Analyst Upgrades

• Procter & Gamble (PG) upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Capital One (COF) upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Airgas (ARG) upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Broadcom (BRCM) upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Lululemon (LULU) upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• DryShips (DRYS) upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AVB, BRCM, COF, DRYS, IFF, LULU, NSM, OII, OSG, PG ...

Analyst Calls: AVB, BRCM, COF, DRYS, IFF, LULU, NSM, OII, OSG, PG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stagnating Procter & Gamble Shares Short Strangled

Stagnating Procter & Gamble Shares Short Strangled originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Janney Montgomery upgraded MasterCard (MA) to buy from neutral. The firm has a $250 price target on the stock.
• Lazard upgraded Frontline (FRO) to hold from sell following the better than expected Q1 report.
• Knight Capital (NITE) was upgraded at BMO Capital to outperform from market perform. The firm cites valuation and improved fundamentals for the downgrade. The firm has an $18 price target on the stock.
• Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Carnival (CCL) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Computer Sciences (CSC) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: MA, FRO, NITE, RDS.A, CCL, DWA, VLCM, WEN, C, PG, ENOC ...

Analyst Calls: MA, FRO, NITE, RDS.A, CCL, DWA, VLCM, WEN, C, PG, ENOC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading IQ Trends' Blue Chip Buys: The 'Timely Ten'

IQ Trends' Blue Chip Buys: The 'Timely Ten' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The editor of IQ Trends -- and author of the just-released book Dividends Still Don't Lie -- explains, "To that end we believe that high-quality stocks purchased at historically low-price-to-high-yield offers the best potential for downside protection and upside appreciation.

Continue reading Quality Yields: IQ Trend's Timely Ten

Quality Yields: IQ Trend's Timely Ten originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Before the opening bell sounds on Thursday, October 29, Cincinnati-based Dow component Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) will report fiscal first-quarter earnings. Analysts believe P&G will report earnings of 99 cents per share with sales of $19.83 billion.

These expected results are lower than those of a year ago, when the company saw earnings of $1.03 per share and revenue of $22 billion. P&G set expectations low for this quarter, as it announced early in the quarter that sales are expected to fall again. Is this truly the case or is it a smart business move?

Continue reading Procter & Gamble earnings preview: Are expectations too low?

Procter & Gamble earnings preview: Are expectations too low? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"While companies have been cutting dividends at an historic pace over the last 24 months, the fact is that there are still quality companies with long histories of paying dividends that represent good long-term investments," says Chuck Carlson, a specialist in companies offering dividend reinvestment plans.

In his top-notch The DRIP Investor he says, "The seven stocks featured here have each been paying a dividend for over 100 years, have raised their dividend annually for at least the last quarter century and offer direct-purchase plans.

Continue reading Seven dividend elites: 100 years of dividends

Seven dividend elites: 100 years of dividends originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cincinnati-based consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) reported fourth-quarter earnings this morning, topping the Street's expectations on earnings but missing on revenue.

As for earnings, P&G pulled in 80 cents per share in the fourth quarter, topping the consensus estimate by a penny. On the revenue front, PG made $18.66 billion in the fourth quarter, well short of the Street's expected $19.32 billion.

Continue reading Procter & Gamble tops profit estimates, announces NFL tie-in

Procter & Gamble tops profit estimates, announces NFL tie-in originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Procter & Gamble

Continue reading Procter & Gamble earnings preview

Procter & Gamble earnings preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Supervalu (NYSE: SVU), whose competitors include Kroger (NYSE: KR), Safeway (NYSE: SWY), and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), reported results for its fiscal second quarter. Net sales unfortunately didn't budge much at all. They came in essentially flat at $10.2 billion. Earnings per share on an adjusted basis were $0.61. According to this article, the expectations were for $0.69 per share. So, as can be seen, Supervalu lost the analyst-expectations game by a wide margin. Last year's adjusted earnings were $0.64 per share. Not only are those numbers disappointing, but comps saw a decrease of over 1%. And the gross margin suffered as well.

So, we have an earnings miss, flat revenue growth, and a decline in the bottom line. What does all that add up to in terms of market reaction? The stock sees a bid. At the time I began writing this piece, it was up 2.5%. As I found with Kroger, the market may be looking at supermarket businesses as defensive plays. Of course, at the time I covered Kroger, that company's numbers were a lot better than Supervalu's.

However, last time I checked the stock before sending this piece in, it was becoming more volatile along with the market, moving from green to red in quick succession. Given the weak data, I can't say that I'd be considering Supervalu right now. It is true that people will continue to shop at supermarkets even during economic downturns, but I'd rather look at something the supermarket sells as opposed to the supermarket itself to get defensive. I'd rather align my portfolio with the stronger brand equity of perhaps a Kraft (NYSE: KFT) or a Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) than a Supervalu.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.

Supervalu disappoints Wall Street, is it still a buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Is the market getting you down? You want it to go up, right? Well, you better settle in and brace yourself for even harder times as an individual investor. That is, if some pundits are correct about the direction of share prices. According to this CNBC page, a Dow of 8,000 is now in play, and gold might be set to strap a rocket on its back and propel itself up to $1,500 per ounce over time. I'm not sure about the gold, but a Dow of 8,000 almost feels like a logical rest stop at this point (but that might be emotion talking). In the end, none of us can tell the future.

I can, however, share with you a wish. And it isn't just my wish. I'm sure there are others out there who have already said this. And, yes, this wish is coming from someone who owns The Walt Disney Corporation (NYSE: DIS), The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), and General Electric (NYSE: GE). I own them for the long term (except for a separate trading position in GE which completely failed and may turn into another long-term asset), so maybe this wish isn't so mysterious. I want to go back to that "happy" time of October of '87. I want to see the Dow drop over 20% in one day. Preferably, I'd like to see it drop 25%, on Cloverfield-monster-sized volume. How many points would that be? As of this writing, it would be roughly 2,670 points.

What, am I insane? About as insane as the idiots who decided to become risk sponges, I suppose. In all seriousness, we need a crash. We need a reset, a reboot. We need a lot of panic on the street, and a spiking VIX ($VIX.X), to at least begin a bottom formation. If you think we're going to form a bottom without pain, you're wrong. And if you think, at this point, that we can form a bottom without a crash, well then, I won't say you're completely wrong on that count, but I will say that a crash would be better.

Continue reading I want a one-day stock market crash in October

I want a one-day stock market crash in October originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Fresh It Up (to remove odors) -- $5 for a 2.5-ounce bottle
• Get It Out (stain remover pen) -- $3 for a 0.4-ounce pen
• Smooth It Out (to remove wrinkles) -- $5 for 5 ounces
• Steam It Out (dryer cloth to remove wrinkles in 10 minutes) -- seven cloths for $5

Procter & Gamble announces new category of products: Swash for re-wear originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Any further market weakness creates creates another opportunity to acquire some outstanding stocks," suggests Kelley Wright, noted for his focus on blue chip, dividend-paying stocks.

In his Investment Quality Trends newsletter, he looks at the benefits of keeping a long-term focus, the value of dividend districutions to an investor's long-term returns, and his current "timely ten" picks for conservative investor.

"The cash dividend for the Dow is $322.40. One year ago the dividend was $284.06. Amidst all the turmoil in the markets and the economy something must be going right with the Dow 30 companies because the dividend is ever climbing.

"Dividends, as we all know, can only come from the reality of earnings; you can't pay what you don't have. The dividend yield on the Dow is currently 2.66%, which represents an 11% downside to a 3.0% yield and the historically repetitive area of Undervalue.

"Will the Average make it down to that level? No one knows but that isn't the point. At current levels the upside is FAR greater, particularly in many of the stocks in our Undervalued area.

Continue reading For blue chip buyers: 'This too shall pass'

For blue chip buyers: 'This too shall pass' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times reports that Citigroup (NYSE: C) plans to commit $400 million to its naming rights deal for the stadium of the New York Mets. I say stop this deal!

Why? There are so many examples of companies that got into trouble after they named stadiums after themselves. In Boston, the stadium where the New England Patriots play was named after Gillette -- but Gillette doesn't exist anymore -- Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) bought it in 2005. And we had the Fleet Center, where the Boston Celtics play -- but Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) bought Fleet in 2003. And we also had the Tweeter Center, a concert venue -- named after Tweeter Home Enterprises which filed for bankruptcy last June. Fortunately, Boston's other world championship team, the Red Sox, has the good sense to deny naming rights to any company for its Fenway Park.

Now for Citi. According to the Times, it made its 20-year deal for the Mets naming rights back in November 2006 under previous CEO, Chuck Prince, after netting $5.3 billion in 2006's third quarter. But in the past three quarters, it has lost $17 billion - including a $2.5 billion loss reported on Friday.

Continue reading Will Citi fall victim to the stadium-naming curse?

Will Citi fall victim to the stadium-naming curse? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) wants to calm the nerves of jittery Wall Street. According to this item, the Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) warning has spooked investors worried about inflation (I'm one of them). So, P&G wanted to let everyone know that things will be all right at the maker of Ivory soap and Pringles potato chips (or is that crisps?).

P&G is confident that it can deliver top-line growth of between 8% and 10% when it next reports. Also, management believes that earnings per share will still be somewhere between $0.76 and $0.78. You know it's a bad market when an announcement indicating that the status quo will merely be maintained as opposed to being exceeded is enough to keep a stock slightly in the green by a few pennies, as opposed to down nearly 5% (which is how the stocks of P&G and Kimberly-Clark are trading, respectively, as of this writing).

Of course, the fact that P&G came out and supported its guidance doesn't mean that inflation shouldn't be feared. We're still in bad shape in this regard, the bears haven't gone away, and I don't think either P&G or Kimberly-Clark are trading buys. I like both for the longer-term, and in terms of Kimberly-Clark, the yield is attractive. However, in terms of buy-and-hold-and-forget, you can't beat the safe reliability of P&G, whose product portfolio is one of the best out there in the consumer sector. I would imagine that P&G's brand equity is helping it navigate this vicious commodity storm, but don't think it can't weaken in coming quarters.

Disclosure: I don't own any stock mentioned; positions can change at any time.

Procter & Gamble tells investors not to worry - should they? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal reported that is is not yet certain whether Merrill Lynch & Co Inc (NYSE: MER) will need to raise money. If it does, selling common stock could be expensive due to a 12-month protection the bank offered the investors that bought $12B in common and preferred shares earlier this year and selling assets like its interest in Bloomberg may present a different problem.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that investigators from the European Union are probing deeper into the pharmaceutical industry in an effort to determine whether drug companies have used unfair tactics to increase prices and block competition. Investigators have reportedly ask for views on direct-to-pharmacy distribution channels, which Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) and AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE: AZN) recently established in Britain.
• After Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc (NYSE: BUD) said it would reject InBev's $46B bid as "financially inadequate," InBev said it would launch a hostile bid. According to court documents, the Financial Times reported that InBev is preparing to launch a proxy battle seeking the removal of Anheuser's entire board.
• The Financial Times also reported that soaring energy prices are forcing U.S. consumer goods company The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) to rethink how it distributes products. The company may consider shifting manufacturing sites closer to consumers in order to lower its transport bill.

Newspaper wrap-up: InBev says its bid for Anheuser Busch will turn hostile originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best stocks to retire on from Fortune 40

Best stocks to retire on from Fortune 40 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• In a move to help cut expenses and save on fuel prices, UAL Corporation (NASDAQ: UAUA), parent of United Airlines, will reduce its 460 airplane fleet by 70 jets. Not yet known is how may jobs will be affected, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• In an all stock deal, J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM) is expected to buy Folgers coffee from The Proctor & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) for an estimated $2B, according to the Wall Street Journal. Folgers, the best selling ground coffee in the U.S., has annual sales of about $1.6B.
• The Financial Times reported that Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (NYSE: LEH) lost $500M-$700M on some of its hedging positions in Q2, which have contributed to a larger than expected loss that could result in the bank raising more capital by selling a stake to an outside investor. Lehman has begun negotiations with potential investors, including asset managers and Asian banks, sources said.

• According to sources, the Rocky Mountain News reported that troubled home builder Beazer Homes USA Inc (NYSE: BZH) is pulling out of Colorado. Beazer, which is being investigated for mortgage fraud by several government agencies, has built homes in the suburbs of Denver and in Colorado Springs.

Newspaper wrap-up: UAL Corp. to drop 70 more jets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I love coupons; who doesn't? They are, arguably, one of the most important marketing tools used by companies such as Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), and General Mills (NYSE: GIS). I also love coupon distribution on the web, so I'm hoping a new technology reported on by BusinessWeek really takes off.

A company called Coupons, Inc. has developed a system dubbed Brandcaster. It essentially follows Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) model of monetization. Depending on where you are on the web and what you are looking at, the Brandcaster will determine if a coupon may be applicable to you. It will then try to get you to access the coupon and print it up. Web sites who use the application will be given a cut of revenues generated from successful coupon printings. So, speaking hypothetically, if I'm on a site that's dedicated to video games, maybe this Brandcaster thing will someday tell me that I can print up a coupon allowing me to get $5 off a new software title.

If this is promoted properly, and if the value to consumer companies can be adequately communicated, then I think Coupons, Inc. has a hit on its hands. Like I say, people love coupons, and I think they are more likely to act on printing out a coupon then they are to, say, buy a product immediately online through a banner ad. I see this kind of advertising as being more effective over the long-term than other kinds of ads.

Continue reading New "Brandcaster" technology to aid web distribution of coupons

New "Brandcaster" technology to aid web distribution of coupons originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is no longer relegated to a tiny corner of the investment landscape; indeed, according to the Social Investment Forum, SRI now accounts for $2.7 trillion, up more than 18% since 2005," says Chuck Carlson.

Here, the editor of The DRIP Investor offers five stock that both rank high for their social responsibility and also stand out based on more traditional earnings and valuation analysis.

"The Social Investment Forum estimates that more than one in every 10 dollars under professional management in the U.S. is involved in SRI investing. What is driving the growth in SRI?

"One factor is the increasing numbers of women and younger investors among the investor populace have fueled demand for SRI investments.

"In addition, we see an increased focus on environment, social, and corporate governance issues. Further, widely publicized stories concerning global warming as well as various corporate governance issues, have caused many investors to reconsider how they deploy their investment capital.

Continue reading Socially responsible favorites

Socially responsible favorites originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.