Archive for November, 2011
(ISIS) Isis Pharmaceuticals Analyst Downgrades Shares to Neutral
We recently downgraded Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS) to Neutral from an Outperform recommendation. Isis Pharma is a drug discovery and development company that focuses on the development of products using ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based technologies, such as antisense. The company...
30Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(PGR) Progressive Corporation Analyst Still Neutral on Shares
Progressive Corp. (PGR) holds a dominant position in product, service and distribution innovation, especially in Personal Auto. The company continues to focus on customer retention, actively manage its capital position and return wealth to its shareholders. However, these positives...
30Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AES) AES Clinches DPL Acquisition
The AES Corporation (AES) has completed the acquisition of DPL Inc. after receiving all necessary regulatory approvals. Recently, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (“PUCO”) cleared the acquisition deal. DPL will now become a wholly owned subsidiary of AES Corporation. The...
30Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WSH) Willis Group Holdings Plc – Bear of the Day
We are downgrading our recommendation on Willis Group Holdings, Plc (WSH) to Underperform from Neutral due to the headwind from The Loan Protector business that is expected to weigh on North American results. The soft insurance market is likely to continue. Additionally, the...
30Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CAB) Cabela’s Incorporated – Bull of the Day
Cabela’s, Inc. (CAB) third-quarter 2011 earnings of $0.50 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.44, and surged 61.3% from the prior-year quarter. The quarter witnessed healthy revenue growth and profitability at its retail segment, sturdy performance at Cabela’s...
30Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BAC) Is Bank of America Playing a “Shell Game” With Its Derivatives?
by Chris Matthai, Investment U Research Wednesday, November 30, 2011 According to Bloomberg, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is currently shifting derivative contracts between its retail deposit bank, Bank of America NA, and its wholly owned brokerage arm, Merrill Lynch. At first...
30Nov2011 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | ContinuedProposed European Bailout Plan Comes Up Short
by Jason Jenkins, Investment U Research Wednesday, November 30, 2011 The plan to increase the capacity of the Eurozone’s European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) is in dire straits. Several Eurozone officials have stated that the now €440 billion rescue fund may only...
30Nov2011 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(ADP) Double-Digit Returns in a Flat Market
by Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment U Senior Analyst Wednesday, November 30, 2011: Issue #1654 Did someone flick the switch? After several years of up and down economic data, suddenly it feels like the positive data is starting to stick. According to payroll processor ADP (Nasdaq:...
30Nov2011 | InvestmentU | 0 comments | Continued(ARW) Arrow Electronics Offers Alcatel-Lucent Solutions
Arrow Electronics (ARW) recently announced that its business segment Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions (ECS) now offers the full line of enterprise voice, data and security solutions from Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) in North America. Arrow provides enterprise computing solutions...
30Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BHI) U.S. Oil Drilling Rig Count Edges Lower
In its weekly release, Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) reported a marginal dip in the U.S. rig count (number of rigs searching for oil and gas in the country). This can be primarily attributed to a decrease in the tally of land rigs, partially...
29Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(GM) Steel Industry Stock Outlook – November 2011 – Industry Outlook
Overview The World Steel industry is rather concentrated in structure, with a few producers accounting for the lion’s share of sales. Steel products are classified into four broad categories: flat steel products, long steel products, scrap and semi-finished products. Flat products...
29Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JBLU) JetBlue Wins Flight Auction (revised)
JetBlue (JBLU) has made its way through the flight auction at New York’s LaGuardia and Washington’s Reagan airports, edging out one of the largest discounted airlines –– Southwest (LUV). Through this auction, JetBlue received eight pairs of roundtrip slots at each of...
29Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DTV) DIRECTV Analyst Remains Neutral on Shares
DIRECTV (DTV), the largest satellite TV operator in the U.S., reported excellent third quarter 2011 financial results, where both earnings per share (EPS) and total revenue beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates. The solid result was mainly attributable to double-digit growth in...
29Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HP) U.S. Natural Gas Storage Hits Record High
The U.S. Energy Department’s weekly inventory release showed a lower-than-expected rise in natural gas supplies. However, the total working gas in storage is still well above the 5-year historical range, as mild weather continues to restrict the commodity’s demand for...
29Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(HIBB) Hibbett Sporting Goods – Bull of the Day
Hibbett Sporting Goods’ (HIBB) earnings of $0.59 per share for the third quarter ended October 2011 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 and surged 34% from the prior-year quarter on the heels of robust performance of footwear and apparel sales along with operational...
29Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(IM) Ingram Micro Incorporated – Bear of the Day
Ingram Micro (IM) is one of the world’s largest distributors of IT products. The company failed to impress with its third quarter 2011 results. Moreover, the soft retail sector in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, as well as the ERP transition issue in Australia resulted in...
29Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(KONA) Kona Grill to Begin Share Buyback Program
After swinging back to profit in the third quarter of 2011, Kona Grill Inc (KONA) is set to boost investors’ wealth by initiating a share buyback program. The board of directors of Kona, the owner and operator of upscale casual dining restaurants in the United States, has approved...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SKT) Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Partners With RioCan to Buy Assets
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc (SKT) and RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust entered into an agreement to jointly acquire Cookstown Outlet Mall for C$62 million or $59.2 million. Cookstown Outlet Mall is located approximately 50 km north of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(AXL) American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Analyst Maintains Neutral
We are maintaining our Neutral recommendation on American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AXL). American Axle is a leading supplier of driveline systems, modules and components for the light vehicle market. The company manufactures axles, driveshafts and chassis components...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(KGC) Kinross Gold Updates Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization Guidance
Gold miner Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC) updated its guidance for depreciation, depletion and amortization in 2011 to approximately $600 million versus its previous forecast of $651million. Kinross remains on track to produce about 2.6 – 2.7 million attributable gold equivalent...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(DD) E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company and Base Resources In Titanium Sale Deal
E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company (DD) has signed a purchase agreement with Australia’s Base Resources to buy products from Base’s titanium mining project in Kenya. Under the deal DuPont is expected to purchase a minimum average of about 72% of annual rutile output from...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(NOC) Northrop Grumman Analyst Maintains Neutral Rating
We maintain our Neutral recommendation on Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC), which is the third largest defense contractor behind The Boeing Company (BA) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) in the U.S. in terms of trailing twelve-month sales. Northrop’s fortunes are heavily...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(JCP) U.S. Holiday Preview – National Retail Federation
The National Retail Federation (“NRF”), an industry trade group, projects a 2.8% growth in sales, amounting to $465.6 billion, during the current November to December holiday season, lower than the 5.2% rise in the corresponding period of the previous year. Online retail...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(ISR) IsoRay’s GliaSite Gets Final Nod
IsoRay Inc (ISR), which makes the Cesium-131 internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy) isotope, has crossed the last regulatory hurdle for its GliaSite radiation therapy system, a balloon catheter used in treating brain cancer. The product has been cleared by the Washington...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(CRDC) Cardica Reaches Second Milestone for Their Microcutter
Surgical devices maker Cardica (CRDC) has achieved the second milestone for its Microcutter product line under its distribution pact with Century Medical, a leading supplier of medical equipment in Japan. The Microcutter line of novel endoscopic stapling devices is geared for...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(SLXP) Salix Pharmaceuticals – Bull of the Day
Salix Pharmaceuticals (SLXP) third quarter results exceeded expectations with higher revenues boosting performance. With the company raising its revenue guidance, we have raised our estimates as well. Salix is well-positioned for growth in the gastrointestinal market. We believe...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(BBX) BankAtlantic Bancorp Files Lawsuit Blocking Sale to BB&T Corporation
A group of corporate debt investors of BankAtlantic, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc. (BBX), filed a lawsuit against the firm to stop it from selling its loans, deposits and branches to BB&T Corporation (BBT). These investors believe that this sale infringes...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WSH) Willis Group Holdings Analyst Downgrades Shares
We are downgrading our recommendation on Willis Group Holdings plc (WSH) to Underperform from Neutral due to the headwind from The Loan Protector business that is expected to weigh on its North American results. The Loan Protector business acquired through the Hilb Rogal and...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | ContinuedThanksgiving Holiday – Turmoil in Europe Continued
While the U.S. was focused on feasting, football and shopping, the turmoil in Europe continued. The situation there continues to deteriorate. No longer are the problems confined to the small, relatively insignificant economies around the Mediterranean. This week, they even spread...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued(WFC) Wells Fargo May Purchase Irish Assets of Bank of Ireland PLC
On Friday, Bloomberg reported that Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) might purchase the London-based Burdale Finance Ltd. unit from Dublin-based Bank of Ireland PLC (IRE). In 2004, Bank of Ireland acquired Burdale from Wachovia Corp. for €71 million. Bank of Ireland was contemplating...
28Nov2011 | vitalstocks | 0 comments | Continued