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24/7 Wall St.’s Corporate Power Rankings (Week 12)
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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.
Ford moved into first place as the market anticipates a blow-out sales month for the company in March. Apple fell five spots on concerns about late shipments of its iPad and growing competition from PC firms in the table computer market. Oracle moved up four spots on strong earnings.
| Company | Rank (last week) | Symbol | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Ford | 1 (6) | F | Ford should have one of its most impressive sales months in years. Edmunds expects sales to surge 55% compared to March 2009, better results that for any other major auto firm. That would keep Pony Co ahead of GM in domestic sales for second month in a row. |
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IBM | 2 (4) | IBM | IBM picks up a huge contract for anti-spam system with China Mobile. Likely to expand to other major carriers in People’s Republic |
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Disney | 3 (2) | DIS | Disney still making remarkable killing with “Alice in Wonderland.” Stock hits 52-week high on anticipated improvement in advertising sales and cable ratings. |
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Coca-Cola | 4 (5) | KO | Coca Cola maintains sales lead in US with nearly 42% of the market. Pepsi’s move to cut sugar in drinks could hurt its sales. |
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Berkshire Hathaway | 5 (3) | BRK | Berkshire Hathaway gets market applause for increasing share of Munich Re and buying liquor distributor Kahn Ventures. Buffett can have booze and Cherry Coke mix. |
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Apple | 6 (1) | APPL | Apple will ship iPads ordered online late, a sign of supply chain delays. Rivals Microsoft, Adobe, and Hewlett-Packard launch competing products. |
| McDonald’s | 7 (7) | MCD | McDonald’s watches rival Starbucks cave in on growth with announcement of dividend. Ronald McD & Co. shares hit 52-week high as sales improve. | |
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Cisco | 8 (10) | CSCO | Cisco mounts big move in to internet TV at CTIA. Oracle earnings show rebound in big tech firm sales is real. |
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Abbott Labs | 9 (8) | ABT | Abbott moves further into fast-growing biotech space with Facet buy-out. Gives company entrée into multiple sclerosis treatments. |
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Oracle | 10 (14) | ORCL | Oracle has remarkably impressive quarter as software sales top estimates. Sun buyout now looks like tech M&A deal of the year. |
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Wal-Mart | 11 (9) | WMT | Wal-Mart gets good interest rate for $2 billion in debt sales. Best Buy results underscore sharp improvement in consumer electronics sales. |
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Johnson & Johnson | 12 (12) | JNJ | Johnson & Johnson makes progress on new tuberculosis treatment developed in Tibotec. Could lower infection rates in developing world. |
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Philip Morris | 13 (11) | PM | Philip Morris gets low rates on new $1 billion in notes. Global program to cut tobacco smuggling advances. |
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Verizon | 14 (13) | VZ | Verizon pressed for buyout of Vodafone’s piece of Verizon Wireless which could lead to merger of two telecom giants. |
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Proctor & Gamble | 15 (15) | PG | Procter & Gamble helped by forecast of rival Kimberly-Clark. P&G describes how its relationship with universities gives company inexpensive stream of products. |
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GE | 16 (16) | GE | GE’s aviation unit wins big contract with NASA. Company indicates Obama healthcare plan will not ding earnings with write-offs like AT&T’s. |
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FedEx | 17 (19) | FDX | FedEx eyes customer expansion as USPS moves toward 5-day delivery. Steadying of oil prices means fuel costs not likely to be an issue in next quarter. |
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Intel | 18 (17) | INTC | Intel faces concern that its bet on WiMax will be wasted if Sprint falters. New advances in graphics chips from Nvidia and AMD could ding Intel’s market share. |
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Microsoft | 19 (20) | MSFT | Microsoft gets positive reviews for Windows 7 Mobile at CTIA. Google’s move out of China will help Bing. Nintendo sales of Wii opens door for Xbox 360. |
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Hewlett-Packard | 20 (23) | HPQ | Hewlett-Packard CEO Hurd named to “Best CEOs” by Barron’s. Oracle’s sales news good for all big tech firms with broad product lines. |
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Pfizer | 21 (18) | PFE | Pfizer found guilty in epilepsy drug Neurontin federal racketeering. At least no one goes to prison. PFE shows it’s all heart by donating drug to treat pneumonia in underdeveloped nations. |
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Dow Chemical | 22 (21) | DOW | Dow Chemical gets some enthusiasm about its electric car battery business. Firm’s PR dogs flog new insulation product which no one cares about. |
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23 (28) | GOOG | Google Android makes big splash at CTIA with 4G Android systems. Exit from China may not cost the company as much as feared due to small advertising search market in People’s Republic. | |
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JP Morgan | 24 (24) | JPM | JPMorgan to get $1.4 billion tax benefit from WaMu buyout. Appears bank will not be hurt as much as others by Obama mortgage reduction plan. |
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Exxon-Mobil | 25 (22) | XOM | Exxon Mobil hurt by more bad news about refinery margins. Crude stuck around $80 does not help world’s largest oil company’s prospects. |
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Goldman Sachs | 26 (25) | GS | Goldman Sachs tops M&A rankings for the year so far. But still faces restrictions on its ultra-profitable proprietary trading business. |
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American Express | 27 (26) | AXP | American Express voices concerns about being blocked from payment processing market in China. Amex is one of few big financial services firms that does not face much pressure from Congress. |
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Boeing | 28 (29) | BA | Boeing should get a step closer to 787 commercial launch with critical test this week. But, trade tensions with China could hurt earnings badly. |
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Caterpillar | 29 (27) | CAT | Caterpillar takes $100 million write-down on costs of Obama health plan. Avondale Partners analyst Ted Grace rates CAT as “outperform” |
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Bank of America | 30 (30) | BAC | Bank of America says it will expand global corporate banking which means very little because it may not work. Market is already crowded. Plan to modify underwater mortgages will be costly. |
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AT&T | 31 (32) | T | AT&T says it will take a $1 billion charge for Obama health care package. Company also makes unpopular announcement that it will ask customers to pay for enhanced 3G service. |
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Home Depot | 32 (31) | HD | Home Depot. Housing market is deader than a doornail. `Nuf said. |
Douglas A. McIntyre [email protected]
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