Jim Cramer Blog

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Friday from TradingMarkets.com:
National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM - News) beat earnings expectations, announcing $0.33 EPS over a consensus of $0.31 EPS. NSM's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Cascade (NYSE:CAE - News) missed earnings on Thursday afternoon, reporting $1.00 EPS versus $1.08 EPS. CAE's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
Herley Industries (NasdaqGM:HRLY - News) also missed expectations, announcing $0.14 EPS versus $0.18 EPS. HRLY does not have a PowerRating (for Traders) due to volume constraints.
Kellwood (NYSE:KWD - News) reports earnings on Friday morning before the market opens, with traders looking for $0.14 EPS. KWD's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
American International Group (NYSE:AIG - News) rallied over 4% on Thursday, after a Goldman Sachs announcement that potential housing market losses are "manageable." AIG's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Analogic (NasdaqGS:ALOG - News) rallied 15% on Thursday, after announcing earnings of $0.53 EPS versus expectations of only $0.36 EPS. ALOG's PowerRating (for Traders) is 4.
Tribune (NYSE:TRB - News) rallied over 7% on Thursday after announcing the company will need to borrow $500 million less than earlier estimated, to help finance its going-private transaction. TRB's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.

Labels: AIG, ALOG, CAE, Hot Stocks, HRLY, KWD, NSM, TRB

Penny General: Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO - News), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News), Tribune (NYSE: TRB - News)
Cramer predicts Dollar General will be the first among recent private equity takeovers, including Tribune, which will fail. Since it became private, Dollar General has been biting at Wal-Mart's ankles, and WMT will probably respond by lowering prices to knock them out of business, according to Cramer. This will be bad for FDO as well, and Cramer predicts by the holiday season, Dollar General will be "Penny General." When asked if Dollar General made a mistake going private, Cramer responded that while he doesn't like to call people idiots anymore, "Dollar General made really bad judgements."

Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: FDO, Jim Cramer, TRB, Wall Street Confidential, WMT

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Wednesday from TradingMarkets.com:
Amazon.com (NasdaqGS:AMZN - News) beat earnings on Tuesday, reporting $0.19 EPS over an expected $0.16 EPS. AMZN's PowerRating is 8.
Boeing (NYSE:BA - News) should report $1.16 EPS on Wednesday before the market opens. BA's PowerRating is 4.
When Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL - News) announces earnings early Wednesday morning, look for $0.83 EPS. CL's PowerRating is 5.
ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP - News) is expected to announce $2.68 EPS on Wednesday morning before the market opens. COP's PowerRating is 7.
Analysts will be watching for Xerox (NYSE:XRX - News) to report $0.27 EPS tomorrow morning. XRX's PowerRating is 6.
When New York Times (NYSE:NYT - News) reports earnings early tomorrow morning, be watching for $0.31 EPS. NYT's PowerRating is 5.
Tribune (NYSE:TRB - News) should report $0.49 EPS tomorrow morning. TRB's PowerRating is 5.
PowerRatings (for Traders) are courtesy of TradingMarkets.com

Labels: AMZN, BA, CL, COP, Hot Stocks, NYT, TRB, XRX

Bullish Calls:
Cepheid (NasdaqGM: CPHD)General Maritime (NYSE: GMR - News): 'General Maritime is the one to swap into.'Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP - News): 'That's our best play.'Nastech Pharmaceutical (NasdaqGM: NSTK): 'Nastech has so many ways to win, that just to be up a buck and half is not enough.'
Neutral calls:
Starbucks (NasdaqGS: SBUX): 'I'm concerned still. ... If it can maintain its 20% growth, it now only sells at 33-34 times next year's earnings. ... Not in the buy camp but certainly not in the sell camp anymore.'Dyax (NasdaqGM: DYAX): 'The stock just ran all the way up to 6. It's now coming back ... Let it come back to 5. Then you can pull the trigger.'
Bearish calls:
Tribune (NYSE: TRB - News): 'You want to sell that nine ways to Sunday.'Excel Maritime Carriers (NYSE: EXM - News): 'Whenever I hear about bulk carrier stocks ... I always send people to the one that is best run. General Maritime.'Meruelo Maddux Properties (NasdaqGM: MMPI): 'I don't trust it. ... We want income-producing properties.'Houston Wire & Cable (NasdaqGM: HWCC): 'At its 52-week high, not expensive. ... I am not a buyer of that company.'
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: CPHD, DYAX, EXM, GMR, Jim Cramer, KMP, Lightning Round, Mad Money, NSTK, SBUX, TRB

How Much are Those Cubbies in the Window? Tribune (TRB)
Wednesday's Mad Money was broadcast from Indiana University as part of Cramer's Back to School tour. "The bears have gone into hibernation," he declared noting that they were held back by fear because they don't want to miss out on the money that will be made from Fed rate cuts or the resulting rallies if oil falls below $60. He welcomed Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and IU alumnus, and asked if Cuban was looking at buying the Chicago Cubs from TRB. Cuban replied it was too early to tell, but indicated after baseball season and if given an offer, he would think it over. Cramer and Cuban locked horns briefly on the issue of buying stocks early, a strategy Cramer recommends, while Cuban urged, "Invest in equity you understand and you know better than anybody else. Improve your own value first." However, Cuban added it is advisable to buy a stock if one feels strongly about it, and sees a "great opportunity" in the market.
Gentlemen Start Your Cummins Engine (CMI)
The Hoosier stock which should make investors "truckloads of money" is CMI, according to Cramer, who regretted missing an opportunity to get behind the stock because he believed the money men rather than doing homework. Cramer called CMI the "perfect local company" for Indiana residents who, unlike the analysts, can go to Columbus, Indiana, and investigate the company. At $145, CMI isn't cheap, but students without cash should buy at least one share, said Cramer. CMI didn't suffer from the local slump in truck sales because of its international business, and Cramer thinks it could go "much, much higher."
Any Questons: Google (GOOG), Spartan Motors (SPAR), Rock-Tenn (RK), Plantronics (PLT)
During the Q & A session, a student asked Mark Cuban if he still thinks it was a mistake for Google to buy YouTube. Cuban answered that while YouTube has been sued for allegedly stealing content, Google can deal with the problem. When a student pitched SPAR, Cramer asked why he considered it "money in the bank" since SPAR is very cyclical and its end markets are sluggish. However, Cramer agreed with another student about RK after the student noted it is paying off debt, is buying back stock and has pricing power; Cramer added that he likes the short action in RK. Although Plantronics had a disappointing quarter, Cramer would stay with this "worldwide leader in headsets" because he "likes controversy."
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: CMI, GOOG, Hot Stocks, Jim Cramer, Mad Money, PLT, RK, SPAR, TRB

Stocks traded flat to mixed for much of the day after a closely watched gauge of U.S. manufacturing activity came in weaker than expected. Late buying helped to give a modest lift to the market as stocks closed fractionally higher. The 10-year Treasury note closed unchanged, while crude oil prices also nudged higher by a few pennies.

The Institute of Supply Management's manufacturing index declined in March to 50.9 from 52.3 in February. While a reading over 50 still indicates expansion in the factory sector, analysts were looking for a reading of 52. Investors were also concerned by a rise in the ISM's price index, since it indicates inflationary pressures.
Dealmaking again caught the attention of investors. Grabbing the headlines was the $29 billion deal for First Data (NYSE: FDC - News) by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. KKR offered $34 a share for the payments processing company, which amounted to a 26% premium over Friday's closing prices. First Data added 20.6% on the news. Subscribers can read our analysis of the First Data buyout offer in today's issue.
In other M&A news, Global Imaging Systems (Nasdaq: GISX - News) shares surged 46.9% after Xerox (NYSE: XRX - News) signed a deal to buy the seller of office-imaging products and services for $1.46 billion. Tribune Co. (NYSE: TRB - News), meanwhile, agreed to be acquired by Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell in a deal valued at $8.2 billion. The acquisition plan contains an employee ownership structure. Tribune said it will sell the Chicago Cubs baseball team at the end of the Major League baseball season to cut its debt. In February, Zell sold his firm, Equity Office Properties, to private equity firm Blackstone Group for $23 billion.
European-based recording giant EMI Group split with other music companies and agreed to offer its songs through the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) iTunes music store without copy protections. EMI's new offerings will cost $1.29 per song, or 30 cents more than copy-protected songs on iTunes, but users will be able to more easily share their purchases with friends. EMI's artists include the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, and Norah Jones. Excluded from the deal is music from The Beatles, which though distributed by EMI, remains under the control of the band's music holding company, Apple Corps Ltd.
In other news, shares of farm and construction equipment maker Deere (NYSE: DE - News) shed -3.8% on an analyst's downgrade. Stifel Nicolaus cut its rating for Deere to "hold" from "buy." Shares of competing equipment makers CNH Global (NYSE: CNH - News) and AGCO (NYSE: AG - News) were also lower in today's trading.
Shares of MT Bank (NYSE: MTB - News) slid -8.5% after the company said that trouble in its subprime residential mortgage segment will cut its expected Q1 income. As expected, the nation's most-troubled subprime lender, New Century Financial, today filed for bankruptcy protection and fired about half of its work force.

By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: AAPL, AG, CNH, DE, FDC, GISX, MTB, TRB, XRX

Tribune Co. has accepted a buyout offer from real estate investor Sam Zell in a deal valued at about $8.2 billion, the owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, TV stations and the Chicago Cubs said Monday. Zell plans to invest $315 million in the deal for the Chicago-based media company and will eventually become chairman of its board when the deal is complete sometime in the fourth quarter. Tribune said the buyout will be conducted as a two-part deal. The first stage, expected to be completed in the second quarter, will involve a cash tender offer of $34 per share for 126 million shares, more than half of the outstanding Tribune shares. The remaining shares will be purchased later at the same $34 per share price. Tribune shares rose 71 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $32.82 in premarket trading.

Labels: Chicago Tribune, Sam Zell, TRB, Tribune

Tribune Co. has accepted a buyout offer from real estate investor Sam Zell in a deal valued at about $8.2 billion, the owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, TV stations and the Chicago Cubs said Monday.
Tribune said it also plans to sell the Cubs baseball team at the end of this season.
Zell plans to invest $315 million in the deal for the Chicago-based media company and will eventually become chairman of its board when the deal is complete sometime in the fourth quarter.
Tribune said the buyout will be conducted as a two-part deal. The first stage, expected to be completed in the second quarter, will involve a cash tender offer of $34 per share for 126 million shares, more than half of the outstanding Tribune shares. The remaining shares will be purchased later at the same $34 per share price.

Labels: TRB, Tribune Co.

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
Arena Resources (NYSE:ARD - News) announces earnings Monday before the market opens; watch for $0.46 EPS. ARD's PowerRating is 4.
Merix (NasdaqGM:MERX - News) reports earnings after the bell Monday, with analysts looking for $0.12 EPS. MERX is not PowerRated due to volume constraints.
United Technologies (NYSE:UTX - News) made an offer to acquire the electronic security division of Rentokil Initial for $1.17 billion. UTX's PowerRating is 6.
Eli Broad and Ron Burkle bested Sam Zell's $8 billion the takeover offer for Tribune (NYSE:TRB - News) by $1 a share. TRB's PowerRating is 5.
Oil prices are near their highs for this year. Watch oil producers and energy stocks like Conoco-Phillips (NYSE:COP - News), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - News) and the US Oil Fund (AMEX:USO - News). COP's PowerRating is 6, XOM's PowerRating is 5 and USO's PowerRating is 3.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: ARD, COP, MERX, TRB, USO, UTX, XOM

Stocks rebounded from a volatile morning session to essentially close flat. A change in U.S. tariff policies towards some goods from China put a scare into investors in the morning who feared the start of a trade war, but stocks were gradually able to rebound in the afternoon and push into positive territory. Crude oil prices eased modestly. Overshadowing crude was a sharp drop in corn futures prices following an upbeat corn crop forecast from the government. The 10-year Treasury note closed unchanged.
Stocks dropped sharply in the morning after the Commerce Department announced it was reversing a long-standing policy and that tariffs will be imposed on some Chinese goods. The Bush Administration also said it is considering a request from the U.S. paper industry for protection from cheaper imports from China. In economic news, the Commerce Department earlier reported February personal income rose at a seasonally adjusted rate of 0.6%. Personal consumption grew 0.6% from the prior month.
Corn futures fell sharply on the Chicago Board of Trade after the federal government released its crop forecast. The Department of Agriculture said farmers will plant 90.5 million acres of corn this spring, above its earlier estimate of 87 million acres, and about 15% more than the 78 million acres of corn planted last year. Ethanol producers like Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM - News), who are expected to be buyers of the additional corn output, will benefit from the lower prices.
Shares of drugmaker Novartis (NYSE: NVS - News) shed -3.9% after the Food & Drug Administration asked the Swiss company to stop selling its irritable bowel treatment Zelnorm after it was linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Zelnorm generated $561 million in sales in 2006, about 80% of which came from the U.S. market. The drug had been approved for the short-term treatment of constipation in women with IBS, and for patients younger than 65 with chronic constipation.
In merger news, two Los Angeles billionaires joined forces to bid for Tribune Co. (NYSE: TRB - News), which owns the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, numerous broadcast and other media properties, and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Eli Broad and Ron Burkle submitted a bid valued at $34 a share that includes an employee ownership provision, according to reports. Tribune was pushed to seek a buyer by its disgruntled major shareholder, the Chandler family. Tribune shares gained 1.9% today.
Shares of game maker Take-Two Interactive Software (Nasdaq: TTWO - News) slipped -4.6% after a group of shareholders that control 46% of the company's stock succeeded in efforts to replace the current board with six new directors. The maker of the "Grand Theft Auto" game was caught up in an options back-dating scandal that resulted in a guilty plea to related charges from former Chairman and Chief Executive Ryan Brant.
PC maker Dell (Nasdaq: DELL - News) traded lower after the company said an internal investigation of its accounting practices had revealed evidence of misconduct, but the company did not say what it found. Dell, which faces federal investigations into its finances, said it will likely need to restate prior financial results once its internal probe is complete.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: ADM, DELL, NVS, TRB, TTWO

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
Arena Resources (NYSE:ARD - News) announces earnings Monday before the market opens; watch for $0.46 EPS. ARD's PowerRating is 4.
Merix (NasdaqGM:MERX - News) reports earnings after the bell Monday, with analysts looking for $0.12 EPS. MERX is not PowerRated due to volume constraints.
United Technologies (NYSE:UTX - News) made an offer to acquire the electronic security division of Rentokil Initial for $1.17 billion. UTX's PowerRating is 6.
Eli Broad and Ron Burkle bested Sam Zell's $8 billion the takeover offer for Tribune (NYSE:TRB - News) by $1 a share. TRB's PowerRating is 5.
Oil prices are near their highs for this year. Watch oil producers and energy stocks like Conoco-Phillips (NYSE:COP - News), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM - News) and the US Oil Fund (AMEX:USO - News). COP's PowerRating is 6, XOM's PowerRating is 5 and USO's PowerRating is 3.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: ARD, COP, Hot Stocks, MERX, TRB, USO, UTX, XOM