Last week, JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) posted a quarterly loss and lowered its guidance. But as interest in alternative energy continues to grow, analysts polled by Thomson Financial are still looking for good things from solar energy concerns scheduled to report earnings this week.

Strong growth at Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) in the third quarter prompted it to lift its guidance back in October. Analysts expect the Chinese company to post profits that are 76.3% higher than a year ago, or $1.18 per share on revenues of $268.4 million (+225.0%). Though Trina Solar missed estimates in the second quarter, analysts on average recommend buying TSL. Shares are down 81.4% from a year ago and trading near an all-time low.

Earnings of rival LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) are expect to have risen 47.9% to $0.71 per share on revenues of $486.7 million (+206.6%). Also based in China, LDK has not missed estimates in recent quarters; in fact, it blew past expectations in the second quarter. Yet the consensus recommendation is to hold LDK. Like Trina Solar, LDK's shares are trading near an all-time low; the share price has fallen 50.0% in the past year.

Analysts anticipate third-quarter earnings for Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) to be a whopping 96.3% higher than a year ago, or $0.54 per share on revenues of $248.0 million (+154.5%). The company easily topped estimates in the previous quarter. ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) and Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) are also expected to report earnings growth of 29.7% ($0.37 per share) and 23.8% ($0.42 per share), respectively. All three of these stocks reached 52-week lows last week, and all are considered buys.

Continue reading The week in preview: High hopes for solar, not so much for home improvement

The week in preview: High hopes for solar, not so much for home improvement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• DJIA 12,890.64 (+58.46; +0.46%)
• S&P500 1,407.87 (+4.83; +0.34%)
• NASDAQ 2,495.66 (+0.54; +0.02%)
• 10YR-TBond 3.938% (+0.029)
• 52-WEEK LOWS
• 10 ANALYST CALLS

Continue reading Closing Bell: Good inflation data wins, but sellers lighten gains

Closing Bell: Good inflation data wins, but sellers lighten gains originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 May 2008 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman upgraded the U.S. Refiners to Attractive from Neutral, citing valuations; the firm raised its rating on CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI) and Holly Corp (NYSE:HOC) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Lehman upgraded shares of Rigel Pharma (NASDAQ:RIGL) to Overweight from Equal Weight following the company's positive R788 data.
  
• Bear Stearns said the Lufthansa (DLAKY) investment gives JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) some breathing room to execute on its turnaround but notes the company's long-term strategy remains in question. Bear raised its rating on JetBlue to Peer Perform from Underperform.

• UBS upgraded Disney (NYSE:DIS) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Jack in the Box (NYSE:JBX) to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Jefferies upgraded United Online (NASDAQ:UNTD) to Buy from Hold.

Analyst upgrades: U.S refiners, RIGL and JBLU originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Many of us rarely enter fast food restaurants, preferring to conduct our business with them from the comfort of our driver's seats. Do you know which major hamburger chain was the first to develop and expand the concept of drive-thru dining? The company spokesman is a clownish looking fellow. He may not be the one you are imagining, though. This chap lives in a box.

Jack in the Box (NYSE: JBX) operates one of the nation's largest hamburger chains, with more than 2,100 Jack in the Box theme restaurants in 18 states. The company also operates a proprietary chain of convenience stores called Quick Stuff, with 60 locations, each built adjacent to a full-size Jack in the Box restaurant and including a major-brand fuel station. Additionally, the company operates and franchises Qdoba Mexican Grill, a fast-casual dining chain with more than 400 restaurants in 39 states. Burger King (NYSE: BKC), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) and Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) are major competitors.

The firm had good news for investors last week, when it announced Q4 EPS of 43 cents and revenues of $678.4 million. Analysts had been expecting 39 cents and $679 million. In discussing the successful quarter, the CEO cited efforts to reposition the Jack in the Box brand to appeal to a broader base of consumers. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $2.13-2.21 ($1.98 consensus).

Continue reading Jack in the Box (JBX): Shares define bullish 'flag' pattern

Jack in the Box (JBX): Shares define bullish 'flag' pattern originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) announced it is dropping its $3.3 billion bid for Tele Atlas. TomTom had bid $4.2 billion for Tele Atlas. GRMN, a designer and manufacturer of navigation, communication and information devices, is recently up $20.00 to $104.12 in pre-open trading. GRMN overall option implied volatility of 62 is above its 26-week average of 50 according to Track Data, indicating larger price movement.

Jack in the Box (NYSE: JBX) is recently trading at $30 in pre-open trading, above its close of $27.08. JBX reported Q4 EPS of 43 cents vs. consensus estimates of 38 cents. JBX full year same-store sales increased 6.1%. RBC Capital Markets says "JBX offers EPS guidance above estimates." JBX overall option implied volatility of 65 is above its 26-week average of 32 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update: Garmin volatility up on abandoned bid for Tele Atlas originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Reuters reports that several companies in Southern California have been hit by the firestorm there. The stocks in these companies have fallen less than the market -- the S&P 500 is down 3.2% -- in the last week. But in one case -- Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) -- investors dumped the stock for reasons unrelated to the fire.

These six public companies have been affected by the fires as follows:

• Jack in the Box (NYSE: JBX). The San Diego corporate headquarters were closed on Monday and Tuesday, though spokesman Brian Luscomb said there were a couple of dozen employees working at the fast food company's building on Tuesday morning. Its stock is up 0.1% in the last week.
• Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM). Few showed up at the San Diego headquarters of the wireless technology and semiconductor developer, where the bulk of its 11,200 worldwide employees work. Its stock is down 2.8% in the last week.
• Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM). The semiconductor firm closed its San Diego office, but was open in Irvine. Its stock is down 20.9% in the last week -- due to a downgrade.

Continue reading Southern California firestorm singes local stocks

Southern California firestorm singes local stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) to Hold from Sell as they see a 70% chance of an alliance between Anheuser-Busch and InBev in the next two years; they believe such a merger would create a market leader.

• Merriman upgraded IMAX Corp (NASDAQ: IMAX) to Buy from Neutral after IMAX removed its overhang by completing SEC filings, while fundamentals have remained strong.

• Citigroup upgraded Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Hold from Sell to reflect the potential for CMS to roll back proposed reimbursement cuts in oncology, an improving risk/reward profile and the potential for positive phase 3 denosumab data by year-end.

• Stifel raised its rating on Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) to Hold from Sell on valuation.

• Kaufman upgraded TiVO (NASDAQ: TIVO) to Buy from Sell as indicators of the change in its business model suggest a positive transaction. The firm feels the the EchoStar (DISH) litigation provides an attractive risk/reward potential, creating an attractive entry point...

• Aflac (NYSE: AFL) was upgraded at Lehman to Overweight from Underweight.

• Stifel upgraded Progressive (NYSE: PGR) to Hold from Sell.

• Wedbush upgraded Jack in the Box (NYSE: JBX) to Buy from Hold.

• Eastman Chemical (NYSE: EMN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.

• Navteq (NYSE: NVT) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Analyst upgrades 7-23-07: AFL, AMGN, BUD and TIVO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We Americans are a funny lot. In another era, we valued thrift and fiscal conservatism. But no longer. These days we're all living La Vida Loca in the consumer economy.

Yep. We love to spend. And although there are some ominous signs on the horizon that the party may be coming to a close, the party ain't over yet. In the spirit of fun, AOL has a new feature celebrating the vices that represent the best ways to part with your hard-earned dollars. I couldn't help but agree with many of them. I opine on some additional money-wasters below:

Bottled Water
It's water. And last year we spent more on it than on iPods and movie tickets. This Fast Company piece says it all. Thirty years ago, the article says, bottled water was a blip on the business screen in this country. But tastes change, apparently. Last year, Americans spent some $15 billion on bottled water, from Poland Spring to upscale Fiji Water. The Coca-Cola Co.'s (NYSE: KO) Dasani and PepsiCo's (NYSE: PEP) Aquafina, the top-two bottled waters in the country, are admittedly just purified - and nicely-packaged tap water!

Cable - You're paying how much for cable each month? And you're getting....2,000 channels of crap, plus maybe some decent sports now and then. The cable companies promise something for everyone, but you still have to wade through somebody else's definition of entertainment to find your own. There's no bigger waste of time or money. You might be amazed at how much entertainment you can rent cheaply on DVDs, or even download from the internets. Try going to your favorite sports bar for the ESPN offerings you feel you can't miss, and enjoy them with like-minded buddies. Even more un-American? Try getting rid of your cable and availing yourself of all that sudden free time.

New Cars
Yeah, yeah we all love that new car smell, but that's about all you're getting when you plunk down your cash for a brand new vehicle. According to Edmunds.com, the average new care loses 12.2% of its value in the first year. Some cars depreciate even faster. A one or two-year-old vehicle can cost thousands less and still offer low mileage and reliability. It'll look good, too. And nobody ever needs to know you didn't buy it new off the lot. Now breath deep: Smell that? It's the scent of a good deal.

Continue reading Seven great ways to waste your money

Seven great ways to waste your money originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CKE Restaurants (NYSE: CKR), parent company of Hardee's and Carl Jr.'s is suing Jack in the Box (NYSE: JBX) for a television commercial which allegedly suggests that the company's famous angus burgers are made from cow anus (see YouTube video above).

This is one of the more entertaining legal cases I've seen in awhile. According to the Associated Press, "CKE claims the ads create the misleading impression that Jack In The Box's new 100 percent sirloin burgers use a better quality of meat than the Angus beef used by Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. CKE claims the spots confuse consumers by comparing sirloin, a cut of meat found on all cattle, with Angus, which is a breed of cattle."

According to CKE CEO Andrew F. Puzder "They're not being funny. They need to stop misleading people about what Angus beef is."

Here's the problem: They actually are being funny. And I certainly don't claim to be a legal expert, but I think that part of Jack in the Box's defense is going to be "Lighten up and learn to take a joke."

Puzder said that CKE had asked Jack in the Box to pull the ad, but the company refused, pointing to a Carl Jr.'s ad which suggested that its milkshakes were better than the competition. Here's the best part: Puzder said the comparison was not valid because they had not claimed that competitors made their milk from cow anuses.

This whole "scandal" seems like a tempest in a tea pot to me. Jack in the Box's commercial was a clever pun on the word "angus" and certainly not misleading. Did anyone watching it really come away thinking that angus burgers were made from anuses?

Continue reading Jack in the Box sued for suggesting angus burger is really anus burger

Jack in the Box sued for suggesting angus burger is really anus burger originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 May 2007 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jack in the Box

Jack in the Box pops up with winning earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 May 2007 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This morning's news out of McDonald's Corp. (NYSE:MCD) is what shareholders love to eat up, no pun intended. Shares are up $1.10 to $47.74. The highs for the year were actually only $47.00 and that represents a more than 50% gain from its lows. This is now back to the highs of 1999, so shares are close to all-time high now.

It said that Q1-2007 earnings per share are expected to be approximately $0.62, including $0.01 per share of positive foreign currency translation and reflecting a tax rate of approximately 30%; so call it $0.61. This compares to estimates of $0.57 on an EPS basis. This is up from a mere $0.49 in Q1 2006.

Check these numbers out: comparable sales for McDonald's restaurants worldwide increased 8.2% for the month and 6.3% for the quarter. Global Systemwide sales for McDonald's restaurants increased 12.7% in March (9.4% in constant currencies) and 10.3% for the first quarter (7.5% in constant currencies). You should use the "constant currencies" for direct comparisons.

McDonald's U.S. posted a 6.2% comparable sales gain in March. In Europe, it posted an 11.2% comparable sales increase for March. Its AMPEA (Asia, Pacific, Middle East, Africa) comparable sales grew 9.6% in March. To top all this off, every single one of these regions is showing accelerated growth rates compared with March 2006.

The systemwide sales are McUnbelievable: 12.7% total for March globally: 7% US, 23.5% Europe, and 14.7% AMPEA-basis. When you see results like this, it is hard to criticize them for spinning off Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.(NYSE:CMG) to focus on core operations.

If the international markets are driving sales to this tune a same-store-sales basis, maybe America isn't thought of as poorly as we are being told. Do you get fries and a shake with that $1.10 gain today?

Jack in the Box Inc. (NYSE:JBX) shares are down 0.63 (0.92%) at $67.72;, Wendy's International Inc. (NYSE:WEN) shares are up 0.26 (0.82%) at $32.12. and Burger King Holdings Corp. (NYSE:BKC) shares are up (1.1%) at $22.25

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.

McDonald's: McRally to a McHigh originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Wedbush initiated CKE Restaurants (NYSE: CKR) with a Buy rating and $25 target.

• Wachovia resumed coverage of Texas Instruments Inc (NYSE: TXN) with an Outperform rating, as the firm believes that TXN's fundamentals have bottomed and the valuation is attractive.

• SurModics Inc (NASDAQ: SRDX) was initiated with an Underperform rating and $28 target at Piper Jaffray. Piper doesn't see a near-term catalyst to move shares higher given a lack of visibility regarding new licenses.

• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) was initiated at Nollenberger with a Neutral rating.

• HSBC started DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) with an Underweight rating and $21 target.

• Stanford initiated Armor Holdings, Inc (NYSE: AH) with a Buy rating and $80 target.

• Wedbush initiated Jack in the Box Inc (NYSE: JBX) with a Hold rating and $68 target, citing the company's operational improvements and benefits from ongoing refranchising and share repurchases are fully reflected in the stock price.

• Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd (NYSE: CP) was initiated with a Sector Performer rating at CIBC.

• Stifel initiated Medical Properties Trust, Inc (NYSE: MPW) with a Hold rating.

• Bear Stearns initiated Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (NASDAQ: TEVA) with a Peer Perform rating.

• Thomas Wiesel initiated shares of Cepheid (NASDAQ: CPHD) and Luninex Corp (NASDAQ: LMNX) with Overweight ratings.

Analyst initiations 3-20-07: Nokia, Teva Pharma & Texas Insturments initiated today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cramer says to buy Sirius and XM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) to hold a 10:30am press conference from Barcelona on 3GSM.
• US and South Korea to hold Free-Trade Agreement talks from 2/11 to 2/14.

• Extreme entertainment earnings:
• World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE), conference call at 11am.
• Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA), conference call at 11am. Note that Playboy was recently downgraded by RBC Capital Markets and Sanders Morris Harris. Sanders Morris said the company will either issue guidance below consensus expectations or none at all on the call.
• PDUFA date for Pfizer, Inc's (NYSE: PFE) Fesoterodine, a new drug candidate for the treatment of an overactive bladder.

• Garmin Limited (NASDAQ: GRMN) to report Q4 earnings, conference call at 11am.
• MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) to report Q4 earnings, conference call at 11am.
• PDUFA date for Acambis plc's (OTC: ACAMY) ACAM-2000, a smallpox vaccine derived from Dryvax, a first-generation vaccine used during the global eradication program.
• PDUFA date for MedImmune Inc's (NASDAQ: MEDI) CAIV-T, an investigational intranasal, cold-adapted trivalent influenza vaccine.

• Biogen Idec Inc (NASDAQ: BIIB) to report Q4 earnings, conference call at 8:30am. On February 2, JP Morgan recommended buying Biogen before its quarterly report, saying the Tysbari uptake should be better than current expectations.

• Jack in the Box Inc (NYSE: JBX) to hold annual shareholder meeting at 3pm.

Market highlights for next week: Playboy, Garmin, Biogen reporting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jack in the Box (NYSE:JBX) owns and operates, or franchises, more than 2,000 Jack in the Box quick-service hamburger restaurants at locations in sixteen southern, midwestern and western states. The stores serve such standard fast-food fare as burgers, fries and breakfast items. The company also runs a chain of more than 300 Qdoba Mexican Grill fast-casual restaurants.

Earlier this week, the firm completed the repurchase of 2.3 million shares. The total value of the transactions was about $142.5 million. Late last month, it surprised Wall Street with fiscal Q4 EPS of 71 cents (ex-items) and revenues of $670.7 million. Analysts had been expecting 66 cents and $661.2 million. Management also guided Q1 EPS to 78-81 cents (78 cent consensus) and FY07 EPS to $3.02-$3.07 ($2.75 consensus). The news has kept JBX shares cycling through a positive two-month trading channel. The price is currently consolidating at the base of that channel, where technical parameters suggest the potential for a rise back toward the top. The approximate correspondence of the stock's 30-day moving average to the base of the channel backs the rebound notion.

Brokers recommend the issue with one "strong buy", one "buy", six "holds" and a "sell". The JBX P/E ratio (19.98), Price to Sales ratio (0.79), Price to Book ratio (2.97) and Price to Cash Flow ratio (11.06) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutions own about 95 percent of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 600 SmallCap Index. Over the past twelve months, it has traded between $33.15 and $64.60. Should you decide to invest, consider a stop-loss of $52.70.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com.

Jack in the Box shares at bottom of trading channel originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Nokia (NOK) and selected restaurants topped today's extensive list of downgrades:

• Due to slowing in the wireless sector, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Nokia Corp. (NYSE:NOK) to Neutral from Buy, following Texas Instruments' (NYSE:TXN) lowered guidance;
• Citing valuations and a deteriorating outlook, Buckingham downgraded shares of Darden Restaurants Inc (NYSE:DRI) and Wendy's Inernational Inc. (NYSE:WEN) to Neutral from Accumulate, as well as Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE:YUM) and Jack in the Box Inc. (NYSE:JBX) to Underperform from Neutral.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• JP Morgan downgraded Micron Technology Inc. (NYSE:MU) to Neutral from Overweight based on concerns of growing inventory levels and a weaker-than-expected flash market in the first half of 2007.
• Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) was removed from Sandler's Focus List.
• Calyon downgraded Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE:JCI) to Neutral from Buy with an $85 target, citing valuation and the weakening economy.
• RBC Capital Markets downgraded Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA) to Underperform from Sector Perform on valuation.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

Analyst downgrades 12-12-06: Nokia, Wendy's, Yum! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Many years ago, when I was in law school, I had to read lots of boring legal cases. From time to time, though, there would be a crazy case to liven things up.

Well, we got one recently. Panera Bread (NASDAQ:PNRA), which is a large bakery-cafe chain, sued Qdoba Mexican Grill, which is owned by Jack in the Box (NYSE:JBX). Qdoba wanted to move into a mall in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. The mall already had a Panera, and Panera's lawyers had cleverly negotiated an important clause in its lease agreement: the mall was prohibited from renting to another sandwich shop.

The ruling? The judge dismissed Panera's claim. His analysis was that, technically speaking, a burrito is not a sandwich. Simply put, a burrito involves only one tortilla, whereas a sandwich has two slices of bread.

Yes, it looks like he's on solid ground. Of course, Panera's attorneys disagree and will appeal.

It's enough to make me wish I were back in law school.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and operates InvestorOffering.com.

Landmark case: A sandwich is not a burrito originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cramer hot hot HOT for Chipotle Mexican Grill: 'burrito investing' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.