Jim Cramer Blog

Shares of Express Scripts Inc. rose Tuesday morning after the pharmacy benefit manager guided for a 2008 profit above Wall Street's forecasts.
The St. Louis-based company expects profit in 2008 to range from $2.80 to $2.87 per share. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expect profit of $2.79 per share in 2008.
Banc of America analyst Robert Willoughby said the strong outlook was expected, and suggests that trouble in some Express Scripts business units may be coming to an end. He raised his own 2008 profit forecast to $2.85 per share from $2.78 per share.
"The more favorable outlook is consistent with our view that the competitive landscape is changing in favor of larger independent pharmacy benefit managers," Willoughby said in a note to clients. He kept his "Buy" rating, but said that the stock may lag in coming weeks without another catalyst.

Labels: ESRX, Express Scripts Inc.

I'ts a Given: Given Imaging (NasdaqGM: GIVN - News)
Cramer's speculative pick on Friday was Israeli wireless medical imaging company, GIVN, which is perfecting a PillCam video capsules which are a more comfortable, convenient way of checking for gastronomical problems than traditional methods. He pointed out his track record of making viewers money with medical device companies such as Hansen Medical, Micrus Endovascular,Kyphon, and Intuitive Surgical, and he feels the technology behind the PillCam is much simpler than that of other devices. While investors are taking a "calculated risk" Cramer expects big earnings from Given and notes its guidance inspires confidence.
Big Brother is Watching You: Omniture (NasdaqGM: OMTR - News)
The next big thing in internet advertising is OMTR, according to Cramer, since the company monitors what people are watching online; "With Omniture, you can tell advertisers what is hot at the exact moment," Cramer said. The time for Yahoo, Google and Microsoft to buy this stock was yesterday, Cramer commented, and if OMTR's shares were valued the same as Microsoft valued aQuantive's before the acquisition, OMTR would be sitting at $35 instead of $2o.66. The company gave a secondary offering and sold 8 million shares at $18, which is an indication that " no amount of stupid sellers can knock this thing down ... There's too much demand." However, Cramer warned he is recommending this speculative stock on a takeover bid and not on its margins.
Game Plan for the Coming Week: Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC - News), XTO Energy (NYSE: XTO - News), Medco Health (NYSE: MHS - News), Express Scripts (NasdaqGS: ESRX - News), Nike (NYSE: NKE - News), Kroger (NYSE: KR - News), Oracle (NasdaqGS: ORCL - News), McCormick (NYSE: MKC - News), Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD - News), Research In Motion (NasdaqGS: RIMM - News)
Cramer said the failure of two hedge funds does not spell bad news for BSC, which he would buy on Thursday. The cause was a hedge fund manager's "stupid mistake" and Cramer doesn't think BSC is dependent on the success or failure of the funds. He would pay attention to companies such as XTO, MHS and ESRX which are speaking at the Wachoviaand Jeffries conferences next week. He suggests setting up half a positon in NKE before its earnings report and the other half after a subsequent drop. Cramer would buy KR, since it doesn't get enough respect, as well as Oracle and thinks MKC is a good low-risk stock. He predicts RAD, which reports on Thursday, will continue to "motor up" and he would buy it on any weakness. For those who don't yet own RIMM, Cramer suggests picking it up after its earnings report.
Mad Mail: Posco (NYSE: PKX - News), Cummins (NYSE: CMI - News), Spartan (NasdaqGS: SPAR - News)
Although he didn't mention the PKX when he discussed 20 of Buffett's stock picks on thursday's Mad Money progam, Cramer thinks it is a good, inexpensive steel company. Cramer thinks CMI is still rising but would beware of SPAR, which is down a two points.
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: BSC, CMI, ESRX, GIVN, Jim Cramer, KR, Mad Money, MHS, MKC, NKE, OMTR, ORCL, PKX, RAD, RIMM, SPAR, XTO

New economic data offered a relatively stable level of inflation, but investors took a pessimistic view of the numbers and sent stocks lower on the day. The disappointment stemmed in part from the fact that, while recent data has been pointing to a softening economy, inflation pressure is still being felt. All three major indexes closed moderately lower on the day
Looking at the numbers, the Labor Department's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.4% in February, ahead of the 0.3% expected by Wall Street. The closely watched core rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was up 0.2%, matching expectations. Coming on the heels of yesterday's Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers, which pointed to some inflationary pressure, the CPI numbers left investors on edge.
In corporate news, several subprime mortgage stocks once again posted outsized gains as the crisis in that sector continues to shake out. Accredited Home Lenders (Nasdaq: LEND - News) added another 16% on top of yesterday's big gains after announcing that it would sell some of its loans at a discount, enabling it to meet looming margin calls. Fremont General (NYSE: FMT - News) tacked on 20% after its credit line with Credit Suisse was boosted by $1 billion.
Elsewhere, in the wake of the January announcement from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. delaying its review of bank charter applications from Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News), the retailer has scrapped long-held plans to establish a bank. Wal-Mart's plans had come under fire because, among other arguments, some believe a Wal-Mart bank would have an unfair advantage over traditional banks. Wal-Mart has argued all along that it never intended to open its own bank, but that it sought to be classified as one in order to reduce credit and debit card transaction costs. Home Depot (NYSE: HD - News), which also has a pending application, has not abandoned its efforts.
In other news, CVS (NYSE: CVS - News) moved one step closer to completing its marathon effort to acquire pharmacy benefits manager Caremark Rx (NYSE: CMX - News) after Caremark shareholders approved CVS' $26.5 billion offer. CVS had been engaged in a long-running bidding war with Express Scripts (Nasdaq: ESRX - News) over Caremark.
Elsewhere in M&A, crude oil tanker company OMI Corp (NYSE: OMM - News) jumped 14.5% after management said it was considering putting the firm up for sale. Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM - News), meanwhile, posted a modest gain after a BusinessWeek report suggested it might be a target of Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX - News), the world's biggest gold producer. Barrick, however, dismissed the speculation.
Finally, tech giant Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ - News) announced the biggest stock buyback in its history, authorizing the repurchase of $8.0 billion in shares. The new authorization comes on top of the $3.3 billion HP had remaining, as of January 31st, under its prior $6.0 billion repurchase plan, which was approved in August 2006. The tech leader finished the session only slightly higher on the news.

Labels: ABX, CMX, CVS, ESRX, FMT, HD, HPQ, LEND, NEM, OMM, WMT

Most Under Priced Calls: These are the most under priced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets IndexApr 120 Calls (AMEX:EEM - News). EEM's PowerRating is 6.
Most Under Priced Puts: These are the most under priced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
Express Scripts Apr 80 Puts (NasdaqGS:ESRX - News). ESRX's PowerRating is 3.
Most Overpriced Calls: These are the most overpriced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Indymac Bancorp Apr 30 Calls (NYSE:NDE - News). NDE's PowerRating is 6.
Most Overpriced Puts: These are the most overpriced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Petroleo Brasileiro Apr 90 Puts (NYSE:PBR - News). PBR's PowerRating is 4.
Stocks with Abnormal Call Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual call option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Call Volume Alerts list suggests a possible takeover, extraordinarily good earnings report, or other news which may favorably affect the stock.
Network Appliance (NasdaqGS:NTAP - News). NTAP's PowerRating is 6.
Stocks with Abnormal Put Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual put option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Put Volume Alerts list suggests an extraordinarily negative earnings report, or other news which may negatively affect the stock.
Amgen (NasdaqGS:AMGN - News). AMGN's PowerRating is 6.
Abnormal Put/Call $ Volume: These stocks have the highest dollar put volume in relation to their call volume. These high ratios are indicative of extreme bearish sentiment in the underlying stock.
Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE:BTU - News). BTU's PowerRating is 5.
PowerRatings are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AMGN, BTU, EEP, ESRX, Hot Options, NDE, NTAP, PBR

Most Under Priced Calls: These are the most under priced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
MBIA Inc. Apr 70 Calls (NYSE:MBI - News). MBI's PowerRating is 5.
Most Under Priced Puts: These are the most under priced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
Express Scripts Apr 80 Puts (NasdaqGS:ESRX - News). ESRX's PowerRating is 3.
Most Overpriced Calls: These are the most overpriced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Indymac Bancorp Apr 30 Calls (NYSE:NDE - News). NDE's PowerRating is 5.
Most Overpriced Puts: These are the most overpriced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced. Research in Motion Apr 120 Puts (NasdaqGS:RIMM - News). RIMM's PowerRating is 5.
Stocks with Abnormal Call Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual call option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Call Volume Alerts list suggests a possible takeover, extraordinarily good earnings report, or other news which may favorably affect the stock.
Mirant (NYSE:MIR - News). MIR's PowerRating is 4.
Stocks with Abnormal Put Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual put option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Put Volume Alerts list suggests an extraordinarily negative earnings report, or other news which may negatively affect the stock.
Lennar (NYSE:LEN - News). LEN's PowerRating is 5.
Abnormal Put/Call $ Volume: These stocks have the highest dollar put volume in relation to their call volume. These high ratios are indicative of extreme bearish sentiment in the underlying stock.
Centex (NYSE:CTX - News). CTX's PowerRating is 5.
PowerRatings are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: CTX, ESRX, Hot Options, LEN, MBI, MIR, NDE, RIMM

Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Inc. (ESRX 80.80, +3.73) Monday seemed to put the kibosh on a long-running, heated competition to acquire competitor Caremark Rx Inc. (CMX 60.59, -1.31) when it said its bid for the company represented its "best and only" offer since it isn't being given a chance to conduct confirmatory due diligence.
Express Scripts said a flawed merger process, which involved board refusal to permit confirmatory due diligence by Express Scripts, prevented Caremark stockholders from receiving Express Scripts' best and final offer.
Express Scripts' bid was made after Caremark agreed to be acquired by drug-store chain CVS Corp. (CVS 32.04, -0.56).
Express Scripts recently increased its 2007 diluted earnings per share guidance of $4.14 to $4.26, reflecting expectations for growth of 26% to 29% over 2006. The company said it believes there's significant upside to its stock price in the short term as well as in the long term.
Express Scripts officials said in a press release that the company believes Caremark stockholders "should have the opportunity to own a high-growth Express Scripts stock, and in the CVS proposal, Caremark's stockholders are being offered currency in a lower growth stock."
The acknowledgment from Express Scripts that it won't raise its offer without added due diligence, however, seemingly clears the way for CVS to win the battle for Caremark, as its bid has already won antitrust approval. Caremark shareholders are scheduled to vote on the CVS bid March 16.
--Christine Marie Nielsen, Briefing.com

Labels: ESRX, Express Scripts Inc.

Sliding oil prices and a spate of M&A deals spurred investors to resume buying stocks. In doing so, they looked past the struggle that one of the nation's leading subprime lenders faces in a bid to survive. After a lackluster start to the week, buying picked up in the mid-afternoon as the major stock averages pushed sharply higher before easing somewhat in the final 30 minutes of trading. The 10-year Treasury note also attracted buyers, which cut the yield -4 basis points to 4.55%. Crude oil futures dipped near $59 a barrel.
Early in the day, the market was focused on the travails of New Century Financial (NYSE: NEW - News), which appears to be teetering on the brink of insolvency. The company disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that all of its lenders have either cut financing or will cease to finance New Century's short-term borrowings. New Century said last Thursday it would no longer accept new loan applications due to liquidity problems. The company hinted it does not have the funds to meet current obligations, which may exceed $8 billion. Subscribers can read further analysis on the fallout from this latest development in today's issue.
Merger activity helped shake off the cloud created by New Century's woes. Ford Motor (NYSE: F - News) took a step toward funding its own recovery plan by announcing it has sold its Aston Martin unit to a consortium of investors for $848 million. The U.K.-based unit is best known for the exotic, pricey sports cars used in the James Bond movie series. The car now retails for between $110,000 and $270,000 each.
Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP - News), meanwhile, announced it plans to buy the pharmaceuticals division of Akzo Nobel (Nasdaq: AKZOY - News) for $14.5 billion in cash. U.S.-traded shares of Akzo, a Dutch company, jumped 16% on the news. The deal will given Schering the Akzo Organon Biosciences unit, which makes a range of fertility, birth control, and women's health products. That addition should lessen Schering's dependence on its Vytorin and Zetia cholesterol-lowering drugs. Organon also has a treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in late-stage development, but Pfizer (NYSE: PFE - News), its partner in the development of the drug asenapine, dropped out after the treatment achieved mixed results in clinical trials.
In the health insurance sector, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH - News) agreed to buy Sierra Health Services (NYSE: SIE - News) for about $2.6 billion in cash. Sierra services about 310,000 employer-sponsored health plan members in Nevada and another 320,000 members enrolled in senior and government programs nationwide. UnitedHealth offered $43.50 a share for Sierra, or roughly a 21% premium over Friday's close. Sierra added 16% today. Separately, Express Scripts (Nasdaq: ESRX - News) ended 5% higher on the day after announcing it would not raise its bid for rival Caremark Rx (NYSE: CMX - News). Express Scripts has been battling drug-store retailer CVS (NYSE: CVS - News) to acquire Caremark. Both Caremark and CVS ended down -2%.
In the final major deal of the day, the management of discount retailer Dollar General (NYSE: DG - News) agreed to a $6.9 billion buyout bid from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. KKR offered $22 a share, a 31% premium over Friday's close, for the operator of more than 8,200 discount stores nationwide. Dollar General jumped 26% higher on the news.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: AKZOY, CMX, CVS, DG, ESRX, F, NEW, pfe, SGP, SIE, UNH

Labels: CMX, ESRX, FSLR, GT, Jim Cramer, Mad Money, MHS, PAY

Express Scripts Inc. announced Wednesday it has increased its bid to acquire Caremark Rx Inc., but company officials said they expect closer scrutiny from federal regulators over the proposed deal. Express Scripts' offer is to acquire all outstanding shares of Caremark for $29.25 in cash and 0.426 shares of Express Scripts stock for each share of stock in Nashville-based Caremark.

The St. Louis-based pharmacy benefits manager said Wednesday it will now pay additional cash consideration of nearly 6 percent per annum, or 0.481 cents per share per day, on the $29.25 cash portion of its offer.
George Paz, Express Scripts president, chief executive officer and chairman, said the offer "demonstrates our commitment to this transaction and confidence in our ability to consummate it in a timely manner."

Labels: Caremark Rx Inc., CMX, ESRX, Express Scripts Inc.

Labels: AA, APPB, BHP, CMX, CVS, CVS Corp., ESRX, Express Scripts Inc., KBH, MMC, RTP

Labels: Caremark Rx Inc., CMX, CVS, CVS Corp., ESRX, Express Scripts Inc.

Adeza Biomedical Corp. (NasdaqGS:ADZA - News) agreed to be bought by Cytyc Corp. (NasdaqGS:CYTC - News) for $24 a share, or approximately $450 million, Cytyc will fund the purchase through existing cash, the cash on Adeza's balance sheet, and existing credit facilities. The deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to be completed before the end of March. Cytyc said that, excluding one-time costs related to the acquisition, it expects the acquisition to be break-even to earnings in 2007 and at least accretive by 5 cents to 2008 earnings per share.
Adobe Systems (NasdaqGS:ADBE - News) was upgraded to buy from Oppenheimer & Co., which cited valuation.
Align Technology (NasdaqGM:ALGN - News) shares rose after Piper Jaffray upgraded the teeth misalignment treatment company to outperform from market perform, citing evidence of growing demand for its Invisalign product. Analyst Raj Denhoy also raised his stock price target to $21 from $15, his forecast for 2007 revenue from orthodontists to $85 million from $79 million. "Overall, orthodontists expect their use of Invisalign to increase by approximately 13.4% over the next 12 months; we had previously modeled just 10.6%," Denhoy said in a research note.
Apogee Enterprises (NasdaqGS:APOG - News) lifted its outlook for fiscal 2007, saying it now sees earnings of $1.04 to $1.10 a share. Its previous projection was for a profit of 98 cents to $1.04 a share for the year. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial is for a profit of $1.01 a share in 2007. The Minneapolis-based glass products maker anticipates it will post revenue growth near the top of its prior range of 12% to 15%. For fiscal 2008, Apogee forecast earnings of $1.20 to $1.30 a share on revenue growth of 8% to 11%. Wall Street's current consensus estimate is for a profit of $1.19 a share in fiscal 2008.
Apple Inc. (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup, which cited several meaningful product catalysts and expectations of significant gross market upside due to declines in flash memory and DRAM (dynamic random access memory) pricing. Analyst Richard Gardner kept his 12-month price target at $105.
Asta Funding (NasdaqGS:ASFI - News) agreed to acquire a portfolio with a face value of $6.9 billion for a purchase price of $300 million. Asta said the portfolio is made up of primarily credit card accounts.
Brush Wellman (NYSE:BW - News) said its fourth-quarter earnings jumped to $30.3 million, or $1.48 a share, from $4.1 million, or 93 cents a share, a year earlier, boosted by a $21.3 million benefit related to the reversal of the company's deferred tax valuation allowance. The Cleveland supplier of metal products and engineered material systems said excluding the allowance, the company earned 44 cents a share. Revenue rose 48% to $207.8 million from $140.6 million a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected, on average, earnings of 41 cents a share on revenue of $189 million. Analyst earnings forecasts typically exclude unusual items. In addition, Brush Engineered said it expects 2007 sales to rise 25% to 30%to $950 million to $1 billion, with earnings of $3 to $3.75 a share, including a $1-per-share benefit from the sale of inventory.
Cell Therapeutics (NasdaqGM:CTIC - News) said it plans to form a new company, Aequus BioPharma, Inc., and spin it off. The company didn't provide details of whether the spin-off will be in the form of an initial public offering or a dividend to its shareholders.
Ciena Corp. (NasdaqGS:CIEN - News) was upgraded by Credit Suisse to outperform from neutral, citing the networking company's strong competitive position in the rebounding optical infrastructure market. Analyst Paul Silverstein also lifted his stock price target to $36 from $29.25, his 2007 earnings estimate to 93 cents a share from 91 cents and his 2007 revenue forecast to $715 million from $710 million. The stock was up 2.2% at $28.90 in pre-open trading. "We expect to see further sustained increase in demand due to increasing bandwidth consumption and the concomitant need for network re-architecture driven primarily by increasing amounts of video on service provider and enterprise networks," Silverstein said in a research note.
Digital Music Group (NasdaqGM:DMGI - News) signed a revenue-sharing content agreement with YouTube. The deal calls for certain components of Digital Music's video and music catalog to be made available by YouTube. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
Diversa Corp. (NasdaqGM:DVSA - News) shares gained after the San Diego-based maker of specialty enzymes said it has agreed to merge with privately held Celunol Corp, a developer of technology for producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass feedstocks. Under the terms of the deal, Diversa will issue 15 million shares to acquire the outstanding equity of Celunol. Diversa will also provide Celunol with up to $20 million in debt financing to fund its operations prior to the closing of the transaction. Diversa stockholders will own roughly 76% of the combined company, and Celunol stockholders and option holders will own 24%. The deal is expected to close by the end of the second quarter.
Express Scripts (NasdaqGS:ESRX - News) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies & Co. The firm boosted its price target on the stock to $90 from $77.
Grubb & Ellis Co. (NYSE:GBE - News) said its second-quarter net income rose to $6.1 million, or 23 cents a share, from $4.9 million, or 36 cents, a year earlier. The average earnings estimate of four analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial was 9 cents a share. The Chicago real-estate services company said revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31 rose to $145.8 million from $140.6 million.
Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD - News) said its board has decided to evaluate strategic alternatives for its HD Supply business, including a possible sale, spin-off or initial public offering. The Atlanta-based retailer said there can be no assurance that any deal will occur or its timing. Home Depot said it hired Lehman Brothers as its financial advisor and it does not expect to update its progress or disclose developments with respect to the exploration of HD Supply strategic alternatives unless the board of directors has approved a definitive transaction.
Hydril (NasdaqGS:HYDL - News) shares leapt after the manufacturer of pressure control products for oil and gas production agreed to be acquire by Tenaris S.A. for $97 a share in cash. The offer represents a premium of roughly 17% to Hydril's closing share price last Friday. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. Certain members of the Seaver family have agreed to vote Hydril shares, representing roughly 22% of the combined votes rights, in favor of the merger, Luxembourg-based Tenaris said.
Infineon AG (NYSE:IFX - News) was approached by at least three private equity groups in the last six months, according to a report in the Financial Times newspaper. The firm's management do not want a deal, but some potential bidders remain hopeful a deal could still be possible this year, the newspaper said, citing a person familiar with the situation. If Infineon, which has a market capitalization of 8 billion euros ($10.4 billion), were bought, it would be the largest private equity deal ever in Germany, the FT added.
Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT - News) was upgraded to neutral from reduce at UBS.
Kronos Inc. (NasdaqGS:KRON - News) was upgraded to strong buy from buy at Needham & Co. The firm lifted its price target on the stock to $50.
Lamson & Sessions (NYSE:LMS - News) said its board hired Perella Weinberg Partners as financial adviser to explore "a range of strategic and financial alternatives" for the company. The Cleveland thermoplastics company said the potential actions include the sale of certain assets or the entire company, formation of joint ventures, a change to the company's capital structure, or a continuation of the company's business plan.
LCA-Vision Inc. (NasdaqGS:LCAV - News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $7.1 million, or 34 cents a share, up from a year-ago profit of $6.6 million, or 30 cents a share. Revenue jumped 26% in the latest three months to $58.8 million from $46.8 million a year ago. The Cincinnati-based provider of laser vision correction services also said it's increased its quarterly dividend by 50% to 18 cents a share from 12 cents. Looking ahead, LCA-Vision forecast earnings of $2.05 to $2.15 a share for 2007 on revenue growth of 20% to 25%.
Published By Michael Baron of MarketWatch

Labels: AAPL, ADBE, ADZA, ALGN, APOG, ASFI, BW, CIEN, CTIC, CYTC, DMGI, DVSA, ESRX, GBE, HD, HYDL, IFX, KRON, LCAV, LMS

Here are 7 trading ideas for today. These lists come directly from the TradingMarkets Stock Indicators page and are based upon our latest quantitative research.
Bullish
Gaps Down 5% or More: These are stocks that gap down by 5% or more and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that gap down by more than 5% have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Gardner Denver (NYSE:GDI - News). GDI's PowerRating is 6.
Laps Down 5% or More: These are stocks that lap down by 5% or more and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that lap down by more than 5% have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Assurant (NYSE:AIZ - News). AIZ's PowerRating is 6.
5+ Consecutive Down Days: These are stocks that have closed down for five or more consecutive days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that close down for five or more days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:BUD - News). BUD's PowerRating is 7.
5+ Consecutive Lower Lows: These are stocks that have made a lower low for five or more consecutive days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that make lower lows for five or more days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG - News). EOG's PowerRating is 7.
2-Period RSI Below 2: These are stocks that have a 2-period RSI reading below 2 and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving with a 2-period RSI reading below 2 have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
RPC Incorporated (NYSE:RES - News). RES's PowerRating is 7.
Stocks Down 10% or More: These are stocks that have lost 10% or more over the past five days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that have lost 10% or more over the past five days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
CorVel (NasdaqGS:CRVL - News). CRVL's PowerRating is 8.
Bearish
2-Period RSI Above 98: These are stocks that have a 2-period RSI reading above 98 and are trading below their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading below their 200-day moving with a 2-period RSI reading above 98 have shown negative returns, on average, 1-day and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Express Scripts (NasdaqGS:ESRX - News). ESRX's PowerRating is 3.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: AIZ, BUD, CRVL, EOG, ESRX, GDI, Hot Stocks, RES

Bullish calls:
Disney (NYSE: DIS - News): ' a good quarter... it will be trapped by the strike next week because it's expiration ... I'm staying bullish on DIS. Iger's doing a great job ... Do not be perturbed that the stock did not go up after that great quarter.'Nike (NYSE: NKE - News): ' ....There are unbelievable stocks like NKE at $103.'Under Armour (NYSE: UA - News): ' ... maybe a little UA wouldn't be so bad either.'Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News): 'I like SWY in that department because its got that division that makes gift cards.'Express Scripts (NasdaqGS: ESRX)RBC Bearings (NasdaqGS: ROLL): ' That's pin action off of almost every piece of machinery that built in this country.'Amerisafe Inc. (NasdaqGS: AMSF): ' This is an insurance company, and most people don't understand it... the stock is going higher.'Avis Budget Group (NYSE: CAR - News): ' I felt so bad because I told people not to buy it and it worked ... I still think that CAR is good. I think you've got a good situation.'Autonation (NYSE: AN - News)IAC/InteractiveCorp (NasdaqGS: IACI): 'Man, what a great quarter. Wall Street hated that quarter. I don't know why... Doug Lebda [CEO] and Barry Diller....they're buying back stock hand over fist. I don't know how they're going to get the respect of Wall Street but they got it in Main Street. The stock is headed to the mid-40s.'Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG - News): 'The bears are all over it ... I think at $65, we pull the trigger again ... It's not expensive. I am not worried.'Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE - News): 'Iceman's darn good ... I was too negative ... Ilike all the exchange stocks, but ICE - I'm blessing it right here, right now.'
Bearish calls:
Finish Line (NasdaqGS: FINL): 'I cannot let that Bar Mitzvah money stay idle in FINL when there are unbelievable stocks like NKE at $103 .... I need you to make the change right now."Whole Foods Market (NasdaqGS: WFMI): ' I think WFMI is too risky ahead of its quarter. I say ixnay.'Caremark Rx (NYSE: CMX - News): 'If you own CMX, you will get a higher bid from CVS next week. Then you will ring the register, because ESRX will not pay more. You swap out of CMX and go right into ESRX.'Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (NasdaqGM: HMIN): ' ... bulls make money, bears make money, hogs get slaughtered.... I want you to cut that position right now.'
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AMSF, AN, CAR, CMX, DIS, ESRX, FINL, HMIN, HOG, IACI, ICE, Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, Mad Money, NKE, ROLL, SWY, UA

Stocks reversed course in the afternoon session as earnings season wound towards a conclusion. Earlier in the day, the market appeared poised for a rally until Federal Reserve governors William Poole of St. Louis and Richard Fisher of Dallas each said in separate speeches that interest rates could go higher if inflation doesn't taper off. Those comments proved to be the catalyst for the afternoon's selling pressure. Oil prices hovered in the vicinity of $60 a barrel, while bond prices also slipped with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note moving to 4.78%.
MasterCard (NYSE: MA - News) reported results that beat expectations, but the stock dropped -10% after the company warned that margins could come under pressure in 2007 and that it did not plan any price increases. The credit card company said it earned $41 million, or 30 cents a share, compared with a loss of -$53 million, or -39 cents per share, a year earlier. The company's revenue increased 17% to $839 million. The company also upped its quarterly cash dividend to 15 cents a share from 9 cents. MasterCard's shares have more than doubled since its IPO last year.
Automotive stocks were one of the day's stronger performers following upgrades by Deutsche Bank, which raised its rating on both General Motors (NYSE: GM - News) and Ford Motor (NYSE: F - News) to "buy." GM rose 7% and Ford gained 2%. DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX - News), meanwhile, was upgraded to a "buy" by Citigroup and subsequently rose 2%. In the automotive parts sector, Lear (LEA, $xxxxx) agreed to be taken private by an affiliate of investor Carl Icahn for $2.8 billion, though the company left itself open to other bidders. One major investor criticized the price as too low. Lear finished down -2%.
Upgrades to the semiconductor sector by Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan failed to keep most stocks in that sector from succumbing to the day's negative tone. Deutsche Bank raised its rating on chip stocks to "overweight," highlighting market leader Intel (Nasdaq: INTC - News) and Broadcom (Nasdaq: BRCM - News). Broadcom last night reported that net income in the most recent quarter fell -76% due to a change in the way it accounts for stock options. Were it not for the one-time charges, the company would have earned $185 million, or 31 cents a share, compared to $197 million, or 34 cents per share. J.P. Morgan raised its rating for the semiconductor sector to "bullish," but the Semiconductor Sector Index (Philadelphia: ^SOXX) nonetheless closed down -1%.
Telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU - News) declined -3% after posting a Q4 loss and warning that it expects revenue to decline in the current quarter. The company also said it plans to cut 3,500 more jobs than originally planned, or 12,500 in total. In other news, a proxy advisory firm suggested shareholders of Caremark RX (NYSE: CMX - News) reject the merger offer from drug-store operator CVS (NYSE: CVS - News). The advisor, Glass Lewis, said that while the deal made strategic sense, Caremark's board should have allowed shareholders to consider a competing offer from Express Scripts (Nasdaq: ESRX - News).
In other earnings news, lumber and paper products company Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY - News) reversed a year-earlier Q4 loss. For the most-recent quarter, the company earned $450 million, or $1.88 per share, against a loss of -$211 million, or -86 cents a share, in Q405, which included costs associated with plant closings.
By Bullmarket.com Staff

Labels: ALU, BRCM, CMX, CVS, DCX, ESRX, F, GM, INTC, LEA, MA, WY

Here are 7 trading ideas for today. These lists come directly from the TradingMarkets Stock Indicators page and are based upon our latest quantitative research.
Bullish
Gaps Down 5% or More: These are stocks that gap down by 5% or more and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that gap down by more than 5% have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Gardner Denver (NYSE:GDI - News). GDI's PowerRating is 6.
Laps Down 5% or More: These are stocks that lap down by 5% or more and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that lap down by more than 5% have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Assurant (NYSE:AIZ - News). AIZ's PowerRating is 6.
5+ Consecutive Down Days: These are stocks that have closed down for five or more consecutive days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that close down for five or more days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:BUD - News). BUD's PowerRating is 7.
5+ Consecutive Lower Lows: These are stocks that have made a lower low for five or more consecutive days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that make lower lows for five or more days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG - News). EOG's PowerRating is 7.
2-Period RSI Below 2: These are stocks that have a 2-period RSI reading below 2 and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving with a 2-period RSI reading below 2 have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
RPC Incorporated (NYSE:RES - News). RES's PowerRating is 7.
Stocks Down 10% or More: These are stocks that have lost 10% or more over the past five days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that have lost 10% or more over the past five days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
CorVel (NasdaqGS:CRVL - News). CRVL's PowerRating is 8.
Bearish
2-Period RSI Above 98: These are stocks that have a 2-period RSI reading above 98 and are trading below their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading below their 200-day moving with a 2-period RSI reading above 98 have shown negative returns, on average, 1-day and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Express Scripts (NasdaqGS: