Archive for February, 2010
($APC) Energy Information Administration Report Shows Gas Supplies Fall at Slower Rate
In its weekly release, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported an 86 billion cubic feet (Bcf) decline in natural gas supplies for the week ended Jan 22, 2010. The inventory decline, though smaller-than-expected, was the eighth in as many weeks. This has finally started...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CEPH) Cephalon Enters Generics Market
Cephalon Inc. (CEPH) has recently signed a deal which should mark the company’s entry into the generics business. The company announced that it intends to acquire Mepha AG, a privately held Swiss generic drug company for approximately $590 million (CHF 622.5 million). This...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BK) Bank of New York Mellon Division Gets License in China
BNY Mellon, a division of Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK), said on Monday that it has obtained a license from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) to invest in yuan-denominated Chinese securities as a Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor. This approval follows...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ADM) Archer Daniels Midland Company Beats Estimates
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the leading food processing companies in the world, reported fiscal 2010 second quarter earnings of $567 million or 88 cents per share, compared to $578 million or 90 cents per share in the year-earlier quarter. Earnings exceeded the...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MAT) Is Mattel A Mess Worth The Toys?
We read an article on the web a few days ago asking if Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) was a good buy at $20. Admittedly, the Toys and Games industry isn’t one we pay much attention to. Not for any particular reason, we just don’t seem to have much investment interest in...
2Feb2010 | Wax | 0 comments | Continued(WHR) Whirlpool Corporation Tops Earnings Estimates
Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) posted a profit of $141 million or $1.64 per share for the fourth quarter of 2009, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.30 per share and year-ago level of $44 million or 60 cents per share. The company cited cost reduction and productivity initiatives...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SKX) SKECHERS USA Incorporated – Consensus Estimates Jump Ahead of the Earnings Report
SKECHERS USA, Inc. (SKX) already announced it would post record revenue for the fourth quarter which has pushed the Zacks Consensus Estimates higher. The stock has attractive value characteristics, trading at 14.96x forward earnings. Company Description SKECHERS sells footwear...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($MMM) 3M Company – Bull of the Day
We are maintaining our Outperform rating on 3M Company (MMM) with a target price of $89. In the most recent quarter, selling prices were again positive, which boosted gross margin by 50 basis points. Raw materials were down slightly versus Q4 of the prior year, adding approximately...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UPS) United Parcel Services Beats Expectations – Outlook Positive
United Parcel Services Inc.’s (UPS) fourth quarter operating earnings per share of 75 cents came in ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 73 cents and management’s earlier guidance of 58-65 cents. However, this was lower compared to 83 cents recorded in the prior-year...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PGN) Progress Energy – Bear of the Day
Progress Energy (PGN) is one of the nation’s larger pure-play electricity utilities. Given the disappointing outcome of the Florida rate case and lowered 2010 guidance, we expect the stock to remain under pressure in the near term. Furthermore, weak economic conditions...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LTD) Limited Brands Incorporated – Solid Third Quarter
Limited Brands Inc. (LTD) recently reported December net sales of $1.660 billion, an increase from last year’s $1.644 billion. Comparable store sales slipped 2% year-over-year. Shares spiked on the sales results and have maintained a higher level since, currently trading...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(APC) Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Profits Dip – Sales Rise
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC) posted robust numbers for the fourth quarter of 2009, driven by higher sales volumes and lower capital spending on near term projects. Net income from continuing operations was 4 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NVTL) Novatel Wireless Strengthens Ovation Series
Novatel Wireless Inc. (NVTL) strengthens technical features of its industry leading Ovation series of USB data modems. In the first half of January, the company launched its Ovation MC996D High-Speed USB Data Modem for HSPA+ mobile broadband network. HSPA+ is the next evolution...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BDX) Becton, Dickinson and Company Beats Expectations – Bumps Estimates
We recently reiterated our Neutral rating on Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) with a target price of $78 based on a P/E of approximately 15.3x our fiscal 2010 EPS estimate of $5.10. Becton recently reported first quarter fiscal 2010 results. Earnings per share of $1.30 easily...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GMCR) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Incorporated – Earnings Estimates Spike
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) just hit a new 52-week and all-time high at $88.65 after reporting awesome Q1 results on Jan 28 that were easily ahead of estimates. Company Description Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. operates in the specialty coffee industry in...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(IACI) InterActiveCorp Makes the Connection
The best value investors, all seem to say same thing, buy what you know. To us, that means spend time researching companies with recognizable brands. Companies such as Ticketmaster, Inc. (Nasdaq: TKTM), HSN, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSNI), and Tree.Com. Inc. (Nasdaq: TREE) are all companies...
2Feb2010 | Wax | 0 comments | Continued(LEAP) Leap Wireless Mulls Sale/Merger
Unlimited prepaid wireless carrier Leap Wireless (LEAP) is reportedly exploring opportunities for a potential sale or merger with a rival operator. The company has hired Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) as advisors and formed a three-member special committee to evaluate...
2Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(FOSL) Flies in the Ointment
We had several e-mails over the recent holidays asking what we did with research for companies we had decided not to pursue and would we consider sharing that research with others. Unlike most folks, we do not use stock screens. We see something on the web, or read something...
2Feb2010 | Wax | 0 comments | Continued(EL) Estee Lauder: Just make-up on a pig?
Sometimes a stock comes up on my Barchart screening for stocks hitting new highs just out of the blue. Estee Lauder (EL) might be more than just shear illusion and might actually be a thing of beauty. We all have heard the name and if you look in your wife’s cabinet you...
2Feb2010 | Shawn | 0 comments | Continued($VZ) Verizon Communications As Clear As Mud
The technical term is IEEE mobile Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access 802.16e-2005. The term we found during our research was WiMAX. We knew it wasn’t going to be this simple, and we were right. We also found LTE, which we learned stands for Long Term Evolution. LTE...
2Feb2010 | Wax | 0 comments | ContinuedAAII Asset Allocation Survey: Bonds Up, Stocks Down
Individual investors pulled money out of stocks and bought bonds instead last month, according to the latest AAII Asset Allocation Survey. Allocations toward bonds and bond funds rose in January, while allocations to individual stocks experienced nearly a seven percentage point...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AVY) Avery Dennison Corporation Reports Below Expectations
Avery Dennison Corp. (AVY) posted fourth-quarter earnings of 44 cents per share, below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 67 cents and down 32.3% from last year’s earnings of 65 cents. The lower than expected earnings in the quarter was primarily a result of increased investment...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ACXM) Acxiom Sees Top-Line Revenue Decline
Acxiom Corp. (ACXM) reported revenues of $283.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2010, down 5.7% from a year ago. The year-ago figure excludes an Information Products pass-through contract of approximately $20.1 million. This contract was modified in the fourth quarter...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HOLX) Analysts Upgrade Hologic Pre-Earnings
Recently, we upgraded Hologic, Inc. (HOLX) to Neutral from Underperform with a price target of $16.00. Even though we are concerned about the strong competition and declining revenues which are largely attributable to the tough economic and capital spending environment, the company’s...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WMT) Income, Spending & Savings Rise
The December report on Personal Income and Spending showed that personal income rose by 0.4%, one tick higher than the expected 0.3% increase, but a slowdown from the 0.5% rate in November. The November rate was, however, revised up from 0.4%, so the December rate is flat from...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($DRIV) Digital River Beats Expectations – Profits Fall
Digital River, Inc. (DRIV) reported revenues of $104.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 26% from a year ago exceeding management’s guidance of $94 million – $98 million. The growth in revenues was driven by series of one time promotions of Microsoft Windows 7 in...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MCO) Earnings Preview For Moody’s
The earnings outlook for Moody’s Inc. (MCO) remains robust ahead of its fourth-quarter results on February 4, with the current Zacks Consensus Estimate at 39 cents per share. A surge in bond issuance activity will boost the company’s fourth-quarter earnings. However, there...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AMB) AMB Property Corporation Leases in Tokyo
Amid signs of market stabilization, AMB Property Corp. (AMB), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), has recently leased approximately 157,200 square feet of its development portfolio at AMB Tsurumi Distribution Center in Tokyo for an undisclosed amount. With the lease,...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NWSA) News Corporation Settles with Valassis Communications
News Corp. (NWSA), a diversified global media company, reached an out-of-court settlement with Valassis Communications Inc. (VCI), one of the leading media and marketing services companies in the U.S., to settle a lawsuit that alleged anticompetitive behavior of News America...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NS) NuStar Energy L.P. Reports Profit Growth
NuStar Energy L.P. (NS), a master limited partnership (MLP), announced better-than-expected fourth quarter results on the strength of higher margins in its asphalt business. The partnership reported earnings per unit (EPU) of 50 cents, topping both the Zacks Consensus Estimate...
1Feb2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued