In this week's (November 9) Preview Section of Barron's (subscription required) I was surprised to find that on Wednesday (11/9) it is noted that Computer Sciences (CSC), Applied Materials (AMAT), and Macy's (M) reported "profits." How do they know this?

On other days they refer to the "earnings" of various companies reporting. Perhaps I am splitting hairs, perhaps it is editorial haste (like you might find on our site), or perhaps there is no difference in some people's minds? From my perspective there is a difference between earnings and profits. Every quarter, public companies report their earnings. They do not always report a profit.

An article in Barron's suggests that Motorola (NYSE: MOT) is on the verge of regaining some of its former mojo. The company recently offered a solid outlook for the remainder of the year, and it could garner new business after debuting two smartphones featuring Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android operating system -- namely, the Droid and the Cliq.

The author cites analyst Ed Snyder of Charter Equity Research, who believes Motorola is on the cusp of "an extended upswing in handsets ... over the next several quarters." Snyder believes that the firm's ailing handset division could achieve break-even results as soon as the second quarter of 2010.

For the first half of 2010, almost two thirds of money managers are bullish, according to Barron's. In fact, 54% are bullish, and 5% are "very bullish." Responses suggest that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is expected to gain another 5% by the end of the year.

According to Barron's, "Today's bullish investors see the major stock indexes making steady progress through next June, amid signs the U.S. economy is on the mend after a searing recession."

Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO - option chain) shares rose Monday after the stock received positive coverage in Barron's over the weekend. An analyst wrote in the magazine that shares of the stock could appreciate quickly since it is the only bond insurer among its competitors that still has the credit rating and financial strength to write insurance on new issues of municipal bonds and bond securitizations. Barron's also said that Assured Guaranty could have smaller-than-expected losses from claims. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on AGO.

AGO opened at $18.70. In morning trading, the stock hit a low of $18.70 and a high of $19.63. As of 11:05, AGO was trading at $19.53 up 1.38 (7.6%). The chart for AGO looks neutral and S&P gives AGO a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

The shares of First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) have started the week on a rocky note. Not only did Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. downgrade the stock from Market Perform to Underperform, the alternative energy issue was also the topic of a skeptical Barron's article over the weekend.

In a note to clients, brokerage firm Friedman cited weak polysilicon prices and the stock's overrich valuation for its downgrade. FSLR closed last Friday at $191.72 per share, compared to Friedman's price target of $110.

Meanwhile, the cautious Barron's write up [subscription required] observes that the Intersolar trade show begins Wednesday in Munich, and pits FSLR against many lower-priced rivals. "One leading customer says it will ditch First Solar's 'thin-film' panels if crystalline silicon alternatives keep getting cheaper.

That seems likely. Silicon prices are expected to drop another 30% by year end. First Solar profits -- and its shares -- could get cut in half," commented the financial paper.

Most investors consider Dell Computer (NASDAQ: DELL) a dog of a company. Since the firm's founder, Michael Dell, took over as CEO, his only real skill seems to be cutting costs. The firm has lost market share in the PC category and is behind companies like Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ) and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) in the server business.

CNBC's Jim Cramer has an audience of 600,000 for his Mad Money. But Barron's has gone to great lengths to investigate how his stock picks have performed and it has concluded that they lag the market averages by about five percentage points. Specifically, Barron's concluded that from May to December of 2008, the S&P 500 lost about 30% and "heeding Cramer's Buys and Sells would have added another five percentage points to that loss."

Cramer's Sells do better than his Buys. Specifically, his Sells outperformed the market on the downside by five percentage points while his Buys lost up to 10 percentage points more than the market. One finance professor estimated using options-market activity that betting against Cramer's Buy recommendations can yield 25% in a month.

ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is scheduled to discuss fourth-quarter and year-end 2008 results tomorrow, January 30, in a conference call at 11:00 AM ET hosted by David Rosenthal, vice president -- investor relations. You can catch the live audio webcast of the call on the company's website.

For the quarter that saw a settlement with the EPA and DOJ, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect Exxon to report a profit of $1.45 per share, compared to $2.13 per share in the same period of the previous year. Revenue for the quarter is expected to total $69.1 billion, down 40.7% from a year ago. Exxon's earnings fell short of estimates in three of the past five quarters, by as much as 9.7%.