Analyst Upgrades

• Netflix (NFLX) and Zions Bancorp (ZION) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Akamai (AKAM) to buy from neutral at Merriman.
• CSX (CSX) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Nordstrom (JWN) to buy from neutral, WellCare (WCG) to conviction buy from buy and Humana (HUM) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• E-Commerce China Dangdang (DANG) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• VMware (VMW) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Celanese (CE) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADM, AKAM, ALL, CP, CSX, HRL, HUM, JWN, NFLX, NSRGY ...

Analyst Calls: ADM, AKAM, ALL, CP, CSX, HRL, HUM, JWN, NFLX, NSRGY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Air Products (APD) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Zimmer (ZMH) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• SunPower (SPWRA) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Brocade (BRCD) to buy from hold at Wunderlich and at ThinkEquity.
• Duke Energy (DUK) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• NewStar Financial (NEWS) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Hormel Foods (HRL) to hold from sell at Soleil.
• Inspire Pharma (ISPH) to hold from sell at Duncan-Williams.
• Alnylam (ALNY) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Weight Watchers (WTW) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Raytheon (RTN) and Toreador Resources (TRGL) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BRCD, CREE, DUK, HRL, MOLX, RTN, SPWRA, VCLK, WTW ...

Analyst Calls: BRCD, CREE, DUK, HRL, MOLX, RTN, SPWRA, VCLK, WTW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coca-Cola (KO) has more than $13 billion in cash.

The top five companies (according to market cap) are:

• Exxon Mobil (XOM): $398.3 billion
• Apple (AAPL): $309.0 billion
• Microsoft (MSFT): $237.5 billion
• General Electric (GE): $215.0 billion
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A): $202.5 billion

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ?

Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Dynegy (DYN) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Pritchard.
• Itron (ITRI) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Goldman upgraded Ameren (AEE) to sell from conviction sell.
• Signet Jewelers (SIG) was upgraded to buy from hold at Societe Generale.
• JPMorgan upgraded Synopsys (SNPS) to overweight from neutral.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AGU, BODY, CPB, DYN, HRL, ITRI, POT, ROVI, SNDA, SWS ...

Analyst Calls: AGU, BODY, CPB, DYN, HRL, ITRI, POT, ROVI, SNDA, SWS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm going to take a brief look at two stocks that traded on Friday based on earnings reports. Both can be found in the foodstuffs industry. And both beat Wall Street's projections. But which one do I prefer?

Hormel Foods (HRL), the company behind the Spam and Dinty Moore brands, made 63 cents per share in the fiscal third quarter, which, according to Reuters, was three pennies ahead of the estimate. But the good news doesn't stop there: guidance for the full fiscal year was increased.

Continue reading Two Quarterly Reports: Hormel and Smucker

Two Quarterly Reports: Hormel and Smucker originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With current tough times, and maybe getting tougher with deflation as a real possibility, investors who think more defensively may see better returns with more conservative stocks, ones with dividends and solid balance sheets. Now isn't the time to be too aggressive. With that in mind, here are five stocks that made our column dedicated to conservative investors.

Avista Corp. (AVA): an energy company, engaged in the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy and energy-related businesses in the United States and Canada. The company operates through two segments, Avista Utilities and Advantage IQ.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Five Defensive Stocks

Comfort Zone Investing: Five Defensive Stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Canaccord upgraded Whole Foods (WFMI) to buy from hold based on the company's solid growth outlook. The firm has a $49 target on the stock.
• Bernstein upgraded Mylan (MYL) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation and expectations that its generic business will grow over then next two years. The firm has a $22 target on the stock.
• Jefferies upgraded Omega Healthcare (OHI) to buy from hold with a $26 target based on the company's earnings outlook, valuation and upside from its SNF portfolio.
• Procter & Gamble (PG) was upgraded to buy from hold at Argus.
• Ryland Group (RYL) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Deere (DE) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Longbow.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: APC, DE, HSFT, MYL, PG, RST, TSLA, VECO, WFMI ...

Analyst Calls: APC, DE, HSFT, MYL, PG, RST, TSLA, VECO, WFMI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Goldman Sachs (GS) to Outperform from Market Perform with a $190 price target following the company's Q2 results. The firm believes the company's settlement with the SEC removes an overhang on shares.
• Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Health Care REIT (HCN) to Buy from Hold based on valuation and added shares to the Stifel REIT Income List. The firm has a $47 target on the stock.
• FBR Capital upgraded Annaly Capital (NLY) to Outperform from Market Perform citing the company's surprise dividend increase. The firm has a $20 target on the stock.
• Devon Energy (DVN) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Overseas Shipholding (OSG) was upgraded to Overweight from Underweight at JP Morgan.
• Cintas (CTAS) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: GS, HCN, NLY, YHOO, GILD, BBG, WLL, JOYG, BUCY

Analyst Calls: GS, HCN, NLY, YHOO, GILD, BBG, WLL, JOYG, BUCY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Below are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks. Click through to the original posts for more details.

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) shares sold off after it posted a narrower Q1 net loss, but same-store sales rose.
• Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT) swung from a year-ago loss to a Q2 profit that was better than expected.
• Deere & Co. (DE) reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings and improved sales, and raised its full-year outlook.
• Dell Inc. (DELL) posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings, but the gross margin was disappointing, and shares fell.
• GameStop Corp. (GME) higher Q1 earnings beat consensus estimates but same-store sales declined.
• Gap Inc. (GPS) said its higher Q1 earnings beat expectations while revenue fell in line with estimates.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Dell, Gap, GM, Home Depot, HP, Sears, Target, Walmart ...

Earnings Highlights: Dell, Gap, GM, Home Depot, HP, Sears, Target, Walmart ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 22 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Hormel Down on Q2 News

Hormel Down on Q2 News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 May 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) lower Q4 earnings topped estimates and same-store sales also declined.
• Campbell Soup Co. (CPB) reaffirmed its earnings outlook but lowered its revenue forecast for the full year.
• Daimler AG (DAI) provided guidance for the year that included slashing its dividend, sending shares lower.
• Dell Inc. (DELL) lower Q4 earnings beat estimates by a penny but it didn't offer guidance, sending shares lower.
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) easily topped Q4 earnings estimates and revenue increased as well.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Campbell, Dell, Goodyear, JCPenney, Merck, Playboy ...

Earnings Highlights: Campbell, Dell, Goodyear, JCPenney, Merck, Playboy ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hormel Foods (HRL) surged past analysts' fiscal first-quarter earnings estimates, with the sultan of Spam swinging to a profit of $111.2 million, or 82 cents per share, up 37% from the year-ago period. Sales for the quarter climbed 2.3% to $1.73 billion. Both numbers easily exceeded Wall Street's consensus expectations, which called for a profit of just 68 cents per share on $1.67 billion in revenue.

Hormel added to the positive momentum by boosting its earnings forecast for the rest of fiscal 2010. The packaged-foods firm now expects to bank a profit of $2.68 to $2.78 per share, up from its prior forecast of $2.63 to $2.73 per share.

Continue reading Spam Still Going Strong: Hormel Hikes Earnings Forecast

Spam Still Going Strong: Hormel Hikes Earnings Forecast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As so often happens at this point in the earnings season, focus begins to shift to the results from retailers. And the world's largest retailer is among those that step into the spot light this week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), which was aggressively competitive during the holiday shopping season and also recently announced a new global strategy, to report fourth-quarter earnings of $1.12 per share, up from $1.03 per share in the year-ago period. Revenue for the three months that ended in January is expected to have risen 4.9% to $114.5 billion. The full-year forecast calls for earnings of $3.61 per share (+5.3%) on $409.1 billion in revenue (+0.9%). Walmart has not missed earnings estimates in the past five quarters.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: A First Look at Retail: Walmart, JCPenney and Others

The Week in Preview: A First Look at Retail: Walmart, JCPenney and Others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most investors spend a lot of time analyzing P/E ratios, PEG ratios, ROIC, ROE, gross margins, insider trading, and Beta.

But might the path to profits come instead from looking for companies that have wellness programs for their workers? The 2009/2010 North American Staying@Work Report: The Health and Productivity Advantage from Watson Wyatt Worldwide says yes.

Continue reading Invest in companies with healthy workers?

Invest in companies with healthy workers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stock markets go through many different cycles. In each one, there are one or two elements that make a successful investment. For example, interest rates are always a concern for financial institutions or companies that borrow a large amount of money. For these groups, the higher interest rates go, the lower profits will most likely be unless they are able to raise prices and/or cut costs faster than interest rates rise.

Right now, the main focus for most investors should be revenues. That's because without increasing revenues, there is an absolute amount of profits that any company can achieve. Simply by cutting costs, a company can increase profits, up to a point. But eventually lowering expenses isn't enough because there are only so many costs that can be cut before a product or service begins to weaken and affect sales.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: It's the revenues that count

Comfort Zone Investing: It's the revenues that count originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Though the earnings season is winding down, and the coming week includes the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., plenty of reports are still due out. And analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters don't seem to be expecting too many turkeys among this week's bunch.

Leading U.S. meat processor Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN), which has just named a new chief executive officer and a new chief operating officer, is expected to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of $0.26 per share, up from $0.14 in the same period of last year. But revenue is expected to total $6.9 billion, or 4.3% less than a year ago. The full-year forecast is for a profit of $0.25 per share (-16.7) on $26.4 billion (-3.9%) in sales. This dividend payer has offered upside surprises in the past two quarters, topping estimates by 11 cents per share in the third quarter.

Continue reading The week in preview: No turkey earnings from Tyson, Hormel, Cracker Barrel ...

The week in preview: No turkey earnings from Tyson, Hormel, Cracker Barrel ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pigs at the Minnesota state fair have tested positive for the H1N1 "swine" flu virus in preliminary tests.

Confirmation tests are pending, but this could be bad news and cause panic within the pork industry. Pork belly futures and companies like Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD), Tyson (NYSE: TSN), and Hormel (NYSE: HRL) are a few that could be affected.

Continue reading Swine flu hits pigs -- will pork panic follow?

Swine flu hits pigs -- will pork panic follow? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) posted better-than-expected Q3 results, sending shares higher.
• AutoDesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings, sending shares higher.
• Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) had another disappointing quarter as same-store sales declined.
• CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) delayed its Q3 report due to ongoing debt restructuring and a possible bankruptcy.
• Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS) Q2 earnings came in well ahead of Wall Street expectations.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Blockbuster, Walmart, Applied Materials, ING, Priceline ...

Earnings highlights: Blockbuster, Walmart, Applied Materials, ING, Priceline ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hormel Foods Corp. (NYSE: HRL) pleased Wall Street this morning with an upwardly revised 2009 forecast. Thanks to a strong third-quarter performance from its Jennie-O turkey unit, along with solid results in its refrigerated foods and grocery products divisions, Hormel now expects fiscal 2009 earnings of $2.36 to $2.42 per share.

"We also benefited from better investment performance in our rabbi trust," commented Chairman, President, and CEO Jeffrey M. Ettinger in a company release.

Continue reading Hormel Foods hikes fiscal year outlook after a strong Q3

Hormel Foods hikes fiscal year outlook after a strong Q3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN) reported a smaller-than-expected Q1 loss as sales slumped.
• Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) smaller-than-expected Q1 net loss sent shares higher.
• Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE) solid Q1 results were in line with expectations.
• Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) posted higher-than-expected Q1 results but same-store sales fell.
• Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) lower Q1 earnings beat expectations and lower revenue was in line.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: HP, Gap, Saks, Hormel, Barnes & Noble and more

Earnings highlights: HP, Gap, Saks, Hormel, Barnes & Noble and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 23 May 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.