Jim Cramer Blog

Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) experienced its biggest drop since the bear market bottom in October 2002 after its annual profit forecast was less than analysts expected. The Short Term PowerRating for DKS is 7.
Evergreen Solar (NasdaqGM:ESLR), the solar power panel parts maker, ended the day up by more than 10% on news of a new $750 million contract. The Short Term PowerRating for ESLR is 3.
The biggest producer of electricity from natural gas, Calpine (NYSE:CPN) was up by more than 8% on the day on news that NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) was making an unsolicited bid for the company. The Short Term PowerRating for NRG is 5.
BCE, Inc. (NYSE:BCE) was down by 12% as bondholders won the right to challenge a planned leveraged buyout of the company. The Short Term PowerRating for BCE is 5.
Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS) announced earnings on Thursday that beat analyst estimates by three cents. The Short Term PowerRating for GPS is 5.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) admitted that it would likely break even in 2009, later than analysts had expected. The stock was down more than 8% on the news. The Short Term PowerRating for F is 8.

Labels: BCE, CPN, DKS, ESLR, F, GPS, Hot Stocks, NRG

Here are seven stocks for Wednesday from TradingMarkets.com.
Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF - News), the hip retailer is scheduled to report before the open on Wednesday. Analysts are expecting third quarter EPS of 1.28. ANF's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Whole Foods Markets (NYSE:WFMI - News) announced a 15% drop in quarterly net profits, due in part to costs related to the company's acquisition of Wild Oats Markets. Sales at WFMI, however, did top analyst estimates, boosting the stock in Tuesday trading. WFMI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Gap (NYSE:GPS - News), is also slated to provide earnings news to investors on Wednesday. Expectations for Gap point to EPS of 0.29. GPS's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Analysts are expecting earnings of 0.46 per share from The Children's Place (NYSE:PLCE - News), which will report before the bell on Wednesday. PLCE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Patterson Dental (NYSE:PDCO - News) is expected to announce earnings per share of 0.40 when they report Wednesday morning before the market opens. PDCO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Footlocker (NYSE:FL - News) reported third quarter 2007 losses of 22 cents per share after the bell on Tuesday. FL's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Pacific Sunwear of California (NYSE:PSUN - News) announced losses of 29 cents per share after the close on Tuesday, citing store-related writedowns and other charges. PSUN's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.

Labels: ANF, FL, GPS, Hot Stocks, PDCO, PLCE, PSUN, WFMI

Buy Costco (COST), Jim Cramer said Wednesday on CNBC's Stop Trading! segment.
Cramer said the warehouse retailer is uniquely attractive to shoppers because it's an ever-changing experience. "They have an exciting thing," he said. "They made it so you can't regard it as a Wal-Mart (WMT) or a Target (TGT )."
Cramer likes Gap (GPS) because of the incentives set up for new management.
Cramer still likes refiners Valero (VLO), Chevron (CVX) and Conoco (COP) despite recent warnings by Valero and Chevron, because he says recent weeks have seen refining margins "explode."

Labels: CNBC's Stop Trading, COP, COST, CVX, GPS, Jim Cramer, Stop Trading, TGT, VLO, WMT

Fall into the Gap (GPS)
Although Cramer admits he has disliked retail lately, the sector will be a hot area when the Fed continues to cut interest rates. What was once the worst of the worst, Gap, is now best-of-breed, with a better balance sheet, new CEO Glenn Murphy, $2.7 billion in cash and investments and a revenue of $151.9 billion. In addition, this "great turnaround story" is buying back stock aggressively and is polishing its Banana Republic Brand. Cramer would wait about 5 days before buying.
Old King Kohl's: Limited Brands (LTD), Tween Brands (TWB) and Kohl's(KSS)
Unlike LTD and TWB, retailers Cramer thinks deserve to be doing badly, it is a mystery that people seem not to like Kohl's, which has "dropped like a rock;" a full 28% since April. Cramer likes the fact no one is paying attention to Kohl's which sells at 13x forward earnings and has a growth rate of 18%. He also noted the store is focusing on high-end designer brands, such Vera Wang's label. Cramer concluded KSS has the best risk-reward if the Fed keeps cutting and "deserves to be bought."
Fly Like an Eagle: American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)
Cramer suggests looking for retail stocks with vigorous insider buying and low evaluations; these factors characterize AEO, which is "worth buying." AEO's sales increased 17% year over year and is currently selling at 12 times next year's earnings. Craner would wait until the stock dips to between $22 and $25 before buying.
Mad Mail: Crocs (CROX), American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) Although Cramer still believes CROX has further to climb, he admits concern over the company's insider selling; "I will temper my enthusiasm a tad," he said. Cramer added AEO is a good stock for a 7th grader, and is an investment that can be held onto for a few years.

Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: AEO, CROX, GPS, Hot Stocks, Jim Cramer, KSS, LTD, Mad Money, TWB

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
On Friday, Gap (NYSE:GPS - News) rose 5% after announcing that Q2 profit rose 19% from the year before. GPS's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
American Woodmark (NasdaqGS:AMWD - News) gained 7% on Friday, after the company increased its dividend and initiated a $100 million stock buyback. AMWD's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Recent IPO Blackstone (NYSE:BX - News) announced that a proposed tax bill legislation currently in the Senate would triple the private-equity firm's yearly taxes. BX does not have a PowerRating (for Traders) due to a short trading history.
Computer Sciences (NYSE:CSC - News) reports quarterly earnings on Monday after the close, with analysts looking for $0.71 EPS. CSC's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Shanda Interactive (NasdaqGS:SNDA - News) should report $0.36 EPS after the bell on Monday. SNDA's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
CDC Corporation (NasdaqGM:CHINA - News) and China Medical Technologies (NasdaqGS:CMED - News) both report earnings on Tuesday before the bell, so watch for heightened price action and volatility ahead of the close on Monday. CHINA's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4, and CMED's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AMWD, Blackstone Group, BX, CHINA, CMED, CSC, GPS, Hot Stocks

Stocks went on a roller-coaster ride today following large losses yesterday. Towards the close, the selling intensified, with the Dow ending down -208 points, the Nasdaq losing -37, and the S&P 500 finishing the session -24 points lower. Upbeat GDP data could not revive stock prices as investors did not want to hold stocks heading into the weekend. Oil, meanwhile, rose $2.07 to close at $77.02.
In economic news, the Commerce Department said Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose a better-than-expected 3.4% in the second quarter. Wall Street economists were expecting a gain of 3.2%. The personal expenditure index, a key gauge of inflation, rose 4.3% in the second quarter. Adding to the economic data was the Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index, which rose to 90.4 from 85.3 in June.
Corporate earnings continued to filter in on the last day of trading for the week. Oil giant Chevron (NYSE: CVX - News) reported that its second-quarter profit climbed 24% to $5.38 billion, or $2.52 cents a share, up from $4.35 billion, or $1.97 cents a share, last year. Revenues hit $56.09 billion, up from $53.54 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Excluding a gain from the sale of Dynegy (NYSE: DYN - News) stock and a loss related to debt redemption, EPS would have been $2.37, which on that basis would have beat consensus estimates by 7 cents.
Elsewhere, Fortune Brands (NYSE: FO - News) said net income came in at $232 million, or $1.48 a share, down -6% from the $247.8 million, or $1.63 a share, it recorded last year. The decline was attributable to a tax-related gain last year. Excluding a restructuring charge, EPS was $1.53, which handedly beat analyst estimates of $1.44. Net sales rose 4% to $2.35 billion on strength of Spirits and its golf business. Shares rose 1.5% on the session.
In M&A, medical technology company Medtronic (NYSE: MDT - News) agreed to acquire Kyphon (Nasdaq: KYPH - News) for $3.9 billion, or $71 a share. The deal represents a premium of 36% over where Kyphon's stock closed yesterday. The deal will help Medtronic expand its growing spinal treatment business.
In other news, shares of clothing retailer Gap (NYSE: GPS - News) rose 5.2% after the company announced that it has hired Glen Murphy as CEO. Murphy is a veteran of the food and drug industry. He will replace Robert Fisher.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: CVX, DYN, FO, GPS, KYPH, MDT

Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW - News): Cramer says it seems fishy that DOW is up 3 % after the firing of two executives who were involved in an unauthorized leveraged buyout. He suspects that one of the dismissed executives, former finance chief Pedro Reinhard, will lead a bid for DOW. "Where there's smoke, there tends to be a gigantic 200-million-acre conflagration," Cramer said. He criticized chief Andrew Liveris, who is also on the board of Citigroup as "pro status quo."
Pepsico (NYSE: PEP - News) Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS - News): Cramer praised Sanford Bernstein's upgrade of PEP on its "Frito-Lay number, going from 5.5% to 7.0% with raw costs coming down" and was happy to see some decent homework. Gap's "Old Navy is back!" declared Cramer.
MGIC Investment Corp. (NYSE: MTG - News): This stock is up, and Cramer expressed his disbelief, particularly because the company insures sub-prime mortgages; "That's not a business I want to be in," he said.

Labels: DOW, GPS, Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer's Stop Trading, MTG, PEP

"Pipeline Play": Biosite (NasdaqGS: BSTE)
Cramer wanted viewers to take a look at Biosite which will be in demand if the Democrats "storm the winter palace" in November, because the money will go out of Big Pharma into "small, diagnostic plays." He likes the fact that Biotech is new and not yet played out, and comments that this producer of diagnostic tests keeps reinvesting money into new products. Cramer added Biosite is "sitting on top of a new product cycle," and should see an upside as well as more analyst coverage. He also predicts a short squeeze which should bring the stock up, and notes the company implemented a 12% buyback of its stock, and Fidelity is increasing its stake in the company from 12% to 15%. Cramer likes Biosite as a "pipeline story" and thinks the shorts are going to be sorry.
Here Comes the Sun Microsystems (NasdaqGS: SUNW)
Cramer declares that SUNW, a stock he has "hated for a very long time," is now an "under -$10 turnaround" because its new management is making serious changes by cutting costs and continuing to improve its sales. However, he cautions against impulse buying, and urges investors to find a good entry point and not to buy before Monday afternoon. Cramer sees upgrade potential, notes that its server business is "en fuego" and its software business is strong. He reminds investors to use limit orders when buying.

The Week Ahead: GlobalSantaFe (NYSE: GSF - News), Marvell Technology (NasdaqGS: MRVL), Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI - News), Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI - News), Dynegy (NYSE: DYN - News), Foster Wheeler (NasdaqGS: FWLT), McDermott (NYSE: MDR - News), Charter Communications (NasdaqGM: CHTR), Sprint (NYSE: S - News), Gap (NYSE: GPS - News), Viacom , and VeriFone (NYSE: PAY - News)
On Monday, Cramer suggests buying GSF before it reports a "blowout quarter" and would pick up MRVL after its disappointing report. He sees hope for MRVL because ADI indicated the worst is over in the chip inventory cycle. Cramer says investors should sell BBI before Tuesday and buy some back after a selloff, and he would do the same with DYN. He predicts strong earnings for FWLT and MDR, would buy CHTR ahead of its report, and would only pick up Sprint if it has an "incredibly miserable" quarter. Cramer also suggests taking a look at GPS, Viacom and PAY.
Mad Mail: Sirius Satellite Radio (NasdaqGS: SIRI) and XM Satellite Radio (NasdaqGS: XMSR)
When faced with a potential merger, Cramer says it is better to buy stock in the stronger rather than the weaker company, because even if the deal is off, the better company will rise.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: ADI, BBI, BSTE, CHTR, DYN, FWLT, GPS, GSF, Jim Cramer, Mad Money, MDR, MRVL, PAY, S, SIRI, SUNW, XMS

Labels: AGIX, BRCM, DO, GOOG, GPS, IYR, ONXX, stock options

Active Power (NasdaqGM:ACPW - News), in a preliminary report due to an ongoing stock option grant review, said fourth-quarter revenue rose 60% to $8.3 million. Prior to any impact from the review of the Company's historical option-granting procedures, the gross margin percentage was below the guidance provided at the commencement of the quarter and was approximately break-even for the quarter, it said. First-quarter revenue is seen between $6 million and $7 million, and it expects to lose 8 cents to 10 cents a share, excluding any stock option impact. The power supply company intends to issue full results for the quarter and year and to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K as soon as practicable after completion of the option review.
Amazon.com (NasdaqGS:AMZN - News) reported its profit dropped by half, even while sales rose 34%, as the company lost the benefit of a large tax gain it had a year ago and saw its operating margin narrow.
Amtech Systems Inc. (NasdaqGM:ASYS - News) agreed to sell 2.6 million shares in a public offering at $7.05 a share. The firm, which manufactures equipment for the semiconductor industry, said it expects to generate net proceeds of around $16.5 million, or $19.3 million if over-allotment options are exercised. Amtech added it intends to use the proceeds for working capital or possible acquisitions connected to the planned expansion of its solar and semiconductor business. The offer is expected to close Feb. 6.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:APC - News) agreed to sell its interests in certain natural gas properties in Oklahoma and Texas to Exco Resources Inc. (NYSE:XCO - News) for $860 million. The company said the sale is effective Jan. 1, 2007, and that it anticipates the deal will close during the second quarter. Anadarko said about 155 fields were included in the sale, producing about 103 million cubic feet equivalent of natural gas per day from more than 1,300 wells as of the end of the year.
Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGS:ANPI - News) narrowed its fourth-quarter loss to $11.7 million, or 6 cents a share, from $51.3 million, or 50 cents a share. Excluding one-time items such as restructuring costs, the company earned 14 cents a share, compared with 16 cents a share from a year ago. Analysts, on average, forecast earnings of 15 cents a share, according to a survey taken by Thomson Financial. Revenue rose to $93.3 million from $43.8 million a year ago. The company expects first-quarter adjusted earnings of 4 to 5 cents a share and 2007 earnings of 40 to 50 cents a share. Analysts expect earnings of 14 cents a share in the quarter and 68 cents a share for the year.
Apache Corp. (NYSE:APA - News) was downgraded to hold from buy at Citigroup.
Arch Coal (NYSE:ACI - News) swung to a fourth-quarter profit, boosted by a larger percentage of metallurgical coal sales and the roll-off of lower priced sales contracts. The St. Louis coal mining and transportation company had fourth-quarter net income available to common shareholders of $79.5 million, or 55 cents a share, compared with a loss of $1.04 million, or 1 cents a share, a year earlier. Arch said revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31, fell 0.2% to $618.4 million from $619.8 million a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected, on average, earnings of 39 cents a share on revenue of $649 million. In addition, Arch said it expects 2007 earnings of $1.25 to $2 a share, and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $530 million to $650 million.
Avid Technologies (NasdaqGS:AVID - News) was downgraded to underweight at J.P. Morgan.
Baldor Electric Co. (NYSE:BEZ - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $12.2 million, or 37 cents a share, compared with $13.1 million, or 39 cents a share, in the same period last year, as expenses rose.
Bookham Inc. (NasdaqGM:BKHM - News) reported a fiscal second-quarter net loss of $21.3 million, or 31 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $11.9 million, or 28 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue fell to $56.3 million from $60.7 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting a per-share loss of 16 cents on revenue of $57.8 million. The company expects fiscal third-quarter revenue of $44 million to $48 million.
Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX - News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $3.77 billion, or $1.74 a share, down from a year-ago profit of $4.14 billion, or $1.86 a share. The San Ramon, Calif., oil and gas giant said a sharp decline in U.S. natural gas prices in the latest quarter compared to last year offset improved operating performance from its oil and gas fields and refineries, especially in the U.S. Total revenue and other income fell to $47.75 billion in the latest three months from $53.79 billion in the same period a year earlier. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call was for a profit of $1.73 a share in the December period. The company attributed most of the sales decline in the latest quarter to the impact of an accounting rule change that requires certain purchase and sale contracts with the same counterparty to be netted for reporting.
Digene Corp. (NasdaqGS:DIGE - News) said second-quarter net income rose, as revenue gained, to $6.1 million, or 25 cents a share, from $3 million, or 14 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year. Before items, quarterly per-share income rose to 27 cents from 23 cents.
Ericsson (NasdaqGS:ERIC - News), the world's largest maker of wireless networks, on Friday said fourth-quarter net profit rose 14% to 9.73 billion Swedish kronor ($1.4 billion), or 0.61 krona a share, from 8.54 billion kronor, or 0.54 krona a share, a year earlier. Sales climbed 18% to 53.7 billion kronor. Consensus analyst forecasts were for earnings of 0.55 krona a share on sales of 53.8 billion kronor, according to a survey by SME Direkt. Operating margin for the quarter was flat from the year-ago period at 22.7%. Ericsson's board proposed a dividend of 0.50 krona a share for 2006.
Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS - News) named Marka Hansen, a 20-year veteran of the company who heads its Banana Republic unit, to lead the largest and most important division, the Gap stores.
GMX Resources Inc. (NasdaqGM:GMXR - News), the Oklahoma City natural-gas producer, is offering 2 million shares at $34.82. GMX shares closed on Thursday at $36.83. The company said in a statement that it would use what it expects to be about $65.5 million of net proceeds from the deal to fund its drilling program and for general purposes. Subject to conditions, the deal is set to close around Feb. 7, GMX said.
Illumina Inc. (NasdaqGM:ILMN - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $17.1 million, or 34 cents a share, compared with $326,000, or a penny a share, in the same period last year, as product revenue almost tripled. Excluding non-cash stock-based compensation, the San Diego-based maker of tools for genetic analysis posted per-share earnings of 42 cents. Total revenue rose to $60.4 million from $23 million. The company sees 2007 per-share earnings of about 86 cents, excluding items, on revenue of $295 million to $315 million. For the first quarter, Illumina expects per-share earnings of about 16 cents, excluding items, on revenue between $64 million and $68 million.
IMS Health Inc. (NYSE:RX - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $65.5 million, or 32 cents a share, down 27% from $89.4 million, or 38 cents a share, in the same quarter a year earlier. Revenue totaled $543.5 million in the latest quarter compared with $477.7 million last year.
InfoSpace Inc. (NasdaqGS:INSP - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $30 million, or 91 cents a share, compared with $37.9 million, or $1.13 a share, in the same period last year, as expenses rose.
Published By MarketWatch

Labels: ACI, ACPW, AMZN, ANPI, APA, APC, ASYS, AVID, BEZ, BKHM, CVX, DIGE, ERIC, GMXR, GPS, ILMN, INSP, RX, XCO

Laureate Education (NasdaqGS: LAUR), The Gap (NYSE: GPS - News): The online education, paper and bank sectors are rising from the dead amid the frenetic M & A activity recently, commented Cramer who discussed LAUR as an undervalued stock which is not getting enough credit for its Latin American division. However, he doesn't think that leveraged buyouts are for every company, but sees GPS as a perfect LBO opportunity, because he believes it would perform better as a private company. Selling 500 to 1,000 stores would be "catastrophic for the company's earnings," said Cramer, pointing out that GPS would have the flexibility as a private company to undertake unpopular reforms that are necessary for a turnaround. Although many companies do well publicly, "the payday for private, I find, has been very positive," he said. He concluded by noting that not a lot of capital has been going into the market because people are "fed up with our country" and he thinks that Europe may be a safer place to invest.
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: GPS, Jim Cramer, LAUR

A Toast for Diageo (DEO)
Continuting his series on favorite foreign stocks, Cramer declared that his #2 pick is the British liquor company, Diageo. In spite of a 30% increase since he began to recommend it, Cramer calls the stock cheap, notes its generous dividend and declares it "recession proof" since people drink even (or especially) when times are bad. In addition, he says the company is a low-risk, indirect play on China where its scotch is popular and cheap. Cramer expects Diageo to expand into Russia, India and Brazil and notes that it is "dominating" the U.S. market with its positive volume growth. In addition, Cramer likes Diageo because of its low estimates and strong marketing.
Fall Back into the Gap (GPS)
Although Cramer has hated the Gap for a while, he now declares that it is a triple buy since it did not budge after reporting the worst quarter Cramer has seen with "horribly deteriorating" cash flows and the resignation of its CEO, Paul Pressler. However, Cramer's rule is that if a stock does not decline on bad news, it is going higher, and his favorite retail analyst, Dana Cohen, has predicted that GPS will go to $25 from $19.38. Retail comebacks, evidenced by J.Crew and Gucci, happen, and even if GPS will not see a turnaround, Cramer believes the stock will rise on an acquisition by private equity firms, which have cash "shloshing around" and are eager to spend.
Mad Mail: Plantronics (PLT) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Cramer would sell PLT because it is too "commodity focused," but gave two thumbs up again to WWF, which he believes is a "great play" although it hasn't moved very much.
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: DEO, GPS, Jim Cramer, Mad Money, PLT, WWF

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.
Diamond Offshore Drilling Mar 85 Calls (NYSE:DO - News). DO's PowerRating is 4.
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.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Mar 40 Puts (NASDAQ:VRTX - News). VRTX's PowerRating is 7.
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.
Intuitive Surgical Feb 100 Calls (NASDAQ:ISRG - News). ISRG's PowerRating is 4.
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.
eBay Inc. Feb 30 Calls (NASDAQ:EBAY - News). EBAY'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.
Pacific Ethanol (NASDAQ:PEIX - News). PEIX's PowerRating is 3.
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.
Beckman Coulter (NYSE:BEC - News). BEC'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.
The Gap (NYSE:GPS - News). GPS' PowerRating is 6.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: BEC, DO, Ebay, GPS, ISRG, PEIX, VRTX

Active Power Inc. (NASDAQ:ACPW - News) said it's conducting an internal review of the company's historical stock option grants and related procedures and accounting. This review will cover all option grants made since the time of its initial public offering in August 2000 to the present. This review will be supervised by a committee of the company's board. The company also has voluntarily disclosed, or self reported, that it is undertaking this review to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company currently anticipates that this review should be completed before the due date for its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2006.
Adaptec (NASDAQ:ADPT - News) shares slumped after the Milpitas, Calif., storage technology products provider forecast a non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) loss of 2 to 5 cents a share for the third quarter on revenue of between $60 million and $61 million. The company said the revenue view was lower than expected due to a significant decrease in revenue from IBM (NYSE:IBM - News), its largest original equipment manufacturer customer.
ArthroCare Corp. (NASDAQ:ARTC - News) said it expects fourth-quarter earnings of 29 cents a share on revenue of $69.7 million.
Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE:AHT - News) was downgraded to underweight from equal-weight at Morgan Stanley.
Bp Plc (NYSE:BP - News) shares dipped after Bear Stearns lowered its rating on the company to peer perform from outperform.
Brightpoint (NASDAQ:CELL - News) was downgraded to hold at Jefferies & Co. The firm also cut its price target on the stock to $12.50 from $17.
Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX - News) warned that lower commodity prices and a decline in production and refining margins will hurt fourth-quarter earnings for the nation's No.2 oil company.
E-Z-EM Inc. (NASDAQ:EZEM - News) reported second-quarter net earnings of $1.8 million, or 16 cents a share, up 18% from $1.53 million, or 14 cents a share, during the year-ago period. The manufacturer of contrast agents for gastrointestinal radiology posted revenue of $34.2 million vs. $33.8 million.
Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS - News) announced a series of management changes in its Gap and Old Navy divisions. Denise Johnston, president of Gap Adult, is leaving the company, effective Friday, the company said. Gap Brand North America President Cynthia Harriss will oversee the business until Johnston's successor is named. In addition, Karyn Hillman was named senior vice president of merchandising for Gap Adult. Hillman was previously senior vice president of apparel merchandising for Gap's Banana Republic division. Separately, San Francisco-based Gap said Ivy Ross, Old Navy's executive vice president of product design, will leave the company effective Jan. 17. The design team will report to Old Navy President Dawn Robertson while the company searches for Ross' replacement.
Guitar Center Inc. (NASDAQ:GTRC - News) said it expects fourth-quarter income to be short of its prior outlook for $1.14 to $1.20 a share because of weaker-than-expected sales. Analysts' average estimate stands at $1.16 a share, according to Thomson First Call. For the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, the Westlake Village, Calif., company said net sales rose 11.7% to $628.5 million. In November, Guitar Center forecast sales of $638 million to $650 million. Analysts' average estimate stands at $643 million in sales.
IBM shares slid after A.G. Edwards downgraded the Dow component to hold from buy, citing long-term sales growth potential and valuation. "In particular, we are concerned about IBM's recent lack of growth in bookings in its services business," Analyst David Wong said in a research note to clients.
Investment Technology Group (NYSE:ITG - News) said its December U.S. trading volume was 3.4 billion shares compared to 2.6 billion shares a year ago. Average daily volume in December rose to 171 million shares from 123 million shares in December 2005. The results fell from November 2006, when total volume was 3.7 billion shares and average daily volume was 175 million shares. "We continue to see strong momentum in our trading volumes as we enter 2007. In addition, our European revenues were higher than initially expected for the (fourth) quarter," CFO Howard Naphtali said.
J2 Global Communications (NASDAQ:JCOM - News) shares dropped after the company said in a Form 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it expects revenue of between $217 million and $229 million for fiscal 2007. The current average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call is for revenue of $233.4 million for the period.
J. Crew Group (NYSE:JCG - News) filed to sell 7.5 million shares of its stock with a value of $283.3 million based on its Tuesday closing price of $37.77 a share. Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns are underwriters of the offering. None of the proceeds of the deal will go toward the company. TPG Advisors, an entity aligned with private equity firm Texas Pacific Group, will be selling the stock.
Kenexa Corp. (NASDAQ:KNXA - News) said it expects to meet or slightly exceed its previously issued guidance for revenue and non-GAAP operating income in the quarter ended Dec. 31. Kenexa also said it intends to file a prospectus supplement with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to an underwritten public offering of 3.75 million shares.
LeCroy (NASDAQ:LCRY - News) shares dropped after the company lowered its outlook for fiscal 2007 to reflect slower than expected order activity in December, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., provider of serial test data products said it now sees revenue of $155 million to $160 million for fiscal 2007, compared to its previous projection for revenue of $170 million to $180 million.
NuCO2 (NASDAQ:NUCO - News) shares fell after the Stuart, Fla.-based company forecast fiscal 2007 earnings of 50 cents to 55 cents a share, down from its previous outlook of 80 cents to 85 cents a share. NuCO2 also forecast fiscal 2007 cash earnings of $1.15 to $1.20 a share and revenue of $130 million to $132 million. For 2008, the company forecast per-share earnings of 85 cents to 90 cents, or cash earnings of $1.65 to $1.70, and revenue growth of 7% to 8%. NuCO2, which supplies bulk CO2 systems and services, said it is putting in place a new strategic growth plan, and the company expects to see material benefits by the quarter ending June 30 and even more significantly in fiscal 2008.
Oxford Industries Inc. (NYSE:OXM - News) reported second-quarter net earnings of $12.2 million, or 68 cents a share, compared with $11 million, or 57 cents a share, in the same period last year, as sales rose. The Atlanta-based maker of private label apparel posted revenue of $291 million, up 4.7% from $277.9 million.
Ramtron International Corp. (NASDAQ:RMTR - News) shares tumbled after the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based semiconductor maker late Tuesday cut its fourth-quarter product revenue forecast to a range of $9.1 million to $9.2 million. The company had previously forecast product revenue of $10.2 million and $11.2 million. The company said the reduced forecast was largely due to an earthquake in Taiwan and severe weather in Colorado at the end of December, which impacted product shipments.
Shares of SLM Corp. (NYSE:SLM - News) fell as U.S. lawmakers prepared to introduce bills that would cut interest rates in half on student loans.A House vote is expected as early as Jan. 17. "Such legislation will be moving forward and its $6 billion price tag will be funded by the lenders who participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program," Stanford Group Company analyst Jaret Seiberg wrote in a note Wednesday. That includes SLM Corp., the former government-sponsored enterprise commonly known as Sallie Mae.
Synnex Corp. (NYSE:SNX - News) said fourth-quarter net income rose, as revenue gained, to $15.6 million, or 48 cents a share, from $12.8 million, or 41 cents a share, during the same period in the prior year. Before items, quarterly per-share income rose to 50 cents from 41 cents in the prior year.
Tiffany & Co. (NYSE:TIF - News) said worldwide comparable store sales increased 7% during the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. U.S. comparable store sales rose 8%. Total net sales increased 15% to $818 million. U.S. retail sales increased 12% to $432.4 million. The New York based jewelry retailer said the results exceeded expectations. The company predicts 2006 earnings of $1.82-$1.85 a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call forecast earnings of $1.82 a share, on average. The company expects 13%-15% growth in earnings per share in 2007 and low double-digit net sales growth.
WD-40 Co. (NASDAQ:WDFC - News) said first-quarter net earnings fell to $5.69 million, or 33 cents a share, from $7.51 million, or 45 cents a share, in the same period last year, as marketing and other expenses rose. The company posted revenue of $72 million, up 7% from $67.2 million last year.
Published By MarketWatch

Labels: ACPW, ADPT, ARTC, BP, CELL, CVX, EZEM, GPS, GTRC, IBM, ITG, JCG, JCOM, KNXA, LCRY, NUCO, SLM, SNX, TIF, WDFC

Stocks trade in the red, but have come off morning lows as oil has rebounded. Good news in the form of merger activity and new product offerings has not been able to offset concerns about a slowing economy. Ironically, oil is having the opposite affect on stocks as one would expect, with falling prices raising concerns about an economic slowdown, which has pushed stocks lower.Oil prices reached a low at $54.25 Tuesday, but have since rebounded to trade just slightly lower at $55.90. The sharp fall in prices early on put downward pressure on stocks. Economists are concerned that the drop in crude prices is a sign of economic slowing, not a correction from high prices. Wednesday’s crude inventory data could create some volatility in oil prices as well.Earnings news has moved into the spotlight with Alcoa (AA) set to kick off the earnings season tonight after the bell. However, warnings have affected stocks already. Last week, Motorola (MOT) warned that revenues and profits would fall short of estimates and today Sprint Nextel (S) did the same. S shares are off more than 10 percent after stating 2006 revenues would fall short and forecasting revenues in 2007 at the low end of estimates. Shares of Apple (AAPL) have risen sharply Tuesday, up more than six percent in midday trading. The company unveiled its new iPhone, which is expected to see strong demand. This news did hurt Research in Motion (RIMM), which makes the popular BlackBerry, with the stock down more than six percent. Shares of General Electric (GE) and The Gap (GPS) are both trading slightly lower today. GE is rumored to be looking for a buyer for its plastics division as reported by the Wall Street Journal. On Monday, GE announced plans to buy Vetco Energy, which led to a decline in the stock. There are also rumors that GPS is thinking of putting itself up for sale. Reports have stated that the company has hired Goldman Sachs to help GPS decide what would be best. The stock did rise sharply on Monday when the rumors first surfaced. Though crude prices continue to put pressure on the oil sector, this drop in price has helped the airline sector. The AMEX Airline Index ($XAL) has rallied about seven percent in the past few weeks as crude has taken a hit. It will be interesting to see if crude continues its decline or if OPEC will step in and cut production far enough to stabilize prices. Jody Osborne

Labels: AA, AAPL, GE, GPS, Hot Stocks, MOT, RIMM, S, XAL

Gap (NYSE: GPS - News): Cramer says its time to get out of Gap amid rumors of a takeover. The stock jumped 8% on this speculation, but Cramer thinks the "fundamentals are so bad" that it is unlikely that Gap will fetch a buyer who will offer to pay a premium to Monday's prices. "This is a challenged company," Cramer said. "Sell it right here."
Nordic American (NYSE: NAT - News), Exxon (NYSE: XOM - News), Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News) and General Dynamics (NYSE: GD - News): Cramer says there will be a glut of doubled hulled oil tankers approaching and he would sell oil tanker builders such as NAT. Although these companies offer high dividends, he cautions that they do nothave the support to sustain such yields through declines since they are not earnings machines like XOM and Verizon. Cramer predicts that GD will go higher even after a 3% rise on Monday following an upgrade by Cowan. He says the Democrats don't want to seem weak on defense and Cramer gives GD two thumbs up.
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: GD, GPS, Jim Cramer, NAT, VZ, XOM

Red-hot takeover rumors mean it's time to "fall out of the Gap (GPS)," Jim Cramer said Monday on CNBC's Stop Trading! segment.
Gap shares jumped 8% Monday afternoon on reports the company hired Goldman Sachs to find a buyer. But Cramer said the problem with the stock at these levels is that "the fundamentals are so bad" that no buyer is likely to pay a premium to Monday's prices.
"This is a challenged company," Cramer said. "Sell it right here."
Cramer also would sell oil tanker builders such as Nordic American (NAT), nothing that there is a glut of double-hulled tankers coming onto the market. Cramer said most companies in the sector are well managed, but he urged investors not to be tempted by the big dividend yields offered by these stocks.
"You don't have the support of the dividend" with these companies, Cramer said, pointing out that these companies are not earnings machines like Exxon (XOM) or Verizon (VZ). He said dividends in the sector are likely to fall along with their cyclical earnings, and that tanker lease rates already have begun sliding.
But Cramer likes defense contractor General Dynamics (GD) off an upgrade by Cowen, saying he expects to see the stock "much higher" even after Monday's 3% rise. Cramer, saying Democrats don't want to be seen as weak on defense, gave the stock "two thumbs up."
Published By TheStreet.com

Labels: GD, GPS, Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer's Stop Trading, NAT, VZ, XOM