Marathon Oil (MRO) announced the spin out of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC). Marathon intends to distribute one share of MPC for every two shares of Marathon. Overall option implied volatility of 26 is near its 26-week average of 28, according to Track Data, suggesting nondirectional price movement.

Cypress Semi (CY) closed up 4% as traders focused on February 22 and 23 calls, with total call volume of 15K contracts, compared to 7K puts. January and March option implied volatility of 38 is below its 26-week of 41, according to Track Data. Active call volume suggests traders positioning for price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Marathon Oil Volatility Flat into Spin Out originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stocks That Could Benefit from the 2010 4G Revolution

Stocks That Could Benefit from the 2010 4G Revolution originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Google Shares Rise on Strong Sales
• AMD Posts Narrower Quarterly Loss

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: The chips aren't down

Cramer on BloggingStocks: The chips aren't down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded Stancorp (NYSE: SFG) to Outperform from Neutral citing relative valuation and EPS visibility.
• Jefferies upgraded Cypress Semiconductor (NYSE: CY) to Hold from Underperform after its channel checks indicated the company's capacitive touch screen solution has design traction. The firm raised its target on shares to $10 from $7.50.
• FBR Capital upgraded Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect improving store channel checks, the company's brand focus and controlled inventory, as well as the firm's belief that guidance could be conservative. FBR raised its target on shares to $9 from $6.
• Advanced Micro (NYSE: AMD) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at JMP Securities.
• Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at RBS.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMD, C, GAP, GS, MET, PSUN, USB ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMD, C, GAP, GS, MET, PSUN, USB ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded WinTrust (NASDAQ: WTFC) to Neutral from Underperform and raised its target to $20 from $13 citing the accretive purchase of AIG (NYSE: AIG) loans and reduced risk of a capital raise.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Coach (NYSE: COH) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations product sell-throughs and margin trends will improve in the coming quarters. The firm has a $32 target on the stock.
• RBC Capital upgraded Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB) to Sector Perform from Underperform and raised its target to $33 from $29. The firm cites Campbell's recent innovation, easy volume comps, and "reasonable" consensus estimates for its upgrade.
• Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AFL, COH, CPB, DOW, MS, TTM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AFL, COH, CPB, DOW, MS, TTM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) joined the parade of companies reporting their latest quarterly results today. The firm swallowed a second-quarter loss of $45.3 million, or 32 cents per share. Excluding items, CY recorded a net loss of just 3 cents per share, besting analysts' consensus expectations for a loss of 9 cents per share. Revenue also came in better than expected, arriving at $155.8 million, compared to Wall Street's forecast of $152.0 million.

In the wake of this upside surprise, CY surged to a new multi-decade high of $9.83 early in today's session. It seems that bearish bettors were caught off-guard by the stronger-than-expected results; during the 10 days leading up to the report, option traders on the International Securities Exchange (ISE) bought to open 6.75 times more puts than calls on CY. Speculative investors on the ISE have purchased the stock's puts over calls at faster pace just 3% of the time.

Continue reading Cypress Semiconductor hits multi-year high after earnings

Cypress Semiconductor hits multi-year high after earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Abbott Lab (NYSE: ABT) to Hold from Sell on valuation following the stock's recent underperformance. The firm maintains a $48 price target.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Pepsi Bottling (NYSE: PBG) and Dr. Pepper Snapple (NYSE: DPS) to Buy from Hold as they believe carbonated soft drinks market is showing signs of stabilization. The firm raised its price target on Pepsi Bottling to $28 from $25 and on Dr. Pepper Snapple to $22 from $20.
  
• Baird upgraded CommScope (NYSE: CTV) to Outperform from Neutral and raised their target to $19 from $10 as they expect fundamentals to bottom in Q1 and ramp strongly in Q2 as wireless capex outlook improves.
• Sinopec Shanghai (NYSE: SHI) was raised to Buy from Sell at Goldman.
  
• TRW Automotive (NYSE: TRW) was upgraded at JP Morgan to Neutral from Underweight.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ABT, DPS, BDK, AMZN, GS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ABT, DPS, BDK, AMZN, GS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"If you are looking for maximum rebound potential, you have to go lower down on the quality spectrum; it is typically the lower quality and lower priced stocks that will have the largest gains when the market rebounds," says turnaround expert George Putnam.

In his industry-leading service focused on distressed companies, The Turnround Letter, he looks at a package of 10 stocks recently trading below $5 per share while also offering "bundles of cash."

Here's his review:

Continue reading Ten cash-rich, low-priced turnaround stocks

Ten cash-rich, low-priced turnaround stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) reported lower quarterly profits and cut its full-year outlook.
• Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) beat Q4 earnings expectations but revenues tumbled.
• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) reported a big loss in Q3, like many other private equity firms.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) posted a deeper-than-estimated Q3 net loss due to restructuring costs.
• Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) warned that it expects to swing to a net loss in Q4.
• Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) fell to a three-year-low despite expected growth in profits and revenues.
• Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) lowered its revenue forecast for Q4, which was bad news for PC makers.
• Kohl's Corp. (NYSE: KSS) beat low earnings expectations by a penny as same-store sales declined.
• Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF) narrowed its net loss in Q2 but fell short of estimates.
• Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) said its Q3 profit tumbled as its same-store-sales declined.
• Orbitz Wordlwide Inc. (NYSE: OWW) reported a wider net loss, which led to a analyst's downgrade.
• Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) raised its forecasts after finalizing the sale of Folgers brand.
• Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) halved its Q3 net loss and revenues and subscriber numbers rose.
• TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) reported a Q3 earnings decline and offered a cautious outlook.
• Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) posted better-than-expected profits but warned of softness ahead.
• Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) beat analyst estimates for Q3 and warned of a profit squeeze.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Walmart, Google, Intel, P&G, Sirius, Blackstone and others

Earnings highlights: Walmart, Google, Intel, P&G, Sirius, Blackstone and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The shares of chipmaker Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) are getting hammered today after the company warned that it will swing to a fourth-quarter loss. In a statement, Cypress cited "declining order patterns and turns from all sales channels, all end markets, all geographies, and all of our product lines. In addition, backlog continues to be weak, and we are seeing cancellations and requests for push-outs that are somewhat higher than normal."

The firm now expects to record a quarterly loss of 3 cents to 12 cents per share on sales of $165 million to $180 million. As recently as mid-October, Cypress expected to book a profit of 4 cents to 7 cents per share in the fourth quarter, with sales totaling $194 million to $204 million.

Cypress is hardly the first chip firm to fall on hard times in the current macro environment. The market has already been hit this week with a similar warning from Dow component Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), while National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) slashed its outlook and announced job cuts.

This afternoon, CY is down roughly 20%, and it's trading less than a point above its current annual low of $2.93. The chip company's warning sparked a rush in the options pits; so far, Cypress has seen more than 6 times its average daily put volume cross the tape. The bulk of these bearish bets have changed hands on the November 4 strike, which has seen volume of 2,113 contracts on open interest of 6,509.

Elizabeth Harrow is an analyst and financial writer in the research department at Schaeffer's Investment Research. She is featured in the video series Schaeffer's Daily Q&A on SchaeffersResearch.com.

Put volume spikes as Cypress Semiconductor slashes fourth-quarter outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings crunch begins in earnest this coming week, with companies from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) to Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) and Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) scheduled to report results for the quarter just ended. But with the ongoing turmoil in the markets, much attention is on the tech and financial sectors. This week will provide plenty to mull over on both counts.

Wall Street expectations for tech stocks are fairly optimistic. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are looking for chip maker Altera Corp. (NASDAQ: ALTR) and software/service company iGate Corp. (NASDAQ: IGTE) to be the sector's biggest earnings gainers of the week. Altera is expected to report earnings of 30 cents per share (up 33.3% from a year ago) on revenue of $355.1 million. Altera had previously forecast flat sales for the quarter, and shares fell to a 52-week low last week. iGate is expected to report earnings of 14 cents per share (up 42.9%) on revenue of $55.6 million. India-based iGate recently spun off its Mastech consulting services. Shares are down 45.0% in the past three months, and also reached a new 52-week low last week.

San Jose-based Novellus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS), on the other hand, is expected to report that net income tumbled 90.4% from a year ago to 4 cents per share, on revenue of $245.6 million. Novellus fell to a 52-week low early last week, and shares are down 44.5% year to date.

Continue reading The week in preview: Mulling over techs, financials

The week in preview: Mulling over techs, financials originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cypress Semiconductor argues everything good starts with pure silicon

Cypress Semiconductor argues everything good starts with pure silicon originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cypress Semi (CY) lower on Sunpower downgrade originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's a bold flag flying above the solar energy camp, and I like the dialog coming from at least one of the men raising that flag. T. J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY), laid it on the line recently when he stated his opinion regarding CEOs like General Electric's (NYSE: GE) Jeff Immelt, Wal-Mart's (NYSE: WMT) Lee Scott, and Peter Darbee of PG&E. Rodgers was quoted by CNN Money as saying, "Every one of the names you just mentioned would flunk his ass in the most rudimentary test about global warming."

It's not necessarily that I agree with what Rodgers said, but any man who has stuck with a viable manufacturing concept for as long as Rodgers has stuck with the truth of solar electrical generation, and then has the gumption to call into question the motives of his peers in pursuing a similar path, gets a nod of respect from me. It's not about what he said, it's about why he said it.

Continue reading T. J. Rodgers calls GE, Wal-Mart CEOs just plain dumb

T. J. Rodgers calls GE, Wal-Mart CEOs just plain dumb originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In July, Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) posted record 2Q 2007 revenue. At $372.8 million for the quarter, up 8.7% from 1Q 2007, 2Q revenue surpassed the previous record revenue set in 4Q 2000 at the height of the dot-com boom. (Ah, those were the days.) Diluted EPS were $2.29 as compared with 1Q 2007 diluted EPS of a loss of $0.01. But let's examine that EPS figure. During 2Q, Cypress sold 7.5 million shares of its wholly owned subsidiary Sun Power. Cypress still has a $3 billion stake in Sun Power. Excluding the proceeds from this stock sale, diluted EPS is $0.16, much less but still much better than a loss. CEO T. J. Rodgers bragged on these results, noting that Cypress Semiconductor has survived when 47 of its competitors since 1982 have not.

Rodgers stated that demand for semiconductor products increased for the seventh quarter in a row, and he sees no slow down. Cypress is expanding its line of proprietary products, including PSoC (programmable solution on chip) models that offer touch-screen capabilities for cell phones, video gaming, and point-of-sale registers. Touch-screen capability is the wave of the future, as is HB-LED (high brightness light emitting diode) for all types of HD TVs, cell phones, and lighting products. Cypress forecasts HB-LED to be a $10 billion market annually within the next three years, much of which will rely on Cypress products. Cypress is also in the forefront of mobile communication devices, offering a peripheral handset controller that downloads music to cell phones ten times faster than previously. Cypress is also developing next generation high-speed holographic (3D) data storage systems.

Continue reading Cypress Semiconductor Corp (CY) shines

Cypress Semiconductor Corp (CY) shines originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 26 Aug 2007 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Lehman cuts Micron Technology Inc's (NYSE: MU) estimates and sees losses for the next three quarters. The increase in demand for memory chips due to Microsoft Corporation's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Vista demanding more memory is not happening.
• Pacific Crest Securities wrote second quarter chip demand is underwhelming, with notebooks and the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii the only bright spots.
• J.P. Morgan wrote consensus expectations for both the second quarter and all of 2007 are too high and is trimming estimates, The more significant earnings misses could come from Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NYSE: AMD), Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) and On Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: ONNN); with smaller cuts for Texas Instrments Inc (NYSE: TXN), Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR), Xilinx Inc (NASDAQ: XLNX) and Fairchild Semiconductor International (NYSE: FCS).

Semiconductor demand is moderating originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Mar 2007 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Sunpower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR), the Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) spin off, makes semiconductors for solar cells and solar panels
• MEMC Electronic Materials Inc (NYSE: WFR) makes the polysilicon that is needed to manufacture the solar cells and panels based on semiconductor technology
• Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP), First Solar Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR), Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ: CSIQ) and Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) were other stocks mentioned.

Solar power investments warming up? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Companies start to believe their own PR hype. Investors push a stock past logical limits. A company seems about to break down or break out. These are just a few things that can signal a stock with attitude. And... that attitude can be good or bad for the stock price, since attitude always catches up with reality. At least on Wall Street, that is.

Continue reading Stocks with attitude: BRCM, QCOM, CSCO, CY, QLGC, PMCS, JNPR

Stocks with attitude: BRCM, QCOM, CSCO, CY, QLGC, PMCS, JNPR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.