Cisco (CSCO), Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), S&P 500 (.INX): Why These 3 Dow Stocks Are Winning Today

Today’s Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) leaders
Today’s Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) leader is UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) , up 0.7%. This morning Arizona’s Medicaid system announced that it would award acute-care contracts to UnitedHealth and Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT). The big loser in this was Vanguard Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE:VHS), whose stock is down 7% on the news. The Arizona contract accounted for 13% of Vanguard Health’s revenue. While not a massive mover for UnitedHealth, the Arizona win strengthens the company’s position in Arizona and generally shows the strength of the company’s operations and offerings.

Second on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) today is Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) , up 0.6%. This morning Cisco announced it would acquire Austria-based SolveDirect, a provider of cloud-delivered services management. While the terms of the deal were not announced, Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is a serial acquirer, and this fits in with Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s strategy of pursuing multiple small acquisitions to keep the company at the forefront of the IT world.

Once a highflying tech darling, Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is now on the radar of value-oriented dividend-lovers. Get the low down on the routing juggernaut in The Motley Fool’s premium report. Click here now to get started.

Third for today is Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) , up 0.3% after its competitor Dollar General Corp. (NYSE:DG) reported better-than-expected sales and earnings. Dollar General also announced that it expects 10% to 12% sales growth in 2013. Investors have been worried about Wal-Mart this year, as its customers have been hit hard by the increase in the payroll tax and high gasoline prices. These fears rose when internal emails from Wal-Mart executives indicated that February sales were terrible. While there is some cause for concern, others are not so worried. Fool analyst Matt Koppenheffer recently talked about why Wal-Mart is one of his top two holdings; you can hear him explain here.

The article Why These 3 Dow Stocks Are Winning Today originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Dan Dzombak.

Dan Dzombak can be found on Twitter @DanDzombak or on his Facebook page, DanDzombak. He has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH).

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.