There's much concern in the information technology (IT) world. Might companies cut back on spending in light of the slowing economy?

Well, as for Red Hat (NYSE: RHT), the environment seems to be OK. For example, in Q4, the company posted a 27% increase in revenues to $141.5 million. What's more, bookings are bulging (above $200 million).

While RedHat has a strong business with its Linux offerings, the company is also seeing lots of traction with its middleware platform, known as JBoss. Interestingly enough, with Oracle's (NASDAQ: ORCL) buyout of BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS), there's been a surge in downloads of JBoss. Basically, customers want an alternative.

Going forward, Red Hat forecasts revenues of $665 million to $680 for the upcoming year. Earnings are expected to range from $0.78 to $0.82 per share.

And Red Hat recently purchased Amentra, which is a systems services company. Basically, the deal will allow Red Hat to continue to turbocharge its sales of JBoss.

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.

Red Hat sees some green originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When the company announces its earnings, analysts are expecting to see earnings excluding items of 30 cents on sales of $5.4 billion, up from 25 cents a share and $4.41 billion in revenue reported in the same period a year ago.

Despite the weak market conditions and economic slowdown, Oracle has so far been able to beat or at least match analysts' expectations when it has reported earnings. For the current quarter, the company also expects strong earnings results. This might be due to the company's recent acquisitions whose maintenance revenue help offset weak earnings coming from its customers affected by the tumbling economy.

Continue reading Oracle (ORCL) expects strong quarterly earnings

Oracle (ORCL) expects strong quarterly earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• HSBC downgraded Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to Underweight from Neutral, as they believe the company's mid-single digit pharma sales growth is not sustainable.
  
• AIG (NYSE: AIG) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform by Keefe Bruyette due to their concerns about the company's deteriorating profit trends.
  
• Diageo (NYSE: DEO) was lowered to Neutral from Buy by Goldman Sachs to reflect a lack of near-term catalysts.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) to Hold from Buy, as they believe it is likely that the acquisition will close in April.

• Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) was dropped to Hold from Buy by Morgan Joseph.
• Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) was dropped to Neutral from Buy at FTN Midwest.
• Roth Capital downgraded Collagenex (NASDAQ: CGPI) to Hold from Buy.
• Credit Suisse lowered MFA Mortgage (NYSE: MFA) to Neutral from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades: NVS, AIG, DEO and BEAS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) to Outperform from Perform after channel checks indicated the company's internal cell ramp is proceeding on plan. They are more positive on shares following the recent pullback.
  
• Qimonda (NYSE: QI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS, as they expect the DRAM supply/demand to balance out in the second quarter 2008 followed by undersupply.
  
• Broadpoint raised Eagle Test Systems (NASDAQ: EGLT) to Buy from Neutral after the company reported Q1 results.

• EADS (OTC: EADSY) was upgraded to Buy from Sell at ABN Amro.
  
• Jefferies upgraded Unisys (NYSE: UIS) to Hold from Underperform.
  
• BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Bernstein.

Analyst upgrades: Canadian Solar, Qimonda, Eagle Test Systems originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Banc of America upgraded shares of Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) to Buy from Neutral as they believe the company's three year growth strategy and the approval of Tysabri for the treatment of Crohn's disease will support a higher valuation.
  
• Oppenheimer upgraded Western Union (NYSE: WU) to Outperform from Perform, citing improving operating margins, easing comps, and improvement in Mexico.
  
• Tibco Software (NASDAQ: TIBX) was raised to Buy from Hold at Citigroup. The firm upgraded shares following the acquisition of BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) to reflect the company's takeout potential and limited downside.

• Royal Ahold (OTC: AHONY) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Bear upgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) to Outperform from Peer Perform.
  
• Morgan Stanley raised Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst upgrades: Biogen Idec, Western Union, Tibco originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) shares are trading higher this morning on news of two buyouts in the software industry. Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: JAVA) announced this morning that it has agreed to buy open-source software maker MySQL AB for $1 billion, and Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) reported this morning that it has agreed to buy BEA Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BEAS) for about $8.5 billion. Investors might think that SYMC could be an eventual buyout target. If you think that the company 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 SYMC.

After hitting a one-year high of $21.32 in October, the stock hit a one-year low of $15.15 last week. SYMC opened this morning at $15.16. So far today the stock has hit a low of $15.57 and a high of $16.16. As of 11:00, SYMC is trading at $16.12, up $0.72 (4.7%). The chart for SYMC looks bearish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold rating.

Continue reading Symantec (SYMC) on the move after software buyouts

Symantec (SYMC) on the move after software buyouts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oracle buys BEA Systems for $8.5 billion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS), Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) announced it will acquire all outstanding shares of BEAS for $19.75 in cash, an $8.5 billion deal.

BEAS board of directors unanimously approved the transaction.

BEAS option volume was heavy with 54,526 contracts trading on January 15, 2007. BEAS January straddle was priced at $1.10. BEAS February option implied volatility of 55 is above its 26-week average of 40 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options update 1-16-08: BEA Systems volatility up following ORCL deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: ORCL, BEAS, BA, AAPL, TXN, CLWR, PEP ...

Before the bell: ORCL, BEAS, BA, AAPL, TXN, CLWR, PEP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BEA Systems explains Oracle bid rejection to Icahn originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Would you trust BEA management or Carl Icahn with your money? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I have been following BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) since the mid 1990s. What was once a cutting-edge, leading applications infrastructure play has turned into a me-too, has-been company. The worst part of it all, BEA thinks -- it actually thinks -- it is good! It's an arrogant company led by an arrogant management team.

I visited BEA three times from early 2000 to late 2004, and guess what? BEA was for sale and looking for a suitor even then. Management gives the illusion of wanting to go it alone, and yet several managers made it clear to me and my clients at the time that they would "listen to anyone" -- you know, the old fiduciary responsibility line.

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) has been rumored since 2002 to be buying BEA Systems. I think the rumors were promoted by none other than BEA itself. In the meantime, Oracle was attempting to "research and develop" a competing product set versus BEA, but with Oracle being Oracle, it was not to be. Oracle has adopted a more productive strategy of acquiring companies, especially beaten-down ones, rather than developing its own in-house applications. At the end of the day, Oracle is a master of the database world and a C player in the apps world.

Continue reading BEA Systems: Oracle is probably your only option

BEA Systems: Oracle is probably your only option originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) was hit by a report in Britain's Observer newspaper on Sunday that it had found child labor in clothing in a sweatshop in India, with children as young as 10 with working conditions of 16 hours a day. The clothing retailer said it will convene all of its Indian suppliers to "forcefully reiterate" its prohibition on child labor.

Before the bell: Futures rise ahead of Fed meeting tomorrow originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) had threatened to walk away from its $17 offer for BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) and it did. The larger company had set a 5 PM deadline yesterday for a response. "BEA shareholders should not assume that Oracle will renew its $17 per share offer in the future," Oracle said in a statement picked up by Reuters.

Adding to the pressure, BEA shareholder Carl Icahn has threatened a proxy fight if the company is not auctioned off. The company has lost most of its alternatives because no other firm would match the Oracle offer.

It appears that BEA gambled and lost. It must have believed that Oracle would raise it bid to lock in a deal for the company. The BEA board issued a statement saying that the company was worth $21. But no one seemed to buy that. The stock had not traded above $17 for about four years.

BEA is now left with few if any alternatives. Icahn may be able to force a sale of the company, but the only buyer would appear to be Oracle. In the meantime BEA shares are likely to take a sharp fall.

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

Oracle (ORCL) walks out on BEA Systems originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) board may think that their company is worth $21 a share. After consulting with their bankers at Goldman Sachs, that is the price they put on the company in a public letter to Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL). The larger company has made an offer to buy BEAS for $17.

Oracle, as might have been predicted, says that $21 is absurdly high and has threatened to withdraw its offer.

Yesterday, Carl Icahn, who owned 15% of BEAS, told the company that it should take the highest best offer and be done with it. Reuters writes that he demanded in a letter to the BEA board that it let shareholders vote on the best bid that emerges from an auction. "It's completely insane to lose a stalking horse," Icahn said in an interview with the news service, referring to Oracle. He said he is prepared for a proxy fight to make his point.

Icahn is often right in these matters, but in this case he is especially right. BEAS is a fairly ordinary company.The company has not traded above $17 since early 2002. And, no other bidder has emerged at $17, although there was some speculation that IBM (NYSE: IBM) might step in. It would appear that other companies think that Oracle's current price point is rich and generous.

The BEAS board is wrong. If Oracle leaves the field, the stock will probably drop back to $12, where it traded in August. There will be no winners then, only losers.

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

Icahn strikes again, wants BEA Systems (BEAS) sale originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 27 Oct 2007 06:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) was able to get Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to suggest that the company is worth $21 a share. The stock has not traded that high in over four years. But Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) has made a bid of $17, and the BEAS board wants to see if it can get more.

The plan does not appear to be working out. Oracle said that it would not pay extra money for the smaller company and will simply take its case to shareholders.

Reuters writes that "Oracle said BEA's price represented an 80 percent premium to its shares before activist shareholders started pushing for a sale of the company, and nearly 11 times BEA's revenue from software maintenance services in the last 12 months." If the BEAS shareholders do not push its board to take the offer, Oracle has threatened to move on.

BEA Systems has a problem. The number it has picked for valuing the company is arbitrary. The company's stock price before the Oracle offer does not support it. Shares changed hands in the $13 to $14 range. And no other company has come along to even match Oracle's $17 offer.

The BEAS board may be dooming a buyout and that would probably send shares back to their pre-offer lows. That kind of behavior often brings shareholder lawsuits and trouble that the company's management does not need.

BEA Systems ought to wise up and take the money on the table.

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

BEA Systems plays dangerous game with Oracle's buyout offer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Before the bell: VG, VZ, ORCL, BEAS, M originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) has given BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) until Sunday to accept its buy-out offer. Oracle has offered $17 a share. Before the buy-out rumors started to move the stock up, it traded around $14.

According to Reuters, "BEA responded by saying it had no intention of coming to the negotiating table unless Oracle raised its bid." That is despite the fact that Carl Icahn has taken a piece of the company and wants a sale.

BEA has almost certainly hoped for a second bidder, but that phantom buyer has not emerged.

While the board of the company plays a game of chicken with Oracle, the common shareholder may be left holding the bag. It has a sure thing at $17; the rest is hot air. With Goldman as its bank, BEA has almost certainly contacted all other potential buyers.

The BEA board should do the right thing -- sell the company and get the common shareholder a good return. Board members should make money on their own options and go home and sleep well tonight knowing that there will not be class action suits from people who know they did not take the bird in the hand.

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

BEA Systems: Too smart for its own good? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup downgraded shares of BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) to Hold from Buy on valuation following the $17/share offer by Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) as they think a public bidding war for the company is unlikely.
  
• ABN Amro downgraded shares of Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) to Hold from Buy on valuation and believes above consensus Q3 results are already priced into shares.
  
• Wachovia downgraded Medco Health Solutions (NYSE: MHS) to Market Perform from Outperform on valuation.
  
• The firm also downgraded Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) to Market Perform from Outperform, as they believe the prospects from stabilizing volumes and cost savings are reflected in valuation and Street estimates.
  
• Credit Suisse downgraded shares of PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) to Neutral from Outperform citing aggressive pricing at Petco, accelerating growth initiatives, limited visibility around expense management, and lack of consistent results.

• Methanex Corporation (NASDAQ: MEOH) was downgraded to Sector Underperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
  
• Rochdale downgraded Heico Corporation (NYSE: HEI) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded BankUnited Financial Corp (NASDAQ: BKUNA) to Neutral from Outperform and removed Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q) from its Focus List.
  
• Goldman removed MetLife (NYSE: MET) from its Conviction Buy List.
  
• Coldwater Creek (NASDAQ: CWTR) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Standford and at Stifel.

Analyst downgrades: BEAS, NOK, MHS, DGX and PETM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oracle (ORCL) offers BEA Systems (BEAS) $17 a share -- will it offer more? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.