Archive for May, 2010
(MCO) Ford Upgraded by Moody’s Investors Service
Moody’s Investors Service, operated by Moody’s Corporation (MCO), has raised the corporate family rating and probability of default rating of Ford Motor Co. (F) from B2 to B1. The rating agency believed the automaker’s business restructuring model, along with a recovery...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CA) CA Technologies Enhances Cloud Computing Services
New York-based CA Technologies (CA) (formerly CA Inc.) continues to enhance its cloud computing portfolio by unveiling a robust Cloud-Connected Management Suite, enabling customers to leverage the business value of cloud computing as part of their broader enterprise IT environments. Moreover,...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BIIB) Biogen and Roche Announce Cancellation of Candidate Ocrelizumab
Biotech company, Biogen Idec (BIIB) and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche (RHHBY) recently announced that they have decided to discontinue the development of pipeline candidate ocrelizumab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The decision was based on a detailed analysis...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TGT) Target’s First Quarter Stronger than Expected
This morning, Target Corporation (TGT) posted stronger-than-expected first-quarter 2010 results on the heels of a better sales environment, effective inventory management and cost containment efforts. The quarterly earnings of 90 cents a share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JEC) Jacobs Engineering Group’s Second Quarter Earnings Scorecard
Although the share price of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC) fell 7.4% since its second quarter earnings release on April 26, analysts have raised their estimates based on increased guidance provided by management, from the range of $2.00-$2.60 to the range of $2.15-$2.65. Second...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NTRS) Northern Trust Corporation Boosts Insurance Business
Northern Trust Corporation (NTRS) is experiencing a strong growth in delivering solutions to insurance companies. The addition of new clients and an increase in services to its existing clients have helped the company post strong growth. Northern Trust has added more than $95...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CB) Chubb Corporation’s First Quarter Earnings Scorecard
Chubb Corp. (CB) reported its first-quarter 2010 results on April 22nd after the close of the market. Operating earnings for the reported quarter were substantially ahead the Zacks Consensus Estimate, benefiting from higher underwriting income, partially offset by high catastrophe...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PGN) Progress Energy’s First Quarter 2010 Earnings Scorecard
Electric utility Progress Energy Inc. (PGN) announced robust first quarter 2010 results on May 5, 2010. Earnings were driven by favorable weather conditions and business from its repowered Bartow Plant, partially offset by increased expenses and taxes. Based on steady progress...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PFE) Pfizer Adds to Pipeline With Ergonex Pharma’s Terguride
Pfizer (PFE) recently entered into an agreement to acquire Ergonex Pharma’s terguride, which is being studied in a mid-stage trial to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We also note that terguride has orphan drug status in both the US and European Union. The drug...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NVTL) Novatel Wireless Analyst Upgrades to Neutral
We upgrade our recommendation for Novatel Wireless Inc. (NVTL) to Neutral based on valuation. The stock has fallen more than 55% in the last year and is trading at near 52-week lows. We think downside is limited from current levels. Novatel’s first quarter financial results...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SLM) SLM Corporation Sells Killeen, Texas Service Center
Student lender SLM Corporation (SLM), which is commonly known as Sallie Mae, has agreed to sell Customer Service Center in Killeen, Texas to Aegis Ltd, which is a part of Essar Group, the Indian conglomerate. As a part of this deal, 350 customer service representatives and staff...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MOH) Molina Healthcare Analyst Upgrades to Outperform
Recently, we upgraded Molina Healthcare Inc. (MOH) to Outperform from Neutral primarily driven by the strong performance of the company in the first quarter of 2010. Our price target is $35. Molina Healthcare’s first quarter 2010 earnings of 41 cents per share handsomely beat...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HUM) Humana First Quarter 2010 Earnings Scorecard
Humana Inc. (HUM) reported first-quarter 2010 earnings on April 26, 2010 that surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5 cents per share. The company has raised the earnings per share and revenue guidance for fiscal 2010. Consequently, we have witnessed a significant number...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ECL) Ecolab – Strong First-Quarter Results
Ecolab (ECL) recently beat analyst estimates, and management upped its guidance for the year. Growth and Income The company is expected grow it EPS 12.9% in 2010, 13.3% in 2011, and 13.2% per year for the next 3 to 5 years. The stock also offers investors a dividend yield of...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VCI) Valassis Communications – Raised Earnings Guidance
Valassis Communications (VCI) continues to soar after its latest earnings report. Earnings came in well ahead of expectations and the company raised guidance. Company Description Valassis is a media and marketing company operating in 4 segments: Shared Mail, Neighborhood Targeted,...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(KLIC) Kulicke & Soffa Industries – Consensus Earnings Estimates Jump
Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc. (KLIC) is seeing strong order demand heading into the summer and fall which should boost fiscal third quarter results. Kulicke & Soffa manufactures semiconductor assembly equipment. Its products include ball banding, die bonding, wedge...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JLL) Jones Lang LaSalle – Bull of the Day
We are changing our long-term recommendation for Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to Outperform as we anticipate the stock to perform well above the broader market. Jones Lang operates as a single-source provider of real estate solutions with a broad range of real estate products and...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PRGO) Perrigo Company – Earnings Estimates Jump
Perrigo Company (PRGO) recently hit a new multi-year high at $64.66 after reporting a solid Q3 earnings surprise of 21% in late April. Estimates are on the upswing and shares are trading in line with their industry peers. Company Description Perrigo Company, through its subsidiaries,...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ALTR) Altera First Quarter 2010 Earnings Scorecard
Altera Corporation (ALTR) reported better-than-expected results for the first quarter on April 20, 2010. Earnings per share came in at 50 cents, easily beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 40 cents. Following the release of the first quarter results, most Wall Street analysts...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ABMD) Abiomed’s Quarterly Loss Slightly Larger Than Expected
Abiomed Inc. (ABMD) reported a net loss of 13 cents per share for the fourth quarter fiscal 2010, marginally higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 12 cents per share but lower than the year-ago loss of 16 cents. For fiscal 2010, the loss was 46 cents per share,...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(XEL) Xcel Energy Announces Increased Dividend
Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) announced a 3.1% increment in its quarterly common dividend on May 19, 2010, which is a part of its commitment to raise the shareholder value. Xcel will now pay a quarterly dividend of 25.25 cents per share, up from 24.50 cents paid on April 20, 2010. The...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HES) Hess and Toreador Plan Exploration in Paris Basin
Hess Corporation (HES) has signed a deal with Toreador Resources Corporation (TRGL) under which it may become a co-holder of Toreador’s exploration permits in the Paris Basin, France. The Paris Basin represents approximately 1 million gross acres (of which 680,000 acres have...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WPI) Watson Pharmaceuticals Demonstrates Growth in Generic Drugs
Financial Tides likes Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (WPI) a pharmaceutical company primarily engaged in the development, production, marketing and distribution of both branded and off-patent pharmaceutical products. The company’s branded pharmaceutical business operates...
20May2010 | Shawn | 0 comments | ContinuedAAII Sentiment Survey: Bullish Sentiment Rises Above 40%
Bullish sentiment rebounded 4.7 percentage points to 41.3% in the latest AAII Sentiment Survey. The percentage of individual investors who expect stocks to rise over the next six months has been above 40% during five out of the last eight weeks. The historical average is 39%. Neutral...
20May2010 | Shawn | 0 comments | Continued(MSFT) Taking the Mystery Out of Options
With enthusiasm, intrigue and the lure of bigger profits to come if I could master the subject material, I set off on my mission. But there was a problem. Two problems, actually… There was no Internet, so research was harder to find and sometimes outdated. There were no...
20May2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(MRO) Marathon Oil Corporation Annouces Trimming of Downstream Business
Houston-based integrated oil major Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) has entered into an agreement with three private equity firms — ACON Investments LLC, TPG Capital LP and NTR Partners LLC — to sell most of its downstream assets in Minnesota for over $800 million. Marathon...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BAX) Baxter International – Bear of the Day
Baxter International (BAX) currently derives 58% of total revenues from international operations. Therefore, a strengthening U.S. dollar can hurt the company’s international revenues and subsequently its bottom-line. Also, Baxter reported an 80 basis-point contraction in...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TTGT) TechTarget is Financial Tides Momentum Play
Financial Tides reviews TechTarget (TTGT) a leading online Information Technology media company, provides IT companies with ROI-focused marketing programs to generate leads, shorten sales cycles, and grow revenues. The company is also a leading provider of independent, peer and...
20May2010 | Shawn | 0 comments | Continued(CEG) Constellation Energy Completes Purchase of Two Natural Gas Facilities
Constellation Energy (CEG) announced that it has completed the purchase of two natural gas combined-cycle generation facilities in Texas from Houston-based Navasota Holdings. Constellation paid $365 million to purchase Quail Run Energy Center, a 550-megawatt facility near Odessa,...
20May2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AAPL) Why Value Investing and Trading Don’t Mix
Last week, I spoke at a special conference on value investing at the beautiful Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX. Virtually every stock market investor talks about “recognizing value.” I’ve found that interest in value investing ebbs and flows depending on the market. No...
20May2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued