8/14/09 am WalMart Reports Flat Earnings, Sales Down 1.4%

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A read of Friday's 8/14/09 print editions of: Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Investors Business Daily, New York Times, Atl Journal Const, and USA Today yielded the following stories about Dow Jones Industrial Average 30 component companies and the Dow with stories about the Dow aggregated first and then items about Dow Jones Industrial Average 30 companies presented alphabetically, followed by symbol and Tuesday's closing price and related data:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Thursday at 9398 up 36.58 or 0.39% from Wednesday's close of 9361.61. Of the 30 Dow Companies: 18 gained and 12 declined with the biggest loser being UTX United Technology $57.4 -0.77 1.32% 5,936,778 NYSE and the biggest gainer being WMT WalMart $51.88 +1.37 2.71% 32,123,719 NYSE. WSJ pC1 "BofA's Surge Helps Nudge Dow Higher" says gians in financial and basic materials stocks nudged the market ot a small gain despite a downbeat retail sales report. It says BAC shares climbed 6.7% following word that investor John Paulson had bought 168 million shares. It says a disappointing back to school sales outlook from WMT jolted some ivnestors. WMT shares rose 2.7% after it posted better than expected earnings for 2Q. WSJ pC5 "Large Stock Focus" says the continuedimprovement of economic sentiment helped materials companies and banks, including BAC Bankof Am. It also says bucking the trend of sliding consumer companies, WMT rose 2.7% to 51.88.

The current divisor for the Dow found at today's page C4 of The Wall St. Jrnl is .132319125 unchanged.

T $25.48 -0.17 0.66% 21,245,018 NYSE: AJC pA15 "AT&T files coplaint against Cablevision" says T has filed a complaint with fed. regulators charging that Cablevision systems Corp. is violating federal law by denying access to its NY area sports programming in high def. format for T customers in Connecticut. USA Today pB1 "Wireless lockdown catches FCC's eye - Consumers could win as Apple, AT&T and Google clash over control says the FCC has asked these companies why Google's free voice application called "google Voice" is banned from the iPhone, which is exclusively distributed in the US by T.

AA $13.71 +0.75 5.79% 37,384,309 NYSE: No mentions found.

AXP $31.98 +0.18 0.57% 8,775,550 NYSE: USA Today pB1 "some AmEx card holdes' data stolen" due to an employee's recent theft. Employee was arrested.

BAC $17 +1.07 6.72% 336,072,103 NYSE: WSJ pC1 "BofA's Surge Helps Nudge Dow Higher" says gians in financial and basic materials stocks nudged the market ot a small gain despite a downbeat retail sales report. It says BAC shares climbed 6.7% following word that investor John Paulson had bought 168 million shares. It says a disappointing back to school sales outlook from WMT jolted some ivnestors. WMT shares rose 2.7% after it posted better than expected earnings for 2Q. WSJ pC3 "Bank of America Ends Arbitration Practice - Consumer Disputes Can Now Go to Courts; Rivals Like Citigroup Continue to Monitor Events" says BAC dropped a rule that forced customers into arbitration to settle disputes. This means consumers can now go to cour to resolve disagreements over credit card charges, auto and boat loans, and bank accounts. This DOES NOT AFFECT THEIR SECURITIES BUSINESS. Similar theme at USA Today 1B. WSJ pC3 "Judge Tells Colonial To Keep Loans" says BAC won a temporary restraining order to freeze $1 bil of Colonial BancGroup Inc. assets, with a fed. judge in Miami concluding the move was needed because Colonial is on the brink of collapse. BAC acted as trustee for lenders to Colonial's mortgage business. Related stories at NYT pB1 & Inv Bus Daily pA2. WSJ pC5 "Large Stock Focus" says the continuedimprovement of economic sentiment helped materials companies and banks, including BAC Bankof Am. It also says bucking the trend of sliding consumer companies, WMT rose 2.7% to 51.88. WSJ pC5 "Krawcheck Buys $1 million in BofA Shares" says she bought 63,000 shares for 15.97. Also reported at Inv bus Daily pA2. Fin times p1 (tease) and p11 "Merrill Lynch offers huge signing bonuses" says BAC's Merrill has ramped up its recruitment for financial advisers, offering big signing packages. Inv Bus Daily pB3 "Banks Ace Q2 But Face More Default Threats" says the money center banks that include JPM and Bank of America, have headed the banking rebound. BAC's stock performance is reported at NYT pB6 in "Stocks & Bonds" & at USA Today p4B.

BA $46.62 +0.28 0.6% 3,484,283 NYSE: AJC pA15 "Boeing agrees to pay $25 million in lawsuit" says BA will pay US gov. $25 million to settle an investigation into defective work on critical Air froce refueling planes. This arose out of a whistle blower lawsuit filed in Texas by 2 former BA workers.

CAT $47.17 -0.41 0.86% 9,604,075 NYSE: No mentions found.

CVX $68.53 -0.19 0.28% 8,299,444 NYSE: No mentions found.

CSCO $21.51 +0.08 0.37% 38,913,733 NASDAQ-GS: No mentions found.

KO $48.12 -0.34 0.7% 13,280,103 NYSE: AJC pA15 "Coke gets big bank from naASCAR bucks - Beverage giant ranks No. 4 among sponsors in consumer recall" says that in a recent study that rated consumers' recall of NASCAR sponsors, KO was a big winner. KO is the official non alchoholic beveal, the official soft drink and official sport drink of NASCAR and sponsors 14 drivers and has its name on two races. KO is mentioned in a story at WSJ pB4 about Dr. Pepper boosting projections for a year saying that unlike KO and PepsciCo which have both shown continued international growth, Dr. Pepper Snapple derives most of its sales in the US where soft drink sales remain sluggish.

DIS $26.26 +0.04 0.15% 10,621,779 NYSE: No mentions found.

DD $33.23 +0.74 2.28% 6,907,186 NYSE: WsJ pb3 "Dupont - In Bid to Boost Efficiency, Executive Team Is Reduced" says Dd is shrinking its exec. team in an effort to boost efficiency and sales as DD continues to battle a slump in demand and is part of a restructruing plan announced earlier this year by DD's new CEO Ellen Kullman. CFO Jeffrey Keefer will switch roles to oversee DD's Performance Coastings business and will be replaced by Nicholas Fanandakis.

XOM $68.75 -0.36 0.52% 20,235,129 NYSE: WsJ pB3 "Oil Giant Pleads guilty To Environmental Offenses" says XOM has pleaded guilty to environmental violations in connection with the deaths of migratory birds at its drilling and producion facilities in the US midwest and will pay $600,000 in fines. Similar theme at NYT first section.

GE $14.1 -0.03 0.21% 83,682,761 NYSE: No mentions found.

HPQ $44.35 +0.17 0.38% 11,571,609 NYSE: NYT pB1 "A Netscape Founder Is Poised to Re-enter the Browser Wars" says Marc Andreesen develoepd the Netscape Internet browser 15 years ago but was then defeated by MSFT in the browser wars of the 1990's. Now he wants a rematch as his is starting up RockMelt that is building a new browser. Rockmelt was cofounded by Eric Vishria and Tim Howes who were with Opsware that was sold to HPQ Hewlett-Packard in '07 for $1.6 billion.

HD $27.68 +0.48 1.76% 19,570,024 NYSE: No mentions found.

INTC $19.05 +0.24 1.28% 44,055,395 NASDAQ-GS: No mentions found.

IBM $119.58 +0.29 0.24% 5,488,973 NYSE: Inv Bus Daily A2 says IBM said its analytics business will grow 105 this year and 15 to 20% in 2010 and beyond. IBM has shifted is focus to more profitable software and services in recent years.

JPM $42.9 +0.69 1.63% 40,335,582 NYSE: Inv Bus Daily pB3 "Banks Ace Q2 But Face More Default Threats" says the money center banks that include JPM and Bank of America, have headed the banking rebound.

JNJ $60.32 -0.27 0.45% 8,338,172 NYSE: AJC pA15 "Suit revived against Johnson & Johnson" says a fed. appeals court has revived a multibillion Medicare fraud case brought by whistle blowers alleging JNJ paid doctors kickbacks to rpescribe an expensive durg, Procrit, sold by JNJ's Ortho Biotech Products unit back in the 1990's.

KFT $28.35 -0.15 0.53% 7,914,649 NYSE: No mentions found.

MCD $55.78 -0.48 0.85% 9,920,137 NYSE: No mentions found.

MRK $30.98 +0.24 0.78% 13,490,370 NYSE: No mentions found.

MSFT $23.62 +0.09 0.38% 38,951,594 NASDAQ-GS: WSJ pC5 in a story about options traders says there was volume in Nokia, the Finland based cellphone maker that recently announced a partnership with MSFT wherein MSFT will provide Office programs on Nokia phones saying in the options market, trading in Nokia took on a bearish tone as ivnestors sold Oct. $10 calls and bought October $15 puts with Nokia shares closed down .03 to 13.16. Inv Bus Daily pA2 says MSFT will include Outlook, its email program, in the next version of its Office suite for Apple's MacPCs, replacing he Enrourage program and will be available for the 2010 holiday season. NYT pB1 "A Netscape Founder Is Poised to Re-enter the Browser Wars" says Marc Andreesen develoepd the Netscape Internet browser 15 years ago but was then defeated by MSFT in the browser wars of the 1990's. Now he wants a rematch as his is starting up RockMelt that is building a new browser. Rockmelt was cofounded by Eric Vishria and Tim Howes who were with Opsware that was sold to HPQ Hewlett-Packard in '07 for $1.6 billion.

PFE $15.8 -0.06 0.38% 37,397,253 NYSE: No mentions found.

PG $52.3 +0.22 0.42% 10,474,046 NYSE: NYT pB4 says advertisers are moving from sponsoring the Glenn Beck show on Fox because he said Pres. Obama was a racist and included in he advertisers who are movin is PG.

MMM $72.6 +0.27 0.37% 4,348,515 NYSE: No mentions found.

TRV $47.47 +1.04 2.24% 5,466,214 NYSE: No mentions found.

UTX $57.4 -0.77 1.32% 5,936,778 NYSE : No mentions found.

VZ $31.04 -0.17 0.54% 10,213,318 NYSE: No mentions found.

WMT $51.88 +1.37 2.71% 32,123,719 NYSE: WSJ pA10 "Wal-Mart Reports Flat Earnings on Cost Cutting; sales Down 1.4%" says WMT offset sliding store sales with a tight squeeze on costs, enabling WMT to keep profit for its fiscal 2Q flat. WMT posted income of $3.44 billion or 0.88 a share, for qtr ended July 31, compared with 3.45 bil or 0.87 a share, a year earlier. Net sales fell 1.4% to $100.08 billion. Related story at WSJ pA1 "After Early Errors, Wal-Mart Thinks Locally to Act Globally" says WMT has problems adapting to local customers such as Brazil. WMT report nearly flat 2Q earnings thurs., including a 1.2% dedline in sales at US stores open for at least a year. WMT estimated its foreign units posted a 13% rise in profits for the quarter and a 11.5% in sales, if currency fluctuations are taken out of the equal. WMT stock has slid 7% in '09 on skepticism about how well it will prospect when the economy and consumers bounce back. WSJ pC1 "BofA's Surge Helps Nudge Dow Higher" says gians in financial and basic materials stocks nudged the market ot a small gain despite a downbeat retail sales report. It says BAC shares climbed 6.7% following word that investor John Paulson had bought 168 million shares. It says a disappointing back to school sales outlook from WMT jolted some ivnestors. WMT shares rose 2.7% after it posted better than expected earnings for 2Q. WSJ pC5 "Large Stock Focus" says the continuedimprovement of economic sentiment helped materials companies and banks, including BAC Bankof Am. It also says bucking the trend of sliding consumer companies, WMT rose 2.7% to 51.88. Fin Times p13 "International arm helps Wal-Mart as US sales drop" says its underlying US sales fell unexpectedly in 2Q as it grappled with continued pressure on consumer spending and falling food prices. Related story at Fin Times p20 "Wal-Mart results put consumer sector in spotlight" says US stocks reluctantly joined the global equity rally yesterday, staggering to new highs for theyear after weak economic data hampered what could have been a great day saying WMT results added to market optimism. Inv Bus. Daily headling "Wal-Mart, Kohl's Beat Q2 Forecasts, Sales Relatively Flat - Cost Cuts Help Retail Giant Stores reduce ivnentories to boost profit margins, slightly raise guidance" saying WMT boosted its full eyar guidance to 3.50 to 3.60 a share largely in line with consensus analysts' forcasts for 3.56. NYT pB6 in two separate stories reports WMT's sales were down. WMT's stock performance is reported at NYT pB6 in "Stocks & Bonds" & at USA Today p4B.