Continue reading Pepsi Is Buying Russian Dairy and Juice Maker Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods

Pepsi Is Buying Russian Dairy and Juice Maker Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve's FOMC holds two-day meeting on interest rates and will announce its decision on Wednesday. The Fed's Ben Bernanke will still be out and about this week, discussing the failure of Lehman Brothers later today, and ending up the week speaking at the Independent Community Bankers of America National Convention and Techworld.

Manufacturing will be in focus this week, starting with industrial production numbers for February and the Empire State Manufacturing Survey Diffusion Index for March scheduled to be released Monday morning. Tuesday morning will bring us the Producer Price Index for February, and Thursday morning comes the Philadelphia Fed Outlook Survey -- Diffusion Index Manufacturing for March.

Continue reading The week in preview: Interest rates, manufacturing, earnings gainers

The week in preview: Interest rates, manufacturing, earnings gainers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"In Russia, as in many other emerging markets, a new crop of homegrown companies is on the rise," says global expert John Christy, editor of The Forbes International Investment Report.

He says, "While relatively unknown outside their home markets, these firms have proven to be worthy competitors against much bigger multinationals." Here's a look at Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods (NYSE: WBD).

"In a research report in March, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) called these emerging companies 'Local Dynamos'. Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods was one of just three Russian companies to qualify for BCG's exclusive list. WBD is Russia's largest food and beverage company.

"It has a whopping 76% market share for dairy products like milk and yogurt.It is the #3 player in beverages,mainly fruit juices,and it has the #1 market share for baby food in Russia.

"In developed markets, selling baby food and fruit juice is a mature,ifnot mundane business.But in Russia,these can still be considered relatively attractive growth opportunities.

Continue reading Wimm-Bill-Dann (WBD): Russia's largest food & beverage bet

Wimm-Bill-Dann (WBD): Russia's largest food & beverage bet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) beat Q1 expectations and offered Q2 and full-year earnings guidance.
• Brown-Forman Corp. (NYSE: BF.B) beat Q4 estimates on demand for Jack Daniels and Finlandia vodka.
• Collective Brands Inc. (NYSE: PSS) reported strong Q1 results despite a litigation charge.
• Del Monte Foods Co. (NYSE: DLM) Q4 earnings surged 37% but fell short of analysts' estimates.
• Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) beat Q1 earnings expectations and offered Q2 and full-year guidance.
• Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS) Q1 earnings surged 38% but fell short of expectations.
• Guess Inc. (NYSE: GES) reported strong Q1 results on strength in Europe and Asia.
• National Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: NSM) posted better-than-expected Q4 results.
• Nucor Corp. (NYSE: NUE) raised its earnings outlook for the coming Q2 report, sending shares higher.
• SeaChange International Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAC) reported better-than-expected Q1 results.
• Smithfield Foods Corp. (NYSE: SFD) Q1 profits fell 94% on rising grain costs and falling hog prices.
• Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) reported a smaller-than-expected Q2 loss, lifting shares.
• Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods (NYSE: WBD) reported strong Q1 results that beat Wall Street expectations.

See also: Earnings highlights: Wal-Mart, Lehman Bros., Take-Two, Ciena, Trina Solar and others

Also, continued real estate losses are expected to hurt the quarterly reports of banks such as like Wachovia (NYSE: WB), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), and National City (NYSE: NCC). And Steven Mallas wonders why Playboy (NYSE: PLA) shares have tanked since its last earnings report.

Upcoming results to watch for include Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD), Pall Corp. (NYSE: PLL), Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY), Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY), and Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ: CASY).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: Toll Bros., National Semiconductor, Dr Pepper, Guess and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earnings season is basically over, but there are still some reports out there. On Friday, Wimm-Bill-Dann (NYSE: WBD), a dairy and juice distributor based in Russia, divulged its Q1 earnings stats. Talk about growth across the board. Everything was double-digit appreciation (except for one metric, which I'll get to in just a minute).

Seriously, this is like a picture of perfection in many ways. Net revenues jumped 35%. Gross profit shot up 26%. Operating income soared 23%. Net income on a dollar basis rose 31%. Net income on a diluted basis increased 30% to $0.95 per share. Bravo, Wimm-Bill-Dann!

Now, there's one metric that the company didn't shine on. It can be found in the statement of cash flows. Net cash from operating activities actually declined 45%. Okay, cash flow is one of my favorite metrics, so yes, this decrease isn't a joyous event for me. But this is just the first quarter. The growth rates in the other areas nevertheless inspire confidence in this foreign company. Plus, according to Reuters, this quarterly performance beat expectations.

Continue reading Wimm-Bill-Dann has an incredible quarter of growth -- should you buy?

Wimm-Bill-Dann has an incredible quarter of growth -- should you buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Banc of America upgraded shares of Monsanto (NYSE: MON) to Buy from Neutral as they have grown more comfortable with two previous concerns: competition and valuation. They see an attractive entry point ahead of strong expected results for Q2.
  
• UBS upgraded shares of AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) to Neutral from Sell on valuation, as they believe many of the risks are priced into shares at current levels.
  
• Piper upgraded Millenium Pharma (NASDAQ: MLNM) to Buy from Neutral and added shares to their Alpha List ahead of additional front-line Velcade presentations at ASCO and expected front-line Velcade approval by June 20.

• Jefferies raised GSI Commerce (NASDAQ: GSIC) to Buy from Hold.
• JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Lehman.
  
• Credit Suisse upgraded Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods (NYSE: WBD) to Outperform from Neutral.

Analyst upgrades: MON, AZN and MLNM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.