24/7 Wall St. » YRCW

Closing Bell for Monday on Wall Street: Markets Mixed at Open, Mixed at Close

Paul Ausick — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:06:49 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened mixed this morning after most of the day’s economic data was delivered in Europe. Eurozone PMI rose slightly more than expected (more coverage here) and Spain reported that it added more than 17,000 jobs (seasonally adjusted) as the country’s tourist season ramps up (more coverage here). Markets were closed in London and Japan today for a holiday. In Asia, China’s PMI came in weaker than expected. There was no significant data released in the U.S. today, so corporate earnings pushed investors along. The S&P 500 posted another new high today, as did the DJ Transportation index.

The U.S. dollar index is trading up 23% today, now at 82.313. The GSCI commodity index is up 1.4% at 631.08. WTI crude oil closed up 0.6%, at $96.16 a barrel, although we continue to look for prices to fall (more coverage here). Brent crude trades up 1.2% at $105.40 a barrel. Natural gas is down 0.7% today at about $4.01 per million BTUs. Gold settled up 0.3% today at $1,468.00.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down about 4 points to 14,969.50 (-0.03%), the NASDAQ rose more than 14 points (0.42%) to 3,392.97, and the S&P 500 rose 0.19% or about 3 points to 1,617.51.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including:

Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup;
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE: BBVA) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup;
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) raised to ‘outperform’ at FBR Capital Markets;
Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) raised to ‘overweight’ at J.P. Morgan; and
YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) raised to ‘hold’ at BB&T Capital.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday resulted in some price moves today, including these as of the last half hour of trading:

Apollo Global Management LLC (NYSE: APO) is up 0.8% at $26.80 after posting a new 52-week high of $28.14 earlier today;
Bridgepoint Education Inc. (NYSE: BPi) is down 0.9% at $10.91;
Sysco Corp. (NYSE: SYY) is down 0.9% at $34.34; and
Westlake Chemical Corp. (NYSE: WLK) is up 7.9% at $88.97 (more coverage here).

Before markets open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear earnings reports from Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), Plains All American Pipeline LP (NYSE: PAA) (more pipelines coverage here), Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO), Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. (NASDAQ: CRZO), Checkpoint Systems Inc. (NYSE: CKP), DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV), and Fossil Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL).

Some standouts among heavily traded stocks today include:

MBIA Inc. (NYSE: MBI) is up 42.3% at $13.99. The insurer reached a settlement with Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) related to mortgage securities that went bad during the financial crisis.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) is down 6.3% at $5.47. The daily deals company is expected to miss estimates by at least one broker when it reports results on Wednesday .

Linn Energy LLC (NASDAQ: LINE) is down 6% at $35.45 after posting a new 52-week low of $34.27 earlier today. The independent oil & gas producer got a poor write-up in Barron’s magazine over the weekend.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction
1:00 p.m. – 3-year note auction
3:00 p.m. – Consumer credit

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: APC, APO, BAC, BBVA, BPI, CKP, CLF, CRZO, DTV, FOSL, FSLR, GRPN, HUM, LINE, MBI, PAA, SAN, SYY, VNO, WLK, YRCW

Top Wall Street Analyst Upgrades: Intel, YRC, Dollar General and More

Jon C. Ogg — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:20:43 +0000

Investors and traders are constantly looking for fresh research ideas that will lead to higher income or more profits. 24/7 Wall St. reviews many fresh research calls to find great ideas from value stocks to growth stocks to dividend stocks. We are breaking out the positive analyst calls as far as stocks to buy and positive research calls today. These are some of this Monday’s top analyst upgrades, initiations and positive analyst research calls seen from Wall Street today.

Cliff’s Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) raised to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital Markets.

Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE: HBI) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Wells Fargo.

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) was raised to Overweight at J.P. Morgan.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital Markets.

Knot Offshore Partners L.P. (NYSE: KNOP) saw its quiet period end. This was initiated as Buy at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, started as Overweight at Barclays and started as Outperform at Raymond James.

Privatebancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: PVTB) was named Bull of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.

Thoratec Corp. (NASDAQ: THOR) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) was raised to Overweight at J.P. Morgan.

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) was raised to Hold from Underweight at BB&T Capital.

We also have the top analyst downgrades and cautious calls for this Monday.

Filed under: Active Trader, Analyst Calls, Value Investing Tagged: CLF, DG, featured, HBI, HUM, INTC, KNOP, PVTB, THOR, UNH, YRCW

The Lamest Headline of the Day: YRC Worldwide

Jon C. Ogg — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:32:03 +0000

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) gets the dubious honor of having The Lamest Headline of the Day! This one looks as though it was brought to you right from the Department of Who Frigging’ Cares. To announce that you have been added to the Fortune 500 after brutalizing shareholders in the manner that YRC has is almost insulting. If anything, this shows that being a member of the Fortune 500 does not even take into consideration that a company was as near bankruptcy as this one has been.

It may seem impressive on the surface that formal bankruptcy was avoided here. In reality, the losses for YRC shareholders were so atrocious that the stock issued had two different reverse stock splits. The sub-$6.00 price of today compares to a reverse split-adjusted share price of 32,540.62 back in September of 2009. The company’s most recent balance sheet shows that total stockholder equity is negative by -$431.8 million and its net tangible assets are also negative at -$544.9 million.

Here is what the company’s release states:

“YRC Worldwide Named to 2012 FORTUNE 500 List”

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) today announced it has been named to the FORTUNE 500 list of the largest U.S.-based companies. YRCW was ranked 487 overall.

Then the company claims over 200,000 customers and a newly optimized network for its largest subsidiary YRC Freight. FORTUNE’s methodology for the FORTUNE 500 is listed as being companies ranked by total revenues for their respective fiscal years that are incorporated and operate in the U.S. and file financial statements with a government agency.

A look at the balance sheet and income statement shows that the revenues for each of the last three years (2011 first) were $4.868 billion, $4.33 billion, and $4.87 billion. The losses in each of those years were (2011 first) -$409.31 million, -$325.8 million, and -$619.4 million.

As far as what to expect ahead, we cannot even make heads or tails of the expectations. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $5.12 billion in sales for 2012 and $5.45 billion in 2013. Earnings estimates are -$21.94 per share in 2012 and -$12.98 per share in 2013. The loss per share was -$196.12 in 2011.

The long and short is that the losses here in earnings and in shareholder value are so great that you have to wonder just how important the Fortune 500 really is.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Accounting, Active Trader, Corporate Governance, Index, Transportation, Transports Tagged: YRCW

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (CHK, LVLT, QCOM, CRM, DSX, COCO, APA, WNR, YRCW, SHOO, SRE, SLE, RGLD, OWW, GM, MGM, AES, LNG, DUK, EL, PGR, WPO, GMCR, KNSY, HLF)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:08:03 +0000

The major US stock indexes opened mostly flat this morning following a softer-than-expected report from the Institute for Supply Management on non-manufacturing growth (our coverage here). The report on new unemployment benefits claims came in better than expected, but not enough to overcome the ISM numbers (more coverage here). Retail sales reports were also weak, with growth of just 0.8% compared with an estimate of 1.5% (more coverage here). The energy sector has been particularly hard hit today on reports that supply is keeping up with demand, some weak earnings reports, and a comment from OPEC that it would like to see Brent crude at $100/barrel, not $120 or more (our coverage here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.11% at 79.221. The GSCI commodity index is down about -1.3% at 678.65, with commodities mixed on the small gains in the dollar. WTI crude oil closed down -2.6% at $102.54/barrel, and Brent crude trades down -1.84% at $116.02/barrel. Gold settled down -1.2% today, at $1,634.80/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 62 points to 13,206.59 (-0.47%), the NASDAQ fell more than 35 points (-01.16%) to 3,024.30, and the S&P 500 fell -0.77% or nearly 11 points to 1,391.57.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) maintained as ‘buy’ but target price cut to $31 at BofA/ML and raised to ‘outperform’ at Bernstein; Level 3 Communications Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) reiterated ‘buy’ at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and cut to ‘neutral’ at Piper Jaffary; Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) reiterated as ‘buy’ at BofA/ML; and Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) raised to ‘outperform’ with a $185 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: Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX) is down -4.4% at $7.63; Corinthian Colleges Inc. (NASDAQ: COCO) is down -21.6% at $3.05; Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) is down -3.7% at $91.99; Western Refining Inc. (NYSE: WNR) is down -2.6% at $18.42; YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) is down -8% at $6.79; Steve Madden Ltd. (NASDAQ: SHOO) is down -1.7% at $43.54; Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) is up 0.6% at $64.29 after posting a new 52-week high of $65.37 earlier today; Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE) is down -1% at $22.10; Royal Gold Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD) is down -2.6% at $59.43 (more coverage here); Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: OWW) is up 4.9% at $4.09; General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) is down -2.3% at $22.42 (more coverage here); and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is down -4.4% at $12.95.

Tomorrow we get earnings from AES Corp. (NYSE: AES), Cheniere Energy Inc. (AMEX: LNG), Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK), Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL), Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR), and The Washington Post Co. (NYSE: WPO).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) is down -47.3% at $26.11. The company reported earnings last night, and lowered guidance. More coverage here and here.

Kensey Nash Corp. (NASDAQ: KNSY) is up 32.2% at $38.35. The company is being acquired by a Dutch firm for $360 million. More coverage here.

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) is down -12.7% at $46.02. The nutrition products company flubbed some questions at last night’s conference call. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Friday. San Francisco Fed President John Williams is giving a speech. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Non-farm payrolls
3:00 p.m. – Treasury STRIPS

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AES, APA, CHK, COCO, CRM, DSX, DUK, EL, GM, GMCR, HLF, KNSY, LNG, LVLT, MGM, OWW, PGR, QCOM, RGLD, SHOO, SLE, SRE, WNR, WPO, YRCW

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (CVX, WMB, YRCW, CVC, APOL, FSLR, VVUS, KOG, CZR, CEP, DRH, END, SPLS, JOY, SEMG, FORD, GEVO, QUAD, VOCS, SODA)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:06:49 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened higher this morning on the better-than-expected news on US GDP growth (our coverage here). The buying mood turning sour as the Nasdaq neared the 3,000 mark, a place it hasn’t visited in nearly 11 years. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments did not include anything unexpected, except perhaps the lack of an affirmation that the Fed would continue its accommodative monetary policy (our coverage here). Crude oil was higher today, with WTI crude up 0.5% at $107.07/barrel and Brent crude up 1.22% at $123.03/barrel. Gold settled down -4.3% at $1,711.30, it’s lowest point in more than a month.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 53 points to 12,951.84(-0.41%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 20 points (-0.67%) to 2,966.89, and the S&P 500 fell -0.47% or about 6.5 points to 1,365.66.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE: WMB) raised to ‘Conviction Buy List’ at Goldman Sachs (more coverage here); YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) maintained as ‘underperform’ but target price cut from $15 to $6; Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) cut to ‘neutral’ at Collins Stewart; and Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) cut to ‘hold’ at Deutsche Bank.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) is down -12% at $32 after posting a new 52-week low of $31.86 earlier today (more coverage here and here); Vivus Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) is up 6.5% at $22.65 (more coverage here); Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. (NYSE: KOG) is down -6.2% at $9.70; Ceasar’s Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ: CZR) is up 3.9% at $11.28; Constellation Energy Partners LLC (NYSE: CEP) is up up 6.6% at $2.73; DiamondRock Hospitality Co. (NYSE: DRH) is down -3.5% at $9.94; Endeavor International Corp. (NYSE: END) is down -9.7% at $11.54; Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) is down -8.6% at $14.63 (more coverage here); Joy Global Inc. (NYSE: JOY) is down -5.6% at $86.65 (more coverage here); and SemGroup Corp. (NYSE: SEMG) is up 1.53% at $28.55.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Forward Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: FORD) is up about 22% at $2.88. The protective case maker has signed a partnership deal for a waterproof iPad case, and is certainly rising on the prospect of a new iPad 3 announcement next week from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Gevo Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) is up more than 15% at $10.30. The biofuel maker reports earnings after markets close today. The run-up could have the same effect on the market following a weak report from Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX).

Quad Graphics Inc. (NYSE: QUAD) is up nearly 15% at $15.01. The printing company reported better-than-expected earnings this morning.

Vocus Inc. (NASDAQ: VOCS) is down about -40% at $13.50 after posting a new 52-week low of $13.10 earlier. The marketing and public relations software maker has acquired privately held iContact for $169 million in cash and stock.

SodaStream International Ltd. (NASDAQ: SODA) is down nearly -14% at $40.29. The beverage equipment maker reported what appear to be good earnings today. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Auto makers will be reporting February sales figures throughout the day. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, Cleveland Fed president Sandra Pianalto, Fed governor Sarah Bloom Raskin, Atlanta Fed president Dennis Lockhart, and San Francisco Fed president John Williams are giving speeches. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – New US unemployment benefits claims
8:30 a.m. – US personal income and outlays report
10:00 a.m. – Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index
10:00 a.m. – Construction spending
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: APOL, CEP, CVC, CVX, CZR, DRH, END, Ford, FSLR, GEVO, JOY, KOG, QUAD, SEMG, SODA, SPLS, VOCS, VVUS, WMB, YRCW

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMZN, APOL, CVC, CVX, CSTR, DFS, DPZ, PCS, VMI, WMB, YRCW)

Jon C. Ogg — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:03:35 +0000

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

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) cut to Underperform and named the Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) Cut to Neutral at Collins Stewart.
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) Cut to Neutral at UBS; Started as Neutral at Nomura.
Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE: VMI) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB) Raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs; Started as Overweight at Barclays.
YRC Worldwide. Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) maintained Underperform but cut target to $6 from $15 at Credit Suisse.

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: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AMZN, APOL, CSTR, CVC, CVX, DFS, DPZ, PCS, VMI, WMB, YRCW

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 Earnings Previews For Thursday (BZH, PHM, BX, CME, DOW, GNW, GILD, IP, K, MA, MRK, RCL, HOT, TRMB, VRTX, YRCW)

Jon C. Ogg — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:43:53 +0000

Earnings season is still upon us. There are going to be many big earnings reports Thursday and we would consider Thursday as the climax for the companies reporting their normal fourth quarter results of 2011 which have fiscal year-end dates of December 31.

We have two homebuilder earnings due from Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE: BZH) and PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM). Other key earnings to watch will be from the following: Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX); Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX); CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME); Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW); Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW); Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD); International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP); Kellogg Co. (NYSE: K); MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA); Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK); Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL); Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT); Trimble Navigation Ltd. (NASDAQ: TRMB); Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX); YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW).

We have included Thomson Reuters consensus estimates on each company. On most we have included pricing data and/or other bits of color for traders to consider.

We have two different homebuilders on deck to report. Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE: BZH) is expected to post -$0.36 EPS on $211.4 million in sales and we would watch cancellation rates on contracts as well as the quality of the earnings. Second is PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) with an expected positive earnings of $0.07 EPS on $1.14 billion in sales. Pulte’s cancellation rates and quality of earnings will also have to be monitored.

Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) will show private equity wealth and earnings in the morning. The firm is expected to report earnings of $0.38 EPS on revenues of $986.75 million.

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has been down and out for longer than any current and past holder would like to consider. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.08 EPS on $1.91 billion in sales.

CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME) is expected to report earnings of $3.71 EPS and $754 million in sales before the market opens. With a possibility of a state-relocation and the ongoing pressure of exchange mergers we would be watching this one. At roughly $244.50, the 52-week trading range is $224.69 to $317.27.

Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) is expected to turn in earnings of $0.30 EPS on $14.19 billion in sales. The report is due in the morning.

Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW) is expected to report earnings of $0.19 EPS on $2.58 billion in sales. The shares are now up over 60% from the lows of the last year and the stock still remains pressured due to the mortgage insurance overhang that has been in place for quite some time.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) has shocked the market by outperforming despite what appears to be a bad use of effort and capital in the large acquisition. Still, shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $1.05 EPS and $2.18 billion in sales.

International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP) is close to being within striking range of a 52-week high and it pays well above a 3% yield today. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.61 EPS and $6.5 billion in sales.

Kellogg Co. (NYSE: K) is lagging and actually close to a 52-week low with shares around the $49.50 mark. The estimates are $0.63 on $2.99 billion in sales. The bar is set very low here.

MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA) will show just what the interchange fee problems look like, but that is not fully reflected at all in current numbers. The consensus estimates are $3.92 EPS and $1.73 billion in sales. With shares around $357 some are concerned over valuations here.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) is reporting early Thursday morning and the company’s higher dividend hike has shares trading very close to 52-week highs with a price of close to $38.70 andf a 52-week range of $29.47 to $39.43. Estimates are $0.95 EPS and $12.53 billion in sales. To show just how low growth is the estimates of $3.76 EPS and $48.23 billion in sales for all of 2011 are only expected to be $3.83 EPS on $47.62 billion in sales for all of 2012.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) may or may not release. With its rival’s disaster, we are not doing much legwork here. Thomson Reuters has a projection of $0.15 EPS and $1.78 billion in sales.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT) is key for hotel investors and this one is expected to post $0.57 EPS on $1.42 billion in sales. Starwood has over $1 billion in cash but is still trading at a high 3.7-times book value.

Trimble Navigation Ltd. (NASDAQ: TRMB) is not so widely watched on its own, but it is used as a barometer reading for Garmin. Trimble estimates are $0.48 EPS and $419.10.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX) has been in the news with new FDA approvals. We have Thursday as the tentative date and estimates are $0.73 EPS and $523.66 million in sales.

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) is set to report and it is a puzzlement as to how this stock is still alive. On a reverse split basis the $12.83 price compares to a 52-week range of $7.94 to somewhere over $1,000. The consensus is listed as -$6.97 EPS but we have no idea how these targets are composed on this company.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Calendar, Earnings Tagged: BX, BZH, CME, DOW, GILD, GNW, HOT, IP, K, MA, MRK, PHM, RCL, TRMB, VRTX, YRCW

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (ALU, WBMD, URBN, RL, AWK, LEN, SVU, SHIP, LEDS, SNX, JASO, YRCW, CROX, HL, HRC)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:05:20 +0000

Equities opened modestly down this morning and the three major indexes have stayed within a few points of flat all day. The NASDAQ composite has remained in positive territory as the technology sector has benefited from a sharp buying trend in solar stocks. The EIA’s weekly petroleum report came in with a crude build of 5 million barrels, way above an expected gain of 1 million barrels. The report weighed on energy stocks since mid-morning. The euro has also been weaker today, adding a bit of push to equity buying. Crude oil is ending the day down, with WTI crude down about -1.3% at $100.92/barrel and Brent crude is down 0.64% at $112.55/barrel. Gold closed higher, at $1,640.50/ounce, after posting a four-week high earlier today.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 13 points to 12,449.08 (-0.11%), the NASDAQ rose more than 8 points (0.31%) to 2,710.76, and the S&P 500 rose 0.03% or less than 1 point to 1,292.44.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Alcatel-Lucent, S.A. (NYSE: ALU) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD) cut to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo; Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup; Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) cut to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo; and American Water Works Co. Inc. (NYSE: AWK) raised to ‘buy’ at Ladenburg Thalmann.

Earnings reports since markets closed yesterday have led to some price changes: Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) is up 6.3% at $22.07 after posting a new 52-week high of $22.53 earlier today; Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU) is down nearly -13% at $7.33; Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHIP) is up more than 5.5% at $2.65; SemiLEDS Corp. (NASDAQ: LEDS) is more than 5% at $3.69; and Synnex Corp. (NYSE: SNX) is up more than 8% at $34.80.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is up more than 37% at $1.97. The Chinese solar maker is among several Chinese solar companies getting a boost today from news that solar panel prices appear to be stabilizing. We have more coverage here.

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) is up nearly 16% at $11.38. The transportation company has said it will auction 62 of its surplus US sites.

Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) is up more than 17% at $18.73. The funny-shoe company has estimated that sales in the current fiscal year will top $1 billion for the first time.

Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) is down about -22% at $4.55, after posting a new 52-week low of $4.25 earlier today. The silver miner has lowered its production estimate due to a forced closure of a shaft at its Nevada mine.

Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HRC) is down nearly -12% at $30.45. The medical equipment maker and services provider lowered fourth-quarter and full-year guidance last night.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Here are the noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Initial unemployment benefits claims report
8:30 a.m. – Census Bureau retail sales report
10:00 a.m. – Census Bureau business inventories report
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas status report
1:00 p.m. – 30-year bond auction
2:00 p.m. – US Treasury budget
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, Calendar, HI/LOW, Market Close, The Day Tagged: ALU, AWK, CROX, HL, HRC, JASO, LEDS, LEN, RL, SHIP, SNX, SVU, URBN, WBMD, YRCW

24/7 Wall St. Top Analyst Calls of the Week (ALU, AMZN, AAPL, CSCO, CSC, CXW, DF, EPD, GNW, GMCR, GRPN, HD, MPEL, PIR, SRDX, TEVA, VRTX, YRCW, ALIM)

Jon C. Ogg — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:19:38 +0000

Each morning 24/7 Wall St. issues a summary list of key analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations issued by Wall Street research firms. We review these calls and other calls made throughout the week to see which stand out the most. Some are great calls that were full of insight, while others were total flops. After reviewing and filtering all of these research reports, we end up with the top analyst calls of the week.

We had many key calls that stood out this week in shares of the following: Alcatel-Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU); Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN); Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL); Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO); Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC); Corrections Corporation of America (NYSE:CXW); Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF); Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE: EPD); Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW); Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR); Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN); The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD); Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL); Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR); SurModics Inc. (NASDAQ: SRDX); Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NASDAQ: TEVA); Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: VRTX); and YRC Worldwide. Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW).

We have broken each of these calls out and added in color where applicable.

Alcatel-Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU) can’t get off the floor and it keeps disappointing. Shares even closed at $1.99 after seeing a year low of $1.92 on Friday. Alcatel’s chart looks almost the same as the chart of late-2008, but it cannot blame the market this time. We saw three downgrades worth noting this last week: Cut to Sell at Citigroup; Cut estimates and target at Argus; and Cut to Neutral at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) had two big calls this last week. The main call was on Friday when Nomura issued a very unenthusiastic NEUTRAL rating. The other call came on Thursday when Zacks added it to the STRONG SELL list. With valuations still very high and with profit margins running razor-thin, it seems that at least some caution should prevail unless the holiday season is going to blow the doors of the hinges here.

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Calendar, Research, The Week Tagged: AAPL, ALIM, ALU, AMZN, CSC, CSCO, CXW, DF, EPD, GMCR, GNW, GRPN, HD, MPEL, PIR, SRDX, TEVA, VRTX, YRCW