Best Buy: Still Strong.(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Wall Street analysts aren't expecting much from Best Buy's (BBY) quarterly earnings report, which is expected to be released Wednesday morning. The company is also...
View ArticleHCA: Shot in the Arm.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors A much better than expected first quarter outlook could mean hospital company HCA (HCA) is in for healthier times ahead, say some on Wall Street. In a statement...
View ArticleWestern Digital: Driving Earnings.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Hard-disk drive maker Western Digital Corp. (WDC) announced on Wednesday that its fiscal third quarter will fly past analysts' expectations, thanks in part to a...
View ArticleLyondell Chemical: Good Chemistry.(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors The chemical industry is expected to enjoy impressive growth over the next few years, as long as the global economy continues to expand. CMAI, a consulting firm,...
View ArticleIngersoll-Rand: Extreme Makeover.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Ingersoll Rand -- the company that helped build the Hoover Dam, carve Mount Rushmore and bore the English Channel Tunnel -- is reinventing itself. And its shares...
View ArticleJoS. A. Bank Clothiers: Dressed for Success.(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors JoS. A. Bank Clothiers (JOSB) strutted its stuff on Monday, posting better-than-expected quarterly earnings and annual earnings that showed a 47% increase over...
View ArticlePfizer: Curing Its Own Ills.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Pfizer (PFE) surprised Wall Street on Monday with its plan to cut costs by $4 billion through 2008. The announcement encouraged many analysts who have been worried...
View ArticleBJ Services: Pumping up Prices.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Oil-services firms enjoy notable pricing power because demand for the products they provide is high, and supply is tight. BJ Services (BJS) has been raising prices...
View ArticleContinental Airlines: Ready for Takeoff?
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Airline stocks carry plenty of risk, including high oil prices and heavy competition. But recent developments at Continental Airlines (CAL) have made shares of the...
View ArticleApple Computer: More than iPod.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors There's no question that Apple Computer (AAPL) -- whose stock has tripled from this time a year ago -- has benefited from the enormous popularity of its iPod...
View ArticleGenentech: Good Medicine.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Biotechnology company Genentech (DNA) posted first-quarter earnings Monday afternoon that came in slightly above the Street's expectations. The news provided...
View ArticleResearch in Motion: Moving Ahead.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of wireless communications firm Research in Motion (RIMM) are looking more attractive to an analyst at Standard & Poor's. Kenneth M. Leon upgraded the...
View ArticlePepsiCo: Peppy Performance.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors PepsiCo (PEP) continues to quench Wall Street's thirst for earnings performance, posting first-quarter figures that edged past analysts' expectations. Earnings grew...
View ArticleUnitedHealth Group: Managing Well.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors UnitedHealth Group (UNH), one of the nation's largest health-insurance and managed-care companies, disappointed some investors with its quarterly earnings release...
View ArticleBank of America: Winning Interest.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Rising earnings, a cheap share price and a track record of integrating acquisitions are making Bank of America (BAC) attractive to many on the Street. The company's...
View Article3M: Beyond the First Quarter.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of 3M (MMM) tumbled 6% on Monday as the Street balked at the company's first-quarter earnings release. Although 3M posted better-than-expected earnings,...
View ArticleYahoo: Showing the Money.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) rose as much as 6% on Wednesday after the Internet search company reported quarterly earnings and revenues that beat Wall Street's...
View ArticleEbay: Longer-Term Story.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Ebay's (EBAY) first-quarter earnings, released Wednesday afternoon, came in slightly better than expected. But the results weren't enough to invigorate the stock,...
View ArticleNoble Corp.: Higher Rates, Higher Earnings.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Offshore driller Noble Corp. (NE) reported first-quarter earnings Thursday afternoon of 33 cents per share -- 61% more than the company earned the same period a...
View ArticleWrigley: Something to Chew On.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors The world's largest chewing gum maker, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. (WWY), is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday. George Askew, who covers the stock for...
View ArticleVerizon: On Call.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Verizon (VZ), the nation's leading telecom company, is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Analysts expect earnings of 60 per share. The battle...
View ArticleJuniper Networks: Expanding Again.(finance)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Juniper Networks (JNPR), a maker of high-speed Internet Protocol (IP) routers, surprised the Street on Tuesday afternoon with its plans to make two strategic...
View ArticleSouthwestern Energy: Gassed Up.(financial reports)(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Southwestern Energy (SWN), a Houston-based oil and gas company, is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on Friday. Analysts expect earnings of 79 cents per...
View ArticleWhole Foods Market: Organic Growth.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Upscale grocery retailer Whole Foods Market (WFMI) is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Analysts, on average, are expecting earnings of 57...
View ArticleMcAfee: Securing Businesses.(financial reports of Network Associates Inc.)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Antivirus software maker McAfee Inc. (MFE) is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on Thursday. Analysts expect earnings of 19 cents per share, a 90%...
View ArticleSteiner Leisure: Aaaaahh!(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Steiner Leisure (STNR), a provider of spa services aboard major cruise lines, is a favorite of small-company value hunters Rick Dillon and Tom Schindler, managers...
View ArticleCVS: Prescription for Growth.(financial reports of CVS H.C. Inc.)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors CVS (CVS), the largest drugstore chain in the U.S., is scheduled to report earnings on Thursday. Analysts expect profits of 68 cents per share, a 15% increase from...
View ArticleIBM: A New Big Blue.(restructuring plans)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors IBM (IBM) announced on Wednesday that it intends to cut between 10,000 and 13,000 jobs worldwide as part of a major restructuring plan. The news sent shares sliding...
View ArticleCisco Systems: Tech Check.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Tech bellwether Cisco Systems (CSCO) is scheduled to release quarterly earnings Tuesday. Analysts expect solid results -- 22 cents per share, the same as last...
View ArticleWalt Disney: Bright Star.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Walt Disney Co. (DIS) is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on Wednesday after the closing bell. Analysts expect a strong showing from each of the...
View ArticleDell: Time for a Turn-Around?
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of Dell (DELL) are looking attractive to several analysts ahead of the company's fiscal first quarter earnings release, which is scheduled for Thursday. The...
View ArticleWal-Mart Stores: Discounted Discounter?
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) haven't gotten off to a running start this year. They stumbled to a new 52-week low in late April and are now trading about 9% below...
View ArticleLowe's: Lower Expectations.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Earnings season is winding down, but there are still a few big companies from which Wall Street is waiting to hear. Among them is home-improvement giant Lowe's...
View ArticleMicrosoft: Window on the Future.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Long considered the prototypical growth stock, Microsoft (MSFT) has lately been attracting value investors. Shares, which are off about 50% since December 1999,...
View ArticlePetsMart: Old Dog, New Tricks.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors As the largest pet supply chain in the U.S., PetsMart (PETM) gobbles up big money from owners who are increasingly willing to spend for their animal companions. And...
View ArticleExxon Mobil: Out of Gas?
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Surging oil prices have made Exxon Mobil (XOM) a must-own stock for energy investors as well as for funds that mimic Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. The...
View ArticleFirst Niagara Financial Group: Small Bank, Rich Future?(First Niagara Bank)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors A surfeit of banks means the industry is ripe for consolidation, according to Anton Schutz, manager of Burnham Financial Services fund. He looks for lesser-known,...
View ArticleMedtronic: Good Vital Signs.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Medical device maker Medtronic (MDT) is scheduled to release fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Analysts have been lowering their estimates in anticipation...
View ArticleGeneral Electric: Shining Light.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of the world's most valuable company are looking like a bright idea for investors. After three years of lackluster earnings, a retooled General Electric (GE)...
View ArticleGenentech: Pipeline Promise.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of biotechnology company Genentech (DNA) have had a big couple of months. In March, shares soared 25% in one day on news that the firm's cancer drug Avastin...
View ArticleAmerican Express: Charging Ahead.(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors American Express (AXP) announced in February that it would spin off its financial-planning and money-management unit to shareholders. And on Wednesday that unit...
View ArticleJohnson & Johnson: Well Positioned.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) held a meeting with Wall Street analysts on Thursday to discuss its pharmaceutical pipeline. It was the first detailed review of the...
View ArticleChevron: Slipping Oil.(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors With its shares down nearly 12% from their late-February peak, Chevron (CVX) is looking more attractive to one investment firm analyst. John Leggate, who covers...
View ArticleGeneral Mills: Milking Whole Grains.(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors The new dietary guidelines from the USDA recommend people eat three servings of whole grains a day. And if cereal maker General Mills (GIS) is able to milk that...
View ArticleNordstrom: Dressed for Success.(company earnings)(Brief Article)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Better-than-expected sales meant a big gain for Nordstrom's (JWN) shares on Thursday. The upscale retailer said that same-store sales in May increased 7.4%. The...
View ArticleUnitedHealth Group: Jockeying for Position.(provides medicare prescription...
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is better positioning itself to benefit from the new medicare prescription drug benefit (Part D) that is set to take effect next January....
View ArticleConocoPhillips: Earnings on the Rise.(company earnings)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Wall Street analysts have increased their 2005 earnings estimates for ConocoPhillips (COP) nearly 25% over the past three months and have raised their 2006...
View ArticleCaterpillar: Stronger Than Ever.(rise in share price)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Shares of Caterpillar (CAT) have risen 12% since early November, and they've more than doubled since 2002. But the potential for much better-than-expected earnings...
View ArticleCostco Wholesale: Bulking Up.
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Costco Wholesale's (COST) warehouse clubs may be a shopper's paradise. But given the company's solid growth prospects and its strong balance sheet, Standard &...
View ArticleBest Buy: At Your Service.(Best Buy Company Inc.)
Byline: Kiplinger Washington Editors Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (BBY) is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Unlike last quarter, analysts are looking for strong...
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