• AFLAC Inc. (NYSE: AFL) reported better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter.
• Ambac Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: ABK) posted a wider-than-expected loss; shares hit new low.
• Amdocs Ltd. (NYSE: DOX) beat Q2 estimates on strength in the managed services businesses.
• Amphenol Corp. (NYSE: APH) beat expectations in the first quarter and raised its guidance.
• Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN) posted a larger-than-estimated Q1 loss.
• Aptar Group Inc. (NYSE: ATR) posted record Q1 results and raised its Q2 guidance.
• Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) Q1 earnings plunged on further housing-related write-downs.
• Brinker International Inc. (NYSE: EAT) narrowly beat earnings expectations on cost cutting.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) beat analysts' estimates for the first quarter.
• Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) reported a wider-than-forecast loss on subprime-related write-downs.
• Cree Inc. (NYSE: CREE) earnings slipped while revenues soared 29%.
• Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) reported worse-than-expected Q1 earnings on discontinued product charge.
• Gannet Inc. (NYSE: GCI) beat low expectations as earnings and revenue continue slump.
• Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS) posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings on international strength.
• JAKKS Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) missed Q1 expectations on restructuring and litigation costs.
• Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) beat EPS estimates by a penny, as revenue jumped 10%.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Bank of America, Merck, Mattel, Phillip Morris, AFLAC and others

Earnings highlights: Bank of America, Merck, Mattel, Phillip Morris, AFLAC and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR) supplies a broad range of dispensing systems to the fragrance/cosmetic, personal care, pharmaceutical, household and food/beverage markets. Offerings include spray pumps, dispensing closures, nasal pumps, aerosol valves and lotion pumps. The firm operates on five continents and sells most of its products through an in-house sales network.

Investors were pleased last week, when the company reported Q1 EPS of 52 cents and revenues of $532.3 million. Analysts had been looking for 49 cents and $500.9 million. Both results were company records. Management also guided Q2 EPS to 60-63 cents, versus consensus of 59 cents. The company repurchased about 450,000 shares of common stock in Q1, leaving some 1.5 million shares available for repurchase under the current authorization.

Continue reading AptarGroup (ATR): Shares define bullish 'flag' consolidation

AptarGroup (ATR): Shares define bullish 'flag' consolidation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR) supplies a broad range of dispensing systems to the fragrance/cosmetic, personal care, pharmaceutical, household and food/beverage markets. Offerings include spray pumps, dispensing closures, nasal pumps, aerosol valves and lotion pumps. The firm operates on five continents and sells most of its products through an in-house sales network.

Investors were pleased earlier in the month, when the company reported Q4 EPS of 47 cents and revenues of $483.8 million. The Street had been looking for 47 cents and $479.4 million. Quarterly sales and profits increased across each business segment. Annual sales reached an all-time record $1.9 billion. Management also guided Q1 EPS to 46-49 cents (47 cent consensus), noting that the firm's broad geographic presence and diverse end-markets positioned it well to withstand any slowness in the U.S. economy.

Continue reading AptarGroup (ATR): Shares cycle in bullish 'flag' consolidation pattern

AptarGroup (ATR): Shares cycle in bullish 'flag' consolidation pattern originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: UBS AG, Cepheid and ICT Group were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded shares of UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) to Outperform from Neutral on valuation, as they believe the current share price implies a negative valuation of the company's securities unit.
• Piper upgraded shares of Cepheid (NASDAQ: CPHD) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the better-than-expected quarter to date GeneXpert placements and management's bullish outlook during their Annual Health Care Conference.
• ICT Group (NASDAQ: ICTG) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Friedman Billings following the company's reiteration of guidance last night. The firm believes shares are near a floor and that the company could be an attractive takeout candidate once business stabilizes.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded British Airways (OTC: BAIRY) to Buy from Hold.
• Lehman upgraded the packaging sector to Positive from Neutral and upgraded AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR) to Equal Weight from Underweight.
• JP Morgan upgraded Potash Corp. (NYSE: POT) to Overweight from Neutral.

Analyst upgrades: UBS, CPHD and ICTG originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The effective dispensing of fluid products is often a complex problem best left to specialists. A Crystal Lake, Illinois, firm ranks among the recognized experts in the field.

AptarGroup (NYSE: ATR) supplies a broad range of dispensing systems to the fragrance/cosmetic, personal care, pharmaceutical, household and food/beverage markets. Offerings include spray pumps, dispensing closures, nasal pumps, aerosol valves and lotion pumps. The firm operates on five continents and sells most of its products through an in-house sales network.

Continue reading AptarGroup (ATR): Promoting fluid flow

AptarGroup (ATR): Promoting fluid flow originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.