Wyatt Research Week in Review: April 19-25

The most anticipated technology device of the year arrived this week (sort of).
The Apple Watch, the most high-tech piece of jewelry yet devised, officially launched Friday.
There was just one problem: demand was so high that Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) latest retail phenomenon sold out within hours of the start of the pre-order period on April 10. So, while certain lucky early birds received their Apple Watches in the mail Friday, many consumers will have to wait weeks before the postman delivers the coveted wearable gadget.
And don’t expect to walk into your local Apple Store and walk out with a Watch any time soon. According to The New York Times, just six fashion boutiques spread across the globe in Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris and Tokyo had the Apple Watch available for in-store purchase Friday. Apple has indicated that it won’t be available at its company stores until June.
Shares of Apple stock, meanwhile, steadily climbed during the week. The stock opened Monday’s trading session at $125.57. After Thursday’s closing bell it sat at $129.67.
Apple’s gains helped push the Nasdaq Composite Index to a record closing high Thursday of 5056.06. That mark beat the Nasdaq’s previous all-time high of 5048.62, set on March 10, 2010, during the peak of the dot-com era.
Apple reports its fiscal second-quarter earnings Monday at 5 p.m. EDT. My colleague Jay Taylor plans to live blog the earnings call on the Wyatt Investment Research website, so set your watch (Apple Watch or otherwise) for what should be a profitable experience.
Until then, here are a few of my favorite articles from the past week:
Why the World’s Most Corrupt Oil Company Is a Buy – If there’s one thing Wyatt Research expert Steve Mauzy has learned during 25 years of investing, it’s that the bigger the mess, the greater the opportunity for outsized returns. He explains here why the biggest mess of all in the oil and gas industry is also the biggest buying opportunity.
How ‘Mobilegeddon’ Will Impact Google Stock – A change to Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) search algorithm has the potential to forever change the way people use the Internet – and the way the Internet’s most important company makes money.
Billionaire Reveals Biggest Threat to the Stock Market – Last week, Stanley Druckenmiller, the retired billionaire hedge fund manager, likened today’s stock market to 2004. Here’s why.
How to Find the Next Home Run Stock – Many growth-oriented investors often ask top Wyatt Research analyst Tyler Laundon how to find that elusive home run stock. And they’re often surprised when he says the answer is relatively simple.
The Best Big Bank Stock to Buy After a Mixed Earnings Season – The earnings reports from the big U.S. banks were decidedly mixed last week. But there’s still one big bank stock worth buying.
McDonald’s Earnings Leave Investors Hungry – Still reeling from its public relations nightmare in Asia, McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) earnings for the first quarter are a tough swallow. And yet, the stock popped nearly 5% in early trading Wednesday after quarterly results were released before the opening bell.
Verizon Earnings Dial Up Wireless Growth – Verizon (NYSE: VZ) grew adjusted earnings per share by 21% last quarter, as it continues to benefit from the decision to completely buy out Verizon Wireless two years ago.
Reap Big Rewards with Small-Cap Dividend Stocks – Small-cap investing represents the notion that you can buy a stock at the ground level before it becomes a blue chip, mainstay stock. Blue chip dividend stocks, on the other hand, give investors their fair cut of an established company’s earnings. But small-cap dividend stocks have the potential to provide the best of both investment strategies.
A Hot Fast Food IPO Is Cooking – With an attainable target of 7% to 8% for growing its locations, there’s a good chance that this fast food company’s initial public offering will price at the top of its range and spike higher on the first day of trading.
Top 3 Apartment REITs to Own – We’re amidst a cultural shift in housing in the U.S., as many young people are opting to rent instead of buy. And there are companies that own apartment buildings, rent them out and then return 90% of their taxable income to shareholders via dividends. They’re called apartment REITs, and here are the top three.
The Apple Watch: 10 Times Bigger Than the iPad – If the initial sales estimates hold up, the launch event sales of the Apple Watch could be greater than the entire wearable tech market last year. This tells us that the Apple Watch is a much larger launch than the iPad.
Have a great weekend!