Troubled movie renter Blockbuster has been looking for a buyer, and we learn today that DISH Network (DISH) has won the auction for the company, with a deal valued at $228 million in cash.

Blockbuster was once the biggest name in video rentals, but it has been unable to keep up with changes in the market created by companies such as Netflix (NFLX) and Redbox.

Continue reading DISH Networks Wins Blockbuster Auction

DISH Networks Wins Blockbuster Auction originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Diamond Foods (DMND) acquired the Pringle brand product from Proctor & Gamble (PG) for $2.35 billion, as reported in Dealbook.

When we think of Diamond Foods we think of nuts, edible nuts. Diamond's two main brands are Diamond and Emerald. It produces all kinds of nut products for cooking and eating. Among them are almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts and peanuts. The product line also includes microwave popcorn and potato chips.

Continue reading What Will Pringles Do for Diamond Foods?

What Will Pringles Do for Diamond Foods? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Expedia Resumes American Airlines Relationship

Expedia Resumes American Airlines Relationship originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Much has been written about rare earth metals. They are used in electronics, batteries and specialized magnets. China controls more than 90% of rare earth production and has put a ban on exports of the minerals.

The largest miner of rare earths outside China is Molycorp (MCP), a U.S.-based company. The company mines lanthanide and molydenum. Lanthanides include cerium, lanthanum and yttrium. These exotic elements are used in cell phones, computers, X-ray film and TV glass.

Continue reading Rare Earth Miner Molycorp Acquires 90% of AS Silmet

Rare Earth Miner Molycorp Acquires 90% of AS Silmet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Texas Instruments Acquires National Semiconductor

Texas Instruments Acquires National Semiconductor originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Interpublic Discloses Its Stake in Facebook

Interpublic Discloses Its Stake in Facebook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Salesforce.com (CRM) provides applications that manage customer information for sales, marketing and customer support. It has a customer base of approximately 85,000 clients. Its service provides sales leads, maintaining customer information and tracking customer interactions.

Intuit (INTU) caters to small businesses with its QuickBooks and TurboTax software. As well, it provides payroll and financial software for small businesses. The company has about 50 million users of its products.

Continue reading Salesforce.com and Intuit Join Forces to Capture Small Business Clients

Salesforce.com and Intuit Join Forces to Capture Small Business Clients originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA - option chain) shares are rising after the company announced it has signed an agreement with Proctor & Gamble (PG) to create a partnership that will combine both companies' over-the-counter medicine divisions. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on TEVA.

TEVA opened Thursday morning at $50.13. In morning trading, the stock hit a low of $49.86 and a high of $50.59. As of 12:20, TEVA was trading at $50.58 up $1.46 (3.0%). The chart for TEVA looks bullish and S&P gives TEVA a positive 4 stars (out of 5) buy ranking.

Continue reading Teva Pharmaceuticals Enters Partnership with Procter & Gamble

Teva Pharmaceuticals Enters Partnership with Procter & Gamble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With a name like Drugstore.com (DSCM), there is little doubt what the company does. Unfortunately, the stock price has been miserable since the dot-com bust. All in all, it has remained in the low single digits. Then again, the company has had to deal with tough rivals, like Amazon.com (AMZN).

But Thursday, investors got a nice surprise. Walgreen (WAG) has agreed to buy Drugstore.com for $429 million. In early trading, DSCM was up a whopping 112% to $3.79.

Continue reading Walgreens Strikes a $429 Million Deal for Drugstore.com

Walgreens Strikes a $429 Million Deal for Drugstore.com originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Charles Schwab (SCHW) has announced its decision to acquire optionsXpress (OXPS) in a friendly all-stock deal. This deal will help Schwab compete with other firms like E-Trade (ETFC), Ameritrade (AMTD), and Bank of America (BAC), which all have large online brokerage services and are vying to provide investors with the best tools and services.

The deal, which is expected to close by the third quarter of 2011, will cost Schwab $1 billion, and the company will issue 60 million new shares to swap each outstanding share of optionsXpress with 1.02 of its own shares. Our $19.74 price estimate for Charles Schwab is at a premium of almost 12% to its current market value.

Continue reading Chuck Adds optionsXpress to Schwab's Portfolio

Chuck Adds optionsXpress to Schwab's Portfolio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BJ's Wholesale club (BJ - option chain) shares rose Tuesday on news that private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners has signed a confidentiality agreement with BJ's to discuss a possible buyout. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on BJ.

The stock opened Tuesday morning at $48.20. In morning trading, the stock hit a low of $47.14 and a high of $48.73. As of 12:15, BJ was trading at $48.55 up 2.03 (4.4%). The chart for BJ looks bullish and S&P gives BJ a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Continue reading BJ's Wholesale Exploring Buyout Possibilites

BJ's Wholesale Exploring Buyout Possibilites originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Founded in 1999, Shutterfly (SFLY) is a dot-com survivor. In fact, the value of this photo site is now about $1.2 billion.

So why not pull off a big deal? Well, this week, Shutterfly agreed to pay $333 million for Tiny Prints. The transaction is a blend of stock and cash.

Founded in 2004, Tiny Prints operates two main websites: Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas. They essentially provide personalized stationary, photo books and invitations. Moreover, the company has been effective in integrating with Facebook.

Continue reading Shutterfly's $333 Million Deal for Tiny Prints

Shutterfly's $333 Million Deal for Tiny Prints originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

An invasion of U.S. oil fields by Asian buyers is happening. Recently, companies from Korea, China and India have bought land in the oil-rich states of Texas, Colorado and Wyoming, according to Reuters.

In one of the biggest land deals, Korea National Oil (KNOC) bought one-third of Anadarko Petroleum's (APC) land holdings in South Texas for $1.55 billion. The purchase of 80,000 acres is located in the Eagle Ford Shale section, which is believed to have rich deposits of oil, natural gas and liquids, according to Reuters. KNOC also will receive 16,000 acres in the Pearsall Shale in South Texas.

Continue reading Korea, China and India Invade U.S. Oil Fields

Korea, China and India Invade U.S. Oil Fields originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While he could have retired many years ago, Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.B) Warren Buffett continues to act like he's in his prime. Hey, perhaps at 80 years old, he is in his prime.

This week, Buffett is visiting South Korea. Of course, he likes the growth prospects of the country and has the cash to pull off some deals there.

Interestingly enough, Buffett was planning on visiting Japan but he had to cancel the trip. Yet he did mention that the country is a great place to invest.

Continue reading Buffett Goes M&A Crazy

Buffett Goes M&A Crazy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The nice thing about stock options is leverage. This is often magnified when there is a buyout, when there is usually a hefty premium.

Ironically enough, OptionsXpress (OXPS) would have been a nice options play today as the stock price is up about 15%. You see, Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW) has agreed to shell out $1 billion for the company.

Continue reading Schwab Strikes a $1 Billion Deal for OptionsXpress

Schwab Strikes a $1 Billion Deal for OptionsXpress originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ma Bell Returns: AT&T to Buy T-Mobile for $39 Billion

Ma Bell Returns: AT&T to Buy T-Mobile for $39 Billion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stock Futures Higher on AT&T-T Mobile Deal

Stock Futures Higher on AT&T-T Mobile Deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Mills (GIS) is buying a 50% stake in Yoplait from PAI Partners for roughly $1.1 billion, Reuters reported Thursday, citing sources close to the deal.

The deal is a nice fit for both companies. Yoplait is second to Danone (DANOY) in the yogurt market. General Mills has the industry presence to promote the Yoplait brand, something that would benefit PAI.

For General Mills, Yoplait would add an another revenue stream to an already diversified conglomerate. Some of General Mills' products include cereals, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Green Giant vegetables and Progresso soup. The company has already been distributing Yoplait for 30 years, so the distribution network is already in place.

Continue reading General Mills Likes Yoplait So Much It's Buying 50% of the Company

General Mills Likes Yoplait So Much It's Buying 50% of the Company originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Insured Profits or a Mountain of Risk?

Chasing Value: Insured Profits or a Mountain of Risk? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The market for single cup roasters is estimated at $4 billion, according to Reuters. Single cup coffee roasters are growing in popularity, especially in business offices and waiting rooms. Naturally, coffee roasters like Green Mountain Coffee (GMCR) and Starbucks (SBUX) want a piece of the action.

The single cup roasters provide several advantages to having coffee in larger coffee pots. For one thing, coffee which sits for hours in a pot loses some of its fresh flavor or becomes bitter. Enter the single cup roaster. You simply pop a small container of coffee in the machine, and viola, you get a single cup of coffee with little or no mess, and always fresh.

Continue reading Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee End Battle for Single Cup Roasters

Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee End Battle for Single Cup Roasters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.