Continue reading Radio Shack Names Scott Young New Merchandising Chief

Radio Shack Names Scott Young New Merchandising Chief originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Radio Shack Looking to Sell Company? Or, Merge with Best Buy?

Radio Shack Looking to Sell Company? Or, Merge with Best Buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy Outpaces Rivals in Electronics Sales

Best Buy Outpaces Rivals in Electronics Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Short City Update: Radio Shack - cover short

Short City Update: Radio Shack - cover short originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investor and trader Mishko Janusevich, he of decent-sized net worth fame, had a mantra that he used to repeat while outlining the top, new stock shorts that appeared that day, as determined by technical indicators.

He would stand next to the overhead projected stock chart at the front of the trading room, point to the stock chart and recite, "You see this stock? You see that it's dropped $8 in past two days? You think it can't drop any more? SELL THAT STOCK, it's dropping more!!"

Continue reading Short City: Radio Shack

Short City: Radio Shack originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) reported strong Q2 earnings thought revenue fell but beat analysts' estimates.
• Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) beat Q2 earnings estimates but revenue suffered from currency effects.
• Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) reported a drop in Q2 revenue and a net loss on restructuring charges.
• Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK) posted a deeper-than-expected Q2 net loss as sales plunged.
• Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) reported its lowest quarterly profit in years, well short of expectations.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Verizon, RadioShack, MetLife, Kellogg, Exxon, Disney ...

Earnings highlights: Verizon, RadioShack, MetLife, Kellogg, Exxon, Disney ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Exhausted after a week of news, market remains more or less flat (CIT, MSFT, TIF, SPWRA, RSH)

Closing Bell: Exhausted after a week of news, market remains more or less flat (CIT, MSFT, TIF, SPWRA, RSH) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) net income nearly doubled, topping Wall Street estimates.
• American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) Q2 earnings fell well short of analysts estimates on credit crisis.
• Amphenol Corp. (NYSE: APH) beat Q2 expectations and offered Q3 and full-year guidance.
• A.O. Smith Corp. (NYSE: AOS) beat Q2 earnings estimates and boosted its full-year guidance.
• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) beat Q3 estimates but offered lower-than-expected guidance.
• Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) Q2 earnings tumbled but still beat Wall Street expectations.
• Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Q2 results missed estimates but it reaffirmed its full-year guidance.
• Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) crushed expectations but offered muted guidance.
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) posted better-than-expected Q2 earnings and offered guidance.
• Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: CRNT) reported strong earnings on increased global demand.
• Charles Schwab Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHW) topped Q2 estimates on rises in new accounts and assets.
• CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME) better-than-expected Q2 results lifted the share price from a 52-week low.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) revised its Q2 and full-year guidance downward on market conditions.
• EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD) Q2 results beat expectations due to strength in agriculture.
• Ericsson LM TEL Co. (NASDAQ: ERIC) Q2 profits tumbled due to costs of R&D and acquistions.
• E*Trade Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) had a bigger-than-expected Q2 loss on Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) losses.
• Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) posted a record quarterly loss, mostly one-time charges.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: The Q2 crunch continues

Earnings highlights: The Q2 crunch continues originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lots more quarterly reports rolled out this past week, and here are some highlights of earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) reported more losses and more job cuts.
• Alvarion Ltd.'s (NASDAQ: ALVR) record quarter fuels speculation of a Cisco (NYSE: CSCO) buyout.
• Avon Products Inc.'s (NYSE: AVP) profit rose 61%, buoyed by strength in emerging markets.
• Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) fell short of expectations due to tighter margins.
• CIGNA Corp. (NYSE: CI) had a solid quarter but warned about 2008 earnings.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) blamed profit loss on materals costs, and announced acquistion of Burt's Bees.
• Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) beat estimates by a penny and had strong sales overseas.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) beat earnings estimates and revised its full-year forecast.
• Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) announced it would restate revenues, ahead of its November quarterly report.
• Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) missed expectations, also due to tighter margins.
• Given Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: GIVN) cited FDA approval delays for disappointing results.
• Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) posted record revenues and appointed a new CFO.
• Humana Inc.'s (NYSE: HUM) positive surprise lifted the share price to a new all-time high.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Crocs, Exxon, Kraft, P&G, Sirius, and others

Earnings highlights: Crocs, Exxon, Kraft, P&G, Sirius, and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage

Radio Shack profit increases on cost cuts as revenue slows originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

RadioShack (NYSE: RSH), a company with a presence of through approximately 6,000 stores, closed at $21.45. RSH is expected to report EPS on 10/29. Sprint (NYSE: S) announced it expects a net loss of 337,000 post paid subscribers and lower annual revenue expectations. BMO Capital Markets say's "this is bad news for RSH as we estimate revenues related to S make up over half of wireless sales and over 15% of total revenues." RSH is expected to report EPS on 10/29. RSH November option implied volatility of 59 is above its 26-week average of 41 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risks.

Costco (NASDAQ: COST) is expected to announce 4Q EPS of 83 cents on 10/10. Wachovia (NYSE: WB) said on 10/8 "COST's outlook for margin should be one of the key issues in focus on Wednesday's call." WB has an Outperform rating on COST. COST October option implied volatility of 33 is above its 26-week average of 24 according to Track Data, suggesting larger fluctuations.

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

Option update: Radio Shack (RSH) & Costco (COST) volatility Up on performance concerns originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy Mobile to rapidly expand outlets in 2007 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Radio Shack currently sports a $4.5 billion market capitalization and the stock has been one of the best performers this past 12 months. The company's 52-week low was $13.73, the high at $34.91. The stock is trading at $33.58.

CEO Julian Day joined Radio Shack last July with the strict mission to turn around this once ailing retailer. Mr. Day has undertaken several cost-cutting measures including trimming back the chain's 4467 store base. Closing unprofitable stores and consolidating stores where geographically sensible has contributed to this turn around.

One wonders if Mr. Day's mission is to turn around the company and sell it. Radio Shack is rumored to be looking for a possible suitor, possibly Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) . Dell is exploring new distribution methods and a store base of over 4,000 could be a step in the right direction. Goldman's recently increased share position after the stock has moved up so much is a strong vote of confidence for Mr. Day...

Georges Yared is the CIO of Yared Investment Research.

Goldman Sachs ups ownership in Radio Shack to 12.6% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Barron's Online's (subscription required) "Inside Scoop" column reported that Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) has raised its stake in RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH), and now owns 12.6% of the company.
• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that Time Warner Inc's (NYSE: TWX) Warner Bros. is planning to release movies to video-on-demand services at the same time as the DVD launch to see if they can expand one distribution pipeline without harming another.
• The Financial Times (subscription required) reported that General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) is not seeking to acquire Dow Jones and Company Inc (NYSE: DJ), after the collapse of talks between GE's NBC television network and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) regarding the possibility of a joint bid for Dow Jones.

• Fidelity Investments, which was the third-largest shareholder in Dow Jones, has sold almost all its shares in the company, which is the target of a $5B takeover by News Corporation (NYSE: NWS), reported the New York Post.

• CNet.com reported that Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) will begin selling a line of televisions specifically for Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT), Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) and other discount retail chains.

Newspaper wrap-up 6-12-07: GE will not look to acquire DJ originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Everyone who's interested in the Dell to Wal-Mart retail scenario wants to get a better idea of just exactly what Dell intends to do over there. We all know that Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is the "Low Price Leader", so how does this play out for Dell (NASDAQ: DELL)? Being that my Dell corporate headquarters spy drones are down for repairs and my Wal-Mart corporate spy cams have been taken off line, I can only speculate on the intended direction which Dell's move is going to take. Over at Engadget the response to this move has been tepid, or leaning towards not well received.

First, let me say that at its root this Dell move is an excellent idea. By that I mean Dell has needed a direct outlet to the consumer for quite some time. Some of the tech sector analysts where aghast when they heard of this move because they had quickly assumed that Dell was changing over their entire marketing strategy to volume by low price but I assure you that's not what's happening here. Dell will still be building the lion's share of its desktop computers to customer order and shipping them direct. Wal-Mart, for the time being at least, shall only be handling a couple exclusive Dimension desktop models and I expect a select few notebook and laptop models. I predict also that as Dell earns Wal-Mart shelf space, there will be other Dell branded consumer electronics moving in there, but probably never their full desktop line.

Wal-Mart is historically demanding in their requirements for wholesale purchasing. They set the prices, the volume and the time tables. It's very much a take it or leave it world when selling to Wal-Mart. To me, it's kind of a sign of desperation that Dell has opted to go this route. I honestly thought that a Radio Shack (NYSE: RSH) scenario would play out to a much greater advantage for Dell than this Wal-Mart strategy. Is this a sign that as consumers we're expected to cheapen our expectations when thinking of Dell? I assure you that is what will happen. I'm expecting to spend about $2000 on a new PC next year. Perhaps it will be a Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) after all.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work on these spy drones.

Dell's move into Wal-Mart: a change in strategy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 May 2007 18:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I have written over the past few months that Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is dead money at least for this year, and possibly next. The company has structural issues to address before sustainable growth is viable again. The question remains, what has been holding the stock up? For one, the stock market rally. Also, a raft of analysts "seeing a potential turn around." Potential is one thing, probable is another.

Dell built itself into a huge, global player through a direct sales model, eliminating the middleman and the attendant costs associated with the middleman. Dell soared as it embraced both the enterprise and the consumer segments. Dell began to fall victim to lousy service and follow through. Its call-centers jokingly became known as Dell's hell-centers. If the model is direct, the corresponding service must be excellent or customers are vulnerable to other vendors. So, with Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) mega-success with the retail store model and Hewlett-Packard's (NYSE: HPQ) and Gateway's (NYSE: GTW) strong positioning within major retailers like Best Buy, what can Dell do to forge a presence? Is Radio Shack the answer?

Radio Shack has been a decent turn around story as management has carved out its excess costs and begun to realize some leverage to its earning base. If Dell were to acquire Radio Shack (NYSE: RSH), it would be an instant 4,000 stores for distribution. But it is not as easy as it sounds.

Continue reading The Dell party may be over

The Dell party may be over originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 May 2007 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading RadioShack posts higher profits as same-store sales slip

RadioShack posts higher profits as same-store sales slip originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 May 2007 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although I've only been here for the second half of it, I have been pleased to find out that your own BloggingStocks team is celebrating one full year of bringing you the best financial insight on the web. We'd like to think that we've had some responsibility for the healthy bull run that the markets have undertaken over the last 12 months. I myself certainly have had a great deal of fun so far. Thank you for letting me be a part of a web site that has met with your approval.

I thought it appropriate that I nominate myself for "The most unlikely financial blogger of the year" award. Someone who has been instrumental in growing this web site picked up on my no-holds-barred, in-your-face style and suggested that I might find a niche here. I suspect that it's gone pretty well, based simply on the fact that the checks still clear. I hope the readers have enjoyed at least some of what I've written because the fact of the matter is that I really and truly enjoy writing for you.

In celebration of our anniversary, the management team has suggested that we writers may indulge in some outlandish prognostications for you. If you haven't picked up on the fact yet, I'll tell you that outlandish is much of what I do.

Here are some on the edge financial predictions for the next twelve months that I have to offer you:

Continue reading Happy Anniversary BloggingStocks! Anybody see where I put my cake?

Happy Anniversary BloggingStocks! Anybody see where I put my cake? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

RadioShack's sunlight starting to show originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Morgan Stanley downgraded RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) to Underweight from Equal-Weight on concerns over the company's wireless fundamentals and top-line growth.

• Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR) was downgraded to Strong Sell from Buy at Matrix USA. The firm sees downside to the intrinsic value calculation of $12 given the company's deteriorating fundamentals.

• H.B. Fuller Co (NYSE: FUL) was cut to Sell from Hold at Gabelli following a meeting with management to reflect the recent management exists and the broker's expectation for a challenging first-half of 2007.

• Sepracor (NASDAQ: SEPR) was cut to Underperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings, as the firm believes generic availability of Ambien may be a bigger challenge to Seprecor's Lunesta than investors expect.

• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc (NYSE: JTX) was cut to Underweight from Market Weight at Thomas Wiesel as they believe the potential near-term competitive trends coupled with potential issues with rising financial product contribution will weigh on valuation.

• Bear Stearns cut Cerner Corp (NASDAQ: CERN) to Peer Perform from Outperform.

• Matrix USA downgraded InfoSpace, Inc (NASDAQ: INSP) to Hold from Buy on valuation.

• Prudential cut Unilever plc (NYSE: UL) to Neutral from Overweight.

• Breen Murray downgraded Century Casinos, Inc (NASDAQ: CNTY) to Hold from Buy.

• Cowen downgraded PeopleSupport, Inc (NASDAQ: PSPT) to Neutral from Outperform based on near-term visibility concerns.

Analyst downgrades 3-19-07: RadioShack cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.