Updating TUPPERWARE BRANDS CORP., CONAGRA FOODS INC. and STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC.

Article Excerpt

TUPPERWARE BRANDS CORP. $48 (www.tupperwarebrands.com) has raised its quarterly dividend by 20.0%, to $0.30 a share from $0.25. The new annual rate of $1.20 yields 2.5%, and the stock now trades at just 13.3 times its likely 2010 earnings. Best Buy. CONAGRA FOODS INC. $21 (www.conagra.com) earned $0.34 a share in the three months ended August 31, 2010. That’s down 10.5% from $0.38 a year earlier. The company is spending more on advertising and promotions. This was the main reason for the decline. However, this spending should spur sales, particularly as ConAgra launches new products, such as low-sodium soups. As well, the company raised its quarterly dividend by 15.0%, to $0.23 a share from $0.20. The new annual rate of $0.92 yields 4.4%. Best Buy. STANLEY BLACK & DECKER INC. $61 (www.stanleyblackanddecker.com) earned $164.6 million in the three months ended September 30, 2010, up 166.3% from $61.8 million a year earlier. That’s mainly because of toolmaker Black & Decker, which Stanley bought…