Stock Market News & Stocks to Watch from StraightStocks » Texas

PSFT, HZHI, CVAT, PWRM, HCEI, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM, Stocks at a Glance. DrStockPick.com Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:23:58 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday November 25, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PSFT, HZHI, CVAT, PWRM, HCEI, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM ************************************************************** HCEI, Healthy Coffee International Inc., HCEI.PK HCEI is well positioned in the market place at the intersection of three mega-billion dollar industries: coffee, wellness and energy drinks, and has quickly established offices [...]

11-25-09 Daily Small Cap Market News and Stock Highlights from SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:43:20 +0000

Stocks are lightly higher after stronger-than-expected data on the labor market The number of workers filing claims for jobless benefits fell by a surprisingly large amount in the last week to the lowest level in more than a year, the government said. In addition, U.S. personal spending rose 0.7 percent in October, while durable goods orders unexpectedly [...]

Merck’s Relief in Texas – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Although Merck (MRK) is aiming to close the Vioxx chapter, it is far from over. The company’s long list of cases is still pending. Recently, Merck received a favorable ruling in a district court of Texas. The judge dismissed all claims in a lawsuit related to Vioxx filed on behalf of the State of Texas that sought a refund for money spent on the drug and granted Merck's motion for summary judgment.

A summary judgment is a determination made by a court in a civil litigation, without a full trial. In addition to the Texas case, there are several other similar lawsuits filed by state attorney generals throughout the country. A similar trial filed against Merck by the Louisiana Attorney General is scheduled to begin in the federal court in New Orleans on April 2010.

Earlier this year, in another lawsuit, Merck had agreed to pay $80 million to settle 190 outstanding claims regarding Vioxx, a blockbuster drug that catered to a huge arthritis and pain-relief market for nearly five years in the US. Merck had to withdraw the drug from the market in 2004. The withdrawal followed a finding which revealed increased risk of heart attack for long-term users of the medicine.

In November 2007, the company agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle several personal-injury lawsuits from former Vioxx users who held the drug responsible for causing heart attacks or strokes. Although the Texas decision is a relief for Merck, many investigations are still pending regarding Vioxx. Any unfavorable outcome of such lawsuits may affect the company’s financials.

Moreover, various researches have shown that heart risk associated with Vioxx could have been detected before the drug’s withdrawal from the market, had the data been openly available. We believe disclosure of such findings may make things more difficult for the company. However, we are Neutral on the stock.
Read the full analyst report on "MRK"
Zacks Investment Research

Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Affiliated Computer Services Inc., Xerox Corp., Expedia Inc., Orbitz Worldwide and Priceline.com – Press Releases

Zacks Market Commentaries — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:53 +0000

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 25, 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: Affiliated Computer Services Inc. (ACS), Xerox Corp. (XRX), Expedia Inc. (EXPE), Orbitz Worldwide (OWW) and Priceline.com (PCLN).

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:

Settlement in Xerox-ACS Merger

The lawsuit was filed in October in Dallas County, Texas as Xerox was struggling to convince its shareholders to approve the deal.

The plaintiffs agreed to drop the lawsuit only if ACS’s Board of Directors received a better proposal than Xerox’s current bid and Xerox did not force ACS’s Chairman Darwin Deason to exercise his voting power in favor of the Xerox acquisition. The previous agreement called for Mr. Deason to cast half his votes in favor of the Xerox bid. He controls 44% of the votes at ACS.

Xerox has also decided not to force ACS to hold a shareholder meeting to vote on the Xerox transaction, and if requested by the Xerox’s shareholders ACS will terminate the Merger Agreement. Xerox also said that a pension fund has dropped a lawsuit over the purchase of ACS. However, a separate shareholder class action lawsuit is still pending in Delaware.

In September, Xerox agreed to acquire Affiliated in a cash and stock transaction valued at $6.4 billion ($63.11 per ACS share in cash and Xerox stock). Affiliated shareholders will receive $18.60 in cash and 4.935 shares of Xerox for each ACS share. Xerox will also assume $2 billion of ACS’s debt and issue $300 million of convertible preferred stock to ACS shareholders.

Downgrading Expedia to Neutral

We are downgrading shares of Expedia Inc. (EXPE) from Outperform to Neutral.

The company reported strong results in the last quarter, but continued to benefit from promotional inventories provided by its hotel partners. When results are stripped off the benefits of promotional activities, a softer demand environment could become evident.

We also do not expect the company to report better than seasonal sales growth in the current quarter.

The company has sacrificed booking fees this year, which is telling on the average daily rates (ADRs). Therefore, ADRs could be the metric to watch rather than room nights at this point of time.

We are also concerned about the incidence of transient occupancy taxes. Although municipalities and governments have decided that they will recover occupancy taxes from hotels if they lose out to online travel companies, we note that Expedia has already lost in Georgia and the company is slated to pay out $55 million to the City of San Francisco.

A fresh suit has now been filed by Florida, and for the first time the company has been charged under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Five Florida counties have decided to charge Expedia, as well as other online travel companies such as Orbitz Worldwide (OWW), Priceline.com (PCLN) and Travelocity for recovery of transient occupancy taxes. The company made a hefty provision in the June quarter, but we fear that this could be insufficient if the cases continue. Fines of this magnitude have the potential to develop into a constant drain on cash.

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Zacks Investment Research

PWRM, INCY, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and Incyte Corp

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:29:40 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday Nov 25, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, INCY ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB PWRM is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets. PWRM’s patent-pending [...]

Music, BBQ Economic Clout

Frank Holmes — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The Milken Institute recently released its 2009 list of Best-Performing Cities Index and Austin, Texas has been named the best-performing metropolitan area in the U.S. The index is designed to measure which U.S. cities are most successful in terms of job creation and retention, the quality of jobs being produced and overall economic performance. Austin combines several advantages that put it atop the rankings. It is the capital of an economically powerful state (at $1.1 trillion, the Texas GDP is the nationrsquo;s second-largest and in the top 15 worldwide), and home to the well-funded research centers at the University of Texas, a thriving technology cluster and an extensive professional services sector. Austin has plenty of local company on this yearrsquo;s list ndash; Texas claimed four of the top five spots and nine of the top 25. Our hometown of San Antonio came in at No. 11, up four places from last year. Texas cities benefited from a welcoming business climate and a housing market that has declined less than other markets. The state also benefited from its huge oil and gas industry. The Northeast corridor of the U.S showed considerable improvement from last year, as 14 of the top 20 biggest gainers were from the region. After a rough 2008, the Connecticut cities of Hartford (#48) and New Haven (#88), and Cambridge, Mass. (#45), each moved up about 100 spots in 2009. View the Interactive Version of the Report By clicking the link to the interactive report, you will be directed to MilkenInstitute.org. U.S. Global Investors does not endorse all information supplied by this website and is not responsible for its content. All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor. #09-825

Settlement in Xerox-ACS Merger – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:00:15 +0000

Affiliated Computer Services Inc. (ACS) announced that the complaint filed by ACS shareholders regarding its merger with Xerox Corp. (XRX) has been resolved. The plaintiffs have temporarily withdrawn their motion for an injunction to block the deal.

The lawsuit was filed in October in Dallas County, Texas as Xerox was struggling to convince its shareholders to approve the deal.

The plaintiffs agreed to drop the lawsuit only if ACS’s Board of Directors received a better proposal than Xerox’s current bid and Xerox did not force ACS’s Chairman Darwin Deason to exercise his voting power in favor of the Xerox acquisition. The previous agreement called for Mr. Deason to cast half his votes in favor of the Xerox bid. He controls 44% of the votes at ACS.

Xerox has also decided not to force ACS to hold a shareholder meeting to vote on the Xerox transaction, and if requested by the Xerox’s shareholders ACS will terminate the Merger Agreement. Xerox also said that a pension fund has dropped a lawsuit over the purchase of ACS. However, a separate shareholder class action lawsuit is still pending in Delaware.

In September, Xerox agreed to acquire Affiliated in a cash and stock transaction valued at $6.4 billion ($63.11 per ACS share in cash and Xerox stock). Affiliated shareholders will receive $18.60 in cash and 4.935 shares of Xerox for each ACS share. Xerox will also assume $2 billion of ACS’s debt and issue $300 million of convertible preferred stock to ACS shareholders.

As a subsidiary of Xerox, Affiliated will operate independently. The combined company will have greater BPO capability and help expand Affiliated’s presence in international markets. Currently, the BPO market is about $130 - $150 billion, with an average growth rate of around 5% to 10% a year. With the Xerox/Affiliated merger, the total market opportunity will be more than $500 billion.

The combined company plans to cut ongoing costs by up to $400 million a year from 2012 onwards. It is currently expected to generate $22 billion in revenues, of which $17 billion is expected to be of a recurring nature and $10 billion is expected to come from services. The transaction is expected to be accretive in fiscal 2010.

In our opinion the deal is now open to third-party bidders provided they pay a higher price for ACS. Trading currently below the acquisition price, we believe the deal to be beneficial for Affiliated, however Xerox may face integration related issues.

Due to the expected merger, ACS did not provide financial guidance for the second quarter or fiscal year 2010.

Shares of Xerox rose 1.3% to $7.93, while ACS increased 1.1% to $55.90.

We have a Neutral rating on both ACS and Xerox.
Read the full analyst report on "ACS"
Read the full analyst report on "XRX"
Zacks Investment Research

PWRM, MRK, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and Merck Co. Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:20:33 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday Nov 24, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, MRK ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB PWRM is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets. PWRM’s patent-pending [...]

Cameron Completes NATCO Deal – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Last week, oil drilling equipment maker Cameron International Corp. (CAM) closed the previously announced acquisition of Texas-based fellow oilfield service provider NATCO Group for approximately $780 million, following the approval by NATCO’s shareholders.

In relation to the acquisition, Cameron reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to divest its Edge refinery desalter business and will license, on a non-exclusive basis, NATCO's Dual Frequency electrostatic technology for refinery desalter products. This was based on the DOJ’s antitrust division’s view that the acquisition as originally proposed would significantly hamper U.S. refinery desalter manufacturing competition, resulting in higher prices and lower quality, service, and innovation.

Incidentally, Cameron and NATCO are the top two domestic refinery desalter suppliers. The acquiistion involved an all-stock transaction whereby, NATCO stakeholders exchanged each of their shares for 1.185 Cameron common stocks and will receive cash reflecting the value of any fractional shares. Additionally, Cameron has issued about 23.7 million shares associated with this acquisition.

The agreement was previously unanimously approved by the boards of both the companies. We believe that the NATCO acquisition will transform Houston-based Cameron into a leading supplier of separation and processing solutions worldwide as well as boost its subsea development capabilities. The new ‘Cameron’ will have enhanced worldwide presence, broad product offerings in both upstream and downstream markets, and additional manufacturing capabilities.

Cameron expects the transaction to add to its profitability in 2010, after adjusting for any integration costs. Cameron recently posted better-than-expected third-quarter 2009 results despite pricing pressure and reduced order flow. A healthy backlog of $5.1 billion, coupled with Cameron’s strong financial health, growing international operations, and the still favorable outlook for the deepwater offshore markets should help the company weather the current downturn better than most of its peers.

However, the industry-wide slump still continues to weigh on the company’s profits and the scenario is unlikely to change much during the next few quarters. Consequently, we see the stock performing in line with the broader market and rate it as Neutral.

Houston, Texas-based Cameron International Corporation, previously known as Cooper Cameron Corporation, is a leading manufacturer of pressure control equipment used in onshore, offshore, and subsea applications for oil and gas drilling, production, and transmission.
Read the full analyst report on "CAM"
Zacks Investment Research

HZHI, CVAT, PWRM, HCEI, PSFT, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM, Stocks at a Glance. DrStockPick.com Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:26:57 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Monday November 23, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! HZHI CVAT, PWRM, HCEI, PSFT, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM ************************************************************** HCEI, Healthy Coffee International Inc., HCEI.PK HCEI is well positioned in the market place at the intersection of three mega-billion dollar industries: coffee, wellness and energy drinks, and has quickly established offices [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 11/23/09, HCEI, MILR, OCCF, MITK, IGLB, CX

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:31:49 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Monday Nov 23, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Healthy Coffee International, Inc. (Other OTC: HCEI.PK) has established offices in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Pilipinas, Sweden, UK, and many more countries to achieve the company’s short term goal of $1 million a month in sales. Healthy Coffee [...]

PWRM, STEM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and StemCells Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:28:33 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Monday Nov 23, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, STEM ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB PWRM is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets. PWRM’s patent-pending [...]

CVAT, PWRM, HZHI, HCEI, PSFT, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM, Stocks at a Glance. DrStockPick.com Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:16:21 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Sunday November 22, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CVAT, PWRM, HZHI, HCEI, PSFT, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM ************************************************************** HCEI, Healthy Coffee International Inc., HCEI.PK HCEI is well positioned in the market place at the intersection of three mega-billion dollar industries: coffee, wellness and energy drinks, and has quickly established offices [...]

Buffett Borrows for Rail Acquisition – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:11:51 +0000

Warren Buffett, the CEO and Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)/(BRK.B), announced on Thursday to borrow $8 billion of loan for the acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNI). Berkshire Hathaway, which already owns a 22% stake in Burlington Northern, announced earlier this month it would acquire the rest for a total value of $34 billion. Buffet agreed to pay $100 a share in cash and stock to buy the rest of the company.

The $8 billion loan that will be provided by JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Wells Fargo (WFC) is intended to be paid back in three years’ time.

For Berkshire, the acquisition of Burlington Northern, or BNSF, the second largest railroad, will be its biggest to date. With it, Berkshire is adding a railroad transportation business with its already diverse range of businesses including retail, manufacturing and insurance, as well as several regional electric and gas utilities.

The acquisition is expected to close in early 2010 and is subject to Burlington Northern’s shareholder approval. Post acquisition, Burlington Northern will operate from its headquarters as a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Burlington Northern operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America through its subsidiary, with 33,500 route miles covering 28 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. This network covers two-thirds of the western United States, stretching from major Pacific Northwest and Southern California. The company employs more than 40,000 people.
Read the full analyst report on "BNI"
Read the full analyst report on "BRK.A"
Read the full analyst report on "BRK.B"
Read the full analyst report on "JPM"
Read the full analyst report on "WFC"
Zacks Investment Research

Audit the Fed – Amendment to a $200 billion bill frightens currency traders!

Contrarian Profits — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:35 +0000

So what was it that spooked the markets… Well… The only thing I can find was the report yesterday about falling Housing Starts that Chris told you about… Did you know that about 14% of US homeowners were either delinquent on their mortgage or in some stage of foreclosure? That is the highest rate since the group started collecting the data in 1972! But there was something else that was announced as the day went on, that I think probably spooked the markets more than anything else… And that is a key House panel approved two amendments to a sweeping financial-overhaul bill that would give federal watchdogs new authority to audit the Federal Reserve, and would establish a fund of as much as $200 billion to help dissolve large, troubled institutions. Rep. Ron Paul (R., Texas) offered the amendment seeking to subject the Fed to audits.

PWRM, HZHI, HCEI, CVAT, PSFT, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:45:12 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Thursday November 18, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, HZHI, HCEI, CVAT, PSFT, TAXS, CSRH, AQNM ************************************************************** HCEI, Healthy Coffee International Inc., HCEI.PK HCEI is well positioned in the market place at the intersection of three mega-billion dollar industries: coffee, wellness and energy drinks, and has quickly established offices [...]

PWRM, PFE, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:16 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Thursday Nov 19, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, PFE ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB PWRM is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets. PWRM’s patent-pending [...]

Global Entertainment Corp. (GNTP.OB) Opens Two Event Centers in Texas and Missouri

QualityStocks — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:11 +0000

Global Entertainment Corp. announced today the grand opening of its two new event centers in Allen, Texas and Independence, Missouri. Allen, Texas is proud of their beautiful new Allen Event Center (AEC). At the official ribbon cutting ceremony this past Nov. 4, 500 spectators packed the plaza entrance to hear Mayor Stephen Terrell welcome the [...]

11-18-09 Daily Small Cap Market News and Stock Highlights from SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:09:46 +0000

Stocks are lower as an unexpected drop in home construction raised concerns about the pace of the economy’s recovery The Commerce Department said construction of homes and apartments fell 10.6 percent in October to an annual rate of 529,000, well below the pace of 600,000 that economists polled by Thomson Reuters had predicted. Building permits, a key [...]

Sprint Expands 4G, Reduces Debt – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:44:38 +0000

Sprint Nextel (S) has expanded its fourth-generation (4G) wireless broadband network to two more US cities. The third largest US carrier has officially launched commercial services in San Antonio and Austin in Texas. The company’s 4G services now covers about 25 markets in the US, with plans to address more than 120 million people by the end of 2009.

Subscribers across the newly launched markets can now enjoy lightning fast mobile broadband experience by paying just $10 per month over their existing 3G wireless data plans. The 4G WiMax network offers up to 10 times faster network speeds than the existing 3G deployments. The download speeds enabled by the 4G WiMax network average 3−6 megabits per second (Mbps), with peak speeds exceeding 10 Mbps.

Sprint offers its 4G service under the "Sprint 4G" brand and leverages the WiMax (a mobile broadband technology) network operated by Clearwire Corporation (CLWR) in which it holds a 51% stake. Sprint recently announced its plan to invest an additional US$1.2 billion in Clearwire to facilitate the 4G service roll-out.

The 4G WiMax service is expected to play a critical role for Sprint’s survival in the domestic wireless market, given its continued market share losses to larger rivals. The company plans to continue the aggressive network deployments through 2010 with 4G service launches in key US markets such as Boston, Houston, New York , San Francisco and Washington D.C.

Sprint’s peers AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) are preparing to deploy their own 4G networks in the 2010−2011 timeframe based on the Long-Term Evaluation (“LTE"), an emerging 4G wireless standard. LTE has demonstrated higher throughput levels than WiMax in technical trials.

Sprint has reportedly repaid US$1 billion debt using its existing cash resources. This has effectively erased all outstanding balance on the company’s US$4.5 billion revolving credit facility.

This significant debt reduction initiative follows the warning issued by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services for a possible credit rating downgrade due to the company’s lackluster operating results through third-quarter 2009. The company reported a bigger net loss and lower revenue in the last quarter due to the weak performance of its postpaid wireless business.

Sprint is increasingly focused on cost reduction as a declining subscriber base continued to weigh on its top-line. The company recently revealed a workforce reduction plan as it targets to downsize up to 2,500 jobs by the end of the current year. This is expected to help the company to reduce costs by at least $350 million.

While Sprint’s 4G expansion and cost-cutting measures appear encouraging, the company is expected to remain challenged by the sustained erosion in its wireless contract customer base through 2009. However, the healthy growth at Boost Monthly prepaid mobile business may offset most of these losses.
Read the full analyst report on "S"
Read the full analyst report on "CLWR"
Read the full analyst report on "T"
Read the full analyst report on "VZ"
Zacks Investment Research

A New Audio Interview with Mark Argenti, CEO of Gen2Media Corp., is Now at SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:19:52 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. announced today that a new audio interview with Gen2Media Corp. (OTCBB:GTWO) is now available. The interview can be heard at http://smallcapvoice.com/blog/11-17-09-audio-interview-gen2media-corporation-otcbb-gtwo/. SmallCapVoice.com is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among retail and institutional investors. SmallCapVoice.com utilizes its [...]

SectorWatch.biz: Positive Trends in Oil Gas

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:57:42 +0000

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 18, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SectorWatch.biz announces the availability of a commentary of interest to investors in Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSE Amex:LEI) and other oil & gas-related equities making news and driving markets today. Investors can view our free commentaries at: www.SectorWatch.biz — in association with FiSpace.net, a dynamic social networking site [...]

PWRM, DrStockPick.com Watch List! for Wednesday Nov 18, 2009, Power3 Medical Products Inc., PWRM.OB

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:17:19 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ DrStockPick.com Watch List! My Pick for Wednesday November 17, 2009 is: PWRM, Power3 Medical Products Inc., PWRM.OB ************************************************************** Many of you have been writing in about PWRM, asking about why we have it featured on our website. One member even asked what makes PWRM so different than the [...]

PWRM, HZHI, HCEI, CVAT, PSFT, CSRH, AQNM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:44:50 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday November 17, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, HZHI, HCEI, CVAT, PSFT, CSRH, AQNM ************************************************************** HCEI, Healthy Coffee International Inc., HCEI.PK HCEI is well positioned in the market place at the intersection of three mega-billion dollar industries: coffee, wellness and energy drinks, and has quickly established offices in [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 11/17/09, ZENG, HZHI, RHT, MDAS, CIEN, COP

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:27:35 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Tuesday November 17, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Horizon Health International Corp. (Pink Sheets:HZHI) launched a product awareness campaign. The company will be show-casing products through existing e-commerce sites to stimulate sales through online transactions. Through Its US Subsidiary SunCity Ventures, Horizon Health [...]

Lucas Energy Reports Second Fiscal Quarter 2009-2010 Results, Turns EBITDA Positive

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:09:02 +0000

HOUSTON, Nov. 16, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSE Amex:LEI), an independent oil and gas company (the “Company”) based in Houston, Texas reports the financial results from operations for second quarter of fiscal year 2009-2010. For the second quarter fiscal year 2009-2010, the Company reports: Revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 were $414,218 [...]

PWRM, NGSX, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and NeurogesX, Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:45:34 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday November 17, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, NGSX ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB PWRM is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets. PWRM’s patent-pending [...]

Six Calpine (NYSE:CPN) Facilities Recognized Through Clean Texas Program

Dawn Van Zant — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

HOUSTON - November 17, 2009 - Calpine Corporation (NYSE:CPN) today announced that six Calpine facilities have been recognized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) with Bronze Level membership in the Clean Texas Program

HCEI, HZHI, CVAT, PWRM, PSFT, CSRH, AQNM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:37:17 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Monday November 16, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! HCEI, HZHI, CVAT, PWRM, PSFT, CSRH, AQNM ************************************************************** HCEI, Healthy Coffee International Inc., HCEI.PK HCEI is well positioned in the market place at the intersection of three mega-billion dollar industries: coffee, wellness and energy drinks, and has quickly established offices in [...]

WNR Suffers Quarterly Loss – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:48:19 +0000

Oil refiner and marketer Western Refining Inc. (WNR) reported weaker-than-expected third quarter results, pulled down by lower margins and throughput on the back of weak fuel demand and high inventories caused by the prolonged economic slowdown. This was partially offset by lower costs and expenses. Its loss per share came in at 5 cents, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 3 cents.

In the year-ago period, the Texas-based company earned $1.60 per share. Revenues were down 40.1% year over year to $1.9 billion. Western follows larger rivals Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) and Sunoco Inc. (SUN) that also posted bigger-than-expected losses.

Refining Segment Results

Western’s refining segment experienced a significant decline in operating income (operating income of $22.2 million vs. $180.8 million in the year-earlier quarter), adversely impacted by weak values for finished products, relative to crude and other feedstock prices.

Throughput

Total refining throughput averaged 223,129 barrels per day (Bbl/d), compared to 230,814 Bbl/d in the year-ago quarter. Overall throughput volumes in the El Paso refinery decreased 1.8% year-over-year to 130,142 Bbl/d. Throughput in the company’s Yorktown refinery fell 5.8% year-over-year to 64,538 Bbl/d, while for the Four Corners refineries, it was down approximately 4.4% to 28,449 Bbl/d.

Refining Margins

Gross refining margin decreased 51.6% year-over-year to $7.28 per barrel. In terms of different regions, refining margin was down approximately 38.2% in El Paso to $8.05 per barrel, 82.1% in Yorktown to $2.67 per barrel, and roughly 39.0% in the Four Corners to $14.04 per barrel.

Operating Expenses

Direct operating expenses during the quarter averaged 4.29 per barrel, down 11.0% year-over-year. Costs in El Paso, Yorktown and Four Corners were $3.01 per barrel (down 21.2% year-over-year), $4.98 per barrel (up 5.5%), and $7.64 per barrel (down approximately 2.6%), respectively.

Capital Expenditure & Balance Sheet

Western’s total capital spending during the third quarter of 2009 was $24.0 million, primarily comprising of regulatory projects at its refineries. As of September 30, 2009, Western had cash on hand of $65.0 million and long-term debt of approximately $1.1 billion, representing a debt-to-capitalization ratio of 57.7%.

Company Initiatives

Given the weak refining margin environment, Western has taken certain strategic actions to improve the company’s performance and competitiveness in a cost-effective manner. As part of this effort, Western plans to consolidate the operations of its Four Corners refineries (Bloomfield and Gallup) into one at the Gallup refinery. The company hopes to save $25 annually through this streamlining.

Despite shuttering the Bloomfield facility, Western will continue to operate the refinery’s products terminal and may use the idled plant to produce alternative fuels. The company is likely to incur charges of $55 - $65 million in the fourth quarter related to the consolidation.

Guidance

For the fourth quarter, total refinery throughput is anticipated to be approximately 212,000 Bbl/d. Operating costs are likely to be approximately $4.36 per barrel at El Paso, $8.71 per barrel at the Four Corners refineries and $5.42 per barrel at Yorktown. The company further informed that it expects capital spending for 2009 to be within $120 million, as against its originally stated budget of $155 million. For 2010, Western plans to spend approximately $100 million.

Company Overview

Western Refining is an independent oil refiner that operates 4 refineries, 2 terminals, 4 asphalt terminals as well as retail service stations and convenience stores in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western also transports petroleum products throughout the Southwest.
Read the full analyst report on "WNR"
Read the full analyst report on "VLO"
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Zacks Investment Research

Small Cap Voice Featured Company: Lucas Energy, Inc. (LEI)

QualityStocks — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:33:47 +0000

Lucas Energy, Inc. is a Houston, Texas based independent oil and gas company focused on identifying, evaluating and acquiring leasehold property interests, primarily in the Austin Chalk formation of the middle Gulf Coast of Texas, that are underperforming or have been shut-in or plugged and abandoned. Once acquired, the company revitalizes the properties by undertaking [...]

Tower Completes SUAI Acquisition – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:17:09 +0000

New York-based Tower Group Inc. (TWGP) has completed the acquisition of Illinois-based specialty insurer, Specialty Underwriters' Alliance Inc. (SUAI). The deal, which was previously announced during Jun 2009, cost $107 million for Tower. All the conditions contingent to the closing of the deal have been met.

The acquisition will enable Specialty Underwriters to better leverage and expand its independent general agent distribution network. The deal will allow Tower to create a separate underwriting and operational infrastructure dedicated to specialty business to take advantage of the growth opportunities in this area. The acquisition also gives Tower a Midwest regional office to support continued geographical expansion. By utilizing Specialty's underwriting staff to offer products to wholesale and retail agents in the Midwest, Tower would also expand its brokerage insurance business in a region where it did not have an operating presence. By fully leveraging the operating platform and distribution relationships of the acquiring company, Tower will be able to further build on CastlePoint’s specialty business. Tower had completed the acquisition of CastlePoint in Feb 2009 for $531 million.

The deal would appear to put an end to takeover attempts by Texas-based Hallmark Financial Services that the acquiring company had been fighting.

Read the full analyst report on "TWGP"
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Zacks Investment Research

NVAX, PWRM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Novavax Inc. and Power 3 Medical Products Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:13:53 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Monday November 16, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! NVAX, PWRM ************************************************************** NVAX, Novavax Inc. NVAX is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, creating novel vaccines to address a broad range of infectious diseases worldwide, including H1N1, using advanced proprietary virus-like-particle (VLP) technology. The company produces potent VLP-based recombinant vaccines utilizing new and [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 11/16/09, RVSN, HZHI, SOMD, EGAM, VETS, PZZI

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:11:15 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Monday November 16, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Octasic Inc., a leading innovator of media processing solutions, today announced it has added RADVISION’s 3G-324M stacks to its recently enhanced Vocallo Media Gateway (MGW) solution. The partnership with RADVISION (NASDAQ: RVSN), the premier provider [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 11/13/09, CSRH, AIRV, DUG, KBH, BBSI, SUNV

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:59:11 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Friday November 13, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Consorteum Holdings Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announced that it has proceeded to launch its consumer stored value rebate card. The consumer rebate card program will offer manufacturers and retailers a new way to process mail-in rebates that [...]

CEPH, PWRM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Cephalon Inc. and Power 3 Medical Products Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:58:05 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Friday November 13, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CEPH, PWRM ************************************************************** CEPH, Cephalon Inc. CEPH engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of products for central nervous system, inflammatory disease, pain, and oncology therapeutic areas. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing yesterday, CEPH will give Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. (which [...]

Healthspring Inc. – Value – Zacks Rank Buy

Tracey Ryniec — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Healthspring, Inc. (HS) has surprised on estimates 3 out of the last 4 quarters by an average of 6.45%. The stock is cheap. It trades at just 6.7x forward earnings and has a PEG ratio of 0.67.

Company Description

Healthspring coordinates care plans through the Medicare Advantage market in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. The company also provides a national stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan.

Healthspring Surprised by 22.22% in the Third Quarter

On Oct 29, Healthspring reported its third quarter results and easily beat the Zacks Consensus by 14 cents per share. Earnings per share were 77 cents compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 63 cents. The company reported 53 cents in the year ago period.

Premium revenue rose 26% to $649.8 million compared to the year ago period. Membership in the Medicare Advantage jumped 19.4% compared to the year ago period and was up 15.1% even when compared with the end of 2008. Stand-alone PDP member also grew 11.6% compared to the third quarter of 2008.

As it said in its second quarter results, the company again emphasized that its Florida and Part-D operations have been outperforming.

Raised 2009 Guidance

Given that its Florida business continues to be strong, the company raised full year EPS guidance to the range of $2.30 to $2.40 from its prior guidance of $2.10 to $2.25.

It also is bullish on the number of members it expects under the Medicare Advantage program. The range has been adjusted higher to 188,000-189,000 from 186,000-188,000.

Zacks Consensus Estimates Rise

Given the raised guidance, analysts have moved to raise estimates. For the fourth quarter, the Zacks Consensus is up 3 cents to 62 cents in the last 30 days.

The full-year Zacks Consensus Estimate rose 7.8% to $2.34 from $2.17 per share just a month ago which is in the company's new guidance range. All 9 analysts raised in that time. Analysts expect 2009 earnings growth of 10.43%.

Analysts are optimistic about 2010, despite the ongoing uncertainty about healthcare reform. They boosted estimates for the full year by 16 cents to $2.22 per share.

Value Fundamentals

Healthspring is a Zacks #1 Rank (strong buy) stock. It is trading with a price-to-book of just 1.06. The company has a 5-year average return on equity (ROE) of 14.65%.

Zacks Investment Research

Initial Jobless Claims Continue Decline, 502K Figure Beats Expectations

QualityStocks — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:36:57 +0000

Labor Department statistics released today showed a marked decline in initial jobless claims, extending a run of such declines. Initial claims are an important barometer for layoffs and hiring. A 12K decline to 502,000 from the previous week, and a drop in the 4-week average to 519,750, is a strong indicator of improvement. The [...]

COV, PWRM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Covidien Plc and Power 3 Medical Products Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:37:40 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Thursday November 12, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! COV, PWRM ************************************************************** COV, Covidien Plc COV is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. COV manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product [...]

Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Southern Copper Corporation, Logitech International, Cisco Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV – Press Releases

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:55:28 +0000

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 12, 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: Southern Copper Corporation (PCU), Logitech International (LOGI), Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (PHG).

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 Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:

Southern Copper’s Earnings Jump

Southern Copper Corporation (PCU), one of the leading copper producers in the world, posted net earnings of 37 cents in the third quarter of 2009, better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 31 cents. Earnings jumped 78.6% from 21 cents sequentially while it declined 22.3% from 47 cents year on year. The company attributed lower costs for driving earnings. Operating costs decreased 15.8% year over year due to higher productivity.

Copper production in the quarter improved 1.3% to 120,240 tons from 118,657 tons, driven by higher production at the La Caridad mine in Mexico and the Peruvian mines, on the back of better ore grades. Molybdenum production increased 14.3% to 5,191 tons, compared to 4,541 tons in the year-ago quarter. Higher ore grades and recoveries lead to an increase of 631 tons at La Caridad and 734 tons production at the Cuajone mine in Peru. These increases were partially offset by 715 tons of lower production at the Toquepala mine in Peru due to lower ore grades.

Logitech Acquires LifeSize

Logitech International (LOGI) announced that it has agreed to acquire privately held LifeSize Communications of Austin, Texas for $405 million in cash. LifeSize is a global leader in high definition (HD) video communication solutions, with more than 9,000 video conferencing customers across 80 countries in large enterprises, small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and public healthcare, education and government organizations.

The acquisition will enable Logitech to extend its leadership in video communication beyond the desktop.

Logitech and LifeSize plan to pursue existing and new relationships with unified communications, collaboration and VoIP industry partners and competitors to drive the development of an open eco-system for interoperable video communication.

LifeSize expects approximately $90 million in revenues in CY 2009, with CY 2010 revenues expected to grow between 40% and 60%. Logitech expects the acquisition to be neutral to slightly positive to its operating income (excluding acquisition-related charges) in FY 2011, ending March 31, 2011, and positive thereafter.

For a long time, videoconferencing was limited to big businesses that could afford to build expensive systems in their conference rooms. But videoconferencing has become more accessible because Internet connections are commonplace, video has become more efficient and the price has dropped for high-definition cameras and displays.

Now, many companies are trying to reach small businesses and individuals that previously used low-quality webcams on PCs. In the previous month, Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) announced its intension to buy Tandberg, a Norwegian video communications company, for $3 billion. Tandberg makes smaller and less expensive videoconferencing tools that can be fitted on desks.

Logitech engages in design, manufacture, and marketing of personal peripherals for personal computers and other digital platforms in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in Apples, Switzerland. Major competitors include Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (PHG).

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PWRM, CELG, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and Celgene Corporation

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:34:19 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday November 11, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, CELG ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug [...]

TAXS, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! TaxMasters Inc., Managing Growth, Improving Efficiency, Increasing Speed of Service

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:41:19 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Wednesday November 11, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** I’d like to bring your attention to a company that has a remarkable success story and I think this is only the beginning of their outstanding growth and should definitely be on your watch list. TaxMasters, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: [...]

PWRM, TEVA, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:02:31 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday November 10, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, TEVA ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug [...]

TAXS, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! TaxMasters Inc., TAXS.OB

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:29:01 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Tuesday November 10, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** I’d like to bring your attention to a company that has a remarkable success story and I think this is only the beginning of their outstanding growth and should definitely be on your watch list. TaxMasters, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: [...]

Fluor Matches Estimates – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:36:45 +0000

Fluor Corporation (FLR) reported third quarter earnings per share of 89 cents, matching the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenue declined by 4% to $5.4 billion, which compares with $5.7 billion in the third quarter of 2008. This change was driven primarily by decreases in the Oil & Gas and Power segments. Revenue in both Industrial & Infrastructure and Government segments was up from last year.

While three of the five business segments reported earnings growth over 2008, the Oil & Gas segment profit declined by 8% and the Global Services segment profit was impacted by a $45 million provision relating to a collection issue on a completed paper mill revamp project.

New project awards for the quarter were $2.9 billion, compared with record awards of $8.8 billion a year ago. Consolidated backlog at the end of the quarter was $28 billion. This represents a $2.9 billion increase from the last quarter and a 23% decrease from a year ago. During the quarter, it removed approximately $1.2 billion from backlog for gas processing expansion project in Russia, which has been delayed indefinitely by the client. Including this project, the cancellations and scope reductions for this year now stand at an accumulative $5.3 billion.

Fluor’s Oil & Gas segment reported quarterly revenue of $2.9 billion, down 11% from the third quarter of 2008, while segment profit declined 8% to $189 million. Declines in both revenue and segment profits reflect declining new award and backlog levels in the recent quarters.

Fluor’s Industrial & Infrastructure segment reported a 26% revenue increase to $1.1 billion and a 49% rise in segment profit to $42 million, reflecting increases in both the infrastructure and mining and metals business lines. Segment profit in the third quarter of 2008 included the impact of a $16 million provision relating to the London Connect infrastructure project.

Revenue for the Government segment rose by 47% to $544 million for the reported quarter. Segment profit for the quarter increased 34% to $24 million, compared to $18 million a year ago. Growth in results can primarily be attributed to contributions from the Savannah River project and LOGCAP IV task orders in Afghanistan.

The Global Services segment reported revenue of $529 million, down 11% from the third quarter of last year. Segment profit was $0.5 million compared with $49 million a year ago, with the majority of the decline attributable to a $45 million provision for the collection issue on the completed paper mill revamp project in Louisiana.

Fluor’s Power segment reported revenue of $317 million, down 40% from the third quarter of 2008. While the segment has continued to replenish backlog throughout the year, revenue declined as a large coal-fired project in Texas progressed closer to completion.

Due to collection issue and recent order cancellations, Fluor has lowered its 2009 earnings guidance to a range of $3.75 to $3.90 per share. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate is $3.85.

Cash and equivalents were $2.3 billion, with negligible long-term debt and shareowners’ equity at $3.1 billion.

Fluor Corporation also announced that its board elected David Seaton to the newly created position of chief operating officer, effective immediately. Seaton, 48, will oversee all five of the company's operating business groups, along with Project Operations, a unit formed earlier this year. He joined Fluor in 1984.

Fluor Corporation through its subsidiaries provides engineering, procurement, construction management, and project management services worldwide. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas. Major competitors include ABB Ltd (ABB) and Foster Wheeler AG (FWLT).
Read the full analyst report on "FLR"
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Read the full analyst report on "FWLT"
Zacks Investment Research

TBC Global News Network’s Audio Interview With William A. Sawyer, President and CEO of Lucas Energy, Tonight at TBCtoday.com

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:21:58 +0000

Nov. 9, 2009 (Business Wire) — TBC Global News Network, Inc. (OTCBB: TGLN) – www.tbctoday.com, announced today that a new audio interview with William A. Sawyer, President and CEO of Lucas Energy, Inc. (Amex: LEI), an independent oil and gas company based in Houston, TX, will be available tonight at 6pm ET. The interview can [...]

Air Products Focuses on China – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:59:08 +0000

Atmospheric and Specialty gases company, Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (APD) recently opened its new specialty amines plant in Nanjing, China. The facility complements its existing local capabilities to support customers in the growing polyurethane additives and epoxy markets.

The new specialty amines plant is designed to manufacture many of the amine chemistries marketed by the business globally. Air Products already operates two large air separation plants. Air Products focuses on China for growth as the country seems to be having a strong and potential market as well as industries, such as construction, coatings and automobile production.

The new plant has significantly strengthened the supply chain capabilities of Air Products' Performance Materials business in China and throughout Asia. Other strategic capabilities that the company has built for its Performance Materials business include a technology center in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Industrial Park, a triethylenediamine manufacturing facility for polyurethane additives in Changzhou, warehouses in Changzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Nanjing.

The plant has also enhanced Air Products' ability to supply differentiated products. The initial focus will be on several performance-oriented products marketed by Air Products' epoxy additive and polyurethane additive product lines, including the Polycat and Dabco series of amine catalysts, and Ancamine, Ancamide and Sunmide series of epoxy curing agents used in diverse industries, such as coatings, inks, adhesives, construction, appliance and automotive.

This apart, Air Products also plans to build a new world-scale air separation unit (ASU) at its La Porte, Texas industrial gases facility. The energy efficient ASU will replace older assets at the site and provide benefits to customers through higher-reliability pipeline of oxygen and nitrogen supply, and enhanced production of merchant and electronics products including argon and xenon. The new ASU is to be on-stream in October 2011.

The ASU at La Porte will serve customers across Air Products' three major business areas of Tonnage Gases, Merchant Gases and Electronics and increase supply security and reliability. The company expects the ASU to deliver significant productivity gains through decreased energy consumption and operating costs.

Air Products also plans to purchase and operate four existing air separation units to supply industrial gases to Xingtai Iron and Steel Corp., Ltd., one of China’s largest specialty steel manufacturers located in Hebei province, China. Air Products is the second largest industrial gas supplier in North America and the fourth largest in the world. The company serves customers in the industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide.

Read the full analyst report on "APD"
Zacks Investment Research

CVAT, PWRM, PSFT, AQNM, CSRH, DrStockPick.com Weekend Update!

Dr. Stock Pick — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:56:06 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Saturday November 7, 2009 DrStockPick.com Weekend Update! CVAT, PWRM, PSFT, AQNM, CSRH ************************************************************** PSFT, Powersafe Technology Corp., PSFT.PK PSFT subsidiary Amplification Technologies Inc. (www.amplificationtechnologies.com) (ATI), is offering higher performance thermoelectrically cooled discrete amplification single photon counting solid state photodetectors. These photodetectors are mounted on a two stage thermoelectric cooler [...]

CVAT, SBUX, PWRM, CVS, PSFT, SWKS, AQNM, IBM, CSRH, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:03:45 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Friday November 6, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CVAT, SBUX, PWRM, CVS, PSFT, SWKS, AQNM, IBM, CSRH ************************************************************** PSFT, Powersafe Technology Corp., PSFT.PK PSFT subsidiary Amplification Technologies Inc. (www.amplificationtechnologies.com) (ATI), is offering higher performance thermoelectrically cooled discrete amplification single photon counting solid state photodetectors. These photodetectors are mounted on a [...]

Group 1 Automotive’s Profit Improves – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:30:33 +0000

Group 1 Automotive (GPI) revealed a profit of $16.8 million or 71 cents per share in the third quarter, an improvement from $8.2 million or 37 cents per share in the same quarter of the previous year. With this, the company marginally exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 70 cents per share. However, weakness in the auto industry reduced Group 1’s revenue by 13% to $1.25 billion.

The U.S. Government’s “Cash for Clunkers" cash incentive program for fuel-efficient vehicles helped the auto retailer gain in the same-store gross margin. In the quarter, same-store gross margin improved to 17% from 16% in the prior-year quarter. Group 1 retailed 25,057 new vehicles during the quarter, of which 4,874 vehicles were channeled through the Clunkers program.

Group 1’s margin improvement in used vehicle as well as in parts and service business also helped gain the overall margin. Same-store used vehicle gross margin increased $228 per wholesale unit, as limited supply increased valuation. However, retail gross margins fell to 10.3% from 10.6% in the prior year as more vehicles were sourced at auction. The same-store parts and service business bettered on a year-over-year basis, with a gross margin of 53.7% compared to 53.3% in the previous year quarter.

Group 1 had cash and cash equivalents of $14.9 million as on Sep 30, 2009, compared to $23.1 million on Dec 31, 2008. Long-term debt nearly halved to $33.3 million as on Sep 30, 2009 from $64 million as on Dec 31, 2008. In the first nine months of 2009, the company’s net cash flow from operating activities remained almost flat at $54.8 million compared to $54.3 million in the year ago period.

Going forward, Group 1 expects new vehicle margins of 6%–6.5% and used vehicle retail margins of 10%–10.5%. For full year, the company anticipates earnings in the range of $1.66–$1.76 per share. This is consistent with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.75 per share.

Group 1 Automotive is a Houston, Texas based retailer. It owns and operates 96 automotive dealerships, 128 franchises and 23 collision service centers in the U.S. and the U.K, offering 31 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships, the company sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges related financing, vehicle service and insurance contracts, provides maintenance and repair services and sells replacement parts.
Read the full analyst report on "GPI"
Zacks Investment Research

99 Cents Posts Strong Q2 – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:57:37 +0000

99 Cents Only Stores Inc. (NDN) reported fiscal second quarter results after the closing bell on Wednesday. The company recorded a net income of $9.6 million, compared to a net loss of $9.4 million in the year-ago period. Earnings per share came in at 14 cents, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7 cents. The company had reported a loss of 13 cents per share in the same period last year.

The deep-discount store operator’s sales posted a growth of 2.2% year over year to $324.7 million, as customers affected by continuing macroeconomic headwinds preferred to shop more in its stores. The City of Commerce, CA-based retailer’s same-store sales grew by 2.3% over the same period.

Non-Texas Operations

99 Cents revenues from non-Texas operations grew 4.0% year over year to $296.4 million driven by same-store sales growth of nearly 1% coupled with the effect of opening 11 new stores in fiscal 2009 and 3 in fiscal 2010. Non-Texas operations include California, Arizona, and Nevada where the company currently operates 240 stores and generates about 91% of overall sales. Gross margin expanded 110 basis points (bps) year over year to 40.3%. This growth was mainly caused by favorable product mix, efforts to drive sale of higher margin products and improved purchase cost margin on account of price increases.

Operating expenses, as a percentage of sales, decreased 310 bps to 33.2% reflecting management’s cost management initiatives, which lowered store labor costs, corporate expenses as well as distribution and transportation costs. Accordingly, operating margin came in at 5.0%, recording a strong growth of 430 bps over the year-ago quarter.

Texas Operations

Texas operations posted a 13.7% year over year reduction in revenues to $28.3 million, despite a 19.8% growth in same-store sales, as the company closed 17 stores in the region since fiscal 2009 fourth quarter. The company announced in September last year the planned closure of its 48 stores in Texas due to continued underperformance. However, in January this year management decided to continue operations citing a turnaround in the region. Meanwhile, gross margin grew 280 bps to 36.1% mainly due to reduced merchandise purchase cost coupled with a decrease in shrinkage and freight rates.

Operating expenses, as a percentage of sales, declined to 33.4%, compared to 68.3% last year. The year-ago quarter’s selling, general and administrative expenses included a $10.1 million impairment charge (30.8% of sales) related to the company’s decision to exit the Texas market. Accordingly, the company recorded an operating income of $0.1 million, helped by reduced depreciation as a result of permanent impairment of certain Texas assets over the past year, compared to an operating loss of $13.8 million last year.

Balance Sheet

The company has a healthy balance sheet, which is devoid of any debt. Cash and short term investments at the end of the quarter was $128.2 million, compared to $83.4 million in the year-ago period due to the strong earnings performance. During the first half of the current fiscal, 99 Cents utilized $18.8 million and $13.2 million towards capital expenditure and purchase of investments, respectively.

Outlook

Moving forward, management anticipates same-store sales to expand by low single digits during fiscal third quarter. Furthermore, gross margin is expected to improve further due to the holiday season product mix shifts. The company plans to open 10 to 12 stores in the entire fiscal year with openings skewed towards the second-half.

Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate, derived from 11 covering analysts, for the full fiscal year has remained constant over the past 2 months at 57 cents per share. The most accurate estimate is more bullish at 59 cents per share.

Read the full analyst report on "NDN"
Zacks Investment Research

ClearOne (CLRO) Acquires NetStreams, Inc. in Million Dollar Transaction

QualityStocks — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:18:30 +0000

Leading audio conferencing solutions provider, ClearOne, announced today that it has acquired NetStreams, Inc. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, privately-held NetStreams has approximately 20 employees and will continue to operate from its current location. NetStreams’ 2009 revenues are anticipated to be in excess of $5 million. NetStreams is a global leader in digital media networks. Its [...]

Qualsec’s (QLSZ.OB) Wholly Owned Subsidiary Signs West Coast Distribution Agreement with CaboChips in Major Retail Chains

QualityStocks — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:33:40 +0000

Qualsec recently announced that VitaminSpice has secured an agreement with Cabo Foods Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, VitaminSpice’s vitamin-enhanced spices will be introduced to Cabo Foods’ West Coast distribution networks and major retail chains. VitaminSpice is a pioneer in the emerging foodceutical industry selling sells vitamin-, mineral- and antioxidant-infused spices and food products. As [...]

PWRM, INTC, PSFT, JPM, AQNM, MSFT, CVAT, STEC, CSRH, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:20:12 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday November 4, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, INTC, PSFT, JPM, AQNM, MSFT, CVAT, STEC, CSRH ************************************************************** PSFT, Powersafe Technology Corp., PSFT.PK PSFT subsidiary Amplification Technologies Inc. (www.amplificationtechnologies.com) (ATI), is offering higher performance thermoelectrically cooled discrete amplification single photon counting solid state photodetectors. These photodetectors are mounted on a [...]

PWRM, PSFT, AQNM, CVAT, CSRH, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:46:06 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday November 3, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** PSFT, Powersafe Technology Corp., PSFT.PK PSFT subsidiary Amplification Technologies Inc. (www.amplificationtechnologies.com) (ATI), is offering higher performance thermoelectrically cooled discrete amplification single photon counting solid state photodetectors. These photodetectors are mounted on a two stage thermoelectric cooler inside a hermetically sealed [...]

Marathon Beats, Production Up – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:31:55 +0000

Marathon Oil Corporation’s (MRO) third-quarter 2009 results came in better-than-expected, helped by the contribution from increased oil and natural gas production. Earnings per share, excluding mark-to-market and divestment losses, came in at 61 cents, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 56 cents.

However, as has been the case with the other oil majors that have already reported -- Exxon (XOM), ConocoPhillips (COP) and Chevron (CVX) -- earnings and revenue comparisons with the year-earlier period were quite ugly, severely hampered by lower realized commodity prices and weak refining margins. Marathon’s adjusted earnings per share plunged 77.9%, while sales declined 37.9% to $14.5 billion.

Lower Prices More Than Offset Increased Upstream Volumes

Income from the upstream segment totaled $491 million during the quarter, down 43.5% from the year-ago level.

The company reported production (available for sale) of 393,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day (BOE/d), slightly below its interim guidance last month. However, this represents a 5% year-over-year production growth, reflecting the timing of international oil liftings.

Lower realized oil and natural gas prices offset the upstream volume gains. Marathon's worldwide realized crude oil price (from continuing operations) of $64.12 per barrel was 42.1% below the year-earlier level, while natural gas realizations (also from continuing operations) dropped 56.8% to $2.20 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf).

Downstream Margins Plunge

Margins in the refining business decreased significantly from the year-earlier levels, particularly in Marathon's core Midwest and Gulf Coast regions. The situation was further aggravated by narrower sweet/sour differentials. Marathon’s refining and marketing unit earned $158 million during the quarter, compared to $771 million last year -- reflecting weak margins and crack spreads.

The company's realized gross refining and wholesale marketing margin of approximately 7.6 cents per gallon was down markedly from last year's income of 25.2 cents per gallon. Total refined product sales volumes were up 3.2% from the year-earlier level to 1,400 thousand barrels per day, while throughput was up 4.0% to 1,190 thousand barrels per day.

Capital Expenditure

During the quarter, Marathon spent roughly $1.4 billion on capital programs (36% on E&P and 45% on Refining, Marketing and Transportation).

Strategic Sale

During the last few months, Marathon’s important strategic divestments include the sale of an undivided 20% participating interest in Angola Block 32, all of Marathon’s holdings in Ireland, interests in the Heimdal area offshore Norway and interests in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. Most recently, the company entered into a definitive agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary in Gabon.

These sales are part of the company's $2 billion to 4 billion asset divestiture program announced last March. The company has already made $3.5 billion worth of dispositions.

We currently rate Marathon shares as Neutral, expecting the stock to perform in-line with the broader market.
Read the full analyst report on "MRO"
Read the full analyst report on "XOM"
Read the full analyst report on "COP"
Read the full analyst report on "CVX"
Zacks Investment Research

A New Audio Interview with William A. Sawyer, President and CEO of Lucas Energy, is Now at SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:32:32 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. announced today that a new audio interview with Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSE Amex:LEI), an independent oil and gas company based in Houston, Texas, is now available. The interview can be heard at http://smallcapvoice.com/blog/11-2-09-audio-interview-with-lucas-energy-inc-nyse-amex-lei/. SmallCapVoice.com is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, known for its ability to help emerging growth [...]

A New Audio Interview with Edward Bukstel, President and CEO of VitaminSpice, is Now at SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:09:29 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. announced today that a new audio interview with Qualsec (OTC Bulletin Board: QLSZ), which recently acquired VitaminSpice (VitaminSpice.net) is now available. The interview can be heard at http://smallcapvoice.com/blog/10-30-09-audio-interview-with-vitaminspice-otcbb-qlsz/. SmallCapVoice.com is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among [...]

Keep Those Belts Tightened: The Job Market isn’t Getting Better

Dee Power — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:05:52 +0000

While there have been some signs of recovery in real estate and the stock market it seems that the job market is still declining. Online advertised vacancies declined by 83,200 to 3,280,000 in October, ...

Economic recovery in review with Galbraith

Prieur du Plessis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:11:06 +0000

The Dow is up, but why are Main Street Americans still reeling from the economic collapse? With Americans still facing rising unemployment, foreclosures, and declining property values, Bill Moyers discusses with renowned economist James Galbraith whether we have averted the crisis and how to get help for the middle class.

Economic recovery in review with Galbraith

Prieur du Plessis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:11:06 +0000

PVTB, PWRM, DrStockPick.com Watch List! for Tuesday November 3, 2009, Privatebancorp Inc. and Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:12:42 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ DrStockPick.com Watch List! My Picks for Tuesday November 3, 2009, are: ************************************************************** PVTB, Privatebancorp Inc. PVTB is a growing diversified financial services company with 34 offices in 10 states and approximately $12.1 billion in assets as of September 30, 2009. Through its subsidiaries, PVTB delivers customized business and personal [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 11/02/09, NP, CSRH, HS, A, INXI, STNR

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:28:30 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Monday November 2, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Consorteum Holdings Inc. (OTCBB: CSRH) announced that it has proceeded to launch its consumer stored value rebate card. The consumer rebate card program will offer manufacturers and retailers a new way to process mail-in rebates that [...]

PWRM, AMLN, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:44:32 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Monday November 2, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, AMLN ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug [...]

PWRM, PSFT, AQNM, CVAT, CSRH, DrStockPick.com Weekend Update!

Dr. Stock Pick — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:04:40 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Saturday October 31, 2009 DrStockPick.com Weekend Update! PWRM, PSFT, AQNM, CVAT, CSRH ************************************************************** PSFT, Powersafe Technology Corp., PSFT.PK PSFT subsidiary Amplification Technologies Inc. (www.amplificationtechnologies.com) (ATI), is offering higher performance thermoelectrically cooled discrete amplification single photon counting solid state photodetectors. These photodetectors are mounted on a two stage thermoelectric cooler [...]

Too big to fail, is still heavy in the derivative market, and primed for a gigantic collapse.

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:02:13 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Friday October 30, 2009 DrStockPick.com Article ************************************************************** Too big to fail, is still heavy in the derivative market, and primed for a gigantic collapse. Congress needs a chimney sweep to clean the soot from the smoke they’ve been blowing. Our do nothing congress; well we can’t really say do [...]

PWRM, PFE, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:16:40 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Friday October 30, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, PFE ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug [...]

Claimsnet.com, Inc. (CLAI.OB) Reports Third Quarter Loss

QualityStocks — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:06:40 +0000

Claimsnet.com reported revenues of $565,000 in its third quarter, up 7% on a year over year basis. The company’s net loss for the quarter was $69,000, or $0.00 per share. During the same quarter in 2008, the company lost $161,000 or $0.01 per share. Claimsnet.com cut its selling, general and administrative expenses by $45,000 from the [...]

Public Service Tops Estimates – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:30:41 +0000

Public Service Enterprise (PEG) reported operating earnings of 92 cents per share for the third quarter of 2009, four cents higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 88 cents. This was achieved by focus on improvement of the cost structure and hedging which offset a substantial portion of its lower demand. However it fell short by two cents from the year-ago figure of 94 cents. Revenue fell 18.3% year-over-year to $3 billion in the reported quarter. The downside came from all the three segments – PSEG Power, PSE&G, and PSEG Energy Holdings.

In the reported quarter, PSEG Power clocked operating earnings of $339 million (67 cents per share) compared with operating earnings of $360 million (71 cents per share) for in the year-ago quarter. Performance was affected by a decline in demand (8 cents per share), migration of customers (4 cents per share) and trading (a penny per share). Generation in the reported quarter also declined 10% year-over-year as a result of a contraction in economic activity and cooler than normal weather.

PSE&G reported operating earnings of $87 million (17 cents per share) compared with operating earnings of $97 million (19 cents per share) in the year-ago quarter. In the reported quarter Electric revenues declined by 2 cents per share. Performance was also affected by a decline in economic activity and cooler than normal weather. Operating and maintenance expense associated with higher pension costs increased 2 cents per share.

PSEG Energy Holdings reported operating earnings of $18 million (4 cents per share) for the third quarter of 2009 as compared to operating earnings of $25 million (5 cents per share) in the year-ago quarter. In the reported quarter, a decline in energy prices was the primary reason for the reduction in operating earnings. Also, operating profit from its generating capacity in Texas declined by 2 cents per share.

Public Service reported $1.3 billion in cash from operating activities at the end of the reported quarter, compared to $1.6 billion reported at the end of the year ago quarter. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reported quarter was $130 million, while long term debt stood at $6.8 billion.

Public Service reaffirmed its fiscal 2009 EPS guidance range of $3.00 – 3.25. However the company is apprehensive about achieving the upper end of the guidance range. We maintain our market Neutral recommendation on the shares.
Read the full analyst report on "PEG"
Zacks Investment Research

The Rise of the Rest

Trading School — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:46:12 +0000

One great thing about my position here as Director of Marketing is my extensive contact list. I say that because I have access to thousands of excellent traders, investors, and economists at my finger tips! So when things around the world catch my attention, I can quickly find someone who can give me the skinny [...]

AKAM, CPE, DTCT, DrStockPick.com Watch List! for Thursday October 29, 2009, Akamai Technologies Inc., Callon Petroleum Co. and Diatect International Corp., DTCT.OB

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:29:26 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ DrStockPick.com Watch List! My Picks for Thursday October 29, 2009, are: ************************************************************** AKAM, Akamai Technologies Inc. AKAM provides market-leading managed services for powering video, dynamic transactions, and enterprise applications online. AKAM’s Revenue for the third quarter 2009 was $206.5 million, a 5 percent increase over third quarter 2008 [...]

CSRH, EXC, PSFT, DB, PWRM, AVP, AQNM, RF, CVAT, LMT , DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:33:47 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday October 28, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! CSRH, EXC, PSFT, DB, PWRM, AVP, AQNM, RF, CVAT, LMT ************************************************************** EXC, Exelon Corp. EXC, a utility services holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity to residential, commercial, industrial, and wholesale customers in [...]

DrStockPick.com Stock Report! 10/28/09, DRJ, CVAT, EAG, HW, SPEC, ETFS

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:23:50 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Wednesday October 28, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** Cavitation Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CVAT) has signed Miura Engineering Co., Ltd. Tokyo, Japan (www.miura21.co.jp) as its new agent to serve markets in Japan for CTI’s Nano-Cavitation Process Systems. Miura is a leading Engineering [...]

AQNM, CX, PSFT, AXP, PWRM, NDAQ, CSRH, VZ, CVAT, GE, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:20:30 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday October 28, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! AQNM, CX, PSFT, AXP, PWRM, NDAQ, CSRH, VZ, CVAT, GE ************************************************************** AXP, American Express Company AXP, a payments and travel company, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services worldwide. AXP’s division American Express Business Travel announced today the findings of [...]

FPL Group’s Profits Rise – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:30:28 +0000

Energy company FPL Group Inc. (FPL) today reported adjusted net earnings of $1.38 per share for the third quarter of 2009, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.39 and above $1.25 reported last year. The improvement from last year’s results was due to positive contributions from FPL’s NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary, offset by a decline in customer base at the Florida Power & Light subsidiary.

Total revenue during the quarter declined to $4,473 million from $5,387 million a year ago. Revenue at Florida Power & Light Company declined 3.6% year-over-year to $3,301 million, primarily due to the economic challenges faced at Florida. NextEra Energy Resources’ revenue in the quarter was down 40.7% from last year at $1,136 million, due to unfavorable market conditions for the company’s fossil power plants in Texas and below normal wind resource across the fleet.

At Florida Power & Light Company, the total number of customers continued to decline in the quarter, although at a slower pace. The company had approximately 9,000 fewer customers during the quarter than a year ago, while the number of inactive accounts rose 4,000 from the last quarter. Retail kilowatt-hour sales increased 0.4% over the last quarter, primarily as a result of warmer weather.

Today, the company announced the commissioning of DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, the largest solar photovoltaic power plant in the country. The 25 megawatt (MW) plant will produce electricity to serve about 3,000 homes, or 20% of DeSoto County. The company expects to have 110 MW of installed solar capacity by late 2010.

NextEra Energy Resources continued to make progress on its wind development program during the quarter. The company has 985 MW of wind projects either completed or under construction and has agreed to acquire an additional 185 MW of existing wind projects. Including the pending acquisition, the company now expects to add 1,170 MW of wind power in 2009.

FPL Group lowered its adjusted earnings guidance given the challenging market environment for the company's Texas merchant assets and the continued economic uncertainty in Florida. It now expects earnings in the range of $4.10-$4.20 per share for 2009, down from a range of $4.20-$4.40 per share previously. For 2010, the company expects earnings of $4.25-$4.85 per share versus the previous range of $4.65-$5.05 per share.
Read the full analyst report on "FPL"
Zacks Investment Research

ARTS, LFBG, GNPG, X-Treme Hot Stock Alert by DrStockPick.com

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:57:33 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _______________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _______________________________________ Wednesday October 28, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! ************************************************************** ARTS, Artfest International Inc., ARTS.OB ARTS brings together artists, investors, decorators, designers, private collectors and art galleries. ARTS has completed the acquisition of 100% of the assets of Luxor International, Inc. of Frisco, Texas, a privately [...]

PWRM, STEM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and StemCells Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:38:10 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Wednesday October 28, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, STEM ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug [...]

Stimulus Spending on ‘Smart Grid’ Will Benefit Renewables, says GWS Technologies

Stuart T. Smith — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:45:02 +0000

Oct. 28, 2009 (Business Wire) — GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: GWSC), an alternative energy company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, sees substantial benefits for wind and solar energy projects in yesterday’s White House announcement that $3.4 billion will be allocated to modernize the nation’s electrical power system to more [...]

Green Investor News – GreenHunter Energy (NYSE Amex: GRH) Announces Sale of Equity Ownership Interest in Chinese Wind Turbine Manufacturer for $9.1 Million

Dawn Van Zant — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

GRAPEVINE, Texas - October 28, 2009 - GreenHunter Energy, Inc. (NYSE Amex: GRH), announced today the execution and closing of a Share Purchase Agreement for the sale of GreenHunter's equity ownership interest

TAXS, SCHW, PSFT, DISH, PWRM, MMM, CSRH, WFC, CVAT, JPM, AQNM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:36:08 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday October 27, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! TAXS, SCHW, PSFT, DISH, PWRM, MMM, CSRH, WFC, CVAT, JPM, AQNM ************************************************************** TAXS, TaxMasters Inc., TAXS.OB TAXS‘ commitment to helping taxpayers in the United States regain compliance with The Internal Revenue Service IRS. TAXS finalized plans this week to take advantage of the [...]

In-Line Quarter for Pervasive – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:15:29 +0000

Pervasive Software Inc. (PVSW) recently reported revenues of $12.2 million in the fiscal first quarter, up 3% from the year-ago quarter and 9.9% sequentially.

Pervasive closed one relatively large transaction with a database customer representing approximately $2.4 million in revenues during the September quarter. Data integration business continues to perform well. The company recently announced that its upgraded software products are compatible with Windows 7.

Net income dipped to $1.6 million compared to $1.8 million in the year-ago quarter. Earnings per share came in at 8 cents beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny.

The results came in line with the management’s revised guidance provided on Oct 1.

The company generated $1.2 million of cash from operations in the quarter. Pervasive used approximately $2.6 million of cash in the September quarter to acquire assets of Greenville, South Carolina-based ChanneLinx, Inc., a privately held business-to-business technological company. The company also repurchased approximately 258,000 shares of the common stock for approximately $1.3 million at an average price of $5.08. Pervasive still has approximately $7.6 million left under its $10.0 million stock repurchase program announced in March 2009.

Pervasive ended the quarter with cash and equivalents of $40.3 million and no debt.

Going forward, management expects revenues between $11.0 and $12.0 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. Earnings per share is projected between 5 cents and 8 cents.

Achieving and maintaining consistent profitability in trying times has been the underlying theme in the Pervasive story. The company has succeeded in achieving growth in both top and bottom lines by focusing on growth drivers, including accretive M&A opportunities.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Pervasive provides data management and integration software products to small- and mid-sized enterprises through a well-developed channel of independent software vendors, value-added resellers and system integrators. Its solutions enable customers to manage, integrate, analyze and secure their data.

Read the full analyst report on "PVSW"
Zacks Investment Research

Valero Loss Bigger than Expected – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:07:52 +0000

Earlier today, Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) -- the largest independent refiner in the U.S. -- reported a weaker-than-expected third-quarter 2009 loss, reflecting depressed refining margins and lower throughput on the back of weak fuel demand and high inventories. This was partially offset by lower operating costs. The loss per share, excluding one-time items, came in at 39 cents, well below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 26 cents.

In the year-ago period, the Texas-based marketer of petroleum products earned $1.91 per share. Revenue was down 45.8% year-over-year to $19.5 billion. Operating loss for the quarter was $579 million ($162 million excluding one-time items), compared to operating income of $1.8 billion ($1.6 billion excluding one-time items) in the year-earlier quarter. The main factors causing the operating loss were lower diesel and jet fuel margins, coupled with smaller discounts on sour crude oil and other feedstocks.

Throughput Volumes

Throughput volumes during the quarter were 2.38 million barrels per day, down more than 8% year over year, primarily reflecting reduction in sour crude volumes.

By feedstock composition, heavy sour crude, medium/light sour crude and sweet crude accounted for 19%, 23% and 29% of the total, respectively. The remaining volumes came from residuals, blend-stocks and other feedstocks.

The Gulf Coast accounted for approximately 52% of total volumes. The Mid-continent, the Northeast and the West Coast regions accounted for 16%, 20% and 12% of the total, respectively.

Throughput Margins

Company-wide throughput margins decreased nearly 63% year-over-year to $4.86 per barrel, as all regions witnessed substantially reduced margins. Average throughput margin realized in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, Northeast and West Coast regions were $4.66 per barrel (down almost 65% year-over-year), $5.38 per barrel (down more than 59%), $2.86 per barrel (down nearly 79%) and $8.51 per barrel (down approximately 27%), respectively.

Costs

Cash operating cost per barrel was $3.94 during the quarter, down from $4.78 in the year-ago period. However, the unit depreciation and amortization expenses increased to $1.58 per barrel from $1.39 per barrel in the third quarter of 2008.

Capital Expenditure & Balance Sheet

Third-quarter capital spending totaled $521 million, of which $52 million was for turnarounds. At the end of the quarter, the company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $1.6 billion and total debt of approximately $7.4 billion.

Company Initiatives

Given the weak refining margin environment, Valero has taken certain strategic actions to improve the company’s performance and competitiveness in a cost-effective manner. As part of this effort, during the most recent quarter, Valero extended the shutdown of its Aruba refinery and streamlined operations at the Delaware City refinery.

Further, this month the company has begun a concentrated effort to reduce costs at its Paulsboro refinery. Management informed that it has been taking advantage of the company’s refining flexibility by shifting feedstocks and operating rates to maximize profitability.

Outlook

We believe that the overall environment for refining margins is likely to remain poor going into 2010. The sharply lower refinery utilization (at just 81.1% of capacity) provides enough evidence that refineries are cutting back on production because the economy is still struggling on the demand side.

The recent rally in crude prices have added to refiners’ miseries by increasing the cost of oil they buy to make gas, jet fuel and other refined products. Being the largest independent refiner, Valero remains particularly exposed to this unfavorable macro backdrop. We see little reason for investors to own Valero and have an Underperform recommendation on the company.
Read the full analyst report on "VLO"
Zacks Investment Research

PWRM, LMT, CVAT, GD, AQNM, IBM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:03:45 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday October 27, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, LMT, CVAT, GD, AQNM, IBM ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of [...]

Ion Geophysical Inc. (IO) Offers Opportunity as Large International Players Buy In

QualityStocks — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:33:49 +0000

Any industry needs the basics to make it run. Technology needs solid minds while manufacturing needs skilled artisans. Exploration needs data of many kinds. A company that can provide that data, at a reasonable and successful rate, is one that will always profit. Ion Geophysical Inc., a seismic mapping company, works to map subterranean natural gas [...]

Texas Capital Misses Estimate – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:20:44 +0000

Texas Capital Bancshares’ (TCBI) third quarter earnings of 15 cents per share were down from the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 22 cents. The company had earned 27 cents in the year-ago quarter.

Results reflected the elevated provisioning levels for loan losses due to the challenging economic conditions. However, the company posted meaningful growth in loan and deposits.

Credit metrics continued to expand negatively overall. Non-performing assets equaled 2.77% of the loan portfolio plus other real estate owned assets, up 86 basis points (bps) sequentially and 141 bps year-over-year. Net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans on a 12-month trailing basis were 41 bps, flat sequentially but up 13 bps year-over-year. Provision for loan losses increased to $13.5 million from $11.0 million in the prior quarter and $4.0 million in the year-ago quarter.

Nevertheless, net interest margin was 4.06%, up 18 bps sequentially and 59 bps year-over-year, driven by low funding costs and improved yields on earning assets. The company has posted a 2% sequential and 16% year-over-year growth in loans while deposits were up 7% sequentially and 16% from the prior-year period. As a result, Texas Capital’s net interest income was $51.6 million, up from $48.8 million in the prior quarter and $38.3 million in the year-ago period.

Non-interest income increased to $7.1 million from $4.9 million reported in the prior-year period, primarily driven by increase in brokered loan fees and service charge income, partially offset by a decrease in trust fee income.

Non-interest expense increased to $37.1 million from $27.7 million reported in the previous year quarter. Results reflect an increase in salaries and employee benefits expenses primarily due to business expansion.

Texas Capital’s Tier 1 capital ratio was 11.2% (up 70 bps year-over-year) and total leverage ratio was 10.8%, up 30 basis points from the year-ago quarter.

Though credit metrics remain stretched in the quarter, Texas Capital’s strong loan and deposit growth and continued expansion in net interest margin is impressive.
Read the full analyst report on "TCBI"
Zacks Investment Research

GD, PSFT, PWRM, UNH, CSRH, IBM, CVAT, ADBE, AQNM, CRM, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:12:27 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Monday October 26, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! GD, PSFT, PWRM, UNH, CSRH, IBM, CVAT, ADBE, AQNM, CRM ************************************************************** GD, General Dynamics Corp. General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of GD, is a leading integrator of secure communication and information systems and technology. General Dynamics C4 Systems has been awarded [...]

Earnings Up for BJ’s Restaurants – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:36:03 +0000

Despite a turbulent economy and rising unemployment, BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (BJRI) sustained its growth momentum in fiscal year 2009. The casual dining operator’s third-quarter 2009 profit soared 55.3% year-over-year to $3.2 million.

BJ’s quarterly earnings of 12 cents a share jumped 50% from 8 cents delivered in the prior-year quarter, but missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny.

The result for the quarter benefited from a 44.6% decline in restaurant opening costs due to the opening of two restaurants in the quarter as against six opened in the prior-year quarter. Revenue for the quarter also climbed 8.5% to $103.9 million.

Restaurant operating cash flow rose 18.4% to $19 million, whereas restaurant operating cash flow margin expanded 150 basis points to 18.3% but narrowed 60 basis points sequentially.

With about 89 restaurants, management believes the system can support at least 300 restaurants with ample growth opportunities in the California and Texas markets. However, in response to a sluggish economy, the company has slowed unit growth to a planned 12.2% in 2009. Management plans to open 10 restaurants in fiscal year 2009 compared to 15 opened last year. So far, seven restaurants have been opened. In fiscal year 2010, management plans to open 10 to 11 restaurants.

Restaurants in the casual dining segment are experiencing sagging comps and declining traffic with cash strapped consumers shifting to low-priced dining options or eating at home. Other operators in the segment are Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI), Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (RRGB) and Luby’s, Inc. (LUB).

Comparable-restaurant sales for the quarter dropped 1.6% compared to a decline of 1% experienced in the prior-year quarter. However, comps surpassed the expected Knapp-Track Industry average of negative 6% for casual dining comparable sales. Traffic counts fell 4% in the quarter.

Management expects traffic count to remain under pressure in the fourth quarter and into 2010, since two-thirds of the company’s restaurants are located in areas with higher unemployment rates. For the first three weeks of October, traffic count fell about 3% compared to the same period last year.

BJ’s ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $12.7 million, long-term debt of $7 million and shareholders’ equity of $247 million. Management expects capital expenditure in the range of $56 million to $60 million for fiscal year 2009, and for fiscal year 2010, it is expected to be approximately $60 million.
Read the full analyst report on "BJRI"
Read the full analyst report on "DRI"
Read the full analyst report on "RRGB"
Read the full analyst report on "LUB"
Zacks Investment Research

KWK’s Borrowing Base Approved – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:03:17 +0000

Quicksilver Resources Inc. (KWK) recently announced that its bank group has confirmed a borrowing base of $1 billion for the company's senior secured revolving credit facility, based upon oil and gas reserves as of Aug 31, 2009.

The company has $500 million drawn under the credit facility and believes that the approval of $1 billion borrowing base provides enough financial flexibility for the development of its high-growth resource base. The company expects to achieve double-digit production growth in 2010 while evaluating opportunities for its Horn River project in northeast British Columbia.

Quicksilver has the option to increase the credit facility up to $1.45 billion, subject to lender consents and additional commitments. The company can extend the maturity of the credit facility, which matures February 2012, up to two additional years with consenting lenders.

The company said that JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. led the group of 24 lenders and there were no other changes in the terms and conditions of the credit facility.

Quicksilver expects to release its third quarter results before the market opens on Nov 9.

Quicksilver Resources is a natural gas and crude oil exploration and production company engaged in the development and acquisition of long-lived, unconventional natural gas reserves, including coalbed methane, shale gas, and tight sands gas in North America. The company has U.S. offices in Fort Worth, Texas; Glen Rose, Texas and Cut Bank, Montana.
Read the full analyst report on "KWK"
Zacks Investment Research

PWRM, BCRX, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Dr. Stock Pick — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:33:48 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Monday October 26, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, BCRX ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug [...]

Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. (MHR) Secures $150M Revolving Credit Facility

QualityStocks — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:57:37 +0000

Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. announced today a three-year, senior secured, revolving credit facility with the Bank of Montreal (BMO). This new $150 million bank facility will be regulated via a semi-annual redetermination of its borrowing base, whose value will be allocated to MHR’s proved crude oil and natural gas reserves. MHR, and its subsidiaries, is [...]

A New Audio Interview with Jason Gonzalez, President and CEO of Visual Management Systems is now at SmallCapVoice.com

Stuart T. Smith — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:08:39 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SmallCapVoice.com, Inc. announced today that a new audio interview with Visual Management Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: VMSY) is now available. The interview can be heard at http://smallcapvoice.com/blog/10-22-09-audio-interview-with-visual-management-systems-inc-otcbb-vmsy/. SmallCapVoice.com is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among retail and institutional investors. [...]

DrStockPick.com Weekend Update! PSFT, PWRM, CSRH, CVAT, AQNM

Dr. Stock Pick — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:17:45 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Saturday October 24, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PSFT, PWRM, CSRH, CVAT, AQNM ************************************************************** PSFT, Powersafe Technology Corp., PSFT.PK - Powersafe Technology Corp. A breakthrough in the design of photon detectors Powersafe Technology Corp.’s (Other OTC: PSFT.PK) Subsidiary Amplification Technologies has just patented a revolutionary solution for low-level signal detection: multichannel [...]

PSFT, AKAM, PWRM, CSRH, ERTS, CVAT, CVS, AQNM, EXC, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:44:12 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Friday October 23, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PSFT, AKAM, PWRM, CSRH, ERTS, CVAT, CVS, AQNM, EXC ************************************************************** AKAM, Akamai Technologies Inc. AKAM provides services for accelerating and improving the delivery of content and applications over the Internet. AKAM, the leader in powering video, dynamic transactions and enterprise applications online, announced [...]

PSFT, VZ, PWRM, CSRH, HD, CVAT, MRK, AQNM, SGP, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:19:47 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Friday October 23, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PSFT, VZ, PWRM, CSRH, HD, CVAT, MRK, AQNM, SGP ************************************************************** VZ, Verizon Communications Inc. VZ provides communication services in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Wireline and Domestic Wireless. Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless service provider, today announced [...]

PWRM, UTX, DrStockPick.com Stock Report! Power 3 Medical Products Inc. and United Technologies Corp.

Dr. Stock Pick — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:31:16 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Friday October 23, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PWRM, UTX ************************************************************** PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB Power3 Medical Products, Inc. is a leading bio-medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug [...]

Dolan Media Company – Value – Zacks Rank Buy

Tracey Ryniec — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Dolan Media Company (DM) is making big profits from its counter cyclical mortgage default processing services. The company has surprised on estimates the last 3 quarters by an average of 36.30%. Dolan Media trades with a PEG ratio of 0.87.

Company Description

Dolan Media provides professional services and business information to the legal, financial and real estate industries. It has two segments: Professional Services and Business Information Division.

Professional Services consists of two subsidiaries, NDeX and Counsel Press. NDex provides mortgage default processing services in states with large numbers of distressed home owners such as California and Michigan. Counsel Press provides appellate services to the legal community.

The Business Information Division publishes journals and operates media web sites targeted to the business and legal communities in 21 geographic markets.

Dolan Media Expands Into Florida Market

On Oct 5, the company announced its subsidiary NDeX had entered into a long-term agreement to provide mortgage default processing services to James E. Albertelli, P.A., a Florida law firm with a staff of 91. The agreement began as of Oct 1.

The acquisition gives NDeX an entry into the Florida mortgage default market. Florida the number two state in the number of foreclosures.

Zacks Consensus Estimates Rise

In its second quarter results, Dolan Media raised its full year guidance forecast to a range of 83 to 91 cents from its May prior guidance of 70 to 80 cents.

Analysts have been raising third quarter and full year estimates slowly over the course of the last 3 months. The third quarter Zacks Consensus Estimate rose 2 cents to 16 cents.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimate jumped 41% to 89 cents from 63 cents. 2 out of 3 covering analysts have raised in just the last month. The estimate is now at the higher end of the company's guidance range.

Dolan Media is scheduled to report third quarter results on Nov 6.

Revenues Soared 61.3% in the Second Quarter

On Aug 4, Dolan Media reported second quarter results that surprised on the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 117.65%. Earnings per share were 37 cents compared to the estimate of 17 cents.

Revenues surged based on the strength of the Professional Services segment which saw a gain of 144.3% year over year. This included a gain due to the acquisition of the Barrett-NDex operations the company acquired in September 2008 which operates in Texas, California and Georgia.

The Business Information Division saw revenues fall 2.9% year over year due to difficult advertising conditions.

Value Fundamentals

Dolan Media is a Zacks #1 Rank (strong buy) stock. It is trading with a forward P/E of 13.6 and a price-to-book of 1.56. The company also has a solid 1-year return on equity (ROE) of 11.8%.

Zacks Investment Research

AQNM, WMT, PSFT, APA, PWRM, NOC, CSRH, IP, CVAT, CVX, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:40:25 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Thursday October 22, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! AQNM, WMT, PSFT, APA, PWRM, NOC, CSRH, IP, CVAT, CVX ************************************************************** WMT, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT operates retail stores in various formats worldwide. WMT today presented its global plans for store and club growth next year at its annual conference for the investment [...]

AQNM, RTN, PSFT, PWRM, MDT, CSRH, SLB, CVAT, BA, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr. Stock Pick — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:16:20 +0000

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Thursday October 22, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! AQNM, RTN, PSFT, PWRM, MDT, CSRH, SLB, CVAT, BA ************************************************************** RTN, Raytheon Co. RTN designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and supports technological products, services, and solutions for governmental and commercial customers in the United States and internationally. RTN reported third quarter 2009 income from [...]

eDoorways Corp. (EDWY.PK) Granted Key Role at XVIIth ISTEC General Assembly

QualityStocks — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:55:56 +0000

eDoorways Corporation announced this afternoon that it will be playing an integral role at the Ibero-American Science and Technology Education Center (ISTEC) XVIIth annual General Assembly, held the week of October 26 – 30, 2009, on the Campus of the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, NM – USA. Not only will eDoorways co-sponsor [...]

Dune Energy, Inc. (DNE) Provides Operations Update

QualityStocks — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:39:27 +0000

Dune Energy provided an exploration and development operations update on its leased acreage in Texas and Louisiana. The update reported successful wells at several locations. On its Texas acreage, the Wieting #32 well was drilled to a total depth of 12,750 feet, and hit 50 feet of gas bearing sands. The well is [...]