Adams Respiratory Therapeutics (NasdaqGS:
ARXT -
News) said its fiscal second-quarter net profit rose 16.8% to $12.5 million, or 34 cents a share, from $10.7 million, or 29 cents a share. Revenue for the quarter jumped 75% to $110.6 million due to accelerating sales of Mucinex, the acquisition of Delsym and the launch of its children's Mucinex products. The company said it continues to anticipate the gross margin for its guaifenesin product to be around 80% of net sales in fiscal 2007.
American Commercial Lines (NasdaqGS:
ACLI -
News) said its fourth-quarter net income rose sharply to $35 million, or 56 cents a share, from $8.6 million, or 14 cents a share, a year earlier. Results were boosted by a gain of $4.8 million, or 8 cents a share, on the sale of its Venezuelan operations. The Jeffersonville, Ind., integrated marine transportation and service provider's revenue rose 18% to $265.9 million from $225.6 million a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected, on average, revenue of $296.9 million. The company said it approved a two-for-one stock split, to be distributed as a stock dividend Feb. 20 to shareholders of record Wednesday. Fourth-quarter results reflect the stock split.
Aquila (NYSE:
ILA -
News) shares slid after the company agreed to sell certain gas utility operations in Colorado, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska to Black Hills Corp. (NYSE:
BKH -
News) for $940 million. Kansas City, Mo.-based Aquila also said it's agreed to be acquired by Great Plains Energy (NYSE:
GXP -
News) in a cash and stock deal valued at $1.7 billion. The Black Hills' asset purchase will be completely just after the closure of the Aquila/Great Plains deal. The Great Plains' proposal calls for the acquisition of Aquila and its Missouri-based electric utility assets for $1.80 in cash plus 0.0856 of Great Plains' stock for each Aquila share, a value of $4.54 based on Tuesday's close. Great Plains is also set to assume about $1 billion in Aquila debt. Following the closing of the deal, Aquila shareholders will own about 27% of Great Plains' common stock.
Aspect Medical Systems (NasdaqGM:
ASPM -
News) said it expects non-GAAP earnings of 6 to 8 cents a share on revenue of $22.6 million to $23.6 million for the first quarter. Wall Street's current consensus estimate is for a profit of 16 cents a share in the March period.
Atwood Oceanics Inc. (NYSE:
ATW -
News) reported first-quarter net earnings of $21.1 million, or 67 cents a share, up from $14.5 million, or 47 cents a share, during the year-ago period. The Houston-based drilling contractor posted revenue of $88.8 million vs. $55.4 million.
CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. (NYSE:
CBG -
News) said fourth-quarter net income rose, buoyed by "strong" leasing activity, to $125.1 million, or 53 cents a share, from $95.4 million, or 41 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year.
Centene Corp. (NYSE:
CNC -
News) shares declined after the managed care provider was downgraded to sell from neutral at Merrill Lynch on valuation. The move comes after Centene posted a fourth-quarter profit that was flat compared with the same quarter last year. "Centene is up nearly 90% since sharply disappointing last summer and we think shares have gotten ahead of themselves," analyst Doug Simpson wrote in a research note. Simpson cut his 2007 per-share profit forecast to $1.45 from $1.59 and set a 2008 outlook of $1.63. "[W]e believe the other Medicaid managed care names we cover have better visibility on operating earnings than Centene," he wrote.
Cheesecake Factory (NasdaqGS:
CAKE -
News) said its fourth-quarter income was off from the prior year's levels, but the casual dining restaurateur's sales climbed 18%, thanks to increased traffic at its Grand Lux outlets.
Corporate Executive Board Co. (NasdaqGS:
EXBD -
News) said its fourth-quarter net income rose 8.9% to $23.2 million, or 58 cents a share, from $21.3 million, or 52 cents a share, a year earlier. The company, which provides business research and gives executive seminars, said excluding share-based compensation, adjusted income for the quarter was 68 cents a share, up from 52 cents a share a year earlier. Sales rose 26% to $125.5 million from $99.8 million.
Dean Foods (NYSE:
DF -
News) said its fourth-quarter earnings rose to $73 million, or 53 cents a share, from $66.2 million, or 45 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding discontinued operations, facility closings and the effect of an accounting change, Dallas-based Dean said it earned 61 cents a share in the quarter. Dean Foods said Wednesday that net sales fell to $2.59 billion from $2.62 billion a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial, on average, expected earnings of 61 cents a share on revenue of $2.59 billion. For 2007, Dean Foods forecasts adjusted per-share earnings of $2.33 to $2.38. Wall Street, on average, is looking for full-year earnings $2.38 a share.
EGL Inc. (NasdaqGS:
EAGL -
News) shares tumbled after the Houston-based logistics company said it has been notified by General Atlantic LLC that it has withdrawn as an equity sponsor from the offer made by James Crane, the company's chief executive and largest shareholder, to acquire EGL for $36 a share in cash. General Atlantic indicated that it is pulling out of the offer because of an expected shortfall in EGL's fourth quarter results, EGL said. The company said its results will be negatively impacted by an 8% decline in revenue per shipment at the company's domestic freight forwarding division compared to last year. The company's results are also expected to be hit by higher-than-expected operating expenses. Crane plans to present a revised acquisition offer with a new equity commitment, EGL said.
Encore Wire (NasdaqGS:
WIRE -
News) shares dropped after the McKinney, Texas-based maker of copper electrical wire reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $6.18 million, or 26 cents a share, down from $35.4 million, or $1.50 a share, last year. Revenue in the three months ended Dec. 31 was $262.3 million, down from $244.2 million in the year-ago period.
Equity Residential Properties Trust reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $465.1 million vs. $225.9 million during the year-ago period. Net income available to common shareholders was $457.6 million, or $1.54 a share, compared with $215.2 million, or 74 cents a share, a year ago. The company was also downgraded to hold at Citigroup.
FMC Corp. (NYSE:
FMC -
News) said fourth-quarter net income fell, as restructuring charges rose, to $12.9 million, or 33 cents a share, from $25.3 million, or 64 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year.
Forest Laboratories (NYSE:
FRX -
News) was downgraded to sell at Citigroup.
Genomic Health (NasdaqGM:
GHDX -
News) shares fell after the Redwood City, Calif.-based company posted a fourth-quarter net loss of $9 million, or 37 cents a share, compared with $8.22 million, or 34 cents a share, last year. Revenue increased to $8.62 million from $1.93 million. Genomic Health forecast a 2007 net loss of $27 million to $30 million on revenue of $57 million to $63 million.
Gerdau Ameristeel Corp. (NYSE:
GNA -
News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $69.4 million, or 23 cents a share, down from a year-ago profit of $80.4 million, or 26 cents a share. Sales rose in the latest three months to $1.04 billion from $934.2 million in the same period a year earlier. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call was for a profit of 29 cents a share in the December period. The company also said its board has approved a special dividend of 27 cents per common share, payable on March 9 to shareholders of record on Feb. 22. Gerdau also said it's budgeted $250 million in capital investments for 2007.
MedImmune (NasdaqGS:
MEDI -
News) shares fell after the company reported a fourth-quarter profit of $120.7 million, or 50 cents a share, from a loss of $22.4 million, or 9 cents, a year earlier on 7.5% sales growth. Excluding share-based compensation and other items, the Gaithersburg, Md., company's adjusted earnings climbed to 64 cents a share from 8 cents a year ago. MedImmune said Wednesday fourth-quarter revenue increased to $528.7 million from $492 million, with sales of respiratory drug Synagis up 6% and sales of the FluMist flu vaccine more than doubling from a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial, on average, expected the drug maker to earn 54 cents a share and generate revenue of $555.5 million for the latest fourth quarter. For 2007, MedImmune expects to earn 90 to 95 cents a share on revenue of about $1.5 billion.
By Michael Baron
Labels: ACLI, ARXT, ASPM, ATW, BKH, CAKE, CBG, CNC, DF, EAGL, EXBD, FMC, FRX, GHDX, GNA, GXP, ILA, MEDI, WIRE
