On Wednesday, General Mills (GIS) will report earnings results for the fiscal third quarter. The cereal maker is expected to do okay. According to Earnings.com, net income is projected to be around 56 cents per share. If the company hits that number, then it will represent a decent bottom-line growth rate.

The stock has a couple things going in its favor. The 52-week high is currently set at $38.98. Shares closed on Monday at a price of $37.12, not far from the peak. In addition, the dividend yield of 3% is attractive.

Continue reading General Mills: A Brief Look Before Earnings

General Mills: A Brief Look Before Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Aetna (AET) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Kellogg (K) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• PetSmart (PETM) to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• NetApp (NTAP) and Scripps Networks (SNI) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Thoratec (THOR) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• ArcelorMittal (MT) to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Bristol-Myers (BMY) to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Eaton Vance (EV) to neutral from sell at Ticonderoga.
• Adtran (ADTN) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AET, BMY, DVN, GLW, K, MRK, MT, PETM, SPLS, WY ...

Analyst Calls: AET, BMY, DVN, GLW, K, MRK, MT, PETM, SPLS, WY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Tiffany (TIF) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Kellogg (K) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Citizens Republic (CRBC) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Research in Motion (RIMM) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• MWI Veterinary Supply (MWIV) and Elster (ELT) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Paetec Holding (PAET) and Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• New Gold (NGD) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• Aviat Networks (AVNW) to buy from hold at Needham.
• Abiomed (ABMD) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Animal Health (AHII) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• PNM Resources (PNM) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: COMV, FSLR, K, LDK, NGD, PTEN, RIMM, STD, TIF ...

Analyst Calls: COMV, FSLR, K, LDK, NGD, PTEN, RIMM, STD, TIF ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday's fourth-quarter GDP numbers offered more evidence that the economy is picking up steam, but one of the biggest obstacles to the recovery remains the stubbornly high unemployment rate. We'll find out whether there's been any movement on that front when employment data for January comes out this week. The Challenger Job-Cut report and ADP employment data are due Wednesday, and the government's unemployment rate on Friday. Another mild increase in jobs is expected, in line with the three-month average, but not enough to significantly reduce the unemployment rate.

Also look for the ISM manufacturing and nonmanufacturing indexes this week, as well as the Chicago PMI and the New York NAPM index. And Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak to the National Press Club on Thursday.

Continue reading Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More

Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tuesday morning, Kellogg (K) announced that its third-quarter net income dropped 6% thanks to slumping cereal sales. In addition to the weakening cereal sales, Kellogg saw competition strengthen and continuing impact from a cereal recall.

First things first, the cereal king reported earnings of 90 cents per share ($338 million), which came in lower than last year's earnings of 94 cents per share ($361 million).

Continue reading Kellogg Reports Soggy Earnings Results

Kellogg Reports Soggy Earnings Results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It will be a busy week. Republicans are poised to gain control of the House of Representatives and gain governorships in Tuesday's mid-term elections. Also, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce another round of quantitative easing Wednesday, following the FOMC meeting. Major retailers are scheduled to report October same-store sales Thursday, while the October unemployment rate, announced on Friday, is expected to remain at 9.6%.

Toyota's (TM) fiscal second-quarter results will be one of the highlights on the earnings front this week. After three periods of way underestimating Toyota's earnings, have the analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters got it right this time? The stock sure could use a boost. Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) is in a similar situation; i.e., high expectations for this week's quarterly results but a stock in need of a boost. Marathon (MRO) and Starbucks (SBUX) are also expected to post strong earnings growth this week, but both stocks are riding high.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Election, QE2, Unemployment and More Earnings

Week in Preview: Election, QE2, Unemployment and More Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Union Pacific (UNP) and Polycom (PLCM) were upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Time Warner Cable (TWC) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• LaSalle Hotel (LHO) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Graco (GGG) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Valley National (VLY) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Credit Suisse (CS) was upgraded to hold from sell at RBS.
• U.S. Bancorp (USB) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Penn National (PENN) and Riverbed (RVBD) were upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Goodrich (GR) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Amazon.com (AMZN) upgraded to buy from average at Caris.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMZN, CAKE, CS, EMC, FCX, GR, HOT, K, MAR, TWC, UNP, USB ...

Analyst Calls: AMZN, CAKE, CS, EMC, FCX, GR, HOT, K, MAR, TWC, UNP, USB ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Kellogg Downgraded: Should Shareholders Care?

Kellogg Downgraded: Should Shareholders Care? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Merriman upgraded Penn National (PENN) to buy from neutral, citing the company's strong balance sheet and management team. The firm also raised its target range for shares to $34 to $37.60.
• BMO Capital upgraded Cooper Companies (COO) to outperform from market perform and raised its price target to $55 from $46. The firm sees upside to Street estimates and increased visibility.
• Argus upgraded Watson Pharma (WPI) to buy from hold based on valuation.
• Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) was upgraded to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Allstate (ALL) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Weingarten Realty (WRI) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, ALL, AOL, AVP, AZPN, BMY, COO, F, K, MSFT, PENN, UAL ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, ALL, AOL, AVP, AZPN, BMY, COO, F, K, MSFT, PENN, UAL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Option traders appear to be setting up for a bullish move on TransDigm Group Incorporated (TDG). Traders plowed into 1,865 new call option contracts -- 84.77 times the average volume -- on the stock on Thursday. And we know that traders were eager to get into this trade because 96% of the trades came in on the ask price.

TransDigm has been hitting 52-week highs for a few days in a row now. The stock closed Thursday at $61.25, up 7.65% during the past month.

Continue reading Option Traders Buying TransDigm Calls and Avanir Pharmaceutical Puts

Option Traders Buying TransDigm Calls and Avanir Pharmaceutical Puts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Bernstein upgraded Hospira (HSP) to Outperform from market Perform based on valuation, expectations that the company will be able to fix manufacturing issues quickly, and views Propolfol and biosimilars as underappreciated. The firm has a $63 price target on the stock.
• Citigroup upgraded eBay (EBAY) to Buy from Hold citing valuation and improvements to Marketplace. The firm keeps a $28 price target for shares.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Coca-Cola Femsa (KOF) to Hold from Sell citing lessening acquisition risk and raised its target for shares to $66 from $61.
• Blackstone (BX) and Simon Property (SPG) were upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
• BreitBurn Energy (BBEP) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
• SL Green Realty (SLG) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: HSP, EBAY, BX, CSCO

Analyst Calls: HSP, EBAY, BX, CSCO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Slow Growth, Still Growth (MFE, SYMC, TNAV, ALU, K, BRK-A, RIMM, MRK)

Closing Bell: Slow Growth, Still Growth (MFE, SYMC, TNAV, ALU, K, BRK-A, RIMM, MRK) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Kellogg Down After Quarterly Report -- No Need to Worry

Kellogg Down After Quarterly Report -- No Need to Worry originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Options Update: Kellogg August Puts Active on Elevated Volatility into EPS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Mills Down After Q4 Report

General Mills Down After Q4 Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded C.H. Robinson (CHRW) to outperform from neutral and has a $67 target on the stock. The firm upgraded shares citing growth opportunities given the capacity constrained environment.
• UBS upgraded Navistar (NAV) to buy from neutral, citing improved trucker preferences towards the company's engine technology.
• KeyBanc upgraded Crane (CR) to buy from hold based on valuation stabilization and potential upside in aerospace, among other reasons. The firm has a $39 target on the stock.
• United Therapeutics (UTHR) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Equifax (EFX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Stephens.
• Brown & Brown (BRO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
  

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANDS, AZO, CHRW, CR, CRM, FDO, GIS, K, NAV, ORCL ...

Analyst Calls: ANDS, AZO, CHRW, CR, CRM, FDO, GIS, K, NAV, ORCL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Good News from Heinz

Good News from Heinz originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I'm going to take a quick look at two companies that released earnings on Thursday. First up is Eastman Kodak (EK), but I'll tell you this: EK was anything but up. The stock closed off 16.9% by the end of the session. Volume was exceptionally high. But does this mean Kodak is a buy or a sell?

Back in January, Kodak rallied on its Q4 numbers; at that time, analysts and their projections were destroyed by the strong report. I, however, remained bearish on the company because of its turnaround status, preferring to focus on the risk of the situation instead of the forward-looking potential.

Continue reading Quarterly Earnings: Eastman Kodak and Kellogg

Quarterly Earnings: Eastman Kodak and Kellogg originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hershey (HSY) stock rallied after the company released first-quarter earnings Thursday. By the end of the session, the stock had climbed over 7% to close at $48.08. A new high was reached at one point: $48.23. As can be seen, the market is solidly behind the famous confectioner and its quarterly report.

The top line increased just under 14%. The bottom line, on a GAAP basis, came in at 64 cents per share, nearly 100% better than the 33 cents per share earned in the year-ago period. On an adjusted basis, net income growth was 68% because of some charges added back to that 33-cent profit stat. This was, nevertheless, a great performance: The analysts were only expecting somewhere around 47 cents per share.

Continue reading Hershey Delivers a Sweet First Quarter

Hershey Delivers a Sweet First Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Mills (GIS), whose colleagues at the food markets include Kellogg (K), Kraft Foods (KFT), and Campbell Soup (CPB), performed well in the fiscal third quarter. On an adjusted basis, net income increased 23% to 97 cents per diluted share. This beat estimates by four pennies.

General Mills was able to expand the gross margin by keeping an eye on efficiency opportunities and optimizing the overall quality of the inventory mix. Of course, there was a little luck involved, too, as commodity costs weren't as expensive as they previously had been. It's always good when that happens.

Continue reading General Mills Reports Impressive Income Increase in Q3

General Mills Reports Impressive Income Increase in Q3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.