Jim Cramer Blog

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Tuesday from TradingMarkets.com:
SAIC (NYSE:SAI - News) beat earnings on Monday afternoon, announcing $0.26 EPS versus expectations of $0.23 EPS. SAI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.

Diamond Foods (NasdaqGS:DMND - News) also beat earnings on Monday, with $0.52 EPS over $0.44 EPS. DMND does not have a PowerRating (for Traders) due to volume constraints.
Bankrate (NasdaqGS:RATE - News) rallied 19% on Monday, after forecasting 2008 revenue ahead of analyst estimates, and an upgrade at Citigroup. RATE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - News) is looking to announce $0.35 EPS on Tuesday before the market opens. KR's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
Analysts are watching for Multimedia Games (NasdaqGS:MGAM - News) to report $0.01 EPS on Tuesday before the bell. MGAM's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
When ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM - News) reports quarterly results after the market close on Tuesday, be watching for $0.33 EPS. ABM's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
Cooper Cos (NYSE:COO - News) should report $0.68 EPS after the trading close tomorrow afternoon. COO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.

Labels: ABM, COO, DMND, Hot Stocks, KR, MGAM, RATE, SAI

The Fuel is Greener: Deere (DE), Monsanto (MON), Bunge (BG), Mosaic (MOS), Agrium (AGU), Potash (POT)
When looking at the agriculture bull market, Cramer urged investors to think energy and not food. As oil prices rise, the pressure to develop alternative fuels from soybeans and corn will increase. This has been good news for farming stocks such as Deere, Bunge and Monsanto and especially fertilizer companies, Agrium, Potash and Mosaic. "All of these gains have been driven by demand," Cramer said and sees years of upside in this sector. However, since many agriculture stocks have already increased substantially, Cramer would wait for a decline before buying many of them.
Still Time for NYSE Euronext (NYX)
While NYX has been the worst performing stock Cramer has seen in 26 years in the business, he would stay with it. His thesis for owning the stock is unchanged and the only reason NYX went down is because "it was just going down…. Even though you hate owning it, nothing fundamental has changed for the company underneath it." In fact, NYX keeps beating estimates, its fundamentals are better than they were at the beginning of the year, and Cramer thinks this bear raid on NYX can't last forever.
Sitting on the Fed Fence: Kroger (KR), Costco (COST)
Cramer advised a wait and see strategy concerning the Fed meeting on Tuesday. A quarter point cut in rates could lead to recession fears and may bring some stocks down. On the other hand, a half a point cut could be a buying opportunity for banks tech and industrials. If it weren’t for the meeting, Cramer would suggest buying Costco and Kroger ahead of their earnings reports, but now he recommends waiting before making a move.
Meet the Mutual Fund Manager: Ron Muhlenkamp of Muhlenkamp (MUHLX) with stocks: Altria (MO), Devon Energy (DVN), Cemex (CX)
Cramer said investing in a mutual fund is really an investment in the fund’s manager, and invited Ron Muhlenkamp to discuss his strategy of finding good companies at low prices, particularly names others don’t recognize yet or like. He discussed MO, one of the fund’s holdings and said there is room to grow for DVN and CX.
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Labels: AGU, BG, COST, CX, DE, DVN, Jim Cramer, KR, Mad Money, MO, MON, MOS, MUHLX, NYSE Euronext Inc., NYX, POT

Monday: Earnings After: HRB ; Economic News: Pending Home Sales ; Other News: TXN Mid-Q Update

Tuesday: Earnings Before: KR ; Economic News: FED DECISION*** ; Other News: HPQ ANALYST MEETING, AT&T ANALYST MEETING, GENERAL ELECTRIC OUTLOOK

Wednesday: Earnings After: CKE ; Economic News: Budget, Import Prices

Thursday: Earnings Before: COST, LEH, JOSB ; Economic News: Retail Sales, PPI ; Other News: AMD Analyst day, HON Outlook

Friday: Economic News: CPI

Labels: COST, CPI, GE, HPQ, HRB, Import Prices, JOSB, KR, LEH, Pending Home Sales, PPI, TXN

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Tuesday from TradingMarkets.com:
Adobe Systems (NasdaqGS:ADBE - News) beat earnings on Tuesday afternoon, announcing $0.45 EPS over an expected $0.41 EPS. ADBE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
The European Union announced it had denied Microsoft's (NasdaqGS:MSFT - News) appeal to a negative anti-trust suit, forcing MSFT to pay a $497 million euro fine. MSFT's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - News) reports earnings on Tuesday morning, with analysts looking for $3.25 EPS. AZO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Best Buy (NYSE:BBY - News) should announce $0.44 EPS when the company reports earnings on Tuesday before the bell. BBY's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - News) is looking to report $0.34 EPS on Tuesday morning. KR's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Analysts are watching for Lehman Brothers (NYSE:LEH - News) to announce $1.52 EPS Tuesday before the market opens. LEH's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
Watch for Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - News) to report $0.70 EPS on Tuesday morning. DRI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: ADBE, Adobe Systems Inc., AZO, BBY, DRI, Hot Stocks, KR, LEH, MSFT

Corning (NYSE: GLW - News): ' ... you should be buying Corning (NYSE: GLW - News), which was unceremoniously dumped after a good quarter.'Lundin Mining (AMEX: LMC - News): 'All mineral stocks are getting hammered here... every single one of them ... There was just a huge amount of takeovers in this industry. Now they're dying down... You accumulate LMC... We like the combination copper, the lead... We like their product portfolio ... We have been right to buy. It will be no different this time.'NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX - News): 'I have been wrong so far... I believe fundamentally in the story. I can't change my view, because the fundamentals have borne me out... I am sorry, and I too am in the house of pain. I still believe though.'Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU - News): 'They knocked it down $3 bucks... There were some concentrated raids on all the insurers ... they've got a gigantic portfolio... PRU is a great company. And it will not founder on subprime... one of the few financials I want to own!'Honeywell (NYSE: HON - News): 'There's a guy who runs that company... his name is Dave Cote. That man inspires a tremendous amount of confidence ... He's a transforming manager. He's generating a huge amount of cash... His order book is full. And I want to buy that stock right here.'Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO - News): 'This is a company that has a hammerlock on all the nickel in the world! I would not give up on these guys... As a matter of fact, any weakness ... Stocks that are up huge are getting register rung. It's the summer. That's what happens every year.'BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP - News)Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - News): 'I think the raids are over. I think it's ready to resume its climb. I am not backing away from AAPL at $135. Now, when it got back to $145, please, let's do some schnitzelling (i.e., sell some).'Reliance Steel (NYSE: RS - News): 'I have been recommending Reliance Steel, which had a better quarter (than Nucor.'Chordiant Software (NasdaqGM: CHRD - News): 'They just reported a great quarter yesterday. It was great ... Let's ride that one a little bit more.'
Bearish calls:
Syntax-Brillian (NasdaqGM: BRLC - News): 'No, no! Don't buy, don't buy. Keep looking ... you should be buying Corning.'Kroger (NYSE: KR - News): 'Safeway, Kroger... They've not been recording good quarters. They've been hurt by food inflation... If it lifts, sell, sell, sell... I would trim it back.'Nucor (NYSE: NUE - News): 'I cannot get behind NUE. There are too many flies in the steel story now, with the potential slowdown in commercial real estate, if we don't get a Fed rate cut. 'Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (NasdaqGM: GLDD - News): ' ... that's one I can't go back to. That was a trade.'
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: AAPL, BHP, BRLC, CHRD, GLDD, GLW, HON, Jim Cramer, KR, Lightning Round, LMC, NUE, NYX, PRU, RIO, RS

The Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 seesawed but stayed up for most of the day before ending down slightly amidst concerns about tomorrow's Fed meeting. Consumer confidence numbers for June were released today, and the drop was more severe than analysts had expected. The Conference Board's index was down to 103.9, from a revised May number of 108.5. Analysts had expected an index number of 105. Sales of new homes also dropped -1.6% to an annual pace of 915,000 units.
Lennar Homes (NYSE: LEN) showed the effects of the drop in home sales as it announced a loss of -$244.5 million, or -$1.55 per share. Last year, the company had a profit of $327.4 million, or $2.00 per share. The company also announced a weak forecast for its third quarter and the rest of 2007. Quarterly revenues slipped -37% to $2.88 billion. Lennar was down -3.1% on the news.
Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) announced after the bell that fiscal fourth-quarter earnings were up 27% from a year ago to $1.6 billion, or 31 cents a share. Excluding items, EPS came in at 37 cents, beating analyst estimates by two cents. Revenues were up 20% to $5.8 billion with software revenues up 19% to $4.8 billion. Fiscal-year earnings were up 27% to $4.3 billion, or 81 cents per share, with total revenues of $18 billion, up 25%.
Nike (NYSE: NKE) also released its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings after the bell, reporting a profit of $437.9 million, or 86 cents per share. Revenues were up 9% for the quarter to $4.4 billion. For the fiscal year, Nike showed profits of $1.5 billion, or $2.93 per share, with revenues of $16.3 billion.
Grocery store chain Kroger (NYSE: KR) posted profits of $336.6 million, or 47 cents per share, for its fiscal first quarter. Profits were up 11.3% from the year-ago period, when Kroger announced profits of $302.4 million. Sales rose 6.7% to $20.73 billion, exceeding analyst estimates of $20.32 billion. The stock fell -6.7%.
Rupert Murdoch and the board of directors of Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ) have reportedly come to a preliminary agreement regarding editorial independence, thereby clearing the path for the purchase of the media company by News Corp. (NYSE: NWS). A source reportedly told AP that while there are still some points to iron out, most of the deal has been worked out. The Dow Jones board of directors includes four members of the Bancroft family -- the controlling shareholder group for the company.
Ventana Medical Systems (Nasdaq: VMSI) saw shares of its stock soar today on news that Roche Holding AG had made an offer for the company. Roche offered $3 billion, or $75 a share, in a hostile takeover bid Monday evening. Ventana closed up 47.7% on the day. Roche also closed another deal today, finalizing its purchase of Gaithersburg, MD-based BioVeris Corp. for $600 million.
Basell, a Dutch chemical company, has made a bid for Huntsman Corp. (NYSE: HUN). Under the deal, Basell would acquire all outstanding shares of Huntsman for $5.6 billion, or $25.25 per share. The total deal is worth $9.6 billion when assumption of debt is included. Huntsman has been shopping itself around for some time, but has had trouble finalizing a deal.

Labels: DJ, Dow Jones and Co. Inc., KR, LEN, Lennar Corp., News Corp, Nike Inc., NKE, NWS, Oracle Corp., ORCL

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Tuesday from TradingMarkets.com:
Synnex (NYSE:SNX) beat earnings expectations on Monday afternoon, announcing $0.46 EPS over an expected $0.44 EPS. SNX does not have a PowerRating due to volume constraints.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) is expected to report $0.48 EPS on Tuesday before the opening bell. KR's PowerRating is 6.
When Lennar (NYSE:LEN) announces quarterly earnings tomorrow morning, watch for $0.01 EPS. LEN's PowerRating is 6.
Analysts are watching for Steelcase (NYSE:SCS) to announce $0.19 EPS before the bell on Tuesday. SCS's PowerRating is 6.
Nike (NYSE:NKE), H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) and Oracle (NasdaqGS:ORCL) all report earnings on Tuesday after the market closes, so watch for heightened price action and volatility ahead of the bell. NKE's PowerRating is 6, FUL's PowerRating is 6 and ORCL's PowerRating is 6.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: FUL, Hot Stocks, KR, LEN, NKE, ORCL, SCS, SNX

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

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
Walgreen (NYSE:WAG) reports earnings before the bell on Monday; look for $0.53 EPS. WAG's PowerRating is 5.
Synnex (NYSE:SNX) announces earnings after the close on Monday, with analysts watching for $0.44 EPS. SNX's PowerRating is 6.
The IPO of private equity firm Blackstone (NYSE:BX) raised $4.1 billion on Friday, which saw the company open +15% higher than its initial pricing around $31 a share. BX does not have a PowerRating due to its short trading history.
eBay (NasdaqGS:EBAY) gained around 2% on Friday, on reports that the company is set to return to the Chinese auction market this summer. EBAY's PowerRating is 5.
Major companies reporting on Tuesday include: Apollo Group (NasdaqGS:APOL), Kroger (NYSE:KR) and Lennar (NYSE:LEN). APOL's PowerRating is 5, KR's PowerRating is 6 and LEN's PowerRating is 6.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: APOL, BX, Ebay, Hot Stocks, KR, LEN, SNX, WAG

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.

Basic Energy Services (NYSE:BAS). BAS's PowerRating is 7.
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.
Baker Hughes (NYSE:BHI - News). BHI's PowerRating is 8.
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.
Kroger (NYSE:KR). KR's PowerRating is 6.
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.
Sunoco (NYSE:SUN) & Safeway (NYSE:SWY). SUN's PowerRating is 7, and SWY's PowerRating is 7.
Bearish
5+ Consecutive Up Days: These are stocks that have closed up for five or more consecutive days and are trading below their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading below their 200-day moving average that close up for five or more days have shown negative returns, on average, 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Si International (NasdaqGS:SINT). SINT's PowerRating is 3.
5+ Consecutive Higher Highs: These are stocks that have made a higher high for five or more consecutive days and are trading below their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading below their 200-day moving average that make higher highs for five or more days have shown negative returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ). STZ's PowerRating is 2.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: BAS, BHI, Hot Stocks, KR, SINT, STZ, SUN, SWY

Getting Defensive: Kroger (NYSE: KR - News), Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News), Supervalu (NYSE: SVU - News), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL - News), Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB - News)
"Subprime is the only problem," Cramer reassured investors after the "absolutely brutal" downturn on Tuesday which affected the whole market. While mortgage lenders should be suffering from subprime lending woes for awhile, Cramer remarks, "It is wrong for the Street to be so indiscriminate ... before we damn the whole market, let's remember what were damning." However, this widespread decline provides a buying opportunity in defensive sectors, such as food, drugs and utilities, sectors which historically perform well when housing is doing badly. Cramer suggests looking at KR, SWY, SVU, CL and KMB, but only after three days, since "the future on the commodity that has captured stocks -- the S&P 500 -- expires Friday, so I expect very little upside in this group until Monday."
Thank You for Smoking: Altria (NYSE: MO - News), Altria's When-Issued Shares MO-WI (MOWI), Kraft (NYSE: KFT - News), General Mills (NYSE: GIS - News), Kellogg (NYSE: K - News), Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE - News)
"There's nothing more defensive than cigarettes," says Cramer who recommends Altria's when-issued shares, MO-WI, which are comprised of pure Philip Morris stock without the Kraft spinoff. Cramer comments Philip Morris is best-of-breed and the MO-WI shares offer a higher dividend. He suggests buying before March 30th when MO-WI will rejoin Altria. Although Cramer doesn't dislike KFT, he prefers food stocks GIS, which has been "doing fabulously," K and SLE, which have more "consistent and exciting growth" than KFT.
Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW - News), Alcoa (NYSE: AA - News), BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP - News), and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO - News)
Cramer admits he has been waiting since February for DOW and AA to dip after takeover rumors which were printed a British newspaper. While he discourages speculation on potential buyouts if the fundamentals are not strong, "the fundies for both DOW and AA are pretty good." According to the rumors, Dow could be purchased by private equity firms at $60 a share, a substantial premium from its present rate of $42.94. He notes the company has a 3.5% dividend yield, has been raising prices and cutting costs. There is talk that BHP and RIO are eyeing AA at $40 billion, or $40.68 a share, while its current price is $32. The companies need the extra smelting capacity, and Cramer comments aluminum should perform better than it has been. "Buy Dow and Alcoa because when there's smoke, there's fire."
CEO Interview: Brian Roberts, Comcast (NasdaqGS: CMCSA) with Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News)
Cramer asked Brian Roberts if Comcast raised its capital expenditure in order to compete with rival Verizon, and he replied, "We upped our spending because people are buying our new products in record numbers. We're selling 50,000 phone subscriptions a week." This 30% increase "costs some money," although Roberts added these expenses will not interfere with Comcast's buyback plan; "We have bought back almost 10% of stock in the last two-and-a-half years, and we're going to continue buying back stock," Roberts said. Cramer would pull the trigger on Comcast and referred to Roberts as "money in the bank."
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: AA, BHP, CL, DOW, GIS, Jim Cramer, K, KFT, KMB, KR, Mad Money, MO, RIO, SLE, SVU, SWY, VZ

Apple Inc. (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Lehman Bros., due primarily to valuation. The stock closed Wednesday up 0.8% at $84.61, after falling 6.2% over the previous three sessions. At Wednesday's close, the stock had lost 13% since reaching an all-time high of $97.80 on Jan. 10. Analyst Harry Blount said the stock's recent pullback "provides an attractive entry point and a favorable reward vs. risk ratio in front of an anticipated product cycle in 2007." Blount also sees lowered component pricing leading to additional potential operating margin expansion and the likelihood of PC market share gains.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE:CTB - News) said its fourth-quarter loss widened to $27.6 million, or 45 cents a share, from $6.85 million, or 11 cents a share, a year earlier, hurt by restructuring charges and the write-off of goodwill and intangible assets. The Findlay, Ohio, tire-maker said sales rose 29% to $739.1 million from $572.4 million in the year-ago period, helped in part by the addition of operations of Cooper Chengshan Passenger Tire Co. and Cooper Chengshan Tire Co. in China. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected, on average, breakeven earnings for the quarter.
DealerTrack Holdings (NasdaqGM:TRAK - News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $5.7 million, or 14 cents a share, as revenue grew 37% to $45.7 million.
Del Monte Foods Co.'s (NYSE:DLM - News) third-quarter earnings fell 10%, due to lower sales volumes for consumer products, higher costs, and higher marketing and interest expense. The San Francisco canned food company had third-quarter earnings of $46.5 million, or 23 cents a share, compared with $51.9 million, or 26 cents a share, a year earlier. Del Monte said revenue for the quarter ended Jan. 28 rose 15% to $907.2 million from $789.6 million a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected, on average, earnings of 22 cents a share on revenue of $943 million.
EchoStar Communications (NasdaqGS:DISH - News) said fourth-quarter net income rose to $153 million, or 35 cents a basic share, from $133 million, or 30 cents a basic share, with revenue up 17% to $2.58 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected earnings of 32 cents a share on revenue of $2.54 billion. The operator of the DISH Network added 350,000 net new subscribers during the quarter, giving it a total of 13.1 million subscribers.
Greif Inc. (NYSE:GEF - News) reported fiscal first-quarter net earnings of $34 million, or $1.15 per Class A share, up slightly from $33.4 million, or $1.13 per Class A share, in the year-ago period. Revenue at the Delaware, Ohio-based industrial packaging company rose 29% to $750.8 million from $582.3 million.
Hana Biosciences (NasdaqGM:HNAB - News) was upgraded to buy from hold at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Leading Brands (NasdaqCM:LBIX - News) said its TrueBlue Blueberry Juice brand is now listed with The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - News).
Longs Drug Stores' (NYSE:LDG - News) fiscal fourth-quarter net income fell 24% to $26.9 million, or 71 cents a share, from $35.4 million, or 93 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue for the quarter ended Jan. 25 increased 8% to $1.34 billion from $1.24 billion a year ago.
ManTech International Corp. (NasdaqGS:MANT - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $13.9 million, or 41 cents a share, up 33% from $10.4 million, or 31 cents a share, during the year-ago period. The company posted revenue of $290.7 million vs. $261 million.
Martha Stewart Omnimedia (NYSE:MSO - News) was upgraded to equal-weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - News) said it has been notified that certain Carl Icahn entities have filed to acquire additional shares of Motorola stock. The Schaumburg, Ill.-based telecommunications company said the notice stated that Icahn and Icahn Partners LP are each filing to acquire between $119.7 million and $500 million worth of Motorola stock, while Icahn Partners Master Fund LP and Icahn Partners Master Fund II LP are each filing to acquire more than $500 million, but less than 25% of Motorola's outstanding stock.
New Century Financial Corp. (NYSE:NEW - News) was upgraded to peer perform from underperform at Bear Stearns.
Oracle Corp. (NasdaqGS:ORCL - News) confirmed that it was buying business performance management software maker Hyperion Solutions Corp. (NasdaqGS:HYSL - News) in a deal valued at $3.3 billion, or $52 a share. The per-share bid represents a 21% premium to Hyperion's closing price of $42.84 on Wednesday. Oracle said the acquisition, which is expected to close in April, should to add 1 cent a share to fiscal 2008 earnings on an adjusted basis, and 4 cents a share to fiscal 2009 results.
Parallel Petroleum (NasdaqGM:PLLL - News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $11.1 million, or 29 cents a share. In the same period a year earlier, the company earned $8.4 million, or 24 cents a share. The latest results include a $9 million pre-tax gain on an asset sale, and a $2.8 million gain related to the fair market value of derivative instruments and ineffective portion of hedges.
PharmaNet Development (NasdaqGS:PDGI - News) posted adjusted earnings of $6.8 million, or 36 cents a share, for the fourth quarter, and forecast an adjusted profit of $1.06 to $1.21 a share for fiscal 2007.
PRG-Schultz International (NasdaqGM:PRGX - News) reported a fourth-quarter loss of $2.9 million, or 43 cents a share, narrower than a year-ago loss of $175.8 million, or $28.32 a share.
Smith Micro Software Inc.'s (NasdaqGM:SMSI - News) fourth-quarter net income rose 63% to $3.61 million, or 14 cents a share, from $2.21 million, or 9 cents a share, a year earlier. The Aliso Viejo, Calif., developer and marketer of software products and services said revenue more than doubled to $17.2 million from $8 million a year ago.
Stats Chippac Ltd. (NasdaqGS:STTS - News) shares surged after Temasek Holdings Ltd. said it would launch a cash offer, through its subsidiary Singapore Technologies Semiconductors Ltd., for the remaining shares in Stats Chippac that it does not already own. Temasek currently holds a 35.6% stake in the semiconductor test company. Temasek, Singapore's state-owned investment company, is offering S$1.75 per share and S$17.50 per American Depositary share in cash. If the offer results in Temasek owning more than 90% of Stats Chippac, Temasek will raise the offer price to S$1.88 per share and S$18.80 per ADS.
Sun-Times Media Group (NYSE:SVN - News) said it received a favorable review on its international tax liability from representatives of a foreign taxing authority.
Todco (NYSE:THE - News) said its fourth-quarter net income roughly tripled to $64.1 million, or $1.11 a share, from $21.2 million, or 34 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter rose 73% to $260.1 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting earnings of $1.01 a share on revenue of $255 million. Todco said the improved performance was largely due to improved utilization and higher day-rates.
Published By MarketWatch

Labels: AAPL, CTB, DISH, DLM, GEF, HNAB, HYSL, KR, LBIX, LDG, MANT, MOT, MSO, NEW, ORCL, PDGI, PLLL, PRGX, STTS, TRAK

Mad Mergers: Sirius Satellite Radio (NasdaqGS: SIRI) and XM Radio (NasdaqGS: XMSR)
Cramer smells "desperation" in the intended merger between SIRI and XMSR, and predicts that there will be a spate of anticompetitive mergers ahead of the possibility of a Democrat winning the White House, an event which would discourage future monolopistic mergers. Cramer dedicated the program to discussing ten likely scenarios.
10. Kroger (NYSE: KR - News) and Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News)9. Laboratory Corp. (NYSE: LH - News) and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX - News): Cramer notes that these two companies have been "locked in a ferocious price war to win the HMO business." Their slashed prices have meant less profits, and "it is time for them to get on the anticompetitive bus."8. Carnival (NYSE: CCL - News) and Royal Carribbean (NYSE: RCL - News)7. Office Depot (NYSE: ODP - News) and Office Max (NYSE: OMX - News)6. Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH - News) and McKesson (NYSE: MCK - News): Cramer notes that drug distributors have "been at war for wages" hurting themselves by lowering prices. He sees some major mergers in the sector for the next couple of years.5. BP (NYSE: BP - News) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX - News): BP would do well to merge with CVX, according to Cramer, because of CVX's excellent management.4. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - News) and Northrop Grunman (NYSE: NOC - News): Cramer notes that this merger is likely because the Pentagon doesn't want a lot of vendors.3. Comcast (NasdaqGS: CMCSA) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX - News)2. Gannett (NYSE: GCI - News) and McClatchy (NYSE: MNI - News): Cramer believes that this merger is essential because it could "save the newspaper business."1. Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP - News) and Burlington Northern (NYSE: BNI - News): Cramer says that this is his favorite possible merger.
Cramer also sees Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC - News) and CSX (NYSE: CSX - News) pairing up, and describes all of these possibilities as "a wave of mergers that will be great for profits."

Labels: BNI, BP, CAH, CCL, CVX, DGX, Jim Cramer, KR, LH, LMT, Mad Money, MCK, ODP, OMX, RCL, SIRI, SWY, TWX, UNP, XMSR

Allegheny Technologies (NYSE: ATI - News), Intel (NasdaqGS: INTC): Cramer "adores" ATI which he calls the "ultimate ethanol play," because it produces metals which are durable enough for the corrosive alternative fuel. He predicts that ATI will also get big orders from Intel, since the tech company is producing chips made of hafnium, and ATI is the leading producer of the metal. Although the stock has risen from $20 to $103 in only two years, Cramer is bullish on ATI.
Kroger (NYSE: KR - News), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News), Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News): Cramer comments that the big supermarket chains such as KR and SWY are competing well against retail giant, Wal-Mart, and adds that the"feast-on-Wal-Mart trade has been great for Safeway," and he feels that Kroger will also benefit.
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: ATI, INTC, Jim Cramer, KR, SWY, WMT

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Tuesday from TradingMarkets.com:
Retail Ventures (NYSE:RVI - News) missed earnings by a long shot Monday afternoon, announcing -$0.07 EPS vs an expected $0.13 EPS. RVI's PowerRating is 4.
AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - News) reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday before the bell; look for $1.68 EPS. AZO's PowerRating is 6.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - News) announces earnings on Tuesday morning, with analysts looking for $0.28 EPS. KR's PowerRating is 6.
When Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL - News) announces earnings on Tuesday morning, expect $1.06 EPS. TOL's PowerRating is 3.
Analysts are looking for Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM - News) to report $0.26 EPS on Tuesday morning. SAFM's PowerRating is 5.
World Wrestling (NYSE:WWE - News) is set to announce $0.13 EPS tomorrow morning.
Copart (NASDAQ:CPRT - News) reports earnings on Tuesday after the close, so watch for action leading up to the bell. CPRT's PowerRating is 5.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: AZO, CPRT, Hot Stocks, KR, RVI, SAFM, TOL, WWE