The calendar quarter winds down this week and quarterly reports are due from Apollo Group (APOL), CarMax (KMX), Global Payments (GPN), Krispy Kreme (KKD), Lennar (LEN) and McCormick (MKC). But analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters have high hopes for results from fertilizer and animal feed maker Mosaic (MOS), apparel maker Phillips Van Heusen (PVH) and discount retailer Family Dollar (FDO). So here's a look at what they anticipate from these three companies.

Mosaic

During its fiscal second quarter, Cargill agreed to distribute its stake in Mosaic, and Mosaic also said it would redeem senior notes. Analysts anticipate that the Minnesota-based potash producer will report per-share earnings of $1.07, a jump of 53.3% from the same quarter of last year. Mosaic also is expected to post revenue of $2.4 billion for the three months that ended in February. That's a 35.9% rise from a year earlier.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Mosaic, Family Dollar Earnings and March Unemployment Rate

Week in Preview: Mosaic, Family Dollar Earnings and March Unemployment Rate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oracle (ORCL) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Accenture (ACN) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Advanced Energy (AEIS) and Applied Materials (AMAT) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Spreadtrum (SPRD) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Healthcare Realty Trust (HR) and Tortoise Energy Capital (TYY) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Global Payments (GPN) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• CBS (CBS) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Sonic (SONC) to outperform from neutral at Cowen.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ACN, AMAT, AZN, BBT, CBS, GPN, IP, ORCL, PKG, SONC, V ...

Analyst Calls: ACN, AMAT, AZN, BBT, CBS, GPN, IP, ORCL, PKG, SONC, V ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• SanDisk (SNDK) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• JPMorgan resumed Potash (POT) at overweight, up from neutral.
• Ariba (ARBA) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Cirrus Logic (CRUS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Tesoro (TSO) to overweight from equal weight.
• Solarfun Power (SOLF) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Barclays upgraded Ciena (CIEN) to overweight from equal weight.
• Optimer Pharm (OPTR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Argo Group (AGII) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Green Mountain (GMCR) to buy from underperform and Southern Company (SO) to neutral from underperform.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ATW, CIEN, DE, GMCR, GPN, MEE, MT, POT, SNDK, SO, TSO ...

Analyst Calls: ATW, CIEN, DE, GMCR, GPN, MEE, MT, POT, SNDK, SO, TSO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Dreamworks (DWA) to overweight from neutral following the company's Q2 results. The firm also raised its target for shares to $38 from $30.
• Stephens upgraded Global Payments (GPN) with a $50 price target following the company's Q4 results. Note, shares were downgraded this morning at Janney Montgomery.
• BMO Capital upgraded Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) to outperform from market perform, citing the company's planned exploration activity. The firm raised its price target to $27 from $23.
• eHealth (EHTH) was upgraded to perform from underperform at Oppenheimer and to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• NASDAQ OMX (NDAQ) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• C.H. Robinson (CHRW) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ACL, CLR, COF, CRZO, DWA, GPN, MOTR, NDAQ, OMI, ONE ...

Analyst Calls: ACL, CLR, COF, CRZO, DWA, GPN, MOTR, NDAQ, OMI, ONE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded UPS (UPS) to overweight from neutral with a $79 price target following the company's better-than-expected Q1 results.
• SunTrust believs Zions Bancorp's (ZION) tangible book value is around $20/share, making any future capital raise not as dilutive as the firm previously expected. The firm upgraded shares to buy from neutral and has a $26 target on the stock.
• FBR Capital upgraded J.B. Hunt (JBHT) to outperform from market perform following the company's better-than-expected Q1 results. The firm raised its target price for shares to $43 from $40.
• American Superconductor (AMSC) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• BP (BP) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Global Payments (GPN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BP, EV, JBHT, SY, TIF, UPS, XOM, ZION ...

Analyst Calls: BP, EV, JBHT, SY, TIF, UPS, XOM, ZION ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Acuity Brands Inc. (AYI) Q2 results were essentially flat but an analyst's upgraded helped boost shares.
• Borders Group Inc. (BGP) reported strong Q4 earnings due to cost cutting but revenue continued to decline.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM) received an analyst's downgrade on valuation following release of its Q3 report.
• CarMax Inc. (KMX) rose to a new 52-week high following better-than-expected Q4 earnings and sales results.
• Charming Shoppes Inc. (CHRS) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 net loss and said same-store sales declined.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Borders, CarMax, LDK Solar, Mosaic, RIM, Rite Aid ...

Earnings Highlights: Borders, CarMax, LDK Solar, Mosaic, RIM, Rite Aid ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Barrington upgraded Global Payments (GPN) to outperform from market perform following the company's Q3 results and raised earnings guidance.
• FBR Capital upgraded Foot Locker (FL) to outperform from market perform to reflect the company's improving comps and international expansion. The firm set a $17 price target for shares.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Legg Mason (LM) to outperform from market perform and raised its target for shares to $37 from $34.
• Acuity Brands (AYI) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Ann Taylor (ANN) was upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• Waddell & Reed (WDR) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANN, BLK, FL, GPN, GPS, HGSI, LM, RIMM, SON ...

Analyst Calls: ANN, BLK, FL, GPN, GPS, HGSI, LM, RIMM, SON ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Things will be pretty quiet on the earnings front again this week as the quarter winds down. But here's a look at what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are expecting from a few of the stragglers that are scheduled to report results.

In the three months that ended in February, Mosaic Co. (MOS) declared a quarterly dividend and denied that the company was for sale. Analysts expect this potash and phosphate producer to report that fiscal third-quarter earnings surged nearly 80% from the same period of last year to $0.63 per share. Revenue for the period is expected to be 31.6% higher to $1.8 billion. So far, analysts anticipate sequential and year-over-year EPS and revenue growth in the fourth quarter. However, Mosaic's earnings results have fallen short of expectations in three of the past four quarters, by as much as 11 cents per share.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: End-of-Season Earnings from DG, MOS, RIMM ...

The Week in Preview: End-of-Season Earnings from DG, MOS, RIMM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Tractor Supply Co. (TSCO) to neutral to underweight ahead of the company's investment meeting Tuesday and raised its target on shares to $55 from $46.
• Barclays upgraded Norfolk Southern (NSC) to overweight from equal weight, citing earning potential and core price fundamentals. The firm raised its target to $52 from $55.
• KeyBanc upgraded Denbury Resources (DNR) to buy from hold based on expectations that the EAC acquisition has material value that is not reflected in shares. The firm has a $19 target on shares.
• BP Plc (BP) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Cowen.
• Rowan Companies (RDC) was upgraded to sector perform from underperform at RBC Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALK, ANF, BP, BRK.A, DNR, GPN, NSC, TSCO ...

Analyst Calls: ALK, ANF, BP, BRK.A, DNR, GPN, NSC, TSCO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Blackstone Group (BX) to outperform from market perform following the company's Q3 results and maintains an $18.50 price target on shares.
• Baird upgraded Astec (ASTE) to outperform from neutral citing relative valuation and upside from new multi-year U.S. highway funding legislation. The firm raised its target to $33 from $27.
• Goldman upgraded Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to conviction buy from neutral citing "significant" long-term growth drivers that include international growth. The firm raised its target to $45 from $36.
• Ariad Pharmaceuticals (ARIA) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Energizer (ENR) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• AstraZeneca (AZN) was upgraded to buy from hold at RBS.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, AZN, BX, GPS, PH, RAIL, VRSN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, AZN, BX, GPS, PH, RAIL, VRSN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Autumn has arrived and the quarter winds down this week. The Dow has been inching toward 10,000 for a while now, though it closed lower in the past three sessions. Can it make it to 10,000 for the start of the third quarter? If so, what will push it higher? If not, what will drag it down further?

• Monday is Yom Kippur, the most solemn of the Jewish holidays; trading likely will be lighter than usual. In the evening, the FDIC meets to discuss how to rebuild the Bank Deposit Insurance Fund.
• Tuesday, the Consumer Confidence Index for September is due and the SEC holds a public meeting to consider more short sale actions.

Continue reading The week in preview: Is the rally over?

The week in preview: Is the rally over? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even if the national headlines weren't already providing enough focus on the economy, plenty of economic data is due out as the month and the quarter wind down. U.S. economic data scheduled to be released this week include:

• Personal income (Aug. 2008): Monday 8:30 AM
• Consumer confidence index (Sept, 2008): Tuesday 10:00 AM
• Challenger job cut announcement (Sept, 2008): Wednesday 7:30 AM
• ISM manufacturing survey (Sept. 2008): Wednesday 10:00 AM
• Construction spending (Aug. 2008): Wednesday 10:00 AM
• New motor vehicle sales (Sept. 2008): Wednesday 4:00 PM
• Monster employment index (Sept. 2008): Thursday 6:00 AM
• Factory orders (Aug. 2008): Thursday 10:00 AM
• Employment situation (Sept. 2008): Friday 8:30 AM
• ISM nonmanufacturing survey (Sept. 2008): Friday 10:00 AM

Other economic events scheduled for this week include:

• Fed's Hoenig speaks on "The Economy and Monetary Policy": Monday 9:45 PM
• Fed's Lockhart speaks on the economic outlook: Tuesday 1:00 PM
• Ford Motor Co. September 2008 Sales Conference Call: Wednesday 1:00 PM
• AMETEK Inc. at Oppenheimer Industrials Conference: Thursday 8:00 AM
• DuPont at Citigroup Ethanol on the Cob Conference: Thursday 12:50 PM
• Fed's Evans speaks at Agricultural Markets and Food Price Inflation conference: Thursday 1:00 PM
• Fed's Bullard speaks at Indiana University Department of Economics: Thursday 7:00 PM
• Fed's Hoenig speaks on "The Economy and Monetary Policy": Thursday 9:45 PM
• National Association for Business Economics 50th Annual Meeting to address Future Economic Challenges: Friday 9:00 PM

Continue reading The week in preview: End-of-quarter expectations

The week in preview: End-of-quarter expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Global Payments (NYSE: GPN) is a high-volume payments processor of electronic transactions and related money transfers. It performs point-of-sale credit card, debit card, and check authorization functions for merchants and financial institutions and offers corporate and government clients benefits transfer processing and electronic tax payment services. The firm also facilitates money transfers from the US and Europe, primarily targeting immigrants who send funds to their home countries. MasterCard (NYSE: MA) is a client. Western Union (NYSE: WU) is a competitor.

The firm had good news for investors late last month, when it announced fiscal Q3 EPS of 44 cents and revenues of $310.6 million. Wall Street has been expecting 42 cents and $300.9 million. In discussing the solid results, the CEO pointed to successful merchant services operations and strong revenue growth from an Asia-Pacific joint venture with HSBC Holdings (NYSE: HBC). Management also guided FY08 EPS to $1.95-$1.97 ($1.94 consensus) and FY08 revenues to $1.25-$1.26 billion ($1.24B consensus).

Continue reading Global Payments (GPN): Share price advances through positive trading channel

Global Payments (GPN): Share price advances through positive trading channel originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's been said that if the U.S. state of Georgia were an independent nation, it would have the 18th largest economy in world. The "Empire State of the South" ranked tenth in U.S. in per capita personal income in 2005, and has one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S. -- about a million additional people between 2000 and 2005. Its diverse industrial output ranges from peaches and peanuts, to textiles, food processing, and aircraft manufacturing, to publishing and tourism. Georgia is home to such corporate giants as Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO); Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL); Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD); UPS (NYSE: UPS); Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE: NWL), and Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX).

It's also home to Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE: AYI) and Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), both of which represented Georgia on the Forbes 2007 list of 100 best mid cap stocks. I examine two other Peach State companies -- RPC Inc. (NYSE: RES) and Radiant Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: RADS) -- in a separate Investing in Georgia post.

Continue reading Investing in Georgia: Acuity Brands (AYI) and Global Payments (GPN)

Investing in Georgia: Acuity Brands (AYI) and Global Payments (GPN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you use a credit card, the chances are pretty fair that you have done some business with an Atlanta outfit that facilitates electronic transactions around the world.

Global Payments (NYSE: GPN) is a high-volume payments processor of electronic transactions and related money transfers. It performs point-of-sale credit card, debit card and check authorization functions for merchants and financial institutions and offers corporate and government clients benefit transfer processing and electronic tax payment services. The firm also facilitates money transfers from the US and Europe, primarily targeting immigrants who send funds to their home countries. MasterCard (NYSE: MA) is a client. Western Union (NYSE: WU) is a competitor.

The firm had good news for investors last week, when it announced fiscal Q1 EPS of 54 cents and revenues of $311 million. Wall Street has been expecting 50 cents and $294.6 million. The company attributed the successful quarter to a solid increase in merchant service revenues, continued organic expansion and favorable results from an Asia-Pacific joint venture with HSBC. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $1.87-1.96 ($1.91 consensus) and FY08 revenues to $1.20-$1.25 billion ($1.19B consensus). Barrington Research subsequently reiterated its "outperform" on the shares.

Continue reading Global Payments (GPN): Paying the electronic way

Global Payments (GPN): Paying the electronic way originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Global Payments Inc.: A small but profitable niche player originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Global Payments Inc.'s (NYSE: GPN) implied volatility increases: Global sells off on tighter guidance. Global Payments is recently down $8.15 to $40.90 after the company lowered its 2007 revenue guidance. Goldman Sachs said, "we believe key questions remain: 1) Is Western Union exerting significant pressure in the Mexico money transfer market, and when (in the November quarter, or in the current February quarter) did the pricing environment begin to deteriorate? How significant are the pricing changes?" Global Payments' call option volume of 5,689 contracts compares to put volume of 1,723 contracts. February option implied volatility of 35 is above its 26-week average of 29, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risks.

Continue reading Daily option update 1-5-07: Dell volatility up ahead of CES

Daily option update 1-5-07: Dell volatility up ahead of CES originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.