24/7 Wall St. » PNRA

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (GOOG, CMA, AIG, DE, PNRA, ANGO, HWD, PSMT, STZ, LEDS, WDFC, PLCM, ALTH, WOLF, NDAQ, RT)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:09:11 +0000

Markets opened lower this morning and there was no news sufficient to unleash significant buying. The report on new claims for unemployment benefits came in about as expected (our coverage here), and investors are waiting for tomorrow’s official unemployment report, which is expected to be flat at 8.3%. The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.38% at 80.080. Commodities were mostly higher, with lumber and wool posting the largest gains. WTI crude oil closed up 1.8% at $103.31/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 0.90% at $123.44/barrel. Gold settled up 1% today, at $1,630.10/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 14 points to 13,060.14 (-0.11%), the NASDAQ rose more than 12 points (0.40%) to 3,080.50, and the S&P 500 fell -0.06% or less than 1 point to 1,398.08.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a target price of $730 at Argus; Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup; American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a price target of $40 at BofA/ML; Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a price target of $104 at BofA/ML; and Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) started as ‘outperform’ with a $190 target price at Credit Suisse.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: AngioDynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGO) is down -3.6% at $11.82 after posting a new 52-week low of $11.73 earlier today; Harry Winston Diamond Corp. (NYSE: HWD) is down -3.9% at $13.89; PriceSmart Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) is down -4.7% at $74.41; Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) is down -11.8% at $21.78; Pier One Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) is up 3.1% at $18.83 (more coverage here); Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) is down -4.5% at $33.34; and SemiLEDS Corp. (NASDAQ: LEDS) is down -9.9% at $3.56 (more coverage here). After markets close today we get earnings from WD-40 Co. (NASDAQ: WDFC).

Next week marks the start of a brand new earnings season. See our preview here.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Polycom Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM) is down more than -20% at $14.51 after posting a new 52-week low of $14.41 earlier today. The videoconferencing/enterprise phone maker cut its first quarter outlook today. More coverage here.

Allos Therapeutics Inc.(NASDAQ: ALTH) is up nearly 27% at $1.82. The drug maker is being acquired. More coverage here.

Great Wolf Resorts Inc. (NASDAQ: WOLF) is up 15.8%% at $6.60 after posting a new 52-week high of $6.65 earlier today. The company could be the prize in a bidding war between two private equity firms. More coverage here.

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) is up 1.2% at $25.53. The company gets the stock listing for Facebook. More coverage here.

Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT) is down -18.2% at $7.27. The restaurant operator missed earnings expectations this morning.

Stay tuned for Friday. US markets are closed for Good Friday, but we have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Non-farm payroll and unemployment rate
3:00 p.m. – Consumer credit

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AIG, ALTH, ANGO, CMA, DE, GOOG, HWD, LEDS, NDAQ, PLCM, PNRA, PSMT, RT, STZ, WDFC, WOLF

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AIG, CMA, CNO, DE, DRQ, GOOG, HBAN, JEF, KEY, NVDA, OFG, PNRA, P, PEG, RF, URS, VE, ZUMZ)

Administrator — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:08:25 +0000

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

American International Group (NYSE: AIG) Reiterated Buy with $40 target at BofA/ML.

Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) Cut to Sell at Citigroup.

CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CNO) Started as Buy with $9 target at Goldman Sachs.

Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) Reiterated Buy with $104 target at BofA/ML.

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

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Reiterated Buy with $730 target at Argus.

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ: HBAN) Started as Neutral at Citigroup.

Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF) Raised to Buy at Rochdale Securities.

KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) Started as Buy at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Oriental Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: OFG) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.

Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA) Started as Outperform with $190 target at Credit Suisse.

Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) Started as Underweight at Barclays.

Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (NYSE: PEG) Reiterated Buy with $40 target at Argus.

Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF) Started as Neutral at Citigroup.

URS Corporation (NYSE: URS) Reiterated Underperform with $49 target at BofA/ML.

Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE) Cut to Sell at Deutsche Bank.

Zumiez, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

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: AIG, CMA, CNO, DE, DRQ, GOOG, HBAN, JEF, KEY, NVDA, OFG, P, PEG, PNRA, RF, URS, VE, ZUMZ

Wendy’s New Number 2 in Burger Sales (WEN, MCD, MCG, SBUX, PNRA)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:25:58 +0000

There’s a new number two among hamburger restaurant chains. The Wendy’s Co. (NASDAQ: WEN) has surpassed privately held Burger King in total sales, with $8.5 billion in 2011 sales compared with $8.4 billion for Burger King. McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) remains number one with $34.2 billion in sales.

The numbers come from the latest research by food industry consulting firm Technomic. Other figures from Technomic show that Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) was the fastest growing among publicly traded companies, with growth of 23.4% in sales. The fastest growing limited-service chain was Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which posted a year-over-year sales gain of 32.8%.

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) and privately held Subway each grew sales by 7.5% in 2011. Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) posted sales growth of 10.1%.

As a whole, the top 500 restaurant chains in the US posted revenues of $242 billion in 2011, up 3.4% from 2010. The growth rate was nearly double the 1.8% growth in 2010.

The Technomic press release is available here.

Filed under: Food, Research Tagged: MCD, MCG, PNRA, SBUX, WEN

Top Earnings Previews For Tuesday (NLY, BP, BWLD, CERN, CHD, KO, EMR, HIG, JIVE, NTGR, OPEN, PNRA, SNCR, TM, DIS)

Administrator — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:24:07 +0000

We are getting into the last of the normalized quarterly earnings reports and into the first waves of the companies with off-normal quarter-ends. Tuesday is going to be another busy day with many earnings. The earnings previews are for the following: Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NYSE: NLY); Bp Plc (NYSE: BP); Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD); Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ: CERN); Church & Dwight Co. (NYSE: CHD); Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO); Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR); Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE: HIG); Jive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: JIVE); NETGEAR Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR); OpenTable Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN); Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA); Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR); Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM); and The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).

We have compiled previews using Thomson Reuters consensus data and have added color on each if applicable.

Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NYSE: NLY) is going to be closely watched by the dividend investors because of that 13% implied dividend yield. The mortgage REIT is expected to report $0.56 per share.

Bp Plc (NYSE: BP) has recovered handily from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. This is an ADR so its earnings will be converted from U.K. Pounds… The estimate is $1.57 per share and the stock is up well over 50% from when its shares sold off so much in 2010. Keep in mind that this was a $60 stock before the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD) is not so hot after the Super Bowl and we are six weeks from the next mega-event in sports. Estimates are $0.67 EPS and $210.25 million. This one remains expensive at almost 22-times full 2012 earnings expectations and it is only about $2.00 shy of a 52-week and all-time high.

Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ: CERN) is expected to report $0.53 EPS and $586.86 million in sales. At $63.20, the 52-week trading range for the healthcare information technology and support company is $53.93 to $74.39.

Church & Dwight Co. (NYSE: CHD) is expected to report $0.51 EPS and $694.32 million. At $45.50, the 52-week range is $33.83 to $47.00. This consumer products company remains at a large valuation premium to its larger consumer products rivals and it also has a much lower dividend yield.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Calendar, Earnings Tagged: BP, BWLD, CERN, CHD, DIS, EMR, HIG, JIVE, KO, NLY, NTGR, OPEN, PNRA, SNCR, TM

Over 10 Big Stocks Hitting New All-Time Highs (AAPL, DLTR, ECL, MCD, MNST, NKE, PNRA, SBUX, AAP, AZO, ORLY)

Administrator — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:52:12 +0000

The logic from technical traders is simple: “Stocks hitting new highs tend to keep hitting new highs.” Eventually that comes to an end, sometimes a painful end. Until that end arrives it sure gives the bulls a lot to cheer about. When these are big companies of $10 billion and more hitting all-time highs, the bulls get even more excited. Here are just some of the all-time highs which have been seen today:

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) hit a new high this morning ahead of next week’s earnings. The new value is almost at $400 billion. The new high is $428.50 for now and the consensus price target from Thomson Reuters is now above $509.00.

Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) is continuing with the trade-down economy and the secular growth of the dollar store (actually sub-$10) stores. The new high is $85.58 and the consensus price target is $86.27 from Thomson Reuters. Dollar Tree is now worth more than $10 billion in market capitalization.

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) is worth almost $14 billion now, and the new high today of $60.45 compares to a Thomson Reuters consensus price target of $61.56.

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) gave solid same-store sales forecast and recently juiced up its dividend. The new high is $101.87 and the market cap is nearing $104 billion.

Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST) recently announced a stock split and shares hit a new high this morning but have promptly backed off by close to 2%. The new high is $101.67 and the consensus analyst target is close to $105.00. It is hard to imagine, but Monster now has a market value of almost $8.7 billion.

Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) keeps doing it. A new high of $100.75 was put in today after a prior 52-week high of $99.44. Its market value now eclipses $46 billion.

Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA) is up at stratosphere levels now for its healthier sandwich and destination approach. The new high is $151.93 and the consensus price target from Thomson Reuters is $146.68. Its market cap is now almost $4.5 billion.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) has proven us very wrong on how high the valuation can go back up to. The new high is $48.15 and the consensus price target from Thomson Reuters is just under $48.00 and the market cap is now more than $35 billion.

Advance Auto Parts Inc. (NYSE: AAP) worth over $5 billion, AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE: AZO) worth over $13 billion, and O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY) worth over $10 billion… These all hit record high prices in their stocks on Wednesday. With a record age car fleet in America of more than 10 years, car parts stores and suppliers sure are going to have a lot of car owners to sell parts to that are long past the warranty and insurance coverage.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: HI/LOW, Technical Analysis, Trading Alert Tagged: AAP, AAPL, AZO, DLTR, ECL, MCD, MNST, NKE, ORLY, PNRA, SBUX

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (FDX, BHP, INTC, TSLA, PNRA, MMR, AMTD, WFC, C, CHKP, KUTV, CNVO, VQ, RRD, CCL)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:09:27 +0000

The markets opened higher this morning and all three major indexes have managed to hold onto most of their gains of the early morning. The S&P 500 index topped 1,300 for the first time since last summer, but hasn’t been able to remain at that level. The US dollar is trading weaker against the euro, but stronger against both the British pound and the Japanese yen. The dollar index is down a bit more than -0.5% at 81.071. Energy companies have done well today, even though natural gas prices have fallen below $2.50/thousand cubic feet. WTI crude oil is up nearly 2% at $100.62/barrel, while Brent crude is up only fractionally at $111.38/barrel. Gold is up more than 1% at $1,650.70.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up about 60 points to 12,482.22 (0.48%), the NASDAQ rose more than 17 points (0.64%) to 2,728.08, and the S&P 500 rose 0.35% or nearly 5 points to 1,293.66.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) cut to ‘hold’ at Jefferies; BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) started as ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan; Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) raised to ‘buy’ at Wunderlich; and Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) raised to ‘overweight’ at Morgan Stanley.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: McMoRan Exploration Co. (NYSE: MMR) is up 4.55% at $13.32; TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: AMTD) is down -1.72% at $16.02; Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is up 0.67% at $29.81; Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) is down nearly -8% at $28.29; and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP) is up nearly 8% at $54.93.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Ku6 Media Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: KUTV) is up nearly 154% at $3.50. The Chinese online video company has signed an agreement with Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) to offer international viewers a Chinese video channel on YouTube.

Convio Inc. (NASDAQ: CNVO) is up nearly 48% at $15.89, after setting a new 52-week high earlier. The provider of software to non-profit organizations has agreed to be acquired by Blackbaud Inc. (NASDAQ: BLKB) for $16/share, or about $312 million.

Venoco Inc. (NYSE: VQ) is up nearly 31% at $10.05. The independent oil and gas company is being taken private by its CEO. We have more coverage here.

R.R. Donnelly & Sons Co. (NYSE: RRD) is down nearly -16% at $12.12 after posting a new 52-week low of $12.08 earlier. The business services company said revenues for 2011 are going to be lower than expected.

Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) is down nearly -14% at $29.57. The cruise ship operator is sinking following the disaster off the Italian coast that has left 11 dead and 29 missing. We have more coverage here.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Federal Reserve Bank governor Daniel Tarullo is giving a speech. We have the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association mortgage applications
8:30 a.m. – Producer price index
9:15 a.m. – Federal Reserve report on industrial production
10:00 a.m. – Housing market index

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close, The Day Tagged: AMTD, BHP, C, CCL, CHKP, CNVO, FDX, INTC, KUTV, MMR, PNRA, RRD, TSLA, VQ, WFC

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (BZH, BHP, CCL, FDX, GGP, INTC, LLTC, LOGI, MTH, PNRA, POT, RYL, STLD, SF, TSLA, USB, WYNN)

Administrator — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:24:06 +0000

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

Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE: BZH) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
BHP Billiton Limited (NYSE: BHP) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.
General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Linear Technology Corporation (NASDAQ: LLTC) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Logitech International SA (NASDAQ: LOGI) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE: MTH) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) Raised to Sector Outperform at CIBC.
Ryland Group Inc. (NYSE: RYL) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Stifel Financial Corporation (NYSE: SF) Raised to Buy with $37 target at Goldman Sachs.
Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) Raised to Buy at Wunderlich.
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) Raised to Positive at Susquehanna.

If you enjoyed the top analyst calls, 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: Analyst Calls Tagged: BHP, BZH, CCL, FDX, GGP, INTC, LLTC, LOGI, MTH, PNRA, POT, RYL, SF, STLD, TSLA, USB, WYNN

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMZN, ACAS, AINV, ACI, BMRN, COF, CSCO, EMR, FSLR, IACI, IBM, JOYG, LXK, PNRA, SWC, TSM, WYNN)

Administrator — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:23:24 +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) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $220 at Oppenheimer; Reiterated Buy with $198 target at BofA/ML; Maintained Buy with $220 target at Canaccord Genuity.
American Capital, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ACAS) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Apollo Investment Corporation (NASDAQ: AINV) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE: ACI) Cut to Sell at S&P Equity Research (late-Tuesday call).
BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: BMRN) Cut to Neutral as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) Maintained Buy but raised target to $65 at BofA/ML.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) Maintained Neutral but cut target to $22 at BofA/ML.
Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Raised to Buy at Kaufman Bros.
IAC/InterActiveCorp. (NASDAQ: IACI) Raised to Buy at Citigroup; Raised target to $39 at BofA/ML.
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) Reiterated Buy and Raised target to $190 at Argus.
Joy Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG) Maintained Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Lexmark International Inc. (NYSE: LXK) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA) Maintained Neutral but raised target to $135 at BofA/ML
Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE: SWC) Reiterated Outperform and $28 target at Credit Suisse.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE: TSM) Raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) Maintained Buy at Zacks.

You can 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: ACAS, ACI, AINV, AMZN, BMRN, COF, CSCO, EMR, FSLR, IACI, IBM, JOYG, LXK, PNRA, SWC, TSM, WYNN

Top Active Trader Alert Stocks (EXPE, MNKD, PNRA)

247wallst — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:52:52 +0000

Active traders and day traders have many stocks to choose from this Friday morning. We are tracking news and moves in shares of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ: MNKD), and Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA).

Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is down 13% premarket on heavy volume to #22.30, relative to a 52-week range of $18.30-$29.85. The company, which has been in conflict with several major airlines regarding ticket rights, reported dissapointing 4Q results.

MannKind Corporation (NASDAQ: MNKD) is down 11% on moderate volume to $4.50, relative to a 52-week range of $4.60-$10.73. The company recently cut more than a third of its workforce in a bid to streamline operations.

Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA) is up more than 8% premarket on moderate volume to $107.80, slightly above a 52-week range of $70.86-$106.87. Piper Jaffray recently raised the price target on the bakery chain to $125.

Filed under: Pre-Market Activity, Trading Alert Tagged: EXPE, MNKD, PNRA

Unusual After-Hours Stocks on the Move (NILE, EXPE, PNRA, HOKU, VITA)

Administrator — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:07:11 +0000

We are seeing yet another high number of shares on the move in the after-hours session this Thursday. Five top movers are Blue Nile Inc. (NASDAQ: NILE), Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), Hoku Corporation (NASDAQ: HOKU), Orthovita Inc. (NASDAQ: VITA), and Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA).

Blue Nile Inc. (NASDAQ: NILE) closed up over 5% today at $63.66. The online jewelry seller reported quarterly sales rose 11.5% to $114.8 million and earnings rose 17% to $0.41 EPS.

Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) closed up 1% at $25.69 but a smaller profit than expected and profit margins narrowing took a bite out of the company. Shares are down currently in the after-hours by 6.6% at $24.00 versus a 52-week range of $18.30 to $29.85.

Hoku Corporation (NASDAQ: HOKU) closed up 1.5% at $2.58 today against a 52-week range of $2.09 to $3.78, but the company gave an update to its expected capital costs for a new plant before production can begin. Shares are down 11.2% at $2.29 in the after-hours.

Orthovita Inc. (NASDAQ: VITA) was up 3% to $2.20 today but shares are really up higher in the after-hours. The company received FDA approval for its Vitoss ‘bimodal bone graft substitute.’ Shares are now up 17% at $2.58 in the after hours against a 52-week trading range of $1.60 to $4.68. For the coming quarter, sales are expected to be $76 to $78.5 million and earnings are expected to be $0.14 to $0.16 EPS. Thomson Reuters had estimates ahead at $0.20 EPS on $79.69 million in revenues. Shares are trading down 12% at $55.99 in the after-hours against a 52-week range of $40.70 to $64.45.

Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) rose over 1% to $99.71 today and shares are breaking above the $100 mark after reports that Fiscal-2010′s $3.62 EPS was up 30% on 7.9% growth in system-wide comparable net bakery-cafe sales. Shares are up 9% at $108.75 versus a prior 52-week trading range of $70.86 to $106.87.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: After-Hours Activity, Trading Alert Tagged: EXPE, HOKU, NILE, PNRA, VITA