24/7 Wall St. » PCLN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (F, WYNN, COF, BP, SYNC, CHTR, HL, OMX, THC, WEN, RST, PDC, AOL, CTL, AGU, DTG, M, MPEL, NWS, CSCO, TSLA, TM, PCLN, FOSL, DNDN, AVL)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:07:27 +0000

The major US stock indexes opened sharply lower this morning as weak performance in the European markets as traders try to figure out what last weekend’s elections mean. Crude oil was also sharply lower this morning. The three major indexes have all come back from losses greater than -1% in the afternoon, but still look set to finish the day down at least -0.5%. The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.14% at 79.716. The GSCI commodity index is down fractionally at 652.27, with commodities mixed on the slightly stronger dollar. WTI crude oil closed down -1% at $97.01/barrel and Brent crude trades down -0.23% at $112.90/barrel. Gold settled down -2.1% today, at $1,604.5/ounce, after briefly falling below $1,600/ounce earlier in the day.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 76 points to 12,932.01 (-0.59%), the NASDAQ fell more than 11 points (-0.39%) to 2,946.27, and the S&P 500 fell -0.43% or nearly 6 points to 1,363.71.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) maintained as ‘buy’ with a target price of $19 at Argus; Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) maintained ‘outperform’ with a target price of $166 at Credit Suisse; Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) raised to ‘hold’ at Argus; BP plc (NYSE: BP) cut to ‘underweight’ at Barclays; and Synacor Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNC) cut to ‘underperform’ at BofA/ML.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is down up 5.5% at $65.24 after posting a new 52-week high of $66.18 earlier today (more coverage here); Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) is up 4.1% at $4.04 (more coverage here); OfficeMax Inc. (NYSE: OMX) is up 10.5% at $4.85; Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) is up 1.4% at $5.11; The Wendy’s Co. (NASDAQ: WEN) is down -4.3% at $4.66 (more coverage here); Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) is up 18.4% at $12.64; and Pioneer Drilling Co. (NYSE: PDC) is up 5.5% at $8.03.

On Wednesday we are scheduled to get earnings from AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL), Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU), CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL), Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. (NYSE: DTG), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL), News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), and priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Fossil Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL) is down -36.8% at $79.50. The fashion accessories company revealed a weak forecast today. More coverage here.

Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is down -24.6% at $8.81. The drug maker’s earnings were not as strong as expected. More coverage here.

Avalon Rare Metals Inc. (AMEX: AVL) is down -24% at $1.67 after posting a new 52-week low of $1.58 earlier today. The rare earths miner is delaying a feasibility study. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto and Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser are giving speeches. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

10:00 a.m. – Wholesale trade report
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 10-year note auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: General, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AGU, AOL, AVL, BP, CHTR, COF, CSCO, CTL, DNDN, DTG, F, FOSL, HL, M, MPEL, NWS, OMX, PCLN, PDC, RST, SYNC, THC, TM, TSLA, WEN, WYNN

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ALGN, BHI, CACI, CAB, CHK, DVA, GMCR, LVLT, MSCI, ONXX, PCLN, QCOM, QIHU, CRM, TTM)

Administrator — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:18:17 +0000

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

Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGN) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Baker Hughes, Inc. (NYSE: BHI) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

CACI International. Inc. (NYSE: CACI) Cut to Neutral with $53 target at Credit Suisse.

Cabela’s, Inc. (NYSE: CAB) reiterated Strong Buy and named as value stock of the day at Zacks.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) maintained Buy but cut target to $31 from $38 at BofA/ML; Raised to Outperform at Bernstein.

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) Cut to Neutral at R.W. Baird.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) Cut to Neutral at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey; Cut to Neutral at Piper Jaffray.

Level 3 Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) Reiterated Buy with $37.50 target at BofA/ML.

MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI) Raised to Outperform with $42 target at Credit Suisse.

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX) maintained Buy but removed from Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.

Priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN) reiterated Strong Buy and named the Aggressive Growth stock of the day at Zacks.

QUALCOMM Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) Reiterated Buy at BofA/ML.

Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd (NYSE: QIHU) Started as Buy at Jefferies.

Salesforce.com Inc. (NASDAQ: CRM) Raised to Outperform with $185 target at Credit Suisse.

Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM) Started as Overweight at HSBC.

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: ALGN, BHI, CAB, CACI, CHK, CRM, DVA, featured, GMCR, LVLT, MSCI, ONXX, PCLN, QCOM, QIHU, TTM

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 (ARMH, STD, BBVA, PRSS, CBS, DRQ, FFIV, GE, GRPN, MSFT, NSM, PCLN, PGR, REGN)

Administrator — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:52:54 +0000

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

ARM Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: ARMH) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.

Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) Added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs; Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE: BBVA) maintained Buy but removed from Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.

CafePress Inc. (NASDAQ: PRSS) Started as Buy at Janney

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Dril-Quip, Inc. (NYSE: DRQ) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Started as Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) Reiterated Outperform with $22 target at Credit Suisse.

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) Raised to Overweight at Evercore.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) Reiterated Buy with $39 target at Argus.

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NSM) Started as Outperform with $20 target at Credit Suisse; Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo; Started as Buy with $18 target at BofA/ML.

priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $811 at Credit Suisse.

Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $146 at BofA/ML.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ARMH, BBVA, CBS, DRQ, FFIV, GE, GRPN, MSFT, NSM, PCLN, PGR, PRSS, REGN, STD

A Possible Sale of Travelzoo… At The Lows (TZOO, EXPE, PCLN, OWW)

Administrator — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:57:14 +0000

Travelzoo Inc. (NASDAQ: TZOO) is up for sale. At least that is what Reuters is reporting with a ‘citing sources’ of those familiar with the situation. The Internet travel information and booking site offers deals on flights, hotels, cruises, and vacation packages. What is so interesting here is that the stock was within about 2% of a 52-week low as of yesterday.

Reuters noted that the company is in the process of hiring a financial advisory firm after having received some indications of interest from other travel outfits and from private equity shops. Which firms this would be is anyone’s guess but the company is now easily affordable as its market cap was $336 million as of Tuesday’s close. Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is worth about $4.2 billion in market cap priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) is worth almost $37 billion in market cap, which would imply that either company could easily make this acquisition. Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: OWW) is worth only $318 million, so that might be a stretch.

Travelzoo’s consensus earnings estimates are $1.55 EPS and $166.3 million in sales for 2012 according to Thomson Reuters. less than 20-times expected earnings and 2-times expected sales is cheap for the growth of the online travel sector when you start comparing this to peers today but the $21.06 close on Tuesday compares to a 52-week range of $20.68 to just over $100.00 at the peak of the last year.

This merger news is something we would consider to be a rumor for now and it might even seem suspect on the surface, but shares are indicated up 30% at $27.50 on the news.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Internet, Mergers and Buy Outs, Private Equity, Rumors Tagged: EXPE, OWW, PCLN, TZOO

The Stock Race to $1,000: Apple, Google, and Priceline (AAPL, GOOG, PCLN, BRK-A)

Administrator — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:55:03 +0000

Many investors cannot mentally buy high-priced shares. It was not really an accident that Warren Buffett split the A and B shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A). Logic and mental blocks aside, three key stocks are in the race for the $1,000 share price hurdle. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is already the most valuable company in the world. Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) had already been the highest price for some time of these three stocks, but priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) has now passed it in share price.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has now traded above $600 per share and the $596 share price generates a market value of about $557 billion. One market pundit named James Altucher has already predicted on television that Apple was going to be a $1,000 stock. Without rounding errors, a $1,000 Apple stock price would generate a stock market value of close to $935 billion. Can Apple become the first $1 trillion company in history? Wedbush Morgan recently gave the street highest price target of $750.00 on Apple. Apple already has likely crossed the $1000 billion cash threshold and it has outlined its dividend and share buyback strategy for the three years ahead.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has lost its wa in share growth that had been seen during the first half of the last decade. At $643.00, the market capitalization of its equity is about $209 billion and Thomson Reuters has a consensus target of almost $710.00. If Google manages to get to $1,000 then it will have an equity value of about $325 billion. Google’s peak has been close to $700 in recent years before the recession, but it is worth noting that market pundit Jim Cramer pitched the idea of $1,000 Google back as long ago as 2007.

priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) is technically the closest of all three stocks in the race to $1,000 for a share price since its shares are up at $725.00 already. The share price is already above the consensus target price from Thomson Reuters of about $713.00. Still, it was just last week that Piper Jaffray said that priceline could hit $1,000 per share over the next two years. That is substantial for an analyst to say that. The company’s market cap is now just over $36 billion, so a $1,000 share price would put the priceline value a hair just under $50 billion. That may be worth more than all of the equity value of the entire public U.S. airline sector.

Is $1,000 possible on any of these stocks? It seems unlikely today with where the share prices are and how much real investing dollars it would take to drive up these share prices to that $1,000 value. Still, a prolonged bull market and an expanded period of positive economic growth might make anything possible. Now for the caveat. When you read ‘pom-pom articles’ that could have been generated by a cheerleading squad, perhaps it is important to remember that the best and easiest money has already been made.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Consumer Electronics, Corporate Governance, Internet, Trading Alert, Value Investing Tagged: AAPL, BRK-A, GOOG, PCLN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AAPL, NEM, DNDN, CHTR, APOL, COST, PCLN, HFC, AZO, CRZO, DPZ, ODP, SAFM, RDC, TECD, YRCW, ALIM, TBET, SUMR, PEIX, CECO)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:14:49 +0000

Stocks started the day nearly flat before turning down on a poor report on US durable goods orders (more coverage here) and a slide in the Case-Shiller home price index (more coverage here). The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index came in much stronger than expected, however, and all the indexes had turned positive by mid-morning (more coverage here). The tech sector, led by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), which posted a new 52-week high over $543/share, carried the rest of the market higher. Crude oil was lower today, with WTI crude lower by -1.9% at $106.55/barrel and Brent crude down -1.92% at $121.79/barrel. Gold settled up 0.8% at $1,788.40/ounce, the yellow metal’s highest close since more than three months.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 24 points to 13,005.12 (0.18%), the NASDAQ rose more than 20 points (0.69%) to 2,986.76, and the S&P 500 rose 0.34% or nearly 5 points to 1,372.18.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) cut to ‘hold’ at TD; Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) maintained as ‘neutral’ but target price cut to $13 at Credit Suisse; Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) maintained as ‘outperform’ and target price raised from $60 to $74 at Credit Suisse; Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) raised to ‘overweight’ at Barclays; and Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) started as ‘perform’ at Oppenheimer.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) is up nearly 7% at $632.78 after posting a new 52-week high of $637.88 earlier today (more coverage here); HollyFrontier Corp. (NYSE: HFC) is down -3.7% at $31.91 (more coverage here); Autozone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) is up 2.7% at $375.94 after posting a new 52-week high of $377.78; Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. (NASDAQ: CRZO) is down -0.5% at $27.47; Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) is up nearly 16% at $38.88 after posting a new 52-week high of $38.90 earlier today (more coverage here); Office Depot Inc. (NYSE: ODP) is up nearly 19% at $3.58; Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is down -1.5% at $48.72; Rowan Companies Inc. (NYSE: RDC) is down -6% at $36.20; TechData Corp. (NASDAQ: TECD) is down -6.7% at $53.62; and YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) is down -13% at $10.31.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Alimera Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: ALIM) is up about 76% at $4.06. The eyecare drug maker received a positive outcome from a European regulatory body for its ILUVIEN treatment.

Tibet Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: TBET) is up 14% at $1.71. The drug maker is being taken private by its CEO and chairman for $3/share.

Summer Infant Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMR) is up nearly 25% at $5.98. The maker of branded juvenile products announced better than expected earnings this morning.

Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX) is down more than -26% at $1.19. The ethanol maker’s reported earnings fell short of expectations. More coverage here.

Career Education Corp. (NASDAQ: CECO) is down more than -18% at $9.17. The for-profit education company posted a weak earnings report this morning.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, Dallas Fed president Richard Fisher, and Philadelphia Fed president Charles Plosser are giving speeches. 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. – US GDP
9:45 a.m. – Chicago PMI
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
2:00 p.m. – Federal Reserve Beige Book
3:00 p.m. – Farm prices

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: AAPL, ALIM, APOL, AZO, CECO, CHTR, COST, CRZO, DNDN, DPZ, HFC, NEM, ODP, PCLN, PEIX, RDC, SAFM, SUMR, TBET, TECD, YRCW

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (APOL, CHTR, COST, DNDN, RAIL, GPC, GMCR, HST, INFY, NEM, NOK, PCLN, TTM, USG, WSH)

Administrator — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:15:06 +0000

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

Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) Maintained Outperform but raised target to $74 from $60 at Credit Suisse.
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) Started as Perform at Oppenheimer.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Maintained Neutral but cut target to $13 at Credit Suisse.
FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAIL) named as Value Stock of the Day at Zacks.
Genuine Parts Co. (NYSE: GPC) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Infosys Limited (NASDAQ: INFY) Cut to Neutral at Janney.
Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) Cut to Hold at TD.
Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) Cut to Underperform at Oppenheimer.
priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $790 from $710 at Credit Suisse.
Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM) Started as Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
USG Corporation (NYSE: USG) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Willis Group Holdings, Plc (NYSE: WSH) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

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 Tagged: APOL, CHTR, COST, DNDN, GMCR, GPC, HST, INFY, NEM, NOK, PCLN, RAIL, TTM, USG, WSH

Top 10 Earnings Previews For Early This Coming Week (CHTR, DNDN, LOW, PCLN, AZO, EP, FSLR, TECD, RIG, VSI)

Administrator — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:20:17 +0000

Earnings season is mostly behind us, but we do have some sector-moving earnings next week. For Monday, the top earnings are from Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR), Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN), Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW), and priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN). Tuesday’s top earnings for traders will be from the following: AutoZone Inc. (NYSE: AZO), El Paso Corporation (NYSE: EP), First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ: TECD), Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG), and Vitamin Shoppe Inc. (NYSE: VSI).

We have compiled earnings estimates using Thomson Reuters consensus targets and have added color if applicable.

Monday, February 27

Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) has estimates of -$0.32 EPS and $1.83 billion in revenue. Shares hit a new post-restructuring high on Friday and are up over 50% from the 52-week lows.

Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) has estimates of -$0.23 EPS and $119.8 million in revenue. Shares are back up around $15.00, still above the mean consensus target of $12.82 from analysts but still down less than half from its 52-week high and up over 100% from its 52-week low. This is all about the adoption of PROVENGE from doctors and it is expected to be getting back on track. Watch guidance closely. 2102 estimates are -$1.61 EPS on $392.6 million in sales.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) has estimates of $0.24 EPS and $11.34 billion in revenue. Home Depot already laid the path here with earnings. Shares are within 5% or so of a 52-week high after pulling back about $1.00 this last week after Home Depot’s earnings.

priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) has estimates of $5.05 EPS and $968.3 million in revenue. Next quarter estimates are $3.73 EPS and $1.02 billion in sales. This company is now entering the area of its business cycle that analysts are going to be expecting $1 billion in sales per quarter.

Tuesday, February 28

AutoZone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) has estimates of $4.04 EPS and $1.78 billion in revenue. Another high-priced $300+ stock challenging all-time highs.

El Paso Corporation (NYSE: EP) has estimates of $0.29 EPS and $1.35 billion in revenue.

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) has estimates of $1.55 EPS and $782.22 million in revenue. For the following quarter the estimates are $0.77 EPS and $789.3 million in sales. For 2012, estimates are for earnings top drop on sales growth of 31% to $3.78 billion. Can you say ‘endless margin compression’ fast enough? Shares are down about 75% or more from the 52-week high.

Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ: TECD) has estimates of $1.66 EPS and $7.16 billion in revenue. All technology companies who ship out products to retail and wholesale channels will watching.

Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) has estimates of $0.21 EPS and $2.32 billion in revenue.

Vitamin Shoppe Inc. (NYSE: VSI) has estimates of $212.67 million in revenue. This one might not sound like much with a $1.26 billion value, but many downstream and upstream companies will be watching.

More previews will be coming for those reports coming Wednesday through Friday after the week gets underway.

As a reminder, some estimates and dates may change or may have already changed.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Calendar, Earnings, The Week Tagged: AZO, CHTR, DNDN, EP, FSLR, LOW, PCLN, RIG, TECD, VSI

Twelve Retailers Flunking Customer Service

247wallst — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:36:24 +0000

As recently as 2009, Netflix was the most beloved retailer on the Internet. By the end of 2011, following the failed separation of its streaming and DVD by mail service and sharp price increases, the company had the sixth-worst customer satisfaction rating among all e-commerce companies, and one of the worst among all retailers including brick-and-mortar outfits, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Read The Twelve Retailers Flunking Customer Service

24/7 Wall St. examined ACSI’s annual retail and e-commerce satisfaction report and identified the 12 companies whose customer satisfaction decreased in 2011.

Many of the companies whose customer satisfaction scores dropped the past year have simply cemented their already terrible service reputations.

Walmart, which debuted strong on the Index in 1994, dropped to among the lowest ranked companies by 1996, where it has remained since. Winn-Dixie, a supermarket chain which does business in the southeast, is an example of a company that has never managed to break free of the lowest rungs of customer service. CVS Caremark and Staples, both on this list, have seen occasional improvements in customer service, but are among the worst.

For other companies, however, losing customer satisfaction is in conflict with their reputations. Amazon.com had a 1.1% decrease in its customer service score this past year, even though it still maintained the highest customer satisfaction score among retailers. Charles Schwab’s customer satisfaction also dipped slightly, despite the fact that customers are more satisfied with the company than with any other online brokerage firm.

These are the American retailers with customer satisfaction scores fell in 2011.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, General, Special Report Tagged: AMZN, BKS, CVS, DG, ESRX, ETFC, EXPE, NFLX, ODP, OMX, OWW, PCLN, RAD, SCHW, SPLS, WAG, WINN, WMT