MetLife (MET - option chain) stock is trading lower today along with most other insurance companies this morning after the cost to insurers related to Friday's earthquake in Japan was estimated to be between $15 to $35 billion. Prudential Financial (PRU) and AIG (AIG) are also down so far in today's trading. Even if these insurance companies are actually on solid footing financially with regard to their expected claims, I expect investors could be frightened for several months to come, which could keep share prices depressed. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on MET.

Continue reading Traders Exit Insurance Stocks to Avoid Earthquake Exposure

Traders Exit Insurance Stocks to Avoid Earthquake Exposure originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Generally, I avoid stocks already above $50 -- but there are exceptions. Prudential Financial Inc. (PRU) is one of these, and it's worth a review.

Prudential has weathered the recession and is now set to post impressive earnings growth in 2011 and 2012.

A strong variable annuity business is likely to be complemented by double-digit earnings growth in asset management: The company currently manages about $641 billion in assets. Meanwhile, PRU's insurance unit will recover more slowly, due to sub-par life and disability margins.

Continue reading Is Now a Good Time to Consider Prudential?

Is Now a Good Time to Consider Prudential? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Things look to be pretty quiet on the economic calendar this week. Here are the highlights:

• Tuesday: Weekly chain-store sales
• Wednesday: Federal budget balance for January
• Thursday: Wholesale trade data in December
• Friday: Trade balance in December and the weekly inflation survey

However, three iconic companies -- Walt Disney (DIS), Coca-Cola (KO) and Hasbro (HAS) -- highlight this week's quarterly results. Here's a look at what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are anticipating from these and others.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Coca-Cola, Disney and Hasbro Earnings

Week in Preview: Coca-Cola, Disney and Hasbro Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:30:00 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:

• Citigroup upgraded Lubrizol (LZ) to Hold from Sell following the company's analyst day citing its continued pricing power in lubricants. Citi upped its target price for shares to $115 from $82.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Viacom (VIA) to Buy from Neutral citing the company's ratings improvement, 2011 film slate, and video game pipeline. The firm has a $45 price target for shares.
• BMO Capital resumed coverage on Gammon Gold (GRS) with an Outperform from a Market Perform following the its equity issue. The firm has a $12.50 price target on the stock.
• Comerica (CMA) and First Horizon (FHN) were upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Prudential (PRU) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
• Itron (ITRI) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: VIA, CMA, PRU, CMG, PBR, TXN, DHR, HUM

Analyst Calls: VIA, CMA, PRU, CMG, PBR, TXN, DHR, HUM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Prudential Likely to Acquire Japanese AIG Life Insurers

Prudential Likely to Acquire Japanese AIG Life Insurers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In case you need to be reminded to look closely at the books, today's poster boy for erroneous ledgers, Bernie Maddoff, should be a constant reminder. Furthermore, when you are looking at the books, remember that Benjamin Graham, mentor to "my pal Warren," advised buying stocks for less than their intrinsic value. And book value is the starting point in attempting to establish that.

Two weeks ago, I posted an update on my toxic stock picks. These were six unloved stocks where I felt the stage was set for market beating returns. The same is true again for today's market-beating group, although it is not the headlines that tied this group together, but their standout bargain metrics.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Cheap Stocks by the Book

Chasing Value: Cheap Stocks by the Book originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Again this week, consensus forecasts for companies reporting quarterly results call for double-digit earnings growth from many of them, compared to the results from a year ago when shares of many companies were at recessionary lows.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for strong earnings results from Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), Prudential Financial Inc. (PRU), Time Warner Inc. (TWX), MasterCard Inc. (MA) and Washington Post Co. (WPO), which we'll take a closer look at here, as well as from Devon Energy (DVN), DirecTV (DTV), Loews (L), Marsh & McLennan (MMC), NYSE Euronext (NYX), Williams Companies (WMB) and others.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Eye on ADM, MasterCard, Prudential, Time Warner, Washington Post

The Week in Preview: Eye on ADM, MasterCard, Prudential, Time Warner, Washington Post originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 02 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI) reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings and declared an annual dividend.
• Allstate Corp. (ALL) swung to better-than-expected Q4 earnings and also swung to a full-year profit.
• Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (BWLD) shares tumbled after it posted disappointing earnings tied to costs.
• The Cheesecake Factory Inc. (CAKE) posted better-than-expected Q4 earnings but sales were flat.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) earnings numbers for Q4 resulted in upgrades from two analysts.
• CVS Caremark Corp. (CVS) higher Q4 earnings matched the expectations of analysts, and shares rose.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Allstate, Marriott, PepsiCo, 3M, UBS, Viacom, WWE ...

Earnings Highlights: Allstate, Marriott, PepsiCo, 3M, UBS, Viacom, WWE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Insurance giants Allstate (ALL) and Prudential Financial (PRU) reported fourth-quarter results after the closing bell on Wednesday.

Allstate said it earned $518 million, or $1.09 cents per share. That exceeded the $1.01 per share expected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, and compares with a loss of $1.13 billion, or $2.10 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2008. Revenue for the quarter just past totaled $8.06 billion, which was up 22% from the year-ago period.

Continue reading Allstate Beats Q4 Estimates; Prudential Falls Short

Allstate Beats Q4 Estimates; Prudential Falls Short originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (PRU), the Newark N.J.-based life insurance giant, is scheduled to release fourth-quarter financial results after the market closes Wednesday, and then to discuss those results in a conference call tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 11, at 11:00 AM (ET). An audio webcast of the call will be available at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in December, Prudential saw management changes, sold its stake in a joint venture and declared an annual dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for earnings for that period to come to $1.11 per share. That compares with $1.59 per share in the previous quarter and a loss of $2.04 per share a year ago. Revenue for the fourth quarter is expected to be 6.9% higher than a year ago to $16.2 billion.

Continue reading Prudential Earnings Preview: Strong 2009 Results Expected

Prudential Earnings Preview: Strong 2009 Results Expected originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for life insurance giant MetLife Inc. (MET) to report that its earnings rose 80.0% from a year ago to $0.95 per share for the three months that ended in December. Revenue, however, is expected to total $12.6 billion, which is down 10.1% from a year ago, during a fourth quarter in which it offered guidance and declared a quarterly dividend. The analysts' forecast for the full year calls for earnings of $2.89 per share (-25.7%) on $48.3 billion in revenue (-5.3%). This New York-based insurer's earnings results have been better than expected in three of the past four quarters, beating estimates by as much as 20 cents per share.

MetLife's long-term EPS growth forecast is 10.7%, which is better than that of competitor Prudential Financial Inc. (PRU), and its earnings multiple is 8.8x. The First Call consensus recommendation has been to buy MET for more than 90 days, despite a recent downgrade of the stock. The mean price target is $42.87. Shares have been trading between $32.00 and $40.00 since August and closed the week at $35.32.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: MetLife, BP, MasterCard, Dow Chemical, Toyota Earnings

The Week in Preview: MetLife, BP, MasterCard, Dow Chemical, Toyota Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of MetLife Inc. (MET), the largest life insurer in the U.S., rose Monday after the company released preliminary fourth quarter and full-year 2009 financial results, as well as guidance for 2010.

New York-based MetLife said it now expects to report operating earnings for the fourth quarter between $740 million and $785 million (90 to 95 cents per share), compared with from $132 million (17 cents per share) in the fourth quarter of 2008. Revenues for the fourth quarter of 2009 are expected to total between $8.5 billion and $9.1 billion, up about 7% from the fourth quarter of 2008.

Continue reading MetLife rises on strong preliminary Q4 results, anticipates acquisitions

MetLife rises on strong preliminary Q4 results, anticipates acquisitions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Wells Fargo upgraded Prudential (PRU) to outperform from market perform. The firm thinks the company is in a better position than its peers and will be able to more effectively exploit M&A opportunities.
• UBS upgraded Reliance Steel (RS) to buy from neutral based on potential growth through M&A and valuation. The firm raised its target to $50 from $49.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Eastman Chemical (EMN) to buy from hold on expectations the company's portfolio transformation will drive higher normalized earnings power, which the firm believes is not fully reflected in consensus estimates. Deutsche raised its target price on shares to $70 from $62.
• Amylin Pharma (AMLN) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Cephalon (CEPH) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Acuity Brands (AYI) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BLK, CIEN, PCLN, PRU, RS, TIF, UNP ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BLK, CIEN, PCLN, PRU, RS, TIF, UNP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's official: the holiday season is here, marking the beginning of the race to the end of the year. It's also time for another FOMC interest rate decision, as well as for another look at the employment situation, perhaps the most dreaded measure of the economic recovery in the U.S. This week will bring the Challenger job cut announcements for October on Wednesday, initial jobless claims for last week and the Monster Employment Index for October on Thursday, and the employment numbers for October on Friday.

The earnings season rolls on this week as well, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are expecting good showings from the reports of Boston Beer Company Inc. (NYSE: SAM), DirecTV Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DTV), Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE), Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX), and Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI).

Continue reading The week in preview: Eye on MasterCard, Prudential, Coinstar ...

The week in preview: Eye on MasterCard, Prudential, Coinstar ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Prudential (PRU) to sell Wells Fargo Advisors stake for $5B

Prudential (PRU) to sell Wells Fargo Advisors stake for $5B originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MetLife (NYSE: MET) closed at $29.41. MET is speaking at the Wachovia Securities 19th Annual Mid-Year Equity Conference on June 23. MET July option implied volatility of 70 is below a level of 82 from mid-May and below its 26-week average of 92, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU) closed at $36.15. PRU July option implied volatility of 61 is below a level of 93 from mid-may and below its 26-week average of 111, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Continue reading Options Update: Insurers volatility decrease suggests less price risk

Options Update: Insurers volatility decrease suggests less price risk originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Prudential says no to bailout, prefers to raise cash instead

Prudential says no to bailout, prefers to raise cash instead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU - option chain) shares are headed higher today with other insurers this morning after the Treasury Department announced it will extend TARP bailout funds to life insurance firms. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on PRU.

PRU opened this morning at $24.77. So far today the stock has hit a low of $23.25 and a high of $25.30. As of 11:35, PRU is trading at $23.42, up 1.32 (6.0%). The chart for PRU looks bullish and S&P gives PRU a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Continue reading Prudential lifted by TARP extension

Prudential lifted by TARP extension originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you've been watching earnings this past week, or if you read last week's Week in Preview, then this coming week may leave you feeling a bit like Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day. That is, again analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect earnings declines to be more frequent and deeper than earnings gains.

Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT), Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW), Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), IAC Interactivecorp (NASDAQ: IACI), Moody's Corp. (NYSE: MCO), Elizabeth Arden Inc. (NASDAQ: RDEN), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN), Diebold Inc. (NYSE: DBD), Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC), United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL), ITT Corp. (NYSE: ITT), and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) are scheduled to report quarterly results this week, and they're all expected to report double-digit declines in earnings.

But again this week, let's take a look who Wall Street feels may have done well in the past quarter.

Continue reading The week in preview: High hopes for MasterCard, Avon, Aflac, Northrop Grumman

The week in preview: High hopes for MasterCard, Avon, Aflac, Northrop Grumman originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.