ZACKSยท2025-03-26 16:15Group 1: Financial Stability and Cash Flow - Strong cash flows reflect financial stability, enabling companies to eliminate debt, pursue growth opportunities, and distribute dividend payments [1][6] - Companies with strong cash flows are better equipped to weather downturns, providing a long-term advantage for investors [1] Group 2: Apple Inc. (AAPL) - Apple has generated $108.8 billion in free cash flow throughout FY24, with flows on a steady uptrend [3] - The company posted adjusted EPS of $2.40 and sales of $124.3 billion, reflecting growth rates of 10% and 4%, respectively, both all-time records [5] - Apple has raised its quarterly dividend payout for 13 consecutive years, currently yielding 0.5% annually with a five-year annualized dividend growth of 4.9% [2][3] Group 3: Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) - Verizon's FY24 free cash flow of $19.8 billion grew 6% year-over-year, with shares currently yielding 6.2% annually [8] - The company is close to joining the elite Dividend Aristocrats club due to years of consistently higher payouts [8] - Continued customer growth and expanding broadband market share have positively impacted Verizon's performance [10] Group 4: NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) - NVIDIA reported quarterly sales of $39.3 billion, a 78% increase year-over-year, and adjusted EPS of $0.89, reflecting 71% growth YoY [11] - Data Center sales grew 90% year-over-year to $35.6 billion, highlighting strong demand [12] - The company posted free cash flow of $15.2 billion, up 40% from the previous year, driven by demand [13]