Archive for February, 2010
(ALKS) Alkermes Retains Neutral Recommendation
We maintain our Neutral rating on Alkermes, Inc. (ALKS) with a price target of $11.50. Alkermes is a drug delivery biotech company which uses its proprietary specialized drug delivery technologies to develop drugs for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, alcoholism...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CVX) U.S. Oil Consumption Still Weak – Analyst Blog
The U.S. Energy Department’s weekly inventory release showed a surprise climb in crude stockpiles, while distillate supplies posted a smaller-than-expected draw. The agency’s bearish report further added that refiners continued to cut production, and are currently operating...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CHL) China Mobile Touts TDSCDMA Ophone Plan
China Mobile (CHL), the world’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, is reportedly warming up to launch up to 30 new smartphone models in 2010 that are designed to run on the carrier’s home-grown TDSCDMA 3G standard. The devices (called “Ophones”) are being developed...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BRKA) Berkshire Hathaway Rating is Cut on Debt Issue
Last week, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKA), (BRKB) announced the issue of $8 billion notes in connection with the previously announced acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, or BNSF (BNI). Following this announcement, rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P)...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TEF) Telefonica to Buy More China Unicom
Spain’s incumbent telecom carrier Telefonica (TEF) is planning to expand its stake in China Unicom (CHU), the second-largest Chinese wireless carrier. The Spanish telecom giant expects to gradually increase its share in the Chinese company to further boost its foothold in the...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AIG) Insurance Industry Stock Update – February 2010 – Industry Outlook
The turmoil in the financial markets has created a highly challenging environment for the U.S. insurance industry, forcing many companies to take immense write-downs. This trend is expected to continue at least through the first half of 2010, though there are some early signs...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ABMD) Abiomed Beats Consensus Earnings Estimates
Abiomed, Inc. (ABMD) reported third quarter of fiscal 2010 results. For the quarter, net loss per share was 11 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of loss per share of 18 cents and the year-ago loss of 20 cents. Earnings Estimate Revision Trend and Zacks Rank The earnings...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JCP) J.C. Penney Company’s January Sales Fall
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP), a leading retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories, fashion jewelry, beauty products, and home furnishings, recently reported sales results for the four-week period ended Jan 30, 2010. The company’s comparable store sales for January dipped...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WABC) Westamerica Bancorp Misses Earnings Estimates
Westamerica Bancorp.’s (WABC) reported fourth quarter earnings per share of 79 cents and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 82 cents. Earnings were higher from 71 cents reported in the year-ago quarter but a couple of pennies below 81 cents reported in the prior quarter....
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CPL) CPFL Energia S.A. – Bull of the Day
We are maintaining our Outperform rating on CPFL Energia S.A. (CPL). The company posted in-line results for the third quarter of 2009, despite non-recurring items. The company’s outlook for the short-to-medium term remains positive, mainly considering the more relaxed monetary...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ACS) Affiliated Computer Services / Xerox Merger Approved
Affiliated Computer Services Inc. (ACS), a leading business process outsourcing firm rose 0.45% after hours Friday, after falling 2.28% to close at $59.64 following the company’s announcement that shareholders had approved its acquisition by Xerox Corporation (XRX). XRX shares...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TRMB) Trimble Navigation’s Earnings Report Disappoints Again
Trimble Navigation’s (TRMB) third quarter earnings missed consensus estimates by $0.02. Both GAAP and non-GAAP earnings were within management’s guided range. Seasonality typically causes huge sequential fluctuations in both revenue and margins. As a result, management generally...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BPL) Buckeye Partners L.P. Rises on Cost Initiatives
Buckeye Partners L.P. (BPL) earnings in the fourth quarter of 2009 were above Zacks Consensus Estimate of 92 cents per limited partner unit and earnings reported a year ago of 89 cents. Buckeye reported earnings of $1.03 per unit in the quarter. For the full-year 2009, the partnership...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BMI) Badger Meter’s Earnings Report Disappoints
Badger Meter (BMI) recently reported its fourth quarter results. The company reported earnings of 34 cents per share, which is below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 37 cents per share as well as the prior-year EPS of 42 cents. Quarterly sales declined 16.6% to $56.4 million from...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CNMD) Conmed Corporation Surpasses Earnings Estimates
Conmed Corporation (CNMD) reported fourth quarter and full fiscal 2009 results. For the quarter, earnings per share were 37 cents, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 32 cents and the year-ago earnings of 34 cents. In fiscal 2009, earnings per share were $1.00, lower than...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CVS) CVS Caremark’s Earnings Report Beats by a Penny
CVS Caremark’s (CVS) fourth quarter earnings came in at 79 cents per share, a cent above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 78 cents and higher than 70 cents reported in the year-ago period. Revenues increased 7% year-over-year to $25.8 billion primarily due to robust growth of...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MEND) Micrus Endovascular – Revenues Are Surging
Micrus Endovascular Corp (MEND) shares are surging on the latest quarterly report. The company and analysts have raised their full-year outlook. Revenues Surging On Feb 4 Micrus released quarterly results that showed a 24% increase in revenue, to a record high. Sales rose to...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(V) ($V) Visa Incorporated – Earnings Estimates Jump
Visa, Inc. (V) is once again pressuring its 52-week and all-time high at $87 after reporting better than expected Q1 results on Feb 3 that saw a 33% increase in profit from last year. First-Quarter Results Revenue was up 13% to $1.96 billion. Earnings also came in strong at 99...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedIs hot air deflating your portfolio?
I just returned from a week in Orlando at the Money Show. The speakers were terrific and I came back with a lot of good ideas that I’ll share in the coming weeks. I’m not sure what happened to your portfolio but I came back to a lot of triggered stop losses. My Wall...
8Feb2010 | Shawn | 0 comments | Continued(NWL) Newell Rubbermaid – Bear of the Day
Newell Rubbermaid’s (NWL) susceptibility to the global economic downturn is adversely affecting its top-line growth. The company recorded a 14% decline in net sales during 2009 amid a drastic squeeze in consumer disposable income and corporate spending. Moreover, intense...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(XNPT) Xenoport Submits New FDA Drug Application for Restless Leg Syndrome
We noticed an article last week about Xenoport, Inc. (Nasdaq: XNPT) , a company in the Biotechnology Industry. As is typical for us, we simply are not interested in biotechnology companies since they almost never have earnings, and are normally majority owned by large pharmaceutical...
8Feb2010 | Wax | 0 comments | Continued(NYT) Heavy Earnings Reports Continue – Earnings Preview
Earnings Preview 2/5/10 While the bulk of earnings reports are in, there are still many to go, and next week we still have a heavy earnings calendar with a total or 462 firms scheduled to report. Some of the more noteworthy firms reporting are New York Times (NYT), Allstate (ALL),...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SAP) SAP AG CEO Steps Down
SAP AG (SAP) announced that the SAP Supervisory Board has reached an agreement with CEO Leo Apotheker not to extend his contract as a member of the SAP Executive Board. Leo Apotheker has resigned as CEO and member of the SAP Executive Board effective immediately. The company...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AIG) Earning Season Still Going Strong – Earnings Trends
Key Points: • With 308, or 61.6% of reports in, earnings season is going very strong. Median surprise 6.09%. Positive surprises beat disappointments by 2.25 ratio • Earnings of reported firms up 54.25% year over year, remaining firms expected to show 17,739.5% increase,...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WATG) Wonder Auto Technologies Incorporated – Analysts Expect 20% Earnings Growth
Wonder Auto Technologies, Inc. (WATG), the Chinese-based automotive parts manufacturer, has gotten a little cheaper since I last reviewed it in June 2009. The company has a PEG ratio of just 0.54. Analysts expect earnings growth of 20.20% in 2009. The Zacks Consensus Estimate...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SNI) Scripps Networks Interactive – Bullish Earnings Forecasts
Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) is seeing bullish earnings forecasts ahead of reporting next week. The current full-year Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.77 per share was upped from $1.71 over the past 3 months. For 2010, analysts polled by Zacks have lifted forecasts...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($JPM) U.S. Bank Failures Hit 16 As Another One Goes Down
U.S. regulators on Friday shuttered 1st American State Bank of Minnesota , in Hancock, pushing up U.S. bank failures to 16 so far in 2010. This compares to total number of bank failures of 140 in 2009, 25 in 2008 and only 3 in 2007. While we expect economic recovery to gain momentum...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SPIL) Siliconware Precision Industries Company Tops Estimates
Siliconware Precision Industries Co. Ltd (SPIL) reported earnings from continuing operations of 21 cents per ADR for the fourth quarter of 2009, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 14 cents. Sales revenues for the fourth quarter of 2009 were NT$ 16,813 million ($520.6 million),...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TDC) Teradata Corporation Gives an Earnings Preview
Teradata Corporation (TDC) announced that it would release its 2009 fourth quarter results before the market opens on Feb 11, 2010. During the third quarter earnings release, management had raised its outlook for fiscal 2009 due to continued focus on operational execution, which...
8Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MTW) The Manitowoc Company Posts a Net Loss
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. (MTW) reported a net loss of 7 cents per share for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a net profit of 3 cents per share and prior-year earnings of 46 cents per share. Revenue in the quarter declined 31.1% to $838.7...
5Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued