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.

Prudential Financial Oct 100 Calls (NYSE:PRU - News). BSC'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.
American International Group Oct 65 Puts (NYSE:AIG - News). CIEN'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.
Horizon Offshore Oct 17.5 Calls (NYSE:HOFF - News). HOFF'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.
Sepracor (NasdaqGS:SEPR - News). SEPR'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.
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.
Dendreon (NasdaqGM:DNDN - News). DNDN's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.

Published By TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AIG, BIDU, DNDN, HOFF, PRU, SEPR, stock options

Stocks staged a broad-based rally as investors speculated that consumer demand will help aid the economy. At the close, all major market averages ended the day with strong gains. The price of Gold continued to rise, ending up $8.90 to $721.10 an ounce.
OPEC said it would increase oil production by 500,000 barrels of oil a day as they believe near record oil prices would damage the world economy. The increase in output will mostly be led by Saudi Arabia. This is the first production increase by OPEC in more than a year. Oil prices were nevertheless up 74 cents to $78.23 a barrel.
Shares of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD - News) rose 3.2% after the burger giant reported an 8.1% same-store sales increase for the month of August. In the U.S., the world's largest restaurant chain said same-store sales grew 7.4% fueled by breakfast and new food and beverage offerings. Its European business also experienced a 6.1% rise in store sales growth buoyed by summertime offerings. In its Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, the company said sales surged 12.4% helped by extended hours and new menu promotions. The company noted that sales were particularly robust in China, Japan and Australia. Subscribers can read our analysis of McDonald's in today's issue.
Biotech firm Imclone Systems (Nasdaq: IMCL - News) pleased investors today after a study released by Germany's Merck KGaA said that Imclone's Erbitux prolonged the survival of lung cancer patients. The drug is used to treat colon cancer, in addition to head-and-neck cancer. Shares surged 18%. Sepracor (Nasdaq: SEPR - News) and GlaxoSmithKiline (NYSE: GSK - News) agreed to team up on Sepracor's insomnia drug Lunesta. Under the terms of the agreement, Glaxo will commercialize the drug in markets outside the U.S., while Sepracor stands to receive an initial payment of $20 million, plus subsequent milestone payments that could total up to $155 million. Additionally, Sepracor will receive double-digit royalties that will increase in line with sales and compensation. The drug is currently under review by the European Union, where a decision is expected in the second half of 2008.
In tech news, VMware (NYSE: VMW - News) struck a deal to acquire Swiss based Dunes Technologies, a maker of virtualization management software. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Storage maker Western Digital (NYSE: WDC - News) upped its first quarter sales and profit forecast based on strong demand for hard disk drives. For the current quarter, the company now sees EPS reaching 61-65 cents, excluding charges related to its recent acquisition of Komag. Its previous forecast was for EPS of 43-47 cents a share. The company also noted that gross margins are expected to improve to 17.5%. Shares advanced 4.4% on the news.
In earnings news, video game maker Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO - News) reported a narrower-than-expected loss for its third quarter. The company lost -$58.5 million, or -81 cents a share, compared to a loss of -$91.4 million, or -$1.29 a share in the same period a year ago. Excluding items, loss was -$46.1 million, or -64 cents a share versus the loss of -67 cents per share expected by analysts. Sales fell to $241.2 million, but beat estimates for revenue of $200.6 million. For the fourth quarter Take-Two expects a loss of -20 to -25 cents a share on revenue of $275-300 million.
By The BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: GSK, IMCL, MCD, SEPR, TTWO, VMW, WDC

This is the reason why Barack Obama wants to limit lobbyist political power in the US.
After 14 books and 21 movies of being beaten and bruised--but staying alive, secret agent James Bond isn't just lucky; he's good. No matter how dire his circumstance, Bond's cunning intellect, charm, and use of gadgetry allow him to escape death and complete his mission. In other words, Bond has certain enduring qualities that are impossible for his foes to replicate or disarm and that lead to his success time after time. But what can James Bond teach us about stock investing?
Simply put, all firms hit rough patches at some point, but great firms hold competitive advantages that always pull them through. Just like Bond, firms that make good long-term investments are at their best when their backs are against the wall. Do your stocks have what it takes to succeed in the long run? Today we put several specialty pharmaceutical firms to the test.
An Introduction to Specialty PharmaceuticalsSpecialty pharmaceutical firms are more marketers than researchers, relying on acquisitions to fill their drug pipelines. The few drugs that are developed internally are usually not new compounds, but rather reformulations of existing drugs that offer less frequent dosing or better safety profiles. By far, the most prized asset of each of these firms is their salesforce, which blankets physicians and adds value to their products.
However, stuck in between big resourceful drug companies and innovative biotechnology firms, not all specialty pharmaceuticals compete effectively. At last count, the top-10 big drug firms controlled more than 68% of all pharmaceutical sales representatives in the United States. In addition, biotech firms are constantly breaking ground on new treatments that replace existing therapies. As a result, we think only the specialty pharmaceutical firms that utilize their salesforce most efficiently will endure this competition and succeed in the long run.
Before we determine which firms make the cut, we've identified seven secret weapons used by specialty pharmaceuticals to increase salesforce efficiency and create lasting competitive advantages.
Seven Secret Weapons: For Your Eyes OnlySpecializationFirms that stick to a single therapeutic market can sell their entire product lines to a small, targeted group of doctors, making their salesforces highly efficient. For instance, Endo Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGS:ENDP - News) markets drugs exclusively for pain. With all of its products treating the same condition, the firm keeps its salesforce small and markets only to physicians who see the highest volume of pain-related cases, such as surgeons. On the opposite end, firms that sell a huge variety of unrelated products miss out on the benefits of specialization. Take Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE:VRX - News), maker of everything from beta blockers for heart failure to skin treatments for overexposure to the sun. Valeant must market its products separately to cardiologists, dermatologists, and many other physician groups, which requires a larger salesforce that's more costly than its worth.
BlockbustersBlockbuster drugs pull in more than $1 billion in annual sales and usually target a highly prevalent condition. As drugs are prescribed by doctors and not patients, blockbusters that serve large patient populations require virtually the same selling effort as smaller market drugs and are extremely profitable. For instance, Shire (Other OTC:SHPGF.PK - News) markets its attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug Adderall XR to pediatricians and child and adolescent psychiatrists. While ADHD affects roughly 8% of all U.S. children, Shire's sales efforts are fixed by the limited number of specialist physicians.
Orphan DrugsAn orphan drug serves an unmet need for a small patient population and in return receives seven years of exclusivity before competing products can reach the market. Because the drug does not face direct competition and the need is high, little selling effort is required. For instance, Shire markets the new orphan drug Elaprase for a rare genetic condition named Hunter Syndrome. With a pre-established queue of patients already seeking treatment at launch, Shire quickly penetrated the market with little salesforce presence.
Royalty StreamsSmaller pharmaceutical companies often focus on early-stage research and outlicense their later-stage projects, which require more expensive clinical trials, to firms with greater resources. In return, the smaller firm is rewarded with royalties on all future sales of the product. For instance, in its early stages, Sepracor (NasdaqGS:SEPR - News) licensed the compound that became allergy medication Claritin to Schering-Plough (NYSE:SGP - News). As a result of its earlier efforts, Sepracor collects virtually cost-free royalties on drug sales and can use the cash to strengthen its other operations.
Inlicensed DrugsUnder the right situation, a company can also benefit from taking the reverse of the above transaction and inlicensing a drug from an outside firm. Although it will need to make royalty payments, the firm can add value by acquiring drugs in its pre-existing specialty. Medicis Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:MRX - News) already sells products to plastic surgeons, mainly its dermal filler Restylane. Recently, Medicis agreed to inlicense Reloxin, a Botox-like product, and to pay royalties on future sales. As Medicis already has a salesforce in place to target plastic surgeons, the added cost to market Reloxin will be relatively low, and value should be created.
Patient DemandInstead of marketing only to physicians, some firms also use direct-to-consumer advertising to raise awareness for their products. Firms hope this type of promotion will cause patients to seek out treatment during their next trip to the doctor, making life easier for the salesforce. For instance, Sepracor uses advertising for its sleep aid Lunesta to build patient demand, which in turn can cause more doctors to become interested in the product.
Market ChoiceBelow is a chart showing a small sample of widely found medical conditions and their prevalence in the U.S. In addition, we've included the number of active physicians in the U.S. in each specialty group that treats the corresponding condition. Which market would you rather compete in? All else being equal, we think firms that target the markets with the highest number of patients per physician will make the most of each sales call. For instance, a single visit to a dermatologist for a psoriasis drug may result in prescriptions to more than 500 patients. Click here to see the table:http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=203879
Tying It Together with the Salesforce Efficiency Ratio Although we've identified certain firms that use one or more of the secret weapons, the salesforce efficiency ratio (SER) helps us tie everything together to rank the firms and recognize competitive advantages. We calculate the SER by dividing a firm's total sales (in millions) by the average number of sales reps employed during the year. For instance, if an SER equals one, each representative pulls in an average of $1 million in sales; the higher the SER, the more efficient the salesforce. As you will see, just because a firm is larger and sells more products doesn't necessarily mean its salesforce is more efficient.
With competition from both big pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms, the SER indicates which specialty pharmaceutical firms may have carved a niche that will allow them to succeed in the long run. While an SER does not always correspond to our economic moat rating, which takes a wide view of many factors in the competitive landscape, we think it says a good deal about a firm's competitive position. Click here to see the table:http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=203879
If you'd like to track and analyze these specialty pharmaceutical stocks, click here to create a watch list. Then simply click "Watch List Portfolio" and "Continue," name your watch list, and click "Done." (If this link does not work, please register with Morningstar.com--registration is free--or sign in if you're already a member, and try again.) This will allow you to save and monitor these holdings within our Portfolio Manager.
Consider BuyingValeant Pharmaceuticals International Business Risk: AverageEconomic Moat: NonePrice/Fair Value Ratio: 0.76While we singled out Valeant for its inefficient salesforce, we think the firm should become more specialized in the near future and that the shares remain a bargain at a 5-star price. With its back against the wall, Valeant recently shed its preclinical research programs and instead plans to focus on its late-stage pipeline, which includes Phase III epilepsy drug candidate Retigabine. Valeant already sells several drugs for neurological disorders, such as Tasmar and Zelapar for Parkinson's disease, and if Retigabine is approved, the firm can use the same salesforce channels. In addition, we think Valeant will pursue acquisitions to strengthen its existing positions in dermatology and infectious disease. Both actions should increase the firm's salesforce efficiency ratio. Click here for our full Analyst Report.
Consider Selling Shire Business Risk: AverageEconomic Moat: NarrowPrice/Fair Value Ratio: 1.89Shire remains one of the most efficient specialty pharmaceutical firms we cover, but we think the market fully reflects this value and that new challenges are ahead. Shire is set to lose the bulk of its Adderall XR sales when generic competitors enter the market by early 2009. In 2006, the drug accounted for roughly 45% of Shire's total sales and we think it will be difficult for the firm to make up for this lost revenue. In addition, the firm's royalty income, which contributes big profits, should decline over the next five years. Both events may negatively impact the firm's salesforce efficiency ratio.
Published By Jeff Viksjo of Morningstar.com

Labels: Barack Obama, ENDP, MRX, SEPR, SGP, VRX

By TradingMarkets Research
Here are 7 options to watch for today. This list comes directly from the TradingMarkets Options Indicators page. The list 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.
Whole Foods Markets Inc. July 40 Calls (NasdaqGS:WFMI). WFMI's PowerRating is 4.
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.
Sears Holdings July 170 Puts (NasdaqGS:SHLD). SHLD'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.
Google Inc. July 560 Calls (NasdaqGS:GOOG). GOOG'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.
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index July 125 Calls (AMEX:EEM). EEM'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.
Washington Mutual Inc. (NYSE:WM). WM's 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.
Pulte Homes (NYSE:PHM). PHM's PowerRating is 5.
Sepracor Inc. (NasdaqGS:SEPR). SEPR's PowerRating is 6.
PowerRatings are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: EEM, GOOG, PHM, SEPR, SHLD, stock options, WFMI, WM

Symbol
Name
Last Trade
Change
Volume
Related Info
CAMP
CALAMP CORP
4.85 May 18
2.97 (37.98%)
4,030,880
CTIB
CTI INDS CORP
4.45 May 18
2.55 (36.43%)
755,560

LGBT
PLANETOUT, INC.
1.15 May 18
0.29 (20.14%)
697,626

TCHCZ
21ST CENTURY HLDG WT
3.36 May 18
0.64 (16.00%)
2,146


NRVN
NATURE VISION INC
2.32 May 18
0.43 (15.64%)
3,922

BI
BELL INDS INC
3.85 May 18
0.70 (15.38%)
92,800
CSUN
CHINA SUNERGY CO., L
14.18 May 18
2.38 (14.37%)
6,371,282
VSGN
VASOGEN INC
2.75 May 18
0.44 (13.79%)
1,381,597

ENA
ENOVA SYSTEMS INC
5.18 May 18
0.77 (12.94%)
56,500
CPBRW
CLEARPOINT BUS WTS
1.05 May 18
0.15 (12.50%)
21,000

QMARW
QUINTANA MARITIME LT
7.53 May 18
0.92 (10.89%)
16,400
SEPR
SEPRACOR INC
46.70 May 18
5.58 (10.67%)
27,095,349

ASTIW
ASCENT SOLAR TECH
1.7628 May 18
0.1972 (10.06%)
151,338

SNIC
SONIC SOLUTIONS
12.08 May 18
1.29 (9.65%)
1,843,541

POLXF
POLYDEX PHARM LTD
1.80 May 18
0.18 (9.09%)
6,200

CGM
CONGOLEUM CORP
1.12 May 18
0.11 (8.94%)
3,700
HURC
HURCO COS INC
42.94 May 18
4.18 (8.87%)
1,037,226

TONS
NOVAMERICAN STEEL
42.37 May 18
4.09 (8.80%)
178,377

NSFC
NORTHERN STATES FI
23.35 May 18
2.15 (8.43%)
4,880

Labels: ASTIW, BI, CAMP, CGM, CPBRW, CSUN, CTIB, ENA, HURC, LGBT, NRVN, NSFC, POLXF, QMARW, SEPR, SNIC, TCHCZ, TONS, VSGN

Here are 7 options to watch for today. This list comes directly from the TradingMarkets Options Indicators page. The list 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.
Nutrisystem June 65 Calls (NasdaqGS:NTRI - News). NTRI's PowerRating is 2.
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.
Apple Inc. May 95 Puts (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News). AAPL'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.
Dendreon May 20 Calls (NasdaqGM:DNDN - News). DNDN's PowerRating is 7.
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.
Google Inc. June 430 Puts (NasdaqGS:GOOG - 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.
Microsoft (NasdaqGS:MSFT - News). MSFT's PowerRating is 5. Sepracor (NasdaqGS:SEPR - News) . SEPR'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.
Amazon.com (NasdaqGS:AMZN - News). AMZN's PowerRating is 2.
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.
None Today
PowerRatings are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AAPL, AMZN, DNDN, GOOG, MSFT, NTRI, SEPR, stock options

Black & Decker (NYSE: BDK ), Eastman Chemical (NYSE: EMN), Monsanto (NYSE: MON), Dupont (NYSE: DD), Nova Chemicals (NYSE: NCX), Amazon (NasdaqGS: AMZN), Corning (NYSE: GLW), EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC), Sepracor (NasdaqGS: SEPR) and Amazon (NasdaqGS: AMZN): Cramer predicted "we will be up 1,000 points by the end of this summer" and called this his "conservative forecast." The reason is that stock supply has "all been sucked up" while demand is sending stocks like BDK up ten points from $82 to $92. Cramer commented on NCX's 12% rise, and said even EMN, a sluggish company, is up, although he wouldn't buy it. He observes DuPont's Pioneer Hybrid purchase is finally paying off, and GLW, which was pessimistic, is increasing supply. Other stocks on a "breakout" included EMC Corp, Sepracor and Amazon; "Do you know that there are hedge funds being put out of business today, because of AMZN?" Cramer said, and suggested that short-sellers "Jump out the window."

Labels: AMZN, BDK, DD, EMC, EMN, GLW, Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer's Stop Trading, MON, NCX, SEPR

Repros Therapeutics Inc. (NasdaqGM:RPRX - News) announced the pricing of its public offering of 2.61 million shares at $13.75 each. The underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 390,000 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any, the company said.
Saifun Semiconductor (NasdaqGS:SFUN - News) shares slumped after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings of $6.3 million, or 20 cents per share, down from a year-ago profit of $8.6 million, or 15 cents a share. Revenue at the Israeli chip company declined to $14 million in the quarter from $16.7 million a year ago.
SanDisk (NasdaqGS:SNDK - News) said it swung to a fourth-quarter loss from a year ago, hurt by acquisition-related charges, as sales surged amid increased demand for its NAND flash-memory storage chips used in consumer electronics.
Sepracor Inc. (NasdaqGS:SEPR - News) said fourth-quarter earnings rose to $99.1 million, or 85 cents a share, from $36.9 million, or 31 cents a share, a year earlier. The results include a 12 cents a share charge for stock-based compensation. Revenue increased to $357.2 million from last year's $311.1 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had been expecting earnings of 62 cents a share and revenue of $341.4 million, on average.
Selective Insurance Group (NasdaqGS:SIGI - News) was initiated with a market perform rating at Wachovia Securities, citing concerns about increasing competition.
Silicon Laboratories (NasdaqGS:SLAB - News) forecast revenue of $106 million to $111 million for the fiscal first quarter, below Wall Street's current consensus estimate for revenue of $113.5 million in the March period.
Tekelec (NasdaqGM:TKLC - News) was downgraded to hold at Jefferies & Co.
Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX - News) reported fourth-quarter net income of $1.75 billion, or 44 cents a share, up from $1.3 billion, or 28 cents, earned in the same period during 2005. Earnings from continuing operations improved to 43 cents a share from 28 cents, the New York-based media giant's results showed. Backing out one-time items, Time Warner said it would have earned 22 cents a share for the latest quarter. Quarterly revenue reached $12.47 billion from the prior year's $11.52 billion. Analysts were looking for earnings of 22 cents a share on revenue of $12.46 billion, according to estimates compiled by Thomson First Call. The company also said it expects to wrap up a $20 billion stock-buyback program during the first half of 2007.
Tupperware Brands Corp. (NYSE:TUP - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $39.9 million, or 65 cents a share, up 28% from $31.2 million, or 51 cents a share, during the year-ago period. Earnings after adjustments were 74 cents a share.
Websense (NasdaqGS:WBSN - News) shares tumbled after the company said its fourth-quarter earnings fell 30%, due in part to the cost of starting distribution of its software through Ingram Micro Inc. in North America. The San Diego provider of employee Internet management software had fourth-quarter earnings of $7.78 million, or 17 cents a share, compared with $11.1 million, or 23 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding stock-based compensation expense, the company earned $11.4 million, or 25 cents a share, up 3% from a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose 18% to $47.3 million from $40.1 million a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected, on average, earnings of 25 cents a share on revenue of $48 million. Analyst earnings forecasts typically exclude unusual items. In addition, Websense said it expects first-quarter earnings of 9 to 11 cents a share and first-quarter non-GAAP earnings of 19 to 21 cents a share.
W Holding Co. (NYSE:WHI - News) shares fell after the company posted a profit of $17.9 million, or 5 cents a share, for the fourth quarter, down nearly 41% from last year's earnings of $30.2 million, or 12 cents a share. The holding company for Westernbank Puerto Rico attributed the latest results to increases in its current income tax provision, non-interest expenses, and its provision for loan losses.
YMI Biosciences (AMEX:YMI - News) shares plunged after the company said it's terminating a phase III trial of testmilifene, a proposed advanced breast cancer treatment. The company said the move follows a recommendation from the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board that the trial be stopped because interim analysis indicates "it is very unlikely significant differences in overall survival will be shown" between treatment arms as the data mature. A.G. Edwards downgraded the company to hold from buy following the news.
Published By MarketWatch

Labels: RPRX, SEPR, SFUN, SIGI, SLAB, SNDK, TKLC, TUP, TWX, WBSN, WHI, YMI