Baidu, UPS, Dow Chemical Hit Highs
BOSTON (
) -- U.S. stocks rallied Thursday as earnings beat expectations and the dollar weakened.
Dow Chemical
,
UPS
(UPS) - Get United Parcel Service, Inc. Class B Report
and
Baidu
(BIDU) - Get Baidu Inc. Report
hit 52-week highs.
3. Dow Chemical closed flat at $31.82, hitting a high of $32.05. It has risen 7.8% during the past month.
Quarter
: First-quarter profit skyrocketed to $551 million, or 41 cents a share, from 24 million, or 1 cent, a year earlier. Revenue increased 48%. The operating margin stretched from 1.6% to 5.1%. Dow holds $2.9 billion of cash and $23 billion of debt.
Stock
TheStreet Recommends
: Dow has more than doubled during the past year, outperforming U.S. stock-market indices. It trades at a PEG ratio, a measure of value relative to expected growth, of 0.1, an 83% discount to its peer average and a 90% discount to long-term expansion.
Consensus
: Of analysts covering Dow, seven advise purchasing its shares, five recommend holding and three suggest selling them.
Morgan Stanley
(MS) - Get Morgan Stanley Report
expects the stock to advance 36% to $43.
Barclays
(BCS) - Get Barclays Plc Report
predicts that it will hit $40.
2. UPS climbed 2% to $69.70, hitting a high of $69.95. Shares of the package-delivery company have increased 8.7% during the past month.
Quarter
: First-quarter profit climbed 33% to $533 million, or 53 cents, as revenue increased 7% to $12 billion. The operating margin widened from 8.2% to 8.9% on an international rebound. UPS holds $3.1 billion of cash and marketable securities.
Stock
: UPS has gained 35% during the past year, lagging behind stock benchmarks. It sells for a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 18 and a PEG ratio of 0.6, 24% and 65% discounts to industry averages. It's expensive based on sales.
Consensus
: Of researchers following UPS, 15 rate its stock "buy" and nine rank it "hold."
RBC
(RY) - Get Royal Bank of Canada Report
offers a price target of $85, leaving a potential 22% return.
JPMorgan Chase
(JPM) - Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. Report
and
Goldman Sachs
(GS) - Get Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Report
expect the stock to hit $82.
1. Baidu soared 14% to $709.87, hitting a high of $718. Shares of the China- and Japan-based search engine have advanced 18% during the past month.
Quarter
: First-quarter profit more than doubled to $70 million, or $2.02, as revenue jumped 60% to $190 million. The operating margin extended from 24% to 41%. Baidu has $719 million of cash and no debt, amounting to a quick ratio of 3.9.
Stock
: Baidu has more than tripled during the past year, beating stock indices. It trades at a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 41 and a price-to-book ratio of 28, 50% and 427% premiums to industry averages. It's also costly based on sales.
Consensus
: Of firms rating Baidu, 16, or 67%, advocate purchasing its shares, six recommend holding and two suggest selling them.
Citigroup
(C) - Get Citigroup Inc. Report
predicts that the stock will climb 12% to $800.
Bank of America
(BAC) - Get Bank of America Corp Report
values each share at $780.
View Stockpickr's Daily 52-Week Highs Portfolio
-- Reported by Jake Lynch in Boston.
