Jim Cramer Blog

Here are 7 options to watch for Today.
Most Underpriced Calls: These are the most under priced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
iShares Russell 2000 Index Oct 84 Calls (AMEX:IWM - News). IWM's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Most Underpriced 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.
Network Appliance Oct 27.5 Puts (NasdaqGS:NTAP - News). NTAP's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
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.
Google Oct 620 Calls (NasdaqGS:GOOG - News). GOOG's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Most Overpriced Puts: These are the most overpriced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Baidu.com Oct 220 Puts (NasdaqGS:BIDU - News). BIDU's PowerRating (for Traders) is 2.
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.
Spectrum Brands (NYSE:SPC - News). SPC's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Stocks with Abnormal Put Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual put option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Put Volume Alerts list suggests an extraordinarily negative earnings report, or other news which may negatively affect the stock.
Questar (NYSE:STR - News). STR's PowerRating (for Traders) 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.
KB Home (NYSE:KBH - News). KBH's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Published By TradingMarkets.com

Labels: BIDU, GOOG, IWM, KBH, NTAP, SPC, stock options, STR

Here are 7 options to watch for today. This list comes directly from the TM Options Indicators page and is created using OptionVue options analysis software.
Most Underpriced 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.
Goldman Sachs July 260 Calls (NYSE:GS - News). GS's PowerRating is 5.
Most Underpriced 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.
Altria Jun 70 Puts (NYSE:MO - News). MO's PowerRating is 5.
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.
Apple July 120 Calls (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News). AAPL's PowerRating is 5.
Most Overpriced Puts: These are the most overpriced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Dow Jones June 50 Puts (NYSE:DJ - News). DJ's PowerRating is 6.
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.
Sun Microsystems (NasdaqGS:SUNW - News). SUNW's PowerRating is 4.
Stocks with Abnormal Put Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual put option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Put Volume Alerts list suggests an extraordinarily negative earnings report, or other news which may negatively affect the stock.
Network Appliance (NasdaqGS:NTAP - News). NTAP's PowerRating is 7.
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.
Genentech (NYSE:DNA - News). DNA's PowerRating is 5.
PowerRatings are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com.

Labels: AAPL, DJ, DNA, GS, MO, NTAP, stock options, SUNW

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.
None Today
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.
Whole Foods Market Inc. Apr 45 Puts (NasdaqGS:WFMI - News). WFMI's PowerRating is 4.
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.
Apple Inc. May 95 Calls (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News). AAPL's PowerRating is 4.
Baidu.com May 115 Calls (NasdaqGM:BIDU - News). BIDU's PowerRating is 2.
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.
Oil Services HOLDRs May 135 Puts (AMEX:OIH - News). GOOG'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.
American Electric Power Co. (NYSE:AEP - News). AEPs PowerRating is 5.
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.
None Today
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.
Lennar Inc. (NYSE:LEN - News). LEN's PowerRating is 5.
Network Appliance Inc. (NasdaqGS:NTAP - News). NTAP's PowerRating is 5.
PowerRatings are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AAPL, AEP, BIDU, Hot Options, LEN, NTAP, OIH, WFMI

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

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

JetBlue (NasdaqGS:JBLU - News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Knology (NasdaqGM:KNOL - News) was upgraded by UBS to buy from neutral ahead of the communication technology company's earnings next week. The fundamental outlook remains strong, free cash flow should grow significantly in 2007 and refinancing will substantially lower the cost of debt, the broker said.
Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH - News) said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 17% to $103.7 million, or 81 cents a share, from $88.9 million, or 64 cents a share, a year earlier. The Burlington, N.C., provider of clinical laboratory services said that excluding $7.7 million in restructuring charges and other charges related to the retirement of the company's chief executive, the company earned $108.4 million, or 85 cents a share, compared with $93.1 million, or 67 cents a share, a year earlier. Laboratory Corp. said revenue for the quarter rose 9.3% to $898.6 million from $822.3 million a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected, on average, earnings of 72 cents a share on revenue of $874 million. In addition, Laboratory Corp. said it expects 2007 revenue growth of 11% to 13% and earnings of $3.93 to $4.09 a share.
Macquarie Infrastructure Co. (NYSE:MIC - News) was initiated with a neutral rating and a $40 price target at Credit Suisse.
Medimmune (NasdaqGS:MEDI - News) was higher after the company reported favorable results of a study of the use of its FluMist vaccine with children under five years of age. In addition, on Wednesday, investor Carl Icahn and his Icahn Management L.P. affiliate disclosed that they had bought 2.8 million Medimmune shares.
Midland Co. (NasdaqGS:MLAN - News) said its fourth-quarter net income rose to $21.1 million, or $1.07 a share, from $20 million, or $1.03 a share, a year earlier. Excluding realized capital gains, the insurer earned $19.1 million, or 97 cents a share, for the latest period. Fourth-quarter revenue increased 13% to $207.4 million from $183.5 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial, on average, expected the Cincinnati company to earn 93 cents a share and generate revenue of $198.7 million for the latest fourth quarter. For 2007, Midland expects net income of $3.25 a share to $3.55 a share.
Molson Coors Brewing Co. (NYSE:TAP - News) reported sharply higher fourth quarter profit Thursday, buoyed by volume increases and an extra selling week. The company said it earned $99.2 million, or $1.15 a share, up from $22.4 million, or 26 cents, in the year ago period. Excluding various items, the company would have earned $108.4 million, or $1.24 a share, up from $53.9 million, or 63 cents. Sales net of excise taxes were $1.5 billion, a gain of 10%, while volume rose to 10.9 million barrels form 10.3 million. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial had been for Molson Coors to earn 94 cents a share on revenue of $1.42 billion.
Ness Technologies Inc. (NasdaqGS:NSTC - News) said it anticipates generating a profit of $1 to $1.05 a share for 2007, on revenue pegged in a range of $560 million to $570 million. The profit forecast includes about 7 per diluted share for one-time expenses, which the company expects will be taken against first-quarter results. Excluding these one-time expenses, Ness Technologies forecast the current quarter's earnings in a range of 21 cents to 23 cents a share on revenue of $123 million to $129 million. Analysts' average profit projections, as compiled by Thomson Financial, stand at 23 cents a share for the first quarter and $1.02 for 2007, with average revenue estimates of $129 million and $560 million, respectively.
Network Appliance (NasdaqGS:NTAP - News) shares gained after the storage-technology company reported third-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street analysts' estimates. The company earned $66.5 million, or 17 cents a share, on revenue of $729.3 million. Excluding one-time items, it would have earned $111.1 million, or 29 cents a share, while analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had forecast a profit of 28 cents a share on $703.8 million in revenue. Brokerage Friedman, Billings & Ramsey raised its rating on the stock to outperform from market perform.
Nutrisystem (NasdaqGS:NTRI - News) shares jumped after the company said fourth-quarter earnings rose to $19.6 million, or 53 cents a share, from a year-earlier profit of $6.27 million, or 17 cents a share. The Horsham, Pa., diet-food company said revenue nearly doubled to $133.6 million, from $69.6 million a year earlier. It also said its board has approved the buyback of up to $200 million worth of its common stock.
Nymex Holdings (NYSE:NMX - News) was upgraded to neutral at J.P. Morgan.
P.H. Glatfelter Co. (NYSE:GLT - News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $15 million, or 33 cents a share, down from a year-ago profit of $26.9 million, or 61 cents a share. Excluding items, such as gains from the disposition of timberlands and shutdown and restructuring charges, the company posted a non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) profit of $10 million, or 22 cents a share, in the latest quarter. Sales rose in the latest three months to $268.6 million from $143.2 million in the same period a year earlier. The York, Pa., specialty papers and engineered products maker noted that the latest results include the impact of its Lydney and Chillicothe acquisitions. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for a profit of 15 cents a share in the December period.
Pool Corp. (NasdaqGS:POOL - News) said its fourth-quarter loss for the three months ended Dec. 31 widened to $5 million, or 10 cents a share, from a loss of $876,000, or 2 cents a share in the year-ago period. The Covington, La. pool distributor said sales increased 6% to $318.5 million in the wake of its acquisition of Wickham acquisition, growth in the Horizon business and a 1% increase in base business sales. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call forecast a loss of 9 cents a share, on average. Operating loss for the fourth quarter was $4.1 million compared to operating income of $2.3 million. For 2007, the company projects 15% to 20% earnings growth.
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (NYSE:RS - News) reported fourth-quarter earnings of $74.6 million, or 98 cents a share, up from a year-ago profit of $60.6 million, or 91 cent a share. Sales surged 81% in the latest three months to $1.57 billion from $868.7 million in the same period a year earlier. The Los Angeles-based metals company said the latest results include a pre-tax LIFO expense of $37.9 million, or 31 cents a share. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial was for a profit of $1.22 a share in the December period on revenue of $1.56 billion. The company said its gross profit margins were slightly below its earlier expectations due to some inventory de-stocking that caused added competitive pressures. Reliance also said its LIFO expense in the latest quarter was "significantly higher" than anticipated.
Smithfield Foods (NYSE:SFD - News) said it expects earnings for the third quarter of fiscal 2007 to come in a range of 53 to 56 cents a share, down from 63 cents a year ago. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial is for earnings of 41 cents a share. The company said a 'significant' decline in hog production earnings was partially offset by strong international earnings and 4 cents a share of tax adjustments.
Spartan Motors (NasdaqGS:SPAR - News) shares rose after the Charlotte, Mich.-based maker of chassis and vehicles reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $3.28 million, or 16 cents a share, up from $986,000, or 5 cents a share, last year. The 2006 fourth quarter included a non-cash charge of $2.1 million, 10 cents a share, related to a write-off of goodwill for Spartan's ambulance subsidiary, Road Rescue. Revenue rose to $123.6 million from $75.5 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting a per-share profit of 17 cents on $102.3 million.
State Auto Financial Corp. (NasdaqGS:STFC - News) said that fourth-quarter net income rose to $44.9 million, or $1.08 a share, from $29.5 million, or 71 cents a share, a year ago reflecting a disciplined underwriting policy. Analysts were expecting the property and casualty insurance holding company to post earnings of 85 cents a share, according to data supplied by Thomson Financial. The company's combined ratio for the fourth quarter of 2006 was 83.5, versus 90.5 a year ago. Revenue rose to $281.0 million, from $280.9 million in 2005. 2007 is expected to be a year of positive transition, the company said.
Stratasys (NasdaqGS:SSYS - News) shares jumped after the Minneapolis-based maker of rapid prototyping devices and 3-D printing systems reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $3.65 million, or 35 cents a share, up from $3.15 million, or 30 cents a share, last year. Excluding stock-based compensation expense, profit came in at 38 cents a share. Revenue rose to $29.7 million from $23.5 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting a per-share profit of 36 cents on revenue of $27.6 million. Stratasys forecast 2007 earnings of $1.28 to $1.40 a share, or $1.37 to $1.49 a share excluding items, on revenue of $105 million to $110 million.
Strayer Education (NasdaqGS:STRA - News) said fourth-quarter net income rose 7% to $16 million, or $1.11 a share, with revenue up 20% to $74.3 million. Excluding stock-bsed compensation costs, it would've earned $1.22 a share, up 18% from a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected earnings of $1.08 a share. The company estimated first-quarter earnings between $1.27 and $1.29 a share, and stock-based compensation expenses of 11 cents a share. Analysts on average see earnings of $1.27 a share in the first quarter.

Published By MarketWatch

Labels: GLT, JBLU, KNOL, LH, MEDI, MIC, MLAN, NMX, NSTC, NTAP, NTRI, POOL, RS, SFD, SPAR, SSYS, STFC, STRA, TAP

Friday offered a fistful of convenient scapegoats for investors in need of excuses to take some profits. The damage thus far is minimal, but it will be interesting to see if the current shift in negative sentiment takes hold for more than one or two sessions. Emphasis for Wall Street should continue to shift away from earnings reports and on to the issue of growth, interest rates and energy prices. It will be back to work for economic watchdogs, after a rather light calendar in the week prior. The first half will be light, but the G-7 Summit wrapped up this past weekend might add some volatility as traders digest comments made on foreign exchange policies. Wednesday’s retail sales figures will be watched by traders for any clues that consumer spending trends have changed. That day, however, testimony by Bernanke will undoubtedly take center stage. With a string of data points suggesting that the economy is back on track, investors will be looking to find any signals from the Fed Chief that point towards an interest rate hike. Whether clues from Bernanke are offered will be interesting to see. If disappointed, investors can turn towards a slug of data points on both Thursday and Friday. Readings on the pulse of the economy and price pressures that could impact rate policy will be delivered in force. One of the biggies will be Friday’s CPI data. Wall Street is expecting the core figure to come in at .2%. If the reading comes in higher than expected by just .1% to a level of .3%, it could be enough to sway the outlook on rates towards a tighter monetary policy. That being said, in conjunction with slowing earnings growth, price pressure on equities would likely result in a market long overdue for a period of correction.
Monday Economic: NA
Earnings: Administaff (ASF), Brush EM (BW), Ctrip.com (CTRIP), Cephalon (CEPH), Fording (FDG), iRobot (IRBT), YUM!Brands (YUM)
Tuesday Economic: Trade Balance (-59.5B)
Earnings: Anglogold (AU), Expeditors (EXPD), NASDAQ (NDAQ), Affiliated Computer (ACS), First Solar (FSLR), Invitrogen (IVGN), NVIDIA (NVDA), Watts (WTS), Weight Watchers (WTW), XTO Energy (XTO)
Wednesday Economic: Retail Sales / ex-auto (.3%, .3%), Weekly Crude, Business Inv (.4%)Earnings: Coca Cola (KO), Daktronics (DAKT), Deere (DE), Garmin (GRMN), Genzyme (GENZ), PF Changs (PFCB), Baidu (BIDU), Evergreen Solar (ESLR), Network App (NTAP), NutriSystem (NTRI)
ThursdayEconomic: Import / Export, Weekly Claims (310K), NY Empire (11), Ind Prod / Cap Util (0%, 81.7%), Philly Fed (5)
Earnings: Agilent (A), Biogen (BIIB), Hornbeck (HOS), Lifetime Fitness (LTM), Lufkin (LUFK), Olympic Steel (ZEUS), TradeStation (TRAD), aQuantive (AQNT), Bucyrus (BUCY), Chipotle (CMG), Hittite Micro (HITT)
FridayEconomic: Housing Starts / Bldg Permits (1.61M, 1.59M), PPI & Core (-.6%, .2%), Michigan (97)
Earnings: Campbell (CPB), Goodyear (GT), Hormel (HRL), OGE Energy (OGE)
Published By Optionetics.com

Labels: ACS, ASF, AU, BIIB, BW, CEPH, CMG, CTRIP, DAKT, EXPD, FDG, FSLR, GENZ, HRL, IRBT, IVGN, NDAQ, NTAP, TRAD, YUM

Bulls fought back Tuesday to take the major market indices into positive territory at the close. The Dow ($INDU) ended the session with a gain of 25.48 points to close at 12,423.49. The S&P 500 ($SPX) added 3.13 points to 1,412.84. The NASDAQ ($COMPQ) tacked on 3.95 points to close at 2,438.20. Volume was a bit lighter than recent sessions with the NYSE trading 1.57 billion shares and the Naz turning over 1.93 billion shares. Market breadth was positive by a 19-to-13 and 15-to-14 margin on the Big Board and Naz respectively.Despite the mild gains seen today, it was surprising to not see larger advances given the good news released Tuesday. Merger activity didn’t provide much of a boost, nor did positive comments from Fed vice Chairman Donald Kohn. An upgrade of several tech firms also benefited the tech sector. Nonetheless, there continue to be concerns about how strong earnings were in the fourth-quarter and what to expect in the near term from corporate America.The energy sector continued to struggle today despite a couple of merger announcements within the group. General Electric (GE) announced plans to acquire private oil and gas service company Vetco Gray for $1.9 billion. This led to flat trading for GE. Forest Oil (FST) stated that it would buy Houston Exploration (THX) for $1.5 billion. This pushed FST shares lower by 3.5 percent, but sent THX shares higher by 4.1 percent.UBS helped tech stocks Tuesday on upgrades of several tech firms. IBM (IBM) saw its shares rise 1.5 percent after UBS raised its rating on the stock to “Buy” from “Neutral” and lifted its price target to $118 from $100. IBM shares closed the session at $98.90. UBS also had positive things to say about EMC (EMC) and Network Appliance (NTAP) with the two stocks rising 3.45 percent and 2.97 percent respectively.Mr. Kohn was part of today’s success after the Fed vice Chairman stated that the economy should experience a soft landing and that inflation in 2007 should cool. However, he did note that it might be too early for the Fed to relax its stance on inflation. Later this week there will other Fed members that will speak and it will be interesting to see if their views mirror Mr. Kohn’s. Shares of Alcoa (AA) fell one percent today ahead of its earnings report Tuesday. Alcoa’s earnings release is thought of as the kick off to the season. Earnings are now the focus of traders with the next Fed meeting not for several months. Traders will be interested in hearing how corporate America views the future and this news will be a key as to how stocks react the first quarter of 2007.
Jody Osborne

Labels: AA, EMC, FST, GE, IBM, NTAP, THX

Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX - News) forecast revenue of about $100 million for the fourth quarter. The current average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call is for revenue of $99.5 million in the December period. The Santa Clara, Calif., biotechnology company plans to release its results for the fourth quarter and full year after the closing bell on Feb. 7.
Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. (NYSE:BBW - News) said President and Chief Operating Officer Barry Erdos is resigning. The company named Scott Seay to succeed him.
Cray (NASDAQ:CRAY - News) received an order to provide two supercomputers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CBST - News) reported fourth-quarter U.S. revenue of $56.2 million for its antibiotic product Cubicin, up 54% from the same quarter last year. Full-year 2006 U.S. Cubicin revenue came in at $189.5 million, the Lexington, Mass.-based company said. Cubist shares rose 2.4% to $17.80 in Monday afternoon trade.
DST Systems (NYSE:DST - News) was upgraded to overweight from underweight at Morgan Stanley. The firm said it sees potential for a strong fourth quarter from the company and set a price target of $74.
EMC Corp. (NYSE:EMC - News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS. The firm boosted its price target on the stock to $16 from $13.50.
General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - News) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen & Co.
Hauppage Digital (NASDAQ:HAUP - News) shares rose after the company unveiled a line of four TV tuner products designed to support Microsoft's Vista Media Center.
Houston Exploration (NYSE:THX - News) agreed to be acquired by Forest Oil (NYSE:FST - News) for $52.47 a share. That's 8% above Friday's closing price but below the $62 a share that a hedge fund offered Houston Exploration last summer.
Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI - News) said it expects 2006 results to be in line with prior forecasts, including net cash burn of less than $125 million. The Rockville, Md.-based drug development company said it has completed its facilities consolidation program and expects to record a non-cash charge to the fourth quarter of 2006. For 2007, it expects net cash burn to be in the range of $145 million to $165 million. Revenue is expected to increase by about 50% from 2006 to 2007, but total expenses, research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses are expected to remain about flat from 2006 to 2007. Human Genome said it expects cash and investments at year-end 2007 to total in the range of $560 million to $580 million.
IBM (NYSE:IBM - News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS. The firm cited improving fundamentals in its core businesses and the belief that acquisitions in the software market will expand growth rates and margin expansion. Analyst Benjamin Reitzes also raised his stock price target for the Dow component to $118 from $100, his 2007 earnings estimate to $6.70 a share from $6.62 and his 2008 forecast to $7.40 a share from $7.25. "After having underperformed over the last several years as it rebalanced its portfolio and restructured, we believe IBM is embarking on a multi-year cycle leverage acquisitions and cost cutting," Reitzes said in a research note. "We also think IBM can leverage trends in information technology spending as corporations need software, hardware and consulting services to help manage an explosion in content."
Incyte Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INCY - News) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Piper Jaffray. The firm also lifted its price target on the stock to $8 from $4.
IntraLase Corp. (NASDAQ:ILSE - News) agreed to be acquired for $25 a share, or $808 million, by Advanced Medical Optics Inc. (NYSE:EYE - News) That's 12.5% over IntraLase's closing price on Friday.
Nautilus Inc. (NYSE:NLS - News) formed a partnership with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. The deal calls for Nautilus to provide research and training support for new fitness products. Financial terms weren't disclosed. In addition, the company was upgraded to neutral from sell at Merriman Curhan Ford & Co.
NCR Corp. (NYSE:NCR - News) unveiled plans to separate into two independent publicly-traded companies through a spin-off of its Teradata Data Warehousing business to shareholders. The company expects the transaction, which it anticipates will be tax-free, to be completed within six to nine months. NCR said Bill Nuti, its current president and chief executive officer, will serve in the same capacity following the spin-off, and that Mike Koehler will be president and CEO of Teradata. Koehler is currently senior vice president of the Teradata operations.
Network Appliance (NASDAQ:NTAP - News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS. The firm also lifted its price target on the stock to $47 from $43.
Omnivision Technologies (NASDAQ:OVTI - News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at American Technology Research.
ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ:ONNN - News) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Lehman Bros. on valuation.
Quebecor World Inc. (NYSE:IQW - News) plans to close its L'Eclaireur facility in Beauceville, Quebec, impacting about 155 employee positions. The closure is part of the company's plan to consolidate its Quebec-based magazine and catalog printing operations. Quebecor World said it continues to employ about 2,000 employees at seven facilities in Quebec
Quigley Corp. (NASDAQ:QGLY - News) shares advanced after its Quigley Pharma subsidiary said a preliminary study has demonstrated its QR-441(a) compound to be a potential antiviral agent in reducing infectious bronchitis and New Castle disease, two viral poultry diseases. The Doylestown, Pa.-based company said QR-441(a) showed positive results in a study evaluating the compound in embryonating egg and VERO E6 cell test models.
RadioShack Corp. (NYSE:RSH - News) said fourth-quarter net income will rise from the $51 million the consumer electronics retailer earned in the year-ago quarter, but same-store sales will drop.
Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD - News) shares gained after the company said both Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis & Co., two proxy advisor firms, have recommended Rite Aid shareholders vote in favor of plans to issue 250 million common shares to The Jean Cotu Group as part of the purchase of the Brooks and Eckerd drugstore chains. Shareholders are scheduled to vote on the proposal in a special meeting on Jan. 18.
Savient Pharmaceuticals' (NASDAQ:SVNT - News) shares rose after the East Brunswick, N.J.-based company announced late Friday that, as part of its restructuring of its commercial operations, it will discontinue its 19-person Oxandrin field sales force. The move follows the company's launch of oxandrolone, the generic version of Oxandrin.
Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ:SGEN - News) said it entered a license agreement with Genentech (NYSE:DNA - News) to develop cancer treatment SGN-40, which is currently undergoing Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. As part of the agreement, Seattle Genetics will receive an up-front payment of $60 million and could receive milestone payments of as much as $800 million, as well as potential royalties on sales.
Skechers USA (NYSE:SKX - News) lifted its outlook for the fourth quarter to earnings of 28 to 31 cents a share on revenue of between $295 million and $300 million. The Manhattan Beach, Calif., footwear provider previously forecast a profit of 22 to 27 cents a share for the period on revenue of $255 million and $265 million. For the full year, the company now sees earnings of $1.55 to $1.58 a share on revenue of between $1.196 billion and $1.201 billion. Skechers' prior projection for fiscal 2006 was for a profit ranging from $1.49 to $1.54 a share on revenue of $1.156 billion to $1.666 billion.
Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:SWRG - News) said its December sales at restaurants open at least one year rose 5.1% to $14.1 million. Total consolidated restaurant sales for the month increased 9% percent to $15.3 million, the New York company said.
St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ - News) said it expects fourth-quarter earnings of 42 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call forecast earnings of 39 cents a share, on average. The St. Paul, Minn. medical device company will report net sales of approximately $864 million for the fourth quarter, an increase of more than 9% compared to the year-ago period and approximately $20 million above current analysts' consensus revenue estimates, the company said.
Syntax-Brillian, (NASDAQ:BRLC - News) the high-definition-television maker, said fiscal second-quarter sales will exceed $240 million, with LCD television shipments greater than 350,000 units. Gross margins will be at the top half of its 15%-to-17% range.
Telestone Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:TSTC - News) shares rose after the Beijing-based provider of wireless services said it has been awarded bids from four regional telecom operators. The company said it was awarded indoor coverage system equipment contracts from the Sichuan Telecom subsidiary of China Telecom; the Guizhou Unicom subsidiary of China Unicom; the Heibei Netcom subsidiary of China Netcom; and the Jiangxi Telecom subsidiary of China Telecom. Financial terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Therma-Wave Inc. (NASDAQ:TWAV - News) agreed to be acquired for $1.65 a share, or $75 million, by KLA-Tencor. (NASDAQ:KLAC - News) The offer represents a 25% premium to Therma-Wave's closing price on Friday. KLA-Tencor, which provides semiconductor manufacturing systems, said the deal will strengthen its customers' access to Therma-Wave's advanced measurement capabilities.
TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO - News) shares rose after the company announced a number of new products and partnerships, including alliances with Music Choice and RealNetworks, and a deal with Roxio to provide joint content mobility product for Macintosh computers. The company also said it plans to maker a presentation at a conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Also, Bear Stearns upgraded the stock to peer perform.
United Surgical Partners (NASDAQ:USPI - News) said it was being acquired by an affiliate of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe affiliate for $1.8 billion in cash and debt. UNCN will pay $31.05 for each United Surgical share, a 13% premium to Friday's closing price of $27.39.

Labels: AFFX, BBW, CBST, CRAY, DNA, DST, EMC, EYE, FST, GD, HAUP, HGSI, IBM, ILSE, INCY, KLAC, NLS, NTAP, THX, Tivo

09:15 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +0.2. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: +1.5. The S&P 500 futures are relatively unchanged since the last comment, but a recent improvement in Nasdaq 100 futures now suggsts a slightly higher open for the tech-heavy Composite. Network Appliance (NTAP) is up nearly 2% in pre-market action after it was upgraded at UBS, which also raised their rating on semiconductor stocks to Equal-Weight from Underweight. Apple Computer (AAPL) is also attracting notable buying interest after JP Morgan raised estimates.
09:00 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +0.1. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: flat. Still little enthusiasm seen in the futures market as current indications suggest equities will start the day on a relatively flat note. The hesitation on the part of both buyers and sellers is also attributed to some uncertainty heading into earnings season, which officially begins after the bell tomorrow with Alcoa's (AA) Q4 report. Current projections are for Q4 2006 operating earnings on the S&P 500 to be up 9-10%, which would be the smallest increase in quarterly earnings growth since early 2002 and snap 13 straight quarters of double-digit profit growth if results check in at the low of that range.
08:30 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +0.3. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -3.0. Still shaping up to be a mixed start for the cash market as futures indications continue to vacillate around the unchanged mark. With economic data of late feeding concerns that the Fed won't cut interest rates anytime soon, the absence of any notable reports this morning is noteworthy; but the lack of data may also be placing more emphasis on a negative preannouncement from Tellabs (TLAB) since Friday's warning from Motorola (MOT) raised valuation concerns throughout the influential tech sector. The market is also awaiting a speech on the economic outlook from Fed Vice Chairman Kohn at 12:45 ET, which will be monitored closely since Kohn is a voting Fed official.
08:00 am : S&P futures vs fair value: +0.3. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -2.0. Early indications suggest stocks may kick off the week in sluggish fashion. Tech bellwether IBM (IBM) has been upgraded, but an analyst downgrade on fellow Dow component Wal-Mart (WMT) is keeping early blue-chip buying interest in check. Oil prices rebounding to the tune of 1.5% and climbing back above $57/bbl following last week's sell-off is also contributing to a cautious underlying tone.
06:19 am : S&P futures vs fair value: -0.2. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -2.0.
06:19 am : FTSE...6244.40...+24.30...+0.4%. DAX...6623.12...+30.03...+0.5%.
06:19 am : Nikkei...Holiday......... Hang Seng...20029.66...-181.62...-0.9%.
Published by Briefing.com

Labels: AA, AAPL, MOT, NTAP, TLAB

Disney (NYSE: DIS - News) and Six Flags (NYSE: SIX - News)
Commenting on Disney's drop since its impressive earnings report last week, Cramer insists that DIS did not "drop the ball" but that analysts raised expectations before the report which made Disney look worse than it is. He notes that Pirates of the Caribbean brought in $1 billion and sales of its shows on iTunes is not hurting its TV business, and would use Disney's decline as an opportunity to buy. He also likes Six Flags.
NYMEX (NYSE: NMX - News) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NYX - News)
Cramer says that even though NMX has gone up, he would still buy 25% of a position in the stock now, however, he would prefer NYX up in the 130s and 140s.
DJO (NYSE: DJO - News)
The knee brace is becoming a fashion sports accessory as well as a treatment as companies encourage coaches to order knee braces in their teams' colors. Cramer discussed DJO in the past as a "simple but great" company, and now comments that "DJO is about braces and avoiding surgery -- a long-term trend."
Network Appliance (NASDAQ: NTAP - News), Rackable Systems (NASDAQ: RACK - News), Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL - News) and Sony (NYSE: SNE - News)
Cramer confessed that it was "hearbreaking" that those who sold NTAP on his suggestion missed a 12 point run. However, he also recommended sticking with RACK, and those who dumped the stock missed "an awesome 15 point run." Cramer feels certain that he is not wrong about MRVL which is acting like the other two companies since it has been a "real stinker" but reported "decent revenue and gave great guidance." He also thinks that estimates are too low for MRVL: "When you set the bar low, it becomes easy for the stock to jump." He recommends buying MRVL when it is at bottom, but would avoid SNE.
Mad Mail: Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI - News), Jim Cramer Tattoos and Caremark (NYSE: CMX - News)
When asked if Cramer expected BBI to exceed Cramer's $6 estimate, he answered that, given the rise of digital recorders, he doesn't think it will go from $4.75 to an amount exceeding $6. He told another mailer that getting a Jim Cramer tattoo would be a tad "aggressive." Finally, he suggested selling Caremark.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: BBI, CMX, DJO, Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, Mad Money, MRVL, NMX, NTAP, NYX, RACK, SNE