Archive for October, 2009
(HUM) Humana Creates New Health Benefit
Recently, Humana Military Healthcare Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Humana Inc. (HUM), announced the availability of an additional benefit for the beneficiaries of the TRICARE program (a medical program under the Department of Defense) in the South Region. Humana Military...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JPM) JPMorgan Chase & Company to Pay Settlement
JPMorgan Chase & Company (JPM) decided to pay $55 million to settle a lawsuit related to the losses of investors with the collapse of American Business Financial Services Inc. American Business Financial Services filed for bankruptcy in Jan 2005 as its debts (including interest)...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TMO) Thermo Fisher Scientific Issues Public Notice on Debenture Conversion
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) recently began the process of issuing public notice to the holders of Floating Rate Convertible Senior Debentures of Apogent Technologies Inc. that are due in 2033, reminding them of their rights to convert the debentures. Thermo Fisher accepted...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PGR) Progressive Corporation: Earnings Preview
Progressive Corp. (PGR) is expected to release its third quarter results before the market opens on Oct 14. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this stock is 33 cents per share. In the prior-year period, the company had reported earnings of 31 cents per share. Progressive’s earnings...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AMD) Advance Micro Devices Impliments New Marketing Program
Advance Micro Devices (AMD) started implementation of its new marketing program this month. Implementation is expected to be carried out in phases over the next four quarters. The new program, dubbed the Fusion Partner Program, is a consolidation of the existing four partner...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JEC) Jacobs Engineering Group Extends Contract at NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Last week, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC) was awarded a three-year extension on the Engineering and Science Contract [ESC] at the NASA Johnson Space Center [JSC] with an estimated value of $978 million. This brings the total contract value to approximately $2.16 billion...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($RIMM) Smart-Phone Wave Grows Rapidly in the U.S.
The U.S. smart-phone market is growing at a rapid pace despite the ongoing global economic slowdown. A recent analysis by CTIA Wireless has revealed that the country’s wireless service providers have generated a massive $19.4 billion of data revenues from smart-phone users...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LUV) Southwest Airline’s Earnings Outlook
In the third quarter, Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) is expected to post narrow losses. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Southwest is a loss of 4 cents per share. Southwest may see a drain in its profits from non-cash charges in its fuel hedging program. As of June 30, 2009, the...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($TQNT) TriQuint Launches New Solutions
TriQuint (TQNT) recently announced that it would launch new solutions for cable systems, microwave radio and optical networks to enable network operators meet the growing demand for broadband services more efficiently and economically. Management stated that network operators...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($T) AT&T Unveils New Pre-Paid Plan
AT&T (T) has introduced a new unlimited monthly calling plan for the prepaid wireless market. Starting today, customers subscribing to the company prepaid wireless services receive unlimited voice calls, instant messaging as well as text, picture and video messaging for just...
13Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JLL) Jones Lang LaSalle Reasserts Alliance with Cisco
Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), recently reasserted its strategic alliance with Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO), a premier global Internet networking services company, and further extended it for five years. The mutually beneficial partnership...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(FPL) Florida Power & Light Co to Open New Photovoltaic Plant
Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) has announced plans to deliver electricity to customers from the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia – the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the country – by October-end. The plant would use 90,000 photovoltaic...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NCR) NCR Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer, Anthony Massetti to Resign
NCR Corporation (NCR) has declared that its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Anthony Massetti will resign on October 23, the day after the company’s third-quarter earnings release. Massetti will take up a new assignment with telecommunications major Avaya Inc. Robert Fishman,...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JCP) JC Penney Growing Optimistic After Better-Than-Expected September Sales
J.C. Penney Company Inc. (JCP) recently raised its third-quarter 2009 earnings outlook on the back of better-than-expected September sales results. The retailer now expects third-quarter earnings in the range of 3 cents to 10 cents a share, up from its previous guidance range...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ISCA) International Speedway Corporation Misses Earnings Estimates
International Speedway Corp. (ISCA) reported fiscal third-quarter results yesterday. The company said GAAP net income plunged to $4.4 million, or 9 cents per share, compared to a GAAP net income of $38.8 million, or 79 cents in the prior year quarter. Excluding certain non-recurring...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DUK) Duke Energy Signs with the University of North Carolina for Wind Turbine Demonstration
Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) recently signed a contract with the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill to place up to three demonstration wind turbines in Pamlico Sound (North Carolina). Duke will pay for the turbines and their installation. The turbines will harness...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($DNDN) Dendreon to Seek FDA Approval for Prostate Cancer Vaccine, Provenge
Recently, Dendreon Corp. (DNDN) announced that it intends to file an amendment to its existing Biologic License Application (BLA) for its prostate cancer vaccine Provenge in Nov. 2009. We believe that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will approve Provenge in the first...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VRSN) VeriSign Teams Up with iLoop Mobile on SMS Services
VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) recently announced a business relationship with iLoop Mobile to provide a dynamic short message service [SMS] marketing solution for large and small enterprise organizations. The two companies are offering a single solution – VeriSign’s mobile aggregation...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($BAC) SEC Seeks Trial Against Bank of America
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday asked for a jury trial related to its lawsuit against Bank of America Corp. (BAC) for misleading shareholders about bonuses to Merrill Lynch employees before the companies merged in January. U.S. District Court Judge Jed...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LMT) Lockheed Martin Corporation Lands Army Contract
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) yesterday bagged a $133 million contract from the U.S. Army to provide eight threat detection systems. The company will supply the systems over the next 11 months. The U.S. Army is already using nine such systems. Lockheed’s detection systems...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MNRO) Monro Muffler Brake Inc. – Estimates Holding Steady
Monro Muffler Brake Inc. (MNRO) just hit a new 52-week high after breaking above a 6-month level of resistance at $28. The company’s share price has also benefited from strong second-quarter results, reported on July 23. Second-Quarter Results Sales were up 6% from last...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HAIN) Hain Celestial – Bear of the Day
The natural and organic food industry including Hain Celestial (HAIN) is facing the brunt of the economic slowdown and escalating costs. The ongoing turmoil and the battered financial market are exerting pressure on consumer disposable incomes triggering a shift in focus from...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(POZN) Pozen, Inc. – Bull of the Day
Pozen, Inc. (POZN) is one of our top-picks for small-cap biotech. We see the fundamentals as strong and the valuation as low. We are pleased to see the NDA for Vimovo (PN-400) filed and now accepted by the U.S. FDA. FDA acceptance earned Pozen a $10 million milestone from AstraZeneca...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ONXX) Onyx Pharmaceuticals to Acquire Cancer Drugmaker Proteolix
Recently, Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX) announced that it will purchase privately held cancer drugmaker Proteolix for an upfront cash payment of $276 million. This transaction gives Onyx access to Proteolix’s lead compound, carfilzomib, a mid-stage multiple myeloma drug. Apart...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HPQ) Hewlett-Packard to Support Life Science Research
The leading personal computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) announced its intention of entering into a technical collaboration with Systems Biology Ireland [SBI] to give a new dimension to life science research, by using mathematics and computers to resolve biological research...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GOOG) Google Given Until November 9th to Revise Book Pact
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin has given Google Inc. (GOOG), the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers until Nov 9 to submit a fresh proposal to address the concerns put forward by the Justice Department. The original agreement for $125 million was announced...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NCR) NCR Wins Largest ATM Deal in India
NCR Corp. (NCR) has secured the biggest order of automated teller machines (ATMs) in India. The State Bank of India (SBI) has entered into an agreement to purchase around 3,800 ATM machines from NCR. The leading bank of India also signed a seven year service contract with the...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(INFY) Infosys Technologies Limited Beats Consensus Estimates
Infosys Technologies Limited (INFY) reported earnings per share of 56 cents, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 50 cents, on revenues of $1.15 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2009. The company’s strategy through the economic downturn has been to build on its strengths...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AMMD) American Medical Systems Sells Ovion Technology
American Medical Systems (AMMD) recently announced that it has agreed to sell its female sterilization assets and technology to Conceptus Inc. (CPTS). Under the $23.6 million cash deal, Conceptus acquired all patents and intellectual property associated with the Ovion business,...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(EQR) Is the Federal Housing Administration Going Broke?
This morning’s New York Times has an important article on the Federal Housing Administration. The FHA has stepped in to back up mortgage loans as the private sector has stopped making them. Essentially, it is playing the role of a sub-prime lender, and appears to be making...
12Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued