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Monday October 26, 2009

DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

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Consorteum Holdings Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent with Tactical Connections Inc. to provide various financial services to major tier one US, Canadian and European manufacturing and retail industries.

Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI), the global leader in data-conversion technology for signal processing applications, expanded its low-power data converter portfolio with 26 ADCs (analog-to-digital converters) for effective high-performance, power-efficient communications, portable device, instrumentation and healthcare applications.

IBM (NYSE: IBM)

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Recently Humana Inc. (HUM) announced that its Medicare coverage in 3 California countries is expanding. Members eligible for Medicare in Fresno , San Bernardino and Riverside can enroll in a Humana Gold Plus health maintenance organization (HMO) plan. Coverage would be effective from Jan. 1, 2010.  The expansion has been approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The gold plus plan acts as a supplemental coverage to Medicare. Members can choose a primary care physician in the plan network.  The other benefits of the plan include no or low monthly plan premiums, low co-payments for visits to doctors and annual routine physicals, coverage for most annual screenings at no charge, and worldwide emergency coverage. The persons opting for this plan will enjoy discounts on vision and hearing care, prescriptions, and complimentary and alternative medicine.  The period for enrollment to the Humana Gold ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – September 17, 2009 – Zacks.com releases the latest Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks featured in this week’s analysis include D.R. Horton (DHI), KB Home (KBH), Pulte Homes (PHM), Allstate (ALL), Hartford Financial Services (HIG), Travelers (TRV), Loews (L), Humana (HUM), Stericycle (SRCL), C.R. Baird (BCR), Celgene (CELG), Gilead Sciences (GILD), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), EOG Resources (EOG), AK Steel (AKS), Nucor (NUE), U.S. Steel (X), Fifth Third (FITB), Regions Financial (RF), Suntrust Banks (STI) and Zions Bancorp (ZION).

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

This week: Third-Quarter Earnings Forecast

Though the economy has stabilized, third-quarter results for the majority of companies will still be below year prior levels.

Per share profits for the S&P

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Though the economy has stabilized, third-quarter results for the majority of companies will still be below year prior levels.

Per share profits for the S&P 500 are projected to fall 15.4%. The median company is forecast to report a 14% drop in per share earnings. (The difference being that the S&P 500 forecast is a weighted projection.) More than 340 companies may have experienced a year-over-year drop in profits.

On a revenue basis, things are not much better. Median company sales are forecast to have dropped 7.2%.* More than 360 companies are expected to report a year-over-year drop in earnings.

It's important to realize that during July and August 2008, the economy was in fairly good shape. Lehman did not collapse until September 2008. Furthermore, the credit crunch's grip severely tightened over the 2-month span of September and October 2008. As a result, many companies are now facing tough

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Humana (HUM) reported earnings of $1.67 per share, beating the Zacks consensus of $1.65 and the Street’s expectation of $1.64. Results were helped by strong earnings from the Government segment, partially offset by weakness in the Commercial segment.

Total premium and administrative services fees increased 8% from the prior year's quarter due to increases in both average membership and per-member premiums for the company’s Medicare Advantage products.

The second quarter consolidated benefit ratio improved to 83.3% from 85.0% in the prior-year quarter. This 170 basis-point improvement was primarily driven by improvements of 220 basis points and 20 basis points in the Government and Commercial segment benefit ratios, respectively.

Earnings for Humana's Commercial segment fell 53% to $35.3 million, hurt by lower investment and lower income from its small group business. Commercial membership fell 3% to 3.45 million. Commercial unit premiums rose 1% to $1.87 billion.

Earnings from the Government segment rose 62%

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• According to reports, UBS (NYSE:UBS) and the US government have reached an agreement in principal to settle tax litigation.  The settlement, most notably, is not expected to result in a fine against the company

• Europe's biggest bank, HSBC (NYSE:HBC) surprised with a first half profit of $3.35 billion, versus expectations of a $600 million loss, although down 57% from last year's $7.72 billion profit. According to the bank, "It may be that we have passed, or are about to pass, the bottom of the cycle in the financial markets"

• Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) reported third quarter earnings of 33 cents a share, 11 cents above estimates, on in-line revenues of $6.7 billion

• Humana (NYSE:HUM) reported second quarter earnings of $1.67 a share, three cents better than expected. For the year the company sees earnings of $6.10 to $6.20 a share

• James River Coal (NASDAQ:JRCC) reported a second quarter miss at

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A government report that suggested the economy shrank at a slower pace than feared failed to push stocks higher on a lackluster Friday but indexes managed to end the month on a solid footing, spurred by hopes that the recession is losing its force.  The big July saw the Dow Jones industrial average surging 725 points or 8.6% - its best July since 1989, and the broader S&P 500 index gaining 7.4% for its best July run since 1988.  The S&P500 has now recorded its most remarkable five-month performance since 1938, holding 46% above its 12-year low set in early March.

This morning’s US stock futures indicate a sharply higher opening, helped by positive signs emanating from overseas markets.  Today, Chinese stocks hit a 14-month high after data showed manufacturing activity is expanding in the country.  The Shanghai Composite Index rose 50.53 points, or 1.5%, to close at 3,462.59

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 29, 2009 – Zacks Equity Research highlights NTT DoCoMo (DCM) as the Bull of the Day and Altria Group (MO) the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on United Health Care (UNH), Aetna (AET) and Humana (HUM).

Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2676

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

We maintain our Buy recommendation and the same valuation target for NTT DoCoMo (DCM), the largest mobile service provider in Japan, ahead of first quarter of fiscal 2010 financial results. The company currently maintains a leading 50% share of the Japanese wireless market.

DCM upgraded 98% of its total coverage area with 3G HSDPA technologies and emerging 4G LTE networks are planned for deployment through 2010. DCM's decisions to focus

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One of the traits that people prize most in dogs is loyalty. However, the question then becomes loyalty to whom or what? In the case of the "Blue Dog Caucus," the group of Congressional Democrats that has emerged as the major player in health care reform, it appears that its loyalty is first and foremost to its big campaign contributors -- the health insurance firms and the drug companies. The general claim that they make is that they are worried about the fiscal consequences of health care reform, but when it comes to specifics, they are most opposed to the very elements of the reform package that are most likely to be successful in driving down the overall cost. It is easy to figure out why the GOP is united in opposition to the primary plans being debated in Congress. (Some members of the GOP have proposed ...

The Senate health committee led by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts yesterday formally unveiled its healthcare overhaul bill -- the "Affordable Health Choice Act," one of several competing bills that Congress and President Obama will be considering in the weeks ahead.Kennedy's bill aims to improve access to coverage by regulating insurers, expanding Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and building state-sponsored insurance Gateways (or exchanges) to help Americans find affordable coverage. The proposal would provide subsidies for buying health insurance to families with annual incomes as high as five times the poverty level.Also included was a new tax on employer-provided health benefits to help pay for expanding coverage to the uninsured, and a requirement for all individuals to purchase affordable coverage, with an unspecified penalty for those who refuse and a waiver for those who cannot cover the cost. The bill, ...