24/7 Wall St. » MAR

Expedia Sails, Lifts All Boats (EXPE, HOT, HST, WYN, MAR, OWW, PCLN, TRIP)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:00:35 +0000

Internet travel company Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) absolutely pasted revenue and EPS expectations last night, sending the stock on a 25%+ express ride. The company posted revenue of $816.5 million, significantly higher than the consensus estimate of $790.1 million. Adjusted EPS came in at $0.26 versus an estimate of $0.14.

The profit driver was the company’s hotels.com site, which should raise expectations for hotel and resort players like Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT), Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST), Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: WYN), and Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR). All these companies have already reported March quarter results, so we have to wait until June.

Other online travel sites aren’t waiting to move though. Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: OWW), priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN), and TripAdvisor Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) have all posted nice gains today.

Orbitz reports results next Thursday and is expected to post an EPS loss of -$0.08 on revenue of $190.3 million. priceline.com reports the following week and is expected to deliver EPS of $3.94 on revenue of $1.04 billion. TripAdvisor is expected to post EPS of $0.34 when it reports next week.

The boost in travel and hotel stocks shouldn’t be too big a surprise, given the higher traffic numbers put up by many US airlines. All those people have to book those flights someplace and stay somewhere once they get to their destinations. These symbiotic relationships could be worth watching as we roll toward the next quarter.

Expedia’s shares are up 26.5% at $41.28 in a 52-week range of $27.28-$65.78. Orbitz is up 7.7% at $3.65 in a 52-week range of $1.57-$4.49, priceline.com is up 4.5% at $766.00 in a 52-week range of $411.26-$774.96, and TripAdvisor is up 8.8% at $37.39 after posting a new 52-week high earlier today of $37.85.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Earnings, Internet Tagged: EXPE, HOT, HST, MAR, OWW, PCLN, TRIP, WYN

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ABB, APD, AKAM, COP, GD, HOG, HES, INFY, MAN, MAR, SAP, S, TRV, WPI)

Administrator — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:20:54 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls this Thursday.

ABB Ltd. (NYSE: ABB) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (NYSE: APD) Raised to Equal-weight at Morgan Stanley.

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) Raised to Buy on weakness at UBS.

ConcoPhillips (NYSE: COP) Raised to Neutral at Macquarie.

General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) Cut to Equal-weight at Morgan Stanley.

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.

Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan; Cut to Equal-weight at Barclays; Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Infosys Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFY) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) Raised to Buy at Argus.

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) maintained Hold at Argus.

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) Raised to Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox. We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ABB, AKAM, APD, COP, GD, HES, HOG, INFY, MAN, MAR, S, SAP, TRV, WPI

24/7 Wall St. Top Analyst Calls of the Week (BX, APO, CMA, DELL, DANG, EXM, FSLR, GILD, LVLT, ERIC, MAR, ORCL, SUN, VVUS, WBMD)

Administrator — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:31:18 +0000

Each weekend we review the many analyst calls we track during the week. Some turn out to be very insightful and some turn out to be not so great. For better or worse, these become the top analyst calls of the week.

The top calls in the last week were seen in the following: The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX); Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO); Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA); Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL); E-commerce China Dangdang Inc. (NYSE: DANG); Excel Maritime Carriers (NYSE: EXM); First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR); Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD); Level 3 Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT); LM Ericsson Telephone Company (NASDAQ: ERIC); Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR); Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL); Sunoco, Inc. (NYSE: SUN); VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS); WebMD Health Corporation (NASDAQ: WBMD). We have added in color and summaries on each.

The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) hardly budged this week. The private equity leader was raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs and the price target was $19.00. That gave almost 20% upside. In the private equity upgrade was also Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO) with a price target of $17.50 for another 20% upside or so.

Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA) had a bad week, and it seemed to all get that bad mojo after the stock was downgraded to Sell at Stifel Nicolaus for close to a 4% loss all in all.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) took two downgrades on valuation after earnings failed to offer much continued inspiration: Cut to Neutral at Citigroup; Cut to Hold at Needham.

E-commerce China Dangdang Inc. (NYSE: DANG) was a bit of an “Oops” this last week. The e-commerce site in China saw its rating Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse on Wednesday. Shares tanked the next day and the stock was down almost 10% at one point the following day. As the casino boss says after they clean you out, “Thanks for playing and better luck next time!”

Excel Maritime Carriers (NYSE: EXM) has already been slapped silly, and its rating was cut down to Underperform by Zacks after already being down over 60% in the last year. The global shipping market is just not yet coming back into favor with many analysts.

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) was cut to Neutral at Susquehanna. While not a huge surprise for a downgrade any longer, this was just before earnings are due and shares closed down over 4% at $35.58 on Friday.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) is now much less in favor since its hepatitis C treatment appears to be far less active than previously thought. We saw two more downgrades this last week: Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein; Cut to Equal-weight at Barclays.

Level 3 Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) was an incredible mover on Thursday after the communications player was raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley. Shares rose well over 10% on Thursday and we have an analysis on its move.

LM Ericsson Telephone Company (NASDAQ: ERIC) does not get many upgrades, so it was interesting that the telecom equipment player was raised to Overweight at JPMorgan on Thursday. Shares gapped up, closed up even higher on Thursday, and shares rose almost another 2% on Friday for a total gain of over 5%.

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is not at the 52-week high like so many stocks, but it was Raised to the highly prized Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs. The price target is $42.00 and that leaves plenty of implied upside from the $34.73 price on Friday.

Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) is almost right back up to where it was before it the bottom was yanked out from under it after its poor earnings. Apparently that is a concern to at least one… Early in the week this one was downgraded to Market Perform from Market Outperform at JMP Securities now that the stock has run from under $26 to over $29 since the start of 2012.

Sunoco, Inc. (NYSE: SUN) is into refining, so higher and higher gas prices do not really help the outfit. This was not just downgraded to Underperform by Zacks Investment Research on Friday, it was named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) was a total home run this last week and analysts were forced to chase it higher and higher after the FDA panel recommended that Qnexa get FDA marketing approval to combat weight loss. After the news came the following calls: reiterated Outperform but raised target to $36.00 at Credit Suisse; Raised to Hold at Brean Murray; Raised to Outperform at Leerink Swann; and Raised to Market Outperform at Rodman & Renshaw.

WebMD Health Corporation (NASDAQ: WBMD) had another bad week after dropping from almost $27.50 down to almost $25.00 after warning that it could face a loss for the year. Some analysts just expect more pain or cannot take any more pain here with the stock down over 50% from its 52-week high. S&P Capital IQ cut the rating to Strong Sell from Sell, and Raymond James cut the rating down to Market Perform from Outperform.

If you enjoyed the top analyst calls of the week, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox. We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls, Research, The Week Tagged: APO, BX, CMA, DANG, DELL, ERIC, EXM, FSLR, GILD, LVLT, MAR, ORCL, SUN, VVUS, WBMD

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (FSLR, MNST, TSL, ARMH, MAR, Y, CROX, DECK, MRVL, MCP, SPN, ANR, JCP, NEM, CHTP, BV, KCP, RBCN, KND)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:08:15 +0000

After opening higher this morning, markets rebounded from an early dip following a better-than-expected reading on consumer confidence and a bullish report on US new home sales. But sellers took over in the afternoon and the three major indexes turned south, with the DJIA falling into negative territory for the day. Crude oil continues to set new multi-month highs, with WTI ending up 1.8% for the day at $109.77/barrel, and a gain for the week of 6.3%. Brent crude is up 1.42% at $125.37/barrel. Gold settled down -0.6% at $1,776.40/ounce, but posted a weekly gain of 2.9%.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 2 points to 12,983.02 (-0.01%), the NASDAQ rose more than 6 points (0.23%) to 2,963.75, and the S&P 500 rose 0.17% or more than 2 points to 1,365.74.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) cut to ‘neutral’ at Susquehanna; Monster Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: MNST) reiterated as ‘Conviction Buy List’ and estimates raised at Goldman Sachs; Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) cut to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo and cut to ‘negative’ at Susquehanna; ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARMH) started as ‘overweight’ at Piper Jaffray; and Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) raised to ‘Conviction Buy List” at Goldman Sachs.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Allegheny Corp. (NYSE: Y) is up 4.4% at $315.72; Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) is down -5.8% at $19.24 (more coverage here); Deckers Outdoor Corp. (NASDAQ: DECK) is down -14.2% at $77.39; Marvel Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) is down -3.7% at $15.46; Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP) is down -7.9% at $26.80 (more coverage here); Superior Energy Services Inc. (NYSE: SPN) is down -1.8% at $29.92; Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: ANR) is down -2.9% at $20.40 (more coverage here); J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) is down -0.72% at $41.63; and Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) is down -2.3% at $62.32.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Chelsea Therapeutics International Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTP) is up 61% at $3.88. The drug maker yesterday received an FDA panel approval for a drug to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Bazaarvoice Inc. (NASDAQ: BV) is up about 37% at $16.40. Today is the social commerce site’s IPO and trading volume has topped 8.1 million on an original issue of about 9.5 million shares at $12/share. More coverage here and here.

Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. (NYSE: KCP) is up about 19% at $15.55 after posting a new 52-week high of $16.00 earlier. The apparel maker is being taken private at $15/share. More coverage here.

Rubicon Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: RBCN) is down nearly -19% at $9.87. The LED maker missed estimates and offered weak guidance for the current quarter.

Kindred Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: KND) is down nearly -15% at $10.66. The healthcare services company posted a loss last night and announced that it would not renew 7 of 10 master leases with Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR).

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

10:00 a.m. – Pending home sales index
10:30 a.m. – Dallas Fed manufacturing survey
11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month Treasury bill auction

Have a great weekend!

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: ANR, ARMH, BV, CHTP, CROX, DECK, FSLR, JCP, KCP, KND, MAR, MCP, MNST, MRVL, NEM, RBCN, SPN, TSL, Y

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ARMH, AVB, GCI, DECK, FSLR, FST, MNST, MAR, NBR, POL, RRGB, SUN, CRM, TGT, TSL)

Administrator — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:22:03 +0000

These are some of this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

ARM Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: ARMH) Started as Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE: AVB) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) Started as Equalweight at Barclays.
Deckers Outdoor Corporation (NASDAQ: DECK) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse; Maintained Buy with $105 target at Canaccord Genuity.
First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Cut to Neutral at Susquehanna.
Forest Oil Corporation (NYSE: FST) Cut to Hold at Canaccord Genuity.
Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) Reiterated Conviction Buy List and raised estimates by Goldman Sachs.
Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) Raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE: NBR) Raised to Buy with $30 target at Argus.
PolyOne Corporation (NYSE: POL) named as Value Stock of the Day at Zacks.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (NASDAQ: RRGB) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Sunoco, Inc. (NYSE: SUN) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) Maintained Neutral but raised target to $145 on Credit Suisse; Raised to Buy at ThinkEquity; Reiterated Buy and raised target to $170 at Canaccord Genuity.
Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo; Cut to Negative at Susquehanna.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, 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: ARMH, AVB, CRM, DECK, FSLR, FST, GCI, MAR, MNST, NBR, POL, RRGB, SUN, TGT, TSL

Earnings Season Arrives, Top Earnings Previews For The Week Ahead (NVLS, AA, ADTN, HST, PEP, GOOG, JBHT, JPM, SWY, MAT)

Administrator — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:15:40 +0000

They’re Here! Next week will launch the corporate earnings season for the third quarter. The media is going to tell you that this is the most important earnings season in quite some time. The media always says that, but this time it is true because investors want to know whether to still model in growth or whether they need to dig in for a recessionary climate.

24/7 Wall St. has compiled detailed earnings previews for the following companies: Novellus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS); Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA); ADTRAN Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN); Host Hotels and Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST); Pepsico Inc. (NYSE: PEP); Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG); J. B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT); J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM); Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY); and Mattel Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT).

Some of these companies will not really seem on the surface to be sector-movers or market-moving companies, but these have been selected because they are the first ones of their peer groups to be reporting earnings.

We have created a detailed earnings preview for each with consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters and added color in on each for investors to see what exactly is worth consideration this earnings season. We have also added in recent price history and named where to look for additonal action (or fallout).

Monday, October 10

Novellus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) is the first chip equipment player to report for this earnings season. it has been a few weeks since we have had earnings reports or guidance in the sector so we will be paying close attention since so many companies that are chip equipment customers have talked down their numbers in recent weeks. Our belief is that expectations are very low for the quarter ahead. Estimates are $0.68 EPS and $311.9 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.50 EPS and $278.5 million in revenue. With shares hovering around $30.00 on Friday, the 52-week range is $25.26 to $41.82 and shares were above $36 in early July. After Novellus reports, we would be watching the following: Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC), and Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX).

Tuesday, October 11

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) has already talked down aluminum prices and we have already seen slowing demand out of China talked about by many sectors. Alcoa keeps maintaining that it can double its business by 2020 and we do not expect that to be changed by management even if it guides lower expectations ahead. Estimates are $0.23 EPS and $6.24 billion in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.23 EPS and $6.11 billion in revenue. At $9.80 on Friday, the 52-week range is $8.45 to $19.47 and this one was above $16 at the start of July. There are many metals stocks to watch, some in aluminum and some in other metals: Century Aluminum Co. (NASDAQ: CENX), Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (NYSE: RS); Kaiser Aluminum Corporation (NASDAQ: KALU); Titanium Metals Corporation (NYSE: TIE); and Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE).

Filed under: Calendar, Corporate Governance, Earnings, Earnings Warning, Economy, Editor's Picks Tagged: AA, ADTN, AMAT, BAC, C, CENX, CHH, CIEN, GOOG, HAS, HST, JBHT, JPM, KALU, KLAC, KO, KR, LRCX, LSTR, MAR, MAT, NUE, NVLS, PEP, RS, SWY, TIE, TLAB, WFC

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (MDRX, AMR, ADI, BHP, BYD, CHH, KIOR, LEAP, MRO, MAR, PCS, OSG, PFCB, RDC, SKH, TXN, VLO, YNDX)

Administrator — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:12:42 +0000

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

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDRX) Raised to Buy at Auriga.
AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) Cut to Neutral at Stern Agee.
BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Boyd Gaming Corp. (NYSE: BYD) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
KiOR, Inc. (NASDAQ: KIOR) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Leap Wireless International Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) Cut to Neutral at Baird.
Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) Cut to Neutral at Baird; Maintained Neutral but cut target to $12 at Credit Suisse; Maintained Buy with $22 target at Argus.
Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (NYSE: OSG) Cut to Sell at Deutsche Bank; Cut to Hold at Jefferies.
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. (NASDAQ: PFCB) Cut to Sell at Argus.
Rowan Companies (NYSE: RDC) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. (NYSE: SKH) Started as Underperform at BofA/ML.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) Cut to Neutral at Stern Agee.
Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) Reiterated Buy with $35 target at Argus.
Yandex N. V. (NASDAQ: YNDX) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, dividend trends, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ADI, AMR, BHP, BYD, CHH, KIOR, LEAP, MAR, MDRX, MRO, OSG, PCS, PFCB, RDC, SKH, TXN, VLO, YNDX

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMZN, AMCC, AUO, CLNE, DPZ, GOOG, HFC, IPG, MAR, MHP, MRH, NFLX, NWS, DGX, TEVA, UAL)

Administrator — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:24:59 +0000

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

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (NASDAQ: AMCC) Cut to Hold at S&P Equity Research (late-Tuesday).
AU Optronics Corp. (NYSE: AUO) Cut to Underweight at Barclays.
Clean Energy Fuels Corporation (NASDAQ: CLNE) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) Reiterated Buy with $30 target at Argus.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
HollyFrontier Corporation (NYSE: HFC) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) Raised to Outperform at Baird.
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (NYSE: MHP) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Montpelier Re Holdings (NYSE: MRH) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE: DGX) Started as Neutral at JPMorgan.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) Started as Buy with $58 target at Argus.
United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AMCC, AMZN, AUO, CLNE, DGX, DPZ, GOOG, HFC, IPG, MAR, MHP, MRH, NFLX, NWS, TEVA, UAL

Top Earnings Previews For The Week Ahead (AA, NVLS, ADTN, MAR, NG, YUM, CBST, GOOG, JBHT, JPM, C, MAT)

Administrator — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:20:12 +0000

The coming week will be the unofficial start of earnings season, with the major flow of corporate earnings reports seeing the floodgates opening the following week. We have already identified the 15 Companies That Will Set The Tone For Summer, and a handful of the coming week’s report is on that list.

The top earnings reports due in the coming week are from Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA), Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS), ADTRAN Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN), Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR), Novagold Resources Inc. (NYSE: NG), Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CBST), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), J B Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C), and Mattel Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT).

We have added color on each of these reports, along with showing trading data, Thomson Reuters estimates, and more.

Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA) is due to report Monday and acts as the unofficial kick-off for earnings season. It was one of those top 15 reports to follow for all of the summer earnings trends. Estimates are $0.34 EPS and $6.32 billion in revenues; estimates for the next report are $0.34 EPS and $6.33 billion in revenues. Shares are now trading around $16.17 and the 52-week trading range is $9.92 to $18.47. With sowing in Japan and China, we will be giving Alcoa more or less “a pass” on the last quarter as long as it is not atrocious. Mainly, investors need to focus on just how much of a bounce in orders are coming right now. This has been a takeover-rumor stock as well, but we are not going to try to deal with the reality of that possibility. This one also made our value screen for the metals sector on Friday.

Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) reports on Monday and it is usually not a sector mover with its $3.2 billion market cap. Estimates are $0.76 EPS and $352.3 million in revenues; estimates for the next report are $0.87 EPS and $363 million in revenues. Shares are now trading around $35.89 and the 52-week trading range is $22.88 to $41.82. Why we care is that it is the first of the equipment makers for circuits and chips to report, and it is frequent that investors try to look for cause and effect in the rest of tech.

ADTRAN Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) reports on Wednesday and will lead off the telecom and communications equipment makers in its report. Estimates are $0.53 EPS and $179.4 million in revenues; estimates for the next report are $0.55 EPS and $187.2 million in revenues. Shares are now trading around $41.98 and the 52-week trading range is $27.55 to $47.60. Just like Novellus, analysts and traders will possibly look for cause and effect in its peers. Keep in mind, its market cap is a mere $2.7 billion and these companies in the space are now subject to what we call “good hits and bad misses” in earnings.

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) reports this coming Wednesday and estimates are $0.37 EPS and $3.02 billion in revenues; estimates for the next report are $0.30 EPS and $2.88 billion in revenues. Shares are now trading around $36.70 and the 52-week trading range is $29.80 to $42.56. With hotel rates running strong, it is hard to not notice that this stock is right in the middle of its 52-week trading range.

Novagold Resources Inc. (NYSE: NG) is due Wednesday and is more Canadian than U.S., but investors will try to use it as a bogey for the gold mining stocks as it is into exploration for gold, zinc, silver and other minerals. Its market cap is only $2.3 billion. As a reminder, Novagold was one of our fresh value hunt stocks as it is among the most sold-off gold stocks. Estimates are in Canada and not widely followed in America.

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) estimates are $0.61 EPS and $2.70 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.84 EPS and $3.03 billion in revenues. Shares are now trading around $55.13 and the 52-week trading range is $38.43 to $57.04. Yum! is really about China, and many are now using Yum!’s China market comments to try to make determinations about the discretionary spending for China’s consumer spending market.

Filed under: Calendar, Earnings, Economy, The Week Tagged: AA, ADTN, C, CBST, GOOG, JBHT, JPM, MAR, MAT, NG, NVLS, YUM

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ACN, CETV, CSCO, C, DELL, DFS, JPM, LVS, MAR, NKA, OXY, TXN, UTI, WFC)

Administrator — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:13:39 +0000

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

Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) Reiterated Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Central European Media Enterprises (NASDAQ: CETV) Started at Hold at Jefferies.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) Started as Neutral at Gleacher & Co.
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) Raised to Outperform at Bernstein.
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) Started as Neutral at Cowen.
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) Started as Outperform at Macquarie.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) Reiterated Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Niska Gas Storage Partners LLC (NYSE: NKA) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY) Cut to Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) Reiterated Outperform and $40 target at Credit Suisse; Maintained Buy and raised target to $42 at Gleacher & Co.
Universal Tech Institute Inc. (NYSE: UTI) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) Started as Outperform at Macquarie.

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Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ACN, C, CETV, CSCO, DELL, DFS, JPM, LVS, MAR, NKA, OXY, TXN, UTI, WFC