Seeking Alpha
Simon Property Group (SPG)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010 11:00 am ET
Complete Story »
Ultra Petroleum (UPL)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010 11:00 am ET
Complete Story »
Digimarc Corp. (DMRC)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010 11:00 am ET
Complete Story »
Everest Re Group Ltd. (RE)
Q2 2010 Earnings Conference Call
July 29, 2010 10:30 am ET
Complete Story »
DPL, Inc. (DPL)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010
Complete Story »
Preferred Bank (PFBC)
Q2 2010 Earnings Conference Call
July 29, 2010, 5:00 PM ET
Complete Story »
Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIV)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010 1:00 PM EST
Complete Story »
CH Energy Group Inc. (CHG)
Q2 2010 Earnings Conference Call
July 30, 2010 2:00 pm ET
Complete Story »
Trinity Industries Inc. (TRN)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 29, 2010 11:00 am ET
Complete Story »
Biomed Realty Trust Inc., (BMR)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 29, 2010 01:00 pm ET
Complete Story » Zacks.com submits:
First Solar Inc. (FSLR) surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.60 by 24 cents to reach $1.84 in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. However, it fell short of the year-ago quarterly EPS of $2.11.
Operational Performance
Complete Story » Calafia Beach Pundit submits:
click to enlarge
Although first-time claims for unemployment have been basically flat so far this year, the big change that is visible in the labor market is that the number of people receiving unemployment insurance has dropped by almost one third so far this year (green line in the chart above). This may reflect the fact that more people are finding jobs, but it also may reflect the fact that more people are getting desperate to find a job since they no longer are receiving jobless benefits.
Complete Story »
MarineMax, Inc. (HZO)
F3Q10 Earnings Conference Call
July 29, 2010 10:00 AM ET
Complete Story » ETF Database submits:
After a disappointing GDP growth number sent the markets lower to start the day, equities surged back in afternoon trading to finish the day at breakeven, with only the Nasdaq registering a measurable gain posting an increase of 0.1%. This came as a result of the U.S. reporting Q2 GDP growth of just 2.4%, slightly less than the expected reading of 2.5%. This news sent traditional safe-havens such as T-Bills and gold into higher demand; 10 Year yields fell to 2.9% while gold gained 1.1% to finish the day at the $1,181/oz. mark. However, traders were boosted by two unexpectedly higher reports later in the day which helped the markets to make up much of their losses in the final day of July trading. The University of Michigan/Reuters consumer sentiment index for July rose slightly more than expected to 67.8 from a preliminary reading of 66.5. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sectors saw a boost from the Chicago PMI which rose to 62.3 this month from a 59.1 reading in June. This was especially bullish since economists had predicted a drop to 56.5 which helped to leave stocks on a level footing heading into August trading next week.
One of the biggest winners in the ETFdb 60 was the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) which extended its winning streak by posting a gain of 1.9% on the day. This boost came after traders continued to buy the commodity on a hot August outlook and concerns over Gulf hurricane activity. Traders were also buoyed by robust profits from several large oil companies who are seeing increased dependence on natural gas to generate revenues. This trend looks likely to continue in the near future and could lead to more production and utilization of the fuel which would be bullish for UNG. “We are already seeing international and national oil companies buying US gas assets – and this is a trend we expect to continue,” predicts Mark Lacey, manager of Investec’s global energy fund. “The rationale for this spate of activity is that US gas is extremely cheap. It is priced at the equivalent oil price of less than $30 per barrel. Gas is also a much cleaner source of energy relative to coal and fuel oil, and these assets have a resource life of over 20 years.”
Complete Story » Vitaliy N. Katsenelson, CFA submits:
Investors are understandably scared of the sovereign debt crisis unfolding in Europe. Amid their angst, however, they are ignoring a more likely, and significantly larger, debt catastrophe that is about to hit the nation with the second-largest economy in the world — Japan. Two decades of stimulative, low-interest-rate fiscal policy have made Japan the most indebted nation in the developed world, and as new Prime Minister Naoto Kan recently said, in his first address to Parliament, that situation is not sustainable. Japan has little choice but to raise interest rates substantially, with dire consequences far beyond its shores.
The prelude to the current crisis began in the early 1990s, after Japan’s housing and stock market bubbles burst and its economy slipped into recession. For the next 20 years, using flashy names like Fiscal Structural Reform Act, Emergency Employment Measures and Policy Measures of Economic Rebirth, the government cut taxes, increased spending and borrowed money to finance itself. Today, Japan’s ratio of debt to gross domestic product stands at almost 200 percent, more than twice that of the U.S. and Germany and second only to Zimbabwe.
Complete Story »
Fortune Brands (FO)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010 10:00 am ET
Complete Story » Trefis submits:
Wal-Mart (WMT), which competes with Costco (COST), Target (TGT) and Best Buy (BBY), is by far the largest retailer in the world with more than $400 billion in store revenues as of 2009. We currently have a Trefis price estimate of $65 for Wal-Mart’s stock, about 27% above the current market price of around $51.
Trefis members have created forecasts for two key drivers of Wal-Mart’s stock over the last week: (1) Wal-Mart US Gross Profit Margin and (2) Revenue per Square Foot. The members forecast suggest that Wal-Mart US Gross Profit Margin will trend higher than the Trefis forecast, while Revenue per Square Foot will be in-line. These projections indicate a combined upside of around 14% for Wal-Mart’s stock.
Complete Story » Trefis submits:
Ford (F) competes with other automotive companies like Daimler AG, Toyota Motor Corp (TM) and Honda Motor Compa (HMC). We currently have a Trefis price estimate of around $14 for Ford’s stock, about 10% above the current market price of around $13.
Trefis members have created forecasts for two key drivers of Ford’s stock over the last week: (1) Ford Car Market Share in North America and (2) Ford Truck Market Share in North America. The members’ forecast suggest that Ford Car Market Share in North America as well as Ford Truck Market Share in North America will trend higher than the Trefis forecast. These projections indicate a combined upside of around 12% for Ford’s stock.
Complete Story » Trefis submits:
In its most recent earnings report, U.S. telecom giant AT&T (T) reported a sharp increase in its spending on wireless network technology. AT&T competes primarily with Verizon (VZ) and Sprint (S) in the wireless business.
AT&T’s wireless capital spending grew by nearly 50% in the second quarter of 2010 compared to the year-ago quarter. While this spending obviously hurts AT&T’s cash flow, it has also delivered significant subscriber benefits, including faster download speeds, fewer blocked calls and reduced call drop rates. We also note that AT&T’s average monthly revenue per per user and IP data revenue from businesses both increased in the second quarter.
Complete Story » Tom Lydon submits:
ETFs are cheap, but that doesn’t mean they’re not getting cheaper. One gold fund provider is engaging in a good old-fashioned price war to entice gold traders to its side of the camp, and it appears to be working.
On July 1, BlackRock lowered the annual expenses on its gold ETF the iShares Comex Gold Trust ETF (IAU) to 0.25% from 0.40%, writes William Baldwin for Forbes. Market leader in gold ETFs, State Street-managed SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) is maintaining its 0.40% expense ratio.
Complete Story » Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit:
Earlier we noted how S&P 500 stocks were doing on their report days. Below we break down 1-day average performance on earnings report days for stocks in each sector. As shown, Consumer Staples stocks have been the most volatile on earnings this season. The average stock in the sector has gained 1.2% on its report day, which is the best of all ten sectors. The average Staples stock that has beaten estimates is up 3.2% on the day, while the average stock that has missed has gotten crushed at -9.5%.
Four sectors have averaged declines on their report days -- Telecom, Utilities, Technology, and Energy. Utilities and Telecom stocks that have beaten estimates have averaged declines on their report days. Technology stocks that have beaten have gained an average of 1.5% on the day, but stocks in the sector that have missed have declined 5.6%. Health Care and Materials stocks have done the second and third best this season, averaging +0.7% and +0.6% on their respective report days. Financials, Consumer Discretionary, and Industrials are in the middle of the pack.
Complete Story »
Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (BHE)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 29, 2010 10:00 am ET
Complete Story » Michael Johnston submits:
By Cathy Carlson
The last few years have seen no shortage of innovations in the ETF space. Opportunistic issuers have capitalized on a shift in investor mentality by rolling out ETFs offering never-before-seen levels of granularity in emerging markets. IndexIQ introduced hedge fund replication ETFs, a line of products that initially drew skepticism but has now been embraced by investors looking to add non-correlated assets to their portfolios. Geary Advisors rolled out the first state-specific ETFs, two products that have turned in rather impressive performances.
Complete Story » Jason Cimpl submits:
The market activity was discombobulated on Thursday, which kept us on the sideline all day today.
I challenged readers to explain how bonds were down, stocks were down, gold was up, oil was up and the euro was up. The number of people who read yesterday's alert were in the thousands, but I didn't get any replies. The market remained tricky again. Today every class was up, except the market was flat and euro traded down. The market is sorting out great corporate profits alongside tepid economic growth.
Complete Story » Tim Iacono submits:
David Rosenberg was on Tech Ticker the other day talking about the growth prospects for the U.S. economy, his dour view of things increasingly aligning with the real world after each passing week and each new batch of economic data.
Complete Story »
Call start: 11:00
Call End:
Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc (SUSQ)
Complete Story »
Arctic Cat Inc (ACAT)
F1Q11 (Qtr End 06/30/10) Earnings Call
Jul 29, 2010 11:30 am ET
Complete Story »
Brush Engineered Materials Inc. (BW)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010 11:00 am ET
Complete Story »
Chevron (CVX)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call
July 30, 2010 11:00 am ET
Complete Story »
Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PEG)
Q2 2010 Earnings Call Transcript
July 30, 2010 11:00 am ET
Complete Story »
First Solar Beats, Raises Guidance; Shares Plunge
First Solar Inc. (FSLR) surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.60 by 24 cents to reach $1.84 in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. However, it fell short of the year-ago quarterly EPS of $2.11.
Operational Performance
Big Changes on the Margin in the Jobs Market
click to enlarge
Although first-time claims for unemployment have been basically flat so far this year, the big change that is visible in the labor market is that the number of people receiving unemployment insurance has dropped by almost one third so far this year (green line in the chart above). This may reflect the fact that more people are finding jobs, but it also may reflect the fact that more people are getting desperate to find a job since they no longer are receiving jobless benefits.
Friday ETF Roundup: EWJ Sinks, UNG Continues Higher
After a disappointing GDP growth number sent the markets lower to start the day, equities surged back in afternoon trading to finish the day at breakeven, with only the Nasdaq registering a measurable gain posting an increase of 0.1%. This came as a result of the U.S. reporting Q2 GDP growth of just 2.4%, slightly less than the expected reading of 2.5%. This news sent traditional safe-havens such as T-Bills and gold into higher demand; 10 Year yields fell to 2.9% while gold gained 1.1% to finish the day at the $1,181/oz. mark. However, traders were boosted by two unexpectedly higher reports later in the day which helped the markets to make up much of their losses in the final day of July trading. The University of Michigan/Reuters consumer sentiment index for July rose slightly more than expected to 67.8 from a preliminary reading of 66.5. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sectors saw a boost from the Chicago PMI which rose to 62.3 this month from a 59.1 reading in June. This was especially bullish since economists had predicted a drop to 56.5 which helped to leave stocks on a level footing heading into August trading next week.
One of the biggest winners in the ETFdb 60 was the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) which extended its winning streak by posting a gain of 1.9% on the day. This boost came after traders continued to buy the commodity on a hot August outlook and concerns over Gulf hurricane activity. Traders were also buoyed by robust profits from several large oil companies who are seeing increased dependence on natural gas to generate revenues. This trend looks likely to continue in the near future and could lead to more production and utilization of the fuel which would be bullish for UNG. “We are already seeing international and national oil companies buying US gas assets – and this is a trend we expect to continue,” predicts Mark Lacey, manager of Investec’s global energy fund. “The rationale for this spate of activity is that US gas is extremely cheap. It is priced at the equivalent oil price of less than $30 per barrel. Gas is also a much cleaner source of energy relative to coal and fuel oil, and these assets have a resource life of over 20 years.”
Japan: Land of the Rising Debt
Investors are understandably scared of the sovereign debt crisis unfolding in Europe. Amid their angst, however, they are ignoring a more likely, and significantly larger, debt catastrophe that is about to hit the nation with the second-largest economy in the world — Japan. Two decades of stimulative, low-interest-rate fiscal policy have made Japan the most indebted nation in the developed world, and as new Prime Minister Naoto Kan recently said, in his first address to Parliament, that situation is not sustainable. Japan has little choice but to raise interest rates substantially, with dire consequences far beyond its shores.
The prelude to the current crisis began in the early 1990s, after Japan’s housing and stock market bubbles burst and its economy slipped into recession. For the next 20 years, using flashy names like Fiscal Structural Reform Act, Emergency Employment Measures and Policy Measures of Economic Rebirth, the government cut taxes, increased spending and borrowed money to finance itself. Today, Japan’s ratio of debt to gross domestic product stands at almost 200 percent, more than twice that of the U.S. and Germany and second only to Zimbabwe.
Higher U.S. Margins and Wal-Mart's Stock Price
Wal-Mart (WMT), which competes with Costco (COST), Target (TGT) and Best Buy (BBY), is by far the largest retailer in the world with more than $400 billion in store revenues as of 2009. We currently have a Trefis price estimate of $65 for Wal-Mart’s stock, about 27% above the current market price of around $51.
Trefis members have created forecasts for two key drivers of Wal-Mart’s stock over the last week: (1) Wal-Mart US Gross Profit Margin and (2) Revenue per Square Foot. The members forecast suggest that Wal-Mart US Gross Profit Margin will trend higher than the Trefis forecast, while Revenue per Square Foot will be in-line. These projections indicate a combined upside of around 14% for Wal-Mart’s stock.
Ford's Market Share Outlook Starting to Look Bullish
Ford (F) competes with other automotive companies like Daimler AG, Toyota Motor Corp (TM) and Honda Motor Compa (HMC). We currently have a Trefis price estimate of around $14 for Ford’s stock, about 10% above the current market price of around $13.
Trefis members have created forecasts for two key drivers of Ford’s stock over the last week: (1) Ford Car Market Share in North America and (2) Ford Truck Market Share in North America. The members’ forecast suggest that Ford Car Market Share in North America as well as Ford Truck Market Share in North America will trend higher than the Trefis forecast. These projections indicate a combined upside of around 12% for Ford’s stock.
AT&T: Increased Wireless Spending Could Drag Down Stock Price
In its most recent earnings report, U.S. telecom giant AT&T (T) reported a sharp increase in its spending on wireless network technology. AT&T competes primarily with Verizon (VZ) and Sprint (S) in the wireless business.
AT&T’s wireless capital spending grew by nearly 50% in the second quarter of 2010 compared to the year-ago quarter. While this spending obviously hurts AT&T’s cash flow, it has also delivered significant subscriber benefits, including faster download speeds, fewer blocked calls and reduced call drop rates. We also note that AT&T’s average monthly revenue per per user and IP data revenue from businesses both increased in the second quarter.
iShares Gold ETF Slashes Fees, Sees Results
ETFs are cheap, but that doesn’t mean they’re not getting cheaper. One gold fund provider is engaging in a good old-fashioned price war to entice gold traders to its side of the camp, and it appears to be working.
On July 1, BlackRock lowered the annual expenses on its gold ETF the iShares Comex Gold Trust ETF (IAU) to 0.25% from 0.40%, writes William Baldwin for Forbes. Market leader in gold ETFs, State Street-managed SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) is maintaining its 0.40% expense ratio.