Semiconductor maker Applied Materials (AMAT) reported its fiscal fourth quarter numbers this afternoon following the market close, and the company easily outpaced analyst estimates.

Going into this afternoon's earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see the company show earnings of 3 cents per share, but the company surprised to the upside by posting actual Q4 earnings of 13 cents.

Shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) are trading up in after hours trading today after the company posted strong Q4 earnings numbers after the market close.

As we noted in our earnings preview, the company was expected to show earnings for the quarter of 21 cents per share on $2.39 billion in revenues. The actual numbers came in at 24 cents per share with revenues of $2.4 billion.

Following today's market close, technology giant Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) had its chance to impress Wall Street with its fiscal first quarter results, and the company did not disappoint.

Going into this afternoon's earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see the company show earnings of 31 cents per share, but the company surprised to the upside by posting actual earnings of 36 cents per share for its fiscal first quarter. For the same period last year the company had earnings of 42 cents per share.

Agricultural manufacturer Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) is trading slightly lower in after hours trading this afternoon after the company posted lower than expected earnings for its fiscal first quarter.

Going into this afternoon's release, analysts had been expecting to see the company show earnings of 35 cents per share, but the company came in well below this estimate, with actual earnings of just 23 cents per share. During the same period last year the company had earnings of $2.65 per share.

This afternoon, Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) reported its fiscal first quarter numbers, and the company was able to put up better than expected earnings numbers, but revenues came in slightly under expectations.

As we noted in our earnings preview yesterday, analysts had been expecting to see the company show earnings of 97 cents per share, and the actual earnings figure was a bit higher at $1.04 per share. For the same period last year the company showed earnings of $1.03 per share.

Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI) posted better-than-expected fiscal third quarter results Tuesday after the close. Still, shares were down close to 5% in after-hours trading as the chipmaker reported lower than expected margins in the quarter.

The company earned 22 cents per share in the quarter, higher than the 20 cents per share analysts had been expecting. In addition, the company also reported higher revenue numbers than the consensus Street's forecasts.

Semiconductor Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) had its turn in the earnings parade this afternoon, and the company put up dismal results that failed to meet analyst expectations.

Going into this afternoon's earnings report, analysts had been expecting to see the company show a loss of $0.09 per share, but the actual EPS for the quarter was a greater loss, one of $0.18 per share.

Apple always has to be different. But today, everyone cheered as the company brought out a version of their pretty laptop, the MacBook, in matt black (yes, that's the same finish as your boring old PC). Our sister site, Engadget, took the MacBook for a spin and declared it "a pretty freaking great value" (but they're not doing black, for the record). The Apple Insider hails the removable (by an actual user!) hard disks. No more purely cosmetic screws!

It wasn't all black hearts and roses, though; MacWorld UK today mourned the locking down of OS X. Thanks to concerns of piracy, Apple closed down its open source code so that developers can no longer tinker with its operating system. Bad for pirates is also bad for very advanced users; says Tom Yager, "there are ways to address the piracy issue without stripping the critical and defining quality of openness from OS X."

AAPL stock responded by ticking up 25 cents to $65.26 on lower-than-average volume. Evidently the market, while intrigued, isn't ready to jump unreservedly on board for black is the new MacBook.

[Photo redjar]

Investors may finally have heard the credulity of people like me, Tim Beyers of Motley Fool, and any number of Microsoft employees. The stock traded up 27 cents, or 1.17%, to $23.44 on about-average volume. Of course, the stock still sits at its lowest price in the last four years, despite the fact that the company is both (a) profitable and (b) still dominating the world in its usual way.

Oddly, the price increase came on a day in which the Microsoft news was dominated by a rather negative spin; everyone is wondering why the company changed the name of MSN adCenter to Microsoft adCenter. Says Jennifer Slegg of Search Engine Watch, "I am not sure that rebranding from MSN to Microsoft is the best decision for adCenter, but it is certainly a decision that will get people talking." Evidently, talk is enough for a 1% runup. As Martha says, that's a good thing.

I'd like to know what all those sellers are thinking. Really! I mean, look at this chart. There we have it, down down and more down. MSFT is now at its 52-week low -- in fact, the stock hasn't been this low since October 4, 2002. I know! Today, the stock closed at $23.17, down 3.5%. It's now trading 15% below its high last week. Ouch. Guess everyone does believe Gartner's report about Vista delays.

Those who are selling right now? In my opinion, it's irrational depression. Why sell at the low? Panic, I suppose, but it seems highly, um, foolish. Tim Beyers, he who is Motley Foolish but not, you know, foolish, agrees. He argues that, even if you buy the idea that Microsoft might be taking second fiddle to Google (the Evil-Empire-come-lately), it's still a good company to own. After all, they are rife with cash-ola and they absolutely, totally dominate the average laptop. Come on now, look around you at the coffee shop. How many laptops don't have Windows-based software?

Unless you're tapping away at my favorite worker-owned coffee collective (where everyone either has an iBook or a built-from-scratch Linux geek-machine), the answer is: few. If I owned Mr. Softee right now, I'd be holding. And if I owned a pile full of cash right now, I'd be buying. There may be more down. But I'd bet at least some of my children's future on the long-term up.

As Microsoft shareholders let out a gigantic sigh that erased $2.8 billion in market cap, the company's stock flirted with its 52-week low of $24.00 during the afternoon. It finally closed just barely above that solid line, at $24.01.

Contributing to the terrible performance and two-and-a-half-times-average volume: the prediction by Gartner that Microsoft's latest and greatest (?) operating system, Vista, might be delayed another three months. According to one Microsoft employee, it's so not true, and Microsoft insists that it will still make the November 2006 (volume license customers) and January 2007 (everybody else) launch dates. Shareholders? Clearly are not drinking the Kool-aid.

Say it with me [long deep breath] ***SIGH***.

I just got off eBay's first quarter earnings call and no longer am I quite so surprised that the stock sold off in after-hours trading after the auction giant released its results. The stock fell 5% to $38.42 after today's 5 p.m. ET announcement. 

On the face of it, the results weren't bad. EBay met Wall Street's estimates and exceeded its own guidance -- although it did some weird monkeying around with "non-GAAP" results that used to be known as "pro-forma" and would have been higher if it weren't for stock option expensing and new accounting rules. (Just give us the straight scoop, next time, okay?).

The release's second subhead was a real grabber: "Q1 GAAP Diluted EPS of $0.17 and Non-GAAP (pro forma) Diluted EPS of $0.24." Catchy, right?

But that's not why the stock sold off.