The Procter & Gamble Company (PG), Pfizer Inc. (PFE): Last Week’s Worst Performing Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) Components

This week’s decline was likely caused by a number of different factors all playing on the stock. Last week, we saw shares increase after the announcement that former CEO A. G. Laffley would be returning. A few of my colleagues have pointed out this week that the increase on Laffley’s back was likely an overreaction, and shares could be declining as short-term investors take profits. Additionally, this past week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Laffley was quick at work and already making big managerial changes to the company’s corporate structure. The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) will soon be broken into four operating divisions, with each having its own head, who will report directly to Laffley. While it’s unknown at this time if this will increase corporate cost, it’s likely a safe bet to assume it will, while also increasing competition within the company. This is something that can be both constructive and destructive depending on the atmosphere.

Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) also traded lower this past week by 5.32%. The company is currently facing a number of headwinds, which are not only slowing the company’s growth, but pushing the stock price lower. This past week, we saw slower-than-expected GDP growth in China, which is an important market for the soft-drink company, especially since it is having issues in other markets around the world. Here at home, the push to lower obesity continues to hurt the company. And in Venezuela, bottling-plant workers are on strike; at this point, the company expects this will lower revenue by at least 15%.

A few other Dow losers this week:

AT&T dropped 4.78%

Caterpillar slipped 0.47% lower

ExxonMobil, down 0.96%

Home Depot fell 0.41%

Johnson & Johnson lost 3.04%

McDonald’s declined by 3.70%

Merck sank by 0.97%

United Technologies, down 0.14%

Verizon fell 5.66%

Wal-Mart, down 3.19%

Walt Disney slid lower by 3.68%

General Electric shed 0.89% of its value

Chevron was cut down by 2.15%

Boeing slid 0.98%

The article Last Week’s Worst Performing Dow Components originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Matt Thalman.

Fool contributor Matt Thalman owns shares of Bank of America. The Motley Fool recommends Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of America. Check back Monday through Friday as Matt explains what caused the Dow’s winners and losers of the day, and every Saturday for a weekly recap. Follow Matt on Twitter: @mthalman5513.

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