Results for the tech stocks in last week's preview were a mixed bag, some beats, some misses, some in line. By and large, expectations for tech companies reporting results this week remain high, though. Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are anticipating in the way of earnings, as compared to the same period of the previous year.

• Solarfun Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLF): $1.48 EPS (+73.0%) on sales of $1.3 billion (+171.0%)
• Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL): $0.21 EPS (+71.4%) on sales of $836.7 million (+27.4%)
• Solera Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SLH): $0.29 EPS (+51.7%) on sales of $137.0 million (+11.8%)
• Applied Signal Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: APSG): $0.14 EPS (+42.9%) on sales of $46.4 million (+17.4%)
• China Finance Online Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JRJC): $0.14 EPS (+42.6%) on sales of $13.3 million (+131.5%)
• OSI Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIS): $0.38 EPS (+36.8%) on sales of $162.0 million (+6.0%)
• LaBarge Inc. (AMEX: LB): $0.27 EPS (+33.3%) on sales of $71.6 million (+10.4%)
• Esterline Technologies Corp. (NYSE: ESL): $0.69 EPS (+11.6%) on sales of $374.6 million (+14.8%)
• Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL): $0.36 EPS (+11.1%) on sales of $15.9 billion (+7.8%)
• HEICO Corp. (NYSE: HEI): $0.46 EPS (+13.0%) on sales of $147.1 million (+10.5%)
• Daktronics Inc. (NASDAQ: DAKT): $0.17 EPS (flat) on sales of $141.5 million (+17.0%)
• Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL): $0.05 EPS (flat) on sales of $241.4 million (-0.7%)
• Omnivision Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: OVTI): $0.29 EPS (-17.1%) on sales of $172.5 million (-0.4%)
• Sigma Designs Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGM): $0.39 EPS (-18.8%) on sales of $58.7 million (+37.9%)

Continue reading The week in preview: Earnings expectations for techs, Canadian banks

The week in preview: Earnings expectations for techs, Canadian banks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I first started slamming China Finance Online (NASDAQ: JRJC) on October 3, when I asked How can China Finance online possibly not be overvalued?

To me -- and Citron Research -- there was no possible way that the stock wasn't heinously overvalued. But for some odd reason, the Wall Street analysts just couldn't get enough of it. Brean Murray slapped a $35 target on the stock, while the more conservative JPMorgan valued it at $29, which is the same target as Standard & Poor's. What are/were they thinking?

Now the stock has pulled back to $13.28 from its high of over $47 a share -- which was reached, incidentally, the day that I first mentioned the company. Now investors who bought into the hype are left wondering what happened. Is China Finance Online a buy now? I seriously doubt it. The market cap is still around $300 million on pretty tiny revenue: $25 million in 2007. More than 10 times sales for a company that sells stock newsletters in China using a sales force of telemarketers. Is that a joke?

With China's stock market down more than 17% this year, you have to think that the enthusiasm for stock pick newsletters will be waning after the stock market mania that enveloped the country last year. Playing the stock market has a way of becoming less fun when you're losing money hand over first.

Even after the precipitous drop, I'd still give China Finance Online wide berth.

Why were analysts promoting China Finance Online? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Warren Buffett says China is too hot -- Time to short JRJC? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The sort of financial information we all take for granted in the west is not quite so universally available in China. A leader in the business of correcting that condition is headquartered in Beijing.

China Finance Online (NASDAQ: JRJC) provides online financial data and analytics to customers in the People's Republic of China. The firm serves individual users and institutional clients with subscription-based packages that integrate financial and listed company information from multiple sources. Users can obtain financial news, research reports, real-time stock quotes and historical financial information for China's listed stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Database operations include search, retrieval, delivery, storage and analysis functions.

The stock popped in late September and early October on several instances of positive analyst commentary, word of a financial database development agreement with Tsinghua University, and a company announcement of favorable guidance. Management expected Q3 revenues of $7.1-7.5 million, versus prior guidance of $6.7-7.1 million and Street consensus of $6.75 million. The firm also anticipated FY08 revenues of $45-51 million, versus consensus of $40.87 million.

Continue reading China Finance Online (JRJC): Financial news for the People's Republic

China Finance Online (JRJC): Financial news for the People's Republic originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

How can China Finance Online (JRJC) possibly not be overvalued? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

No one would be particularly surprised that Chinese stocks traded on U.S. exchanges did well in the third quarter. The Shanghai Composite has doubled so far this year, and many stocks like Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU), the China search engine, have made stunning gains.

In the third quarter, China Eastern Airlines (NYSE: CEA) moved up 112%. China Finance Online (NASDAQ: JRJC) ran up 282%. It is hard to imagine that the Chinese market can keep up this momentum, but analysts say that every quarter.

No one would find it odd that home builders and mortgage lenders were among the big losers in the quarter. Beazer Homes (NYSE: BZH) fell 66% to $8.25. Fremont General (NYSE: FMT), which has a subprime lending operation, fell 63.4% to $3.90. Mortgage lender Novastar Financial (NYSE: NFI) was down 68% to $8.87.

As retail sales fell, specialty store operations took a pounding. Gottschalks (NYSE: GOT) fell 63.5% to $4.34. And, Sharper Image (NASDAQ: SHRP) dropped 63.7% to $4.13.

The toughest part of the quarter is the realization the retail, housing, and mortgage shares could actually go lower during the October to December period.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

Third quarter winners and losers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.