So, the unemployment rate sank below 9% in February, but investors didn't seem to be impressed by that. The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all fell on Friday over concerns about how the ongoing unrest in the Middle East might affect energy prices, and thus the economic recovery.

Will this coming week's economic calendar offer anything likely to bring excitement to the markets? Here's what's on tap:

• Monday: Consumer credit numbers for January
• Tuesday: Weekly chain store sales, TIPP Economic Optimism Index

Continue reading Week in Preview: Retail Sales, Consumer Credit and Earnings

Week in Preview: Retail Sales, Consumer Credit and Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: When It Is All Priced In... (CASY, F, GRMN, TAP, OPEN, TGB)

Closing Bell: When It Is All Priced In... (CASY, F, GRMN, TAP, OPEN, TGB) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Casey's General Stores Up Big After Q1 Results

Casey's General Stores Up Big After Q1 Results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most of the S&P 500 have reported earnings results this quarter, but on tap this week are Brown-Forman Corp. (BF.B), National Semiconductor Corp. (NSM) and Pall Corp. (PLL), which are expected to post earnings growth, as well as H&R Block Inc. (HRB) and Kroger Co. (KR), which are not.

Most of the high expectations from analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are still with retailers this week, though. Here's a look at a few of them.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Earnings Season Winds Down

The Week in Preview: Earnings Season Winds Down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Advance Auto Parts Inc. (AAP) was downgraded due to concerns about its 2010 earnings outlook.
• Analogic Corp. (ALOG) received an analyst's downgrade after it reported weaker-than-expected earnings.
• AutoZone Inc. (AZO) strong Q1 results beat earnings expectations, but shares rose only a little.
• BWAY Holding Co. (BWY) received an analyst's upgrade following release of its Q4 results.
• Casey's General Stores Inc. (CASY) topped Q2 earnings estimates but lower revenue fell short.
• Ciena Corp. (CIEN) shares plummeted after it fell short of its earnings expectations for Q4.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: AutoZone, Ciena, Costco, FedEx, Krispy Kreme, Kroger, MetLife, 3M ...

Earnings highlights: AutoZone, Ciena, Costco, FedEx, Krispy Kreme, Kroger, MetLife, 3M ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After the markets closed Monday, Casey's General Stores Inc. (CASY), which operates some 1,400 convenience stores in the Midwest, released its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2010.

For the three months that ended October 31, 2009, Casey's reported earnings of $33.6 million, or $0.66 per share, which is up about 23% from $0.54 per share for the same quarter a year ago. The EPS growth was attributed to strong margins in all three of its categories: Prepared Foods/Fountain, Grocery/Other Merchandise, Gasoline.

Continue reading Casey's General Stores profit up 23%, but revenue falls, misses estimates

Casey's General Stores profit up 23%, but revenue falls, misses estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings season, like the calendar year, is winding down. The sprinkling of quarterly results scheduled for this coming week include S&P 500 components AutoZone (AZO), Ciena (CIEN), H&R Block (HRB) and National Semiconductor (NSM), as well as Dollar General (DG), Imperial Sugar (IPSU), Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD), Men's Wearhouse (MW), Talbots (TLB) and others.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect to see strong year-over-year and sequential EPS growth from luxury watchmaker Movado Group Inc. (MOV). During its third quarter of fiscal 2010, this Paramus, N.J.-based company was recognized for its innovative use of technology and it reported a big profit decline for the second quarter.

Continue reading The week in preview: Profit expectations for Costco, Kroger, Movado and others

The week in preview: Profit expectations for Costco, Kroger, Movado and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investors and analysts may be wondering whether the market rally is really over, and whether this signals more trouble ahead for the economy. Well, the Federal Reserve is scheduled to release its next Beige Book report of economic conditions on Wednesday, offering a glimpse of where things stand. The Beige Book report in July suggested that, in some of the 12 Fed districts, the economy appeared to be stabilizing, suggesting that the recession may have reached its bottom, but offering little sign of a recovery. Retail activity remained weak and employment numbers were not good. Yet the minutes of the FOMC August meeting seemed a bit more optimistic about the economy.

In addition to the Beige Book report, the TIPP Economic Optimism Index is scheduled to be released Tuesday, and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index comes out Friday. So by the end of the week, we could have a good gauge of the mood about the U.S. economy.

Continue reading The week in preview: It's Beige Book time again

The week in preview: It's Beige Book time again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, last week's Beige Book report and other indicators didn't in fact make it clear whether economic recovery is underway. So what do we have to look forward to this week?

There's Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's testimony at the House Committee Hearing on the Financial Regulation Plan on Wednesday evening. Or how about the bankruptcy filings for the second quarter or Leading Indicators Index for May, scheduled to be released Monday afternoon and Thursday morning, respectively. Will they provide a clear signal about the direction of the economy? Probably not.

Continue reading The week in preview: Still seeking good news

The week in preview: Still seeking good news originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded IberiaBank (NASDAQ: IBKC) to Market Perform from Underperform following the company's capital raise, which the firm believes strengthens IberiaBank's balance sheet. Baird upgraded IberiaBank to Outperform from Neutral based on valuation following weakness related to the $100M capital raise.
  
• Pali upgraded shares of Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN) to Neutral from Sell on valuation as they believe the company's comp slowdown is largely priced in at current levels.
  
• Morgan Keegan upgraded Casey's General Store (NASDAQ: CASY) to Outperform from Market Perform based on valuation, healthy SSS, and easing comps.
• Cabot OIl & Gas (NYSE: COG) and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) were added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
  
• American Capital (NASDAQ: ACAS) was raised to Market Perform from Underperform at Friedman Billings.
  
• CIBC lifted Manulife (NYSE: MFC) to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer.

• Goldman downgraded Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) to Sell from Neutral based on expectations for reduced capex spending by mining and oil & gas companies and the impact from the credit crunch.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded auto companies and suppliers as they believe the failed government bailout increases risks. Ford (NYSE: F), American Axle (NYSE: AXL), Magna International (NYSE: MGA) and Lear (NYSE: LEA) were downgraded to Sell from Hold.
  
• SAP (NYSE: SAP) was cut to Hold from Buy at Jefferies to reflect the "deteriorating" corporate IT spend environment.
• Waters (NYSE: WAT) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Agilent (NYSE: A) was lowered to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays; the firm also downgraded Varian (NASDAQ: VARI) to Underweight from Equal Weight.

• Jefferies believes Core Laboratories (NYSE: CLB) is well positioned to benefit from the increasing need for reservoir optimization services. Shares were initiated with a Buy rating and $70 target.
  
• Deutsche Bank initiated Capital One (NYSE: COF) with a Sell rating and $24 target, citing the difficult economic environment and the potential for higher credit losses.
  
• Soleil started Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) with a Buy rating and $10 target and expects the company's military business to remain strong through 2010.
• On Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) was assumed with a Neutral rating and $3.80 target at UBS.
  
• Cbeyond (NASDAQ: CBEY) was initiated at Oppenheimer with a Perform rating.
• Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) was started with a Neutral rating at Piper Jaffray.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: URBN, ACAS, CAT, F, A, COF ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While the earnings crunch for this quarter is all but over, there is still plenty of action in the earnings arena this coming week. For instance, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting America's Car Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) and Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) to be among this week's top earnings gainers.

Bentonville, Ark.-based America's Car Mart is expected to post net income of 38 cents per share (up 52.6% from the same period a year ago) on revenue of $73.8 million (up 25.8%). The used car dealer chain has tended in recent quarters toward positive surprises -- by 21 cents per share, or 73.5%, in the previous quarter. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 15%, about the same as the S&P 500. The consensus recommendation of analysts is to buy CRMT.

Campell is tentatively scheduled to report this week, and the world's biggest soup maker is expected to post net income of 25 cents per share (up 44.0% from a year ago) on revenue of $1.7 billion (up 7.5%). The Camden, N.J.-based company has just missed earnings estimates in the past three quarters. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 7.5%, which is less than the industry average, but about the same as rivals Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) and Heinz (NYSE: HNZ). The analysts' consensus recommendation is currently to buy Campbell.

Other anticipated double-digit earnings gainers scheduled to report this week include brand name apparel maker Guess Inc. (NYSE: GES), mining equipment maker Joy Global (NASDAQ: JOYG), and chip maker National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM). And Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) is expected to swing to a profit.

Continue reading The week in preview: Have consumers turned to comfort food and used cars?

The week in preview: Have consumers turned to comfort food and used cars? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ: CASY) operates, or franchises, more than 1,450 mid-western convenience stores, mostly in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The outlets sell beverages, gasoline, groceries and prepared foods. Casey's also carries tobacco, health and beauty aids, automotive products, ammunition, housewares and photo supplies.

The firm had good news for investors earlier in the month, when it announced fiscal Q4 EPS of 28 cents and revenues of $1.2 billion. Analysts were expecting 25 cents and $1.19 billion. Management also presented an aggressive series of operating and financial goals for the new fiscal year and the board approved a 15% increase in the quarterly dividend.

Continue reading Casey's General Stores (CASY): Price defines bullish 'flag' consolidation

Casey's General Stores (CASY): Price defines bullish 'flag' consolidation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:24:00 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.

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

• Bob Evans Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: BOBE) posted stronger-than-expected Q4 earnings.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) beat earnings expectations, but share prices slipped anyway.
• Daktronics Inc. (NASDAQ: DAKT) Q4 results beat expectations and it raised its revenue outlook.
• Diageo (NYSE: DEO) is recession-proof and should deliver solid results, predicts one adviser.
• Donaldson Company Inc. (NYSE: DCI) beat Q3 expectations and raised its full-year guidance.
• Ensco International Inc. (NYSE: ESV) was upgraded because of its earnings growth potential.
• Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LEH) earnings prospects don't impress Jim Cramer.
• Netezza Corp. (NYSE: NZ) beat Q1 expectations and offered full-year revenue guidance.
• Potash Corp. (NYSE: POT) earnings are "set to soar" says one analyst, due to rising demand and prices.
• Sherwin-Williams Co. (NYSE: SHW) lowered its Q2 and full-year forecasts, sending shares down.
• Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) beat Q2 estimates on Grand Theft Auto IV demand.
• Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) beat Q1 estimates but shares fell on the disappointing Q2 outlook.
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was upgraded due to its earnings outlook and increased productivity.

See also: Earnings highlights: Toll Bros., National Semiconductor, Dr Pepper, Guess 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: Wal-Mart, Lehman Bros., Take-Two, Ciena, Trina Solar and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup downgraded shares of Acergy (NASDAQ: ACGY) to Sell from Hold as they see risk to the company's backlog and believes the recent share rally is not supported by business operations.
  
• Casey's General (NASDAQ: CASY) was downgraded at Friedman Billings to Underperform from Market Perform citing headwinds that include weak gas comps.
  
• Banc of America downgraded shares of Corinthian Colleges (NASDAQ: COCO) to Neutral from Buy as they believe the post-legislation lending overhang will limit further share upside until COCO can show its students can access federal funds with minimal disruption.

• Bernstein cut EMC Corp (NYSE: EMC) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Baird lowered Woodward Governor (NASDAQ: WGOV) to Neutral from Outperform.
  
• Merrill downgraded Sealed Air (NYSE: SEE) and Bemis (BMS) to Sell from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades: EMC, ACGY, CASY, WGOV, SEE and COCO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 May 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Sierra Pacific (NYSE: SRP) to Hold from Buy on valuation and uncertainty over the company's Integrated Resource Plan investment program.
  
• Jefferies downgraded shares of Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL) to Hold from Buy and lowered their target to $30 from $38 after their Asia channel checks indicated the first wave of cancellations for PWM ICs from the leading Taiwan Motherboard manufacturers.
  
• Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) were lowered to Neutral from Buy at UBS, citing credit pressures that will likely require increased reserves.

• First Marblehead (NYSE: FMD) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings.
  
• The firm also downgraded Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ: CASY) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) was lowered to Market Perform from Outperform at Wachovia.

Analyst downgrades: SRP, ISIL, FNM and FRE originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you took a driving trip through the Midwest during the summer, chances are you, and several hundred thousand others, stopped at one of almost 1400 Casey's General Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: CASY) to refuel both car and driver. On Sept. 5 Casey's reported record earnings for 1Q FY 2008, which ended on 31 July, and did it through real growth in both sales and income. Casey's, despite having a goal of acquiring 50 new locations by the end of the year, actually acquired none during the quarter. Casey's has its priorities in the right order in terms of cost control. Senior management does not let operating expenses increase by any percentage amount greater than the percentage increase in gross profits.

Total sales of both gasoline and food were up 17% to $1.3 billion. Most of this amount came from increases in food and beverage sales, which were up 15% to $260 million for packaged food items and cigarettes and $75 million for fresh pizza and sodas.

Oddly, gasoline sales were up imperceptibly, not even half a percent, in terms of volume. But as many of us have suspected, the profit margin on gasoline has increased, in this case to 15.8 cents per gallon, compared to 9.8 cents per gallon in the summer of 2006. Casey's is still expanding its presence throughout the nine state Midwest region. Casey's continued to show strong sales during August as well, with gasoline sales up 1% but food, groceries and general merchandise up almost 12% in same store sales. Clearly, Casey's has the right product mix at the right prices for tis customers. Casey's recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.065 per share. The stock currently trades just under $29.00, and seems a good bet to appreciate in price without much downside risk.

Casey's General Stores (CASY) posts record revenue originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.