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Hyatt and Ancestry.com IPOs: Beginners' luck?

The IPO market has been pretty slow for the past two years due to the effects of a subprime mortgage crisis that turned into a credit crisis that turned into a worldwide financial crisis and recession. Nonetheless, two companies made their debuts Thursday -- one on the NYSE (NYSE: NYX), the other on the NASDAQ -- and they nailed it. Hyatt Hotels (NYSE: H) gave its investors a 12% gain on its first Big Board trading day, and Ancestry.com (NASDAQ: ACOM) switched those digits, jumping 21% in its first day of trading.

Hyatt Hotels overcame two major concerns. The worldwide travel market slump has been tough on hotel companies, and Hyatt has been subject to the same forces as everyone else. Also, investors may have been worried about infighting among the founder's heirs (the Pritzker family), but the double-digit price increase suggests that investors don't foresee Bancroft-style squabbles screwing investors -- or, if you don't like Dow Jones, now a part of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS), Playboy (NYSE: PLA) makes the same point.

Continue reading Hyatt and Ancestry.com IPOs: Beginners' luck?

Marge Simpson strips for Playboy -- the beginning of a turnaround?

Shares of Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) have lost more than 75% of their value over the past few years as the company looks to battle declining circulation for its legendary magazine and lower-price internet competition in the porn market.

Well look out, competitors, Playboy has found the answer: Marge Simpson. On Friday, the November issue of Playboy will hit newstands with Marge Simpson gracing cover. Playboy editorial director Jimmy Jellinek told The Los Angeles Times that "It's a very, very racy pictorial, with implied nudity at the very least. Whether or not you see more ... well, you'll have to hit the stands to find out."

Continue reading Marge Simpson strips for Playboy -- the beginning of a turnaround?

Earnings highlights: Blackstone, CBS, Humana, Playboy, Sirius, Whole Foods ...

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

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Blackstone, CBS, Humana, Playboy, Sirius, Whole Foods ...

Playboy's second quarter: Not centerfold material

Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) is still around? I was surprised to hear that it was, according to a news article from Reuters detailing the struggling media company's second-quarter results. Unfortunately, Playboy remains a puzzle. How in the world is management going to turn the ship around?

Playboy's top line fell by 15%. The bottom line booked a loss of 26 cents per share. Expectations were for 23 cents per share to be lost. In the year-ago period, Playboy lost 10 cents per share. I think it's plainly obvious that Playboy just isn't the force it once was. Pretty sad to see this icon slowly fade into irrelevance as the digital revolution continues to devalue its historic brand equity.

Continue reading Playboy's second quarter: Not centerfold material

Playboy (PLA): Speculative bet on the bunny

"Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) is a speculative stock, with plenty of potential but also downside risk," suggests Alex Green. In The Oxford Club, he looks at the firm's turnaround potential.

"Yes, Playboy's publishing empire is a big money loser. But it still has one of the most recognized brands in the world. The rabbit head logo generates more than $1 billion in licensing fees annually.

"When you consider that Playboy Enterprises has a market capitalization of a little over $100 million, you begin to see how undervalued this stock is.

Continue reading Playboy (PLA): Speculative bet on the bunny

Playboy close to hiring new CEO -- bad news for investors?

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) is expected to offer the CEO job to Freedom Communications CEO Scott Flanders, replacing interim CEO Jerome Kern.

The Journal adds that "After reports early last week that the publisher had approached private-equity firms about a possible sale, Playboy said it isn't marketing itself to investors but is willing to hear proposals. It isn't clear whether the emergence of Mr. Flanders as a favorite means the company is more likely or less likely to seek a buyer."

Continue reading Playboy close to hiring new CEO -- bad news for investors?

Playboy looking for a buyer at three times its market cap

With a market capitalization of $82 million, a $300 million buyout price would be a lot to pay for Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA). But The New York Post reports that that's the price the company is looking for as it quietly shops for a private equity firm interested in the flailing icon.

Keith J. Kelly reports that "Sources said the sellers are looking for far more than the company's market capitalization because that would ensure Hef has enough on hand to maintain his lavish lifestyle."

Continue reading Playboy looking for a buyer at three times its market cap

Closing Bell: Pre-holiday weekend blahs (CPB, GPS, GM, PLA, SHLD, STP, XRX)

Today felt like one of those slow long pre-holiday trading days where many gainers and losers were seen with low volume. There was no real economic data to absorb and no real earnings reports to pick apart.

That let us only react to a small recovery from the fears that the US could ultimately have the same credit rating fears that were brought up about England yesterday. Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 8,278.04 -14.09 (-0.17%)
S&P 500 887.33 -1.00 (-0.11%)
Nasdaq 1,693.91 -1.34 (-0.08%)

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades

Continue reading Closing Bell: Pre-holiday weekend blahs (CPB, GPS, GM, PLA, SHLD, STP, XRX)

Playboy going bi-monthly or quarterly?

Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) reported another bad quarter yesterday, as Steven Mallas reported. It's no secret that Playboy is struggling because of changing demographics and the economy, but the post-earnings release conference call included another bombshell: The monthly magazine that was founded in 1953 may not be monthly for much longer.

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that "Playboy magazine, which has a guaranteed circulation of 2.6 million, this summer will combine its July and August issues to save money on printing and distribution, a move it says could be a precursor to a permanent curtailing of frequency."

Continue reading Playboy going bi-monthly or quarterly?

Playboy's Q1 needs to be airbrushed

Playboy (NYSE: PLA) published its Q1 results today. Any longtime follower of the company will note that things haven't changed. We're still talking about revenue declines and losses. When will the Bunny finally hop back into reliable profitability? No one really knows when (if) that will happen.

On a reported basis, Playboy said it lost $0.41 per share. If you strip out charges, you get a loss of $0.15 per share. This number was a few cents better than the expectations of analysts according to this source. Be that as it may, they certainly don't meet my expectations. The adjusted loss is essentially the same as last year's number. I suppose we have to give the interim CEO Jerome Kern a chance. As you'll recall, Christie Hefner finally gave up her throne earlier in the year (thankfully).

Continue reading Playboy's Q1 needs to be airbrushed

Playboy columnist sues for sexual harassment

While Playboy (NYSE: PLA) executives have never been accused of being straight-laced, one might assume they'd be smart enough, oh, to restrain themselves from groping, "bombarding" with sexually-explicit emails, and subsequently firing a lawyer.

But in allegations that (if true) would surely prove the preconception that the porn industry objectifies women, Chicago divorce attorney Corri Fetman filed suit Monday alleging that Thomas Hagopian, an executive in the digital branch of the publishing empire, sexually harassed her, then canceled her column when she rebuffed him. She seeks $4.5 million in damages, including "gender violence."

Continue reading Playboy columnist sues for sexual harassment

Earnings highlights: Deere, HP, CBS, Playboy, Intuit, Whole Foods and more

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

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Deere, HP, CBS, Playboy, Intuit, Whole Foods and more

Playboy says it would consider a sale

Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) reported a loss of $145.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2008 -- $4.37 per share on a stock that trades right around $1.50. Revenues declined precipitously, but the real reasons for the loss were impairment, restructuring and other charges totaling $157.2 million.

The stock is trading up slightly today, perhaps in part because chairman Jerome Kern (not that Jerome Kern) told investors on a conference call that the company is
"willing to listen" to listen to sale or merger possibilities, something that the company hadn't done under former CEO Christie Hefner's reign of terror.

Continue reading Playboy says it would consider a sale

Playboy reports fourth-quarter earnings

I'm guessing that sin isn't in, as far as this recession is concerned. Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) posted a larger fourth-quarter loss thanks to $157.2 million in restructuring costs and other one-time costs. In addition, weaker-than-expected revenue cut into the quarterly performance. PLA's net loss checked in at a sizable $4.37 per share, far larger than the loss of three cents per share a year ago. This most-recent loss rounds out a year when PLA posted a loss in each quarter. PLA's revenue fell to $69.8 million from $85.9 million a year ago, and it fell well short of the expected revenue of $73.7 million.

Continue reading Playboy reports fourth-quarter earnings

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Last updated: November 08, 2009: 11:21 PM

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