Mark Morelli

All Posts

• Apple can't catch a break

  By Mark Morelli - May 18, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, GOOG, SSNLF

  Here's another example of analyst and media bias against the maker of one of the best selling consumer items in history.

  An article was just published online that compares headlines and media buzz in the periods immediately after the release of two competing products.

  "Bad" iPhone data

  One of them was the iPhone5, the latest version of the iconic smartphone from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Last September it went more »

• The World's Most Valuable Brands

  By Mark Morelli - May 16, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, KO, IBM, MCD

  A Georgia man claims he found a 1943 recipe used to make the soft drink Coke at an estate sale. He has offered to sell the document for $15 million. It hasn't been confirmed to be authentic and no one has expressed interest in purchasing it yet. The drink's maker, The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), claims that the original recipe is stored in a safe place at its more »

• 3 of Warren's Favorite Stocks: IBM, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble

  By Mark Morelli - May 14, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, BRK-A, KO, IBM, PG

  Instead of wondering who will become the next CEO of Berkshire Hathaway or what Warren Buffett wrote in his first tweet I think most investors, including me, would be more interested in the answers to questions like what companies he chooses and how he chooses them.

  Q&A

  The annual Berkshire shareholders meeting was held earlier this month, a "small" affair attended by 35,000 of the faithful in Omaha more »

• Are REITS a good investment?

  By Mark Morelli - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: EQR, RLJ, SPG, TCO

  By most measures the real estate market is improving. Some even call it a mini-boom. Can the individual investor take advantage of this?

  Besides buying rental property and becoming a landlord or investing in the obvious (home builders and home improvement centers) one way is to invest in the trend is through real estate investment trusts (REIT).

  REIT's that own or invest in apartment buildings and upscale malls are more »

• Orange growth for Coca-Cola

  By Mark Morelli - May 11, 2013 | Tickers: CPB, KO, MCD, PEP

  If you thought a key ingredient used by The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) was obtained only from the coca plant you may be barking up the wrong tree.

  Juiced up

  The Atlanta-based company is working out details with growers in Florida and Brazil to purchase oranges from them. Yes, oranges. It will spend about $2 billion in Florida alone over the next 20 years.

  Many of the drinks it supplies more »

• More Oil in the Bakken

  By Mark Morelli - May 9, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, BRK-A, HAL, VLO

  A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey indicates that, buried in the Bakken shale and Three Forks regions of North Dakota and Montana, there are actually more oil and natural gas deposits than previously thought . Two or three times more, in fact.

  If these projections pan out, it can only benefit businesses involved in the production, transportation, storage, processing, and use of said energy supplies. The overall economy more »

• Are These Dividend Stocks Overvalued?

  By Mark Morelli - May 2, 2013 | Tickers: T, ED, INTC, PG

  My, how the tables have turned.

  In the waning days of the dot.com bubble of the late 1990's and early 2000's tech stocks were considered way overpriced. Some had P/Es over 100 and drove the overall market to an incredibly high valuation.

  Today a new group of stocks are considered by a number of analysts to be overpriced. Defensive and low-growth telecoms, utilities and consumer staples more »

• 7 Steps to Find Winning Stocks

  By Mark Morelli - May 2, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, BRLI, SAM, VRTS

  Last year I had a problem. I had taken some profit on part of my investment in Apple and needed somewhere to put the gains.

  I bought three stocks, and two of them enjoyed significant run-ups. I nearly doubled my investment in one of them within six months. The third has dropped slightly.

  Apple had experienced a nice run up over the previous few years (and I had realized a more »

• Why Apple Is Just Not a Growth Stock Anymore

  By Mark Morelli - May 2, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, XOM, JNJ |

  Along with revenue (up by 11%) and earnings (down year-over-year for the first time in ten years), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) also announced two other important things that should matter to investors: a dividend increase and expansion of its stock buyback program. The company will return a total of $100 billion to shareholders over the next three years. No minor thing.

  The tech giant will raise its payout by 15% to more »

• Why Blackstone Said No to Dell

  By Mark Morelli - April 27, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, DELL, HPQ, IBM

  After mulling it over for about a month, asset management company Blackstone Group has decided to pass on taking the world's third largest PC maker, Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), private.

  The NYC-based Blackstone said the decision was related to the current health of the PC industry and concerns over Dell's overall financial condition. In Blackstone's view, Dell is not performing well and is in a dying industry.

  PC more »

• Three Dow Stocks Disappoint

  By Mark Morelli - April 24, 2013 | Tickers: GE, IBM, MCD

  International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) reported less-than-stellar results on April 18. The next day the stock price dropped like a rock, down more than 8%. A third of the gain made over the last two years was wiped out.

  Big Blue, the highest-priced stock in the Dow Jones industrial average, dragged the entire index down and it barely broke even. The broader market was mostly up on the day.

  Are more »

• Reliable Dividend Growers

  By Mark Morelli - April 16, 2013 | Tickers: KO, JNJ, MCD, PG, WMT

  Long-term investors and retirees love companies that reliably increase their dividend year after year, decade after decade. 

  Pampers pays

  They would adore the fact that the board of directors of consumer products giant Procter and Gamble (NYSE: PG) just authorized a 7% dividend increase. It marks the 57th consecutive year that the company has raised its payout. The last time the owner of the Pampers, Tide and Gillette brands didn more »

• The Pod Innovation Problem

  By Mark Morelli - April 11, 2013 | Tickers: CHD, KRFT, PG, CLX |

  There are some reports out that suggest that the introduction of the Procter and Gamble (NYSE: PG) Tide Pods last year is actually reducing overall revenue for the laundry products market.

  With a precise amount of detergent in each packet, that theory is plausible. Research indicated that many consumers used more product than needed with the old measuring system, so sales naturally would decline with a smaller amount consumed.

  Low more »

• The iPad Turns 3

  By Mark Morelli - April 8, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, AAPL, BKS, DELL, SSNLF

  April 3 marked the 3rd anniversary of the introduction of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPad tablet. It was the beginning of turning yet another market on its head by the iconic company.

  Just as it did previously with the iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007, devices which radically altered how we listen to our favorite songs and talk, text and surf on the go, Apple has transformed the more »

• The Pod Innovation Problem

  By Mark Morelli - April 6, 2013 | Tickers: CHD, KRFT, PG, CLX

  There are some reports out that suggest that the introduction of the Procter and Gamble (NYSE: PG) Tide Pods last year is actually reducing overall revenue for the laundry products market.

  With a precise amount of detergent in each packet that theory is plausible. Research indicated that many consumers used more product than needed with the old measuring system so sales naturally would decline with a smaller amount consumed.

  Low more »

• The Market Might Have Peaked, but These Stocks Are Worth a Watch

  By Mark Morelli - April 5, 2013 | Tickers: MTGE, ARI, CVX, LEG

  The first quarter is over. The market did very well during the first three months of 2013. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 8.7% and the S&P 500 rose 7.3%, not counting reinvestment of dividends.

  Doom and gloom

  Some analysts have said that the market may have already peaked for the year, and that a "correction" surely is on the way. Depending on which "doom and gloom more »

• Has the market already peaked?

  By Mark Morelli - April 2, 2013 | Tickers: MTGE, ARI, CVX, LEG

  The first quarter is over. The market did very well during the first three months of 2013. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 8.7% and the S&P500 index rose 7.3%, not counting reinvestment of dividends.

  Doom and gloom

  Some analysts have said that the market may have already peaked for the year and that a "correction" surely is on the way. Depending on which "doom and gloom more »

• Telecom Shakeup: T-Mobile Gets the Apple iPhone

  By Mark Morelli - March 31, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, T, S, VZ, VOD

  T-Mobile USA just announced that it will add the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone to its product lineup. 

   

  T-Mobile is the fourth largest wireless provider in the country behind Verizon Wireless, AT&T (NYSE: T), and Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S). Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NASDAQ: VOD) of the UK.

   

  No service contract required

   

  T-Mobile also announced that users will not need to more »

• Buy Dividend Growers From These Two Sectors

  By Mark Morelli - March 27, 2013 | Tickers: CVX, CLX, WMT

  A key part of any retirement plan should be to ensure that income lasts during the golden years.

   

  One of the strategies in that regard is to find companies that consistently grow dividends over time.

   

  A good place to look is on the list of Dividend Aristocrats, the group of just 51 businesses that have increased payouts every year for the last 25. Some have done it for over 50 more »

• What Big Companies Are Firing or Hiring?

  By Mark Morelli - March 23, 2013 | Tickers: AZN, KO, GOOG, BA

  Recently there has been a spat of information released regarding the employment picture among some big companies. Although the economy in general is improving and slowly creating jobs some large corporations have decided to scale back in a bid to change direction or refine operations. 

  The soft-drink maker Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) just made an announcement that it was laying off 1% of its 75,000 strong U.S.-based workforce more »

• Page 1 of 5
• »