Dow Today: Alcoa (AA) Higher

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) is trading up three points at 12,422 as of Thursday, May 31, 2012, 12:35 p.m. ET. During this time, 301.7 million shares of the 30 Dow components have changed hands vs. an average daily trading volume of 728.7 million. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 1,073 issues advancing vs. 1,833 declining with 141 unchanged.

The Dow component leading the way higher looks to be Alcoa (NYSE:AA), which is sporting a two-cent gain (+0.2%) bringing the stock to $8.60. This single gain is lifting the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.15 points or roughly accounting for 5% of the Dow's overall gain. Volume for Alcoa currently sits at 14.9 million shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 25 million shares.

Alcoa has a market cap of $9.48 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and metals & mining industry. Shares are down 0.8% year to date as of Wednesday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 1.4%.

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 24, below the average metals & mining industry P/E ratio of 24.7 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.

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