Winn-Dixie Stores (WINN) issued results for its fiscal second quarter on Monday after the bell. Today, the supermarket chain, which counts Walmart (WMT) as a related stock, is receiving a bid; at the time of this writing, the shares were higher by 2.5% to $6.98. Volume is above average.

The 52-week low for the equity is $5.95 while the 52-week high is $13.90. The one-year chart is not pleasant. Such a downturn in fortune doesn't make the company appealing.

Continue reading Winn-Dixie's Q2 Report: Buy or Sell the Numbers?

Winn-Dixie's Q2 Report: Buy or Sell the Numbers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:30:00 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.

Kroger Co. (KR), the nation's largest traditional grocery retailer, is scheduled to discuss its second-quarter 2010 financial results Tuesday, September 14, in a conference call beginning at 10:00 AM (ET). You can catch a live webcast at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in July, Kroger announced share buybacks and declared a quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect this Cincinnati-based company to report earnings of 36 cents per share, down from 39 cents per share in the year-ago period. Its revenue is expected to have risen 5.6% from a year ago to $18.7 billion.

Continue reading Earnings Preview: Are Analysts Underestimating Kroger?

Earnings Preview: Are Analysts Underestimating Kroger? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Winn-Dixie Trading Lower Despite Topping Analyst Estimates

Winn-Dixie Trading Lower Despite Topping Analyst Estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investors nervous about the possibly stalled economic recovery -- or worse, the beginning of the latter phase of a double-dip recession -- were not pleased with last week's housing numbers. Things were perhaps ameliorated somewhat by durable goods order numbers and a revised GDP that weren't as bad as expected, but that didn't stop the Dow from dipping below 10,000 later in the week, before fighting its way back above the benchmark to end the week, thanks largely to Fed chair Bernanke's comments on Friday.

Though the end of August is usually quiet, this week lots more economic data are due out, including more housing numbers: The Case-Shiller Home Price Index for June on Tuesday, construction spending numbers for July on Wednesday, and NAR's pending home sales for July on Thursday. There's not expected to be much to get excited about in these numbers.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Employment, Housing, Manufacturing, Earnings Expectations

The Week in Preview: Employment, Housing, Manufacturing, Earnings Expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As so often happens at this point in the earnings season, focus begins to shift to the results from retailers. And the world's largest retailer is among those that step into the spot light this week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), which was aggressively competitive during the holiday shopping season and also recently announced a new global strategy, to report fourth-quarter earnings of $1.12 per share, up from $1.03 per share in the year-ago period. Revenue for the three months that ended in January is expected to have risen 4.9% to $114.5 billion. The full-year forecast calls for earnings of $3.61 per share (+5.3%) on $409.1 billion in revenue (+0.9%). Walmart has not missed earnings estimates in the past five quarters.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: A First Look at Retail: Walmart, JCPenney and Others

The Week in Preview: A First Look at Retail: Walmart, JCPenney and Others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) reported better-than-expected Q3 results but shares fell anyway.
• Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) posted strong Q3 results but shares sold off on a disappointing guidance.
• Burger King Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BKC) said lower Q1 earnings fell short of analysts expectations.
• Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA) topped Q3 profit and revenue estimates, lifting shares.
• Geron Corp. (NASDAQ: GERN) posted a narrower-than-expected Q3 loss, sending shares sharply higher.
• Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) reported lower Q2 earnings and sales on weak demand for cars.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Baidu, Dreamworks, Honda, Microsoft, Target, Verizon ...

Earnings highlights: Baidu, Dreamworks, Honda, Microsoft, Target, Verizon ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Target (NYSE: TGT) was upgraded two ratings to Buy from Sell at Citigroup, and it raised its price estimate on shares to $61 from $44. The firm sees significant earnings upside as the company's same-store sales improve and finds the valuation attractive at current levels.
• Motorola (NYSE: MOT) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital citing valuation, new product launches, and expectations that the Mobile Devices division will be profitable. The price target is $11.
• AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup as it believes the company's Q3 results were solid and the China steel market is stabilizing. The firm raised its target to $21 from $17.
• Ceradyne (NASDAQ: CRDN) was upgraded at Wells Fargo to Market Perform from Underperform. The firm thinks that earnings expectations for the company have now reached more reasonable levels, limiting risk.
• FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital ahead of the company's Q3 results due to valuation as it views the risk/reward on shares compelling. The firm raised its price target to $25 from $19.
• Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) was upgraded at Goldman to Buy from Neutral, citing 2H10 margin expansion and analog share gains. Target was raised to $29 from $27.
• Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ: BBSI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital as the firm thinks the company will benefit from a labor market recovery next year. Roth notes that the stock's valuation has lagged behind most of its peers in recent months and it set an $18 target.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADM, CIEN, INTC, MOT, TGT, TXN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADM, CIEN, INTC, MOT, TGT, TXN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) Q2 profit fell short of estimates as same-store sales declined.
• Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN) Q2 earnings beat very low expectations and same-store sales fell.
• Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) reported better-than-expected numbers for Q2, sending shares upward.
• Burger King Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BKC) posted a better-than-expected Q4 profit though revenue declined.
• China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. posted a record Q2 profit after restrictions on fuel prices were lifted.
• Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) said its Q2 earnings declined, but they still topped analysts' expectations.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Burger King, Dell, Dollar Tree, J. Crew, Staples, Toll Bros. ...

Earnings highlights: Burger King, Dell, Dollar Tree, J. Crew, Staples, Toll Bros. ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Winn-Dixie Stores (NASDAQ: WINN), a grocery chain that competes with Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), reported Q4 earnings on Monday after the bell. Shareholders should appreciate the net-income turnaround. The business produced a profit of 17 cents per share, a figure that was one penny ahead of estimates. Winn-Dixie was dealing with a loss of 10 cents per share a year ago.

Same-store sales weren't terribly exciting. They advanced 1.6% (they were driven by the timing of the Easter holiday, it should be noted). Gross margin, however, did increase. And cash flow from operating activities for the twelve-month frame wasn't bad.

Continue reading Winn-Dixie improves its fortunes in Q4

Winn-Dixie improves its fortunes in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Housing Recovery: A Way to Play It
• We Called It: The Housing Bottom

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Bulls in charge

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Bulls in charge originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for EPS for these banks to have fallen from 15% to 25% from a year ago. Their long-term EPS growth forecast is for between 10% and 12%, which is in the same range as U.S. rivals JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), but better than Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C). Earnings multiples for these Canadian banks are 10x to 12x, but none of them have a First Call consensus recommendation is to buy. The Motley Fool, though, considers TD as a value stock and RY a stock poised to pop. All of them are trading much closer to their 52-week highs than lows, and shares of all are up more than 100% since March lows.

Continue reading The week in preview: Canadian banks in the earnings spotlight

The week in preview: Canadian banks in the earnings spotlight originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to Outperform from market Perform after transferring coverage to a new analyst. The firm expects Morgan to benefit from the pending joint venture with Smith Barney and improvements in its operating environment.
• FBR Capital upgraded Winn-Dixie (NASDAQ: WINN) to Outperform from Market Perform as it believes the company is executing well and shares are cheap at current levels. The firm keeps a $16.50 target on the stock.
• Baird believes Polaris's (NYSE: PII) consensus expectations and valuation are too low and that the company will expand beyond powersports. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Neutral and raised their target to $37 from $32.
• J. Crew (NYSE: JCG) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
• Lexmark (NYSE: LXK) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
• Global Hunter upgraded Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) to Buy from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MS, JCG, BKC, LVLT, NWS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MS, JCG, BKC, LVLT, NWS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 May 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As earnings season begins to wind down, some apparel retailers are scheduled to report quarterly results this week. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters anticipate that Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), the 800-pound gorilla in the space, will report that it earned $0.77 per share in the first quarter, about the same as in the first quarter of last year. But JCPenney Co. (NYSE: JCP), Kohl's Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), and Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) are expected to report lower profits for the first quarter as consumers continued to hold off on spending. Macy's Inc. (NYSE: M) and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) are expected to have swung to a loss year over year.

Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) and Winn Dixie Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: WINN) are likewise expected to report declining earnings, while the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (NYSE: GAP), parent of the A&P supermarket chain, is expected to have narrowed its net loss 68.9% to $0.28 per share.

Continue reading The week in preview: A peek at apparel retail earnings

The week in preview: A peek at apparel retail earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 May 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) to Hold from Sell to reflect the company's capital raises and progress on leasing over the past quarter. The firm raised their target price to $21 from $16.
  
• UBS upgraded shares of Lonmin (Other OTC:LNMIY) to Neutral from Sell as they believe Xstrata may make an offer for the company.
  
• Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded RadiSys (NASDAQ:RSYS) to Buy from Hold after the company reported better-than-expected Q4 results and provided Q1 guidance which the firm believes indicates that fiscal 2009 results will be better than expected. The firm set a target of $8.50.
• Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) and PG & E (NYSE:PCG) were raised to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
  
• Techne (NASDAQ:TECH) was upgraded at Baird to Outperform from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DUK, DIS, ADM, DLTR

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DUK, DIS, ADM, DLTR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Three types of raw tomatoes -- red plum, red Roma and round red tomatoes -- grown in 17 states are voluntarily being pulled of the shelves and menus of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Burger King (NYSE: BKC), Kroger (NYSE: KR), Outback Steakhouse, Winn-Dixie (NYSE: WINN) and Taco Bell, among others. In fact, "McDonald's has stopped serving sliced tomatoes on its sandwiches as a precaution, but will continue serving grape tomatoes in its salads because no problems have been linked to that variety."

Similarly, Burger King, Yum Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) restaurants, Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI), and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) have also removed the contaminated brands from their menus across the U.S., and some, like Burger King, in Canada, Puerto Rico and some other Caribbean islands as well. Many left the non-contaminated brands on the menu.

Continue reading Tomatoes removed from shelves, just as they were getting yummy

Tomatoes removed from shelves, just as they were getting yummy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Grocery store chain Winn Dixie Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: WINN) is emerging from bankruptcy with remodeled stores, better shopping conditions and product mix, improved customer service, and strict attention to cost management. Same store sales for 1Q 2008 are essentially flat, but the company posted a huge reduction in net loss, $800,000, down from $24.6 million net loss one year ago, a $23.8 million improvement. Net income for 1Q 2008 was $1.6 billion, up $11 million. Gross profits increased $22 million to $446.4 million, and the 30 remodeled stores have registered increased foot traffic. Winn Dixie plans to remodel a total of 75 stores in 2008.

Winn Dixie is also focusing on cost control as it emerges from Chapter 11. Administrative and promotional expenses have been slashed, as have costs at the company's distribution facilities. Winn Dixie still faces significant capital expenditures for store remodeling, at least $140 million. Legal costs to emerge from bankruptcy will run in the $5 million to $7 million range.

Even in the midst of a difficult and complex multi-year turnaround, Winn Dixie has acted to gain the goodwill of consumers and investors. Winn Dixie remodeled and reopened one of the first full-service grocery stores in lower east side New Orleans to help the city rebuild. The company is on the front lines in the fight against breast cancer, providing educational materials in its stores and sponsoring free mammograms for women without access to health care services.

The stock currently trades around $19. Given the success of the company's turnaround thus far, this is a stock for bargain hunters to investigate.

Winn Dixie (WINN) emerging from bankruptcy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Friedman Billings upgraded shares of Winn-Dixie Stores (NASDAQ: WINN) to Outperform from Market Perform citing valuation, sustainable Q3 margins, and share gains from both Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and Publix.

• Sandler raised TIB Financial Corp (NASDAQ: TIBB) off the ground, to Hold from Sell, citing valuation.

• Jefferies upgraded shares of Energy East (NYSE: EAS) to Hold from Sell after Iberdrola agreed to acquire the company.

• Pacific Crest upgraded both Baidu.com (NASDAQ: BIDU) and SINA Corp (NASDAQ: SINA) to Outperform from Sector Perform following their trip to Asia, citing China's strong online ad market. They believe Baidu.com is benefiting from its sales-force integration and SINA Corp's brand strength should lead to further market-share gains...

• Lehman upgraded Celgene Corp (NASDAQ: CELG) and Genzyme Corp (NASDAQ: GENZ) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

• Matrix USA upgraded Jo-Ann Stores (NYSE: JAS) to Sell from Strong Sell.

• Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

• Wachovia raised U-Store-It Trust (NYSE: YSI) to Market Perform from Underperform.

Analyst upgrades 6-26-07: BIDU, CELG, DLB, SINA and WINN originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS is positive on the ethylene cycle over the next two years and believes Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) can beat 2008 consensus estimates, initiating shares with a Buy rating.

• JMP Securities started Smart Modular (NASDAQ: SMOD) with a Strong Buy as a unit volume growth theme without much dependence on commodity memory chip pricing.

• Citigroup expects further upside given Wolverine World Wide's (NYSE: WWW) strong portfolio of brands, further growth opportunities through line extensions and international growth. The firm started Wolverine World Wide with a Buy rating and $33 target.

• Winn-Dixie Stores (NASDAQ: WINN) was started with a Market Perform rating, citing low levels of profitability and unproven ability to drive sustainable profitable sales.

• American Technology believes the valuation of Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE) leaves little room for upside, despite a highly attractive business model and strong fundamentals, and started shares with a Sell rating and $45 target...

• Susquehanna started King Pharma (NYSE: KG), Sepracor (NASDAQ: SEPR) with Neutral ratings and Sciele Pharma (NASDAQ: SCRX) with a Positive rating.

• Citigroup initiated shares of Quicksilver Inc (NYSE: ZQK) with a Hold rating.

• Longbow started Mips Tech (NASDAQ: MIPS) with a Buy rating and $12 target.

Analyst initiations 5-11-07: DOW, NILE, WINN and ZQK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 May 2007 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to a federal indictment alleging 25 counts of coupon-redemption fraud, nine executives from International Outsourcing Services (IOS), the nation's largest clearinghouse for grocery- and retail-related coupons, have been accused of involvement in an ongoing coupon-redemption scheme that is claimed to have injured a laundry list of companies, including SC Johnson, Kimberly-Clark Corp.(NYSE:KMB), and Winn-Dixie Stores (NASDAQ:WINN). Federal attorneys claim that Wisconsin firms alone have been bilked as much as $15 million by fraudulent redemption practices. Coupon redemption program assistance organizations estimate that fraudulent coupon redemption costs product manufacturers as much as a half billion dollars a year.

A news story reports that in answering the indictment, IOS denied the allegations and said the company plans to "vigorously defend against these charges." IOS takes a firm stand that through a 40 year history of providing its services, it has never faced tort action in regard to its coupon-redemption practices, even in the face of routine audits performed by the many of the manufacturers it serves.

U.S. attorneys maintain that the indictment is the result of a long-standing and intensive investigation by members of the U.S. Attorney's office, with additional resources and support provided by the FBI and others. Already, 17 individuals have been charged and convicted in Wisconsin, 10 in Ohio, and 3 in Mississippi in connection with this investigation. Law enforcement indicates that the previous convictions involved an independent broker and an IOS sales manager.

Coupon redemption: One per customer please! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.