Updating SARA LEE CORP., BRIGGS & STRATTON CORP., THE BOEING CO. and VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC.

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SARA LEE CORP. $14 (New York symbol SLE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 662.2 million; Market cap: $9.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 3.1%; WSSF Rating: Above Average) should complete the sales of its remaining personal-care and household-product businesses by the end of 2010. Selling these operations will let Sara Lee focus on its more profitable food businesses, including making coffee, frozen bakery products and processed meats. Sara Lee will use the cash from these sales to buy back $2.5 billion to $3.0 billion of its shares over the next three years. The company’s plan to improve its productivity should also cut its annual costs by $350 million to $400 million by June 2012. Excluding unusual items, Sara Lee earned $746 million, or $1.08 a share, in the year ended July 3, 2010. Sara Lee is a buy. BRIGGS & STRATTON CORP. $19 (New York symbol BGG; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 50.3 million; Market cap:…