It may not be the sexiest company on this list, but General Electric still has its share of admirers on Wall Street.
The industrial giant has shifted its focus to alternative energy, growing its share of the market for wind turbines and solar panels.
GE (GE) has also scaled back its commercial lending and leasing business. GE Capital Services had been a big source of concern for investors over the past few years.
GE agreed to sell the remaining 49% of NBC Universal it owned to Comcast (CMCSA) for $16.7 billion, giving it a pre-tax gain of $1 billion. GE also boosted its stock buyback plan for 2013 to $10 billion.
Shares of GE, a Dow component, rose 17% last year, compared with a 7% gain for the overall index.
