Alcoa Inc. (AA), a leading producer of alumina and aluminum, is scheduled to discuss its second-quarter 2010 financial results Monday, July 12, in a conference call beginning at 5:00 PM (ET) hosted by CEO Klaus Kleinfeld and CFO Chuck McLane. You can catch a live webcast at Alcoa's website.

During the three months that ended in June, Alcoa appointed a new CEO, announced an acquisition and declared a quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect this New York-based company to report earnings of $0.12 per share, compared to year-ago loss of $0.26 per share. Its revenue is expected to have risen 18.9% from a year ago to $5 billion.

Continue reading Alcoa Earnings Preview: Shares Rally into Q2 Report

Alcoa Earnings Preview: Shares Rally into Q2 Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of Mosaic Company (MOS) rallied to a new 52-week high today, topping out at $63.83 in intraday action. The stock seems to be enjoying a halo lift after sector peer Potash Corp./Saskatchewan (POT) was upgraded, but the spotlight will turn to Mosaic after today's closing bell, when the company is slated to unveil its fiscal second-quarter earnings.

Mosaic's performance on the earnings front has been mixed, with the fertilizer firm falling short of analysts' consensus expectations during three of the past four reporting periods. Ahead of tonight's release, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are expecting a second-quarter profit of 35 cents per share, on average, down from Mosaic's year-ago profit of $1.12 per share. Sales are expected to ring in at $1.68 billion.

Continue reading Shorts Hedge Their Bets Ahead of Mosaic's 2Q Earnings

Shorts Hedge Their Bets Ahead of Mosaic's 2Q Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

OmniVision Technologies (OVTI) shuffled into the earnings spotlight Monday night, and the stock is getting punished as a result. While the company managed to exceed analysts' second-quarter earnings expectations, traders seem utterly dismayed by OmniVision's soft revenue guidance for the current quarter.

Specifically, the maker of semiconductor image sensors banked a second-quarter profit of $8.1 million, or 16 cents per share, reversing its year-ago loss of $5.3 million, or 10 cents per share. Excluding items, earnings arrived at 27 cents per share, compared to Wall Street's consensus forecast for a profit of 16 cents per share. Revenue for the second quarter jumped 12% to $183.3 million, easily outpacing analysts' expectations for $163.9 million.

Continue reading OmniVision Technologies plunges on soft 3Q revenue outlook

OmniVision Technologies plunges on soft 3Q revenue outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD) wallowed in the red Thursday morning, after the drugstore chain disappointed Wall Street with its second-quarter earnings and full-year guidance.

Rite Aid said its quarterly loss narrowed to $116 million, or 14 cents per share, while revenue dwindled 2.7% to $6.3 billion. Same-store sales dipped 1.1%, while gross margin contracted from 27.4% to 26.7%.

Continue reading Rite Aid plunges after slashing full-year outlook

Rite Aid plunges after slashing full-year outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) rallied to a new 52-week high Tuesday after topping analysts' second-quarter earnings expectations. The used-car retailer reported a quarterly profit of $103 million, or 46 cents per share, while net sales jumped 13% to $2.1 billion. By contrast, analysts were expecting net income of just 18 cents per share on $1.77 billion in revenue.

"The government's CARS, or 'cash for clunkers,' program resulted in a spike in traffic in late July and August," explained CEO Tom Folliard. Same-store used-unit sales for the quarter climbed 8%, bouncing back from a 17% drop in the first quarter.

Continue reading CarMax taps 16-month high after solid 2Q earnings

CarMax taps 16-month high after solid 2Q earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Repros Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RPRX) easily takes the prize for most dismal earnings report of the day. Not only did the drug firm report a wider-than-forecast second-quarter loss, it also warned that bankruptcy is a real possibility unless the company can secure significant additional capital.

Specifically, Repros confessed to a second-quarter net loss of $8.9 million, or 59 cents per share, compared to Wall Street's consensus estimate for a loss of 46 cents per share. The company chalked up its poor results to a 16% annualized increase in clinical development activities for Proellex -- which has been placed on clinical hold by the FDA -- as well as a 60% year-over-year jump in general and administration expenses.

Continue reading Cash-strapped Repros Therapeutics warns of potential bankruptcy

Cash-strapped Repros Therapeutics warns of potential bankruptcy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Late Wednesday, the EnerDel unit of Ener1 Inc. (NASDAQ: HEV) scored a grant from the Obama administration to make battery parts. The company's $118.5-million handout was part of a $2.4-billion grant package doled out to automakers and related firms by the federal government in order to fund the domestic development of next-generation car batteries.

Indiana-based Ener1 says that the Obama grant, along with $480 million in Department of Energy loans it's applied for, should translate to rapid growth in its staff. The company has 150 employees currently, but said that number could surge to 3,000 workers as soon as 2015.

Continue reading Obama grant draws fresh eyes to Ener1 Inc. ahead of earnings

Obama grant draws fresh eyes to Ener1 Inc. ahead of earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This morning, Level 3 Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) confessed to a second-quarter loss of $134 million, or 8 cents per share, roughly tripling its year-ago loss of $42 million, or 3 cents per share. Revenue for the period slipped 12% to $942 million. The results were mixed, as far as analysts' expectations were concerned; Wall Street was looking for a slightly wider quarterly loss of 9 cents per share on more robust revenue of $959.4 million.

"The economy continued to be challenging in the second quarter for wireline service providers," said James Crowe, the company's CEO. "As expected, sequential revenue pressure continued in the second quarter, although at a significantly moderated rate. We did see improvements in sales and churn, however, they were not as much as we expected."

Continue reading Level 3 Communications stumbles after slashing guidance

Level 3 Communications stumbles after slashing guidance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of TASER International (NASDAQ: TASR) are trading lower today as investors react to the company's second-quarter earnings report. The stun-gun issue reported a narrowed quarterly loss of $723,403, or a penny per share, compared to its year-ago loss of 3 cents per share.

Revenue for the period increased 3.5% to $21.8 million, though gross margin fell to 62.9% from 64.5%. Research and development expenses jumped 45% during the quarter as TASER poured more cash into new products, including its recently launched X3 device.

Continue reading TASER International sags as Q2 gross margins disappoint

TASER International sags as Q2 gross margins disappoint originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News of the lucrative investment has propelled EP to a gain of 1.7%, despite a downside bias in the broader equities market. The shares are positioned above support at their 10-week and 20-week moving averages, but potential resistance lies overhead in the $11 region. This area previously capped the stock's rally attempt in mid-June.

Continue reading El Paso scores $700M pipeline investment

El Paso scores $700M pipeline investment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the wake of its second-quarter earnings report, SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA) has garnered no fewer than four price-target increases and at least two upgrades. Running through the list, FBR upgraded the shares from "market perform" to "outperform," while Collins Stewart upped the equity from "sell" to "hold." FBR also hiked its price target from $22 to $40, while Citigroup upped its target from $15 to $18. Elsewhere, Credit Suisse raised the stock's price target from $20 to $32, and Canaccord Adams increased its 12-month estimate from $21 to $29.

In fact, Wedbush Morgan is the lone bearish holdout this morning, with the brokerage firm bucking the trend by downgrading SPWRA from "outperform" to "neutral."

Continue reading Analysts impressed by SunPower Corp. earnings

Analysts impressed by SunPower Corp. earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As Melly Alazraki noted earlier today, McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) is one of many heavy hitters to take the earnings stage today. Unfortunately, the fast-food firm didn't exactly impress with its latest quarterly figures; the company struggled under the weight of weak sales during the month of June, and saw its second-quarter profits slide 8% year-over-year as a result.

Specifically, the Big Mac parent raked in net income of $1.09 billion, or 98 cents per share, compared to its year-ago results of $1.19 billion, or $1.04 per share. Excluding a one-cent gain, earnings weighed in at 97 cents per share. McDonald's reported that strength in the U.S. dollar negatively impacted its quarterly results by about 9 cents per share.

Continue reading McDonald's disappoints strangle speculator with Q2 results

McDonald's disappoints strangle speculator with Q2 results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD) could be in for a rough session following the release of its second-quarter results. Last night, AMD confessed to a quarterly loss of $335 million, or 49 cents per share; excluding items, the loss widened to 62 cents per share. While this is certainly an improvement from AMD's year-ago loss of $1.16 per share, the results were notably worse than analysts expected -- consensus estimates called for a loss of just 53 cents per share.

Meanwhile, revenue for the period contracted 13% on a year-over-year basis, dwindling to $1.18 billion. This figure actually managed to exceed consensus estimates, which predicted quarterly sales of $1.13 billion. Unfortunately, margins for the quarter fell sharply from first-quarter levels, dropping from 43% to 37%.

Continue reading Advanced Micro Devices looks lackluster after 2Q earnings

Advanced Micro Devices looks lackluster after 2Q earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite an increase in the number of bad loans, Hudson City Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: HCBK) managed to exceed analysts' second-quarter earnings estimates. The New Jersey-based bank raked in a quarterly profit of $127.9 million, or 26 cents per share, up 16% from the year-ago period. The results topped Wall Street's consensus estimate for a profit of 24 cents per share.

However, HCBK's loan-loss provision surged during the quarter to $32.5 million, compared to $20 million during the first quarter. Net charge-offs rose to $9.6 million, more than doubling. Nonperforming loans escalated to $430.9 million (1.40% of total loans), up from $320.1 million (1.06% of total loans) at the end of the first quarter.

Continue reading Can Hudson City Bancorp keep climbing after 2Q earnings?

Can Hudson City Bancorp keep climbing after 2Q earnings? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: CY) joined the parade of companies reporting their latest quarterly results today. The firm swallowed a second-quarter loss of $45.3 million, or 32 cents per share. Excluding items, CY recorded a net loss of just 3 cents per share, besting analysts' consensus expectations for a loss of 9 cents per share. Revenue also came in better than expected, arriving at $155.8 million, compared to Wall Street's forecast of $152.0 million.

In the wake of this upside surprise, CY surged to a new multi-decade high of $9.83 early in today's session. It seems that bearish bettors were caught off-guard by the stronger-than-expected results; during the 10 days leading up to the report, option traders on the International Securities Exchange (ISE) bought to open 6.75 times more puts than calls on CY. Speculative investors on the ISE have purchased the stock's puts over calls at faster pace just 3% of the time.

Continue reading Cypress Semiconductor hits multi-year high after earnings

Cypress Semiconductor hits multi-year high after earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) fell short of Wall Street's second-quarter earnings expectations, with the industrial supply firm confessing to a 43% slide in net profit for the period. Specifically, FAST raked in earnings of $43.5 million, or 29 cents per share, while revenue dwindled 21% to $474.9 million. Analysts were looking for a more robust quarterly profit of 33 cents per share on $487 million in revenue.

"As we saw in the previous two quarters, the weakened economy continues to have a substantial impact on our business," reported Fastenal in a press release. "These impacts continue to negatively affect our sales, particularly related to our industrial production business . . . and, more recently, our non-residential construction business."

Continue reading Fastenal stumbles after 2Q earnings miss

Fastenal stumbles after 2Q earnings miss originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) is on the upswing today after the retailer raised its second-quarter profit estimate. The company now expects to earn $1.48 to $1.50 per share in the second quarter, compared to analysts' consensus forecast for a profit of $1.24 per share. Full-year earnings are now expected to range between $2.78 and $2.92 per share, again outpacing Wall Street's average estimate of $2.64 per share.

Tractor Supply cited tighter control over its marketing expenses for the upwardly revised earnings guidance. However, the retail issue expects consumer spending trends to remain weak through the remainder of 2009, and accordingly trimmed its full-year revenue outlook. The company is now predicting sales of $3.15 billion to $3.25 billion for 2009, down from its earlier guidance of $3.20 billion to $3.30 billion.

Continue reading Tractor Supply Co. surges after hiking its 2Q profit estimate

Tractor Supply Co. surges after hiking its 2Q profit estimate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) is under fire today after the firm lowered its second-quarter earnings outlook. Late Thursday, POT said it now expects earnings per share of 70 cents, compared to its prior outlook of $1.10 to $1.50 per share.

The company chalked up its slashed guidance to "substantially lower than forecasted potash sales volumes due to deferral of purchases by customers around the world and lower realized prices for phosphate fertilizers."

POT's full second-quarter results will be reported on July 23. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for a profit of 81 cents per share, on average.

Continue reading Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan slashes 2Q outlook

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan slashes 2Q outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.