• Sony (NYSE:SNE) said weak cell phone sales and lower PlayStation III console prices resulted in another quarterly loss.  The firm also said full-year prospects improved from the company's aggressive cost-cutting measures

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) reported its twelfth straight quarterly loss of $269 million. The firm said it expects operating results to break even by yearend

• Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) reported third quarter earnings one cent above Zacks estimates at 40 cents, as revenues of $3.4 billion were below Zacks estimates of $4.25 billion. The company noted, "Industry sales volumes continued to show signs of stabilization"

• ITT Industries (NYSE:ITT) reported third quarter beat Zacks estimates by 14 cents a share, coming in at $1.03 on inline revenues of $2.7 billion, down 6.3%

• Coventry Health Care (NYSE:CVH) reported its third quarter of 68 cents topped Zacks estimates by 14 cents, on inline revenues of $3.44 billion, up 17.7%

• Aon (NYSE:AOC), reported third quarter

...

U.S. stocks rose strongly Thursday, reversing a four-session losing run, after a government report said the economy grew more than expected in the July-September quarter.  Investors shunned Treasuries and jumped back into stocks after the report signaled the economy had emerged from the worst recession since the 1930s. 

The positive surprise was enough to propel benchmark indexes to their biggest advance since July and send safe havens like Treasuries and dollar lower.  Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and Alcoa Inc. (NYSE:AA) advanced at least 5.1% after the Commerce Department said the economy returned to growth following four straight quarters of decline.  Crude prices jumped $2.44, or 3.1%, to $79.87 and gold was up $16.50 to $1046.40.

The S&P 500 registered its biggest one-day gain since July 23, jumping 2.2% to close at 1,066.11.  The 30-share Dow Jones industrial average shot up by 199.89 points, or 2.05%, at 9,962.58 and the tech-heavy

...

Badger Meter (BMI) reported its third quarter results yesterday, after market close. The company reported earnings of 47 cents per share, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents per share and up 20.5% from 39 cents reported in the prior-year quarter. Despite an 11.6% decline in sales, earnings during the quarter were higher than last year as the company benefited from lower commodity costs, ongoing cost reduction efforts, and pricing discipline. Gross margin in the quarter increased significantly to 39.0%, compared to 34.0% in the comparable quarter of 2008 due to favorable raw material pricing. Sales to the utility market, which constitutes more than 80% of total revenue, declined 9% compared to the third quarter of 2008. The utility market is facing a downturn as the customers are postponing purchasing decisions while they wait to see if they can receive federal funds for infrastructure ...

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts!

_______________________________________

FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com

_______________________________________

Tuesday October 6, 2009

DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

**************************************************************

Sprint (NYSE: S) and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the number one mobile phone provider in the United States1, today announced the upcoming arrival of Samsung IntrepidTM smartphone, a dynamic Windows(R) phone that lets the customer be productive on-the-go using America’s most dependable 3G network (EV-DO Rev. A)2 domestically and through international roaming when traveling worldwide.

Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:ARW), announced significant LED lighting technological and cost-saving improvements to its new office location in Mexico. Known in Mexico

...

North Carolina-based Duke Energy (DUK) continues to expand its renewable energy portfolio. Earlier this month, the company had declared its plan for building its second-largest renewable energy facility near Casper, Wyoming. The 200 MW Top of the World project, the company's fourth wind farm in Wyoming and ninth in the U.S., will generate enough electricity to power approximately 50-60 thousand households annually.   Duke expects to start the construction work of the project in late 2009 or early 2010, after receiving requisite approvals, and to commence commercial production by end of 2010. The company has signed a 20-year contract with PacifiCorp, which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming, for selling the entire output and associated renewable energy credits of the plant.   Year to date, Duke has announced four new wind power projects, with a capacity totaling above 360 MW. Presently, Duke has over 500 MW of ...

Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) recently raised the size of its senior notes offering to $1 billion from the originally planned $800 million. Investors lapped up the notes due to their higher yield over US Treasury bonds. The company will use proceeds from the sale to retire commercial paper and for financing its capital expenditure.

Duke Energy issued senior notes totaling $500 million due in 2014 with a 3.95% coupon rate semi-annually and another $500 million due in 2019 with 5.05% coupon rate annually.

The company needs funds for its ongoing capital expenditures. Duke Energy is currently expanding its Cliffside Steam Plant on the border of Cleveland and Rutherford counties and a new plant at Edwardsport gasified-coal facility in Indiana. The company is also investing to control carbon dioxide emissions from its coal-based plants. This is vital in the light of recent progress in the American Clean Energy

...

• Toyota (NYSE:TM) reported a June quarter loss of $819 million, reflecting sluggish US sales and a stronger yen, which offset cost-cutting measures and inventory decreases; however, the firm cut its loss forecast on the year by about 18% to $4.7 billion

• Xstrata, the world's fifth largest diversified mining group, reported a 77% fall in six month results to 38 cents a share adjusted from $1.66, although above estimates of 33.6 cents

• UBS (NYSE:UBS) reported a higher-than-expected second quarter loss of $1.32 billion, which was less than the prior quarter loss. The bank's Tier 1 capital ratio rose to 13.2% at quarter's end from 10.5% at the beginning of the quarter

• Vulcan Metals (NYSE:VMC) reported a second quarter earnings of 14 cents, ex-items, versus estimates of 20 cents a share, as revenues fell 29.3% from a year earlier to $721.9 million, off estimates of $759.1 million. The firm said it

...

Diversified utility Duke Energy (DUK), the 3rd largest electric utility in the U.S., announced a three-year partnership with Cisco Systems (CSCO), the world's largest network communications company, to co-develop an advanced modern electric "smart grid."

What is a Smart-Grid?

"Smart-grids" deliver electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce costs and increase reliability. Many global governments are promoting such a modernized electricity network as a means of increasing energy independence and reducing global warming issues.

An electricity grid is not a single entity but an aggregate of multiple networks and multiple power generation companies with multiple operators employing varying levels of communication and coordination, most of which are manually controlled.

Smart grids increase the connectivity, automation and coordination between suppliers, consumers and networks, which perform either long distance transmission or local

...

Going forward, American Electric Power (AEP) offers investors stable underlying core utility earnings, although with only modest growth potential. Consistent performance in the residential segment, new 765-kV transmission lines at PJM -- its joint venture with Duke Energy (DUK) -- and favorable approval of rate changes from the PUCO and PUCT, represent a mildly bullish outlook for the stock.However, pruned expansion plans on account of tightening credit markets, high debt level, escalating coal costs, lower off-system and industrial sales, and uncertainty surrounding pending regulatory cases collectively continue to weigh on the stock.Q1'09 Results:American Electric Power reported disappointing 1st quarter 2009 GAAP earnings of $360 million, or $0.89 per share, down over 37% from $573 million, or $1.43 per share, for the year-ago quarter.Likewise, disappointing operating earnings for the reported quarter were also $360 million, or $0.89 per share, down ...

* According to the FTC, directors holding positions at both Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) raise the possibility of unfair competitive advantages

* Kraft (NYSE:KFT) reported better-than-expected first quarter earnings of 45 cents a share, beating estimates by 5 cents, as revenues fell 6.5% to $9.4 billion

* Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE:ADM) reported worse-than-expected second quarter earnings of 37 cents a share, a 12 cent miss, as revenues plunged 20.7% to $14.8 billion

* Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) reported worse-than-expected first quarter earnings of 28 cents a share, a 4 cents miss, as revenues declined 0.7% year-over-year to $3.31 billion

* Avon Products (NYSE:AVP) reported first quarter earnings of 27 cents a share, which missed estimates by 6 cents, as revenues fell 12.9% to $2.18 billion

* CVS (NYSE:CVS) announced better-than-expected first quarter earnings of 55 cents a share, beating estimates by a penny, as revenues jumped 9.7% year-over-year to $23.4 billion

...