Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo (WFC) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Adobe (ADBE) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Vail Resorts (MTN) and Goldcorp (GG) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• OmniVision (OVTI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Penn Virginia (PVA) to hold from sell at Canaccord.
• Hub Group (HUBG) to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADBE, AOL, CAT, CSTR, FITB, GG, GPS, MDAS, RIG, WFC ...

Analyst Calls: ADBE, AOL, CAT, CSTR, FITB, GG, GPS, MDAS, RIG, WFC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With all the gloom in the global economy, I got to wondering whether there is anything else going on in the world of business. I'm looking for growth because I think that's what will ultimately bring the economy out of the doldrums. Not surprisingly, that growth is coming from technology companies. In Growth Matters, I look at consumer technology companies that point the way to growth trends -- and in the process introduce services and products you may want to explore.

If you're thinking of having a party, it might not be a bad idea to use Evite to send out the invitations and plan the event. As Evite's Vice-President of Marketing and Public Relations Lariayn Payne told me, "Evite is the leading online service on the Web for invitations and party planning. Evite is free and easy-to-use and offers hundreds of stylish invitation designs for almost any occasion. Evite also offers fun and creative party ideas, planning checklists, and other tools, which save party hosts both time and money."

Continue reading Growth Matters: Evite's an invitation to print money

Growth Matters: Evite's an invitation to print money originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Monday, March 10

• Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and InterActive Corp. (NASDAQ: IACI) to present at Bear Stearns Media Conference.
• Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) to hold mid-quarter update conference call at 5:00 pm.

Tuesday, March 11

• Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 9:00 am.
• Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) to hold analyst meeting at 9:00 am.
• Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 10 am.

Wednesday, March 12

• FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee Meeting on Schering-Plough Corp.'s (NYSE: SGP) sBLA for Pegintronfor treatment of melanoma at 8:00 am.
• Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) to host analyst/investor meeting at 8:30 am.
• Hot Topic (NASDAQ: HOTT) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 4:30 pm.

Continue reading Market highlights for next week: Texas Instruments to hold mid-quarter update

Market highlights for next week: Texas Instruments to hold mid-quarter update originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• With regulators, politicians and rating firms biting at their heels, Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC) believed that it had no choice but to approach Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) last month about a merger, reported the Wall Street Journal. That fear led to BAC's $4B takeover of Countrywide, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that John Malone's Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LCAPA) moved to take control of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) from Barry Diller, nominating a series of directors for board members it is looking to replace.
• According to the Financial Times, European public health specialists have found "significant resistance" to Roche Holding Ltd's (OTC: RHHBY) widely purchased influenza antiviral medicine Tamiflu.

• Shares of Britain's third-largest drug maker, Shire Plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY) plummeted yesterday to a two-year low on concerns about demand for its attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment for children, Vyvanse, the Telegraph reported.

Newspaper wrap-up: Potential crackdowns forced Countrywide to seek out Bank of America originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lots more quarterly reports rolled out this past week, and here are some highlights of earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) reported more losses and more job cuts.
• Alvarion Ltd.'s (NASDAQ: ALVR) record quarter fuels speculation of a Cisco (NYSE: CSCO) buyout.
• Avon Products Inc.'s (NYSE: AVP) profit rose 61%, buoyed by strength in emerging markets.
• Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) fell short of expectations due to tighter margins.
• CIGNA Corp. (NYSE: CI) had a solid quarter but warned about 2008 earnings.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) blamed profit loss on materals costs, and announced acquistion of Burt's Bees.
• Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) beat estimates by a penny and had strong sales overseas.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) beat earnings estimates and revised its full-year forecast.
• Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) announced it would restate revenues, ahead of its November quarterly report.
• Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) missed expectations, also due to tighter margins.
• Given Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: GIVN) cited FDA approval delays for disappointing results.
• Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) posted record revenues and appointed a new CFO.
• Humana Inc.'s (NYSE: HUM) positive surprise lifted the share price to a new all-time high.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Crocs, Exxon, Kraft, P&G, Sirius, and others

Earnings highlights: Crocs, Exxon, Kraft, P&G, Sirius, and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to a person briefed on the situation, Merrill Lynch & Co Inc's (NYSE: MER) CEO Stan O'Neal was negotiating the terms of his forced departure on Sunday and the departure is expected to be announced on Monday. The top contenders for the CEO position are said to be BlackRock Inc's (NYSE: BLK) CEO Laurence Fink and NYSE Euronext Inc's (NYSE: NYX) CEO John Thain, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• The WSJ also reported that Alibaba.com raised $1.5B after the company priced its IPO at HK$13.50, at the top-end of the HK$12-$HK13.50 range. Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) holds a 39% stake in Alibaba Group.

• Ness Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: NSTC) was awarded a contract worth NIS 5 Million to convert the pension fund data managed by Opal Future Technologies, Globes reported.
• Indian company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited (NYSE: RDY) is set to attempt to raise its share of the U.S. over the counter drug market by partnering with at least six more U.S. retail chains; the company plans to launch up to 10 drugs over the next 12 months that could become OTC offerings in the U.S., the Economic Times reported.

• According to TechCrunch, IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) may have submitted a letter of intent to acquire movie-centered social network Flixter over the last week or so.

Newspaper wrap-up: Merrill Lynch CEO negotiates terms of forced departure originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) is making a $2 billion equity investment in Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC), people familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
• Ticket seller Ticketmaster, which is owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI), has halted talks with concert promoter Live Nation Inc (NYSE: LYV), failing to reach a new, long-term agreement. The talks have "grown acrimonious" over the last year and a half, say people close to the situation, with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino threatening to start his own ticketing company rather than renewing with Ticketmaster, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Home Depot Inc's (NYSE: HD) sale of its wholesale supply division to a group of private equity firms is in doubt, due to uncertainty about the willingness of three investment banks to fund the deal, reported the Financial Times (subscription required).
  
• The Financial Times reported that Motorola Inc (NYSE: MOT) lost more than 7% of market share in the handset market in Q2, according to new figures.

• Private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has reportedly postponed its $1.25B initial public offering, after investors showed little interest in the IPO, reported the U.K. Times.

Newspaper wrap-up: Bank of America invests in Countrywide originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Poor data may once again lead to buyout speculation in Yahoo (YHOO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

eBay throws fit, then crawls back to Google originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barry Diller -- please save Yahoo! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal's (subscription required) "Heard on the Street" column suggested that Deere and Company (NYSE: DE), which has risen 40% since lsat September, may be about to level off as analysts believe the positive outlook is already baked in to the stock price.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Sanofi-Aventis ADS's (NYSE: SNY) Acomplia, a "miracle weight loss pill", is looking less like a miracle among repeated FDA delays and European restrictions.
• Barclays plc ADS (NYSE: BCS) says it would walk away rather than overpay for ABN Amro Holdings (NYSE: ABN), and rejected suggestions that it might then be vulnerable to a takeover itself, according to the Financial Times (subscription required).
• The Financial Times reported that Sony Corporation's (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 video game console has had a record-breaking launch in Europe, selling about 600,000 consoles in its first two days.
• The Financial Times reported that U.S. drugmaker Merck & Company Inc (NYSE: MRK) won a restatement of its patent for once-weekly Fosamax treatment from the European Patent Office.
• The Financial Times interviewed Barry Diller, the CEO of InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI), who believes corporate governance may be pushing U.S. companies to go private.

• The New York Times reported that billionaires Eli Broad and Ronald Burkle may be back in the running to buy The Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB), which has responded to a request for additional financial information about the company from the pair.
• The Economic Times reported that Indian telecom operator Hutchison Essar is looking at outsourcing its IT operations to International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM), in a deal that would be worth $1.4B to $1.6B, according to sources.

Newspaper wrap-up 3-29-07: Sony has record European launch for PS3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Numbers are Actual vs. Estimate

• InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) 67c vs. 53c
• Retailing revenue increased to offset a lower price point average, and a higher average return rate. International revenue increased slightly, but profits were hurt by higher operating expenses. Ticketing volume increased as ticket sales rose 4% on 7% higher overall revenue per ticket.
  

• National-OilWell Varco Inc (NYSE: NOV) $1.35 vs. $1.06
• High energy prices stirred demand for drilling equipment which created a backlog of capital equipment orders for the Rig Technology segment.
  

• Electronic Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: EDS) 47c vs. 36c
• "On balance," said chairman and CEO Mike Jordan, "This was the strongest quarter... since I joined the company in 2003." Performance was driven by $7.6B in fourth quarter contracts, up 43% from the previous year.

Continue reading High (and low) lights from this week's earnings releases

High (and low) lights from this week's earnings releases originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo! trading like an acquisition candidate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

InterActiveCorp has a big second half in 2006 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Dec 2006 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google shmoogle. Don't waste your time or your money! Consider the following as I ramble on about investor speculation.

1.  It's overvalued by almost every metric you can think of; price-to-earnings, price-to-sales, price-to-book value, price-to-cash flow. It can only hold up if you think its gross margins and profitability will continue unabated regardless of competition, R&D costs, new unprofitable enterprises, and its size.

2.  Too many shareholders are momentum investors and will run for the doors in panic with their feet on fire when momentum shifts downward.

3.  Expanding into China will be difficult no matter how many compromises management makes. The Chinese will do everything in their power (which is a lot), to make sure it is a Chinese company that eventually rules this space.

4.  Competition from Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo (YHOO), eBay (EBAY), Amazon (AMZN), Time Warner - AOL  (TWX) , News Corp. (NWS), InterActiveCorp (IACI), and a multitude of others is substantial and growing. They are not standing still and will create obstacles to Google at every turn.

5.  Management insiders are selling shares. Yes, it makes sense for them to diversify. But if they are playing it safe, shouldn't you? By the way, Warren Buffett has never sold any appreciable shares in his company Berkshire Hathaway since he thinks it's the best thing you could possibly invest in.

6. Google had a great idea, it paid off, now what? All the added features are just that, features. It has no incremental value at a scale that will expand the company at the rate of the initial search concept.

7. Almost every highflyer in the Internet age has had to get real or get out. We may still be playing a game of quick buck traders hanging on until the first sign of weakness and thinking they will be smart enough to beat the rush to the door. If so, than see item #2.

8.  Market history over the past 80 years has favored small cap stocks over large, dividend paying companies over non-dividend paying companies and, low price-to-sales (P/S) value investments over growth.

9. Trees don't grow to the sky. See my post, "Google me this, Batman."

10. Does not pass the equivalence test. Google closed today with a capitalization of approximately $122 billion. To give you some perspective, that is the equivalent of Anheuser Busch (BUD) $35B + Federal Express (FDX) $34.5B + Starbucks (SBUX) $28B + Harley Davidson (HDI) $14.5B + Black & Decker (BKD) $6.5B and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) $3.5B combined. In my opinion, if someone offered you all six of these companies for all your shares in Google and you told them to take a hike than you are nuts. (Disclosure: I own many of these stocks. Read more about me here.)

I'm sure you could come up with your own equivalence test but these are time tested, well managed, valuable enterprises with strong brands and to me owning Google instead is folly. I can't say it in any simpler language than that. 

10 Reasons I think Google is going down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.