Salesforce.com (CRM) provides applications that manage customer information for sales, marketing and customer support. It has a customer base of approximately 85,000 clients. Its service provides sales leads, maintaining customer information and tracking customer interactions.

Intuit (INTU) caters to small businesses with its QuickBooks and TurboTax software. As well, it provides payroll and financial software for small businesses. The company has about 50 million users of its products.

Continue reading Salesforce.com and Intuit Join Forces to Capture Small Business Clients

Salesforce.com and Intuit Join Forces to Capture Small Business Clients originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next quarter is always the most nerve-wracking for Intuit's (INTU) shareholders. It's during this time that its flagship TurboTax product gets much of its business.

Yet, based on the latest earnings report, it looks like Intuit should do fine. In Friday morning trading, the stock was up nearly 7% to $53.85.

Continue reading Intuit Preps for Tax Season

Intuit Preps for Tax Season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stock Futures Slightly Lower Ahead G-20 Meeting

Stock Futures Slightly Lower Ahead G-20 Meeting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New technology spawns still more technology. Such is the case with smart phones. Entrepreneurs have found a way to facilitate buying with your smart phone. Companies like Intuit (INTU) and VeriFone (PAY) have created a card reader that can be inserted into your iPhone (AAPL) or other smart phone. Then you can swipe a credit card through the reader and use it to make online purchases.

The potential of this new technology is enormous. Analysts estimate that the industry will grow to $11 billion this year.

Continue reading Card Readers to Generate $11 Billion in Sales

Card Readers to Generate $11 Billion in Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intuit Inc. (INTU) received some good word today from a major firm. According to our Analyst Calls article, Citigroup initiated the company with a buy rating. Not bad for shareholders.

Or is it? At the close of the session, shares of the name behind Turbo Tax were off by 0.3% to $48.87. That might represent a very small sell-off, but when you read that a stock has received a buy rating, the hope is for a little more action. It makes you wonder if the idea may not actually be worth buying.

Continue reading Intuit: Time to Buy This Stock?

Intuit: Time to Buy This Stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Disney (DIS) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Pike Electric (PIKE) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Kindred Healthcare (KND) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• UBS (UBS) to hold from sell at Canaccord.
• Avery Dennison (AVY) and Take-Two (TTWO) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Mercer (MERC) to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AVY, CSUN, DIS, INTU, KBH, KEY, LEN, NVTL, UBS, USNA ...

Analyst Calls: AVY, CSUN, DIS, INTU, KBH, KEY, LEN, NVTL, UBS, USNA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Auriga upgraded Leap Wireless (LEAP) to buy from hold following the company's Q2 results and analyst day, citing valuation, longer-term potential for consolidation and prospects for business improvements. Despite upgrading, the firm lowered its target for shares to $16 from $19.
• Goldman upgraded Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from sell following the company's announcement to explore strategic alternatives. The firm raised its price target to $15 from $12.
• RBC Capital upgraded ESCO Technologies (ESE) to sector perform from underperform following the better-than-expected Q3 report. The firm raised its price target to $30 from $28.
• MetLife (MET) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Priceline.com (PCLN) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• HSBC (HBC) was upgraded to outperform from underperform at CLSA.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMD, BKC, BKS, BP, DOW, HBC, LEAP, LLY, MET, PCLN, ...

Analyst Calls: AMD, BKC, BKS, BP, DOW, HBC, LEAP, LLY, MET, PCLN, ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Berstein upgraded Diamond Offshore (DO) to market perform from underperform based on valuation. The firm has a $69 price target on the stock.
• Jefferies upgraded Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) to buy from hold, citing leverage to higher land rig pricing. The firm raised its price target to $21 from $17.
• Wunderlich upgraded Renasant (RNST) to buy from hold following the company's acquisition of Crescent Bank. The firm raised its target for shares to $20 from $15.
• AT&T (T) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Blackstone (BX) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Scripps Networks (SNI) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BX, CBOE, DO, EL, INTU, ITT, PTEN, RNST, T, TEVA ...

Analyst Calls: BX, CBOE, DO, EL, INTU, ITT, PTEN, RNST, T, TEVA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Auriga upgraded Cisco (CSCO) to buy from hold, citing the company's improving strategic position in data centers.
• Blue Nile (NILE) was raised to buy from hold by Citigroup due to the recent pullback in shares.
• DuPont Fabros (DFT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS, which said that said fundamentals in the data center space have been improving.
• Baird upgraded Sterling Bancshares (SBIB) to neutral from underperform based on valuation.
• Goldman Sachs upgraded Bristol-Myers (BMY) to buy from neutral.
• Amazon.com (AMZN) was raised to conviction buy from buy by Goldman.
• Jefferies upgraded Celgene (CELG) to buy from hold.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, ABT, AMZN, BMY, CSCO, DNB, EAT, INTU, NILE ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, ABT, AMZN, BMY, CSCO, DNB, EAT, INTU, NILE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Psychiatric Solutions (PSYS) to neutral from underweight on expectations the company's merger with Universal Health (UHS) will close.
• Jefferies upgraded Intuit (INTU) to buy from neutral and has a $45 price target on the stock. The firm expects Intuit's 2011 tax season to be at least as good as 2010's and sees improvement in the SMB exposed businesses.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Unica (UNCA) to outperform from market perform. The firm upgraded the stock due to what it sees as improving trends in marketing spending, upcoming enhancements in the company's products and long-term opportunity for marketing software to exceed expectations.
• Textron (TXT) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• RightNow (RNOW) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Beazer Homes (BZH) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, DWA, INTU, NFLX, PSYS, PVH, ROSE, TEVA, UNCA ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, DWA, INTU, NFLX, PSYS, PVH, ROSE, TEVA, UNCA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 May 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As a major validation of the importance of smartphones, HP (HPQ) agreed to shell out $1.2 billion for Palm (PALM) this week. The truth is that consumers and businesses are increasingly using mobile devices. In fact, the market for smartphones is $100 billion and growing at more than 20% per year.

OK, so how can you use a smartphone to help your business? Actually, one idea is to turn it into a point-of-sale system, which is actually fairly straightforward and affordable.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Time to Take Payments from Your Smartphone?

Entrepreneur's Journal: Time to Take Payments from Your Smartphone? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 02 May 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite the heated politics, business owners need to have an understanding of President Obama's $940 billion health care plan. So, I've talked with various experts on the matter.

And while things are far from set, there are some general things to consider.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: What the Obama Health Care Bill Means to Your Business

Entrepreneur's Journal: What the Obama Health Care Bill Means to Your Business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble Finally Wakes Up to the Internet

Barnes & Noble Finally Wakes Up to the Internet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

People who have the entrepreneurial spirit are familiar with the unique adrenaline rush that comes from the live-or-die risk of starting a business. For many, small business is a way of life that represents long hours and near-obsessive passion. With all the pressure and time constraints riding on a small business, what are the five best software applications that can greatly help these start-ups or modest operations? There are definitely some critical software choices that make a small business more efficient and more effective. And better yet, three of them are free.

Continue reading The Five Best Small Business Software Applications

The Five Best Small Business Software Applications originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Not long ago, marketing was fairly simple for local businesses. You would place an ad in the Yellow Pages. There may even be an occasional mailer and sponsorship.

But of course, things have gotten more complicated lately as customers increasingly use the Internet. Unless you are a marketing expert, you'll probably have trouble handling things like dealing with the hundreds of local search engines and directories, the need to write strong copy, bidding effectively on key search terms and even putting together compelling videos.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Get Customers Clicking and Calling with Online Local Ads

Entrepreneur's Journal: Get Customers Clicking and Calling with Online Local Ads originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) second quarter EPS guidance fell short of analysts' estimates, sending shares lower.
• CBS Corp. (CBS) higher Q4 earnings were in line with analysts' expectations but free cash flow declined.
• Deere & Co. (DE) posted higher Q1 earnings that easily topped expectations, sending shares sharply higher.
• Gap Inc. (GPS) received a downgrade from an analyst that foresees contracting earnings, returns and margins.
• Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) better-than-expected Q1 results were accompanied by a better-than-expected outlook.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: CBS, Deere, HP, Kraft, MGM, Walmart, Whole Foods ...

Earnings Highlights: CBS, Deere, HP, Kraft, MGM, Walmart, Whole Foods ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Intuit Gets a Boost from the Tax Man

Intuit Gets a Boost from the Tax Man originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even though the economy is still sluggish, things are much better than a year ago, when it looked like the global financial system was about to fall apart. In fact, it may be a good idea to expand your business.

Keep in mind that during times of big change, there are also big opportunities. However, to take advantage of these, you really need to go beyond your own abilities. In other words, you need to think about hiring.

Unfortunately, the hiring process is scary and complicated -- with many rules and risks. But an excellent new book can help out: Hire Your First Employee (get your free copy). Actually, I had a chance to talk to the author, Rhonda Abrams.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Thinking of Hiring an Employee?

Entrepreneur's Journal: Thinking of Hiring an Employee? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The federal and state governments regulate a variety of industries that help with your money -- such as stockbrokers. However, when it comes to preparing taxes, the licensing is fairly sporadic. Only a few states have requirements. Kind of scary, huh?

Well, things are going to change. The IRS has announced that it will take the responsibility of regulating U.S. tax preparation companies, such as H&R Block (HRB) and Jackson Hewitt (JTX).

Continue reading IRS Finally Regulates Tax Preparers

IRS Finally Regulates Tax Preparers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to the latest American Express (AXP) OPEN Small Business Monitor report, there are signs of improvement. Yet, the fact remains that cash flow continues to be a problem for many business owners. In fact, they have had to take some tough measures, such as cut costs, renegotiate contracts, sell personal assets and even get a second job.

But there is another way to help deal with cash flow problems -- that is, get better at invoicing and collections. While this can be uncomfortable, it is a necessity for any successful business.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Getting Your Customers to Pay Up ... and On Time

Entrepreneur's Journal: Getting Your Customers to Pay Up ... and On Time originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.