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.

"As soon as it is possible to do so, several North American companies are likely to move quickly to enter Cuba, the greatest untapped opportunity remaining in the western hemisphere," says Jim Powell.

Here, the editor of Global Changes & Opportunities looks at what he believes are the best investment opportunities for investing in Cuba, should such a change occur.

"In August, Raul Castro announced that 500,000 public workers in Cuba will be laid off and will need to find jobs in newly-legalized small private enterprises.

Continue reading Investing in Cuba: 11 Plays on an 'Untapped Opportunity'

Investing in Cuba: 11 Plays on an 'Untapped Opportunity' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Dollar Tree (DLTR) to neutral from underweight and $48 price target.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Time Warner Cable (TWC) to outperform from neutral and raised its price target to $70 from $59, citing growth in wireline HST demand.
• Needham upgraded NetScout (NTCT) to buy from hold with a $29 price target, citing channel checks that indicate industry spending on network monitoring software may be improving.
• Nstar (NST) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Novo Nordisk (NVO) was upgraded to hold from sell at Societe Generale.
• Air France-KLM (AFLYY) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: DLTR, FLR, H, HOT, MAR, NTCT, NVO, RNOW, TWC, VECO, VMC ...

Analyst Calls: DLTR, FLR, H, HOT, MAR, NTCT, NVO, RNOW, TWC, VECO, VMC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials: Stopped-Out for Loss

Vulcan Materials: Stopped-Out for Loss originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Soleil upgraded Community Health (CYH) to buy from hold based on expectations for improved 2011 demand. The firm has a $40 price target on the stock.
• Wunderlich upgraded Invesco Mortgage (IVR) to buy from hold following the company's better-than-expected Q3 dividend. The firm also raised its target price for shares to $23.50 from $21.50.
• Goldman upgraded SuccessFactors (SFSF) to conviction buy from buy, citing cloud exposure.
• Vulcan Materials (VMC) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Comstock Resources (CRK) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Ladenburg.
• Trimble Navigation (TRMB) was upgraded to buy from hold at Canaccord.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, CYH, DIS, ISRG, IVR, NYT, SNDK, TWX, VIA, VMC, WFMI ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, CYH, DIS, ISRG, IVR, NYT, SNDK, TWX, VIA, VMC, WFMI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded Oshkosh (OSK) to outperform from neutral, citing valuation as it believes post-Iraq U.S. military spending concerns are overdone. The firm keeps a $42 price target for shares.
• Goldman transferred coverage on CenturyTel (CTL) with a buy from a neutral and has a $42 price target on the stock. The firm believes CenturyTel could increase buybacks and or increase its dividend given free cash generation and low payout ratio.
• Lazard Capital upgraded Hatteras Financial (HTS) to buy from hold to reflect increased dividend projections. The firm has a $30 price target for shares.
• EOG Resources (EOG) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Donaldson (DCI) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CTL, HTS, ISRG, MCD, MLM, OSK, RUTH, WMS, YUM ...

Analyst Calls: CTL, HTS, ISRG, MCD, MLM, OSK, RUTH, WMS, YUM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Since I last wrote about Vulcan Materials (VMC), the stock has been under pressure from the sellers. I wrote my previous piece back near the beginning of May. The one-year chart shows the terrible plunge after that particular point in time. Technically, the stock could be unappealing.

Then again, could it have already bottomed out? Joseph Lazzaro brought up that possibility. It's an interesting situation. The 52-week low for the equity is $41.80; the 52-week high is $62. The stock closed yesterday's regular session at $46.85. It was up roughly 3.6%, taking advantage, I'm guessing, of the bullish tone of the overall markets. Volume, however, wasn't too impressive, as it was merely average.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials Reports Second-Quarter Loss

Vulcan Materials Reports Second-Quarter Loss originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Has Vulcan Materials Bottomed at $41?

Has Vulcan Materials Bottomed at $41? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Now may be a decent time to reconsider Vulcan Materials (VMC), which I first discussed here on June 3, 2009, at a price of $46.28.

Institutional investors have been cautious with Vulcan, a major producer of construction aggregates, asphalt and concrete, given the uneven and likely below-normal GDP growth start to the U.S. recovery.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials Is Rooting for a Strengthening U.S. Recovery

Vulcan Materials Is Rooting for a Strengthening U.S. Recovery originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 May 2010 11:00:00 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) saw shares rise following its report of better-than-expected Q1 earnings.
• Beazer Homes USA Inc. (BZH) posted a Q2 profit and revenue growth, and announced a stock offering.
• CBS Corp. (CBS) reported improvements in both Q1 net income and cash flow, but shares declined.
• Clorox Co. (CLX) posted Q3 earnings that were higher than analysts had expected and offered weak guidance.
• First Solar Inc. (FSLR) reported quarterly earnings that easily topped analysts' expectations.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: CBS, Clorox, Goodyear, MasterCard, News Corp., Time Warner ...

Earnings Highlights: CBS, Clorox, Goodyear, MasterCard, News Corp., Time Warner ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 08 May 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vulcan Materials (VMC) is currently trading in the red. It's very in the red, actually: at the time of this writing, shares were down $3.86, or over 6.5%, to $55.03. The markets are down today, of course, so that has to be taken into consideration; yet, of more importance is the first-quarter report that was released on Monday.

The maker of construction aggregates lost 35 cents per share from continuing operations versus losing 29 cents per share from continuing operations in the year-ago period. There was negative free cash flow during the quarter, too.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials Down After Q1 Report

Vulcan Materials Down After Q1 Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 May 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The shares of Vulcan Materials (VMC) have accelerated out of a low near $42, hence I'm removing my "stand aside" recommendation and I'm now confident that Vulcan can retake higher ground from here. I first wrote about Vulcan on June 3, 2009, at a price of $46.28.

Institutional investors have been cautious with Vulcan, a major producer of construction aggregates, asphalt and concrete, given the uneven start to the U.S. recovery.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials: On the Mend

Vulcan Materials: On the Mend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials: For Now, Stand Aside

Vulcan Materials: For Now, Stand Aside originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (ANF) received an analyst's upgrade ahead of next week's Q4 earnings report.
• Acer Inc. reported its highest quarterly earnings in almost three years due in part to growth in shipments.
• Baidu Inc. (BIDU) swung to a better-than-expected Q4 profit, with strong revenue growth, and offered rosy guidance.
• Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB) offered an upside surprise as well as full-year earnings above Wall Street estimates.
• Coinstar Inc. (CSTR) strong quarterly results and guidance, as well as litigation concerns, failed to inspire Wall Street.
• Coca-Cola Co. (KO) posted strong Q4 and full-year earnings results due to growth in emerging markets.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Acer, Baidu, Coca-Cola, Disney, Hasbro, Sprint ...

Earnings Highlights: Acer, Baidu, Coca-Cola, Disney, Hasbro, Sprint ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vulcan Materials Company (VMC), a producer of construction aggregates, released Q4 earnings on Monday after the bell. Today, the market is weighing in on the numbers. It doesn't like them. At the time of this writing, shares of the company were down over 3% in afternoon trading, backed by strong volume.

Total revenues dropped 26%. Vulcan booked a loss of 10 cents per share from continuing operations. According to Earnings.com, a loss of 2 cents per share was expected.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials Falls After Q4 Report

Vulcan Materials Falls After Q4 Report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Pali Capital upgraded Lazard (LAZ) to buy from neutral, citing a healthy restructuring environment, improving M&A and strength in the asset management segment. The firm has a $46 target on shares.
• Baird upgraded Scansource (SCSC) to outperform from neutral, citing strength in the channel business and growth drivers from improved telephony and security. The firm has a $30 target on shares.
• Citigroup upgraded Liberty Interactive (LINTA) to buy from hold, citing the company's QVC unit's return to growth. The firm raised its target on shares to $13.25 from $12.
• Hess Corp (HES) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Vulcan Materials (VMC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Dillard's (DDS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BRCM, D, FRED, INTC, LAZ, SCSC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BRCM, D, FRED, INTC, LAZ, SCSC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) said its Q3 profit declined despite the popularity of Guitar Hero.
• Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) said Q3 revenue surged and its offered impressive cash flow numbers.
• Boston Beer Co. Inc. (NYSE: SAM) easily beat Q3 earnings estimates and raised its full-year guidance.
• Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) lower Q1 results topped estimates and sent shares higher.
• Cognizant Technology Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: CTSH) was upgraded following its strong Q3 results.
• Corporate Executive Board (NASDAQ: EXBD) received an analyst's upgrade following the Q3 results.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Cisco, Ford, Humana, MasterCard, Starbucks, Toyota ...

Earnings highlights: Cisco, Ford, Humana, MasterCard, Starbucks, Toyota ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC) issued Q3 results late Monday. Total revenues decreased over 20%. Earnings from continuing operations dropped 29% to 38 cents per share. According to Earnings.com, this means that the company came in a penny ahead of estimates.

Going into yesterday's earnings report, shares of Vulcan Materials were pretty active. They increased over 2% to close at $47.12. Volume was above the norm. The market was obviously quite bullish on the stock.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials sales and profit drop in Q3, but will fundamentals improve?

Vulcan Materials sales and profit drop in Q3, but will fundamentals improve? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Vulcan Materials will be a winner during the economic recovery

Vulcan Materials will be a winner during the economic recovery originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $55 from $44 based on earnings momentum and a bottom in the Imaging and Printing segment. Note that Dell was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform.
• Jefferies upgraded Covance (NYSE: CVD) to Buy from Hold as it believes investor expectations are more reasonable following the company's conference presentation and that its Late Stage segment should continue to post strong results. The firm raised its target on shares to $65 from $5.
• Stephens upgraded Home Bancshares (NASDAQ: HOMB) to Overweight from Equal Weight to reflect improved capital levels and a better-than-expected near-term outlook. The firm raised its target on shares to $27 from $24.
• Citigroup upgraded Macy's (NYSE: M) to Buy from Hold after meeting with management as it believes the My Macy's localization is gaining traction. The firm raised its target on shares to $30 from $15.
• Gymboree (NASDAQ: GYMB) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital.
• DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
• Baytex Energy (NYSE: BTE) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADP, DELL, DISH, HPQ, M, PER, VMC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADP, DELL, DISH, HPQ, M, PER, VMC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.