24/7 Wall St. » SAFM

Deutsche Bank Shows Top Quantitative Small Cap Stock Screen

Lee Jackson — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:25:35 +0000

Friday’s nonfarm payroll report is hopefully the beginning of some consistent hiring by American companies. Typically, small cap stocks derive some of the biggest benefit from an improving domestic economy, as their businesses are predominantly focused on the United States. It is important for investors to consider carving out a portion of their portfolio for solid small cap names.

The Deutsche Bank A.G. (NYSE: DB) small cap research team is using quantitative analysis to find the very best small cap stocks to buy now. Quantitative screening techniques are particularly fruitful in the small cap world. With so many stocks to choose from, and so little time to analyze them all, quant tools and programs can help point small cap investors toward the types of stocks that warrant further analysis.

Here are the top small cap stocks to buy from Deutsche Bank:

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF) is a familiar name to investors. The company has made some of the most popular motion pictures in recent years, and the stock is near a 52-week high. The Thomson/First Call estimate is $26.50.

Cash America International Inc. (NYSE: CSH) makes the list. With almost 1,000 locations around the country offering specialty consumer financial services to individuals through retail services locations and e-commerce activities, business has been strong. The consensus price target is $51.

Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is a familiar name for anybody who has ever cooked a meal with chicken. With the company’s solid earnings and industry leading profit margins, the stock has been on a tear. The consensus target is $59, which is below current trading levels.

Armour Residential REIT Inc. (NYSE: ARR) may be a great name for aggressive income investors. Producing high income by managing leveraged mortgage debt portfolios, this real estate investment trust is considered a sector leader. The consensus price target is $7. The stock pays a 13.20% yield.

PDL BioPharna Inc (NASDAQ: PDLI) is a biotech name to buy at Deutsche Bank. Trading at 5.41 times earnings and paying a big dividend makes it an outstanding total return candidate. The consensus price target is $6.50. The company pay investors a 7.70% dividend.

Alliance One International Inc. (NYSE: AOI) provides cigarette manufacturers with the tobacco to make their products. The consensus price target is $6. This could be a top stock to buy as the price target would represent a 73% gain.

Fifth Street Finance Corp. (NASDAQ: FSC) may be another ideal name for aggressive income investors. This is one of the top business development companies. The consensus price objective is $11.50. Investors receive a 10.47% dividend.

Glimcher Realty Trust (NYSE: GRT) owns and operates a portfolio of retail properties, including regional and super-regional malls, as well as community shopping centers. The consensus target for the stock is $12.75. Investors receive a 3.10% dividend.

Hawaiian Telecom Holdco Inc. (NASDAQ: HCOM) may generate the aloha spirit with investors. It provides telecommunication services to residents of Hawaii, and the stock trades at a miniscule 2.44 times earnings. The consensus price target is $27.

With many of the blue chip stocks trading at all-time highs, investors may want to review their portfolios for potential names to take profit in. Investing some of those profits in small cap stocks might be an avenue for even greater profits down the road.

Filed under: Active Trader, Analyst Calls, Small Cap Stocks, Value Investing Tagged: AOI, ARR, CSH, DB, FSC, GRT, HCOM, LGF, PDLI, SAFM

U.S. Crop Report Boosts Ag Prices

Paul Ausick — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:44:36 +0000

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inaugurated its new practice of releasing the monthly crop reports at noon ET. January saw a decline in the forecast for the Florida orange crop, down 2.7% from the December forecast as a plant disease affects both the quantity and size of the fruit.

Perhaps the bigger news was the 17% drop in corn stockpiles. Stocks were at their lowest point in nine years as a result of the drought in corn-producing parts of the country. Corn consumption is forecast to rise through the end of the 2012-2013 crop year on demand for the grain to use as cattle feed. Corn exports are not expected to rise this year.

Cash corn prices are expected to average $7.40 a bushel in the current year, the same level as last month’s report, but up more than $1 a bushel compared with a year ago.

Higher costs will hit food producers like cereal makers General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS), poultry and hog producers like Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) and Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM), and ethanol producers like Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM).

Corn prices spiked to nearly $7.10 a bushel after the report was released.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Agriculture, Food, Research Tagged: ADM, GIS, SAFM, SFD

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — December 18, 2012: Markets Open Higher, Rally on Budget Hopes (HPQ, KSU, SIRI, DUK, TSLA, DMND, SAFM, ORCL, FDX, NAV, NOK, ARB, NIEL, GALE, GTAT)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:04:20 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning on speculation — and some reports — that budget talks in the U.S. were making some progress. Asian markets clearly thought so, with most closing higher today on news of progress. In China, the new leadership is reported to be targeting GDP growth of 7.5% for next year, which was the country’s target for 2012 as well. China also wants to keep inflation at 3.5%, lower than the 2012 target of 4%. In Europe, S&P raised its rating on Greek debt to ‘B-’ after the country’s successful buyback of debt at a steep discount, which the ratings agency said indicated that the eurozone is not about to let Greece walk away from the single currency. In the U.S., the home builders’ confidence index rose to a six-year high (more coverage here), and bond yields rose in advance of today’s auction of 5-year Treasury notes (more coverage here).

The U.S. dollar index fell today, now down 0.27% at 79.352. The GSCI commodity index is down fractionally at 636.92, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil closed up 0.8% today, at $87.93 a barrel. Brent crude trades up 1.1% at $108.84 a barrel. Natural gas is up 1.6% today at about $3.41 per thousand cubic feet. Gold settled down 1.6% today at $1,670.70 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up 115 points to 13,350.50 (0.87%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 44 points (1.46%) to 3,054.53, and the S&P 500 rose 1.15% or more than 16 points to 1,446.76.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) cut to ‘sell’ with a target price of $11.50 at Topeka Capital Markets; Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) cut to ‘market perform’ at FBR; Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) started as ‘buy’ with a target price of $3.50 at Goldman Sachs; Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; and Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) started as ‘neutral’ at J.P. Morgan.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have resulted in the following price change as of the last half hour of trading today: Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) is up 2.2% at $14.27 and Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is up 0.7% at $50.11.

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL), FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), and Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is up 6.1% at $4.19. The smartphone maker continues to attract buyers who believe that the company remains undervalued.

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is up 23.6% at $47.01 after posting a new 52-week high of $47.20 earlier today. The radio research and ratings firm has agreed to a merger with Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) for $48 a share. More coverage here.

Galena Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: GALE) is down 17% at $1.55. The biopharmaceutical firm priced a secondary offering of 15.16 million shares at a discount of 14% to last night’s closing price.

GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT) is down 11.7% at $3.06 after posting a new 52-week low of $2.86 earlier today. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker provided weaker than expected fourth quarter and 2013 fiscal year guidance.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. 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. – Housing starts
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum storage report
1:00 p.m. – 7-year note auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ARB, DMND, DUK, FDX, GALE, GTAT, HPQ, KSU, NAV, NLSN, NOK, ORCL, SAFM, SIRI, TSLA

Sanderson Farms Weighed Down by Macro Forces

Paul Ausick — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:30:19 +0000

Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) reported fourth-quarter and full fiscal 2012 results before markets opened this morning. The poultry processing firm reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.41 on revenues of $648.4 million. In the same period a year ago, Sanderson Farms reported a net loss of $0.97 per share on revenue of $559.8 million. Today’s results compare to the Thomson Reuters consensus estimates for EPS of $0.32 and $635.75 million in revenue.

For the full fiscal year the company reported EPS of $2.35 on sales of $2.39 billion, compared with a net loss in fiscal 2011 of $5.74 per share on sales of $1.98 billion. The consensus estimates called for EPS of $2.22 on revenues of $2.37 billion.

The company’s CEO said:

The fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 marked the end of another challenging year for Sanderson Farms and the poultry industry. We reported record annual sales of $2.386 billion, a 20.6 percent increase over fiscal 2011. However, while poultry markets improved compared to fiscal 2011, grain prices surged to record levels during August as a result of drought conditions across much of the corn belt. As a result, the improvement in poultry market prices was offset in part by higher feed costs. Our increased sales and return to profitability during the year reflect higher production as we completed the ramp up to near full production at our Kinston, North Carolina, facility.

The company did not offer first-quarter or full-year guidance, but the CEO did say that he expects demand from the company’s food service customers to remain soft, leading the firm to adopt a 2% production cut, which it had announced in August, to be left in place for the entire 2013 fiscal year. The consensus estimates for first-quarter call for a net loss of $0.51 per share on revenues of $559.75 million. For the full year, EPS is forecast at $2.17 on revenues of $2.49 billion.

Expectations for 2013 are essentially based on continuing higher feed costs and lower production. Competitors Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) and Pilgrim’s Corp. (NYSE: PPC) face the same market forces, so 2013 could be a tight year for all these producers.

Shares are down fractionally in premarket trading this morning, at $49.75 in a 52-week range of $36.11 to $55.87. Thomson Reuters had a consensus analyst price target of around $48.80 before today’s results were announced.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Goods, Earnings, Food Tagged: PPC, SAFM, TSN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — December 17, 2012: Markets Open Higher as Fiscal Cliff Talks Continue (AAPL, SD, MCP, TXN, BHI, RICK, SAFM, ORCL, BBBY, FDX, GIS, CCL, CAG, DRI, KBH, RIMM, CLWR, ALU, GS, MS, CPWR, CBOU)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:02:59 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning and got another boost following a meeting between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner to discuss a solution to the impending fiscal cliff. In Europe, the eurozone’s labor cost index rose 2% year-over-year, and the trade balance came in a lower than expected. In Asia, Japan’s opposition party won the general election in a landslide, and the new prime minister immediately called for more aggressive stimulus. The yen sank like a stone. In China, a meeting of the new leadership has emphasized that the country will focus the country’s economy more on urbanization and domestic demand and less on exports. The only data point reported today in the U.S. was the Empire State manufacturing index, which was surprisingly low.

The U.S. dollar index rose today, now up 0.01% at 79.581. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.9% at 637.14, with commodities prices mixed today. WTI crude oil closed up XX% today, at $87.20 a barrel. Brent crude trades down 0.2% at $107.90 a barrel. Natural gas is up 1.4% today at about $3.36 per thousand cubic feet. Gold settled up 0.1% today at $1,698.20 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 102 points to 13,237.23 (0.78%), the NASDAQ rose more than 39 points (1.32%) to 3,010.60, and the S&P 500 rose 1.19% or nearly 17 points to 1,430.40.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) cut to ‘neutral’ with a target price cut to $575 at Citigroup (more coverage here); SandRidge Energy Inc. (NYSE: SD) cut to ‘sell’ with a target price of $4 at Canaccord Genuity; Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP) started as ‘neutral’ at Goldman Sachs; Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: TXN) cut to ‘underperform’ at Sterne Agee; and Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) cut to ‘equal weight’ at Morgan Stanley.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have resulted in the following price change as of the last half hour of trading today: Rick’s Cabaret International Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK) is up 3.3% at $8.15.

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) and Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM). Later in the week we’re expecting results from Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL), Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY), FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS), Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL), ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG), Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI), KB Home (NYSE: KBH), and Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM), among others.

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Clearwire Corp. (NASDAQ: CLWR) is down 13.4% at $2.92. The wireless carrier’s board has agreed to be acquired for $2.97 a share in cash, while investors had been hoping for a bidding war. More coverage here.

Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (NYSE: ALU) is up 8.1% at $1.34. The networking equipment maker got a $2.1 billion loan from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) and Credit Suisse AG (NYSE: CS) to help the firm meet some credit obligations and operating expenses.

Compuware Corp. (NASDAQ: CPWR) is up 13.2% at $10.79 after posting a new 52-week high of $11.16 earlier today.. The technology company received an unsolicited buyout offer at $11 a share from Elliott Management Co.

Caribou Coffee Co. (NASDAQ: CBOU) is up 30% at $16.01. The coffee roaster has agreed to be acquired by Germany’s Joh. A. Benckiser Group for $16 as share, or about $340 million. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher is giving a speech. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

10:00 a.m. – Housing market data
11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction
1:00 p.m. – 5-year note auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AAPL, ALU, BBBY, BHI, CAG, CBOU, CCL, CLWR, CPWR, DRI, FDX, GIS, GS, KBH, MCP, MS, ORCL, RICK, RIMM, SAFM, SD, TXN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 28, 2012: Markets Mixed on Mixed Data (AKS, IACI, CHK, VMW, GSK, STP, BWS, MY, MOV, SAFM, TFM, GCO, HNZ, ISLE, JASO, JOY, YGE, ZLC, SBX, ESGR, LXK, NOK, AAPL)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:09:32 +0000

The three major U.S. stock indexes opened lower this morning and bounced around the flat line for most of the day. It seems that everyone is waiting to hear what Ben Bernanke has to say at the Fed’s summer retreat in Jackson Hole. Except ECB President Mario Draghi who announced today that he’s too busy to attend (our story here). There was little data out in Europe today, while in Asia Japan lowered its outlook based on declining exports. In the U.S., the Conference Board’s index on consumer confidence came in sharply lower than expected (our coverage here) and the monthly manufacturing survey from the Richmond Fed was also weak (more coverage here). U.S. house prices are rising, but buyers are still cautious (more coverage here).

The US dollar index fell today, now down 0.39% at 81.337. The GSCI commodity index is down 0.5% today at 666.96, with commodities prices mixed and corn dropping to below $8.00/bushel. WTI crude oil finished up 0.9% today, closing at $96.33/barrel. Brent crude trades up 0.04% at $112.31/barrel. Natural gas is down 1% today to $2.627/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,669.70/ounce, down 0.4%.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 22 points to 13,102.99(-0.17%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 4 points (0.13%) to 3,077.14, and the S&P 500 fell -0.08% or just over 1 point to 1,409.30.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) cut to ‘sell’ at UBS (more coverage here) ; IAC/InteractiveCorp. (NASDAQ: IACI) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a $62 target price at Canaccord Genuity; Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) maintained as ‘hold’ at Argus, VMWare Inc. (NYSE: VMW) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a price target of $120 at BofA/ML; and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) cut to ‘neutral’ at UBS.

There were only a few earnings reports of note since markets closed last night, including Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (NYSE: BWS) down 7.2% at $14.29; China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd. (NYSE: MY) down 0.1% at $1.21; Movado Group Inc. (NYSE: MOV) up 18.1% at $35.57 after posting a new 52-week high of $36.11 earlier today; and Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) up 9% at $44.26.

Earnings releases scheduled before markets open tomorrow morning include Fresh Market Inc. (NASDAQ: TFM), Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO), H.J. Heinz Co. (NYSE: HNZ), Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLE), JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO), Joy Global Inc. (NYSE: JOY), Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE), and Zale Corp. (NYSE: ZLC).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

SeaBright Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SBX) is up 32.2% at $10.93 after posting a new 52-week high of $11.01 earlier today. The insurance company will be acquired by Enstar Group Limited (NASDAQ: ESGR) for $11.11 a share.

Lexmark International Inc. (NYSE: LXK)) is up 13.1% at $21.49. The printer and services company announced a restructuring today. More coverage here.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is down 7.4% at $3.01. The mobile device maker is giving back gains from yesterday that were related to the jury verdict in the patent trial involving Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Samsung Electronics. Investors had hoped that Nokia would get a market share boost, but those hopes are not so high today.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. 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. – GDP
8:30 a.m. – Corporate profits
10:00 a.m. – Pending home sales index
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 5-year note auction
2:00 p.m. – Beige book released

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AAPL, AKS, BWS, CHK, ESGR, GCO, GSK, HNZ, IACI, ISLE, JASO, JOY, LXK, MOV, MY, NOK, SAFM, SBX, STP, TFM, VMW, YGE, ZLC

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — May 29, 2012 (COP, FB, BTU, WDC, FL, SAFM, SHIP, BAH, CZZ, TFM, HSOL, LGF, TIVO, YGE, LCRY, IBI, LDK)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:07:30 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened higher this morning as European markets responded positively to reports that Greece is less likely to leave the eurozone. There was also speculation that China would add additional stimulus to its economy which is slowing more than investors would like to see. In the US, consumer confidence fell during May (our coverage here). The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.09% at 82.478. The GSCI commodity index is up fractionally at 620.51, with commodities prices mixed. WTI crude oil closed down -0.1% at $90.76/barrel, and Brent crude trades down -0.43% at $106.65/barrel. Natural gas fell -5.4% today to $2.43/thousand cubic feet. Gold is settled down -1.3% today, at $1,551.00/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 126 points to 12,580.69 (1.01%), the NASDAQ rose more than 33 points 1.18%) to 2,870.99, and the S&P 500 rose 1.11% or nearly 15 points to 1,332.42.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) raised to ‘buy’ at Citigroup; Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) started as ‘buy’ at CLSA; Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) cut to ‘equal-weight’ at Barclays; and Footlocker Inc. (NYSE: FL) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is down -3.3% at $52.53 and Seanergy Maritime Holdings Group Corp. (NASDAQ: SHIP) is down -14.4% at $2.31.

On Wednesday, we are scheduled to get earnings reports from Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp (NYSE: BAH), Cosan Ltd. (NYSE: CZZ), Fresh Market Inc. (NYSE: TFM), Hanwha Solarone Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: HSOL), Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF), Tivo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YGE).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

LeCroy Corp (NASDAQ: LCRY) is up 55% at $14.20 after posting a new 52-week high of $14.33. The electronics maker is being acquired by Teledyne Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TDY) for $240 million.

Interline Brands Inc. (NYSE: IBI) is up 39.8% at $25.08 after posting a new 52-week high of $25.21. The distributor of janitorial, plumbing, and lighting products is being acquired for $1.1 billion (including debt) by the private equity unit of Goldman Sachs and P2 Capital Partners LLC.

LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) is down -19.6% at $1.80 after posting a new 52-week low of $1.79. The Chinese solar panel maker was singled out in an article by Digitimes on weakness among the country’s solar makers. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. New York Fed President William Dudley, Dallas Fed Richard Fisher, and Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule for Tuesday (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
7:30 a.m. – Challenger job-cut report
10:00 a.m. – Pending home sales index
11:30 a.m. – 4- and 52-week bill auctions

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: BAH, BTU, COP, CZZ, FB, FL, HSOL, LCRY, LDK, LGF, NYSE: IBI, SAFM, SHIP, TFM, TIVO, WDC, YGE

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — May 25, 2012 (EBAY, LULU, SI, CRM, FSLR, CRMT, MENT, POST, FRO, AMSC, DRYS, KUTV, SAFM, SHIP, GAME, TLB, PAY, FB)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:04:01 +0000

Today’s edition of the Closing Bell is being published shortly after 2:00 p.m. US markets are closed Monday to observe the Memorial Day holiday. We’ll resume our normal schedule next Tuesday.

The three major US stock indexes opened marginally higher this morning as more European countries come out in support of a eurobond, a proposal Germany has flatly declined to discuss. The impasse weighed on European markets and the weight crossed the Atlantic when US markets opened today. The only new data point in the US today was better-than-expected reading on Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index (our coverage here). The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.07% at 82.406. The GSCI commodity index is up fractionally at 618.78, with commodities prices mixed. WTI crude oil is trading up 0.12% at $90.77/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 0.31% at $106.88/barrel. Natural gas fell -4.4% today to $2.53/thousand cubic feet. Gold is trading up 0.52% today, at $1,567.90/ounce.

At 2:00 p.m. ET, the DJIA is down about 45 points at 12,484.68 (-0.36%), the NASDAQ is up more than 3 points (0.12%) at 2,842.72, and the S&P 500 is down -0.02% or less than 1 point at 1,320.43.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Ebay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) maintained as ‘buy’ with a target price of $44 at BofA/ML; Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU) cut to ‘hold’ at KeyBanc; Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) raised to ‘outperform’ at Oppenheimer; and First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) maintained as ‘buy’ with a target price of $30 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: America’s Car-Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) is down -7.8% at $41.52; Mentor Graphics Inc. (NASDAQ: MENT) is down -12.7% at $13.28; Post Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POST) is up 6.8% at $29.89; and Frontline Ltd. (NYSE: FRO) is up 8.8% at $5.42.

On Tuesday, we are scheduled to get earnings reports from American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC), DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS), Ku6 Media Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: KUTV), Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM), Seanergy Maritime Holdings Group Corp. (NASDAQ: SHIP), and Shanda Games Ltd. (NASDAQ: GAME).

We’ve also reviewed this week some potential value stocks among major oil companies, gold & silver miners, conglomerates, industrials, retail, semiconductor, and solar stocks.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

The Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) is down -38.9% at $1.57. The clothing retailer failed to reach a deal with a potential private equity buyer.

Verifone Systems Inc. (NYSE: PAY) is down -15% at $38.27. The electronic payment systems company forecast a weaker-than-expected third quarter.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is down -3.8% at $31.78. The social network company continues to seek a floor for its stock price.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. US markets are closed Monday to observe the Memorial Day holiday. We have also noted the following events on the schedule for Tuesday (all times Eastern):

9:00 a.m. – S&P Case-Schiller housing price index
10:00 a.m. – Conference Board consumer confidence survey
10:00 a.m. – State Street investor confidence index
10:30 a.m. – Dallas Fed manufacturing survey
11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month bill auction

Have a great long weekend.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AMSC, CRM, CRMT, DRYS, EBAY, FB, FRO, FSLR, GAME, KUTV, LULU, MENT, PAY, POST, SAFM, SHIP, SI, TLB

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

Morning Movers (DKS, TSCO, SAFM, WSM, INFY)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:24:56 +0000

There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO), Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM), Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM), and Infosys Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFY).

After the first half hour of trading, Dick’s Sporting Goods is up more than 9% at $39.83. Volume is already more than double the daily average. Volume has already double the daily average. The sporting goods retailer reported lagging sales, but offset that with a new $200 million share buyback program.

Tractor Supply is up more than 7.5% at $78.42, after posting a new 52-week high of $80.11. Volume has already surpassed the daily average. The farm and ranch retailer reported better-than-expected earnings last night and raised 2011 EPS guidance.

Sanderson Farms is up more than 6% at $50.33. Volume is heavy, at about 70% of the daily average already trading hands. The poultry producer is likely getting a boost from the latest federal report on crop prices, especially corn, which is expected to be both abundant and cheaper.

Williams-Sonoma is down nearly -13% at $34.02. Volume is already 4x the daily average. The home furnishings company cut its sales guidance and announced a new stock repurchase program this morning.

Infosys is down nearly -9% at $51.76. Volume is already 3x the daily average. The India-based business outsourcing company missed the consensus estimate for fourth-quarter EPS.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, Calendar, HI/LOW, Market Open, The Day Tagged: DKS, INFY, SAFM, TSCO, WSM