The 4 Stocks That Lifted the Dow on Friday
thinkstockJune 26, 2015: Markets opened higher on Friday but tech stocks almost immediately dragged down the Nasdaq Composite and eventually weighed on the S&P 500 index as well. A weak report from chipmaker Micron. Biotech stocks were also weak today.…
June 26, 2015: Markets opened higher on Friday but tech stocks almost immediately dragged down the Nasdaq Composite and eventually weighed on the S&P 500 index as well. A weak report from chipmaker Micron. Biotech stocks were also weak today. One piece of good news came from the monthly report on consumer sentiment, which rose to a 5-month high. Shortly before the closing bell the DJIA traded up 0.35% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.02%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.63%.
The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Friday was Nike Inc. (NASDAQ: NKE) which traded higher by 4.05%% at $109.48. The stock’s 52-week range is $75.90 to $110.34, and the high was posted today. Trading volume was about 3-times the daily average of around 2.7 million. The company posted solid earnings after markets closed last night and reported a solid order book going into the next six months.
McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) traded up 1.47% at $97.20. The stock’s 52-week range is $87.62 to $1101.67. Trading volume was about 40% below the daily average of around 6 million. The company is planning to upsize its quarter pounder.
Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) traded up 1.02% at $58.49. The stock’s 52-week range is $52.49 to $63.62. Trading volume was well below the daily average of around 10.5 million. The company had no specific news today.
3M Companies Inc. (NYSE: MMM) traded up 0.75% at $157.09. The stock’s 52-week range is $130.60 to $170.50. Around 1.8 million shares traded hands today, about 20% below the daily average of around 2.2 million. The company filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Germany today.
Of the Dow 30 stocks 22 are set to close higher today and just 8 are on track to close lower.
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Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.
He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.