Continue reading Bank of America CEO Predicts Big Dividends by 2013

Bank of America CEO Predicts Big Dividends by 2013 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNOOC Limited (CEO) announced that it's buying into several shale oil and gas leases in the U.S. owned by Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK) for $570 million. CHK overall option implied volatility of 31 is below its 26-week average of 35, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) and Massey Energy Company (MEE) announced that they signed a definitive agreement for Massey stockholders to receive 1.025 shares of Alpha common stock and $10 in cash for each share of Massey common stock. Massey options were active on Jan. 28 with 134,000 contracts trading and overall option implied volatility at 58, above its 26-week average of 50, according to Track Data.

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

Options Update: Chesapeake Energy Volatility Low into Shale Asset Sale to CNOOC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company announced the resignation of CEO Dirk Meyer, naming Thomas Seifert interim CEO. Investors are surprised by this announcement, since Meyer took over AMD when the company was floundering and has since stabilized AMD. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on AMD.

This morning, AMD opened at $8.77. So far today the stock has hit a high of $8.80 and a low of $8.35. As of 12:25, AMD is trading at $8.49, down $0.70 (-7.6%). The chart for AMD looks neutral and S&P gives AMD a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Continue reading AMD CEO Steps Aside Suddenly

AMD CEO Steps Aside Suddenly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"No one is more anxiously aware of the vital role of oil in running a modern industrial state than China; and when China goes looking for oil outside its own land mass, it's CNOOC Ltd. (CEO) that's carrying the checkbook," says Paul Goodwin.

The editor of Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report explains, "Short for Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation, CNOOC was founded in 1982, and spent most of its early years exploring, drilling and pumping oil from Bohai Bay and the South China Sea.

Continue reading CNOOC Ltd. (CEO): China's Oil Sector Checkbook

CNOOC Ltd. (CEO): China's Oil Sector Checkbook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Starbucks CEO Outlines Acquisition Plans

Starbucks CEO Outlines Acquisition Plans originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Technology giant Hewlett Packard Company (HPQ) will be reporting its fiscal fourth quarter results following the market close Monday, with analysts expecting to see earnings of $1.27 per share.

During the same period last year, the company had earnings of $1.14 per share.

There will definitely be a lot of attention paid to the company's quarterly report, but that does not have so much to do with the company's figures as it does with the company's new CEO, Leo Apotheker.

Continue reading Hewlett-Packard Q4 Earnings Preview

Hewlett-Packard Q4 Earnings Preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Office Depot Set to Have a Good Day as CEO Resigns

Office Depot Set to Have a Good Day as CEO Resigns originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• SunTrust upgraded American Express (AXP) to buy from neutral with a $47 price target based on valuation.
• Argus upgraded Verizon (VZ) to buy from hold, with a $39 price target, citing valuation and the company's aggressive 4G LTE network upgrade. However, Bernstein downgraded the stock.
• BMO Capital upgraded Canadian Pacific (CP) to outperform from market perform, citing the company's cost reduction efforts, and raised its target for shares to $74 from $67.
• Agrium (AGU) was upgraded to sector outperformer from sector performer at CIBC.
• Novatel Wireless (NVTL) was upgraded to hold from sell at Canaccord.
• Essex Property Trust (ESS) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALXA, APOL, AXP, CP, DV, DVA, VZ, WPO, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: ALXA, APOL, AXP, CP, DV, DVA, VZ, WPO, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Patriot Coal Corporation (PCX) was in focus Wednesday morning, thanks to some management shake-ups announced late Tuesday night. The company said that Paul Vining, who serves as president and chief operating officer, will step down effective immediately. However, Vining will do his part to ensure a smooth transition by staying on in a senior advisory role, potentially through the end of the year.

In order to fill the two roles left vacant by Vining, CEO Richard Whiting will now add the title of "president" to his resume. Meanwhile, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Charles Ebetino Jr. scored a promotion to chief operating officer.

Continue reading Patriot Coal Plunges as President and COO Steps Down

Patriot Coal Plunges as President and COO Steps Down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Barclays upgraded GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to overweight from equal weight and said investor concerns regarding Advair and Avandia are overdone.
• Leerink upgraded Bristol-Myers (BMY) to outperform from market perform, citing management's pipeline execution. Shares were also upgraded at Citigroup this morning to buy from hold.
• Goldman upgraded Medco Health (MHS) to buy from neutral and raised its price target on shares to $76 from $67. The firm cites valuation and expectations that earnings will accelerate in 2H10 driven by a stronger generic outlook.
• U.S. Steel (X) was upgraded to neutral from sell at UBS.
• Blyth (BTH) was upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• IPC The Hospitalist Co. (IPCM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BMY, FSLR, GSK, LGF, MHS, PVH, SAI, SU, WAG, X ...

Analyst Calls: BMY, FSLR, GSK, LGF, MHS, PVH, SAI, SU, WAG, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Caterpillar Announces New CEO

Caterpillar Announces New CEO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading An Interview with America's Sexiest CEO: Hilary Rowland

An Interview with America's Sexiest CEO: Hilary Rowland originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Kaufman Bros. upgraded Vancelnfo (VIT) to buy from hold, citing better earnings visibility. The firm raised its target price for shares to $26 from $22.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Progressive (PGR) to buy from neutral with an $18.50 price target, citing valuation and market share gains.
• JPMorgan upgraded Marriott (MAR) to overweight from neutral. The firm has a $36 price target on the stock.
• eBay (EBAY) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Werner Enterprises (WERN) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.
• CNOOC (CEO) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BTU, EBAY, FSLR, GENZ, JCG, MAR, PGR, SBUX, VIT ...

Analyst Calls: BTU, EBAY, FSLR, GENZ, JCG, MAR, PGR, SBUX, VIT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MF Global (MF - option chain) shares rose sharply Wednesday after the company announced that former chairman of Goldman Sachs (GS), New Jersey governor, and U.S. Senator Jon Corzine will be the company's new CEO and chairman, effective immediately. Analysts have cheered the move, citing Corzine's experience at Goldman Sachs and his political clout. 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 MF.

MF opened Wednesday at $8.35. By mid day the stock had hit a low of $7.96 and a high of $8.42. As of 12:30, MF is trading at $8.11 up 0.79 (10.8%). The chart for MF looks bullish and S&P does not currently have a STARS rating for MF.

Continue reading MF Global Names Jon Corzine as New CEO

MF Global Names Jon Corzine as New CEO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Wednesday afternoon, interim CEO Robert Druskin confessed that E*Trade Financial (ETFC) is headed back to the drawing board in its search for a permanent new leader. At an investor conference, Druskin explained that the online broker's preferred candidate for the position was no longer in the running. (He didn't identify the erstwhile candidate, but we can safely assume it was not Lindsay Lohan.)

Druskin's announcement yesterday confirmed a recent report in The Wall Street Journal's Deal Blog. In a post published March 2, a trio of reporters explained that "E*Trade directors were concerned that the [top candidate] might become distracted by a pending divorce, according to people with knowledge of the discussions."

Continue reading E*Trade Financial Hits a Snag in CEO Search

E*Trade Financial Hits a Snag in CEO Search originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the most entertaining parts of watching former corporate titans under investigation is watching them invoke the "I'm stupid" defense.

When he appeared before Congress to discuss the collapse of Enron and the company's phony accounting, Jeff Skilling's defense consisted of "I'm not an accountant."

Continue reading Ken Lewis Pulls a Jeff Skilling

Ken Lewis Pulls a Jeff Skilling originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading MEMC CEO Forgoes Bonus; Money Will Go to Retrain Workers

MEMC CEO Forgoes Bonus; Money Will Go to Retrain Workers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Five Ways CEO Turnover Changed in 2009

Five Ways CEO Turnover Changed in 2009 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Through the end of November, 1,122 CEOs have moved on, a decline of 17.6% year-over-year. Last year, 1,361 departures were seen by this point. If the trend continues, CEO turnover could reach its lowest level since 2004, when only 663 occurred.

The health care industry experienced the most changes, with 22 CEOs leaving their posts, bringing the total to 181 for the sector this year, topping all industries. The government and non-profit sector comes next with 148 this year, 18 in November. The financial services industry lost 116 CEOs, with only 10 happening last month.

Continue reading CEO departures slow down, temporarily at least

CEO departures slow down, temporarily at least originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The latest study that Challenger, Gray & Christmas revealed to BloggingStocks reports that October was the eighth month this year in which CEO turnover was down year-over-year. Through the end of last month, 1,028 CEO positions changed hands -- down 18% from the 1,257 by the same point in 2008. In fact, the tally for the first 10 months of 2009 is the lowest since 2004, when the big office found only 561 new inhabitants.

The financial industry remains the toughest place for CEOs, with 19 leaving the job last month. Even though the situation has gotten easier, this industry still has the highest turnover. For the year, approximately 10% of all CEO departures (106) have been in the financial sector. "The financial industry is still incredibly volatile, as both October and September saw major announcements from leading companies including JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC) and last month's bankruptcy of CIT Group, which led to the exit of CEO Jeffrey Peek," John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, says.

Continue reading CEO turnover down, not out

CEO turnover down, not out originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.