Dow Today: Procter & Gamble (PG) Higher

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) is trading up 49 points (+0.4%) at 13,123 as of Friday, Dec 7, 2012, 1:35 p.m. ET. During this time, 365.3 million shares of the 30 Dow components have changed hands vs. an average daily trading volume of 633.6 million. The NYSE advances/declines ratio sits at 1,395 issues advancing vs. 1,534 declining with 146 unchanged.

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The Dow component leading the way higher looks to be Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), which is sporting a 47-cent gain (+0.7%) bringing the stock to $70.42. This single gain is lifting the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 3.56 points or roughly accounting for 7.3% of the Dow's overall gain. Volume for Procter & Gamble currently sits at 7.7 million shares traded vs. an average daily trading volume of 8.9 million shares.

Procter & Gamble has a market cap of $189.78 billion and is part of the consumer goods sector and consumer non-durables industry. Shares are up 4% year to date as of Thursday's close. The stock's dividend yield sits at 3.2%.

The Procter & Gamble Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of a range of branded consumer packaged goods. The company operates in five segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric Care and Home Care, and Baby Care and Family Care. The company has a P/E ratio of 22.6, 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 expanding profit margins, good cash flow from operations, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, reasonable valuation levels and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat disappointing return on equity.

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

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