• Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) reported better-than-expected earnings of 28 cents a share, beating Zacks estimates by 2 cents, on revenues of $7.2 billion, which exceeded Zacks estimates of $6.85 billion

• India’s Reliance Industries bid $12 billion in cash for Lyondell Bassell when it exits bankruptcy

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is reportedly in discussions with News Corp. (NASDAQ:NWSA) to "de-index" the firm's news websites from Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)

• Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) announced plans to more than double the number of its bottling plants in China over the next ten years as part of its goal to triple sales to the country

• Hershey (NYSE:HSY) trust encouraged the firm to counter Kraft's (NYSE:KFT) hostile, $16.2 billion bid with its own, $17 billion offer

• According to S&P most US banks are failing to meet adequacy standards comfortably enough to avoid ratings downgrades. Both HSBC (NYSE:HBC) and Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) showed stronger-than-average balance sheets, with UBS (NYSE:UBS) and Citigroup (NYSE:C) well below average

• Saks (NYSE:SKS) reported a surprise quarterly profit

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares rose 3.0%, and led the gainers on the DJIA, after Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) and UBS (NYSE:UBS) recommended the shares.  Morgan Stanley's analyst raised the price target on the stock due to encouraging demand for Windows 7 and upbeat expectations for holiday season demand.  UBS' analyst placed a $34 price target on the shares

• Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) raised ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) to "overweight"

• Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) offered a slightly downside fourth-quarter guidance of 24 cents a share ex-items

• Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) said it sees fourth-quarter earnings of 14 cents to 15 cents a share, versus Street estimates of 15 cents a share

• BMO Capital downgraded Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) to "market perform" from "outperform," cutting the price target to $64 from $100

• A counter-offer to Kraft's (NYSE:KFT) hostile, $16 billion Cadbury (NYSE:CBY) offer may be in the works from Hershey (NYSE:HSY) and Ferrero

• Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) reported results of 63 cents a share, above Zacks estimates of 61 cents, on revenues of $4.1 billion, above Zacks projections of $4 billion

• Banking analyst Richard Bove strongly advised purchase of Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) shares, saying the firm's multiple should be twice current levels due to growth prospects

• Motorola (NYSE:MOT) is considering sale of its Home and Networks Mobility division as part of its turnaround plan. Analysts value the unit at $3-$5 billion

• Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) said it agreed to acquire 3Com (NASDAQ:COMS) for $7.90 per share, in a deal valued at about $2.7 billion in cash. The company also posted preliminary fiscal fourth quarter results and raised 2010 guidance

• United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) agreed to purchase GE's (NYSE:GE) security business for $1.82 billion

• Reports said Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) new Bing search engine has been gaining market share against competing Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO)

• According to a WSJ report, News Corp's (NASDAQ:NWSA) Dow Jones is close to a sale of stake in its stock indexing unit, Stoxx Ltd, for $309 million

• Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) reported better-than-anticipated fiscal fourth quarter earnings of 13 cents, 10 cents above projections, on revenues of $1.53 billion, which topped estimates of $1.32 billion. The firm anticipates 30% 2010 revenue growth; layoffs of 1300-1500 over the next year are planned

• Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) posted a third quarter loss of 43 cents a share, versus Zacks estimates of a 45 cents loss as revenues increased 13.2% to $68.8 million, slightly ahead of Zacks estimates of $68 million.  The firm maintained 2009-2010 guidance, and plans new $1.564 billion in equity financing

• Ralcorp (NYSE:RAH) reported earnings of $1.14 a share ex-items, versus Zacks estimates of $1.24, on revenues of $983.2 million, up 12.6% YoY, off Zacks estimates of slightly above $1 billion

Chicago, IL – November 10, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Sun Microsystems, Inc. (JAVA), Oracle Corp. (ORCL), International Business Machines (IBM), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Microsoft (MSFT).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

JAVA Earnings Beat, Sales Lag

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (JAVA) reported results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 in an SEC filing. Lower operating expenses and higher gross margin helped the company lower its first quarter GAAP loss to $120 million, or 16 cents per share from a loss of $1.68 billion or $2.24 per share reported in the year-ago period and beating the Zacks Consensus estimate of a loss of 23 cents per share.

Earnings on a non-GAAP basis (excluding one-time items) rose to 2 cents per share in the quarter from a net loss of 8 cents per share in the year-ago period. Gross margin improved to 43.4% from 40.2% a year ago. Operating expenses were down 62.3% year over year, as a result of which operating margin improved to -4.5% from -55.2% in the year-ago quarter.

However, total revenue fell 25% to $2.24 billion, with both Products and Service revenues declining 32.7% and 13.9%, respectively from the year-ago period. Revenue was lower than the Zacks Consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. Sales on a year-over-year basis were down 19.1% in North America, down 29.2% in Europe , down 32.8% in emerging markets and down 23.3% in the Asia-Pacific.

Revenue from servers fell 31.4% and from storage products almost 35.9% compared to the year-ago period. Revenue from new products dropped 33%, while unit sales of servers were down 41%.

Revenue from Support Services decreased primarily due to customers seeking higher discounts, delays in service contract renewals and strong competitive pressures. Professional Services revenue decreased primarily due to decreased sales in the Systems business.

The company said that revenue fell across all of its product lines negatively impacted by the pending approval from the European Commission and other foreign regulators on its acquisition by Oracle Corp. (ORCL). The delay in approval from the regulatory body is causing Sun Micro to lose about $100 million each month.

Sun had earlier announced a headcount reduction of 3,000 or 10% over the next 12 months. It has already eliminated 7,600 positions in the past three years. The company, which is under severe financial pressure, is struggling to survive the recession.

Despite cost-cutting efforts and increased layoffs, we remain concerned about the delay in closing the merger, which could reduce its value for Oracle's business. Moreover, rivals such as International Business Machines (IBM), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Microsoft (MSFT) are taking advantage of the delay by giving discounts to customers.

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Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

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Chicago, IL – October 30, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Moody’s (MCO), Microsoft (MSFT), Fannie Mae (FNM), Freddie Mac (FRE) and ExxonMobil Corporation (XOM).

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Here are highlights from Thursday’s AnalystBlog:

GDP Notes – In Depth

With massive amounts of space sitting idle in offices and empty strip malls littering the landscape, look for new investment in commercial real estate to continue to decline in coming quarters. Moody’s (MCO) has estimated that the value of commercial real estate has plunged by 41% since the peak a little over a year ago, and that is hardly an inducement to build more. If a business needs the space, it's far cheaper to just buy some that already exists.

Spending on Equipment and Software (E&S), on the other hand, is starting to come back, if only feebly -- rising 1.1% after a 4.9% decline in the 2Q and a 36.4% plunge in the 1Q. Look for some stability in this line going forward as the new Microsoft (MSFT) operating system will probably generate a new PC cycle, but with capacity utilization still around 70% I would not expect a boom in orders for new factory equipment.

The real star of Fixed investment, though, came on the residential side, which rose 23.4%. This is the first increase in almost four years, and follows declines of 23.3% in the 2Q and 38.2% in the 1Q. The long string of declines had brought residential investment to a record low share of GDP. The extraordinary support of the housing sector by the government, including the first-time buyer tax credit -- the Fed buying up $1.25 Trillion of Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE)-backed paper to artificially suppress mortgage rates, and the FHA acting like the old New Century Financial or Washington Mutual on their worst days -- have played a big role in the turnaround. I seriously question the sustainability of it after the support is removed, and I don’t think the support can continue indefinitely.

Exxon Misses, Production Up

ExxonMobil Corporation (XOM) reported third quarter 2009 earnings of 98 cents per share, below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.04 and year-earlier earnings of $2.58.

Though the earnings came in below expectations, the company maintained its quarterly dividend of 42 cents per share and repurchased $4 billion worth of XOM common stock. With a sound cash position, solid credit profile and diversity of its asset base, both in terms of business mix as well as geographical footprint, Exxon remains better positioned than any of its peers.

The steep fall in oil prices and weak product margins caused a 65% drop in earnings from the year-earlier quarter to $4.7 billion. The production of oil and natural gas averaged 3.69 million oil-equivalent barrels per day, up approximately 3% year over year. When adjusted for the impact of entitlement volumes and OPEC quota restrictions, production was up about 5%. Its refinery throughput averaged at 5.35 million barrels per day, flat from the year-earlier level.

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Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

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About Zacks

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Semiconductor revenues came in at $371.6 million, up 8% sequentially but down 25.7% year over year. Storage Systems revenues came in at $206.6 million, up 16.8% sequentially but down 3.4% year over year.

Gross margins came in at 45.5%, an increase of 340 basis points from the previous quarter and exceeded management’s guidance range by 50 basis points.

Net income jumped to $119 million from a net income of $7 million in the previous quarter and a net income of $94 million in the year-ago quarter. Earnings per share came in at 18 cents. Operating cash flow came in at $69 million.

Going forward, management is encouraged by early signs of economy reviving as businesses resume spending in information technology. Demand for storage and servers have started to improve being driven by the need to upgrade infrastructure and also by new product cycles such as Intel’s Nehalem server platform. The company expects increased deployment in cloud computing environments by large companies like Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT).

The company expects revenues of $605 million and $645 million for the fourth quarter of 2009. Gross margin is expected around 45.5% – 47.5%. EPS is estimated between 7 cents and 13 cents.

Although the demand environment and near-term visibility remain challenging, LSI's core storage semiconductor and systems ramps and market positions remain relatively intact, leading to healthier growth in late-2009. It is expected that LSI's modest exposure to the PC/server market may lead to better flexibility compared to its competitors, Adaptec Inc. (ADPT) and Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC), which are experiencing some softness in end-market demand for PCs and servers and related storage products.

LSI’s continuing adoption of newer storage protocols such as SAS and ramp in new entry-level storage systems may steadily improve its position in the hard drive market. LSI's cost-control efforts have also been quite impressive. Given the gradual improvement in the demand environment following a soft spending phase in the first half of 2009, we maintain our Neutral rating on shares of LSI.

Headquartered in California, LSI designs, develops and markets complex high-performance semiconductors and storage systems.

Investors, looking for bargains, picked up financial shares as many banks noted lower loan losses.  Travelers (NYSE:TRV) surged almost 8% after reporting a three-fold jump in quarterly profit.  Travelers, together with McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD), led the Dow average higher.  AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), also a Dow component, rose 0.6% after reporting better-than-expected profit.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 132 points, or 1.3%, to close at 10,081.31 and the S&P 500 index rose 11 points, or 1%.  The tech-heavy NASDAQ, limited by late-session, downward guidance from eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), gained 14 points, or 0.7%.

The New York Times Co. (NYSE:NYT) was the leading gainer among the S&P 500 stocks, surging 23%, after reporting improved quarterly profit helped by cost-cutting measures.  3M (NYSE:MMM) beat both earnings and sales estimates for the quarter and raised its 2009 guidance. Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW) also reported better-than-expected profit report.

Among financial stocks, PNC Financial (NYSE:PNC), Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) and Sun Trust Banks Inc. (NYSE:STI) said borrowing costs were declining and they were offering lower deposit rates.  Shares in all three companies recorded gains.   

Commodity prices declined as the greenback remained neutral, and with larger-than-expected Treasury bond auction scheduled for next week, the 10-year declined 8/32 in price.  The market’s measure of volatility, the CBOE Vix, eased to 20.69, off almost 7%.  This rally, nevertheless, appears to be taking a cue from corporate results rather than backward-looking economic data.  And yesterday's reports affirmed hopes for a sustainable recovery.

Today's calendar covers additional key corporate releases from Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Honeywell (NYSE:HON), Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE:IR), and Fortune Brands (NYSE:FO).

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) said it lost $2.2 billion during the quarter after it wrote down almost $10 billion in bad loans and General Electric’s (NYSE:GE) revenue numbers were below Street projections.  Higher loan losses aggravated investors’ concerns as Citigroup (NYSE:C) and JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) had also reported higher loan losses during the quarter.  General Electric’s (NYSE:GE) results were impacted by lower earnings at its GE Capital unit.    

The 30-share Dow Jones industrial average fell 67.03 points, or 0.67%, to close at 9,995.91. The broad Standard & Poor's 500-stock index retreated 8.88 points, or 0.81%, at 1,087.68.  The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index lost 16.49 points, or 0.76%, to 2,156.80.

Last week only 61 of the S&P500 released results, too early to signal trends, although the results were mainly above projections.  This week hundreds of companies report their earnings, and that could signal where the economy is headed in the times to come.  So far most earnings reports have beaten expectations.

Although nine of the ten S&P 500 industry sectors dropped Friday, on the week eight of the ten sectors managed gains.  Financials dropped 2.4% Friday, and ended off 0.2% for the week.  Oil and gas shares were the leading gainers during the week, up 5%, for a 20.2% year-to-date increase, as crude prices continued their advance, rising 95 cents Friday to $78.53 per barrel.  Crude prices have been rising on promising economic signs as well as the dollar's decline.  This morning China announced that its economy grew at a rate of more than 7% during the first nine months of the year and said it was comfortably placed to achieve its full-year target of an 8% GDP growth.  The greenback rose slightly Friday from a 14-month low.

This week 75 S&P500 firms are due to report their earnings, including today's results from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) after the close.  On Tuesday results are due from: Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), DuPont (NYSE:DD), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and United Technologies (NYSE:UTX).  On Wednesday: Boeing (NYSE:BA), Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC).  On Thursday: 3M (NYSE:MMM), AT&T (NYSE:T), Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS), Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW), McDonald's (NYSE:MCD), Merck (NYSE:MRK), and Travelers Cos (NYSE:TRV). Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) reports its numbers on Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 10,000 level for the second-successive day, edging up 47 points, or 0.5%.  The S&P 500 index edged up 4 points, or 0.4% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite ended the day virtually flat.  The gains in the Dow average were led by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) whose shares jumped 2.9%.  The Windows 7 is slated for release on October 22.

Among energy stocks, Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) shares climbed 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively, as crude prices jumped to their highest levels of the year.  Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy said gasoline stockpiles fell 5.2 million barrels per day last week, well below expectations of 700,000 decline.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) rose 1.7% after it completed its acquisition of Wyeth.

Nevertheless, weakness in financial sector shares, off 0.6%, hurt sentiment even as Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reported estimate-topping numbers.  Citigroup's (NYSE:C) strong trading returns were overcome by increasing consumer loan losses.  Citi's (NYSE:C) CEO Vikram Pandit warned, "US consumer credit remains the number one issue affecting our near-term results." JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon warned that level of loan losses are likely to remain high. 

Tech shares also failed to advance, even as IBM (NYSE:IBM) raised its earnings outlook and reported numbers that were above Street projections.  Advanced Micro Devices' (NYSE:AMD) narrower-than-expected loss and the return of its core chip-making operations to profitability failed to lift sentiments either.  However, Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) better-than-expected results were helped by return to sequential quarterly growth, a 5% increase in average cost-per-clicks over the second quarter, and a positive impact from the declining dollar.  Shares in Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) rose 3.6% in after-hours trading as CEO Eric Schmidt noted, "While there are a lot of uncertainties about the pace of [the] economic recovery, we believe the worst of the recession is behind us and now feel confident about investing heavily in our future."

Today's expected results include a number of significant results from companies such as Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC), General Electric (NYSE:GE), and Mattel (NYSE:MAT). Also reporting are: Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) and First Horizon National (NYSE:FHN).

Chicago, IL – October 16, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Apple Inc. (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Research In Motion (RIMM) and Palm (PALM).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Raising Price Target on Apple

Apple Inc. (AAPL) sold 5.2 million iPhones in the June quarter, representing a 626.0% unit growth over the year-ago quarter. In the current quarter the company released Snow Leopard, the latest upgrade to Apple's OS X operating system. In addition, Apple announced new upgrades to its iPod digital media players. We continue to believe that Apple will outperform its peers given its strong iPhone sales and new product launches.

The company is currently benefiting from a positive mix shift to the higher-margin iPhones and iPod business from its traditional MP3 players, as a result of which management posted non-GAAP gross margin of 41.3% in the last quarter. We expect the company to post higher margins as a result of higher sales and the continued mix shift in the next several quarters.

However, Apple faces significant competition in all areas of its business from Microsoft (MSFT), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Research In Motion (RIMM) and Palm (PALM).

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Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

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Company Description

SYNNEX distributes IT systems, peripherals, system components, software and networking equipment to more than 15,000 resellers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico for OEM suppliers such as Hewlett Packard (HP), IBM (IBM), Intel (INTC), and Microsoft (MSFT).

Surprise Streak Continued in the Third Quarter

On Sep 21, SYNNEX reported third quarter results that easily surprised on the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.84%. Earnings per share were 67 cents compared to the Zacks Consensus of 61 cents. This was also 1 cent better than the year ago period.

Revenues still saw a year over year decrease of 1.88% to $2.01 billion from $2.05 billion in the third quarter of 2008. The company saw revenue growth quarter over quarter of 10.8%. The quarter was boosted by 17.7% growth in the Global Business Services segment.

Fourth Quarter Outlook

The company believes the market has stabilized since the February quarter and it's optimistic about the rest of the year. Revenues are expected in the range of $2.025 billion and $2.125 billion. Earnings per share are forecast between 72 and 75 cents.

Zacks Consensus Estimates Rise

Given the company's earnings surprise and fourth quarter forecast, covering analysts have been raising estimates over the last quarter. The fourth quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate jumped 3 cents to 75 cents, which is the high end of the company's guidance range.

Full year Zacks Consensus Estimates are up 8 cents to $2.57 per share with 4 out of 5 analysts raising in the last month.

Value Fundamentals

SYNNEX is a Zacks #1 Rank (strong buy) stock. The company has a solid 5-year average return on equity (ROE) of 11.48%.

It is trading with a forward P/E of 11.5 despite the stock being at multi-year highs.

See the 5-year chart below:

Zacks Investment Research

Chicago, IL – October 9, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: International Business Machines (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

IBM Faces Antitrust Hurdle

International Business Machines (IBM) has been charged by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a non-profit trade group organized by IBM’s rivals Microsoft (MSFT) and Oracle (ORCL). The allegation is directed at its Mainframe computer business, which is taking revenues and pressurizing profits of its competitors by withdrawing the license access to customers using non-IBM hardware operating systems.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is investigating the allegations against IBM for its conduct in the Mainframe business. Some smaller companies in the banking, government and health care sector develop technologies that would allow the software to run on cheaper hardware. Thus, to freeze competition, IBM has combined its mainframe operating systems with hardware and acquired startup Platform Solutions Inc.

Moreover, it has been alleged that IBM has curbed license of its mainframe operating systems to users of Hercules, which is an open-source software that allows IBM's mainframe operating systems to run on Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) devices.

Last year, IBM acquired Platform Solutions, which complained to European regulators about IBM's restriction on the usage of its mainframe operating software on non-IBM computers.

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Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

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Contact:
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Chicago, IL – October 7, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Salesforce.com (CRM), Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL) and Google (GOOG).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Salesforce Partners with Cisco

At a recent press release, cloud computing company Salesforce.com (CRM) disclosed that it will, along with Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), be delivering a complete contact center in the cloud. The Customer Interaction Cloud, formed by Cisco and Salesforce.com, will use the newly introduced service cloud 2 from salesforce.com along with Cisco Unified Communications.

This innovative solution will resolve the customer service issue of Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) to a large extent, and enable them to run their customer service operation through the cloud.

This product is mainly targeted at the SMB clients, as demand for cloud computing applications is strongest in this market. The company expects that by using customer interaction clouds, the agents will be able to achieve better solutions without incurring any extra cost on hardware, software or telephone equipment. Service Cloud 2 is already catering to the customer service needs of around 8000 companies.

Salesforce seems to be going great guns with its cloud computing business. The company is introducing all sorts of solutions by using its cloud computing platform. Recently, Salesforce has set up a company named FinancialForce.com in association with Unit 4 Agresso (UNI4), the parent company of financial software specialist CODA, which sells accounting software. Both the companies will invest in FinancialForce.com, which in turn will use CODA’s cloud accounting application -- previously known as CODA 2go -- to deliver finance and accounting solutions in the cloud.

We believe, that by forming this joint venture with Cisco, Salesforce is on the verge of creating another success story in the cloud computing space. Competition is tough, but the company is combating well with other players like Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL) and Google (GOOG) to create its own place in the cloud computing world.

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About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

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Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Contact:
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312-265-9380
Visit: www.zacks.com

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) released its new mobile-phone software to take on Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone

• Amazon.com (NYSE:AMZN) announced the company will begin selling an international version of its e-reader in over 100 countries. The firm also lowered the price of its Kindle 2 from $299 to $259

• Yum Brands (NYSE:YUM) reported mixed third quarter results of 70 cents adjusted, 12 cents better than estimated, on revenue of $2.778 billion versus estimates of $2.79 billion.  The firm boosted 2009 guidance to $2.14 from $2.10, versus consensus estimates of $2.13

• Costco (NASDAQ:COST) reported fourth quarter earnings ex-items of 83 cents, topping estimates of 77 cents as revenue of $22.38 billion exceeded projections of $22.34 billion. Comparable sales fell 6% in the US and dropped 3% abroad

• Family Dollar Stores (NYSE:FDO) reported fiscal fourth quarter earnings of 43 cents versus 38 cents a year ago, topping estimates of 41 cents and at the high end of the company's range of 39-43 cents. For the current year the company expected sales growth of 5-7% and earnings of $2.15-$2.35, versus Street estimates of $2.25

• Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) upgraded Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) to "overweight"

• Morgan Stanley upgraded Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) to "equal weight"

• FBR upgraded Goodrich (NYSE:GR) and lifted the target price to $65 from $45

• After yesterday's close, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) CEO, Ken Lewis, announced plans to retire. The bank also reported plans to sell its asset-management unit to Ameriprise (NYSE:AMP) for between $900 and $1.2 billion

• Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) received two brokerage upgrades

• Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) denied reports of talks with General Electric (NYSE:GE) over the purchase of a stake in NBC Universal

• Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) initiated a $3 billion cash offer for Norwegian video-conferencing firm Tandberg

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) was removed from Goldman Sachs' (NYSE:GS) Conviction Buy List, with its "buy" rating maintained and a $30 price target

• Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) reported fiscal second quarter results of 45 cents up from estimates of 41 cents equaling last year's 45 cents

• After yesterday's close, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) CEO, Ken Lewis, announced plans to retire. The bank also reported plans to sell its asset-management unit to Ameriprise (NYSE:AMP) for between $900 and $1.2 billion

• Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) received two brokerage upgrades

• Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) denied reports of talks with General Electric (NYSE:GE) over the purchase of a stake in NBC Universal

• Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) initiated a $3 billion cash offer for Norwegian video-conferencing firm Tandberg

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) was removed from Goldman Sachs' (NYSE:GS) Conviction Buy List, with its "buy" rating maintained and a $30 price target

• Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) reported fiscal second quarter results of 45 cents up from estimates of 41 cents equaling last year's 45 cents

Based in Minnesota, Lawson is a leading provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions and professional services to mid-market enterprises in the health care, retail, public and professional service industries.

LWSN expects revenues between $160 million and $165 million in the quarter, down 14% to 16% year over year, as the company expects recessionary conditions to moderate in late 2009 or early 2010. The unfavorable movement in foreign exchange rates is expected to account for half of this decline.

EPS is forecasted around 5 cents. Margins are expected to show improvement in fiscal 2010 due to cost-cutting measures undertaken by management.

The company earlier reported in line results for the fiscal fourth quarter. Business for Lawson continues to be adversely affected by the deteriorating global economy as most customers have tightened their budgets. The slowdown in the economy will continue to affect business in the first quarter, especially the services business. Lawson derives its revenue from software license fees as well as professional services (including consulting, training, and implementation) and customer support and maintenance.

The August quarter is a seasonally slow quarter for the services business due to summer holidays in Europe. The slowdown in the economy compounds the decline in top-line for the first quarter.

Given the consolidation in the industry, potential growth and scale of Lawson's major competitors may make them more formidable. The increased competition from Oracle, SAP, JDA Software, Microsoft and others is putting pricing pressure on the company. In particular, SAP AG and Oracle Corporation, both being large global ERP vendors, are increasingly targeting mid-sized businesses as their traditional larger-customer market is becoming more mature, which is a threat for the company.

We believe that IBM’s long-term revenue growth potential is limited and remain cautious on currency fluctuation, which is taking a toll on sales and may be critical to earnings expansion over the next two years. While we do believe that cost-cutting initiatives and share repurchases will substantially increase earnings, we do not see the company catching up on its top-line growth.

We expect revenue to decline by 7.8% in the current year, primarily due to low growth in some segments, continued decline in hardware and rising pressures on the services business.

In the most recent quarter, IBM’s sales were down across the board and total revenue declined 13.3% (down 7% when adjusted for currency) year over year, impacted by a strong US dollar as well as the global recession.

While we are impressed by the company’s strong liquidity position, operational efficiency and improving profitability (IBM raised its 2009 EPS outlook from $9.20 to $9.70), near-term visibility remains low given the lack of long-term customer signing growth.

Moreover, pricing pressure from rivals like Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Dell Inc. (DELL), Microsoft (MSFT), Cisco (CSCO) and Oracle (ORCL) have hurt IBM’s business. Higher profit on lower revenue indicates that the quality of IBM’s products may deteriorate and damage its brand in the long term.

Currently, IBM trades at 12.4X its 2009 earnings, a discount to the peer group average. The company’s PEG ratio of 1.34 indicates slow growth. Over the last five years, IBM shares have traded in a range of 9.4X to 19.6X the trailing 12-month earnings. Thus, it is trading at the low-end of the range at present.

We do believe that IBM is fundamentally a sound company and has a strong market position but are wary of near-term bumps. We anticipate that the overall demand environment would limit the stock’s relative appreciation in the future.

• Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) cut AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) price target to $150 from $175 but maintained its “hold" rating on the stock

• Reports say modifications on the Boeing (NYSE:BA) 787 Dreamliner test plane suggest the first flight is possible by late October or early November

• The corporate head of Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Game Studios division ruled out plans to acquire video game publisher Electronics Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS)

• Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) has offered to buy the drug unit of Belgian's conglomerate Solvay SA

• Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) raised its price target for HB Fuller (NYSE:FUL) to $23 from $18, while maintaining its "hold" rating

• Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) raised its price target on Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD) to $46

• Nintendo lowered its Wii price by 20% to $199.99 in the US after meeting increased competition from Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Sony (NYSE:SNE)

• Palm (NASDAQ:PALM) said an offering of 20 million shares of its common stock was priced at $16.25 apiece, a 5% discount to Tuesday's closing price

• BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) shares rose 1.4% Wednesday on a Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) recommendation

• Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) shares fell 2.6% on failure to offer current quarter guidance and comments made by CEO Chambers that "it looks like a gradual recovery," but also warning of a risk that the economy could still retreat

• The CEO of Cadbury (NYSE:CBY) noted "complementary elements" of Kraft (NYSE:KFT) and Cadbury, but said he would still advise rejecting the deal at the current $16 billion bid

• Oracle's (NASDAQ:ORCL) CEO noted dangers of the European regulatory delay of its proposed $7 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ:JAVA), saying Sun Micro is currently losing about $100 million a month

• AMR (NYSE:AMR) announced a 30 million common and $250 million convertible senior notes offering

• Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX) said it is planning a public offering of 18 million shares of its common stock

• TJX (NYSE:TJX) said its board approved a $1 billion share buyback, reflecting 6.2% of the company's outstanding shares

• Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Bing search engine managed to grab more share from Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), reaching 9.3% of market share in August, according to reports

• Harbinger Capital Partners said it sold 5 million shares of its total stake in the New York Times (NYSE:NYT), reducing its stake in the New York Times (NYSE:NYT) to 16.38% from 19.94%

• Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) downgraded Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) to "neutral" and advised adding to positions in Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and EMC Corp (NYSE:EMC).  The analyst raised concerns of Dell's risky acquisition path

Salesforce.com enters the Government cloud computing segment in a big way with this deal, although many cabinet-level government agencies are already using the company’s services. The positive news comes just after the company’s introduction of Service cloud 2, an enhanced version of service cloud computing that provides better solutions to customers. This includes Salesforce knowledge, Salesforce Answers and Salesforce for Twitter. Salesforce is thus blazing all guns to make its cloud computing services available to customers across all segments.

Historically, Salesforce has achieved success in all cloud computing deals with government organizations. NASA uses Salesforce’s CRM applications in its partnership program with companies, federal agencies and non-profit organizations to get a macro view of its interactions with these agencies, while the US Army uses Salesforce CRM for recruitment to save time and resources. This apart, the US Department of State's Office of Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund avails Force.com services for providing up to date budget information to program managers around the globe.

Government organizations are clearly benefiting from the cloud computing services, saving time by reducing cost of additional hardware and software and without incurring any additional employee cost. Going forward, these benefits should draw the attention of other government customers around the world, generating additional demand for companies like Salsforce.com in the cloud computing segment.

On the other hand, big companies like Microsoft (MSFT), Oracle (ORCL), International Business Machine (IBM) and Google (GOOG) are also entering this segment to get a share of this growing market, offering Salesforce.com tough competition.

With significant operating leverage, the company expects to continue expanding margins, helped by about $3.5 billion of savings from cost-cutting initiatives in 2009.

Shares of the company rose in early trading hours to $118.18 after closing at $117.46 on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

IBM expects to release third-quarter results on Oct. 15. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $2.38 a share for the quarter and $9.77 for the full year, exceeding the company’s guidance of $9.70. Zacks estimates assume approximately 13.6% earnings growth and 2.1% sales growth.

IBM is the leader in the Software, Services and Storage business. With a shift to higher-margin software and services, the company raised its 2009 profit objective during the second quarter earnings call from its original forecast of $9.20 due to strong margin performance.

IBM’s second-quarter results beat the Zacks Consensus. Having focused on expense management, the pro forma EPS rose to a record $2.32, up 17.8% from $1.97 in the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus estimate was $2.03 per share.

The server giant competes against Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Sun Microsystems (JAVA) and Microsoft (MSFT). We maintain our Outperform rating on the stock based on strong fundamentals, substantial free cash flow, strong Services businesses and earnings momentum.

OIN consists of member companies such as RedHat (RHAT), International Business Machines (IBM), Phillips and Novell (NOVL), which use open source technology in their products. OIM licenses the patents but typically does not resell them.

AST is in the business of acquiring patents from owners, licensing the technology back to them and ultimately selling off the patents. The member firms include big names in the technology space, such as Motorola (MOT), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Sun Microsystems (JAVA), Hewlett Packard Co. (HPQ), Verizon Wireless (VZ), Google (GOOG) and LM Ericsson Telephone Co. (ERIC).

For a long time now, Microsoft has been complaining about Linux software violating its patents and even filed suits against companies using the Linux-based software for the offense. The outcome of such suits has been varied. The recent allegation against navigation device maker, TomTom NV for instance, was settled out of court.

The company has also started licensing out these patents to firms distributing or using open source software. This seems like a smart thing to do since it enables Microsoft to generate some revenue from the open source segment as well.

Chicago, IL – September 2, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Google (GOOG), Sony Corp. (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL) and Hewlett Packard Co. (HPQ).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Google Ropes in Sony

Google (GOOG) recently struck a deal with Sony Corp. (SNE), according to which the latter will ship the Chrome browser pre-installed on some of its PC models. The financial or other details of the transaction were not disclosed. A Google spokesperson said that the deal was in the nature of a first step and agreements with other leading PC-makers are expected to follow.

We think this is an interesting move and could be leveraged to boost sales of its Chrome operating system to be launched next year. Microsoft’s (MSFT) domination of the web browser space is largely attributable to its strategy of bundling the Internet Explorer with its operating system. Since MSFT operating systems continue to be the most commonly used, this is an obvious advantage. While Microsoft, being the market leader, is hindered by anti-trust actions from smaller players, Google Chrome is not likely to face this hurdle.

However, we expect the company to face stiff competition not just from Microsoft, but also Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple’s (AAPL) Safari and Opera, which is more commonly used as a mobile phone web browser.

Sony’s share of the PC market has been shrinking and the company has dropped out of the top five, based on shipments to the U.S. and worldwide (according to both IDC and Gartner) to top companies such as Hewlett Packard Co. (HPQ).

Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Contact:
Mark Vickery
Web Content Editor
312-265-9380
Visit: www.zacks.com

• AIG (NYSE:AIG) shares jumped 11% yesterday. In an interview, new CEO Benmosche calmed fears of a fire sale of the firm's assets, instead pointing to a measured approach to retaining the company's diversified base, noting that in a year the company will be said to be performing well

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced a $71 cut on its highest-priced Xbox 360 in Europe and US markets after Sony (NYSE:SNE) cut price of its PlayStation 3 last week

• General Electric (NYSE:GE) is reportedly seeking bids for its security business, with interest said to be forthcoming from United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) and Tyco (NYSE:TYC). The firm hopes for bids of about $2 billion

• Guess? (NYSE:GES) beat second quarter estimates with earnings of 64 cents a share, ahead of Zacks expectations of 44 cents a share, on revenues of $522.4 million, beating
estimates of $480 million.  The company raised its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.125; guidance for the current quarter was set at 46 cents to 49 cents per share on sales of $465 million to $485 million

• The US Navy awarded a $2.4 billion contract to Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) for work on nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt

• Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL) reported a third quarter loss of $2.93 a share, worse than the Zacks projections of a $1.40 per share loss, on revenues of $461.38 million, compared with estimates of $414 million. The firms expects lower fourth quarter sales