exxon-Mobil | 22 (22) | XOM | Exxon Mobil benefits from surge of global oil prices to above $81 and growth in China crude needs. But, concerns about margins in huge refinery operations grow. |
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Hewlett-Packard | 23 (23) | HPQ | Hewlett-Packard tablet PC competitor to iPad looks DOA. No unique features. Wins patent suit against ink cartridge manufacturers. |
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JP Morgan | 24 (24) | JPM | JP Morgan should benefit from disclosure of Fed actions during credit crisis. But, market is concerned about whether JPM used same balance sheet tricks as Lehman. And, Congress is still likely to restrict profitable trading operations. |
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Goldman Sachs | 25 (25) | GS | Goldman Sachs loses more than any bank if Volcker rule moves through Congress. Bank loses bid to keep vote on executive pay of off proxy. |
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American Express | 26 (28) | AXP | American Express loses 61% of comp compared to 2008, but still gets $17 million. Delinquency rate stable in Feb which is a plus. Firm probably wishes it was still friends with Tiger. |
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Caterpillar | 27 (26) | CAT | Caterpillar may benefit from increase in commodities prices and derivative improvement in mining and drilling. China building sector may overheat but should buy more CATs in the meantime. |
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28 (27) | GOOG | Google may be adding sales of its Nexus One to all three major US carriers, but concerns about China overwhelm any other news. | |
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Boeing | 29 (29) | BA | Boeing says it will see increased sales this year and will up capacity, but aerospace firm’s lock on Air Force tanker project fade as rival EADS prepares bid. |
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Bank of America | 30 (31) | BAC | Bank of America hurt by Goldman Sachs downgrade of earnings prospects. Release of Fed data on bailout funding to banks could prove embarrassing. |
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Home Depot | 31 (32) | HD | Home Depot shares hit 52-week high and are up 11% in the last month. HD investors must believe the positive half of the housing data and not worry about the bad stuff. |
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AT&T | 32 (30) | T | AT&T is pressured by concerns that FCC plan to build out national broadband would hurt earnings and raise expenses over time. Not being a Tiger sponsor any more must hurt. |
Douglas A. McIntyre [email protected]
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