Archive for October, 2009
(MUR) Murphy Oil Corporation Acquires Ethanol Plant in North Dakota
Murphy Oil Corporation (MUR) announced the acquisition of a corn-based ethanol plant in Hankinson, North Dakota, on Oct 1, 2009, through its subsidiary. The purchase price was $92 million, which will be financed through non-recourse debt offered via the sellers. The company plans...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GES) Guess Upgraded to Outperform
We are upgrading Guess? Inc. (GES) to Outperform from Neutral. Although the recession is impacting consumer spending, the company’s operating cost-control mechanisms, potential growth opportunities and smart inventory management are providing optimism. The investment case...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(STD) Banco Santander, S.A. Raises $8B in Brazilian IPO
Banco Santander, S.A. (STD) has raised $8.1 billion (14.1 billion Brazilian reals) in a record initial public offering (IPO) of its Brazilian operations as the bank seeks growth away from the ailing Spanish economy. The Brazilian arm sold 600 million shares for 23.50 reals ($13.43)...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CAT) Caterpillar to Increase Prices Worldwide
In a recent regulatory filing, Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) announced its plans to increase prices by up to 2% worldwide on most of its machinery effective January 2010. The company attributed this price increase to current industry factors and current and expected general economic...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(FUL) H.B. Fuller Company – Surprised on the Third Quarter by 33.33%
H.B. Fuller Company (FUL) has surprised on estimates the last two quarters by an average of 38.67% as volumes have improved quarter over quarter. The company is trading with a forward P/E of 14.98. Company Description H.B. Fuller manufactures adhesives, sealants, paints and other...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GES) Guess? Inc. – Bull of the Day
Guess? (GES) reported better-than-expected results for the first half of 2010, thanks to strong North American sales, operating cost controls and smart inventory management. In addition, the company’s strong cost-control efforts helped it maintain a lower operating cost...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WFSL) Washington Federal – Bear of the Day
Washington Federal’s (WFSL) third quarter earnings were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, the results significantly deteriorated from the prior-year quarter due to a huge increase in provision for loan losses, primarily in response to a deteriorating residential...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AA) Alcoa Surprises With a Profit Against a Projected Loss
Aluminum giant, Alcoa Inc. (AA) posted a profit of 8 cents in the third quarter of 2009 (after three consecutive quarterly losses), in contrast to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 9 cents, helped by lower costs. Year-over-year earnings declined 34% from 33 cents. Alcoa’s...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(C) Citigroup Keen to Divest Commodities Unit Phibro
Citigroup Inc. (C) is working toward selling its commodities unit Phibro, one of the bank’s most profitable businesses, to raise money and stave off political anger over a potential $100 million payout to Phibro’s star trader Andrew Hall. Citigroup has already held discussions...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MAR) Marriott International Surpasses Earnings Estimates
Marriott International’s (MAR) third quarter earnings of 15 cents per share were two pennies above the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Results were also above the company’s guidance of 9 cents to 14 cents issued at the time of the second quarter earnings release on July 16 but...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CSTR) Coinstar Inc. – Revenue up 43% From Same Period Last Year
Coinstar Inc (CSTR) analysts continue to raise estimates as the self-service kiosks are pulling in some major coin. Company Description Most of you are probably familiar with the Coinstar machines at local grocery stores. For anyone who has not seen these machines, they are about...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ABM) ABM Industries Renames Landscape Branches
ABM Industries Inc. (ABM) announced that Charlotte, N.C., and Tempe, Arizona branches of ABM Landscape Services will be renamed OneSource Landscape & Golf Services, Inc., effective November 1. The company said that both the branches will continue to provide a range of commercial...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SBUX) Starbucks: Don’t Sip On This Stock Just Yet
Stock of the Day by Jeannette Di Louie, Investment U Research Last week, Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX) debuted “Via Ready Brew” – its new instant coffee. It’s a product that CEO Howard Schultz calls “perhaps the biggest opportunity” in the company’s history. Hmm…...
8Oct2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(PTEN) Patterson-UTI Energy Inc’s Rig Count Continues Climbing
Yesterday, one of the largest onshore contract drillers in the U.S., Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. (PTEN), declared its Sep 2009 drill rig count to average 81, up from 72 in the previous month. The company operated 77 rigs in the U.S. and 4 in Canada in September, compared to 69...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(EQIX) Equifax Partners with Alcatel-Lucent on Enhanced Ethernet Data Exchange
Through a recent press release, Equinix Inc. (EQIX) announced that the company, in collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent (ALU), is developing an enhanced solution for the exchange of data traffic between carriers providing Ethernet services. Equinix will use Alcatel-Lucent’s service...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SLAB) Silicon Laboratories, Inc. – Sales Were Up 25% From Last Year
Silicon Laboratories, Inc. (SLAB) is up more than 100% in the last 6 months but still boats a bullish 38% next-year growth projection. Company Description Silicon Laboratories Inc. designs and develops analog intensive and mixed signal integrated circuits. The company’s...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TJX) The TJX Companies Continues Strong Performance
The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX), the parent company of TJ Maxx, reported earlier today that its sales for the month of September were up 8% year over year at $2.0 billion. Consolidated comparable store sales increased 7% compared to last year. The company said that the strong trends...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(EPIC) Epicor Software Updates Guidance
Epicor Software Corp. (EPIC) recently updated the guidance for the third quarter. The company earlier anticipated revenues between $96 million and $100 million and earnings per share of 9 cents to 10 cents. However, Epicor now expects that it will exceed the EPS guidance provided...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PEP) PepsiCo Beats, Reaffirms Guidance
PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) reported strong third quarter results with earnings of $1.09 per share. This was 6 cents above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.03 and up 10.1% year-over-year. The strong results were driven by the company’s balanced approach towards product innovation...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(RZ) Raser Technologies’ Steady Progress
Raser Technologies Inc. (RZ) yesterday provided an update on its geothermal activities and its PHEV project. The company is gradually transiting from a developmental stage company towards a geothermal power producer. Raser is progressing rapidly on the Lightning Dock No. 1 geothermal...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(STRA) Strayer Education – Bullish Projections and a Share Price Surge
Strayer Education Inc. (STRA) surged a few weeks ago in response to a government report. The company has done well maintaining the higher share price and is seeing bullish Zacks Consensus Estimates ahead of reporting later this month. Company Description Strayer Education provides...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(RDSA) Royal Dutch Shell to Raise Natural Gas Volume
Despite the low natural gas prices, Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA) (RDSB) intends to increase its natural gas production in North America. The company has marked its deepwater discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico as well as from giant shale formations in western Canada, the Rockies and...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UBS) UBS Investment Bank Boosts Energy Lending Business
As part of strengthening its Global Energy banking practice UBS Investment Bank, a subsidiary of UBS AG (UBS), is hiring 18 Investment bankers who will focus on energy lending. Based in Dallas , this new team will have Darrell Holley serving as Managing Director and Global Head...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GNW) Genworth Financial Sells Non-Core Unit
Last week, Genworth Financial Inc. (GNW) announced that it completed the sale of Genworth Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V. to HDI-Gerling International Holding AG. Genworth now intends to focus more on its core Lifestyle Protection Insurance and Mortgage Insurance businesses in Mexico. The...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UIS) Unisys Corporation Announces Stock-Split
Unisys Corp. (UIS) recently announced that its Board of Directors has approved a one for ten reverse stock-split of the common stock. The stock split is expected to be effective on or about Oct 26. At an annual meeting in May, the board decided to approve a reverse stock split...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JOE) St. Joe Company Sells Perico Island Asset
The St. Joe Company (JOE), a publicly held operationally diverse real estate company, has recently sold its property in Perico Island, Florida for about $8 million to Minto Communities LLC, the U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian real estate company Minto Group Inc. St. Joe had earlier...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CMI) Earnings Preview for Cummins
Cummins (CMI) will release its sales and earnings results for the third quarter on Oct 30. The company reported earnings of $56 million or 28 cents per share in the second quarter, marginally higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 26 cents per share, despite weakening demand...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CF) CF Holding Industries-Terra Industries Battle Rages on
Fertilizer company CF Holding Industries Inc. (CF) has recently notified that its rival Terra Industries Inc. has rebuffed CF’s most recent takeover offer on Sep 28. This is the fifth time that Terra has rejected CF’s $4 billion takeover proposal on grounds of undervaluation. Over...
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SKS) Initial Jobless Claims Fall
We got some good news on the job front today as initial claims for unemployment insurance fell 33,000 to 521,000, the lowest level since January. This brought the four week moving average (shown in the graph below from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) down by 9,000 to 539,750....
8Oct2009 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BID) Trailing Stops & Position Sizing: Two Tips to Avoid Letting a Bad Stock Sucker-Punch You
by Louis Basenese, Small Cap and Special Situations Expert Thursday, October 8, 2009: Issue #1111 I confess… I got it wrong with gold. Unlike some stockpickers and newsletter analysts, who proudly trumpet all their winners, while shuffling the losers under the rug, I have...
8Oct2009 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued