Dow Today: Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) Leads The Day Higher, United Technologies (UTX) Lags

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) closed down 55.0 points (-0.4%) at 13,035. During the day, 480.1 million shares of the 30 Dow components have changed hands vs. an average daily trading volume of 601.2 million. The NYSE advances/declines ratio closed at 1,767 issues advancing vs. 1,215 declining with 113 unchanged.

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The Dow component that led the way higher today was Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT), which sported a 92-cent gain (+1.3%) bringing the stock to $73.52. Volume for Wal-Mart Stores ended the day at 8.1 million shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 9.2 million shares.

Wal-Mart Stores has a market cap of $245.65 billion and is part of the services sector and retail industry. Shares are up 21.5% year to date as of Friday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 2.2%.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates retail stores in various formats worldwide. It operates retail stores, restaurants, discount stores, supermarkets, supercenters, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, apparel stores, Sam's Clubs, and neighborhood markets, as well as walmart.com; and samsclub.com. The company has a P/E ratio of 15.3, equal to the average retail industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.

TheStreet Ratings rates Wal-Mart Stores as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, growth in earnings per share, revenue growth, notable return on equity and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.

• You can view the full Wal-Mart Stores Ratings Report.

Holding the Dow back today was United Technologies (NYSE:UTX), which lagged the broader Dow index with a $1.50 decline (-1.9%) bringing the stock to $78.35. This single loss lowered the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 11.35 points or roughly accounting for 20.6% of the Dow's overall loss. Volume for United Technologies ended the day at 4.7 million shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of four million shares.

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United Technologies has a market cap of $72.81 billion and is part of the conglomerates sector and conglomerates industry. Shares are up 9.2% year to date as of Friday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 2.7%.

United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to the building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. The company has a P/E ratio of 13.4, below the average conglomerates industry P/E ratio of 14 and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.

TheStreet Ratings rates United Technologies as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, good cash flow from operations, notable return on equity, increase in stock price during the past year and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

• You can view the full United Ratings Report.

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