Real money was on the line then as it is now, which means any one of the five stocks you see below could tip the scales in my favor. This time, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported strong gains in the wake of its first earnings beat in four tries.
Let’s start with the really good news: Profits came in $0.02 ahead of estimates as revenue improved 11.3%. Credit the iPad for those gains. Revenue jumped 40% as unit sales soared 65% year-over year. Average selling prices fell from $530.93 to $449.04, no doubt because of the popularity of the lower-priced iPad Mini. Increasing interest in iTunes content may also be helping boost tablet sales.
CEO Tim Cook also agreed loosen Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s purse strings. Existing investors will see a 15% bump in the dividend, to $3.05 a share, when the payout arrives next month. More importantly, the board has authorized up to $50 billion extra for repurchasing shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock. Overnight, the iEmpire has become one of tech’s most interesting value and income plays.
The bad news? Guidance came short of what Wall Street had been hoping for. And while Mac sales are holding up well compared with the PC market, which remains in freefall, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s computer sales still dipped 2% year over year.
What’s the Big Idea this week?
Investors didn’t care enough to stay out of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock, which rallied more than 6% last week. Mixing in a 4% rally in shares of Rackspace Hosting broke a string of losses to Mr. Market, as my five tech stocks reclaimed 38 basis points in our three-year contest to see who can do better for investors. All four indexes also gained.
This time, the Russell 2000 led the indices with a 2.49% jump, followed by the Nasdaq’s 2.28% gain, the S&P 500’s 1.74% bump, and the Dow’s 1.13% improvement, according to data supplied by The Wall Street Journal. Here’s a closer look at where I stood through Friday’s close:
| Company | Starting Price* | Recent Price | Total Return |
| Apple | $416.26** | $417.20 | 0.2% |
| $650.09 | $801.42 | 23.3% | |
| Rackspace Hosting | $41.65 | $46.87 | 12.5% |
| Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RVBD) | $25.95 | $14.89 | (42.6%) |
| Salesforce.com | $25.26** | $40.71 | 61.2% |
| AVERAGE RETURN | — | — | 10.92% |
| S&P 500 SPDR | $124.39** | $158.24 | 27.21% |
| DIFFERENCE | — | — | (16.29%) |
Source: Yahoo! Finance.
* Tracking began at market close on Jan. 6, 2012.
** Adjusted for dividends, splits, and other returns of capital.
Notable newsmakers
Among the other tech stocks making news last week:
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM) soared as much as 21% as the leading content delivery network served more online media traffic than expected. Both revenue and earnings easily topped estimates.
Informatica Corporation (NASDAQ:INFA) also saw its shares jump after exceeding Q1 revenue targets, a nice switch for a company that had suffered stalling sales in the wake of the European debt crisis. During the quarter, the company signed 19 deals with more than $1 million.
Fusion-IO, Inc. (NYSE:FIO) also rallied more than 20% after crushing revenue and profit targets. More importantly, CFO Dennis Wolf says customers are once more increasing order sizes.
Finally, mark your calendars: Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RVBD) reports earnings after the bell tomorrow. Investors are expecting heady revenue growth from the company, which recently named co-founder David Wu chief technology officer.
What else caught your eye in the tech world last week? Do you believe Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock will rally from here? Let us know what you think in the comments box below.
The article Apple Stock Finally Rallies, but Not Enough to Save My Portfolio originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Tim Beyers.
Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Apple, Google, Rackspace Hosting, Riverbed Technology, and Salesforce.com at the time of publication. Check out Tim’s Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Google, Informatica, Rackspace Hosting, Riverbed Technology, and salesforce.com and owns shares of Apple, Google, and Riverbed Technology.
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