• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) beat estimates with third quarter earnings of $1.20 a share, seven cents better than expected on revenues of $15.08 billion, below estimates of $15.22 billion. The company said it now sees 2009 earnings of $4.54 to $4.59 a share, compared with its previous guidance of $4.45 to $4.55 a share

• UBS (NYSE:UBS) initiated coverage of VF Corp (NYSE:VFC) with a "buy" rating

• Pier 1 Imports (NYSE:PIR) reported a 9.9% gain in September same-store-sales, versus last year's 11.7% decline. The company expects inventory levels will peak at the end of the quarter at about $350 million

• According to the WSJ, Macau may draft rules within the next two months to impose age and table limits on casinos there

• AIG International (NYSE:AIG) agreed to sell its Taiwan life insurance unit to a Hong Kong investment group for $2.15 billion

Zacks Investment Research

Entech Solar, a developer of modules that provide both electricity and thermal energy by utilizing proprietary concentrating photovoltaic technologies, recently announced the appointment of Sandy J. Martin as the company’s chief financial officer, effective June 11, 2009. Ms. Martin joined Entech Solar in March of this year as the corporate controller and earned the position of chief accounting officer in April 2009. She currently manages the company’s finance and investor relations strategy, accounting responsibilities, SEC reporting, treasury and financial planning, and financial analysis at Entech Solar.

With more than 25 years experience in finance and accounting leadership positions for publicly traded companies, Ms. Martin earned an MBA from the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University and a Bachelors of Business Administration in accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington. Throughout her career as a CPA, Ms. Martin has managed various accounting responsibilities for nationally recognized public companies,

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No companies are expected to top expectations. Best Buy Co., Inc. (

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With so many stocks beat up by the Bear market, you would expect insiders who believe their shares are trading at a discount to buy them outright and show us the way. Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE:PIR) has been doing just that, the amount of insider activity is either a case of blind faith or true vision. Pier 1 insiders have been doubling-down like nobody's business. These guys have buying back ...

Last Mile Logistics Group has been delivering to the Mid-Atlantic market for several years. Through its subsidiary, Chesapeake Logistics, the company handles the “last mile” of courier service for numerous types of clientele. Last Mile Logistics has a long list of high-profile companies for which it has delivered, including Pier 1 Imports, JCPenney, and Ticketmaster, just to name a few.

Last Mile is the subject of a recent Beacon Equity Research report, in which it received a ‘Speculative Buy’ rating, and a target price of $0.32 from analyst Lisa Springer, CFA. The report states: “We think LMLG warrants a valuation at the high end of the peer group range because of its significant new customer wins, competitive differentiation and above average growth … We also anticipate consistent gross margins gains resulting from greater efficiencies and economies of scale. We expect the Company’s gross margins to improve to a 42 percent

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