Archive for April, 2010
(BHI) BJ Services Launches Ethylene Pipeline in Qatar
Ahead of the expected closure of the merger between Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) and BJ Services Company (BJS), the latter is quite active on the work front. The company has recently commissioned its first ethylene pipeline in Qatar. The contract, which was awarded in April last year...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(APOG) Apogee Enterprises Misses Estimates by a Mile
Apogee Enterprises Inc. (APOG) earned a modest 1 cent in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 11 cents. Reported earnings were negligible against last year’s 40 cents. The Minneapolis-based leader in technology involving the design and...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SVU) SUPERVALU Analysts Initiate Coverage at Neutral
We initiate coverage on SUPERVALU Inc. (SVU) with a Neutral recommendation and a target price of $17.00. Founded in 1871 and based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, SUPERVALU is one of the leading companies in the United States grocery market. The retail operations of the company are...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TLK) P.T. Telekomunikasi Indonesia Reports Mixed Results for 2009
P.T. Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk. (TLK), the largest telecom operator of Indonesia, declared mixed financial results for the full year 2009. Net income in fiscal 2009 was $1,202.4 million or $2.40 per ADS (American Depository Shares) compared to a net income of $974.3 million...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MRO) Marathon Oil Corporation Reports Weak Downstream
Houston-based integrated oil major Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) has provided an interim update for the first quarter of 2010 (covering the first two months of the quarter). The company expects the Upstream segment to benefit from higher commodity prices, somewhat offset by...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WAG) Walgreens Finishes Purchase of New York-based Duane Reade Holdings
Recently, Walgreens (WAG) completed the acquisition of New York-based Duane Reade Holdings. The deal involves all 258 Duane Reade stores in New York, its corporate office and two distribution centers. Earlier, in February 2010, Walgreens announced its decision to acquire the...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VLO) Valero Energy Corporation Sells Delaware City Refinery
Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) has finally found a potential buyer for its Delaware City refinery. The company reached an agreement with PBF Energy Partners L.P. to sell this refinery for $220 million. In November last year, Valero permanently closed this refinery after failing...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ECL) Ecolab Analyst Begins Coverage at Neutral
We are initiating coverage on Ecolab Inc. (ECL) with a Neutral recommendation and a target price of $47. Ecolab, founded in 1923 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a leading provider of cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services....
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HOTT) Hot Topic Reports 7.5% Decrase in March Same Store Sales
Hot Topic Inc. (HOTT), a shopping mall-based specialty retailer operating the Hot Topic and Torrid store concepts across the U.S. as well as the e-space music discovery concept ShockHound, reported a 7.5% decrease in March 2010 same-store sales, compared to a 7.1% increase in...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($MA) MasterCard Forms Partnership with e-Commerce Company Next Jump
On Friday, MasterCard Inc. (MA) announced a three-year partnership with Next Jump Inc. a next-generation e-commerce company, in an attempt to enhance its payment solution services and deliver to the next-generation online shopping practice. According to the deal, MasterCard and...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JCP) J.C. Penney Company Reports That March Sales Rise
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 five-week period ended April 3, 2010. The company’s comparable-store sales for March 2010 rose...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(M) Macy’s Reports That March Sales Soared
Macy’s, Inc. (M), one of the leading department store retailers in the United States , recently posted robust sales results for the five-week period ended April 3, 2010 benefiting from spring merchandise assortments and the shift in Easter holidays. The company’s comparable-store...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(STZ) Constellation Brands Tops Consensus Earnings Estimate
Constellation Brands (STZ), a leading global wine, spirits and other beverage producing company, reported fiscal 2010 fourth quarter earnings excluding non-recurring items of 27 cents per share. The earnings exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3 cents. For fiscal 2010, Constellation...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HOT) Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Bull of the Day
We are upgrading our recommendation on Starwood Hotels (HOT) to Outperform. The company’s fourth quarter operating earnings were well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate, primarily driven by better-than-expected revenue. Though the company continued to experience a decrease...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HAL) Halliburton Acquires Well-Intervention Firm Boots & Coots
Halliburton Co. (HAL) – one of the largest oilfield service providers in the world – has agreed to acquire well-intervention firm Boots & Coots Inc. (WEL) for about $240.4 million in stock and cash. The transaction, which has been approved by the boards of both the companies...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedFinancial Tides Weekly Market Report For The Week Ending April 9th
On Financial Tides I just try to give you the facts not the hype. Another week has passed and the talking heads on the TV were as confusing as ever. Every hour it was a different story — Oil is up that’s why the market is down — Oil is up that’s why the...
12Apr2010 | Shawn | 0 comments | Continued(SCX) L.S. Starrett and Company – Looking for Depth
Apparently, while we were all sleeping, somebody, somewhere, decided that the recession was over. We hate to sleep through such major events but nobody told us what time this was going to happen and so, we failed to set our collective alarm clocks. Evidence that the recession...
12Apr2010 | Wax | 0 comments | Continued(BIG) Big Lots – Had Record Earnings Results Across Several Metrics
Big Lots, Inc. (BIG) has soared to new highs since I last reviewed it in Dec 2009. However, the stock still has value characteristics despite the big stock move. Big Lots is a closeout value retailer which sells a broad range of products including seasonal items, furniture, housewares,...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SNPS) Synopsys Incorporated – Bear of the Day
Synopsys (SNPS) delivered mediocre first quarter results, with below-par operating performance. The 2010 guidance does not reflect any substantial growth. Although Synopsys is gaining traction from new products, acquisitions, and new EDA partnerships, we believe these will take...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GES) Guess Incorporated – Reporters Better-Than-Expected Earnings
Guess, Inc. (GES) reported better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter, and analysts raised their estimates for fiscal 2011 and 2012. Company Description Guess Inc. designs, markets, distributes and licenses contemporary apparel, denim, handbags, watches, footwear and...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AAPL) Apple Incorporated – Analysts Remain Bullish on the iPad and Apple
Apple, Inc. (AAPL) just hit a new 52-week high on the back of its highly anticipated iPad release and ahead of its first-quarter results, scheduled for April 20. Early iPad Sales Results In spite of the new 52-week high, early iPad sales have been a bit below analyst expectations....
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HITK) Hi-Tech Pharmacal – Reports Another Earnings Surprise
Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co. (HITK) continues to trade at great valuations and have plenty of earnings momentum. Company Description Hi-Tech Pharmacal makes generic and branded pharmaceuticals, both over-the-counter and prescription. The company focuses on liquid and semi-solid forms...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued($JPM) Year 2010 U.S Bank Failures Hit 42
U.S. regulators on Friday shuttered Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-based Beach First National Bank, pushing up U.S. bank failures to 42 so far in 2010. This compares to a total number of bank failures of 140 in 2009, 25 in 2008 and only 3 in 2007. Although the economy is showing...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(OPTR) Optimer Pharmaceuticals Reports Positive Phase III Data
Recently, Optimer Pharmaceuticals (OPTR) presented positive data from a final stage trial of one of its lead candidates, fidaxomicin. The second phase III study was conducted in patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The data were presented at the 20th Annual European...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CHL) China Mobile Tests 4G Time Division Duplex Long Term Evolution
China Mobile (CHL), the world’s largest wireless carrier by subscriber, has reportedly entered into an agreement with Taiwanese wireless carrier Far EasTone Telecommunications, to jointly build and test a 4G network based on the TD-LTE (Time Division Duplex Long Term Evolution)...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VZ) Verizon Wireless Leading the 4G LTE Deployment Race
Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology is ahead in the race as the most sought after next-generation (4G) wireless network standard in the market. 4G wireless networks are aiming to cope with substantial demand for high-speed wireless data services and mobile video. Theoretically,...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VOD) Vodafone Analyst Upgrades to Outperform
We have upgraded our recommendation for Vodafone (VOD) to Outperform based on the company’s healthy operating results in the last quarter and management’s upbeat guidance. Our assessment also reflects improving business trends in the carrier’s key European markets and opportunities...
12Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JNPR) Juniper Networks to Acquire Ankeena Networks
Leading networking infrastructure products and service provider Juniper Networks Inc. (JNPR) recently announced that it will be acquiring privately held media infrastructure company Ankeena Networks. The amount involved in this transaction is only $100 million, which is not substantial...
10Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MCHP) Microchip Technology Acquires Silicon Storage
Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) announced that it completed its acquisition of Silicon Storage Technology Inc. (SSTI) following approval of the transaction by Silicon’s shareholders. Silicon Storage is a global leader in embedded flash technology and in the licensing of these...
9Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CALD) Callidus Completes Acquisition of ForceLogix Technologies
Callidus Software Inc. (CALD) has completed the acquisition of 2,003,800 common shares of ForceLogix Technologies Inc. at a price of CDN$0.075 per share. ForceLogix is a Canada-based public company that delivers on-demand sales management process optimization solutions for sales...
9Apr2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued