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Updated 4:30 pm EST

Starbucks (SBUX) might have started as a coffee shop, but it now counts as a chain restaurant -- and it's become the third-largest in the U.S.

When measured by sales dollars,McDonald's (MCD) tops the chart, and Subway comes in second. Starbucks is No. 3, according to a study by research firm Technomic. Not bad for a company that closed thousands of stores and went through its own mini-crisis in the economic recession.

Starbucks' rise is certainly bad for Burger King and Wendy's (WEN), which used to round out the top three behind Mickey D's.

Still, all is not well at Starbucks today. The company's share price dropped nearly 2% in after-hours trading after it disappointed analysts with its profit forecast for 2011. Before today, shares had zoomed 30% in the last year to $37.18. 

By Jordan DiPietro

 

Today I'll be adding shares of Applied Materials (AMAT) to my Motley Fool real-money portfolio. The world's largest supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment has been around since 1967 and easily has the largest offering of semi equipment and services in the industry.

 

Applied Materials is on the manufacturing end of the semiconductor industry. While other companies will create complex designs for their chips, Applied designs the fabrication tools needed physically create the chips themselves. The process is extremely complicated -- requiring dozens of various steps -- and this company has a rich history and unparalleled expertise that allows it to deliver an unmatched product portfolio to fabrication operations.

 

What are the catalysts?
While Applied Materials might be the 800-pound gorilla on the block, it still faces extreme competition

 

 

By Anton Wahlman, TheStreet

 

We Apple (AAPL) investors typically view Steve Jobs' health as the biggest risk to the stock, but there's a potentially greater threat: Google's (GOOG) new operating system.

 

No, I'm not talking about Android.

 

I'm talking about Chrome OS.

 

By Don Dion, TheStreet

 

It's been a trying period for internationally-mind​ed investors in 2011.

 

With political turmoil sweeping through the Middle East and Northern Africa, debt issues gripping the European Union and Japan still struggling to recover after its devastating earthquake, finding investing solace outside the U.S. borders requires a careful eye and plenty of patience.

 

Although at this time the options appear slim, there are nations out there that have exhibited strength. By using ETFs, investors can keep these countries on the radar.

 

Which Ben Bernanke will we get today in this first-ever press conference?

 

Will we get the precise, certain-but-dry professor-of-economi​cs Bernanke, the one we often see in front of Capitol Hill panels? Will we get the impenetrable game-playing Fed chief, the one who wants to cross swords and match wits with the world's hedge funds that are desperate for the next basis point to plunder on their clients' behalf?

 

Or will we get the one I am hoping for, the Ben Bernanke who came on "60 Minutes" more than two years ago, the plain-spoken son of hard-working people who knows that something is very wrong in the country, who will try to give us context and will be as avuncular as one can be in trying to explain how we could feel so worried and financially exhausted as a nation.

 

Remember, it is just a press conference; he will be answering questions as foils. He will have to fit his answers to those confines and still make them relevant to the masses.

 

With rising beef and dairy prices prompting McDonalds Corp. (MCD) to raise menu prices on Big Macs and other offerings, the world's largest fast-food chain is trying to find tasty alternatives for frugal shoppers. 

The latest creation is Chicken McBites, a fried snack that is being billed as crispier than conventional chicken nuggets. The so-called popcorn chicken has been rolled out in Detroit, comes with a variety of dipping sauces and starts at just $1.99.

But will consumers eat them up, or will they see it as a way for McDonald's to cut out meat to beef up margins?

 

 

It didn't take Aflac (AFL) long to find a new voice for its duck.

After ousting comedian Gilbert Gottfried from the job, the insurance company has picked Daniel McKeague, a 36-year-old television advertising sales manager and father of three from Hugo, Minn., The Associated Press reports.

McKeague was one of 12,500 contestants who sent Aflac voice samples. He had the luxury of recording his 30-second clip at KQRS, the Minneapolis station where he works. He uploaded it to Aflac's website and later did a formal audition. 

By Rich Smith

 

Under Armour (UA) reported first-quarter earnings this morning, and the crowd went mild. As of this writing, the shares are already down 8% -- and falling. Clearly, the company must have reported bad news, right?

 

Nope. All the numbers that investors usually watch at Under Armour were right on target:

• Revenues for the fiscal first quarter leapt 36% in comparison to last year's Q1
• Profit margins expanded, too, with the result that earnings per share increased 64% to $0.23
• Better still, management promised more of the same going forward, upping revenue guidance and earnings alike, and predicting low-to-mid 30s growth in 2011

 

 

By Jake Lynch, TheStreet

 

The case was made last week to consider GM (GM) at its new post-IPO low. Even more compelling is Ford (F), the only U.S. automaker that didn't require a government bailout to survive the Great Recession.

 

Under the laudable leadership of Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally, Ford has refocused on fuel-efficient vehicles, streamlined its operations and fortified its balance sheet. Its stock has surged from a 2009 low of $1.58.

 

Ford beat Wall Street expectations when it reported first-quarter earnings Tuesday morning. The automaker said new products, higher volume and strong pricing produced profits in every region, including Europe, and said it overcame the impact of higher commodity prices.

 

By Tom Taulli, InvestorPlace.com

While the tech world has always been fast and furious, it seems that the pace of change has been accelerating lately. Just consider that five years ago Facebook was a small operator. Now the company measures its impact as a percentage of the world's population.

But the challenge for Facebook is to turn its massive platform into gushing revenue and high margins. After all, the company's market value is about $80 billion, and an IPO is likely next year. In other words, Facebook needs to find ways to justify the extreme expectations.

So it's no surprise that it's jumping into the daily-deal business with the launch of Facebook Deals. But will the effort be the cash cow Facebook hopes? If so, will it severely damage the prospects of current coupon king Groupon?

 

By Matt Brownell, MainStreet

 

Remember those annoying old Mac vs. PC ads, which used stodgy old John Hodgman and hip young Justin Long to reduce the respective computers (and, by extension, their users) to cultural stereotypes?

 

Well, it turns out those stereotypes aren’t completely without merit.

 

Hunch, a website that makes a variety of personalized recommendations on everything from restaurants to books based on a user’s stated tastes and preferences, issued a report last week in which it assessed some of the traits of the Mac and PC users active on its site.

 

By Don Dion, TheStreet

 

Hundreds of companies will report their earnings this quarter, allowing investors to get a feel for the state of industries ranging from tech to health care.

 

Energy, in particular, will be placed under the microscope this week as Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX) and ConocoPhillips (COP) release their reports.

 

Already, analysts are forecasting that rising oil prices will fuel strong earnings in this sector. As the Wall Street Journal points out, two factors are lending to crude's dramatic ascension: unrest in the Arab world and the global economic recovery.

 

ConocoPhillips will officially kick things off on Wednesday. In the meantime, investors can prepare themselves for this week of excitement by arming themselves with ETFs.