Through her political prowess, First Lady Michelle Obama has
amassed immense popularity through her community programs
concerning child obesity, arts and humanities after-school programs
and most importantly, "
Joining Forces
", a program collaborated with Dr. Jill Biden dedicated to
"connecting our servicemen and women, veterans and military spouses
with the resources they need to find jobs at home." As of August
24,
2,000 private sector companies have hired or
trained 125,000 veterans and military spouses
since 2011.
Top picks for companies contributing to the "Joining Forces"
program that would be right at home in First Lady Obama's portfolio
would be the following:
Utility Services
Exelon Corporation (NYSE:
EXC
), which is currently trading up 0.92 percent from Wednesday's
closing price plans to employ 10 percent of hires over the next two
years with military personnel. This is not the only program Exelon
has committed to, as the company is also involved with the
Transition Assistance Program (
TAP
) and advertises open positions in military specific publications
in order to help support our veterans and warriors. Regarding the
company's year to date 16.69 percent dip in share prices, the
company has outlined a specific debt financing plan for investors
and will likely provide more color on the repayment in the upcoming
Power and Gas Leaders Conference in late September in New York City
hosted by Bank of America. In March 2012, the company merged with
Constellation Energy Group (NYSE:
CEG
) in a stock for stock exchange and has completed its solar power
asset expansion (a $50 million project) with the main objective of
creating green jobs in the Emmitsburg, Maryland area under a
partnership with the state of Maryland and the University of
Maryland under the Generating Clean Horizons initiative. Michelle
Obama's father worked for the City of Chicago water plant, and thus
public utilities helped put food on her table while she was growing
up.
Banking
Bank of America (NYSE:
BAC
) currently employs 5,000 service members and veterans and
continues to actively recruit veterans and their spouses. For 2012,
the company has set to double the number of veterans hired compared
to 2011 and have donated bank owned homes to wounded service
members returning from duty. As of Thursday, shares are up 4.55
percent and year to date the stock is up 49.55 percent. JP Morgan
believes the company has extremely attractive valuation and
continues to improve its capital level and currently holds a price
target of $11.50.
Managed Care
Michelle Obama previously served as Executive Director and Vice
President of Community and External Affairs for University of
Chicago Hospitals, even up to and during part of President Barack
Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. In regards to her relevant
experience, Health Net (NYSE:
HNT
) has a tenured history of employing veterans and military spouses,
showing support of its Department of Defense and Department of
Veterans Affairs programs. Although year-to-date shares are down
23.08 percent, as of this writing on Thursday shares traded up 0.43
percent. Despite the decrease in share value, the company has
numerous opportunities for 2013 to double earnings as the company
expects. There is a possible sale of the company on the books since
the second-quarter earnings shortfall, and weakness in shares could
present a buying opportunity come 2013, as the company's current
nine percent market share would certainly prove accretive to
WellPoint's (NYSE:
WLP
) 23 percent, privately-held Kaiser Permanente's 40 percent or Blue
Cross Blue Shield's 14 percent.
Food and Drug Retail
Michelle Obama used to sit on the Board of Director's for
TreeHouse Foods (NYSE:
THS
) until her husband came out with criticisms against the company's
main dealer, Wal-Mart (NYSE:
WMT
). Since then, she has rescinded all ties with the company, and
likely looking else where to such "Joining Forces" participants as
Safeway (NYSE:
SWY
). Safeway committed to hiring over 900 military service members in
2012 and launched a Leadership Development Program in 2010 to
assist transitioning military members for leadership positions in
the retail sector. Safeway has over 1,700 locations in the United
States and offering relocating programs and opportunities to
develop skills and promising futures for veterans and spouses.
Year-to-date shares are down 21.77 percent, presenting a buying
opportunity in share weakness at the beginning of the company's
just for U digital marketing/personalized coupon program and also
ahead of the company's plans to pursue an IPO for its gift-card
business Blackhawk (
BH
).
Entertainment
Long funded by Bank of America, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:
DIS
) has launched a company-wide initiative to train, hire and support
returning veterans under its
Heroes Work here
program. This initiative will provide around 1,000 jobs and
opportunities for veterans and spouses through 2015. Michelle Obama
has also worked directly with Disney, which resulted in the company
dropping advertisers that did not meet its nutrition guidelines, a
move she was quoted calling a "game changer," and naturally as the
parent company of ABC News, positive results will trickle down.
Shares of Disney are currently sitting up 1.69 percent on Thursday
and year-to-date up 4.41 percent. Michelle Obama's direct
involvement and vast changes regarding Disney prove that her
continued presence in the White House will remain positive for
shares.
Fashion
Sitting up 102.86 percent year to date, Michael Kors (NYSE:
KORS
) has been a favorite in apparel for the First Lady, having donned
a black Kors evening gown the evening the president presented
Iraeli President Shimon Peres with the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in June and previously to a National Medal of Arts and
National Humanities Medal ceremony at the White House in March
2011. Clearly, she has preference (appropriately dubbed the
"Michelle O." style) when it comes to fashion and many Americans
are following suit. Michael Kors is working to expand its
wristwatch brand and currently holds the "best-in-class" growth
story for 2012, according to Morgan Stanley. As the company grows,
it will continue to hire people, integrate new systems and increase
its distribution capacity. Expect shares to continue ramping up
ahead of the 2012 holiday season and continue through President
Obama's second term in the White House.
Michelle Obama's personal preferences, history and community
programs (especially Joining Forces) help to create a diverse
selection of companies.
(c) 2012 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice.
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