BloggingStocks

Big company, small town: Ben & Jerry's, Waterbury, Vermont

Eric Buscemi — 2008-06-27T17:10:00+00:00

Filed under: Competitive strategy, Entrepreneurs, Unilever ADR (UL)

This post is part of our Big Company, Small Town series, featuring large companies and the small towns in which they are headquartered.

This entry in the Big Company, Small Town series features one of the great recent American business success stories, as this powerhouse brand came from very humble beginnings only 30 years ago.

Ben & Jerry's was started in 1978, when Long Island, N.Y., natives Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield used a $12,000 investment to open up a homemade ice cream scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont. The Ben & Jerry's shop grew rapidly in popularity, and by 1980 they began packing pints to sell in grocery stores. By 1985, the company's sales were more than $9 million, and it began building its manufacturing plant in nearby Waterbury, Vermont. The plant in Waterbury was then opened to the public for tours of Ben & Jerry's ice cream making operations, creating a tourist attraction for the town, which has a population of around 1,700.

Although Ben & Jerry's was bought in 2000 by Unilever (NYSE: UN) for $326 million, the company still maintains its local roots, with its headquarters in South Burlington and its factory still open for tours in Waterbury. The founders of Ben & Jerry's, while no longer holding any positions within the company, have worked with Unilever to make sure it remains as socially conscious as when they ran it, keeping that small-town, grassroots feel that made it such a success worldwide.

To this day, Ben & Jerry's maintains its Free Cone Day, which Ben & Jerry started to honor the first anniversary of their ice cream shop.

Be sure to check out more Big Company, Small Town posts.

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Earnings highlights: Anadarko, Disney, Coors, Unilever, Activision, Marvel and others

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-05-10T09:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Walt Disney (DIS), Activision Inc (ATVI), Symantec Corp (SYMC), Goldcorp Inc (GG), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Unilever ADR (UL), Marvel Entertainment (MVL)

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

Activision Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) posted stellar results on the popularity of Guitar Hero and Transformers.
Airgas Inc. (NYSE: ARG) beat Q4 estimtates with record earnings and raised its guidance.
Amkor Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: AMKR) beat Q1 expectations on strong demand for wireless.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) reported strong Q1 results that beat Wall Street estimates.
Barnes Group Inc. (NYSE: B) beat Q1 expectations on its "global reach" and raised its 2008 guidance.
Coinstar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) beat Q1 expectations and raised its full-year guidance.
DirecTV Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DTV) posted better-than-expected results and announced share buybacks.
Double-Take Software (NASDAQ: DBTK) beat Q1 expectations and raised its Q2 and 2008 guidance.
Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG) profits surged in the first quarter on record high gold prices.
ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) beat Q1 expectations and raised its full-year guidance.
Marvel Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: MVL) easily beat Q1 estimates and raised its full-year guidance.
Molson Coors Brewing Co. (NYSE: TAP) reported a surge in Q1 profits that beat Wall Street estimates.
Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) beat Q1 expectations and lifted its Q2 and 2008 forecasts.
Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) beat Q4 expectations and raised its Q1 outlook.
Transocean Inc. (NYSE: RIG) Q1 profits more than doubled due to soaring oil prices.
Unilever (NYSE: UL) posted strong results, with revenues beating estimates for the first time in six years.
UTStarcom Inc. (NASDAQ: UTSI) released a preliminary guidance well above expectations.
Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) posted better-than-expected results on success of its theme parks.

Also, Jim Cramer is pleased with Anadarko and other, similar energy players; Anadarko hit an all-time high on Thursday. A lack of earnings guidance from Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS) had investors skittish as the company began trading this week. And Steven Mallas takes issue with Disney's dividends in light of the good earnings report.

Upcoming results to watch for include Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), XM Satellite Radio Holdings (NASDAQ: XMSR), Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL), Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT), JC Penney (NYSE: JCP), Macy's (NYSE: M), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Unilever (UL) results a real beauty

Melly Alazraki — 2008-05-08T12:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Major movement, Earnings reports, Unilever ADR (UL)

Unilever (NYSE: UL) shares were climbing $1.68, or 5.17% to $34.15 in early trading this morning. This is after, according to Bloomberg, "the world's second-largest maker of food and detergent, said revenue will beat its forecast for the first time in six years."

Naturally, with rising commodity prices, I expected the company to feel at least a margin squeeze, but Unilever has been proactive and has raised prices 4.8% in the quarter to offset its rising costs. The company increased not only prices but also managed to grow sales of Dove soap, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton tea to post a first-quarter net income climb of 33% and exceed analysts' estimates.

Apparently, the company's Boursin cheese unit, which took the brunt of the price increase, also helped boost gains as revenue grew 7.2% and sales rose 14% in the Asia Africa region and 9.6% in Latin America, making up for disappointing growth in Europe.

Well, now analysts called the earnings excellent, and indeed, seeing such proactive moves is refreshing. The consumer product company has been rewarded from the aggressive action it has taken as it forecasts to beat its own growth goal.

While I know many male readers cringed each time they saw a Dove commercial from its Campaign for Real Beauty, but fact is the campaign was brilliant, at least among main Dove consumers -- females -- and it seems top management has been brilliant lately too. As the company continues to buy back shares, cut jobs and sell assets on top of showing it can handle the current economic climate, further share appreciation might be in the cards.

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Cramer on BloggingStocks: Europe is starting to eye U.S. gems

Jim Cramer — 2008-05-08T09:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Deals, Market matters, Allergan (AGN), Citigroup Inc. (C), Sprint Nextel Corp (S), Unilever ADR (UL), Stocks to Buy, Cramer on BloggingStocks

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the exchange rate plus massive undervaluations make the great brands prime targets.

There's always been a groupthink in Europe about currencies. The companies that want to buy American companies have, at times, seemed to care more about the currency, or at least not buying a company in a country whose currency is in decline, than they care about the actual target.

That's what it looks like now that a large German company and now a large Italian company have decided to start splurging. It is no coincidence that Deutsche Tel (NYSE: DT) (Cramer's Take) and Finmeccanica are exploring Sprint (NYSE: S) (Cramer's Take) and DRS (NYSE: DRS) (Cramer's Take). These companies are selling for something like 40% off for those bearing euros, and neither potential acquirer has debt problems or subprime issues, so the deals don't have big borrowing problems.

That's what I am thinking about when I see the better-than-expected figures today from Unilever (NYSE: UL) (Cramer's Take) and the other day from Nestle. These companies are part of that same groupthink. They are looking, no doubt, at a Heinz (NYSE: HNZ) (Cramer's Take) and thinking, "Wait, that's about a $10 billion company that's a global leader."

Or how about Allergan (NYSE: AGN) (Cramer's Take)? That was a $20 billion company that is down to $16 billion in dollars and about $12 billion as a translation to euros.

These are just too cheap for these companies to ignore, and much more of a healthy franchise than Sprint and a more important franchise than DRS.

We are all possessed right now with the "imminent" catastrophe of someone -- Citi (NYSE: C) (Cramer's Take), Cerberus, ResMed (NYSE: RMD) (Cramer's Take)? Somebody.

And those worries have continued to put a lid on many of our valuations. That, plus the subtle part of the slowdown -- botox use not accelerating that fast and breast augmentation slowing down in the U.S., as Allergan said to me last night on "Mad Money" -- makes people too nervous about some solid, non-financial situations.

Yesterday was really ugly. But this market doesn't have much of a memory. Go back over the franchises with great brands that have been crushed both here in stock and there in currency.

These are no longer going to be needles in a haystack.

Random musings: Like Quanta (NYSE: PWR) (Cramer's Take), a sleeper that I liked for utilities, Willbros (NYSE: WG) (Cramer's Take) -- a company that I was harping on as way too cheap and brought the CEO on "Mad Money" to bolster my case -- finally delivered the blowout I was looking for. I can understand anyone's desire to take profits on PWR or WG if you bought them at my direction, but these are really just "first good quarter" stocks, and I believe there is more ahead.

RELATED LINKS:

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. At the time of publication, Cramer had no positions in the stocks mentioned.

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Before the bell: UL, COST, WMT, LTD, CROX, HANS, MSFT ...

Melly Alazraki — 2008-05-08T08:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Earnings reports, Deals, Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO), Apple Inc (AAPL), Wal-Mart (WMT), Hansen Natural (HANS), Costco Wholesale (COST), Amer Intl Group (AIG), Limited Brands (LTD), Crocs Inc (CROX), Unilever ADR (UL)

Before the bell: Stocks could bounce back; retail sales, TM, BBY on tap

Unilever (NYSE: UL) is the world's second-largest maker of food and detergent, so you would expect the company to hurt with rising commodity prices. But Unilever has been proactive and has raised prices 4.8% in the quarter to offset its rising costs. In fact, the company said revenue will beat its forecast for the first time in six years on increased prices and sales of Dove soap, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Lipton tea. First-quarter net income climbed 33%, exceeding analysts' estimates.

As expected, April retail sales have so far indeed been strong, although there are some ares weakness is seen.

Costco (NASDAQ: COST) shares are up 1.2% in premarket trading after the warehouse club retailer said April same-store sales increased 8%, beating analysts' expectations of 6.1%.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) shares are also higher in premarket trading, up 1.8%, after the world's largest retailer, said same-store sales climbed 3.2%, beating the 2.1% forecast by analysts. Staying with Wal-Mart for a moment, it said it plans to invest millions in Canada and open more supercenters.
The more luxurious items, though, such as lingerie sold at Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD) have seen a slowdown as the company said that April same-store sales fell 5%, falling short of the 2.3% sales decline analysts had anticipated.

There was also some good news from Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX), which reported better-than-expected quarterly results after the close Wednesday with revenue climbing 40%. The plastic shoe maker affirmed its second-quarter and 2008 outlook and seen its shares jump 16% in premarket trading.

Meanwhile, as Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) keeps telling us it has no plans to make another approach for Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) after it pulled the plug on its $47.5 billion bid earlier this month, some say it could be interested in increasing its stake in Facebook.

In more earnings news: AIG (NYSE: AIG) is expected to report a first-quarter loss of 76 cents a share, when it reports after the close today. But Hansen Natural (NASDAQ: HANS) has already reported disappointing results after Wednesday's close and is seeing its shares fall 18% in premarket trading.

And Apple? That company isn't resting and Wednesday it signed a deal with America Movil SAB to bring the iPhone to Latin America.

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Procter & Gamble holds steady as consumer confidence plunges

Jonathan Berr — 2008-04-30T09:09:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Procter and Gamble (PG), Unilever ADR (UL)

Consumers these days are so lacking in confidence that all the therapy in the world probably couldn't help them. The housing market is in a tailspin, commodities are soaring and gas prices are nearing $4 a gallon. It is against this backdrop that Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) reported better-than-expected first quarter results.

Profit rose to $2.71 billion, or 82 cents per share, compared with $2.51 billion, or 74 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue rose 9% to $20.46 billion from $18.69 billion last year. The Cincinnati-based company was expected to earn 81 cents on revenue of $21.44 billion, according to Thomson Financial.

"P&G delivered strong results in-line with long-term targets in a challenging economic and competitive environment with broad-based sales and share growth, earnings growth and overhead cost improvement," said Chief Executive AG Lafley in the earnings release.

Shares of the maker of Tide (my favorite detergent) and Pampers (our family's preferred diaper for my son) have slumped more than 10% this year under-performing rivals including Church & Dwight Co. (NYSE: CHD) and Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL). Uniliver Plc. (NYSE: UL) has fared slightly worse than P&G.

So far, the P&G consumer is holding steady. Products including Febreeze, Fusion, Gain and Head & Shoulders "delivered at least high-single digit volume growth." That's impressive, but the question on everyone's mind is can P&G keep it up. Will people start avoiding its products such as Tide for cheaper alternatives? One of the laws of the shopping universe is that somewhere in some store Tide is on sale. Same thing for, Cascade dish-washing liquid, Bounty paper towels and Crest tooth paste. They are all good products in my opinion but are they enough to maintain the loyalty of consumers looking to stretch every dollar of their budget?

So far, the answer is "yes." The company even boosted its 2008 guidance to $3.46 to $3.50, helped by strong sales overseas. That compares with prior guidance of $3.46 to $3.50.

Shares of P&G are up almost 48% over the past five years. Those aren't Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) numbers, but they aren't bad either. That's a credit to Lafley, a well-regarded CEO who is credited by Wall Street with refocusing the consumer products giant which was floundering at the time.

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ConAgra Foods (CAG): Share price forming bullish 'pennant'

Larry Schutts — 2008-04-02T13:17:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, ConAgra Foods (CAG), Technical Analysis, Kraft Foods'A' (KFT), Unilever ADR (UL), Stocks to Buy

ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG) is a top food producer, offering packaged and frozen foods, seafood and dairy products to retail, foodservice, commercial product and international customers. Among the company's many brands are Hunt's, Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Van Camp's, Healthy Choice, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Slim Jim and Wesson. Major competitors include Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) and Unilever (NYSE: UL).

The company pleased investors late last month, when it reported Q3 EPS of 63 cents and revenues of $3.53 billion. Analysts had been expecting 41 cents and $3.20 billion. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $1.80-$1.85 ($1.60 consensus) and announced that it would sell the company's trading and merchandising arm to the Ospraie Special Opportunities fund and others for $2.1 billion.

The share price popped on the news and has since been consolidating the gain in a bullish "pennant" 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 "strong buys", two "buys", five "holds" and one "underperform". The CAG P/E ratio (12.84), PEG ratio (1.58), Price to Sales ratio (0.88), Price to Book ratio (2.32), Price to Cash Flow ratio (9.52), Sales Growth rate (20.90%) and EPS Growth rate (70.27%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutions hold about 73% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 500 Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $20.85 and $27.45. A stop-loss of $20.75 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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Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's: Ice cream as politico?

Sarah Gilbert — 2008-02-19T19:02:00+00:00

Filed under: Consumer experience, General Mills (GIS), Unilever ADR (UL), Politics

I love ice cream as much as the next guy. OK, way more than the next guy. I've eaten far more than my fair share of Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's lux frozen treats. But though I've watched with fascination as Ben & Jerry's exalted hippie icons and the odd politician with its flavors, I've never thought of an ice cream as an icon of political opinion.

No more will I hold such a narrow world view! This weekend, Haagen-Dazs announced a new flavor, Vanilla Honey Bee. The flavor isn't meant for its delicious honey taste, as it is to bring more visibility to the plight of the honey bees (overworked, it seems, from too much travel and forced labor in the almond groves, though cell phone towers have also been suspected). Haagen-Dazs is donating $250,000 to two universities to study Colony Collapse Disorder, and a spokesperson says that 40% of the company's flavors depend (in one way or another) on bees: "We use 100% all natural ingredients like strawberries, raspberries and almonds which we get from California. The bee problem could badly hurt supply from the Pacific Northwest."

On the other side of the ice cream aisle, Ben (Cohen) and Jerry (Greenfield), founders and corporate namesakes of Ben & Jerry's, have gone public with their endorsement of Barack Obama for president. They will tour Vermont in Obamamobiles, giving away scoops of "Cherries for Change" ice cream. While fans on Obama's web site seem excited, there's no news as to what sort of flavor "Cherries for Change" is (or is it just Cherry Garcia with a new label?), whether "Baracky Road" or "Yes we Pecan" will follow, or if corporate overlord Unilever (NYSE: UL) is distributing the flavor to grocery store freezer sections near you.

I honor Haagen-Dazs' effort, though the corporate effort rings false to me; after all, if you believe what people like Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith have been writing, it's food companies like the ice cream division's owner, General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS), that are the root cause of the problem. The quest for ever-cheaper ingredients has meant industrial farming practices; and these throw the world out of agricultural balance. Ergo: Stressed-out bees.

I have no issues with ice cream companies campaigning for causes, but it's certainly an unusual turn of events, almost as if a fictional character were stating its beliefs (Cap'n Crunch for Hillary! Toucan Sam fights rainforest destruction!).

The question is, will America's sweet tooth fuel its activism? I suppose it's the sort of eccentric behavior America is built upon. And I'd volunteer to eat a pint of either (or both!) flavors, and let you know how my convictions have changed.

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Analyst downgrades: Large cap oilfield services, ANDE, UN/UL

Eric Buscemi — 2008-02-12T11:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Unilever ADR (UL), Andersons Inc (ANDE)

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Large Cap Oilfield Services, Andersons and Unilever were today's noteworthy downgrades:

UBS downgraded Large Cap Oilfield Services stocks citing a "more sober 2008 outlook." The firm downgraded Smith International (NYSE: SII) and Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) to Neutral from Buy, citing delays in offshore growth for the Smith downgrade and execution issues for Baker Hughes.
Banc of America downgraded shares of Andersons (NASDAQ: ANDE) to Neutral from Buy following the company's Q4 results to reflect a lack of visibility on FY08 growth.
Citigroup downgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE: UN/UL) to Hold from Buy to reflect an increase in commodity costs.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Lehman lowered PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) to Equal Weight from Overweight; shares were also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Citigroup.
Friedman Billings downgraded Thomas & Betts (NYSE: TNB) to Market Perform from Outperform.

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Early analyst calls: SLB, AIG ...

Douglas McIntyre — 2008-02-12T07:44:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Analyst reports, Time Warner (TWX), Schlumberger Limited (SLB), Amer Intl Group (AIG), Unilever ADR (UL)

Bear Stearns has upgraded Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) from "peer perform" to "outperform," according to Briefing.com. The news service also reports that Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) was upgraded to "buy" from "neutral" at UBS.

AIG (NYSE: AIG) has been downgraded to "equal weight" at Lehman, according to 24/7 Wall St. The news site also writes that Unilever (NYSE: UL) was downgraded to "hold" from "buy" at Citigroup.

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Earnings highlights: Time Warner, Cisco, Gannett, Disney, EDS and others

Trey Thoelcke — 2008-02-09T09:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Earnings reports, Cisco Systems (CSCO), Time Warner (TWX), Walt Disney (DIS), Avon Products (AVP), Gannett Co (GCI), Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Activision Inc (ATVI), Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Unilever ADR (UL)

The earnings crunch rolls on, and here are a few of the highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Activision Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) earnings soared on popularity of Guitar Hero and other game franchises.
Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE: ACI) beat earnings expectations and offered revised guidance.
Avon Products Inc. (NYSE: AVP) beat estimates despite lower profits due to restructuring costs.
Chattem Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTT) beat estimates and raised its guidance.
Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) met estimates but a weak forecast raised concerns.
Dionex Corp. (NASDAQ: DNEX) beat estimates on strength in petrochemical and food/beverage markets.
Electronic Data Systems Corp. (NYSE: EDS) earnings fell, helping to raise concerns about tech stocks.
Flextronics International Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLEX) beat estimates and affirmed its outlook.
Gannett Inc. (NYSE: GCI) missed fourth-quarter earnings estimates on lower ad revenue.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) missed expectations due to rising construction costs.
MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) forecast it would beat earnings expectations by as much as 10 cents a share.
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. (NASDAQ: ODFL) beat revenue estimates and raised its guidance.
RealNetworks Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) warned it would miss first-quarter and full-year expectations.
Silicon Laboratories (NASDAQ: SLAB) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) posted disappointing results that included cancelled game franchises.
Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) met estimates and announced restructuring plans (see transcript).
Unilever (NYSE: UL) fourth-quarter net income tanked on a sell-off of its European frozen food business.
Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) posted better-than-expected results on gains in TV and theme parks.

For additional earnings highlights from this past week, see Earnings highlights: PepsiCo, Toyota, News Corp., ADM, Toll Bros. and others.

Also, Doug McIntyre suspects analysts are expecting too much from earnings in the later half of the year. And Zac Bissonette is skeptical about claims of "record earnings."

Upcoming results to watch for include General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO), Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), and Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

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Before the bell: WMT, M, UL, DHI, GOOG, GM, MCD ...

Melly Alazraki — 2008-02-07T08:23:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Earnings reports, Rumors, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), Wal-Mart (WMT), General Motors (GM), McDonald's (MCD), D.R.Horton (DHI), News Corp'B' (NWS), Unilever ADR (UL)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) will open its first in-store medical clinics under its own brand name, The Clinic at Wal-Mart, as a joint venture with local hospital systems in Atlanta, Dallas and Little Rock, Ark., starting in April.

Unilever (NYSE: UL) on Thursday reported a 65% drop in fourth-quarter net income to 721 million euros after selling its European frozen-food business. However, comparable sales growth showed a nice rise. Revenue at Unilever rose 2% to 9.89 billion euros and underlying sales growth was 6.1% during the quarter, with pricing contributing three percentage points to the underlying sales growth. Analysts had expected a profit of 693.5 million euros on sales of 9.95 billion euros.

D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) swung to a fiscal first-quarter loss of $128.8 million, or 41 cents a share, with revenue falling to $1.71 billion from $2.8 billion. The quarterly results included $245.5 million in charges. Shares are up nearly 1% in premarket trading.

TechCrunch is reporting this morning an unconfirmed rumor that either Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) or News Corp. (NYSE: NWS)'s MySpace is about to announce a big $1-1.5 billion acquisition in the social space. TechCrunch has come to a conclusion that the most likely candidate is Bebo. Again - unconfirmed rumor and Bebo is the speculation of the guys at TechCrunch.

Macy's Inc. (NYSE: M) shares are down over 1.8% in premarket trading after it announced it would be combining three regional divisions and cutting about 2,300 management jobs.

FORTUNE takes a look at how Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) prices its products and memories. Interesting.

General Motors Corp (NYSE: GM) is planning for half its cars in the United States to be running on ethanol by 2012.

McDonald's Japan, nearly half owned by McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) posted a five-fold increase in annual net profit on Thursday and predicted further growth as it opens new stores and refreshes its menu. It forecast net profit would rise 28% in 2008 as it plans to open 130 new stores.

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Before the bell: ADBE, UL, YHOO, BA, F ...

Melly Alazraki — 2007-11-13T08:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Earnings reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Yahoo! (YHOO), Apple Inc (AAPL), Ford Motor (F), Adobe Systems (ADBE), Boeing Co (BA), Lowe's Cos (LOW), Unilever ADR (UL)

Before the bell: Stocks to rebound as oil drops, Wal-Mart beats

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) might be in focus today after Home Depot's (NYSE: HD) posted its quarterly results. The second largest home improvement retailer is due to report Monday, Nov. 19 and analysts are projecting a 10% decline in earnings.

Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) CEO Bruce Chizen surprisingly announced yesterday he is stepping down. This morning, Adobe named current President and Chief Operating Officer Shantanu Narayen as Chizen's successor starting Dec. 1, and he reassured investors with financial guidance for the coming fiscal year. ADBE shares are off 1.6% in premarket trading.

Goldman Sachs upgraded consumer goods giant Unilever (NYSE: UL) to Neutral from Sell following its third-quarter earnings. Goldman says the results "demonstrated better-than-expected pricing power, accelerated reorganization and cost control."

E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) is rebounding some 7% this morning, in premarket action after shares of the electronic broker nosedived over 58% yesterday when it announced writedowns and an analyst suggested it could go into bankruptcy.

After declining 7.02% in yesterday's selloff, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares are rebounding 2.3% in premarket trading.

Orders from the Dubai Air Show keep coming in, but it seems that Airbus has been getting more orders than Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), and claims orders from the airshow put it ahead of its rival. Airbus announced today it expects at least 290 plane orders from the Dubai Air Show, with another $2 billion order from Yemen's Yemenia. Meanwhile, Dutch carrier Transavia.com ordered seven model 737-800 jets at $523 million worth at list-priced.

It seems that Ford Motor Co.'s (NYSE: F) agreement with the United Auto Workers appears to be moving quickly toward ratification.

Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) was upgraded to Sector Outperform from Sector Perform at CIBC World Markets on valuation and belief the stock has little downside at current levels. The analyst, Jason S. Helfstein, raised his price target to $31 from $28. Helfstein put Yahoo's stake in Chinese e-commerce portal Alibaba.com Ltd. at about $4 per share. YHOO shares are up 2.7% in premarket trading.

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This week in Advertising Age: E.D. meds yes, condoms no

Tom Barlow — 2007-09-25T16:16:00+00:00

Filed under: Marketing and advertising, Comcast Cl'A' (CMCSA), Procter and Gamble (PG), Burger King Hldgs (BKC), Unilever ADR (UL), Media World

This week in Advertising Age:

Where the rubber doesn't meet the road -- While erectile dysfunction ads have become as common as cell phone ads on television, the networks have been much less receptive to condom ads. Companies such as Church & Dwight Co.'s (NYSE: CHD) Trojan are eager to make buys during shows such as the new CBS show Swingtown, but face stiff opposition from the networks.

Free bikes in Chicago? In Paris, outdoor advertising company JC Decaux (EPA:DEC) maintains a fleet of 10,000 free bicycles on the street that are available for free use by anyone for 30 minutes, and longer by rental. The city repays Decaux by granting it exclusive rights to market at more than 1,000 publicly-owned sites around town. Chi-town mayor Richard M. Daley recently visited Paris to check out the idea for possible adoption back home.

Advertising Age speculates that, as private takeover money dries up, established companies such as Proctor and Gamble (NYSE:PG) and Unilever (NYSE:UL) might find a good climate to expand their holdings by adding some boutique businesses. Examples used are P&G's $40 million purchase of Doctor's Dermatological Formula and Unilever's stake in Lumene.

The launch of video game Halo 3 has dominated the gaming world headlines, and AA reminds us that around 30 companies are offering tie-ins, most notably Mountain Dew, 7-Eleven, Pontiac, Burger King (NYSE:BKC) and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Burger King especially seems to have figured out how to get a bump from such tie-ins.

Britney Spear's tragic performance at the MTV Awards was a godsend for Viacom (NYSE:VIA), as the MTV web site experienced a 340% boost (8.7 million viewers) in visitorship the day after her debacle compared to the same day one year prior.

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Analyst upgrades: MRK, European semiconductors, TMA and PRU

Eric Buscemi — 2007-09-13T10:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, General Motors (GM), Merck and Co (MRK), Nucor Corp (NUE), Unilever ADR (UL)

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Merck, the European semiconductor sector, Thornburg Mortgage and Prudential were today's notable upgrades:

Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral by Bank of America, which believes the company's sales momentum will continue.
The European semiconductor sector, which includes Infineon Technologies AG (NYSE: IFX) was upgraded to Positive from Neutral by Lehman Brothers, as they believe a recovery is under way in the industry. The firm upgraded Infineon to Equal Weight from Underweight.
Thornburg Mortgage Inc (NYSE: TMA) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Piper, as they see limited liquidity risks, given the strong quality of the company's mortgage assets.
Prudential Financial Inc (NYSE: PRU) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral by Friedman Billings, which cited valuation and the quality of the company's investment portfolio.

OTHER UPGRADES:

Citigroup assumed coverage of General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) with a Buy from a Sell.
Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) was added to the Focus List at Friedman Billings.
Lehman Brothers upgraded Unilever plc (NYSE: UL) to Equal Weight from Underweight.
Cincinnati Bell Inc (NYSE: CBB) was added to the Focus List at JMP Securities.

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Product packaging works harder, gets weirder

Trey Thoelcke — 2007-08-11T14:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Products and services, Consumer experience, PepsiCo (PEP), Marketing and advertising, Target Corp. (TGT), Unilever ADR (UL)

The conventional wisdom used to be that shoppers went looking for their favorite brands and that consistency of product packaging assured customer loyalty. Apparently marketers now have decided that good old reliable product packaging is making those products invisible to consumers. According to the New York Times, Pepsico (NYSE: PEP), known for its resistance to label design changes throughout its long history, is now changing some label designs every few weeks.

The problem is that, with the internet and hundreds of television channels, it's becoming increasingly harder for marketers to get their messages out to customers. Product packaging now has to do more than simply identify the goods within, but actually reach out and grab your attention. Hence, Mountain Dew bottles that appear to have been tagged by graffitti artists, or Unilever's (NYSE: UN) shampoo bottles shaped like video game joysticks. Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) has been in the forefront of bringing eye-catching advertising to its themed store aisles.

There are other motives for this experimentation with product packaging as well. Some companies are searching for ways to reduce container sizes and to have less environmental impact. Some household product manufacturers are looking to make their once utlitarian packaging so pleasing that people may be willing to display it in their homes.

And it looks like things are only going to get weirder. Pepsi has a plan in the works for cans that spray a pleasing scent when opened. And you know that product packaging that talks to you can't be that far down the road. If you thought pop-up ads and TV commercials were annoying, just wait for the day you go into the shop and all the products are screaming for your attention.

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Dirty home builder tactics, bad credit can cost you $1 million & toy recalls unnerve parents - Today in Money & Finance - 8/3

Allan Halprin — 2007-08-03T08:39:00+00:00

Filed under: Amazon.com (AMZN), Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), Money and Finance Today, Procter and Gamble (PG), Unilever ADR (UL), Amer Home Mtge Investment (AHM)

In the News:

· July Jobs Grew By Lower-Than-Expected 92,000; Unemployment Rate Ticks Up to 4.6%

· P&G Plans $30 Billion Stock Buyback as Profits Rise

· American Home Mortgage Shutting Down, 7,000 Employees to Lose Jobs

· Toyota's Quarterly Profit Rises 32%

· Amazon Testing Grocery-Delivery Service

· Video Game Publisher Take-Two Delays Grand Theft IV Into Next Year

· Unilever to Cut 20,000 Jobs

· Mortgage Rates Drop Slightly This Week

Recall of China-Made Toys Unnerves Parents

First it was Thomas the Tank Engine trains. Then Easy-Bake Ovens. And now Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Dora the Explorer. All are beloved children's characters that were licensed to toy manufacturers who contracted with companies in China to make the toys. And all have had those toys recalled. Millions of them. Just since June. What's a parent to do?

Recall of China-made toys unnerves parents - USATODAY.com

Also: Blame U.S. for Shoddy Toys

Built to Disappoint

The down-and-dirty tactics of some homebuilders are now coming to light in the fallout from the end of the housing boom. Here are some of the more common shady practices used to deceive buyers:
Shady Tactics Home Builders Used - BusinessWeek

Also: Bonfire of the Builders

Special Report: Real Estate Market in Turmoil

Your Bad Credit Could Cost You $1 Million

You probably are well aware that a poor credit score costs you money, but you probably are not aware how much that can add up to over time -- sometimes well over $1 million. Here is how poor credit costs you in more ways than you imagined.

Your Bad Credit Could Cost You $1 Million - TheStreet.com

Do You Overspend? Blame Your Nose

Scientists have discovered that smells, sounds, and even wall colors can influence whether someone decides to buy those cute Capri pants or put them back on the rack.

Money: Overspending? Blame Your Nose - US News and World Report

From 18-Wheel Semi to an 11 Bedroom Hotel in 30 Minutes

What could be more American than a recreational vehicle? How about an 18-wheel semi that, at the press of a remote control, "pops up" into a motel with room for nearly four dozen people?

New hotels start popping up - Business 2.0

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Before the bell 8-2-07: Another choppy day ahead?

Melly Alazraki — 2007-08-02T08:02:00+00:00

Filed under: Before the bell, Major movement, International markets, Earnings reports, Starbucks (SBUX), Walt Disney (DIS), Viacom (VIA), Nokia Corp. (NOK), Mattel, Inc (MAT), Eastman Kodak (EK), Economic data, Unilever ADR (UL)

It is almost impossible to call the market these days with its high volatility nature. Right now, however, stock futures are positive (already reversing direction once this morning), indicating a possible similar start for U.S. stocks.

Lingering concerns over the housing and credit market and their possible affect on the economy and corporate profits caused the choppy session we've seen yesterday. It seems though that in the final hour of trade buyers came looking for bargains and the Dow industrials rallied adding more than 150 points in the final hour. The S&P 500 rose 10.5 points or 0.7% and the Nasdaq Composite added 7.6 points or 0.3%.

Today, stocks are likely to remain turbulent without much economic data and few companies reporting earning on the docket to help change sentiment decisively one way or the other.

Already Nokia Corp.'s (NYSE: NOK) had boosted the market this morning after posting better-than-expected quarterly profits. Nokia reported that earnings per share rose to €0.32, easily topping analyst expectations of €0.25 on strong cellphone demand in emerging markets. NOK shares are gaining over 7% in premarket trading.

However, at 8:30 a.m., weekly reading of jobless claims could stir the market once again, but more so perhaps June factory orders data due out at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Economists expect a 1% gain after a 0.5% decline in May.

Overseas, Asian markets ended mostly higher and European stocks are also advancing with banks, especially Societe Generale leading the way. Once reported earnings, Nokia and Unilever also helped the rally. Both the European Central Bank and the Bank of England held rates today.

Other corporate news:

Mattel Inc (NYSE: MAT) said it expected the impact of recalls of Chinese-made toys due to lead to be about $30 million.

Unilever (NYSE: UL) reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings today as well as boosted its 2007 sales forecast. Shares are gaining 4% in premarket.

Reporting today are Viacom (NYSE: VIA) and Eastman Kodak (NYSE: EK).

Yesterday, Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) reported results that beat estimates as it showed strong performance at its TV networks and theme parks.

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) also reported after the close yesterday profits that rose less than 1% amidst plans to open another 1,700 new U.S. locations in the next year. Shares gaining 2.2% in premarket.

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Analyst downgrades 7-31-07: GT, PTR, RSH and UL

Kevin Shult — 2007-07-31T10:51:00+00:00

Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, RadioShack Corp (RSH), PetroChina Co Ltd ADR (PTR), Unilever ADR (UL), Goodyear Tire and Rubber (GT), Stocks to Sell

MOST NOTEWORTHY: RadioShack (RSH), Weyerhauser (WY), Goodyear Tire (GT), Hot Topic (HOTT) and Unilever (UL, UN) were today's noteworthy downgrades:

Citigroup downgraded RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) to Sell from Hold on valuation as they believe shares have priced in a more aggressive top-line recovery than the company can deliver over the next 12 months and that margin improvement is likely to slow.

Merrill downgraded Weyerhauser (NYSE: WY) to Neutral from Buy based on the tighter credit environment and the impact on a potential containerboard divestiture or merger.

Matrix downgraded shares of Goodyear Tire (NYSE: GT) to Sell from Hold to reflect rising oil prices and negative fundamental trends.

AG Edwards downgraded Hot Topic (NASDAQ: HOTT) to Sell from Hold to reflect negative performance momentum and a lack of back-to-school prospects.

Credit Suisse downgraded Unilever (NYSE: UN, UL) to Underperform from Neutral as their analysis suggests the company continues to lose market share...

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Baird cut Franklin Electric (NASDAQ: FELE) to Underperform from Neutral.

Bear Stearns downgraded Kyphon (NASDAQ: KYPH) to Peer Perform from Outperform.

Jarden (NYSE: JAH) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Goldman.

Citigroup downgraded PetroChina (NYSE: PTR) to Hold from Buy.

Alacatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

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