6 Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs: AAPL, NKE, RL, TWX, HOG, MSG
NEW YORK (
) -- Shares of
Apple
(AAPL) - Get Report
,
Nike
(NKE) - Get Report
,
Time Warner
(TWX)
,
Ralph Lauren
(RL) - Get Report
,
Harley-Davidson
(HOG) - Get Report
and
Madison Square Garden
(MSG) - Get Report
hit 52-week highs on Wednesday.
Apple
There was speculation on Wednesday in
The Washington Post
regarding the launch date of Apple's iPad 3. Most believe the launch will happen in March or April, the newspaper said.
"While most focus on revenue growth and gross margin, which is reasonable, webelieve that Apple's significant operating leverage should not be overlooked andshould continue to serve as a source of EPS upside," Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts wrote on Monday. "If Apple were to introduce a new product line (e.g. TVs), this would increase the likelihood of operating leverage, similar to the introduction of the iPhone and iPad."
Shares of Apple hit a 52-week high on Wednesday of $474.22. The stock's 52-week low of $310.50 was set on June 20.
Apple has an estimated price-to-earnings ratio for next year of 9.91; the average among computer hardware companies is 17.99. For comparison,
HP
(HPQ) - Get Report
and
Dell
(DELL) - Get Report
both have lower forward P/Es of 6.62 and 8.85, respectively.
Of the 56 analysts who cover Apple, 51 rated the stock a buy. Four analysts gave Apple a hold rating and one said it was a sell.
TheStreet Ratings
gives Apple an A+ grade and
price target. The stock has risen 16.92% year to date.
Nike
Shares of Nike hit a 52-week high Wednesday of $106.66. The stock's 52-week low of $69.43 was set on March 22.
Nike has a forward P/E of 18.14; the average among footwear companies is 18.14. For comparison,
Crocs
(CROX) - Get Report
and
Steve Madden
(SHOO) - Get Report
have lower forward P/Es of 14.07 and 15.28, respectively.
Of the 21 analysts who cover Nike, 15 rated the company a buy and six said it's a hold.
TheStreet Ratings
gives Nike an A+ grade and
price target. The stock has increased 9.25% year to date.
The athletic apparel company is scheduled to report third-quarter results on March 22. Analysts, on average, anticipate earnings of $1.16 a share on revenue of $5.8 billion.
Ralph Lauren
The retail company reported Wednesday
.
"Upside to expectations was driven by better than expected revenue growth and stronger margins partially offset by a higher tax rate," Piper Jaffray analysts wrote in a report Wednesday. "Total revenue increased 16.6% compared to our 14.3% estimate as same-store sales increased 12% and wholesale revenue increased 10.9%."
Shares of Ralph Lauren hit a 52-week high Wednesday of $178.47. The stock's 52-week low of $105.11 was set on Aug. 9.
Ralph Lauren has a forward P/E of 21.06; the average for clothing and accessory companies is 17.09. For comparison,
Coach
(COH)
and
Fossil
(FOSL) - Get Report
both have lower forward P/Es of 17.9 and 18.35, respectively.
Of the 17 analysts who cover Ralph Lauren, an equal number (eight) gave the stock a buy rating and a hold rating. One analyst considered the company a sell.
TheStreet Ratings
gives Ralph Lauren an A- grade and
price target. The stock has risen 23.91% year to date.
Time Warner
The media company reported Wednesday fourth-quarter earnings per share of 94 cents, which
topped analysts' estimates of 87 cents. Revenue rose 5% to $8.2 billion
.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts are maintaining their neutral rating on Time Warner after the fourth-quarter report.
"Near term performance at TWX will benefit from a clear capital allocation strategy," the analysts wrote Wednesday. "However, we remain on the sidelines as we believe the company must improve its asset mix through either acquisitions or higher investment in order to protect prospects for long term growth."
Shares of Time Warner hit a 52-week high Wednesday of $39.24. The stock's 52-week low of $27.62 was set on Aug. 22.
Time Warner has a forward P/E of 10.63; the average for broadcast and entertainment companies is 22.24. For comparison,
Walt Disney
(DIS) - Get Report
and
News Corp
(NWS) - Get Report
have slightly higher forward P/Es of 12.2 and 11.51, respectively.
Of the 33 analysts who cover Time Warner, 25 rated the company a buy. Eight analysts gave it a hold rating.
TheStreet Ratings
gives Time Warner an A- grade and
price target. The stock has risen 6.23% year to date.
Harley-Davidson
The motorcycle company on Tuesday named CEO Keith Wandell as the company's chairman. Harley-Davidson also raised its quarterly dividend to 16 cents a share from 13 cents.
"Adding the Chairman role for Wandell is well deserved, in our view, given his leadership in the significant necessary transformation of HOG's operations over the last three years and reflects confidence in his leadership in setting future strategy for the company," Wells Fargo analysts wrote in a report Wednesday. "While the dividend increase is modestly below our estimate of a $0.175 quarterly ($0.70 annualized) rate, we are not overly concerned as we feel the company is maintaining a conservative 20- 25% payout ratio posture until restructuring transformations are complete in 2012. We believe the company could at least move to a 2530% payout ratio (or potentially modestly higher) in 2013."
Shares of Harley-Davidson hit a 52-week high Wednesday of $47.19. The stock's 52-week low of $31.50 was set on Aug. 22.
Harley-Davidson has a forward P/E of 14.01; the average for automobile companies is 9.48. By comparison,
General Motors
(GM) - Get Report
and
Ford
(F) - Get Report
both have lower forward P/Es of 6.97 and 7.46, respectively.
Of the 19 analysts who cover the company, 11 rated it a buy. Seven analysts gave Harley-Davidson a hold rating and one considered it a sell.
TheStreet Ratings
gives Harley-Davidson a B grade and
price target. The stock has increased 18.21% year to date.
Madison Square Garden
The sports and entertainment company reported Wednesday second-quarter earnings of $25.6 million, or 33 cents a share, a drop from year-earlier profit of $32.7 million, or 42 cents a share.
"MSG Sports rev. of $88mn was modestly ahead of our $83mn est., reflectinghigher ticket pricing and suite income at the NY Rangers, offset by the absence of17 NY Knicks games in the Q (incl. pre-season) and related impact," Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts wrote in a report Wednesday.
Shares of Madison Square Garden hit a 52-week high Wednesday of $30.91. The stock's 52-week low of $21.12 was set on Oct. 4.
Madison Square Garden has a forward P/E of 24.92; the average among recreational service companies is 15.63. For comparison,
Carnival
(CCL) - Get Report
and
Royal Caribbean
(RCL) - Get Report
both have lower forward P/Es of 12.23 and 10.29, respectively.
Analysts were split on Madison Square Garden with five giving it a buy rating and five rating it a hold.
TheStreet Ratings
gives Madison Square Garden a
and hold rating.
-- Written by Alexandra Zendrian
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