DailyMarkets.com - Rating Action On Genworth

Rating Action On Genworth
Bing! Microsoft Integrates Social Into Search
Hot Option Plays: Bucking Trend
CNO Initiates Dividend Payment
BofA’s $315M Settlement Approved
Kirkland’s Comp Down In 1Q
Long…and Wrong?
Visa Strikes Deal With Obopay
BofA Introduces Travel Credit Cards
Global Data Deluge On Friday
S&P Positive On Cigna
AK Steel Retained At Neutral
Earnings Scorecard: HCP
Martin Marietta’s Vulcan Bid Stayed
Toyota Launches RAV4 EV
Stock Watch List For Friday May 11, 2012
Neutral On Coca-Cola
T-Mobile/MetrPCS Merger Talks
Anadigics Integrates With NEC CASIO
Earnings Scorecard: Comcast Corp.
Ford Shortens Summer Shutdown
Crude Supplies Jump To 22-Year High
Stocks Snap Six-day Losing Streak
Covidien Buys PolyTouch Medical
Retail Contracts For VeriFone
The Fed Does Comedy
Invesco’s April AUM Dips Slightly
Bed, Bath To Acquire Cost Plus
Earnings Scorecard: Big 5
NCI Building To Buy Metl-Span
FDA Approves Supplemental Trial
Software Blip Causes Slight Revenue Miss
Lockheed Wins Bid Against CH2M Hill
Union Bank To Acquire Smartstreet
St. Jude Wins Approval For Ellipse
Signs Of Nationwide Real Estate Recovery In April? Double-Digit Gains In Sales And Prices Are Common
Boeing Acquires Inmedius
Earnings Scorecard: Hologic
Could Dragon Oil Be An Ideal Stock For Dividend Growth Investors?
The Trend Trader For ETF Trading On Friday, May 11, 2012
The Trend Trader For Stock Trading On Friday, May 11, 2012
The Trend Trader For Futures Trading On Friday, May 11, 2012
The Trend Trader For Forex Trading On Friday, May 11, 2012

Posted: 10 May 2012 04:02 PM PDT

A.M. Best Co. reiterated theissuer credit ratings ("ICR") of 'bbb'of Genworth Financial Inc. (GNW) and all of its existing debt ratings.
Concurrently, the credit rating agency reiterated the financial strength rating of 'A' (Excellent) and ICR of 'a' of Genworth Life Insurance Company, Genworth Life Insurance Company of New York and Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company, the primary life/health subsidiaries of Genworth.
The outlook for all ratings is negative.
The … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Bing! Microsoft Integrates Social Into Search

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:58 PM PDT

05/10/12 The latest Bing update will incorporate social networking into its search engine results. Microsoft has one advantage over its web browser rivals, with its partnerships with Facebook and … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Hot Option Plays: Bucking Trend

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:47 PM PDT

Cusick’s Corner
Lately I have been reading more about the US Dollar and there’s an interesting dynamic potentially setting up. The Dollar has shown strength, it had a decent rally over the last month, UUP +1.8%, and when you look at a chart, there is a potential double bottom breakout getting close to confirmation, which would be a break above the March highs. This is important for two main reasons: potentially lower commodity prices, DBC, and could be a plus for the desire of domestic … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

CNO Initiates Dividend Payment

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:44 PM PDT

In a bid to return more value to its shareholders, the Board of Directors of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) recently initiated a quarterly cash dividend of 2 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on June 25, 2012 to the shareholders of record as of June 11, 2012.
With an annualized rate of 8 cents per share, the dividend yield for the company stands at 1.1%. Though this is not very attractive for fresh investments in the stock, this will be an additional return to the existing … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

BofA’s $315M Settlement Approved

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:44 PM PDT

On Tuesday,Jed Rakoff, the U.S. District Judge in Manhattan, approved Bank of America Corporation's (NYSE:BAC) $315 million settlement with investors related to the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi pension fund. The settlement was made to compensate investors for misleading them regarding the risks associated with mortgage-backed securities issued by the Merrill Lynch unit of BofA.
Rakoff concluded that the facts and figures submitted by BofA were satisfactory. Moreover, he … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Kirkland’s Comp Down In 1Q

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:44 PM PDT

Nashville, Tennessee-based specialty retailer of home décor, Kirkland’s Inc. (NASDAQ:KIRK), posted a 1.2% decline in comparable-store sales for the thirteen-weeks ended April 28, 2012 compared with an 8.4% decline in the prior-year period. Total sales for the period moved up 3.6% to $97.8 million from $94.4 million in year-ago quarter.
First quarter comparative sales were within the guidance provided by the company. In March 2012, Kirkland's had forecasted first quarter sales in the range of … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Long…and Wrong?

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:39 PM PDT

While Wall Street is telling people that it’s onward and upward from here, the Hemline Index, a theory which states that the length of women’s skirts and dresses tends to rise and fall with stock prices, looks to be saying otherwise.
As BuzzFeed notes in “Spring Fashion Trends Find An Unlikely Customer: Orthodox Women,” conservativism and modesty, including skirts and dresses that stretch to the floor, are the new black:
Jewish Orthodox women follow three core rules of modesty, or tznius: a … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Visa Strikes Deal With Obopay

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:24 PM PDT

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) recently entered into an agreement with disbursement and bulk payment solutions provider, Obopay Disbursements to pay out electronic funds to a prepaid card. As per the deal, Obopay will facilitate real-time payments through the corporate account against a Visa prepaid card provided to the payee.
This collaboration will aid bulk payments or transfer of large funds swiftly. Even consumers who do not have an access to traditional bank accounts can receive funds from businesses by … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

BofA Introduces Travel Credit Cards

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:24 PM PDT

The competition in the travel credit card market is all set to get fierce with the launch of three new travel cards by Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC). The new credit cards – BankAmericard Travel Rewards, BankAmericard Privileges with Travel Rewards and WorldPoints Travel Rewards for Business – are intended to satisfy high demand from frequent travelers.
The travel cards were designed keeping in mind the consumers' need for flexibility in using points for travel-related expenses. The … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Global Data Deluge On Friday

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:20 PM PDT

05/10/12 US inflation data and consumer sentiment will be released on Friday morning. Overnight, a slew of data will be coming out from … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

S&P Positive On Cigna

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:08 PM PDT

Standard & Poor's undertook a favorable rating action on the credit worthiness of health insurer CIGNA Corp. (NYSE:CI) and its main operating subsidiaries, Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. ("CG Life") and Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. ("CHLIC").
The agency affirmed its ‘BBB/A-2' counterparty credit rating on the parent company, and its long-term counterparty credit and financial strength ratings of 'A' on CG Life and CHLIC. The outlook on the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

AK Steel Retained At Neutral

Posted: 10 May 2012 03:08 PM PDT

We are maintaining our Neutral recommendation on AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE:AKS). The company's first-quarter 2012 net loss of 11 cents a share matched the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues dipped 4.6% year over year to $1,508.7 million, trailing the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
Shipments fell 6.8% year over year while average selling price moved up 3% in the quarter. Selling price benefited from better product mix, higher contract sales and increased prices for certain products. AK Steel … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Earnings Scorecard: HCP

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:48 PM PDT

HCP Inc. (NYSE:HCP), a leading healthcare real estate investment trust (REIT), reported first quarter 2012 funds from operations (FFO) of$264.8 million or 64 cents per share compared with $149.7 million or 40 cents per share in the year-earlier quarter. Funds from operations, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, are obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.
We cover below the results of the recent earnings announcement, as … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Martin Marietta’s Vulcan Bid Stayed

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:48 PM PDT

Vulcan Materials Corp. (NYSE:VMC) recently announced that the Delaware Court of Chancery passed a ruling delaying rival Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.'s (NYSE:MLM) hostile bid by four months. Shares of Vulcan, the nation's largest producer of construction aggregates, responded favorably to the news. Martin Marietta intends to appeal the ruling.
In a hostile move, in December 2011, Martin Marietta proposed to purchase all outstanding shares of Vulcan at a fixed exchange ratio of 0.50 shares of … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Toyota Launches RAV4 EV

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:48 PM PDT

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) has announced the launch of the electric version of its RAV4 SUV at the Electrical vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. The vehicle will be featuring batteries and electric powertrain from Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA).
The Japanese automobile major has set the base price of the all-new RAV4 EV at $49,800, which is more than double the starting price of the gasoline version of RAV4 SUV. The initial price of 2012 RAV4 2.5 liter gasoline engine is $22,650.
The sale of … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Stock Watch List For Friday May 11, 2012

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:31 PM PDT

( click to enlarge )

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) On watchlist no trigger yet. The stock has consolidated the past two weeks. If DAL can break through $11.34, the stock should make a strong upside move. On the other hand, if the stock does not break resistance, be very careful and use your stops for the downside. Shareholders may remain invested with a stop-loss at $10.14

( click to enlarge )

News Corp (NWSA) has a Bullish looking stock chart, the stock price broke out from … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Neutral On Coca-Cola

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:28 PM PDT

We have maintained our rating on The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) with a target price of $81.00 following appraisal of first quarter 2012 results.
The Coca-Cola Company delivered adjusted operating earnings of 89 cents per share in the first quarter of 2012, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Earnings were also above the prior-year adjusted earnings of 86 cents per share driven by strong revenue and volume growth which made up for margin declines.
In the quarter, net revenues … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

T-Mobile/MetrPCS Merger Talks

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:28 PM PDT

Mergers and takeovers in the U.S. telecom market tend to hit the headlines from time to time. The latest buzz is about T-Mobile USA's merger plans with low cost carrier MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE:PCS).
According to Bloomberg reports, German giant, Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGY) is in talks with MetroPCS for a possible merger with its U.S. wireless unit, T-Mobile USA.
Per the reports, the deal is expected to comprise a stock swap between the two parties. This would enable … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Anadigics Integrates With NEC CASIO

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:08 PM PDT

Recently, Anadigics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANAD) announced that it has started shipping volume production of its power amplifiers (PAs) to NEC CASIO Mobile Communications. These amplifiers support NEC MEDIAS smartphone with its High-Efficiency-at-Low-Power (HELP4) amplifiers.
The power amplifiers delivered by the company are expected to enhance the battery longevity of the smartphones by providing a platform for optimum power yield capacity. Additionally, the company is now looking forward to provide … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Earnings Scorecard: Comcast Corp.

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:08 PM PDT

Following the first quarter earnings announcement on May 2, most of the analysts covering Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) have revised their estimates.
The brokers have revised their estimates based on the belief that the company will do well in the core cable operations, NBC Universal business and home security service segments. However, they remain concerned about the surge in programming cost that could increase tariff rates leading to slower ARPU growth.
First Quarter Highlights
On a GAAP … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Ford Shortens Summer Shutdown

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:08 PM PDT

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) plans to boost output by 40,000 vehicles by shortening the summer shutdown at its 13 North American plants to one week from the traditional two weeks. The move is based on the company's aim to match output with improving demand for its vehicles and is consistent with its target to enhance annual production capacity by 400,000 vehicles.
Recently, the automaker revealed its fear to lose market share due to insufficient capacity to meet consumer demand. Most of the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Crude Supplies Jump To 22-Year High

Posted: 10 May 2012 02:08 PM PDT

The U.S. Energy Department’s weekly inventory release showed that crude stockpiles jumped to their highest level since August 1990, as imports climbed. However, on the bullish side, the agency's report revealed that refined product inventories – gasoline and distillate – dropped sharply from their previous week levels on stronger demand. Meanwhile, refinery utilization rate reflected an increase of 0.4%.
The Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) Petroleum Status Report, which contains … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Stocks Snap Six-day Losing Streak

Posted: 10 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT

05/10/12 Stocks closed slightly higher during a quiet session with gains limited on continued political uncertainty in the euro … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Covidien Buys PolyTouch Medical

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT

Covidien plc (NYSE:COV) recently announced the acquisition of PolyTouch Medical Ltd., a renowned provider of mesh placement devices used for hernia repair. However, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed by the companies.
Israel-based PolyTouch Medical's premier laparoscopic surgical device, PatchAssist, is mainly used to treat ventral hernia. Covidien has acquired the company primarily to incorporate this clinically advanced technology to enhance its soft tissue repair product portfolio. … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Retail Contracts For VeriFone

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT

VeriFone Systems, Inc. (NYSE:PAY) recently announced that it had received contracts from New Balance and Samsonite for deploying its GlobalBay Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) platform for the iPOD touch. The niche benefit derived from the mPOS solution is that it makes the store associate flexible. An individual can now be operational from any point, for improved and easy customer service management.
Other features of the GlobalBay applications offered by VeriFone to store associates include … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

The Fed Does Comedy

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:46 PM PDT

It’s a joke, right?
“Fed's Kocherlakota: Economy Closer to Max Employment Than Data Suggest” (Real Time Economics)
A top Federal Reserve official said Thursday he is paying close attention to inflation and that recent elevated readings signal that the economy is closer to maximum employment than labor-market reports alone might suggest.
Speaking before the Economic Club of Minnesota about the central bank's latest transparency initiatives, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis president … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Invesco’s April AUM Dips Slightly

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:28 PM PDT

Invesco Ltd. (NYSE:IVZ) announced a marginal 0.7% decline in its preliminary month-end assets under management (AUM) for the month of April 2012. The company's AUM for the reported month was $668.4 billion compared with $672.8 billion at the end of March 2012.
Invesco's April AUM decline was a result of total net outflows and market depreciation offsetting inflows from foreign exchange worth $2.3 billion. Total net outflows included $2.6 billion worth of payment for Invesco PowerShares QQQ and … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Bed, Bath To Acquire Cost Plus

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:28 PM PDT

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY), one of the leading operators of specialty retail stores in the U.S. and Canada, has agreed to buy leading casual home furnishings and entertainment products retailer, Cost Plus Inc. (NASDAQ:CPWM) in an all-cash transaction.
As per the agreement, Bed Bath will make a cash tender offer for all shares of Cost Plus for a consideration of $22 per share followed by a merger. The transaction has received approval from all shareholders of both companies.
The tender offer … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Earnings Scorecard: Big 5

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:14 PM PDT

Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. (NASDAQ:BGFV), an operator of a sporting goods retailer in the western U.S., posted its first-quarter 2012 results on May 1. In the subsequent paragraphs, we will cover the recent earnings announcement, analysts' estimate revisions as well as the Zacks Rank and long-term recommendation on the stock.
Review of the Last Quarter
Big 5 reported disappointing first-quarter 2012 results, below the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The dismal results were mainly due to unfavorable … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

NCI Building To Buy Metl-Span

Posted: 10 May 2012 01:14 PM PDT

With a view to diversifying and expanding its product offering, NCI Building System (NYSE:NCS) has penned an agreement to acquire the leading insulated metal panel supplier, Metl-Span LLC, from a subsidiary of BlueScope Steel North America Corporation for $145 million.
To finance the acquisition, NCI Building has secured a new asset based-lending (ABL) facility and term loan and will refinance its existing ABL facility and term loan, both of which were to mature in 2014. The company will use ABL … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

FDA Approves Supplemental Trial

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:58 PM PDT

FDA Approves Supplemental Trial
Brian Marckx, CFA

On Tuesday (5/8/12) SANUWAVE (SNWV) announced that the FDA approved its IDE Supplement for an additional clinical trial for dermaPACE. Aside from being smaller than the than the initial 206-patient trial and also incorporating treatment “boosts”, the trials will be very similar. The statistical methods (Bayesian) apply sequential analysis allowing for the supplemental data to build on the positive results from the initial larger … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Software Blip Causes Slight Revenue Miss

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:58 PM PDT

Software Blip Causes Slight Revenue Miss

Brian Marckx, CFA

Q1 2012 RESULTS

Transgenomic Inc. (TBIO) reported financial results for Q1 ending March 31, 2012 on May 8th. Revenue missed our number by about 6%. The majority of the miss was from the Clinical Lab business – which is likely directly related to a laboratory software issue which management noted limited their sample processing capacity for a period during Q1. Gross margin, which came in significantly weaker than our … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Lockheed Wins Bid Against CH2M Hill

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:58 PM PDT

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) has won a bid against CH2M Hill and has received a multi-year contract worth $2 billion to support the National Science Foundation's ("NSF") Antarctica operations. The company will provide support infrastructure to the U.S. Antarctic Program that conducts research at the South Pole.
The company had initially received the contract in December 2011. Later, CH2M Hill filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office ("GAO") as it claimed to … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Union Bank To Acquire Smartstreet

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:57 PM PDT

On Wednesday, San Francisco-based Union Bank, a unit of UnionBanCal Corp. agreed to acquire Atlanta-based Smartstreet, a financial services division of PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE:PNC). UnionBanCal Corp. is a fully owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:MTU), also known as MUFG.
Union Bank is a leader in providing banking services to homeowners’ associations on the West Coast. With the aim of expanding operations internationally, the bank decided to enter the … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

St. Jude Wins Approval For Ellipse

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:38 PM PDT

Medical devices major St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) recently revealed approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") for its Ellipse implantable cardioverter defibrillator ("ICD"). ICDs are sophisticated implantable devices used to treat abnormal and lethal rapid heart beat, which may lead to unexpected death due to cardiac problems.
The Ellipse ICD was developed with input from over 200 doctors. It incorporates special design enhancements to yield a miniscule high energy … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Signs Of Nationwide Real Estate Recovery In April? Double-Digit Gains In Sales And Prices Are Common

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:24 PM PDT

Real estate sales reports for the month of April are just starting to be released by local realtor associations, and the the reports out today are showing some strong signs of recovery in both unit sales and/or home prices in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Des Moines, the D.C. area, Baltimore and Reno for sales activity last month.

1. “Twin Cities home prices bounced up in April with the largest jump since before the housing market meltdown. The median sales price leaped 12.4% from … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Boeing Acquires Inmedius

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:22 PM PDT

The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) announced that it has completed the acquisition of Inmedius. Inmedius is a provider of software applications and services for managing and sharing information and learning content. The deal was first announced on April 26, 2012. Inmedius has approximately 75 employees and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with offices in the United Kingdom and India.
Inmedius will be integrated into Continental DataGraphics ("CDG"), a subsidiary of Boeing … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Earnings Scorecard: Hologic

Posted: 10 May 2012 12:03 PM PDT

Following the announcement of Hologic's (NASDAQ:HOLX) second quarter of fiscal 2012 results and the proposed acquisition of Gen-Probe (NASDAQ:GPRO) on April 30 2012, analysts have lowered their estimates for the forthcoming quarters.
Previous Quarter Highlights
Hologic reported a loss per share of 15 cents in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 compared with earnings per share ("EPS") of 31 cents in the year-ago period. After taking into account certain one-time items in both the periods, adjusted … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards

Could Dragon Oil Be An Ideal Stock For Dividend Growth Investors?

Posted: 10 May 2012 06:43 AM PDT

It is difficult to pinpoint precisely when it all started but for a while now there has been growing chatter among market-watchers, commentators and bloggers in the United States about a neat 'new' concept called Dividend Growth Investing. The clue is in the name of course, but put simply it's a technique that reinvents the dividend investing wheel, throws in a heavy dose of rear-view mirror analysis and sells itself as an ideal antidote to a low interest rate environment.
As … [visit site to read more] or compare Credit Card Rewards and Best Credit Cards