Continue reading Closing Bell: Snow, Chinese Interest Rate Hikes Chilly Stocks (RPRX, JTX, HRB, AVL, PSDV, ALIM, TSLA)

Closing Bell: Snow, Chinese Interest Rate Hikes Chilly Stocks (RPRX, JTX, HRB, AVL, PSDV, ALIM, TSLA) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even though Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (JTX) is the number two tax preparer in the U.S., the company has had its share of problems this year. Yet, it looks like there has been some headway, such as with financing issues. As a result, the shares of Jackson are up nearly 40% to about $2.35. However, investors should still be cautious with this stock. With tax season over, there are few catalysts.

Basically, Jackson has secured a deal with its lenders to provide sufficient funding for the rest of the year. But to get things realigned, Jackson will also cut roughly 15% of its workforce. This will result in a $1 million severance charge to pretax earnings for the quarter.

Continue reading Jackson Hewitt Secures Funding for the Rest of the Year

Jackson Hewitt Secures Funding for the Rest of the Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The federal and state governments regulate a variety of industries that help with your money -- such as stockbrokers. However, when it comes to preparing taxes, the licensing is fairly sporadic. Only a few states have requirements. Kind of scary, huh?

Well, things are going to change. The IRS has announced that it will take the responsibility of regulating U.S. tax preparation companies, such as H&R Block (HRB) and Jackson Hewitt (JTX).

Continue reading IRS Finally Regulates Tax Preparers

IRS Finally Regulates Tax Preparers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

H&R Block did pretty well considering revenues declined almost 3%. Earnings from continuing operations were flat at $2.09 per diluted share. This was enough to beat estimates of $2.05 per share according to this source.

Continue reading H&R Block has nice Q4 -- buy it now?

H&R Block has nice Q4 -- buy it now? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:15:00 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.

Analyst upgrades:

• Barclays believes Procter & Gamble's (NYSE: PG) portfolio mix provides better leverage to stabilizing macro trends. The firm upgraded shares to Overweight from Equal weight and raised its target to $60 from $56. Note the firm downgraded Colgate (NYSE: CL) to Equal Weight from Overweight.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) to Buy from Hold as it finds the risk/reward on shares compelling at current levels and sees upcoming catalysts from McCafe and easing commodity pressures. The firm raised its target price to $65 from $60.
• FBR Capital upgraded Talbots (NYSE: TLB) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect an attractive risk/reward, reduced risk of a bankruptcy, and merchandise improvements. The firm raised its target price to $4 from $2.
• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: PG, MCD, TLB, CL, JTX, HD, IPCM, MYRG and NFLX

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: PG, MCD, TLB, CL, JTX, HD, IPCM, MYRG and NFLX originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 May 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tax specialist H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), whose colleagues include Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) and Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX), prepared its Q2 earnings report for investors on Monday after the exchanges had closed. According to this article, the company met expectations for the bottom line. H&R Block saw a net loss of $0.40 per share from continuing operations. That was an improvement of two cents when compared to Q2 2007.

While the bottom line met expectations, the top line came in below what Wall Street was hoping for. The call was for a little over $397 million in sales revenue. H&R Block actually delivered $351.5 million. So, when you add it all together, you come up with something of a lukewarm quarter, in my opinion.

But you have to remember something about this business: tax season is coming up. So, even though we're talking about a loss right now, we should be talking about a profit once the fiscal year concludes. In fact, analysts are calling for H&R Block to earn around $1.63 per share. Management believes that somewhere between $1.60 and $1.70 per share is conceivable. That leaves room for a beat. And, at the stock's current price, H&R Block may be cheap.

Continue reading H&R Block meets expectations: Is it worth a look?

H&R Block meets expectations: Is it worth a look? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) is recently down 10 cents to $17.07. JTX is scheduled to report Q1 EPS on September 4. Soleil Group says: "We believe there are too many uncertainties to be aggressive one way or the other; we are maintaining our Hold rating." JTX September option implied volatility of 50 is below its 26-week average of 55 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is recently up 24 cents to $25.23. Soleil Group has a Buy rating and price target of $28 on HRB. HRB September option implied volatility of 40 is near its 26-week average, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Volatility Index S&P 500 Options-VIX down 27c to 19.48; 10-day moving average is 20.24

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

Option Update: Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block volatility flat into earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), whose colleagues include Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) and Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX), reported Q4 and full-year earnings on Monday. The numbers looked pretty good to me. For Q4, revenues increased 11% to $2.6 billion and earnings per diluted share from continuing operations increased 17% to $2.11. According to this article, analysts' expectations were beat by $0.08. For the full year, the top line expanded by 10%, coming in at $4.4 billion. Earnings per diluted share from continuing operations jumped 21% to $1.39.

The tax specialist said it worked with 23.5 million clients, the most ever in its corporate history. That's a nice indication of health for the company, I suppose, but here's a better one. The board decided to juice the dividend. The annual payment will now be $0.60 per share, translating to a 5% increase. Okay, 5% isn't too exciting, I'll grant you, but H&R Block has now increased its payments to shareholders every year for over a decade.

But, as the company stated in its release, although it intends on repurchasing shares over the next few years, it will remain "particularly disciplined" about the subject in the next fiscal year. Essentially, that means shareholders should not expect a lot of share repurchases for a while. H&R Block is reacting to the fact that it is still rebooting itself after being victimized by the subprime mortgage crisis. I'd rather hear a more aggressive stance in terms of buyback plans, but I'd say there is prudent motive in such posture given the company's state.

Continue reading H&R Block rocks expectations for its fourth quarter

H&R Block rocks expectations for its fourth quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Given that it's the end of the quarter, as well as the U.S. Independence Day holiday on Friday, next week looks to be pretty quiet as far as earnings go. But there are a few things of note.

Tax preparation company H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter results Monday after market close. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial on average expect the company to report net income of $2.03 per share on revenue of $2.5 billion. That's an increase of more than 10% over EPS a year ago. H&R Block has tended to fall short of estimates recently, and rival Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) missed its EPS estimates earlier this month. Still, analysts recommend buying HRB. Shares have risen 12.1% year to date, and the long-term EPS growth forecast is 11.7%.

Alcoholic beverage maker and distributor Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) is scheduled to report its fiscal first-quarter results Tuesday morning. Analysts are looking for earnings of 31 cents per share, up 32.3% from the same period of the previous year, on revenue of $906.1 million. Constellation has tended toward positive surprises recently, by 8 cents, or 33.8%, in the previous quarter. However, analysts recommend holding STZ and have for more than 90 days., even though the long-term EPS growth forecast is 12.3%. Although shares have risen 9.0% in the past three months, they are down 16.8% year to date.

Phoenix-based education company Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL) is scheduled to report its fiscal third-quarter results late Tuesday. Analysts on average are expecting the company to report net income of 78 cents per share -- the same as in the year ago period -- on revenue of $806.9 million. When it comes to meeting expectations, lately Apollo has a mixed record -- it fell short by 11 cents, or more than 20%, in the previous quarter. Analysts recommend buying APOL and have for more than 90 days. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 14.0%. Though shares have risen 4.2% in the past three months, they are down 31.6% year to date.

Continue reading The week in preview: End of the quarter earnings

The week in preview: End of the quarter earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 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:

• Astec Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTE) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
• Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) fourth-quarter profit fails to offset the full-year loss.
• China Techfaith Wireless Communication Technology (NASDAQ: CNTF) beat analysts' expectations.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) met analysts' estimates, buoyed by higher fuel prices.
• FTI Consulting Inc. (NYSE: FCN) beat expectations and raised its full-year guidance.
• H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) narrowed its loss due to higher sales and smaller subprime losses.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX) missed estimates as third-quarter profits declined sharply.
• LifeCell Corp. (NASDAQ: LIFC) beat fourth-quarter estimates and offered full-year guidance.
• Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ: MRVL) lowered its first-quarter forecast , sending shares lower.
• Porsche AG (OTC: PSEPF) profit soared on strong sales of its Cayenne.
• S1 Corp. (NASDAQ: SONE) beat expectations and offered full-year guidance.
• Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) fourth-quarter profit nearly doubled, but full-year profit declined.
• Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN) beat expectations on strength in same-store sales.
• Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) reports strong same-store sales ahead of its quarterly results.

Also, see Timothy Sykes's take on Warren Buffett's annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) shareholders. Zac Bissonnette is interested in where earnings actually come from. And Saks, Costco, and other retailers saw stronger February same-store sales despite recession concerns, but JC Penney Co. (NYSE: JCP) didn't feel the love.

Upcoming results to watch for include Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), Boston Beer Co. (NYSE: SAM), J. Crew Group Inc. (NYSE: JCG), Jones Soda Co. (NASDAQ: JSDA), Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX), and Men's Wearhouse Inc. (NYSE: MW).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: Blockbuster, Costco, H&R Block, Walgreen, Saks and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 08 Mar 2008 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Thornburg Mortgage (NYSE: TMA) to Hold from Buy to reflect the ongoing dislocation of the mortgage markets and lowered their target to $3.75 from $14. While they believe Thornburg will probably survive its current liquidity crisis, they think the company's capital structure will be impaired further.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) to Underweight from Neutral, citing valuation, higher steel prices, the difficult macro environment and competition.
  
• Stephens cut Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) to Equal Weight from Overweight to reflect the company's recent results and concerns over the issues that have impacted the basic business.

• Merrill lowered Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO) to Sell from Neutral.
  
• Lehman downgraded PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ: PDLI) to Equal Weight from Overweight.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded Tessera (NASDAQ: TSRA) to Market Perform from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades: Thornburg Mortgage, Whirlpool, Jackson Hewitt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So far, tax season as not been kind to the number two tax preparer in the U.S., Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX). A slow start to the season led to a sharp decline in fiscal third-quarter earnings, the company reported today. Net income in the quarter ended January 31 fell 34% to $18.2 million, or 61 cents per share, from the year-ago period. Revenue was down 15% to $97.6 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected profit of 99 cents per share on revenue of $118.4 million.

Jackson Hewitt shares dropped more than 30% on Tuesday, reaching a new multi-year low of $13.51, and closed at $13.68.

The leading U.S. tax preparer, H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB), is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter results tomorrow. It has missed earnings estimates in three of the past four quarters. For the current quarter, analysts polled by Thomson Financial expect earnings of 6 cents per share, compared to 8 cents in the year-ago quarter.

H&R Block's earnings per share growth forecast for this year is 19.5%, better than the industry average of 13.7%, as well as Jackson Hewitt's 16.3%. The analysts' consensus recommendation is to buy HRB. Shares have risen from the 52-week low of $16.89 in January, but today continued their recent slide to close at $17.82.

Jackson Hewitt tumbles on profit decline originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• HSBC downgraded Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to Underweight from Neutral, as they believe the company's mid-single digit pharma sales growth is not sustainable.
  
• AIG (NYSE: AIG) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform by Keefe Bruyette due to their concerns about the company's deteriorating profit trends.
  
• Diageo (NYSE: DEO) was lowered to Neutral from Buy by Goldman Sachs to reflect a lack of near-term catalysts.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) to Hold from Buy, as they believe it is likely that the acquisition will close in April.

• Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) was dropped to Hold from Buy by Morgan Joseph.
• Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) was dropped to Neutral from Buy at FTN Midwest.
• Roth Capital downgraded Collagenex (NASDAQ: CGPI) to Hold from Buy.
• Credit Suisse lowered MFA Mortgage (NYSE: MFA) to Neutral from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades: NVS, AIG, DEO and BEAS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) closed at $18.47 Tuesday.

Soleil Securities has a Buy rating on HRB.

HRB overall option implied volatility of 45 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) closed Tuesday at $21.65, near a 30-month low.

Soleil Securities has a Hold rating with an $18 price target on JTX.

JTX overall option implied volatility of 59 is above its 26-week average of 43 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

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

Option update: Volatility levels for tax preparers HRB, JTX originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Its location among the mid Atlantic states has made New Jersey a transportation hub, a manufacturing and commerce center, and a source of plenty of investment opportunities. Twenty-four Fortune 500 companies are headquartered there. And four companies from New Jersey made Fortune's 2007 list of the fastest growing companies in the U.S.: Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH), Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ: CELG), inVentiv Health Inc. (NASDAQ: VTIV), and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX).

Cognizant has been on Fortune's list of fastest growing companies for the past five years. This Teaneck-based member of the S&P 500 is a global IT services firm with clients in the health care, financial services, and manufacturing industries. Cognizant's three-year annual revenue growth rate was 56 percent; its three-year annual earnings per share growth rate was 55 percent. The consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial is that Cognizant is a buy, and the company has beat Wall Street expectations for the past four quarters. The share price of $85.79 at close on Friday is up from the 52-week low of $67.60 in September. The price has risen since Cognizant announced a stock split and share repurchase program in September, and the Motley Fool has since dubbed Cognizant a hypergrowth stock.

Summit-based Celgene is a biopharmaceuticals firm involved in cancer treatment and stem cell research. Its three-year annual revenue growth rate was 48 percent; its three-year annual earnings per share growth rate was 33 percent. The consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial is that Celgene is a buy. The share price reached a 52-week high of $72.91 on Friday. The Motley Fool recognized Celgene for its sustainable competitive advantage over its rivals, and Jim Cramer also likes Celgene.

Continue reading Investing in New Jersey: Jackson Hewett (JTX), Cognizant (CTSH) and others

Investing in New Jersey: Jackson Hewett (JTX), Cognizant (CTSH) and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank cut Getty Images (NYSE: GYI) to Sell from Hold citing deterioration in its core business. Gabelli downgraded Getty Images to Hold from Buy after the company lowered guidance to reflect the changing industry dynamics.

• Goldman cut Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) to Sell from Neutral citing near-term risks that include the renegotiation of the HSBC (HBC)/RAL contract, the DoJ/IRS investigation, and decreasing performance in tax.

• Jefferies downgraded Electronic Data Systems (NYSE: EDS) to Hold from Buy to reflect the company's slowing cash flow improvement.

• Wedbush downgraded RC2 Corp (NASDAQ: RCRC) to Buy from Strong Buy on the lower sales forecast for 2007. Soleil cut shares to Hold from Gradually Accumulate to reflect uncertainty over the Thomas recall and increased competition.

• Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform based on valuation...

• Lazard downgraded Kyphon (NASDAQ: KYPH) to Hold from Buy.

• SMH Capital cut Aventine Renewable Energy (NYSE: AVR) to Sell from Neutral.

• Credit Suisse downgraded AutoDesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) to Neutral from Buy.

• UBS cut SABMiller (OTC SBMRY) to Reduce from Neutral.

• CIBC downgraded Marvell Tech (NASDAQ: MRVL) to Sector Performer from Outperformer.

Analyst downgrades 8-02-07: ADSK, CMG, EDS and MRVL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The federal inquiry into Jackson-Hewitt Tax Services (NYSE: JTX) has expanded amid allegations that more than 125 of the company's offices knowingly helped tens of thousands of its customers file fraudulent tax returns to obtain $70 million in refunds. Last week, the company disclosed that it was being investigated by the IRS.

The company's stock has not tanked on news, partly because the announcement is just an expansion of the current investigation. For now, the accusations of wrongdoing are limited to the company's franchisees, but that could of course change.

Even if Jackson-Hewitt itself isn't charged, this raises serious questions about the company's internal controls, training, and oversight of its franchisees. The company said in a filing that it "intends to complete the internal review promptly and to implement a variety of enhancements in the areas of compliance and monitoring for the 2008 filings season."

This raises many questions.

Will the scandals hurt the company's growth? Will potential franchisees want to associate themselves with a company that is the subject of such a scandal?

The shares haven't tumbled that much on the news of the investigation and I think the market may be underestimating the effect this will have on the company's growth.

Feds expand inquiry into Jackson Hewitt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jun 2007 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Bear Stearns downgraded shares of Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) to Underperform from Peer Peform citing difficulties in California and weak margins.

• Stifel downgraded Furniture Brands (NYSE: FBN) to Sell from Hold citing concerns regarding continued weakness in the housing industry.

• Summer Street downgraded Sepracor (NASDAQ: SEPR) to Sell from Neutral after the HCPCS website indicated Xopenex and Albuterol will have the same code as of July 1.The firm believes this eliminates the optimistic scenarios that Sepracor can garner a minimal-or-no-reimbursement cut.

• RBC downgraded shares of ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) to Underperform from Sector Perform as the firm believes the FTC letter poses a risk to earnings and that the company is unlikely to be acquired.

• Matrix downgraded Altria Group (NYSE: MO) to Buy from Strong Buy to reflect decreasing cigarette sales and increasing valuation...

• American Technology cut Autodesk, Inc (NASDAQ: ADSK) to Neutral from Buy.

• Matrix downgraded Fluor Corp (NYSE: FLR) to Sell from Buy.

• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (NYSE: JTX) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair.

• Baird sent Alliance Data Systems Corp (NYSE: ADS) to Neutral from Outperform.

• Roth Capital downgraded shares of Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC) to Hold from Buy.

Analyst downgrades 5-18-07: ADSK, MO, SEPR, THC and VCLK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 May 2007 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS upgraded shares of Weyerhaeuser Co (NYSE: WY) to Neutral from Reduce citing the stock's recent weakness.

• Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (NYSE: JTX) to Equal Weight from Underweight on valuation as the firm believes yesterday's sell-off was overdone.

• Hewlett-Packard Co (NYSE: HPQ) was upgraded to buy from Neutral at American Technology on valuation.

• Coldwater Creek (NASDAQ: CWTR) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America based on the company's favorable risk/reward.

• BB&T upgraded shares of Pacer International, Inc (NASDAQ: PACR) to Buy from Hold citing the company's operational changes and new $100M shares' repurchase.

• Goldman upgraded Spherion Corp (NYSE: SFN) to Neutral from Sell.

• SkyWest, Inc (NASDAQ: SKYW) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at Prudential.

• Bear Stearns upgraded shares of Sonic Corp (NASDAQ: SONC) to Outperform from Peer Perform on expectations of an acceleration in partner drive-in same store sales and system wide unit expansion.

• Citigroup upgraded Corinthian Colleges, Inc (NASDAQ: COCO) to Buy from Hold after a company visit as the firm believes expectations are finally low enough and recent initiatives are taking hold. Further, Citigroup believes takeover speculation will limit downside as their analysis suggests an LBO could work.

Analyst upgrades 4-04-07: Hewlett-Packard & Coldwater Creek upgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.