April 10, 2014: Markets opened lower on Thursday and could do nothing to turn the tide. Healthcare stocks led the drop, with financials close behind. Two major financial stocks report earnings Friday morning before the bell: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). Should be an interesting start to the trading day. At the close of trading today the DJIA was down 1.41%, the S&P 500 was down 1.96%, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 2.96%.
There were only two DJIA stocks that went against the grain today and posted gains, led by McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) which traded at $99.60 posted a gain of 1.27% today. The stock’s 52-week range of $92.22 to $103.70. Share volume was about 15% higher than the daily average of around 5.4 million shares traded. There was no particular news on the company although it’s generally acknowledged that the free coffee promotion has succeeded in stealing some thunder from Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu.
Telecom behemoth AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) traded up 0.83% at $35.21 in a 52-week range of $31.74 to $39.00. This has got to be the company’s dividend keeping investors happy on a day when there was little cheer to go around. Volume was about equal to the daily average of around 31 million shares traded.
The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) slipped in the final minutes to close down 0.26% at $38.89 in a 52-week range of $36.83 to $43.43. Volume was about equal to the daily average of around 17 million shares traded. Another solid, blue chipper sporting a good dividend yield of 3.2%.
Speaking of good dividend yields leads us to Windstream Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: WIN), up 2.52% at $8.75 in a 52-week range of $7.18 to $8.95. The telecom services company pays a dividend yield of 11.6% and that’s a big seller on a day like today. Volume was about 90% above the average of around 9 million shares.
The only Nasdaq 100 stock to post a gain was logistics provider CH Robinson Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRW). Shares traded up 1.79% at $53.91 in a 52-week range of $50.21 to $62.46. Volume was about 25% higher than the daily average of 2 million shares traded.
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Of the Dow 30 stocks 28 closed lower today and just 2 closed higher.
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