Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), Apple Inc. (AAPL): Fined For Working Late?

As I try to get a grasp the idea of how $13,000 will keep any company from working an extra few hours to keep a clean store, I will look at Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY). BlackBerry holds a market cap of only $7.6 billion, and therefore a fine would have a larger affect. Had BlackBerry been fined, it would have equated to a whopping $0.085 fine for the average American household. The company acquired $18.5 billion in 2012 revenues, and shows a 35.7% gross margin. The stock was down over 18% in 2012, but has increased nearly 13% YTD. BlackBerry also seems to be cheaply priced as it shows a FCF yield of 10.85%.

Finally, Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) would have received the equivalent of a $0.0055 fine to the average American household. Again, it wouldn’t have had a major effect on any household, let alone a company of HP’s size. With a market cap of $41.4 billion, the company shows an outstanding current FCF yield of 20.5%. Earnings per share have also risen seven of the past ten years, like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). The company’s gross margins are 23.2%, and company’s stock has increased an incredible 41.3% YTD. Even with this remarkable stock increase, the stock is down over 1% since the beginning of 2012. While Hewlett Packard shows a FCF yield that is 9.65% higher than Blackberry, both companies offer value for bargain investors.

The Foolish Bottom Line…

All of these companies seem to be cheaply priced, with HP leading the pack. My biggest concern for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)isn’t the fact that they received $13,000 in fines, but rather my concern is how the public will receive this news. With the stock dropping nearly 17% YTD, will this cause even more skeptics for the company? In order to keep a good public appearance, Apple might want to consider releasing its employees at 9 pm, or stay open until 11 pm. For bargain investors, all of these companies seem to be excellent investments at this time.

The article Fined For Working Late? originally appeared on Fool.com.

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