WMT, INTC and HD Shine In Yesterday’s Session
US stocks rallied yesterday after the Federal Reserve disclosed its plans to keep interest rates low for a longer time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average components that performed brilliantly during yesterday’s session are:
Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) touched a high of $56.27 during yesterday’s session before settling at $55.99, reflecting a gain of 1%. Shares of the world's largest retailer have risen 4.5% in the past four weeks and just 15% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming all US indices. At the price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 13, WMT trades at a 14% discount to its peer-group average. It is also cheap in terms of trailing earnings, book value, sales and cash flows.
Of 30 analysts covering WMT, 24 recommend it as a “buy” and the remaining rank it as a "hold."
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) moved up 3.97% to close at $22.01, after recording a high of $22.04 in the session. The chipmaker’s shares have moved 6.2% over the past month. The shares added to their tally yesterday after the company announced the launch of new server chips. Over the past 12 months, Intel has risen 54%, outpacing the Dow but trailing the S&P 500. The stock is trading at a 26% discount to the industry average. INTC’s PEG ratio of 0.2 reflects a discount relative to expected growth.
Of the total number of analysts covering Intel, 37 recommend buying the stock, 10 rate it as "hold," while two recommend selling it.
Home Depot (NYSE: HD) shares went as high as $32.81 before declining to $32.55, reflecting a 0.4% loss. HD’s shares have moved up 11% over the past four weeks. The home-improvement retailer’s quarterly return on equity (ROE), which reflects a company’s profitability, matches the industry average.
Home Depot has jumped 62% over the past year, exceeding the gains in the Dow. The stock trades, however, at a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 15, which reflects a 12% discount to its peer-group average. The shares are at present expensive, as is depicted by its PEG ratio of 1.2.
Of the researchers following HD, 20 advise the purchase of its shares, nine recommend holding them and two suggest selling them.
