Tuesday, April 24, 2012

DailyMarkets.com - Ameriprise Beats, Hikes Dividend

DailyMarkets.com - Ameriprise Beats, Hikes Dividend

Ameriprise Beats, Hikes Dividend

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:53 AM PDT

Ameriprise Financial Inc. (NYSE:AMP) reported first-quarter 2012 operating earnings of $1.45 per share surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.38. This also compared favorably with the year-ago quarter's earnings of $1.33 per share.
Operating earnings totaled $335 million in the reported quarter, down 3% from $344 million in the prior-year quarter. The downfall represented elevated tax rate and impact of low interest rates.
Results improved on a modest rise in operating net revenues. … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Soft Indian Demand Leads Gold Lower

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:46 AM PDT

Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Gold futures have sagged due to concerns over economic growth and lackluster physical demand. Indian demand has been surprisingly soft ahead of today’s Akshaya Tritiya festival, widely considered a Gold buyer’s holiday. This could offer concrete evidence to support the recent rumors coming out of India that demand is soft. Technically, Gold futures have failed to make any positive technical progress, suggesting prices may continue to slide. Some traders may choose to … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Illumina Beats In 1Q

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:38 AM PDT

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) reported first quarter 2012 EPS of 20 cents, which compared favorably with the year-ago quarter EPS of 16 cents. However, after adjusting for certain one-time items, EPS for the quarter came in at 36 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 32 cents, as well as the company's guided range of 29–32 cents. The adjusted EPS was also 2.9% higher than the prior-year quarter level.
Revenues dipped 3% year over year to $273 million during the quarter. However, reported … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Momentum Continues At Silicom

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:33 AM PDT

Momentum Continues at Silicom
Ken Nagy, CFA

On April 23, 2012, Silicom Ltd (SILC), the provider of high-performance server and appliances networking solutions, reported financial results for its fiscal 2012 first quarter, ended March 31, 2012.

The Company's solid momentum continued with 29 quarters of unbroken profitability and revenues doubling and net profit tripling in two years.
Silicom's first quarter revenues improved year over year by just over 10 percent to $10.101 million, which … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

StanCorp Beats Rev, Lags EPS

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:23 AM PDT

StanCorp Financial Group (NYSE:SFG) reported first-quarter 2012 earnings of 79 cents per share, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 84 cents. However, the results were 5.3% above 75 cents earned in the prior-year quarter. Net income for the quarter inched up 1.4% to $35.3 million, from $34.8 million reported in first-quarter 2011.
The year-over-year improvement stemmed from lower share count and lower effective income tax rate due to purchases of tax-advantaged investments.
Operational … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Increasing Stevia Acreage By Over 135%

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:14 AM PDT

Increasing stevia acreage by over 135%
Ian Gilson, CFA

On April 23, 2012 S&W Seed Company (SANW) announced it had leased 156 acres near Los Banos, CA and will dedicate all of these acres to stevia production. This is not far from the 114 acres in Chowchilla, CA where the first crop was planted.

Stevia seeds have a very low germination rate in India, China and many other parts of the world. S&W Seed has been able to increase this substantially and now has enough of the higher stevia … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

North Dakota Leads The Country For Annual, Quarterly Growth In State Coincident Index

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:12 AM PDT

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve released data today on state coincident indexes for March, and booming energy-rich North Dakota led the country with 10.7% annual gain and a 2.9% quarterly gain. 

From the Philly Fed:

“The coincident indexes combine four state-level indicators to summarize current economic conditions in a single statistic. The four state-level variables in each coincident index are nonfarm payroll employment, average hours worked in manufacturing, the unemployment rate, … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Initial LIGHT Data From Phase I/II Trial Are Encouraging

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:08 AM PDT

Initial LIGHT Data from Phase I/II Trial Are Encouraging
Grant Zeng, CFA

Early today (April 24, 2012), Novelos Therapeutics, Inc. (NVLT) announced that the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center has successfully completed the first cohort in a Phase I/II PET imaging trial of I-124-CLR1404 (LIGHT), a cancer-targeted PET imaging agent, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The fact:

As a reminder, an investigator-sponsored Phase I/II trial of LIGHT as a PET … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Rent-A-Center Beats, Keeps Guidance

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:08 AM PDT

Rent-A-Center Inc. (NASDAQ:RCII), one of the largest rent-to-own operators, recently delivered better-than-expected first-quarter 2012 results. The quarterly earnings of 87 cents a share outdid the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 84 cents, and increased 10.1% from 79 cents earned in the prior-year quarter, aided by growth in the top line.
On a reported basis, including one-time items, the quarterly earnings reflected a growth of 26.1% from 69 cents delivered in the year-ago quarter.
Rent-A-Center's … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Euro Bounces Back On Solid Dutch Debt Sale

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT

04/24/12 The euro edged higher this morning following as a debt sale in the Netherlands saw oldie results. This despite the sudden collapse of the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Expanded Collaboration With TDI Could Mean Increased Revenue

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:53 AM PDT

Expanded Collaboration with TDI Could Mean Increased Revenue
Grant Zeng, CFA

On April 23, 2012, Pressure BioSciences, Inc. (OTC Markets:PBIO) and Target Discovery, Inc. (TDI) announced the signing of expanded strategic technology license and supply agreements.

Under these agreements, TDI now has the right to use PBIO's Pressure Cycling Technology (PCT) Platform for their planned entry into the clinical diagnostics testing market. The planned commercial diagnostic services will initially … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

HMA Beats Earnings Forecast

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:53 AM PDT

Health Management Associates (NYSE:HMA), a leading operator of general acute care hospitals, reported first quarter earnings per share of 24 cents beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 22 cents and surpassing the year-ago earnings per share also of 22 cents. Adjusted earnings exclude 9 cents per share for a swap arrangement and mark-to-market orientation.
Net income from continuing operations dropped 29.4% year over year to $39.1 million. Consolidated net income dropped 32.1% to $37.7 million … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

IDEX Beats Expectations

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:39 AM PDT

IDEX Corp. (NYSE:IEX) reported diluted earnings per share of 66 cents in the first quarter of 2012 compared with 57 cents in the first quarter of 2011 and 65 cents in the earlier quarter. 
Earnings not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 64 cents per share but also managed to surpass the company's previously provided guidance range of 62 cents per share to 64 cents per share for the quarter.
Revenues
Net revenues came to $489.4 million, up 14.6% year over year and 1.8% sequentially. … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Aussie Continues Slide Against Yen As Rate Cut Expectations Surge

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:39 AM PDT

Fundamental Headlines
- Bundesbank's Weidmann Says What No Politician Wants to Hear – Bloomberg
- Fed's 17 Rate Forecasts May Confuse More than Clarify – Bloomberg
- North Korea's Nuclear Test Ready "Soon" – Reuters
- Music Stops for Wall Street Bankers – WSJ
- U.S. Saw Top Cop as Risky Asylum Candidate – WSJ
European Session Summary
Risk-appetite was tempered in the overnight as market participants continued to digest the weekend's political developments out of Europe, … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Stock Market News Briefs: Astrazeneca PLC, LM Ericsson Telephone Company, Helix Energy Solutions Group, Kellogg Company, Otelco, Ardea Biosciences, STMicroelectronics N.V., Time Warner Cable Inc, Wal-Mart Stores

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:33 AM PDT

    Ardea Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:RDEA) gained 51.7% after the company agreed to be purchased by the AstraZeneca plc (NYSE:AZN) at a price of $1.26 billion

    Shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (NYSE:HLX) soared 6.7% after the company reported better-than-expected first quarter earnings per share of $0.73, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.44

    Kellogg Company (NYSE:K) lost 6.1% after the cereal and snacks maker said its actual full … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Order Trends Point To Growth At TI

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:33 AM PDT

Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) reported first quarter earnings that were down 18.4% sequentially and 28.6% year over year. However, the Zacks Consensus Estimate dropped 5 cents since the company announced its third quarter results, helping the adjusted earnings to exceed the estimate by 13 cents. Shares appreciated 3.7% in after-hours trading, more than making up for the 1.8% decline during the day.
On March 8, TI lowered earnings expectations from 20 cents to 17 cents citing weak demand for … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Reflecting On Earnings, Waiting On The Fed

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:33 AM PDT

Positive earnings results from a number of blue-chip companies should help sentiment as the market waits for a number of major economic releases a little later today. The March New Home Sales numbers are expected to edge up a little from the February level, while the Conference Board's April Consumer Confidence is expected to be around the same level as in March.
 
But all eyes will be on the Fed, which starts its 2-day meeting today. The official post-meeting statement from FOMC at noon … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Markets In Everything: Super Cruise Technology

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:29 AM PDT

“Cadillac’s ‘Super Cruise’ semi-autonomous driving technology is currently undergoing road testing. The Super Cruise technology relies on a combination of radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras and GPS map data to provide semi-autonomous driving capabilities on the highway even in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Cadillac hopes to have Super Cruise technology ready for its vehicles by … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Netflix Surpasses Estimates

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:26 AM PDT

Netflix Inc.'s (NASDAQ:NFLX) first quarter 2012 loss per share of 8 cents not only bettered the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 28 cents, but was also significantly above management's guided range of a loss of 49 cents to a loss of 16 cents per share. However, when compared on a year-over-year basis, Netflix's loss per share had plummeted from earnings per share (EPS) of $1.11.
Quarter Details
Total revenue increased 21.0% year over year to $869.8 million, ahead of the Zacks Consensus … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Weatherford Misses Consensus

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:08 AM PDT

Leading oilfield services' company  Weatherford International Ltd.'s (NYSE:WFT) first quarter 2012 adjusted earnings of 25 cents per share came in below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 28 cents. However, the results jumped substantially from the year-earlier earnings of 7 cents, mainly on positive contributions from all its segments.
Total revenue increased 26% year over year to $3,599.0 million, but failed to meet the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3,664.0 million.
Operational … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Soft 1Q For Wolverine

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:54 AM PDT

Wolverine World Wide Inc. (NYSE:WWW), one of the leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of branded footwear and apparel, recently posted soft first-quarter 2012 results.
Lower sales and decline in margins took a toll on the company's earnings as Wolverine reported quarterly earnings of 64 cents a share, down 11.1% from the prior-year quarters' earnings of 72 cents. However, the earnings exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 54 cents.
Wolverine, the seller of products under … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Royal Caribbean Beats; Guides Lower

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:38 AM PDT

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) has reported first-quarter 2012 adjusted earnings of 20 cents per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 15 cents. Earnings fell from 25 cents per share posted in the year-earlier quarter.
Quarter Highlights
Total revenue in the quarter increased 9.7% year over year to $1,834.5 million. 
Net yield upped 6.4% year over year (7.0% on a constant currency basis).
The rise in yield was driven by a 10.2% improvement in net ticket revenue and an … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Brinker Beats On Comps & Margins

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:25 AM PDT

Dallas, Texas-based Brinker International Inc. (NYSE:EAT) reported adjusted earnings per share of 60 cents in the third quarter of 2012, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 56 cents and the year-ago level of 47 cents per share.
On a GAAP basis, reported earnings stood at 56 cents per share versus 45 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.
Total revenue, excluding gift card brokerage adjustment of $5.2 million, increased 4.2% year over year to $747.2 million, due to a 4.2% rise in system-wide … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Will Uncle Sam Takeover Your IRA? Part II

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:23 AM PDT

Those engaged in massive strategic maneuvers know all too well that progress is typically made not in one fell swoop but painstakingly inch by inch.
With deficits beyond the scope of imagination but oh so very real, I cautioned people to keep a watchful eye on Uncle Sam. Where might the old man go to beg, borrow, or steal money to fill that enormous fiscal hole? Your retirement accounts. I first broached this topic in early 2010 in writing, Blueprint for Government Takeover of IRAs and Will … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards
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