AAPL, MSFT Top List for Most Popular Stocks

by Burke Speaker | December 4, 2013 11:43 am

Forbes is reporting that the top stocks for Q3 (from the GuruFocus tracking of high stakes investors) are Microsoft (MSFT[1]), Oracle (ORCL[2]), Apple (AAPL[3]) and Exxon (XOM[4]).

Here is a more in-depth look at how these top stocks are performing:

Microsoft: MSFT stock is up today after the announcement of a large debt offering[5]. And MSFT stock has been increasing recently as the company searches for its new leader. As InvestorPlace noted just weeks ago[6], investor confidence is up in Microsoft after years of slower than hoped-for growth.

According to Forbes:[7]

The most bought stock of the third quarter was Microsoft, with 28 gurus establishing or adding to an existing stake in the company. The company has a 90.5% weighting in their combined portfolios.

Oracle: ORCL stock has been rising slowly and is the world’s second largest software company in the multi-billion dollar software development market. While only up 5% year to date, ORCLs stock  is up 8% in the past three months as its earnings reports show good growth potential.

From Forbes:[8]

Apple: AAPL stock may be a buy at long last — as InvestorPlace noted in its recent post[9] — and gurus obviously noticed.

While only up 6% year to date, AAPL stock has been hot since mid-summer, with Apple up a market-slaying 40% gains since its late-June low. Some signs that there may soon be another increase is the tremendous demand for Apple products during the start of Christmas shopping season.

From Forbes:[10]

Computer, iPhone, iPad and iPod maker Apple saw its shares rise less than 3% year to date, with a 20% rally in the third quarter.

In its fiscal 2013 fourth quarter, Apple produced revenue of $37.5 billion, up from $36 billion in the prior-year quarter, and net income of $7.5 billion, or $8.26 per diluted share, down from $8.67 per diluted share in the prior-year quarter. Its gross margin was 37%, from 40%.

Exxon: XOM stock certainly has growth potential, considering it’s only up 8% this year, with peaks and valleys through the year. In fact, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway is looking to Exxon to see expansive growth — Exxon closed out its Nov. 15 trading with a 2.2% gain after reports revealed Buffett was buying. The Berkshire Hathaway stake in XOM stock is now worth roughly $3.7 billion. That was welcome news to investors — who may start snatching up XOM stock too.

From Forbes:[11]

Exxon’s revenue in the third quarter declined to $112.4 billion, from $115.14 billion in the prior-year quarter. Earnings also fell by 18% to $7.87 billion, and earnings per share dropped 14% to $1.79, in the same periods. Cash flow from operations and assets sales was $13.6 billion, and it returned $5.8 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/12/aapl-stock-msft-xom/

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