Posts for Ticker ‘MRK’

52-Week High Club (DDS, DBRN, SJM, MRK)

Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS) rose as high as over 10% to a yearly high of $15.79 after the department-store chain was upgraded by Deutsche Bank AG.  

Dress Barn Inc. (NASDAQ: DBRN) rose as high as 9.2% to a yearly his of $22.42 after the women’s clothing retailer announced earnings of $0.37, beating analysts estimates.

The J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) rose as high as 6.3% to a yearly high of $56.86  after the jam and peanut butter maker reported earnings of $1.222 per share, beating analyst estimates.  

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) rose nearly 4% to a yearly high of $36.67 after the pharmaceutical company announced that drug Elonva was recommended for treatment of the ovaries in the European Union.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 20, 2009 – 4:11 pm in Earnings, Food, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, , , ,

52-Week High Club (FDX, LNY, MRK, GOOG)

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) over 3% to a yearly high of $84.92.  Barron’s reported that the package delivery company may rise as high as $100 dollars according to a survey of investors and analysts.

Landry’s Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: LNY) rose over 20% to a yearly high of $20.23.  After last week’s buyout proposal from the company’s chief executive Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital has reported a stake in the company and has divulged its opposition to the buyout offer.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) rose over 2.5% to a yearly high of $34.35.  The company’s Human Health President Keneth Frazier told CNBC that it would not pull Vytorin and Zetia, the company’s cholesterol medications, off of the market.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) rose close to 1% to a yearly high of $576.99.  The TechCruch blog put out a piece on Sunday reporting that Google had hired Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) former director of new business development.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 16, 2009 – 4:02 pm in Food, Pharmaceuticals, Technology Companies, Transports, , , , ,

Media Digest 10/5/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   Toyota (NYSE:TM) returned to a profit.

Reuters:   The Fed will keep rates near zero for an extended period.

Reuters:   Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) beat forecasts.

Reuters:   Gold is near $1,100. Read More »

Posted on: November 5, 2009 – 3:58 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Positive Earnings Show From All 5 DJIA Components (T, MCD, MRK, MMM, TRV)

NYSE Floor ImageWe have seen earnings from five of the thirty DJIA components this morning alone.  All were above expectations, even if some of the year over year comparisons do not look that great at some.  We had AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD), Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM), and The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) all on deck.  We included estimates from Thomson Reuters for comparison, as well as performance and relative color where applicable.
Read More »

Posted on: October 22, 2009 – 8:28 am in Earnings, , , , ,

7 More DJIA Stocks on Earnings Deck (BA, MMM, AXP, T, MCD, MRK, MSFT, MO, HON)

NYSE Floor ImageWe have already run the 5 of the 30 DJIA components that reported earnings this morning.  But we still have 7 more of the 30 DJIA components reporting during the rest of this week alone.   The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), 3M Company (NYSE: MMM), American Express Company (NYSE: AXP), AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T), McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD), Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) are all on the earnings docket this week.   We also have earnings from Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) and from Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON), both of which are ex-DJIA components that many traders and investors still think of as Blue Chips.

We have created detailed earnings previews for each stock with consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters, as well as earnings data and color for what to watch out for where applicable.  Also included is how much each stock has rallied since June 30 and since the March 9 close that all traders mark as the low index closing date and the end of the death-spiral bear market we were in earlier this year.
Read More »

Posted on: October 20, 2009 – 11:38 am in Calendar, Earnings, , , , , , , , ,

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Short Interest Steady, Down In Other Techs

bearThe short interest in Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) was steady in the period that ended on September 30 at 16 million shares.The bet being made against RIM (NASDAQ:RIMM) rose 13% to 13% to 19.2 million.  The shares short in other major techs stocks dropped.

Shares short in Broadcom (NASDAQ:BRCD) dropped 14% to 19.1 million. Shares short in Juniper (NADSAQ:JNPR) dropped 11% to 36.8 million. The short interest in Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC)  dropped 8% to 12.9 million shares. Read More »

Posted on: October 10, 2009 – 2:53 pm in Short Interest, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Defensive Stocks Offering No Haven (WMT, PEP, KO, TAP, KFT, CAG, CPB, HRL, MCD, MO, VGR, RAI, PG, CL, MRK, JNJ, NVO)

Burning Money PicWasn’t it just last week that we were up eight days in a row on the DJIA?  And now we have a sell-the-news reaction to the recent growth numbers.  Maybe it is because we ran too far too fast and because we started pricing in robust growth rather than muted growth.  But generally when equities have stayed hot and then start to sell off in profit taking or in case things got too heated, you at least see a migration into some of the defensive stocks.  That is not the case.  In our normal 16 Defensive Go-To Stocks, only ONE was up.  If you throw in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) as the ultimate defensive stock like we usually do, then you have only TWO of 17 trading up on the day….

PEPSICO INC (NYSE: PEP) $56.1805.. Down $0.4895; -0.86%
COCA COLA CO (NYSE: KO) $48.58.. Down $0.19; -0.39%
MOLSON COORS CO. (NYSE: TAP) $47.01.. Down $0.37; -0.78%
KRAFT FOODS INC. (NYSE: KFT) $28.08..  Down $0.27; -0.95%
CONAGRA FOOD INC. (NYSE: CAG) $20.13.. Down $0.40; -1.95%
CAMPBELL SOUP CO. (NYSE: CPB) $30.86.. Down $0.50; -1.59%
HORMEL FOODS CORP. (NYSE: HRL) $37.00..    Up 0.05; +0.14%
MCDONALDS CORP. (NYSE: MCD) $55.72.. Down $0.51; -0.92%
ALTRIA GROUP INC. (NYSE: MO) $18.13.. Down $0.16; -0.83%
VECTOR GROUP LTD. (NYSE: VGR) $15.71.. Down $0.07; -0.44%
REYNOLDS AMERICAN (NYSE: RAI) $45.17.. Down $0.54; -1.18%
PROCTER GAMBLE CO. (NYSE: PG) $53.05.. Down $1.06; -1.96%
COLGATE PALMOLIVE (NYSE: CL) $71.82.. Down $0.89; -1.21%
MERCK CO INC. (NYSE: MRK) $31.79.. Down $0.64; -1.97%
JOHNSON & JOHNSON (NYSE: JNJ) $59.88.. Down $0.56; -0.92%
NOVO NORDISK (NYSE: NVO) $60.024.. Down $0.986; -1.62%

Oddly enough, Wal-Mart is the ONLY one of the DJIA 30 components trading higher this afternoon.

JON C. OGG
SEPTEMBER 1, 2009

Posted on: September 1, 2009 – 2:31 pm in Defensive Stocks, Trading Alert, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 8/20/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   UBS (UBS) shares may fall when the Swiss government sells out.

Reuters:   The US deficit estimate was trimmed to $1.59 trillion.

Reuters:   A homeowner sued Wells Fargo (WFC) over a credit line.

Reuters:   AIG (AIG) was sued by policyholders over the Madoff fraud. Read More »

Posted on: August 20, 2009 – 3:55 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 7/31/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   Banks paid out billions of dollars in bonuses last year while losing money.

Reuters:   The US closed  its car “clunkers” program just as it began as funds ran out.

Reuters:   Obame faces more questions about his health care plan.

Reuters:   A Congressional bill would affect OTC derivative holdings. Read More »

Posted on: July 31, 2009 – 3:56 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , ,

Short Interest Highlights: Out Of Banks And Into GE (GE)

bearShort sellers are will to bet, at least for now, that the worst of the banking earning crisis is over. Short interest in a number of large financial companies fell sharply for the period ending July 15.

Shares sold short in AIG (AIG) fell 91% to 21.9 million. The short interest in Bank of America (BAC) fell 18% to 89.7 million. Shares sold short in Freddie Mac (FRE) dropped 18% to 65.9 million. The short interest in Wells Fargo (WFC) was down 11% to 108 million. Shares sold short in Visa (V) were off 42% to 18.9 million. Read More »

Posted on: July 25, 2009 – 10:00 am in Editor's Picks, Short Interest, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 7/24/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT. Bloomberg

newspaperReuters: Microsoft’s (MSFT) results and forecast were weak.

Reuters:   CIT (CIT) may sell its aviation finance business.

Reuters:   Fatigue at the Fed is leading to questions about its expanded role.

Reuters:   Twitter will pitch add-on tools to businesses.

Reuters:   Vodafone (VOD) stuck to its full-year forecast.

Reuters:   Amex (AXP) and Capital One (COP) had large cars losses. Read More »

Posted on: July 24, 2009 – 2:54 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Next Blockbuster Drugs: A $170 Billion Opportunity

biotech

Safety and efficacy data are critical to drug candidates. But what really makes a potential drug attractive is strong top-line data, a new biotech-based treatment, and a massive potential market.

With help from Thomson Pharma and our own backlog of coverage, BioHealthInvestor.com, a 247wallst.com website, sought to find the most promising biopharmaceutical candidate from both biotech and pharmaceutical companies in each of the top 10 most prevalent medical conditions in the U.S. Read More »

Posted on: July 22, 2009 – 4:01 am in Biotech, Drug companies, Editor's Picks, Pharmaceuticals, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Apple (APPL) And Caterpillar (CAT): Someone, Somewhere, Somehow, Is Spending Money

appleApple’s beat Wall St. consensus figures by posting earnings per share of $1.35 compared to Wall St. expectations of $1.17. The company also produced revenue of $8.33 billion, up 12% from last year. The recession must be over.

Apple’s figures are a conundrum. The firm sold 5.2 million iPhones in the quarter ending in June. A lot of people are using unemployment benefits to buy the handsets, or people who are supposed to be saving money and not spending it, according to the government, are running up the balances on their credit cards as if the economic downturn never happened. Read More »

Posted on: July 22, 2009 – 3:50 am in Banking, Consumer Electronics, Drug companies, Earnings, Editor's Picks, Food, Healthcare, PC Companies, Pharmaceuticals, Wireless, , , , ,

Top Day Trader Alerts (ALKS, LLY, SNY, MRK, SPPI, LXK, BSX, JDAS, IDIX, PKG, CVBF, WERN)

These are some of this morning’s top stocks to watch for active trading today based on pre-market and after-hours volume activity. There are links through to more detailed coverage and volume analysis at VSInvestor.com:

Alkermes Inc. (Nasdaq: ALKS) shares are ones to watch for volume upside following positive study results that may also affect shares of Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) and Sanofi Aventis (NYSE: SNY).

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) shares are up over 3% after it beat EPS by 6 cents a share and reaffirmed fiscal 2009 guidance.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: SPPI) shares are rising in premarket trade after getting FDA fast-track status for a bladder cancer candidate.

Lexmark International Group Inc. (NYSE: LXK) shares are ones to watch for volume downside after it missed expectations by 5 cents a share and guided Q3 EPS lower.

JDA Software Group Inc. (Nasdaq: JDAS) are ones to watch for volume upside after it posted  a 17-cent a share EPS beat.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: IDIX) shares are ones to watch for volume downside after it missed EPS expectations by 3 cents a share.

Packaging Corp. of America (NYSE: PKG) shares are ones to watch for volume upside following a 12-cent EPS beat.

Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) is up strongly in early premarket trade on stronger-than-expected earnings.

CVB Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: CVBF) shares are ones to watch for downside after it announced a stock offering.

Werner Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq: WERN) are ones to watch for volume downside on concerns about a revenue miss.

-The 24/7 Wall St. Team

Posted on: July 21, 2009 – 7:40 am in Pre-Market Activity, Trading Alert, , , , , , , , , , , ,

DJIA Component Earnings Trifecta (DD, MRK, UTX)

Money Stack ImageSo far we have three DJIA components with earnings out.  DuPont (NYSE: DD), Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) have all posted earnings.  So far there are no train wrecks and technically these are above the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates as far as the earnings per share numbers numbers are concerned.  All details are below.
Read More »

Posted on: July 21, 2009 – 6:27 am in Earnings, , , , , ,

Earnings Previews for 11 of 30 DJIA Components This Week (CAT, DD, MRK, KO, PFE, BA, MMM, AXP, T, MCD, MSFT, MO)

This week will mark the first crest of earnings season as we have 11 of the 30 DJIA components reporting earnings this week alone.  On Tuesday, we have earnings from Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), DuPont (NYSE: DD), Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO).  On Wednesday, we have Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) on deck.  On Thursday, we have 3M Company (NYSE: MMM), AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T), McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) and Microsoft Corp. (NYSE: MSFT).  Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO), a fairly recent DJIA-booted also reports Wednesday.  We have detailed earnings estimates and additional preview data below:
Read More »

Posted on: July 20, 2009 – 11:39 am in Earnings, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Biotech & BioHealth Business Daily (PFE, MRK, BAX, BDSI, SPPI, GNBT, AVII, CEGE, BBH, GILD, LLY, SNY, BMY, OSIP)

Here are some of today’s top stories affecting key drug and biotech stocks, accompanied with links through to more detailed information and analysis at BioHealthInvestor.com:

New short-interest data suggest traders are now increasing their directional bets against biotech stocks. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) are in the top 10 of all large-cap stocks with the greatest increase in the number of shares shorted.

Eli Lilly has the FDA’s OK to market its Effient blood thinner, but the black-box warning on its label is so strong that it’s hard to believe it can dent the market share of the Sanofi Aventis (NYSE: SNY)/ Bristol Myers Inc. (NYSE: BMY) drug Plavix.

OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: OSIP) announced new data from its Phase III Saturn study of Tarceva, and it’s likely an incremental positive for the cancer drug over rival Eli Lilly & Co.’s (NYSE: LLY) drug Altima.

-The 24/7 Wall St. Team

Posted on: July 13, 2009 – 10:25 am in Biotech, Drug companies, Medical, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Short Sellers Target Big Financial Names (BAC)(AIG)(WFC)(FRE)

bearShort sellers upped their investments in stocks of the most prominent financial firms. Short interest in Bank of America (BAC), AIG (AIG), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Freddie Mac (FRE) all rose for the period ending June 30.

Short sellers also increased position in several regional  banks. Short interest in KeyCorp (KEY) rose 31% to 38.1 million. Shares sold short in Regions Financial (RF) were up 13% to 65.9 million. Shares short in Bank of NY Mellon (BK) rose 31% to 14.2 million, and the short interest in Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) rose 75% to 58.8 million. Read More »

Posted on: July 11, 2009 – 5:24 am in Short Interest, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Best Short-Selling Opportunities Of The Year (C)(GE)(F)(SBUX)(SIRI)

angrybearThere is still some conversation about the federal government restricting short-selling activity in certain stocks. The counterargument to these restrictions is that short selling plays an important role in the valuation of securities by efficiently allowing investors to bet that a stock will fall as readily as they can bet that it will rise. Short sellers have the reputation, whether deserved or not, for trying to manipulate information about public companies with the hope of driving their prices down. That may be true.

24/7 Wall St. has come up with a list of the best short-selling opportunities between now and the end of the year. The list was chosen based on: 1) trading volume, 2) the total short position in the stock over the first half of the year, 3) a history of the short position in these stocks rising or falling rapidly, and 4) stocks in companies that tend to move on news throughout the year and not just on earnings information. Read More »

Posted on: July 5, 2009 – 5:54 pm in Airlines, Analyst Calls, Autos, Banking, Biotech, Casinos, Conglomerates, Consumer Electronics, Dividend, Drug companies, Editor's Picks, FDA, Green Biz, Hardware, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Internet, Large Cap Stocks, Medical, PC Companies, Pharmaceuticals, Private Equity, Retail, Short Interest, Software, Technology, Turnarounds, Wireless, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Medicare Winners Under New Healthcare Plans (MRK, PFE, AET, CI, CVH, HUM, UNH, WLP)

Everyone is trying to figure out who the winners and losers are likely to be under a watered-down healthcare program under the Obama administration and with a Democratic Congress.  What is certain is that changes to the old way of healthcare are coming, yet the uncertainty is becoming just how far away from the existing model this will get.  Mike Tarsala contributed a a brief round of explanations for the way this will likely impact drug giants Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE).  There is also a solid take on how companies like Humana Inc (NYSE: HUM), Coventry Health Care Inc. (NYSE: CVH), Cigna corp. (NYSE: CI), United Health (NYSE: UNH), WellPoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP) and Aetna Inc (NYSE: AET) are likely to be viewed.

More details of this can be seen at BioHealthInvestor.com.

Posted on: June 22, 2009 – 12:21 pm in Drug companies, Healthcare, Medical, Politics, , , , , , , ,