Jim Cramer Blog

-- Company Announces Full-Year 2007 Non-GAAP EPS of $3.20 and Fourth-Quarter Non-GAAP EPS of $0.80, Excluding Certain Previously Disclosed Items; Full-Year GAAP EPS of $1.49 and Fourth-Quarter GAAP EPS of $(0.75)
-- Worldwide Product Revenue Growth Driven by Performance of SINGULAIR, JANUVIA, GARDASIL and VARIVAX
-- Merck Reaffirms Full-Year 2008 Non-GAAP EPS Range of $3.28 to $3.38, Excluding Certain Items; Revised 2008 GAAP EPS Range of $3.80 to $4.00

Labels: Merck and Co. Inc., MRK

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Wednesday from TradingMarkets.com:
Robert Half (NYSE:RHI - News) beat earnings expectations on Tuesday afternoon, reporting $0.50 EPS versus a consensus of $0.47 EPS. RHI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Altria (NYSE:MO - News) reports earnings on Wednesday before the market opens, with traders looking for $0.97 EPS. MO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Analysts will be watching for Baker Hughes (NYSE:BHI - News) to report $1.28 EPS on Wednesday morning before the bell. BHI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
Boeing (NYSE:BA - News) looks set to report $1.32 EPS on early Wednesday. BA's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
When Dominion (NYSE:D - News) reports quarterly results on Wednesday before the bell, look for $0.56 EPS. D's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Merck (NYSE:MRK - News) is aiming to announce $0.74 EPS on Wednesday morning before the stock markets open. MRK's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
Kellogg (NYSE:K - News) should report $0.44 EPS tomorrow morning. K's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.

Labels: BA, BHI, D, Hot Stocks, K, MO, MRK, RHI

Here are 7 trading ideas for today. This list comes directly from the TradingMarkets Stock Indicators page and is based upon our latest quantitative research.
Bullish
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.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO - News) & Vodafone (NYSE:VOD - News). MO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6, and VOD's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
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.
Hormel Foods (NYSE:HRL - News). HRL's PowerRating (for Traders) 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.
Merck (NYSE:MRK - News). MRK's PowerRating (for Traders) 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.
Deere (NYSE:DE - News). DE's PowerRating (for Traders) 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.
Applied Materials (NasdaqGS:AMAT - News). AMAT's PowerRatings (for Traders) is 3.
Stocks Up 10% or More: These are stocks that have gained 10% or more over the past five days and are trading below their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading below their 200-day moving average that have gained 10% or more over the past five days have shown negative returns, on average, 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Big Lots (NYSE:BIG - News). BIG's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
Published By TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AMAT, BIG, DE, HRL, MRK, Trading Ideas, VOD

The Dow closed down 211 points and the Nasdaq finishing down 34. The S&P 500 has now given up all of its gains on the year. Najarian continues to like the four horseman names like Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and Research In Motion (RIMM) which showed strength on Wednesday. Adami recommended getting long General Motors (GM) right here with a specific stop price in mind. Finerman found it strange that Fannie Mae (FNM) went up Wednesday. Crude oil came close to $100 on Wednesday, but fell just short and finished the day at $97.19. Gartman feels the stock market is behaving horribly and he is short names like Harley-Davidson (HOG), Tiffany (TIF) and Coach (COH) and long Microsoft (MSFT)and Apple (AAPL). Gartman's favorite position right now is short Cummins (CMI).
CNBC Pharmaceuticals Reporter Mike Huckman joined the show to discuss his take on big pharma stocks. Huckman explained that Pfizer (PFE) is having issues with safety concerns on a stop smoking drug, falling Lipitor sales and generic competition. Huckman also mentioned that Merck (MRK), Eli Lilly (LLY) and Bristol Myers (BMY) were all down on Wednesday. Finerman likes Johnson & Johnson (JNJ).
Investors tend to sell their biggest losers towards the end of the year to reduce the tax hit they take from their winners. Some of the names at 52-week lows are Citigroup (C), Pfizer (PFE), Merck (MRK), J.C. Penny (JCP), Capital One Financial (COF), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and AIG (AIG).
Word on the Street
Macke recommended buying The Gap (GPS) on dips. Finerman likes Limited (LTD) on valuation. Adami suggested buying Citi Trends (CTRN) ahead of earnings for Monday. Najarian likes Target (TGT) for its valuation in retail.
Deere & Company (DE) traded up 5% after profits rose 52%.
Najarian suggests looking at Agco (AG)
Najarian noted strong call options trading activity on Tibco Software (TIBX).
Pops & Drops
Pops - Google (GOOG) traded up 2%
U.S. Steel (X) traded up 5% also bucking the down trend in the market.
Drops - Tesoro (TSO) fell 3%
American International Group (AIG) fell 6%.
Circuit City (CC) fell 6% after a JPMorgan analyst downgraded the stock.
Jamba Juice (JMBA) plunged 30%
Final Trade
Macke says don't buy stocks if you don't have to and Adami and Finerman just gave thanks in the holiday spirit.
Najarian likes Apple (AAPL) and he thinks the stock will explode into January.

Labels: AAPL, BMY, CMI, CNBC, CNBC's Fast Money, COF, COH, Fast Money Recap, FNM, GM, GOOG, HOG, LLY, LTD, MRK, MSFT, pfe, RIMM, TGT, TIF

The Dow closed up 51 points and the S&P 500 finished up 6 points. Crude oil is closing in on $100 as we near Thanksgiving. John Kilduff, an analyst at MF Global, joined the show to discuss his take on oil. He predicts the top on crude could be in area of $108 to $110. Adami favors Chevron (CVX), which he feels is cheaper then ExxonMobil (XOM). He advises looking at refiners like Tesoro (TSO) here. Finerman owns Tesoro and she is also looking at buying ConocoPhillips (COP).
Regional airlines are benefiting from the delays and congestion at larger airports. Airlines like Midwest (MEH) and Allegiant (ALGT) are benefiting from this trend. Adami says the way to play this trend is to buy the private jet makers like Textron (TXT), General Dynamics (GD), Embrear (ERJ) and Honeywell (HON).
For Defensive stocks Najarian likes Merck (MRK), Genentech (DNA) and Biogen (BIIB). However, Finerman would get defensive with names like Altria (MO) and Kraft (KFT). Adami also recommends Altria, Unilever (UL) and Procter & Gamble (PG).
Word on the Street
Target (TGT) reported a 4.4% fall in profits.
Whole Foods Market (WFMI) reported a decline in fourth-quarter profits, but sales top Wall Street estimates.
Google (GOOG) trades up 4% after Credit Suisse raised their price target to $900. Najarian believes names like Research In Motion (RIMM), Google and Apple (AAPL) are starting to show strength again. He would look to get back into these stocks around these levels. Adami prefers Microsoft (MSFT).
Najarian would keep an eye on ISIS Pharmaceuticals (ISIS) and Sangamo Biosciences (SGMO).
Pops & Drops
Pops - Barnes & Noble (BKS) traded up 13% after reporting higher internet sales.
Exxon (XOM) traded up 4% after UBS upgraded the stock.
Kraft (KFT) traded up 2%.
Utilities EFT (XLU) traded up 1%.
Drops - Office Depot (ODP) fell 7% after reporting a 9% decline in profits.
Echostar (DISH) fell 7%
Ericsson (ERIC) fell 12%
Hovnanian (HOV) fell 9%.
GameStop (GME) fell 4% after the video game maker missed analyst estimates.
Saks (SKS) fell 2% after missing estimates.
Final Trade
Macke likes the price action in Microsoft (MSFT).
Adami recommends Freeport McMorRan (FCX).
Finerman says to short the iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate ETF (IYR).
Najarian would purchase Pulte Homes (PHM) for a short term buy.

Labels: ALGT, BIIB, CNBC, CNBC's Fast Money, COP, CVX, erj, Fast Money, GD, GOOG, HON, MEH, MRK, PG, TGT, TSO, TXT, UL, WFMI, XOM

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
Leap Wireless (NasdaqGS:LEAP - News) lost 35% on Friday, after announcing plans to correct accounting revenue mistakes from 3 years ago. LEAP's PowerRating (for Traders) is 7.
Merck (NYSE:MRK - News) rallied over 4% on Friday, on news that the company will pay nearly $5 billion to settle the majority of the company's Vioxx-related lawsuits. MRK's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
Blackstone (NYSE:BX - News) reports earnings on Monday before the bell, with traders looking for $0.33 EPS. BX does not have a PowerRating (for Traders) due to its short trading histroy.
Analysts are watching for EchoStar (NasdaqGS:DISH - News) to announce $0.44 EPS on Monday before the market opens. DISH's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN - News) is looking to report $0.10 EPS on Monday morning. TSN's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Globecomm Systems (NasdaqGM:GCOM - News) and Bob Evans (NasdaqGS:BOBE - News) both report earnings after the close on Monday, so watch for heightened price action and volatility ahead of the bell. GCOM's PowerRating (for Traders) is 7, and BOBE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.

Labels: BOBE, BX, DISH, GCOM, Hot Stocks, LEAP, MRK, TSN

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK - News) shares could rise to $70 by 2010 if the drugmaker continues to deliver on its promise of double-digit earnings growth, Barron's said in its October 29 edition.
Merck's earnings could hit $4 per share by 2010, the magazine said. It added that Morgan Stanley analyst Jami Rubin, who rates Merck shares overweight, thinks it might reach that level a year sooner.
Applying its current multiple of 17.5 times prospective earnings to $4 a share would put the stock at $70, a 23 percent premium to its current share price of about $57, the magazine said.

Labels: Barron's, Merck and Co. Inc., MRK

Victors: Apple (AAPL) crushed Wall Street estimates by reporting a 67% jump in profits. Najarian says it's an amazing number and everything is working. He owns the stock and continues to stay long. American Express (AXP) beats expectations and trades higher after hours. Merck (MRK) reports a 62% jump in third quarter profits and the stock trades higher. Macke continues to be bullish on Merck. Adami suggests looking at Pfizer (PFE) on a valuation basis.Homebuilding stocks were strong on Monday with the Homebuilders ETF (XHB) trading up 3%. Finerman mentions that a private equity group Hellman & Friedman bought Goodman Global (GGL) for $2.65 billion and tells viewers to trade off that news by going long MDC Holdings (MDC).
Victims: Texas Instruments (TXN) shares dip on the chip maker's outlook that was below Wall Street estimates. Najarian hinted that Texas Instruments isn't managed as well as Apple (AAPL) and he would rather own Apple. Adami counsels investors to buy Intel (INTC) off the TXN numbers. Alos, crude oil and gold both fell 1% Monday as the dollar gains strength.
Merrill Lynch (MER) is set to report earnings on Wednesday. CNBC's Charlie Gasparino discussed his take on Merrill. Insiders at Merrill tell him that some are calling for CEO Stan O'Neal's head. Even outside shareholders want him out. Macke tells investors not to bother buying this stock. Gasparino is now giving O'Neal 8-to-1 odds of being removed as CEO.
SanDisk Corporation (SNDK) co-founder, president and COO Sanjay Mehrotra joined the shpw to discuss his firm's prospects. Mehrotra says demand remains strong especially for the mobile phone segment of the business. He sees continued growth for SanDisk in 2008 and higher profitability.
OIL: Higher oil prices may actually cause BP (BP) and Exxon (XOM) to report a decline in profit for the first time in 5 years. Finerman wants to short tanker stocks like Teekay (TK) because of declining tanker rates.
Retail: Amazon.com (AMZN) is set to report earnings Tuesday after the bell. Macke loves the stock and thinks they will blow out the earnings. Finerman prefers Target (TGT) and Wal-Mart (WMT) and she hopes they trade lower so that she can buy more for her hedge fund. Adami is partial to United Parcel Services (UPS)
Pops & Drops
Pops- Altria (MO) trades up 1% after a UBS upgrade. Finerman is bullish on Altria.
Kimberly Clark (KMB) trades up 5% after posting strong profit numbers.
ExpressJet Holdings (XJT) trades up 16% after the firm announced possible plans of going private.
Sears Holdings (SHLD) popped 4% after a positive mention in Barron's. Finerman would rather be long Target (TGT).
Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) traded up 8% after reporting strong profits. The stock is working for Macke.
Radiation Therapy Service exploded higher by 44% after Vestar Capital Partners took the company private.
Lululemon Athletica (LULU) traded up 5% after the firm raised third-quarter estimates and Adami would buy it.
Final Trade
Macke counsels investors to buy Short Dow30 ProShares (DOG).
Adami likes Intel (INTC).
Finerman recommends Covidien (COV).
Najarian offers up Yahoo! (YHOO) for a play on Alibaba.

Labels: AAPL, AMZN, AXP, CNBC, Fast Money, Fast Money Recap, GGL, INTC, MDC, MER, MRK, pfe, SNDK, TXN, XHB, XOM

Technology
Google (GOOG) reported quarterly profits that soar 46% and the search giant added 2,130 employees in the third quarter. Nokia (NOK) traded higher after earnings nearly doubled and global market share rose to 39%.
The big pharmaceutical companies will have earnings rolling in with Pfizer (PFE), Eli Lilly (LLY) and Wyeth (WYE) set to report Thursday and Merck (MRK) and Schering-Plough (SGP) set to report Monday. Pfizer issued news that it will no longer sell Exubera which is an inhalable insulin device. This news took down Alkermes (ALKS), MannKind (MNKD) and Nektar (NKTR). Finerman continues to believe that Merck will buy Biogen (BIIB).
Word on the Street
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) reported a quarterly loss but, revenues soared. Adami suggests trading off of AMD with Dell (DELL). However, Macke would buy Microsoft (MSFT) based on this news. Baxter (BAX) traded higher after earnings beat Wall Street estimates. Najarian recommends looking at Intuitive Surgical (ISRG). Bank of America (BAC) traded lower after reporting a 32% drop in earnings. Capital One Financial (COF) reported a third quarter loss as profits fell 32%. Najarian would sell Capital One Financial and buy State Street (STT) and JPMorgan (JPM). Wal-Mart (WMT) announces plans to drop prices ahead of the holiday season. Finerman maintains that Wal-Mart is attractive on valuation and she owns the stock.
Rail Trade: Finerman and Adami picked CSX (CSX) in the rail space. Najarian's favorite was Burlington Northern (BNI) and Macke prefers Union Pacific (UNP).
Oil: As oil continues to hit record highs, Najarian proposes playing off oil with solar stocks and recommends buying Cypress Semiconductor (CY), SunPower (SPWR), JA Solar (JASO) and Suntech (STP). Macke favors NRG Energy (NRG). Adami says buy Shaw Group (SGR) for a play on nuclear power.
Pops & Drops
Pops - Callaway Golf (ELY) traded up 12% on higher profits.
Drops - Allstate (ALL) dropped 4% after revenues fell 16%.
iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund (FXI) fell 3%.
American Standard (ASD) fell 5% after cutting its 2007 forecast.
Final Trades
Macke recommends Intel (INTC).
Adami would short Exxon Mobil (XOM) for the second day in a row.
Finerman is a buyer of Limited Brands (LTD) on a pullback after the retailer was replaced in the S&P 100 index.
Najarian loves and owns Cypress Semiconductor (CY).

Labels: ALKS, AMD, CNBC, Fast Money, Fast Money Recap, GOOG, LLY, MRK, NOK, pfe, WYE

Shares of German drugmaker Merck KGaA climbed sharply Tuesday after the company released successful new study results for its cancer drug Erbitux. Shares of biotechnology company ImClone, which developed the drug, soared nearly 24 percent in the U.S.
Merck shares rose more than 5.7 percent at 97.56 euros ($134.52) in Frankfurt trading. ImClone Systems Inc., from which Merck bought the Erbitux licensing rights for outside the U.S. and Canada from in 1998, jumped 21 percent to $45.93, up $8.
Merck said the phase III study, carried out on patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, showed that when Erbitux was combined with chemotherapy, it led to increased overall survival rates compared with when chemotherapy was used alone.
Erbitux is already among Darmstadt-based Merck's top-selling products, and the study results appeared to strengthen its prospects.
"Non-small cell lung cancer that has spread from the primary site is extremely difficult to treat so we are delighted with these results," said Wolfgang Wein, the company's senior executive vice president for oncology.
Published by AP

Labels: Cancer Drugs, IMCL, MRK

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Friday from TradingMarkets.com:
Cooper (NYSE:COO - News) beat earnings on Thursday afternoon, announcing $0.76 EPS versus expectations of $0.69. COO's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.

National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM - News) beat expectations Thursday, with $0.30 EPS over $0.25 EPS. NSM's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Merck (NYSE:MRK - News) gained around 2% after announcing that the Supreme Court has reversed an unfavorable ruling, which would have granted health organizations and insurers the right to consolidate lawsuits against the pharmaceutical giant. MRK's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Apple (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News) announced that its 8GB iPhone will drop in price from $599 to $399, prompting investors to question overall consumer demand for the product. AAPL's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Major retailers reported better-than-expected sales on Thursday. Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT - News) reported a 2.5% rise in same store sales from last year, while Target (NYSE:TGT - News) same store sales were up 6.1%. WMT's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5, and TGT's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
Despite reporting a 39% increase in Q4 profit, Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB - News) fell over 3% on Thursday. CPB's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AAPL, COO, CPB, Hot Stocks, MRK, NSM, TGT, WMT

Dow but not Out: JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM - News), General Motors (NYSE: GM - News), Citigroup (NYSE: C - News), AIG (NYSE: AIG - News), Honeywell (NYSE: HON - News), DuPont (NYSE: DD - News) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ - News), AT&T (NYSE: T - News), Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE - News) and Merck (NYSE: MRK - News)
After its mid-week drop, the Dow's rally on Thursday inspired Cramer to express confidence in the market and to repeat his prediction that the Dow will reach 14, 548 by the end of the year. He notes only four Dow stocks, JPM, GM, C and AIG are levered to current problems and only JPM and C are directly connected to mortgages. However, he commented HON, DD and HPQ have "beautiful" balance sheets and T, VZ, PFE and MRK will be able to survive the current market. Because of the strength of these stocks, the Dow wasn't crushed yesterday like it was "supposed to be," Cramer said.
The Windy City Merger: CME Group (NYSE: CME - News)
A good way to profit from the vicissitudes of the current market is to invest in CME, which Cramer recommends following its acquisition of the Chicago Board of Trade. Cramer likes the merger so much he thinks the Justice Department should never have allowed it to happen, since CME now has its "hands into everything" and can charge whatever it wants. While CME is trading at 30 x earnings, it is growing at a 20% clip this year, and its growth rate should reach 30% in 2008.
Sell Block: Buffalo Wild Wings (NasdaqGS: BWLD - News), General Cable (NYSE: BGC - News), Mastercard (NYSE: MA - News)
Since BWLD, BGC and MA got crushed after reporting better-than-expected quarters, Cramer explained "why bad things happen to good stocks." First, since all three had been rising rapidly, the bar was raised and "better-than-expected" just wasn't good enough for The Street. Second, there was a "hair" on each quarter, which is Wall Street jargon for a small flaw, or "hair" on a better-than-expected number. It was alleged that MA experienced domestic slowing, BWLD had slightly lower same-store sales and BGC had a downbeat outlook. However, Cramer said the main trick is knowing when to get rid of stock; "You can't count on me to tell you when to sell," he warned listeners, adding he can't always call a top. He said it is safe to sell the stocks now, since they are still high.

CEO Interview: Gregory Milzcik Barnes Group (NYSE: B - News)
Gregory Milzcik says his company is in the "sweet spot" of the current cycle; "We focus on difficult-to-manufacture parts but are also positioned great on high-volume, high-growth platforms, like that of the 787." He adds analysts are not really disappointed with the company, but want to see sales and margin growth, which Barnes Group can deliver. The company has expanded into Europe's "booming" market. Cramer commented; "Let the downgrades come, and then I would buy some. This stock's just way too cheap when it gets down to $20."

Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AIG, BGC, BWLD, C, CME, DD, GM, HON, HPQ, Jim Cramer, JPM, MA, Mad Money, MRK, pfe, VZ

Bull Meat Barbecue
Although Thursday's selloff resembled a "bull meat barbecue," Cramer encouraged viewers not to lose heart and reiterated his principle that there is always a bull market somewhere. He made a checklist of three kinds of stocks to avoid: Stocks, such as housing, which need low interest rates to go higher, stocks (restaurants, retail etc.) with too much leverage to the domestic economy, and companies which must borrow to make an acquisition. Cramer emphasized the importance of selling these stocks, especially for those who did not lighten their portfolios before the selloff and those who cannot take the pain and wait for these sectors to recover.
Game Plan for Next Week: Pepsi (NYSE: PEP - News), Colgate (NYSE: CL - News), Kellogg (NYSE: K - News), Kimberly Clark (NYSE: KMB - News), Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT - News), Foster-Wheeler (NasdaqGS: FWLT - News), Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX - News), Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB - News), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL - News), Boeing (NYSE: BA - News), Bunge (NYSE: BG - News), Monsanto (NYSE: MON - News), Dell (NasdaqGS: DELL - News), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ - News), Cisco Systems (NasdaqGS: CSCO - News), Celgene (NasdaqGS: CELG - News), Merck (NYSE: MRK - News), Medco Health (NYSE: MHS - News)
Because on The Street, a trauma does not usually follow a trauma, Cramer expects a bounce at least by Monday, and would get rid of financials, retail and restaurants and buy soft goods, such as PEP, CL, K and KMB. Dismissing worries of a potential worldwide slowdown, Cramer likes machinery and mining, particularly CAT, FWLT and FCX. He also recommends oil, although natural gas has been tricky, and his picks are SLB and HAL. Cramer's favorites among aerospace and agriculture include BA, BG and MON, and he adds the tech sector has been hot and would buy DELL, HPQ and CSCO. In the healthcare sector, he especially likes CELG and MHS and doesn't mind MRK.
Pscyhed Up with Sycamore Networks (NasdaqGM: SCMR - News)
After the selloff devastation, there is still one thing Cramer can count on; that tech will continue to thrive in the late summer as it does every year. Cramer likes SCMR as a speculative telecom tech stock, since the company has almost a pure play on optical services. SCMR is not best-of-breed, but he is still bullish because SCMR does not yet have any analysts covering it and he likes SCMR's floor; it's at $4 a share but has the equivalent of $3.23 a share. In addition, the company's sales have been rising and 60% of its revenue is international. While SCMR is not as strong as Cisco or Cienna it could make investors more money.
Mad Money: Hoku Scientific (NasdaqGM: HOKU - News), Genzyme (NasdaqGS: GENZ - News), Celgene (NasdaqGS: CELG - News)
When a mailer asked about Hoku, Cramer recalls having recommended it at $6, and it has recently dropped from $11 to $8. At this level, Cramer says, it is too speculative, but he thinks it will repeat its upward trend after it falls back to $7 or $6. Another mailer wanted to know Cramer's opinion of GENZ; while the fall is good for biotech in general, he prefers Celgene to GENZ. On the issue of whether Freeport McMoRan's report of strong cash flow will be good for Caterpillar, Cramer says he likes CAT, but it has been hit hard for its North American exposure. While he says CAT is "your best play" he adds currently he is "loathe to buy more."
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: BA, BG, CAT, CELG, CL, CSCO, DELL, FCX, FWLT, HAL, HPQ, Jim Cramer, K, KMB, Mad Money, MHS, MON, MRK, PEP, SLB

The start of the trading week got under way in the right direction, as the major market indices finished the session higher. The biggest gainer among the averages was the Dow, which rose 92 points. The Nasdaq rose 3 points on the session, while the S&P gained 7.5. Bulls were in the buying mood out of the gate as strong corporate earnings coupled with increased dealmaking led to bargain hunters picking up stocks after Friday's losses. In the energy sector, prices declined across the board, with crude finishing the day lower by -90 cents to close at $74.89 a barrel.
In earnings news, pharmaceutical giant Merck (NYSE: MRK - News) said net income rose to $1.68 billion, or 77 cents a share, compared to $1.5 billion, or 69 cents a share last year. Excluding restructuring charges, EPS would have been 82 cents. Sales rose 8% to $6.11 billion. The company also said it put away an additional $210 million into its reserve to help fight off Vioxx claims. In addition, it raised its full-year EPS guidance for 2007 to $2.80-2.95, or $3.00-3.10 excluding charges. Shares surged 6.9%
Elsewhere, oil services giant Halliburton (NYSE: HAL - News) rose 3.2% on the day after the company reported earnings from continuing operations of $595 million, or 63 cents a share. On a comparable basis, it earned $498 million, or 47 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose to $3.74 billion from $3.12 billion the same period a year ago. The company said its 19% rise in earnings from continuing operations was fueled by international contracts.
M&A is still alive and well on Wall Street as a plethora of deals were announced. Drilling giant Transocean (NYSE: RIG - News) agreed to buy rival GlobalSantaFe (NYSE: GSF - News) for nearly $18 billion. Under the terms of the deal, Transocean shareholders will receive $33.03 in cash and 0.6996 shares of the combined company. GlobalSantaFe shareholders will receive $22.46 in cash and 0.4757 shares of the new combined company. The cash and stock deal will create a behemoth with a combined $53 billion in enterprise value.
Also in the buyout space, Cerberus agreed to buy United Rentals (NYSE: URI - News) for $34.50 a share. The total deal amount, which includes $2.6 billion worth of debt, is $6.6 billion. In the tech space, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ - News) agreed to buy software firm Opsware (Nasdaq: OPSW - News) for $14.25 a share, in an all cash tender offer. The deal represents a 38% premium to where the shares closed on Friday.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: GSF, HAL, HPQ, MRK, OPSW, RIG, URI

Drug developer Merck & Co. said Monday its second-quarter profit jumped nearly 12 percent on an across-the-board rise in drug sales, and the company boosted earnings guidance for the year.

However, it took another charge to cover costs of its massive Vioxx litigation.
Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based Merck earned $1.68 billion, or 77 cents per share, compared with a net income of $1.5 billion, or 69 cents per share, during the same period a year prior. Revenue rose 6 percent to $6.11 billion from $5.77 billion.
Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected profit of 72 cents per share on revenue of $5.77 billion.

Labels: Merck and Co. Inc., MRK

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
Arch Coal (NYSE:ACI - News) reports earnings on Monday before the bell; look for $0.27 EPS. ACI's PowerRating is 6.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - News) is expected to announce $0.56 EPS when the company announces earnings on Monday morning. HAL's PowerRating is 5.
Merck (NYSE:MRK - News) should report $0.72 EPS on Monday morning. MRK's PowerRating is 6.
Analysts will be watching for Hasbro (NYSE:HAS - News) to report $0.17 EPS when the company announces quarterly earnings on Monday morning. HAS's PowerRating is 6.
PetMed Express (NasdaqGS:PETS - News) should announce $0.23 EPS early Monday morning. PETS's PowerRating is 5.
Sify Limited (NasdaqGM:SIFY - News) looks set to report -$0.02 EPS on Monday morning, while TASER (NasdaqGS:TASR - News) hopes to report $0.04 EPS. SIFY's PowerRating is 8, and TASR's PowerRating is 4.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: ACI, HAL, HAS, Hot Stocks, MRK, PETS, SIFY, TASR

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
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.

Longs Drug Store (NYSE:LDG) & Mattel (NYSE:MAT). LDG's PowerRating is 7, and MAT'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.
Alcoa (NYSE:AA). AA'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.
Merck (NYSE:MRK) & Everest Re Group (NYSE:RE). MRK's PowerRating is 7, and RE's PowerRating is 7.
Bearish
5+ Consecutive Up Days: 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.
Mannatech (NasdaqGS:MTEX). MTEX'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.
FreightCar America (NasdaqGS:RAIL). RAIL's PowerRating is 3.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AA, Hot Stocks, LDG, MAT, MRK, MTEX, RAIL, RE

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
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. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS - News) & Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - News). GS's PowerRating is 6, and KO's PowerRating is 6.
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.
Time Warner (NYSE:TWX - News). TWX'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.
Merck (NYSE:MRK - News) & International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM - News). MRK's PowerRating is 7, and IBM's PowerRating is 6.
Bearish
5+ Consecutive Up Days: 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.
Lattice Semiconductor (NasdaqGM:LSCC - News). LSCC'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.
Delta Petroleum (NasdaqGM:DPTR - News). DPTR's PowerRating is 3.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: DPTR, GS, Hot Stocks, IBM, KO, LSCC, MRK, TWX