According to Box Office Mojo's early estimates for the four-day holiday weekend, Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) thriller Unknown has taken the number-one position with a domestic haul of $25.6 million. The next two movies on the chart came close to that figure, but the more interesting thing about them is that they come courtesy of The Walt Disney Company (DIS).

In second place is Gnomeo and Juliet with $24.8 million. Pretty cool, actually. I didn't think the cartoon would necessarily hold up as well as it has in the second weekend.

Continue reading It's Disney vs. Time Warner at the Multiplex

It's Disney vs. Time Warner at the Multiplex originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Activision Blizzard: Buy the Dip?

Activision Blizzard: Buy the Dip? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Viacom's B shares (VIA.B) hit a new 52-week high of $43 on Friday during the intraday session (it eventually closed at $42.28). This is a stock I watch fairly regularly, and it's looking like it wants to make a run to even higher heights.

The equity has done well since hitting a 52-week low of $27.89 nearly a year ago. The twelve-month chart shows the stock's escape from a sideways-trading pattern. You can't help but call the media company attractive from a technical viewpoint.

I also find the business to be interesting from a valuation perspective. Even with the appreciation in price, the shares are arguably not too expensive.

Continue reading Viacom Hits New 52-Week High

Viacom Hits New 52-Week High originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Viacom (VIA.B) is seeing a bid today. The B shares are up, at the time of this writing, by 3.4% to $39.40. The 52-week high is currently set at $39.76, and it was hit during the intraday session. A look at the chart shows a stock that has been breaking through new trading levels.

Will it continue to do so? Well, the third-quarter numbers show something of a mixed bag, in my opinion. Adjusted earnings from continuing businesses increased a mere 6% to 75 cents per share. That was enough to beat the estimate of 70 cents per share, as indicated in this Associated Press article.

Continue reading Viacom Up on Earnings Numbers

Viacom Up on Earnings Numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) to Buy from Hold on expectations that stable volumes and a better outlook for currency and commodities will lead to higher earnings visibility. The firm raised its price target on shares to $62 from $52.
• FBR Capital upgraded Goodrich (NYSE: GR) to Outperform from Market Perform as it finds the stock's valuation compelling following the recent pullback. The firm raised its target on shares to $65 from $46.
• William Blair upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Outperform from Market Perform after channel checks indicated demand is accelerating as the firm finds the stock's valuation compelling at current levels.
• Robbins & Myers (NYSE: RBN) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Viacom B (NYSE: VIA.B) were upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill, while News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, DIS, CSCO, KO, NWS, PETM, ULTA ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, DIS, CSCO, KO, NWS, PETM, ULTA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coinstar (CSTR) to put Paramount films in Redbox kiosks

Coinstar (CSTR) to put Paramount films in Redbox kiosks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded MF Global (NYSE: MF) to Outperform from Market Perform as it believes the company's liquidity position has improved and that it is well positioned to take market share. The firm raised its target on shares to $9.
  
• UBS upgraded Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $33 from $28 citing better than expected performance in Macau, valuation, and comfort with the balance sheet.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Brandywine Realty (NYSE: BDN) to Buy from Hold on valuation and believes progress on asset sales or financing could drive significant upside. The firm keeps a $4.50 price target on BDN.
• Joy Global (NASDAQ: JOYG) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) was lifted to Hold from Sell at Societe Generale.
  
• Cimarex Energy (NYSE: XEC) was upgraded at Banc of America/Merrill to Buy from Underperform.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MF, IBM, CSCO, RTP, BAC, C, ANF ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MF, IBM, CSCO, RTP, BAC, C, ANF ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Ball (NYSE: BLL) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $45 from $41 as they believe recent capacity closures will be positive for beverage can operating rates.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) to Buy from Hold on valuation and the company's plans to preserve cash.
• ThinkPanmure upgraded Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) to Accumulate from Sell and raised its target to $17 from $12 citing trough earnings in 2009 and lowered expectations.
• Viacom B (NYSE: VIA.B) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
  
• Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• Onyx Pharma (NASDAQ: ONXX) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Continue reading Analyst calls: RTP, INTC, VIA.B, TEF, BRCD, JBL, ERIC, CEPH ...

Analyst calls: RTP, INTC, VIA.B, TEF, BRCD, JBL, ERIC, CEPH ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The market for private mortgage insurance has narrowed and is tougher to obtain, further pressuring home buyers and affecting the market, the Wall Street Journal reported. "Clearly, the pendulum had swung a little too far in terms of flexibility in underwriting," said Len Sweeney, the chief risk officer at AIG United Guaranty, a part of American International Group Inc (NYSE: AIG).
• In a agreement with Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA), Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) said it will remove visitor data from YouTube before it fulfills a judge's order to send data to Viacom, as a part of a larger copyright lawsuit, the Wall Street Journal reported.

• As part of its effort to emerge from bankruptcy protection, the Detroit News reported that Delphi Corp (OTC: DPHIQ) announced plans to sell its brake business. Delphi has retained W.Y. Campbell and Co to help sell the unit, which has around 1,000 employees worldwide.
• The New York Post learned that Dick Fuld, the CEO of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (NYSE: LEH), is seriously considering ways to take the company private. The Post said that talks centering on the privatization of Lehman have "gotten very serious consideration," according to sources, although details on how a maneuver may work remain unclear.

Newspaper wrap-up: Lehman CEO may look to take company private originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Steven Spielberg and his DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc (NYSE: DWA) partners are close to signing a deal with India's Reliance ADA Group for between $500M and $600M that would provide financing to the company as it prepares to leave Viacom Inc's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount Pictures this year, the Wall Street Journal reported. DreamWorks will seek to obtain an additional $500M in debt financing to make about six new films a year.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that at an investor update yesterday, The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) CEO David West said the chocolate-bar maker would boost spending on marketing about 20% this year and next, and slightly increased the company's long-term annual sales targets. West offered little detail on how Hershey will address its reliance on the U.S. market for revenue.

• The Economic Times reported that India's Maneesh Pharmaceuticals, a mid-sized company, bought a 51% stake in U.S.-based Synovics Pharmaceuticals Inc (OTC: SYVC). The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
• The Economic Times also reported that General Electric Company's (NYSE: GE) GE Money Financial Services, which was seeking a parter for its personal and home loan portfolios, may have called off the process after it was unable to get the right valuation.
• Bob Nardelli, the chairman and CEO of Chrysler LLC, sent a memo to employees warning them of worsening U.S. sales, the Detroit News reported. The e-mail did not indicate the auto maker would look to soon further cut production or lay off staff, a person familiar with the matter said.

Newspaper wrap-up: DreamWorks close to funding deal with India's Reliance ADA Group originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I love movies about business tycoons and Paramount Vantage's (NYSE: VIA.B) latest one, There Will Be Blood, is no exception. Daniel Day-Lewis solidifies his title as the world's best actor in a tour de force performance of the merciless oilman, Daniel Plainview and director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) proves to be capable of tackling new genres with surprising deftness.

With surprisingly little violence or blood and a very worthy supporting cast, the film details Plainview's rise to oil royalty and his not so gradual descent into madness over the course of 30 years. Yup, very Citizen Kane-esque, another superior biographical epic I wholeheartedly urge you watch on DVD, now remastered courtesy of Warner Brothers Video (NYSE: TWX).

From the opening scene, you will understand Plainview's utter devotion to this craft, that being finding oil and getting rich off it. The starkness of the surroundings combines with some truly memorable cinematography to paint a rather complex portrait of ambition, greed and the beginnings of the oil drilling industry.

Continue reading Movie Review: 'There Will Be Blood' is an American classic

Movie Review: 'There Will Be Blood' is an American classic originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Credit Suisse initiated coverage of the U.S. media sector with a Market Weight rating, shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) with an Outperform rating and shares of Time Warner Inc (NYSE: TWX) and Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA.B) with Neutral ratings.
  
• Bernstein initiated coverage of the oil services sector with a Positive Bias rating. The firm initiated Weatherford International Ltd (NYSE: WFT) with an Outperform rating and $84 target and Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL), Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE: BHI) and Schlumberger Limited (NYSE: SLB) with Market Perform ratings and a $44 target, $103 target and $96 target, respectively.
  
• MercadoLibre Inc (NASDAQ: MELI) was initiated by American Technology with a Buy rating and $45 target, as the firm believes the e-commerce growth opportunity in Latin America is still in its infancy. Shares were also started at Pacific Crest with an Outperform rating and $37 target, as the firm believes the company should benefit from strong secular growth and company-specific drivers. MercadoLibre was also initiated at JP Morgan with an Overweight rating and at Merrill Lynch with a Buy rating and $35 target.
  
• Friedman Billings expects Horsehead Holding Corp's (NASDAQ: ZINC) EBITDA to increase even in a declining commodity environment and believes the company is well positioned to gain market share. Shares were started with an Outperform rating and $27 target also added to the firm's Top Pick List.

• Citigroup started shares of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO) with a Buy rating and shares of StealthGas Inc (NASDAQ: GASS) with a Hold rating and $20 target.
  
• Roth Capital started shares of Internap Network Services Corporation (NASDAQ: INAP) with a Buy rating and $19 target.
  
• Raymond James initiated Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) with an Outperform rating and Argo Group Internaional Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ: AGII) with a Strong Buy rating.

Analyst initiations: U.S. media, oil services, MELI and ZINC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal reported that the list of advertisers defecting from Don Imus's morning TV show on General Electric Company's (NYSE: GE) and Microsoft Corporation's (NASDAQ: MSFT) MSNBC is growing, resulting in NBC Universal pulling the show off the air immediately.

• Sources involved with the process reported that Viacom Inc's (NYSE: VIA) music publishing catalog Famous Music is attracting a lot of interest from major music labels to former music executives backed by private-equity, reported the New York Post.
• France's Thales and American aerospace giant Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) are reportedly looking to make a joint bid for a new $31.7B contract to supply the British Army with 3,000 new medium-weight armored vehicles, reported The Business.
• The Independent reported that scientists have discovered a technique for "pain-free, highly effective chemotherapy," a huge breakthrough in cancer treatment.

• DigiTimes.com reported, citing industry sources, that Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation has lowered its DRAM spot prices almost 15% due to fierce price competition, but the sources noted that the low prices have not been able to stimulate demand in the DRAM market.

Newspaper wrap-up 4-12-07: MSNBC pulls plug on Imus originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS cut UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE: UNH) to Neutral from Buy citing moderating fundamentals in commercial performance and large government exposure that will make it difficult for the company to outperform its peer group.

• Jefferies downgraded RF Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ: RFMD) to Hold from Buy with a $7 target as the firm believes the company's June guidance signals a slow down of second-half fundamentals.

• Stephens cut UTi Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ: UTIW) to Equal Weight from Overweight based on ongoing cost issues.

• Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Sanders Morris to reflect weak ad growth at MTV, digital revenues that the firm believes are a displacement rather than accretive to the revenue base and the lawsuit against Google's (GOOG) YouTube, which the firm feels is the wrong call.

• Matrix USA cut Total Systems Services (NYSE: TSS) to Sell from Hold and NIC Inc (NASDAQ: EGOV) to Hold from Buy on valuation.

• Sealed Air Corp (NYSE: SEE) was taken down to Market Perform from Outperform at Wachovia citing valuation.

• HSBC downgraded shares of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc (NYSE: BSY) to Underweight from Neutral.

• Friedman Billings downgraded shares of Maguire Properties, Inc (NYSE: MPG) to Market Perform from Outperform citing the fallout from subprime-exposed office space.

Analyst downgrades 3-29-07: Viacom, UnitedHeatlth and RF Micro downgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Viacom has had it -- sues Google for $1 billion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Viacom (NYSE: VIA) may announce a licensing deal with new Internet service Joost.
• Also in this morning's Journal, Airbus owner EADS surprised investors and employees yesterday by postponing a long-awaited announcement of Airbus's big makeover plan, called Power8.
• And in more airline news in the Journal, JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) is planning to overhaul its procedures after a storm caused the company to cancel a thousand flights and strand thousands of travelers.
• According to the Financial Times (subscription required), rumors have spread that Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) and InBev are in serious talks.

OTHER PAPERS:

• The Sunday Edition of the U.K. Times reported that JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) will formally kick off a GBP 7B auction of DaimlerChrysler's (NYSE: DCX) Chrysler unit as early as this week.
• According to French paper La Tribune, STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) will supply multimedia microprocessors to Nokia (NOK) for its mobile telephones.

Newspaper wrap-up 2-20-07: DaimlerChrysler unit to be auctioned originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Feb 2007 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.