Chevron, Home Depot, DuPont Hit Highs

Dow stocks Chevron, Home Depot and DuPont hit 52-week highs Tuesday.

Author:: Jake Lynch
Publish date:: Apr 20, 2010 4:39 PM EDT

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- U.S. stocks rallied Tuesday after the earnings of Goldman Sachs (DD) - Get Report and several other companies beat expectations. These Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks hit 52-week highs.

3. DuPont

(DD) - Get Report

declined 0.5% to $39.17, hitting a high of $39.80. Shares of the chemical maker have gained 6.3% during the past month.

Quarter

: DuPont swung to a fourth-quarter profit of $441 million, or 48 cents a share, from a loss of $629 million, or 70 cents, a year earlier. Revenue grew 9.9%. The operating margin expanded to 7.7%. DuPont has $6.1 billion of cash and $11 billion of debt.

Stock

: DuPont has risen 46% during the past year, beating the

S&P 500 Index

. It trades at a price-to-sales ratio of 1.3 and a price-to-cash-flow ratio of 7.5, 48% and 61% discounts to peer averages.

Consensus

: Of analysts covering DuPont, six, or 33%, advise purchasing its shares and 12 recommend holding them.

Buckingham Research

expects the stock to advance 23% to $48.

Deutsche Bank

(DB) - Get Report

says the shares could hit $44.

2. Home Depot

(HD) - Get Report

inched up to $35.18, achieving a high of $35.49. Shares of the home-improvement retailer have gained 8.7% during the past month.

Quarter

: In Home Depot's fiscal fourth quarter, which ended in January, the company swung to a profit of $342 million, or 18 cents, from a loss of $54 million, breaking even on a per share basis, a year earlier. Revenue was little changed at $15 billion. The operating margin widened from 4.5% to 4.9%.

Stock

: Home Depot has increased 40% during the past year, lagging behind major benchmarks. It sells for a price-to-projected-earnings ratio of 16, a price-to-book ratio of 3.1 and a price-to-sales ratio of 0.9, slight discounts to industry averages.

Consensus

: Of researchers following Home Depot, 18, or 60%, rate its stock "buy," 10 rate it "hold" and two rate it "sell."

Credit Suisse

(CS) - Get Report

offers a price target of $41, a potential 17% return.

UBS

(UBS) - Get Report

predicts it will climb to $36.50.

1. Chevron

(CVX) - Get Report

increased 0.9% to $82.05, hitting a high of $82.36. Shares of the oil-and-gas company have jumped 9.4% during the past month.

Quarter

: Fourth-quarter profit decreased 37% to $3.1 billion, or $1.53. Revenue increased 11% to $46 billion. The operating margin dropped from 14% to 10%. Chevron has $8.8 billion of cash and $11 billion of debt, equaling a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.1.

Stock

: Chevron has risen 28% during the past year, trailing U.S. indices. It trades at a price-to-book ratio of 1.8 and a price-to-sales ratio of 1, 66% and 56% discounts to the oil-and-gas industry averages.

Consensus

: Of firms rating Chevron, 16, or 67%, advocate purchasing its shares and eight recommend holding them.

Morgan Stanley

(MS) - Get Report

and

Citigroup

predict the stock will rise 18% to $97.

Barclays

(BCS) - Get Report

expects it to hit $96.

View Stockpickr's Daily 52-Week Highs Portfolio

-- Reported by Jake Lynch in Boston.