Archive for August, 2010
(WAG) Walgreen Analyst Downgrades Shares
We have downgraded Walgreen (WAG) to Underperform with a target price of $26.00. Walgreen had reported an EPS of $0.47 during the third quarter of fiscal 2010, way below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.57 and the year-ago quarter’s $0.53. Net sales increased 6.1% year over...
23Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GPS) Gap Quarterly Earnings Barely Beat Expectations – Company Affirms Outlook
Gap Inc. (GPS) reported fiscal 2010 second-quarter earnings of 36 cents per share, growing 9.1% from last year’s 33 cents and edging past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 35 cents. The better-than-expected result was mainly driven by higher sales at Old Navy and Banana Republic,...
23Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BIIB) Biogen Strikes $345 Million Licensing Deal to Develop Treatment For Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Biogen Idec (BIIB) recently entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Knopp Neurosciences for the development and commercialization of KNS-760704 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease and other potential indications. Deal...
23Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BHP) BHP Billiton Ltd Suspected of Preparing Fresh Offer For Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
Following the rejection of the buy-out offer made by the Australian mining giant, BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) for Canada’s Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (POT), the world’s biggest fertilizer manufacturer for $38.56 in total or $130 per share, we believe that BHP will...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HON) Honeywell International GPS III U.S. Air Force Design Passes Review
The critical design review of Honeywell International‘s (HON) on board Computer, reaction wheel assembly and inertial measurement unit, has passed off successfully. These components are part of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) III program of the U.S. Air Force. The total...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CRA) CRA International Incorporated – Bear of the Day
CRA International’s (CRA) second-quarter earnings were modestly ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate primarily owing to the uptick in utilization rate backed by successful restructuring actions. Although litigation and management consulting related areas were reasonably...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ENR) Energizer Holdings – Bull of the Day
Energizer Holdings’ (ENR) third quarter 2010 earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by $0.39 per share or 41%, riding on higher sales, launch of new Schick Hydro, meaningful cost-saving initiatives, favorable foreign currency impact, higher battery sales and lower-than-expected...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BA) Boeing Plans to Open New Manufacturing Facility
The Boeing Company (BA) has announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility at the MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah. The company said that this facility, Boeing’s first manufacturing venture in Illinois, will use the existing building at the MidAmerica airport...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(INTU) Intuit Quarterly Loss Less Severe Than Estimated
Intuit Inc. (INTU) reported fourth quarter fiscal 2010 adjusted loss per share of 11 cents, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 17 cents. The adjusted loss per share excludes amortization of intangible assets and acquired technology, professional fees for business...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(TROW) Congressional Budget Office Reports on Deficits, Budget
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the budget deficit will total $1.342 trillion in fiscal 2010 (which is a pretty firm projection since the year ends on September 30th). That is $71 billion less than fiscal 2009, and $27 billion lower than what it projected last...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WMT) US. Claims for Unemployment Insurance Shock With Half a Million Initial Claims
Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance rose by 12,000 in the last week to 500,000. This is bad news. The four-week average (see graph below from http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/) rose by 8,000 to 482,500. That is more bad news. After declining sharply in the second half...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SYK) Stryker Considers Buying Boston Scientific Unit
Orthopedic devices giant Stryker Corp (SYK) is reportedly negotiating with Boston Scientific (BSX) to buy the latter’s pain management devices unit, also known as the neuromodulation unit. Based on preliminary information, Stryker may pay $1.4–$1.5 billion to acquire the...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MCO) Moody’s Offers $500 Million in Unsecured Notes
Moody’s Corp. (MCO) announced that it has priced an underwritten public offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.50% senior unsecured notes due 2020. The offering is expected to close on August 19, 2010, subject to customary closing conditions. Moody’s...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(RRGB) Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Grows in Florida
Seattle-based Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (RRGB) recently announced that it will open its first restaurant inside the Westfield Citrus Park shopping center at Tampa Bay area in Florida, in late August. The company is also planning a restaurant for The Shops at Wiregrass...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GOL) The Airline Sector is Flying High as Latin American Airlines Merge
by Tony D’Altorio, Investment U Research Thursday, August 19, 2010 Down in areas of Latin America, the normally turbulent airline sector is flying high. Thanks to a booming local booming economy, Brazil’s two largest airlines – GOL Linhas Aereas ADR (NYSE: GOL) and...
22Aug2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(POT) Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Discards BHP Billiton Ltd Offer
Shares of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (POT), the world’s largest fertilizer company by capacity, shot up 28% and closed at $143.17 on August 17, 2010 after rebuffed mining giant BHP Billiton Ltd’s (BHP) hostile acquisition proposal. It was a $38.6 billion (all...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(EEM) Why Emerging Market ETFs Should Be in Your Portfolio
by Carl Delfeld, Contributing Editor Friday, August 20, 2010: Issue #1328 No matter where I went – Tokyo, Hong Kong or London – the story was the same. When I stopped by global equity fund managers to pitch them on American small cap stocks, they’d pull out elegant, leather-covered...
22Aug2010 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(BJ) BJ’s Wholesale Club’s Quarterly Earnings Miss Estimates
BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ), a leading warehouse club operator in the United States, recently posted lower-than-expected second-quarter 2010 results. The quarterly earnings of 67 cents a share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 73 cents, and also fell short of its outlook...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GOL) GOL Linhas Aereas Analyst Upgrades Stock to Neutral
We are upgrading our recommendation on GOL Linhas Aereas (GOL), the first Brazilian low-fare airline, from Underperform to Neutral stemming from our optimism about the continuous increase in passenger traffic and the fleet renewal program. GOL has been continuously recording...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SHPGY) Shire Drug ProAmatine’s Approval to be Withdrawn by US Food and Drug Administration
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it plans to withdraw the approval of Shire plc’s (SHPGY) ProAmatine. The drug is used to treat low blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension). The drug was approved under the FDA’s accelerated approval program,...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CRDC) Cardica Misses Earnings Expectations but Trims Losses
Surgical devices maker Cardica Inc (CRDC) announced fourth quarter fiscal 2010 (ended June 30, 2010) net loss per share of 13 cents, a penny higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, net loss clipped roughly 11% year over year to $3.1 million on account of lower operating...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HGSI) Human Genome Sciences Earns Priority Review for Benlysta
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGSI) received a huge boost when its potential blockbuster drug candidate Benlysta was granted priority review status by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Benlysta, co-developed by Human Genome and GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), has been developed...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ATHN) Athenahealth Offers Stand-alone Electronic health Record
Leading medical billing and records software provider Athenahealth Inc (ATHN) has announced that from now on it will offer its web-based “athenaClinicals” electronic health record (EHR) service on a stand-alone basis to hospitals and community physicians. Previously,...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GILD) Gilead Sciences Neutral Rating Due To Generic Risk For Hepsera
Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) recently announced that Sigmapharm Laboratories, LLC is seeking to manufacture and market a generic version of Gilead’s hepatitis B (HBV) treatment, Hepsera. Sigmapharm Labs submitted an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the US Food...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DATA) DATATRAK Selected For Pan-European Systolic Hypertension Study
The Contract On August 2, 2010 DATATRAK International, Inc. (DATA) announced that DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE GmbH selected DATATRAK’s eClinical platform for a cardiovascular clinical study encompassing 80 sites and 1,200 patients across Europe. Reaping the benefits of a unified...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ADP) Automatic Data Processing Announces Acquisition of Cobalt Group
Provider of outsourced HR solutions and payroll processing services Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) announced the closing of its previously announced acquisition of privately held Cobalt Group for approximately $400 million in cash. Automatic Data had announced the acquisition...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HD) Panasonic Expands VIERA HD Series TV Line
A leading manufacturer of High Definition (HD) televisions, Panasonic Corp. (PC) recently launched a new VIERA GT25 series of full HD three dimensional (3D) Plasma televisions, expanding its premier VIERA brand. The GT25 series has 600Hz sub-field drive; 1080 pixel full HD resolution;...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LLL) L-3 Communications Holdings Wins Contracts
Aerospace and defense operator L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL) won 2 contracts of a combined value of $25 million from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. As per the contract with the U.S. Navy, L-3 Communications will repair items in support of the H-1 helicopter for the Naval...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BHP) U.S. Producer Price Index – Deflation Diverted or Delayed?
In July, the Producer Price Index (PPI) increased by 0.2% from June and was up 4.2% from a year ago. That increase was in line with consensus expectations. The increase comes on the heels of three straight declines and declines in four of the last five months. In June, the headline...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CELG) Celgene Analyst Maintains Neutral Rating With $58 Target Price
We are maintaining our Neutral recommendation on Celgene Corporation (CELG) with a target price of $58. Celgene, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Summit, NJ, focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs in the areas of cancer and immune/inflammatory...
22Aug2010 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued