Updating WAL-MART STORES INC., ALCOA INC., 3M COMPANY and INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.

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WAL-MART STORES INC. $76 (New York symbol WMT; Conservative Growth Portfolio: Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 3.2 billion; Market cap: $243.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.walmart.com) will soon let customers trade in their used video games for a credit they can use to buy other merchandise. The company will then refurbish the games and resell them in its stores. This move should help Wal-Mart attract more customers and could spur video game console sales. As well, profit margins on used games tend to be much higher than those on new games. Wal-Mart is a buy. ALCOA INC. $12 (New York symbol AA; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.1 billion; Market cap: $13.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 1.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.alcoa.com) is doubling production of aluminum truck wheels at its plant in Hungary. Demand for these wheels is strong, as they are much more resistant to rust and corrosion than…