24/7 Wall St. » VCI

52-Week High Club

247wallst — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:12:41 +0000

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) hit a yearly high of $97.33 as options traders place bets in anticipation of positive earnings.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) hit a yearly high of $28.58 as Citigroup gives the company a buy rating in anticipation of the declaration of a dividend or stock buy backs in 2010.

Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) hit a yearly high of $43.68 as rumors of a takeover circulated. The shares promptly dropped as the rumored purchaser, Danone SA, denied the reports.

Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) hit a yearly high of $30.64 as it reported that its 4Q profits had quadrupled.

Valassis Communications (NYSE: VCI) hit a yearly high of $25.25, boosted by positive news coming out of Gannett.

Walgreen Company (NYSE: WAG) hit a yearly high of $37.53 after the company’s earnings beat analysts estimates.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted in Analyst Calls, Dividend, Food, Media, Mergers and Buy Outs, Stock Buybacks, Transports Tagged: CMG, DPS, MJN, THO, VCI, WAG

Most Overpaid CEO Of The Day: Alan F. Schultz Of Valassis (VCI)

247wallst — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:30:33 +0000

Valassis (VCI), the media and marketing services companies, has done an astonishingly poor jobs for its shareholders. The stock is down from a 52-week high of $16.80 to $1.78. The firm’s third quarter earnings only made the situation worse.

VCI reported quarterly revenue of $563.7 million down 7.2% from $607.2 million for the prior year quarter. The firm also said it had a net loss of $5.2 million or $.11 per share, for the third quarter compared to net earnings of $16.4 million, or $.34 per share, in the year ago period.

The company also lowered its forecast for the balance of the year.

Alan F. Schultz, Valassis Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer made $780,000 as a base salary last year. His total compensation was over $2.8 million. He and other senior officers get perks including car allowances and country club memberships.

The VCI market cap is only $89 million and falling. Nest year, Schlultz may be making more than the company does.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted in Management Change Tagged: VCI

The 52-Week Low Club (VCI)(SVR)(MDR)(ANN)(CRL)(GT)(NOBL)(THQI)

247wallst — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:49:15 +0000

Valassis Communications (VCI) Q3 loss and outlook cut. Plunges to $1.78 from 52-week high of $16.80.

Syniverse (SVR) Baird downgrades shares. Falls to $9.79 from 52-week high of $22.93.

McDermott International (MDR) Lower profit. Downgrades from Jefferies and Credit Suisse. Daily double. Off to $10.26 from 52-week high of $67.14.

Ann Taylor Stores (ANN) Grim outlook on sales. Sells down to $8.74 from 52-week high of $33.28.

Charles River Labs (CRL) Sharp cut in profit outlook. Hammered to $25.65 from 52-week high of $69.19.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber (GT) No major news. Sells off to $7.19 from 52-week high of $30.10.

Noble (NOBL) Bad quarter and Janney Mntgmy Scott downgrade. Falls to $.72 from 52-week high of $19.02.

THQ Inc (THQI) Bad numbers and downgrades by Wedbush Morgan, Kaufman, Citi, and Janco Partners. Plummets to $4.37 from 52-week high of $29.94.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted in HI/LOW Tagged: ANN, CRL, GT, MDR, NOBL, SVR, THQI, VCI