• Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) added Cytec Industries (NYSE:CYT) to its Conviction Sell List, with a target of $31.  The analyst warned of the bleak outlook for the late-cycle aerospace industry, and economic uncertainties in Europe, which represents 40% of sales

• JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) plans to reinstate 401K matching programs starting with 2009 as well as plans to hire 1,200 mortgage officers

• Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) CEO Bartz said the company is hiring again as the firm expects to increase its operating profit margin to the 15-20% range on cost cutting and sales growth

• Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE) said it plans to cut 680 jobs, or about 9% of its workforce, as part of a restructuring plan.  The company said the move would result in pre-tax charges of $65 million to $71 million, with $18 million to $20 million to be taken in the fourth quarter

• Monsanto (NYSE:MON) confirmed its full-year 2010 earnings outlook

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• Kraft (NYSE:KFT) is due to formalize its Cadbury (NYSE:CBY) bid for about $16.7 billion as the deadline for an offer hits

• Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) announced it is selling its TASC consulting operations to two private equity firms for $1.65 billion

• About $30 billion was the agreed-to valuation which General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) placed on the joint venture between NBC Universal and Comcast

• Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) upgraded Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE) to "buy," and lifted its price target to $42

• Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) added Lexmark (NYSE:LXK) to its Conviction Sell list

• KBW upgraded Blackstone Group (NYSE:BX) shares to "outperform" with a price target of $18.50

• Windstream (NYSE:WIN) reported third-quarter earnings of 24 cents a share, two cents over Zacks estimates, on revenues of $734 million, below Zacks estimates of $747 million

• DISH Network (NASDAQ:DISH) reported third-quarter earnings of 18 cents, 25 cents under Zacks estimates, on revenues of $2.89

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Adobe Systems (ADBE) yesterday announced the termination of the legal waiting period mandatory under the amended Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The expiry of the waiting period was announced by the FTC in one of its customary listings of approved deals.   The approval is with respect to Adobe’s proposed acquisition of Omniture Inc. (OMTR) announced on Sept 15. On Sept 24, Adobe formally offered to buy Omniture through its wholly owned subsidiary, Snowbird Acquisition Corp. for $1.8 billion in cash.   Adobe’s financial advisor is Goldman Sachs Group (GS) while Omniture’s is Morgan Stanley (MS).   The grant of regulatory approval means that the two companies may now go ahead with the procedures necessary to close the deal. Omniture shareholders have until Oct 22 to approve the takeover, unless Adobe decides to extend the period.   Post acquisition, Omniture will operate as ...

Nothing Changes On Wall Street

In the past few weeks we’ve seen the markets behaving more or less as “normal” markets do. But what is normal anymore? After the financial crisis, many pundits overused the airwaves to discuss how things have changed.

But for many investors, trying to figure out the “new boss,” perhaps they should take a look at the “old boss” to borrow an analogy from the Who.

While the thought may be disturbing to many, the reality is that little has actually changed on Wall Street. Maybe the oversight is a little better, and perhaps we’ll get better risk management from our companies, but essentially – things will remain the same.

And this is a good thing.

We can stop trying to learn the “new” Wall Street language or understand the “new” landscape. Nothing’s changed. It means that we can use

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• Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE) said it will purchased business software maker Omniture (NASDAQ:OMTR) in an all-cash deal valued at about $1.8 billion

• Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) projects comparable sales for the year will be flat to off 2%, up from its earlier projected drop of up to 5%.  The firm raised its full-year guidance to $2.70 to $3.00 from $2.50 to $2.90, based on "increased optimism" for its second half

• EBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) shares rose 1.3% on an upgrade from Piper Jaffray

• Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) shares gained 5.4% after Sanford Bernstein upgraded the shares to "outperform"

• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) lowered its bid for an 18.4% stake in Elan by $115 million to $885 million

• Kraft (NYSE:KFT) advised of plans to enter talks with Cadbury, and said the company does not need to sell operations to afford its $16 billion bid

• Citigroup (NYSE:C) sold $5 billion in 2- and 3-year bonds backed by

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Companies featured in this edition of the newsletter: CUR, CVM, ENZ, IMUC, MBCI, ONEZ, PHC, SVUL

Markets finished in positive territory yet again during this holiday shortened week despite the lack of any significant developments on either the corporate or economic fronts. All told, the Dow gained 164 points to close at 9605, up 1.7% on the week and 9.4% on the year. The Nasdaq gained 3.1% on the week, closing at 2080, up 32% on the year, while the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 gained 2.6% and 4.0% respectively on the week, up 15.4% and 18.8% on the year.

It was a slow week on the corporate side, but there were some healthy signals from the technology sector, as Texas Instruments raised its Q3 outlook, guiding for EPS of between $0.37 and $0.41, up from previous forecasts of $0.29-$0.39. Fed Ex also guided higher, citing cost management and better

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 31, 2009 – Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week’s list includes Adobe Systems (ADBE), Best Buy (BBY), and FedEx (FDX). To see more earnings analysis, visit http://at.zacks.com/?id=3207.

Every day, Zacks.com makes 4 stock picks available, free of charge. To see them, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=5612.

This Week's Events

This week brings the initial batch of third-quarter results. Seven early reporters from the S&P 500 - all of whom have quarters ending in August - will report: Adobe Systems (ADBE), Best Buy (BBY), Discover Financial Services (DFS), FedEx (FDX), Kroger (KR), Oracle (ORCL) and Pall (PLL). In total, we will see results from 20 companies.

So how will the third-quarter look? The Zacks Consensus Estimate calls for S&P 500 earnings of $13.50 per share, a 15.4%

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This week brings the initial batch of third-quarter results. Seven early reporters from the S&P 500 - all of whom have quarters ending in August - will report: Adobe Systems (ADBE), Best Buy (BBY), Discover Financial Services (DFS), FedEx (FDX), Kroger (KR), Oracle (ORCL) and Pall (PLL). In total, we will see results from 20 companies.

So how will the third-quarter look? The Zacks Consensus Estimate calls for S&P 500 earnings of $13.50 per share, a 15.4% decline from a year prior.

Going back to the week's events, the economic calendar will stay busy with inflation, manufacturing and housing data being released.

Tuesday: August Producer Price Index (PPI), August retail sales, September Empire State survey, July business inventories Wednesday: August Consumer Price Index (CPI), August industrial production and capacity utilization, September NAHB housing market index, weekly crude inventories, weekly mortgage applications Thursday: August housing starts

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Semiconductor Industry Trying to Survive

Tony Daltorio, The Investment U Research Team

The financial downturn and global recession has hit the semiconductor industry hard.

Orders for microchips were almost non-existent at the end of 2008 as computers and mobile phones languished unsold on retailers’ shelves.

According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, global semiconductor sales fell 2.8 percent last year and are expected to fall a further 21.5 percent to $195.6 billion this year.

Despite the positive reaction in the stock market to the latest sales figures from Intel (INTC),the world’s biggest chipmaker, the numbers were mixed at best. Intel did enjoy a sales revival driven by consumers buying cheaper, smaller netbooks, but revenues fell in Europe and sales in the key business customer area were weak.

Let’s take a closer look at the semiconductor industry for profit opportunities.

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U.S. stocks declined for the third consecutive day after Standard & Poor's cut its credit ratings and outlooks for 22 banks and bellwether FedEx Corp's weak profit forecast reignited worries of a prolonged recession.  Nevertheless, consumer and technology stocks helped Nasdaq end the day higher with a 0.7% gain.

Pre-market futures suggest a flat opening as traders look for concrete signs of an economic recovery, amid fears of increased government interventions and a crushed economic rebound.

Commodities and financial shares led the decliners yesterday, but healthcare stocks rose after Democratic leaders began working on a healthcare overhaul that would make it mandatory for all Americans to have health insurance coverage.  Shares traded in a narrow range, swinging between gains and losses.  Among S&P industry groups, financials led the declining issues with a 2.2% fall.  Oil and basic materials both recorded a 1.6% fall.  Stocks of consumer services companies

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