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.

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.

Last week, Intuit (INTU) had its biggest one-day gain since 2001, with the stock surging about 15%. The reason was a strong earnings report, in which the company provided a bullish outlook as well as a $2 billion stock buyback. Even with the higher price, the momentum should continue.

After all, Intuit keeps innovating its product line -- and has the luxury of a hefty customer base. Just look at the company's latest offering: a complete credit card system for the iPhone. To pull this off, Intuit has teamed-up with mophie.

Continue reading Intuit Wants to Cash-In on the iPhone

Intuit Wants to Cash-In on the iPhone originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:30:00 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.

Running a consulting business can be a juggling act. It's not easy to manage a variety of accounts while also continuing to look for new business. And, in light of the tough economy, clients are looking for ways to cut back on services.

What to do? Well, you can try to find new revenue sources. And one interesting option is to sell software products.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Boost Your Consulting Business by Selling Software

Entrepreneur's Journal: Boost Your Consulting Business by Selling Software originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:40:00 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.

Even though there are signs of improvement, the U.S. economy still remains sluggish. No doubt, this has been particularly tough for small business owners.

So to help things along, Congress has passed another stimulus bill: The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Will the HIRE Act Help Your Business?

Entrepreneur's Journal: Will the HIRE Act Help Your Business? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Late last month, H&R Block (HRB) dropped a bomb on investors. The company slashed its outlook because of the slow start of the tax season. As a result, H&R Block's stock price fell 13%.

So Monday, the company reported its official fiscal third-quarter results. Profits came to $50.6 million, or $0.15 per share, up from $47.4 million, or $0.14 per share in the same period a year ago.

Continue reading H&R Block Feels the Pain from TurboTax

H&R Block Feels the Pain from TurboTax originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:30:00 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.

Let's face it, payroll is one of the drudgeries of running your own business. It's a big expense and complicated. Actually, some companies have imploded because of payroll problems.

So what to do? Here are things to consider.

Online Services: Just like with anything nowadays, there are online services to manage your payroll. One of the best I've seen is PayCycle.com, which is now owned by Intuit (INTU).

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Making Payroll Painless

Entrepreneur's Journal: Making Payroll Painless originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's usually tough finding the right gift for an entrepreneur. Hey, the best thing would probably be a loan or some customers, right?

OK, being realistic, there are some gifts to consider. Let's take a look:

The Cloud: It's all the rage right now -- that is, on-demand software services. The good news is that much of it is affordable. Take a look at Salesforce.com (CRM). The company has a small business edition of its customer relationship management (CRM) offering that comes to only $50 per year.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Best holiday gift for the entrepreneur?

Entrepreneur's Journal: Best holiday gift for the entrepreneur? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.