Yet, when I look at the latest earnings report, I don't feel as upbeat as the market. According to the press release (the link goes to a .pdf file), revenues were flat for the third quarter and adjusted income dropped to 25 cents per share from the year-ago figure of 39 cents per share.

Continue reading CBS challenged in Q3, waiting for better advertising climate

CBS challenged in Q3, waiting for better advertising climate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) published third-quarter results on Thursday after the bell. I can't say I was wholly taken with them. I know the best is probably yet to come once the Christmas shopping season really gets under way, but I was a little disappointed that the company saw a decline in adjusted profit.

Excluding items, Activision Blizzard made 4 cents per share this quarter versus the 7 cents per share made in last year's similar period. Well, did I say I was a little disappointed? Make that a lot disappointed. After all, this is supposed to be the publisher with the best pipeline on the block, the one with the Guitar Hero franchise and a great portfolio of licensed intellectual properties.

Continue reading Activision Blizzard's Q3: Am I right to be bearish?

Activision Blizzard's Q3: Am I right to be bearish? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE)'s stock jumped Thursday after the market took a look at the company's Q3 data. Overall revenues didn't see much of an increase, but earnings per share rose over 70% to 12 cents. Driving this incredible growth rate was a cut in gross costs. Analysts were betting on 10 cents in per-share profit, according to Earnings.com.

Did WWE deserve a pop of 7% during yesterday's trading session? Some of the excitement was certainly justified. It's obviously a positive thing to see management acting so diligently when it comes to costs. Of course, there was an increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses during the quarter, so there is still room for improvement (the nine-month table did show a decrease in this line, to be fair).

Continue reading World Wrestling Entertainment Q3 results exceed expectations

World Wrestling Entertainment Q3 results exceed expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS), the big media conglomerate that competes with Disney (NYSE: DIS), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), and General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal, issued Q1 data on Wednesday after regular trading was over. Revenues declined 4%, but earnings per share went up 10% to 22 cents. According to Bloomberg, that was enough to beat analysts by four pennies.

That's pretty decent for the company, but there are a couple of spots in need of serious help. It goes without saying that the newspaper industry is having a rough time, so it's not so hard to understand why the news groups experienced a significant decline in operating income.

Continue reading News Corp. beats forecasts, but television business is weak

News Corp. beats forecasts, but television business is weak originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Adjusted earnings per share grew over 20% to 28 cents per share. According to our earnings preview, the market was looking for 25 cents per share. Operating cash flow increased a little under 3%, but free cash flow went up almost 20%, aided by a smaller amount of capital expenditures compared to the previous year's similar quarter. I'm sure shareholders are more than satisfied with the growth rate of the green stuff over the past three months. Comcast saw excellent expansion of free cash over the last nine months, too.

Continue reading Comcast grows free cash in Q3, but when will it do a deal?

Comcast grows free cash in Q3, but when will it do a deal? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I've said on many occasions that I prefer MasterCard (NYSE: MA) to Visa (NYSE: V). No, I don't mean the card products themselves. I mean the stocks. I believe Visa has better brand equity associated with it, and I think it possesses a little more depth and fundamental prowess. However, both of these companies operate on the same basic economic model: collect fees on transactions, and don't take on loan risk. So, both MasterCard and Visa do offer compelling long-term investment theses.

And, even though there were some negative outlooks on MasterCard's latest earnings report, which was released Tuesday, I have to say that I didn't find the situation too disturbing. Revenues increased only 2%. The top line was inhibited by currency effects, but it's not like we haven't heard that story before. More importantly, MasterCard posted adjusted income of $3.48 per share, representative of a 40% increase over the adjusted income recorded a year ago.

Continue reading Was MasterCard's Q3 good or bad?

Was MasterCard's Q3 good or bad? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, the company's A shares are down slightly as I write this by about 0.6%, and the B shares are just about flat. Like I say, if the broader indexes were in an uptrend this afternoon, we probably would have seen a pop in the stock.

Continue reading Viacom does well in Q3, but there is still work to be done

Viacom does well in Q3, but there is still work to be done originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC) issued Q3 results late Monday. Total revenues decreased over 20%. Earnings from continuing operations dropped 29% to 38 cents per share. According to Earnings.com, this means that the company came in a penny ahead of estimates.

Going into yesterday's earnings report, shares of Vulcan Materials were pretty active. They increased over 2% to close at $47.12. Volume was above the norm. The market was obviously quite bullish on the stock.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials sales and profit drop in Q3, but will fundamentals improve?

Vulcan Materials sales and profit drop in Q3, but will fundamentals improve? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Clorox (NYSE: CLX), a consumer-products business that counts Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) as related stocks, may have seen a sales drop of 1% in its fiscal first quarter, but that didn't stop it from posting a nice bottom-line growth rate. Clorox made $1.11 per share in Q1, and that represents a 23% increase. What a way to start a new corporate year!

According to Reuters, expectations were for 95 cents per share. That's a wonderful beat. Plus, sales volume went up 1%. Helping to drive things along was a healthy gross margin, as well as the dreaded H1N1 virus. Clorox has done well over the years associating its brand with sanitizing effectiveness, so when a pandemic rears its ugly head, the trademark is prepared to leverage such reputation to drive value.

Continue reading Clorox starts its new year off right

Clorox starts its new year off right originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It was a triumphant weekend for Michael Jackson. And how fitting it was that the man who gave us the Thriller masterpiece saw victory during a weekend devoted to all things Halloween.

According to early estimates at Box Office Mojo, Michael Jackson's This Is It, distributed by Sony (NYSE: SNE), grossed about $21 million at domestic theaters, good for the top slot. The total tally for the film is over $32 million once the Wednesday opening is taken into account.

Continue reading Michael Jackson wins Halloween box office race, 'Saw VI' continues to suffer

Michael Jackson wins Halloween box office race, 'Saw VI' continues to suffer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stocks suffered a scary drop on Friday. It was fitting, in a sense, since it was the day before Halloween. In fact, as this Closing Bell piece noted, there were more tricks than treats to be had on Wall Street.

There are always equities bucking the trend, however. The Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE: EL) was one of them. Bullish buyers loved the beauty company's fiscal Q1 earnings release. As has been the case with many reports, the top line wasn't the fun part of the document: Estee Lauder saw a decrease of 2.7% for adjusted revenues. Here's the item of interest: net income after charges was 85 cents per share, more than three times what was made in the comparable frame.

Continue reading Estee Lauder's earnings explode to the upside in Q1

Estee Lauder's earnings explode to the upside in Q1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) published data for the third quarter earlier today. Can't say I was mightily impressed by the numbers. Sure, there was a profit increase, but the top line wasn't exciting, and the newspaper division, as you might have expected, experienced a sharp decline in sales.

Net revenues rose 2%. Earnings per share came in at $1.81. That was sharply higher than the $1.08 per share recorded in the comparable period. Yet, I think you have to be careful in terms of reading too much positive spin into the growth rate.

Continue reading The Washington Post Company increases income, but shares sell off

The Washington Post Company increases income, but shares sell off originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Eastman Kodak (NYSE: EK), which counts Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Canon (NYSE: CAJ) as related companies, continues its slide into fundamental hell. According to the third-quarter earnings release, sales declined a scary 26%, and a GAAP loss of 41 cents per share was reported. Last year at this time, Kodak produced positive income of 35 cents per share. According to Reuters, the adjusted loss of 23 cents per share was worse than analyst projections. Wall Street was hoping for something closer to a loss of 19 cents per share.

Don't you get the feeling management just doesn't know what to do? Kodak has become a conundrum of epic proportions. Just how is someone supposed to improve a situation that has gone so downhill?

Continue reading Eastman Kodak's Q3 continues to expose negatives

Eastman Kodak's Q3 continues to expose negatives originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kellogg Company (NYSE: K) didn't need a hearty breakfast to get its stock going today (although I'm sure it had one anyway). All it needed was a reasonably healthy earnings report. Judging by how the stock is performing, I think the company got one.

For the third quarter, Kellogg saw flat sales growth. However, take out currency effects and acquisitions, and you've got a 3% expansion rate on the top line. Well, that isn't so robust, either, but let's head to the bottom line. Earnings per share came in at 94 cents, representative of a 6% increase. Not so bad, and according to Mark Fightmaster's preview, that was a dime better than what analysts wanted to see.

Continue reading Kellogg's Q3 top line not great, but bottom line beats projections

Kellogg's Q3 top line not great, but bottom line beats projections originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Avon Products (NYSE: AVP) had a difficult third quarter. Currency translations helped to drive a 4% decrease in net revenue. Excluding that effect, sales were up 7%. Net income decreased a big 31% to 36 cents per share.

However, according to Reuters, adjusted earnings of 42 cents per share beat analyst projections by two pennies. Such news didn't seem to matter to the market. At the time of this writing, Avon was down 1.9% on significant volume.

Continue reading Avon sold on Q3 news, but think long term

Avon sold on Q3 news, but think long term originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) sold off on Wednesday by nearly 20%. Volume was vastly above average. The third-quarter earnings release was the culprit. Although, at first glance, you might wonder what the heck is wrong.

Sales were down 15% in Q3 on a year-over-year basis, but they did improve 11% on a sequential basis. The company increased GAAP earnings per share by more than 100% to 30 cents. According to Bloomberg, income was 45 cents per share after items were excluded, five pennies ahead of expectations.

Continue reading Is Goodyear a good bet after the Q3 report?

Is Goodyear a good bet after the Q3 report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

E*Trade (NASDAQ: ETFC) is a well-known brand in the broker space. It competes vigorously with the other giants, TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ: AMTD) and Charles Schwab (NASDAQ: SCHW). To be honest, if I were looking for investment ideas in this sector, I would probably begin my search with the latter two. It's difficult to put E*Trade on the list. The company got in trouble during the financial crisis because it was exposed to the mortgage industry. It has now become, in my opinion, a speculative play on a return to glory.

The latest earnings report shows what I'm talking about. For the third quarter, E*Trade lost, on a GAAP basis, 66 cents per share from continuing operations, wider than the year-ago loss of 60 cents per share from continuing operations. After adjusting for an item related to debt extinguishment, the current red ink is equal to 5 cents per share.

Continue reading E*Trade loses less than expected in third quarter -- is this a victory?

E*Trade loses less than expected in third quarter -- is this a victory? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Visa (NYSE: V) is one of my favorite businesses on Wall Street. It should be an excellent long-term investment. People will always use branded credit cards, and Visa doesn't take a lot of risk. It simply collects a little of the spoils on each transaction. What a model!

According to TheStreet.com, Visa increased top-line sales by 10% in the fourth quarter, and expanded per-share profit by 28% to 74 cents, excluding certain items. Forecasts were for 72 cents per share.

Continue reading Visa charges through Q4 estimates, but future cash flow is the story

Visa charges through Q4 estimates, but future cash flow is the story originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) issued Q3 data on Monday. According to the press release, the telecommunications entity made, on an adjusted basis, 60 cents per share. Disappointing, since that's six pennies less than last year's comparable number. However, it was a penny ahead of analyst expectations, according to Reuters.

Of course, when discussing Verizon, what tends to receive focus is cash flow. As we all know, the company is a famous dividend play. Many investors consider this angle to be not only valuable, but an added safety element as well.

Continue reading Verizon tops Q3 profit estimate, but it's all about the dividend

Verizon tops Q3 profit estimate, but it's all about the dividend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU), China's leading search engine, sold off during Monday's after-hours session after the earnings report for the third quarter was issued. When you're a theoretical growth company like Baidu, missing estimates on the guidance side is never a good thing to do.

Nevertheless, Baidu delivered in Q3 itself. Sales skyrocketed 39%. Net income per share exploded over 40% to the upside, coming in at $2.07 per share on a GAAP basis. Adjusting for items, the company earned $2.16 per share. Earnings.com gives an expectation of $1.81 for per-share profit.

Continue reading Baidu reports third quarter data: Buy stock on pull-back?

Baidu reports third quarter data: Buy stock on pull-back? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.