Credit Services

(DFS) Discover Financial Services’ Profit Rockets Up

Discover Financial Services’ (DFS) second quarter earnings per share of $1.09 came in dramatically ahead of both the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 72 cents and 33 cents recorded in the year-ago quarter. Net...

23Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(AXP) American Express Issues $600 Million in Notes

Last week, American Express Co.’s (AXP) (AmEx) American Express Credit Corp sold senior unsecured floating-rate notes worth $600 million, according to Thomson Reuters.

The senior floating-rate notes...

22Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(COF) The Cheap “Ones” – Finding Value Stocks

Firms for which the market’s expectations of the future are low tend to be very cheap statistically. There is a very large body of research that suggests that over time you do much better buying cheap firms than expensive ones, even if the expensive ones seem to have the...

22Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DFS) Discover Financial Services Earnings Preview

Electronic payment processor in the US, Discover Financial Services (DFS) is scheduled to release its second quarter results before the market opens on June 23, 2011. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second...

22Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DFS) Discover Financial Services Sanctions $1 Billion Buyback

Yesterday, the board of Discover Financial Services (DFS) approved and authorized a two-year share repurchase program worth $1 billion with an expected expiry on June 14, 2013.

Although the approval...

21Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Moody’s Unveils New Mobile Website Version

Credit rating and research provider, Moody’s Corp. (MCO) recently launched a mobile version of Moodys.com, which can be accessed from any smartphone browser.

The mobile version will...

19Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(COF) Capital One Acquires ING Direct USA

Capital One Financial Corp.(COF) announced an agreement to acquire ING Direct USA, the online banking unit of Amsterdam-based ING Groep NV (ING),...

19Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(AXP) American Express Diversifies with Prepaid Card

Diversifying its scope of operation beyond affluent customers, American Express Co. (AXP) (AmEx) is expected to introduce a new convenient prepaid debit card on Tuesday, which will operate out of the Dodd-Frank...

15Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Fitch Threatens US Credit Rating Downgrade

Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday that it will keep a watch on U.S. debt for a possible downgrade if the debt ceiling isn’t raised by August 2. The news was published in the Associated Press yesterday.

Though the government hit the debt ceiling on May 16, it still...

12Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Rating Woes for U.K. Banks

Rating downgrade woes have plagued the U.K. banks. Rating agency Moody’s Investors Service, a wing of Moody’s Corp. (MCO), placed 14 U.K. banks and building societies on review for potential credit...

10Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Who Gains from Jumbo Mortgage?

According to a report published in TheStreet on Tuesday, Moody’s Investors Service, a wing of Moody’s Corp. (MCO), has said that many U.S. banks, which produce jumbo mortgage loans and have the...

3Jun2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(AXP) Stock Market News for May 2, 2011 – Market News

Investors were in an upbeat mood after the benchmarks had their best monthly performance in years and the markets had their best run in five weeks, ended with gains on Friday. Through the week, the indices were pushed higher by the Federal Reserve’s vow to keep interest...

2May2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Moody’s Reports Excellent 2011 First Quarter Earnings

Moody’s Corp. (MCO) reported strong first quarter 2011 earnings, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 53 cents by 14 cents (26.4%). The positive surprise was primarily driven by strong top-line growth...

2May2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(AXP) American Express Expands Online Pay

On Wednesday, American Express Co. (AXP) (AmEx) expanded its digital payment services by partnering with a leading mobile payment processing service – Payfone, in a strategic alliance whereby the latter...

19Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(COF) Capital One Gets Fitch Investment Grade Rating Retained

On Monday, Fitch Ratings announced that it has maintained its investment grade ratings on Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) and its core operating subsidiaries. The rating agency stated the company’s significant...

13Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DFS) Discover Financial Services – Bull of the Day

Discover Financial Services (DFS) first quarter earnings were substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The growth in the loan loss reserve release as well as gains from the payments business drove...

13Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DLLR) Dollar Financial Corporation Prices Share Offering

Dollar Financial Corporation (DLLR) has priced its previously announced public offering of 6 million shares at $20.75 per share, to use the proceeds to help fund its acquisition of Purpose U.K. Holdings Limited...

12Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(COF) Capital One Financial Planning to Bid for ING Direct?

On Sunday, Bloomberg reported that Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) is one of the few firms that are interested in buying ING Direct USA. ING Direct USA is the online banking unit of Amsterdam-based ING...

9Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DLLR) Dollar Financial Commences Stock Offering

In order to help fund its acquisition of Purpose U.K. Holdings Limited in the U.K., Dollar Financial Corporation (DLLR) plans to underwrite a public offering of 5 million shares of its common stock, subject...

7Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Moody’s Investor’s Service May Downgrade Toyota Motor Shares

Moody’s Investors Service, the credit rating agency operated by Moody’s Corp. (MCO), warned that it may downgrade its credit rating for Toyota Motor Corp. (

7Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Moody’s Ups MoneyGram Debt Rating

The rating agency, Moody’s Investors Services, a unit of Moody’s Corporation (MCO), provided debt ratings to MoneyGram International Inc. (

5Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DFS) Discover Financial Services – Bull of the Day

Discover Financial Services (DFS) first quarter earnings were substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The growth in the loan loss reserve release as well as gains from the payments business drove...

5Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DFS) Discover Financial Services Earnings Scorecard

Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported its first quarter earnings for fiscal year 2011 on March 22, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate substantially by 33 cents per share, led by strong net interest...

3Apr2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(AXP) Stock Market News for March 21, 2011 – Market News

The markets, on Friday, edged modestly higher taking a cue from banks getting a go-ahead for raising dividend rates and a weakening Japanese yen. Also, the Libyan government’s decision for a cease-fire helped calm investors down for the moment. However, investor expectations...

21Mar2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(DFS) Discover Financial Services – Bull of the Day

We are upgrading our recommendation on Discover Financial Services (DFS) from Neutral to Outperform based on the acquisition of Student Loan Corp. that would enhance its already strong student loan portfolio....

15Mar2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(AXP) Stock Market News for March 9, 2011 – Market News

Indices moved out of negative territory on Tuesday, as Bank of America provided assurances of higher profits and an increase in dividends for shareholders. Additionally, crude prices hit a roadblock and eased off by 0.4% as OPEC members consider ramping up production for the...

10Mar2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Are Housing Prices Nearing Bottom – Is 2011 The Right Time to Buy a House?

Is 2011 a good year to buy a house if the pocket permits? Declining home prices and a low interest rate environment suggest that the time is just perfect. Also, many of economists expect housing prices to bottom in 2011.

So, if buyers have a secure job and the confidence...

3Mar2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(ADS) Company News for February 03, 2011 – Corporate Summary

• Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) reported Q4 EPS of $0.98, missing the Zacks Consensus of $0.97 per share by a penny. Revenues for the quarter rose 8% year-over-year to $1.64 billion, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of...

3Feb2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(AXP) Stock Market News for January 20, 2011 – Market News

On Wednesday, markets sunk lower to close in the red after disappointing results from Goldman Sachs’ (NYSE:GS) and Cree Inc (NASDAQ:CREE). Results from these companies pressured...

21Jan2011 | | 0 comments | Continued

(MCO) Moody’s Raises 2010 Outlook

A leader in the credit rating industry, Moody’s Corp (MCO) raised its full year 2010 revenue and earnings per share (EPS) guidance based on increased U.S. debt issuance and demand for junk bonds. The shares...

7Jan2011 | | 0 comments | Continued