Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Ark Restaurants Corp. (ARKR) shares declined after Q4 earnings fell short of consensus expectations.
• Azz Inc. (AZZ) Q3 net income fell more than expected but the company reaffirmed its earnings outlook.
• Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) reported strong Q3 results, sending shares to a new 52-week high.
• Best Buy Inc. (BBY) declined to lift its earnings forecast despite strong December sales, send shares lower.
• Constellation Brands Inc. (STZ) lower Q3 earnings topped expectations and revenue declined as well.

Family Dollar Stores (FDO) is a hot stock this afternoon. As of this writing, shares were up over 11% on monster volume. Investors loved the first-quarter numbers. I found them intriguing, too.

Sales increased almost 4%, with same-store sales registering a 2.4% expansion. Net income jumped over 16% to 49 cents per diluted share. According to our earnings preview, Family Dollar was supposed to do 47 cents. Gross margin improved; one of the driving factors for this improvement was a reduction in seasonal markdowns, something I find particularly encouraging, since avoiding markdowns should always be near the top of the list when it comes to advisable actions in retail operations. In addition, management reiterated its guidance for the full fiscal year. Taking everything in total, I think we can say that the retailer delivered a strong quarter, especially in the face of the tough holiday period.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (FDO), the nation's number two dollar store chain, is scheduled to discuss its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 in a conference call Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 10:00 AM (ET). You can catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

During the three months that ended in November, Family Dollar made management changes, didn't get its day before the Supreme Court, and announced share buybacks. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for the discount retailer to report earnings for the quarter of $0.47 per share, up from $0.42 per share in the same period of last year. Revenue for the period is expected to be 4.7% higher to $1.8 billion.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect for-profit education provider Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) to start of the new year right when it reports fiscal first quarter 2010 results this week. During the three months that ended in November, Apollo's subsidiary, Apollo Global, saw management changes and its University of Phoenix was recertified to participate in Title IV programs.

Apollo Group is expected to report that earnings rose 22.8% from a year ago to $1.45 per share. Revenue for the quarter is expected to total $1.2 billion, which is 25.9% higher than a year ago. So far, the forecast is for similar year-over-year growth of EPS and revenue in the second quarter. This Phoenix-based company has topped earnings estimates in the past five quarters, by as much as 13 cents per share.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) reported a surprise Q3 profit due to cost cutting; revenue topped estimates as well.
• Avis Budget Group Inc. (NYSE: CAR) said a proposed offering of $250 million in notes could reduce earnings.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) earnings prospects garnered it an upgrade from one analyst.
• Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) earnings prospects resulted in an upgrade from one analyst.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) lower Q4 earnings topped analysts' expectations, lifting shares.
• Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) higher Q4 earnings beat analysts' estimates but sales were just OK.

Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO), like Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR), is benefiting from the soft economy. Consumers love paying low prices, so they flock to these retail business models like moths to a flame. And judging by Family Dollar's Q4 report, people are still having a great time saving money.

Net income increased over 13% to 43 cents per share, which was two pennies higher than Wall Street's forecasts, according to our earnings preview. Unfortunately, sales weren't so great. Total sales went up 2.6%, and same-store sales saw a mere 1% gain. I would have expected higher growth in the comps metric.

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) kicks off another earnings season this week, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for another net loss for the third quarter. Can we take that as a sign of things to come, or as a bellwether for the economy? Well, barring a big downside surprise, this will be the third narrower quarterly loss for Alcoa. But while Alcoa beat estimates in July, it missed them in April. Alcoa's shares, on the other hand, are up 145.6% since the March low, which is well more than twice as much either the Dow or the S&P 500.

During its third quarter, New York-based Alcoa continued restructuring efforts, remained a part of the DJIA Sustainability Index, and declared a quarterly dividend. It is expected to report a net loss of $0.12 per share for the three months that ended in September. That compares to a profit of $0.37 in the same period of last year. Third-quarter revenue is forecast to have fallen 38.3% to $4.5 billion. Analysts so far expect to see a profit in the fourth quarter, but not for the full year. Alcoa has missed earnings expectations in three of the past four quarters. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 20.0%, again much better than the S&P 500. The First Call consensus recommendation is to hold AA; CNBC concurs that now is not the time to buy. At $12.82, shares are 30.0% higher than three months ago, but 33.4% lower than a year ago.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) operates a chain of discount retail stores. As one of the great "dollar stores," it often leads the retail group.

The chart is loaded with bullish technical signals, including a gold cross, a new buy signal from the stochastic, and a build up of buying volume.

If you're looking for the most accurate way to predict the direction a stock or the market is headed, technical analysis is it.

Of course, no chart pattern is accurate all of the time (which is why technical analysis is more of an art than a science), but it's the closest you're going to get to a sure thing in the stock market.

So I'm offering up six technical trades today. Each of these stocks' charts are giving off extremely bullish signals and look ready to run higher.

Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) reported a truly excellent quarter. The stats contained in the release are monumentally impressive. Dollar Tree increased sales almost 12% in Q2, a performance that essentially matched expectations. Per-share income soared 50% to 63 cents, beating estimates of 54 cents per share.

This is one of those situations where all the numbers point toward future growth. Margins increased, as did cash from operations (I enjoyed the fact that capital expenditures didn't go up too much). Same-store sales moved higher by 6.8%, and management's outlook for the rest of the fiscal year received a boost. And judging by the guidance, I'd say that Dollar Tree shares aren't overly expensive at the moment. Let's add a technical factor to go along with my opinion of the valuation: Dollar Tree closed Wednesday to the upside by well over 4% on the earnings news, not far at all from a 52-week high. The price action was accompanied by healthy volume.

Over the past few years, it's been hard to find successes in private equity. But, in the case of KKR, there is no doubt that it made a good deal in the leveraged buyout of Dollar General in July 2007 (the company had been public since 1968). The price tag was $7.2 billion.

Now, the company has filed to go public. And, in light of KKR's recent success with the Avago (NASDAQ: AVGO) public offering -- as well as the resurgence in the equities markets -- there's a good chance that Dollar General will also get a nice reception.

A late day rally based on imbalance orders and on the Treasury's PPIP winners made a wishy-washy day even that more confusing. The market started out with a slight upside bid, but it never could find its footing. This is probably due to continued earnings jitters ahead of earnings season.

Continued oil inventory data and continued worries about regulating the commodities markets were based around how much speculators can really control.

Here were the unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 8,184.68 +21.08 (0.26%)
S&P 500 880.29 -0.74 (-0.08%)
Nasdaq 1,749.09 +2.92 (0.17%)

Top Upgrades and Downgrades

The third quarter was a record quarter for discount retailer Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO). The company reported this morning that net income for the third quarter increased 34.8%, coming in at 62 cents per diluted share.

A year ago, FDO earned 46 cents per diluted share. Net income increased 35.5% to $87.7 million, up from $64.7 million a year ago. Not only were the results better than those from a year ago, but the retailer also topped the consensus estimate of 59 cents per share. Looking ahead, FDO expects to earn between 39 and 43 cents per share in the fourth quarter, compared to expectations of 39 cents per share.

Is it a surprise that this retailer had such a strong quarter? Yes and no. Yes, in term of what the experts on Wall Street believed we would see. No, because FDO is a discount retailer and we are in the midst of one heck of an economic downturn.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO), the operator of the nation's number two dollar-store chain, is scheduled to discuss its fiscal third quarter 2009 results tomorrow morning in a conference call at 10:00 AM ET. You can catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

For the quarter in which Family Dollar saw a new global sourcing executive and declared a quarterly dividend, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the North Carolina company to report that earnings rose 22.0% to $0.59 per share, a bit higher than Family Dollar's guidance. Revenue for the quarter is expected to be 8.3% higher to $1.8 billion. Earnings have met or topped estimates in the five past quarters.

Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO) is scheduled to report Q3 EPS on July 8. FDO closed at $27.95. FDO July 27.5 straddle is priced at $2.30, August 27.5 straddle is priced at $3.50. FDO July option implied volatility is at 54, August is at 43; verses its 26-week average of 48; according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement after EPS.

Pepsi Bottling (NYSE: PBG) closed at $33.80. PBG is scheduled to report Q2 EPS on July 8. PBG rejected PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) offer of the equivalent of $29.50 per share for two-thirds of PBG stock it doesn't already own in PBG on May 4. PBG July option implied volatility is at 32; August is at 34; below its 26-week average of 42, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com