Archive for August, 2009
(SPLS) Staples’ Q2 Profit In-Line, but Profit Slips 23.8% Year Over Year
Staples, Inc. (SPLS), a global leader in the supply of office products, recently reported second quarter 2009 financial results with a high double-digit fall in the bottom-line. Net profit (excluding one-time items) dipped 25.6% year over year to $111.8 million compared to $150.3...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CYNO) Buy “Low-Density” – How to Take the Guesswork Out of Valuing Stocks
by Louis Basenese, Advisory Panelist I don’t care what investing legend you idolize and try to emulate – Buffett, Graham, Rogers, Lynch – they all share a common recommendation. Always buy undervalued stocks and sell them when they’re overvalued. Or more commonly:...
26Aug2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(NEU) NewMarket Corporation – Soared Past the Consensus Estimate by 57%
NewMarket Corporation (NEU) recently reported second-quarter earnings of $2.50 per share, outpacing the previous year’s $1.13 and soaring past the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 57%. Shortly after reporting, NEU declared a quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share, which translates...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DWA) Dreamworks Animation SKG – Share Price Doubled in the Last 4 Months
Dreamworks Animation SKG (DWA) announced a strategic production adjustment during its recent Q2 earnings call that the company expects to facilitate significant cost savings starting in 2010. Company Description DreamWorks Animation SKG develops and produces computer generated...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MCD) McDonald’s Renews Jones Lang LaSalle Alliance
McDonald’s Corp. (MCD), a premier global foodservice retailer, recently renewed its strategic alliance with Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT) in the U.S. Under the terms of the deal, Jones Lang LaSalle will continue providing transaction...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CSCO) Outperform Rating – Cisco’s Router Gaining Ground
Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) said today that its flagship edge router has been doubled in density to help customers in efficiently handling the growing web video traffic. This upgraded version of the Aggregation Services Router 9000 Series will enhance the IP-based networking giant’s...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DD) Chemical Giants Utilize Lobbying
The recent disclosure reports have revealed that lobbying is a frequent phenomenon with the chemical giants such as DuPont (DD) and Eastman Chemical (EMN). The second quarter report suggested that DuPont spent more than $1.2 million to lobby on biotechnology, trade, taxes and...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SHPGY) Shire Aims Big in Human Genetic Therapies Business Segment
We are pleased with UK-based Shire Plc’s (SHPGY) research collaboration with Denmark’s Santaris Pharma for the development of new drugs for rare diseases. Shire will make an upfront payment of $6.5 million and an additional $13.5 million on completion of certain initial studies. Santaris...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BIG) Big Lots Retail Stores Surpass Expectations
Big Lots Inc. (BIG) recently reported better-than-expected second quarter results surpassing the bottom-line expectation. Effective cost management drove the growth in bottom-line with increased efficiencies in distribution and transportation costs, reduced advertising expenses,...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SLXP) Salix Pharmaceuticals’ Drug Gets Priority Status
Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (SLXP) yesterday announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review status to its new drug application (NDA) for rifaximin 550 mg. Salix is seeking approval for the use of rifaximin for the maintenance of remission...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PDE) Pride International Completes Seahawk Drilling Spin-off
Pride International Inc. (PDE) completed the spin-off of Seahawk Drilling Inc. – a former subsidiary of Pride that owns 20 mat-supported jackup rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) – as a stock dividend to existing shareholders. For every 15 shares of Pride, stockholders...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UGP) Ultrapar Valuation is Overdone
Recently, Ultrapar Participações S.A. (UGP) announced good operating results for the second quarter of 2009. Net revenue reached R$9,622 million ($4,604 million), from R$6,411 million in the year-ago quarter. The operating performance of Ipiranga, which accounts for almost...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CNQR) Concur Partners Southwest
Concur Technologies Inc. (CNQR) signed a content agreement with Southwest Airlines (LUV) giving Concur® Travel & Expense client direct access to Southwest Airlines fares and schedules. This agreement provides Concur clients with direct access to Southwest inventory options....
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UIS) Unisys Completes Debt Exchanges
Earlier this month, Unisys Corporation (UIS) announced that it successfully completed its previously announced private debt exchange offers. Unisys reduced its debt outstanding by approximately $130 million (about 12%) and thereby reduced 2010 debt maturities to $65 million. The...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TNS) TNS Inc. – 52-Week High on its Sixth Consecutive Earnings Surprise
TNS, Inc (TNS) has recently set a new 52-week high on its sixth consecutive earnings surprise. Company Description TNS provides data communications services to processors of credit card and other card-based transactions. The company provides a variety of networking and data communications...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CNXT) Conexant Divests from Broadband
Conexant Systems Inc. (CNXT) recently completed the sale of its Broadband Access product lines to Ikanos Communications Inc. for $54 million. Conexant received about $47 million in cash, while the remaining payment is subject to an escrow to be released in one year. The company...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ISRG) Intuitive Surgical- Is the Bull of the Day
Intuitive Surgical’s (ISRG) story is improving. A new product was developed as an upgrade to the existing daVinci Surgical System. Furthermore, the company enjoys a virtual monopoly in robotic surgery without direct competition. The company’s razor/razor blade business...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TSCM) The Rise of TheStreet.com
A company that many of our editors have been keeping track of over the past several weeks for its stock price as much for it’s borrowing of our Oxford Club’s Chairman’s Circle ideas is TheStreet.com (Nasdaq: TSCM). And its recent price movements have been drawing a lot...
26Aug2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(EP) El Paso Corporation – Surprised by Almost 25% in Last Three Quarters
El Paso Corporation (EP) has surprised on the Zacks Consensus Estimate 3 out of the last 4 quarters by an average of 24.49% even as the prices of natural gas and oil have plunged. The company is cheap, trading at just 9.3x forward earnings. Company Description El Paso Corporation...
26Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GSK) Valeant’s Pain Drug Disappoints
Yesterday, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) announced the failure of its drug candidate, retigabine, in a mid-stage study. The trial evaluated retigabine for pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is common in shingles. The company’s shares closed...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(QCOM) Qualcomm Enters Intel Territory
Qualcomm Inc (QCOM) is all set to start selling chipsets for smart-books from the next quarter onward. The company is the largest developer of digital mobile chipsets based on CDMA wireless technology. This new venture into the smart-book market will be a vertical diversification...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NOK) Nokia Netbook Unveiled
As expected, Nokia (NOK) finally confirmed its entry into the netbook segment. The netbook named “Nokia Booklet 3G” will have a 10 inch screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G Wireless access. Most importantly the netbook will run on Microsoft (MSFT) windows and Intel’s...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ALU) Alcatel-Lucent Earns FCC Certification Next-generation Wireless Broadband
Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) recently announced that it has reached a crucial milestone in the development of its next-generation wireless broadband solution following validity certification from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The company became the first vendor to...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AIG) Obama Reappoints Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke
President Obama has decided to reappoint Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second term. On balance, I think this is the right move. In many ways, his reappointment makes more sense than his original appointment. The worst marks against Bernanke’s record come from when he was serving...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AAPL) ITC Investigates NAND Chipmakers
An investigation has been launched by U.S. International Trade Commission, on several NAND flash memory chip making companies. A complaint filed in July by West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based BTG International prompted ITC to initiate this investigation against companies like...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MSFT) Microsoft Doing Everything Right?
When I read the first article about the Microsoft (MSFT)/Yahoo (YHOO) combo, I did not fully realize how it would change my search experience. But when I checked my Yahoo mail this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Bing bar at the top. One of the things that crossed...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(FSLR) First Solar: Stock of the Day
by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist Competition – as I used to say to my sales force – has a way of keeping competitors honest. The real beneficiary of a healthy business duel, however, is the customer. Particularly when the competition gets down to price. Nowhere is that...
25Aug2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(C) Citigroup Helping Prevent Foreclosures
Citigroup Inc.’s (C) initiatives in the U.S. to keep distressed borrowers in their homes have paid off. The loss-mitigation successes have outnumbered foreclosures completed by a ratio of more than 12 to 1 in the second quarter, compared with 6 to 1 reported six months ago. Around...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BAC) BofA to Resolve Merrill Lawsuit
Bank of America Corp. (BAC) agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit against Merrill Lynch & Co. for $150 million. The lawsuit accused Merrill Lynch for misleading investors with respect to the sale of bonds and preferred stock. The preliminary approval of the settlement,...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LGND) Ligand Pharmaceuticals to Buy Neurogen
Yesterday, Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (LGND) announced it has agreed to purchase Neurogen (NRGN) for $11 million in stock as well as certain future cash payments based on licensing deals, real estate sales and other milestones. The deal, which is expected to close by the fourth...
25Aug2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued