Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK), BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)
While Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) made major acquisitions of smaller tech companies last quarter, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) outspent them all on the biggest deal in the tech industry by buying back its own shares. …”The company spent $16 billion last quarter ($4 billion in cash, $12 billion through the so-called accelerated share repurchase program) to purchase 36 million of its own shares at an average price of just over $444,” said Philip Elmer-DeWitt with Fortune. With that kind of cash, he said, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has the power to completely buy telecom competitors like Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) or BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY).
The Apple Comeback Begins (Nasdaq)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may have just reported a pretty mediocre quarter. But with shares popping $20 yesterday, there are reasons to believe that this is the start of a huge comeback for the world’s largest tech stock. On the surface, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s third-quarter earnings were nothing special. Profits continued to sag, declining year-over-year for the second straight quarter after a decade of nothing but growth. Earnings per share of $7.47 were at the lowest level since 2011. Meanwhile, iPad sales are slumping, falling to 14.6 million units from 17 million sold a year ago.
Microsoft Corp. Receives “Buy” Rating from TheStreet (MSFT) (UtahPeoplesPost)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by TheStreet in a research note issued on Thursday, Analyst Ratings.Net reports. The analysts wrote, “Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A-. The company’s strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity, attractive valuation levels and impressive record of earnings per share growth. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.”
Strong iPhone sales buoy Apple’s third quarter (BRecorder)
Sales of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone trumped Wall Street estimates after US shipments soared 51 percent in the third quarter, lifting its stock 5 percent even as profit fell. The world’s largest technology company said Tuesday that profit fell 22 percent as gross margins slid below 37 percent from more than 42 percent in the year-ago quarter. The iPhone’s solid showing eased concerns that growing competition is hurting demand for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s top-selling product as the global smartphone market matures.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has introduced Chromecast cheaper TV dongle (eFinanceHub)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has announced a cheaper competitor to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) TV – a “dongle” device called Chromecast. Dongle can be plugged into a television’s HDMI port, and it allows users to play media from smartphones, tablets and computers. …Upgraded Nexus 7 tablet has been launched by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG); it was the first which can run the latest version of android system. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has lost the power in its attempts to make a move into the living room in 2012, which was considered by a number of experts to be ripe ground for making huge profits through commercialization.
Google aims more devices at Apple (DailyHerald)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has unveiled a sleeker and more powerful version of its Nexus 7 tablet that runs on the company’s Android software. Prices for the improved model start at $229, or $30 higher than the lowest-priced Nexus 7 current on sale. The Internet company is also taking another stab at making it easier for people to display Internet content on their TVs with a new device called Chromecast that plugs into the HDMI ports of flat-panel TVs. It sells for just $35 and includes three free months of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX).
Microsoft Becomes #19 Most Shorted Dow Stock, Replacing Procter & Gamble (Forbes)
The most recent short interest data has been released by the NASDAQ for the 07/15/2013 settlement date, and we here at Dividend Channel like to sift through this fresh data and order the underlying components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average by “days to cover.” In our new rank based on the most recent short interest data from NASDAQ, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has taken over the position of #19 most shorted Dow component, from The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) which is now in the #22 spot. The “days to cover” at 07/15/2013 was 2.66 for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and 2.42 for The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG); this compares to the average across all Dow components of 3.96.
