BloggingStocks

Earnings highlights: GE, Alcoa, Marriott, Pepsi Bottling, Wal-Mart, Boeing and others

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-07-12T12:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Forecasts, General Electric (GE), Wal-Mart (WMT), Alcoa Inc (AA), Boeing Co (BA), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Office Depot (ODP), Wachovia Corp (WB), Merck and Co (MRK), Marriott Intl'A' (MAR), Nordstrom, Inc (JWN)

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) Q2 earnings decline on materials costs but beat analysts estimates (see transcript).
Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) solid Q3 results were accompanied by a share buyback program.
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) warned that Q2 results will include a delay-related charge of 22 cents per share.
Cash America International Inc. (NYSE: CSH) predicted Q2 earnings above previous guidance.
EZcorp Inc. (NASDAQ: EZPW) predicted better-than-expected Q3 results due to strong sales.
Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) beat Q3 expectations and raised its Q4 guidance.
Flow International Corp. (NASDAQ: FLOW) swung to a better-than-expected Q4 profit on strong demand.
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) reported mixed Q2 results and offered an uninspiring Q3 outlook (transcript).
Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) Q1 results were colored by write-downs and other charges.
International Speedway Corp. (NASDAQ: ISCA) Q2 earnings soared while revenue slipped.
Levis Strauss Q2 profitability plunged due to declining sales and higher administrative costs.
Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) topped Q2 estimates but lowered its guidance (see transcript).

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) was downgraded by a UBS analyst due to its earnings prospects.
Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) lowered its Q2 guidance after slow June same-store sales.
Office Depot Inc. (NYSE: ODP) decline in same-store sales cast doubt on its Q2 earnings forecast.
Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. (NYSE: PBG) posted solid Q2 results that beat earnings expectations.
PriceSmart Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) Q3 earnings more than doubled on higher revenue and a settlement.
QLogic Corp. (NASDAQ: QLGC) boosted its Q1 guidance, resulting in an analyst's upgrade.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (NASDAQ: RMCF) posted Q1 results without full-year guidance.
Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT) forecast full-year earnings 40% higher than Wall Street estimates.
Wachovia Corp. (NYSE: WB) warned of a larger-than-expected Q2 loss as it introduced its new CEO.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) raised its Q2 guidance after strong same-store sales in June.
Wolverine World Wide Inc. (NYSE: WWW) reported its 24th straight quarter of record profits.

The earnings crunch begins again next week. Among the many companies scheduled to report are Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO), Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL), eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), Gannett Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), Mattel Inc. (NYSE: MAT), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY), United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Family Dollar Stores (FDO): Price defines bullish 'pennant'

Larry Schutts — 2008-07-07T14:35:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Wal-Mart (WMT), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Technical Analysis, Stocks to Buy

Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO) operates a chain of more the 6,500 U.S. retail discount stores, offering consumables, home products, apparel, electronic items and seasonal goods. The firm specializes in neighborhood outlets, located near its low- and middle-income customers in rural and urban areas. Most items are priced under $10. Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) and Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) are major competitors.

The company pleased investors last week, when it reported fiscal Q3 EPS of 46 cents and revenues of $1.7 billion. Analysts had been looking for 40 cents and $1.7 billion. The CEO attributed success to the company's "intense focus on controlling expenses and mitigating inventory risk." Management also guided Q4 EPS to 30-35 cents (29 cent consensus).

FDO shares popped on the news and then moved into the initial stage of a bullish "pennant" consolidation pattern. Prices frequently exit pennants moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend the issue with two "buys", eleven "holds" and two "underperforms". Analysts see a 14% average annual growth rate, through the next five years. The FDO P/E ratio (14.64), PEG ratio (1.08), Price to Sales ratio (0.46), Price to Book ratio (2.59), Price to Cash Flow ratio (8.52), Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (17.57), Return on Assets (8.39%) and Return on Investment (13.86%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 500 Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $14.62 and $35.41. A stop-loss of $19.50 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in any of the stocks mentioned above.

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Family Dollar posts 7% increase in net income as shoppers flock there

Brian White — 2008-07-07T13:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Products and services, Consumer experience, Family Dollar Stores (FDO)

Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (NYSE: FDO), along with the other dollar stores, may begin to see many more non-traditional customers who are aching to save every penny in the face of increasing energy and food costs. The first strike at that concept was from Family Dollar, which reported a 7.1% increase in net income for its latest quarter.

While sales grew at Family Dollar, stores that target affluent or higher-income shoppers saw flat or negative growth. This all points to one thing: customers are seeking out bargains wherever they can to offset rising prices in other areas of their lives. This sounds like it should have happened last summer as the credit freeze was beginning, but with summer in full swing and gas prices at $4 a gallon levels, the reality of the dollar store is setting in for millions of Americans.

With the typical Family Dollar customer being the "mom who makes less than $30,000 per year," it's not hard to imagine all the dollar-type retailers starting to see increasing fortunes in the near future. Every worker in the U.S. who drives has easily seen their last performance increase fade away. In fact, many have actually experienced a large financial demotion due to high gas prices and food costs. It's hard to think of it that way for many, but that is what it is. Inflation and energy costs can wipe out that raise pretty fast, yes? With that in mind, you may want to venture into a dollar store soon. Most likely, you'll be pleased with the price levels you find on almost every product.

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Earnings highlights: Apollo Group, Family Dollar, Kroger, Deutsche Bank and others

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-07-06T10:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Ford Motor (F), Sprint Nextel Corp (S), H and R Block (HRB), Campbell Soup (CPB), Kroger Co (KR), Family Dollar Stores (FDO)

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) beat Q4 estimates on demand for unmanned aircraft.
Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) beat Q3 expectations on increased enrollment and tuition collection.
Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) predicted earnings at the high end of the previously announced range.
Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings, sending shares up.
Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB), in an effort to calm investors, said that it expects a Q2 profit.
Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) beat Q3 expectations and raised its Q4 guidance.
H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) posted solid Q4 and full-year results and boosted its dividend.
Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) posted record Q1 EPS and in-line guidance, and its share buybacks continue.
Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) warned of lower Q2 earnings due to slowing demand and lower prices.
Robbins & Myers Inc. (NYSE: RBN) beat Q3 expectations and raised its Q4 and full-year outlook.
Thornburg Mortgage Inc. (NYSE: TMA) 2007 results are being investigated by the SEC.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) cut its full-year outlook due to changing business trends.

More highlights from this past week: BP, Discover, Corel, Citigroup, WD-40, MSCI and others

Also, Peter Cohan points out that a bear market means low earnings expectations, and also that negative surprises are likely to outweigh positive ones in the second half of the year. Aaron Katsman, on the other hand, predicts a rebound for earnings in the second half. And BusinessWeek reminds us that cheap stocks -- even with big names such as Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), and Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) -- are no bargain if they have no earnings.

Upcoming results to watch for include Alcoa (NYSE: AA), Pepsi Bottling Group (NYSE: PBG), Marriott International (NYSE: MAR), and General Electric (NYSE: GE).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Family Dollar and Apollo Group top earnings expectations

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-07-02T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Family Dollar Stores (FDO)

Discount-store operator Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) reported that its fiscal third-quarter profit rose as more consumers sought bargains on food and other items. And Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) said Tuesday its fiscal third-quarter profit rose as increased advertising of its educational programs attracted new students.

Family Dollar earnings for the quarter ended May 31 rose 7% from the year-ago period to $64.7 million, or 46 cents per share. Total revenue rose 2.9% to $1.7 billion, with same-store sales rising only 0.1%.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected a profit of 40 cents per share on revenue of $1.7 billion.

The company said a rise in the average amount customers spent per transaction helped offset lower store traffic, and that cost and inventory controls also benefited results.

Family Dollar raised its fiscal fourth-quarter guidance by a penny.

Shares rose $2.81 to $23.10 in morning trading. The share price is up 16.9% year to date.

Apollo Group, which owns the University of Phoenix, reported that its net income totaled $139.1 million, or 85 cents per share, compared with earnings of $131.4 million, or 75 cents per share, in the same period of last year. Excluding special items, the company said it made $140.1 million, or 85 cents a share.

The Phoenix-based company said it expanded enrollment and became more efficient at collecting tuition. Quarterly revenue rose 14% to $835.2 million.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had been looking for earnings of 78 cents per share and sales of $806.9 million.

Shares jumped $7.24, or 15.7%, to $53.50 in after-hours trading Tuesday, and continued to rise to $57.94 Wednesday morning. The share price has risen 30.7% in the past three months.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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The week in preview: End of the quarter earnings

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-06-29T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Forecasts, Ford Motor (F), H and R Block (HRB), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Economic data

Given that it's the end of the quarter, as well as the U.S. Independence Day holiday on Friday, next week looks to be pretty quiet as far as earnings go. But there are a few things of note.

Tax preparation company H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter results Monday after market close. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial on average expect the company to report net income of $2.03 per share on revenue of $2.5 billion. That's an increase of more than 10% over EPS a year ago. H&R Block has tended to fall short of estimates recently, and rival Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) missed its EPS estimates earlier this month. Still, analysts recommend buying HRB. Shares have risen 12.1% year to date, and the long-term EPS growth forecast is 11.7%.

Alcoholic beverage maker and distributor Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) is scheduled to report its fiscal first-quarter results Tuesday morning. Analysts are looking for earnings of 31 cents per share, up 32.3% from the same period of the previous year, on revenue of $906.1 million. Constellation has tended toward positive surprises recently, by 8 cents, or 33.8%, in the previous quarter. However, analysts recommend holding STZ and have for more than 90 days., even though the long-term EPS growth forecast is 12.3%. Although shares have risen 9.0% in the past three months, they are down 16.8% year to date.

Phoenix-based education company Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL) is scheduled to report its fiscal third-quarter results late Tuesday. Analysts on average are expecting the company to report net income of 78 cents per share -- the same as in the year ago period -- on revenue of $806.9 million. When it comes to meeting expectations, lately Apollo has a mixed record -- it fell short by 11 cents, or more than 20%, in the previous quarter. Analysts recommend buying APOL and have for more than 90 days. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 14.0%. Though shares have risen 4.2% in the past three months, they are down 31.6% year to date.

Wednesday morning should bring the third-quarter earnings release from the second-largest dollar store chain in the U.S., Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO). Rivals Dollar Tree (NYSE: DLTR) and Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) recently beat EPS expectations. From Family Dollar, analysts on average are looking for earnings of 40 cents per share -- the same as in the year ago period -- on revenue of $1.7 billion. Family Dollar results have generally been in line with Wall Street estimates, though it did beat by 3 cents in the previous quarter. Analysts recommend holding FDO and have for more than 90 days. Shares have fallen 44.4% in the past year, but the long-term EPS growth forecast is 12.7%.

Other economic data coming out next week to keep an eye on:

ISM manufacturing (June 2008), Tuesday, 10 a.m. ET
Construction spending (May 2008), Tuesday, 10 a.m. ET
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) sales (June 2008), Tuesday, 1 p.m. ET
New motor vehicle sales (June 2008), Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET
Factory orders (May 2008), Wednesday 10 a.m. ET
Employment situation (June 2008), Thursday 8:30 a.m. ET
ISM non-manufacturing (June 2008), Thursday, 10 a.m. ET

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Market highlights for next week: Ford and GM to report monthly sales

Eric Buscemi — 2008-06-27T16:17:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Forecasts, Conventions and conferences, Annual meetings, Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI), H and R Block (HRB), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Texas Instruments (TXN)

Monday, June 30

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 8:00am on Tuesday.
InteractiveCorp (NASDAQ:IACI) to give operational update.

Tuesday, July 1

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 10:00am.
Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) to discuss enhanced financial reporting structure at 11:00am.
Ford (NYSE:F) to report June sales at 1:00pm; General Motors (GM) to report June sales at 2:00pm.
Apollo Group (NASDAQ:APOL) to report Q3 earnings; conference call at 5:00pm.

Wednesday, July 2

Family Dollar (NYSE:FDO) to report Q3 earnings; conference call at 10:00am.

Thursday, July 3

Corel Corp (NASDAQ:CREL) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 8:00am.
Stolt-nielsen to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 9:00am.

Friday, July 4

Markets closed for Fourth of July holiday.

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Dollar Tree (DLTR): Shares cycle in bullish 'flag' pattern

Larry Schutts — 2008-06-02T14:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Technical Analysis, Stocks to Buy

Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) runs a network of about 3,500 discount variety stores in 48 states, operating under Dollar Tree, Deal$ and Dollar Bills banners. The stores offer housewares, toys, seasonal items, food, health and beauty aids, gifts and books. All items are priced at one dollar, or less. The outlets are generally located in high-traffic strip centers, anchored by mass merchandisers and supermarkets. Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO) is a major competitor.

The firm pleased investors last week, when it reported Q1 EPS of 48 cents. That was six cents above the average Street estimate. Revenues of $1.05 billion were in-line with the company preannouncement. Management also guided Q2 EPS to 33-36 cents (36 cent consensus), Q2 revenues to $1.045-$1.075 billion ($1.04B consensus), FY09 EPS to $2.23-$2.39 ($2.33 consensus) and FY09 revenues to $4.52-$4.63 billion ($4.58B consensus). Wedbush Morgan and Friedman Billings subsequently reiterated "buy" ratings on the shares.

The stock popped on the news and has since begun to define a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern. Prices frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Altogether, brokers recommend the issue with three "strong buys", three "buys" and eight "holds". The DLTR EPS Growth rate (26.32%), Return on Assets (11.70%), Return on Investment (14.58%) and Return on Equity (19.37%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutional investors hold about 97% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 400 MidCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $20.72 and $45.98. A stop-loss of $31.50 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in either of the stocks mentioned above.

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Earnings highlights: UBS, Best Buy, RIM, Monsanto, Family Dollar and others

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-04-05T09:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Best Buy (BBY), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Research in Motion (RIMM), Red Hat Inc (RHT)

As one quarter rolls over into the next, here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) beat fourth-quarter expectations and offered a positive outlook for fiscal 2009.
CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) beat Wall Street earnings estimates for the fourth quarter.
Citi Trends Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRN) beat fourth-quarter estimates and offered a rosy outlook for fiscal 2009.
Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) swung to a fourth-quarter loss but beat estimates.
Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO) beat second-quarter estimates but slashed its full-year outlook.
Immucor Inc. (NASDAQ: BLUD) beat third-quarter expectations and offered a positive full-year outlook.
Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) beat second-quarter expectations but the full-year outlook disappointed.
Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) third-quarter earnings surged on strong demand and higher crop prices.
Paychex Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYX) results on path to continue an 18-year earnings/revenue growth streak.
Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT) posted solid fourth-quarter results on strength of JBoss and other offerings.
Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) fourth-quarter earnings and revenue more than doubled.
Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT) third-quarter earnings beat low expectations; full-year outlook is bleak.
Scholastic Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHL) announced disappointing third-quarter results post-Harry Potter.
UBS (NYSE: UBS) writes off $19 million for the first quarter and shows chairman the door.

Also, prospects look grim for some newspapers. The financial crisis in the U.S. prompted the IMF to cut its global growth forecast.

Upcoming results to watch for include Alcoa (NYSE: AA), Circuit City Stores (NYSE: CC), Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY), and General Electric (NYSE: GE).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Family Dollar Stores (FDO) reports weak profit amid economic slowdown

Eliza Popescu — 2008-04-04T11:58:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Forecasts, Bad news, Consumer experience, Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Recession

Shares of retailer Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE:FDO) have been taking a hit in early trading as the company slashed its full-year earnings outlook amid tumbling market conditions.The retailer was able to post better-than-expected earnings numbers but this was not enough to reassure investors who pushed the stock down over 1%.

Family Dollar Stores announced that its second quarter profit had dropped 30% to $63.3 million, down from $90.5 million reported in the same period a year ago when the company benefited from an extra week of holiday sales. The retailer posted quarterly earnings of 45 cents a share, slightly higher the 42 cents a share that analysts expected.

The company posted a drop of 6% in its second-quarter revenue to $1.83 billion, down from $1.95 billion a year earlier. Analysts forecast revenue of $1.84 billion in the quarter, according to Thomson Financial. The drop in revenue came as the retailer had to face a difficult consumer environment brought by the U.S. housing market slowdown, high gas prices and credit crisis.

Looking at same stores sales (sales at stores open at least 12 months), the company expects a decline in a range of 4% and 5% for the month of March. Family Dollar blamed limited discretionary spending that came as a reaction to the difficult economic environment.

The retailer is not too optimistic about the future and anticipates further pressure on consumer spending. A rebound for the company's earnings is expected only at the end of this year when "the pending government stimulus package will bring some much needed relief."

Back in January, Family Dollar had cut its earnings forecast and now it did it again. As a result, the company now expects 2008 earnings in a range between $1.50 and $1.60 a share, while analysts predicted a profit of $ 1.50 a share. For the third quarter, Family Dollar anticipates earnings of 39 cents to 44 cents a share, while analysts, on average, were waiting for earnings of 43 cents.

Eliza Popescu is a financial writer for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.

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Market highlights for next week: Best Buy and Research in Motion to report earnings

Eric Buscemi — 2008-03-28T17:57:00+00:00

Filed under: Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), Best Buy (BBY), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Research in Motion (RIMM)

Monday, March 31

InterOil Corporation (AMEX: IOC) to report quarterly earnings; conference call at 8:30am.
Fed Reserve San Fransisco Bank President Janet Yellen to speak about foreclosures at 12:00pm.

Tuesday, April 1

Happy April Fools Day, watch out for pranks!
A-Power Energy Generation Systems (NASDAQ: APWR) to report quarterly earnings; conference call at 9:00am.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) to report monthly sales, Ford at 1:00pm, GM at 2:00pm.

Wednesday, April 2

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 10:00am.
Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 5:00pm.
PDUFA date for FDA Neurochem, Inc. (NASDAQ: NRMX)'s Kiacta, formerly Fibrillex, for Amlyoid Amyloidosis.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to testify to the Joint Economic Committee at 9:30am.

Thursday, April 3

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 10:00am.
Fed Reserve San Fransisco Bank President Janet Yellen to speak on the economy at Stanford University at 7:30pm.

Friday, April 4

FTC to host a meeting on the transition to digital television at 9:00am.
Family Dollar, Inc. (NYSE: FDO) to report quarterly earnings; conference call at 10:00am.
AZZ Incorporated (NYSE: AZZ) to report quarterly earnings; conference call at 11:00am.

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Wal-Mart (WMT) at 52-week high as Wall Street rises

Melly Alazraki — 2008-03-24T12:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Major movement, Earnings reports, Wal-Mart (WMT), Walgreen Co (WAG), Target Corp. (TGT), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Technical Analysis, Bear Stearns Cos (BSC)

It all started with JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) upping its bid for Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) from $2 to $10 a share. Then, we had some good news from the ailing housing sector. Not that anyone is calling a bottom in the sector yet, but February's existing-home sales actually increased and came in above expectations.

The result? Wall Street is rising, with the Dow industrials climbing over 200 points (211 as I write this). The broader S&P 500 is not shying from the rally either, soaring 1.8%, and the Nasdaq composite is up a cool 2.75%.

It is no surprise then to find that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) actually set a new 52-week high today, climbing to $54.15 before settling back a bit at $53.76, or 1% higher. While no specific news is driving Wal-Mart at the moment, its stock has seen nice price movement lately, as many have bet the discount retailer would fare well in a slowing economy / recession.

Theflyonthewall.com believes that the breakout is technical, saying that after the $51.50-$52 level served as a "major overhead resistance area for 3 years and was a major support area for the 2 years prior," WMT could break out if it climbed above that level. Not only that, but "breakouts of this type, which have developed over a long period of dull range trading, often produce extreme and persistent movement in the direction of the breakout." Meaning, that if the stock doesn't revert back, we could see WMT shares gain strong upward momentum.

While perhaps not breaching 52-week records, other retailers are performing well today too. Continued falling commodity prices have eased inflation concerns, putting retailers back in favor. Target (NYSE: TGT) shares are climbing nearly 2.5%; Walgreen (NYSE: WAG), which has reported a 5% earnings growth, is seeing its shares rise over 5.3%; and Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO), another discount store, is soaring over 6%.

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Earnings highlights: Alcoa, KB Home, Capital One, Family Dollar, and others

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-01-12T14:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Alcoa Inc (AA), American Express (AXP), Tiffany and Co (TIF), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), KB HOME (KBH), duPont(E.I.)deNemours (DD)

Here are a few highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE: AYI) missed estimates due to restructuring after the spin-off of Zep Inc.
Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) easily beat earnings estimates, due to the impeding sale of some businesses.
American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) warned that it would take a charge against fourth quarter earnings.
Apollo Group (NASDAQ: APOL) posted a solid quarter on student enrollment and retention.
AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ) beat earnings expectations and offered revised guidance.
Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) lowered its fourth quarter and full year earnings forecast.
Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) third quarter profit rose on growth in the domestic wine business.
EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD) lifted its outlook on strength in agriculture and nutrition business.
Family Dollar Stores (NYSE: FDO) earnings were in line with estimates, despite lower same-store sales.
Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (NYSE: GAP) posted a strong quarter, helped by the sale of Metro Inc.

Jefferies Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF) warned of a fourth quarter loss due to market conditions.
KB Home (NYSE: KBH) posted a much bigger than expected loss due to market conditions.
Men's Wearhouse Inc. (NYSE: MW) lowered its fourth quarter earnings forecast on weak sales.
Ruby Tuesday Inc. (NYSE: RT) swung to a loss due to remodeling costs and weak sales.
Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE: SGR) swung to a profit on strong demand for power projects.
Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU) posted solid third quarter results but lowered its full-year outlook.
Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) lowered its guidance on a decrease in same-store sales.

Also, Peter Cohan looks at the big banks ahead of their quarterly reports. Aaron Katsman examines the earnings prospects of Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW). The prospects for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), and others has Jim Cramer bullish on tech stocks. Meanwhile, Ted Allrich reminds us of the value of judging stocks by past performance.

Upcoming results to watch for include Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Citigroup (NYSE: C), JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), IBM (NYSE: IBM), and General Electric (NYSE: GE).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Cramer on BloggingStocks: The gloomy consensus bet's still right

Jim Cramer — 2008-01-09T10:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Market matters, AT and T (T), Brinker Intl (EAT), Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM), Countrywide Financial (CFC), D.R.Horton (DHI), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), duPont(E.I.)deNemours (DD), Deere and Co (DE), Cramer on BloggingStocks, Bunge Ltd. (BG)

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says it's still too early to get contrarian about the universal negativity on retail.

Squeeze?

DuPont (NYSE: DD) (Cramer's Take) better than expected. Countrywide (NYSE: CFC) (Cramer's Take) puts up numbers that don't seem bankruptish. We could have a day's respite from the gloom. We certainly are owed one, at least in Nasdaq land.

Plus, when you go out with people from the trading desks, you are overwhelmed by the negativity.

Last night at a buy-side/sell-side dinner, a smart guy I know who loves the short side tried to make a case for some down-and-out airlines and retailers. He's a price guy, meaning that he believes everything has a price and that you have to start looking at a Lowe's (LOW) here or a Macy's (M) because if you start buying now, put some on, you will be getting a pretty decent risk-reward ratio.

I thought people were going to throw things at him. He was immediately ridiculed as someone who didn't understand what's out there, the collapse of consumer spending as evidenced by Brinker's (NYSE: EAT) (Cramer's Take) Chili's, AT&T (NYSE: T) (Cramer's Take), Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO) (Cramer's Take) and all of the other usual suspects Tuesday.

The lone long persisted, pointing out that Chico's (NYSE: CHS) (Cramer's Take) and Talbots (NYSE: TLB) (Cramer's Take) have come down so much. (The latter has a suspiciously high dividend for a retailer and is clearly having a hard time.) He argued that there is some brand value.

Everyone laughed.

Now, I would tell you that every company he mentioned at this dinner probably will miss numbers. We know from the action in every company that has missed numbers that there are endless sellers, people who genuinely just discovered that they were on something gone awry.

But the universal nature of the scoffing at him made me take notice.

Now, if you had said anything, word one, positive about housing for the last 18 months you have been hounded, and the hounders would have been right.

Retail has a huge housing component when it comes to spending. But the housing companies have horrible balance sheets. Do you really feel that Hovnanian (NYSE: HOV) (Cramer's Take) and Pulte (NYSE: PHM) (Cramer's Take) and D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) (Cramer's Take) and Beazer (NYSE: BZH) (Cramer's Take) and Standard Pacific (NYSE: SPF) (Cramer's Take) can make it? How about Countrywide, despite numbers to the contrary this morning, or E*Trade (NASDAQ: ETFC) (Cramer's Take), despite restructuring, or the Gang of Four -- MGIC (NYSE: MTG) (Cramer's Take), Ambac (NYSE: ABK) (Cramer's Take), MBIA (NYSE: MBI) (Cramer's Take) and PMI (NYSE: PMI) (Cramer's Take)?

I think that sector has been bleeding and will continue to bleed.

I am simply saying that profitable companies with good brands and decent balance sheets will survive.

And if something, anything, good happens here, you won't be able to get anywhere near these prices.

Of course, the issue is with gold and platinum and corn at all-time highs, with the Fed intransigent, with oil skyrocketing still, what could possibly be good?

Nothing's gotten better in the macro picture, it has only gotten worse.

One day that will change. But until then, the consensus looks like the right bet.

Random musings: The only game in town, agriculture, strikes again with a big quarter from Mosaic (NYSE: MOS) (Cramer's Take). REIT BUY: BG (NYSE: BG) (Cramer's Take), MOS, AGU (NYSE: AGU) (Cramer's Take), MON (NYSE: MON) (Cramer's Take), DE (NYSE: DE) (Cramer's Take), ADM (NYSE: ADM) (Cramer's Take).

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Please note that due to factors including low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float, we consider Hovnanian, Beazer and Standard Pacific to be small-cap stocks. You should be aware that such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information, and that postings such as this one can have an effect on their stock prices. At the time of publication, Cramer had no positions in any of the stocks mentioned in this post.
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Jim Cramer is a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. He contributes daily market commentary for TheStreet.com's sites and serves as an adviser to the company's CEO.

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Additional Tuesday earnings reports

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-01-08T19:26:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Family Dollar Stores (FDO)

Other companies reporting quarterly results on Tuesday included the following:

Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ): Third-quarter profit rose 11 percent, lifted by strong liquor sales, a growth in North American wine business, and acquisition of Svedka vodka. Profit for the quarter ended November 30 rose to $119.6 million, or 55 cents a share, from $107.8 million, or 45 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected 55 cents per share on revenue of $1.04 billion. However, Constellation lowered its full-year profit outlook, in part due to costs from its recent acquisition of Fortune Brands Inc.

Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE: AYI): Fiscal 2008 first-quarter earnings fell 7 percent, as a restructuring charge offset higher pricing and increased sales. The company earned $31.1 million, or 72 cents per share, compared with $33.6 million, or 77 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. Analysts had expected profit of 82 cents per share on revenue of $500.6 million, according to analysts polled by Thomson Financial. Revenue increased 7% to $508.9 million, from $477.6 million a year ago. The special charge was related to planned actions to streamline operations as a result of the spin-off of Zep Inc.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO): Fiscal 2008 first-quarter profits fell 4% as consumers cut back on discretionary spending; same-store sales fell 1%. Net income for the quarter ending December 1 was $51.9 million, or 37 cents per share, as compared to a profit of $54.1 million, or 36 cents per share in the year ago quarter. Revenue rose 5% to $1.68 billion, from $1.6 billion a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected a profit of 37 cents per share on revenue of $1.69 billion.

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (NYSE: GAP): Third-quarter profit for the parent company of A&P supermarkets climbed 41%, helped by the sale of the Metro Inc. supermarket chain. For the period ended December 1, net income rose to $57.3 million, or $1.35 per share, compared with $40.7 million, or 97 cents per share, in the prior year. Revenue grew 3% to $1.25 billion from $1.21 billion a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had predicted a loss of 48 cents per share on sales of $1.32 billion. Same-store sales grew 3.1% in the quarter.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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StockWatch: Between the Bells with Amey Stone

Barry Summerlin — 2007-11-30T14:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Wal-Mart (WMT), Citigroup Inc. (C), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Sears Holdings (SHLD), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Activision Inc (ATVI), Nordstrom, Inc (JWN), Stocks to Buy, Stocks to Sell, Videos

Looking for stocks to stick under the family Miracle Tree? In this edition of StockWatch: Between the Bells, Amey Stone, business author and editor of BloggingStocks, shares a few stock plays for the holiday season.

Won't your little rocker be stoked if you take a stake in Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI)? The long-time video game maker has had monster success with its Guitar Hero franchise and should enjoy heavy Christmas sales of the latest volume, Guitar Hero III. For the fashionable in your family, Amey suggests Deckers Outdoors (NASDAQ: DECK), makers of the popular Ugg boots. Deckers' shares slipped a little at mid-month but are recently back on the rise.

Also parents, Amey suggests you stuff those stockings with savings bonds, and teach those kids the virtue of patience and how to appreciate appreciation.

Of course, Amey has her inner Grinch as well, and bears a sack full of bad news. With an ever-slowing economy and continuing crises in real estate and the credit markets, Amey calls this unquestionably a bear market. With belts tightened this holiday, she suggests you avoid Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD) and other low-cost retailers, as well as chain discounters like Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) and Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO). As an alternative, Amey recommends looking at upscale department store Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN); the higher-end buyers served by the luxury retailer are less likely to be impacted by rising oil and gas prices.

Amey also sees more bumps ahead for the financial sector, and echoes other StockWatch contributors that it's too soon to return to depressed financial players like Citigroup (NYSE: C) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM).

Want more StockWatch? Check out these recent interviews:

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