Archive for September, 2009
(HRB) H&R Block Misses Estimates
H&R Block Inc.’s (HRB) first quarter (ended July 31) results were two cents below the Zacks Consensus Estimate as higher losses in its Tax Services segment more than offset the gains from improved pre-season results from Business Services and lower corporate expenses. For...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GPS) ($GPS) Gap Incorporated Reports Better Than Expected Sales
Gap, Inc. (GPS) just posted better than expected August same-store sales as consumers flock to the company’s value oriented Old Navy stores. Sales at stores open at least a year, a key retail industry performance metric, were only down 3%, ahead of the 7% expected by analysts....
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CMG) Chipotle Mexican Grill – Bull of the Day
Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) has remained largely unruffled by the current slowdown, highlighting the company’s robust business model. The company is well-positioned to expand rapidly while generating improved earnings, margins, and returns on invested capital. With a...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CAJ) Canon Incorporation – Bear of the Day
We believe the sharp appreciation of the yen is eroding Canon’s (CAJ) revenue and profits. The company expects to improve profitability through product launches and cost-cutting efforts. The company also lowered its revenue forecast but earnings forecast remained unchanged...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HRL) Hormel Foods Corporation Earnings up 50% Quater Over Quarter
Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL), the food and meat products manufacturer which owns well-known consumer brands such as Jennie-O, SPAM, Hormel, and Dinty Moore, on Aug 20 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the third quarter by 9.62% as consumers continue to eat more meals at...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(STO) StatoilHydro ASA Finds New Reserves
Integrated oil and gas major StatoilHydro ASA (STO) recently discovered a new oil and gas location in the Nona prospect, 10 kilometers south east of the Asgard field in the Norwegian Sea. The well 6407/2-5S was drilled to a depth of 3,289 meters below sea level. Based on preliminary...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SI) Siemens Eyes Smart Grid Orders
Siemens AG (SI) has targeted orders worth more than 6 billion Euros for intelligent power networks (Smart Grids) over the next five fiscal years. The company is already a leading international supplier of Smart Grids and continues to strengthen this position. Intelligent power...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(OCN) Ocwen Financial Chooses Delloite & Touche
On Sept. 4, Ocwen Financial Corp. (OCN) said that its Board of Directors approved the dismissal of PricewaterhouseCoopers as its independent public accounting firm. The vote took place on Aug. 31 and the dismissal was effective the same day. It said there were no disagreements...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SCHW) Top Aggressive Growth Equity Funds – Mutual Fund Commentary
Today we are featuring top-performing “Aggressive Growth” equity mutual funds, which primarily invest in equity securities of companies. Investors can find such funds by checking out the entire list of the Zacks #1 Rank Aggressive Growth Equity Funds. 2 Solid Samples Pin...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedLEAPS vs. Stocks: An Investment Vehicle Throwdown
by Karim Rahemtulla, Advisory Panelist So what’s the better investment – stocks or LEAP options? As I’ve explained in recent columns, LEAPS are long-term options that expire in one to two years or more. So it’s an effective strategy if your outlook is a couple of years...
8Sep2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(CAT) Weak Outlook for German Machinery
The VDMA Group (an industrial association in Europe, representing small/medium sized companies in the engineering industry) said last week that German machinery producers do not expect an increase in output in 2010. The group said that more than two-thirds of producers in Germany...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SKM) SK Telecom to Launch T Store
South Korea’s incumbent wireless operator, SK Telecom (SKM), is set to launch T Store, the first mobile open market in Korea, on Sep 9. The upcoming on-line store will feature applications that are optimized for smartphones and other select regular handsets. T Store will...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedGross: Staying on “Course” to a New Normal
Bill Gross, co-founder and co-CIO of PIMCO, is to my mind one of the shrewdest money men around. His monthly newsletter, this month entitled “On the “Course” to a New Normal”, therefore always makes for thought-provoking reading. He concludes the newsletter as follows: “The...
8Sep2009 | prieur | 0 comments | Continued(KFT) Kraft Foods Sweet on Cadbury
Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT), a leading manufacturer and marketer of packaged food products and grocery products worldwide, on Monday, September 7, 2009 has offered a takeover bid for Cadbury (CBY) at a purchase price of $16.2 billion (£10.2 billion). The offer price represents a...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GOOG) European Take on Google Books
The European Commission is considering the implications of the Google (GOOG) Books deal for European publishers. If the agreement goes into effect in the U.S., it would put European students, scholars and academics at a serious disadvantage. This is because many out-of-print...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TESS) TESSCO Technologies Blows Past Estimates by 124%
TESSCO Technologies Inc. (TESS) continues to trade higher on strong fundamentals and a bullish Zacks Consensus Estimate. Receiving an extra boost on solid quarterly results, shares have soared past the market by about 20% since TESSCO reported in late July. The stock is trading...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GG) Goldcorp Receives Certificate
Canada’s leading gold producer, Goldcorp Inc. (GG), recently announced that its Marlin mine in Guatemala has received certification under the International Cyanide Management Code for the use of cyanide for the production of gold. Marlin is Goldcorp’s third gold mine...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GYMB) Analysts Raise Gymboree Corporation
Gymboree Corp/ (GYMB) drastically raised its earnings guidance for the second quarter. On Aug 19th the children’s retailer reported quarterly results that included earnings of $12.2 million, up from $8 million last year. This equates to 41 cents per share, topping estimates...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ETR) Entergy Corporation’s Arkansas Subsidiary Files For Rate Hike
Entergy Corporation’s (ETR) utility subsidiary Entergy Arkansas has requested from the Arkansas Public Service Commission a $223 million hike in the base rate late last week. Entergy Arkansas supplies electricity to 684,000 customers spread across 63 counties in the state...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NEM) Newmont Mining Corporation Obtains Permit
Newmont Mining Corporation (NEM) has announced today that its Indonesian unit, PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PTNNT) has obtained an essential land-use permit, which will allow it to continue its mining operation as planned. Newmont Nusa Tenggara had previously warned that it might...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AMMD) American Medical Systems Holdings Amends Notes Exchange
American Medical Systems Holdings, Inc. (AMMD) amended its offer to exchange up to $250 million and a minimum of $100 million of its outstanding 3.25% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2036 for newly issued 3.75% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2041. The amendment...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GSBC) Five More Banks Fail
Three more banks and two thrifts in U.S. fail, tally reaches 89 this year The recession continues to weigh heavily on banks as U.S. regulators on Friday shuttered five more institutions in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Arizona. This takes the total number of failed federally insured...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SNY) Sanofi Grows Strong on Vaccines
We are pleased to hear that India’s Shantha Biotechnics received a $340 million contract to supply its combination vaccine, SHAN5 for the period of 2010-2012 from a United Nations agency. The vaccine is used for immunizing children against five diseases – Diptheria, Tetanus,...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CRTX) Cornerstone Therapeutics Wins Factive Rights
Last week, Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. (CRTX) announced the receipt of approval from the United States Bankruptcy Court for Massachusetts district regarding the acquisition of Factive’s (gemifloxacin mesylate) commercial rights in North America and some European countries...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MSFT) Microsoft Patents Change Hands
Several patents previously held by Microsoft (MSFT) are expected to change hands. Microsoft acquired the patents from Silicon Graphics and subsequently sold them to Allied Security Trust (AST) at a private auction. AST is expected to resell the patents to Open Invention Network...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedTrailing Stop Discipline: How to Know When to Sell Your Stocks
by Alexander Green, Advisory Panelist This month, we received word that the independent Hulbert Financial Digest just ranked our investment letter – The Oxford Club Communiqué – among the five top-performing letters in the nation over the past 10 years. Part of our success...
8Sep2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(TIVO) TiVo Wins Patent Infringement Again
The satellite television provider TiVo Inc. (TIVO) is a pioneer in digital video recording (DVR) technology. The company won a patent infringement lawsuit against EchoStar Communications Corp (SATS), the parent company of Dish Network Corp. (DISH). Under the 5-year multimedia...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SNE) Game Console Makers Cut Prices and Compete
After the price cut in Sony’s (SNE) Playstation 3 and Microsoft’s (MSFT) 360 Console, Nintendo is expected to move in the same direction to boost sales. The Nintendo Wii has been a runaway hit with the introduction of the motion-sensing controller. Recently, Sony Corporation...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BSX) Positive SYNTAX for Boston Scientific Stent
Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) recently came out with its two-year SYNTAX clinical data that do not typify any statistically significant difference between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The PCI was performed using...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(COP) ConocoPhillips Seeks Control of Coking Unit
ConocoPhillips (COP) has exercised an option to buy out a 50% stake in its coking unit at the Sweeny refinery in Texas from Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). PDVSA is Venezuela’s state-run oil company. ConocoPhillips has an equal interest in Merey Sweeny L.P., a limited...
8Sep2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued