The sale of DVDs is going the way of the PC -- both have seen their market share dwindling. In a world of instant information, streaming videos are replacing DVDs. Last year, DVD sales fell by 43% to $7.8 billion from $13.7 billion in 2006, The Wall Street Journal reported.

There is another accompanying trend that reinforces streaming videos. Customers are spending more time online. Add the multiplier of time spent on social networks and it's streaming video hands down.

Continue reading Facebook Invades Netflix and RedBox's Turf

Facebook Invades Netflix and RedBox's Turf originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo (WFC) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Adobe (ADBE) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Vail Resorts (MTN) and Goldcorp (GG) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• OmniVision (OVTI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Penn Virginia (PVA) to hold from sell at Canaccord.
• Hub Group (HUBG) to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADBE, AOL, CAT, CSTR, FITB, GG, GPS, MDAS, RIG, WFC ...

Analyst Calls: ADBE, AOL, CAT, CSTR, FITB, GG, GPS, MDAS, RIG, WFC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday's fourth-quarter GDP numbers offered more evidence that the economy is picking up steam, but one of the biggest obstacles to the recovery remains the stubbornly high unemployment rate. We'll find out whether there's been any movement on that front when employment data for January comes out this week. The Challenger Job-Cut report and ADP employment data are due Wednesday, and the government's unemployment rate on Friday. Another mild increase in jobs is expected, in line with the three-month average, but not enough to significantly reduce the unemployment rate.

Also look for the ISM manufacturing and nonmanufacturing indexes this week, as well as the Chicago PMI and the New York NAPM index. And Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak to the National Press Club on Thursday.

Continue reading Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More

Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are the numbers for early afternoon trading today:

Dow Jones: 11,787.38 +55.48 (0.47%)
S&P 500: 1,293.24 +9.48 (0.74%)
Nasdaq: 2,755.30 +20.01 (0.73%)

Continue reading Closing Bell: Inflation No Threat, Retail Sales Rise, Market Inches Higher (CPIX, INTC, CSTR, SBIB, NANO)

Closing Bell: Inflation No Threat, Retail Sales Rise, Market Inches Higher (CPIX, INTC, CSTR, SBIB, NANO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coinstar (CSTR) fell dramatically during Thurday's after-hours session. You had to feel bad for the company's shareholders. Imagine, a big drop for the owner of the great, media-game-changing Redbox?

Yep, it's true. Shares of the company, which counts Netflix (NFLX) as a colleague, lost over 24% to land at $43.05 after closing the regular session down slightly to $56.95. The 52-week high for the stock is $67.56 while the 52-week low is $25.37. Sure, $43.05 may not be as ugly as $25.37, but it's still ugly, my fellow investors.

Continue reading Coinstar's Big Drop: Buy or Ignore It?

Coinstar's Big Drop: Buy or Ignore It? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coinstar (CSTR) is, without a doubt, a very compelling stock to watch. I've been both bullish and bearish on the idea over the last several months. The one-year chart shows some fascinating price action. It makes one want to buy the name, but at the same time, I'm sure many investors wonder what the future will be like for the owner of the Redbox DVD-rental kiosk (i.e., how will it specifically adapt to the demand for digital delivery of movies?).

This week, TheFly mentioned that an analyst firm believes the stock will climb even higher, perhaps all the way to $80. That would represent a pretty impressive return based on where the quote is right now.

Continue reading Coinstar: Time To Buy or Sell?

Coinstar: Time To Buy or Sell? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coinstar (CSTR - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported Q3 earnings last night, posting a profit of $19.5 million, or 60 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, CSTR earned 66 cents per share on revenue of $380.2 million. Analysts had forecast a profit of 50 cents per share on revenue of $381.8 million.

The company also forecast Q4 earnings of 79 to 85 cents per share on revenue of $415 to $440 million. Analysts are expecting a profit of 76 cents per share on revenue of $422 million. 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 CSTR.

Continue reading Coinstar Shoots Higher on Strong Earnings Report

Coinstar Shoots Higher on Strong Earnings Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bearish traders should be using the recent strength in the equity markets to identify short opportunities. The S&P 500 is currently trading above 1,100 and has rallied very sharply off of the 1,040-1,050 level in just a matter of days.

This surge in equities appears to be driven by a combination of short covering and better than expected economic numbers. Rather than getting bullish here, however, it may be time to put out some tactical shorts. Traders that have been buying the highs and selling the lows in anticipation of a breakout of the current trading range have been consistently burned.

Continue reading Coinstar Could Be a Short Candidate

Coinstar Could Be a Short Candidate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm going to offer up brief opinions on some of the events from the past trading week. Maybe you had your eye on one or two of them as well.

Playboy (PLA) reported a net loss in its second quarter. The red ink came out to 16 cents per share this time around; last year, the loss was 26 cents per share. You know what? It doesn't really matter if management was able to narrow the bleeding. Playboy is purely an arbitrage play now, with Hugh Hefner making a bid to take control of the business (a competing bid has been made by FriendFinder, which owns Penthouse). I would avoid making a buy here, since the arbitrage game can be a difficult one to win.

Continue reading Thoughts on Market Stories from the Week

Thoughts on Market Stories from the Week originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Should You Avoid Coinstar?

Should You Avoid Coinstar? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It seems that 92% year-over-year earnings growth wasn't quite enough to impress Wall Street. Shares of DVD rental kiosk operator Coinstar Inc. (CSTR) are taking a beating as traders pan the company's softer-than-forecast second-quarter results and lackluster revenue forecast.

For the recently concluded quarter, Coinstar banked a profit of $13.4 million, or 41 cents per share, up from last year's results of $7 million, or 23 cents per share. Revenue for the quarter climbed 35% to $342.4 million. As recently as May, Coinstar predicted its quarterly revenue would arrive between $363 million and $383 million.

Continue reading Coinstar Hammered After Disappointing Earnings

Coinstar Hammered After Disappointing Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:40:00 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.

Coinstar (CSTR - option chain) shares rose Wednesday after the company announced that it has extended its revenue sharing license agreement between Paramount Home Entertainment and Redbox Automated Retail, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinstar. 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 CSTR.

CSTR opened Wednesday at $53.50. In morning trading, the stock hit a low of $52.30 and a high of $54.76. As of 12:15, CSTR was trading at $53.17 up 0.67 (1.3%). The chart for CSTR looks bearish.

Continue reading Coinstar's Redbox Extends Deal with Paramount

Coinstar's Redbox Extends Deal with Paramount originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:20:00 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.

Let's have a look at a few earnings reports from earlier in the week. We'll check out two businesses operating in the arena of consumer products -- Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and Procter & Gamble (PG) -- and one that is prospering from a crimson DVD-rental kiosk that has become all the rage -- Coinstar (CSTR).

We'll start with the latter concern first. Coinstar was one of Friday's great stock stories. It shot higher by 16%, backed by an incredible amount of volume. Investors are apparently counting on this one to go even higher. In fact, some analysts believe that the shares may eventually reach $60.

Continue reading More Quarterly Releases: Coinstar, Colgate, and Procter & Gamble

More Quarterly Releases: Coinstar, Colgate, and Procter & Gamble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 01 May 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Soleil upgraded Potash (POT) to hold from sell due to valuation. The firm maintains a $100 price target for shares.
• FBR Capital upgraded Arkansas Best (ABFS) to market perform from underperform after the company reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters to amend its existing contract to include a 15% wage concession. The firm has a $34 price target for shares.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Zions Bancorp (ZION) to market perform from underperform following the company's Q1 results and raised its target for shares to $25 from $17.
• Apache (APA) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• MGM Mirage (MGM) wasupgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Monster Worldwide (MWW) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ABFS, APA, CSTR, ESL, MGM, POT, SAI, TIVO, UL, ZION ...

Analyst Calls: ABFS, APA, CSTR, ESL, MGM, POT, SAI, TIVO, UL, ZION ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Another Win (BRK.B, SIRI, CSTR, DE, WFMI)

Closing Bell: Another Win (BRK.B, SIRI, CSTR, DE, WFMI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:10:00 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) received an analyst's upgrade ahead of next week's Q4 earnings report.
• Acer Inc. reported its highest quarterly earnings in almost three years due in part to growth in shipments.
• Baidu Inc. (BIDU) swung to a better-than-expected Q4 profit, with strong revenue growth, and offered rosy guidance.
• Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB) offered an upside surprise as well as full-year earnings above Wall Street estimates.
• Coinstar Inc. (CSTR) strong quarterly results and guidance, as well as litigation concerns, failed to inspire Wall Street.
• Coca-Cola Co. (KO) posted strong Q4 and full-year earnings results due to growth in emerging markets.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Acer, Baidu, Coca-Cola, Disney, Hasbro, Sprint ...

Earnings Highlights: Acer, Baidu, Coca-Cola, Disney, Hasbro, Sprint ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm going to take a brief look at two quarterly reports from the past week. We've got a popular restaurant chain on the menu, as well as a DVD-rental business that is causing Hollywood a lot of headaches.

The Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) reported flat sales revenue in the fourth quarter. And when I say flat, I mean it: $400.6 million versus $400.4 million. On an adjusted basis, net income was 28 cents per share, representing an increase of 87%. This was four pennies ahead of estimates.

Continue reading Two Quarterly Releases: The Cheesecake Factory and Coinstar

Two Quarterly Releases: The Cheesecake Factory and Coinstar originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Quarterly reports continue to roll out this week, with results due from Allstate Corp. (ALL), Coca-Cola Co. (KO), Marriott International Inc. (MAR), Molson Coors Brewing Co. (TAP), New York Times Co. (NYT), Pepsico Inc. (PEP), Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), Viacom (VIA), Walt Disney Co. (DIS) and many others. Here's a look at a few of the companies that analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect to be the biggest earnings gainers this week.

Analysts are looking for Coinstar Inc. (CSTR), which distributes coin-counting, DVD-rental, and other self-service kiosks, to report that its fourth-quarter earnings more than doubled from a year ago to $0.32 per share. Revenue for the three months that ended in December is expected to have jumped 26.1% to $329.2 million. The analysts' forecast for the full year calls for earnings of $0.94 per share (+46.8%) on $1.2 billion in revenue (+25.9%). Coinstar has beat earnings estimates in the past three quarters, by as much as six cents per share.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: High Hopes for Coinstar, Agilent, Chipotle, Baidu, Hasbro

The Week in Preview: High Hopes for Coinstar, Agilent, Chipotle, Baidu, Hasbro originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.