Tag: MSFT

The Largest Company Right Now: Not Tesla or Apple or Amazon

by Fred Fuld III

At the time this is being written, 1:09 am PT on October 29, 2021, the largest US publicly traded company by market cap is Microsoft (MSFT) at $2.478 trillion.

In second position is Apple at $2.462 trillion.

Surprisingly, Google, I mean Alphabet (GOOGL) is ahead of Amazon (AMZN), Tesla (TSLA), and Facebook (FB), I mean Meta. Alphabet has a market cap of $1.956 trillion.

Check out the list below. Market cap values are in trillion dollars.

MSFT 2.478
AAPL 2.462
GOOGL 1.956
AMZN 1.698
TSLA 1.104
FB 0.902

Do you think we will ever see quadrillion dollar companies?

Online Meeting & Video Conferencing Stocks that Should Benefit from the Corona Virus

by Fred Fuld III

Businesses across the country have been changing their travel policies. Over the last several years, many companies with diverse geographical footprints have moved towards video conferencing instead of meetings in person, in order to save on travel, hotel, and car rental costs.

Now companies are stepping up their online meetings for the health and safety of their employees, due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

There are several companies that will benefit from this massive change in how company employees interact with other employees, vendors, customers, suppliers, and others.

One example is Cisco Systems (CSCO), the large hardware and software network company. The company owns the web conferencing applications WebEx and Jabber. However, these divisions are only a small part of Cisco’s business. In the last month, the stock has dropped by over 22%. It trades at 13.5 times trailing earnings, and pays a dividend yield of 3.9%.

In terms of the purer plays, there are a couple stocks to choose from. LogMeIn (LOGM) is a collaboration service company that owns the popular GoToMeeting product, along with Join.me. However, the company has agreed to be acquired for $4.3 billion by the private equity companies Francisco Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital Corp., with the closing taking place sometime this year.

Then there is Zoom Video Communications (ZM), the remote conferencing company which offers its Zoom conferencing product. The company is generating earnings but has a nosebleed high forward price to earnings ratio of 256.

Other companies in this industry are similar to Cisco, in that the video conferencing makes up a small portion of their business. These include Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google Hangouts, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Skype and Teams, Adobe (ADBE) Connect, and RingCentral (RNG).

Let’s hope the Coronavirus is eliminated quickly. But in the meantime, at least we have a way of communicating with each other without meeting in person.

Disclosure: Author owns MSFT.

How to Live Forever & the Stocks that will Benefit

Do you want to live forever? Many billionaires want to, or at least want to support the research into improving and extending the lives of people. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT) created the Allen Institute for Cell Science with $100 million, to develop treatments for diseases related to aging. Unfortunately, he passed away last year from septic shock caused by cancer.

Adam Neumann, the CEO of WeWork, has invested in the anti-aging company Life Biosciences. Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal (PYPL), has donated money to the SENS Research Foundation, a longevity organization. Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) co-founder Sergey Brin has donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and to the Parkinson’s Institute.

There are many companies involved in longevity through several different approaches, including medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and senior care facilities.

One company that fits into this category is Edwards Lifesciences (EW), a California based company involved in the production of products to treat heart disease. This $44.7 billion market cap company trades at 44 times trailing earnings and 35 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest reported year were up 23.7% over the previous year.

Boston Scientific (BSX), a $60 billion market cap company, makes and markets an extensive array of cardiology products. The sock has a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 43 and a forward PE ratio of 24.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) developer and markets treatments for cystic fibrosis. The stock trades at 21 times earnings.

Terumo Corporation (TRUMY), based in Japan, makes and markets numerous medical products, primarily for transfusion and cardiothoracic surgery. The stock has a PE ratio of 13.

All of the above, plus many other longevity related stocks make up the portfolio of the Global X Longevity Thematic ETF (LNGR), which has a portfolio of anti-aging stocks. It pays a small yield of 0.85%.

Hopefully some of these stocks will make your portfolio last a long time.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written.

 

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in February 2019

by Fred Fuld III

The following is a short list of some of the many stocks going ex dividend during the next month.

Many traders and investors use the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the strategy of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works in bull markets and flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the strategy during bear markets. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and many with yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the periodic dividend amount, and annual yield.

MetLife, Inc. (MET) 2/4/2019 0.42 3.69%
Boeing Company (BA) 2/7/2019 2.055 2.26%
Constellation Brands Inc (STZ) 2/11/2019 0.74 1.80%
Schlumberger N.V. (SLB) 2/12/2019 0.50 4.59%
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) 2/14/2019 0.645 2.24%
Target Corporation (TGT) 2/19/2019 0.64 3.54%
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) 2/20/2019 0.46 1.72%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 2/25/2019 0.90 2.79%
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) 2/27/2019 0.80 1.59%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found HERE . (If you have been to the page before, and the latest link doesn’t show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists HERE . Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

Invest Like a Billionaire

Did you know that ten out of the top twelve American billionaires made their money from a stock? The Forbes 400 Magazine was published about a month ago, which listed the wealthiest people in the United States.

It is interesting to note that most of the wealthiest achievements are from publicly traded companies. Maybe you can piggyback on some of these billionaires and their stocks.

Here is a list of the top dozen wealthy people with stock connections.

  1. Jeff Bezos – Amazon (AMZN)
  2. Bill Gates – Microsoft (MSFT)
  3. Warren Buffett – Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) (BRKB)
  4. Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook (FB)
  5. Larry Ellison – Oracle (ORCL)
  6. Larry Page – Google (GOOG) (GOOGL)
  7. Sergey Brin – Google (GOOG) (GOOGL)
  8. Jim Walton – Walmart (WMT)
  9. Alice Walton – Walmart (WMT)
  10. S. Robson Walton – Walmart (WMT)
  11. Steve Ballmer – Microsoft (MSFT)
  12. Phil Knight – Nike (NKE)

How to Invest Like a Billionaire

Do you want to be a billionaire? If so, maybe you should invest in the companies that made the billionaires so rich.

Forbes Magazine has just come out with its latest billionaires list. Seven out of the top ten billionaires have founded and/or are the head of companies that are publicly traded, providing investors with a selection of stocks to invest in.

The following is a list of the billionaires and their stocks.

Rank Name Net Worth Company Symbol
#1 Jeff Bezos $112 B Amazon AMZN
#2 Bill Gates $90 B Microsoft MSFT
#3 Warren Buffett $84 B Berkshire Hathaway BRKA
#4 Bernard Arnault $72 B LVMH LVMH
#5 Mark Zuckerberg $71 B Facebook FB
#7 Carlos Slim Helu $67.1 B América Móvil AMX
#10 Larry Ellison $58.5 B Oracle ORCL

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in February 2018

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) 2/1/2018 0.34
Signet Jewelers Limited (SIG) 2/1/2018 0.31
Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 2/1/2018 0.39
Citigroup Inc. (C) 2/2/2018 0.32
PetMed Express, Inc. (PETS) 2/2/2018 0.25
Intel Corporation (INTC) 2/6/2018 0.3
Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) 2/7/2018 0.3
Boeing Company (The) (BA) 2/8/2018 1.71
The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW) 2/8/2018 0.1
Consolidated Edison Inc (ED) 2/13/2018 0.715
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) 2/14/2018 1.32
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) 2/14/2018 0.563
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) 2/14/2018 0.42
Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) 2/16/2018 0.32
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) (GS) 2/28/2018 0.75

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn’t show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WStNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions: Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

 

The Companies that will Benefit the Most from the New Tax Law

The new tax law has passed and is waiting for the signature of the president. This change will provide a huge economic benefit for many corporations, especially for those that keep money overseas, due to the repatriation tax holiday.

Although there will be benefits to having plants and facilities in other countries, it is expected that most companies will prefer to have most of their operations in the United States. Many U.S. citizens are now starting to benefit from the corporate tax cut such as the AT&T (T) $1,000 bonus for all employees.

From an investor standpoint, the fundamentals for certain companies should improve dramatically which should help the stock price. Here are some of the corporations with the biggest cash holdings overseas.

Apple (AAPL)  ~ $215 billion to $252 billion depending on what source you use and what day of the month it is

Microsoft (MSFT) ~ $128 billion

Cisco (CSCO) ~ $68 billion

Oracle (ORCL) ~ $48 billion to $54 billion

Alphabet / Google (GOOG) ~ $32 billion

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) ~ $41 billion

Amgen (AMGN) ~ $36 billion

Watch the performance of these stocks during the new year. Speaking of new year, Happy New Year!!!

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of May

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) 5/15/2017 1.15 2.59%
Consolidated Edison Inc (ED) 5/15/2017 0.69 3.42%
Target Corporation (TGT) 5/15/2017 0.6 4.04%
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) 5/16/2017 0.39 2.16%
Honeywell International Inc. (HON) 5/17/2017 0.665 1.91%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn’t show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WStNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions: Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Trivia: The iPhone Name was Originally Owned by Cisco, Not Apple

Here is a bit of financial trivia for you.  Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), released its iPhone on Monday, December 18, 2006, which was a phone that connects to a home wireless network for making phone calls through the Internet using the Skype service. Skype was originally owned by eBay Inc. (EBAY)at the time and is now owned by Microsoft (MSFT).

It had been anticipated that Apple Computer Corp. (AAPL) would be using the iPhone name back then, but it had been registered by Cisco in 2000. The iPhone trademark is now owned by Apple.

More info about the “first” iPhone release can be found here, an article from bizjournals back in 2006.