Disney (DIS), the media company behind Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lightyear, and whose colleagues in the industry include CBS (CBS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, News Corp. (NWS), Sony Corporation (SNE), Time Warner (TWX), and Viacom (VIA), reported results for Q4 and the full fiscal year on Thursday after the bell. While the bottom line came in ahead of expectations, I have to say that the release was disappointing to this shareholder.

Earnings on an adjusted basis for the quarter came in at 46 cents per share, higher than the number predicted by analysts. Unfortunately, as I go through the data, I don't think I'm too comforted by such income performance.

Continue reading Disney's Q4: Bob Iger beats Wall Street, but he needs a better plan for the studio

Disney's Q4: Bob Iger beats Wall Street, but he needs a better plan for the studio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Can't go up every day (BAC, HE, HPW, COMS, BRCD, WMT, AMD)

Closing Bell: Can't go up every day (BAC, HE, HPW, COMS, BRCD, WMT, AMD) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The clock is ticking away the time before the year ends and I have only begun to sort out the possibilities. In Part 1 of this series, I discussed breaking up my potential picks into three categories: contender, on the fence, and out of the running until the 10 stocks have been identified.

Four contenders have been considered so far: American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Anglo American ADR (AAUKY) and Diageo plc (DEO).

Six more are included in today's review: EZCorp Inc. (EZPW), General Electric Company (GE), Wells Fargo & Company (WFC), Annaly Capital Management ( NLY), Intuitive Surgical Inc (ISRG) plus Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B). These include the remaining five from 2009 and one more familiar to most investors.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 2

Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 2 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While General Electric's (GE) fire alarm and security business is solid, it's simply not big enough to keep the company's interest. In such an industry, it's critical to be the industry leader.

So this week, GE agreed to sell the unit to United Technologies (UTX) for $1.82 billion. Rumors of the deal have been buzzing since the summer.

Continue reading United Technologies fires up a deal with GE

United Technologies fires up a deal with GE originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: Stocks to open lower despite Wal-Mart's beat

Before the bell: Stocks to open lower despite Wal-Mart's beat originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS), a media business that competes with Viacom (VIA), CBS (CBS), News Corp. (NWS), and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, will be talking up its fourth-quarter numbers on Thursday after the bell. Are you a shareholder? If so, are you excited? Well, don't get too excited, because we might not be getting any growth, even if the Mouse beats on the bottom line. According to Earnings.com, the call is for 40 cents per share versus the 43 cents per share made in the comparable period.

You know what, though? For the most part, I'm not so concerned with exactly how much Disney makes this quarter. I'm a shareholder, and I want to see management at least come in at the estimate, of course, but I'll be more interested in the conference call. Way more interested this time around, in fact.

Continue reading Disney to report earnings Thursday: Should investors be excited?

Disney to report earnings Thursday: Should investors be excited? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2009 blazing picks -- Q3 review

Chasing Value: 2009 blazing picks -- Q3 review originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When I discussed Lions Gate Entertainment's (LGF) first-quarter results, I noted the disappointing statement of cash flows. Unfortunately, the company didn't do much better in the second quarter. For the six-month period, Lions Gate used over $160 million for operations compared to the roughly $40 million used in the similar frame one year ago.

Of course, cash flow doesn't always get the most coverage. Investors tend to get more excited by a swing to profitability. On that count, Lions Gate scored admirably, earning 26 cents per diluted share versus losing 44 cents per diluted share twelve months prior. Earnings.com indicates that analysts were really underestimating the Q2 income potential here: the call was for 6 cents per share.

Continue reading Lions Gate Entertainment: Still waiting for cash flow

Lions Gate Entertainment: Still waiting for cash flow originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading EU objects to Sun-Oracle deal

EU objects to Sun-Oracle deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS) had high hopes for A Christmas Carol. It was supposed to be an unqualified blockbuster. Unfortunately, the film's first weekend at the box office was nothing short of a disaster.

Too strong? Hardly. According to early estimates at Box Office Mojo, Carol took in little more than $30 million at domestic screenings. It was wasn't supposed to be like this. Carol was supposed to be light-years ahead of the competition. Sony's (SNE) Michael Jackson's This Is It came in second. The Men Who Stare at Goats, distributed by Liberty Capital Group's (LCAPA) Overture Films, was third. And The Fourth Kind, from General Electric's (GE) Universal, is currently ranked, aptly enough, in fourth place. Each of the latter three pictures had a gross of somewhere between $12 million and $14 million. To me, Carol's take didn't seem as disproportionate as it should have been.

Continue reading Disney's 'A Christmas Carol': Investors not in a merry mood?

Disney's 'A Christmas Carol': Investors not in a merry mood? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures climb as Wall Street eyes deals

Before the bell: Futures climb as Wall Street eyes deals originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yet, when I look at the latest earnings report, I don't feel as upbeat as the market. According to the press release (the link goes to a .pdf file), revenues were flat for the third quarter and adjusted income dropped to 25 cents per share from the year-ago figure of 39 cents per share.

Continue reading CBS challenged in Q3, waiting for better advertising climate

CBS challenged in Q3, waiting for better advertising climate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Unemployment must not be relevant (GE, ACOM, FNM, ZIOP, MOT, NVDA)

Closing Bell: Unemployment must not be relevant (GE, ACOM, FNM, ZIOP, MOT, NVDA) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Bernstein upgraded General Electric (NYSE: GE) to Outperform from Market Perform Thursday after the close. The firm sees an improved risk/reward on the stock and raised its price target to $19 from $18.
• Bernstein also upgraded Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Outperform from Market Perform as it believes sales growth and margin expansion expectations are too low. The firm raised its target on shares to $160 from $125.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded CBS (NYSE: CBS) to Neutral from Underweight following the company's Q3 results and raised its target on shares to $13 from $12.
• JPMorgan upgraded Macy's (NYSE: M) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect the company's improving comps. The firm has a $23 target on the stock.
• Ansys (NASDAQ: ANSS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
• Travelers (NYSE: TRV) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Air Methods (NASDAQ: AIRM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, CBS, CVS, DE, GE, M, TRV ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, CBS, CVS, DE, GE, M, TRV ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS), the big media conglomerate that competes with Disney (NYSE: DIS), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), and General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal, issued Q1 data on Wednesday after regular trading was over. Revenues declined 4%, but earnings per share went up 10% to 22 cents. According to Bloomberg, that was enough to beat analysts by four pennies.

That's pretty decent for the company, but there are a couple of spots in need of serious help. It goes without saying that the newspaper industry is having a rough time, so it's not so hard to understand why the news groups experienced a significant decline in operating income.

Continue reading News Corp. beats forecasts, but television business is weak

News Corp. beats forecasts, but television business is weak originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Adjusted earnings per share grew over 20% to 28 cents per share. According to our earnings preview, the market was looking for 25 cents per share. Operating cash flow increased a little under 3%, but free cash flow went up almost 20%, aided by a smaller amount of capital expenditures compared to the previous year's similar quarter. I'm sure shareholders are more than satisfied with the growth rate of the green stuff over the past three months. Comcast saw excellent expansion of free cash over the last nine months, too.

Continue reading Comcast grows free cash in Q3, but when will it do a deal?

Comcast grows free cash in Q3, but when will it do a deal? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, the company's A shares are down slightly as I write this by about 0.6%, and the B shares are just about flat. Like I say, if the broader indexes were in an uptrend this afternoon, we probably would have seen a pop in the stock.

Continue reading Viacom does well in Q3, but there is still work to be done

Viacom does well in Q3, but there is still work to be done originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The housing bubble and subsequent "Great Recession" have tarnished the stars of a good many of the world's financial wizards, such as the former heads at Lehman Bros. and Merrill Lynch. But one respected image remains -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- on top: Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A).

That's according to a recent quarterly poll of investors, traders, and analysts who subscribe to Bloomberg terminals, those somewhat cryptic news and data computers that are ubiquitous on Wall Street. Buffett, who received favorable nods from 25% of those participating in the poll, walked away with a plurality of the vote, Bloomberg News reported.

Continue reading Buffett's star shines brightest among world's financial gurus, poll shows

Buffett's star shines brightest among world's financial gurus, poll shows originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I don't believe it. I never thought it could happen. Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE: LGF) released Saw VI this past weekend. Surely the latest cinematic celebration of cruelty would be the number-one picture at domestic theaters, right? Saw is a big brand when it comes to torture movies. Jigsaw is a Freddy Krueger (and beyond) for the new generation. The teens would be out in full force to support all the latest traps and sequences of dismemberment and bloodletting for sure.

Well, Saw VI didn't come out on top. Instead, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paranormal Activity made the most money in the race for domination at the multiplex, scoring approximately $22 million according to early estimates from Box Office Mojo. The new Saw did come in second, though, so that was at least some consolation, correct?

Continue reading Viacom's 'Paranormal Activity' plays Jigsaw's game -- and wins

Viacom's 'Paranormal Activity' plays Jigsaw's game -- and wins originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A new executive team is trying to bring MySpace back to its former glory. By focusing on music, videos and games, it hopes to recapture some of its luster. With the MySpace refugees mounting, it's time for some new blood to make some brilliant, future-changing decisions. This week, the company is holding a conference for its global ad sales team to explore ways to bring in traffic and beef up ad spending.

MySpace is poised to haul in $495 million in ad revenue this year, down 15% from last year's $585 million, according to research firm eMarketer. In August, MySpace attracted 64.2 million unique visitors from the United States, off 15% from August 2008, according to comScore, while Facebook pulled in 92.2 million unique U.S. visitors - up more than 100% year-over-year.

Continue reading MySpace (still) refocusing on entertainment content

MySpace (still) refocusing on entertainment content originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.