Stocks meandered at the start as uncertainty over the quarterly results this week kept investors from building positions.  Jittery investors, wanting to see more sings of an economic revival, sold off financial stocks after influential analyst Meredith Whitney downgraded shares of Goldman Sachs.  Whitney also lowered her earnings outlook for Bank of America and Citigroup.  Although late morning saw some strength, stocks struggled to stay afloat and ended the day mixed.   

Gains in commodity prices helped some mid-session buying in energy and material shares but the overall weakness in financial and healthcare stocks kept sentiment in check.  Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) and Aetna Inc. (NYSE:AET) fell more than 3% as the Senate Finance Committee approved an $829 billion plan to overhaul the U.S. health system.  Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) fell 2.4% after the company reported revenue that was below the Street expectations.  However, the company reported higher

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 12, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the latest Industry Outlook. Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Electrical Products sector, including Hubbell Inc (HUB.B), Thomas & Betts (TNB), WESCO International (WCC), W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Anixter International (AXE).

Here is the latest on the Electrical Products sector:

The U.S. Electrical Products industry is highly fragmented, with the largest suppliers together accounting for only a small percentage of total sales. Some of the largest players in this market are Hubbell Inc (HUB.B) and Thomas & Betts (TNB), which distribute their own products. Other manufacturers sell through distributors such as WESCO International (WCC), W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Anixter International (AXE).

The primary factors influencing growth in this market are new construction activity (residential, industrial and

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The U.S. Electrical Products industry is highly fragmented, with the largest suppliers together accounting for only a small percentage of total sales. Some of the largest players in this market are Hubbell Inc (HUB.B) and Thomas & Betts (TNB), which distribute their own products. Other manufacturers sell through distributors such as WESCO International (WCC), W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Anixter International (AXE). The primary factors influencing growth in this market are new construction activity (residential, industrial and commercial), regular repair and maintenance activities, large government construction projects and calamity-driven spending (natural disasters and terrorist attacks). The split between new construction revenue and rehabilitation/renovation revenue is roughly 2:1 in non-recessionary market conditions. We track the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) for determining the condition of construction markets. The ABI indicates architectural billings, which lag construction spending by around 9-12 months. A score above ...

The U.S. Electrical Products industry is highly fragmented, with the largest suppliers together accounting for only a small percentage of total sales. Some of the largest players in this market are Hubbell Inc (HUB.B) and Thomas & Betts (TNB), which distribute their own products. Other manufacturers sell through distributors such as WESCO International (WCC), W.W. Grainger (GWW) and Anixter International (AXE). The primary factors influencing growth in this market are new construction activity (residential, industrial and commercial), regular repair and maintenance activities, large government construction projects and calamity driven spending (natural disasters and terrorist attacks). The split between new construction revenue and rehabilitation/renovation revenue is roughly 2:1 in non-recessionary conditions. We track the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) for determining the condition of construction markets. The ABI indicates architectural billings, which lag construction spending by around 9-12 months. A score above 50 generally ...

• Novellus (NASDAQ:NVLS) CEO Rick Hill provided optimistic outlooks for the current quarter and next. He narrowed the gain in bookings to an expected 40-55% rise from 20-50%, the range of shipments to $150 -$170 million from $140-$170 million, with earnings expected to range between a nine cent loss and breakeven, up from a 15 cent loss and breakeven

• Citigroup (NYSE:C) analysts lowered their rating on Abercrombie and Fitch (NYSE:ANF) to "sell" from "hold" and cut the price target to $24 from $33

• Costco (NASDAQ:COST) received an upgrade from JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM)

• H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) reported fiscal first quarter loss from continuing operations of 39 cents a share, a bit worse than the Zacks expectations of a 37 cent loss, as revenues grew 1.3% to $275.5 million, off estimates of $281 million. The firm, however, maintained full year projections of $1.60-$1.80

• Cooper Companies (NYSE:COO) reported third quarter earnings of 54

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 24, 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: WESCO International (WCC), Anixter International (AXE), W.W. Grainger (GWW), United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) and Hershey (HSY).

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

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

WESCO Misses, Guidance Down

WESCO International (WCC) announced second-quarter results that missed the consensus revenue estimate by 15.5% and the EPS estimate by 12 cents. Results appear weaker than the peer group, which includes Anixter International (AXE), W.W. Grainger (GWW) and

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 13, 2009 – Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week’s list includes Intel (INTC), Google (GOOG), W.W. Grainger (GWW),Micron (MU), National Semiconductor (NSM), Texas Instruments (TXN), Wolverine World Wide (WWW) and Harley-Davidson (HOG). To see more earnings analysis, visit http://at.zacks.com/?id=3207.

Every day, Zacks.com makes 4 stock picks available, free of charge. To see them, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=5612.

This Week's Events

Six Dow components are scheduled to report as large-cap stocks dominate the first big week of earnings season, including Intel (INTC).

Joining them will be Google (GOOG) and 24 other members of the S&P 500. Overall, 83 companies are scheduled to report. Though the total size of the calendar is not large, its composition

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