PPG Industries (PPG - option chain) shares are rising today after the company forecast Q1 earnings of $1.30 to $1.35 per share, well above analysts' forecasts of $1.12 per share. 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 PPG.

PPG opened this morning at $94.44. So far today the stock has hit a low of $93.70 and a high of $95.97. As of 12:10, PPG is trading at $95.09 up $4.50 (5.0%). The chart for PPG looks bullish and S&P gives PPG a positive 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy ranking.

Home Depot (HD - option chain) shares are rising today after the company announced a $1 billion stock buyback program last night. HD also reiterated its fiscal-2011 sales growth forecast of 2.5% ($69.70 billion) and projected profit of $2.20 per share. Analysts are expecting a profit of $2.30 per share and revenue of $69.78 billion. 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 HD.

HD opened this morning at $37.37. So far today the stock has hit a low of $37.15 and a high of $37.81. As of 12:00, HD is trading at $37.52 up 0.87 (2.4%). The chart for HD looks bearish and S&P gives HD a negative 2 STARS (out of 5) sell ranking.

Jabil Circuit (JBL) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings last night, posting a fiscal-Q2 profit of $55.4 million, or 25 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, JBL earned 54 cents per share on revenue of $3.9 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 51 cents per share on revenue of $3.91 billion. JBL also forecast Q3 earnings of 55 to 59 cents per share on revenue of $4.1 to $4.2 billion. Analysts are looking for a profit of 54 cents per share on revenue of $4.04 billion. 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 JBL.

JBL opened this morning at $20.42. So far today the stock has hit a low of $20.10 and a high of $21.30. As of 12:30, JBL is trading at $21.00 up 2.07 (10.9%). The chart for JBL looks neutral and S&P gives JBL a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Tiffany & Co. (TIF - option chain) shares are rising after the company reported Q4 2010 earnings Monday morning, posting a profit of $181.22 million, or $1.41 per share. Excluding one-time items, Tiffany earned $1.44 per share on revenue of $1.10 billion, while analysts had forecast a profit of $1.39 per share on revenue of $1.10 billion.

Tiffany cut its Q1 earnings forecast to 57 cents per share, down from a previous forecast of 62 cents per share, due to an anticipated decline in sales in Japan in the wake of the recent earthquake. However, that is still above analysts' forecasts of 55 cents per share, which is a good sign for the stock. 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 TIF.

Ann Taylor (ANN - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings this morning, posting a fiscal-Q4 profit of $7.97 million, or 14 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, ANN earned 19 cents per share on revenue of $515.3 million. Analysts had forecast a profit of 17 cents per share on revenue of $515.1 million. ANN also forecast Q1 revenue of $510 million and fiscal-2011 revenue of $2.18 billion. Analysts have forecast Q1 revenue of $488 million and 2011 revenue of $1.98 billion. 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 ANN.

ANN opened this morning at $27.38. So far today the stock has hit a low of $26.50 and a high of $27.98. As of 11:55, ANN is trading at $27.19 up $2.98 (12.3%). The chart for ANN looks neutral and S&P gives ANN a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

The Department of Energy has had to up its forecast its forecast for oil prices for 2011 and 2012 from last month. The updated forecast takes into account the loss of one million barrels per day from the Libyan conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Last month, the DOE's Energy Information Administration's (EIA) estimate for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was $91 per barrel for 2011. Now, EIA forecasts WTI crude to average $102 per barrel in 2011 and $104 per barrel in 2012. The EIA qualified its forecast with this statement: "There is significant uncertainty surrounding this forecast."

Ciena (CIEN - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company reported Q1 2011 earnings this morning, posting a loss of $79.06 million, or 84 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, CIEN lost 14 cents per share on revenue of $433.31 million, while analysts had forecast a loss of 16 cents per share on revenue of $421.91 million. CIEN also forecast Q2 revenue of $415 to $435 million, below analysts' forecasts of $438.5 million. 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 CIEN.

This morning, CIEN opened at $27.60. So far today the stock has hit a high of $28.38 and a low of $25.49. As of 12:10, CIEN is trading at $25.25, down $3.56 (-12.4%). The chart for CIEN looks neutral and S&P gives CIEN a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Whole Foods Market (WFMI - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported earnings last night, posting a fiscal-Q1 profit of $88.7 million, or 51 cents per share, on revenue of $3 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 45 cents per share on revenue of $2.98 billion. The company also lifted its 2011 earnings forecast to a range of $1.76 to $1.80 per share, up from a previous range of $1.66 to $1.71 per share. Analysts are expecting 2011 earnings of $1.71 per share. 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 WFMI.

WFMI opened this morning at $58.77. So far today the stock has hit a low of $58.49 and a high of $60.94. As of 12:05, WFMI is trading at $60.56 up 6.56 (12.7%). The chart for WFMI looks bullish and S&P gives WFMI a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

UPS (UPS - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reported Q4 2010 earnings this morning, posting a profit of $1.12 billion, or $1.11 per share. Excluding one-time items, UPS earned $1.08 per share on revenue of $13.42 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of $1.05 per share on revenue of $13.40 billion. UPS also forecast 2011 earnings of $4.12 to $4.35 per share, compared to analysts' forecasts of $4.18 per share. 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 UPS.

UPS opened this morning at $74.00. So far today the stock has hit a low of $73.78 and a high of $74.97. As of 12:15, UPS is trading at $74.69. up $3.07 (4.3%). The chart for UPS looks bullish and S&P gives UPS a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Juniper Networks (JNPR) is on the upswing, with the stock catching a 6% boost Wednesday morning on the heels of a well-received fourth-quarter earnings report. Juniper reported a quarterly profit of $190.2 million, or 35 cents per share, substantially improved from its year-ago results of $22.9 million, or 4 cents per share. Excluding items, earnings improved to 42 cents from 32 cents per share on a year-over-year basis.

Meanwhile, revenue for the quarter increased 26% to $1.19 billion. Gross margin retreated slightly, falling to 66.6% from 67.1%.

American Express (AXP - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company announced it expects to report fiscal-Q4 earnings of 94 cents per share, excluding one-time items. Analysts have forecast a profit of 95 cents per share. AXP also said it will record one-time charges totaling $113 million, related to restructuring and other changes. AXP will report full quarterly results on Monday, January 24. 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 AXP.

This morning, AXP opened at $45.20. So far today the stock has hit a high of $45.70 and a low of $44.80. As of 12:15, AXP is trading at $45.17, down $1.20 (-2.6%). The chart for AXP looks bullish and S&P gives AXP a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

LeapFrog Enterprises (LF) plummeted more than 25% this morning, after the company warned that its full-year earnings will fall below Wall Street's expectations. The maker of educational toys expects to bank a profit of 3 cents to 6 cents per share for fiscal 2010, way below analysts' consensus estimate of 28 cents per share.

"After a solid start to the holiday season, demand softened late in the quarter relative to our expectations," explained CEO Bill Chiasson. "While sales of interactive reading products continued to grow at retail, the growth was less than we had forecasted and contributed to lower earnings growth than expected."

Mindray Medical (MR - option chain) shares are rising today after the Chinese medical devices company announced preliminary 2010 results, saying it now expects fiscal-2010 revenues to come in at $703 million, up from a previous forecast of $700 million. Analysts have forecast 2010 revenue of $703.56 million. 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 MR.

MR opened this morning at $28.05. So far today the stock has hit a low of $28.02 and a high of $29.04. As of 12:15, MR is trading at $28.25 up $1.20 (4.4%). The chart for MR looks neutral and S&P gives MR a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

A parade of retailers have stepped up Thursday morning to unveil their December sales results, including The Gap Inc. (GPS). The jeans giant confessed to an unexpected 3% decline in same-store sales for the month, falling well short of analysts' expectations for an increase of 2.6%.

Gap North America was hit hardest, with same-store sales tumbling 8% for the month. The only business segment to record a gain for December was Banana Republic North America, as same-store sales improved 1%.

Family Dollar Stores (FDO - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company reported Q1 earnings this morning, posting a profit of $74.32 million, or 58 cents per share, on revenue of $2.00 billion. Analysts had forecast a profit of 61 cents per share on revenue of $1.98 billion. FDO also forecast Q2 earnings of 92 to 97 cents per share, below analysts' forecasts of $1.00 per share. 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 FDO.

This morning, FDO opened at $45.18. So far today the stock has hit a high of $46.19 and a low of $44.85. As of 12:30, FDO is trading at $45.27, down $4.04 (-8.2%). The chart for FDO looks bullish and S&P gives FDO a positive 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy ranking.