Archive for March, 2010
(NABI) Nabi Biopharmaceuticals’ Vaccine Program Advances
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (NABI) has initiated the second phase III clinical trial for NicVAX, an investigational vaccine being developed for the treatment of nicotine addiction and preventing smoking relapse. Results from the first phase III trial are expected at the end of 2010. An...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HD) The Home Depot to roll out Spring Black Friday
Similar to the traditional Black Friday that kick-starts the Christmas holiday shopping season, The Home Depot Inc. (HD), the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, has decided to implement Spring Black Friday in March and April to mark the beginning of the busiest...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VIP) VimpelCom’s Earnings Report Trails Expectations
VimpelCom (VIP) reported lower-than-expected fourth quarter 2009 results with earnings per ADS of 27 cents largely missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents, due to lower revenue, higher expenses and adverse currency fluctuations. For 2009, earnings per ADS of $1.08 fell...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ACGY) Acergy S.A. Analysts Maintain Outperform Rating
Acergy S.A. (ACGY) is a leading oilfield contractor engaged in the designing, procurement, building, installation and servicing of a range of offshore surface and sub-surface equipment for the oil and gas industry. In recent times, the company has successfully pursued a strategic...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LLL) L-3 Communications Holdings Wins U.S. Air Force Contract
L-3 Communications Holdings Inc.’s (LLL) Link Simulation & Training division has won a $20.9 million contract option for the F-16 Mission Training Center (MTC) program. This contract option, received from the Aeronautical Systems Center’s Training Systems Product...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(THRX) Theravance Offers 7.5 Million Shares
Theravance (THRX) has decided to raise funds by offering 7.5 million shares. Net proceeds are expected to be utilized for general corporate purposes including research expenses and debt reduction. However, the offer will increase the number of outstanding shares by 12%. We believe...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PVR) Penn Virginia Resource Partners L.P. Expands Marcellus Footprint
Penn Virginia Resource Partners L.P. (PVR), through its midstream division PVR Midstream, has agreed to construct and operate gas gathering pipelines and compression facilities for a private firm in the Marcellus Shale of northern Pennsylvania. Under the agreement, PVR Midstream...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ACE) ACE Limited Reports Earnings Losses
Yesterday, ACE Limited (ACE) announced its first quarter loss estimates related to the recent catastrophes across its geographical footprint. ACE Limited said that the losses are estimated to be approximately $125 million Incorporatedluding reinstatement premiums, for the natural...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(F) Ford Motor Company Receives Grants
The U.K. government announced that it will provide £360 million ($550 million) in loan guarantees from its Automotive Assistance Program to Ford Motor Co. (F) to support its research and development for commercial vehicles and low carbon emission diesel and petrol engines. The...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CMCSA) Comcast Firms SMB Footprint
Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest cable MSO of the world, recently completed its proposed acquisition of Cimco Communications Inc, after receiving FCC approval. Cimco is a privately held competitive local exchange carrier in the Chicago area with more than 23,000 customers in...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ALKS) Alkermes Drug Pipeline Advances
Recently, Alkermes Inc. (ALKS) initiated a multidose early-stage study of its candidate of ALKS 37. ALKS 37 is an orally active, peripherally-restricted opioid antagonist, which has the potential to block the effects of opioid agonists on gastrointestinal motility, commonly termed...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(S) Sprint-Nextel to Unveil 4G WiMax Phone
Sprint Nextel (S) is on the verge of revolutionizing the US smartphone marketplace as the operator has revealed its plans to introduce its first 4G handset at the CTIA wireless trade show on March 24, 2010, in Las Vegas. The dual-mode (3G/4G capable) smartphone, called “HTC...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GME) GameStop Corporation’s Earnings Drop and Stock Up
GameStop Corporation (GME), the leading video game and entertainment software retailer, recently reported fourth-quarter 2009 results that came a penny ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but fell year-over-year. The quarterly earnings of $1.29 per share beat the Zacks Consensus...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PGR) Progressive Corporation’s Income Falls
Auto insurer Progressive Corporation’s (PGR) earnings for February fell to 15 cents per share from 19 cents in the year-ago period. The decline reflects a decrease in realized gains on securities in the reported month compared with the prior-year period. The company, which...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(IDA) IDACORP Incorporated – Earnings Surprised by 68.97% in the Fourth Quarter
IDACORP, Inc. (IDA), an Idaho utility, has surprised on the Zacks Consensus Estimate 3 out of the last 4 quarters by an average of 20.6%. Company Description IDACORP, Inc. is a holding company with three companies: Idaho Power, IDACORP Financial Services (“IFS”) and...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NS) NuStar Energy L.P. – Bear of the Day
We are downgrading NuStar (NS) units to Underperform from Neutral, reflecting the challenging business environment for pipeline operators. While the partnership’s liquidity position is sound, we continue to believe that the near- to medium-term outlook for petroleum products...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JCG) J.Crew Group – Revenues up 19%
J.Crew Group, Inc. (JCG) analysts are raising expectations following a great earnings report as the company continues to demonstrate excellent fundamentals. Company Description J.Crew Group is a well-known apparel company. The company sells clothing, shoes and accessories through...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NDSN) Nordson – Earnings Estimates Climbing Higher
Nordson (NDSN) easily topped first-quarter estimates and management guided higher for the second quarter. Company Description Nordson is one of the world’s leading producers of precision dispensing equipment that applies adhesives, sealants, and coatings to a broad range...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ACI) Arch Coal Increases Powder River Basin Exposure
Arch Coal Inc. (ACI) announced that it has bid successfully for a state coal lease in Montana. The company made a one-time bonus bid of $85.8 million, payable in April 2010, for the right to mine about 8,300 acres of state-owned minerals in the Otter Creek Tracts in southeastern...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GB) Greatbatch Receives FDA Approval
Greatbatch Inc. (GB) recently received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510 (k) approval to market its next generation valved peelable introducer, OptiSeal, in the United States. The OptiSeal valved peelable introducer is used in the delivery of leads and catheters...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NBL) Noble Energy Expands Position in Gulf of Mexico
Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) was apparently the highest bidder on 16 deepwater lease blocks in the Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 213. Noble Energy’s share of the lease bonuses on its bids totaled approximately $37.7 million. The company partnered another on one of the high...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LSI) LSI Corporation Raises First Quarter Earnings Guidance
LSI Corporation (LSI) updated its outlook for the first quarter of 2010. The company now expects revenues between $620 million and $640 million, up from the previous guidance of around $590 – $620 million. Headquartered in California, LSI Corporation designs, develops, and...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TQNT) TriQuint Semiconductor Raises its 2010 Outlook
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. (TQNT) recently updated its guidance for the first quarter of 2010. The company now expects revenues of $175 million, up 47% year over year and up from the previous guidance of $170 million – $175 million. Results for the fourth quarter beat management...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PLXS) Plexus Analyst Maintains Neutral Rating
We maintain our Neutral rating on Plexus Corp. (PLXS) but raise our price target to $39.00. Our target price represents a multiple of 19.4X our 2010 EPS estimate, a premium to the peer group and the S&P 500. Plexus exhibited incremental growth opportunities in the first quarter...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DPTR) Delta Petroleum to Sell Piceance Properties
U.S. energy producer Delta Petroleum Corp. (DPTR) has entered into an agreement with Denver-based Opon International LLC to sell a stake in some of its natural gas fields in Colorado for $400 million. Delta has also granted a 60-day exclusive period to Opon to arrange financing...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VIVO) Meridian Bioscience Slashes Outlook For 2010
Life science company, Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (VIVO), recently slashed its outlook for fiscal 2010 (ending Sep 30, 2010) mainly due to a weaker-than-expected H1N1 season and lower C. difficile product revenues. The company now expects net sales in the range of $145 million...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SNDK) SanDisk Analyst Upgrades to Outperform
We are upgrading SanDisk Corp. (SNDK) to Outperform from Neutral based on strong fundamentals and consistent financial performance over the last couple of quarters. SanDisk has taken various steps to cut costs and is witnessing substantial margin improvements through restructuring...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NAV) Navistar International Shows Breakeven Results
Navistar International Corporation (NAV) has reported breakeven results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 ended January 31, 2010, before non-recurring items. This compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 92 cents per share and a year-ago profit of $48 million...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CLF) Cliffs Natural Resources – Earnings Report Doubles Expectations
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (CLF) recently hit a new 52-week high on better than expected Q4 results from mid February and rising estimates that project next-year earnings growth of 32%. Company Description Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc. is a mining and natural resources company...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ROST) Ross Stores Reports Earnings In Line With Expectations
Ross Stores Inc. (ROST) reported results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal 2009. For the fourth quarter, the company reported earnings of $1.16 per share, which were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Quarterly earnings were up 52.6% year-over-year. For fiscal 2009,...
19Mar2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued