Diamond Foods (DMND) acquired the Pringle brand product from Proctor & Gamble (PG) for $2.35 billion, as reported in Dealbook.

When we think of Diamond Foods we think of nuts, edible nuts. Diamond's two main brands are Diamond and Emerald. It produces all kinds of nut products for cooking and eating. Among them are almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts and peanuts. The product line also includes microwave popcorn and potato chips.

Continue reading What Will Pringles Do for Diamond Foods?

What Will Pringles Do for Diamond Foods? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Discount retailer Family Dollar Stores Inc. (FDO) reported its fiscal second quarter results this morning, topping analyst estimates and sending the stock higher in premarket trading.

For the quarter, Family Dollar reported it earned 98 cents per share, topping analyst estimates by a penny. During the same period last year, the company earned 81 cents per share.

Continue reading Family Dollar Earnings Top Estimates, Sending Shares Higher

Family Dollar Earnings Top Estimates, Sending Shares Higher originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The fast moving world of investing can turn on a dime, especially if you own technology stocks. Research In Motion (RIMM) was a smartphone darling. But then came the iPhone and now the iPad. Then we have Google's (GOOG) Android following on Apple's (AAPL) heels.

RIM suddenly woke up a found that it had fallen off its perch. Now the company is scrambling to do catch up. BlackBerry is losing North American market share and the company expects to ship only 13.5 to 14.5 million Blackberry's this quarter, down from 14.9 million last quarter, according to Reuters.

Continue reading Would You Buy RIM on the Dip?

Would You Buy RIM on the Dip? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Accenture (ACN - option chain) shares are rising after the company reported Q2 2011 earnings Thursday night, posting a profit of $503.1 million, or 75 cents per share, on revenue of $6.49 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 71 cents per share on revenue of $5.73 billion. 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 ACN.

ACN opened Friday morning at $56.47. In morning trading, the stock hit a low of $54.40 and a new 52-week high of $56.78. As of 12:25, ACN was trading at $54.91 up 2.95 (5.7%). The chart for ACN looks bullish and S&P gives ACN a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Continue reading Accenture's Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates

Accenture's Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of software giant Oracle Corp. (ORCL) traded higher after the market closed Thursday as the company reported fiscal third-quarter earnings above analyst estimates.

Going into this afternoon's earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see Oracle report earnings of 50 cents per share. Excluding one time items, Oracle stated that its quarterly earnings were 54 cents.

Continue reading Better-Than-Expected Earnings Report Cheers Oracle Investors

Better-Than-Expected Earnings Report Cheers Oracle Investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of retail giant Best Buy (BBY) traded higher Thursday morning after the company posted better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter.

Going into the earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see Best Buy report earnings of $1.84 per share for the quarter. Best Buy topped estimates by posting earnings of $1.98 per share.

Continue reading Best Buy Tops Earnings Estimates but Revenues Disappoint

Best Buy Tops Earnings Estimates but Revenues Disappoint originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (BBY) is scheduled to unveil its fourth-quarter results Thursday morning, with analysts anticipating a profit of $1.85 per share -- little changed from the big box retailer's year-ago earnings of $1.82 per share. Best Buy has been hot-and-cold on the earnings front; during the past four quarters, the company has topped consensus bottom-line estimates twice, and fallen short on two other occasions.

Ahead of the quarterly report, one options player built a bullishly biased spread on BBY. Right after the opening bell Wednesday morning, the trader purchased 358 April 32 calls, and simultaneously sold 716 April 35 calls. In other words, two April 35 calls were sold for every one purchased April 32 call. This strategy is known as a ratio call spread, and it's typically used by traders who are bullish on the underlying equity -- but with a very specific upside target in mind.

Continue reading Best Buy Singled Out for a Ratio Call Spread Ahead of Earnings

Best Buy Singled Out for a Ratio Call Spread Ahead of Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Jabil Circuit Reports Strong Q2 Earnings & Q3 Forecast

Jabil Circuit Reports Strong Q2 Earnings & Q3 Forecast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Adobe Systems (ADBE) closed Tuesday at $32.88. The 52-week low for the shares is $25.45 and the 52-week high is $37.30. That puts the stock roughly in the middle of the range, which isn't here nor there.

I usually like a quote to give me as much information as it can. I can usually tell more about the market's opinion if the price is closer to either the low or the high, and if the range isn't so tight.

Continue reading Adobe Reports First-Quarter Earnings

Adobe Reports First-Quarter Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Walgreen (WAG), Dollar General (DG) and Express (EXPR) all reported higher quarterly profits Tuesday morning, with Dollar General and Express both beating Wall Street consensus earnings estimates. With news like this, it may be beneficial for an investor to take a closer look at the retail sector.

Granted, Walgreen did not impress Wall Street, and shares fell more than 7%. Express and Dollar General, however, are reaping the benefits with Express trading up over 5% and Dollar General enjoying a 3% upswing. Both companies opened trading up in the markets Tuesday.

Continue reading Trade the Positive Retail News

Trade the Positive Retail News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading U.S. Futures Up as Investors Await Earnings Reports

U.S. Futures Up as Investors Await Earnings Reports originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tiffany & Co. (TIF - option chain) shares are rising after the company reported Q4 2010 earnings Monday morning, posting a profit of $181.22 million, or $1.41 per share. Excluding one-time items, Tiffany earned $1.44 per share on revenue of $1.10 billion, while analysts had forecast a profit of $1.39 per share on revenue of $1.10 billion.

Tiffany cut its Q1 earnings forecast to 57 cents per share, down from a previous forecast of 62 cents per share, due to an anticipated decline in sales in Japan in the wake of the recent earthquake. However, that is still above analysts' forecasts of 55 cents per share, which is a good sign for the stock. 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 TIF.

Continue reading Tiffany & Co. Posts Strong Q4 Earnings, Q1 Forecast

Tiffany & Co. Posts Strong Q4 Earnings, Q1 Forecast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earlier in the week, I exhibited a bearish tone on Ross Stores (ROST). I haven't had a change of heart necessarily, but I do have to concede that the company's latest earnings report, issued yesterday morning, was a good one.

According to Reuters, Q4 net profit increased 18% to $1.37 per share. While this number merely met Wall Street's projection, I enjoyed the growth rate. Furthermore, same-store sales experienced a healthy 4% expansion.

Continue reading Ross Stores Reports Earnings Results: What Should Investors Think?

Ross Stores Reports Earnings Results: What Should Investors Think? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Buy Ross Stores Before Earnings?

Buy Ross Stores Before Earnings? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Williams-Sonoma (WSM - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings this morning, posting a fiscal-Q4 profit of $113.4 million, or $1.05 per share. Excluding one-time items, WSM earned $1.08 per share on revenue of $1.195 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of $0.98 per share on revenue of $1.19 billion. WSM forecast Q1 earnings of 26 to 28 cents per share on revenue of $745 to $765 million. Analysts are expecting Q1 earnings of 27 cents per share on revenue of $748.5 million. WSM also lifted its quarterly dividend by 2 cents to 17 cents per share. 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 WSM.

Continue reading Williams-Sonoma Surges 11% on Earnings and Dividend Increase

Williams-Sonoma Surges 11% on Earnings and Dividend Increase originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ann Taylor Jumps 12% On Strong Q4 Earnings, 2011 Outlook

Ann Taylor Jumps 12% On Strong Q4 Earnings, 2011 Outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over the past few years, the shareholders of H&R Block (HRB) have taken many hits. The recession slowed growth and the company's digital strategy has been lacking.

But there are some signs that things are improving. In fact, on news of H&R Block's fiscal third-quarter results, the stock is up about 5%.

Continue reading H&R Block Gets Less Taxing for Investors

H&R Block Gets Less Taxing for Investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of retailer American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) traded sharply higher Wednesday morning after the company posted stronger-than-expected fourth quarter results before the market open.

Going into the earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see the Pittsburgh-based company report earnings of $0.43 per share, but the company beat by a penny with earnings of $0.44. During the same period last year the company had earnings of $0.38 per share.

Continue reading American Eagle Soars Following Q4 Earnings Report

American Eagle Soars Following Q4 Earnings Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ciena Tumbles on Weak Q2 Forecast

Ciena Tumbles on Weak Q2 Forecast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Royal Bank of Canada (RY - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings this morning, posting a fiscal-Q1 profit of C$1.839 billion, or C$1.24 per share. Excluding one-time items, RY earned C$1.26 per share, topping analysts' forecasts of C$1.01 per share. 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 RY.

RY opened this morning at $61.32. So far today the stock has hit a low of $60.96 and a high of $62.29. As of 12:10, RY is trading at $61.46 up $2.85 (4.9%). The chart for RY looks bullish and S&P gives RY a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Continue reading Royal Bank of Canada Surges on Q1 Earnings

Royal Bank of Canada Surges on Q1 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.