Jim Cramer Blog

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Thursday from TradingMarkets.com:
Amazon.com (NasdaqGS:AMZN - News) matched earnings expectations on Wednesday afternoon with $0.48 EPS. AMZN's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Burger King (NYSE:BKC - News) reports earnings on Thursday morning before the bell, with traders looking for $0.32 EPS. BKC's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - News) is looking to announce $0.89 EPS on Thursday before the market opens. CL's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
Analysts will be watching for L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL - News) to announce $1.61 EPS tomorrow morning before the bell. LLL's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
When Mastercard (NYSE:MA - News) reports earnings early Thursday morning, watch for $0.72 EPS. MA's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Mattel T looks set to report $0.73 EPS tomorrow morning. MAT's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
MBIA (NYSE:MBI - News) is projected to announce -$2.98 EPS tomorrow morning before the market opens. MBI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.

Labels: AMZN, BKC, CL, Hot Stocks, LLL, MA, MBI

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
Burger King (NYSE:BKC - News) reports earnings on Monday before the bell, with analysts looking for $0.33 EPS. BKC's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
When Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH - News) announces quarterly results on Monday morning, look for $0.86 EPS. CAH's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Marvel Enterprises (NYSE:MVL - News) is set to announce $0.28 EPS on Monday before the market opens. MVL's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Analysts are watching for Ness Tech (NasdaqGS:NSTC - News) to report $0.18 EPS on Monday morning. NSTC's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Companies reporting after the close on Monday include Activision (NasdaqGS:ATVI - News), Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC - News) and Sun Microsystems (NasdaqGS:JAVA - News). ATVI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6, APC's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6, and JAVA does not have a PowerRating (for Traders) because of the symbol's short trading history.

Labels: APC, ATVI, BKC, CAH, Hot Stocks, JAVA, MVL, NSTC

At midday, stocks were rising modestly on upbeat economic and housing data. Stocks have been less volatile this week as investors have been patient and trying to dissect what the Fed will do at its next scheduled meeting in September. Also midday, oil was trading higher on the day.
In economic news, the Commerce Department said that Durable Good orders gained more than forecast in July. For the month, orders climbed 5.9%, the biggest gain since September. Today's figure came after a revised 1.9% the prior month. Excluding transportation equipment, orders rose 3.7%, the most in nearly two years. In the housing side of the economic picture, sales of new homes increased 2.8% in July to a seasonally adjusted rate of 870,000. Inventory of homes fell -1%, the fourth-straight month it has fallen. The median price of a home in the U.S. was $239.500, up 0.6% from last year's measure.
To end the week, several companies reported quarterly earnings, among them number-two burger giant Burger King (NYSE: BKC - News). For the quarter ended June 30th, the company reported earnings of $36 million, or 26 cents a share, up from a year-ago loss of -$10 million, or -8 cents a share. Excluding items from both those quarters, it earned $40 million, or 29 cents a share, up from $25 million, or 18 cents a share, in 2006. Analysts on average were looking for EPS of 27 cents. Sales hit $590 million, up from $533 million last year. Same-store sales increased 4.4% worldwide, with the U.S. and Canada showing growth of 4.8%. The company attributed the strong quarter to increased sales in its breakfast and late-night operations in the U.S. and Canada.
Continuing on the food theme, ketchup maker H.J. Heinz (NYSE: HNZ - News) said its first-quarter earnings grew 6%. For the quarter, the company posted net income of $205.3 million, or 63 cents a share, up from $194.1 million, or 58 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Sales climbed 9% to $2.25 billion on double-digit growth in ketchup, beans, and soups. Its earnings came in line with what the street was forecasting. It also increased its full-year EPS outlook to the top of its range of $2.54-2.60.
Over in the tech world, embattled chipmaker Marvell Tech (Nasdaq: MRVL - News) posted a loss of -$56.5 million, or -10 cents a share, compared to a profit of $44.9 million, or 7 cents a share, last year. Excluding stock-based compensation, it would have earned 6 cents a share, in line with what analysts were expecting. Sales rose 14% to $656.7 million on increased sales of its communications and wireless network chips. Costs, meanwhile, surged, as R&D expenses increased 55% and SG&A costs rose 71% from year-ago levels.
In corporate M&A news, the nation's largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot (NYSE: HD - News), said it may cut its sale of its HD Supply unit by as much as $1 billion in an effort to salvage the deal. The deal, which was announced last quarter for $10.3 billion, is in jeopardy as its buyers, private equity groups Bain Capital; The Carlyle Group; and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, are seeking price cuts. The financers on the deal, which include three top Wall St. banks, are seeking price cuts as well as they are hesitant to finance the mega-billion dollar deal in the current debt market environment.

Labels: BKC, HD, HNZ, MRVL

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Friday from TradingMarkets.com:
Aeropostale (NYSE:ARO - News) beat earnings on Thursday afternoon, reporting $0.19 EPS over an expected $0.18 EPS. ARO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.

bebe stores (NasdaqGS:BEBE - News) also beat earnings on Thursday, with $0.21 EPS over a consensus of $0.21 EPS. BEBE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Brocade (NasdaqGS:BRCD - News) beat analysts expectations, announcing $0.13 EPS over $0.11 EPS. BRCD's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
AnnTaylor (NYSE:ANN - News) reports earnings on Friday before the bell, with analysts looking for $0.48 EPS. ANN's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
Burger King (NYSE:BKC - News) should announce $0.27 EPS on Friday morning before the market opens. BKC's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
HJ Heinz (NYSE:HNZ - News) is expected to report $0.63 EPS on Friday before the bell. HNZ's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Gamestop (NYSE:GME - News) rose over 10% on Thursday, after the company announced a seven-fold increase in Q2, easily besting any analyst expectations. GME's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: ANN, ARO, BEBE, BKC, BRCD, GME, HNZ, Hot Stocks

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Friday from TradingMarkets.com:
MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE:WFR - News) beat earnings on Thursday, announcing $0.71 EPS over estimates of $0.69 EPS. WFR's PowerRating is 3.

Microsoft (NasdaqGS:MSFT - News) beat earnings on Thursday afternoon, with $0.49 EPS over an expected $0.46 EPS. MSFT's PowerRating is 5.
Alltel (NYSE:AT - News) announces earnings on Friday before the open, with analysts looking for $0.66 EPS. AT's PowerRating is 5.
Burger King (NYSE:BKC - News) reports earnings Friday afternoon; watch for $0.22 EPS. BKC's PowerRating is 6.
When Chevron (NYSE:CVX - News) reports quarterly earnings early Friday, analysts will be looking for $1.68 EPS. CVX's PowerRating is 5.
Goodyear Tire (NYSE:GT - News) should announce -$0.01 EPS before the bell on Friday. GT's PowerRating is 5.
Analysts will be watching for Waste Management (NYSE:WMI - News) to announce $0.36 EPS before the market opens tomorrow. WMI's PowerRating is 4.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: AT, BKC, CVX, GT, Hot Stocks, MSFT, WFR, WMI

Bullish:
Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL): 'I said, at $85 and change it was anointed. It's up $8....because they indeed blew away the numbers.'Savient Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGM: SVNT): ' ... still like it as much as I did at the beginning of the year. I like their uric acid product. I'm not backing away.'BioMarin Phramaceutical (NasdaqGM: BMRN):' I know people were disappointed in that last quarter. I think it's a mistake. BMRN is a good biotech stock, and a takeover target.'AT&T (NYSE: T)State Street (NYSE: STT): 'I think that the mutual fund clearing business is a great business, a great way to participate in this rally. STT is a thumb and a half up.'Pozen (NasdaqGM: POZN): 'They get that migraine stuff... I mean, this company... There are so many ways to win.'Nastech Pharmaceutical (NasdaqGM: NSTK): ' ... we identified at $10 and it went to $13.50. I'm going to join you on the buy side there. I think you're in good shape. Buy, buy, buy!'Burger King (NYSE: BKC): ... it's been on fire. BKC is a reformed, better outfit. It's really good ... easily, easily going up to $26-$27.'McDonald's (NYSE: MCD)Parker-Hannifin (NYSE: PH): 'Do not lose heart! That was a beautiful quarter. They will find it ... Even though it's been up a lot in the last year... you say I want some PH, and then you get the stampede. That stock is going to $100.'Tellabs (NasdaqGS: TLAB): 'Quite frankly, I thought the stock should have been single digits after that call ... I smell merger. I smell buyout. I smell takeout. Sit with your TLAB. I think something good is going to happen.'Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO): Have much have we liked TMO?... 52-week-high? No, no. More ahead. $50 goes to $60, TMO!'Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN):Charter Communications (NasdaqGM: CHTR): 'CHTR's minding its own business, going higher ... CHTR, it reports May 2nd. I like the stock very much.'
Bearish calls:
MetroPCS Communications (NYSE: PCS): 'Let's not be too greedy. That stock has had a run. The other ones haven't. I'd actually be more conservative.'Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG): 'Let that one come in. The commercial real estate market has had a great run. It's not where I want to be right now.'XM Satellite Radio (NasdaqGS: XMSR): 'No. That's a bleeding contest. That's one of those where you're darned if you do and darned if you don't. The congress won't let these two companies merge.'
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AAPL, BKC, Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, Mad Money, PCS, PH, SPG, STT, SVNT, TMO, TRN, XMSR

CEO Wall of Shame: Terry Semel of Yahoo! (NasdaqGS: YHOO)
Cramer added Yahoo CEO Terry Semel, the "master of the art of overpromise and underdeliver," to his CEO Wall of Shame after the company failed to meet expectations yet again on Tuesday. "You can't raise the bar really high and then implode," Cramer says. "And you certainly shouldn't be allowed to do it repeatedly." He thinks Terry Semel is even worse than IBM's Sam Palmisano and Citigroup's Chuck Prince.

Money in the Banks: Downey Financial (NYSE: DSL), Wachovia (NYSE: WB), Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH), Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC), Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Impac Mortgage (NYSE: IMH)
Downey may be the next Golden West, a savings and loan which was recently bought by WB in a controversial yet beneficial move, according to Cramer. He thinks DSL is one of the best risk/reward stocks around, and believes it will double if it is acquired, may benefit if the Fed raises interest rates, or if it busts the shorts, which hold 40% of DSL's float. Cramer would buy LEH, BSC, GS, commenting "what was negative four weeks ago is now positive for banks," and he thinks IMH could double on any good news.
Green Day Part 3: BorgWarner (NYSE: BWA), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), Transocean (NYSE: RIG)
Continuing his Green Day series, Cramer discussed BWA an auto-supplier which is sought-after because of its fuel efficient turbochargers, for which there is high demand across the industry. Since many of its clients are overseas, he doesn't think BWA will be affected by problems with domestic car sales. When a caller asked if traditional energy is "peaking" in the wake of "Green Day," Cramer replied that oil is "still in a multi-year expansion" but prefers oil service stocks such as Halliburton and Transocean.

Mad Mail: Superior Offshore, Burger King (NYSE: BKC), Southern Copper (NYSE: PCU), FuelCell Energy (NasdaqGM: FCEL)Cramer told a viewer he doesn't think IPO Superior Offshore's strategy of paying a special cash dividend before going public is a bad idea, and noted companies like BKC have been successfully doing the same thing. When asked if PCU will "drop like a rock" again in late April and early May, Cramer said he would still buy PCU, and the pattern is linked with China. Finally, he agreed FCEL will rise because of the "Green Day" decision.
Pubished By SeekingAlpha

Labels: BKC, BSC, BWA, DSL, GS, HAL, IMH, Jim Cramer, LEH, Mad Money, PCU, RIG, WB

Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE:ALK - News) said January traffic at its Alaska Airlines' unit fell 0.8% while its capacity rose 2.8%. That translated to a fall in load factor, or percentage of seats filled with paying passengers, to 66.5% from 69%. Horizon Air January traffic rose 0.3%, its capacity rose 2.6%, translating to a load factor fall to 63.3% from 64.7%.
Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APA - News) said it expects a charge of roughly $100 million related to Algeria's new "exceptional profits" tax, which applies when monthly average Brent Crude prices exceed $30 per barrel. The energy exploration and production company said Monday the charge represents an estimated liability for the period from Aug. 1 through Dec. 31. The Houston company expects a relief because Anadarko operates its Algerian assets under a production-sharing contract that includes a stabilization clause, which is designed to protect the investment and related asset value.
Bisys Group (NYSE:BSG - News) filed its Form 10-Q for the period ended Sept. 30, 2006, and reported net income of $14 million, compared with $13.4 million during the year-ago period. Revenue for the first fiscal quarter of 2007 was $211.5 million vs. $205.7 million.
British Airways (NYSE:BAB - News) reported a 2.8% drop in passenger traffic in January, due to flights being cancelled on the risk of a strike by its cabin crew. Its passenger load factor, a measure of passengers to available seats, dropped 3 percentage points to 69.5%. The market continues to show good demand in premium cabins. The weakness in some non-premium segments is also still a feature, the airline said.
Burger King Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BKC - News) filed to sell 20 million shares from selling stockholders, including entities managed by Bain Capital, Goldman Sachs and Texas Pacific Group. Based on its closing price of $20.28 a share on Friday, the stock offering will raise about $406 million. The offering comes after Burger King held its initial public offering of 25 million shares at $17 a share on May 18, 2006.
Columbia Laboratories' (NasdaqGM:CBRX - News) shares plummeted 69% to $1.44 in Monday morning trade after the Livingston, N.J.-based company announced late Sunday that its Phase III clinical trial of progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth did not achieve any reduction in the incidence of preterm birth at week 32, the primary endpoint. Progesterone also did not reduce the incidence of preterm birth at weeks 28, 35 and 37, the secondary endpoints of the study. Robert Mills, Columbia's chief executive, called the results "extremely disappointing."
Electronic Arts (NasdaqGS:ERTS - News) was downgraded to neutral from overweight at J.P. Morgan. The firm cited valuation and competition from a strong line up of games at its competitors. The broker added another possibility is that the industry could witness further hardware shipment cuts, which could limit demand for Electronic Arts' new titles.
Lexmark International (NYSE:LXK - News) was downgraded to reduce from neutral at UBS.
Majesco Entertainment Co. (NasdaqCM:COOL - News) said its financial statements for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2006 contain a going concern modification. According to a Jan. 29 filing, the company's auditors have issued an opinion indicating that there is substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern because Majesco has incurred net losses for the years ended Oct. 31, 2005 and 2006.
The McClatchy Co. (NYSE:MNI - News) was cut to market perform from outperform at Wachovia, which cited valuation and the continuing challenges in the advertising market, especially in the real estate category. "When we initiated coverage of the stock with an outperform rating, we thought the company would be able to increase its estimated cost savings related to the Knight Ridder deal. However, we now think any upside will be more than offset by revenue declines," Wachovia said. "While the stock has been weak, we think continued downward revisions of consensus estimates will make it difficult for the stock to trade materially higher," it added.
Midas Inc. (NYSE:MDS - News) said it plans to record a charge of $1.9 million in the fourth quarter related to closing six unprofitable company-owned shops in Florida. The company also said it expects a decline in U.S. comparable shop sales of 1.7% for the fourth quarter and 1.5% for the full year, citing lower advertising than in the year-ago period.
Nathan's Famous Inc. (NasdaqGM:NATH - News) reported third-quarter earnings of $1.1 million, or 17 cents a share, up from a year-ago profit of $770,000, or 12 cents a share.
NewMarket (NYSE:NEU - News) shares fell after the Richmond, Va.-based maker of chemical additives late Friday reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $4.5 million, or 26 cents a share, down from $11.1 million, or 64 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Excluding special items, the company posted a per-share profit of 60 cents vs. 46 cents. Revenue rose to $306.2 million from $293.7 million.
Overstock.com (NasdaqGM:OSTK - News) filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco seeking damages of $3.48 billion against a group of companies it says control over 80% of the prime brokerage market. The company also reported a fourth-quarter loss that widened to $40.7 million, or $1.92 a share, from $6.28 million, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier, hurt by lower revenue and increased expenses. The Salt Lake City-based online closeout retailer said revenue fell 6% to $297.5 million from $318 million a year earlier on lower traffic rates and smaller gross margins. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected, on average, a fourth-quarter loss of 85 cents a share on revenue of $305.7 million.
PMI Group (NYSE:PMI - News) said fourth-quarter net income fell 7% to $100.5 million, though earnings per share rose 7% to $1.19 a share, in line with analyst forecasts. Revenue rose 12% to $318 million. The profit declines amid loss reserve additions in U.S. mortgage insurance operations and an increase in total incurred losses in PMI Australia.
Regal-Beloit Corp. (NYSE:RBC - News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $23 million, or 68 cents a share, up from a year-ago profit of $20.3 million, or 63 cents a share. Net sales slipped 2.5% in the latest three months to $366.6 million from $376.2 million in the same period a year earlier. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call was for a profit of 68 cents a share in the December period.
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - News) said fourth-quarter net income for the three months ended Dec. 31 rose to $46.6 million, or 22 cents a share, from a loss of $3.6 million, or 2 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $1.15 billion from $1 billion. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast earnings of 20 cents a share and revenue of $1.16 billion, on average. The cruise line expects first-quarter income of 3 to 8 cents a share. The current analyst estimate is 32 cents a share. For the full year, Royal Caribbean forecast earnings of $3.05-$3.20, compared to the analyst estimate of $3.15 a share.
State Street Corp. (NYSE:STT - News) has agreed to buy Investors Financial Services Corp. (NasdaqGS:IFIN - News) for around $4.5 billion in stock. Investors Financial shareholders will receive 0.906 shares of State Street common stock for each share held, based upon the closing price of State Street common stock on February 2. Approximately 62 million State Street common shares will be issued in the transaction. The transaction is expected to be dilutive to State Street's operating earnings in 2007, neutral to earnings in 2008 on an operating basis, lift earnings in 2008 on a cash basis and lift operating earnings in 2009, based on anticipated pre-tax cost savings of approximately $345 million to $365 million during the first two years following closing. State Street expects to take restructuring charges of between $625 million to $675 million.
Transmeta Corp. (NasdaqGM:TMTA - News) shares tumbled after the company said it's streamlining its operations to focus on its core business of intellectual property licensing. The company plans to decrease its workforce by roughly 39% as part of the restructuring, shedding about 75 employees, mostly in its engineering services businesses.
Unitrin Inc. (NYSE:UTR - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $61.6 million, or 91 cents a share, down 29% from $86.7 million, or $1.26 a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue at the Chicago-based financial services company rose to $763.9 million from $755.9 million.
YRC Worldwide (NasdaqGS:YRCW - News) was downgraded to neutral from outperform at Credit Suisse.

Labels: ALK, APA, BAB, BKC, BSG, CBRX, COOL, ERTS, LXK, MDS, MNI, NATH, NEU, OSTK, PMI, RBC, RCL, STT