Archive for August, 2011
(WMT) U.S. Growth Forecast Concerns Take Center Stage
Stocks will likely be unable to sustain the three-day rally of sorts as the reality of economic growth uncertainty comes back to center stage. We have a number of reports out this morning that highlight the lack of economic growth, not just here in the U.S., but also in Europe. We...
16Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(VAL) Valspar Reports Earnings In Line With Forecast
The Valspar Corporation’s (VAL) net earnings moved up 10 cents to 80 cents in the third quarter of 2011 from last year’s 70 cents and were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Adjusted net earnings excluded 10 cents per share restructuring charge. Including these charges...
16Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HMY) Harmony Gold Mining Reports Fourth Quarter Loss
Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. (HMY) recorded net loss of 1 cent per share in the fourth quarter ended June 2011 versus last quarter’s profit of 8 cents per share. In fiscal year 2011, the company reported net earnings of 21 cents versus a net loss of 6 cents in fiscal year 2010. Revenue However,...
16Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CYBX) Cyberonics Stops Generator Shipment
Recently, the leading neuromodulation company Cyberonics (CYBX) stopped shipment of two models of its Aspire platform generators. The company is currently retrieving the already sold but unused models namely No. 105 and 106. The company has also suspended enrollment in its...
16Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CLI) Mack-Cali Realty to Build Wyndham Facility
Mack-Cali Realty Corp.(CLI) recently announced the development of a 203,000-square-foot class A office building for Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (WYN) in Parsippany, New Jersey. This transaction will allow the hospitality company to consolidate its New Jersey-based workforce...
16Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BIOS) BioScrip Analyst Maintains Neutral Rating on Shares
We maintain our Neutral recommendation on BioScrip Inc. (BIOS) with a target price of $6.25. BioScrip reported a loss of 4 cents per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with the year-ago quarter EPS of 6 cents. However, after deducting the impact of restructuring...
16Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AIG) American International Group – Bear of the Day
We are downgrading our recommendation on American International Group (AIG) to Underperform on weak global cues, sluggish insurance dynamics and consistent cash outflow. The lock-in period for stock offering further holds back the attainment of capital flexibility in the near...
16Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DKS) Dick’s Sporting Goods Earnings Preview
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS) is scheduled to release its second-quarter 2011 results on Tuesday, August 16, 2011. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is 50 cents a share for the second quarter of fiscal 2011. This represents a year-over-year estimated growth of 16.3%. First...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CI) CIGNA Analyst Reiterates Shares at Outperform
We are reiterating our Outperform recommendation on the shares of CIGNA Corp. (CI) following the company’s second quarter results. Earnings of $1.53 per share outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.29 as well as earnings of $1.38 per share reported in the comparable...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(LOW) Lowe’s Companies Earnings Preview
Lowe’s Companies Inc. (LOW), the world’s second largest home improvement retailer, is scheduled to report its second-quarter 2011 financial results on Monday, August 15, 2011. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is 67 cents a share. For the quarter under...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BP) BP Analyst Maintains Neutral on Shares
We are maintaining our long-term Neutral rating on one of the world’s largest energy companies, BP Plc (BP). Although the company missed our expectation in the second quarter of 2011, its string of upstream activities keeps us upbeat on its ability to regain its old form. Last...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JPM) JPMorgan Chase to Expand in San Antonio
At the time when many banks are laying off employees and closing or divesting their branches, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) is planning to expand in San Antonio by opening three branches and hiring about 475 full-time employees by the end of this year. With these growth plans,...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AZO) U.S. Consumer – Reports of the Consumer’s Death Are Greatly Exaggerated
Retail and Food Service Sales were up 0.5% in July, in line with expectations. June was revised up from an increase of 0.1% to an increase of 0.3%. Total retail sales are up 8.5% from a year ago. In other words, reports of the consumer’s death have been greatly exaggerated. The...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ERTS) Electronic Arts Announces Star-Studded Cover for FIFA12
Video game developer and publisher, Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS), better known as EA, announced that EA Sports’ latest soccer game FIFA Soccer 12 will hit retail stores on September 27, 2011. EA also announced that the U.S. soccer star Landon Donovan will be gracing the front...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(C) Citigroup Hires in Asia Division
Citigroup Inc. (C) is boosting its Asian Prime Finance division by increasing the headcount 20% to 80, according to a Reuters report. The hiring comes as part of the company’s effort to take advantage of the boom in the hedge fund industry in the region. Citi is expanding its...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BR) Broadridge Financial Solutions Outperforms Again
Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc.’s (BR) fourth-quarter fiscal 2011 adjusted earnings per share of 94 cents beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 91 cents and improved from 84 cents earned in the prior-year quarter. Higher recurring revenue prompted the outperformance, partially...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AIG) American International Group Dropped to Underperform
We downgraded our recommendation on American International Group Inc. (AIG) to Underperform from Neutral based on the critical sustainability factor given the weak global cues, sluggish insurance dynamics and consistent cash outflow. Despite raising funds in the past few quarters...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(MA) Be Calmer Than Mr. Market – AAII Investor Update
The market can be finicky over the short term. This has particularly been the case over the past few days, with stock prices fluctuating widely. Some stocks have been excessively volatile. Take Mastercard (MA), for instance. Shares of MA fell 10.6% on Monday, rebounded 10.6%...
15Aug2011 | Shawn | 0 comments | Continued(M) Macy’s Analyst Maintains Neutral on Shares
Macy’s Inc.’s (M) constant focus on price optimization, inventory management, merchandise planning and private label offering positions it to drive traffic, meet customer-oriented demand and improve in-store shopping experience. We remain optimistic about the company’s...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DAL) Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico in Long-term Deal
The second largest U.S. airline Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) formed a long-term alliance with the largest Mexican airline, Grupo Aeromexico. Under the terms of the deal, Delta will invest $65 million in Aeromexico. In exchange, Delta will receive some shares of Aeromexico and will...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NEM) Newmont Mining Starts Exploration Project
Newmont Nusa Tenggara, a unit of U.S. miner Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM) in Indonesia will start exploration work on a new gold and copper block in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara. The company expects drilling to commence in September 2011. The exploration area is within the 87,000...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(UIS) Unisys Corporation – Bear of the Day
Unisys Corp. (UIS) recently reported second-quarter results that were impacted by the continued weakness in the U.S. Federal business and lower ClearPath sales. Although Unisys has recently been restructuring its business to improve profitability, we do not see any catalyst driving...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(OPTR) Optimer Pharmaceuticals – Bull of the Day
Optimer Pharmaceuticals’ (OPTR) second quarter 2011 loss per share of $0.52 was wider than the year-ago loss, but we are encouraged by the FDA approval and subsequent launch of Dificid, an antibiotic which treats a condition known as CDAD. Dificid scores better than currently...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HP) Helmerich & Payne Earnings Scorecard
Contract drilling services provider Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP) reported robust third quarter fiscal 2011 results on July 29 with both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimates. Second Quarter Recap The quarter’s earnings of $1.00 per...
15Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JWN) Is The U.S. Consumer Is Alive?
Following a record four back-to-back 400+-point moves in the Dow, will we close the week on an equivalent sized move on Friday as well? There is certainly no shortage of data, both here from the U.S. as well as from across the pond in Europe, that can provide the catalysts for...
14Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HAR) Harman International Industries Misses Fourth Quarter Estimates
A developer of audio products and electronic systems, Harman International Industries Inc. (HAR) reported fourth quarter 2011 earnings of 34 cents per share, which substantively missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 52 cents by 18 cents. Earnings per share (EPS) increased 13.3%...
14Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ERTS) Gaming Industry Outlook is Murkier
Amid the economic turmoil that has shrouded the U.S. for the last couple of weeks, the gaming industry seems to be the latest victim as figures released by The NPD Group, a market research firm, reported that the gaming industry has shrunk 26.0% in July from the comparable-previous...
14Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BK) Bank of New York Mellon Plans 3% Layoff
In order to improve profitability amid revenue headwinds due to a weak economy and stricter capital requirements by regulators, Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BK) announced a job cut plan on Wednesday. BNY Mellon is not the first to announce this measure; it has followed in the...
14Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AAP) Company News for August 12, 2011 – Corporate Summary
• Pan American Silver Corp (NASDAQ:PAAS) posted Q2 EPS of $0.71, lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.74 per share. Revenues rose 57.4% year-over-year to $231.9 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $282.0 million • FXCM (NASDAQ:FXCM) reported...
13Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DFG) Delphi Financial Group Announces Share Buyback
Earlier during the week, Delphi Financial Group Inc. (DFG) announced a new $50 million share repurchase authorization, which will replace the existing authorization to buy back 1.0 million shares. Delphi also announced regular quarterly dividend of 12 cents per share, which will...
13Aug2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued