5 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) ��U.S. stocks gained on Friday after a solid manufacturing report, leading to a fourth straight up week for the S&P 500 and Dow industrials.

The S&P 500 (SPX) rose 5.10 points, or 0.3%, to close at 1,761.64. Industrials and utilities performed best among S&P 500 sectors, while energy and materials were the laggards. The benchmark index edged up 0.1% for the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) climbed 69.80 points, or nearly 0.5%, to finish at 15,615.55. Chevron Corp. (CVX) slid 1.6% and fared worst among blue chips after its earnings report. The Dow advanced 0.3% for the week.

5 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: Visa Inc.(V)

Visa Inc., a payments technology company, engages in the operation of retail electronic payments network worldwide. It facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company owns and operates VisaNet, a global processing platform that provides transaction processing services. It also offers a range of payments platforms, which enable credit, charge, deferred debit, debit, and prepaid payments, as well as cash access for consumers, businesses, and government entities. The company provides its payment platforms under the Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brand names. In addition, it offers value-added services, including risk management, issuer processing, loyalty, dispute management, value-added information, and CyberSource-branded services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Getty Images There are some people who spend $5,000 each year going out to lunch. And then there are some who spend nothing. But according to a new Visa (V) survey, on average, Americans spend $936 a year -- or $10 per outing -- on restaurant-made lunches. That kind of money could easily help fund a winter trip to the beach, but it's going to stale chips, soda, and six-inch subs instead. Or, if you're among the 1 percent who spend more than $50 a lunch -- nearly $5,000 a year -- you'd have that beach trip completely covered. Here's a closer look at how the rest of us spend our lunch breaks: Men spend more. They spend 44 percent more, specifically: $21 weekly compared to $15 on average for women. So do the poor. Those who makes $25,000 or less spent more per meal, $11.70, than any other income bracket. Chitown = cheaptown. Midwesterners spent the least on eating out, just $8.90 per meal. Northeasterners ate out the least often -- just 1.5 times per week -- while Southerners spent an average of $10 each time on two weekly visits to the lunch counter. Resisting the temptation to get takeout for lunch can really pay off. "Simple choices have a large impact on your wallet," says Nat Sillin, Visa's head of U.S. Financial Education."Clipping a coupon, choosing a less expensive item, or brown-bagging it can save you hundreds over the course of a year." But Sillin isn't condemning eating lunch out. Rather, it's about being aware of how much you're spending and whether you can afford to spend that amount. "Going into debt for a tuna sandwich isn't worth it." Fair point. But what if you don't know where to start? Here are four tips for reducing your lunch tab without going hungry: 1. Bring leftovers. This should be obvious, but for many it isn't. Cook enough over the weekend for multiple weekday meals and then store the remainder in portable containers you can bring to work. Reheat, serve, and bask in the savings as you watch YouTube at your desk. 2. Buy frozen.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Two credit-card companies, two different responses to their earnings. While disappointed investors have sold off shares of Visa (V), MasterCard (MA) is relatively unchanged.

• [By Alex Planes]

  It was from these humble beginnings that Visa (NYSE: V  ) was born. BankAmericard became an independent corporation in 1970 and later changed its name to Visa in 1976 as a way to broaden its appeal internationally. By this point the Master Charge had been established as a competing credit card network, and it had actually grown larger than the former BankAmericard: In the first quarter of 1976, BankAmericard/Visa claimed 31.8 million cardholders and $2.3 billion in sales volume, while the Master Charge had 37.4 million cardholders and processed $2.9 billion in sales. Master Charge, of course, is the forerunner to MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) , but it hasn't maintained its early lead over Visa. In 2012, Visa's total U.S. purchase volume clocked in at $981 billion compared to $534 billion for MasterCard, and Visa's 278 million American cardholders far outweigh MasterCard's 180 million American cardholders.

5 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: International Business Machines Corporation(IBM)

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology-based support services. The company?s Global Business Services segment offers consulting and systems integration, and application management services. Its Software segment offers middleware and operating systems software, such as WebSphere software to integrate and manage business processes; information management software for database and enterprise content management, information integration, data warehousing, business analytics and intelligence, performance management, and predictive analytics; Tivoli software for identity management, data security, storage management, and datacenter automation; Lotus software for collaboration, messaging, and so cial networking; rational software to support software development for IT and embedded systems; business intelligence software, which provides querying and forecasting tools; SPSS predictive analytics software to predict outcomes and act on that insight; and operating systems software. Its Systems and Technology segment provides computing and storage solutions, including servers, disk and tape storage systems and software, point-of-sale retail systems, and microelectronics. The company?s Global Financing segment provides lease and loan financing to end users and internal clients; commercial financing to dealers and remarketers of IT products; and remanufacturing and remarketing services. It serves financial services, public, industrial, distribution, communications, and general business sectors. The company was formerly known as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. and changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation in 1924. IBM was founded in 1910 and is based in Armonk, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Thalman]

  And to me, HP's problem is just that. It isn't doing anything different, and in some areas where it is, customers are opting for an even more innovative solution. HP recently released its newest line of servers, the Moonshot system. (I must note that it's a great name, considering the company was shooting for the moon with this product.) The problem here is that, again, HP missed the boat. The same transformation that killed the company when customers move to tablets and delayed PC upgrades is happening again. Customers are moving to the cloud instead of buying their own servers; they are opting to pay someone else a monthly fee. This transition isn't only hurting HP, but industry server titan IBM (NYSE: IBM  ) as well. Both companies rely on new customers regularly upgrading their servers, but with the cloud they no longer need to do that.

• [By CNBC]

  Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesFederal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke "Taper talk" could pretty much be dead until next year. Thanks to the dysfunction in Washington, many Fed watchers now see the first taper in the Federal Reserve's bond buying coming sometime later than expected -- certainly not before December but probably in the first quarter. Wall Street had been geared up for the start of a pullback from the easing program sometime this quarter, but a more sluggish economy and fiscal uncertainty make that less likely. "One thing we know for sure, as much as we know anything, is that short-term interest rates are going to stay low for as far as the eye can see," DoubleLine CEO and chief investment officer Jeff Grundlach said on "Squawk on the Street." "Quantitative easing is not even going away. It seems with this budget wrangling, it's going to keep going up." "It means the credit market is really a safer place than it's been for the last few months," he said. Since word of a compromise debt deal came Wednesday, bond yields have fallen and the dollar has tumbled, as traders worried the partisan battling would resume around the next set of deadlines for the budget in January and debt ceiling in February. The 10-year Treasury yield dipped to 2.6 percent from its Wednesday morning high of 2.76 percent, and the dollar index lost a full percent Thursday, trading at a nine-month low of 79.68. The S&P 500 Thursday, after trading lower early in the day, broke through to a new high in the afternoon in a burst of buying. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) closed up 11 at 1,733, topping its Sept. 19 high. The Dow (^DJI), however, finished down 2 at 15,371, dragged down by losses in IBM (IBM). "You don't have to worry about the government anymore. A couple of speed bumps are out of the way. There's no way they're going to taper this month and the odds of them tapering in December are low," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG. Greenhaus said the stock market als

• [By Stoyan Bojinov]

  On Tuesday, New York-based “Big Blue” bellwether IBM Corp. (IBM) announced its commitment to developing and investing in open source software, namely Linux.

  IBM re-affirmed its dedication to work more closely with the Linux OS in light of the LinuxCon event taking place this week. The company is reportedly setting aside roughly $1 billion over the course of the next four to five years to invest in the development of Linux-based technologies and platforms. Sources say the money will likely go into building a “cloud” based on IBM Power servers running Linux; the company did not disclose whether it was financing Linux developments internally or through third-party projects.

  IBM shares sank lower on Tuesday, shedding 0.51% on the day. The stock is flat YTD.

Top 5 Safest Companies To Own For 2014: McDonald's Corporation(MCD)

McDonald?s Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a worldwide foodservice retailer. It franchises and operates McDonald?s restaurants that offer various food items, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages. As of December 31, 2009, the company operated 32,478 restaurants in 117 countries, of which 26,216 were operated by franchisees; and 6,262 were operated by the company. McDonald?s Corporation was founded in 1948 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Yet even if the economy is poised for a slowdown, certain stocks will likely benefit. McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) is up more than 1% this morning, climbing above the $100 mark and approaching all-time highs. Even as the company faces a strike in New York City by workers who want better pay, McDonald's attracts defensively minded investors because of its record of holding up well in past downturns. The fast-food giant was one of the few stocks that actually rose during 2008's bear market, and with stocks teetering at current high levels, investors want that kind of protection again.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Burger joint McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) announced today that global same-store sales rose 2.6% in May, with the best results in its major segments seen in the U.S., where comps rose 2.4%. Total company sales were�3.6% higher, or up 5.2% in constant currency.

5 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tim Beyers]

  Why should investors care? �Like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) before it, Fusion-io is occupying niches such as creative design where its specialized technology can have a huge impact. It's a short leap from there to mass market adoption, especially with data volumes growing as fast as they have been, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following video.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  After a year of sharp sell-offs, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) stock is up nearly 5% after hours on the company's�first quarterly earnings beat in four tries.

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  With respect to stocks, Merriam-Webster defines risk as "the chance that an investment (as a stock or commodity) will lose value." So how can we mitigate this risk? Many investors simply choose to avoid riskier sectors, like tech. But there's a better way. Mitigate the chance for loss by buying stocks with a margin of safety. On that note, here are two low-risk stock picks: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) .

• [By Daniel Sparks]

  For instance, in each of the last three years, Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) revenue and EPS year-over-year growth rates topped 44%. But in the trailing 12 months, EPS is up only 1.8% from the year before. Who could have seen that coming? Apple shares have fallen right along with growth rates, trading more than 40% lower than they were about nine months ago. Apple is no longer a growth stock. In fact, at today's prices, it could make an excellent value investing candidate or even be considered a worthy dividend stock.

5 Best Blue Chip Stocks For 2014: Colgate-Palmolive Company(CL)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets consumer products worldwide. It offers oral care products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouth rinses, as well as dental floss and pharmaceutical products for dentists and other oral health professionals; personal care products, such as liquid hand soap, shower gels, bar soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, shampoos, and conditioners; and home care products comprising laundry and dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, bleaches, dishwashing liquids, and oil soaps. The company offers its oral, personal, and home care products under the Colgate Total, Colgate Max Fresh, Colgate 360 Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Other earnings highlights in the coming week include Dow components McDonald�� Corp. (MCD) , DuPont (DD) , AT&T Inc. (T) , and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) . Notable S&P 500 companies include Halliburton Co. (HAL) , Netflix Inc. (NFLX) �, Amgen Inc. (AMGN) �, TripAdvisor Inc. (TRIP) �, Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) �, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) �, Ford Motor Co. (F) �, Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) �, and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) �

• [By Dividends4Life]

  Memberships and Peers: KMB is a member of the S&P 500, a Dividend Aristocrat, a member of the Broad Dividend Achievers��Index and a Dividend Champion. The company's peer group includes: The company's peer group includes: Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) with a 3.1% yield, Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) with a 2.3% yield, and Clorox Corporation (CLX) with a 3.4% yield.

• [By Dividend Growth Investor]

  In a previous article, I outlined that it is getting more difficult to find quality dividend paying stocks to buy. Most of the usual suspects like Kimberly-Clark (KMB) or Colgate-Palmolive (CL) are very overvalued today, which prevents me from adding to my positions there. Other companies like Chevron (CVX) are attractively valued today, but unfortunately my portfolio is overweight in them. Currently I find the oil sector to be cheap and have some of the lowest P/E ratios in the market. However, I would hate to be concentrated in one sector which is exposed to the fluctuating prices in its commodity products.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  One concern, though, is how the company handled news of Venezuela's currency devaluation. Clorox (NYSE: CLX  ) and Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL  ) also felt the pinch, with Clorox taking about a $0.05 to $0.10 per-share earnings hit and Colgate losing about $0.50 per share. But they also addressed the potential devaluation more proactively than P&G did. Clorox actually�anticipated�the devaluation in its February earnings report, projecting the potential hit if a devaluation took place. Colgate didn't provide specific guidance in advance but clearly saw it as an issue, delivering on a promise to give prompt guidance revisions after the devaluation occurred.