CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com Analyst Blog features: Apple Inc (Nasdaq: AAPL), Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL) and Nationwide Health Properties Inc. (NYSE: NHP).

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Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

PC Sales Grow in 4Q

Personal computer (PC) shipments for the fourth quarter were disappointing, missing IDC estimates, although growing 2.7% during the quarter. As expected, Apple Inc's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad was partially to blame, diverting dollars away from the more traditional desktop and notebook markets.

Both market research firms Gartner and IDC are of the opinion that new PC sales rose in the fourth quarter although not as strongly as they had expected.

Total PC shipments were estimated at 92 million by IDC, or an increase of 2.7% and 93 million by Gartner, or an increase of 3.1%.

IDC and Gartner also differed slightly in their full-year estimations. While IDC arrived at 346.2 million, Gartner pegged it at 350.9 million. IDC analyst David Daoud seemed to think that the iPad has emerged as a viable alternative to traditional PCs, quoting the 7.5 million units sold by Apple up to September 25.

Gartner found Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ) to be the top PC supplier globally, with a market share of 18.8%, which declined from 19.6% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Acer was the second-highest with a 12.7% share, closely followed by Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL) with an 11.6% share. The IDC rankings were slightly different, with Dell taking the number 2 spot and Acer coming in at number 3.

Further, analysts also believe that growth in the PC market during the fourth quarter of 2010 was driven by steady growth in the professional market, mainly attributable to replacement purchases. However, the PC market has returned to the double-digit growth phase after a year-long recession in 2009.

However, competition among industry players is expected to intensify in 2011, with every major player introducing new products to grab additional marketshare.

Strong Q4 for Health Care REIT

In 2010. The company exceeded the high-end of its most recent guidance for the year by about $450 million, signifying stabilization of market fundamentals.

Health Care REIT invests across the full spectrum of senior housing and healthcare real estate properties. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, the company also provides an extensive array of property management and development services.

Founded in 1970, the company was the first REIT to invest exclusively in healthcare facilities. Health Care REIT provides senior housing operators and healthcare systems with a single source for facility planning, design and turn-key development, property management and monetization or expansion of existing real estate.

Health Care REIT has established quite a track record of conservative capital management and cash returns to shareholders in the form of steady dividend and has paid uninterrupted dividends for 157 quarters in its 39-year history. The company usually has long-term triple-net leases in senior housing and healthcare real estate properties that insulates it from market volatility and provides a steady source of revenue despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.

The healthcare sector is one of the more recession-proof real estate sectors and has continually fared comparatively better than other sectors during the commercial real estate downturn. In addition, an aging Baby Boomer generation's demand for assisted and independent living facilities should increase in the coming years. With a significant presence in these property types, Health Care REIT is in a relatively strong position than most of its competitors.

However, deep cuts in Medicare have been proposed over the next five years by reducing or freezing payments to skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. With a large portion of revenues being determined by government payout rates, forces beyond the company's control could negatively affect revenues and operator coverage ratios.

We maintain our Neutral rating on Health Care REIT, which currently has a Zacks #4 Rank that indicates a short-term Sell rating. We also have a 'Neutral' rating and Zacks #2 Rank (short-term Buy) for Nationwide Health Properties Inc. (NYSE: NHP), a competitor of Health Care REIT.

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