24/7 Wall St. » HELE

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — January 9, 2013: Markets Open Higher, Reverse Two-day Slide (AA, MON, DNKN, NFLX, RL, SYY, APOL, STZ, GBX, HELE, RT, TXI, SVU, CSIQ, NOK, CLWR, DISH, S, HLF)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:04:18 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning following a better-than-expected quarterly earnings report from Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA). There was not a lot of economic data out today, so corporate earnings had to push share prices higher. In Europe, the data was decidedly mixed: German industrial production was lower than forecast; the U.K. trade deficit was a bit larger than expected; and ;the eurozone’s final third quarter GDP reading showed the expected 0.1% contraction. In Asia, the Bank of Japan is reportedly going to adopt a 2% inflation target and double its asset purchase program. South Korea’s unemployment rate is unchanged at 3%.

The U.S. dollar index rose 0.23% today, now at 80.538. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.2% at 650.18, with commodities prices mixed again today. WTI crude oil closed essentially unchanged today, at $93.10 a barrel, following today’s report of a 1.3 million barrel increase in crude stocks (more coverage here). Brent crude trades down about 0.3% at $111.67 a barrel. Natural gas is down 3.2% today at about $3.12 per million BTUs. Gold settled dow 0.4% today at $1,655.50 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up about 2 points to 13,390.90 (0.47%), the NASDAQ rose about 14 points (0.45%) to 3,105.81, and the S&P 500 rose 0.26% or nearly 4 points to 1,461.01.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades of note today, including Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) raised to ‘buy’ with a price target of $114 at Argus; Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN) raised to ‘buy’ at Janney; Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) maintained as ‘underperform’ but price target raised to $68 at BofA/Merrill Lynch; Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) raised to ‘outperform’ at Macquarie; and Sysco Corp. (NYSE: SYY) cut to ‘underweight’ at Morgan Stanley.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in some price moves today, including these as of the last half hour of trading: Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) is unchanged at $9.10 (more coverage here); Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) is down 7.4% at $19.39 (more coverage here); Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) is down 0.6% at $35.84 (more coverage here); Greenbrier Companies Inc. (NYSE: GBX) is up 3.6% at $17.89 (more coverage here); and Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) is up 2.7% at $34.44.

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT), Texas Industries Inc. (NYSE: TXI), and Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is up 18.6% at $4.39. The Chinese solar panel maker is leading solar stocks higher today, following a Chinese government announcement that the country will install 10,000 megawatts of solar power generation this year. More coverage here.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is down 7.9% at $3.73. The mobile phone maker had no news today, but chatter about a cheap iPhone can’t be helping the stock price.

Clearwire Corp. (NASDAQ: CLWR) is up 7.7% at $3.15. The wireless carrier received a counter-bid from Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) to the offer from majority owner Sprint Nextel Inc. (NYSE: S). More coverage here.

Herbalife Inc. (NYSE: HLF) is up 3.8% at $39.82. The weight loss and nutritional supplement seller picked up a supporter today, with a large purchase of its stock by private equity firm Third Point LLC. Reuters reported late today that the SEC has opened an inquiry into the company. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Kansas City Fed President Esther George, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, and Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefit
10:00 a.m. – Wholesale trade
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
1:00 p.m. – 30-year note auction
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AA, APOL, CLWR, CSIQ, DISH, DNKN, GBX, HELE, HLF, MON, NFLX, NOK, RL, RT, S, STZ, SVU, SYY, TXI

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — January 8, 2013: Markets Open Lower, Stay Down all Day (AA, BHI, EMC, RTN, GNW, CELG, MON, RPM, APOL, STZ, GBX, HELE, SCHN, FIO, SCTY)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:04:11 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened lower this morning and remained down throughout the day. The likely reason for the downturn is lowered expectations for corporate earnings which will get off the blocks after markets close today with results for Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA). In Europe, eurozone unemployment came in about as expected at 11.8% (more coverage here) and Greece’s four largest banks are said to be considering asking for more recapitalization funds. In Asia, markets closed mostly lower in sympathy with yesterday’s weak performance on U.S. markets. China reported that its iron ore inventory rose to 74.7 million metric tons in the first week of January, the first rise in stockpiles in nearly three months. This afternoon’s report on consumer credit showed that consumer borrowing rose by $16.1 billion in November, mostly on a jump in student loan and auto loan borrowing.

The U.S. dollar index rose 0.11% today, now at 80.347. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.3% at 648.69, with commodities prices mixed today. WTI crude oil closed essentially unchanged today, at $93.15 a barrel. Brent crude trades up fractionally at $112.08 a barrel. Natural gas is down 1.3% today at about $3.22 per million BTUs. Gold settled up 1% today at $1,662.20 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 55 points to 13,328.92 (-0.41%), the NASDAQ fell about 7 points (-0.23%) to 3,091.81, and the S&P 500 fell -0.32% or nearly 5 points to 1,457.17.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades of note today, including Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) cut to ‘neutral’ at Sterne Agee (more coverage here); EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) cut to ‘market perform’ at William Blair; Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) cut to ‘neutral’ at J.P. Morgan; Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW) cut to ‘underperform’ at Credit Suisse; and Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ: CELG) raised to ‘overweight’ at Piper Jaffray, raised to ‘outperform’ at RBC, and reiterated as ‘buy’ with a price target of $95 at Argus.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in some price moves today, including these as of the last half hour of trading: Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) is up 2.4% at $98.26 after posting a new 52-week high of $99.99 earlier today (more coverage here) and RPM International Inc. (NYSE: RPM) is down 1.4% at $30.14.

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL), Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ), Greenbrier Companies Inc. (NYSE: GBX), and Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: SCHN) is down 8.3% at $29.26. The steel maker posted a quarterly loss this morning, mainly as a result of weak U.S. economic growth.

Fusion-io Inc. (NYSE: FIO) is down 10.1% at $19.06. The data storage platform company got a ratings downgrade from ‘market perform’ to ‘neutral’, which sent investors heading for the exits.

SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY) is down 8.5% at $14.62, after posting a new post-IPO high of $16.94 earlier today. The solar panel installation firm had no news today, so the downward move is likely the result of some profit taking.

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

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 10-year note auction

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AA, APOL, BHI, CELG, EMC, FIO, GBX, GNW, HELE, MON, RPM, RTN, SCHN, SCTY, STZ

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — October 10, 2012: Markets Slide Again (HD, QCOM, DLTR, ARMH, JCI, AA, YUM, COST, HELE, HST, RT, SWY, WGO, OCZ, AUG, TRLG, SIRI)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:05:34 +0000

The three major U.S. stock indexes opened about flat this morning following rather lackluster trading in Asia and Europe. There was little economic data out today, although both France and Italy turned in better-than-expected industrial production increases. In China, a report that the government would subsidize auto purchases among rural residents sent markets higher, while Japanese markets were lower on weaker auto sales in China. U.S. economic data got off to a somewhat slow start with a slight decline in mortgage applications (more coverage here). This afternoon’s auction of 10-year Treasurys (more coverage here) and the release of the Fed’s Beige Book, which noted a “modest” expansion in the U.S. economy (more coverage here), were not enough to light a fire under buyers.

The U.S. dollar index rose today, now down 0.06% at 79.904. The GSCI commodity index is up 1.6% at 667.25, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil closed down 1.2% today, at $91.25 a barrel. Brent crude trades down 0.2% at $114.31 a barrel. Natural gas is up 0.3% today to $3.476 per thousand cubic feet. Gold closed at $1,765.10 an ounce, up just $0.10 an ounce, but the first rise in three days.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 128 points to 13,344.97 (-0.95%), the NASDAQ fell more than 13 points (-0.43%) to 3,051.78, and the S&P 500 fell -0.62% or nearly 9 points to 1,432.57.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) cut to ‘perform’ at Oppenheimer; Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) raised to ‘outperform’ at BNP Paribas; Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) raised to ‘outperform’ at Wells Fargo; ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARMH) started as ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; and Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) cut to ‘neutral’ at BofA/ML.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in some price moves today, including these as of the last half hour of trading: Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) is down 4.7% at $8.70 (more coverage here); Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) is up 7.7% at $70.79 (more coverage here); Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) is up 1.9% at $101.50 after posting a new 52-week high of $104.43 earlier today (more coverage here); Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) is down 12.2% at $28.05 (more coverage here); and Host Hotels and Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST) is up 1.3% at $15.73.

Before markets open tomorrow we are scheduled to hear from Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT), Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY), and Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

OCZ Technology Group Inc. (NASDAQ: OCZ) is down 40.6% at $1.87 after posting a new 52-week low of $1.79 earlier today. The solid-state drive company will file quarterly results late and revenues will be lower. More coverage here.

AuRico Gold Inc. (NYSE: AUQ) is up 20.2% at $7.72. The junior gold miner sold a Mexican mine and a stake in another property for $750 million in cash.

True Religion Apparel Inc. (NASDAQ: TRLG) is up 21.8% at $25.59. The clothing retailer said today that it is exploring strategic alternatives. More coverage here.

Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is up 4.2% at $2.74 after posting a new 52-week high of $2.75 earlier today. The satellite radio company raised guidance on subscriber numbers today. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Fed Governor Jeremy Stein, Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser and St. Louis Fed President James Bullard are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – International trade
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
8:30 a.m. – Import and export prices
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
11:00 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 30-year note auction
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AA, ARMH, AUG, COST, DLTR, HD, HELE, HST, JCI, OCZ, QCOM, RT, SIRI, SWY, TRLG, WGO, YUM

Helen of Troy Not So Beautiful Today

Paul Ausick — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:08:32 +0000

Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) reported second-quarter 2013 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.72 on net sales of $287.41 million. In the same period a year ago, the consumer products company reported adjusted EPS of $0.74 on sales of $277.42 million. Fourth-quarter results compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for earnings of $0.85 per share and $310 million in revenue.

The company’s CEO said:

Similar to other global consumer products companies, we faced many challenges in light of continuing consumer uncertainty and global economic problems. We are pleased that we were able to achieve growth in net sales revenue, operating income and EBITDA without share-based compensation, in a challenging retail sales environment.

Helen of Troy lowered its full-year EPS guidance to a range of $3.50 to $3.60. The company did not change revenue expectations of $1.3 billion to $1.325 billion. The consensus estimates called for full-year EPS of $3.76 on revenues of $1.31 billion.

Gross profit increased slightly, from 40.5% last year to 40.7% this year. SG&A expenses rose slightly as well, from 29.5% to 30%. But the big impact on net income came from increased tax expenses, which rose from $1.94 million in the same period a year ago to $4.77 million this year. The company attributed the rise to “an increase in the proportion of taxable income in higher tax rate jurisdictions” as a result of recent acquisitions.

Helen of Troy owns and licenses a number of consumer brands, including Revlon, Dr. Scholl’s, Vicks and Braun.

The company’s shares are down about 6% in premarket trading at $30.00. The 52-week range is $25.47 to $35.35. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of around $36.00 before today’s report.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Product, Earnings Tagged: HELE

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — October 9, 2012: Markets Slide Continues as Earnings Season Kicks Off (AAPL, JNJ, LAZ, NFLX, RSH, AA, YUM, COST, HELE, HST, VRNG, GOOG, ANR, BSDM, EW)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:02:52 +0000

The three major U.S. stock indexes opened lower this morning following a lowered forecast on global economic growth from the International Monetary Fund (more coverage here). In Asia, Japanese markets are concerned over earnings at the country’s carmakers, while Chinese markets got a boost on the ever-present hope that the government would introduce another round of stimulus into the country’s economy. The energy sector, particularly oil prices, were higher over worries about the worsening relations between Turkey and Syria, which overrode the weaker economic news. Today’s auction of three-year U.S. Treasurys saw yields remain near record lows (more coverage here).

The U.S. dollar index rose today, now up 0.56% at 79.989. The GSCI commodity index is down 0.4% at 656.64, with commodities prices mostly higher today on the rising dollar. WTI crude oil closed up 3.4% today, at $92.39 a barrel. Brent crude trades 2.32% at $114.41 a barrel. Natural gas is up 2% today to $3.47 per thousand cubic feet. Gold closed at $1,765.00 an ounce, down 0.6%.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down about 109 points to 13,474.45 (-0.80%), the NASDAQ fell more than 47 points (-1.52%) to 3,065.02, and the S&P 500 fell 0.98% or more than 14 points to 1,441.49.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reiterated as ‘outperform’ with a target price of $750 at Credit Suisse (more coverage here); Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) cut to ‘sell’ at Goldman Sachs; Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) started as ‘sell’ at UBS and cut to ‘market perform’ at KBW; Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) cut to ‘underperform’ with a target price of $72 at BofA/ML (more coverage here); and RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH) raised to ‘buy’ at BofA/ML (more coverage here).

There have been no earnings reports of note since the markets closed on last nigh. After the markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) (more coverage here), Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM), Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE), and Host Hotels and Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Vringo Inc. (NYSEMKT: VRNG) is down 15.6% at $4.58. The intellectual property firm today commenced the hearing phase of its patent lawsuit against Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG).

Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: ANR) is up 7.2% at $7.27. Coal mining stocks got a boost in general today as cooler weather and rising natural gas prices combine to raise hopes for coal.

BSD Medical Corp. (NASDAQ: BSDM) is up 72% at $2.03. The medical equipment maker today announced that sales of a cancer treatment system increased by nearly 400% in September compared with September 2011.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (NYSE: EW) is down 20.4% at $85.55. The drugmaker reported that sales for the recent quarter would be lower than forecast. For a contrarian viewpoint, see our coverage here.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota and Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher are giving speeches in the afternoon. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
10:00 a.m. – Wholesale trade
11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction
1:00 p.m. – 10-year note auction
2:00 p.m. – Beige book
2:00 p.m. – Treasury budget

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AA, AAPL, ANR, BSDM, COST, EW, GOOG, HELE, HST, JNJ, LAZ, NFLX, RSH, VRNG, YUM

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — July 10, 2012: Market Declines on Weak Profits, More Warnings

Paul Ausick — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:08:53 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened higher this morning on reports of a new bailout for Spanish banks and a 24-basis point drop on 10-year Spanish bond yields (our coverage here). The dollar strengthened throughout the day, but it could be that early earnings results were simply not encouraging looking forward. Commodities prices dropped as did crude prices on the rising dollar. The news from China on falling imports was out early this morning and likely contributed something to the overall weakness in the market today (our coverage here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.31% at 83.416. The GSCI commodity index also rose, up about 1.8% at 615.94, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil fell -0.9% today, closing at $85.25/barrel. Brent crude trades down -2.4% at $97.91/barrel, as a lockout in Norway’s North Sea fields was averted (our coverage here). Natural gas is down -4.8% today to $2.744/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled down -0.6%, at $1,579.80/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 83 points to 12,653.12 (-0.65%), the NASDAQ fell more than 29 points (-1.00%) to 2,902.33, and the S&P 500 fell -0.81% or nearly 11 points to 1,341.47.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) raised to ‘buy’ at Nomura; J.C. Penney Company Inc. (NYSE: JCP) maintained as ‘neutral’ but estimates cut at Credit Suisse; Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) raised to ‘buy’ at Sterne Agee; and Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) is down -4.6% at $8.36; WD-40 Co. (NASDAQ: WDFC) is down -4.2% at $48.33; Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) is down -13.1% at $29.59; Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE: SHAW) is down -9.9% at $25.59; Wolverine World Wide Inc. (NYSE: WWW) is up 6.6% at $40.86; and SemiLEDS Corp. (NASDAQ: LEDS) is down -5% at $2.64 after posting a new 52-week low of $2.50 earlier today.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from Adtran Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN), Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR), and Texas Industries Inc. (NYSE: TXI).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

James River Coal Co. (NASDAQ: JRCC) is down -27.5% at $2.08. The coal miner is suffering the confirmation this morning of the bankruptcy filing by Patriot Coal Corp. (NYSE: PCX). More coverage here.

MAKO Surgical Corp. (NASDAQ: MAKO) is down -43.1% at $14.01 after posting a new 52-week low of $14.00 earlier today. The medical device maker cut its estimate on sales of its orthopedic robotic arm system.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) is down -11.5% at $4.97. The semiconductor maker lowered its quarterly earnings forecast. More coverage here.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) is down -7.4% at $18.50. The natural gas producer’s shares went ex-dividend today in advance of the company’s dividend payment of $0.0875 on July 31st.

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

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
8:30 a.m. – International trade data
10:00 a.m. – Wholesale trade data
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 10-year note auction
2:00 p.m. – FOMC minutes released

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AA, ADTN, AMD, AXP, CHK, HELE, ITRI, JCP, JRCC, LEDS, LTD, LUV, MAKO, MAR, PCX, SHAW, TSN, TXI, WDFC, WWW

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — July 6, 2012: Equities Soft on China Slowdown, European Debt

Paul Ausick — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:09:13 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning following report from China that it has cut inflation to an annualized rate of 2.2% in June (our coverage here). Lower inflation, however, brings with it lower production, with China particularly weighed down by lack of export demand from Europe. And in Europe, Spanish 10-year bond yields moved back to 7% (our coverage here). The Federal Reserve’s report on consumer credit showed that revolving credit rose 11.25% in May, about double the expected increase, with non-revolving debt up $9.1billion and revolving debt up $8 billion (more coverage here).

The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.2% at 83.151. The GSCI commodity index also fell, down -2.5% at 605.15, with commodities prices all higher today. WTI crude oil rose 1.8% today, closing at $85.99/barrel. Brent crude trades up 1.77% at $99.93/barrel, as a lockout appears imminent in Norway’s North Sea fields (our coverage here). Natural gas is up 3.9% today to $2.884/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled up 0.7%, at $1,589.10/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down about 36 points to 12,736.29 (-0.28%), the NASDAQ fell more than 5 points (-0.19%) to 2,931.77, and the S&P 500 fell -0.16% or more than 2 points to 1,352.46.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including an unusual number of ‘sell’ ratings: Boston Beer Co. (NYSE: SAM) cut to ‘sell’ at UBS; Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) cut to ‘sell’ at UBS; Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) cut to ‘sell’ at Visa Inc.; TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: AMTD) cut to ‘sell’ at Goldman Sachs; and State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT) cut to ‘neutral’ at Goldman Sachs.

There were no earnings reports of note today, but a new earnings season kicks off with Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) reporting after the markets close this afternoon. Other companies reporting on Monday include Healthcare Services Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HCSG) and WD-40 Co. (NASDAQ: WDFC).

Tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from SemiLEDS Corp. (NASDAQ: LEDS) Wolverine World Wide Inc. (NYSE: WWW), Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE: SHAW), Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE). And here’s a look at some key earnings to watch this week.

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Amerigroup Corp. (NYSE: AGP) is up XX% at $XX after posting a new 52-week high of $XX earlier today. The health care services company is being acquired by Wellpoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP). More coverage here and here.

FX Alliance Inc. (NYSE: FX) is up XX% at $XX. The foreign exchange platform supplier is being acquired by Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI).

Bridgepoint Education Inc. (NYSE: BPI) is down -XX% at $XX. The for-profit education company was denied accreditation and faces a December deadline to renew its existing accreditation. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard is giving a speech. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:30 a.m. – National Federation of Independent Business optimism index
11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction
1:00 p.m. – 3-year note auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: General Tagged: AA, AGP, AMTD, BPI, featured, FX, HCSG, HELE, LEDS, MA, SAM, STT, TRI, V, WDFC, WLP, WWW

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (PM, SNDK, BIDU, AMZN, ALU, ELY, CLWR, DECK, WY, TRP, GT, PG, NWL, MRK, HELE, F, COV, CVX, MDRX, EXPE, WDC)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:05:47 +0000

Markets opened higher this morning following a lower-than-expected GDP growth estimate of 2.2%. That was weaker, but not awful (our coverage here). The consumer sentiment survey rose a couple of ticks in April, but Americans still believe the future will better than the present (our coverage here). The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.25% at 78.725. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.07% at 682.08, with commodities mostly higher on the slightly weaker dollar. WTI crude oil closed up 0.4% at $104.93/barrel, and Brent crude trades down -0.23% at $119.64/barrel. Gold settled up 0.3% today, at $1,664.80/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 24 points to 13,228.24 (0.18%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 19 points (0.61%) to 3,069.20, and the S&P 500 rose 0.24% or more than 3 points to 1,403.37.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) reiterated as ‘buy’ and target price raised to $94 at Argus; SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) raised to ‘buy’ at Jefferies; Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) maintained as ‘neutral’ but target price cut at Credit Suisse; Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) raised to ‘buy’ at BofA/ML, Nomura, and Goldman Sachs; and Alcatel-Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU) maintained as ‘underperform’ and estimates cut at Jefferies.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Amazon.com is up 15.6% at $226.64; Callaway Golf Co. (NYSE: ELY) is down -14.9% at $5.94 (our coverage here); Clearwire Corp. (NASDAQ: CLWR) is down -2.7% at $1.43; Deckers Outdoor Corp. (NASDAQ: DECK) is down -25.5% at $51.78 after posting a new 52-week low of $51.03 (our coverage here); Weyerhaeuser Corp. (NYSE: WY) is down -0.3% at $20.81 (more coverage here); TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP) is up 0.5% at $44.01; The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: GT) is down -5.1% at $11.32; Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) is down -4% at $64.18 (our coverage here); Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE: NWL) is up 3.6% at $18.61; Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) is down -0.2% at $38.38; Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) is up 4.4% at $35.33; Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is down -2.1% at $11.62 (our coverage here); and Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) is up 0.5% at $55.32.

Be sure to look at our list of next week’s big earnings.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) is up 0.2% at $106.44. The supermajor oil company reported earnings in line, but production was down. More coverage here.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: MDRX) is down -36% at $10.25 after posting a new 52-week low of $9.00. The healthcare services provider fired its chairman, and the list of woes goes on. More coverage here.

Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is up 24.4% at $40.59. The Internet travel company posted better-than-expected quarterly results. More coverage here.

Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) is down -14.2% at $37.83. The disk drive maker had solid earnings, but worries abound about next quarter. More coverage here.

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

8:30 a.m. – Personal income and spending
9:45 a.m. – Chicago PMI
10:30 a.m. – Dallas Fed manufacturing survey
11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month bill auctions
3:00 p.m. – Farm Prices

Have a great weekend!

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ALU, AMZN, BIDU, CLWR, COV, CVX, DECK, ELY, EXPE, F, GT, HELE, MDRX, MRK, NWL, PG, PM, SNDK, TRP, WDC, WY

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (BRCM, NFLX, NOK, GOOG, VMW, STZ, MON, WOR, HELE, DNDN, ACOM, ZUMZ, OSH, BKS, AEO)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:05:34 +0000

US markets opened lower today and finally managed modest gains by mid-afternoon. News from Europe on the reluctance of banks to lend, coupled with an higher-than-expected yield on a French bond issue were not outweighed by encouraging employment news in the US. The ISM services index came in lower than expected, and mid-morning reports on US energy inventories sent natural gas and WTI crude oil prices lower. WTI crude is down about -1.4% at $101.73/barrel and Brent crude is down about -1% at $112.65/barrel. Gold is up more than 0.5% at $1,621.80.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 3 points to 12,415.70 (-0.02%), the NASDAQ rose more than 21 points (0.81%) to 2,669.86, and the S&P 500 rose 0.29% or nearly 4 points to 1,281.05.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) maintained ‘buy’ with a $46 target price at Argus; Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) maintained ‘underperform’ and estimates cut at Needham; Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) cut to ‘hold’ at Benchmark; and VMWare Inc. (NYSE: VMW) started as ‘buy’ at Sterne Agee.

Earnings reports of note since markets closed yesterday include: Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) is down about -3.5% at $19.72; Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) is up more than 5.5% at $76.70; Worthington Industries Inc. (NYSE: WOR) is down -0.6% at $17.55; and Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) is up more than 4% at $32.73.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is up nearly 40% at $10.61. The biotech company reported a sales jump of 25% for its prostate cancer drug. The company is one of our top biotech picks for 2012.

Ancestry.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOM) is up more than 21% at $27.69. The internet genealogy provider reported a 22% rise in subscribers and forecast sales growth for 2012 of more than 14%.

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) is up nearly 17% at $30.74 after posting a new 52-week high earlier of $30.94. The sports apparel company reported a 10% same-store sales gain and raised guidance this morning. See our coverage here.

Orchard Supply Hardware Stores (NYSE: OSH) is down nearly -25% at $16.70. The home improvement store held its IPO on Monday and today provided a weak outlook for 2012.

Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is down more than -17% at $11.25. The bookstore chain said today that it is considering spinning off its Nook e-reader unit as a strategic option. Our coverage is available here.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is down more than -10% at $13.61. The clothing retailer slashed its fourth-quarter profit guidance by nearly a quarter.

Stay tuned for Friday. Federal Reserve Governors Elizabeth Duke and Sarah Bloom Raskin are speaking, as are Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren and New York Fed President William Dudley. Here are the noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Employment reports, including non-farm payrolls
3:00 p.m. – US Treasury STRIPS

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ACOM, AEO, BKS, BRCM, DNDN, GOOG, HELE, MON, NFLX, NOK, OSH, STZ, VMW, WOR, ZUMZ

Top Earnings Previews For The Week Ahead (ATVI, HL, LDK, RAX, SLW, TSN, CSIQ, DF, HELE, JASO, MCP, STEC, DIS, WEN, MT, CSCO, M, SYMC, TEVA, TM, JWN, NVDA, SPWRA, URBN)

Jon C. Ogg — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:35:59 +0000

Earnings season is slowing down as we have over 80% of the S&P 500 companies having reported earnings for the first quarter of 2011. We do still have key companies reporting earnings and we wanted to highlight these with detailed previews. You will notice at the end that many solar companies are reporting earnings as well.

Our key earnings previews are in the following: Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI); Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL); LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK); Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX); Silver Wheaton Corporation (NYSE: SLW); Tyson Food, Inc. (NYSE: TSN); Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ); Dean Foods Co. (NYSE: DF); Helen of Troy Corporation (NASDAQ: HELE); JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO); Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP); STEC Inc. (NASDAQ: STEC); The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS); Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. (NYSE: WEN); ArcelorMittal SA (NYSE: MT); Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO); Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M); Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC); Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA); Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM); Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN); NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA); SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA); and Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN).

We have provided more detailed previews on the major stocks and the sector-moving stocks and just added in color on the rest. Included on all are price action and Thomson Reuters estimates.

Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) follows EA and expectations will be high now that EA performed well this last week. It reports on Monday after the Close of trading. Thomson Reuters has estimates of -$0.36 EPS and $515.06 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.15 EPS and $925.93 million in revenues. With shares at $21.78 late Friday the 52-week range is $14.06 to $22.17 and that $22.17 high was hit on Friday.

Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) will be key to watch after its big drop this last week. It is due to report Monday morning. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.13 EPS and $118.57 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.14 EPS and $124.43 million in revenues.

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) reports Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.85 EPS and $783.87 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.70 EPS and $801.64 million in revenues. Shares were at $10.34 late Friday against a 52-week range of $4.97 to $15.10.

Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX) reports Monday and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.12 EPS and $226.26 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.13 EPS and $238.62 million in revenues. This will be one more high-flying cloud play on deck and with shares close to $43 late Friday its 52-week range is $15.15 to $46.49. With a super-high earnings multiple and a very strong performance, we think it has to beat estimates and raise guidance. If not, look out below. Also the company has said it wants to remain independent.

Silver Wheaton Corporation (NYSE: SLW) reports Monday and it has been very volatile with silver this last week. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.42 EPS and $199.23 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.51 EPS and $233.93 million in revenues. Shares were close to $36.00 late on Friday and the 52-week range is $17.00 to $47.60.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) reports Monday and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.43 EPS and $7.52 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.47 EPS and $8.05 billion in revenues. With flooding this last week and a tornado swarm the prior week, investors will want to know more on its outlook. SHares were around $19.00 late Friday and the 52-week range is $14.59 to $20.12.

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) reports Tuesday. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.41 EPS and $423.49 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.39 EPS and $437.31 million in revenues. Shares were at $9.75 late Friday against a 52-week range of $8.99 to $17.63.

Filed under: Calendar, Earnings, The Week Tagged: ATVI, CSCO, CSIQ, DF, DIS, HELE, HL, JASO, JWN, LDK, M, MCP, MT, NVDA, RAX, SLW, SPWRA, STEC, SYMC, TEVA, TM, TSN, URBN, WEN