Hot Blue Chip Companies To Own In Right Now

The market got a helping hand from Europe -- of all places -- today, while positive news on the domestic front combined to send stocks higher. The European Central Bank's decision to cut rates to historic lows in just a few days put equities on firmer ground, coupled with rising consumer spending and a jump in real estate sales. When all was said and done, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) ended up 106 points, or 0.7%, at 14,818.

But as much as those macroeconomic developments were responsible for the rise of the blue chips, it was tech stocks that really lifted the index. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) was one notable beneficiary of tech's popularity surge Monday, adding 2.6%. Since HP has seen its stock slip at the expense of a move to tablets from PCs, today's report showing an uptick in consumer spending doesn't hurt things.�

Although also heavily reliant on the declining PC market, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) tacked on 2.6% as well. While Microsoft's Surface tablet has had some trouble gaining traction and its new Windows 8 operating system hasn't blown anybody away, the company is making legitimate progress in the cloud computing landscape. Its Azure business division just crossed the $1 billion annual sales mark, with subscriptions to its service rising nearly 50% in the last six months alone.

5 Best Supermarket Stocks For 2015: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By E.S. Browning]

  Several companies have gotten attention for their heavy buybacks, including International Business Machines (IBM). Under pressure to meet earnings targets in the face of steadily declining sales, IBM spent $8.3 billion in the first quarter purchasing its own shares. Some analysts criticized that and noted that IBM�� debt level rose, suggesting it was in effect using borrowed money.

Hot Blue Chip Companies To Own In Right Now: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Eisen]

  Visa Inc. (V) � shares retreated 5% Friday following the release of the financial services company�� earnings. CEO Charles Scharf said the firm expects ��lightly more pronounced��difficulties in year-over-year comparisons next quarter due to the effects of a strengthening dollar.

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  During the quarter, Visa (V) reported strong year-颅��ver-颅��ear growth with earnings up 14%, as the business continues to operate at a superior level ��very much in-颅��ine with the past several years. Visa has been a core holding for our clients since October 2008 and rarely has a year gone by without the Company and its partners having to contend with lawsuits and legislation aimed at limiting pricing power and 4 distribution. 2014 is no exception, though most of the news has been favorable, with a ruling for "no change" to Visa's exclusivity for high-颅��alue signature transactions. We continue to see Visa's pricing power as being derived from VisaNet's superior value proposition relative to substitutes, particularly paper-颅��based payments, automated clearinghouse (ACH), and more recently, "cryptocurrencies" (e.g. Bitcoin). While these emerging payment platforms, including PayPal and Square, represent very legitimate substitutes to traditional interchange, in our view they are not quite "good enough," as evidenced by merchant acceptance that is largely sequestered to small businesses. While we have been net sellers of Visa over the past 18 months, it has been solely due to valuation ��our primary tool for risk management at Wedgewood. We believe Visa will continue to maintain its superior competitive positioning, as competitors find it difficult to achieve the network-颅��ffect benefits that have compounded the value proposition of VisaNet, particularly as acceptance and issuance of the Visa brand continues to expand.From David Rolfe (Trades, Portfolio)'s Wedgewood Partners first quarter 2014 commentary.
  Also check out: David Rolfe Undervalued Stocks David Rolfe Top Growth Companies David Rolfe High Yield stocks, and Stocks that David Rolfe keeps buying
  Currently 0.00/512345

  Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes)

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  Analysts at Janney Capital upgraded Visa (NYSE: V) to Buy from Neutral with a price target raised to $240 from a previous $210. Shares gained 1.49 percent, closing at $204.00.

• [By Morgan Housel]

  I'll be reading a slug of annual reports (called 10-Ks) over the next few weeks, first page to the last. This week: Visa (NYSE: V  ) .

  Here are five things I learned from Visa's annual report (which you can read here).

Hot Blue Chip Companies To Own In Right Now: Philip Morris International Inc(PM)

Philip Morris International Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside of the United States. Its international product brand line comprises Marlboro, Merit, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M, Chesterfield, Bond Street, Lark, Muratti, Next, Philip Morris, and Red & White. The company also offers its products under the A Mild, Dji Sam Soe, and A Hijau in Indonesia; Diana in Italy; Optima and Apollo-Soyuz in the Russian Federation; Morven Gold in Pakistan; Boston in Colombia; Belmont, Canadian Classics, and Number 7 in Canada; Best and Classic in Serbia; f6 in Germany; Delicados in Mexico; Assos in Greece; and Petra in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It operates primarily in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Canada, and Latin America. The company is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  However, you would be hard-pressed to find any connection between falling smoking prevalence and share performance at Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI  ) , Lorriland (NYSE: LO  ) , Phillip Morris (NYSE: PM  ) , and Altria (NYSE: MO  ) . These companies are some of the best performers in the past decade. In fact, Altria is the best-performing stock of the last half-century!

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  One stock that insiders are buying up a large amount of here is Philip Morris International (PM), which manufactures and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products in markets outside the U.S. Insiders are buying this stock into modest strength, since shares are up 5.5% so far in 2013.

  Philip Morris International has a market cap of $143 billion and an enterprise value of $168 billion. This stock trades at a reasonable valuation, with a trailing price-to-earnings of 17.25 and a forward price-to-earnings of 14.6. Its estimated growth rate for this year is 4.2%, and for next year it's pegged at 11.8%. This is not a cash-rich company, since the total cash position on its balance sheet is $3.59 billion and its total debt is $25.50 billion. This stock currently sports a dividend yield of 3.8%.

  A director just bought 123,500 shares, or about $11.01 million worth of stock, at $89.15 per share.

  From a technical perspective, PM is currently trending below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bearish. This stock has been downtrending over the last two months and change, with shares dropping from its high of $95.38 to its recent low of $85.21 a share. During that move, shares of PM have been mostly making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action.

  If you're bullish on PM, then I would look for long-biased trades as long as this stock is trending above some near-term support at $87.65 to $87 and then once it takes out its 200-day at $88.72 and its 50-day at $89.25 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 5.10 million shares. If we get that move soon, then PM will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $91.40 to $92.26 a share. Any high-volume move above those levels will then put $94 to $95 into range for shares of PM.

   

• [By Dan Dzombak]

  However, the tobacco industry has been a great hunting ground for investors. While no tobacco companies pay as high a dividend as Vector Group, long-term investors would do well to look at Altria in the U.S. or Phillip Morris International (NYSE: PM  ) . Both were part of the original Phillip Morris conglomerate that split up around 2008 by spinning off Kraft and Phillip Morris International.� Both businesses are leaders in their respective markets -- Altria in the U.S. and Phillip Morris the world, excluding China and the U.S -- and have exceptionally high-returning businesses. This is in part due to both having one of the top brands in the world with Marlboro. For dividend investors, the key part is that both have long-term histories of steadily increasing their dividends. If I had to choose just one, while Altria has a higher yield than Phillip Morris (4.9% vs. 3.9%), I would go with Phillip Morris. The company has better growth prospects and a lower payout ratio, and the business is far more diversified in terms of legal risk, whereas Altria could be hurt by any laws or rulings that go against tobacco companies in the U.S.

• [By Alexandra Scaggs]

  Then the bank appeared to backpedal a bit in its note yesterday, cutting back on its recommended holdings in Ultimate Software Group(ULTI) and Mastercard(MA) and adding to its recommended positions in Anadarko Petroleum Corp.(APC), an energy stock, and Philip Morris International Inc.(PM), a consumer-staples stock. Morgan Stanley strategist Adam Parker �and his�team found that times when value stocks outperform growth stocks by such a wide margin “are typically followed by periods where value outperforms.”

Hot Blue Chip Companies To Own In Right Now: Chevron Corporation(CVX)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. It operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment involves in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as holds interest in a gas-to-liquids project. The Downstream segment engages in the refining of crude oil into petroleum products; marketing of crude oil and refined products primarily under the Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex brand names; transportation of crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car; and manufacture and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives. It a lso produces and markets coal and molybdenum; and holds interests in 13 power assets with a total operating capacity of approximately 3,100 megawatts, as well as involves in cash management and debt financing activities, insurance operations, real estate activities, energy services, and alternative fuels and technology business. Chevron Corporation has a joint venture agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation. The company was formerly known as ChevronTexaco Corp. and changed its name to Chevron Corporation in May 2005. Chevron Corporation was founded in 1879 and is based in San Ramon, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jared Cummans]

  Chevron Corporation (CVX) had a bit of a rocky 2013, as its shares were up approximately 10%, lagging the overall market considerably. Oil prices were all over the board this past year, making it difficult for the company to establish a clear pricing trend.�Let’s examine the company�� current dividend policy and what lies in store for the stock in 2014 from a dividend perspective.

  Chevron Corp’s Current Dividend Policy

  Chevron pays out a quarterly dividend and currently offers a yield around 3.3%. The stock’s annual payout rose from $3.51 to $4.00 in 2013, a jump of 13.96%, the largest dividend growth for the company since 2006. Based on analyst estimates, its payout ratio sits around 35% for 2013 and 34% for 2014, leaving plenty of room for the firm to continue growing its annualized payout as it has done for the last 19 years.

  Dividend.com DARS Ratings for Chevron Corp Overall Rating:Neutral (3.4/5) Metric Rating Explanation Relative Strength Stock is performing in-line with the market or better. Overall Yield Attractiveness Stock’s dividend yield is adequate. Dividend Reliability This rating is related to the length and consistency of a company’s dividend payouts, as well as our opinion on how likely the company is to continue payouts in the future. Dividend Uptrend Dividend payouts are consistent, but increases small. Earnings Growth Earnings estimates are uptrending.
• [By Isaac Pino, CPA]

  Since acquiring Texaco in 2001, Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) has been embroiled in a legal battle related to Texaco's operations in Ecuador in the 1960s. The Fool discussed the background of the case, which revolves around environmental contamination due to an oil spill, in the article, "Exclusive Fool Interview: A Look at Both Sides of Chevron's Nightmare Legal Battle." To learn firsthand how this case has evolved and where it stands today, we conducted interviews with�both parties to the case --�plaintiffs and defendants. The following interview took place on Feb. 12, 2013 with defendants from Chevron.�

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Over the past 12 months, domestic integrated oil companies like Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) are up 13 percent and 8 percent respectively, while Statoil (NYSE: STO) is down by 8 percent over the same period. Results were mixed for Statoil’s European peers, with Total (NYSE: TOT) up 11 percent and Eni (NYSE: E) down 6 percent.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  3 companies seeing success in the Gulf
  Chevron (NYSE: CVX  ) , for instance, has had a string of exploration successes in the region, including its most recent deepwater oil discovery in the Coronado prospect about 200 miles off the Louisiana coast. The company's test well, jointly owned with ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) , has a 35% interest, and Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC  ) , which has a 15% interest, unveiled more than 400 feet of oil-bearing rocks.

Hot Blue Chip Companies To Own In Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Adam Levine-Weinberg]

  For a prominent company that's frequently in the news, BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) is one of the most misunderstood stocks in the market today. Too much attention focuses on the company's past missteps -- which allowed Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) to rapidly overtake it -- rather than BlackBerry's future prospects. Similarly, now that the new BB10 OS has come to market, too many people are focusing on the success or failure of the Z10 (BlackBerry's first BB10 device) rather than the ecosystem's overall potential.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Getty Images Following the introduction of Apple's (AAPL) instantly popular iPad line of tablets in 2010, many believed computing would switch, if not entirely, then largely to mobile devices. And for a while, statistics seemed to bear this out. According to IT market researcher IDC, from late 2010 to the end of 2013, annual worldwide PC shipments dropped by 12 percent. But the death of the personal computer, it seems, has been greatly exaggerated. The latest numbers indicate that the PC decline could be leveling off. And other indications show that the dowdy old PC might not be headed for irrelevance after all. Here are three developments indicating otherwise. Shipments Are Starting to Flow Again The years of decline were then; this is now. Preliminary research from Gartner Group (IT) indicates that worldwide PC shipments inched up by 0.1 percent on a year-over-year basis in this year's second quarter following eight straight quarters of declines. It's a small number, but it masks some impressive gains. In the U.S. market, the tally was much higher at 7.4 percent, while the Europe, Middle East and Africa mega-region saw an 8.6 percent improvement. It was the Asia-Pacific region that dragged the overall number down, recording a 9.5 percent year-over-year fall. Asia-Pacific aside, the improvement is due to a number of factors. First is the accessibility of new and attractive hardware, with thin, powerful notebooks doing well and touchscreen models dropping to affordable prices. On the software side of the equation, in April, Microsoft (MSFT) stopped supporting its creaky old Windows XP operating system. This has given users of aging PCs running the OS a strong incentive to upgrade. And a great many of them spent a little more to buy new machines prepackaged with the company's current Windows 8.1 rather than undergoing cumbersome software updates. Industry Veterans Are Getting Their Due When the sales declines started to snowball, many big names in the P

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: MSFT is a member of the S&P 500. The company's peer group includes: Apple Inc. (AAPL) with a 2.5% yield, Oracle Corp. (ORCL) with a 1.5% yield and Google Inc. (GOOG) with a 0.0% yield.

• [By Mark Morelli]

  If Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) has its way, it could be paper money. CEO Tim Cook suggested that the company was working on some sort of mobile payments platform earlier this year.�

Hot Blue Chip Companies To Own In Right Now: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Svanblar/Shutterstock A common antimicrobial agent called triclosan causes liver fibrosis and cancer in laboratory mice through mechanisms also relevant to humans, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found Triclosan's broad use in consumer goods -- including liquid hand soaps, toothpastes, shampoos, cosmetics, plastics, yoga mats, cutting boards and ice cream scoops -- presents "a very real risk of liver toxicity for people, as it does in mice," said Robert H. Tukey, a UC-San Diego professor and co-author of the study, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Triclosan, a synthetic, broad-spectrum antibacterial chemical, is coming under fire because of its links to endocrine disruption that could cause infertility, impaired muscle function and now increased cancer risks. It's All Around The UC-San Diego study showed that mice exposed to triclosan for six months (roughly equivalent to 18 human years) had more and larger chemical-induced liver tumors than mice not exposed to the antimicrobial. Researchers believe triclosan may interfere with the protein responsible for detoxifying foreign chemicals in the body, thereby causing liver cells to proliferate and, over time, become cancerous tumors. Studies have found traces of triclosan in 97 percent of breast milk samples from lactating women and in the urine of nearly 75 percent of people tested, according to a statement by UC San Diego Health System. Triclosan is also one of the seven most frequently detected compounds in streams across the United States, the statement says. "We could reduce most human and environmental exposures by eliminating uses of triclosan that are high-volume, but of low-benefit, such as inclusion in liquid hand soaps," said Bruce D. Hammock, professor at University of California, Davis. "Yet we could also for now retain uses shown to have health value -- as in toothpaste, where the amount used is small." Colgate-P

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight and the price target is now $68 (versus a $59.93 close) at Morgan Stanley.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) will release its quarterly report on Friday, and investors have watched the stock hit new all-time record highs in November before falling back in the past two months. Despite the optimism, Procter & Gamble earnings face pressure from international giant Unilever (NYSE: UL  ) as well as domestic rivals Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) and Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB  ) . The question facing investors is whether P&G can sustain its longtime competitive advantages against its rivals and bolster its growth.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Andres Cardenal:�Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) , generates most of its sales and cash flows from its leadership position in the oral care industry. Management estimates that the company owns a global market share of 44.4% in toothpastes, 33.2% in toothbrushes, and 38.9% in mouthwashes.

Hot Blue Chip Companies To Own In Right Now: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rick Aristotle Munarriz]

  Alamy Fried chicken and waffles is a staple menu item at countless soul food and comfort food restaurants, but that's not stopping Burger King (BKW) from trying to give the meal a fast-food spin. Burger King is testing a new sandwich in the Northeast that takes the breaded chicken patty used in its Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich from its King Deals Value Menu and replaces the bun with a split waffle. Burger King's Chicken & Waffle Sandwich isn't as hearty as the meal that it's based on. It's selling for as little as $2.29. But the chain's latest attempt to turn heads with a unique menu item will at least attract curious nibblers if it does decide to broaden the offering across the country. Waffling About Burger King isn't the first popular chain to attempt to reinvent this classic dish. As Nation's Restaurant News points out, last summer, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLKI) offered Chicken Waffle Tenders -- consisting of chicken tenders dipped in a vanilla maple-scented waffle batter, served with a honey maple dipping sauce. DineEquity's (DIN) IHOP did it three years ago by combining its chicken strips with Belgian waffle quarters. Yum! Brands (YUM) tried to breathe new life into its breakfast business last summer by testing a Waffle Taco -- an egg, sausage, and waffle breakfast sandwich. Even if it doesn't succeed -- and some of the early taste tests haven't been very flattering to the chain's new sandwich -- it's at least comforting to see that Burger King isn't just copying McDonald's (MCD) the way that it has for the past couple of years. Burger King followed McDonald's in offering fancy coffee drinks, fresh fruit smoothies, and popcorn chicken. It has gone on to roll out doppelgangers of the Egg McMuffin and McRib sandwiches. In November, it introduced the Big King, which any patron will quickly recognize as a body double to the Big Mac. Then again, it's not as if following McDonald's lead is such a clever idea right now. The world's largest re

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  Before Tuesday’s opening bell, fast food giant McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) reported lower first quarter earnings, as last year’s earnings were impacted by a tax benefit.�

  MCD’s Earnings in Brief

  MCD posted Q1 earnings of�$1.205 billion, or $1.21 per share, down from $1.270 billion, or $1.26 per share, a year ago.� Revenue rose to�$6.70 billion from $6.61 billion last year. On average, analysts expected to see earnings of $1.24 per share and�$6.73 billion in revenue.

  CEO Commentary

  Don Thompson, President and CEO of MCD, noted: “By leveraging a deeper understanding of what our customers want with the power of our business�model, our investments in restaurant capabilities and modernization, and our hard-earned competitive advantages, we will grow McDonald’s business and deliver enduring profitable growth over the long term. As we begin the�second quarter, global comparable sales for the month of April are expected to be modestly positive.”

  MCD’s Dividend

  MCD paid its last quarterly dividend of 81 cents on March 17. We expect the company to declare its next dividend in May.

  Stock Performance

  McDonald’s shares were up $1.00, or 1.00%, during pre-market trading Tuesday. The stock is up 2.72% YTD.

  MCD Dividend Snapshot

  As market close of April 21, 2014

  Click here to see the complete history of MCD dividends.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Hey McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) and Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM), the reason you're struggling isn't likely the reason you think. Yes, McDonald's, you have logistics problems, and Yum! Brands [purveyor of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell], offering an alternative to burgers to a burger-lovin' world doesn't always make life easy. That's not your biggest hurdle, however. You're biggest hurdle is much more nuanced, admittedly a little obscure, and multiple in number. Winning and keeping market share can be done though. As proof that it can be done, one only has to look at Giggles N Hugs Inc. (OTCMKTS:GIGL), which is actually growing by giving kids AND parents what both of them REALLY want.