Daily Markets - MasterCard Beats, Margins Up

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• MasterCard Beats, Margins Up
• Earnings Scorecard: Jacobs
• WaPo To Offload Newsweek
• Morgan Stanley Divests FrontPoint
• Telesp Surpasses Zacks Estimate
• Embraer Records In-Line Results
• Real Consumption Growth Highest Since 2007
• Marathon Cruises Past Estimates
• Expeditors Beats On Strong Volume
• My Hidden Gem
• Stock Market News Briefs: Baker Hughes Incorporated, Dow Chemical Company, Emerson Electric Company, Kinam Gold Inc, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble Company, Sanofi-Aventis SA, Genzyme Corporation
• American Physicians Beats Estimates
• Patterson-UTI Reports Good Numbers
• Nationwide Health FFO In Line
• Evergreen Falls, Still In Red
• Archer Daniels Q4 Profit Surges
• Swiss Franc: Under Pressure
• Japanese Yen: The Downside Prevails
• British Pound: Under Pressure
• Euro: The Downside Prevails
• Baker Hughes Slips, Profits Up
• UTHR Up On Lower Costs, Higher Revs
• Strong Quarter For Pfizer
• Valuation-Informed Indexing: “Time” Is Not A Four Letter Word
• The Seen Vs. The Unseen
• Forex Trading: GBPUSD Building Some Clues For A Bearish Move But…
• Lennar Eyes Lenders For $7.7B Plan
• Forex Trading: EURUSD Intraday Bulls And Bears Fight It Out
• Standard Motor Beats Estimates
• Stock Buy: Under Armour, Inc.
• Bear Of The Day: Big 5 Sporting Goods (BGFV)
• Bull Of The Day: Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX)
• Stock Buy: Corn Products International Inc.
• Stock Buy: Integrated Silicon Solution
• Stock Buy: Union Pacific
• Mutual Funds: Top 5 Technology Funds
• Euro-Zone Producer Prices Slows In June
• Hot Stock News For Tuesday 3 August: Royal Bank of Scotland, BP, Genzyme, Metlife, Santander
• What Is FINRA Hiding?
• Euro-Zone Producer Prices Slows In June

MasterCard Beats, Margins Up Posted: 03 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT MasterCard Inc.'s (NYSE:MA) second quarter operating earnings per share of $3.49 came in substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.33 and $2.67 in the year-ago quarter. Net income for the reported quarter was $458 million, up 31.2% from $349 million in the prior-year quarter. Results for the reported quarter improved over the prior-year quarter primarily due to better pricing, an increased number of processed transactions and reduced operating expenses that drove operating … [visit site to read more]

Earnings Scorecard: Jacobs Posted: 03 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT Following the third quarter results on July 26, the analysts have been pessimistic on Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC) based on the continuous decrease in the company's backlog and the expectations of slower market recovery. Management has narrowed its fiscal 2010 guidance to $2.30-$2.65 per share from $2.15-$2.65.   Earnings Review   Jacobs reported in-line results for the third quarter of fiscal 2010. During the quarter, Jacobs reported an EPS of 63 cents, 13 cents below the … [visit site to read more]

WaPo To Offload Newsweek Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:45 AM PDT The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO), the diversified education and media conglomerate, recently announced that it has entered into a deal to sell Newsweek to Dr. Sidney Harman, who pioneered the audio equipment maker company, Harman International Industries Inc.   The terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, Washington Post informed that it will retain Newsweek's pension assets and liabilities and certain unspecified employee obligations that may arise prior to the sale. Dr. … [visit site to read more]

Morgan Stanley Divests FrontPoint Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:30 AM PDT Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is planning to spin-off FrontPoint Partners, a hedge fund business, in the next three months, according to a report on CNBC yesterday.   FrontPoint, the Greenwich, Connecticut based hedge fund, was acquired in 2006 by Morgan Stanley's Investment Management division ("MSIM”). At the closure of the deal, many FrontPoint executives, including Mr. Mike Kelly and Mr. Dan Waters (co-heads of FrontPoint) had taken up new roles in MSIM, apart from keeping their positions … [visit site to read more]

Telesp Surpasses Zacks Estimate Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:20 AM PDT Brazilian fixed-line carrier Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo SA (NYSE:TSP), better known as Telesp, reported second-quarter 2010 earnings per ADS of 77 cents, which was well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimates of 54 cents. Net income climbed 10.3% year over year to R$695.3 million ($389.8 million).   Telesp, the Brazilian subsidiary of Spanish telecom giant Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF), reported net operating revenue of R$5.3 billion ($2.97 billion), down 1.6% year over year, due to the erosion in … [visit site to read more]

Embraer Records In-Line Results Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:20 AM PDT EMBRAER- Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. (NYSE:ERJ) has reported results for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 with an EPADS of 39 cents, a penny above 38 cents in the year-ago quarter. Reported EPADS missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 46 cents. Net income was $70.3 million, up 3.7% from $67.8 million in the second quarter of 2009 driven by lower currency exchange loss.   Net revenues reduced to $1,354.3 million from $1,456.6 million, representing a reduction of 7.0% year over year … [visit site to read more]

Real Consumption Growth Highest Since 2007 Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:10 AM PDT From Table 10 in today’s BEA report on Personal Income and Outlays, the graph above shows the percent change from a year earlier in Real Personal Consumption Expenditures, monthly from December 2006 to June 2010.  Most of the news reporting focuses more on month-to-month changes, with the resulting “gloom and doom” headlines like “Flat consumer spending adds to recovery worries,” with commentary like “Consumer spending and incomes were unexpectedly flat in June … [visit site to read more]

Marathon Cruises Past Estimates Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:05 AM PDT Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) — the fifth largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products in the U.S. — reported a jump in its second-quarter 2010 profits. As has been the case with the larger rivals that have already reported, such as ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE:CVX), results were boosted by higher fuel prices. Much-improved downstream margins also contributed towards Marathon 's strong results. Earnings per share, excluding special items, … [visit site to read more]

Expeditors Beats On Strong Volume Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:05 AM PDT Expeditors International of Washington Inc's (NASDAQ:EXPD), provider of logistics services, declared its adjusted second-quarter 2010 earnings of 42 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents. Earnings per share shot up 68% year over year from 25 cents in the year-ago quarter. Earnings were driven by higher strong airfreight and ocean shipping demand.   Net income attributable to shareholders jumped 67% year over year to $90.3 million. Total revenue in the … [visit site to read more]

My Hidden Gem Posted: 03 Aug 2010 07:00 AM PDT By Larry Harmych As some of my more loyal readers know, I do not typically write about micro cap stocks.  Furthermore, these readers also know that I do not like to mention microcaps that I personally hold.  Although I do not believe that one type of equity is necessarily better than another (for instance, small vs. large cap, growth vs. value, etc.) I do believe most of the ten-baggers can be found in the microcap arena.  This is just a matter of … [visit site to read more]

Stock Market News Briefs: Baker Hughes Incorporated, Dow Chemical Company, Emerson Electric Company, Kinam Gold Inc, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble Company, Sanofi-Aventis SA, Genzyme Corporation Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:50 AM PDT  Baker Hughes (NYSE:BHI) reported earnings of 41 cents, versus Zacks projections of 42 cents on revenues of $3.37 billion, versus Zacks estimates of $3.34 billion. The company CEO noted the drilling moratorium in the Gulf hurt results  More reports surfaced about a potential bid for Genzyme (NASDAQ:GENZ) by Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE:SNY), with a potential price tag of about $20 billion  Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) posted disappointing fiscal fourth quarter earnings of 71 cents versus Zacks … [visit site to read more]

American Physicians Beats Estimates Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:50 AM PDT American Physicians Service Group Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMPH) second-quarter operating earnings of 88 cents per share comfortably surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 68 cents per share. The company had earned 82 cents per share in the prior-year quarter.   The improvement in results reflects the decrease in total expenses and revenue growth, partially offset by a decline in net premium earned. Further, the company experienced strong policyholder retention and a decrease in pending … [visit site to read more]

Patterson-UTI Reports Good Numbers Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:50 AM PDT Onshore contract driller Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN) reported significantly better-than-expected second-quarter results, reflecting strong contribution from its 'Contract Drilling' segment on the back of improvement in rig count.   Earnings per share, excluding an after-tax profit associated with the sale of certain rights in oil and gas working interests, came in at 11 cents, well ahead of the Zacks Consensus estimate of 6 cents. In the year-ago period, the company lost 12 … [visit site to read more]

Nationwide Health FFO In Line Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:35 AM PDT Nationwide Health Properties Inc. (NYSE:NHP), a real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in healthcare facilities, reported a 12.8% increase in total revenue in the second quarter of 2010 to $109.2 million from $96.8 million in the year-earlier quarter. Total revenues for the reported quarter, however, fell short of the Zacks Consensus estimate of $111 million.   During second-quarter 2010, FFO (fund from operations) was $68.1 million or 55 cents per share compared with $66.6 million … [visit site to read more]

Evergreen Falls, Still In Red Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:20 AM PDT Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:ESLR) reported fiscal 2010 second-quarter loss per share of 13 cents, widening the gap by 2 cents compared with the year-ago quarter. This is also higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of an 11 cent loss.   On a reported basis, Evergreen Solar reported a loss of 2 cents per share compared with 11 cents in the year-ago quarter. The improvement came from lower production costs and higher shipments.  Operational Results  Evergreen … [visit site to read more]

Archer Daniels Q4 Profit Surges Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:20 AM PDT Archer Daniels Midland Co.'s (NYSE:ADM) fiscal 2010 fourth-quarter earnings skyrocketed to $446 million or 69 cents per share from $58 million or 9 cents in the year-ago quarter. Quarterly earnings also surged past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 50 cents per share. The strong quarterly result was primarily driven by higher volumes and better margins in Oilseeds and Corn Processing. Shares of Archer Daniels rose more than 1.5% in pre-market trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Archer … [visit site to read more]

Swiss Franc: Under Pressure Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:18 AM PDT Update on supports and resistances. … [visit site to read more]

Japanese Yen: The Downside Prevails Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:18 AM PDT Update on supports and resistances. … [visit site to read more]

British Pound: Under Pressure Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:18 AM PDT Update on supports and resistances. … [visit site to read more]

Euro: The Downside Prevails Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:18 AM PDT Update on supports and resistances. … [visit site to read more]

Baker Hughes Slips, Profits Up Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:05 AM PDT Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE:BHI) reported second-quarter 2010 earnings of 41 cents per share, compared with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 43 cents and year-ago earnings of 28 cents. We have adjusted reported earnings for costs associated with the BJ Services merger and increased depreciation and amortization expenses. Baker Hughes completed its acquisition of BJ Services on April 28, 2010.  The second quarter figures include results for BJ Services for the months of May and June. The drilling … [visit site to read more]

UTHR Up On Lower Costs, Higher Revs Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:05 AM PDT United Therapeutics Corp. (NASDAQ:UTHR) reported second-quarter earnings of 62 cents per share, several cents above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents and the year-ago loss of 4 cents. A huge boost in revenues and lower operating expenses helped drive earnings.   Quarter in Detail   Although revenues increased 63.7% to $137.5 million in the reported quarter, revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $141 million. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to the continued … [visit site to read more]

Strong Quarter For Pfizer Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:05 AM PDT Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) reported second quarter earnings of 62 cents per share, well above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 52 cents, and 29.2% above the year-ago earnings of 48 cents. Performance was boosted by the Wyeth acquisition, which was partially offset by increased expenses. Revenues were up 58%, mainly due to the Wyeth acquisition, which added $5.4 billion or 50% to the total. While foreign exchange boosted revenues by $584 million, or 5%, legacy Pfizer products positively impacted … [visit site to read more]

Valuation-Informed Indexing: “Time” Is Not A Four Letter Word Posted: 03 Aug 2010 06:00 AM PDT by Rob Bennett Timing works. That's the premise of this new column. If you cannot buy into that claim, nothing that follows here will make sense to you. If you do buy into that claim, or if you are at least open to the possibility that you may someday buy into it, I believe that in time I will be able to persuade you to become part of a  community of investors pointing the way to a new and improved and more profitable and more emotionally balanced and more life-affirming way to invest … [visit site to read more]

The Seen Vs. The Unseen Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:58 AM PDT “The heart of the case against the Detroit bailout is that it saps the life-blood of entrepreneurial capitalism. The bailout reinforces the debilitating precedent of protecting firms deemed 'too big to fail.' Capital and other resources are thus kept glued by politics to familiar lines of production, thus impeding entrepreneurial initiative that would have otherwise redeployed these resources into newer, more-dynamic, and more productive industries. The 'success' of the bailout is … [visit site to read more]

Forex Trading: GBPUSD Building Some Clues For A Bearish Move But… Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:55 AM PDT … [visit site to read more]

Lennar Eyes Lenders For $7.7B Plan Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:45 AM PDT Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) has started negotiations with lenders such as AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust and Citibank (NYSE:C) on financing the initial construction of the 700-acre residential and commercial project at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. The project, initially centered on the southeast shoreline of San Francisco Bay, will stretch to the west up to Candlestick Park.   Lennar had caught hold of the shipyard site way back in 1999 but the final approval was given … [visit site to read more]

Forex Trading: EURUSD Intraday Bulls And Bears Fight It Out Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:34 AM PDT … [visit site to read more]

Standard Motor Beats Estimates Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:30 AM PDT Standard Motor Products Inc. (NYSE:SMP) witnessed a rise in profit to $$8.7 million or 38 cents per share in the second quarter of the year from $5.2 million or 27 cents per share in the same quarter of 2009. The profit was higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 24 cents per share. Consolidated revenues in the quarter rose 17% to $231 million, driven mainly by strong performance in the Engine Management segment. Operating profit almost doubled to $15.3 million compared with $8.4 million a … [visit site to read more]

Stock Buy: Under Armour, Inc. Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE:AU) just hit a new multi-year high at $40 after reporting an awesome Q2 earnings surprise of 133% on July 27. This Zacks #1 rank stock now has an average earnings surprise of 53% over the last four quarters and a bullish next-year estimate projecting 21% earnings growth. Company Description Under Armour, Inc. develops and sells performance apparel and accessories for men, woman and youth primarily in the United States and Canada and internationally. The company was founded … [visit site to read more]

Bear Of The Day: Big 5 Sporting Goods (BGFV) Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Big 5 Sporting Goods (NASDAQ:BGFV) posted a 0.5% decline in same-store sales during the second quarter of 2010, missing its own prediction of low-single digit growth. Consequently, the company slashed its earnings guidance for the second quarter to $0.20 - $0.23 per share from the earlier forecast of $0.24 - $0.30 per share. Big 5 Sporting also encounters intense competition from national chains, mass merchandisers and regional stores, which exerts severe pressure on its profitability. Moreover, the … [visit site to read more]

Bull Of The Day: Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX) Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT With a strong financial position, we believe Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ:NBIX) is in outstanding position to build shareholder value over the next several years. The company exited the second quarter with $145.5 million in cash and receivables, with the potential to earn several hundred million more as clinical development progresses. The company’s dramatically improved financial position affords management the opportunity to push forward the development of internal pipeline candidates, including … [visit site to read more]

Stock Buy: Corn Products International Inc. Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Corn Products International Inc. (NYSE:CPO) continues to see a turnaround in business as volumes recovered in all regions in the second quarter. The company trades at just 12.3x forward earnings, well under the industry average of 14.5. Corn Products is the largest producer of dextrose in the world and manufactures starches, high fructose corn syrups and glucose. The company provides a variety of ingredients to customers in 60 industries including food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, animal feed, … [visit site to read more]

Stock Buy: Integrated Silicon Solution Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Integrated Silicon Solution (NASDAQ:ISSI) continues to trade at a deep discount despite reporting a company record for revenue. Company Description ISSI is a circuit maker for consumer electronics, network devices, mobile communications, automotive and industrial applications. The Silicon Valley company has operations world wide. Record-Setting Revenue On Jul 27 ISSI reported third-quarter results that included a company record of $71.2 million in revenue. The top line grew 25% since the same period … [visit site to read more]

Stock Buy: Union Pacific Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) is firing on all cylinders. Volumes are up; pricing is robust; and profit margins are higher. Its business momentum should remain strong throughout the second half of 2010 even if economic growth continues to decelerate. Growth and Income The company is expected to grow its earnings per share 42.9% in 2010, 15.5% in 2011, and 13.7% over the long term. Its trailing 12-month return on equity is 13.5%. The stock also offers investors a dividend yield of 1.8%. This Zacks #2 … [visit site to read more]

Mutual Funds: Top 5 Technology Funds Posted: 03 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Investors seeking long-term aggressive holdings and possessing the appetite to stomach the volatility involved would do well to consider technology funds. Funds from this industry sector are still a nascent category and emerged as a category to reckon with only in the 1990s. Tech funds enjoyed tremendous growth in the years that followed, but their subsequent decline has kept the risk-averse investor away. However, since the tech bubble burst, fund prices have been based on stronger … [visit site to read more]

Euro-Zone Producer Prices Slows In June Posted: 03 Aug 2010 04:42 AM PDT   Fundamental Headlines • Asia Ends Mixed as Yen Rises – Wall Street Journal • FED Mulls Symbolic Shift in Bond Strategy – Wall Street Journal •Bernanke Cautions on U.S. Recovery - Financial Times • Greece to Pass First Deficit – Reduction Test as Budget Challenges Increase - Bloomberg • Fed May Forgo More Stimulus Awaiting Evidence U.S. Economy Weakening - Bloomberg EUR/USD: Annualized producer prices … [visit site to read more]

Hot Stock News For Tuesday 3 August: Royal Bank of Scotland, BP, Genzyme, Metlife, Santander Posted: 03 Aug 2010 04:39 AM PDT BP (NYSE:BP) - SEC is probing disclosures and potential insider trading at co. amid Gulf oil spill, according to sources. The SEC’s investigation is preliminary and is probing whether co. properly disclosed risks associated with its operations in Gulf of Mexico and whether co. employees profited from illegal trading activity in co. stock. (RTRS) - Co. said on Monday it might still attempt the first two operations to permanently plug its ruptured Gulf of Mexico well on Tuesday despite the … [visit site to read more]

What Is FINRA Hiding? Posted: 03 Aug 2010 04:30 AM PDT Time and again, Wall Street's self-regulator FINRA has failed to provide real transparency into its inner workings and operations. Despite FINRA's intransigence, the pursuit continues.  Sense on Cents salutes Lt. Colonel Elton Johnson, Jr., President of Amerivet Securities, for persevering in this admirable effort to provide a window into FINRA. Johnson appeals to FINRA's members to compel the regulator to accede to requests for transparency at its upcoming 2010 Annual Meeting. … [visit site to read more]

Euro-Zone Producer Prices Slows In June Posted: 02 Aug 2010 04:42 AM PDT  Fundamental Headlines • Asia Ends Mixed as Yen Rises – Wall Street Journal • FED Mulls Symbolic Shift in Bond Strategy – Wall Street Journal •Bernanke Cautions on U.S. Recovery - Financial Times • Greece to Pass First Deficit – Reduction Test as Budget Challenges Increase - Bloomberg • Fed May Forgo More Stimulus Awaiting Evidence U.S. Economy Weakening - Bloomberg EUR/USD: Annualized producer prices in the 16 member euro … [visit site to read more]

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