3 Blue Chip Stocks Sure to Make Waves After Earnings - (NYSE:MCD), Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)

3 Blue Chip Stocks Sure to Make Waves After Earnings - (NYSE:MCD), Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) reported its results for the third quarter. Net income for McDonald’s Corporation rose to $1.51 billion ($1.45 per share) vs. $1.39 billion ($1.29 per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This marks a rise of 8.6% from the year earlier quarter. Revenue rose 13.7% to $7.17 billion from the year earlier quarter. MCD beat the mean analyst estimate of $1.43 per share. It beat the average revenue estimate of $7.01 billion.

“McDonald’s third quarter results reflect the ongoing strength of our customer-focused Plan to Win. We are executing the right strategies to grow the business for the long term while delivering consistently strong quarterly results,” said McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer Jim Skinner. “The investments we are making to optimize our menu, modernize the restaurant experience and broaden McDonald’s accessibility with ongoing convenience and value platforms are driving profitable market share growth – a clear indication that our strategy is working.”

Competitors to Watch: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG), Good Times Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ:GTIMD), Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TAST), Tim Hortons Inc. (NYSE:THI), Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM), Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK), Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ:PNRA), Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH), Wendy’s Arby’s Group Inc. (NYSE:WEN), Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX), Sonic Corporation (NASDAQ:SONC) and Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI).

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) reported its results for the third quarter. Net income for Verizon Communications rose to $3.54 billion (49 cents per share) vs. $881 million (31 cents per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This is a more than fourfold rise from the year earlier quarter. Revenue rose 5.4% to $27.91 billion from the year earlier quarter. VZ reported adjusted net income of 56 cents per share. By that measure, the company fell in line with the mean estimate of 56 cents per share. Analysts were expecting revenue of $27.91 billion.

“Verizon emerges from the third quarter in a strong position to accelerate growth,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon president and chief executive officer. “We faced significant challenges in recent months, yet delivered results that keep us on track to meet our 2011 earnings and revenue guidance, with great momentum expected entering 2012. We continue to grow revenues from strategic products and to increase free cash flow through improved operating performance and disciplined capital spending.”

Competitors to Watch: AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S), Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGY), MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE:PCS), Vodafone Group Plc (NASDAQ:VOD), CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE:CTL), NTELOS Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:NTLS), Leap Wireless Intl., Inc. (NASDAQ:LEAP), Windstream Corporation (NASDAQ:WIN), and United States Cellular Corp. (NYSE:USM).

General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) from reporting a profit boost in the third quarter. Net income for General Electric Company rose to $3.22 billion (22 cents per share) vs. $2.06 billion (18 cents per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This marks a rise of 57% from the year earlier quarter. Revenue remained flat at $35.4 billion from the year earlier quarter. GE reported adjusted net income of 31 cents per share. By that measure, the company fell in line with the mean estimate of 31 cents per share. Analysts were expecting revenue of $34.86 billion.

“We are pleased to deliver our sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit operating earnings growth in a volatile macro environment,” GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt said. “We improved earnings, achieved solid double-digit infrastructure order growth, executed on our balanced capital allocation plan and maintained a strong balance sheet. We ended the quarter with a record high order backlog of $191 billion and we remain confident in our full-year 2011 operating framework.”

Competitors to Watch: Siemens AG (NYSE:SI), 3M Company (NYSE:MMM), Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (NYSE:PHG), Honeywell Intl. Inc. (NYSE:HON), Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR), Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT), OSI Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIS), and Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:BIO).

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Most popular stock searches for October 21 - Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD), Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX), (NYSE: GE), (NYSE: GNC)

Most popular stock searches for October 21 - Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD), Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX), (NYSE: GE), (NYSE: GNC)

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ): traded higher by 0.13% or $0.05/share to $37.15. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $31.60 and as high as $38.95. On average, 19565700 shares of VZ exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 10183244. The shares are currently trading above the 200-day moving average which indicates that the shares have been subject to upward momentum. The 200 DMA is above the 50 DMA which indicates that the stock has likely taken a dip in the shorter term. The stock may eventually drop to test the 200-day moving average where buyers may be lurking near the $36.4564 area.

McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD): traded higher by 2.73% or $2.43/share to $91.44. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $72.14 and as high as $91.22. On average, 7647470 shares of MCD exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 7257445. The shares are currently trading above the 50-day moving average which indicates that the shares have been experiencing strong upward momentum as the 50 DMA is above the 200 DMA. The stock may come back down to test the 50-day moving average, so look for a move back to the $88.18 area where the stock will likely see buying pressure.

Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX): traded higher by 22.06% or $2.66/share to $14.72. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $9.44 and as high as $18.35. On average, 10171300 shares of STX exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 28858386. The shares are currently trading above the 200-day moving average which indicates that the shares have been subject to upward momentum. The 200 DMA is above the 50 DMA which indicates that the stock has likely taken a dip in the shorter term. The stock may eventually drop to test the 200-day moving average where buyers may be lurking near the $14.1979 area.

General Electric Company (NYSE: GE): fell by 2.13% or $-0.355/share to $16.28. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $14.68 and as high as $21.65. On average, 79671296 shares of GE exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 60380208. The shares are currently trading below the 200-day moving average but above the 50-day moving average. The stock may be range bound between these two levels where the 200-day moving average of $17.88 represents resistance and the 50-day moving average of $15.77 would be an area of support.

GNC Holdings Inc (NYSE: GNC): traded higher by 3.90% or $0.91/share to $24.27. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $16.08 and as high as $26.48. On average, 643950 shares of GNC exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 2163867. The shares are currently trading above the 50-day moving average which indicates that the shares have been experiencing strong upward momentum as the 50 DMA is above the 200 DMA. The stock may come back down to test the 50-day moving average, so look for a move back to the $22.21 area where the stock will likely see buying pressure.

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