Texas Instruments (TXN), which boosted its quarterly dividend last week, is scheduled to discuss its third-quarter 2010 financial results Monday, October 25, in a conference call with CFO Kevin March, beginning at 5:30 PM (ET) . You can catch a live webcast of the call at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in September, the Dallas-based semiconductor maker continued to innovate and sold a product line to Intel (INTC). Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for Texas Instruments to report that its earnings for that period rose 39.1% from a year ago to 69 cents per share. Revenue is expected to total $3.7 billion, which is a increase of 28.1% from the same period of last year.

Continue reading Texas Instruments Earnings Preview

Texas Instruments Earnings Preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Golf has Tiger Woods, novelists have Tom Clancy, and the investment community has stars such as Bruce Berkowitz, Bill Nygren, Charlie Dreifus, and Mario Gabelli," states Paul Tracy.

In his The Street Authority Market Advisor, he suggests, "These money managers are at the pinnacle of their craft." Here, he takes a look at these "celebrities" and some of their current top stock holdings.

"These money managers have all amassed prodigious gains over the years for their shareholders. Over the past few months, these gurus have come out with ringing endorsements for certain stocks. This isn't empty talk -- they are putting their money where their mouth is.

Continue reading Investing with the stars: Top stocks from top managers

Investing with the stars: Top stocks from top managers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Abiomed (NASDAQ: ABMD) to Hold from Underperform on valuation as it believes concerns over the company's Impella heart pump are priced in at current levels. The firm lowered its target price to $7 from $8.
  
• Suntrust upgraded Somanetics (NASDAQ: SMTS) to Neutral from Reduce. The firm believes most of the risk is out of Somanetics shares and that the Q1 report could be a positive catalyst.
  
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded shares of Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) to Buy from Neutral on valuation and believes the company's revenue trends are improving.
• China Petroleum & Chemical (NYSE: SNP) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) and Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ABMD, TI, DKS, SCHW ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ABMD, TI, DKS, SCHW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) is scheduled to discuss fourth-quarter and full-year 2008 results today in a conference call at 4:30 PM Eastern, hosted by Kevin March, senior vice president and chief financial officer, and Ron Slaymaker, vice president and head of Investor Relations. Catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect Texas Instruments to report that a profit of $0.12 per share, which is 77.7% lower than in the same period a year ago. Revenue for the quarter is expected to total $2.4 billion, down 33.3% from a year ago. These numbers are in line with guidance Texas Instruments offered in December. Texas Instruments matched earnings expectations in the third quarter and missed by a penny in the second quarter.

For the full year, analysts expect earnings of $1.48 per share and revenue of $12.4 billion, which compares to $1.83 per share on $13.8 billion in 2007.

Texas Instruments recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.11 per share of common stock, the same as in the previous quarter. Analysts, on average, expect long-term EPS growth of 8.7% for Texas Instruments. The share price is about 38% lower it was than a year ago.

See BloggingStocks' Texas Instruments coverage for more information about the Dallas-based semiconductor maker.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Texas Instruments Q4 results expected to tumble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• B. Riley upgraded shares of PFF Bancorp (NYSE: PFB) to Neutral from Sell on valuation with the stock trading at 11% of the last reported tangible book value of $14.37 at December 31, 2007.
  
• RBC Capital believes Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) will benefit from network builds in North America and Asia. Shares were raised to Outperform from Sector Perform.
• Baird upgraded TAL International Group (NYSE: TAL) to Outperform from Neutral based on solid container leasing demand, rising container costs, and more constrained capital conditions.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) to Buy from Hold.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) to Neutral from Underweight.
  
• Goldman raised Marsh & McLennan (NYSE: MMC) to Neutral from Sell.

Analyst upgrades: PFB, ERIC, MMC, DLTR and TAL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 May 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Bernstein raised its 2008 oil forecast to $92.30/bbl, up 27%, and 2008 natural gas forecast to $8.30/mcf, up 7%. By 2012, the firm expects oil prices to be around $86/bbl and for gas to be $9.2/mcf. The firm upgraded Apache Corp (NYSE: APA) and XTO Energy (NYSE: XTO) to Outperform from Market Perform and EnCana (NYSE: ECA) to Market Perform from Underperform.
  
• Goldman upgraded the Regulated and Diversified Utilities sub-sectors to Attractive from Neutral citing expected economic weakness, positive commodity exposure, and earnings growth. The firm upgraded American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Citigroup upgraded shares of Tailsman Energy (NYSE: TLM) to Buy from Hold ahead of the company's annual meeting as they believe it will announce a new strategy of low risk resource development on existing acreage and that shares will react positively.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• UBS raised Watson Wyatt (NYSE: WW) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Jefferies upgraded Clear Channel Outdoors (NYSE: CCO) to Buy from Hold.
  
• Bear upgraded Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) to Peer Perform from Underperform.

Analyst upgrades: Energy companies, utilities, Tailsman Energy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• JP Morgan downgraded International Paper (NYSE: IP) to Neutral from Overweight and said its purchase of Weyerhaeuser's (NYSE: WY) containerboard business will shift the company's focus back to North America and result in a less attractive product mix given increased OCC exposure.
  
• Merriman downgraded shares of Dynavax Tech (NASDAQ: DVAX) to Neutral from Buy after the company's hepatitis B vaccine was placed on clinical hold.
  
• Merrill cut Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) to Neutral from buy as they expect stronger competition and regulatory measures to cut prices.

• Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) was downgraded to Neutral from Accumulate at Buckingham.
  
• ViewPoint Financial (NASDAQ: VPFG) was lowered to Market Perform from Outperform at Keefe Bruyette.
  
• Bear downgraded Siemens (NYSE: SI) to Peer Perform from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades: International Paper, Dynavax Tech, Telecom Italia originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) revised its quarterly outlook down during an update of its business yesterday. It pointed to its 3G chip business as a reason for the disappointment and indicated that one of its larger customers had cut demand. TI's largest 3G chip customer is Nokia (NYSE: NOK).

Shares in Nokia fell 3.2% in early trading on the news.

While the news may be bad for Nokia, it is worse for Motorola (NYSE: MOT), which was not generally mentioned as part of the TI news. Nokia has a strong balance sheet, is highly profitable, and has 40% of the handset market worldwide. In other words, it can weather a slowdown.

Motorola's share of the global cellphone business is now about 12%, down from 22% two years ago. Its stock trades near a 52-week low, at $8.54. Its cell operation has been for sale for over a month, and there appear to be no likely buyers, perhaps because of its huge losses.

If Nokia is getting a cold, Motorola is getting pneumonia.

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

Poor Texas Instruments (TXN) news bad for Nokia (NOK), others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Baird downgraded W.W. Grainger Inc (NYSE: GWW) to Neutral from Outperform, citing concerns regarding the the federal lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging the U.S. Government.
• American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) was lowered to Market Perform from Outperform to reflect their assumption for a weaker economy.
• RBC Capital downgraded Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) to Sector Perform from Outperform citing Yahoo! Inc's (NASDAQ: YHOO) rejection of its $31/share bid and a counteroffer of $40/share. The firm expects a deal to get done between $35.00-$40.00 per share, resulting in increased dilution.

• Citigroup downgraded Telecom Italia SpA (NYSE: TI) to Hold from Buy.
• Thomas Weisel downgraded Zumiez Inc (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) to Market Weight from Overweight.
• Oppenheimer downgraded Independent Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: IBCP) to Underperform from Perform.

Analyst downgrades: GWW, AXP and MSFT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Another earnings season crunch rolls along, and among companies reporting next week are Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). Here is a quick peek at each of them.

Texas Instruments has met or beat earnings expectations every quarter since the first of 2004. When it reported third-quarter results back in October, its 52 cents per share earnings beat the consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial by two cents, as well as the actual 45 cents per share in the same period of 2006. For the current quarter, analysts expect earnings of 52 cents per share again, or $1.80 for the full year, up from $1.69 in 2006.

The company's 49 percent earnings per share growth forecast for the next three to five years is better than the industry average and the S&P 500. The analysts' consensus recommendation is to buy Texas Instruments, though 12 of the 32 analysts rate it a hold. The share price fell to a 52-week low of $28.24 on Friday, from a five-year high of $39.63 last July.

For news that could influence the earnings results, check out BloggingStocks' Texas Instruments coverage.

Continue reading Earnings previews: Texas Instruments, Johnson & Johnson

Earnings previews: Texas Instruments, Johnson & Johnson originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman downgraded shares of Sears Holding (NASDAQ: SHLD) to Sell from Neutral as they expect continued share loss and profit pressures in this macro environment.
  
• ABN Amro lowered its rating on Reuters Group (NASDAQ: RTRSY) to Sell from Hold as they believe the credit crisis will impact the company's banking profitability.
  
• Shire Plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Merrill. The firm sees limited upside to 2008 earnings.

• Teva Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: TEVA) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at HSBC.
  
• Goldman downgraded Infosys Tech (NASDAQ: INFY) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Bear downgraded Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) to Underperform from Peer Perform.

Analyst downgrades: Sears, Reuters, Shire Plc originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• ABN Amro upgraded Infineon Technologies (NYSE: IFX) to Buy from Hold as they expect the shares to outperform given the more stable currency environment and improving DRAM pricing.
  
• Thomas Weisel upgraded shares of Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) to Overweight from Market Weight citing checks that indicate above seasonal PC demand heading into 2008 driven by emerging markets.
  
• Banc of America upgraded shares of AmerisourceBergen Corp. (NYSE: ABC) to Buy from Neutral as they believe new contract wins for the company's largest PBM customer should help offset soft script volumes in the near-term.

• Goldman added United Tech (NYSE: UTX) to its Conviction Buy List.
  
• The firm also upgraded Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) to Neutral from Sell.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Verint Systems (OTC: VRNT) to Neutral from Underperform.

Analyst upgrades: IFX, INTC and ABC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Societe Generale downgraded shares of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to Hold from Buy after the company lowered its Q4 guidance. Goldman Sachs downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy on the company's lowered Q4 revenue outlook and the growing probability that the wireless infrastructure market will decline again in 2008.
• Circuit City (NYSE: CC)'s rating was lowered to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan, as they believe the company's high cost turnaround will require a strategic partner or acquirer, which may not happen until after 2H08 and this year's holiday season.
• Citigroup downgraded shares of Hot Topic (NASDAQ: HOTT) to Hold from Buy to reflect their pushed out expectations for an earnings recovery.

• Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) was downgraded to Peer Perform from Outperform at Bear Stearns.
• Lehman downgraded Telecom Italia (NASDAQ: TI) to Underweight from Equal Weight.
• Goldman removed Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) from its Conviction Buy List.

Analyst downgrades: ERIC, CC and HOTT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earnings results OK at Texas Instruments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The IRS is looking at derivatives trades of Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C) and Lehman Brothers Holdings (NYSE: LEH) to see if trades made on behalf of hedge funds and other clients, including those offshore, were to avoid paying taxes on U.S. stock dividends, reported the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
  
• The Financial Times (subscription required) reported that Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) is expected to sell its stake in Brasil Telecom (NYSE: BTM).

• The New York Times reported that Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is expected to receive opening bids today for its Jaguar and Land Rover units. A variety of companies, including private equity firms and possibly other automakers, are expected to bid for the two divisions, said people with direct knowledge of the situation.
• Retail shoe store chain Foot Locker Inc (NYSE: FL) is reportedly considering putting itself up for sale again, after disappointing sales by its U.S. shoe stores and its failed attempt to acquire rival Genesco Inc (NYSE: GCO), reported the New York Post.
• The Telegraph reported that Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) is examining a deal to invest in Beijing Hualian, one of China's biggest retail groups.

Newspaper wrap-up 7-19-07: Foot Locker may put itself up for sale again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Texas Instruments' in-line quarterly update originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal reported that Telefonica SA ADS of Spain (NYSE: TEF), in a $5.6B deal, has won a stake in Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI), but not control.
• According to the Wall Street Journal, Jones Apparel Group Inc (NYSE: JNY) CEO Peter Boneparth may sell Barney's, which it purchased in 2004 for $400M and today may be worth $800M.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) is constructing a $3.2B addition to its biggest refinery in Louisiana for diesel fuel.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Deutsche Boerse is in talks to make a $2.6B offer for International Securities Exchange Holdings Inc (NYSE: ISE).
• Senior Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C) executives are afraid the company could become a target of activist hedge funds seeking to break the company up, reported the Financial Times.
• According to the Financial Times, a number of companies involved in options backdating scandals, including McAfee Incorporated (NYSE: MFE) and Novell Inc (NASDAQ: NOVL), could be vulnerable to takeover by activist investors.

• The New York Times "Dealbook" reported that Porsche has bid $48.9B for Volkswagen AG (OTC: VLKAY), and the bid will run for four weeks starting today.
• The News Journal reported that AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) has received a subpoena from the Delaware Attorney General, which seeks documents about the company's contracts with Delaware hospitals.

Newspaper wrap-up 4-30-07: Porsche bids for Volkswagen originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• 5% decline in semiconductor sales sequentially
• Wireless was the primary reason for the weakness, declining 10% sequentially. Handset growth is shifting to lower end products
• Orders down 10% -- weak
• Book to bill is at .89 -- weak
• Expect revenue to decline for 1Q07 of 5% to 13% -- weak
• Growth at TI is coming from a low-cost integrated chip for low-end phones sold in emerging markets. While this business is growing, it does not offset the weakness of the higher end 3-G business.

Weak results at TI; waiting for new product to ramp originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Jan 2007 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The folks at ThinkEquity believe that Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) is in for better days. They slapped an "accumulate" on the shares after carrying them as a "sell." The reason given was that TI's analog chip business should be getting better. ThinkEquity admits that the TI cell phone chip business is going to be rough for a long time. But, the research firm's sources say that the analog chip pick-up is broad and sustained. They put a new price target of $30 on the stock. It already trades above $28.

Almost any other research firm on Wall Street with an opinion on TI is worried about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus thinks TI's gross margins are down. Cathay Financial thinks that weakness in handset chips is continuing into 2007. And, Lehman Bros. has cut its earnings estimates for the big chip firm. Part of Lehman's analysis is that the analog business at TI is still "challenging."

Someone is right here and someone is wrong.

TI has two strikes on it. One is that it competes with Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) in the handset chip market. QCOM has seen better days, but it has formidable market share in the handset market. In addition to that, almost no one thinks that handset giants Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and Motorola (NYSE:MOT) will do well in 2007. Margins are dropping because the demand for phones tends to be in emerging markets where cheap is better. Cheaper phones, cheaper chips.

Analog may do OK for TI. But, it can't beat the devil. The handset market is in for some rough quarters.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

Texas Instruments minority report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 21 Jan 2007 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.