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Earnings highlights: Aflac, Avon, BP, Hershey, Kellogg, Nintendo, P&G, Sprint ...

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

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Aflac, Avon, BP, Hershey, Kellogg, Nintendo, P&G, Sprint ...

The Washington Post Company increases income, but shares sell off

The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) published data for the third quarter earlier today. Can't say I was mightily impressed by the numbers. Sure, there was a profit increase, but the top line wasn't exciting, and the newspaper division, as you might have expected, experienced a sharp decline in sales.

Net revenues rose 2%. Earnings per share came in at $1.81. That was sharply higher than the $1.08 per share recorded in the comparable period. Yet, I think you have to be careful in terms of reading too much positive spin into the growth rate.

Continue reading The Washington Post Company increases income, but shares sell off

Short City Update: WPO: stopped-out; JBLU: cover short

Here's an update on two shorts: The Washington Post and JetBlue:

Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). Short price on May 6, 2009: $344.72. Stopped out for loss at $460. Dead wrong with this one: can't win them all. The Post's education segment has grown revenue enough to offset the declines at the signature print newspaper. A modest U.S. recovery will continue to weigh on the print newspaper side's revenue and earnings, but cost cuts and the development of its online unit mean WPO will be a metro daily survivor after the news/media sector's Internet-compelled transformation.

Continue reading Short City Update: WPO: stopped-out; JBLU: cover short

Short City: Washington Post, JetBlue, NJ Resources

Every market is a two-sided market, and while the typical investor makes money during bullish phases, experienced investors know how to make money during bearish phases, as well. In fact, many experienced and institutional traders make more money shorting stocks than by going long.

Short these shares if you can tolerate high-risk and are an experienced investor that does not remove Buy / Stop Losses.

Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) The Post's education segment (Kaplan) has grown revenue nicely, but large-single digit (or worse) revenue declines in the flagship print metropolitan daily newspaper The Washington Post will continue to hurt results in F2009, and probably for longer. Buy / Stop Loss if you were to sell shares in this company: $460.

Continue reading Short City: Washington Post, JetBlue, NJ Resources

Earnings highlights: Dell, GM, Lowe's, Heinz, Smucker, Washington Post and more

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

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Dell, GM, Lowe's, Heinz, Smucker, Washington Post and more

Washington Post (WPO) misses the mark

Washington Post Q4 2008 EarningsShares of the Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) are trading in the red this morning after the company reported that its fourth quarter profit dropped by a massive 77%. Net income came in at $2.01 per share, verse $8.71 per share in the same period last year.

As I noted in the earnings preview yesterday, the company's flagship newspaper and its magazine division (Newsweek Magazine) have been hit hard with losses in advertising revenue, and both had a dismal 2008 year. The company's newspaper division lost $14.4 million in the fourth quarter and had a $192.4 million operating loss for the entire 2008 year. Its newspaper division had a slight profit of $10.9 million in the fourth quarter, but on a full year basis it posted a loss of $16.1 million.

Continue reading Washington Post (WPO) misses the mark

Washington Post Q4 earnings preview

Washingron Post Q4 Earnings PreviewTomorrow morning before the bell, The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) will have its chance to impress Wall Street when it reports its fourth quarter numbers.

Going into tomorrow's announcement, analysts are expecting the company to show earnings on the quarter of $8.17 per share. Should the company hit this estimate, it would be a decline of 16.5% from its reported $9.79 during its fourth quarter 2007.

Continue reading Washington Post Q4 earnings preview

The week in preview: Eye on Marvel, KBR, First Solar, Deckers and more

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected the parade of earnings declines to continue into the final week of February, with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (NYSE: MSO), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN), Macy's Inc. (NYSE: M), DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Royal Bank Of Canada (NYSE: RY), Del Monte Foods Co. (NASDAQ: DLM), Kohl's Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Washington Post Co. (NYSE: WPO), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB), RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH), and H.J. Heinz Co. (NYSE: HNZ) all expected to post lower earnings for the most recent quarter. Office Depot Inc. (NYSE: ODP), Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS), and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: CTB) are expect to have swung to a loss.

Continue reading The week in preview: Eye on Marvel, KBR, First Solar, Deckers and more

Media World: Now some newspapers are looking for bailouts

Should newspapers be next for government bailouts?

Philadelphia Newspaper Holdings L.L.C., owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, is looking for a bailout from the state of Pennsylvania. The paper, for which I have done freelance work for in the past, has like other major metropolitan dailies struggled for years with declining advertising and circulation. It has been trimming staff with a vengeance but it has done little good.

Continue reading Media World: Now some newspapers are looking for bailouts

What to invest in now that Obama has taken office

At long last -- to this Democrat's view anyway -- Barack Obama is the president of the United States. Now, it's time to gaze into our crystal ball.

Obama has many things on his plate, including fixing the economy. Lots of people are trying to pick the winners and losers. Here are my guesses. Keep in mind that it may take several years for the impact of Obama's policies to be felt.

Defense: Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT), Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC) and Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) will benefit from the spending needed to replace worn-out military equipment from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Obama's push to improve health care technology. The defense contractors over the past few years have become huge government IT contractors and are experts at systems integration. Each have plunged by double-digits over the past year.

Healthy living: Call me an optimist but I expect the Obama administration to push healthier living and for greater control of health care. Hain Celestial Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN), the largest provider of organic food, seems a likely beneficiary. Also, it's hard to see how he is going to be able to digitize health care records without the involvement of health insurers such as Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI). Hain is down 42% over the past 52 weeks, while Cigna has plunged more than 70%.

Continue reading What to invest in now that Obama has taken office

Makeover needed: Newspapers

This post is part of a feature on companies and products that our bloggers think are in need of a makeover. See all 26.

Every Sunday like clockwork. I put my copy of the Sunday edition of the New York Times (NYSE: NYT) in front of me at the breakfast table hoping to bask in the gray lady's take on the week's events. Then, the interruptions start. My 2-year-old son wants me to read him a book. Household chores need to be done. Groceries need to be bought, and soon the day has slipped into afternoon football time. The newspaper lies on the kitchen table, waiting to be world.

What my family's weekend routine underscores is that newspaper publishers have not kept up with modern life. The notion of a lazy Sunday afternoon seems quaint to me at times, laughable at others. The woes of newspaper publishers have been repeated endlessly. Circulation is declining. Advertising is plunging. Newsroom budgets are being slashed. Many veteran reporters and editors are counting the days until retirement.

But even though the world has changed, the Sunday newspaper has basically remained the same. Publishers continue to view this as their showcase edition. They publish the best stories by the best writers. Many of these features are long because newspapers figure -- wrongly is my view -- that people have the time to read them. These lengthy opuses win journalism awards and may lead to changes in government policy. Think of the Washington Post's (NYSE: WPO) expose on the horrendous conditions at Walter Reed Army hospital or the Times' scoop on warrantless wiretaps. These pieces, though, are the exceptions. Many stories in Sunday papers -- or in their daily counterparts as well -- are simply too long.

Continue reading Makeover needed: Newspapers

Internet sales falter as a possible salvation for newspapers

The one last hope failing newspapers could hold onto is that the online versions of their products would grow enough to offset falling print profits. The most recent earnings from the largest chains have raised the question of whether that is possible. Results from The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) have diminished the dream even further.

The numbers for the company's flagship paper, The Washington Post, were remarkably poor. According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), "Print ad revenue at the paper declined 22% to $99.8 million in the quarter, compared with an 11% decline in the first quarter." One of the nation's most respected newspapers is simply falling apart.

Online growth at the Post was anemic. It increased only 4% to $29.3 million, not nearly enough to have any meaningful impact on earnings.

The question keeps coming up about what newspapers can do. The stock prices of several of the chains are down over 80% during the last year. Many of these companies have large debt loads.

The only realistic solution may be that editorial staffs will have to be cut by 50% or more. Papers may decide to put out 8 to 16 page news summaries each day in the place of their current products. These smaller papers would point users to their internet sites to get full stories and complete coverage. It would save substantial money on paper and distribution, and it just might force large numbers of readers to web editions. At least that would give the companies a chance, something they do not have now.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

The week in preview: High expectations for oil and energy

So the earnings crunch continues, and here's a look at some companies scheduled to report results this week that are anticipated to be big winners and losers in terms of earnings growth.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect the following to report strong earnings growth when compared to the same period of the previous year.

Clearly expectations are high for oil and energy. Other companies expected to report double-digit earnings growth include Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS), NYSE Euronext Inc. (NYSE: NYX), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), and Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET).

Continue reading The week in preview: High expectations for oil and energy

Earnings highlights: Wal-mart, Crocs, Garmin, Safeway, Newmont and others

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

Also, Jim Cramer sees Hewlett-Packard as a market bellwether, and Ted Allrich looks at some other bellwether stocks. Sheldon Liber gets a sense of deja vu from Exxon Mobil's (NYSE: XOM) big profits and its tussle with Chavez.

Upcoming results to watch for include Nordstom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), Macy's Inc. (NYSE: M), Washington Post Co. (NYSE: WPO), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), Sprint-Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), and Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Is Digg in play?

It seems that every couple months there are new buyout rumors regarding the fast-growing social media site, Digg. And, yes, the rumors are buzzing again. The culprit this time is the Valleywag blog.

Of course, the suitors include old media stalwarts that – yet again – can't seem to shoot straight in the new media world. They would include such companies as the New York Times (NYSE: NYT) or the Washington Post (NYSE: WPO).

Oh, and the price tag for the deal is $300 million to $400 million. But, hey, in light of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)'s investment in Facebook, this seems cheap-o.

Ironically enough, Digg recently signed a $100 million ad deal with Mr. Softy. In other words, it seems like Microsoft may be to blame for the craziness in the social media world, huh? And, as a result, it may be making it very expensive for old media companies to buy into the space.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

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Last updated: November 10, 2009: 12:24 PM

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