Analyst Upgrades

• inContact (SAAS) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.

Analyst Downgrades

• Ericsson (ERIC) to neutral from buy at Goldman.
• Hovnanian (HOV) to underperform from buy at BofA/Merrill.
• PrivateBancorp (PVTB) to market perform from outperform at BMO Capital.
• Logitech (LOGI) to neutral from outperform at Exane BNP Paribas.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AGN, ERIC, HOV, LOGI, MMI, SAAS, SOL, TSLA ...

Analyst Calls: AGN, ERIC, HOV, LOGI, MMI, SAAS, SOL, TSLA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hovnanian Enterprises (HOV) announced Tuesday that its fourth-quarter loss checked in at $1.68 per share ($132.1 million). While these results were better than a year ago when the company reported a loss of $3.21 per share ($250.8 million), the homebuilder fell short of the consensus estimate of a loss of 91 cents per share. Quarterly revenue checked in at $353 million, which is far worse than the $437.4 million a year earlier. The amount of contracts for homes fell 13%, coming in at 1,078 homes.

Continue reading Hovnanian Posts Larger-Than-Expected Fourth-Quarter Loss

Hovnanian Posts Larger-Than-Expected Fourth-Quarter Loss originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Sprint (S) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at Piper Jaffray.
• Cree (CREE) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
• Brocade (BRCD) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• JPMorgan upgraded WuXi PharmaTech (WX) to overweight from neutral.
• Barclays upgraded ITC Holdings (ITC) to overweight from equal weight.
• Centene (CNC) was upgraded to outperform from underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Senior Housing (SNH) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• UBS upgraded Hovnanian (HOV) to neutral from sell.
• GeoResources (GEOI) was upgraded to accumulate from neutral at Madison Williams.
• Compellent (CML) was upgraded to hold from sell at Canaccord.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BRCD, CCE, DPS, HOV, JOYG, KMB, KO, PEP, S, ...

Analyst Calls: BRCD, CCE, DPS, HOV, JOYG, KMB, KO, PEP, S, ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hovnanian Enterprises (HOV) is scheduled to take the earnings stage after Wednesday's closing bell, with Wall Street expecting the homebuilder to report a fiscal third-quarter loss of 52 cents per share. This would mark a notable improvement over Hovnanian's year-ago loss of $2.16 per share, but there's no guarantee the company can match analysts' expectations. During the past four quarters, Hovnanian has fallen short of consensus earnings estimates on two occasions.

Accordingly, speculators have been loading up on bearish bets as Hovnanian's quarterly report approaches. The International Securities Exchange (ISE) reports that traders have bought to open 4.64 puts for every call on HOV during the past 10 days, revealing a strong bias toward pessimistically oriented options.

Continue reading Puts Popular Ahead of Earnings from Hovnanian Enterprises

Puts Popular Ahead of Earnings from Hovnanian Enterprises originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Goldman Sachs Slashes Ratings Across Entire Homebuilder's Industry

Goldman Sachs Slashes Ratings Across Entire Homebuilder's Industry originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S. and the fact that the earnings season has largely wound down, things will be fairly quiet on the economic calendar this week. Like the other big Canadian banks did last week, Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) is expected to post strong second-quarter results. The same is true of Shoe Carnival (SCVL) and its competitor Collective Brands (PSS). But the earnings highlight of the week may come from America's Car-Mart Inc. (CRMT).

Bentonville Ark.-based America's Car-Mart, the largest publicly traded used auto retailer in the U.S., opened new dealerships and upgraded its communications infrastructure in its fiscal fourth quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect its earnings to have risen more than 25% from the same period of the previous year. Revenue for the three months that ended in April is expected to have risen about 14% in the past year. The consensus forecast for the full year has EPS up more than 30% and revenue up about 13%. The company's per-share earnings have beat consensus estimates in past four quarters, by as much as 45%.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Employment, ISM Indexes, Earnings (CRMT, CSIQ, HOV)

The Week in Preview: Employment, ISM Indexes, Earnings (CRMT, CSIQ, HOV) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 30 May 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:

• Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) announced improved results year over year, with book value up nearly 20%.
• BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ) Q4 earnings were in line with expectations but guidance for the year fell short.
• Cbeyond Inc. (CBEY) received an analyst's downgrade and lowered price target following its Q4 results.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) strong Q2 results fell short of analysts' estimates and shares declined.
• Dress Barn Inc. (DBRN) said it swung to a profit in Q2 and same-store sales increased, and it raised its outlook.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Berkshire Hathaway, Costco, Safeway, Staples, Wendy's ...

Earnings Highlights: Berkshire Hathaway, Costco, Safeway, Staples, Wendy's ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The One That Got Away (RSH, NFLX, BIG, HOV, MDVN, PFE)

Closing Bell: The One That Got Away (RSH, NFLX, BIG, HOV, MDVN, PFE) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded Home Depot (HD) to outperform from perform on expectations that comp sales growth in the home improvement retail sector will accelerate. The firm has a $37 price target for Home Depot shares. The firm also reiterates an outperform rating on Lowe's (LOW).
• UBS upgraded Mattel (MAT) to buy from neutral, citing solid demand in core brands, strong free cash flow and improved cost structure, among other reasons. The firm raised its target to $26 from $21.
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Dreamworks (DWA) to overweight from market weight, citing upcoming releases and increased international expectations. The firm raised its target to $47 from $40.
• TD AmeriTrade (AMTD) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Whole Foods (WFMI) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Whiting Petroleum (WLL) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMTD, DELL, DWA, HD, MAT, MSFT, WFMI ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMTD, DELL, DWA, HD, MAT, MSFT, WFMI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) shares rose after lower Q4 earnings and revenue beat analysts' expectations.
• Best Buy Inc. (BBY) shares sold off despite better-than-expected Q3 results due to the lower gross margin.
• Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW) warned that Q4 earnings would come in lower than the Street view
• Discover Financial Services (DFS) shares were up after it reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings.
• First Solar Inc. (FSLR) offered a solid 2010 outlook but the consensus EPS estimate is high in the range.
• General Mills Inc. (GIS) strong Q2 results included better-than-expected earnings and a rosy outlook.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Best Buy, Discover, General Mills, Nike, Oracle, Rite Aid, Take-Two ...

Earnings highlights: Best Buy, Discover, General Mills, Nike, Oracle, Rite Aid, Take-Two ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The Dollar and Overseas Markets Weigh on U.S. (C, HOV, NEM, RIMM, SQNM, GS, FUN)

Closing Bell: The Dollar and Overseas Markets Weigh on U.S. (C, HOV, NEM, RIMM, SQNM, GS, FUN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy Inc. (BBY), which was a favorite on Black Friday, announced a partnership with Netflix (NFLX) and another one with Google (GOOG), as well as declared a quarterly dividend, during its fiscal third quarter. For the three months that ended in November, Best Buy is expected to report that earnings rose 18.6% from a year ago to $0.43 per share. Revenue is expected to total $11.9 billion, or 4.2% higher than a year ago. The full-year forecast is for a profit of $2.95 per share (+2.4%) on $48.6 billion (+7.8%) in sales. This Richfield, Minn.-based company has topped earnings estimates in three of the past four quarters, by as much as 21 cents per share.

Best Buy's long-term EPS growth forecast of 12.5% is better than that of Walmart (WMT). Best Buy's earnings multiple is 14x. Analysts, on average, recommend buying BBY and have for more than 90 days; two analysts recently raised their earnings estimates. The mean price target is $44.77. Shares have risen 11.5% in the past three months and recently reached a new 52-week high of $44.50.

Continue reading The week in preview: Best Buy, General Mills, Oracle and more earnings expectations

The week in preview: Best Buy, General Mills, Oracle and more earnings expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) announced Monday morning that it will sell up to $775 million (WSJ subscription required) of seven-year notes in order to fund its previously reported tender offer for up to $759.3 million in debt. The struggling homebuilder also reported that $877 million of the notes were tendered by the early deadline on Friday. As a result, Hovnanian reduced the maximum amount of unsecured notes it will buy from $130 million to $100 million.

Last week, a Wall Street Journal article noted that Hovnanian is "hobbled" by its debt, even as the rest of the industry is ready to buy up land at a bargain. As of July 31, Hovnanian's net debt accounted for 109% of total capital, compared to an average of 26% for the dozen major homebuilders tracked by research firm Zelman & Associates.

Continue reading Debt-laden Hovnanian plans massive note sale to fund tender offer

Debt-laden Hovnanian plans massive note sale to fund tender offer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Toyota Plans Big U.S. Marketing Push
• Chrysler Restarts Leasing via GMAC

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Missing the big picture

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Missing the big picture originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) earnings prospects and declining sales resulted in a downgrade.
• America's Car-Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) stronger-than-expected Q1 results led shares to a four-year high.
• ArcSight Inc. (NASDAQ: ARST) reported strong Q1 numbers on increasing demand for cyber security.
• Brown-Forman Inc. (NYSE: BF.B) Q1 results easily topped expectations despite a decline in revenue.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) posted a Q3 loss but revenue improved sequentially, and shares rose.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Ciena, Del Monte, Hovnanian, Krispy Kreme, Movado ...

Earnings highlights: Ciena, Del Monte, Hovnanian, Krispy Kreme, Movado ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Hovnanian shares slide on earnings, housing woes

Hovnanian shares slide on earnings, housing woes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect upcoming catalysts and the company's opportunity in subsalt. FBR raised its target on shares to $60 from $50.
• Citigroup upgraded Marvel (NYSE: MVL) to Hold from Sell on expectations the acquisition by Disney (NYSE: DIS) will close. The firm raised its target on shares to $50 from $31.
• JPMorgan upgraded Cubic (NYSE: CUB) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations the company will benefit from the Vix ERG acquisition and increased sales visibility. The firm raised its target on shares to $43 from $38.
• Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein.
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Thompson Creek (NYSE: TC) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) is scheduled to discuss its fiscal third-quarter 2009 results tomorrow in a conference call at 2:00 PM ET hosted by CEO Robert I. Toll. You can catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

Recent good news about the housing sector ought to be good news for homebuilders such as Toll Brothers. Yet, for the three months that ended July 31, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the Pennsylvania-based company to report that its net loss widened to $1.74 per share from $0.18 per share a year ago. That largely due to the fact that revenue for the quarter is expected to have fallen 42.3% to $460.2 million, because of of falling home prices, tighter mortgage lending standards, and rising unemployment.

Continue reading Toll Brothers earnings preview: A big Q3 loss expected

Toll Brothers earnings preview: A big Q3 loss expected originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week brings a small flurry of end-of-the-calendar-quarter earnings reports. And for the most part, the expectations of the analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters aren't very high. Companies expected to report declining earnings in the most recently concluded quarter include America's Car-Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT), Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY), ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG), Jabil Circuit Inc. (NYSE: JBL), Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX), Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON), and Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC).

Continue reading The week in preview: End-of-quarter earnings expectations: Nike, Oracle, Walgreen ...

The week in preview: End-of-quarter earnings expectations: Nike, Oracle, Walgreen ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) lowered its 2009 earnings guidance, initially sending the share price lower.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) reported a bigger-than-expected Q2 net loss as revenues sank.
• Collective Brands Inc. (NYSE: PSS) saw Q1 earnings and sales decline, but beat Wall Street estimates.
• Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) earnings prospects led Goldman Sachs analysts to increase its forecasts.
• Guess? Inc. (NYSE: GES) weak Q1 results topped estimates and it offered guidance that pleased investors.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Google, KKR, Krispy Kreme, Williams-Sonoma, Guess? and more

Earnings highlights: Google, KKR, Krispy Kreme, Williams-Sonoma, Guess? and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.