Last week was not a good one for equities. Even Friday’s partial recovery left behind a loss of 4.2% for the Dow industrials, 4% for the S&P 500, and 3.2% for the Nasdaq Composite. For the year to date, the Dow is up just 2.1%, trailing both the S&P 500 (up 2.6%) and the Nasdaq Composite (up 7%).
Barely half (16) of the 30 stocks included in the Dow index have posted year-to-date gains in 2018, and just nine have managed to post double-digit gains for the year so far.
In 2017, the Dow gained 25% and the index’s top performer for almost the entire year nearly doubled in value, gaining 89%. Only 5 of the 30 Dow stocks posted a full-year loss in 2017.
Most impressive, perhaps, is the fact that 20 Dow stocks posted double-digit gains in 2017. From the look of it now, however, only the 9 Dow components that have managed double-digit gains so far this year have a realistic chance of making it into this year’s Dow Double-Digit club.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) posted a 46% gain in 2017 and has added another 31% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $150.24 to $233.47, and the consensus price target on the stock is $236.02. The company is scheduled to report fourth fiscal quarter 2018 results on November 1, and analysts currently estimate earnings per share (EPS) of $2.77 (up 34% year over year) and revenue of $61.44 billion (up nearly 17%).
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) posted a 38% gain in 2017 and has added another 28% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $77.25 to $116.18, and the consensus price target on the stock is $123.55. The company is scheduled to report first fiscal quarter 2019 results on October 24, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $0.96 (up 14% year over year) and revenue of $27.89 billion (up nearly 14%).
Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) posted a 4.4% share price loss in 2017 but has added 24% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $52.83 to $72.89, and the consensus price target on the stock is $75.75. The company is scheduled to report fourth fiscal quarter 2018 results on October 25, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $1.13 (up 1.8% year over year) and revenue of $10.87 billion (up 5.3%).
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) posted a 42% gain in 2017 and has added another 24% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $106.60 to $151.56, and the consensus price target on the stock is $163.85. The company is scheduled to report fourth fiscal quarter 2018 results on October 24, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $1.20 (up 33% year over year) and revenue of $5.43 billion (up nearly 12%).
The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) posted an 89% gain in 2017 and has added another 22% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $254.50 to $394.28 and the consensus price target on the stock is $413.30. The company is scheduled to report third fiscal quarter 2018 results on October 24, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $3.54 (up 30% year over year) and revenue of $24.47 billion (up just 0.7%).
Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) posted a 23% gain in 2017 and has added another 21% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $50.64 to $86.04, and the consensus price target on the stock is $87.69. The company is scheduled to report third fiscal quarter 2019 results in December, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $0.45 (down 2% year over year) and revenue of $9.16 billion (up 7%).
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) posted a 12% gain in 2017 and has added another 21% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $33.20 to $45.81, and the consensus price target on the stock is $42.27. The company is scheduled to report third fiscal quarter 2018 results on October 30, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $0.74 (up 9.5% year over year) and revenue of $13.56 billion (up 3%).
Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) posted a 27% gain in 2017 and has added another 19% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $33.44 to $49.47, and the consensus price target on the stock is $51.32. The company is scheduled to report first fiscal quarter 2019 results on November 14, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $0.72 (up 15% year over year) and revenue of $12.86 billion (up 6%).
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) posted a 38% gain in 2017 and has added another 18% so far in 2018. The stock’s 52-week range is $191.36 to $272.07, and the consensus price target on the stock is $292.90. The company is scheduled to report third fiscal quarter 2018 results on October 16, and analysts currently estimate EPS of $3.29 (up 24% year over year) and revenue of $56.34 billion (up 12%).
After these nine, the best performer so far in 2018 is The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) with a year-to-date gain of 4.7%. Not much chance of a breakthrough there it appears.
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