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Posted
Jul 03 2009, 12:30 PM
by
AllStarPortfolio
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
A common rule-of-thumb for withdrawing money for retirement income is that an investor can plan to withdraw 4% of his portfolio the first year and increase the withdrawal amount by 3% each year. For example, someone with a $500,000 portfolio could withdraw $20,000 in their first year of retirement, $20,600 the second year, $21,218 the third year and so on.
Today's stock market valuations offer several blue-chip companies with dividend payouts near the 4% threshold (along with track records of annual dividend increases) that, if continued, would easily outpace the 3% withdrawal increase in the rule-of-thumb.
McDonald's (MCD), an AllStarPortfolio pick, is just such a stock.
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Posted
May 19 2009, 12:59 PM
by
Anthony Mirhaydari
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Since I recommended them back in March, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) has gained 35% and Brinker (EAT) is up 23%. A third choice, Darden Restaurants (DRI) was a disappointment and gained only 0.7%. In comparison, the S&P 500 index is up 14.7%.
Back then, restaurant sales were showing early signs of stabilization as penny-pinching consumers, tired of making meals at home, ventured out. Heavy menu discounting and tax rebates helped as well. Recession or not, Americans don't like to deny themselves the luxuries of life for too long.
But with the rally in consumer-oriented stocks looking extended, are restaurant stocks still a good place to put new money? The short answer is yes for fast food joints like McDonald's (MCD) and Burger King (BKC) but no for causal dining names. Here's why:
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Posted
Jul 28 2009, 05:45 PM
by
Louis Navellier
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Second quarter earnings season is in full bloom, and so far, Wall Street has been treated to a substantial number of better-than-expected reports from some of the highest profile companies. Traders certainly love the latest batch of earnings news, and their buying has bid up the value of the Dow Jones Industrial Average past the 9,000 mark for the first time since the beginning of January.
So, all must be well in Earnings Land, right? Well, not quite.
Although the headlines are screaming about how companies are beating their earnings estimates, little newsprint is being devoted to this quarter's real story. That story is that revenues for many corporations are way down year over year, and more importantly, their top-line revenues are often coming in below Street estimates
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Posted
Jul 02 2009, 06:08 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 At a time when consumer confidence remains weak, can fast food remain profitable?
Things were starting to look sunny, but then U.S. consumer confidence fell in June, snapping a two-month rally of gains. The Consumer Attitudes Index weighed in at 49.3 -- a decline from the 54.8 it was at in May. Additionally, the Present Situation Index slid to 24.8 from 29.7.
These declines were caused by a weak job market -- note continued layoffs in the private sector -- a less favorable assessment of business conditions, and a weak real estate sector. In addition, higher interest rates are deterring homeowners from refinancing mortgage -- which means no extra cash to spend. Lastly, studies have indicated that US consumers, still anxious about the economy, are saving more and spending less.
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Posted
Jun 05 2009, 12:03 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 Analysts at UBS say that McDonald's (MCD) is "pulling away from the pack" in sales momentum. The fast-food chain will likely have a 4.5% increase in global same-store sales for May -- about four to five percentage points better than the rest of the industry.
UBS is upping its profit estimates for McDonalds by 7 cents for this year and 9 cents for next. Why is Mickey D's doing so well? The list is long, the analysts said. It's flexible on brand and image. It has solid menu pricing strategies. In this economic downturn, McDonald's is pushing its coffee drinks and value messages. And it's increasing share gains as a result.
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Posted
Apr 22 2009, 09:21 AM
by
Louis Navellier
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Can you imagine being in the McDonald’s Corp (MCD) corporate board room when some brave manager raised his hand and said, “Let's reposition our coffee to take direct aim at Starbucks”?
Say what? You want me to believe that we can take our overheated poor excuse for a caffeinated beverage and convince people to buy ours instead of the gourmet blend down the street?
The brainchild of that idea had to be laughed out of the room. But as you can see with my 3 Hot E-Business Stocks to Buy Now, businesses that embrace out-of-the-box thinking have the potential for huge rewards.
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Posted
Aug 21 2008, 09:58 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The Financial Post has a good interview with David Ginther, who runs the $1.3 billion dividend income portfolio at Waddell & Reed Investment. Ginther's still worried about the subprime mortgage crisis, but he points to another concern: the high level of credit in this country. "This could be the next leg of the financial crisis," he says. Ginther focuses on income and growth, and is going back to basics with stock picks these days. Here are the stocks he likes:
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Posted
Sep 08 2009, 10:20 AM
by
InvestorPlace
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article was written by InvestorPlace's Richard Band.
With the S&P 500 up nearly 50% since March, many on Wall Street are wondering how much good is left in this good market run. Is it real bull market? Do growth stocks still have room to grow? Bing: More on Blue Chip Stocks
The short answer is we don't yet know whether this is just a cyclical rise or a real bull market, but for investors, it doesn't matter. I'm still buying stocks. I'm just getting fussier about the prices I'm willing to pay for them. I want to own companies that don't already have all of their appreciation potential built into the price.
That eliminates 90% of the large cap stocks out there. But I have identified a few blue chip stocks that are still at bargain prices
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Posted
Jan 28 2009, 02:10 PM
by
Anthony Mirhaydari
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
In its quarterly filing today, coffee behemoth Starbucks (SBUX) announced that it would close 300 underperforming stores -- including approximately 200 in the United States -- adding to the list of roughly 700 stores closed last summer.
In addition, some 6,700 "partners" will lose their jobs. Of these, 700 are at the corporate level.
These cuts won't come cheaply. The company figures $140 million for lease terminations, $60 million for asset write-offs (think old espresso machines), and $30 million for severance costs. Overall, these cuts are expected to save the company $100 million annually.
Frequent readers know these actions don't come as a big surprise,
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Posted
Dec 16 2008, 09:50 AM
by
Anthony Mirhaydari
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
While Big Macs and the Golden Arches are among the strongest icons in American culture, McDonald's is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan. Nearly two-thirds of the company's income comes from outside of the United States. And there's room for much more.
You don't have to drive far to see just how saturated the quick-service restaurant business is. In the U.S., McDonald's operates 47 restaurants per million people. In comparison, it operates less than one restaurant for every million in China.
This creates huge expansion opportunities for the company.
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