Continue reading Hotel Chains to Cut Back on Housekeeping

Hotel Chains to Cut Back on Housekeeping originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Timeshares, that wonderful relic from the 1970s, are about as popular as disco and excessive chest hair this year. Thanks to the recession, timeshare sales are forecasted to suffer their worst fall since this vacation option came on the scene more than 30 years ago. The plunge could reach 30 percent, according to Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association, a trade group, and the next year and a half could be tough, as well.

In the United States, timeshare sales fell 8.5% last year to $9.7 billion. They reached their peak the year before, when sales hit $10.6 billion, according to a study by Ernst & Young. The 2008 decline was the first sustained by the industry since it started keeping score in 1975.

Continue reading Timeshare growth spurt ends severely

Timeshare growth spurt ends severely originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) closed at $53.73. SHW is expected to report Q2 EPS on July 21. SHW options were active on 11,569 contracts. SHW July option implied volatility is at 35, August is at 39; below its 26-week average of 43, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Wyndham (NYSE: WYN) closed at $11.02 WYN is expected to report Q2 EPS on July 29. WYN options were active on July 6 with 17,333 contracts trading. WYN July option implied volatility is at 70, August is at 68; below its 26-week average of 98 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Sherwin-Williams and Wyndham options active on low volatility originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) Q1 profit fell despite strong sales of Plavix and Abilify.
• Check Point Software Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: CHKP) was downgraded based on its guidance.
• Domino's Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) strong Q1 results were boosted by early debt retirement.
• DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA) strong Q1 results were driven by Madagascar 2.
• Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ENDP) Q1 results led to an analyst's downgrade.
• E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) widened its Q1 loss, sending shares sharply lower.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: P&G, DreamWorks, E*Trade, Netflix, Under Armour, Humana and more

Earnings highlights: P&G, DreamWorks, E*Trade, Netflix, Under Armour, Humana and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 02 May 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about HoJo's below in the comments.

Howard Johnson's and its 28 flavors gave mid-20th-century Americans a view of the future: choice. In a time of eight-color boxes of Crayolas and three television stations, the implication of HoJo's abundance fired our imaginations. Though the restaurant chain had been in business since 1925, it took off during the depression when the founder adopted the now-traditional Cape Cod building with an orange roof topped by a weather vane of Simple Simon and the Pieman.

The company was also among the first to franchise, a major contributor to its growing success. With the advent of the national freeway system in the 1950s, Howard Johnson's quickly monopolized the rest stops and exits, making it larger than Micky D's, the King, and the Colonel combined.

Part of its success was in devising better prepackaged foods and a standardized menu, allowing the common Joe to work the grill. By 1954, the chain had grown to 400 restaurants, large enough to support expansion into the motor lodge business, catering to the increasingly mobile American traveler.

In the '60s, HoJos served more food to Americans than anyone except the U.S. Army. By the time the descendants of the founder sold the firm in 1980 to Imperial Group, the chain included 1,000 restaurants and 500 motor lodges.

Continue reading Company nicknames: Does HoJo still have mojo?

Company nicknames: Does HoJo still have mojo? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are a few highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) beat estimates on strong sales and higher profit margins.
• Baidu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) profit soared on strong revenue from online marketing.
• Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) earnings and revenue surged in the fourth quarer.
• Dean Foods Co. (NYSE: DF) missed expectations on rising commodity costs and lower profit margins.
• Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) posted better-than-expected profits as rising grain prices spurred demand.
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: GT) posted solid results on cost savings and debt reduction.
• Insight Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: NSIT) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
• LECG (NASDAQ: XPRT) posted a net loss despite a slight increase in revenue in the fourth quarter.
• Loews Corp. (NYSE: LTR) missed estimates due to profit decline in its CNA Financial (NYSE: CNA) affiliate.
• Marsh & McLennan Inc. (NYSE: MMC) missed estimates on weakness in its insurance services business.
• Playboy Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: PLA) posted disappointing results on weakness in publishing and TV.
• Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) fourth-quarter and full-year results met estimates.
• Sierra Wireless Inc. (NASDAQ: SWIR) beat esimates on the launch of new product s.
• Taser International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) profits doubled, which was in line with expectations.
• Visteon Corp. (NYSE: VC) posted a fourth-quarter loss on restructuring costs and write-downs.
• Waste Management Inc. (NYSE: WMI) beat espectations and offered 2008 guidance.
• Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: WYN) earnings met expectations and were buoyed by lodging revenue.
• Zoltek Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: ZOLT) missed earnings estimates due to inventory buildup.

Upcoming results to watch for include Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX), Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI), MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM), JCPenney (NYSE: JCP), and Safeway (NYSE: SWY).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: Coca-Cola, Deere, Abercrombie, Baidu, Playboy, Taser and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Among companies reporting earnings on Tuesday were Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP), who's fourth-quarter earnings soared 75%, and Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: WYN), who's fourth-quarter profit climbed 13%.

Molson Coors also reported that sales rose 5% and that it garnered additional savings from its 2005 merger with Adolph Coors Co. The company also credited a tax benefit and favorable exchange rates for the good results.

For the quarter that ended December 30, net income totaled $173.2 million, or 95 cents per share, compared with $99.2 million, or 57 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. Excluding special items, net income was 73 cents per share, beating an estimate of 65 cents a share from analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

Revenue grew in the quarter to $1.6 billion, slightly higher than analyst expectations of $1.55 billion. For the year, revenue totaled $6.2 billion, up from $5.8 billion in 2006. Full year net income totaled $497.2 million, or $2.74 per share, up from $361 million, or $2.08 a share in the previous year.

Molson Coors shares rose almost 10% today, to $49.66.

Continue reading Molson Coors and Wyndham report profitable fourth quarters

Molson Coors and Wyndham report profitable fourth quarters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• BMO Capital initiated coverage on Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA) and Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) with Outperform ratings and a $16 target and $51 target and Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ: CELG) and Genentech Inc. (NYSE: DNA) with Market Perform ratings and a $69 target and $85 target.
  
• CIBC initiated shares of WESCO International Inc. (NYSE: WCC) with a Sector Outperformer rating and $46 target. The firm believes lower estimates are already priced into shares and that the company's operating initiatives increase the chances for more stable margins in this environment.
  
• Deutsche Bank started shares of Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: WYN) with a Buy rating and $41 target. The firm believes stability of the timeshare industry, international expansion and improved transparency will serve as catalysts for shares.
  
• Century Casinos Inc. (NASDAQ: CNTY) was initiated at Nollenberger with a Neutral rating, citing the underperformance of new properties and concerns from the smoking ban in Colorado; however, the firm believes the company is headed in the right direction.

• Soleil started shares of Sunoco Inc. (NYSE: SUN) and Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) with Buy ratings and targets of $96 and $88, and initiated shares of Tesoro Corp. (NYSE: TSO) with a Hold rating and $55 target.
  
• Rodman & Renshaw started shares of Labopharm Inc. (NASDAQ: DDSS) with a Market Perform rating.
  
• UBS resumed coverage on Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) with a Buy rating and $34 target.

Analyst initiations: Biotech, WCC, WYN, CNTY, VLO, KR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.