U.S. stock futures are mixed this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data on retail sales and manufacturing activity in the New York area. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3 points to 12,227.00 and S&P 500 futures fell 0.30 point to 1,327.40. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 1 point to 2,382.75.

European markets were mixed today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 0.12%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 0.06%.

Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.20% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.08%.

Continue reading Futures Mixed Ahead of Retail Sales Data

Futures Mixed Ahead of Retail Sales Data originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Dun & Bradstreet Tops Bullish Volatility Skews; Qwest Tops Bearish

Dun & Bradstreet Tops Bullish Volatility Skews; Qwest Tops Bearish originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Sonoco Products (SON) to buy from hold after the company reported Q1 results and raised guidance. The firm upped its target for shares to $38 from $32.
• Baird upgraded Western Digital (WDC) to outperform from neutral following the solid Q3 report and guidance. The firm raised its target to $50 from $48.
• Goldman upgraded Qwest (Q) to neutral from sell. Qwest is being acquired by CenturyLink (CTL).
• Hershey (HSY) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• Principal Financial (PFG) was upgraded to neutral from sell at UBS.
• Monster Worldwide (MWW) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: WDC, Q, HSY, BWLD, NOK, COP, KFT, VZ ...

Analyst Calls: WDC, Q, HSY, BWLD, NOK, COP, KFT, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here's another one of those stocks that I didn't buy and then found myself sadly watching from the sidelines as it rose higher. A year ago, I proffered a bearish reading on the prospects for telecom entity Qwest Communications (Q). Well, shares of Qwest have done well over the last twelve months. Should I now allocate some investment capital to this idea?

One might argue yes. After all, the company is up at the time of this writing on the Q4 numbers. However, I just don't feel compelled to buy. Especially not after all the declines I see in the release.

Continue reading Qwest's Q4: Many Declines, Yet Stock Sees a Bid

Qwest's Q4: Many Declines, Yet Stock Sees a Bid originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect a recovery in the missy sector and the company's product improvement. The firm raised its target on shares to $19 from $13.
• Roth Capital upgraded Marvell Tech (NASDAQ: MRVL) to Buy from Hold based on product cycle strength in wireless and Ethernet, HDD share gains, and a return of PC growth. Target is $22.
• Goldman upgraded Colgate (NYSE: CL) to Buy from Neutral citing valuation and expectations for a pick-up in unit growth. The firm raised its price target to $85 from $83. Note that Goldman downgraded Clorox to Neutral from Buy.
• Cadbury (NYSE: CBY) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at HSBC.
• Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) was upgraded to Buy from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Qwest (NYSE: Q) was upgraded to Market Weight from Underweight at Thomas Weisel.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, BBY, CBS, CL, MRVL, NOK, Q ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, BBY, CBS, CL, MRVL, NOK, Q ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Qwest Communications International (NYSE: Q) is moving lower today after the telecom firm pulled its long-distance phone network off the auction block. The company was attempting to sell its long-distance assets to help generate cash, but reports indicate that bids for the unit were unacceptably low.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that bids for the unit came in below $1 billion, citing sources familiar with the matter. Qwest, which has a debt load of $560 million maturing in 2009, was seeking $2 billion to $3 billion for the business.

Continue reading Lowball bids prompt Qwest to yank long-distance unit from auction block

Lowball bids prompt Qwest to yank long-distance unit from auction block originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fiber-optic entity Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q), whose colleagues include Verizon (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T), and Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), reported Q4 numbers on Tuesday. Revenues declined by 3%, and adjusted income came in at 12 cents per share, which, according to this article, beat estimates by two pennies.

Well, I have to say, I've been wrong about Qwest. When I last wrote about the tech company, I had a very bearish view. I think Qwest's stock gained a buck since that piece, which is like a huge percentage gain when you consider that the shares closed yesterday at $3.45. The market seems to be liking Qwest's prospects. Going back to that article I cited concerning the earnings beat, I see some positive opinion on Qwest's quarter. I'll agree, it wasn't bad, especially when the economy is considered. The company did well in terms of cash flow: cash from operations for the year was roughly flat while adjusted free cash flow came in at $1.4 billion.

Continue reading Qwest's Q4 doesn't change my opinion

Qwest's Q4 doesn't change my opinion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stocks in the news: UBS, GS, BA, Q, SBUX, FNM, FRE, GM (update)

Stocks in the news: UBS, GS, BA, Q, SBUX, FNM, FRE, GM (update) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stock pick and pans for troubled times: DIS, Q, RTN, RIMM, GIS, BIDU, STE ...

Stock pick and pans for troubled times: DIS, Q, RTN, RIMM, GIS, BIDU, STE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Investors have been focusing on the shortcomings at Qwest Communications International (NYSE: Q), and to be sure, it has plenty," observes turnaround specialist George Putnam.

In his The Turnaround Letter, he adds, "But the company also has very valuable assets and strong cash flow. In addition, we believe the stock would command a good premium in a takeover." Here's his bullish review.

"Following its IPO in 1995, Qwest expanded via acquisitions and partnerships, and participated in the telecom bubble of the late 1990's.

"Unlike many of the other high-flying telecoms of that era, however, Qwest realized that in addition to a story you needed customers. In 2000, it went out and acquired US West, which gave Qwest the revenue base to survive the bursting of the telecom bubble

"Although the company survived, the shareholders have had a rocky ride during the current decade. The stock peaked around 60 in 2000, dropped to just above 1 in 2002, rebounded to 10 in 2007 and then declined to its present level.

"Management's challenge is too maximize the value of its assets. One of Qwest's greatest assets, and biggest challenges, is its huge traditional landline telephone business. The landline business is in a slow but steady decline as customers move to wireless or Internet telephony.

Continue reading Qwest (Q) for profits: Turnaround or takeover?

Qwest (Q) for profits: Turnaround or takeover? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q), a telecommunication concern which counts Verizon (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T) and Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) as esteemed colleagues, issued its Q3 numbers on Wednesday. What do they tell us? Well, for the most part, the numbers, and perhaps more importantly to some extent, the price action, tell us that we should stay away from this low single-digit stock.

Revenues went down roughly 2%. Earnings per diluted share, which came in at $0.09, took a huge dive of 93% on a GAAP basis, but this was driven by a significant tax benefit booked in Q3 2007. Looking at adjusted EBITDA, we see that the drop wasn't so large: Qwest posted $1.08 billion for this metric versus $1.15 billion in the year-ago period. Management didn't see fit to beat expectations, as the call was for $0.10 per share.

However, the company delivered $330 million in adjusted free cash flow, which is representative of a flat growth rate. Hey, the fact that free-cash generation didn't really go down is pretty cool in this case. Management promoted its shareholder-friendly initiatives of dividends and share buybacks in the release. Unfortunately, they aren't enough to bring me to the table where this stock is concerned.

Continue reading Qwest's Q3: Who isn't bearish on this stock?

Qwest's Q3: Who isn't bearish on this stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) reported adjusted earnings of 44 cents per share, inline with estimates. Kraft also raised expectations for 2008 earnings.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) reported a 9% rise in both earnings and revenue, beating analyst estimates on both counts. P&G kept the same outlook.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures seesaw ahead of Fed decision; KFT, PG, SNE, GM, MSFT, GOOG ...

Before the bell: Futures seesaw ahead of Fed decision; KFT, PG, SNE, GM, MSFT, GOOG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Telecommunication concern Verizon (NYSE: VZ), whose competitors include AT&T (NYSE: T), Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), and Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q), reported earnings for the third quarter on Monday, and investors could not have been happier. As Wall Street continued its painful bearish slide, shareholders of Verizon were bragging about the 10% rise in the company's stock price. Question is, should you be a buyer of Verizon's stock at this point?

The numbers were decent enough. According to the press release, earnings per share were $0.66. Management only succeeded at matching expectations for Q3, according to this earnings-preview piece by Brent Archer. Honestly, I was surprised at the big pop in the stock yesterday. Considering how badly the markets have been doing, and the fact that we're facing a global recession, I would have figured on a more muted response to Verizon's numbers. After all, if we are facing a tough recession (and I'm fully on board with that sentiment), what's going to happen to the growth rate of the FiOS product? That product is doing well, as are other parts of the Verizon portfolio, but I wouldn't have been a buyer into the stock's strength today. And I say that without a doubt.

But, with Verizon, there is that great dividend yield and cash-flow growth. Operational cash flow from continuing operations was up almost 6%, and capital expenditures decreased. That's great news for dividend investors, as more free cash was left over. I think the market looked at Verizon as being oversold and decided to buy in. The company seemed to have a good Q3, and I think long-term investors will definitely do well with the stock; in fact, the press release mentioned that management saw fit to increase its dividend 7% during the quarter, expressing confidence in the company's current business models. But I believe even longer-term thinkers would do well to wait for a pullback in the share price before either initiating a new position or adding to an existing holding. I simply think there was too much excitement around the stock after its report.

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

Verizon: Good dividend stock (at a lower price) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Worst-case scenario: Dow under 8400

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Worst-case scenario: Dow under 8400 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: WMI, VZ, BRK.A, UPS, GMT, AAPL, Q

Before the bell: WMI, VZ, BRK.A, UPS, GMT, AAPL, Q originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

UBS downgraded SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) to Neutral from Buy, according to Briefing.com. The news service also reports that Citigroup upgraded Qwest (NYSE:Q) to Buy from Hold and Morgan Keegan upgraded Ciena (NASDAQ:CIEN) to Outperform from Market Perform.

Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) was raised to Neutral at HSBC, according to 24/7 Wall St. The financial site also reports that American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) was cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

Early analyst calls (Q) (CIEN) (LLY) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"One group of stocks that has always intrigued us are those whose symbols have one letter," notes George Putnam. The editor of The Turnaround Letter explains, "Odd as this idea may at first seem, it actually makes some sense for a deep value investor. These are often old-line companies with well-known brand names. In some cases the single letter symbols were awarded many decades ago."

After reviewing the 19 stocks with single letter symbols (7 are currently unused), Putnam offers six that he says, have been "beaten down pretty badly and now look particularly appealing."'

"Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A), which makes electronic and bio-analytic measuring devices, was spun out of Hewlett-Packard in 1999. Revenues surged in 2000 as did the stock price, reaching a lofty 162.

"But the company subsequently suffered along with its customers in the communications and technology sectors. However, the financials are sound, including strong cash flow that is supporting a $2 billion share buyback, and management has been restructuring and realigning operations for long-term growth.

Continue reading 'Singular' values: A, C, F, K, M, N, Q, S, T

'Singular' values: A, C, F, K, M, N, Q, S, T originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In this series, we take a look at the 25 stocks on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) that have turned in the worst performance during the past decade -- what went wrong, and what happens next.

Permit me, if you will, to draw up an analogy: Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q) is to Wall Street as Lindsay Lohan is to Hollywood. At first, the little redheaded upstart seems to come out of nowhere, and dazzles everyone with her amazing performance. Then, just as quickly as the newcomer rose to fame, she sinks into a massive meltdown, the scope and severity of which is shocking even to seasoned vets. Okay, so this little comparison probably won't find its way onto the SATs, but -- minus the "redheaded" part -- the similarities are kind of eerie.

What went wrong? At lucky number 13 on our list of SPX underperformers, Q shed 77% of its value during the decade that ended on June 30, 2008. The shares peaked at $66 in March 2000, and bottomed out at $1.02 in August 2002 - a 98.5% plunge, top to bottom.

When Colorado-based Qwest burst onto the Big Board in June 1997, it was a company with a vendetta. CEO Joseph Nacchio defected from his executive position at AT&T (NYSE: T) after it became clear that Ma Bell didn't see him as president material. Qwest was in the process of building a massive fiber-optic network, and the upstart was determined to grab market share away from the industry's old giants -- including AT&T, naturally.

Continue reading Worst 10-year performers: Qwest Communications hung up on Enron scam

Worst 10-year performers: Qwest Communications hung up on Enron scam originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• DJIA 13,025.31 +55.77 +0.43%
• S&P 500 1,418.42 +10.93 +0.78%
• NASDAQ 2,483.31 +19.19 +0.78%
• 10YR-Bond 3.893% (+0.048)
• TOP 10 ANALYST CALLS.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Despite $120 oil, stocks post gains

Closing Bell: Despite $120 oil, stocks post gains originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: With high oil prices, FNM on deck, futures decline

Before the bell: With high oil prices, FNM on deck, futures decline originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 07:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.