Continue reading Blockbuster Faces NYSE Delisting

Blockbuster Faces NYSE Delisting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is Coinstar a Buy in a Risky Market?

Is Coinstar a Buy in a Risky Market? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analysts at JPMorgan are bullish on Netflix (NFLX) -- two option strategists with the firm recommended a spread strategy that will profit only if NFLX continues its quest for new all-time highs during the near term.

Specifically, Amyn Bharwani and Marko Kolanovic suggested that traders simultaneously buy September 120 calls and sell September 110 puts. This trade is known as a "collar" when the investor owns the underlying shares, but it's considered a "risk reversal" when played separately from a stock investment.

Continue reading JPMorgan Suggests Bullish Option Play on Netflix

JPMorgan Suggests Bullish Option Play on Netflix originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) Q1 net loss was in line with estimates and same-store sales declined, shares also fell.
• CA Inc. (CA) shares sold off on high volume following the Q4 earnings miss and disappointing guidance.
• Cigna Corp. (CI) reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings and higher revenue, and reaffirmed its full-year outlook.
• Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) beat Q3 earnings and revenue expectations in the "strongest quarter in our history."
• Dean Foods Co. (DF) lower Q1earnings beat analysts' estimates, but shares fell on heavy volume afterward.
• Denny's Corp. (DENN) bested consensus estimates and year-ago EPS by a penny, but said same-store sales fell.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: BBI, CI, CSCO, DIS, DISH, ERTS, JCP, M, NVDA, PCLN, WEN, WFMI ...

Earnings Highlights: BBI, CI, CSCO, DIS, DISH, ERTS, JCP, M, NVDA, PCLN, WEN, WFMI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 15 May 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blockbuster (BBI) is not a stock any sane investor should buy. First, it's under a buck. Second, it is currently down over 20% in afternoon trading, backed by significant volume. I'm seeing a price of just under 40 cents as I write this. Not a good situation.

Yet, I'm sure there are a fair amount of professional speculators out there making bets on the business. Hey, I can't predict the future, but I just don't see how anyone can take a chance on the shares. The one-year chart is terrible. And the most recent earnings report, released yesterday after the bell, is likewise a horrible sight to behold.

Continue reading Blockbuster's Terrible Q1

Blockbuster's Terrible Q1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 May 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Can Movie Gallery's Death Save Blockbuster?

Can Movie Gallery's Death Save Blockbuster? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 May 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Blockbuster Seeks Reverse Stock Split

Blockbuster Seeks Reverse Stock Split originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Finally Wakes Up to the Internet

Barnes & Noble Finally Wakes Up to the Internet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TheStreet.com

Continue reading Is Blockbuster on the Verge of Bankruptcy?

Is Blockbuster on the Verge of Bankruptcy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Netflix Inc. (NFLX), the world's largest online movie rental service, is scheduled to discuss its fourth-quarter financial results and 2010 outlook in a conference call Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 6:00 PM (ET), hosted by CEO Reed Hastings and CFO Barry McCarthy. A live webcast of the call will be available at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in December, Netflix announced a partnership with Best Buy (BBY) and a note offering to institutional investors. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for earnings of 45 cents per share on revenue of $445.6 million, up from 38 cents per share and $359.6 million in the same period of last year.

Continue reading Netflix Earnings Preview: Strong Revenue, Subscriber Growth Expected

Netflix Earnings Preview: Strong Revenue, Subscriber Growth Expected originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• American Express Co. (AXP) doubled its bottom line in Q4 while its provisions for losses fell.
• Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) warned of weakness in Q4 and lowered its guidance, sending shares lower.
• Coach Inc. (COH) better-than-expected Q2 earnings were accompanied by sales growth, but shares fell.
• Comerica Inc. (CMA) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 loss, sending shares to a 52-week high.
• CSX Corp. (CSX) posted Q4 earnings that topped estimates but its revenue fell short of expectations.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: American Express, Coach, GE, Google, IBM, McDonald's ...

Earnings Highlights: American Express, Coach, GE, Google, IBM, McDonald's ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Tuesday evening, I took a different route home than usual, and drove past my local Blockbuster (BBI) store. It was hard not to notice the brand new "Store Closing" sign, and my carpool buddies and I briefly discussed the stiff competition the chain is facing from Netflix (NFLX) and smaller rival Redbox.

Well, in light of last night's updated fiscal-year outlook, I'm beginning to think I may have witnessed a real-life bad omen (feel free to email me for your own psychic reading). After Wednesday's closing bell, Blockbuster confessed that its preliminary fourth-quarter and full-year results were unexpectedly weak -- and as a result, shares of the penny stock are slipping ever closer to theoretical support at zero.

Continue reading More Pain for Blockbuster After Weak Forecast

More Pain for Blockbuster After Weak Forecast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Movie Gallery (MVGR), which plunged into bankruptcy following its ill-conceived acquisition of Hollywood Video, is working on its second restructuring effort in two years, and could close 1,000 of its 2,700 locations as part of an effort to return to profitability.

To recap: this is a company with $600 million in debt in a business that is in a permanent state of decline. The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that the company could be headed back into bankruptcy: "The expected closings are part of broader discussions between Movie Gallery and its lenders, said a person familiar with the matter. The discussions are in the early stages and no decisions have been made. One possibility is that Movie Gallery could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in coming months, said the people familiar with the situation."

Continue reading Why Does Movie Gallery Even Bother with Restructuring?

Why Does Movie Gallery Even Bother with Restructuring? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) is trading down today. Looks like investors aren't in the mood for the stock just before the new year begins. At the time of this writing, shares of the online DVD-rental concern were off by nearly 3%.

Kind of sad, when you think about it. Netflix is up big on the year. It was a great story of capital appreciation: buy the dips, and you made out. Whenever you thought the company was about to head into a downturn, it ended up proving you wrong. When things seemed just absolutely awful, like they did back in the first quarter, Netflix was resilient in the face of financial adversity.

Continue reading Netflix Weak Today -- Sell Before 2010?

Netflix Weak Today -- Sell Before 2010? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading NCR rises on DVDPlay acquisition

NCR rises on DVDPlay acquisition originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On the heels of last week's better-than-expected earnings results from retailers Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF), Kohl's Corp. (KSS), Macy's Inc. (M), Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) -- as well as disappointing numbers from Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) and JCPenney Co. Inc. (JCP) -- the coming week will bring results from more shopping- and strip-mall favorites.

TJX Companies Inc. (TJX), which operates T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores in the U.S., settled a class action, announced share buybacks and raised its guidance in the third quarter. For the three months that ended in October, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect TJX to report earnings of $0.80 per share, up from $0.57 in the same period of last year. Revenue is expected to total $5.3 billion, or 10.2% higher than a year ago. So far, the full-year forecast is for a profit of $2.59 per share (+22.3%) on $20.0 billion (+5.5%) in sales.

Continue reading The week in preview: More retail earnings: Gap, Home Depot, Sears, Target ...

The week in preview: More retail earnings: Gap, Home Depot, Sears, Target ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) lower Q3 results still topped expectations and sent shares higher.
• Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) posted much better-than-expected Q4 earnings, the first profit in a year.
• AstraZeneca (AZN) received an analyst's downgrade due to concerns over its earnings prospects.
• Blackstone Group (BX) received an analyst's upgrade following the company's Q3 results.
• Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) widened its net loss in Q3 and revenue and same-stores sales declined.
• Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE) shares declined after its Q3 numbers fell short of expectations.
• Consolidated Water Co. Inc. (CWCO) earnings prospects for 2010 earned it an analyst upgrade.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Abercrombie, Blockbuster, Disney, Macy's, Walmart ...

Earnings highlights: Abercrombie, Blockbuster, Disney, Macy's, Walmart ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blockbuster (BBI) is a terrible company and stock. After perusing the third-quarter report, published Friday after the bell, I don't see any reason to modify such a rough statement.

Sorry about that, but what else can I say about a huge revenue decline and a wider loss coupled with a story that continues to deteriorate? According to the Q3 earnings release, Blockbuster experienced a 21% drop on the top line. On an adjusted basis, the company lost 20 cents per share, compared to 9 cents per share in the comparable period a year ago. Helping to drive this abject performance was a 14% contraction in same-store sales.

Continue reading Blockbuster: A bomb of a quarter

Blockbuster: A bomb of a quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The conventional wisdom is that consumer spending is what drives the U.S. economy. And consumer spending arises out of consumer confidence. Unfortunately, the signals along the road to economic recovery are mixed, what with the rising GDP growth and the dismal unemployment numbers. Its enough to leave investors scratching their heads. What barometers of consumer confidence will the coming week bring?

The TIPP Economic Optimism Index for November is scheduled for Tuesday, and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for November is due out Friday.

Continue reading The week in preview: Earnings from Walmart, Macy's, and other retailers

The week in preview: Earnings from Walmart, Macy's, and other retailers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) may be the world's largest electronics retailer, but it realizes that it faces a huge threat to a hefty chunk of its business. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is moving plenty of movies and other soon-to-be former DVD fare through iTunes, staking a claim on a business that once belonged to Best Buy. The big box store is getting ready to fight back (finally?).

Using technology it's licensing from Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), Best Buy is opening an online store for movies and television shows. Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn says this move will expand the company's presence in services and will bolster company loyalty. That's the press release version, of course. The reality is that Best Buy needed to do something to protect this portion of its revenue and probably should have made the move several years ago.

Continue reading Best Buy follows Amazon into the clouds

Best Buy follows Amazon into the clouds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.