The new earnings season doesn't kick off until Alcoa (AA) reports its first-quarter results on April 11, but a few stragglers are still reporting their earnings for the previous quarter this week. The most prominent earnings reports on tap are Wednesday's results from Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) and from Monsanto (MON). Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect to see.

Bed Bath & Beyond

During its fiscal fourth quarter, the nation's largest domestics retailer opened new stores and its CEO sold shares. Analysts anticipate that the New Jersey-based company will report per-share earnings of 97 cents, an increase of 11.3% from the same quarter of last year. The company also is expected to post revenue of $2.4 billion for the three months that ended in February, a 6.3% rise from a year earlier.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Bed Bath & Beyond, Monsanto and Pier 1 Earnings

Week in Preview: Bed Bath & Beyond, Monsanto and Pier 1 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Economic Confusion Rules (AMRN, USO, GLD, VRX, HAUP, MON, TGT)

Closing Bell: Economic Confusion Rules (AMRN, USO, GLD, VRX, HAUP, MON, TGT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last year was definitely tough for Monsanto (MON), which is the world's largest seed producer. Some of its problems included lackluster results from its corn seed as well as plunges in the sales of Roundup herbicide.

But going into 2011, it looks like things may be getting back on track. According to its latest earnings report, Monsanto generated sales of $1.8 billion, up from $1.7 billion in 2009. In fact, there was a recovery in its Roundup business.

Continue reading Monsanto Engineers a Good Quarter

Monsanto Engineers a Good Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Options Update: BMC Software Volatility Low, Shares at Ten-Year High originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded Colgate (CL) and Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) to buy from hold.
• Wells Fargo upgraded IDACORP (IDA) to outperform from market perform.
• Union Pacific (UNP) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Goldman upgraded Quicksilver (KWK) to neutral from sell.
• Republic Airways (RJET) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded GAMCO Investors (GBL) to neutral from underperform.
• Senior Housing (SNH) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AKAM, CL, DB, JASO, MON, PVH, RAX, UNP ...

Analyst Calls: AKAM, CL, DB, JASO, MON, PVH, RAX, UNP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• State Street (STT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Roth Capital upgraded Intel (INTC), Marvell Technology (MRVL) and Nvidia (NVDA) to buy from neutral.
• Bebe Stores (BEBE) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• W&T Offshore (WTI) was upgraded to buy from accumulate at Global Hunter.
• Citigroup upgraded International Rectifier (IRF) and Timberland (TBL) to hold from sell.
• Watson Pharma (WPI) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Atmel (ATML) was upgraded to strong buy from buy at Needham.
• Ashford Hospitality (AHT) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Oppenheimer upgraded MetroPCS (PCS) to outperform from perform.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: GDP, INTC, LVS, MON, MRVL, NTRS, NVDA, STT, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: GDP, INTC, LVS, MON, MRVL, NTRS, NVDA, STT, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you are looking for clues to which stocks have a good chance of increasing in value, you might want consider watching what insiders are doing. After all, talk is cheap, but when insiders put their own money on the line, you should take note.

Jefferies Group (JEF) topped the insider-buying charts for the week ending July 9th as insiders snapped up 1,382,000 shares of company stock at a market value of $32,403,125. During the past six months, insiders have increased their overall holdings in the company by 1.73% and now own 3.76% of the stock.

Continue reading Insiders Snap Up Jefferies, Mannkind and More

Insiders Snap Up Jefferies, Mannkind and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Duoyuan Global Water (DGW) to neutral from underweight, citing the potential for positive fundamental news flow through the end of the year, and upped its price target to $16 from $9.
• Jefferies upgraded Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) to buy from underperform, expecting a benefit from a significant ramp in EVDO software sales as mobile data growth accelerates.
• Myriad Genetics (MYGN) was upgraded at RBC Capital to outperform from sector perform with a $23 price target based on valuation and potential to be acquired.
• Goldman upgraded Mohawk (MHK) to neutral from sell with a $53 price target.
• Smithfield Foods (SFD) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO capital with a $21 target.
• Priceline.com (PCLN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALU, BIG, COST, DGW, DOW, FO, GE, HON, MGM, MYGN, MON ...

Analyst Calls: ALU, BIG, COST, DGW, DOW, FO, GE, HON, MGM, MYGN, MON ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Monsanto: Buy or Sell After Q4 Report?

Monsanto: Buy or Sell After Q4 Report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: When Confusion Leads (AAPL, VZ, CSCO, COST, EQIX, JASO, MON, CRM)

Closing Bell: When Confusion Leads (AAPL, VZ, CSCO, COST, EQIX, JASO, MON, CRM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MSCI Brazil Index (EWZ) closed up $1,01 to $75.40. The Brazilian general election of 2010 will be held on Sunday, October 3. The Presidency of the Republic, all Chamber of Deputies seats, and fifty-four of the Federal Senate seats, will be contested in this election, along with all 26 states (plus the Federal District) governorships and the state legislatures.

October put option implied volatility is at 28, November is at 29, December puts are at 31. This versus its 26-week average of 31 according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Continue reading Options Update: MSCI Brazil Index Volatility Flat into Brazilian Elections

Options Update: MSCI Brazil Index Volatility Flat into Brazilian Elections originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: From Confusion to Glee (WAG, BKS, BP, MON)

Closing Bell: From Confusion to Glee (WAG, BKS, BP, MON) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of St. Louis based agricultural products company Monsanto (MON) have been beaten down in 2010. Year-to-date, the shares have lost over 26%, but it appears that a change of sentiment has taken place over the last month with the stock surging 33%.

Monsanto is a great way to play the theme of higher agricultural commodity prices. The price of wheat has surged an incredible 88% since June 9 as fears about supply, as a result of a severe drought in Russia, have gripped the market. Earlier this month, corn futures staged a similar, albeit less dramatic, rally.

Continue reading Monsanto Could Supercharge Your Portfolio

Monsanto Could Supercharge Your Portfolio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Insiders Snapping Up Monsanto, Overseas Shipholding

Insiders Snapping Up Monsanto, Overseas Shipholding originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Janney Montgomery upgraded Microsoft (MSFT) to buy from neutral with a $30 price target, citing valuation and expectations for strong Q4 results.
• UBS upgraded SanDisk (SNDK) to buy from neutral based on favorable pricing and mobile design win momentum. The firm raised its target to $55 from $46.
• BMO Capital upgraded Medtronic (MDT) to outperform from market perform based on valuation and its product pipeline. The firm has a $48 price target on the stock.
• Lorillard (LO) and Qualcomm (QCOM) were upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Monsanto (MON) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• FedEx (FDX) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AET, FDX, MAR, MDT, MON, MSFT, NOC, QCOM, SNDK, TSL ...

Analyst Calls: AET, FDX, MAR, MDT, MON, MSFT, NOC, QCOM, SNDK, TSL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Monsanto Getting Lost in the Weeds

Monsanto Getting Lost in the Weeds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The calendar quarter winds down this week, and in the days leading up to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) is expected to be an earnings winner. General Mills (GIS) and Monsanto (MON) are scheduled to report quarterly results this week as well, but analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect them to post smaller profits.

Analysts on average expect for-profit education provider Apollo Group to report that its fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 18.7% from a year ago to $1.55 per share. Revenue for the three months that ended in May is expected to have risen 23.2% in the past year to $1.3 billion. Apollo Group's per-share earnings have topped consensus estimates in the past five quarters, by as much as 13 cents per share. The First Call recommendation of analysts is to buy APOL and has been for more than 90 days. Shares have fallen 28.6% in the past three months and reached a 52-week low of $43.49 on Friday.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Expectations for Apollo Group, General Mills, Monsanto

The Week in Preview: Expectations for Apollo Group, General Mills, Monsanto originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Monsanto's Stock Experiences a Spring of Discontent

Monsanto's Stock Experiences a Spring of Discontent originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Thomas Weisel upgraded Deckers Outdoor (DECK) to overweight from market weight following channel checks. The firm also raised its target for shares to $170 from $162.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Amerigroup (AGP) to buy from hold as it believes the company is well positioned to benefit from health care reform. The firm upped its target for shares to $42 from $38.
• Cowen upgraded Cubist Pharmaceuticals (CBST) to outperform from neutral, citing increased conviction in Cubicin's patent exclusivity.
• OmniVision (OVTI) was upgraded to strong buy from buy at Needham.
• Take-Two (TTWO) was upgraded to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• Wells Fargo (WFC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AGP, BCSI, CL, DECK, PG, MON, RHT, RY, TTWO, WFC ...

Analyst Calls: AGP, BCSI, CL, DECK, PG, MON, RHT, RY, TTWO, WFC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Options Update: United States Oil Fund Volatility Flat; Oil Below $72 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 May 2010 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.