Sure Google's sales and earnings grew -- are growing -- much faster than IBM's. But aside from the two tech bellwethers having comparable market caps of about $170 billion, that's about where the comparisons end.

I admit this is funky math, but bear with me:

If IBM were given Google's forward P/E of 24x estimates instead of its current 14x, it'd be a $210 stock with a market cap of nearly $290 billion -- that's bigger than No. 2 ranked GE's $279 billion.

And if IBM were trading at Google's forward price-to-sales ratio of 6.8x instead of its current 1.6x, it would be a $525 stock.. worth $725 billion.

That's 70 percent bigger than Exxon!

By certain trailing multiple measures afforded to Google, I can show you how IBM could be a TRILLION dollar stock... but that'd just by silly.

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CNBC.com Video Reports:

• Stock Chatter Focuses on Pharma, Financials

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Disclaimer

Waiting for a market expert to recommend financial stocks? Wait no longer. Wendell Perkins has banks on his shopping list.

"There is an enormous amount of value in this market today," the chief financial officer of Optique Capital Management told CNBC. "If you have a stronger stomach, perhaps, in the short term, but certainly, we're looking at a longer-term opportunity in this market."

He sees many of those value stocks as severely oversold.

"Analysts have been dreadfully wrong about their negative calls so far on many of the banks," he said.

Recommendations:

Asked to name names, he starts with one of the week's big winners.

Prison stocks and waste management companies are the best places to lock cash in these turbulent times, due to their highly defensive value, Richard Wilson, fund manager at Threadneedle Asset Management told "Squawk Box Europe."

Wilson sees comfort and value in US prison stocks, like Corrections Corp. , which owns and operates prison correctional facilities in the US.

The industrial gases sector is shielded from cyclical effects and the four sector majors, Air Liquide, Linde, Praxair and Air Products can generate earnings growth of around 10 percent between 2007 and 2011, Jean-Paul Sabbagh, equity research analyst at Oddo Securities, said.

Air Products and Chemicals and Praxair are listed on the NYSE, Linde trades in Frankfurt and Air Liquide in Paris.

The four leading players have 70 percent of the market, meaning they have pricing power, raw materials for the sector are readily available and they have long-term contracts in place, Sabbagh wrote in a research note.

"This holds considerable appeal for investors in periods of stockmarket turmoil," he added.

Air Liquide is the most attractive of the four, Sabbagh wrote, and Oddo Securities has a "buy" recommendation on it.

Between 2002 and 2007, Air Liquide’s share price gained 50 percent, while the CAC 40 lost almost 10 percent and since last year the stock share price rose 14 percent, relative to a chemicals sector threatened by a squeeze.

- by Nadina Richardson, Special to CNBC.com

Disclaimer

Despite consumers cutting back spending, Christine Chen, vice president of equity research at Needham & Company, still feels bullish about the back-to-school retail industry.

“We like the names that have done well in the first half of the year, have the fashion product, and will actually get the consumer to spend their dollars,” she said.

Recommendations:

Aeropostale -– “They have consistently beaten numbers and raised guidance. In a year from now, our price target is $38 -– a 20 percent gain. I think when they report earnings at the end of August or beginning of September, they’ll beat expectations and continue to show that their sales trends are still growing.”

Guess -– “I think a lot of investors miss the fact that they have 30 percent of their business in Europe, and their European business is very strong. They’re at their early stages there and continuing to gain market share there as well as domestically in the U.S.”

Urban Outfitters -– “Nobody else has products like them. Nobody else has stores like them. They are one of few names where estimates will probably continue to go up during the year, because they have the right product and consumers are paying full price for it.”

Have the stock markets bottomed?

J.J. Burns of JJ Burns & Company joined Bill Seidman and Bob Pisani to lay out the facts.

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More CNBC Intelligence:

• Trader Talk with Bob Pisani
• Market Insider with Patti Domm
• Picks & Pans: Trade with the Experts

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Disclaimer

John Faucher says there's still room for a portfolio to grow in beverages and personal care.

The JPMorgan senior analyst favors companies with significant international exposure -- but he has his reservations about bottlers.

"The highly-profitable convenience- and gas-store volume -- those 20-ounce bottles you see out there -- those are down, because people are spending more money on gas," he told CNBC.

Recommendations:

So what names does he like?

"Right now, we still think some of the bigger, multinational names that are still putting up teens earnings growth -- a Colgate, a Pepsi, a Coke (Coca-Cola) -- the valuations, again, are at 15- to 20-year lows right now, solid dividend yields, good visibility...volatility surrounding some emerging markets, but at these prices, we think it's more than priced in," he said.

Looking for a good stock investment? Jay Bowen of Bowen, Haines & Co. says you should seek out companies that would benefit from falling raw-materials and oil prices.

"Several industries have been faced with rising raw material costs, because of the over 100 percent increase in oil over the last year," Bowen told CNBC. "I think it's a constructive time to ask, 'What industries are going to benefit if that becomes a tailwind instead of a headwind?' The diversified chemical industry would certainly qualify."

Recommendations:

At the top of that list is DuPont.

"They've got their traditional chemical businesses, but also are involved in some very interesting growth areas," he said. "They continue to transform from a traditional chemical company to more of a high-tech science-oriented company; they're involved in agriculture and biotechnology."

He recommends BASF in the diversified chemical space -- and also recommends drug retailer Walgreen because of its historically low valuation.

Options traffic is swirling about possible generic drug merger, auto-related stocks, and a cruise line, Rebecca Darst of Interactive Brokers reported on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday.

Options were active just before reports drifted out of Israel media that there may be a possible $7.5 billion merger between generic drug giants Barr Pharmaceutical , based in New Jersey, and Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical. (See her full comments in the video).

Looking for a big move today in Microsoft stock ahead of its earnings? The options say "Don't count on it."