Dow Today: Procter & Gamble (PG) Leads The Day Higher, Alcoa (AA) Lags

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) is trading down 50.0 points (-0.4%) at 13,229 as of Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 9:35 a.m. ET. During this time, 26.4 million shares of the 30 Dow components have changed hands vs. an average daily trading volume of 738.9 million. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 679 issues advancing vs. 2,020 declining with 142 unchanged.

The Dow component leading the way higher looks to be Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), which is sporting a 36-cent gain (+0.6%) bringing the stock to $63.93. Volume for Procter & Gamble currently sits at 401,098 shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 10.6 million shares.

Procter & Gamble has a market cap of $174.38 billion and is part of the consumer goods sector and consumer non-durables industry. Shares are down 4.7% year to date as of Tuesday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 3.5%.

The Procter & Gamble Company provides consumer packaged goods in the United States and internationally. The company has a P/E ratio of 19.5, equal to the average consumer non-durables industry P/E ratio and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.

TheStreet Ratings rates Procter & Gamble as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, good cash flow from operations, expanding profit margins, reasonable valuation levels and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

• You can view the full Procter & Gamble Ratings Report.

Holding back the Dow today is Alcoa (NYSE:AA), which is lagging the broader Dow index with a 16-cent decline (-1.6%) bringing the stock to $9.82. This single loss is lowering the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 1.21 points or roughly accounting for 2.4% of the Dow's overall loss. Volume for Alcoa currently sits at 490,830 shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 24.8 million shares.

• See our dividend calendar or top-yielding stocks list.

Alcoa has a market cap of $10.38 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and metals & mining industry. Shares are up 15.3% year to date as of Tuesday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 1.2%.

Alcoa, Inc. engages in the production and management of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina. The company operates in four segments: Alumina, Primary Metals, Flat-Rolled Products, and Engineered Products and Solutions. The company has a P/E ratio of 26.3, below the average metals & mining industry P/E ratio of 27 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.

TheStreet Ratings rates Alcoa as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself, deteriorating net income and disappointing return on equity.

• You can view the full Alcoa Ratings Report.

For more information on Alcoa Inc click any of the following:

• Alcoa Inc Stock Price

• Alcoa Inc Analyst Ratings

• Alcoa Inc Key Stats & Profile

• Alcoa Inc Earnings

• Alcoa Inc Ratio Comparison

• Alcoa Inc Growth Rates

• Alcoa Inc Balance Sheet

• Alcoa Inc Cash Flow

• Alcoa Inc Income Statement