Pulte Homes (PHM) reported a net loss of $361.4 million or $1.15 per share, inclusive of approximately $86.7 million of charges and transaction costs associated with its merger with Centex Corporation and $163.8 million in inventory impairments and other land-related charges. This compares to a net loss of $280.4 million, or $1.11 per share, including impairments and land-related charges of $266.6 million in the third quarter of 2008. The company continues to suffer from economic weakness, foreclosures, rising unemployment and recent uncertainty over the expiration of the federal tax credit -- all of which negatively impact buyer behavior. Segment Performance Revenue from Homebuilding settlements shrank 27% to $1.1 billion. The decline in revenue reflected a 23% decrease in closings to 4,166 homes, coupled with a 10% decrease in average selling price to $253,000. However, revenue and closings for the period benefited from the inclusion of ...

Wednesday April 8, 2009 Navivest The stock market got its own bailout today, saved from another big down day by news of a merger between homebuilders Pulte Homes (PHM) and Centex Corporation... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Wednesday April 8, 2009 Navivest Pulte Homes (PHM) and Centex Corporation (CTX) are announcing this morning that their respective boards have approved a definitive merger agreement under which the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - March 19, 2009 - Zacks.com releases the latest Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks featured in this week's analysis include Centex Corporation (CTX), Intel Corporation (INTC), Stericycle Inc. (SRCL), Tesoro Corporation (TSO) and U.S. Steel Corporation (X).

Zacks Industry Rank Analysis is written by Charles Rotblut, CFA, Senior Market Analyst for Zacks.com.

This week: Q1 Earnings: Winners and Losers

First-quarter profits are going to stink. The consensus projections call for S&P 500 (SPX) profits of $16.33, which equates to a decrease of approximately 14% from a year prior.

On a company-specific basis, the numbers could be worse. Median earnings are likely to decline 19.3%. More than 10% of S&P 500 members are expected to report triple-digit drops in profits (57 companies with declines of 100% or more). Conversely,

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Highlighted stocks include Centex Corporation (...