Posts for Ticker ‘NOC’

The Cold War Long Over, Russian Firm Will Make Air Force Bid

Russian cold warrior Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev is long dead and with him the battle he fought with John Kennedy when Soviet–US military tensions were at their apex. Those times are remote enough in memory that a Russian aerospace company will actually bid for the Air Force contract to build a new tanker. For a time, it looked like Boeing (BA) would handle the project. Its major rival, Northrup Grumman (NOC), dropped out because it did not think it could profit from an agreement with the government to design and build the new plane. Read More »

Posted on: March 20, 2010 – 6:34 am in Aerospace, , , , , ,

Media Digest 3/9/2010 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg.

Reuters:   Toyota (TM) said it found no electronic safety problems with its cars.

Reuters:   China said it was committed to US debt but worried about gold.

Reuters:   Japanese car companies are studying a brake override system.

Reuters:   Sony (SNE) will start selling 3D TVs in Japan. Read More »

Posted on: March 9, 2010 – 3:56 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest (3/4/2010) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

Reuters:   The Senate rejected a plan to send $250 to the elderly.

Reuters:   Obama is still pushing the Volcker rule.

Reuters:   The Facebook CEO is in no rush for an IPO.

Reuters:   Toyota (TM) was sued over deaths in a California crash. Read More »

Posted on: March 4, 2010 – 3:59 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 12/2/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

Reuters:   The GM board pushed out CEO Henderson.

Reuters:   Bernanke will defend the Fed’s record and his before Congress.

Reuters:   China will let foreigners set up limited partnerships.

Reuters:   Manufacturing is growing again but the recovery is fragile. Read More »

Posted on: December 2, 2009 – 3:54 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , ,

November’s Billions & Billions of Stock Buybacks (AMD, BDX, CSCO, DPS, FDO, GOOG, GPS, HPQ, MRK, NOC, RAH)

You might think that companies tend to repurchase fewer and fewer shares in their share buyback plans when shares rise and rise.  When you compare the moves from the March 9 close, the price moves seem astronomical.  Yet many shares are still under or close to where they were a year ago, and this seems to be keeping the flow of stock buyback announcements steady.  We have tracked the major buyback announcements seen in November, and some are mere updates on what was reported along with the earnings reports seen this month.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD), Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Dr. Pepper Snapple (NYSE: DPS), Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (NYSE: FDO), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), Northrup Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), and Ralcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RAH) were just some of the big buybacks from the month of November.  In order to avoid any order issues, these have been listed in alphabetic order.
Read More »

Posted on: November 30, 2009 – 1:55 pm in Activist Investor, Dividend, Shareholder Issues, Stock Buybacks, , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 11/9/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   Hurricane Ida is heading toward Gulf oil fields.

Reuters:   Kraft (NYSE:KFT) will make its bid for Cadbury.

Reuters:   GE (NYSE:GE) and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) have agreed to an NBCU valuation.

Reuters:   The IMF is considering an insurance levy on banks. Read More »

Posted on: November 9, 2009 – 4:03 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 10/22/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   China’s GDP rose 8.9% and the government said it would stick with its liberal monetary policies.

Reuters:   Larry Summers said the US recovery is on track.

Reuters:   More Americans will delay retirement.

Reuters:   Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOOG) set up real-time search deals with micr- blogging company Twitter. Read More »

Posted on: October 22, 2009 – 3:48 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trading Guns For Jobs

uncle samThe annual Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations report from the Congressional Research Service shows that the US is still by far the world’s leading arms merchant.

A summary of the document in The New York Times reports that weapons agreements with the US in 2008 totaled $37.8 billion, about 68% of the entire worldwide market in arms. It is too bad that America already has such a large share. Arms may be one of the few large businesses that the US could expand in a way that would help the trade balance, GDP, and employment. American sales were only $25.4 billion in 2007, so US arms revenue may be growing at a rate too quick to sustain. Read More »

Posted on: September 8, 2009 – 5:03 am in Defensive Stocks, International Markets, , ,

Cybersecurity: Obama’s Next Big-Ticket Agenda Item

uncle sam

It’s taken a back seat to health care, but one of the next big agenda items for President Obama’s administration is cybersecurity, a priority that is becoming all the more clear following July 4 hacker attacks on the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange.

The Associated Press reports that the attack on U.S. and South Korean government agencies last week was even broader than first realized. Other agencies targeted by the malicious code included the National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department, State Department, the Federal Trader Commission, the Treasury, the Nasdaq stock market (Nasdaq:NDAQ) and The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO). Read More »

Posted on: July 8, 2009 – 12:33 pm in Defense, Editor's Picks, Software, , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 6/12/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:  Baclays (BCS) sold BCI to Blackrock (BLK) for $13.3 billion

Reuters:   WHO declared a flu epidemic

Reuters:   Congress bash Fed, Treasury, and B of A (BAC) on Merrill

Reuters:   US is near tighter control of tobacco by FDA.

Reuters:   New research shows mortgage delinquencies have bottomed

Reuters:   World Bank sees a steeper global economy contraction. Read More »

Posted on: June 12, 2009 – 2:53 am in Airlines, Autos, Banking, China, Consumer Electronics, Defense, Drug companies, Economy, Financial Stocks, Housing, Internet, Management Change, Media, Mergers and Buy Outs, Oil & Gas, PC Companies, Pharmaceuticals, Press Digest, Technology, Wireless, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

GM Plays A Manic Game Of Musical Chairs In The Boardroom

gmThe government’s game of managing General Motors took another odd turn today as Ed Whitacre, the former CEO of AT&T (T), a man who know about phone lines but not assembly lines was named has chairman of the New GM, the company that the government hopes can emerge from Chapter 11.

For reasons not  clear, Kent Kresa, the former CEO of Northrup Grumman (NOC), will step down. Read More »

Posted on: June 9, 2009 – 11:00 am in Autos, Corporate Governance, ,

Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (AXYS, CRXL, DFT, LVLT, LGND, NOC, OXGN, PFE)

money_stack_pic9These are some of this morning’s top pre-market analyst upgrades and positive research calls from Wall Street this Thursday morning with over two hours until the market opens:

  • Axsys Technologies (AXYS) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
  • Crucell (CRXL) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
  • DuPont Fabros Technology (DFT) Raised to Outperform at Wachovia.
  • Level 3 Communications (LVLT) Raised to Hold at Stanford.
  • Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) Started as Buy at Merriman Curhan Ford.
  • Northrop Grumman (NOC) Raised to Outperform at Bernstein.
  • Oxigene (OXGN) Started as Buy at Merriman Curhan Ford.
  • Pfizer (PFE) Raised to Outperform at Leerink Swann.

Jon C. Ogg
February 12, 2009

Posted on: February 12, 2009 – 7:29 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Top Pre-Market Analyst Downgrades (ADM, CPX, DLTR, NOC, OKE, SQNM, STI, WINN, WYNN)

Burning_money_picThese are some of the top analyst downgrades and negative calls we are seeing from Wall Street this Wednesday morning:

  • Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
  • Complete Production (CPX) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.
  • Dollar Tree (DLTR) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
  • Northrup Grumman (NOC) Cut to Hold at Societe Generale.
  • ONEOK (OKE) Cut to Underperform at RBC.
  • Sequenom (SQNM) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.
  • SunTrust (STI) Cut to Neutral at Baird.
  • Winn-Dixie Stores (WINN) Started as Underperform at Jefferies.
  • Wynn Resorts (WYNN) Cut to Underweight at KeyBanc.

Jon C. Ogg
February 4, 2009

Posted on: February 4, 2009 – 7:57 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , ,

Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (MO, BBY, CFL, CEPH, GILD, LMT, TNDM, NOC, TLAB, MTN)

Money_stack_pic_2These are the top pre-market upgrades and positive analyst calls we have seen from Wall Street this Monday morning:

  • Altria (NYSE: MO) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
  • Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) Raised to Buy at Piper Jaffray.
  • Brink’s Home Security (NYSE: CFL) Started as Outperform at Oppenheimer.
  • Cephalon (NASDAQ: CEPH) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
  • Gilead (NASDAQ: GILD) Started as Buy at Merriman Curhan Ford.
  • Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Started as Buy at Societe Generale.
  • Neutral Tandem (NASDAQ: TNDM) Raised to Outperform at Baird.
  • Northrup Grumman (NYSE: NOC) Started as Buy at Societe Generale.
  • Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
  • Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) Raised to Outperform at Wachovia.

Jon C. Ogg
December 15, 2008

Posted on: December 15, 2008 – 7:52 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Ten Things To Do To Save Yourself In a Market Meltdown (AAPL)(GOOG)(SIRI)(MCD)(INTC)

AngrybearJim Cramer wants people to sell all of their stocks. Even though the market may keep falling, that might not be a practical solution for everyone. There are several things investors can do to at least partially save themselves from a falling market and get in position if stocks move up again.

1. Sell your dogs. No matter how much an investor loves a stock, firms in the second or third tier of their industries are going to get hurt more. They will get hit by both a falling market and a recession. Some good examples are AMD (AMD), which runs a distant second to Intel (INTC). Yahoo! (YHOO), which is well behind Google (GOOG) in search is another company which will find the going especially tough. Palm (PALM) runs behind Apple (AAPL) and RIM (RIMM) in the smart phone industry. In an awful market, being in second place means being in last place.

Read More »

Posted on: October 8, 2008 – 10:14 am in Defensive Stocks, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 9/11/2008 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

NewspaperAccording to Reuters, Washington Mutual (WM) fell 30% to a 17-year low.

Reuters reports that billionaire Carlos Slim has bought 6% of The New York Times (NYT).

Reuters writes that Northrop Grumman (NOC) may get a $5 billion deal to build an aircraft carrier for the US Navy.

Chrysler will introduce seven new models by 2010, according to Reuters.

Read More »

Posted on: September 11, 2008 – 2:54 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , ,

Boeing’s (BA) Management Fails

BaBoeing (BA) management had to define its success this year by avoiding a strike by its machinists. The executives have already failed at getting the company’s new flagship Dreamliner into production one time. In the process, they alienated a number of their key airline customers.

Boeing management also lost its bid for the new Air Force tanker plane. Northrop Grumman (NOC) got the contract and Boeing is trying to get it back. As the incumbent, Boeing should not have lost it in the first place.

Read More »

Posted on: September 6, 2008 – 7:59 am in Aerospace, ,

Boeing’s (BA) Bogus Move

BaBoeing (BA) was able to get the government to re-open the bidding for the Air Force’s new tanker. In the original round of competition, Boeing was bested by the team of Northrup Grumman (NOC) and EADS. Some members of Congress thought it was un-American for a European company to get part of the deal, but the low bidder did seem to be the winner.

Now that Boeing is getting a new chance, the firm says it needs six months to re-submit the details of its offer to build the plane. The Defense Department wanted the bids in by October 1.

Read More »

Posted on: August 22, 2008 – 4:48 am in Aerospace, ,

Media Digest 7/15/2008 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

According to Bloomberg, GM (GM) will announce a major restructuring including moving more production to small cars.

Reuters reports that regional bank stocks were hit hard by liquidity concerns.

Reuters writes that Anheuser-Busch (BUD) was bought by InBev for $70 a share.

Reuters reports that Time Warners’s (TWX) AOL launched a personal finance site called WalletPop.

Reuters reports that Kimberly-Clark cut its outlook for the year.

Reuters writes that Soros said the Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) crisis would not be the last.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Paulson took the lead in the plan to bail out FNM and FRE.

The Wall Street Journal writes that mortgage insurers have tightened their standards making loans harder to get.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a financing deal between Paramount and Deutsche Bank (DB) has falled though, probably because of issues from the credit crisis.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Northrop (NOC) and Boeing (BA) are preparing new bids for the Air Force tanker contract.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Intel (INTC) will launch a new versions of its Centrino chip.

The Wall Street Journal reports that E*trade (ETFC) sold its unit in Canada.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Apple (AAPL) sold one million of its iPhones in its first three days on the market.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Palm (PALM) has launched its new Treo into the smartphone market.

The New York Times reports that Microsoft (MSFT) is launching more games to appeal to mainstream users to increase the sales of its Xbox.

The New York Times reports that the CEO of Citigroup (C) has launched a new program to help to set management goals at the company, but it will not save the bank from severe near-term problems.

The New York Times reports that two senior executives stepped down at The Tribune Company.

The New York Times writes that Bush has lifted a federal ban on some off-shore drilling.

The FT writes that EBay (EBAY) won its counterfeiting could case with Tiffany.

Douglas A. McIntrye

Posted on: July 15, 2008 – 2:59 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 6/19/2008 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

According to Reuters, Paulson will push for more market and financial regulations.

Reuters writes the Anheuser-Busch (BUD) board will meet on the InBev offer.

Reuters reports that the GAO was critical of the Air Force decision to give a tanker project to Northrup Grumman (NOC), leaving an opening for Boeing (BA).

Reuters writes that GM (GM) is slowing development of new SUVs.

Reuters reports that HP (HPQ) will reorganize ifts printer business.

The Wall Street Journal reports that banks are changing accounting to mask financial troubles.

The Wall Street Journal reports the off-shore drilling will take years to add to oil supply.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apollo Management is trying to kill its deal to buy Huntsman (HUN).

The Wall Street Journal writes that Thornburg Mortgage (TMA) has said it survival is in doubt.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sprint’s (S) new smartphone will cost $129.

The Wall Street Journal writes that the CEO of Hearst quit.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Pfizer (PFE) has cut a deal to keep a cheap version of Lipitor off the market until 2011.

The Wall Street Journal says Toyota (TM) truck sales are faltering in the US.

The Wall Street Journal writes that AT&T (T) is asking Dish Network to buy back $500 million in securities.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Verizon (VZ) is boosting the speed of its fiber-to-the-home product.

The New York Times reports that a shortage of ships is delaying some off-shore drilling projects.

The New York Times writes that Americans are driving less due to higher gas prices.

The FT writes that hedge fund manager John Paulson says that the financial markets will get much worse.

Bloomberg writes that Cerberus is troubled by cash consumption at Chrysler.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted on: June 19, 2008 – 2:58 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , ,