Current Watchlist April 30th 2009

Pom, Pepco Holdings, Inc., Pepco Holdings, Inc. operates as a diversified energy company. It operates in two businesses, Power Delivery and Competitive Energy.

RTP, Rio Tinto plc.

Rio Tinto plc engages in mining and processing mineral resources. The company produces aluminum products, including bauxite, alumina, and aluminum; copper and diamonds, such as copper in concentrate, refined copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, magnetite, vermiculite, and diamonds; energy and mineral products that consist of coking and thermal coal, uranium, titanium dioxide, feedstock, borates, and talc; and iron ore products, including iron ore, pig iron, salt, and gypsum.

It also engages in the production and sale of cathode blocks, anodes, aluminum fluoride, and calcined coke; and provision of engineering services and sale of smelting equipment, as well as the sale of electricity. Rio Tinto plc has operations in North America; Europe; Japan, China, and other Asian countries; Australia; New Zealand; and internationally. The company was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Rio Tinto plc is a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group.

BG, Bunge Ltd. Bunge Limited engages in the agriculture and food business worldwide. It operates in three divisions: Agribusiness, Fertilizer, and Food Products. The Agribusiness division purchases, stores, transports, processes, and sells agricultural commodities, including grains and oilseeds, such as soybeans, rapeseed or canola, sunflower seeds, wheat, and corn; and commodity products. It sells its products to animal feed manufacturers, wheat and corn millers, and oilseed processors; livestock, poultry, and aquaculture producers; and edible oil processing companies. The Fertilizer division produces and supplies fertilizers to farmers. It engages in nutrients and retail operations, including mining and processing phosphate ore; and the production of intermediate phosphate-based products for sale to fertilizer blenders. This division's products include phosphate rock, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, single super phosphate, and dicalcium phosphate, and phosphate-based animal feed ingredients. It also produces, distributes, and sells blended NPK formulas and other fertilizer products directly to retailers, processing and trading companies, and farmers.

The Food Products division offers edible oil products and milling products for food processors, foodservice companies, and retail outlets. Its edible oil products include packaged and bulk oils, shortenings, margarines, mayonnaise, and other products derived from the vegetable oil refining process; and milling products comprise various wheat flours and bakery mixes, and corn-based products derived from the corn dry milling process consisting primarily of dry milled corn meal, flours, grits, soy-fortified corn meal, corn-soy blend, corn oil, and corn feed products. Bunge Limited was founded in 1818 and is headquartered in White Plains, New York.

Disclosure I don't own these stocks yet but watching them closely

Rogers International Commodities Elements ETN's added

Added international commodities to my commodities portfolio today. I added RJA,Rogers International Commodity Index - Agriculture Total Return. I added RJI,Rogers International Commodity Index - Total Return. Added RJN,Rogers International Commodity Index - Energy Total Return. Also added RJZ, Rogers International Commodity Index - Metals Total Return.

In bonds folio I picked up AGG, iShares Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund. Also added CFT, iShares Barclays Credit Bond Fund. No other changes in Bonds currently up 4.41% for the year in this folio.

No changes to Emerging/Forgien Etf's folio up currently 8.36% year to date.

No changes to Index Etf's folio up currently 10.23% year to date.

Disclosure I am long all Shares listed above

Recently Sold Items,Folio Changes, Dividends Collected

I been cleaning house and dumped, dsg,jkl,pagg,rwx,mxhp,dd,awf,pht,pet,pty.
As well made some changes added Commodities folio, Emerging/Forgien Etf's folio, Bond Folio, Index folio and Sector Etf's folio. Removed Powershares Etfs folio, Vanquard etf folio.

This should make it alot easier for me to keep track of specific sector's of intrest in my portfolio.I am in the process of weeding out some stocks as i wittle my holdings down lower, currently 205 holdings would like to get down to 150 for starts. Received Dividends from nly and ge.

Dicslosure I long NLY shares

Weekend Dividend Folio Recap 401K Week Ending 4-26-09

This week has been quite the hectic little week with all the earnings announcement, Dividend cuts. The new swine flu outbreak, Our tornado filled night last night. As well as the battle my wife is still having with cancer. Now she has to have the colonoscopy test done on may 7th and a camera down her throat to take pictures of he stomach. Then the gallbladder needs to be removed next she has gall stones. May have to pull the appendix to if its not right. As you read this please send a prayer out to my wife may she find the courage to win this battle and stand tall by our kids. My doctor put me on some new anxiety meds to hopefully help me work through this all.

Gets me to my point of this blog and investing in general. I love my wife with all my heart but I need to have a way to vent all my feeling and ramblings. I Jumped head first into investing in September 25 of 2008. My first purchase was COF, wow laughing out load, that was a waste of perfectly good money. Any how here I am today. Working at a medical place delivering/shipping cancer drugs to patients. Sorta Ironic when I think about it.

I started a 401k at Principal financial group, through my work I stash away just enough to me the company match when in my case is 6% they match 50% of the first 6% so that is all i put into it. Of which 1000% is going to my wife hint hint if you are reading this lol.

• 2% short term fixed income
• 4% fixed income
• 6% Balanced/Asset Allocation
• 42% Large U.S. Equity
• 26% Small/Mid U.S. Equity
• 18% International Equity
• 2% Employer Security

I lost 27.08% in the first year of the account. This year starts in 04/01/2009. Am up 8.04% for this month so far.

As for my personal trading account I first started with a ira then at the end of the year I got bombarded with all these k-1 stock mailings. So I switched my account over to a roth ira and using my broker folio showed me how to put a k-1 stock block on my account so I dont buy anymore of them K-1 stocks. Example would be tnh. Pays a great dividend by can not stand all the extra tax issues/exspense with the accountant.

So as of Janurary 1st of 2009 I jumped head first into my new roth ira. I have it broke down into 17 folios each folio is a basket of stocks that i like in that sector/folio. The folios are as follows.

1. Basic Materials.
   
2. Closed End Funds
3. Consumer Goods
4. Financial
5. Healthcare
6. Industrial goods
7. Commodities
8. Oil n Gas
9. Index Etf's
10. Railroads
11. Reits
12. Services
13. Shipping
14. Sector Etf's
15. Technology
16. Utilities
17. Emerging/Forgien Etf's
18. Bonds

So this will be the 17 folio's I would most typically be talking about on my blog when I post a blog I will sort it by the folio it belongs with. I typically hold around 10-15 holdings in each of the folios. Somewhere around 200 holdings at most times. I buy every single day the market is open, i buy $5.00 a day spread among the 10 best folios I pick for that day. Seems very little amount but it works out to a pretty good amount in time. I reinvest all the dividends back in the folio they were paid out of.

Currently holding 195 holdings. Up 5.21 percent right now year to date. Well this will get you are started I will be breaking down each folio sector with its holdings over the course of the next week. My goal is passive income I am in my mid 30's and relize most people will think I am nuts for wanting passive income since I am so young. But I love my money working for me and if anything every were to happen I could use the income instead of reinvesting.

I would classify myself as agressive but not scared to hold some income funds and bonds as well I like a solid mix of everything. Well enough for know feel free to comment if ya like.

Kellogg declares quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share, announces plan for 10% increase in dividend

Kellogg Company (NYSE:K - Quote) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of $.34 per share on the common stock of the Company, payable on June 16, 2009, to share owners of record at the close of business on June 1, 2009. The ex-dividend date is May 28, 2009. This is the 338th consecutive quarter that Kellogg Company has paid a dividend to owners of common stock since 1925.

In addition, the company's Board of Directors announced plans to increase the quarterly dividend by approximately 10% to $0.375 per share beginning with the third quarter of 2009.

The Company's brands include Kellogg's(r), Keebler(r), Pop-Tarts(r), Eggo(r), Cheez-It(r), All-Bran(r), Mini-Wheats(r) Nutri-Grain(r), Rice Krispies(r), Special K(r), Chips Deluxe(r), Famous Amos(r), Sandies(r), Carr's(r), Bear Naked(r), Kashi(r), Morningstar Farm(r), Gardenburger(r) and Stretch Island(r). Kellogg products are manufactured in 19 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries. For more information, visit http://www.kelloggcompany.com.

Disclosure I am long K shares.

Arch Coal's 1Q profits tumble; issues Sour outlook, Declares $0.09 cent dividend

Arch Coal(ACI) profits fell more than 60 percent in the first quarter with power demand from steelmakers and other manufacturers evaporating. The company warned Friday of a potentially "ugly, ugly year" and released guidance well below Wall Street expectations.

"We believe our outlook presents a sober view of this perfect storm," said Leer, warning that "this recession is going to be deeper and perhaps longer than any we've experienced in the last 20 or 30 years."

Arch Coal Inc., which in January withheld its full-year earnings guidance, said it now expects to earn 20 to 60 cents per share this year -- a forecast Dahlman Rose & Co. analyst Daniel Scott cast as "particularly troubling." Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting $1.67 per share.

Last year, Arch earned $2.45 per share.

Shares of Arch tumbled $1.32, or 8.9 percent, to close at $13.59 as analysts rethought earlier forecasts.

ACI declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable June 15, 2009 to shareholders of record on June 1, 2009. In order to receive the dividend, investors must own the stock at least one day prior to the ex-dividend date of May 28.

With shares of ACI closing at $13.59 today, the dividend yields 2.65%.

Disclosure I am long ACI shares.

Olin(oln) declares regualr Quarterly Dividend $0.20 cents per share

Olin Corp(OLN) has approved it regular quarterly dividend of $0.20 cents per share. The dividend is payable June 10,2009 to holders of record at the close of business on the May 11,2009. Oln is yielding approx. 5.90%.

This will be there 330th consective quarterly dividend paid.

Olin Corporation is a manufacturer concentrated in two business segments: Chlor Alkali Products and Winchester. Chlor Alkali Products manufactures chlorine and caustic soda, sodium hydrosulfite, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, potassium hydroxide and bleach products. Winchester products include sporting ammunition, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges.

Disclosure I am long OLN shares.

Raytheon First-quarter Net Income Rose 15%

Raytheon Co.(RTN) said Thursday its first-quarter net income from continuing operations jumped to $460 million, or $1.11 a share, from $399 million, or 92 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by FactSet Research were looking for earnings of $1 a share in the recent quarter, on average. Sales rose 10% to $5.9 billion from $5.4 billion. The company ended the quarter with a backlog of $37.9 billion. Shares of Raytheon rose 2.4% in premarket trading to $42.30.

Disclosure I am long RTN shares.

Johnson & Johnson Pumps up Dividend 6.5% to $0.49 per share

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ - News) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a 6.5% increase in the quarterly dividend rate, from $0.46 per share to $0.49 per share. The increase was announced this morning at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in New Brunswick, NJ.

"Given our strong financial position, confidence in the future of Johnson & Johnson, and in recognition of our solid results in 2008, the Board has voted to increase the dividend for the 47th consecutive year," said William C. Weldon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

At the new rate, the indicated dividend on an annual basis is $1.96 per share compared to the previous rate of $1.84 per share. The next quarterly dividend is payable on June 9, 2009 to shareholders of record as of May 26, 2009.

Disclosure I am long JNJ shares.

Pfizer (PFE) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.16

The board of directors of Pfizer Inc(PFE) today declared a 16-cent second-quarter 2009 dividend on the company’s common stock, payable June 2, 2009, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 8, 2009.

The second-quarter 2009 cash dividend will be the 282^nd consecutive quarterly dividend paid by Pfizer.

Disclosure I am long PFE shares.

UPS 1Q profit plunges more than 55 pct

United Parcel Service(UPS) reported on Thursday a quarterly profit that missed analysts’ estimates and forecast no quick turnaround as the global economic downturn continued to take its toll on the world’s largest package-delivery company.

UPS’s quarterly operating profit fell by more than half over the year, dropping to $718m in the first quarter of 2009 from $1.49bn a year earlier.

UPS earnings fell more than 55 percent to $401 million as revenue dropped more than 13 percent, compared to profit of $906 million a year ago.

The results missed Wall Street expectations, and UPS provided an outlook for second-quarter earnings that was below analysts expectations.

The January-March profit was 40 cents a share, compared to year-ago earnings of 87 cents a share.

Revenue in the quarter was $10.94 billion, versus $12.68 billion a year ago.

Adjusted earnings were 52 cents a share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, expected UPS to earn 56 cents per share on revenue of $11.4 billion for the first quarter. Analysts generally exclude one-time items from their estimates.

For the three months ended March 31, consolidated average daily volume totaled 14.5 million packages, a 3.9 percent decline compared to a year ago. Average revenue per piece decreased 6.9 percent, reflecting changes in product mix, declining fuel surcharges and weight per package and the negative impact of currency.

The company's international segment was affected in the quarter as well, posting a 1 percent volume decline with some benefit from the timing of Easter. The 15.3 percent decline in revenue per piece reflected similar negative trends as in the U.S. small package operation as well as the negative impact of currency, UPS said.

UPS said that the second quarter will be difficult. The company expects earnings per share in a range of 45 cents to 55 cents. Analysts were expecting second-quarter earnings of 65 cents.

"Economic indicators tell us recovery in the U.S. might begin late this year, but more likely not until 2010," Chief Financial Office Kurt Kuehn said in a statement.

In premarket trading UPS shares fell 92 cents to $53.83.

Disclosure I am long UPS shares.

Eaton posts 1Q loss on recession impact, job costs Declares regular Quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share

Eaton Corp., (ETN) a global company which depends on industrial vitality for sales of its diverse products, posted its first quarterly loss since 1991, and its chief executive said Monday hard times are expected the rest of this year with more job cuts likely.

The Cleveland-based industrial parts and systems maker lost $50 million in the first quarter as sales skidded amid weak economic conditions worldwide and it absorbed costs for thousands of job cuts.

Even though Eaton's adjusted earnings beat Wall Street forecasts, shares fell $4.33, or 9.7 percent, to $40.42 Tuesday at the close of trading, part of a broad sell-off of stocks.

Eaton Chairman and CEO Alexander Cutler cautioned that an economic recovery in the U.S. and Western Europe is more likely to begin in early 2010 rather than late this year.

"It's terribly tough times, but we're trying to proactively manage our costs in a way to preserve employment for as many people as possible but recognizing that this is a real challenge," Cutler said in an interview.

Eaton's loss amounted to 30 cents per share in the three months ended March 31 versus a profit of $247 million, or $1.64 per share, a year ago.

Sales fell 20 percent to $2.8 billion from $3.5 billion a year ago.

Excluding acquisition integration charges, the operating loss amounted to 22 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected, on average, that Eaton would post a first-quarter loss of 25 cents per share on higher revenue of $3.1 billion. The estimates typically exclude one-time items.

Cutler said its markets for all of 2009 will decline between 15 and 16 percent as the recovery in the U.S. and Western European economies will be pushed out one quarter, with the recovery now more likely to begin in the first quarter of 2010.

Eaton said it expects net income per share for the second quarter to be about 15 cents and operating earnings per share of about 25 cents. Eaton lowered its full-year guidance to net income per share of between $2.10 and $2.60 and operating earnings per share of between $2.50 and $3.00. Analysts projected a full-year profit of $3.44 per share.

About 55 percent of Eaton's business is outside of the United States, and electrical, aerospace and hydraulics produce about 70 percent of earnings. Before shifting its business focus several years ago, Eaton was more dependent in heavy-duty truck and automotive markets.

Its automotive and truck business in the first quarter had the biggest downturn. Its biggest segment, electrical, was down but not as much and helped the overall result from being even worse.

Industrial markets analyst Eli Lustgarten, with Longbow Research, said Eaton's downtown is no surprise, given the tough economy in the United States and elsewhere.

"Basically you have had a shutdown in production activity, with a 15 percent decline in industrial production in this country and 22 percent in Europe," Lustgarten said. "If you don't produce, everybody suffers."

Also a factor is significant and widespread inventory reductions, Lustgarten said.

On the Net: http://www.eaton.com

Disclosure I do not own ETN Shares.

Diamond Offshore(DO) beats by $0.29, reports revs in-line Declares Special Cash Dividend of $1.875 Per Share

Diamond Offshore(DO) reports Q1 (Mar) earnings of $2.51 per share, $0.29 better than the First Call consensus of $2.22; revenues rose 12.7% year/year to $885.7 mln vs the $878.5 mln consensus.

Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. (NYSE: DO) announced today that the Company has declared a special cash dividend of $1.875 per share of common stock and a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share of common stock. Both dividends are payable on June 1, 2009 to shareholders of record on May 1, 2009.

The Company has adopted a policy of considering paying special cash dividends, in amounts to be determined, on a quarterly basis. Any determination to declare a special dividend, as well as the amount of any special dividend which may be declared, will be based on the Company's financial position, earnings, earnings outlook, capital spending plans and other relevant factors at that time.

Diamond Offshore provides contract drilling services to the energy industry around the globe and is a leader in deepwater drilling. Additional information on Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. and access to the Company’s SEC filings is available on the Internet at www.diamondoffshore.com.

Disclosure I am long DO shares.

Profit Declined 9.7% in Quarter for AT&T

AT&T, the telecommunications giant, reported on Wednesday that its first-quarter profit dropped 9.7 percent from a year ago, but the results far exceeded Wall Street’s expectation of a bigger drop.

Fueled largely by new subscribers using Apple’s iPhone handset, AT&T net income for the quarter was $3.1 billion, or 53 cents a share, compared with $3.5 billion or 57 cents a share in the period a year earlier.

Revenue was $30.6 billion, slightly down from $30.7 billion in the quarter a year earlier. Analysts had expected revenue of $31.1 billion.

Earnings were reduced by 5 cents a share because of increases in pension and retiree expenses. Excluding that item, earnings were 58 cents a share, exceeding analysts’ expectations that it would earn 48 cents a share.

The company reported growth from its wireless business, largely fueled by sales of Apple’s iPhone, for which the company is the sole carrier in the United States. The company reported a net gain of 1.2 million wireless subscribers and 875,000 consumers under contract, up 24.1 percent from the period a year earlier. AT&T also reported 1.6 million iPhone activations in quarter, more than 40 percent of which were for customers new to the company. The company faced declines in its wireline business.

An industry analyst with Sanford Bernstein, Craig Moffett, said the shift comes from a shrinking base of customers to sign up for cellphone services.

“For better or for worse, the industry depends on newcomers to sustain growth,” Mr. Moffett said. “They aren’t there any more.”

In terms of subscribers in North America who already have cellphones, he said “we are very close to saturation in the U.S.”

Disclosure I do not own T shares.

Freddie Mac CFO Found Dead of Apparent Suicide

The acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac was found dead in his home Wednesday morning of an apparent suicide, Fairfax, Va., police have confirmed to FOX News.

Kellermann, a 16-year veteran of the mortgage loan guarantor, was reportedly discovered by his wife.

Fairfax police spokeswoman Mary Anne Jennings said police were called to the Northern Virginia home outside Washington, D.C., in the early morning hours. He was found in his basement.

Kellermann, 41, was named acting chief financial officer in September 2008 and was a member of the company's leadership team reporting directly to CEO David M. Moffett, who resigned last month.

According to his bio, as acting chief financial officer, Kellermann "is responsible for the company's financial controls, financial reporting, tax, capital oversight and compliance with the requirements" of congressional legislation known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. That law was a response to financial scandals like Enron and was intended to make corporate boards more accountable.

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets by guaranteeing loans to what is now 3 million homebuyers. It has been in the center of the mortgage meltdown along with Fannie Mae, requiring $60 billion in federal funding to secure bad loans.

Kellermann joined Freddie Mac in 1992, worked for several years in the company's securities sales and trading unit, and has served in a variety of positions, including as a vice president for strategy execution and integration and the Investments and Capital Markets division controller.

Disclosure none

GlaxoSmithKline(GSK) profit slips on generic competition, charges

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline(GSK) on Wednesday reported a 12 percent drop in first quarter profit as U.S. sales tumbled 22 percent in the face of generic competition.

London-based GSK (NYSE: GSK), which has its U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park, reported net income of 1.17 billion British pounds, or $1.69 billion, down from 1.7 billion pounds in the first quarter of 2008.

Charges taken for restructuring costs, research and development write-offs and other one-time items also contributed to the reduction in earnings.

Total revenue, or turnover in the British parlance, grew to 6.7 billion pounds, or $9.7 billion, from 5.7 billion pounds. Favorable currency exchanges due to the weakness in the British pound accounted for most of the increase.

Generic competition in the U.S. market cut deeply into sales for epilepsy drug Lamictal (down 61 percent, to $207 million), migraine drug Imitrex (down 68 percent, to $92 million) and antidepressant Wellbutrin XL (down 66 percent, to $78 million).

“In the USA, we are experiencing some of our toughest performance challenges as our product portfolio transitions and we re-shape our business,” CEO Andrew Witty said in a written statement.

Outside of the U.S., GSK produced sales growth in Europe, Asia/Pacific and emerging markets. Over-the-counter sales of consumer products such as Aquafresh toothpaste also rose.

Witty said that he continues to expect the first half of the year to be difficult for GSK due to generic competition in the United States. The second half of the year should show improvement, he said, as fewer U.S. generics are due to be introduced and GSK expects to deliver new, high-margin products to the market.

GSK has about 4,000 employees at its RTP campus and about 1,000 more at its manufacturing facility in Zebulon.

Disclosure I am long GSK shares.

Air Products(APD) profit, revenue fall in fiscal 2Q, cuts fiscal year outlook

Air Products(APD) on Wednesday said second-quarter net income fell to $205.6 million, or 97 cents a share, from $314.3 million, or $1.43 a share, in the same period last year. The Lehigh Valley, Pa.-based firm said income from continuing operations fell to $189.3 million, or 89 cents a share, from $259.8 million, or $1.18 a share, a year ago. Consensus expectations were for earnings of 83 cents a share, according to a FactSet survey of analysts.

Air Products said it expects third-quarter earnings from continuing operations of 93 cents to $1.02 a share and full-year earnings of $3.85 to $4.05. Consensus expectations were for full-year earnings of $4.06 a share. Given a lack of "economic momentum," the company said it continues to look at additional cost actions that could result in a charge in its fiscal third quarter.

Disclosure I am long APD shares.

Altria(MO) Income Falls 76%, Adjusted Net Beats Mark

Tobacco giant Altria Group Inc. said Wedesday first-quarter net income fell to $589 million, or 28 cents a share, from $2.45 billion, or $1.16 a share in the year-ago period. Earnings from continuing operations fell to 28 cents a share from 29 cents a share in the year-ago period. Adjusted net income rose to 39 cents a share from 37 cents a share. Altria beat the Wall Street target of 38 cents a share in a survey of analysts by FactSet Research.

Revenue at the Richmond, Va. cigarette maker rose to $4.52 billion from $4.41 billion after its acquisition of UST Inc. Altria forecast 2009 earnings from continuing operations of $1.47 a share to $1.52 a share, compared to the analyst target of $1.73 a share. Altria said its first-quarter results were impacted by higher interest expense versus the prior-year period, charges related to the acquisition of UST Inc. and lower SABMiller plc equity earnings.

Disclosure I do not MO shares.

Snap-On beats by $0.02, misses on revs, EPS falls 38%

Snap-on Inc. (SNA) said Wednesday that first-quarter earnings of $0.60 per share, $0.02 better than the First Call consensus of $0.58; revenues fell 20.6% year/year to $572.6 mln vs the $648.4 mln consensus. Snap-on expects restructuring costs in the second quarter of 2009 to approximate $8 million to $10 million.

Snap-on is also continuing a number of its planned growth investments, including further expansion of its manufacturing capacity in China and in Eastern Europe. Capital expenditures for full-year 2009 are expected to be in a range of $60 million to $70 million, down from the previously communicated $75 million to $80 million.

“Continuing difficult economic conditions further weakened customer demand in the first quarter,” said Nick Pinchuk, Snap-on president and chief executive officer. “In light of these challenges we increased our focus on rapid continuous improvement, sourcing and other cost reduction initiatives. At the same time, we moved forward during the quarter with our strategic growth investments and with our most important value creation initiatives, such as product innovation. I thank our franchisees and associates worldwide for their continuing confidence and contributions during these challenging times.”

Disclosure I am long SNA shares.

Ingersoll-Rand Swings To Loss, Cuts Dividend to 7 cents a share

Diversified industrial manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand Co. (IR:) said Wednesday that it swung to a first-quarter net loss of $26.7 million, or 8 cents a share, from a profit of $181.6 million, or 66 cents a share, a year earlier as it also cuts its dividend payout.

The group said revenue for the quarter rose 36% to $2.93 billion due to the inclusion of $1.4 billion of revenue from the acquisition of Trane. On a pro forma basis, revenue fell 24%. It added that, excluding discontinued operations and an $11 million restructuring charge, it would have lost 4 cents a share.

Analysts polled by FactSet had been expecting a loss of 14 cents a share. Earnings for 2009 from continuing operations are expected to be in the range of $1.40 to $1.90 a share. Ingersoll-Rand said it will cut its quarterly common dividend to 7 cents a share from 18 cents a share, effective from the September 2009 payment.

Disclosure I do not IR shares.

Kimberly-Clark Posts Lower Profit, Sales almost 10% drop

Kimberly-Clark Corp. said Wednesday first-quarter net income fell 9.5% to $431 million, or 98 cents a share, from $476 million, or $1.04 a share in the year-ago period. Revenue fell 6.6% to $4.49 billion. Analysts expected net income of 97 cents a share on revenue of $4.49 billion, according to a survey by FactSet Research. The Dallas-based paper products giant reiterated its 2009 earnings target of $4 to $4.20 a share, compared to the Wall Street target of $4.16 a share.

Disclosure I am long KMB.

McDonald's profit rises nearly 4 percent, Despite Stronger dollar

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) reported a modest rise in first-quarter earnings Wednesday as a healthy increase in same-store sales and a one-time gain helped offset currency headwinds from a stronger dollar.

McDonald's Corp. said Wednesday that its first-quarter profit climbed nearly 4 percent as more customers worldwide came to the Golden Arches for a cheap meal. MCD said that it earned $979.5 million, or 87 cents a share, up from $946.1 million, or 81 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. The latest figures include a 4-cents-a-share gain on the sale of the company's minority interest in Redbox Automated Retail and an 8-cents-a-share negative impact from currency conversion.

Revenue slipped to $5.08 billion from $5.61 billion, reflecting currency and the sale of company-owned restaurants. Same-store sales worldwide rose 4.3%.

The average estimate of analysts polled by FactSet Research had been for the company to earn 82 cents a share on sales of $5.23 billion of sales.

In the U.S., same-store sales were up 4.7% in the U.S., and Europe rose 3.2% while the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa region was 5.54% higher.

April same-store sales are "trending at least as strong or better than first-quarter sales in every area of the world," said Jim Skinner, chief executive, in the earnings report.

The company continues to gain market share as customers are attracted by tiered-pricing menus, seasonal food events and longer store hours, it said.

The fast-food behemoth has to date been one of the few beneficiaries of the economic downturn, posting hefty sales and profit increases as cash-strapped consumers "trade down" from pricier dining options and take advantage of extended hours and expanded menu offerings. It's also been getting a lift from the easing prices of fuel and some other commodities.

Disclosure I am long MCD.

Northrop Grumman 1st-qtr profit up nearly 50 pct

Northrop Grumman Corp. said Wednesday that first-quarter earnings were $389 million, or $1.17 a share, compared to $264 million, or 76 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Sales increased 8% to $8.3 billion. Earnings in the first quarter of 2008 were reduced by a pre-tax charge of $326 million, or 61 cents a share, in the company's shipbuilding sector.

Pension-adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations were $1.32 a share in the first quarter of 2009. Analysts polled by FactSet Research estimated, on average, earnings per share of $1.08 and sales of $8 billion. The Los Angeles-based defense contractor raised its 2009 earnings-per-share forecast for continuing operations to a range of $4.65-$4.90 from $4.50-$4.75.

Disclosure I do not own NOC shares.

Morgan Stanley(MS) slashes dividend 81%, to 5 cents Posts 578 Million Loss

Morgan Stanley(MS) says it lost $578 million, after paying preferred dividends, in the first quarter, hurt by the deteriorating commercial real estate market.

The New York-based bank posted a loss of 57 cents per share for the January to March period. It also lost $1.6 billion in December, and cut its dividend.

The first quarter shortfall is sharper than analysts expected. They had forecast a loss of 8 cents per share.

It is also worse than last year's first quarter, when Morgan Stanley earned $1.3 billion, or $1.26 per share.

In addition to the real estate market, Morgan Stanley was also hit by an improvement in the value of its own debt in the first quarter. This improvement caused other assets tied to the rates on that debt to lose value.

Also said on Wednesday that it cut its quarterly dividend 81%, to 5 cents a share. The company said the move will save it $1 billion a year.

Disclosure I am Selling all my MS today.

Polaris Industries, Inc.(PII) Declares Quarterly Dividend Yielding 5.34%, Earnings fall 56%

Polaris Industries Inc. said Thursday its earnings fell by 56 percent in the first quarter, citing a tough retail environment and a charge related to its investment in Austrian motorcycle maker KTM Power Sports.

Despite the drop in earnings, Polaris’ quarterly results beat analysts’ expectations, sending the company’s stock price up by more than 8 percent in morning trading.

Medina-based Polaris, which makes snowmobiles and ATVs, reported a first-quarter profit of $8.5 million, or 26 cents per share. That’s down from $19.1 million, or 55 cents per share, in the same period last year. Polaris (NYSE: PII) recorded revenue of $312 million, down 20 percent from $389 million in the year-ago period.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected revenue of $298.2 million and earnings of 20 cents per share, excluding charges.

Despite the lower first-quarter performance, Polaris maintained its full-year guidance. The company expects its 2009 profit to range between $2.50 to $3 per share and revenue to decline between 15 and 24 percent compared to 2008.

Polaris today announced the declaration of a regular quarterly $0.39 per share cash dividend payable on May 15, 2009 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 1, 2009.

Polaris’ stock was trading at about $29.16 per share in mid-afternoon trading, up $2.15. Has been on a tear this month up 45.51% and 34.56% for the 1st quarter of this year.

Disclosure I do not own PII.

Lets Keep 2 eyes on Gold(GLD) and Silver(SLV) Etfs

Gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) are continuing to appeal to investors, and this attraction appears to be growing as we get deeper into earnings season and more economic numbers are poised to be released. What’s the connection?

As of Tuesday, gold is up because of a light spending spree after worries over the health of the U.S. banking sector dragged down equities and enhanced gold’s safe-haven appeal.

• A weakening dollar would appear to support an uptrend in gold prices, but the opposite is not always true. Just because the dollar is strong does not mean prices will stop appreciating. In the current rally, gold prices have sustained even though the traditional drivers haven’t supported it.
• In Barclay’s view, prices are likely to make a sustained move above $1,000 in the second half of the year.
• Investors buy gold for a range of reasons: a dollar hedge, an equity hedge, a volatility hedge, inflation hedge and as a safe haven.
• Mine supply is stabilizing and jewelry demand is weakening; offsetting that is a wave of investment demand.
• Silver’s uptrend has been fueled by gold’s gains instead of it’s own fundamentals. Current levels imply that silver is undervalued, while gold is overvalued. Dorothy Kosich for MineWeb reports that Silver enjoyed a strong run last month which saw the metal’s price rise 16% compared to gold’s 11% rise.
• The fundamental outlook for silver has deteriorated, and Cooper says the underlying supply and demand outlook for silver remains unfavorable. The mine supply is set to grow.
• Cooper expects palladium’s fundamentals to remain weak because of a low demand outlook (the metals is primarily used in gas vehicles, and the United States is a key market).
• Platinum’s (PGM) outlook also remains dim, Cooper says, as most of the demand is centered around the auto industry, which is in dire straits right now.

Alix Steel for TheStreet notes that this could continue as earnings season delivers some more disappointing results. Add to that some more weak economic data and rising unemployment, and it could send more people back into safe havens.

Two catalysts to watch for are the Federal Reserve’s market commentary, which will be released next week, and first-quarter GDP numbers.

The upward momentum is still keeping traders guessing and this kept the price of gold capped at $890 per ounce, possibly waiting and watching to see how the equities markets will react. Risa Maseda for Reuters reports that holdings at the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) remained unchanged on Monday.

Despite the slight rally, gold has been unable to penetrate the $900 per ounce mark, primarily because of waning demand from the industry and jewelry dealers. Silver(SLV) is up 2.3%, or 30 cents, to $12.11 per ounce as of Monday.

Disclosure I am long GLD and SLV.

Smucker(SJM) Pumps up quarterly dividend to $0.35 a Share,Yielding 3.59%

J.M. Smucker Co. (SJM quote) said Tuesday its board approved an increase to its regular quarterly dividend.

The maker of jams, jellies and Jif peanut butter said the dividend of 35 cents -- up from 32 cents -- is payable June 1 to shareholders of record on May 15.

The company also set its annual meeting for Aug. 19 in Wooster, Ohio. Just recently aquired Folgers brand coffee from Procter & Gamble Co. (PG Quote).

I am sure it will add to SJM's bottom line.

Disclosure I do not own SJM, though I am looking at it with intrest.

Sold Ash For 151.80 Percent Profit YAH Buddy Shake it

Pulled the trigger and let ash go today sold it for 151.80 percent profit. Rode it for almost 6 weeks, also sold dow for a 42.5 percent gain. PCU for 50.26 gain, frd for 6.74 percent gain this one fell apart. Still down $57.03 for the last 2 years. Gonna get it back soon. Current portfolio is holding 220 holdings up $112.05 or 5.80% in my roth started sept 25 of 2008.

Disclosure none

Norfolk Southern (NSC) Announces $0.34 Quarterly Dividend, Yielding 3.81%

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC - News) today announced the regular quarterly dividend of 34 cents per share on its common stock, payable on June 10, to stockholders of record on May 1.

Since its inception in 1982, Norfolk Southern has paid dividends on its common stock for 107 consecutive quarters.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

Disclosure I am long NSC.

Whirlpool (WHR) Declares $0.43 Quarterly Dividend Almost 5% yeild

The board of directors of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR - News) today declared a quarterly dividend of 43 cents per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable June 15, 2009, to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 29, 2009.

Disclosure I am long WHR.

DuPont Posts 59% drop in Profit, Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.41

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (DD) reported that first-quarter net profit fell 59 percent to $489 million, or 54 cents a share, from the same period last year when earnings were $1.2 billion, or $1.31 a share.

The Wilmington, Del.-based chemicals giant, which has a plant in Tonawanda with 628 employees including 327 hourly workers, also reported Tuesday that first quarter sales also fell, dropping to $7.27 billion from the prior year’s $8.77 billion.

The loss was primarily due to lower volumes, DuPont said.

The results reflect a “severe decline in global industrial demand”, especially in construction, auto production and consumer spending, the company said.

Laurence Alexander, an analyst with Jefferies & Co., issued a buy rating for DuPont on Tuesday, saying the company's 7 percent dividend yield offset significant earnings risks.

"Each cycle, DuPont presents two opportunities to investors," Alexander wrote in a note to investors. "As an early cyclical bellwether, it should rally before the economy turns. As a diversified conglomerate, it has the perennial promise of transformation and revival."

Also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share.

Disclosure I am long DD.

Coach Profit Declines 29% As Sales Drop, Starts First Dividend set at 7.5 cents per Quarter

Coach (COH quote) shares jumped 12% to $20.41. Although the retailer's third-quarter profit fell 29%, the decline was less than Wall Street analysts had expected. The company saw an improvement in traffic and comparable-store-sales trends from the holiday quarter.

Coach also said it will begin paying a quarterly dividend of 7.5 cents a share on June 29 to shareholders of record as of June 8. The new dividend "reflects our financial strength and our confidence in Coach's business outlook," Frankfort said.

Coach's profit for the three months ended March 28 fell to $114.9 million, or 36 cents per share, from $162.4 million, or 46 cents per share last year. Excluding charges related to its cost-cutting plan, profit was 38 cents per share -- 2 cents better than analysts expected.

Revenue edged down less than 1 percent to $739.9 million from $744.5 million. That was better than the $711.4 million analysts predicted.

Coach shares rose $2.77 to $21 in morning trading. They have traded between $11.41 and $37.64 during the past 52 weeks.

Disclosure I do not own coh.

Eli Lilly (LLY) Approves $0.49 Quarterly Dividend, Yielding 5.94%

Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) declared a dividend for the second quarter of 2009 of $0.49 a share. This is the same dividend as was paid in the first quarter and maintains the annual indicated dividend rate for 2009 of $1.96 per share.

The dividend is payable June 10, 2009, to shareholders of record at the close of business, on May 15, 2009.

Disclosure I am long lly.

CAT first quarterly loss in 17 years, from job-cut charge

Caterpillar Inc (CAT - News), the world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment, reported its first quarterly loss in 17 years on Tuesday, pulled into the red by more than half a billion dollars in charges from its wave of recession-triggered layoffs.

The company also slashed its full-year earnings and sales forecast, sending its shares lower in early trading.

Caterpillar, which has eliminated about 25,000 full-time and temporary positions over the past few months, posted a first-quarter loss of $112 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier profit of $922 million, or $1.45 a share.

Sales fell 22 percent to $9.2 billion.

Caterpillar said it now expects full-year earnings of $1.25 a share, before restructuring costs, on sales of $31.5 billion to $38.5 billion. Three months ago, the company forecast profit of $2.50 a share, before restructuring, on sales of $36 billion to $44 billion.

The company blamed the cut, and the wide estimate range, on "the high degree of uncertainty" surrounding the global economy, the timing and impact of stimulus measures around the world, and the ability of its dealers to reduce inventory.

Shares of Caterpillar were down about 5 percent at $28.93 in trading before the market opened.

Sales of the company's distinctive yellow construction and mining machinery tumbled 29 percent overall, led by a 46 percent decline in sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East as a result of lower commodity prices and lower oil production,

The results reflected $558 million in charges Caterpillar booked during the quarter as a result of the layoffs.

Stripping out those costs, Caterpillar said it made 39 cents a share.

On that basis, the results were better than expected. Analysts, on average had expected Caterpillar to report a profit of 2 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates. But despite the earnings beat, Jim Owens, the company's chairman and chief executive officer, warned in a statement that it was "extremely difficult to know how our customers will respond during the remainder of 2009."

"They gave you a better first quarter, but it's going down the rest of the year" said Eli Lustgarten at Longbow Research.

"They're trying to level out and hold things together and stay profitable for the year before charges. But the first quarter is the best of the year and it's clearly getting weaker and there's still uncertainty about next year."

Caterpillar said economic activity had dropped over the past six months but that the rate of decline seemed to be moderating. Even so, it predicted world output would continue to fall in the near term.

It said it was taking several steps to conserve cash, including suspending stock repurchases and cutting capital expenditures by $3 billion.It also said additional job cuts might be necessary, but that they "would likely be handled with flexible and cost-effective rolling layoffs" rather than permanent separations.

"In this environment, liquidity is a major focus," Owens said, "and as a result we've decided to hold more cash than usual."

Disclosure I am long cat.

Genuine Parts (GPC) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.40

The Board of Directors of Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC - News) declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of forty cents ($.40) per share on the Company's common stock.

he dividend is payable July 1, 2009 to shareholders of record June 5, 2009.

About Genuine Parts Company

Genuine Parts Company is a distributor of automotive replacement parts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Company also distributes industrial replacement parts in the U.S. and Canada through its Motion Industries subsidiary. S. P. Richards Company, the Office Products Group, distributes business products nationwide in the U.S. and in Canada. The Electrical/Electronic Group, EIS, Inc., distributes electrical and electronic components throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Genuine Parts Company had 2008 revenues of $11.0 billion.

Disclosure I own GPC.

Move over IBM, Oracle here to buy SUN for $9.50 per share cash 7.4 billion

Oracle Corp. said Monday it has agreed to pay $5.6 billion to buy Sun Microsystems Inc., one of the Denver area's largest private high-tech employers, after earlier Sun talks with IBM Corp. fell through.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun (NASDAQ: JAVA) employs roughly 2,200 at its Broomfield offices.

The deal -- which is expected to be completed this summer -- appears to end a drawn-out attempt to sell Sun, which earlier in the year had unsuccessful negotiations with International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) that reportedly broke down at the last minute.

The companies valued the deal at $7.4 billion, including cash and debt. At $9.50 a share, the price is a 42 percent premium over Sun's closing price on Friday.

Redwood City, Calif-based Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) expects to add at least 15 cents to its bottom line from the deal in the first year. The company expects to add $1.5 billion to operating profit in the first year and more than $2 billion in the second year.

"The acquisition of Sun transforms the IT industry, combining best-in-class enterprise software and mission-critical computing systems," said Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison in a statement.

Oracle uses Sun's Java software and language already in some of its products including its Fusion Middleware business and it uses the Solaris operating system for its database business.

Disclosure none

Lilly(LLY) blows past streets estimates 23% increase

Eli Lilly & Co (NYSE:LLY - News) reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as it controlled costs and revalued overseas inventory because of the stronger dollar. Earnings reached $1.31 billion, or $1.20 a share, from $1.06 billion, or 97 cents, in the year-earlier period.

Sales of Lilly's biggest product, schizophrenia treatment Zyprexa, were flat, but several of its other big medicines posted strong gains, including depression drug Cymbalta, which jumped 17 percent to $709 million.

The inventory valuations improved the cost of sales, boosting profit margins by 6.9 percentage points to 83.8 percent.

"We don't necessarily expect that level of gross margin improvement throughout the year," company spokesman Mark Taylor said.

A survey of analysts by FactSet Research produced consensus estimates of 99 cents of profit on $5.06 billion of revenue.Lilly also said that the change in foreign currency exchange rates boosted gross margins by almost 7% to about 84%.

U.S. revenue jumped 13% to $2.87 billion, while foreign revenue slid 4% to $2.18 billion due to a higher U.S. dollar.As opposed to many of its Big Pharma peers, most of Lilly's sales are made in the U.S. According to J.P. Morgan, about 46% of Lilly's 2008 sales came from overseas.

Lilly also reconfirmed its 2009 financial forecast of earnings per share between $4.00 and $4.25.Lilly shares were up over 3% at $34.91 in pre-market trading.

Disclosure I own shares of LLY.

GlaxoSmithKline nears $3 billion deal for Stiefel, Forms Hiv Drug Deal with Pfizer

GlaxoSmithKline PLC is close to a deal to buy U.S. skincare specialist Stiefel Laboratories for about $3 billion, the Wall Street Journal said on its website on Sunday, citing unnamed sources.

The deal for Stiefel, which is partly owned by private equity firm Blackstone Group , is expected to be announced on Monday, the report said, adding there is still a chance it could fall apart.

Also announced this weekend GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Pfizer Inc. will pool their resources to create a new company to develop and sell HIV medicines, leveraging a minimal investment into a market-leading position.

The deal, announced Thursday, reflects two key trends sweeping the industry. Companies are narrowing their research areas and cutting costs to improve productivity, and once-ardent competitors are working together to share the risks and costs of developing drugs.

The two companies plan to blend London-based Glaxo's portfolio of HIV drugs now on the market -- some with patents approaching expiration -- with New York-based Pfizer's more robust pipeline of drugs in development.

With 11 HIV medicines already on sale, the new venture will have a 19 percent market share, ranking it No. 2 behind sales leader Gilead Sciences Inc. Other competitors in the field include heavyweights Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Abbott Laboratories, Merck & Co. and DuPont Pharmaceuticals Co.

"The combination of a broad current revenue base and a new diverse pool of pipeline assets provides a significant platform to invest in developing and delivering new HIV medicines," Glaxo Chief Executive Andrew Witty said during a conference call with analysts.

The new company's name will be announced when the deal closes, now set for the fourth quarter.

Disclosure I own bmy, abt,mrk,and pfe.

Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF lists on NYSE Arca

NYSE Euronext (NYX quote) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, NYSE Arca, today began trading the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF. The fund, sponsored by Vanguard, trades under the ticker symbol “VSS holdings” and is the only international small-cap ETF to cover both developed and emerging international markets.

The product allows investors to further diversify their portfolios at a low cost.

Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment return of stocks of international small-cap companies. The Fund employs a "passive management"--or indexing--investment approach designed to track the performance of the FTSE Global Small Cap ex US Index, a free-float-adjusted, market-capitalization-weighted index designed to measure equity market performance of international small-capitalization stocks. The Index includes approximately 3,300 stocks of companies located in 47 countries, including both developed and emerging markets.

“NYSE Euronext is proud to welcome the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small Cap ETF, which compliments the currently listed family of Vanguard ETFs listed on NYSE Arca,” said NYSE Euronext Senior Vice President, Global Exchange Traded Products and Index Services, Lisa Dallmer. “Today’s listing of VSS reinforces our commitment to building the ETF marketplace and to providing investors the opportunity to broaden their portfolios.”

The launch brings the number of Vanguard’s ETFs to 39, with aggregate assets of nearly $45 billion. All are currently listed on NYSE Arca.

The fund’s prospectus and other fund information are available at www.vanguard.com.

Disclosure I own shares of VSS.

State Street Global Advisors Lists SPDR® Barclays Capital Convertible Bond ETF

NYSE Euronext (NYX quote) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, NYSE Arca, today(Friday the 17th) began trading the SPDR® Barclays Capital Convertible Bond ETF under the ticker symbol “CWB.” The ETF is sponsored by State Street Global Advisors, the investment management arm of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT).

The Fund's investment objective is to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of an index that tracks United States convertible bonds with outstanding issue sizes greater than $500 million

The fund’s prospectus and other fund information are available at www.spdrs.com.

Disclosure I do not own nyx, cwb or stt.

Sherman Williams Post 50% reduction in Profit for 1st Quarter

Paint maker Sherwin-Williams Co. saw its first quarter profit fall by more than half, the company said Thursday, as paint sales slowed and the dismal housing market weighed down results.

But the company's profit was still sharply better than expected, and its shares climbed to a three-month high in trading.

Sherwin-Williams gets about half its sales from remodeling and repainting business. As the economy slowed -- and housing sales dropped -- its sales contracted sharply.

"We did, in fact, see a sharp drop in demand for paint and coatings in the second half of last year and we had no reason to expect that conditions would improve early this year," Chairman and Chief Executive Christopher M. Connor told investor during a conference call. "And clearly, they have not."

Its first-quarter earnings were $37 million, or 32 cents a share, compared to $78 million, or 64 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Sales were $1.55 billion, a decrease of 13% over last year's first quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet Research estimated, on average, earnings per share of 22 cents and sales of $1.61 billion. For the second quarter, the Cleveland, Ohio paint company expects earnings per share of $1.20 to $1.45 and for the full year of 2009 $3.00 to $4.00 per share.

Disclosure I do not own shares of SHW.

Google Blows By streets Numbers Impressive 1st Quarter results

Search giant Google weighed in with impressive first-quarter earnings. The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $5.16 cents, solidly beating analyst estimates of $4.93 per share.

"It was a good quarter. Revenues were in line with the street consensus and EPS beat,” Jason Avilio, an analyst with Kaufman Bros., told Reuters. "Economically speaking, I think Q1 is the most challenging quarter, so the momentum should continue for the rest of the year."

It's official now: Even Google can't escape the recession. With its first-quarter results on Apr. 16, the leader in Web search revealed its first quarter-on-quarter decline in sales, reflecting cutbacks in online ad spending. Thanks to cost cutting, Google (GOOG) handily beat profit expectations, but it offered no assurance that overall business conditions would turn around anytime soon.

Google's revenue, almost all of which comes from advertisements placed next to related search results, rose 6% from a year earlier but slipped 3% from the fourth quarter. Sales, after subtracting commissions to Web site partners, were $4.07 billion. That's about what analysts, who have been reducing their estimates in recent weeks, had expected.

Investors initially liked what they saw, boosting the stock almost 6% in extended trading after the figures were released. After all, Google's slowdown looks good compared with the larger advertising market, which is expected to fall at least 5% this year. But as it became apparent that Google's underlying business was feeling the effects of the recession, shares reversed course and gained only a fraction of 1%. "The quarter confirms that Google is suffering from the economic slowdown," says Sandeep Aggarwal, analyst at financial-services firm Collins Stewart.

Disclosure I do not own goog shares at this time.

GE beats the street, posts better than expected earnings

General Electric Co. (GE) reported first-quarter earnings of $0.26 vs. $0.43 a year ago, but better than the $0.21 consensus expectations. The only real area of strength for the firm was in its Energy Infrastructure business, where segment profits increased by 19%. The most significant areas of weakness were at NBC Universal, which was hit hard by weak advertising revenues (something shared by almost all media companies) and the GE capital unit.

Investors are probably most concerned about the Capital unit. The good news is that the unit was still profitable, and it has shrunk its asset base. The bad news is that the profits are down 58% and the credit trends look awful.

Looking forward, GE conducted its own stress test under the assumptions that are being used for the big banks. We will properly ignore the best-case scenario (it is absurdly optimistic and does not have any stress in it). Under the adverse scenario, it sees revenues of $9.2 billion before taxes and credit provisions. However, the credit provisions would be $13.7 billion resulting in a $4.5 billion pretax loss.

GE’s full presentation can be viewed here.

I do not own GE shares.

7 Companies that Pumped up Dividends for 30+ years

Here are seven companies that have increased dividends for more than 30 consecutive years for your consideration:

1. McDonald’s (MCD) - 32 Years - Yield: 3.61%
2. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) - 35 Years - Yield: 2.08%
3. PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) - 36 Years - Yield: 3.25%
4. Sysco Corp. (SYY) - 38 Years - Yield: 4.30%
5. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - 47 Years - Yield: 3.58%
6. 3M Company (MMM) - 51 Years - Yield: 4.02%
7. Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) - 52 Years - Yield: 3.29%

Each of the above companies has a proven business model that has not only got them though the good times, but more importantly seen them through tough economic times. Sure, some companies that have been cornerstones for decades may slip, that’s part of investing, but there are always great companies ready to step in and fill the void.

I am long all these stocks.

Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) Pumps Dividend 24 Quarters in a Row

Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) provides services like housekeeping and food services to nursing home and other healthcare institutions. While this may not sound like a sexy line of work, its performance, dividend history and outlook is surely attractive.

With a market capitalization of under $1Billion and virtually no press and only 2 analysts covering the stock, the yield stands at 4.3%. What's going to continue to power this stock though, is sustained dividend increases in the face of a very harsh environment. They're on a streak here and the management intends on keeping these dividend increases going. While the proverbial "recession-proof"/"defensive" healthcare sector proved to be anything but in the recent downturn, this particular niche actually appears to hold true to the stereotype. In fact, Healthcare Services Group is doing so well, not only is it increasing its dividend every quarter, but it also just announced an acquisition: Contract Environmental Services, one of their competitors. With the well-known graying of America and cost pressures on healthcare providers, the business outlook is quite strong for HCSG.

The company, which sells housekeeping and food services to hospitals and nursing homes, said its profit grew to $7.7 million, or 18 cents per share, from $6.9 million, or 16 cents per share a year earlier. Revenue rose 9 percent to $160.4 million from $147.3 million.

Analysts had expected a profit of 17 cents per share and $158.4 million in revenue, according to Thomson Reuters.

Healthcare Services said its profit from operations grew slightly, to $11.6 million from $10.8 million, while its investment and interest income nearly tripled to $937,000 from $324,000.

The company raised its dividend to 18 cents. Its dividend during the first quarter was 17 cents, and the company paid a dividend of 14 cents a year ago.

The dividend will be payable May 15 to shareholders of record as of April 24.

In aftermarket trading, Healthcare Services stock grew 39 cents, or 2.5 percent, to 16.30, after closing the regular session at $15.91, down 2 cents.

I own shares of HCSG.

Weekend Dividend Folio Recap 401K Week Ending 4-17-09

Currently have 223 holdings they are up 9.74% year to date. This week I sold all my wisdomtree etf's due to lack of volume and fair performance. Also sold all Market vectors etf's purchased some new vanguard etfs as well as some new powershares etfs. My top 5 performers are:

1. ASH up 188.69%
2. TRN up 56.64%
3. SFL up 54.04%
4. AMSWA up 48.80%
5. KWR up 51.55%

Those 5 are my top performers Up for the year to current. And for my 5 underperformers:

1. GSL down 12.87%
2. XLU down 7.69%
3. VALU down 7.31%
4. VPU down 7.23%
5. GGN down 6.76%

As you can see gold, silver and utilities continue to get killed on a pretty solid basis. Chemicals, shipping and transportation/rails are roaring right along. In my 223 holdings 33 are in the red and 190 are in the green. My biggest surprise is still ashland chemical ticker symbol ash this stock is screaming to the upside a gorgeous v-bottom chart forming and high volume a excellent addition to my portfolio The above numbers do not include dividends paid by the stocks. I do own all of these stocks in my holdings and will be buying more of some or all of them.

My 401k with principal finical group finished last year down 26.71% and this year starting the 1st of this month up 7.62% have seen a nice rebound in small cap funds and emerging market funds. Developed markets fund and precious metals not doing very well. Bond funds are squeaking out a small gain but not very hot either.

This coming week I have my eye on small cap stocks, emerging markets stocks/etf's, and on the watch list is MAT nice chart.

Thats it for this week.

Can Commercial Real Estate ETFs Survive the Tempest?

A big bankruptcy in commercial real estate announced this week raises questions about the health of the sector and its related exchange traded funds (ETFs).

General Growth Properties (GGP), the second-largest operator of shopping malls, filed for Chapter 11 on Thursday. This makes it the biggest retail casualty of the recession, says Paul R. La Monica for CNNMoney.

This development could affect a number of other U.S. companies. One of the largest unsecured creditors of General Growth is Bank of New York Mellon, although the bank is listed as a trustee for other creditors.

But the big worry is that as this recession drags on, is General Growth an anomaly, or the start of a larger trend? One economist sees losses in commercial real estate rising across the financial sector throughout the year. The economist said banks have an estimated $1 trillion exposure to commercial real estate. While it’s half as large as exposure to residential loans, it’s a hurt few banks can afford to take on.

On the bright side is those who feel that commercial real estate won’t wind up in a freefall, because prices didn’t get as far our of whack with reality as residential real estate did. And General Growth’s bankruptcy is not out of the blue - the company has been struggling for months.

Other real estate investment trusts (REITs) have been doing better: Simon Property (SPG), Kimco Realty (KIM) and Equity One (EQY) took advantage of the stock market rally and sold new shares to the public.

I dont own any of these Stocks metioned here.

BB&T (BBT) Declares $0.47 Quarterly Dividend

BB&T Corp. (BBT Quote) reported a sharp drop in first-quarter profit on Friday, but handily topped Wall Street expectations, sending its shares soaring in morning trading.

The Southern regional bank reported $271 million, or 48 cents per share, in earnings, down 37% from the year-ago quarter. Analysts had expected 31 cents per share, on average, according to Thomson Reuters.

I do NOT own shares of BBT.

Con Edison (ED) Approves $0.59 Quartely Dividend Yielding 6.11%

Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED) today declared a quarterly dividend of 59 cents a share on its common stock, payable June 15, 2009, to stockholders of record as of May 13, 2009.

Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $33 billion in assets. The company provides a wide range of energy-related products and services to its customers through the following subsidiaries: Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., a regulated utility providing electric, gas, and steam service in New York City and Westchester County, New York; Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., a regulated utility serving customers in a 1,350 square mile area in southeastern New York state and adjacent sections of northern New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania; Consolidated Edison Solutions, Inc., a retail energy supply and services company; Consolidated Edison Energy, Inc., a wholesale energy supply company; and Consolidated Edison Development, Inc., a company that participates in infrastructure projects.


I own shares of ED.

ONEOK Partners (OKS) Declares $1.08 Quarterly Distribution Yielding 9.91%

The board of directors of the general partner of ONEOK Partners, L.P. (NYSE: OKS) has declared a quarterly cash distribution of $1.08 per unit, effective for the first quarter 2009, resulting in an annualized cash distribution of $4.32 per unit. The distribution is payable May 15, 2009, to unitholders of record as of April 30, 2009.

The distribution is unchanged from the fourth quarter 2008.

ONEOK Partners has increased its distribution 35 percent since April 2006, when a subsidiary of ONEOK, Inc. became general partner.

ONEOK Partners, L.P. (NYSE: OKS) is one of the largest publicly traded master limited partnerships, and is a leader in the gathering, processing, storage and transportation of natural gas in the U.S. and owns one of the nation's premier natural gas liquids (NGL) systems, connecting NGL supply in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions with key market centers. Its general partner is a wholly owned subsidiary of ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE: OKE), a diversified energy company, which owns 47.7 percent of the overall partnership interest. ONEOK is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States, and its energy services operation focuses primarily on marketing natural gas and related services throughout the U.S.

For more information about ONEOK Partners, L.P., visit the Web site: www.oneokpartners.com.


This is a master limited partnership which mails a k-1 form at the end of the year and should be held in a taxable account to get full benefit. I do not own this stock and do not own k-1 stocks in my roth ira.

Kaiser Aluminum (KALU) Announces $0.24 Quarterly Dividend Yielding 3.32%

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (KALU) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend payment of $0.24 per share on the Company's outstanding common stock. The dividend will be payable on May 15, 2009 to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 27, 2009. Kaiser Aluminum also announced that it plans to release it first quarter 2009 financial and operating results on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 after the market closes.

My fair value on this stock is approx. $40.95 currently trading at $29.11. Up 30.24% ytd, next to nothing in debt this is a excellent aluminum play. I do own shares of Kalu, and do recommend this stock.

PG PUMPS UP Quarterly Dividend by 10% to $0.44 Per Share, Yielding 3.72%

P&G continues 52-year track record of dividend increases

Procter & Gamble Co (PG) declared a 10 percent dividend increase on Tuesday, continuing a string of rising payouts that spans more than half a century.The maker of Tide laundry detergent and Crest toothpaste has raised its dividend for 52 straight years, and analysts had expected that to continue, especially since the company is working to convince investors that it is a solid performer, even in a recession. P&G raised its quarterly dividend to 44 cents per share from 40 cents per share. It said the dividend for the quarter ending in June is payable after May 15 to shareholders of record on April 24.

I own PG stock.

JNJ shares jump after profit beats Street

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - News) on Tuesday said its quarterly earnings fell, hurt by generic competition for its Risperdal schizophrenia drug and the strong dollar, but lower costs enabled the company to beat Wall Street expectations.The diversified health-care company, whose shares rose more than 3 percent in premarket trading, said it earned $3.51 billion, or $1.26 per share, in the first quarter. That compared with $3.6 billion, or $1.26 per share, in the year-earlier period.

Analysts on average expected $1.22 per share, according to Reuters Estimates.J&J reaffirmed its 2009 profit profit forecast of $4.45 to $4.55 per share.All eyes are likely to focus on J&J's results on Tuesday because it is a component of the Dow Jones industrial average and the first major U.S. health-care company to report first-quarter results.Global company revenue fell 7.2 percent to $15 billion in the period, well below the $15.43 billion Reuters Estimates forecast. Sales would have fallen only about 1 percent if not for the stronger dollar, which depresses the value of overseas sales when converted back into U.S. currency.
But J&J bolstered results by cutting spending more than 10 percent on research, and on sales, general and administrative expenses.


"They've managed things well, reducing expenses the way they had telegraphed they would, and it's going straight to the bottom line," said Steve Brozak, an analyst with WBB Securities.
"This is a game of expectations, and even though sales were weak across all three of J&J's business units, people were expecting far worse numbers," Brozak said.Sales of consumer products fell 8.7 percent to $3.7 billion despite strong demand for J&J's Listerine mouthwash and Neutrogena skin-care line, as the strong dollar battered overseas sales.

Global sales of prescription drugs fell 10.1 percent to $5.8 billion, as cheaper generics wrested away two-thirds of Risperdal sales and demand for anemia drugs Procrit and Eprex continued to wither due to safety concerns.Sales of medical devices and diagnostics slipped 2.9 percent to $5.5 billion, as J&J's Cypher stent faced brutal competition from Abbott Laboratories Inc's (ABT - News) newer Xience stent.
Stents are tiny scaffold-like devices used to prop open heart arteries that have been cleared of plaque.

I own shares of JNJ and Abt and will be adding to my stake in both in the future.