Herman Miller (NASDAQ: MLHR) designs and manufactures interior furnishings for office, healthcare, educational and residential settings. Offerings include modular systems, filing and storage systems, wooden casegoods, executive task chairs and desk lamps. Products are manufactured in the U.S. and the U.K. for customers in North America, Europe, Asian and Australia.

The firm pleased investors late last month, when it reported fiscal Q4 EPS of 71 cents and revenues of $519.1 million. Analysts had been looking for 57 cents and $488.4 million. Management also guided Q1 EPS and revenues to ranges in-line with consensus Street views. In discussing the solid results, the company credited the effects of its international expansion program.

Continue reading Herman Miller (MLHR): Share price advances through positive trading channel

Herman Miller (MLHR): Share price advances through positive trading channel originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bed, Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ:BBBY) is up over 7% on better-than-expected earnings.

Herman Miller (NASDAQ:MLHR) is up almost 10% on a strong quarter.

RIM (NASDAQ:RIMM) is off 8% on a weak forecast.

GM (NYSE:GM) is down 5% after a downgrade from Goldman.

Oracle (NADSAQ:ORCL) is down 3% on a poor forecast for the upcoming quarter.

Stocks may trade differently in the pre-market than they do in the regular session.

Douglas A. Mcintyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Pre-market movers (RIMM) (GM) (ORCL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As the holidays loom, not to mention the end of the quarter, here are some highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) posted solid Q4 results, but left its guidance unchanged.
• Bear Stearns Cos. (NYSE: BSC) swung to a loss, another victim of the subprime mortgage mess.
• Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) beat estimates in part on sales of the Nintendo Wii and flat-panel TVs.
• CarMax Inc.'s (NYSE: KMX) net earnings declined, and the company lowered its guidance.
• Circuit City Stores (NYSE: CC) posted another disappointing quarter on "transformation" woes.
• Darden Restaurants Inc.'s (NYSE: DRI) Q2 profits fell, leading the share price to a one-year low.
• FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) beat low expectations, boosted in part by international growth.
• Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) beat estimates, but not enough to impress investors.
• Herman Miller Inc. (NASDAQ: MLHR) beat estimates despite restructuring and the soft economy.
• Hovnanian Enterprises Inc.'s (NYSE: HOV) dismal results had wide-ranging effects.
• Jabil Circuit Inc. (NYSE: JBL) posted a solid quarter but lowered its outlook due to coming restructuring.
• Martek Biosciences Corp. (NASDAQ: MATK) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) posted worse-than-expected quarter and full-year results.
• Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) beat expectations on the strength of software upgrades.
• Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM), reported a Q2 loss and lowered its guidance for the current quarter.
• Red Hat Inc.'s (NYSE: RHT) earnings were in line with expectations, but it raised its outlook.
• Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) posted a solid quarter and raised its guidance.
• Take Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) warned of a higher-than-expected loss for the first quarter.
• TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: AMTD) raised its outlook for first quarter earnings.
• Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) posted a solid quarter on strong sales and cost controls.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Financials, techs, retailers, and more

Earnings highlights: Financials, techs, retailers, and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Human habitat designer Herman Miller, Inc. (Nasdaq: MLHR) recorded second quarter (2Q) fiscal year (FY) 2008 profits that beat the Street by $0.13 per share, enough to push the stock up to $32.96, up from a $28.42 close on December 19th. In short, all the incoming money numbers are up, and all the outgoing money numbers are down, just the way investors like it. Sales are up 1.4% to $505.9 million, while orders are up considerably more, 8.2% to $572.5 million. The backlog of orders also increased 7% to $346.5 million, so the company is looking towards at least several more highly profitable quarters based on current numbers.

Despite a rather soft economy in the U.S., orders increased 9%. International orders increased 12.7%. Herman Miller is still in the midst of a restructuring plan that, while obviously working, still entails significant expenditures: $5.2 million in 2Q FY2008. The company is very cognizant of the need to control costs and keep a lid on operating expenses, which declined almost 22% in 2Q. The only bump in the road is that the company took on $200 million in additional debt to pay for $200 million in stock repurchases.

Other big news is that Herman Miller recently agreed to acquire Brandrud Furniture Inc., a healthcare furnishing company. This move will allow Herman Miller to expand its healthcare products offerings. Management forecasts 3Q FY2008 sales to be in the $475-$500 million range, or EPS of $0.55-$0.62, surpassing the company's 2007 total revenue of $1.92 billion.

Herman Miller up 12%: beats Street big time originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In an attempt to put "knock-off" imitators out of business, high-end furnishings designer Herman Miller Inc. (NASDAQ: MLHR) will unveil a number of its famous designs on Second Life. The designs will be available at no cost to consumers who were duped into purchasing knock-offs from unauthorized vendors, as long as the buyers agree to get rid of the unauthorized inventory. For other consumers, the designs will be available at a reduced price. Consumers can find Herman Miller's entire collection within Avalon Island in Second Life. Herman Miller intends to expand its virtual world presence in order to provide detailed depictions and descriptions of its designs.

Recently released 1Q FY 2008 earnings support Herman Miller's bold expansion into the virtual world. Sales for the quarter were up 9% to $492 million, net earnings increased 17.5% to $33.4 million and diluted EPS increased 25% to $0.54. Simply put, operating earnings are up while operating expenses are down. Herman Miller has posted 15 straight quarters of YoY sales growth, driven in large measure by a 17% sales increase in its international markets, primarily Asia and the UK. International orders are up 6%, which helps to counteract a 5% decline in North American orders. Perhaps Herman Miller's expanded virtual presence will inject some energy into the North American market.

Senior management expects 2Q FY 2008 sales of $475-$500 million, with diluted EPS of $0.51-$0.57. The company has already repurchased 1.9 million shares of its stock for $60.8 milion, and recently authorized repurchases of an additional $300 million. At under $30 per share, the stock could be worth a look. Certainly its virtual show room is.

Herman Miller (MLHR) giving designs a Second Life originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analyst initiations 7-31-07: AKAM, BGFV, DOV and SNIC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.