Darden (DRI) April and October put option implied volatility of 34 is above its 26-week average of 28, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement into Q3 results that were reported Thursday after the market close.

Euro Currency Trust (FXE) closed up 70 cents to 141.15. Overall option implied volatility of 11 is near its 26-week month average, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

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

Options Update: Darden Volatility Elevated into EPS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Quarterly reports from Oracle (ORCL), Discover (DFS) and Tiffany (TIF) will highlight news on the earnings front this week.

Elsewhere on the economic calendar, the focus will be on housing, with existing home sales data due from the National Association of Realtors on Monday, new home sales numbers from the Census Bureau on Wednesday and data on housing starts released on Thursday.

Also watch for durable goods orders in February and the final GDP for the fourth quarter.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Housing Data and Late Season Earnings (ORCL, DFS, TIF)

Week in Preview: Housing Data and Late Season Earnings (ORCL, DFS, TIF) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Restaurant chain Darden Restaurants (DRI), first discussed here on June 25, 2009, at a price of $32.78, has formed a double-top near $51. So now would be a good time to consider taking some profits off the table, if you're in near $33.

However, those investors who can tolerate the risk can maintain their full position and go for an bigger gain, but investors should keep in mind that Darden probably won't clear $60 in 2011. The potential upside is still adequate, but not fantastic.

Continue reading Darden Restaurants: Time to Take Some Profits?

Darden Restaurants: Time to Take Some Profits? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Companies continue to file quarterly reports late in the season, and a few are poised to spread some early holiday cheer for investors this week. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect strong earnings results from Nike (NKE), Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) and Darden Restaurants (DRI), among others. Here's a quick look (for more details, see the DailyFinance Week in Preview).

Analysts forecast Nike's fiscal-second quarter earnings to come in at 88 cents per share, a 13.6% increase from the same period of last year. The world's leading athletic footwear maker also is expected to post revenue of $4.8 billion for the three months that ended in November. That's 9.3% more than the same period a year earlier. Note that Nike's earnings have not fallen short of consensus estimates in the past five quarters.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Late Season Earnings from Nike, Bed Bath & Beyond, Darden

Week in Preview: Late Season Earnings from Nike, Bed Bath & Beyond, Darden originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded Oshkosh (OSK) to outperform from neutral, citing valuation as it believes post-Iraq U.S. military spending concerns are overdone. The firm keeps a $42 price target for shares.
• Goldman transferred coverage on CenturyTel (CTL) with a buy from a neutral and has a $42 price target on the stock. The firm believes CenturyTel could increase buybacks and or increase its dividend given free cash generation and low payout ratio.
• Lazard Capital upgraded Hatteras Financial (HTS) to buy from hold to reflect increased dividend projections. The firm has a $30 price target for shares.
• EOG Resources (EOG) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Donaldson (DCI) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CTL, HTS, ISRG, MCD, MLM, OSK, RUTH, WMS, YUM ...

Analyst Calls: CTL, HTS, ISRG, MCD, MLM, OSK, RUTH, WMS, YUM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Income Investments: 3 Stocks That Are Boosting Their Dividends

Income Investments: 3 Stocks That Are Boosting Their Dividends originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Experienced investors know that in the frugal consumer era, one should move cautiously regarding restaurant plays, due to sector consolidation.

Restaurant chain Darden Restaurants (DRI), first discussed on June 25, 2009, at a price of $32.78, will likely be among the sector's survivors. Here's why.

Continue reading Darden: Restaurant Sector Winner

Darden: Restaurant Sector Winner originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Janney Montgomery upgraded MasterCard (MA) to buy from neutral. The firm has a $250 price target on the stock.
• Lazard upgraded Frontline (FRO) to hold from sell following the better than expected Q1 report.
• Knight Capital (NITE) was upgraded at BMO Capital to outperform from market perform. The firm cites valuation and improved fundamentals for the downgrade. The firm has an $18 price target on the stock.
• Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Carnival (CCL) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Computer Sciences (CSC) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: MA, FRO, NITE, RDS.A, CCL, DWA, VLCM, WEN, C, PG, ENOC ...

Analyst Calls: MA, FRO, NITE, RDS.A, CCL, DWA, VLCM, WEN, C, PG, ENOC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Darden (DRI): A 'Bargain' in Casual Dining

Darden (DRI): A 'Bargain' in Casual Dining originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded MWI Veterinary Supply (MWIV) to overweight from neutral and raised its target for shares to $50.
• UBS believes Nokia (NOK) is well positioned for smartphone growth. The firm upgraded shares to buy from neutral and has a $19.55 price target.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Cedar Fair (FUN) to outperform from market perform. After the company's merger agreement with Apollo was terminated, the firm thinks the company will be able to refinance its debt, removing an uncertainty.
• Darden (DRI) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• KeyCorp (KEY) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Bank of Ireland (IRE) was upgraded to hold from sell at RBS.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BDX, DRI, FUN, LVS, MWIV, NOK, PRXL, SLGN, SNE, UBS ...

Analyst Calls: BDX, DRI, FUN, LVS, MWIV, NOK, PRXL, SLGN, SNE, UBS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The coming week will bring late-season earnings reports from Best Buy Inc. (BBY), ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG), Oracle Corp. (ORCL) and Walgreen Co. (WAG), all of which are expected to post earnings and revenue growth, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. Below is a closer look at a few other companies reporting this week for which expectations are high.

In the three months that ended in January, Williams-Sonoma (WSM) saw strong holiday sales, declared a quarterly dividend, and announced the retirement of its CEO. Analysts expect the San Francisco-based home products retailer to report that fiscal fourth-quarter earnings more than doubled from the same period of last year to $0.74 per share. Revenue for the period is expected to be 6.2% higher to $1.1 billion. For the full year, the forecast calls for earnings of $0.81 per share (+56.8%) on $3.1 billion in revenue (-8.3%). Williams-Sonoma earnings results have been better than expected in recent quarters -- beating consensus estimates by more than 200% in the third quarter.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Eye on General Mills, Tiffany, Williams-Sonoma and more

The Week in Preview: Eye on General Mills, Tiffany, Williams-Sonoma and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Darden Races Ahead

Darden Races Ahead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Not all companies in these love-struck industries are good buys. Here are 10 stocks to break up with this Valentine's Day.

• 1-800-Flowers (FLWS): A good gift, but a poorly run company that has posted a loss for three of the past four quarters.
• Hershey (HSY): Missing out on the Cadbury merger was not so sweet for Hershey.
• Cardiac Sciences (CSCX): It's hard to have a heart for a company that fails seven out of my eight fundamental screens.

Continue reading Ten Valentine's Day Stocks to Hate

Ten Valentine's Day Stocks to Hate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Cheapest Stocks List Shrinks from 26 to 21

Serious Money: Cheapest Stocks List Shrinks from 26 to 21 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Cheapest Stocks Yet -- From 35 to 26

Serious Money: Cheapest Stocks Yet -- From 35 to 26 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Still Cheap Market -- 35 Stocks + Yields & Growth

Serious Money: Still Cheap Market -- 35 Stocks + Yields & Growth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Market Looks Cheap to Me -- 35 Stocks

Serious Money: Market Looks Cheap to Me -- 35 Stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The U.S. recession, the worst in more than 25 years, has hit the restaurant sector hard: it's left a trail of bankrupt restaurant chains and broken business models.

But not Darden Restaurants (DRI), which will be a restaurant chain survivor, and that's a major reason I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company's shares, first recommended on June 25, 2009, at a price of $32.78.

Continue reading More Than Likely, Darden Has Put in a Bottom at $30

More Than Likely, Darden Has Put in a Bottom at $30 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded T. Rowe Price (TROW) to buy from hold due to valuation and solid core trends. The firm raised its target on shares to $57 from $55. Note the firm downgraded Franklin Resources to hold from buy (see below).
• KeyBanc upgraded U.S. Steel (X) to buy from hold based on stable domestic cost environment in 2010 and likelihood of sustained higher spot pricing. The firm has a $65 target on shares.
• Goldman upgraded Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) to buy from neutral, citing oil leverage, sizable resource base and free cash flow. The firm raised its target to $90 from $88.
• Darden (DRI) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Carnival (CCL) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• AmerisourceBergen (ABC) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXP, BBY, BEN, H, LLY, TROW, X ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXP, BBY, BEN, H, LLY, TROW, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Thanksgiving is a time when friends and family gather at home for a feast, but the restaurant industry is hoping that a good number of folks dine out amid their holiday shopping activities.

Given the tentative economic recovery and double-digit unemployment rate, it's doubtful that they'll get their wish. That's why our bearish pick is Darden Restaurants (DRI) -- the operator of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, The Capital Grille and LongHorn Steakhouse, to name a few.

Continue reading Thanksgiving Trade #3: Darden Restaurants (DRI)

Thanksgiving Trade #3: Darden Restaurants (DRI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.