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

• American Public Education Inc. (APEI) received an analyst upgrade following the Q4 report and guidance.
• Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) traded higher after it reported swinging to a profit in Q4, but revenue declined year over year.
• Blackstone Group (BX) reported adjusted Q4 earnings, compared to a year-ago loss, and postive renvenue too.
• Campbell Soup Co. (CPB) higher Q2 earnings beat estimates, but shares fell on so-so revenue results.
• DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (DWA) lower Q4 earnings beat expectations but net income for the full year rose.
• Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) topped analysts' Q4 earnings expectations but shares fell after it warned of lower margins.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Campbell, Dreamworks, Home Depot, Safeway, Target ...

Earnings Highlights: Campbell, Dreamworks, Home Depot, Safeway, Target ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On Tuesday, Heineken announced that its annual profit increased to 1.02 billion euros ($1.39 billion). A year ago, the company banked a profit of 209 million euros. The latest results were helped by a 215-million-euro gain on buying back debt from its U.K. pub operation. Revenue increased 2.7% to 14.7 billion euros, but it fell short of its quarterly figures.

Compared to previous results, Heineken's profit increased 18% thanks to price hikes and cost cuts. These measures helped negate a 5.4% drop in beer volume. The largest volume drop came in Central and Eastern Europe, which saw a drop of 9.3%. Heineken then forecast that the global economic environment is going to bring about lower beer consumption and what it terms "down-trading" in many of its regions in the coming year. In order to offset these problems, Heineken is going to continue its cost-reduction measures. The company added that it will not be able to increase prices at the same rate it did in 2009.

Continue reading Higher Profits but Lower Volume for Heineken

Higher Profits but Lower Volume for Heineken originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading A Merger in Beer Land

A Merger in Beer Land originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is one of several on business heirs apparent. Let us know in the comments whether you think Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken's heir should take up the reigns of Heineken, and be sure to check out the other heir apparent posts.

It was Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken's father, Alfred "Freddie" Heineken, who built the family business from a small Dutch brewer into Europe's largest brewing empire. A well-known bon vivant, he was friendly with the Dutch royal family, and his sense of humor didn't abandon him even after a three-week kidnapping ordeal in 1983: he claimed that his kidnappers tortured him by making him drink Carlsburg.

On Freddie's death in 2003, his heir apparent and only child, Charlene, became the wealthiest woman in the Netherlands, now worth more than $7 billion. She lives a more low-key life in London with her five children and stock broker, and former Olympic skier, husband. She continues to hold the controlling stake in Heineken, though she hasn't been as involved in the company day-to-day as her father was. She told a family biographer that she intends to keep the business together until her heir apparent, her eldest son, is old enough to take on the mantle.

Continue reading Heir apparent: The Heineken empire grows -- and keeps its sense of humor

Heir apparent: The Heineken empire grows -- and keeps its sense of humor originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sometimes in a period of uncertainty, a look back can provide some perspective. So here are a few highlights from BloggingStocks on March 16, 2007,a year ago today.

• Business & Sports: Oil, Duke, & Notre Dame -- down: What's bigger news, who's in the March Madness or oil dropping below $57 a barrel?
• Will '300' controversy result in higher ticket sales?: Yeah, because this should be the main source of contention between the U.S. and Iran.
• An OPIC to counter OPEC: An Organization of Petroleum Importing Countries? Whatever became of that?
• Harry Potter and the 12 million order: Will the final movie in the Harry Potter series -- er, make that two movies -- generate this kind of excitment? Will anything?
• The CPI Numbers: Wall Street breathes brief sigh of relief: Wall Street could use another sigh of relief about now.
• Time magazine's facelift: Magazines? Is anyone still reading those?
• Microsoft's Ballmer takes more shots at Google: Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has a beef with Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)? Who'd have guessed?
• Heineken -- the next Starbucks?: Does Heineken still want Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) as a role model?
• CNBC: Blackstone prepping for mega IPO: Remember the days when private equity was king?
• The Story You Didn't Read: Digital killed the TV star: TV is going digital? Seems like I heard something about that somewhere recently?
• Subprime investment opportunities?: Investment banks struggling with the subprime mess? The more things change ...
• JetBlue passengers grounded ... again: Last year it was JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) cancellations; this year it's Southwest (NYSE: LUV) cancellations.

A year ago today on BloggingStocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SABMiller bids for Grolsch, others bid for Scottish & Newcastle originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Heineken - the next Starbucks?

Heineken - the next Starbucks? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.