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

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) shares rose after it reaffirmed its full-year earnings and sales outlook.
• Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) will have low double-digit EPS growth, predicts one analyst.
• AutoZone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) posted a decline in earnings but a small rise in sales, sending shares lower.
• Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) posted better-than-expected Q2 earnings and higher revenue.
• CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) rallied to a new 52-week high after topping analysts' Q2 earnings expectations.
• Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) reported better-than-expected Q3 results and raised its full-year guidance.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS), the bottler and distributor whose brands also include A&W, Clamato, Country Time, Hawaiian Punch and Motts, is scheduled to discuss its second quarter 2009 results tomorrow morning in a conference call at 9:00 AM ET, featuring CEO Larry Young and CFO John Stewart. You can catch the live webcast on the company's website.

For the quarter in which Dr Pepper entered a marketing agreement with Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and expanded its product offerings to McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) and Jack in the Box (NASDAQ: JACK), analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the Plano, Tex.-based beverage giant to report that earnings fell 18.3% from a year ago to $0.49 per share, though that's up from better-than-expected $0.37 per share in the first quarter. Revenue for the second quarter is expected to be 3.4% lower to $1.5 billion. Earnings beat estimates in three of the past four quarters, by as much as 8 cents per share.

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.

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).

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.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Anheuser-Busch (BUD), Imax Corp (IMAX), Amgen (AMGN), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) and TiVO (TIVO) were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• 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...

OTHER UPGRADES:

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

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?

Jack in the Box (NYSE: JBX), with its wry commercials and its oddly addictive Jumbo Jack burgers and mashed-up tacos, reported second-quarter earnings today that managed to glide past analysts' expectations.

The fast food concern said its second-quarter profit rose 24.9% to $27.2 million, or 80 cents per share, from $21.9 million (61 cents per share) in the year-ago period. Revenue was up 6.8% during the period to $660.7 million. Both headline figures topped analysts' expectations; the consensus view on Wall Street was for per-share results of 70 cents on revenue of $663 million.

Looking forward, the restaurateur has lifted its full-year earnings guidance to a per-share range of $3.45 to $3.50. For the third quarter, Jack in the Box expects to bank between 85 and 89 cents per share, amid same-store sales growth of 5.0% to 6.0%.

In midday trading, the shares have gained 4% to reach a new all-time high.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

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.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: CKE Restaurants. Inc (CKR), Texas Instruments Inc (TXN), SurModics, Inc (SRDX), Nokia Corp (NOK) and DirecTV Group, Inc (DTV) were today's notable initiations:

• 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.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

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

Monday February 12

• 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.

Tuesday February 13

• 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.

Wednesday February 14

• 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.

Thursday February 15

• 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.

Friday February 16

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

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.

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).

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.

Earlier on the STOP TRADING segment on CNBC, Cramer showed 3 ideas for possible buyouts. He thought private equity would possibly consider Cumulus Media (CMLS) for radio. Cramer also noted fast food plays Jack in the Box (JBX) and Sonic (SONC) as potential buyout candidates.

He also thought private equity would consider TJX Corp (TJX) and Limited (LTD) in retail.

Cramer's only cautious stock was Pepsi (PEP) because of the large exposure to chips and snacks, and said it lost its fizz.