24/7 Wall St. » GLW

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AAPL, JCP, MCD, WMT, BWLD, AXE, EW, JNPR, NSC, NFX, AN, CWEI, GLW, HOG, LAD, LCC, CAT, CNH, BA)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:06:51 +0000

Markets opened higher this morning, led by the Nasdaq which got a big boost from the strong report last night from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). The report from the US Census Bureau on durable goods orders showed a decline in new orders (our coverage here), but Apple’s strength overcame that news. The EIA report on crude oil inventories showed a larger than expected gain this week, holding crude prices in check (our coverage here). The FOMC announcement held no surprises, with the committee indicating that it expects interest rates to remain very low through late 2014 (our coverage here). The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.18% at 79.083. The GSCI commodity index is up fractionally at 674.83, with commodities mixed on the slightly weaker dollar. WTI crude oil closed up 0.6% at $104.12/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 0.74% at $1119.03/barrel. Gold settled down -0.1% today, at $1,642.30/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 89 points to 13,090.95 (0.69%), the NASDAQ rose more than 68 points (2.3%) to 3,029.63, and the S&P 500 rose 1.37% or nearly 19 points to 1,390.70.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Apple raised to ‘outperform’ at Scotia and maintained ‘buy’ with a target price of $775 at Canaccord Genuity; J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) raised to ‘market perform’ at BMO; McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) started as ‘buy’ at Citigroup; Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; and Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Apple is up 8.9% at $610.02 (our coverage here); Anixter International Inc. (NYSE: AXE) is down -4% at $66.76; Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (NYSE: EW) is up 11.5% at $81.74; Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) is down -4% at $20.78; Norfolk Southern Corp. (NYSE: NSC) is up 3.6% at $72.77; Newfield Exploration Co. (NYSE: NFX) is up 5.2% at $35.47; AutoNation Inc. (NYSE: AN) is down -0.9% at $33.27; Clayton Williams Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: CWEI) is up 1.6% at $76.45; Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) is up 6.7% at $14.25; Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) is up 6.1% at $53.45 after posting a new 52-week high of $53.98 earlier today; Lithia Motors Inc. (NYSE: LAD) is up 7.4% at $26.84; and US Airways Group Inc. (NYSE: LCC) is up 2.5% at $9.55 (more coverage here).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is down -4.5% at $103.55. The heavy equipment maker reported declining sales in China as growth in the country has slowed, which led to the sell-off today.

CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH) is up 3.6% at $45.66. The farm equipment maker beat EPS estimates by almost 50% and sales were also higher.

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) is up 5.3% at $77.06. The aircraft maker reported solid earnings and revenues this morning. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Thursday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – New unemployment benefits claims
8:30 a.m. – Chicago Fed national activity index
10:00 a.m. – Pending home sales index
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
11:00 a.m. – Kansas City Fed manufacturing index
1:00 p.m. – 7-year note auction
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AAPL, AN, AXE, BA, BWLD, CAT, CNH, CWEI, EW, GLW, HOG, JCP, JNPR, LAD, LCC, MCD, NFX, NSC, WMT

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (FDX, WY, CMA, GLW, RDS-A, IDTI, MCK, PCL, CYOU, HUM, LAZ, L, SYY, SURW, CHUX, SOHU, GBG, DNDN)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:07:48 +0000

US equity markets opened lower this morning and never moved into positive territory all day. Greek debt swap negotiations made no discernible progress today and there was no scheduled data on tap to move the market one way or the other. The dollar picked up strength against the euro today, but faltered against the British pound and the Japanese yen. The dollar index rose 0.1385 to 79.051. Crude oil was mixed with WTI crude down -0.76% at $97.10/barrel and Brent crude up 1.39% at $116.17/barrel. Gold closed down -0.9% at $1,724.90/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down about 17 points to 12,845.20 (-0.13%), the NASDAQ fell almost 4 points (-0.13%) to 2,901.99, and the S&P 500 fell -0.04% or less than 1 point to 1,344.33.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) raised to ‘buy’ at BofA/ML; Weyerhaeuser Co. (NYSE: WY) cut to ‘sell’ at UBS; Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA) raised to ‘outperform’ at RBS; Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) raised to ‘outperform’ at Piper Jaffray; and Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE: RDS-A) cut to ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse.

Earnings reports since markets closed last week have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Integrated Device Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: IDTI) is down -0.98% at $6.60; McKesson Corp. (NYSE: MCK) is up 1.71% at $82.18; Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. (NYSE: PCL) is up 0.32% at $39.81; Changyou.com Ltd. (NASDAQ: CYOU) is down -12.43% at $25.50; Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is down -5.8% at $84.90; Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) is down -4.3% at $27.65; Loews Corp. (NYSE: L) is down -0.85% at $38.28; and Sysco Corp. (NYSE: SYY) is down -4% at $29.66.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

SureWest Communications (NASDAQ: SURW) is up more than 44% at $22.50 after posting a new 52-week high of $22.69 earlier. The telecom provider has agreed to be acquired by Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSL) for about $341 million, or $23/share.

O’Charley’s Inc. (NASDAQ: CHUX) is up nearly 42% at $9.81 after posting a new 52-week high of $9.88. The company has agreed to be acquired by Fidelity National Financial Inc. (NYSE: FNF) for $221 million, about $9.85/share.

Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) is down nearly -15% at $53.61. The Chinese internet company posted solid earnings, but its Q1 forecast was below expectations.

Great Basin Gold Ltd. (AMEX: GBG) is down -11% at $1.05. The junior gold miner reported preliminary results today that were worse than expected and lowered first quarter production estimates.

Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is up about 17.6% at $16.66. The drug maker is getting a boost from a negative report on a prostate cancer drug treatment that would compete with Dendreon’s Provenge.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke testifies before Senate Budget Committee. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

11:30 a.m. – 4- and 52-week Treasury bill auction
3:00 p.m. – Consumer credit report

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: CHUX, CMA, CYOU, DNDN, FDX, GBG, GLW, HUM, IDTI, L, LAZ, MCK, PCL, RDS-A, SOHU, SURW, SYY, WY

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AVAV, AET, ALU, ANN, CAH, CMA, GLW, FDX, JAKK, M, PNC, PPO, RDS-A, SKX, TEVA, UA, WY)

Administrator — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:29:51 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street brokerage and research firms this Monday morning.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Aetna, Inc. (NYSE: AET) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (NYSE: ALU) Cut to Sell at S&P Equity Research.
Ann Inc. (NYSE: ANN) Cut to Underperform at Barclays.
Cardinal Health Inc. (NYSE: CAH) Reiterated Buy with $52 price target at Argus.
Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA) Raised to Outperform at RBC.
Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) Cut to Market Perform at BMO.
Polypore International Inc. (NYSE: PPO) Raised to Outperform at Baird.
Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE: SKX) Raised to Neutral at Stern Agee.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NASDAQ: TEVA) Cut to Equal-weight at Morgan Stanley.
Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA) Reiterated Buy with $90 target at Argus.
Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) Cut to Sell at UBS.

If you enjoyed the top analyst calls, you can sign up in the box below to join our morning email list to receive news directly in your inbox each morning. We include major analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPO and M&A news, special situation developments, observations on Warren Buffett and key market gurus, as well as special exclusive feature stories.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AET, ALU, ANN, AVAV, CAH, CMA, FDX, GLW, JAKK, M, PNC, PPO, RDS-A, SKX, TEVA, UA, WY

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (GD, VALE, GMCR, GLW, CHK, ARG, ACAT, T, BMY, CAT, CY, LMT, MKC, MWW, POT, RTN, VIST, RNWK, MNTA, NFLX, EFSC)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:08:29 +0000

All three major US indexes opened higher this morning, but enthusiasm tapered off quickly and steadily, if not sharply. A drop in the number of new home sales and a smaller-than-expected rise in the leading economic indicators index. Hope that talks between Greece and its creditors would yield an agreement also pushed markets higher. But the weak housing report and no further news from Europe kept share prices moving down. WTI crude gained 0.35% at $99.75/barrel and Brent crude is up 1.02% at $110.93. Gold is higher by 1.27% at $1,724.60.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 22 points to 12,734.63 (-0.18%), the NASDAQ fell about 13 points (-0.46%) to 2,805.28, and the S&P 500 fell -0.57% or nearly 7 points to 1,318.45.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) cut to ‘perform’ at Oppenheimer; Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) cut to ‘hold’ at Deutsche Bank; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) started as ‘perform’ at Williams Capital; Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) cut to ‘underweight’ at Morgan Stanley; and Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) cut to ‘underweight’ at JPMorgan.

Earnings reports since markets closed on last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Airgas Inc. (NYSE: ARG) is down -3.66% at $77.29; Arctic Cat Inc. (NASDAQ: ACAT) is up more than 19% at $28.40 after posting a new 52-week high of $29.20 earlier today; AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is down -2.65% at $29.41; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) is down -0.92% at $32.40; Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is up 1.95% at $111.18; Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY) is down more than -11% at $17.03; Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) is up 0.95% at $82.51; McCormick & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MKC) is up 0.90% at $78.55; Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW) is down more than -20% at $7.18; Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (NYSE: POT) is up 1.61% at $45.96; and Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) is up 0.34% at $49.88.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

VIST Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: VIST) is up more than 62% at $11.20 after posting a new 52-week high of $11.50 earlier today. The bank holding company has agreed to be acquired by Tompkins Financial Corp. (AMEX: TMP) in an all-stock deal at an 86% premium to last night’s closing price, or about $85 million.

RealNetworks Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) is up more than 35% at $9.98. The digital media company has sold a video codec and a number of patents to Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) for $120 million.

Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTA) is down nearly -21% at $15.13. The biotechnology company lost its bid for an injunction against certain competitors.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is up about 22% at $116.01. The digital video streaming and rental company reported a better-than-expected number of new subscribers after markets closed last night.

Enterprise Financial Services Corp. (NASDAQ: EFSC) is down more than -19% at $12.51. The bank holding company will restate earnings for 2010 and the first three quarters of 2011 and expects to dilute 2010 earnings by half as a result.

Stay tuned for Friday. New York Fed President William Dudley is giving a speech in the morning. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – US GDP report
9:55 a.m. – Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close, The Day Tagged: ACAT, ARG, BMY, CAT, CHK, CY, EFSC, GD, GLW, GMCR, LMT, MKC, MNTA, MWW, NFLX, POT, RNWK, RTN, T, VALE, VIST

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADP, CHK, SCHW, GLW, ETFC, GD, GE, GMCR, NRGM, ITW, LRCX, LIFE, NFLX, NVDA, RYAAY, VALE)

Administrator — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:04:39 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street brokerage and research firms this Thursday morning.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE: ADP) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup; Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) Cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) Reiterated Buy with $22 Target at Argus.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) Started as Perform at Williams Capital.
Inergy Midstream, L.P. (NYSE: NRGM) Started as Outperform with $26 target at Credit Suisse.
Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) Maintained Outperform with $56 target price at Credit Suisse.
Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) Raised To Outperform From Market Perform By Leerink Swann
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Raised to Buy at Citigroup; Maintained Outperform and raised target to $125 at Credit Suisse.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) Raised to Positive at Susquehanna.
Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) Cut to Neutral at Nomura.
Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ADP,, CHK, ETFC, GD, GE, GLW, GMCR, ITW, LIFE, LRCX, NFLX, NRGM, NVDA, RYAAY, SCHW, VALE

Morning Movers (ILMN, ERIC, GLW, PJC, INCB)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:21:54 +0000

There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), LM Ericsson Telephone Co. (NASDAQ: ERIC), Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW), Piper Jaffray Cos. (NYSE: PJC), and Indiana Community Bancorp. (NASDAQ: INCB).

After the first half-hour of trading, Illumina is up nearly 39% at $52.35. Volume is about 6x the daily average of about 2.8 million shares traded.The genetic testing instrument maker is the target of a $5.7 billion hostile takeover offer from Roche Holdings AG.

LM Ericsson is down more than -15% at $8.68 after posting a new 52-week low of $8.67 earlier. Volume is already greater than the daily average of 4.3 million shares traded. The telecommunications company reported a huge profit drop on much weaker sales.

Corning is down nearly -10% at $13.19. Volume is already about 75% of the average daily volume of 20.5 million shares traded. The specialty glass and ceramics maker reported so-so earnings this morning, but forecast weaker prices for the year ahead.

Piper Jaffray is down more than -10% at $22.22. Volume is about 50% of the daily average of about 200,000 shares traded. The investment broker missed both earnings and revenue estimates in the fourth quarter.

Indiana Community Bancorp is up nearly 45% at $21.03, a new 52-week high. Volume is already more than 40x the daily average of just 1,700 shares traded. The bank holding company has agreed to be acquired by Old National Bancorp (NYSE: ONB) in an all-stock transaction.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Roundups, The Day Tagged: ERIC, GLW, ILMN, INCB, PJC

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (RIMM, QCOM, AMAT, HPQ, NFLX, TIF, MAGS, RIMM, STX, INHX, GLW, AMR)

Administrator — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:04:39 +0000

Markets opened higher this morning but the day ended up mixed between stock winners and losers. Janet Yellen talked more about her outlook inside the Federal Reserve, but more poor housing price data was considered. As has become the norm, the headlines in Europe were watched all day and the reaction to Iran overrunning the U.K. embassy had only a limited impact.

The unofficial closing bells, which are likely to change, put the DJIA up almost 34 points to 11,556.69, the NASDAQ fell 0.5% to 2,515.51 and the S&P 500 was up 0.23% at $1,195.22.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) raised to ‘market perform’ at Bernstein. Other ratings actions included Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) started as ‘outperform’ at Scotia; Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) started as ‘hold’ at Deutsche Bank; Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) raised to ‘outperform’ at RBC; and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) maintained as ‘sell’ and price target cut to $57 at Canaccord Genuity.

Here are today’s big post-earnings reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) is down almost 8.7% at $67.25 right before the close. Magal Security Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: MAGS) was up over 70% at %4.58 right before the closing bell after strong earnings. Other news of interest includes the reverse split and delisting of B+H Ocean Carriers Ltd. on the Amex, a further sign of troubles facing the shipping industry. Several other standouts from today are as follows…

Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) was up almost 6% at $17.46 in the final minutes as that analyst upgrade identified a merger scenario.

Seagate Technology PLC (NYSE: STX) was up 4% at $16.64 in the final minutes. The storage drive maker raised its revenue outlook for the current quarter, and an analyst at Citi raised the company’s price target from $24 to $26.

Inhibitex, Inc. (NASDAQ: INHX) was up as it benefits from the current interest in hepatitis drug developers, and shares were up 20.5% at $13.74 in the final minutes before the close.

Corning Inc . (NYSE: GLW) was pounded lower with shares down 10.5% after the company lowered its fourth-quarter outlook and said that an unnamed Korean customer was not going to honor its contracts, sending earnings estimates down by -30%. This Korean contract default was not in any analyst models and that was not an expected event even if the warning should have been expected.

AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) was the loser of the day… bankruptcy! Shares were down just over 80% at $0.813 right before the close.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. We have noted the following events (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications report
7:30 a.m. – Challenger job-cut report
8:15 a.m. – ADP employment report
9:45 a.m. – Chicago purchasing manager’s index
10:00 a.m. – National Association of Realtors pending home sales report
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
2:00 p.m. – Federal Reserve Beige Book released
3:00 p.m. – US Department of Agriculture Farm Prices report

JON C. OGG

Filed under: The Day, Trading Alert Tagged: AMAT, AMR, GLW, HPQ, INHX, MAGS, NFLX, QCOM, RIMM, STX, TIF

Corning Shares Remain A Bargain (GLW)

Administrator — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:40:38 +0000

Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) has been recovering since we added to our portfolio of oversold stocks for our free newsletter subscribers, but the stock still has room to the upside and can be purchased on pullbacks. The former “Glassworks” is around $15.40 rather than the $14.54 when we sent it to our newsletter readers because we were faster to the punch than Barron’s was in its defense of the stock.

Investors need to consider that the 52-week range is $11.51 to $23.43 and the consensus analyst price target is roughly $18.30. Corning is now worth about $24.5 billion but it offers something for every type of investor. This one offers upside in technology from consumer electronics, flat panel monitors, smartphones and on. It is already a given that glass sales this holiday season will be “challenging” as we have heard about twice from Corning.

Competitors also want to take away some market share as well as they have always wanted to. Still, Corning has managed to remain the independent leader and this stock is barely above its tangible book value. It is a value stock and the company is doing what it can to keep shareholders interested even if times are not exactly booming.

Corning is the best of its class in advanced glass if you think about Gorilla Glass. The company just recently has boosted its dividend and announced an aggressive $1.5 billion share repurchase program. We would not be surprised if shares pulled back in and that is where your opportunity is. The buyback may even be a “market put option” that acts as a floor under the stock down under the $14.00 level. Insiders have been buying stock as well.
Corning always tends to get oversold during times of uncertainty and it always seems to bounce back handily. With shares barely at 9-times expected earnings, the bar is currently set very low and we look for Corning to return to the $20 area as things normalize.

This was one of seven oversold picks poised for a comeback which was offered recently to our readers who sign up for our free daily newsletter service. Each morning’s free newsletter is sent by email and includes the top news headlines, shows the top 15 or so analyst upgrades and downgrades, covers activist investor and insider trading, and offer key trading alerts for investors. Sign up in the box below.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Dividend, PC Companies, Stock Buybacks, Technology Companies, Value Investing Tagged: GLW

24/7 Closing Bell (BA, GLW, AMZN, FSLR, MMM, BBBY, NYT, AEP, COP, EXC, CPX, LNG, FFCH, RTK, HGSI, DV, RSH)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:07:26 +0000

Markets opened higher this morning on renewed hope for a deal on Europe’s debt debacle. At a meeting of EU leaders, the group approved a 9% capital buffer to go into effect by June 2012. That’s a start, but hardly the end of the long-running disagreement on how the continent should deal with its banking problems. Stocks got a boost from solid earnings from Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW). Oil prices have dropped more than $2.50/barrel following the weekly EIA report that US crude inventories increased by 4.7 million barrels. New home sales were also up for the first time in five months, following price cuts averaging 3.1%.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly more than 162 points to 11,869.04 (1.39%), the NASDAQ rose more than 12 points (0.46%) to 2.650.67, and the S&P 500 rose 1.05% or nearly 13 points to 1,241.97.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including target price and estimate cuts on Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) at BofA/ML, but the firm maintained its ‘Buy’ rating on the stock. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) was maintained at ‘buy’ with a raised target price of $70 at Argus; First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) was cut to ‘hold’ at both Kaufman and Jefferies, and cut to ‘sell’ at S&P Capital IQ; 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) was lowered to ‘market perform’ at William Blair; and The New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) was cut to ‘neutral’ by Citigroup.

Here are today’s big post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Boeing is up more than 5% at $66.91; Corning is up 3.6% at $14.22; American Electric Power Co. Inc. (NYSE: AEP) is up 0.67%, at $38.91; ConocoPhillips Corp. (NYSE: COP) is up nearly 2%, at $72.03; Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC) is up 1%, at $42.75; and Complete Production Services, Inc. (NYSE: CPX) is up slightly, at $31.06, after trading lower for most of the day.

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (AMEX: LNG) is up about 70%, to $10.41. The company signed a 20-year agreement with BG Group plc to sell the British company 3.5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas annually. The deal is worth about $8 billion, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2015.

First Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFCH) is up more than 24%, at $6.76. The company has sold $198 million of some performing loans and other classified assets.

Rentech, Inc. (AMEX: RTK) is up more than 25%, to $1.51. The company successfully launched an IPO today of Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P. (NYSE: RNF) at an offering price of $15-$19/share. RTK owns about 61% of RNF and all of the general partner interests in the new company.

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) is down about -21%, at $10.05, after posting anew 52-week low of $9.68 earlier in the day. The company reported weak earnings today, and its lupus drug failed to meet already low sales expectations.

DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV) is down-17%, at $38.36. The company’s earnings failed to meet analysts’ estimates and enrollment also declined in its undergraduate degree programs.

Radioshack Corp. (NYSE: RSH) is down nearly -12%, at $11.80. The company missed earnings expectations as it transitions from being a T-Mobile reseller to a Verizon Wireless reseller.

Stay tuned for Thursday. We have noted the following events (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Third quarter GDP report
8:30 a.m. – Unemployment claims
10:00 a.m. – Pending home sales from National Association of Realtors
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas report
1:00 p.m. – Seven-year US Treasury note auction
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet released

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Market Close Tagged: AEP, AMZN, BA, BBBY, COP, CPX, DV, EXC, FFCH, FSLR, GLW, HGSI, LNG, MMM, NYT, RSH, RTK

Bringing the Apple Television Set to Life (AAPL, GLW)

Administrator — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:23:13 +0000

Everyone is still in love with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and many question how many years the products will have the hand and love of Steve Jobs still in them. Reports from his biography this week have pointed to an Asian manufacturer finally being able to bring a true Apple Television to market. Let’s dub it the real iTV.

This is not the $100 Apple TV box that streams media. The actual television set.

Some detail came out this week on CNBC and other outlets. The research team at Jefferies is calling for an iTV to hit in 2012 that allows for cloud-based streaming of all media to an Apple television set. Pacific Crest discussed it on Monday as well. Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray is calling for a product introduction late in 2012 or in 2013.

Bloomberg has also joined in and noted that one of the head creators of iTunes, Jeff Robin, is leading this effort now after reports that Steve Jobs told his biographer that he had cracked the design for an integrated TV along with wireless content connectivity with other Apple devices. This would go far beyond the “hobby status” that Steve Jobs joked about before.

If the company waits another year, maybe they will hit the next TV upgrade cycle to boot. TV sales in 2011 are expected to stink for the holidays. This would almost certainly help a company like Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) out as it deals with a slower holiday season ahead.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Consumer Electronics, Entertainment, Media Tagged: AAPL, GLW