intel

APPLE INC., $691.28, Nasdaq symbol AAPL, unveiled the latest version of its hugely popular iPhone martphone this week. The new iPhone 5 features a larger touchscreen, faster processor and a longer-lasting battery. As well, the new model is compatible with long-term evolution (LTE) wireless networks, which are roughly five times faster than current networks. As well, Apple has upgraded iOS, the software that powers its mobile devices. It has also improved some of its other products, including its iPod music players....

INTEL CORP. $25 (Nasdaq symbol INTC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.0 billion; Market cap: $125.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.intel.com) saw its revenue rise 3.6% in the three months ended June 30, 2012, to $13.5 billion from $13.0 billion a year earlier. However, earnings fell 5.0%, to $3.0 billion from $3.1 billion. Earnings per share were unchanged at $0.57, due to fewer shares outstanding. The company continues to invest heavily in new plants and chipmaking technology. That has hurt its earnings, but these investments will help Intel sell more chips to makers of tablet computers and other mobile devices. Intel’s advanced technologies will also give it an edge over other chipmakers. Intel is a buy.

INTEL CORP. $25 (Nasdaq symbol INTC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.0 billion; Market cap: $125.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.intel.com) saw its revenue rise 3.6% in the three months ended June 30, 2012, to $13.5 billion from $13.0 billion a year earlier. However, earnings fell 5.0%, to $3.0 billion from $3.1 billion. Earnings per share were unchanged at $0.57, due to fewer shares outstanding.

The company continues to invest heavily in new plants and chipmaking technology. That has hurt its earnings, but these investments will help Intel sell more chips to makers of tablet computers and other mobile devices. Intel’s advanced technologies will also give it an edge over other chipmakers.

Intel is a buy.

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ALCOA INC., $8.42, New York symbol AA, reported better-than-expected revenue and earnings this week. Even so, the aluminum producer’s shares fell 4%. In the three months ended June 30, 2012, Alcoa earned $61 million, or $0.06 a share. These figures exclude several unusual items, such as costs related to a fire at one of its smelters and a $45-million offer to settle a lawsuit from an aluminum producer in Bahrain. Alcoa warned that it might have to pay an extra $75 million to settle this suit, which accuses the company of overcharging for raw materials. On this basis, the latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $0.05 a share. A year earlier, Alcoa earned $326 million, or $0.28 a share....

POWERSHARES QQQ ETF $62.52 (Nasdaq symbol QQQQ; buy or sell through brokers; www.invescopowershares.com), formerly called Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares, holds the stocks that represent the Nasdaq 100 Index. That index is made up of the 100 largest shares on the Nasdaq exchange, based on market cap.

The Nasdaq 100 Index contains shares of companies in a number of major industries, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology. It does not contain financial companies. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets.

The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel, Amazon.com, Oracle Corp., Comcast Corp. and Amgen Inc.

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MICROSOFT CORP., $30.70, Nasdaq symbol MSFT, plans to launch a new tablet computer, called the Surface, powered by its upcoming Windows 8 operating system. The company will make two versions of the Surface, both of which will feature a 10.6-inch touch-screen display and a protective cover with a built-in keyboard. The first version will cost about the same as similar tablets. The second, more expensive model will run Microsoft’s Office suite of business programs and will cost about the same as a lightweight laptop computer. The company did not say when it would start selling these devices, but it will probably launch the cheaper model this fall, before the Christmas shopping season....

Most stock markets are down lately due to investor worries about a potential eurozone breakup, sluggish U.S. growth and a slowdown in China. Still, the long-term outlook is positive. One way to profit from a rebound is to add exchange traded funds (ETFs) that track major stock market indexes to your portfolio. ETFs trade on stock exchanges, just like stocks. Prices are quoted in newspaper stock tables and online. You must pay brokerage commissions to buy and sell ETFs, but their low management fees still give them a cost advantage over most mutual funds....

HEWLETT-PACKARD CO., $22.33, New York symbol HPQ, rose 4% this week after the company unveiled a new restructuring plan. It also reported better-than-expected sales and earnings. Hewlett’s plan mainly involves merging its personal computer and printer businesses into a single division. It will also cut 8% of its workforce over the next two years. The company expects to pay $3.5 billion in severance and other costs. However, these moves should save it $3.0 billion to $3.5 billion annually. Hewlett will put most of these savings toward developing new products and services. It’s particularly interested in fast-growing areas like cloud computing, analytics software (which lets companies track consumer purchasing and other data) and computer security....

Intel and Nvidia have thrived as a result of the rapid growth of personal computers in the past two decades. Both companies now aim to duplicate that success with new chips for smartphones and tablet computers. INTEL CORP. $28 (Nasdaq symbol INTC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.0 billion; Market cap: $140.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.intel.com) is the world’s largest computer chip maker. About 80% of all computers use the company’s chips. In the first quarter of 2012, Intel’s revenue rose 0.5%, to $12.9 billion from $12.8 billion a year earlier. Recent flooding in Thailand caused a hard drive shortage that hurt computer sales. That cut demand for Intel’s chips and caused a 2.0% sales decline at the company’s PC Client Group (which supplies two-thirds of its total revenue). However, software sales jumped 137.9% following last year’s purchase of antivirus software specialist McAfee....

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP., $199.60, New York symbol IBM, reported higher-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter. However, revenue fell short of the consensus estimate. That caused the stock to fall 2% this week. In the three months ended March 31, 2012, the company earned $3.1 billion. That’s up 7.1% from $2.9 billion a year earlier. IBM spent $3.0 billion on share buybacks in the latest quarter. Due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share rose 13.0%, to $2.61 from $2.31. Without unusual items, mainly costs to integrate acquisitions, IBM’s earnings per share would have risen 15.4%, to $2.78 from $2.41. On this basis, the latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $2.65 a share....