CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CF) reported a key beat on its earnings expectations after the close as its profits literally tripled.  The company also said it is not selling an operation to Mosaic and it is multiplying its dividend rate.  CF shares closed down over 8% today and the stock is up about 6% at $150.00 in the after-hours session.

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) is not your normal earnings gainer.  Shares were down more than 9% today but the engineering and design firm exceeded earnings estimates with a 5% profit gain as backlog rose over 30%.  Shares are indicated up 3.3% at $56.42 in the after-hours session against a 52-week trading range of $44.04 to $75.76.

Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. (NYSE: KOG) reported in-line earnings and it beat on revenues with $0.04 EPS and revenues rose some 260% to $22.1 million (above $700K higher than estimates).  Shares are trading up 5.7% at $6.09 in the after-hours session against a 52-week range of $2.43 to $7.70.

LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD) fell by over 9.5% today with the market, but the company now said it has over 120 million members as it posted not just a beat on earnings but positive earnings as sales more than doubled to $121 million.  Shares are now indicated up over 4% at $99.00 in the after-hours.

priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) tanked by more than 7% ahead of earnings, but the online travel site is gaining back all of its losses and then some.  The company beat earnings as revenues rose 44%.  Bookings rose and even a trend of deceleration on growth did not upset William Shatner and friends.  Shares are up over 9.5% at $531.25 in the after-hours.

Spreadtrum Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: SPRD) was hit by more than 7% but the results have it way up.  Earnings were $0.10 above estimates at $0.65 EPS and revenue was up over 15% at $160.2 million vs. $155+ million expected.  It also raised guidance to $172 to $178 million versus almost $166 million expected.  Shares are up over 13% at $15.00 in the after-hours session.

Web.com Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW) had a solid day as one of the few great winners after it beat earnings and said it is making an accretive buyout of Network Solutions for some $560 million.  Shares were up 19% today to $10.37 and the stock is up 7% at $11.13 in the after-hours session because the CEO is supposed to speak to Jim Cramer.  Where this really ends up tonight is anyone’s guess, but this one is a winner from that deal.

It is possible that some of the gains will dry up if the panic continues.  After all, the NASDAQ: was down over 100 points and the DJIA fell more than 500 points today.  It happens, and we have the key unemployment non-farm payrolls data that could drive the markets even that much more in the morning.

JON C. OGG

Shaw also lowered its revenue estimates for the full year from analysts’ expectations of $6.55 billion to $6.3 billion, while raising full-year EPS estimates from expectations of $1.77 to $1.86-$1.91, excluding its stake in Westinghouse. Shaw’s P/E ratio for the trailing twelve months is around 31, while its forward P/E for the fiscal year ending in August 2012 is 13.50. The company is the first of its sector to report, and this downward trend could put some weight on competitors URS Corp. (NYSE: URS), The Babcock & Wilcox Co. (NYSE: BWC), Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR), EnergySolutions Inc. (NYSE: ES).  The big fear remains what happens to nuclear policy in many nations going forward.

URS Corp. reports quarterly earnings on May 9th, and analysts are expecting EPS of $0.85 on revenue of $2.43 billion. A year ago, URS posted EPS of $1.17 on revenue of $2.21 billion. For the full year, analysts expect EPS of $3.67 on $9.93 billion, a rise of about 4% in EPS while revenue rises from $9.18 billion to $9.93 billion. The company’s trailing P/E ratio is 12.79, and its forward P/E is 11.31, for the year ending December 2012.

Babcock & Wilcox is scheduled to release quarterly earnings on June 10th, and analysts are expecting EPS of $0.39 on revenue of $731.3 million. For the full year, EPS is expected to be $1.67 on $2.99 billon in revenue. In 2010, Babcock & Wilcox posted EPS of $1.30 on revenue of $2.69 billion. The company’s trailing P/E ratio is 24.49 and its forward P/E is 16 for the year ending in December 2012.

Fluor is set to announce quarterly earnings on May 5th, with analysts expecting EPS of $0.76 on revenue of $5.59 billion. EPS expectations are flat with the same period a year ago, but revenue is projected to be 14% higher. That’s not a good sign for margins. For the full year, EPS  is forecast at $3.28 on $23.9 billion in revenue, substantially better than a year ago’s EPS of $2.30 on $20.9 billion in revenue. The company’s trailing P/E ratio is 35.63 and its forward P/E is 18.09 for the year ending in December 2012.

EnergySolutions reported its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings about 10 days ago, and the company posted a quarterly EPS loss of -$0.25 on revenue of $1.75 billion. For 2010, the company posted EPS of $0.07 on revenue of $450 million. For the first quarter of 2011, the company is expected to post EPS of $0.04 on revenue of $483.43 million, both lower than the same period last year. The company’s trailing P/E ratio is non-existent, and its forward P/E is 16.

Of the five companies, Fluor and EnergySolutions have the highest P/E ratios going forward. Fluor’s trailing P/E is the highest in the group as well, probably indicating that investors think that Fluor is doing something right and will continue to do so. EnergySolutions, given its tepid performance, could be valued the same as Fluor going forward because investors believe that it is a likely takeover target. There’s certainly not much else for the company to look forward to.

In it’s outlook for 2011, EnergySolutions noted that it expects EBITDA in the range of $130-$140 million. For 2010, the company reported EBITDA of $153 million, and EBITDA in 2009 was $143.5 million. A potential buyout is about the only thing investors can be looking forward to.

Shaw stock is down more than -2%, to $34.64, after opening down more than -5%. The 52-week range is $27.61-$41.62.

Paul Ausick

24/7 Wall Street has decided to take a look at the biggest companies which will lead in the rebuilding of America’s ailing infrastructure.  A recent report from Infrastructurereportcard.org gave the United States a grade of a “D” and said that the 5-year investment need was $2.2 trillion. What the real tally is may not matter, but America has to rebuild.

In October, Amtrak rolled out a $100+ billion plan to rebuild its network.  President Obama is expected to call for a transportation infrastructure plan in the coming weeks. Finding all of the nation’s infrastructure winners is too long and too daunting of a task. General Electric and many of the nation’s largest diversified companies are all beneficiaries, and some of the key winners are likely to be foreign entities which employ thousands of workers in America.

The companies featured are the ones behind the design, testing, manufacturing, consulting, engineering, and construction of major projects.  We wanted players that will rebuild the water systems, roads, highways, bridges, airports, rail, levees, waterways, utilities, and buildings around the major infrastructure projects ahead.

These are the companies that 24/7 all Street is most focused on for the American infrastructure revival.

1. AECOM Technology Corporation (NYSE: ACM) offers architecture and engineering design services.   Target markets are transportation, environmental, energy, and it serves projects in key infrastructure areas like highways, airports, bridges, wastewater facilities and power transmission and distribution.  AECOM has a market value of about $3.5 billion and it is expected to have 2011 revenues of close to $8.4 billion. It as 50,000 employees.

2. Chicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE: CBI) is technically Dutch now but is a key infrastructure player with 16,000 employees worldwide that executes more than 600 projects a year with a focus in oil & gas infrastructure, steel plate structures in storage and containment and plant manufacturing.  The company has a market value of more than $3.3 billion and it recently forecast that 2011 revenues are expected to reach $4.3 billion to $4.7 billion.  If America is going to get serious on its energy infrastructure ahead, CB&I stands to greatly win.

3. Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) might sound like an electric utility but it is in engineering and project management services for many industries and many government agencies.  It manufactures major equipment for utilities and industry, power and telecom, heating and air-conditioning, network power, climate technologies, and more.  It also has well over 100,000 employees.  The company has a market value of roughly $44 billion and it just recently gave a forecast of 14% to 17% growth to $24 to $24.5 billion in 2011 revenues.

Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) Raised to Outperform at BMO.
Chimera Investment Corporation (NYSE: CIM) Started as Overweight at Barclays.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Buy at Gleacher & Co.; Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) Cut to Neutral at Ticonderoga.
Hudson City Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCBK) Cut to Underperform at FBR; Cut to Equal-Weight at Barclays.
MannKind Corp. (NASDAQ: MNKD) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Massey Energy Co. (NYSE: MEE) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) Raised to Buy at UBS.
Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE: SHAW) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.

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JON C. OGG

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) Cut to Sell at Brean Murray.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) raised target to $390 at Susquehanna.
Brinker International (NYSE: EAT) Cut to Neutral at Susquehanna.
Cree Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Aixtron AG (NASDAQ: AIXG) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Fluor Inc. (NYSE: FLR) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Cut to Market Perform at First Global.
Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE: DGX) Cut to Market Perform at William Blair.
The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANDE) Cut to Hold at BB&T.
Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) Started as Overweight at Barclays.
VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) Cut to Market Perform at William Blair.

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JON C. OGG

The project uses 140 turbines from Siemens AG (NYSE:SI), of which Fluor has installed 53 to date. When the Greater Gabbard project is completed it will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world. But probably not for long as the UK has issued licenses for nine additional North Sea wind farms ranging in size from 600 megawatts up to a staggering 9,000 megawatts. Siemens, General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE), and other turbine makers have committed to locating plants in the UK to build the thousands of turbines that will be needed for this effort.

Fluor attributed $163 million charge to “a variety of execution challenges.” These included material and equipment deliveries related mostly to installing generators and cabling. The charge comprises “substantial costs” for additional marine vessels and related subcontractor costs, equipment repairs, and an estimated charge for “schedule impact”. The company says it “has taken a number of remedial actions to mitigate further cost escalation and delays to the schedule.”

As more and more offshore wind is developed, especially in the North Sea, competition for the sea-going vessels required to build the platforms and install the turbines will increase, as will competition for materials like cables to connect to the several turbines in a project to a central platform and then to the onshore grid. Governments will want to work from fixed-price contracts and construction companies will seek cost-plus contracts in an effort to prevent the cost overruns and delays that just hit Fluor.

Turbine makers like Siemens, GE, Vestas, and, very likely, Chinese companies like China Longyuan Power Group and Xinjiang Goldwind that are quickly ramping up manufacturing capability and technological expertise will all compete for these projects. Wire providers like American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:AMSC) and General Cable Corp. (NYSE:BGC) and construction companies like Fluor and ABB Ltd. (NYSE:ABB) with experience in grid connections will also be in big demand.

Fluor’s shares have lost more than 5% this morning on very heavy volume.

Paul Ausick

AGA Medical Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGAM) is surging after St. Jude Medical acquired the company for $1.4 billion or $20.80 per share versus a $14.71 close Friday and 52-week range of $11.61 to $18.95.  As with many deals, there is a premium to the premium merger in hopes of a better deal.  Shares are up 41% at $20.75 this morning.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is up this morning before tonight’s earnings report.  We have a full analyst outlay ahead of the numbers.  Shares are up 1.5% at $319.60 or so this morning.

Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABK) is not seeing another big gap-up after last week’s mortgage/foreclosure-related win as the banks got hit.  Shares are down 1% at $1.04 on 350,000 shares.

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) is taking a hit after a $163 million charge in part to a offshore wind project.  Shares are down 5.1% at $49.21.

ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISTA) received FDA approval for its BROMDAY eye drop for the treatment of postoperative inflammation and reduction of ocular pain in patients who have undergone cataract extraction.  Shares are up 14% at $5.10 but the shares were up 20% earlier.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) is lower after Barron’s reported that the stock seemed to be overvalued.  Shares are down 2.2% at $45.01.

PetMed Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETS) posted $0.22 EPS vs. $0.26 estimates as sales rose 4.1%.  Shares are lower by over 12% at $13.93.

Seagate Technology PLC (NYSE: STX) is trading up again on word that Bain may join buyout talks over the pending Seagate acquisition that is reportedly coming.  Shares are up another 7.5% at $16.70 pre-market and this was a $12.69 stock before the rumors surfaced last week.

Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) is up in Seagate-hype and after Barron’s noted it as a potential LBO candidate.  Western was up Friday with Seagate as well.  Shares are up 2% at $32.55 and Western Digital was at $29.49 before the rumors came on Seagate.

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JON C. OGG

BP plc (NYSE: BP) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
CKE Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: CKR) Cut to Sell at Roth.
CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) Cut to Market Perform at BMO Capital Markets.
Foster Wheeler Ltd. (NASDAQ: FWLT) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) Raised to Buy at Janney.
Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) Raised to Hold at Benchmark.
Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) Started as Buy at Stern Agee.
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) Started as Buy at SStern Agee.
Microsoft Corp. (NASSDAQ: MSFT) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) Cut to Market Perform at BMO Capital Markets.

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JON C. OGG

Sponsor: 5 best investments for 2010 – The next nine months represent a bold new era for investors.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) Maintained as Sell with $6 target at Auriga; Maintained Buy with $14 target at Broadpoint AmTech.
AGCO Corporation (NASDAQ: AGCO) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) Raised to Buy at BB&T.
FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) Raised to Outperform at Willian Blair.
Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) Started as Buy at Canaccord.
Foster Wheeler AG (NASDAQ: FWLT) Started as Buy at Canaccord.
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) Raised to Buy with $32 target at BB&T.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) Started as Outperform with $300 target at FBR.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) Started as Neutral at Janney.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) Cut to Hold at Needham.
Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) Cut to Sell with $25 target at Auriga.
Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) Cut to Market Perform at BMO Capital.
United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) Raised to Outperform at Willian Blair.
Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V) Started as Outperform with $115 target at FBR.

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JON C. OGG

Fifty-six percent of those surveyed believe that
transportation infrastructure will see the largest benefit and 43% picked alternative energy projects. The poll also noted that water infrastructure has experienced the largest increase since the previous survey in March — jumping 10 points to 21%.

When ChangeWave asked industry respondents about the current availability of stimulus funds.  Forty-one percent said availability is greater than it was 6 months ago and only 12% said that stimulus funds are less available than before.

Based on the findings of the poll, ChangeWave suggested that some of the beneficiaries of the trends might be Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), Fluor (NYSE:FLR), Siemens (NYSE:SI), GE (NYSE:GE), and Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI).

Douglas A. McIntyre